Manila Standard - 2016 August 25 - Thursday

KILLER QUAKES HIT ITALY, MYANMAR

With P2b to spend, Digong sets travel plans

See story on A2, C4

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is expected to do much traveling to and from Davao City next year as his travel expense has been increased to P2.12 billion next year from P312 million this year.

He is also expected to mount a much greater intelligence work as his intelligence fund allocation has been increased to P1.25 billion next year from P250 million this year.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman of the opposition questioned the 10-fold increase in the budget of the Office of the President, or from P2 billion this year to P20 billion next year.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said P15 billion of the P20 billion was allocated for the Philippines’ hosting of the 50th Asean Summit next year.

“We took P15 billion for the Asean’s golden anniversary.

P15 billion is not unreasonable considering [next year will be the Asean’s] 50th anniversary,” Diokno said.

Under next year’s budget, some P11.07 billion will be allocated to the Office of the President, the Department of Tourism will get P749 million,

PRESIDENTIAL PASSPORT. President Rodrigo Duterte has his passport taken at the mobile registration booth set up by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Malacañang.

Du30 war chest vs narcs raised

By Christine Herrera and John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is seeking a 400-percent increase in confidential and intelligence funds under the Office of the President to fund his anti-narcotics war, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday.

“This is going to be used in his fight against illegal drugs and criminality,” Diokno said.

“President Duterte has shown he has political will. He’s going after drug users, drug pushers. I think it’s worth it,” Diokno added.

In the proposed budget submitted to Congress, the Office of the President has asked for P2.5 billion in confidential and intelligence funds, up from this year’s P500-million budget.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman cautioned Congress against approving the OP budget, citing the rise in vigilante killings of suspected drug pushers.

“The inordinate 400-percent increase in the President’s confidential and intelligence funds... is alarming in the face of extrajudicial and shortcut procedures employed by the present administration in pursuing its announced priorities,” Lagman said.

Lagman said the fund would be subject to abuse, since there is no paper trail nor verifiable accounts for confidential or intelligence operations.

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Protest vs Sino drug trafficking

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Philippines is set to file a strong diplomatic protest with Beijing for Chinese shipments of illegal drugs that are flooding the country, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said Wednesday.

Yasay said he met with Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua Tuesday to discuss President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against drugs and observed that the bulk of illegal drugs come from China.

“I had asked him for his clarifications [on] this matter,” Yasay said during a meeting with the Senate.

“We will be issuing a note verbale to pursue this on a more aggressive note,” he added.

In a separate interview, DFA spokesman Charles Jose said the note verbale was drafted after Senator Richard Gordon raised the alarm over the continuous flow of illegal drugs from China, which he said could constitute a national security concern.

Jose said the note verbale will contain a call to China to cooperate with the Philippines against illegal drugs.

Jose said the note verbale would be issued at “the earliest opportunity.”

Yasay set a meeting with Zhao after Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald Next page

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VOL. XXX • NO. 194 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Rody hits Leila’s ‘sex escapades’ Insists on De Lima’s ties with drug lords

By John Paolo Bencito

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday scored Senator Leila de Lima for her continuing silence on her “sex escapades,” which he said placed the country in much peril following her alleged role in the so-called “Muntinlupa Connection” being run out of the New Bilibid Prison.

In his visit to the wake of a slain policeman in Taytay, Rizal, Duterte insisted that De Lima, a former secretary of Justice has neither denied nor confirmed her alleged affair with her former “driver-lover,” Ronnie Palisoc Dayan, which would make her complicit in the crime of

adultery, and would establish her links to the illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary.

“What is really very sad for this country, here is a woman who’s posturing herself as a crusader for good governance, but because she cannot control her immorality ... her sex escapades led her to commit several serious violations of law,” Duterte said. “[De Lima’s] sex escapades, she never denied it. She’s just saying that it’s ‘all lies,’ but she never said anything about Dayan. She never admitted it. She never made a denial—now that everything’s in her face,” Duterte said, making another revelation that after having an illicit affair with Dayan, De Lima has found another lover named “Warren,” a new close-in security that she requested from former Metro Manila Development Authoirty chairman Francis Tolentino.

He said “Warren” was not involved in the drug trade, however.

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BARAAN

Duterte warns of ‘reckoning’ with China PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte warned Wednesday of a “reckoning” with China if there was no resolution to a tense dispute over rival claims to the South China Sea. An international tribunal ruled last month that China’s claims to most of the strategically vital waters had no legal basis, in what was seen as a sweeping victory for the Philippines, which filed the case.

Duterte repeatedly had said he did not

want to anger China with an aggressive response, and sent an envoy to ease tensions, but on Wednesday signalled he was prepared to adopt a more confrontational approach.

“We will not raise hell now because of the judgement but there will come a time that we will have to do some reckoning about this,” Duterte said in a speech to soldiers at a military camp.

China, which has in recent years under-

taken giant land reclamation works in disputed parts of the sea, has vowed to ignore the ruling.

It has called for direct talks with the Philippines, but insisted it will not compromise on its claims.

Duterte said the Philippines had not “insisted” on the judgement, but signaled that stance would change.

“They [China] better come up with Next page

Revamp targets grafters PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte clarified Tuesday night that only presidential appointees who are corrupt or who have pending cases before the Ombudsman will be fired.

In an interview at the Palace, the President said that the reason he issued the order calling for the courtesy resignations of all presidential appointees was to give Malacañang a free rein in ridding the government of corrupt officials.

He added that the courtesy resignations would still have to be reviewed to weed out corrupt officials. Those who are not corrupt would be spared, he said.

“I told them to stop it, but they refused to,” Duterte said. “If I fire you, it could only mean one thing: that you are into graft.”

Duterte said he will start with those who have pending cases with the Office of the Next page Ombudsman.

Palawan pearl is world’s largest PUERTO PRINCESA CITY— A poor Philippine fisherman found what is thought to be the world’s largest pearl, but hid it under his bed for a decade without knowing its worth, local authorities said.

The man found the 34-kilogram (75-pound) pearl inside a giant clam that was snagged by his anchor as he waited out a storm at sea, according to local tourism department chief Cynthia Amurao, who is also his aunt.

Not knowing it could be worth tens of millions of dollars, he kept the 30-cm by 60cm (12-inch by 24-inch) pearl Next page

Reds expand list of arrest-proof men LOOSE FIREARMS. PNP Chief Ronald de la Rosa inspects 536 high-powered firearms seized in Calabarzon under the government’s Oplan Double Barrel from June to August this year during the 1115th Police Service Anniversary at Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang City, Laguna. Danny Pata twitter.com/ MlaStandard

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THE government on Tuesday acknowledged the reconstituted list of communist rebels protected by the Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantees, even as the negotiators from both parties agreed on three of five substantive

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issues, including a commitment to speed up forging a political settlement during the term of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The NDF panel presented the reconstituted list of holders of the NDFP document of

identification who will be immune from arrest to allow them to participate in the peace talks, and many years after the talks between the Aquino administration and the CPP-NDF collapsed in February 2011.

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Marcos forfeiture case junked

By Maricel V. Cruz

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HE Sandiganbayan has dismissed the 29-year-old forfeiture case against the late former President Ferdinand E. Marcos and his wife Ilocos Norte Rep. Imelda R. Marcos because of the lack of evidence to prove that the disputed properties were ill-gotten.

Aside from the Marcoses, also mando’s wife Vilma, Nelia Goncleared of liability were Imelda’s zales and Ricardo Quintos. siblings Armando and the late In a 76-page decision, the antiAlfredo “Bejo” Romualdez, Ar- graft court granted demurrers to

evidence filed by the three defendants in Civil Case No. 0019.

It was associate Justice and First Division chairman Efren de la Cruz who penned the ruling with Associate Justices Michael Frederick Musngi and Maria Theresa Mendoza-Arcega concurring.

The case was originally filed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government on July 27, 1987.

It sought forfeiture in favor of the government of 67 parcels of land in the provinces of Isabela,

Camarines Sur, Occidental Mindoro, Masbate, and in La Vista, Quezon City; shares of stocks in six private corporations; bank deposits; a fleet of heavy equipment vehicles; 500 heads of imported breeding cattle; six airplanes; a helicopter; and a racehorse.

Aside from the Romualdezes, also named defendants in the case were former President Ferdinand E. Marcos, former first lady Imelda R. Marcos, Nelia Gonzales, and Ricardo Quintos.

Government lawyers claimed

6.8-quake jolts Myanmar—USGS YANGON—A powerful 6.8-magnitude earthquake hit central Myanmar Wednesday, the US Geological Survey reported, just south of the ancient city of Bagan, a major tourist destination.

The quake, which the agency said struck at a depth of 84 kilometers

(52 miles), swayed high-rise buildings in the Thai capital of Bangkok, AFP journalists reported.

It was also felt in the Indian city of Kolkata, rocking tall structures and sending panicked residents out onto the streets.

“Services of the underground

railway have been suspended fearing aftershocks of the quake,” Kolkata Metro Railway spokesman Indrani Banerjee told A FP. The quake was felt throughout south and southwestern Bangladesh close to the border with

Myanmar, with television footage showing residents running into the streets.

At least 20 people were injured as panicked workers tried to flee a building in the industrial area of Savar outside Dhaka, ATN Bangla television reported. AFP

Du30...

“Just because you are poor, you are excused from apprehension?

Rich or poor, I do not give a shit,” Duterte said in a press briefing at Taytay, Rizal.

“Stop the nonsense about the poor and the rich,” he said, noting that many who are poor get lured into the illegal drug trade, while the rich are less likely to be involved in the business.

“There’s nobody who distribute drugs at Forbes Park, only cocaine and heroine, but not as destructive as shabu, which destroys the mind,” the President said.

Duterte, who visited a wake of a slain policeman, also promised to include families of slain policemen in the government’s dole program “to alleviate their grief.”

“I’m losing two policemen a day on the average, these policemen were killed in the performance of their duty, I go out of my

way to visit and give them a smart salute for the service of the country,” Duterte said.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia on Tuesday said the drug war was a “necessary evil” to restore peace and order and encourage more investments.

The confidential funds would be used to tap civilian informants while intelligence funds would be used when deploying security forces.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, meanwhile, said his department has gathered evidence and witnesses who can pin down former Justice secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima and former Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III for their alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.

Aguirre said they will present the evidence and witnesses against De Lima and Baraan when the House

of Representatives starts its inquiry into the proliferation of illegal drugs trade in the national penitentiary.

“Yes, just wait for the House investigation where we will present our witnesses. This will be the House investigation on the proliferation of prohibited drugs at the NBP,” Aguirre said, when interviewed by reporters on the sidelines of the European Union-Philippines Justice Support Program at Marco Polo Hotel in Ortigas where he was a guest.

Aguirre said they have now several sworn statements executed by individuals against De Lima and Baraan, hinting that “it all involves the cause of the proliferation and the neglect that they did, why the prohibited drugs proliferated at the NBP.” “Insofar as the DoJ is concerned, we have at least five or six sworn statements,” Aguirre said.

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“Due to the suspect nature of confidential and intelligence funds, the Executive must be judicious or prudent in proposing huge appropriations for these expense items,” the lawmaker said.

Diokno, however, allayed concerns that funds could be misused.

“He [Duterte] uses this to buy information, for example,” Diokno said.

“Let me say that this is subject for review by the Commission on Audit, both funds. I don’t mind giving him bigger budget for intelligence and confidential [operations] because he’s showing results,” the budget chief added.

Duterte on Wednesday denied employing double standards in his war against the drugs.

Trade will get P177 million, and the Interior Department will get From A1 P2 billion.

The President’s representation althe Presidential Communica- lowance was also increased to P7.5 tions Operations Office will get billion in 2017 from P139 million P1.4 billion, the Department of this year. Christine F. Herrera

With...

Revamp...

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“Those who have cases before the Ombudsman for the last three years, there is no reason for them to hang on,” Duterte said.

Memorandum Circular No. 4 released Aug. 22 states that holdover presidential appointees are given seven days to submit their unqualified courtesy resignations.

Only the President or the executive secretary, by authority of the President, may act on the courtesy resignations taking into consideration the recommendations of the department or agency head concerned and in accordance with existing laws and jurisprudence.

Until any action on their courtesy resignation is taken by the

Duterte...

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what they really want. Because whether we like it or not, that arbitral judgement would be insisted [on] not only by the Philippines but by the whole countries here in Southeast Asia,” he said.

Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan also have claims to the sea, which is believed to sit atop vast gas reserves and through which more than $5 trillion in annual shipping trade passes.

Duterte also warned China, which has a vastly superior armed forces, against attacking the Philippines.

“I guarantee to them, if you are

Palawan...

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in his thatch hut on the western island of Palawan, tucked under a wooden bed as a good-luck charm, Amurao added.

In July, the nephew moved to a new address and took the object to his aunt in a tricycle,

President, appointive officials shall continue to report for work and perform their normal duties and responsibilities.

The Civil Service Commission on Wednesday said only those without security of tenure are covered by the President’s order.

At a budget hearing, CSC Chairman Alice Dela Rosa-Bala told a House panel that appointed non-career service officials may be asked to resign by the President.

CSC Office for Legal Affairs director Ariel Ronquillo added that Malacañang appointees who are non-career officials and do not enjoy security of tenure “can be removed at any time at the pleasure of the appointing authority.”

“The power to appoint also includes the power to remove,” Ronquillo said. PNA the ones who enter here, it will be bloody and we will not give it to them easily. It will be the bones of our soldiers and even my own,” said Duterte.

In his first Cabinet meeting after being sworn into office on June 30, Duterte said he would not “taunt or flaunt” a successful verdict, which was handed down about a fortnight later.

Duterte sent ex-President Fidel Ramos to Hong Kong for an icebreaking meeting this month with Fu Ying, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the National People’s Congress, China’s communist-controlled legislature.

Duterte said on Tuesday he hoped to have formal talks with China this year. AFP asking her to hide it for him, said Amurao, the city tourism officer for Puerto Princesa, the provincial capital.

“I was awestruck when I saw it just sitting on the dinner table,” Amurao told AFP. He described the fisherman as a member of the tiny Cuyonon ethno-linguistic group who live in a few small islands off Pala-

the defendants used Golden Country Farms Inc., Imperial Livestock Industries Inc., Isabela Gas and Power Development Corp., Highway Builders Inc., Maconacon Airways Inc., and Dipudo Industries Inc. to get behest loans from government financial institutions which they allegedly used to acquire the disputed assets.

But in dismissing the case, the anti-graft court declared that the government failed to establish the fact that the sequestered properties were ill-gotten

wealth.

This, despite the 25 witnesses and 400 documentary exhibits presented during the three-decade long court proceedings.

“The Republic failed to support the acceptability of its secondary evidence. It proceeded with the presentation and identification of photocopied documents by their custodians, offered and submitted them in evidence, without a clear explanation on the whereabouts of their originals,” the Sandiganbayan pointed out.

Washington dodges PH tirade on killings A US official on Tuesday dodged President Rodrigo Duterte’s recent pronouncements on the killing of African-Americans as he said the United States will maintain its strong ties with the Philippines.

“In response to your previous question, we’re by no means perfect, but we strive to have in place a justice system that treats all people with respect and respects their human rights,” Mark Toner, deputy spokesman of the US State Department, said in a briefing in Washington.

Duterte on Tuesday slammed what he called the spate of killings of black Americans in response to Washington’s “deep concern” over the reports of summary killings in the Philippines, saying he would be sending a “rapporteur” to the US to ensure it was also upholding human rights.

Toner said the strong relations between the US and the Philippines would remain strong amid its criticism of Duterte’s crackdown on illegal drugs that had resulted in the deaths of many suspects.

“We have a very frank and

candid relationship with the Philippines but a good relationship with the Philippines.

They’re under a new leadership now with President Duterte. He is well-known, as we all know in this room, as a plain-speaking, I guess, politician. It’s not for me to judge that,” Toner said.

“I’m just going to say that we continue to work with the Filipino government on a broad range of bilateral and regional issues, while at the same time making clear that as the Philippines addresses issues that touch on human rights we’re going to make our concerns clear.”

Toner said the US will not take Duterte’s insults seriously because of the importance of its cooperation with the Philippines and of its position on the South China Sea, but it will not turn a blind eye to the human rights abuses as a result of the drug killings in the country.

“We take any credible allegations of human rights violations very, very seriously, and will raise them with the Filipino government,” Toner said.

John Paolo Bencito

De Lima on Wednesday said she does not need to attend the House investigation of the NBP and the proliferation of illegal drugs in the national penitentiary to prove her innocence.

“I don’t have to go there to prove my innocence. I know that I’m innocent. All of these...are clearly harassment. They’re clearly harassing me,” said De Lima.

She said her accusers were not only grossly violating her rights, they were harassing her.

De Lima also said she wouldn’t mind being arrested for contempt, as Rep. Harry Roque threatened to do.

“Firstly, I haven’t received anything from the House. Secondly, Congressman Harry, who is a lawyer, knows it’s interparliamentary courtesy,” she said.

She also dismissed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano’s sugges-

tion that she inhibit herself from the Senate hearings on extra-judicial killings because of her bias against the President.

“Why should I?” she said.

“I’d rather not the people judge me on whether or not I am being objective in the conduct of the inquiry. I’m not going to base that on the opinion of someone who’s evidently been the defender and apologist of the President in the Senate,” she added.

De Lima also pointed out that the Senate is not a court of law.

“This is a fact-finding inquiry.

So what bias is he talking about?

I’m just trying to determine facts through witnesses, and you know, I want to help in terms of coming up with measures to address this phenomenon of summary executions.”

Earlier, Roque said De Lima was conflicted and had “no moral

authority” to conduct a probe on drug-related extra-judicial killings.

“As Department of Justice secretary for six years, she shares in the government’s breach of its obligation to protect and promote right to life since she only had a 1 percent conviction rate of extra-judicial killing cases,” Roque said.

“She should also answer charges that she raised election funds from drug money,” Roque added.

Roque said De Lima may be accused of conflict of interest because she chairs the Senate committee on human rights that hears the extra-judicial killings cases that are drug-related when she herself was being linked to a drug lord incarcerated at the NBP. With Christine F. Herrera, Macon Ramos-Araneta, and Rio N. Araja

dela Rosa claimed during a Senate inquiry Monday that most of the illegal drugs and their raw materials came from China.

Yasay said, in response to the meeting, Zhao assured him that China will come up with a joint operation with the Philippines to address the problem.

Yasay also said Zhao said that the Chinese authorities are willing to work with their counterparts here to curb the illegal drug trade.

In July, China and the Philippines agreed to work out an antinarcotics plan of action to address the proliferation of illegal substances as well as trafficking of drug mules.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Manila, Lingxiao Li, said China was ready to work out a specific plan with the Philippines.

“China has expressed explicitly

to the new administration China’s willingness for effective cooperation in this regard, and would like to work out a specific plan of action with the Philippine side,” Lingxiao said.

Lingxiao said that China “fully understands” that Duterte has already made a pronouncement that he will give priority to efforts to crack down drug-relate crimes.

Duterte has previously accused five police generals of protecting three big-time Chinese-Filipino drug lords.

At the Palace, he also noted that four Hong Kong nationals were arrested when police raided “floating shabu laboratories” in waters off Subic.

Lingxiao said China has a shared responsibility to fight all drug-related crimes.

“Illicit drugs are the common enemy of the mankind. Fighting against all drug-related crimes is a shared responsibility of all countries in the world,” He said.

Lingxiao, however, denied ac-

cusations that China was not serious in its anti-drug efforts.

“The Chinese government has been firm and severe in drug control and in punishing all drug criminals in accordance with laws regardless their nationalities,” the Chinese embassy spokesman said.

He said the Chinese government has been promoting and has carried out effective international cooperation with many countries.

Earlier, Gordon formalized his request to the DFA to send a note verbale to China.

“May I urge the Department of Foreign Affairs – through a vigorous note verbale submitted to the Government of the People’s Republic of China to raise the level of dialogue and cooperation requesting a more robust task force through our respective Immigration Bureaus and relevant law enforcement agencies to stress the urgency of the situation and thus the need for action by China to help in stopping the source of illegal drugs,” he said in a letter. With Vito Barcelo

wan, the biggest island in the southwest of the Philippines surrounded by the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea. “I told him it would be pointless to hide it as we do not know its value. Why don’t we put it on public display instead,” she said.

With his consent, the pearl was put on display at the city hall of Puerto Princesa, the provincial

capital, on Monday and photos were posted on the government’s Facebook page.

Local officials are hoping gemmologists will visit the city to assess its quality and value.

The 14-kilogram “Pearl of Allah,” also known as the “Pearl of Lao Tzu,” is often referred to as the world’s largest. It was also found off Palawan, in the 1930s, and has

been appraised by gemologists at tens of millions of dollars.

Puerto Princesa city information officer Richard Ligad confirmed Amurao’s account and said the man who found it could be in for a massive change in his life’s fortunes.

“He has not signed any deed of donation [to the city] so it remains his property,” Ligad said. AFP

Rody...

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Although De Lima has repeatedly denied her alleged involvement in the drug trade, she has repeatedly refused to answer questions about her boyfriends, saying the accusations are demeaning.

On Tuesday, Duterte said that was in possession of a matrix that shows the alleged role of former Justice secretary as the highest ranking public official involved in the illegal drug trade inside Muntinlupa, through her “driver-lover.”

It was during De Lima’s time that the illegal trade inside the national penitentiary was believed to have flourished, with Dayan accused of being her “bagman” inside.

Protest...

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Reds...

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The Aquino administration had rejected the NDF’s proposal to draft a new Jasig list after the original one, which was stored in an old floppy diskette, got corrupted and could not be retrieved.

The NDF leaders informed the government panel that the list would contain the names of 54 consultants who are classified as “publicly-known” and “assumed names” of 87 guerrilla leaders who are still underground, but are involved in the consultation for the peace process.

The government peace panel agreed to issue a letter acknowledging receipt of the NDFP list to prevent another collapse of the peace talks.

“It was a frank and honest discussion among friends. We were candid with each other knowing that we share the common agenda of peace,” said Labor Secretary and government chief negotiator Silvestre Bello III. “There were heated discussions at times, which are normal during negotiations. In fact, we had to call a break on several occasions to cool off. But the general atmosphere was cordial as the session was punctuated by laughter and light banter.”

John Paolo Bencito

News IN BRIEF DoLE offers cash reward THE Department of Labor and Employment offered a P50,000 reward for any citizen who can report illegal recruiters who victimized Filipinos seeking better work opportunities overseas.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said concerned citizens who will report illegal recruitment activities which will lead to the arrest of illegal recruiters will receive P50,000 as reward. He added that the said bounty will motivate citizens to report their illegal activities to authorities.

“Illegal recruitment has to stop and its perpetrators jailed,” Bello said, explaing that the P50,000 reward will come from an association of private recruitment agencies.

He added that the public can start reporting illegal recruitment activities once the DoLE 24/7 Hotline is activated. Vito Barcelo

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Youth polls will likely be postponed—solons

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

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ENATOR Juan Edgardo Angara, the Senate local government committee chairman, said the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections will likely be postponed following overwhelming support for its deferment from Congress and other sectors.

Citizens Battle Against Cor- House committee on suffrage ruption party-list Rep. Sherwin and electoral reforms, also adTugna, the chairman of the mitted that majority of his col-

leagues in the House of Representatives would want to defer the village polls “I think, very likely it will be postponed given that there’s overwhelming support. Originally, I thought the support was only here in Congress. But after hearing the resource persons, even the executive, DILG Secretary Mike Sueno, whom they said is the alter ego of the President, also spoke in favor of postponement,” Angara said.

The senator yesterday heard the proposals referred to his committee for the postponement of the barangay and SK polls. He cited the urgent need

to consider these proposed measures because less than 70 days are left before the elections.

Bills deferring the twin elections were filed by Senators Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Leila De Lima and Joel Villanueva.

Angara said the Executive does not want to hamper the ongoing projects because of another election ban. He said the House already has their own versions of the postponement measure, one of which was authored by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

“So if the author is the House

Speaker, usually there is a marching order to pass the postponement,” he said.

He said the version of either House can be adopted. “Whoever finished first. The one who finishes later can adopt the earlier version. If the versions are the same, there would be no need for a bicam.”

Angara’s Senate Bill 1049 resets the barangay and SK elections from the original October 31 schedule to the last Monday of October 2018.

