Manila Standard - 2016 August 17 - Wednesday

Peace deal with Moros seen to stop ISIS spread

By John Paolo Bencito and Joel Zurbano

CAPTURED FLAG. Filipino soldiers display

VOL. XXX • NO. 186 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016 • WWW.THESTANDARD.COM.PH • EDITORIAL@THESTANDARD.COM.PH

the flag, in this photo taken on June 3, 2016, used by the Islamic State group after taking over an Abu Sayyaf camp in a far-flung village in Butig, Lanao del Sur. The soldiers captured an Islamic militant training camp after a 10-day battle as part of military operations to clear the remote jungle region of insurgents.

AFP file photo

MORO Islamic Liberation Front Chairman Al Hajj Ebrahim Murad said the peace deal between the government and rebel Moro groups, including the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front, will help thwart the increasing influence of the Islamist group ISIS in Mindanao.

“If this process will not prosper, it is difficult to hold back young people from joining ISISinspired groups,” Murad said in a television interview.

Murad admitted that while they cannot confirm yet whether there are groups in the Philippines that are really tied up with the terror group, there are some groups in the country which is “inspired by ISIS.” “Small [breakaway] groups can survive now because they have the support of the people.

The people still have grievances,” Murad said, referring to the failed Bangsamoro Basic Law whose passage was rammed in Next page Congress.

Drug syndicates tagged Extra-judicial killings not vigilantes’ handiwork—PNP

By Francisco Tuyay

No special budget for Charter Change

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RUG syndicates and not vigilantes are behind the spate of alleged extra-judicial killings in the last few months, Philippine National Police Chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said Tuesday.

By Christine F. Herrera BUDGET Secretary Benjamin Diokno on Monday said there is no special budget for Charter Change and emergency powers to solve traffic in Metro Manila in President Rodrigo Duterte’s P3.35-trillion national budget for 2017.

Diokno said no appropriation was made for Charter Change because the President preferred a Constituent Assembly as the mode for revising the Constitution, which does not involve additional expenses because the House and the Senate have their respective budgets.

Under this mode of Charter Change, the House and Senate convene as a Constituent Assembly to make changes to the Constitution.

Diokno also revealed there is no budget for the President’s proposal to get emergency powers to address the traffic problem, even as the budget of the Office of the President grew tenfold from P2 billion this year to P20 billion in 2017.

“Emergency powers do not need a budget,” Diokno said.

Diokno said the budget of the Office of the President rose sharply because at least 12 government agencies have been placed under it.

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Binay chides Noy for inaction on FM

By Joel E. Zurbano and Rey E. Requejo FORMER President Benigno Aquino III failed to act when his vice president recommended that the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos be buried in Batac, Ilocos Norte, a proposal that had the approval of the Marcos family.

The camp of former Vice President Jejomar Binay made this disclosure as various groups continued to protest the Duterte adminsitration’s plan to allow Marcos’ burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“The Aquino administration missed an opportunity to lay the Marcos burial issue to rest when it did not act on former vice president Binay’s recommendation made as early as 2011 to allow the burial of Marcos in Batac, Ilocos Norte,” said Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado.

“The former vice president noted that the burial of Marcos in Batac had the approval of the Marcos family. However, Aquino did not act on the recommendation. That’s why the nation is once again Next page

WAR ON DRUGS. President Rodrigo Duterte meets up with Philippine National Police Chief Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa at Malacañang’s State Dining Room on Aug. 16. Details of their meeting have not been officially announced but observers believe their discussion may have been on the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs. Malacañang Photo

Splurge on ‘Yolanda’ rehab, Du30 urged

By Christine F. Herrera THE budget watchdog Social Watch Philippines on Tuesday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to immediately start spending money that is already appropriated for the victims of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” who have become even poorer three years after the disaster.

“The implementation of Yolanda recovery projects is agonizingly slow and miserably falling short. The poor are far from building back and, in fact, [are] poorer now than before the disaster,” said Isagani Serrano, co-convener of SWP. Citing the report of National Economic and Development Authority, Serrano said as of March 2016, the completion

ASG men kidnap 3 in Zamboanga SOLDIERS on Monday captured a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf fortified with bunkers, tunnels and foxholes on Hill 355 in Barangay Silangkum in Tipo-Tipo town, Basilan, Major Felimon Tan Jr., spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, said Tuesday.

He said the terrorists abandoned their stronghold following an attack by the military.

Tan made his statement even as MILF Chairman Al Hajj Ebrahim Murad said a peace deal between the government and the rebel Moro groups, including the MILF and the MNLF, will help thwart the increasing influence of the Islamist group ISIS in Mindanao.

“If this process does not prosper, it will be difficult to hold back young people [from joining Next page

WEATHER WEATHERMEN spotted a new low-pressure area even as a Yellow Rainfall Warning was declared in some parts of Luzon, disaster officials said Tuesday quoting the weather bureau.

They said the LPA was spotted at 4 a.m. some 800 kilometers east of Baler town.

“Meanwhile, the Southwest Monsoon will continue to affect Luzon and rain that may cause flash floods and landslides is expected over the Ilocos Next page

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rate of houses for the Yolanda victims is only 9 percent and that 42 percent of the target housing units have not even started.

Only 19,330 out of the 205,128 intended to provide shelter to the victims were completed and 98,393 housing units are still being constructed, Serrano Next page lamented.

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S

Next page 1,036 KILLED

625

KILLED IN POLICE OPERATIONS

411

KILLED BY VIGILANTES

SOURCE: ABS-CBN DATA FROM MAY 10 TO AUGUST 12

SURRENDERED FIREARMS. Licensed firearms owned by Ozamis City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog are turned over to the regional police headquarters on Aug. 16 for safekeeping after their licenses were canceled. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier named Parojinog as among politicians involved in narco-politics. Lance Baconguis

Reds assured consultants will join Oslo gab PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday assured the leaders of the National Democratic Front that their consultants will be able to join the resumption of the peace talks in Oslo next week in the hope of ending Asia’s longest-running communist insurgency.

In a meeting in Malacañang, he assured the members of the NDF panel

During a command conference at the PNP National Headquarters in Camp Crame, Dela Rosa said they have “scientific evidence” to prove the claim. He added the PNP has identified the drug syndicates involved in the killings.

“We learned that because we have scientific evidence leading to that conclusion. You will know that later,” Dela Rosa said.

He said some alleged vigilante killings were actually syndicated killings by those involved in drugs.

“You will be surprised when we release the data and facts on who are killing each other,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino.

Dela Rosa added that the evidence would be presented in a forthcoming Senate hearing into

that their leaders will be allowed to join the peace talks under the auspices of the Norwegian government.

“The president assured the NDF lawyers that the NDF consultants will fly to Oslo,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.

“The president said while he was hurt by the sharp exchanges between him and CPP founding chair Jose Maria Si-

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son, who is based in The Netherlands, he gave assurances that he will walk the extra mile for peace,” Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza said.

In the House of Representatives, the Makabayan Bloc urged Duterte to grant a “general, unconditional and omnibus” amnesty to all political prisoners in the Next page country.

Roxas’ protest mooted THE Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has dismissed for being moot the election protest filed by former Interior secretary Manuel Roxas II against former vice president Jejomar Binay seeking to nullify Binay’s proclamation in the 2010 vice presidential race.

High court spokesman Theodore Te said the Court dismissed Roxas’ protest and Binay’s counter-protest because the contested tenure of office of the vice president had already expired.

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SC to PNP, PDEA: Sue narco-judges

By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Supreme Court did not accept the resignation of one of the judges implicated by President Rodrigo Duterte as protectors of illegal drugs in the country.

The 15-member bench on Tuesday also recalled its earlier directive for the Office of the Executive Secretary to file formal complaints against the four so-called “narcojudges,” and instead invited Philippine National Police Director General Ronald dela Rosa and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director Isidro Lapeña to submit complaint-affidavits against them.

In an en banc order, the SC said Dela Rosa and Lapeña must submit the complaints within “seven days from receipt of this order” after it treated the speech of Duterte naming the personalities allegedly involved in the illegal drugs trade as information against Judge Exequil Dagala, MTC, Dapa-Socorro in Siargao island; Judge Adriano Savillo, RTC, Branch 30, Iloilo City; Judge Domingo Casiple, RTC, Branch 7, Kalibo, Aklan; and Judge Antonio Reyes, RTC,

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In House Resolution 198, Reps. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Antonio Tinio, France Castro, Emmi de Jesus, Arlene Brosas, Ariel Casilao and Sarah Elago said the grant of amnesty was in accordance with the Constitution.

Bello, who heads the government panel negotiating with the NDF, said the government will not pose objections to giving temporary liberty to 22 Jasig protected consultants to speed up the peace negotiations.

In a speech Monday, Duterte said while a coalition government would not work, he would like the NDF to help him in “shaping up” his government.

He said he was open to any proposal that “would address the root of rebellion in the countryside.”

“I was talking to the NDF panel and we had a discussion about how to shape up a government without necessarily going into the complicated task of coalition, because I don’t think it will work,” Duterte said.

GPH panel member Angela Librado-Trinidad said Duterte had instructed the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation and the Department of Foreign Affairs “to assist the NDF consultants who will be traveling to Oslo, Norway, over the weekend for the formal talks slated for Monday next week, August 22.” John Paolo Bencito and Maricel V. Cruz

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“It is a settled rule that courts refrain from deciding on moot cases because any decision that may be rendered there would have no practical or useful purpose and cannot be enforced,” Te told reporters.

The high court also ordered Vice President Leni Robredo and her losing rival Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to comment on the bid of the Commission on Elections to dispose of the election materials for this year’s elections pending the resolution of Marcos’ election protest against her.

The Court required Robredo and Marcos to comment on the letter filed by the poll body on Aug. 10 seeking the issuance of an order allowing it to “immediately conduct stripping activities for all the vote counting machines and consolidation and canvass system kits, including the disposal of the VCM [vote-counting machines] external batteries.”

Roxas and Binay ran for president in the presidential election in May but both lost to Rodrigo Duterte.

Binay had moved for the dismissal of the case in October last year when he and Roxas filed their certificates of candidacy for the presidency.

Rey E. Requejo

Branch 1, Baguio City.

The SC also directed the four judges to reply within seven days from receipt of the complaintaffidavits and told retired SC Associate Justice Roberto Abad to “issue notices of hearing to the four judges and all other necessary parties upon commencement of the investigation.”

The high court tapped Abad to spearhead the fact-finding investigation of the four judges. He has 30 days to submit the results of the probe from receipt of the answers of the said judges.

The SC also ordered Abad, the secretariat of the fact-finding team and all SC officials and parties to treat with confidentiality the proceedings in the investigation of the case.

SC spokesman Theodore Te revealed that Dagala submitted his irrevocable resignation last August 8 to Court Administrator

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torn by debates over a contentious issue that could have been buried a long time ago,” Salgado added.

Aquino had tasked Binay in April 2011 to study the issue of burying the Marcos remains at Libingan ng mga Bayani, Salgado said.

He said the Office of the Vice President then solicited the comments of various political parties, sectors, organizations and the general public on the issue.

“The office also held consultations with the Marcos family on the issue. The Office of the Vice President received over 3,000 responses through text, e-mail, and letters. In June 2011, vice president Binay submitted to Aquino his recommendation to allow the burial of Marcos in Batac, Ilocos Norte,” Salgado said.

Supporters of Aquino, including former Interior and Local Government secretary and losing presidential candidate Manuel Roxas II, were among those who staged a rally in Manila protesting the decision of President Rodrigo Duterte to allow the burial of Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

Aquino is the son of the late Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., who was assassinated in August 1983 at the Manila International Airport upon returning from his self-imposed exile in the United States.

The Aquino family blamed Marcos for his death.

Former President Fidel Ramos commented earlier that the only reason Marcos was not buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani was because the “wounds of the 1986 People Power Revolution were still fresh at that time.”

Ramos, one of the key players in the Edsa uprising that ousted Marcos, said among the considerations when he allowed the return of Marcos’ body to the Philippines in 1992, three years after his death in 1989, was to avoid destabilization.

“During our time 1992 to1998, you must understand that we allowed the remains of the late President Marcos to return to the Philippines under certain conditions because of the possible destabilization of the country unless there were certain safeguards adopted,” he said.

Ramos said they believed that Marcos should not be forever detained in Hawaii since it was not his homeland.

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“Small groups cannot sabotage it [new peace agreement] without the support of the people,” he added.

The MILF, who returned to the implementation table with the government to pursue its Compre-

Jose Midas Marquez, but this was denied by the justices during their regular en banc session.

Te said the resignation of Dagala was not accepted because he was the subject of administrative investigation even before he was mentioned by Duterte.

“He remains under the jurisdiction of the Court as far as administrative discipline is concerned and will be subject to the fact-finding investigation to be conducted by retired Justice Roberto Abad,” Te said.

Dagala is one of the seven judges linked by Duterte to the illegal drugs trade, but the Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno has issued a statement saying that only four of the seven are in active duty.

Meanwhile, the SC has also suspended a judge that was not on Duterte’s list but is also being linked to the illegal drugs trade.

But the high court declined to divulge the identity of the judge pending the resolution of the administrative complaint that would be lodged against the latter.

“The judge will be facing a formal administrative complaint and has already been suspended until further notice. The identity cannot be revealed as administrative complaints are confidential in nature, until resolved,” the tribunal said.

President Duterte said that the late strongman, who served the country for more than three decades, should be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, not because he is a hero but because he was a soldier.

“The issue about Marcos’ burial at the Libingan has created division amongst our people. Almost all Ilocanos have bad feelings about that,” he said. “If you don’t want to call him a hero, then just think of him as a soldier.”

Duterte said it is important to settle the matter soon because it has been simmering for a long time.

The decision was a fulfillment of the promise Duterte made in February while he was campaigning in Marcos’ home province of Ilocos Norte, where he won in the race for the presidency with more than 100,000 votes, or 39 percent of all votes cast.

He said allowing the burial for the former president at the Libingan ng mga Bayani would help unite the country.

Marcos’ only son and former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. thanked Duterte.

“Our campaign has always been towards achieving unity to move the country forward. And it is this kind of pronouncement that we hope could end the decades of divisiveness that have been imposed upon us by our leaders.

We would like to thank President Duterte for this kind, rightful and healing gesture,” he said.

Ferdinand Marcos was the country’s President from 1965 to 1986. He also served as a member of the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1959 and of the Senate from 1959 to 1965, where he was also Senate President from 1963 to 1965.

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court ordered the Defense Department to answer a petition seeking to stop Marcos’ upcoming burial.

In an en banc session, the justices ordered Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Armed Forces chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya to justify their orders to hold a hero’s burial for Marcos as approved by President Duterte.

The order was in response to a petition filed by a group of Martial Law victims led by former Bayan Muna party-list lawmakers Satur Ocampo and Neri Colmenares.

The Court asked the respondents to comment by Aug. 22.

The tribunal also set the case for oral arguments on Aug. 24, and required parties to attend a preliminary conference also on Monday at 2 p.m.

hensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, has set up a special group that will counter the possibility of ISIS-related groups entering Philippines.

“They [breakaway groups] can capitalize on the grievances of the people. That is what we are trying to counter now,” he said.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has pro-

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the spate of killings of suspected drug dealers in various parts of the country.

Dela Rosa’s statement came after Senator Panfilo Lacson, himself a former police chief, urged the PNP to put an end to the vigilante killings, as it sent the wrong message that the police cannot do the job or that the killings were sanctioned by the government.

Lacson said some 681 people were killed by vigilantes from July 1 to Aug. 3, which translates to an average of 20 killings a day.

He then said that an average of 12 suspects were killed a day in legitimate police operations.

Dela Rosa vowed to cooperate with the Senate, which begins hearings on the extra-judicial killings on Aug. 22.

“We are addressing those issues and in fact we are preparing for our appearance before the Senate,” Dela Rosa said. “We are ready. We are not hiding anything and we will attend the hearing with a clean heart.”

Dela Rosa assured the senators that they will answer each question truthfully and will hide

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SWP is conducting Public Expenditure Tracking Survey (PETS) of Yolanda reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in select municipalities in Leyte, specifically, Tolosa, MacArthur, Dulag, Mayorga, and Tacloban City in its resettlement program.

The study was also conducted in Basey and Salcedo in Samar.

He said the figures in the Neda report reflect the situation in these areas as only 8 percent of the housing requirements of the displaced communities in these municipalities have been completed.

“If genuine change is coming, there is no better evidence of this than to see this reflected in the national budget. It should be President Duterte’s starting budget for eradicating poverty and achieving sustainable development,” said Serrano, shortly after Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno submitted the P3.35-trillion spending plan for 2017 to Congress.

Some P170 billion has been earmarked for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of the Yolanda-ravaged provinces. Of the amount,

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ISIS-inspired groups],” Murad said in a television interview.

Before capturing the stronghold in Silangkum, soldiers on Sunday seized control of the strongholds of the Abu Sayyaf Group in Barangay Baguindan Proper and at Hill 440.

“The terrain served to secure Abu Sayyaf’s vital mobility and

nothing and that they will not be cowed or coerced by senators in their questioning.

He said he was satisfied with the performance of new police regional directors, whom he appointed on July 1.

He added that the Senate investigation will not hamper their antiillegal drugs campaign.

In a media briefing, Dela Rosa also vowed to cooperate with lawmakers looking into the deaths.

Also on Tuesday, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte slammed Vice President Leni Robredo for blaming the administration for the extra-judicial killings.

Dante Liban, a former Quezon City councilor and representative, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority director and senatorial bet in the May 2016 elections, said Robredo must be “more circumspect” in accusing the Duterte administration.

“The killings could be the handiwork of vigilantes who hate the drug trade and those involved in the proliferation of illegal drugs in the country,” he said.

“Drug syndicates are trying to eliminate their assets to cover up their illegal activities,” he added.

He said he is backing an investigation into the summary execu-

tions of drug suspects.

“I agree. We agree that there must be a probe,” he told the Manila Standard.

But he said Robredo, as part of Duterte’s Cabinet, must restrain herself from making any remarks against the government.

“Aside from that, she should check the facts and figures behind the killings of the drug offenders,” he added.

In Duterte’s bailiwick of Davao City, Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) 11 chief Supt. Edilberto Leonardo admitted that drugs are still rampant at the Davao Prison and Penal Farm (DPPF) based on their investigation.

Leonardo said that their recent intelligence gathering found that there are still drug transactions inside the prison. He added that the detainees still own firearms and bladed weapons.

Recently, three Chinese inmates were killed inside the DPFF. Authorities said two Filipino inmates used kitchen knives to kill the three, identified as Chu Kin Tung, Li Lan Yan and Wong Ming Pin, who were said to be involved in illegal drugs. With Rio N. Araja and F. Pearl A. Gajunera

some P82 billion had been released by the government.

According to Serrano, the PETS showed livelihood assistance to Yolanda survivors and making sure they have shelter and less vulnerable to disaster are also lagging.

“We are rebuilding communities not to bring them back to the state of poverty and vulnerability previous to Yolanda. The reconstruction and rehabilitation should rebuild the communities, reduce their vulnerability and become more resilient to the negative impact of extreme weather events that will hit them in the future,” Serrano added.

The “emergency” nature of the Emergency Shelter Assistance (ESA) lost its essence as these were dispensed one to two years after the calamity because of bureaucracy and political influences, Serrano said.

The ESA funds were downloaded to the Department of Social Welfare and Development Regional Office in Region VIII only on May 12 and 21, 2015 and were released to the local government units or LGUs from May 29, 2015 to September 30, 2015, he said.

The LGUs released the ESA to the beneficiaries from July 10 to

December 2015, except for one LGU that immediately released the ESA the day after the fund was received, Serrano added.

“The delayed release of funds affected the implementation of livelihood programs of the Department of Agriculture [DA] and the Philippine Coconut Authority [PCA], reportedly, because of unliquidated cash advances,” Serrano said.

SWP said the newly released 2015 statistics in Region VIII attest to this. The broad-based growth was not realized due to the limitations in agriculture and fisheries sector, the budget watchdog said.

“President Duterte has astutely tapped into the people’s long-felt frustration for change, one that will make a positive difference in their lives. The 10-point agenda of the government is a welcome start, but as responsible and patriotic citizens, we will engage this agenda with a view to making it even more responsive to the needs of our people, especially for the poor and socially excluded,” said Marivic Raquiza, SWP co-convener.

Raquiza said all good intentions and plans, often rise or fall on the basis of adequate provision of funding.

to intimidate nearby communities,” Tan said.

In Salingkum, troops from the 4th Special Forces Battalion seized improvised explosive devices.

“The seized camp has 10 bunkers that can be occupied by more or less seven people, four tunnels that can be occupied by 20 people, several foxholes that can be occupied by eight people, a kitchen hut and one exit post,” Tan said.

In Baguindan, the military as-

sault forced the Abu Sayyaf to abandon their stronghold that is fortified with seven foxholes and 12 bunkers capable of accommodating at least 80 rebels.

Lt. Col. Andrew Bacala Jr., commander of the 4TH Special Forces Battalion, said the capture of the Abu Sayyaf strongholds had weakened the terrorists, capability in Baguindan and in Al-Barka town. Florante S. Solmerin and John Paolo Bencito

Sources said two factions within the Cabinet are in a tug-of-war over the National Food Authority and the Philippine Coconut Authority, which Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol wants returned to the control of the Agriculture Department.

The two agencies have been put under Secretary to the Cabinet Leoncio Evasco Jr., whose office is under the Office of the President.

Diokno allayed fears that the government would be caught flatfooted since there was no budget for Charter change in the 2017 budget.

He said the government had contingency funds if Congress does decide to favor a constitutional convention with elected delegate, which is more expensive.

“We can get the funds for ConCon from the contingency fund.

If you elect the delegates as pro-

posed to be synchronized with election of barangay captains you don’t need additional budget for that,” Diokno said.

Diokno also said the budget for the Office of the President would include P15 billion for the hosting of the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit to be held in Cebu next year.

“We’re hosting the ASEAN golden anniversary, that’s P15 billion. That belongs to the OP,” Diokno said. “The original request was P19 billion, but we were able to cut it.”

Duterte is set to visit the country’s neighbors in the Asean in his first foreign trip as head of state, tentatively set between Aug. 23 and Aug. 30, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Monday.

Special Assistant to the President Secretary Christopher confirmed that President is scheduled to visit Laos on Sept. 6 to 7 for the turnover of the chairmanship of the Asean. With John Paolo Bencito

posed the creation of sea lanes in the common boarders of Malaysia, Philippines and Indonesia to monitor and identify navigators in the southern water.

This was disclosed by Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 following his official visit in Kuala Lumpur.

During a meeting with the government peace panel in Malaysia, Dureza said, Razak proposed the regulation of sea lanes wherein certain approved lanes can be used to conduct trade and those that are not can be deemed as hostile.

Anybody navigating outside agreed sea lane can be accosted and can be interdicted,” said Dureza.

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region and in Benguet, Zambales and Bataan,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said.

An eight-hour monsoon-driven rain starting Monday night displaced 78,919 people in Central Luzon and submerged 121 villages under three to four feet of water.

The downpour also caused the suspension of all classes at all levels in the region.

The Yellow Rainfall Warning declared at 5 a.m. affected Zambales, Bataan and Pampanga, while light to moderate and occasionally heavy rain is expected over Metro Manila, Bulacan, Batangas, Cavite, Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Rizal and Quezon.

The non-stop rain since last week has killed seven people and injured six others, while seven are still missing.

Classes remained suspended in Pangasinan, Bulacan, Pampanga, Zambales, Tarlac, Bataan, Rizal and Metro Manila.

Disaster officials said at least 12 roads remained impassable in Benguet, Upper Kalinga, Mountain province, Ilocos Sur, Batangas, Pangasinan, Bulacan and Pampanga.

A total of 43 houses were damaged.

The continuing rain has affected 32,220 families or 154,988 people. Florante S. Solmerin and Romeo Dizon

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Cusi: PH has enough power

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

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ESPITE the rolling power outages across Luzon, no looming power crisis will hit the country, said Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, underscoring the urgency to cut its processes like the need for 122 signatures for approval of new power plants.

Appearing at the initial hearing of the Senate energy committee into the simultaneous brownouts in Luzon, Cusi gave assurances there was enough reserve for a steady power supply.

Cusi said several plants are running and there is enough reserve to ensure there is no power crisis.

Due to simultaneous mainte-

nance shutdowns and technical glitches of several power plants, rolling brownouts hit Luzon in the last week of July and the first week of August.

Energy Regulatory Commission Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar told the committee the outages were due to several technical problems at the Luzon power plants, including leakages

30 big-time smugglers identified

By Vito Barcelo A CONSUMER as well as anti-crime and corruption groups have submitted a list of 30 suspected big time smugglers operating at the Bureau of Customs which they said had caused the government to lose billions of pesos in duties and taxes every year.

The United Filipino Consumers and Commuters (UFCC) as well as Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC) submitted 14 pages of documents to the Office of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, naming importers and consignees linked to the smuggling of cement and other imported products.

UFCC spokesperson Rodolfo “RJ” Javellana Jr., however, declined to name the alleged smugglers pending investigation by the bureau, fearing identifying them would jeopardize the government’s campaign against smugglers who may posthaste leave the country to avoid prosecution.

