The Manila Times | May 4, 2019

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SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019

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Trusted since 1898

Namfrel turns down Comelec accreditation FOR the first time since its founding, the National Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) has declined the accreditation granted by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to be the official citizens’ arm for the May 13 elections.

Namfrel announced its decision as it made public the Comelec’s decision that turned down its accreditation as civil society’s participant in the poll body’s random manual audit, which means that it would not be given the 27th copy of the election results generated by the vote counting machines.

“Petitioner (Namfrel) respectfully declines its accreditation as citizens’ arm of the [Comelec], as embodied in [its] resolution dated March 29, 2019,” a document issued by the group read.

Jayme may become state witness – NBI

BY CATHERINE A. MODESTO

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ODEL Jayme, the man arrested early this week for allegedly uploading “Bikoy” videos that implicated members of the family of President Rodrigo Duterte in the illegal drug trade, might be tapped as a state witness, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Friday.

“It is very possible [to turn him into a state witness] if he continues to spill the beans on others, and we get to prove that he just created the website and nothing else,” Ferdinand Lavin, NBI spokesman, said.

Jayme admitted that he was paid P2,500 by Maru Nguyen to create the Metro.Balita. net website.

He said he gave Nguyen access to the website, and that it was the latter who uploaded the “Ang Totoong Narcolist” videos that linked former Davao City vice mayor Paolo”Pulong” Duterte, Manases Carpio and Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go to the illegal drugs trade.

Jayme said he was not Bikoy, the hooded man who accused Carpio, Go and Duterte of being members of a drug syndicate.

However, he said he

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China wants to become our friend, not enemy First of 2 parts

FROM SUSPECT TO WITNESS?

IN MY LINE OF SIGHT

RAMON T. TULFO

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DRONE that can drop bombs on enemy positions without compromising the position of government troops.

A closed-circuit television (CCTV) video that not only can recognize faces and names through digital scanning but also detect unusual behavior of individuals in a crowd. äTulfoA5

From creative destruction to pragmatism to confusion to uncertainty

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Rodel Jayme (left) confers with NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin.

PHOTO BY J.GERARD SEGUIA

Ateneo grad tops 2018 Bar exams

HEN ON THE PresCONTRARY i d e n t Ro d r i g o Duterte was campaigning for the presidency, he promised change, including an independent foreign policy. In his usual bravado, he threatened to ride a jetski to the West Philippine Sea carrying the Philippine flag to affirm the country’s claim in the area in the face of China’s aggressive incursions.

THE Ateneo de Manila University law school made a comeback to earn first place in the 2018 Bar examinations, with the University of San Carlos bagging four slots in the Top 10.

Sean James Borja, an Ateneo graduate, topped the examinations with a rating of 89.3060 percent.

Second was Marcley Augustus Natu-el of the University of San Carlos, who got 87.5300 percent; third was Mark Lawrence Badayos,

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ANTONIO CONTRERAS

What’s inside 10 KILLED IN POLL-LINKED INCIDENTS ACROSS PH

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WITH a week left before the midterm polls, an independent survey for the mayoral race in 16 cities and one municipality of Metro Manila (National Capital Region or NCR) showed that incumbents and names from known political families comfortably led their opponents and were likely to win.

The only exception was in San Juan City where former San Juan vice mayor Francis Zamora and incumbent Vice Mayor Janella Estrada were fighting neck-and-neck for the seat

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SIXERS DOMINATE RAPTORS TO TAKE 2-1 SERIES LEAD

INCUMBENT NCR MAYORS LEAD INDEPENDENT SURVEY

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to be vacated by Mayor Guia Gomez, mother of reelectionist senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito.

In an independent survey conducted by the RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMDinc), Zamora was 6 points ahead with 53 percent to Estrada’s 47 percent.

The noncommissioned survey polled 8,000 registered voters in Metro Manila from April 27 to May 1, 2019. It showed that Josefina “Joy” Belmonte of Quezon City, Mar-len Abigail “Abby” Binay of

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Comelec recalls ‘bleeding’ pens THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) recalled all the marking pens that will be used by voters to shade the ballots during the May 13 midterm polls after discovering that such pens are of poor quality, smudge the ballots and affect the capability of the vote counting machines to read votes.

TURKISH AIRLINE GOLF CUP

Erhan Balaban, general manager of Turkish Airlines Philippines, addresses participants of the 2019 Turkish Airlines World Golf Cup, Manila qualifying event held at the Tagaytay Midlands Golf Club, Tagaytay City.

PHOTO BY ROGER RAÑADA

Makati City, Imelda “Emi” Calixto Rubiano of Pasay City, Lino Cayetano of Taguig City, Robert “Bobby” Eusebio of Pasig City and Tobias “Toby” Tiangco of Navotas City were also leading their opponents with big margins.

The survey showed that Belmonte would be hard to beat with her 60 percent lead against Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo, who posted 32 percent. Former lawmaker Ismael “Chuck” Mathay 3rd received only 4 percent.

“We are now going to replace them with another type of pen, the one that we used in [the] 2016 and 2013 [elections]. We will replace them, we still have time and our election officers are ready to [make emergency] purchase if [what we have] are not enough,” Director Frances Arabe, deputy

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SATURDAY May 4, 2019

10 killed in poll-linked incidents across PH

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BY ROY D.R. NARRA

EN individuals, including local candidates, were killed in 35 election-related violent incidents that were recorded since the start of the election season, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

Police Col. Bernard Banac, PNP spokesman, said in a news briefing on Friday the 10 individuals were

confirmed killed in such incidents recorded from January 13 to April 30.

Some of the fatalities were can-

didates in the May 13 midterm polls, while some were just supporters, he added.

Banac said 11 were injured and 14 were unharmed in these incidents.

All 35 incidents were still under investigation and were considered as homicide cases, he added.

Banac said these cases happened in different parts of the country and there was no focused area of the violent incidents.

“There is no specific concentration. All regions had one or two such incidents,” he added.

The PNP is on full alert status to further prevent other possible violent incidents, especially now that the polls are getting nearer.

It has increased deployment from 143,000 to 160,000 police personnel, so that the PNP can conduct more operations and monitor peace and security in the elections.

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Jayme may become knew Nguyen because they were both supporters of the Liberal Party.

Jayme denied reports that he worked for Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo.

“Sa pagkakaalam ko, si Mary Nguyen ay supporter ng Liberal Party.

Nagkakilala kami noon sa mga sortie (As far as I know, Mary Nguyen is a supporter of the Liberal Party. We met during sorties),” he said.

He said there were other people behind the Bikoy videos, but he declined to identify them so as not to compromise the investigation being conducted by the NBI. The NBI on Thursday filed charges of inciting to sedition against Jayme before the Department of Justice. It said the Bikoy videos that went viral on the internet were designed to sow hatred towards the government.

Jayme, a high school graduate, said he feared for his life.

Lavin said the NBI was set to file more complaints against Jayme for cyberlibel and child abuse, because the Bikoy videos also claimed that the President’s 13-year-old daughter, Veronica, received drug money.

He said that filing of criminal charges against Jayme was a strategy prior to the acceptance of the latter as a state witness.

Destabilizers?

LUCKY Bar passers express their joy upon seeing the results of the 2018 Bar examinations at the Supreme Court in Manila.

PHOTO BY DJ DIOSINA

n BAR FROM A1

Ateneo grad tops 2018 Bar exams University of San Carlos, 85.8420 percent; fourth, Daniel John Fordan, Ateneo de Manila University, 85.4430 percent; fifth, Katrina Monica Gaw, Ateneo de Manila University, 85.4210 percent; sixth, Nadaine Tongco, University of the Philippines, 85.0320 percent; seventh, Pa-

tricia Sevilla, University of the Philippines, 84.8590 percent; eighth, Kathrine de Ting, De La Salle University-Manila, 84.8570 percent; ninth, Jebb Lynus Cane, University of San Carlos, 84.8050 percent; and 10th, Alen Joel Pita, University of San Carlos, 84.6930 percent.

Supreme Court Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo, chairman of the 2018 Supreme Court Committee on the Bar Examinations, announced the results of the 2018 examinations shortly after the high court’s special en banc session on Friday.

A total of 1,800 or 22 percent

of the 8,158 examinees who took the 2018 Bar examinations passed.

The percentage is lower than the 25.5 percent (1,724 out of 6,748) examinees who passed the 2017 Bar examinations.

The complete list of successful examinees is posted and may be viewed at sc.judiciary. gov.ph, the official website of the Supreme Court and its designated mirror sites.

JOMAR CANLAS

Labor Undersecretary Jacinto “Jing” Paras on Friday said Robredo and Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th might be behind the destabilization effort against the Duterte administration.

Paras, in a news briefing, showed several photos of Robredo and Jayme, which, he said, could be used to expand the NBI probe on the controversial videos.

“The reported involvement of Robredo and Trillanes show that those Bikoy videos are spurious and a mere figment of their wild imagination,” he said.

“This is entirely of a political nature, a direct attempt by these people to return to power using the video[s] to weaken the administration candidates for the Otso Diretso to land seats in the Senate,” Paras added.

Paras, a lawyer, said he would file a complaint against the personalities behind the videos.

The camp of Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo said the vice

president was not involved in the release of a series of videos linking some members of the Duterte family to the illegal drug trade.

Photos showing Rodel Jayme with Robredo and other candidates who ran in the national elections in 2016 surfaced on social media after the former was arrested early this week.

Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesman, said detractors of the vice president mounted a smear campaign by spreading rumors that Jayme had worked for her.

“Malinaw na paninira na naman ito. Ayon sa kwentong ipinipilit ibenta kasabay ng photo, si VP Leni daw ang nasa likod ng pagkilos nitong si Jayme. Para sa kalinawan ng lahat: walang Rodel Jayme na nagtatrabaho para sa OVP o kay VP Leni (This is a smear campaign. Based on stories that are being peddled along with the photos, VP Leni is behind Jayme.

For the information of the public, Rodel Jayme is not working for the OVP or for VP Leni),” Gutierrez said in a statement on Friday.

He added that Jayme could have been one of the thousands of supporters who visited Robredo and posed for photos with her in 2016.

Otso Diretso candidate and human rights lawyer Jose Manuel “Chel” Diokno said Jayme should undergo fair trial and investigation on the issue.

“Korte Suprema na ang nagsabi na hindi pwedeng parusahan ang isang tao dahil sa simpleng pagshare lang kung dadaan sa tamang proseso, titingnan ng korte ang mga video ni Bikoy at kikilatisin kung katotohanan ang mga pinapakita diyan (The Supreme Court ruled that a person cannot be punished for simply sharing a video. If the proper process is observed, the court should examine the authenticity of Bikoy’s videos),” he said.

Trillanes on Friday cautioned Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to slow down on his crackdown on “whistleblowers” linking members of the Duterte family to illegal drugs lest he, himself, be suspected of protecting drug lords. “ Secretary Guevarra must first investigate and disprove the allegations of [dismissed police] Col. [Eduardo] Acierto and Bikoy before he could say that their statements are untrue,” said Trillanes in a statement.

WITH WILLIAM B.DEPASUPIL, JAVIER JOE ISMAEL AND GLEA JALEA

n LEAD FROM A1 n ACCREDITATION FROM A1

Namfrel turns down

n National Citizen’s Movement for Free Elections Treasurer Lito Averia explains why the group declined the Commission on Elections accreditation. PHOTO BY ENRIQUE AGCAOILI

The Comelec turned down Namfrel’s request to be given access to election data, which would enable the watchdog to make public irregularities and report the performance of precincts.

“Why would they refuse to give us access? We are not the enemy.

If they refuse to give us that, then better not give us the accreditation after all,” former Comelec commissioner and now Namfrel National Chairman Augusto Lagman said in a news conference.

Ac c e s s t o d a t a f r o m t h e Comelec would enable Namfrel to operate its Open Election Data project, a website containing election-related data such as information on candidates, election return tabulation, list of voters, transparency and media servers, among many other information.

The project would increase the transparency of the poll results and detect fraud.

Namfrel Treasurer Lito Averia, head of the Open Election

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Comelec recalls ‘bleeding’ pens chief of the Comelec Education and Information Division, said on Friday in a radio interview.

“It’s better not to use them because [they] will smudge, [they] blot. [They] bleed, [they are] not quick-dry[ing],” she added.

According to Arabe, the problem was only discovered recently during the start of the ongoing onemonth overseas absentee voting.

She explained that the pens delivered by the supplier were of poor quality and were different

from what were presented and tested by the Comelec during and after the bidding process. “[They] underwent the necessary post-qualification [evaluation]. The sample provided was good but unfortunately what

INCUMBENT NCR MAYORS

Data project, said the Comelec could refuse or accept their manifestation.

“I wish I knew why they refused to give us our request for access.

If we had, we can do almost real-time analysis and publication, which they (Comelec) can’t do either,” Averia said.

Eric Alvia, Namfrel secretary general, said while their refusal to be accredited might prompt restrictions on their precinct volunteers nationwide, they would “work with whatever we can get.”

Namfrel is seeking the support of some 50,000 volunteers to monitor election activities in more than 85,000 clustered polling precincts before, during and after the elections.

“We have managed to continue with worse circumstances since 1985,” he added.

Founded in 1983, Namfrel is the first citizens’ election watchdog in the world.

NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

Meanwhile, Binay still enjoyed a strong lead of 64 percent against her brother, former mayor Jejomar Erwin “Junjun” Binay Jr., who posted 34 percent.

In the closely contested race in Manila, former vice mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso was leading at 50 percent. Incumbent Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada had 33 percent, while ex-mayor Alfredo Lim posted a voter preference of 15 percent.

In Taguig City, Cayetano, brother-in- law of incumbent Mayor Maria Laarni “Lani” Cayetano, garnered 67 percent against TaguigPateros Rep. Arnel Cerafica, who only got 30 percent.

Tiangco, who is running for Navotas mayor, was up by 76 percent against Dan Israel “DI” Ang’s 20 percent.

In Pasay City, Rubiano led with 74 percent, while Cesar “Chet” Cuneta, son of the late Pasay Mayor Pablo Cuneta, had 15 percent.

Pasig City Mayor Eusebio was also way ahead at 66 percent compared to Vico Sotto, son of actor-comedian Vic Sotto and actress Coney Reyes, who scored 33 percent.

Also leading were Valenzuela Mayor Rexlon “Rex” Gatchalian (95 percent), Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez (62 percent) and Malabon Mayor Antolin “Lenlen” Oreta (65 percent).

In the cities of Mandaluyong, Caloocan and Muntinlupa, incumbent candidates pulled away in the poll with Mayor Carmelita Abalos (97percent), Mayor Oscar “Oca” Malapitan (93 percent) and Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (57 percent) leading.

The other leading May 2019 candidates for mayor in Metro Manila, based on the survey, also included Imelda Aguilar (94 percent) of Las Piñas City, Marcelino Teodoro (93 percent) of Marikina City and Miguel Ponce 3rd (73 percent) of Pateros town.

Dr. Paul Martinez of RPMDinc said the incumbents, kin, seasoned leaders and those with big names were winning the race.

Respondents were asked “If elections for mayor are to be held today near your place, who among the following candidates will you vote for?”

WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL

were delivered were not [of the same qualifty],”Arabe said.

“This is a matter that will be dealt with separately later on,” she added, noting that “as of now, we are more concerned about providing the right pen and for the elections to run smoothly.”

Arabe gave assurances that the Comelec was taking the necessary measures to solve the

problem, saying the immediate response was to deploy the excess pens used during the last two previous elections.

She pointed out that with 10 days to go before the May 13 polls, it was quite late to conduct a bidding for the purpose, saying the other option was to make an “emergency” purchase if the pens in the Comelec’s possession were not enough.

Arabe said the pens used in 2016 and 2013 were of excellent quality and were still in very good condition when tested.

“For now, that is our remedy.

We have excess pens and we will be sending them. We have already announced to our electoral boards that they should replace those pens inside the boxes supplied to them,” she added.

WILLIAM B. DEPASUPIL

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administration will continue to respect press freedom contrary to the allegations of some),” Andanar said in a statement.

“Ilan lamang po sa mga patunay na iginagalang at pinoprotektahan ng administrasyon ang mga mamamahayag sa bansa ay ang Presidential Task Force on Media Security, o PTFoMS, na agad na nilagdaan ng Pangulo sa unang mga buwan ng kanyang pamamahala (Among the initiatives that will prove that the administration respects and protects the media is the creation of P r e s i d e n t i a l Ta s k Fo r c e o n Media Security or PTFoMS),” he added.

Duterte, in October 2016, signed Administrative Order 1, creating the PTFoMS, with its mandate to protect the life, liberty and security of media workers and their families.

Andanar said the Presidential Communications Operations Office would continue to intensify its campaign to combat fake news and disinformation.

“Tayo naman po ay kaisa ng lahat ng mediamen sa bansa at sa buong mundo sa pagsusulong at pangangalaga sa karapatan sa press freedom (We are one with mediamen in the country and all over the world in pushing and protecting the rights to press freedom),” he added.

CATHERINE S. VALENTE

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BY DEMPSEY REYES

HE Supreme Court on Friday granted the petition for a writ of amparo and habeas data filed by the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), one of the groups that claimed to have been red-tagged by the military.

The writ was granted during a special en banc session held on Friday.

The decision was written by Associate Justice Mario Victor Leonen.

According to the high court’s Public Information Office, the tribunal also ordered the respondents — President Rodrigo Duterte, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Armed Forces of the Philip-

pines Chief of Staff Gen. Benjamin Madrigal, Deputy Commander for Intelligence Brig. Gen. Fernando Trinidad, Intelligence Service chief Maj. Gen. Erwin Bernard Neri, and Philippine Army Commanding General Lt. Gen. Macairog Alberto, among others — to make a verified return of the writ of amparo and habeas data and to comment on the petition on or before May 8.

The NUPL filed the petition in April, claiming its members were in danger because of statements linking them to the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New Peoples’ Army.

The writ of amparo is a remedy available to any person whose right to life, liberty and security is violated or threatened by an unlawful act or omission of a public official or employee, or even a private individual or entity.

The group, led by its president Edre Olalia, also asked the high court to compel the respondents to provide them with copies of all facts, information, statements, records, photographs and other evidence pertaining to each of their members.

The tribunal on Friday referred the case to the Court of Appeals (CA), which was directed to immediately raffle the case among appellate justices.

The CA was also directed to hear the petition on May 14 and to decide on the case within 10 days after the case has been submitted for decision.

Olalia said his group was pleased with the granting of the writ.

“It also sends a strong and clear signal to the military and government officials, alike, as well as their proxies or agents, that there are certain well-defined rules of evidence not incompatible with basic fairness, decency, common sense and logic that must be observed,” he said in a statement.

SC issues writ of kalikasan to protect Panatag Shoal

FARMERS BACK BAM AQUINO

THOUSANDS of Pangasinan farmers threw their support behind the reelection bid of Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino 4th, who pushed for the immediate release of financial assistance to farmers affected by the Rice Tariffication Law. More than 2,000 farmers belonging to the Abono party-list, led by its chairman Rosendo So, gathered in Urdaneta City to show their support for Aquino.

“Huwag nating kalimutan, kailangan natin siya sa Senado (Let’s not forget, we need him in the Senate),” said So as he thanked Aquino for working for the passage of Republic Act 10845 or the “Anti-Agricultural Smuggling Act.” In Cauayan City, hundreds of farmers also endorsed the reelection bid of Aquino, who was joined by Isabela Gov. Faustino “Bojie” Dy 3rd and other local officials.

Aquino promised to work for the release of the financial assistance for agricultural workers.

The senator said the drop in palay (unmilled rice) prices did not only affect farmers but also the entire nation.

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Court grants NUPL writ of amparo

Duterte govt respects press freedom – Palace THE Duterte administration will continue to respect press freedom in the Philippines, Malacañang assured the public on Friday, World Press Freedom Day. Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President believes that the press plays an important role in a democracy as he considers the fourth estate “a partner for genuine change.”

“We do not condone media violence and repression of information. In fact, the Chief Executive issued and implemented orders, which advance freedom of information within this branch of government and further the protection of media workers through the creation of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security during the first months of his presidency,” Panelo said.

“The Duterte administration assures members of the press that it will support them in the free exercise of their profession and in crafting accurate, fair and nonpartisan reports for the Filipino people,” he added.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the Duterte administration had been pushing for programs and plans to protect media practitioners in the country.

“Asahan niyo po na patuloy na irerespeto ng Duterte administration ang press freedom sa bansa, taliwas sa mga alegasyon ng iilan (You can expect that the Duterte

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

THE Supreme Court (SC) has issued a Writ of Kalikasan to protect, preserve, rehabilitate and restore the marine environment in Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal, Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, and Panganiban (Mischief) Reef.

The tribunal granted the petition filed by Monico Abogado and several others.

The petitioners are members of the Kalayaan Palawan Farmers and Fisherfolk Association.

Named respondents were Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources chief Eduardo Gongona, Philippine Navy Flag Officer in Command Adm. Robert Empedrad, Philippine Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Elson Hermogino, and Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde, among others.

The petitioners claimed that the government’s failure to stop the activities of the Chinese in contested areas in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea) was in violation of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, the Philippine Fisheries Code, and Presidential Decree 1586, establishing the Environmental Impact Statement System in the Philippines.

The petitioners cited the July 12, 2016 ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated China’s claim in the West Philippine Sea. JOMAR CANLAS

RECEDING

Angat Dam’s water level dipped further on Friday, registering 177 meters, which is considered critical. The dam’s normal level is 180 meters. PHOTO BY RUY L. MARTINEZ

“Kaya dapat ibigay na ngayon ang ayuda sa mga magsasaka dahil ngayon ito pinaka-kailangan (Now is the time to extend assistance to the farmers),” he said.

He urged the government to distribute the direc t financial assistance to farmers under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund.

“Hindi na dapat paghintayin pa ang mga magsasaka.

Kailangan na nila ang tulong ngayon (Farmers should not be made to wait. They need the assistance now),” Aquino pointed out.

He also called on the government to ensure the livelihood of Filipino farmers and their families amid the entry of imported rice in the market.

“Dapat matiyak na walang magutom (We should ensure that no one will go hungry),” Aquino said.

“Mahalagang tulungan natin sila na maging produktibo para hindi maapektuhan ang kanilang kabuhayan (It is important to help them become productive so that their livelihood will not be affected),” he added.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

Enrile seeks release of survival fund FORMER Senate president Juan Ponce Enrile on Friday called for the proper implementation of the People’s Survival Fund (PSF) to combat the impact of climate change.

Under Republic Act 10174, which was signed into law in 2012, the fund had an annual minimum budget of P1 billion, Enrile — who is seeking a fifth six-year Senate term — said.

The PSF law, which the former senator authored, funds climate change adaptation projects proposed by local government units and concerned local organizations.

Enrile urged the government to

enhance the implementation of the program as El Niño had damaged crops worth at least P8 billion.

“When I authored this law in 2010, the country was not yet reeling from the effects of climate change as it is now. What we are experiencing this year — the El Niño and the shortage in water supply, irrigation and power produced by it — is alarming,” he said.

The veteran lawmaker lamented that drought hit farms in Zambales and Bataan where he recently campaigned.

He said the government already “has laws in place to build the resilience of local communities against drought and other phenomena.”

“The fund is meant to help communities that are at risk of drought, flooding and other disasters. There are many farming communities here in Luzon, for instance, that have lost millions of pesos due to the El Niño,” Enrile said.

“What the fund can do is to pay for local projects designed for that specific community or village that will ensure this does not happen again next year or in the years after,” he added.

The climate change adaptation initiatives that can be funded under the law include projects for food security, water sufficiency, environmental and ecological stability, human security, sustainable energy,

knowledge and capacity development, and climate-smart industries and services.

The projects can also tackle prevention of diseases triggered by climate change, warning systems for climate-induced disasters, and risk insurance programs for farmers and workers.

“The People’s Survival Fund is not a cost; it is an investment.

Climate change is the greatest crisis this world will ever face, and the government will fail in its task to take care of the people if it will not help them become more resilient in these alarming times,” Enrile said.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

On being a project employee Dear PAO, I was hired by Fe Construction in one of its projects as a carpenter for six months. After the project was completed, I was again hired for another project in the province. The contract I signed stated that I would work as a carpenter for six months; however, the same might be extended or shortened depending on the phase of the work.

I worked for more than a year; however, after the completion of the project, Fe Construction refused to sign me for another project. My friend told me to file a case for illegal dismissal against Fe Construction.

According to him, I became a regular employee when I rendered work for more than one year. Am I a regular employee?

Leonardo

DEAR PAO

PERSIDA ACOSTA Dear Leonardo, Based on the facts you have provided, it appears that you are a project employee and not a regular employee. This is in accordance with Article 295 of Presidential Decree 442 (Labor Code of the Philippines), which states: “The provisions of the written agreement to the contrary notwithstanding and regardless of the oral agreement of the parties, an employment shall be deemed to be regular where the employee has been engaged to perform activities which are usually nec-

essary or desirable in the usual business or trade of the employer, except where the employment has been fixed for a specific project or undertaking the completion or termination of which has been determined at the time of the engagement of the employee or where the work or service to be performed is seasonal in nature and the employment is for the duration of the season.”

In a similar case, the Supreme Court through Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta stated in the case of E. Ganzon Inc. and Eulalio Ganzon vs Ando Jr. (GR 214183, Feb. 20, 2017): “The fact that Ando was required to render services necessary or desirable in the operation of EGI’s business for more than one year does not in any way impair the validity of his project employment

contracts. Time and again, we have held that the length of service through repeated and successive rehiring is not the controlling determinant of the employment tenure of a project employee. The rehiring of construction workers on a project-to-project basis does not confer upon them regular employment status as it is only dictated by the practical consideration that experienced construction workers are more preferred. In Ando’s case, he was rehired precisely because of his previous experience working with the other phase of the project.

EGI took into account similarity of working environment. Moreover“xxx It is widely known that in the construction industry, a project employee’s work depends on the availability of projects, necessarily the duration of his employment. It is

not permanent but coterminous with the work to which he is assigned. It would be extremely burdensome for the employer, who depends on the availability of projects, to carry him as permanent employee and pay him wages even if there are no projects for him to work on. The rationale behind this is that one the project is completed it would be unjust to require the employer to maintain these employees in their payroll. To do so would make the employee a privileged retainer who collects payment form his employer for work not done. This is extremely unfair to the employers and amounts to labor coddling at the expense of management.”

Applying the above-quoted decision in your situation, you are

a project employee because your employment is for a fixed term.

The period stated in your contract may be extended or shortened depending on the progress or phase of the work, thus, your employment is coterminous with the project. You did not become a regular employee just because you have rendered more than one year of service.

This opinion is solely based on the facts you have narrated and our appreciation of the same. The opinion may vary when the facts are changed or further elaborated.

We hope that we were able to enlighten you on the matter.

Editor’s note: Dear PAO is a daily column of the Public Attorney’s Office. Questions for Chief Acosta may be sent to dearpao@ manilatimes.net

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Opinion

saturday May 4, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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E d i to r i a l Credit ratings upgrade a sign of long-term stability

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N one of the most positive signs seen in years for the Philippine economy, ratings agency Standard & Poor’s this week raised the country’s sovereign credit rating to a historic high of BBB+, with a stable outlook. While the Duterte administration rightly deserves some credit for the role it has played in the rating upgrade, the improvement is best understood as the consequence of stable, disciplined financial management carried out over the long term.

The country’s sovereign credit rating represents a judgment about the level of risk of default on its debt obligations, such as bonds and loans. The higher the rating, the lower the perceived risk. The standard rating scale would have Aaa as the highest credit rating a country could obtain.

Although there are a number of ratings agencies, actions by the big three — Standard & Poor’s (S&P), Moody’s, and Fitch Ratings — are considered the most authoritative.

The Philippines has obtained ratings from them that are considered “investment grade”: from S&P it is now BBB+; from Moody’s, Baa2, last changed in December 2014; and from Fitch, BBB, last upgraded in December 2017. All three agencies have also assigned the Philippines a “stable” outlook. A higher credit rating means that the Philippines can borrow money at a lower cost in interest, even if the amount of debt increases.

There are a multitude of factors that are taken into consideration in determining a credit rating, but in the simplest terms, the rating qualitatively describes how appropriate the amount of debt is given the country’s income; how stable government income is, especially with respect to increasing the amount of debt; how much cushion the government’s assets can provide to meet debt obligations in case of a loss of income; and how stable the currency is (because large changes in the value of the peso can change the amount of outstanding debts).

The specific indicators that correspond to these factors are the country’s outstanding debt relative to gross domestic product (GDP), the proportion of government spending devoted to debt service, the sources and amount of government revenue, foreign currency reserves, and the exchange rate of the peso.

All of these indicators are now quite stable, and that came as a result of the work of three administrations in bringing them to their current state. The Arroyo administration established the pattern of steadily declining debt-to-GDP ratios, and started the peso exchange rate management strategy carried out by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas under former long-time governor Amando Tetangco Jr. Foreign currency reserves increased to strong levels at or above $80 billion during the term of former President Benigno Aquino 3rd. The Duterte administration has contributed tax reform, which improves the amount and efficiency of government revenue collection.

Thus, the last three presidents can claim a fair share of the credit for the Philippines’ improved standing.

None accomplished the rating milestone on their own, but each had a vital role to play. The outcome of that institutionalized discipline offers bright prospects for the future as well. Even if the present or future administrations incur a large amount of new debt to fund programs, so long as they do not stray far from the sound strategy being practiced, the economy should remain stable and attractive to investors.

saturday May 4, 2019

~

The Manila Times

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 203

Dante A. Ang, Chairman Emeritus Rene Q. Bas, Publisher Emeritus Nerilyn A. Tenorio, Publisher-Editor Arnold E. Belleza, Executive Editor Leena C. Chua, News Editor Lynette O. Luna, National Editor Tessa Mauricio-Arriola, Lifestyle Editor Perry Gil S. Mallari, Sports Editor Dino Ray V. Directo 3rd, Motoring Editor Conrad M. Cariño, Special Sections Editor Lea Manto-Beltran, Supplements Editor Alvin I. Dacanay, Assistant Business Editor Mario F. Fetalino, Assistant Business Editor Remia B. Eugenio, Deskman (Regions) Marishelle R. Medina, Deskman Jomar canlas, Chief of Reporters Rene H. Dilan, Chief Photographer Dante F. M. Ang 2nd, President and CEO Blanca C. Mercado, Chief Operating Officer Roda A. Zabat, Advertising Director Vicente P. Cruz, Jr., Circulation Director Denise O. Calnea, Marketing Communications and Services Director Telephone All Departments: 524-5665 to 66; Subscription: 524-5664 Local 222 Advertising: 524-5664 Local 121 Telefax: 310-5895 or e-mail advertising@manilatimes.net www.manilatimes.net • e-mail newsdesk@manilatimes.net Letters to the Editor THE MANILA TIMES is published daily at 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002 The owners, managers, publishers and editors do not necessarily share the opinions expressed and the statements made by individual authors of columns, commentaries and other articles published in The Manila Times.

Global warming could go the way of Russia collusion First word S I have indicated in previous columns, I will return from time to time to the subject of global warming or climate change, depending on significant developments in the climate change debate.

I take up the subject again today because of two recent reports, namely: First, a White House announcement that President Donald Trump has set a meeting with top advisers to discuss the creation of a commission to scrutinize government climate change reports.

Trump could issue within weeks an executive order that will bring the commission to life.

Second, a major report by a top US website, which contends that global warming could be going the way of the theory of Russia collusion in the 2016 US election, which has been unmasked as a hoax.

These reports will trouble my readers who are climate alarmists.

If these are proven right, I suggest that we console ourselves with

A

observer yen makabenta the thought that planet earth and humanity will abide until 2030, and perhaps much, much longer.

The United Nations should stop scaring us silly.

Commission on climate change PJ Media reports that President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with close advisers to discuss creating a commission to scrutinize climate change reports.

Top National Security Council (NSC) officials John Bolton and William Happer will press Trump to create a commission to scrutinize the government’s major climate change reports, like last year’s National Climate Assessment.

Should Trump agree, the plan is to issue an executive order creating a climate commission within the NSC. Happer, a Princeton physicist, has pushed for Trump to create a commission to scrutinize US military and intelligence claims that global warming is a national security threat. Happer was brought on to the NSC in September to analyze emerging technologies.

Happer’s push for a climate commission has been viciously attacked by politicians and environmentalists. House Democrats oppose Happer’s push for a climate panel, saying his intent was to undermine the “consensus.”

Many conservative activists, on the other hand, have come out in favor of setting up a commission to scrutinize climate claims, including nearly 140 groups and experts who sent a letter of support to Trump in March.

“We suggest that climate science requires at least the same level of scrutiny as the engi-

neering employed in building a bridge or a new airplane,” conservatives wrote to Trump.

“If the defenders are confident that the science contained in official reports is robust, then they should welcome a review that would finally put to rest the doubts that have been raised,” conservatives wrote.

“On the other hand, their opposition could be taken as evidence that the scientific basis of the climate consensus is in fact highly suspect and cannot withstand critical review,” the conservatives wrote.

Global warming and Russia collusion Dr. Brian C. Joondeph, a Denver doctor and writer, has published an arresting article in the American Thinker (“Global warming going the way of Russia collusion,” American Thinker, April 29, 2019) whose conclusions are devastating

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n contreras From A1

From creative destruction to pragmatism to confusion to uncertainty Elected on the back of popular discontent against elitist politics, the President imaged himself as a harbinger of change. His foreign policy appeared to be boldly different and unconventional.

He cursed US President Barack Obama. The President initially gave the impression that he didn’t have any qualms about destroying existing ways, and building new ones as he embarked on his policy which can be best summarized as one of creative destruction. Recently, he even threatened to wage war against Canada over the garbage issue.

But at the same time, his confrontational stance towards China dissolved into one of appeasement when he unilaterally set aside our hard-earned victory at the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague, and embarked on securing a friendlier relationships with the Asian giant. Thus, from what appeared as creative destruction, the President turned into pragmatic appeasement.

President Duterte made no qualms about impressing on the global community that he was pivoting towards China as a pragmatic move to secure a new pathway to seek financial assistance for his ambitious infrastructure programs under China’s Belt and Road Initiative. This, even as the Philippines was still tied down to its security arrangements with the United States under the Mutual Defense Treaty binding the two countries. Repeatedly, however, the President, either directly or through his alter egos, has expressed reservations about

the sincerity of the US in coming to the defense of the Philippines should a shooting war erupt with China. This was also one of the reasons for the President’s China pivot, considering that appeasement in the context of economic partnerships and assistance would be a more pragmatic approach in dealing with China in the face of inadequate military firepower, an arbitral ruling that was largely unenforceable due to its rejection and nonrecognition

by China, and a vague commitment from the United States.

Contributing to the rationalization of the President’s pragmatic stance towards China is the inability of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to come up with a stronger regional position on the issue of the contested waters of the West Philippine Sea. While Vietnam and Indonesia appear to approach the issue in more confrontational terms, these are emanating mainly from the fact that the military firepower of these countries are more capable compared to the Philippines.

There is no argument that the capacity of the Philippines to defend its marine waters and secure its territorial claims in the contested area, is woefully inadequate. The humiliating spectacle of unchallenged Chinese boats swarming around Pag-asa Island that is part of sovereign Philippine territory, which tacitly could be seen as acts of aggression, while Indonesia and Vietnam are able to ward off Chinese incursions using firepower from

their Navy and Coast Guard, is a painful reminder of that reality.

Without the military capability, and seemingly orphaned, or at least having the perception of being so, by the US and the Asean, President Duterte’s policy of pragmatic appeasement appears to be not only wise, but is the only choice. The President himself has repeatedly pointed out that he wants to avoid a war with China that the Philippines will almost certainly lose. Engaging China in a bilateral and friendly manner will not only stabilize the region, but also bring in billions of loans that are badly needed for the President’s ambitious infrastructure program.

Unfortunately, this policy of appeasement appears not to be popular with Filipinos. A survey on the issue taken in September 2018 yielded that 84 percent of Filipinos thought that it was not right for the President to leave China alone in its aggressive activities in the West Philippine Sea. 86 percent felt that the Philippines should strengthen its military capability, while 71 percent urged the government to bring the issue to international organizations for resolution.

It is not clear if China and the West Philippine Sea are crucial issues for the upcoming midterm elections on May 13, but it seems that the President has taken notice of public opinion.

This adverse view of China is further fueled by the increasing number of Chinese workers, some of whom are unregistered illegals. Also widely publicized

are the onerous provisions that were embedded in the loan agreements signed with China, which include a waiver of immunity over the patrimonial resources of the country.

The President has since ordered a reexamination of these alleged onerous terms. Recently, he was also quoted as telling China to leave Pag-asa lest he sends our military for suicide missions there. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teddy Boy Locsin has also been issuing a barrage of critical statements regarding China. Coincidentally, the US, through its Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, has recently assured the Philippines that the US will come to its defense in the event of a war with China.

