Manila Standard - 2016 August 31 - Wednesday

Metro attacks feared Davao, Cebu also Sayyaf targets—Defense chief

By John Paolo Bencito and Florante S. Solmerin

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EFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday the government is preparing for any attacks that the Abu Sayyaf might launch in urban centers as diversionary tactics but played down the need for emergency powers for President Rodrigo Duterte to quash the terrorist group.

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In an interview, Lorenzana said that they have received reports that there might be terror attacks on major cities.

“That’s what we are preparing right now. We know they might do diversionary tactics in Manila, Cebu, or Davao, metropolitan centers—that is what the President is fearing, the diversionary actions [that they might do] in urban centers,” Lorenzana told the Manila Standard.

Lorenzana also warned against paying ransom in exchange for any hostages being held, as this

GOING HOME. Filipino troops

carry caskets containing bodies of 15 colleagues slain in an encounter with Muslim Abu Sayyaf terrorists and loading them Tuesday into a C-130 cargo plane at the Jolo airport Tuesday. President Rodrigo Duterte (below), a day earlier, provides a wounded soldier with an electronic wheelchair during a fellowship dinner in Malacañang to mark National Heroes Day. AFP

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Obama sets one-on-one with Duterte in Laos US PRESIDENT Barack Obama will meet President Rodrigo Duterte next week, the White House said, despite concerns over a war on crime that has claimed more than 2,000 lives.

The White House said Obama would meet the firebrand leader

on the sidelines of a summit in Laos, which begins on Sept. 6, with the US president likely to voice disquiet over the bloodshed and Duterte’s abusive remarks.

“We absolutely expect that the president will raise concerns about some of the recent state-

ments from the President of the Philippines,” Obama aide Ben Rhodes told reporters in Washington on Monday.

“We regularly meet with the leaders of our treaty allies where we have differences, whether it relates to human rights practices

Espinosa implicates ‘senator’

By Francisco Tuyay

De Lima Senate’s test case THE Senate committee on ethics and privileges was reconstituted on Tuesday and its chairman, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, declared that its first case, the alleged drug links of Senator Leila De Lima, would be treated as “confidential.”

Sotto said the complaint against De Lima would be confidential until the committee had decided whether or not it would open its proceedings to the public.

During the time of former Senate president Manny Villar in the 15th Congress, the proceedings in the ethics committee was open to public. In the previous Congress under Senate President Franklin Drilon, the ethics committee was not organized as nobody wanted to head it.

Senators Gringo Honasan, Panfilo Lacson and Risa Hontiveros attended Tuesday’s closed-door

ALBUERA, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, whom President Rodrigo Duterte tagged as among the top narco-politicians in the country, claimed on Tuesday that a senator, congressmen and some Philippine National Police officials are among 30 protectors of the narcotics operations of his son Kerwin.

In a brief press conference at Espinosa’s office in the Albuera town

hall, he claimed that his life is now in mortal danger after he executed a sworn statement before Leyte Provincial Prosecutor Arlene Cordovez revealing details of his son’s drug trafficking operations.

“My life is now in danger,” said a weeping Espinosa. “There are members of the PNP, Congress and a senator in my affidavit.”

Espinosa said he was ready to publicly identify the government officials involved but he decided to postpone doing so because of

the threats to his life.

Albuera police director Chief Inspector Jovie Espinido said he saw the affidavit the mayor executed last August 14, listing the people involved in narcotics trafficking.

“There is a senator, there is a senator who used to be [Department of Justice] secretary,” Espinido said.

Only two incumbent senators have been secretaries of justice: Next page

BEFORE President Rodrigo Duterte travels to Beijing before the end of 2016, thhe Philippines would want to forge a provisional agreement with China on fishing rights in the West Philippine Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said Tuesday.

UK alerts Britons on drug killings

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Maricel V. Cruz THE United Kingdom warned its citizens who are traveling to the Philippines not to “get involved in drugs” as “police and other authorities have been Next page

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Zika watch: Singapore confirms 56 cases

By Sara D. Fabunan THE government on Tuesday warned all Filipinos living or working in and traveling to Singapore to avoid crowded places after the island state confirmed Next page

4S- STEPS TO ZIKA SAFETY

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Search and destroy mosquito breeding places

Interim China deal eyed

By Maricel V. Cruz

or derogatory comments. We take the opportunity of those meetings to raise those issues directly.”

Malacañang however, brushed off any talk of human rights violations.

“Well basically, they’ll establish

At a budget hearing of the Department of Foreign Affairs at the House of Representatives, Yasay said the provisional agreement between the two countries is necessary until they are able to come up with a long-term solution to the problem.

“We are even thinking about Next page

WEATHER CLOUDY skies with light to moderate rains and thunderstorms is expected over Ilocos Region, the provinces of Batanes, Benguet, Zambales, Bataan and the island of Babuyan. Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila and the rest of the country.

Moderate to strong winds blowing from southwest will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and the coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate coming from the south to southwest with slight to moderate seas.

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ZIKA VIRUS. Health authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport are not taking any chances, screening incoming passengers after confirmed infections in Singapore. Zika virus infection is transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes (which bite in the daytime), identical to dengue. There is no vaccine or specific anti-viral drugs. Eric Apolonio

Napoles pork raps upheld Congress postpones village polls BOTH chambers of Congress on Tuesday agreed to postpone the Sangguniang Kabataan and village elections from October 2016 to the fourth week of October in 2017.

They agreed on the postponement even as opposition lawmakers

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THE Supreme Court has upheld the resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman finding probable cause to again indict Janet Lim Napoles and several other people for graft in connection with the misuse of the lawmakers’ pork barrel funds.

The high court denied the petitions filed by Napoles, the consolidated petitions filed by Napoles, her employee John Raymund de Asis and former National AgriBusiness Corp. president Allan

thestandard.com.ph

Javellana, and the consolidated petitions filed by former directorgeneral of Training and Research Center Antonio Ortiz and Javellana assailing their indictment by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales for their involvement in the anomalous disbursements of the Priority Development Assistance Fund.

“In all three items, the Court found no grave abuse of discretion on the part of the Ombudsman in finding probable cause Next page

Use self-protection measures

Seek early consultation for fever lasting more than two days

Say yes to fogging when there is an impending outbreak SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

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De Lima...

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organizational meeting, but the other members of the committee who failed to make it to the meeting were Senators Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson, Grace Poe and Francis Escudero.

Legarda was presiding over the budget hearing, being the head of the Senate finance committee.

Due to Legarda’s workload at the finance committee, Sotto said, she might be replaced by Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Lawyer Abelardo de Jesus filed an ethics complaint against De Lima over her alleged involvement with illegal drugs.

Sotto said they would first study the complaint to determine if they would consider it or trash it. He said a copy of the complaint had already been distributed to all members of the ethics committee.

He said the committee would first determine if it had jurisdiction over the complaint and whether or not it conformed with the required form and substance before deciding on its merits.

De Lima said she had yet to see a copy of the complaint, “so I’d rather that I wait first for whatever action, initial or otherwise, that the ethics committee would be taking on that matter.”

“I’m being subjected to a lot of these harassment tactics,” said De Lima about the complaint filed by a former member of the legal team of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III on Tuesday rejected the reports he was deliberately shying away from the “word war” between President Rodrigo Duterte and De Lima.

“I am not being silent about it. I’m just respectful,” Pimentel said. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Congress...

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on Tuesday bucked the proposals to abolish the Sangguniang Kabataan and the barangay councils because these were allegedly useless.

Youth leaders said the postponement of the SK elections would lead to the SK’s abolition, sending the dangerous message that youth participation in the village was optional.

Emerging from an all-party caucus Tuesday, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, and House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and Rep. Sherwin Tugna, head of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, said the House agreed to adopt the Senate resolution seeking to postpone the village polls.

But they said the House would still have to pass a bill to effect the postponement.

Senator Sonny Angara on Tuesday sponsored the bill seeking a one-year postponement of the village and SK elections to give more time for the full implementation of the recently enacted SK Reform Act or Republic Act 10742.

“We clearly hear the voices of those who are against the proposal.

We understand the sentiments of the youth who had not voted [in the SK elections] for three years, said Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on local government.

“But it is clear to us that in some important aspects, the government is not yet ready to implement RA 10742,” Angara said in his sponsorship speech for Senate Bill 1112.

Reps. Edcel Lagman, Teddy Brawner Baguilat Jr. and Emannuel Billones said they see no reason to abolish the SK and village councilors following the enactment of the SK Reform Act, which is supposed to strengthen the youth council and the barangay system.

At the same time, the three lawmakers agreed to postpone the SK and village elections provided the parameters for the postponement were clearly defined under either a bill or a joint resolution.

Youth leaders said the postponement of the SK elections would gradually abolish the youth institution. Maricel V. Cruz,

Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo

Espinosa...

News

War vs malnutrition pushed A Aid agency Save the Children told a press briefing at the Bayleaf Hotel in Manila on Tuesday that P166.5 billion in income is lost due to low level of education of the workforce because of childhood stunting.

Productivity cut due to premature deaths costs P160 billion, while another P1.23 billion is wasted for additional expenditures on education.

“This proves that undernutrition has a cost to all of us,” said Ned Olney, country director of Save the Children. “In just a year, the Philippines has lost almost 3 percent of its [Gross Domestic Product] in terms of education and productivity costs due to stunting.”

“If we add up health costs, the likely impact would be an additional 0.05-1.6 percent,” he added.

In its report entitled “Cost of

Hunger: Philippines,” the group said stunting is a condition among children that indicates chronic malnutrition. In 2015, 48,597 or 15 percent of around 330,000 grade repetitions is blamed to this case.

Olney noted that in just a year, the country has lost almost three percent of its GDP in terms of education and productivity costs due to stunting. If we add up health costs, the likely impact would be an additional 0.05 percent to 1.6 percent.

He said the report shows that stunting is the best predictor of productivity and income, and that undernutrition is linked to lower human capital.

“Children who are stunted in the first two years of life are more likely to repeat grade levels, drop out of school, delay school en-

Metro...

dits and terrorists of 25 years, but we will not stop until we rid our country of the menace this ASG brings to the world,” Visaya said.

The Palace on Tuesday vowed to relentlessly pursue the Abu Sayyaf after 15 soldiers were killed in an encounter in Sulu.

“It is unfortunate that a number of our troops have already lost their lives,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a press briefing.

“The President is focused on making sure that the threat from the Abu Sayyaf Group should be terminated as soon as possible,” he added.

Abella echoed the statements of Lorenzana that the government is going “full force” on the ASG, adding that the series of offensives against the Abu Sayyaf are “manifestations” of Duterte’s campaign against the bandit group.

On Tuesday, the military confirmed that at least 15 soldiers and four Abu Sayyaf members were killed in a series of encounters in

Sulu on Monday after the Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion and 21st Infantry Batallion fought around 120 members of the ASG. The firefight also wounded 10 soldiers, while the number of casualties on the Abu Sayyaf side had yet to be confirmed.

Maj. Felimon Tan Jr., spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom), said on Tuesday one of the slain was an officer.

He said the soldiers were conducting pursuit operations when they encountered the ASG’s main body led by sub-leader Radullan Sahiron.

All the slain and wounded soldiers were recovered and suffered no mutilation by the terrorists.

He said not a single gun or bullet was lost to the terrorists.

Tan said casualties on the side of the ASG were undetermined.

Those who died in the Monday encounter in Sitio Kan Jaiul, Barangay Maligay were 2nd Lt. Ernan Gusto, 33, a resident of Isabela; Staff Sgt. Ruel

ing to police statistics, raising fears that security forces and hired assassins are shooting dead anyone suspected of being involved in drugs.

Police have reported killing 756 people they have branded drug suspects, although they have insisted they are only acting in self-defense.

The US State Department last week said it was “deeply concerned” about reports of extrajudicial killings.

Obama had earlier spoke by telephone to then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte shortly after he won the Presidency at the May 9 polls, hailing the country’s “vibrant democracy” and emphasizing the importance of “protecting human rights.”

In his call to Duterte, Obama “highlighted the enduring values that underpin our thriving alliance with the Philippines... including our shared commitments to democracy, human rights, rule of law, and inclusive economic growth,” the White House said in its statement.

“The two leaders affirmed their interest in seeing the relationship continue to grow on the basis of these shared principles,” the statement read.

Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser in an interview said

that while the United States did not refer directly to allegations of human rights abuses against Duterte, some “controversy” and “statements ... drew attention in the past.”

“But look, this is a new government and we’ll want to hear from them directly what their priorities are,” he said when asked about the May 9 presidential election in the Philippines.

Rhodes said Washington hoped “to build on progress made with the last administration” in the country.

“For us the priorities will remain the security and the prosperity of the Philippines; we’ll want to see continued efforts in the Philippines to respect the rule of law and combat corruption, just as we support those kinds of efforts across Asia and around the world,” Rhodes added.

Duterte earlier refused to apologize after he called US ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg as an “annoying homosexual” and a “son of a whore.”

The Philippines, a former US colony, was regarded as one of the United States’ most loyal allies in Asia until Duterte took office.

The two nations are bound by a mutual defense pact.

of the DFA at present is “to make sure that the diplomatic processes that we will be embarking and continue to embark will result in the kind of objectives we would like to achieve.”

Yasay earlier said the President will likely visit China before the year ends, saying that this was “something [that the Duterte administration] would like to push through.”

The DFA chief said that the Philippines is now in consultation with China, through Chinese Ambassador to Philippines Zhao Jianhua, for the planned trip.

Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang warned on Tuesday there would be no winners in any armed conflict sparked by territorial disputes in the South China Sea. Quang, who is on a state visit to Singapore, told a forum that recent

developments there were threatening regional security.

The Vietnamese leader did not mention any country but there is growing unease over China’s actions.

China claims most of the South China Sea. It has reclaimed reefs and built airstrips capable of hosting military equipment, sparking anger from competing claimants led by Vietnam and the Philippines.

“The South China Sea, located at the heart of Southeast Asia, not only brings about many important benefits to nations in the region but it is also a vital route to maritime and air transport of the world,” Quang said.

But “recent worrying developments” there “have had a negative impact on the security environment of the region, especially maritime security and safety, freedom of navigation and overflight.” With AFP

below UK standards.”

“There is a high incidence of street crime and robbery throughout the Philippines. You should take sensible precautions,” it said.

The Interior Department said Tuesday it has created a legal and investigatory task force that will handle the investigation of all past and incumbent local public officials with alleged links to the drug trade.

Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno said the task force, dubbed as DILG Task Force Agila, will also take charge of the reception of evidence, documentation, strategy, case determination and case development against local public officials who have been and will be publicly named by President Duterte as involved in illegal drugs.”

“We are 101 percent behind the President in his campaign against

criminality and illegal drugs. This is why we created Task Force Agila to ensure a thorough probe against the so-called narco execs,” he said.

The President had earlier released a matrix showing the supposed links of several former and current government officials, including Senator Leila De Lima, to drug lords detained in the New Bilibid Prison, Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino Jr., former Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, Pangasinan Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan, retired Gen. Franklin Bucayo, and Pangasinan Board Member Raul Sison.

In a media forum, Interior Undersecretary for Operations John Castriciones said that the task force will also look into the bank records and investments of the local officials. With John Paolo Bencito, Ferdie G. Domingo, Vito Barcelo, Francisco Tuyay

By Cathrine Mae V. Gonzales and Macon Ramos-Araneta

T LEAST P328 billion is lost to the Philippine economy every year due to malnutrition, experts said Tuesday, a severe scenario that they said should be devoted “as much effort” as the government spends on its war against drugs.

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would only strengthen the terrorist group.

Lorenzana said with local government units joining the anti-terrorist drive, there was still no need to grant President Duterte emergency powers.

At least three senators—Panfilo Lacson, Paolo Benigno Aquino IV and Vicente Sotto III--have expressed support for granting Duterte additional emergency powers to stop the ASG after a series of kidnappings and beheadings in Mindanao.

Such powers would help Duterte deal more effectively with the terror menace as well as with other serious problems such as illegal drugs, the senators said.

Armed Forces chief Gen. Ricardo Visaya said they would not stop until the ASG is eradicated.

“There may still be casualties along the way as we advance this solemn duty to eradicate these ban-

Obama...

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first acquaintances then establish a foreign relationship... but we’re not referring to [any issue on extrajudicial killings,]” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters in a Palace press briefing.

Duterte will embark on a oneweek Asean tour from Sept. 4 to 9, with the highlight being his attendance to the Association of South East Asian Nations in Laos.

The President will also take side trips to visit Brunei and Indonesia to talk to the Filipino communities there.

Since taking office two months ago, Duterte has begun making good on an election pledge to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals, prompting criticism from rights groups who accuse him of inciting vigilante murders.

He has also lashed out at the United Nations and described the US ambassador to Manila as a “son of a whore.”

However, Duterte’s war on crime has seen unknown assailants kill more than half the victims, accord-

Interim...

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the possibility in the future for the President to make the visit to China. But we would hope that before this visit can be made, this provisional arrangements can be done with the end in view of beginning formal talks for the resolution of this dispute,” Yasay told the House panel chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles said.

Yasay was quick to say, however, that the Philippines will not resort to any drastic action against China.

“We will not be engaging China in any shooting war in this particular instance. We will exercise maximum tolerance, restraint and sobriety for this purpose,” Yasay said.

He said the primary concern

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UK...

Senators Franklin Drilon and Leila de Lima.

“It is really a big exposé made by Mayor Espinosa on who were the people behind the illegal drug activities of his son,” Espinido said, adding that Espinosa’s affidavit will be the legal basis of cases that will be filed against the protectors of Kerwin Espinosa, who remains at large.

With tears trickling from his eyes, Espinosa urged his son Kerwin, who remains the object of a massive police manhunt, to surrender to avoid getting killed.

“I am calling on my son Kerwin to surrender here now,” Espinosa said. “As a father, I really knew nothing of [Kerwin’s] activities. I am calling on his companions Max, Galo, Zaldivar and Ron to also surrender here in Albuera.”

publicly encouraged to kill suspected drug traffickers who resist arrest.”

In its travel advisory posted on its official website, UK government noted that penalties for drug importation are severe.

Some 154,000 British nationals visited the Philippines in 2015.

“Don’t become involved with drugs of any kind. Penalties for importing and using illegal drugs are particularly severe,” the UK government stated.

The British government reminded its citizens that violating local laws may result in a jail sentence.

“Sentences are severe. The judicial system can result in long-term detention until a court hearing takes place,” it said.

The UK government also noted that the “detention facilities are far

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John Paolo Bencito, AFP

try and have lower income levels when they enter the workforce,” said Olney.

“If stunting rates continue to rise, it would be difficult for families to break free from poverty. It is the poor and neglected sectors of society that carry the burden of stunting. Any investment in reducing childhood undernutrition will reduce suffering and poverty, and will ultimately stimulate economic growth for all Filipinos,” he explained.

Citing the report findings, Save the Children highlighted the need to invest in nutrition programs during the child’s first 1,000 days, from pregnancy up to the second birthday, which is considered a critical period of care to avert stunting.

Olney further stated that nutrition is the cornerstone of all development efforts.

Meanwhile, 21.5 percent of Filipino children are underweight, higher than 19.9 percent in 2013, while 7.1 percent under the age of five have wasting or are too thin for their height.

“This new report tells us that for every US$1 spent on programs to avert stunting in children below two years old, the Philippines could save over 100 US dollars in health, education, and lost productivity costs.