In a press briefing, Javellana said the customs commissioner would be the one to divulge soon the names of the suspected smugglers.

He said the government is losing at least P200 billion in revenues from smuggling every year, enough to build 1,000 new school classrooms, bridges and roads across the country.

He said secret deals between smugglers and corrupt customs personnel, along with globalization and trade liberalization, are among the main causes of the bureau’s failure to meet its revenue collection targets.

President Rodrigo Durtete has warned corrupt agency officials and employees to shape up or resign from the government office.

DoH warns vs seasonal diseases

By Cathrine Mae V. Gonzales THE Department of Health has warned the public against the potential increase in transmission of communicable diseases as heavy rains bring floodwaters to most areas of the metropolis.

The most common diseases during the wet season is known as WILD, an acronym for water-borne diseases (typhoid fever and cholera), influenza or respiratory diseases, leptospirosis, and dengue.

During leptospirosis outbreaks following typhoons, 100 or more out of 100,000 may be infected, according to the World Health Organization, with five to 15 percent of untreated cases possibly leading to death.

During this season, from 60 to 70 percent of dengue cases happen, according to health officials.

For the first half of 2016, more than 71,000 dengue cases have been reported, or 19 percent more than the cases in the same period last year. Of this number, 308 have since died.

The DoH also warned against common infections that may spread in evacuation areas during typhoons which include cough and colds, acute gastroenteritis, skin and eye infections, measles, and hepatitis A. On battling these communicable diseases, the Health Department reminded the public to maintain personal hygiene.

Clean water and food and warm clothing should be considered.

The DoH also released a health advisory against dengue or the 4S: search and destroy; observe self-protection measures; seek early consultation; and “no” to indiscriminate fogging.

in boilers, defective parts, and low water level in the case of hydroelectric power plants.

He said the forced outages happened simultaneously with maintenance shutdowns of several plants that had to delay such checks to ensure a steady supply of power during the May elections.

To further improve the ener-

gy supply, Cusi told the Senate panel chaired by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian there was need to fix its application process to fast-track the entry of new power players.

Under the current system, he said the application for a power plant requires 122 signatures for approval.

“First, our permitting has to improve because there are a lot of applications. We have to make permitting a lot easier and really improve the process,” Cusi said.

Cusi said the Department of Energy is still reviewing the possibility of lengthening a permit’s validity, in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s goal of cutting red tape in government.

“We have to institutionalize the permitting as mandated by President Duterte. He doesn’t want any permits to be taking too long because of the number of agencies involved,” Cusi said.

Gatchalian said there is a strong need to define the processes well to expedite the building of new power plants. He warned of a continuous shortage in power supply if no new players would come in.

“We can see that it takes three to four years to build a power plant. Red tape adds another year, so if it takes three to four years for just one power plant, that’s years. If it takes us five years to build power plants, we will really be short on supply,”

said Gatchalian.

He said there’s a lot of room for improvement and it will be up front with the Secretary that the process should be improved and the energy department’s technical capability.

Gatchalian said: “We found out earlier that there’s also the lack of manpower. If there’s a need for an audit, the manpower is lacking. They still need to outsource the audit of the plants’ technical compliance.

“Second, the time frame like this auditing, should be fast; we also found out that the time frame was not clear to us that’s why we need to also improve on the time frame when you conduct audits.”

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Budget for real change

T

HE Duterte administration submitted its first budget proposal this week, a spending plan for 2017 that tops out at P3.35 trillion, 11.6 percent higher than the P3.018-trillion budget for 2016 passed during the previous administration.

The higher budget makes sense if we accept the argument that the previous administration woefully underspent on infrastructure, which will be a key focus of the 2017 spending plan.

The Department of Public

Works and Highways, for example, will see its budget rise to P860.7 billion, P19.5 billion more than its allocation for 2016. The allocation is significant, in that it represents 5.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), suggesting we are finally investing as much as our Southeast Asian neighbors on infrastructure.

Some P355.7 billion will be allocated to transport infrastructure such as railways, seaports, airports and road networks. Some P31.5 billion will be set aside for the Mindanao Logistics Infrastructure network to lower the cost of logistics in the region, while P75.8 billion will fund

flood control systems.

The administration also promises to revitalize public-private partnership (PPP) projects, which were dismally slow to take off under the Aquino administration.

The 2017 budget also shows that the administration will invest more in people.

Education will have the biggest chunk of the budget, with an allocation of P699.95 billion, or 20.9 percent of the total spending plan.

The Department of Education will get P570.4 billion, a 31 percent hike from its 2016 allocation, and will include a P2.8 billion allotment for hiring 53,831 additional teachers and P124.6 billion for the

construction and replacement of 37,500 classrooms, particularly for Senior High School.

“If we are to compete with the rest of the world, then the government must invest more for its greatest resource—its people,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in his budget message.

It is a sentiment we can all rally behind—as is the administration’s plan to revitalize the agricultural sector, after mismanagement and corruption from the previous administration took their toll on farm output.

We also laud the increase in the budget to carry out the Reproductive Health Law, an effort that the

previous administration pursued only half-heartedly.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno described the spending plan as “a budget for real change” and all the way funds have been allocated indicate that this is true.

The spending plan, however, is only half the equation. As we have seen time and again during the Aquino administration, even the best laid plans can be torpedoed by corruption, sheer incompetence or both.

With a new budget in the works, it is time the Duterte Cabinet show us that it is capable of executing these plans with economy and efficiency. There is where true change lies.

Great cities must watch their watersheds

By Mark Buchanan

The hatchet woman LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES LEILA is all over the place once again. Her puppet masters must be so proud of their investment in her Senate victory.

I find myself agreeing with the new senator for Bicol, Leila de Lima, when she says that she believes the hoary old theory that “scalawags” in the ranks of the national police are behind many of the killings of drug suspects to coincide with the anti-narcotics campaign of the Duterte administration. But I cannot really take De Lima’s side when she says, in the same breath, that she has “witnesses” to back up her claim in the Senate investigation that she will soon conduct.

Allow me to explain: On the same day that De Lima railed against the killings yet again (with accompanying fanfare

from some sectors of the media) and urged everyone from President Rodrigo Duterte on down to monitor her investigation, the agency that she used to head did something very un-De Lima-like.

The Department of Justice, headed now by Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, filed charges against 88 suspects in the socalled Mamasapano Massacre—more than a year and a half after the gory killing of 44 members of the Special Action Force by rebel forces in Maguindanao. The filing of the formal charges against members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters and other suspects was something De Lima was never able to do.

As late as January this year, when the Senate was already demanding that the DoJ lodge formal charges in connection with the massacre, no one was still being held responsible for the heinous crime by the de-

ManilaStandard

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partment. De Lima had earlier enumerated unidentified Moro suspects (all of them surnamed with the generic “Doe”) that she wanted held responsible; none of them were really named by her or her department—or by her successor in office last

As far as I know, the Senate hatchetjob committee is still headed by a certain Antonio Trillanes.”

January, Emmanuel Caparas.

This is why I can’t really trust De Lima to get to the bottom of the supposed extra-judicial killings of drug suspects. She Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Maan Ilustre Edgar M. Valmorida

couldn’t even get moving on the Mamasapano case when she had the authority to do so; what makes her think that now, as a mere senator with no real authority to lodge actual charges against crime suspects, she can actually do so?

It’s just like De Lima’s wellpublicized campaign against drugs and other contraband in the New Bilibid Prison. Not only did she not make a dent in the thriving trade in all things illegal inside Muntinlupa, her term has become synonymous with the blossoming of the narcotics “industry” behind bars, of all places.

The sad truth about De Lima is that she is hopelessly partisan. She will not lift a finger to go after her political masters (like when she protected then President Noynoy Aquino in the aftermath of Mamasapano), but will defy the Supreme Court itself (like in the case of the disregarded restraining order that allowed Gloria Arroyo

Chairman Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager Advertising and Marketing Head Circulation Manager

to travel), if that is what these same masters of hers want.

The woman is no “fiscalizer,” as she claims; she’s just another high-profile political hatchetwoman in the Senate. And as far as I know, the Senate hatchet-job committee is still headed by a certain Antonio Trillanes. *** Far away from the political acrobatics in Manila, Labor Secretar y Silvestre Bello III is working to bring home or to f ind new jobs for upwards of 9,000 Filipinos stranded by company closures in Saudi Arabia, where more than a million of our overseas workers toil. Bello’s latest mission, after the Saudi king approved the waiving of the fees of the distressed workers, is to secure commitments from Saudi companies and authorities that the unpaid wages of the strandTurn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Francis Lagniton News Editor Emil P. Jurado

THE world's great cities could hold the key to the prosperity of the human race. Yet a comprehensive new study points to a worrying trend: The water they need to grow is getting more expensive, because they're failing to protect the nature that purifies it.

Cities are amazing engines of productivity. As the hubs of our modern societies, they mix together people with a diversity of skills and create fertile ground for learning and invention. In many respects, bigger tends to be better. Larger cities have more patents and inventions per person, and achieve better energy and resource efficiency thanks to economies of scale. For example, they require less conducting cable per person to carry electrical power where needed.

Concentrating people in cities also leaves more space for nature. It's one reason that Paul Romer, recently appointed as chief economist of the World Bank, has been championing the idea of charter cities— brand new cities that we could build and use to experiment with large-scale innovations in technology or government.

Dozens of such cities could help us explore more sustainable ways of living, and also help meet the need to house many of the additional 3.4 billion people expected to be living by 2050.

It turns out, though, that protecting the surrounding nature is also crucial for cities to work. Any city draws its clean water from a natural watershed area—some close by, others farther away. The rainfall that drains into the area is filtered and purified by natural land cover—forests, marshes and grasslands—before entering as the “raw water” of treatment facilities. The water for New York City, for example, comes from large reservoirs located an average of 100 miles away in upstate New York.

As cities have grown, the land in their watersheds has been cleared to make way for housing, factories and agriculture.

As a result, water quality has declined. Agricultural runoff, for example, boosts concentrations of nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment. Treatment centers must then remove these impurities, requiring the use of increasingly complex and costly technologies.

A new study, led by ecologist Robert McDonald of the Washington-based Nature Conservancy, suggests that the cost of water treatment is becoming a very large burden on a global

Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Turn to A5

City Editor Senior Deskman Art Director Chief Photographer

Opinion Law and the greater good TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO THE burial of the late strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos continues to divide the nation. But if we have to move forward, we have to have closure on this matter.

This is why I admire and respect President Rodrigo Duterte as a leader. We have longed for this kind of leadership in the past and we have been frustrated with those who came before him.

I think it is important to remind everyone on who exactly can be buried at the Libingan: AFP Regulations G K61-373, subject: Allocation of Cemetery Plots at the LNMB issued in April 1986 by GHQ AFP under then-AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Fidel V. Ramos and thenPresident Corazon C. Aquino, prescribes who are entitled to be interred: Pursuant to the aforecited AFP Regulations, re-published on 11 September 2000 as AFP Regulations G 161-375, there are 10 categories of deceased persons entitled to be buried at the LNBM, namely: Medal of Valor Awardees; Presidents or Commanders-inChief, AFP; Secretaries of National Defense; Chief of Staff, AFP; General/ Flag Officers of the AFP; Active and retired military personnel of the AFP; Former AFP members who literally entered/joined the PNP and the PCG; Veterans of Philippine Revolution of 1896, WWI, WWII, and recognized guerrillas. Government dignitaries, Statesmen, National Artists and other deceased persons whose internment or reinternment has been approved by the Commanderin-Chief, Congress or the Secretary of National Defense; For Presidents, Secretaries of National Defense, widows of former Presidents, secretaries of National Defense, and as Veteran of World War II. The AFP was very clear about former President Marcos being entitled to be interred at the LNMB on any of the following categories: as Medal of Valor Awardee, as former President, as a soldier, as former Secretary of National Defense, and as veteran of World War II. “In regard disqualifications,” the ruling added, “Marcos was neither dishonorably discharged nor convicted with finality of an offense involving moral turpitude. While he was charged with several offenses, he was not convicted.

Thus, he died an innocent man.”

The AFP regulation that the LNMB is military cemetery (just like the Arlington Cemetery in the United States) intended primarily for military personnel and veterans.

ONE DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A HERO TO QUALIFY TO BE BURIED THERE ...” (caps mine).

The fact is that presidential approval is not required for the interment of a person meeting the qualifications. The late Cory Aquino made an exception for Marcos; subsequently, President Ramos also tried to make it appear obligatory. It is only now, with President Duterte, that we have a President who is firm and resolute on the matter.

So, what is the beef of Marcos haters? That Marcos was not a hero, nor a medal of valor awardee, nor even a guerilla veteran? Santa Banana, he was a President, a former National Defense Secretary, former Chief of Staff and Commander-in-chief and a soldier.

Most of those protesting claim that Marcos is no hero and should not be buried at the cemetery reserved only for heroes. They should be told that

among those buried there was Shadow, the favorite dog of the late President Cory. Just what justified a dog to be buried among those qualified to be buried there is something else for the books.

How did Marcos get his Medal of Valor? Records show that he and a band of soldiers refused to surrender to the Japanese Occupation forces when the combined forces of Americans and Filipino soldiers fought in Bataan for three months.

My late brother Willie Jurado was also in Bataan as a volunteer soldier and was then with the group of Marcos, who had to swim across a river to make good their escape from Bataan and that dreaded Death March from Bataan to Capas, Tarlac.

Willie did not know how to swim and was left behind to surrender, and subsequently was forced to join the Death March on the Capas Concentration Camp where he almost died, because he had caught malaria and dysentery. I know all these because Willie told me so, and because my mother went to Capas from Manila to provide food and clothes for Willie. Willie came home after those who survived the death march were amnestied. This was also the case with my late eldest late brother Desi, who was incarcerated at Fort Santiago for eight months for being a member of the underground movement against the Japanese.

It was because of the exploits of Marcos in Bataan that he was later on awarded the Medal of Valor. Marcos later on formed the “Maharlika Guerrilla Movements,” which Marcos haters say never existed. In 1943, Marcos went to the North and joined the 14th Infantry of the guerrilla movement, as did my two elder brothers, Marcos, with the rank of major, was then operating in the guerrilla movement in the Cagayan provinces, in Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya.

My recollection of Marcos as a guerrilla veteran was when I saw him at Camp Spencer in Luna, La Union. It was here where my two elder brothers also had their headquarters.

After the rape of Manila, when the Americans liberated the city, the Japanese Forces led by General Toshio Yamashita had to retreat to the Cordilleras to make their last stand. And that’s where the crucial Battle of Bessang Pass occurred. Desi led an assault team (he was then a lieutenant of the 3rd Battalion of the 121st Infantry under Col. Russel Volckman, and the late Major Conrado Rigor was battalion commander.)

The only hindrance was an uphill pass that must be taken. While he may not have been there in the Battle of Bessang Pass, it was the 14th Infantry led by Marcos that did the “flanking movement” in Nueva Vizcaya to prevent Yamashita was escaping from his Cordillera hideout.

These are all my recollections of the last days of the Japanese Occupation. I must have been 17 to 18 years old then, living with my parents in Bangar, La Union.

What surprises me is that most of those protesting Marcos’ burial were not even born at that time.

How could they know what really happened? They must have been reading and hearing about the martial law days in the Daily Inquirer and ABS-CBN, both Marcos haters and Aquino lovers.

I say Marcos truly and finally deserves to be buried at the LNMB. Only the Supreme Court can prevent it now.

We must put closure to this lingering controversy. What will we tell our children later on?

Former President Marcos deserves to be buried at the Libingan for more than one reason.

Great...

From A4 scale. Looking at changes from 1900 to 2005 in the watersheds of 309 large cities, all with populations larger than 750,000, it finds that more than 90 percent have suffered degradation, and that nearly one third experienced a significant rise in treatment costs—many by more than 50 percent.

The study confirms what environmental economists previously only suspected: The loss of natural water purification capacity is systematically increasing the cost of treatment around the globe.

The best estimate puts the added expense at more than $5 billion per year. And it's set to get worse: Watershed degradation is expected to become more severe in the next decade or so, as cropland continues to expand. By 2030, global fertilizer use is projected to rise by nearly 60 percent.

The lesson is that our cities will require concerted investment in watershed preservation.

The good news is that it need not

be terribly expensive: Targeted projects can make a big difference. Since 1997, for example, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection has moved to protect more than 130,000 acres of valuable watershed, and the city now has very low water treatment costs relative to other U.S. cities.

New York's forward thinking can and should be replicated globally. McDonald and others estimate that roughly one in four cities—home to about 800 million people—could reap a positive return on investment aimed at conserving watersheds. In other words, it’s worth doing, and it would be an important step toward securing the kind of environment we need to survive. Bloomberg

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO Ambassador Del Rosario’s column will resume Friday.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Manila Mayor Estrada VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ THE Yellow-leaning Social Weather Stations has an interesting study of public satisfaction ratings of five Philippine presidents of the last 30 years—Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III. Benigno Aquino III had the highest satisfaction rating. The next highest is, surprise, Joseph Estrada.

In overall performance, BS Aquino had an average net satisfaction rating of +47, equivalent to good.

Second best was Estrada, with +15.

Both presidents nosed out Ramos +14, Cory Aquino +5, and Arroyo who had -2.

Between BS Aquino and Estrada, the latter has had a much longer and more awesome public service, 47 years, reckoned from the time he gained the mayorship of San Juan town in 1969.

BS Aquino had been in public office in only less than half that time, 21 years.

Estrada is the more experienced leader, and many now say, the better president. The veteran actorturned-statesman had, after all, been mayor for 17 years, senator for six years, vice president for six years, and president for 30 months. His wife, the first lady

Dr. Loi Ejercito became senator while he was incarcerated on politically motivated corruption charges. Two sons are senators— Jinggoy Estrada and JV Ejercito.

Estrada brings 47 years of savvy political management, incredible leadership, and enduring charisma to what he now calls his last hurrah—being mayor of the Philippines’ capital and premier city. His aim is to make Manila the No. 1 city in competitiveness and No. 1 as a place for doing business and for living in. That was achieved, back in 2015. Does that make Erap the best mayor? He demurs. He says the honor belongs to the legendary Arsenio H. Lacson, mayor from 1952 to 1962.

Estrada is now on his fourth year as mayor of Manila. During that time, he made the city “completely debt-free,” by paying P5.5 billion in city obligations. That fiscal balance is no mean a feat.

When he took over in July 2013, Manila was bankrupt with no viable sources of revenue.

Erap’s strategy was simple enough—make the city an enviable place for doing business and a premium place for residence by focusing in infrastructure, education, public safety, anti-crime, health, and cultural revival. He also raised city property taxes, by an average of 60 percent.

The last measure, tax hike, made the city cash-rich. But it also made Estrada hugely unpopular, among the city’s propertied class and Chinese-Filipino businessmen who went for his longtime rival, Alfredo

Lim. “It was a choice between letting Manila sink further into bankruptcy, and rescuing the city from certain disaster,” he winced.

Taxes almost cost Erap his reelection in May this year; he won by just 2,600 votes, instead of by a landslide as he did in 2013, when he had done nothing yet as mayor.

Estrada, however, is not one to run away from a challenge, no matter how humbling the consequences. “It’s called political will,” he says.

He demonstrated political will when he vowed to crush the separatist Moro Islamic Liberation Front with an all-out war. He did. His army captured 46 MILF camps, including Camp Abubakar. It was the first time the government had overrun the main MILF camp in troubled Mindanao. The feat angered the bishops and displeased the Americans. The bishops accused him of human rights violations.

Washington sent the American secretary of defense who hand-carried the letter of President Clinton pleading with him to stop the all-out war.

Erap refused. He even vowed that after crushing the MILF, he would break the backbone of the Communist Party.

Having defeated the both the MILF and the NPA, he would have redeployed the 150,000-strong army—half for infrastructure building, the other half for agriculture, using free skilled but armed labor marching to the command of the commander-in-chief.

It was an out-of-the-box formula for poverty alleviation.

However, by January 2001, a US-inspired military uprising, backed by the Catholic Church and civil society, had ousted Erap. After a few months, he was convicted, of plunder, for money which did not belong to the government and which he did not touch, because it was parked all the time in a scholarship fund for Muslims. The bishops later apologized for their mistake.

So did President Cory Aquino, BS Aquino’s mother. “We are all humans to make mistake,” she said in public.

In May 2010, Estrada ran for president. He almost won, (he placed a decent No. 2 to BS Aquino), were it not for two things—the beloved Cory had died in August 2009; and Ka Erdie Manalo, the charismatic leader of the powerful Iglesia ni Cristo (which reckons with some three million voters) died, also in August 2009. INC had always supported Estrada’s electoral bids.

BS Aquino garnered 15-million votes in 2010; Estrada 9.8 million.

If the three-million swing vote of INC had not shifted to Aquino and gone instead to Estrada, the latter would have won handily.

These days, Estrada’s mission, he says, is to bring back the old glory of Manila and to render the greatest good for the greatest number. It is a mission many no doubt he will accomplish.

Performance, after all, is the best legacy a politician or a statesman can leave his people and to keep him forever in his people’s heart — and their satisfaction.

‘Matapang na solusyon; mabilis na aksyon’ SO I SEE LITO BANAYO SEGUEING from our “Tapang at Malasakit ” article on then-candidate Duterte in 2015, a tandem television ad when Duterte had already announced a teamup with Senator Alan Peter Cayetano. This time, the tagline, reinforced in tarpaulins and stickers, was “Matapang na Solusyon; Mabilis na Aksyon.”

The main competition, this time narrowed down to Mar Roxas, Grace Poe, Jojo Binay and Miriam Santiago, seemed unable to capture the mood of the voting public at the starting line. Mar Roxas and his yellow brigade kept touting “continuity” and the old “tuwid na daan” promise that had seen better times, washed off the public consciousness by six years of less-than-satisfactory governance. VP Binay kept repeating the once-saleable narrative about being born poor, this time by acting poor —in boodle fights, in commercials about sensitivity to the plight of the poor. It only served to reinforce the argument of those who had questioned him for more than a year on unexplained wealth close to being “Imeldific.”

Senator Grace Poe on the other hand, rode on the legend that was her adoptive father, FPJ, but people’s memories are short, and we seriously doubted if the millennials still remember watching FPJ movies, vainly propagandized by ABS-CBN through their remake of “Ang Probinsyano” starring the new telenovela hero Coco Martin, ably supported by no less than the gracious Susan Roces. That worried us enough, but constant tracking in internal surveys and qualitative research told

The hatchet...

From A4 ed Filipinos will be given, whether they retur n home or f ind jobs in other companies in the Middle Easter n state.

Bello told me how he has been given blanket authority to aid the stricken Filipinos, many of whom don’t even know how to find their next meal or a roof over their heads at night. And Duterte has ordered the release

us that the “instant magic” could, and would wear off.

Senadora Miriam was hobbled from the very beginning by health problems.

Sure, the competition tried to attach similar health questions about Duterte, who turned 71 by the time the campaign was midstream. Duterte wisely admitted certain “esoteric” illnesses that the masa did not really comprehend. But standing in hours-long motorcades and delivering hours-long speeches convinced the masa that the candidate was not nearly as sick as some propagandists from the competition claimed.

Only he was “matapang” enough. Only he proposed “matapang na solusyon.” Not mincing words about the gravity of the illegal drug menace, he said his solutions would be “bloody.” And he boldly promised a big difference in three to six months. It has been less than 50 days. Now the human rights activists are seeing too much blood, and Bishop Soc winces. Duterte, after all, never promised a picnic in the war on drugs.

Yet Duterte was true to his promises to the 16.6 million who voted overwhelmingly for him across the nation and throughout the world in OFWvoting centers. The competition did not read the public pulse well enough. They could not see through the seething and pent-up anger borne by years of frustration about governance so indifferent and so insensitive to their woes. And so unable to solve problems quickly enough.

For Duterte showed purpose, grim though some perceived such to be. Duterte showed decisiveness, an element unseen over the past six years, not only from what Binay called the “analysis-paralysis” team, but from the president endorsing the team as well.

As for Senator Poe, the main competitor until just weeks before May 9, the “decisiveness” did not show; the long

litany of promises punctuated by so many proposed solutions to myriad problems fell flat.

And of course, the citizenship and corollary loyalty issues ran smack against a little perceived, but numbers-demonstrated slow wave of nationalism, particularly among the millennials.

Now fast forward to the 50th day of the Duterte presidency, which will be tomorrow.

Even before the Davao City mayor was formally installed in Malacanang, the “matapang na aksyon” was operationalized by police officials wanting to impress the new commander-in-chief, or in some cases, perhaps to cover their tracks. But Duterte named a field marshall in his war on drugs, a guy so colorful, but with sincerity brimming from his folksy persona, so very much like his “boss” Digong.

From the hick parts of Davao del Sur to quick-on-the-draw poster boy of the fight against crime, Gen. Ronaldo de la Rosa, aptly nicknamed “Bato” has shown both “tapang” and “bilis.”

Don’t count the body bags.

