Manila Standard - 2016 October 03 - Monday

PINAY CROONS HER WAY TO ‘VIETNAM IDOL’ A 28-YEAR-OLD Filipina based in Hanoi has won the popular singing competition Vietnam Idol.

Janice Buco got 54.25 percent of the votes, bagging the 600-million Vietnamese dong or P1.2-million award, the local paper Vietnam Ex-

press International reported over the weekend.

Buco, the first foreigner to win the competition, charmed local audiences with her rendition of the popular song “Hello Vietnam” during the finale on Friday.

Local Vietnamese media said Buco’s win “prove the adage that all Filipinos can sing.”

Local contestant Viet Thang, a 22-year-old singer from the northern province of Hai Duong, placed second.

Buco has lived in Vietnam for seven years now, performing professionally at bars and clubs.

She auditioned for the seventh edition of Vietnam Idol earlier this year when the reality TV show opened to expatriates for the first time.

VOL. XXX • NO. 233 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

JANICE BUCO

Rody rues remark on Holocaust

Solons regroup over ‘sex video’

By Christine F. Herrera, Rio N. Araja and Rey E. Requejo THE 55-member House committee on justice will divide the house to decide on whether or not to allow the showing of the sex video allegedly involving Senator Leila De Lima and her alleged ex-lover Ronnie Dayan.

The decision to hold a vote was reached after Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, panel chairman, could not decide if he would allow Next page

By Sandy Araneta

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday apologized to the Jewish community for his remarks comparing his bloody war on illegal drugs to Adolf Hitler’s killing of sixmillion Jews during the Holocaust.

Duterte, who delivered a speech at the opening of the 37th Masskara festival in Negros accidental, said he did not intend to derogate the memory of slain Jews.

“There was never an intention on my part to derogate the memory of six-million Jews murdered by the Germans,” Duterte said.

“I apologize profoundly and deeply to the Jewish community,” Duterte also said.

Duterte supporters online bashed two Filipino correspondents working for foreign wire services because they led their

stories with Duterte’s Hitler remarks.

But in Davao Friday, Duterte did liken his war on drugs to Hitler’s efforts to exterminate the Jews, and said he was “happy to slaughter” millions of drug addicts.

Duterte also lambasted Western critics of his unprecedented law-and-order crackdown, which left more than 3,000 people dead in three months and raised concerns about a breakdown in the rule of law in one of Asia’s most chaotic democracies.

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Du30 vows to scrap Edca if US meddles NO OFFENSE MEANT. President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to the Jewish community, saying he did not intend to derogate the memory of sixmillion Jews murdered by the Germans during the reign of Adolf Hitler.

DoJ insists Alvarez junks anti-poor tax plan on Jaybee’s ‘tell-all’ testimony

By Rey E. Requejo JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Sunday he was willing to meet with inmate Jaybee Sebastian, who was accused of collecting drug money for Senator Leila de Lima when she still headed the Justice department, but said the convict must tell all that he knows about the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.

Aguirre said he was willing to meet with Sebastian, who heads the Presidio Side faction inside the maximum security compound of the NBP, even though President Rodrigo Duterte had turned down Sebastian’s request for a meeting.

“He should tell everything he knows, without selection of details. Anyway, he will be joined by his lawyer if we agree to talk,” Aguirre said Sunday.

Aguirre, who is investigating the case against De Lima and other officials from the previous administration, said Sebastian needs to come up with a Next page

THE House has rejected the Palace-proposed comprehensive tax reform package meant to raise P178 billion by imposing new excise taxes on fuels, the lifting of the exemption of the 12-percent value-added tax on goods and other commodities, and the scrapping of the tax exemption on the 13th-month pay.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and other lawmakers said they found the tax package “anti-poor and regressive” and ran counter to President Rodrigo Duterte’s desire to ease the plight of the poor.

Not one lawmaker has volunteered to author and file the 25page tax reform package bill drafted and submitted by the Finance

department to Congress last week.

The new taxes were slated to be implemented on Jan. 1 next year.

The lawmakers also questioned the basis of Finance’s proposal to exempt from tax only those people with an annual salary of P250,000 and to scrap the tax exemption on the 13th-month pay.

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PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday warned the United States to stop interfering in his war on drugs as he hinted that he is ready to stop the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between Manila and Washington.

Duterte made the statement as lawmakers in the United States said the extrajudicial killings could have an impact on future US aid to the country.

“Edca has not been signed by President Benigno Aquino III,” Duterte said, noting that the 2014 pact was only signed by then Defense secretary Voltaire Gazmin and US Ambassador to the Phil-

ippines Philip Goldberg.

“Better think twice now, because I will be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether...

If you Americans are angry with me, then I am also angry with you,” added the President.

For his part, US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel dangled the concept of “people power” as he cautioned against more anti-US posturing.

“I think it would be a serious mistake in a democratic country like the Philippines to underestimate the power of the public’s affinity for the US. That’s people Next page power,” Russel said.

Aid cuts eyed amid ‘killings’

‘The fighter for the good’ laid to rest

By Sandy Araneta

By Macon RamosAraneta

AN INTERNATIONAL human rights group on Sunday urged the United States and the European Union to send a strong message to President Rodrigo Duterte that the Philippines “risks an immediate suspension of aid unless the abusive ‘war on drugs’ and its skyrocketing death toll come to a halt.”

Phelim Kine, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, also decried Duterte’s comments referencing Nazi party founder Adolf Hitler and the Holocaust, calling his words “obscene.”

Kine said the public should not underestimate the impact Next page

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K-9 AND BATO. Marking the World Animal Day, members of the K9-Unit of the Philippine National Police’s

Special Action Force and Explosives Detention with the PNP chief Ronald De La Rosa’s ‘Bato mascot’ take part in a mass blessing for rescue dog at St. John Paul II Parish in Eastwood City, Quezon City. Manny Palmero

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SENATOR Miriam DefensorSantiago was laid to rest Sunday afternoon at the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina.

Santiago, who died in her sleep on Sept. 29 at the age of 71, after battling Stage-4 lung cancer for more than two years, was given a 21-gun salute before she was buried beside her son Alexander who died in 2003.

Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani hailed her for championing the good but refusing to use evil means to stamp out evil.

President Rodrigo Duterte paid his final respects to her at Next page

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News

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

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3 more Indonesian sailors freed by ASG THE Abu Sayyaf Group have freed three Indonesian sailors abducted at sea after a kidnapping spree in Mindanao, officials said.

The Abu Sayyaf handed over the three men in Jolo to a major rebel group which then released them to authorities on Sunday, government peace negotiator Jesus Dureza said.

“The turnover was smooth and now the three will get a medical checkup and a debriefing before being turned over to an Indonesian representative,” Dureza told AFP. The three were part of a group of sailors abducted by the Abu Sayyaf in June, authorities said. The terms of the release were not disclosed, but the Abu Sayyaf typically releases hostages after hefty ransom payments.

Indonesia’s foreign minister Retno Marsudi also confirmed the three hostages―Ferry Arifin, Edi Suryono and Muhamad Mabrur Dahri―had been freed and would be handed over to a team from the Indonesian Embassy.

Sunday’s handover was the latest hostage release overseen by Nur Misuari, an elder Muslim rebel leader with the Moro National Liberation Front.

After a decades-long insurgency, the MNLF is currently engaged in peace talks with President Rodrigo

Duterte. The Abu Sayyaf is not part of the peace process.

“These recent breakthroughs were a convergence of efforts that President Duterte initiated, getting the cooperation of the MNLF,” Dureza said.

In September, a Norwegian hostage kidnapped in 2015 and three other Indonesian seamen were handed over by the Abu Sayyaf to Misuari, who then passed them on to the government.

A few days later, another kidnapped Indonesian sailor was freed through the MNLF. Military sources say the Abu Sayyaf are still holding a Dutch hostage, five Malaysians, two Indonesians and four Filipinos in their jungle stronghold.

The militants beheaded two Canadian hostages earlier this year after failing to collect ransom.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaida network, and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

While its leaders have in recent years pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, analysts say it is mainly focused on a lucrative kidnapping business rather than religious ideology. AFP

House...

an insinuation that the other person is Sebastian. Then it should have been done inside the NBP. Outside of that would make it difficult to consider it germane,” Umali said.

Umali also said he wanted to know if the video was authentic.

“For all you know, on these two issues alone, it would be moot, so why are we wasting time arguing about those?” Umali told dzBB. Umali said the panel hearing was moved from Oct. 5 to Oct. 6 because of the intense debate in the plenary on the national budget on Wednesday.

He said aside from Dayan and Sebastian, who was recuperating in the hospital after he was stabbed in a prison riot, those who were summoned by the panel were Joenel Sanchez of the Presidential Security Group, who was a former security aide of De Lima; members of the Dec. 15, 2014 NBP raiding team, including Chief Inspector Reginald Villasanta, former chief of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission under the Office of the Executive Secretary in the previous administration; and former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayo.

Umali said as of Sunday, Dayan could still not be found.

Bag-ao said as of Friday, there were already 35 women legislators who signed the petition and 13 congressmen who joined the women.

“I am a member of the justice panel and I would definitely raise the issue before the committee. I will vigorously oppose the showing of the video,” Bag-ao told dzBB in a separate interview. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

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the sex tape to be made public, even as Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said it should be shown.

“The Speaker wanted it shown but some lawmakers and women’s groups are lobbying hard against it.

So I think I would leave it up to the panel members to decide. We will divide the house,” Umali told radio dzBB on Sunday.

Umali said he was told it was the drug lord Jaybee Sebastian, not Dayan, in the video, however.

He added that he would require the Justice department to send the video to experts in the National Bureau of Investigation first for authentication by experts.

Some 34 of 86 women legislators submitted a letter to Alvarez, opposing the showing of the video.

Some 10 congressmen also signed the petition.

Dinagat Island Rep. Arlene Kaka Bag-ao said the letter was meant to stop the House from being demeaned, considering that lawmakers would be violating several laws in having the video shown.

Bag-ao said the sex video was irrelevant to the ongoing probe, which seeks to find out why the illegal drugs trade proliferated in the maximum security prison of the New Bilibid Prison when De Lima was Justice secretary.

Umali said the hearing on Thursday would be limited to discussion on what was germane or not.

“If we limit it to what is germane, that has got to be between De Lima and Dayan. But there was

Alvarez...

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Under the Palace-proposed bill, the excise tax on gasoline amounting to P4.35 per liter would be increased to P10 per liter.

The petroleum products that were previously exempted from the excise tax would be imposed a six-peso-per-liter tax. Those products include aviation turbo jet fuel, lubricating greases and oils, leaded and unleaded premium gasoline, naphtha, petrolatum and waxes as well as asphalt, bunker fuel oil, denatured alcohol used for motive power, kerosene, liquefied petroleum gas and processed gas.

Finance would reduce the personal income tax of daily wage earners and salaried state workers to 25 percent from 32 percent.

But the lawmakers says the 250,000-peso cap is “too low.”

“Where did this figure come from? What is the basis for this?,” Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate said citing the study made by the think-tank Ibon Foundation.

“The amount of P250,000 is

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“All politicians have to be responsive to both the mainstream public attitude and the national security and economic interests of their country. All of that leads to continued close ties between our two countries,” Russel added.

Manila Standard contacted Communications Secretary Martin Andanar and presidential spokesman Ernie

way below the annual Family Living Wage of a Filipino that is now pegged at P396,390 or P1,086 daily.”

Alvarez said there was no provision in the proposed bill on how to improve tax collection.

Zarate said Finance should follow Duterte’s instruction last August to lift the anti-poor and genderbiased taxes. “[Finance] should drop its proposal to increase the taxes on oil products and to expand the valueadded-tax base,” Zarate said.

“This proposal is patently antipeople and would definitely have an adverse effect on consumers.”

Even the lawmakers belonging to the minority bloc―including Reps. Lito Atienza, Edcel Lagman and Jerry Trenas―rejected Finance’s tax proposals.

Quezon Rep. Dax Cua, chairman of the House committee on ways and means, said Finance’s rationale behind the lifting of the tax exemption on the 13th-month pay was that the salaried workers could still feel the benefit once the tax exemption on the 250,000-peso earnings was imposed. Christine F. Herrera Abella but they did not make any comment on Washington’s statement.

Earlier, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said he personally found Duterte’s comments against the US “deeply troubling” even as he maintained that bilateral relations remain “ironclad.”

In 2015, the Philippines received about $175 million in US development assistance and $50 million in foreign military financing. In 2016, it has gotten $75 million for counterterrorism and maritime security.

Du30 men urged to pursue reforms T

HE International Monetary Fund has challenged the new administration to continue the Philippines’ poverty reduction and structural reform programs to maintain its economic gains, an official said Sunday.

The IMF’s executive directors confirmed the appraisal of the IMF staff report. They say the gains are due to the Philippine Authorities’ aim to accelerate poverty reduction and their priorities for structural reforms for the past seven years.

“The focus on financial deepening and inclusion are essential elements of the authorities’ inclusive growth strategy,” the IMF’s executive directors said.

“Economic growth is supported by robust domestic demand and is broadly in line with potential, while the outlook for inflation is well within the target band set by authorities,” the report says.

“The external position is sound and fiscal policy is prudent, with

a low and declining debt-to-GDP ratio.”

But the IMF says poverty and inequality continue to be a challenge for the Philippine authorities.

The Fund called on the Duterte administration to address infrastructure development to promote private investment and job creation.

The Fund also recommended that the new administration focus its fiscal policy on infrastructure and human capital, maintain the current monetary policy stance, continue its close watch over the financial system and any emerging systemic risks, and adopt structural reforms on foreign direct investment and competition. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan ern critics of his unprecedented lawand-order crackdown, declaring that he was “happy to slaughter” threemillions drug addicts.

Panelo explained that the President’s rhetoric was directed towards his critics, who, during the height of the campaign against extrajudicial killings, told him that he should be brought to the International Court of Justice because of “genocide.”

Echoing the words of the President, Panelo said: “These people don’t know what genocide is. They wanted to try me for the crime of genocide, but genocide is committing the crime against humanity, killing children. I am not that.”

“They’re making comparison with Hitler and Stalin, in reference of me. I do not kill innocent people, I do not kill a race, I go against the criminals,” he added.

Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella earlier said the Philippines was cognizant of the deep significance of the Jewish experience during the Holocaust, and the Philippine government did not wish to diminish the profound loss of 6 million Jews.

In many of his speeches, Duterte repeatedly stressed that he is not behind the many vigilante killings in the country since he took over the Presidency last June.

Members of the international community, including the United Nations, the European Union, Israel, Germany, the United States and many human rights organizations condemned the President’s statements, calling them “insensitive,” “inappropriate,” and “disturbing.”

Panelo played down the international criticism against Duterte, saying that his critics weren’t getting the context of the President’s statements.

Washington-based Chargé d’Affaires Patrick Chuasoto praised the report that says the outlook for the Philippine economy remains favorable despite “external headwinds.”

“The Philippine economy has performed well during the past several years and the strong macro fundamentals provide a solid foundation to meet the remaining chal-

lenges,” the report says.

[And] the new administration has an opportunity to put the economy on a higher and more equitable growth path while reaping the dividends from its young and growing population.”

The IMF also says it is revising its real GDP growth forecast for the Philippines to 6.4 percent in 2016 and 6.7 percent in 2017.

Rody...

Duterte has faced a barrage of criticism from Western governments and rights groups, but he has reacted defiantly and often with abusive language while insisting he is not doing anything illegal.

Duterte has branded US President Barack Obama a “son of a whore,” called UN chief Ban Ki-moon a “fool” and said “f--k you” to the European Union while raising his middle finger.

In his latest tirade on Friday, Duterte said he was under threat of being brought before an international court for genocide, but again insisted he was breaking no laws in the Philippines.

“You are portrayed or pictured to be some, a cousin of Hitler. And you do not even bother to find out, to investigate. Imagine that, I will be facing... even the international court for genocide. That’s foolish,” he said.

Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, led a campaign to wipe out Jews in Europe which led to about six-million deaths by the end of World War II. Duterte on Friday also criticized the European Union and the United States for alleged inaction on the migrant crisis emanating from the Middle East.

“You US, EU. You can call me anything. But I was never into or I am never into hypocrisy like you,” he said.

“There are migrants escaping from the Middle East. You allow them to rot and then you’re worried about the deaths of about 1,000, 2,000, 3,000?”

Duterte has also signaled he intends to downgrade military ties with longtime ally the United States, while forging closer relations with China and Russia.

Duterte said this week he intended to end joint military exercises with the United States.

The nations conduct war games regularly in the Philippines and coastal waters, which previous governments have intended as a form of deterrence against China’s ambitions to control most of the South China Sea. US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter responded to Duterte’s comments by insisting on Thursday America’s alliance with the Philippines remained “ironclad.”

But Duterte on Friday insisted the war games next week involving more than 1,000 troops would be the last of his six-year term, as he hit out again at the United States.

“Do not pretend to be the moral conscience of the world,” he said.

He said it was disrespectful for the US and the EU to portray him as “a cousin of Hitler” without investigating the real story behind the extrajudicial killings in the country.

The criticism, he said, shamed not only him but all Filipinos.

He said that he is used to be ridiculed as a politician, but he cannot take it if the entire Filipinos is being put to shame.

Amid mounting international criticism, the Palace on Sunday said there was no need for Duterte to apologize for his Holocaust remarks.

“Why should he be apologizing? The President is just reacting against the comparison to Hitler and Stalin,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo told the Manila Standard in a chance interview.

“The remarks being ascribed to the President are wrong. When he made the remarks against Hitler, he indeed made remarks against some UN rapporteurs ascribing that he is like Hitler killing people,” Panelo added.

Shortly after arriving for a twoday state visit at Hanoi, the President once again railed against West-

tire truth from him, no less. That’s the only condition I have: if he wants to cooperate, tell the whole truth,” he said.

If Sebastian does not cooperate, he will return to the NBP after recovering from stab wounds he suffered in a riot in Building 14 at the national penitentiary last week, Aguirre said.

The Justice secretary added that he was inclined to grant Sebastian’s request to be transferred to another facility after he was stabbed last week.

“If it is necessary for his security, we will consider,” he said, adding that Sebastian’s transfer to a penal farm in the provinces is among the options.

Aguirre reiterated his belief that the incident where Sebastian and three other high-profile inmates were injured and where drug lord Tony Co was killed could be related to the ongoing probe on the NBP drug trade.

Authorities are checking on Sebastian’s claim that he was just watching TV at the mess hall when fellow inmate Tomas Domeña suddenly attacked him without provocation.

They are also checking on claims of convicted former police officer Clarence Dongail and inmate Edgar Cinco that the riot started after drug lords Tony Co, Peter Co and Vicente Sy were caught sniffing shabu inside their cell.

“Sebastian is a valuable witness as we expect him to spill the beans on Senator De Lima. So we don’t want him to die, we want him to live of course,” Aguirre said, adding that only the senator would benefit if the inmate is silenced or killed.

The stabbing incident at NBP took place after Aguirre said last week that Sebastian was set to testify in the House of Representatives inquiry on illegal drugs trade in NBP, which is set to resume this week.

Spokesperson Mark Toner.

The United Nations also criticized Duterte, with spokesperson Stephane Dujaric saying, “Any use of the Holocaust and the suffering of the Holocaust in comparison to anything else frankly is inappropriate and is to be rejected.”

Earlier in a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Duterte’s reference to the killing of over six-million Jews during World War II “was an oblique deflection of the way he has been pictured as a mass murderer, a Hitler, a label he rejects.”

“The Philippines recognizes the deep significance of the Jewish experience especially their tragic

and painful history,” Abella said.

“We do not wish to diminish the profound loss of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust - that deep midnight of their story as a people,” said Abella.

Last Friday, Duterte told reporters upon his arrival from an official visit to Vietnam that critics portrayed him as a “cousin of Hitler.”

The German government on Friday told the Philippine ambassador that comments by Duterte likening his deadly war on crime to Hitler’s efforts to exterminate Jews were “unacceptable.”

On Saturday, police killed three more drug suspects in Tondo, Manila. With Romeo Dizon and PNA

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“Hitler massacred three-mil lion Jews. Now there are three-million drug addicts [in the Philippines].

I’d be happy to slaughter them,” Duterte told reporters in his home city of Davao shortly after returning from Vietnam.

“At least if Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have,” he said, then paused. “But you know, my victims, I would like to be [sic] all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition.”

Duterte, 71, won elections in May with a large plurality of votes after a campaign dominated by his pledge to eradicate drugs in society by killing tens of thousands of people.

The lawyer and former city prosecutor promised immunity for security forces if they were charged with murder, and on his first day in office urged residents of a Manila slum to kill drug addicts within their own community.

His police chief also urged addicts to burn down the homes of drug traffickers and kill them.

Since Duterte came to power on June 30, the Philippine National Police said its operatives killed 1,323 drug suspects from July 1 to 6 a.m. of Oct. 2, 2016.

The PNP also reported in the latest update that its operatives had arrested 22,217 drug suspects and a total of 731,839 drug pushers and users have also surrendered under Oplan Tokhang.

A piece of cardboard, with “drug peddler” or “drug addict” written on it, is frequently placed on corpses that are left on streets. This has led to the war on crime becoming known as “cardboard justice.”

DoJ...

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complete, credible statement if he wishes to get immunity from prosecution.

“Unless Jaybee tells the entire truth, he will not be given immunity. He needs to pass the criteria of WPP [witness protection program] before a recommendation for immunity can be made,” he said.

“Jaybee could do that even without talking to the President,” Aguirre added.

The Justice secretary noted that Sebastian has already been tagged by fellow inmates as the one who raised funds for De Lima’s senatorial campaign by selling drugs.

“If he fails to get immunity, his statement might be useless and he could be charged as among the principals in the drug cases,” Aguirre said.

“That’s why we only need the en-

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Duterte’s words have on police and vigilantes.

“Vigilantes lawlessly slaughter their fellow Filipinos without fear of arrest,” said Kine, and they are encouraged by Duterte’s strong words.

Last Saturday, the US State Department said Duterte’s comments regarding Hitler were “troubling.”

His words were “a significant departure” from the tradition of America and the Philippines’ “mutual foundation of shared values…[including] our shared belief in human rights and human dignity,” said State Department

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dawn, arriving at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral Grottoes in Cubao, Quezon City, at 1 a.m.

Thousands of mourners also came to pay their final respects to Santiago at the Loyola Memorial Park.

Supporters, politicians, friends and relatives came to see her final wake at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral.

Len Defensor, Miriam’s sister, thanked the senator’s family, doctors, staff and supporters who stood beside her until her death.

The supporters of Santiago, who was also known as the”Iron Lady of Asia,” released doves and white balloons into the sky.

In his homily during the funeral mass at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, Bacani described the late senator as “the fighter for the good.”