It should outrage us that 95 children will die every day because of malnutrition,” added Olney.

To date, only 0.5 percent of the national budget is allocated for nutrition, a small chunk that is four times less than in other countries.

Catubay, 39, of Zamboanga Sibugay; Sgt. Jay Erwin Almohallas, 38, of Lanao del Norte; Cpl. Omar Raddulan, 41, of Lanao del Norte; Cpl. Ronald Galoniga, 33, of Lanao del Norte; Cpl. Elid Ismael, 49, of Sulu; Cpl. Salik Mandangan, 31, of Lanao del Norte; Private First Class Nestor Bacaling, 26, of Lanao del Norte; PFC Jison Falcasantos, 28, of Zamboanga City; PFC Gerald Yubal, 29, of Zamboanga Sibugay; PFC Dhendo Dujo, 32, of Zamboanga Sibugay; PFC Roselito Arnoco, 29, of Zamboanga del Sur; PFC Glend Rasma, 24, of North Cotabato; PFC Rogelio Vincoy, 28, of Zamboanga del Norte; and PFC Jonas Lumayan, 23, of Zamboanga del Sur; all members of the 35IB. Those wounded in the same battle were Cpl. Edgar Andales, Cpl. Ahmad Nuroh, PFC Vinjie Colaljo, PFC Relindo Paglinawan, PFC Rogen Revira, PFC Sabeniano Bercasio, PFC Juvelito Bulhano, PFC Efren Espenesin, PFC Jemar Maictin, and PFC Johnrel Alalag.

On the same day but in a different firefight in Barangay Kutong, Talipao, Cpl. Greggy Jinggoy Banog and Cpl. Joel Laman were also wounded.

Last week, the military stepped up operations against the ASG on orders by President Rodrigo Duterte to eliminate the terrorists.

Duterte has expressed exasperation over the beheadings that the ASG has inflicted on their hostages once their families fail to pay the ransom.

The military said the first series of firefights last week killed at least 21 ASG terrorists, although only six bodies were recovered.

Thousands and thousands of soldiers poured into Sulu and Basilan with the objective of finishing off the ASG scourge.

Duterte has ordered Visaya to finish off the ASG in six months.

In Camp Aguinaldo, the military said they mourned the death of their fellow soldiers and placed the flag at half-staff in their honor. With PNA

Zika...

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56 cases of locally transmitted Zika virus infection, particularly in the Sims Drive and Aljunied Crescent areas.

In a text message, Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said they have already instructed their embassy in Singapore to immediately issue a precautionary advisory to the Filipino community in Singapore to minimize the risk of being infected by the deadly virus.

The Singapore Ministry of Health recently confirmed the 41 cases.

In an advisory, the Philippine embassy said pregnant women who are living in the affected areas should immediately seek medical attention if symptoms like fever and rash appeared.

“Pregnant women should adopt strict mosquito precaution if traveling to affected areas,” the Philippine embassy said.

Since one of the transmissions of Zika is through unprotected penetration, the embassy also advised the sexual partners of pregnant women to “practice safe sex” or “consider abstinence throughout the women’s pregnancy.”

The Philippine embassy also advised the Filipinos to continue to cooperate with efforts of the National Environment Agency, especially in the conduct of inspections, fogging and public education outreach.

The embassy also asked Filipinos to regularly check the Singapore government’s web page on Zika.

In addition, the Philippine embassy also urged Filipinos to observe general preventive measures such as using insect repellants; window and door screens; and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants.

“Read up on the symptoms of Zika. Once you exhibit symptoms, go to the nearest hospital to have yourself checked,” the embassy said.

Filipino health workers were encouraged to strictly comply with infection control protocols in their work place.

Napoles...

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to indict petitioners,” high court spokesman Theodore Te said.

“The Court deferred to the findings of the Ombudsman in the absence of grave abuse of discretion.”

In the first case, Napoles questioned the Sept. 6, 2014 joint resolution and Nov. 26, 2014 joint order by the Ombudsman that found probable cause to charge her with three counts of graft, misuse of public funds and corruption of public officers.

The charges were made in connection with the anomalous disbursements of the pork barrel funds of former congressman Constantino Jaraula for 2004-2007.

In the case of Napoles, De Asis and Javellana, the Court dismissed

“If you have tested positive for Zika, inform the Philippine embassy immediately,” the embassy said adding that it is ready to assist all Filipinos infected with the virus.

According to World Health Organization, the Zika virus is an emerging mosquito-borne virus that was first identified in Uganda in 1947 in rhesus monkeys through a monitoring network of sylvatic yellow fever.

It was subsequently identified in humans in 1952 in Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania.

Outbreaks of Zika virus disease have been recorded in Africa, the Americas, Asia and the Pacific.

There is no specific treatment or vaccine currently available.

People with Zika virus disease usually have a mild fever, skin rash (exanthema) and conjunctivitis (redness of eyes). These symptoms normally last for 2-7 days.

Zika virus entered the United States in February 2016.

In the US, cases of Zika infection was detected in 11 states and in Washington DC, where 31 Americans were reportedly diagnosed with the virus which they contracted while traveling abroad.

The Philippine embassy in Washington D.C. has long released an advisory to all Filipinos in the United States to take extra precautions.

Members of the Filipino-American community, the embassy said, are further advised to learn more about the Zika virus disease—its cause, symptoms, methods of transmission, preventive measures, and confirmed cases—by visiting the websites of the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“As the World Health Organization [WHO] declares the current spread of the Zika virus a public health emergency of international concern, the Philippine government, through the Department of Health, has advised its citizens to remember and use ‘4S’ against Zika virus and other mosquito-borne diseases,” the embassy said. With Joel

E. Zurbano, AFP

their consolidated petitions seeking the reversal of the Ombudsman’s joint resolutions that found probable cause to indict them for graft, misuse of public funds and the corruption of public officers.

The charges were in connection with the anomalous disbursements of the pork barrel of former Benguet Rep. Samuel Dangwa for 2004 to 2007 amounting to P54 million.

In the case of Ortiz and Javellana, the high court denied their consolidated petitions assailing the resolutions issued by the Ombudsman that found probable cause to charge them with graft in connection with the disbursements of the pork barrel of accused Senators Ramon Revilla Jr., Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile for the years 2006 to 2010. Rey E. Requejo

Japanese Auto Technology A TALE OF RESILIENCE:

Japanese car sales in PH expand W

HEN the dust from the rubble of the second world war settled, the Philippines was left in ruin, the economy was in a shambles and businesses were at a standstill.

Many Filipinos at the time were understandably holding a grudge against the Japanese who brought death and destruction to the Philippines during WWII, but many years later, it was the same nation that would lend a helping hand to spur the Philippines’ economic growth.

The Land of the Rising Sun, known the world over as technological and industrial leader, is a success story in itself, turning things around after the war to become one of the richest and fastest growing economies in the world.

The world marveled at the sheer expansion of Japanese manufacturing, spearheaded by the automotive technology they had to offer. Their automotive industry is one of the most prominent and largest industries in the world. Japan-made cars have been in the top three most manufactured in a country since the 60s, surpassing their German and European counterparts.

The automotive industry in Japan surged rapidly from the 1970s to the 1990s, eventually overtaking the United States as the leader in production, generating 13 million units per annum in manufactured and significant

exports. Now, Japan is the third largest automobile producer in the world with 9.9 million automobile productions in 2012.

The Japanese car industry traces its roots to the Japanese business conglomerates or in the Nihongo vernacular, zaibatsu, who began assembling their first automobiles at the turn of the 20th century. These companies either designed their own, or collaborated with the European to produce and sell their cars in Japan.

The demand for locally-made autos greatly elevated when the Japanese were preparing for war before WWII, causing several manufacturers to design their own vehicles.

This demand gave rise to companies such as Mitsubishi, Mazda, Isuzu and Toyota.

After the war, it took more than a decade for the Japanese market to get a foothold before starting an automobile revolution in the 1960s. During this era, automakers in Japan also launched a bevy of new kei cars in their domestic market.

Japanese automobiles eventually hit Philippine roads and grew aggressively during the 1990s with their sales pitch anchored on “affordability and reliability�.

Companies such as Suzuki, Subaru, Nissan and Honda were making their inroads too, but Toyota and Mitsubishi lorded it over the Philippine market.

In the mid-90s Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Honda and Isuzu dominated the scene, with the five responsible for almost 80% of the total industry sales of 128,829 in 1995 alone.

This trend continued until the early 2000s with the same carmakers making strides in the automobile market in the Philippines.

With Japanese manufacturers producing very affordable, reliable, and popular cars throughout the 1990s, Japan became the largest car producing nation in the world in 2000.

But, its market share has decreased slightly in recent years, this is due to the new and old competition from India, China and South Korea, as well established manufacturers in Europe.

Japan, despite the stiffening rat race with emerging economies, has its industry continuing to flourish, its market shares rising again, although China-made cars have surfaced as a major competitor.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Defying Duterte

T

HERE is no mistaking it.

The jailbreak on Saturday in Lanao del Sur was a slap in the face of President Rodrigo Duterte, who has vowed to wipe out criminality in six months.

In open defiance of this promise, some 50 Muslim extremists carrying the insignia of the Islamic State stormed the Lanao del Sur provincial jail, freeing 28 detainees, including their leader, Hashim Balwag Maute, who had been

arrested just a few days before.

The provincial jail warden said most of the escapees were, in fact, high-value target criminals.

The Defense Department on Monday vowed to pursue a relentless campaign against members of the Maute group.

In the aftermath of the jailbreak, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana admitted that the escape of top leaders of the Maute group represented a threat to the already volatile security situation in Mindanao, but played down its alleged links to the Islamic State terrorist group.

“They’re very significant...

as they raided the provincial jail... It has been a bigger threat because of these escapees,” Lorenzana said.

But the defense chief played down reports that bandit groups claiming to be part of IS had already infiltrated the country.

“We haven’t seen any indication yet. Those who are here want to be recognized, but it seems that it hasn’t happened because their leadership isn’t stable yet,” he said.

“IS cannot yet control these groups... these are just bandit groups, terrorists who do not have any sense of loyalty to anybody but wanted to be rec-

ognized for international exposure,” he added.

Regardless of this distinction, however, the Maute group has clearly dealt the Duterte administration a black eye, casting doubts on its ability to deal swiftly and effectively against a determined, armed group. In a similar manner, the Abu Sayyaf group defies Duterte’s law and order rhetoric by continuing to hold hostages ransom—and beheading those who don’t meet their demands.

Thus far, the Duterte administration has claimed success in its anti-drug campaign, with hundreds of small-time pushers and users being killed since

he took office.

In the same time, the President himself has also managed to harass and shame a woman senator who dared suggest that his anti-drug campaign had violated the human rights of suspected drug users and pushers, thousands of whom are being killed.

But perhaps when the President tires of persecuting women and small-time hoods, he might find the wherewithal to finally put an end to these bandit groups that openly defy his authority in his home turf of Mindanao.

They, too, like the drug lords, are a blight on this society.

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

Why should De Lima resign?

*** Make no mistake: There were so many who profited from Napoles’ not-so-novel idea to pocket all of Congress’ pork and to kick back major portions of it to the lawmakers who were never, ever charged.

A lot of them, according to the list of “beneficiaries” that Napoles kept, are still very much around in the current Congress, both in the House and in the Senate. And yet, as befits members of an old boys’ network that imposes a policy of Mafia-like omerta on the membership, not one of them—Aquino ally or not —really squealed about Napoles’ scheme.

It’s true that the revelations of Senator Jinggoy Estrada about massive bribery during the impeachment hearing of Chief Justice Renato Corona led to the discovery of the Aquino administration’s other financial skimming operation,

I’M NOT exactly a fan of Senator Leila de Lima who was among former President Benigno Aquino III’s least likable Cabinet secretaries that included Butch Abad, Jun Abaya, Proceso Alcala and Dinky Soliman. But she is a duly elected senator— why should she resign just because President Rodrigo Duterte says so? The fact that the President suggested she should resign can only mean Duterte does not have the hard evidence he earlier claimed he had as he linked the former Justice secretary to drug money used in her senatorial campaign.

De Lima rejected Duterte’s call for her resignation saying to do so would be a sign of weakness and an admission of guilt.

What if De Lima had seized the moment and dared Duterte to resign together with her?

Duterte even told De Lima to hang herself. Instead, she seemed relieved the President has not yet come up with the proof weeks after he claimed De Lima’s alleged lover and driver, Ronnie Dayan, collected money from detained drug lords in the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

That Duterte also said he would leave De Lima’s fate to the Senate would indicate he could not come up with proof. If he has the goods on her, why leave it to the Senate? He made the allegations, he should follow up with evidence and charge her before the proper court. As lawyers would say, put up or shut up.

Besides, for the Senate to take any action on De Lima would be opening the door to anyone of them to be targeted by Duterte. The legislative and the judiciary are zealous in preserving their independence from the executive. The Senate is not expected to succumb to the President. Maybe the House, but not the Senate where there are still a few independent souls aspiring for the highest post in the land in the next presidential elections.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said the word war between the President and Senator De Lima is a distraction hampering the work of the Senate. He said he would consult with the rest of the senators to get a consensus of their views on the matter.

Pimentel is a party mate of

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Turn to A5

Sing, Janet, sing!

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES CHERCHEZ la femme, as the French would say. And the woman will not be hard to find, since she’s already in prison.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, acting on direct instructions from President Rodrigo Duterte, is seeking a meeting with Janet Lim Napoles, known in the previous administration as “Ma’am Janet,” as part of the plan to revisit the pork barrel scandal of three years ago. Aguirre said the President directed him to find out who benefited from Napoles’ large-scale theft of Congress’ funds and who implemented the massive coverup that followed, after the scandal was exposed.

Duterte had earlier announced that he wanted “a second look” at the controversy, in all likelihood

because he was seeking new dirt to throw at his old enemy, Senator Leila de Lima. But the Napoles pork scandal will require from Duterte all of that famous political will that he has, because opening this particular can of worms is going to implicate so many former and current members of Congress—and nearly the entire top-level officialdom of the administration just past.

This is truly a job that only Duterte can take on, just like he took on the illegal drug problem that took many decades to develop into the monster that it is today. Frankly, I’m beside myself with excitement at what Duterte, Aguirre and their investigators will turn up.

The truth of the matter is, Noynoy Aquino, Butch Abad, Mar Roxas and the rest of that gang were deathly scared of the fallout of the Napoles scandal because all of them (and, to be fair, many more politicians of all persuasions) partook of her

legendary largesse. And so the plot to silence Napoles and kill the controversy she generated was hatched, with narratives that went beyond the six-year term of Aquino in order to protect all of her “clients” beyond 2016.

The way they figured, no

The Napoles pork scandal will require from Duterte all of that famous political will that he has. subsequent government would dare touch the Napoles case because every former or present member of Congress had, at

one time or another, using one conduit or another, stolen their pork allocations. And those few who hadn’t knew better than to rock the boat, because they, too, had sleazy—if non-pork related—stuff that they wanted to hide.

Aquino and his administration engineered the conviction of the Queen of Pork on the minor charge of illegal detention, in order to get her freed later on when the heat had subsided, if she “behaved.” They also threw three senators who weren’t allies in jail and then ordered De Lima to make sure that nobody else was charged.

But none of them figured that the successor of Aquino would not care one whit about who gets hurt, as long as he does his job as he sees fit. And now Duterte has ordered the resurrection of the pork barrel case—which means Napoles may finally and freely spill the beans on the whole sordid scan-

dal.

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The difficult phase Internet should keep them informed. There are also local journalists attached to worldwide agencies.

The foreign press knows what’s happening in the country, and they don’t necessarily live here.

This is a problem that President Duterte should attend to. All these negative reactions are giving the country a bad reputation. Malacañang must realize that we still live in a community of nations. *** Allegations of the involvement of former Justice Secretary and now Senator Leila de Lima on illegal drugs as shown by the president coming out with a “matrix” showing her connections with her alleged driverlover, with a former justice undersecretary, with a Pangasinan representative, who was also a former governor, and others in what is called “New Bilibid Prison connection” must be supported by suf f icient proof.

I know P r e sid e nt Duterte would not come out with such grave acc u s a t io n s if he did not have evidence. I say they should now be made public. The people have the right to know.

It’s an uneven fight between the President and De Lima for sure. How can anybody fight the President with all his awesome powers in his command?

Drug addicts need to be made into productive members of society.

*** Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told foreign journalists that they should live in the Philippines to know what’s really happening in President’s war against illegal drugs. I say they don’t have to. The

*** For years now, I have advocating the privatization of Pagcor’s dozens of gambling facilitate nationwide. I am glad that Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez and Pagcor Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Andrea Domingo both agree that government has no business being in business.

In a press statement, Domingo stated that Pagcor should remain a regulatory body in gaming and entertainment. When the four international gaming entertainment moguls entered the Philippines, I wrote about on the need for Pagcor to remain just a regulator, like all the regulators of gaming and entertainment in Macau, Las Vegas, Malaysia and South Korea.

This plan to privatize Pagcor cannot diminish its revenues and income. The state-owned agency can still resume it online E-Games and also online gaming market offshore.

In many instances, I know that the existence of so many Pagcor gambling casinos were abused during past administrations.

Politicians had the privilege of getting free board and lodging in many places. And I know for a fact that in some Pagcor gambling casinos, some politicians are given free trips amounting to several thousands of pesos for gambling.

With the privatization of Pagcor’s casinos, all these abuses will stop.

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Solving Manila’s traffic

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

THERE are actually two phases of President Duterte’s war on illegal drugs.

The first phase is the elimination of so-called drug lords and drug dealers.

As I said in earlier columns, killing all of them will not eradicate the drug menace. There will always be the drug addicts, who are the victims. While there is demand, the menace will continue. All they have to do is to go underground for a while until it’s safe enough for them to surface again.

It has always been like that after the illegal drug cartels found the Philippines a lucrative market for illegal drugs.

I refer to the Chinese Triad, the West African drug syndicates and the Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel that have made the Philippines a transshipment point in their worldwide operations.

Comes now the harder and more diff icult phase: the rehabilitation of drug addicts.

The President estimates that some 3.1 million Filipinos have become dependent on illegal drugs.

W h a t would Duterte do with them if they all surrendered?

There will not be enough jails to detain them in. Existing city and municipal prisons are already packed.

For seven years I was involved with DARE Foundation, a rehabilitation center built by former La Sallete priest Bob Garon. I know that simply isolating drug addicts is not a solution.

Neither does evangelization. Without proper intervention, drug addicts will go back to their old habits.

Drug rehabilitation can take years. A drug abuser usually isolates himself from family and other people. If a young boy or girl starts failing in school and for no reason; insists on going with peers (barkada) all the time; starts answering back; or stays in bed and sleeps all day —beware: These are signs of addiction.

Drug abuse should not be blamed on parents alone. There are plenty of factors at play.

Rehabilitating addicts is the more difficult phase of the war against illegal drugs. The few public and private rehab centers are not enough. It is said that the government may need from P50 billion to P100 billion to rehabilitate all the drug abusers.

My gulay, it all boils down to the law of supply and demand. So long as there is demand, the supply will not be far behind.