Focus instead on how many heretofore untouchable drug lords and pushers beneath the radar of the last six years have been brought to the public limelight. At break-neck speed. If you were an ordinary Juan de la Cruz with no links to drugs, and bedeviled in your neighborhood and on your way to work or school by drug-crazed criminals young and old, wouldn’t you say “Wow…finally!”

Look at Art Tugade’s proposed solutions to the traffic and mass transport mess that Duterte inherited. Some of them are so simple, so common-sensical, one would ask, “bakit hindi ito naisip ni Abaya, o ni Mar”?

So many have wondered why general aviation hogged so much airport terminal space, and took some 12 percent to 15 percent of air traffic away from commercial airlines,

but their lessees were just too “powerful” to be touched.

Now Duterte, through Tugade, wants the rich to move out, to Sangley or wherever else, and take their choppers from Makati rooftops to their private planes.

Tanim-bala, which became a major election issue—quick solution? Just confiscate the live bullet, let the perpetrator go to wherever. Why bother about a single bullet, unless you want to extort in exchange for non-prosecution? Common sense, di bala?

Driving licenses, from three years to five years, and soon car plates as well. Ditto for passports, all so that the hassle (and petty corruption) would bedevil the ordinary Filipino no longer.

On a more abstract plane, Speaker Bebot Alvarez pushing for a shift to a federal system, mindful that if left at the back-burner while mundane issues hog the limelight, rewriting the Constitution would be perceived as self-serving.

So this early, the wheels of constitutional revision, both to address politico-socio-economic imbalances and festering secessionist issues, are rolling. Sure there will be debatable issues in such a massive and historic endeavor, but the purpose is clear, the solution is courageous, and the action is quick.There are many more fronts where the new administration demonstrated “matapang na solusyon; mabilis na aksyon” in its first 50 days. And clearly more to come. The peace initiatives, both with the leftist insurgents and with our Muslim secessionists, with Jess Dureza and Bebot Bello moving at a pace and resolve heretofore unseen.

Tax reform initiatives, many of them unthinkable to the ratings-conscious ancien regime.

People get the sense that finally, government is in charge. And in control. Finally, there will be meaningful change.

Revolutionary, if you may.

of millions from the President’s social fund to pay for the effort, apart from directing the various agencies involved in helping Filipinos abroad to spend their own funds.

Before Bello left, he quietly inaugurated the one-stop service center at the offices of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration at the corner of Edsa and Ortigas Avenue. The center permanently locates satellite offices of practically all the govern-

ment agencies that overseas workers have to transact with and get papers from and has been drawing raves from the people who used to have to go all over Metro Manila just to secure the needed permits to work abroad.

Longtime OFW welfare rights advocate Susan “Toots” Ople is amazed at the actions of the silent but very effective new labor secretary, who is also involved in the peace talks initiated by the Duterte

government with rebel groups.

“Kaya naman pala gawin e,” an admiring Ople told me, apropos of the Saudi rescue effort and the new one-stop center.

As a longtime believer in the lack of empathy of the previous administration and the need for the return of simple common sense in government, I agree wholeheartedly with Ople. All it takes really for a government to succeed is a genuine desire to help our countrymen and the work ethic to get things done.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

New pension fund proposed

By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE Duterte administration is seeking the creation of a pension fund for soldiers and policemen to resolve the funding problems of the pensions of those in the uniformed services.

“The reform on Military and Uniformed Personnel pension shall be pursued in view of the ballooning budget burden where the total cost of the pensions will exceed the compensation of those in the active service,” Duterte said in his first budget message submitted to Congress.

“The proposed law will create a pension fund that is similar to or part of the Government Service Insurance System, replacing the current system where the pen-

sions of the military and other uniformed personnel are appropriated by Congress,” he added.

The proposed law will mitigate the effects of a full implementation of the Salary Standardization Law, which is seen as a major blow to the pension system of soldiers and policemen because unpaid pensions have already accumulated to P18 billion since 2000.

Presidential Decree 1638, issued in 1979 by President Ferdinand Marcos, established a sys-

tem of retirement and separation benefits for military personnel going for optional retirement after 20 years of service, or by reaching the mandatory age of retirement of 56 with at least 15 years of service.

The monthly pension ranges from P11,125.50 to P86,062.50, depending on rank and length of service.

When the pensioner dies, the spouse gets 75 percent of the monthly pension.

In the same budget proposal of the President, Duterte likewise ordered for the increases of compensation for soldiers and policemen.

“I already instructed the DBM to work on the increases on their base pay and certain allowances,” Duterte said.

“Our soldiers, policemen, and other uniformed personnel risk their lives to maintain peace and order

and ensure public safety. Hence, they must receive their due.”

“I will fulfill that promise. We will pursue a law that increases the base pay of uniformed personnel but reforms the pension system of retirees,” he added.

The Philippine National Police, meanwhile, which is under the supervision of the DILG will also see an increased budget of P110.4 billion appropriations, which aims to create 10,000 police officer positions and fund its capability enhancement program, which includes the acquisition of more guns and patrol vehicles, and finance other activities for crime suppression.

Duterte had earlier announced his plan to create a pension office for the military to address the problem of soldiers waiting to receive their hard-earned pen-

sions when they retire.

He said he wanted a system to better address their concerns of families who wait forever to receive their pensions and would also push for free education to the children of soldiers “giving their life for the country.”

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno had earlier said members of the uniformed services will not receive full salary increases

by August, contrary to the President’s promise, because there is no appropriation yet for any increase.

The Budget Department, however, is “looking at a three-year trajectory” to fix the current salaries and at least increase the “take-home pay” of soldiers, if not their full salary.

Diokno said his department is doing what it can to supplement the uniformed personnel’s income.

House names more leaders

A SENIOR citizen urged the Commission on Elections to cancel the registration of the Coalition of Association of Senior Citizens in the Philippines party-list group which won a seat in the May 2016 national elections.

Senior citizen Cecille Lopez complained that more than one million elderly Filipinos were robbed of representation because of the infighting on who should take the congressional seat they won in the last election.

The Comelec said that the Senior Citizens party-list is one of three party-list groups which have not yet been issued its certificates of proclamation (COPs) by the Comelec because of the issue of multiple nominees.

RIGHT after admitting he was using prohibited drugs, Quezon City Councilor Hero Bautista went straight to a private drug rehabilitation center Monday afternoon.

QC public information officer Ares Gutierrez said Bautista took a six-month leave of absence and went to the rehabilitation center accompanied

by Fr. Sal Lagumbo.

“He is now in a rehabilitation facility,” he told the Manila Standard, adding that Mayor Herbert Bautista, Hero’s brother, was relieved when Hero confessed he was hooked on drugs and volunteered to undergo a rehabilitation treatment.

“The mayor, Hero and their sister Harlene had talked about Hero’s plan to open up,” he said. The older Bautista was also shocked to learn about his brother’s drug use, Gutierrez said.

Butz Aquino memorial set PARTY BUILDING. Dr. Klaus Schuller, executive director of Christian Democratic Union of Germany, explains why their political system suits the Philippines during a political party building training spearheaded by the European Union, the Bangsamoro Political Party Building and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Makati City on Tuesday. Danny Pata

DoH offers free help for stroke patients

By Cathrine Mae V. Gonzales attending doctor distinguish the THE Department of Health on Tuesday launched a free medical assistance program for stroke patients in select government hospitals nationwide as part of the Brain Attack Awareness Week.

According to the Philippine Health Statistics, six out of 10,000 die of stroke or cerebrovascular diseases. It is also the top cause of disability among adults with 32 percent of survivors ending to be disabled.

The DoH, however, noted that only patients who have ischemic type of stroke or those with blood vessels in the brain will benefit from the program.

“It is very important that the

type of stroke, whether ischemic or hemorrhagic, as alteplase will just worsen the stroke if given to those with the haemorrhagic type since this will just promote more bleeding in the brain,” said Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial.

Alteplase, or tissue plasminogen activator, is ideally given in the first three hours of acute stroke.

This move by the Health Department is partnered with the Stroke Society of the Philippines that helps hospitals in establishing acute stroke units.

To date, there are 26 government hospitals across the country equipped with stroke units.

“Acute stroke units will ensure to improve chance of survival of stroke patients, reduce disability, shorten hospital stay and shorten length of rehabilitation.” said Dr. Epifania Collantes, president of SSP. Meanwhile, Ubial said they are still looking at partnering with private hospitals to widen the program’s reach, but noted that it should still give the alteplase for free to eligible patients.

“Alteplase is truly a life-saving drug and every stroke patient eligible to receive it should have access to it,” she said.

“It is not acceptable that a patient who cannot shelve out P80,000 will be deprived of this emergency medicine at a time

when this is needed the most,” she added.

The DoH procured the medicine in bulk for only P30,000 per vial, P50,000 less than those bought in pharmacies.

Despite the free medication, the Health Department reminded the public that strokes can be prevented by choice.

“The best way to prevent stroke is to engage in healthy lifestyle. Do not smoke. Do not drink alcohol excessively. Engage in regular aerobic activity. Hypertensive and diabetic patients should take their medications regularly. Maintain your ideal body weight,” Ubial said.

“Together, let us start our journey today in all for health towards health for all,” she said.

THE family of the late Senator Agapito “Butz” Aquino has set a commemorative mass to mark the first death anniversary of the departed solon who was a younger brother of the martyred Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino.

The mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. on August 17 at the chapel of St. Therese of the Child Jesus Columbary across Naia 3.

Aside from members of his immediate family, also expected to attend are his close friends, his high school and college classmates at the Ateneo de Manila and members of the August Twenty One Movement which he founded after Ninoy’s assassination.

Butz Aquino served as senator from 1987 to 1995 and was also a former congressman of the 2nd District of Makati from 1998 to 2007. He was national president of the Philippine Jaycees and was also active in the cooperative movement. He became chairman of the Cooperative Center of the Philippines and chairman emeritus of the National Cooperatives Movement, an umbrella group for local co-ops.

DoJ starts probe of motorist’s killing

PULLING PUNCHES.

Senator Manny Pacquiao questions Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez (right) during a briefing on the state of Philippine sports at the Senate on Tuesday.

Ey Acasio

By Rey E. Requejo

Group pushes all-out campaign vs corruption THE Mayor Rodrigo Roa DuterteNational Executive Coordinating Committee is pushing a nationwide campaign against corruption and lawlessness in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to make the country a better and safer place for Filipinos.

At the same time, MRRD-NECC will embark on a massive education and information dissemination among various local government units to promote federalism.

Elderly hits party-list group

QC councilor goes to rehab

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives has almost completed its organization under the present 17th Congress with the election of more deputy speakers, including former President, now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Aside from Arroyo, House Majority Floor Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas also named Monday night four other deputy speakers: Taguig Rep. Pia Cayetano, AAMBIS-OWA partylist Rep. Sharon Garin, Cebu Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia and Davao City Rep. Mylene Garcia-Albano.

Two other deputy speakers to be added to the list would be Camarines Sur Rep. Rolando Andaya Jr. and Maguindanao and Cotabato City Rep. Bai Sandra Sema.

Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr., speaker of the 16th Congress, was named chairman of the House special committee on the West Philippine Sea. Belmonte welcomed his appointment as chairman of the special committee which will handle issues pertaining to the continuing dispute in the West Philippine Sea. Returning Rep. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte was appointed chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs.

Barbers, a known anti-drug advocate, welcomed his appointment as the new chairman of the committee.

“I am humbled to be named chairman of the committee on dangerous drugs. We will prioritize legislation that will reflect the present administration’s allout war against illegal drugs and commitment to rehabilitate drug users. I am ready to work with stakeholders to achieve into fruition the legislative agenda of our President,” Barbers said.

IN BRIEF

The group, which threw its allout support to the President’s war against drugs and criminality, however, bewailed that the issue of graft and corruption appears to have been left out or sidelined by the aggressive anti-drug campaign.

According to MRRD-NECC officials, Duterte has promised to make the government better and “cleaner”by directing all agencies to shun red tape and for the public to report all forms of corruption.

The group is urging the Filipino people to fulfill their obligation as citizens of this country to help President Duterte in his heroic and patriotic war against illegal drugs, criminality, corruption and poverty.

Former Rep. Dante Liban, in a press conference called by the group, also scored Vice President Leni Robredo for her negative comment on the ongoing anticriminality campaign by insinuating that the killings are deliber-

ate, as she parroted other critics’ accusation that human rights are being violated. MRRD said the Vice President should be more circumspect in her pronouncements as one misguided statement may cause more harm than good.

“The President magnanimously reached out to her although she ran with another party,” Liban, the president of the People’s National Movement for Federalism (Penamfed), noted.

THE Department of Justice on Tuesday held its first preliminary investigation hearing on the criminal charges hurled against two Philippine National Police Highway Patrol Group personnel who killed an arrested motorcycle rider last July 29.

PO2 Jonjie Manon-og and PO3 Jeremiah de Villa, who showed up before the DoJ for the first hearing on charges of murder, torture and robbery filed by the family of victim J dela Riarte, appealed for extension of time within which to file their answers to the complaint.

Investigating Assistant State Prosecutor George Yarte Jr. granted the request but only gave them 10 days or until the next hearing on Aug. 26 to submit the required answer.

During the hearing, the National Bureau of Investigation also submitted to the prosecutor findings of its investigation, as well as personal belongings of

the victim recovered from the crime scene.

The NBI also turned over its autopsy report, indicating that the victim sustained four gunshot wounds. But this was contrary to the forensic findings submitted by complainant that showed seven gunshot wounds based on autopsy conducted by the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO).

The Riarte family was represented by chief public attorney Persida Rueda-Acosta during the hearing.

In the complaint, PAO said that its investigation showed that the victim was shot five times near the heart, liver and hips in a manner Acosta described as “execution style.”

It rejected the official pronouncement of HPG that Dela Riarte resisted arrest.

PAO cited the video taken by the star witness, which showed Dela Riarte being punched in the stomach with a gun, slapped on the face, and elbowed on the back by the respondent.

Sports

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Rudisha ruthless in 800m, but Brazil steals show in Rio R

IO DE JANEIRO—David Rudisha sealed a historic Olympic 800m double as Shaunae Miller’s audacious dive and Thiago Braz’s pole vault gold for Brazil lit up a wet Monday night in Rio. Kenya’s Rudisha was all class in a smooth 800m victory which made him the first man since New Zealand’s Peter Snell in 1964 to win the event at consecutive Olympics.

“It is great to win such a big competition, my second gold,” Rudisha said. “It’s so great. I am so excited. It is the greatest moment of my career.”

But Rudisha was soon upstaged by the Bahamas’ Miller, who threw herself head-first across the line to snatch victory from flummoxed American favourite Allyson Felix.

More was to come when Braz stunned French defending champion and world record-holder Renaud Lavillenie to win the pole vault, grabbing Brazil’s second gold of the Games and bringing the sparse crowd to its feet.

Earlier, a wobble on the balance beam ended Simone Biles’ bid for a record five gymnastics gold medals, and Rio had its latest safety scare when a giant suspended TV camera plunged to the ground, slightly injuring seven.

Miller remained lying on the

track for some time after her unconventional dive, which followed a similar lunge across the line by Brazil’s Joao Vitor de Oliveira to qualify from his 110m hurdles heats.

“I’ve never done it before. I have some cuts and bruises, a few burns. It hurts,” Miller said.

“When I was on the ground I didn’t know I’d won. I still don’t know how it happened. What was in my mind was I had to get a gold medal. The next thing I was on the ground. It’s an amazing feeling.”

Costly wobble Her last-ditch plunge meant disappointment for America’s Felix, who has Olympic gold medals over 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m but who switched to focus on the longer distance.

The desperate dives came on

a treacherously wet night when runners clattered into hurdles and the discus slipped from hands before officials called a 20-minute suspension.

Conditions were so bad that an extra 110m hurdles heat was arranged for competitors who didn’t qualify from the first two races, when the rain was torrential.

As the rain eased, Kenyan middle-distance star Rudisha emerged to stamp his class on the 800m.

The world champion and world record-holder hit the front in the final 300m and had one more gear than his rivals as he swept to the line in 1min 42.15sec.

In the pole vault, Lavillenie was the hot favourite but he was undone by Braz’s Olympic record of 6.03m and had to settle for silver in

front of the partisan crowd.

“In 1936 the crowd was against Jesse Owens. We’ve not see this since. We have to deal with it,” said the Frenchman in response to the jeers he received in a comparison sure to be judged as being in extremely poor taste.

Gymnast Biles was confident of claiming her fourth Rio win and move into position for an unprecedented fifth on the last day of the competition on Tuesday.

But the tiny Texan wobbled badly on the balance beam when landing a forward somersault and had to put both hands down for support.

It was a bewildering upset for Biles, 19, who hadn’t lost a final since 2013 but wound up with bronze as the Netherlands’ Sanne Wevers topped the podium. AFP

Iglupas, top seeds win in Olivarez tilt THREEPEAT-SEEKING Khim Iglupas romped off with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jade Capadocia to join the top three seeded bets into the second round of the ladies singles of the seventh Olivarez Cup Tennis Championship at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat Tuesday.

Iglupas, who dominated Marian Capadocia, 6-3, 6-3, to retain her crown here last year, overpowered the younger Capadocia with her superb all-around game to move into the Last 16 phase against Rachelle De Guzman, who eased out Ma. Dominique Ong, 6-0, 6-1.

Unranked Miles Vitaliano pulled off a shock 6-4, 6-2 victory over No. 8 Raffaela Villanueva while Michael Madrio stunned No. 8 Anthony Alcoseba, 7-5, 6-1, in the men’s side for two of a number of reversals in the tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and Slazenger as the official ball.

Marian Capadocia, the top ranked bet in the elite side that includes No. 2 Clarice Patrimonio and third seed Maia Balce, also primed herself up for a projected semis face-off with the No. 4 Iglupas, beating Patricia Paez, 6-1, 6-2.

Clarice Patrimonio, on the

other hand, turned in a more impressive start in the premier event put up by Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez along with Rep. Eric Olivarez and Dr. Pablo Olivarez as part of the family’s long-time commitment to develop the sport, a 6-0, 6-0 rout of Bea Ebriega, while Balce got past qualifier Noguchi Yoshino, 6-0, 6-3.

No. 5 Marinel Rudas also advanced with a 6-1, 6-0 romp over Clarizza Caorte for a duel with Frances Santiago, who trounced Charito Capadocia, 6-0, 6-0, while sixth ranked Christine Patrimonio toppled Erika Manduriao, 6-2, 6-1, to seal a second round match with Ingrid Gonzales, who repulsed Karam Atangan, 7-6(3), 1-6, 6-3.

Other winners were No. 7 Hannah Espinosa, who trampled Joanna Tan, 6-3, 6-1; Ma. Lyn Troncoso, who upended Chloe Saraza, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4; Rachelle de Guzman, who routed Dominique Ong, 6-0, 6-1; Crizzabelle Paulino, who defeated Toni Rose Raymundo. 6-1, 6-2; Gaby Zoleta, who turned back Jennylyn Magpayo, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2; Shaira Hope Rivera, who outlasted Akiko De Guzman, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2; and Aileen Rogan, who dominated Joy Yuen, 6-1, 6-0.

Kenya’s David Lekuta Rudisha (center) celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win the Men’s 800m Final during the athletics event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. AFP

Dumaguete hosts football leg

OFFICIAL AUDITOR. Philippine Superliga Chairman Philip Ella Juico shakes hands with PriceWaterhouseCoopers (vice chairman Roderick Danao after the PSL formally tapped the firm to become the internal auditing firm of its hosting of the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship and the FIVB Women’s Club World Championship. Also shown is FIVB CWC local organizing committee honorary chairman Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano. Roman Prospero

ACTION in the six monthlong and nationwide Football For A Better Life 10-leg series shifts to Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental this weekend (Aug. 20 and 21) following a successful inaugural leg in Gingoog, Misamis Oriental.

Organized by Spears Activation and sponsored

by British life insurance company PRU Life UK, in cooperation with the Azkals Foundation and different regional football associations, the two-day event, consisting of a free football clinic and football competition in various age categories, will be held at the Rusi Open

Field, Cimafranca Subdivision, Barangay Daro in Dumaguete City.

The Negros OrientalSiquijor Regional Football Association is the local organizer.

Current Azkals Simone Rota and local football hero Rex Cuaresma, together with project director and former Azkals skipper Chieffy Caligdong and Meralco UFL player Fil-Briton Graham Caygill, will be conducting the free football clinic on the first day of the football festival, according to chief organizer Albert Almendralejo of Spears Activation.

He added that aside from the host city, participants will be coming from Canlaon City, Bayawan, San Carlos and Dipolog.

Football competition will be in the 6 to 8-yearsold, 9 to 10, and 11 to 12, all mixed boys and girls, playing 7-to-a-side.

Other categories are in the 14-years-old, boys and girls, 17-years-old, boys and girls, and men’s open.

The other local cooperating groups are the city government of Dumaguete City, led by Mayor Felipe Remollo, Negros Oriental, with Gov. Roel Degamo, Silliman University and Barangay Daro.

Yong Yong cops PCSO National Grand Derby THE HOARSE WHISPERER JENNY ORTUOSTE BECAUSE of late scratches and bad weather, just three horses showed up for the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office National Grand Derby last Sunday (Aug. 14) at Metroturf Racecourse in Malvar, Batangas.

Despite the inclement weather brought by the hanging habagat, the race proceeded with Yong Yong, Guatemala, and Dance Again in contention. They reached the wire in that order, with all participants assured of a prize from the sponsoring organization.

Yong Yong was ridden to vic-

tory by Jonathan B. Hernandez, and is owned by Leonardo “Sandy” M. Javier Jr. and trained

by Ruben S. Tupas. The time for the mile race was 1:39.

The weather, of course, cannot be controlled, but it was a disappointingly small field for such a prestigious race. Members of the PCSO Racing Committee are mulling over a change in the rule on the minimum number of runners.

At the moment, it is “three to run.”

Making sure that the Derby, and other equally large stakes races, have a certain number of participants – say, no less than five or six – would make for a more exciting competition and preserve the dignity of the event.

An event that draws less than the minimum number of runners should be cancelled outright, no resetting allowed. That

should encourage participants to appreciate the efforts of sponsors to help the industry. *** This Sunday’s main event is the 8th Mayor Ramon Bagatsing Racing Festival, to be staged at the Manila Jockey Club’s San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.

Among the event’s major races are the 1,750-meter 3YO Centennial Classic for imported and local horses, featuring Radio Active, Homonhon Island, Dewey Boulevard, Space Needle, and Daiquiri Lass.

The 1,750-meter 4YO and older Challenge of Champions showcases Atomicseventynine, Haley’s Rainbow, Dixie Gold, Court Of Honour, Kanlaon, Love To Death, and Marinx.

The 1,500-meter 3YO old Lo-

cal Challenge Race pits against each other Real Flames, Pinay Pharoah, Leave It To Me, Mr. Noble, Guanta Na Mera, Xen Young, Double Rock, Bite My Dust, Pinagtipunan, Kundiman, Play It Safe, and Creative.

Also on the card is the 5th leg of the Philippine Racing Commission’s Imported-Local Challenge. The 2,000-meter race is open to imports and local-breds.

This year marks the centennial of Mayor Bagatsing’s birth. The late mayor of Manila was an avid racing aficionado who made the Gran Copa de Manila into MJC’s premier annual event. It used to be held every year on Araw ng Maynila and was held at the nowdefunct San Lazaro Hippodrome in Tayuman, Manila.

The event sponsors are Resorts World Manila, Philracom, PCSO,

MJC, Midas Hotel and Casino, DLTB Bus Company, Herma Farms and Stud, EEG Development Corporation, Mr. Eduardo “Duay” Calixto, City of Dreams Manila, and Pacific Online Systems Corporation.

Part of the proceeds of the day’s races will go to the KABAKA (Kabalikat ng Bayan sa Kaunlaran) Foundation, a non-governmental foundation dedicated to providing comprehensive social services to the poor. Founded

by Amado Bagatsing in 1985, it provides medical assistance, nutrition-feeding programs (for children), educational and skills training programs, and facilitates social and economic initiatives. *** Facebook: Gogirl Racing, Twitter: @gogirlracing, Instagram: @jensdecember

NU eyes V-League quarters Games today

4 p.m. – Perpetual vs NU 6 p.m. – FEU vs UST

NATIONAL University guns for the second quarterfinal berth in Group A as it squares off with also-ran Perpetual Help today (Wednesday) while Far Eastern U and University of Santo Tomas prime up for the next round in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The Lady Bulldogs set out for their 4 p.m. encounter with the Lady Altas brimming with confidence following 3-0 routs over the San Sebastian and Technological Institute of the Philippines sides. And ranged against a team which has never tasted a set win in three games, NU could indeed be in for another smooth sailing.

A third straight victory will formalize the last year’s runners-up stint in the next round as it will join early qualifier San Sebastian, which subdued the TIP side in five last Monday to advance in Group A of the twodivision tournament sponsored

by Shakey’s and backed by Mikasa as official ball and Accel as official outfitter.

That will also leave the fight for the third and last quarters berth to TIP and Ateneo, which stayed in the hunt at 1-2 with a sweep of Perpetual, also last Monday.

