THE MANILA TIMES | APRIL 24, 2019

PH, China to ink $10B in deals – DTI

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24, 2019

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FRANTIC SEARCH Rescuers carry one of the survivors from a collapsed supermarket in Porac, Pampanga on Tuesday, after a 6.- magnitude earthquake struck parts of Zambales, Pampanga and Metro Manila on Monday afternoon. PHOTO BY RUY L. MARTINEZ

Quake death toll rises as new tremor strikes P

BY THE MANILA TIMES NEWS TEAM AND AFP

ORAC, Pampanga: Rescuers scrambled to reach some two dozen people feared buried under a supermarket building in Porac, Pampanga that collapsed in a deadly earthquake on Monday, as a powerful new tremor hit Samar Island on Tuesday.

A total of 16 people were recorded dead on Tuesday following the 6.1-magnitude earthquake in Central Luzon, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).

Fifteen of the fatalities were from Pampanga,

US-funded media outfits must be shut down An affront to the Constitution and our sovereignty

W

I T H t h e disclosure that they have been the conduits for spreading vicious black propaganda against President Duterte, it is high time, even an urgent matter of national security, for our sovereign state to shut down the FOUR MEDIA OUTkTS FUNDED BY !MERICAN entities, which have been used as tools to advance US hegemony over Filipino consciousness. ³TiglaoA5

RIG RRIGOBERTO IGG DD. TIGLAO

and one, a six-year-old boy, from San Marcelino, Zambales.

Of the 15 dead in Pampanga, five came from the collapsed Chuzon Supermarket in Barangay Cangatba in Porac and 10 from

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Shutdown of Pampanga heritage churches eyed THE Archdiocese of Pampanga on Tuesday RECOMMENDED AN INDEkNITE LOCKDOWN ON ALL of its heritage churches in the province a day after a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck parts of Luzon.

The Archdiocesan Committee on Cultural Heritage said on a Facebook post that any religious activity was prohibited and that structures would be cordoned off “until they [the whole

³HeritageA8

EMILIO AGUINALDO COLLEGE CLOSED NewsA8

THE National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council advises that people should know hazards in their home or workplace.

A person should familiarize himSELF WITH kRE EXTINGUISHERS MEDICAL kits, exit routes and a building’s

evacuation plans.

Have your household repaired immediately for any damage spotted, and secure heavy furniture and hanging objects.

Harmful chemicals and flammable materials, which could start a fire if an earthquake hits, should

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NewsA2 MORE INCLUSIVE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE TO FOLLOW ‘ENDGAME’

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be stored properly.

Preparing a family “Go Bag” containing all items needed for survival is necessary.

Participating in office and community earthquake drills might later prove helpful.

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‘Lost children’ get redemption through art, theater especially for young people who once

BY GLEE JALEA S PECIALREPORT got lost in the way.

Last of three parts The Barangay Council for the ProDESPITE the many shortcomings and failures of the criminal justice system, it cannot be denied that a reformed life is a new life for everyone,

FRUITS OF BOAO FORUM TO AFFECT POOR – DUTERTE

NewsA2

WHAT TO DO, WHERE TO GO IF BIG EARTHQUAKE HITS Before

What’s inside

TUNA CANNING FIRM EXECS CONFIDENT OF ACQUITTAL

PACIFIC RING OF FIRE

newsdesk@ manilatimes.net Tel. Nos.: 524-5664 to 67 Address: 2/F Sitio Grande, 409 A. Soriano Avenue, Intramuros, Manila 1002

tection of Children (BCPC) in Culiat, Quezon City boosts youth participation by urging

³RedemptionA8

THEATER AS DIVERSION Children of Barangay Children Protection Council’s Anak Teatro perform in various theater activities as part of their diversion program. PHOTO COURTESY BCPC BARANGAY CULIAT

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News

˜ The Manila Times WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

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Duterte: Poor to benefit from Boao Forum

T

BY RALPH U. VILLANUEVA

HE fruits of the Boao Forum should benefit everyone, especially the poor and marginalized, President Rodrigo Duterte said.

The Boao Forum, which had the theme “Concerted Action for Common Development in the New Era,�

WAS HELD IN -ANILA FOR THE kRST TIME on Monday and Tuesday.

The conference gathered 300 participants, including business leaders from China and the Philippines and some executives from Chinese enterprises in the country.

In his speech read by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Duterte said the conference was an “effective platform� to sustain the advancement of the world economy, which was a

result of open dialogue, cooperation and innovation. “Let me emphasize, however, that multilateral cooperation and economic development should always be inclusive. It must always BENEkT THE GREATER MAJORITY ESPEcially the poor and marginalized,� he said.

He said China and the Philippines should work harder to achieve visible growth that was just not good on paper. “We must achieve growth that will be felt by ordinary people.

Only when economic progress affects the lives of everyone can

we claim genuine victory,� the President said. “As we continue our discussions, I remain hopeful that the inputs in this conference will put primary consideration on inclusive growth, WITH PROkT AND INCOME BEING MERE consequences of our progress in this area,� he added.

Duterte also said the forum laid the groundwork for the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in China this week. “Indeed, this conference will not only serve as a platform to introduce the Boao Forum to the Philippine business community, but also to provide our neighbors adequate insight on the current business environment and trade policies of the Philippines,� he said.

Duterte added the holding of the conference in the Philippines was a “welcome development as IT RElECTS THE INTERNATIONAL COM-

munity’s growing support for and CONkDENCE IN 0HILIPPINES #HINA relations and East Asian regional cooperation.� “We also see this as an opportuNITY FOR KEY GOVERNMENT OFkCIALS

business leaders and economists from the Philippines, China and the rest of the region to converge and reach a consensus on how our nations’ various sectors, industries and communities may contribute in reaching our respective development goals,� he said.

The “overworked� Duterte did not attend the opening of the Boao Forum, where he and forum secretary general Li Badong were earlier scheduled to deliver keynote speeches. “He is not feeling well because of his punishing schedule plus his campaign sorties,� Palace spokesman Salvador Panelo told reporters on Monday night.

Tuna canning firm execs confident of acquittal %8%#54)6%3 OF TUNA CANNING kRM Alliance International Inc. (Alliance) ON 4UESDAY EXPRESSED CONkDENCE that the charges of estafa against them would be dismissed and they would be found innocent. g7E ARE CONkDENT THAT THE FACTS will bear out our innocence, and that this will hopefully lead to the eventual dismissal of the complaint,� said Alvin Dee, one of the accused.

Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 57 ordered the arrest of the executives led by George Sycip, son of late SGV and Co. founder Washington Sycip.

Members of the Dee family involved in the case promptly paid bail set at P120,000 each by Makati

RTC Judge Honorio Guanlao Jr. Guanlao earlier junked the accused individuals’ motion to quash warrant of arrest and/or dismiss the case for lack of merit.

Alliance’s foreign shareholders Harvest All Investment Ltd., Victory Fund Ltd., Bondeast Private Ltd. and (EDY 3# 9AP #HUA kLED THE ESTAFA case, alleging that the respondents improperly used their investments to engage in supposedly illegal activities and transactions.

In his reply to the complaint, Jonathan Dee said the allegation that the “funds invested in the company had been involved in illegal transactions� were not true. “We are hopeful of a speedy dismissal of the case,� the Dees

said in a statement.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) had found probable cause against 3YCIP AND OTHER !LLIANCE OFkCERS FOR the crime of estafa under Article 315 2(a) of the Revised Penal Code.

Jonathan Dee pointed out that the DoJ and the Manila Prosecutors’ /FkCE HAD DISMISSED THE ALLEGATIONS of Yap Chua’s group for lack of merit. They said the records of the Makati RTC would show that YapChua’s allegations were false.

The complainants claimed they were enticed to invest their money in January 2009 amounting to more than P75 million, more than $65,000 and another P4 million, and added that Jonathan Dee made it appear that Alliance was

A kNANCIALLY REWARDING COMPANY and that numerous entities were investing in it.

They described the management of Alliance as a “wire and shut out scheme,� claiming the money infused to the company as corporate funds was siphoned off and misappropriated by the management for THE BENEkT OF $EE OWNED COMPAnies, unknown to third parties.

Alliance was supposedly formed as a “vehicle to win back the lost business empire of the Dee family,� the complainants claimed.

The co-accused in the case are Alliance Board Directors Teresita Ladanga, Grace Dogillo and Arak Ratborihan.

NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

Welcome Chinese investors, Pinoys urged THE Philippines should welcome business plans of interested Chinese investors without restrictions, House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said on Tuesday.

Speaking as a Board member of the Boao Forum for Asia Manila Conference in Taguig City, Arroyo added that China was a development partner of the Philippines, not a competitor. “Bilateral ties between the Philippines and China have reached new heights in recent years, and this is evident in the Philippines and in China becoming the Philippines’ No. 1 partner in trade,� she said in her speech.

The speaker noted that the economic and trade cooperation between the two countries “is as good as it has ever been� in the wake of a state visit of President Xi Jinping to the Philippines last November to establish a relationship of a “comprehensive strategic cooperation� with President Rodrigo Duterte. “The Philippines has to exert maximum effort to remove on-theground bottlenecks that impede implementation of projects that involve trade and investment groups from China,� Arroyo said.

The two-day conference brought together approximately 300 participants, including business leaders from China and the Philippines and some executives from Chinese enterprises in the country.

According to Arroyo, Secretary Eliseo Rio of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) previously coordinated with the Chinese kRMS IN THEIR BUSINESS PROPOSALS “There were three who had SPECIkC QUESTIONS AND THEY PREsented their business plans to our secretary of DICT, Secretary Rio, intently and enthusiastically [answered] and at the end of each question, we realized that all their business plans did not have any re-

strictions on foreign investments,� she said. “And we hope that is the way your business plans will also end up. Welcome without restrictions,�

Arroyo added.

Despite the low trust of Filipinos in China amid controversies at present, Arroyo noted that the forum would bring huge investments to the country. “All I know is that this [forum] will help bring investments and bring technology, because that’s all the Filipinos want from China, capital and technology,� she told reporters in a chance interview.

In a recent nationwide survey conducted from March 28 to 31 by pollster Social Weather Stations, Filipinos continued to have a “neutral� trust rating for China.

Critics had been calling out the Duterte administration for its soft stance on Beijing and for preferring to cultivate economic ties with a country that he considers “a good friend,� despite an ongoing dispute between Manila and Beijing over the South China Sea (West Philippine Sea).

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd previously said authorities were already deployed to Boracay in Aklan to check the compliance status of at least 47 Chineseowned establishments that had been set up since the island reopened last October after its sixmonth rehabilitation.

'OVERNMENT OFkCIALS HAD ALSO RAISED CONCERNS OVER AN INlUX OF Chinese workers and numerous China-funded projects competing with local labor and employment opportunities in many areas of Metro Manila.

Opposition candidate for senator Manuel “Mar� Roxas 2nd recently suggested that the country should suspend issuance of “automatic� visas to Chinese citizens to protect jobs and businesses of Filipinos.

GLEE JALEA

Q DEATH FROM A1

Q EARTHQUAKE FROM A1

Quake death toll rises as new

What to do, where to go During

“Duck, cover and hold� once an earthquake strikes.

Duck under a strong table and hold on, while staying alert for potential threats caused by the temblor.

Stay away from glass windows, shelves and heavy objects.

Once the shaking stops, leave where you happened to be caught by the earthquake and go to a designated evacuation area.

If already outside, avoid going near buildings, trees, electric posts and landslide-prone areas.

For those who are inside vehicles, stop driving and get out of the vehicles.

villages in Porac and Lubao towns and Angeles City.

About 100 others were injured by falling rubble, including in Manila, according to police.

More than 400 aftershocks had been registered since the initial quake, seismologists said.

Classes were suspended in many schools in Metro Manila and neighboring areas to allow building inspections. Government offices in quake-affected areas were ordered closed.

Fresh quake A strong earthquake at magnitude 6.5 shook Samar Island at 1:37 p.m. on Tuesday, with the epicenter in San Julian, Eastern Samar.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the strong tremor was also felt in Northern Samar, Western Samar and Tacloban City at intensity 5; and in Masbate, Legazpi City in Albay and Sorsogon at intensity 4.

San Julian experienced four aftershocks after the strong quake.

4HE LATEST QUAKE SENT TERRIkED LOCALS lEEING INTO THE STREETS WITH images on social media showing cracked roads, crumbling church walls and shattered glass. “No one started crying, but of course some panicked because it was really strong,� said Rey Estrobo, a supervisor at a hotel in Borongan town, near the epicenter of San Julian. “We’re still getting hit with aftershocks, even as we speak,� he told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Toll could rise The toll from the Luzon quake could rise as crews fanned out

After

INSPECTION

President Rodrigo Duterte and Senate candidate Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go talk to officials after their visit to earthquake-hit Porac, Pampanga on Tuesday. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO across the mostly rural region to assess damage in isolated hamlets that lost power and communications in one of the area’s strongest tremors in years.

Scores of rescuers in Porac were using cranes and jackhammers to peel back the pancaked concrete structure of Chuzon Supermarket where the Red Cross said 24 people were unaccounted for. “Every minute, every second is critical in this rescue,� Cris Palcis, a volunteer rescue dog handler, told AFP. “Time is short for the people under the rubble, so we have to be quick.�

Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda told journalists that rescuers could still hear at least one person trapped beneath the rubble, but the digging was proceeding delicately to avoid accidentally crushing the survivor.

The NDRRMC, on blue alert status since Monday, reported that 29 structures and buildings sustained damage following the strong quake.

Brig. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, military spokesman, said responders

from the Philippine Army and the Bureau of Fire Protection rescued nine persons stuck in the collapsed supermarket.

A report from the Zambales Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office said Waring Serano, 6, a resident of Barangay Buhawen, suffered massive injuries after being hit by falling rocks during a landslide.

Public Works Secretary Mark Villar said there was “quite a big damage� on Pampanga roads, amounting to about P200 million.

In neighboring Bulacan province, roads were passable and no major damage was reported.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who ATTENDED A BRIEkNG IN 0ORAC SUSpended the operations of all Chuzon branches.

‘Really swaying’ The quake also damaged several centuries-old churches, which were crowded with worshippers in recent days as the majority-

Catholic Philippines marked the Easter holiday.

Fr. Roland Moraleja, who is based in Porac, said the 18th-century belfry of the St. Catherine of Alexandria Church collapsed in the quake.

High-rise buildings in the capital swayed after the tremor struck Monday evening, leaving some with large cracks in their walls.

Thousands of travelers were stranded after aviation authorities shut down the secondary Clark Airport, which is located on the site of the former US military installation that lies about an hour’s drive north of the capital.

It was still closed on Tuesday as OFkCIALS ASSESSED THE HEAVY DAMage to the terminal building and SOME CRACKING ON THE AIR TRAFkC control tower.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) grounded one international and DOMESTIC lIGHTS TO AND FROM Clark on April 23. PAL canceled one international flight and 45 domestic flights scheduled for April 24 at Clark Airport. #EBU 0ACIkC CANCELED AT LEAST

Aside from staying alert for possible aftershocks, assess yourself, and if ANOTHER PERSON SUSTAINED ANY INJURY GIVE HIM kRST AID IF YOU KNOW HOW Injured senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disability and children should be given priority medical treatment.

If you are near a coastal area and a tsunami advisory has been issued by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, evacuate to a safe area. )NSPECT SPILLS OF TOXIC AND lAMMABLE CHEMICALS AS WELL AS ,0' LEAKS and damages to water, electrical and gas lines.

Until further notice, evacuees must stay in evacuation areas even if the earthquake has stopped.

DEMPSEY REYES

FOUR lIGHTS FROM #LARK TWO DOmestic and two international) on Tuesday. Five international and EIGHT DOMESTIC lIGHTS TO AND FROM Clark scheduled on April 24 were also cancelled.

State of calamity The quake was centered on the town of Castillejos, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Manila, local geologists said.

Seismologists put Monday’s tremor at 6.3 initially, but subsequently downgraded it to a 6.1 magnitude.

The Philippines is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire,� an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from quake-prone Japan through Southeast Asia and ACROSS THE 0ACIkC BASIN House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recommended a state of calamity be declared in Pampanga. “The priority is to complete the rescue that is happening and then we have to take care

of those who have been rescued, we have to attend to their medical needs. Those who have died, we have to attend to their funeral requirements. Those whose houses were destroyed and who had to flee the earthquake, they have to be fed. So, we are in the rescue and relief stage right now,� Arroyo told reporters on the sidelines of the Boao Forum in Taguig City on Tuesday before returning to her home province later in the day.

Sen. Joseph Victor “JV� Ejercito, chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said: “In the wake of the strong earthquake that hit Luzon, I urge both national and local government authorities to immediately conduct comprehensive inspections of all buildings and vital infrastructure in order to ensure that they are safe.�

WTH DEMPSEY REYES, ELADIO PERFECTO, PATRICK ROXAS, GLEE JALEA, BENJIE L. VERGARA, CATHERINE A. MODESTO AND FREDERICK SILVERIO

News

˜ The Manila Times

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WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

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‘PH faces disinformation crisis’ T

BY CATHERINE A. MODESTO

HE Philippines is facing a “disinformation crisis� and a decline in democratic rule, according to former Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales.

Morales, in her keynote address at the 2nd Conference on Democratic Decay and Disinformation in the Digital Age in Taguig City, said lawyers who allowed themselves to be used by clients to propagate lies were “partly responsible for the decay in democracy.�

She also took a swipe at the members of the judiciary who no longer look at the merits of the case.

The country’s democratic quotient had turned “from bad to worse because Filipinos have not asserted their rights, are scared to death and have subscribed to Machiavellianism,� Morales said.

She urged the judiciary and the citizenry to “treat the sick democracy.�

Ellen Tordesillas, president of independent media organization and third-party Facebook

NCRPO declares Pasay, QC ‘areas of concern’ THE National Capital Region Police /FkCE .#20/ DECLARED THE CITIES of Pasay and Quezon as election “areas of concern� following several incidents of gun violence directed at politicians.

NCRPO chief Guillermo Eleazar said on Tuesday that the death of Barangay (village) Chairman Crisell “Beng� Beltran prompted the agency to declare Quezon City as an area of concern.

The Metro police chief also cited recurring gun violence and politically MOTIVATED ATTACKS ON VILLAGE OFkCIALS in Pasay City. “Five cities were [originally] declared areas of concern, but, eventually, they were reduced to two: Pasay and Quezon, because of the recent violence, the death of barangay chairman running for congressman; and then in Pasay,� he said.

Eleazar explained that the Philippine National Police (PNP) found no reason to declare Pasay and Quezon

cities as “poll hotspots,� which in turn would prompt the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to place the city or municipality under its jurisdiction.

An area may be considered as an “election hotspot� if there is history of intense partisan political rivalry and presence of politically motivated and election-related violence or threats from communist groups and private armed groups. “Unlike other regions, the presence of local communist and terrorist groups and intense political rivalry are not endemic here in Metro Manila.

That’s why we don’t have those kinds of problems,� Eleazar said.

The NCRPO will deploy around 15,000 police personnel in different polling precincts in the metropolis during the elections on May 13.

The PNP and Armed Forces of the Philippines met with Comelec OFkCIALS ON 4UESDAY TO kNALIZE SECUrity measures for the May midterm elections. Â NEIL JAYSON N. SERVALLOS

Duterte urged to discuss Pag-asa in China visit SEN. Ana Theresia “Risa� Hontiveros on Tuesday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to bring up the issue of Chinese vessels around Pag-asa (Thitu) Island when he visits China this week. “He should. This is an important test of character and leadership on the part of President Rodrigo Duterte. Can the President stand up to China or will he continue to kowtow to the Chinese government’s interests?� Hontiveros said. She added that the President should use the visit as an opportunity to display diplomatic bravery, using the country’s victory at The Hague as a fundamental guidepost to defend Philippine sovereignty.

While in China, Duterte is expected to sign several cooperation agreements with Beijing during an international conference on One Belt, One Road.

These include agreements in education, anti-corruption and drug rehabilitation programs, among others.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Meynardo Montealegre said Duterte would join Chinese President Xi Jinping and 39 other leaders and heads of international

organizations to the forum to be held from April 25 to 27.

He said the President would be one of the lead speakers at the Leaders’ Roundtable on April 27.  Duterte has sought closer ties with China even as the Philippines has yet to resolve its disputes with the Asian power over the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).  China is claiming nearly all of the resource-rich strategic waterway, conflicting with partial claims of the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan. It, however, has ignored a July 2016 ruling of a United Nations-backed panel that invalidated its assertion of sovereignty over the waters in response to a Philippine plea.  Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo had said the presence of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea could be brought up while Duterte was in China. “My educated guess is since we have already raised that issue, they may respond to that during a bilateral talk,�

Panelo said.

JAVIER JOE ISMAEL

fact-checker VERA Files said President Rodrigo Duterte was a product of disinformation and “proof that it has reached a crisis level.�

Tordesillas said in the 2016 presidential elections, Duterte — through the help of his presidential campaign social media strategist, Nic Gabunada — turned from an underdog to frontrunner by using Facebook and Twitter.

VERA Files, which is certified by US-based International Fact-Checking Network in Poynter Institute, noted in December 2018 that online disinformation, “particularly its use in partisan political activity, grew sharply after 2016.�

Tordesillas said an analysis of 193 online posts from April to

October 2018 found that disinformation was “overwhelmingly political� and the target was mostly Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni�

Robredo and Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa� Hontiveros Baraquel.

The Facebook pages that posted political issues “almost always rely on deception strategies that are crude in execution but are effective in stirring up strong emotions that reinforce deep-rooted biases,� a post from the VERA Files said.

Steven Butler, Asia program coordinator of US-based Committee to Protect Journalists, warned AGAINST THE WIDE RAMIkCATIONS OF disinformation and intimidation by means of social media.

He admitted that things “could be worse before they could be better particularly because the elections are approaching and that creates tremendous danger for any journalist anywhere in the world.�

He noted that across Asia and in some European countries, governments were trying to legislate criminal penalties for fake news, “even if the governments are often the source of what is considered to be fake news.� “This is likely to be turning into a new form of censorship,� he said. “We are just at the early stage of kNDING THE MEANS AND tools for combating fake information,� he

added.

Sherwin de Vera, a reporter from the Northern Dispatch, said disinformation in the country had affected the right to free speech and the right to organize protests. “We have covered stories wherein people’s organizations were victims of the disinformation campaign. Eventually they were forced to stop,� de Vera said.

In Ilocos Sur, leaders of an organization that successfully stopped a dam project by the National Irrigation Administration two years ago were branded as rebels or New People’s Army supporters.

The military later put up a camp in the area, he added.

FOR THE FLAG

Personnel of the Philippine Navy line up before boarding BRP Andres Bonifacio that will take them to South Korea and Singapore where they will join the Maritime Security Field Training Exercises along with 17 other countries. The event will be held from April 29 to May 14. PHOTO BY ENRIQUE AGCAOILI

Ejercito seeks review of buildings in Luzon SEN. Joseph Victor “JV� Ejercito on Tuesday urged concerned agencies to inspect all buildings and vital infrastructure in Luzon, following the 6.1 earthquake that hit the region on Monday.

The reelectionist senator also appealed to the government to provide support to those affected by the earthquake that killed at least 16 people. “Let us pray for the rescue of those trapped in the collapsed building in Pampanga and hope that no more casualties will be reported,� Ejercito said. “Let us work to strengthen disaster preparedness

and resilience of our communities. Let us empower our local governments so they can respond effectively to disasters.�

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto raised the need to improve the country’s building standards, so that public and private establishments can withstand strong earthquakes.

Recto said the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and other concerned government agencies must inspect transport infrastructure to ensure the safety of passengers. “Furthermore, [the DPWH

must] adopt appropriate measures to prepare our people for the ‘big one.’ [It is] better to be prepared,� he said in a text message.

Sen. Cynthia Villar also offered her deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones. “This is indeed a tragic time for our country, and I express my heartfelt gratitude to the men and women who are taking part in the effort to accelerate rescue operations and to alleviate the suffering of our people in the most affected areas,� Villar said.

Sen. Ana Theresia “Risa� Hontiveros lauded the emergency

personnel and rescue workers who worked hard to assess the damage and look for survivors.

Sen. Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay on Tuesday pressed for a review of the compliance of the Building Code by owners or administrators of public and private establishments.

She said under the law, buildings and infrastructure must withstand 8 to 9 magnitude earthquakes. “Our airports and other infrastructure should be able to endure disasters,� Binay said.

BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO

Joma headed to dustbin of history – Lorenzana DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana slammed communist leader Jose Maria “Joma� Sison for claiming that there was discontent among the ranks of the military and police. “The truth of the matter is, it is Mr. Sison’s followers who are disillusioned; that is why they are coming down in [the] thousands to avail of the benekTS BEING OFFERED TO THEM BY THE government,� Lorenzana said in

a statement.

He cited the latest survey by the Social Weather Stations, which showed that President Rodrigo Duterte had a 70+ satisfaction rating. Lorenzana added that soldiers and police officers would give the President a “100 percent� grade.

Sison posted on his Facebook account that the end of Duterte “is near in view of the growing dissatisfaction� within the Armed

Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police. g4HE OFkCERS AND MEN ARE JUST waiting for the big mass protests to arise in cities of the National Capital Region and the provinces,� the self-exiled founding chairman of the Communist Party of the Philippines said.

Lorenzana said it was Sison who was “nearing� the end of his “short life, with no accomplishment to show but death and destruction

in the wake of the 50 years of insurgency by his discredited and bankrupt ideology.� “He will be consigned to the dustbin of history as a once brilliant young man who amounted to nothing,� Lorenzana said. “I seriously doubt if anyone is listening to or reading anything that he’s saying since he has become inconsequential and irrelevant in our country’s affairs,� he added.

DEMPSEY REYES

Tax declarations Dear PAO, I inherited a certain land from my father, who died in 2006. The land was owned by my grandfather, and it was declared for taxation purposes since 1922.

My ancestors and I possessed the land continuously until last year, when I discovered that Juan built his house on the eastern portion OF THE LAND ) kLED A COMPLAINT against him before the barangay (village), and he presented an AFkDAVIT EXECUTED BY OUR NEIGHbor Jun, stating that he was a co-owner of my father over the land. Juan also presented a deed of sale signed by him and Jun and the tax declarations issued in the name of Juan, which the latter paid one year after the date of the deed of sale. I presented to Juan several tax declarations in the name of my grandfather, my father and I in order to prove

DEAR PAO

PERSIDA ACOSTA my ownership over the land in dispute, but Juan insisted on his claim. Who between us has a better right over the land?

Martin Dear Martin, Based from the facts you have provided, it appears that Juan cannot establish the ownership of Jun over the unregistered land SOLD TO HIM 4HE AFkDAVIT OF OWNership executed by Jun that he is a co-owner of your father is not a conclusive proof of ownership, whereas, you can establish your family’s uninterrupted possession or claim of ownership over the land by the tax declarations

that were continuously paid by you and your ancestors. Further, a stranger like Jun cannot inherit from your grandfather; hence, there is no instance where he could become a co-owner of said property.

In the case of Spouses Caldito vs Obado et al. (GR 181596, Jan. 30, 2017), the Supreme Court through Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes stated: “Although tax declarations or realty tax payment of property are not conclusive evidence of ownership, as in the instant case, they are good indicia of possession in the concept of owner, for no one in his right mind would be paying taxes for a property that is not in his actual or constructive possession. They constitute evidence of great weight in support of the claim of title of ownership by prescription when considered

with the actual possession of the property by the applicant. “Indeed, the respondents’ presentation of the tax declarations and the tax receipts which all are of ancient era indicates possession in the concept of an owner by the respondents and their predecessors-in-interests. The tax declarations in the name of Paterno take on great significance because the respondent can track their claim of ownership to that of their father. It is worthy to note that the respondents’ father, Paterno, to whom they inherited the entire Lot No. 1633 paid the taxes due under his name from 1961 to 1989; and subsequently, the respondents paid the taxes due after the death of Paterno in 2003.

Granting without admitting that Felipe’s possession of Lot

No. 1633 cannot be tacked with the respondents’ possession, the latter’s possession can be tacked with that of Paterno.

Thus, from 1961 to the time of the filing of quieting of title by the petitioners in 2003, the respondents have been in possession of the entire Lot No. 1633 in the concept of an owner for almost 42 years. This period of time is sufficient to vest extraordinary acquisitive prescription over the property on the respondents. As such, it is immaterial now whether the respondents possessed the property in good faith or not.�

Applying the above-quoted decision in your situation, your family’s uninterrupted possession of the land as supported by the tax receipts/declarations will constitute evidence of great weight than the Affidavit

of Ownership executed by Jun and tax receipts issued in the name of Juan. Your possession, which can be tacked with the possession of your ancestors from 1922, is sufficient to vest extraordinary acquisitive prescription over the property.

Since Jun cannot present evidence to prove his ownership, it also follows that he did not pass anything to Juan.

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 th e 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

A4

Opinion

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

˜ The Manila Times

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E d i to r i a l Quakes' aftermath calls for wide-ranging building inspections

T

WO STRONG earthquakes that struck the PhilIPPINES THIS WEEK SHOULD kNALLY ROUSE DISASTER OFkCIALS AND THE PUBLIC ON THE NEED TO BETTER prepare for major calamities.

This is not to say that nothing has been done in the area of disaster preparedness. Fire and earthquake drills are now conducted regularly, at least in major establishments, and citizens are now familiar with the catchphrase “duck, cover and hold.�

These testify to the effectiveness of education campaigns conducted by, among others, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Philippine Red Cross.

4HEY DESERVE COMMENDATION FOR FULkLLING THEIR MANDATES Truth be told, however, more needs to be done.

The unrelated tremors that struck Luzon on Monday (epicenter: Castillejos, Zambales; magnitude 6.1), and Samar Island on Tuesday (epicenter: San Julian, Eastern Samar; magnitude 6.5), were not really major seismic events, although more than a dozen people have been reported dead from Central Luzon.

The highest intensity reported, Intensity 6, felt in San Marcelino and Subic, Zambales; Floridablanca, Lubao and Porac, Pampanga; Angeles City; and Olongapo City on Monday and in San Julian, Eastern Samar on Tuesday, is not cataclysmic.

When Intensity 6 strikes, according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, “Many people are frightened; many run outdoors. Some people lose THEIR BALANCE MOTORISTS FEEL LIKE DRIVING ON lAT TIRES Heavy objects or furniture move or may be shifted.

Small church bells may ring. Wall plasters may crack.�

Moreover: “Very old or poorly built houses and manmade structures are slightly damaged, though well-built structures are not affected. Limited rockfalls and rolling boulders occur in hilly to mountainous areas and escarpments. Trees are noticeably shaken.�

Small bells tolling and furniture shifting wasn’t the scenario that played out in Pampanga and many other places in Luzon.

A popular grocery store, the four-story Chuzon Supermarket in Porac, Pampanga, collapsed and trapped dozens of shoppers; many are still missing. The Clark International Airport, also in Pampanga, had to shut down for 48 hours because of damage in its interior.

In Binondo district of Manila and Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, skyscrapers swayed and roof deck swimming pools spilled water, to the horror of pedestrians watching from below.

The Emilio Aguinaldo College building in Manila, a relatively new structure, tilted toward the UN Residences right beside it; it will most likely be condemned. Elsewhere, condominium residents are reporting cracks and fear for the safety of their high-rise dwellings.

The aftermath of the two quakes should prompt wideranging inspections of the structural integrity of buildings, especially in urban areas. The public has the right to know which structures are poorly built or are able to withstand strong earthquakes, especially if they live or work in them.

In short, the government needs to strictly impose its building regulations and the public needs more information. People’s lives and livelihoods are at stake. ~

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

The Manila Times

T

Today is a bad time to be an ‘ekonomista’

WO surveys ago, opposition senatorial candidate Mar Roxas was polled as a probable winner.

Not among the Top 6, but just below — which meant a decent showing. There was this sense then that Mr. Roxas would maintain that decent showing in the surveys and coast to victory in the May 13 midterm elections. And once again sit as a senator of the realm.

The latest polling has shattered that sense of a probable win. Two surveys in late March showed that Mr. Roxas is out of the Magic 12, with the likes of Bong Revilla and Jingoy Estrada, the two ex-detainees and Napoles cohorts, way ahead. Two ex-jailbirds trumping the well-credentialed Mr. Roxas.

Pork barrel economics — I am just injecting a bit of levity on this serious matter — winning over a legit Wharton alumnus.

In other democracies, there would be a lot of soul-searching and cries of “Why?� Two candidates whose life experiences involved play-acting and serving jail time for plunder — and no remorse expressed over that jail time — are up ahead against the grandson of a former president and a presidential candidate himself who did very serious work in the private and public sectors. Standard POLITICAL SCIENCE IS BAFlED BY THIS kind of tortured reality.