If passed, the terms of the barangay officials would be extended to five years from the current three years.

Helicopter goes missing CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—A private chopper piloted by Col. Miguel Logronio and his co-pilot identified as Jay Gregorio were reported missing in the vicinity of Norzagaray and Camp Nacarin Quezon since Tuesday.

The chopper with body No. 8688 was ferrying goods and a cadaver in the collapsed tunnel of the Manila Water Sewerage System in Pantabangan also in Bulacan when reported missing.

Michael Dumlao operation office of the Office of the Civil Defense in Central Luzon said that army troopers from Northern Command based in Tarlac are now scouring the barangay San Lorenzo as the possible site of the crash. Romeo Dizon

NIA exec indicted for SALN THE Office of the Ombudsman indicted National Irrigation Administration Region 10 manager Julius Maquiling for perjury for willfully asserting a false statement in his 2009 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

The findings were grounded on a lifestyle check investigation revealing Maquiling owned JS Maquiling Marketing, contrary to what he declared in his 2009 SALN that he had no existing business interests and financial undertakings.

Maquiling did not declare his ownership of the marketing company, and that a lifestyle check revealed otherwise.

Rio N. Araja

Shabu jails. Public Attorneys Office chief Persida Rueda Acosta, party-list Rep. Harry Roque and Senior Supt. Paulino Moreno Jr., legal service chief of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, discuss the drug trade in jails during a forum in Quezon City. Lino Santos

DoJ starts probe of hajj passports Asean

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice has started investigating how the 177 Indonesians intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last Aug. 19 were able to secure Philippine passports.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has created a team of 16 prosecutors led by Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Theodore Villanueva to gather information and determine who could be liable for the issuance of valid

Philippine passports to the Indonesians who were supposed to go to Mecca in Saudi Arabia for annual Hajj pilgrimage from Sept.

9 to 14.

“We are getting their depositions and sworn statements before they are deported to Indonesia,” Aguirre said in an interview.

The Justice secretary stressed the Bureau of Immigration has coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy for the identities and travel documents and real pass-

ports of the Indonesians detained at the Bureau of Immigration jail in Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City.

Once the investigation is completed, the Indonesians would be deported for violation of immigration laws and for being undesirable aliens.

The five Filipino escorts who were arrested with the Indonesians at the airport have also been interviewed by the prosecutors at the National Bureau of Investigation where

they are detained.

Initial probe indicated the Indonesians and their escorts were about to board Philippine Airlines flight PR 8969 to Madinah when the BI intelligence division discovered their posing as Filipinos.

Their identities were revealed when they were unable to speak Philippine languages like Tagalog, Maranao, Cebuano or Maguindanao during the interview.

They could only converse in English.

Customs employees dispute ‘corrupt’ tag

By Joel E. Zurbano A GROUP of Customs employees, reacting to criticisms that most of the organic personnel of the bureau are engaged in irregularities to protect smuggling in the country, said not all employees are corrupt.

In fact, the group said the members owned

and managed a provident fund to serve as an economic safety net for them.

“Contrary to popular misconception that the Bureau of Customs is populated by conniving thieves who deprive the government of much needed revenues, a great majority of our employees shun the temptation of dirty money, preferring

instead to live within their means,” said BoC Provident Fund Inc. general manager Siegfred Manaois.

“Their dependence on our Provident Fund for loans when financial difficulties arise is solid proof that while their pay is often not enough to make both ends meet, they would rather borrow than steal.”

New envoy to US shortlisted—Yasay

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

Just don’t do it. Philippine National Police mascot ‘Bato’ dances during a drug awareness campaign at the Dalandanan National High School in Valenzuela City. Andrew Rabulan

A FORMER Senate president, a successful entrepreneur, and a respected career diplomat are included in Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr.’s short list to be posted as Philippine ambassador to Washington D.C. An official from the Duterte administration has revealed before reporters the short list submitted by Yasay to President Rodrigo Duterte.

The short list contained the names of former Senate President Edgardo Angara, well known businessman Ricardo Delgado, and Foreign Undersecretary for Policy Enrique Manalo.

However, Ambassador Marciano Paynor Jr., Duterte’s protocol officer, is not included in Yasay’s short list although he is one of the more prominent names being seriously considered to take over as the country’s top diplomat in the United States.

Angara, who served as Senate president from 1987 to 1998, was also appointed as Secretary of Agriculture during the Estrada administration from 1999 to 2001 and then elected as senator from 2001 to 2013.

Manalo, on the other hand, was retained as Foreign Affairs undersecretary for policy.

visits finalized

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will not bring up the West Philippine Sea territorial dispute with China during his six-day trip to three Asean nations starting Sept. 4, according to Communications Secretary Martin Andanar.

Andanar said the President will be making his first overseas trip through Asean, with the first leg on April 4 to Brunei Darussalam then fly on to Vientiane, Laos on Sept. 6 for the bloc’s Summit and to receive the chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

From the summit, Duterte will fly on to Jakarta on Sept. 8 before returning home the day after.

As regards the West Philippine Sea issue, Duterte had said “I will only bring up the issue when we are face to face (with China).”

The Hague-based arbitration court ruled that China had no historic title over the WPS. China refused to honor the ruling.

Aside from the Philippines, other Southeast Asian nations that have claims in the WPS are Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Andanar also confirmed that Duterte will be making his first trip outside of Asia at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Lima, Peru with a possible side trip to San Francisco, California in the United States to meet with the Filipino community there.

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Unnecessary candor

S

OCIOECONOMIC Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia on Tuesday defended the Duterte administration’s war against drugs and criminality.

He said criminality was driving business away so the drug-related killings are a “necessary evil” to achieve peace and order. And then the country would be more attractive to foreign investments.

“We should also interview those who approve of what’s happening and see it as something that has to happen in the pursuit of greater good,” the respected academic and career official said.

“If we have peace and order, which is the foundation of the 10 points, then the investment climate will definitely substantially improve and many will

be rushing to the Philippines to invest,” he said.

The Cabinet official also instructed the media to report, instead, on the crime rate that has gone down as a result of the crackdown on the drug menace instead of focusing on the relatives of those who were killed.

Meanwhile, Palace communications officials say there are working to reverse the “negative image” of the country. They have gone as far as suggesting that it is the media, by making a running count of the number of killings and documenting the stories of those killed, that are responsible for making the country look worse before the international community.

The United Nations, the United States government, human rights ad-

vocates and civil society have slammed Duterte’s bloody war on drugs that has thus far resulted in 1,779 deaths, with the killings perpetuated either by police or vigilante groups.

President Duterte has not taken the criticism well, cursing the UN and others critical of his campaign—words which his subalterns have had to qualify and refine.

They have also said the justice system is so inadequate that it would take a while before complete faith can be placed on due process.

At best, the officials’ statements justifying the killings reminds us that the fight against illegal drugs is a tradeoff between how swiftly we want results and how urgently we need to act within the bounds of law, decency and rea-

son. Certainly, there must be a middle ground between these two ends.

It is apparent that the Duterte administration leans towards the former—so much that it slams anybody who does not agree with its methods. Unfortunately, the adverse reaction to valid observations merely trivializes the fight: Mr. Duterte is portrayed as carrying on with his fight with the drug menace as his personal quest that he feels slighted at any criticism of it.

The menace destroys individual potential, drives a wedge among family members, occasions crime and yes, drives away investors. It is messy and complicated enough to be distorted by conflicting, confusing and incendiary statements by those whose task it is to assure us that we are on the right track.

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

The Senate hearing

Never forget

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES SIX years ago this week, the new president faced his first real test of leadership. And the abject failure of Noynoy Aquino to deal with and contain the damage of what became known as the Rizal Park hostage crisis foreshadowed, in my opinion, all that he was going to do wrong until the end of his term.

I had never thought highly of Aquino, almost from the moment he launched his candidacy a year earlier, when the concrete used to seal the tomb of his mother Cory had not yet dried. Noynoy was the candidate of convenience for the antiArroyo forces, who viewed Cory’s death as a godsend because it suddenly made her non-entity of a son a viable choice.

(One day, someone will write the definitive book on how some Philippine political groups seem to require a prominent corpse in order to motivate their sympa-

thizers. It doesn’t matter if the dead person in question was assassinated at the airport, succumbed to colon cancer or was fished out of a crashed plane; they always need to parade a cadaver to inspire their deathobsessed followers.)

Ninoy and Cory’s son was still mostly a cipher in August 2010, an awkward, goofy-looking, balding old bachelor whose first moves were to fire all Arroyo appointees and ban the use of sirens by unauthorized vehicles. Like many in the media at the time, including those who had bitterly campaigned against Aquino in the presidential elections just a few months earlier, I had decided to give the new Malacañang occupant his traditional hundred-day honeymoon.

I tried to look for the good things that Aquino was doing and refused to criticize him simply because he was not my

choice for president. Then the possibly be held responsible for hostage crisis at the park hap- the crazed action by a dismissed pened and changed all of that.

Manila policeman of holding hostage a busload of two dozen or so Chinese tourists and the eventual killing of eight persons, including the hostagetaker.

May I suggest I disagreed then and I disagree now. If Aquino had been the hanging of more pro-active in resolving the appropriate the hostage crisis (which took place just a short jeepney ride figurative sign from the presidential Palace) around Aquino’s and more transparent and just in holding officials of his adminneck: ‘Huwag istration who dropped the ball tularan.’ in the aftermath accountable, he would have shown himself as a capable and fair leader very early on and set the tone for the next six years.

To this day, there are some Instead, Aquino displayed, in Aquino sympathizers who will just one incident, just how uninsist that the former president prepared, unfeeling and incomdid nothing wrong at the Lun- petent he was for the job he had eta. Aquino, they say, could not sought, traits that would weigh

down his administration to the very end. The Rizal Park crisis marked the beginning of the end of Aquino’s plans to become “the greatest Philippine president of all time,” as some of his fans still call him, though very few knew it at the time. *** It happened like this: Aquino disappeared throughout the crisis and could not even be reached by the authorities from Hong Kong who wanted to be updated about the matter. He would only resurface several hours after the bloody resolution at the scene, flashing the incomprehensible grin that would earn him the favored moniker that the Chinese gave, “The Smiling Dog.” Then Aquino ordered, after much pressure from Hong Kong and Beijing, the obligatory investigation of what went down, promising to punish those who

IN SPITE of the rhetorical fireworks between Senator Leila De Lima and the Palace, the Senate hearing was held as scheduled. By and large, the two-day hearing was conducted with utmost civility and were both instructive and revealing. This was perhaps because although the President was not in the Senate chamber physically, his presence was palpable. All the sides were able to present their views in a way that was not offensive to anyone.

If at all, the hearings showed not only to the Philippine public but also the international community that the principle of checks and balances as practiced in our system of government is alive and well. Due to the controversial subject of the hearing, most of the members of the Senate were in attendance.

Both the newcomers and the veterans came ready with their questions and opinions.

And why not? It was show time and most of them wasted no time in charging into battle so to speak.

Some did well, some were mediocre at best and others quite frankly are in need of more tutorial. Like many Senate hearings, the proceedings meandered somewhat to other topics but this in a way was good because many issues were brought out. They in turn educated the viewing public to better understand the prevailing peace-and-order situation and the extent of the illegal drug problem.

There were pluses and minuses on both sides. The critics had their say on what they termed as an unacceptable number of people being killed. The PNP was also able to highlight its position.

The hearing of course did not solve anything. After all, it was held in aid of legislation; we will all have to wait and see what sort of law will be crafted to improve police capability and methods. *** The plus on the side of the PNP was that its chief, Bato De la Rosa, was able to make a peace and order presentation.

Because of the campaign, the peace and order situation improved significantly for the first half of the year. For the month of July alone, crime volume went down by 31 perTurn to A5

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Opinion

SANTA Banana, I thought be made into killing fields.

Shifting the blame to meI’d never see the day when supposedly bright minds in dia only makes things worse. the Duterte administration The media only report on would come out with stupid what they see and know. *** remarks. They react strongly In an effort to justify to criticism from so many sectors—the United Na- killings in the President’s tions, the United States gov- war on illegal drugs, Police ernment, media, business Chief Ronald dela Rosa told the Senate investigation that and civil society.

Last Tuesday, Socioeco- the “kill order” issued by nomic Planning Secretary President Duterte on all drug Ernesto Pernia blamed media suspects was only psychofor the negative perception logical warfare. This means received by the Duterte ad- the statements are just meant ministration from members to scare drug lords, dealers and users. of the business community.

Well, Santa Banana, the Pernia said that media should also interview peo- “kill order” achieved its purple regarding the crime sta- pose. Police statistics show tus which has gone down that more than 700 have substantially to ease fears been killed and thousands more have surrendered. among foreigners.

What bothers me is Dela What takes the cake in Pernia’s lame attempt to justify Rosa’s statement that the poextra-judicial and vigilante lice have pinpointed no less killings that accompany the than 1,067 killed “outside President’s war on illegal police operations.” These “deaths undrugs is der inveshis statetigation” ment that refer to killthe killThese officials ings done ings are by unnamed a “necesare not helping people or sary evil the President at v ig i la nt e s. that has all.

My gulay, to hapthat should pen in the be a cause pursuit of for concern! (a) greater With regood.”

So the killings are now in gard to allegations by the the pursuit of greater good? police that those killed tried Not to be outdone, Com- to resist arrest, only this munications Secretary Mar- question comes to mind: tin Andanar and Presidential Why have we not heard of Spokesman Ernesto Abella any policemen being killed say that they are doing nec- or wounded in the struggle? essary efforts to reverse the Isn’t it strange?

While De la Rosa tried to country’s negative image so the country can be more at- justify the killing of the 712 as legitimate police operatractive to foreigners.

Santa Banana, even my tions, he could not discount friend, Foreign Affairs Sec- the possibility that some retary Perfecto “Jun” Yasay, members of the police may is blaming media for the be killing their own assets, President’s threat to pull the as some witnesses have said.

In my younger days as a Philippines out of the United Nations, claiming that it was journalist, I covered the podone in the wee hours of the lice beat and I knew too well morning when the President that policemen use members of criminal syndicates as was already very tired.

Yasay blamed newsmen their assets. That has been for needling the President, happening, too, in illegal making him disappointed, drugs. Dela Rosa, of all peofrustrated and angry under ple, must be aware of this. *** these circumstances. That’s Finance Secretary Carlos a lot of bull.

Another remark from An- “Sonny” Dominguez, whom danar, which truly made me I hold in respect and admiralaugh, was the justification of tion as a businessman, now the President’s womanizing. heads the President’s ecoAndanar scored media for nomic cluster. He has drawn failing to say that the Presi- out a plan to divest the Nadent was single and was thus tional Food Authority and Philippine Amusement and free to take on a partner.

Santa Banana, what kind Gaming Corp. of their comof a communications secre- mercial and business operatary justifies the practice of tions. He said they should having a common-law wife remain as regulatory bodies.

The NFA, for instance, has when Filipinos, a country of mostly Christians, look up to no business engaging in ima leader we can all emulate? portation and distribution of With this kind of people rice. There is already a law around the President, I am authorizing the private secnot surprised that the Presi- tor to do that, upon authordent’s zealous campaign ity by a board created for against crime and illegal that purpose. In other words, drugs is being viewed nega- government has no business in business. tively.

Similarly, Pagcor as the In earlier columns, I supported his war on these ills. regulating body for all the These have prevented the gaming and entertainment country from moving for- business, must remain just ward. But also said the cam- a regulatory agency, and not paign must be conducted compete in the casino gamwithin the context of the rule bling business with the priof law, and observance of vate sector. All other reguhuman and civil rights. I also latory government agencies said that the President must worldwide do not compete ensure that the end does not with the private sector.

That’s the right thing to justify the means.

I still believe that Presi- do, and I must congratulate dent Duterte is on the right Sonny Dominguez for this track. But he must be told plan. The sooner it is implethat the country should not mented, the better.

A5

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A bigger slice of the cake

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Stupid remarks

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

MINORITY REPORT DANILO SUAREZ ON AUGUST 22, the Chairman of the Committee on Appropriations, Hon. Karlo Nograles, with Department of Budget Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno presented the proposed 2017 national budget of Php 3.35 trillion. Initial impressions are that the proposed budget is not a balanced budget.

The focus on spending is on the administration’s priority areas: infrastructure projects, job creation, poverty reduction, and crime prevention. To me, we should also emphasize funding for the Agricultural and Fisheries sector.

It baffles me why the budget of the Department of Agriculture is much lower compared to last year’s. After six years under the past administration where the promise of rice selfsufficiency was unfulfilled, I was hoping that we could replicate the Masagana 99 phenomenon. Our country has much promise when it comes to agriculture. The Philippines has a total area of 300,000 square kilometers—298,170 square kilometers (land) and 1,830 square kilometers (water). The country is rich in agriculture with an estimated 9.671 million hectares (2012 CAF).

About 31 percent is agricultural lands. Fifty-one percent (4.36 million hectares) of this is arable land and 44 percent (4.23 million hectares) is per-

manent cropland. The remaining are permanent meadows, pastures, forest land, and other lands. Now is the time to make the promise of agricultural sufficiency a reality. We look forward to revisiting the proposed budget with an eye to providing the necessary support to the agricultural sector and all the sector encompasses.

Its been said over and over again that the most impoverished in terms of income, support and opportunity come from the agricultural sector.

In my district, we have implemented a program to alleviate the low-income season of farmers. Around 2009, we explored the benefits of aquaculture to augment the income of agricultural workers. Since then, we distributed for free fingerlings

of high value species such as pampano, seabass, and groupers to our fishermen for the fishermen to breed and trade. We are happy to report that this project has yielded positive results. The farmers in our district enjoy income, both from the land and the sea.

We need creative thinking complimented by the full arm of government support to arrive at meaningful and lasting results in the agricultural sector. After all, the budget mirrors government objectives and priorities. This administration is vocal about having a soft spot for low income earners, such as our farmers. We are hopeful that adequate support will be given to a sector that has always been in critical need.

Myanmar’s experiment

By Pankaj Mishra YANGON is suddenly a city of phablets. Nowhere in Asia, let alone Europe, have I seen so many supersized smartphones in public spaces, and with such egalitarian appeal: Pavement vendors selling early 20th century British guides to English grammar seem as transfixed by them as Yangon’s smart set playing Pokemon Go. For many in an isolated country, a 4G smartphone is their first taste of modern consumer luxury. Its proliferation, in a country where a SIM card once cost more than $2,000, seems an example of “leapfrog development,” in which economically backward countries take quick shortcuts to modernization and urbanization.

Of course, in Myanmar as elsewhere, inexpensive Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo make it easier to project an appearance of affluence and entrepreneurial dynamism.

A poster dubiously advertising, “Rolex—Opening Soon” at a construction site in Yangon’s crumbling downtown is a good reminder of the limitations of a consumer revolution in an overwhelmingly poor country.

Myanmar’s GDP may be growing at more than eight percent. But the economic challenges in this country, where 70 percent of the population is employed in low-yield agriculture, are rendered formidable by crumbling and non-existent infrastructure, archaic laws,

The Senate...

From A4 cent. This was accomplished in spite of serious deficiencies in firearms, vehicles and communication equipment.

If I am not mistaken, the PNP is short of 6,000 vehicles and 18,000 firearms. The PNP strength of 160,000 is also short of the ideal. There is supposed to be one policeman per 500 people. The training of recruits and career training programs is handled by another agency. This is a problem that has never been resolved and is the only one of its kind in the world. Training is the instrument that builds tradition, esprit de corps and discipline if handled by the same organization but this is not the case with the PNP. This problem was clearly demonstrated by the behavior of the two policemen who were called to testify.

The current Chief of Police

Never...

From A4 did wrong or who didn’t do anything when they should have.

When the investigation report was submitted to him by Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima (yes, her), Aquino ignored it because of how the document blamed his friends—notably Undersecretary Rico Puno and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim— for the debacle.

unskilled workers, low tax revenues, budget deficits and high inflation. Long power cuts, housing shortages and gridlock traffic still define everyday life for city-dwellers. Debt crushes many in the rural population.

Far from leapfrogging, Myanmar, recently liberated, and only partially, from military rule, is inching up a steep learning curve under its first elected government in more than 50 years. Its first experiment in self-rule ended, like that of many multi-ethnic and poorly imagined nation-states in Asia and Africa, in civil war, the empowerment of the military and eventually a coup in 1962.

The outcome of its second experiment still depends a great deal on how Myanmar’s new leaders deal with the country’s restive minorities.

Certainly, their agenda is full.

Last week the headline in one of Myanmar’s English dailies read: “FM crams for China visit.” It referred to Aung San Suu Kyi, who holds the office of “state counsellor” and foreign minister (and several other portfolios in an attempt to circumvent the constitutional bar on her becoming president). Suu Kyi was visiting China in her first major foray outside Southeast Asia after her party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), was elected to power four months ago. Her biggest challenges, however, are at home.

Of Myanmar’s numerous sectarian conflicts, none has challenged her moral author-

ity as much as rising antiMuslim sentiments have. In 1982, Myanmar’s military rulers stripped the Muslim population in the western state of Rakhine of citizenship, despite their centuries-long presence in the region. More recently, while transitioning from military to civilian rule, Myanmar has witnessed an explosion of hatred, not only in Rakhine, where in 2012 mobs killed scores of Rohingya Muslims and drove more than 100,000 from their homes, but also in other parts of the country.

The advent of electoral democracy this year and the empowerment of an international icon like Suu Kyi don’t necessarily presage a change in the circumstances of besieged minorities. Even the Dalai Lama has expressed his disappointment with Suu Kyi’s less-thanBuddhist silence over the plight of Rohingya Muslims.

Sporadic mob violence continues to drive Muslims into refugee camps, or onto rickety boats sailing for Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia —perilous journeys with extortionate human-traffickers that rarely end well. I met the daughter of a former legislator in Rakhine who now languishes in a refugee camp near his old house in Sittwe. She had herself escaped Rakhine after bribing an immigration officer.

Like many others, she was increasingly pessimistic about Suu Kyi’s capacity or willingness to resolve the issue.

Bloomberg

of Pasay City also appeared not to know the difference between homicide and murder – and to think that he is a chief of police! Maybe Senator Ping Lacson, being the chairman of the Committee on Public Order, can finally do it. To the credit of the PNP, it showed its willingness to charge its members who clearly have committed abuses in the conduct of antidrug operations. *** The statement of the two resource speakers whose family members were killed in the conduct of police operations was powerful and compelling.

The PNP cannot simply ignore it. Assuming that all their statements were true, the police has a lot of explaining to do and hopefully, these two cases are the exceptions and not the rule.

In the case of the Pasay City operations wherein father and son were killed under police custody, it was clear that the

operation from the beginning was conducted illegally. There was no search warrant and the conduct of the raiding party was unacceptable.

What one of the policemen did to the two-year-old daughter of Hara Kozou, the witness, was also tantamount to sexual perversion. The two were subsequently killed under police custody and appeared to have been tortured before being killed.

This is the reason why murder charges were filed against two members of the raiding team.

Nothing however, was mentioned about other charges being filed against the other members of the raiding team.

In the case of the Antipolo couple who were also killed, it would appear that it was a case of the policemen engaged in the illegal drug trade wanting to cover their tracks. But what does that say of the police killing their own assets? This will make it harder to recruit

informers—indispensable to police work. Some of the police mentioned in the Antipolo raid have already gone on Awol and are apparently now being hunted.

The PNP leadership, at least in these two cases, have shown open mindedness to go after scalawags in uniform and hopefully will do the same in other similar cases where there is clearly police abuse. Only by doing this can the public completely trust the police to do the right thing. We still do not know where the illegal drug campaign is heading or when and how it will eventually end.

Even as I write this piece, the President again implicated Senator Leila De Lima, a governor and a former undersecretary of Justice. However this campaign ends, let us all hope that the medicine being prescribed will indeed cure the disease instead of killing the patient in the end.

Despite the repeated demands of the Chinese, Aquino would not punish any of his officials.

He would even say “sorry” to the families of the victims.

The template was set. Whatever subsequent crisis took place during Aquino’s term— whether it was the arrival of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” or the massacre of 44 members of an elite police commando force by Muslim rebels—the president’s response would hardly vary.