Lest I am mistaken, I believe President Duterte’s war on illegal drugs is on the right direction—if he could only stop the summary and extra-judicial killings.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

PRESIDENT Duterte has focused on three things—curbing corruption, curbing criminality, and eliminating the drug menace. So far, the chief executive seems to be on track on his targets. Government men, for now, hate corruption, for fear of losing their jobs. Drug lords are on the run, for fear of losing their life. Duterte seems bent on meeting his self-imposed quota of 100,000 drug users, before or by the end of his six-year term.

There is one problem Duterte has not been talking about lately. It is an issue that the Senate is now tackling in a series of hearings. This is Metro Manila’s horrendous traffic and the now-nationwide transportation shortage.

The problem with traffic is that nobody wants to take responsibility for it. “Traffic is not my job,” says Transportation Secretary Arthur “Art” Tugade, a topnotch lawyer. He is right. His job is transportation. However, transportation—both the lack of and excess—of it, causes traffic.

Strictly though, traffic management in Metro Manila is, by law, the job of the Metro Manila Development Authority. Created in 1975, MMDA has failed miserably in its job. That is why traffic in Metro Manila is considered the worst in the world, if ever there is such a thing.

Lately, Tugade has been inclined to take on the job of traffic management in the national

capital. This is out of a sense of duty, to do good for his country, and out of sense of loyalty to his law school classmate, Duterte.

The President, Art says, is a brilliant man. He finished law and passed the bar without being a diligent student. “He didn’t study very well, yet he became a lawyer,” recalls Art. Traffic is a job for diligent cerebral people like Tugade, by now a legendary rags-toriches logistics entrepreneur who made money the oldfashioned way – through hard and honest work. Knowing his track record, the President, his classmate, has recruited him to handle one of the most difficult jobs in the government —solve the traffic problem and the transportation crisis. Since the problem is serious, Duterte wants emergency powers from Congress which powers he wants Tugade to exercise.

But first, Congress wants an explanation why emergency powers to solve a problem that is the bane of nearly all serious governments —traffic. This explains the Senate hearings.

At the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Tugade has divided responsibility by sector – land transportation, air transportation, and rail and railroad.

Anne Lontoc is undersecretary for land transportation, former International Air Transport Association executive Bobby Lim Usec for air transportation, and former Ayala executive Noel Kintanar is Usec for rail and railroad.

At the MMDA, Lontoc says: “what we need is a synchronized, uniformed traffic system, traffic structure, traffic rules with one single traffic

authority.” Often, the problem lies with local government units in Metro Manila which have their own traffic rules and traffic enforcers.

According to Lontoc, being considered is an alternative transport system is the bus rapid system which has a dedicated lane, just like that of the light rail transit – but it is on the road.

It is also run by a signaling system, with operating hours like a train. “We also would like to have the cable car, double-decker bus, P2P bus service,” says the Harvard-educated USec for transportation.

The point to point bus service is like express bus. It has three routes, Alabang to Makati, North Edsa or Trinoma to Makati.

“We encourage the car users to use public transport,” says Lontoc. In the Alabang route, 40 percent of passengers are former car users. “If we can just encourage the car users to use more public transport, then we can decrease the number of cars using the road,” she wishes.

A pontoon bridge crossing Pasig River at the Makati Circuit City behind Makati City Hall is planned to divert vehicles coming from north of Manila and Mandaluyong away from Edsa when going to the business city.

Eventually, container vans could use the railway from Calamba Port of Manila and/or Roro from Batangas and Sangley Point.

This will eliminate container trucks from major streets of NCR where they wreak havoc and traffic.

As for the Land Transportation Office, Lontoc says “we have really a severe backlog of driver’s license and license plates and currently the TRO has

been lifted by the court. So, for the driver’s license cards, we can proceed with the procurement of 6.7-million driver’s license cards. And regulation allows a repeat order of 25 percent from the original contract. Thus, we can proceed with the procurement of 1.2-million cards. The remaining procurement of 6.7million driver’s license cards will be made through direct contracting.”

Meanwhile, Lontoc says license plates are still under temporary restraining order by the Supreme Court and the disallowance by Commission on Audit. LTO has filed for reconsideration with CoA on its decision to disallow the payment of license plates.

With emergency power, explains Lontoc, “we would like to pursue the procurement of the needed plates, but at the moment we don’t have a budget to procure because there is a case so that we are not given the budget to procure the license plates for 2016 and 2017.”

“For the long term we will be just procuring vehicle plates making machine so that we need not order or import this from abroad,” Lontoc disclosed.

Despite Tugade’s Herculean efforts, solving the capital’s traffic—considered the worst in the world—has a long way to go.

“Two to three years,” estimates Lontoc.

Yesterday, the Senate Public Services Committee chaired

by Senator Grace Poe postponed a scheduled hearing on emergency powers. The reason: DOTr is not yet ready with the figures and the specifics of solving traffic and the procurement cost of reform.

Catharsis SO I SEE LITO BANAYO A POLITICAL mentor and good friend, Ka Frisco San Juan, until a few years ago the president of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, who gallantly fought as a guerilla during the Japanese invasion, later serving in government as a congressman of his beloved Rizal, and appointed to government positions under several presidents, once observed something that will always be etched in my mind.

“What we need in this country is a bloody revolution. We are too soft as a people,” he told me in one of our conversations. I must admit that I was a bit shocked, but coming from one who fought aggression and was ready to sacrifice his life for the Motherland, that was understandable.

Ka Frisco must be in his nineties by now, and I haven’t seen him for quite a while. Seeing what is happening these days in what our president calls the country’s “war” against drugs, I recall to mind Ka Frisco’s observation.

Why...

From A4

Duterte’s PDP-Laban but it’s a political party founded by his father, Aqulino Pimentel Jr. and

Duterte was merely adopted by it during the campaign run-up to the 2016 presidential race.

The President’s Communications Secretary, Martin Andanar, meanwhile, is not helping Duterte any. Andanar told foreign journalists attending an Asean media forum that the international press should come to the Philippines before making unsubstantiated and negative reports about the administration’s war on drugs. In case An-

Sing...

From A4

the Disbursement Acceleration Program. But as far as the pork scandal is concerned, not one Congress member has spoken up – which is strange, given how our lawmakers love to talk.

But now that the instigators of the biggest government coverup are gone and with a relentless anti-corruption president at the

President Duterte never promised the fight against drugs as some kind of soft-glove treatment against those who would “destroy his country, destroy the children’s future.” He was unequivocal, even during the campaign when “softening” may have been politically correct, that “it would be bloody.”

Ka Frisco mentioned how the Civil War united and steeled the backbone of the American people. And how our “revolution” did not lead to a decisive victory against the Spaniards, having been preempted by America’s “manifest destiny,” and how America ruled us later with the co-optation of our “ilustrados.”

There are of course several events in the history of nations that suggest that some kind of bloody upheaval precedes the ascent of nations to greatness.

This article would be too long on history and too short for the moment for me to cite those examples. As Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales suggested to a congressman who inquired about her office, “google it.”

In any case, never in recent history have we experienced the kind of catharsis that PRRD’s war against drugs and criminality has created.

Edsa One was a revolt all right, but no blood was shed. Edsa Dos, where a duly elected president’s impeachment was aborted by mass action, was neither revolt nor bloody.

President Duterte’s war against drugs, expanded to all forms of criminality and corruption, may just be the catharsis that this country needs to finally break out from its self-cocooning lethargy and indifference to nationhood.

And from thereon, proceed in proper and vision-driven cadence to its march towards national greatness. *** Speaker Pantaleon “Bebot” Alvarez is proving to be a nontraditional politician leading what has always been a “traditional” body.

In just the previous week, he did two things one would not expect from a Speaker of the House.

First, he ordered the recall of privilege plates, the Number “8” that congressmen and even their families attached to their vehicles.

Was there ever a speaker in recent history who eschewed the trappings of high office, and who had the guts to order the same disdain for trappings to infect his flock?

And then, in Tacloban last Saturday, wearing a collarless red shirt, so atypical of his predecessors who were always elegantly attired, Alvarez not only called for the postponement of the barangay and SK elections, he also poured criticisms against the system itself.

He wondered aloud why there should be Sangguniang Kabataan’s (SK) at all. And in very commonsensical language, he said those youth should be in school.

And then he asked why there was any need for barangay “kagawads”, the councilmen, when the real action officer should be just the barangay kapitan, now called chairman simply because he presided over a gaggle of kagawads.

Does this guy not covet higher office, a traditional politician would ask, else, why alienate an army of politictians in the barangays? What would his congressmen say about this leader of theirs who wants to write finis to the career of their political cadres?

Well, in the era of Digong, Bebot is simply being Bebot, your everyday reliable guy. No frills, no pomp and circumstance, just, in the words of the president, a “fellow worker” in government.

danar does not know it yet, the world press have always been here and watching. These are the Manila-based correspondents of CNN, BBC, New York Times, Associated Press and Agence France Press. Andanar should not confuse the AFP abbreviation of the French news agency with the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

This is the problem when you get a greenhorn from the broadcast media here. Andanar is not experienced enough to deal with the working press. He’s just another pretty face with a good TV announcer’s voice. This was what happened to his predecessor Ricky Carandang who did not last long as former President

Noynoy Aquino’s communication secretary. I tried hard not to write anything negative about Andanar to give him a chance to learn the ropes. But he seems to be hanging himself with the same rope he should instead be learning as communications secretary. What we are seeing is a failure of communications.

The job of getting across what the President says is difficult enough. But with an irrepressible and loquacious President like Digong, the job of communicating his thoughts to the public becomes doubly hard. Damage control and explaining what was said “in context” becomes the norm and usual excuse.

CNN reported that US Presi-

dent Barack Obama would raise the issue of human rights with President Duterte when they meet at a regional meeting in Laos. We wonder how Duterte would react to Obama’s concern considering the Philippine president reacted strongly against United Nations officials who voiced apprehension about the series of killings of drug suspects.

We hope Obama does not raise Duterte’s hackles. He might tell the US president off and advise him not to meddle in the affairs of a sovereign state. But you never know with the mercurial Duterte. He could do the same to Chinese President Xi Jinping and berate him for encroachment in the West Philippine Sea.

helm, maybe we’ll get to the bottom, finally, of the scam Napoles operated so lucratively for so long.

And if the hypocritical officials of the previous administration end up in jail for protecting Napoles and preventing her story from being told, well, that’s just too bad for them.

It would be truly ironic if the top officials of an administration that proclaimed itself as the guardian of and guide to the straight path are sent to jail because they pocketed

huge sums of government money used to buy congressional loyalty.

But maybe it’s not so ironic, since pork, in its last incarnation, was a creation of the sainted Cory’s immaculate administration.

(It was Ferdinand Marcos, by the way, who abolished Congress’ pork after he assumed dictatorial powers with the imposition of martial law. If only for that one single act, I think he already qualifies for burial at the Libingan ng Mga Bayani.)

I’m sure Napoles would be more willing to talk about her multi-billion scam now, not only because the people who alternately threatened and coddled her are no longer in a position to do either. But if I were Duterte, I’d make sure that Napoles is taken to a secure place before she starts telling her complete tale, so she doesn’t end up dead like Melvin “Dragon” Odicta.

And then, she can sing her heart out.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

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Inmates’ budget surpass students’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATE Minority Leader Ralph Recto on Tuesday shifted gear for the release of old and sick prisoners from the Bureau of Corrections to save government spending of P74,000 annually for each prisoner, the amount three times bigger than the budget allocated per student.

“Every ailing or elderly BuCor prisoner paroled or pardoned will save taxpayers P45,670 in annual costs to guard and feed him,” Recto said in a statement.

“And taxpayers will save P87,178 annually if one Bureau of Jail Management and Penology [BJMP] inmate, whose time spent behind bars is longer than the maximum jail time of the crime he had been charged of, will be released,” he added.

Recto cited the yearly “board and lodging” expenses of one inmate in the country’s penal system in prodding President Duterte to push through with his plan to conditionally free convicts who will meet the requirements for executive clemency.

He noted the annual average per inmate spending now runs at P73,910, almost three times the P23,775 the Department of Education spends per basic education student this year.

Even government per capita spending for health, at P2,381 annually, is a mere 3.2 percent of what government spends yearly for a member of the prison republic, Recto said.

The senator also emphasized that an inmate’s P1,825 yearly allowance for medicines is far greater than the P96 per capita budget of the Department of Health for medicines and vaccines this year.

Per beneficiary, Recto said BJMP’s and BuCor’s combined food budget of almost P2.5 billion for 135,000 inmates is bigger than the P4.27 billion that the Department of Social Welfare and Development will spend to feed 2.1 million undernourished children this year.

Recto said “flushing out” the penal system of inmates who can be freed on humanitarian and legal grounds will not only lead government “to save money, but jail space as well.”

Hearings on special powers suspended WHILE the Senate is waiting for the list of proposed projects under the emergency powers to be granted to President Rodrigo Duterte to solve the traffic crisis, public services committee chairperson Senator Grace Poe on Monday put on hold hearings until after detailed submissions from the Department of Transportation.

“The Executive branch is in a hurry to pass the emergency powers bill, but based on our hearings, we have learned that the DOTr and the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority have yet to come up with concrete projects under the emergency powers bill,” noted Poe. Sans submission of a draft bill from the DOTr that will also spell out proposed projects and particular issues to be addressed, Poe emphasized her committee will still conduct consultative technical working group meetings.

The meetings will hasten the crafting of solutions that will address the traffic and transport problems in the country, she said.

During the August 25 public hearing led by Poe on the proposed emergency powers, Transportation officials asked the Senate panel to give them two weeks to prepare a bill of particulars, including a list of proposed projects, to solve the traffic crisis.

The Senate has heard the proposals of urban planners and the transport and commuter groups, and expects the DOTr to incorporate suggestions from stakeholders.

“How can we make an effective and comprehensive plan if we cannot consult the affected sector?” asked Poe. Macon Ramos-Araneta

News

Nuclear power revisited

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE Philippines is looking to review its policies on nuclear energy and power the Duterte administration’s vision to launch the economy in “a trajectory never seen before,” Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said Tuesday.

While the Constitution only prohibits nuclear weapons and not nuclear power, Pimentel expected a spirited debate on the nuclearization of the country’s energy sector so appropriate legislation will likely be needed to address the matter.

After President Rodrigo Duterte successfully addresses our Law and Order issues, Pimentel said, “We expect the Philippine economy to take off in a tra-

jectory never seen before” after President Rodrigo Duterte addresses the peace and order situation. “That is the change that is coming... Hence, our willingness to search for alternatives to fossil fuel.”

Pimentel said nuclear power has so much potential and many countries have benefitted from it “but it can also have very serious negative consequences, especially in a country located

in what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire. Hence, we must study nuclear power carefully.”

He said our conclusions on this matter must be based on scientific evidence and not on political or ideological considerations.

“You are here to discuss the prospects for nuclear power in the Asia-Pacific Region. Thank you for choosing the Philippines as your venue. This conference will surely start a debate on the desirability of nuclear power here in our country which can only be beneficial to us as we will be educated on the pros and cons of nuclear power,” Pimentel said.

“Whatever be the outcome of your conference, we will all be the beneficiaries. For we would have shown that change is here.

We now have open minds,” he added.

He said nuclear power is a possibility, and “we know that finding alternatives to fossil fuel is a necessity. We can only end up advancing the quality of life of all mankind.”

He said one factor contributing immensely to a high or desirable quality of life is the availability of power and its cost, both to the consumer and to the environment.

“We want an economy which is powered by clean, cheap, and reliable sources of energy to be part of that change. We want our countrymen and future generations to enjoy modern conveniences without sacrificing the purity of the environment,” he added.

The three-day international conference on nuclear power

kicked off on Tuesday at the Diamond Hotel in Manila as the Philippine government reconsiders nuclear energy to solve power shortage and the high cost of electricity.

The conference on the prospects of nuclear power in the Asia-Pacific region was organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency and the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation.

Eighteen countries are participating in the conference, which is being held at the Diamond Hotel: Bangladesh, Canada, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Republic of Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, Vietnam and the Philippines.

IN BRIEF CAAP bans Pokemon Go THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines on Tuesday imposed a policy prohibiting agency officials and employees from playing Pokemon Go and other mobile game applications during office hours.

CAAP deputy director general for administration Manuel Antonio Tamayo said in a memorandum anyone who will be found violating the policy will “be dealt accordingly based on the revised rules on administrative cases in the civil service.”

Two weeks ago, a number of Metro Manila Development Authority personnel, including key officers, have found playing Pokemon Go during office hours, prompting Chairman Emerson Carlos to impose a ban on playing the mobile game at the agency. Joel E. Zurbano

POWER TALK. Environmental group Philippine Movement for Climate Justice pickets the Diamond Hotel along Roxas Boulevard in Manila on Tuesday at the start of an international conference on nuclear energy. Danny Pata

DFA stops issuance of hajj passports

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Department of Foreign Affairs has suspended the issuance of hajj passports following proposals in Congress to extend the validity of passports to 10 years after allegations of irregularities in their distribution.

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay disclosed this during the agency’s 2017 budget presentation before the House committee on appropriations chaired by Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles.

“I am predisposed at this point to make the suspension on a permanent basis by making representations with Congress as (members) deliberate on the law that will extend the term of the passports from five years to 10 years to have this hajj passport withdrawn completely,” Yasay told lawmakers Tuesday.

Yasay also announced the DFA is suspending the issuance of Hajj passports to Filipino pilgrims traveling to Saudi Arabia following

an alleged irregularity.

“I have issued an order for the immediate suspension of the issuance of these hajj passports pending the outcome of the investigation,” Yasay said.

Yasay said that an internal probe is undergoing regarding the issue following the arrest of 177 Indonesian pilgrims found with fraudulently obtained Philippine hajj passports for a flight to Mecca.

Employees of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos have said a P200-million anomaly is allegedly behind the arrest of foreign nationals found with fraudulently obtained Philippine hajj passports for a flight to Mecca.

Yasay said the inquiry proved the questionable passports were issued at the DFA’s Aseana office in Metro Manila and based on the certification from NCMF. “There was no person-to-person contact with the actual applicant for the purpose of our contact

officials at the DFA to interview them to really determine their identity and proof that they are Filipinos,” Yasay said.

He said he suspects an erring DFA staff could have been a contact of Indonesians for the fake passports.

Earlier, Maguindanao Rep. Zajid Mangudadatu filed House Resolution 258 asking the House committee on foreign affairs to conduct an investigation, in aid of legislation, on the matter.

Mangudadatu filed the resolution for a congressional probe as Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente ordered the immediate filing of a case for violation of immigration laws against the Indonesians for misrepresenting themselves as Filipinos and for being undesirable aliens.

In his resolution, Mangudadatu said 177 Indonesian nationals were arrested on Aug. 19 by the Immigration authorities for disguising as Filipinos as they attempted to leave

the country to participate in the Hajj Pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

“The Indonesians were about to board Philippine Airlines (PAL) flight PR 8969 bound for Madinah, Saudi Arabia when Immigration personnel stopped them, along with five Filipinos who were supposed to accompany them in their trip,” the resolution said.

Based on the initial investigation, Mangudadatu said the Indonesians were given Philippine passports to enable them to join the Hajj pilgrimage, which will run from Sept 9 to 14, using the quota reserved for Filipino pilgrims by the Saudi government.

The organizers, according to Mangudadatu, said there were no more available Hajj slots for Indonesians, hence they used the quota intended for Filipino Muslims.

He said the Indonesians reportedly arrived in the country individually as tourists a few weeks before their scheduled pilgrimage and gave Jolo, Sulu as their address.