Ok, let us venture into the “Why?� And on this question, I would give weight to a correspondent who said that “today may not be a favorable time for those who are truly grounded in economics,

Mr. Duterte’s recent appointMENT TO kLL UP THAT CRITICAL POST IS A noneconomist, his former budget secretary, Benjamin Diokno, who was tagged as a principal in an alleged pork barrel scam just weeks before his appointment as BSP the real thing.� He said that the cur- governor. If you look at his acarent season’s low regard for econo- demic credentials, this item stands mists is probably one of the major out — Mr. Diokno’s BA is in public reasons why the candidacy of Mr. administration, not economics.

For all intents and purposes, Mr. Roxas has failed to gain real traction. The popularity of Mr. Duterte Diokno’s training would make him an ideal DILG (Department of the is, of course, the main given.

In the current campaign, Mr. Roxas Interior and Local Government) has touted his credentials as an “eko- secretary, not governor of the BSP. Alan Greenspan, Ben Bernanke nomista.� And to be fair, he has all the right to advertise himself as an and Janet Yellen, remember, were ECONOMIST (E TRAINED IN THAT kELD trained economists. And so were AND WORKED IN THAT kELD .O QUESTION Mr. Tetangco and Mr. Espenilla.

It is not only here that appointabout the legitimacy of that claim. His campaign is just not getting any help ments to the central banking body from his pitch that an economist can have been raising a lot of quesget things done. Maybe what my cor- tions. Donald Trump now wants respondent said is eminently true. The to appoint two hacks, Stephen environment today is not friendly to -OORE AND (ERMAN #AIN TO kLL UP economists. Look at the domestic and the two vacant seats at the Federal Reserve Board. This is the board international environment.

Just look at the Bangko Sentral that guides monetary policy in the US and the Federal Reserve System ng Pilipinas (BSP).

It is safe to say that an expert in is the most powerful central bankmacroeconomics and monetary ing system in the world.

The pool of trained, world-class policy — and one with long and solid exposure to central banking economists in the US is so deep that — should be named governor of Mr. Trump can easily have his pick the central bank, a post left vacant of the best and the brightest conby the untimely death of the former servative economists for placement governor. For years, that has been on the FRB. At Stanford University the practice, with very good results. alone, Mr. Trump can name nomiPrevious Filipino central bankers nees — all conservatives — with had been universally hailed because long and solid work on monetary of their expertise and their solid policy. Why is he appointing hacks with no training and grounding on decision-making prowess.

MIDWEEK COMMENTS MARLEN V. RONQUILLO

macro, labor and monetary policy to the most important central banking board in the world? Trump may have a disdain for trained economists who respect data, facts and economic realities.

Trump, with his choice of Moore and Cain for the two vacant seats at the FRB, wants to “debase� the FRB, according to a recent New York Times column by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman. Here are the choice words of Mr. Krugman on Moore. “About Moore: It goes almost without saying that he has been wrong about everything. I don’t mean the occasional bad call, which all of us make. I mean a track record that includes predicting that George W. Bush’s policies would produce a magnificent boom, Barack Obama’s policies WOULD LEAD TO RUNAWAY INlATION

and tax cuts in Kansas would produce a near immediate boost to the state’s economy and much more.�

Beyond that, said Krugman, Moore has a problem with facts.

And a blizzard of factual errors is standard practice in his writing and SPEAKING )T IS ACTUALLY HARD TO kND cases where Moore got a fact right.

Cain, wrote Krugman, “is a spam king whose business model involves making his email to direct marketers.� His business experience involves — pizza. Yes, he is the founder of a US-based pizza chain.

A public administration graduate as BSP governor. Two hacks to the powerful FRB. No wonder the political terrain is not favorable to Mr. Roxas, the Wharton-trained “ekonomista.�

VOLUME 120 NUMBER 193

DANTE A. ANG, Chairman Emeritus RENE Q. BAS, Publisher Emeritus NERILYN A. TENORIO, Publisher-Editor ARNOLD E. BELLEZA, Executive Editor FELIPE F. SALVOSA 2ND, Managing 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. CARIĂ‘O, 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, #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER 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 XXX NBOJMBUJNFT OFU t F NBJM OFXTEFTL!NBOJMBUJNFT OFU 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.

Can we trust automated elections?

B

EFORE answering that question, LET US kRST EXAMINE THE AUTOmated election system employed during the last three elections (2010, 2013 and 2016) in the Philippines.

4HE kRST STEP WAS THE USUAL VOTing period (manual); the second, the vote counting at the precincts (automated); the third, the transmission of the results (electronic); and the fourth, the three-level canvassing/consolidation — at the municipality, provincial and national levels (automated).

The voting period, because it was manual, could, of course, be trusted. And the activity was also something that voters could see and fully understand, so no particular concern in this step.

The automated vote-counting was, however, not witnessed by the voters; it was the machine into which the ballots were fed that did the counting (secretly, as a consequence). “Unobservable vote-counting is inherently insane,� according to the authors of the book, Code Red. It is a must, they argue, that voters be able to watch the counting of their votes; OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE DIFkCULT TO expect them to trust the results.

Technically, it was the machine software that did the actual counting. And that software was developed by the machine provider

THAT THE DATA BEING TRANSMITTED kRST passes through what they refer to the “meet me room,� where LET’S as they are parked for a period before FACE IT! being deleted, which apparently is a violation of the election law, RA 9369. That law says that the election returns should go directly — Smartmatic, a foreign company from the precincts to the city/ WITH A NOT TOO CONkDENCE BUILDING municipal board of canvassers. In reputation in the election world. It fact, there is no mention at all of is therefore a group of foreigners a “meet me room� in the law. It that has been counting our votes. was just a creation of the system Can we trust them? I leave that to provider — Smartmatic. the readers to determine.

Even worse, the transmission of Is it possible for the Comelec to the data from municipal to provinrig the results of this automated cial and from provincial to national elections? Of course! Is it possible canvassing apparently also passes for Smartmatic to rig the results of through the “meet me room.â€? If automated elections? Of course! there is any intention of rigging the I’m not saying that they did, nor results, that “roomâ€? seems to be the that they will. All I’m saying is most convenient place to do it. that it’s possible — easy, in fact — There are far too many vulnerespecially if done by insiders; and abilities in the Smartmatic system, nobody will be the wiser, because but the worst part, in my opinion, the voters won’t know‌and they is the automation of precinctwon’t see. That nontransparency, counting. When precinct-counting in the context of elections, is of is automated, transparency is course totally unacceptable. thrown out the window. That step The transmission of the precinct should never be automated, mainresults (election returns, or ER) to the ly because its results — in the very board of canvassers was done elec- kRST STEP ‡ SERVE AS THE BASIS THE tronically. As such, it was again a step control totals, for the remaining that was not witnessed by the voters. steps in the entire election process.

During the earlier meetings of After the manual precinct-counting, the joint congressional oversight when all interested parties already committee (JCOC), it was revealed have a copy of the election returns,

GUS LAGMAN

which they can then use to predict the outcome of canvassing at all levels, the remaining steps — transmission and the three levels of canvassing — can safely be automated.

In summary, it is the hybrid system which is most ideal. Manual voting, manual precinct-counting, electronic transmission, and automated canvassing. Compared to the Smartmatic system employed in 2010, 2013 and 2016, the hybrid system should only take longer by about 12 to 24 hours. Certainly worth the billions of pesos that could be saved. But even more important, it is completely transparent and therefore much MORE DIFkCULT TO RIG And here’s a bonus: the Comelec need only buy PCs and PC servers — items that can be bought from vendors in any big city in the country. After each election, the Comelec, at its option, can sell those machines at a discount, or donate them to the Department of Education. They can then just purchase a new set before each election. No obsolescence and maintenance of equipment to worry about; no warehousing/storage to spend precious money on.

But, going back to the question, can we trust automated elections?

Yes, if only the transmission and canvassing are automated; no, if precinct-counting is automated.

˜ The Manila Times

Opinion

A5

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WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

Q TIGLAO FROM A1

H O LY W E E K R E F L E C T I O N S

US-funded media outfits must be shut down These are the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (set up 1989), the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (also in 1989), Vera Files (2008), and Rappler (2012).

It is indisputable that these news websites got funds from US entities — among them the Asia and Ford Foundations, National Endowment for Democracy, the Omidyar Network, North Base Media — which have even been explicit in their soft-power task to advance American interests globally. &OR THE kRST TIME THE 0#)* YESterday admitted that it received a huge fund (an “endowment�) from the Ford Foundation, and from other foreign sources it has not named yet.

PCIJ should “investigate� the recent Securities and Exchange Commission’s ruling — upheld by the Court of Appeals — in the case of Rappler. It said that the constitutional ban on foreigners in media (Article XVI Section 11) is absolute: “Anything less than one hundred percent Filipino control, as stockholder or through any other means, is a violation.� It will be a stretch of imagination for PCIJ to claim that its foreign funds have not decreased at all the 100 percent Filipino control mandated by the Constitution.

a P100-million infusion from the 53 kRMS /MIDYAR .ETWORK AND North Base Media.

One reason why this affront to our Constitution had been allowed for three decades is that except for a few years under President Estrada and the second half of President Gloria Arroyo’s term, Philippine administrations since 1986 have all been slavish to the US. President Duterte, has expressly declared he won’t be a US puppet. The government has started to enforce the constitutional ban on foreign funds in media.

It is not surprising that the four horsemen for US interests have become so stridently critical of his administration, and have succeeded in exaggerating the alleged human rights abuses it has allegedly undertaken in its campaign against illegal drugs.

A second reason is the result of the emergence of internet-based media.

When I proposed the founding of the PCIJ in 1989, it was not SUPPOSED TO BE A MEDIA OUTkT My template (based on a research I did during my year at the Neiman Foundation at Harvard) was for it, as American investigative centers do, to cover for the salary of reporters who would take a leave of absence from their NEWSPAPERS TO DO IN DEPTH JOURnalism. Their output would be published (become media ) by mainstream newspapers.

but they would do their own INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM /NLY small newspapers desperately needing free content published PCIJ’s output.

7ITH NO MAJOR OUTLET FOR ITS articles, the PCIJ in the 1990s set up its website that published its investigative pieces as well as its tidbits of opinion and short articles as “blogs.� That turned it INTO A MEDIA kRM WITH 0#)* CONveniently forgetting that getting FOREIGN FUNDS INTO A MEDIA kRM is banned by the Constitution.

The CMFR, Vera Files and later Rappler (which is headed by an American, for chrissake!) adopted this PCIJ template since nobody was telling them that having foreign funds in media — even if such media was only in cyberspace — violated the Constitution.

These entities are an affront to our sovereignty, especially as internet media has practically become on par in audience with traditional media.

Media entities here all have Filipino stockholders, to which the editors are accountable. There is a Filipino market which validates to a great extent whether the news generated by these entities are worth the cost of a newspaper.

Bullshit

In sharp contrast, the heads of these US-funded entities answer to no one but their US funders.

However PCIJ quibbles that “for- Ford Foundation A PCIJ statement that it has a eign funds are not foreign ownerboard it is responsible to is total ship,� or that foreign funds were The idea was also for patriotic bullshit. It was Sheila Coronel used only for training, it cannot businessmen wanting a profes- (who moved to the US a few years avoid the SEC’s ruling that even sional press or to investigate cor- back) when she still headed the 0.01 percent foreign participation RUPTION TO FUND SUCH PROJECTS AS PCIJ, and now, it's Malou ManIN A MEDIA kRM IS UNCONSTITU- was the case of the US. Alas, there gahas who decides whom to “intional. If PCIJ releases its books, are not enough such local busi- vite� to become members of it's it will be incontrovertibly proven nessmen here, so that I managed rubber-stamp board. CMFR head that without foreign funding, it to get PCIJ funding from the Ford (since its founding in 1989) Mewouldn’t have survived even for Foundation, which I thought was linda Quintos-de Jesus (sister of a month. The same is the case at least technically not a viola- President Benigno Aquino 3rd’s for Vera Files and CMFR. With tion of the constitutional ban as PEACE TALKS OFkCIAL 'ING 1UINTOS ITS kRST FUNDER "ENJAMIN "ITANGA IT WASN T A MEDIA kRM !LAS THE Deles) “invites� its board of refusing to put in more money in Philippine Daily Inquirer and trustees. It they after all who talk 2014, Rappler would have closed the Philippine Star snubbed the to the US funders, nobody else. down in 2015 if it had not gotten PCIJ’s articles, saying thank you Vera Files is a one-woman show

Only funds

of Ellen Tordesillas, although I suspect her silent partner is Sen. Antonio Trillanes 4th.

Who are these firms accountable to?

They won’t survive a month without funding from US entities. Do you think they’d get any funding if they always presented the Duterte government’s side in their vicious articles against him?

These may all seem a small ISSUE OF WHETHER THESE kRMS ARE complying with the Constitution.

However, it is really a matter of national security, of our sovereignty and our future.

Duterte has thrown a monkey wrench into the US “Pivot to Asia� started during the Obama administration. As asserted even

by US officials and respected JOURNALISTS IT IS ACTUALLY THE AGENda to block China from emerging as a superpower in the region. A MAJOR PART OF ITS STRATEGY IS TO GET Asian countries, and especially those in Southeast Asia, to hate China as their enemy, using the South China Sea disputes. The Philippines was the weak link the US could exploit, especially WITH SUCH PRO !MERICAN OFkCIALS as Aquino himself and his foreign secretary Albert del Rosario.

However, right after Duterte won power in 2016, he boldly moved to reverse the US success in pitting the Philippines against China during Aquino’s term. He in fact has drawn the country closer to China than any president.

The US will, therefore, do everything it can to remove Duterte and prevent his anointed from assuming power in 2022. Funded

by US entities, their lackeys PCIJ, Rappler, Vera Files, and CMFR will no doubt help the Americans in this agenda. They know which side of their bread is buttered.

Email: tiglao.manilatimes@ gmail.com Facebook: Rigoberto Tiglao Twitter: @bobitiglao Book orders: www.rigobertotiglao.com/debunked

Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday carnage: quo vadis?

CONkRMED THAT FOREIGNERS DIED

WITH STILL UNIDENTIFIED AND “If we believe in absurdities we THOSE IDENTIkED INCLUDE "RITISH shall commit atrocities� — Voltaire (2 with dual US nationality), 3 Danes, 1 Dutch, 1 Portuguese, 2 NEW YORK: I returned from attending Turks, 3 Indians and 1 Japanese.

This is the second time in history a three-hour Easter Sunday mass at the Fordham University Church that the Indian Ocean island of Sri around midnight New York time on Lanka has been bombed on an April 20, 2019, when my phone rang Easter Sunday morning when the and a colleague asked me what’s FAITHFUL WERE AT PRAYER 4HE kRST WAS A going on in Sri Lanka? I said what is coordinated air attack on the capital going on? He said there were a series Colombo, launched from aircraft carof coordinated terrorist bombings riers of the Imperial Japanese Navy at with multiple fatalities and scores 7:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 5, OF INJURIES IN MY NATIVE COUNTRY 1942 — the same date that the US For the next four and a half hours 0ACIkC &LEET IN 0EARL (ARBOR WAS ALSO I was on the phone trying to piece attacked in a different time zone. together what happened, including reaching out to Sri Lanka’s Secretary Timeline in infamy — April 21, 2019 of Defense Hemasiri Fernando.

The toll as of Monday, April 22 IS DEAD AND INJURED 3RI Around 8:45 a.m. on Easter SunLanka’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs day morning, five massive exBY PURNAKA L. DE SILVA

plosions simultaneously rocked Colombo, western Sri Lanka: r TH CENTURY 3T !NTHONY S Shrine Roman Catholic Church in Kochchikade, near Colombo harbor, 3.4 km from Colombo. — St. Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church in Katuwapitiya, Negombo, 10.2 km north of Sri Lanka’s Bandaranaike International Airport (32.4 km north of the capital). — Shangri-La 500 room 5-star hotel downtown Colombo — Kingsbury 229 room 5-star hotel downtown Colombo — Cinnamon Grand 483 room 5-star hotel downtown Colombo 9:05 a.m. — Zion Protestant Christian Church in Batticaloa on the eastern seaboard of Sri Lanka, 318.1 km from Colombo.

1:45 p.m. — Tropical Inn Guest House

in Dehiwala near the zoo, 10.2 km south of Colombo.

2:15 p.m. — Two explosions at suspected safe house in Dematagoda on the northwestern outskirts 3.1 km from Colombo, owned by a spice trader, allegedly the father of one of the suicide BOMBERS !T LEAST THREE POLICE OFkCERS died in the blasts including Special Task Force (STF) police commandos, with seven suspects arrested.

Late Sunday night — A 6-foot pipe bomb was located and destroyed near Bandaranaike International Airport by the Sri Lanka Air Force.

Perpetrators An internal Sri Lanka Police circular dated April 11, 2019 issued by Deputy Inspector General Srilal Das-

ÂłSri LankaA6

The alternative biography of the Christ Last of 2 parts

I

N part one of this series, we examined the split and the eventual victory of St. Paul’s faction over that of the Jerusalem Church of Christ’s brother James, giving rise to the current Christian set of beliefs. In essence, the divinity of Christ, as promoted by St. Paul, is the central doctrine of Christianity.

It was therefore imperative that Christ’s divinity be established and sustained from birth. How can one reconcile the human Jesus to being the son of God? Jesus cannot be born of a man through the natural operation of sex between Joseph and Mary.

Therefore, Mary the mother must remain a virgin “impregnated by the spirit,� as announced by the angel Gabriel (Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38). Matthew’s Gospel, which was written by either a compendium of unknown writers or one named Matthew, 50 years after Jesus’ death, had to carve out A STORY THAT WOULD kT THE VIRGIN birth. The gospel has to make sure that Jesus’ birth be seen as foretold by prophecy from the Old Testament. Matthew found the answer in Isaac’s prophecy: “Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a child and shall call his name Immanuel� (Isaiah 7:14).

Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, a town in Galilee. But when the time came for Jesus to be born, the family traveled to Bethlehem, a 7-to-10-day trip on a donkey purportedly to take part in a Roman census. Bethlehem was where King David came from and was crowned King of Israel.

Jesus too had to be born in Bethlehem to establish a symbolic descendancy from King David.

Historical facts revealed there was no Roman census around Jesus’ time. Jesus most probably was born in Nazareth.

Matthew’s other exotic ingredients in the birth story — a star appearing in the heavens and the three wise men were no doubt conJURED TO ESTABLISH *ESUS CREDENTIALS as a man of the masses yet shrouded with a mystique attributable to the divine. The alternative biography, stripped of the aura, would SIMPLY DEkNE *ESUS AS AN ORDINARY

minimally educated Jew living a mundane life as a carpenter’s son until infected by the revolutionary fervor of John the Baptist, one believed to be his mentor.

As painted by the Gospels, life in Nazareth was pastoral, peopled by itinerant preachers and healers. But contrary to the bucolic images, Nazareth and Galilee and the whole of Judea in Palestine were in fact under the cruel grip of Roman occupiers. Around 60 BC, Palestine was invaded by the Roman Legions and over the following decades, Jewish uprisings were suppressed and mercilessly crushed. Thousands in the rebellion were executed through the RomanPREFERRED DEATH BY CRUCIkXION Jesus could not have been BLIND TO THE ECONOMIC INJUSTICE perpetrated by the Roman puppets. Galilee’s economy was booming but the disparity between the Jewish elites and the peasants were glaring — a decidedly revolutionary atmosphere.

After the beheading of his cousin John the Baptist, and with the suffering of the Jews under THE 2OMAN BOOT *ESUS TRAJECTORY was to follow John’s revolutionary path. Thus, he began to recruit his own coterie of converts, friends and believers from the masses.

One of them became his favorite, Mary Magdalene. Jesus’ divinity too required that the Gospels present him as pure and celibate.

Thus, his relationship to Mary Magdalene was understated in the New Testament. It is highly unlikely that Jesus was single among his male disciples. Further inference of Mary Magdalene as his wife was in the circumstances of his burial. In the Jewish and Roman traditions, only spouses

LITO MONICO C. LORENZANA OF THE CRUCIkED COULD CLAIM THE REMAINS OF THE CRUCIkED FOR BURIAL and only after an interval of a few days leaving the body for scavenging dogs and crows as a gory warning.

Given the humanity of Christ, his role as a Jewish patriot and a leader and more importantly his belief that he is to establish God’s Kingdom on earth, the most plausible earthly scenario is for the revolutionary patriot to make a bid for power and restore the throne of David.

In 34 AD, amid the turmoil in Palestine, particularly in the seat of power, Jesus entered Jerusalem. His timing and the drama could not have been more perfect as the Jewish feast of the Passover was being celebrated commemorating the liberation of the Jewish nation from Egypt.

There was an estimated half a million pilgrims. Jewish tradition envisaged the appearance of a messiah at Passover. This was a volatile situation the Roman governor Pontius Pilate was facing.

To ram the Pauline Church narrative against the old Jewish religion, the Gospels have to paint Jewish priests as the enemies of Christ and depict Pilate as a merciful Roman tolerant of Jesus. The Gospels therefore presented a Jewish leaders’ plot to execute Jesus. Christ unwittingly helped this fabrication when he cleared the Jewish temple of moneychangers and scalawags.

But it was the intent of Christ to rid the house of prayer, the symbol of the religious and political establishment. It was not an attack against the Jewish priests and leaders as these were merely Roman puppets. The temple was no longer the seat of God but controlled by the Romans.

Titus Flavius Josephus (circa 1st century AD), a Jewish-Roman historian, painted Pontius Pilate as a “ruthless, vicious and a rapacious butcher.� And he would not tolerate a Christ that would challenge the primacy of Rome over Palestine. Rome abolished the Jewish monarchy and Jesus was a rebel. Rome was to apprehend and try him for political subversion, and crucify him — the Roman punishment of choice. And indeed, Christ died a revolutionary death in Palestine.

But the Gospels have to play around this straight narrative, blaming the Jews on several turns.

The Gospels have to present Judas as a betrayer. This was not even necessary as the entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem was public and dramatic. Later biblical scholars advanced the argument that Judas’ betrayal was a â€œâ€Ś mythological necessity. In most great legends, someone has to function as one who betrays. Without betrayal, the great protagonist of the story does not become a martyred hero.â€?

And in the endgame, “For Paul, Jesus death was the whole point of his life‌Paul was not interested at all in the historical Jesus. He never met the man. For Paul, history begins the night before his death AND kNISHED THREE DAYS LATER WITH his resurrection. And the real Jesus was ignored by Paul. All he wants TO KNOW WAS #HRIST WAS CRUCIkED u Yes, he may have been resurrected from death as Lazarus was from a miracle or Jesus resurrected himself. But after 2,000 years the Pauline Church through the New Testament prevailed. Christians believe that it was the will of God for a new religion to evolve from the Old Testament of the Jews.

"UT JUST CONSIDER THERE WOULD have been no Christianity now had James’ version of Christ’s biography prevailed. And James, the brother of Christ, knew him best.

For comments: lito.lorenzana@cdpi.asia

A6

Opinion

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

Peace when rights are respected

T

HIS time around it is Sri Lanka that has become the latest target of a series of terrorist attacks which took place at Easter. Bombs, some carried by suicide bombers, were detonated almost simultaneously in a number of international hotels frequented by foreign tourists as well as churches which saw huge crowds gathered for Easter Sunday services, in and around the capital of Colombo.

Unlike some of the more “fashionable� lone-wolf style terrorist attacks in recent years — which saw individual, often self-radicalized SOMETIMES INlUENCED BY ONLINE materials) terrorists carrying out isolated, almost randomized stabbing, shooting or ramming, etc. in public spaces — this series of bomb attacks carry the hallmarks of a wellplanned terrorist plot reminiscent of the 911 attacks which involved the almost simultaneous hijacking and crashing of aircraft into symbolic or strategic buildings. Initial investigation of the Sri Lankan attacks has pointed to links with al-Qaida and/or the Islamic State terrorist organizations.

Frankly speaking, that terrorist attacks would occur in Sri Lanka is not exactly something that cannot

other, is plain for all to see.

What went wrong? I think the main culprit is undoubtedly nationalism. I was never quite a fan of nationalism, which in my humble opinion serves nothing better than pitching one be contemplated, but the targets ARTIkCIALLY CONSTRUCTED ENTITY INand the ferocity are somewhat cluding nation) against another, surprising. Sri Lanka has seen a sometimes violently and mortally more than checkered past in its so. Why can’t we all get along, modern history. Once one of the regardless of our backgrounds, ramost prized British colony of cial, religious or otherwise, which Ceylon, Sri Lanka achieved its in- were often circumstantial by birth dependence with a very promising anyway, so that we treat each other future. It practiced self-government as brothers and sisters in our very even under British rule, and its brief sojourn on earth (and living earliest model of nation-building harmoniously with mother nature was a much envied one for many as well)? Well, that is often not the other aspiring, newly independent case, and people from different COUNTRIES /NE OF THE kRST THINGS backgrounds tend to congregate my Sri Lankan friends proudly among their own kind and when told me upon learning that I was A SUFkCIENT THRESHOLD IN NUMBER from Malaysia (with Singapore as a or superiority in weapons is atneighbor) was that the Sri Lankan tained, often exhibit predatory nation-building model was much behavior toward other similarly studied by these two then newly segregated groups, raiding one anindependent countries as the way other with often deadly force. This forward. More than half a century is especially so when nationalism later, the development gap be- is infused not only with mundane tween these two more advanced jingoistic sentiments about one’s Southeast Asian countries on the homeland or country, but also one hand, and a still struggling the even more virulent strands of though booming Sri Lanka on the religious extremism and/or ethnic

EI SUN OH

exclusivism. The result, alas, is war, sometimes of the most horrendous variety.

Well, Sri Lanka, like many other British colonies, was and is a multicultural society. The main ethnic group in the country is the mainly Buddhist Sinhalese, and the main minority group is the chiefly Hindu Tamils. And then there are the Muslims and the Christians.

Sri Lanka’s strategic location as a transit hub in the Indian Ocean and therefore a thriving trading port over the centuries made it such a cultural melting pot (or salad bowl, depending on your preference for turn of phrase) that should have been celebrated and upheld as a role model for all around the world (which, as aforementioned, it was). But shortly after independence, the government of the day, in perhaps a fit of nationalistic euphoria, instituted policies and practices which favored the Sinhalese majority over, most prominently, the Tamil minority. And the Tamils did not take what they perceived to be unfair policies sitting down. They demanded a separate, independent homeland for themselves in the northern and eastern parts of the

The Democrats divide on impeachment PENNSYLVANIA: The release of the Mueller report has left Democrats in a dilemma. Consider what Robert Mueller concluded after two years of investigation.

Candidate Donald Trump did not conspire or collude with the Russians to hack the emails of the DNC or John Podesta. Trump did not distribute the fruits of those crimes.

Nor did anyone in his campaign.

On collusion and conspiracy, said Mueller, Trump is innocent.

Mueller did not say Trump did not consider interfering with his investigation. But the investigation went on unimpeded. Mueller’s document demands were all met.

And Mueller did not conclude that Trump obstructed justice.

On obstruction, then, not guilty, by reason of no indictment.

We are told Trump ranted to SUBORDINATES ABOUT kRING -UELLER Yet, as Attorney General Bill Barr pointed out, Trump had excellent reasons to be enraged. He was being pilloried for 2 1/2 years for a crime he not only did not commit but a crime that had never taken place.

From the fall of 2016 to the spring of 2019, Trump was subjected to scurrilous attacks. It was alleged that his victory had been stolen for him by Russians, that he was an illegitimate president guilty of treason, and an agent of the Kremlin, that he was being blackmailed and that he rewrote the Republican platform on Vladimir Putin’s instructions.

CREATORS SYNDICATE

PATRICK J. BUCHANAN All bull hockey, and Mueller all but said so.

Yet the false charges did serious damage to his presidency and the nation.

Answering them has consumed much of Trump’s tenure and ruined his plans to repair our dangerously damaged relations with the world’s other great nuclear power.

Yet, it is the Trump haters who are now in something of a box.

Their goal had been to use “Russiagate� to bring down their detested antagonist, overturn his 2016 election, and put Trump in the history books as a stooge of Putin who, had the truth be known, would never have won the White House.

Mueller failed to sustain their indictment. Indeed, Mueller all but threw it out.

Yet Trump’s enemies will not quit now. To do so would be to concede that Trump’s defenders had been right all along, and that they had not only done a grave injustice to Trump but damaged their country with their manic pursuit.

And they owe America an apology.

And admitting they were wrong would instantly raise follow-up questions.

If two years of investigation by Mueller, his lawyers and his FBI

agents could not unearth hard evidence to prove that Trump and his campaign conspired with the Russians, what was the original EVIDENCE THAT JUSTIkED LAUNCHING this historic and massive assault on a US presidential campaign and the presidency of the United States.

If there was no collusion, when did Mueller learn this?

Did it take 2 1/2 years to discover there was no conspiracy?

The names tossed out as justifying the original investigation are George Papadopoulos and Carter Page, with the latter subjected to four consecutive secret FISA court surveillance warrants.

Yet neither man was ever charged with conspiring with Russia.

Was “Russiagate� a nothingburger to begin with, a concocted excuse for “deep state� agencies to rampage through the campaign and personal history of Trump to destroy him and his presidency?

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a presidential candidate, has called for impeachment hearings in the House Judiciary Committee. But her call seems less tied to evidence of high crimes in the Mueller report than her own anemic poll ratings and fundraising perforMANCE IN THE kRST QUARTER It is difficult to see how those Democrats and their media allies, who have invested so much prestige and so many hopes in the Mueller report, can now pack it in and concede that they were wrong. Their interests will not permit it; their

reputations could not sustain it.

So where are we headed?

The anti-Trump media and second-tier candidates for the Democratic nomination will press the front-runners to join their call for impeachment. Some will capitulate to the clamor.

But can Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders, Beto O’Rourke, Pete Buttigieg or Kamala Harris, who have agendas they wish to advance, accept becoming just another voice crying out for Trump’s impeachment?

The credibility of the Democratic Party is now at issue. )F -UELLER COULD NOT kND COLLUSION

what reason is there to believe Rep. Jerry Nadler’s judiciary committee will kND IT AND THEN CONVINCE THE COUNTRY that they have discovered what ex-FBI Director Mueller could not.

With conspiracy and collusion off the table, and Mueller saying the case for obstruction is unproven, the renewed attack on Trump takes on the aspect of a naked and desperate “deep state�-media coup against a president they fear they cannot defeat at the ballot box.

CREATORS.COM

Patrick J. Buchanan is the author of “Nixon’s White House Wars: The Battles That Made and Broke a President and Divided America Forever.� 4O kND OUT MORE ABOUT Patrick Buchanan and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators website at www.creators.com.

A N A LY S I S

NKorea’s Kim back to military optics to raise heat TOKYO: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is cautiously turning up the heat after his unsuccessful summit with President Trump in Hanoi two months ago.

Returning to military optics for THE kRST TIME IN kVE MONTHS +IM on Tuesday paid a surprise visit to AN !IR &ORCE BASE TO INSPECT kGHTER combat readiness and followed that up the next day by supervising THE TEST OF WHAT THE .ORTH S OFkCIAL media described ominously but ambiguously — and without any photos or video — as a new type of “tactical guided weapon.�

The military-related posturing comes after Kim expressed deep disappointment earlier this month with what the North claims was an INlEXIBLE gGANGSTER LIKEu DEMANDS by the US in Hanoi.

It also comes as the Kremlin announced Thursday that Kim will visit Russia later this month at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin. It gave no further details.

Putin has been something of an outsider over the past year as Kim has held multiple summits with the leaders of China, the United States and South Korea.

But he could provide important

political cover or economic aid for North Korea — and a potential headache for Trump — if he chooses to play a bigger role.

Though Kim claims he still has a good personal relationship with the US president, he and SENIOR .ORTH +OREAN OFkCIALS HAVE shown increasing frustration with Trump’s top advisers, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton. “The Hanoi summit gives us a lesson that whenever Pompeo pokes his nose in, the talks go wrong without any results even from the point close to success,� Kwon Jong Gun, director general of the American desk at the North’s Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying on Thursday. “I wish our dialogue counterpart would be not Pompeo but [some] other person who is more careful and mature in communicating with us.�

In an address to the Supreme People’s Assembly, the North’s version of parliament, Kim gave the US until the end of the year to come up with a more mutually acceptable negotiation strategy.

For North Korea, that would mean lifting the sanctions it has imposed against the North

over its development of nuclear weapons and missiles capable of reaching the US mainland.

Kim indicated, however, that he would in the meantime maintain his self-imposed moratorium on nuclear tests and long-range missile launches and he appears to be standing by that vow.

53 MILITARY OFkCIALS SAID THEY DID NOT DETECT ANY SIGNIkCANT MISSILE launches on Wednesday and the North’s description of the “newly developed ultramodern tactical weapon� suggested it might have instead been an anti-tank guided missile or other short-range system.

If so, it was likely intended to be a response to recent military drills

by US and South Korea.