If there is one thing that can be said about the current state of policy discourse about China by the Duterte government, it could be one of confusion, if not uncertainty. In his recent visit to China, the President secured 19 agreements with Chinese companies worth P634 trillion expected to generate employment for 21,000 Filipinos. It is, however, uncertain if this can influence the popular view about China among people who, while supportive of the President, remain suspicious towards China, particularly now that the political opposition appears to have seized the opportunity to use the issue against Duterte.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has reiterated the country’s position that the 275 Chinese vessels swarming around Pag-asa must leave.

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Opinion

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n tulfo From A1

China wants to become our friend, not enemy These high-tech, anti-terrorist and military gadgets — and more — were offered to our government, through this writer, by the Chinese during my visit to China recently.

As special envoy to China, I was a member of the Philippine delegation to the 2nd Belt and Road Forum that was held in Beijing April 24-27.

Part of my mandate as special envoy is to invite as many investors from China as I can and help them to navigate through our government’s bureaucratic maze.

The demand for questionand-answer meetings with potential investors made me skip the forum entirely.

Vicky Eguia, my executive secretary, and I had our hands full every day, attending breakfast, lunch and dinner meetings with investors.

On top of that, I had to do some back-channeling with some Chinese officials over the South China Sea issue.

The meetings, despite the heavy mou tai drinking or because of it, were very fruitful.

Mou tai , made from sorghum, is China’s national liquor and is as potent as our lambanog, which is made from fermented coconut water.

If a foreigner wants to be in the good graces of his Chinese hosts, he should drink mou tai with them and love it.

Anyway, the following are the highlights of my meetings with the potential Chinese investors who flew in to Beijing to be able to talk with me: Officials of the China International GeoInformation Corp., Sichuan Special Vehicle Science and Technology, China Electronics Technology Group and China North Industries Group (Norinco) offered to supply our military and police with modern equipment in fighting terrorism.

For example, the Sichuan company makes unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, which can fly so high and so quietly they can’t be detected by people on the ground.

While I was talking with the Sichuan officials, I was remind-

ed of the battles fought by our government troops against Islamic terrorists in Marawi City.

The low-flying drones the government used in reconnaissance were easily shot down by terrorists, turning the battle into an extended conflict.

Sichuan company’s drones are fueled by gasoline and come equipped with digital lights and infra-red sensors. They can carry bombs that can be dropped into enemy positions.

Norinco is not a stranger to many Filipinos who own guns manufactured by the company, especially the 1911-model .45 caliber pistol.

China Electronics Technology sells communications equipment and computers for military application.

China International GeoInformation Corp. makes CCTV, satellites, surveying and mapping equipment.

It boasts a CCTV that can recognize not only faces and names of persons but also their unusual behavior.

for the theory of climate change, and the United Nations mantra of climate catastrophe.

I reprint below major excerpts from the article, because of its surpassing significance: “The last thing we expect midspring is snow. Yet that’s just what we have. As the Weather Channel reports, ‘It may be late April, but Winter Storm Xyler will make you forget that it is spring in the Midwest this weekend as it is expected to bring some unusually heavy late season snowfall.’

“Snow is heading to New York as well, despite the state’s all-out effort to combat global warming by attempting to ban plastic straws and now hot dogs. From the New York Post, ‘Upstate NY may get up to 3 inches of snow this weekend.’

“Across the country in Denver, the weather won’t be much different, as The Denver Channel reports, ‘Mild through the weekend, cold, rain and snow next week!’ What’s going on? I thought the planet was heating up, with melting icecaps, rising sea levels, and less than 12 years before the earth burns to a crisp?

“We have been hearing this song and dance for several decades now. The global warming chicken littles keep telling us that snow is a thing of the past and we had better get used to it, along with a warming planet….

“Yet here we are, at the end of April, planting our gardens and facing snow in much of the country. If this is evidence of global warming, then Bernie Sanders’s popularity is evidence that the Democrat Party has shifted to the right.”

Climate warriors ignore the sun “One important factor always neglected by the climate warriors is the sun, a ball of fire a million times larger than the earth, the source of life on earth, as well as destruction if the fires ever were extinguished, or expanded. If we were a few million miles closer to or further from the sun, life on earth would cease to exist. Just look at Venus and Mars, neighboring planets either too hot or too cold, respectively, for life as we know it.

“Even the earth’s tilt toward or away from the sun is enough to cause our seasons, with large temperature variations and the difference between food production or not. Yet climate warriors ignore the sun, instead focusing on human activity, driving SUVs, flying in airplanes, and running our airconditioners.

“Sunspots, according to the National Weather Service, ‘are areas where the magnetic field is about 2,500 times stronger than Earth’s, much higher than anywhere else on the sun.’ Sunspots are quite large, about the size of the earth, and are several thousand degrees cooler than the surrounding sun surface.

“Sunspots are not random but instead follow an 11-year cycle, from a minimum to a maximum.

Sometimes the cycles last longer, for unknown reasons, with a 70year period of near zero sunspot activity from 1645 to 1715, called the Maunder Minimum, or Little Ice Age. Enough of science class, how is this relevant now?

“As reported by the Express , we are now entering one of these 11-year cycles as the sun enters a solar minimum. As they report, during a solar maximum, the sun gives off more heat and is littered with sunspots. Less heat in a solar minimum is due to a decrease in magnetic waves.

“Fewer magnetic waves equates to the sun being slightly cooler, and experts are expecting the solar minimum to deepen even further before it gets warmer.

“With less magnetic waves coming from the sun, cosmic rays find it easier to penetrate Earth’s atmosphere and are more noticeable to scientists.

“While cosmic rays have little effect on our planet, one of the reasons scientists monitor them is to see when the sun has entered a solar minimum.

“Now, with cosmic rays at an all-time high, scientists know the sun is about to enter a prolonged cooling period.”

A cooling planet The bottom line is that decreasing sunspot activity translates to a cooling planet, contrary to the doomsday nonscientific pronouncements of Al Gore and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Sunspot activity typically follows an 11-year cycle, but as noted above, there may be other perhaps longer cycles as occurred in the 1600s leading to a 70-year mini ice age.

Clearly there are factors at play in climate cycles that we barely understand and certainly cannot control.

It’s the ultimate in hubris to believe climate revolves solely around human activity. Yet politicians, rather than admitting that we don’t know far more than we do know, blame an ever-changing climate on everything from flatulent cows to processed meats.

Much like the Russian collusion hoax, the left creates a narrative to fit their agenda, putting conclusions before research and discovery. Instead they would be better served by applying the scientific method of observing, formulating a hypothesis, testing it against observations, modifying and refining the hypothesis, until after extensive testing it accurately predicts future events.

Otherwise it’s just more blather and fear-mongering, just as we heard for over two years Russian collusion fantasies that turned out to be nothing.

yenmakabenta@yahoo.com

Tourism, of Trade and Industry, and of Foreign Affairs — permission to set up tourism and investment information centers in major cities in China.

These centers would help potential investors find places to put in their capital in the country and design guided tours for Mainland Chinese to beautiful places in the country.

Travelzen offers to help in facilitating visa applications for tourists and investors with the understaffed Philippine Embassy in Beijing and consular offices in other parts of China by having embassy or consular employees work in the investment and tourist information centers.

Construction and maintenance of these centers would be at no cost to the government.

Shi and his representative, Thomas Kwok, were wide-eyed when I told them that in my home province of Davao Oriental, there is a forest full of thousands of natural bonsai , or dwarf trees.

In Japan, bonsai is planted in a

container and does not grow to its full size because of artificial means.

But the bonsai trees in a forest in Davao Oriental are natural dwarves.

I also told them that there are many islands and places which are much more beautiful than Boracay.

Shi and Kwok listened intently as I described the sunset on the sea off Manay, Davao Oriental, which is much, much more scenic than the Manila Bay sunset.

The Manay Bay sunset has coconut trees on the mountains for background, which reminds one of “South Pacific,” the romantic movie musical.

Next Tuesday: China wants to buy our tropical fruits, vegetables, meat, poultry and seafood products to feed its huge population. Also, my encounter with officials who have control over fishing boats that surround the islands that we claim in the South China Sea; and my meeting with the descendants of the Sultan of Sulu who died while on a visit to China 600 years ago.

Rodolfo Severino Jr. in Peking

n Makabenta From A4

Global warming

In monitoring a crowd, the CCTV can detect individuals who are suspicious by the energy they emit from their bodies.

Now, do you still wonder why China, with its huge population and vast land area, has no problem with criminality and terrorism?

All the companies that sell anti-terrorist and military hardware are looking at the possibility of setting up manufacturing and assembly plants in the country, creating jobs and assisting in our internal security. **** On the third day of my China visit, I met with Jijun Shi, chief executive officer of Travelzen, one of China’s largest travel and tour companies.

Travelzen is affiliated with thousands of resort hotels all over the world, particularly in Europe.

Travelzen, which I featured in this space April 16, promises to bring in 7 million rich, bigspending Chinese tourists in a span of several years.

It is asking our government — through the Departments of

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ITH the passage of time, Ambassador Rodolfo Severino Jr. will surely become a legend in the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Already, he has been acclaimed as a patriot, an outstanding diplomat and a prolific writer.

I will not touch on the wellknown aspects of Rod Severino’s diplomatic career and will limit myself to my fond memories of him at the Ateneo and when I was posted in Peking.

Rod Severino was one of the gems of Ateneo de Manila’s High School Class of 1952. High School ‘52 is reputed to be one of the finest graduating classes of the Ateneo, second only to the graduating class of Fr. Horatio de la Costa, Leon Ma. Guerrero and Jesus Paredes.

Rod Severino was handpicked to be the Philippine ambassador’s right hand on policy matters when the Philippines opened its embassy in Peking.

The embassy’s staff was carefully selected, given the importance of China as a permanent member of the Security Council. Initially, the strategic foreign policy plan was to open diplomatic relations

AMBASSADORS’ CORNER

jaime s. bautista

simultaneously with China and the Soviet Union. But the Philippines established diplomatic relations first with China, and later with the Soviet Union, because China was the sleeping giant in our neighborhood.

The embassy’s staff was impressive and included the former editor in chief of the Manila Times, Jose Luna Castro. This is not surprising because the ambassador was the first lady’s brother.

The Manila Times was the leading newspaper in the Philippines when the newspapers were closed down by Martial Law. Rod Severino was chosen because of his strategic thinking and his proven diplomatic skills, aside from his Jesuit training at the Ateneo and his postgraduate degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins University. He had previous experience working in

Laos before he joined the DFA by topping the foreign service examination. And he was endowed with exemplary communication skills.

Rod Severino had a broad vision of geopolitics at a time when the mindset at DFA was distrustful of communist diplomats. The DFA had just lifted the prohibition in Philippine passports against travel to communist countries. Rod Severino developed warm relations with diplomats from the Soviet Union and the Second World. My first experience in meeting Soviet diplomats was upon the invitation of Minister Counselor Severino to join him at cocktails at the residence of his Russian counterpart.

I also recall that Rod Severino chose to send his son, Kokoy Severino, to study at the local Chinese school instead of at the embassy schools established by the Pakistani or the Indian Embassy. He took note that the local Chinese schools dedicated for the admission of children of foreign diplomats were also designed as China’s show window to the world. Thus, Kokoy had the benefit of studying Chinese

and learning algebra in Chinese.

Severino had both writing and speaking skills. One of my indelible memories of my tour of duty in China was the dinner at the embassy for the Philippine agricultural delegation, which included Luis Taruc. I was amazed at how Severino responded to the oratory of Taruc and several others in the language of Balagtas.

Severino was not to be outdone.

Pasikatan sila in Tagalog.

Severino stayed on in Peking when Ambassador Benjamin Romualdez departed for another ambassadorial assignment and Narciso G. Reyes became our second ambassador to China. Upon the appointment of Severino as our first Consul General in Houston, Ambassador Narciso G. Reyes lauded Severino’s talents, saying he could see Severino following in his footsteps. This comment was an honor in itself.

Indeed, this happened when Severino was elected as Asean Secretary General. His stint at the Philippine Embassy in Peking was a precursor of his brilliant career that followed.

How through BRI Duterte is doing right by the Filipino people

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LOBAL wealth is growing. China and India are benefiting most.” — or so goes the headline of the ninth edition of the Global Wealth Report published by the Credit Suisse Research Institute back in 2018.

I happen to throw back on the report because judging from news accounts, majority of the attendees in the recently concluded 2nd Belt and Road Initiative Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing went home from the event carrying packages of grants, economic development assistance funds and business investments from Chinese entrepreneurs.

President Duterte is said to have struck up deals with China’s business community amounting to $12.5 billion, thereby raising China’s investments and aid packages in the Philippines to $37 billion to date. This figure must form part of what the Credit Suisse Research Institute reported last year as China’s wealth growth placed at $51,874 billion.

Evidently, what the Philippines got from China was a minuscule portion of the development funds available for developing countries.

In the Asia-Pacific region, India is practically the only major country that did not attend the BRI Forum.

This is not surprising, since next to China, India was the biggest gainer in last year’s world wealth increase, scoring a total of $5,972 billion.

That certainly pales in comparison to that gained by China, but nonetheless must amount to something,

My say

mauro gia samonte enough for the Indians to have dreams in the world economy outside of the ambit of the BRI. To begin with, in the early stages of the OBOR (One Belt, One Road), the concept immediately encountered opposition from India. This was because the Karakoram Highway, a Chinese-Pakistani joint venture which was the initial project in the BRI undertaking, must pass over the mountains of the Kashmir region which at the time was already being disputed by India and Pakistan.

The Credit Suisse report on global wealth has forecast that Indian wealth should increase over the next five years by 47 percent. Compare this with China’s own forecast wealth increase of 44 percent; does the balance tilt in India’s favor?

No, it does not.

Firstly, 47 percent by India is for a wealth base amounting to $5,972 billion, while China’s 44 percent is for a wealth base of $51,874 billion – 10 times over.

And, secondly, China’s score continues to go up.

The initial BRI road project, in a spread of two decades, has successfully linked China on the land front with the Middle East and Africa, reviving in the 21st century the land silk routes of olden times, and on

the seafront with the Gwadar Port in the Indian Ocean, onward to reviving in turn the ancient maritime silk routes to Europe.

China, according to the Credit Suisse global wealth report, on its own accounts for 16 percent of world wealth placed at $317 trillion. But with the Belt and Road Initiative having assimilated what expert observers place at nearly two-thirds of the world, there is now illustrated in world economic scale a universal assumption in the principles of dialectics: that once between the two aspects of a contradiction, one becomes the primary, the other, having been turned into the secondary aspect, thus stops contending for dominance in the contradiction, but simply gets assimilated into the primary aspect.

Marx made a thorough innovation on the dialectics of Hegel, making this theory the framework for his scientific inquiry into the evolution of social modes of production—from primitive communal, to slave, to feudal, to capitalist, onward to socialist and communist. He concluded that social classes evolved as a necessary consequence of the struggle for production, i.e., masters and slaves in the slave system, landlords and peasants in the feudal system, capitalists and workers in the capitalist system. Given this premise, Marx developed the concept of socialism and communism as the resolution of the class conflict between workers and capitalists. He failed to realize that the class of feudal lords

did not evolve as a consequence of the class conflict between masters and slaves, neither did the class of capitalists evolve as a consequence of the class conflict between feudal lords and peasants. The feudal lords of Russia, the Romanov dynasty, were overthrown in the October Revolution of 1917 and gave way to the establishment not of a capitalist but a socialist state, the Soviet Union. The feudal lords of China, represented by the Kuomintang, were not really vanquished until now, with Chiang Kai-shek having been just pushed back to Formosa during the Chinese civil war, and his successors continuing to stay put there to this day. What arose out of the class conflict between the peasants and landlords of China is the now reigning People’s Republic of China — a socialist state.

Whether in the experience of Russia or of China, socialism came about not as a result of a violent clash between the proletariat and the capitalists but of struggles by peasants against feudal lords.

It is interesting to note that the revolt of the Katipunan in 1896 was an uprising of Filipino peasants against the Spanish feudalcolonial rule. And the revolt was on the way to winning — thereby establishing a socialist state — had it not been for the treachery of America in snatching victory away from the Filipino insurgents to start the process of the American colonization of the Philippines.

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Opinion

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saturday May 4, 2019

An influential but underrated historian

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HERE was a time when our historical documents were written by our colonizers. Then, after the war, “nationalist history” emphasized that we must have a Filipino perspective in telling our history. This trend was so inspiring and so strong that it became the dominant view. Teodoro Agoncillo, Renato Constantino and Zeus Salazar are remembered, but traditional historians who believed in the positivist dictum that “No documents, no history” were relegated to the sidelines of the study of historiography. One of them was Antonio M. Molina.

Antonio Molina’s 1961 classic The Philippines Through the Centuries (translated into Filipino as Ang Pilipinas sa naloooban ng mga dantaon) was the de facto official textbook that influenced generations of University of Santo Tomas students. But many of us dismissed him before for being colonial and patriarchal. We thought that a lot of it was more about what Spain did here than what happened to the Filipino people under Spain. I even thought that Molina was a Spanish citizen for being too pro-Spain.

Now that in many ways nationalist history has won and is now the dominant school of thought in the writing of the history of the country, historians are less hung up about looking

walking history MICHAEL “XIAO” CHUA at other perspectives and are more appreciative of the efforts of historians like Molina.

Antonio Molina, Thomasianeducated and professor of Philippine history, civil law, ethics, philosophy and Rizal studies, dean of the Faculty of Civil Law and was once acting secretary general of the UST (the first of only two who was not a Dominican), embarked on extensive research in the archives of Spain from 1957 to 1960 to write his textbook. Before, most textbooks relied on the collection of translated documents from the 53-volume The Philippine Islands edited by Emma Blair and James Alexander Robertson. Many of the documents he used, especially on the laws promulgated for the islands by various administrations, had never been used before.

Although some observers noted that many of the laws may not have reached the Philippines, they may well represent the intentions and imagination of our colonial masters of us, which is also important. Some may reject his narrative, which sounded colonial and reflected the perspective of the

documents, but a more perceptive reader will find his citations of these documents very useful, especially those of us who will not have the privilege of reading them in the Spanish archives. Aside from the textbook being heavy on facts, the narrative flowed easily from page to page. That’s why when I was in Grade 6, I was able to read a copy of the book owned by the family of my best friend, Mayo Baluyut, and made it the basis for my Rizal tape-recorded skits at the time.

When I began to teach at UP, I repeatedly consulted the book along with the textbooks of Agoncillo, Constantino, Zaide, Adhika (Kasaysayang Bayan) and the UP Surian ng Wikang Filipino. Even today, in our broadcasts for Dulowtard History Live on Facebook, the professor Van Ybiernas and I refer to this book, especially in tackling the early Spanish period.

In 2005, a few months after I began teaching, I met his son Chaco Molina who told me that his father wrote an English version of his Spanish classic, Yo, José Rizal, an imagined firstperson account of Rizal based on his actual documented writings.

Since then, it has been my dream to see it published. He also wrote Historia de Filipinas where he won a Premio Literario Enrique Zóbel and Dusk and Dawn in the Philippines:Memoirs of a Liv-

ing Witness of World War II. He also served as press attaché and consul in the Philippine Embassy in Spain. For his service to the nation as historian and diplomat, President Cory Aquino awarded Molina with the Presidential Medal of Merit.

Recently, my friend professor Ros Costelo helped sort out his books and memorabilia in Madrid which were turned over to the UST Benavides Library last May 2, 2019, by Molina’s daughter Ms Carmen G.A. Molina in time for the centenary of his birth last Nov. 19, 2018. Although a long-time residents of Spain, the children have retained their father’s Filipino citizenship and continue the work of their father of fostering better Philippine-Spanish relations.

A simple but beautifully curated exhibit that will run for the whole month of May at the library reflected how updated he was about Filipino scholarship until his death in 2000 and how all his life, his motto reflected that everything he did, he offered to his faith. Laus Deo — Praise be to God. This fellow Brother Knight Commander of Rizal also reminded us: “Humility is the key to knowledge” — realizing you don’t know everything gives you the openness to learn more. May the example of this underrated historian influence as more.

On World Press Freedom Day, let us ask: #WhereIsAzory?

By Muthoki Mumo TANZANIA: Speaking in parliament recently, Tanzania’s information minister, Harrison Mwakyembe, wondered why people were still concerned about the whereabouts of Azory Gwanda, a freelance journalist who went missing in November 2017 in the country’s Coast Region.

After all, Mwakyembe was reported saying, many other people, some of them government officials, have gone missing in the same region of Tanzania.

So why should Gwanda be the “golden” one about whom people ask?

These statements were not as shocking as they should have been. They fit an unfortunate pattern of nonanswers and dismissals from Tanzanian government officials when confronted with the question: Where is Azory Gwanda?

But this question is urgent, because Gwanda's story reflects how drastically press conditions have deteriorated in Tanzania under the presidency of John Pombe Magufuli. This World Press Freedom Day, Tanzanian journalists have less to celebrate and more to fear.

One of the last people to see Gwanda, whose work appeared in the sister newspapers Mwananchi and The Citizen , was his wife Anna Pinoni. She described the suspicious circumstances in which he disappeared, saying that he came to their farm in the company of unknown men in a white Land Cruiser.

Gwanda asked her where she had left the keys to their home and said he was taking an emergency trip, and would be back within a day. She later found their home ransacked and on Nov. 23, 2017, she reported him missing to police.

Despite these obviously suspicious circumstances; pleas for answers from the local Tanzanian media community and international civil society; and even a July 2018 letter from UN Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups, there have been no demonstrably credible investigations into this case. Initial promises to investigate have not been fulfilled.

When asked about Gwanda in July 2018, Home Affairs Minister Kangi Lugola told journalists that authorities "don't interfere in the freedom of an individual that gets lost while at his home." After a backlash, he later walked back his comments but suggested Gwanda may have

run away.

Lugola's predecessor at the Home Affairs ministry, Mwigulu Nchemba, had in January 2018 warned that members of the public should “shut up” about disappearances unless they had evidence to offer police.

Before his disappearance, Gwanda chronicled mysterious killings and abductions in his community, including of police and local government officials. Pinoni in 2017 told Mwananchi that she thought his reporting might be linked to his disappearance.

Gwanda’s reporting asked precisely the questions that M w a k y e m b e, i n parliament in April, claimed we all ought to be asking.

His disappearance denied the public crucial information about these incidents.

The failure to investigate this case sends a grave message about how much the government values the safety of Tanzanians who now ask themselves if they will face a similar fate by asking the “wrong” questions.

Magufuli, who styled himself as an enemy of corruption and government excess when he took over in 2015, has since also proven himself an enemy of the press and of free expression.

Last year CPJ documented the case of journalist Sitta Tumma, who was arrested while reporting an opposition demonstration and held overnight. Authorities later claimed, ludicrously, that they did not know he was a journalist because he was not wearing the appropriate uniform.

Since 2017, at least five newspapers have been banned, on specious allegations, from false news, to inciting violence and sedition. Almost always such bans are targeted at outlets that challenge the official narrative of a government that seems keen to set itself as arbiter of truth.

The Citizen newspaper was this year banned for a week, after it reported the weakening of the local currency and the state of Tanzanian democracy, without deferring to official sources. Five

Unpredictable, biased, corrupt and slow justice system all insight I al s.

HAVE been watching the various debates sponsored by major television and broadcast networks.

These debates are intended to reveal the preferences and legislative platforms of the candidates vying for the position of senator of the Republic of the Philippines.

I noticed that most of these senator-wannabes, whether they are from the administration, playing opposition, or just independent, agree on one thing — that the criminal justice system in the Philippines is unpredictable, biased, corrupt and, most of all, slow.

An ideal criminal justice system is characterized by the opposites of these four adjectives mentioned — predictable, impartial, incorruptible and fast.

Criminal justice system Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have committed crimes. Justice does not simply mean convicting a criminal, but also acquitting the innocent. The whole government set-up to exact criminal justice is the criminal justice system.

Technically, the criminal justice system is the set of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate laws.

Generally, there are three major components in a criminal justice system: law enforcement, courts and corrections. Other countries, including the Philippines, might have additional pillars, like the community and the prosecution.

Law enforcement is charged with investigating crimes and apprehending individuals alleged to have committed crimes. Courts are responsible for interpreting and applying the law in these cases.

Corrections protects society from convicted criminals through various programs, including incarcerating felons in jails and prisons.

Predictable

television stations were in January 2018 fined for covering a report by a nongovernmental organization on alleged human rights abuses during 2017 by-elections.

In 2016 popular live parliamentary broadcasts were halted, ostensibly due to cost cuts. The impact is that citizens can no longer as easily observe the processes of their democracy.

The repression has been codified into law.

The Statistics Act checks the extent to which journalists, academics, and even private citizens can question official government data. The Cyber Crime Act has been used to legally harass and exert pressure on one media outlet to reveal whistleblowers. Blogging has become an unreasonably expensive affair ever since the government imposed new content regulations last year.

The Media Services Act of 2016 restricts the content of news on vague and imprecise grounds and also seeks to license journalists. The East Africa Court of Justice (EACJ) in March directed Tanzania’s government to amend the law.

In meetings with the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Tanzania Editors Forum (TEF) in April, Mwakyembe, the information minister, said

the government was open to reconsidering the law — a glimmer of hope.

Local elections are planned in Tanzania later this year and presidential elections are slated for next year. If there is anything to learn from recent elections in other countries, it is that elections tend to be periods of heightened risk and repression for journalists.

Therefore now is the time to ask after the well-being of not just Azory Gwanda, but all Tanzanian journalists. This is why we at the Committee to Protect Journalists recently launched a #WhereIsAzory? campaign to tell his story and call for answers.

The power of such international solidarity should not be underestimated.

I and a colleague of mine, Angela Quintal, experienced this power firsthand last year when we were detained overnight in the country by government agents and interrogated about why we were there, including our interest in Azory Gwanda. The outpouring of support from within Tanzania and beyond, we believe, was instrumental in our safe release. IPS

Muthoki Mumo is the Sub-Saharan Africa representative for the Committee to Protect Journalists.

As an adjective, predictable is defined as able to foretell or declare in advance. If something is predictable, then it is obvious that it will happen. How does this characterize a good justice system?

I remember one candidate saying that if we are driving in Subic we follow traffic rules to the letter.

However, outside of Subic, we disregard traffic laws. Why is this so?

If a motor vehicle driver violates a traffic rule (say, not stopping on a full stop sign) within the territorial region of Subic, then he (or she) will definitely be apprehended.

This is predictability. This is a certainty. Filipinos would avoid doing something illegal if there is certainty that he would be caught.

Predictability is the key.

In reality, shenanigans continue to proliferate in the country (including in government) because the criminal justice system is unpredictable and uncertain. A politician will think more than twice before he raids the public treasury if there is certainty that he would be caught once he resorts to wrongdoing.

vitangcol 3rd

Impartial Impartial means favoring no one side or party more than another; without prejudice or bias. Other synonyms are fair and just. Applying it to courts, an impartial judge would be able to decide or consider something fairly without allowing his own interest (or other factors) to influence his decision.

It is often said that laws are only for the rich. So true. If one has money or power or vast influence, he would not be convicted. If one stole a huge amount of money, he will not go to jail. Steal a little, and you will go to jail.

If courts and law enforcement are all impartial, everyone will follow the rules.

Incorruptible The Cambridge Dictionary describes incorruptible as “morally strong enough not to be persuaded to do something wrong.”

Paul Bowles, an American expatriate composer and author, said, “It was one of the charms of the International Zone that you could get anything you wanted if you paid for it. Do anything, too, for that matter; there were no incorruptibles. It was only a question of price.”

Yes, it is only a question of price. Reality in this side of the world is that anything can be had — including justice (or could I say acquittal?), for the right price.

Imagine an incorruptible justice system. We will all be living in peace and harmony if that is the scenario.

Fast A columnist in another broadsheet wrote: “The Philippines, I am sure, is in the Guinness World Records as the country with the slowest judicial system. Of this, we should not be proud but be ashamed. x x x And that is one reason that crime and corruption are thriving in the Philippines in spite of scores of charges filed against the malefactors. Ironically, the number of grafters and criminals has increased since People Power. Who would be afraid of the law when they know that even if they are caught, they can stay out of prison for decades during which time they can continue doing what they have been doing and prospering from them?

Crime and corruption can never be eliminated, or even slowed down, unless there is quick justice.”

Well, instead of dissecting what is “fast,” I am just adopting what this columnist wrote. Surely, “justice delayed is justice denied.”

Finally, ponder this — “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.”

– Benjamin Franklin

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Manila.Times

n samonte From A5

How through BRI With brute military aggression, the United States got the Philippines assimilated into its world bourgeois capitalist system.

In fact, that was the very precise term President William McKinley used to describe US annexation of the Philippines at the time: “benevolent assimilation.”

Here, the point is finally made.

Once a mode of production gets entrenched in a major section of the world, the rest of the world simply gets assimilated into it.

I am no economist. I lack the knack to reckon this issue on proper economic guideposts.

Working simply with my simple elementary arithmetic, I note that on its own, China holds 16 percent of the world’s wealth. That’s $52 trillion out of a total of $317

trillion. Add to that the wealth of countries already within the ambit of BRI, you have China now as the dominant aspect in world economic dialectics.

Today, the world economy cannot but take on the character of China’s economy: what on various occasions President Xi Jinping elucidated as “socialism with Chinese characteristics.”

Thus must it be that the ultimate criteria for whether a leader of a developing nation is doing good or bad is his wisdom to hinge his country’s development on the BRI. On this note, President Duterte must rate highly. For the third time (the first was a state visit to China in October 2016; the second, attendance in the first BRI Forum last year), he came home from China carrying loads of developmental packages.

˜ The Manila Times

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Negros PNP, Bacolod inmates cast early votes BACOLOD CITY: Inmates in two Bacolod City jails and police personnel assigned at the Negros Occidental Police Office (NOCCPO) cast their votes ahead of the May 13 midterm elections.

Acting city election officer Ann Janette Lamban said around 1,000 inmates at the Metro Bacolod District Jail (MBDJ) in the barangay (villages) of Handumanan and Taculing were allowed to vote in jail facilities under the supervision of a Commission on Elections (Comelec) representative.

Lamban said the conduct of the advance voting at the two jail facilities went smoothly for three days since Monday.

She added the inmates earlier attended the voters’ education seminars.

At the MBDJ-Handumanan, around 600 male and female inmates participated in the voting.

Meanwhile, Police provincial

director Col. Romeo Baleros, said personnel and officers from the (NOCPPO) also voted early as part of the local absentee voting system.

Police Maj. Edison Garcia, NOCPPO public information officer, said of the 746 registered absentee voters in the province, only 689 policeofficers voted.

Garcia said the police officers would maintain peace and order in the polling precincts.

Under Comelec Resolution 10443, the local absentee voting period was held on April 29, 30 and May 1, for government officials and personnel, members of the military, the police and media practitioners who would be on duty on election day.

The absentee voters would vote ahead of the rest of the country for the positions of senators and party-list organizations.

EUGENE Y. ADIONG

Regions

BY JAIME R. PILAPIL

HE foremost Muslim religious leader on Friday called on President Rodrigo Duterte to stop the massive vote-buying in Lanao del Sur, including in the distressed Marawi City.

Fatani Andulmalik, president of the Ulama and Imams Association of the Philippines, also urged the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to place Lanao del Sur and Marawi City under its control, saying that rampant vote buying perpetrated by a group of candidates in key local position could subvert the results of the midterm polls.

Other Muslim leaders also signed the letter to Duterte, among them Alan Balangi-Amer, national president of One Bangsamoro Movement; Sultan Cocoy Bansao, chairman of the Bangsamoro National Coordinating Council; Yusoph Maando, chairman of the Muslim Affairs Council of the Philippines; Jamael Salacop of

PANDI, Bulacan: Senate aspirant and former for the establishment of more TienDA Malasakit duct of free skills training and seminars special assistant to the President (SAP) stores in major cities nationwide so that people on agrientrepreneurship to open new Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go said could directly purchase from farmers and fishers, livelihood opportunities for farmers to augment their income and tide them over on Friday he wants to help ensure the fresh produce at lower prices.

Go said more cold storage have to be estab- during lean times. country’s food security through improved “Agriculture is very important to our econagricultural productivity and better food lished in food terminals in the regions to help keep the harvest fresh and prevent spoilage. omy and many families, especially in the distribution channels.

He would also bat for the con- countryside depends on it. Let us not waste “First and foremost, enough food within our natural resources. By supporting the agritheir means is what I would want every cultural sector, we can help uplift the lives of Filipino to have; nutritious susteour farmers,” he said. nance for your children to make The former SAP expressed his gratitude to the them grow into healthy productive people Bulacan for their support, as residents members of society,” Go said at spilled out into the streets in spite of the heat the campaign rally at the Manatal to wait for his motorcade as it made gymnasium here. its way to Bocaue, Pulilan, Plaridel, Go, who identified agriculture Malolos City and the town of Pandi. and food security among the prioriGo said he served President Roties of his legislative agenda, said his drigo Duterte faithfully for 21 years, goal could be achieved by helping the people could be assured that he farmers increase their productivity. would never waver in his firm supHe said farmers should be given port for the President’s programs access to farm inputs, such as irrigaand policies so that the scourge of tion systems, machinery, fertilizers, corruption, criminality and drugs seeds and loans at low-interest. n Former special assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go would be eventually be eradicated.

The former SAP would also propose makes a fist bump with supporters in Bulacan. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

PH, Indonesia open coordinated border patrol First Admiral Jonias Mozes Sipasulta, vice chairman of Indonesia Border Committee led the opening ceremony.

In a statement, the Eastern Mindanao Command (EastMinCom) said both countries would exercise the border patrol four times this year.

EastMinCom commander Lt. Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., chairman of the Philippines Border Committee, said the activity was an avenue to strengthen border security cooperation

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Massive vote-buying exposed in Lanao Sur T

Go vows to ensure country’s food security

DAVAO CITY: The Philippines and Indonesia formally opened the Border Coordinated Patrol on May 2 at the Pinnacle Hotel here aimed at securing the common border between the two countries, curtail maritime crimes and stop sea crimes, including smuggling and piracy.

Commodore Ramil Roberto Enriquez, vice chairman of Philippines Border Committee and concurrent commander of the Navy Forces in Eastern Mindanao and

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

between the two countries.

“We are grateful with the continuing support of the Republic of Indonesia on the conduct of the coordinated patrol as this would provide both countries with an avenue to strengthen bilateral relations and explore new border security cooperation,” Santos said.

The border patrol would provide the naval forces of both countries an opportunity to improve interoperability and capability for the safety and security of the common

border of both countries, through naval exercises simulating different scenarios.

During the series of naval exercises, the Philippines will deploy the high endurance cutter BRP Ramon Alcaraz while Indonesia will deploy its KRI Pandrong.

On May 1, the Indonesian vessel and its crew made a port call at the Sasa Wharf in Davao City and were welcomed by their Philippine counterparts.

ALEXANDER D. LOPEZ

the Bangsa Duterte Movement; and Hadj Yahya Gamor, executive director of the Federation of Bangsamoro Communities (outside Banagsamoro Region in Muslim Mindanao).

More than 600 individuals submitted their affidavits which were tacked to the letter as proof of vote buying.

“Your fears that dirty politicians will destroy the sanctity and credibility of the elections through massive vote buying is now happening in the province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City, the letter said.

“In particular, registered voters in Marawi City have been flocking to the house of barangay (village)

chairmen who act as leaders of the ‘buyer-candidates’ to receive the package of P6,000 coming from five candidates namely, Mamintal Adiong Jr. for governor, P500; Mujam Adiong for vice governor, P500; Ansarrodin Adiong for congressman, P1,000; Majul Gandamra for city mayor, P3,000; and Anoar Rumaros for city vice mayor, P1,000,” the letter added.

Andulmalik said vote buying had been practiced here for a long time. “There was a time when vote buying was at P20,000 per voter,” he added.

The group urged Duterte “to declare a failure of or suspend the elections in the province of Lanao del Sur and Marawi City.”

SBMA to shut down erring truck traders SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) warned that truck trading companies found violating rules, policies and the terms and conditions of their lease contract with the Subic agency would be shut down.

In a meeting with truck traders at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center here recently, SBMA Chairman and administrator Wilma Eisma said the agency found at least 11 violations and issues committed by several truck trading firms at the Freeport.

These include problems on working visa and royalty, as well as violations of policies on working permit, importation, use of marshalling yard, subleasing, occupancy and use of leased property, parking and environment.

The SBMA said 88 vehicle trading companies were operating in Subic, the only free port wherein the importation of used vehicles and heavy equipment from abroad is allowed by law.