He would disappear, never take

responsibility or hold any of his officials responsible, never show any empathy and never apologize for anything. As it was in the Luneta, so it was in Tacloban, so it would be all the way to Mamasapano, Maguindanao.

In between, Aquino wasted his political capital in the pursuit of a policy of vendetta, twiddled his thumbs as he watched the deterioration of agriculture, infrastructure and transportation and gloried in the unfelt gains of GDP growth and

other macroeconomic mumbojumbo. In the end, he could not even make his chosen candidate for president win, despite his claims that the vast majority of Filipinos just waiting for him to endorse someone.

Aquino and his followers, apropos of something else entirely, ask us to “Never forget.” Of course, we shouldn’t; as far as Aquino is concerned, may I also suggest the hanging of the appropriate figurative sign around his neck: “Huwag tularan.”

Certainly, Suu Kyi, though widely popular in Myanmar, must move cautiously through a thicket of aggressive claims and counter-claims. Democratization is far from a benign process, as Iraq, Egypt and Turkey have most recently shown; the merest semblance of political freedom releases many toxic fantasies forged in the furnace of despotism.

In Myanmar, too, unleashed passions have been exacerbated by global economic and cultural forces. Realigning political identities, they’ve encouraged such patent incongruities as “militant” Buddhism, which thrives on widespread antiMuslim sentiment.

The fluidity of the country’s situation contains both promise and danger; it calls for both moral leadership and political pragmatism. While a return to military rule might seem inconceivable at this point, excessive centralization by heavy-handed civilian leaders can also breed sectarian passions in a multi-ethnic country like Myanmar. The best way to forestall them would be to accommodate, as Indonesia did, the country’s many subnationalisms through greater autonomy and federalism.

Suu Kyi was an exemplary political prisoner, brave and principled. She now has to set a very different example for her fledgling democracy by using power wisely—or, in other words, sharing it broadly.

A6

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News Congress confers medal on Hidilyn

WE’RE WATCHING YOU. Manila International Airport Authority general manager Ed Monreal inspects the baggage handling area of the Naia Terminal 1 where airport authorities will soon install 25 cameras to prevent pilferage. Eric Apolonio

IN BRIEF Gatchalian, Viray talk power crisis SENATOR Win Gatchalian and former Energy secretary Francisco Viray lead guests at the Customer Appreciation Night of Cummins Philippines and Powergen Integrated Solutions Co. Ltd. on August 26 at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.

Powergen engineer Ed Ayento expressed elation over the acceptance of the two Filipino leaders of the offer with Gatchalian expected to discuss the legislative agenda on energy and power supply with the former energy secretary tackling how the power crisis was solved in the 1990s.

Ayento said the event is also aimed at giving thanks to loyal customers, suppliers and clients in an event dubbed as “Level Up: Secure Your Powergen.”

Powergen ventures mainly into the sale and installation of Cummins Power Generation generator sets, accessories and devices.

Powergen general manager Jun Velasco said the event signals the launch of the firm as the undisputed provider of generator sets, accessories and devices.

“We would like to give back and to make our customers feel appreciated for everything that they have done for us,” he says.

“Level Up is also about making progress in this industry and to advance in terms of reliable, efficient and effective power generation provision and services.”

Family physicians hold meet THE Philippine Academy of Family Physicians will hold its three-day 21st Midyear Convention on family health starting today at the SM City General Santos City to move away from the “fragmented system towards a family-focused healthcare” in the country.

This move is in line with the PAFP’s vision for every Filipino family to have their respective physicians to better address their health concerns.

“The problem with the Philippines is that patients come to clinics on their own.

In other countries, the case is different because their primary contact is family physicians,” said Dr. Eva Irene Maglonzo, president of PAFP. “The advantage of having a family medicine specialist is in tracing the sickness immediately. It doesn’t mean that when you experience headache, you will already go to a neurologist.

You have to see a family physician first,” she added. Cathrine Mae V. Gonzales

A CONGRESSIONAL medal of distinction was conferred Wednesday on Hidilyn Diaz who won a silver medal in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

Diaz received the award from lawmakers at the House plenary hall during a courtesy call to Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

The 25-year-old Diaz, who hails from Zamboanga City, was congratulated by her congressman, Rep. Celso Lobregat.

1-Pacman Party-list Rep. Mikee Romero said the House raised an additional P1.4-million cash incentive for Diaz who brought home an Olympic medal, the first for the country in 20 years.

Romero said each lawmaker contributed at least P5,000 from their salaries to reward Diaz.

Diaz also received a copy of House Resolution 175 honoring her silver medal finish. The resolution consolidated at least 35 proposed measures authored by about 100 House members.

HR 175 was principally authored by Alvarez and Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas of Ilocos Norte. Romero said he was opti-

mistic that the country’s athletes will duplicate Diaz’s feat soon.

“Expect many of our athletes to make serious attempts to bring home international competition honors soon. They will surely draw inspiration from what Diaz has been reaping so far,” Romero, one of the authors to many resolutions adopted by the House on Diaz’s won in Rio Olympics, said.

“This achievement of Hidilyn Diaz brought great pride and honor to the country as it strives to produce world-class athletes,” Romero said.

Romero said Diaz earned a bronze medal in the 2015 World Championships in Houston, Texas; a gold and a silver in 2015 and 2016, respectively, in the Asian championships and two silver medals and a bronze in various campaigns in the Southeast Asian games.

Meanwhile, PBA Party-list Reps. Mark Aeron Sambar and Jericho Nograles also commended Diaz’s head coach Alfonsito Ardente and the team that trained the lady weightlifter.

Maricel V. Cruz

E. Visayas solons push Digong special powers

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE 14-man Eastern Visayas Bloc of the House of Representatives on Wednesday asked their colleagues to grant emergency powers to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to help solve the worsening land and air traffic problem, particularly in Metro Manila.

In a manifesto, the bloc whose members include Leyte Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez (1st District) said the traffic “aggravated the people’s daily economic activity” and has deteriorated to a national crisis needing final and immediate resolution.

Aside from Romualdez, the signatories to the manifesto

were Congressmen Ben Evardone (Eastern Samar), Rogelio Espina (Biliran), Mila Tan (2nd District, Samar), Roger Mercado (Southern Leyte), Jose Carlos Cari (5th District, Leyte), Lucy Torres-Gomez (4th District, Leyte) Victoria Noel (An Waray PL). Congressmen Edgar Sarmiento (1st District, Samar),

Edwin Ong (2nd District, Northern Samar), Vicente Veloso (3rd District, Leyte), and Harlin Neil Abayon (Aangat Tayo Party-list).

Romualdez, the wife of House Independent Bloc leader and Leyte Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, said special powers should be given to the President to solve traffic woes as Metro Manila’s horrendous traffic cost the Philippine economy at least P3 billion ($64 million) a day.

Evardone said the Eastern Visayas bloc was the first group to openly support the call to grant President Duterte emergency powers.

“We believe that the President, through emergency powers, will be able to deal with incongruent

national and local government policies,” the group said.

The bloc also said “the traffic crisis has projected such a grim image of Metro Manila as to adversely impact the tourism industry, a leading dollar-earner already beset by the threat of terrorism.”

The group said Land Transportation Office and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board rules do not break the gridlock caused by the enormous increase in volume of motorized vehicles on limited streets.

The Department of Transportation is likewise limited by its authority, particularly on government procurements, to meet the need for mass transportation facilities and infra-

structure, the bloc added.

The group said without the necessary intervention by authorities the daily economic loss of P2.4 billion which the Jica2014 report estimated would increase to P6 billion according to government economists.

“Further, the increased international, as well as domestic flights sans corresponding improvement of runways and airport facilities, have caused frustrating delays and agonizing travel experience for tourists,” the bloc said.

The group also cited the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines report that airlines lost at least P7 billion yearly on wasted fuel and maintenance costs due to flight delays.

Train group pledges more LRT-1 repairs

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Light Rail Manila Consortium on Wednesday said it would rehabilitate more elevators and escalators at the Light Rail Transit Line 1.

LRMC, led by Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Ayala Corp., said six escalators and two elevators at the Doroteo Jose Station and two elevators at the EDSA Station are among the 32 lifts already rehabilitated in partnership with original equipment manufacturers Schindler and Otis.

The company is optimistic that the lifts in the Roosevelt, Balintawak and Monumento stations would also be granted permits to operate in the next few months for the convenience of the 400,000 daily commuters who take the LRT1.

The restored elevators and escalators also incorporate new PWD-compliant features such

as Braille buttons and accessibility of the controls to persons in wheelchairs.

Since it took over the concession last September 2015, LRMC has been making system improvements in LRT 1 such as the repair of light rail vehicles, rail replacements, deployment of additional manpower and improvement of the stations’ lighting for the safety and better visibility of passengers.

LRMC president and chief executive Jesus Francisco earlier said the company allotted P500 million for the improvement of 20 passenger stations of the line.

The improvement of LRT stations was also in preparation for the delivery of 120 brand-new light rail vehicles (LRVs).

The new LRVs are expected to be delivered between 2017 and 2018.

The LRT Line 1 runs from Baclaran in Pasay City to Roosevelt in Quezon City.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. Philam Life chief executive officer Ariel Cantos greets Vice President

and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council chairman Leni Robredo with the Philam Foundation president Max Ventura during the turnover of a school building in a remote Camarines Sur village.

Measures for teen health pushed

By Cathrine Mae V. Gonzales CONTRACEPTION, peer education and mass media campaigns are among the interventions that can help improve adolescent health, according to a study published in the US-based Journal of Adolescent Health Monday.

The study focused on primary health issues among the youth— unintended and repeated pregnancy, child marriage and sexually-transmitted infection (STI) including the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—but maintained that no solution has proven effective in addressing all three targets and added that they did not succeed in all countries studied.

Interventions that can be done to fight unintended pregnancy include direct provision of contraception as observed in China, peer education in India and Cameroon, and mass media campaigns in India.

Low-cost testing and encouraging condom use are effective in decreasing STI symptoms.

Meanwhile, boosting school attendance through financial incentives such as cash transfers in Malawi and Mexico and provision of school uniforms in Kenya and Zimbabwe reduced cases of early marriage.

The study provided a systematic assessment of evidence on highquality reports for improving the reproductive health of the youth in low- and middle-income countries.

But despite these findings,

the World Health Organization clarified that these interventions are conditional.

“While several high-quality interventions were found, they may only be applicable in specific settings for specific outcomes,” WHO said in a statement.

“More evidence is needed to show whether these interventions can apply to other settings or help to improve additional sexual and reproductive health outcomes for young people,” the statement read.

Michelle Hindin, scientist at WHO and one of the authors of the research, noted the same observation.

“There’s no one size [that] fits all solutions and effectiveness often also depends on where and how an intervention is implemented,” she said.

Philam fulfills Leni’s plea for village school PHILAM Foundation responded to the request made by then Camarines Sur congresswoman and now Vice President Leni Robredo to build two new classrooms in a remote barangay in Camarines Sur. The classrooms were showcased during the recently concluded classroom turnover at the Severo High School.

The Philam Paaralan classrooms that can accommodate 100 students, are fully-furnished, well-lit, ventilated, and complete with restrooms and water sanitation and hygiene facilities. They are calamity-resilient and can withstand up to 300kph of typhoon strength.

Philam Paaralan is Philam Foundation’s flagship program, which aims to build classrooms in calamitystricken and underserved communi-

ties around the country in partnership with the Department of Education.

From its original target of building 65 classrooms in five years, Philam Paaralan is set to complete 121 classrooms, almost double its target in just four years.

Philam Life, formally known as the Philippine American Life and General Insurance Company, is the country’s premier life insurance company.

Established on June 21, 1947, Philam Life has earned the trust of customers for its financial strength, strong brand name, and ability to deliver on its promises.

Philam Life has P236.4 billion in total assets as of 2015 and has delivered timely payouts of over P10 billion in education benefits and over P131 billion in insurance benefits since 1950.

Sports Molina leads net cast KURT Angelo Molina and Jennard Gonzales seek a two-title sweep in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Naga City regional agegroup tennis tournament firing off Thursday at the Naga City Tennis Club, including the 16-and-under plum which they are tipped to dispute.

Molina, 16, and the 14-yearold Gonzales gain the top two seeding in the boys’ 16-U side and if they play true to form, the duo could be headed for a title showdown in the Bicol leg of the Group 5 tournament sponsored

by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

Molina, from Camarines Norte, is also the top ranked bet in the 18-U category while Gonzales, from Legazpi City, also banners the 14-U field in the four-day event hosted by Naga City Mayor John Bongat and backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusively distributor of Slazenger, the official ball.

But out to foil Molina and Gonzales’ bid in the 16-U section of the tournament serving as part of Naga City’s grassroots development program are Jolo Basa, Jomari Gonzales, Lancelot Guevarra, Patrick Garcia, Michael Cu and Tim Geraldez.

“We invite all the coaches, trainers and Dep-Ed officials to watch the tournament, to guide them in their local sports activities,” said Bongat.

Meanwhile, action in the yearlong, nationwide circuit shifts to Mindanao next month, featuring the Tuna Festival on Sept. 2-5 (Juniors) and Sept. 5-10 (Open) in Gen. Santos City. Listup is ongoing. For details, contact Bobby Mangunay, PPS-PEPP Regional Age Group Tennis Event organizer and Sports Program Development director at 0915-4046464.

“It is inspiring to see so many youngsters compete and chase titles and ranking points which further underscores the wide base of talents in the provinces,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro as he reiterated the company’s continued support to age-group tennis.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Grainger: Psychos share similarities with athletes H

EATHROW, United Kingdom— Psychopaths and elite sportspeople share certain characteristics including pushing life to the limit, Britain’s most decorated female Olympic athlete Katherine Grainger told AFP. The 40-year-old Scotswoman— who defied the sceptics to take silver in the women’s double sculls in Rio to medal for the fifth successive Games—came to this conclusion when she wrote her dissertation on psychopaths for a Masters in medical law and ethics, to add to her degree in law and another in homicide.

Grainger, who tumultuously won gold in the London Games and then took two years out before returning to the sport, emphasised the similarities only went so far.

“My masters was in psy-

chopaths and I try not to link it directly to rowing and my team-mates,” she told AFP after arriving back from Rio with many of her team-mates who had also contributed to the record 67 medals.

“It is not a direct comparison in any way. But it is quite an extreme part of human behaviour and the mental side of people and actions and thoughts and deeds, to a certain extent sport is like that.

“People who are very passionate, very driven at what they do and take it right to the limit of

human performance.

“It is always interesting seeing human beings experiencing life at the limit, whatever that limit is.”

Next venture?

Grainger, who also won silver in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004) and Beijing (2008), said despite her academic qualifications in legal matters she wasn’t sure what career she would choose.

“I’m lucky there are a lot of doors I can open and choose what to do next,” said Grainger.

“The hard thing is knowing which direction to take next.

“I’ve got loads of interests and lots of things that excite me about the future.”

Grainger, who at one point looked as if she wouldn’t make the Games as she and sculls partner Victoria Thornley struggled for form, said the last 20 years had

been extraordinary but it was time to move on.

“I know I’ll never replace this and I wouldn’t try to replace this as its been an exceptional part of my life,” she said.

“I wouldn’t change any of it but at the same time I’ve got the next part of my life and I really want to be excited about that,” she added.

Now, however, the immediate future belongs with her family, to whom she acknowledges she owes a huge debt.

“They miss out on seeing you,” she said.

“There are so many weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and christenings you just don’t get to go to. However, my family have been wonderful because they’ve accepted it over the past 20 years.”Just like any parent they want their child to be happy, whether successful or not. It is

Tapales gets offer to fight ex-IBF champ

Britain’s silver medal winning rower Katherine Grainger smiles as she attends a press conference after arriving back from the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil, in west London. AFP

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

Main Event Dewey Boulevard rules Bagatsing racefest features Edgar Sosa FILIPINO fight fans will get a real insight into Mexican flyweight and former world light flyweight champion Edgar Sosa, who will be the first world-ranked flyweight to face former World Boxing Organization light flyweight champion Donnie Nietes.

The longest-reigning Filipino world champion, who has relinquished his title to move up to 112 pounds and face some of the big names in the flyweight division, is stepping up training at the Wild Card Gym of Hall-of-Fame trainer Freddie Roach in preparation for the Sosa showdown.

Down the road, Nietes is hopeful he fights WBO/WBA champion Juan Francisco Estrada and pound-for-pound No.1 Roman “Chocolatio” Gonzalez.

This week’s special to be telecast over Pinoy Boy Office/Sky Cable at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, with a replay at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, will include a pre-departure interview with Nietes and trainer Edmund Villamor, plus his ninth-round demolition of mandatory challenger Moises Fuentes, whom he dropped three times to seal a knockout victory at the Mall of Asia Arena.

The show will showcase Sosa’s eighth-round TKO victory over veteran Southpaw Juanito Rubillar in a title on Nov. 29, 2008 and another eighth-round TKO over Japan’s Takashi Kunishige in Mexico City.

But perhaps the most impressive performance of the veteran Sosa was against another former world champion Ulises Solis on March 9, 2013 in Guadalajara, Mexico.

There will also be a brief report on the decision of five-division world champion Nonito Donaire and his father/trainer Dodong Donaire, who claimed there were no problems between the two like before.

The elder Donaire wanted to return to his family in California and didn’t wish to stay in Las Vegas and train his son for a planned title defense against unbeaten Jessie Magdaleno sometime later this year.

Ronnie Nathanielsz

very, very hard for a parent or a loved one watching an athlete go through the emotional highs and lows and then enter the intense pressure of delivering when the event comes up every four years.

“I know how hard it has been for my mum and dad, they’ve been incredible, always very supportive of me coming back and doing it again.

“But I think they need a break from it now.”

Grainger is especially looking forward to seeing her two-year-old nephew, who screamed her home watching her on television.

“Yeah I got photos through from my sister and he knew it was me on the TV,” said Grainger.

“I don’t think he could work out what I was doing on the TV, he doesn’t speak masses but he knows my name and shouts at the TV with the rest of the family. AFP

CARMONA, Cavite—For jockey JB Hernandez, it was all in a day’s work.

The 40-year-old Hernandez rode in nine races last Sunday, winning two of them, including one while on board Dewey Boulevard, which outran rival Radio Active in the premier P1-million Centennial Classics’ race of the 8th Ramon Bagatsing Centennial Classique.

Dewey Boulevard, a threeyear-old colt owned by Hermie Esguerra, reached the finish line of the 1,750-meter course in one minute, 50.2 seconds, finishing five meters ahead of Radio Active at the San Lazaro Leisure Park track.

The racing festival hosted by the Manila Jockey Club honored the memory of the late Manila Mayor Ramon

Bagatsing, one of Philippine horseracing’s finest ambassadors.

Organizer Atty. Dondon Bagatsing, son of the former Manila Mayor, said they are pleased with the outcome of the festival.

“It was a success. There were long-shot winners and there were sure winners.

There were favorites and there were underdogs in the lineup.

We are grateful for the support of the racing public,” said Bagatsing.

It was Dewey Boulevard’s second victory in three encounters with Radio Active.

“I scored wins only later in the day. My competitors were very good early on,” said Hernandez, who ruled the last race of the day after

riding Miss Dainty to victory in the Midas Hotel and Casino Cup race.

Dewey Boulevard was the early favorite during the 1st leg of the Triple Crown Series when Radio Active scored an upset early this year. In the second leg, Dewey Boulevard returned the favor by beating the first-leg winner in a duel while leading from start to finish.

A guaranteed purse of P600,000 went to Dewey Boulevard’s owner Esguerra, trainer Ruben Tupaz and Hernandez.

Radio Active and its handlers took the second prize purse of P225,000.

Radio Active, ridden by jockey KB Abobo, took the lead from the starting gate.

Hernandez had Dewey Boulevard stay behind the lead-

ers until the halfway mark.

That’s when Dewey Boulevard made its move before eventually slipping ahead in the last 300-meters.

“We started moving up at the halfway mark. We didn’t want to be left behind,” said Hernandez.

In other races of the Bagatsing Festival, Atomic Seventynine, ridden by jockey AP Asuncion, topped the 2016 Resorts World Manila-Challenge of Champions Cup; while Up and Away took the top honors of the Pacific Online/City of Dreams of the Bagatsing Cup, with his handlers, led by jockey Oneil Cortez winning the top purse of P300,000.

Bite My Dust prevailed over Guanta Na Mera in the clash for the top honors in the 2016 Re-

Bayron, Dumandan storm ahead in ICTSI golf LIPA City, Batangas—Jay Bayron and Marvin Dumandan took charge with identical 67s fashioned out on fiery windups on both nines in sun and rain as they wrested a one-stroke lead over an equally hot-finishing Rufino Bayron at the start of the ICTSI Classic at Mt. Malarayat composite course here yesterday.

Teeing off at Mt. Malipunyo serving as the backside, Jay Bayron bucked a double-bogey mishap on No. 14 with seven birdies, including four at Mt. Lobo capped by a three-footer on the par-5 ninth that tied the back-to-back winner at Aboitiz Invitational and ICTSI Riviera Classic with Dumandan.

The power-hitting Dumandan, seeking an end to a long title spell in the circuit sponsored by ICTSI, anchored his strong start in the P2 million event on a fiery windup at Mt. Malipunyo, a four-under 32 he spiked with an eagle on the par-5 17th.

“I feel confident, especially with my driving. I can now control my shots and my putting has been very steady,” said Dumandan, who tied for ninth at Riviera.

He actually set his bid with two birdies in the first four holes but stumbled with

A superb bunker shot is enough to keep Jay Bayron in hunt for a third straight crown

a bogey on the seventh before birdying Nos. 10 and 14 then knocked a rescue shot from 260 yards to pin-length high for eagle on the 17th and a 67.

Jay Bayron matched that five-under card minutes later with the hottest player on the circuit, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., also coming back from a 36 start at the back with five birdies, including back-to-back feats

from No. 1, another pair from close ranges on Nos. 5 and 7 before closing out with another on the ninth.

Rufino Bayron, also out to snap a twoyear title drought, likewise put himself in early contention with a scorching windup of four birdies in the last seven holes, including three straight from No. 12, as the 2014 ICTSI Orchard Championship ADT winner carded 68 to stay within one off the joint leaders.

Clyde Mondilla came charging back in the last flight with three birdies in the last five holes to save a two-under 70 and tie Benjie Magada, Orlan Sumcad, Mars Pucay, Jobim Carlos and Dutch Guido Van der Valk at fourth.

Mondilla, whose game took a downswing after scoring back-to-back wins at Eastridge and Calatagan, appeared headed for another so-so start with 37 at the back but got back into the thick of things with birdies on Nos. 5, 7 and 9.

But Tony Lascuña, who beat Jay Bayron and Mondilla by six here last year, struggled with his putting and settled for three birdies against two bogeys for a 71, four behind Dumandan and Jay.

NEWLY crowned World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Marlon “The Nightmare” Tapales has received an offer to defend his title against former International Boxing Federation champion Paul “Baby Faced Assassin” Butler of Britain, who is 27 years old and has a record of 21-1 with 12 knockouts.

Promoter Rex “Wakee” Salud told the Manila Standard that if the fight pushes through, it would be sometime in October or November in England. However, Salud hasn’t received details of the purse of Tapales and other ancillary rights.

Tapales is coming off a stunning KO victory over champion Pungluang Sor Singyu, in which the Filipino got off the canvas twice in Round 5 before turning the tide and eventually blasting the Thai world champion into submission in the 11th round.

WBO official fight supervisor Leon Panoncillo, the Asia Pacific vice president, who had earlier predicted a good fight in a conversation with The Standard, said: “It was one of the best fights I’ve seen in Thailand.”

Panoncillo told the Manila Standard that Pungluang dropped Tapales twice in the fifth round, but Tapales rose from the canvas and came back to drop his foe in the very next round.

And as the Thai champion faded in going for a knockout, Tapales capitalized on this and went after Pungluang, the two-time world champion, who first won the vacant title with a ninth-round knockout of AJ “Bazooka” Banal at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Lambunao bags 7 medals in HK tilt INTERNATIONAL Master of Memory Jamyla Lambunao of Marikina City bagged seven medals and set two national records when she competed in the Hong Kong Memory Championship held Aug. 13 and 14 in Kowloon, Hong Kong.

The 14-year-old student of St. Scholastica’s Academy Marikina won the gold medal in the Random Words event, where she managed to perfectly memorize the order of 98 words in five minutes, breaking her old national mark of 92 words.