But the defending champion Lady Eagles will have their hands full in their last elims assignment as they will face the Lady Bulldogs at the close of the single round elims on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Lady Tams face off with the Tigresses at 6 p.m., looking for a third straight win and a joint hold of the Group B lead with the UP Lady Maroons.

FEU and UST, toting a 2-1 card, have actually clinched the two other berths in the next round but both teams are going flat-out for the win for a better carryover record in the quarters.

The two matches will be aired live on ABS-CBN Sports + Action Channel 23 and via streaming on www.sports.abs-cbn. com, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

Nietes relinquishes WBO light fly title

By Ronnie Nathanielsz DONNIE Nietes, the longest-reigning Filipino world champion, has relinquished his World Boxing Organization light flyweight title, as he prepares to move up in weight to face former world champion Edgar Sosa in a flyweight bout at the StubHub Center in Carson City, California on Sept. 24.

ALA Promotions’ president Michael Aldeguer told The Standard that Nietes was keen on moving up in weight and facing bigger names at 112 pounds, beginning with Sosa.

At the same time, he said “Nietes was finding it hard to make the 108-pound limit although he could.”

Nietes feels much more comfortable at 112 pounds.

Trainer Edmund Villamor said earlier that Nietes was around 120 to 125 pounds and it would be easier to trim down to 112 without too much trouble.

Nietes, who has reigned as a two-division champion for over eight years, surpassed the record of the late junior lightweight champion Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, who reigned as world junior lightweight champion for 7 years, 3 months and 10 days, at the start of this year.

One of the first acts of Nietes was to pay a courtesy call on Elorde’s wife Mrs. Laura Elorde in Manila and to thank her for the support of the Elorde family.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0.0 M+ P0.0 M+

Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

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Sports

Lions, Chiefs rip foes Games Thursday

(The Arena in San Juan) 10 a.m. San Sebastian vs Arellano (jrs) 12 nn JRU vs San Beda (jrs) 2 p.m. Mapua vs JRU (srs) 4 p.m. Letran vs Lyceum (srs)

By Peter Atencio THE San Beda Red Lions and the Arellano University Chiefs got off to shaky starts, but still prevailed over their respective rivals at the start of the second round of the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

The College of St. Benilde Blazers gave the Red Lions a scare when they asserted themselves in the first period in their effort to score their first win at the Arena in San Juan.

But big games from Donald Tankoua, Davon Potts and Roldan Sara saved the day for the Mendiola-based dribblers, who went to to score a resounding 82-64 verdict.

This kept the Red Lions in the solo lead with their ninth win in 10 matches.

“We needed 20 minutes to wake up and do the right things,” said Red Lions’ coach Jamike Jarin, who added that the team didn’t practice much during their long break after the first round.

The Chiefs, with Jio Jalalon giving a season-best 33 points, including 12 triples, drew crucial baskets from Jalalon in the fourth quarter and from Kent Salado and Dioncee Holts in the closing minutes to survive a close fight with the San Sebastian Stags, 89-84.

“We had a bad start after the 10day break. Finally, we got the first win in the second round,” said Chiefs coach Jerry Codinera.

The Philippines’ Eric Cray (left) trails Japan’s Keisuke Nozawa in the Men’s 400m Hurdles Round 1 during the athletics event of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. AFP

Yeng fined; Mahindra faces NLEX Games Today

(Smart Araneta Coliseum): 4:15 p.m. - NLEX vs. Mahindra 7 p.m. - Meralco vs. Blackwater

By Jeric Lopez THE Philippine Basketball Association fined fiery Rain or Shine coach Yeng Guiao P22,000 for yelling unfavorable statements at the referees after he got ejected late in the third quarter of the Painters’ 117-114 win over Alaska last Saturday.

While walking out of the court after getting thrown out for his second technical foul of the contest, Guiao yelled at the game officials: “Wala ng nanonood sa atin, ref!”

The P20,000 of his total fine came from his thorough criticism of the officiating, while the additional P2,000 was for his first technical foul in the second quarter, wherein he instantly entered the court to protest a call.

Guiao wasn’t the only member of Rain or Shine who got sanctioned.

Big man Beau Belga was also reprimanded and slapped a P5,000 penalty for a flagrant foul he committed against Alaska star Calvin Abueva.

“It’s not only me but there are already a lot who doesn’t understand what a foul is and what’s not,” Guiao said. “It’s about the confusion of not knowing what a foul is.”

Meanwhile, former leagueleader Mahindra attempts to get back to its winning ways after getting halted the last time out as it resumes its campaign in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Govenors’ Cup. Still good for second place, the surprising Enforcers (4-1) aim to keep their spot in the standings when they face NLEX (2-3) at 4:15 p.m. in the opening game of a double-header at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today.

Fil-Am Cray guns for slot in 400-m hurdles’ finals

R

IO DE JANEIRO—Fil-American Eric Cray will have to unleash the fastest run of his life today in order to reach the finals of the 400-m hurdles at the Nilton Santos Stadium here.

Cray finished third among six runners in Heat 4 of the preliminaries Monday noon with his time of 49.05, just a tick slower than his best time of 48.96. The top three runners in each of the six heats will be joined by six seeds in the semis, which starts at 9:30 p.m., Rio time.

A total of 24 runners are in the semis, divided into three heats of eight runners each. The top two from each heat will advance to the finals while the two other

slots will be a tossup among the remaining runners, based on their semis clockings.

Cray, the fastest man in Southeast Asia, is determined to get to the finals where he can shoot for at least the bronze medal. If he advances, he will be the first Filipino in the Olympic finals of the men’s 400m hurdles after Miguel White did it in 1936 in Berlin.

White, also a Fil-American, won the bronze in Berlin.

“I qualified to the next round and

I’m really excited. That was my second fastest time. I just want to get to the semis tomorrow and run as fast as I can and hopefully make it to the finals” said Cray, born in Olongapo City but now based in Texas.

“I had no doubt. I knew I just had to go out there and run to the best of my ability. I did that and I’m going to the semis,” he said after the race.

It was 37 degrees by the time the heats in the men’s 400m hurdles were staged. It’s been unusually hot and humid here in Rio the past two days when the past week it’s been cold and drizzling.

Cray said he was not bothered at all by the heat.

“It’s the perfect weather to run on,” said the 27-year-old as he headed back to the Athletes’ Village,

needing to recover as fast as he can.

Cray will be in the second of three semifinal heats, bunched with Sergio Fernandez of Spain (49.31), Jameel Hyde if Jamaica (49.24), Keisuke Nozawa of Japan, who topped Cray’s heat earlier, (48.62), Jack Green of Great Britain (48.96), Abdelmalik Lahoulou of Algeria (48.62), Boniface Mucheru of Kenya (48.91) and Kerron Clement of the United States (49.17).

In his heat, Cray is ranked fifth but among the 24 semifinalists he is in 14th.

Annsert Whyte of Jamaica is the top runner in the semis with a time of 48.37, followed by Javier Culson of Puerto Rico, the bronze medalist in the 2012 London Olympics at 48.53, and Karsten

Warholm of Norway at 48.49, whose times are better than Cray’s personal best.

White and Culson will be in Heat 2, while Warholm will be in Heat 3.

Cray’s coach, Davian Clarke of Jamaica, said Cray’s clocking Monday was his second best-time ever.

“But at this competition you have to run that fast and even faster if he (Cray) wants to make it to the finals and win a medal,” said the bronze medalist in the 4x400 relay of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

“Yes, we have big plans, and it starts by making it to the semis and then to the finals. Once you get to the finals, everybody has a chance. Once we get to the finals then we leave it all on the track,” he said.

NBA stars take on Argentina RIO DE JANEIRO—The USA’s NBA stars will face Argentina’s ageing but still scrappy “golden generation” in a compelling grudge match in the Rio Games basketball knockout phase.

Spain will play European rivals France in another key quarterfinal clash on Wednesday as the Olympic tournament’s winor-go-home match-ups fell into place.

In the other quarterfinals, Australia meets Lithuania while Croatia and Serbia battle in a Balkan showdown.

The brackets were set late Monday with the final Group B games, including Spain’s crunch Marcos Delia (left) and Nicolas Laprovittola (right) of Argentina jock- 90-82 victory over Argentina.

A loss would have sent Spain, ey for a better rebounding position with Spain’s Pau Gasol on Day 10 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at Carioca Arena 1 in Rio de Janeiro, the two-time silver medallists, on an unexpectedly early trip home, Brazil. AFP

while Argentina sought a win to avoid facing the high-powered Americans.

Argentina is the last team to have beaten the USA in Olympic competition, in the Athens 2004 semi-final en route to the South American country’s only basketball gold.

It was the only time the Americans have been denied gold since NBA pros were allowed to represent the States beginning in 1992, and it still smarts with Team USA. Argentina battled into the Rio quarters led by four veterans from that “golden generation” squad, including four-time NBA champ Manu Ginobili of the San Antonia Spurs.

“I feel very fortunate to be here at 39 (years old). We’re going to

try and play our best basketball possible, no matter who we play,” Ginobili said.

It will be an enticing matchup of battle-hardened Olympic veterans—buoyed by boisterous Argentina fans—against an explosive young American team seeking a third straight gold.

The Americans triggered questions after winning by increasingly narrow margins in the groups, but they went 5-0 and are yet to display their full firepower.

Spain reached the gold-medal match against the USA in the past two Olympics, but looked in trouble in Rio after losing its first two games.

But they won their next two and on Monday pounced on Argentina with an early 22-3 run and never looked back. AFP

Vargas vows to maul Pacquiao Marestella determined to do good in Rio

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

WORLD Boxing Organization welterweight champion Jessie Vargas vowed to give eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao a severe beating when they clash at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 5.

While not many are pleased with Pacquiao’s choice of Vargas, who is also under Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, the American told Boxing Scene that he disagrees with the critics and said there is no need for the Filipino, who has been fighting as a welterweight all these years to drop down to junior wel-

terweight to face the unbeaten WBC/ WBO champion Terrence Crawford.

Crawford is coming off a dominant victory over previously unbeaten Viktor Postol, who was trained by Pacquiao trainor Freddie Roach.

Vargas insisted that after he sends Pacquiao into retirement, the same critics will be praising him as the next superstar in boxing.

“I’m going to surprise the world. I’m going to let them know, who Jessie Vargas is. I’m going to beat the the sh_t out of Manny Pacquiao and then I’ll be the next star and everyone will be talking about me. It’s plain and simple.”

RIO DE JANEIRO—Marestella Torres-Sunang, in her third and last Olympics, is even more determined to reach the finals of the women’s long jump in this 2016 Summer Games.

Now 35, married and with a child, Sunang has failed twice in the Olympics, in Beijing in 2008 and in London in 2012.

On both occasions she failed to deliver her best performance.

Sunang is hoping it would come here in Rio. “Sana nga dito ako maka-

finals. Last Olympics ko na ito. Finals talaga ang target,” said Sunang in her early days here in Rio de Janeiro.

Sunang arrived in this city of samba with the main group of the Philippine delegation last July 23. It’s been three weeks now and the excitement and pressure are building up.

“Okay naman ako. Excited na din kasi ang tagal na naghintay dito,” she said on the eve of the women’s long-jump competition at the Nilton Santos Stadium.

Sunang will be among the 38 entries seeking one of the 12 finals slots at stake. Action begins at 9 p.m. Tuesday (8 a.m. Wednesday in Manila).

Each entry will be given three attempts each.

Any athlete that jumps 6.75 will get an automatic finals slot.

In London, four years ago, Sunang could not jump longer than 6.22 meters in three attempts, doing 5.98 and 6.21 in her first two attempts.

It was a huge disappoint-

ment because prior to the London Games, she just won the SEA Games gold in Palembang with a record jump of 6.71 meters.

She surpassed that mark last month at the Kazakhstan Open, doing 6.72 and earning a ticket to the Rio Olympics.

She wants to match or surpass that effort here.

If she manages to at least duplicate her personal best here, then Sunang should make it to the finals scheduled Wednesday at 9:15 p.m.

Business

Ayala starts motorcycle venture

B3

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

B1

Semirara reels from govt probe

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

EMIRARA Mining and Power Corp., the coal mining and power generation unit of DMCI Holdings Inc., will buy back shares from the market in a bid to stop the drop in stock prices after the government threatened to shut down its coal mine.

Semirara said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday its board approved a 60-day share buyback program involving 20 million shares starting Aug. 18.

The shares will be acquired based on prevailing market price. Semirara said the buy-back program aimed to enhance shareholder’s value and provide stockholders an opportunity to liquidate their investments.

“In consultation with PSE trading participants, management will determine the prices and the terms under which said shares will be purchased from time to time,” Semirara said.

Share price of Semirara hit a 52-week low of P95.50 per share last week, before rebounding to P108.10 Tuesday, following the announcement of a share repurchase

program.

Semirara said it received a show cause letter from the Environment Department on Aug. 12, asking the company to explain and comply within seven days from receipt of the letter why its environmental compliance certificate should not be cancelled.

Semirara said the Environment Department, which conducted an inter-agency fact finding and field visit on May 23 to 27, claimed that the company allegedly did not comply with one of the conditions provided in its ECC relative to the Molave coal mine expansion project in Barangay Semirara, Caluya, Antique.

The letter noted that there was no proper stockpiling and disposal of the materials scooped out from the settling ponds and other solid waste

IN BRIEF Peso at 46.24 a dollar

THE peso climbed to a two-month high against the US dollar Tuesday, on investors’ expectation of a delayed interest rates hike in the US. The peso gained P0.20 to close at 46.24 a dollar Tuesday from 46.44 a dollar on Monday. It was the highest finish for the peso since it settled at 46.08 per greenback on June 13, 2016.

Trading volume reached $710 million Tuesday, up from $555 million Monday.

Security Bank said in a report that with “Fed Funds futures fully pricing in the next hike to June 2017, the US dollar should continue to remain range-bound with a bias to the downside.”

Brent crude traded at $48.04 a barrel Tuesday, down by 0.6 percent from Monday.

Bank of the Philippine Islands research officer Nicholas Antonio Mapa said reports of weak US retail sales were among the reasons behind the depreciation of the dollar. Julito G. Rada

MNTC earns P2b

THE Tollway unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. said Tuesday net income grew 38 percent in the first half from a year ago, driven by increased vehicle traffic at North Luzon Expressway and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

Manila North Tollways Corp. said net income in January to June reached P2 billion, up from P1.45 billion in the same period last year.

The company attributed the increase in net income to the high traffic growth and toll revenues contributed by the SCTEx concession project.

Six-month revenues climbed 30 percent to P5.28 billon from P4.05 billion a year ago. SCTEx operations contributed P797.8 million to the total revenue.

Average daily traffic at NLEx hit 219,132 average daily entries in the first half, or 9.1 percent higher than 200,872 vehicles in the same period in 2015.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Govt studies fixed taxes

The Finance Department said it is studying the implementation of a fixed taxation scheme which will be easier to implement than the current progressive tax system.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, however, said implementing the fixed taxation scheme would require amending the 1987 Constitution.

A fixed tax is a lump sum tax that is not measured as a percentage of the tax base such as income, wealth or consumption.

“Our Constitution mandates a progressive tax system, which means to say pay in accordance to your ability to pay, basically on what you earn. I know fixed taxation, like in Hong Kong, is very effective,” Dominguez said.

“Now, we are going to have a constitutional change, so I will suggest that people really think about a provision that will allow something like this. It will certainly make life a lot easier for you, and a lot easier for the taxing authorities. [That] will most likely reduce the amount of corruption,” Dominguez said. Gabrielle H. Binaday

impermanent, stabilized areas to avoid pollution of any water body and drainage systems and maintaining them in safe and non-polluting conditions.

Environment undersecretary Leo Jasareno said there were complaints against Semirara, including massive clearing affecting the island ecosystem, degradation of water quality and siltation of the marine environment. “ The problem with Semirara is the open pit mine is now below sea level. How would DMCI [Holdings] rehabilitate the area?” Jasareno said.

Jasareno said Semirara Island covers an area of only 5,000 hectares while the pit occupies 40 hectares. He said a new expansion area would cover 600 hectares in the middle of the island.

“The problem is that Semirara produces low-grade cheap coal and we are very much dependent on coal. We don’t want to have brownouts but Semirara has to get its act together,” Lopez said.

The Environment Department earlier suspended the operations of DMCI’s two mining units Berong Nickel Corp. and Zambales Diversified Metals Corp.

Smart, Globe set to cash in on Pokemon Go popularity

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE country’s two largest telecommunication companies are cashing in on Pokemon Go craze as they seek to stimulate mobile data usage amid a stagnant growth in traditional revenue sources.

Smart Communications Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. began offering free 30-day access to Pokemon Go, an augmented reality game app launched in the Philippines on Aug. 6.

Astro del Castillo, managing director of First Grade Finance Inc., said Pokemon Go would have a “positive impact” on the topline of Smart and Globe.

“Definitely, Pokemon Go is net positive for the telco players. It’s a revenue driver.

We expect a sudden surge of data traffic, “ Del Castillo added.

“Since these offers are free of data charges, Pokemon Go usage won’t have an immediate impact on ARPU [average revenue per user] and on data revenues,” Smart spokesperson Ramon Isberto told Manila Standard.

Smart’s prepaid ARPU stood at P106

in the second quarter, down from P114 last year, while postpaid ARPU also went down to P1,018 from P1,065.

“The idea is to remove barriers to entry, and encourage as many of our subscribers to try it out as the game sweeps the world. What we do expect is that people’s enthusiasm for Pokemon Go will stimulate mobile data usage in general. This should eventually help drive data traffic and data revenues up,” Isberto said.

Smart’s mobile data usage rose 17 percent in the first half, which translated into a 55-percent growth in revenues amounting to P8.1 billion.

Globe spokesperson Yolanda Crisanto agreed with Isberto, saying that Pokemon Go could boost mobile data usage of its subscribers.

“Though we expect data usage to increase due to the phenomenon of Pokemon Go with potential revenues from additional data use and in app purchases, this is not however immediate since we are giving our customers free access via Globe Switch,” Crisanto said.

B2

Business

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock mart rises; ICTSI, Semirara lead advances

S

TOCKS gained Tuesday after oil prices climbed overnight but most Asian markets sank despite a strong lead from Wall Street.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index rose 23.21 points, or 0.3 percent, to 7,983.38 on a value turnover of P10.9 billion. Gainers beat losers, 107 to 75, with 59 issues unchanged.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., the biggest port operator, advanced 5.3 percent to P81.10, while Bloomberry Resorts Corp., also owned by Razon, jumped 6.7 percent to P6.70.

Semirara Mining and Power Corp., the largest coal miner, rallied 6 percent to P108.10, while LT Group Inc. of airline and tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan climbed 4.2 percent to P17.50.

Security Bank Corp., sixth biggest lender in terms of

capital, rose 4 percent to P223.

Tokyo, meanwhile, tumbled after a sharp rally in the yen and disappointing growth figures hit sentiment, while Shanghai fell after jumping Monday on hopes a scheme to link trading on the Shenzhen and Hong Kong bourses would be announced soon.

Seoul, Sydney and Bangkok were also down.

But bucking the trend were energy shares, which gained as oil prices held above $45 a barrel despite easing in Asian trade.

Oil had risen overnight after Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak was quoted as saying that his country was working with Saudi Arabia to achieve oil market stability.

Saudi’s oil minister had already hinted last week that producers could agree to limit output at an informal meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries in Algeria next month.

“What we are seeing in the oil market is an effective

Bourse revives plan to merge

jawboning by the Saudis, talking up the prospects of an Opec deal to move the oil price up,” Angus Nicholson, a strategist at IG Markets, said in a note.

Refiner JX Holdings in Tokyo rose just over one percent, while Sydney-listed Santos gained 2.5 percent and Sinopec in Hong Kong added 1.6 percent.

Mining giant BHP Billiton closed 0.5 percent higher in Sydney before it reported an annual net loss of $6.39 billion, its worst-ever result after being hit by the impact of a fatal mine dam disaster in Brazil and weak commodity prices.

Trading in other sectors was largely subdued.

Tokyo fell 1.6 percent after a rally in the yen against the dollar. The yen’s rise is a negative for Japanese exporters, making them less competitive overseas and denting profits.

It also came on top of below-par data Monday showing growth in the world’s number three economy was flat during the April-June period. With AFP

THE STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, AUGUST 16, 2016

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.45 9,000 47.75 17,400 104.5 2,366,840 3.85 61,000 115 1,424,160 1.44 56,000 38.3 33,500 16 5,900 21.1 1,718,300 1.94 8,000 0.62 222,000 89.9 14,411,100 0.89 34,000 14.7 213,900 60.5 43,230 280 270 310 20 100.7 1,160 32.4 276,200 223 1,100,650 73.8 17,070 1.49 103,000

29,850 830,025 246,261,903 233,800 162,936,323 81,490 1,287,265 94,860 36,636,395 15,520 136,240 1,296,185,980.50 30,260 3,144,090 2,628,825.50 75,100 6,200 112,302 8,903,330 241,679,752 1,258,149.50 153,470

801,410 -199,655 -21,101,733 492,445 -9,780 -12,340,560 30,500 -204,075,289 -29,360 -382,144 -25,020 4,770,595 81,727,626 542,160.50 0

1.85 45.8 3.14 0.8 12.1 11.56 16.92 136 23.05 57.4 150 2.22 5.54 12.54 10.94 9.04 7.35 5.93 24.8 70.95 12 16.1 5.7 2.31 252.2 39 2 4.25 26.6 33.3 13.32 325 0.26 4.85 3.41 11.26 3.16 11.5 6.1 1.63 3.43 218 4.18 2.2 3.72 3.04 0.152 2.31 1.91 182 4.6 1.88 31.25 1.23

INDUSTRIAL 1.86 350,000 46.45 784,200 3.31 2,428,000 0.82 421,000 12.28 600 11.7 22,178,100 16.92 11,731,200 136 120 23.4 8,556,400 60 5,300 150 1,590 2.26 1,367,000 5.55 391,900 12.62 141,300 11.36 5,000,800 9.15 748,000 7.54 1,138,900 6.09 20,780,300 25.1 1,281,500 71.25 337,750 12.2 31,500 16.22 81,000 6.02 1,359,500 2.31 772,000 253 516,570 39 200 2 2,000 4.3 21,000 26.75 156,300 34 338,000 13.4 6,210,200 325.4 230,140 0.26 60,000 5.05 7,700 3.42 670,000 11.4 5,748,500 3.16 1,000 11.5 36,300 6.19 604,400 1.63 425,000 3.43 26,000 224 18,570 4.19 1,215,000 2.2 16,000 3.72 22,000 3.05 156,000 0.153 4,960,000 2.32 737,000 1.94 460,000 184 8,486,520 4.75 4,000 1.9 19,034,000 31.25 100 1.26 1,022,000

651,370 36,326,305 7,906,890 345,370 7,340 258,638,258 198,853,646 16,320 200,783,650 317,660 238,563 3,120,590 2,175,138 1,790,166 56,671,858 6,826,873 8,615,364 125,034,457 32,014,340 24,089,601 384,570 1,313,610 8,058,054 1,790,040 130,685,078 7,800 4,000 89,760 4,176,530 11,438,875 84,221,142 74,893,558 15,600 37,720 2,326,400 65,355,508 3,160 417,470 3,720,074 693,120 90,230 4,167,046 5,090,850 35,200 82,040 475,750 760,570 1,705,320 890,860 1,568,787,287 18,700 36,897,380 3,125 1,257,120

14,387,225 -869,330.00 -52,667,804 -139,272,598 70,700 5,740 27,800.00 -197,912 5,320,906 82,300 -1,858,001 66,431,462 -2,508,010 -6,127,598 -928,911 -21,104,544 1,811,940 -1,286,275 27,358,182 -9,057,158 539,580 -4,025,260 -413,234 81,500 -816,456 4,654,780 -305,000 47,900 473,550 -483,558,861 -1,491,500 -

0.41 76 16.12 1.26 0.4 0.385 904.5 8.89 12.4 6.89 6.75 0.22 1,550 82.75 0.78 7.84 17.6 7.28 0.035 1.92 2.63 86 695 0.97 1.37 206 0.32 0.208 0.275

0.385 74.45 15.78 1.18 0.385 0.385 895 8.6 12.2 6.82 6.25 0.22 1,500 81.4 0.76 7.56 16.86 7.17 0.034 1.9 2.6 84 680 0.92 1.33 203 0.31 0.203 0.275

HOLDING FIRMS 0.4 1,980,000 75 1,798,360 15.92 4,776,500 1.26 37,000 0.385 1,130,000 0.385 240,000 900 457,680 8.83 2,560,500 12.24 7,798,200 6.89 198,000 6.6 33,900 0.22 50,000 1,500 236,015 82.6 1,788,710 0.77 162,000 7.65 3,226,000 17.5 15,348,400 7.25 16,294,800 0.034 17,700,000 1.92 361,000 2.63 19,000 86 700,220 695 341,780 0.97 23,000 1.36 594,000 206 9,510 0.31 750,000 0.208 380,000 0.275 450,000

791,400 135,127,040 75,891,288 45,390 437,150 92,400 410,473,290 22,604,114 95,585,814 1,358,398 220,727 11,000 358,182,600 147,109,545 125,350 24,896,358 266,094,502 117,824,238 606,500 686,670 49,430 59,725,657.50 234,479,890 21,540 799,120 1,956,300 234,200 78,270 123,750