During the meeting, Eisma specifically inveighed against the practice by some truck traders to secure only one work permit for multiple employees, the sponsorship of foreign workers to secure work visa for a fee, and the use of one company’s importation privileges by another firm also for a fee.

“It has been brought to my attention by the Bureau of Immigration

that some of your employees are out here employed without working visas. If your work visa is only for one company, you cannot work for another company here in Subic,” Eisma told the traders and their staff.

She said they had submitted the names of erring companies to the Bureau of Immigration.

Eisma also stressed that the locators’ importation privileges were provided for under their individual Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemption, and is not transferable.

She told business locators that the SBMA had the power to pre-terminate contracts, including those that govern industrial parks inside the Subic Bay Freeport, upon any violation of the terms and conditions of its lease agreement with the SBMA without a court action.

The SBMA chief also noted that the huge time lapse in the issuance of the admission permit against the actual pullout of equipment and trucks is another violation.

Eisma said some companies were found to be importing more than the volume allowed for their leased areas, thus leading to the illegal parking of these imports on the side of the roads.

Eisma gave errant truck traders until June 1 to comply with the SBMA requirements before their registration as business locators are revoked or canceled.

PATRICK ROXAS

Muslims start fasting for Ramadan on Monday ON Monday, May 6, Muslim Filipinos will join the more than 1 billion Muslims all over the world in the observance of the Holy Month of Ramadan.

The start of Ramadan depends upon the appearance of the new moon as seen by man’s naked eyes. If the new moon is sighted on the 29th day of Rajab, the eighth month of the Islamic Hijrah, Ramadan begins on Sunday; if not, it would begin on Tuesday. But it is presumed that the crescent would not be seen in the Philippines on Saturday, therefore, Ramadan will start on Monday.

It is a common practice among religious scholars to go to the hilltops and seashore for the new moon sighting to help determine when to start fasting during Ramadan.

In Marawi City, the Islamic cultural capital of the Philippines, the local Mufti, who is the highest religious authority in the locality, in cooperation with the provincial and city government units, the National Commission for Muslim Filipinos and private Islamic organizations, will announce in various media platforms, whether the new moon has been sighted or not.

As the Muslim’s Hijrah calendar is lunar, it is based on the movement of the moon. Each month begins when the new moon appears; it is either 29 or 30 days, depending on the moon cycle, and the counting of days starts from sunset to sunset which is different from the Gregorian calendar in which a day begins

from midnight to midnight.

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic Hijrah calendar, is an Islamic holy month, during which fasting, from dawn to dusk during the entire month is enjoined upon all able Muslim who have reached the age of puberty and are free from physical or mental illness.

A sick person is exempted from fasting but has to make up for it when he gets well, or has to feed at least one Muslim if he cannot fast because of lingering illness.

A traveler too is not required to fast, so is a woman who is observing her monthly period, but they have to make up the fast when able.

Fasting in Islam is abstaining from food and liquid intake, sexual lust, speaking bad and hurting words, doing immoral and illegal acts and other bad habits during the appointed time — from the appearance of the white thread before sunrise (dawn).

Those acts are in addition to what are already been forbidden to Muslims during their lifetime such as gambling, stealing, hurting and killing other creatures.

A married couple is not allowed to engage in lustful act as husband and wife from dawn (or the appearance of the white thread in the east before sunrise) to sunset.

of the Five Pillars of Islam. The word comes from the Arabic root “ramida” which roughly translates into “scorching heat.”

Fasting was made obligatory on all adult Muslims in the Second Year of Hijri (Migration from Makkah to Madinah of Muslims). Many children endeavor to complete as many fasts as possible as practice for later life.

History and obligations

How to fast?

Ramadan (also known as Ramzan, Ramadhan or Ramathan) is one

Practices and blessings Ramadan is considered one of the most blessed months in Islam. Muslims fast during this month, doing maximum Dhikr (remembrance) of Allah (SWT, or Subhanahu wa ta’ala, Arabic for “The most glorified, the most high”).

The month of Ramadan culminates with the festive occasion of Eid al Fitr, as Muslims thank Allah and celebrate the festival with religious fervor.

This month, Muslims immerse themselves in reading the Quran and Duas (supplication) and spending maximum time doing Dhikr.

The Muslims fast the whole month as it teaches them the true meaning of perseverance and tolerance. The Quran was also completed in this month.

A sawm (fast) is kept by Muslims from dawn to sunset, the timing of which varies with every region.

During this time, they refrain from eating food, drinking, smoking and engaging in sexual relations.

During Ramadhan, Muslims also strive hard to refrain from any sinful behavior such as lying, cursing and uttering false speech.

Food eaten before sunrise is known as Suhur, and the one eaten after sunset is known as iftar. During these times, Muslims spend generously to make the food available for the whole community, specially the poor. The rewards of all good deeds are increased during the month of Ramadan, whether it is praying salat or giving charity. This Hadith testifies to this fact as well: “When Ramadan arrives, the gates of Paradise are opened and the gates of hell are locked up and devils are put in chains.”(Sahih al-Bukhari, 1899)

Suhur Each day, before dawn, Muslims observe a pre-fast meal called the suhur. After stopping a short time before dawn, Muslims begin the first prayer of the day, Fajr. Suhur (or sahari) is the pre-dawn meal which is very important during Ramadan since that is what one’s body thrives on all day and should be carefully planned for a steady diet plan that helps one stay healthy.

Iftar At sunset, Muslims get together for the iftar meal to break their fast. Just

after listening to Maghrib Athan, they recite the Iftar Dua to ask Allah for His sustenance. Dates, generally in date-growing countries, are usually the first food to break the fast.

Prophet Muhammad broke fast with three dates according to some traditions.

Social gatherings very frequently happen at iftar. Traditional dishes are often highlighted, including desserts, particularly those made only during Ramadan.

Recite Quran Kareem In this holy month, Muslims are encouraged to recite the Qur’an. Ramadan is a month to remember this biggest blessing and source of guidance mankind was ever given. Tarawih is one of the way Muslims complete the recitation of Holy Quran which are held in Mosques. It is Mustahab — an action which is rewarded, but whose omission is not punishable — for the Muslim to read whole Qur’an during Ramadhan and to strive to complete it, but that is not obligatory.

Some Muslims do it by completing one juz (chapter) each day for the 30 days of Ramadan.

Lailat ul Qadr Lailat ul Qadr, also called the Night of Power is one of the most coveted nights of the Islamic Year. It is one of the last 10 odd nights in the month of Ramadan and is full of blessings. It pleases Allah (SWT) to see the Mus-

lims fast during the month to please Him. This month of Ibadah ends with the Muslim festival of Eid ul Fitr.

Nightly prayers (Tarawih) Tarawih are the extra prayers some Muslim communities perform at night after Isha prayers in the Islamic month of Ramadan. They are not mandatory prayers but still of utmost importance.

Zakat Zakat is another pillar of Islam and giving charity becomes even more important during Ramadan. It is a way to purify wealth for the will of Allah (SWT) and payable on assets owned over one lunar year. The collected zakat is required to be given to the poor and deserving people. In Ramadan, all good deeds are rewarded more than any other month, and this is why many people choose to give zakat (Sadqa) to the poor.

Itikaf Itikaf means to be in isolation in a masjid (home) with the intention of solely dedicating one’s time to the worship of Allah (SWT). It is Sunnat-al-Muaqidah (Sunnah that is urged to be performed) to sit in itikaf in the last 10 days of Ramadan.

A person may commence itikaf after sunset of 20th of Ramadan, and end it when the moon for Eid is sighted.

MASIDING NOOR YAHYA

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SATURDAY May 4, 2019

News

˜ The Manila Times

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MMDA eyes cutting bus routes T

BY NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

HE government is considering cutting the franchise routes of provincial buses and extend the routes of select city buses as part of the plan to remove bus terminals along EDSA next month, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said on Friday.

MMDA Command Center chief Edison “Bong” Nebrija said the agency would iron out its plans with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to cut the franchise

route or line of provincial buses up to the interim terminals in Sta. Rosa in Laguna and Valenzuela City and the extension of the route of city buses to ensure ease

of travel among commuters.

Under the proposal, the franchise routes of provincial buses with terminals on EDSA will be shortened, which means that they will only be allowed from their point of origin to the interim bus terminals in Valenzuela City for those coming from Northern Luzon and Sta. Rosa, Laguna for those coming from the South.

MMDA General Manager Jose Arturo “Jojo” Garcia Jr. said the government was keen on implementing the project to decongest EDSA. There are 12,000 passenger bus-

es in the National Capital Region — 8,000 are provincial buses while 4,000 are city buses.

Earlier, the Metro Manila Council (MMC) approved Regulation 19-002, prohibiting the issuance of business permits to public utility vehicle terminals and operations along EDSA. Once the business permits are revoked, the bus terminals can be closed by the concerned local government unit that has jurisdiction over the terminals.

The MMDA is targeting the closure of 46 bus terminals along

EDSA by June. In line with this, the implementation of the “no loading and unloading” policy along EDSA for provincial buses remain.

The agency also plans to deploy point-to-point (P2P) buses to replace provincial buses.

“We shall have the same number of provincial buses. Some provincial buses will only be converted to P2P since they have baggage compartments,” Garcia said.

He said P2P buses would also be deployed for luggage-laden commuters, while other passengers could use the city buses with

routes extended to the interim bus terminals in Sta. Rosa, Laguna and Valenzuela City.

Operators of provincial bus terminals would be tapped to deploy limited number of P2P buses.

“There will be no revocation of the franchise [of provincial buses].

What will happen is the cutting of the franchise routes — kung dati mayroon silang (if before their) franchise routes was province to Cubao and province to Pasay, now it will be just province to Sta. Rosa and province to Valenzuela,” he said.

Elenita Binay pleads I was granted absolute pardon, Crisologo insists not guilty to graft FORMER Makati mayor Elenita Binay and two others pleaded not guilty to the graft and malversation charges they are facing before the Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division, in connection with the alleged anomalous procurement of two cryosurgical units with volumetric pressure pumps.

Binay and six others were arraigned on Friday.

The two others who entered pleas of not guilty were former General Services Department head Ernesto Aspillaga, who was then-member of the Committee on Awards, and Luz Yamane Garcia who was city treasurer at the time material to the case.

Four other respondents — Mabel Asunio, then-head of the Ospital ng Makati’s Department of OB Gyn; Jaime de los Reyes, then-member of the Committee on Canvass, Makati City; Lilia Nonato, then-inspector of the Medical Section, Supply and Property, General Services Department, Makati City; and Conrado Pamintuan, then-member of the Committee on Canvass, Makati City — refused to enter any plea, prompting the court to enter a notguilty plea on their behalf.

In 2012, the Office of the Ombudsman filed the cases, claiming that no equipment was delivered despite the full payment made by the city. n Former Makati mayor Elenita Binay REINA C. TOLENTINO

QUEZON City mayoral candidate and First District Rep. Vincent “Bingbong” Crisologo on Friday maintained that he was granted absolute pardon in 1986 by President Ferdinand Marcos, contrary to the allegations of some individuals.

Crisologo presented documents to the media showing he was granted clemency for the crime of arson with homicide, following a petition calling for his disqualification in the May midterm elections.

In 1981, Crisologo was sen-

tenced to double life imprisonment after he was found guilty for arson with homicide in an incident that took place in Ilocos Sur in 1970. He was granted conditional pardon in 1981.

On April 28, Ma. Sophia Lorenza Zamora petitioned the Commission on Elections to disqualify Crisologo as candidate for mayor because the Ilocano lawmaker was only granted conditional pardon, which means that he could not hold any elective post.

The petition alleged that the

Board of Pardons and Parole has no record showing that Crisologo was granted executive clemency.

Crisologo said the petition of Zamora was similar to the electoral protest of Moises Samson in 2004, which was eventually dismissed by the Supreme Court, declaring him eligible as congressman of the First District of Quezon City.

Zamora in her petition alleged that the signature of Marcos in the absolute pardon document was forged, as stated by a reliable handwriting expert.

“During the hearing of the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, a records officer of Malacañang testified and brought with him certified copies of the conditional and absolute pardon. It was proven that I was granted an absolute pardon,” Crisologo said.

He said Zamora’s complaint was politically motivated, adding that the petitioner was a close supporter of his opponent, Vice Mayor Josefina “Joy” Belmonte.

JAIME R. PILAPIL

US approves dengue vaccine Dengvaxia WASHINGTON: US health authorities have given their approval to dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, the controversial first treatment designed to protect against the deadly mosquito-borne virus.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the use of the vaccine could only occur under certain strict conditions: Only children aged between 9 and 16, who have previously confirmed infections, and who live in endemic

areas, may receive the dose.

“While there is no cure for dengue disease... approval is an important step toward helping to reduce the impact of this virus,” said Anna Abram, a senior FDA official.

Dengue, which causes hemorrhagic fever, is the world’s most common mosquito-borne virus and infects an estimated 390 million people in more than 120 countries each year, killing more than

25,000 of them, according to the World Health Organization.

But Dengvaxia, produced by the French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, is controversial: The Philippines, which became the first country to approve it in 2016, was also the first to ban it in February this year over safety concerns.

Manila is also pursuing criminal charges against the company’s officials over the

deaths of children injected with Dengvaxia.

Sanofi denies the charges, but in 2017 admitted the vaccine was not suitable for people who had not previously been infected with the virus.

Dengvaxia has previously been approved in 19 countries and the European Union, which greenlit the vaccine under similar conditions to the US, though the age range was 9 to 45 years old.

AFP

Chinese gets life for drugs A court in Makati City on Friday convicted a Chinese for violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Shia Jian Jia, who was arrested last year over a P3-million illegal drug transaction, was sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty by the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 63.

Shia is the fifth Chinese to be sentenced by a Philippine court under the Duterte administration.

She was arrested during a drug sting by

CASH FOR WHAT?

Makati City police in March 2018, where they seized 2.8 kilograms of shabu.

Her arrest prompted a follow-up operation in Muntinlupa City, where anti-drug operatives swooped down on a shabu laboratory and seized illegal drugs worth P5 million.

In a five-page decision, the court also ordered Shi to pay a P500,000-fine.

A commitment order is yet to be handed down by Judge Selma Palacio Alaras of RTC Branch 63.

NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

A man who was seen going around neighborhoods in Manila hands money to a woman. The distribution of cash was witnessed by a resident who took photos and sent them to The Manila Times.

Business Times

PSEi

7,967.98 DOWN 0.42%

P51.85 TO $1

www.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY MAY 4, 2019 ASIAN STOCKS: S h a n g h a i ( c l o s e d )

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What’s inside AGGRESSIVE PALAY BUYING TO ASSIST FARMERS – PIÑOL BusinessB2

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ANOTHER DMCI ENERGY PROJECT GETS CEPNS DA STANDS FIRM ON P10-B RCEF

»BusinessB2

Singapore 0.03%

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Seoul 0.74%

To k y o ( c l o s e d )

Jakarta 0.86%

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CENTURY PROPERTIES RAISES P4.4B FROM PPHI PROJECTS Corporate NewsB3

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ABS-CBN, GMA ASSERT RATINGS LEAD IN APRIL

»Corporate NewsB3

‘GLOBE REVENUES DEFY DECLINE PREDICTION’

»Corporate NewsB3

Hong Kong 0.46%

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PCCI: Improved rating to support infra drive

BY TYRONE C. PIAD

»BusinessB2

s

MONEY TALKS

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CURRENCY RATE

B1

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HE recent upgrade in the Philippines’ credit status would support the government’s infrastructure program, with lower interest rates on loans anticipated, according to the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI).

“It (improved status) can further bolster BBB (Build Build Build) projects in the pipeline, and correspondingly, encourage more new investments and facilitate business expansion,” PCCI President Alegria Limjoco told The Manila Times on Friday.

Debt watcher S&P Global Ratings raised on Tuesday the Philippines’

credit rating from “BBB” to “BBB+” with a stable outlook, citing as reasons the country’s robust economic growth track and the good standing of government fiscal accounts, among others.

The upgrade puts the country two notches above the minimum investment grade and one notch away from an “A” rating.

With the improved credit rating, Limjoco is optimistic that funding from loans for infrastructure projects would be more accessible, allowing more economic activities for the construction industry.

The improved rating “means better chance of loan approval at lower interest rates. This has a knock-on effect on business and the economy,” she explained.

Build Build Build is one of the Duterte administration’s flagship programs. A 10-year industry roadmap for construction was launched recently to strengthen the sector, setting spending target of between P40 trillion and P130 trillion starting in 2020.

Overall, Limjoco expects a favorable sentiment for the economy with the upgraded rating.

“Better investment grade makes the country more attractive to foreign direct investments, generate more jobs, improve incomes and boost consumer spending and corporate profits,” she said.

The PCCI chief cited the Ease of Doing Business law as a contributor to the new rating, which helped in securing “faster approval” for infrastructure projects from the National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Public Works and Highways, and the Department of Transportation.

äDrive B2

PSEi drops to 7,900 ahead of GDP data INVESTORS resorted to last-minute profit-taking on Friday, pulling the index back to the 7,900 level while repositioning portfolios ahead of economic growth and inflation results.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped by 0.42 percent or 33.59 points to close at 7,967.98. The wider All Shares, meanwhile, dipped by 0.14 percent or 6.83 points to end at 4,906.06.

Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan said market players cashed in on gains after PSEi’s close at the 8,000 territory on Thursday supported by the move of S&P Global Ratings to upgrade the country’s credit rating from “BBB” to “BBB+” with a

stable outlook.

Investors also stayed on the sidelines ahead of the inflation and gross domestic product results next week, he added.

On Tuesday, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) placed inflation bets between 2.7 percent and 3.5 percent, as higher domestic oil prices and electricity rates may have provided an upward pressure to prices, but may have been offset by the drop in rice prices.

This compared with the 3.3 percent recorded in March.

Limlingan has said he expected consumer prices last month to have settled at 2.9 percent.

Also on Friday, BSP Governor

äData B2

With bad policies, people suffer

B

AD policies are among the root causes of our worsening mobility. And to get out of this fix, we need more than a collection of projects. Infrastructure is crucial, but a lot needs to be done to set the right policies in place.

On Sept. 12, 2017, the Board of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), with President Rodrigo Duterte as chair, approved the National Transport Policy (NTP). Section 7 of the NTP states: SECTION 7. Transportation management in urban and regional areas. The focus is moving more people than vehicles. Public mass transportation in urban areas shall be given priority over private transport. High capacity public transport systems shall be the preferred mode in high passenger density corridors.

These few sentences capture the overarching principle for planning and managing transportation in urban areas: the mobility of people matters more than the mobility of cars.

If the government implements this principle consistently, we will have healthier citizens, more vibrant cities, cleaner air, better access to jobs and services, and a more productive economy.

Government agencies—national and local—should embrace this directive and give it full meaning.

This is the hard part.

Traditionally, the government has considered the car user as the main client. For example, the Philippine Development Plan

MOBILITY MATTERS

ROBERT SIY 2017-2022, the high-level planning document issued by NEDA, contains a results matrix that lists the performance measures of line agencies. For both the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the target for road transport is defined as: “Travel speed by road in key corridors increased (kph)”.

This long-standing performance objective of both the MMDA and DPWH (which promotes faster car speeds at the expense of pedestrians and public transport) is in direct conflict with the “people-mobility” principle of the NTP. It is also inconsistent with road safety objectives which prescribe lower vehicle speeds in urban areas to reduce the incidence and severity of road crashes.

Over many decades, the welfare of commuters has been sacrificed to make cars go faster.

Roads are widened while sidewalks are reduced; pedestrian crossings are elevated so that cars no longer have to stop; and buses and vans are banned from major corridors to give cars more road space. And so on. These bad policies have to stop.

Agencies such as the MMDA

äMobility B3

n A woman and a young girl pose for a photo with a statue of a bull on a shopping street in Beijing on Friday. AP PHOTO

Asia markets mixed as investors eye jobs data HONG KONG: Asian markets were mixed heading into the weekend on Friday with energy firms again taking a hit from a plunge in oil prices, while investors look ahead to the release of key US jobs data later in the day.

S

Observers said there may have been some caution setting in after a report suggesting the longrunning trade talks between China and the United States had hit a snag.

With optimism fuelled by a

broadly strong earnings season beginning to fade, dealers are taking their cash off the table after a strong start to the year, while analysts noted that May is a traditionally weak month for equities.

Energy firms were once again in

How data empower SMEs to finance their growth

MALL and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are often regarded as the backbone of modern economies. One of the major challenges in growing a small and new company is building trust and credibility. Gaining access to financing follows that same trust-building exercise, because at its core, financial institutions prioritize evaluating the likelihood that a client can repay the money they borrow.

How missing data lead to higher costs SMEs tend to have less information about their company online, have less formalized business processes, and have fewer assets. This is perfectly normal given that these companies are in their early stages and are yet to establish themselves in their industry. However, it’s this particular lack of information and data which makes that trust-building process much more challenging for financial institutions to assess the creditworthiness

of an SME. This leads to higher financing costs that manifest itself in a couple of ways: higher interest rates, increased processing time leading to lost business, or large collaterals that put the assets of the company or the owner at risk - and sometimes even all of the above.

platform for securing short-term SME working capital loans.

This platform directly empowers any SME to submit all the requirements and interact with First Circle solely through the website or through phone calls. By collecting this new suite of data, First Circle now has access to more information that can help better understand the SMEs’ businesses on a deeper level and ultimately, unlocks a new and seamless experience for the SMEs to prove creditworthiness.

How technology can fill data gap

What data do to cut financing cost

Technology-driven solutions nowadays offer a shift in this perspective of assessing creditworthiness by providing an avenue to collect a new slew of data which can help determine the creditworthiness of a particular business. First Circle is leading this initiative by building a financial product which caters specifically to the nature and needs of these SMEs by providing an online

We can look at the challenge of building creditworthiness to come in two stages. The first stage is getting a clear understanding of the business at the onset. This stage is to set a baseline level of trust.

As an example, if the business does not have stable revenues or the business model is unclear, it can be difficult to place trust in

SME FIRST CIRCLE

ANDREW ESCAY

äSME B3

the firing line, dropping in tandem with crude prices owing to worries about rising supplies and falling demand.

Brent has tumbled around 6.5 percent and WTI is off more than

äMixed B3

China Bank income hits P1.9B CHINA Banking Corp. (China Bank) reported on Friday that its net income rose to P1.9 billion in the first quarter of the year, driven by the continued robust growth of its core businesses.

In a disclosure, the listed lender said the amount was a 26-percent increase from P1.5 billion in the same period of 2018.

The improved income allowed China Bank to post a return on equity of 8.42 percent and return on assets of 0.86 percent.

“We are gratified that our first quarter results reflect the sustained growth in our businesses and the result of various initiatives,” China Bank President William Whang said.

Net interest income for the first three months grew by 12 percent to P5.9 billion, boosted by the

äIncome B2

B2

Business Times

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

Aggressive palay buying to assist farmers – Piñol A

BY EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

S farmgate prices of palay or unmilled rice continue to fall, the Department of Agriculture (DA) will continue relying on the National Food Authority’s (NFA) aggressive palay procurement to assist the affected farmers.

As of April’s second week, the average farmgate price of palay further fell by 0.32 percent to P18.64 per kilo week-on-week, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. It likewise dropped by 10 percent from P20.71 per kilo year-on-year.

Citing the their latest data, DA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the national average price for fresh paddy rice was P15.50 per kilo and P19 to P21 per kilo for dry palay.

He admitted that the NFA’s removal of control over the farmgate prices of palay under the terms of Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the Rice Liberalization Act has limited the agency to assisting farmers in terms of selling their produce at more reasonable price. “Our explanation there is that the rice

industry is already a deregulated industry. We don’t have the control anymore. We can’t call for the increase of [palay farmgate] prices.

We cannot do that anymore,” Piñol said. “But we asked them (farmers) to go to the NFA because the agency is open,” he added.

RA 11203, which took effect on March 5, liberalizes the import process for rice while removing the NFA’s regulatory functions over international and domestic trading of rice, shifting the agency’s focus to palay procurement through buying the produce of local farmers.

Currently, the NFA buys clean and dry paddy rice at P20.70 per kilo, giving local farmers with a P3.70 incentive per kilo to the P17 per kilo buying price. “That’s why

we are strengthening the NFA. That is why in the IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations), even if it’s stated that NFA will focus on buffer stocking, we came up actually a scheme for a continuous buying of palay of the NFA. [It’s] by coming up with a roller-buffer stocking scheme that calls for continuous purchase of palay so we can release it to the market,” Piñol explained.

Under the new law, the NFA will adopt the “rolling buffer stocking” scheme, buy palay from local farmers all-year round with an optimal level of buffer stocks good for 30 days and release the aged stocks once it reaches the optimal level.

Last year, President Rodrigo Duterte had even ordered the NFA to have at least 60 days’ worth of buffer stocks to prevent a repeat of the supply shortage that pushed the staple’s price to as high as P60 per kilo in Metro Manila and P70 per kilo in Zamboanga City.

Data from the NFA showed that the agency had procured a total of 1.86 million bags from January to April 12. Of that volume, 593,123

bags were bought in April alone, nearly half of the 1.26 million bags NFA was able to procure in the first quarter of 2019.

NFA acting administrator Tomas Escarez said the grains agency is currently buying at an average of 73,233 bags per day, significantly higher than the daily palay procurement of the NFA in recent years. Correspondingly, Piñol said the country has enough supply of NFA imported rice which could last until end-September of this year.

“We still have about five months supply of imported NFA rice… Our local harvests that we procured actually will have to wait for another five months before we could release them unless it is needed by the DSWD for their relief operations,” he said.

“As of the moment, the supply of rice is very stable. There is no danger that there will be a spike,” Piñol added.

The Rice Liberalization Law is expected to lead to a reduction of rice prices by P2 to P7 per kilo, helping contain inflation.

Another DMCI energy project gets CEPNS THE DMCI Power Corp. has clinched another certificate of energy project of national significance (CEPNS) for its planned coal power plant in Palawan province.

The certificate was issued to DMCI Power’s 15-megawatt (MW) circulating fluidized bed (CFB) coal-fired power plant in Palawan province, based on the Department of Energy’s (DoE) post on its website on Friday.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of DMCI Holdings Inc., DMCI Power was established in 2006 to ener-

gize the small and remote islands in the country not connected to the main power grid. It currently operates and maintains bunker-fired power plants and diesel generating sets in parts of Masbate, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan and Sultan Kudarat.

This is not the first time DMCI Power bagged the CEPNS from the agency. It received the same certification for its 15-megawatts coal power plant in Masbate last November.

The issuance of CEPNS, which

n INCOME FROM B1

DA stands firm on P10-B RCEF

China Bank income hits P1.9B

41-percent jump in interest revenues from loans.

This was said to have complemented by the 52-percent increase in non-interest income to P1.3 billion, attributable to fees, service charges and commissions, among others.

Higher interest expense, however, compressed China Bank’s net interest margin to 2.94 percent.

Total operating income grew by 18 percent to P7.2 billion, while total operating expense increased by 13 percent to P4.8 billion, as the lender said it continued to strengthen and expand operations.

The lender’s cost-to-income ratio improved to 66 percent from 69 percent year-on-year.

China Bank maintained its balance sheet strength, growing in all areas of operation, while total assets expanded by 23 percent to P889 billion in tandem with the growth of the bank’s core businesses.

Gross loans grew by 13 percent to P515 billion, driven by strong demand from all customer segments. Deposits by rose 17 percent to P720 billion, underpinned by a 20-percent increase in checking and savings accounts.

Its asset quality continued to improve with a 1.2 percent gross non-performing loans (NPL) ratio. NPL coverage ratio stood at 169 percent Its financial position remains solid, with total capital of P89 billion, equivalent to a tier 1 capital adequacy ratio (CAR) of 12.9 percent and total CAR of 13.8 percent.

China Bank shares increased by 85 centavos or 3.19 percent to close at P27.50 each on Friday.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

was given to the power firm on April 15, is in line with Executive Order 30, signed by President Rodrigo Duterte in June 2017, which seeks to streamline the regulatory procedures and requirements relevant to the development of energy investments in the country.

It gives project proponents presumptive prior approval and 30-day facilitation from all concerned government agencies. An application is deemed approved if not acted upon within five days after the 30-day period lapses.

As of end-April, the Energy Investment Coordinating Council (EICC) has received 345 applications for EPNS. Of the total number, 277 were accepted while 68 filings were rejected.

The EICC is the council created by virtue of EO 30 responsible for spearheading and coordinating national government efforts to harmonize, integrate and streamline regulatory processes, requirements and forms relevant to the development of energy investments in the country. JORDEENE B. LAGARE

DEPARTMENT of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol reiterated his call for the P10-billion Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) his department is expecting under the terms of Republic Act (RA) 11203 or the Rice Liberalization Act and assured its delivery to the Filipino farmers.

For the nth time, Piñol clarified that the P5 billion released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in December 2018 was not part of the RCEF, which is a component of RA 11203. He said the amount was only channeled to the National Rice Program of the DA when the Rice Tariffication bill failed to be enacted last year.

“It was not actually part of the RCEF because the records will show that [it is] SARO (Special Allotment Release Order) and not RCEF, in support to the rice program of the DA,” Piñol said in a press conference on Thursday. “[Y]ou cannot allocate funds for a program that has not been enacted yet,” he added.

Earlier this week, National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) Assistant Secretary Mercedita Sombilla said the P5 billion already been released to the DA was equivalent to the 50-percent of the RCEF allocation.

Piñol, in response, maintained that this would be a “violation of the law.”

“What we did with the P5 billion was to program it to the regions as we need to disburse it because otherwise it will be our underspending. So P1 billion of that was allocated for credit [while] the P4 billion was distributed to the different regions,” he explained.

Of this, the bulk was mainly utilized for the purchase of equipment, while portions were alloted for rice seeds, and other support program for the rice sector.

“But definitely the P5 billion is not part of the RCEF because if we do that, that is tantamount to the violation of the law because the disbursement did not follow the sharing as specified in the law,” Piñol said.

However, he said the DA agreed to NEDA’s request to return the unutilized P1 billion to be used for credit, leaving the national government to produce P9 billion for the RCEF. “I just signed the document transferring back the P1 billion to Landbank and DBP,” Piñol said, noting that the two agencies agreed to use the said amount solely for credit on rice drying facilities at a rate of 2 percent.

Meanwhile, the agriculture chief assured that the P10-billion fund will go

straight to its intended beneficiaries—local farmers— to increase their productivity and competitiveness under the new rice regime.

He said the NFA Council is set to conduct a meeting next week to address the duties of each agency involved in the implementation of the RCEF. “I will ask all the agencies involved on the RCEF to make a presentation of their programs. As chairman of the projects committee and the only accountable officer of the P10billion fund… I will have to make sure that money will really go to the rice farmers,” Piñol said.

“In fact, I have issued a directive to PhilRice, PhilMech, ATI not to get some money from the P10 billion for their operations. We should produce our own money because what we want is the fund to completely go to the farmers.

That is how transparent we will be,” he added.

With P10 billion, the DA through the PhilMech will provide farmers with machinery and equipment worth P5 billion, free high-yielding seeds worth P3 billion from PhilRice, P1 billion for credit and P1 billion in training through the Agricultural Training Institute.

EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

n DATA FROM B1

investments and manufacturing.

Official inflation and gross domestic product figures will be announced by the Philippine Statistics Authority on May 7 and 9, respectively.

Sectoral results were mixed, with the property and holding firms indices the only losers, down

1.04 percent and 0.99 percent, respectively.

More than 788 million issues were traded valued at P8.17 billion.

Market breadth remained positive, as 102 winners outmatched 100 losers, while 50 issues were unchanged.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

PSEi

Benjamin Diokno said the economy likely grew over 6 percent in the first quarter on the back of election spending, as well as construction,

Invest before you’re ready MONEY W TALKS

E all know people who are highly motivated to learn. They invest their time and money in attending seminars and buy the latest books on self-help investment and personal development.

But ask them what they have done so far with their learnings.

Their blank facial expression would immediately tell you there’s none. Their usual excuse is they don’t want to mess with what they want and it’s better to study further before moving.

I’m not saying it’s not good to study or research on things we are going to embark on, but many people miss the boat by over-analyzing the particulars of things they will venture in.

Of course, having the right financial education will tell us what is legit from scam investment, but being educated and well-informed will not eliminate the inherent risk of any investment you will get into. As Casey Neistat said, “Life shrinks and expands in direct proportion to your willingness to assume risks.”

I started investing in the stock market in 2009. It was during the end stage of the global financial crisis. Many people laughed at me for they know the market at that time was almost useless. True enough, it was like an endless bloody experience. Whenever I check my account, everything was in red.

But I kept putting money each month into my account. I was having the same thinking as the people who were trapped by the crisis that it is a long-term investment. What’s funny with most traders I knew is that they view themselves as shortterm traders. But once they are trapped, they will use the long-term view as their excuse.

I viewed myself at the beginning as a failure in my investing strategy.

Little did I know that a spectacular failure is the secret ingredient to my ultimate success. Most beginners invested terribly. That’s okay. Their subsequent experience will get a little better if they bother to stay in the market.

When I’m fail on my strategy, I never give up. Instead, I take a long look and review how I’ve been doing things. It turns out that I was buying base on the wrong analysis. I humbled and studied more of fundamental analysis and tried to separate my emotion and ego while doing my investing. Yes, I am studying but I never stop investing.

On the early years, I thought the only thing I needed to be good at was investing. If I could pick a winning stock, everything would fall into place. Then I learned the basics of investing. Being a registered financial planner helped me realized just how many more skills and knowledge I needed to master, like

n DRIVE FROM B1

PCCI

This law mandates that simple business transactions should be completed within three working days, seven for complex ones; and 20 for highly technical processes.

It also mandates that transactions a government agency did not classifyshall be processed within three working days and be treated as a simple transaction.

Government agencies that fail to comply within the prescribed period will be penalized.

Limjoco also cited “government’s efforts to improve transparency in budgeting and the procurement process” and “initiatives to reform the tax regime to expand the base of taxpayers and improve tax administration.”

The recent signing of the much-delayed 2019 nation budget gained positive sentiment, as well, she said.

Investor confidence Also on Friday, the Foundation for Economic Freedom (FEF) joined government officials in lauding the upgraded rating, but urged the Duterte administration to solve the country’s current water, power

CHRISTOPHER CERVANTES protection planning, risk management, behavioral finance, time value of money, taxation, and many other things. My advice to beginners is to just start. More will be revealed to you as you go along the way. And this will happen only if you actually dive into the world of finance.

Enrolment is coming. Many toddlers will turn from kindergarten to grade 1. I remember how afraid I was when I first step into my grade 1 class. I believe all of us experience that kind of fear. Our parents did the right thing by allowing us to overcome that fear by enrolling us even before we are emotionally ready.

Maybe it’s true that being “ready” is a myth. Most people think there’s going to be a perfect timing in investing, a time when they will buy a real bottom price, and really strike a good deal that will lead to great fortune. But this is just an illusion, a good excuse of not starting now.

In reality, no one from the selfproclaimed experts really knows what will happen in the future. So, better start before you’re ready, and embrace the mindset ‘let’s just see what happens’.

There are people we think are experts. This is true not only in investing and money but in all areas of personal growth and development. Remember that even how good they may appear, they can all still be wrong. I my latest book, Life Begins, I wrote: A long time ago, I learned that there is nothing permanent in this world. Even the greatest invention and innovations are nothing but a temporary solution. We must be ready for any change that life will bring us. What is true today might be a sin tomorrow, no right explanation will hold forever. The moment you understand that life is a continuous seeking—seeking and heading to the right direction, that the best answer begs more questions — that is the time you will understand that every day.

I hope you will be able to read my latest book and learn not only about money but the lessons in life that helped me to become successful. *** Christopher G. Cervantes is a Registered Financial Planner of RFP Philippines. He is author of Financial Planning for the Fast Changing World and The Seed Money. Visit his web site at www.cardinalbuoy. com or follow him on Twitter @ cervantes_rfp. To learn more about personal/financial planning, attend the 76th RFP program this June 2019. To inquire, email info@rfp. ph or text <name><email><RFP> to 0917-9689774. and infrastructure issues.

In a statement, the group said the improved rating would “result in increased investor confidence in the economy, lower borrowing costs for the government and the private sector, and more investment inflows.”

It urged the government to push for more reforms, saying it “should focus on agricultural growth, which had been lagging behind population growth.”

“Its weak performance had been acting as a drag to manufacturing and the other sectors of the economy, making the country vulnerable to food price shocks,” it added.

FEF also said the government “should also shore up the country’s weak export performance in order to contain the ballooning trade and current account deficits.”

“The country cannot continue to rely on OFW (overseas Filipino worker) remittances to finance its negative external trade position,” it added.