“And she would use only good means to fight evil because she did not want to side with evil... She understood that evil only reaped short-lived gains and led to the ruin of even the most powerful tyrants,” Bacani said.

“That is why we are one with her. We know, like Miriam, that it is good that will win in the end.

That is why we can only use good and fair means in order to win our battles.”

Bacani said Santiago never resorted to profanity when lashing at her enemies.

“She fought with her lips, yes. But when she fought with her lips, even when she spoke against her opponents, she did not drive you to the gutter,” Bacani said. With Sandy Araneta and Rio N. Araja

News

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

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Amnesty for tax cheats pushed

By Gabrielle Marie Consuelo H. Binaday

T

HE Finance department is pushing for the approval of a House bill that proposes an amnesty program for delinquent tax payers.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the proposal aims to bring more taxpayers back into the financial system and make them generate more revenues for the government.

“We want to include estate taxes. Because estate taxes need amnesty as well, especially those people who inherited lands and they did not change the title, we want to include them,” Dominguez said.

“It’s just that we want everybody to be back [in the tax system] and to be law-abiding,” he added.

Party-list Rep. Michael Romero of 1Pacman has filed House Bill No. 3655 that grants amnesty to taxpayers with unpaid taxes from 2015 and prior years.

Under the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC) crafted in 1997, if the net estate is P200,000 the heirs are tax ex-

empt. Those with tax due of P10 million and above should pay P1.2 million plus 20 percent of the excess over P10 million.

The bill, or “an act to increase revenues and to provide the foundation for an effective implementation of tax reforms by granting an amnesty on all unpaid internal revenue taxes imposed by the national government for taxable year 2015 and prior years,” according to Romero was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s priority program to reform the tax system including lowering the personal and corporate tax rates.

“While this will result in decreased revenue collections, my bill will complement the initiative as it will increase taxes that

will be collected,” Romero said.

Under the bill, any person or corporation who wants to avail himself of the tax amnesty will file a notice and Tax Amnesty Return with the Bureau of Internal Revenue accompanied by a statement of assets, liabilities and networth as of Dec. 31, 2015.

For individuals, the penalty carries a flat rate of 5 percent or P50,000, whichever is higher, tax while corporations will be made to pay 5 percent or from P25,000 to P500,000 tax penalty. Other entities will also have to pay a 5 percent tax penalty or P50,000.

Romero explained that those who have availed of the tax amnesty will be granted immunity from the payment of taxes and civil, criminal or administra-

tive penalties under the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 arising from their failure to pay any and all internal revenue taxes for 2015 and prior years.

The taxpayer’s SALN as of Dec. 31, 2015 shall not be admissible as evidence in all proceedings related to internal revenue taxes that cover 2015 and prior years.

In addition, their books of accounts and other records for the years covered under the tax amnesty availed of will not be examined.

Romero said the tax amnesty cannot be availed of by withholding agents, those with pending cases under the Presidential Commission on Good Government, those with pending cases

involving unexplained or unlawfully acquired wealth under the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, and those with pending cases for violation of the AntiMoney Laundering Law. Those with pending criminal cases for tax evasion or other criminal offenses under Chapter 2 of Title X of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997 or felonies of fraud, illegal exactions and transactions and malversation of public funds and property under the Revised Penal Code do not qualify for the program.

In 2007, the tax amnesty law gave a six-month leeway for taxpayers to settle their dues at a lower penalty rate of five percent of their net worth or a fee of between P25,000 and P500,000.

Lawmakers to speed up House mill on budget

By Rio N. Araja CONGRESS is rushing the approval of the 2017 P3.35-trillion General Appropriation Bill on second reading on Wednesday to ensure it meets its legislative timetable for the year.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles, appropriations committee chairman, said the August body is set to pass next year’s national budget on second reading on Oct. 5 so that lawmakers could prepare the bill’s third and final reading approval immediately after the House of Representatives resumes session from the Nov. 1-Nov. 2 break.

“Hopefully by Wednesday we are going to approve the national budget on second reading. This will be passed on third and final reading after our Halloween break,” he said.

Congress will continue today its two-week marathon deliberations on the national budget, he added.

He said the 2017 budget will invest heavily on President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign to attain peace and order.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte, appropriations committee’s vice chairman, defended the P21.3-billion budget of the Department of Finance and its attached agencies for 2017, citing the DoF’s budget is integral to help the Duterte administration implement programs and projects designed to improve the lives of at least 10-million Filipinos and transform the Philippines into an upper middle-income country by 2022.

The budget of DoF, the government’s main agency mandated in revenue generation, plays a significant role in the Duterte administration’s longterm goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2040.

DISASTER REDUCTION.

Senator Cynthia A. Villar (center) leads the kickoff rites to mark the 2016 International Day for Disaster Reduction. The senator, chairman of the Senate environment committee, and Julia Nebrija, MMDA’s assistant general manager for Operations, are joined by 800 participants in the cleanup and establishment of a bamboo nursery at the Las PiñasParañaque Critical Habitat and EcoTourism Area.

Ey Acasio

BACOLOD’S ATTRACTION. Masskara displays along Bacolod City plaza signal the start of the 23-day Masskara Festival, an annual tourist draw. Rey S. Baniquet

Pump price hike looms after Opec output cut 2 airports

By Alena Mae S. Flores OIL prices will likely go up this week due to the decision of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries to adopt a tentative agreement to limit oil production.

“It will be an increase. Hopefully less than P0.50 per liter,” a source said, adding that the company covers the Monday to Thursday trading days only.

“We will know on Monday the trading price for Friday,” the source said.

Opec agreed last Wednesday to limit oil production to between 32.5 million and 33 million barrels per day, resulting in an output cut of up to 740,000 barrels per day.

“There is a high probability of oil prices being driven up as a consequence of Opec’s decision.

But implementing the same is another thing. There are Opec member countries that want to regain their market share after being penalized by the international community,” the Energy department said in a statement.

It said supply is one factor, among the many, that affects oil prices while other factors include demand, transport, foreign exchange, peace and order and many others.

“Hence, economists have a hard time predicting market prices for oil… For the Philippines, we need to diversify our sources so that we will not be affected by the price movements from one source,” it said.

The department said demand side management should be imple-

mented and energy efficient appliances and vehicles should be used.

“Rooftop solar panels with net metering technologies should also be utilized. There are government projects and programs on these,” it said.

Last September 27, the oil companies raised the price of gasoline by P0.25 and diesel and P0.20 to P0.30 for kerosene.

They also raised LPG prices last October 1 by P2.60 per kilo to reflect the increase in cost of imported LPG.

turn into NPAs, says Gordon

By Macon Araneta SENATOR Richard J. Gordon has expressed dismay over the deterioration of the Subic Bay International Airport and Clark International Airport which have been both turned into “non-performing assets.”

“We let the wolf near the sheep or we allowed the snake to come near the chickens,” said Gordon, who served as Olongapo City mayor and Subic Bay Metropolian Authroity chairman.

Gordon said the government is using only the Ninoy Aquino International Airport which has come to a “very sorry state” that brings constant damage to the country’s reputation.

Flights at Naia are often delayed because of air and ground traffic which cause frayed nerves and economic losses, he said.

Had the government used SBIA and the CIA, Gordon said the Philippine government would have saved us from traffic woes, trade and economic losses when Apec was held in the country.

The senator called for an investigation on how both SBIA and CIA, considered as two of the country’s crown jewels, have reached their present state of deterioration.

“We have a lot of lost opportunities in our country. We used to have the highest literacy rate in Asia.

There was a time too when we were second only to Japan in terms of military power that our Air Force even had Blue Diamonds. We also lost our railways. We cannot allow this to continue,” he stressed.

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Opinion

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

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Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

The mouth that roared

I

N THE satirical novel The Mouse that Roared by Leonard Wibberley—and the 1959 film by the same title—the tiny, fictional European duchy of Grand Fenwick declares war on the United States, hoping to take advantage of American largesse by surrendering to it after a token invasion.

The duchy sends a contingent of 20 soldiers in medieval chain mail across the Atlantic on a small merchant ship, but stumbles upon a secret weapon—the Q Bomb—that enables it to declare victory over the United States, which sues

for peace. The Q Bomb remains in Grand Fenwick, held by “the little countries of the world” as a weapon of last resort if the superpowers refuse to disarm.

Perhaps hoping to take a page from Grand Fenwick,

President Rodrigo Duterte has taken on the United States, taunting its leader as a “a son of a whore,” declaring an end to US-Philippine joint military exercises after October; rejecting joint patrols of the disputed areas of the South China Sea; and vowing to open new alliances with US rivals Russia and China—all in the name of establishing an independent foreign policy.

With the same indignant independence, Mr. Duterte also told the European Union to go procreate and gave them an internationally recognizable hand gesture of disdain that his new

Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations would certainly appreciate. He also likened his bloody anticrime campaign to the Holocaust, saying he would “be happy to slaughter 3.5-million drug users”—in the same way the Nazis wiped out six million Jews.

The United States was manipulating the peso to drive down its value vis-avis the US dollar, he said, and the CIA wants him killed.

Almost daily, now, Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet secretaries have had to scramble to parse his outrageous words and to minimize the damage.

The alliance with the United States, we are told, is as strong as ever—we just won’t be holding joint military exercises for the rest of Mr. Duterte’s term.

President Rodrigo Duterte was not likening himself to Adolf Hitler, the Palace says, but merely responding to critics who compared him to the Nazi leader because of the thousands of alleged drug suspects killed under his watch. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno denied the President’s suggestion that the exchange rate was being manipulated.

In letting loose at every opportunity with his profane

and incendiary words, Mr. Duterte proves that he is indeed the mouth that roared. Like the fictional duchy of Grand Fenwick, his assault on the United States looks quixotic—and almost comical, were its implications not so serious.

Unlike Grand Fenwick, however, Mr. Duterte has no secret weapon that will enable him to win—and Russia and China are unlikely to provide him with one. He does not have a Q Bomb. All he has is the F Bomb—and we have all seen how ineffectual that is in a world of civilized grownups.

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

Hitler and Duterte

PENSEES

Where is God?

FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO YOU ask this question either as a seeker or as a scoffer. An agnostic or an atheist hurls it as a challenge in circumstances that apparently make it implausible if not absurd that there is a God. At the time that the Soviet Union—which then existed— was officially atheist, one of its cosmonauts is reported to have derisively said, after having returned from space: “I didn’t find God anywhere out there.”

But when someone in a crowd of prisoners assembled by Nazis to watch the execution of a young man in a very cruel manner asked in hushed tones: “Where is God?”, he was genuinely searching. It was a cry from a tormented soul—a longing for the God of Justice who, apparently, had hidden his face and allowed this unspeakable travesty to happen.

In our national life, this question has recently been raised, apparently in an attempt to justify the proposal to return the death penalty. What if God does not

exist, it has been asked. How shall justice be done to the victims of heinous crimes?

And where was God anyway, the challenge goes, while the innocent were slaughtered and unspeakable crimes visited on them by addicts and other maniacal characters? If the question is raised by a scoffer, there is not much that can be done. He has decided that there is no God to be found. But if it is a searcher who raises the question, then that provokes a very interesting discussion, indeed, one, in fact, in which all, at some time, should be engaged.

The traditional answer that catechisms give this question is: “Everywhere.” Thomas Aquinas explains: It is because Divine Power keeps everything in existence that his power, which is identical to him (since there can be no divisibility in God between substance and power) must correspondingly be everywhere. Although tradition

He is in that earnestness we have about rooting out crime and dealing resolutely with violence. But he is also in the cry of protest against the violations of others’ rights. and the constant teaching of pastors and catechists have hollowed this reply, it does raise several disturbing questions.

The so-called physical evils are not really much of a problem: This same world that has brought forth life in splendid

multiplicity and sustained humans who do not seem too interested in sustaining it, is the very same world of typhoons, volcanic eruptions and destructive quakes—all parts of the processes by which the world goes. The forces that make life flourish are also the forces that threaten it. It looks like we cannot choose to have only the promise and to eschew the threats!

But it is quite another thing with those evils of which we are the authors. When a person chooses to dull mind and to silence conscience by drugging himself into a constant stupor, and without so much as a stirring of regret, butcher a helpless child, where is God? And when police officers, clothed with the authority of the law, corner one they suspect of peddling drugs who is unarmed, on his knees and pleading for his life, and with deliberateness pump into him several lethal rounds,

where is God? Philosophers in the past sought a way out of this dilemma by distinguishing between what God “wills” and what he “permits,” but that is in fact a dubious distinction and to some is nothing more than sophistry and hair-splitting. We must then admit that people, of their own volition, choose to be drug-crazed and indirectly will the criminal consequences of their drug-induced conduct.

Similarly, we must admit that, unfortunately, some who don the uniform and who have sworn to uphold the law deny others their fundamental right to life in a desire to chalk up “achievements” in the avowed pursuit of criminality!

But because there is the desire to rid the country of the scourge of drugs and to ensure future generations of streets that are safer and homes that are more secure, because there is an outcry from a growing number of Filipinos against what appear

THE man has no sense of history. For the reckless remark of comparing himself to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler, President Rodrigo Duterte is reaping worldwide condemnation.

Israel’s foreign ministry said the Philippine president’s invoking Hitler’s action during World War II was unfortunate.

US Defense Secretary Aston Carter described Duterte’s mindlessness meandering as “troubling.” It was a mild reaction but was Carter’s comment suggesting the Philippine president is mentally troubled?

The global Human Rights Watch and Jewish groups in the United States said Duterte’s comparison of himself to Hitler who slaughtered an estimated six million Jews in his pogrom to exterminate them and expunge his selfperceived purity of the Aryan race, is offensive to Jews worldwide.

“There are three million drug addicts in the Philippines. I’d be happy to slaughter all of them,” said Duterte in justifying his relentless war on illegal drugs. In his speech in Davao City before a gathering of policewomen and community leaders, Duterte said the people can oust him if he abuses his power. He will not cling to power, he added.

I have been to the Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz in German-occupied Poland where Jewish prisoners were gassed to death, their corpses fed to cremation furnaces. The wheelbarrows that carried the bodies from the gas chambers to the furnaces are still there.

I can tell you the experience that visitors feel in this hellish place is chilling, even decades after the liberation of Europe from Nazi Germany. The stench of death is still in the place—emanating from and permeating the floor and the walls. The only thing missing if one has a vivid imagination, are the victims’ screams— now silenced, but not muted by history.

The curators of the war museum of Holocaust victims keep Auschwitz-Birkenau in Poland, as much as possible, the same except for wiping off the blood in the premises.

They want Auschwitz to Turn to A5

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Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard. com.ph; e-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

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Opinion The economics of dining as a couple

By Megan McArdle MARRIAGE counselors tell us that couples frequently tie the knot without discussing the core matters that can cement or sunder their marriage: finances, children, religion. Well, let me add one under-discussed biggie to the list: restaurant dining.

I am eternally astonished to find not only that many couples I know failed to discuss this key area before they marched up to the altar, but also that many of them still have not developed a joint dining strategy even after 10 or 20 years together. This is madness. You are placing undue stress on your relationship, and you are very probably having a suboptimal dining experience, thereby wasting time and money and missing out on deliciousness.

As a romantic economist might put it in a wedding-reception toast, couples have the chance to jointly move to a higher utility curve.

There are basically four strategies that a couple can practice at a restaurant. Whether you attempt these outside of marriage is between you and your god. These can also be explained in terms of economics.

1. Autarky. This is when a country is closed to imports or exports, and produces everything it consumes. In the restaurant context, it means that you are each independently deciding on what to eat, with no input from the other person, and then solely consuming what you ordered.

Anyone who tries to reach across to sample those delicious looking pommes frites will be stabbed in the hand with a fork. If it is a good marriage, the stabbing will be followed with an apology: “I’m so sorry. I thought you were my soft-shell crab.”

An economist will tell you that autarky is terrible. You’re missing gains from trade! When you eat only what you yourself have ordered, your options are limited. And even extremely delicious foodstuffs are subject to diminishing marginal returns: The first bite of your ribeye is mouth-watering. The 20th bite is still good, but you are probably not enjoying it as much as the first bite. You have gotten acclimated to the taste. Meanwhile, across the table, there is a delightfullooking sole meuniere. Even if

Where...

From A4 to be summary and arbitrary executions, because there is a stubborn refusal to accept the vulgar and the obscene and a resistance to callous complacence, we recognize the seemingly invincible lure of the good. Because, each day, the dedication of scholars and researchers, and the questions of curiosity raised by ordinary folk —like wanting to know why the peso is now doing very poorly against the dollar—as well as in the investigations of those who honestly want to know whether people are being killed in violation of their elemental rights, or whether highly placed government officials have been complicit in the nefarious trade in drugs, all train their sights on what is indeed so, what is veridical, what is true, then we acknowledge that the summons of truth is all pervasive and has in fact been one of humanity’s

you prefer ribeye to sole (and honestly, who doesn’t?), you may well prefer “the first bite of sole meuniere” to “the 20th bite of ribeye,” and your sole-loving dining partner may well feel the same way about your ribeye. If each of you huddles suspiciously over your own entrée, you are enjoying dinner less than you could.

Who this strategy is good for: People on weird diets, people with deadly food allergies, people who have already called a divorce lawyer but haven’t yet served the papers.

2. Individual production with trade. Under this model, you both order whatever you want, and allow the other person to take a few bites in exchange for a few bites of their food. This is how the world economy works, and it is much better for dining than autarky. You are reminishing those marginal returns, and moving both of you to a higher utility curve.

And yet, you are still leaving gains on the table, so to speak.

Say your partner is indifferent between chicken tenders and potato skins as an appetizer.

This is, to be sure, somewhat inexplicable; potato skins are obviously superior to chicken tenders. But we will leave your bad romantic choices out of this discussion, and focus on the economics. If your dining partner is genuinely indifferent between the two choices, and you let them choose without saying anything, there is a 50 percent chance that you will end up with a worthless option to consume a few bites of badly fried chicken, rather than a very valuable option to eat a delicious baked potato section topped with melted cheese and sour cream.

Who this strategy is good for: People on first dates who do not want to appear pushy, people who cannot decide what movie to watch on Netflix without three hours of negotiation.

3. Individual property rights, with option trading. Now we’re moving toward a more centrally planned economy. The menu is individually consulted, and then the two parties state their preferences. If these preferences are strong, then matters proceed much as in the above strategy.

However, if indecision is expressed, the trading is opened:

“If you get the clam chowder, I’ll get the mushroom crostini, and we can split.” Option trading is usually, but not always, confined to the appetizer course. Any offer can be refused, and a substitute offered—“What if I got the clam chowder, and you got the ham timbales?”—or both parties may reluctantly conclude that no trade is possible, and revert to their original choices.

Well done, Team Restaurant!

You are now beginning to realize the magnificent benefits of trade.

Coordination and cooperation have permitted you to agree on choices that jointly improve utility.

However, I must tell you that you are still probably not at the highest valued use of your food dollar. You are almost certainly investing most of your effort in appetizers or shared desserts, which are the minority of your spending, time and consumption.

If you want not merely to improve your utility, but to maximize it, then you are going to have to invest more effort in coordination.

Who this strategy is good for: People whose tastes in food have only limited overlap, people who have not yet finished reading this column.

4. Full food communism.

A communist economy is a terrible idea. A communist dinner table, on the other hand, truly is a bounteous paradise.

This is the final flowering of the dining experience, when the barriers wither away and all ordering is centrally planned, with the fruits distributed equally. You will know that this happy moment has arrived when you start telling the waiter “Just put the plates anywhere; we share everything.”

It is, to be sure, an advanced technique, which requires a fairly intimate knowledge of your partner, and a certain generosity of spirit. Each couple will have to work out their own exact strategy, but this is roughly how it goes at the McSuderman table.

A moment is taken to read over the menu individually, with an eye to both your preferences, and the known preferences of your partner. (If pork belly is on the menu, I do not have to ask Peter whether he wants to order it; he knows the same thing about me and mushrooms.) Each party composes a mental list of the

things they want to try. Each party is allowed one “must have,” and may plead for a second on the grounds of extraordinary exigency, such as the presence of both pork cheeks and venison roulade on the same menu that contains the bouillabaisse their partner has been dying to try. The list may be as long as you like, as long as you understand that you may not get everything you suggest.

Once the lists are composed, one party opens by stating their interests; the other party strikes anything they absolutely don’t want, and adds in any item that was on their list, but not their partner’s. The first party then proposes a menu, usually of items found on both lists, but sometimes with items substituted if, for example, you jointly named four items of interest, all of them entrees.

The second party can accept or propose amendments, and this process continues until you have agreed on a menu. And then … bon appétit. In general, dishes are split scrupulously fairly, but a good dining partner will be careful to ensure that the other person gets the bigger portion of anything they particularly love.

This sounds rather ponderous.

And it probably is the first time you do it. By the 15th time, you will zip through the menu at lightning speed, because you will have a good sense of what your partner is likely to want, and will compose your own list accordingly. Eventually, you’ll find that you actually order faster than a couple following any of the above regimes.

Faster? But how can that be, with all that negotiation?

Because you no longer have to go through the internal negotiation between various wants. When you’re only getting, at most, one appetizer and one entrée, you tend to spend a long time choosing those dishes. When you double the choices, you halve the agony of deciding whether you want pasta or seafood this evening. You’ve also increased your possible solution sets; we may well order one entrée and four appetizers, if that’s the side of the menu we find more appealing.

Who this strategy is good for: Humans who eat.

Bloomberg

driving forces. And in our relentless, often frantic, attempts at bringing an end to protracted wars of attrition, in the overtures we make towards a behemoth of a country that has, without compunction, bullied us over disputed areas of sea, and because international organizations, no matter that we may badmouth them, bring whatever relief it is that they are capable of bringing where war and internal dissensions have made the business of everyday living a miserable struggle, we discern the call to unity and to order that transcends us all. But goodness, truth and unity and order—are these not the attributes that we have traditionally ascribed to God? If then, in our struggles and endeavors as a nation, no matter that these may sometimes be tainted by ignorance, hubris and malice, we discern the response to the summons of truth, goodness and harmony, then we have an answer to the question

raised: Where is God? He is in that earnestness we have about rooting out crime and dealing resolutely with violence. But he is also in the cry of protest against the violations of others’ rights. He is to be recognized in the determination we have to lay recrimination aside and to pursue unity, as he is in the protest that is raised when we yield to the temptation to be vulgar, uncouth and crude.

He is all the acts of goodness, thoughtfulness, unity and mercy of which we are capable—and he is the reason that we are capable of such acts. The Divine is to be recognized in the reality of everyday life that responds to the strikingly persistent, invincible and overpowering summons to kindness, intelligence and unity —despite the arrant cruelty, the unpardonable stupidity and the pathetic divisiveness of which we are capable!