Just before the reports of the weapon test, a North-run propaganda website said the drills fuel “the MOOD FOR A kGHT AND RISKS OF WAR u Washington and Seoul have renamed and scaled back their joint maneuvers since early last year, when the South hosted the Winter Olympics. They have continued that policy SINCE +IM S kRST SUMMIT WITH 4RUMP

in June last year, but the North claims even the smaller versions run counter to the spirit of dialogue.

Since Hanoi, Kim and senior .ORTH +OREAN OFkCIALS HAVE ALSO been openly critical of South Korea and efforts by President Moon Jaein to play the role of middleman, saying he has adhered too closely to his American allies and dragged his feet on inter-Korean projects that would provide the North with crucial investment to build its sagging infrastructure.

Moon has expressed an eagerness to engage with the North on such projects, but Washington wants it to stick to sanctions.

North and South Korean leaders have met three times, and Moon has said he is ready to meet again at any time. Trump has also suggested he wants a third summit.

But there are growing worries that the progress could be killed by mismatched demands between the US and North Korea over sanctions relief and disarmament.

Washington says it won’t allow the North’s desired sanctions relief UNTIL THE NATION COMMITS TO VERIkABLY relinquishing his nuclear facilities, weapons and missiles. Kim has shown no signs that he’s willing to give away an arsenal he may see as his strongest guarantee of survival.

AP

island, so that they could practice their own culture and way of life.

When these demands were not adequately met and the nationalistic policies were there to stay, some Tamils took up arms and the Tamil Tigers guerrillas emerged. Sri Lanka was then plunged into a previously unthinkable civil war for nearly half a century. There were atrocities committed by both sides during the civil war, and terrorist attacks such as suicide bombing were not unheard of.

Twenty years ago, I visited Sri Lanka for a few weeks on behalf of an international organization to help draft the country’s emergency telecommunication plan, as Sri Lanka was occasionally struck by both natural disasters and manmade ones, e.g., war. The country was indeed at the height of its civil war then, with anti-aircraft artillery mounted around the airport, and soldiers posted at sandbagged and machine-gun-equipped sentry points in almost all the major street intersections of Colombo.

I stayed in a hotel next to the presidential palace, and when I pried open the window curtain, there was a machine gun pointing across the lush garden generally in

my direction from the fence-wall of the presidential palace. I could feel then the tense atmosphere. A WEEK OR SO AFTER ) lEW OFF THE INternational airport was attacked by the Tigers and most of the national airline’s planes were destroyed.

Almost a decade ago, the Tigers were decidedly defeated by government forces in major battlekELDS IN 3RI ,ANKA 4HE ISLAND HAS undergone what was touted to be tremendous economic growth since then, but I think that was mainly because it had a low economic base for comparison to start with. The unequal policies which were perhaps the source of the horrendous civil war remain largely intact. So frankly speaking, I was half-anticipating a new round of violent outbursts once again seeking the right of selfdetermination there. But what was surprising was of course this time around, the terrorist attacks seem to pitch one minority group against another, and not the two majority groups going at each other again. I am often reminded by a quote from a former Mexican president. It goes something like this — respect for the rights of others is peace.

Q SRI LANKA FROM A5

Sri Lanka’s Easter Sunday

sanayake noted: “warning of plan to launch a campaign of suicide attacks led by Mohammed Zahran of National Thawheed Jama’ath (NTJ) has been received by intelligence sources, and request extreme precautions be taken.�

A fact commented on in the afTERMATH OF THE kRST WAVE OF BOMBings by Defense Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, who confirmed that some of the attacks were carried out by suicide bombers.

Sri Lankan authorities have arrested 24 suspects and at least 1 woman as of Monday in an ongoing investigation to root out all the terrorists, who may number 30 with 20 to 30 targets, according to a suspect arrested down Ramakrishna Road, Wellawatte, 8.0 km south of Colombo.

At least three of the suicide terrorIST BOMBERS HAVE BEEN IDENTIkED ALL local Sri Lankan Muslims allegedly from eastern Sri Lanka: — Mohamed Azzam Mohamed registered as a guest the previous night and blew himself up during the Easter breakfast buffet in Taprobane Restaurant-Cinnamon Grand Hotel.

Apparently he queued patiently before triggering his explosives. — Zahran Hashim—ShangriLa hotel. — Abu Mohammad—Zion Protestant Christian Church, Batticaloa.

Active measures taken — 3:00 p.m. curfew lifted at 6:00 a.m. Monday morning to enable security forces to apprehend wanted terror suspects in ongoing hunt and stop escapees. — Blocking all major social media platforms and messaging Apps to prevent spread of misinformation and rumors. — Maintaining law and order to stop any retaliation (e.g. Mosque petrol bombed in Putlam, 132.9 km north of Colombo; arson attacks on two Muslim owned shops in Kalutara, 43.5 km south of Colombo). — US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Australian police teams in place to help with forensic investigations.

National Thawheed Jama’ath (NTJ) Five years ago on March 24, 2014 the Peace Loving Moderate Muslims in

Sri Lanka (PLMMSL) urged the government of Sri Lanka to ban without delay an Islamic religious movement calling itself the (National) Thawheed Jama’ath “because it was fast becoming a cancer within Sri Lanka’s Muslim community.�

It is alleged that NTJ headed by Moulavi Zahran had holed up in Kattankudi, 327 km east of Colombo, and recruited impressionable Muslim high school students to travel to Syria via Turkey. The hypothesis is that following military defeat at the hands of multinational forces, these Daesh or so-called Islamic State (IS) associated recruits had returned to Sri Lanka.

These allegations are yet to be proven beyond reasonable doubt in a court of law. Having said that I would argue that the spectacular terrorist bombings on Easter Sunday perpetrated on wholly unsuspecting Christians, tourists and citizens could be a last hurrah from Daesh to demonstrate to their supporters and the world at large that they are not defeated. Every suicide bombing though is a defeat for Daesh as they are losing cadres on each occasion.

Quo Vadis?

So where do we all go from here?

Sri Lanka will recover, as it has done commendably from the decades long brutal civil wars and bloodletting that ended ten years ago. What of the human spirit and fragile intercommunal harmony between minority Christians, Muslims and majority Buddhists in Sri Lanka, and beyond?

That is the greatest challenge moving forward and Sri Lanka’s fractious political leaders have to demonstrate true statesmanship, and invest the required time, effort and resources in partnership with all faith leaders to make a difference.

Thereby, defeating the forces of darkness, ignorance and evil, and bringing enlightenment, peace and harmony to a beleaguered land.

Similar actions must be taken by world leaders to overcome growing dystopia and unchecked authoritarianism that is haunting the 21st century, putting the planet and liberal democracy in dire peril. IPS

Dr. Purnaka L. (“PL�) de Silva is director, Institute for Strategic Studies and Democracy (ISSD) Malta

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Regions

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

A7

Human chain formed vs Negros coal plant

B

BY EUGENE Y. ADIONG

ACOLOD CITY: About 7,000 Catholics of the Diocese of San Carlos from Manapla, Negros Occidental and La Liberted town in Negros Oriental held hands to form a human chain to renew their protest against the construction of A COAL kRED POWER PLANT IN THIS NORTHEAST CITY

Fr. Edwin Laude, diocesan rector, said 45 parishes under the Diocese of San Carlos participated in the human chain that started at 8 a.m. and lasted for 30 minutes on Monday. “Each parish committed to bring 500 to 1,000 people to the event.

They covered the 229-kilometer distance between Manapla to La Libertad,� Laude said.

He added that they estimated they would reach even 30 percent of their target participants, mostly from the youth sector, for the event that marked their celebration this year of Earth Day. Rodne Galicia, convenor of the

Living Lau Dato Si Philippines, said the activity was “a show of force of the community about their concern for the environment. We are happy that the Diocese of San Carlos under Bishop Alminaza have expressed [its] resolve to oppose the plan.�

He said their actions would continue even after the elections on May 13 Laude was optimistic that the activity and others planned “would be able to conscientize our leaders, our decision makers to listen to the people not to pursue the construcTION OF THE COAL kRED POWER PLANT u Alminaza called on voters dur-

ing his homilies not to vote for candidates who are supporting the COAL kRED POWER PLANT PROJECT But Laude admitted that the people of San Carlos City view the matter from a different perspective. “Most of the people here are dependent on the local government units and politicians. They cannot free themselves from that because they rely on them for employment,� he said, adding that it would still depend on the people if they wanted to heed the bishop’s call.

The residents only hope the Sanggunian Panlalawigan (Provincial Board) of Negros Occidental would “uphold the Executive Order (EO) issued by outgoing Gov. Alfredo MaraĂąon Jr. declaring the province as coal-free.â€?

Laude said Vice Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson, former three-term mayor of San Carlos City, had declared he was “open to the idea of THE COAL kRED PLANT u “We are very much wary of his statement because there is no as-

FULL CIRCLE

 Parishioners join nuns and priests in forming a human chain in front of the San Carlos Borromeo Church in San Carlos City to express their opposition to the proposed coal-powered plant in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITOY TAĂ‘O

surance that he would obey the EO. We are afraid he might revoke it,� he added.

SMC Global Power Corp. ex-

6 soldiers killed, 6 wounded in Samar clash SIX soldiers were killed and six others were wounded when an improvised explosive device went off as troops clashed with communist rebels on Tuesday in Calbiga, Samar.

Captain Reynaldo Aragones, spokesman for the Army’s 8th Infantry Division based in Camp Lukban, Maulong, Western Sa-

mar, the said troops were on combat patrol in Barangay Buluan in Calbiga when they received reports on the presence of New People’s Army (NPA) rebels in Barangay Biri, where the encounter happened.

A report said about 20 NPA rebels clashed with troops under the 46th Infantry Battalion of the Philippine Army at

Military to build houses for Zambo Sur ex-rebels PAGADIAN CITY: Halfway houses and farmlands are set to be built and developed next month for New People’s Army (NPA) rebel returnees in Guipos, Zamboanga del Sur. Gov. Antonio Cerilles said the houses and farm would be located on a 20-hectare lot owned by the province behind the Army’s Camp David Sabido where the 53rd Infantry Battalion Headquarters, under Lt. Col. Marlowe Patria, is based.

Cerilles and Patria had signed a Memorandum of Agreement for the “From Arms to Farms�

PROJECT THAT WAS WITNESSED BY Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Reynaldo Mapagu, chairman of Task Force Balik Loob.

Patria said the halfway houses and their facilities would be worth more than P5 million funded by the DILG’s Task Force Balik Loob.

They would serve as the surrenderers’ temporary shelters before they return to their communities even as such could also become venues for livelihood education and processing of the former dissidents, he added.

Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Roberto Ancan, Joint Task Force Zampelan commander, said at least 43 rebel returnees received at total of P2.75 million financial aid from the EnhancedComprehensive Local Integration Proram and firearms compensation from the DILG, while each of them got P65,000 as emergency help.

ANTONIO P. RIMANDO

RegionalDrugWatch P1.7M SHABU SEIZED IN BULACAN BUY-BUST TWO suspected notorious drug pushers were arrested, while an estimated P1.7 million worth of shabu weighing 250 grams was seized in a buy-bust by the Drug Enforcement Unit of the Baliwag Police Station on Tuesday. Bulacan Provincial Director Police Col. Chito Bersaluna identified the arrested as Rodel Cunanan, alias Ude, 39, of 381 Purok 3, Barangay Piel and Edilberto Perigrina Jr., alias JR, 31, of Barangay Sulivan, both in Baliwag, who sold sachets of shabu to a poseur buyer. According to Police Lt. Col. Voltaire Rivera, acting Baliwag chief of police, the suspects had been selling illegal drugs in Barangay Piel, and nearby barangay (villages). Recovered from the suspects were 12 heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets of shabu, a weighing scale and buy-bust money. FREDERICK SILVERIO

HUNDREDS NABBED, P6.1-M DRUGS CONFISCATED IN CENTRAL VISAYAS THE Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) arrested more than 900 people and seized a total of P6.1 million worth of illegal drugs during four days of simultaneous enhanced managing of police operations in Central Visayas. Police Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas, PRO-7 director, said the “Huli- Holy Week,â€? a project launched against all forms of criminality during the week, resulted in the arrest of 266 drug suspects, 479 for illegal gambling, 170 wanted persons, three for illegal fishing and 29 for illegal possession of firearms. Also confiscated were 209 unlicensed firearms, 906 grams of shabu and 14 grams of marijuana. RHEA RUTH ROSELL Â

3 HELD FOR P2.4M WORTH OF MARIJUANA IN BONTOC BONTOC, Mountain Province: Three persons from Muntinlupa City in Metro Manila were arrested by police operatives and anti-narcotics agents for carrying 22 marijuana bricks and other weeds in tubes at a checkpoint in Sitio Cheta, Bontoc Ili. The suspected marijuana couriers were Paolalphiny Canilao Octavio, 20, student; Jaden Rongavilla Residuo, 20; and John Loyd Ocampo Rojales, 21.

Authorities received a tip from a concerned city that the suspects were transporting marijuana bricks and tubes on board a passenger jeepney plying the Tinglayan-Bontoc route. During the routine inspection at the checkpoint, police seized from the backpacks of the suspects 18 pieces of marijuana bricks, four pieces of marijuana in tubes worth over P2.4 million, assorted drug paraphernalia, different identification cards and three mobile phones.

DEXTER A. SEEÂ

about 2:45 a.m.

The slain soldiers were Cpl. Junurimbran Mamalo Jr., Cpl. Edgar Abing, Private First Class (Pfc) Arthur Gar cia, Pfc. Rufino Paster Jr., Private Danilo Constantino Jr. and Private Elben Lagrimas.

Leading the rebels were Joedario Nablo, alias Didet; Eldefonso Nablo, alias Bobong; and Eddie Abina, all of the

communist rebels’ division in Calbiga town.

4HE kREkGHT LASTED FOR ABOUT four hours.

The rebels were forced to withdraw.

Aragones said the NPA rebels had reportedly been extorting from residents in the area.

DEMPSEY REYES AND ELADIO PERFECTO

pressed its intention to develop A MEGAWATT COAL kRED POWER plant in the city.

The city council had already con-

curred with the resolutions of the two would-be host barangay (villages), Punaw and Palampas, expressing OPENNESS TO THE PROJECT

A8

News

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

Engineers eye closure of EAC

BY CATHERINE A. MODESTO

T

HE city engineering office of Manila recommended the INDEkNITE LOCKDOWN OF THE EARTHQUAKE damaged Emilio Aguinaldo College (EAC) building in Manila.

IT LEANS

The recommendation came after a team of engiNEERS FROM THE CITY ENGINEERING OFkCE AND THE $Epartment of Public Works and Highways inspected the building, which tilted during the strong quake that hit Metro Manila on Monday.

City engineer Roger Legazpi said the team also checked Manila City Hall, hospitals and other structures for damages.

Legazpi said the building might have tilted because of liquefaction, a process in which saturated or unconsolidated soil significantly loses strength and stiffness during stressful conditions such as shaking during a quake, making it

Q REDEMPTION FROM A1

‘Lost

children with a history of criminal offenses to engage in art and theater as means of personal reformation.

A year after he was released by the Molave Youth Home, 18-yearold John Carlo Gambito became active in short plays under Anak Teatro, a village-based theater PROGRAM FOR CHILDREN IN CONlICT with the law, children at risk, and children seeking protection and support from the government.

Gambito stayed in Molave for 10 days while his illegal drug case was being processed by the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court. “April po iyon ng madaling araw. Lumabas kami ng mga kaibigan ko para tumambay.

May isang lalaking dumaan sa tapat namin. Tapos nung inabot sa amin, isang wallet. Pagkakuha ko na, biglang umalis po ‘yung lalaki tapos ilang minuto lang po may mga dumating na naka-motor na naka-civilian. ‘Di namin alam mga pulis po tapos biglang huminto sa tapat namin. Kinapkapan kami,� Gambito told The Manila Times. (It was April, before dawn last year. I went outside to hang out with my frie nds. Suddenly, a guy stopped by in front of us and gave us a wallet. When he handed it to me, he immediately left, and a few minutes after, some men in civilian clothes arrived. We did not know that they were police OFkCERS 4HEY FRISKED US “Pagkakuha sa amin ng wallet, binuksan po, laman na pala nu’n drugs. Parang na-set up po kami.

Tapos dinala kami sa police station, tinanong sa amin kung kanino ba `yun. Sinasabi ko `di naman sa akin `yun (When they got the wallet and opened it, it contained drugs. We were set up. We were brought to the police station and they asked us who owned the drugs. I kept on saying that it was NOT MINE u HE ADDED

unable to support weight. “On Wednesday, the team would determine the degree of tilting,� Legaspi said.

Legazpi said there was no damage to the UN Residences building on which the EAC structure leaned. “We are coordinating with the Bureau of Fire Protection and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council for recommendations,� Legaspi added.

The EAC administration announced that classes would resume on April 29, Monday.

It said classes would be held in temporary classrooms.

Gambito had to stay in Molave until the local court proved his innocence and turned him over to Barangay Culiat to undergo “diversion� programs, which include theater work and youth seminars. “Gumagawa po kami ng mga bulaklak sa play, nagbabasa ng libro tungkol sa mga babaeng inaabuso, mga kasong nilalabag ng bata. Minsan po ako po ‘yung rapist na matanda sa kwento. Sa huli, nagbibigay ng mensahe bakit hindi po dapat maging ganun (We WOULD MAKE lOWER DECORATIONS as part of the production’s backdrop, we would read about cases of women who were abused, children who violated laws. I would usually take the role of the ‘bad man’ — a rapist or a snatcher. Then I would explain to the audience why it is wrong TO BE ONE u HE ADDED Eighteen-year-old Jemuel Ditalo was also thankful for having gone through the same thing in Molave. “Nasa huli talaga ang pagsisisi.

[Nagbago] na po ako. Naging masipag ako. Natanggal ang pagiging mahiyain ko. At umiiwas na rin sa gulo (It’s true that regret comes only when it is too late. I have changed. I became industrious. I am not shy anymore. And I stay AWAY FROM TROUBLE NOW u SAID Ditalo, who stayed in Molave for a month because of a case of physical assault. “Dati po pala-absent ako, tapos may niresbakan kami, pero ibang tao po `yung nabugbog namin.

Hiyang-hiya po ako sa magulang ko. `Yung tatay ko po sa maintenance lang, `yung nanay ko naman housewife (Before, I was always absent in class. I helped a friend to get back at someone, but we punched the wrong person. I felt ashamed and sorry for my parents.

My father is only a maintenance worker, and my mother is a houseWIFE u $ITALO SAID BCPC head Cristina Bernardino said Barangay Culiat recognizes the need for survival, development, participation, and restorative justice to protect children

w w w.manilatimes.net

Rotary Wheel Celebrity Awards to be held on April 26 THE Rotary Club of Manila Fort 3ANTIAGO 2#-& WILL PRESENT ITS signature project, the Rotary Wheel Celebrity Awards for Public Service, on April 26 at the Ayuntamiento Building in Intramuros, Manila.

The event will be held in coordination with the Aliw Awards &OUNDATION )NC !!&) THE &ILIpino Academy of Movie Arts and 3CIENCES &!-!3 AND 3OROPTIMIST International Las PiĂąas Central.

The guest of honor and speaker will be Sen. Cynthia Villar.

Celebrities who rendered outstanding public service in their PARTICULAR kELDS WILL BE HONORED The categories are Institutions, Broadcasting, Entertainment, Environment, Education, Community Service, Medicine, Journalism, Public Service, Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Sports, Road

Safety, Television and Radio.

Among the celebrity awardees will be Fr. Joey Faller, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Chairman Andrea Domingo, Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Acosta, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ Cecile Guidote Alvarez, Isabela Gov. Faustino Bojie Dy 3rd, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd, Dugong Alay Dugtong Buhay’s Napoleon Marilag, Boy Abunda, Lisa Macuja Elizalde, Shirley Halili Cruz, Dingdong Dantes, Councilor Rico J. Puno, Dr. Reynaldo Vea, RS Francisco, Gina Lopez, Artemio Lachica, Rachel Alejandro, Christine Jacob Sandejas, Mayor Herbert "AUTISTA 6ICE -AYOR *OSEkNA g*OYu Belmonte, Vice Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno� Domagoso, Mayor Lani Mercado, Rep. Alfred Vargas,

Q HERITAGE FROM A1

muan; Immaculada Concepcion Parish, Guagua; Santiago Apostol Parish, Betis, Guagua; San Jose Labrador Parish, Floridablanca; Sta. Catalina de Alexandria Parish, Porac; and Sta. Rita de Casia Parish, Sta. Rita. – District 3: Metropolitan Cathedral, City of San Fernando; Sta. Catalina Alexandria Parish, Arayat; San Guillermo Parish, Bacolor; Sta. Monica Parish, Mexico; Sta. Ana Parish, Sta. Ana; and San Vicente Ferrer Parish, Calulut, City of San Fernando. – District 4: San Pedro Apostol Parish, Apalit; San Andres Parish, Candaba; San Nicolas de Tolentino Parish, Macabebe; San Miguel Arkanghel Parish, Masantol; Sta. Monica Parish, Minalin; San Luis Gonzaga Parish, San Luis; Nuestra Seùora del Pilar Parish, San Simon; and Santo Tomas Apostol Parish, Santo Tomas.

In the Balanga diocese in Bataan, churches sustained minor damages.

Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos also on Tuesday said in one of their 11 old town churches, the statue of St. Peter of Verona in Hermosa fell, but the church itself

Closure

The Emilio Aguinaldo College building leans on the UN Residences building. PHOTO BY ENRIQUE AGCAOILI

˜ The Manila Times

premises] are deemed safe.�

The archdiocese said some of its churches sustained damage from the earthquake such as the Monasterio de Sta. Clara in Betis, Guagua, and Hacienda Dolores in Porac, the town that apparently was hit the hardest by the temblor, even if the epicenter was in Castillejos, Zambales.

Experts from Escuella Taller de Filipinas saw cracks in the interior of the belfry at the Sta. Monica Parish in Minalin, the archdiocese said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said parts of Pampanga became prone to strong shaking after the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo, also in Zambales.

Below is the complete list of all heritage churches in Pampanga: – District 1: Holy Rosary Parish, Angeles City; Nuestra Seùora de Gracia Parish, –Mabalacat City; and San Bartolome Apostol Parish, Magalang. – District 2: San Agustin Parish, Lubao; Sta. Lucia Parish, Sas-

former representatives Harry and Naida Angping, Dr. James Dy, Hospital on Wheels’ Dr. Jim Sanchez, Dante Arevalo Ang, Miguel Belmonte, Dr. Emilio Yap 3rd, Joel Cruz, Eugene Torre, James Deakin, General Teroy Taguinod of MMDA, and lawyer Vince Taùada.

Angel Locsin, Daniel Razon and Wilson Tieng will receive the Emy Abuan Memorial Awards.

Aliw Entertainer of the Year Gerphil Flores and Aliw awardees Merjohn Lagaya, Jade Riccio, Carla Guevara Laforteza, David Ezra, Reuben Laurente, Ronnie Diao, Halili Cruz Dancers and Ballet Manila Dancers will perform in the event.

Proceeds from this event will go to the sociocivic projects of the RCMFS, AAFI, FAMAS and Soroptimist International Las PiĂąas Central. was undamaged.

Two decades-old parish churches in Dinalupihan and San Ramon suffered cracks on their walls.

Santos said assessment of churches of the diocese was ongoing.

The Catholic Bishops’ ConferENCE OF THE 0HILIPPINES #"#0 offered prayers for the victims of the earthquake.

In a message, Davao Archbishop Romulo Valles, CBCP president, said, “We pray that those injured and who lost properties will be comforted, that help will come and we also pray especially for the grieving people who have lost dear ones in the earthquake and we hope recovery and help as I said earlier would come to these people.� “I would like to note also the work of those who went to rescue and helped those people in the damage areas. It is again a time to tell ourselves to prepare for such CALAMITIES WHICH ARE DIFkCULT TO predict like an earthquake. So let us continue to pray for ourselves and for the suffering people,� he added.

CATHERINE A. MODESTO

who were once involved in crimes. “Culiat is among the villages with the most active youth development task force representatives,� Bernardino said, with youth leaders coming from the Muslim Compound, Purok 1-A, Purok SENATE candidate Christopher and development project that criminality and corruption.

3, Forestry, Palayan and Metro Lawrence “Bong� Go committed aims to alleviate the plight of Go explained that among his Heights Compound. to support the advancement of MSMEs. Among its components top priorities include efforts to Children of BCPC’S Anak Te- cooperatives in the country, as include the micro-financing improve the delivery of health atro and Batuta Teatro are repre- well as micro, small and medium program called Pondo sa Pag- services in the country, not only sented by not only the CICL sector, ENTERPRISES -3-%S BABAGO AT 0AG ASENSO 0 through improved facilities for but also persons with disability “Susuportahan ko po ang pag- construction of more shared public health institutions, but 07$ THE -USLIM COMMUNITY sulong ng ) WILL SUPPORT THE SERVICE FACILITIES 33& ACROSS also with the establishment of and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and Philippine Cooperative Develop- the country, and international more Malasakit Centers, where TRANSGENDER ,'"4 COMMUNITY TO MENT 0LAN 0#$0 AND -3-% trade promotion to open global poor patients can get easy access enhance youth participation in art Development Plan,� said Go in markets for MSMEs. TO MEDICAL AND kNANCIAL ASSISactivities in the area.

Started in 2014, the Negosyo tance from various government his message during the 13th GenSince 2015, chosen children eral Assembly and 14th Founding Centers also help stimulate entre- agencies. had performed in different areas Anniversary of Southern Global preneurship development in the 4HE FORMER 0ALACE OFkCIAL SAID of Quezon City, school events, Services Multi-Purpose Coopera- countrysides. his other priority concerns were churches, organizations, and even tive at the Cuneta Astrodome in Go vowed to boost the program agriculture, housing for the poor, big events such as the 26th Nation- Pasay City. if he wins in May. education, long-term sports deal Children’s Month Celebration ,IKEWISE 'O ASSURED THE OFk- velopment, fire protection and Among others, the PCDP seeks and the launching of the Philip- to implement measures, such as cials and members of cooperatives prevention, localized peace talks, pine plan of action to end violence documentation of cooperative that he would bring their concerns barangay welfare, creation of a against children with the United best practices; modeling of co- to the attention of President Rodri- Department of overseas Filipino Nations Children’s Fund held last operative good governance and go Duterte.

WORKERS AND IMPROVED BENEkTS year, Bernardino added. ethical practices; cooperative ed“Ipagpapatuloy ko po ang mga for senior citizens.

Now in Grades 11 and 10, re- ucation program; and promotion pagbabagong inumpisahan ni “Alam nyo, serbisyo lang kami spectively, Gambito and Ditalo of the cooperative movement in Pangulong Duterte (I will con- [ni Pangulong Duterte]. Ang serWANT TO BE POLICE OFkCERS IN THE general. tinue the programs of President bisyo sa tao, serbisyo sa Diyos (We future — not just to redeem themThe MSME Development Pro- $UTERTE u SAID 'O REFERRING THE only want to serve. To serve God selves in the society, but to also gram is a P50-billion assistance campaign against illegal drugs, AND MAN u 'O SAID help in correcting the system of criminal justice. “Gusto ko pong mag-take ng criminology. Dahil sa side na rin po ng papa ko. Tulad ng ginagawa sa atin, may tumutulong sa nangangailangan, ‘yung mga naaapi (I want to take criminology, also because I want to follow the legacy of my father’s side. Just like what happens in our society, someone helps those who are in need, those WHO ARE OPPRESSED u 'AMBITO said.

Ditalo said: “Gusto kong maging pulis paglaki ko. Gusto kong tulungang magbago `yung mga tao sa amin. Saka tumulong sa mga bata, gusto ko silang magbago (I want to be a policeman when I grow up. I want to help in changing the people in our area. I also want to help children change THEIR WAYS u Q Senate aspirant Christopher Lawrence ‘Bong’ Go poses with young employees in Pasay City.

Bong Go seeks advancement of cooperatives, MSMEs Â

7,818.93 DOWN 0.17%

WEDNESDAY APRIL 24, 2019 ASIAN STOCKS: W S h a n g h a i 0 . 5 1 %

Business Times www.manilatimes.net

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V Seoul 0.17%

V To k y o 0 . 1 9 %

V Jakarta 0.75%

FROM WHERE WE SIT

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PH, China to ink $10B in deals – DTI

M

ORE than $10 billion in trade and investment agreements will be brought home by President Rodrigo Duterte after he visits Beijing this week, the Trade department claimed on Tuesday. “In line with the participation of ‌ Duterte in the 2nd Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on 25 April 2019 ‌ the Philippines will also be signing over US$10 billion worth of ‌ deals, which translates to around 20,000 jobs,â€? the department said in a text message to reporters.

While the deals are still being kNALIZED THE DEPARTMENT SAID THE kNAL tally could even been higher. “We are vetting groups and their

plans and possible agreements on investments and trade,� Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez was quoted as saying. “Actually most are vetted already.

But we are putting [out an] estimate of [the] total as more agreements may be added,� he added.

The deals, some of which involve memos of understanding, involve food, energy, power, infrastructure, technology and services, the Trade department said.

On Monday, the Foreign Affairs department said that least five bilateral agreements on education, ANTI CORRUPTION OFkCIAL DEVELOPMENT assistance and drug rehabilitation would be signed.

Duterte’s China trip — his fourth as president — comes as Beijing seeks to lure more countries to join a global infrastructure initiative it claims will lead to closer ties and increased prosperity. Belt and Road critics, however, warn that the projects offered are debt traps and would only favor China.

Duterte, who has openly courted Beijing’s favor, is expected to speak at a Leaders’ Roundtable on April 27, the

Foreign Affairs department said.

Prelude Ahead of the Belt and Road Forum, Manila yesterday also hosted thee China-led Boao Forum for Asiaa (BFA). Duterte, however, skipped the event and MalacaĂąang claimed he was “overworkedâ€?.

Speaking at the Manila forum on Tuesday, BFA Vice-Chairman Zhou Xiaochuan noted the Duterte administration’s own infrastructure initiative and said it would contribute to regional growth.

ÂłDTI B2

Q BFA Vice-Chairman Zhou Xiaochuan.

PHOTO BY ORVEN VERDOTE

Belt and Road push wins fans but criticism persists Banks’ MSME lending BEIJING: President Xi Jinping will lead a hard sales push at a Beijing summit this week, to corral more countries into a global infrastructure project at the core of China’s superpower ambitions and win over those who see a strategic threat.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) envisages massive investments in maritime, road and rail projects across 65 countries from Asia to Europe and Africa that collectively account for 30 percent of global GDP. If fully realized, it could shape the world economic and geopolitical landscape for decades to come.

But its scope and ambition have DIVIDED %UROPE WHILE 53 OFkCIALS have called it a “vanity project�, and detractors have warned that it is laden with debt risks and opaque DEALS FAVOURING #HINESE kRMS AND labour.

Despite the criticism, momentum appears to be on Xi’s side, with LEADERS FROM COUNTRIES lOCKING to Beijing for the three-day summit beginning Thursday.

It’s the second such event, with an inaugural 2017 summit bringing 29 leaders together.

Italy breaks ranks China added a key nation to its Belt and Road roster when Italy became THE kRST ' MEMBER TO SIGN ON TO the project last month.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte will participate in the summit and Switzerland appears set to sign on WITH 0RESIDENT 5ELI -AURER lYING to Beijing.

still short – BSP data BANKS are still not providing enough loans to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) sector, data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) showed.

A total of P547.785 billion was set aside for lending last year, short of the P749.549 billion mandated under the Magna Carta for MSMEs. It was also equivalent to just 7.3 percent of the P7.945 trillion in total loanable funds

ÂłLending B4

PSEi drops 0.17%, lack of leads cited Russian President Vladimir Putin and other leaders from Europe, Asia and Africa will also attend, but major EU nations are sending ministers and the United States said it would not have a high-level delegation.

Since Xi launched Belt and Road in 2013, China has invested $90 billion in projects while banks have provided between $200 billion and $300 billion in loans, according to Xiao Weiming, a Chinese GOVERNMENT OFkCIAL OVERSEEING "ELT and Road.

Examples of debt trouble abound.

Sri Lanka turned over a deep-sea port to China for 99-years after it

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for last year, below the 10-percent threshold set by the law.

Nevertheless, MSME lending in 2018 was P10.147 billion higher than the P537.638 billion extended in 2017.

B r o k e n d ow n , b i g b a n k s extended P452.759 billion in loans, followed by thrift banks (P82.398 billion), and rural and cooperative banks (P39.627 billion).

The central bank has noted that

was unable to repay loans. Pakistan needs an international bailout.

And Montenegro has had to make difficult choices after taking on crushing Chinese debt to pay a Chinese company to build a new highway.