“In the meantime, the administration should also promote tourism and a stable mining policy regime in order to generate more dollars to finance the growing capital import requirements of its bold infrastructure program.”

WITH ANNA LEAH E. GONZALES

Corporate News ABS-CBN, GMA assert ratings lead in April Century Properties raises P4.4B from PPHI projects C ˜ The Manila Times

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

BROADCAST rivals ABS-CBN Corp. and GMA Network Inc. announced on Friday that they had kept their leads in the television ratings game for April.

In separate statements, the Lopez-led ABS-CBN said it continued to rule the nationwide TV ratings, while GMA claimed it dominated Urban Luzon.

Citing data from Kantar Media, which has a nationwide panel size of 2,610 urban and rural homes, ABS-CBN said it had garnered an average audience share of 46 percent, compared with its main competitor’s 30 percent.

The Kapamilya network also said it remained the leading network in Metro Manila, posting an audience share of 44 percent against GMA’s 22 percent; 38 percent in Mega Manila versus its rival’s 29 percent; 41 percent in Total Luzon, compared with GMA’s 33 percent; 55 percent in Total Visayas versus the competi-

tor’s 23 percent; and 54 percent in Total Mindanao against GMA’s 27 percent.

The Kapuso network, on the other hand, said a report from Nielsen TV showed it maintained its lead last month.

It generated an average total day people audience share of 36.6 percent in Urban Luzon, 5.5 points higher than ABS-CBN’s 31.1 percent, it said.

In Mega Manila, which GMA said it held 60 percent of all urban viewers in the Philippines, it defeated ABS-CBN with a total day average people audience share of 39 percent, compared with the latter’s 28 percent.

Both groups also claimed their leadership in all time blocks in April.

On Friday, ABS-CBN shares rose by 14 centavos or 0.73 percent to finish at P19.30 each, while GMA shares ended flat at P5.22 apiece.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

‘Globe revenues defy decline prediction’ GLOBE Telecom claimed on Friday it had kept its revenue growth momentum in the last five years, defying global market forecasts of a financial slowdown in the telecommunications space.

In a statement, the Ayala-led telco titan said it continued to enjoy robust financial results, buoyed by its mobile businesses, despite London-based industry analyst Ovum’s 2013 prediction that telco carriers worldwide, except those in Africa, would see slow growth at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of less than 3 percent between 2012 and 2018.

Globe said it recorded a 9.1-percent CAGR for its overall service revenues from 2014 to 2018, which was also higher than the 5.6 percent it recorded from 2009 to 2013.

Globe President and Chief Executive Officer Ernest Cu said the company was able to keep its ground as it continued to invest in boosting content offerings, introducing new mobile plans and

promos, and enhancing customer experience with digital solutions.

“We are proud that our strategy of disrupting the telco business model delivered consistent financial results in the past five years,” Cu was quoted as saying in the statement.

In 2018 alone, Globe saw its consolidated service revenues climb by 10 percent to P140.2 billion. Revenues from its mobile business also rose by 9 percent year-on-year to P106.92 billion on strong data consumption.

Data demand also raised its bottomline to P18.4 billion last year from 2017’s P15.1 billion.

For this year, Globe has earmarked $1.2 billion in capital expenditures (capex), higher than the $950 million it allotted for 2018, to further support its network buildup.

Globe shares climbed by P1 or 0.06 percent to finish at P1,800 apiece on Friday.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

n MOBILITY FROM B1

With bad policies, people suffer and the DPWH should abandon practices, technical standards and performance measures in conflict with the directive to prioritize people mobility.

Once we focus on maximizing people mobility rather than vehicle mobility, the way forward becomes much clearer — a) allocate road space to more efficient transport modes such as walking, cycling and public transport; b) avoid measures that disadvantage commuters or deter them from using public transport; and c) introduce regulations that will encourage private car users to shift to more efficient and sustainable transport modes.

Under the “people-mobility” principle of the NTP, it is therefore wrong for MMDA to remove provincial buses from EDSA, each carrying 40 to 55 persons, for the purpose of decongesting the corridor. Provincial buses account for less than 4 percent of vehicles on EDSA, while private cars account for over two-thirds of vehicles.

If bus riders are unable to transfer easily from a provincial bus to a city bus at the new terminals, frustrated bus riders will shift to using private motor vehicles instead. This would add to the population of motor vehicles on EDSA and cause even more congestion. Because it may cause more harm than good, the proposed provincial bus ban should be deferred and be subject to careful review.

If public transport has priority over private vehicles and if maximizing the movement of people is

the objective, MMDA should find ways of enhancing the travel speed of public transport vehicles on EDSA. In this regard, MMDA was correct to restrict single-occupant cars; this initiative should be resurrected, this time, explaining how the reduction in private motor vehicles will allow more road space for public transport, walking and cycling, as advocated under the NTP. To demonstrate the “greater good for the greatest number”, MMDA’s restriction on singleoccupant cars could be paired, for example, with the lifting of number coding of public transport, or with giving UV Express vehicles access to EDSA, or with providing a “public-transportonly” lane at the median so high occupancy vehicles can move more people faster.

The NTP provides clear direction for addressing our mobility crisis. The challenge for this administration is to move away from regressive practices and to implement the NTP in a consistent fashion. Implementing a good policy can deliver benefits faster than many large infrastructure projects — but policy reform requires visionary leaders with tenacity and political will. Paging Secretaries Mark Villar, Arthur Tugade and chairman Danilo Lim.

Robert Y. Siy is a development economist, city and regional planner, and public transport advocate.

He can be reached at mobilitymatters.ph@yahoo.com or followed on Twitter @RobertRsiy

BY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

ENTURY Properties Group (CPG) Inc. has generated P4.4 billion from presales of its PHirst Park Homes projects in three provinces in Region 4A. In a statement on Friday, the listed property developer said it presold at least 3,230 housing units across the three branches bearing its affordable housing brand.

“The strong presales of CPG’s affordable housing segment are expected to translate to sustained higher contribution to the company’s bottom line, as more housing units are scheduled to be completed in the next quarters,” Century Properties Chief Financial Officer Ponciano Carreon said.

The first branch, PHirst Park

Homes-Tanza in Cavite province, covered a 26-hectare land bank offering nearly 2,900 homes with total sales value of P4.6 billion. It was Century Properties’ first project with Japan-based conglomerate Mitsubishi Corp.

That project’s success, Century Properties said, led to the incorporation of the joint venture company PHirst Park Homes Inc. (PPHI), which will develop 15 master-planned communities over the next few years.

The first two projects assigned under PPHI were branches in Lipa

City, Batangas province and San Pablo City, Laguna province.

The Lipa branch raised P1.4 billion from nearly 1,900 units. It has a total sales value of P2.8 billion.

The San Pablo branch, meanwhile, presold P597 million or 1,640 units. It has a sales value of P2.7 billion.

“The success of PHirst Park Homes is proof positive of the demand for quality homes with the best value and competitive pricing,” PPHI President Ricky Celis said. “ D e ve l o p e r s h ave b a r e l y scratched the surface in addressing the country’s housing backlog, and PHirst is doing its share by focusing on the huge demand in the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Central Luzon regions,” he added.

After these projects, Century

B3

Properties said it “is set to launch more communities in north and south Luzon, which the company has identified as growth areas with a high concentration of OFW (overseas Filipino worker) families, unmet demand for housing, and where infrastructure projects are in place.”

Century Properties has set aside P10 billion in capital expenditures this year, as it plans to grow its recurring income and residential portfolios.

Funding sources will come from a mix of internally generated cash and debt.

Last month, the company raised P3 billion through the issuance of fixed-rate bonds.

Century Properties shares inched up by 1 centavo or 1.89 percent to close at 54 centavos each on Friday.

PBB income reaches P251M in Jan-March

PHILIPPINE Business Bank (PBB) reported on Friday that its net income increased to P251 million in the first quarter of the year on the back of this strong lending and treasury operations.

In a disclosure, the listed lender said the amount was 38.4-percent higher than P181.3 million in the same period in 2017.

PBB President and Chief Executive Officer Roland Avante said the latest figure was “the biggest firstquarter income in the last six years, as earnings from core lending activities and trading expanded at

a double-digit pace.”

The higher profit also allowed the bank to record a return on assets and return on equity of 1.06 percent and 8.84 percent, respectively, for the period.

PBB’s interest income also grew by 34.2 percent from P1.2 billion as of March 2018 to P1.6 billion this year.

Total loans and receivables ended at P76.8 billion in January to March, a P2.9-billion surge from P73.9 billion in the same period last year.

PBB’s total resources increased

by P6.3 billion to P94.7 billion.

On the funding side, the lender’s

low-cost funds expanded by 8.6 percent, ending the quarter at P31.9 billion, compared with 2017’s P29.4 billion.

Time deposits grew by P2.2 billion from P44.6 billion to P46.8 billion in 2019.

As a result, total deposits hit P78.7 billion, up P4.7 billion year-on-year.

PBB currently has 157 branches in key areas across the country.

That said, Avante assured that PBB was dedicated to continue improving its services and expand branch network to further reach

those in the provinces with limited access to financial institutions.

“While there are always challenges that concern the banking industry as a whole, we are confident that PBB is strategically positioned to respond to market dynamics,” Avante said.

“We continue to search for ways to improve our services, reduce turnaround times, and expand coverage to as many SMEs (small and medium enterprises) as we can,” he added.

PBB shares ended flat at P13.40 each on Friday.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

Metro Retail bullish after 2018 fire SCG PH sales dip 8% in Q1 LISTED Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. is confident about its business this year with the expected completion of the redevelopment of its stores in Ayala Center-Cebu.

In a disclosure on Friday, Metro Retail said it was set to finish within the second half of the year the redevelopment of its supermarket and department store in that shopping mall, which were hit by a fire in January last year. Their reopening was a top priority, it added.

The company said last month that fire caused its net income to drop to P965.4 million last year from P977

million in 2017.

Metro Retail also said it was expanding in key areas in Luzon and the Visayas with the groundbreaking of Super Metro Hypermarket in Leyte province, the opening of Metro Department Store and Supermarket in Ayala Feliz in Pasig City and Ayala Capitol in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental province.

“The company’s strength is rooted in our enduring drive to make our customers happy and yield returns for our shareholders. This is also what empowers us through trying times,” Metro Retail President and Chief Op-

erating Officer Manuel Alberto said.

“We recognize the role of our strategic alliances in expanding our store network. As we set our sights on higher goals, we forge ahead with the theme we have set forth for 2019 — growth through operational excellence and quality customer service.

We are fully committed to deliver our value proposition,” he added.

Metro Retail currently has 13 department stores nationwide, 28 supermarkets and 13 hypermarkets.

Metro Retail shares finished flat at P3.40 each on Friday.

ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

n MIXED FROM B1

any extension on production cuts,” said Edward Moya, senior market analyst at OANDA. “Even if they do show optimism at the next... meeting on May 17th, many will not expect an extended cut agreement to have the same effect as the first one. Right now the path of least resistance for oil remains to the downside.”

lower. Singapore was barely moved.

Tokyo and Shanghai were closed for holidays.

Attention is now on the release of US non-farm payrolls data on Friday that will provide a fresh snapshot of the world’s top economy.

The figures come after the head of the Federal Reserve disappointed markets by saying recent weak inflation was “transitory,” denting hopes the bank would consider an interest rate cut this year.

A strong jobs report would reinforce Jerome Powell’s view that the economy was broadly healthy and all but kill off any chance of a cut in the near future.

There is also some unease after a report in Chinese media speculated that negotiators from China and the US had hit an impasse in the trade talks, citing the fact there were few details from their most recent talks in Beijing this week. AFP

Asia

seven percent from six-month highs touched just last week, taking another hit Thursday from data showing a surge in US stockpiles and output.

The commodity had been rallying in recent weeks on the back of output cuts led by OPEC and Russia (OPEC+) unrest in Libya, the political crisis in Venezuela and hopes for the China-US trade talks.

But analysts pointed out that a would-be coup in Caracas has fizzled, tensions in Libya have eased and the major producing countries appear to be rolling back on commitments to turn off the taps.

“Expectations are dwindling that OPEC+ will be able to deliver on

n SME FROM B1

How data

providing financial assistance to the company. The second stage is improving the assessment of creditworthiness over time. As more information about the business are collected, this second stage is focused on solidifying the trust established during the first stage.

Data can provide massive improvements in either stage. For the first stage, the goal is to collect the right information as soon as possible so you can make a fair judgment on the business. Having access to historical data and the ability to analyze them makes it easy to find opportunities for improvement and optimization of this process.

An example of an improvement in this stage is to look retroactively at which pieces of information tend to be great predictors of creditworthi-

Trade talks questions Hong Kong-listed CNOOC dived 1.6 percent and PetroChina 0.4 percent, while Woodside Petroleum shed 0.9 percent in Sydney and Santos sank more than 2 percent.

On broader stock markets, Hong Kong rose 0.5 percent, Taipei added 0.8 percent and Mumbai put on 0.3 percent.

But Seoul sank 0.7 percent with Sydney, Wellington and Jakarta also ness which then can be incorporated in the application process of future SMEs, effectively creating a feedback loop that speeds up and enhances the process.

For the second stage, as First Circle generates more data on repayment patterns and the ongoing relationship with the SME, data and the application of modern data analytics methodologies help improve our understanding of the creditworthiness of cash flows in the economy. As every interaction between an SME and First Circle is logged, stored and processed in our databases, we are able to easily extract that data upon demand and build a more holistic view of the company over time. Improvement in the second stage could also be related to observing patterns with clients and using that to predict risk, repayments, and other forecasting exercises which may help First Circle and its operations.

Data driving down the cost of SME lending As more improvements are made from the insights generated with data, we expect to see an improvement in both operational efficiency and credit assessment. These improvements, in turn, unlock lower interest rates, high credit limits and virtually zero collateral requirements — ultimately leading to less financing costs for SMEs. We’ve only scratched the surface of what improvements can be made and it is a continuing process which only gets better as data become more accessible to serve the needs of our economy’s backbone.

Andrew Escay is a Data Analyst at First Circle. His love for technology and numbers has led him to a data career in the FinTech space. If you’d like to connect, feel free to reach out at andrew.escay@firstcircle.com.

THE Philippine unit of Thailand’s Siam Cement Group (SCG) reported on Thursday that its revenues decreased by 8 percent to P4.41 billion in the first quarter of 2019, but assured that sales would grow in the coming months to meet its 10-percent target for the year.

In a statement, SCG Philippines attributed the dip to “the lower global market price of packaging paper.”

The figure represents 2.37 percent of the group’s total sales for the period.

SCG’s total first-quarter revenues reached P185.81 billion, a 5-percent decrease from the previous year’s figure, due to lower prices of chemicals and weak global demand.

Overall net income for the period dipped by 6 percent to P19.28 billion.

Despite the setback in its packaging business, SCG Philippines Country Director Anuvat Chalermchai is upbeat that things would turn around as it improves the unit.

“The packaging business aims to become a total packaging solutions provider by establishing more packaging production bases in [Southeast Asia], particularly in markets with constant growth opportunities, and developing innovations and technologies to add value to products, services and production processes toward fulfilling the needs of enterprises and consumers,” he said.

The group has also been beefing up its retail market for cementbuilding materials, with its ceramic unit Mariwasa Siam Ceramics importing ceramic and porcelain tiles and sanitary ware products.

The firm has an annual regional capacity of 32 million metric tons (MT) for its cement production. Last year, 200,000 to 300,000 MT of cement were exported to the Philippines.

SCG is also planning to introduce digital touchpoint, in which customers could purchase their products and subsequently making transactions easier.

SCG Philippines saw its sales grow 26 percent to P18.54 billion in 2018 from P14.73 billion a year ago on the back of the strong performance of its packaging and cement-building material businesses.

It owns P13.08 billion or 1.32 percent of SCG’s total assets.

TYRONE C. PIAD

Green Industries WHY DO I LOVE Global wine group THEE [OCEAN]? unveils green program P B4

˜ The Manila Times

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

BY GREGORIO ESCOBER DELA ROSA JR.

ERNOD RICARD, the second largest producer of wine and spirits in the world, has officially become one of the international companies that have made a commitment to the preservation of the environment, signified by the recent launch of its “2030 Sustainability and Responsibility” roadmap.

The roadmap, an integral part of the group’s strategic plan “Transform and Accelerate,” sets eight ambitious but concrete targets in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN).

As part of the big reveal, a special film was shot with 52 proud employees from Pernod Ricard Spain to launch the new strategy.

Even before the UN initiatives were in place, Pernod Ricard had sustainability at its heart. The group’s founder, Paul Ricard, started the Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute over 50 years ago, which even today leads the charge in ocean preservation.

“We know that our customers have now come to expect our brands to be responsible and respectful of the environment — values that have been at the very heart of our business since its inception. These 2030 commitments provide us with a focused framework across our business in helping to address some of the

biggest sustainability issues, so consumers can enjoy our products in a convivial and sustainable way, said Vanessa Wright, vice president for sustainability and responsibility of Pernod Ricard.

Since 2010, the group and its brands (Absolut Vodka, Chivas Regal, among others), have undertaken many initiatives and has been unrelenting towards its 2020 environmental targets. With programs such as the Chivas Venture and the Absolut Elyx’s partnership with Water for People, the group has demonstrated a united front on environmental issues, with remarkable results.

In the last eight years, 93 percent of the group’s production facilities have been certified ISO 14001 and 95 percent of its vineyards were certified according to environmental standards. In addition, the group has reduced its water consumption per liter of alcohol by 20 percent, its carbon emissions by 30 percent per unit of production,

and waste by 9,505 tons.

In September 2018, during the UN Global Compact Leaders’ Summit 2018 at the UN Headquarters in New York, Pernod Ricard was the only wine and spirits company to be recognized as a Global Compact LEAD company, demonstrating its ongoing commitment to its Ten Principles and to the UN SDGs. “We aim to bring good times from a good place,” said Alexandre Ricard, chairman and chief executive officer of Pernod Ricard.

“By creating genuine moments of sharing and enjoyment for our consumers, while at the same time making and selling our products in the right way, recognizing that we are only guests on our planet.”

Four key areas Building on its past achievements in the area, The group’s eight new sustainability and responsibility commitments are built on four key areas: nurturing terroir, valuing people, circular making and responsible hosting.

By 2030, 100 percent of the group aims to have all its global affiliates maintaining a strategic biodiversity project. It also hopes to develop regenerative agriculture pilot projects within its own vineyards in eight wine regions

— Argentina, California, Cognac, Champagne, Spain, Australia, New Zealand and China — mimicking natural processes to improve the quality of top soil, watersheds and ecosystems. Also, the group would partner with 5,000 farmers to share techniques.

By 2022, the group will ensure equal pay across the business. By 2030, the top management teams would be gender balanced, in addition to which, by the same year, 100 percent of the group’s employees would have received future-fit training at least every three years to develop new skills.

The group also seeks to train 10,000 bartenders on the topic of the “bar world of tomorrow,” teaching them to host consumers in a more sustainable way including being anti-waste and plastic-free.

Also by 2025, Pernod Ricard would ban all promotional items made from single-use plastic and 100 percent of its packaging would be recyclable, compostable, reusable or bio-based.

To deal with the issues of water balance and the group’s carbon footprint, Pernod Ricard aims to be water balanced in all high-risk watersheds like India and Australia. So, by 2030, the group aims to replenish 100 percent of water consumption from production sites.

THE TIMES

500 MANGROVE SEEDLINGS PLANTED To celebrate Earth Day 2019, at least 116 volunteers took part in a

mangrove-planting activity in San Fernando City, La Union. A total of 500 of mangrove seedlings were planted in strategic areas of the city. PIA PHOTO

servation projects. I get pulled from time to time on terrestrial work, but I can’t ignore the sea.

NO, this is not a love song. This I found a tiny nudibranch on is an elegy, a limerick to the pale the underside of an elephant blue dot that we call home. The ear sponge during a research Earth is 75-percent water and 96 expedition that has still no percent of it is saline. Interesting- name, yet. I also found a sea ly, our bodies are mostly made urchin that had very soft and up of water, 78 percent when are flexible spines that was a new are babies and 60 percent when record for the Philippines.

Then I joined the Zoological adults. Our ancestors came from Society of London’s Evolutionarily the sea, no less.

There’s no denying our rela- Distinct and Globally Endangered tionship with the ocean. Maybe (EDGE) fellows and successfully that’s what mariners in the 18th implemented the first EDGE Coral century say, the siren’s call, draw- Reef conservation initiative in the ing us time and again to the sea. Coral Triangle region in 2011. I How we grew up with the people studied three coral species, the around us, as well as my parents mushroom coral (Heliofungia and my grandparents, within a actiniformis), pearl bubble coral kilometer of the sea also played a (Physogyra lichtensteini) and part in this. Every weekend I went the elegance coral (Catalaphyllia with my schoolmates, friends and jardinei) in Burdeos located in the neighbors to enjoy the company Polillo Islands.

In 2012, Haribon implementof the sea. I learned to swim in the sea, on the Pacific Coast, as my ed the Darwin Initiative Project father and his friends watched over Responding to Fish Extirpations me. My visits to the sea became in the Global Marine Biodiversity less frequent as I got older, but Epicenter and funded by the Deno less meaningful. I began to partment of Environment, Food become aware of mangroves and and Rural Affairs (Defra) of the the colorful animals in the nooks UK government. We partnered and crannies of the reef during low with Newcastle University in tide. My uncle, my mother’s eldest the UK. I am lucky to be part brother, let me borrow my cousin’s of the team. We’ve pioneered old school blue mask and snorkel. robust statistical modeling While I was applying for my techniques as applied to local major at the university, my block- fish extinctions in the Philipmate and friend started me on pines. We identified at least 15 this road. He told me that if you reef-associated fishes that are chose this so-and-so course, it severely depleted in five areas would take you to Bais City in in the Philippines.

All that because I love the Negros where you will see whales and dolphins. Then he said if you ocean. To quote Jacques Costeau, take this course, it would take you “People protect what they love.” to Puerto Galera to study clonal He really does have a point. organisms and the corals. And, You put your heart and mind in this one sold me out entirely, if I something because you believe take this course, I would go to a in it, you are driven by passion. remote island in Palawan to study That best describes it for me.

We want the next generation to marine ecology. Up to now, we still see each other twice or thrice enjoy what we have. A late author a year and reminisce. That’s what once told an anecdote: “Two the sea does to you, and that’s young fish were swimming. They met an old fish that says to them what brought me here.

‘Good day, how’s the water?’ The two young fish swam along for Joining Haribon a bit more. Then one of them Now I work with Haribon, most- faces the other and says, ‘What ly on coastal and marine con- water?’” Don’t be that fish.

Our youth have done their homework on climate change Second of two parts

Scientists and academics endorse students’ strike for climate

T

HREE hundred scientists, including climate scientists Peter Kalmus, Kate Marvel, Michael Mann, Katharine Hayhoe and Kim Cobb, have signed an open letter endorsing the actions of students around the world in their demand for bold action to make sure the world they grow up in is livable. The letter states: “Today’s elementary and high school students have lived their short lives on a planet measurably different than any other generation in the history of human civilization. Every year of their lives has been one of the warmest 20 years since records began, and they’ve also witnessed increasingly frequent, disruptive, and costly extreme weather events.”

It continued: “They recognize the battle for their future.

Without aggressive action to reduce humanity’s carbon emissions, these students can expect to bear witness to a world we can’t fully imagine yet: one where irreversible changes to our water and food systems, our infrastructure and our economy, shape a planet and a society very different from what we see today, a world characterized by greater insecurity, uncertainty and inequity that directly threatens their constitutional rights to life, liberty and property.”

I echoed the earth scientists’

ALL ABOUT CHOICES LUDWIG O. FEDERIGAN statement when they say that students’ demands for bold, urgent action are fully supported by the best available science. They need our support, but, more than that, they need all of us, to act. Their future depends on it; and so does ours. We all know that immediate action is needed and such is consistent with the most current scientific assessment.

In the United Kingdom, over 200 academics offered their full support to the students, some of whom may well aspire to be the academics of the future. In a published statement, they said that they have every right to be angry about the future that we shall bequeath to them, if proportionate and urgent action is not taken. We are inspired that our children, spurred on by the noble actions of striking students all around the world, are making their voices heard.

World leaders commend youth climate strikers “I know young people can and do change the world. Many of you are anxious and fearful for the future, and I understand your concerns and your anger. But I know humankind is capable of enormous achievements. Your voices give me hope. The more I see your commitment and activ-

ism, the more confident I am that we will win. Together, with your help and thanks to your efforts, we can and must beat this threat and create a cleaner, safer, greener world for everyone,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres wrote in The Guardian.

The first woman president of Ireland, Mary Robinson, who received the Kew International Medal in March 2018, stands in solidarity with students striking for climate action when she stated: “The younger generation is taking the lead and demanding action, and shaming those of us who are old enough to influence and deliver policy change. The global school strike movement is an inspiration.

We need to listen to and learn from the passion of our young people, and show them by our actions that there is indeed a way for our political and economic systems to meet their cries for action.”

“Young people are telling us ‘you’re not going fast enough.’ And they’re right, because we have been too slow. We all have to move: governments, big business, citizens,” said French President Emmanuel Macron during the 4th United Natons Environment Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, in March 2018.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who sat down with the organizers of the school strike for climate, said: “Students around the world are calling politicians to action — we have a responsibility to listen to them and respond.”

Climate youth strike in Philippines on May 24 On May 24, together with stu-

dents around the world, Filipino students from the university belt in Manila and across the country will march again for the second time. Dubbed as the “Climate Youth Strike Philippines,” it will happen simultaneously in different parts of the Philippines: Pampanga, Manila, Negros, Bacolod, Iloilo and General Santos City.

The event would involve radical transformation of the role and power of our young people toward our national action to achieve ecological sustainability and combat climate change. To achieve the goal of the event, the organizers will mobilize student- and youth-led protests to promote diverse voices calling for a common aim. With humanity wiping out 60 percent of our animal population in less than five decades, and with water scarcity that would affect the entire populace of Metro Manila, our objectives have never been more relevant. Students throughout the Philippines would go out to the streets to call on every Filipino, particularly our government leaders, to address the climate crisis.

“In the second youth strike in the Philippines, we will be expecting thousands of young people who will be marching with us in the streets of Manila. It’s about time. It’s about time that the young people rise and speak up!

We don’t have much time left. We should make the change we want to see because it is our future that is at stake,” said Jefferson Estela, founder of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Green Coalition and one of the organizers of the Climate Youth Strike Philippines.

Jefferson added organizing the youth strike was really important for him. “It clearly shows the power of our young people to demand our government to act on the climate crisis. I would like to invite every student to show support to our generation.”

I am Climate Justice Movement urges government to support a UN Resolution Sparked by the youth of the world, while we were observing Earth Day, the I am Climate Justice (ICJ) Movement in the Philippines filed a petition letter with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Climate Change Commission, asking for their support by sponsoring a UN Resolution at the UN General Assembly in September to trigger an International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the duties of States to protect life of the present and future generations in light of the climate crisis. The movement believes that such an opinion would assist the Philippines and other countries in understanding their legal duties regarding climate change impacts. Other ICJ Movement coordinators globally would also petition their governments to support the UN Resolution.

“The youth has the time, energy and capacity to care for our common planet. We lack the experience but we have to use what we know and do what we can to give ourselves and the future generations a fighting chance in this climate crisis,” said Asia Wy, co-convener of ICJ Movement.

Some social scientists studying

generational differences have found evidence that our youth of today, instead of becoming more societally engaged than their elders, are less likely to engage in civic matters like environmental activism. On the contrary, the current actions of the youth, especially our Filipino youth, are expressions of their disappointment of the inaction on the climate crisis and would clearly debunk the study of Johns Hopkins University titled “Do millennials see climate change as more than just a meme?” conducted last year.

Therefore, to our adults, particularly our government leaders, who may be criticizing our students for skipping school, the brutal fact is that we adults have categorically failed them. This is a grievous wrong, perhaps the worst thing that we can do, to have let down those who we claim to love more than life itself.

We have set them on a path to a future in which society as we know it is in a brink of collapse. It is high time that we get behind their courageous actions. Our youth have done their homework on climate change, it’s about time that we and our leaders behave like they have done theirs. k k k On Sunday (May 5), I will be the guest speaker for the “Environmental Summit for Youth Action 2019” organized by the Environmental Advocates Reaching Towards Humanity (Earth-UST) at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila.

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Thai king heads one of world’s richest monarchies BANGKOK: Taking direct control of a fortune, purging the palace, tweaking the constitution and issuing commands before a key election, the most remarkable thing about Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s is the monarchy he will govern beginning today is one of the world’s richest.

Vajiralongkorn inherited one of the world’s richest monarchies from his beloved father Bhumibol Adulyadej, who died in October 2016.

Among his successor’s earliest moves was to assert full, personal control over the Crown Property Bureau (CPB), which has billions in assets in banks, companies and prime real estate.

The CPB committee was previously headed by the finance minister in an arrangement that gave a sheen of public oversight of a trust some experts estimate to be worth $30 to $60 billion.

The CPB’s full assets are privately held and remain a closely guarded secret. Shortly after as-

cending to the throne in 2016, several long-standing palace aides were swiftly removed or replaced.

He also appointed several new members to the influential privy council as well as a new lord chamberlain — the pointman for all palace affairs.

“One of the most striking changes has been the reorganisation of the royal house,” Michael Vatikiotis, Asia director of nongovernment organization Center of Humanitarian Dialogue.

Some palace grandees were stripped of ranks and punished for alleged misdemeanours.

Those included a former deputy chief of staff Chitpong Thongkum, sacked and sentenced to five and a half years for royal defamation for making “false claims” about the king for personal gain.

The monarchy, considered sacred and untouchable in Thai society, is shielded from criticism by some of the toughest royal insult legislation in the world.

AFP

World Group: East Asia next target of Islamic State T SATURDAY May 4, 2019

HE Islamic State (IS) group’s selfproclaimed “caliphate” might have collapsed in the Middle East but east Asia provides fertile territory for a resurrection, analysts say, as last month’s bloody Easter Sunday suicide attacks in Sri Lanka have shown.

Factors including poverty, discrimination, radicalisation via social media, weak governance, and poor gathering and sharing of intelligence mean the region is vulnerable to attacks by extremists operating under the IS banner — even if they aren’t directly supported by the group IS lost the last of its Middle East territory in late March, but analysts warned the defeat

would not kill off their ideology, and just weeks later the group claimed responsibility for one of the worst militant strikes on civilians in Asia.

“The current status of the Islamic State cannot be gauged without an understanding that it is a global ideological movement, not a single organisational entity,” said analyst Scott Stewart in a new report for the US geopo-

litical intelligence group Stratfor.

The coordinated bombings on churches and luxury hotels in Sri Lanka claimed more than 250 lives, with the government blaming a local, little-known Islamist group, National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ). Videos later emerged of the bombers pledging allegiance to IS. The country’s security agencies have faced heavy criticism for failing to act on warnings given by both its own Muslim community and Indian intelligence ahead of the blasts.

Additionally, the government has been locked for months in a political crisis, with President Maithripala Sirisena pitted against his own Prime Minister Ranil Wikremesingha.

B5

“Local security officials had been given ample warning,” said Stratfor’s Stewart, adding “...there must be a serious accounting for how and why the warnings were not acted upon.” Although two of the Sri Lanka bombers were brothers from a wealthy spice-trading family, analysts say it does not detract from the fact that poverty is often the driving force for increased militancy in other parts of Asia — including the southern Philippines.

Sidney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, said religion alone couldn’t be blamed for the long-running insurrection on Mindanao island.

“It is because it is poor and neglected and sees itself as having suffered discrimination,” she told AFP. AFP

Monster cyclone whips east India

FINALLY

New Thailand King Maha Vajiralongkorn and Queen Suthida are all set for the three-day coronation starting today until Monday. AFP PHOTO

NEW Delhi: Cyclone Fani has made landfall on India’s eastern coast as a Grade 5 storm, lashing the emptied beaches with rain and wind gusting up to 205 kilometers (127 miles) per hour (kph).

The India Meterological Department said the “extremely severe” cyclone in the Bay of Bengal hit the coastal state of Odisha around 8 a.m. on Friday.

India’s National Disaster Response Force said around 1.2 million people had been evacuated from low-lying areas of Odisha and moved to nearly 4,000 shelters. So far only five deaths have been reported, but an official said

only two fatalities had been listed “I can confirm two deaths for now. One old man in one of the shelters died because of [a] heart attack. Another person went out in the storm despite our warnings and died because a tree fell on him,” Odisha state special relief commissioner Bishnupada Sethi told AFP. Odisha Special Relief Commissioner Bishnupada Sethi says communications had been disrupted in some areas, but no deaths or injuries had been reported.

Fani is the fiercest storm since 1999, when a cyclone killed around 10,000 people and devas-

tated large parts of Odisha.

Indian forecasters said a surge of 1.5 meters (five feet) could hit the eastern state Odisha, where the monster cyclone is forecast to make landfall.

In previous storms, people have failed to flee because they did not grasp the storm surge’s deadly threat.

That was the case for 2013’s Super Typhoon Haiyan, which left 7,350 dead or missing in the central Philippines, primarily due to the surge.

A wall of water estimated to be 7.5 meters (24.6 feet) high, blasted into coastal towns like Tacloban, a

city of 240,000 people.

Also, surges can extend for dozens of miles inland, overwhelming buildings quickly and cutting off roads. People can end up drowning in their cars or homes.

The walls of water can begin before storms even make landfall, making it harder to sound the alarm in time to save lives.

The power of a surge is dictated by factors, including a storm’s size and intensity, as well as the geography of the coastline and sea level.

Bays tend to funnel the surge, pushing water to higher levels, according to the Hong Kong Observatory.

AP/AFP

SWEPT AWAY Winds swept trees after

cyclone Fani made a landfall in India’s Odisha state near the Bay of Bengal Friday morning. Metereologists said the cyclone is the strongest to hit India in more than two decades. AP PHOTO

Worldinbriefs NZ PM TO MARRY LONG-TIME PARTNER

WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister (PM) Jacinda Ardern and her longterm partner Clarke Gayford had become engaged to be married, her office said Friday. A spokesman for Ardern and Gayford said the couple, who have a baby daughter Neve, agreed to tie the knot over the Easter break. He could not reveal whether a date for the prime ministerial nuptials had been set or who had proposed to whom.

AP

RANCHER SEEN AS NEW PANAMA PRESIDENT

PANAMA City: Voters go to the polls to elect a president on Sunday in booming Panama, with anti-graft candidate Laurentino Cortizo the favorite to succeed incumbent Juan Carlos Varela. Cortizo, a 66-year-old businessman and cattle rancher who campaigned on an anti-corruption ticket in a country tainted by Latin America’s Odebrecht bribery scandal, heads into the election with a commanding lead in opinion polls. A Democratic Revolutionary Party candidate, Cortizo has 36 percent support. His closest challenger, former foreign minister Romulo Roux of the Democratic Change party, has 26.2 percent.

AFP

3 MINISTERS QUIT IN PAPUA NEW GUINEA

PORT Moresby: Three more ministers resigned from the Papua New Guinea government on Friday — leaving Peter O’Neill’s eight-year premiership hanging by a thread. O’Neill — who is expected to face a vote of no confidence as early as next week — suffered the loss of his defence, health and forest ministers adding to an already long list of high-profile defections. His People’s National Congress Party now has a small majority in parliament and he has faced repeated closed-door requests from party allies to step down, officials said.

AFP

MANDELA’S PAINTING SELLS FOR $112,575

A DRAWING by late South African president Nelson Mandela of the door of his prison cell on Robben Island — where he was held for 18 years — sold on Thursday in New York for $112,575. “The Cell Door, Robben Island” — completed in 2002 by the Nobel Peace laureate — exceeded the top end of the estimated range provided by Bonhams, which put its value at $60,000 to $90,000. The wax pastel crayon drawing shows a few bars of the cell door and a key in the lock, sketched in purple.

AFP

SCIENTOLOGY SHIP QUARANTINED IN CARIBBEAN

A CRUISE ship owned by the Church of Scientology had been quarantined in Saint Lucia for two days because of a measles case, health authorities on the Caribbean island said Thursday. The vessel was Thursday docked at the Point Seraphine terminal in the port of the capital Castries, according to an AFP photographer. One man was spotted on board. Resurgence of the once-eradicated, highly-contagious disease is linked to the growing anti-vaccine movement in richer nations, which the World Health Organization has identified as a major global health threat.

AFP

FB BANS EXTREMISTS FOR HATE POSTS

SAN Francisco: After years of pressure to crack down on hate and bigotry, Facebook (FB) has banned Louis Farrakhan, Alex Jones and other extremists, saying they violated its ban on “dangerous individuals.” The company also removed right-wing personalities Paul Nehlen, Milo Yiannopoulos, Paul Joseph Watson and Laura Loomer, along with Jones’ site, Infowars, which often posts conspiracy theories. The latest bans apply to both Facebook’s main service and to Instagram and extend to fan pages and other related accounts.

