Manila Standard - 2016 September 2 - Friday

‘Kill-Duterte’ plot revealed

By Francisco Tuyay

VOL. XXX • NO. 202 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Espinosa may testify vs senator, 29 others

By John Paolo Bencito and Macon RamosAraneta MALACAÑANG on Thursday is considering the possibility of placing Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) after he implicated a senator, congressmen and some officers of the Philippine National Police as the top 30 protectors of his son Kerwin’s narcotics business.

In a press briefing, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said President Rodrigo Duterte was considering placing Espinosa under the WPP program of the Justice Department.

On Wednesday, 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 Insp. Jovie Espinido said he saw the affidavit the mayor executed

POLICE seized P4.5 million worth of smuggled gun parts and accessories for high-powered firearms from two suspected smugglers in Bacolod City, who said the weapons were to be used to assassinate President Rodrigo Duterte.

Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa identified the two suspects

Sayyaf to Du30: Prepare for war What you can dish out, I can do it 10 times—Rody

By John Paolo Bencito and Florante S. Solmerin

T

HE Abu Sayyaf taunted President Rodrigo Duterte Wednesday night, warning thousands of government troops he sent to hunt them down in Sulu to prepare for a “test of strength.”

“Starting September 1, the socalled soldiers of Duterte should be prepared for a test which will come from ASG forces,” Radullah Sahiron, Abu Sayyaf commander in Sulu, told the ABSCBN network.

“If soldiers will not be the ones who will attack, the Abu Sayyaf will be the ones to launch tests against these forces to win Sulu by their terms,” he added.

Duterte, who had ordered the military to crush the Abu Sayyaf in three to six months, admitted that the kidnap-for-ransom bandits could seek retribution, but said he was confident of winning the war with the whole military behind him.

“We should be aware because we are hitting them hard,”

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‘Overpaid consultants outnumber NAPC staff’ SOME 155 consultants and 82 people under contract were paid more than P3.4 million a month over a nine-month period by the former chairman of the National Anti-Poverty Commission, Joel Rocamora, documents obtained by the Manila Standard showed.

The number of workers was larger than the total organic internal staff hired during Rocamora’s tenure at the commission.

NAPC Chairman Liza Maza had already terminated the services of Rocamora’s consultants Next page

WEATHER THE low-pressure area east of Batanes quickly developed into tropical storm “Enteng” on Thursday and is expected to enhance the southwest monsoon and draw rains in Northern Luzon, the state weather bureau reported.

Enteng will cause moderate to heavy rain in Pangasinan, La Union and Benguet but is expected to exit the Philippine area of responsibility by Friday morning.

as Allan Taala and Wilford Palma, who admitted that their client had told them the guns would be used to kill the President.

“One customer that planned to order several lower-end gun parts said [these] will be used for the assassination of Duterte,” Palma said when presented

by Dela Rosa during a briefing at Camp Crame Thursday.

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Rody ‘knew’ about Leila’s alleged ‘sex video’ series CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN. With September ushering in the ‘ber’ months, Yuletide, the season for gifts

and shopping in Christian areas of the country, as this scene in Barangay Sta. Teresita in Quezon City, starts to go in full swing—with monstrous traffic jams, growing credit card debts and many to-do lists starting to sweep the metropolis. Manny Palmero

Marcos SolGen: Let’s move on

By Rey E. Requejo FORMER solicitor general Estelito Mendoza on Thursday urged those opposing the burial of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos at the Libingan Ng Mga Bayani to move on, just as Filipinos did after the atrocities committed by Japan during World War II. Mendoza, who was the chief state lawyer during the Marcos

administration, lamented how the Marcos critics can’t reconcile with his burial, when they had moved on from the atrocities of the Japanese Imperial Army during the Second World War. If the people remember the Martial Law years, the people should also remember what happened during World War II, he said.

“The people today, especially

the youth, should remember who fought for us against the Japanese,” Mendoza said.

“No one can deny that President Marcos was among the Filipino soldiers who marched in Bataan and were imprisoned during the Japanese occupation,” he added.

Mendoza noted that Libingan ng mga Bayani is principally built for the soldiers and former President Marcos was a soldier. Next page

DAVAO CITY―President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday denied he owns a copy of the sex video of Senator Leila De Lima, but said he already knew about it even before it reached the social networking sites.

He has tagged De Lima as a protector and coddler of drug lords when she was Justice secretary under the previous administration.

De Lima on Thursday warned public officials against allowing themselves to be used in fabricating evidence against her to substantiate the charges she is involved in illegal drugs.

She appealed to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre and NBI Director Dante Gierran not to allow themselves to be used against her. She reminded them that it’s a crime to

DSWD draws flak

POLICE PROBE. PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa and

CIDG chief P/Supt Roel Obusan present Wilford Palma, one of two major-league gun smuggling suspects—the other is Bryan Ta-ala, in hospital but under police custody—after P4.5 million worth of guns and gun parts were seized from them, purportedly to be sold to an unidentified client who would use them ‘to assassinate’ President Rodrigo Duterte, a claim the PNP is investigating. Manny Palmero

Gov in sex video suspended THE Ombudsman has suspended Camarines Norte Gov. Edgardo Tallado for six months for immorality over his nude photographs and a sex video showing him with his alleged mistress that went viral online in 2014.

“Wherefore, judgment is rendered finding respondent Ed-

Duterte said in a speech in Davao City, referring to the Abu Sayyaf.

“I expect retribution from them.

But what you can dish out, I can do it 10 times better. I have the army, and I have airplanes.”

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said they would not take the Abu Sayyaf threats lightly, after the government lost 15 soldiers in a battle in Patikul, Sulu on Monday.

“If threats like that are made, whether true or not, we take them seriously, especially coming from the ASG. They are a formidable opponent and judging from our casualties last Monday—they must not be taken lightly,” Lorenzana told the Manila Standard.

gardo Tallado administratively liable for disgraceful and immoral conduct for which he is meted the penalty of six months suspension and one day without pay,” the Ombudsman’s order said.

Mary Rawnsley Lopez, the Ombudsman’s public information Next page

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

P 13 /meal to feed a malnourished child

LAWMAKERS on Thursday ordered Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo to explain her department’s Memorandum 9 that was released in the wake of the Supreme Court decision declaring the Priority Development Assistance Fund or pork barrel fund unconstitutional.

During the hearing on her department’s proposed budget for 2017, House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas asked File photo shows a child taking his free meal at a feeding program in Baseco Compound.

Taguiwalo about her recent pronouncement that the lawmakers themselves could directly provide financial assistance to their constituents instead of her TELEVISION host and comedian said Duterte does not like Hardepartment.

Steve Harvey would not be em- vey, who mistakenly named first “If we will have to use our ceeing the Miss Universe beauty runner-up Miss Colombia Ariadown money, then we will be propageant this year that the Philip- na Gutierrez as the winner of the moting patronage politics, prepines will be hosting on Jan. 30 2015 beauty pageant instead of cisely why we have public funds next year if President Rodrigo Miss Philippines Pia Wurtzbach. to be given to the people,” FariDuterte had his way, an official “I don’t like him,” Teo quoted ñas told Taguiwalo at the House said Thursday.

Duterte as saying.

Next page Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo “Let me talk to the organizers.”

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

manufacture evidence or false testimony.

“I know they are good officials.

Do not allow yourselves to be a party to any perjury or to subornation of perjury,” De Lima said.

“Now if they will be doing those things, then I will make them answerable in some future time.”

De Lima also asked if she was a “terrorist” or a “drug coddler” to deserve to be a victim of “wiretapping,” telling a Senate hearing that her cellphones were being tapped.

“Is that the purpose why my cellphones are tapped now? I don’t expect anyone to answer that question, I’m just thinking aloud,” De Lima said.

“Let us stop fooling each other because I am fond of watchNext page ing detective stories.”

P 16.70 /meal to feed an inmate

P 844 million cut in DSWD’s feeding program budget Source: Senator Ralph Recto

Fumbling Miss U host will miss Manila

S

thestandard.com.ph

Teo said the Philippines would gain much from hosting next year’s Miss Universe beauty contest.

“I’m sure that after the Miss Universe [beauty pageant], the Philippines will be in the world map,” Teo told reporters in Next page Malacañang.

Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circ@manilastandardtoday.com

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

Personal contacts eyed to repair China relations

The Xinmin Evening News has embarked on an ambitious five-day “media exchange tour” by inviting the first batch of eight select journalists from the major broadsheets in the Philippines to “enhance relations” between the Chinese and Filipino peoples.

The editors of Xinmin tapped the Shanghai government officials to present to the visiting Filipino journalists what the Chinese people have recently done for the Philippines, such as the $1-billion power project in Mindanao and the $4.4-billion foreign direct investments put up by Beijing in the Philippines.

They also showcased the fast progressing wholly Filipino-owned Oi-

shi factory that now has 16 factories in as many provinces in China.

“Chinese and the Filipino people have long time relationship.

We hope that this visit will further strenghten our [people-to-people] relationship,” said Wang Weixin, deputy editor-in-chief of the Xinmin Evening News, the largest newspaper in Shanghai that is a publicly listed firm with 23 overseas issues.

According to Xinmin editor-inchief Chen Qi Wei, the paper has 1.8 million in circulation daily that reaches 8.8 million households or 22 million reaidents of Shanghai.

“Our paper serves as the voice of the citizens to be heard by the government. There’s nothing that we can’t write,” Qi Wei said.

Shanghai Development and reform commission director Gao Yu said a proof of enhanced bilateral trade relations despite policy differences on the West Philippine Sea is the $1 billion investment of Shanghai Electric Power Construction Company (SEPCC) in the energy sector in Mindanao.

Gao Yu said Shanghai is bullish on the country’s business potential.

He added the Philippines is poised for “great” economic momentum, citing the robust seven percent expansion in gross domestic product during the second quarter of this year.

SEPCC, a subsidiary of Power Construction Corporation of China, won a contract to build the thermal facility in Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte in 2014.

On the other hand, there are some 13 Filipino-owned firms operating here, among them Liwayway (International) Co. Ltd., the maker of Oishi snacks owned and controlled by Ambassador Carlos Chan; Bench, a popular clothing brand in the Philippines; and Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. Oishi’s Larry Chan said the Chinese authorities had been helpul to their company’s expansion all over China.

“At the height of the West Philip-

Espinosa...

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last Aug. 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: Senators Franklin Drilon and Leila de Lima.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said that Espinosa has not yet applied to enter the WPP— the department’s program which seeks to protect and encourage a witness to testify before a court.

He, however, clarified that the department can automatically accept all the applicants who wish to enter the program.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said that should Espinosa apply as a state witness, it could only mean his admission that he committed the same crime as his son.

“Yes, if you become a state witness, that means that you are the least guilty. That’s why you’ll testify,” Panelo told the Manila Standard.

Espinosa’s affidavit could be the legal basis for cases that will be filed against the protectors of Kerwin Espinosa, who remains at large.

Aguirre said that they still have to evaluate if Espinosa is qualified to enter the WPP and be a state witness against alleged pro-

tectors of drug lords.

Also on Thursday, Abella said that it would be best for more drug suspects named by President Duterte to meet him personally and clear such claims after Pangasinan Rep. Amado Espino Jr. on Wednesday confirmed meeting with Duterte to deny the accusations against him.

Espino reiterated to Duterte that it would be impossible for him to collude with De Lima or her lover-driver.

At the same time, Abella warned international human rights groups not to believe the government was behind the spate of drug-related killings, saying that certain groups are out to destroy the administration.

“We also have to clearly and carefully make reference to the fact that certain deaths involving policemen may actually be cleansing operations by scalawags in uniform, and that these matters are already under investigation,” he said.

“We’d also like to emphasize the fact that Phase 1 of the campaign against drugs has been successfully implemented, and mainly, to create awareness of the depth of the drug menace; that Phase 2 of the campaign has already started with the investigation of police officers involved in illegitimate operations.”

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri on Thursday said the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) and other law enforcement agen-

cies should attack the financial infrastructure of drug syndicates, saying he was baffled by P500 million worth of checks paid out

by Kerwin Espinosa, a suspected drug lord, without being detected by regulators.

“We are counting on the AMLC in particular to quickly spot and seize suspected drug money flowing through our banks, and to forcefully prosecute cases of money laundering by traffickers,” Zubiri said.

“Regulators should disabuse the perception that they have been inadequate in thwarting the criminal use of banks by drug traffickers,” he said.

The senator singled out the case of Espinosa Jr., who is now being hunted by authorities due to his involvement in illegal drugs.

Citing the PNP, Zubiri said Espinosa was supposedly able to pay over P500 million worth of checks from eight bank accounts between 2014 to June 2016, with the bulk of the money apparently going to his alleged “protectors” in the criminal justice system.

“We are stumped that a highrisk individual can issue so many checks unobstructed, in amounts of up to P20 million per check, without the AMLC acting on suspicious transaction reports that should have been diligently filed by the banks involved,” Zubiri said.

He said that from the start, the fact that Espinosa is the son of an incumbent mayor should have

Gov...

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DSWD...

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peso budget per meal to feed a malnourished child was lower than the meal costing P16.70 served to each prisoner.

“If we are bothered by the small food budget given to convicts, then we should be outraged over the pitifully smaller allocation for meals of children in daycare centers and schools,” Recto said.

Taguiwalo faced lawmakers to defend her department’s proposed P129.8-billion budget for 2017.

Negros Oriental Rep. Arnie Teves also asked Taguiwalo on Memorandum 9 and her statement that lawmakers and Social Welfare could work together to extend the muchneeded assistance to the constituents of House members.

“But there should be no special entitlements of sort [extended to lawmakers],” Taguiwalo said.

Teves said congressmen would know best what their constituents needed, and that it was not for Social Welfare to decide on the matter.

“The money is not yours. It is the people’s money,” Teves said.

Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Marcos...

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will truly follow what we pray for, I am sure this country will be truly peaceful,” the former solicitor general said.

The Supreme Court will continue on Sept. 7 oral arguments on the petitions seeking to stop the Duterte administration from burying Marcos at Libingan Ng Mga Bayani.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday began oral arguments on whether Marcos should be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Mar-

tial Law victims said the former dictator should not be allowed to be interred at the Libingan ng mga Bayani because he should not be emulated.

Marcos burial has been scheduled on Sept. 18 and preparations were already underway until the Supreme Court issued a status quo ante order.

The 15-member bench will hear the arguments of the government on Sept. 7.

‘Overpaid...

to 11 departments inside the commission, and paid them monthly or in tranches.

Some consultants were paid from as low as P25,000 while others received as much as P540,000 within the period, averaging about P3.4 million a month.

Total fees paid to consultants within the nine-month period total to about

P30.6 million or about 15.4 percent of the NAPCs annual budget.

Among the highest paid consultants by the NAPC were: Buboy Magahis (P540,000) who was assigned to the POI-ISF, Elizabeth Yang (P405,000) who was assigned to the GAD, Emelita Oro and Francisco Gonzal, both paid P489,875 as output-based consultants, Mylene Mission (P480,000)

By Christine F. Herrera

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HANGHAI, China—In a bid to highlight mutual cooperation and friendly relations amid the ongoing dispute over the West Philippine Sea, the biggest and most influential media group here has chosen to send its government’s message to Chinese and Filipino citizens through journalists under a “people-topeople” exchange program.

officer, said the decision was written on Aug. 8.

“The suspension is confirmed for disgraceful and immoral conduct,” she told the Manila Standard.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales ordered Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno to implement the decision.

Jonel Revuelta Banal, the complainant, filed the case against Tallado, saying Tallado must be charged criminally for marital infidelity.

Tallado violated the law and embarrassed Camarines Norte as a result of the proliferation of his photos and sex video with his 24-year-old mistress, Banal said.

In October 2014 the governor’s wife, Josefina Tallado, appeared in public after missing for a week, saying she escaped from their home when her husband, armed with a gun, got mad at her and accused her of leaking the uncompromising photos of his alleged mistress on social media.

Weeks later, Tallado apologized to his family and constituents.

In October 2015 the Ombudsman also suspended Tallado for a year, along with provincial legal officer Sim Mata Jr. and supervising administrative officer Mario de la Cruz, over his failure to implement a 2013 Civil Service Commission order to reinstate provincial veterinarian Edgardo Gonzales, who was dismissed in 2012.

The Ombudsman found Tallado guilty of oppression and grave abuse of authority.

“Evidently, the oppression in this case emanated from the adamant and sustained refusal of Tallado to implement the CSC resolution in collaboration with Mata,” the suspension order read. Rio N. Araja

committee on appropriations led

by Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles.

But Taguiwalo said it was never the intention of her signed memorandum to prevent lawmakers from endorsing beneficiaries to her department.

But she was quick to say that she wanted to discourage the practice of lawmakers asking special projects from her department as it had a P200million allocation for each lawmaker.

She also said she was clueless over audit findings of unliquidated cash advances and ghost beneficiaries involving the conditional cash transfer program or dole to the poor that happened even before she assumed office.

She said her department was investigating the matter.

In the Senate, Majority Leader Ralph Recto on Thursday scored the P800-million cut in Social Welfare’s budget to feed malnourished children.

He said the government’s 13-

Ironically, he said, Japan is now back as among the Philippines’ close economic partners.

“Japan is back here [in the Philippines] while we are very happy visiting Japan. If that is so, why can’t we Filipinos reconcile…. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. If we

From A1 in two separate memorandum orders after President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to remove all holdover officials from the previous administration.

Over the nine-month period, the NAPC distributed the 155 consultants

pine Sea dispute, the Chinese authorities immediately sent policemen to secure us. We told them there’s no need because we feel safe and secured,” Chan said. “We’ve been here long.”

Chan said his firm employs 8,600 workers that include 100 Filipino executives.

According to Wang, the familiarization tour in this bustling metropolis could “enhance communications” between the two countries in general, and Shanghai and the Philippines in particular.

Qi Wei underscored the important role of media in this endeavor.

“Our government is government of people. Media should come in and help the government,” Qi Wei said.

In 2015, trade between Shanghai alone and the Philippines reached $4.4 billion, while two-way trade between China and the Philippines stood at $18 billion.

The select Filipino journalists include this reporter, Paolo Romero of the Philippine Star, Estrella Torres of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, Virgilio Galvez (formerly of Philippine Information Agency), Catherine Pillas of Business Mirror, Zhuang Ming Deng of Chinese Commercial News, Fil Sionil of Manila Bulletin and Mauro Samonte of Manila Times. been a red flag for the banks and the AMLC. “The instant Espinosa opened his bank accounts, he should have been correctly tagged as a politically exposed person by the branch manager based on the know-yourcustomer rule,” said Zubiri.

Under the law, PEPs, including family members of politicians, are considered “high risk” due to their exposure to potential bribery and corruption, the senator said.

Thus, he said the bank and other financial accounts of PEPs are supposed to be subject to stronger anti-money laundering due diligence checks by banks and the AMLC.

Rody...

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Duterte said he understood the job of De Lima when she was still commissioner of Human Rights, but he found out she was hiding something.

“She was my number one critic; she keeps on talking about human rights. Later did I know that she had a series, everybody saw it,” he said.

He said he needed to intervene in the drug problem because the future of the next generation might be affected because of it.

He said there were more than 3.7-million drug addicts in the country, and that the number would continue to increase if the problem persisted.

F. Pearl A. Gajunera and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Fumbling...

From A1 “Everybody will be looking at us because during the Miss Universe contest, all the beautiful places, the destinations will be featured.”

The Miss Universe beauty pageant will be a two-week event with the candidates and their delegations starting to arrive as early as Jan. 13.

Harvey, who is set to host the Miss Universe beauty pageant here, has told the Miss Universe Organization that he wants to personally apologize to the Filipinos for his mistake in 2015.

He apologized to Wurtzbach outside the venue in Colombia and later tweeted an apology to her and to Gutierrez.

Teo said that Duterte’s request might not be possible as Harvey was “actually under contract for five years.”

“Definitely, he is again going to host the Miss Universe [beauty pageant],” she said. John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta

A PRESIDENT’S THANKS. President Rodrigo R. Duterte salutes a soldier slain in an Abu Sayyaf encounter in Sulu during necrological services at the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.

Malacañang Photo

Sayyaf...

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communist and Moro rebels silenced by peace talks, the military can now focus on just one mission-to wipe out the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu and Basilan.

“We are conducting focused operations,” Año said Thursday.

The deployment of more troops in Sulu is part of the overall military strategy to put an end to the reign of terror of the ASG, he added.

“The intensity of operations since Aug. 26 has had substantial results already against the enemy.

We’re even putting an additional three battalions in Sulu,” Año said.

The ASG has lost 30 fighters since the government offensive began, the military says.

The government, on the other hand, lost 15 soldiers in a single battle Monday.

Año said the incident is being investigated to find out what led to the casualties.

“Many of our troops were hit during the first burst of fire. At the time, it was getting dark and it was difficult for the toops to move,” he said in Filipino.

In Camp Aguinaldo, Padilla confirmed the arrival Wednesday of the 63rd IB in Sulu from Samar.

At present, about 8,000 soldiers or eight battalions have been deployed in Sulu alone to hunt down the terrorists. The strategy is to box in and constrict the terrorists in battle grounds away from civilian communities.

The military has estimated the number of ASG in Sulu to be more or less 200 but acknowledged also that the terror group’s mass base support is huge.

Rep. Rodolfo Biazon, a former military chief, urged the AFP to consider bringing in local government leaders in the all-out war against the ASG. Biazon said that a successful campaign against the ASG in Sulu and Basilan needs the support of local officials and communities.

The latest offensive was the offshoot of the bandit group’s beheading of 18-year-old Patrick Jhames Almodavar last week.

‘Kill-Duterte’...

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He said he could not remember the client’s name, but said he had ordered gun parts from him in the past.

Dela Rosa said he could not yet say if Palma were a member of a gun-for-hire syndicate or just an errand boy. Investigators are still validating claim, he added.

The gun parts the client had ordered, Palma said, include more than 100 upper receivers, 40 barrels and 30 bolt assemblies for 100 M16 rifles. He said at least 10 boxes of cargo containing gun parts have been shipped into the country in the last two years.

Aside from Palma and Taala, 23 others, including nine who voluntarily surrendered said they were willing to cooperate with the police investigation of the gun running operation.

A total of 15 gun parts composed of seven upper receivers, a butt, a handgrip, two magazine assemblies, and four bolt assemblies were surrendered and received by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Taala and Palma, both from Bacolod City, were arrested by detectives of CIDG in a police operation against loose firearms at Atlas, Villa Cristina Subdivision, Barangay Tangub, Bacolod City, on Aug. 6.

A case was filed against the suspects for violation of the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act. Palma underwent the inquest proceedings before the State Prosecutor’s Office at the Justice Department in Manila on Aug. 8.

Dela Rosa said the suspects used fictitious names and false documents when claiming the packages with the contraband of different firearms component parts which are bought in the US, and shipped to the country through the use of

legitimate international cargo forwarders. The items are then sold to gun enthusiasts across the country, which are then shipped to customers using local courier services.

Palma said there were previous deliveries from the US, which were facilitated through Atlas Shippers International Inc., involving the delivery of 104 different major component parts for the 5.56 caliber rifle; and 298 minor component parts for the 5.56 rifle, accessories, and bullet-proof vests, which were all delivered on different occasions to 129 people and one company across the country.

Records of the Firearms and Explosives Office-Records Section showed that 28 of those who received deliveries were registered firearms holders, 30 had no records in the database, while 12 could not be identified because they had the same names but different middle names.

A Palace official said Thursday that death threats would not deter President Duterte in his war against drugs, crime and terrorism.

“Death threats are nothing new for President Duterte. He eats death threats for breakfast,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said during a press briefing in Malacañang.

The Palace official said that “the threats against Duterte are expected due to the unrelenting war he has waged against many fronts upon his assumption in office.”

Chief among them is his relentless war against illegal drugs—a war which reportedly earned Duterte a P50 million bounty put up by drug gangs for his head.

The ongoing war against the extremist Abu Sayyaf group—a terror group with Islamic State links that is operating in the hinterlands of Sulu and Basilan— is another possible threat to Duterte’s life, he said.

Despite all these, Malacañang said Duterte remains unfazed. With PNA

who was assigned at the LACMS, Ma. Venerandra Nunes Nachura (P450,000) who was assigned at the LACMS, and Ermin Palao (P480,000) who was assigned at the LACMS. Maza also canceled the contracts of service with 82 consultants, noting that their number had bloated, particularly in the last six years.

Terminated COS employees are

provided with option to re-apply, with possible rehiring after evaluation.

Maza had earlier questioned Rocamora’s hiring of consultants, asking why a small agency needed so many consultants, who outnumbered its internal staff.