Lacson: 2017 budget laden with pork barrel

PORT CALL. Japanese destroyers J/S Yugiri and J/S Yudachi are

docked beside each other at the Manila South Harbor after freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea. Japan and the Philippines recently conducted military exercises last July as part of its new strategic partnership. Danny Pata

THE P3.35-trillion proposed budget presented by Malacañang to the Senate for congressional approval is laden with “pork” and violated the Supreme Court rulings on the Priority Development Assistance Fund and Disbursement Acceleration Program, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Tuesday.

In an interview with reporters after attending the Department of Finance presentation of next year’s budget to the Senate, Lacson said the “submission” of congressmen of projects amounting to P80 million to the Department of Budget and Management as admitted by Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno countered the Supreme Court rulings.

He related that a congressman gave him a copy of the pro-forma list of projects, programs and activities.

“There is pork. It’s clear. Legislators

should not intervene, they should not intervene in the preparation of the [National Expenditures Program] in crafting national budget,” he said.

“It’s as if we are returning to PDAF. Why did the congressmen identify projects? They will oversee them. They are the ones who know where to allocate the funds,” he said.

He blasted as “distorted the budgeting process because there’s the so-called local development council that should take care of the priority needs of LGUs prior to the budget call called by the DBM. He said the budget call was made during first quarter and then March-April with the entry of the 2nd quarter.

He also cited conflict of interest and the principle of non-delegability of powers that was invested in Congress as a body and as an institution.

128 workers from Saudi repatriated AT least 128 overseas Filipino workers, most of them abandoned by their employers and survived by scavenging leftovers, were repatriated from Saudi Arabia, the Department of Labor and Employment said.

The first batch that arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2, was part of the more than 11,000 Filipino workers left jobless in Saudi Arabia while others were overstaying and escaped from their abusive employers.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III personally supervised the repatriation of the OFWs who went to Saudi Arabia due to worsening situation of thousands of Filipinos that camped out near the Philippine embassy and consulates. Vito Barcelo

2 helicopter crash victims retrieved MILITARY rescuers have finally retrieved and airlifted the bodies of two helicopter crash victims in Doña Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan last week, the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines said on Tuesday.

The remains of Capt. Miguel C. Logronio and his Aircraft Mechanic Eng. Jay Gregorio were airlifted by the 505th rescue group in a Sokol helicopter at Villamor Airbase Grandstand at around 11 a.m.

The Air Force and the Army rescue personnel resumed their retrieval operation following a two-day suspension due to bad weather at the crash site in Sitio Macua, Barangay Kabayunan in Trinidad near the boundary of Quezon province.

The helicopter AS350B2 type is operated by Macroasia Air Taxi Services with registry number RP-C2688. It was on rescue mission extracting trapped miners inside the Sumag diversion tunnel project

by Manila Water and Sewerage System when the accident happened. Joel E. Zurbano

Sports

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Reed rallies to earn spot in US team

CAGE KINGS. The Philippine team, led by tournament Most Valuable Player Lucio ‘Bong’ Tan Jr., won the 50-years-old-and-above division in the 2016 Asean Veteran Basketball Championships. With Tan Jr. are head coach Mac Tan, Team Consultant Gerard Cantada, Team Manager Jonathan Yap, Gerry Tee, former PBA stars Alvin Patrimonio, Gerry Codiñera, Allan Caidic and Jerry Esplana, and players and supporters. Eight Asean countries took part in the meet.

Season 79 coaches agree: Archers UAAP team to beat

By Peter Atencio

S

EVERAL coaches believe that the La Salle Green Archers will have a great season in the 79th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament, which will use an old format when it opens this Sunday at the Araneta Coliseum.

Not much is expected of his Far Eastern University Tamaraws, according to coach Nash Racela after six key players graduated and three veterans stayed following their title conquest at the expense of the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers last year.

The Green Archers, now coached by Aldin Ayo, who steered the Letran Knights to a

National Collegiate Athletic Association crown last year, are the odds-on favorites this season due to their balanced roster.

Mythical Five member Jeron Teng will lead the Green Archers, along with Cameroonian Ben Mbala and Rookie of the Year Andrei Caracut, plus talented rookies like big man Justine Baltazar of junior champion National University and

high school MVP Aljun Melecio.

“Kahit na ano pa ang sabihin nila, nasa kanila (La Salle) ang pressure,” said Racela, who talked about his team’s chances during Tuesday’s press conference at the Novotel Hotel in Cubao Quezon City.

Racela feels that this year, it will be back to square one for the Tams.

“We can’t start the tourney thinking that we are the champions. Kailangan naming alalahanin na galing kami sa ibaba,” added Racela.

Ayo said the Green Archers are coming into the season prepared as a fighting team, familiar with the system he introduced to the Knights when he coached them last year.

“Palaban ang mga ito. We are prepared. We’re just excited,” added Ayo, as La Salle prepares to face FEU in

their first game on Wednesday.

Also in agreement that La Salle will be the team to watch out for this season are new University of Santo Tomas coach Rodil Sablan, National University’s Eric Altamirano, Ateneo de Manila University’s assistant coach Sandy Arrespacochaga, University of the Philippines’ mentor Bo Perasol and University of the East skipper Paul Varilla.

Games on Sunday will have UP taking on Adamson at 2 p.m., and UST clashing with Ateneo at 4 p.m, in matches to be covered live by ABS-CBN’s S+A sports channel.

Season 79 president Fr. Ermito de Sagon of host UST said the thrice-to-beat championship format will no longer be implemented this season.

The old format has been in use for 22 years and was implemented in Season 57 (1994–95) and was followed in Season 70 (2007–08) when University of the East swept the elimination rounds, but lost to La Salle in the finals.

“We thought that this is too much (thrice-to-beat format). It ends up like being a best-of-four. Hindi na maganda,” said De Sagon.

Traditions will be broken when competitions in ballroom dancing kick off the start of the 79th season.

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.

Cullen: Rise of PH rugby looms MATT Cullen, Director of Rugby for the Philippines, sees a rise for Philippine Rugby in the coming years, while forecasting a positive result for the men’s and women’s PH Volcanoes teams at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

Cullen expects a repeat of gold for the men’s team and foresees a silver-medal finish for the women’s side, which bagged a bronze in Singapore last year.

“Women will get Silver. Gold, that will be tough, but the women will get silver, that’s my prediction,” Cullen said during the team’s appearance at the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum in Shakey’s Malate.

The Aussie Rugby official hopes that the contact sport will grow and expand.

“I know that the new administration is very aware that if we want to attain the gold medal for the Philippines, it’s about the education and providing facilities for

the youth,” he said.

“I have a positive feeling that in the next six years under this administration, we will see a crop of young athletes that will be given the opportunity (to be discovered) and Philippine Rugby is here to support them,” he added.

The Philippine Rugby Football Union aims to groom players with the potential to qualify for the Volcanoes, concentrating on the grassroots program, targeting local-grown talents to represent the Philippines and eventually incorporating more players other than Fil-foreigners.

“As I always say, dahan-dahan lang, we will get there,” said Cullen noting the possibility of the sport being included in next year’s Palarong Pambansa.

Meanwhile, the Gemmalyn Crosby Sports Festival will hold the third Philippine Fitness & Wellness Expo on Sept. 3 at the Mall of Asia in Pasay.

The 2016 Filipino Fitness and

Wellness Expo will be the biggest fitness event of the year, giving all athletes international exposure and recognition.

The multi-sport event will feature the best, as well as promote the latest trends in the fitness, sports and wellness industry. Athletes, sports enthusiasts and celebrity guests from all around the Philippines and the world will participate and grace the event.

Events include Filipino Martial Arts & Arnis Championships, Bodybuilding Championships, Karatedo Championships, Arnis Best of the Best of the Philippines, Filipino Martial Arts, Table Tennis Games and Exhibitions, Yoga Classes, Boxing, Zumba and much more.

Tickets are available at SM Tickets (www.smtickets.com).

For booth info and other inquiries, visit the website atwww. philippinefitnessexpo.com or call 09226882982. Peter Paul Duran

San Sebastian, UP dispute semis berth Games today

(Philsports Arena) 10 a.m. – FEU vs La Salle (S Turf) 12 noon – EAC vs UST (S Turf) 4 p.m. – SSC vs UP (V-League) 6 p.m. – FEU vs Ateneo (V-League)

Matt Cullen: I have a positive feeling that in the next six years under this administration, we will see a crop of young athletes that will be given the opportunity (to be discovered) and Philippine Rugby is here to support them.

Peter Paul Duran

Teleperformance teams emerge as cage champs

Teleperformance Luzon Team (above) and Teleperformance Visayas Team (below) both bagged the championship in the 2016 BPO Classics and Inter-Call Center and Commercial Employees basketball leagues held in Makati City and Bacolod City, respectively.

TELEPERFORMANCE, the world’s leading provider of outsourced omnichannel customer experience management services, recently won two inter-BPO basketball league championships – the 2016 BPO Classics in Metro Manila and the Inter-Call Center and Commercial Employees basketball league in Bacolod City.

The Teleperformance Luzon basketball team dominated the BPO Classics tournament, besting six other BPO companies during the 2016 season.

The Teleperformance roster of 17 players rallied against the Global Payments’ team during the championship game held at the Makati Coliseum.

Demonstrating superb offensive play, Teleperformance led from first to fourth quarter

LOS ANGELES—Patrick Reed came from behind to win The Barclays on Sunday to claim his fifth USPGA Tour title and a spot on the American Ryder Cup team.

The 26-year-old Reed caught and passed 54-hole leader Rickie Fowler who stumbled to the finish by playing his final four holes in three over.

Fowler failed to make the US team and will have to rely on a captain’s pick when Davis Love makes his final four selections in the coming weeks.

“It is awesome,” said Reed, who earned $1.5 million for his first win of 2016.

“I worked hard with my coach the last couple weeks so it shows I am moving in the right direction.

“I am glad I was finally able to close one off.”

Reed finished at nine-under 275 for a one-stroke victory over Sean O’Hair (66) and Argentina’s Emiliano Grillo (69), who tied for second.

Top-ranked Jason Day of Australia (69) was two strokes back and tied for fourth with Gary Woodland (69) and world number seven Adam Scott of Australia (71) at the Bethpage Black course in Farmingdale, New York.

Fowler (74) was three strokes back and tied for seventh with Ryan Moore and Jason Kokrak, who each carded 69s.

World number three Jordan Spieth (69) tied for 10th with Justin Thomas (71) at four shots behind.

The Barclays marked the start of the PGA Tour playoffs but it also signalled the end of the Ryder Cup qualifying for the Americans.

Dustin Johnson, Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Jimmy Walker and Brooks Koepka already made the team. Reed, Brant Snedeker, Zach Johnson rounded out the team when the points standings closed on Sunday.

World number 14 Reed bolstered his chances by being the 18hole leader and then holding the outright lead at 36 holes. AFP

against Global Payments.

Point guard Irving Gomez showed firepower with a total of 24 points, while forward and Most Valuable Playerawardee Mario Maglinao scored 15 points, securing the team’s victory for the second consecutive year with a final score of 90-82.

In the BPO Classics volleyball tournament, Team Teleperformance also finished strong, clinching the first runner-up for both men’s and women’s categories.

Meanwhile, the Teleperformance Bacolod basketball team bagged a thrilling comefrom-behind victory during the 2016 ICCE basketball finals against the Focus Direct team.

With 15 cagers in its roster,

Teleperformance showcased solid performance to overcome five other BPO teams in the 11th season. At the finals, the team trailed closely for the first three quarters but claimed the lead in the fourth quarter and ended the game with a final score of 94-84.

With 27 points, top scorer Alben Bunol was named MVP, while Rowel Sales contributed 18 points and Mark Wendell Celestial added 16 points. The Teleperformance Bacolod basketball team reclaimed its title after giving way to Panasiatic Solutions last year.

Both the Metro Manila and Bacolod sports events were organized to foster camaraderie and teamwork through friendly sports competition among BPO companies.

THE Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference semifinal race reaches its highpoint today with San Sebastian College and University of the Philippines colliding for the third Final Four berth and Ateneo shooting for the last seat against semifinalist Far Eastern U at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The Lady Stags and the Lady Maroons dropped their last matches to fall into a tie with the Lady Eagles at third at 2-2 with the first two teams knocking each other out in the 4 p.m. opener of an explosive twinbill wrapping up the cutthroat quarterfinal phase of the mid-season conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.

But Ateneo, which swept ousted University of Santo Tomas last Monday to keep its backdoor bid alive, will also have a tougher opponent in FEU which is also expected to go all-out for the momentum needed in the Final Four.

The Lady Eagles and the Lady Tams collide at 6 p.m. with both matches to be shown live over ABS-CBN Sports + Action Channel 23 and via streaming on www. sports.abs-cbn.com, according to the organizing Sports Vision.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

P0.0 M+ P0.0 M+

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

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Sports

Tropang Texters aim to rebound Games Today

Djokovic survives injury scare; Nadal wins in heat

N

EW YORK—Defending champion Novak Djokovic overcame an arm injury scare and long-time rival Rafael Nadal shone in 33-degree heat as the US Open showcased its $650 million upgrade on Monday.

World number one Djokovic, also the 2011 winner in New York and chasing his third major of the year, defeated Jerzy Janowicz of Poland 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, 6-1.

Nadal, the 2010 and 2013 champion and seeded to face Djokovic in the semi-finals, eased to a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan.

In the women’s event, second seeded Angelique Kerber, the Australian Open champion, needed just 33 minutes to progress but Roland Garros winner Garbine Muguruza required three sets and a visit from the doctor before she survived.

Djokovic had admitted that he was “not 100 percent” after suffering a wrist injury on the eve of the Olympics where he was a first-round loser.

But it was the upper right arm that bothered the Serb on Monday night as he played his first Grand Slam match since his shock third round exit at Wimbledon.

The 29-year-old needed treatment after just five games of the first set but eventually pulled through against Janowicz who had played just two matches all year due to a knee injury.

“It was hard to follow Phil Collins,” joked Djokovic in reference to the lengthy opening ceremony which featured the veteran English rocker under the new $150 million roof on Arthur Ashe Stadium.

On his arm injury, Djokovic added: “It’s never easy to play at this level throughout the year. There are periods where you aren’t 100 percent.”

Djokovic next faces Jiri Vesely, the Czech who knocked him out of Monte Carlo this year.

Nadal’s reward for a fifth win in five meetings with Istomin is a match-up with Italian veteran Andreas Seppi.

A wrist injury forced the Spaniard into an early retirement at the French Open and sidelined him from Wimbledon before a gold medal run in the doubles at the Olympics helped ease his misery.

“The most important thing is that I am here in New York. Injuries are part of the career. I had a hard time this year,” said the fourth seed.

Canadian fifth seed Milos Raonic, the runner-up to Andy Murray at Wimbledon, overcame German dangerman Dustin Brown 7-5, 6-4, 6-4.

Kerber needed just over 30 minutes to get her pursuit of a first US Open title off to a winning start.

The German was leading Polona Hercog 6-0, 1-0 when the Slovenian called it quits having won just nine points.

Kerber, a semi-finalist in 2011, next faces Mirjana Lucic-Baroni of Croatia.

Muguruza carved out a gritty 2-6, 6-0, 6-3 win over Belgian qualifier Elise Mertens, ranked at 137.

But the French Open champion needed courtside treatment from a doctor after dropping the first set.

The consultation certainly worked as she reeled off the next seven games to lay the foundation for her win.

Muguruza plays Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia for a place in the last 32.

French 13th seed Richard Gasquet, a semifinalist three years ago, was the day’s biggest casualty. AFP

Novak Djokovic of Serbia takes a break during his 2016 US Open 2016 Men’s Singles match against Jerzy Janowicz of Poland at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York. AFP

2 collegiate leagues to open TWO collegiate leagues are set to commence next week with the opening of the 8th Inter Scholastic Athletic Association tournament and National Collegiate Athletic Association-South’s 18th season.

ISSA, in partnership with SM Leisure, will be introducing bowling this season while the athletic organization is in talks with Trinity University of Asia, Enderun Colleges and DLSU- Araneta in a bid to expand the league next year.

St. Dominic College of Asia will host the opener on Sept. 6, 2016 at the Mall

of Asia Arena.

Officials also bared the inclusion of a basketball tourney for Senior high school this season during the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Meanwhile, First Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities will manage the opening ceremonies of NCAA-South’s 18th season in Tanuan, Batangas on Sept.

8 highlighted by a proposed drone show.

Season 17 junior division overall champion De La Salle- Lipa and six-

straight senior overall titlist University of Perpetual Help System-Laguna will also be awarded during the event, which centers on the theme “Let’s Keep the Flame Ablaze.”

There will be nine sporting events including volleyball, chess football, badminton, table tennis, swimming, taekwondo, beach volleyball and demonstration sport futsal, while basketball will kick off the 18th season with host FAITH and San Pablo Colleges colliding on Sept. 13. Peter Paul Duran

Tight finish looms as Splendido golf starts TAGAYTAY—With the last two Philippine Golf Tour legs decided via playoffs, a third straight down-to-the-wire finale could be in the works again as the men of the tour slug it out in the ICTSI Splendido Classic which gets going today (Wednesday, Aug. 31) at Splendido Taal Golf and Country Club here.

Sudden deaths actually marked three of the last four tournaments of the country’s premier circuit sponsored by ICTSI with veteran Frankie Miñoza outlasting young Miguel Tabuena in a record five-hole playoff at Negros Occidental Classic last July.

After Jay Bayron nipped Malaysian ace

Miñoza

Gavin Green by two to win the Aboitiz Invitational at Wack Wack, the former nipped Clyde Mondilla on the first playoff hole to pick up another victory at ICTSI Riviera.

But Mondilla played like a man on a mission at ICTSI Classic, edging Orlan Sumcad, also in sudden death, at Mt. Malarayat last weekend for his third leg victory, counting his back-to-back title feats at Eastridge, where he also nipped Jobim Carlos in a playoff, and Calatagan.

That makes him the marked player in this week’s P2 million event, which is again tipped to go down to the last shot or putt given the field’s highly competitive

form and hunger for recognition.

“I feel good, especially coming off a lucky win,” said Mondilla on the eve of the 14th leg of this year’s circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Custom Clubmakers, adidas, KZG, Summit Mineral Water, Srixon, Pacsports, TaylorMade, Sharp and Champion.

The 23-year-old Del Monte star actually withdrew in the third round at Aboitiz due to back injury and played below par at Riviera. But he said he has recovered his form since and expressed confidence of pulling off another win as he tries to match Tony Lascuña’s four-leg romp this season.

Nepal bans Indian police couple for faking Everest climb KATHMANDU—Nepal has imposed a 10-year mountaineering ban on an Indian couple who faked photographs purporting to show them at the top of Mount Everest, an official said Tuesday.

Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod, both police constables, said they reached the top of the world’s highest mountain on May 23. But fellow climbers cast doubt on their claim, saying their photos at the summit were doctored.

Nepal’s tourism department initially certified their claim but later conducted an investigation.

“Our investigation shows that the couple faked their summit. We have imposed a 10-year ban against them from climbing any mountain in Nepal,” tourism department chief Sudarshan Prasad Dhakal told AFP of the decision made on Monday.

Dhakal said an analysis of the photos submitted by the couple

showed they had superimposed themselves and their banners on photos taken by another Indian climber of his Everest summit.