There is a story from the Old Testament that never fails to move me. God instructed his prophet to await him in the

mountain. A tremendous quake struck. The prophet thought that with such might was God to manifest himself. But God was not in the quake. A roaring flame blazed, and once more the prophet thought that in such magnificent power would God be present, but God was not there. A hurricane vented its fury on the mountain, and the prophet was sure that this heralded God’s presence, for He was, after all, the mighty and terrible one, but God was not in the hurricane. And then there blew and gentle breeze that soothed the prophet’s feverish brow, bringing him comfort from the heat, and respite from his ordeals—and the prophet covered his head, for he knew that the God of Mercy was there, and God was there in fact, in the gentleness of a breeze, in the tenderness of a whisper!

Hitler...

From A4 remain in its original state as a testament to man’s inhumanity to man. Heaps of prisoners’ clothes, shoes, luggage and even gold teeth extracted from the victims are on display in various rooms of the place.

Why were the victims’ gold teeth extracted from them? Our Jewish guide told us the gold was melted to be sold to help fund Germany’s war.

Auschwitz is about three and a half hours drive from the Polish capital of Warsaw. I have been to Auschwitz twice not because of a macabre fascination for the grim, dark side of history. As Philippine ambassador to Poland, I had to accompany a visiting delegation of Philippine parliamentarians, including then-Senate President Franklin Drilon and Richard Gordon. The second time was with the late Philippine Star columnist Max Soliven, who like myself, was an avid student of history. Nazi Germany’s forces invaded and occupied Poland, Hun-

gary and France during World War II. Jews were rounded up and loaded on trains to concentration camps. Packed like cattle inside the cargo compartments, those who died on the way to the camps were luckier in that they didn’t have to suffer the torture at the hands of their Nazi captors.

Books on this horrific history of the Jewish people are available in bookstores worldwide, and even locally. But maybe not in Davao.

No amount of clarification by Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella can undo the damage Duterte did to himself. The President’s closest circle of friends and associates, if he allows it, should form a group of advisers to teach him lessons in history, international protocol and elementary courtesy so he does not offend the sensibilities of other people particularly those who have suffered at the hands of a ruthless dictator.

Abella attempted to soften the impact of Duterte’s insensitive gaffe to compare himself to Hitler by saying the President was

rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

being portrayed by international critics as a ruthless dictator in his relentless war on illegal drugs. He added that the government’s effort was to save future generations of Filipinos from the widespread scourge of drug addiction. This sounds like Hitler‘s justification for the extermination of Jews which was to cleanse Germany and Europe of the “Jewish plague.”

So administration apologists are saying Digong is now the savior of the Filipino people? Don’t be surprised if Digong next compares himself to Jesus Christ. But then that would be incompatible with his cursing of Pope Francis for causing monstrous traffic jams during the papal visit to Manila.

To think a Digong disciple even compared Duterte to Singapore’s revered leader Lee Kuan Yew who is respected worldwide.

There’s a world of difference between being respected and reviled. Some people are just on denial mode because they have been given cushy positions in the Duterte administration.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

A5

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SO I SEE LITO BANAYO

Gut WHILE the President is almost single-mindedly focused on the war against illegal drugs, there are other issues that the administration should be working on. These are what we often refer to as “gut” issues.

Latinos call it “politica del estomago,” the gut being the human digestive system, or more precisely, that system through which the human body transfers food to its digestive organs.

There was a time, prior to Martial Law, when the single most defining issue in national elections was the price of rice. In Carlos P. Garcia’s time, it was 80 centavos per ganta (salop in Tagalog), which was a little less than 2 kilos if weighed. This was for the most basic quality of rice, but nonetheless, the good varieties would cost no more than P1.20. Beef was P2 per kilo in the late 50s! (Ah, what one would give for those good times which our mothers waxed about!) And most of the rice was locally produced except for donations from the US of A for calamities and charity, through Public Act 40.

When there was a lack of 80-centavo rice, people howled, and aside from the issue of graft and corruption (which was a political issue since Methuselah I guess), Garcia’s reelection bid was defeated because of rice. “Politica del estomago”—gut issue.

When it was Diosdado P. Macapagal’s time at the bat, the price went up to P1 per ganta, and in 1965, Ferdinand E. Marcos pilloried him at the polls for that. Marcos won over Macapagal, but years later, the system of weights and measures went metric, and so we had rice at P1.20 per kilo, which would have meant P2 per ganta. Ironic.

These days however, with rice imports a cheaper alternative to price stabilization, the “gut” is oft benchmarked on the price of gasoline. The world and the country has progressed (if progress is to be defined in terms of material conveniences) through the years such that aside from the cost of transport being a function of the price of fuel, it also impacts on the price of electricity which households cannot do without. Can you imagine the howl if the masa is unable to watch telenovelas?

Which is why the plan of the Department of Finance to increase the tax on gasoline and derivatives is While it is one “gut” issue that may right to assert need some recalibration.

Everyone is in favor of rationalizing our income- our sovereignty tax structure, making and pursue an it more “pro-poor,” in keeping with the principle independent of progressive taxation.

Inflation has obviously foreign policy, caught up with our we must pursue antiquated tax structures, and a redo of the these while “escalapon” is certainly in order. This space has also being mindful batted for the increase of of the need for excise taxes on “sin,” add to that sugar-based soft balance. drinks principally to help abate the nation’s epidemic of diabetes.

But a hefty tax increase on gasoline and fuel products can be a hot “gut” issue, and one wonders if the same will pass the House, or the 24 republics in the Senate at that. Compromises may be necessary, or perhaps indexation of the tax to the world market price may be an idea whose time has come. If, as expected, global oil prices remain low over the next five years (not over $60 per barrel) save for a major political upheaval, then the thought that tax increments can be adjusted downwards should prices go northward is a comfort—properly communicated of course.

But since oil is a cartelized commodity, as most major commodities are, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries can always reduce their supply to increase the price, as they have done recently, albeit in cautious market-realistic manner.

“Politica del estomago” is always “the” major determinant of political stability. And there are so many ways to upset the applecart, especially in a country which is hardly abundant in food, or oil, or most anything except population.

The obverse to the price gut issues are providing jobs and increasing incomes. But that is easier said than done, even in an environment where government spending is the major driver of economic activity.

It is not easy to simply increase salaries. For government employees, there is a budgetary constraint to consider. For the private sector, more so, because decreeing wage increases can force marginally-profitable enterprises to simply close shop.

So even the foreign policy decision to attract China by warming up the bilateral relationship and putting territorial issues in the backburner has economic rewards as rationale. For if China decides to fund major infrastructure in the country, jobs will be created and a major constraint to continued growth will be remedied.

If Chinese tourists are enticed by their government to visit, thousands of jobs will be created. This should perk up the economy of the islands.

For China, investment directions are still largely state-decided, unlike other countries, particularly in the West, which are private sector-driven. With China, good political relations could mean good economic benefits for the country. One would just hope that our bureaucracy has the proper absorptive capacity to implement such aid and investments quickly enough to address the public’s “gut” expectations.

Still, for the Duterte administration, finding the right “balance” in foreign policy and directions are critical. In economics, equilibrium is optimum. In politics as much, balance is always the desideratum.

Even if the Western powers are currently not in a position to assist us massively in terms of loans and investments, they can throw monkey wrenches at our economic growth. They can influence the investment ratings agencies and international media, the perceptions generated by which can be damaging to the country.

While it is right for the country to assert its sovereignty and pursue an independent foreign policy, and that has been a long time coming, still must we pursue these while being mindful of the need for balance. Even the friends we have alienated in the last administration, such as China, and to a remote extent, Russia, understands that balance is essential.

Politics after all, whether domestic or international, is the art of the possible and possibilities are always balanced by the needs of the moment in pursuit of the larger goals.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

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Tayag: Practice 4S amid Chikungunya outbreak

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE Department of Health has renewed its call for Filipinos to practice the “4S” or four steps to prevenent mosquito-borne diseases following a Chikungunya outbreak in Indang, Cavite where over 400 cases were recorded since January.

Health Assistant Secretary Eric Tayag noted that the mosquitoes carrying the Chikungunya virus are the same carriers of dengue and Zika.

The incidence of mosquito-

related diseases increase during the rainy season, he said.

“This is why our lone campaign against these three diseases is the 4S,” said Tayag, who is also the spokesperson of

the health department.

The 4S covers the following steps: search and destroy breeding grounds of mosquitoes; use self-protection measures like applying insect repellants; searly consultation for fever lasting for more than two days; and say no to indiscriminate fogging.

A Chikungunya outbreak was declared last month in Indang as the number of cases reached 473 even as there are no reported fatalities yet.

Majority of those afflicted with Chikungunya are 15-years-

old and above. Victims have complained of intense arthritis that takes a long time to disappear.

He said the DoH is already in the process of verifying these cases through blood samples, testing not only for Chikungunya but also for dengue and Zika.

Chikungunya, a viral disease transmitted to humans by infected mosquitoes, is characterized by an abrupt onset of fever, frequently accompanied by joint pain, muscle pain, headache, nausea,

fatigue and rashes.

As for Zika, the DoH has already listed 12 cases, with most victims coming from Western Visayas.

DoH quick response teams have been sent to affected areas to conduct case investigations and to recommend specific measures to prevent further spread.

Iloilo City, in particular, is carrying out indoor residual spraying coupled with fogging in affected and high risk areas to reduce adult mosquito density.

Soldiers join fight vs pests

By John Paolo Bencito SOLDIERS have been tapped to join effort to address the problem of cocolisap infestation and other pests affecting crops in Sulu.

Malacañang has sent a highlevel team to work with soldiers and local officials to assess coconut plantations in Kajatian in Indanan and Upper Tambaking in Maimbung.

The government has vowed to provide assistance in areas of de-infestation and crop pest control, crop management, technology transfer and agrientrepreneurship for affected farmers.

“Soldiers are active partners of local residents in community livelihood programs. The collaboration of different agencies with soldiers in areas like Sulu is to ensure the safety of the technical team and provide mechanism for the safe and unimpeded transport of agriproducts,” said Brig. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, commander of Joint Task Force Sulu.

Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol earlier ordered massive efforts be exerted to immediately contain the cocolisap infestation in Basilan, Sulu, Zamboanga Peninsula and Caraga region.

Basilan had already declared a state of calamity amid the ongoing military operations against the terrorist group Abu Sayyaf and to save its P2.2billion coconut industry, a primary livelihood source in the war-torn province.

Piñol said these insects could lead to the collapse of the coconut industry in the southern Philippines and worsen poverty in the farming sector.

Piñol said he issued a directive to DA regional officials to undertake massive efforts to support the Philippine Coconut Authority in containing the cocolisap infestation.

STUCK. Rescuers help Rowel de Suloc, a personnel of the Department of Public Works and Highways, who was pinned by dilapidated iron slabs at the Balete Pumping Station in Ermita, Manila. N. Araga

20 states sign pact for migrants’ rights

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista has led 53 governors, mayors and local government officials from over 20 countries in signing a commitment to promote and advance the rights, protection and empowerment of migrants and their families.

The two-day 3rd Global Mayoral Forum from Sept. 29 to Sept. 30 paved the way for the signing of the document

called the “Quezon City Commitment.”

According to Bautista, the commitment of action is a guiding principle for the adoption of developmental policies necessary to enable migrants to become productive members of the society.

The signatories vowed to collaborate for the creation of an enabling and conducive environment for migrants and their families, including the implementation of initiatives and ac-

tions to ensure that migration is experienced as a positive development phenomenon.

“What we are doing is start forming our own working group focusing on Asean migration concerns. Then we can be part of the larger working group that will involve all the mayors here present and others who are also selected to come up with guidelines for universal application,” Bautista said.

Legazpi City Mayor Noel Ro-

sal proposed the creation of an informal working group among the mayors for the purpose of developing a blueprint for local governments on migrants in countries in crisis.

The creation of working groups is needed to help discuss and thresh out problems, challenges and solutions more extensively and see what parallels can be drawn from each relative to their respective experiences, perspectives and good practices, Bautista said.

DoH launches oral health campaign for IP children A REGIONAL office of the Department of Health has launched its oral health campaign targeting pre-school children of indigenous families, starting with Mangyan residents of Villa Pag-Asa in Bansud, Oriental Mindoro.

“This is one of our government’s promise to bring health services to far-off rural communities who have the least opportunity to take advantage of our government’s health products, services and facilities,” said DoH Mimaropa Regional Director Eduardo Janairo.

“We will not be deterred by the common excuses of poor healthseeking behavior, absence of adequate road infrastructure or lack of transportation facilities in these areas. We will bring whatever health services they need and will regularly do so with the support of our local health workers,” he added.

Janairo said the campaign is focused on the importance of early edu-

cation on proper oral health routine.

At least 70 families were provided with dental check-up while at least 30 children had their decaying teeth removed.

“By training them at a young age, we can emphasize the importance of oral health care so that they can pass this on to their families. The foundation for a healthy set of permanent teeth forms during the first two years of a child,” he said.

“I urge parents to instill to their children the importance of oral hygiene.

Supervise them during the brushing of their teeth while encouraging them to regularly brush after every meal,” the DoH official added.

The oral health status of Filipino children is still a major concern as shown by the National Oral Health Survey which revealed that 97.1 percent of public elementary school students or six-year-old children suffer from tooth decay.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

SOLAR POWER. St. Scholastica’s Academy of Marikina formally launched its 204 kw solar photovoltaic system, the biggest of its kind in Marikina City, installed by solar solutions provider Green Heat. The school will save approximately P19 million annually in electricity bills with the solar power project. Lino Santos

Lower taxes for MSEs pushed ASIDE from reducing personal income tax, the government must also provide small businesses with lower income tax rate and a simplified tax process to stimulate their growth, Senator Bam Aquino said over the weekend.

While he is certain that the personal income tax reform will be passed, the senator said the government must include tax reform for small businesses in its tax reform package.

“With all the support from the executive, we’re certain the personal income tax reform will be passed. What we should also focus on is the Small Business Tax Reform Act to help our small businessmen,” said Aquino, referring to his Senate Bill No. 169.

Aquino’s bill seeks to provide small businesses with a lower income tax rate, VAT exemption and simplified filing of taxes.

Under the measure, all small businesses shall be exempt from payment of income tax for the first three years of operation from the date of establishment and will be subjected to lower income tax rates beginning on the fourth year.

Small businesses earning less than P300,000 will be exempted from income tax while those with income ranging P300,000 up to P10,000,000 will be subjected to a 10-percent income tax rate.

“This bill also proposes the lowering of the income tax rate for MSEs [micro and small enterprises] and an exemption from VAT, among other methods to help our small businesses grow,” he said.

He also stressed the need for simpler taxation, saying the Philippines placed 126th out of 189 economies in the Ease of Paying Taxes 2016 study.

“This must change. The Small Business Tax Reform Act will simplify tax procedures and unburden our small businesses of the complex tax process,” he said. Macon Ramos-Araneta

‘Election period in effect’ A POLL watchdog has urged the Commission on Elections to implement the prohibited acts that should be in effect during an election period in the absence of a law postponing the Oct. 31 barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls.

National Movement for Free Elections secretary-general Eric Alvia said it is only proper for the poll body to implement what is provided under the law since the postponement of the polls scheduled at the end of this month is not yet clear.

“The bill has not been signed yet by the President. So, technically, we are in an election period already. Given that, prohibited acts, such as appointment bans or even the gun ban, should be in effect,” he said.

“They have to observe and implement the prevailing law,” the Namfrel official added.

Based on Comelec’s calendar of activities, the election period will run from Oct. 1 to Nov. 7.

Among the prohibited acts during an election period are carrying of firearms or other deadly weapons; use of security personnel or bodyguards by candidates; transfer or detail of officers and employees in the civil service, including public school teachers; organizing or maintaining reaction forces, strike forces or similar forces; and suspension of any elective provincial, city, municipal or barangay officer.

Alvia acknowledged that the situation right now is not entirely Comelec’s fault.

“In this case, they are delaying or withholding implementation due to unclear policy signals. This is not entirely their fault,” he said.

Comelec has already suspended all activities related to the scheduled polls even as President Rodrigo Duterte has yet to sign into law the measure that will pave the way for the election postponement. PNA

Sports

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Tiger helps Spieth, Reed get Ryder win

C

HASKA—US stars Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed won Ryder Cup bragging rights over Europe’s top duo of Justin Rose and Henrik Stenson, thanks to Tiger Woods getting them the chance.

Reed and Spieth defeated Rio Olympic champion Rose and British Open champion Stenson 2 and 1 in four-balls Saturday for a second victory in three matches at Hazeltine, having split two meetings Friday.

“We wanted Rose and Stenson again. They wanted to play us again,” Spieth said. “We wanted them in this best-ball format and so we were very pleased to get the

call to go back out for our fourth match of the week.”

That call almost never came, US captain Davis Love said, because there were several lineups floated for afternoon four-balls pairings, some with Spieth and Reed sitting out.

“We had a lot of scenarios,” Love admitted. “Everybody was texting me their lineup. We got a little panicky because everybody

had a different idea. Even my son threw a lineup out. He’s my cart driver.”

Woods, a 14-time major winner and US assistant captain who has missed more than a year with a back injury, became Love’s decider.

“I finally just said to Tiger, ‘Are we playing them or are we sitting them?’” Love said.

“He said, ‘No, you have to send them back out there, they are playing so well.’”

Reed and Spieth dropped four of the last six holes to halve a morning foursomes match they had led since the second hole against Spaniards Sergio Garcia and Rafa Cabrera Bello.

But they got another chance in the afternoon against Rose and Stenson.

“We know how stout that team is because they had not lost a match in Ryder Cup play together until this week. And we love that challenge,” Spieth said. “We hadn’t lost a match in Ryder Cup play together until this week, so we thought, why not throw us against them.”

Reed won four holes in a row starting at the fifth, a hole-out eagle at the par-5 sixth helping move the US from 1-down to 3-up. After Rose and Stenson pulled within 1-down when Rose birdied 13, Reed won 14 and 15 with birdies to help end the rally. AFP

Valdez, Customs test Lady Maroons’ mettle Games today

12:30 p.m. – Cignal vs IEM (ST) 4 p.m. – UST vs Coast Guard (SVL) 6 p.m. – UP vs Customs (SVL)

ALYSSA Valdez hopes to come out strong coming off a long lay-off from competitive play as newcomer Bureau of Customs tangles with a vastly improved University of the Philippines side in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Reinforced Conference at the Philsports Arena Monday.

Valdez, widely regarded as the face of women’s volleyball, last saw action with BaliPure last July when the Water Defenders fell short of their bid against Michelle Gumabao-led Pocari Sweat squad in the semis of the Open Conference. The Lady Warriors went on to beat the Air Force Jet Spikers and clinch the championship on Pocari Sweat’s first stint in the country’s premier league sponsored by Shakey’s.

Riveras, Ortiz rule 10th leg of PH slalom

Murray aims for no. 1 rank in Beijing BEIJING—Andy Murray is hoping to cap his strong season with a late-season run at Novak Djokovic’s long-held number one ranking as he arrived in Beijing on Sunday.

Six-time China Open winner Djokovic is not in the Chinese capital to defend his almost flawless tournament record, after an elbow injury picked up earlier in the season forced him to withdraw.

But there are plenty of lateseason points on the table—all of which the Serbian is defending after a stellar 2015— opening the door for the Scot to summit the rankings by the year end.

If Murray—who skipped Beijing last year—can scoop his fifth title of the season at the China Open, he would close the 4,695 point gap between him and the number one by 1,000 points.

“I think obviously trying to reach number one is a goal,” Murray told reporters in Beijing.

“It’s something I would like to do for the first time, which is maybe more of a motivation for me than some of the guys that have been there before.”

Murray bagged his second Wimbledon crown and Olympic gold medal this season.

He also reached the final of the Australian and French Opens, but missed out on a second consecutive Davis Cup win, losing to Argentina.

“It’s been my best season to date, and I want to try to finish it as best as I can,” Murray said in Beijing. AFP

But Valdez, a former two-time league MVP, has switched sides, signing up with Customs which she also hopes to steer to the championship on its maiden campaign in the league where it all started.

“It’s a new challenge and I know it’s going to be exciting. I’m looking forward to a healthy competition,” said Valdez, who will be clashing with her former teammates from Ateneo and BaliPure on Oct. 12.

But she will have the Lady Maroons to contend with first as they face-off at 6 p.m. in what promises to be a slam-bang duel between two of the fancied teams in the importlaced conference of the league backed by Mikasa as official ball and Accel as official outfitter.

Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas tries to ride the momentum of their 25-15, 20-25, 25-13, 25-21 victory over Air Force last Saturday as it shoots for a second straight win against Coast Guard at 4 p.m.

Gabie Desales, a promising Lady slalom driver, a product of MSDP, is shown with Mike Santos and Mentor Mark Desales.

Coach E set in 7 venues starting Oct. 14 THE second semester of Coach E Basketball School unfurls in seven venues beginning Oct. 14 at the Celebrity Sports Plaza.

Open for boys and girls aged four to 16 years old, the second semester classes will be held in different venues from key cities in the metropolis – Celebrity Sports Plaza and Ateneo de Manila University covered courts in Quezon City, the Zone in Malugay St., Makati, Mother Goose Nursery School and Greenhills West in San Juan, San Beda College in Alabang and Valle Verde 2 in Pasig City.

Classes at Celebrity Sports Plaza will

begin on October 14, Friday from 5 to 7 p.m.

The Zone and Mother Goose will hold sessions starting Oct. 15, Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, while classes at Valle Verde 2, Greenhills West, San Beda and Ateneo will be held on the same day, but with a different schedule of 2 to 4 p.m.

The second semester classes will have eight-sessions and will run until Dec. 11.

A one-day tournament will be arranged for all participants, which will be divided according to their skills level to be followed by the graduation rites in this event

which will have Molten as its official ball and partner.

Interested participants can contact 6311195 /6684347 09088846947 or email coachebasketball@gmail.com Online payment is available through Coach E website, www. coach-e.com, via Paypal.

Registration can be made thru walk in.

Coach E Basketball School is also offering a whole year round basketball, tri-mester program. Tri-mester. The third semester will be held from January to March 2017.

TEAMMATES and brothers Milo and Estefano Rivera of Tough Gear Racing Team ruled the recent 10th leg of the Phoenix National Slalom Series at Robinsons Antipolo.

Milo Rivera captured the overall and production best time of the day with a 44.62-second clocking, while his brother Estefano came in second with 45.00.

They were followed by Dr. Peewee Mendiola of Team Big Chill at third (45.04), while AF Racing’s Dion Ortiz (45.70) and Richard Gallardo (46.36) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

Ortiz also clinched the Novice Best Time and the Front Wheel Best Time, where he was followed by Richard Gallardo with 46.36.