She got another gold and set another Philippine record after seamlessly recalling 702 binary digits in five minutes.

The old mark was 660 digits held by Grandmaster of Memory Mark Anthony Castañeda.

Lambunao likewise captured four silvers and a bronze medal in the annual tournament also participated in by top memory athletes from Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and host Hong Kong.

Lambunao also set two personal best marks in two events: Random Digits (500 digits in 15 minutes) and Shuffled Deck of Cards (44.98 seconds).

LOTTO RESULTS

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

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

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Sports

UAAP breaks from tradition

Bolts edge Road Warriors, boost bid for quarterfinals Davao mulled as host of SEAG

By Peter Atencio PLANS to have Davao as host of 2019 Southeast Asian Games is still on.

A technical team of the Philippine Sports Commission will head to Davao next week to various venues to check again if requirements are met.

PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez said there are many places which can handle the games, three venues available in particular.

First, there is as ongoing construction of a 10-hectare complex at the University of Mindanao.

Then, there is a 20-hectare city sports complex at the University of the Philippines Mindanao.

The Davao del Norte Sports Complex, which hosted the 2015 Palarong Pambansa, is also available.

He also identified a stadium which is owned by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ Church.

“The hosting of the 2019 SEA Games is still focused in Davao City,” said Ramirez.

In case Davao is not ready, the team will also check the sports facilities in Manila if they are okay.

Last month, a team of engineers, headed by commissioner Arnold Agustin, conducted ocular inspections and technical evaluations of venues throughout the province.

Other facilities identified by the inspection team are inside the campuses of the University of Mindanao, Ateneo de Davao, University of Southeastern Philippines, and inside the SM Mall of Davao.

Arellano U eyes piece of cage lead Games Today

(The Arena, San Juan) 10 a.m.- Perpetual Help vs. Mapua (jrs) 11:45 a.m.- Letran vs St. Benilde (jrs) 2 p.m.- Perpetual Help vs St. Benilde (srs) 4 p.m.- EAC vs Arellano U (srs)

ARELLANO University tries to join San Beda at the helm as it squares off with Emilio Aguinaldo, even as Perpetual Help aims to keep up with them as it tangles with St. Benilde today in the 92nd NCAA basketball tournament at The Arena in San Juan City.

Drawing strength from Jio Jalalon and Dioncee Holts, the Chiefs outlasted the Blazers, 7869, Friday to snare their sixth win in row and ninth overall against two losses. A win in their 4 p.m. duel with the Generals (3-8) would send it straight to the top alongside the Lions (10-2).

“We couldn’t let this chance pass up, we will definitely be going all out for a win,” said Arellano University coach Jerry Codinera.

Jajalon and Holts will be the player to watch on this one after the former erupted for a teamhigh 17 points and the latter coming through with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds in the win over St. Benilde.

The Altas, who are currently at No. 3 with an 8-3 mark, will hope to stay within striking distance with the Lions and the Chiefs as they tackle the Blazers at 2 p.m. in a game they are heavily favored to win since the latter have yet to win after starting the season with 11 straight losses.

And the Las Pinas-based dribblers would have been much closer if they didn’t fall to the San Sebastian Stags in a stinging 5571 defeat Friday.

By Jeric Lopez

M

ERALCO regained control in crucial stretches and hit timely baskets in the second half to trip gutsy NLEX, 10195, and notch a vital win in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday night.

Allen Durham again had a complete game for the Bolts, finishing with team-highs of 31 points and 17 rebounds on top of five assists to lead the team, while Cliff Hodge added 17 markers.

Meralco remained in fifth place and improved to 5-3 after this second win in a row. More importantly, it is still on the outside looking in in terms of finishing as one of the top four teams,

which will have a twice-to-beat edge in the quarterfinals.

“This is really a good team effort on our part today,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “I know Allen Durham is the best player on our team, but I thought we had a lot of contributions from a lot of people and we showed we can really be a good team in this game.”

The Bolts, despite the Road

Warriors’ peskiness, kept their composure down the stretch and finished the decisive final three minutes of play steadily to take the victory.

From an 84-all tie with over three minutes left, Meralco produced a key 6-1 run that gave it a critical 90-85 cushion after a jumper from Durham with 1:53 remaining.

NLEX remained in striking distance, but a back-breaking triple from rookie Baser Amer with exactly one minute left shattered the hopes of the Road Warriors and allowed the Bolts to finally have a sigh of relief as their lead was safely stretched to seven, 95-88.

The roller-coaster campaign continued for NLEX, which dropped to 3-4 in seventh place after seeing its two-game win-

Games Friday

(Smart Araneta Coliseum) 4:15 p.m. - Mahindra vs. TNT Katropa 7 p.m. - Phoenix vs. NLEX

ning streak snapped.

Meralco started out hot, taking an early 20-11 lead with under four minutes left in the opening canto after two free throws from Durham.

That eventually set the tone for the Bolts, who briefly held a double-digit lead, 44-34, in the closing seconds of the second period before taking a 44-36 advantage at halftime.

NLEX actually threatened several times in the second half, even taking a 64-58 lead at the 2:45 mark of the third following a basket from Sean Anthony that capped off an 18-5 surge in the middle of the quarter.

BUCKLING DOWN TO BUSINESS. Eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao started training at the Elorde Gym Five Ecom Center for his fight against unbeaten Jessie Vargas at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 5. Wendell Rupert Alinea

TRADITIONS will be broken when competitions in ballroom dancing kicks off the start of the 79th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines.

The event will be introduced this year as a demonstration sport by league officials, to be held right before the opening ceremonies at the Plaza Mayor, in front of the main building of the University Santo Tomas campus along Espana Ave., Manila.

“Matagal na naming iniisip ito. Hindi pa siya hinog.

Even the schools are still at the starting point of getting to know the sport. Gumawa pa nga kami ng dance camp para dito,” said secretarytreasurer Gilda Camus of Season 79 host UST during a briefing Tuesday.

“There to Dream” is Season 79’s theme.

Ballroom dancing is one of the demo events being held in the league, following the rout which street dancing and cheer dancing took when they were introduced in the league many years ago.

“Instead of the usual palabas, competition agad.

But still, it’s dance,” added Camus.

This will be the second time that the league is breaking tradition since season 74, when Ateneo de Manila held the opening ceremonies at the Marikina Sports Complex, under rainy conditions.

The competitions will commence at 2 p.m. at the Quadricentennial Pavilion, before the opening ceremonies get going at around 5:30 p.m. at the Plaza Mayor.

Officials said they want to share the beauty of the UST campus, with the festivities to be highlighted by a concert.

Camus said the basketball games begin the following day as they are still finalizing the venues and schedules.

Organizers are considering the readiness of the athletes to play, which is the reason why the opening games will be held the following day instead.

“In previous years, the teams will play on opening day. Pero pagod sila sa opening ceremonies. Ang tagal ng waiting time,” said Camus.

On the other hand, around 100 participants per school are expect to take part in the dance competition. Peter Atencio

Foton Pilipinas kicks off Thailand campaign vs home team FOTON Pilipinas formally kicked off its campaign in the 2016 Select Tuna Thailand Volleyball Championship against the home team, Sisaket, Wednesday night at the Wi Sommai gymnasium in Sisaket Province, Thailand.

But head coach Fabio Menta said the final score would be the least among their concerns.

Menta, the Italian tactician brought in to guide Foton Pilipinas to a projected semifinal finish

in the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship on Sept. 3 to 11, said he wants to give the team an idea on high-level competitions.

“Today, as a new coach bringing in new ideas, the score is the last thing I am thinking of,” said Menta, who had a significant tour of duty with Cook Islands before being appointed as Foton head coach last month.

“I want to see the discipline and game plan, obsessive research of players trying to disrupt their game

and team spirit. I want to keep in mind that our real opponent is not this team (Sisaket), but Hong Kong on the 3rd of September in the AWCC.” Foton Pilipinas landed in Sisaket late Sunday without prized middle blocker Jaja Santiago and opposite Jovelyn Gonzaga, two vital players who are tipped to get the lion’s share of minutes in the AWCC. Santiago is tied up with her school chores at National University, while Gonzaga failed to secure

travel permit since she is an enlisted member of the Philippine Army.

Menta said although imports Lindsay Stalzer and Ariel Usher are on board as well as guest players Aby Marano and Jen Reyes, with mainstays Cherry Rondina, Patty Orendain and EJ Laure, the absence of Santiago and Gonzaga still dealt a major blow on their preparation.

“Not having these main players when you try to mechanize your movements is a major step back to

your work,” he said. “I have a big surprise for everybody but trying it with only three days before such an important tournament is a gamble.

That we will have to take away.”

After Sisaket, which is composed of former and current members of the Thailand national team, Foton Pilipinas will be testing the mettle of Bangkok Glass and Rungsit University in the preliminaries to determine its placing in the classification round.

Lady Stags oust Tigresses

UST’s Ria Meneses (left) reacts after getting foiled by San Sebastian’s Joyce Sta. Rita during their Shakey’s V-League quarterfinal duel at the Philsports Arena.

SAN Sebastian rebounded from a listless gresses to wage a fightback and extend the performance in the third set and early in match. The España-based squad sustained the fourth, bundling out University of their charge and controlled the fourth unSanto Tomas, 25-20, 25-18, 16-25, 25-19, til Soltones and company re-grouped and to gain a share of second in the Shakey’s took command midway through.

With its back-to-back losses in the quarV-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference quarterfinal round at the Philsports ters, including a setback to National U at the start of the quarters, UST Arena in Pasig yesterday. bowed out of the semis race Grethcel Soltones came out Games Saturday (The Arena, San Juan) with a 0-4 card. of sickbay to pump in 23 hits, 4 p.m. – FEU vs SSC But the Tigresses, with a including 21 attack points, but 6 p.m. – Ateneo vs UP high-schooler leading their needed to take charge again charge, proved their worth late in the fourth to foil the Tigresses’ determined comeback. Joyce despite playing without two of their Sta. Rita and Katherine Villegas added main players—Ennajie Laure and nine points apiece for the Lady Stags, Cherry Rondina—but just couldn’t who moved to joint second with a 2-1 flash a strong finishing kick.

Guest player Ejiya Laure topscored card, counting their 1-1 carryover slate for UST with 16 hits while Ria Meneses from the elims.

“As team captain, she’s leading by ex- chipped in 11 markers and Caitlyn Viray ample. She played her hearts out despite and Shannel Palec combined for 13 points coming in sick,” said SSC assistant coach for the winningest school in the country’s Clint Malaza, referring to his flu-stricken premier women’s volley league sponsored

by Shakey’s and backed by Mikasa as ofprized hitter.

SSC actually struggled right in the open- ficial ball and Accel as official outfitter.

The Lady Stags also exploited UST’s ing frame, trailing, 12-18, before Soltones took over and hammered in kills that the faulty service reception, scoring nine aces with Denice Lim accounting for Tigresses had failed to stop or return.

After sweeping the first two sets, the three and Vira Guillema scoring two on Lady Stags relaxed a bit, enabling the Ti- top of 47 excellent sets.

Business

OceanaGold asked to refute complaints B3

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

B1

‘PH mining laws strict enough’

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

T

HE Chamber of Mines of the Philippines said Wednesday the industry does not need new laws but only their strict and fair enforcement.

“Our mining laws are globally recognized as among the best because these integrate stringent rules on the environment and caring for the local communities,” said CoMP president Benjamin Philip Romualduez in his speech during the 2016 Ming Philippines International Conference and Exhibition held in Marriott Hotel in Parañaque City.

“What is needed is strict and fair enforcement of a stable policy regime that promotes the long term and stewardship of our environment and natural resources,” he said.

Romualdez also said the strict enforcement of environmental regulations were already in the country’s laws.

Earlier, Environment Secretary Regina Lopez said the country’s mining law issued in 1995 was “grossly unfair” and called for a revision to include a ban on open pit mining.

Romualdez said the CoMP in the past years had been operating under some of the strictest laws.

“We have always operated under some of the strictest laws and we believe that if you cannot obey these laws, you should not be in the industry,” he said.

Romualdez noted that no new mining agreements were issued under the previous administration and that the industry’s fiscal and regulatory regime was under very close scrutiny from the executive, legislative and judicial departments.

“We lost our potential to raise GDP (gross domestic product) growth to 10 percent, enough to reach a sustainable growth level to uplift 25 percent of our poor population,” Romualdez said.

“If only the mining industry was allowed to flourish, the more than $30-billion mining projects and exploration activities already in the pipeline would have by now easily added 5 percent to the GDP and contributing 10 percent to the country’s exports. Direct and indirect employment would have reached over 20,000 jobs supporting hundreds of thousands of lives,” he said.

Romualdez said while the industry was willing to invest to improve the country’s economy, the “new spirit of optimism is being shattered by very disturbing DENR pronouncements that paint a very unstable policy outlook.”

“To break this wasteful impasse, we appeal to the President to immediately convene a meeting with the industry and the MICC (Mining Industry Coordinating Council) for constructive consultations on how to put a balance to the complex issues of mining so that policies moving forward will be based on science and hard facts and not on mere slogans of hard-line ideology,” he said.

“We will send our best experts to help the government unleash the huge mineral potential of the nation and allay unfounded fears that the environment will be neglected,” Romualdez said.

PhilWeb revives text-based lottery offer P1-b Angat project to start

By Jenniffer B. Austria BELEAGUERED PhilWeb Corp. revived its text-based gaming proposal to state regulator Philippine Amusement & Gaming Corp., which could potentially raise between P50 billion and P100 billion in annual revenues to the government.

PhilWeb president Dennis Valdes said in a letter to Pagcor chief executive Andrew Domingo the proposed Pagcor Text Bonanza, which had nothing to do with on-line gaming, would enable the company to maintain its existence after its gaming license was not renewed by the government.

“We estimate that the potential revenues from Pagcor Text Bonanza could easily hit P50 to P100 billion a year,” Valdes said.

Pagcor Text Bonanza is based on a proprietary software devel-

oped by the company. Mobile phone users could text a chosen lottery number to PhilWeb or Pagcor servers. A confirmatory message will then be sent to the mobile phone users which will effectively become the ticket.

“The existing lotto, which is operated by Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office via sale of thermal paper, printed tickets in some 4,000 outlets nationwide.

The bettors are required to physically queue at each lotto outlet in order to purchase their tickets and during times when the lottery jackpot is large, these lines can extend up to a kilometer long and bettors have to queue for up to one hour under the sun or the rain in order to buy their tickets,” Valdes said.

“With over 100 million cellphones and 1.5 billion text per day, it is not difficult to see the

advantage of Pagcor Text Bonanza over PCSO’s Lotto system,” he added.

The option would also enable 10 million migrant Filipino workers to participate in the lottery, PhilWeb said.

Valdes said the proposal was submitted to Pagcor five years ago but was never acted upon.

PLDT which owned 27 percent of PhilWeb at that time agreed to a 70-30 revenue sharing.

“Despite the fact that PLDT has now divested from its ownership in PhilWeb, as part of the divestment negotiations, it had agreed to continue to this sharing formula,” Valdes said.

PhilWeb may also include Globe Telecom Inc. in the venture if it agreed to the same 70-30 revenue sharing formula. Share price of PhilWeb on Wednesday gained 17.4 percent to P5.40.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

ANGAT Hydropower Corp., a unit of San Miguel Corp., is set to start construction of the P1-billion Angat Dam and Dyke Strengthening project next month.

National Power Corp. president Ma. Gladys Cruz-Sta. Rita signed an agreement this week with Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp., Angat Hydro, National Commission for Indigenous Peoples and the Dumagat tribe of Angat for the full implementation of the Free and Prior Informed Consultation.

The FPIC is a process required before the start of the construction of the Angat project in September.

Sta. Rita said Angat Hydro had received the environmental compliance certificate from the Environment Department in June and completed all the pre-construction works in July.

The project in Norzagaray, Bu-

lacan is expected to be completed 18 months from the start of construction.

“NPC issued the land use permit plus livelihood assistance to the Dumagats,” Sta. Rita said.

The agreement includes the relocation of 15 Dumagat families and the provision of their houses. Livelihood programs will be provided by Angat Hydro, PSALM,and Napocor to the Dumagat community.

The Angat project aims to strengthen the dam and stabilize the dikes to enable them to withstand the potential risk posed by earthquake in the West Valley Fault.

The project is being implemented

by Angat Hydro, a joint venture between San Miguel Corp. and Korean Water Resources Corp.

K-water won the bid to operate and manage the Angat power plant.

K-water is the dominant player in the Korean water industry with a 46.5-percent market share in the national water supply.

B2

Business

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

PH, Asian stock markets fall H

ONG KONG—Most Asian markets slipped Wednesday as traders trod water ahead of a key speech by Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen this week, while oil suffered fresh losses on persistent glut worries.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 69.05 points, or 0.9 percent, to 7,866.13 on a value turnover of nearly P10 billion. Losers swamped gainers, 136, to 55, with 48 issues unchanged.

With speculation growing that US interest rates could rise by the end of the year, Yellen’s comments at a global central bankers meeting in Jackson Hole Friday will be scoured for forward guidance on US central

bank policy.

There is a chance borrowing costs could rise as soon as next month, analysts say, but most bets are on a move just before the end of the year, or in February.

“While recent US data has been mixed, the base case for the Fed is probably to increase rates in the absence of any compelling reason not to,” Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist in Sydney at CMC Markets, told Bloomberg News.

“The Fed is aware that there’s a substantial risk that if economic conditions deteriorate, they have very little room to move. Given this, the central bank wants to normalise rates as soon as they can.”

The dollar rose against most other currencies, hitting 100.30 yen from 100.23 yen in New York, while the euro eased to $1.1295 from $1.1307. The greenback was also sharply up against highyielding units including the Australian dollar, South Korean won and Indonesian rupiah.

On equity markets Tokyo ended 0.6 percent higher and Sydney edged up 0.1 percent, helped by a rally in flagship airline Qantas after the firm posted an 80 percent jump in annual net profit and announced a resumption of dividend

payments for the first time in seven years.

But most other markets were lower. Hong Kong lost 0.8 percent and Shanghai ended 0.1 percent lower, while Seoul shed 0.3 percent. There were also losses in Wellington and Jakarta.

In early European trade, London and Frankfurt lost 0.6 percent while Paris shed 0.7 percent.

Oil traders were also in retreat, hit by data from industry group the American Petroleum Institute showing a surge in the country’s stockpiles.

West Texas Intermediate slipped 1.6 percent to $47.35 and Brent was off 1.3 percent at $49.33.

The losses more than wiped out Tuesday’s gains that were fueled

by a report saying Iran could support efforts by Opec and Russia to limit crude output, having previously said it was against the idea.

The commodity plunged Monday after Iraq said it plans to boost production, while a rebel group in Nigeria called a ceasefire after months of attacking oil installations in the country.

Another missile test by North Korea that Japan said landed in its air defense zone brought geopolitical tensions back to the fore.

But Stephen Innes, senior trader at OANDA, said: “With Jackson Hole and monetary policy in both Japan and US taking center stage we expect limited follow through, but traders will keep an eye out for an escalation of political tension.”

With AFP

THE STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 0.92 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 0.74 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

AG Finance 3.46 Asia United Bank 47.7 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 115.00 Bank of PI 106.00 China Bank 38.2 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 3.90 Bright Kindle Resources 1.51 COL Financial 16.3 Eastwest Bank 21.9 Filipino Fund Inc. 6.97 First Abacus 0.72 I-Remit Inc. 1.87 Manulife Fin. Corp.

600.00 MEDCO Holdings 0.670 Metrobank 89 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.89 PB Bank 14.76 Phil. National Bank 60.50 PSE Inc. 280 RCBC `A’ 32.45 Security Bank 213.2 Sun Life Financial 1400.00 Union Bank 73.80 Vantage Equities 1.49

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 148

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 32

20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 3.95 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5 5.25 12.98 6.75 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 370 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 1.3 2.17

15.32 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 34.1 2.3 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.37 3.87 8.45 3 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801

Aboitiz Power Corp.

46.1 Agrinurture Inc. 3.09 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.86 Alsons Cons.

1.79 Asiabest Group 14.8 C. Azuc De Tarlac 210.00 Cemex Holdings 12.4 Century Food 16.9 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 145 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 24.1 Concepcion 58.45 Crown Asia 2.28 Da Vinci Capital 5.71 Del Monte 12.48 DNL Industries Inc. 11.160 Emperador 7.84 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.90 EEI 8.85 First Gen Corp.

24.8 First Holdings ‘A’ 73.9 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.20 Holcim Philippines Inc. 16.24 Integ. Micro-Electronics 6.65 Ionics Inc 2.330 Jollibee Foods Corp.

253.00 Liberty Flour 44.00 LMG Chemicals 2.19 Mabuhay Vinyl 4.02 Macay Holdings 29.75 Manila Water Co. Inc. 26.8 Maxs Group 31.8 Megawide 14 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 312.60 MG Holdings 0.280 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 4.99 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.31 Petron Corporation 11.08 Phil H2O 3.08 Phinma Corporation 11.50 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 6.29 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.62 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.94 RFM Corporation 4.22 Roxas Holdings 3.68 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’

1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 0.640 1.2

Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Trans-Asia Oil Universal Robina Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

3.0515 0.154 1.93 2.32 184.2 2.4 1.28

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 0.0670 1.61 2.99 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 390 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 0.225 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 4.84 0.59 12 4.2 0.030 0.550 2.26 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 0.93 170 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Filinvest Dev. Corp.

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Pacifica `A’ Prime Orion Republic Glass ‘A’ San Miguel Corp `A’ Seafront `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Transgrid Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.395 75.80 16.46 1.28 0.385 0.385 903 8.89 12.18 6.58 7.10 0.212 1542 6.49 82.95 7.98 0.78 17.18 7.25 0.0360 1.900 2.63 83.90 2.28 694.00 1.41 1.10 188.00 210.000 0.3100 0.2090 0.280

10.5 26.95 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.6 1.44 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 0.305 2.22 2.1 1.8 8.4 5.94 0.180 0.470

6.74 12 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 2.8 0.79 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 0.188 1.15 1.42 1.27 3.1 4.13 0.090 0.290

8990 HLDG Anchor Land Holdings Inc. A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Prop. `A’ Century Property Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Keppel Properties Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

7.950 6.99 1.29 3.050 0.275 40.800 3.09 5.5 0.590 1.050 0.160 0.610 60.4 0.800 0.146 1.10 1.93 1.20 4.70 5 0.120 0.2900

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.5 3.3 47.65 47.5 115.00 112.60 106.00 104.70 38.5 38.25 3.90 3.50 1.52 1.46 16.68 16.2 21.9 20.8 6.97 6.85 0.72 0.65 1.96 1.87 600.50 595.00 0.690 0.660 89.7 88.95 0.9 0.89 14.76 14.72 60.50 59.40 282 278 32.5 32.25 222.4 213 1400.00 1395.00 74.00 73.50 1.5 1.49 INDUSTRIAL 46.1 45.7 3.28 3.02 0.86 0.81 1.83 1.77 16 14.8 204.00 204.00 12.4 12.1 16.9 16.7 145 140 25 24.35 58.45 57.15 2.29 2.22 5.82 5.75 12.48 12 11.200 10.900 7.95 7.80 5.90 5.78 8.86 8.45 24.85 24 74 71.55 12.80 12.30 16.46 16.00 6.72 6.5 2.330 2.270 253.00 249.00 52.00 49.50 2.1 2.02 4.15 4.02 29.50 28.20 26.8 26.6 32.1 31.4 14.12 13.84 313.00 312.00 0.290 0.260 5.00 4.99 3.37 3.27 11.20 11.02 3.04 3.01 11.66 11.52 6.32 6.01 1.63 1.61 3.99 3.41 4.23 4.19 3.7 3.7 219.8 219

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.5 47.65 114.30 105.00 38.4 3.80 1.51 16.2 21 6.85 0.7 1.87 595.00 0.600 89.25 0.89 14.74 59.40 280 32.25 218.4 1395.00 73.80 1.5

1.16 -0.10 -0.61 -0.94 0.52 -2.56 0.00 -0.61 -4.11 -1.72 -2.78 0.00 -0.83 -10.45 0.28 0.00 -0.14 -1.82 0.00 -0.62 2.44 -0.36 0.00 0.67

121,000 4,300 1,463,580 2,207,470 87,200 150,000 183,000 30,000 1,028,500 41,000 336,000 41,000 280 4,153,000 3,952,850 10,000 58,700 266,110 710 185,300 2,814,710 35 33,800 16,000

45.9 3.15 0.85 1.78 15.26 204.00 12.14 16.76 140 24.85 57.5 2.24 5.79 12 11.040 7.95 5.80 8.48 24 72.6 12.80 16.00 6.55 2.270 250.00 49.90 2.1 4.15 28.90 26.6 31.6 13.92 313.00 0.285 5.00 3.27 11.08 3.01 11.52 6.10 1.61 3.45 4.19 3.7 218

-0.43 1.94 -1.16 -0.56 3.11 -2.86 -2.10 -0.83 -3.45 3.11 -1.63 -1.75 1.40 -3.85 -1.08 1.40 -1.69 -4.18 -3.23 -1.76 4.92 -1.48 -1.50 -2.58 -1.19 13.41 -4.11 3.23 -2.86 -0.75 -0.63 -0.57 0.13 1.79 0.20 -1.21 0.00 -2.27 0.17 -3.02 -0.62 -12.44 -0.71 0.54 218

1,846,800 3,016,000 732,000 938,000 128,500 10 6,560,800 1,472,700 1,500 10,350,800 2,240 697,000 325,900 92,800 3,082,000 2,447,900 9,578,000 1,193,200 1,583,500 255,240 10,200 56,000 2,091,300 1,525,000 504,810 1,300 28,000 35,000 2,200 379,300 281,700 18,423,500 125,240 1,180,000 8,000 260,000 3,856,700 56,000 1,200 1,043,000 615,000 1,673,000 181,000 7,000 0 .