“Despite several attempts to get clarifications from them, they did not cooperate with us during the investigation. The two Sherpas that assisted them are also absconding,” Dhakal said.

“The ban should serve as a warning for mountaineers to follow ethics,” he said.

Many of those who reach the top of the 8,848 metre (29,029 feet) mountain have gone on to make money or forge careers as motivational speakers and authors.

A total of 456 people, including more than 250 foreigners, summited Everest during the recently-ended spring season, after two consecutive years of deadly disasters that led to almost all attempts being abandoned.

Mountaineering is a major revenue-earner for the impoverished

Himalayan nation. This year’s string of successful summits is expected to boost the industry, which was left reeling after an earthquake last year killed almost 9,000 people nationwide.

Hundreds fled Everest last year after an earthquake-triggered avalanche at base camp killed 18 people.

Only one climber reached the top in 2014 after an avalanche killed 16 Nepali guides that year. AFP

(Smart Araneta Coliseum): 4:15 p.m. - GlobalPort vs. TNT KaTropa 7 p.m.- San Miguel vs. Meralco

By Jeric Lopez TWO equally important showdowns are bound to take place as teams in the upper half of the ladder resume their respective campaigns in the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. League-leading TNT KaTropa (6-1) looks to bounce back and keep sole possession of first place as it is set to take on a challenge from streaking GlobalPort (3-4), winner of three straight, at 4:15 p.m. in an intriguing clash.

In the nightcap, San Miguel Beer (5-2) wants to keep instep with the other top teams when it figures in a vital match against Meralco (5-3), which is looking to finally break into the Top 4, at 7 p.m.

The Tropang Texters’ rousing winning streak to start their campaign came to an end last Friday when they got stunned by second-running Mahindra, 107-104. Their six-game winning streak came to a halt but they are still in a good position.

A win will also boost their chances of finishing in the Top 4, the teams of which will earn a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals against lowerranked teams.

GlobalPort, a streaking team shooting for a fourth straight win, following an atrocious 0-4 start, is expected to present an acid test for TNT with how it is playing as of late.

After downing the Beermen a week ago, the Batang Pier followed through with a tough 10199 squeaker over powerhouse Rain or Shine in Legazpi City last Saturday night behind 33 points from Terrence Romeo.

That win allowed it to claim sixth place and be in a good position for a slot in the next phase.

Defending champion San Miguel Beer doesn’t want to be left behind as Mahindra and Barangay Ginebra, both already at 6-2, are just half-agame above it for joint second place positioning.

Ilagan’s 7 triples lift SSC Stags

By Peter Atencio REGILE Ilagan tallied 25 points, including seven triples to power the San Sebastian Stags to a 7769 stopping of the Lyceum Pirates Tuesday at the Arena in San Juan.

Ilagan’s huge effort helped propel the Egay Macarayacoached Stags to their fourth straight win in the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournamrnt at The Arena in San Juan.

The 19-year-old Ilagan unloaded all of his three pointers in the second half, with his last finding its mark with left 1:46, giving the Stags a comfortable 73-64 lead.

“Hindi naman natin maalis kay RK (Ilagan) ‘yung lahat ng pagtira sa three points kasi inborn na ata sa kanya ‘yun. But the key was our defense,” said Macaraya.

Jerick Fabian provided 12 points for the Stags, while Alvin Capobres had 10 points and seven rebounds.

LPU slid to its third straight defeat for a 5-8 slate.

Meanwhile, the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals escaped with a controversial 63-60 triumph over Jose Rizal University in a game which was put under a protest.

Bernabe Teodoro’s buzzerbeating triple came after he was fouled with no time left by Remy Morada.

The Generals now have a 4-9 slate, while the Bombers have a 6-6 card in fifth.

Sidney Onwubere made 26 points for the Generals including 12 in the last period, while Mark de la Virgen provided 12.

“Nagbigay ito sa amin ng experience para mas maging composed ang team at kayanin na namin. At least ‘yung character namin nandyan na at nagbu-build na ng maayos,” said Generals coach Ariel Sison.

Business

Clark airport expansion bidding up B3

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

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Govt cuts business procedures

By Othel V. Campos

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HE government announced Tuesday the reduction in processing time for new business registration from five days to 1 ½ days to encourage more foreign and local investors.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez signed a revised joint memorandum circular enjoining all local government units and relevant government agencies to streamline business permits and licensing system using revised standards.

“Starting today, we are also engaging the local government units to further streamline the processes to 1 ½ days for compliance a month from now,” Lopez said during the signing of the circular at the Board of Investments in Makati City.

Lopez said under the circular, the processing time for new business registration would be cut from five days to 1 ½ days for new business registration and one day for renewals.

The circular set the maximum number of procedures for registration at three steps for both new applicants and renewals, with only two signatories from eight signatories previously.

The circular also encouraged LGUs to automate and computerize business transactions to hasten frontline services.

The revised joint memorandum circular was the result of the combined efforts of the Trade Department, Information and Communications Technology Department, Local Government Department and the National Competitiveness Council.

The Trade Department issued a similar instruction to LGUs in 2010 to facilitate business registration by streamlining transaction.

Under the new circular, the Information and Communications Technology Department will roll out a common automated platform that will be available first to the Trade Department and the Interior and Local Government Department and soon to all LGUs. The common platform is currently at a pilot stage in a municipality in Greater Manila Area.

About 75 percent of LGUs started to streamline their licensing processes.

There are about 1,654 LGUs in the Philippines.

National Competitiveness Council cochairman Bill Luz said the streamlined processes would greatly impact on the Philippines’ ranking in global competitiveness.

The country ranked poorly in the “Starting a Business” indicator, where it slipped eight places to 165th in 2015 from 157th in the 2014.

The Philippines placed 103rd in the Ease of Doing Business report published by the World Bank – International Finance Corp. in 2015.

DoE to draft nuclear energy roadmap

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Department said Tuesday it will prepare a nuclear energy roadmap which will include the possible rehabilitation of the mothballed 620-megawatt Bataan Nuclear Power Plant.

“We’re coming up with a roadmap… including how we’re going to put that [BNPP] into operation,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said at the opening of the three-day International Atomic Energy Agency and International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation Conference at Diamond Hotel in Manila.

Cusi said nuclear technology could be a “viable choice for the country.”

“We are told that on a levelized basis, nuclear power is an economical source high on productivity and reliability, and low on costs and emissions,” the energy chief said.

Cusi said he remained open to adopting nuclear technology to secure the country’s power requirements.

“Personally, I’ve expressed my position about it. I’m not against it.

As DoE secretary, it is my duty to study all options to ensure power supply for the coming generation,” he said.

Cusi said a team composed of officials from the Energy Department, National Power Corp. and Philippine Nuclear Research Institute would conduct a study.

Cusi said the revival of BNPP facility was being studied. He said department and international officials would visit the facility on Thursday “to determine its present status.”

He said rehabilitating and bringing the nuclear facility into commercial operations would require an investment of about $1 billion.

Cusi also said Filipinos should not be overtaken by fear of nuclear energy. “Fear is always there…

Since 1977, we were supposed to open that. Had we opened that, our life would have been different. Because of fear, we did not open it…

Don’t you think it’s a loss of oppor-

tunity to us?” he said.

Cusi cited reports and special studies showing that “operation of nuclear plants has become safer, more predictable and more dependable, with useful life of over 60 years.”

“We have to address the deepseated social stigma and negative perception about nuclear energy…

We also have to clear away decades-long half-truths, borne and exacerbated by highly prejudiced opinions conveniently dished out every time this matter of nuclear energy comes up. High on political innuendos, but lacking in scientific basis,” he said.

Cusi also said the price per kilowatt-hour of nuclear power generated was “predictable” unlike oil.

“Among all the studies, the cheapest power source is nuclear.

We want to be competitive with the rest of our neighbors, so we have to come up with a cheap source of energy, and that is really nuclear,” he said.

July budget deficit hit P50b

By Gabrielle H. Binaday.

THE government incurred a P50-billion budget deficit in July, the first month in office of the Duterte administration, as revenue collection shrank and expenditures rose from a year ago.

The cash operations report released by the Bureau of Treasury Tuesday showed the budget deficit in July was 57 percent higher than the P32.2-billion budget shortfall registered in the same month last year.

It also brought the total budget deficit in the first seven months to P171 billion, much higher than the P18.5-billion gap recorded in the same period in 2015, as expenditure growth outpaced the weak expansion in revenue collection.

The government said netting out interest payments, it still posted a primary balance surplus of P10.6 billion in July.

Data showed government revenues fell 5 percent year-on-year to P170.3 billion in July, bringing year-to-date collections to P1.27 trillion.

Tax collection by the Bureau of Internal Revenue declined 1 percent in July to P117.4 billion, but the seven-month tally still registered a 9-percent growth to P900.9 billion.

Bureau of Customs collection improved 3

percent in July to P31 billion while the seven-month tally increased 6 percent to P221.5 billion.

Treasury income slid 36 percent to P9.1 billion in July, because of lower income from Bond Sinking Fund and Security Stabilization Fund deposits.

This brought total Treasury income in the seven-month period to P8.5 billion, or 10 percent lower than a year ago.

Collections from other offices contributed P12.8 billion in July, down by 27 percent from the 2015 level. Year-to-date revenue from other offices sank 52 percent to P76 billion year-on-year. “[This is] due to the aforementioned P60.1 billion transfer of Coconut Levy assets which boosted receipts in May 2015,” the Treasury said.

Meanwhile, government expenditures recovered from last month’s contraction to reach P220.9 billion in July, or 5 percent higher than P210.7 billion posted in the same month in 2015.

Government expenditures in the sevenmonth period rose 12 percent to P1.44 trillion from a year ago. Interest payments, comprising 18 percent of the total expenditures, went down by 25 percent to P40.0 billion.

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Market slumps; Vitarich up

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TOCKS fell for a fifth day, bucking the trend in regional markets, as the government reported a drop in tax collection in July and investors stayed on the sidelines amid expectations of a US interest rate hike before the end of the year.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, dropped 50 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 7,794.93 Tuesday, following a holiday. Despite the loss, the bellwether was still up 12.1 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also retreated 25 points, or 0.6 percent, to settle at 4,636.22 Tuesday, on a value turnover of P10.9 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers,

124 to 73, while 46 issues were unchanged.

Only four of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by poultry producer Vitarich Corp. which gained 5.2 percent to P3.04 and food manufacturer Universal Robina Corp. which advanced 1.9 percent to P183.50.

Port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. rose 0.7 percent to P85.05, while Manila Water Company Inc. added 0.2 percent to close at P26.80.

The Bureau of Treasury reported a budget deficit of P50 billion in July, the first month in office of the Duterte administration, as revenue collection fell 5 percent year-on-year.

Meanwhile, other Asian markets rebounded Tuesday from Monday’s sell-off, as investors returned to buying, buoyed by a rally on Wall Street with fresh data indicating improvement in the world’s top economy.

Bets on a rate rise this year have soared after Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen said last week at the Jackson Hole symposium of

central bankers that “the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months”.

Attention now turns to the release on Friday of the US jobs report, seen as a guide to whether the Fed will move sooner rather than later.

“Without question, jobs day is always a monthly highlight, but given the Federal Reserve board’s tilt at Jackson Hole, it plainly appears it will take a big surprise to derail a 2016 Fed hike expectation at this point,” Stephen Innes, senior trader at OANDA, said in a note.

“Investor odds of lift-off are hovering near 70 percent for December and Friday’s jobs data will offer more information about the probability of a hike in September than anything else.” With AFP, Bloomberg Editor’s note: Manila Standard is unable to print the stock market table today because of a glitch Tuesday in the system of the Philippine Stock Exchange.

BDO bares cash dividends

By Julito G. Rada BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender in terms of assets, said it will pay on Sept. 26 a total of P1.1 billion in cash dividends to stockholders of record as of Sept. 15.

“Please be informed that the board of directors of BDO Unibank Inc. at its regular board meeting on Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, approved the declaration of regular cash dividends on common shares in the amount of P0.30 per share or approximately P1.1 billion payable on Sept. 26, 2016 to all stockholders of record as of Sept. 15, 2016,” the bank told the stock exchange Tuesday.

It said the source of dividend payment was the “surplus profits of the bank.”

BDO posted a 13-percent increase in first-half net income to P13.2 billion from P11.7 billion a year ago, on the strength of core businesses. It was slightly more than a half of the bank’s net income target of P26 billion this year.

Metro issues P5b in notes

CAB issues tarmac rules

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Civil Aeronautics Board said Tuesday it issued the rules on tarmac delays amid complaints from airline passengers.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said he ordered CAB to issue rules on deplaning procedures after recent air events that caused inconvenience to passengers, who were made to stay inside an aircraft for more than four hours due to diversion of flights or other incidences.

Tarmac delay occurs while passengers are already on board the aircraft.

Under CAB Resolution 49, domestic flights must be done deplaning after three hours and international flights must be done deplaning after four hours.

“In cases where passengers cannot be deplaned at the said time frame, the air carrier shall have burden of proof and present adequate and reasonable evidence,” the resolution read.

MITSUBISHI’S DONATION. Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. holds a turnover ceremony of a brand new Mitsubishi Strada to the Philippine

Red Cross–Laguna Chapter at its plant in Greenfield Automotive Park, Sta. Rosa, Laguna on Aug. 23, 2016. The ceremony is led by (from right) MMPC president and chief executive Yoshiaki Kato, PRC chairman and Senator Richard Gordon and PRC-Laguna Chapter chairman Jaime Ching.

Fewer oil discoveries in 2015 signal supply shortfall ahead

By Mikael Holter EXPLORERS in 2015 discovered only about a tenth as much oil as they have annually on average since 1960. This year, they’ll probably find even less, spurring new fears about their ability to meet future demand.

With oil prices down by more than half since the price collapse two years ago, drillers have cut their exploration budgets to the bone. The result: Just 2.7 billion barrels of new supply was discovered in 2015, the smallest amount since 1947, according to figures from Edinburgh-based consulting firm Wood Mackenzie Ltd. This year, drillers found just 736 million barrels of conventional crude as of the end of last month.

That’s a concern for the industry at a time when the US Energy Information Administration estimates that global oil demand will grow from 94.8 million barrels a day this year to 105.3 million barrels in 2026. While the US shale boom could potentially make up the difference, prices locked in below $50 a barrel have undercut any substantial growth there.

New discoveries from conventional drilling, meanwhile, are “at rock bottom,” said Nils-Henrik Bjurstroem, a senior project manager at Oslo-based consultant Rystad Energy AS. “There will definitely be a strong impact on oil and gas supply, and especially oil.”

Global inventories have been buoyed by full-throttle output from Russia and Opec. They’ve flooded the world with oil despite depressed prices as they defend market share. But years of under-investment will be felt as soon as 2025, Bjurstroem said.

Producers will replace little more than one in 20 of the barrels con-

sumed this year, he said.

Global spending on exploration, from seismic studies to actual drilling, has been cut to $40 billion this year from about $100 billion in 2014, said Andrew Latham, Wood Mackenzie’s vice president for global exploration. Moving ahead, spending is likely to remain at the same level through 2018, he said.

Exploration is easier to scratch than development investments because of shorter supplier-contract commitments. This year, it will make up about 13 percent of the industry’s spending, down from as much as 18 percent historically, Latham said.

The result is less drilling, even as the market downturn has driven down the cost of operations.

There were 209 wells drilled through August this year, down from 680 in 2015 and 1,167 in 2014, according to Wood Mack-

enzie. That compares with an annual average of 1,500 in data going back to 1960.

10-year effect Ten years down the line, when the low exploration data being seen now begins to hinder production, it will have a “significant potential to push oil prices up,” Bjurstroem said.

“Exploration activity is among the easiest things to regulate, to take up and down,” said Statoil ASA Chief Executive Officer Eldar Saetre, in an interview at the ONS Conference in Stavanger, Norway on Monday. “It’s not necessarily the right way to think. We need to keep a long-term perspective and maintain exploration activity through downturns as well, and Statoil has.”

Oil prices at about $50 a barrel remain at less than half their 2014 peak, as a glut caused by the US shale boom sent prices

crashing. When the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to continue pumping without limits in a Saudi-led strategy designed to increase its share of the market, US production retreated to a two-year low.

Global benchmark Brent added 0.2 percent to $49.38 a barrel at 1:04 p.m. Singapore time on Tuesday.

Creating opportunities Kristin Faeroevik, managing director for the Norwegian unit of Lundin Petroleum AB, a Stockholm-based driller that’s active in Norway, said it will take “five-to-eight years probably before we see the impact” on production from the current cutbacks. In the meantime, he said, “that creates opportunities for some.”

Oil companies will need to invest about $1 trillion a year to continue to meet demand, said Ben

Van Beurden, the CEO of Royal Dutch Shell Plc, during a panel discussion at the Norway meeting.

He sees demand rising by 1 million to 1.5 million barrels a day, with about 5 percent of supply lost to natural declines every year.

On Monday, oil declined amid doubts producers will agree on a deal to stabilize the market when suppliers meet next month for informal talks. Iran’s plan to continue boosting crude output until it regains its pre-sanctions Opec market share is dimming prospects of collective action, said Patrick Allman-Ward, CEO of Dana Gas PJSC. Less risk Persistently low prices mean that even when explorers invest in finding new resources, they are taking less risk, Bjurstroem said. They are focusing on appraisal wells on already-discovered fields and less on frontier areas such as the Arctic, where drilling and developing any discovery is more expensive. Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Statoil ASA, among the world’s biggest oil companies, abandoned exploration in Alaska last year.

“Traditionally, it’s the big companies that have had the means to gamble, and they might be the ones that have cut the most,” Bjurstroem said.

Overall, the proportion of new oil the industry has added to offset the amount it pumps has dropped from 30 percent in 2013 to a reservereplacement ratio of just 6 percent this year in terms of conventional resources, which excludes shale oil and gas, Bjurstroem predicted.

Exxon Mobil Corp. said in February that it failed to replace at least 100 percent of its production by adding resources with new finds or acquisitions for the first time in 22 years. Bloomberg

METROPOLITAN Bank & Trust Co., the country’s second-largest lender in terms of assets, said it plans to sell P5 billion worth of long-term negotiable certificates of deposit.

Metrobank said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the offering period for the notes started Aug. 30 and would end Sept. 12, 2016.

“MBT [Metrobank] and its arranger reserve the right to adjust the offer period as necessary,” the bank said. The notes have a tenor of seven years, with interest rate of 3.5 percent per annum payable quarterly.

The issue date would be on Sept. 19, 2016. ING Bank is the sole arranger, bookrunner and selling agent. Metrobank also acts as the other selling agent.

Long-term negotiable certificate of deposit is a bank product offered to investors looking for a relatively safe investment asset with a higher interest rate compared to a regular savings account or short-term time deposit.

As an investment instrument, LTNCDs are very similar to time deposits and bonds but differ with regard to several features.

Metrobank registered a 2-percent decline in consolidated net income in the first half to P9.1 billion from P9.3 billion a year ago, on higher operating expenses. Julito G. Rada

Ayala unit to launch 4th tower in Taguig

By Jenniffer B. Austria ALVEO Land, a unit of property developer Ayala Land Inc., is set to launch the fourth and last tower of its signature condominium development within the 74-hectare Arca South in Taguig City, which will generate up to P1.9 billion in sales.