Winners for the ninth leg were awarded their trophies and given 4 liters of Phoenix Accelerate fully synthetic motor oil.

The 2016 Phoenix National Slalom Series is powered by Phoenix Premium 98 and Phoenix Accelerate fully synthetic oil and co-sponsored by official tires Federal Tyres, Outlast Battery, Hotel Sogo and Robinsons Antipolo.

The event was also supported by Starbright Body Kits, Auto Transporter, Aeromed, media partners Stoplight TV, Inside Motoring, DZRJ-Am, Pinoy Speed sa mga Pahayagan, Spin.Ph Sports Interactive Network, C! Magazine, Ride and Drive Philippines, Targa Pilipinas, Auto Industriya and Power Wheels Magazine.

All events are sanctioned and affiliated by the Automobile Club of the Philippines.

The 11th leg for the year will be on Oct. 9 at Robinsons Novaliches, while third leg for the Phoenix Slalom Invitational will be on Nov. 20 at Robinsons Calasiao Pangasinan.

The 12th and final leg of the National Series will be on Dec. 4 at Robinsons Starmills Pampanga.

For details, contact Bing Bang Dulce at tel. no. 09178119337, or like the event’s Facebook page racemotorsportsclub and phoenixpetroleum.

Injury risks

Memorandum og agreement. Philippine Superliga President Ramon Suzara (seated, left) and F2 Logistics President and CEO Efren Uy swap documents as they sign an agreement making F2 Logistics the official team sponsor of the team now known as PSL-F2 Logistics Manila, which will compete against several strong foreign countries for the 2016 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship set Oct. 18 to 23 at the MOA Arena. Witnessing the event is Sen. Allan Peter Cayetano (standing, left), the honorary president of the Local Organizing Committee for the WCWC; and Siegbert Brutschin, General Director of Eventcourt, the international organizing group for the event. Roman Prospero

Raptors stun Warriors LOS ANGELES—The NBA preseason tipped off on Saturday with the Toronto Raptors making a statement before handing the Golden State Warriors a 97-93 defeat in Vancouver.

Raptors players stood with arms locked during both the Canadian and US national anthems in their version of the controversial anthem protests sparked by NFL player Colin Kaepernick as a comment on social injustice and racial inequality.

With that message sent, the Raptors went on to spoil Kevin Durant’s first game with his new Warriors team.

Four-time NBA scoring champion Durant, who departed the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Warriors on a two-year, $54.3 million deal, was booed by fans, who apparently feel his move to Golden State—the 2015 NBA champions who came within one game of a title repeat last season—is an attempt to take a shortcut to a title.

Durant scored nine points and pulled down four rebounds while reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Stephen Curry added eight for Golden State. AFP

INJURY-PRONE is a label no athlete wants to be stuck with, but for purposes of fantasy basketball, the discerning manager must learn who among the NBA’s hundreds of players carry this scarlet letter on their jerseys and avoid them like the plague. They may be good, but there’s a slim-to-none chance that these injured pros come back even better than their pre-hurt selves.

This information is even more relevant for fantasy managers who participate in live drafts, whether the standard snake style or auction method, as the NBA’s preseason games are already unfolding. You don’t want to go blind into a draft and learn afterward that Khris Middleton is going to be out six months, or—in more recent news—that rookie top pick Ben Simmons will be out at least three months with a fractured toe on his right foot. Talk about the 76ers’ dumb luck with its draftees, but if there’s anything Philadelphia has learned, it’s to to “trust the process” in their last three losing seasons.

As an aside, the diligent fantasy manager will also observe these seemingly meaningless tuneup matches, as they give a peek into how coaches will play certain lineups and distribute minutes for each player in his rotation when the real season begins. The more minutes a player gets, the more chances he gets to produce statistics, and thus the more fantasy relevant he becomes.

So here are a handful of players who have a medical red flags that I personally won’t be drafting (consciously anyway). But if you do pick them, whether intentionally or (gulp) you autodrafted them, I offer substitutes or “handcuff” teammates in case said player crumbles faster than a potato chip under a “pison”: Centers: Brook Lopez and Marc Gasol. Lopez again enjoyed a good turn of health last season as he played 73 games and posted second-round per-game value for the Brooklyn

FANTASY FANATIC JIMBO GULLE Nets. But you’ll always have to be wary of the foot injury that limited him to just 22 games in two seasons from 2011 to 2013. The younger Gasol now has the same injury as Bropez— and thus presents the same dilemma for Memphis. Although the big Spaniard’s ceiling is as a first-round stud, new Grizzlies coach David Fizdale has already declared he will sit Gasol in some back-to-back games, undercutting his value. SUBS/CUFFS: Justin Hamilton (Nets)/ Brandan Wright (Grizzlies) Power Forwards: Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin. You’ll always have to wonder how high The Brow can fly for the Pelicans, but Davis is coming off knee and shoulder surgery that put him out for five months. Anybody picking him should be prepared for New Orleans to deploy him for just 60 games or less. As for Dunkin’ Griffin, last year was more of a freak injury year, but even the Clippers are concerned about his quad injury flaring up, which limited him to just 35 games last season for the other Los Angeles team. SUBS/CUFFS: Terrence Jones (Pelicans)/ Luc Mbah a Moute (Clippers) Small Forwards: Danilo Gallinari and Tyreke Evans. Gallinari is not as durable as the most famous Italian Stallion (Rocky Balboa) thanks to a troublesome ankle, but at his best Gallo produces fourth-round value as the top outside gunner on a now-deep Denver Nuggets outfit.

Evans, meanwhile, is a far cry from his dominating Sacramento days yet still managed to eke out sixth-round value in 25 games for the Pelicans last campaign. SUBS/CUFFS: Will Barton (Nuggets)/Lance Stephenson (Pelicans)

Shooting Guards: Bradley Beal and Eric Gordon. I’ve never drafted Beal, whose hype train still goes pretty strong and just netted himself a near-max deal this summer, but I for one won’t count on him to produce the same eighth-round value he did last season in 55 games for Washington. Gordon’s case is one of redemption now that he’s with the Rockets, but I don’t see him playing much more than the 45 outings he had for New Orleans in 2015 thanks to a fractured finger. SUBS/CUFFS: Trey Burke (Wizards)/ Corey Brewer (Rockets) Point Guards: Eric Bledsoe and Derrick Rose.

Yes, I know I pimped Bledsoe in a previous column, but you just can’t ignore a torn meniscus, as the knee is pretty important to any athlete. He did post an impressive second-round value in just 31 games for Phoenix last season, but he is still in a crowded backcourt. Rose, meanwhile, is someone we hope will bloom in a new Garden (of Madison Square in New York), but the fact is he has not been the same since his MVP season five years ago. SUBS/CUFFS: Devin Booker (Suns)/ Brandon Jennings (Knicks).

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Sports

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

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Ateneo shuttlers in semis

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

ATENEO booked the remaining men’s semifinals berth in the UAAP Season 79 badminton tournament with a 3-1 victory over University of Santo Tomas in Sunday’s do-or-die playoff.

The Blue Eagles avenged last Saturday’s 2-3 defeat to the Growling Tigers at the end of the preliminaries.

Ateneo will now face fierce rival De La Salle in the first stepladder semis, a knockout affair, on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

Three-peat seeking National University is already in the bestof-three championship series after winning all its seven eliminationround ties, while University of the Philippines holds the twice-tobeat bonus in the second step-ladder semis after finishing second with a 6-1 card.

In the women’s division, Ateneo swept NU, 3-0, to forge a second stepladder semis showdown with twice-to-beat De La Salle on Wednesday.

Clarence Filart drew first blood for the Eagles in the first singles match, hacking out a 21-17, 21-11 win over Christian Yabut.

Jan Mangubat made it a 2-0 lead for Ateneo following a 2113, 21-11 dismantling of Kristian Barrios in the second singles.

UST’s Paul Pantig and Edgar Reyes carved out a 21-16, 21-16 win over over Filart and Sean Chan in the first doubles to stay alive.

Hanz Bernardo and Mangubat then prevailed over Mark Sotea and Barrios, 21-12, 21-18, in the second doubles to clinch the tie for the Eagles.

UAAP fans in all shapes and sizes, and dressed in different colors showed up at the La Salle-Ateneo game on Sunday. Only a handful of supporters answered the call by school authorities to wear black to protest extra judicial killings. At right, La Salle big man Ben Mbala shoots against Ateneo’s Chibueze Ikeh. Ey Acasio

Archers beat Eagles to a pulp T

By Peter Atencio

HE La Salle Green Archers hardly missed injured ace scorer Jeron Teng and suspended coach Aldin Ayo and prevailed in a fast-paced encounter with the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 97-81.

The Green Archers, led by Teng will miss more games if Mbala with a double-double he needs more time to recover performance of 28 points and from his injury through therapy.

13 rebounds, unraveled a blis“This game is really a testimotering second quarter run that ny of what coach Aldin teaches gave them full control of the these players. He’s just respongame afterwards. sible. Naging responGames Wednesday Mbala hit 15 points sible sila throughout (Mall of Asia Arena) in the first half, while the game, na kahit 2 p.m. Adamson vs UST Andrei Caracut had ano pagawa namin, 4 p.m. FEU vs NU 14 for the Green Arna kahit alam namchers, who played without ace ing mahirap, at pagod na sila, scorer Teng, who is resting fol- they still found a way to submit lowing surgery last Friday for a to the coaches and the system,” recurring ankle injury. said assistant coach Louie GonAyo missed the game after he zales as La Salle went on to claim was suspended for his actions their best start since 2002. against a referee in the first half of Gonzales added that Teng will their game with the University of be gone for a week, after recovthe East Warriors last Wednesday. ering from surgery to remove

bone spurs on his right ankle.

UAAP supporters in all shapes and sizes, and dressed in different colors showed up at the game. Only a handful of supporters answered the call of school authorities to wear black to protest extra judicial killings. Many fans ignored the call and expressed on Facebook and Twitter that politics and sports should never mix.

Meanwhile, the University of the East Warriors stepped up with their zone defense in the last period and turned the tables on the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 64-57,their first win in seven games.

The Falcons absorbed their third setback in six matches.

Twin cage meets in Lucena set THE 7th Governor’s Cup and the 1st Gov. David C. Suarez Intercollegiate Basketball League will begin at the Quezon Convention Center in Lucena City on Oct. 7 at 1 pm.

The twin opener will feature 10 commercial teams and 10 colleges and universities representing municipalities of Quezon province.

Vying for the 7th Governor’s Cup are Beware, San Antonio, Sariaya, Pagbilao, Lucena, PNP, BJMP, Kariz, Calayan and Mauban, while competing schools in the inter-collegiate are STI, ABE, Mary Hill College, St. Anne, SLSU-Lucena, SLSU-Lucban, Lucena City Colleges, Sacred Heart College, Sto. Cristo de Burgos and Ryleigh College.

This handed the Green Archers their seventh straight win and the solo lead at the end of their first-round campaign in the 79th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena on Sunday.

The Green Archers proved unstoppable with their running

game all throughout and were never in trouble after they enjoyed their biggest lead at 85-58 on big man Ben Mbala’s attacks early in the fourth period.

They were already ahead by 26, 62-36, in the remaining 7:28 of the third period, when Thomas Torres unloaded a triple before a sellout crowd of 16,212.

Lions vow to bounce back vs Perpetual

Bolts shoot for 1st-ever finals appearance

THE San Beda Red Lions are not expected to go down easily in their rubber match with the University of Perpetual Help Altas on Tuesday.

Expect them to come out fighting hard for a win that will send them to the finals of the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament.

“We’ll be coming in with all guns blazing,” said Red Lions’ coach Jamike Jarin after the Red Lions bowed to the Altas, 83-87, at the start of their Final Four affair last Friday.

In that game, the Altas were hot with their shooting, making 60 percent of their field goals after taking charge right away, 21-9, in the first period.

Leading the charge for the Red Lions was Robert Bolick, who had 21 points in a game that saw the Mendiola-based dribblers lose in a Final Four clash with the Altas only for the second time in a decade.

AC Soberano added 16 points for the Lions, who will be seeking their 11th finals stint.

The Altas succeeded in holding down San Beda’s offense, which produced around 47 of their 79 attempts.

It was the first time that the Altas won over the Red Lions in the playoffs in 12 years.

During the game, Gab Dagangon made 27 for the Altas, including 11 points in the fourth period.

His undergoal stab put Perpetual on top for good, 85-83, with 19.7 to go.

Bright Akhuetie had 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Daryl Singontiko was a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc on his way to 15 markers. Peter Atencio

By Jeric Lopez CAN Meralco finally break through all the way and make history?

That will be answered as the peaking Bolts seek their first-ever finals appearance as they go up against TNT KaTropa again in the semifinals of the 2016 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. Surprisingly ahead, 2-1, in this best-of-five semis series,

Meralco can reach the final round with another win in Game 4 today at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

With confidence and momentum on the Bolts’ side, Meralco coach Norman Black is certainly aiming higher for his evolving squad, especially at this point with a golden opportunity at hand.

“We want to realize our dream of winning a championship. We need to keep our effort at the high-

est level,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “Why not dream big? Why not think big?”

The Bolts took the crucial Game 3, 119-113, last Saturday night after a strong finish in the clutch as they showed how mature they already are at this stage after six years in the league.

Six Meralco chargers tallied in twin-digits in a complete team effort.

“I’m so proud of our guys for getting over the hump. But still,

it’s not yet over. We still need to finish it,” added Black.

Top seed TNT KaTropa was an overwhelming favorite coming into the series but that seems to be an afterthought, at least for now.

The Tropang Texters need to recapture their winning formula just to stay alive and force a deciding Game 5.

After winning Game 1 convincingly, many thought TNT, being the favored team, might have a relatively easy time against the

maturing Bolts.

However, Meralco has come of age in the last two games as it took both to put itself on the brink of finally making the finals.

Meanwhile, Barangay Ginebra is currently trying to clinch the first finals seat as of this writing.

The Gin Kings, ahead 2-1, can finish off and dethrone defending champion San Miguel in their own Game 4 over at the other side of the bracket.

Barriga outpoints veteran foe

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

OFF TO THE RACES. 42K runners excitedly start the Run United Philippine Marathon, the last installment this year of ActiveHealth’s Run United series, which was held at the SM MOA Grounds.

FORMER 2012 Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga put on a fine exhibition of boxing when he handily outpointed veteran Powell Balaba at the comfortable and air-conditioned Strike Revilla Gymnasium in Bacoor City, Cavite.

The fight card, staged by United International Promotions of Ryuta Kato of Japan and his top Executive Warren Evison, unfortunately didn’t draw a big crowd because of the heavy rains, but the fights didn’t lack excitement.

Southpaw Barriga, who turned pro last July 30, boxed beautifully, ripping jabs to the head and double-hooks to the body of Balaba.

The experience of Balaba didn’t mean anything to the hugely talented Barriga,

whose movement and hand-speed were a delight to watch.

All three judges had Barriga the winner by a wide margin, with Gil Co turning in an 80-72 shutout, and Jojo Llanera and Danilo Lopez returning identical 79-73 scorecards.

If he is able to add some power, as former world champion Luisito Espinosa did during his career, then Barriga should be a force to reckon with in the light flyweight division, where he remains unbeaten with a 2-0 record having earlier beaten Melvin Mananquil over six rounds last July 30.

Balaba, from Cagayan de Oro City, tried his best but Barriga was simply too good in a fight card that was graced

by Mayor Lani Mercado, wife of senator Bong Revilla, from the start.

Camp John Hay ‘fairly challenging’ at PAL Ladies Interclub BAGUIO—The PAL Ladies Interclub field will be up to a “fairly challenging” test starting Oct. 4 when the 2016 edition of the tournament tees off at scenic Camp John Hay Golf Club here.

Tournament director Henry Arabelo will supervise the set-up of the well-manicured layout, a Jack Nicklaus-designed gem that is about 5,000 feet above sea level.

Playing as a par-69, the tourna-

ment will use the regular men’s tees, which will be just under 4,700 yards with pins to be placed strategically to ensure fairness and toughness at the same time, according to Arabelo.

Manila Southwoods-Masters will be shooting to win the centerpiece Championship Division for a sixth straight time that would extend its unprecedented streak as Cebu Country Club tries—again—to dislodge

the Carmona-based lasses.

Pauline del Rosario, who finished second to Princess Superal in the professional ICTSI tour for the second straight time on Friday, will be spearheading SWMasters’ charge with Abby Arevalo taking a leave because of studies in the United States.

Arevalo, who is on a golfing scholarship at San Jose State, was the individual champion in Bacolod

last year, when she led SW-Masters to a come-from-behind win.

Sister Irina and Junia Gabasa will be the main bets of Cebu CC, which will also be missing the services of ace Lois Kaye Go even as trophies in the Founders, Sportswriters and Friendship Divisions are also up for grabs in the 72-hole event.

Teams will be represented by four players each day, with only the top three scores to count

and each player playing just two rounds over four days, making fielding an integral part.

Major sponsors of the 72-hole championship include Solar Entertainment Corp., Airbus, Business Mirror, Mareco Broadcasting Network, People Asia and Manila Broadcasting Corp. Other backers are Philippine Daily Inquirer, Fonterra, Mega Fiber, Mastercard, Tanduay Distillers and Zalora.

‘PH to weather volatilities’ B3

IN BRIEF Peza investments grow 5% to P78b

PHILIPPINE Economic Zone Authority said investment pledges increased 5 percent to P78 billion in the first nine months from a year ago, in line with its target for the year.

“So far, we have now P78 billion or 5 percent up versus the same period last year. Traditionally, bigger investments are poured in the last quarter of the year,” said Peza officerin-charge Justo Porfirio Yusingco.

Peza director-general Lilia de Lima retired in May 2016. Malacañang announced the appointment of former Butuan City Rep. Charito Plaza as the new head of the agency.

Yusingco said investments had not slowed down after the May election. “This means nobody is leaving the Philippines. I don’t see any slowing down of investments after election,” he said.

He said investments in ecozone developments reached the highest among all projects, followed by manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Peza plans to seek for an exemption from the moratorium in land conversion to build more economic zones.

“As of now, we barely have enough available lots in existing ecozones. We need to increase the number of ecozones because we have the momentum,” he said. Othel V. Campos

Neda opposes ban on land conversion

THE National Economic and Development Authority said it strongly opposes the plan to freeze farm land conversion.

Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the move to impose a two-year moratorium on the conversion of about 4.7 million agricultural lands distributed under agrarian reform programs was “detrimental” and “anti-poor.”

Pernia said the agency would issue a position paper regarding the two-year agricultural land conversion, which he said would be tackled during the Cabinet meeting today.

“The problem here is a ban in land conversion will have an adverse impact on housing because many areas are not really suited for agriculture but they are better suited for housing,” Pernia said, citing the 5.5 million backlog in the housing system.

“We need to have more lots where housing can be constructed. Most of this backlog is for the poor so it’s [land conversion ban] actually gonna be anti-poor. It’ss going to delay our objective of providing housing to the population especially the poor sector of the population,” Pernia said. Gabrielle H. Binaday

MPIC shortlisted for Indonesia road

THE tollway unit of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. was shortlisted to acquire a toll road project in Indonesia.

“We made an offer for an Indonesian tollway. It’s outstanding and I understand we’ve been shortlisted,” Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan said the toll road had a length of more than 100 kilometers. He did not provide other details because of a confidentiality agreement.

“I think in a few weeks [there would be a result]. There’s a process that the sellers have adopted. They have advisers and so forth,” he said.

MPTC president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said said the company was expecting the results this week.

Pangilinan said MPTC was also looking for a possible toll road investment in Malaysia.

MPTC Group operates the North Luzon Expressway, Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and Manila-Cavite Expressway. It also has investments in Thailand and Vietnam.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Business

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

Neda unit endorses P52-b infra projects T

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

HE Investment Coordination Committee-Cabinet Committee endorsed P52.2 billion worth of infrastructure projects, including a larger port terminal in Cebu and a new toll road in Bulacan, for the approval of the National Economic and Development board headed by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Neda said these projects included the widening of a Metro Manila road and six regional projects that aimed to disperse development and re-balance national economic growth to the regions.

“These projects will ensure the realization of the Duterte administration’s goals to reduce poverty and inequality by focusing on regional, rural, and agricultural development,” said Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

The lone project approved for Metro Manila was the improvement or widening of the General Luis Road Project which is estimated to cost P2.8 billion.

The projects aims to improve the road condition and ease traffic flow along the

8.89-kilometer General Luis-KaybigaPolo-Novaliches Road, which runs from Quirino Highway in Quezon City to General MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City.

The Public Works Department expects to start the project by January 2018 and complete it by January 2019, following a 24/7 construction schedule.

Meanwhile, the New Cebu International Container Port Project is estimated to cost P9.2 billion, with proposed funding through official development assistance. The project will be built on a 25-hectare reclaimed island in the town of Consolacion, Cebu that aims to decongest the existing Cebu International Port,

which already exceeded its optimal yard utilization rate due to an increased cargo volume entering the port and its area limitation of only 14 hectares.

“The NCICP is a new and modern international container port facility necessary to sustain the level of development in Cebu,” Neda said, The project is proposed to be implemented by the Department of Transportation and the Cebu Port Authority starting third quarter of 2017 until the second quarter of 2020.

Other projects endorsed by the Neda unit are the P10.5-billion Plaridel Bypass Toll Road Project in Bulacan; the P2.7-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project; the P21-billion expansion of the Philippine Rural Development Project; the proposed change in scope, cost and financing of the ongoing Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project Stage 2 with a cost of P5.4 billion; and the scaling-up of the Second Cordillera Highlands Agricultural Resources Management Project of the Agriculture Department which is projected to cost P601.09 million.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

B1

MetroPac to convert QC waste into power

By Jennifer B. Austria INFRASTRUCTURE conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corp. is investing P15 billion to build a waste-to-energy project in Payatas, Quezon City.

Metro Pacific teamed up with US-based Covanta, a world leader in providing sustainable waste and energy solutions, and Macquarie as technical partners for the venture.

Metro Pacific chairman Manuel Pangilinan said the unsolicited project would be subject to the approval of the Quezon City government.

“If we are successful here, this can be template for other local government units to address their solid waste and dumping. Nobody wants these wastes to be dumped in their backyard,” Pangilinan said.

The proposed facility will have a capacity to handle 3,000 tons a day of solid waste and produce 30 to 40 megawatts of power.

Covanta, based in New Jersey, has over 50 waste-to-energy facilities around the world, handling 20 million tons of wastes which are enough to produce renewable energy to power one million homes.

B2

Business

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock index seen falling to 7,300

By Jennifer B. Austria

S

TOCKS are expected to move sideways with a downward bias toward the 7,300-point level in the coming weeks, as the market continues to be influenced by developments here and abroad.

BPI Asset Management said the index could still hit a low of 7,300 points, after falling 1.2 percent last week.