“This is an insult to NAPC’s mandate to serve the interest of the poor,” Maza said. John Paolo Bencito

Since operations started last week, the government has already deployed an additional five batallions or more than 2,500 soldiers to augment the forces in Sulu--bringing the total number to 7,500 as of Wednesday.

Troops deployed in the mountains have launched ground attacks while aerial reconnaissance teams search for ASG commandos in known lairs.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the military and police and all other government law enforcement agencies are on heightened alert in the National Capital Region, Davao and Cebu, because of raw information that the ASG might launch diversionary attacks in urban centers.

Duterte recently slammed the terrorist group for killing and mutilating in the name of Allah.

“You think Allah would be happy to see you do that? In the name of Allah, you kill then, unnecessarily, you mutilate the body of the human being?” Duterte said.

Lorenzana said that specific actions to counter the ASG were left to the military.

Journalists who are covering the operations against the Abu Sayyaf Group in Sulu were moved to a bigger military camp, given threat of attack from the group.

A GMA News report confirmed that the AFP told journalists at the camp of the 35th Infantry Battalion Wednesday night to pack their things so they could move to Camp Teodulfo Bautista.

Some 7,000 civilians have already fled their homes amid fear of renewed hostilities.

Brig. Gen. Arnel Dela Vega, who heads Task Force Sulu, said that they will not back down.

“The more that we are hurt, the more that we are motivated to push on with our mandated task,” he said.

Army chief Maj. Gen. Eduardo Año said with conflicts with the

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Coco levy fund now P75b Stop system loss charges, solon urges

By Maricel V. Cruz AN INDEPENDENT lawmaker on Thursday asked Congress to put an end to the charging of electricity system losses being charged by private electric companies and lower the cap of recoverable system losses of rural electric cooperatives.

In filing House Bill, In House Bill 942 (Allowable System Loss Act of 2016), Navotas City Rep. Tobias Tiangco noted that government should “Unburden the general public from shouldering the costs of losses it had nothing to do with.”

“We filed the same bill in the 15th and 16th Congresses but both were never heard even on the committee level. We urge Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, energy committee chairman, to prioritize this bill. It is an injustice to the consumers to make them pay for electricity they did not use,” Tiangco said.

“System loss is due to pilferage and inefficient transmission, both of which should be the responsibility of the electrical distribution company or cooperative. We should not let consumers suffer for the crime or the incompetence of others,” he said.

In HB 942, Tiangco stressed government’s duty to “protect the rights of every electric consumer without compromising the State’s assistance to the viability of every electric distributor’s operations.”

“Electricity is an indispensable commodity in the economic growth. The supply and demand of the populace must be harmoniously reconciled and considered to attain justifiable and equitable imposition of the electric distribution expenses to the consuming public,” he added.

Tiangco said that only rural electric cooperatives should be allowed to impose charges for system losses that are caused by faulty design and technical loss as defined by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

He added that the said charges should not exceed five percent of the total system losses.

The Navoteño lawmaker also pushed for the exemption of the system loss charged by rural electric cooperatives from the 12-percent value-added tax.

“The imposition of system loss in the consumers’ bills, although forming part of a rural cooperative’s operating expenses, shall not be made subject to any valueadded tax as provided in Section 108 of Republic Act No. 9337 or any amendments thereto,” he said.

“A systems loss charge shall be determined annually based on the previous year’s costs and revenues of the distribution utilities which shall be verified by the ERC to ensure that only legitimate costs are borne by consumers,” he added.

A similar measure has also been filed at the Senate, authored by former congressman and Senator Manny Pacquiao.

Justice ends investigation of cyberheist

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice has wrapped up its preliminary investigation on the money laundering charges involving the $81 million stolen by hackers from the Bangladesh Bank and laundered into the country.

Assistant State Prosecutor Gilmarie Fe Pacamarra on Thursday revealed that three consolidated complaints filed by AntiMoney Laundering Council against former Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. branch manager Maia Santos-Deguito and four others; casino junket operators Kam Sin Wong alias Kim Wong and Weikang Xu; and executives of remittance firm Philrem Service Corp. are now submitted for resolution after conducting preliminary investigation hearings for four months.

Pacamarra said a resolution may be issued within the month.

The investigating prosecutor clarified that these cases pending at the DoJ covered only about $15 million of the stolen money.

Apart from the $15 million covered by the DoJ cases. A total of $2.7 million was earlier recovered and frozen by Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. while $63 million more from the stolen money remain missing and are now being pursued by Bangladeshi officials.

All respondents have denied money laundering charges in their respective counter-affidavits.

In her answer filed last May, Deguito sought for the dismissal of the charges for lack of probable cause.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE Presidential Commission on Good Government on Thursday disclosed that the coco levy fund that was collected from coconut farmers from 1973 to 1982 is now worth more than P75 billion.

Testifying at the first Senate hearing on Thursday, PCGG officer-in-charge Danilo Daniel said the fund now totals P75.354 billion.

He said the fund consists of cash amounting to P62.5 billion, broken down into principal of P56.5 billion, interest at P3.6 billion, San Miguel Corp. share dividends at P854 million and

remittance from the United Coconut Planters Bank at P1.48 billion.

Aside from cash, the fund also includes government securities totaling P12.847 billion with P12.33 billion in principal and P515.3 million in interest.

Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, chairman of the Senate agriculture committee, which conducted the hearing aims

to enact a law that will allow three million coconut farmers to use the trust fund.

Pangilinan said the funds may also be used to develop the coconut industry so that it will graduate from focusing on copra alone to using the whole coconut, including its meat and juice.

“Doing this will allow the country to produce and export more value-added coco products, he said.

Instead of mostly raw and crude coconut oil derived from copra, Pangilinan said we will export more processed and value-added coco products and by-products like virgin coconut oil, coco sugar, coco milk, among others.

He said the funds should be used to increase the income of coconut farmers and workers.

“We will enhance farm productivity, set up coco-based community enter-

prises like seed nut nurseries, integrated processing centers [for coco husk, shell, water, meat, sap, and lumber], natural fertilizer [coco peat and vermiculture] production and livestock integration, and intercropping. Farmers and farm workers will take part in replanting, fertilization, and pest management,” Pangilinan said.

He said the funds may also be used to organize coconut farmers and farm workers, most of whom are unorganized, at barangay and municipal levels.

“Through self-organization, they will also able to establish their own registry, farm production data, history of pests and diseases, adaptation measures, vulnerability maps and data, and power and water sources—skills and abilities needed to scientifically manage farms,” Pangilinan said.

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Opinion

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

NFA shake-up

C

HANGE is also coming to the stateowned National Food Authority. It is about to be stripped of its major functions, decades after accumulating P165 billion worth of debt.

President Rodrigo Duterte is set to finally decide on NFA’s fate, after the Cabinet recommended the abolition of the agency’s commercial functions, including rice importation. Cabinet secretaries reached a consensus to split up the regulatory and commercial functions of the grains body.

As recommended by Duterte’s economic team, NFA would no longer be engaged in buying and selling of rice, meaning it should focus, instead, on regulation to ensure an adequate buffer stock of the commodity and other grains.

Shaking up the NFA, however, is not an easy task. NFA principally deals with rice—a vital commodity with political undertones. Filipino farmers have long been used to selling their produce to NFA at comparatively higher prices.

Removing the subsidy granted by the NFA in buying rice may not sit well with the farmers.

Economic Planning Secretary

Ernesto Pernia has assured that low-priced rice will remain available to the public through cheap rice imports. Imported rice, he says, is always cheaper than homegrown rice. He adds splitting NFA’s commercial and regulatory functions will also resolve the rice smuggling problem.

The problem with the NFA, Pernia says, is that it buys high and sells low. This has resulted in losses and has caused NFA huge debts.

The NFA as a corporate entity has failed because of its inability to sustain its operations without government assistance. It may have stabilized supply and rice prices but it has also cost the gov-

ernment billions of pesos just to maintain it, given its inefficiency.

Through subsidies, the NFA also has not made rice farming a productive sector. The Philippines still relies on cheaper imported rice from more successful neighboring countries to augment the shortfall.

The Cabinet should revisit rice farming in the Philippines to make it more productive and efficient. With no commercial functions, the NFA, along with the Department of Agriculture should now take the initiative to introduce modern farming methods to raise the productivity of Filipino farmers.

EVERYMAN

Finding Lolita

By Cesar Barrioquinto

A ‘good’ war LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has started a new war, this time against the Abu Sayyaf bandit group in Sulu and Basilan.

And, like the war against illegal drugs, this one is long overdue.

More than 5,000 troops have been deployed to destroy the Abu Sayyaf in the two island provinces, which are their traditional strongholds. If the buildup continues and the military is allowed to continue operating, there is simply no way that the bandits—who have long embarrassed the entire country because of their lucrative, decades-long kidnap-for-ransom cottage industry and their brutal methods of execution—will win this war.

It is a campaign that Duterte has long been itching to start, I think. But first, he made sure that the leaders of the two main Muslim rebel groups—the Moro

Islamic Liberation Front and the Moro National Liberation Front —were willing to talk peace, thus isolating the Abu Sayyaf bandits.

Initially, Duterte even attempted to reach out to the bandits, saying he could “not call them criminals.” In early July, Duterte said the “failed promises” of previous governments drove the Abu Sayyaf to “desperation.”

But the bandit group probably thought Duterte’s statements meant that they could continue kidnapping people and holding them for ransom—and beheading their captives if the cash was not forthcoming. And when the bandits acted like it was business as usual, beheading three captives in quick succession (two foreigners and a teenager who was the son of a local court stenographer), Duterte found an opportunity to call for their extermination.

Last week, Duterte vowed to neutralize the bandit group in just a week. After some success against the Abu Sayyaf over

the weekend, the bandits struck back, killing 15 government troops; the war was finally underway.

Meanwhile, because of the on-

We should unite to end the bloody banditry of the Abu Sayyaf, by supporting our troops and praying for their victory.

going peace overtures between the Duterte government and the MILF and the MNLF, the main Muslim rebel groups have effectively been prevented from joining the war against the Abu

Sayyaf. So far, not even the usual anti-Duterte politicians and groups have been demanding that the President ratchet down the rhetoric or hold back on the operations of the military in areas where the bandits operate.

Many have suspected that previous governments in Manila have not really sought to end the Abu Sayyaf’s reign of terror.

Perhaps because the central government was afraid of spreading the Muslim rebellion to areas outside of Sulu and Basilan and Central Mindanao, the Abu Sayyaf have never really been hunted down like Duterte wants them hunted down.

The military has long believed that the Abu Sayyaf, despite their fearsome reputation, are not that formidable a foe. The strength of the bandit group, by the most generous estimates, has never been more than a couple of hundred, not counting the civilians to whom they give some of the ransom they collect, a la Robin Hood, so that they may freely mingle with and hide among the

local population.

The advantages of the bandits, apart from the protection given by the people living in Sulu and Basilan, have always been their knowledge of the territory and their lack of hesitation to use beheadings in order to sow terror.

But no one believes that the bandits will win a protracted battle with the military, if the Manila government is really hell-bent on pursuing them.

Of course, as in any military campaign, there are going to be casualties on the government side, as well. And when the body count starts to rise, the politicians and the human-rights busybodies can be expected to raise a hue and cry.

But right now, the Armed Forces of the Philippines seems to relish the opportunity to engage the Abu Sayyaf in battle, if only because they have never really been given unequivocal orders to exterminate the bandit group. I think the citizenry, especially those tired of explaining Turn to A5

I COULDN’T stop looking at Nina in her tasseled silver gown. I thought Ingrid Bergman had returned to life as a teenager, and no one there but me knew who she was. By law, Nina and the other girls gliding onstage must be 18 at least.

She was 15, but she added five years to her age each time the people in the dressing room had dressed her up and fixed her face and hair, the floor manager said.

A few minutes ago she was sitting with a group of middleaged men in her blue jeans and printed white T-shirt. She was toweling off her freshly washed hair. I was staring at her from the next table. Hard.

For the first time I thought I fully understood what Humbert Humbert must have felt the first time he met Dolores Haze.

The men had asked for Nina, but she was hardly snug in her seat when one of them—the loud one—started recycling the story about the clueless waif in Tagalog folklore that was sent to buy some vinegar from the corner store, but for some reason ended up in a strange place.

Nina had smiled, said nothing. Then someone called her.

She stood up, excused herself, and walked to the dressing room. She was in a gown when she returned, her hair in a bun. The men dropped their jaws. The loud one found his voice and wondered aloud if she was the same girl that had been with them minutes before. Nina smiled, said nothing.

I thought her self-confidence building had a long way to go.

The speakers started blasting music. Nina drained her glass of orange juice, excused herself, stood up and walked toward the stage.

I learned about her circumstances from the floor manager when I stepped out while she was onstage. The man was smoking a cigarette. Quietly, he let on that he knew the circumstances of all the girls in the club: who was married and who was not; who was going out with whom; who had children and who had not; who was into drugs and who was not. He didn’t say it, but by his demeanor he told me, in its Tagalog idiom equivalent, that he knew exactly what each of the girls’ intestines looked like.

Nina was not the putative waif who lost her way and wandered off to a strange place, he said. She was there by choice.

She quit high school after comTurn to A5

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Opinion

I AM a Martial Law victim. I lost my job as a senior business reporter of the Manila Times when Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law. I was on my first trip to Europe as a guest of Philippine Airlines when what was called state of emergency then by the western press was declared.

When I came back a few days after the Sept. 22, 1972 announcement of Martial Law, I had an easy time clearing through immigration and customs. Wow, normal.

But when I went to my office at the old MT office at Florentino Torres Street, I was stopped by a burly army sergeant. I told him I am “press.” “Walang press, press dito,” he shouted back. He tore my press ID. Furious, I hollered back, “I will remember your face. I will see you when Martial Law is over!”

I thought Martial Law was good for only a few days. Or a few months at the most.

Alas, martial regime lasted for 14 straight years (with Marcos exercising unbridled executive and legislative powers). It was ended only by an American-inspired, Church-backed civil-militar y coup called People Power on Feb. 25, 1986.

These days, Martial Law would probably last, at the most, 45 days. But if I were Digong Duterte declaring Martial Law, I would go for broke and proceed to declare not just Martial Law, but also abolish Congress and perhaps, even overthrow the Supreme Court.

Then Duterte could conduct his drugs war with absolute impunity ala Assad, cut down the oligarchs to size, remove nearly all corrupt people in government, and finally, achieve what all presidents before him failed to do—inclusive growth, meaning at least 26 million Filipinos earning suddenly, P50,000 or more a month, tax-free.

Only in a prosperous society could a government guarantee what the American Declaration of Independence aimed for—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

But I am digressing. As president, BS Aquino created a commission to entice all Martial Law victims to file a complaint and collect a measly monetary reward.

I didn’t file, although some of my newspaper colleagues did. Why didn’t I file? Because I was a happy Martial Law victim.

Why am I a happy Martial Law victim? Because I lost my Manila Times job. Losing it forced me to look beyond Manila. Within days of Martial Law, I got a sinecure as a correspondent of a large Japanese daily newspaper. I also got stringer jobs as Manila correspondent for two large German TV stations.

Three years later, I became senior correspondent of Asiaweek, which later became a Time Warner subsidiary. As a multinational weekly, Asiaweek paid me well.

Marcos was perhaps the most charismatic of all Philippine presidents when democrats were still fashionable in elections and statecraft. He embodied the best in the modern Philippine leader and was the nearest epitome of a great president.

He was a scholar with a keen sense of history, a genuine war hero with more medals than Audie Murphy, a bar topnotcher even while reviewing in jail, a great orator with a booming baritone, endowed with a political ideology and an eidetic memory (he once delivered a

prepared speech to a joint session of the US Congress direct from memory). He had zeal and fervor to make his country great.

He entered politics in 1949 and campaigned for congressman, promising his northern Luzon common folk: “Elect me your congressman now and I’ll give you an Ilocano president in 20 years.” He won as congressman and went on to serve for three terms. He was elected senator in 1959, was reelected in 1963 and became Senate president.

He was elected president in November 1965 and won reelection in 1969, the first president to do so.

In 1972, he declared Martial Law, ensuring his rule for 20 years, the longest by any Philippine president.

His 20-year rule is notable for many things, aside from the usual gripes about corruption and dictatorship.

On the economic front, Marcos was the first to achieve rice self-sufficiency, the first to score a 9.8-percent economic growth, the first to manage the country’s energy problem properly, the first to design a major industrialization program, and the first with a genuine land reform with an all-encompassing target of land transfers. Average GDP growth during his 20year regime was 3.8 percent; inflation, 10.3 percent.

According to then-Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, a close ally of 21 years before he rebelled against him in 1986, “Minus the alleged corruption, Marcos was the most productive president we ever had.” JPE enumerated what FM has done: Marcos initiated the expansion of irrigation systems all over the country, the expansion of the infrastructure of the country like the Philippine Friendship Highway from Aparri to Zamboanga, the development of our port systems, the expansion of our air capability, the modernization of the military organization, and land reform.

Many of the plans being followed for the present infrastructure of the country were products of the Marcos period.

“In the field of international relations, Marcos initiated the one-China policy to the chagrin of Taiwan, opened relations with Moscow, shortened the lease on the American bases from 99 to 25 years, reduced the hectarage of the bases, and required the Americans to pay rent. He was able to preserve the national integrity in spite of the Moro National Liberation Front. He initiated the first tax amnesty, which was the most successful tax amnesty, and initiated the coco levy system to replace the aging coconut tree population. Today, the coco levy is now worth P100 billion. He brought the country closer to many countries because of his adoption of satellite. We solved the rice crisis, the cooking oil shortage, the gasoline crisis. Without the stain of corruption, Marcos was a great president,” Enrile told me.

Enrile was widely perceived as the jailer of President Aquino’s father, the popular opposition leader Senator Benigno S. Aquino Jr. (who was in jail for seven years and seven months), and at one point was accused of plotting to remove his mother, Corazon Aquino.

No wonder, BS Aquino jailed JPE when the former became president.

A ‘good’...

footsteps. At heart, the problem of banditry in the two impoverished provinces where the group currently operates is economic.

Unless these far-flung communities also feel the benefits of progress by securing jobs, housing, education and other necessities that their fellow citizens enjoy and often take for granted, the problem of the Abu Sayyaf will continue. This is why poverty-alleviation programs, like the planned multi-billionpeso investment in ports, power plants and other infrastructure for Basilan province that diversified conglomerate San Miguel Corp. unveiled recently, should go hand-in-hand with military operations to give the Abu Sayyaf a taste of its own medicine.

In the meantime, we should all unite to end the bloody banditry of the Abu Sayyaf, by supporting our troops and praying for their victory.

Right now, it’s the least we can do.

I was a happy Martial Law victim.

From A4 to people in other countries that the Abu Sayyaf bandits are a bloodthirsty, money-grubbing aberration who operate in the faraway fringes of the country —and sane, civilized society—should support our troops in this battle.

It would be a shame if our soldiers are not allowed to complete the job of removing the Abu Sayyaf from the face of the earth, just like they dispatched their kidnap victims for their failure to produce enough money to make the bandits happy. When (not if) the Abu Sayyaf are neutralized, the Philippines will certainly be a safer, more progressive place. *** Of course, a military solution to the problem of the Abu Sayyaf will not mean that similar groups will not follow in their bloodstained

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A5

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Quo vadis, SSS?

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

Me, Martial Law, Marcos

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

FILIPINO PENSIONER HORACE TEMPLO YESTERDAY, September 1, was the Social Security System’s 59th anniversary. Unlike before, this year’s anniversary came and went without the usual proud celebration and merrymaking of its employees and officials.

How could they?

Only last Sunday or the start of the week of its anniversary, SSS was “named and shamed” by President Digong Duterte’s newlyestablished Hotline 8888 when the Civil Service Commission director for Public Assistance and Information, Liz Agamata, released its initial results showing SSS with the highest share of complaints from August 1 and 24.

The CSC director simply confirmed our often-repeated assertion that SSS has been providing us with poor quality service for some time now.

No, the complaints had nothing to do with the P2,000 pension increase that we, two million pensioners, had been waiting for.

According to her, “most of the complaints were regarding the slow pace of transactions, the failure of agencies to act on requests due to missing signatories, discourtesy of some staff, and the presence of fixers.”

She tried to be diplomatic by explaining that “the SSS rank in the list is not surprising, considering that it has millions of cli-

ents.” Moreover, “SSS has the fastest response to complaints out of all government agencies.”

For us SSS members and pensioners, her defense of SSS was pathetic and unacceptable.

It was a condonation of its ineptitude.

Instead, she should have required SSS to undergo CSC’s Service Delivery Excellence Program and conduct “service improvement workshops and facilitation for increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the service office’s strategies, structure, staff, and systems.”

Did she want us to simply grin and bear the hardship in transacting with SSS, and in not getting the P2,000 pension increase?

No, we will not surrender our right to receive from SSS worldclass quality service and adequate pensions.

Who wouldn’t be inspired to keep on demanding them, considering President Digong’s success on his ongoing Herculean task of eliminating the illegal drugs menace?

At least 3 million of our population have been addicted to these drugs—mostly shabu or methamphetamine—yet some would still not admit the great extent of their damage to the lives of our present and future generations.

Some who had known the cold-blooded notoriety and devilish generosity of drug lords had chosen the convenient path of least resistance, having probably conceded that since they “can’t lick them,” they had decided to “join them.”

They are our political leaders and law enforcers who had cooperated, coddled and protected drug lords, even if they are already inside our prison walls.

But finally, we have voted wisely as president a true leader —then-Mayor Digong—who is now showing everybody how to combat illegal drugs by waging a war against all smalltime users, pushers and dealers, bigtime drug lords, scalawag policemen, corrupt judges, and narco-politicians.

This war—which most of us now also consider our own—has become so successful that it has resulted in the surrender of no less than 600 thousand drug users in barely two months. Unfortunately, it had also caused the death of nearly two thousand, which included policemen and innocent civilians, but mostly suspected drug pushers, dealers and drug lords who fought back while being arrested.

Not surprising, those who have opposed the President in the last elections are resurfacing as his most vocal critics alongside local and international human rights advocates.

But the once-overwhelming and irreversible addiction of Filipinos to illegal drugs is being solved through our all-out war against them under a true leader with popular national support, and who employs Herculean efforts that critics equate with “extra-judicial killings.”

The same could be done with the SSS pension system.

A year before it turns 60 years old, we ask: where do we want SSS to go to?

We could leave it to drift aimlessly providing poor quality service and inadequate pensions to degenerate into uselessness and irrelevance.

We could do nothing, while lazily and uncaringly pretending to undertake endless actuarial studies as we keep worrying unnecessarily about striking a balance between the interests of contributing employers and employees with those of non-contributing and current pensioners.

We could do this without minding that today’s contributors will someday become pensioners receiving the same worthless pensions, not even caring that today’s SSS minimum pension of P1,200 couldn’t even buy Mang Pandoy his poor man’s meal of a kilo of NFA rice and galunggong fish for 10 days.

Merely granting that P2,000 pension increase is not enough of a solution. Without additional funding, it would only accelerate the bankruptcy of SSS. The only correct way to make SSS relevant again is by freeing up its present salary base of P16,000 to the actual salary, and by raising its total contribution rate from 11 to 21 percent.

Implemented gradually over 20 years, they would also improve the adequacy of its pensions.

This is not even close to waging a war against the proponents of inadequate pensions.

It is simply adopting for the private-sector members of SSS the pension system that government employees have been enjoying from the Government Service Insurance System since Jan. 1, 2003.

Brazil’s post-Dilma peril: Judicial overreach

By Mac Margolis WELL before the Brazilian Senate threw Dilma Rousseff out of office on Wednesday, by a commanding 61 votes to 20, even her most fervent supporters sensed her days as head of state were numbered. Yet to judge by the commotion from her loyalist rearguard, you’d think a political comeback were underway. The suspended president took the stand at her impeachment trial on Monday with protesters on the street, an impressive entourage in tow, and blessings from Bernie Sanders all the way to Hollywood. “Impeachment is a political death penalty,” Rousseff said, adding that her ouster amounted to “a coup.”

For all the drama of her trial —the partisan bombast, Rousseff’s 14-hour grilling in the Senate, the tear gas in the streets— political apostates were already negotiating the day-after. Sitting President Michel Temer was waiting for word of the proceedings with his bags packed for an official visit to China as Brazil’s new head of state. By early afternoon Wednesday, Rousseff’s mandate was finished, making her the second Brazilian leader to fall to impeachment since the return to democracy 31 years ago.

But there is logic to Rousseff’s obstinacy. By insisting that her ouster is illegitimate and the charges of her fiddling the federal budget a flimsy cover for a political putsch, Rousseff is no longer playing to the Senate but to public opinion, and to courts of law in Brazil and beyond.

She has vowed to appeal to the

Finding...