Alveo Land senior division manager Antonio Sanchez III said in a news briefing the four-tower Veranda, introduced in 2014, was initially programmed to be launched over a period of four years.

He said because of the strong 80-percent sales takeup for the first three towers, Alveo Land was now ready to launch the final tower two years after the project was launched.

“All four towers were initially projected to sell-out in four years. However, in less than two years, we are now launching our final tower with current inventory substantially sold out,” Sanchez said.

He said the last tower would offer 195 units ranging from P4 million for a studio unit to P44 million for a three-bedroom unit.

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Clark airport expansion bidding up

By Darwin G Amojelar

T

HE Transportation Department said Tuesday it will auction the contract to expand Clark International Airport within the next 10 months.

“I have proposed that it would be done by private sector under PPP [public private partnership] because of the issue of core competence. It would be done in 10 months or so,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade told reporters.

“The President declared it as priority project. It would now be

PPP,” he added.

Clark International Airport Corp. operates and maintain the international gateway at the former US military airbase. The airport has an annual capacity of four million passengers.

CIAC also plans to build a P1.2-billion low-cost carrier

TUGADE

passenger terminal building, designed by Aeroport De Paris of France.

The new facility can accommodate as many as 15 million passengers annually.

Airlines operating in Clark include Qatar Airways, Cebu Pacific, Tigerair Air, Jin Air, Asiana Airlines, Dragon Air, Air Asia Berhad and Emirates Airlines.

These airlines mount flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Macau, Pudong, Incheon, Doha, Dubai, Davao, Cebu and Kalibo.

Tugade said the country’s three major airlines agreed to study the

possibility of transferring some of their domestic flights to Clark.

“We are talking to them, we’ve asked to transfer some of their missionary routes to Clark,” he said.

Philippine Airlines president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista earlier said the airline would study the impact of the proposal to transfer its turboprop operations on the passengers and on the company’s operation cost.

PAL owns four Bomardier DHC 8-300 aircraft and five Bombardier DHC 8-400 aircraft which PAL dry leased to PAL Express.

Bautista said the government should provide additional infrastructure before transferring some of its operations to Clark.

The transfer of the airlines’ turboprop operations to Clark was part of the government’s program to decongest Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Japan International Cooperation Agency said Naia was expected to exceed its maximum handling capacity this year, when the airport would handle 37.78 million passengers. Its maximum handling capacity stands at 35 million passengers a year.

Semirara operates coal plant expansion

By Alena Mae S. Flores SOUTHWEST Luzon Power Generation Corp., a unit of Semirara Mining and Power Corp., obtained provisional authority from the Energy Regulatory Commission to operate two units of its 300-megawatt, coal-fired power plant expansion in Calaca, Batangas province..

Semirara said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange Southwest Luzon on August 26, 2016 began commercial operations of units 3 and 4 at 140 MW each after receiving the go-signl from the ERC. Semirara said the August 26 date was the effective date of its participation in the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, the country’s trading floor of electricity.

Semirara said units 3 and 4 started to initially run in the last week of March below their capacity at 150 MW each.

“We have been collecting revenues during testing and commissioning. The delay in commercial operations was only minor. No effect on our revenue projects,” Semirara chairman Isidro Consunji said.

Semirara reported a consolidated net income after tax of P6.35 billion in the first six months of 2016, up 35 percent from P4.71 billion year-onyear.

Semirara said net of eliminations, coal production, Sem-Calaca Power Corp., and Southwest Luzon contributed P2.8 billion, P1.31 billion and P2.26 billion, respectively.

Sem-Calaca Power owns the 600-MW coal-fired power plant in Calaca, Batangas which the Consunji Group acquired from the government in 2009.

Southwest Luzon expanded the power plant complex by 300 MW. Revenues from coal reached P10.94 billion during the period while those of Sem-Calaca and Southwest Luzon totaled P4.522 billion and P3.151 billion, respectively.

SHELL’S BANK PARTNER. Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. obtains a funding facility from Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. to finance its capital expenditure in supporting the oil company’s growing retailing network business. Shown at the loan signing ceremony are Pilipinas vice president for retail Oying Yam (fourth from left), downstream controller Shaiful Zainuddin and retail finance manager Bryan Acosta.

China Bank issuing P20-b debt paper

By Julito G. Rada CHINA Banking Corp., the eighth-largest bank in terms of assets, plans to issue up to P20 billion worth of long-term negotiable certificates of time deposits mainly to support its strategic initiatives and business expansion.

China Bank said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Tuesday it would apply for a shelf program and issue the paper in tranches of P5 billion to P10 billion each with tenors ranging from five to seven years.

“The timing will be subject to regulatory approvals and

tranche issue size and implementation will depend on prevailing market conditions,” the bank said.

China Bank expects to tap existing clients and depositors for the distribution of the LTNCD. LTNCDs are time deposits that have longer maturity and are higher yielding than regular deposits. These instruments are negotiable and insured with Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. up to the maximum coverage of P500,000 per depositor.

China Bank last entered the LTNCD market in 2008 when it successfully offered the five-

year P5-billion LTNCD maiden issue that was oversubscribed just two days into the offering period.

“This issuance is expected to expand the bank’s long-term deposit base and boost its longterm asset growth,” it said.

China Bank remains one of the leading banks in the industry, with a total capital adequacy ratio of 12.28 percent. It is the eighth largest publicly-listed bank in market capitalization.

China Bank in the first half this year posted a 30-percent increase in net income to P3.27 billion year-on-year on the strength of its core and fee-

based businesses.

The performance in the first six months translated into a return on equity of 10.74 percent and a return on assets of 1.22 percent.

Net revenues before operating expenses rose 15 percent to P10.85 billion, with net interest revenues up 7 percent to P7.95 billion, driven by the 12-percent growth in loan portfolio.

Non-interest revenues climbed 42 percent to P2.90 billion, supported by higher trading gains of P993.52 million from P345.91 million, and a 16-percent increase in service charges, fees and commissions.

LGUs should have more say in mining audit

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales AGUSAN del Norte Gov. Angel Amante-Matba urged Tuesday the government’s mining audit team to consider the sentiments of local government units in host communities.

Matba said in a statement the current audit of mining operations nationwide should not prevent LGUs from kicking out erring mining companies.

“In line with moves towards greater decentralization and federalism, local governments should have more say whether mining companies can stay or must go,” Matba said.

Agusan Del Norte province is host to two mining operations.

Earlier, President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the Environment Department to conduct an assessment of mining operations in the Philippines.

The audit team is comprised of representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture for the effects on farmlands, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Social Action Center and the Department of Health.

The audit aims to determine the adequacy and efficiency of the environmental protection measures of each mining operation.

It also seeks to identify gaps in environmental protection

measures and determine the appropriate penalties in case of violations of the mining and environmental laws.

Matba said LGUs in mining host communities should take the lead in monitoring and ensuring responsible operations, the protection of the environment and the community, and the preservation of natural resources.

“In our case, we always monitored and made sure that tailings and other residues from mining operations in our province never affected the environment and the biodiversity of the province. We will never allow the indiscriminate destruction of our environment and our

BPI blunder LISTENERS who were tuned in to the S.R.O. (Suhestiyon, Reaksiyon, Opinyon) radio program of Alvin Elchico and Doris Bigornia over DZMM Teleradyo last Monday experienced GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease)-like symptoms when they heard the duo announce that the Bank of the Philippine Islands is requiring all its account holders to update their information—or else they would not be able to withdraw through automated Teller Machines (ATMs), transact online or do mobile banking.

“You will not be able to access your account via any of BPI’s 24/7 electronic channels (i.e. ATM, Online and Mobile) until you have submitted your CIS (Customer Information Sheet) and ID,” the BPI advisory went.

Aside from the CIS, account holders also have to fill out the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) form (available from the bank’s website), then bring the original document plus a photocopy of one valid— and take note—recent, ID with photo.

Doris Bigornia, who has endeared herself to viewers and listeners for her “Mutya ng Masa” persona, was spewing invisible fire from her nostrils because there was “no ample time” for the clients to comply with the requirement since the notice was posted online last Friday (August 26) and the deadline given was today (August 31). And since Monday (August 29) was a holiday, that means all the bank’s clients from all over

the country only had two days to comply with the requirement.

Aside from the very short notice, people were also confused about the need to submit an accomplished FATCA form because as far as people know, that only pertains to US citizens living abroad who have to report their foreign accounts for taxation and record purposes. Even the FATCA—whose primary intention is to prevent Americans from cheating on their taxes—is under controversy because many feel it is a form of unfair double taxation. Our buddies tell us that this controversial tax law is also one of the reasons why many Americans have since renounced their citizenship, preferring more tax friendly countries. (Records from the US treasury show that in 2015 alone, 4,729 individuals gave up their US citizenship—an increase of 20 percent from the previous year. The number of renunciations has been steadily increasing ever since the FATCA came into effect in 2012.)

But we digress. Aside from the lack of ample time, people were also wondering how they can produce valid IDs bearing their photo that are also recent. As far as we know, valid IDs that show a person’s mug include

community,” she said.

Matba said Agusan del Norte had benefited benefitted from mining operations and their multiplier effect, creating thousands of jobs and numerous business opportunities Matba said the provincial coffers received a big boost by way of more local taxes, while indigenous peoples received monetary benefits.

She added the DENR should be fair with miners, big or small, that comply with all government requirements and standards both for mining processes and environmental management.

“As for erring miners, they should be shut down immediately.” said Matba.

driver’s licenses, passports, Social Security System IDs, Voter’s ID and a company ID. So how recent is “recent”? Passports are valid for five years, driver’s licenses are renewable every three years (besides which, the LTO is still hard pressed to issue plastic IDs and are just giving paper registration certificates) and unless you just got hired, chances are, the photo in your ID(s) may not even look like you when you go to BPI to update your account information. And what if the account holder is on an extended vacation outside the country?

Worse, those who wanted to check out the news could not access bpiexpressonline.com (in fact, we still could not access the official website up to the time of writing). Thankfully, during the interview of Doris and Alvin with an official from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, they suddenly announced that BPI has moved the deadline from August 31 to September 30. BPI has since apologized for causing “inconvenience” to clients and also clarified that the requirement to update one’s account only applies to certain clients who have since received private communication from the bank.

What a bummer. BPI, please, next time you have an announcement, make sure it will not cause confusion and undue stress.

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

NGCP building backbone in South THE Energy Regulatory Commission approved the application of National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to build the P7-billion Mindanao 230kV Transmission Backbone Project.

The ERC said in a statement the project would enable transmission facilities traversing from the northern to the southern corridors of Mindanao to accommodate the entry of new power plants.

The ERC said the project would also allow the output of existing power plants to be dispatched at their respective maximum capacities and transmitted throughout Mindanao to solve line congestion and load curtailment.

“The approval of the 230kV transmission backbone project will ensure sufficiency of supply, the reliability of power system and the power transfer in the Mindanao grid,” ERC chairman Jose Vicente Salazar said.

The transmission project will support the entry of an additional 2,400 megawatts of generation capacity that are expected in northern and southern parts of Mindanao by 2018.

The power plants lined up for Mindanao include Filinvest Development Corp.’s 405-MW coal plant in Misamis Oriental (2016), GN Power coal’s 600-MW plant in Lanao del Norte (2017, 2018) and Therma South’s 600-MW coal plant in Davao del Sur (2015 to 2018).

Also joining the grid are San Miguel Corp.’s 600-MW plant in Davao del Sur (2015 to 2018) and Southern Mindanao’s 200-MW coal plant in Sarangani.

The ERC said the approval of the project follows earlier approvals, such as the MalitaMatanao 230 kV transmission line project in November 2014 and the Manila PANAWAGAN B a l oStandard iTODAY KauswaganAurora 230 kV transpo ay nanawagan sa mission Kami lahat na kung sino man po makakakita kina Gaira l i n e ang Sumaoang, 40 yrs. old at Ivy Phase 1 Kimberly Kate Sumaoang, 8 yrs old, pakitawagan lang po in June ang number na ito.

2015.

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World

Tycoon meted death sentence DHAKA—Bangladesh’s top court on Tuesday upheld the death sentence for a top tycoon and senior leader of the country’s largest Islamist party, paving the way for his execution possibly within days.

The Supreme Court rejected Mir Quasem Ali’s final appeal to overturn the death sentence passed by a controversial war crimes tribunal two years ago for murders committed during Bangladesh’s independence conflict.

“The chief justice rejected the review. I am satisfied. The nation is relieved,” Attorney General Mahbubey Alam told reporters after the verdict was

handed down.

“Now he has a chance to seek presidential clemency. Or else the verdict could be executed anytime whenever the state wants,” he said.

Five opposition leaders including four leading Islamists have already been executed for war crimes since 2013. They were hanged just days after their appeals were rejected by the Supreme Court.

Most did not seek a presidential reprieve because they were thought likely to fail.

Ali, now a shipping and real estate tycoon, was convicted in November 2014 of abducting and murdering a young fighter

during Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

The decision is considered a major blow for the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, of which 63-year-old Ali is the chief financier.

The war crimes tribunal set up by the government has divided the country and sparked deadly protests, with supporters of Jamaat and the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) branding them a sham aimed at eliminating their leaders.

The government says the tribunal’s trials are needed to heal the wounds of the conflict. AFP

6,500 migrants saved off Libya R

ome—The Italian coastguard said it had coordinated the rescue on Monday of about 6,500 migrants off of Libya in one of its busiest days of life-saving in recent years.

Dramatic images showed migrants wearing life jackets jumping off one of their boats into the Mediterranean and swimming toward rescuers.

“The command center coordinated 40 rescue

operations” that included vessels from Italy, humanitarian organizations as well as the EU’s border agency Frontex, and “saved 6,500 migrants,” the coastguard wrote on Twitter.

On Sunday more than 1,100 migrants were rescued in the same area, though August has been slightly less busy than years past. The total number of arrivals in Italy this year, prior to Monday’s rescues, was at around 105,000, according to the UN refugee agency.

More than 3,000 migrants have died at sea while trying to reach either Greece or Italy since the start of this year, an increase of some 50 percent on the same period in 2015. AFP

2 Nokor officials executed—Sokor TWO senior North Korean officials were executed with an anti-aircraft gun in early August on the orders of Kim Jong Un, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo newspaper reported, citing people it did not identify.

Ri Yong Jin, a senior official in the education ministry—possibly minister— was arrested for dozing off during a meeting with Kim and charged with corruption before being killed, the paper said. Former Agriculture Minister Hwang Min was purged over a proposed project seen as a direct challenge to Kim’s leadership, it said.

If true, it would mark the first executions ordered by Kim from outside his party or the military, the paper said. A spokesman at South Korea’s Unification Ministry said he couldn’t immediately confirm the JoongAng re-

port.

Kim has carried out a series of executions since taking power in 2011 after his father’s death as he puts his mark on the leadership of the isolated nuclear-armed nation. The most high profile was the killing three years ago of his uncle and one-time deputy Jang Song Thaek. He had about 50 officials executed in 2014 on charges ranging from graft to watching South Korean soap operas.

“Kim is continuing to replace the old guard of his father’s regime with loyalists,” said Robert Kelly, a political science professor at South Korea’s Pusan National University. “The charges are obviously trumped up, and this is how promotion or demotion often works in totalitarian states without legitimate venues for opposition.”

Bloomberg

ROYAL. Actress Apollonia Kotero attends The Academy Of Picture Arts & Sciences’ Screening and Q&A for “Purple Rain” at The Samuel Goldwyn Theater on Monday in Beverly Hills, California. AFP

France forms Islamic foundation PARIS—France’s government sought Monday to open a new chapter in relations with the country’s Muslims following a summer scarred by jihadist attacks and a ban on burkinis that ratcheted up communal tensions.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve met with senior Muslim representatives and agreed that efforts to foster good relations will include the creation of an Islamic foundation, funded solely with money from within France.

But Prime Minister Manuel Valls, speaking later Monday, urged a fight to defeat what he termed “Islamist totalitarianism” which aimed at “fracturing democracies, stifling individual liberties and installing a new social order in which men dominate women.”

Around 30 towns have banned the burkini from their beaches, with some mayors linking the bans to the July 14 jihadist lorry attack in Nice that killed 86 and the murder of a Catholic priest near Rouen by Islamic State sympathisers.

The controversy over the burkini, the full-body Islamic swim-

ming garment, looks set to continue after several mayors said they would ignore a decision Friday by the country’s top administrative court to suspend the ban in one Riviera town.

Anouar Kbibech, leader of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), said he hoped Monday’s talks were the start of a new chapter.

“This positive development will put an end to the repulsive saga of the burkini,” he said.

Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the aim of the discussions was to forge “an Islam anchored in the values of the French Republic”.

Cazeneuve stressed however that all religions had to respect France’s laws on the strict separation of religion and state.

The talks will lead to the creation of a “Foundation for Islam in France”, which will aim to raise funds in France rather than abroad to ensure the transparent sourcing of funds.

But the choice of 77-year-old former defence minister JeanPierre Chevenement to head the

foundation has sparked controversy, with many observers asking why a Muslim was not given the role.

- ‘Prevention of radicalisation’ Chevenement sidestepped the controversy, telling AFP: “As a former interior minister myself, I could not turn down the opportunity to contribute to this initiative of great interest to the public.”

Hakim El Karoui, a secular Muslim who participated in Monday’s talks, said that the choice of Chevenement was “clumsiness at the very least”.

Cazeneuve, the current interior minister, said the foundation would act as a “bridge between the French state and France’s Muslims”.

Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun and the rector of a mosque in the central city of Lyon, Kamel Kabtane, are among Muslims who will sit on the foundation’s board.

France’s secular laws mean the foundation’s scope is limited to areas like education and research.

“If they are given the financial means, Muslim institutions can

strengthen their role in the prevention of radicalisation,” said Kbibech.

The anti-Islamophobia group which spearheaded the legal challenge to the burkini ban said it will go to court this week to force four French Riviera towns -- Nice, Menton, RoquebruneCap-Martin and Frejus -- to drop the measure.

Nice is among the towns that have refused to abide by the court ruling.

Images of police apparently ordering a woman in a headscarf on the beach in Nice to remove clothing which allegedly contravened the ban sparked worldwide outrage.

Nice authorities however insisted she was simply showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, when the pictures were taken.

Eighty-six people were killed in Nice in July and over 400 people injured when Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel drove a truck into crowds leaving a fireworks display on Nice’s waterfront on France’s national holiday. AFP

400 nabbed in Notting Hill carnival

CRASH. Indian bystanders and workers look on as a lorry lies in the waters of the River Chenab after a Bailey Bridge collapsed at Sissu, some 200 kilometers north of Shimla on Monday. The road links the Spiti and Lahul valleys with the Rohtang Tunnel in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. AFP

LONDON—Hundreds of thousands of revelers took to the streets to celebrate London’s Notting Hill Carnival on Monday, as police made more than 400 arrests during the festival’s 50th anniversary.

Feathered dancers, steel bands and earth-shaking sound systems featured in the vibrant celebration of British Caribbean culture, with many festival-goers sporting glittery face paint and waving Jamaican flags.

“It’s excellent! We are loving the free spirit of everyone and we have all been dancing,” said Annuar Aziz, a 41-year-old businessman from Malaysia who stumbled on the event by accident with his wife and four children.

“We heard the music from where we are staying in Bay-

swater and just followed the sound.”

As every year, some outbreaks of violence and many drug arrests marred Europe’s biggest street party.