3.05 0.153 1.85 2.27 179.5 2.51 1.32

-0.05 -0.65 -4.15 -2.16 -2.55 4.58 3.13

100,000 7,250,000 7,416,000 3,176,000 5,789,870 68,257,000 922,000

0.395 75.30 16.28 1.20 0.380 0.385 899.5 8.83 11.96 6.1 7.08 0.212 1541 6.40 79.80 7.85 0.78 16.78 7.33 0.0350 1.900 2.60 83.60 2.3 690.50 1.39 0.99 188.00 210.000 0.3100 0.2030 0.280

0.00 -0.66 -1.09 -6.25 -1.30 0.00 -0.39 -0.67 -1.81 -7.29 -0.28 0.00 -0.06 -1.39 -3.80 -1.63 0.00 -2.33 1.10 -2.78 0.00 -1.14 -0.36 0.88 -0.50 -1.42 -10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 -2.87 0.00

131,000 1,853,160 1,939,000 57,000 7,540,000 3,990,000 216,970 1,553,400 4,527,500 103,100 176,100 440,000 191,265 165,900 2,836,290 1,694,100 31,000 8,202,800 25,457,800 25,800,000 141,000 20,000 137,680 10,000 399,950 7,562,000 3,185,000 100 2,160 370,000 870,000 350,000

7.950 6.89 1.31 3.060 0.265 40.000 3.06 5.6 0.570 1.000 0.162 0.610 58.9 0.780 0.146 1.08 1.93 1.20 4.70 4.83 0.120 0.2800

0.00 -1.43 1.55 0.33 -3.64 -1.96 -0.97 1.82 -3.39 -4.76 1.25 0.00 -2.48 -2.50 0.00 -1.82 0.00 0.00 0.00 -3.40 0.00 -3.45

340,700 3,500 22,554,000 6,162,000 18,000 16,153,900 800,000 50,000 3,461,000 124,000 14,840,000 16,080,000 557,170 173,000 10,000 4,738,000 17,458,000 60,000 20,000 68,612,100 10,270,000 50,000

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

0.39 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 0.83 5.73

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 14.88 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 2.6 7.67 4 2720 8.41

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 10.5 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 1.6 4.8 2.58 1600 5.95

70.5 1.97 119.5 7 5.8 0.017

17.02 1.23 102.6 3.01 4 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 2.53 95.5 1 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.01 3.1 0.650 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 0.315 1.14

0.0098 5.45 17.24 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

70 553

33 490

-67,616,334.00 -15,978,921.00

120 515 8.21 12.28 111 1047

101.5 480 5.88 6.5 101 1011

157,747.00

84.8

75

161,910.00 -70,143,157 10,014,676.00 476,315.00 80,952.00 -3,433,545.00

138,000.00 670,000.00 -164,292,956.50 -492,756.00 -3,158,036.00 -27,800.00 -1,571,315 -108,533,810.00 232,698.00

Close

Phil. Realty `A’ Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

High 0.430 39.00 3.3 31.00 1.7 3.3 29.00 0.98 1.020 6.230

Low

0.440 0.420 38.10 38.00 3.37 3.08 31.50 30.90 1.72 1.68 3.34 3.28 29.40 28.90 0.98 0.95 1.050 1.010 6.230 5.940 SERVICES 2GO Group’ 7.25 7.3 7.2 ABS-CBN 50.2 50.4 49.85 Acesite Hotel 1.27 1.26 1.26 APC Group, Inc. 0.600 0.600 0.590 Asian Terminals Inc. 11.38 11.48 11.48 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 5.5 5.85 5.51 Bloomberry 6.21 6.16 5.34 Boulevard Holdings 0.0970 0.0970 0.0920 Calata Corp.

3.55 4.14 3.25 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 123.5 123.8 120 Discovery World 2.3 2.2 2.2 DFNN Inc. 5.00 5.24 4.70 Easy Call “Common” 3.04 3.02 3.02 Globe Telecom 2126 2118 2104 GMA Network Inc. 6.36 6.36 6.30 Golden Haven 15.60 15.84 15.40 Grand Plaza Hotel 20.40 20.40 20.40 Harbor Star 1.68 1.76 1.60 I.C.T.S.I. 80.3 80.5 79.8 Imperial Res. `A’ 21.00 23.95 21.30 Imperial Res. `B’ 158 172.4 158 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0090 0.0089 0.0087 IPM Holdings 9.28 9.30 9.20 Island Info 0.295 0.305 0.295 ISM Communications 1.4100 1.4200 1.3900 Jackstones 3.5 4.12 3.5 LBC Express 12.5 12.42 12.4 Leisure & Resorts 4.16 4.14 3.41 Liberty Telecom 2.15 2.16 2.14 Lorenzo Shipping 1.02 1.04 1.02 Manila Broadcasting 21.35 21.00 20.95 Manila Bulletin 0.600 0.570 0.570 Manila Jockey 2 2 1.99 Melco Crown 4.05 4.02 3.63 Metro Retail 5.40 5.40 5.26 NOW Corp.

3.740 3.740 3.600 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 11.2 11.2 11.12 PAL Holdings Inc. 6.06 6.06 5.96 Phil. Seven Corp.

135.00 134.50 134.50 Philweb.Com Inc. 4.60 5.93 4.60 PLDT Common 1800.00 1811.00 1789.00 PremiereHorizon 0.435 0.465 0.430 Premium Leisure 0.950 0.950 0.890 Puregold 45.20 45.35 45.00 Robinsons RTL 83.60 84.00 81.00 SBS Phil. Corp.

6.30 6.35 6.29 SSI Group 3.29 3.34 3.24 STI Holdings 0.640 0.640 0.620 Travellers 3.48 3.55 3.48 Waterfront Phils.

0.335 0.340 0.340 Yehey 6.460 6.450 6.250 MINING & OIL Abra Mining 0.0039 0.0040 0.0039 Apex `A’ 3.02 3.03 2.97 Atlas Cons. `A’ 3.91 3.96 3.86 Benguet Corp `A’ 2.1600 2.2 1.95 Benguet Corp `B’ 2.1100 2.1300 2.1300 Century Peak Metals Hldgs0.56 0.56 0.56 Coal Asia 0.410 0.410 0.410 Dizon 8.31 8.80 8.31 Ferronickel 0.820 0.890 0.840 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.275 0.280 0.275 Lepanto `A’ 0.198 0.202 0.198 Lepanto `B’ 0.218 0.220 0.210 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0120 0.0110 0.0110 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.66 1.7 1.62 Nickelasia 6.24 6.52 6.1 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.83 2.96 2.81 Omico 0.5100 0.5300 0.5300 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.0000 1.0100 1.0000 Oriental Pet. `A’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 4.17 4.15 4.15 Philex `A’ 8.61 8.65 8.30 PhilexPetroleum 3.71 3.75 3.66 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 Semirara Corp.

112.50 113.50 112.40 TA Petroleum 3.6 3.6 3.4 United Paragon 0.0095 0.0094 0.0094 PREFERRED ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 50.1 50.05 49.5 Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ 538 538 525 DD Pref 103.4 103.8 103.4 First Gen G 119 119 119 GLOBE PREF P 524 525 524 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.05 6.09 6.05 Leisure and Resort 0.99 1 99 MWIDE PREF 111.5 111.5 108 PF Pref 2 1034 1036 1030 PNX PREF 3A 104 104.8 104.8 SMC Preferred C 81.5 81.5 81.05 SMC Preferred F 79.2 79.2 79.2 SMC Preferred H 77.75 77.8 77.1 SMC Preferred I 78 78 77.7 WARRANTS & BONDS LR Warrant 1.780 1.900 1.750 SME Alterra Capital 4.6 4.68 4.28 Makati Fin. Corp.

4.1 4.05 3.75 Italpinas 5.11 5.11 5.05 Xurpas 16 16 15.48 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS First Metro ETF 130.4 130.4 128.9

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.420 38.00 3.2 31.50 1.68 3.34 29.40 0.97 1.030 6.030

-2.33 -2.56 -3.03 1.61 -1.18 1.21 1.38 -1.02 0.98 -3.21

310,000 1,000 2,355,000 1,629,800 175,000 567,000 8,413,100 923,000 41,300 8,002,100

7.26 49.85 1.26 0.590 11.48 5.8 5.37 0.0930 3.39 121.7 2.2 4.70 3.02 2106 6.35 15.50 20.40 1.60 80.5 22.20 159 0.0088 9.30 0.295 1.4000 3.8 12.4 3.45 2.15 1.02 21.00 0.570 1.99 3.73 5.27 3.640 11.12 6.06 134.50 5.40 1801.00 0.450 0.890 45.15 81.95 6.30 3.24 0.620 3.48 0.340 6.450

0.14 -0.70 -0.79 -1.67 0.88 5.45 -13.53 -4.12 -4.51 -1.46 -4.35 -6.00 -0.66 -0.94 -0.16 -0.64 0.00 -4.76 0.25 5.71 0.63 -2.22 0.22 0.00 -0.71 8.57 -0.80 -17.07 0.00 0.00 -1.64 -5.00 -0.50 -7.90 -2.41 -2.67 -0.71 0.00 -0.37 17.39 0.06 3.45 -6.32 -0.11 -1.97 0.00 -1.52 -3.13 0.00 1.49 -0.15

15,500 63,780 21,000 1,088,000 37,300 2,400 36,698,800 67,800,000 71,867,000 942,250 17,000 333,200 2,000 49,850 169,500 216,700 300 5,319,000 1,847,600 304,500 350 59,000,000 1,907,000 12,910,000 2,447,000 2,087,000 5,200 15,641,000 1,508,000 20,000 1,100 80,000 37,000 14,701,000 2,022,300 10,137,000 18,000 25,800 10 6,086,000 98,705 6,250,000 40,370,000 3,000,200 5,573,520 455,700 5,949,000 6,545,000 1,291,000 160,000 82,700

0.0039 2.99 3.89 2.1000 2.1300 0.56 0.410 8.39 0.870 0.275 0.202 0.220 0.0110 0.0110 1.66 6.31 2.85 0.5300 1.0000 0.0120 0.0120 4.15 8.40 3.68 0.0120 113.00 3.51 0.0094

0.00 -0.99 -0.51 -2.78 0.95 0.00 0.00 0.96 6.10 0.00 2.02 0.92 0.00 -8.33 0.00 1.12 0.71 3.92 0.00 0.00 0.00 -0.48 -2.44 -0.81 0.00 0.44 -2.50 -1.05

268,000 546,000 521,000 286,000 1,000 172,000 70,000 45,800 109,698,000 70,000 10,550,000 290,000 119,700,000 100,000 884,000 30,437,100 220,000 2,000 56,000 1,300,000 1,000,000 3,000 1,753,700 2,039,000 48,400,000 910,680 307,000 4,000,000

565,500.00 14,950.00 -399,000.00

49.7 538 103.8 119 525 6.05 1 108 1034 104.8 81.5 79.2 77.1 78

-0.80 0.00 0.39 0.00 0.19 0.00 1.01 -3.14 0.00 0.77 0.00 0.00 -0.84 0.00

210,350 5,230 88,320 11,300 1,400 16,000 1,736,000 9,010 700 300 162,670 53,500 370,620 228,920

2,295,544.00 1,721,600.00

1.780

0.00

637,000

-1,810.00

4.3 3.75 5.05 15.6

-6.52 -8.54 -1.17 -2.50

3,474,000 86,000 562,300 2,976,400

-377,470.00

129.5

-0.69

7,220

103,280.00

MS 3.05 3.05 0.159 0.153 1.95 1.78 2.34 2.25 184.8 177 2.51 2.24 1.33 1.28 HOLDING FIRMS 0.395 0.385 75.80 75.00 16.46 16.10 1.29 1.20 0.390 0.375 0.400 0.380 901.5 895 8.9 8.81 12.18 11.90 6.25 6.1 7.10 6.90 0.212 0.211 1541 1530 6.40 6.40 83.00 77.80 7.92 7.68 0.82 0.78 17.18 16.5 7.35 7.25 0.0360 0.0350 1.900 1.900 2.60 2.60 83.90 83.40 2.35 2.30 693.00 688.50 1.47 1.38 1.13 0.99 188.00 188.00 210.000 209.600 0.3150 0.3050 0.2030 0.1980 0.280 0.275 PROPERTY 8.000 7.950 6.89 6.00 1.40 1.29 3.270 2.950 0.270 0.260 41.100 39.500 3.09 3.05 5.6 5.6 0.59 0.570 1.050 1.000 0.168 0.160 0.640 0.610 60.4 58.45 0.800 0.780 0.146 0.146 1.12 1.08 1.95 1.92 1.20 1.14 4.70 4.70 5.06 4.83 0.128 0.120 0.2800 0.2600

-13,710,885.00 -956,510.00 -1,790.00 -15,100.00

10,243,520.00 -4,909,664.00 -1,532,435.00

-104,342.00 15,013,690.00 377,943.00 -4,271,186.00 -1,231,456.00 -4,734,405.00 10,595,890.00

-6,860.00 5,269,060.00 -286,800.00 824,374.00 -10,500.00

-3,637,395.00 -277,365.00 -37,510,686.00 -4,561,170.00 -339,530.00 2,650,206.00

-601,342.00 51,840.00 -893,900.00 474,660.00 8

2

10,760.00 245,540.00 -494,110.00 -428,123,445 1,696,830.00

-17,273,656.50 -18,228,820.00

-315,550.00 -63,704,865 10,000,960.00 -22,411,370.00

-46,232,790.00

-106,115,912.50 -1,424,876.00

16,107,055.00 -158,500.00 51,000.00

1,062,915.00

-225,470.00 -1,080,760.00 26,150.00 -239,194,420.00 -954,710.00 -49,450.00 933,000.00 84,792.00 18,710.00 5,759,890.00 2,380.00 63,582,271.00

6.98

0.8900

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

17,986,060

INDUSTRIAL

171,006,356

HOLDING FIRMS

101,963,652

PROPERTY

211,634,000

SERVICES

388,839,526

MINING & OIL

602,098,871

GRAND TOTAL

1,500,646,100

470,360.00 -1,464,170.00 -64,996,255.00 7,580.00 4,836,302.00

428,204.00 -28,551,108.00 -5,700.00 4,728,040.00 54,842,826.00 -1,204,673.00 -62,427,680.00

-66,020.00 13,166,840.00

-60,190.00 -13,647,130 -4,280.00

-11,365,130.00 2,629,691.00 2,581,490.00 -6,050.00 1,345.00 -17,970.00 -73,990,350.00 135,000.00 -10,465,840.00 -6,216,190.00 8,312,799.00 12,630.00 7,052,030.00 117,800.00 -3,652,230.00 509,375.00

8,043,800.00

-812,240.00 -3,932,556.00

-4,500,113.00 265,260.00 16,857,568.00

-16,351.00 -200,000.00 31,440.00 -10,441,780 77,100.00

51,934.00 -15,422,422.00

VALUE

1,839.25 (down) 0.52 1,492,648,538.16 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,831.36 (down) 165.43 2,656,963,557.066 HOLDING FIRMS 7,813.08 (down) 78.44 1,669,229,395.38 PROPERTY 3,581.77 (down) 25.27 1,558.63 (down) 17.53 1,580,121,092.12 SERVICES MINING & OIL 10,651.66 (up) 38.92 2,074,668,433.61 PSEI 7,866.13 (down) 69.05 427,218,744.499 All Shares Index 4,662.63 (down) 36.31 9,967,063,610.956 Gainers: 55; Losers: 136; Unchanged: 48; Total: 239

Security to rejoin PH index

By Jenniffer B. Austria SECURITY Bank Corp. is set to rejoin the Philippine Stock Exchange Index, the stock market benchmark index, starting next month.

The Philippine Stock Exchange said in a memorandum posted on its website Security Bank would replace Bloomberry Resorts Corp. in the main index.

The changes, which will take effect on September 12, followed the PSE’s regular review of its main and sectoral indices for the trading activity from July 2015 to June 2016.

To be included in the PSEi, a basket of select 30 stocks, a listed company must be among the top companies in terms of liquidity and full market capitalization and its free float level should be higher than the minimum requirement of 12 percent.

Five companies, meanwhile, have been placed under reserve list which will be used if one or more constituents are deleted from the PSEi. These are DoubleDragon Properties Corp., D&L Industries Inc., Puregold Price Club., Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc and Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. the PSE also reported changes in compositions of sectoral indices.

AG Finance Inc. was included in the in the financials index while Philippine Stock Exchange Inc. was removed. Da Vinci Capital Holdings Inc. and Ionics Inc were added to the industrial index while Vitarich Corp was removed.

IPM Holdings Inc. was deleted from from the holding firms index, while Pacifica Inc. was added to the list. A Brown Co Inc. and Suntrust Home Developers Inc. were added to the property index to replace Crown Equites Inc., Primex Corp. and IRC Properties Inc.

FirstGen bares unit damage

By Alena Mae S. Flores FIRST Gen Corp. on Wednesday said a fault occurred at the main generator transformer of unit 20 of its 1,000-megawatt Sta. Rita combined cycle power plant in Batangas.

First Gen, controlled by the Lopez Group, disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange the unit was under scheduled maintenance outage from July 23 to August 26.

“Investigation is ongoing to confirm the condition of the transformer. If necessary, FGPC can immediately deploy its spare main generator transformer which is stored at the Sta. Rita power plant site,” it said.

The move followed announcements early this week of Aboitiz Power Corp. subsidiary Therma South Inc. and Energy Development Corp. of maintenance shutdown.

Therma South said a 150-megawatt unit of the 300-MW Davao baseload power plant would undergo a 17-day maintenance outage starting Aug. 22 for preventive maintenance.

“This maintenance activity is necessary to review unit 1 and to implement some corrective measures as needed which should be similar in nature to the coverage of work done in the recently planned outage of unit 2 from June 18 to July 13,” said Therma South president and chief operating offer Sebastian Lacson.

Business

Manila

Standard

TODAY

B3

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

BSP raises auction as tenders increase

By Julito G. Rada THE term deposit auction of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Wednesday remained highly oversubscribed as banks and trust entities swarmed the P70-billion weekly volume offered to the public.

Data showed that the P10-billion offered with a seven-day tenor attracted total tenders of P48.035 billion, while the month-long P60 billion put on the auction block received total bids of P151.879 billion.

Both tenors fetched a weighted average accepted yield of 2.5 percent, matching the floor rate in the overnight deposit facility, formerly the special deposit account facility.

Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo, however, said the oversubscription was declining as shown by the lower bidto-coverage ratio of 2.53 percent on Wednesday from 5.86 percent when the auction officially started on June 8.

“We are seeing the initial signs that the open market operations of the BSP under the IRC are beginning to bite. First, the bid to coverage ratio has gone down from 5.86 on June 8 to last week’s 2.87 to today’s 2.53. This means oversubscription is declining and more funds are being mopped up by the BSP increasingly through the term deposit facility,” Guinigundo said in a text message.

“And second, interest rates are now beginning to inch up given the liquidity dynamics among the banks both in the interbank and with the BSP. We should see as a result of the IRC implementation market rates slowly moving towards the policy rate, signaling a more effective monetary policy,” Guinigundo said.

The oversubscription prompted Bangko Sentral to increase for the third time the weekly volume to P90 billion from the present P70 billion beginning Aug. 31 in a bid to more effectively siphon off excess liquidity in the financial system.

The seven-day tenor will continue to account for P10 billion but the 28-day tenor will be increased to P80 billion from P60 billion.

The auction started off with an initial weekly volume of P30 billion on June 8. It was increased to P50 billion on July 7 and to P70 billion on Aug. 3.

MINING SENTRY. Chamber of Mines of the Philippines president Benjamin Philip Romualdez (right) hands over a miniature statue of a miner to Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary and Mines Geosciences Bureau director Mario Luis Jacinto. Jacinto delivered his keynote address to delegates during the second day of the 2016 Mining Philippines International Conference and Mine Exhibition held in Marriott Hotel in Paranaque City. Ey Acasio

OceanaGold asked to refute complaints

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

E

NVIRONMENT Secretary Regina Lopez said Wednesday the government would issue a show cause order to OceanaGold Philippines Inc. to give the mining company a chance to explain why the extension of its mining permit should not be canceled.

“There’s a show cause. I am not pleased that the community and the governor are super unhappy with their operations,” she said.

Environment Undersecretary Leo Jasareno earlier said the government would review the extension permit granted to OceanaGold for its Didipio mine in Nueva Vizcaya.

NGO group Alyansa Tigil Mina asked the Environment Department to withdraw the exploration permit granted to OceanaGold, saying the mining area used to be a rich agricultural land.

Earlier this year, MGB gave the mining company another five years to explore its 15,000 hectares mining tenement. The permit will last until 2021.

OceanaGold has already explored 975 hectares out of the 15,000 hectares covered by the tenement.

“Definitely, something is not right, otherwise there will not be all these complaints.

There are complaints of dumpling toxicity on rice fields, taking the water supply of the farmers such as they don’t have enough for their rice lands,” Lopez said.

She said the mining company should also compensate the farmers for any damage done and loss of income.

“I talked to the farmers today and I promised them justice. But there has to be due process and I also promised it will not take time. The final decision should be in by next week,” Lopez said.

OceanaGold denied its mining exploration area was an agricultural land.

“There should be no reason why that should be withdrawn because that was just given to us. I have not been formally advised,” said OceanaGold Philippines chairman Jose Leviste Jr. Leviste said the company would wait for the official advise and respond to the order.

“We don’t want to go to agricultural areas. We want to go to highly-mineralized,” Leviste said.

He said the company remained optimistic about the current administration’s thrust on responsible mining.

“We hope to explore more in the Philippines. We are working closely if we can explore tenements in Surigao,” Leviste said.

Recent history of oligarchism AROUND two weeks ago President Rodrigo Duterte called a prominent businessman an oligarch and said that he would destroy that person because of his oligarchic ways. The Chief Executive’s singling out of the businessman for denunciation came as a complete surprise to many people, including myself. But that was not the only thing that surprised me regarding the President’s action; I was surprised by his choice of ‘oligarch’ to describe the hapless businessman.

‘Oligarch’ is more a politico-social word than an economic one. The counterpart word in economics is ‘oligopolist,’ which is defined as a member of a small group of individuals that controls an industry or a sector of an economy.

Both ‘oligarch’ and ‘oligopolist’ have negative connotations, but ‘oligarch’ is more pejorative both in tone and in impact.

It had been a long time since I heard and read the word ‘oligarch’ in a public context. The last time ‘oligarch’ entered into public discussion was during the early part of the martial law period. Prior thereto, it was in 1962, the first full year of Diosdado Macapagal’s presidency—in those days the Presidential term began on December 31—that I heard and read about oligarchs.