-22,663,318.50 -9,883,154 -18,897,730 332,922 26,621,080 6,820 -209,557,005 -12,287,790 -4,936,027 71,536,384 -20,897,801 -9,866,452 -78,932,655 -67,300 0 -

0.265 7.9 1.29 2.79 41.9 3.22 0.62 0.167 0.64 59 0.79 1.94 1.08 1.21 5.15 0.124 0.44 17.64 42.85 32.45 1.76 3.37 30 0.98 7.05 1.06 6.45

0.265 7.81 1.26 2.67 41.5 3.1 0.6 0.161 0.61 58.6 0.78 1.86 1.06 1.16 5.06 0.12 0.435 15.5 41 31.5 1.72 3.3 29.05 0.95 7.05 1.03 6.1

PROPERTY 0.265 7.9 1.29 2.7 41.6 3.17 0.61 0.162 0.63 58.95 0.79 1.93 1.06 1.21 5.08 0.121 0.435 16.9 42.3 31.95 1.75 3.3 29.6 0.96 7.05 1.05 6.45

68,900 1,992,399 1,316,520 2,886,120 346,687,585 2,892,300 2,394,700 3,458,340 3,987,640 28,908,080 289,330 87,201,190 2,243,970 117,610 182,008,920 537,140 56,700 13,421,334 223,005 35,085,745 451,940 42,970 582,919,290 437,690 56,400 99,650 108,395,022

320,488 -704,690 -51,481,340 -179,340 -30,000 10,926,448.50 -141,410 59,032,210 1,210 -7,897,740.00 -577,100 -5,661,675 174,991,670 -35,250 26,371,632

7.17

SERVICES 7.19 127,100

914,854

-143,850

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK IREMIT MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK VANTAGE

3.3 47.7 103.3 3.85 114 1.47 38.9 16.3 21.2 1.94 0.62 89 0.89 14.7 60.25 278 310 96.2 32.45 211 73.6 1.49

3.45 47.75 104.5 3.85 115 1.47 38.9 16.3 21.5 1.94 0.62 90.5 0.89 14.7 61.5 280 310 100.7 32.45 223 73.8 1.49

3.3 47.5 103 3.8 113.8 1.44 38.3 16 21 1.94 0.61 89 0.89 14.68 60.25 278 310 96.2 32.1 211 73.5 1.49

ALSONS CONS ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ASIABEST GROUP CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHX PETROLEUM PHX SEMICNDCTR PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SPLASH CORP SWIFT FOODS TA OIL TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VIVANT VULCAN INDL

1.9 45.85 3.15 0.83 12.26 11.58 16.94 136 23.6 60.5 150 2.22 5.55 12.7 11.02 9.28 7.66 5.99 25 70.95 12.2 16.28 5.7 2.34 253 39 2 4.27 26.75 34 14 325 0.26 5 3.51 11.3 3.16 11.52 6.14 1.63 3.51 218 4.2 2.2 3.78 3.04 0.153 2.33 1.91 191.2 4.6 2 31.25 1.23

1.9 46.45 3.31 0.83 12.3 11.78 17 136 23.65 60.5 153 2.32 5.56 12.7 11.5 9.28 7.74 6.1 25.2 71.75 12.5 16.28 6.03 2.34 253.2 39 2 4.3 26.75 34 14.1 326.6 0.26 5.05 3.54 11.46 3.16 11.52 6.19 1.64 3.52 225 4.2 2.2 3.78 3.05 0.155 2.33 1.96 191.2 4.75 2 31.25 1.26

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.4 75.3 16.02 1.18 0.385 0.385 904 8.6 12.24 6.84 6.64 0.22 1,550 82.75 0.77 7.7 16.86 7.21 0.034 1.9 2.6 84.3 681 0.92 1.35 204.8 0.315 0.203 0.275

ARTHALAND CORP 8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CENTURY PROP CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

0.265 7.84 1.27 2.76 41.9 3.2 0.6 0.164 0.62 59 0.78 1.87 1.07 1.17 5.06 0.124 0.44 15.5 41 32.45 1.76 3.3 30 0.98 7.05 1.06 6.1

2GO GROUP

7.23

7.24

VOLUME

260,000 253,700 1,029,000 1,068,000 8,312,900 918,000 3,955,000 21,200,000 6,348,000 490,770 368,000 45,638,000 2,097,000 101,000 35,749,600 4,460,000 130,000 805,800 5,300 1,097,800 258,000 13,000 19,663,100 453,000 8,000 96,000 17,065,100

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

50.5 1.25 0.59 10.74 5.55 6.7 0.099 2.68 120.1 9.75 5.41 3.04 942 2,144 6.37 15.94 20.4 1.35 21 172 81.1 0.009 11.5 9.3 0.3 1.45 3.57 12.7 5.85 2.82 1.08 2.29 0.6 1.99 3.91 5.3 22.3 3.84 11.4 6 2.65 135 7.5 1,890 0.99 0.435 44.7 82 6.3 3.33 0.61 3.5 0.33 6.3

37,180 9,000 219,000 1,500 9,000 33,703,800 225,930,000 2,426,000 1,221,450 10,500 439,000 14,000 3,710 36,415 59,800 209,600 49,700 467,000 199,000 120 4,038,070 15,000,000 24,200 378,000 12,690,000 1,268,000 4,002,000 9,300 160,100 25,000 22,000 10,000 203,000 65,000 25,787,000 12,601,300 6,000 12,620,000 45,300 135,600 5,000 290 5,987,900 132,355 136,638,000 1,920,000 1,484,200 912,980 1,938,000 12,744,000 1,696,000 2,818,000 500,000 57,100

1,876,325 11,250 129,210 17,118 49,950 221,191,418 22,663,440 6,539,500 146,274,737 99,000 2,426,547 42,700 3,498,520 78,021,460 381,090 3,311,476 1,011,400 633,430 4,264,361 20,640 325,079,725.50 129,300 278,280 3,514,740 3,812,250 1,814,480 14,901,190 118,110 938,860 70,460 23,800 22,950 115,800 129,550 99,256,960 66,009,310 131,840 49,758,090 516,560 806,997 13,250 38,730 49,858,633 250,027,070 137,389,180 836,400 66,479,715 76,821,797 12,216,820 42,134,280 1,032,330 9,860,710 165,000 360,231

24,147,236 -102,000 250,470 -48,621,890 249,025 28,466,960 1,594 140,944,192.50 3,255,000 28,200 -26,000 -33,020 35,350 8,670 -20,966,680 -10,956,598 364,220 29,280 25,816 14,306,320 -68,646,160 -19,973,340 -31,350,429 32,094,210 -4,046,180 132,000 0

124,000 2,932,280 305,270 17,760 1,694,380 1,031,530 264,270 948,050 293,200 7,808,830 118,300 3,850,590 399,800 243,100 1,100 3,027,120 5,746,577 230,180 5,520 129,390 28,100 8,800 11,880 588,400 10,470,595 20,484,210 267,308,817 888,120 1,077,100

-43,990 0 37,950 1,772,950 64,500 0 16,400 2,457 0 -1,300 -1,876,017 -3,382,780 15,134,027 -

ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CALATA CORP CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR DFNN INC EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL A IMPERIAL B INTL CONTAINER IP EGAME IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LIBERTY TELECOM LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN MANILA JOCKEY MELCO CROWN METRO RETAIL MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PAXYS PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT YEHEY CORP

50.3 1.25 0.59 11.58 5.55 6.32 0.094 2.76 117.3 9.5 5.6 3.06 943 2,140 6.38 15.92 20.35 1.36 20.1 172 77.05 0.009 11.48 9.33 0.295 1.44 3.29 12.7 5.9 2.77 1.09 2.3 0.57 2 3.63 5.4 22.3 3.8 11.42 6.13 2.65 129 10 1,871 1.01 0.445 44.45 85 6.3 3.28 0.61 3.49 0.33 6.75

51 1.25 0.59 11.58 5.55 6.71 0.103 2.76 120.8 9.75 5.75 3.06 943 2,160 6.4 16.14 20.4 1.38 23 172 81.5 0.009 11.5 9.33 0.305 1.46 3.98 12.7 5.93 2.9 1.09 2.3 0.6 2 3.95 5.42 22.4 4.08 11.42 6.13 2.65 135 10 1,905 1.04 0.445 45.5 85 6.37 3.38 0.61 3.51 0.33 6.75

50.3 1.25 0.59 10.74 5.55 6.3 0.094 2.67 117.3 9 5.41 3.04 942 2,132 6.35 15.46 20.35 1.35 19.8 172 77.05 0.009 11.48 9.25 0.295 1.41 3.25 12.7 5.8 2.77 1.05 2.29 0.57 1.99 3.6 5.1 20 3.75 11.4 5.9 2.65 129 7.5 1,871 0.98 0.435 44.4 82 6.3 3.26 0.6 3.45 0.33 6.3

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING BASIC ENERGY BENGUET A BENGUET B CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO OMICO CORP ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B PETROENERGY PHILODRILL PX MINING PX PETROLEUM SEMIRARA MINING TA PETROLEUM UNITED PARAGON

0.004 3.13 3.99 0.222 2.97 2.9 0.56 0.43 8.03 0.85 0.28 0.196 0.215 0.011 0.011 1.64 5.28 2.71 0.58 0.94 0.011 0.011 3.96 0.012 8.55 3.8 105.3 3.64 0.010

0.004 3.19 4 0.222 2.97 2.9 0.57 0.445 8.1 0.87 0.28 0.205 0.217 0.011 0.011 1.68 5.48 2.75 0.58 0.96 0.012 0.011 3.96 0.013 8.65 3.97 109.5 3.7 0.010

0.004 3.1 3.89 0.222 2.3 2.34 0.55 0.425 8.01 0.85 0.275 0.196 0.21 0.011 0.011 1.6 5.28 2.64 0.51 0.92 0.011 0.011 3.96 0.012 8.46 3.75 105.3 3.59 0.010

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

50 537.5 545 104.5 520 6.03 1.03 108 1,040 1,150 110.8 2.42 78.5 81 76.25 78.5 79.8 77.5 77.7

50.25 539.5 545 104.5 527 6.03 1.03 110 1,040 1,150 111 2.42 78.5 81.5 76.25 78.5 79.8 77.6 77.8

50 537.5 539.5 104.1 520 6.03 1.02 108 1,040 1,150 110.8 2.42 78 80.5 76.25 78.5 79.8 77.5 77.7

PREFERRED 50.2 25,650 539.5 470 539.5 660 104.2 10,360 527 1,600 6.03 1,000 1.03 738,000 110 530 1,040 1,000 1,150 15 111 1,110 2.42 4,000 78.5 35,000 81 48,840 76.25 1,000 78.5 2,050 79.8 200 77.55 30,400 77.75 143,310

1,286,368.50 253,450 359,480 1,081,799 838,500 6,030 753,770 58,220 1,040,000 17,250 123,134 9,680 2,742,500 3,932,280 76,250 160,925 15,960 2,356,327.50 11,140,517.50

-599,259.50 -1,565,000 -3,832,650 -

LR WARRANT

2.15

2.28

2.15

WARRANTS 2.2 307,000

683,610

-

SME ALTERRA CAPITAL ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

5 5.15 3.78 16.7

5.09 5.58 3.85 16.9

4.66 5.07 3.78 16.52

4.85 5.58 3.85 16.8

56,186,792 10,651,609 22,860 11,283,786

576,973 -361,312 -801,508

FIRST METRO ETF

131

131.2

130.8

995,614

98,175

MINING AND OIL 0.004 31,000,000 3.1 937,000 3.9 77,000 0.222 80,000 2.54 654,000 2.5 386,000 0.57 473,000 0.425 2,210,000 8.02 36,600 0.86 9,099,000 0.275 430,000 0.2 19,130,000 0.21 1,880,000 0.011 22,100,000 0.011 100,000 1.64 1,863,000 5.4 1,068,000 2.7 86,000 0.51 10,000 0.95 138,000 0.011 2,400,000 0.011 800,000 3.96 3,000 0.012 49,000,000 8.65 1,225,300 3.96 5,310,000 108.1 2,465,600 3.7 246,000 0.010 111,000,000

11,457,000 1,983,200 6,000 673,300

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

22,123,686

INDUSTRIAL

158,848,287

HOLDING FIRMS

79,840,750

PROPERTY

171,867,825

SERVICES

524,687,706

MINING & OIL

266,320,069

GRAND TOTAL

1,237,835,586

131.2

7,600

VALUE 1,849.05 (up) 24.71 2,002,755,253.37 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 12,067.23 (down) 73.54 3,168,264,129.643 HOLDING FIRMS 7,849.69 (up) 37.04 2,066,138,320.41 PROPERTY 3,672.36 (down) 15.77 1,615.53 (up) 21.36 1,409,286,982.85 SERVICES MINING & OIL 10,304.29 (up) 263.53 1,865,891,768.99 PSEI 7,983.38 (up) 23.21 330,137,633.0086 All Shares Index 4,713.6 (down) 32.05 10,921,615,205.673 Gainers: 107; Losers: 75; Unchanged: 59; Total: 241

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange has revived plans to merge the country’s equities and bond exchanges .

PSE president and chief executive Hans Sicat said in a press briefing the exchange planned to resubmit a proposal for the merger of the two exchanges within the year.

“We restarted talks with the regulator (Securities and Exchange Commission).

What we want to be sure of is if indeed they are amendable to the concept of an integrated exchange,” Sicat said.

He said the exchange had been trying to reach out to the SEC and see what the issues could be threshed out.

He said the exchange received “enough signal” from the SEC that it wass willing to reconsider another merger proposal.

Sicat said the PSE had also talked to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and other Finance Department officials about the plan and noted “they are not at all negative about the combination”.

Sicat said he was optimistic the planned merger would not be problem with the newl- formed Philippine Competition Commission.

The PSE chief said the local bourse needed a critical mass to offer improved and expanded platform of products and services in order to complete with our regional players.

“If we want to maintain our voice in Asean discussions, we cannot do that as a one-handed exchange.

We need to have integrated operation because all other exchanges which are in the Asean discussion are fully integrated,” Sicat said.

Atlas reduces net loss

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales ATLAS Consolidated Mining and Development Corp. reported Tuesday a lower loss of P325 million in the first six months of 2016 from P611 million year-on-year on improved revenues.

Atlas Mining said in a disclosure to the stock exchange revenues reached P6.1 billion, up 16 percent from P5.3 billion on year. Copper revenues reached P5.1 billion, while gold sales hit P10.1 billion.

Atlas Mining’s whollyowned subsidiary Carmen Copper Corp. registered copper metal concentrate of 54.5 million pounds, up 17 percent from 46.4 million pounds on year.

Copper concentrate shipments grew 19 percent to 92,100 dry metric tons from 77,500 tons in 2015.

The company said copper metal content rose 20 percent to 54 million pounds from 45.2 million pounds, while gold content jumped 48 percent to 17,797 ounces from 12,043 ounces.

The mining company said copper prices remained weak in the first half of the year, or down 21 percent to $2.12 per pound from $2.67 per pound last year.

The average realized gold price, however improved 2 percent to $1,227 per ounce from$1,202 per ounce the previous year.

Atlas Mining said in response to challenging market conditions, it would reduce Carmen Copper’s mill throughput from its nameplate capacity of 60,000 tonnes per day to 40,000 tpd.

Business

B3

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Ayala starts motorcycle venture

By Othel V. Campos

A

C Industrial Technology Holdings Inc., or AC Industrials, is finalizing 12 supplier agreements to boost the company’s motorcycle manufacturing venture, and may bring in a foreign engine manufacturer in preparation for its operations in the first quarter of 2017.

AC Industrials president and chief executive officer Arthur Tan said in a briefing the company was seriously considering building the engine component of the motorcycle it would

manufacture and distribute to the Chinese market.

“The suppliers have to be worldclass. That’s why we are working with them to improve their technology to build parts that are not

only quality but will last for as much as 50 years. For the engine part, we see us acquiring or buying out a foreign manufacturer and bring it here,” he said.

AC Industrials is formerly Ayala Automotive Holdings Inc., the motor vehicle investment unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp.

Tan said discussions with KTM AG to provide the engine were ongoing, while KTM Asia Motorcycle Manufacturing, the joint venture company, will source engine from India or Europe.

Tan said motorcycle manufacturing was one of the many projects the company firm had lined.

The Ayala Group consolidated its industrial assets into one portfolio capable of manufacturing world-class products, increasing local employment and setting a new bar for the Philippine manufacturing industry.

It recently teamed up with Austrian motorcycle manufacturer KTM AG to build 200cc to 400cc motorcycle units in the Philippines.

The company is set to manufacture 20,000 units in 2017 with about 70 percent of the output to be exported to China and 30 percent for domestic consumption.

“We want to prove that the

Philippines can be a hub not only for the Asean but also for the world. That we can provide competitively a complete product designed, built and manufactured here in the Philippines and be competitive on a global basis. That’s the ultimate goal,” said Tan. He said motorcycle manufacturing was a preparation for its goal of producing four-wheeled vehicles in the immediate future.

The company plans to bring in a foreign brand to speed up the process and is looking at an incentives scheme that promotes research and development.

“That’s why CARS (Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy) is not for us,” Tan said.

AC Industrials includes Ayala automotive group with stakes in Honda Philippines Inc., Isuzu Philippines Corp., Volkwagen Philippines and the partnership with KTM, and semiconductor manufacturer Integrated MicroElectronics Inc. Ayala, one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines, has spent over half a trillion pesos for capital expenditures in the last five years with some P1.7 billion taxes paid to the government from 2011 to 2015.

Republic Cement to hike production

By Othel V. Campos

ADVANCED METERING.

Energy Regulatory Commission officials led by chairman Jose Vicente Salazar (fifth from left, top photo) witness the successful demonstration of the Advanced Metering Infrastructure system at the head office of Manila Electric Co. in Ortigas, Pasig city.

Shown with him are (from left) Meralco senior vice president Alfredo Panlilio, Meralco first VP Ivanna dela Peña, Meralco president and chief executive officer Oscar Reyes, ERC Commissioner Josefina Patricia Asirit, Salazar, Meralco chairman Manuel Pangilinan, ERC Commissioner Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc, Meralco FVP Ronnie Aperocho and Meralco chief technology adviser Gavin Barfield.

REPUBLIC Cement Corp. is increasing the capacity of its milling capacity by at least 10 percent to accommodate the growing demand amid the construction and infrastructure boom in the Philippines.

Republic Cement president Renato Sunico noted the brisk cement demand in the last two years and the acceleration of government and private-led construction projects.

“We know that demand for cement will increase dramatically.

We are going to invest some more. At present, there is an ongoing brownfield expansion in the capacity of existing mills while plans for greenfield plants are still in the drawing board,” he said at the sidelines of a hoisjing convention at the SMX Convention Center.

Republic Cement focuses on Visayas and Mindanao, where climate change has resulted in calamities and destroyed houses.

The company has come up with a new cement product that is versatile and lightweight and provides the strength for a shelter to withstand storm surge and strong rains.

The cement company has five existing integrated milling plants and a grinding plant in Teresa, Rizal province.

“We have many projects that will impact on our revenues. Hundreds of millions of pesos are being spent on projects such as our dust collection project. That alone will cost over P100 million,” said Sunico.

He added the demand for more cement was also pushing imports “that’s why cement companies have to expand.”

Although most of cement imports land in the Visayas, “the situation, is nevertheless, an indication that demand in indeed growing,” Sunico said.

PNOC eyes Batangas gas plant Hedcor

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Not-so-smart cars WHATEVER they do and whichever car brand they drive, there’s one rule of thumb that drivers must always remember: Never take your hands off the wheel and your eyes off the road. That’s one hard lesson that a Chinese driver has learned after he put car on Autopilot mode—resulting in a minor crash involving another driver after his supposedly smart car sideswiped a parked vehicle.

Fortunately, no one was hurt—except for the wallet and the ego of the driver who is now fulminating against the guy who sold him the car and even boasted about the hands-free and other hightech features during the test drive. One can’t blame the driver for being mad, because apparently, he was told about the wonders of having a smart car without telling him of the risks involved.

The minor accident put Tesla Motors under the negative glare of the spotlight again, with more questions being raised about how the carmaker is packaging its Autopilot system to markets like China. Following the crash, Tesla has changed the translation of Autopilot into driver-assistance system in its Chinese website to dispel any notion that Autopilot means the car can drive itself.

Last May, an American driver was killed after his Tesla Model S car equipped with the Autopilot function crashed against a tractor trailer along a Florida highway. The smart car’s radar did not detect the trailer coming along for some reason, which is why the accident is now the subject of an investigation by the US National Highway Trasnportation Safety Administration.

The hype surrounding these smart, self-driving high-tech cars has given people the impression that they are the ultimate in driving experience. Imagine, they can take over the wheel if the driver is feeling a bit sleepy or tired since the car is equipped with radars and other sensors that could detect approaching vehicles, people or even animals on the road. And if you are not familiar with your destination, you can just type the address and the car could navigate its way thanks to GPS (Global Positioning System).

And it’s not so far-fetched, really, because apps like Waze can virtually drive you through the destination, advising you of an obstruction ahead or giving you alternate routes in case there is an accident ahead or when traffic is really bad. In fact, Waze even helpfully informs you of police presence (in case you are the irresponsible kind who drives without a license, or has not bothered to fix the broken head or tail light).

According to some reports, the United Arab Emirates is emerging as a potentially rich market for self-driving cars (also nicknamed Robo-cars) with more than 70 percent of the population indicating willingness to own one. One of the reasons for the emerging popularity of these smart cars, aside from their high-tech capabilities, is that it takes over the annoying task of parking. For Filipino drivers, the most likely reason why they would want a self-driving vehicle is that it would allow them to tweet, post on Facebook, play games, tinker with their smart gadgets and do whatever it is that they do to keep themselves occupied while stuck in interminable traffic.

But like one old timer pointed out, there is no substitute for an alert, responsible driver behind the wheels. As the Tesla Autopilot system has shown, even the most advanced technology is not failproof. What if the system goes bonkers for some reason?

For comments, reactions, photos, stories and related concerns, readers may email to happyhourtoday2012@yahoo.com. You may also visit and like our Facebook page https://www.facebook. com/happyhourmanilastandard. Cheers!

THE Energy Department ordered state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. to study the development of a 200-megawatt liquefied natural gas power plant in Batangas to boost the country’s power reserves.

“We’re making a study. I asked PNOC to make a study for a 200-MW LNG that would serve as a buffer stock for government to use in case of shortage of power,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi told reporters after the Senate hearing on the Luzon power situation.

Cusi reiterated the need for adequate reserves in the wake of the yellow and red alerts experienced by the Luzon power grid from July 26 to August 5.

He said the government might fund the construction of the power plant through PNOC because of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 barring National Power Corp. from

putting up new power plants.

“We are required to have some reserve so we just want to make sure that we have a reserve...

We’re looking at Batangas, PNOC has a property in Batangas so we’re using that in our study,” the energy chief said.

Cusi said putting up a 200MW coal plant would take more time than building a LNG power plant.

“We’re still in the study portion. But I’m not saying the study will take 12-18 months.

We’re rushing it. (Construction is) 12-18 months from the time we finish the study. Hopefully, we finish the study within any time now so we can bring it to the board,” he said.

He said the study would cover the construction cost that the government would monitor to prevent overburdening the consumers.

Cusi said if the proposed 200MW LNG plant wass not feasible, other power stations were

expected to come online, such as those of Energy World Corp., San Gabriel and Avion natural gas plants.

The 450-MW San Gabriel and 100 Avion natural gas power plants are already in testing and commissioning stage and are expected to start commercial operations this year.

“Based on the number, we have sufficient supply. Peak is 9,700 MW peak, 13,000 MW available capacity,” Cusi said when asked if there will be future power outages.

DMCI Power Corp. of the Consunji Group, meanwhile, is investing P600 million to build a 9.9-MW bunker-fired power plant in Aborlan, Palawan to stabilize electricity supply in the franchise area of Palawan Electric Cooperative, Inc. DMCI Power, the off-grid arm of DMCI Holdings Inc., said in a statement the plant was expected to start operations by the end of the year.

DAVAO LINK. Globe Telecom Inc. president and chief executive officer Ernest Cu (second from right) and

Davao City chairman of the Association of Barangay Captains and Councilor January Duterte (third from left) lead the opening of the power feed equipment site of the SEA-US cable landing facility in Barangay Talomo, Davao City. Globe Telecom is positioning Davao in the global connectivity map by aggressively building on its network infrastructure that includes the construction of the Philippine end of an international undersea cable system, the only facility in the country to directly connect Davao with the rest of the world.

raising Benguet output HEDCOR Inc., a unit of Aboitiz Power Corp., is increasing the capacity of the Bineng run-ofriver hydropower plants in La Trinidad to 19 megawatts from 5.48 MW. The Bineng combined hydroelectric power project composed of Bineng 1, Bineng 2 and Bineng 2b is expected to generate an additional 42.7 million kilowatt-hour, or 62 million kwh annually. The project is expected to be operational by 2018.