It has also become an election issue in some countries. #HINESE OFkCIALS SAY THE PROJECTS foster development in poor countries and Xiao dismissed “debt trap� warnings as repeating “the same old tune�.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi denied last week that the project was a “geopolitical tool�, though he admitted that “jointly building

the Belt and Road is a developing process, it won’t happen overnight, and there will inevitably be some troubles.�

Italy rolled out a red carpet for Xi Jinping in Rome last month and signed a memorandum of understanding on the Belt and Road, with Beijing planning to invest in Italian ports.

The NATO member country’s ascension drew consternation in Brussels and Washington, and even within the leadership of Rome’s ruling coalition — Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said Italy would be “no-one’s colony�.

ÂłCriticism B4

4(% STOCK MARKET kNISHED SLIGHTLY lower on Tuesday in in a day of mixed Asian results, which analysts blamed on the lack of marketmoving developments ahead of major earnings results.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) slipped 0.17 percent or 13.50 points to close at 7,818.93 while the wider All Shares inched up 0.09 percent or 4.36 points to 4,839.04.

Sectoral results were mixed, with the property sector the only gainer, up 0.85 percent.

More than 569 million issues were traded valued at P6.6 billion.

Losers led winners, 120 to 72, while 47 issues were unchanged.

P2P Trade Online sales associate Gabriel Jose Perez said the sideways trading could continue without fresh catalysts. “External issues to look out for would be movement of US markets, along with the recent upward movements of oil,� Perez added.

Investors in the region were said to have moved cautiously ahead of a deluge of corporate results later in the week.

With all markets now open again after an extended Easter break, many fluctuated in morning trade but rallied by the afternoon.

Tokyo stocks ended marginally up for a third straight session, with

ÂłLeads B2

Henry Sy Sr. is BDO’s chairman emeritus

T

HE website of the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) lists 4,375,286,954 as the outstanding common shares of BDO Unibank Inc. Of the outstanding, 4,374,615,454 common shares are listed.

In a separate disclosure dated April 16, 2019, BDO Unibank reported the same number of outstanding common shares but added 515 million preferred shares.

In an amended general information sheet (GIS) as of 2018, BDO Unibank had authorized capital stock (ACS) of 6.5 billion shares divided into 5.5 billion common shares and one billion preferred shares. The two classes of stock carry par value of P10 each.

As of 2018, BDO Unibank’s amended GIS listed 12,559 stockholders who owned 4,375,286,954 common shares. Only two stockholders separately held and still own 515 million preferred shares.

As the mother company, SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) owned 1,750,930,649 common shares, or 35.80 percent of BDO Unibank’s

4,890,286,954 outstanding shares. The bank’s outstanding shares included 515 million preferred shares.

Foreigners held the equivalent of 30.54 percent of BDO Unibank’s outstanding shares as follows: The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp., 754,304,530, or 15.43 percent; Deutsche Bank, 347,567,557, or 7.11 percent; Citibank N.A., 271,279,813, or 5.5 percent and Standard Chartered Bank, 122,447,716, or 2.50 percent.

They held said BDO Unibank common shares for their clients.

Other stockholders BDO Unibank’s other stockholders

included Multi-Realty Development Corp., 291,513,036 BDO Unibank common shares, or 5.96 percent; Sybase Equity Investments Corp., 240,010,292 BDO Unibank common shares, or 4.91 percent and Shoemart Inc. (now SM Prime Holdings Inc.), 90,024,395 BDO Unibank common shares, or 1.84 percent. These “other stockholders� are all units, either directly or indirectly, of SM Investments.

BDO Securities Corp., which held 35,437,745 BDO Unibank common shares, or 0.73 percent, did not clarify in the amended DIS that it held said common share for its clients.

In a public ownership report as of March 31, 2019, BDO Unibank listed six principal stockholders, which held the same number of BDO Unibank common shares for a total of 2,382,334,133 BDO Unibank common shares, or 54.46 percent.

Since the computations were based only on 4,375,066,774 outstanding

common shares, the ratios of their ownerships went up as follows: SM Investments, 1,750,930,649, or 40.02 percent; Shoemart, 90,024,395, or 2.06 percent; MultiRealty, 291,513,036, or 6.66 percent; Sysmart, 9,855,661, or 0.23 percent and Sybase Equity, 240,010,292, or 5.49 percent.

BDO Securities was also reported as holder, not of 35,437,745 BDO Unibank common shares but of 100 BDO Unibank common shares, or zero percent.

The public stockholders were reported as holders of 1,967,835,446 BDO Unibank common shares, or PERCENT $ESPITE THEIR SIGNIkCANT holdings, they don’t elect anyone to represent them in the board.

Pays and perks As chairman emeritus, businessman Henry Sy Sr. is the 12th member

ÂłPerez B4

B2

Business Times

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

DoF allays investor fears over incentives reform T

BY MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO

B

ETTER tax perks were assured to Japanese kRMS BY THE $EPARTMENT OF &INANCE $O& to encourage them to invest more in the Philippines.

The DoF said it recently assured Japanese investors that the second package of the Duterte administration’s tax reform program, which aims to cut the corporate income tax (CIT) rate and rationalize investment incentives, would be a game-changer that would expand, rather than curtail, opportunities for them to do business in the Philippines.

In a statement on Tuesday, the DoF quoted Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd as saying,

during a meeting with a delegation from the Osaka-based Kansai Economic Federation last March 11, that “we would like to point out that actually, our economy is growing very quickly. If you want to participate in the local economy, you have to better invest here.� “Rather than look at the effect of tax reform on some companies, look at the effects of tax reform on the entire economy because it is making it better. Instead of looking at the place where you might lose,

Q LEADS FROM B1

PSEi drops profit-taking before 10 days of holidays in Japan weighing on the market.

Seoul, Sydney and Mumbai gained while Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore were down.

Investors are waiting for a number of major earnings releases expected this week, including Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Exxon Mobil and auto maker Tesla. “Some of the world’s biggest technology companies are reporting earnings this week as well as a raft of the big European banks,� Nick 4WIDALE CHIEF OPERATING OFkCER AT Rakuten Securities Australia, said in a note to clients. “Investors will be hoping for some better-than-expected results from both groups to keep the topside momentum in global equities, however if the data starts TO SHOW A SIGNIkCANT SLOWING ACROSS these key industries then expect both stocks and risk trades to start to come under some heavy pressure.�

Aerospace giant Boeing will report earnings on Wednesday for the first time since a deadly March 10 plane crash plunged the company into crisis-mode.

Financial analysts have already SLASHED THEIR PROkT FORECASTS AFTER Boeing announced earlier in April it was cutting its monthly production of the 737 by about 20 percent.

In early morning trade in Europe, London climbed while Frankfurt and Paris fell slightly.

Separately, Sri Lankan stocks plunged by 2.6 percent — their biggest drop in four years — as the Colombo Stock Exchange reopened for trading after terror attacks on Easter Sunday killed more than 300 people.

Oil prices climb While equity traders were generally cautious, oil prices continued their rally on Tuesday, jumping to near six-month highs after the US cracked down on Iranian oil exports.

The White House announced Monday it was calling an end to six-month waivers that had exempted countries from unilateral US sanctions on Iranian oil exports.

Starting in May, these countries — China, India, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy and Greece — would face sanctions if they continue to buy the oil. “This points to a big drop in the supply side, which boosts the commodity’s price. Iran’s daily oil output amounts to 1.3 million BARRELS ACCORDING TO LATEST kGURES in end March,� said Margaret Yang Yan, market analyst at CMC Markets Singapore.

But she said that “the sustainability of oil’s rally depends on Saudi and other OPEC members’ actions to increase oil supply in the month to come.�

Stephen Innes, head of trading and market strategy at SPI Asset Management, said rising prices meant $80 a barrel was now a “possibility�.

AFP AND ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

T

look at opportunities in the larger economy,� Dominguez added.

Fiscal incentives under the tax reform program, he pointed out, would not be removed but instead be rationalized or improved to ensure these are performancebased, targeted, time-bound and transparent. “There is no danger that we are ABANDONING kSCAL INCENTIVES "UT as I described to you, it is really necessary for us to rationalize it.

I hope for your understanding and support because we certainly don’t want to hurt companies that are making a good contribution to Philippine society,� he added.

Dominguez also assured the delegation that the “one-stop shop�

Japanese investors were currently enjoying through the Philippine

Economic Zone Authority would not only be retained but would also be the norm for all business applications in the future, following the signing into law of the Ease of Doing Business Act last year. “Everything that makes biz easier, we will keep and we will improve,� he said.

Dominguez said the government likes Japanese investors to feel welcomed by improving disposable income of the people, infrastructure and peace and order in the country. “Following the example of Japanese policies implemented in the ‘50s, we are investing very heavily in infrastructure with the generous help of your taxpayers,� he said, referring to Japan’s funding support for the “Build Build Build� program.

Sustainability reporting guidelines for PLCs

HE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently released the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for Publicly Listed Companies (PLCs), through SEC Memorandum Circular No. 4, Series of 2019.

The said guidelines mandate that PLCs submit a sustainability report as part of their annual report each year.

T h i s, h owe ve r, r a i s e s the question, “What is sustainability?� Sustainability IS DEkNED AS gDEVELOPMENT THAT meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations t o m e e t t h e i r ow n n e e d s �. [(Brundtland, G. “Our Common Future�, Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development (1987)].

The growing focus on sustainability has a corresponding increase in demand for companies to provide greater disclosure and transparency not ONLY ON kNANCIAL MATTERS BUT ON NON kNANCIAL AND SUSTAINABILITY issues as well. Greater attention is now given to how businesses impact the economy, environment, and society and the way corporations respond to sustainability challenges. This is where sustainability reporting comes in.

Sustainability reporting is an organization’s practice of reporting publicly on its significant economic, environmental, social and governance (EESG) impacts, in accordance with globally accepted standards. Further, it enables an organization to measure and monitor its contributions towards achieving universal targets of sustainability. ( S u s t a i n a b i l i t y Re p o r t i n g Guidelines for PLCs, in relation to SEC Memorandum Circular No. 4, Series of 2019) The increasing awareness of sustainability has also resulted in sustainability reporting becoming a common practice for companies globally. It was found that 93 percent of the world’s largest 250 companies and 75 percent of the top 100 companies in 49 countries report on sustainability. (2017 KPMG Survey of Corporate Responsibility Reporting). For Philippine PLCs, only 22 percent or 58 out of 270 companies have published a sustainability report. [(2017 Integrated Annual Corporate Governance Report (I-ACGR) submitted to the Commission].

Now, with the release of the Sustainability Reporting Guidelines for PLCs here in the Philippines, the SEC is positive that the numbers would improve.

The gist of the said guidelines pertains to the following: 3UBMISSION WITH 3%# &ORM 17-A. The reporting template (annex A of the guidelines) shall

Coverage of MSCI, Inc., SEC MATTERS likewise elaborated on how sustainability is now used by more and more investment KELVIN companies to decide on which LESTER LEE company to invest in, which indicates the international be submitted together with the institutional investors’ growing company’s annual report (SEC focus on sustainability. &ORM ! 4HE kRST REPORT SHALL In a more domestic setting, be attached to the 2019 Annual Jose Teodoro K. Limcaoco, Report to be submitted in 2020. chief sustainability officer of For companies who already Ayala Corporation, gave a great have sustainability reports in TED-like talk on how Ayala accordance with internationally Corporation implements its own recognized frameworks and sustainability initiatives. On standards, their reports shall the other hand, Arlyn Fausto, already be considered as their head of Corporate Recruitment compliance with the reporting and Sustainability of ABS-CBN template. Companies may choose Corporation, talked about the to attach the whole sustainability latter’s sustainability reporting report to their annual report journey, wherein she encouraged or just include a statement each and every PLC, whether providing a link to said report. big or small, to initiate their 2 . C o m p l y o r e x p l a i n own sustainability reporting approach. The guidelines shall m e a s u r e s. Fo r m e r F i n a n c e be adopted on a “comply or Secretary Roberto F. de Ocampo, EXPLAINu APPROACH FOR THE kRST b o a r d m e m b e r o f G l o b a l three years upon implementation. Reporting Initiative, also shared This means that companies are with the audience his experience required to attach the template on how and why sustainability to their annual reports but they is important, while Christian can provide explanations for G. Lauron, partner for Financial items where they still have no Services, Advisory-Risk of SGV available data. & Co., talked about sustainable 3. Penalty for non-attachment capital markets, in relation to of the sustainability report sustainable business practices to the annual report. Non- and sustainability reporting. attachment of the sustainability But what struck me the report to the annual report shall most during the conference be subject to the penalty for was a simple yet profound Incomplete Annual Report, per statement from Anna Green, SEC Memorandum Circular CEO of Australia and New No. 6, Series of 2005 (SEC Zealand Banking Group, Ltd. Memorandum Circular No. 4, – Philippines (ANZ). During Series of 2019) her speech, she said: “What is The Sustainability Reporting reported, gets done�. In one G u i d e l i n e s w a s f o r m a l l y phrase she is able to encapsulate i n t r o d u c e d t o t h e p u b l i c why regulators now encourage a t t h e r e c e n t l y h e l d S E C - sustainability reporting. And I P h i l i p p i n e S t o c k E x c h a n g e applaud her for being able to get (PSE) Conference on Building to the meat of the matter. a Sustainable Business In any case, compliance with C o m m u n i t y l a s t A p r i l 1 2 , the Sustainability Reporting 2019, in cooperation with the Guidelines should not be just Australian Embassy and the mere compliance/submission Global Reporting Initiative on paper made by various PLCs (GRI). A number of excellent but a continuing obligation speakers were also able to to become instruments for impart their knowledge and building a sustainable business experience on sustainability c o m m u n i t y f o r o u r f u t u r e and sustainability reporting. For generations. Thus, we at the instance, Australian Ambassador SEC hope that under the present Steven J. Robinson’s discussion circumstances, more and more on how Australia implements of our PLCs in the Philippines sustainability, as well as Vice will comply with the guidelines President of MacQuarie Capital and consistently report on S e c u r i t i e s ( J a p a n ) K a n n a sustainability.

Mihara’s keynote on how NOTE: The SEC, in cooperation MacQuarie uses sustainability with the PSE, will hold a series of reporting to assist them in their workshops on the Sustainability investment decisions, were Reporting Guidelines in Juneparticularly illuminating in an July 2019. Please check the SEC international setting. Edgardo website for further details.

Tongson, chief-of-party of WWF – Philippines, discussed the About the writer: Kelvin Lester state of the environment, the K. Lee is a Commissioner of evolution of sustainability the Securities and Exchange reporting and how investors Commission (SEC). The views e va l u a t e t h e s u s t a i n a b i l i t y and opinions stated herein are reporting of companies before his own. You may email your investing on them. Rajarshi comments and questions to Sen, vice president for Client oclee@sec.gov.ph.

When our plans were tested, did our execution pass?

WO days ago, we experienced a magnitude 6.1 earthquake in Luzon.

Another one hit Visayas yesterday. From what has already been reported, there are a number of casualties mostly in Central Luzon and Eastern Samar.

In Metro Manila, where the population is denser and the buildings are taller, evacuation plans were put to test.

While the earth shook and the buildings swayed, I, for the first time in my life, ducked under my desk. While taking cover, the Game of Thrones fan in me could have channeled Arya Stark by saying “Not today� in her response to Syrio Forel’s question: What do we say to the God of Death?

Instead, my faith led me to utter, “Lord, is this going to be it?� It was neither sarcastic nor said in jest. It was an acknowledgment that I am not in control and that God is sovereign. I then called my wife and my kids to check on them and subconsciously, I presume, to hear their voices, for it may be the last time.

From the stories I have heard from friends all over, people had different reactions. Some prayed, others cried. Others were on their mobile phone, trying to get in touch with their loved ones; others simply froze. These are all understandable reactions in such tense situations. It led me to think that, since not everyone followed the protocol to “duck, cover and hold,� what does that say about how we execute our plans in an emergency?

This line of thought progressed to reexamining the relationship between plans and execution. Sometimes, there is a great divide between plans and execution; but I think these two concepts are always connected. A great plan, as they say, does not mean much without equally great execution. Others would even dare say that a mediocre plan could still produce wonderful results, when coupled with great execution.

When you were at work or in school last Monday, did you notice if the people around you embarrassingly slid under their desk to take cover? My uninformed guess is that, most likely, they did not. As soon as the shaking stopped, did people immediately proceed to the fire exits (if they even know where it is), or did you hear a lot of “Shall we go down?

Shall we stay? Can we use the elevator? Where are the stairs?�

People who report to wo r k , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n t h e central business districts, are accustomed to having at least an annual earthquake drill.

However, those drills that may or may not have been taken seriously were put to the test on that Monday afternoon.

Did people remember the evacuation procedures? Who is in charge? If we had doubts on what to do during the tremors, a question arises:

FROM WHERE WE SIT

ANTON NG Did we remember anything from our drills? Did we plan enough? Did our execution fail our plans?

Execution, as they say, is the key to unlocking the success of any great plan. We often hear that, in pursuing a great idea or plan, we are encouraged to fail fast. Failure is something we need to accept as part of the execution of the plan. In the execution of an evacuation plan, however, I do not think that failure is an option. We cannot rest on the fact that there were no significant aftershocks afterwards or that our buildings withstood the earthquake. The execution of an evacuation plan is something we have to get right every single time.

N ow k n ow i n g h ow o u r organizations reacted to a real earthquake evacuation, it is the best time to conduct a DEBRIEkNG ON WHAT TRANSPIRED and if there are matters we need to reinforce to people within our organization. Matters such as: What do we actually do while the earth shakes? When do we evacuate? What should we bring with us? Which stairway do we use? Where do we go upon exiting the building? Is our evacuation area safe? I know it is easy for those who handle these evacuation scenarios to say that all of these concerns have already been communicated to employees.

However, the fact that not everyone was aware of or remembered how to react means there are issues that need to be addressed. Do we need to improve anything when we conduct our next earthquake drill? Do we need to make evacuation procedures more visible within office or building premises? How else can we make the evacuation faster or more efficient?

May all these reassessments and tinkering of plans be done as soon as possible, not only because we might get hit with another earthquake, but also to take advantage of the freshness of the experience.

Our evacuation plans were tested last Monday, but did the execution of our plans pass? If not, how can we make it pass the next time around?

Anton Ng is a Partner of the Audit & Assurance P&A Grant Thornton is one of the leading Audit, Tax, Advisory, and Outsourcing firms in the Philippines, with 21 Partners and over 900 staff members.

We’d like to hear from you!

Tweet us: @PAGrantThornton, like us on Facebook: P&A Grant Thornton, and email your comments to anton.ng@ph.gt. com or pagrantthornton@ ph.gt.com. For more information, visit our Website: www.grantthornton.com.ph.

Q DTI FROM B1

PH, China to ink “Since President Duterte took office, the Philippines has implemented the national economic strategy centering on the ‘Build Build Build’ program, making the country more and more prosperous,� Zhou said. “The development opportunities OF THE 0HILIPPINES ARE A RElECTION of the development opportunities of Asia Boao Forum, for Asia is committed to promoting common development of Asia and the world,� he added.

During the China-Philippines Summit last month, meanwhile,

Lopez called for closer economic ties between Beijing and Manila. “The Philippines and China have a special relationship that began when President Duterte visited China in 2016 right after HIS ASSUMPTION INTO OFkCE u HE said.

Philippine exports to China rose by 8.5 percent to $8.7 billion last year. China was also the top foreign investor in the Philippines, accounting of $962.61 billion in pledges.

FROM REPORTS BY TYRONE C. PIAD

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Businessinbriefs PHOENIX PETROLEUM INKS SUPPLY DEAL WITH CEBU PACIFIC PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines Inc. said on Tuesday it had renewed its partnership with Cebu Air Inc., which operates under the trade name Cebu Pacific, with a deal to supply the latter with Jet A-1 fuel for the entire 2019. In a disclosure, Phoenix Petroleum President and Chief Executive Officer Dennis Uy said the listed oil firm “very much treasured the relationship that we have developed with Cebu Pacific,� noting that the “Jet A-1 supply agreement was instrumental in earning our credibility and building our name in the industry as a formidable petroleum company.� According to Phoenix Petroleum, it has been the exclusive logistics provider of Cebu Pacific since 2004. The Davao City-based independent oil company provides integrated Jet A-1 storage, handling, bridging and into-plane services to 17 of Cebu Pacific’s sites across the country, including eight airports in Mindanao, seven in Visayas, and two in Luzon. Phoenix Petroleum shares lost 16 centavos or 1.32 percent to close at P12 each on Tuesday. EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

PETROENERGY PLANT STARTS SUPPLYING LUZON GRID PETROENERGY Resources Corp. (PERC) said on Tuesday that the 20-megawatt Tarlac-2 Solar Power Project in Tarlac City’s Central Technopark had begun exporting electricity to the Luzon grid as part of the facility’s commissioning tests. The Yuchengco-led company told the Philippine Stock Exchange that the first power transmittal from the plant was made after meeting National Grid Power Corp. (NGCP) standards and the market registration requirements of the Independent Electricity Market Operator of the Philippines. “PetroSolar is pleased to add power supply to the Luzon grid especially during these times of thinning power reserves that have led to instances of rotating brownouts,� said Dave Gadiano, energy marketing manager of PetroGreen Energy Corp. “Our commissioning of Tarlac-2 supports the Department of Energy’s mission of ensuring more power supply as the country heads into the important May [midterm] elections,� he added. The facility, which was constructed in five months, is operated by PERC subsidiary PetroSolar Corp. PERC shares added 6 centavos or 1.32 percent to finish at P4.61 apiece on Tuesday.

EIREENE JAIREE GOMEZ

PHILWEB ACQUIRES BINGO, E-GAME SITES LISTED PhilWeb Corp. has acquired one bingo game site and two electronic game sites licensed by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor). In a filing on Tuesday, the listed technology services provider said its unit Easy E-Bingo Inc. bought a Pagcor bingo game site in Caloocan City from Triple 8 Amusement and Development Corp. for 3.6 million common shares worth P2.92 apiece, in addition to P13 million in cash. Another unit, BigGame Inc., also bought Triple 8’s two electronic games sites in Rizal province in exchange for 735,294 common shares priced at P2.92 each, and P5 million.  Philweb shares inched up by 8 centavos or 2.74 percent to close at P3 apiece on Tuesday.

LISBET K. ESMAEL

Corporate News SM Prime to spend P8B for China mall expansion S WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

BY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Y-LED SM Prime Holdings Inc. is investing up to P8 billion in the next two years to expand its mall network in China, part of the P80-billion capital expenditure (capex) reported last month to fund its expansion plans and land acquisitions this year.

3- 0RIME 0RESIDENT *EFFREY ,IM TOLD REPORTERS ON THE SIDELINES OF HIS COMPANY S ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS MEETING ON 4UESDAY THAT THE LISTED PROPERTY DEVELOPER WOULD BUILD THIS YEAR A NEW MALL IN 9ANGZHOU CITY IN *IANGSU PROVINCE 3- 0RIME WILL SPEND 0 BILLION FOR THIS MALL ‡ ITS EIGHTH IN #HINA ‡ WHICH WILL COVER HECTARES HE ADDED ,IM ALSO SAID THE FIRM WOULD INVEST BETWEEN 0 BILLION AND 0

New malls

&OR THIS YEAR 3- 0RIME WILL ADD FOUR NEW MALLS IN THE 0HILIPPINES WITH A COMBINED SQM OF GROSS lOOR AREA '&! 4HESE WILL RISE IN $AGUPAN #ITY 0ANGASINAN PROVINCE /LONGAPO #ITY :AMBALES PROVINCE "UTUAN #ITY !GUSAN DEL .ORTE PROVINCE AND :AMBOANGA #ITY )T WILL RAISE THE NUMBER OF 3- MALLS IN THE COUNTRY TO BY YEAREND 4HROUGH RESIDENTIAL ARM 3- $EVELOPMENT #ORP 3- 0RIME ALSO TARGETS TO LAUNCH ABOUT TO

RESIDENTIAL UNITS THIS YEAR

ACROSS MIXED HIGH AND MID RISE BUILDINGS AND SINGLE DETACHED house-and-lot projects to address GROWING DEMAND )T WILL ALSO LAUNCH .5 4OWER

ITS FIRST UNIVERSITY OFFICE BUILDING IN THE 3- -ALL OF !SIA COMPLEX IN 0ASAY #ITY AND HOTELS 0ARK )NN BY Radisson Iloilo in Iloilo City and 0ARK )NN BY 2ADISSON .ORTH %$3! in Quezon City.

3- 0RIME #HAIRMAN (ENRY 3Y *R SAID THE COMPANY ALSO PLANNED TO EXPAND ITS PRESENCE IN 6IETNAM S (O #HI -INH #ITY OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS THROUGH A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT (E ADDED HOWEVER THAT THEY WERE YET TO ACQUIRE LAND THERE 3- 0RIME SHARES kNISHED UP BY CENTAVOS OR PERCENT TO 0 EACH ON 4UESDAY

RFM sales grow 11% to P3.1B in Jan-March 2&- #ORP SAW ITS NET SALES RISE TO 0 BILLION IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF ATTRIBUTING THE GROWTH TO ITS FLOUR PASTA BREAD SAUCE AND MILK BUSINESSES 4HE LISTED FOOD MANUFACTURER TOLD THE 0HILIPPINE 3TOCK %XCHANGE ON 4UESDAY THAT THE AMOUNT WAS AN PERCENT INCREASE FROM 0 BILLION IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR .ET INCOME WAS NOT DISCLOSED

“We continue to see healthy conSUMER APPETITE FOR OUR 2OYAL AND &IESTA PASTA AND SAUCE AS WELL AS IN OUR 3ELECTA -ILK 24$ READY TO DRINK FOR THE kRST THREE MONTHS OF THE YEAR u 2&- 0RESIDENT AND #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FkCER *OSE -A #ONCEPCION RD SAID 4HE COMPANY AIMS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF GROWING CONSUMER SPENDING

PARTICULARLY DURING THE -AY MIDTERM ELECTIONS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT

THE EASING INlATION RATE HE ADDED g4HE RELATIVELY STRONGER PESO COMPARED TO THE LATTER PART OF SHOULD HELP REDUCE INPUT COSTS (OWEVER WE REMAIN VIGILANT IN MONITORING THE PRICES OF RAW MATERIALS ESPECIALLY SUGAR PACKAGING MILK AND WHEAT u THE OFkCIAL SAID g(OPEFULLY WE SEE BETTER PRICING IN THESE ITEMS IN THE COMING MONTHS SO MANUFACTURERS LIKE 2&- CAN SUSTAIN

STRONG EARNINGS GROWTH u HE ADDED 2&- SAW ITS NET INCOME GROW TO 0 BILLION LAST YEAR FROM 0 BILLION IN

WITH GROWTH OWED TO STRONG SALES 2&- OWNS 3ELECTA ICE CREAM AND MILK &IESTA AND 2OYAL PASTA AND 7HITE +ING MIXES 2&- SHARES ROSE BY CENTAVO OR PERCENT TO kNISH AT 0 APIECE ON 4UESDAY ANGELICA BALLESTEROS

Palawan hotel eyes higher occupancy rates in 2019 PALAWAN-based Legend Hotel International Corp. hopes to increase its hotel occupancy rates by 60 percent THIS YEAR AND BENEkT FROM THE PROVINCE S TOURISM BOOM ,EGEND (OTEL #HIEF /PERATING /FkCER #ELINE -ARIE +ING SAID SHE WAS OPTIMISTIC THAT THE COMPANY S 4HE ,EGEND 0ALAWAN HOTEL WOULD RECORD HEALTHIER RATES WITH NEW PRODUCTS TO

HOLDING FIRMS

Index

Value

Chg

%Chg

PSEi

7,818.93

-13.5

Ĺş

All Shares

4,839.04

4.36

Ÿ

Financials

1,733.38

-0.28

Ĺş

Industrial

11,530.04

-42.73

Ĺş

Holding Firms

7,496.13

-36.62

Ĺş

Services

1,604.39

-13.64

Ĺş

Mining and Oil

7,640.93

-24.34

Ĺş

Property

4,190.69

35.34

Ÿ

SERVICES

Stock indices as of April 22, 2019

PSEi

BILLION TO EXPAND THE HA 3- 8IAMEN MALL IN &UJIAN PROVINCE BY another 6 ha. )N TOTAL 3- 0RIME S TOTAL LEASABLE AREA ACROSS ITS MALLS IN #HINA INCLUDING THAT IN 9ANGZHOU WILL STAND AT MILLION SQUARE METERS /N THIS YEAR S CAPEX 3- 0RIME #HIEF &INANCE /FkCER *OHN .AI 0ENG /NG SAID PART OF IT WOULD BE SOURCED FROM INTERNALLY GENERATED CASH AND THE ISSUANCE OF 0 BILLION kXED RATE RETAIL

BONDS IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE YEAR 4HE ISSUANCE IS THE LAST TRANCHE OF THE COMPANY S 0 BILLION SHELF REGISTRATION PROGRAM kLED IN

B3

ALL SHARES

MINING AND OIL

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF 0ALAWAN S GROWING NUMBER OF TOURIST ARRIVALS !CCORDING TO +ING THE HOTEL HAS BEEN REBOUNDING SINCE ,AST YEAR

SHE SAID OCCUPANCY RATES REACHED percent to 42 percent. g7E RE HOPEFUL AND ENCOURAGED THAT TOURISM IN 0UERTO 0RINCESA IS GROWING u SHE TOLD REPORTERS ON THE SIDELINES OF THE COMPANY S CELEBRATION OF THE HO-

tel’s 20th year. +ING ALSO SAID HER COMPANY MIGHT EXPAND THE HOTEL AND ADD TO ROOMS TO THE CURRENT TO MEET DEMAND ,EGEND (OTEL IS ALSO BOOSTING 4HE ,EGEND 0ALAWAN S OFFERINGS WITH NEW TOUR PACKAGES AIMED AT SHOWCASING THE PROVINCE S BEAUTY 4HESE INCLUDE TOURS OF 0UERTO 0RINCESA THE 5NDERGROUND 2IVER AND )SLA 0ANDAN

(OTEL MANAGER -INERVA 3EMBRIA SAID PERCENT OF THEIR GUESTS WERE DOMESTIC TOURISTS PERCENT

FOREIGN AND PERCENT OVERSEAS &ILIPINO WORKERS 4HE COMPANY AIMS TO GAIN MORE TRACTION FROM !SIAN MARKETS PARTICULARLY #HINA 4AIWAN AND 3OUTH +OREA +ING SAID LISBET K. ESMAEL

TOP ACTIVE STOCKS No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Security Name Ayala Land, Inc. Ayala Corporation International Container Terminal Services, Inc. Jollibee Foods Corporation BDO Unibank, Inc. SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Company Wilcon Depot, Inc. Bank of the Philippine Islands PLDT Inc. 0HWUR 3DFLÂżF ,QYHVWPHQWV &RUSRUDWLRQ Alliance Global Group, Inc. San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc. Globe Telecom, Inc. SM Investments Corporation Bloomberry Resorts Corporation Megawide Construction Corp.