London’s Metropolitan Police said there had been four knife attacks and 401 arrests over the two days of the carnival on Sunday and Monday, on a par with last year’s event when there were 407 arrests.

The majority of arrests this year were related to drugs offences or weapons, police said. A total of 74 people were taken to hospital.

The carnival traces its roots back to Caribbean music festivals in the 1950s after the first surge in arrivals from former British colonies after World War II. The carnival proper started

in 1966 when local resident Rhaune Laslett organized a “jump up” for local children in Notting Hill, which at the time was considered a slum but is now one of the most expensive areas in London.

She told Time Out magazine that her aim had been to “take to the streets using song and dance to ventilate all the pent-up frustrations born out of the slum conditions.”

She called the first carnival, featuring a steel band, “a celebration of poverty.”

In the 1970s the carnival often had a political tinge and reflected racial tensions. It quickly grew and this year’s edition featured 60 bands and 38 sound systems.

The carnival is now said to be the world’s second biggest after the one in Rio. AFP

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

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MAYOR’S MESSAGE:

Let’s work for a brighter future

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HE hopes and aspirations of the people for a better Caloocan have been cast in the last polls. More than 302,000 strong. Let us now pool together our talents and strength to work for our brighter future.

FATHER FIGURE. Caloocan

City Mayor Oscar Malapitan

Never have been in the history of Caloocan that so many projects were accomplished in such a short period of time. Three years. New 6-storey, 45 classroom building of the University of Caloocan City (UCC) North, and a new twin building at UCC-South; new Social Development Center Building, new Caloocan City North Medical Center, new amphitheater, new Nature Park, new Buena Park Sports Complex, 84 kms of lighted streets,

new roads and drainage systems, new First Responders Building, new fire station, new “Burulan ng Bayan,” several new barangay halls, day care centers and health centers, dialysis center, physical theraphy center.

Our great leap in providing social services has recorded more than 1.5-million services, medicines and equipment were accorded to the people; more than 200,000 patients were treated at the Caloocan City

Medical Center (CCMC); more than 18,000 college students are enjoying free tuition fees at UCC; more than 80,000 were employed thru the city government’s labor placement mechanisms; more than 700,000 children

were immunized; more than 7,000 new businesses opened shop in the city; more than 160,000 elementary pupils received their free bags and school supplies; and more Turn to C2

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

LGUs

Mayor’s ...

From C1

PROGRESS. Artist’s perspectives of the new City Hall (left) and the commercial center (right) being constructed beside it.

Ninth most competitive city

than 70,000 senior citizens received their free wheelchairs, crutches, canes, eyeglasses, cataract operation and grocery packs.

But where are we now? Three more mega projects are now fast rising and are now in its final stage of construction: the new 8-storey city hall; new commercial center; and a new domed sports complex.

The National Competitiveness Council has placed Caloocan City among the 145 cities nationwide, as the top placer in investments promotions and availability of utilities.

Second fastest growing local economy and also second in the efficiency of road networks. Caloocan is also the third city with the lowest cost of living, and the fifth largest local economy in the country.

Where are we headed to? We have prioritized our efforts in my second term of office on, jobs generation, economic growth, maintaining peace and order, enhancing our services and facilities for education and health, and building more infrastructure facilities for the people, through good governance.

You will witness in my first 100 days the procurement of lands for the establishment of the new Caloocan Drug Rehabilitation Center, new People’s Park, new Convention Center, new City jail, new Police Community Precinct in Caybiga, new Senior High School Buildings in several public schools, new UCC Graduate School Building, new City Library in the north, new shelter for abandoned girls, new shelter for the abandoned elders and a new senior citizens’ activity center with a salon and spa.

Furthermore, we will have the CCMC upgraded into a secondary level hospital, we will establish a new eye center, we will procure new ambulances and firetrucks, we will build a new columbarium and crematorium, a new fire station in Bagong Silang, and new day care centers and VocTech building.

We will continue our efforts toward economic leapfrogging, such as the creation of the Caloocan City Investments and Business Promotions Council, the establishment of the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS), a new and modern public market in Bagong Silang and Langaray, a new slaughterhouse in the north, putting up of several business permit kiosks or ATMs in malls, the establishment of new food strips or food hubs in Bagumbong and Grace Park, a new Chinatown and a new food terminal or “bagsakan” center.

These are just some of the identified projects and we have more in the pipeline such as new connecting roads, new heavy construction machineries, flood control projects, integrated transport terminals, air quality monitoring stations, electric trikes and e-jeepneys, landscaped center islands and pocket gardens along sidewalks, bicycle lanes and more.

Three fruitful years of fast-paced development... six more productive years of fully achieving our dreams of a new and progressive Caloocan City.

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ESTING more than 112 other cities in the country, Caloocan was recognized as the ninth most competitive city in the Philippines for the second straight year.

The National Competitive Council of the Philippines (NCC-P) based its 2016 Local Government Unit rankings based on three categories: economic dynamism, infrastructure and government efficiency.

Caloocan outpaced other heavyweight cities with vibrant central business districts such as Taguig, Pasay and Muntinlupa.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan expressed optimism that the fruits of his administration’s incessant promotions to attract businesses and create more jobs are now being reaped.

NCC-P also revealed that Caloocan was ranked first in two subcategories that will be announced soon.

The naming of a historic city

PATRON. The recently rebuilt and expanded San Roque Church in front of the city hall.

NUMEROUS stories and beliefs have been handed down through the years regarding how Caloocan came to be known by its present name.

The following stands out as the most popular: As a humble barrio of the town of Tondo located in a “libis” (lowland) it became known as “libis Espina” or Aromahan.

Another interesting story tells of the word Caloocan originating either from the Tagalog word “look” meaning bay, or “sulok” meaning corner. Caloocan might have meant “nasa sulok” (at the corner). Caloocan is located where the ends of the old town of Tondo and Tambombong (now Malabon) meet.

At the end of the 18th century, the fishermen of Aromahan climbed the hills to open homesteads in Caloocan.

There the land being free of thorny plants that grew on the banks, although the hill was naturally stony, some form of agriculture was possible and the fishermen became farmers.

The first settlement in Libis Espina, established by oppressed people from Tondo, sought refuge in the thorny shores of Dagat-Dagatan.

They climbed the hills for more arable lands only to find out these had titles under the name of Hacienda de Maysilo.

Caloocan was part of history, especially during the 1896 Philippine Revolution. The residents fought their landlords for a hundred years until Andres Bonifacio led them, the Katipuneros, to Balintawak on that fateful day of August 30, 1896.

The Filipino forces in Caloocan participated actively in the Intramuros siege of the Spanish forces in Manila until their surrender to the Americans on Aug. 13, 1898.

On Jan. 11, 1899 the people of Caloocan came to terms with the Americans, who were bent on extending their supremacy over the country.

When the Americans seized the railroads yards that stood between them and the fleeing Emilio Aguinaldo, the men of Caloocan fought the new invaders on Feb. 23, 1899, in a counter attack which, but for Gen. Antonio Luna’s rift with Aguinaldo’s loyalists could have turned the tide of war in favor of an independent Philippines.

LGUs

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

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Business-friendly Caloocan leads investment promotions C

ALOOCAN City was ranked the top city for investment promotions and availability of utilities by the National Competitiveness Council-Philippines (NCC-P).

The NCC-P recently released specific rankings of provinces, cities and municipalities in its competitiveness studies of 81 provinces, 145 cities and 1,489 municipalities.

The city was also cited for posting the second highest local economic growth in the country and for being the second city in the Philippines with the most extensive and developed road network.

Caloocan also recorded the third lowest cost of living and is the fifth largest local economy in the country.

Other significant rankings of Caloocan in NCC-P’s indicators in measuring the competitiveness of a locality are: seventh in financial institutions, seventh most competitive LGU awardee, eight most compliant to national directives to LGUs, ninth in education and ninth in its connectivity to information and communications technologies.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan thanked his constituents for bringing back Caloocan on the economic map, saying, “before my first term of office, Caloocan was ranked 69th in the competitiveness index, and when my team assumed office, the city jumped to ninth in rank and we retained the same ranking this year.”

“This is a manifestation of our hard work in instituting business-friendly policies towards the inclusive growth of our city’s economy,” Malapitan added.

According to NCC-P, economic dynamism is usually associated with activities that create a stable expansion of business and industries and higher employment. Productivity is achieved by matching the output of the local economy with local resources.

HEALTHWISE. The Caloocan City North Medical Center offers a broad range of services.

SP drafts mayor’s 3-year action plan EXECUTIVE and legislative officials of Caloocan City spent three days and nights in

EDUCATIONAL. The two branches of the newly constructed University of Caloocan.

drafting a three-year plan for the second term of Mayor Oscar Malapitan.

The officials decided to marry the actions of both branches of government to ensure that their work abides by the ordinances and resolutions of the Sangguniang Panglunsod or city council and stays within the budget allotted to heads and subordinates of the different departments.

Rep. Gonzalo Malapitan was present at the drafting of the plans to align his bills and projects with the programs and projects of the city.

A representative of the Department of the Interior and Local Government lauded this cooperation between the chief executives and the councilors all of whom come from the same political party.

Thus, the projected programs and plans were swiftly finalized in line with the ordinances and resolutions of the Sangguniang Panglunsod.

A close look at the Bonifacio monument A 360-DEGREE verbal description of the Bonifacio Monument in Caloocan City is posted on the local government’s official website.

There are 21 persons around the column, including the winged angel of peace at the top. Bonifacio occupies, and rightly so, the central or dominant position, with Emilio Jacinto and a flagbearer at his left.

Bonifacio was the brains of the Katipunan, Jacinto was the determined upholder of its principles. The dark beginnings of the glorious epic can be seen directly behind the figures of the priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos and Jacinto Zamora tortured on the garrote as sacrifices in the fight for freedom.

On the right side of the shaft, we see the figure of a man extracting some drops of blood from his arm to use as ink in signing his name in the roster of the Katipunan.

On the front left corner of the shaft, we note an “Indio” with his injured wife in his right arm and with his left upraised in protest against the oppression suffered not only by himself and his wife but also by his infant son.

On the opposite side of the column, the story is continued. Here a trussed-up

man, dead or dying, decries the cruelties of the rulers. Another man bids good-bye to his wife while holding his baby in his arms and a daughter clinging to him in a pathetic leave-taking.

As I. V. Mallari said, there is adagio, andante and allegro in this sculptural story. We begin to approach the “allegro con forego” with the wounding in a fight, of a bolo-wielding Katipuneros. His son tries to lift him up on his knees. A slain soldier lies prostrate, but that does not impede the furious strides of another defiant boloman crying for revenge as the goes towards the side of the Supremo.

A young man in his teens also strides forwards to the left of Bonifacio, with no more than a bolo in his upraised hand.

Bonifacio and Jacinto were willing to pay with their lives for the victory of the Katipunan. An angel of peace hovers over the whole scene. As epilogue to the story, the “call to arms” of Bonifacio, written in the secret Katipunan Code, is engraved below the figure. It runs: “Leader, members, and brothers. This notice is for you. It is most necessary that we stop without delay the nameless cruelties inflicted upon the people of the country who are inside the prisons.”

NOCTURNE. Writer Jessica Zafra once described the Bonifacio Monument as the most beautiful in the country.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

LGUs

STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

1,500 drug suspects surrender to mayor

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ORE than 1,500 drug users have surrendered to Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan and to the Caloocan Police, just three weeks after the city government intensified its all-out war against illegal drugs. involvement with illegal drugs.

The Mayor also warned the suspects that he will not hesitate to put them behind bars the moment they receive and verify any information that they went back to their old ways.

Malapitan also promised to put up a rehabilitation center in less than a year to accommodate the city’s drug dependents and help them change for the better.

“The President, the Caloocan Police, and I will guide you, but you have to help yourselves and changing and fully turn your back from such garbage,” added the Mayor.

Meanwhile, City Police Chief Senior Supt. Johnson Almazan said the netting of drug suspects was just the start Manila of their campaign Standard TODAY and they will fully cooperate with the mandate of President Rodrigo Duterte and Malapitan.

Another mass MOTORCYCLES • SCOOTERS • PARTS • ACCESSORIES • SERVICE surrender of 336 10TH Avenue, Grace Park, Caloocan City different drug Tel. No. (02) 366 4097 Fax No. (02) 363 6151 personalities is being set in North Email Address: cmar_wsd@yahoo.com Caloocan.

The surrender of the self-confessed drug users or pushers was effected in coordination with the chairmen of 70 barangays in the Second District of Caloocan. The surrenderees vowed to stop abusing drugs and help in the government’s campaign against narcotics.

However, Malapitan clarified that giving themselves up to authorities will not give the surrenderees an instant clearance of their illegal activities.

Instead, the Caloocan Police and the barangay officials will continuously monitor the activities of the drug personalities until the authorities are assured that the former drug suspects fully stopped their

CALOOCAN CORP.

PIAGET POLO S

Life

Play a Different Game

FASHION & BEAUTY

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

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International brand ambassador Ryan Reynolds leads the nine Game Changers of Piaget

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OT every year, not even every decade, does a watch become an icon of its generation and an expression of the spirit of its time. In 1979, however, Piaget created just such a timepiece with the Piaget Polo.

Although recognized throughout the world, the Piaget Polo has always had a particular association with New York.

It was here in 1985 that the Piaget polo team celebrated the watch by riding down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue. Thus, there could be no greater city or place for Piaget to celebrate the legacy of the original Piaget Polo with the launch of a new watch, for a new generation.

Piaget Polo S challenges conventions as the stainless steel watch features an automatic precision movement

Featuring an ingenious shape-within-shape that is Piaget’s distinctive hallmark, the Piaget Polo S displays the unique association of a cushionshaped dial within a round 42mm case. Designed by Piaget, its automatic movement discreetly reveals its beauty through a sapphire case-back. A bracelet of meticulously hand-assembled links alternatingly polished and with a satin finish, completes the experience.

The rules rewritten The result? A watch that – by day or by It takes its name from the elegant and night, at work or at play – speaks to and demanding sport of polo. It is infused for a new generation. with the ethos of Piaget Society that was founded on the lasting friendships Five watches, one philosophy the brand has formed in the world of The collection is composed of the music, film, art and sports. It expresses automatic Piaget Polo the grammar of shapes that is at the S, equipped with heart of the Piaget DNA. And yet, the the 1110P movePiaget Polo S is the watch for those who ment, and the challenge conventions. Because, on Piaget Polo S this exceptional occasion, Piaget has C h r o n o g r a p h , housed an automatic precision move- equipped with ment in a watch of stainless steel. the 1160P

Channel your inner rock star PUNK fashion of the ’70s—ripped jeans, leather jackets, silver metallic accessories, spikes, studs, statement tees with loud messages, and heavy makeup—rocked and stunned the fashion world. Wildly different from mainstream styles of the decade, the ’70s punk-rock fashion was a massive rebellion against conformity and capitalism in the UK and the USA. One of the better-known counterculture movements that saw the rise of punkrock fashion was the Summer of Love in 1967. At least 100,000 people, mostly young rebels sporting hippie and punkrock clothing, gathered in Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco—and at different parts of the US, Europe and Canada—to

celebrate peace, love, gender equality and communal living.

That same year, Levi’s 505™, the renowned brand’s high-rise and zipper-fly jeans, arrived at a time of rock and rebellion and soon became one of the era’s most iconic punk-rock clothing pieces.

Pop artists, graffiti writers and musicians tore, wore and brandished Levi’s 505™ as the “unofficial stage jeans,” turning it into a signature pair for rock icons.

For instance, The Ramones donned the 505™ on the cover of their self-titled album, 1970. Debbie Harry ruled the stage as she wore a pair of 505™ in her performances.

Levi’s 505™ was also the star of Rolling Stones’ Sticky Fingers album cover.

Today, re-mastered to suit this generation’s rebels and rockers, the ageless 505™ is back. Whether you are a rock ‘n’ roller by heart, or simply want to spice up your ensemble, dare to rebel by wearing Levi’s 505™C. This new incarnation of Levi’s 505™ retains its classic leg style, zip fly and rigid denim, but is customized—hence the ‘C’—for today’s preferred fit: slim.

A modern take on the timeless 505™, the 505™C likewise features finishes made for various body types, making you look and feel ready to rock and roll—in supreme comfort.

So bring out that inner rebel with Levi’s 505™C, the perfect jeans for that rock star look.

Levi’s 505, an icon of the ‘70s punk-rock fashion, returns as 505C which features slim fit, classic leg style, zip fly and rigid denim

movement. Both of these movements have been developed specially for the Piaget Polo S. The automatic Piaget Polo S is available with a blue, silvered or slate-gray dial, while the Piaget Polo S Chronograph is available with a silvered or blue dial.

The game changers of Piaget: Nine men, one spirit Piaget created the Piaget Polo S for a new generation: a generation of game changers. Like the Piaget Polo S, these men are ready to rewrite the rules. By choosing Piaget for a steel watch, they show with elegance and distinction that they play a different game.

Around the world, in recognition of their exceptional talent, Piaget has selected eight such men to wear the Piaget Polo S and to be a Friend of the Maison for their country. These men are not followers. They are driven by passion to make their dreams come true, and impact their world differently. Each is a Game Changer in his own profession and an influencer with digital power, they have proved in life and through their careers that they truly embody the spirit and ethos of this unique watch.

Levi’s 505C is made to suit the rebels and rockers of this generation

Life

D2

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

Bobson launches the

Bobson’s new range of denim is made of a combination of elastane and cotton

Denim Tech Collection

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HIS year, Bobson reinvents another ingenious style solution, the Denim Tech Collection. The next generation of Japanese denim pushes its craftsmanship further this season inspired by modern Japanese minimalist lifestyle. For every trendsetter who aims for freedom and flexibility, the Denim Tech Collection genuinely embodies the modern Japanese lifestyle with the right amount of simplicity, comfort and sophistication.

Mixed with the latest fabric enhancements, the Denim Tech Collection is composed of three innovative jeans.

The Mechanical Stretch wicks away sweat in a similar manner to synthetic fabrics, while offering the breathability and comfort of cotton. Enhance your

performance with the 4-Way Stretch that lets you move with ease as you face the hustle and bustle of everyday city life, and have the freedom of movement assisted by the elastane fiber in the Lycra Stretch.

The clever blend of elastane and cot-

The Denim Tech Collection genuinely embodies the modern Japanese lifestyle

ton makes Bobson’s Denim Tech Collection seamlessly soft and comfortable, giving a unique stretch that makes you feel light with every movement.

Find that freedom and flexibility you’ve been looking for with these denim tech

essentials.

Bobson is available at leading department stores nationwide. Check out the Denim Tech Collection exclusively available at all The SM Store nationwide.

For more information, visit Bobson Japan at www.bobsonjapan.com/ph and like and follow BOBSONJapan on Facebook, @bobsonjapan on Instagram @BOBSONJAPAN on Twitter.

Cool trainings from Sports Central WITH the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro that happened this month, there is a lot of attention on athletes competing to be faster, higher, stronger. These words express the aspirations of the Olympic Movement, not only in its athletic and technical sense, but also from a moral and educational perspective.

In fact, a record number of athletes - 10,500 - participated in this major international multi-sport event from Aug. 5 to 21. While the athletes came from 206 countries competing for 28 Olympic sports for 306 sets of medals – there was one thing they all shared in common. They put a lot of work into their training.