“For next week, we expect the Philippine stock market to continue being swayed by sentiment-driven flows. We expect the index to find floor at 7,300,” BPI Asset Management said.

Regina Capital Development Corp. man-

aging director Luis Limlingan, however, said the market’s sideways movement could have a slight bias on the upside as the index formed a strong base at 7,550 level over the past few weeks.

“However this does not mean that the index is on it way to establishing an uptrend as it is currently trading in a high volatility environment,” Limlingan said.

He said to handle the market’s current volatility, investors should adopt a quick trade strategy particularly for stocks that have a defined swing patterns.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index ended 1.2 percent lower to 7,629.73 on Sept. 30, while the broader all-share index declined 1.2 percent to 4,533.24.

Except for the property index which inched up by 0.5 percent, all other subindices ended in the red, led by services (-3.4 percent), holding firms (-1.5 percent), finan-

cials (-1.2 percent), industrial (-1.1 percent) and mining and oil (-0.7 percent).

After several weeks of net foreign selling, overseas investors posted P3.6 billion in net foreign buying this week. Total foreign buying reached P24.7 billion, while foreign selling amounted to P21.09 billion.

Net foreign inflows amounted to P35.1 billion since the start of the year. Despite the market’s recent decline, the PSEi was still up 9.8 percent since the start of the year.

Top gainers last week were Leisure & Resorts World Corp. which jumped 25.2 percent to P5.51, Megawide Construction Corp. which advanced 6 percent to P15.88 and Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. which went up by 4.2 percent to P5.39.

Heavy losers were Bloomberry Resorts Corp. which declined 21.4 percent to P4.56, and LT Group Inc. which dropped 6.5 percent to P15.30.

PAL expects to post profit in third quarter

By Darwin G. Amojelar PHILIPPINE Airlines expects to post a net profit in the third quarter, on the back of higher passenger traffic, a top executive said over the weekend.

“In terms of profitability we are within our targets [in the third quarter]. Passenger revenue is within budget, [but] the cargo revenue is a little bit down,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said.

PAL Holdings Inc., the parent company of PAL, earlier reported

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

SEPTEMBER 26-30, 2016 Close Volume

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources Citystate Savings COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. First Abacus I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

3.45 47.3 109.80 105.00 38 3.77 1.42 9 1.2 20 6.64 0.7 1.86 640.00 0.930 85.3 0.91 14.4 22.00 58.30 101.3 246.8 268.8 35.9 241.6 1450.00 73.35 1.46

57,000 185,800 18,906,060 4,275,520 410,600 385,000 612,000 2,400 1,024,100 2,303,900 63,200 71,000 181,000 240 24,149,000 22,054,800 220,000 68,400 56,000 347,130 1,050 2,380 2,110 2,459,600 5,714,550 1,490 1,192,280 30,000

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Bogo Medelin C. Azuc De Tarlac Cemex Holdings Century Food Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ MG Holdings Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ Splash Corporation Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

45.65 3.66 0.92 1.61 16.2 50.3 180.00 12 16.2 109 23.6 58.05 2.09 6.02 12.1 11.400 7.25 5.91 7.75 1.74 25.05 72.85 12.98 16.40 6.1 2.170 247.00 43.00 2.14 4.36 27.85 29.3 28.7 15.88 310.40 0.260 4.55 3.19 10.18 11.60 2.27 6.00 1.55 3.7 4.20 2.21 3.39 217 3.1 0.150 1.74 178 4.65 2.34 32.00 1.20

9,159,600 7,044,000 10,673,000 4,687,000 40,100 3,780 70 68,763,300 9,700,000 3,740 3,007,600 641,270 3,121,000 1,392,900 202,800 24,319,600 8,260,400 58,309,000 1,956,000 1,000 14,680,500 779,410 67,900 559,100 4,854,100 2,603,000 2,155,660 5,460 13,000 362,000 1,700 12,076,400 1,419,000 23,017,700 480,880 4,040,000 11,000 7,948,000 24,334,700 51,100 3,947,000 2,408,000 646,000 483,000 1,131,000 2,000 37,000 3,650 12,716,000 125,400,000 1,532,000 8,714,180 56,000 37,839,000 700 962,000

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

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

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

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

MJCI Investments Inc. Pacifica `A’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion Republic Glass ‘A’ 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

0.370 75.75 15.90 1.22 6.10 0.355 0.360 857 1014.00 8.29 12.06 6.3 6.01 8.06 0.208 1440 6.32 74.50 4 5.84 5.3 8.28 0.81 15.3 0.470 7.1 3.08 0.0370 1.160 1.980 2.60 81.60 2.31 673.50 1.20 1.00 227.000 0.3150 0.2030 0.260

3,850,000 8,007,450 23,117,800 138,000 95,600 9,150,000 3,310,000 1,911,500 60 11,095,700 36,667,500 170,300 29,000 1,442,100 460,000 1,033,970 88,600 12,460,970 4,000 400 900 14,813,100 796,000 30,403,700 30,000 174,028,100 1,000 111,200,000 122,000 10,305,000 43,000 682,510 12,000 1,536,220 1,857,000 460,000 20,100 4,520,000 940,000 4,860,000

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

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

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

7.460 1.13 2.650 0.265 39.250 2.98 5.14 5.5 0.580 1.24 1.050 0.169 0.590 58.5 0.750 0.143 1.01 1.83 1.18 4.20 4.72 0.227

1,557,900 34,030,000 8,520,000 5,990,000 44,466,000 3,318,000 67,500 100 12,888,000 2,704,300 996,000 297,430,000 9,041,000 1,425,700 1,029,000 2,230,000 38,274,000 98,223,000 374,000 19,000 182,356,000 949,260,000

Value

FINANCIAL 200,370.00 8,853,565.00 2,015,142,749 448,167,798.00 15,609,825.00 1,446,700.00 816,930.00 21,581.00 16,545,166.00 46,954,680.00 428,722 49,700 335,840.00 150,990.00 22,435,860.00 1,885,566,449.00 199,340.00 981,082.00 1,244,175.00 20,247,944.50 103,761.50 581,808.00 569,340.00 87,996,325 1,401,328,482.00 2,137,545 87,430,707.00 43,750.00 INDUSTRIAL 417,790,475.00 24,727,830.00 10,113,240.00 7,603,750.00 640,134.00 191,355.00 12,600.00 837,937,174.00 158,712,420 434,929.00 71,499,980.00 37,076,047 6,629,000.00 8,365,272.00 2,448,782.00 277,384,028.00 59,566,759.00 348,298,470.00 15,370,804.00 1,740.00 368,360,385.00 55,235,705.50 832,656.00 9,200,170.00 29,703,299.00 5,665,820.00 534,451,370.00 284,464.00 26,300.00 1,603,990.00 47,050.00 355,219,610.00 41,048,005.00 360,672,336.00 149,380,390.00 1,031,650.00 49,800.00 24,070,090.00 245,989,265.00 591,740.00 8,958,800.00 14,465,289.00 989,470.00 1,770,540.00 4,739,210.00 4,420.00 119,360.00 798,650.00 39,419,600 19,257,170.00 2,676,810.00 1,577,856,505 255,140.00 88,382,100.00 22,600.00 1,177,940.00 HOLDING FIRMS 1,437,000.00 609,065,237.50 369,061,188.00 167,350.00 580,416.00 3,295,000.00 1,206,400.00 1,643,717,145 60,685.00 91,853,332.00 442,061,956.00 1,089,918.00 205,401.00 11,823,689.00 93,880.00 1,514,655,120.00 549,286.00 924,021,692.50 15,760.00 2,343.00 4,774.00 120,498,404.00 637,260.00 482,659,562.00 14,100.00 1,233,691,875.00 3,080.00 4,139,400.00 142,490.00 20,630,790.00 113,300.00 55,690,000.50 27,720.00 1,023,076,165.00 2,263,020.00 435,560.00 4,603,334.00 1,418,400.00 187,010.00 1,288,050.00 PROPERTY 11,619,658.00 40,194,520.00 21,897,040.00 1,630,400.00 1,726,499,140.00 9,660,660.00 342,975.00 550.00 7,461,260.00 3,475,340.00 1,064,500.00 51,560,110.00 5,317,640.00 83,806,070.00 782,230.00 318,890.00 38,437,940.00 184,280,690.00 434,920.00 79,800.00 865,131,080.00 210,764,980.00

Close

SEPTEMBER 19-23, 2016 Volume Value

3.64 48.25 111.10 105.50 38.05 3.72 1.42

233,000 96,400 5,284,120 7,784,560 719,600 551,000 459,000

833,130.00 4,639,260.00 585,425,376 813,044,807.00 27,327,065.00 2,047,430.00 643,700.00

16.2 21.45 6.80 0.7 1.87 605.00 0.970 85.15 0.92 14.2 23.30 59.30 98 249.6 272 35.95 253 1410.00 73.35 1.46

343,900 3,907,000 5,400 37,000 351,000 2,660 21,805,000 18,870,250 812,000 1,221,500 1,900 186,760 2,090 42,550 67,780 970,100 4,689,800 1,490 1,339,320 648,000

5,596,464.00 82,880,680.00 36,460 25,900 654,930.00 1,650,100.00 21,479,970.00 1,620,805,271.00 745,380.00 17,047,932.00 44,740.00 10,755,739.00 204,104.00 11,829,282.00 18,370,246.00 34,945,980 1,177,285,994.00 2,117,690 243,264,224.50 946,100.00

45.15 3.32 1 1.63 16.5 52 173.00 12.1 16.94 118 23.9 57 2.18 6.03 12.26 11.740 7.21 5.97 7.97 1.74 25.4 72 13.00 16.60 6.15 2.180 247.80 54.70 1.95 4.38 27.40 29.45 28.95 14.98 314.00 0.260 4.76 3.23 10.24 11.60 2.24 6.00 1.58 3.58 4.20 2.21 3.4 223 3.1 0.165 1.79 183.3 4.67 2.35 33.05 1.27

8,331,300 3,712,000 20,738,000 9,504,000 115,800 570 1,670 99,826,700 9,722,100 2,230 4,712,500 1,086,390 2,514,000 1,625,600 265,900 31,642,600 20,700,400 42,957,700 2,851,600 24,000 12,145,900 1,504,570 20,000 2,605,700 4,413,200 4,372,000 1,471,380 2,980 41,000 127,000 11,100 23,934,600 2,273,600 20,318,200 765,760 1,648,000 10,000 1,156,000 21,838,200 604,900 3,047,000 2,945,700 1,080,000 846,000 601,000 2,000 132,000 32,230 12,147,000 43,730,000 3,607,000 7,872,550 75,000 111,722,000 300 740,000

378,375,485.00 12,162,710.00 20,920,900.00 15,403,720.00 1,890,124.00 29,645.50 288,565.00 1,189,880,108.00 164,674,128 265,851.00 112,844,345.00 61,923,210 5,377,260.00 9,937,278.00 18,113,006.00 378,887,744.00 146,774,499.00 255,596,864.00 22,639,532.00 42,200.00 307,109,105.00 108,270,615.50 256,728.00 43,208,304.00 27,333,761.00 9,541,770.00 364,763,170.00 155,771.00 79,940.00 547,950.00 295,960.00 706,979,425.00 64,721,965.00 297,394,604.00 240,151,060.00 615,950.00 47,300.00 3,654,230.00 225,256,982.00 7,013,970.00 6,710,300.00 17,670,726.00 1,698,840.00 3,050,790.00 2,520,590.00 4,420.00 453,980.00 7,194,954.00 37,641,180 7,349,090.00 6,342,380.00 1,460,777,210 349,050.00 290,578,940.00 9,915.00 914,000.00

0.390 78.00 16.40 1.25 6.01 0.365 0.365 872 1199.00 8.53 11.94 6.38

2,101,000 6,775,830 20,272,800 183,000 61,400 8,700,000 880,000 2,484,720 50 12,424,000 43,690,900 30,600

837,600.00 522,774,194.00 330,676,230.00 222,360.00 374,534.00 3,142,400.00 321,200.00 2,137,645,585 58,010.00 104,197,205.00 520,452,594.00 188,608.00

8.12 0.211 1480 6.34 76.35 4

6,706,300 2,070,000 840,305 6,300 12,886,980 1,000

53,581,304.00 422,690.00 1,220,187,120.00 39,651.00 1,001,505,700.50 4,000.00

5.3 8.25 0.81 16.36 0.450 7.19 3.09 0.0370 1.180 2.020 2.69 82.50 2.45 669.00 1.23 1.01 228.000 0.3200 0.1980 0.275

200 14,593,600 1,438,000 30,322,200 160,000 201,603,200 4,000 89,900,000 70,000 1,805,000 145,000 703,960 23,000 1,890,050 482,000 447,000 27,090 4,954,000 3,830,000 1,880,000

1,060.00 119,711,842.00 1,161,440.00 502,425,912.00 72,700.00 1,394,512,246.00 12,370.00 3,276,100.00 83,000.00 3,659,450.00 386,470.00 57,839,637.00 55,390.00 1,253,572,390.00 596,620.00 434,630.00 6,006,572.00 2,009,800.00 777,810.00 518,750.00

7.500 1.30 2.700 0.275 39.000 2.91 5.1 5.5 0.590 1.10 0.990 0.167 0.600 59 0.780 0.143 1.02 1.91 1.18

1,266,600 4,763,000 8,217,000 9,090,000 50,665,100 4,530,100 46,500 100 23,821,000 469,000 222,000 65,990,000 10,932,000 2,493,580 186,000 70,000 26,825,000 51,365,000 489,000

9,406,156.00 6,159,670.00 22,490,970.00 2,478,950.00 1,945,689,260.00 14,520,940.00 237,896.00 550.00 13,994,120.00 521,630.00 223,930.00 11,005,300.00 6,487,540.00 147,041,309.50 144,240.00 10,010.00 27,506,960.00 96,676,440.00 562,560.00

4.79 0.230

155,161,000 726,574,160.00 1,385,600,000 309,962,020.00

STOCKS

SEPTEMBER 26-30, 2016 Close Volume

Phil. Estates Corp.

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

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell San Miguel Prop.

Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

0.2750 0.405 35.90 4.18 31.00 1.68 3.26 3.31 28.15 1.03 7.14 1.000 5.390

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Asian Terminals Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp.

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ.

Discovery World DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ Imperial Res. `B’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Liberty Telecom Lorenzo Shipping Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp.

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp.

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Yehey

7.37 49.4 1.25 0.570 10.78 5.72 4.56 0.0970 3.27 113 10.12 2.58 6.90 953 2040 6.29 13.98 21.55 1.82 77 18.64 150 11.7 0.0100 9.24 0.235 1.4100 3.65 10.82 5.51 2.24 1.05 19.06 0.580 2.04 3.91 5.64 3.440 11.48 5.64 2.56 9.9 141.00 5.94 1712.00 0.410 1.020 42.50 75.05 6.02 2.85 0.640 1.89 3.29 0.365 5.260

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Basic Energy Corp.

Benguet Corp `A’ Benguet Corp `B’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto `A’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining `A’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Philex `A’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. `A’ Semirara Corp.

TA Petroleum United Paragon

0.0038 3.05 4.27 10.54 0.211 2.1000 2.0500 0.61 0.400 8.35 1.000 0.270 0.191 0.195 0.0110 0.0110 1.46 7.2 2.92 0.5400 0.9000 0.0100 0.0120 4.20 8.68 3.69 0.0120 113.90 3.2 0.0097

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ DD PREF First Gen F FPH Pref C GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I

49 540 540 103.6 114.9 515 560 6.01 1.03 113 1137 1238 1045 108 113 77.5 81 76.5 80.5 80 79 78.4 77.9

LR Warrant

2.590

Alterra Capital Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Xurpas

3.3 3.2 4.65 14.6

First Metro ETF

125.8

Value

Close

180,000 953,000 6,100 20,553,000 16,681,900 742,000 10,000 366,000 69,948,500 26,392,000 1,100 2,031,000 47,007,200

47,050.00 433,950.00 205,125.00 82,970,040.00 510,059,715.00 1,240,090.00 32,730.00 1,208,430.00 1,942,383,760.00 27,377,910.00 7,608.00 2,038,460.00 247,388,317.00 SERVICES 242,100 1,777,289.00 168,800 8,272,750.00 38,000 48,280.00 1,400,000 775,900.00 1,100 12,090.00 105,700 566,768 149,321,100 715,146,193.00 476,020,000 46,436,090.00 35,340,000 120,480,640.00 5,915,450 670,744,866.00 8,100 80,924.00 570,000 1,601,950 477,500 3,244,912.00 20 19,050.00 366,980 766,729,680 734,400 4,618,020.00 222,700 3,056,464.00 29,900 644,345 9,404,000 16,936,060.00 9,185,450 713,726,555.00 36,100 673,126 670 94,116 4,200 49,084.00 254,000,000 2,479,700.00 2,449,100 22,619,905.00 161,330,000 38,753,220.00 3,428,000 4,944,770.00 612,000 2,294,160.00 7,800 92,680.00 44,054,900 227,184,002 2,876,000 6,492,180.00 16,000 16,900.00 2,400 45,766 77,000 45,520.00 39,000 76,040.00 87,129,000 346,851,640.00 14,068,400 78,762,396.00 10,673,000 37,223,110.00 71,900 819,786.00 103,000 578,245 47,000 121,230.00 19,000 187,380.00 104,460 15,533,437.00 2,789,200 16,528,804.00 369,890 635,275,860.00 3,600,000 1,485,750.00 79,511,000 80,975,420.00 7,602,400 325,924,935.00 4,353,040 335,580,792.00 281,700 1,696,690.00 13,366,000 38,411,460.00 61,745,000 39,878,410.00 68,000 122,950.00 3,138,000 10,226,490.00 400,000 138,250.00 307,200 1,613,865.00 MINING & OIL 180,532,200 672,900.00 5,820,000 18,546,690.00 1,069,000 4,519,440.00 4,600 45,021.00 740,000 153,240.00 216,000 435,360.00 204,000 426,720.00 4,997,000 2,934,650.00 2,300,000 928,350.00 907,400 7,255,776.00 448,711,000 422,630,900.00 760,000 202,750.00 253,950,000 47,749,220.00 36,740,000 6,993,790.00 139,700,000 1,536,700.00 700,000 7,700.00 15,860,000 22,159,120.00 114,369,400 806,842,589.00 802,000 2,316,830.00 199,000 100,550.00 3,130,000 2,808,700.00 338,000,000 3,549,400.00 26,620,000 296,100.00 105,400 441,350.00 9,691,900 84,303,733.00 25,452,000 89,636,200.00 382,000,000 4,423,000.00 3,436,520 389,350,358.00 557,000 1,833,510.00 33,800,000 326,730.00 PREFERRED 715,300 34,975,915.00 1,330 718,120.00 19,300 10,335,500 473,830 49,447,768.00 670 76,983.00 1,000 515,000.00 22,780 12,558,925.00 705,300 4,257,711.00 4,829,000 4,975,990 46,800 5,279,240.00 3,430 3,868,200.00 20,025 24,571,805.00 10,575 10,973,550.00 6,610 713,880.00 4,000 446,500.00 28,200 2,192,161.00 177,800 14,470,141 302,350 23,232,250.00 171,700 13,739,555.00 512,230 41,203,752.50 779,980 61,704,749.00 295,870 23,169,456.00 2,248,890 175,906,372.50 WARRANTS & BONDS 7,814,000 20,756,020.00 SME 12,517,000 39,224,250.00 10,000 31,800.00 355,000 1,661,870.00 4,768,200 67,955,568.00 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 40,170 5,037,677.00

SEPTEMBER 19-23, 2016 Volume Value

0.2750 0.415 35.00 3.81 30.85 1.65

310,000 210,000 6,500 10,447,000 75,039,470 1,230,000

80,750.00 88,050.00 227,450.00 38,124,280.00 290,949,750.00 2,011,810.00

3.36 27.90 1.07 7.15 1.030 5.170

347,000 55,449,700 18,412,000 200 2,103,000 77,065,600

1,153,090.00 1,538,858,460.00 19,409,940.00 1,430.00 2,146,080.00 405,053,712.00

7.4 49 1.29 0.560 11.3 5.54 5.35 0.1020 3.45 119 10.12 2.59 7.00 952 2092 6.28 13.70 20.20 1.89 81.6 18.70 149.6 11.7 0.0099 9.24 0.260 1.4400 3.82 12.3 4.40 2.32 1.10 21.05 0.570 1.99 4.35 5.66 3.620 11.36 5.62 2.8 8.66 148.20 5.98 1752.00 0.420 1.040 43.95 78.60 6.09 3.00 0.630

817,200 110,100 39,000 1,779,000 600 31,700 76,715,100 645,340,000 10,998,000 3,150,240 7,900 125,000 2,410,400 1,490 501,305 347,800 339,800 1,300 16,774,000 5,568,440 50,200 50 15,700 455,000,000 2,386,900 169,670,000 3,056,000 3,325,000 2,700 13,095,000 13,516,000 10,000 400 284,000 42,000 75,101,000 24,251,100 23,801,000 31,300 35,200 11,000 100 46,940 12,224,100 810,545 10,460,000 78,963,000 15,845,900 4,646,110 1,518,800 20,515,000 57,711,000

5,928,138.00 5,400,680.00 50,750.00 1,002,450.00 6,750.00 174,108 421,663,076.00 65,325,490.00 28,199,580.00 373,381,435.00 79,794.00 309,530 16,957,520.00 1,434,890.00 1,025,093,695 2,181,280.00 4,744,704.00 26,340 30,849,900.00 449,367,752.00 951,036 7,376 182,168.00 4,548,320.00 22,054,685.00 43,704,350.00 4,304,360.00 13,129,630.00 29,006.00 57,032,060 32,474,710.00 10,860.00 8,233 162,130.00 84,160.00 335,341,720.00 136,883,652.00 87,496,370.00 355,380.00 196,646 29,180.00 866.00 7,013,144.00 76,176,496.00 1,402,507,360.00 4,326,300.00 82,601,760.00 697,266,675.00 369,789,067.50 9,246,937.00 61,074,560.00 35,083,510.00

3.31 0.355 5.430

6,356,000 2,680,000 383,000

21,511,480.00 975,600.00 2,034,210.00

0.0038 3.10 4.22 9.66 0.220 2.1200 2.1700 0.62 0.420 8.35 0.860 0.270 0.210 0.221 0.0120 0.0110 1.61 6.94 2.93 0.5100 0.9700 0.0110 0.0110 4.16 8.60 3.31 0.0120 116.50 3.15 0.0097

437,000,000 1,939,000 998,000 1,200 250,000 99,000 27,000 3,373,000 4,720,000 33,400 25,567,000 2,990,000 23,270,000 6,735,000 47,600,000 102,700,000 2,120,000 47,307,300 508,000 285,000 1,362,000 133,200,000 800,000 1,585,000 4,408,500 11,854,000 22,100,000 3,758,190 365,000 11,000,000

1,657,200.00 5,524,700.00 4,088,990.00 12,338.00 51,960.00 210,820.00 62,060.00 1,966,910.00 1,962,750.00 280,247.00 21,537,840.00 806,800.00 4,789,750.00 1,555,340.00 525,100.00 1,129,700.00 3,443,910.00 312,133,076.00 1,486,750.00 145,350.00 1,310,530.00 1,397,300.00 8,800.00 4,994,180.00 37,543,770.00 38,840,110.00 256,500.00 433,566,539.00 1,128,690.00 106,300.00

49.05 531 535 105

524,100 8,620 2,450 346,940

25,739,600.00 4,578,050.00 1,308,885 36,414,554.00

505 541 6.05 1.03 112.4 1098 1184 1022 110 114.9 77.8 81 76.5 78.2 80.5 79 78.2 78

5,000 14,000 329,300 810,000 148,400 1,200 380 20,600 10,000 120 83,840 171,660 44,800 18,100 26,500 260,400 606,590 1,535,190

2,525,000.00 7,574,740.00 1,982,849.00 834,300 16,706,439.00 1,337,650.00 449,000.00 21,322,095.00 1,095,163.00 13,788.00 6,362,996.00 13,919,210 3,465,990.00 1,425,080.00 2,126,205.00 20,599,175.00 47,339,710.00 119,384,816.00

2.440

2,734,000

6,886,420.00

2.88 3.1 4.9 14.22

21,302,000 330,000 765,000 8,055,200

60,851,940.00 1,039,250.00 3,620,620.00 112,263,138.00

127.8

36,020

4,545,536.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS MRC Allied Ind. Boulevard Holdings Ferronickel Philodrill Corp. `A’ Oriental Pet. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. IP E-Game Ventures Inc. Lepanto `A’ Megaworld Abra Mining

VOLUME 949,260,000 476,020,000 448,711,000 382,000,000 338,000,000 297,430,000 254,000,000 253,950,000 182,356,000 180,532,200

STOCKS Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. SM Prime Holdings Metrobank Ayala Land `B’ Ayala Corp `A’ Universal Robina GT Capital Security Bank Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

SM Investments Inc.