Because he had not made the nation’s socio-economic divide a major element

of his electoral platform, the Filipino people were surprised when, shortly after the election, Diosdado Macapagal declared war on what he termed the oligarchic class and said that his administration would go after its members.

He made special mention of the leaders of the sugar industry—the so-called sugar bloc—which was then composed, as it still is today, of the sugar planters’ group (National Federation of Sugarcane Planters, or NFSP) and the sugar millers’ group (now the Philippine Sugar Manufacturers’ Association). Macapagal appeared to have a particular distaste for NFSP and its leaders, Alfredo Montelibano and the brothers Eugenio and Fenando Lopez. In his eyes, the Lopez-led group’s alleged oligarchic status was strengthened by its acquisition from the American owners, shortly before the election, of the nation’s largest power-generating facility, Manila Electric Company (Meralco).

The “sugar bloc” was not about to be intimidated by the tough-talking former Representative from Pampanga.

The Lopezes launched their own war against Macapagal, bombarding him with an unrelenting stream of hardhitting columns, editorials and news reports in the well-read Manila Chronicle, which they owned. All of Macapagal’s acts were subjected to intense scrutiny and all his policies and programs un-

derwent merciless pounding. Realizing that he had taken on an adversary that he could not cow into submission, Macapagal called off the war that he had started with much chutzpah and arrogance. The word ‘oligarch’ drifted out of the political discussion, and relations between Malacañang and the people who Macapagal accused of oligarchism became civil for the rest of his four-year term.

One of the first things that President Marcos did after placing the nation under martial rule was to denounce the ‘oligarchs’ whose alleged bad activities had destroyed what he now called the Old Society, which would now be replaced by a New Society (Bagong Lipunan). There would be no place for the old ‘oligarchs’—especially the big landowners—in the New Society.

That was the last time I heard and read the word ‘oligarch’ in public discourse.

Now President Duterte has resurrected the word, using it to characterize the businessman I spoke of at the beginning of this column. Is that businessman the last whom Rodrigo Duterte would call an ‘oligarch’, or will there be others?

The larger question is, has denunciation of oligarchism become the order of the day once again?

The days immediately ahead will tell.

E-mail:

rudyromero777@yahoo.

World Bank okays $16-m energy grant

By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE World Bank on Monday said poor Filipino families will benefit from the nearly $16 million worth of energy grant from the multilateral lender and its partner agencies.

The Washington-based lender said over 40,000 poor families without electricity in the remote areas of the Philippines would soon have access to solar energy under the Access to Sustainable Energy Project grant agreement signed by LGU Guarantee Corp. and the World Bank.

The access to solar energy is supported by $3 million from the Global Partnership on Output-Based Aid, $12.8 million from the European Union and an additional contribution from the Department of Energy of the Philippines.

“This project supports affordable, clean energy in the Philippines for those who have no access to the grid,” said Catherine Commander O’Farrell, head of GPOBA. “GPOBA has had a long engagement in the Philippines, working to mainstream results-based financing in the World Bank’s operations to ensure that basic services are extended to poor households. We are very pleased that this deep engagement in the country is also reflected in this innovative results-focused energy project,” she added.

The bank said the project was aimed at remote areas and isolated islands where marginalization is increased by a lack of electricity.

“A particular focus of the project is conflict-affected Mindanao, where poverty is disproportionately high and over a quarter of the population lives without electricity,” the bank said.

A Sure Bet for Progress in Gaming, Entertainment and Nation Building

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF HOTEL ROOMS AND ACCOMMODATION UNDER ITB NO. PB16-027ANG The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in its forthcoming public bidding for the Procurement of Hotel Rooms and Accommodation under ITB No. PB16-027ANG. Brief Description

Hotel Room Accomodation

Delivery Period

For a period of two (2) years which shall commence from the effectivity date specified in the Notice to Proceed

Approved for the (ABC):

The total ABC is Four Million Seven Hundred Thousand Pesos (P4,700,000.00), VAT-Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction.

Budget Contract

Lot 1 : Hotel Room Accommodation Requirements of players and guests of Casino Filipino – Angeles within a 20-meter radius from casino – Four Million One Hundred Thousand Pesos (P 4,100,000.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero Rated Transaction Lot 2 : Hotel Room Accommodation Requirements of players and guests of Casino Filipino – Angeles within a 500-meter radius from casino – Six Hundred Thousand Pesos (P 600,000.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero Rated Transaction Source of Funds:

Internally Funded

Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years before the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

All particulars relative to Pre-Bid Conference, Detailed Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its IRR. The schedule of activities is listed, as follows: Activities

Schedule

1. Issuance of the Bidding Documents

August 25, 2016 to September 19, 2016

2. Pre-Bid Conference

September 05, 2016 (Monday), 2:00 p.m.

3. Deadline for the Submission and Receipt of Bids

September 19, 2016 (Monday), 2:00 p.m.

4. Opening and Preliminary Examination of Bids

September 19, 2016 (Monday), 2:00 p.m., onwards

Complete details of the project are indicated in the bidding documents which will be available to prospective bidders at the Bids and Awards Services Department, upon payment of the nonrefundable cost for the sale of bidding documents based on the following matrix: Approved Budget for the Contract

Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Pesos)

More than 500,000.00 up to 1 Million

1,000.00

More than 1 Million up to 5 Million

5,000.00

Prospective bidders may also download the Bidding Documents free of charge from the following websites: www.pagcor.ph and www.philgeps.gov.ph and may be allowed to submit bids provided that bidders shall pay the non-refundable bidding fee not later than the date of the submission of bids. The Pre-bid Conference is open to all prospective bidders. Prospective bidders should present to Finance Section located at the Mezzanine Floor, Casino Filipino – Angeles, Mac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City either the Bidding Fee Slip which may be secured from the BBASS or a copy of this ITB in effecting payment for the Bidding Documents. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

PAGCOR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

In accordance with Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Circular 06-2005 - Tie-Breaking Method, the Branch Bids and Awards Committee (BBAC)shall use a non-discretionary and nondiscriminatory measure based on sheer luck or chance, which is “DRAW LOTS,” in the event that two or more bidders have been post-qualified and determined as the bidder having the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB) to determine the final LCRB, based on the following procedures: 1. In alphabetical order, the bidders shall pick one rolled paper.

2. The lucky bidder who would pick the paper with a “CONGRATULATIONS” remark shall be declared as the final bidder having the LCRB and recommended for award of the contract.

PAGCOR reserves the right to accept or reject any Bid, and to annul the bidding process and reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Please address all communications to the Branch Bids and Awards Committee through the Procurement Section, Mezzanine Floor, Casino Filipino – Angeles, Mac Arthur Highway, Balibago, Angeles City at Tel No.: 892-5073 local 401.

(SGD) GLECY B. DANGA Chairperson Branch Bids and Awards Committee (BBAC) (MS-AUG. 25, 2016)

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

B4

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Business

German economy grows stronger than expected F

RANKFURT, Germany—Strong foreign trade and buoyant consumption drove Germany’s economy, Europe’s largest, to better-than-expected growth in the second quarter, federal statistics office Destatis said on Wednesday.

Gross domestic product grew by 0.4 percent between April and June, adjusted for seasonal, calendar and price effects— twice as fast as analysts surveyed by Factset predicted.

However, the final figure, which confirmed a preliminary Destatis reading earlier in August, represented a slowdown from the unexpectedly strong 0.7-percent expansion in the first quarter.

“Compared with the previous

quarter, the positive impulses above all came from foreign trade,” Destatis said in a statement.

According to preliminary estimates, exports of goods and services increased by 1.2 percent between April and June, while imports fell by 0.1 percent.

Overall, the data showed “mixed signals” in the German economy.

Households increased spending by 0.2 percent and the state

by 0.6 percent compared with the previous quarter.

But business investment in capital goods fell by 2.4 percent and in construction by 1.6 percent.

Looking back at the previous year, the economy was 1.8 percent larger between April and June than the same period in 2015, adjusting for price and calendar effects—a slightly slower growth rate than the first quarter’s 1.9 percent.

In the coming quarters, “private consumption should remain an important growth driver on the back of low inflation, low interest rates, low unemployment and higher wages,” analyst Carsten Brzeski of ING Diba bank said, while Germany’s refugee crisis will continue to bolster state spending.

Investment remains “the economy’s Achilles heel,” he noted, adding that Chancellor Angela Merkel must produce “a clear vision for Europe” with other EU leaders to reassure investors in Germany.

The German economy is fulfilling its role as Europe’s powerhouse. Yet some of its biggest companies see obstacles ahead.

Siemens AG and Evonik Industries AG are among businesses delivering a cautious message on future demand amid increased global risks. That’s even after second-quarter earnings at the nation’s blue-chip firms beat estimates by more than 10 percent and the economy expanded twice as much as forecast.

While Bundesbank President Jens Weidmann has said repeat-

edly that Germany’s underlying growth remains strong, executives’ confidence has been reined in by Brexit, a failed coup in Turkey and terror attacks in Germany and France. A survey of purchasing managers showed that the euro-area economy maintained its momentum in August, even as Germany’s services sector posted its weakest performance in 15 months.

“Uncertainty in Turkey and the UK could cause a slowdown in investments in the second half of the year,” said Olaf Wortmann, an economist at Germany’s VDMA engineering association.

“Germany has a traditional focus on investment goods, and if that sees a pause in growth, that could have an effect on overall GDP.” AFP, Bloomberg

Bayer AG nears deal to acquire Monsanto

NEGOTIATIONS between Bayer AG and Monsanto Co. are advancing toward a deal after the companies made progress on issues including the purchase price and termination fee, people familiar with the matter said.

Bayer Chief Executive Officer Werner Baumann and his US counterpart Hugh Grant have had a series of constructive meetings in recent weeks, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private. The companies, in talks to create the world’s largest producer of seeds and pesticides, could reach an agreement in the next two weeks, said the people, who cautioned that negotiations could still fall apart or be delayed.

Leverkusen, Germanybased Bayer has been examining Monsanto’s financial accounts as it weighs a new offer, people familiar with the matter said earlier this month.

Monsanto in July rejected Bayer’s improved $55 billion bid, describing the $125-ashare proposal as “financially inadequate.” An agreement would end months of backand-forth that followed Bayer’s initial offer in May. Representatives for Bayer and St. Louis-based Monsanto declined to comment. Bloomberg

Qantas posts record net income of $1.08b

Qantas chief executive officer Alan Joyce (center) is photographed next to a model plane engine at their headquarters after announcing the airlines annual results in Sydney on August 24, 2016. AFP

Uber is most popular AS THE battle for the world’s ride-hailing customers heats up, here’s one statistic to consider: Uber is now the most used taxi app in 108 countries.

That’s according to analytics provider SimilarWeb, which tracked the reach and usage of ride-hailing apps in 171 countries on Android devices. A map shows that Uber is the most dominant player in broad swaths of the globe, including all of North America and much of Europe, Africa, and South America.

San Francisco-based Uber has a particularly big lead in the US, where the app is installed on 21 percent of all Android devices, compared with just under 3 percent for its main domestic competitor Lyft, according to SimilarWeb. Australia has also proven to be a strong market for Uber, with 13 percent of Android users in the country having installed the app.

The one region where Uber has struggled is Asia, where local operators have held ground.

Earlier this month, chief executive officer Travis Kalanick ceded the world’s biggest ride-hailing market, announcing that he was selling the startup’s China operations to Didi.

In India, Uber also fell short of Ola, even after Uber said last year that it would spend $1 billion to gain its footing in the country. Ola has been installed on 20 percent of India’s Android devices, giving the Bangalorebased company twice the reach of Uber. Bloomberg

SYDNEY, Australia―Australian carrier Qantas Wednesday posted record annual profits and announced its first payout to shareholders in seven years, staging a turnaround after axing jobs and selling aircraft in an aggressive restructuring.

The results were also boosted by the sharp fall in global oil prices and a less competitive domestic market that has given the firm a stable base of earnings.

Other international airlines such as Cathay Pacific, ANA and Japan Airlines have seen profits plunge amid intense competition from lower-cost rivals and as terrorism fears eat into demand.

Qantas reported a net annual profit of Aus$1.42 billion (US$1.08 billion) in the year to June 30, an 80 percent increase from the previous corresponding period.

Underlying profit before tax―Qantas’ preferred measure― jumped by 57 percent to also hit a record of Aus$1.53 billion.

The company resumed paying dividends of seven cents per share, the first payout since 2009 and announced a share buy-back of up to Aus$366 million. Qantas also said it would give a Aus$3,000 oneoff bonus to some 25,000 staff who had signed up to a pay freeze.

“These are fantastic results that we’ve had in the last year, as I said, record results for the group,” chief executive Alan Joyce told reporters.

“We do see the strong performance of the company continuing.

This business has taken a lot of cost out and improved revenue dramatically. The transformation program has changed the business completely, delivering over Aus$1.66 billion in performance improvements. Without that, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

Giant cruise ship heads to Arctic on pioneering journey LOS ANGELES―It is a voyage explorers only dreamed of not so long ago.

But thanks to climate change, a luxury cruise ship has undertaken a pioneering journey that will see it sail through the once impassable Northwest Passage during a month-long trip that is drawing much excitement but also criticism from environmentalists.

The Crystal Serenity, which set off from Seward, Alaska on August 16 with nearly 1,000 passengers, is scheduled to dock in New York on September 17.

The ship made its last Alaska port call on Sunday, stopping in the remote town of Nome before heading farther north, accompanied by the RRS Ernest Shackleton, a British supply and icebreaking vessel.

The voyage marks the first time a passenger ship this size sails the storied Northwest Passage where warmer temperatures and melting ice are opening the Arctic―one of the most pristine places on Earth―for business.

Passengers on board the $350-million vessel paid between $22,000 and $120,000 for the journey, which took three years of planning and preparation to avoid any mishaps, including a repeat of the Titanic.

Guests were also required to purchase $50,000 in emergency evacuation insurance in order to cruise through the Northwest Passage―a once unnavigable shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that is increasingly becoming a popular route for shipping.

The Crystal Serenity is expected to reach the northwest territories on Friday and complete the Arctic

leg of its journey by September 4 before heading to Greenland and finally New York.

“Every aspect of this voyage is literally unparalleled in the luxury cruise industry, and nearly the entire travel industry as well,” Crystal’s chief executive officer and president, Edie Rodriguez, said in a statement.

“It is a tremendous undertaking to embark on such a historic journey, but also an honor for us to be able to offer the world’s most discerning travelers the opportunity to experience a region of the world that so few others have or ever will.”

He said guests on the 820-foot (250-meter), 13-deck vessel can enjoy a slew of activities, including helicopter flights over glaciers as well as polar bear and other wildlife sightings.

Passengers also have at their disposal on board a fitness center, a spa, swimming pools, restaurants and luxury shops.

But not everyone is hailing the high-profile voyage, with critics lashing out at Crystal Cruises and accusing the company of capitalizing on the destruction of the planet.

‘An abomination’ An article in the online current affairs magazine Slate offered a scathing review, describing the cruise as yet another example of a consumption-driven society that will stop at nothing.

“It is a historic voyage, one that marks the opening of one of Earth’s last frontiers,” author Will Oremus wrote.

“It is also an abomination―a massive, diesel burning, wastedumping, ice-destroying, golf-

This file photo taken on Feb. 16, 2005 shows the cruise liner Crystal Serenity berthed at Sydney’s historic Rocks area (left), with the Harbour Bridge (top). The Crystal Serenity, which set off from Seward, Alaska on Aug. 16 with nearly 1,000 passengers, is scheduled to dock in New York on Sept.17. AFP

ball-smacking middle finger to what remains of the planet.”

Elena Agarkova, senior program officer for the World Wildlife Fund, acknowledged that Crystal Cruises had taken measures to offset the environmental impact of the Serenity’s voyage, including not using heavy fuel oil and discharging waste water at least 12 nautical miles from shore.

But she said there were still concerns about safety and protecting wildlife as well as the region’s diverse indigenous communities.

“This voyage is symbolic of the rapid changes happening in the Arctic,” Agarkova told AFP.

“Today, we do not have the right rules in place needed to reduce risks to wildlife and people, nor the capacity needed to respond to accidents.”

She said that as climate change accelerates and Arctic shipping and leisure travel grows, governments individually and collectively must match that pace in managing the region.

“Cruise ships of the size of the Crystal Serenity are essentially huge cities,” she noted. “They are going to have some 1,700 passengers, including crew, on board and they are going to be discharging thousands of gallons of sewage and graywater as they

sail through the Arctic waters.”

Agarkova said although the waste will be dumped away from shore, it will still be going into the Arctic ecosystem on a daily basis.

“And of course the more ships that we have, the more impact and the more waste will be in these right now relatively pristine areas,” she said.

“I find it ironic that one of the biggest selling points of these voyages is to see Arctic wildlife and to see the last frontier.

“And the more people show up to see the last frontier, (the more) the last frontier it will be.”

AFP

LGUs

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

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WILD. Eight-year-old Jocel Vergel gathers sayote tops and fruits growing wildly in their backyard as inclement weather brought about by monsoon caused the suspension of classes in Tuba, Benguet last week. Jocel eagerly helps out to put food in the family table. Dave Leprozo

‘Move Naia, North Harbor’ A

N UMBRELLA group of commuter stakeholders has thrown its support to proposals by the Japan International Cooperation Agency to address the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila, including the transfer of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport and the Manila North Harbor.

“There is no denying that Elvira Medina, president of the our roads in Metro Manila and National Center for Commuters even in neighboring provinces Safety and Protection Inc. are too congested now,” said Medina urged the govern-

ment to also implement a seamless and integrated transportation system if NAIA and Manila North Harbor operations are moved outside Metro Manila.

Jica, in a 2014 study requested by the National Economic and Development Authority, said traffic jams have been causing productivity loss of at least P2.4 million a day.

It warned that productivity loss could reach P6 billion a day in 2030 if the problem is not solved, prompting lawmakers to

cite the study as ground for proposals to grant President Rodrigo Duterte emergency powers to solve the traffic mess.

Jica noted that since domestic shipping is primarily from the south of Manila, there would be savings in ship operating cost if they dock in Batangas rather than at the North Harbor.

“This would free up North Harbor, which has an area of about 600 hectares, for possible conversion into a mixed-use waterfront property develop-

ment. For the City of Manila, it represents an opportunity to revitalize the city and regain its old glory,” Jica said. The Manila Standard recently published a feature on the city whose former glory Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada wanted to revive.

The JICA study also found that additional commuting cost for passengers if Clark is converted as the country’s main airport makes the plan not feasible.

“It is proposed therefore, that a new study be initiated to find

Mapsa men get lapel cameras

24 Munti families receive land titles

TWENTY-FOUR informal settler families who applied for the Community Mortgage Program of the Social Housing Finance Corp. received their land titles on Tuesday at Patdu Compound, South Greenheights Subdivision, Putatan, Muntinlupa City.

The beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to SHFC officials led by vice president Annicia Villafuerte during the awarding ceremony and forum on the company’s 28-year Community Mortgage Program.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi said he thanked the private sector, civil society organizations and other stakeholders for transforming informal settlers into empowered, resilient and sustainable communities.

Fresnedi urged the beneficiaries

further develop their community.

Issues on climate change and community upgrading such as assessment of physical vulnerability and street led slum upgrading approach were raised in the program.

Under the CMP, members of registered community organizations in depressed areas secure mortgage applications to procure the lots on which their houses are situated or wherever the community decides to be relocated.

Since 1994, the local government, through Urban Poor Affairs Office, granted 25 CMP applications to Muntinlupa organizations. Six CMP applications are now being processed and 10 community associations have ongoing negotiations with the landowners.

By Joel E. Zurbano

BLIGHT. A farmer from La Trinidad, Benguet assesses the damage to his crops as the prolonged monsoon

brought further rains that the weather bureau said may last until the end of August. Monsoon rains pummeled the Cordillera region for the past three weeks causing intensive damage to crops. La Trinidad, Benguet is a major highland vegetable-producing municipality. David Chan

Erap warns vendors vs bogus militant groups MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada on Tuesday warned thousands of vendors to be wary of criminal syndicate-backed militant organizations that incite them to rally against the road clearing operations in the city.

Estrada revealed reports that unscrupulous groups are organ-

izing street protests to derail the ongoing campaign against illegal vendors.

“Don’t be influenced by these groups. Think about the general welfare of the Manileños who are losing time and money because of traffic jams and anarchy in our streets. They are the very same

people who patronize you and give you livelihood,” he added.

Estrada said there have been reports that a purported militant group is going around offering money to vendors to join a street protest they were supposed to hold last Monday.

The protest rally, however, did not push through because

no one joined.

“These extortionists and syndicates who earn money by demanding ‘protection fees’ from illegal vendors are feeling the heat of our street clearing operations. It is no surprising that they are attempting to make this desperate move to break our mo-

mentum,” Estrada pointed out.

Earlier, vegetable truckers from Benguet personally complained to Estrada that they shell out P80 a day for a bogus “business permit” and P300 “intelligence fee,” aside from the weekly P2,800 fee, to a group of individuals operating in Recto Avenue in Divisoria.

Taclobanon one of 100 most influential Pinays A NATIVE of Tacloban City has been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipina Women in the World in 2016.

Bernadette Schlueter, 44, is the only one from Eastern Visayas nominated for the prestigious award. She is currently the principal of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) American School at the North

a replacement for NAIA within a short radius of 50 km and to examine the full range of costs.

Redeveloping Sangley combined with an access system may turn out to be cheaper,” it said.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has earlier expressed support to the JICA proposals, which also include the construction of a mega-Manila Subway System and secondary mass transport lines as well as reforming the road-based public transport system.

Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) based in Casteau, Belgium. This is the position she held for the last two years.

Shape Elementary School is under the Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) and one of the 181 schools in 14 districts located in 12 foreign countries, seven states, Guam and Puerto Rico.

Schlueter was assistant principal at CDR William C. McCool Elementary/ Middle School in Guam, a teacher in Korea and Japan, and the school administrator of JE Mondejar Computer College in Tacloban City.

Among her awards as a teacher was Korea District Teacher of the Year in

2012 and Awardee of the Scroll of Appreciation from US Forces Korea General Walter Sharp in 2010.

Schlueter was nominated under the Builders category by Leonor S. Vintervoll, founder of Philippine Women’s Organization Resource Center based in Oslo, Norway.

MAYOR Abigail Binay will equip the Makati Public Safety Department with lapel cameras to help its enforcers manage traffic and be transparent in dealing with apprehended motorists.

“Often, it is difficult to rely on the testimony of either the enforcer or the apprehended motorist. Thus, we are tapping technology so that incidents involving Mapsa personnel can be well-documented,” Binay said.

The mayor said she was intent on improving the image of the city’s traffic deputies, who are often criticized in social media for rude behavior.

“Our Mapsa enforcers are set for a make-over and reimaging, being frontliners of the city government. We will not only change their uniform, but also focus on improving their work skills and people skills through intensive training,” she said.

Binay said the city government will also implement the micro-chipping of pet dogs in the city.

“I want Makati to be truly rabies-free. Pet dogs will be micro-chipped upon registration with our city veterinary office. Then we will be able to identify irresponsible pet owners who let their pets roam freely on the streets where they can bite people or defecate, both of which pose health risks,” she said.

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

LGUs

‘Innovators seek investors’ L

OCAL inventors presented products to prospective investors on the Leaders in Innovation Fellowship Demo Day at the Asian Institute of Management in Makati City hosted by the Royal Academy of Engineering, AIM and the Department of Science and Technology.

The product innovators fin- and in the United Kingdom. ished 10-month courses in deDoST Undersecretary Roweveloping business plans at AIM na Guevara said the Philippines

now ranks 48th in the world, when it comes to innovation.

Guevara said the department’s programs include product research and development (R&D) geared at meeting the growing demand for food, electricity and other necessities.

She asked the public and stakeholders to see how the Filipino product innovations can be applied to their businesses.

Guevara said the DoST spends P3 billion to P5 billion every

year to fuel research and development. The last two years, she said, made them realize that the technologies they are working on are readily available for technology transfer, inspiring them to spend more on it.

“We go as far as formulating guidelines we call ‘Fairness Opinion Report,’ which is necessary for any governmentfunded R&D so the researchers can transfer new technologies to their private partners. We re-

alize that we cannot do it alone; we need partners like Royal Academy of Engineering and AIM to make these things happen,” she said.