From A4 pleting third year in a country where college graduates went begging for a job. She had four siblings; her mother washed clothes for a living; her father worked when there was work. One day she must have looked at herself in the mirror and decided she was pretty. She could bank on it, and if she worked hard she might change her fate in a country where poverty reigned but the macho culture provided opportunities. She had her work cut out for her.

Her workplace was a nightclub the size of a ballroom. Its centerpiece was an enormous stage, where as many as 40 girls paraded in prim gowns, sheer bikinis, or—for the more daring late at night—in their birthday suits. It was a place that

Brazilian Supreme Court. And at her urging, the human rights commission of the Organization of American States recently pressed Temer’s government for explanations (and was quickly rebuffed).

Such maneuvers are part of a compelling political endgame: Cast Rousseff as the victim of a Latin Thermidor, and blame Brazilian “elites” plotting to sweep away social gains of the last decade. Never mind that those gains are already under assault by the fiscal profligacy of the Lula-Rousseff years, which sent the Brazilian economy tumbling into severe recession, erased jobs and gutted the country’s standing among creditors.

By spinning the political contest of impeachment as a travesty of justice, Rousseff may be hoping to build a narrative for an eventual comeback.

Or she may be angling for something more expedient and far more troubling—turning politics over to the courts. Forget the cant about right-wing “usurpers” and a “parliamentary coup”; Brazilian democracy will survive impeachment uninterrupted. But far less attention has been paid to another kind of usurpation: judicial overreach.

Yes, Brazil’s diligent police and savvy prosecutors are working overtime to bring crooked big shots to justice, and the courts have done their part. But as politicians have fallen into disrepute, judges and prosecutors are leaning in and taking up space that elected officials ought to fill, sometimes encouraged by the very politicians they are upstaging.

This isn’t new. Consider the Supreme Court’s 2006 decision to overturn a congressional bill limiting the ridiculous number of political parties allowed to field candidates. The result: Brazil has 27 parties with representatives in Congress, many of which have no discernible platform other than to hold government ransom for the maximum amount of pork. Rousseff’s ruling coalition was a crab barrel of nine parties before it fell apart.

However, the current political imbroglio has raised interventionism to alarming heights.

True, often the Brazilian courts are a last recourse. Thanks to country’s indulgent parliamentary privilege, the Supreme Court is the only body that can judge sitting lawmakers, nearly half of whom are either criminal defendants or have been convicted of a crime. And of course, impeachment naturally pits the executive against its congressional adversaries, a standoff that often demands arbitration.

But recently, the high court has gone beyond safeguarding the Constitution to kibitzing on the arcana of congressional regimen and refereeing points of order. In December, the 11-member high court intervened on the composition of the congressional subcommittee assigned to review the case against Rousseff, and in April the full bench spent hours deliberating over rules for the roll call vote on impeachment in the plenary.

Not surprisingly, such influence can breed swagger.

Although home to respected constitutional scholars, the Supreme Court also has become a

catwalk of judicial vanity, with bench members even sounding off even on cases that are under adjudication.

However, judges are not only to blame. With 315 articles and some 200 pages, the 1988 constitution is a monster, and holds forth on everything from interest rates to indigenous land rights.

“Almost everything in Brazilian life can be interpreted as a constitutional matter” Michael Mohallem, a constitutional law scholar at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, told me.

The danger of such a sweeping mandate is judicial incontinence; when every quarrel ends up in litigation, clearly, the courts cannot function. Every year, the Brazilian Supreme Court hears an “astronomical” 70,000 cases or more a year, a backlog not even the most illustrious bench could handle. The broader problem is that hyperactive courts diminish the role of elected officials -- often, ironically, with the complicity of politicians themselves. “Over and over, we have seen lawmakers defeated in a legislative vote immediately filing an appeal in court,” Mohallem said.

Which brings us back to impeachment. Rousseff has every right to a full and vigorous defense. That’s what Brazil’s drawn-out, ritualistic and politically agonizing impeachment process was all about. To challenge the Senate’s ruling in the Supreme Court and seek intervention by an international diplomatic court would not just prolong the agony, but second-guess Brazil’s democracy. And that’s the last thing this crisis-roiled country needs. Bloomberg

thrived from male hedonism. The club was packed seven days a week, the floor manager said, but the night I was there the place was so jammed it was an ordeal to pass between tables to get to the men’s room and back. The magnets that drew the men in were on stage and off and in the secret dark rooms. They brought in the money that kept city hall quiet and policemen at bay.

Very few young men went there—only middle-aged men and old men with money to burn.

On a good night Nina might clear P2,000, on a bad one nothing, or maybe P200—her share of the price of each “lady’s drink” that a customer bought her. (This was usually a glass of orange juice or a small glass of beer, and the customer must buy her one every 15 minutes if he wanted to keep her at his table.) Depending on her needs, Nina could leave the club with a

customer one night and have next month’s rent on her family’s hovel covered with plenty to spare. The trade-off was that she lived on borrowed time. On her 25th birthday she would be too old, and the next Lolita to wander off into the club would put her out to pasture.

I had told the floor manager when I stepped out that I thought Nina was very beautiful. The man had sighed. Deeply. He seemed to have aged a little.

“I’ll give her one year, sir. Two

years,” he said. “In one or two years she has either become a kept woman or married one of the waiters and returned to the life she has been trying to escape from. One of those things—if she hasn’t turned to drugs.

“I have seen them all. We get them all the time. We also lose them all the time. Nina is beautiful, true, but this place is full of beautiful women. When she leaves this place no one will even remember she was ever here.”

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

PENSEES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO Fr. Aquino’s column will resume Monday.

News

A6

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PH now more crowded

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

T

HE country’s population density increased 9.4 percent in 2015 with about 337 persons per square kilometer, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Thursday.

In five years, the country’s population density—the number of people living in each unit of area —grew by 29 people per square kilometer from the 308 persons per square kilometer in 2010.

Among the country’s 18 administrative regions, the most densely populated was the National Capital Region, with a population density of 19,988 persons per

square kilometer.

“This figure is almost 60 times higher than the population density of 337 persons per square kilometer at the national level,” PSA noted.

It said this translates to an additional 1,586 persons per square kilometer (8.6 percent) from the 18,402 persons per square kilometer in 2010.

The most sparsely populated

region in 2015 was the Cordillera Administrative Region, with 84 persons per square kilometer.

Among the country’s 81 provinces, Cavite was the most densely populated with 2,455 residents per square kilometer of land.

It was followed by Rizal with 2,311 persons per square kilometer, Laguna with 1,567 persons per square kilometer, Pampanga (excluding Angeles City) with 1,111 persons per square kilometer, and Bulacan with 1,107 persons per square kilometer.

In contrast, Apayao was the most sparsely populated province with a population density of 26 persons per square kilometer.

Next was Abra with 56 residents

per square kilometer, followed

by Palawan (excluding Puerto Princesa City) with 58 persons per square kilometer, Mountain Province with 59 persons per square kilometer, and Kalinga with 61 persons per square kilometer.

In relation to the population density, data also showed the country’s economic growth was mainly focused in the most populous regions.

The National Economic and Development Authority earlier reminded lagging regions to catch up with the economic performance of the top three regions: NCR, Calabarzon and Central Luzon.

Latest PSA data showed the NCR remains the top contributor

to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 20102015 followed by CaviteLaguna-Batangas-Rizal-Quezon (Calabarzon) and Central Luzon, primarily due to the expansion of the industry and services sectors and obvious proximity to NCR. The share of NCR in GDP grew to 36.5 percent in 2015 from 35.7 percent in 2010, while Calabarzon and Central Luzon posted shares of 17.2 and 9.3 percent, respectively, in the same year.

In 2015, only these three, out of 17 regions, had their per capita GRDP above the national average of P74,770 (at constant 2000 prices).

IN BRIEF Beware of toxic Pokemon ENVIRONMENTAL group Ecowaste Coalition on Thursday warned parents against buying Pokemon Go toys that could pose chemical and choking risks.

“Not all toys cashing in on the immensely popular Pokemon are created equal. Some are laden with toxic lead, many are too small for little children to safely play with and most, if not all, are improperly labeled.

Parents and kids need to exercise caution to reduce potential chemical and choking hazards from such toys,” said Thony Dizon, Ecowaste project protect coordinator.

Perpetual stude wins in math tilt

CRIME PREVENTION WEEK. Quezon City police chief Senior Superintendent Guillermo Eleazar, Philippine Public Safety College president Ricardo de Leon, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista and Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno blow whistles to mark the start of Crime Prevention Week at the Quezon Memorial Circle on Thursday. Manny Palmero

CA clears Palace urged to certify free school lunch plan ex-Cavite governor

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

By Rey E. Requejo THE Court of Appeals has absolved former Cavite governor Erineo “Ayong” Maliksi of criminal and administrative liabilities, in connection with the questionable purchase of 7,500 sacks of rice worth P7.5 million by the provincial capitol during his term in 2004.

In a 13-page decision penned by Associate Justice Marie Christine AzcarragaJacob, the CA’s 16th Division sustained the 2007 resolution of the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing the charges against the former governor for lack of probable cause.

The appellate court denied the appeal of Maliksi’s successor and political rival, former Gov. Jonvic Remulla, seeking reversal of the Ombudsman ruling.

The CA sided with the antigraft body’s findings that there was nothing irregular with the purchase.

“Substantial evidence has concretely shown in no uncertain terms that respondent Maliksi had no wrongful intention or furtive design in procuring the subject sacks of rice,” the CA ruled.

The appellate court also held that the Ombudsman “correctly ordered the dismissal of the administrative charges for misconduct and abuse of authority, [among others,] against respondent Maliksi.”

“These findings of the respondent Ombudsman are conclusive on this court, there being no showing that they were arbitrarily or capriciously made,” the decision stated.

Records showed that Maliksi issued an order in October 2004 for the purchase of sacks of rice to be used to alleviate hunger crisis among the indigent families of the different barangays of the province.

SENATOR Grace Poe has urged Malacañang to certify as urgent two nutrition measures that will establish a free lunch feeding program in public schools to address malnutrition which is causing P328-billion annual losses in the domestic economy.

Poe, who filed Senate Bill No. 160, or the proposed Libreng Pananghalian sa Pampublikong Paaralan Act, and SB 161 or the First 1,000 Days Act, cited the need to immediately convene the

Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) and include the two anti-hunger measures among the administration’s priority bills.

“The government must immediately act to prioritize nutrition legislation to prevent further economic losses. Investing in children is also investing in the future of our country,” said Poe. According to a report titled “Cost of Hunger: Philippines” released on Aug. 30 by Save the Children, childhood stunting—the most prevalent form of undernutri-

tion that has permanent effects on a child’s growth and development —cost the Philippines almost three percent of its gross domestic product and had affected workforce productivity and education.

The overall economic loss of P328 billion consists of P166.5 billion worth of lost income as a result of lower level education achieved by the working population who suffered from childhood stunting, P160 billion in lost productivity due to premature deaths among children who would have been members

of the country’s current workingage population, and P1.23 billion in additional education costs to cover grade repetitions linked to undernutrition.

“The report is very alarming and implies that malnutrition is rampant despite various government interventions,” added Poe. She noted that the report reveals yet another crisis the country is facing, including its damaging effects, adding “We need to enact public health laws that are comprehensive to ensure that children are protected and supported.

THE University of Perpetual Help Las Piñas Campus Grade 9 student won silver medal in the 2016 International Mathematics Wizard Challenge held at Bangkok, Thailand last July 20-24, 2016.

Phinam Jethro S. Garcia amassed a total of 240 medals and 82 merit awards in the said competition. The team is composed of 350 elementary and secondary students from Grades 1-10 who won 34 gold, 74 silver, and 132 bronze medals.

In our interview with Garcia, he said that he underwent a series of training sessions for the competition. He joined the Mathematics Olympiad Summer Training Program and at the same time had tutorial lessons from his math teacher.

“Joining the 2016 IMWC was not easy. It took me, almost, a year of training to really learn advanced lessons in math. The whole-year period was spent to elimination rounds until I qualified to join the Philippine team,” Garcia said. He added that winning a silver medal in the 2016 IMWC was a nice and fun experience.

It was not the first time that Garcia joined a math competition. He also joined the Asia Math Camp and took home a silver medal as well. When asked about his secret in winning the competition, he said, “Love the subject. If you love the subject, surely, you would be willing to study as hard as you can.”

The Philippines held the second overall ranking next to China (Guangzhou and Xiamen). Among the nine participating teams are India, Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Vietnam, Macau, and Thailand.

Nurses group laments failure of nursing law

By Cathrine Mae V. Gonzales THE Philippine Nurses Association said some nurses in the country still receive P2,000 as monthly income, a meager amount that should have been upgraded if former President Benigno Aquino III signed the bill seeking the wage hike of entry-level nurses.

Aquino rejected House Bill No. 6411 and Senate Bill No. 2720, supposed to enact a comprehensive nursing law, days before he stepped down from office.

“I wanted to cry, and I am angry at the same time. It’s very sad (because) it is supposed to be for the welfare of our nurses,” said Paulita Cruz, PNA president.

Aquino said Executive Order No. 201 that increased the annual

salary of nurses from P228,924 to P344,074 already dealt with this concern and that granting the bill would trigger “dire financial consequences.”

But Cruz said aside from the salary hike, the vetoed bill also sought to protect nurses against exploitation at work by lowering the nurse-to-patient ratio by 1:12.

Currently, this ratio is 1:40 in some hospitals including the Philippine General Hospital, a situation that Cruz describes as “too difficult.”

“They are overworked and exhausted. They are also contractual workers,” she said.

The bill also aimed to establish nurses in all health facilities and to advance the field of nursing in the country.

CARING FOR THE SICK. Leyte Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez visits young leukemia patient Charles Vincent

Vebueno at the Lung Center of the Philippines as she discussed medical issues with hospital deputy director Dr. Sullian Naval. Romualdez is proposing the creation of a Philippine National Cancer Center. Ver Noveno

Immigration to hire interpreters for Chinese tourists

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration will hire Chinese interpreters for immigration officers in screening and interviewing Chinese nationals following complaints that more than 350 Chinese tourists were barred entry at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Commissioner Jaime

Morente said at least 12 Chinese interpreters will be employed to act as translators for immigration officers in conducting primary and secondary inspection of Chinese travelers.

Morente said with the help of the interpreters, immigration officers can perform their tasks of assessing Chinese passengers before

they are admitted into the country.

Morente said the interpreters, who will be hired on a contractual basis, will be deployed initially to all three terminals of the Naia where they will comprise the BI administrative support staff and render duties in various work shifts daily.

According to the BI chief,

recruitment of the interpreters is long overdue as their services have been repeatedly and continually sought out in the past by immigration officers and immigration supervisors at the Naia.

He said for many years BI personnel at the Naia have been having difficulties conversing with Chinese passengers as most of the latter

cannot speak English.

He added even the airline companies do not have interpreters who can help their Chinese passengers communicate with immigration officers.

BI-POD chief Marc Red Mariñas, who recommended the hiring of the interpreters, observed that due to the language barrier, many Chi-

nese nationals were barred from entering the country for their failure and inability to explain the purpose of their travel.

As a result, Mariñas said the bureau has been receiving complaints that the Chinese passengers were excluded mainly because they could not express themselves in English.

Sports

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Nadal glides into rd US Open 3 round

N

EW YORK—Rafael Nadal glided into the third round of the US Open on Wednesday as smoothly as the new roof over Arthur Ashe stadium slid shut for the first time during a match.

Two-time champion Nadal, seeded fourth, defeated Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-0, 7-5, 6-1 to book a meeting with Russian Andrey Kuznetsov for a place in the round of 16.

The new $150 million roof was called into action for the first time when light rain began falling in the second set.

The giant structure took only a few moments to close before Nadal and Seppi resumed their match beneath it.

“Play was suspended at 10:38pm (0238GMT) and play resumed at 10:46 (0246GMT) -- total suspension of play was 7 minutes and 22 seconds,” said a statement by the US Tennis Association (USTA).

“The roof closed in 5 minutes and 35 seconds. The closing occurred prior to Nadal serving at 3-3 in the second set.

Nadal won the first set 6-0.

“Rafael Nadal has the distinction of hitting the first practice and match ball

under a closed roof in Arthur Ashe Stadium.”

Nadal was delighted with the distinction.

“It’s great to be the first player to play with the roof closed, on the competition, because I was the first player to hit in the center court with the roof closed,” said Nadal, who found “no big difference” on the court with the roof closed.

“With the roof open there is no wind at all, so it’s not a big change. And the roof is so high you don’t feel that you are closed. I didn’t feel the change. It’s great. It’s an unbelievable, unbelievable court.”

One thing Nadal did notice about the massive stadium was the noise of the crowd, which got to French Open champion Garbine Muguruza in her upset loss to unsung Latvian Anastasija Sevastova.

“That surprised me,” Nadal said.

“There was a little bit more noise than usual.”

He didn’t think it changed when the roof was closed, but said he found it “a little bit too much” at some moments during the points.

“I always love the energy and the noise of the New York crowd,” he said.

“It’s just fantastic. I feel very close to them because I play with a lot of passion, and they give me that electricity, that passion.”

Nevertheless, he’d like to see a few more rules enforced to keep people in their seats during play.

“I know it’s so difficult because the court is very big,” he said.

As for his own game, Nadal was encouraged by his performance, although he said the 6-0 first-set score flattered him.

“The last forehand of the match was great,” said Nadal, who was sidelined after pulling out of the third round of the French Open with a left wrist injury until the Rio Olympics.

“I hit some good forehands down the line again. That’s an important shot for me.” AFP

John Tierro returns to fellow local bet Eric Olivarez Jr. en route to a 6-2, 6-3 victory in the Philippine Columbian Association Open-Cebuana Lhuillier ATF Tour.

Canizares, Tierro cruise to quarters

Foton PH faces strong opposition A STRONG field of former Olympians and national team players will be fielded by the competing teams against Foton Pilipinas when the AVC Asian Women’s Club Championship fires off on Saturday at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan City.

Yuan Xinyue, a 19-year-old middle blocker who won the gold medal in the recent Rio de Janeiro Olympics, will be bannering Ba’yi Shenzheng of China together with Lin Yanhan, the open spiker who was named as Most Valuable Player when the country hosted the Asian U23 Women’s Championship last year.

Not to be outdone, the NEC Red Rockets of Japan will also parade an Olympian in middle blocker Haruyo Shimamura together President Rodrigo Duterte and members of the Foton Pilipinas volleyball team make the iron-fist gesture during the volleywith Sarina Koga, the Best Scorer and MVP belles’ courtesy call on the President, four days before they plunge into action in the Asian Women’s Club Championship. Ace when Japan won the gold medal in the Asian Morandante Youth Girls Championship in 2012.

Also tipped as a force is the reigning Asian champion Bangkok Glass of Thailand, making this tournament organized by the Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas, Inc., Philhim (Nonito) a chance to show his sup- Filipino hometown friends, who haven’t

By Ronnie Nathanielsz ippine Superliga and the Binan City governport for what Manny has done to open seen him for a long time.” ment headed by Rep. Len Alonte-Naguiat FIVE-DIVISION world champion the door for Filipinos.”

She said they attend all the Filipino and Mayor Arman Dimaguila a tough event.

Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire Rachel described the card as one affairs in Las Vegas and they derive TV5 and SMMTV-Thailand are the offisaid he is honored to be on the Nov. 5 which will highlight the Philippine- energy from their relationship with the cial television partners, with Crimson Hotel card at the Thomas and Mack Center in Mexican rivalry since Donaire is Filipino families in Las Vegas. serving as the official hotel for the participatLas Vegas headlined by eight-division slated to fight Jessie Magdaleno in Rachel said that her husband will ing teams. world champion Manny Pacquiao, who defense of his WBO super bantam- be back from San Diego on Friday Also backing the event are SMM Sports, will face WBO welterweight champion weight title, while Pacquiao will battle evening, suggested that the Manila Nike, Senoh, Asics, Mikasa, Foton, BMW and Jessie Vargas.

Vargas, in what she described as “a Standard call back then since he Price Waterhouse Cooper.

Speaking for her husband, who is power card.” would have already spoken to the CuThe Thais will be led by seasoned nacurrently in San Diego attending a leadRachel indicated that the fight card ban trainer he is eyeing to replace his tional team campaigners Pleumjit Thinkaow, ership seminar, Rachel Donaire told the taking place in Las Vegas “is an added father/trainer Dodong Donaire, who Wanida Kotruang and Wilavan Apinyapong Manila Standard: “Fighting on a Pac- bonus,” pointing out that ever since said he didn’t want to live in Las Veas well as young guns Pornpun Guedpard quiao card has always been something Donaire fought Fernando Montiel, it gas and wanted to be with is family in and Sutadta Chuewulim. he has wanted to do because it will give will be his “first chance to fight before San Franciso, where he has his gym.

Donaire proud to be on Pacman card

PH Azkals have ‘70-30’ chance of making finals WITH the present pool of players and the country hosting the tournament, a coach with international experience firmly believes that the Philippine Azkals have a “70-30” chance of making a historic maiden appearance in the finals of the ASEAN Football Federation Suzuki Cup. “There are a lot of talented players now. Most are playing for United Football League clubs,” Mark Mangune, former assistant coach of the national women’s team and the Loyola Meralco Sparks, noted.

“With the country hosting the tournament, there is a 7030 chance we can make to the Suzuki Cup finals for the first time.”

Mangune pointed out “players will always perform at a higher level in front of a hometown crowd. They leave everything on the field,” and urged all Filipino sports fans to troop to the Philippine Sports Stadium in the Bocaue, Bulacan.

A familiar fixture in local football and known by his shiny bald head, Mangune bared that he would soften ride his motor-

cycle in whatever conditions to Bulacan just to watch the Azkals go up against foreign opposition.

“I may just be one voice but if all of us sports fans fill the Philippine Sports Stadium and root for the Azkals, we can expect great things to happen,” he said.

“With God’s help, this is a big opportunity for all of us together achieve another historic breakthrough in Philippine football.”

With Turkmenistan withdrawing from a friendly with the Nationals scheduled for today at the PSS due to injuries to its players, the Azkals will have their first tuneup match on Sept. 6 against Kyrgyzstan in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek.

The charges of American coach Thomas Dooley open their campaign in Group A of the Suzuki Cup against Singapore on Nov. 19, followed by the match versus Indonesia three days, before facing defending champion Thailand on Nov. 22 for its last group assignment.

The Filipinos have reached the Suzuki Cup semifinals thrice, losing to Indonesia in their semifinal debut in 2010, to Singapore

REIGNING PCA Open champion Patrick John Tierro and former junior campaigner Argil Lance Canizares cruised to the quarterfinals yesterday in the 35th Philippine Columbian Association Open-Cebuana Lhuillier ATF Tour at the PCA indoor shell-clay court in Paco, Manila.

It was a bittersweet victory for the 31-yearold Tierro who turned the lights out on another local bet Eric Olivarez Jr, 6-2, 6-3.

“One game at a time lang. Slow start siya (Olivarez) and I took advantage of it. Here at PCA, anyone can beat you here so kailangan prepared parati,” said Tierro.

The 19-year-old Canizares put on a clinic against his older foreign counterpart Medhir Goyal of India, 6-1, 6-3, in the tournament sanctioned by the Asian Tennis Federation.

“Kinabahan ako nu’ng una pero nu’ng nagpaluan na kami, du’n ko na-gain ‘yung confidence ko. Medyo mabilis ‘yung first set pero nu’ng second set, kontrolado ko na ‘yung game,” said Canizares, a Sports Management student at De La Salle University.

Veteran netters Elbert Anasta, Rolando Ruel Jr. and Filipino-Italian Marc Anthony Reyes also barged into the next round after turning back their respective rivals.

Davis Cup standout Anasta didn’t even get to display his skills when he won via default over Mohammadali Mamaghaninia of Iran.

Ruel, on the other hand, encountered early resistance from De La Salle University bet Kyle Parpan, 7-6 (3), 6-3, while Reyes steamrolled Mark Ervin Concepcion, 6-0, 6-2.

Red-hot Tierro tries to extend his streak against Ruel, a fellow veteran netter.

Canizares is going to have his work cut out for him as he clashes with Reyes in the next round.

Hot-putting Lascuña storms ahead with a 66 TAGAYTAY – Tony Lascuña rode on a hot putter and explosive windup to shoot a sixunder 66 and storm past former national teammate Rey Pagunsan, seizing a two-stroke lead at the midway point of the ICTSI Splendido Classic here yesterday.

Recalling the form and putting touch that netted him three straight championships at Eagle Ridge, Forest Hills and Bacolod, Lascuña turned the Splendido Taal Golf Club’s backside into a virtual playground, gunning down seven birdies, including five straight from No. 10 as he moved from joint fourth to the top of the heap at nine-under 135.