VALUE 2,015,142,749 1,942,383,760.00 1,885,566,449.00 1,726,499,140.00 1,643,717,145.00 1,577,856,505.00 1,514,655,120.00 1,401,328,482.00 1,233,691,875.00 1,023,076,165.00

a comprehensive income of P1.92 billion in the second quarter, down 11 percent from P2.16 billion last year.

Total earnings in the second quarter reached P28.45 billion, up slightly from P28.30 billion a year ago.

PAL Holdings said it was planning a share swap transaction with minority shareholders in a bid to acquire 100 percent of the flag carrier.

PAL Holdings said the transaction involved the exchange of its shares between PAL minority shareholders comprising 1.66 percent of the total outstanding shares of the flag carrier.

Under the transaction, five shares of PAL would be swapped to one share of PAL Holdings.

“We expect that the implementation of the transaction will extend to the first quarter of 2017 due to the widely held share of Philippine Airlines’s minority shareholders,” PAL Holdings said.

PAL Holdings said the transaction would be advantageous to PAL’s minority shareholders who might want to avail of a convenient exit mechanism to benefit from the value of the shares.

“The PAL shares are not traded so if we will swap it with PAL Holdings shares the employees can sell it through the stock market.

There would be a liquidity,” Bautista said.

8990 keeps profit target MASS housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. said it expects to hit net income and sales targets this year despite the delay in three projects.

8990 Holdings president Januario Jesus Atencio said in an interview the company was still keeping its P12-billion sales and P4.8-billion net income targets for 2016.

Atencio said the company would just be able to launch 11 projects this year, instead of 14 as originally planned, because the company failed to secure necessary permits to enable it to start selling the projects.

Atencio, however, said the shortfall from the delay in launching the three projects could be covered by the robust sales of existing projects, including Deca Tower Edsa which would be finished a year ahead of schedule.

“We still have a shot at making our guidance because we have some projects we did not expect this year to contribute to revenues but they will be because they are ahead of schedule,” Atencio said.

The mass housing developer plans to launch five projects in 2017, mostly in Metro Manila.

“Next year will be the year when 8990 Holdings becomes a force to reckon with in NCR condominium development because we will be offering condominiums in NCR at low cost housing prices,” Atencio said.

These condominium projects, priced at P1.7 million and below, are located in Cubao, Ortigas Avenue Extension and Las Piñas.

Units sizes of these condominium units range from 25 to 42 square meters.

The company expects 50 percent of revenues to come from Metro Manila starting 2017.

At present, 20 percent of 8990 Holdings’ revenues are from Metro Manila projects.

8990 Holdings also plans to break ground in its mall projects in Tondo and Ortigas Ave. Extension next year.

The Tondo project will have 10,000 square meters of leasable area while the Ortigas Ave. Extension project will have 30,000 square meters. Jennifer B. Austria

Business Meralco seeks bids for lower solar rates

By Alena Mae S. Flores MANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, has issued two invitations for a price challenge to supply a combined 100 megawatts of solar power.

Meralco said it issued the two separate price challenge invitations as part of the compliance to the rules of the Energy Regulatory Commission on the competitive selection process.

The first invitation asked interested and qualified parties to participate in the price challenge to the offer of P5.39 per kilowatt-hour from PowerSource First Bulacan Solar Inc., subject to a two-percent annual escalation and one-time foreign exchange adjustment.

PowerSource’s proposed power plant is located in Barangay Labne, San Miguel, Bulacan or in an alternative sit within Meralco’s franchise area.

The contract covers 20 years, with the start of commercial operations is set on August 2018.

Meralco issued the second price challenge to the offer of Solar Philippines Tanauan Corp. for 50 MW at P5.39 per kWh, also subject to escalation and foreign exchange adjustment.

Solar Philippines is putting up power plants with a capacity of 25 MW each in Batangas and Cavite provinces.

Solar Philippines offered to supply Meralco starting in February 2017 for 20 years.

“Any offer made by the price challenge should be under the same terms and conditions of the power supply agreement provided by Meralco, except for the financial proposal,” the power distributor said.

Meralco said it would declare a failure the price challenge if it did not receive any expression of interest on Oct. 3.

Meralco senior vice president and head of utility economics Lawrence Fernandez said the agreements with the two solar developers reflected the company’s support to renewable energy.

B3

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

‘PH to weather volatilities’

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

T

HE Philippines can ride out the current volatility in the financial markets as the US Federal Reserve moves closer to normalization, the Department of Finance said over the weekend.

Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said in his latest economic bulletin the Philippine stock market remained strong despite recent weaknesses, ranking fourth among 11 Asian bourses, and the country’s foreign reserves were at very healthy levels.

“The country’s strong reserve position, its healthy banking system and profitable corporates

should help the country avoid the deleterious effects of financial volatility from the Fed normalization,” Beltran said.

“Economic reforms should continue to be implemented to boost growth and the country’s fundamentals should continue to be protected to sustain investor confidence,” he added.

Beltran said the Philippine Stock

Exchange Index had gained 11.7 percent to date, almost thrice the 4.4-percent average rise of 11 countries, behind Indonesia (19.12 percent), Thailand (16.57 percent) and India (12.09 percent).

The PSEi also performed better compared with China (-13.86 percent), Japan (-13.03 percent), Malaysia (-1.74 percent), Singapore (-0.89 percent), Vietnam (4.28 percent), South Korea (4.92 percent), and Hong Kong (9.24 percent), Beltran said.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ gross intentional reserve are high at $85.9 billion as of end-August this year, which can cover 10.5 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and income.

“The BSP’s current reserve level also stands very comfortable than other Asian central banks,” said Beltran.

Indonesia’s foreign reserves can only cover 3.9 months’ worth of import duties; Malaysia, 5.4 months; and Singapore, 6.3 months.

South Korea has 6.1 months of buffer; Taiwan, 1.5 months; India, 6.9 months; and Vietnam, 2.3 months.

Beltran said “the country’s GIR is also better compared to the Asean-6 with 6.5 months buffer, and Asean-5’s 5.7 months.

He said the Bangko Sentral could take the peso depreciation as an opportunity to further boost its current reserve holdings, while sustaining the com-

FCDU loans rose slightly in 2nd quarter

By Julito G. Rada

YUANTA SAVINGS BANK. Yuanta Financial Holdings subsidiary Yuanta Bank announces the official name change of its first overseas

subsidiary bank to Yuanta Savings Bank Philippines Inc. Yuanta Commercial Bank Taiwan president and CEO Dan T.Y. Chang (third from right) leads the ribbon cutting rites to signify the change in the bank’s identity. He is joined by (from left) Rocey Shen, president and CEO of Yuanta Savings; Seimon Huang, president of Taiwan Association; Teodora San Pedro, director of Bangko Sentral ngPilipinas; Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin, Taiwan/ROC Ambassador; and Allen Wu, executive voce president of Yuanta Commercial Bank at the Yuanta Savings Bank head office at the ground floor of Chatham House in Salcedo Village, Makati City.

Global trade slowdown to dampen PH shipping volumes A SLOWDOWN in global trade and weak demand for Philippine exports will combine to dampen shipping volumes to and from the Philippines, which could be aggravated by problems in the international container-line industry triggered by the collapse of South Korean giant Hanjin Shipping Co. Ltd. The Asian Development Bank said in its Asian Development Outlook Update that among the threats to sustained economic growth for the Philippines this year would be weaker-than-expected demand from major mar-

petitiveness of exports.

“As of September 22, the peso weakened to 47.85 against the US dollar from P47.15 at endDecember last year owing to the normalization of interest rates in the US and the economic slowdown in China,” he said.

The peso has fallen 1.47 percent to date, trailing gains of 5.2 percent in Indonesia’s rupiah, 3.5 percent in Malaysia’s ringgit, 3.92 percent in the Thai baht, 4.78 percent in Singapore’s dollar, 6.11 percent in Korea’s won, and 0.85 percent in Vietnam’s dong.

Asian currencies on average rose 2.8 percent with five of 13 countries showing depreciation rates ranging from 0.1 percent for Hong Kong to 9.9 percent for China.

kets for Philippine exports.

ADB raised the forecasts for the gross domestic product growth this year to 6.4 percent from its March projection of six percent. But for 2017, growth is seen to dip slightly to 6.2 percent although still above the previous forecast of 6.1 percent.

The World Trade Organization also reduced its global trade forecast, warning that anti-globalization rhetoric and Brexit were pushing trade growth to its slowest pace since Britain’s financial crisis.

The WTO said global trade

was now estimated to expand by just 1.7 percent this year, compared wit its April projection of 2.8 percent. The new figure is a far cry from the year-ago growth projection of 3.9 percent.

The WTO said growth in trade had fallen to its slowest pace in around seven years when the global financial crisis hit.

It warned that “creeping protectionism,” coupled with lacking trade liberalization and perhaps the growing role of the digital economy and e-commerce might help explain the recent declining ratio of trade growth to

GDP growth.

Think tank Economic Intelligence Unit said the fall of Hanjin Shipping, the world’s seventh largest container line, was an evident sign that the industry had hit a crisis point, and a massive transition would be needed to turn profitability around.

The Hanjin Shipping debacle for now has little effect on the country’s trade since local exporters said they do not extensively use Hanjin vessels. But a study by SeaIntel cited by the EIU report showed an instant capacity reduction of six to eight

percent on trans-Pacific trade and a five to six percent reduction on the Asia-Europe trade as a result of the debacle.

“Hanjin also has major stakes in the ports of Busan and Osaka, which will most likely see highcapacity disruptions, and impaired profitability, as these ports will lose ship calls from Hanjin,” according to the EIU report.

It added ports had also denied access to Hanjin vessels, amid fears the company would not be able to pay the fees to dock and store its containers, leaving most of Hanjin’s ships stranded at sea.

Period of Consequences: An Inconvenient Truth CHARMINE C. CANITES

GREEN LIGHT GLOBAL warming is one of the major issues everybody must act upon.

Unfortunately, this concern has been taken for granted for many years now, probably because we really do not feel the impact until everything gets worse.

Now that I’m in my 20s, I’m personally experiencing the rapid change in the environment. The temperature in the Philippines has been warmer and more humid now compared to last decade. Ten years ago, I was able to walk down the road without having any form of protection from the sun (e.g. sunblock, umbrella, cap, etc.). Now, umbrella is a necessity, and I do not let myself be exposed under the sun at its peak. I appreciate the sunblock now more than ever, because of the visible effects of the extreme temperature on my skin.

Low budget priority Here in the Philippines, I am quite disappointed that DENR gets the second to the last priority in terms of

budget allocation. I understand that the Philippines has a lot of more serious and immediate concerns, however, in the long run, all these are irrelevant when we no longer have the Earth to live in.

Unfortunately, the environment and natural resources have been sacrificed and compromised in exchange of embracing development and progress of a nation. Real talk: a lot of trees were cut down to give way to modernization (buildings, houses, roads, other structures), and as the population rises, natural resources become more scarce.

Weather reports can no longer accurately predict the start and end of rainy and dry season in the Philippines as a result of global warming.

Our rainy season has become almost all-year round. Our country has been hit by various typhoons and super typhoon that almost wiped out an entire city.

Dear Mayor Estrada With these realities, I am ending this article with a letter to Mayor Joseph Estrada. As a resident of Manila for 25 years, I am alarmed about global warming. As such, I would like the city to focus on three things that would help our city:

waste management, smoke belching, and green buildings.

Implement strict waste management I believe one of the reasons why Manila is easily flooded because of clogged drainage caused by improper garbage disposal. It would be beneficial for all of us if there would be a strict implementation of waste management such as complete ban of plastics and start using eco-friendly materials such as eco bags and paper bags, just like what other cities have been doing now (i.e. Pasig, Makati).

It would also help if Manila Bay will be totally garbage-free to serve as our city’s protection in times of typhoon and tsunami. It is true that discipline should come from ourselves first, but having an effective local government will make a big difference.

Stop smoke blechers Jeepneys are the most common mode of transportation in the city.

However, this also contributes to the vehicular emission that causes air pollution. Investing on the improvement of LRT and putting up bus stops all over Manila would lessen the dependence of commuters to jeepneys. However, there may

be ethical issues here for the loss of jobs of the jeepney drivers. Addressing unemployment concerns, on the other hand, is another issue.

Build more green buildings Most buildings and establishments in Manila have been existing for more than three decades now, given that Manila was once the major business district in the Philippines.

Therefore, these buildings undergo retrofitting nowadays. I would suggest that developers better start using eco-friendly materials and start building and rebuilding in favor of the environment. It would save much cost in the long run, and it would promote a more conducive environment.

The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business. This essay is part of a journal she kept in fulfillment of the requirements of the course, Lasallian Business Leadership with Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics.

Visit her blog at https://mincanites. wordpress.com/.

The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

FOREIGN currency-denominated loans granted by local banks as of end-June 2016 increased $64 million to $12.1 billion from the end-March level, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said over the weekend.

The regulator said while gross disbursements grew 19.7 percent, repayments increased 16.5 percent.

Outstanding loans to resident borrowers declined 0.3 percent to $8.42 billion from $8.44 billion in the second quarter and represented 69.8 percent of total.

The sectors and industries that benefitted from the loans were merchandise and service exporters (24.9 percent); towing, tanker, trucking, forwarding, personal and other individuals (20.6 percent); public utility firms (9.7 percent); producers/manufacturers, including oil companies (5.7 percent); and management/ holding and stock brokerage (2.5 percent). The $0.8 billion balance went to other borrowers, including the public sector.

Gross disbursements during the quarter rose 19.7 percent to $11.2 billion from $9.4 billion.

About 95.4 percent of loan releases had short-term maturities, or those with original maturities of up to one year.

Outstanding FCDU loans were mostly medium- to longterm (or those payable over a term of more than one year), representing 70.7 percent of the total, while short-term accounts comprised 29.3 percent.

FCDU deposit liabilities increased slightly from $34.66 billion in the previous quarter to $34.68 billion in June 2016.

The bulk of deposits (97.3 percent) are held by residents. The overall loans-to-deposit ratio increased to 34.8 percent from 34.6 percent.

Two Binondo stores yield fake cigarettes TWO big Binondo warehouses in Manila were raided by a team from the National Bureau of Investigation before the weekend, yielding 169 master cases or boxes of counterfeit cigarettes smuggled from China.

At least 69 master cases of fake Winston brand and 100 master cases of fake Camel brand were seized during the anti-illicit trade operation. The seizure translates into 85,000 fake and untaxed cigarette packs valued at P2.2 million.

The government lost about P2.5 million in excise taxes from the fake cigarettes. Under the sin tax law, a cigarette packs pay a tax of P29 per pack.

The fake cigarettes were subsequently seized by elements of the Intellectual Property Rights Division of the NBI. The NBI team, acting on the warrant issued

by Branch 48 RTC Manila under Judge Nimfa Vilches, said the Binondo warehouses in Asuncion and San Fernando Streets were allegedly owned or operated by Qingchang Zhou alias Jopay Lim, who eluded arrest.

Representatives from Winston and Camel, who have been coordinating with authorities before the raid, confirmed the seized cigarettes were counterfeit versions of their brands.

Authorities and tobacco representatives said it was highly possible the Binondo warehouses were serving as transshipment points for most counterfeit cigarettes being supplied to some parts of Mindanao and Western Visayas.

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

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

Business

Britain unveils plan to abrogate EU law

U

K PRIME Minister Theresa May on Sunday will unveil her most detailed plan yet for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union, saying she’ll repeal a 1972 law that gives direct effect to all EU legislation.

The planned “Great Repeal Bill” will abolish the 1972 European Communities Act, while converting all EU laws governed by it into domestic laws on the day Britain eventually completes its EU pullout, May’s Conservative Party said in an statement e-mailed on the eve of the party’s annual conference. The government will then be able to amend and repeal individual laws if deemed necessary.

May is under increasing pressure from politicians and businesses to reveal details of how her government intends to proceed with Brexit negotiations. Sunday’s announcement

begins to flesh out how she’ll go about Brexit, without providing an indication of her main asks of the bloc’s other 27 members.

May has repeatedly said she won’t formally activate Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty this year―the formal trigger for two years of exit discussions to begin.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, May said the legislation will make Britain “a sovereign and independent country again.” The planned repeal bill will be introduced in the next Queen’s speech, expected in April or May. “As we prepare for those negotiations in Europe, we also need to prepare for the impact of Brexit on domestic law,” David Davis, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, will tell conference delegates, according to the party’s statement.

“It’s very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply. To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach.

EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on exit day,” Davis said.

Nissan Motor Co. chief executive officer

Carlos Ghosn on Sept. 29 signaled he may not be able to make new investments in Britain without a government pledge for compensation in the event of adverse consequences stemming from Brexit. And Vodafone Group Plc has said it’ll consider moving its headquarters to the continent if Britain doesn’t preserve access to the EU’s single market.

“We still know nothing about the government’s plans for our new relationship with the EU, whether over trade, security or migration,” Phil Wilson, an opposition Labour Party lawmaker said in a statement e-mailed by the pro-EU Open Britain campaign. “As car manufacturers have made clear, it is essential that the UK remains a member of the single market to protect investment and jobs. This is what businesses want to hear the prime minister commit to.”

Davis, May and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will all address the party conference in Birmingham, central England, on Sunday, in an afternoon session entitled “Global Britain: Making a Success of Brexit.” The gathering runs through Wednesday. Bloomberg

PARIS—Members of the public attend the Paris Motor Show at the Porte de Versailles Exposition Centre in Paris on October 1, 2016. The Paris Motor Show runs from October 1 until October 16. AFP

Indians disclose $10b in hidden wealth NEW DELHI―Indians have declared almost $10 billion in hidden wealth under a government amnesty on tax evasion, as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s moves to crack down on huge piles of black money.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said the four-month scheme that closed on Friday had resulted in 64,275 declarations of previously undisclosed assets and income, totaling 652.5 billion rupees ($9.8 billion).

“With so many people declaring money it shows a significant number of people want to become tax compliant,”

Jaitley told reporters in New Delhi on Saturday.

“This figure could be revised upward once the final tabulation is done,” the minister said, adding that the additional revenue would help fund public welfare schemes.

India’s taxpayers are startlingly few, with only around 2.5 percent of its 1.2 billion population filing returns―largely because the socalled unorganized sector employs so many people who are paid cash.

Modi vowed to crack down on tax avoidance to tackle the country’s yawning inequality after storming to power at elections in 2014.

His government introduced a slew of rules this year including making it mandatory to declare a unique taxpayer number when purchasing goods over 200,000 rupees.

Under the scheme, authorities promised not to pursue Indians in return for coming clean on hidden wealth and paying tax on it.

But accountants and other experts remained skeptical about whether Indians would cough up their wealth. The government did not announce a public target for the initiative.

Across all levels of society, rounding up tax is difficult

when dodging it is practically a national sport, from smalltime landlords who request rent in cash to large-scale money laundering via state lotteries.

Only six people earning over 500 million rupees ($7.4 million) filed returns in 2012-2013, despite there being an estimated 2,100 ultra-wealthy Indians whose net worth exceeds $50 million.

Billions of dollars in unpaid taxes deprive the government of revenues that could be spent on changing lives in a country where 270 million people survive on less than $2 a day, according to the World Bank. AFP

China’s yuan joins IMF global currency basket THE yuan took on the mantle of a global reserve currency Saturday, a milestone that is seen breathing life into China’s bond markets by prompting estimated inflows of as much as $1 trillion over the next five years.

The currency’s entry into the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights –alongside the dollar, euro, pound and the yen―comes amid China’s efforts to boost its international usage and ambitions of providing an alternative to the dollar.

Describing the inclusion as a “historic milestone,” IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said in a statement Friday that it reflects the progress that the

Asian country has made in reforming its financial systems and liberalizing markets.

“SDR entry will pave the way for closer interaction between China’s capital market and that of the rest of the world,” Tommy Xie, an economist at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp. in Singapore, said on Saturday.

“The first impact will be on the yuan, which the authorities are likely to keep stable for the next few weeks as any sudden volatility spike will damp the yuan’s image.”

While an IMF statement Friday said the yuan has been deemed freely usable, China has been suspected of meddling in the

foreign-exchange market after a shock devaluation in August last year rattled investor confidence. It has been seen intervening heavily even offshore―driving yuan interbank rates to more than 20 percent in Hong Kong―and clamping down on capital flows. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey is for the Chinese currency to decline 1.1 percent in the rest of this year to 6.75 a dollar.