Meanwhile, DoST-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development executive director Carlos Primo David said “DoST’s ultimate goal is making S&T work for the country.”

David said that the depart-

ment aims to reach beneficiaries and contribute to the nation’s economy through the growth of technology-based processing.

He added that since last year the DoST has developed a system called 6Ps which stands for products, patterns process, publications, people and powering.

“There is hope in science. We are shaping future leaders of Asia,” David concluded.

Jica aid sought in energy project

By Funny Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—The city government of Davao is studying a possible partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency for the waste-toenergy project of the city, said City Administrator lawyer Zulieka Lopez.

Lopez said the city government met with the JICA team on Tuesday morning to present the result of the feasibility studyon-waste to energy conversion in the city.

She said the project will further improve the waste management program of the city.

“The city government team will submit an assessment to the mayor of how we can work further with the JICA team and the city of Kita Kyushu in Japan,” Lopez said.

According to the feasibility study by JICA, the city can accommodate a waste-to-energy facility that can help the city

improve its waste management program.

Another study by the University of Mindanao found that the city has waste materials for producing electricity that have a calorific value of 1372 kcal or heat unit. Most of the wastes produced by the city are plastics, stones and paper.

In 2015, the city produced 916 tons of waste daily and the figure is expected to rise to 1,053 tons daily in 2021.

The city government explained that the rise in garbage volume is caused by the growing population of the city as well as its economic growth.

The city’s landfill in New Carmen, Tugbok is expected to be filled up in the next five to seven years due to the increase in waste produced daily.

Lopez said the project will be implemented as soon as the city decides to partner with the JICA. “This study will be for implementation if we wish to partner with the JICA team,” she said.

REHAB. The site of the largest Philippine drug rehabilitation center in Rosario, Cavite is inspected by Rosario police chief Mark Joseph Laygo on Monday. The facility to be built on the 10.2-hectare lot in the heart of the city will house thousands of drug dependents from Manila and the Calabarzon region. Danny Pata

BFAR releases P3.18m to fund seaweed project

By Brenda Jocson TUGUEGARAO CITY—The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources here has released P3.18 million to finance various seaweed projects to control the high prevalence of iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in Cagayan Valley or Region 2.

Milagros Morales, BFAR

regional director, said the projects will be implemented in the five provinces of Region 2 where there is an increasing incidence of IDA The BFAR official said they have programmed an initial 38 projects at P74,000 each for 2016.

She said the funds for 17 projects have been given to Quiri-

no and Nueva Vizcaya while those for 21 are set for distribution in Cagayan, Isabela and Batanes.

The project includes postharvest equipment such as electric pasta maker, two units electric impulse sealer, digital weighing scale, upright freezer, electric deep fryer stainless with metallic filtering cover,

blower and packaging materials and 10 sacks of gracilaria seaweeds.

“We would also like to help increase the income of our fisherfolk associations in the Cagayan region while producing iodine rich foods that will help address micronutrient deficiencies,” Morales said.

“We have already trained

recipients in the production of seaweeds products like chips, canton noodles, bottled pickles, among others prior to the awarding of the projects,” she said.

BFAR aquatic experts said gracilaria is a genus of red algae notable for its use as food for humans and various species of shellfish.

POKEMON GO BREAK. The San Miguel Brewery Inc. in South Luzon conducted a tree-planting activity with the theme ‘Responsible Stewardship of the Environment is our Commitment.’

Representatives from SMB, the Environment department, the Laguna Lake Development Authority, non-government organizations, businessmen and the media planted seedlings at the Nuvali part of the Eco-park Santa Rosa City Saturday. Roy Tomandao

Summit eyes climate change-resilient farming

By Mel Caspe PALO, LEYTE—PMFTC Inc., an affiliate of Philip Morris International, and the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Inc. kicked off the Climate Change and Agriculture Summit series in Palo, Leyte on Tuesday.

The summit, which will be held in key regions in the coming months will familiarize Filipino farmers, local

government units, and other stakeholders with technology and practices to cope with climate change in the agricultural sector.

The province of Leyte was chosen as the launching pad for the summit series as it was ground zero of Super Typhoon “Yolanda” in 2013. Another summit is being planned for Samar towards the end of the year. Both provinces were hardest hit by the Category 5

twister, the strongest storm ever recorded at landfall, and the deadliest.

PMFTC president Roman Militsyn said his company aims to improve the lives of farmers and help improve the state of the country’s agriculture.

“Through this summit, we will try to come up with a Plan of Action and recommendations that would contribute to a strong climate-resilient agriculture industry,” Milit-

syn said.

He remarked that PMFTC has evolved over the past few years from being solely a cigarette manufacturer into an agricultural company, with thousands of directly and indirectly contracted farmers.

“With the assumption into power by the Duterte administration, the agriculture sector is given a new lease in life and we are excited of the prospects ahead for all of us in this sector,”

Militsyn said.

“I am personally looking forward to the various projects both the government and the private sectors have announced that they will undertake. We, in PMFTC, are willing to do our part,” he added.

Participants in the workshop included town and city mayors, LGU representatives, farmer leaders, and representatives from the provincial and municipal agriculture offices.

BPSU has new vision, mission

By Butch Gunio BALANGA CITY—The Bataan Peninsula State University announced new vision and mission statements, and development thrusts towards becoming a leading educational institution in the country.

Based on the resolution of governing board the university adopted the vision statement: “A leading university in the Philippines recognized for its proactive contribution to sustainable development through equitable and inclusive program and services by 2030.”

Its new mission statement is “To develop competitive graduates and empowered community members by providing relevant, innovative, and transformative knowledge, research, extension and production programs, and services through progressive enhancement of its human resource capabilities and institutional mechanisms.”

BPSU’s new development thrusts are transparency in governance through participatory policy making and developmental planning; responsible, quality, and relevant academic programs through attainment of internationally recognized standard of excellence; and unequalled service to stakeholders via facilities and mechanisms upgrading as results of concrete and up-to-date monitoring and evaluation.

Its other developments thrusts are sustainable partnership with national and international academic and industry entities; and transformative research and extension programs through formidable pool of experts and replicated and functional outputs.

BPSU has six campuses all over the province—the Main Campus, the Balanga Campus, the Orani Campus, the Dinalupihan Campus, the Abucay Campus and the Bagac Campus.

World

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

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1 dead, 30 hurt in Thailand car bombing PATTANI—A car bomb exploded in a nightlife district in Thailand’s deep south, killing one and wounding more than 30, in a nation already on edge after a bombing spree that targeted tourist towns.

The latest blast struck late Tuesday outside a hotel in Pattani, one of three Muslim-majority southern provinces battered by a long-running and shadowy rebellion against the Buddhistmajority state.

Australia leads search for MH370 SYDNEY—Replicas of a large piece of debris from missing Malaysia Airlines jet MH370 will be set adrift and tracked by satellite in the hope of helping find the plane’s crash site, Australian officials said Wednesday.

Canberra is leading the search for the aircraft which vanished in March 2014 with 239 people onboard and is currently probing the Indian Ocean floor off the Australia’s far west coast.

In a regular update on the underwater search, which has so far failed to find a single piece of debris from the plane, the Australian government said a new drift modelling study would be done.

The government’s Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) said while experts had been working to model the drift of MH370 debris over the past 18 months, a “further intensive study will be undertaken”.

Of particular interest to the modelling will be the first piece of debris found from MH370 -a two-meter (almost seven-foot) wing part known as a flaperon -which washed up on the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion in July 2015.

“Over the last nine months there has been a range of debris found along western Indian Ocean shorelines that has been linked to MH370,” JACC said in the statement.

“The flaperon is, however, particularly important as it was the first piece of debris to be found and therefore it spent the least amount of time adrift.”

Phase one of the study, which will commence in coming months, involves setting adrift ocean drifter buoys used in a global drifter program along with models of the flaperon which have been fitted with satellite trackers.

“The models will be tracked to establish the rate and direction of drift relative to the drifter buoys in open ocean conditions when subject to similar winds, currents and waves,” JACC said. AFP

“So far there is one killed and more than 30 injured,” Major General Thanongsak Wangsupa, Pattani provincial police commander, told Agence France Presse Wednesday. “The hotel building was considerably damaged.”

Pictures showed fires burning on the road outside the hotel’s shattered facade, with police picking through the rubble. Nearby a car was destroyed, and karaoke bars, massage parlors and restaurants were also damaged.

Pattani is not popular with tourists, but analysts said the militants were sending a message after coordinated bomb and arson attacks that struck multiple resort towns on August 11-12, leaving four dead and 37 injured including Europeans.

Those attacks heightened concerns Thailand’s southern insurgency may have spread north after years of stalled peace talks—a theory the country’s junta has downplayed given the importance

of tourism to the economy.

The entertainment district hit by the car bomb is one of only a handful in the restive south, offering bars, a disco and prostitution, said Don Pathan, a security analyst based in the region.

“It’s the type of place that society around here frowns upon,” he said.

The southern rebels focus most of their attacks on security officers and symbols of the state, but they do occasionally strike

nightlife venues.

“The campaign against social evil is not very high on the agenda of the insurgents here. Their strategy right now is to make the area as ungovernable as possible,” Pathan said.

Speaking to reporters after the Pattani hotel blast, Thailand’s deputy junta leader Prawit Wongsuwan again dismissed any link between the tourist town attacks earlier this month and the southern insurgency.

He also said any negotiations with the rebels would be shelved until violence subsides.

“All violence must first stop before we can set the terms of reference for talks. They need to show their sincerity,” he said.

Police said in a statement that the strike on the Southern View Hotel was preceded by a smaller bomb at a nearby bar, a so-called “double tap” tactic often adopted by insurgents. No-one was hurt in that explosion. AFP

China ‘against’ North Korea nukes, missiles T

OKYO— Beijing opposes North Korea’s nuclear and missile development, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday, hours after Pyongyang test-launched a ballistic missile from a submarine towards Japan.

MAMMALS. This picture released on Wednesday by Fauna and Flora International (FFI) Vietnam shows a group of langurs sitting on a mountain in northern Vietnam. A new group of critically endangered primates has been spotted, raising hopes the rare creatures may not be wiped out in the next decade as scientists feared. AFP

Exiled Karachi politician charged with treason KARACHI—Pakistani police charged the exiled leader of a major political party with treason and inciting terrorism Tuesday, as his own second-incommand vowed to disown him a day after a violent protest in Karachi.

Altaf Hussain, leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) which rules Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, was accused with a dozen other party leaders of shouting anti-Pakistan slogans at the demonstration Monday.

Security forces also sealed the party’s headquarters, a day before the city council was due to elect imprisoned MQM member Waseem Akhtar as mayor.

MQM activists clashed with police and ransacked a private television station in the southern port city Monday leaving at least one man dead and seven others injured.

The violence erupted soon after Hussain gave a telephone address to supporters from London in which he castigated the media for not giving due coverage of his workers.

According to a police report, seen by AFP, he chanted “down with Pakistan” and called the country a “bastion of terrorism”.

For more than two decades, Hussain has addressed supporters through a loudspeaker linked to his London home telephone. AFP

Foreign ministers from Japan, China and South Korea held their first talks in more than a year Wednesday to find common ground on how to deal with North Korea.

The apparently successful launch, which Japan said marked the first time a North Korean sub-launched missile had entered its air defense identification zone, was likely to top the agenda.

“China is opposed to North Korea’s nuclear and missile development process and is opposed to any actions that trigger tensions on the Korean peninsula,” Wang told reporters after a meeting with the foreign ministers of Japan and South Korea.

Meanwhile, China has unveiled illustrations of a Mars probe and rover it aims to send to the Red Planet at the end of the decade in a mission that faces “unprecedented” challenges, state media said Wednesday.

China, which is pouring billions into its space program and working to catch up with the US and Europe, announced in April it aims to send a spacecraft “around 2020” to orbit Mars, land and deploy the rover.

Zhang Rongqiao, chief architect of the project, said Tuesday they were targeting July or August of that year for the launch, the Xinhua news agency reported.

“The challenges we face are unprecedented,” the report quoted him as saying.

A Long March-5 carrier rocket will be dispatched from the Wenchang space launch centre in the southern island province of Hainan, Xinhua said, citing Ye Peijian, a mission consultant.

The lander will separate from the orbiter at the end of a journey of around seven months and touch down near the Martian equator, where the rover will explore the surface, it said.

The 200-kilogram (441 pounds) rover has six wheels and four solar panels, and will operate for around 92 days, according to Xinhua and other Chinese media reports. AFP

Taiwan imposes Pokemon crowd control

COLORS. Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike (L) waves the Olympic flag beside Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) President Tsunekazu Takeda (2nd L) upon its arrival at Haneda Airport in Tokyo on Wednesday. The Olympic flag arrived in Tokyo on August 24 as Japan’s capital gears up to host the 2020 Games, with officials promising smooth sailing after Rio’s sometimes shaky 2016 instalment. AFP

TAIPEI—Police are struggling to control crowds at a hot springs park in Taiwan that has become a hub for Pokemon Go players after gaining a reputation as a spot to catch rare creatures.

The normally quiet park in Beitou, just outside the capital Taipei, has been thronged in recent days by enthusiasts of the wildly popular mobile gaming app.

Pokemon Go has sparked a

global frenzy since its launch last month as users hunt for virtual cartoon characters overlaid on real-world locations using augmented reality technology.

Police now have to divert traffic around the Beitou park and bring in additional manpower to control the crowds, they said this week.

An unverified video that appeared to show thousands of people rushing across a traffic

intersection in Beitou, apparently chasing after a Pokemon, went viral this week.

Police say they have now downloaded the app Go Radar—which players use to locate Pokemons—to predict where the crowds will gather.

On Tuesday night, hundreds of people of all ages swarmed through the park, an Agence France Presse photographer said. AFP

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Biden renews US ties with Turkey

World

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

ANKARA—US Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday visits Turkey for critical talks with its leadership seeking to repair strained relations following the failed July 15 coup and discuss defeating jihad-

ists in Syria.

Biden will be by far the highest-ranking Western official to visit Turkey since the coup attempt to unseat President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The US number two is the only senior figure in the administration of President Barack Obama to have built a close personal relationship with Erdogan, after two faceto-face meetings in Turkey in the last two years alone.

But Biden will need all of his trademark charm and charisma for this visit, which is expected to see him strongly pressed by Turkish officials to extradite the US-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen whom Ankara accuses of ordering the coup.

Washington has irritated Ankara by saying it needs to see evidence rather than allegations. Turkish officials have warned that US relations with the key NATO member will suffer if Gulen is not sent back home. AFP

ZEAL. Pastor Mark Burns speaks during a rally for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Travis County Exposition Center on Tuesday in Austin, Texas. AFP

10 die in Italy quake R

OME— At least 10 people are feared dead after a powerful earthquake struck central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday, according to officials cited by local media.

The national civil protection The first confirmed victims agency said it could not give of the 6.2-magnitude quake an official toll as rescue efforts which devastated dozens of were still under way. villages were an elderly couple

whose home collapsed at Pescara del Tronto in the Marche region to the east of the epicenter, national broadcaster Rai and other media reported.

One other person was reported dead at Accumoli, a village close to the epicenter, and two corpses were recovered from the rubble of a collapsed building in Amatrice.

The mayor of Arquata del Tronto, near Pescara, said that, in addition to the one confirmed death, four people were trapped under rubble and not responding to residents trying to reach them.

The AGI news agency said at least one other person had died in Accumoli, a village close to the epicenter.

“We have a tragedy here,” said the village mayor Stefano Petrucci. “For the moment one death is confirmed but there are another four people under the rubble and they are not responding.

“It is a disaster, we have no light, no telephones, the rescue services have not got here yet.” AFP

Venezuela democracy in danger, EU says BOGOTA—European Parliament President Martin Schulz warned Tuesday that Venezuela’s democracy is “in danger,” as it grapples with a severe political and economic crisis.

“The situation in Venezuela is dramatic and worrisome,” Schulz said, following an official visit to neighboring Colombia, where many Venezuelans have poured in to buy basic goods due to major shortages in their country.

“In Venezuela, we see a majority of the population suffering and a country with so much wealth having a population that fights each day for its survival,” Schulz added in Bogota, speaking in German after talks with President Juan Manuel Santos.

As for Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro’s government, Schulz stressed that “its abilities depend on its legitimacy. However, the last general elections showed that a large majority of the population disagrees with what the government is doing. The government should be reacting accordingly.”

“Democracy is in danger in Venezuela,” added Schulz.

“It’s important for the parties to keep all avenues open for a national dialogue. But I won’t hide the fact that we are extremely concerned.”

Venezuela is facing a deep economic recession fueled by the fall in the price of oil, which accounts for 96 percent of its exports. Due to a lack of dollars for imports, some 80 percent of basic goods are affected by shortages.

Maduro blames his country’s troubles on the drop in crude prices and an “economic war” led by the business world and the opposition to destabilize his government. AFP

INNOCENT. A young supporter holds a photo of her candidates outside of a fundraiser for democratic presidential nominee former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday in Piedmont, California. AFP

C. America fights gangs, organized crime SAN SALVADOR—Three Central American presidents announced Tuesday they are forming a joint force to combat gangs and organized crime groups that have made their countries among the most dangerous on Earth.

The initiative by El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras will start to be implemented in September, Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren told a news conference after a meeting with his counterparts in his capital city.

Police and soldiers from the three countries will patrol border zones to fight arms and drug smuggling, and the movement of criminals and gang members, he said.

The three nations are collectively known as the Northern Triangle—a region that falls prey to gangs dealing in murder, extortion and drugs.

The homicide rate in each nation is topped only by countries engulfed in war.

Collectively, there were 17,422 murders in the three countries last year.

Sanchez Ceren, Guatemala’s Jimmy Morales and Honduras’s Juan Orlando Hernandez also agreed to keep exchanging intelligence on criminal groups and to speed the arrest and extradition between their countries of wanted suspects.

“We are fighting for the most fundamental of human rights, the right to life, the right to liberty, the right to enjoy the fruits one one’s honest labors,” Hernandez said. AFP

Washington declares state of emergency over fires LOS ANGELES—A growing number of wildfires were threatening people and property in the western United States on Tuesday, with the governor of Washington state declaring a state of emergency in 20 counties.

“These fires threaten people, property and the natural resources of eastern Washington,” Governor Jay Inslee said in a statement.

“This proclamation frees up state resources so we can provide the assistance

that these communities might need. This is a time for all Washingtonians to come together.”

The fires in the largely rural areas have destroyed more than 25 buildings and threatened hundreds more, triggering evacuations, Inslee said.

They included the Cherry Road Fire, which has charred 31,660 acres (12,800 hectares) and is 50 percent contained, while the Kahlotus Fire has burned 20,000 acres and was 19 percent con-

tained, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center.

The 3,750-acre Spokane Complex fire was threatening 167 residences, with two damaged and 12 destroyed.

Inslee noted weather conditions in the next seven days will be hot and windy, hampering efforts by firefighters who are already short-handed.

Further south along the Pacific coast, 10,000 firefighters were battling six gigantic wildfires in California.

In some positive news, the Blue Cut Fire in San Bernardino County, just 60 miles (100 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, was contained Tuesday morning.

It has forced the evacuation of more than 82,000 people, snarling traffic as highways across the region were closed.

The monster blaze has burned through 36,274 acres, destroying 321 buildings including 105 homes. That makes it the 20th most destructive fire in California history, according to Cal Fire. AFP

Life

Residents in barangays San Jose, Lupang Pangako and Bancao-Bancao planted mangrove seedlings to help create a habitat for fish and other endangered species as well as protect the shoreline from erosion

Isah V. Red, Editor Writers Bernadette Lunas Nickie Wang isahred@gmail.com

WELLNESS & ENVIRONMENT

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

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In adherence to

environment protection

F

ROM major to minor industrial and household repairs, Filipino-owned adhesives company Republic Chemical Industries, Inc. takes its commitment to provide adhesive solutions up a notch as it helps in preserving and conserving the environment. ship, Roselio Amador, also from Palawan, won the title for 7 HP, and Nathan Sualo from Boracay was hailed the victor for 16 HP. “Tiyaga lang para manalo (It just takes perseverance to win,” Ryan Esiderio, boat racer of Team Boracay 16 HP, said.

“A lot, lot better than expected,” exclaimed Manuel, sharing how the number of participants turned out double Best of boat worlds than the expected and how it was the Everyone was giddy and cheered their best problem to solve. respective teams for the kickoff of the RCI is planning to conduct the event first ever Pioneer National Bangkarera yearly, with more leeway in choosing competition held at City Baywalk. their location in April next year.

RCI and PAFI organized a two-day event joined by 100 teams from Bora- Mangrove planting and reefcay, Cebu, Negros and Iloilo among oth- furbishing ers to give back to the thousands of fishPioneer Foundations Inc.’s “Our ermen who continue to use their product Earth, Our Responsibility” campaign to earn a living. jumpstarted in barangays San Jose, “More than half a million boats in Lupang Pangako and Bancao-Bancao the Philippines were built using Pio- for the Mangrove Planting and the Coral neer Epoxy and other allied products. Reef Fix projects, respectively.

This is the closest sport to our prodBoth projects are meant to help and uct,” shared RCI Group Product Man- educate the communities, as well as ager Alben Manuel. develop a sense of environmental senFrom 100 teams, they were trimmed sitivity. The call to act and save the endown to six teams per category ― pad- vironment is very strong according to dleboat, 7 horsepower and 16 horse- Martina Spakowski, executive director power. Boat owners Adelo Antipuesto of Pioneer Group Foundation, Inc. from Palawan bagged the championMangrove planting set the day in moRCI and its affiliates Pioneer Adhesives Foundation Inc., and Pioneer Foundation Inc. go beyond adhering in their recently held three-day program “Our Earth, Our Responsibility” for sustainable efforts in Puerto Princesa City.

“It really all starts with the passion for helping the people and the environment,” shared RCI President John Spakowski.

RIVER Safari Singapore’s Kai and Junior set off on a historic journey to become the first two manatees in over a century to arrive in Guadeloupe as pioneers for the world’s first manatee repopulation program.

The pair departed from Singapore at 4:50 a.m. on Aug. 8.

At a farewell ceremony the day before, Mike Barclay, group CEO of Mandai Park Holdings, presented a special flight comfort kit consisting of the manatees’ favorite treats—high fiber pellets—to Laurence Beau, deputy head of Mission at the Embassy of France in Singapore, symbolically signifying the handing over of River Safari’s two male manatees to Guadeloupe, a French territory in the Caribbean.

The journey to Guadeloupe took 34 hours, and Kai and Junior traveled 19,600 kilometers across the globe before finally arriving on Aug. 9 at 1:30 a.m. (local time).

Under the Antillean manatee repopulation project spearheaded by the National Park of Guadeloupe, 15 manatees from zoos around the world will be sent to their historic home in the Grand Cul-de-sac Marin, a protected bay that measures 15,000 hectares and will shield the manatee collection from boating traffic by way of an enforced no-entry zone. In addition to age and temperament considerations, genetic diversity is also key in the selection of the founding group. The future offspring from the initial 15 manatees will be reintroduced to the wild, eventually repopulating the Caribbean region. Kai and Junior from River Safari will be the first arrivals for the landmark project.

Barclay said, “As operators of four world-class wildlife parks – Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari, River Safari, and Singapore Zoo – we are committed to offering the best possible care to the animals under our charge. Aside from maintaining a healthy living collection to educate and inspire an appreciation for wildlife among

100 teams from Boracay, Cebu, Negros and Iloilo joined in Children participated in mangrove planting initiated by Pioneer the first ever Pioneer National Bangkarera competition Foundation, Inc.

tion with hundreds of seedlings planted by the whole community. “That’s something that gives a lot of satisfaction. We just have to spread the word to move people,” said Spakowski.

Mangroves do not only serve as an indicator for a good ecosystem but it also supports the area for fish and invertebrates since it acts as a valuable nursery.

It is also a place where threatened and endangered species go and find protection. They also protect the shoreline from erosion. “Once the environment is harmed, it’s not something you can make in a factory,” shared Spakowski.

PGFI, together with Department of Science and Technology, is on its way to help restore the recently bleached Tangdol Reef. “Tangdol was very alive

three months ago, but now it’s dead,” lamented Jess Bream of Palawan Council for Sustainable Development.