“I always thought that putting is the key to winning so I practiced for one week at Southwoods during the break. Just putting – to polish and firm up my stroke. I’m glad it paid off,” said Lascuña.

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

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

By Jeric Lopez

Sports

T

HE ultimate giant killer in the Philippine Basketball Association this conference gets another chance to further cement its reputation as the league’s most dangerous team.

Games Today (Smart Araneta Coliseum): 4:15 p.m. - Phoenix vs.

Star Hotshots 7 p.m. - Mahindra vs.

Rain or Shine

San Miguel Beer’s Mike Singletary (7) glides to the hoop against a pair of Meralco Bolts defenders Jared Dillinger (left) and Allen Durham. Singletary led the Beermen to a 110-106 victory over the Bolts in the 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup.

Perpetual Help Altas shock Chiefs in NCAA action

By Peter Atencio THE University of Perpetual Help Altas found the right formula to beat the Arellano University Chiefs, 7662, yesterday at the Arena in San Juan.

Third year player Keith Pido prevailed in his one-on-one duel against veteran guard Jiovani Jalalon, while rookie Daryl Singontiko’s triples in

letic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.

The 5’11” Pido, kept a tight watch on Jalalon, held him to just three points in the last 10 minutes and hit back-to-back baskets which put the Altas ahead, 62-53, midway in the final quarter.

Singontiko canned three treys in the final period helped power the the final 1:02, with his last handing Altas to their ninth win in 13 games in the 92nd National Collegiate Ath- the Altas a 74-60 spread.

Game Monday (Junior games at the Arena) 9 a.m. LSGH vs JRU 10:45 a.m. San Beda vs Mapua 12:30 p.m. Arellano vs LPU 2:15 p.m. San Sebastian vs UPHSD 4 p.m. EAC vs Letran

Their efforts allowed the Altas to post their second straight win and solidify their hold of third at 9-4.

The Chiefs, with Kent Salado banging in 22 points and Jalalon adding 19, absorbed their first loss after scoring seven consecutive wins.

They stayed firmly in second with their 10-3 slate.

“I saw that he was the only one

Blue Eagles field revamped roster

By Peter Atencio THE Ateneo Blue Eagles will have a roster full of rookies and sophomores in season 78 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippine when the men’s basketball action starts this Sunday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

This is what’s in store for national head coach Tab Baldwin, who will share coaching duties with Sandy Arespacochaga in the coming campaign.

“We know we’re a young team. The situation is unfair because they have to mature quickly. But, they’re up to the

challenge,” said Arespacochaga, who added that he has a hybrid arrangement with Baldwin in calling the shots for the Blue Eagles.

The Blue Eagles’ roster has been decimated after Kiefer Ravena and Von Pessumal, both considered as leaders of the squad, left and graduated, along with Gwyne Capacio and Fonso Gotladera, The team also lost John Apacible, Clint Doliguez, Hubert Cani, Kemark Carino, CJ Perez, Jerie Pingoy and Arvin Tolentino because of academic deficiencies.

Staying on is Thirdy Ravena, the younger brother

Kiefer, who was cleared after serving out a year-long disciplinary action imposed by the school because of academic deficiencies.

Also returning are third year players Gboy Babilonia, Chibueze Ikeh, Aaron Black, Vince Tolentino and Adrian Wong.

Ateneo junior standout Jolo Mendoza is expected to be there along with Xavier School’s Tyler Tio and FilAmerican Raffy Verano, who still have citizenship issues being sorted out. Tio grew up in Canada, while Verano was born in California.

Among the players who left, former Rookie of the

Year Tolentino, along with Cani moved to Far Eastern University while the controversial Pingoy transferred to Adamson University. Carino and Perez are now meeting residency requirements for NCAA squads.

The Blue Eagles, who reached the Final Four last year under Bo Perasol, are looking forward to another good finish.

But this time, Arespacochaga said they will benefit from the wisdom of Baldwin.

“This hybrid arrangement will have a big influence on the team. I’m not going to pretend to know more than him,” said Arespacochaga.

who could stop Jalalon. It was a difficult situation. He had to contain the No. 1 point guard in the league,” said Chiefs coach Jimwell Gican.

In the junior division, the Arellano University Braves got big plays from Guilmer de la Torre and Aaron Fermin in the last canto to outplay the University of Perpetual Help Junior Altas, 92-76, and move into the solo lead at 13-1.

Second-running Mahindra Enforcer faces yet another acid test as it takes on the powerhouse Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in another chance to continue its impressive run in the homestretch of the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. Currently in a three-way tie for second, the Enforcer (62) can retake solo second spot should it win a third straight game. They face the beleaguered Elasto Painters (3-4), who are in dire need of a victory. They cross paths at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

In the appetizer, the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters (3-4) look to follow up their previous triumph and improve their chances of making it to the top eight when they take on the ailing Star Hotshots (1-6), who are on a four-game skid, at 4:15 p.m.

After clinching a playoff berth for the first time in franchise history, Mahindra’s eyes are now set on finishing in the top four to secure a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

“We’re really happy to be able to make franchise history at this point, having won six games and reaching the playoffs for the first time,” said Mahindra deputy coach Chris Gavina, who is credited for his team’s meteoric rise. “We’re now looking to finish strong and keep pushing to end up in the top four.”

Blackwater sends Cortez to GlobalPort for Pascual

By Jeric Lopez IN a one-on-one swap that was completed yesterday, the Blackwater Elite sent veteran point guard Mike Cortez to the GlobalPort Batang Pier in exchange for seldom-used wingman Ronald Pascual.

The move is set to make the Batang Pier’s backcourt even more formidable than it already is.

Cortez joins the deadly backcourt tandem of stars Terrence Romeo and Stanley Pringle along with Joseph Yeo. The 13-year veteran is expected to be the stabilizer among GlobalPort’s scoring guards.

On the other hand, the youthful Pascual, once a highly-touted talent out of San Sebastian College but who has seen limited minutes in his pro career thus far, will be given an opportunity to showcase his offensive prowess as the Elite is in bad need of more firepower.

He will join a relatively young core of Carlo Lastimosa, Reil Cervantes, Arthur Dela Cruz, Roi Sumang and JP Erram.

After Blackwater signed free agent point guard Denok Miranda two weeks ago, dealing Cortez made sense for the team.

The trade papers have already reached the PBA office as well.

BLOCKED. Kathy

Bersola (8) underscores UP’s solid blocking as she foils SSC’s Katherine Villegas’ attack. UP trounced San Sebastian, 25-17, 23-25, 25-5, 25-18, to clinch the third semifinal berth in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Collegiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan last Wednesday.

Ateneo, La Salle renew rivalry ATENEO and La Salle bring their fabled rivalry to men’s volleyball as they clash in the semifinal round of the Spikers’ Turf Season 2 Collegiate Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig tomorrow.

The organizing Sports Vision has set the keenly awaited duel at 4 p.m. to be aired

live on ABS-CBN Sports + Action Channel 23 to give supporters and fans of both schools the chance to watch the action on TV. The Eagles look formidable after sweeping their Group B elims assignment. The Archers primed up for the big match by subduing the Far Eastern U

Tams in their battle for the last semis berth in Group A last Wednesday.

It actually took La Salle five sets to foil the Tams but coach Ernesto Pamilar liked what he saw in his wards, particularly after pulling off the win with top hitter Raymark Woo playing below par.

BPI secures $400-m syndicated term loan

B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

B1

June visitor arrivals surged 17%

By Othel V. Campos

I

NTERNATIONAL visitor arrivals surged 17.6 percent in June from a year ago, in line with the government’s target to attract 6.5 million foreign tourists this year and 12 million by 2022.

Data from the Tourism Department showed 459,138 tourists entered the country in June, up from 390,486 a year ago.

“The month of June recorded the second highest growth for

2016 next to February [20.42 percent]. It can be noted that this is the first time that this month surpassed the 400,000 visitor volume,” the department said.

ThE figure brought total ar-

rivals in the first six months to 2.98 million, up 13.7 percent from 2.62 million a year earlier.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo said the growth in arrivals was expected to be sustained over the next six years. She said tourism receipts would grow by as much as 40 percent to P3.9 trillion by 2022 from P2.8 trillion in 2015 while tourism’s contribution would hit 10 percent of gross domestic product by the end of the Duterte administration.

“We must shoot for the stars

and maintain an upward trend in terms of visitor arrivals and revenues, for the benefit of all stakeholders,” Teo said Thursday.

She said the Tourism Department was now focused on developing a highly-competitive tourism industry and an inclusive and sustainable growth.

Teo said the Philippines continued to lag behind Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and even Vietnam in terms of visitor arrivals as of 2015, despite the many world-class attractions the country has to of-

fer.

International tourist arrivals generated P127.37 billion in revenues in the first six months of 2016, or 14.7 percent higher than P111.05 billion generated in the same period in 2015.

The double-digit gain in tourism income resulted from the average daily expenditure of P5,179.86 per visitor and an average length of stay of 9.56 nights.

Top sources of visitors in the first half of the year were Korea, the United States, Japan, China and Australia.

PSe comPoSite index

Among the top 12 markets, China posted the highest growth of 79.2 percent year-onyear in the first half, followed

by Taiwan with a 31.3-percent increase.

The Philippines recorded 5.36 million tourist arrivals in 2015, up by 11.7 percent from 4.8 million in 2014. The department set a target of 6.5 million tourist arrivals this year and 22 million by 2022.

Meanwhile, domestic tourism , on the other hand, is projected to grow from 68 million in 2015 to 89 million in 2022.

IN BRIEF

Closing September 1, 2016

8300

Xerox to hire 800

7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,773.31 14.06

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 48.00 46.00 45.00

P46.730

44.00

CLOSE

43.00

HIGH P46.530 LOW P46.730 AVERAGE P46.627 VOLUME 571.000M

P400-P640.00 LPG/11-kg tank P34.15-P41.20 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P today

P24.35-P27.75 Diesel

By Alena Mae S. Flores

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Thursday, September 1, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Unit

Communications, signs a stronger partnership with SM Store that will pave the way for numerous joint campaigns and collaborative activities. Led by PLDT executive vice president and head of consumer business Ariel Fermin (third from left) and SM executive vice president for controllership Ricky Lim (fourth from left), the partnership brings together the country’s leading telco and biggest retail group in the country.

Also shown during the contract signing are (from left) PLDT vice president and head of home sales and distribution Marco Borlongan, PLDT vice president and Home operations head Oscar Reyes Junior, SM vice president for business center operations Dennis Yaw, Smart first vice president and wireless pperations head Kat Luna-Abelarde and Smart vice president for key retail and accounts Maloo Agoncillo.

Filinvest completes biggest Mindanao coal plant

P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene

Currency

PLDT-SM PARTNERSHIP. Leading telecommunications and digital services company PLDT Inc., together with wireless subsidiary Smart

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

46.5520

Japan

Yen

0.009669

0.4501

UK

Pound

1.313900

61.1647

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128924

6.0017

Switzerland

Franc

1.016673

47.3282

Canada

Dollar

0.763126

35.5250

Singapore

Dollar

0.734107

34.1741

Australia

Dollar

0.751400

34.9792

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654562

123.5752

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266731

12.4169

Brunei

Dollar

0.731422

34.0492

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.028902

1.3454

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

12.6755

Euro

Euro

1.116000

51.9520

Korea

Won

0.000897

0.0418

China

Yuan

0.149723

6.9699

India

Rupee

0.014934

0.6952

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.247036

11.5000

New Zealand

Dollar

0.724800

33.7409

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031514

1.4670 Source: PDS Bridge

FDC Misamis Power Corp., the power unit of Filinvest Development Corp., said it completed a 405-megawatt coal-fired power plant in Misamis Oriental that is expected to end the power crisis in Mindanao.

FDC Misamis said in a statement the power plant was now the biggest coal-fired power facility in Mindanao.

The power plant is composed of three units, with 135-MW capacity each, that will be fully synchronized to the grid by midSeptember.

The company said the second unit of project was successfully synchronized to the Mindanao grid, a month after its first unit went online. The third unit is scheduled for synchronization by mid-September. The plant is the first power facility to be commis-

sioned under the Duterte administration.

“To date, FDC Misamis has a generating capacity of 270 MW and is currently supplying over 200 MW into the Mindanao grid. So far, the commissioning test has been running smoothly and we expect to attain the full capacity of 405 MW by this month,” Mario Pangilinan, president and chief operating officer of FDC Utilities Inc., Filinvest’s utilities arm.

Pangilinan said Mindanao had suffered from perennial power crisis for decades, given its high dependence on hydro power compounded by the increasing frequency of El Niño dry spell.

“Our project will finally put an end to this recurring power crisis that has plagued the region and hopefully drive the much needed economic development in Mindanao,” Pangilinan said.

The power plant, located at the Phividec Industrial Estate in Villanueva, Misamis Oriental, is a multi-billion peso investment that uses the latest in clean coal technology—the circulating fluidized bed boiler technology.

“The operation of the FDC Misamis power project will greatly boost the supply security in the Mindanao region. And this is not only because of its large capacity but also due to its strategic connection to the grid. With this development, our system will be more reliable and the quality of service will be higher,” Ambrocio Rosales, officer-in-charge of Mindanao system operations department of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines.

FDC Misamis will supply a total of 500 MW with the inclusion of the 100-MW Apo geothermal independent power producer ad-

ministrator contract upon completion of the commissioning.

FDC Misamis secured longterm contractual commitments for more than 85 percent of the project’s net capacity with various distribution utilities and large industrial customers in Mindanao.

“The entire Filinvest group is committed to Mindanao’s development. This is the biggest investment we have made among the numerous ventures we have undertaken in the region,” Filinvest chairman Jonathan Gotianun said.

Filinvest is the the holding company of the Gotianun-led Filinvest Group, one of the Philippines’ leading conglomerates with interests in property development, banking and financial services, hotel and resort management, power generation and the sugar industry.

XEROX Business Services Philippines Inc., a business process outsourcing company, said it expects to hire 800 more employees this year, representing a 10-percent expansion in its local workforce.

Xerox, which began operations in the Philippines in 2005, said the 800 positions would be available in its eight facilities in Metro Manila and Cebu.

“We believe that the positive growth of our business in the Philippines is a result of the collective efforts of our people.

There is so much potential not only in the local talent pool, but in the industry as well,” said Xerox Philippines country director Jojo Gajitos.

The company currently employs 8,000 Filipinos in customer care, finance and accounting operations.

“We treat employees as business partners and we are committed to investing in them. Quality training and development programs are in place to help them improve their skills and advance their careers,” he said.

Othel V. Campos

Petron taps Uber

OIL company Petron Corp. teamed up with Uber, a leading ride-sharing application, to give Uber partner drivers privileges and discounts.

Under the partnership, Uber partner-drivers in Metro Manila will be entitled to special bonus points, discounts and privileges when using the Uber x Petron Value Card for gasoline and diesel purchases at participating Petron service stations.

Holders of Uber x Petron Value Card will also be entitled to savings of about 5 percent when they avail of the rebate/cash back benefit. They can also avail of free 24/7 towing assistance, personal accident insurance coverage and other privileges and benefits such as discounts at partner establishments.

“Our partnership shows the strength of two innovators. Petron has always been the Philippines’ leader in fuels and product innovations, while Uber as we all know changed and more importantly improved the transport service in the country,” Petron vice president for national sales Archie Gupalor said.

Uber has released 5,000 Uber x Petron Value card to its partnerdrivers. Jenniffer B. Austria

BIR resumes audit after collection drop

By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE Bureau of Internal Revenue on Thursday lifted the suspension order on tax audits, after collection shrank in July, the first month in office of the Duterte administration.

BIR commissioner Caesar Dulay issued Revenue Memorandum Circular 91-2016, lifting the suspension order on tax audit operations of the agency.

Data showed BIR collection dropped 1 percent in July to P117.4 billion. It also fell 28 percent short of the P163.22-billion goal for the month.

“The conferred authority under the laws to the bureau for the collection of taxes, to be more effectively administered and implemented, requires some form of en-

forcement activities to ensure the collection of correct taxes at the times prescribed by law,” Dulay said in the latest order.

“As such, all field audits, field operations, or any for, of business visitation in execution of letters of authority/electronic letters of authority/audit notices, letter notices, or mission orders can already be conducted,” he said.

BIR issues an LoA to inform a taxpayer that he or she is being investigated for possible tax violations.

Dulay, in his first day in office on July 1, suspended all field audit and other field operations of BIR relative to examinations and verifications of taxpayers’ books of accounts, records and other transactions.

Tax Management Association of the Philippines president Benedict Tugonon said the tax examiners should be mindful of the president’s strong stand against corruption.

“We hope that when the audits will resume, the BIR examiners will be reasonable in raising tax issues and will not hesitate to resolve issues favorably for the taxpayers, if warranted based on the facts and law,” Tugonon said in a text message.

“Assessments should be issued only to collect deficiency taxes carefully determined to be correctly demandable from the taxpayer and not just for the sake of issuing a tax assessment, terminating the LOA or forcing taxpayer to lopsided settlements,” he said.

UROLOGY WEEK. St. Luke’s Medical Center Quezon City celebrates its 23rd Urology Week, with ribbon-cutting led by (from left) St. Luke’s senior vice president and medical director Dr. Jose B. Moran, writer and Kamuning Bakery Cafe owner Wilson Lee Flores and St. Luke’s QC Institute of Urology chairman Dr. Dennis Lusaya.

B2

Business

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

BPI secures $400-m syndicated term loan

By Julito G. Rada BANK of the Philippine Islands, the fourth-largest lender in terms of assets, said it closed and signed a $400-million, three-year syndicated term loan facility that attracted a diverse group of Asian, European and American lenders.

BPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Thursday it planned to utilize the facility to fund strong growth in loans and investments.

“The facility is the first of its kind for BPI in the US dollar syndicated loan market. Following several months of syndication and documentation, the facility generated strong interest and was heavily oversubscribed, prompting the bank to upsize the amount from $250 million to $400 million,” it said.

Original mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners were Australia New Zealand Banking Group Ltd., The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd., Mizuho Bank Ltd. and Standard Chartered Bank.

Mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners were Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, Hong Kong branch; Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., Singapore branch; United Overseas Bank Ltd. acting through its offshore banking unit of Taipei branch; Bank of America Merrill Lynch; Hua Nan Commercial Bank Ltd. offshore banking branch; and Mega International Commercial Bank Co. Ltd. offshore banking branch.

BPI’s strong growth in loans was evident in the first half of the year.

Total loans increased 18.6 percent to P904.38 billion as of end-June, driven largely by gains in corporate loans, which grew 20.4 percent.

Stock mart extends losses; Medco rises

S

TOCKS dropped for a seventh day, as commodity shares fell after a selloff in US energy companies and investors awaited a report on US employment.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, lost 14 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 7,773.31 Thursday.

The broader all-share index also declined 18 points, or 0.4 percent, to settle at 4,615.35, on a value turnover of P9.7 billion.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 121 to 82, while 41 issues were

unchanged.

Seven of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led

by Medco Holdings Inc., which surged 49.4 percent to P1.21, on reports Tiger Resort, Leisure & Entertainment Inc., the group led by Japanese billionaire Kazuo Okada, will use Medco for its backdoor listing.

Metropolitan Bank & Trust

Co., the second-largest bank, climbed 4.7 percent to P87.40, while property developer Megaworld Corp. rose 2.8 percent to P4.84.

Meanwhile, Asian markets swung Thursday morning after a surprise pick-up in Chinese factory activity that indicated stability in the world’s number two economy but fuelled fears authorities will hold off fresh stimulus.

Trading was cagey across the region following oil-linked losses in New York and ahead of Friday’s closely watched US jobs report that could precipitate another Federal Reserve interest rate hike.

THE STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

52 Weeks

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7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 4 17 30.45 0.92 2.6 890 1.01 100 30.5 75 91.5 137 361.2 57 180 1700 124 3.26

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 8.7 12.02 19.6 0.74 1.02 625 0.225 78 17.8 58 62 88.35 276 41 118.2 1200 59 2.65

AG Finance 3.6 Asia United Bank 47.45 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 114.30 Bank of PI 105.50 China Bank 38.5 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 3.80 Bright Kindle Resources 1.52 Citystate Savings 9.09 COL Financial 16.48 Eastwest Bank 20.9 First Abacus 0.72 I-Remit Inc. 1.88 Manulife Fin. Corp.

595.00 MEDCO Holdings 0.810 Metrobank 83.5 PB Bank 14.6 Phil Bank of Comm 24.00 Phil. National Bank 58.70 Phil. Savings Bank 100.3 PSE Inc. 277 RCBC `A’ 32.4 Security Bank 213.4 Sun Life Financial 1390.00 Union Bank 73.70 Vantage Equities 1.48

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89 148

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3 32

20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 4 74 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5 5.25 12.98 15 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 3.28 0.315 2.18 2.65 234 5.28 1.3 26 2.17

15.32 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 34.1 1.63 33 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.37 3.87 8.45 10.04 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801 1.55 0.138 1.02 2.09 152 4.28 0.640 10.02 1.2

Aboitiz Power Corp.

45.5 Agrinurture Inc. 3.8 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.83 Alsons Cons.

1.8 Asiabest Group 15.32 Bogo Medelin 51.1 C. Azuc De Tarlac 185.00 Cemex Holdings 12.18 Century Food 17.1 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 143 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 24.95 Concepcion 57.5 Crown Asia 2.2 Da Vinci Capital 6.05 Del Monte 12.3 DNL Industries Inc. 11.280 Emperador 7.99 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.73 EEI 8.35 Euro-Med Lab 1.85 First Gen Corp.

25.45 First Holdings ‘A’ 73 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 12.80 Holcim Philippines Inc. 16.60 Integ. Micro-Electronics 6.6 Ionics Inc 2.280 Jollibee Foods Corp.

245.00 Liberty Flour 46.00 Mabuhay Vinyl 4.6 Macay Holdings 27.00 Manila Water Co. Inc. 28 Maxs Group 33 Megawide 13.6 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 311.00 MG Holdings 0.260 Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp. 4.88 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.1 Petron Corporation 10.06 Phinma Corporation 11.50 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 6.08 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.62 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.4 RFM Corporation 4.20 Roxas Holdings 3.5 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 222 Splash Corporation 3.06 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.152 TKC Steel Corp.

1.85 Trans-Asia Oil 2.20 Universal Robina 187 Victorias Milling 4.71 Vitarich Corp.

2.96 Vivant Corp.

34.90 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.25

0.59 59.2 30.05 2.16 7.39 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 7.5 76 6.5 5.29 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 9.66 0.0670 1.61 84.9 3.5 974 1.66 1.39 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 1.6 6.62 0.225 0.23 634.5 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 0.152 837 5.3 49.55 3.43 3 4.84 0.59 12 0.580 4.2 3 0.030 0.550 59.3 1.5 751 1.13 0.93 80 0.211 0.179 0.310

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

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

0.395 75.00 16.30 1.26 6.16 0.390 0.395 875 8.67 11.50 6.2 7.00 0.214 1535 6.35 78.00 3.9 5.5 7.91 0.8 17 0.465 6.92 3.1 0.0350 2.000 84.50 2.5 680.00 1.30 1.01 214.000 0.3100 0.2050 0.280

10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180

6.74 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090

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

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

Double Dragon Empire East Land Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind.