“We increased Bineng’s capacity because there was an opportunity for us to do so.

There was a potential to increase the capacity in order to better serve the needs of the grid, so we proceeded with it,” Hedcor said in a statement.

The Bineng hydros, one of the first plants to be constructed by Hedcor in Benguet, were constructed in 1991.

The hydros harness the water of Balili River, which flows northward from Baguio City to La Trinidad. Barangay Bineng and the municipality of La Trinidad have been partners with Hedcor for 25 years.

The conveyance pipes of the Bineng Hydros in La Trinidad, meanwhile, have been the walkway of farmers in Bineng.

Hedcor allows farmers tap these pipes for irrigation.

Aboitiz Power is the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution, and retail electricity services.

The company is one of the largest power producers in the Philippines with a rightmix portfolio of assets located across the country.

It owns several hydroelectric and geothermal power generation facilities. It also has various fossil-fired power plants in its generation portfolio to support the baseload and peak energy demands of the country.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

Business

MALAYSIA’S EASING GROWTH. Tourists take pictures in a park in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 12, 2016. Malaysia’s economic growth eased in the second quarter, the central bank said on August 12, attributing the slowdown to a decline in exports amid subdued global demand. AFP

Mizuho, Maybank to create alliance MIZUHO Financial Group Inc. will form an alliance with Malayan Banking Bhd. on stock research and trading in Southeast Asia, people with knowledge of the matter said, as the Japanese lender complements an equities hiring push with partnerships.

Maybank Kim Eng, the investment-banking arm of Malaysia’s largest bank, will provide Mizuho’s Japanese institutional clients with research on companies in Southeast Asia as well as trading execution services, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public.

Mizuho is expanding its equities business abroad after recruiting dozens of analysts, salesmen and traders to handle mainly Japanese stocks. It formed a tie-up with UK firm Redburn Europe Ltd. earlier this year to offer equity services to Japanese institutional investors that are seeking higher returns as negative interest rates curtail opportunities at home.

The alliance with Kuala Lumpur-based Maybank will also give Mizuho’s clients access to senior managers of companies in Southeast Asia, the people said. It’s the first time the Tokyo-based bank will offer research and corporate access in the region. Its Mizuho Securities Co. unit and Maybank Kim Eng will announce the deal as early as Tuesday, the people said. Bloomberg

Oil trades near $46 a barrel

O

il traded near $46 a barrel after the biggest three-day gain since April as Nigeria’s oil minister signaled the prospect of production cuts from Opec was unlikely.

Futures were little changed in New York, paring an earlier loss of 0.9 percent as the dollar weakened, making commodities more attractive to investors.

Prices gained 9.7 percent the previous three sessions following comments by Saudi Arabia’s energy minister that it’s prepared to discuss stabilizing the market.

Nigerian Minister of State for Petroleum Emmanuel Kachikwu has “ sparse” optimism that Opec will trim output, he said in a Twitter post. US crude stockpiles probably rose last week, a Bloomberg survey shows.

Oil has gained about 16 percent since closing below $40 a barrel and tumbling into a bear market earlier this month. Russia

is open to talks to jointly freeze output “if necessary,” according to a newspaper report.

A possible deal on capping production between members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and nonmember producing countries was first flagged in February but deal discussions in April ended with no final accord.

“The Opec comments have caught the market’s attention, but history would suggest that nothing will happen,” said David Lennox, a resources analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney.

“While falling U.S. supply has helped to narrow the surplus, Opec hasn’t helped. The group has continued to pump. It’s really only disruptions that have reduced supply.”

West Texas Intermediate for September delivery was 8 cents higher at $45.82 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange as of 8:43 a.m. London time. The contract climbed $1.25 to $45.74 on Monday, capping the biggest three-day gain since April 12.

Total volume traded was about 16 percent below the 100-day average.

Brent for October settlement was 11 cents higher at $48.46 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.

Prices added 2.9 percent to close at $48.35 on Monday, the highest settlement since July 12. The global benchmark crude traded at a $1.95 premium to WTI for October delivery.

Russia sees no signals that Iran will change its position on a production cap and agree to an output freeze, Interfax reported, citing a diplomatic source close to the talks whom the news service didn’t identify.

Bayer may launch bid for Monsanto FRANKFURT, Germany—German chemicals giant Bayer may launch a hostile takeover bid for US seed and pesticide maker Monsanto if its latest friendly offer falls through, business daily Handelsblatt reported on Tuesday.

Monsanto has already rejected two offers from the German firm, calling an increased $125-per-share bid in July “financially inadequate” while keeping the door open to further discussions.

“Bayer is prepared to turn directly to the shareholders” to secure a deal if Monsanto management insists on a price the Germans see as too risky, the paper reported, citing sources close to the company.

“In the coming weeks, chief executive Werner Baumann will make a decision: namely whether a friendly merger is still possible, or whether Bayer must choose an alternative path,” Handelsblatt continued.

By merging the two companies, Baumann hopes to create a globally dominant agrochemical firm with revenues of up to $25 billion (22 billion euros).

Bayer’s last offer valued Monsanto at around $64 billion.

But some observers expect Monsanto CEO Hugh Grant to reject any offer of less than $67-69 billion - too big a risk for the German firm, a spokesman for Bayer shareholder Union investment told Handelsblatt.

A hostile offer could see Bayer approaching its upper limit, as it might have to offer a 5-percent to 10-percent increase on its last bid, the paper notes. AFP

BHP says 6-month loss rose to $6.4b

SLOW EXPANSION. A boy collects plastic toys from the rubble of demolished houses in Shanghai.

China’s growth slipped to a new seven-year low of 6.6 percent in the second quarter, according to a survey of economists by AFP, despite government efforts to spur activity in the world’s second-largest economy.AFP

Berlin goes vegan with ‘butcher’ shops and singles’ night BERLIN, Germany—Long the European capital of technodriven nightlife, fastidious hipsterdom and low-cost party weekends, Berlin is adding another string to its bow as a vegan haven.

Animal product-free versions of almost any business can be found in Germany’s largest city, from butchers’ shops to singles’ nights.

But getting lost in the eyes of a romantic prospect over grilled tofu is far from all that’s on offer for the city’s 80,000 vegans— around 10 percent of the nationwide figure, vegetarian associa-

tion Vebu estimates.

“Germany and especially Berlin are at the forefront” of a vegan “movement” that’s advancing all over Europe, Vebu vice-president Sebastian Joy told AFP. That’s obvious from the roughly 60 vegan restaurants on offer in the German capital counted by specialist website Happy Cow—far outstripping the 24 in Paris and 40 in London, both cities more than twice the size of Berlin.

That figure has ballooned since 2008, when there were just three completely animal-free

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak told Arabiclanguage newspaper Asharq AlAwsat that the nation was open to cooperating to stabilize markets after Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that talks in Algiers may result in action.

Opec members will discuss the market when they gather for the International Energy Forum in Algeria next month, according to Mohammed bin Saleh Al-Sada, Qatar’s energy and industry minister and the group’s current president. Bloomberg

restaurants according to Vebu.

Berlin is “younger, more hyped, and more alternative than Munich, Paris or London,” explained Joy. “There’s a snowball effect: vegans attract vegans and more and more people come.”

On top of the roughly 10 new eateries opening each year, a whole lifestyle is falling into place.

Schivelbeiner Strasse in the Prenzlauer Berg neighborhood in northeast Berlin, popular with startup workers and young parents, has become a “Vegan Avenue”.

Initiates can stroll from supermarket to cafe to clothes- and shoe-shops and carry their purchases home with vegan consciences clear.

The food shelves without cheese, yoghurt or honey and clothing racks without wool or leather are a far cry from the luxurious treats at KaDeWe— the German answer to Harrods or Galeries Lafayette.

Today in 2016, growth in what’s on offer, from soy icecream to Europe’s first 100 percent-vegan pizzeria, means that “Berlin is almost comparable to New York” in terms of options

for vegans, said yoga teacher and long-time adept of the lifestyle Moritz Ulrich.

But the sudden aura of cool around veganism has uprooted the movement from its woollensocks-with-sandals origins.

In early 2016, police were called to break up a vegan restaurant opening after hundreds of people showed up to the event, swarming over the pavement and even blocking traffic.

The new fast-food joint had become the evening’s hot ticket on Facebook among fans of the fashion-blogger owners. AFP

SYDENEY, Australia—BHP Billiton reported an annual net loss of $6.39 billion on Tuesday, its worst-ever result, as the impact of a fatal mine dam disaster in Brazil and weak commodity prices hit the world’s biggest miner.

Miners have been battling huge declines in the commodities market, with the outlook uncertain despite a recent improvement in prices.

The results for the year to June 30 followed a $1.91-billion net profit in the previous corresponding period. Underlying earnings, which strip out one-off writedowns, came in at $1.22 billion, slightly above analysts’ expectations.

“The last 12 months have been challenging for both BHP Billiton and the resources industry,” chief executive Andrew Mackenzie said in a statement.

“Nevertheless, our results demonstrate the resilience of our portfolio and the diverse ways in which we can create value for shareholders despite low commodity prices.”

The Anglo-Australian firm slashed its payout, declaring a final dividend of 14 cents, compared to 62 cents last year.

It followed the company’s decision in February to dump its progressive dividend policy in which shareholders are given gradually higher payouts. AFP

LGUs

Top Taichung traders tour Bataan Freeport THE Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB) recently briefed Taiwan’s Taichung City Chamber of Commerce, who visited the Philippines as part of their initiative to promote commerce in Asia, on the investment opportunities in the freeport.

The delegation explored the industrial areas of the freeport.

Chamber chairman WenChin Chen said “we got the idea that the Philippines is a very good place to invest. We can see that the FAB has a very good business environment.”

“We appreciate the hospitality and love that the FAB and other agencies showed to us,” Chen added.

Engineer Emmanuel Pineda, AFAB deputy administrator for operations, told the chamber that the FAB offers the best incentives to its locators.

For his part, Bataan Rep. Jose Enriquez Garcia III assured the investors that the FAB can provide highly qualified and skilled workers, noting that the AFAB, in partnership with the provincial government of Bataan, continuously train workers in the province.

“The provincial government

of Bataan works closely with the FAB. That is why the investors are assured that they will be assisted and helped in everything that they need when they start their business in the FAB,” Garcia said.

“According to the existing investors in Bataan, the province has a higher quality of workforce than Manila, and has better incentives,” he stressed.

“The FAB and the government of Bataan can assure you that we provide enough training, not only from the basic up to the tertiary education but also specialized training for our people that may be needed by industries that choose to locate here,” the congressman added.

The FAB, the emerging fashion manufacturing hub of the Philippines, hosts a cluster of budding companies producing high-end brands of garments, apparel, shoes and accessories, such as bags and jewelry. Its vision is to be the freeport of choice in the country by 2020, becoming a center of trade, innovation and sustainable development in Asia and promoting work-life balance and global competitiveness.

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Mindanao to host BIMP-EAGA fest

By A. Perez Rimando

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ENERAL SANTOS CITY–Several Mindanao cities including Davao, Koronadal, Cagayan de Oro, Malaybalay, Zamboanga and Iligan were chosen to host a grand week-long festival to showcase the cultural diversity of the Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia-Philippines-East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) early next year, a Mindanao development official said.

Gerardo Reynaldo, Mindanao Development Authority officer, said the merrymaking, dubbed as the First Budayaw BIMP-EAGA Festival on Culture and the Arts, promotes “the sub-region’s rich heritage and culture …that will display and demonstrate the creative works of over 300 cultural practitioners from the four member-nations.”

Budayaw “is a portmanteau of the Bahasa word ‘buda’ (which means festival) and the Filipino word ‘dayaw’ or celebration,

Reynaldo explained, adding that the event also commemorates the 50th founding anniversary of the Association of Sotheast Asian Nations.

He said the sub-regional festival was finalized during the recent BIMP-EAGA SocioCultural and Education Cluster meeting attended here by the sub-region’s key officials “to develop initiatives that will harness greater understanding and solidarity among the BIMP-EAGA multi-cultural populations.”

Church cleans up Manila Bay today

SHARING. Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista leads the distribution of the 2nd quarter real property tax shares to the city’s 142 barangays at the QC Hall Bulwagang Amoranto. The

biggest shares of the RPT went to Bagumbayan, Loyola Heights, San Bartolome, Kaligayahan, Socorro, South Triangle, Matandang Balara, Central, Mariana and Fairview. With Bautista is Ruby Guevarra (3rd from left), officer-in-charge of the city treasurer’s office.

Dapitan City signs agreement to adopt a maritime boat

By A. Perez Rimando DAPITAN CITY—The city government of Dapitan has signed a memorandum of agreement with the Regional Maritime Unit 9 for an adopt-a-boat project for the latter, a maritime official said.

RMU 9 chief, Supt. Salbino

Piad, said the MoA was signed

by City Mayor Rosalina Jalosjos, Philippine National Police Maritime Group chief, provincial police chief Senior Supt .

Edmund A. Gonzales, Piad and Police Non-Commission OIC of 904th Maritime Police Station.

The occasion was witnessed

by city government officials and representatives of the Philippine Coast Guard and the Department of Agriculture.

Piad said the MoA stipulates that the local government unit would adopt a Police Patrol Boat (PPB), worth close to P1 million, and take responsibility for

repairing and maintaining it for use by the Maritime police to enforce the fisheries law, Marine ordinance at sea, and rules and regulations along Dapitan City’s coastal areas.

The PPB, Piad said, is also tasked “to safeguard the city’s coasts against lawlessness and

criminalities committed at sea, piracy, and illegal fishing activities.

Piad thanked Jalosjos for her support for the RMU-9, which will station the patrol vessel at Dapitan’s Pulauan Port where Manila and Cebu-bound interisland passenger boats anchor once and twice a week, respectively.

MORE than 700 volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God will clean up Manila Bay, specifically the coastal stretch from Malate Church to the US Embassy, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. today.

In a statement, the religious group said the campaign, titled “3200th Worldwide Clean-up Campaign Manila Bay Clean Up in celebration of the awarding of UK Queen’s Award,” will be conducted in celebration of the recognition the church received from Queen Elizabeth II. “The cleanup drive supports President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign for change in our treatment of the environment and hopes to inspire other private organizations to carry out community service programs that would benefit the greater public,” the statement said.

The World Mission Society Church of God recently received the UK Queen’s Award for its volunteer service activities in the United Kingdom and across the world.

“We have 2,400 churches located in 175 countries across the globe and we have more than 70 churches in the Philippines,” the group said.

“Through this activity, we hope we can inspire volunteerism among Filipinos,” it added.

Dabawenyos trained in banana fiber making

By A. Perez Rimando TAGUM CITY—The Department of Trade and Industry, through the initiative of the provincial government, has pushed for the revival of the Mindanao banana fiber industry initially in Santo Tomas town and later in adjacent municipalities, a top local government official said.

Gov. Anthony del Rosario said the local government unit recently pushed for a market linkage between Marsman Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative (Marbco) and Tagum Development Corp.

(Tadeco) Homes, a leading exporter of handicraft items in Southern Mindanao (Region 11).

Del Rosario said Marbco, a fresh banana exporter based in Sto. Tomas, received various equipment for banana fiber extraction under DTI’s Shares Service Facility for banana fiber processing. It exported raw banana fiber to Japan in 2013 but the demand for the fiber gradually declined.

A local DTI executive, who asked not to be identified, lately saw the potential of banana fiber for exportable handicraft items and tapped experts from Tadeco to train some 50 Marbco members

in creating value-added products from it, particularly threads for fabric production and banana fiber scrunch for handicrafts.

The training ended with the group being able to produce “Sinugpon” (banana fiber thread) and five designs of banana fiber scrunch, the local DTI official said, adding that products from the training are being featured in the ongoing Kadayawan festival in Davao City.

DTI noted that the “rising demand in the global market for home decors and handicraft items made from natural raw materials presents a great opportunity for the banana fiber.

With the revival of this particular industry, DTI seeks to “conduct more trainings on banana fiber craft making, thereby establishing a new livelihood project for the community of agrarian reform beneficiaries in Sto Tomas and other municipalities.”

Tadeco Homes executives also expressed their desire to “tie up with Marbco to develop more handicraft products from banana fiber and market them through their stores strategically located in various areas of the Davao region.

TECHIE. Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan (center) turns over 14 computer sets to city police chief Senior Supt. Johnson Almazan (right) after an oathtaking ceremony at the police headquarters’ firing range. Jun David

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LGUs

DA project aids farmers, fishers and agricultural productivity and efficiency through augmentation of agricultural AGADIAN CITY— Agriculture interventions; b) assess and Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has address the effects of natural climatic phenomena, such as introduced nationwide “Maunlad na El Niño and La Niña, and proAgrikultura Sa Nayon” (MANA), a special vide measures to become cliproject “to support and match enhanced mate change-resilient to sustain agricultural productivity, provision of agricultural investments and and c) mobilize interventions services to empower more farmers and that address the gaps in agriculture sector investments. fisherfolk,” an agriculture officer here said.

Wee quoted Piñol, who reDepartment of Agriculture Melba Wee said MANA seeks cently visited this capital city, regional information officer to: a) promote food security as saying that MANA has four

By A. Perez Rimando

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components, namely, the: El Niño 2015-2016 recovery program for which assistance has been provided to damaged agricultural areas; Rehabilitation of existing rice areas in which the DA will conduct a thorough inventory of all existing rice areas, assess the effectiveness and efficiency, and provide interventions to rehabilitate and recover these areas to be operational in its optimum capacity; La Niña 2016 mitigation program based on Pagasa projec-

tions and the DA’s identified vulnerable areas prone to damage and associated risks and mitigations; And one-million-hectare potential areas for rice expansion to be identified by DA. Wee informed Pinol that El Niño affected close to 20,000 hectares of riceland in the Zamboanga Peninsula that lost some 43,000 metric tons of rice valued at over P655 million. The DA provided, among others, seeds and farm machines.

According to Wee, the DA’s proposed strategies and interventions for La Nina, which recently started to batter Region 9, included identification of alternative cropping strategies, identification and monitoring damaged infrastructure and agri-fishery facilities, massive information dissemination across locations, engaging of farmers in alternative livelihood, and frontloading investments infrastructure like irrigation, inputs, mechanization and extension services.

Zambo is least modern HUC

ZAMBOANGA CITY— Among the country’s 34 highly urbanized cities, Zamboanga was rated lowest in three pillars of measurement this year, the Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index said.

The CMCI is an arm of the National Competitiveness Council which measures local government units’ competitiveness based on economic dynamism (ED), government efficiency (GE), and infrastructure.

The CMCI reported that Zamboanga emerged last in terms of ED in which it placed 26th in 2015. CMCI associates ED with activities that create stable expansion of business and industries and higher employment.

Zamboanga, CMCI said, plunged to 30th compared to its 15th rank last year in GE which “refers to the quality and reliability of government services and support for effective and sustainable productive expansion.”

CMCI noted that from overall 3rd in 2015, the city fell to 18th place in infrastructure, which include to physical building blocks that connect, expand and sustain a locality and its surroundings to provide goods and services.

Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar attributed the city’s latest CMCI dismal rank “to stiff rivalry in governance among competing HUCs that maximize their performance for each year.”

Quezon City, Makati City and Pasay City placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd , respectively, in this year’s Regional Competitiveness Summit, CMCI said.

A. Perez Rimando

UNITY. Secretary Emmanuel de Guzman (center) of the Climate Change Commission, calls for greater cooperation among member-countries of the Climate Vulnerable Forum during the Seminar Retreat on Climate Diplomacy, Leadership and Negotiations at the Taal Vista Hotel in Tagaytay City, Cavite on August 12.

Bulacan celebrates 438th founding anniversary SENATOR Richard Gordon on Monday said the great province of Bulacan will continue to help secure a bright future for the country, it being the home of great leaders, noble heroes and visionaries.

Gordon was the guest of honor and speaker during the celebration of the 438th Foundation Day of Bulacan held at the Capitol Gymnasium in Malolos on Monday morning.

He said the hardworking tandem of Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-

Alvarado and Vice Gov. Daniel Fernando has the spurred economic growth dreamed by Filipino patriots and revolutionaries who shed blood, sweat and tears for a free Philippines.

The senator said since the province was blessed with rivers, a bay and roads, “it is the ideal place for commerce and provides great opportunities for its people.”

The projects initiated by Alvarado, who is the chairman of the Regional Development Council

in Central Luzon, catalyze progress in the land that has an airport and sea ports as well as strategic road networks, he added.

Gordon stressed to the audience that being Filipinos first and Bulakenyos second, everyone should make a contribution to attain success.

The senator said Bulacan is known for being the cradle of the Philippine Constitution and of reputable leaders and noble heroes, and was part of the rice granary of the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Alvarado shared his development plans for Bulacan, such as the recently concluded groundbreaking of the MRT 7, the North Railway and the North Luzon Eastern Alignment, among others.

He also announced that Bulacan will be at the center of the “super flood control gate,” the coastal road project that will link the giant economic zones of Subic and Bataan to Sangley point.

Prior to this, Dr. Jaime Veneracion, a writer, professor and

8ID seeks applicants for Army training

By Mel Caspe

Rebels to help catch Mabrook MEMBERS of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front who maintain communities in the borders of Maguindanao and North Cotabato have offered to help in the capture of Moks Masgal alias “Commander Mabrook” and his heavily armed followers, police said.

Sr. Insp. Relan Mamon, Midsayap town police chief, said leaders of Moro fronts in Barangay Nabalawag and nearby communities said they will provide intelligence information on the whereabouts of Commander Mabrook, a lawless armed leader allied with outlawed Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters.

Mamon did not name the MILF and MNLF officials who offered to help.

He said Mabrook, a former MILF sub-leader operating in the marshland of Maguindanao, was largely involved in the distribution of illegal drugs in several towns in North Cotabato and Maguindanao. PNA

historian at the University of the Philippines, narrated how Bulacan was founded and acknowledged the efforts of the leaders in making its foundation day into a month of commemoration of the province’s heritage highlighted by the Singkaban Festival.

The celebration began with a Holy Mass and included wreath laying at the monument of Bulakenyo patriot and hero Marcelo del Pilar, the “Great Propagandist” of the Philippine Revolution against Spain. PNA

OLDIES. Makati Mayor Abby Binay awards a P100,000 cash gift and a plaque of recognition to Paz A. Ramos and Maria Martinez, two of the three

new city centenarians. The third centenarian Francisco Delgado was represented by his son Ricardo Delgado, who received the award on his behalf.

Oreta denies hand in slay of councilor

By Jun David MALABON City Mayor Lenlen Oreta yesterday offered a P100,000 cash reward for anyone who could provide information on the suspect in the killing of a former city councilor and seriously wounding three others on Saturday night.

Oreta also appealed to the National Bureau of Investigation and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group to help the local

police in their investigation of the killing of former city councilor Eddie Nolasco.

He also called on his critics, particularly his political rivals, to be calm and cautious and refrain from hurling malicious lies and accusations.

The mayor’s family was accused of murdering the former councilor.

Nolasco, 61, who was also the chairman of Barangay Potrero, died instantly from bullet

wounds in the head and the body while three others, identified as Servando Sotto, Fernando Tongco, and Michael Servando, sustained gunshot wounds in their bodies and were rushed to the Manila Central University and the Jose Reyes Memorial and Medical Center for treatment.

The victims were at a birthday party on Rivera Street at 9:30 p.m. when an unidentified assailant wearing a bullcap shot

them several times.

Malabon police head of investigators Insp. Paul Dennis Javier said they are looking at several angles in the killing of Nolasco, including personal grudge and political rivalry.

They said Nolasco was accused of raping a woman on August 14, 2014 and had gone into hiding. He also survived an ambush last November 2013 and had a spat with a Caloocan policeman several years ago.

CAMP LUKBAN—The 8th Infantry (Stormtroopers) Division, Philippine Army is now accepting applicants for its Candidate Soldier Course for the calendar year 2016-2017.

From August 15 to September 26, 2016, interested applicants must bring to the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff for Personnel, G1 the original copies of the following documents: birth certificate from the Philippine Statistics Authority with official receipt, Form 137 or transcript of records, high School or college diploma, one 2x2 picture with name tag and valid identification cards.

This quota is only for regular enlistment and there is no quota for special enlistment. The accepted applicants will consist of five percent indigenous people, 10 percent females and 85 percent males. The convening date of 1st Training Cycle will be in November 2016 while the 2nd Training Cycle will be in March 2017.

To qualify for the course and join the Philippine Army, applicants must be 18-26 years old; single and never been married; never have borne or sired a child; emotionally, physically and mentally fit; at least five feet tall for both males and females; with no pending cases in court; and have passed the AFP Service Aptitude Test, said Lt. Col. Leonardo Dacumos, assistant chief of staff for personnel, G1 of the 8ID.

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Manila

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Gunmen seize 10 in Mexico

GUA DA L A JA R A— G u n m e n stormed a bar and kidnapped at least 10 people Monday in the Mexican resort city of Puerto Vallarta, state prosecutors said, linking it to a war between rival gangs.

The heavily armed men arrived in pickup trucks around dawn and ab-

ducted their victims from the bar of a restaurant called La Leche in the city’s upscale hotel district, the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office said in a statement, citing witnesses.