El Niño caused the coral bleaching in Tangdol Reef. It is a phenomenon where the water surface gets warmer, and for corals, that is unbearable if exposed for a long time. It only takes one to two percent increase in temperature for bacteria to thrive in the coral and cause its death.

Following this recent incident, the City Agriculture Office, along with DOST, aims to rehabilitate the degraded area and eventually enhance fishermen’s resources and provide alternative livelihood through ecotourism.

Spakowski shared how the foundation’s partnership with DOST should be

a 95 percent success. Pioneer Adhesives would provide DOST adhesives for the actual labor while the latter would give them the knowledge and technology on how their products could complement the environment.

Pioneer and DOST will be working on a six-month plan that includes reef awareness talk. After a few months, with the help of experts, they will check and monitor the sea to find out if it’s conducive as breeding area for transplanted coral fragments. If it is, they will transport corals from other parts of the province to Brgy. BancaoBancao and nurse them until they’re strong enough to withstand the current reef condition.

Bernadette Andrea Catalan

Landmark manatee conservation program

Mike Barclay (middle) feeds Junior with high fiber pellets

caption Kai, a 6-year-old manatee, traveled from Singapore to Guadeloupe together with another manatee, Junior, as part of the world’s first manatee repopulation program

our park guests, we are also committed to breeding assurance populations for threatened species and, where possible, reintroducing them back into the wild.

We are happy to have the opportunity to contribute towards repopulating part of the manatees’ historic range in the Caribbean, where they have not been sighted in over a century. Projects like this allow us to do our bit to protect and conserve the world’s biodiversity.”

In the last 20 years, more than 10 manatees were bred under human care in River

Safari and Singapore Zoo. Among them, Kai and Junior have been selected for the repopulation program in Guadeloupe as they have reached sexual maturity, and are best pals inside the aquarium. Their relative young age also makes it easier for the pair to adapt to a new environment.

Kai was born on Oct. 8, 2009 and Junior was born on Feb. 2, 2010.

Due to Kai and Junior’s massive weight, River Safari’s team of aquarists, keepers, and vets took extra care as they placed the pair into traveling crates for transporta-

Aquarists preparing to transfer Junior into a canvas stretcher before he is transferred to a traveling crate

tion. These crates were lined with thick sponge to ensure that Kai and Junior would remain comfortable throughout the journey, and also to absorb water that has to be periodically sprayed on the manatees to keep their skin moist. As an added measure for the manatees’ comfort, the National Park of Guadeloupe and River Safari opted for a chartered flight for Kai and Junior to minimize travel time.

Two veterinarians from the National Park of Guadeloupe and River Safari’s Deputy Head Aquarist, Keith So, ac-

companied Kai and Junior throughout the 34-hour journey. Kai and Junior’s favorite aquarist at River Safari, Doris Su, departed for Guadeloupe on a separate passenger flight earlier to help ensure they settle down well in their new environment.

Manatees are currently listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their numbers have declined in the last century due to hunting pressures, entrapment in commercial nets, and collisions with propellers and motorboats.

Life

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EALTH is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, according to the World Health Organization on Integrative Medicine.

The practice is widely known for healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person (body, mind and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and makes use of all appropriate therapies, both conventional and alternative.

One leading and innovative hospital in the country that believes in the power of integrative medicine is VRP Medical Center. It recently opened its Integrative Medicine Department to cater to the ever-changing health needs of society. The Center defines integrative medicine (IM) as a healing-oriented medicine that takes account of the whole person, including all aspects of his lifestyle. It emphasizes the therapeutic relationship between practitioner and patient, is informed by evidence, and makes use of all appropriate therapies.

Dr. Jerome Tan, one of VRP Medical Center’s resident IM doctors stated that “Integrative Medicine can work for anybody who wants to get well, but if a person wants to remain healthy and disease free, it has to start with the lifestyle. Because mostly, when patients arrive, they are already sick of something while they could have avoided getting sick if preventive measures were taken.”

The IM Center started operations in April and has patients and employees interested in trying their services like acupuncture, massage therapies and cupping. Acupuncture (from Latin, acus [needle] and punctura [to puncture]) is a form of alternative medicine and a key component of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) involving thin needles inserted into the body at acupuncture points. It is commonly used to treat pain. Tan explains, “Acupuncture is a technique

Holistic health and wellness

at VRP Medical Center

VRP Medical Center’s Integrative Medicine Department offers cupping therapy which makes use of heated glass cups that get rid the body of toxins from food, stress and chemicals

Integrative medicine helps individuals get well

for balancing the flow of energy or life force — known as qi or chi — believed to flow through pathways (meridians) in your body.” Based on extensive researches conducted by the WHO, acupuncture can treat adverse reactions to radiotherapy / chemotherapy, allergic rhinitis, constipation, dysentery, acute bacillary, dysmenorrhea, primary, facial pain, headache, hypertension, essential, hypertension, primary, induction of labor, insomnia, knee pain, low back pain, nausea and vomiting, neck pain, pain in dentistry, frozen or periarthritis of shoulder, post-operative pain, rheumatoid arthritis, sciatica, sprain, stroke, tennis elbow and many other ailments.

Aside from acupuncture, cupping therapy is also offered. In Chinese medicine, it’s a traditional treatment in which heated glass cups are applied to the skin

along the meridians of the body and act as suctions to stimulate the flow of energy. Cupping is done to get rid of toxins from food, pollution, stress, drugs and chemicals. These toxins slow down our blood thereby suppressing the delivery of vital things needed by the body such as oxygen, nutrients, vitamins, minerals and antibodies. Cupping is used primarily to treat conditions such as arthritis, back pain, respiratory disorders like asthma, common colds and a lot more.

Be enlightened and mindful about your lifestyle and visit VRP’s Integrative Medicine Department. Ask their doctors to know more about the natural way of healing or you may want to include these healthy practices in your life to prevent the onset of diseases. Call 464-9999 (trunkline) or visit its official Facebook page facebook.com/vrpmedicalcenter/ to know more about their services.

Patients not adhering to medication exposed to potential harm IT is a prevailing trait of Filipinos to stop or cut down their medicine intake during treatment procedure despite a prescription by a doctor. This is either because they are on a tight budget or they are simply apathetic particularly if the condition is not yet serious.

What many do not realize however, is that the consequences of not adhering to the prescribed treatment regimen almost often becomes severe.

According to a US-based research, patients get hospitalized for an average of eight to 12 days longer for not complying with treatment regimen. Aside from the additional costs, brought about by hospitalization, are the complications brought about by the illness itself.

Such risks, however, can be prevented if patients will thoroughly adhere to their medications and follow their doctors’ directions to the letter.

Pharex HealthCorp. acknowledges the dangers patients may face for not adhering to the treatment regimen. It is because of this that it introduced the

Pharex Compliance Pouch.

This innovation ensures that patients suffering from chronic but manageable illnesses can have a good quality of life by maintaining their adherence to the treatment regimen in a more convenient and affordable way.

“Compliance with prescribed medication helps decrease the risk of hospitalization and the accompanying complications,” said Tomas Marcelo Agana III, president and CEO of Pharex. “Taking accurate and on-time anti-hypertensive drugs, for instance, can cause better control of blood pressure and can even reverse the condition or prevent it from getting worse.”

Pharex is known for its pharmaceutical excellence and genuine care for the health of Filipinos over the years, offering world-class but affordable products.

“With our wide range of affordable and quality medicines, patients will be able to comply with their treatment regimen,” Agana added, “Aside from being safe, we ensure that our medi-

Pharex emphasizes the importance of compliance with prescribed medication to help decrease the risk of hospitalization

cines are affordable and accessible.”

Pharex Compliance Pouch is designed to ensure that patients have the adequate supply of quality medicines until the next payday. This means that patients are able to better budget for their essential medicines and avoid cutting corners where their health is

concerned. it also comes in durable, water-proof and resealable foil pouches that keep the contents clean, dry and conveniently available anytime the patient needs it.

Agana concluded, “In Pharex, we are conscious of the value of medication adherence to secure a healthy state of

life. That is why we are inclined to innovating products that help to guarantee patients’ compliance to their medications.”

Pharex’ 15-day Compliance Pouch is available in all leading drugstores. To get more information about the brand, contact (02) 433-8088 (local 820).

Licealiz battling lice infestation one barangay at a time ABOUT one-third of elementary public school students in the Philippines suffer from head lice problems. Children are teased, bullied or ignored for having head lice, which is a common cause

for some of them to miss school. And though parents try their best to comb out their children’s lice with their suyod, it is often not enough to remove lice that can lay up to 100 eggs in a week.

Public school pupils learn about lice prevention and treatment

Aside from being an inconvenience to their hosts, head lice are a menace to the whole community. They are easily transmitted in homes and schools, between friends, classmates and family members and the

stigma associated with being infested can leave lasting damage to people’s reputations and psychological wellbeing.

To combat this, Licealiz head lice treatment shampoo is conducting the Licealiz

Licealiz conducts shampooing programs and activities for students in elementary schools nationwide

Pilipinas, Kuto Free Ka Na Ba? Nationwide Oplan Alis Kuto. Aiming to raise awareness about lice infestation issues, the Licealiz team will be going to different schools and barangays all over the country to educate communities on lice prevention and treatment, and arranging shampooing programs and activities for students.

Licealiz effectively kills lice and nits and prevents recurring lice infestations after two weeks of use. Its active ingredient pyrethrin is clinically tested and proven as safe and successful in killing lice, while its conditioning formula keeps hair soft, smooth and fragrant.

Licealiz also comes in a Soothing Coolness variant with cooling extract that gives the scalp a fresh relaxing feeling.

This month, the Licealiz team traveled to Antipolo (Juan Sumulong Elementary School and Sta. Cruz Elementary School), Parañaque (Fourth Estate Elementary School), Quezon City (Bagong Silangan Elementary School) and Pasig (Nagpayong Elementary School, Ilugin Elementary School - Nagpayong Annex). They will also be visiting more schools in Visayas and Mindanao over the next few months.

Showbiz FILIPINO Selenators ended the month of July on a sweet note with Selena Gomez’s Revival Tour concert in Manila made possible in part by Smart Communications, Inc. and MCA Music. From the production numbers to the outfit changes, the show was basically everything what every fan wanted from the girl who ‘can’t keep her hands to herself.’

For lucky Smart subscribers, they were able to watch the concert for free and got the chance o take home exclusive #SmartSelenaGomez merchandise via #SmartMusicLive booth at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Here’s a rundown on the things that made fans fall in love with Selena even more and converted quite a lot of followers last Sunday night: 1. Her Killer Outfits

Selena brought her fashion A-game. She rocked various outfits and totally killed them all, especially the pink pair she wore at the end. She even made a Muay Thai shorts look classy.

2. Selena declares Filipino fans as the ‘loudest.’

“I think this has gotta be the loudest crowd I’ve ever seen,” said the 24-year-old singer at the start of her 18-song concert.

3.She knows how to shift gears, perfectly.

After two sets for dance tunes, she, in a simple black gown, slowed things down with a truly heartfelt rendition of “Who Says,” her favorite from her discography, where fans sang their hearts out and held up homemade signs that

read “ S a l a m a t Selena. Mahal ka namin.”

4.The piano moment.

Selena’s concerts are known to reveal bits and pieces about herself and right before she played the piano, she shared that there are times when she wakes up in the morning and just sings her “favorite worship songs.” Good to know that no matter how bright that spotlight shines on her, Selena keeps her faith and feet firmly planted on the ground.

5.Sexy is Selena.

As if there wasn’t just enough

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

hotness on stage, she did a sexy cover of Eurythmic’s Sweet Dreams.

6. Mahal niya tayo!

Selena says “Mahal Kita” and promised she will be back. That’s before she performed her 2016 hit “Kill ‘Em With Kindness.”

7. The hairflips!

And we think we know from whom she learnt how to do it flawlessly.

Nobody does hairflips like Selena, ask any Selenator about it and they’ll surely agree.

Selena Gomez’s Revival

tour is the second concerts under the Smart Music Live series which started last June 14 when Smart gathered Ely Buendia, Up Dharma Down, Nathan Sykes and other artists at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Next stop, In the Mix featuring Third Eye Blind, Panic!

At the Disco, James Bay Bay, Elle King and Twin Pines happens on Aug. 18.

For more updates about the Smart Music Live series, follow Smart’s official accounts on Facebook ( w w w. f a c e b o o k . c o m / SmartCommunications), Snapchat (LiveSmartPH) and Instagram and Twitter (@LiveSmart).

Top 7 moments during Selena Gomez’s ‘Revival’ concert

Showcasing jewels from the

Pinoy rock icon Ely Buendia joins International Silent Film Festival by doing the musical accompaniment for the Italian film ‘Maciste All’Inferno’

silent era

By Nickie Wang

I

N THE earliest days of cinema, films were often played with musical accompaniments. And this vintage form of entertainment was the norm until 1927 when the first synchronized dialogue, including singing, in a feature film was introduced.

In an effort to transport film enthusiasts to a unique cinematic experience - just like in the good old days - the Philippine-Italian Association, the Japan Foundation Manila, Goethe-Institut Philippinen, the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Instituto Cervantes, the British Council, and the Embassies of the United States of America, France and Austria, come together to present the annual International Film Festival at the Shang Cineplex.

The event, which coincides with Shangri-La Plaza’s 25th anniversary, will run from today until Aug 28.

With live musical accompaniment by some of

the country’s finest music acts, like Ely Buendia, Up Dharma Down and Basti Artadi, and musical ensembles like Brass Pas Pas Pas Pas, Makiling Ensemble, Tago Jazz Collective and Oh, Flamingo!, the annual festival is poised to be bigger and grander.

It is good to note that the festival is also celebrating its 10th year of showcasing these cinematic jewels from the silent era. And for this milestone, lectures and a round table discussion on Silent Cinema, along with an exhibit on the festival will be added to enrich the celebrations.

“We are challenging ourselves.

We want to grow every year by inviting more countries to participate in the annual festival,”

says Rolando Samson of The Japan Foundation, Manila.

He adds that in the maiden edition of the International Silent Film Festival, the audience witnessed only three participating countries exhibiting their films, but in the festival’s latest edition, a total of 9 countries are participating in the celebrated film event.

“We even incorporated an exhibit component in the festival.

Our goal is to help preserve cinematic heritage and make audience appreciate it,” Samson adds.

Known as the first of its kind in South East Asia, the film event kicked off with an exhibit illustrating the 10-year journey of the unique festival. The exhibit,

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, August 25, 2016

ACROSS 1 Bounded along 6 Vassal 10 Magazine stand 14 Love, Italian style 15 Diva’s rendition 16 Postkindergarten 17 Boast about 18 Astrologers of old 19 Surfeit 20 Main road 22 Allow 24 Unconscious 26 Steak cut (hyph.)

27 Raft book (hyph.)

31 “Mona Lisa” crooner 32 Discrete 33 Hairless comicstrip character 36 Shapely limb 39 Frilly 40 Despots 41 Tokyo’s space pgm.

42 Architect’s wing 43 Batman’s alias 44 More blustery 45 — Diego Chargers 46 Glimmer 48 Holds off for 51 Softball toss

52 Downier 54 Caterwauled 59 Measure of land 60 Food preparer 62 Then and — 63 Macdonald of whodunits 64 Oil job 65 Trace 66 Marshal Dillon 67 “Born Free” feline 68 Warmth of feeling DOWN 1 Volcanic flow 2 Sharif of film 3 Mope 4 Urn homophone 5 Motor city 6 “Cheers” bar owner 7 Latin 101 word 8 Severity 9 Weaknesses 10 Kick oneself 11 Ease 12 Mailbox device 13 Toy on a string 21 Hearty laugh 23 Auction site 25 Dither 27 Leafy vegetable 28 Silica mineral 29 Table salt 30 Have a go at

34 Fleming of 007 fame 35 Garbo 36 Stare stupidly 37 Lutz alternative 38 Plain on the moon 40 Hymn of praise 41 Surfing duo — and Dean 43 Very thin model 44 Lasagna cheese 45 Least risky 47 Sardonic 48 Aluminum giant 49 Leipzig link

50 Asian capital 52 Grow wheat 53 Sticks up 55 Hum 56 Let use 57 Reasoner’s word 58 Woodlands grazer 61 Big green parrot

Rock music artist Basti Artadi (top) and indie band Up Dharma Down lend their musical talent for the films ‘Der Balletterzherzog’ and ‘Der letzte Mann,’ respectively

which opened on Aug. 16 at the Grand Atrium of The Shang, was curated by photographer and visual and graphic artist Nikkorlai Tapan.

“Viewers can immerse in the art and history of the movie industry’s golden era with a live movie set, an interactive photo wall that lets you create your own personal movie poster,” Tapan says.

The festival’s opening salvo is a film from the UK – Play On! Silent Shakespeare – at 7:30 p.m. today. The new compilation of silent Shakespeare shorts includes the world’s earliest surviving Shakespeare adaptation, King John, and an early version of Hamlet. The film will be scored with the stylings of Tago Jazz Collective.

The films to be exhibited include: our country’s very own Maicling Maicling Pelicula nang Ysang Indio Nacional, set in the Spanish-ruled 1890s Philippines (will be shown along with the sounds of indie rock band, Oh! Flamingo), on Aug. 26, 5:30 p.m.; Italy’s Maciste All’Inferno, to be introduced with a lecture by Nick Deocampo, and will be accompanied by music by Ely Buendia (Aug. 26, 8 p.m.); Spanish zarzuela, La Revoltosa, with musical score to be performed by the DingDong Fiel Music Ensemble and tenor Miguel Ángel Lobato (Aug. 27, 3 p.m.); Japan’s Muteki, scored by the Makiling Band (Aug. 27, 5:30 p.m.); American movie, For Heaven’s Sake on Aug. 27, 8 p.m., scored

by Brass Pas Pas Pas Pas; France’s Le Pied de Mouton and Le Petit Soucet, with music composed and arranged by Felipe A. Latonio, Jr. (Aug. 28, 3 p.m.); and Austria’s Der Balletterzherzog, accompanied

by Wolfgang’s Basti Artadi (Aug. 28, 5:30 p.m.).

Capping off the four-day event is the German film, Der letzte Mann, considered by many as the legendary F.W. Murnau’s most important work and one of the most revolutionary works in film history on Aug. 28, 8 p.m., to be scored by internationallyrecognized local band, Up

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2016

Showbiz

F

ALL in love with the concert king all over again as Polyeast Records proudly presents a night of OPM hits—both old and new— with Martin Nievera in a concert dubbed The Best of Martin Nievera: Kahapon… Ngayon on Aug. 26, (that’s tomorrow) 7:30 p.m. at KIA Theater at Araneta Center.

To mark this unforgettable evening, the iconic balladeer will work his way through a clutch of classics like “Be My Lady,” “Ikaw Lamang,” “You Are My Song,” “Kahit Isang Saglit” and more love songs, which defined the hit maker’s career spanning over three decades.

Aside from Nievera’s wit and charm on stage, highlights also include his performances with a big band led by musical director Marvin Querido and celebrity guests Noel Cabangon and ZsaZsa Padilla.

This event is for the benefit of the Philippine Chinese Charitable Association, Inc. and Philippine Red Cross Quezon City.

In support of his latest album with PolyEast Records, “Kahapon…Ngayon” is a tribute to OPM roots giving new life to songs drawn from the classic “harana” to iconic old movie scoring. “Kahapon…

Ngayon” is Nievera’s new album after “Big Mouth, Big Band” released in 2014 and the latest addition to numerous albums that made Nievera one of the most important figures in local Filipino music.

Martin Nievera’s new album “Kahapon…Ngayon” album will also be available at the venue which will be signed during the meet and greet session.

Tickets are now available at Ticketnet outlet or visit www.ticketnet.com.ph or call (02) 911-5555.

Ticket prices: Orchestra VIP- Php3, 000 (with FREE CD); Orchestra B- Php2, 500 (with FREE CD); Balcony VIP (Loge) – Php2, 000; Balcony- Php1, 000.

This event is made possible by our presenters: Asian Shipping Corporation, Care Products, Cathay Drug Co. Inc., Empire Chemical Inc. and co-presenters Asia United Bank, Banco De Oro, Bio devices Inc., Bullseye Solutions & Distribution, Davies Paint Philippines, Dowel Container & Packaging, Dyna Drug Corporation, Eagle Electric of the Philippines, First Oceanic Industries Inc., Great Wall International Travel Inc., Puregold, Security Bank Corporation, United Medical Supply, Zesto & Maxicare.

Special thanks to Luxent Hotel, AMI Equipment Services & Solutions, The Brain Computer, Nestle Health Science and Gerry’s Grill Bar & Restaurant.

Media partners: MYX Channel, 2nd Avenue, Solar Entertainment, The Philippine Star, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, Business World, MOR 101.9 My Only Radio for Life, PhilStar.com, Inquirer.net, Pep.ph, Philippine Concerts, Manila Concert Scene, Odyssey, AstroPlus and Focus Media; and Novotel as the official residence.

For more information, you may follow @ PolyEastRecords on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

Concert King Martin Nievera will serenade his fans in a concert at the Kia Theater and will release an album to celebrate his three decades in the business

‘The Best of

Martin Nievera’’

at KIA Theatre

CNN ‘On China’: Food CHINESE food is famous around the world with countless delicious and fantastic dishes. Its diverse cuisine dates back centuries, with classic cooking styles known as the “Eight Greats.”

Food remains a focal point of life today, but young people are less likely than their grandparents to spend time in the kitchen. Food safety has also emerged as a major concern, with consumers shaken by several scandals in recent years.

This month’s On China, CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout travels to Shanghai, the Chinese city with sheer

variety and quality of cuisine.

She discusses the dining scene with a distinguished panel: author Fuchsia Dunlop, the first westerner to train at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine; Chef Paul Pairet, winner of the 2016 “Chef’s Choice Award” for “Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants”; and Crystyl Mo, a food critic, consultant, and long-time observer of China’s food trends. In the course of the talk show, they talk about the variety of international and regional cuisines in the metropolis of Shanghai, the loss of local food culture with this generation, and how

cuisine in China is going to evolve.

Finally, Kristie Lu Stout enjoys a fully immersive dining experience with Chef Paul Pairet at his singletable restaurant Ultraviolet, where all five sense are being engaged.

On China airs on CNN International 4:30 p.m. today and at 11:30 a.m. tomorrow with subsequent replays on Sept. 17 (10 a.m.), Sept. 24 (7:30 p.m) and Sept. 25 (12:30 p.m.).

CNN International is available from all cable service and direct TV providers nationwide.

From left: Food critic Crystyl Mo, Chef Paul Pairet, author Fuchsia Dunlop and CNN’s Kristie Lu Stout

Relive the music of the 60s via Friends of Distinction concert happening tomorrow at the Mall of Asia Arena

Friends of Distinction with Ted Mills of Blue Magic in Manila FRIENDS of Distinction with Ted Mills of Blue Magic as special guest will perform at SM Mall of Asia Arena at 8 p.m. on Aug. 26. Presenting the show is GMA Nerwork, Steve O’Neal Productions and the Pilgrimates.

Friends of Distinction first performed in the Philippines in 2004 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) and after traveling back and forth to Los Angeles, and after several negotiations between promoter Danee Samonte and the founder/leader/ composer Harry Elston, the

comeback concert of the group was finally sealed to happen tomorrow.

Among the songs FOD popularized included “Grazin’ In The Grass,” “Going in Circles,” “The Way We Planned It,” “Why Did I Lose You Baby,” “Ain’t No Woman,” “Check It Out,” “And “Great Day.” The songs “Why Did I Lose You Baby,” “The Way We Planned It” and “Great Day” became in the Top 10 hits in Manila but anywhere else.

Motown music will be provided by Ted Mills. He is

expected to sing Blue Magic hit songs like “Just Don’t Wanna Be Lonely,” “Sideshow,” “Stop to Start,” “Spell,” “What’s Come Over Me,” “Three Ring Circus and “Magic of the Blue” among others.

The concert is sponsored by Duty Free Philippines, Park & Ride, HDI, Business Mirror, IBC 13, Telenovela Channel, Dream Satellite, Hard Rock Cafe, RETRO FM, DZRH and RJ100.3 FM, official concert station, Tickets are available at SM Tickets online and all SM Malls.