Manila Electric Company Megaworld Corporation San Miguel Corporation

Last Price 47 865 127.5 302.2 133.6 39.95 76.2 17 82 1,233.00 4.41 14.56 116 1,830.00 930 12.7 22 382.6 5.5 177.8

Chg 0 -17 -1.8 -0.8 0.6 0.7 0.2 0.74 -0.8 -7 -0.05 -0.44 3 -48 -10 -0.02 0.25 2.6 0.06 0.9

%Chg 0% -1.93% -1.39% -0.26% 0.45% 1.78% 0.26% 4.55% -0.97% -0.56% -1.12% -2.93% 2.65% -2.56% -1.06% -0.16% 1.15% 0.68% 1.10% 0.51%

ź ź ź Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ ź ź ź ź Ÿ ź ź ź Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ Ÿ

Volume 13,110,000 475,950 2,461,370 963,380 1,891,750 4,230,800 1,865,130 8,240,700 1,599,400 104,865 28,913,000 7,906,000 860,350 51,425 97,040 6,377,400 3,630,700 193,140 12,461,100 330,320

Value(P) 614,136,105.00 412,588,265.00 314,289,022.00 291,312,114.00 252,654,956.00 166,631,985.00 142,011,159.50 138,598,020.00 131,075,010.00 129,012,655.00 128,302,680.00 115,399,108.00 98,579,595.00 94,714,995.00 90,399,230.00 80,991,744.00 79,660,665.00 73,461,734.00 68,496,068.00 58,295,062.00

*amounts in peso, except for volume, %chg

TOP GAINERS

FINANCIALS

INDUSTRIAL

PROPERTY

INDEX HISTORY Date Apr 23, 2019 Apr 22, 2019 Apr 17, 2019 Apr 16, 2019 Apr 15, 2019 Apr 12, 2019 Apr 11, 2019 Apr 10, 2019 Apr 08, 2019 Apr 05, 2019 Apr 04, 2019 Apr 03, 2019 Apr 2, 2019 Apr 1, 2019 Mar 29, 2019 Mar 28, 2019 Mar 27, 2019 Mar 26, 2019 Mar 25, 2019 Mar 22, 2019 Mar 21, 2019 Mar 20, 2019 Mar 19, 2019 Mar 18, 2019 Mar 15, 2019 Mar 14, 2019 Mar 13, 2019 Mar 12, 2019 Mar 11, 2019 Mar 08, 2019

Open 7,827 7,840 7,833 7,800 7,888 7,971 7,991 7,976 7,879 7,866 7,893 7,880 7,854 7,923 7,891 7,898 7,916 7,875 7,994 7,957 7,876 7,848 7,864 7,795 7,748 7,742 7,726 7,728 7,815 7,869

High 7,835 7,859 7,861 7,860 7,915 7,980 8,000 8,009 7,955 7,887 7,898 7,895 7,894 7,924 7,921 7,898 7,916 7,911 7,994 8,032 7,955 7,876 7,879 7,873 7,798 7,764 7,766 7,774 7,824 7,884

Low 7,770 7,818 7,824 7,799 7,788 7,881 7,956 7,953 7,879 7,866 7,836 7,861 7,854 7,810 7,887 7,856 7,841 7,869 7,808 7,951 7,869 7,824 7,843 7,761 7,702 7,719 7,725 7,728 7,709 7,797

Close 7,819 7,832 7,835 7,826 7,788 7,881 7,956 8,009 7,916 7,873 7,854 7,895 7,879 7,840 7,921 7,876 7,861 7,907 7,863 8,013 7,955 7,858 7,843 7,873 7,798 7,750 7,766 7,748 7,709 7,797

CLOSE

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

Security Name Jolliville Holdings Corporation Da Vinci Capital Holdings, Inc. Oriental Petroleum and Minerals Corporation “A�

Philippine National Bank 'HO 0RQWH 3DFLÂżF /LPLWHG 2Go Group, Inc. Zeus Holdings, Inc. Omico Corporation National Reinsurance Corporation of the Philippines Abacore Capital Holdings, Inc. Atlas Consolidated Mining & Development Corporation Wilcon Depot, Inc. Acesite (Philippines) Hotel Corporation i-Remit, Inc. )RUXP 3DFLÂżF ,QF Philweb Corporation Lepanto Consolidated Mining Company “Bâ€?

San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc. Anglo Philippine Holdings Corporation 3DFLÂżFD ,QF

Volume 32,000.00 55,700.00 1,600,000.00 742,850.00 3,000.00 125,500.00 12,700,000.00 52,000.00 2,088,000.00 40,520,000.00 10,000.00 8,240,700.00 25,000.00 1,000.00 260,000 4,369,000.00 20,000.00 860,350.00 290,000.00 7,400,000.00

Value 186,864.00 299,654.00 19,800.00 39,540,142.00 17,175.00 1,600,836.00 4,336,700.00 31,730.00 2,077,310.00 25,027,750.00 29,500.00 138,598,020.00 32,000.00 1,420.00 63,230.00 13,300,830.00 2,260.00 98,579,595.00 223,330.00 293,300.00

Last Price 5.8 5.8 0.013 54.95 5.89 13.08 0.35 0.6 1.01 0.62 2.95 17 1.3 1.42 0.25 3 0.113 116 0.79 0.04

Chg %Chg 0.73 14.40% 0.55 10.48% 0.001 8.33% 4 7.85% 0.37 6.70% 0.78 6.34% 0.02 6.06% 0.03 5.26% 0.05 5.21% 0.03 5.08% 0.14 4.98% 0.74 4.55% 0.05 4.00% 0.04 2.90% 0.007 2.88% 0.08 2.74% 0.003 2.73% 3 2.65% 0.02 2.60% 0.001 2.56%

*amounts in peso, except for volume, %chg

TOP LOSERS

HIGH

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

Security Name Benguet Corporation “B�

Asian Terminals, Inc. Benguet Corporation “A�

Medco Holdings, Inc. Premium Leisure Corp.

Vivant Corporation PHINMA Energy Corporation PH Resorts Group Holdings, Inc. Premiere Horizon Alliance Corporation Panasonic Manufacturing Philippines Corporation City & Land Developers, Inc. Mabuhay Holdings Corporation GMA Holdings, inc. (PDR) Geograce Resources Philippines, Inc. Apex Mining Company, Inc. “A�

Puregold Price Club, Inc. Alliance Global Group, Inc. Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation Megawide Construction Corporation Perpetual Preferred Shares 20 Cebu Holdings, Inc.

*amounts in peso, except for volume, %chg

Volume 2,000.00 10,500.00 235,000.00 7,020,000.00 25,181,000.00 100.00 33,734,000.00 102,000.00 38,936,000.00 24,000.00 20,000.00 18,000.00 300.00 2,900,000.00 430,000.00 1,187,400.00 7,906,000.00 409,400.00 5,000.00

Value 2,400.00 154,266.00 300,880.00 3,669,890.00 18,780,520.00 1,600.00 49,152,120.00 424,650.00 38,424,850.00 150,200.00 16,400.00 9,900.00 1,562.00 720,380.00 559,510.00 52,863,505.00 115,399,108.00 18,313,650.00 500,500.00

Last Price 1.2 14.36 1.28 0.52 0.74 16 1.45 4.2 0.98 6.1 0.82 0.55 5.12 0.247 1.29 44.15 14.56 44.5 100.1

Chg -0.39 -2.42 -0.14 -0.04 -0.05 -1 -0.07 -0.2 -0.04 -0.24 -0.03 -0.02 -0.18 -0.008 -0.04 -1.35 -0.44 -1.3 -2.9

%Chg -24.53% -14.42% -9.86% -7.14% -6.33% -5.88% -4.61% -4.55% -3.92% -3.79% -3.53% -3.51% -3.40% -3.14% -3.01% -2.97% -2.93% -2.84% -2.82%

72,000.00

455,074.00

6.32

-0.18

-2.77%

Foreign Business Luckin Coffee, Starbucks Galaxy Fold delay a crucial rival in China, files for IPO test for Samsung – analysts S B4

˜ The Manila Times

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

w w w.manilatimes.net

BEIJING: China’s homegrown coffee chain Luckin Coffee has filed to list publicly in the US as the lossmaking company battles to dethrone Starbucks in its home market.

Luckin estimated its offering size AT MILLION IN ITS -ONDAY kLING with the US Securities and Exchange #OMMISSION BUT NOTED THE kGURE WAS only set to calculate registration fees.

Since it was founded in 2017, the chain has built 2,370 stores as of March 31, focusing on offering customers quick grab-and-go service at its small stores or fast delivery to THEIR HOMES AND OFkCES It uses a variety of coupons like free coffees and discounted cups to rope in customers and get them coming back to its stores.

The aggressive strategy mirrors tactics used by other Chinese startups that have dislodged Western brands from one of the world’s top consumer markets.

The expansion and high marketing

EOUL: South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics is “facing its biggest test ever�, analysts said Tuesday after it delayed the release of its $2,000 foldable phone over screen problems.

The move by the world’s biggest smartphone maker — announced after reviewers provided with early devices reported screens breaking within days of use — comes less than three years after its Galaxy Note 7 disaster.

The company said the Galaxy Fold, which had been due for its US release on Friday, “needs further improvements� before customers can receive it and a new release date will be announced in the coming weeks.

Samsung Electronics — the flagship company of the sprawling Samsung Group, by far the biggest of the familycontrolled conglomerates that dominate the South’s economy — spent nearly eight years developing the Galaxy Fold.

It has been widely promoted as the “world’s first foldable smartphone� and is part of its strategy to propel growth with groundbreaking gadgets, while rivals such as China’s Huawei have been racing to bring similar devices to market.

Kim Dae-ho, an analyst at Institute for Global Economy, said Samsung can regain customer TRUST AS LONG AS IT IDENTIkES THE problem and releases the perfected Fold “in the quickest possible time�. “Samsung is facing its biggest

Q In this file photo taken on February 20, 2019, Samsung senior vice president of product marketing Justin Denison speaks on stage about the new foldable phone during the Samsung Unpacked product launch event in San Francisco, California. AFP PHOTO test ever,� he said. “If they manage to pull this one off, it can bring greater success. Right now it is standing at the crossroads of destiny.�

Samsung earlier this month launched the 5G version of its top-end Galaxy S10 device but faces increasing competition from Huawei across different price ranges, and has warned of a more than 60 percent plunge IN kRST QUARTER OPERATING PROkT in the face of weakening markets.

Independent technology analyst Rob Enderle said the FAILURE OF A lAGSHIP ITEM COULD send Samsung buyers to rivals. “If a halo product fails, people don’t trust that you build quality stuff,� Enderle said. “It can do incredible damage.

And Huawei is moving up like a rocket, so this could be good for

Huawei.�

Samsung Electronics shares closed down 0.33 percent in Seoul on Tuesday.

a “small fraction of phones� manufactured.

But it later ended up announcing a recall of 2.5 million smartphones after several devices exploded. ‘Pre-emptive action’ It eventually traced the problem to the batteries, but decided to kill But analysts say that while off the model for good. t h e d e c i s i o n t o d e l ay m ay Analyst Kim said the tech giant’s hurt Samsung’s brand reputation approach with the Fold was quite in the short term, it could different from the way it handled ultimately prevent it from THE .OTE kASCO repeating the critical mistakes “Back in 2016, Samsung was of 2016, which cost it billions OVERCONkDENT WITH ITS TECHNOLOGY u of dollars. and did not respond to the initial That year, Samsung’s reputation reports immediately, he said. “As a suffered a major blow after a result, the damage was enormous,� damaging worldwide recall he said. “The fact that Samsung is of Galaxy Note 7 devices over delaying the release of the Fold exploding batteries. !T THE TIME THE kRM SHOWED A — although the problem isn’t as slow response to initial reports of serious as the one Note 7 had — THE DEVICES CATCHING kRE CLAIMING means it is taking pre-emptive AFP the hazard was only limited to action this time.�

costs have seen its losses balloon in the 18 months it has been in business, racking up a loss of $241 million last year on $125 million in sales.

The cost of advertising, free drink discounts and related marketing amounted to 23.8 yuan per new CUSTOMER IN THE kRST QUARTER DOWN from 119.3 yuan in the same period last year.

Luckin’s caffeine-fuelled expansion has been funded by investors including Centurium Capital, a private equity fund founded by the former China head of Warburg Pincus, and Joy Capital.

Its founder Charles Zhengyao Lu earlier founded publicly-traded CAR Inc, one of China’s largest car rental companies.

Luckin plans to open 2,500 stores this year and unseat Starbucks as China’s largest coffee chain.

China is Starbucks’ fastestgrowing and second biggest market after the United States.

AFP

Q CRITICISM FROM B1

say it is offering funding in areas where it is sorely needed.

But the money comes as loans instead of aid, requiring countries to pay China back for the massive Pushback projects its companies and people build.

For China, the initiative is both Pushing back has proved a practical solution to economic a successful election issue in issues at home and a way to expand Asia, including in Sri Lanka, the ITS GLOBAL INlUENCE A KEY CONCERN Maldives and Malaysia, as the for Xi, who frequently trumpets trademark infrastructure push the goal of a “great rejuvenation is used to whip up fears about of the Chinese nation�. eroding sovereignty.

It “alleviates a lot of the built In the Maldives, Ibrahim up excess industrial capacity that Mohamed Solih claimed victory results from the Chinese economic last year on the back of an antimodel,� said James Bowen of the corruption campaign targeting Perth US-Asia Center. the opaque deals with Beijing and “Chinese workers need jobs “China’s colonialism�. and China has materials that Opposition candidates in Sri need to be exported and built Lanka and Malaysia similarly out in other countries rather than wielded the debt laden deals to in China.� victory.

The World Bank estimates The new Malaysian prime that Belt and Road funded minister canceled some and infrastructure could marginally renegotiated a rail project cutting boost trade and officials there 30 percent off the price tag. AFP

Belt

can be attributed to the absence of a legal framework to govern the use of movable collateral,� the central bank added.

That said, the BSP said it continued to support legislative reforms to encourage banks tightened credit standards for MSMEs MSME lending.

Republic Act 11057, also known as the in the fourth quarter of 2018, attributing this to perceptions of stricter financial system Personal Property Security Act, was enacted into law in August 2018. regulations and reduced tolerance for risk.

The law sets the legal and institutional Also, the BSP said in a recent report that underserved sectors such as agriculture and framework to facilitate the use of movable -3-%S WERE kNDING IT DIFkCULT TO OBTAIN property such as industrial and agricultural credit from banks, which usually require real equipment, vehicles, inventories and sales contracts, among others, as collateral. property as collateral.

MAYVELIN U. CARABALLO g4HE PREFERENCE FOR kXED ASSETS AS COLLATERAL

Q LENDING FROM B1

Banks’ MSME

Q PEREZ FROM B1

Henry Sy Sr.

Due Diligencer’s take Like other listed companies, two of Sy-owned subsidiaries own 515 million outstanding preferred shares issued by BDO Unibank. These are Sybase Equities, which holds 391.4 million BDO preferred shares, or eight percent, and SM Investments, which owns 123.6 million preferred shares.

In sum, the Sys own at least 62.13 percent of BDO Unibank’s outstanding capital stock (ACS) totaling 4,890,286,954 shares. When computed, 62.13 percent of outstanding ACS equals 2,523,388,068 shares of which 515 million are preferred shares, or 20.409 percent of total Sy-held shares.

By adding 62.13 percent the publicly owned common shares equivalent to 44.98 percent, the total would exceed 100 percent at 107.11 percent. The percentage equivalent should not top 100 percent but it did.

Do the Sys own the entire outstanding BDO common and BDO preferred shares? If they do, they would not have been allowed to list their shares on PSE. Of course, as the owners of BDO Unibank, the Sy family owns the board. They also appoint five independent directors of the 11-person board.

Despite their ownership of 44.98 percent of outstanding common shares, BDO Unibank’s public stockholders have yet to see the boardroom because they do not elect their own men to the board.

If the bank is truly public as it and other LISTED COMPANIES CLAIM THEY ARE WOULD IT kNALLY allow their public stockholders to nominate and elect their own director? Just asking.

of the 11-member board of BDO Unibank.

His daughter, Teresita T. Sy, is the board’s chairperson while Jesus A. Jacinto Jr. is vice chairman. )NCIDENTALLY OR NOT "$/ 5NIBANK HAS kVE independent directors namely Jose M. Castro Jr., Dioscoro I. Ramos, Jimmy T. Tang, Jose F. Buenaventura and Gilberto C. Teodoro Jr. As directors, the bank’s amended DIS listed at P21 million their compensation in 2017, which would entitle each director to P1.909 million.

President and Chief Executive Officer Nestor V. Tan, Walter C. Wassmer, Jaime C. Yu, Roland C. Tanchanco and Lucy C. Dy are BDO Unibank’s five highest paid executives.

They were paid salary of P122.74 million and bonus of P61.98 million in 2017; and salary of P125.74 million and bonus of P64.29 million in 2018. This year, BDO Unibank estimated their salary at P129.51 million, and their bonus at P66.86 million.

4HE PAYS AND PERKS OF THE BANK S TOP kVE executives were equivalent to 17.825 percent OF THE AGGREGATE SALARY OF OTHER OFkCERS AND 18.650 percent of P332.33 million bonuses in 2017; 17.916 percent of P701.84 million and 19.06 percent of P337.30 million in 2018.

Even if based only on estimate, BDO 5NIBANK S TOP kVE EXECUTIVES SALARY WOULD be equivalent to 18.091 percent of other executives’ salary of P715.88 million and their bonus 19.433 percent of P344.05 million in 2019. esdperez@gmail.com

World Kim confirms dialogue with Putin in Russia China readies stiff fines for fake drugs, vaccines C ˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea on 4UESDAY CONkRMED THAT LEADER Kim Jong Un would soon visit Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin.

The summit would come at a crucial moment for tenuous diplomacy meant to rid the North of its nuclear arsenal, following a recent North Korean weapons test that likely signals Kim’s growing frustration with deadlocked negotiations with Washington.

The North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency released a terse, two-sentence statement that announced Kim “will soon pay a visit to the Russian Federation,� and that he and Putin “will have talks.� A date for the meeting was not immediately released, and it WASN T CLEAR IF +IM WOULD lY OR take his armored train. There are some indications that the meeting will be held in the far-eastern port of Vladivostok, not Moscow as earlier reported, because Vladivostok is very close from Russia’s border with North Korea.

Vladivostok is more than 9,000 kilometers from Moscow.

The Kremlin said in a brief statement last week that Kim would visit Russia “in the second half of April,� but gave no further details.

Russia is interested in gaining broader access to North Korea’s mineral resources, including

rare metals. Pyongyang covets Russia’s electricity supplies and wants to attract Russian investment to modernize its dilapidated industrial plants, railways and other infrastructure.

Kim and US President Donald Trump have had two summits, but the latest, in Vietnam in February, collapsed because North Korea wanted more sanctions relief than Washington was willing to give for the amount of disarmament offered by Pyongyang.

As the standoff continued, the North last week announced that it had tested what it called a new type of “tactical guided weapon.� While unlikely to be a prohibited test of a medium- or long-range ballistic missile that could scuttle the negotiations, the announcement signaled the North’s growing disappointment with the diplomatic breakdown — and its apparent willingness to turn back to the kinds of missile tests that in 2017 had many in Asia fearing war.

The North also demanded that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo be removed from the talks, and on Saturday criticized White House National Security adviser John Bolton for calling on North Korea to show more evidence of its disarmament commitment before a possible third leaders’ summit. AP

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

HINA’S legislature is planning to impose heavy penalties on the production and sale of fake or substandard drugs and vaccines.

The draft vaccine administration law is under second reading at the ongoing session of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress.

Companies that produce or sell fake vaccines would face con-

kSCATION OF ILLEGAL PROCEEDS RAW materials, packaging materials and equipment, the draft says.

Production and business operation WILL BE SUSPENDED FOR RECTIkCATION

while drug registration certificates and even pharmaceutical production

licenses can be revoked, it says.

Other penalties include a lifetime ban on pharmaceutical production and business operation.

4HE DRAFT ALSO STIPULATES A kNE of 15 to 30 times the value of the produced or sold fake vaccines.

Small-time offenders will also FACE HEAVY kNES ! kNE BETWEEN to 15 million yuan ($298,500 to $2.23 million) will be slapped on

B5

those who make or sell illicit vaccines worth under 500,000 yuan.

If the value falls between 500,000 and 1 million yuan, the kNE WILL BE IN THE RANGE OF TO million yuan. !S THE COUNTRY S kRST LEGISLATION dedicated to vaccine management, THE DRAFT LAW WAS kRST SUBMITTED TO the top legislature for review last December.

GLOBAL TIMES

Ex-Kazakhstan leader anoints successor NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan: Kazakhstan’s long-time former ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev backed his loyalist successor as a presidential candidate on Tuesday, setting the stage for a smooth handover of power in the Central Asian nation.

Speaking at a conference of the ruling Nur Otan party, Nazarbayev — who stunned the country by suddenly resigning last month — proposed Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as candidate for a snap presidential election.

Tokayev, the 65-year-old interim president, is now all but certain to win the June 9 vote, marking a rare handover of power in exSoviet Central Asia where local LEADERS USUALLY HOLD ON TO OFkCE until death.

A seamless transition will reassure foreign investors who have pumped money into the country’s energy sector, but frustrate those

calling for democratic reforms in the authoritarian state. “I ask everyone to support his candidacy,� Nazarbayev said at the conference in the capital Nur-Sultan, renamed from Astana in his honor following his resignation. “I am sure he will be a worthy leader,� said Nazarbayev, who retains significant powers and said he would still play a role in shaping policy. g0EOPLE NEED STABILITY AND CONkdence in tomorrow. I will continue to work in the interests of the people of Kazakhstan.�

Nazarbayev, 78, shocked the oil-rich nation in March by calling time on his three-decade presidency and allowing Tokayev to succeed him, initially on an interim basis.

Tokayev subsequently announced the snap election in a televised address to the nation.

AFP

POLL TIME Indian voters queue up to cast their vote at an election station in Malda in West Bengal during the third phase of the mammoth Indian elections. Some 190 million voters in 15 states are eligible to take part in the six-week long voting. AFP PHOTO

INDIA’S 6-WEEK POLLS ENTER 3RD PHASE PATHANAMTHITTA, India: Voters in India began the third phase of their sixweek elections after a campaign dominated by the fallout from the controversial decision to allow women to enter a very restricted Hindu temple.

The district of Pathanamthitta in the state of Kerala includes the Sabarimala Hindu temple, WHERE TWO WOMEN kNALLY DEkED a longstanding ban on women of menstruating age last year.

Traditionalists were outraged and many women remain divided over the move, which has overshadowed the campaign with candidates staging election parades on the issue.

Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini made history in December when police guided them into the hilltop shrine, after the Supreme Court ruled that the ban was unconstitutional.

Days of pitched battles erupted between traditionalists and activists.

The anger has not died down and core issues such as unemployment, health and education have been pushed aside during the campaign.

The whole country is expected to follow the result when it is announced on May 23 after India’s marathon election.

Two of the three main candidates in the election are men who support the ban, while the third is a woman

who has tried to dodge the topic.

Veena George, who is standing for the alliance of left wing parties that runs Kerala’s state government cited an election commission advisory to avoid using the temple to get votes. “We need a revival of job opportunities, agriculture and infrastructure.

Educated women need jobs,� she told AFP on the last day of campaigning before Tuesday’s vote.

India’s main opposition ConGRESS PARTY HAS kELDED !NTO !NTOny, who won the last two elections and has backed the traditionalists.

The Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brandished its pro-Hindu credentials as it seeks to make

an impact in a state where it has always struggled.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has kELDED + 3URENDRAN WHO BECAME the symbol of the massive temple protests across Kerala. He now faces more than 200 police cases related to violence during last year’s Sabarimala protests. “The Communists have an issue with our prayers and religion but they can’t crush believers’ rights,�

Modi told a rally in Kerala last week. “We won’t tolerate any attack on a tradition that has lasted thousands of years,� Modi added to wild cheers.

Many women have backed the traditionalist cause.

AFP

African swine plagues Cambodia Events THE Agriculture Ministry’s Animal Health and Production Department of Cambodia yesterday said African Swine Fever (AST) that was detected in Ratanakkiri’s O’Yadav district has spread to the O’Chum district.

Tan Phannara, the department’s director, said the disease had spread in the province despite efFORTS TO KEEP IT CONkNED TO / 9ADAV district’s Soam Thom commune.

Efforts include spraying disinfectants, culling infected pigs and banning the movement of pigs out of the area. “We have not yet completely contained ASF in O’Yadav district and it has now spread to O’Chum district,� Phannara said. “Our working teams are now conducting a study to check which communes in the district have been

hit by the disease.� “We received reports of sick pigs from the authorities in O’Chum district between April 11 and 13, and we have banned the transportation of pigs throughout the province,� he added.

On March 22, ASF was detected

by Ratanakkiri provincial authorities in O’Yadav district’s Soam Thom commune and more than 500 pigs were culled. /FkCIALS THEN SAID THE DISEASE was spread via contaminated pork brought in across the border from Vietnam.

Phannara also said that on 3UNDAY MORNING MINISTRY OFkcials stopped a truck transporting nearly 100 pigs from Vietnam in Tboung Khmum province’s Krouch Chhmar district despite the Kingdom’s ban on pig im-

ports from Vietnam. “We are still conducting tests on the pigs to check if they have been infected by the ASF virus,� he noted.

Phannara said that the ministry formed a special working team to enforce the ban on the import of pigs from Vietnam in Tboung Khmum province.

Heng Piseth, Tboung Khmum provincial agriculture department director, yesterday said that after impounding the truck transporting PIGS FROM 6IETNAM OFkCIALS SENT blood samples of the animals to a laboratory in Phnom Penh to check for ASF. “It may take two to three days before we get the results,� he said. “We have impounded the truck and spayed disinfectant as a precaution.� KHMER TIMES

highlight PLA’s 70th year

MULTINATIONAL naval events commemorating the 70th founding anniversary of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy kicked off in east China’s port city of Qingdao. Addressing the opening ceremony, Commander of the PLA Navy Shen Jinlong said the events were organized to strengthen exchanges and promote mutual trust and cooperation between the navies of different countries. The Chinese navy was willing to become a close, friendly and equal partner of its foreign counterparts for mutual support and win-win cooperation, and join them in safeguarding world peace and stability, Shen said. GLOBAL TIMES

Iran, Pakistan agree to form joint border force

LOCATED AT LAST A drop camera onboard the

Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization research vessel Investigator is slowly being dropped off of the coast of southern Australia. After being lost for 77 years, the SS Iron Crown, sunk by a Japanese submarine during World War 2, has been located by maritime archaeologists. AFP PHOTO

IRANIAN President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that Iran and Pakistan had agreed to enhance security cooperation and to form a joint force for the security of common borders.

Rouhani made the remarks following a meeting with the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday. “We agreed to step up security cooperation between the two countries and to form a joint rapid reaction FORCE ON THE SHARED BORDERS TO kGHT terrorism,� Rouhani was quoted as saying by the state TV. His meeting with Khan marked a

new milestone in mutual ties, Rouhani said, adding that Iran and Pakistan would continue to maintain their close ties despite pressures from outside. “Both sides agree that no third country whatsoever can affect the friendly and brotherly ties between Iran and Pakistan,� he said.

On Monday’s meeting, they also agreed on the need to expand joint efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan, he pointed out.

Rouhani also said the Pakistani premier assured him that Pakistan “has never joined and will never join any coalition� against Iran.

For his part, Khan said both neighbors were resolved to tackle disagreements over the issue of terrorism on the common borders.

He stressed that the armed groups should not be allowed to use Iran or Pakistan soils for terrorist activities.

On this issue, both neighbors needed close cooperation in the future, he added.

Over the past years, Iran’s southeastern border with Pakistan has been the scene of deadly clashes between armed groups and security guards.

Khan arrived in Iran on Sunday for

MEETINGS WITH THE )RANIAN OFkCIALS over security talks and boost of ties.

Khan started his two-day tour by visiting the Iranian northeastern holy city of Mashhad.

In a Thursday meeting with Iranian Ambassador to Pakistan Mehdi Honardoost, Khan said ties with )RAN WERE OF GREAT SIGNIkCANCE AND he would seek closer relations between the two neighbors during his upcoming visit, Press TV reported.

4HIS IS THE kRST VISIT OF +HAN TO Iran since he was elected prime minister of Pakistan in August 2018.

GLOBAL TIMES

B6

World

˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

40 nabbed in blasts; death toll rises to 310 C OLOMBO, Sri Lanka: As a state of emergency took effect Tuesday giving the Sri Lankan military war-time powers, police arrested 40 suspects, including the driver of a van allegedly used by suicide bombers involved in deadly Easter bombings and the owner of a house where some OF THEM LIVED OFkCIALS SAID Sri Lanka’s president gave the military a wider berth to detain and arrest suspects — powers that were used during the 26-year civil war, but withdrawn when it ended in 2009.

The death toll from Sunday’s attacks rose to 310, police spokesman Ruwan Gunasekara said.

On Tuesday, which President Maithripala Sirisena declared as a day of mourning, Sri Lankan authorities planned to brief foreign diplomats and receive assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other foreign intelligence-gathering agencies AFTER OFkCIALS DISCLOSED -ONDAY that warnings had been received weeks ago of the possibility of an attack by the radical Muslim group blamed for the bloodshed.

The six near-simultaneous attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels and three related blasts later Sunday were the south Asian island nation’s deadliest violence in a decade. The government blocked most social media to curtail false information. Even after

an overnight, nationwide curfew was lifted, the streets of central Colombo remained mostly deserted and shops closed as armed soldiers stood guard.

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said he feared the massacre could unleash instability and he vowed to “vest all necessary powers with the defense forces� to act against those responsible.

In an indication of the tensions, three explosions caused panic, but apparently no injuries Monday as police were defusing bombs inside a van parked near one of the stricken churches. Dozens of detonators were discovered near Colombo’s main bus depot, but OFkCIALS DECLINED TO SAY WHETHER they were linked to the attacks.

At Bandaranaike International Airport outside of Colombo early Tuesday morning, police walked EXPLOSIVE SNIFkNG DOGS OUTSIDE AS inside cheery video advertisements of gamblers and snorkelers played.

At a roadside checkpoint at the AIRPORT SECURITY OFkCIALS CHECKED

DEADLY ATTACKS

Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena (2nd from left) visits St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo, two days after a series of bomb attacks killed 310 people and injured more than 500. The country began a day of national mourning yesterday, with three minutes of silence to honor the victims of the deadly attacks believed to be carried out by the remnants of the Tamil Tigers militants. AFP PHOTO car trunks and questioned drivers.

The lack of social media access was contributing to the confusion and doing little to reassure residents and visitors that the danger had passed.

International intelligence agencies had warned that the little-known group, National Thowfeek Jamaath, was planning attacks, but word apparently did not reach the Prime Minister’s

OFkCE UNTIL AFTER THE MASSACRE

exposing the continuing political turmoil in the highest levels of the Sri Lankan government.

Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne said the warnings started April 4, the Defense Ministry wrote to the police chief with information that included the group’s name and and police wrote April 11 to the heads of security of the judiciary and diplomatic security division.

AP

Impeachment calls against Trump growing MANCHESTER, N.H.: California Sen. Kamala Harris joined the call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment on Monday (Tuesday IN -ANILA AS kVE LEADING $EMOcratic presidential contenders clashed in a series of prime-time town hall meetings that exposed deep divisions in a party desperate to end the Trump presidency.

Harris’ unexpected support for impeachment follows Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s push for Congress to begin the process to remove the Republican President, following the release of special counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report — a plan all but CERTAIN TO FAIL WITHOUT SIGNIkCANT Republican support. “There is no political inconvenience exception to the United States Constitution,� Warren said. “If any other human being in this country had done what’s docu-

mented in the Mueller report, they would be arrested and put in jail.�

The impeachment debate, which is raging among Democrats nationwide, played out on national television on Monday AS kVE HOPEFULS REPRESENTing different wings of the party ADDRESSED YOUNG VOTERS IN kRST in-the-nation primary state New Hampshire. While they took turns on stage, the forum — hosted by CNN — marked the kRST TIME THIS YOUNG PRESIDENTIAL primary season in which multiple candidates appeared on national television for the same event.

4HE kVE HOUR MARATHON MARKED A PREVIEW OF SORTS FOR THE PARTY S kRST formal presidential debate, set for late June. On Monday, they clashed from afar while taking questions from college students about free college, free health care, gun control AP and impeachment.

Diehard supporters regret joining IS AL-HOL CAMP, Syria: The women say it was misguided religious faith, naivety, a search for something to believe in or youthful rebellion.

Whatever it was, it led them to travel across the world to join the Islamic State (IS) group.

Now after the fall of the last stronghold of the group’s “caliphate,� they said they regret it and that they want to come home.

The Associated Press interviewed four foreign women who joined the caliphate and are now among tens of thousands of IS family members, mostly women and children, crammed into squalid camps in northern Syria overseen by the US-backed Kurdish-led forces, who SPEARHEADED THE kGHT AGAINST THE extremist group.

Many in the camps remain diehard supporters of IS. Women in general were often active participants in IS rule. Some joined women’s branches of the “Hisba,�

the religious police who brutally enforced the group’s laws. Others helped recruit more foreigners.

Freed Yazidi women have spoken of cruelties inflicted by female members of the group.

Within the fences of al-Hol camp, IS supporters have tried to recreate the caliphate as much as possible. Some women have re-formed the Hisba to keep camp residents in line, accordING TO OFkCERS FROM THE +URDISH LED Syrian Democratic Forces guarding the camp. While the AP was there, women in all-covering black robes and veils known as niqab tried to intimidate anyone speaking to journalists; children threw stones at visitors, CALLING THEM gDOGSu AND gINkDELS u The four women interviewed by the AP said joining IS was a disastrous mistake. The Kurdishled Syrian Democratic Forces gave the AP access to speak to the women at two camps under their administration.

AP

Poverty forces folk to return to Europe

REHEARSAL Russian honor guards rehearse for the Victory Day military parade on Dvortsovaya Square in central Saint Petersburg. Russia will celebrate the 74th anniversary of the 1945 victory over Nazi Germany on May 9, 2019. AFP PHOTO

BUENOS Aires, Argentina: Tomas Ruiz embraced his father one last time at the Buenos Aires airport before he boarded a plane in search of a new life in Ireland. His sister recently did the same when she moved to Spain.

Like many other young Argentines, the siblings hold European passports by descent, and they are returning to the home countries of their grandparents — far from

!RGENTINA S SIZZLING INlATION HIGH unemployment and sharp currency depreciation. “My country’s situation prompted me to take this decision,� Ruiz SAID AS HE kNISHED PACKING HIS BAGS for his trip to Dublin surrounded by photos of his family and friends on the wall. “It was a constant frustration to live constantly on the edge, barely making it to the end AP of the month.�

Worldinbriefs LUXEMBOURG’S GRAND DUKE DIES AT 98 LUXEMBOURG: Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Jean, who reigned for 36 years before abdicating in favour of his son in 2000, has died aged 98, the royal palace announced Tuesday. He had been admitted to hospital in mid-April for a pulmonary infection.