7.620 1.32 3.900 0.265 38.500 3.08 5.1 0.650 1.01 1.020 0.163 0.610 59.95 0.780 1.05 1.92 1.18 4.71 0.130

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.9 3.52 47.65 47 114.00 110.70 106.00 104.50 38.5 38.4 3.80 3.70 1.54 1.40 9.09 9.09 16.5 16.46 20.9 20.6 0.77 0.73 1.88 1.86 590.00 590.00 1.210 0.840 87.4 85.5 14.6 14.44 23.60 23.60 59.00 57.80 99.9 96.2 275.4 275 32.55 32.3 219.6 212.4 1390.00 1365.00 73.75 73.50 1.48 1.48 INDUSTRIAL 45.8 45 3.8 3.3 0.87 0.82 1.85 1.78 15.38 15 53 51.3 204.80 200.00 12.16 11.98 17.16 16.7 140 132 24.95 24 58.35 58 2.19 2.15 6.1 5.92 12.38 12 11.280 10.960 8.04 7.70 5.80 5.72 8.40 8.25 1.83 1.72 26 25.1 75 72.95 12.20 12.08 16.60 16.50 6.82 6.6 2.300 2.260 253.00 240.60 46.00 44.00 5.5 4.7 27.95 27.95 28.3 27.55 33.2 31.9 13.6 13.3 312.80 310.20 0.265 0.260 4.85 4.80 3.23 3.1 10.26 9.95 11.52 11.52 6.20 5.96 1.62 1.59 3.4 3.35 4.23 4.20 3.5 3.4 222 220 3.06 3.05 0.161 0.151 1.88 1.83 2.23 2.20 186.9 180.1 4.71 4.7 2.9 2.34 35.00 33.95 1.24 1.24 HOLDING FIRMS 0.395 0.385 74.90 72.50 16.30 16.10 1.27 1.27 6.30 6.15 0.390 0.370 0.390 0.375 875 853 8.67 8.48 11.88 11.50 6.11 6.1 7.09 6.90 0.224 0.205 1525 1492 6.36 6.31 79.20 75.15 4.29 4.29 5.28 5.28 7.91 7.72 0.82 0.79 17.5 16.98 0.510 0.450 7.18 6.9 3.1 3.1 0.0360 0.0340 2.100 1.980 84.50 83.05 2.50 2.50 680.00 653.50 1.30 1.23 1.05 1.00 214.000 212.800 0.4100 0.3150 0.2050 0.1960 0.300 0.280 PROPERTY 7.620 7.560 1.32 1.27 3.930 3.490 0.275 0.270 39.000 38.000 3.08 2.89 5.12 5.1 0.7 0.640 1.05 1.00 1.020 1.020 0.171 0.161 0.640 0.620 59.9 58.45 0.780 0.780 1.05 1.03 1.91 1.84 1.20 1.16 4.84 4.66 0.132 0.125

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.72 47.65 114.00 106.00 38.45 3.70 1.47 9.09 16.46 20.8 0.73 1.88 590.00 1.210 87.4 14.44 23.60 57.90 99.9 275 32.5 218 1370.00 73.65 1.48

3.33 0.42 -0.26 0.47 -0.13 -2.63 -3.29 0.00 -0.12 -0.48 1.39 0.00 -0.84 49.38 4.67 -1.10 -1.67 -1.36 -0.40 -0.72 0.31 2.16 -1.44 -0.07 0.00

289,000 25,300 2,053,020 2,088,780 10,000 18,000 503,000 600 7,300 259,500 166,000 47,000 10 191,857,000 3,566,300 87,900 1,000 35,430 200 4,530 281,800 2,476,780 85 37,880 15,000

45.5 3.4 0.86 1.78 15.32 53 200.00 12 17 140 24.55 58 2.18 6.1 12.02 11.040 7.74 5.75 8.30 1.72 25.8 73 12.08 16.50 6.8 2.260 253.00 44.00 4.85 27.95 28 33.2 13.32 311.00 0.260 4.80 3.11 10.08 11.52 6.18 1.60 3.36 4.21 3.4 220 3.05 0.155 1.83 2.21 184 4.7 2.44 35.00 1.24

0.00 -10.53 3.61 -1.11 0.00 3.72 8.11 -1.48 -0.58 -2.10 -1.60 0.87 -0.91 0.83 -2.28 -2.13 -3.13 0.35 -0.60 -7.03 1.38 0.00 -5.63 -0.60 3.03 -0.88 3.27 -4.35 5.43 3.52 0.00 0.61 -2.06 0.00 0.00 -1.64 0.32 0.20 0.17 1.64 -1.23 -1.18 0.24 -2.86 -0.90 -0.33 1.97 -1.08 0.45 -1.60 -0.21 -17.57 0.29 -0.80

1,056,400 5,505,000 2,573,000 1,085,000 101,000 2,570 20 24,726,400 3,376,500 390 9,778,700 70 566,000 808,800 26,700 4,724,200 5,813,000 7,892,500 485,900 18,000 4,434,500 166,490 600 672,800 2,586,800 1,014,000 342,180 600 724,000 800 7,458,400 672,400 5,067,000 122,050 420,000 17,000 1,991,000 15,785,600 2,000 879,300 1,468,000 233,000 303,000 26,000 480 281,000 17,650,000 819,000 735,000 1,697,510 6,000 111,657,000 1,800 120,000

0.385 74.50 16.18 1.27 6.18 0.375 0.375 868.5 8.55 11.80 6.1 7.00 0.220 1510 6.31 79.00 4.29 5.28 7.9 0.8 17.2 0.450 7.11 3.1 0.0360 2.100 84.50 2.5 675.00 1.30 1.00 213.800 0.3550 0.2050 0.285

-2.53 -0.67 -0.74 0.79 0.32 -3.85 -5.06 -0.74 -1.38 2.61 -1.61 0.00 2.80 -1.63 -0.63 1.28 10.00 -4.00 -0.13 0.00 1.18 -3.23 2.75 0.00 2.86 5.00 0.00 0.00 -0.74 0.00 -0.99 -0.09 14.52 0.00 1.79

930,000 1,545,440 6,694,300 1,000 46,700 2,530,000 470,000 438,400 1,245,600 11,740,200 7,100 72,500 1,670,000 285,540 2,400 1,909,060 1,000 4,800 1,869,300 66,000 7,352,100 120,000 91,942,400 5,000 6,500,000 8,189,000 127,270 4,000 473,430 1,813,000 608,000 3,460 129,550,000 1,100,000 1,090,000

7.580 1.29 3.570 0.270 38.400 2.97 5.11 0.640 1.05 1.020 0.164 0.630 59.6 0.780 1.03 1.84 1.17 4.84 0.125

-0.52 -2.27 -8.46 1.89 -0.26 -3.57 0.20 -1.54 3.96 0.00 0.61 3.28 -0.58 0.00 -1.90 -4.17 -0.85 2.76 -3.85

259,500 3,254,000 11,825,000 1,330,000 14,071,900 3,087,000 126,400 37,128,000 44,000 3,000 70,470,000 9,759,000 364,290 18,000 6,736,000 19,961,000 223,000 44,870,000 19,260,000

1,048,520.00 -88,210,477 110,493,071.00 -37,000.00 49,440.00 -24,960.00 18,700.00 -1,825,200.00 38,522,897.00 -136,776.00 -1,117,618.50 -1,194,108.00 1,109,370 -244,571,320.00 501,533.50 -13,501,280.00 -1,048,920.00 -245,280.00 -127,730.00 -34,167,816.00 -50,639,226.00 558,015.00 26,160.00 818,138.00 -1,955,260.00 1,755,425.00 -10,113,076.00 -207,771.00 -13,267,320.00 -3,819,521.00 9,007,354.00 7,300,397.00 4,560.00 -23,424,612.00

109,444,895.00 -6,773,305.00 -25,157,176.00 2,541,428.00 -204,860.00 -74,182,037.00 -23,040.00 -1,771,223.00 147,290.00 -54,880.00 -11,000.00 -1,300.00 272,540.00 -97,954,967 -37,245,680.00

-44,758,241.50 45,146,966.00

-137,597,520 3,061,827.00 -91,882,384.00 -130,200.00 -81,476,920.00 996,240.50 -848,250.00 6,593,328.00

52 Weeks

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High Low

STOCKS

0.470 0.72 27 8.54 31.8 2.29 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

0.290 0.39 23 2.69 22.15 1.6 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

10.5 66 1.09 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 12.3 2.6 7.67 2720 8.41

1.97 35.2 0.63 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 10.14 1.6 4.8 1600 5.95

1.97 119.5 7 5.8 0.017

1.23 102.6 3.01 4 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 3.2 95.5 1 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.95 3.1 0.650 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 1.71 5 0.315 1.14

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 8.2 49.2 4.27 1.030 3.06 0.020 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 3.240 18.96 2.11 0.365 1.54 0.012 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

70 525

33 500

8.21 12.28 111 1060

5.88 6.5 101 997

1047 84.8

1011 75

1.34

1

6.98

0.8900

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6

-427,578,374.00 -21,300.00 -4,772,575.00 -131,275,745.00 -10,240.00 -10,300.00 -27,950.00

-1,475,062.00 25,400.00 1,157,220.00

Close

Phil. Estates Corp.

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

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

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

204,442,340

-6,009,160.00

INDUSTRIAL

245,943,762

HOLDING FIRMS

285,953,590

PROPERTY

288,597,011

SERVICES

300,274,570

-8,201,583.50 -1,727,310.00 -33,808,460.00 -58,600.00 -106,484,110.00 500.00

MINING & OIL

808,457,542

GRAND TOTAL

2,135,538,915

0.2900 0.405 37.50 3.25 31.90 1.68 29.85 0.96 7.05 1.010 5.950

Low

0.2950 0.2900 0.440 0.435 37.60 37.60 3.29 3.25 32.60 30.70 1.7 1.67 29.30 28.45 0.97 0.95 7 6.51 1.030 1.010 5.920 5.700 SERVICES 2GO Group’ 7.23 7.2 7.16 ABS-CBN 49.5 49.7 49 APC Group, Inc. 0.590 0.590 0.580 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 5.7 5.7 5.4 Bloomberry 5.58 5.71 5.55 Boulevard Holdings 0.0950 0.0960 0.0930 Calata Corp.

3.78 3.83 3.57 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 118.5 120.9 118.2 Centro Esc. Univ.

9.6 9.9 9.9 Discovery World 2.2 2.21 2.2 DFNN Inc. 5.20 5.35 5.10 Globe Telecom 1970 2030 1974 GMA Network Inc. 6.31 6.33 6.29 Golden Haven 15.60 15.46 15.06 Harbor Star 1.83 1.87 1.80 I.C.T.S.I. 84 85 82.1 Imperial Res. `A’ 21.00 21.25 20.00 Imperial Res. `B’ 156 156 155 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0090 0.0091 0.0090 IPM Holdings 9.25 9.30 8.80 Island Info 0.290 0.325 0.285 ISM Communications 1.4200 1.4500 1.4000 Jackstones 3.91 3.91 3.76 LBC Express 12.5 12.5 12 Leisure & Resorts 4.50 4.50 4.20 Liberty Telecom 2.18 2.20 2.18 Macroasia Corp.

2.30 2.28 2.25 Manila Broadcasting 21.50 21.50 21.50 Manila Bulletin 0.570 0.570 0.570 Manila Jockey 1.99 1.99 1.99 Melco Crown 3.8 3.85 3.65 Metro Retail 5.35 5.35 5.25 NOW Corp.

3.840 3.910 3.670 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 11.32 11.34 11.28 PAL Holdings Inc. 5.85 5.85 5.40 Paxys Inc. 2.5 2.5 2.5 Phil. Seven Corp.

140.00 139.00 130.00 Philweb.Com Inc. 6.00 7.50 5.70 PLDT Common 1826.00 1821.00 1798.00 PremiereHorizon 0.425 0.450 0.420 Premium Leisure 0.880 0.900 0.840 Puregold 44.90 45.00 44.50 Robinsons RTL 84.00 84.00 81.00 SBS Phil. Corp.

6.30 6.32 6.24 SSI Group 3.23 3.24 3.18 STI Holdings 0.610 0.610 0.600 Transpacific Broadcast 1.95 1.95 1.95 Travellers 3.47 3.5 3.42 Waterfront Phils.

0.330 0.340 0.335 Yehey 6.280 6.130 6.000 MINING & OIL Abra Mining 0.0040 0.0041 0.0039 Apex `A’ 2.97 2.97 2.90 Atlas Cons. `A’ 3.90 3.95 3.87 Basic Energy Corp.

0.210 0.220 0.200 Benguet Corp `A’ 2.2800 2.28 2.2 Benguet Corp `B’ 2.3000 2.4500 2.3000 Century Peak Metals Hldgs0.57 0.6 0.56 Coal Asia 0.420 0.420 0.410 Dizon 8.50 8.50 8.36 Ferronickel 0.840 0.850 0.830 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.280 0.280 0.270 Lepanto `A’ 0.206 0.205 0.200 Lepanto `B’ 0.220 0.226 0.210 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0110 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.66 1.73 1.65 Nickelasia 6.23 6.36 6.23 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.9 2.94 2.86 Omico 0.5100 0.5100 0.5100 Oriental Peninsula Res. 1.0100 0.9900 0.9800 Oriental Pet. `A’ 0.0110 0.0120 0.0110 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 4.03 4.05 4.04 Philex `A’ 8.65 8.70 8.34 PhilexPetroleum 3.36 3.35 3.18 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0120 0.0120 0.0120 Semirara Corp.

110.90 112.00 110.60 TA Petroleum 3.3 3.3 3.24 United Paragon 0.0110 0.0110 0.0100 PREFERRED ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 50.2 49.55 48 Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ 531.5 542 541 DD Pref 104.1 105 104 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.07 6.09 6.06 Leisure and Resort 1.03 1.03 1.02 MWIDE PREF 109 110.4 109 PCOR-Preferred A 1060 1060 1060 PCOR-Preferred B 1160 1140 1138 PF Pref 2 1020 1020 1020 SMC Preferred C 81 81.65 81.5 SMC Preferred D 76.5 78 76.75 SMC Preferred F 80 79.75 79.7 SMC Preferred G 79 79 79 SMC Preferred H 77.85 78.1 78 SMC Preferred I 78.2 78.3 78.2 Swift Pref 2.42 2.4 1.92 WARRANTS & BONDS LR Warrant 2.670 2.700 2.380 SME Alterra Capital 4.22 4.33 4.1 Makati Fin. Corp.

3.8 4 3.61 Italpinas 5.09 5.15 5 Xurpas 16.1 16.1 15.62 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS First Metro ETF 127.8 128.2 126.4

-283,443,125.00 -1,867,420.00

10.00

High

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

0.2950 0.440 37.60 3.27 32.00 1.68 28.55 0.97 7 1.010 5.820

1.72 8.64 0.27 0.62 0.31 0.00 -4.36 1.04 -0.71 0.00 -2.18

40,000 20,000 1,300 449,000 1,961,200 89,000 32,625,700 906,000 12,000 368,000 8,580,700

7.2 49.7 0.580 5.41 5.71 0.0930 3.6 120 9.9 2.21 5.15 1997 6.30 15.14 1.81 83.5 20.10 155.1 0.0090 9.20 0.295 1.4500 3.76 12 4.20 2.19 2.25 21.50 0.570 1.99 3.81 5.35 3.680 11.28 5.60 2.5 130.00 5.90 1800.00 0.430 0.870 44.60 81.60 6.24 3.21 0.610 1.95 3.44 0.335 6.130

-0.41 0.40 -1.69 -5.09 2.33 -2.11 -4.76 1.27 3.13 0.45 -0.96 1.37 -0.16 -2.95 -1.09 -0.60 -4.29 -0.58 0.00 -0.54 1.72 2.11 -3.84 -4.00 -6.67 0.46 -2.17 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.26 0.00 -4.17 -0.35 -4.27 0.00 -7.14 -1.67 -1.42 1.18 -1.14 -0.67 -2.86 -0.95 -0.62 0.00 0.00 -0.86 1.52 -2.39

172,200 48,600 2,461,000 3,900 3,634,700 61,730,000 8,411,000 300,180 1,800 11,000 222,900 88,525 237,200 158,200 1,449,000 287,250 119,400 320 13,000,000 521,200 82,500,000 3,280,000 339,000 600 5,407,000 1,406,000 65,000 1,300 26,000 10,000 11,142,000 1,489,000 5,013,000 24,500 133,200 4,000 2,310 13,339,000 179,365 3,260,000 67,449,000 622,600 115,930 186,500 2,647,000 1,163,000 2,000 732,000 70,000 19,000

0.0039 2.91 3.88 0.220 2.2000 2.4000 0.59 0.420 8.37 0.840 0.270 0.202 0.210 0.0110 1.69 6.26 2.91 0.5100 0.9800 0.0110 0.0110 4.05 8.70 3.21 0.0120 111.20 3.25 0.0110

-2.50 -2.02 -0.51 4.76 -3.51 4.35 3.51 0.00 -1.53 0.00 -3.57 -1.94 -4.55 -8.33 1.81 0.48 0.34 0.00 -2.97 0.00 0.00 0.50 0.58 -4.46 0.00 0.27 -1.52 0.00

746,000,000 280,000 106,000 220,000 13,000 3,000 697,000 380,000 3,700 5,137,000 400,000 9,820,000 1,200,000 5,000,000 819,000 8,999,400 141,000 100,000 41,000 2,300,000 1,000,000 3,000 2,123,900 2,997,000 200,000 434,570 74,000 19,900,000

49 541 104.9 6.08 1.03 109 1060 1138 1020 81.5 78 79.7 79 78.1 78.3 2.2

-2.39 1.79 0.77 0.16 0.00 0.00 0.00 -1.90 0.00 0.62 1.96 -0.37 0.00 0.32 0.13 -9.09

134,540 100 69,570 111,800 1,601,000 15,200 35 30 100 43,000 20,000 900 40,500 753,100 1,000 23,000

2.400

-10.11

1,711,000

17,550.00

4.14 4 5 15.8

-1.90 5.26 -1.77 -1.86

1,373,000 67,000 239,400 179,100

141,130.00

128.2

0.31

8,300

68,274.00

256,750.00 -11,623,810.00 -82,005,555.00 215,040.00 -26,048,064.00 -988,560.00

5,499,676.00 658,000.00 -210,660.00 14,098,776.00

-22,827,045.00 75,400.00 -36,600.00 -36,915,676.50

Beijing said its purchasing managers index of manufacturing activity hit 50.4 last month, its highest level since October 2014 and suggesting the economy is stabilising following a series of policy tweaks aimed at kick-starting growth.

The reading was sharply up from July’s 49.9 and confounded expectations for a drop to 49.8 in a survey for Bloomberg News. Anything above 50 marks growth and a figure below points to contraction.

Analysts said recent weak PMI data had been skewed by severe floods in China that had hit key manufacturing areas.

“Underlying demand continues to stabilise, suggesting that the expansionary fiscal policy stance adopted since early this year is still supporting growth,” Julia Wang, an economist with HSBC in Hong Kong, told Bloomberg News.

China’s economy is growing at its slowest rate for a quarter of a century.

But Zhu Qibing, chief macro economy analyst at BOCI International (China) in Beijing said the “People’s Bank of China will refrain from more easing, but won’t tighten immediately”.

Hong Kong was up 0.7 percent in the afternoon but Shanghai ended 0.7 percent down with both markets witnessing volatility.

18,200.00 -5,800.00 34,310.00 -13,968,290 -439,000.00

-18,434,910.00 2,672,924.00 567,780.00 233,120.00 -33,880.00 215,482.00 -102,648,130.00 -26,034,440.00 -19,651,910.00 -527,529.00 406.00 1,568,670.00 366,000.00 -739,870.00

305,800.00 -167,740.00

63,000.00 462,110.00 50,400.00 -73,400.00 14,604,611.00 19,600.00 -11,000.00 -6,794,385.00 -64,640.00 -1,009,050.00 16,300.00 -50,000.00 -1,095,706.50 -318,848.00 -1,435,200.00

25,050.00 -1,074,630.00

VALUE 1,833.87 (up) 21.32 1,578,341,371.27 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,918.62 (down) 6.44 2,186,243,441.356 HOLDING FIRMS 7,677.90 (down) 4.67 2,612,676,034.29 PROPERTY 3,486.47 (down) 58.54 1,560.13 (down) 10.87 1,999,155,273.51 SERVICES MINING & OIL 10,584.19 (down) 26.96 1,215,014,790.194 PSEI 7,773.31 (down) 14.06 146,582,155.2452 All Shares Index 4,615.35 (down) 18.53 9,749,065,866.87 Gainers: 82; Losers: 121; Unchanged: 41; Total: 244

Sun Life, 8990 sign insurance partnership

By Jenniffer B. Austria MASS housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. teamed up with Sun Life of Canada (Philippines) Inc., the top-ranked insurance company in the Philippines, to provide homebuyers access to low-cost homes and financial services.

Under the partnership, 8990 Holdings’ clients can avail of Sun Life’s low-cost insurance product and mutual funds at substantially lower placements offered through Sun Life Asset Management Company Inc. With the help of Sun Life, 8990 will also offer clients investment options by proving them a hands-on opportunity to experience and understand the benefits of insurance and financial investments at little or no cost to them.

8990’s customers will enjoy these benefits as clients in good standing. This collaboration follows the signing of a memorandum of cooperation in line with the vision of a financially inclusive Philippines.

“We’re delighted to partner with 8990 Holdings Inc. which has been blazing new trails in the real estate industry with its unique approach to mass housing,” Sun Life president and chief executive Riza Mantaring said.

“Sun Life looks forward to broadening its market and bringing its products to more Filipinos nationwide,” she said.

8990 Holdings president and chief executive JJ Atencio is optimistic that the partnership will thrive.

“We’re thrilled to work with a company that shares our mission of helping Filipinos have a more secure future,” he said. “Collaborating with Sun Life will allow us to boost the service we offer our clients and have a more significant impact on their lives.”

Business

B3

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Hanjin’s woes roil supply chain H

ANJIN Shipping Co.’s vessels are getting stranded at sea after the South Korean container mover filed for court protection, roiling the supply chain of televisions and consumer goods ahead of the holiday season.

LG Electronics Inc. is trying to find new carriers for its goods, the world’s second-largest manufacturer of televisions said in an e-mail. Shipments through Hanjin account for between 15 percent and 20 percent of LG’s deliveries to America, the company said Thursday.

Woes at Hanjin Shipping, South Korea’s largest sea container

shipping firm and the world’s seventh-biggest with a 2.9 percent market share, are derailing the supply chains of companies that need to send goods well in advance of the year’s biggest shopping season as Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays approach. TVs, cars and sneakers sail about 10 days to reach Los Angeles from Asia while they could take as many as 30

days to Rotterdam. Hanjin Shipping owns 59 of the 132 container and bulk ships in its fleet.

“There’s going to be a short-term disruption in the supply chain,” said Rahul Kapoor, a Singaporebased director at Drewry Maritime Services Pvt. “This is going to play out for the next few weeks. Ports will not have these vessels because they are worried port and other fees won’t be paid.”

Hanjin Shipping’s localcurrency notes due June 2017 tumbled to 13.5 percent of face value as of 1:49 p.m. in Seoul, according to Korea Exchange prices, after fetching 90 percent in March. Trading in its shares were suspended after a 24-percent

plunge Tuesday to their lowest level since December 2009.

About 70 percent of South Korea’s overseas shipments is through sea, of which Hanjin Shipping accounts for about 6 percent, according to Cheong Seung Il, a trade ministry official.

While the government doesn’t expect a large impact on exports, there could still be some issues with machinery and textiles shipped via Hanjin, he said.

Freight charges from South Korea surged about 50 percent after Hanjin Shipping filed for court receivership Wednesday, Korea Economic Daily reported, citing shipping industry officials it didn’t identify. The fees on

Hanjin’s main shipping route between Busan and Los Angeles have jumped 55 percent to $1,700 per 40-foot equivalent box from $1,100, it said.

Three Hanjin vessels were stranded off the US West Coast, Kip Louttit, executive director of the Marine Exchange of Southern California said. Large container ships that come within 20 miles of the port complex owe the exchange fees of as much as $1,000, while harbor pilots and tug-boat operators also receive payments for their services to incoming vessels, Louttit said in a telephone interview, without elaborating on the reason for the status of the Hanjin ships. Bloomberg

Saudi declines to flood oil mart SAUDI Arabia, the world’s biggest oil exporter, won’t boost output to capacity and flood the market, the kingdom’s Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said as Opec members plan to meet next month to discuss ways to stabilize crude prices.

Saudi Arabia isn’t concerned about global demand in spite of a drop in prices and a slower economy, Al-Falih said in an interview with Al-Arabiya television. The country is able to pump as much as 12.5 million barrels a day of oil, he said in comments broadcast during an official visit to buyers in Asia, its biggest market, including China.

“The market is now saturated with stored crude at beyond usual levels and we don’t see in the near future a need for the kingdom to reach its maximum capacity,” Al-Falih said. Demand in China is “very healthy” and consumption in India is “very good,” he said.

Saudi domestic use is rising due to two new refineries in Yanbu and Jubail, which have raised consumption by a combined 800,000 barrels a day, Al-Falih said.

Saudi Arabia is producing near record levels as it tries to preserve market share in the face of a worldwide glut. Increased oil supply, including from US shale drillers, triggered a drop in prices of more than 50 percent since their 2014 peak. Saudi Arabia plans to hold informal talks on stabilizing prices with other members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Algeria next month.

Al-Falih’s comments show that “Saudi Arabia is not interested for the time being in coming to terms with the impact of low oil prices on producers’ economies,” said Abdulsamad al-Awadhi, a London-based analyst who served as Kuwait’s representative to OPEC from 1980 to 2001. “To state that as long as we have requests from customers for crude we will meet them at any price shows a total disregard for others.”