AP

Democrats fume as Barr skips House hearing WASHINGTON: Attorney General William Barr skipped a House hearing Thursday (Friday in Manila) on special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia report, escalating an already acrimonious battle between Democrats and President Donald Trump’s Justice Department. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Barr had already lied to Congress in other testimony and called that a “crime.”

Democrats raised the prospect of holding Barr in contempt after the department also missed the House Judiciary Committee deadline to provide it with a full, unredacted version of Mueller’s report and its underlying evidence. Com-

mittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York said that if the attorney general doesn’t provide the committee “with the information it demands and the respect that it deserves, Mr. Barr’s moment of accountability will come soon enough.”

Barr’s decision to avoid the hearing, made after a disagreement with the committee over questioning, and the Democratic pushback brought both sides closer to a court battle — one that could pit Trump against House Democrats well into the 2020 campaign season.

The standoff further heightened tensions sparked by Trump’s refusal to comply with House investigations, with some senior Democrats hinting that a continued blockade could

nudge them closer to impeachment.

In related development, many observers believed the Senate testimony was the latest episode in a turnabout in public perception for Barr, whose selection was greeted by some with high hopes that he would return the Justice Department to stability following two years of leadership upheaval. He replaced an attorney general, Jeff Sessions, who was ridiculed by the president and ultimately pushed out, and an acting one, Matt Whitaker, who was dismissed by Democrats as unqualified and a Trump loyalist.

It’s the second time around for Barr, who was attorney general under George H.W. Bush between 1991 and 1993 and

involved in some of that administration’s weightiest decisions. He was Mueller’s Justice Department boss back then, and at his January confirmation hearing he described the special counsel as a longtime friend and a “straight shooter” who would be allowed to finish his Trump investigation without interference.

At the same hearing, he parried questions about his memo by saying it was written without knowing facts of the investigation.

He also acknowledged constraints on presidential power, conceding that it could be a crime if a president granted a pardon in exchange for silencing someone with incriminating information.

AP

Venezuelans return to daily struggle in life CARACAS, Venezuela: Bumping shoulders with fellow shoppers as she navigated Caracas’ biggest openair market, Naira Garcia had no trouble tuning out the messy political struggle that plunged Venezuela into two days of deadly violence this week.

She focused instead on her own daunting task: How to feed her family of five for the next two

weeks on the $4 she had in her pocket. Like many of Venezuela’s poor, Garcia scrapes by on odd jobs — selling home-made lollipops or mangos that recently came into season.

“There are good days and bad days,” said the 43-year-old mother of three teenagers, lugging two shopping bags with sardines, sweet peppers and

leafy green onions. “I never abandon my faith.”

The bustling Coche Market is a sign that Caracas has returned to what passes for normal life after the outburst of violent unrest that left at least four people dead. It began Tuesday when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó called for a military uprising, attempting to overthrow President

Nicolás Maduro.

The socialist Maduro is blamed for leading Venezuela into the deepest economic and political crisis in the nation’s history, despite having the world’s largest oil reserves. Soaring hyperinflation has pulverized paychecks in a nation where the average monthly wage is just $6.50.

AP

B6

Classified Ads

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation MARITIME INDUSTRY AUTHORITY FRANCHISING SERVICE, CENTRAL OFFICE A. Bonifacio Avenue corner 20th Avenue corner Railroad Street South Harbor, Port Area, Manila Re: Application for Third and Fourth Amendment of Certificate of

Public Convenience (CPC), to effect the following: 1) Conversion in the type of operation/service of the ship. LCT “STAR ASIA,” from tramping

service to cargo liner service, for the carriage of rolling cargoes, and 2) Permanent Addition of the route Matnog, Sorsogon - Balwharteco, Allen, Northern Samar

and vice-versa, to be served by LCT “STAR ASIA”;

NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION Notice is hereby given that the Amended Articles of Incorporation of THNGYEO MARINE PRODUCTS CORPORATION shortening the term of its existence up to January 31, 2019 thereby dissolving the said corporation on said date have been approved by the Board of Directors and stockholders.

All persons having claims against said corporation are requested to present the same at Palanyag Road, Barangay San Dionisio, Parañaque City for immediate settlement.

This announcement will serve as notice to all concerned at the legal dissolution of the aforesaid corporation.

MT - Apr. 27, May 4 & 11, 2019

KAREN ANN J. PABLO Corporate Secretary

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES) QUEZON CITY )S.S.

2. Our Company is entitled to claim a refund amounting to P3,089,810.49 from Meralco. This amount is from various Service Identification Numbers that were issued to various subdivision projects of our Company which used to be under “Palmera Homes, Inc.” 3. Among Meralco’s requirements for the release of the refund is the presentation of the Official Receipts for electric bill from February 1994 to May 2003.

4. However, after a diligent search, I together with the other employees of the Company failed to find the said Official Receipts at our office. Thus, I hereby declare under oath that the said Official Receipts can no longer be recovered.

5. I am executing this affidavit to attest to the truth of the foregoing statements to support Company’s claim for a refund.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 22nd day of March 2019 at ____________.

(SGD.) RONALYN M. NUNAG Affiant

IN THE MATTER OF THE FORMAL INVESTIGATION ON THE IMPOSITION OF SAFEGUARD MEASURE AGAINST IMPORTATIONS OF CEMENT FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES AHTN 2017 Subheading Nos. 2523.29.90 and 2523.90.00 FOR: SAFEGUARD MEASURE (Republic Act (RA) No. 8800) Investigation No. SG-2019-OC-Cement

The proposed schedule of trips and rates to be adopted for the operations of the Applicant’s owned ship, LCT “STAR ASIA,” are as follows: I.

Schedule of Trips/Frequency of Trips:

Matnog, Sorsogon – Balwharteco, Allen, Northern Samar and vice-versa

DEPARTURE PORT TIME Matnog, Sorsogon 1:30 AM Matnog, Sorsogon 4:30 AM Matnog, Sorsogon 7:30 AM Matnog, Sorsogon 10:30 AM Matnog, Sorsogon 1:30 PM Matnog, Sorsogon 4:30 PM Matnog, Sorsogon 7:30 PM Matnog, Sorsogon 10:30 PM

Pursuant to Section 712 of RA 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act) which adopts RA 8800 (Safeguard Measures Act), notice is hereby given that marathon public hearings on the determination of the merits of the imposition of a definitive safeguard duty against importations of cement (AHTN 2017 Subheading Nos. 2523.29.90 and 2523.90.00) from various countries (Investigation No. SG2019-OC-Cement) will be held at the Conference Room of the Tariff Commission, 4F West Insula Condominium, No. 135 West Avenue, Quezon City, on the following dates and time:

II.

ARRIVAL PORT TIME Balwharteco, Allen 2:30 AM Balwharteco, Allen 5:30 AM Balwharteco, Allen 8:30 AM Balwharteco, Allen 11:30 AM Balwharteco, Allen 2:30 PM Balwharteco, Allen 5:30 PM Balwharteco, Allen 8:30 PM Balwharteco, Allen 11:30 PM

With Load Without Load With Load Without Load With Load Without Load With Load Without Load With Load Without Load With Load Without Load With Load Without Load With Load Without Load With Boom Without Boom With Sidecar Without Sidecar Without Load Without Load

14 Wheeler 12 Wheeler 8 Wheeler

DATE 20 May 2019 21 May 2019 22 May 2019 23 May 2019 24 May 2019

TIME 2:00 p.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m.

Elf 6 Wheeler Elf 4 Wheeler Trailer Trailer with Heavy Equipment Forward Forward LC

All interested parties are directed to attend the first day of the public hearing.

Should a party desire to submit additional issues, other than the issues on product comparability and volume of increased imports, for public hearing, the party shall submit the same on 9 May 2019. Parties are likewise required to submit affidavits of their witnesses on the same date, copy furnished the other parties.

Light Car Tricycle Motorcycle Crane Payloader and Backhoe T.W. Bulldozer Tractor Head Jeepney Bicycle

For inquiries and other details, Ms. Ma. Lourdes M. Saluta, Director II, Head of the Task Force on Cement, may be reached at Telephone numbers 926 7476 and 928 8419 or at email address info@tariffcommission.gov.ph.

Bus Mini Bus

Issued this 2 day of May 2019 in Quezon City, Metro Manila.

DEPARTURE PORT TIME Balwharteco, Allen 3:00 AM Balwharteco, Allen 6:00 AM Balwharteco, Allen 9:00 AM Balwharteco, Allen 12:00 NN Balwharteco, Allen 3:00 PM Balwharteco, Allen 6:00 P.M. Balwharteco, Allen 9:00 P.M. Balwharteco, Allen 12.00 MN

ARRIVAL PORT TIME Matnog, Sorsogon 4:00 AM Matnog, Sorsogon 7:00 AM Matnog, Sorsogon 10:00 AM Matnog, Sogrsogon 1:00 PM Matnog, Sorsogon 4:00 PM Matnog, Sorsogon 7:00 PM Matnog, Sorsogon 10:00 PM Matnog, Sorsogon 1:00 AM

Schedule of Rates

10 Wheeler

nd

2,912.00 2,475.20 2,912.00 2,475.20 2,912.00 2,475.20 2,912.00 2,475.20 1,383.00 1,237.00 1,260.00 5,824.00 4,368.00 9,464.00 1,747.20 1,456.00 2,184.00 1,892.00 960.00 480.00 300.00 10,920.00 9,464.00 9,464.00 3,640.00 1,232.00 1,140.00 180.00 60.00 2,475.20 1,747.20

Notice is hereby given that the said Applications will be heard by this Authority on 15 May 2019 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning, at the 7th Floor, Franchising Service Hearing Room at the above address.

The Applicant shall publish this Order once in a newspaper of general circulation at least five (5) days prior to the scheduled date of hearing.

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 22 day of March 2019 at Quezon City affiant exhibited to me her ________.

nd

The Applicant shall submit a written Formal Offer of Evidence during the hearing or five (5) days thereafter.

WITNESS, the Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Administrator, VADM NARCISO A VINGSON JR., this 02nd day of May 2019 at Manila, Philippines.

MT- May 4, 2019

Doc. No. 85; Page No. 18; Book No. 13; Series of 2019.

Amendment No. 4

ORDER Before Us is the above-entitled Applications which were filed by Applicant on 30 April 2019.

The following are the particulars of the ship, LCT “STAR ASIA”: Name of Ship LCT “STAR ASIA” Official Number 00-0000139 Type of Ship Cargo Hull Steel Gross Tons 881.00 Year Built 2005 Place of Built Navotas City Date of Issuance of CO 09 May 2018 Date of Issuance of CPR 09 May 2018

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

1. I am a Technical Services Officer and authorized representative of Bria Homes, Inc. to process the refund of our company from Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

Amendment No. 3

GTEXPRESS SHIPPING CORPORATION,

Applicant. x------------------------------------------------------x

AFFIDAVIT OF LOSS I, RONALYN M. NUNAG, of legal age, Filipino, single, with office address at Lower Ground Floor, Starmall, Edsa cor.

Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City, after having been sworn to in accordance with law do hereby depose and state that:

CASE NO. MNL-2012-035-FS

BY AUTHORITY OF THE MARINA ADMINISTRATOR: (Pursuant to Administrative Order No. 11-14 dated 22 August 2014) (SGD.) MA. CONCEPCION C. ARBOLARIO OIC-Director Franchising Service

MT - May 4, 2019

MT - May 4, 2019 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 230, QUEZON CITY

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region Field Office 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City NOTICE Notice is hereby given that ORTIGAS & COMPANY, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, (owner/developer), has filed with this Board a sworn registration statement for the sale of units at MAVEN RESIDENTIAL BLOCK – MAVEN I located at Capitol Commons, Meralco Avenue, cor. Shaw Boulevard, Brgy. Oranbo, Pasig City, specifically described as Lot 4, Pcs-00-013925 covered by TCT Nos. 011-2012002419 with a total area of 6,723 square meters.

The project was issued CR No. 26145 dated 02 June 2015 and LS No. 031559 dated 15 July 2016 with project name Parcel F-Maven at Capitol Commons.

The foregoing project is utilizing the Participation Through Investment/ Incentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of Php2,0065,000.35) in a trust account under Escrow Agreement executed on December 03, 2018 between the HOUSING AND LAND U S E R E G U L AT O R Y B O A R D , ORTIGAS & COMPANY, LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, and UNION BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES-TRUST & INVESTMENT SERVICES GROUP, as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279, as amended by Republic Act No.10884.

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region Field Office th 6 Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region Field Office th 6 Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City

NOTICE

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that FILINVEST LAND, INC. (Owner/ Developer), have filed with this Board a sworn registration statement for the sale of condominium units at MAUI OASIS BUILDING 5 KAHANA located at Anonas St., Sampaloc District, Sta. Mesa, Manila City specifically described as (LRA) Pcn-2161, TCT No. 002-2011003311 and Lot 2-C-4-C 7-E, (LRA) Psd 401772 TCT No. 002-2011001955 with a total area of 19,050.00 square meters. This is forms part of Maui Oasis project covered by Certificate of Registration No. 26007 issued dated September 04, 2014.

Notice is hereby given that FEDERAL PIONEER DEVELOPMENT CORP., (owner/developer), has filed with this Board for the sale of units at SUNSHINE 100 CITY PLAZA PIONEER-TOWER 3 (YOUTH) located at Pioneer Street corner Sheridan Street, Mandaluyong City, described as Lot 3-A-1 & 3-A2 (LRC) Psd-228668, covered by Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) Nos. 19233 & 19234 with a total area of 9,781 square meters.

The foregoing project is utilizing ROSEWOOD PLACE located at Brgy. Hugo Perez, Trece Martires City, Cavite, owned and developed

by Filinvest Land, Inc., with License to Sell No. 034287 dated December 12, 2018 as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279, as amended by Republic Act No.10884, “Balanced Housing Development Program Amendment”.

The project was issued Certificate of Accreditation No. CA-2019-04.

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, APR. 16, 2019 (SGD.) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL Officer In Charge M.T. April 27 & May 4, 2019

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region Field Office 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City NOTICE Notice is hereby given that FILINVEST LAND, INC. (Owner/ Developer), has filed with this Board for the sale of condominium units at VERDE SPATIAL located at Commonwealth Ave., Brgy. Commonwealth, Quezon City specifically described as Lot 41-C-2-DD3, Plan No. (LRC) Psd-944 covered by TCT No. 0042017003939 having a total area of 5,510 square meters.

The foregoing project is utilizing ROSEWOOD PLACE located at Brgy. Hugo Perez, Trece Martires City, Cavite, owned and developed

by Filinvest Land, Inc., with License to Sell No. 034287 dated December 12, 2018 as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279, as amended by Republic Act No.10884, “Balanced Housing Development Program Amendment”.

The project was issued Certificate of Accreditation No. CA-2019-04.

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, (SGD.) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL Officer In Charge M.T. April 27 & May 4, 2019

Quezon City, Metro Manila, (SGD.) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL Officer In Charge

The foregoing project is utilizing the Participation Through Investment/ Incentivized Compliance, by depositing the amount of Php5,178,695.00 in Trust Account No. 001-03-005656-4 under Escrow Agreement executed on 27 March 2019 between the HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD, FEDERAL PIONEER DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION and ASIA UNITED BANK, as its compliance pursuant to Section 18 of Republic Act No. 7279, as amended

by Republic Act No.10884.

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, APR. 16, 2019 (SGD.) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL Officer In Charge

M.T. April 27 & May 4, 2019

M.T. April 27 & May 4, 2019

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD Expanded National Capital Region Field Office 6th Floor, Sunnymede IT Center, Quezon Avenue Quezon City

ERRORS & OMISSIONS Any incorrect advertisement published in The Manila Times Classified Ads must be brought to our attention on the same day the advertisement came out. We will not be held liable for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that SW GLOBAL UNITED REALTY CORP., (owner/ developer), has filed with this Board for the sale of condominium units of SW TOWER located at Antonio Rivera St., Tondo, Manila, described as Lots 3 & 4, Block 2816, Cadastral Survey of the City of Manila, CAD Case No. 19, TCT No. 002-2017003082 and 0022017003060 with a total area of 1,095.70 square meters.

All papers relative thereto shall upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business hours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent any legal impediment, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, APR. 16, 2019 (SGD.) ATTY. NORMAN JACINTO P. DORAL Officer In Charge M.T. April 27 & May 4, 2019

IN RE: PETITION FOR PROBATE OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC WILL OF DECEASED JOSE G. BALTAZAR - versus - ROMAN G. BALTAZAR,

Petitioner. x------------------------------------x

By:

SP CASE NO. R-QZN-18-14900-SP

ORDER This is an amended petition filed by Roman G. Baltazar for the probate of the will of deceased Jose G. Baltazar and for the issuance of letters in his favor.

Petitioner alleges that he is among the devises and legatees named in the holographic will of his deceased brother, Jose G. Baltazar; that Jose G. Baltazar died on 7 August 2018 in Quezon City, Philippines; that prior to the death of Jose G. Baltazar, he left to the custody of herein petitioner a holographic will, entirely written, dated and signed by Jose G. Baltazar during his lifetime; that Jose G. Baltazar was of sound and disposing mind and not acting under duress, menace fraud, or undue influence, and was in every respect capacitated to dispose of his estate by will at the time of the execution of his will; that Jose G. Baltazar died a widower and without any compulsory heir; that the names, ages and respective residences of the heirs, legatees and devisees of the testatrix are as follows:

Name 1. Roman G. Baltazar (legitimate brother) 2. Ramon G. Baltazar (legitimate brother)

Age Not available Not available

3. Carmelita B. Vitale Not available (legitimate sister) 4. Sophia B. McDonald Not available (legitimate sister) 5. Josefino G. Baltazar Not available (legitimate brother)

Residence 36 D Rizal Tower, Rockwell Centre, Poblacion, Makati 1210 261 Langbrae Dr. Halifax Nova Scotia Canada B3S1K4 (as director of Movers, c/o Movers and Managers Corp., No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000) 25 Amistad, Irvine California 92620, USA 25 Amistad, Irvine California 92620, USA 2-35-6 Higashi Yukigaya, Ohtaku, Tokyo, Japan (as director of Movers, c/o Movers and Managers Corp., No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000)

and, that the properties of the testatrix as of the time of the execution of the will are as follows: a) House and Lot in New Manila Rolling Hills Subdivision, Quezon City, probably valued at approximately P10,773,120.00 [House (176.55 sq.m.) – P823,520.00; Land (603 sq.m.) – P9,949,600.00]; b) 80,950 Shares of Stock in Movers and Managers Corporation valued at P8,095,000.00 (at P100.00 par value per share); c) Mercedes Benz S-300 valued at approximately P90,000.00; d) Toyota Camry valued at approximately P80,000.00; e) Volvo xc90 valued at approximately P200,000.00; f) Nissan Murano valued at approximately P250,000.00; g) BDO joint time deposit account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P508,377.02 (expected maturity value of P1,016,754.04, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); h) Metrobank joint current account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P5,000.00 (account balance of P10,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); i) Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P22,094.31 (account balance of P244,188.62, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); j) Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P56,403.49 (account balance of P112,806.98, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); k) Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately USD292.96/ P15,538.5984 (account balance of USD585.92, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof); l) Metrobank joint treasury placements account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P3,245,000.00 (face value of P6,490,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof; maturity date on 4 December 2022); m) Metrobank joint treasury placements account Roman Baltazar valued at approximately USD63,000.00/P3,341,520.00 (face value of USD126,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof; maturity date on 6 March 2023); and, n) Metrobank money market fund account with Roman Baltazar valued at approximately P25,857.17 (market value of P51,714.34, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) Finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the Court hereby sets it for hearing on 6 June 2019 at 8:30 in the morning, before this Court, sitting at 4th Floor, Court Room 13, Hall of Justice, Diliman, Quezon City, and all interested persons are hereby required to appear and show cause why the holographic will should be disallowed.

Furnish a copy of this Order, together with a copy of the petition, to the petitioner, the heirs, the devisees, the legatees, Atty. Aihruz Lynell A. Mallari, the Office of the Solicitor General, the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City and the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Let this Order be published three (3) weeks successively in a newspaper of general circulation in Quezon City, and be posted by the branch Deputy Sheriff of this Court at the lobby of the Quezon City Hall and at the bulletin board near the entrance of this Sala, at least fifteen days prior to the scheduled date of hearing.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Philippines, 15 February 2019.

(SGD.) MARIA GILDA T. LOJA-PANGILINAN Presiding Judge REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 230, QUEZON CITY

HOWARD M. CALLEJA IBP No. 066969/01.11.19/Albay PTR No. 5237304/01.07.19/Pasig City Roll of Attorneys No. 39488 MCLE Exemption No. V-002068 June 24, 2016

(SGD.) AIHRUZ LYNELL A. MALLARI IBP No. 066996/01.11.19/Quezon City PTR No. 5236543/01.07.19/Pasig City Roll of Attorneys No. 71558 MCLE Compliance (Exempt-New Bar Passer) Copy Furnished: Counsel for Josefino G. Baltazar Sedigo & Associates Suite 506, ITC Bldg., 337 Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue, 1200 Makati Ramon G. Baltazar c/o Movers and Managers Corporation No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000 Sophia B. Mcdonald & Carmelita V. Vitale 25 Amistad, Irvine, California 92620, USA Hon. City Prosecutor Office of the City Prosecutor Quezon City The Office of the Solicitor General 134 Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village, Makati City, 1227 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) MANDALUYONG CITY ) S.S. VERIFICATION AND CERTIFICATION OF NON-FORUM SHOPPING I, ROMAN G. BALTAZAR, of legal age, Filipino, married with postal address at 36 D-Rizal Tower, Rockwell Centre, Poblacion, Makati, 1210, after having been duly sworn in accordance with law, do hereby depose and state: 1. That I am the Petitioner in the above-entitled case; 2. That I caused the preparation of the foregoing Petition; 3. That I have read and understood the contents thereof and that the same are true and correct of my own knowledge; 4. That no other similar action or proceeding involving the same issues have been commenced before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals or any other tribunal or agency; 5. That to the best of our knowledge, no such action is pending before the Supreme Court, the lower courts or any other tribunal or agency; and 6. Should I learn that a similar action or proceeding has been filed or is pending before the Supreme Court, the lower courts or any other tribunal or agency, I undertake to report such fact to this Honorable Court within five (5) days from knowledge thereof.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto affixed my signature this 4th day of February 2019, at Mandaluyong City.

(SGD.) ROMAN G. BALTAZAR Affiant SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this Feb. 4, 2019, at Mandaluyong City, affiant exhibiting to me his competent evidence of identity, to wit: in the form: Senior Citizen ID No. 67570 Doc. No. 272; (SGD.) ATTY JAMES K. ABUGAN Page No. 56; Notary Public Book No. 17; Appt. No. 0442-19 Series of 2019.

Until Dec. 31, 2020

IBP No. 051567 Sept. 28, 2018

Roll No. 26090 Lifetime

MCLE No. VI-0012875 Until 4/14/2022

TIN No. 116-239-956

PTR No. 3811514/1-3-2019

Tel No. 631-40-90 _____________________________________ Attachment herein as Annex “C” is a copy of TCT No. rt-37879 of the house and lot in Quezon City appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; Attached herein as Annex “D” is a copy of the tax declaration no. D-027-05250 (0046-2014-07000089-9145) of the 1 storey building erected in the land with TCT No. rt-37879 appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 3 Attached herein as Annex “E” is a copy of the tax declaration no. F-027-01170 (0000-2017-01063100) of the land with TCT No. rt-37879 appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 4 Attached herein as Annex “F” is a copy of the General Information Sheet of Movers and Managers Corporation indicating 80,950 shares appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 5 Attached herein as Annex “G” is a copy the Certificate of Registration of the Mercedes Benz S-300 appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 6 Attached herein as Annex “H” is a copy of the Deed of Sale of Toyota Camry by Vendor Erasmo T. Cruz to Vendee Jose G. Baltazar; 7 Attached herein as Annex “I” and “I-1” are copies of the Official Receipt and Certificate of Registration, respectively, of the Volvo XC90 appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 8 Attached herein as Annex “J” and “J-1” are copies of the Official Receipt and Certificate of Registration, respectively, of the Nissan Murano appearing in the name of Jose G. Baltazar; 9 Attached herein as Annex “K” is a copy of Investment Management Account (IMA) with IMA No. IMA 03-145747622 appearing under the name of Jose G. Baltazar and Roman G. Baltazar; 10 Attached herein as Annex “L” is a copy of the bank certification showing Current and Savings Account appearing under the name of “Jose G. Baltazar or Roman G. Baltazar”; 11 Ibid; 12 Ibid; 13 Ibid; 14 Attached herein as annex “M” is a copy of the Reference Exchange Rate of the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the date of 7 August 2018, the date of the death of the decedent, Jose G. Baltazar; 15 Attached herein as Annex “N” is a copy of the Certificate of Treasury Placements/Investments showing accounts appearing under the name of “Jose G. Baltazar or Roman G. Baltazar”; 16 Ibid; 17 Attached herein as Annex “M” is a copy of the Reference Exchange Rate of the Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) for the date of 7 August 2018, the date of the death of the decedent, Jose G. Baltazar; 18 Attached herein as Annex “O” is a copy of the Summary of Investment showing the Money Market Fund 1 2

IN RE: PETITION FOR PROBATE OF THE HOLOGRAPHIC WILL OF DECEASED JOSE G. BALTAZAR

SPEC.PROC. NO. R-QZN-18-14900-SP ROMAN G. BALTAZAR, PROBATE OF WILL Petitioner. x------------------------------------x AMENDED PETITION PETITIONER, ROMAN G. BALTAZAR, through the undersigned counsel, most respectfully states: 1. That Petitioner is of legal age, Filipino, married, with residence and postal address at 36 D-Rizal Tower, Rockwell Centre, Poblacion, Makati, 1210; 2. That the Petitioner is among the devisees and legatees named in the holographic will of his deceased brother, Jose G. Baltazar, executed in accordance with the formalities prescribed by law; 3. That the testator, Jose G. Baltazar died on 7 August 2018 in Quezon City, Philippines, a copy of his death certificate is attached herein as Annex “A”; 4. That the testator prior to his death, left to the custody of the Petitioner a holographic will, a copy of which is attached herein as Annex “B” and made an integral part of this petition; 5. That the abovementioned will was entirely written, dated and signed by the testator; 6. That the testator, at the time of the execution of the aforesaid will was of sound and disposing mind, and not acting under duress, menace fraud, or undue influence, and was in every respect capacitated to dispose of his estate by will; 7. That the testator died a widower and without any compulsory heir; 8. That the names and residences of the heirs, legatees, and devisees of the testator, including the Petitioner, are the following: Name a. Ramon G. Baltazar (legitimate brother) b. Ramon G. Baltazar (legitmate brother) c. Carmelita B. Vitale (legitimate sister) d. Sophia B. McDonald (legitimate sister) e. Josefino G. Baltazar (legitimate brother) 9.

Residences 36 D Rizal Tower, Rockwell Centre, Poblacion, Makati 1210 261 Langbrae Dr. Halifax Nova Scotia Canada B3S1K4 (as director of Movers, c/o Movers and Managers Corp. No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000) 25 Amistad, Irvine, California 92620, USA 25 Amistad, Irvine, California 92620, USA 2-35-6 Higashi Yukigaya, Ohta-ku, Tokyo, Japan (as director of Movers, c/o Movers and Managers Corp. No. 2 Tacoma St., Port Area, Manila 1000

That to the knowledge of the Petitioner, the deceased left properties, both real and personal, under his name. The probable value of the properties are as follows:

Real Property: 1. House and lot1 in New Manila Rolling Hills Subdivision, Quezon City a. House (with area of 176.55 sqm with market value of P823,520.002) b. Land (with area of 603 sqm with market value of P9,949,600.003) Personal Property: 1. 80,950 shares in Movers and Managers Corporation with par value of P100.00 per share4 2. Mercedes Benz S-3005 3. Totota Camry6 4. Volvo xc907 5. Nissan Murano8 6. BDO joint time-deposit account9 with Roman Baltazar (expected maturity value is P1,016,754.04, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 7. Metrobank joint current account with Roman Baltazar10 (account balance is P10,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 8. Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar11 (account balance is P244,188.62, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 9. Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar12 (account balance is P112,806.98, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 10. Metrobank joint savings account with Roman Baltazar13 (account balance is USD 585.92, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) 11. Metrobank joint Treasury Placements Account with Roman Baltazar15 (face value is P 6,490,000.00, to be divided equally

by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof; maturity date is on 12/4/2022) 12. Metrobank joint Treasury Placements Account with Roman Baltazar16 (face value is USD 126,000.00, to be divided equally by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof; maturity date is on 3/6/2023) 13. Metrobank Money Market Fund Account with Roman Baltazar18 (market value is P 51,714.34, to be divided equally

by Jose and Roman Baltazar as owners thereof) TOTAL

Probable Value Approximately P10,773,120.00

P8,095,000.00 Approximately P90,000.00 Approximately P80,000.00 Approximately P200,000.00 Approximately P250,000.00 Approximately P508,377.02 Approximately P5,000.00 Approximately P122,094.31 Approximately P56,403.49 Approximately USD 292.96/ P15,538.5984 (USD 1 = P 53.0400)14 Approximately P3,245,000.00

Approximately USD 63,000.00/ P3,341,520.00 (USD 1 = P 53.0400)17 Approximately P 25,857.17 P 26,807,910.5884

10. That should the Petitioner determine, after diligent search and inquiries as to other properties owned by the deceased, he undertakes to inform the Honorable Court of the same; 11. In light of the foregoing, Petitioner prays that letters testamentary be issued to him.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Court that after due hearing, the aforementioned Will of deceased Jose G. Baltazar be approved and allowed, and letters testamentary be issued to petitioner, Roman G. Baltazar.

Petitioner pray for such other reliefs that are just and equitable under the premises.

Pasig City for Quezon City, 04 February 2019.

CALLEJA LAW OFFICE Counsel for the Respondent Unit 2904-C, West Tower PSE Centre, Exchange Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 1605 Tel. Nos. 633.6113/635.2307 Email:callejalaw@callejalaw.com

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AG&P tapped to help make Philippines Asean’s leading nation builder H

omegrown global infrastructure company Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific (AG&P) has advised government officials, and public and private sector construction leaders that increasing productivity through upskilling and integration of best-in-class technologies into everyday processes will unlock the potential of the Philippines to deliver on its vision to become Asean’s leading nation builder.

Speaking at the recent Construction Industry Roadmap 2030 launch, hosted by the Department of Trade and Industry-Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (DTICIAP) in partnership with the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA), AG&P Chairman Dr. Jose Leviste Jr. said the Philippines had strong foundations from which to launch the next era of infrastructure and industrial development, with an educated, English-speaking labor force, experienced local construction players and an enviable global

reputation as an outsourcing hub.

However, he added that the country lagged behind its neighbors in the adoption of technology, automation and skills advancement, which had held back its development.

AG&P is aiming to upskill the next generation of Filipino workers by bringing its superior manpower services and project management expertise to local energy infrastructure and civil works projects under the Build Build Build Program, with an emphasis on energy, transport infrastructure and utilities. AG&P’s involvement in the government’s signature program will also bring world-class quality and safety standards to the Philippines, gained from decades of experience delivering solutions to some of the world’s largest infrastructure projects.

AG&P has been a global trailblazer in modular and onsite construction and the deployment of skilled Filipino manpower to project sites around the world. For decades, the company has developed Filipino

n AG&P is contracted to undertake the construction, assembly and installation of modules and critical equipment for the Tesoro Anacortes Refinery Clean Products Upgrade Project in the United States. expertise through training and then deployed the skilled laborers to major infrastructure projects, from gas facilities in Kazakhstan, Sakhalin, Angola and Australia, to oil refineries in the United States and mining sites in

the South Pacific. This makes AG&P a natural partner for the Construction Roadmap, which seeks to expand opportunities for the deployment of skilled local labor to infrastructure projects across the Asean region.

Newly appointed DoLE security officer takes his oath Retired Philippine National Police–Higway Patrol Group (PNPHPG) Colonel Moises Pagaduan takes his oath of office before Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd as newly appointed security officer of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) during the simple ceremony at the Office of the Secretary in Intramuros, Manila on March 22, 2019.

n In photo are beep representatives with Taguig Transport Service Cooperative (TSC) Chairman Freddie Hernandez (fourth from left), LTFRB Chairman Martin Delgra 3rd (fifth from left) and Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board (LTFRB) Regional Director for NCR Atty. Zona Russet Tamayo (fourth from right) during the Taguig TSC general assembly at the Lakeshore Hall in Lower Bicutan, Taguig City.

Alex Lichaytoo receives Order of the Star of Italy Alex Lichaytoo, co-founder of Bacchus International, was recently knighted by the Italian government with a Cavaliere dell’Ordine della Stella d’Italia (Order of the Star of Italy) on March 16 in recognition of his contributions in bridging Philippine and Italian cultures. Lichaytoo was surprised by Italian ambassador to the Philippines Giorgio Gulielmino who presented him with his award.

Alex Lichaytoo and his brother Clifford established Bacchus International, Inc in 1995 with the goal of bringing premium wines to the country. Over the years, Bacchus became a household name in the

Philippines for its excellent collection, which prompted the brothers to expand their business to introduce the best Italian food products to the Philippine market. Bacchus International then brought Lavazza coffee, De Cecco pasta, Venchi chocolates, and Caputo 00 Pizza flour among others to our shores.

Bacchus International has continued to expand to now become a forefront showroom of high-quality food from Italy. Lichaytoo, in particular, has worked tirelessly to establish significant collaborations with renowned chefs such as Chef Margarita Fores — herself a newly-knighted Filipino

n During the awarding (from left) Margarita Fores, Alex Lichaytoo, Ambassador Giorgio Guglielmino of Italy and Clifford Lichaytoo.

Parma to look at various Italian from the Italian government.

Lichaytoo has also regularly food products that would expand visit the regions of Piedmont and the average Filipino’s palate.

City of Dreams Manila initiates a holistic approach to coffee City of Dreams Manila steps up its sustainability efforts with its new holistic initiatives on coffee, further enhancing its eco-efficient operations. Not only does it source coffee beans from local farmers, it also repurposes the used coffee grounds as organic fertilizers, and recycles the coffee capsules used in its guest rooms.

“As a socially and environmentally-responsible business, we are always looking for ways on how we can strengthen our sustainability practices through a holistic approach throughout the property.

Our latest undertaking towards sourcing and repurposing coffee that we serve in our outlets reflects our commitment to reducing environ-

THE Praxis Philippines, a market leader in financial literacy through gameplay, shared the importance of financial wellness among employees to the members of Association of HR Managers at Diamond Hotel recently. chief executive officer of The Praxis Company Philippines, Mari-An Albert (in photo), spoke about how helping employees in terms of healthy financial decisions can increase productivity in the workplace as well as promoting a healthy lifestyle in general.

“The average Filipino employee does not plan their personal finances well — they tend to spend it spontaneously without the knowledge of how they can better manage their money by investing into insurance or starting a savings plan. Most of them aren’t aware of the long term

advantages of investing into these as early as now,” said Mari-an Albert, CEO of Praxis Philippines.

The Praxis Company designs and conducts interactive and educational gameplay sessions that can be customized to the needs of specific audiences. Praxis inspires people from all backgrounds to master money in a safe, low-risk and fun environment. “There’s still a gap in financial education here in the Philippines and we want to address this issue by extending our Gameplay to various organizations. We want to show them that learning how to master their finances can be taken to the next level, all while having fun through our Praxis Gameplays,” she added.

For more information, visit https://thepraxis.co/.

Belmonte to curb corruption in Quezon City

Beep supports government’s PUV modernization program THE Taguig Transport Service Cooperative (TSC) is one of the first transport cooperatives to support the transition to PUV Modernization Program. It has a fleet of modern PUVs that are Euro 4-powered, equiped with speed limiters, GPS, CCTV, a dashboard camera and an automated fare collection system powered by beep.

The beep card is a reloadable payment card used in all three elevated railways (LRT 1, LRT 2, and MRT 3) and select buses, PUVs, tollways, and retail partners. It is reloadable and valid for four years.

For more information, visit www.beeptopay.com.

Praxis Philippines shares the value of financial wellness

mental impact and supporting the Philippine coffee industry, while at the same time enhancing our guests’ quality experience” states City of Dreams Manila Chief Operating Officer Kevin Benning.

The Roaster, the luxury integrated resort’s newest café located at The Garage VR zone and food park, uses locally sourced coffee.