The yuan’s addition is the first change to the SDR basket since 1999, when the euro replaced the deutsche mark and the French franc. The new weightings will be 41.73 percent for the dollar, 30.93 percent for the euro, 10.92 percent for the yuan, 8.33 per-

cent for the yen and 8.09 percent for the British pound. There were 204.1 billion SDRs allocated to IMF members as of March, equivalent to around $285 billion, compared with about $11 trillion of global reserves.

The basket, created in 1969, gives IMF member countries who hold it the potential right to obtain any of the currencies in the basket to meet balance-of-payments needs. Inclusion could be a catalyst for central banks and sovereign wealth funds to shift funds into the yuan. The Chinese currency constituted 1.1 percent of official reserves in the latest IMF survey, compared with 63.7 percent for the dollar. Bloomberg

From left are: MOPC Vice President Elpi Cuna, MOPC BoG Butch Raquel, MOPC Treasurer Nelia Gonzales, MOPC President Babe Romualdez , DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade, MOPC Chairman of the Board Tony Lopez , and DOTr Undersecretary Bobby Lim

HOW BOLD THOU ART NOT much is known, like most members of the Duterte Cabinet, about the new Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Arthur “Art” Planta Tugade, except that he was President and CEO of Clark Development Corporation (CDC) appointed during President Aquino’s term.

It was only when he was appointed as the new Transportation Secretary by President Duterte – one of the first appointments under the new administration –that the general public took exceptional interest in this former businessman-lawyer, primarily because transportation was of utmost importance in this country reeling from massive metropolitan traffic jams, crowded railways and runways, and underdeveloped infrastructure.

Can he solve the traffic mess?

The airport congestion? The MRT-LRT conundrum? Alas, questions of transcendental importance.

Last week, the Manila Overseas Press Club (MOPC), of which I am a member and the current Spokesperson, invited Secretary Tugade to its regular forum, precisely to answer these burning questions.

Against the grain of public curiosity, I’ve known and heard of Sec. Art even prior to his appointment to the DOTr. I’ve known him to be a man of competence and integrity. From humble beginnings, he rose to become a very successful entrepreneur. For these reasons, it was rather easy for me to introduce him during the forum.

The venue for the forum was packed and overflowing; clearly, an indication that many wanted to hear the Traffic Czar on what his plans and visions were for the department. And so, they all gathered, perhaps with bated breath, waiting as men did in ancient times (women were not allowed then) for the Oracle of All Ages to spew

DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade

forth words of wisdom and foreboding.

Mind you, just some weeks before, Secretary Art was lambasted over social media for saying that traffic in Metro Manila was just a “state of mind”. Of course, going over the footage and transcript of the interview showed that he was misquoted. Indeed, during the forum, he had to devote time to clarifying about what he meant.

Secretary Art, in his usual inimitable manner, punctuated with flair when emphasizing a point, shared the DOTr’s roadmap, especially its 100-day action plan, and where we are now with regard to this plan.

To discuss it all here would take up space equivalent to this whole broadsheet. Suffice it to say, it is a sound roadmap and a solid action plan that showed promise and made those of us listening rather hopeful in the direction our DOTr is taking or would want to take.

Only a bold yet foolish man would want to take on the task of fixing the transportation situation of this country. Secretary Art has not been known to flinch in the face of adversity.

And that’s not a matter of a “state of mind”; but, rather, a matter of “minding the State”.

We can only wish Secretary Art and his able and competent team the very best. For our sake let us all pray he succeeds!

From left are: DOTr Secretary Tugade , MOPC Chairman of the Board and Publisher of Biz News Asia Tony Lopez; Undersecretaries Noel Kintanar for Rail and Bobby Lim for Air; Assistant Secretary for Communications Cherie Mercado-Santos and Undersecretaries Garry De Guzman for Finance and Philip Judan for Maritime The open forum panel of journalists Phil Star’s Louella Desiderio, Inquirer’s Miguel Camus, TV5’s Ed Lingao and ANC’s Cathy Yang

With DOTr Usec.

Bobby Lim

Baguio air safe— ecologists

LGUs

By Dexter A. See BAGUIO CITY—The city’s air is still breathable, City Environment and Parks Management Office announced in response to a report by the World Health Organization that it is one of the most polluted cities in the country.

Cepmo’s Cordelia Lacsamana explained the WHO report was based on consolidated reports dating back to 2013, thus, the data are outdated and have been nullified by mitigating measures that helped keep the city’s air quality between good to fair based on the ambient air quality monitoring of the Cordillera office of the Environmental Management Bureau.

“Individuals with conditions aggravated by pollutants in the air have been advised to stay away from the few identified areas with fair air quality,” Lacsamana stressed.

Baguio was recently chosen asa pilot area for Clean Air Certification, an international recognition of “innovative and impactful, voluntary action towards better air quality” given by the Clean Cities Air Partnership Program through Clean Air Asia.

The declaration was made during the 17th International Union of Air Pollution Prevention Associations World Clean Air Congress and 9th CAA Better Qir Quality Conference held last month in Busan, South Korea.

Baguio will join Iloilo City and Sta. Rosa in Laguna, as well as Malang in Indonesia and Kathmandu in Nepal as pilot areas for the certification process before it will be opened to wider participation.

The CAA recognized the five cities for their “expression of commitment to clean air action.”

Lacsamana emphasized the city’s leadership is working hard to free the city’s air from pollutants to guarantee social, environmental and economic sustainability for local residents and visitors.

According to her, the local government has more strictly enforced the anti-smokebelching ordinance, the antismoking ordinance and other measures.

The local government is also required by the environment department to help reduce black carbon and dust through ambient air monitoring and greater intervention for pirifying air.

Lacsamana claimed the local government was never remiss in its environmental duties.

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Binay opens barangay tax payment centers T

HE city government of Makati will open 31 electronic tax payment centers in the barangays for realty taxpayers from October 4 to 14, starting with Barangays BelAir and Urdaneta, Mayor Abby Binay said.

Binay asked real-property owners making quarterly payments to the scheduled dates when the centers will be set up in their barangay halls.

“Authorized tellers from the City Treasurer’s Office will be deployed to barangay halls to accept payments using the comput-

erized tax payment system from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on designated dates,” Binay said.

The mayor said the mobile service is now available in 31 barangays in the city, excluding the two disputed barangays. She also clarified that taxpayers may avail themselves of the service in any

of the 31 payment centers, should it be more convenient for them.

The satellite payment centers will be available in barangay halls in District 1, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., as follows: October 4, Bel-Air and Urdaneta; October 5, Forbes Park and Dasmariñas; October 6, Magallanes and San Lorenzo; October 7, Bangkal, Pio del Pilar, San Isidro, Palanan and San Antonio.

Also in the first district, the service will be available in barangays La Paz, Sta. Cruz, Singkamas, Tejeros and Kasilawan on October 11, followed by Car-

mona, Olympia, Valenzuela, and Poblacion on October 12.

In District 2, the mobile service will be available at the barangay hall of Guadalupe Viejo on October 12; in Guadalupe Nuevo, Pinagkaisahan, Pitogo, Cembo and South Cembo on October 13; and in West Rembo, East Rembo, Comembo, Pembo and Rizal on October 14.

Taxpayers only need to present their previous receipt upon payment. Each transaction usually takes up to four minutes, and an electronic receipt is issued.

Makati offers a 10-percent dis-

count on real property tax paid on an annual basis, and five percent for quarterly payments made during the first 20 days of the quarter.

However, annual real-property tax payments made after March will be charged an eight percent penalty, while late quarterly payments will incur a penalty of two percent per month.

Real property tax collection starts on the first working day of January until January 20. The succeeding quarterly payments shall be made until April 20 (second quarter), July 20 (third quarter, and October 20 (fourth quarter).

GREEN JEEP. DPWH Secretary Mark Villar (right) takes an e-jeep ride from C5 Road South Extension to the Coastal Road. A ribbon-cutting ceremony preceded the launching of the new road project that would help ease traffic for commuters taking the Coastal Road-South Luzon Expressway route. Lino Santos

Megamall trade fair shows EV products AT LEAST 115 small and medium enterprises in Eastern Visayas will display their products in this year’s Bahandi Trade Fair, which attracted old and new exhibitors.

The Department of Trade and Industry will spearhead the annual trade fair on October 5 to 9 at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall in Mandaluyong City.

“This is a follow-up Bahandi this year to sustain marketing efforts. This is an opportunity for old exhibitors to meet their regular buyers again. The fair will

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

help new participants establish ties with institutional buyers,” said DTI-Eastern Visayas director Cynthia Nierras.

Products up for display in the five-day fair include woven mats, bamboo products, lechon (roasted pig), processed seafood, fruit and root crop chips, sticky rice, moron, and binagol.

The trade department targets P13 million in sales during the event.

“It also serves as a training ground for micro, small and medium entrepreneurs to experience negotiating and dealing with buy-

ers, adjust their cost and pricing to suit their chosen market, and determine the factors that affect their profit as they interact with buyers,” Nierras explained.

The DTI field offices are still finalizing the list of participants, but according to Nierras, nearly half of them are first-timers.

“In last year’s Bahandi, we have shown that small businesses managed to recover after Super Typhoon “Yolanda.” The challenge now is to bring in new designs and products,” she added.

In 2015, the trade fair had 88

exhibitors and generated P24 million in sales.

This year’s Bahandi, which is the local term for treasure, is anchored on the theme “Promoting Pride… Inspiring Innovation…

Celebrating Change.”

The event is being organized by the DTI in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, the BAHANDI Producers Association of Eastern Visayas Inc., the Regional Development Council and the Department of Tourism regional office. PNA

8 die, 10 nabbed in Camanava

By Jun David

EIGHT drug suspects were killed and 10 were arrested in separate One Time-Big Time operations of the Navotas and Caloocan police stations early Friday morning.

Based on the initial report submitted to the office of Senior Supt. Roberto Fajardo, police director, the Navotas drug buy bust operations took place in Market 3, Navotas Fishing Complex at 5:00 a.m.

The suspects upon sensing that they are transacting with policemen, drew their firearms and shot the policemen, but the operatives retaliated and killed them.

Chief of Police PSsupt. Dante Novicio identified the five as alias Junjun Jasper, alias Gerale, alias Champoy, alias Nono and alias Alvin Toyo.

Fajardo reported that the five suspects are known illegal drug traders.

The police recovered four short firearms and an undetermined numbers of heat-sealed transparent plastic sachets of suspected shabu.

SOLAR SCHOOL. St. Scholastica’s academy of Marikina formally launched its 204k Wp

solar photovoltaic system that solar solutions provider Green Heat installed on the rooftop of the school’s two building SSAM will save approximately 19 million pesos annually from its electricity bill.. Lino Santos

Solar rooftops for St. Scholastica’s Marikina THE combined 204-kWp (kilowatt peak) solar rooftops of St. Scholastica’s Academy-Marikina, the largest solar photovoltaic system in Marikina City, is leading the way for the adoption of solar technology in the city.

“Solar technology is not just a strategy to tackle climate change and global warming, but it also addresses the high cost of electricity that burdens both the poor and the middle class,” said Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro at the switch-on ceremonies of SSAM’s solar PV system recently.

Teodoro said solar technology will help the city’s “lowly constituents to pursue livelihood opportunities” and enhance its livability and competitiveness.

“The adoption of solar PV system is a long-term solution we envision for our city to promote and sustain self-sufficient communities that can produce their own power and change their perspective and lifestyle as an off-shoot of sufficiency,” said Teodoro.

He added that “further provision of access to energy shall also mean improved access to education and other welfare programs and services for our citizens.”

Teodoro explained that reducing utility bills will also increase household income and purchasing power besides providing “better lighting and better ventilation for the poor communities.”

Solar solutions provider Green Heat installed SSAM’s solar

rooftops, its sixth solar school since 2012, including the 96kWp solar PV systems of Manuel L. Quezon University in Manila and St. Paul College in Parañaque.

The company is presently working on the solar rooftop of Canossa School of Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

SSAM followed in the footsteps of its sister school in Manila, St. Scholastica’s College, which installed its solar rooftop in December 2014.

SSAM’s solar power plant can generate 216,948 kilowatt-hours each year.

The 55-year-old private Catholic school for girls, which offers elementary and secondary education, will save as much as P19 million every year on its electricity bill based on an average rate of P10 per kilowatt-hour.

This is consistent with the “Benedictine tradition of academic excellence as well as its social responsibility for the environment,” according to SSAM grade school principal Sister Alexis Lamarroza, OSB. “God provides ways and means for people to restore earth to its former grandeur, and solar technology is one way to achieve such,” said Lamarroza.

“The clean, pure energy from the sun will help reduce air and water pollution, cut global warming emission, diversify our power supply and decrease dependence on coal and other fossil fuels,” she explained. PNA

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LGUs

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

Fishers rescue baby whale

By Dexter A. See SAN FERNANDO—A weak female baby pygmy sperm whale was found yesterday morning at the shoreline of Barangay Carlatan here with injuries on her tail and left eye.

Dr. Christopher Apilado of the city veterinary office, said the 6.5-feet-long whale weighed around 100 kilos and had a body circumference of 45 inches.

It was found by residents at 4:00 a.m. Friday.

The whale was brought to the facility of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in Sto. Tomas, La Union by members of the City Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council, the provincial disaster risk reduction and management council and the bureau.

Apilado said the whale, which was about a year old, probably strayed from her mother.

“It looks like it was disturbed by fishermen who attempted to catch it as shown by the wounds caused by pointed object,” he said.

Baguio pilots real-time dengue demographics

By Dexter A. See BAGUIO CITY—The first-ever Geographic Information Systembased dengue and epidemiology system for providing the public, policy-makers, and decisionmakers with a real time picture of dengue fever cases will pilot in this city.

Engineer Nathaniel Lubreca, project leader of the University of the Cordilleras (UC) dengue surveillance system team, the system will be tested next week and operational glitches are expected to be corrected in five months.

The system is a project of the UC College of Engineering, the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology, the Department of Health, the City Health Services Office, the Cordillera Health Research and Development Consortium, and the various universities and colleges in the region.

“We want to provide the public with a clearer picture of dengue surveillance down to the baran-

gays for the people to know the status of dengue in specific areas. The GIS-based surveillance system will be able to identify areas where there is clustering of dengue cases and where there are outbreaks,” Lubreca stressed.

He explained other future refinements will make the system an intelligent one and conform to future needs.

The PCHRD gave the UC study group P500,000 to implement the project that will be a model for similar surveillance software.

Dr. Alexei Marrero, Medical Officer of the Cordillera office of the Department of Health (DOHCAR), said this dengue surveillance system is a welcome development that will provide health experts a clearer picture of the prevalence of dengue cases in the different barangays and allow timely technical and medical assistance.

Lubreca said there will be a continuous upgrade of the surveillance system as the data gathered from the barangays is revised.

Imee: Miriam Santiago a tough feminist hero “SENATOR Miriam [Santiago] was a hero to many of us fighting her way through man’s world,” Gov. Imee Marcos said.

Ilocanos expressed their grief over the death of Santiago of lung cancer.

On her Facebook page, Marcos thanked Santiago for her love and concern for the country and the Ilocanos.

“Thank you, Senator Miriam, from all of us here in Ilocos Norte.

Your love for our country and to all the Ilocanos is unparalleled.”

The governor described Santiago as “fiercely intelligent and totally fearless.”

She also considers the late senator a hero for fighting for the Filipino people.

Santiago’s former running mate in the presidential elections, former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also said in a Facebook post that

“words cannot begin to express the deep sadness that not only I and my family but the entire country feels at the devastatingly sad news of Sen. Miriam’s passing.”

“She leaves the world less wise, less bright and sadder,” he said, remembering that Santiago was always his seatmate in the Senate.

For Ilocano architect Mel Cristobal, Santiago is a great loss for the country.

“I always believe that she was one of the few honest, credible and smartest politicians we had,” Cristobal said.

Remembering the late senator when she visited the Mariano Marcos State University in Batac City on her election campaign, student Iris Layoen said Santiago “will always be remembered for her witty yet meaningful pickup lines.” PNA

Tourists bring P2b to Cagayan Valley

By Brenda Jocson

T

HE Department of Tourism said more than P2 billion was earned by the Cagayan Valley from the growing foreign and domestic tourist arrivals in the region in the last five years.

DoT Region 2 Director Virgilio Maguigad said that from 2010 to 2015, the number of foreign and domestic tourists grew from 358,000 to 795,000.

Maguigad said 748,861 tourists spent P1.7 billion in 2014 and 795,502 spent P1.8 billion in 2015.

He said 195,995 Chinese, 2,809 Taiwanese and 1,985 Americans visited the Philippines in 2015.

Also on the top 10 list were tourists from Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Korea, India, Singapore and Australia who enjoyed the casinos, resorts, beaches and other tourists offerings at the Ca-

gayan Economic Zone Authority in Santa Ana town.

The ecozone offers facilities for backpacking, swimming, kiteboarding, wind surfing and beach volleyball. Scenes in the movie “Survivor” were filmed in some beaches there It also hosts water sports like jet skiing, snorkeling, kayaking, scuba diving, kayaking, game fishing particularly in Santa Ana’s Palaui Island, Anguib, Gotan, Nangaramoan and Pozzorobo.

Maguigad said that in the first semester, 352,387 foreign and domestic tourist came while

more than 1.4 million same-day visitors (tourists who stayed less than a day) arrived.

He said the National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP) for 2016 to 2022 will develop the Batanes-Babuyan IslandsCagayan Coast cluster, the Tuguegarao-Tabuk (Sierra Madre) cluster, Ilagan-Isabela (Coast), Quirino (Sierra Madre cluster) and Nueva Vizcaya (Cordillera cluster).

“We will increase competitiveness and ease of doing business, accelerate annual infrastructure spending to account for five percent of the gross domestic product with public-private partnership playing a key role,” Maguigad said.

“We will work on the promotion of rural and value chain development towards increasing agricultural With the tourism potentials of the Cagayan Valley region, the DoT said foreign and local inves-

tors’ intervention plays an important role and still very much needed.

“This is so because the Cagayan Valley region is still lagging behind compared to other regions in terms of tourism arrivals and its impact to the economy,” Maguigad said.

He said that since the region needs to develop and improve its tourism potentials, “we are not yet included as one of the primary tourist destinations in the country.”

“There are many tourism potentials in Cagayan Valley that need the help of private investors in order to develop them fully,” Maguigad said.

Meanwhile, the government has poured in more than P2 billion under the DoT-Department of Public Works and Highways convergence program for the development of access roads to the region’s tourism attractions and destinations. AFP

TENDER CARE. President Rodrigo Duterte poses with representatives of the Most Child-Friendly City awardees Davao City Assistant Administrator Lawrence Bantiding (right) and Davao City Social Services and Development Office Head Maria Luisa Bermudo (second from left) following a ceremony in Malacañang on September 26. Robinson Niñal Jr.

DAR South Cotabato gives P3.1-m aid to abaca farmers AGRARIAN reform beneficiaries in a remote village of Lake Sebu have better chances at earning more from abaca farming after the Department of Agrarian Reform turned over to their organization some P3.1 million in facilities and equipment.

According to the DAR South Cotabato Provincial Office, the assistance was given to the Proper Ned Agrarian Reform

Beneficiaries’ Cooperative on September 23.

The support included storage building, warehouse and greenhouse dryer as well as stripping machines, baling machine, back strap looms, heavy duty weighing scales, and moisture testers, intended to improve the ARBs’ production, processing and marketing of abaca.

Provincial Agrarian Reform

Program Officer II H. Roldan Ali said the aid was implemented under the Mindanao Sustainable Agrarian and Agriculture Development Project.

“This is a momentous event as this is the first project under MinSAAD that was turned over

by DAR South Cotabato as well as the first turn over activity attended by the new project manager Eduardo Suaybaguio who

assumed his new post just this September,” Ali said.

Speaking in behalf of the beneficiaries, Ned Barangay chairman Jerry Nobleta said their community is thankful to DAR and the project for choosing them as beneficiaries of the project.

“This will bring more development in Ned that will surely help alleviate poverty while provid-

ing jobs and a higher income to the beneficiaries,” Nobleta said.

Meanwhile, Project Manager Suaybaguio commended DAR South Cotabato for the successful implementation of the project and expressed hope that more project turn over ceremonies will be held in the future.

The MinSAAD is a joint project of the Philippine Government through DAR and the Ja-

pan International Coordination Authority.

The project focuses on agricultural development and support services such as irrigation, rural roads and bridges, rural water supply, marketing and related aspects; effective governance and social protection and others that would support the objective of alleviating poverty in marginalized target areas. PIA

World

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

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NATIONAL DAY. A woman poses for a picture with a Chinese flag in front of the skyline of the financial district in Shanghai on October 2, 2016.

China celebrated National Day on October 1 and annually marks the time with a week-long holiday break. AFP

Syrian army presses offensive on Aleppo A

LEPPO―The largest hospital in rebelheld east Aleppo was bombed for the second time in days as Syrian government forces pressed a Russian-backed offensive to retake the entire city.

Aleppo, once Syria’s vibrant commercial powerhouse, is now at the heart of a major military campaign by President Bashar al-Assad’s fighters and his steadfast ally Moscow.

The offensive, announced on September 22, has seen dozens of civilians killed and residential buildings flattened in the east, where an estimated 250,000 people live under government siege.

Diplomatic efforts to end the fighting across the country have all but collapsed.

However, the foreign ministers of the United States and Russia, which brokered a week-long truce

deal that collapsed last month, spoke by phone on Saturday.

The foreign ministry in Moscow said on Facebook that Sergei Lavrov spoke to his American counterpart John Kerry and they “examined the situation in Syria, including the possibility of normalising the situation around Aleppo”.

It said “illegal armed groups” continue fighting in the city despite Russian-US agreements.

And Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned the US against taking any direct action against Damascus or the Syrian army.

“It will lead to terrible, tectonic shifts not only on the territory of this country but also in the region in general,” she said, according to the Russian state-controlled news provider Sputnik.

As the situation for civilians in Aleppo grows increasingly dire, the largest hospital in the east of the city was hit by barrel bombs on Saturday, the medical organization that supports it said.

“Two barrel bombs hit the M10 hospital and there were reports of a cluster bomb as well,” said Adham Sahloul of the Syrian American Medical Society or SAMS. Sahloul said a small group of patients and doctors “were inside the hospital for basic triage, bandaging, and cleaning services for emergency cases” when the bombardment began.

SAMS radiologist and hospital administrator Mohammad

Abu Rajab made an urgent call for help from inside M10.

“The hospital is being destroyed! SOS, everyone!” he said in an audio message distributed to journalists.

M10 had already been hit on Wednesday along with the second-largest hospital in the area, M2.

That bombardment badly damaged the two facilities and left only six fully-functional hospitals in east Aleppo, according to SAMS. At the bombed hospital, an AFP journalist saw bloodstained hospital beds and dented equipment lying in disarray beneath blown-out windows.