Chief prosecutor Eduardo Almaguer said that between “10 and 12” people had been kidnapped.

“There’s a very clear suspicion that (the victims) were members of a criminal group. They weren’t tourists or citizens with legal activities,” he told journalists.

“The kidnappers are believed to be members of a rival group.”

Four luxury cars believed to belong

to the victims were found abandoned outside the restaurant. At least one presumed victim’s car was registered fraudulently, Almaguer said.

Puerto Vallarta, which sits on Mexico’s Pacific coast, is home to the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel, which emerged in 2010 after the death of the

13 Mauritania activists tortured N

OUAKCHOTT— Thirteen Mauritanian antislavery campaigners who are on trial for “rebellion and use of violence” told a court on Monday they had been tortured in custody, their lawyer said.

They were arrested last month after a protest in a Nouakchott slum community that was being forcibly relocated as the west African coun-

try prepared for an Arab League summit.

“One by one, the thirteen spoke out against the forms of torture they had been subjected to in custody,” said Brahim Ould Ebetty, representing the members of the Initiative for the Resurgence of the Abolitionist Movement (IRA).

The activists demanded that “proceedings be brought against the torturers they have mentioned by name,” the lawyer added.

The thirteen are accused of rebellion, use of violence, attack against public authority, armed assembly and membership of an unrecognised or-

ganisation, which carries a potential fine and a jail term of up to two years.

The Nouakchott slum was home to many so-called Haratin -- a “slave caste” under a hereditary system of servitude whose members are forced to work without pay as cattle herders and domestic servants.

About 10 police officers were injured during the protest, according to local officials.

Hereditary systems of slavery still exist in Mauritania despite an official ban, where those belonging to “slave castes” are forced to work as cattle herders and domestic servants without pay. AFP

local boss of the Sinaloa cartel, Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel.

Jalisco New Generation has become one of violence-plagued Mexico’s most powerful drug gangs in recent months by defying the authorities with a series of brazen attacks and ambushes. AFP

NOTICE-CHANGE OF BUSINESS NAME From To

: JAC BUILDERS : JAC BUILDERS CORPORATION Address : 43 F. Navarette St.,Obando, Bulacan License No. : 33163 AMO : Felix G. De Guzman (MS-AUG. 17, 2016)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION 09 AUG 2016

FDA CIRCULAR No. 2016-013 TO

:

ALL CONCERNED ESTABLISHMENTS, FOOD ASSOCIATIONS, STAKEHOLDERS, PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS, AND OTHER GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

SUBJECT :

Guidelines on the Implementation of the Joint Food and Drug Administration (FDA) - National Meat Inspection Service (NMIS) Administrative Circular No. 02 on the Transfer of Functions in the Regulation of Processed Meat

In line with the implementation of the Joint FDA-NMIS Administrative Circular No. 02 on the transfer of functions in the regulation of processed meat, the following guidelines are hereby provided for compliance of all concerned establishments: 1. The FDA shall start receiving and processing applications for License to Operate (LTO) of establishments and Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) of processed meat on or immediately after 23 July 2016, the date of effectivity of Joint Administrative Circular 02, s. 2016.

2. The establishments shall comply with existing guidelines, requirements and procedure of FDA on filing and submission of applications, such as but not limited to:

a. For Licensing: a.1 DOH Administrative Order No. 2016-0003 || Guidelines on the Unified Licensing Requirements and Procedures of the Food and Drug Administration a.2 FDA Circular No. 2016-004 || Procedure on the Use of the New Application Form for License to Operate (LTO) thru the FDA Electronic Portal (e-portal) b. For Registration: b.1 DOH Administrative Order No. 2014-0029 || Rules and Regulations on the Licensing of Establishment and Registration of Processed Food, and Other Food Products, and For Other Purposes b.2 FDA Circular No. 2014-029 || Procedure for the Use of Electronic Registration (E-registration) System for Raw Materials or Ingredients and Low Risk Prepackaged Processed Food Products c. For Labelling: DOH Administrative Order No. 2014-0030 || Revised Rules and Regulations Governing the Labelling of Prepackaged Food Products d. Future issuances related to Licensing and Registration procedure and requirements.

MAJESTY. Photo taken on August 9 shows a view of the Andes Mountains near the municipality of Popayan, departament of Cauca, Colombia. AFP

15 Guantanamo imates moved to UAE WASHINGTON—Fifteen Guantanamo Bay detainees have been transferred to the United Arab Emirates, the largest such release in years, the Pentagon announced Monday.

The latest transfers bring the remaining population of the detention center down to 61. Since the September 11, 2001 attacks, about 780 inmates have been housed in the US military-run facility.

According to a State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, 12 of the men are from Yemen and three are Afghans.

The Pentagon has previously struggled to find a third country to take Yemeni detainees, given that they can’t go home because of the civil war

in their nation.

“The United States is grateful to the government of the United Arab Emirates for its humanitarian gesture and willingness to support ongoing US efforts to close” Guantanamo, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Once transferred, former inmates are usually freed subject to supervision and undergoing rehabilitation programs.

Amnesty International USA welcomed the announcement as a sign President Barack Obama is serious about closing the controversial facility before he leaves office.

“It’s a significant repudiation of the idea that Guantanamo is going to be open for business for the indefinite

future,” Naureen Shah, Amnesty International USA’s security and human rights program director, told Agence France Presse.

One of those transferred is an Afghan called Obaidullah, who allegedly had hidden land mines in 2001. He was detained for 14 years without trial.

Monday’s announcement represents the largest transfer of prisoners under the Democratic Obama administration.

“The continued operation of the detention facility weakens our national security by draining resources, damaging our relationships with key allies and partners, and emboldening violent extremists,” Ambassador Lee Wolosky, the special envoy for Guantanamo closure, said in a statement. AFP

Indonesia energy minister No Aussie violence sacked for dual citizenship to refugees—Nauru JAKARTA—Indonesian President Joko Widodo sacked his energy minister late Monday just weeks after filling the key cabinet post, following revelations his new appointee improperly held Indonesian and United States passports.

Arcandra Tahar, a former oil and gas executive who lived in the US for 20 years, was dismissed as a cabinet minister following days of controversy surrounding his dual citizenship.

Indonesian law does not allow for dual nationality. An Indonesian must renounce their citizenship should they take another passport.

Questions about Arcandra’s citizenship began swirling at the weekend when it emerged that he possessed US and Indonesian passports.

Tahar held US citizenship since being naturalized four years ago,

but had not surrendered his Indonesian passport.

“To respond to public questions regarding the citizenship of energy and mining minister Arcandra Tahar, and after obtaining information from various sources, the president has decided to honourably remove Arcandra Tahar,” State Secretary Pratikno said.

Pratikno, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said in a televised address that Tahar’s dismissal would take effect Tuesday.

Luhut Pandjaitan, a key Widodo ally and senior cabinet minister, will take charge of the energy portfolio until a replacement is selected.

Tahar was a former executive at Petroneering, an offshore engineering company based in Texas.

He was asked by Widodo to join the cabinet as energy minister in late July during a reshuffle of key posts. AFP

SY DNEY—Nau r u Tuesday dismissed as “fabricated” claims that asylum-seekers faced violence, abuse and humiliating treatment while living in Australian immigration facilities on the Pacific island, saying refugees had become political pawns.

The release of more than 2,000 leaked reports of incidents on Nauru detailing allegations of widespread abuse and self-harm, including children wanting to kill themselves, have sparked new calls for a parliamentary inquiry.

Hitting back at the claims contained in the leaked docu-

ments, which date from 2013 to 2015, the Nauruan government said asylumseekers had made up most of them in hope of being relocated to Australia.

“Most refugee & advocate claims on Nauru fabricated to achieve goal to get to Aust. So called “reports” based solely on these claims,” the government tweeted on Tuesday.

In a second tweet, the republic accused the Australian leftwing media, Greens MPs and refugee advocates of “using refugees as pawns for their political agendas. Very sad.” AFP

For further information on the procedure on filing and submission of LTO and CPR applications, clients may visit the following link: http://www.fda.gov.ph/industrycorner/downloadables/237-integrated-application-form-and-process.

3. The classification of “Class A”, Class “AA”, and Class “AAA” shall no longer be applied to all processed meat establishments to be licensed by FDA. Establishments can already distribute their products nationwide and internationally provided that an LTO, CPR, and/or Export Commodity Clearance/Export Certificate are secured from FDA. 4. The FDA shall recognize the validity of the LTO including Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) certifications issued to meat processing plants and CPR for processed meat issued by NMIS until their respective expiration date. a. Companies with LTO issued by NMIS that is due for renewal shall file for initial issuance of LTO in FDA starting 23 July 2016. b. Companies with LTO from NMIS with validity until 2017 shall apply for CPR with FDA using the same license. c. Companies with existing LTO from FDA shall apply for additional product line as manufacturers/toll manufacturers of processed meat.

5. Importers of meat including Indian Buffalo Meat (IBM) to be used for further processing, shall secure their LTO as Importer/ Manufacturer from FDA first before securing LTO as Meat Importer from NMIS. 6. Importer of raw materials for own use shall only present their LTO whereas, importer/ distributor of processed meat shall present their LTO and CPR to the Bureau of Customs (BOC) prior to the release of their imported raw materials or finished product from the port. Certificate of Meat Inspection (COMI) will no longer be required by the FDA to importers of processed meat.

7. The NMIS shall still conduct laboratory analyses (e.g. Total Plate Count, Salmonella, E. coli, S. aureaus) and shall still issue Official Meat Inspection Certificate (OMIC) for export meat products only until 30 September 2016. Thereafter, the company shall only secure Export Commodity Clearance (ECC) from FDA prior to exportation of processed meat, as required by the country of destination. FDA shall still avail of the services of NMIS Laboratory for testing prior to issuance of ECC. 8. The local shipping permit for cooked processed meat shall no longer be a requirement prior to distribution. Henceforth, all manufacturers and distributors of these products shall only secure LTO and CPR from FDA. All concerned establishments requesting for issuances of shipping permit for uncooked processed meat shall follow Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) Memorandum Circular No. 1 series 2016.

9. In lieu of CPR from FDA, a valid LTO issued by NMIS shall be recognized during inspection of shipment of processed meat starting 23 July until 26 August 2016.

However, proof of payment to FDA CPR application with case number or document tracking number shall be required from 27 August until 31 December 2016.

10. Only those products applied for CPR starting 23 July to 31 December 2016 will be allowed to present proof of payment to FDA CPR application with case number or document tracking number from 01 January to 30 April 2017.

11. Starting 01 May 2017, valid CPR issued by FDA shall be required prior distribution and shipment of processed meat.

12. Consumer complaints on processed meat shall be filed at FDA. For guidance and strict compliance of all concerned.

MARIA LOURDES C. SANTIAGO, MSc, MM Officer-in-Charge, Director General Standard – Aug. 17, 2016

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

World

GILT. Colombia Army soldiers descend from a Black Hawk helicopter during an operation against illegal gold mining along the Timbiqui River in the rural area of Timbiqui, department of Cauca, Colombia on August 9. AFP

6 dead in Louisiana floods B

aton Rouge—Louisiana faced epic flooding Monday, with six people killed and thousands evacuated to emergency shelters after waterways in the southern part of the state overflowed their banks.

Some areas have received more than 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain since late Thursday, submerging vast swaths of southern Louisiana in muddy waters.

“Our state is currently experiencing a historic flooding event that is breaking every record,” Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards said in a statement to residents late Monday.

“This event is ongoing, it is not over,” he said. “We do not know when the floodwaters will recede, and they will continue to

rise in some areas.”

Six people have been killed and more than 20,000 others forced to evacuate their homes, officials said.

Massive shelters are housing the displaced, including at a Baton Rouge film studio complex and an entertainment center in the state capital’s downtown area.

Police said the Louisiana National Guard will assist evacuees in emergency shelters.

A helicopter survey late Monday by the East Baton Rouge

Sheriff’s Office showed large areas of submerged land. Muddy water covered roads, forested areas, and residential zones, cars and even the better part of some dwellings.

A spokeswoman for Edwards, Shauna Sanford, said six people have been killed in the floods.

Some 40,000 homes and business were reported without power.

The White House declared four parishes—equivalent to counties in other states—major disaster areas.

“I fully expect that more parishes will be added to the declaration on a rolling basis,” Edwards said.

Floodwaters appeared to be receding in some areas, but were flowing into others. The National Weather Service (NWS) predict-

ed that many waterways would remain above flood stage into at least Tuesday.

The agency continued to issue flood warnings in effect through early Tuesday, saying water in many areas would not recede at least for another day.

The Amite River, the source of flooding for many areas, had risen 14 feet above flood level in one reading, besting a previous record flood in April 1983, the NWS said.

The agency forecasted that the Amite won’t fall below flood level until Wednesday morning.

Officials reported that hundreds of roads, most in the southern parts of the state, were closed due to flooding.

“That’s going to be the case over the next couple of days,” Ed-

US tourist, 4 others die in Peru earthquake LIMA—A moderate 5.3-magnitude earthquake in Peru killed at least four people including a US tourist and left 68 injured, crushing villagers under rubble and blocking roads, officials said Monday.

The quake late Sunday knocked down about 50 homes and cut off roads and power in the southern Arequipa region.

“It was tragic. They got wounded people out as best they could,” said John Rivera, a resident of Yanque, a hard-hit rural village of mud huts.

“The electricity has got cut off.

We still have water but we don’t know what will happen next,” he told RPP radio.

Authorities used a military plane to transport about 7.5 tons of food to meet the basic needs of the more than 1,200 people affected by the disaster.

The civil defense service said one of the victims was a 66-yearold American who died in a hotel in Yanque that was badly damaged.

Earthquakes are fairly common in Peru but this one hit at a shallow depth of eight kilometers (five miles) so damage could be heavy near the epicenter.

The epicenter was 10 kilometers from the city of Chivay, capital of Caylloma province, according to the Geophysical Institute of Peru.

Several aftershocks struck Monday.

The quake caused damage throughout an area of Arequipa called the Colca Valley, and several villages have been cut off.

“We felt a very strong tremor.

It has caused devastation in the whole Colca Valley,” the mayor of Caylloma, Romulo Tinta, told RPP. “We have no communication links between the surrounding villages,” he added. “We are asking for heavy machinery to gain access.”

The governor of Arequipa, Yamila Osorio, called for food and clothing to be airlifted to people left homeless by the quake.

“We are taking aid to Caylloma and the other districts affected by the earthquake,” Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said in a message on Twitter.

More than 80 homes have been left uninhabitable, but crews cannot reach the epicenter, Osorio said. AFP

curity and justice as hundreds of mourners attended the two men’s funeral service in the borough of Queens.

Maulama Akonjee, 55, who migrated to the United States from Bangladesh, and his friend, 64-year-old Thara Uddin, were shot dead in broad daylight on Saturday afternoon in the Ozone Park neighborhood.

Morel was taken into custody on Sunday, the NYPD told AFP. Following his detention, he was

nations, including “non-perishable food items,” bottled water and blankets.

At Iberia Parish, officials were collecting school uniforms, clothes, bedding, and personal hygiene products, among other items.

At Plaquemines Parish, officials said two airboat rescue teams had returned after assisting in East Baton Rouge, where they rescued more than 200 people and pets from various parts of the parish over a 24-hour period.

The Louisiana National Guard reported that its soldiers rescued nearly 500 people and 61 pets in the 24 hours between Friday and Saturday, by boat, helicopter, and using high-water vehicles.

“We’ve literally had hundreds of people who’ve brought boats

Curfew imposed after Milawaukee violence MILWAUKEE—A nighttime curfew for teenagers in the US city of Milwaukee will be strictly enforced police said Monday, following two nights of violence over the fatal police shooting of a black man.

Police in the now relatively calm Midwestern city faced off with protesters in the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood on Saturday and again on Sunday after the death of 23-year-old Sylville Smith, who officials say was armed.

The death angered residents, as it echoes a series of deadly police incidents involving mainly African American suspects.

In the weekend clashes, cars and businesses were set on fire, and gunshots, rocks and bottles were aimed at police.

Fourteen people were arrested Sunday and three police cars were damaged, according to officials.

“There were groups of young

TREKKING. Taiwanese American film director Justin Lin arrives for a

press conference to promote his recent film ‘Star Trek Beyond’ in Seoul on Tuesday. The movie will open in South Korea on August 18. AFP

Imam slay suspect face double murder raps NEW YORK—New York police charged a suspect Monday with the double murder of a New York imam and his friend, in a brutal slaying that sent shock waves through US Muslim communities.

Oscar Morel, a 35-year-old Brooklyn man, was charged with two counts of murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon, NYPD detective Hubert Reyes told Agence France Presse.

Fearful Muslim New Yorkers have demanded stepped-up se-

wards said.

The White House action makes emergency federal funding available to support rescue crews and recovery efforts.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday began asking those affected by the floods to apply for assistance, and officials said 11,000 people had already registered early in the day.

The American Red Cross said it was responding to the disaster, which it called the worst since Superstorm Sandy flooded coastal areas in New York and New Jersey in 2012.

Many parishes in Louisiana were collecting donations for flood victims.

At neighboring Lafourche Parish, officials were accepting do-

charged with a hit-and-run that took place three miles (about five kilometers) away from the double murder and the assault of a police officer, Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce told a news conference.

The murder charges were added later Monday after police recovered a gun and clothing from his house that were similar to those believed used by the shooter, US media reported.

Morel was known to have been in the area of the double murder

eight minutes before the homicide and took off directly afterward, Boyce said.

Police said Morel was from East New York, a troubled area of Brooklyn, and was believed to have a job in a warehouse.

Authorities had earlier said hate crime was being investigated as a possible motive—as demanded by Muslim elders—but did not provide any information on the suspect’s motives Monday evening. AFP

people in particular, who were traveling in the streets,” Mayor Tom Barrett told a news conference Monday.

“Those people, in my mind, were deliberately trying to damage a great neighborhood, in a great city.”

The curfew for minors under the age of 18 begins at 10:00 pm, Barrett said.

“We’re going to make sure that there is peace and order restored in this neighborhood,” he told reporters.

Protests first erupted Saturday, when a crowd of about 200 turned violent following the shooting of Smith, who was in a car with another individual when he was stopped by two police officers.

Smith and the other person fled on foot. A black police officer then shot and killed Smith after he failed to drop a gun, according to authorities. AFP

Berlin is young vegan haven BERLIN—Long the European capital of techno-driven nightlife, fastidious hipsterdom and low-cost party weekends, Berlin is adding another string to its bow as a vegan haven.

Animal product-free versions of almost any business can be found in Germany’s largest city, from butchers’ shops to singles’ nights.

But getting lost in the eyes of a romantic prospect over grilled tofu is far from all that’s on offer for the city’s 80,000 vegans—around 10 percent of the nationwide figure, vegetarian association Vebu estimates.

“Germany and especially Berlin are at the forefront” of a vegan

“movement” that’s advancing all over Europe, Vebu vice-president Sebastian Joy told Agence France Presse.

That’s obvious from the roughly 60 vegan restaurants on offer in the German capital counted by specialist website Happy Cow— far outstripping the 24 in Paris and 40 in London, both cities more than twice the size of Berlin.

That figure has ballooned since 2008, when there were just three completely animal-free restaurants according to Vebu.

Berlin is “younger, more hyped, and more alternative than Munich, Paris or London,” explained Joy. AFP

Life

Kojiesan team and partners celebrate the brand’s 10th anniversary

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

FASHION & BEAUTY

D1

The beauty to light millions

B

EAUTY Elements Ventures Inc. (BEVI), the manufacturer of the country’s favorite skin lightening product, Kojiesan, is celebrating 10 fruitful years of bringing a lighter, flawless and more beautiful complexion to Filipinos.

BEVI’s success story is a testament to the undaunted determination of its owner. From a few dozen orders to millions of bars sold, the soap steadily became a favorite among Filipinos.

The innovative product reached consumers across the country, and soon after, distribution went worldwide as an export commodity.

BEVI started in a humble office in a residential area in Makati. Now, the company operates from an entire building. It also owns a six-hectare manufacturing facilities in San Pablo, Laguna, providing employment to more than 500 employees.

BEVI launched the original kojic acid soap formulated the traditional Japanese way and made it even better by adding high-grade virgin coconut oil into the mix.

Kojiesan is an exceptional treatment to even out skin tone, erase dark spots, and other forms of skin pigmentations.

It also corrects skin discoloration while lightening the skin. The Kojiesan Classic Line includes the Skin Lightening Soap, Cleanser+Toner, Face Lightening Cream, and Body Lightening Lotion.

With the success of the Classic Line, Kojiesan was able to extend its product lines to other categories such as anti-aging, acne treatment, men’s skincare, cellulite control, sunblock, and fragrances.

Results vary individually. How your skin reacts to any skin lightener will depend on your unique skin sensitivity, the extent of the pigmentation, and/or daily sun exposure. Initially, an improvement should be seen in the first or second week, then the ultimate result within the next 30 days or a few weeks thereafter.

of Filipinas for 10 years

Kojiesan’s commitment to quality is ref lected in the recognition it garnered for five consecutive years as “Bath Soap Brand of the Year” at the Watson’s Health and Beauty Awards and Consumer “SM Top Choice” Awards.

With more tricks than truth behind what brands say, Kojiesan enjoins us to be careful with what we buy. Some labels brandish catchy, creative terms — triple effect this, intensive that, pinkish white whatever, and touting invented numbers: 4 tones fairer, 7 days faster— with zero consideration for your natural skin’s reaction to adverse products.

And for all the claims and white lies told, the question remains: have they shown us results? It’s time we see the light. No lab-made chemical complexes, no marketing-invented promises.

Just you and your natural beauty, shining at its lightest.

Kojiesan believes that the proof is in the pigment, and seeing is believing.

The country’s leading kojic soap brand encourages everyone to join the millions who’ve witnessed visible results “We will continue to innovate products and expand our distribution to bring the highest level of consumer experience to a greater number of people. We want to be known as the company who delivers quality and effective products,” says Tricia Gregorio, marketing head of BEVI.

BEVi CEO Jazz Burila

Brand Manager of Defensil Chelsea Chua

Kojiesan Sales Director Jun Matos

Marketing Head of Kojiesan Patricia Veronica Gregorio

Brand Manager of BVP Joan Decena

Kojiesan’s range of skin lightening products includes the Classic and Men’s line

Be new everyday with Oli Natural WITH Oli Natural whitening beauty soaps you can achieve that and so much more. Made from coconut oil, Oli Natural is traditionally processed that successfully combines natural ingredients to condition and enhance one’s natural beauty conveniently and economically.

“Oli Natural soaps are what we call ‘real’ soaps. We can confidently say this because our soaps are not just for keeping the skin clean. We produce soaps in a traditional way called cold processing so that the active properties of its natural ingredients remain intact and benefit those who

will use the product. Unlike other brands that leave your skin dry and stripped of its natural oils, Oli Natural moisturizes and conditions your skin to bring out a new you,” said Jerry Sesmundo CEO of Activo Global, Inc., the company behind Oli Natural soaps.

To date, Oli Natural soap has five variants: Gluta Papaya for excellent moisturizing; Green Barley, responsible for anti-aging and in achieving an odorfree day; Activated Charcoal for deep cleansing and detox; Intense White for extra strength whitening; and soon to be

Oli Natural’s Gluta-Papaya, Activated Charcoal, Intense White and Komenuka variants

available, Komenuka, natural booster of healthy skin.

At the start, Sesmundo admitted that he was just a regular consumer who just couldn’t find what needed in a bar of soap.

“I was in Italy when the idea came to me that I could make my own soaps. At first, I used olive oil so I named it ‘Oli,’ the Italian for oils. The results were great but it was just too expensive so I chose coconut oil as an alternative but kept the name.”

Oli Natural is primarily made up of coconut oil, known for its high moisture content and rich lather. “We are confident in saying that each of our soap is made from coconut oil.

“In the beginning, it was really a personal undertaking. I was just looking for a better option from what is available in the market. Backed by the business tools that I have, I began the production process and came up with a product line that is centered on consumer satisfaction,” said Sesmundo when asked how he started in the soap-making business.

After its introduction to the market in 2014, Oli Natural products have been receiving rave reviews from consumers.

In answer to the growing demand, Sesmundo and Activo Global, Inc. are now taking on the challenge of expanding the market presence of its premiere skin care products nationwide.

Activo Global CEO Jerry Sesmundo (second from left) with Oli Natural soaps endorsers Kristine Sablan and Raven Molina

The company has also chosen a couple of endorsers as part of their marketing campaign. Kristine Sablan is a model and budding actress from Star Magic, the talent management arm of ABS-CBN. Her first regular TV appearance was in the top rating teleserye, Pangako Sa ‘Yo. Raven Molina, on the other hand, is a basketball enthusiast-turned-model who dreams of becoming an actor someday. So far, he has appeared in several TV commercials, print ads and runway shows.

“We chose Kristine and Raven because of their youthful image. They

belong to the fresh crop of talents. Just like Oli Natural, they are new in the business but have a lot of potential of making it big. I believe they are best suited to be the personalities that will introduce Oli Natural to the Filipino consumers,” said Sesmundo.