In partnership with the Philippine Coffee Board Inc. , City of Dreams Manila regularly sources fresh Arabica, Robusta and Liberica coffee beans from local farmers in Sulu, Benguet, Batangas and Cavite.

City of Dreams Manila is also joining hands with Nespresso’s commitment to sustainability by taking an active part in the coffee brand’s

n City of Dreams Manila partnered with Nespresso on a sustainability program that recycles used coffee capsules collected from the rooms of the property’s three Forbes Stars-awarded luxury hotels Nuwa, Nobu and Hyatt Regency. In photos are (from left) Michael Ziemer, vice president for Hotels and FB, City of Dreams Manila; Patrick Pesengco, managing director, Novateur Coffee Concepts Inc.; and Kevin Benning, senior vice president and chief operating officer, City of Dreams Manila. capsule recycling program. Instead of recyclable — are collected from the ending up in landfills, the used coffee rooms of the property’s three Forbes capsules, which are made from alu- Stars-awarded luxury hotels Nuwa, minum — a material that is infinitely Nobu and Hyatt Regency.

Quezon City Vice Mayor Josefina “Joy” Belmonte assured the residents of Quezon City that the city will be rid of corruption if she would be elected as mayor in the upcoming local elections this May. “I survived nine years of being a vice mayor without taking a single cent of the people’s money. And I will prove the cynics wrong. Quezon City is ready to be cleaned up,” said Belmonte.

Belmonte also boasted about her track record saying that her performance as a leader could be proven through the programs and ordinances she has made in her three terms of being the Quezon City vice mayor and presiding officer of the city council.

“I did not do anything wrong.

You can easily check my track record to see if I have done something,” said the vice mayor.

“The question is, what have you done? It’s easy to create platforms, it’s easy to say that these are what you will do, but how can we guarantee that you are capable of fulfilling those?

For me, I am proud to say that my track record is impeccable,” Belmonte stressed.

In October last year, Belmonte pledged to stamp out corruption in Quezon City in accordance with the “Bantay Korapsyon” advocacy campaign of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Enjoy the exhilarating view of Taal Volcano while training The International Speakers, Writers & Artists Training Center (TISWATC) is launching a training center dubbed as “A Blessing of God an Institutionalized Academe of Speech & Personality Development,” for the benefit of the poor “out of school youth”, that will be conducted at The Lake View Hotel, Tagaytay City on June 29, 2019 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The course being launched by the TISWATC or The International Speakers is titled “Threshold English Language Course.” “ Threshold definition is, the sill (foundation) of a door; the place or point of entrance or beginning.

In psychology, the point at which a stimulus becomes strong to produce a response! Similar to developing

the structural foundation of the English Language,” the center said.

The main purpose is to provide trainees the necessary skills to cross the “language threshold” from language students to confident and effective English communicators and writers. The course has components of english grammar, technical writing, and essay writing, drill on fluency in speaking and how to present a topic.

For more information, email brilliantwritersandspeakers@ gmail.com. The training venue is at the Executive Lounge with the classic and marvelous striking view on the window of the marvelous Taal Volcano in a wholesome ambience and cool climate.

QC institutionalizes Most ChildFriendly Public Schools award Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista signed an ordinance institutionalizing the Quezon City Most Child-Friendly Public Schools award.

City Ordinance 2837-2019, introduced by Councilor Julienne Alyson Rae Medalla, aims to honor the exemplary and outstanding performance and accomplishments of the city’s public schools, as well as encourage schools to be more innovative.

Public schools must meet the highest overall rating, with 80 percent as the minimum, based on the following criteria: academic performance; academic and nonacademic achievements; active community participation; conducive

and safe learning environment; environmental friendly practices; health, innovations, instructional proficiency, participation and drop-out rates, and; programs promoting inclusive education and school administration.

The QC government will award one school each for the elementary and secondary levels with P1,000,000 cash incentive. Special awards and awardees will be conferred by the QC Local School Board.

The awarding of the Quezon City Most Child-Friendly Public Schools will be held annually every November, during the National Children’s Month.

Sports

SATURDAY MAY 4, 2019

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BASKETBALL SLEUTH MICHAEL ANGELO B. ASIS

Search for the next Eastern Conference superpower (Part 1) HE dominance of the Western Conference has been the story of the NBA in the past decade. To highlight this state, they needed to modify the East vs. West format of the All-Star game, just to make it more even.

These days, the Eastern Conference playoffs are clearly more interesting than their Western Conference counterparts. The West has the virtual Conference Finals (Rockets vs. Warriors) and the other series features a playoff newbie (Nuggets) and the Upstarts (Blazers).

The Rockets are not doing us any favors by being more active outside the court than inside. Whining about the officiating is hardly entertaining, and we have KD balling like it’s his last chance for a title (it is).

The East semifinals features four heavyweights that separated themselves from the rest of the Conference. The Bucks, Raptors, Sixers and Celtics are a total toss-up, any one of those teams could come out. There will be odds, there will be expert predictions, but the truth is, no one is certain at this point and both series have the promise to take the long route.

So it’s easy to say that the first Eastern Conference Superpower after the LeBron James era would come from these four teams, right?

Not necessarily. All four of these teams could be affected by free agency, in different extents.

Let’s look beyond these exciting games and see which of these teams will still be around same time next year. Also, could there be another superpower outside the Big Four?

T

Milwaukee Bucks How many experts predicted the Milwaukee Bucks to end up with the best record in the NBA? None. There were many who predicted an improvement, and Giannis Antetokounmpo as MVP, but for the team to have the best record is a total surprise and a testament to Coach Mike Budenholzer’s stellar job.

Their top player is secured, but their “Robin” is a free agent. Khris Middleton, along with Eric Bledsoe and Brook Lopez, are all free agents.

Middleton is the weakest second banana among championship contenders which could work well for the Bucks. As a contrast, Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris are more coveted free agents, and they’re no.3 and 4 on the Sixers. There’s a big possibility that he won’t get a huge offer.

The Bucks can keep this core, but even if it doesn’t, they still have the league’s MVP favorite. That could be enough to be a contender in the East, but they won’t be a superpower.

Philadelphia 76ers They have Magic-Kareem 2.0 in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. For this playoff run, they have veteran Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris to support them. They’re pretty shallow from that point, but that is as close to an All-Star starter squad outside Golden State. Sad part for them is that both Butler and Harris will have their suitors. If they keep this core, they will improve and probably be the East’s top echelon team, depending on how they fill out their roster.

Harris has been the Sixers target and they will likely pull all stops to keep him. Butler is a gamble but many teams have money to bet. Sixers would accept that, and still be a top team in the East.

Toronto Raptors The Raptors made the ultimate gambit on Kawhi Leonard and this summer holds the decision on whether they win or lose.

Leonard is from California and there are two hometown LA teams armed to the teeth in cap space pursuing him.

GM Masai Ujiri did what he could. He acquired Marc Gasol, who would likely take his player option since he probably won’t get a $25 million offer. They’re hoping playoff success and Gasol’s presence might convince Kawhi. But the Clippers really built their case well.

Even if Kawhi bolts, the Raptors have future stars in Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby. That’s why you hire good GMs. They won’t be a superpower, but they won’t be scrubs either. They will have Lowry and Gasol as the senior leaders, but they will have to look for a first option player.

n Joel Embiid (No. 21) of the Philadelphia 76ers dunks the ball against the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter of Game Three of the Eastern Conference Semifinals at the Wells Fargo Center on Friday in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. AFP PHOTO

Sixers dominate Raptors to take 2-1 series lead

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HILADELPHIA: Joel Embiid finished with 33 points as the Philadelphia 76ers routed the Toronto Raptors 116-95 on Thursday (Friday in Manila) to seize a 2-1 lead in their NBA second-round playoff series.

Embiid also had 10 rebounds and five blocked shots for his 12th double-double in 15 career playoff games.

“I was trying not to force anything and if I didn’t have it I just moved it to my teammates,” he said. “We wanted to put

our foot down in the fourth and we did that by making stops.”

Jimmy Butler added 22 points, nine assists and nine rebounds while JJ Redick delivered 15 points for the Sixers, who have won two straight including a gritty

Harden’s vision better but still dealing with pain WASHINGTON: NBA scoring champion James Harden continues to deal with pain after being hit in the face but expects to start in Saturday’s playoff game when his Houston Rockets face Golden State.

Harden was struck in the face by Draymond Green in the first quarter of Houston’s game two loss to the Warriors, which left them trailing the reigning NBA champions 2-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series.

“Still there, still tough,” Harden said of the pain. “I can see y’all a little b i t b e t te r s o that’s all that matters.”

Harden sufn Justin Brownlee PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

fered bruises in both eyes and a cut on the inside of his left eyelid. He went to an eye doctor in Houston on Wednesday and tests showed no cornea damage.

“I went to the doctor yesterday,” Harden said.

“He said I would be good.”

Harden took part in practice Thursday

94-89 victory in game two three nights ago.

Game four will be played in Philadelphia on Sunday.

Kawhi Leonard paced the Raptors’ attack with 33 points while Pascal Siakam added 20.

Leonard has scored at least 30 points in five of Toronto’s eight playoff games this season, including all three games against Philadelphia.

Embiid was at his theatrical best, jiggling his shoulders and rocking a mock baby after scoring baskets.

“I need it. When I have fun, my game just

n James Harden of the Houston Rockets falls to the floor grabbing his face after being accidentally poked in the eye in Game Two of the Second Round of the 2019 NBA Western Conference Playoffs in Oakland, California. AFP PHOTO

with the Rockets and despite complaints of blurry vision in game two scored 29 points on 9-of-19 shooting, his most accurate outing of the playoffs.

“If I played barely seeing last game,” Harden said, “What makes you think I’m going to sit out game three?”

AFP

changes,” he said. “I have always been told that if I don’t smile during the game that I’m either having a bad game or I’m not into it.

“I know that to get my game going, I have to have fun on the court.”

Philadelphia led 64-53 at halftime thanks in large part to Embiid’s 18 points.

The Sixers also shot eight of 14 from three-point range in the opening half.

Leonard powered the Raptors with 17 points in the first half, and continued his fine play in the third quarter with another 14 points to keep Toronto within eight (89-81) heading into the fourth.

“We’ve got to help him,” Kyle Lowry said. “Myself especially, I’ve got to help him score more. I’ve got to help him on the floor. We’ve all got to help him. He’s playing unbelievable right now.

“We’re not giving him any help.”

Embiid drained his third three-pointer and the 76ers charged to a 94-82 lead early in the fourth.

Butler upped his scoring prowess with a couple of baskets and the lead was stretched to 100-82 with nine minutes left in the fourth.

Butler then slammed home a dunk, got fouled and put the Sixers ahead 108-84 with 5:51 left.

The Raptors missed 11 of their first 12 shots in the fourth. Toronto was hurt by poor shooting and rebounding.

“I think we got outplayed in just about every area we could get outplayed. In overall physicality, energy, cutting, rebounding, passing, all that kind of stuff,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.

“We got thoroughly outplayed and it’s been a while... since you’ve seen this team play this way.”

AFP

CONE SIGNS BROWNLEE ANEW BARANGAY Ginebra San Miguel head coach Tim Cone has commissioned anew last year’s best import Justin Brownlee to reinforce the Gin Kings for Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Cone believes that the versatile Brownlee is a good addition to the twin towers of 7-footer Greg Slaughter and 6’9 Japeth Aguilar, as the Gin Kings start defending their title comes May 19.

“We won the championship last year

in the second conference with him (Brownlee). He was the best import, so it is an easy choice to bring him back,” said Cone.

The 6’5 Brownlee, who led the Gin Kings in last Commissioner’s Cup championship, had an average of 28.8 points, 12.5 rebounds and 6.6 assists after the semifinals. Ginebra defeated San Miguel Beer in six games in the finals.

“We have great size already with Greg

and Japeth so to bring a 6’10 import there will not match very well for us,” added Cone. “We hope and end up cooking the same thing, a championship.”

Cone said that Brownlee will arrive on May 7 or 8.

“We’re waiting for Justin to arrive from Lebanon after his championship game there. We’re pretty much in good health and everybody is practicing so we are looking forward to the second conference,” said Cone. JOSEF T. RAMOS

NBA Celtics president Ainge suffers mild heart attack NEW YORK: Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge has suffered a mild heart attack but is expected to make a full recovery, the NBA club announced Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Ainge, 60, suffered the heart attack on Tuesday in Milwaukee, the same night the Celtics lost 123-102 to the Bucks to leave their Eastern Conference second-round best-of-seven playoff series level at 1-1 entering game three Friday at Boston.

“He received immediate medical attention and is expected to make a full recovery. He will return to Boston shortly,” the Celtics said in a statement.

Ainge, who also suffered a mild heart attack in 2009, won two NBA titles with the Celtics as a player in 1984 and 1986, also playing for Sacramento, Portland and Phoenix in a 14-season NBA playing career as a guard.

Ainge, also a former baseball player with the Toronto Blue Jays, coached the Phoenix Suns for four seasons before resigning in 2000.

He became an executive for the Celtics in 2003 and in 2008 was named the NBA Executive of the Year as the Celtics won the league title after Ainge engineered trades for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to join Paul Pierce.

The team’s jump from 24-58 in 2006-07

to an NBA-best 66-16 the next season was the most dramatic one-year improvement in NBA history.

NBA to stage global camp for draft hopefuls in Monaco This year’s NBA Global Camp, a showcase of top global talents hoping to be selected in next month’s NBA Draft, will be staged in Monaco, the league announced.

The event will take place May 30-June 2 at Stade Louis II in Monaco and include games, shooting drills plus strength and agility tests under direction from NBA personnel as well as medical evaluations and team interview sessions.

Last year’s Global Camp includes three players from outside the United States who were taken in the NBA Draft — Bosnian Dzanan Musa of Brooklyn, Lithuanian Arnoldas Kulboka of Charlotte and Ukraine’s Issuf Sanon of Washington — plus Japan’s Yuta Watanabe, who played for the Memphis Grizzlies this past season.

NBA Academy teams will also stage scrimmages. Since October 2016, seven school acamdeies have been launched in Australia, China, India, Mexico and Senegal.

There were 108 international players from a record-tying 42 nations in the NBA on opening night last season.

AFP

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˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

Arum warns Ancajas not to underestimate Funai T

BY JOSEF T. RAMOS

OP Rank boss Bob Arum warns International Boxing Federation (IBF) super flyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas not to underestimate his Japanese challenger Ryuichi Funai in their fight on Sunday (Philippine time) at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.

“No, he better watch out because this Japanese kid is a good fighter and he can’t

figuratively just rolls over. He should find a good strategic fight. The Japanese boy can do damages, but it’s a very, very

close fight,” Arum told The Manila Times through overseas call.

But the veteran promoter affirms his belief that the 27-yearold Panabo, Davao del Norte pride will succeed in his seventh titular defense.

“I certainly think he can win.

I find it a very good fight but I expect him to win. It’s a tough fight with the Japanese but he is very confident. I’m going there to Stockton tomorrow.”

In the event the Filipino won over the Japanese, Arum said that he’s thinking of pitting Ancajas (30-1-2 win-lossdraw record with 20 knockouts) against unbeaten Austra-

Palaro swimming records continue to fall

lian Andrew Maloney (19-0 with 12 knockouts).

“We want to put him next with the Australian kid, one of the Maloney twins.”

Ancajas, meanwhile, reiterated his respect for Funai (31-7 with 22 knockouts).

“My last fight, my sixth title defense against Alejandro Santiago Barrios, was a hard fight.

This will be my seventh title defense,” Ancajas said in a media statement released by Top Rank. “We are confident, but we respect the challenge in front of us. Funai is a good, tough fighter.”

Ancajas' last bout against Mexican Alejandro Santiago Barrios on September 28 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland, California ended in a split draw.

“The last time I fought, I was not happy with the result. For this fight, we did some different things in training to prepare 100 percent,” said Ancajas.

n Jerwin Ancajas fires a right against Jonas Sultan in their May 26, 2018 all-Filipino IBF world title showdown in the US. PHOTO COURTESY OF JHAY OTAMIA

Lady Eagles eye to finish off Lady Tams ATENEO De Manila University aims for an outright finals entry but Far Eastern University (FEU) is bent on forcing a do-or-die in their Final Four collision today in Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Armed with a twice-to-beat advantage, the top seed Lady Eagles eye to finish off the fourth seed Lady Tamaraws at 4 p.m.

Ateneo is on top of the standings with a 12-2 record while FEU is No. 4 with 9-5.

“We’ll work hard and focus first

on the semifinals. We’ll pray and work to reach the championship series. Our mindset now is really to get back to the finals,” said head coach Oliver Almadro, a former multi-titled mentor in the men’s division.

Ateneo swept FEU in the eliminations, scoring a comeback 1425, 19-25, 25-21, 25-19, 15-12 win in the first round and a 25-21, 25-10, 25-18 rout in the second round.

The Lady Eagles also want revenge for their Final Four exit last season facilitated by then twice-tobeat Lady Tamaraws .

FEU, however, is coming off a 25-22, 13-25, 15-25, 27-25, 15-8 stunner over De La Salle University. The latter gave Ateneo its two defeats this season.

“This is big morale-booster for us especially this was the first time in a long while that we beat La Salle,” said the Lady Tams tactician George Pascua.

“Knowing Ateneo, they’re also a powerhouse team. We’re not going to stop until we score against them. We’ll work hard for this,” added Pascua.

Ateneo will bank on veterans Kat Tolentino, Maddie Madayag and

Bea De Leon even as FEU will pin its hopes on Heather Anne Guinoo, captain Jerrili Malabanan and libero Buding Duremdes.

In the other Final Four pairing, twice-to-beat UST will tangle with three-time defending champion La Salle on Sunday.

The Golden Tigresses ripped the Lady Spikers, 25-14, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, in the playoff for No. 2 last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, in the men’s side, second seed FEU clash against third seed Ateneo with a win-once incentive at 2 p.m.

JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

DAVAO CITY: Xiandi Chua broke five records in swimming to emerge as one of the most bemedalled athletes in the 62nd Palarong Pambansa on Friday at the Davao City-University of the Philippines Aquatic Center in Mintal here.

The 17-year old Chua won six gold medals, five of them in record-breaking fashion, plus one silver medal on her final Palaro appearance.

Chua’s 2:10.14 broke Nicole Pamintuan’s 2:09.05 record in the secondary girls’ 200m freestyle established last year.

Chua also led her teammates to post a 4:05.91 time record in the 400m freestyle erasing Calabarzon’s nine-year old record of 4:10.18.

“I am really happy because this is the fruit of all my hard work,” said Chua, an Immaculate Conception Academy new senior high school graduate.

Chua also reset the record in 200m breaststroke (2:43.08), 200m individual medley (2:23.86), and 400m medley relay (4:32.49).

She also topped the 400m IM (5:08.21) while finishing second in the 200m backstroke.

Meanwhile, Philip Joaquin Santos of the NCR also won six gold and one silver medals.

Santos broke records in the secondary boys’ 200m backstroke, 200m IM, and 400m medley relay.

He topped the 100m backstroke, 400m IM, and 400m freestyle relay, and finished second in the 1500m freestyle.

NCR’s Miguel Barreto swept his events collecting seven gold medals in secondary boys’ 400m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 1500m freestyle, 400m medley relay, and broke two records in the 100m butterfly and 200m freestyle.

Michaela Jasmin Mojdeh of Parañaque City contributed three gold and three silver while Marc Bryan Dula had four gold and one silver for NCR. Over at the University of Mindanao Track Oval, Trexie Dela Torre broke another track record by finishing 45.58 seconds in the secondary girls’ 4x100m relay.

The Western Visayas team, composed of Dela Torre, Angel

Ann Pranisa, Alexie Mae Colmosa, and Bernalyn Bejoy, reset the 46.6 seconds of NCR in 2002.

Dela Torre set a new mark in the secondary girls’ long jump (5.84m) earlier in the competition.

Calabarzon also erased NCR’s record in 2014 with a time record of 3:21.66 in the secondary boys’ 4x400m relay.

NCR took home the silver with 3:21.84 that surpassed the 3:22.1 old record.

Central Luzon’s Vincent Via Dela Cruz bagged the gold in secondary boys’ 2000m walk (9:58.02) while Calabarzon’s Laurize Jeante Wangkay finished 10:47.34 in the secondary girls.’

Lheslie De Lima of Bicol ruled the secondary girls’ 800m, 1500m and 3000m events.

Other gold medalists were Gabriela Dulay of NCR (secondary boys’ 800m), Janice Nemi of Bicol (elementary girls’ 800m), and Ian Llarenas of Calabarzon (elementary boys’ 800m).

In archery, Central Visayas’ Crisha Merto won her fifth gold by ruling the secondary girls’ team event finals, 5-1.

She teamed up with Ma. Perimi Bajado and Phoebe Amistoso to beat the group of Charmaine Villamor, Daniella Espiritu, and Keith Gonzales of Cordillera Administrative Region.

In the secondary boys’ table tennis, Calabarzon scooped three gold medals in the mixed doubles event (Neo Angelo Laudato), team event (Aisiah Garcia, Laudato, Ruiz Marcelino, Amiel John Sumadsad), and doubles (Garcia and Marcelino).

Meanwhile, Central Luzon dominated the secondary boys’ 3-on-3 basketball defeating NCR while Bicol bested Ilocos Region in the girls’ finals.

NCR emerged as the virtual overall champion as of press time with 73 gold, 64 silver, and 46 bronze medals.

Calabarzon is second 50-4267 and Western Visayas third with 45-28-43.

The 62nd Palarong Pambansa concludes today (Saturday) at 4 p.m. at the Davao City-UP Mindanao Sports Complex.

JEAN RUSSEL V. DAVID

Game 3 of PSL finals explodes today ONLY the strongest and bravest of heart will remain standing when two of the best club teams in the country — Petron and F2 Logistics — clash in Game 3 of their Philippine Superliga Grand Prix best-of-three finals series today at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Opening serve is set at 7 p.m. with both the Blaze Spikers and Cargo Movers tipped to put everything behind and fight tooth and nail to chase the most prestigious and glamorous crown in Philippine volleyball in this tourney that has ESPN5 and 5Plus as broadcast partners.

The Cargo Movers drew the first blood in the sixth chapter of their storied rivalry in this league that also has Asics, Mueller, Mikasa, Senoh, Team Rebel Sports, Bizooku, UCPB Gen, Cocolife, Hotel Sogo and Data Project as major backers.

F2 Logistics posted an impressive 25-20, 16-25, 25-23, 25-23, in Game 1 late Tuesday, snapping Petron’s 17-game winning streak and stepping a win away from winning the title.

But the Blaze Spikers refused to call it quits.

Behind another powerful performance from Americans Stephanie Niemer and Katherine Bell, Petron stormed back with a 23-25, 25-23, 25-14, 25-19 victory in Game 2 to set the stage for a killor-be-killed, winner-take-all Game 3 battle.

The hard-hitting Bell delivered 25 points and 24 digs while Niemer chipped in 23 hits for the Blaze Spikers, who finally drew impressive numbers from their local crew of Mika Reyes, Rhea Dimaculangan and Aiza Maizo-Pontillas.

Reyes, the comely former De La Salle University star, had seven kills, four blocks and a pair of aces for 13 points while veteran Maizo-Pontillas knocked down seven markers to compliment the 29 excellent sets tallied by her former University of Santo Tomas teammate in Dimaculangan.

Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos said their inspired performance in Game 2 was sparked by an open-forum, where they blurted out their feelings and made a commitment to go all out to finish the job and win the crown no matter what it takes.

“We accepted Game 1 as a challenge. It was

n Petron’s Lindsay Stalzer soars against F2 Logistics’ Steph Neimer and Majoy Baron CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

a wakeup call,” said Delos Santos, whose bid to sweep the tournament was doomed by that sorry Game 1 loss.

“After losing in Game 1, we had an open forum where we allowed everybody to express their feelings.

“We had an open forum where we allowed everybody to express their feelings.

We have to release all of those so we can feel the presence of each other. I’m glad that everybody stepped up and was on the same page all throughout the match.”

In both Games 1 and 2, Petron yielded the first set, allowing the F2 Logistics to build an early momentum and dictate the tempo. Fortunately for the Blaze Spikers, they managed to crawl out of trouble in Game 2 as Bell and Niemer spewed fire from the attack zone to gain control.

Delos Santos said they have to address their slow start if they want to lift the championship trophy again.

“We have to check our consistency, especially at the start of the match,” said Delos Santos, who is also the head coach of the national women’s volleyball team headed for the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

“We have to come up with a strong start and a stronger finish to avoid trouble. F2 Logistics is such a solid and veteran team. They will surely take advantage of the opportunity if we’ll have another slow start.”

F2 Logistics mentor Ramil de Jesus said Petron is definitely the country’s strongest team on paper so they will march into battle with no pressure and expectation.

After all, stretching the series to a deciding Game 3 is already a major achievement for a team that changed its import midway in the conference and has its star setter in Kim Fajardo riding the bench due to injury.

“We will play with no pressure from the team owners or managers. Whatever the results will be, everybody is already happy.

Getting this far is already a significant achievement,” said de Jesus, who will bank anew on imports Lindsay Stalzer and Maria Jose Perez as well as the local crew of Ara Galang, Aby Marano and Dawn Macandili.

“But still, we will do our best. If we won in Game 1 over this strong Petron team, there’s no reason for us not to win in Game 3. We have to be ready. This is going to be a dogfight.”

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

McIlroy shares lead at Wells Fargo Championship L

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n Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland plays his shot from the 18th tee during the first round of the 2019 Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow Club on Friday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

AFP PHOTO

OS ANGELES: Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy is back in his comfort zone at the Wells Fargo Championship, firing a five-under 66 on Thursday (Friday in Manila) to grab a share of the first-round lead with Joel Dahmen.

McIlroy earned his first career USPGA Tour victory at the Quail Hollow golf course in 2010, and is the only two-time winner of the event.

After shooting even par on the front nine, McIlroy surged up the leaderboard on the back nine in Charlotte, North Carolina in five-under 31 with the help of five birdies over a seven-hole stretch.

The golf course “went through different iterations since we started coming here, but every time they

tweak something here or there, you know, it’s still sort of the same place and it really fits my eye,” McIlroy said. “I think it’s the purest golf course we play all year in terms of preparation and how manicured it is.

“It just has a really nice feel about it. I’ve always felt comfortable here. I’ve obviously got good memories.”

McIlroy finished tied for 21st at The Masters this year after reaching the top 10 in seven straight

South Korea’s Ryu tied for lead in LA LOS ANGELES: Former US Women’s Open champion Ryu So-yeon tallied seven birdies and two bogeys en route to a five-under 67 and a share of the lead with Ji Eun-hee and Anne van Dam at the Mediheal Championship.

South Korea’s Ryu could have grabbed sole possession of the lead on Thursday but she closed her round with a bogey on the parfive ninth hole at the Lake Merced golf course.

“It is not an easy golf course,” Ryu said. “You have to drive the ball really well. Everything has to be really great to shoot the low score.”

Ryu has six LPGA Tour victories, winning major titles in the 2011 US Women’s Open and 2017 ANA Inspiration.

She has had some struggles this year but she is trying to maintain a positive mindset.

“It’s really tough, because when you’re dedicated to make your game better and better, and then when you cannot really see the result right away, it can be really easy to get frustrated.” Ryu said.

“The thing is, it’s just golf. Noth-

ing’s really guaranteed.”

The long-hitting van Dam twoputted for birdie on the par-five 18th to cap her round of 67.

Van Dam, who teed off in the afternoon wave, bogeyed two of the first four holes. The 23-year-old Dutchwoman stormed back with an eagle on the par-four eighth and five birdies to match morning starters Ryu and Ji. Van Dam has four wins on the European Tour and is now trying to carry that success over to North America.

“It’s nice to finally get off to a good start in t h e first round,” van Dam said.

Ji had six birdies and a bogey.

“It’s a really nice golf course,” Ji said. “It’s really challenging on every hole, especially on the tee shot. “ Yo u h a v e to hit the fairways. If not, it gets into trouble on the next shot. So the tee shot is really important. The greens are really tough, you have to read perfect lines.”

AFP

n So Yeon Ryu of South Korea hits on the 18th hole during the first round of the LPGA Mediheal Championships at Lake Merced Golf Club on Friday in Daly City, California. AFP PHOTO

PGA tournaments. During that stretch he captured his first Players Championship crown.

This is the fifth time McIlroy has led at the end of a round at Quail Hollow, which moves him past Tiger Woods for the

most all-time.

Oddly, McIlroy didn’t hold the first-round lead in either of his Wells Fargo wins. He was five shots behind in 2015 and seven shots adrift in 2010.

Five players are just one shot off

the pace, including 2018 Masters champion Patrick Reed. Adam Schenk, Scotland’s Martin Laird, Canada’s Nick Taylor and South Africa’s Dylan Frittelli are also one stroke back.

Australia’s Jason Day, who is

seeking to defend a title on the USPGA Tour for the first time, is at three under. He shot 68, including five birdies.

Day was paired with Phil Mickelson, who is tied for 47th after an even-par round of 71.

AFP

Tiger to receive presidential honor from Trump WASHINGTON: Tiger Woods, who made a stunning comeback from injury to win the Masters last month, is to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump will bestow the award, the nation’s highest civilian honor, on the golfing great in the White House Rose Garden.

The 43-year-old Woods won the Masters in April for his 15th major title, his first since the 2008 US Open.

Trump, an avid golfer and owner of several courses around the world, tweeted his congratulations following the epic win at Augusta.

“Spoke to @TigerWoods to congratulate him on the great victory he had in yesterday’s @TheMasters, & to inform him that because of his incredible Success & Comeback in Sports (Golf) and more importantly, LIFE, I will be presenting him with the PRESIDENTIAL MEDAL OF FREEDOM,” Trump said.

Established by John F. Kennedy in 1963, the honor is bestowed upon

those who have made an “especially meritorious” contribution to US security or national interests, world peace, cultural pursuits or other non-specified endeavors.

It has been awarded to nearly three dozen sports figures including

American golf legends Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, who were honored by president George W. Bush.

Barack Obama gave

on several occasions, most recently in February at the president’s course in Jupiter, Florida.

Teeing off alongside them was the 79-year-old Nicklaus and Trump tweeted a picture of the three together on the course.

‘Respect the office’ Woods was asked last year about his relationship with Trump, who has been engaged in an ongoing feud with a number of African-American basketball and football stars.

“Well, I ’ v e

n Tiger Woods of the US celebrates after sinking his putt on the 18th green on April 14, 2019 to win the final round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. AFP PHOTO the award in 2014 to Charlie Sifford, the first African-American golfer to play on the PGA Tour.

Woods has golfed with Trump

known Donald for a number of years,” Woods said. “We’ve played golf together. We’ve had dinner together. I’ve known him pre-

presidency and obviously during his presidency.

Woods said the important thing was to respect the office of the presidency, regardless of who happened to be occupying the White House.

Trump welcomed Woods’ remarks with a tweet.

“The Fake News Media worked hard to get Tiger Woods to say something that he didn’t want to say,” Trump said. “Tiger wouldn’t play the game - he is very smart. More importantly, he is playing great golf again!”

Woods stunned the sporting world last month by completing an epic comeback from spinal fusion surgery to capture the Masters.

The win put him firmly back in pursuit of the all-time record of 18 major wins by Nicklaus.

A 2009 sex scandal followed by knee and back injuries that required seven operations led to a prolonged wait to add another major title to his honors.

Three other athletes have received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump — American football players Alan Page and Roger Staubach and — posthumously — baseball great Babe Ruth.

AFP

Blu Girls cruise to third straight win THE Philippine Blu Girls continued running roughshod the opposition with another shutout, 8-0, abbreviated four and-a-half inning triumph over Indonesia on Wednesday in the second day of hostilities of the preOlympic qualifying Asia Cup women’s softball championship at the Senayan in Jakarta.

That was the Philippines’ third win in as many starts as the Blu Girls brace themselves to topping the five-team Group B of the 10-team field seeking a seat each in the Asia-Pacific Tokyo Olympic Games qualifier in September in China.

Coach Randy Dizer utilized three of his four-woman pitching rotation — Ezra Jalandoni, Reyovel Palma and Lyca Basa — in what served as preparation for his Blu Girls’ important date with Chinese

Taipei on Friday.

The Blu Girls-Taiwanese encounter will determine which between them will emerge as No. 1 in their bracket going into the next round.

The Taiwanese are currently ranked sixth in the world although Dizer said the Blu Girls had beaten them the last time they met in the 2017 Asian championship where the Philippines finished second behind eventual winner Japan.

Jalandoni, Palma and Basa starved the Indonesians to mere three hits while their teammates hammered their they rivals with 13 connections, two of them virtually wrapping up the contest by scoring two runs in the second frame.

They added six more runs in the sixth leading game to stop the game under the seven-run regulation rule.

Five of the Filipina batters went perfect at

the box with Cristy Joy belting out a two-run home run, her second base-clearing shot in as many outings.

Angelie Ursabia, likewise, went two-for-two at bats and, like Roa drove in two runs. Also going 1.000 at the box were Amber Freeman.

Other Day 2 results saw Chinese Taipei matching the Philippines’ immaculate 3-0 winloss card in Group B by sweeping its two-game assignment, 11-1, over Hong Kong. and 10-0 over Singapore.

Asian champion and no. 2 ranked in the world Japan also had a clean 3-0 mark following its 12-0 blanking of India. The Japanese had earlier disposed off Thailand, 11-0, and Korea, 12-0, in the opening day on Tuesday.

Group A second-seed China, too, scored its third consecutive wins at the expense of Korea, 7-2, and Thailand, 8-0.

EDDIE G. ALINEA

Anasta eyes top finish as PPS Escudero Cup unfolds DAVIS Cupper Vicente Anasta braces for a spirited battle against fellow veteran campaigners and a slew of rising stars as they slug it out in the PPS-PEPP Escudero Cup 2019 beginning today at the Aera Tennis Club in San Pablo City.

Mark Alcoseba, Noel Damian Jr., Deo Talatayod, Emmanuel Fuelas, Edgardo Angara, Keno Enriquez and siblings Aldrin and Elvin Geluz toughen up the cast in the 32-player draw of what used to serve as one of the country’s premier tournaments making its comeback after a 13-year absence.

Though some of the top guns have

begged off to honor previous commitments, the depth of the competing field remains as talent-laden as ever with Anasta, from Himaymaylan, Negros Occidental, expecting a fierce challenge from the rest of the bidders in the week-long event presented by Royal Air and backed by Rep. Sol Aragones and Villa Escudero.

“The event’s revival comes at a time when tennis is enjoying a tremendous boom with tournaments held every week particularly this summer,” said Bobby Castro, president/CEO of Palawan Pawnshop, whose year-long, nationwide Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala circuit

has continued to provide the sport a wide base of talents, especially from the countryside.

Meanwhile, listup is ongoing for the PPS-PEPP Brookside Hills Open on May 13-19 in Cainta, Rizal while the two-weekend PPSPEPP UP National Student Open (Valenzuela) will be played on May 18-19 and on May 25-26.

For details, call PPS-PEPP Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 09154046464.

Others vying in the Escudero Cup are Stefano Gurria, Marco Macalintal, Jude Ceniza, Harvey

Gilbuena, MJ Occio, RJ Virey, Samuel Nillasca, Cesar Mestiola and Emo Adarmeo, all ready to spring a surprise or two over the fancied bets and earn a crack for the top P10,000 purse.

Meanwhile, Alcoseba and Damian seek a second straight crown in the accompanying doubles tournament backed by Dunlop as official ball with the duo hoping to ride the momentum of their romp in the Gov. Umali Cup recently.

Spicing up the event is the Legends tournament featuring the 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s categories which also offers P10,000 to the winners.

Football Underdog Frankfurt holds Chelsea in Europa League semis F

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˜ The Manila Times

SATURDAY MAY 4, 2019

RANKFURT AM MAIN: A first-half strike from Pedro gave Chelsea a slender advantage in their Europa League semifinal tie as they were held to a 1-1 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday (Friday in Manila).

Pedro’s equalizer gave Chelsea a potentially crucial away goal after a hard-fought semi-final clash in a spine-tingling atmosphere at the Commerzbank Arena.

Fired on by the home crowd, fearless underdogs Frankfurt surprised Chelsea in the first half before being outclassed for long periods after the break.

Yet Adi Huetter’s side battled through a tough second half to hold on to a draw and leave the tie finely poised ahead of next Thursday’s second leg in London.

Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri raised eyebrows with his decision to

leave Eden Hazard out of the starting line-up, and his team struggled to deal with a ferocious Frankfurt in the first half.

Filip Kostic found the breakthrough on 23 minutes, sending a pinpoint low cross to Luka Jovic, who ducked low to flick his header inside the far post.

Frankfurt then tried to grab control of the tie, with Sebastian Rode snapping at Chelsea’s heels in midfield and Jovic and Mijat Gacinovic lurking in wait for a chance to break.