Bloomberg

1ST COMMERCIAL FLIGHT. US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx (right) waves upon arriving at the airport of Santa Clara, Cuba on August 31, 2016 on the first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba since 1961. USA resumed commercial flights to Cuba this Wednesday, when an airplane of JetBlue Airways landed in the city of Santa Clara, from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, after 55 years of suspension of flights between the two countries. AFP

Uniqlo accelerating expansion in SE Asia CASUAL clothing chain Uniqlo is taking its biggest chance in Southeast Asia.

The unit of Fast Retailing Co. is opening a store on Singapore’s iconic Orchard Road that will have 2,700 square meters (29,000 square feet) of shopping space on three floors. The store will be Uniqlo’s largest in the region as the brand looks for growth outside Japan to revive flagging profits at its parent.

Fast Retailing is busy opening stores in the US, London and across Asia to help reduce its dependency on a home market where Japanese household spending is falling. Billionaire chairman Tadashi Yanai wants to generate 5 trillion yen ($48 billion) in sales by 2020 to keep Fast Retailing competitive with Hennes & Mauritz AB and Zara-owner Inditex SA. “Southeast Asia expansion will help Yanai achieve his 5 trillion-yen sales target,” said Dairo Murata, an analyst at JPMorgan Securities Japan Co. “But to achieve that goal in three years will be difficult.”

This will be the 25th store in Singapore for Asia’s largest clothing retailer, bringing its Southeast Asian presence to about 130 outlets. Yanai, Japan’s richest man with a net worth of $18.4 billion, will host a briefing in the city-state Thursday, a day before the store opens.

Uniqlo last September opened a six-story China flagship store in central Shanghai, and Yanai reiterated plans to open 100 stores a year in China on its way to a potential 3,000. The brand’s Southeast Asia presence includes about 30 stores each in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines.

That overseas expansion has made Fast Retailing more vulnerable to a strengthening yen, which prompted a cut to its fullyear net income forecast in July.

Yet recent signs of recovery in the Uniqlo business lifted Fast Retailing’s shares 8.7 percent in August, paring the year-to-date slump in the stock to 15 percent through Wednesday. Shares dropped as much as 1.8 percent to 35,680 yen in Tokyo trading Thursday. Bloomberg

G-Shock competes in a world of fitbits

By Kim Bhasin G-SHOCK creator Kikuo Ibe sits in a makeshift showroom, surrounded by dozens of G-Shock watches that include a prototype model from 1982. It still works, his translator proudly proclaims.

Durability is what people love about these watches, after all.

Soft-spoken but with a lively sense of humor, the bespectacled Japanese engineer then goes through the history of G-Shock in English, telling the story of his life’s work. “I have a harder time now, rather than enjoying it,” Ibe says afterward, back to using the translator. “It’s different from the old days.”

He’s been doing this for a long time. As the story goes, in 1981, Ibe dropped a watch given him by his father, shattering the precious possession. He started to work at building a heavy duty timepiece for Casio that could survive a simple fall and even-

tually came up with the hollow, shock-absorbing case structure that became the heart of G-Shock watches. During his presentation, Ibe showcases one experimental prototype from the mid-1990s that was essentially a strippeddown metal frame. It looks as if it had been though a war, battleworn from testing years ago.

Now, 35 years after the GShock was a massive technical advancement, we have the Apple Watch and Samsung Gear. Smart technology is invading the watch industry as never before, with massive tech companies pumping dollars into research and development in hopes that connected devices will open a new market for gadget addiction on our wrists.

Some struggling Swiss watchmakers are keeping on eye on the progress, while others have already released their own smartwatch styles.

How does G-Shock stay in the game?

Not by making a full smartphone for the wrist, Ibe says.

“Battery life is one problem when it comes to smartwatches, and the screen size is very small,” he explains. “I’m not sure if that market will grow in the future.” He’s not going to try to compete with Apple and Samsung on that playing field.

Instead G-Shock will focus on connecting its existing watches to smartphones, working with them rather than trying to mimic them.

G-Shock has developed an intense cult following over the years, concentrated within patches of culture that demand toughness. Plenty of people in professions—military personnel, firefighters, paramedics–have adopted the hardy watches as their go-to, buying up many styles for their collections. This means that it needs to constantly churn out new designs to keep shoppers interested—a business model that wouldn’t work for, say, the Apple Watch. Bloomberg

India’s growth slows to 7.1% NEW DELHI―India’s economic growth slowed sharply in the first quarter of the 201617 financial year, official data showed Wednesday, missing expectations but raising hopes of an interest rate cut.

Gross domestic product expanded 7.1 percent year-onyear in the three months from April-June, down from the stellar growth of 7.9 percent in the preceding quarter, according to the statistics ministry.

The numbers also fell short of economists’ expectations, with most having predicted a slight slowdown in GDP growth to around 7.6 percent for the quarter.

However, India retained its place as the world’s fastestgrowing major economy, with growth having outpaced Asian rival China for more than a year.

“We were hoping for a stronger number,” Shubhada Rao, chief economist at Yes Bank in Mumbai told AFP, adding that sluggishness in the construction and mining sectors had weighed on growth.

“There is room for one rate cut from the central bank,” she said.

India’s rosy GDP figures have drawn questions since the government in January 2015 revised its base year to 2011-12 and introduced new methods of calculating expansion which it said were closer to international standards.

AFP

China’s production index at 2-year high BEIJING―An official measure of manufacturing activity in China rebounded to its strongest level in nearly two years last month on improving production and demand, the government said Thursday, boding well for the world’s second-largest economy.

The official purchasing managers’ index came in at 50.4 for August, its highest since October 2014, figures from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.

It rose from July’s 49.9 and was well ahead of the median forecast of 49.8 in a Bloomberg News survey of economists.

A figure above 50 signals expanding activity, while anything below demonstrates shrinkage.

Investors closely watch the PMI readings, which gauge conditions at Chinese factories and mines, as the first indicator of the health of the economy each month.

August’s PMI “featured rebounding production and demand and a further optimized structure”, NBS analyst Zhao Qinghe said in a statement.

The key manufacturing sector

has been struggling for months in the face of sagging global demand for Chinese products and excess industrial capacity left over from the country’s infrastructure boom.

Zhao also noted that downward pressures remain on imports and exports due to sluggish recovery in global growth.

Around 40 percent of the companies surveyed complained they were cash-strapped, and more firms were facing rising labor and logistics costs, Zhao pointed out.

China is a vital driver of global growth, but its economy expanded only 6.9 percent in 2015―its weakest rate in a quarter of a century―and has slowed further this year.

Beijing has said it wants to reorient the economy away from relying on debt-fueled investment to boost growth and towards a consumer-driven model, but the transition has proven challenging.

Figures provided by NBS’ Zhao showed that small- and medium-sized companies were

having a harder time than large firms, which generally have better access to loans and the market, with the PMI for smaller manufacturers contracting and that for bigger ones expanding.

The private Caixin Purchasing Managers’ Index, which focuses on small companies, pointed to a similar trend.

Its reading fell to the nochange mark of 50.0 in August from 50.6 the previous month, the Chinese financial magazine said in a joint statement Thursday with data compiler IHS Markit.

“The stagnation that follows tentative signs of recovery in July may have been caused by a temporary tightening of proactive fiscal policies,” Caixin analyst Zhong Zhengsheng said in the statement.

“Downward pressure on China’s economy remains and government support to stabilize growth must continue.”

The official PMI reading for the service sector was 53.5 for August, down from 53.9 in July, according to the NBS. AFP

RAMON L. TOMELDAN EDITOR

B4

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

Motoring

Peugeot’s hot hatch Text and photo by Dino Ray V. Directo III

P

eugeot recently staged a ride and drive event to highlight the features of the latest version of the 308. Held at the hinterlands of Tagaytay, the 308 is acknowledged as one of the best sellers of the brand. Glen Dasig, the dashing president of Peugeot Philippines, says design engineers have created a product that defines driving sensations.

“It embodies everything we stand for as a company, with the striking design, uncompromised quality and driving capabilities that truly ignite your senses. We believe the Peugeot 308 is a strong offering for our growing market,” says Dasig.

After it’s launch in 2015, the 308 with its sleek design, driving dynamics and fuel efficiency has carved itself a profitable niche in

a small, yet highly competitive domestic market. This French hatchback has earned praise for its insane frugality in consuming fuel, passenger space and comfort; and ease of driving despite of its heft. The exterior design of the Peugeot 308 speaks of understated elegance and athleticism.

The front is dominated by an evolutionary reinterpretation of the brand’s “floating” front grille, and

a strong lighting signature. The slim full LED headlamps, a world first in the segment, comes standard in all trim levels.

Peugeot’s day long event offered the motoring media real-time feedback about the 308’s overall performance. The slow traffic to Tagaytay made us appreciate the interiors, which is both modern and refined. The centerpiece of which is the i-Cockpit® –a cabin concept that enhances driving sensations. The i-Cockpit® offers a compact steering wheel that provides agile maneuverability and The 308 convoy is a sight to behold ease of movement, a head-up display for easier and safer access of chrome, gloss black finishers, This adds to the refined and eleinformation, and a 9.7-inch touch- and finely-chiseled needles that gant styling of the Peugeot 308,” screen interface that brings togeth- reflect the careful attention to states Dasig. er the vehicle’s various controls in detail.“The i-Cockpit® gives a Once we exited the Sta Rosa an intuitive layout. unique statement in automotive tollway, the long straights, Complementing the look and design. It combines minimalist twisty and ever changing terrain feel of the cabin are instrument aesthetics with robust function- allowed us to squeeze out every panels that pay tribute to high alities to make the driver’s every inch of power from the 1.6 THP quality craftsmanship using satin movement fluid and organic. Blue HDi diesel engine.

Foilacar wraps up Indonesian deal

With a handshake, Lester Codog (right) of Foilacar PH firms up a deal with his Indonesian partners led by Wayne Ramschie, president of Foilacar Indonesia.

FOILACAR Industries, the company which pioneered car wrapping technology and clear protection system, recently expanded their reach in the Southeast Asian market with the establishment of Foilacar Indonesia.

“With this car wrapping facility in Bali and Jakarta, Foilacar is set to open new horizons for Foilacar and we hope to replicate the success of our New York office here in Indonesia,” states Lester Codog, president of Foilacar Industries.

With the first facility based in

Muding Batu Sangian VI No.19 Kerobokan Kaya Badung, Bali, the 1,000 square meters car wrapping facility have three work bays for cars, SUV’s and motorcycles. “This is new territory for Foilacar, and we feel that the market is just right for this kind of technology now,” adds Wayne Ramschie, President of Foilacar Indonesia.

In Jakarta, Codog met with supercar dealers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini for tie-ups with Foilacar.

“Our arrangement was to have Foilacar as an added bonus to owning

or when buying a supercar. Owners of these fine machinery can choose from a wide variety of colors and designs to make their supercars exclusive and unique,” says Codog.

Since Foilacar ventured into car wrapping in the domestic market, the company has remained as the standard for car paint protection and visual aesthetics. From celebrities, businessmen and corporate clients such as Volkswagen Philippines, Foilacar has earned the moniker as the “Belo” of car design in the country. Dino Ray V. Directo, III

Joyful future journeys at Honda HONDA’S automobile business unit in the Philippines will take part in the 6th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) organized by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. (CAMPI) with exciting vehicle model line-up to showcase on September 14-18, 2016 at the World Trade Center, Pasay City.

Honda Cars Philippines Inc says it supports the objective and commitment to contribute to the economy to build the country’s regional leadership in automotive segment.

This year’s PIMS holds “Steer the Future” theme to communicate better future of the cars with more fuel efficient vehicles and the latest technology and design.

Honda will be having “Joyful Future Journeys” as a theme as Honda wants to take the fun path for the future.

A future that is exciting and pleasant because of Honda’s products and innovations that were built from the brand’s dream. Honda’s innovations are designed to anticipate future driving needs and to make life better with new technologies and features. Joyful Future Journeys will be experienced at the Honda booth in PIMS with the 1st appearance of the much awaited Honda’s affordable 7-seater SUV prototype, a new model additional to the Honda vehicle line-up and updated version of the current models such as the City and the exciting new look of the HR-V for you to check out and see.

This year, Honda will also feature the McLaren-Honda MP4-30. Racing is part ofHonda’s Corporate DNA, as Honda is known in producing engine technology that excels in performance and fuel efficiency.

LGUs

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

C1

A CLEAR DAY. A sunny

morning scene of whites and blues at Harbor Square in the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay City. Miguel Legazpi

EDC saves native trees

REFORESTATION projects that plant foreign, exotic tree species such as mahogany, acacia or raintree or Gmelina instead of native trees, may do more harm than good as non-indigenous tree species tend to invade and destroy the forests’ biodiversity, the Energy Development Corp.

(EDC) said.

The EDC said the tree population in the country’s forests began a steady decline in the 20th century with rampant logging activities. In recent decades, various organizations embarked on greening efforts to plant thousands of trees through environmentfocused programs.

EDC has embarked on a species conservation program—Binhi Tree for the Future—which aims to rescue and secure the gene pool of our country’s most premium threatened native trees to help preserve the Philippine forests’ biodiversity. Since 2008, Binhi and its partners have planted more than 4,700 future mother trees.

The Binhi program, which started in 2008, selected 96 priority threatened species from more than 3,600 native tree species. A science-based classification system was used to determine priority native tree species that are threatened but have superior mechanical strength, high economic and aesthetic value.

Among these 96 priority threatened species are Malinoag, Philippine teak, Batikuling, Yakal-yamban and the five endemic iron wood species Mangkono, Mapilig, Bagoadlau, Sierra Madre mangkono and Palawan mangkono which can only be found in the Philippines.

But identifying and searching for the seriously threatened native tree species is only the start of a five-year grueling task for Binhi.

Equally challenging yet rewarding are species rescue and protection, propagation, and continuous establishment of future mother trees.

Digong wages war against cocolisap

By A. Perez Rimando

L

AMITAN CITY, Basilan—President Rodrigo Duterte pledged to help Basilan farmers combat the cocolisap pest problem which has destroyed thousands of fruit-bearing coconuts for the past several months in the province.

Duterte’s move came after Lamitan City Mayor Rosita Furigay, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Mujiv Hataman and Provincial Gov. Jim Salliman complained to Duterte and Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol in Malacañang about the massive destruction by

the cocolisap pest on the island’s coconut trees that seriously endangered its economy.

Earlier, coconut farmers from Southern Tagalog also complained about the pest which eats young coconut fruits and ultimately kills the trees.

Duterte assured the Basilan

TO LOOK after the welfare of transgender constituents, the Quezon City government is looking for possible sites to build a transgender support center.

Mayor Herbert Bautista tasked the city health officer, Dr. Verdades Linga, to ensure the delivery of responsive and

Next page

Dutertes beef up family security

By Funny Pearl A. Gajunera

RECORD. The country’s No. 1 mushroom brand, JOLLY, attempted to set a record for the largest serving of sautéed mushrooms at History Con on August 27 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

NGCP hangs new transmission lines

By Butch Gunio BALANGA CITY—The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) will build two vital transmission projects in the Pampanga-Bataan-Zambales area to provide reliable and efficient power supply in Luzon.

The transmission company

will be building the 500-kilovolt Castillejos-Hermosa transmission line and the 69 kV Floridablanca-Hermosa line.

“The Castillejos-Hermosa transmission line will cater to new power generators in Zambales. On the other hand, the Hermosa-Floridablanca line project aims to relieve the overloading of the existing Hermosa-

Guagua line,” said NGCP corporate communication officer Ernest Vidal in interview over 98.3 FM Smile Radio in this city.

NGCP has a substation in Barangay Balsik, Hermosa.

“We are finished with the documentation, and we are ready to proceed with the building of the two transmission projects,” said Fely

Francisco, newly assigned NGCP Regional corporate communication officer for the provinces of Bataan, Zambales, Bulacan and Rizal.

“Concerned barangays have already issued certificates of no objection for the two transmission projects,” she added.

Vidal said they are set to finish the transmission projects by 2019.

QC to build new transgender support center

By Rio N. Araja

leaders of his assistance and directed Piñol to immediately coordinate with the Philippine Coconut Authority in the eradication of the coconut pest.

Furigay claimed Piñol vowed to order Philcoa to initially provide local coconut farmers with

sensitive health-care services to the city’s transgender residents.

The proposed clinic shall provide basic screening and testing for sexually transmitted infections, regular health appraisal services and psychological and social services, such as lifecoaching and case management and counseling, through service delivery network, Linga said.

Dr. Rolando Cruz, the city’s

human immunodeficiency virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome program coordinator, reported that transgenders—male to female—constitute the second largest population being tested for HIV, next only to males having sex with male (MSMs).

Apart from the establishment of a social hygiene clinic for transgenders, the city health de-

partment also unveiled plans for the development of an electronic health information system in the different city government-run sundown social hygiene clinics, creation of a one-stop-shop for sundown clinics and providing MSMs, especially young people, greater access to HIV testing, condoms and HIV lectures.

Quezon City operates about three sundown clinics, one is the

Klinika Bernardo, the country’s first male sundown clinic.

A sundown clinic offers HIV screening from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. to accommodate the varying schedules of the male sector, especially the young working male population.

The clinic also serves as a diagnostic, treatment and referral facility for patients with sexual related diseases

VICE Mayor Paolo Duterte said he has increased security for his family after his father, President Rodrigo Duterte’s exposé on the drug syndicates in the country.

The younger Duterte said they have intensified the security of their children to ensure their safety.

Paolo added that the Presidential Security Group secures them now.

He announced that he has scheduled a drug test for all the members of the 18th city council, including himself, before the start of its regular session on Tuesday.

The scheduled drug test is a show of support for his father, anti-drug campaign.

The younger Duterte said the city council is ready to conduct a drug test at any given time, to show that Davao City’s councilors are all drug free.

“Anytime. I have no problem with [drug tests],” the vice mayor said.

He said he has not received any information that there is a councilor in the city who is into drugs.

Paolo, however, revealed that since 1992 people have been linking him to the illegal drug trade.

He said that he has been accused of being a user, a pusher, a drug lord, and now a drug lord protector.

The President’s eldest son then joked that as years go by, his position in the drug syndicate also goes up.

He said that it would not matter to him if the police investigate him.

“It is now up to them on how they are going to investigate me,” Paolo said.

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

LGUs

PSME to audit power facilities T

HE Department of Energy and the Philippine Society of Mechanical Engineers have joined hands in a technical audit of the country’s generation, transmission and distribution facilities, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

The energy department and the PSME signed a memorandum of agreement at the DoE’s Central Office in Taguig City, with the PSME providing pro-bono services.

“Public interest demands an appropriate intervention from both the government and the pri-

vate sector to ensure consumer protection,” Cusi said.

The PSME, the only accredited professional association of registered and professional mechanical engineers in the country, has 84,000 members who have the necessary technical knowledge,

expertise and competence to assist the DoE in addressing current power problems.

Cusi said “the DoE is determined to immediately address the recurring challenges in the power supply chain that affects the productivity of our people. The entry of PSME will strengthen DoE’s technical audit teams.”

Earlier, the DoE also signed a MoA with the Institute of Integrated Electrical Engineers of the Philippines, Inc. to assist the DoE in the technical audit of power facilities.

Cusi said the DoE remains committed to ensuring reliable, stable, sustainable, sufficient and reasonably priced electricity to the public. PIA

Mayor clarifies sin tax share

Dear Sirs:

Your published article of August 3, 2016 entitled “GIVE US SHARE OF SIN TAX” by a certain Robert A. Evora falls short of the truth and yet was allowed to be published without verification to the detriment of this administration. We understand you endeavor to keep the people well informed by unearthing truth.

Unfortunately you published something bereft of truth.

For the record allow us to present to you the facts: 1. In the month of April, we were notified by the Department of Budget and Management that the LGU’s share for excise tax for CY 2013 with the aggregate amount of Thirty Million Seven Hundred Sixty-five Thousand Six Hundred Forty-one Pesos (P30,765,641.00) was ready for transfer to the recipient LGUs, provided documentary requirements for release were submitted for review and approval of the said office.

2. After the LGU’s receipt of the advice, this office immediately called a meeting with the officials of the “SAMAKAMI”, Samahan ng Mananabako ng Kanlurang Mindoro, the umbrella organization of the numbers of accredited tobacco associations within the entire municipality.

3. As a matter of procedure, they were asked to identify the projects for which the said fund will be spent. This office gave the set of officers two full weeks to come up with the proposals that they would deem beneficial to the tobacco growers.

4. Aside from identification of the projects, they were tasked to to fulfill the requirements that include the following: (a) Conduct a meeting and come up with a resolution identifying the project to be funded. (b) Submit the resolution to this office for us to complete the documentary requirement identifying therewith the project, the proposed manner of releases, schedule of releases, and others (c) Come up with the official list verified by the National Tobacco Association of the recipients of the excise tax fund. (d) Submit the above-mentioned documents to this office or the Municipal Planning and Development Office of this LGU 5. On May 31, 2016 after the above process this office finally received a finalized copy of the resolution required, the master list verified by the NTA, the identified proposed program/project to be funded by the excise tax share and other accompanying requirement.

6. On July, 25, 2016, the said documents as a matter of procedure was submitted to the Office of the Sanggunian for legislative backing and was approved immediately during the 4th Regular Session on July 26, 2016.

7. This week upon completion of the pertinent documents, this office shall immediately endorse it to the Department of Budget and Management for their review and approval.

Please be aware that this LGU had been suffering from a dirty political environment for several years now as other political personalities and their allies have been constantly releasing untruthful publicities for whatever gains they believe they get to the detriment of progress. While we always welcome inquiries, we beg for your fairness that before anything be published, kindly ensure that such information is based on truth and the circumstances presented to you are authentic.

As we support your advocacy of truth and transparency, we also advocate that our LGUs be saved from political manipulation and therefore we ask you to help this community by promoting the truth and never patronize hearsay.

We hope that this has enlightened you on the process of how excise taxes are released. More power!

Very truly yours, (Signed) ROMULO M. FESTIN Municipal Mayor San Jose, Occidental Mindoro

Digong...

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appropriate insecticide and to later adopt longer-term measures to solve the problem.

During the meeting, Furigay said she also discussed with the Chief Executive the island’s rubber production.

She informed Duterte that she and other local government officials have often reminded rubber tree extract producers to maintain high quality even as she appealed

to the former Davao City mayor “that farmers should be given a fair market value for their produce and that they must be also protected by the government from unscrupulous cartels that manipulate the price, depriving farmers of fair income.”

Furigay further lamented that “Because of price manipulation, the cartels are enjoying big profits while the farmers who work hard are suffering and should be compensated for their hard work.”

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

World

Standard

TODAY

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

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Fed court voids $655-m verdict vs. Palestinians NEW YORK—A US federal appeals court on Wednesday threw out a $655.5 million verdict against the Palestinian Authority and the Palestine Liberation Organization for damages suffered

by Americans killed and wounded in six attacks in Israel.

The Second US Circuit Court of Appeals in New York ruled that the lower court which issued the February 2015 verdict did not

have jurisdiction over the case and ordered it dismissed.

“The terror machine gun attacks and suicide bombings that triggered this suit and victimized these plaintiffs were unquestionably horrific,” Judge John Koeltl, writing for the three-member court panel, said in a 61-page ruling.

“But the federal courts cannot exercise jurisdiction in a civil case beyond the limits prescribed

by the due process clause of the Constitution, no matter how horrendous the underlying attacks or morally compelling the plaintiffs’ claims,” it said.

“We vacate the judgment of the district court and remand the case to the district court with instructions to dismiss the case for want of jurisdiction.”

The attacks, which took place between January 2002 and Janu-

ary 2004, left 33 people dead and wounded more than 390 others.

Later in 2004, 11 American families filed a civil suit in federal court under a US anti-terrorism law that allows victims of international attacks to pursue foreign entities in the US courts for damages.

In February 2015, after seven weeks of testimony, a jury unanimously found the two Palestin-

Japan sends 1-b yen to comfort women S

EOUL—Japan sent Thursday a promised one billion yen ($9.6 million) to a South Korea foundation for former sex slaves for wartime Japanese soldiers, as part of a controversial deal struck last year aimed at settling the “comfort women” issue.

Mainstream historians say up to 200,000 women, mostly from Korea but also other parts of Asia including China, were forced to work in Japanese military brothels during World War II. The plight of the so-called comfort women is a hugely emo-

tional issue that has marred relations between the two Asian neighbors for decades and which, for many South Koreans, symbolizes the abuses of Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule over the Korean peninsula.

Last December, the two na-

tions reached a “final and irreversible” agreement, under which Tokyo offered an apology and one billion yen to open a foundation for the dwindling number of comfort women who are still alive.

Tokyo formally wired the payment to South Korea’s state-run Reconciliation and Healing Foundation Thursday morning, Seoul’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

Seoul said the money would be used for financial assistance for the surviving victims—currently numbered at 40—and families of the victims who have already died.