AFP

3 HELICOPTER CREW SAFE AFTER CRASH WELLINGTON, New Zealand: Three crewmen aboard a helicopter that crashed off the New Zealand coast while on a rescue mission were found alive on a remote island on Tuesday after they were missing overnight. Rescue Coordination Center spokesman Mark Dittmer said the men were found shortly before noon in their survival suits walking along a beach on uninhabited Auckland Island, some 500 kilometers (311 miles) southwest of the town of Invercargill where they’d left from 16 hours earlier. He said the crew had some injuries and were being flown by helicopter to a hospital in Invercargill.

AP

TEXAS PLANE CRASH KILLS 6 KERRVILLE, Texas: A man regularly volunteered to fly sick people in remote parts of the country to hospitals in Houston and Dallas was at the controls of a twin-engine airplane that crashed Monday in the Hill Country of central Texas, killing all six aboard. Jeffrey C. Weiss, 65, was a senior vice president for investments at Raymond James and Associates in Houston. The Texas Department of Public Safety said Weiss, who co-owned the Beechcraft BE58, was at the controls when the aircraft went down just before 9 a.m. on Monday while approaching Kerrville Municipal Airport, about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of San Antonio. Also killed were Stuart Roben Kensinger, 55; Angela Webb Kensinger, 54; Mark Damien Scioneaux, 58; Scott Reagan Miller, 55; and Marc Tellepsen, 45, all of Houston, said DPS Sgt. Orlando Moreno.

AP

DRUNK MAN HACKS WIFE DEAD POLICE in Kampong Chhnang province’s Boribo district, Cambodia on Sunday arrested a farmer who allegedly hacked his wife to death and injured his nine-year-old son while drunk. The murder took place at about 7:30 p.m. on Sunday at the suspect’s house in Anhchanh Roung commune. Colonel Cheang Sovannarith, district police chief, identified the suspect as Touch Nhorn, 41, of Andong Roveang village. He identified the wife as So Thi, 46, also a farmer, and the boy as Nhorn Sokun.

KHMER TIMES

ASSASSINATION PLOT ON CLINTON, OBAMA REVEALED LAS CRUCES, N.M.: The leader of an armed group that has been detaining asylum-seeking families from Central America near the Mexican border said two years ago that he was training supporters to assassinate Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and billionaire Democratic supporter George Soros, according to a criminal complaint filed on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

The Federal Bureau of Investigation declined to comment on why it waited to bring charges against Larry Hopkins following a search in 2017, but his arrest follows widespread criticism after videos surfaced of their members carrying firearms and detaining groups of immigrants crossing the border. Members of the group the United Constitutional Patriots said they want to draw attention to immigration violations and assist federal law enforcement in patrolling the border. AP

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

Maritime

B7

MOL to install AR on 21 large carriers

BY CARMELA HUELAR

S

HIPPING giant Mitsui OSK Lines, Ltd. (MOL) announced last week, it will install a navigational system using augmented reality (AR) technology on 21 MOL-operated very large crude oil carriers (VLCCs).

In a statement, MOL President AND #HIEF %XECUTIVE /FkCER *UNICHIRO Ikeda said that this would be jointly developed with Furuno Electric Co. Ltd. and MOL Techno-Trade Ltd. The system displays information on other vessels sailing on a planned route and surrounding sea areas and other ocean conditions, such as shallow waters, on tablets and screens.

It also integrates information from THE !UTOMATIC )DENTIkCATION 3YSTEM (AIS) and radar with real-time video images from the bridge camera in collaboration with Furuno Electric’s cutting-edge Electric Chart Display and Information System FMD3300 series.

The system provides visual support to crewmembers during their watch-keeping and ship operations by using augmented reality (AR) technology to superimposing real-time video imagery and voyage information.

Ikeda disclosed that the system has already been installed on the kRST -/, S NEXT GENERATION &LEXIE Series car carrier, Beluga Ace, which was delivered in March 2018, and VLCC Suzukasan, delivered in October 2018 for the demonstration test.

Ikeda said, “Since then, MOL HAS CONTINUED TO REkNE THE !2 display screen and verify the system’s effectiveness.

He furthered: “ In officially commercializing the system un-

der the Furuno Electric brand, it will be installed on MOL’s VLCC lEET A VESSEL TYPE THAT REQUIRES THE highest level of operating safety, with the goal of achieving an even greater margin of safety.�

Due to its deep draft, VLCC operations require special care when navigating on the waters such as the Straits of Singapore and Malacca, a heavily TRAFkCKED SEA LANE THAT HAS LIMITED AREAS The project partners developed the system to support crewmembers, alerting them to other vessels they need to watch, the location of shallow waters, and so on, by displaying integrated real-time video images with information from nautical instruments on screens on the bridge even in congested sea lanes.

The system will further enhance MOL’s marine technical skills, moving the company toward its objective of becoming “the world leader in safe operation.�

MOL will sequentially install the SYSTEM IN ITS ENERGY TRANSPORT lEET INCLUDING LIQUIkED NATURAL GAS CARRIERS

as well as its dry bulkers to provide seafarers with greater support in watch-keeping and ship operation DURING VOYAGES AND CONTINUE TO REkNE and enhance its effectiveness.

In addition, MOL expects this technology to play a key role in realizing autonomous ships in the future.

Q (Top) VLCC Suzukusan; (bottom) Example of AR Navigation system screen. PHOTO BY MITSUI OSK

Autonomous ship testing underway WĂ„RTSILĂ„, a smart solutions company in Norway that is dedicated to the marine and energy markets, successfully completed the full dock-to-dock autonomous test run of the ferry Folgefonn in November 2018.

Norway is not the only country invested in the technology.

Other countries like Japan, the UK, China and Singapore are also conducting their own autonomous ship studies and experiments. As more countries join the race to change the shipping sector, it certainly won’t be long before people and goods can cross international waters aboard unmanned ships.

are perceived, assessed, and decided upon without any human intervention.

Partial autonomy would still require a person, most probably a navigating officer, to assess the situation, but they are not necessarily required to personally be on board when it happens.

Analysts explained that if the infamous Titanic had been equipped with automatic collision avoidance, it could have detected the oncoming iceberg and avoided it, essentially saving thousands of lives onboard.

There’s no doubt that autonomous ships promote a safer and more efficient operations.

Automation largely requires Automatic vs remote control operations autonomous through cloud services. That Most people use these two ter- means an authorized person minologies indiscriminately. In can operate the ship without a technical sense, there are key leaving the dock. For example, differences between the two that t h e o p e r a t o r o f Fo l g e f o n n should be noted. Commercial simply selected its destination ships, in general, are already berth and clicked the “sail� kTTED WITH DIGITAL AND ELECTRONIC button for the ferry to maneunavigational tools to help inform ver out of the dock and sail to the crew and the operations cen- the next port of call without ter several pertinent data regard- human intervention. ing the ship (i.e. course, speed, global positions, etc.).

Unmanned vessels Larger ships are even equipped with automatic pi- With autonomous ship testing l o t t o k e e p t h e s h i p o n a underway, people would think predefined track by plotting that the international maria route in an electronic chart. time law is more than ready However, automatic course to accommodate this modern steering is different from full- development. The laws, howevo r e ve n p a r t i a l - a u t o n o my. er, are more conservative than With full autonomy, data like expected, according to analysts. weather forecasts, surface temUnmanned vessels have to peratures, and wave currents face challenges from almost all

Q MODERNIZING FROM B8 we promised to arrive on time, that there is food in the snack bar, that the seat cushions are not ripped off, that there are tissue papers in the restroom and it is clean — then our customers will get that.�

With its Horizon 2020 project, &AST#AT AIMS TO GROW ITS lEET OF to 30 vessels by next year, and 60 vessels by 2030.

Increasing crew competency The Pastranas, more than revolu-

tionizing the domestic shipping, also champions the competency of Filipino seafarers. “It is common among our cadets to dream of having their dream house, dream car, seeing the world for free, and earning dollars. There is nothing wrong with that, but we challenge them to think of their country and the domestic shipping industry,� she said. “We are creating a path for seafarers, to they can ease into international ships armed with the high standards of actual ship operations. We have created a scholarship program where we train them in the domestic

perspectives of regulatory laws.

The International Maritime Organization (IMO), in particular, does not have any existing safety regulations that would govern this novel concept and technology.

Societal acceptance of autonomous ships is split at best. Not many people are comfortable traveling on unmanned ships, and it would take more than a successful test run to convince people that autonomous ships are far safer than ships manned with a master and a crew.

In general, autonomous ships will have to come up with a satisfying legal alternative to the existing maritime laws that require a physical look-out (one capable of sight and hearing) to safely navigate the ship on course.

The question of whether an operator located at an onshore control center can do similar work if given real-time electronic data remains to be seen. Unmanned vessels will also have to go against the traditional standards set by the International C o n ve n t i o n f o r t h e S a f e t y of Life at Sea where several responsibilities and duties a r e l i n k e d t o t h e p hys i c a l presence of a master.

Another concern for some people is whether unmanned vessels are covered by existing maritime laws. The original l aws we r e w r i t t e n w i t h o u t provisions nor considerations for the likelihood that autonomous ships will be developed waters, we use the ETVR Virtual Reality equipment,� she added. “We are going deeper by training our seafarers here in FastCat. We have doubled the training hours; if its 80 hours a year, we are doing double now. This is not just in the number of hours but the quality of training; we have state of the art vessels with AIS solar and wind-powered electro diesel engines. They get exposed with these and we complement it with our ILearn Virtual Reality education.

We are doing specialized training with suppliers, they give us free training on safe receiving and

in the future.

The International Convention on Standards of Training, C e r t i f i c a t i o n , a n d Wa t c h keeping for Seafarers (STCW) explicitly states that there must be suitable certified staff members who are physically onboard the ship in compliance with the Minimum Safe Manning regulations.

While international maritime laws were proven to be flexible to some extent, there’s n o way o f t e l l i n g w h e t h e r i n t e r n a t i o n a l g ove r n m e n t s and organizations would be willing to bend some for the sake of this new technology.

Analysts said it would be more likely that the international maritime community would have to lay down new rules and regulations to accommodate fully-autonomous ships in the future.

Impact on Filipino seafarers According to the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), there are about 1.6 million seafarers around the world, with the Philippines considered the largest supplier. The biggest fear of most Filipino seafarers is the possibility of being replaced by automation.

Industry experts, however, i n s i s t t h a t a u t o n o my d o e s not necessarily mean that the ship’s operations would be completely unmanned. There are varying degrees of automation that a shipping company can adopt, if the technology comes into commercial use. handling of fuel. These are deep, technical and comprehensive training.� Mary Ann explained.

For the love of country Driven by her sheer passion for excellent shipping services and world-class seafarer competency, Mary Ann brings her expertise in Executive Maritime Management earned from the World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden. “We want to be experts in what we do out of our love for our country and a bigger vision that

With majority of Filipinos being averse to radical changes, it’s predicted that the highest level of automation the country can accept is one with a human being acting as a supervisor who can override and intercede in whatever decision the ship’s system has come up with, based on the current situation.

One seasoned traveler noted that they wouldn’t want to trust their lives to an “unthinking� machine.

While the central premise of autonomous ships is that the system can learn based on a multitude of “experiences,� it will take a long time before people can warm up to the idea of riding unmanned vessels across international seas.

Autonomous cars, for example, have yet to gain popular acceptance even in advanced economies such as the United States.

Although human error is a major factor in most disasters at sea, one simply cannot assume that autonomous ships will be safer. A more comprehensive autonomous test run that considers different scenarios might be the trigger that everyone needs to fully accept this new technology.

It might also be one factor that the international community needs to draft maritime l aws t h a t a r e i n c l u s i ve o f partial- and fully-automated ships and that would fully satisfy the existing legal and safety regulations set by various international conventions.

SHARP MINDS CONTENT we want to be a part in making the Philippines one and achieving the sustainable development goal in providing decent transportation, making the islands accessible, educating people, and making logistics cost lower,�

Mary Ann said.

The mother of four is also an active church worker in St. James parish for the past 25 years, a book lover who also loves traveling and a parent to two dogs. “FastCat is my life now, but I always try to keep a balanced life. I read, I travel, I learn new things,� she concluded.

Marina: Ship registration certifications up 21% THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) reported a 21.09-percent increase in the number of issued ship registration certificates to a total of 13,571 in 2018, higher than

CERTIkCATES ISSUED IN Based on the data gathered from Marina’s accomplishment report for the period January to December 2018, the increase IN CERTIkCATES ISSUED BY -ARINA WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE SIGNIkCANT RAISE in the number of ship registrations in Regional Offices especially in Marina Regional Office (MRO) 8 and MRO 4 Out of the 13,571 registration certificates, a total of 796 were issued by the Central Office, while the issuancES FOR 2EGIONAL /FkCES TALLIED UP to a total of 12,785, according to Marina Management Information Systems Service (MISS). “Marina launched more mobile registrations and licensing in 2018 in line with the agency’s commitment to modernize the Philippine-registered vessels and to eliminate the operation of illegal/unregistered vessels,� it said.

Marina reported a total of 45,464 safety certificates issued from January to December of 2018, which showed a slight increase of 12.47 percent as compared to 40,421 issuances in the previous year. “The slight increase goes handin-hand with the increase in vessel registrations, as these certifications were requirements for vessels to operate to ensure that all ships are compliant to the minimum safety requirements prescribed by Marina,� the report showed.

Issuances relating to safety certifications include: Minimum Safe -ANNING #ERTIkCATE 0ASSENGER 3AFETY #ERTIkCATE #ARGO 3HIP 3AFETY #ERtificate, Cargo Ship Safety ConSTRUCTION #ERTIkCATE #ARGO 3HIP 3AFETY %QUIPMENT #ERTIkCATE (IGH 3PEED Craft Safety Certificate, Fishing VesSEL 3AFETY #ERTIkCATE 3TABILITY CERTIkCATE AND ,OADLINE #ERTIkCATE GENIVI FACTAO

Maritime Filipino seamen wired home $1B in Jan-Feb F B8

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

ILIPINO sailors on foreign ocean-going vessels wired home a total of $1.05 billion in cash via the banking system from January to February this year, up 10.5 percent from $956.15 million in the same twomonth period in 2018, ACTS-OFW party-list group said recently. “We are cautiously optimistic about the future growth in the cash remittances from Filipino sailors, in light of assurances regarding their continued employability,� said ACTSOFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz 3rd.

The Maritime Industry Authority -ARINA HAS CLARIkED THAT CONTRARY to a published report, the Philippines remains on the “White List� of nations deemed fully compliant with the Inter-

national Convention on Standards of 4RAINING #ERTIkCATION AND 7ATCHKEEPing for Seafarers (STCW).

Marina also pledged to keep the country on the “White List� of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Continued inclusion in the list means that all IMO member-countries should accept as valid the cerTIkCATES POSSESSED BY &ILIPINO SAILORS and issued by Philippine authorities.

EDITOR: Carmela I. Huelar

“Filipino sailors should have no difficulty landing jobs on foreign vessels and obtaining endorsements from other countries, provided that we stay in the list,� Bertiz said. “Our sense is, as long as we are compliant with minimum global TRAINING AND CERTIkCATION STANDARDS for sailors, the job prospects of PhilIPPINE EDUCATED SHIP OFkCERS SHOULD remain bright,� Bertiz said.

ACTS-OFW is counting on Marina’s declaration that it is taking all the necessary steps to consistently improve the country’s maritime education, training, examination and assessment system, according to Bertiz. “We also welcome Marina’s initiative to bring in a group of international maritime experts this month to help independently audit the

country’s conformity with worldwide schooling and accreditation standards,� Bertiz said.

Graduates of Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering, ONCE LICENSED AND CERTIkED MAY QUALIFY AS SHIP OFkCERS ‡ MASTERS CHIEF MATES OFkCERS IN CHARGE OF A NAVIGAtional watch, chief engineers, second ENGINEERS AND OFkCERS IN CHARGE OF engineering watch.

Filipino sailors serve on bulk carriers, container ships, oil, gas, chemical and other product tankers, general cargo ships, pure car carriers, cruise ships and tugboats around the world.

They wired home a total of $6.14 billion through bank channels in the whole of 2018, up 4.5 percent from $5.87 billion in 2017.

Q A Filipino seaman throwing a heaving line sometimes called a ‘monkey fist’ to a shore personnel to assist in a mooring operation.

PHOTO BY DUNCAN TORRES

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Promoting Asian women in maritime T

HREE weeks has passed since the group consisting of officers and memATTY. BRENDA V. bers of the Women in PIMENTEL Maritime Philippines (WIMAPhil) participated in the 6th regional WIMA-Asia conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Ministry of Transport Malaysia and the Marine Department Malaysia together with the Women in Maritime Malaysia (MyWIMA) played host to close to a hundred Asian women from 15 countries of the region.

Taking the theme Empowering Women in Maritime: Bridging the Gap, the conference showcased the leadership which these women had brought into THE MARITIME kELD .OTWITHSTANDING THE PERSISTENT challenges, which confront them, the women gained impressive achievements parallel to what their male counterparts accomplished.

The WIMA-Asia conference is being held biennially through the auspices of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and supported by the host government.

WIMA-Asia was established in 2010 in line with the IMO program of promoting wider participation of women in the maritime sector. Through the IMO Integrated Technical Cooperation Program (ITCP), the goal of creating awareness of the opportunities available to women in the maritime sector has gained headway with government and industry. Since then WIMA-Asia has regularly held, regional conferences to discuss not only concerns pertaining to the challenges which women faced in a generally male-dominated industry but more importantly to advance the growing important role they play and to highlight the contributions they make to the industry.

Previous conference themes focused on putting forth a dynamic WIMA-Asia regional organization through the establishment of WIMA national organizations, which will serve as the implementors of the goals and objectives of WIMA-Asia on the ground, i.e., at the national and local levels. After all the evident success of WIMA-Asia is to be gauged against the level of participation of women in the maritime industry.

Nine years after it was established, WIMA-Asia counts on four national WIMAs to carry out its programs in the Philippines, Timor Leste, Indonesia and Malaysia.

SEATHROUGH

Government support crucial to WIMA-Asia

ARCHIPELAGO PHILIPPINE FERRIES CORP. VP MARY ANN PASTRANA

Modernizing the face of the domestic shipping industry Q FASTCAT’s Mary Ann Pastrana.

CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

BY YASHIKA F. TORIB HOLY Week has come and gone.

Majority of Filipinos had taken time off of work to observe religious practices while making the most of the four-day holiday to spend time with families or travel with friends.

The transportation industry, the maritime sector in particular, has SEEN AN INlUX OF PASSENGERS TRAVELing either from city to province, or across an island to another. RollOn, Roll-Off (RoRo) vessels are jam packed with sea-going travelers and cargoes, while hundreds more arrive in streams at piers.

It is during this season that one could see and feel the difference of a brand-new passenger vessel offering safe, timely and convenient services over a rickety old ship with rusts sloppily covered with paint leaving the port an hour late.

With the arrival of the Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corp. (APFC), commonly known as FastCat, domestic shipping has taken on a new face that prides on modernization, safety and convenience.

Founded in 2002 by Christopher and Mary Ann Pastrana, FastCat provides a vital maritime link between the Philippines’ 7,107 islands and operates THE COUNTRY S kRST AND ONLY CATAMARAN 2O2O FERRIES THAT ARE SPECIkCALLY DEsigned for Philippine water conditions. g7E WERE THE kRST TO BRING MODernized ships here in the Philippines with a uniform design. We have invested in branding and committed TO A CULTURE WHICH RElECTS OUR TAGLINE “Ferry Safe, Ferry Fast, Ferry Convenient,� Mary Ann Pastrana said, adding that Fastcat embeds safety in the minds of sea-going passengers who have become used to maritime disasters in the past.

Humble beginnings As with many, FastCat suffered from the birth pains of being a start-up company.

Mary Ann was initially rocked by these struggles upon realizing that she was entering an industry of men. “I had my resistance; I thought it WAS TOO DIFkCULT AND TOO MANLY !ND SO ) STOPPED GOING TO THE OFkCE AND enrolled in painting classes instead.

I signed up for religious trips abroad just to get away,� Mary Ann said. “When I returned, I saw that we are bleeding. That’s when I realize that I have to help my husband — and so I went all out with my support,� the APFC vice president said.

True to her commitment, Mary Anne brought her intellect and intensity in bolstering FastCat along with her husband.

The couple went through tough times together, seeing how their NEWLY ACQUIRED lEET OF YEAR OLD RoRo vessels failed to represent what the company aims to deliver. “We’ve spent millions opening the route of Mindoro to Calapan, but one of our old vessels conked out. It was too old THAT WE COULD NO LONGER kND A SPARE part and even the fabricated piece that we’ve had made would not work. We could not operate and we no longer had money for the salary of our staff — it was the lowest of the low for us,�

Mary Ann recounted.

Amid her tears and sorrow, Mary Ann bundled all of her jewelry and tried loaning money from her sister just so she could give the salary of their employees on time. “I was crying, wala kaming pangpa-sweldo. It was great that my sister helped us, but later on, when my husband found out that I was already selling my things, he taught me the proper way to handle such business concerns,� she chuckled with the memory of being caught, getting saved and feeling relieved all at the same time.

Such incident became the turning point for FastCat. Realizing that the company could not go on operating old vessels, the couple ventured into MODERNIZING THEIR lEET WITH THE kRST ship arriving in 2013. “God has given us a second lease in entrepreneurial shipping; we owe it to him to give our best. There could be no accident or disaster under our

watch; it has to be safe for all — and then I realized that we are actually doing it, this time, for our countrymen. I always tell it to our people, everything we do — para sa bayan.�

The Pastranas were plunged in all the pressures surrounding the shipping business — 24/7 ship operations, volatile fuel prices, wind and tide variations, depth of piers, HUMAN FACTORS SCIENTIkC COMPONENTS of spare parts, and the bureaucracy from different agencies. “The job is not easy, we were bombarded with all kinds of pressures but we endure,� Mary Anne said.

Modernizing the fleet The sight of Fastcat brings tears, literally, to the eyes of some passengers who have already gotten used to the chaotic and corroded wooden-hulled ships that are decades old. Many have begun relying on the timely departure and arrival of its ships that vacation schedules and embassy appointments across the islands are conveniently set by sea-going passengers. “It is our hope to standardize everything by having the same ship design and internationally-classed quality of ship maintenance,� Mary Ann explained, stating that FastCat aims to change the typical Filipino mindset of “pwede na yan.� “It has been our way to make do with what we have, like ‘okay na yan’, ‘pwede pa yan’. Filipinos usually do band-aid solutions even with equipment; this cannot work with shipping because accidents happen,� she said. g7E AT &AST#AT AIM TO DELIVER EFkcient and excellent services every day,�

-ARY !NN AFkRMED “We did not reinvent the wheel, we just IDENTIkED THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES of the industry and worked from there. If

ÂłModernizing B7

Four national WIMAs appear to fall short of expectations, yet, getting women to advocate and assume tasks, which HARDLY kGURE OUT IN NATIONAL MARITIME PROGRAMMES AND plans is by no means an easy feat. Government buy-in of the WIMA advocacies accelerates and promotes the success of the organization but such is not easily gained, as experience would show. Likewise, industry appears to be more cautious but is more forthcoming in embracing the objectives of the WIMA as it provides an option to exercising social responsibility.

The Philippines hosted three WIMA-Asia conferences, the inaugural meeting in 2010 on “Bringing Together the Women Managers in the Maritime sector.� The late retired general Leandro Mendoza, then Secretary of Transportation and Communications, was the guest of honor and exhorted the women of the Department of Transportation and Comminities (DoTC) and its attached agencies to join and support the gender advocacies of WIMA. Thereafter, two WIMA-Asia conferences were held in Manila: in 2012 on the subject of “Role of Women in Promoting Green Shipping�, and in 2015 on the theme “Promoting Women’s Advocacy for Domestic Ferry Safety�. The 2012 conference was much appreciated as then IMO Secretary General Koji Sekimizu met the Asian women participants. The 2015 conference was made meaningful with the offer of then DoTC Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya for the Philippines to host the WIMA-Asia secretariat and to provide a space in the Marina building then under construction.

The Republic of Korea hosted the 2013 WIMA-Asia conference in Busan, which had as its theme the “Development of a Global Strategy for Women Seafarers.�

The support of the Korean government, industry and the academe for women seafarers inspired the conferENCE PARTICIPANTS SOME OF WHOM WERE SHIP OFkCERS Timor Leste was the host of the 2017 WIMA-Asia conference on the subject: “Transitioning from Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).� Timor Leste appreciates WIMA-TL as a partner in building the country’s relatively young and small maritime industry.

Malaysia as host of the 2019 WIMA-Asia conference was not short in recognizing its women in general and women in maritime in particular. The country presented several Malaysian women who have gained prominent STATURE IN THEIR kELD OF MARITIME EXPERTISE AS MERCHANT MARINE OFkCERS NAVAL ARCHITECTS MARINE ENVIRONMENTALists, ship surveyors and superintendents, maritime lawyers, among others. The best expression of the Malaysian government’s support to the WIMA-Asia advocacies is not lost on the Asian women participants as no less than the Deputy Prime Minister, YAB Dato’ Seri Dr. Wan Azizah Dr. Wan Ismail graced the farewell dinner.

The participants have all gone back to their respective countries and carried with them the inspiration given by high-level supporters of WIMA-Asia such as the Deputy prime minister herself, the minister of Transport Malaysia and the Director General of the Marine Department.

The Malaysian experience indeed is proof; women in maritime are gaining attention!

Sports

WEDNESDAY W AAPRIL 24, 2019

C1

www.manilatimes.net

Antetokounmpo leads Bucks to sweep of Detroit D

Q Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 34) is fouled by Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond during the first half of Game 4 of a firstround NBA basketball playoff series in Detroit. AP PHOTO

ETROIT: Giannis Antetokounmpo drove to the basket and drew yet another foul, this one a hard HACK ON THE ARM BY "LAKE 'RIFkN

Griffin fouled out and headed to the bench, and the home crowd gave him a standing ovation. Then many fans headed toward the exits.

Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were on their way to another rout against Detroit.

Antetokounmpo scored 41 points, and the Bucks beat Detroit 127-104 on Monday night, completing a four-game sweep of the Pistons and advancing to the second round of THE PLAYOFFS FOR THE kRST TIME SINCE 2001. The last time Milwaukee won a postseason series, the Bucks made IT ALL THE WAY TO THE CONFERENCE kNALS This year’s team isn’t there yet, but so far Milwaukee looks the part of the top seed in the East. g) REMEMBER OUR kRST PLAYOFF series (in 2015),� Antetokounmpo said. “Chicago, the last game, Game 6, they beat us by 50 or something insane. But where we were and where we are right now, it’s been an unbelievable journey.�

Milwaukee closed the third quarter with a 17-3 run, taking a

10-point lead into the fourth after the Pistons had led much of the way. Detroit set an NBA record with its 14th consecutive playoff loss, a skid that began in 2008.

The Bucks will face Boston in the second round. The Celtics are coming off a sweep of their own against Indiana. “I think it’s important that we take a second tonight. Enjoy it,�

Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “It’s a good night for Milwaukee. It’s a good night for the Bucks.�

Reggie Jackson scored 20 of his POINTS IN THE kRST HALF FOR $ETROIT 'RIFkN fouled out with 7:06 REMAINING AFTER SCORING 'RIFkN MISSED THE kRST TWO GAMES OF THE series with knee problems. “Blake played his heart out with basically one leg,� said Pistons coach Dwane Casey, whose voice was hoarse at his postgame news conference. “He fought through a lot of pain, swelling.�

'RIFkN WAS ON THE BENCH FOR much of Milwaukee’s crucial run.

(E SAT FOR THE kNAL OF THE third. Antetokounmpo scored

16 points in that quarter, half of which came on free throws.

Detroit led 20-8 early on after a dunk by Griffin. The Pistons were up 62-56 at halftime but still couldn’t prevent a fourth straight blowout at the hands of the team that had the NBA’s best regularseason record. Milwaukee won the four games by a total of 95 points, and no game was closer than 16.

Tip-ins Bucks: Malcolm Brogdon remains out because of a right foot injury, but Budenholzer said he might have a better sense in the next 3-5 days about a timetable for his availability. ... The Bucks won every game they played against Detroit this season, including all four in the regular season. ... Milwaukee had not swept a best-of-7 series since the 1983 conFERENCE SEMIkNALS AGAINST "OSTON Pistons: Detroit’s most recent postseason victory was May 26, 2008, in Game 4 of the Eastern #ONFERENCE kNALS AGAINST "OSTON The New York Knicks lost 13 straight playoff games from 20012012, but the Pistons have now eclipsed that mark.

The Bucks move on to face the Celtics, who knocked Milwaukee out of the playoffs in seven games last year.

AP

Luke Walton sued for Hotshots gun for third straight win vs Painters sexual assault – report

LOSANGELES:NBA head coach Luke Walton is being sued by a woman who alleges he forced himself on her at a Santa Monica, California hotel, according to US media reports Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

Celebrity news outlet TMZ reported Walton had invited the woman, a sports reporter, to meet him at his hotel to discuss a book she was writing.

Citing court documents, it said the woman alleged Walton, with whom she had a previous business relationship, convinced her to go to his room and forced himself on her.

There, according to the lawsuit, he allegedly pinned her to the bed, kissed and groped her while she resisted, TMZ said.

It added the lawsuit says he eventually stopped and let her go but, as she walked away, grabbed her from behind and pulled her close — before eventually allowing her to leave.

Now coach of the Sacramento Kings, Wal-

ton was let go by the Lakers last week after coaching them for several seasons.

The Lakers issued a statement on Monday night saying they had no previous knowledge of the allegations. “This alleged incident took place before Luke Walton was the Head Coach of the Los Angeles Lakers,� a team spokesman said. “At no time before or during his employment here was this allegation reported to the Lakers. If it had been, we would have immediately commenced an investigation AND NOTIkED THE ."! u AFP

Q Luke Walton AFP PHOTOÂ

MAGNOLIA and Rain or Shine battle for a 3-2 lead in Game 5 OF THEIR BEST OF SEVEN SEMIkNALS showdown of Season 44 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup today at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

After escaping with a 94-91 victory over the Elasto Painters that tied the series to 2-2 in Game 4, the Hotshots are now hoping to get their third consecutive win in the 7 p.m. encounter.

But Magnolia coach Chito Victolero expects Rain or Shine to kGHTBACK IN THEIR kFTH GAME “We really need to stay compose and be ready for another physical game,� said Victolero, adding that they still need to double their effort and maximize their line up in Game 5. “We only tied the series. It boils down now to a best-of-three.

We knew we need to come up hard and prepare hard.�

Ian Sangalang remained a force to reckon with in the paint for the Hotshots, as he notched 19 points and 10 rebounds in Game 4. Paul Lee scored 15 points while Jio Jalalon (12), Justin Melton (11), Mark "ARROCA 2Ak 2EAVIS AND Rome Dela Rosa (10) also scored in DOUBLE kGURES IN THAT GAME Rain or Shine coach Caloy Garcia was tossed out in the third period after committing his second technical foul for continuous complaining in Game 4. “I just wanted to be thrown out that’s why I tapped the ball from the referee because the calls were not good. Sometimes you get the

Q Magnolia’s Ian Sangalang battles Beau Belga of Rain or Shine in the shaded lane while James Yap watches during Game 4 of best-of-seven semifinals of Season 44 PBA Philippine Cup game on Monday at the Araneta Coliseum. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTOÂ

call but sometimes you don’t,�

Garcia told the media in Filipino, noting that they would do everything to bounce back in Game 5. “At the end of the day, we have TO kND WAYS TO WIN !ND PROBABLY coming to Game 5, we have to be more physical. We just have to

match up the physicality.�

Two-time Most Valuable Player James Yap, who played also for Magnolia before, delivered 12 of his game-high 24 points in the second half, including a three-pointer in the dying seconds to make Game 4 an interesting match.

Meanwhile, Phoenix Pulse’s $AVE -ARCELO WAS kNED 0

for committing a flagrant foul penalty two after hitting Christian Standhardinger in Game 3 of the SEMIkNALS SERIES BETWEEN THE &UEL Masters and San Miguel Beer.

JOSEF T. RAMOSÂ

HAWKS COACH PIERCE JOINS USA NATIONAL TEAM STAFF WASHINGTON: Lloyd Pierce, coach of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, was named on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) as an assistant coach on the United States national team, a replacement for departing Indiana Pacers coach Nate McMillan.

Pierce will work on the staff of US coach Gregg Popovich, who guides the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, directing NBA players in this year’s Basketball World Cup in China and next year’s Tokyo Olympics if they qualify.