Yet Sarri’s side eased their way patiently back into the game, and deserved to draw level when Pedro

finally found the net with a well-placed strike just before half-time.

It remained a fiercely contested game after the break, and Chelsea midfielder Jorginho had to be bandaged up after a clash of heads with Rode.

Always a step ahead of Frankfurt in the second half, the visitors nearly took the lead when David Luiz struck the bar with a fizzing free kick.

Frankfurt had a penalty appeal waved away 12 minutes from time, and both David Abraham and substitute Goncalo Paciencia came close to snatching a late winner.

The Bundesliga club will travel to Stamford Bridge for the return leg on Thursday, May 9.

AFP

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n Frankfurt’s Japanese midfielder Makoto Hasebe (right) and Chelsea’s French midfielder N’Golo Kante vie for the ball during the UEFA Europa League semifinal first leg football match in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. AFP PHOTO

UP, La Salle clinch UAAP Final Four slots UNIVERSITY of the Philippines (UP) and De La Salle University bagged the last Final Four berths after beating separate foes in Season 81 University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s football tournament on Thursday at the Far Eastern University (FEU)-Diliman Football Field in Quezon City.

Powered by Kyle Magdato’s brace, defending champion UP decimated bottom-finisher University of the East (UE), 3-0, to take the second seed.

The Maroon Booters wound up with 26 points on an 8-2-4 windraw-loss record and an inferior goal difference to top seed Ateneo de Manila University.

Magdato netted goals in the 40th and 51st minutes before Roland Saavedra closed out the rout with a 66th minute strike.

Later on in the second match,

Xavier Zubiri struck at the death as La Salle pulled off a 1-0 stunner over FEU to seize the third spot.

Rookie standout Zubiri scored his first UAAP goal off a closerange shot in the first minute of added time.

The Green Booters notched 25 points on an 8-1-5 slate while the erstwhile leading Tamaraw Booters settled for No. 4 with 24 markers on a 7-3-4 card.

In the other game, last season’s runner-up University of Santo Tomas fell short of a semifinal return despite posting a 2-1 victory at the expense of also-ran National University.

The Golden Booters landed at No. 5 with 23 points on a 6-5-3 record.

The Final Four will take place next Thursday at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila, with Ateneo taking on FEU and UP squaring off against La Salle.

JEREMIAH M. SEVILLA

Liverpool must dig deep to keep Man City alive LONDON: Liverpool must lift themselves after being floored by a Lionel Messi master class in Barcelona if they are to take the Premier League title race against a relentless Manchester City into the final weekend of the season.

Jurgen Klopp’s men face a tricky trip to Newcastle on Saturday, two days before Pep Guardiola’s City host Leicester, with just one point separating the pair.

Below them, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United remain in the hunt to secure the remaining two top-four places despite stuttering form.

And at the bottom of the table, Cardiff’s Premier League future is hanging by a thread as they prepare to host Crystal Palace.

AFP Sports looks at the state of play in the Premier League ahead of the penultimate weekend of the competition.

The title race It is advantage City in arguably the greatest Premier League title race in history with neither side having dropped

points for two months.

Defending champions City, after 12 straight wins, are on 92 points, one clear of relentless Liverpool, who have lost just once in the league all season.

Defeat for Liverpool at Newcastle, managed by former Reds’ boss Rafael Benitez, would give City the chance to wrap up the title on Monday.

But a win would put Liverpool back on top for at least 48 hours and put the pressure back on Guardiola’s team, who take on a Leicester side chasing European football and fresh from thrashing Arsenal 3-0 last weekend.

“I think mentally we shouldn’t be affected,” Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk said after his side’s valiant performance in Barcelona was ruined by two late Messi goals to seal a 3-0 Champions League semi-final, first leg win for the Spanish champions.

“I won’t be. It was a tough game but we have a big game at the weekend and we are still in the race. We want the same performance without conceding the goals.” AFP

n Liverpool’s Senegalese forward Sadio Mane (left) vies with Barcelona’s Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal during the UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg football match at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona.

AFP PHOTO

SATURDAY MAY 4, 2019

www.manilatimes.net

Fans cry over Kyline Alcantara’s soap conclusion F

ANS of GMA Network teenstar Kyline Alcantara are crying over a video posted on social media which shows her shedding tears.

Her supporters are sad because her show “Inagaw Na Bituin” is winding up soon. Kyline flies to the “I want to offer the people first United States for “Kapusong Pinoy: class service. We should not let Studio 7 Musikalye sa Brooklyn” them stand in line for a long time soon after taping wraps up. just to get the medical assistance Someone close to the teenstar that they need. We should give said her fans should not fear that our constituents first class serthe show is ending because it was vice in all aspects — education, meant to run for just one season. sanitation, peace and order. If we Kyline can now concentrate have huge budget for basic social on her first solo starrer titled “Black Lipstick” with Manolo Pedrosa as leading man. The movie is directed by Julius Alfonso, the man behind the awardwinning comedy film “Deadma Walking.” kkk Running as vice mayor uder the ticket of comebacking Mayor Junjun Binay is Monsour del Rosario, the current congressman of Makati City's first district.

The former O l y m p i a n a n d n Kyline Alcantara will have more time for her Chef de Mission first solo-starrer on the big screen when 'Bituin' of the Philippine concludes on TV. INSTAGRAM PHOTO S p o r t s Te a m i s warmly received by Makati folks. services, we should aim to give Monsour said he is touched by the best kind of service to the people,” he said. the gesture of the people.

When he launched his cam“Sometimes they approach me paign and started going around and say thank you that I didn’t Makati, people are saying that abandon the city. Other people they like him because he was also approach me to thank me able to do a lot when he was still because I was able to help them. a congressman.

That’s why they As elected officials, we should believe that if he is elected Vice always remember that it is our Mayor, he will be able to do more responsibility to work hard for things for his constituents. the good of the citizens,” said the “He is not only good as an former taekwondo champion. action star but is an action If ever he gets elected in the poman as well,” Makati residents sition he’s running for, Monsour describe Monsour. vows to give only quality service.

ROVING EYE RICKY CALDERON

S H A R O N C U N E TA

The professed horror fan headlines first fright flick H

ANILA’S history has shown some showbiz construction of new public schools with state-ofdenizens with names to reckon with getting the art basketball courts. elected into office only up to the post of a petty counCong. Yul Servo Nieto has garnered a total of cilor. They dry up somehow and 72 Approved House Bills and their names die there, so to speak. still counting and earning yet Sadly because they have failed a 100-percent attendance on to impact on their constituents. record in the 17th Congress.

It’s a different story in the Said bills were enacted pricase of former councilor of Mamarily for the benefit of chilnila’s 3rd Congressional District dren, women, senior citizens, John Marvin Nieto more popularly known for his PWDs, exploited and displaced workers, and screen name, Yul Servo. To recall, he won Best Actor Indigenous Peoples. for Lav Diaz’ “Batang Westside” at Director Tikoy One of these Bills, No. 8362, is an act promoting Aguiluz’s Cinemanila International Film Festival. local entertainment industry by providing the film To this time he is nearing his first term as House industry corporate tax breaks and exempting venue Representative from said district. operators from the payment of The visionary spirit in Yul Servo amusement tax when showwanting to serve the public more than ing locally produced films and being an ideal actor as role model of music events featuring Filipino sort elevated him right from the start artists. This is highly commendof his public life as councilor for three able and long in coming. consecutive terms where he was also Does Yul Servo like some appointed as Second Assistant Majoractors in public service that Caity Floor Leader up to his advanceveat knows shun negative roles ment to Congress. assigned especially to villains?

The word impact is inadequate to The chinky-eyed actor sum up Cong. Servo’s continuing thinks otherwise, saying projects from being a councilor to n John Marvin ‘Yul Servo’ that an actor ought to pordistrict representative. This affirms Nieto tray and breathe life into a the prime importance of his spirited whole range of characters sense of work and charity on his part; even using imaginable, even as villains like in real-life his own personal funds which are spent to the im- get comeuppance at the end to zero in on the provement of vacant lots and expenses for mural moral factor of the film’s narrative. paintings used by the youth in the community Take it from an internationally awarded actor with artistic inclinations. turned-visionary public servant.

His banner projects capped by Lingkod Bayan kkk for livelihood and employment programs for GUESS WHO? The discoverer of a popular the marginalized constituents in his area include actor (PA) is a close friend of a designer who is Barangay Infrastructure Program (BIP) and Local now based in the Middle East. The designer reguInfrastructure Program (LIP). Both focused on larly invites PA to a kingdom overseas for a brief the improvement of basic barangay facilities and guesting jaunt as VIP, all-expenses paid with hefty existing public institutions and offices in the dis- talent fee to boot cum rare chance to let loose his trict through government funds. The beneficiaries gender-bending proclivity that is kept away from include Padre Mariano Gomez Elementary School, his fans back in the country. police precincts, LTO, establishment of TESDA Clue: He was discovered in a local out-of-town Training Center at Tayuman East Station, and male pageant.

CAVEAT GEORGE VAIL KABRISTANTE

BY IZA IGLESIAS

got my scheduled cleared right away and wala pang one month yata we EAVY dramas, rom-coms and even were shooting already,” the Megaall out comedies are undoubted ter- star recalled.

“I have done 57 movies ritories of Megastar Sharon Cuneta, already, and I have to say whose filmography will show multiple box — from beginning to the office hits across these genres. Horror films, end — this is one of the physically, menhowever, that’s something the nation’s be- most tally, and emotionally loved sweetheart of many generations isn’t draining experiences I have ever had as easy to picture in. an actress. But it was such a happy Here’s a bit of trivia though: the request ko. Sabi ko talaga since I set kahit horror accomplished actress is a big fan of am a Christian, gusto ko talaga because Direk horror movies. And she’s thrilled panalo si Lord.” is such a hapto be starring in one as part of And because she is a horror fan, py pill,” Cuneta her 40th showbiz anniversary she excitedly accepted Regal Enterlaughed again. celebration with the very talented tainment’s offer to do "Kuwaresma" All praises for Matti, John Arcilla and under the direc- despite her tight schedule given the the Megastar further tion of multi-awarded filmmaker very gripping story written by Matti revealed she’s and writer Erik Matti. Titled “Ku- and Katski Flores. been hoping to waresma,” Cuneta plays the role of work with the dia mother who is willing rector for some to risk everything to end a time now, which chilling nightmare that is also added to the haunting her family. project’s come“I’ve actually been a ons. To make horror fan since I was a it happen, she little girl,” the Megastar even agreed to exclaimed at 'Kuwaresma’s' stay in Baguio grand media conference.

City for over a “I’d even memorize some month to perfect of the lines of horror movhis vision. ies like ‘The Exorcist’ and “The guy’s a pag may mga nagpi-pitch ng n The Megastar is excited to offer moviegoers a horror noon and I’d see some whole new experience via 'Kuwaresma,' just in time master of cinematic language and the similarities, sasabihin ko, ‘Ay for her 40th anniversary in showbiz. horror genre is unnapanood ko na yan!’ Or ‘Ay, paquestionably his domain. I’m so rang nakita ko na yan sa ganitong “I’ve always wanted to do horror glad to come back to my craft in movie’,” the well-loved actress movie and merong mga hinahanda this way,” Cuneta declared. added, bursting out in her famous hindi naman natuloy. But when Di“Creatively, this is one of the hearty laugh. rek Erik came, nag-usap kami about most rewarding, satisfying collab“But I really like it lalo na pag 'Kuwaresma' and I was in na agad. I natatalo yung bad.

May spiritual warfare kasi talaga pag horror, di ba? And since this is my first all-out horror film, yun talaga ang ni-

An actor as public servant M

The stage is set for Miss Teen Philippines D3 t

Entertainment

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orations I have had in my career.

He’s a director who knows what he wants, whose passion and integrity for a film will inspire your own well of creativity to keep flowing, who will not compromise his vision while allowing and protecting your own.”

Floored by the Megastar’s praises, Matti expressed his gratitude to the actress for trusting him in bringing every part of the story to life.

“Ang dami niyang ginawang pisikal and napaka-emosyonal din, sobra!”

the director exclaimed.

“Yung iyakan, ang dugo talaga! And ang maganda kay Sharon, mataas ang respeto niya sa mga direktor. Kapag umoo siya sa project, ibibigay niya ang sarili niya.”

Besides Cuneta and Arcilla, real-life siblings Pam and Kent Gonzales play introductory roles in the movie as their children.

Presented by Reality Entertainment and Globe Studios, the epic movie team up of Cuneta, Arcilla and Matti hits theaters nationwide on May 15.

D2

Funtimes

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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By Samantha Weaver

» CROSSWORD

BY EUGENE SHEFFER

Solution to puzzle

© 2019 King Features Syndicate Inc.

King Features Weekly Service

Generally, it is not a good idea for a defender to falsecard his partner. The repercussions from such an action can affect not only the current deal, but future deals as well.

However, there are times when the only way to get partner to do the right thing is to tell a little white lie. This type of falsecard is eminently forgivable.

Today’s deal provides a case in point. South arrives at four hearts

after East has overcalled in spades, and West leads the spade six. After dummy is tabled, East reviews the prospects of defeating the contract.

He concludes first that if declarer has the A-K-Q of trumps, the defense has no hope. Indeed, if South’s trumps are solid, he will probably finish with an overtrick with the help of dummy’s diamonds. East therefore credits West with a trump trick, giving the defense four potential winners: one spade, one heart and two clubs.

But taking these four tricks is easier said than done. The trouble is that when West gains the lead with his presumed trump trick, he is very likely to return a spade, since he cannot know that East has the A-Q of clubs sitting over dummy’s K-J. Once a spade is returned, East will be unable to score the setting trick with the queen of clubs.

So to steer West in the right direction, East tells a little fib at trick one.

Instead of making the normal play of the spade queen, he puts up the king!

South takes the ace, leaving West with the indelible impression that declarer holds the A-Q of spades.

When West subsequently wins the king of hearts, he will therefore look elsewhere for additional tricks, and most likely shift to a club. East then scores the A-Q, and, much to West’s surprise, the queen of spades puts the contract down one.

April 22, 2019

A LITTLE WHITE LIE

»HOROSCOPE Today’s Birthday (05/04/19). Family fortunes rise with nurturing this year. Meticulous planning and preparation save time, trouble and money. Summer networking, communication and connection lead to a change in your itinerary. Long-distance travel or research next winter can inspire a creative change. Together, you’re a powerful force.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is an 8 -- Use creative communications for sales and marketing under this New Moon. Step into new levels of prosperity. Begin a new chapter. Make an important connection.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is a 9 -- A new personal phase dawns with this New Moon in your sign. Take the high road.

Take your talents, capacities and skills to new levels.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is a 6 -- Insights, breakthroughs and revelations sparkle under this New Moon. Dreams seem within reach. Practice benefits a philosophical, spiritual and mindful phase. Make long-term plans.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Take a group endeavor to new heights. Breakthroughs in friendship, social networks and community provide cause for celebration under the Taurus New Moon.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is a 9 -- Accept new responsibilities as you prepare. Professional opportunities shine under this New Moon. Develop an exciting project from an idea to reality. Emerge triumphant.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Investigate new ideas and opportunities, possibly long distance. Education, travels and exploration sprout under this New Moon. Consider different views and perspectives. Try exotic flavors.

» SUDOKU

• It was American actress, screenwriter and notorious sex symbol Mae West who made the following sage observation: “You only live once. But if you do it right, once is enough.”

• The world’s highest tides are found in the Bay of Fundy, located in Nova Scotia, Canada. There, the difference between high and low tides can be as much as 50 feet.

• If you’re a blood donor, you’re part of a significant minority. In the United States, less than 5 percent of the population donates blood every year.

• The first sound recording ever made was created in 1877 by Thomas Edison. It was a musical selection: “Mary Had a Little Lamb.”

• Cars weren’t allowed on the island of Bermuda until 1948.

• What’s in a name? Well, a great deal, it would seem — at least according to those trying to make it big in Hollywood. Joan Crawford was born Lucille La Sueur, Roy Rogers was Leonard Slye and Dean Martin was Dino Crocetti. Issur Danielovitch (wisely) changed his name to Kirk Douglas, and Archibald Leach decided he preferred to become famous as Cary Grant.

• Are you a cacographer? You may not be, but if you spend any time at all online you’ve certainly run across a few. A cacographer is someone who can’t quite grasp the rules of spelling.

• Nobel Prize-winning Russian author Boris Pasternak wrote the novel “Doctor Zhivago” (later famously adapted to film). When the book was first published in 1957, in Italy, it earned great acclaim. However, it was decades before Pasternak’s countrymen could legally read it — the book wasn’t allowed to be published in the Soviet Union until 1988. *** Thought for the Day: “The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it.” -– Oscar Wilde © 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.

BY NANCY BLACK LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Find collaborative ways to grow your family’s nest egg. A lucrative two-week phase dawns. Launch a profitable initiative together. Reap a rich harvest.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- A romantic dream is within reach. Support each other through changes or transformations. A partnership blossoms under this New Moon. Start another chapter together.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Fresh energy floods your work, health and vitality under this New Moon. Nurture yourself before caring for others. Power into physical routines.

Practice your moves.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) -- Today is a 9 -- This New Moon sparks a family, fun and passion phase. A romantic relationship transforms. It’s all for love and love for all. Share your heart.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is a 7 -- Wrap your love around home and family. A new domestic phase arises with this New Moon. A seed planted long ago flowers into beauty.

PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Adapt to the news. Profit through creativity, arts and communications. Breakthroughs arise in conversation under this Taurus New Moon. Share your gratitude and appreciation.

(Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Black’s legacy horoscopes column. She welcomes comments and questions on Twitter, @LindaCBlack. For more astrological interpretations like today’s Gemini horoscope, visit Linda Black Astrology by clicking daily horoscopes, or go to www.nancyblack.com.)

NANCY BLACK.Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

BY ROGER SEVILLA

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 square contains the digits 1 to 9 with no repeats.

Solution from yesterday’s puzzle.

˜ The Manila Times

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LIFESTYLE@MANILATIMES.NET

SATURDAY

MAY 4, 2019

The stage is set for Miss Teen Philippines May 8 pageant to crown most beautiful teen in the land and worthy youth ambassador

T

HIRTY-TWO candidates, one crown.

On May 8, one winner will emerge from 32 candidates from across the country competing for the title of Miss Teen Philippines 2019. The glitzy coronation night is set on May 8 at Araneta Center’s New Frontier Theatre in Cubao, Quezon City.

Still considered the country’s premiere beauty search for smart and confident teens MTP began its official screenings in February,

which resulted in hundreds of teen aspirants applying to compete.

From the regional screenings, the best youth candidates were se-

lected and finally whittled down to 32 candidates come pageant night.

Miss Teen Philippines (MTP) has been on a four-year hiatus during which time its organizers prepared the pageants grand return to the beauty contest scene with a bigger agenda: To highlight the Filipino youth’s global readiness through education.

As such, this year’s installment takes the competition a notch higher by giving more attention to its objective. More than just a

n Teen beauties from Central Visayas (from left) Leigh Chanelle Ong, Karla Marie Niere, Kaylah Sanchez, Olive May Sophia Bihag, Nicole Borromeo and Kaye Rollins. beauty search, the pageant will also serve as a platform for the eventual winner to become a youth ambassador. She will be tasked to promote the importance of education by empowering the new generation in the global arena.

“We are looking for an exceptional winner who is not just a pretty face, but must also be at the forefront in promoting our cause and be a role model among her peers,” Youth Empowerment Through Education Foundation Inc. Director Regine Angeles said.

Best from major regions

n Southern Mindanao representatives Heart Jastine Celo, Jamyla Diane Ampis, and Kayshia Joana Mondaga.

Angeles has been present since the first round of screenings to the pre-qualifying finals. Moreover, MTP diligently scoured the country to find the best representatives from every major

n The proud graduating Class of 2019 from Barangay Jesus dela Pena who received their TESDA certificates and Beauty For a Better Life program diplomas from L’Oreal Philippines’ Carmel Valencia (far left); Tourism Head of Marikina City Ponchie Santos (second to the left); Philippine Business for Social Progress Director for Operations Elvin Uy (third from left) and Barangay Captain Ariel Lazaro (rightmost).

region and selected the official candidates as follows: From National Capital Region — Allison Pineda, Treisha Rovero, Bea Bianca Racelis, Aira Mae Gloria, Sarah Joffe, and Princess Kein Guanzon.

In Luzon, 11 candidates stood out to complete the circle—from the Bicol region they are Mikki Angela Barcela, Thiara Maria San Pablo and Leizl Anne Iñigo; Calabarzon, Ivy Padilla, Erin Esquivel, Riza Carrillo and Samantha Pagar; and Central Luzon, Frenzel Lapus, Maria Czarina Bojos, Gianne Pearl Leuterio and Myrna Esguerra.

From Visayas, nine young ladies will from the crown, namely Regine Claude Romero, Patricia Lynn Beerda and Joanna Kalkaschmidt all from Western Visayas;, and Leigh Chanelle Ong, Karla Marie Niere, Kaylah Sanchez, Olive May Sophia Bihag, Nicole

Borromeo and Kaye Rollins from Central Visayas.

Lastly, eight candidates will come from Northern and Southern Mindanao — Kamyll Migueyl Pla, Francine Georgina Gamboa, Nikki Advincula Moura, Heart Jastine Celo, Jamayla Diane Ampis and Kayshia Joana Mandoga.

This nationwide representation was realized via MTP’s partnership with various local government agencies which helped facilitate the rollout of the pageant.

The winner of Miss Teen Philippines 2019 will bring home the crown and be conferred youth ambassador. Her title also comes with a P300,000 cash prize.

The first runner-up is also due P200,000; while Miss Teen Philippines Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao will each receive P100,000.

ABS-CBN will air the pageant on May 19 at 10:30 p.m.

n L’Oréal Philippines Corporate Communications Manager Carmel Valencia recalls another incredible year of hard work and passion from BFBL’s graduates.

69 women take a beautiful step toward a better future L’Oréal celebrates ‘Beauty For a Better Life’ 2019 graduates TO mark another successful year of L’Oréal Philippines’ “Beauty For a Better Life” — a corporate social responsibility program which empowers women in vulnerable social or economic situations by training them in the field of hairdressing and thereafter providing them job and business opportunities to sustain their livelihood — three batches of students gathered at the Renaissance Convention Center in Marikina City for their much-awaited graduation ceremony in April.

The milestone event for 69 women from Barangay Jesus dela Peña in Marikina who completed daily hands-on classroom training sessions for three months under L’Oréal experts also coincided with the company’s important announcement — the opening of three new training centers to further the mission of Beauty

For a Better Life across the country.

Since the inauguration this training program in 2017, 130 of the beneficiaries’ lives have truly been changed for the better with sound employment or the establishment of their own salon businesses.

“This day celebrates the accomplishments of all the women graduating today who have come so far. Beauty For a Better Life is about contributing to feeling and living better, and beyond today’s festivities we look forward to seeing how their lives — and those of their families — will change. Today we see graduates who have a renewed sense of confidence, dignity and motivation. Beauty For a Better Life is a step towards new opportunities and a testament to the power of education to provide a better future. We believe in the

power of beauty to change lives, and with Beauty For a Better Life we are able to expand the definition of beauty as a driver for social progress,” said Carmel Valencia, L’Oréal Philippines corporate communications manager during the ceremony.

Among the 69 aspiring hairdressers who are determined to improve their families’ lives is Joan Mararac, valedictorian of Bach 6 Class of 2019, who shared during her speech, “Lumaki ako sa Bicol City, at kakalipat lang namin ng Marikina para makatulong

na guminhawa ang buhay ng pamilya ko.

Noong narinig ko ang tungkol sa BFBL, naisip ko na baka hindi ito makatulong kasi hindi ako pamilyar sa hairdressing. Pero higit pa sa lahat ng natutunan ko, nagkaron ako ng bagong pamilya sa BFBL. Ang nawala ko sa

n The ceremonial turnover for the next wave of Beauty For a Better Life programs in new barangay training centers in Western Bicutan, Antipolo, and Pateros: (from left) Valencia; Barangay Sto. Rosario Kanluran Pateros Chairman Marvin Ponce; Barangay Western Bicutan, Taguig Chairman’s representative Angela Occasiano; Barangay Jesus Dela Pena Captain Ariel Lazaro; Tourism Head of Marikina City Ponchie Santos; and Barangay Bagong Nayon I Chairman Larry Onza.

sarili ko pati ang kumpayansa, lahat naibalik ng BFBL. Nakita ko kung paano pa pwede mangarap ulit, na meron pa kaming pagasa na umunlad. Wag natin isipin na goodbye na ito, ito pa lang ang simula. Simula pa lang ito ng tagumpay natin. Sana wag natin makalimutan na kahit ano mang problema ang dumating sa atin, may nakalaang solusyon para dito basta wag lang mawalan ng tiwala sa sarili.”

As L’Oréal Philippines looks to changing and improving the livelihood of even more Filipinos, Valencia further shared that the company will continue to be a committed partner in working with communities to share beauty with all, and had the honor of detailing the opening of the new training centers in Barangay Bayong Nayon 1 in Antipolo, Barangay Western Bicutan in Taguig, and Barangay Sto. Rosario Kanluran in Pateros. The facilities are crucial in L’Oréal’s mission of training and supporting a total of 1,000 graduates by 2022 in the Philippines.

“The opening of the three new centers solidifies our commitment to share beauty with all. Not only is beauty our business, but it is also our commitment in empowering and arming women with the skills to a better future. We want more Filipinos to have access to the right kind of livelihood support with the skills that use their interpersonal and creative abilities. At L’Oréal, we believe education serves as a bridge for a more inclusive society. Through beauty, we aim to lift lives in our own small way and teach a profession that can give joy to ourselves, families, and others,” Valencia ended.

n Class 2019 valedictorian Joan Mararac grew up in Bicol and had just moved to Marikina when the program began with high hopes to build a better future for her family.

D4

SATURDAY MAY 4, 2019

EDITOR Tessa Mauricio-Arriola STAFF WRITERS Christina Alpad & Iza Iglesias DESKMAN Arlo Custodio

FROM HOME CARE TO COSMETICS

Human Nature takes first steps in curbing plastic pollution

BY CHRISTINA ALPAD

P

LASTICS are convenient, durable and cheap, making them the longtime choice of most manufacturers as containers of everyday needs including cosmetics and personal care products.

However, as the whole world knows by now, continued use of plastics amid the lack of recycling initiatives and facilities, among other factors, allow these reliable materials to destroy the environment.

According a 2019 article from the United Nations Environment Program, “Our planet is drowning in plastic pollution,” with up to 79 percent of plastics ending up in the natural environment.

Of this proportion some eight to 12 million tons of plastic waste go into oceans each year, so much so that if nothing is done to curb the use of this material, a report by Ellen McArthur Foundation predicts there could be more plastics than fish in the sea by 2050.

founder Anna Meloto-Wilk shared the company’s excitement with The Manila Times over the realization of this longawaited project.

“We are very happy to finally have the refilling station, which we have been working on for over a year now. It will change the way we use our household products, and hopefully our cosmetics products as well,” she began,

Enter refilling stations Thanks to various organizations and individuals who continue to raise awareness about this pressing issue, a growing number of manufacturers and consumers around the world are becoming more environmentally n The company hopes that they can soon conscious and are taking concrete mount the same initiative for its wide range of and innovative steps toward the personal care and cosmetic products. plastics problem.

One such move is the establishment of no­ting that a change in lifestyle is the refilling stations by manufacturing com- most difficult thing to do when old panies where customers can bring recycled habits bring convenience. bottles for their product purchases.

For now, the brand’s refilling stations are Gaining success in various parts of the limited to its home care products, namely globe, the Philippines is gradually catching its liquid detergent, dishwashing liquid up with the trend with proudly home- and baby bottle and utensils cleaner. grown personal care company Human “There are two reasons why we are Nature opening a pair of refilling stations starting with home care products: first, at its flagship store in Commonwealth, when it goes down your drain, the Quezon City and SM North EDSA branch. volume of chemicals that goes into Human Nature President and co- the ground water and ocean is more

n Refilling stations are a welcome change for consumers who want to cut down on single-use plastic containers. than personal care products. Second, the regulations for home care products in refilling stations are not as strict for now as cosmetics.”

Specific bottles Human Nature’s step forward, however, came at the heels of an online backlash against a major personal care brand that had opened its own refilling station just a week before.

While environmentally conscious consumers lauded the brand’s initiative, they were surprised to learn that it is not possible to buy refills if they bring just any bottle. It has to be the very size and bottle of a specific product like a shampoo variant for example.

“I totally understand the restrictions of the manufacturer because when you place a product into the market you have the responsibility of ensuring product integrity and consumer safety. To do that, you need to make sure that your bottle is compatible with your product,” Meloto-Wilk commented.

Asked for expertise as a manufacturer herself, the Filipina entrepreneur imparted that before their products even hit the shelves, they conduct thorough testing to make sure the bottles would not compromise the content and reversely, that the product would not corrode the bottle.

“Even if all plastic bottles look the same, there are many, many different types of plastics, there’s ET [Polyethylene Terephthalate, used for water bottles], PP [Polypropylene, plastic

n Refilling stations are currently restricted to use the exact same bottle for the same product.

lining in food boxes, potato chips bags], and HDPE [High-Density Polyethylene, for milk jugs and oil bottles]. And those are just three of the many,” Meloto-Wilk further noted.

Human Nature therefore also requires customers to bring their empty, clean and dry Human Nature Home Care bottles to their refilling stations.

“We are all trying to follow a Food and Drug Administration [FDA] rule wherein what’s inside the bottle needs to correspond to the label of the bottle.”

Overall, the benefit still outweighs the restriction. Case in point, each reusable 20-liter bulk refilling container saves at least 40 bottles of 500 ml dishwashing liquid and 21 bottles of 950 ml liquid detergent, respectively.

Petition for change

n Human Nature President and co-founder Anna Meloto-Wilk believes there should be a partnership between consumers and various sectors, including the government, to sustain refilling stations.

If consumers want to simplify these rules for refilling stations, Meloto-Wilk encourages them to sign an ongoing petition Human Nature initiated.

Dubbed as “Mainstream Refilling,” the petition — which can be accessed at bit.ly/mainstreamrefiling — is call on the FDA to create safe, sustainable and widely accessible refilling stations for household and cosmetic products.

“If we don’t work together with the government, it’s also going to be very hard to really come up with more sustainable products if they don’t allow it.

“There really has to be a partnership with the government, with the citizens, with the companies who make the products, as well as with the youth and the academe for new technology,” Meloto-Wilk ended.

It’s a shiny, glittery summer for nails IT is safe to say that most girls look forward summer vacations not only for R&R but also to have more time to pamper themselves be it at a spa, a skin and body clinic, a beauty salon, or in this case, in the comfort of their homes to polish their nails!

While some find pampering their nails therapeutic, most women just want to have fun splashing color on their hands and feet, which pioneering nail polish brand Caronia has allowed Filipinas to do for over 50 years.

“Whatever the year or season, we never stop with what we have — we always launch something new and that’s what keeps the brand going and standing strong,” Caronia brand officer Rachel Enciso told The Manila Times Look Book at the company’s annual summer product launch.

For summer 2019, the brand’s constant goal of staying in trend has resulted in the Tropical Glam collection. Fun and innovative, these six jars of nail polish are meant for mixing and matching in a range of light colors with subtle shine, and rich metallics with glitters to make unique combinations.

“For the longest time, summer colors are usually the brightest ones, very yellow and very orange. But this time, we took note of how people are in love with the pastel and glittery trends combined in this Tropical Glam collection,” Enciso explained.

Moreover, the collection is split into two sets, Tropical Glam Shimmer and Tropical Glam Metallic.

Shimmer is composed of Limelight, a glittery ocean green that looks more beautiful under the sun; Primrose, a matte baby pink matches any color; and Fantasia, a darker glittery pink that serves as a fashion accessory in itself.

Metallic, on the other hand, includes Lumina, a subtle gold that gives off an earthy summer vibe; Fairy Dust, a silver shade inspired by sparkling ocean waves; and Ethereal, a deep rose gold that again complements any color or outfit.

“Usually when you just have a set of plain colors, it’s hard to mix and match them for polish, but with this line, you can blend the frosted colors of the metallic set and the shimmer collection easily. It’s a variety that women can enjoy playing with, while making their nails go from subtle to glam,” Enciso added.

To further encourage people to experiment with the different color and style combinations, Caronia simultaneously released the company’s very first nail art magazine edition. These have been distributed to their partner salons all over the country to give women fabulous ideas for nail art concepts using Tropical Glam.

NIKA ROQUE

n The Shimmer set is composed of Limelight, Primrose and Fantasia for subtle colors.

n The Metallic set includes Lumina, Fairy Dust and Ethereal to amp the glam.

n Caronia Brand Officer Rachel Enciso (third from left), Vibelle Marketing Head Olive Soria (fourth from left) with host Janeena Chan (left most) at the launch of the brand’s summer collection.

n The new Tropical Glam collection for the summer allows women to play around with combinations of light and glittery nail polish shades.

advertising@manilatimes.net 524-5664 local 121, 3105895 and 3105582

Republic of the Philippines Department of Finance BUREAU OF CUSTOMS Collection District II-B MANILA INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER PORT NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 1129, 1139 to 1144 and Sec. 1151 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in relation to CAO 10-2007 dated November 28, 2007, CAO 04-2016 dated October 26, 2016 and CMO 02-2019 dated January 22, 2019 and other relevant Customs Memorandum Orders, there will be Public Auction Sale through Sealed Bidding to be conducted by the Auction and Cargo Disposal Division, Manila International Container Port on: PUBLIC AUCTION : MAY 22, 2019 Opening of sealed bids : 10:00 A.M. Place : Conference Room, Office of the District Collector Ground Floor, MICP Building North Harbor, Isla Puting Bato, Tondo, Manila Public Viewing of Goods will be available to all qualified bidders on: May 20 & 21, 2019 Sale Lot No. 044-2019 Consignee: AGCABUGAO MULTI-PURPOSE COOPERATIVE A.P. No. 105-2019, 1042019, 106-2019 Date of Arrival: 08/31/2018, 08/25/2018

35x20’ containers Vietnam White Rice 5% broken Approximately 18,200 bags 23x20’ containers Vietnam White Rice 5% broken Approximately 11,960 bags

BL No. OOLU2607668810 Container Nos. OOLU3648139, OOLU3672897, OOLU3712032, OOLU3047903, OOLU3652463, OOLU0335470, OOLU0218197, OOLU0225323, OOLU3702570, OOLU0322160, OOLU1545126, OOLU3658380, OOLU3569092, OOLU3764334, OOLU3792779, OOLU0429836, OOLU0256406, OOLU1411359, OOLU1064481, OOLU2870711, OOLU0592798, OOLU3790061, OOLU3731388

“AS IS WHERE IS” Location: ICTSI-CY Floor Price: Php 8,840,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 049-2019 Consignee: STA CRUZ MULTI -PURPOSE

A.P. No. 109-2019 Date of Arrival: 5/9/2018 “Proceeds are held in escrow” Floor Price: Php 3,400,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 046-2019 Consignee: GUIMBA LICAB IRRIGATORS ASSOCIATION A.P. No. 110-2019,

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY

Floor Price: Php 22,100,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 050-2019 Consignee: ZANJERA DE CATANGARAN IRRIGATORS A.P. No. 118-2019, 119-2019, 130-2019, 120-2019 Date of Arrival: 09/14/2018, 09/15/2018, 09/16/2018 “Proceeds are held in escrow”

BL No. OOLU2607669010 Container Nos. OOLU3203673, OOLU1283303, OOLU1367636, OOLU1554344, OOLU0625546, OOLU2992108, OOLU1648572, OOLU0263750, OOLU1026938, OOLU0415468, OOLU3633191, OOLU1860811, OOLU1851975, OOLU1519019, OOLU3685894, OOLU1260252, OOLU3657887, OOLU3676125, OOLU2179274, OOLU3675828, OOLU1575753, OOLU1353930, OOLU1355234

BL No. POBUBKK180800057 Container Nos. CAIU6173258, BSIU2918672, BSIU3025252, POLU2000435, BMOU2777476, FCIU6149671, BSIU3152771, DFSU2769298

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

25x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 13,000 bags 25x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 13,000 bags

Date of Arrival: 09/13/2018

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY Floor Price: Php 22,100,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 047-2019 Consignee: NEW HATCHIN TRADING CORP. A.P. No. 108-2019 Date of Arrival: 09/19/2018 “Proceeds are held in escrow”

Floor Price: Php 6,630,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 048-2019 Consignee: SILVERICE TRADING CORPORATION

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

15x20’ containers Vietnam White Rice 5% broken Approximately 7,800 bags BL No. SITSGMNG145873 Container Nos. TEMU5758046, OCBU2037152, UETU2338278, SITU2856040, SITU2868653, UETU2404030, SLSU2080686, TRHU2971771, TGCU0191950, SITU2874213, SEGU2063959, TGHU1960195, TRHU3520520, SEGU1756060, SITU2778992 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY Additional Requirements 1. With updated NFA License (as Wholesaler/Retailer) 2. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 3. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

Floor Price: Php 47,736,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 051-2019 Consignee: ZANJERA SOLPIDING FARMERS

20x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 10,400 bags 20x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 10,400 bags 28x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 14,560 bags 20x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 10,400 bags

Sale Lot No. 053-2019

BL No. SGNCB18011703 Container Nos. REGU3212790, REGU3230983, A.P. No. 116-2019 TEMU5418160, FCIU2897422, CAIU3736717, CAIU6002173, GESU3414755, REGU3134465, Date of Arrival: SEGU3401290, FCIU3572592, REGU3283828, 09/25/2018 OCGU2042347, REGU3284547, GLDU5772522, FCIU2897633, TEMU5344621, GESU1072720, TEMU5276682, TCKU3672231, TCKU3638303, “Proceeds are held in FCIU3314598, GLDU5774398, OCGU2042115, escrow” CAIU6051671, TEMU5304531, TGHU2907750 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY Additional Requirements Floor Price: Php 11,492,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

Floor Price: Php 4,420,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 052-2019 Consignee: ZANJERA SOLPIDING FARMERS S.I. No. 124-2018, 1252018 Date of Arrival: 09/13/2018 “Proceeds are held in escrow”

Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

1.