But the deal was condemned by some of the women and South Korean activists, who took issue with Japan’s refusal to accept formal legal responsibility.

A group of 12 comfort women filed a lawsuit against Seoul this week for signing the agreement without their consent and despite Tokyo’s refusal to take legal responsibility.

The compromise agreement also drew a mixed reaction in Japan, with some far-right activists and newspapers criticizing Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for offering the apology. AFP

US reporter nabbed in Turkey

LION CUB. Ahmad Massoud, son of the “Lion of Panjshir,” Ahmad Shah Massoud—the charismatic, French-

speaking mujahedeen commander who held the Soviets at bay and was Afghanistan’s last bulwark against the Taliban—said he will go into teaching if he fails as a politician. AFP

Domingo opens Dubai opera house DUBAI—Spanish tenor Placido Domingo performed Wednesday at the opening of Dubai Opera, a venue the emirate hopes will boost cultural life in the Gulf business hub, organizers said.

The 2,000-seat opera house was packed for the opening after tickets sold out months in advance, leaving many scrambling to buy them on the black market in the days preceding the event.

Domingo launched into the event with a series of performances including Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville” and the Broadway musical “West Side Story.”.

The venue will also host local shows, with popular Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi performing there in October.

During rehearsals, Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid alMaktoum visited the site where he greeted the Spanish tenor, according to a video posted on the Dubai government’s Twitter account.

“Cultural development was always present among our development plans and vision for the future... We have provided the infrastructure to support it,” he said in remarks published on his website.

Organizers have said that an official opening gala will be held later when work on the venue is completed.

On Tuesday, the Dubai Opera management organized a media tour as workers struggled to prepare the theatre for Domingo’s performance.

The opera sits at the foot of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest tower, which was built by the same developer, Emaar Properties.

In a nod to Dubai’s long history as a port city, the opera house is shaped like a dhow, a traditional wooden boat used for centuries in Gulf waters.

But the ultra-modern venue can transform into three modes, oper-

ating as a theatre, concert hall and a flat-floored hall suitable for banquets and weddings.

In the space of decades, Dubai has transformed itself into a centre for trade, travel and tourism.

Spending trillions of dollars earned from oil exports, it put itself on the map with luxury resorts, glitzy skyscrapers and artificial islands shaped as palm trees and a world map.

But its cultural scene remained low profile in the business-oriented emirate.

Jasper Hope, chief executive of Dubai Opera, said the opening represents “the start of a new journey for arts and culture in Dubai.”

Opera remains very much a cultural import for Gulf Arabs— the only other opera house in the region is in the Omani capital Muscat.

But Dubai’s population is predominantly foreign, including a sizable Western community. AFP

16 dead, 85 hurt in Tunis road mishap TUNIS—At least 16 people were killed and 85 injured on Wednesday when a lorry crashed into a bus in central Tunisia, the interior ministry said.

The dawn accident, which happened by a roadside market near Kasserine, also left around 15 cars ablaze, according to the ministry.

It said the lorry driver, who was among those killed, was unable to

brake and his vehicle hit the bus and several cars before slamming into an electricity pole.

Prime Minister Youssef Chahed announced “the immediate opening of an investigation” into the incident, and said he had sent the ministers of defense, health and transport to the scene of the accident.

Dozens of injured were taken to hospital in Kasserine, as emergen-

cy crews worked to extract others still trapped in the wreckage.

Photos shared on social media showed columns of thick black smoke rising from the site of the crash, and national television broadcast images of burnt cars.

As of the end of May, 528 people had died in road accidents in the North African country of around 11 million inhabitants since the start of the year. AFP

WASHINGTON—An American journalist has been arrested in Turkey and charged with “violating a military zone” after she returned from war-torn Syria, US officials said Wednesday.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Lindsey Snell had been detained on August 6, and that US consular officials had been able to visit her almost three weeks later on August 26.

Snell’s Twitter biography identifies her as an Istanbulbased video journalist who has contributed to several western networks and news organizations including MSNBC, Vice News and ABC. On Facebook, she describes herself as hailing from Daytona Beach, Florida and to have graduated from the University of Florida in 2005. She is a Muslim and wears a headscarf in pictures.

Her last tweets were sent on August 5, when she referred to having been imprisoned for ten days by militants from the Al-Nusra Front before escaping with the aid of a “brave man on a motorcycle.”

On her Facebook page, again on August 5, she said she had been able to document her time in Nusra’s captivity with her cell phone.

“It’s a crazy story,” she wrote.

“A cave prison (the previous tenant of my cell had marked his days in residence in blood on the walls), masked villains, motorcycle escapes and disguises. I can’t wait to share the details.”

There was no reference to her having arrived in Turkey, but the country would be the obvious first destination of anyone trying to flee the Aleppo region of Syria after escaping a kidnapping.

“She was detained in Turkey.

As I understand it she journeyed to Turkey from Syria,” Kirby told reporters in Washington. “She is currently being held at a prison facility in Hatay province.

“What we understand is that she has been charged with violating a military zone, but I can’t speak as to her reasons for being in Syria and traveling there,” he added.

Hatay is a far southern province of Turkey that borders on Syria’s Aleppo governorate, currently the scene of fierce fighting between Syrian government forces and a variety of rebel groups.

Turkish forces are deployed to the border area as part of efforts to control the flow of fighters and weapons to the civil war.

AFP

ian entities liable on 25 separate counts related to the attacks, initially awarding victims and their families more than $218 million.

They apportioned individual damages ranging from $1 million to $25 million to Americans who were injured or lost loved ones.

The sum was automatically tripled in accordance with US antiterrorism law to $655.5 million.

The bombings and shootings

were carried out by Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades— an armed offshoot of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah party—during the second Palestinian uprising against Israel.

Both are blacklisted as terrorist organizations in the United States.

Last year’s initial ruling fell well short of the $1 billion sought by lawyers for the 11 plaintiff families. AFP

NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING Notice is hereby given to all stockholders of Fontana Resort & Country Club, Inc. that pursuant to the By-Laws, the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting will be held on 26 September 2016, 10:30 a.m. at the Lily Function Room, Fontana Convention Center, C.M. Recto Highway, Clark Freeport Zone, Clark Field, Pampanga.

1. Call to Order.

2. Certification of service of notice and existence of quorum.

3. Approval of the Minutes of the last Stockholders’ Meeting dated September 28, 2015.

4. Annual Report of the General Manager including presentation of the highlights of the Club’s Financial Condition for fiscal year 2015.

5. Approval of the Chairman’s Annual Report and ratification of all other acts and resolutions of the Board of Directors and Management from the previous 6.Stockholders’ Meeting on September 28, 2015.

6. Election of Five (5) directors, inclusive of two (2) independent directors 7. Appointment of External Auditor 8. Other matters 9. Adjournment In registering your attendance, please present a form of identification, such as company I.D., passport, or driver’s license. Registration will start at 9:00 a.m.

Clark Freeport Zone, September 01, 2016.

(SGD) JUAN MIGUEL VICTOR C. DE LA FUENTE Corporate Secretary (MS-SEPT. 2, 2016)

SOCIAL HOUSING FINANCE CORPORATION Enhancing People’s Lives and Empowering Communities through FAIR Shelter Solutions REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE REBIDDING OF PROJECT NO: 2016-11 PROCUREMENT OF CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE AND BRANDING STRATEGY 1.

The Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), through its Corporate Budget for 2016, intends to apply the sum of One Million Three Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos Only (Php1,350,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) payment under the contract for the Procurement of Consulting Services for the Development of Customer Experience and Branding Strategy. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

2.

SHFC now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for:

Project

Procurement of Consulting Services for the Development of Customer Experience and Branding Strategy

Location

BDO Plaza, 8737 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City

Objective

The development of a customer experience study and a branding strategy is intended to examine the current strategies of SHFC in dealing with its stakeholders, both internal and external. It will also enhance SHFC’s current strategies and/or develop a new strategy in order for the Corporation to continuously become relevant, effective, and efficient to the needs of its stakeholders, which in return, effect to satisfaction. The Customer Experience study shall: 1.Guide SHFC in the implementation of quality services to its stakeholders to attain a complete customer experience The development of the Branding Strategy shall: 1.Explicitly define SHFC’s branding and image

1. Inception Report 10% Outputs/ 2. First progress Report 30% Deliverables 3. Second Progress Report 30% 4. Final report/output 30% 3.

The consultancy firm or corporation must have the following minimum qualifications: 1.

4.

Expertise and track record in developing customer experience study and branding strategy and must have handled at least two (2) projects of this nature and scope within the past five (5) years with positive feedbacks from clients.

2. Has a roster of experts in charge of the development and design of customer experience and branding strategy.

Interested firm shall submit one (1) original and two (2) copies of its eligibility requirements including the project leader and its technical staff’s curriculum vitae on or before 12 September 2016 at 2 pm (also the date of opening of eligibility documents) at 4th Floor Training Room, Banco De Oro Plaza, 8737 Paseo de Roxas, Makati City. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

The required documents and criteria are provided in Section 24. Eligibility Requirements and Short Listing for Consulting Services of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act.”

5.

The BAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Eligibility Documents and Curriculum Vitae of the Experts to be employed andhave been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of RA 9184 and its IRR. The short list shall consist of three (3) prospective bidders who will be allowed to purchase the Bidding Documents and are entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: Applicable experience = 40 % Qualification of project leader& technical staff = 40% Current workload relative to capacity =_ 20 %_ Total = 100 %

6.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184.

7.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

8.

The Procuring Entity shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/ Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure. Only bids whose Technical proposals pass the minimum technical evaluation score of Eighty percent (80%) shall have their Financial Proposals opened and evaluated. The Technical Proposal shall carry Eighty percent (80%) weight in the evaluation. The bidders shall be ranked in descending order based on the combined numerical ratings of their technical and financial proposals and identify the Highest Rated Bid. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instruction to Bidders (ITB).

The project is intended to be undertaken over a period of six (6) months.

Short Listed Bidders may purchase a complete set of Bidding Documents from 14 September 2016 until 28 September2016 at the address below, for a non-refundable fee of Two Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (P2,500.00) Only. The fee for the Bidding Documents must be paid to the SHFC Cashier only. The cost of bidding documents corresponds to the ABC.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

SHFC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on 16 September 2016 at 10:30 am, at the SHFC Training Room, 4th Floor, BDO Plaza 8737 Paseo De Roxas, Makati City, which shall be open only to all short listed bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 28 September 2016 at 10:30 am. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 28 September 2016 at 10:30 am, at the SHFC Training Room, 4th Floor, BDO Plaza 8737 Paseo De Roxas, Makati City. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend. Late bids shall not be accepted.

SHFC assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify Bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of the bid. SHFC reserves the right to waive any or all formal requirements, and it shall likewise not be held liable for any defects or typographical errors in all documents received by the Bidder, which shall be presumed to have been read and understood by the bidders to be mere defects in form only.

SHFC reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject a bid at any time prior to the contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please communicate with: Joselito A. Cada Head, BAC Secretariat Social Housing Finance Corporation 6th Floor BDO Plaza, 8737 Paseo De Roxas Makati City Trunkline: 750-6337/46 loc. 732 Direct Line: 817-3168 procurement@shfcph.com

(MS-SEPT. 2, 2016)

(SGD) ANNICIA D. VILLAFUERTE Chairman, BAC

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

World

PACIFIC. US President Barack Obama addresses the 2016 Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Wednesday. AFP

US belies report of IS spokesman killing W

ashington—Russia’s claim that it killed Islamic State group spokesman and top strategist Abu Mohamed alAdnani is a “joke,” and the strike was conducted by a US Predator drone, American officials said Wednesday.

The Russian defense ministry had earlier said an Su-34 warplane killed “up to 40” IS fighters—including Adnani—in a bombing raid near the village of Um Hosh in the province of

Aleppo on Tuesday.

“That’s a joke,” a US defense official told Agence France Presse when asked about Moscow’s Adnani claim, speaking on condition of anonymity to dis-

cuss military operations.

“It would be funny, if not for the character of the campaign the Russians have undertaken in Syria.”

Russia has been flying its own bombing campaign in Syria in support of leader Bashar al-Assad since last year, but this is the first time they have claimed to have killed a top-ranking IS leader.

The United States says coalition forces had targeted Adnani, who had a $5 million bounty on his head, in an air strike in Alep-

po province on Tuesday, but the Pentagon is still assessing the result.

Another US official, again speaking on condition of anonymity, said the strike was carried out by a Predator drone that fired a Hellfire missile at a car in which Adnani was believed to have been traveling.

The Defense Department drone strike was conducted with help from American special operations forces working with the Central Intelligence Agency, the

US official said.

The Pentagon is very cautious about confirming the identity of those targeted in strikes, as on previous occasions it has announced deaths only to later learn the individual was still alive.

Pentagon press secretary Peter Cook later said there was nothing to indicate Russia had killed Adnani.

“We don’t have any information to support what the Russians have put forward,” he told reporters. AFP

New president vows Mexico will not pay for US border wall to heal restive Brazil BRASÍLIA—Brazil’s new leader Michel Temer began his presidency in earnest Thursday vowing to heal the crisis-stricken Latin American giant after senators fired his defiant rival Dilma Rousseff in an emotional impeachment trial.

Temer, 75, was sworn in shortly after a majority of senators voted Wednesday in a highly charged session to remove the leftist Rousseff, 68, on grounds that she illegally manipulated the state budget.

Rousseff’s successor shrugged off her claims that he had led a “coup” to seize power from her Workers’ Party government, which has ruled Brazil for 13 years.

Venezuela and Brazil on Wednesday withdrew their respective ambassadors after Caracas froze ties with its southern neighbor in response to president Dilma Rousseff’s removal from office.

The leftist governments of Ecuador and Bolivia also recalled their diplomats from Brasilia, with Ecuadoran President Rafael Correa calling the senate vote impeaching Rousseff “an apology for abuse and treason.”

Sworn in to serve out the remainder of Rousseff’s four-year presidential term up to the end of 2018, Temer vowed to create jobs in the recession-stricken country and guarantee “political stability” to lure investors.

“My only interest is in handing over to my successor a country that is reconciled, pacified and growing economically,” he said in a pre-recorded television address, aired as he headed off to China for a G20 summit.

Rousseff told supporters at the Alvorada presidential palace on the outskirts of the capital Brasilia that she had committed no crime.

“They have convicted an innocent person and carried out a parliamentary coup,” she said, defiantly vowing that she’d “be back.”

In the day’s surprise twist, a separate vote to bar Rousseff from holding any public office for eight years failed to pass, meaning she could in theory reenter political life.

Rousseff was accused of taking illegal state loans to patch budget holes in 2014, masking the country’s problems as it slid into economic disarray.

Pleading her innocence during a marathon 14-hour session on Monday, she said that abuse of the impeachment process put at risk Brazil’s democracy, restored in 1985 after a two-decades-long military dictatorship.

She recalled how she was tortured and imprisoned in the 1970s for belonging to a leftist guerrilla group.

Cheers mixed with cries of disappointment erupted in the blue-carpeted Senate chamber Wednesday as the impeachment verdict flashed up on the electronic voting screen.

In the streets around the Congress, a few dozen Rousseff supporters protested—a fraction of the crowds her party once mobilized.

“We are protesting against the coup and fighting for democracy,” said 61-year-old farmer Orlando Ribeiro.

In Sao Paulo, riot police fired tear gas to disperse crowds of protesters. AFP

MEXICO CITY—Mexico will not pay for any border wall built by the United States, President Enrique Pena Nieto told visiting US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday.

“At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall,” Pena Nieto wrote

on Twitter after meeting with Trump, in reference to a wall on the countries’ shared border that the real estate magnate has vowed to build if elected US president.

Trump had told reporters after the meeting that the issue of who would pay for a wall did not come up during the conversation, despite him saying persistently

throughout his campaign that Mexico would bear the financial burden for the highly controversial project.

The provocative billionaire candidate made a surprise visit to Mexico in the heat of the presidential race, seeking to seize control of the narrative and portray himself as a capable statesman on the international stage. AFP

REGAL. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (right) greets Indonesian President Joko Widodo (center) as

Indonesian First Lady Iriana Widodo (right) looks on prior to a meeting at the presidential palace in Jakarta on Thursday. Queen Maxima of the Netherlands is visiting Jakarta in her capacity as UN Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance and Development. AFP

No legal status for illegal entrants —Trump PHOENIX—Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump issued a stern warning Wednesday to people intent on sneaking into the United States, saying those who enter illegally would never obtain legal status.

“Our message to the world will be this: you cannot obtain legal status or become a citizen of the United States by illegally entering our country,” he said in a speech in Phoenix as he laid out a tough, 10-point plan to crack down on illegal immigration.

“You can’t just smuggle in, hunker down and wait to be legalized,” Trump added. “Those days are over.”

The fiery speech confirmed Trump’s hard line on immigration just hours after he met in Mexico with President Enrique Pena Nieto and insisted he would order that a giant wall be built on the US-Mexico border if he is elected.

Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton has never been so disliked by Americans. That’s according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll published Wednesday, a little more than two months before she faces voters at the ballot box.

Despite being ahead of her Republican rival Donald Trump in surveys on who should take the White House, this latest poll found that just 41 percent of Americans have a favorable view of Clinton, while 56 percent have an unfavorable one.

Trump’s plan includes deporting immigrants with criminal records, canceling President Barack Obama’s executive orders protecting millions of undocumented migrants, and blocking federal funding to so-called “sanctuary cities” that bar discrimination against undocumented workers.

While he insisted, as he regularly does on the campaign trail, that Mexico will pay for the wall, Trump said in Mexico that he and Pena Nieto did not discuss who would fund the construction.

But Pena Nieto contradicted Trump by tweeting that he told the Republican nominee in their meeting that Mexico would not pay for such a wall.

“At the start of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall,” Pena Nieto wrote after Trump departed Mexico City for Phoenix.

Trump’s measured, calm tone in Mexico City was dramatically different from the loud rhetoric in Phoenix that served as red meat to his mainly white supporter base.

In his speech, Trump laid out a grim, sweeping plan to dramatically slash illegal immigration, a main plank of his presidential campaign.

“Our enforcement priorities will include removing criminals, gang members, security threats, visa overstays, public charges—that is those relying on public welfare or straining the safety net along with millions of recent illegal arrivals and overstays who have come here under this current corrupt administration,” he said.

Trump demanded an end to what he called “catch-andrelease” programs along the country’s southern border, enforcement of existing immigration law, and “zero tolerance for criminal aliens.”

Seeking to end his ambiguity on his immigration positions, he said he would be “fair, just and compassionate” in his plan. AFP

Canada’s Trudeau is newest Marvel comic hero MONTREAL—He snowboards, he hikes, he surfs—Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is already a bit of an action hero.

But now, Marvel has made him into a real superhero, in a comic book that hit newsstands Wednesday.

Trudeau graces one of two covers of the latest edition of “Civil War II: Choosing Sides”—seated in the corner of a boxing ring, smiling, his elbows resting on the

ropes, with the maple leaf symbol emblazoned on his tank top and wearing red boxing gloves.

The 44-year-old prime minister is surrounded by Canadian superheroes Puck, Sasquatch and Aurora—members of the Alpha Flight squad—as Iron Man looms in the background.

The main cover in circulation does not feature Trudeau.

The comic book also introduces a mysterious new character,

Ulysses, who has the power to predict the future.

Trudeau is consulted in his Ottawa office by the members of Alpha Flight after a disagreement breaks out over how to leverage Ulysses’s powers.

Captain Marvel wants to take measures to prevent crimes before they occur, while Tony Stark (Iron Man) views it as immoral to punish anyone for a crime they have not yet committed.

Trudeau takes a principled view, telling his comrades: “Above all else civil liberties must be protected.

“I think imprisoning people for crimes they may not even have thought of yet is wrong... I think this is a dangerous path you’ve embarked on.”

Trudeau’s father Pierre, who also served as Canada’s prime minister, also appeared in a Marvel comic released in 1979. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

DESTINATIONS

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The stunning view of the sea from Binurong Point in Guinsaanan, Baras, Catanduanes is reminiscent of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights

By Pablo A. Tariman

A

STIRRING song from South Pacific captures the timeless appeal of the island province of Catanduanes in the Bicol region.

Like the cinematic island called Bali Hai in the film version of the Broadway musical, Catanduanes is a special island where, indeed, the indigo sky meets a wide expanse of the wide blue sea.

It is a mere 45-minute flight (via Cebu Pacific) from Manila to the capital town of Virac where you can find modest accommodations that will suit your budget.

For the budget-conscious and for those on the lookout for genuine island hospitality, check in to the Marem Pension House, which offers assorted package tours. Other recommended accommodations are those offered by Catanduanes Midtown Hotel and Kemji Resort, among others.

A new resort with a view of the sea is Alon Surf in Puraran in Baras town.

There is Patag Island in Cagraray, Bato town and later you can go north and visit Panay Island in Viga town and the Palumbanes Island in Caramoran town for more island adventure.

Now observing its 71st anniversary as a separate province (it used to be part of Camarines Sur and Albay), Catanduanes is where you will still enjoy natural ecological attractions minus the expensive hype aimed at prosperous visitors.

For a glimpse of the island’s past, a quick visit to the Museo de Catanduanes in the capital town is a must. The island is the home province of Sen. Kit Tatad, the Sarmientos (Congressman Cesar V. Sarmiento and his brothers Jorge and Rene) the Albertos (Congressmen Jose and Juan Alberto in the 60s to the 70s) and earlier the Veras of Pandan who founded the Vera-Perez film outfit also known as Sampaguita Pictures. On exhibit in the island museum are the 1895 window panel from the ancestral house of Don Ariston Sarmiento, including his antique typewriter belonging to the same era; a 1914 baul (chest) donated

by Maria Magno; old photos like the 1928 wedding of Jose Surban and Carmen Arcilla of Calolbon (now San Andres town) along with a 1938 Ballesteros-Santelices nuptials.

The old photos clearly reflected the lifestyle of the island middle class. In the old photos, the gentlemen wore white suits with proper hats and the ladies looked like characters from The Great Gatsby. This must be the era when the island was virtual rainforest, when deer roamed the island and the houses of the middle class families (notably the Sarmientos and the Alcalas) reverberated with the music of Bach and Beethoven.

Fact is the province is surrounded by stunning satellite islands from Palumbanes Island in Caramoran town and the Panay Island up north called Panay Island.

But the island’s glorious appeal is its natural beauty still unspoiled eco-

Look, strangers, on this island, now

Newly opened Alon Surf Resort in Puraran offers accommodations that suit both well-off and budget-conscious guests

Classical guitarist Iyo Enginco playing a Bach piece in Balacay Point in Puraran

Patag Island in Cagraray, Bato, Catanduanes

logical attractions. From the now pop- the coastal areas. hour and experience the beauty of Biular Balacay Highland Point in Baras From this hill, you can go down to nurong Point with more stunning view town, you can see the wide, seemingly nearby Puraran Beach Resort and this of the sea and assorted rock formations endless span of the Pacific As it is, some islanders wanted Ocean in all its natural glory. to keep what was left of the island’s You can move on to Bato town natural and cultural heritage. where the glory of Bato Church A new tourism watchdog If you try, you’ll find me awaits you. After crossing the called Tropang Turismo continBato River, the St. John The ues to discover new tourist desWhere the sky meets the sea.

Baptist Church greets you with tinations. The island photograHere am I your special island its stone facade reeking of a hisphers, notably Ferdie Ocol and toric past. It was built in 1830 Floyd Evangelista Flores conCome to me, Come to me. and finished in 1883 with local tinue to document not just the islanders figuring in forced lanewly discovered tourist spots, bor. You can head for the nearthe remaining bird species – “Bali Hai” from South Pacific but

by Cagraray barrio where the on the island. Ocol said there equally stunning Patag Island is still what he calls the “Little awaits the visitors.

Mindanao” in Viga town and, in Clearly, Balacay Highland one sojourn, he replayed recordPoint is the heart and soul of the island. is where you can try surfing under the ings of bird sounds. To our surprise, the From atop this glorious hill, you see the watchful eye of local surfing instructors. live birds in the area responded. wide, seemingly borderless expanse of If adventure is your cup of tea, you For now, preserving what is left of the the Pacific Ocean and get a glimpse of can drive to nearby Guinsaanan bar- island’s pristine beauty is the priority of islets and more rock formations along rio, also in Baras town, walk for half an Tropang Turismo which guards against

bad elements out to destroy the island’s natural attractions.

The late island poet Jose Tablizo sums up the old Catanduanes before the advent of cell phones and internet cafes: “There are many things we do not have – A few things we do have.