Other assistants include Steve Kerr, coach of the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors, and Jay Wright, who coached Villanova University to the US college crown in 2016 and 2018. “It’s an honor to receive this opportunity to represent our country and to work with such great coaches and staff,�

Pierce said.

McMillan resigned due to scheduling CONlICTS ACCORDING TO 53! "ASKETBALL The US national team, two-time defend-

ing World Cup champions, will begin a training camp on August 5 in Las Vegas ahead of the 32-team event August 31-SepTEMBER 4HE !MERICANS kRST ROUND FOES in Shanghai include Japan, Turkey and the Czech Republic.

Among the NBA players to be considered for the US lineup in China are Golden State’s Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, DeMarcus Cousins and Klay Thompson; Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook and Paul

George; Houston’s James Harden and New Orleans star Anthony Davis.

Four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers has said he will not play in the World Cup but could join the US squad next year in Japan.

Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball’s men’s national team managing director since 2005, knew Pierce during his stint from 2013-2018 as an assistant for the Philadelphia 76ers after

prior stops in Cleveland, Golden State and Memphis. “He has demonstrated the ability in particular to be an outstanding defensive coach,� Colangelo said. “We’re fortunate to have someone of his abilities. I think he’s really a good addition.�

Pierce, 42, guided the Hawks to a 29-53 RECORD IN HIS kRST SEASON AS AN ."! HEAD coach. With the 76ers, he oversaw a squad that led the NBA in defensive shooting percentage (.434).

AFP

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Sports

˜ The Manila Times

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WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

Knights survive Saints, take solo third in D-League P ETRON-LETRAN pulled off a great 9190 escape against St. Clare College Virtual Reality Monday in the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) D-League at JCSGO Gym in Cubao.

Alvin Pasaol started off hot WITH HIS kRST QUARTER POINTS TO guide his side to a 31-11 advantage, before once again imposing his might late, dropping eight of the Knights’ last 11 points.

He registered 28 points, seven rebounds, and three assists in the win.

Jerrick Balanza also churned OUT A SOLID POINTS AND kVE rebounds, as well as the goahead assist for a Christian Balagasay layup with 13 ticks left that shifted the lead back to Petron-Letran.

Saints guard Paul Santos had a chance to steal the game with a baseline jumper, but his teammate Junjie Hallare was whistled for an offensive foul for a movING SCREEN IN THE kNAL SEConds which all but dashed their side’s hopes after crawling back FROM A DEkCIT AS BIG AS

IN THE kRST HALF “Moving screen eh,� said coach Bonnie Tan. “Hindi naman ako referee, but in my view, ganoon yung nangyari.�

Jeo Ambohot added a doubledouble with his 11 points and nine rebounds, while Jeremiah 4ALADUA kRED

Q Petron-Letran’s Jeo Ambohot (right) blocks Darwin Lunor of St. Clare-Virtual Reality during the 2019 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) D-League elimination round at the JCSGO Gym in Cubao. PBA MEDIA BUREAU PHOTO

The win allowed the Knights to claim solo third place in the Aspirants Group at 5-2, while dropping the Saints to fourth at 4-2.

Hallare carried St. Clare with 22 points, 13 coming in the fourth frame, alongside his seven rebounds.

THE SCORES PETRON-LETRAN 91 — Pasaol 28, Balanza 22, Ambohot 11, Taladua 11, Balagasay 6, Caralipio 4, Olivario 4, Reyson 2, Ular 2, Sangalang 1, Mina 0.

ST. CLARE 90 — Hallare 22, Pare 20, Rivera 18, Fontanilla 9, Rubio 8, Lunor 8, Santos 3, Palencia 2, Fuentes 0.

Quarters: 34-13, 54-35, 74-55, 91-90.

Guiao wants friendlies with Aussies for WC preparation COACH Yeng Guiao of Team Pilipinas wants to have friendly games with the Australian national squad as part of national team’s preparation for the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) World Cup slated on August 30 to September 15 in China.

Guiao said that the tune-up games will help both countries to completely heal the wounds of the ugly incident that transpired in the brawl between the Gilas Pilipinas and Australian Boomers last July 2 during the World Cup qualifiers at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan. “I’m thinking about of gaining the

goodwill for both sides and trying to restore our relationship with Australia and trying to put that behind us,� Guiao told reporters on Tuesday during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Amelie Hotel in Malate, Manila. “We have learned from our mistakes, both sides. I’m sure Australia also learned to what happened. I think enough time has passed to forget it,� said Guiao, who also eyeing friendly games with New Zealand and Russia before the World Cup. Ten players were suspended from the Philippines while three were suspended from Australia. Former Philippine coach

Chot Reyes was suspended for one game and was later replaced by Guiao. At the same time, Guiao added that playing friendlies with Australia will be more practical particularly in travel time. “Instead of going to Europe, Australia and New Zealand are near on the practical side to play the same brand of basketball that we really need to experience,� he said.

He also said that Australia can also go to the Philippines to play friendly games before going to China.

Guiao also said that he wanted a long preparation for the Philippine team prior to the World Cup most

likely as early as June. He also said that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is taking care of the eligibility process of FilipinoAmerican National Basketball Association standout Jordan Clarkson of Cleveland Cavaliers to allow him to play

alongside naturalized Andray Blatche in the World Cup. “If that happens, that will be a highlight in my coaching career,� said Guiao.

Team Pilipinas is grouped with Serbia, Angola and Italy in Group D at the World Cup. JOSEF T. RAMOSÂ

Q Jordan Clarkson (right) AP FILE PHOTO

FREE KICK ROMY P. MARIĂ‘AS

Swimming in the same direction A

T long last, the country’s aquatic authorities are swimming in the same direction in a show of unity ahead of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games that the Philippines will be hosting in Tarlac and Manila.

It is too much to wish for that the Philippine swimming team to this year’s SEA Games in November-December will produce PODIUM kNISHES MERELY ON THE basis of the unprecedented demonstration that politics in sports can be cast aside in favor of the Filipino tanker.

Those were the days when the local swimming scene was divided into the Susan Papa and Mark Joseph camps that spent a lot of time not on swimming matters but turf issues.

Closing ranks, we would like to believe, was thought of in apparent tribute to the “controversial�

Joseph who recently passed away.

With the seemingly endless bickering, it was no wonder that Filipino swimmers, both men and women, had proved no match to the Thais, Singaporeans, Indonesians and of late Vietnamese since the days of Ral Rosario and, also more recently, Eric Buhain.

These regional powers in the sport were light years behind the Philippines in continental swimming when the likes of Haydee Coloso Espino and the Von Giese sisters were racing--and winning--against perennial world swimming power Japan in the Asian Games in the 1960s and the 1970s.

But in the past decade or at least since 2005, the Philippines was unable to win gold mints in medal-rich swimming, pathetically trailing behind Thailand. Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.

Singapore, incidentally, has produced an Olympic gold medal winner in Joseph Schooling, a BUTTERlY SPECIALIST WHO TOPPED the 100m in the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Schooling is a shining product of the SEA Games.

On the other hand, how could young Filipino swimmers even be motivated to swim for flag and country when their supposed models and mentors in the local swimming world would rather prefer to drown out each other’s voice on alleged money and independence issues?

They cannot be expected to do their best under uncertain circumstances, such as being yanked off a national team bound for a Southeast Asian or Asian meet at the last minute for reasons only the swimming overlords know or won’t tell.

Other sports officials, who are also at war, should take the cue from their counterparts in swimming.

Burying the hatchet among clashing karatedo, volleyball and tennis groups, to name a few, would go a long way for the good of the Filipino athlete and the Filipino nation.

Golovkin seeks path back to Alvarez NEW YORK: The giant banner behind him revealed not only a new nickname, but a new reality in boxing for Gennady Golovkin. “The return of the people’s champion,� it read, touting Golovkin’s June 8 match at Madison Square Garden THAT WILL BE HIS kRST kGHT SINCE DROPPING his rematch against Canelo Alvarez.

Golovkin came away from those kGHTS WITH A LOSS AND A DRAW AND THE former holder of three belts has no more after a record 20 consecutive middleweight title defenses. “Everyone in the Triple G team THINKS HE WON BOTH OF THOSE kGHTS AS does the majority of the fan base and the media, and that’s why we crowned him the ‘People’s Champion,’� pro-

MOTER 4OM ,OEFlER SAID -ONDAY The people may still consider Golovkin a champion, but the boxing rankings have said otherwise since the longtime 160-pound ruler’s loss to AlvaREZ LAST 3EPTEMBER IN THEIR SECOND kGHT Plenty has changed since that narrow defeat in Las Vegas, though not when it comes to Golovkin’s mindset. Some may wonder if he’s diminished at 37 AFTER TWO HARD kGHTS WITH !LVAREZ BUT not Golovkin. He won’t be carrying any belts into the ring but he still has A CHAMPION S CONkDENCE g) DON T FEEL LIKE ) LOST THOSE kGHTS and those decisions do not necessarily affect me because inside I do feel LIKE ) WON THOSE TWO kGHTS u 'OLOVKIN said through an interpreter. “So I

don’t necessarily see myself as a contender, as a beginner again.�

Golovkin (38-1-1, 34 KOs) may get his shot at being a real champion again soon, perhaps even against Alvarez.

First, Golovkin will return to the ring against Steve Rolls, a little known CanaDIAN WHO IS UNBEATEN IN kGHTS WHILE kGHTING AT BOTH AND POUNDS They will split the difference for the June bout, which will be held at a maximum of 164 pounds. Rolls (19-0, 10 KOs) was selected in hopes he could put up a good enough performance to make Golovkin work, but not good enough to mess up any PLANS FOR A THIRD kGHT WITH !LVAREZ “Make no mistake. This isn’t a tuneUP u 2OLLS SAID g) M COMING TO kGHT u AP

˜ The Manila Times

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Bjerregaard earns special PGA slot

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

Sports

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Dustin still on top of world rankings P

Q Dustin Johnson AFP PHOTO

MIAMI: Denmark’s Lucas Bjerregaard, who ousted Tiger Woods from last month’s WGC Match Play Championship, has earned special US PGATour membership for the remainder of the 2018-19 campaign, the tour announced on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

Bjerregaard, 44th in this week’s world rankings, joins England’s Matthew Fitzpatrick, ranked 33rd this week, in the special member status for this season.

The move allows players to be eligible for unlimited sponsor exemptions for the remainder of the season as they work toward earning US PGA Tour playing rights for next season.

After seven starts this season, Bjerregaard’s best finish is fourth at the WGC Match Play, where he edged Woods 1-up in the quarterfinals just two weekends before the American captured his 15th career major title at the Masters.

Bjerregaard has made 10 PGA starts with three top-25 showings, including a share of 21st in his Masters debut.

He raises the total of US tour players from outside the United States to 90 from 27 nations. AFP

ARIS: Dustin Johnson maintained his position as the world number one on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) despite collapsing out of contention in the RBC Heritage at Hilton Head.

The former US Open champion remains at the top of the latest rankings, holding a slender lead over Justin Rose and his fellow American Brooks Koepka.

Johnson took a one-shot advanTAGE INTO THE kNAL ROUND ON 3UNday, before making four bogeys and two double-bogeys to drop to a tie for 28th.

Taiwanese golfer Pan Chengtsung climbed 58 places to 55th after taking advantage of Johnson’s meltdown to clinch his maiden PGA Tour title.

Tiger Woods remains sixth in the rankings after not playing the week following his stunning fifth victory at the Masters.

AFP

WORLD TOP 20 1. Dustin Johnson (USA) 9.73 average pts 2. Justin Rose (ENG) 9.06 3. Brooks Koepka (USA) 9.01 4. Rory McIlroy (NIR) 8.23 5. Justin Thomas (USA) 7.89 6. Tiger Woods (USA) 7.67 7. Francesco Molinari (ITA) 7.17 8. Bryson DeChambeau (USA) 7.14 9. Xander Schauffele (USA) 6.42 10. Rickie Fowler (USA) 5.90

11. Jon Rahm (ESP) 5.87 12. Matt Kuchar (USA) 5.45 (+4) 13. Paul Casey (ENG) 5.32 (-1) 14. Jason Day (AUS) 5.14 (-1) 15. Tony Finau (USA) 5.17 (-1) 16. Tommy Fleetwood (ENG) 4.90 (-1) 17. Bubba Watson (USA) 4.62 18. Patrick Cantlay (USA) 4.62 19. Patrick Reed (USA) 4.27 20. Webb Simpson (USA) 4.15

BALASABAS SURVIVES TCC TEST, LEADS BY 1 Corpus tops elims, seals KO duel vs Korean CARL CORPUS blew a one-under card with a shaky windup for a 75 but nipped Sean Ramos in a playoff to clinch the top seeding in the Philippine Amateur Open Match Play Championships at the Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac on Tuesday.

Corpus holed out with back-toback double bogeys for a 36-39 as the defending champion pooled a 148 after 36 holes of stroke play elims then beat Ramos for low medal honors heading to the knockout stage beginning today. He clashes with Korean (A 4AE 7ON WHO kNISHED AT after an 82 and edged Jeffrey Gabe, who shot a 76, in the countback for the 16th and last spot in the tournament proper of the event sponsored by the MVP Sports Foundation.

Ramos turned in a 74 to match Corpus’ 148 but settled for the No. 2 spot for a face-off with Seo Dong Bin, who kGURED IN A THREE WAY TIE FOR .O with a 79.

Leandro Bagtas also carded a 74, which proved to be the best in tough conditions at the Robert Trent Jones

Sr.-designed layout, and finished third with a 150 for an interesting duel with No. 14 Josh Jorge, who groped for an 81 and a 159.

Also making it to the next phase are Perry Bucay (75-153), Masaichi Otake (75-155), Dan Cruz (77-155), Paolo Barro (77-155), Don Petil (77155), Kristoffer Arevalo (79-155), Zachary Castro (80-156), Jacob Rolida (77-158), Paolo Wong (82-158) and Korean Kim Tae Soo (82-158).

Bucay takes on Kim in today’s Round of 16 with Petil mixing it up with Arevalo, Otake squaring off with Wong, Rolida facing off with Cruz, and Barro tangling with Castro. Winners will advance to a grueling stint on Thursday with the QUARTERkNALS IN THE MORNING AND the semis in the afternoon.

In girls play, Laurea Duque picked up her second win in the round robin format among six players, beating Korean Bang Hee Yeon, 4&3, while Laia Barro, who drew her opening round match with Kim Ga Yeon, stopped Rianne Malixi, 5&4.

Blu Girls off to Jakarta for Olympic qualifying THE 0HILIPPINE "LU 'IRLS lEW TO Jakarta Monday night with their eyes set on earning their seats in a pair of world level competitions scheduled in 2020 and 2021 in separate dates and venues.

The Filipinas are taking part in the Women’s Softball Championship set May 1 to 4 at the Indonesian capital hoping to get one of six slots at stake for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo and three for the World Cup in 2021 at the still unnamed place.

The Blu Girls, coached by Randy Dizer, are practically the same squad that ended up runner-up to Japan in the 2017 Asian championSHIP AND MADE UP MOSTLY OF THE kNest and brightest in the UAAP league, reinforced by Fil-American players.

Ten teams, headed by Asian powerhouse China and Japan, are vying for the much-coveted berths, according to Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines operation manager Ismael “Jun� Veloso.

Fortunately, the Filipinas, have been bracketed in a relatively light Group B also made up of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asian neighbors Indonesia and Singapore in the short, oneround eliminations.

That makes the Philippines’ chances of making it to the Olympics brighter.

The other bracket, considered the �death group,� is composed of China, Japan, South Korea, India and Thailand.

Five of recently-crowned UAAP champions Adamson University Lady Falcons made it to the Blu Girls lineup. They are UAAP MVP Arianne Vallestero, Best Pitcher Lyca Basa, Angelie Ursabia, Ezra Jalandoni and Riezel Calumbres.

Other member of the team are Cheska Almonte of Ateneo (team captain), Mary Ann Antolihao and Cristy Joy Roa of University of Santo Tomas, Reyovel Palma of Tanauan, Batangas and Shaira Damasing of National University.

Antolihao, Basa, Jalandoni and Palma will alternately be manning the mound.

"EEkNG UP THE "LU 'IRLS ARE &IL Ams Garie Blando, Chelsea Suitos, Sky Ellazar, Hailey Decker, Aber Freeman and Gabriella Elvina.

Blando, Suitos, Ellazar and Decker are the team’s reinforcements in its Asian meet two years ago in Taichung, Taiwan. Freeman, reportedly a former US national team member, and Elvina are new recruits.

Multi-titled Ana Santiago of Adamson, Anthony Santos and Ronilo Pagkaliwagan assist Dizer in calling the shots on the bench.

EDDIE G. ALINEA

STA. ROSA, Laguna: Jerson Balasabas birdied the tough par-3 17th to save an eagle-spiked 72 then watched a slew of fancied rivals fumble at the finish to wrest a one-stroke lead in an early test of will and wits in hot, windy conditions at the start of the rich The Country Club Invitational here on Tuesday.

Balasabas, seeking to check a dip in form after scoring a breakthrough in the Philippine Masters last year, hit a pitch-in eagle on the par-4 No. 1 and went three-under with a birdie on the par-3 third hole. But like the rest of the select 30-player field in this P5 million championship, he stumbled in other baffling holes of the demanding Tom Weiskoph-designed layout, specifically on two other par 3s which he bogeyed (No. 6) and double bogeyed (No. 11).

He gained a stroke with another birdie on No. 13 but fell off the leaderboard with back-to-back bogeys from No. 15 before moving on top again with that birdie on the 17th to set the pace in the 72-hole championship kicking off the Philippine Golf Tour’s milestone 10th season. “After hitting the green, it bounced once and rolled into the cup,� said Balasabas, referring to his rare eagle feat on the water-laced opening hole off an 8-iron shot from 158 yards. “The strong wind is but a normal thing here but it was super hot out there.�

The lead kept changing hands as the buffeting wind changed its direction, forcing the bidders to adjust with their respective club selections while trying to set up birdie chances on difficult pin placements as the course kept its reputation as one of the toughest with no one able to break par.

Clyde Mondilla, winner in the Solaire Philippine Open here three weeks ago, appeared headed to

Q Jerson Balasabas CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

keeping his familiar spot with a two-under card after 10 holes. But he bogeyed the next, regained the stroke on No. 13, only to drop strokes on Nos. 14, 16 and 17 and fall to joint second with 73 with Angelo Que and Tony LascuĂąa in the event also known as the Don Pocholo Razon Memorial Cup put up by ICTSI chair Ricky Razon in 2003 to honor the memory of his father and ICTSI founder.

Except for Balasabas and Peter Stojanovski of Macedonia, the rest of the early contenders floundered on the par-72 layout’s tough finishing holes with threetime champion Que and former winner Lascuùa holing out with bogeys and missing joining Balasabas on top.

Some, however, struggled early, including reigning PGT Order of Merit

champion Jobim Carlos, who made a horrific “13� on the tight, tricky par-4 No. 4 with a hazard on the right and out-of-bounds on the left. “You can actually see the green off the mound but you have to be extra cautious and precise in your shot to avoid getting into trouble. I just felt sad it happened to me,� rued Carlos, who lost five balls on the hole on three OBs and two wayward drives on his way to an 85.

Meanwhile, action in the Ladies PGT gets going at the Royal Northwoods Golf Club, Inc. in San Rafael, Bulacan today (Wednesday) with 2017 OOM winner Pauline del Rosario leading the hosts’ bid against a crack foreign Thai squad.

Del Rosario hopes to finally hit top form after a string of mediocre finishes following a swing change in prepara-

tion for her LPGA Tour Q-School bid later this year although she will have her hands full against the Thais looking to extend their domination of the circuit.

Jhonnel Ababa birdied Nos. 13 and 14 to recover from a three-over par round but bogeyed No. 15 to settle for a 74 for joint fifth with Keanu Jahns, who also bogeyed No. 18, while Korean Kim Joo Hyung also birdied Nos. 13 and 14 but bogeyed the last two to slip to a share of seventh at 75 with Aussie Tim Stewart, who bogeyed No. 16, and Stojanovski, who hit a birdie on No. 16.

Juvic Pagunsan mixed three birdies against the same number of bogeys at the front then birdied the par-5 10th to erase the stigma of his woeful 11 that cut short his stint in the Phl Open and gain a share of the lead. But the former Asia’s No. 1 fell with a thud again with a wobbly finish, bogeying No. 14 and dropping two strokes on the next before closing out with three straight bogeys.

He wound up with a 77 for joint 13th with Jay Bayron and one stroke behind the 76 scorers who included Albin Engino, Justin Quiban and Pete Vilairatana of the US. Korean-American Micah Shin, who edged absentee and 2017 winner Miguel Tabuena by one to become the first non-Filipino winner of this event put up by ICTSI chairman Ricky Razon in 2003 to honor the memory of his father and ICTSI founder Don Pocholo, recovered from a 41 start with birdies on Nos. 10, 12 and 14.

But he double bogeyed the long par-4 16th and dropped three strokes on the 18th to limp with a 79 for joint 17th with Michael Bibat, James Ryan Lam and Nilo Salahog, a stroke behind American Lexus Keoninh and Dutch Guido Van der Valk, who hobbled with 78s.

Barcelona beckons Nadal after Monte Carlo BARCELONA: Rafael Nadal said on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) he won’t waste time dwelling on his WEEKEND -ONTE #ARLO SEMIkNAL loss but instead will concentrate on bouncing back at the Barcelona Open. “What has happened has happened, whatever the reasons are,� the 11-time Barcelona champion said after a promo-

Q Rafael Nadal AFP PHOTO

tional appearance at a mini-tennis event in the Catalan capital. “I don’t know the future, but I will go back to work. The job is to kND MYSELF u .ADALSAID The 17-time Grand Slam winner, who returned at Monte Carlo after a knee injury, put a positive spin on his Saturday setback against eventual tournament winner Fabio Fognini. “Monte Carlo

was a step forward compared to where I was a week earlier,� Nadal said.

He was joined at a mini-tennis court set up at an ornate Barcelona classical concert hall by two-time tournament champion Kei Nishikori.

The Spaniard will open his title defense on Wednesday against ArgenTINE ,EO -AYER A kRST ROUND WINNER over Marius Copil 6-3, 6-7 (3/7), 7-5. .ADAL CALLED HIS kRST LIGHT HIT out since Saturday’s loss “normal.� g)T S THE kRST DAY OF PRACTICE IN a different place. I did what I had to do,� he said.

He again labeled his defeat to Fognini “one of the worst matches on clay.� “It’s a reality. There is no need TO HIDE IT ) DON T SEE ANY BENEkT in denying it.�

As usual, the 32-year-old Spaniard is focusing on the bright side

as the pre-Roland Garros clay season hits full stride. “I lost a good opportunity to start the season in a fantastic way.

But I’ve now got another one. “We will know more about my form on Wednesday. This is a very special tournament that is part of the history of tennis and of my own. “I have another morning to practice and we will see how we are doing. On a physical level, I’m more or less well. g) VE REACHED THE kNALS IN !USTRALIA SEMI kNALS IN )NDIAN 7ELLS and now semi-finals again in Monte Carlo. “The year is not bad, I’m third in the race (to the year-end championship) - but with more problems than I would have wanted.�

Nadal said repeated injuries have played a role in denying him the momentum he needs. AFP

Football Chelsea up to fourth after frustrating Burnley L

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 24, 2019

ONDON: Chelsea accused Burnley of time-wasting and playing “antifootball� after Blues boss Maurizio Sarri was sent off before a touchline skirmish marred their frustrating 2-2 draw on Monday (Tuesday in Manila).

Sarri’s side fell behind to Jeff (ENDRICK S kNE kNISH BEFORE . 'OLO Kante equalized moments later.

In a frantic opening 24 minutes at 3TAMFORD "RIDGE 'ONZALO (IGUAIN PUT #HELSEA AHEAD ONLY FOR "URNLEY S !SHLEY "ARNES TO PUNISH MORE DISMAL DEFENDING FROM THE "LUES Without a win in their last two league games, Chelsea will take only slender comfort from CLIMBING ONE POINT ABOVE kFTH placed Arsenal into fourth place, level on points with third placed 4OTTENHAM Chelsea would have gone third with a victory, but instead they have now played a game more than top FOUR RIVALS 4OTTENHAM !RSENAL AND Manchester United, who are three POINTS BEHIND IN SIXTH It was a missed opportunity after DEFEATS FOR 4OTTENHAM !RSENAL AND United at the weekend and Chelsea were booed off at full-time. )N A kTTING CODA TO A DAMAGing evening, Sarri was sent to the STANDS FOR PROTESTING IN THE kNAL seconds before several members OF THE "LUES BENCH WERE INVOLVED

in a tetchy touchline clash with THEIR "URNLEY COUNTERPARTS Sarri’s assistant Gianfranco Zola said his boss was so “emotional� after the game that he COULDN T FULkL HIS MEDIA DUTIES “He was very upset because he has heard not good words towards HIM FROM THE "URNLEY BENCH 4HE only reason he walked over there was to get our players to go into position, he was trying to help the ref,� Zola said.

Zola took a swipe at " U R N L E Y S perceived gamesmanship, which INCLUDED #LARETS KEEPER 4OM (EATON BEING BOOKED IN THE kRST half for time-wasting.

Chelsea defender David Luiz went even further in his criticism OF "URNLEY “It’s anti-football. Wasting time all the time, especially when you HAVE THE BALL 4HEIR PLAYERS WENT to the floor and stopped the game,� he said.

˜ The Manila Times

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Q Burnley’s English striker Ashley Barnes (left) vies with Chelsea’s Brazilian defender David Luiz (right) during the English Premier League football match at Stamford Bridge in London. AFP PHOTO

Now Arsenal can replace Chelsea in fourth if they avoid defeat at Wolves on Wednesday. “We need to improve but we’re in a good way. We care, as we showed today,� Zola said.

Adding to Sarri’s problems, HE WAS HIT BY kRST HALF INJURIES TO &RANCE MIDFIELDER +ANTE and England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi.

"RUSHING OFF THE BENCH CLEARING CLASH "URNLEY BOSS 3EAN $YCHE SAID g"Y THE TIME ) turned round there was something going off in the tunnel. “I don’t know what you can call it now. Handbags? ManBAGS "UMBAGS u Chelsea was stunned in the eighth minute when HenDRICK S ROCKET PUT "URNley ahead.

I t was a poor goal for Chelsea to concede as Cesar Azpilicueta could only HEAD A "URNLEY CORNER TO THE edge of the area, where Hendrick was left unmarked to volley a superb dipping strike past Kepa Arrizabalaga. AFP

Liverpool leads again as Man Utd, Arsenal falter in Top 4 chase LONDON: Liverpool moved back top of the Premier League with a 2-0 win at Cardiff, but Manchester United and Arsenal did little for their chances of #HAMPIONS ,EAGUE QUALIkCATION FOR NEXT SEASON in shock defeats to Everton and Crystal Palace respectively on Sunday (Monday in Manila).

United was thrashed 4-0 at Everton to conTINUE A MISERABLE RUN OF SIX DEFEATS FROM THEIR last eight games.

Arsenal remain fourth, but failed to open up A kVE POINT LEAD OVER 5NITED AS #RYSTAL 0ALACE BECAME THE kRST VISITING SIDE TO WIN AT THE %MIRates in the Premier League since Manchester City on the opening weekend of the campaign with an impressive 3-2 victory.

Liverpool suffered no such slip ups to move two points ahead of Manchester City, who still have a game in hand, at the top.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have now won their last nine games in all competitions, to also set up a #HAMPIONS ,EAGUE SEMI kNAL AGAINST "ARCELONA “It’s really massive. We spoke a lot about this game, how special it is, how special the situation is for the opponent,� said Klopp,

who bemoaned the dry state of Cardiff’s pitch under baking temperatures. “It was not a game for playing around. It was a battle of will, who wants it more.�

"UT IN KEEPING WITH RECENT WEEKS +LOPP COULD NOT RELAX UNTIL LATE ON AS 2OBERTO &IRmino and Mohamed Salah missed big chances TO GIVE THE VISITORS A kRST HALF LEAD Georginio Wijnaldum finally broke the deadlock in emphatic fashion with a thumping kNISH FROM 4RENT !LEXANDER !RNOLD S CORNER just before the hour mark.

Liverpool had to survive one major scare when Cardiff captain Sean Morrison failed to connect with his head when it seemed harder to miss with the goal at his mercy 26 minutes from time.

Morrison then compounded his error at the other end when he grappled with Salah inside the area and referee Martin Atkinson pointed to the spot, even though the Egyptian threw HIMSELF DRAMATICALLY TO THE lOOR James Milner stepped up to bury the resulting penalty and ensure Liverpool is poised to strike if City stumble.

AFP

Zidane hails Benzema as world’s best after Bilbao treble MADRID: Zinedine Zidane said Karim Benzema is the best number nine in the world after his hat trick led Real Madrid to a 3-0 win over Athletic Bilbao.

Benzema has been one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise dreary campaign for the European champions and his second-half treble at the Santiago Bernabeu took his tally to 30 goals for the season. “What he has done here over 10 years means everything,� Zidane said. “For me he is the best, but others might disagree.�

Victory moves Madrid four points behind secondplaced Atletico and keeps them 13 adrift of Barcelona, while Bilbao stay seventh, with their chances dented of sealing a spot in the Europa League.

Benzema’s advance in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo and surge since the reappointment of Zidane comes in stark contrast to Gareth Bale, who was whistled when introduced as a substitute here and frequently during his 20 minutes on the pitch.

For all the impatience of the home crowd, it was Bale who won the corner for Benzema’s second and then teed up his teammate’s third in injury-time.

But his sixth season at Real Madrid will surely be his last, with Zidane saying little either to express support or suggest he wants the Welshman to stay beyond the summer.

Bale and Benzema were left with the gargantuan task of filling the void left by Ronaldo’s departure last summer and while Bale seems to have shrivelled under the weight of expectation, Benzema has thrived.

The 31-year-old has now claimed all of Madrid’s last

Q Real Madrid’s French forward Karim Benzema celebrates his second goal during the Spanish League football match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid.

AFP PHOTO

eight goals in La Liga, a run that includes five matches, while in his last seven games, he has scored 10.

Benzema said at the start of the season he wanted 35 in all competitions and, despite his opportunities being reduced by his team’s early exit in the Champions League, he is now only five short with the same number of games left to play.

Zidane has already said he expects Benzema to stay and on this evidence it is easy to see why. Without him, Madrid lacked spark in the final third and, in the end, the emphatic scoreline flattered them.

It was from the counter-attack that Madrid took the lead as Toni Kroos was allowed to stroll forward unattended and feed Marco Asensio out wide. Asensio crossed for Benzema to head home.

AFP

WEDNESDAY W E D N E S DAY APRIL 24, 2019

Lifestyle

D1 Q Thirst is reduced when cold water is consumed rather than room temperature water.

www.manilatimes.net

Better dietary practices to beat the heat S

BY TIFFANY ANNE SANTUYO

UMMERTIME is here and due to record-breaking temperatures, the goal is to beat the heat.

Exposure to the rising temperature and extreme ambient heat may post a number of health risks to individuals across all ages. The body generates internal heat from the different metabolic processes in the system. And exposure to conditions where temperature rises beyond the usual, compromises the body’s capacity to regulate temperature especially during continuous activity.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), extended exposures to high temperatures cause cumulative physiological stress to the body which may aggravate chronic illnesses such as respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, renal diseases, and even diabetes.

Even if not suffering from these chronic medical conditions, the physiological stress brought about

Q Registered nutritionist-dietician Tiffany Anne Santuyo

Q Water has always been the answer to hydration as well as many ancient ailments. by high heat may still lead to lifethreatening emergencies like heat stroke. Although the climate or the environment cannot be altered according to one’s preferences, prevention from these possible fatal incidents is still possible through better dietary practices.

As a preventive measure, everyone is reminded to stay hydrated. And water has always been the answer to hydration as well as many ancient ails.

Wa t e r c o m p r i s e s 50 to 60 percent of the body weight and is essential in many bodily processes. Benefits of proper hydration include: – It keeps skin elastic and supple. – Aids in the metabo-

lism by helping to churn and digest food. As the food passes through the large intestines liquid keeps it moving easily thereby preventing constipation. – Regulates body temperature. – Prevents drying of the eyes that causes eye irritations and eye strains. – Ensures that kidneys filter out wastes from the body.

Perspiration is the most visible sign of water leaving the body.

However, even in the absence of perspiration, water is still lost through other channels such as the urine, feces, and evaporation from the skin and lungs. The respiratory system alone expires a bit mount of valuable water vapor.

Thus, water lost should be replaced and there are more ways than one to do that.

How to stay hydrated all throughout summer CHOOSE beverages that are not sugar-laden. Although sugar increases the urge to hydrate more, increasing consumption of sugary drinks may also not be helpful.