Filing of Bidder’s Registration Form (with name, address and TIN), together with the latest certified true copy of Income and/or Business Tax Returns duly stamped and received by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) with a validated tax payment made thereon at least Two (2) days prior to the day of auction.

2.

Registration on the logbook for registered bidders indicating the name, address and TIN to be made with the Chief, ACDD one (1) day before the date of actual bidding until exactly an hour immediately preceding the time of actual bidding; thereafter registration is closed.

3.

Payment of non-refundable Php2,020.00 Registration Fee.

4.

Posting of duly receipted bond in cash or, manager’s check in amount equivalent as stated in CAO No. 04-2016 (please refer to the table below for the bond). The bond shall be refunded to the losing bidder after the closing of the auction.

FLOOR PRICE Not Over Ph10,000.00 Over Ph10,000.00 but not over Over Php1,000,000.00 but not over Over Php 2,500,000.00 but not over Over Php 5,000,000.00

Php 1,000,000.00 Php 2,500,000.00 Php 5,000,000.00

BOND None 20% 15% 10% 5%

The bond shall be refunded to the losing bidder after the closing of the auction. The bond shall not, however, be required when the floor price of a sale lot is ten thousand pesos (Php10,000.00) or less.

5. At the end of each bidding, the highest bidder shall be required to pay in cash or manager’s check at least fifty percent (50%) of the bid price on the spot upon announcement of the winning bid as duly certified to by the Auction Committee and the COA representative. The remaining balance shall be paid on the succeeding business day.

6. Payments with Cashier’s / Manager’s Check / Cash to the BOC / MICP shall bear the following: a.

BUREAU OF CUSTOMS IFO NAME OF BIDDER.

7.

The auction shall be conducted through sealed bids, which shall be submitted and opened in public by the Auction Committee at a time, date and place specified in the Notice of Auction Sale. Only One (1) sealed bid per bidder is allowed in a lot.

BL No. EGLV050800863239 Container Nos. EITU0401394, BMOU1072440, TEMU0475640, EGSU3105824, EITU0040096, TCKU1854448, MAGU2464113, EMCU3956656, TCLU3558191, DFSU2805707, DFSU1117417, EGHU3107989, EGSU3003864, EITU0332020, TCLU7500808, EITU0173186, TEMU4146025, GLDU5744496, DFSU1110074, EISU3995090

8.

The highest bid shall be declared as the winner except when clustering occurs.

Clustering occurs when the difference between the highest and the second highest bid is within ten percent (10%) of the highest bid. In such case, an open-bidding shall be conducted among the bidders of the particular sale lot who are present with the highest bid serving as the new floor price. Only bids raised by three percent (3%) more than the new floor price shall be considered and the highest bid in the open-bidding shall be declared as the winner. Otherwise, the highest sealed bid shall be declared as the winner.

BL No. EGLV050800863247 Container Nos. HMCU3058177, EMCU6026400, DRYU2674186, DRYU2229010, EMCU3924324, GLDU9506346, MAGU2194300, EISU3785411, TGHU0333858, DRYU2740647, EGSU3035033, TCLU3610387, EMCU6007680, EITU0252304, EITU0240448, EMCU3912597, TEMU4146452, EMCU6069151, BSIU2505766, TCLU3493887

9.

A failed bidding shall be declared by the Auction Committee when any of the following circumstances occurs:

BL No. EGLV050800707661 Container Nos. EITU0174916, DRYU2230089, BEAU2111470, TLLU2044576, EISU2162130, EISU3969091, HMCU3065730, TRHU1194147, MAGU2471410, DRYU2772161, EGSU3134268, DRYU2241890, EITU0449654, EISU2257467, DRYU2267278, DRYU2280475, DRYU2272443, HMCU3051260, EITU0148861, DRYU2447069 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

a. b. c.

11. The sale lots subject of magna scale weighing shall be released only after they have undergone such weighing. Should the result of the magna scale weighing for a particular sale lot differ from the approximate weight of the said sale lot stated in this Notice, the following shall take effect: a.

BL No. GTD0413560 Container Nos. APZU3558525, TGHU1554555, TCKU1599110, CMAU0287791, CAXU6631650, APZU3844719, CMAU1501193, APZU3651659, BMOU2190597, CMAU0617044, ECMU1654533, CMAU1673910, APZU3628561, GLDU5383135, CMAU0296767, TRLU8882258, APZU3794670, ECMU1497115, TRHU3066042, CMAU1015864

To illustrate: assuming that the winning bid price for the Sale Lot 0xx2015, which has a published approximate weight of 1,872,000 kilograms, I PhP50,000.00. if the sale lot, after being subject to magna scale weighing, is determined to be heavier, say 1,900,000 kilograms, and the winning bidder wishes to acquire the excess, he would have to pay a total of 50,747,863.25. the total amount has been arrived at by using the aforesaid formula, thus:

Total Amount to be Paid = PhP50,000.00x 1,900,000 kgs.

1,872,000 kgs.

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

20x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 5,200 bags

Any weight found in excess of the approximate weight of the contents of those containers subject to magna scale weighing shall not be considered as part of the sale lot offered for auction, provided, however, that in this case it is determined that there is excess weight, the winning bidder may purchase the excess weight at the pro-rated bid price per kilo of the winning bidder, provided further that the winning bidder shall purchase the whole weight of the excess articles and indicate his intention to do so within one day from discovery of the excess.

a.1. Pro-rated bid price per kilo shall mean the total bid amount given by the winning bidder during the bidding process divided by the published approximate weight of the sale lot. To compute for the total price to be paid for purchasing the whole sale lot, the formula to be used is as follow:

Total Amount to be Paid = Bid Price x Actual Weight Approximate weight

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY

20x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 5,200 bags

When there is only one sealed bid, the same shall not be opened; When there are two sealed bids but there is only one bid higher than the floor price When the highest bidder fails to comply with any of the payments required in Section 8 hereof, said bidder shall be disqualified from participating further in the auction sale and when applicable, the negotiated sale thereof without prejudice to the forfeiture of the cash bond and any payment made and imposition of other sanctions as may be warranted.

10. When a failed bidding is declared, the sale lot shall be offered in a second auction to be held on the third business day after the first failed auction at the same floor price without need of further advertisement/posting. In case of perishable goods, the second auction shall be conducted on the first business day following the first failed bidding.

10x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 5,200 bags

BL No. GTD0413752 Container Nos. CMAU1681900, TCLU3220711, APZU3533893, TCLU7264940, ECMU1689247, APZU3294021, GLDU5418988, DFSU2184277, CMAU1264506, GESU1117995, CMAU0105984, IPXU3530410, APZU3294295, TCKU3263871, TCKU2735818, TEMU0062081, GLDU9867354, CNCU1527230, CXDU1471710, GLDU9682108

A.P. No. 109-2019

1.

2.

Terms and Conditions of Public Auction:

BL No. ABKMNNPM02N1125 Container Nos. DFSU1217801, NLLU9004482, NLLU9009355, TEMU3205041, DFSU1501187, Date of Arrival: 5/9/2018 DFSU1509830, DFSU2813512, NLLU9004965, SGRU2045715, NLLU9006356 “Proceeds are held in escrow”

E1

26x20’ containers Vietnam White Rice 5% broken Approximately 13,520 bags

Consignee: HJA EYAM K AJIBON RICE WHOLESALER

A.P. No. 121-2018

20x20’ containers Pakistan Irri-6 White Rice 5% broken Approximately 10,400 bags

BL No. 550810053760 Container Nos. SLSU2110100, FCIU5399742, TSLU0201703, DFSU1749342, BSIU3003778, Date of Arrival: FCIU5620180, DFSU1725844, GAOU2044441, 08/20/2018 FCIU5334886, TCLU7520316, BSIU3102256, “Proceeds are held in GAOU2036810, FCIU5649693, TEMU5666973, TEMU5802175, DFSU1908953, TCLU7539672, escrow” FCIU5399911, TEMU5801651, DFSU1921600

20x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 10,400 bags

BL No. EGLV050800863271 Container Nos. DRYU2247081, TEMU3938558, IMTU3057217, XINU1480055, WFHU1425396, EMCU3953092, EGSU3135346, EMCU6076340, HMCU3015766, EMCU3620580, TCLU2784379, EGHU3098465, EMCU3889460, BMOU2859764, EISU3957104, TCLU6198268, EGSU3070688, HMCU3048250, GLDU9705137, MAGU2217237, TEMU4138652, TGCU2011852, SEGU1343019, MAGU2182146, DFSU1445340, SEGU1295862, TEMU4067292, DRYU2379262

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY

BL No. BKKCB18012354 Container Nos. WWWU2702090, REGU3283474, REGU3224677, CAIU2542044, GESU3449303, TCKU2250247, CAIU3519218, CAIU3462642, TEMU5791194, TEMU2273015, FCIU2883877, SIPU2201244, GESU3576925, FCIU4578980, REGU3252339, CAIU2370963, REGU3229684, CAIU6051120, CAIU2578392, TCKU2052597, REGU3232570, TGHU1793035, TEMU2408830, GESU3585819, TCKU1594633

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

BL No. EGLV050800863131 Container Nos. EGSU3025858, EGHU3100541, TCLU3105390, EMCU3966762, BSIU2475337, EITU0083360, TEMU3694410, EGHU3110072, EMCU6025960, HMCU3062243, TCLU3562503, OCGU2059611, TCLU3502504, EITU0583853, GLDU9528725, MAGU2351061, DRYU2211617, EMCU6091514, EMCU3944758, GLDU9749958

8x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% broken Approximately 4,000 bags

BL No. BKKCB18011886 Container Nos. CAIU6062357, CAIU6458585, FCIU2843093, CAIU3360580, TEMU0071020, REGU3246423, CAIU2403310, OCGU2032821, “Proceeds are held in TEMU5689156, FCIU3227451, CAIU6597533, escrow” DFSU1570450, CAIU3690658, FCIU2890304, CAIU3243623, FCIU3667553, CAIU6015951, OCGU2015742, TGHU3897851, CAIU6363068, REGU3229046, CAIU3513143, CAIU2363732, OCGU2049465, TCLU3166518

50x20’ containers Vietnam White Rice 5% broken Approximately 26,000 bags

BL No. ASC0185980 Container Nos. CAIU3113300, CMAU0009403, Date of Arrival: TGHU0343898, ECMU2076487, CMAU1637718, 09/21/2018 CMAU2067923, BEAU2234704, CMAU0153030, TCKU3357163, APZU3427150, ECMU1698629, CMAU0143480, CMAU1708956, CAIU2028293, “Proceeds are held in ECMU1560861, CAIU3437125, CMAU0545453, escrow” ECMU1425840, CMAU1331501, CMAU1489713, CMAU1084340, APZU3263951, CMAU2134770, GLDU5016253, ECMU1816280, FCGU2307220, APZU3038890, CAIU2134130, APZU3339316, ECMU1863359, GESU1385848, APZU3401829, APZU3580679, TRHU2652007, TGHU1362995, DFSU1068755, APZU3884727, TEMU5831764, APZU3530575, ECMU2024170, TEMU4178906, CMAU2023083, CMAU0609882, CMAU1521878, BMOU2085400, GESU3109469, SEGU1074455, CAXU6669065, ECMU2078730, APZU3909342

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

Consignee: BARANGAYAN SIETE IRRIGATORS

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release

A.P. No. 247-2018

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY

Sale Lot No. 045-2019

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

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23x20’ containers Vietnam White Rice 5% broken Approximately 11,960 bags

BL No. SITSGMNG145215 “Proceeds are held in Container Nos. DFSU1267675, SEGU2563194, escrow” TEMU3320831, TEMU2429556, SITU2759354, GATU0208605, SITU2880197, TGCU0192427, TEMU4649400, BEAU2690319, TRHU2976454, SITU2792938, DFSU1681793, DFSU1552672, TRHU3294715, TEMU3593306, DFSU1270365, DFSU1680159, TEMU4117599, SLSU2075632, SEGU2552142, RFCU2307394, SEGU1558505, SITU2817569, GLDU9918364, SEGU2145316, RFCU2308934, SITU2852657, SEGU2062839, DFSU1268033, BMOU2878086, SEGU1416711, SEGU1241779, SITU2879236, TRHU3291341

Floor Price: Php 35,802,000.00 @ P17.00/kg.

Classified Ads

Total Amount to be Paid = PhP50,747,863.25

a.2. should the winning bidder decide to purchase the excess weight, he shall pay the amount for the excess weight within five (5) days from demand thereof by the District Collector, or his duty authorized representative; otherwise, the excess quantity shall not be considered to have been sold and shall be offered for in the next public auction of the port.

12. In case the quantity determined after the magna scale weighing is less than the approximate weight in this Notice, the winning bidder shall be entitled to a proportionate adjustment of the bid amount based on the actual weight. The same formula as illustrated in 11.a.1 shall be used in computing for the adjustment in the bid amount based on the actual weight.

13. Compliance of terms & conditions of the release of the cargo by winning bidder like weighing, final counting, etc.

14. Non-compliance with any of the terms and conditions of the Notice of Public Auction shall result in the forfeiture of any payments made by the winning bidder without prejudice to the forfeiture of the subject shipments in favor of the Government.

15. The Bureau of Customs, Collection District II-B Manila International Container Port reserves the right to reject or cancel any or all bids, to waive any formality therein, and to accept such bids as may be considered most advantageous to the Government, or to call-off the bidding prior to acceptance of the bids and to call for a new bid under amended rules.

For further details, please contact Mr. Gerardo M. Macatangay, Chief, Auction and Cargo Disposal Division, MICP, Tel No.245-4101 loc. 2283.

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY ATTY. ERASTUS SANDINO B. AUSTRIA District Collector, MICP

Additional Requirements Floor Price: Php 8,840,000.00 @P17.00/kg.

1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, AOCG, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

MT – May 4, 2019

E2

SATURDAY May 4, 2019

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Terms and Conditions of Public Auction: 1. Filing of Bidder’s Registration Form (with name, address and TIN), together with the latest certified true copy of Income and/or Business Tax Returns duly stamped and received by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) with a validated tax payment made thereon, at least two (2) days prior to the day of auction.

2. Registration on the logbook for registered bidders indicating the name, address and TIN to be made with the Chief, ACDD one (1) day before the date of actual bidding until exactly an hour immediately preceding the rime of actual bidding; thereafter registration is closed.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 1139 to 1151 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in relation to CAO 10-2007 dated November 28, 2007 and CAO 04-2016 dated October 26, 2016, and other relevant Customs Memorandum Orders, there will be Public Auction Sale through Sealed Bidding to be conducted by the Auction and Cargo Disposal Division, Port of Manila on:

PUBLIC AUCTION

:

MONDAY, 20 MAY 2019

Opening of sealed bids : 10:00 A.M. Place : MISTG Conference Room, 2nd Floor ICT Building

Bureau of Customs, Port Area, Manila

Public Viewing of Merchandise will be available to all qualified bidders on: 17 May 2019

Sale Lot No. 031-2019 Consignee: Linking Enterprises Decrees:

SI No: 2015-027

Arrival date: January 2015

Floor Price: Php 188,003.60

Sale Lot No. 032-2018 Consignee: Transpo Greece/ Panagiotis Dimopolis Decree: AP No: 2018-041 Arrival date: 12 August 2017 Consignee: Manila Forwarder Decree: AP No: 2018-041 Arrival date: 15 January 2018

Floor Price: Php 242,694.40

CERAMIC TILES Size: 600MMx600MM Approximately 950 ctns 1x20’ container van bearing no: BSIU2642901 (Part of the shipment under B/L No: 713410118912) “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ATI - Santa Clara, Batangas Requirement: • Goods shall be subjected to Magna Scale prior to release.

ASSORTED HOUSEHOLD GOODS Approximately 10,000 kgs (600 packages) (Wooden table, chairs & cabinets, mirror, foam, sofa set) 2x40’container vans bearing nos: HALU5690044 & HALU5677361 Php183,305.20 Approximately 2,500 kgs (Used tables, cabinets, bed and chairs) 1x40’ container van bearing no: YMMU4109738 Php59,389.20 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ATI – Santa Clara, Batangas Requirement: • Goods shall be subjected to Magna Scale prior to release.

Sale Lot No. 033-2018

ASSORTED ITEMS

Consignee: Zanya Marketing Decree: SI No: 2017-091

TWO (2) CARTONS MASSAGE CHAIRS AND SIX (6) CARTONS ACCESSORIES

Consignee: Albartes Trading Decree: AP No: 2018-022

KITCHEN WEIGHING SCALES (20KG, 15KG, 5KG, 3KG, 2KG, 1KG) Approximately 322 boxes ZIPLOCK (25 SACKS)

Floor Price: Php 188,498.33

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ATI – Warehouse 1

Sale Lot No. 034-2018 Consignee: Macro Indl Packaging Decree:

Ipso Facto Forfeited

Arrival date: January 2013 Floor Price: Php 137,513.43

Sale Lot No. 035-2018 Consignee: Rainbow Horizon Ents Decree:

AP No: 2018-041

Arrival date: 06 August 2018 Floor Price: Php 269,188.96

Sale Lot No. 036-2018 Consignee: Harmo Technology Decree:

AP No: 2018-041

Arrival date: January 2018

GYPSUM POWDER Approximately 25,000 kgs (500 bags@50kg/bag) 1x20’ container van bearing no: TGHU0810040 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ATI – Santa Clara, Batangas Requirement: • Goods shall be subjected to Magna Scale prior to release.

1.8 MM ULTRA CLEAR FLOAT GLASS Size: 914MMx1220MM @288pcs/crates Weight as per Magna Scale: 24,870kgs Container van bearing no: TGHU1332814 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ATI – Santa Clara, Batangas Note: • Container has already undergone magna scale as certified by the Asian Terminals Inc. (see attached certificate) ONE UNIT USED MILLING MACHINE AND ONE UNIT USED LATHE MACHINE “Not in running condition” Container van bearing no: TEMU5801097 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ATI – Santa Clara, Batangas

Floor Price: Php 74,748.80 Sale Lot No. 037-2018 Consignee: Overseas Container Decree:

DIESEL GENERATOR SETS AND PARTS One unit Model PDG-750SCS Two Units Model PDG-20SS Container van bearing no: MRKU5378342

3. Payment of non-refundable Php2,020.00 Registration Fee. 4. Posting of duly receipted bond in cash or manager’s check in an amount equivalent as stated in CAO No: 04-2016 (please refer to the table below for the bond). The bond shall be refunded to the losing bidder after the closing of the auction.

FLOOR PRICE Not Over

Floor Price: Php 1,396,800.00

10,000.00

None

10,000.00 but not over Php

1,000,000.00

20%

Over

Php

1,000,000.00 but not over Php

2,500,000.00

15%

Over

Php

2,500,000.00 but not over Php

5,000,000.00

10%

Over

Php

5,000,000.00

5%

5. Payment of highest bidder in cash or manager’s check at least fifty percent (50%) of the bid price on the spot upon announcement of the winning bid as duly certified to by the Auction Committee and the COA representative. The remaining balance of 50% shall be paid on the succeeding business day.

6. Payments with Cashier’s / Manager’s Check / Cash to the BOC / POM shall bear the following: a. Pay to the order of BOC POM FAO____________________; b. For credit of the Bureau of Customs; c. For the account of: ______________________; Bidder 7. The auction shall be conducted through sealed bids, which shall be submitted and opened in public by the Auction Committee at a time, date and place specified in the Notice of Auction Sale.

8. The highest bid shall be declared as the winner except when clustering occurs.

Clustering occurs when the difference between the highest and the second highest bid is within ten percent (10%) of the highest bid. In such case, an openbidding shall be conducted among the bidders of the particular sale lot who are present with the highest bid serving as the new floor price. Only bids raised by three percent (3%) more than the new floor price shall be considered and the highest bid in the open-bidding shall be declared as the winner. Otherwise, the highest sealed bid shall be declared as the winner.

9. A failed bidding shall be declared by the Auction Committee when any of the following circumstances occurs: a. When there is only one sealed bid, the same shall not be opened; b. When there are two sealed bids but there is only one bid higher than the floor price; c. When the highest bidder fails to comply with any of the payments required in Section 9 thereof, said bidder shall be disqualified from participating further in the auction sale and when applicable, the negotiated sale thereof without prejudice to the forfeiture of the cash bond and any payment made and imposition of other sanctions as may be warranted.

10. When a failed bidding is declared, the sale lot shall be offered in a second auction to be held on the third business day after the first failed auction at the same floor price without need of further advertisement/posting. In case of perishable goods, the second auction shall be conducted on the first business day following the first failed bidding.

11. The sale lots subject of magna scale weighing shall be released only after they have undergone such weighing. Should the result of the magna scale weighing for a particular sale lot differ from the approximate weight of the said sale lot stated in this Notice, the following rules shall take effect: a. Any weight found in excess of the approximate weight of the contents of those containers subject to magna scale weighing shall not be considered as part of the sale lot offered for auction; provided, however, that in case it is determined that there is excess weight, the winning bidder may purchase the excess weight at the pro-rated bid price per kilo of the winning bidder, provided further that the winning bidder shall purchase the whole weight of the excess articles and indicate his intention to do so within one day from discovery of the excess. a.1. Pro-rated bid price per kilo shall mean the total bid amount given by the winning bidder during the bidding process divided by the published approximate weight of the sale lot. To compute for the total price to be paid for purchasing the whole sale lot, the formula to be used is as follows:

Total Amount to be Paid = Bid Price x Actual Weight

Approximate Weight

To illustrate: Assuming that the winning bid price for Sale Lot 0xx-2015, which has a published approximate weight of 1,872,000 kilograms, is PhP50,000,000.00. If the sale lot, after being subjected to magna scale weighing, is determined to be heavier, say 1,900,000 kilograms, and the winning bidder wishes to acquire the excess, he would have to pay a total of PhP50,747,863.25. The total amount has been arrived at by using the aforesaid formula, thus:

Total Amount to be Paid = PhP50,000,000.00 x 1,900,000 kgs

1,872,000 kgs

Total Amount to be Paid = PhP 50,747,863.25 a.2. Should the winning bidder decide to purchase the excess weight, he shall pay the amount for the excess weight within five (5) days from demand thereof by the District Collector, or his duly authorized representative; otherwise, the excess quantity shall not be considered to have been sold and shall be offered for sale in the next public auction of the port.

12. In case the quantity determined after the magna scale weighing is less than the approximate weight in this Notice, the winning bidder shall be entitled to a proportionate adjustment of bid amount based on the actual weight. The same formula as illustrated in 11.a.1 shall be used in computing for the adjustment in the bid amount based on the actual weight.

13. Compliance of terms & conditions of the release of cargo by winning bidder like weighing, final counting, etc.

14. Non-compliance with any of the terms and conditions of the Notice of Public Auction shall result in the forfeiture of any payments made by the winning bidder without prejudice to the forfeiture of the subject shipments in favor of the Government.

15. Release shall be supervised by ACDD, ESS, POS, OCOM, CIIS, IG, ODC and COA representatives.

For further details, please contact Auction & Cargo Disposal Division, Port of Manila, at email: auction.acdd.pomboc@gmail.com.

MT - May 4, 2019

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AP No: 2018-041

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Republic of the Philippines Department of Finance BUREAU OF CUSTOMS Collection District II-B MANILA INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER PORT NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION

Pursuant to the provisions of Section 1139 to 1151 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), in relation to CAO 10-2007 dated November 28, 2007 and CAO 04-2016 dated October 26, 2016, and other relevant Customs Memorandum Orders, there will be Public Auction Sale through Sealed Bidding to be conducted by the Auction and Cargo Disposal Division, Manila International Container Port on: PUBLIC AUCTION

Opening of sealed bids : Place :

:

May 24, 2019

10:00 A.M. Conference Room, Office of the District Collector Ground Floor, MICP Building North Harbor, Isla Puting Bato, Tondo, Manila

Public Viewing of Goods will be available to all qualified bidders on: May 22 and 23, 2019

Sale Lot No. 012-2019 Consignee: BM Capuso Irrigators Assn. Inc. A.P. No. 097-2019 Date of Arrival: 9-7-2018 “Proceeds are held in escrow”

20x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5% Broken Approximately 10,400 bags BL No. LCHCB18021871 Container Nos. CAIU2552905, CAIU2576424, CAIU3616711 CAIU3637782, CAIU3733739, CAIU3740002 CAIU3772822, CAIU3796402, CAIU3796444 FCIU234828, FCIU5696210, OCGU2033324 OCGU2040489, OCGU2043209, TCKU3380760 TEMU0023470, TEMU2317427, TEMU5343287 TEMU5633861, TEMU5992692 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY

Floor Price: Php8,840,000.00 P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 013-2019 Consignee: Malaya Development Cooperative A.P. No. 260-2018 Date of Arrival: 9-5-2018 “Proceeds are held in escrow”

Additional Requirements

Sale Lot No. 014-2019 Consignee: Victor Del Rosario Rice Mill Corporation A.P. No. 244-2018 Date of Arrival: 3-17-2018

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

15x20’ containers Pakistan IRRI-6 White Rice 5 % Broken Approximately 7,800 bags Container Nos., FCIU5346697, CSLU2248581, FCIU5590996 FCIU5070910, CBHU5787842, FCIU5732072 CSLU2067454, FCIU5703916, CSLU1009833 CSLU1662200, CSLU1923617, CSLU1614731 FCIU5195501, FCIU5830612, GLDU9563433 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY

“Proceeds are held in escrow” Floor Price: Php6,630,000.00 P17.00/kg.

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

Consignee: TG-106 Multi Purpose Cooperative A.P. No. 083-2019, 084-2019 085-2019, 095-2019 Date of Arrival: 9-4-2018 9-5-2018 9-9-2018 9-24-2018

“Proceeds are held in escrow”

TEMU4214264, TCLU3764839, DFSU1895141 TEMU5037841, TEMU5021357, SEGU1661241 TEMU3289485, TEMU2564725, TEMU0435230 TEMU0411938 BSIU3052643, DFSU1847966, DFSU1910544 DFSU1941231, DFSU1973645, DFSU3037265 DRYU3049584, FCIU5290725, GAOU2026406 GAOU2047918, SLSU2094890, TCLU7518371 TEMU5624746, TEMU5659589, TEMU5812131 SEGU1678563, TCKU2299308, TCLU3887330 TEMU0186312, TEMU0389074, BEAU2851774 DFSU1900119, TEMU0281454 “ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY Floor Price: Php27,710,000.00 P17.00/kg.

Sale Lot No. 016-2019 Consignee: Sta. Cruz Agrarian Reform Cooperative A.P. No. 228-2018 Date of Arrival: 8-29-2018 “Proceeds are held in escrow”

Additional Requirements 1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

25x20’ containers Vietnam White Rice 5% Broken Approximately 13,000 bags BL No. 341810227257 Container Nos. BSIU2988242, BSIU2988577, BSIU306828 DFSU1699447, DFSU1739175, DFSU1749260 DFSU1964622, DFSU1967637, DFSU1967827 DFSU3037199, DFSU3134413, DFSU3139626 DFSU3154678, FCIU4022836, FCIU5290704 FCIU5299189, FCIU5391525, FCIU5649409 GAOU2044462, RFCU2290666, SLSU2096548 TCLU7555821, TRHU1994520, TSLU0215266 TSTU0233382

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY

S.I. No. 004-2019 Date of Arrival: 11-12-18 “Proceeds are held in escrow”

Additional Requirements

Floor Price: Php60,750.00 P67.50/kg.

1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

Terms and Conditions of Public Auction: 1. Filing of Bidder’s Registration Form (with name, address and TIN), together with the latest certified true copy of Income and/or Business Tax Returns duly stamped and received by the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) with a validated tax payment made thereon at least two (2) days prior to the day of auction.

2. Registration on the logbook for registered bidders indicating the name, address and TIN to be made with the Chief, ACDD one (1) day before the date of actual bidding until exactly an hour immediately preceding the time of actual bidding; thereafter registration is closed.

3. Payment of non-refundable Php2,020.00 Registration Fee. 4. Posting of duly receipted bond in cash or, manager’s check in amount equivalent as stated in CAO No. 042016 (please refer to the table below for the bond). The bond shall be refunded to the losing bidder after the losing bidder after the closing of the auction.

FLOOR PRICE Not Over

Ph10,000.00

BOND None

Over

Ph10,000.00

but not over

Php 1,000,000.00

20%

Over

Php1,000,000.00 but not over

Php 2,500,000.00

15%

Over

Php 2,500,000.00 but not over

Php 5,000,000.00

10%

Over

Php 5,000,000.00

5%

The bond shall be refunded to the losing bidder after the closing of the auction. The bond shall not, however, be required when the floor price of a sale lot is ten thousand pesos (Php10,000.00) or less.

5. At the end of each bidding, the highest bidder shall be required to pay in cash or manager’s check at least fifty percent (50%) of the bid price on the spot upon announcement of the winning bid as duly certified to by the Auction Committee and the COA representative. The remaining balance shall be paid on the succeeding business day.

6. Payments with Cashier’s / Manager’s Check / Cash to the BOC / MICP shall bear the following: a. BUREAU OF CUSTOMS IFO NAME OF BIDDER. 7. The auction shall be conducted through sealed bids, which shall be submitted and opened in public by the Auction Committee at a time, date and place specified in the Notice of Auction Sale. Only One (1) sealed bid per bidder is allowed in a lot.

8. The highest bid shall be declared as the winner except when clustering occurs. Clustering occurs when the difference between the highest and the second highest bid is within ten percent (10%) of the highest bid. In such case, an open-bidding shall be conducted among the bidders of the particular sale lot who are present with the highest bid serving as the new floor price. Only bids raised by three percent (3%) more than the new floor price shall be considered and the highest bid in the open-bidding shall be declared as the winner.

Otherwise, the highest sealed bid shall be declared as the winner.

9. A failed bidding shall be declared by the Auction Committee when any of the following circumstances occurs: a. When there is only one sealed bid, the same shall not be opened; b. When there are two sealed bids but there is only one bid higher than the floor price c. When the highest bidder fails to comply with any of the payments required in Section 8 hereof, said bidder shall be disqualified from participating further in the auction sale and when applicable, the negotiated sale thereof without prejudice to the forfeiture of the cash bond and any payment made and imposition of other sanctions as may be warranted.

10. When a failed bidding is declared, the sale lot shall be offered in a second auction to be held on the third business day after the first failed auction at the same floor price without need of further advertisement/posting.

In case of perishable goods, the second auction shall be conducted on the first business day following the first failed bidding.

11. The sale lots subject of magna scale weighing shall be released only after they have undergone such weighing.

Should the result of the magna scale weighing for a particular sale lot differ from the approximate weight of the said sale lot stated in this Notice, the following shall take effect:

63x20’ containers Thai White Rice 5 % Broken Approximately 32,600 bags BL No. GTD0412635, LCH2177424 320810268323, LCH2181003 Container Nos. APZU3858630, TCLU2919999, CNCU1508040 TEMU3181607, CMAU1719441, APZU3190650 TCKU1430075, TCLU3974727, TRHU3235353 TRHU3308378, TEMU2552703, CMAU1664375 TRLU3922194, TEMU4014477, CAIU2838946 CMAU1663790, APZU3826952, FCIU2158799 GLDU3761180, ECMU1539756, APZU3423978 APZU3391680, TEMU2420625, CMAU0642638 APZU3859067, TCLU2327916, ECMU1881265 CMAU0178492, TEMU2289011, CMAU0039964

9 Boxes (10 Bags per box, 10 kgs. Per bag) Gautam 1121 Sella Indian Basmati Rice Approximately 90 bags

Consignee: RDM Logistics Express

a.

Sale Lot No. 015-2019

1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

Sale Lot No. 017-2019

30x20’ containers Vietnam White Rice 5% Broken Approximately 15,600 bags BL No. MCB434312 Container Nos. TRLU9059901, MRSU0296814, TTNU1849963 TEMU5521753, TCLU2332677, PONU0987707 MSKU2718121, MSKU3803188, MRKU7816643 MRKU9801581, MRKU7487471, CRSU1239212 MRKU7387723, MSKU2784885, HASU1065825 MRKU6575372, MSKU3633116, MSKU5221519 TGHU0952575, TGHU0151241, PONU0047359 BSIU2039360, MRKU8512624, MRKU6607844 MSKU5751972, TRHU3847132, MSKU3229130 CLHU3280247, HASU1274168, TRHU3993630

Additional Requirements

Floor Price: Php11,050,000.00 P17.00/kg.

1. Subject to Magna Scale and X-Ray prior to release 2. Representatives from OCOM, ESS, CIIS, POS, COA and ODC shall be invited to witness the release.

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY Floor Price: Php13,260,000.00 P17.00/kg.

“ AS IS WHERE IS ” Location: ICTSI-CY

Any weight found in excess of the approximate weight of the contents of those containers subject to magna scale weighing shall not be considered as part of the sale lot offered for auction, provided, however, that in this case it is determined that there is excess weight, the winning bidder may purchase the excess weight at the pro-rated bid price per kilo of the winning bidder, provided further that the winning bidder shall purchase the whole weight of the excess articles and indicate his intention to do so within one day from discovery of the excess. a.1. Pro-rated bid price per kilo shall mean the total bid amount given by the winning bidder during the bidding process divided by the published approximate weight of the sale lot. To compute for the total price to be paid for purchasing the whole sale lot, the formula to be used is as follow: Total Amount to be Paid =

Bid Price x Actual Weight Approximate weight

To illustrate: assuming that the winning bid price for the Sale Lot 0xx-2015, which has a published approximate weight of 1,872,000 kilograms, I PhP50,000.00. if the sale lot, after being subject to magna scale weighing, is determined to be heavier, say 1,900,000 kilograms, and the winning bidder wishes to acquire the excess, he would have to pay a total of 50,747,863.25. the total amount has been arrived at by using the aforesaid formula, thus: Total Amount to be Paid = 1,872,000 kgs.

PhP50,000.00 x 1,900,000 kgs.

Total Amount to be Paid = PhP50,747,863.25 a.2. should the winning bidder decide to purchase the excess weight, he shall pay the amount for the excess weight within five (5) days from demand thereof by the District Collector, or his duty authorized representative; otherwise, the excess quantity shall not be considered to have been sold and shall be offered for in the next public auction of the port.

12. In case the quantity determined after the magna scale weighing is less than the approximate weight in this Notice, the winning bidder shall be entitled to a proportionate adjustment of the bid amount based on the actual weight. The same formula as illustrated in 11.a.1 shall be used in computing for the adjustment in the bid amount based on the actual weight.

13. Compliance of terms & conditions of the release of the cargo by winning bidder like weighing, final counting, etc.

14. Non-compliance with any of the terms and conditions of the Notice of Public Auction shall result in the forfeiture of any payments made by the winning bidder without prejudice to the forfeiture of the subject shipments in favor of the Government.

15. The Bureau of Customs, Collection District II-B Manila International Container Port reserves the right to reject or cancel any or all bids, to waive any formality therein, and to accept such bids as may be considered most advantageous to the Government, or to call-off the bidding prior to acceptance of the bids and to call for a new bid under amended rules.

For further details, please contact Mr. Gerardo M. Macatangay, Chief, Auction and Cargo Disposal Division, MICP, Tel No.245-4101 loc. 2283.

MT - May 4, 2019

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