We have no hustling, wide, cement boulevards With glittering streetlights; no sinful women on the boulevard under the street lights, We have no traffic jams, no ticket fixers, We have lazy narrow roads – and lazier streams We have devastating typhoons and generous seas For what we do not have, we are proud: For what we do have we are humble.”

PHOTOS BY FLOYD EVANGELISTA FLORES

PTAA supports Duterte administration THE Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA) pledged to work closely with President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration as the government moves to sustain, if not surpass, the country’s tourism gains over the last four years.

Joining other industry players in a courtesy call to Duterte in Davao, PTAA President Maria Michelle Reyes-Victoria reiterated the association’s position that travel agencies will be “workhorses in the promotion and growth of the country’s tourism industry.”

Since 1979, the PTAA has continuously been working in partnership with the government to develop the country’s tourism industry.

“We will always work with the government to keep pushing the boundaries of the country’s tourism,” said Victoria.

Victoria mentioned the potential for Philippine tourism is very high especially now that the Duterte administration has prioritized the country’s peace and order situation. According to the PTAA head, the said potential would become evident in

Mindanao where the association expects increase in travel and tours.

“The southern part of the country has a lot to offer for tourism and we have barely scratched the surface,” Victoria said. She further noted that Mindanao will play a key role as the Philippines pushes for 10 million tourist arrivals in the next few years.

“The PTAA expects nothing but positive changes for the country’s tourism industry under President Duterte and the current government will have the full support of our association,” Victoria said.

PTAA President Maria Michelle Reyes-Victoria (center) at a courtesy call with President Rodrigo Duterte (fourth from left) in Davao City. Joining them are (from left) Philippine Airlines President Jaime Bautista, DOT Secretary Wanda Teo and PHILTOA President Cesar Cruz

Life

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

A City of Neighborhoods E

VERY year, my travels always take me to the US East Coast simply because I have family there and being with them makes the trip more meaningful. Since kith and kin live in the New YorkMERCURY RISING New Jersey area, my days there are

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO always filled with new places to see and new things to do, aside, of course, from the customary shopping at the outlet stores and humongous malls.

Yet, I have always hankered for a side trip to any of the other East Coast states that I haven’t been to, and explore what they have to offer to first time visitors like me. So, when my elder brother decided to drive down to Baltimore to vis-

it some friends, I decided to hitch along and see what makes the city interesting.

It was a leisurely three-and-a-half hour drive from New Jersey, with some of the scenic pit stops I have ever seen. After checking in at the Four Seasons down-

The Civil War-era USS Constellation moored in the docks of the Inner Harbor

Inner Harbor is considered as Baltimore's most popular tourist destination

town, my brother and I joined a sightseeing tour of the city and its environs.

Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland and is so much a part of US history that it has the most number of historical monuments per capita in the continental US. Moreover, one in every three buildings is listed on the United States National Register as a historical place, the most among all the cities in the entire country.

With the metropolitan area divided into hundreds of districts, a unique geographical set-up not applicable to any other city in the US, Baltimore easily earned the tag as “a city of neighborhoods.”

Its most popular tourist destination, Inner Harbor, shows the character of the city and its residents. It used to be a leading port of entry for immigrants from Europe, next only to Staten Island in New York. Today, this harbor area has shops, upscale seafood restaurants and attractions like the USS Constellation, a Civil War-era warship, berthed on the docks, and the National Aquarium which displays thousands of marine species, including the exotic ones rarely found anywhere else in the world.

The city’s service-oriented economy banners the world-famous Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins University, the city’s top taxpayers. A big chunk of the city’s workforce is into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) because they pay much more than those in other fields.

What got me even more interested was when I learned from our tour guide that the city had very famous residents—my favorite poet Edgar Allan Poe, singer Billie Holiday, and baseball legend Babe

The downtown area in the city is remarkably similar to European town squares

The author poses beside the biggest and most luminous Faberge egg displayed at the Visionary Arts Museum

Ruth had their homes in the city. Even Francis Scott Key, who wrote the American National Anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was a resident of the city.

One of the places I found very interesting in our tour was the American Visionary Arts Museum, which labels itself as “an original and unabashedly idealistic art exhibition that champions the radiant and transformative power of hope.” I was amazed at the creativity and sense of humor of the approximately 25 visionary artists, most of whom are survivors of personal tragedies. Every piece of art on display was awesome.

We had very limited time for this Baltimore visit as we had to go back to an important family gathering the following day. So, after 36 hours in Baltimore, we were on the road, for the easy drive back to our family home in New Jersey.

It must have been the large dose of US history that was heaped upon us by our tour guide, because I found myself singing on the way home, “Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly we hailed, at the twilight’s last gleaming…”

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com

YOUR FRIDAY CHUCKLE A man goes down on his knees and proposes to a woman, “Marry me and make me the happiest man in the world.” Looking bewildered, the woman asks, “You want both?”

TPB to host the county’s biggest travel trade event

DOT Assistant Secretary Malou Japson

PHILTOA President Cesar Cruz

Tour operators bank on tourism infra PHILIPPINE Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), one of the largest associations of registered operators in the country, recently expressed confidence on the new National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) 2016-2022 to bring the much needed boost in tourism infrastructure and transportation.

Citing the revitalized efforts of the Duterte administration to speed up infrastructure projects, PHILTOA President Cesar Cruz says he hopes the new NTDP will accomplish what the previous administration “failed to accomplish in the previous plan, which is basically infrastructure.”

The industry leader further adds “there is a difference between the last government from this government. It might not always be the right one but I think the objective is there and it has always been done with speed. So that is what we are hoping for.”

Cruz is also optimistic of Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Teo’s plan “to shape the industry.”

“She said the NTDP is not the DOT’s plan alone, but should also be sustained by the tourism sector as well,” he added. According to Cruz, Secretary Teo, who was then the President of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) was part

of the group that drafted the tourism agenda for the new administration.

“A huge part of the NTDP 20162022 is dominated by the requirements to meet the needed program of improving transportation networks, primarily through the expansion of airports, seaports and roads,” DOT Assistant Secretary Malou Japson, who represented Tourism Secretary Teo, said in response to PHILTOA’s concerns.

The assistant secretary, however, said the NTDP could only work with the private sector support in place. “Our plan is to attract more tourism investments from the private sector primarily in modernizing and expanding our existing air fleets and building accommodation supply across all categories,” she added, in reference to the NTDP’s strategic direction towards improving tourism competitiveness and sustainable growth.

PHILTOA’s 4th general membership meeting held last Friday gathered over a hundred of its members at Caliraya Resort Club in Lumban, Laguna, to discuss the future of Philippine tourism.

With its theme, “breaking barriers,” the group tackled issues on transportation and infrastructure development, government policy regarding visa, investments, capacity building and tourism manpower, among others.

THE Tourism Promotions Board (TPB) is set to host the country’s biggest and most significant travel trade event – the Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX), on Sept. 4 to 6 at the Marriott Grand Ballroom. In line with the Visit the Philippines Again 2016 (VPA) campaign, this year’s PHITEX is set to once again promote the country as the premier tourist destination among some of the world’s biggest travel and tour buyers.

With this year’s theme “#PHITEX2016: Bigger Business,” TPB is bringing a larger and improved PHITEX with more sessions allocated for business-to-business interactions and better designed pretours and post-tours.

Kicking off this weeklong event is the 27th Philippine Travel Mart (PTM) today and tomorrow at SMX Convention Center. Organized by

the Philippine Tour Operators Association (PHILTOA), PTM is considered to be one of the major travel trade exhibitions in the promotion of domestic and inbound tourism.

The event attracts buyers from all over the world as it presents the best and most affordable tour packages in the country.

Highlighting the event is the Travel Exchange (TRAVEX), which includes exclusive business-to-business appointment meetings between Philippine sellers and foreign buyers. By giving them the chance to personally meet the local sellers, buyers are introduced to the Philippines’ marketing trends and practices. In exchange, sellers are given an edge to offer globally competitive tour packages to the international market. These sessions will also provide foreign buyers the opportunity to experience the fun and exciting post

tours to main Philippine attractions and destinations.

“PHITEX has been instrumental in strengthening the brand image of the Philippines,” shares TPB Chief Operating Officer Domingo Ramon C. Enerio III. “By introducing the best tourism products and services to the international market and bringing together the different stakeholders in the tourism industry, the country has become an important destination, not only for various international and high-level business and economic meetings but also for travel and trade. In fact, the country has welcomed more than 2.5 million visitors from January to May 2016. This is 13.02 percent higher than the accumulated arrivals in January to May 2015.”

Now on its 15th year, PHITEX has continuously sustained the growth that the Philippines gained in the global tourism market.

This year's Philippine Travel Exchange on Sept. 4-6 is expected to have more sessions for business-to-business interactions

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

A

SIA’S Pop Sweetheart and multiplatinum recording artist Julie Anne San Jose renewed her ties with the Kapuso Network.

Julie Anne San Jose inks exclusive contract with

GMA Network

HOMEGROWN KAPUSO. Julie Anne San Jose (center) with GMA Network bigwigs Gilberto R. Duavit (left) and Atty. Felipe L. Gozon

By Robbie Pangilinan FOR Starstruck Season VI Ultimate Female Survivor Klea Pineda, the future is light and clear.

Klea’s dreams are clear to her, so she keeps pushing herself to achieve them.

“Hindi ako tumitigil hangga’t hindi ko ito nakukuha,” she says. That’s what happened when she joined Starstruck VI. Inspired by TV and movie personalities, Klea told herself that she wants to be known by many people and see herself on television and billboards. She auditioned just like everyone else. She prayed hard to get in. And when she did, she gave her all.

“I think nanalo ako dahil nakita ng StarStruck kung gaano ako kaseryoso and determined sa craft ko. Kung ano yung mga levels na pinaghirapan ko at yung pagiging determinado ko sa ginagawa ko. Dapat may goal ka na aabutin, naka-mindset , just trust yourself,” shares Klea, who also won at a pageant in District 5, Quezon City.

The future is indeed light and clear for Klea, and this is seen in her bright skin and beautiful countenance. Klea only trusts The Skin Specialist (TSS) for her Clear Acne laser treatment.

I’ve been having problems with acne due to stress and heavy use of make up, I want to have this removed but I am afraid of pain and pricking.

“Naisip ko nung una baka masakit kasi laser. Takot talaga ako sa sakit.

Pero okay naman siya,” says the Encantandia star.

Klea admits she did not go out without makeup before. But after several Clear Acne treatments, the first laser for acne in the Philippines, she is more confident to go out even without foundation or concealer.

“While there are many treatment options available for acne, both prescription and over-the-counter, these do not always work for everyone. When acne is particularly stubborn or severe, laser treatment for acne may be needed. The treatment is suitable for all skin types, has no side effects and achieves a clearer, smoother complexion with lasting results,” says Dr. Jean Marquez, founder and

1540 nm laser deeply penetrates the skin, causing thermal damage to the sebaceous glands destroying P. acnes bacteria and reducing sebum production while leaving the epidermis intact. The integrated vacuum mechanism extracts accumulated sebaceous material from the pores, while contact cooling protects the skin, reducing pain and awing for safer and more effective treatment of the sebaceous glands with the dermis.

“It gives a gentle rejuvenating effect, diminishing the appearance of acne scars by stimulating collagen renewal.

It clears bacteria and oil glands more effectively than traditional treatments,” says Dr. Marquez.

Though busy with tapings for Encantandia on GMA as well as guest appearances, Klea continues her studies, saying, “Even though I’m in show business, I still want to go to school.” She wants to have her own business like restaurants someday and also join the Miss Universe.

“Okay din kahit na ano pang beauty pageants. Gusto ko makoronahan at ma-represent ang Philippines sa iba’t ibang countries,” adds Klea.

Klea has her love life in the backseat for now, as she focuses on her career.

She maintains her bonding moments with friends. She also visits the Monasterio de Sta. Clara in Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City with her family to wish and pray.

Klea also goes to the gym thrice a week to maintain her fitness. She eats less rice, less sweets, and less carbs. To relax, Klea goes shopping.

Klea is just beginning her career in showbiz.

So far, she has learned to be confident and strong despite the challenges in the industry.

In life, she just goes with the flow.

“Sumabay ka lang sa alon ng buhay kasi sa dulo for sure may magandang nag-aabang para sa ‘yo,” ends Klea.

Get acne-free skin like Klea at The Skin Specialist, Ground Floor ESNA Building, No. 30 Timog Avenue, Quezon City. Call 3748087, 3741076, or 09178101319 for appointment. Visit www.theskinspecialist. com.ph or FaceBook The Skin Speciaist, Instagram @dskinspecialist and Twitter dskinspecialist.

Klea Pineda: Light and Clear owner of TSS. Klea goes to TSS not only for Clear Acne, but to relax as well.

“Hindi pa ako artista, diyan na talaga dahil alam kong hindi nila ako pababayaan. They only want the best for me. Especially Dr. Jean, she is like a mother to me because of the care she shows me. I trust her,” says Klea. Her treatments and procedures in TSS also include facials every two weeks and Silk Peel.

Klea likes Clear Acne because of the visible improvement on her facial skin.

“Nag-lighten yung skin ko sa face, my acne is gone, have smoother and glowy skin.

I recommend Clear Acne to my friends and relatives. For me, it’s perfect!” adds Klea.

Clear Acne is the first technology to combine a non-ablative laser with simultaneous contact cooling and vacuum technology to treat acne vulgaris safely and effectively. The non-ablative Er:Glass

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Friday, September 2, 2016

ACROSS 1 MOMA artist 5 Currycomb targets 10 Noted potters 14 Pirates’ quaffs 15 Raise up 16 “— — Old Cowhand” 17 Put one’s foot —— 18 Run for the roses 19 Salt block 20 Too full 22 Puts in order 24 Southpaws’ stats 27 Last a long time 28 Do leftovers (2 wds.)

32 Fingerless gloves 36 The Plastic — Band 37 Rice dish 39 Scatter around 40 Equips 42 Car model 44 Sherpa’s sighting 45 Footfalls 47 Calcutta attire 49 Of, to Fritz 50 Fortune-teller’s deck 51 Experiencing

again 53 Any thing 56 Retro art (1920s look) 57 Good jumper 61 Not fresh 65 Pointed arch 66 — -ski party 69 Horror-film servant 70 Fall fruit 71 Tightens a corset 72 Zero 73 Mach 1 breakers 74 Lessen the force of 75 Big blow DOWN 1 Mr. Kristofferson 2 Roman moon goddess 3 Give off 4 High regard 5 Avg. size 6 Give the pink slip 7 DEA operative 8 Funny bone 9 Do a salon job 10 Mirth 11 Neglect 12 Gait 13 Pen refills 21 Let fall 23 Escapes

25 Rara — 26 Tennis star Monica 28 The pits 29 Ekberg of films 30 Newscaster — Mudd 31 Timing device 33 Famed fountain 34 Wyoming range 35 Golf stroke 38 Made out 41 Freeloaders 43 Longest river 46 Portico 48 Incites Fido

52 Citizen’s right 54 Europe-Asia divider 55 Fruit-producing cactus 57 Keystone — 58 Historical periods 59 Dapper 60 Fierce whale 62 Tijuana water 63 Take it easy 64 — Stanley Gardner 67 Mouse alert 68 NNW opposite

Present in the contract signing were GMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit Jr., Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong, and other officers of the network.

After several successful projects with the network, Julie Anne was thrilled to renew her exclusive contract with GMA and expressed how grateful she is to be a Kapuso. “Ever since naman ito na yung tahanan ko.

I started really young so dito na rin po talaga ako lumaki sa GMA. Masasabi ko po na sobrang thankful po ako na nabigyan po ulit ako ng opportunity to be with GMA. And I am really, really excited kasi marami pong magaganap very soon. ” During the contract signing, Atty. Gozon was all praises for Julie Anne and is pleased that she remains to be a loyal Kapuso. ”Tayo ay very thankful dahil homegrown talent si Julie Anne, pero gusto ko lang din

sabihin na hindi lang siya napakagaling na singer kung hindi versatile actress din.

Pwedeng comedy, pwedeng drama, at higit sa lahat ay napakaganda.”

On the other hand, Duavit shared that Julie Anne is one of the most promising performers today and the viewers could look forward to seeing her do more quality programs.

“Parang kailan lang ay sumali siya sa Pop Star Kids, at ngayon napakagaling na niya. Bukod sa nasisiyahan ay nagpapasalamat tayo dahil patuloy siyang nagsisikap at nagtitiwala sa atin.”

Also proud of the homegrown talent is Felipe S. Yalong who is grateful for the success that she has brought to the network. “Kami ay galak na galak dahil simula nang sumali siya sa Pop Star Kids and until now that she has achieved a lot, she remained to be one of the key talents of GMA and she is very supportive to the network.

For her upcoming projects, Julie Anne will be busy with a hefty line-up this coming year.

Sinulog Queen wins

Miss Asia 2016 FORMER Sinulog Queen de Kabankalan Trixia Maria Maraña bested 17 Asian delegates from different parts of the region to win the 2nd edition of Miss Asia pageant, held in Kerala, India.

Maraña, a 23-year-old Business Administration and Management graduate at the Asian College of Science and Technology in Dumaguete City where she had reigned as hometown queen as Miss Dumaguete City 2009, Abuyog Queen of Leyte 2011 and Miss Negros Oriental 2015.

Maraña, who works as auto loan assistant at BDO UnibankSilliman, won the judges’ nod over First Runner-up Miss Belarus Yauheniya Vasilyeva and hometown bet 2nd Runner-up Miss India Ankita Kharat. She was crowned by last year’s winner Kanika Kapur of India and won a cash prize of 300,000 rupees.

Maraña followed the first runner up finish of Alfre Marie Nathanile Dagle Uy in the maiden Miss Asia 2015. The other countries represented were

Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bhutan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Moldova, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Singapore, Tibet, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Miss Asia 2016 is a different pageant from the original Manilabased Miss Asia Quest (19682005) where the Philippines won with Maria del Carmen Ines Zaragoza (1982),Gloria Dimayacyac (1983), Lorna Legaspi (1989) and Michelle Aldana (1993).

Maraña waxed poetic in a message on Facebook gratefully thanking all those who have given her support. “For me, it’s not about reaching the mountain top that makes you succeed. It’s the climbing, the falling, slipping and the trying again. I have reached major peaks in the deepest valley to conquer greatest heights. I’ve been through tough times on this journey. How could I ever thank the Lord. This is more than I have longed for,” said the first Filipina to bring home a crown in 2016.

Eton B. Concepcion

Miss Asia 2016 Trixia Maria Maraña (center) with runners-up Yauheniya Vasilyeva of Belarus and Ankita Kharat of India

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2016

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LEVEN-YEAR-OLD Joshua Oliveros of Antique was named the third grand champion of singingreality show The Voice Kids Sunday night after getting 38.07 percent of the votes during the program’s final showdown.

Showbiz YOUNG TALENT. Antique’s pride Joshua Oliveros raises his arm after his powerful rendition of “Mangarap Ka” during the upbeat song round, (inset) the young singer with his coach Lea Salonga during the announcement of the grand winner

PEOPLE

Dubbed the “Hopeful Son ng Antique,” Joshua clinched the title by beating Antonetthe Tismo of Team Sharon who received 38.07 percent of the votes, and Justin Alva of Team Bamboo (25.24 percent).

Joshua is coach Lea Salonga’s first-ever artist to be named The Voice Kids grand champion and the first-ever boy to win the “Kids” edition.

“I’m very happy because I got the house, the money, and the trophy. This will be a very big help to my family,” an emotional Joshua said after interview after his winning moment.

As the newest The Voice Kids grand champion, Joshua won P1 million cash, a fashion package and P1 million worth of trust fund from H&M, a two-year recording contract from MCA Music, Inc., a business package from Siomai House, and a house and lot from Camella Homes.

For the power ballad round, the final stage of the competition, Joshua captivated viewers with his rendition of Yeng Constantino’s “Salamat.” On Aug. 27, Joshua sang “Mangarap Ka” for the upbeat song round, and performed “Nais Ko” with coach Lea. The only coach to turn around for Joshua during his blind audition, coach Lea shared that Joshua has always been consistent and disciplined, especially during their coaching sessions.

“You don’t have to worry about this boy, because he listens, he delivers, he’s wonderful.

He digests the music before it comes out of his mouth. Talagang nakikinig sa rehearsals, very focused,” she shared.

“To everybody who voted for this young man, thank you. To everybody who supported; to the whole province of Antique maraming salamat. We have worked so hard to make this happen. It’s crazy. This is incredible. I’m so happy for this young man,” she added.

The third season of The Voice Kids, hosted by Luis Manzano, Kim Chiu, and Robi Domingo, was a phenomenal hit on Philippine television and was the most watched weekend TV program in the country during its run.

Viewers nationwide also tuned it to the twonight final showdown as it garnered a national TV rating of 39 percent last Saturday (Aug. 27) and 43.3 percent last Sunday (Aug. 28), according to data from Kantar Media.

...are talking about JC Santos Once in a while there seems to be a few actors who emerge on the scene out of nowhere and it would be a crime not to include them on the list of young stars to watch out for. Just on the first week of Till I Met You, JC has already proven that he’s swoon-worthy, a big star material even. His role as the third wheel in the series is a definitely must see. The network’s decision to cast a relatively unknown yet talented actor seems to be a wise decision.

Heart Evangelista Her creative explorations have taken her to many places. And her being a multi-hyphenated actress has earned her more followers especially when people discovered what she could do besides acting and hosting. In fact, the too talented actress has caught the attention of a Paris-based company. It’s a collaboration offer which details she can’t divulge just yet. But by the sound of it, it is something grand people will just be surprised.

Joshua Oliveros The young singer who was named grand champion of the third season of The Voice Kids on Sunday has a very inspiring story to tell – a Maalaala Mo Kaya-worthy, to say the least. Like his predecessors, some observers say it was the only reason why he won. But if these people paid close attention to the reality search’s third edition, they would have seen how Joshua moved the audience from the time Lea Salonga turned her chair for this young singer up to the grand final where he staged an outstanding and moving performance.

...are not talking about

Joshua of Team Lea named

‘The Voice Kids’

season 3 grand champion GMA Network earned the nod of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), taking home this year’s Outstanding TV Station award during VACC’s 18th Founding Anniversary held on Aug. 29 at Malacañang Palace.

The group recognized the Kapuso Network’s unwavering commitment in delivering credible and quality television programs that champion campaigns against crime and corruption.

Also winning big that night was the Kapuso Network’s flagship primetime newscast, 24 Oras, which won as Outstanding TV News Program. Its anchors, Mike Enriquez, Mel Tiangco, and Vicky Morales, were recognized as Outstanding TV News Anchors.

Meanwhile, DZBB’s Carlo Mateo was inducted to the Outstanding Radio Field Reporter Hall of Fame after winning the said award for five years now.

Aside from the GMA Network personalities accept their awards during VACC’s anniversary held at the abovementioned major awards, Malacañang Palace

GMA Network wins

Outstanding TV Station award

the Network also brought home a number of special citations from the VACC. The Kapuso special awardees included I-Witness (TV Programs category); Howie Severino (TV Program anchors category) and Saleema Refran (TV reporters category).

Completing the list of GMA winners were DZBB (Radio Stations category); Bangon na Bayan (Radio Programs category); Joel Reyes Zobel (Radio Anchors category); and Allan Gatus (Radio Field Reporters category).

VACC was founded by Dante Jimenez in 1998, with incorporators and trustees composed mostly of victims of heinous crimes. With the theme “Kabalikat sa Tunay na Pagbabago (Partners for True Reform),” VACC’s anniversary also paid tribute to one of its founding members and former Chairman Emeritus, Lauro Vizconde, who passed away early this year.

Dolce Amore The romantic series dominated social media week on week leading to its finale last Friday. Everybody was hooked on the love story of Ten Ten and Serena proving that it was well received like its stars’ previous show, Forevermore. But it makes more sense now why Dolce Amore ended in yet another wedding scene.

The series is designed not to make any mark or give audience a memorable TV love story; it was there simply to please the fans who would blindly take whatever you throw at them (even if it’s rubbish).

Aljur Abrenica In his recent meeting with the showbiz press, the former Machete star was quoted saying that he’s going to change his attitude so the scribes would find him desirable to talk about (again).

Aljur’s must have been misguided on how to get good press. He’s an amiable man as we know him but being nice wouldn’t really get him positive feedback. One must be consistent besides being a big star. Sadly, he’s neither both.

Daniel Padilla With James Reid on the rise and of course Alden Richards being so ubiquitous, where do we put the other half of KathNiel now? While fans believe that DJ is very much the superstar of his generation, a viral video appears to prove it otherwise. In an episode of ASAP, the show’s floor director is seen instructing some fans to storm the stage and hug the actor at the onset of his performance.

Very 90s right? And if that’s the network’s way to control the mindset of the actor’s fandom then they’re headed in the wrong direction.