High-sugar beverages are those that have more than 25 percent of total energy coming from sugar including sodas, juices, sports drinks, and others. Artificial sweeteners in beverages have been found to increase one’s desire for sweetened food and beverages. Adding slices of fruits to water, especially citrus, makes the flavor more appealing and encourages in drinking more water, with the benefit of not getting extra calories while hydrating.

Consider food with high moisture content. The “Pinggang Pinoy� developed by the Department of Science and Technology-Food and Nutrition Research Institute recommends drinking 5 to 9 glasses of water. This recommendation does not include those juicy fruits and vegetables such as watermelon and cucumbers, which have higher moisture content. Not only do these food nourish with nutrients but also aids in hydration.

Consume caffeinated food and drinks in moderation.

Caffeine — a naturally occurring compound in coffee, cocoa, and tea — has been known as a potent diuretic, meaning, it increases urine output. As this is the case, it is deemed to increase water intake.

Coffee, chocolate, and tea have their own nutritional benefits too.

Consuming in moderation suggests intake of not more than 400mg of caffeine for healthy individuals. A typical brewed coffee contains about 80 to135 milligrams of caffeine per

8-ounce cup and a cup of tea has between 30 to 50 milligrams of caffeine. Unless caffeine-sensitive or restricted to consume coffee due to health reasons, maximum intake is 3 small cups or a venti (20 oz) size of coffee per day.

Keep it cool. Whether hot or cold, water-containing food still helps in hydrating. However, some studies have shown that ingestion of cooler beverages reduces core body temperature thus making one feel refreshed or cooled down in a very hot weather. In a recent study done in adults, thirst is reduced when cold water is consumed than room temperature water. It is inferred that the lower the temperature of beverage, the higher their thirst-quenching properties. Also, cold drinks help in regulating body temperature especially when it is too hot. This helps in the prevention of physiological distress brought about by increased external temperature coupled with relative humidity.

As the old saying goes, “a (healthy) man can live for days without food but not without water.�

Make it a habit to hydrate even if not thirsty just yet. Drinking the recommended dose of fluids per day keeps ailments at bay, especially this summer season.

About the author Prior to being a full-time educator at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, registered nutritionist-dietician Tiffany Anne Santuyo worked as a figure consultant for Slimmers World International, a diet coach for FitFactory.com, and nutrition consultant for Alaska Milk CorporationRoyal FrieslandCampina.

Myths and truths about dehydrated skin Expert suggests 270-year-old French skincare brand specifically formulated for Asian skin

BY CHRISTINA ALPAD UNIVERSALLY, there are three known major skin types — oily, dry and the combination of both. Depending on which type they have, men and women can tailor their beauty regimen to keep their skin always at its prime. Unfortunately, there’s another skin type that people often fail to address: dehydrated skin.

Commonly mistaken for dry skin — as it has the same physical manifestations — dehydrated skin is in fact more challenging to address. “Compared to having dry skin, dehydrated skin can occur on any skin type. So whether you have normal or dry, or even oily skin, contrary to popular belief, you are still prone to having dehydrated skin.

And its presence in different skin types makes it more challenging to address,� dermatologist Irene Gaile Robredo told The Manila Times in an interview.

According to the expert, dry skin and dehydrated skin have the same symptoms: TIGHTNESS SENSITIVITY AND lAKINESS THUS the misconception on the skin conditions. “The difference is, when you have dry skin, it is inborn. Your oil glands don’t secrete a lot of oil and you are dry all throughout the year — whether you are in a cold or warm situation. Whereas with dehydrated skin, it comes and goes regardless of your skin type,� Robredo further noted.

More precisely, dehydration makes the skin hypersensitive so that whatever product the person uses, it makes them EVEN MORE BEET RED AND lAKY

“People tend to think that just because theirs is oily, they can’t have dehydrated SKIN "UT DEHYDRATION IS DEkNED AS THE skin’s inability to hold on to the moisture, and the presence of oil doesn’t equate to moisture.�

What’s worse, for people with oily skin types, their skin compensates by producing more oil, which then may result to more breakouts.

Unlike other skin types, which are inborn, dehydrated skin can be acquired from the harsh ingredients of skin products and makeup, such as alcohol. “Other than that, dehydrated skin can also be possibly due to the weather — if you go to extremely cold weather, you are more likely to have dehydrated skin.

Also, if you don’t drink lots of water, if you are exposed to en-

vironmental stresses like pollution, and if you follow the recent low-fat diet, you are more prone to acquire dehydrated skin.�

Low-fat diet may cause deprivation of essential fatty acids, which actually help moisturize the skin, the expert further explained. “The point is, as a general rule, we should all use moisturizer to keep our skin

Q Commonly mistaken for dry skin because of the same physical manifestations, dehydrated skin is more challenging to address. hydrated and to protect us from environmental stresses, especially here in the city with the big presence of pollution.�

Hydrating the skin

Having explained dehydrated skin, the next question that was begged to be asked was how to address it.

Enter Avène Aqua Dehydration Cream-in-Gel, an allon oily skin in-one hydrating multibenefit cream that the Skin dehydration is also often 270-year-old neglected on oily skin.

Q Moisturizers keep skin hydrated and protect it from environmental stress.

&RENCH SKINCARE BRAND SPECIkCALLY FORMU- comedogenic, and it’s coloring-, fragrancelated for Asian skin. and preservative-free so it won’t clog your Recommended by dermatologists, PORES u 2OBREDO ADDED kNALLY NOTING THAT Robredo being one of them, this unique she has been recommending the product cream-in-gel contains Pe-tocopheryl that to her patients with various skin types. protects; Myrtus extract that evens out the In ending, the expert reiterated, “Dehyskin tone; Meiboserine, Lipomucune, and dration is for all skin types.�

Glycerin that hydrates; and Cucurbita Pepo — pumpkin extracts — that mattikES AND MAKES THE SKIN smoother.

These active ingredients provide intense hydration so skin can better retain moisture for longlasting suppleness. “What’s also good about this gel is that it can be used by people with acne-prone skin: it Q This cream-in-gel is specifically formulated for has a gel consistency, it’s nonAsian skin.

D2

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

Funtimes

˜ The Manila Times w w w.manilatimes.net

Solution to puzzle

» CROSSWORD

BY EUGENE SHEFFER

»HOROSCOPE Today’s Birthday (04/24/19). Shared ventures gain in value this year. Discipline with planning and applications supports your journey.

Surprise yourself. Summer’s creative expression illuminates a shift in your studies. Immerse yourself in an intellectual exploration next winter, motivating a change in your research. Talk about what you love.

BY NANCY BLACK LIBRA (SEPT. 23-OCT. 22) -- Today is a 6 -- Make plans and calculations for a home renovation to implement later this year. Research prices and materials, with Pluto retrograde. Review inspirations and ideas.

To get the advantage, check the day’s rating: 10 is the easiest day, 0 the most challenging.

SCORPIO (OCT. 23-NOV. 21) -- Today is a 7 -- Finish creative projects over five months, with Pluto retrograde. Launch a major promotion later in the year. Prepare materials, artwork and communications. Edit the writing.

ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19) -- Today is a 7 -- Make professional plans, with Pluto retrograde until Oct. 3. Advancement on long-term projects seems slowed or suspended. Review and revise career goals for an inspiring future.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21) -- Today is an 8 -- Review finances to conserve resources. Refine routines for efficiency, with Pluto retrograde until Oct. 3. Reassess your assets. Develop what you’ve acquired. Learn from past success.

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Plan an educational adventure, like a conference, vacation or class, for later this year. Prepare for travels, scientific research and intellectual study, with Pluto retrograde.

CAPRICORN (DEC. 22-JAN. 19) 7RGD\ LV D 7KH QH[W ¿YH months are good for personal transformation, with Pluto retrograde. Finish up old business. Let go of worn-out baggage. Launch later this year.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Review your investPHQWV DQG SODQ IRU ORQJ WHUP JURZWK 5HRUJDQL]H VKDUHG ¿QDQFHV RYHU 3OXWR¶V ¿YH PRQWK UHWURJUDGH SKDVH 5HDႈUP DQG UHYLVH DJUHHPHQWV Collaborate for common gain.

CANCER (JUNE 21-JULY 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Reconnect with your SDUWQHU RYHU WKH QH[W ¿YH PRQWKV ZLWK 3OXWR UHWURJUDGH 6KRZ XS IRU HDFK other. Listen and learn. Remember what you both love.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG. 22) -- Today is a 7 -- Does your work feed your spirit? What would it take? Redirect your career, with Pluto retrograde until Oct. 3. Make action plans for later this year.

VIRGO (AUG. 23-SEPT. 22) -- Today is an 8 -- Polish a creative SURMHFW DUWLVWLF ZRUN RU URPDQWLF YHQWXUH ZLWK 3OXWR UHWURJUDGH RYHU ¿YH months. Prepare for a performance later in the year.

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AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18) -- Today is a 5 -- Pluto’s retrograde LQVSLUHV DQ LQWURVSHFWLYH WUDQVIRUPDWLYH ¿YH PRQWK SKDVH 6HWWOH LQWR \RXU FRFRRQ 6WLOOQHVV DQG SHDFH VRRWKHV \RXU VSLULW 3UHSDUH WR ODXQFK LQWR ÀLJKW ODWHU WKLV \HDU PISCES (FEB. 19-MARCH 20) -- Today is an 8 -- Listen to ancient wisdom, seasonal traditions and rhythms, with Capricorn Pluto stationing UHWURJUDGH IRU ¿YH PRQWKV 3UHSDUH IRU D FRPPXQLW\ HYHQW ODWHU WKLV \HDU

(Astrologer Nancy Black continues her mother Linda Black’s legacy KRURVFRSHV FROXPQ 6KH ZHOFRPHV FRPPHQWV DQG TXHVWLRQV RQ 7ZLWter, @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.

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˜ The Manila Times

w w w.manilatimes.net

Belmonte signs covenant for secured housing in District 5 QUEZON City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte, together with the leaders of various homeowners’ associations in District 5, has signed a covenant that advocates secured housing and decent shelters for the povertystricken areas in the district. “We aim to address the issue of the housing backlog through affordable and safe housing for our people and it can be done.

There are many private organizations that are willing to work with us towards sustainable development and inclusive growth because that’s the only way forward,� said Belmonte.

She vowed to implement a listed housing agenda that aims to protect the welfare of informal settler

families (ISF) in District 5.

These include the materialization of an in-city relocation program for communities situated in disaster-prone areas, implementation of socialized housing programs that promote on-site development, the extension of legal assistance to communities to be demolished and the prioritization of the welfare of the affected communities.

The vice mayor also pledged to implement democratic processes by extending the representation for ISFs in the Quezon City Local Housing Board and the facilitation of regular consultations in drafting the Quezon City Local Shelter Plan.

DZRJ’s Good News Pilipinas honors soldiers’ valor

Public Square

WEDNESDAY April 24, 2019

D3

ICTSI’s Manila port gets more equipment M

ANILA International Container Terminal (MICT), the Philippines’ leading international gateway and flagship of International Container Terminal Services, Inc. (ICTSI), upgrades the COUNTRY S LARGEST lEET OF CONTAINER handling equipment with four new hybrid rubber-tired gantries (RTGs) from Japan.

The new RTGs, manufactured by Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd. (MES), are part of the TOTAL UNIT lEET THAT RUNS ON A combination of 22kVah Li-ion battery and a smaller diesel engine — expected to reduce terminal emissions by up to 40 percent. The new RTGs will be deployed immediately to further increase the MICT’s yard productivity.

Eight more hybrid RTGs, along with another pair of super post/N FULL DELIVERY THE -)#4 lEET lEET IN THE COUNTRY ICTSI has invested more than Panamax quay cranes are expected will be composed of 18 quay to be delivered before the end of cranes and 58 RTGs — the larg- $80 million for capital equipment the third quarter of 2019. est containerized cargo handling in MICT, enabling the country’s

largest and most technologically advanced container terminal to meet rising levels of demand in the era of neo-Panamax vessels.

DoLE holds forum on violence and harassment in the world of work

PHILIPPINE Military Academy (PMA) Class ’99 Alumni and convenor Maypagasa (There is Hope) Movement James Layug (center) discusses with Good News Pilipinas program host/anchor coproducer Bro. Francis de Guzman (left), the inherent values of true valor among our Filipino soldiers

as depicted during WWII’s Bataan March, moving forward to the present generation and bringing the clear message of hope.

Shown at right is New Yorkbased water-technology lecturer Ted Allen who is visiting the country to share insights on today’s water-crisis.

LABOR Undersecretary Claro Arellano delivers the message of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd, during the Consultative Forum on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work at Hotel Jen, Pasay City on April 12. Joining the Labor Undersecretary are Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) Director Ahmma Charisma LobrinSatumba and International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) Director Alice Visperas, International Labor Organization (ILO) Director Khalid Hassan.

DTI - BOI to boost investment promotion in Muntinlupa

Facine 26 opens call for entries

FILIPINO Arts and Cinema International recently announced its call for entries to the 26th Annual Filipino International Cine Festival to be held in October at the Roxie Theater in the US state of San Francisco, California.

Facine 26 will select eight to NINE FULL LENGTH kLMS THAT WILL be eligible to vie for awards in its main competition section this year. Competition entries should be San Francisco premieres.

A panel of three jury members will select the winners, which will be announced in a closing ceremony after all screenings are completed. Awards to be given in this competition are Best Film, Direction, Performances by an Actor and Actress in Lead and Supporting roles, Writing, Editing, Cinematography, Visual Design and Aural Design.

A parallel competition for short films will also be held and they will vie for the Best

Short Film award to be chosen by a separate panel of three jury members. A Viewer’s Choice award will be decided online.

All entries by media artists of Filipino descent, regardless of number of entries, genre, subject and style, will be considered. Entries shall be no more than 120 minutes in length.

Non-Filipino filmmakers may submit the works, but the subject must be on the Filipino.

There is no registration fee.

Entries in DVD format may be mailed to this address: Mauro Tumbocon Jr., director, Filipino Arts & Cinema International (Facine) 537 Jones Street, PMB 2643 San Francisco, CA 94102, USA Submission deadline for screeners, either online or by mail is on May 31 by 11:59 p.m.

Pacific Standard Time.

For more information, email to submissions@facine.org.

QC declares Cubao’s Araneta Center a tourism district MAYOR Herbert Bautista approved an ordinance declaring the Araneta Center, also known as the Cubao Growth Center, as one of the city’s newest tourism districts.

Ordinance 2796-2018, introduced by Councilor and Committee on Culture and Heritage chairman Kate Abigael Coseteng, cited Araneta Centers’ six decades of success and breakthrough transformation as the country’s pioneer in commercial center operations for the distinction.

The ordinance said that Araneta Center also pioneered hosting of historic events as well as the building of shopping malls in one destination. “Cubao also introduced the central bus station concept in the country with buses that reach as far south as Davao,� the ordinance reads.

The measure also mentioned Cubao’s old and new institutions, such as the Farmers’ Market, the Kia Theater, (formerly the New Frontier Theatre), Novotel Manila, Sining Saysay: Philippine History in Art, Cubao X and the Smart Araneta Coliseum, among others.

As a tourism district, Cubao is expected to undertake massive promotion and marketing CAMPAIGNS OF DIFFERENT SIGNIkCANT events and activities such as concerts, media launches, food and book fairs, art competitions, cultural shows, sporting events and other activities through the use of the brochures, LED screens, signage, tarpaulins, city websites, social media and ads in television, print and radio in partnership with the Quezon City Tourism Department (QCTD).

Q Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary and Board of Investments Managing Head Cerefino Rodolfo (center, 2nd from left) signs a memorandum of agreement with Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (center, 2nd from right) for the investment promotion endeavor at Muntinlupa City Hall, Putatan on April 16. Also witnessing the signing ceremony were DTI-BOI Investments Assistance Service Director Bobby Fondevilla (center, left), Muntinlupa City Administrator Allan Cachuela (center, right), Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry – Muntinlupa President Elvie Sanchez-Quiazon, and other local officials.

THE Department of Trade and Industry-Board of Investments (DTIBOI) entered a partnership with the local government of Muntinlupa for the promotion of the city as an investment destination.

DTI Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Cerefino Rodolfo signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Muntinlupa Mayor Jaime Fresnedi for the investment promotion endeavor at Muntinlupa City Hall,

Putatan on April 16.

First in the National Capital Region, the DTI-BOI will assist in boosting Muntinlupa City as an investment destination by providing relevant information on available incentives to potential local and foreign investors.

The investment board shall also provide assistance in the implementation of policies geared towards improvement of processes in starting a business.

BOI aims to create an environment conducive to the expansion of existing investments or attracting prospective investments in the city. Further, the board will also conduct a mentorship program for the local government’s frontline personnel.

In the MoA signing ceremony, Rodolfo lauded local initiatives and ease of doing business in Muntinlupa City. The BOI exec recognized some innova-

tions facilitated by the City Government and its assistance in micro, small, medium and large enterprises and locators in Muntinlupa.

He added that Muntinlupa City is a business destination for high-value investments.

Muntinlupa City has been adjudged as the Most BusinessFriendly LGU by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry for 2017 and 2018.

GBP partners with West Visayas State University GLOBAL Business Power Corp.

(GBP), through its subsidiaries Panay Energy Development Corp.

(PEDC) and Panay Power Corp.

(PPC), has partnered with the West Visayas State University (WVSU) College of Agriculture and Forestry for the Handumayan Reforestation and Carbon Sink Project within 150 hectares in the municipality of Lambunao, province of Iloilo.

The seven-year project highlights the shared commitment of GBP and WVSU to help conserve the environment and mitigate the effects of climate change. The project’s agro-forestry component also aims to provide livelihood to communities.

Q Signing the memorandum of agreement are (seated from left) Officer in Charge-Committee on Environment and Natural Resources Officer Glenn del Norte, GBP Assistant Vice President Gemiliano Cruz, GBP Corporate ESH Manager Edwin de Jesus and WVSU Vice President for Administration and Finance Bobby Gerardo.

Pinoy Pesilats wins at 1st Asean University Pencak Silat Championship TEAM Philippines of Pencak Silat bags 1st Runner Up Over-all Champion in the recently concluded 1st Asean University Pencak Silat Championships held at the Institute of Physical Education (IPE) in Yala, Thailand.

The first edition of the tournament was recently held this month and was organized by the Pencak Silat Association of Thailand (PSAT).

The Philippines’ pesilat team considers this event as their tune-up games with teams from

Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. Team Philippines had an almost full contingent with 11

entries out of 12 categories. All of these 11 athletes won medals, with Dines Dumaan bagging

the Best Male Player trophy, for his consistent 5-0 win in every match he played all throughout.

WEDNESDAY W E D N ESDAY APRIL 24 , 2019

Entertainment

D4

More inclusive Marvel Cinematic Universe to follow ‘Endgame’

www.manilatimes.net

T

Q Brie Larson, Robert Downey Jr. and Jeremy Renner during the fan event for 'Avengers: Endgame' in Seoul, South Korea AP PHOTO

Marvel closes a decade-long story with ‘Avengers: Endgame’ that everything thereafter is a new start.�

3O gNEWu IN FACT THAT &EIGE WON T EVEN DISCUSS WHAT S TO COME BEYOND THE *ULY RELEASE OF g3PIDER -AN &AR &ROM (OME u (E WON T /3 !.'%,%3 !BOUT kVE YEARS AGO

CONkRM REPORTEDLY IN THE WORKS PROJECTS LIKE THE g"LACK 7IDOWu -ARVEL 3TUDIOS PRESIDENT +EVIN stand-alone, “The Eternals� or “Shang-Chi,� or talk about plans &EIGE FOUND HIMSELF ON A RETREAT IN FOR THE TH #ENTURY &OX PROPERTIES LIKE g$EADPOOLu AND g8 -ENu 0ALM 3PRINGS PLOTTING THE FUTURE FOR THE that are now under his purview.

4HEY HAVE THE NEXT kVE YEARS MAPPED OUT THEY RE JUST NOT LETTING WILD EXPERIMENTAL gCINEMATIC UNIVERSEu AUDIENCES PEEK BEHIND THE CURTAIN UNTIL AFTER g%NDGAME u )T S THAT BIG THAT HE HELPED START IN (E WANTED TO g(OW WE LEAVE @%NDGAME WILL HELP DEkNE WHERE WE RE GOING DO SOMETHING THAT THEY HADN T DONE (E for many people,� Feige said.

But how does one talk about a movie that no press has seen WANTED AN ENDING and no actors or creators are allowed to discuss in detail? Well, And after a quick pitch to Robert Downey Jr., he, directors An- carefully and cryptically. thony and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and We know some things. That the heroes left like Iron Man Stephen McFeely, started plotting a way to bring this saga to a close, (Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarbrainstorming whenever they had a moment — even in between lett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) takes of “Captain America: Civil War.� and War Machine (Don Cheadle) are dealing with the devastating !NYONE WHO SAW g!VENGERS )NkNITY 7ARu KNOWS THEY WEREN T LOSS POST SNAP WHILE TRYING TO kGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH 4HANOS kidding around either. Thanos literally dissolved half of human- A helpful “Avenge the Fallen� campaign served as a reminder of ity, including Spider-Man and Black Panther in an event known WHO SURVIVED AND WHO DIDN T SOME OF THE DUSTED WERE EVEN A AS gTHE SNAPu THAT S INSPIRED TEARS MEMES AND MORE FAN THEORIES SURPRISE LIKE g"LACK 0ANTHER Su 3HURI 7E ALSO KNOW THEY HAVE than the internet can hold. Talk about a cliffhanger.

A NEW WEAPON IN "RIE ,ARSON S #APTAIN -ARVEL WHO 3AMUEL , Endings are a rarity in the franchise movie-making business; *ACKSON S .ICK &URY MANAGED TO PAGE BEFORE DISSOLVING INTO DUST ESPECIALLY WHEN ONE S POPULARITY HAS ONLY MULTIPLIED AS THE MOVWill characters die, though? Probably. Will the ones lost in “the ies of Marvel have. But Marvel Studios, which has never shied snap,� remain gone? Unclear (although some who have upcoming away from a little rule-breaking, is taking a sledgehammer to that MOVIES LIKE SAY 3PIDER -AN WON T "UT THE CAST AND kLMMAKERS AREN T GIVING ANYTHING UP OR EVEN COMmenting on the fact that this might be the last of Evans as Captain America, which the actor himself tweeted about months ago.

And no one, not even Feige, regrets putting the MCU on this one-way PATH 4HAT S NOT TO SAY HE NEVER SECOND guesses himself, however.

4WO WEEKS BEFORE g)NkNITY 7ARu Q Three of the first six Avengers — Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Black came out he had a moment of panic Widow (Scarlett Johansson). PHOTOS FROM MARVEL STUDIOS about the snap.

OLD gDON T LEAVE MONEY ON THE TABLEu MAXIM AND AUDIENCES WILL “That ending was one of the reasons why we wanted to make kNALLY BE ABLE TO SEE HOW THEY DO IT WHEN g!VENGERS %NDGAMEu THE MOVIE 4HAT S HOW WE SOLD IT TO $ISNEY 7E WERE CONkDENT opens worldwide on April 25 (April 24, today in the Philippines). IN IT u &EIGE SAID g"UT THEN A WEEK OR TWO WEEKS BEFORE THE kLM After over a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Aveng- CAME OUT ) WENT @/H NO 7E RE KILLING ALL THESE PEOPLE 7HAT IF ers bid farewell to the current phase of the franchise in “Avengers: THE AUDIENCE TOTALLY REJECTS IT u Endgame.�

Speaking just a few weeks before “Endgame� is unleashed on g %NDING IS NOT A SCARY WORD u &EIGE SAID g)T S A NECESSARY WORD u the world, Feige has found himself in a familiar spot.

7HAT EXACTLY THAT MEANS FOR THE -ARVEL #INEMATIC 5NIVERSE &EIGE SAID g)T S NOT UNTIL THE MOVIE IS COMPLETELY kNISHED

(MCU) is something of a state secret. Feige said that this will be WHICH @%NDGAME IS NOW COMPLETELY kNISHED WHEN YOU CAN T gDEkNITIVE u THOUGH touch it any more that you go, ‘Wait a minute: Should we have “People can debate and discuss what that means before they TOUCHED IT MORE u see the movie,� Feige said. “But for us that means bringing to a AP ENTERTAINMENT REPORTER MARCELA ISAZA CONCLUSION THE kRST THREE PHASES THE kRST kLMS IN THE -#5 SO CONTRIBUTED FROM LOS ANGELES

BY LINDSEY BAHR

L

ODAY marks the historical opening day of the final and epic assemblage of the Avengers versus Thanos in “Avengers: Endgame.� And just as this paper is being delivered to homes across the country, there are Marvel fans already rushing to 19 cinemas around Metro Manila to catch t h e 6 : 01 a . m . showing of this globally b ll anticipated ii d conclusion of 21 interconnected Marvel Studios blockbusters.

There are no spoilers here but In the +NOW HAS EXCLUSIVE DETAILS ON WHAT will happen to the beloved Marvel Cinematic Universe after Endgame CONQUERS THE WORLD S BIG SCREENS !

CHAT WITH !VENGERS DIRECTORS *OE AND !NTHONY 2USSO WAS CRUCIAL IN kNDING out all the way in Seoul, Korea where they famously held their Asian junket. g7E DIDN T FOCUS THAT HARD ON anything beyond [Endgame] because we were focused on wrapping up the STORY OF THE kRST SIX !VENGERS "UT ) WILL say this —clearly [the MCU] is getting more diverse and more global and it has to mean that this is a responsibility to represent everyone on screen,� said the brothers.

As timely as it gets, comic book writer Greg Pak unleashed a wave online just this March about a “mysterious Filipina heroineâ€? that everyone will get to know in “War of the Realms: New Agents of !TLAS Ă› u ‡ A kRST OF THE FOUR PART g7AR of the Realmsâ€? series. Designed and cocreated by Filipino artist Leinil Francis Yu, the character has morena skin and WILL JOIN -ARVEL S .EW !GENTS OF !TLAS along with other Asian heroes. Though its debut is still set in May, Anthony 2USSO CONkRMED THESE ARE THE STORIES THEY RE GRASPING NEXT g4HEY RE ALL THE POSSIBILITIES WE RE looking for,â€? he added.

'OING BACK TO TODAY S HISTORICAL OPENing of Endgame, the Russo brothers agree THIS IS THE BIGGEST MOVIE THEY VE DONE IN TWO YEARS BUT THEY RE DECIDED NOT TO GIVE IN TO ANY BOX OFkCE PRESSURE

“Our goal is just to be the best STORYTELLERS )T S IMPOSSIBLE TO DEkNE the characteristics that make a successful blockbuster and I guess if you could write t h e m d ow n on a piece of paper then everybody could do it. “But ultimately what IT S ABOUT IS that we make I H STORIES THAT EXCITE US AND THEN WE HOPE EVERYONE IS AS EXCITED AS WE ARE WHEN WE see it. And yet you can never anticipate what people want to see because everyone wants something different.�

Having said that, Avengers: EndGAME HAS BEEN PROJECTED TO CRUSH BOX OFkCE RECORDS WORLDWIDE WITH TALK THAT it movie may just hit the massive onebillion dollar mark on opening day!

Finally, just so you know where to go today to watch Endgame two days before the rest of the world below are the cinemas running unbelievable hours for this epic Marvel movie.

Cinemas with 6 a.m. screenings today: Evia Lifestyle Center; FisherMall 1UEZON #ITY 2OCKWELL S 0OWERPLANT Mall Rockwell and Powerplant SanTOLAN -EGAWORLD S %ASTWOOD -ALL

Uptown Mall BGC and Newport Mall; !YALA S 'LORIETTA -ARKETĂœ -ARKETĂœ 50 Town Center, Ayala Feliz, Ayala Vertis .ORTH AND !YALA 3OLENAD 3- S .ORTH EDSA, Megamall, Mall of Asia, Aura, Podium and Light Mall.

Following the opening day, 17 malls across the country will be open for 24 hours to offer non-stop screenings of Avengers: Endgame. These are SM (April 24-28) — North EDSA, Megamall, Mall of Asia, Aura, Podium, Light Mall; Newport Mall (April 2428); Vista Malls (April 24-28) — Evia Lifestyle Center, Vista Taguig, Vista Las Piùas, Vista Sta. Rosa, Vista Bataan, Vista Pampanga, Vista Daang Hari, Vista Naga, Vista Iloilo, Vista Gen Tri, Vista Tanza; Gateway Mall (April 2427); Fisher Mall Quezon City (April 24-May 1); and Powerplant Mall Rockwell (April 27-May 1).

IN THE KNOW MJ MARFORI

Q 'Avengers: Endgame' co-directors and brothers, Anthony and Joe Russo. AP PHOTO

‘Wild Wild Country,’ strange, strange truths T

RUTH IS OFTEN STRANGER THAN kCTION If you think “Game of Thrones,� or “Star Trek: Discovery� or “House of Cards�

IS COMPELLING THEN YOU LL BE UTTERLY FASCINATED BY THE STORY THAT UNFOLDS IN .ETlIX S 2018 documentary “Wild Wild Country.â€? )F YOU RE LOOKING TO VEER AWAY FROM watching fiction and series, there are so many great documentaries out there right now. In addition to “Wild Wild #OUNTRY u .ETlIX ALSO STREAMS THE SERIES “Murder Mountain,â€? the one shot “Cartel Land,â€? “Fyre: The Greatest Party that Never Happened,â€? and if you like metal, THERE S EVEN g!NVILĂœ 4HE 3TORY OF !NVIL u and “Metallica: Some Kind of Monster.â€?

If you like politics and girl power, “RBG�

(Ruth Bader Ginsburg) is out on Amazon Prime and iTunes.

'Wild Wild Country' is about an Indian man known as the Bhagwan, Rajneesh OR /SHO (E S A SPIRITUAL LEADER AND GURU who started a commune in Poona, India but with the help of his super “secretary�

Ma Anand Sheela, he got himself and his whole commune to take over to the quiet

a n d tiny little t ow n o f Antelope in Wasco County, Oregon in the early ‘80s.

While Sheela was often referred to as a “secretary,� she was really more of an ambitious and loyal military lieutenant and a cunning, shrewd and fearless spokesperSON WHO ADDRESSED THE "HAGWAN S FOLLOWers in the years he opted to remain silent.

His followers apparently poured so much money into building a commune and a city in Oregon they called Rajneeshpuram — you saw apartments, grand meeting halls, OFkCES GIANT TENTS SPRAWLING LANDS AND A shop that sold only red (and some pink, purple, orange and maroon) clothes. You saw Rajneesh followers building together, singing together and gathering to be in his presence. On the surface, it just looked a bit strange but harmless.

4HE "HAGWAN ALSO EVENTUALLY HAD A lEET

FAN GIRL KAREN KUNAWICZ

of Rolls Royces, and two learjets. There was AND LARGE SCALE INlUX OF STRANGERS WITH a lot of nudity going on (which in itself, uncertain motives in the early 1980s was REALLY ISN T SO BAD ) SUPPOSE ESPECIALLY just too much to take in.

A war eventually raged between the when the weather is hot), but as the undressing went on many other things got Rajneeshis — who were now armed with covered up. There was a combination of GUNS LEFT AND RIGHT THERE S REPEATED FOOTage of them doing target practice) and deception and just blind allegiance. long-time residents of Antelope, This did not go g p , Wasco and of a over well with thee group residents of the g called sleepy town of less c 10 0 0 than 50 used to Friends their tranquil, evFr of Oreryday lives — seeegon. ing thousands and This thousands of folThi carried over lowers and evento a legal tually bussed-in battle homeless people versus (used for their versu the U S g ov power to vote) Q The Bhagwan, a spiritual leader from Poona, India, ernment. occupy the place is the subject of the six part documentary, 'Wild Wild ernm Beyond they called home. Country.' guns and It likewise did not go over well with the citizens of Wasco arms, the plot starts to include food County and the state Oregon. The sudden poisoning, drugging, arson, abandoning

homeless followers and attempted assassination and murder. This attempted assassination and murder by the way, was carried out by someone named Jane Stork aka Shanti Bhadra who today looks like the most tranquil, soft spoken and pleasant friend your grandma could ever have.

Shanti is interviewed here at length along with the “colorful� and notorious Ma Anand Sheela and lawyer Swami Prem Niren who became the last mayor of Rajneeshpuram. There are also interviews with those who worked with the district and US attorneys on the Bhagwan cases.

The townspeople who remembered it all and lived through it get generous screen time like rancher Bill Bowerman.

The interviews and footage are incredible, and the story is incredibly fascinating.

And just like a tagline on a poster put it: “You Could Not Make This Up.�

NNN !LL SIX EPISODES OF g7ILD 7ILD #OUNTRYu ARE AVAILABLE ON .ETlIX 9ES Ă?!VENGERS %NDGAMEĂ? OPENS TODAY BUT ) WON T TALK ABOUT IT UNTIL NEXT WEEK