“Filipinos have grown to be smart buyers. They still want affordability, but now they look for quality, value for their money as well. And that is what we guarantee with Oli Natural: a whitening beauty soap that brings out the new you every day,” added Sesmundo.

Life

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

Belo plus Sunshine Dizon equals woman empowerment

T

HEY say that a woman’s confidence almost always results in exuding beauty all around her.

Doctor to the stars Vicki Belo and the company she represents, the Belo Medical Group, can’t agree more. And it’s precisely the reason behind its existence – to make every Filipino beautiful one step at a time.

Belo has partnered recently with embattled actress Sunshine Dizon in this continuing quest.

Dizon, who was in the news recently, has taken steps “to bring control in her life.” One of the major steps she undertook was to give Belo the free hand and give her the needed push to bring back

confidence in herself “to make herself whole and beautiful once again.”

“I know that I am a sympathetic human being, a mother who loves her children so much, and that I have so much to live for and celebrate for in my life despite its setbacks. I have decided to take control of my life. Going to Dr. Belo to bring attention to my physical well-being is one of the first steps I am taking,” Sunshine said.

This partnership highlights the beauty transformation of Dizon under the medical expertise of the Belo Medical

Sunshine Dizon taps the expertise of Belo Medical Group to help bring control in her life

Group. Belo said, “We understand every woman’s need, especially mothers like Sunshine. We also understand the terrible stress she has to undergo regarding her personal life. We don’t want all these stress to make her less than who she is supposed to be. We want her to feel and look as beautiful as ever.”

Dizon has undergone Thermilift, the newest FDA-approved aesthetic procedure, a first of its kind, that delivers controlled thermal energy (radiofrequency) directly under the skin to help reverse the effects of aging. Thermilift is ideal for patients, who do not want surgery and desire more lasting results than non-invasive procedures can deliver.

She has also undergone Laser Lipo in her abdomen by making use of an Nd:YAG 1064 nm laser that is delivered through a flexible fiber optic. It acts directly on the fat cells by destroying the membrane and releasing fatty and oily deposits extra-cellularly thus making suctioning easier. The heat generated by the laser seals the blood vessels that are broken during the process making the procedure less bloody. It also stimulates contraction of the overlying skin for better tightening.

V Contour is a procedure that is used to treat localized, stubborn fats in the face that will contour and give the face a slimmer feature. It is ideal for patients with wider facial feature, square jaw line and high cheeks. It is also ideal for arms, thighs, abdomen, and love handles. It is done via injection and does not necessarily require anesthesia. It dissolves impurities and helps to accelerate lymphatic gland purification.

Botox Masseter blocks impulses from the nerve to the tiny facial muscles that are related to expression lines. Botox relaxes

3-step system acne treatment AFTER all the summer getaway in the beach, in the outdoors, or tours in and out of the country, it is inevitable for most students to dread on the thought that the time to going back to school is getting nearer by the day. And tagging along this comeback is the stress brought about by sleepless nights studying or cramming on some seemingly insurmountable school requirements— this and acne breaking out from almost every corner of the face.

It is only logical to take advantage of the time left for vacation and while everyone is at it, taking time to know how to take care of the skin before going back to school would be definitely a plus, especially when stress is very much expected.

Here are some tips to reduce acne breakouts: One obvious sign of someone being stressed by something that needs to go away is when they habitually rest their faces on their hands, especially during class. It is quite a hard habit to break, but try to imagine all the dirt, oil and bacteria from the hands getting into those pores. It would only cause more clogging which leads to more breakouts, so keep those hands far from the face as much as possible.

It should be avoided to opt for fast food every time there is a need to catch up on the next class, or, try to save time and cram on a requirement needed, just hours away from the deadline. While everything is all right in moderation, eating a healthier option is still more advisable than get-

A healthy lifestyle paired with Proactiv 3-step kit help get rid and prevent skin breakouts

ting too much sugar, dairy, fried and processed foods. It does contribute to breakouts most especially when coupled with stress. Go for fruits, vegetable and whole grains, or prepare a healthy packed lunch at home. It also does save some allowance from buying fast food.

Another bad habit that needs to leave everyone’s system is cramming. It does not help that much in getting those passing grades; it may probably work for some, but the stress brought by the lack of sleep just adds to the factors leading to acne breakouts. A bit of time management and having a responsible attitude by studying a bit everyday won’t hurt.

It may be challenging to keep it habit,

but it will not only keep the grades up, it could also clear up the skin, free from stress and breakouts.

Each Proactiv kit comes with a free Refining Mask that makes sure to keep skin clear and acne-free. Formulated with sulfur, a proven acne-fighting ingredient, reaches deep into the pores where blemishes begin. The Refining Mask unclogs pores, pampers inflamed skin, and softens the skin’s texture.

Keep all of these tips in mind and get one less stressful thought of the coming school days.

To know more about Proactiv Solution, visit my.proactiv.com.ph or get a Proactiv 3-Step System kit in any SM/ Watsons outlets.

the muscles so they do not contract.

After treatment, the overlying skin remains smooth and unwrinkled while the untreated facial muscles contract in a regular fashion, allowing normal facial expression to be unaffected.

Embedded Protein Thread are special threads of varying lengths that are inserted into different points on the face to help improve facial contour with noted lifting and tightening. It also helps correct volume loss and in some cases, may be inserted on acupuncture points to improve blood circulation and stimulate collagenesis.

Exilis is a new body contouring and skin tightening machine.

This makes use of focused RF technology to treat jowling, loose skin on the neck and décolletage area. It can help fat and flabby abdomen, back, arms, legs and knees.

Hydrafacial treatment enhances skin complexion and reduces signs of aging.

Dead skin cells are exfoliated and impurities are extracted using a vacuumbased skin abrasion tip and the healthy underlying skin is bathed with active serums that cleanse deeply, hydrate completely and provide residual antioxidant protection Wet and Dry Dermabrasion works well to even out skin color throughout the body through exfoliation and infused serums. It helps make the skin lighter and more supple to touch. The treatment is copped with the application of a bleaching cream.

Be prepared to witness Sunshine’s transformation very soon, brought by the Belo Medical Group.

Look radiant on rainy days with Marula THE sun may not be out on rainy days but the damp and humid weather can leave your skin dry and prone to irritation and breakouts. To keep it moisturized and glowing, use Marula Pure Beauty Oil, the only doctor-endorsed and scientifically validated facial oil.

Marula Pure Beauty Oil is a groundbreaking skincare oil that provides allnatural hydration for the face, neck and décolleté with faster absorption rate and longer lasting moisture retention. It is made from 99 percent marula oil and one percent blend of natural essential oils that leaves a light, natural scent. With 60 percent more antioxidants than argan and grapeseed oils, it is more effective in fighting free radicals that cause premature aging.

Aside from its optimal hydration and age-defying benefits, Marula Pure Beauty Oil is also best for treating damaged skin after

facial treatments, radiation therapies and surgeries. With its high concentrations of omega-9 fatty acid, it penetrates quickly into the skin and locks in hydration to sooth redness, swelling and irritation.

Ideal for everyday use, use Marula Pure Beauty Oil during the day to keep your skin hydrated and at night to help your skin replenish its vital moisture reserves.

During rainy and humid weather, apply it more frequently as needed.

Don’t let the rainy season dampen your skin’s radiance. Keep your healthy, youthful glow with Marula Pure Beauty Oil. Marula Pure Beauty Oil is available at the beauty section of the SM Stores at SM Aura, SM Makati, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa and SM Mall of Asia.

Marula Pure Beauty Oil provides multiple skin benefits

Kaye Morales joins forces with HERsHE Xtreme Sports Binder FASHION designer Kaye Morales has teamed up with feminine undergarment brand HERsHE for a special campaign unveiled at the HERsHE Exclusive Relaunch Party at Club Haze in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig.

An icon-in-the-making in fashion and fitness, Morales embodies her latest title as brand ambassador for the HERsHE Xtreme Sports Binder – the first Philippine-made undergarment that provides the right kind of protection and comfort real women need.

Whether it’s running or walking, kickboxing or weight training, it matches up with every woman’s activity. The soft, breathable cotton spandex undergarment evenly distributes the weight on your chest with its midriff razorback design. Locally produced and patented, it comes in two basic shades: black and white. HERsHE offers a good range of sizes from extra small to a triple size large to cater to different body types – all available for purchase for only P798.00.

Kaye Morales collaborates with HERsHE. Joining her are the other brand ambassadors of the undergarment label

Showbiz

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

Sarah Lahbati is one happy Kapamilya

W

E NOW regularly see Sarah Lahbati on the boob tube after a few years of hiatus. The issue she had with her previous network, which most people regarded as her “confused period,” is now a thing of the past, so to speak.

Actress Sarah Lahbati started viewing life differently when Baby Zion came into picture

Next step in human evolution FROM producer Ridley Scott and director Luke Scott, Morgan offers a thrilling, visceral and intense movie-going experience starring Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Michelle Yeoh, Paul Giamatti, Leslie Rose and Toby Jones.

Morgan introduces an artificial yet organic being that represents the future in human evolution.

In the film the inevitable happens, the creation surpasses its creator. The titular character “Morgan” is played by Anya Taylor-Joy a bioengineered being with synthetic DNA. At one month, she (it) was walking and talking; at six months, she exceeded her creators’ wildest expectations.

Morgan is enigmatic and unpredictable—a lab-created being with emotional capacity and conflicting traits that blur the line between being human and synthetic. When “Morgan” suddenly attacked one of her handlers, the company immediately sends Lee Weathers (Kate Mara), a corporate troubleshooter who decides whether Morgan will continue to live or be terminated at once.

Luke Scott is a noted commercials director who has also worked in various capacities on his father Ridley’s epic and acclaimed films, Luke makes his feature directorial debut

with “Morgan.” The story’s themes clearly resonate with the young filmmaker, whose short film, “Loom,” shot on 4K 3D, was a kind of precursor to Morgan. Starring Giovanni Ribisi, the short was about a man hiding an artificial being in a genetics workshop.

Some of the ideas explored in Loom were expanded upon in screenwriter Seth Owen’s original script for Morgan, which entered the prestigious film industry “Black List” in 2014—compiled annually from

the suggestions of more than 250 film executives who contribute names of their favorite scripts written that year.

Scott was intrigued by Owens’ unusual approach to some of the big scientific questions of our time: if artificial intelligence becomes as smart, if not smarter than humans, then what do we have to offer?

Would artificial beings like Morgan be the next leap in our evolution?

Even more significantly, Scott wondered, “What motivates us to synthetically produce or reproduce a human being? These are issues that encompass faith, morality, science and technology.”

To further explore and immerse himself in this bleeding-edge research, Scott visited Queens University’s microbiology labs.

There, he learned that investigations in this area, though pervasive in the scientific community, were still taboo outside the halls of academia and laboratories—and that advances in this field were happening at warp speed. “It’s all pretty remarkable,” says Scott, whose penetrating queries sometimes caught the labs’ professors off guard.

Morgan opens Sept. 7 in cinemas from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

In an afternoon at a restaurant in BGC in Taguig, we had the chance to speak with the 22-year-old mother of one. During our interview, the young actress was all smiles talking about how Kapamilya Network takes care of her as an artist and how her life had a 360-turn since she became a mother.

“It’s been a great adventure. It has been an incredible year for me since I became a Kapamilya. I’m very happy with my work and I’m excited every morning to do what I love,” Lahbati told the Manila Standard.

The actress is a regular performer in ABS-CBN’s Sunday variety show, ASAP, heating up the stage with her sexy dance production numbers where she teams up with Star Magic talents and other Kapamilya stars. She made her way to primetime via Super D, the superhero series that ended just last month. Soon enough, she will be seen again on primetime TV via The Promise of Forever, a series also top-billed by Ritz Azul, Paulo Avelino and Ejay Falcon.

Apart from her TV engagements, Lahbati is also the face of numerous brand endorsements.

The most recent being the Nido’s educational campaign called “check the label.” The campaign aims to encourage mothers to read and have a better understanding of food labels so they can make smarter and healthier choices for their children.

Lending her voice and support to the campaign, the first-time mom learned that the best way for her to make a decision is to do research herself and check the

labels on her options.

“My priority has changed when Zion came into picture. Basically, it made me view life differently. I no longer sweat on small stuff. I became more inspired to work. And that’s the reason why I agreed to be the voice of this campaign – to help educate young mothers like me,” Lahbati explained.

She added that checking the label has become her habit. When she became pregnant, she started being keen on checking the food she eats being also the person who prepares what she puts on the dinner table.

“My mother taught me how to create things from scratch especially when it comes to food. I’ve learned how to cook, prepare my own food when I was pregnant. And this is the same thing I do for my child” she said.

Lahbati evidently enjoys motherhood so much that having another child with partner Richard Gutierrez has actually crossed her mind, including making their relationship legal and official.

“We have talked about getting married but we both agreed that we have to focus on our careers at this point. And of course, Zion…we want to make sure that we are there so see every progress he makes. We don’t want to miss out on anything. Well, we are actually thinking of having another kid. We want twins,” she revealed.

With a partner who is “so loving, responsible and fun to be with,” the young actress is very content with her career and personal life.

“I have a very supportive and amazing partner, what else can I ask for?” she concluded.

Laguna-born Indian competes

at Man of the Year 2016 pageant MAN of the Year Philippines, Karan Singhdole, will compete at the inaugural Man of the year pageant at Grand Central Hotel in Pekanbaru, Sumatra, Indonesia on Aug. 20.

Singhdole, a 23-year-old, 6-foot-2, model and student of Hotel and Restaurant Management at STI College, was born of Indian parents and raised in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

A top 10 finalist in Misters of Filipinas 2015, he was awarded the title of Man of the Year Philippines by Prime Events Productions Philippines (PEPPS), headed by CEO Carlo Morris Galang.

Karan, who speaks five languages, Hindi, English, Filipino, Punjabi and Bengali,

started modeling in 2012. He was in the Top 8 finalists of Bodyshots Philippines 2014 and joined Eat Bulaga’s “You’re My Foreignoy” in 2014, a contest for young male foreigners residing or studying in the country.

Singhdole has gone through needed training in personality, walking and interview skills. His wardrobe for the completion will be provided by local designers Edwin Uy for national costume, Olan Roque for the swimwear, Bobby Galang for casual wear and Francis Libiran for the formal wear.

“I am sad to be leaving the country but I want to thank everyone for their support. I am confident and optimistic about my chances at the coming Man

of the Year competition,” said the Bench and Cosmo Bachelor model. Being an Indian national, Singhdole was asked the question “if he came to meet Miss India and Miss Philippines as an usher at the 2017 Miss Universe in Manila, who would he first hand a bouquet of flowers?” Singhdole smartly answered, “I certainly would give the flowers first to Miss India, to show the hospitality that Filipinos are known for.”

Mister International 2014 Neil Perez wished his fellow Misters well during the send-off. “Just do your best, enjoy the experience and make us proud when you represent the Philippines at the pageant,” the ever-humble “gwapulis” said. Text and photos: Eton B. Concepcion

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, August 17, 2016

ACROSS 1 Amazon source 5 A fowl place 10 “Waterloo” pop group 14 He has his pride 15 Crossbow bolt 16 Keg-party site 17 Clapton of “Layla” 18 Hollow rock 19 Miff 20 Heavy rains 22 Thing 24 Blushing 25 Muscle for push-ups 26 Doctor’s bane?

29 It borders the Atl. 32 Type of spray 36 Peevishness 37 Kind of scout 39 Fatima’s husband 40 Split (4 wds.)

43 Autumn mo.

44 Diner’s choice 45 Beef 46 Orchestra section 48 Omelet extra 49 Tube trophies 50 Ms. Hagen of films 52 —’wester 53 Victorian virtue

57 Ballpark events 61 Europe-Asia range 62 Browning’s “— Ben Ezra” 64 Inkling 65 Disconcert 66 Mukluk wearer 67 Whining noise 68 Left in a hurry 69 “The Eve of St. —” 70 Singer — James DOWN 1 Answered a judge 2 Gael republic 3 Make turbid 4 Straightened out 5 Stormed 6 Mother lodes 7 Spanish gold 8 Coke or Pepsi 9 Punk 10 Nigeria’s locale 11 — -a-brac 12 Cotillion 13 Suits to — — 21 Shucks!

23 Decade fraction 26 Really dislike 27 Gun, in a cop show 28 Diner’s need 29 It has a crust

30 Ne plus — 31 Change the length 33 Oregon’s capital 34 Soothe 35 Catalogs 37 Pickup’s standard 38 Society column word 41 Galas 42 Protect, in a way 47 Fenced 49 Want-ad letters 51 Skylit courts

52 Hits the cuspidor 53 Furry accessory 54 Articulated 55 Mental fog 56 Yin complement 57 NYC theater award 58 Proofread 59 Landlord’s income 60 “Beowulf,” for one 63 Knot of hair

Indian national Karan Singhdole during his sendoff presscon with Mister International 2014 PO2 Mariano Flormata Jr. (center) and Manhunt International Philippines PO2 Don Mcgyver Cochico (rightmost)

Showbiz

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2016

Yassi Pressman drops her wholesome image and goes funny and sexy in ‘Camp Sawi’

From serious actresses, Bela Padilla, Andi Eigenmann and Arci Muñoz will attempt to tickle funny bones in the upcoming sexy comedy flick

Stage actress Kim Molina splashes on the big screen starring alongside the hottest and sexiest stars of today

V

IVA Films and N2 Productions join forces to bring to the big screen a different take on the ISAH V. RED story of five young women struggling to mend their broken hearts inside a camp that helps them recover from their awful experiences in love.

The film is called Camp Sawi and it unspools in theaters nationwide on Aug. 24, now dubbed by the producers as National Sawi Day. Camp Sawi is a Joyce Bernal production for VIVA Films and N2. Written and directed by Irene Villamor, the film was shot partly, or most of it, in Bantayan Island, Cebu.

The movie stars five of today’s hottest and sexiest young actresses – Andi Eigenmann, Bela Padilla, Yassi Pressman, Kim Molina, and Arci Munoz. Also in the cast is Kapamilya hunk Sam Milby with the special participation of Kapuso actor, Dennis Trillo.

As Bridgetie (Bela), Jessica (Yassi), Gwen (Arci), Joan (Kim) and Clarisse (Andi), these five young ladies become each other’s shoulder to cry on inside the camp.

Bridgette is a bank teller dumped by her longtime Chinese boyfriend. She and her ex were together for 10 years before the guy decided to break up with her to marry another girl.

Jessica, meanwhile, is a young perky cheerleader, who finds out that her boyfriend is in love with someone else.

Gwen works for a band with her boyfriend, who eventually breaks up with her. Joan, on the other hand, is left by her lonesome when her fiancé dies after proposing to her.

Lastly, Clarisse is a former actress who suffers the consequences of being the other girl.

The five girls seek relief from all the heartaches and find guidance and strength from young and good-looking Camp Sawi head coach-cum-resident chef, Louie (Sam).

“Super fun movie” is how Bela describes Camp Sawi.

And the fun the girls had while shooting is evident in the trending “Limang Bobo” spoof video of the now-popular hugot song “Tatlong Bibe.”

AFTER being a biritera in her younger years, former Kapamilya star Michelle Ayalde shifted to singing RnB, which can be best heard on her first international album HiPNOTIC. Michelle let the members of the press hear samples of the tracks of her new brand of music at the album launch in 12 Monkeys recently.

The former Star Magic artist is very proud that her recent return to the country is special with the fact that she has an international album to offer to her fans and family. It may be recalled that Michelle shared her musicality in 2005 on her self-titled debut album that came out in 2005.

Also a hit with the netizens is the “Lola” character whose sarcastic yet hilarious one liners are aimed at putting some sense into the girls’ heads.

Arci shares that the film is really a fun outing. She adds that moviegoers will surely be able to identify with the characters.

“At saka ‘yon yung tipo na, kunwari, mapapanood mo siya, parang gusto mo talaga na magkaroon ng Camp Sawi.

Marami kasi ang nagiging broken hearted. Minsan hindi talaga nakakapag-move on kasi napakahirap naman talaga mag-move on,” she goes on.

As for Bela, what sets Camp Sawi apart from other hugot movies is its focus on the female characters and how they deal with heartbreak and the idea of moving on.

“Feeling ko, first time nating makakakita ng movie na yong chemistry between girls ay hindi kailangang katulad ng pinapanood natin dati - isang girl at isang guy. Mas makikita rito yung relationship naman ng mga babae, kung paano sila magtutulungang mag-move on,” she relates.

So, join Andi, Bela, Yassi, Kim and Arci as they mend their broken hearts and find true healing in VIVA Films and N2 Productions’ Camp Sawi, showing in cinemas nationwide on National Sawi Day, Aug. 24.

“Ngayon it’s kind of different from my previous album. At the same time I’m really proud of it because I got to work with different race [while making it],”said the former Wansapanataym theme song singer.

Michelle’s unique and new “garalgal” singing voice, which came about after suffering from nodules on her throat, matched her performance of her songs “Regret It,” “Missing You,” “Love” and her carrier single “Hypnotic’ during the album launch.

Her seven-track EP was produced

by Malaysian label Worldwide Platinum Records and was released

by Warner Music Malaysia. Michelle accounts the creation of her diversely

*** Acclaimed filmmaker and Cannes award-winning director Brillante Mendoza confirmed its first film workshop in Baliuag, Bulacan on Aug. 25 and 26.

D u b b e d as Brillante Film Festival, the event will feature one of Mendoza’s newest film, Taklub.

Topbilled by Nora Aunor, it is a fictionalized account of three survivors of the Super Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippines in 2013. The film was premiered at Un Certain Regard where it won the 2015 Cannes Film Festival Ecumenical Jury Prize Special Mention.

Students from various schools and universities as well as aspiring film makers in Bulacan will have the rare opportunity to view the award winning film and to meet as well as interact with the director.

In the Film Appreciation Workshop, Mendoza will give an indepth view of Philippine Independent Film Making. His workshop will also include the never seen footages of Taklub that detail his technical knowhow and comprehensive aspects of film making such as direction, screenplay, cinematography, acting, production design, sound, and editing.

The thorn among the roses, Sam Milby is the head coach and resident chef of the camp designed for broken-hearted ladies

themed album to producers Pierre Paolo Banaga and Elton Collins.

Although returning to local show business remains impossible as of the moment as she still needs to fulfill her contract in Malaysia, Michelle assured that she would be promoting HiPNOTIC to the best that she can during her almost two-month vacation in the country.

In fact, she shared that she has a few appearances lined up in the coming weeks in local networks and radio stations.

“Very supportive naman sila sa lahat ng ginagawa ko. My family andyan na sila since day one. Kahit bumaba, tumaas, hindi sila aalis sa tabi ko,” she said of her family’s

reaction about her album’s launch in the Philippines.

During her album launch hosted

by Tippy dos Santos, her friends and co-Star Magic artists Janus del Prado, Allyzon Lualhati and Celine Lirio dropped by to show their support. Even singer Marcelito Pomoy joined her album launch.

Apart from bringing her album in the Philippines, Michelle shared that the music videos of her songs from HiPNOTIC are also set to be released on local music channels, like MYX, soon.

Michelle Ayalde’s international album HiPNOTIC is currently available on Spotify and iTunes.

Mendoza, who is known for his advocacies on tackling social issues, hopes to inspire participants’ critical thinking skills while improving their capacity in appreciating the alternative art movement called “indie-film”.

The Brillante Film Festival is a joint project of Center stage Productions Inc., SM Cinema, and SM City Baliwag. It is also a part of Director Mendoza’s advocacy to rethink and redefine cinema by sharing his knowledge and experience in filmmaking with the new generation. *** Cineastes and movie buffs, rejoice! Get up to 25 percent discount on movie tickets purchased through the GMovies app with your Citi credit card from now to Sept. 7.

Yes, you can watch your favorite Hollywood blockbusters or any local hit with your family or friends by getting your tickets on GMovies, which gives you access to the Ayala, SM, Robinsons Movieworld and Megaworld Lifestyle Mall cinemas, as well as other movie theaters in and around Metro Manila.

And now, using your Citi card on the app lets you enjoy the following perks: one ticket brings you 5 percent off; two tickets bring you 10 percent off; 3 tickets bring you 15 percent off; four tickets bring you 20 percent off; and five tickets bring you a generous 25 opercent off. What’s more, from Sept. 8 to Dec. 31, get P50 off on your movie ticket purchases through the app.

To avail of these deals, Citi cardholders must download the GMovies app via Apple App Store or Google Play Store and register.

Choose the movie along with your preferred cinema, screening time and seats. Select the Payment Option “Citi #LoveToClick” and enter the promo code “CITI4GMOVIES” to avail of the discount or price off. Input your Citi card details and click “Submit.” A GMovies e-Ticket will automatically be saved on both your smartphone gallery and the GMovies “My Tickets” page. The cardholder may then use the e-Ticket to enter the cinema.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy with Citi and GMovies. See you at the cinema.

For more information about this and other Citi promotions, log on to www.citibank.com. ph or call the 24-hour CitiPhone at 995 9999.

Former star magic talent Michelle Ayalde is starting to make a name for herself on the international music scene