Rio 2016 has also inspired many of us to get fit and fab and do serious training to build muscle, lose fat and sculpt the physique many have always wanted. We all know that strength training is very important to increased physical performance in our work; favorite sports hobbies, and our general day-to-day activities. It also helps to reduce the incidence of injury.

And the good news is that Sports Central will let you achieve peak performance in style and comfort with latest innovative training collection from Adidas.

There are sensitive smart textiles like Climalite and Climachill that are the future of performance training. With technology that keep you cool and comfortable as you train even in the hottest weather, these not only provide great protection, and optimize your training performance, but are also designed with to be fashionable and fun. Think workout tights in modern prints as well as tees and shorts Sports Central also has the latest breakthrough innovation in footwear technology with Pure Boost and Bouncer Trainer Shoes. With uppers made from textile and synthetic for soft, durable, support, Pure Boost Trainer Do cardio workout more effectively wearing Adidas training outfit

shoes feature energy-returning boost to absorb stress and impact.

The Bounce Trainer Shoes are also great options for intense training indoors and out. These have a padded collar combined with an adjustable overlay for optimal fit and support, while a BOUNCE midsole offers energized comfort all workout long.

You can find the aforementioned items in selected branches of Sports Central nationwide and Adidas concept stores in SM City Fairview, SM Mall of Asia, SM City Clark, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa Annex, SM City Baguio, SM City Cagayan de Oro, SM City Cebu, SM City Cebu Seaside, SM City Iloilo and SM City San Lazaro. Visit www.sportscentral.ph or like www.facebook.com/ sportscentral for more information.

PARTNERS IN FASHION.

Zalora CEO and Co-founder Paulo Campos III, Mastercard Philippines Vice President Ailea Zialcita, Globe Telecom President and CEO Ernest Cu introduce a new way shoppers can enjoy purchasing online

Experience the best online shopping Climacool Jersey and Black Pants with ZG Bounce Trainer Shoes for men

Adidas training outfit features a technology that keeps the wearer comfortable

GET ready for the coming change in fashion seasons, and shop the best retail buys with your Mastercard on no less than Asia’s leading online fashion destination. Mastercard enhances your style experience as it teams up with Zalora to fill your closet with the newest and coolest finds, in the most convenient and secure way possible.

“Mastercard is always on the look out to enrich and indulge our cardholders’ lifestyle preferences,” says Mastercard Philippines Vice President Ailea Zialcita. “Online shopping is fun, hasslefree, and very secure when you use your Mastercard at a credible platform like Zalora. With its latest Pop-up Store, shoppers can get a firsthand online and actual experience that they can enjoy,” she points out.

The aim of the Pop-up Store is definitely aligned with Mastercard’s efforts in making Filipinos more aware of just how great and safe online shopping can be, as long as you go to trusted sites like Zalora. Using your card for payments ensures that you’re protected and allows you to keep track of all your transactions, and even get confirmation via text after every successful purchase you’ve made.

“In line with our goal to educate more Filipinos about online shopping, Zalora is introducing our second Popup click and mortar store in BGC, a major part of our omni-channel approach to build confidence in a new way of shopping and in a young brand like Zalora. Last year’s Pop-up store allowed us to get many traditional customers to try online shopping, and eventually become loyal Zalora customers. We are excited to do the same this year, with an even bigger, better Pop-up store,” says Paulo Campos, Zalora CEO and co-founder.

Indulge your passion for fashion by popping in at Zalora’s latest Pop-up Store at C3, Bonifacio High Street Central, BGC all the way to January 2017.

Browse the racks for the season’s must-haves, and buy your wardrobe staples using your Mastercard credit, debit and prepaid cards until Oct. 31 to receive a special P400.00 discount for every P2000.00 minimum spend from MasterCard. Just use the promo code Popup400 when you do your purchase.

Log on to www.zalora.com.ph/mastercard to know more about how to avail of the discount and for the full list of included brands and categories in the promo.

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

‘Game Of Thrones’ star Rose Leslie in “Morgan”

Y

OU would mostly recognize Neil Perez, or Mariano Flormata, Jr. in real life, as the handsome crime fighter who made a lot of women swoon when he won the Mr. International tilt in 2014. But little did many people know, there’s something more beyond his machismo and chiseled physique.

The 31-year-old bomb and explosive technician from the Philippine National Police’s Aviation Security Group has been active on TV and other platforms promoting different campaigns to uplift the image of the law enforcers in the country. Hence, amid showbiz opportunities coming literally on his doorsteps, Perez has sworn to keep his loyalty to his chosen profession.

“I can’t trade off my profession.

This is my childhood dream. I’m just fortunate that I was given the opportunity to appear on TV. So, whenever I have showbiz and modeling engagements, I just ask permission to take a leave from work,” Perez said in vernacular during an interview with the Manila Standard.

Perez has already appeared in a few TV shows including Magpakailanman, where he portrayed himself as the “Poging Policeman,” and in TV5’s Wattpad miniseries opposite Isabelle de Leon.

According to “Poging Policeman,” or gwapolice as what some people would call him, he used to juggle his time between studies and work because he wanted to be a policeman just like his father. Born and raised in a family that struggled to make both ends meet, he had to learn to be independent and work hard to put himself to school. So, giving up his being a cop was never an option. It hasn’t even crossed his mind, to begin with.

“While studying, I was working

More than just a handsome policeman as a security guard. There were times that I had to finish a 36-hour shift then still go to school. It was really hard but I was determined to finish school because I wanted to be a cop,” he revealed.

As a child growing in Vitas Street in Tondo, where he and his family still reside, he used to fetch water for his neighbor.

“Probably that’s the reason why I’m physically strong.

I was already trained to lift heavy objects and do strenuous activities at a young age.

Mahirap kasi ang tubig sa Tondo,” he chuckled.

It also helped that his father had introduced him and his siblings to sports like basketball at an early age. He has developed an active lifestyle that even he is a caught up in his busy schedule, he still finds time to exercise and keep himself fit.

“It’s funny sometimes that my father would say, ‘hey, you’re arms are getting smaller, go to the gym and build more muscles.’ He’s the one who really encourages me to take care of my body. But what I do…I don’t miss the chance to do some pushups and situps every single day,” Perez said.

Given that his training in the PNP had helped him develop selfcontrol and efficiency at everything he does, Perez is already a disciplined person. He said, he’s gone through a lot of hurdles in life that’s why he’s learned to become focused and resilient.

Recognizing his being tough at life’s challenges, KIX, the ultimate destination of action entertainment in Asia, collaborates with Perez and assigned him as the new ambassador of R U Tough Enough, a nationwide search for the toughest Pinoy. In this search, ten people,

comprising of men and women, will be recruited to compete in a series of challenges that will test the limits of their physical strength, mental endurance and emotional resilience.

“In my line of work, I see how tough and disciplined Pinoys are on a daily basis. I am happy to be part of R U Tough Enough? because it gives us Pinoys a chance to show how resilient, resourceful and tough we truly are,” Perez ended.

R U Tough Enough? is open to all Philippines residents aged 18 years old and above. The 10 finalists will compete against one another in a final showdown at The Block Atrium of SM North EDSA on Oct. 14. The winner of this final showdown, which consists of an obstacle course with numerous tough challenges, will win the grand prize of P250000.00.

IN THE gripping, fast-paced action Morgan directed by Luke Scott, Kate Mara along with Rose Leslie and Michelle Yeoh star in a a thrilling, visceral and intense moviegoing experience that explores the dangers of reproducing a human being far more advance than its creators.

Anya Taylor-Joy takes on the titular role of Morgan, at one month, she (it) was walking and talking; at six months, she exceeded her creators’ wildest expectations.

Morgan is enigmatic and unpredictable—a lab-created being with emotional capacity and conflicting traits that blur the line between being human and synthetic.

Morgan’s de facto family including Amy, Morgan’s psychoanalyst, played by Rose Leslie is quick to defend Morgan’s continued existence but does not sit well with the company’s troubleshooter, Lee Weathers (Kate Mara). Morgan’s family within the institution includes Simon Ziegler (Toby Jones) as the project’s chief scientist; Dr. Lui Cheng (Michelle Yeoh) as a scientist/analyst; Amy (Rose Leslie) is a psychoanalyst; Kathy (Jennifer Jason Leigh) is a behavioral psychiatrist; Skip (Boyd Holbrook) is a project nutritionist and cook; Brenda (Vinette Robinson) has a background in military medicine; Ted Brenner (Michael Yare) is the project manager; and Darren (Chris Sullivan) is a lab technician.

For the past few years, Morgan’s development has tested this group in ways they could have never imagined. But when Morgan takes a violent turn, they must determine if their creation is a world-changing success, or a dangerously unstable creature.

Rose Leslie is perhaps best known for her role as Ygritte in the worldwide phenomenon, Game

of Thrones, a role she secured in 2012 and played through two seasons, alongside Kit Harington and Richard Madden.

In Morgan, she plays psychoanalyst Amy who also has a strong connection to Morgan, though her love for it, is “narcissistic, because Amy is mirroring who she is onto Morgan,” explains Rose Leslie, who portrays Amy. “It’s a scary, double-edged sword in the way she loves Morgan because Amy sees herself in Morgan. Amy truly believes she’s embodying Morgan with a soul. For Amy, it’s all about possessiveness.”

The judgment of all the team members has been affected not only by their attachment to their experiment, but by their isolation from the outside world. “They’ve all been in this bubble for five years, so their sense of reality is diminished,” says Leslie. “They spend almost all their time watching Morgan, as if she were in this exotic fishbowl.”

Morgan was shot at the old Britvic Plant in Belfast, and in the Tollymore Forest, in Bryansford.

Outside and surrounding the facility is the forest environment, indicating both the location’s remote nature and also the therapy used by Rose Leslie’s character Amy for Morgan to slowly become assimilated into the world outside the compound. This “Natural Interface Therapy,” as director Scott dubbed it, is a fictional process but seems plausible in its theory and implementation. “It’s designed to help an organism, like Morgan, develop a sense of soul,” says the director. But the team at this remote facility never anticipated the consequences of its experiment acquiring this very human trait.

Morgan opens Sept.7 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

SUPER HUMAN. In a movie helmed by Luke Scott, Leslie Rose (left) plays Morgan, a lab-created being capable of human emotions

Miss World Philippines still exclusive on GMA

Miss World Philippines national director Cory Quirino (second from left) with Viva Entertainment and GMA Network executives

MISS World Philippines is once again in search for young Filipinas who can inspire the world to make a difference. A partnership with GMA Network was made official through a contract signed on Aug. 23, at the GMA Network Center.

Present were GMA First Vice President for Program Management Joey Abacan Abacan, Assistant Vice President for Program Management Mitzi Garcia, CQ Global Quest, Inc. Chairman & CEO, Cory Quirino, and

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, August 31, 2016

ACROSS 1 It may be bum 6 Burrowing animal 10 Cheat 14 Major oil hub 15 Summit 16 Kind of weed 17 Factory group 18 Percolate 19 Eight, in combos 20 Beatty of “Network” 21 Wish and hope (3 wds.)

24 Putin’s place 26 Wage 27 Sushi-bar selection 28 Holstein’s home 30 Ancient yarn 33 Like a fair lass 34 Hack 37 What banks do 38 Point of an antler 39 Fly upwards 40 Uncles and nephews 41 Razorbacks 42 Pier 43 Experiments with 44 Afternoon break 45 Spuds 48 Droopy-eared

hounds 52 Caught in a gullywasher (2 wds.)

55 Intimidate 56 Mild rejoinder 57 Composer — Bartok 58 Bring to mind 60 Drachma’s successor 61 Veld prowler 62 Ticked off 63 Faculty honcho 64 Napoleon’s island 65 Play part DOWN 1 Reeked 2 Piano fixer 3 Slur together 4 “— Beso” 5 Caused resentment 6 Brick worker 7 Fuel cartel 8 Mild onion 9 Disclosing 10 Sluggishly 11 Winter warmer 12 Role player 13 Dejected 22 Nada 23 — a soul 25 Honey wine

28 Easy ways out 29 Sothern and Blyth 30 Variety 31 Luau wreath 32 Bed-andbreakfast 33 Sitter’s bane 34 Fast-selling 35 Lunch 36 Sardonic 38 Within reach 39 Vast expanses 41 Broken-off glacier 42 Medieval

clowns 43 Sinew 44 — kwon do 45 Jacket choice 46 Quarrel 47 Jeweled ornament 48 Spoor tracker 49 Quebec school 50 Subway fare 51 Nobel or Garbo 53 Buzz’s capsulemate 54 Rounded lump 59 Crooner — Damone

Viva executives VR Del Rosario and Jay Montelibano.

Quirino feels determined to take home the Miss World crown this year and she is inviting beautiful and smart Filipinas, ages 16 to 26 years old to join their final screening on Aug. 29 at the B Hotel on Scout Rallos, Quezon City. ”Masayang-masaya ang Miss World Philippines because of our supportive partners, and with that we are really working hard to get the title. We are not hoping anymore, naniniguro na kami,”

said Quirino.

Meanwhile, Abacan feels positive for this year’s pageant and he is pleased to have a strong partnership with Miss World Philippines. “Hindi kami iniiwan ng Miss World kaya nagpapasalamat kami, and of course we are excited for the pageant and we will be supportive all the way.”

On Sept. 25, the Miss World Philippines Grand Coronation Night will be featured in Sunday Night Box Office (SNBO) after Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 2016

Showbiz

Superbod James Reid shows off his chiseled physique in a photoshoot for the new Century Tuna TVC

James Reid

From teen actor to Century Tuna’s newest Superbod

I

T WAS six years ago in that popular reality show Pinoy Big Brother Teen Clash when a lanky, admittedly shy, 17-year old Filipino-Australian named James Reid, first rose to fame. One of the so-called “teen-ternational” housemates, he was proclaimed Big Winner among the show’s 16 young hopefuls.

The actor, born and raised in Sydney, has indeed come a long way since that life-changing moment. He is now an undisputed household name being the other half in the JaDine love team and Nadine Lustre’s reallife boyfriend.

It doesn’t come as a big surprise that he was chosen to endorse the country’s no. 1 canned tuna brand, Century Tuna. With his talent, physical features and a hot body to match: sculpted abs, toned muscles, firm biceps—the hunk truly fits the bill. And in a relatively short period of time, he has achieved so much while keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

And, by now, television audiences have been seeing James Reid’s latest television commercial of Century Tuna, which has been airing. The TVC features the hot, talented, and totally famous teen idol who has sent many hearts a-flutter—and fans screaming.

And in case you didn’t notice, the TV spot relates to transformation, which is quite apt, as James has really undergone quite a metamorphosis in his career.

James has strived extra hard to prove and improve himself and his craft as a singer, dancer and actor.

“I’m attending workshops and learning Tagalog,” he shares.

He also looks forward to working on an album of the songs he wrote. James also wants to keep fit and healthy, and has gone through his own metamorphosis as a result of diet, exercise and a regular fitness regimen. This remarkable transformation caught the attention of many, so much so that James was introduced, along with Jessy Mendiola, Paulo Avelino and Elmo Magalona as Century Tuna’s new endorsers last year.

Apart from the new Century Tuna campaign, James is busy with a new television series Till I Met You that was shot partly in Greece. Both were excited as they went on savoring the food, taking in the sights, and portraying more mature roles.

“This is definitely going to be challenging and quite different from the roles I’ve done before,” James says proudly.

Benilde dance group places fifth in Hip-hop Olympics THE Saint Benilde Romançon Dance Company (SBRDC) landed in the top 5 in the finals of the recent 2016 World HipHop Dance Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada.

SBRDC, the official dance company of De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), had a 10-member delegation that competed in what is dubbed as the “Olympics of Hip-hop”.

The title for the Adult Division was claimed by New Zealand’s The Bradas.

The UPeepz from the University of the Philippines were hailed as the champions in the Megacrew Category, beating runner-up groups from Korea and New Zealand.

The Alliance, an all-Filipino independent dance team, won bronze in the Varsity Bracket, which requires members between the ages of 12 to 17.

The Philippines is an annual participant in the coveted competition, with its mission to unite the world via dance, attracting some 48 countries.

Gabby Concepcion is first Anagen ambassador FORMER matinee idol Gabby Concepcion is still as handsome as ever.

He can still make girls swoon with his bedimpled smile, sparkling eyes, and macho body.

But as a 50-year old, Gabby knows that he needs to take extra care of his body, particularly his hair.

“I’m actually scared that I will soon have a receding hairline. So even if that time hasn’t come yet, I’m taking steps to strengthen my hair,” says the first ambassador of Anagen Advanced Hair Rebuild System of Healthwell Nutraceuticals Inc., an affiliate of YSA Skincare Corporation.

“We came up with the idea of Anagen to address the growing demand of the market for better, safer and real results for hair regrowth. I specifically thought of Anagen to be its brand because of its meaning. Anagen is a growing phase of hair follicles; it is also the active phase of Actor Gabby Concepcion (second from right) with Healthwell executives during a contract signing

the hair growth cycle,” says Healthwell President Paulo Legaspi who personally uses the natural, safe, and no bad-sideeffects shampoo.

Anagen products include shampoo, hair tonic, and wax. It boasts many properties: grows hair, moisturizes, conditions, improves blood circulation, prevents hair fall, recovers skin temperature, helps repair salon-treated hair and sun-damaged hair, is anti-androgen / hormonal, antibacterial/ antiseptic, and anti-dandruff. It even blackens hair and best of all, is cheaper than other brands.

Anagen is able to do all of these because of its main ingredients: Jiou liquid and Argan oil.

Jiou liquid is Japan’s secret to reverse hair loss as it promotes strong and healthy blood circulation necessary for hair growth.

It contains saccharides that energize hair follicles, iridoid that blackens hair, catalpol that treats skin diseases and is anti-

‘Prevention is better than cure’ is Gabby Concepcion’s mantra when it comes to taking care of his looks particularly his hair and scalp

inflammatory, and amino acids that serve as the foundation of protein. One type of protein – keratin – makes up about 88 percent of each strand of hair on your body.

By boosting amino acids associated with hair growth, maintenance and protection, it’s possible to reduce hair loss.

These amino acids can also help to restore hormonal balances. Amino acids increase the supply of blood to your hair follicles and increase the supply of nutrients to your hair.

Argan Oil, on the other hand, is often used as a hair treatment and conditioner because it is extremely beneficial for the hair and scalp. Vitamin E is extremely beneficial for the hair, and is found in Argan Oil in high quantities. Vitamin E promotes healthy hair growth as it contains antioxidants, which help boost cells and encourage them to produce healthy hair. It has even been used for hair regrowth.

Argan oil has a number of benefits when

used on hair. It can act as a moisturizer for the scalp to fight dandruff and dry scalp.

It can also promote the growth of healthy, strong hair as opposed to thin, brittle hair.

It can even undo some of the damage done through chemical treatments and dyes, and can be used to treat split ends. Immediate benefits can be seen in people who use Argan Oil on their hair. It is an excellent agent for taming frizz and promoting shine and gloss, as well as softer, more manageable hair.

“Anagen is more effective compared to other hair growers because it can address the problem simultaneously through two different pathways. One is to inhibit the activity of Alpha Reductase enzyme that triggers the development of thinning hair or hair loss. At the same time, it accelerates the blood flow and activates the energy metabolism in hair follicles,” adds Robert Nazal, YSA Skin Care Corporation president.