“A new barrel bomb fell this afternoon in front of the hospital, forcing medical staff... to evacuate all patients to another one and leave the hospital,” a doctor at M10 told AFP. AFP

Tragic church reopens

SA I N T-ETI EN N E -DU-ROU V R AY, France―Two months after its priest was murdered by teenage jihadists, parishioners of a Catholic church in northern France will gather on Sunday for a solemn re-opening ceremony to seek solace and solidarity.

The Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray church, a focal point of a small town of some 27,000 near the city of Rouen, will hold a special penitential mass to mark the occasion and pay tribute to Father Jacques Hamel.

The 85-year-old priest had his throat slit at the foot of the altar on July 26 in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

“He was a good priest. I always went to see him and he never refused to be of service,” said 81-year-old Mafalda Pace, who lives just next door to the 16th-century church.

Pace said Saturday she would be among those following the penitential rite of cleansing and subsequent mass presided over by Archbishop of Rouen Dominique Lebrun.

“The rite consists of ‘cleansing’ the church through the sprinkling of holy water,” said the archbishop, who also celebrated an August 2 funeral mass for the slain priest at Rouen Cathedral which was attended by President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

In a show of inter-faith solidarity, Muslims and Jews were among the mourners on that occasion.

Sunday’s rite is designed to wipe away the profaning of the church at the hands of jihadists Adel Kermiche, a local man, and Abdel-Malik Petitjean, both of whom were shot dead by police following a siege.

Local clergy will join the archbishop for Sunday’s services, which will follow a mid-afternoon procession to the church with members of the local Muslim community pledging to join. AFP

REOPENING. Queen Margrethe of Denmark is welcomed with flowers as she arrives at the All Saints’ church in Wittenberg, eastern Germany, on October 2, 2016. The Danish Monarch attended the reopening of the refurbished Castle Church. It was in Wittenberg, Germany, that Martin Luther lived and preached, and on October 31, 1517, nailed his 95 theses to the door of the church. AFP

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World

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

GRIDLOCK. In this photograph taken on August 1, 2016, Indian commuters and their vehicles stand in a traffic jam in New Delhi. India, the world’s third biggest carbon emitter, is set to ratify the Paris agreement on climate change on October 2, 2016, on the birthday of the country’s famously ascetic independence leader Mahatma Gandhi. AFP

Tough weapon against whalers A

MSTERDAM―With its distinctive pirate-like flag flying from the mast, the sleek, high-speed concrete gray Ocean Warrior is the latest weapon in a bitter war between marine conservationists and Japan’s whaling fleet.

“The one thing that we were missing in our fleet was a vessel with speed and endurance,” said Alex Cornelissen, chief executive of Sea Shepherd Global.

“With the Ocean Warrior, we have a ship that can outmatch any poaching vessel on the high seas,” said Cornelissen, also the captain, giving AFP a tour of the ship before its departure from the Netherlands this week-

end bound for Australia.

“We are now able to follow them anywhere they go and even run away if they become too aggressive.”

Bought at a cost of 8.3 million euros ($9.3 million) funded by public lotteries in Britain, The Netherlands and Sweden, Sea Shepherd Global is counting on the vessel in its upcoming battle to save the whales in the icy wa-

ters of the Southern Ocean.

The new vessel, designed by a Dutch shipbuilder, took 18 months to build. Stretching some 54 meters, it is a state-of-the-art ship, equipped with hybrid propulsion to extend its range, four powerful engines and a helicopter landing pad.

But it also has a secret weapon―son the bridge a red cannon can eject a powerful plume of water to obstruct the views of the whalers, or block them from boarding.

For almost four decades, Sea Shepherd has fought to “defend, conserve and protect” marine life in the vast expanses of the planet’s oceans.

And for 30 years they have been

playing cat-and-mouse on the high seas with determined and at times ruthless whaling fleets.

“The minute you actually find them, you get very excited and the whole crew is excited because that’s what you came down here for,” said Cornelissen, sitting at the controls which resembles the helm of a spaceship.

“And then you just go into this high energy mode. You don’t get tired anymore. You can stay up for 24 hours without interruption,” he added.

“All the sacrifices you made to be down in the Antarctic, you know, missing Christmas, missing your family, it’s all become worth it when you find the whalers.” AFP

Hurricane churns toward Jamaica KINGSTON―Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful Caribbean storm in a decade, churned towards Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba Sunday on a path forecasters said could take it to the eastern United States.

At 0600 GMT “powerful Matthew” was “moving slowly north-northwestward” from the Caribbean coast of Colombia and Venezuela at a speed of nine kilometers per hour, the Miamibased National Hurricane Center said.

Briefly a furious Category 5 storm at the top of the 1-5 Saffir-Simpson scale late Friday, Matthew has now weakened into a still dangerous Category 4 hurricane.

That makes it the strongest Caribbean storm since Hurricane Felix in 2007.

On its current forecast track Matthew’s center on Monday will glance past Jamaica―dumping heavy rain on the island―as it makes landfall on Haiti.

The storm is then expected to

Shark tagging raised

Vietnamese slam Taiwanese factory HANOI―Thousands of Vietnamese protesters surrounded a Taiwanese steel plant Sunday, some scaling walls and holding signs demanding its closure, as anger flared against the firm for dumping toxic waste into the ocean killing tons of fish.

Huge crowds on motorbike and foot gathered at the Formosa plant in central Ha Tinh province, with some holding signs saying: “Authorities, please close Formosa plant for the future of the nation” as others chanted angrily.

Dead fish and other marine life began washing ashore in central Vietnam in April, the country’s worst ecological disaster in decades that devastated livelihoods in coastal towns where fishing is the main source of income.

Taiwan’s Formosa, which is building a multi-billion dol-

lar steel plant in the area, was blamed for the disaster and fined $500 million.

The government said it would start paying affected fishermen in October and confirmed last week that payouts would range from $130 to $1,600 per person depending on losses calculated between April and September.

Sunday’s demonstrators demanded additional compensation.

“The protesters, who were directly hit by the Formosa scandal, asked for compensation and required the plant to close,” witness Hoang Sy Son told AFP. Photos and video on social media showed protesters, led by a Catholic priest, surrounding the steel plant in Ky Anh township and chanting bible passages.

“A lot of security people and vehicles were deployed here, but no clashes were seen,” Son

MASS. Pope Francis arrives to celebrate a mass in the Immaculate church in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 2, 2016. Azerbaijan, the second-largest Shiite Muslim nation after Iran, has a tiny Catholic population of fewer than 300 Azeris. Several thousand foreigners make up the rest of the Catholic community, and Azeri Jews, Zoroastrians and other minorities round out Azerbaijan’s religious mix. AFP

Military insists Pakistan is impregnable after ‘raid’ MANDHOLE, Pakistan―Pakistani military officials point to an Indian army post high on a forested ridge along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir, insisting any incursions are impossible, after skirmishes ignited dangerous tensions between the nuclear rivals.

The army took the rare step of flying international media to the de facto border to make its case in a battle of competing narratives, after India said its commandos penetrated up to three kilometers into Pakistan on antimilitant raids.

The presence of Indian

continue north, tearing across southern and eastern Cuba between Monday and Tuesday as it heads towards the Bahamas.

Matthew was located 560 kilometers south-southwest of the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, and the same distance southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, the NHC said at 0600 GMT. The hurricane is forecast to dump 15 to 25 inches of rain over southern Haiti, “with possible isolated maximum amounts of 40 inches.”

The storm is also expected to drop 10 to 20 inches of rain over eastern Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and eastern Cuba, “with possible isolated maximum amounts of 25 inches.”

“This rainfall will likely produce life-threatening flash floods and mud slides,” it warned.

Matthew was packing winds of 150 miles (240 kilometers) per hour, with higher gusts.

Current weather models showed it could eventually affect the US mainland. AFP

forces so far across the Line of Control or LoC would be a stinging blow to Pakistan, particularly after the 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden that took place on its territory without its consent.

The media visit came Saturday as India’s army chief Dalbir

Singh congratulated commandos involved in what New Delhi has described as “surgical strikes” to take out terrorist launchpads after a deadly attack on an Indian army base last month.

Pakistan has flatly denied the claim, saying two of its soldiers were killed but only in cross-

border fire of the kind that commonly violates a 2003 ceasefire on the LoC. The helicopter tour took journalists to sectors just two kilometers from the dividing line, and near the locations India said it targeted in assaults on four militant camps. AFP

SYDNEY―The tagging and relocation of sharks off Australia’s most populous state will be sharply increased to protect surfers ahead of a busy summer season, authorities said Sunday, after a teenager was mauled in a recent attack.

The New South Wales government has come under pressure to act after a 17-year-old boy was bitten on the leg while surfing off Australia’s east coast last Monday.

The scene of the attack―Ballina’s Lighthouse Beach about 750 kilometers north of Sydney―is in a region that has become known as a shark hot spot after a spate of encounters over the past year.

But trials to protect local surfers with eco-barriers were recently scrapped due to rough conditions, with the government turning to “smart drum lines” where sharks are caught and tagged before being relocated further out to sea.

“Our testing shows smart drum lines are highly effective in catching sharks so they can be tagged and relocated so we will increase the number deployed off NSW from 15 to 100,” NSW Primary Industries Minister Niall Blair said in a statement after meeting with Ballina’s community leaders. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

SIP & SAVOR

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THE JOYCE OF EATING JOYCE BABE PAÑARES

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NNOVATION and creative twists may have placed traditional Filipino food in the modern dining scene, but up to what point can you deconstruct adobo and still call it adobo?

For Sonny Fortuna, one of the owners of Limbaga 77 – a charming restaurant set in a two-story old house with 1940s-style windows and a spiral staircase centerpiece – it was a conscious decision for him and his partners to serve Filipino food the way their mothers used to cook at home.

“Some restaurants would offer radically deconstructed food, to the point that you almost don’t recognize the food anymore, like it was an altogether different dish. And perhaps customers become curious – they would order it once or twice to try it or for the bragging right that they experienced some-

Limbaga 77’s baked lechon paksiw served with mashed camote and danggit rice

Recipes

The suprisingly delicious stuffed bulaklak ng kalabasa, with kesong puti and cheddar mixed with ground pork

rooted in tradition

Sonny Fortuna delights guests with Filipino dishes that are familiar and comforting.

thing novel. But in the long run, they won’t order it again,” he said.

“Filipino food is comfort food. You don’t get tired of eating Filipino food.

We wanted our dishes to retain classic and traditional elements even if we tweaked the presentation a little. We innovated without altering the rich local Filipino flavors of our dishes,” the 27-year-old Fortuna said.

Take their stuffed bulaklak ng kalabasa. Presented a la Japanese tempura, the squash blossoms are filled with ground pork, kesong puti, and cheddar cheese. It is a fresh take on the local produce, and a tasty way of making kids eat their vegetables.

“Our staff was actually the ones who convinced us to offer the dish. They experimented on the bulaklak ng kalabasa and they liked it. So now, every morning they go to the market to ensure that we have the freshest bulaklak ng kalabasa for our dish,” Fortuna said.

The restaurant takes pride in its bestsellers, which include kare-kare (a traditional Filipino dish made with beef shank, tripe and tail stewed in homemade peanut butter and served with homemade bagoong); baked lechon paksiw (baked pork belly that is roasted in garlic, oregano, shallots, lemongrass, and lemon zest and then stewed in lechon gravy); spicy seafood adobo (crabs, shrimps, mussels, and squid in Pinoy adobo-style sauce with coconut milk and soy sauce); toasted Vigan longganisa served with mashed camote; and stuffed laing (fresh taro leaves with ground pork and shrimp cooked in coconut milk and chicken stock).

Another distinctively local dish in Limbaga 77’s menu is the Pinoy spaghetti – the sweet variety complete with hotdog and banana ketchup that other fancy Filipino restaurants shun.

Guests can choose to pair these sumptuous dishes with plain or garlic rice, but the more adventurous ones can opt for bagoong rice (fried rice with shrimp paste

Four-flavored chicken wings coated with organic honey, soy sauce, roasted garlic and calamansi juice

Stuffed laing – fresh taro leaves with ground pork and shrimp

mixed with ripe mango, garlic, tomatoes and white onions) or danggit rice (fried rice with dried rabbitfish and scallions with sliced scrambled eggs and tomatoes).

For customers who prefer healthier beverages, they can enjoy a Mabuhay smoothie (coconut milk syrup with pineapple and celery); minty mango watermelon slush; or lemongrass iced tea with calamansi, while those with a sweet tooth can order the pastillas de leche smoothie.

The restaurant also boasts of its L77 coffee, a concoction of organic beans from Mt. Atok in Benguet and Mt. Kitanglad in Bukidnon that is served with balikutsa, a uniquely Ilocano saccharine treat that can be used as sweetener.

Aside from the usual alcoholic beverages such as beer, wine, and liquor, Limbaga 77 also has its own specialty cocktails – General Malvar, which is made with Batangueño lambanog infused with labuyo, calamansi liqueur, fresh organic dalandan juice and tur-

Baskin-Robbins at Bonifacio High Street

Baskin-Robbins offers premium ice cream, ice cream cakes and beverages

BASKIN-Robbins, the world’s most beloved ice cream brand, spreads happiness to shoppers and promenaders at its 14th store at B5, Bonifacio High Street, Taguig.

To celebrate the opening of the newest Baskin-Robbins store, special treats await customers and ice cream enthusiasts. At the grand opening day of their Bonifacio High Street store last Saturday, customers had a taste of Baskin-Robbins’ iconic ice cream flavors for just P31 per junior scoop. Fun activities and freebies for children and the young-at-heart were among the attractions during the grand opening celebration.

“There has been a lot of anticipation around the opening

of this branch which is right in the heart of the action at BGC,” shared Michael Dargani, president of IceDream Inc., exclusive licensee of Baskin-Robbins in the Philippines.

As the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, Baskin-Robbins creates and markets innovative, premium hard scoop ice cream, customized ice cream cakes and a full range of beverages, providing quality and value to consumers at over 7,600 retail shops in nearly 50 countries. BaskinRobbins was founded in 1945 by two ice cream enthusiasts whose passion led to the creation of more than 1,300 ice cream flavors and a wide variety of delicious treats.

To avail of other exciting promos, visit Baskin-Robbins at Uptown Place Mall, Central Square and SM Aura in Bonifacio Global City; Greenbelt 5 and Glorietta 2 and 5 in Makati; SM North, SM North The Block, Fairview Terraces and TriNoma Mall in Quezon City; SM Southmall in Las Piñas; SM Dasmariñas in Cavite and Solenad in Sta Rosa, Laguna.

For more updates, check out www.baskinrobbins.ph or @ baskinrobbinsph on Twitter and Instagram.

Folks at BGC can now treat themselves to a scoop or two of ice cream from BR which opens its latest outlet at Bonifacio High Street

meric; and Legacy, which combines lambanog, calamansi liqueur, sioktong (traditional Pinoy herbal wine), coldpressed pineapple juice and celery.

And since there is always room for dessert among Filipino diners, Limbaga 77’s sweet creations include the brazo tablea cake (made with cacao tablea and Batangas barako coffee) and bikoron (a portmanteau of biko and turon – sticky rice cooked in coconut milk topped with latik in lumpia wrapper, served with peanut sauce).

“We are not a pretentious restaurant.

We do not reinvent the wheel,” Fortuna said. “We want our guests to feel that Limbaga 77 is like an extension of their own kitchen, serving food that is familiar and comforting.”

For feedback, send comments to joyce.panares@gmail.com PHOTOS BY SONNY ESPIRITU

Life

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

S

TEPHEN TWINING, a 10th generation member of the famed English tea family, recently visited the Philippines to celebrate 310 years of Twinings’ passion, commitment and superior craftsmanship in providing consumers with the finest quality teas.

A whole new world of tea with

Stephen Twining

Twinings, the no. 1 premium tea brand worldwide, also launched its latest specialty tea blends. The premium Large Leaf Discovery Collection of new and unique blends from Twinings is designed to take Filipino tea lovers on a journey of discovery that will surely delight the senses.

“Our Master blenders turned to Twinings’ ever-growing library of more than 30,000 teas and ingredients sourced from all around the world.

Their expert blending skills combined with the desire to share their passion for tea have produced the Twinings Large Leaf Discovery Collection, which offers consumers around the world with a superior tea experience—you can see, smell and taste—that only large-leaf teas can deliver,” Twining explained.

Each of the eight mouth-watering Large Leaf blends has its own story to tell. Twinings combines the finest large-leaf teas and ingredients and presents them in premium silky pyramid bags, which best displays and releases its beautiful contents, sensuous aromas and flavors.

The Twinings Large Leaf Discovery blends are available in leading supermarkets and select specialty stores such as Santis Deli and Gourdo’s. Each box contains 15 large leaf silky pyramid tea bags. Filipinos can discover a whole new world through a cup of tea all day, every day with the following blends: London Strand Earl Grey Tea – provides a sunny twist on Twinings’ original Earl Grey. Black China tea scented with a blend of traditional bergamot with a twist of other citrus notes and real lemon peels.

Enchanting Forest Fruits Black Tea – a delicious combination of ripe, red forest fruits blended subtly with rich vanilla flavors, and real pieces of strawberry and blueberry, on a base of black China tea.

Exotic Mango and Ginger Green Tea – offers the full, plump flavor of mango with an exciting gingery twist, over a base of green tea.

Golden Caramel Rooibos – caffeine-free, rich Rooibos with a hint of sweet caramel flavor.

Meanwhile, individually wrapped Twinings Large Leaf Discovery Blend teabags are also exclusively available in partner British Ambassador to the Philippines Asif hotels and restaurants: Ahmad Golden Tipped English Breakfast Tea – Golden tipped Assam Budding Meadow Camomile Tea - rich, tea, for a strong and bold depth of fla- mellow, camomile with natural sweet notes. vor and a rounded body.

“Passionate tea drinkers in the Rose Garden Black Tea – deep yet world over are always looking for delicate China tea with rose petals for a new, better and different experiences, charming floral note. and we, at Twinings, are confident Pure Sencha Green Tea – the fresh that our Large Leaf Discovery Collecand pure flavor of steamed large-leaf tion will delight every tea lover’s taste green tea. buds,” Twining said.

Stephen Twining, a 10th generation member of the famed English tea family, visited the country recently to introduce Twinings’ new tea blends and how to create the perfect cup of tea

Twinings Large Leaf Discovery blends (from left): Exotic Mango and Ginger Green Tea, London Strand Earl Grey, Enchanting Forest Fruits Black Tea, and Golden Caramel Rooibos

Preparing the perfect cup of tea

Twining also shared some pointers to help Filipinos enjoy the full benefits and flavors of the Large Leaf Discovery blends, as well as their other favorite Twinings teas. Each cup of tea has the ability to take drinkers on a wonderful journey of discovery and delight the senses every time one reaches for their

favorite tea bag and a cup of hot water.

Always use fresh water in your kettle. Fresh water contains more dissolved oxygen and this helps to bring out the full flavor of the tea.

Use freshly boiled water for black teas and infusions.

Cool boiling water for a few minutes before pouring over green tea or white

tea to avoid burning the leaves resulting in a bitter taste.

Preheat your crockery when possible.

This means pouring some hot water into your teapot or teacup, swirling the hot water around for a few seconds and then discarding it. “Warming the pot” is very important especially for black teas.

The tea-to-water ratio determines the intensity of the tea.

One tea bag is sufficient for one mug of hot water. Lessen water if you desire a stronger tea like when enjoying English Breakfast.

Teabags should only be used once, since all the flavor and natural benefits will be released in the first use.

All teas need time to infuse. For black tea, 3-4 minutes is just right.

The first minute for the color to be released, the second and third minute for the aroma and flavor to be released and the third and fourth minute for the anti-oxidants and natural benefits to be released.

The Philippines was Mr. Twining’s last stop for the Asian leg of the Twinings 310th anniversary celebrations, after visiting neighboring countries like Myanmar, Vietnam and Malaysia.

B ITES

Lotus Biscoff as in-flight treat OFF-peak, rainy season is a good chance to score relatively cheaper trips and enjoy destinations leisurely minus the maddening crowd.

The sweater weather brought by the rains is also another chance to yearn for a warm mug of coffee especially when you are traveling up in the air.

And what better way to enjoy your cup than with a serving of Lotus Biscoff cookies, Europe’s original irresistible and caramelized gourmet speculoos cookies, aboard your flight to paradise.

Lotus Biscoff has recently inked

a partnership with SkyJet Airlines, the Philippines’ leading boutique airline, to give Filipinos a wonderful complimentary in-flight snack treat as they journey to their next destination. Countless of Lotus Biscoff cookies have been sampled by happy, tired, excited, adventurous, grateful, and, of course, hungry airline passengers in flights abroad.

And now, this experience is yours as you take your next trip aboard a SkyJet plane.

Lotus Biscoff cookies are neatly packed and served with your warm

cup of coffee aboard SkyJet plane starting August 2016 to any of the four niche destinations: the green hills of Basco, Batanes; the limestones and clear waters of Coron, Palawan; the world-famous white sands of Boracay (via Caticlan airport); and the country’s capital and the historical heritages of Manila.

The caramel flavor and crunchy goodness of Lotus Biscoff cookies are also a sought after in-flight snack, served by major international airlines. Aside from that undeniable melt-in- your-mouth goodness, Lotus Biscoff cookies have no artificial colors, preservatives, nuts nor animal by-products. Its ingredients are natural and GMO-free. No wonder Lotus Biscoff is acknowledged as one of the best in-flight snacks last year.

“With the partnership with SkyJet Airlines, we aim to provide travelers a light and fun snack to indulge on until you arrive at your destination.

We hope to provide Filipinos the experience of enjoying their favorite biscuit to pair with coffee while they take in the wonderful view of the world from the top,” said Emie San Beda, Fly Ace Corporation Product Manager for Lotus Biscoff Philippines.

Feel-good chocolate THROUGHOUT the years, Cloud 9’s chocolate goodness has elevated how Filipinos enjoy their own special moments. As it continues to encourage people to capture and share the things that bring them positive vibes, Cloud 9 launches the Enjoy that Cloud 9 Moment Campaign. This aims to collect millions of happy moments and showcase these for everyone to celebrate and be inspired by.

Indeed, there is always something to celebrate in life and there are always Cloud 9 Moments waiting to happen. And as the brand continues to deliver feel-

good chocolate goodness to every Filipino, it offers a variety of flavors that you can choose from such as Cloud 9 Classic, White, Choco Fudge, Overload and Salted Caramel.

With your all-time favorite chocolate bar, be part of the nationwide Enjoy that Cloud 9 Moment campaign. Share photos of your Cloud 9 Moments through your Facebook or Instagram account using the official hashtag #Cloud9Moment, and get a chance to win special prizes from the brand.

Follow @Cloud9Chocolate on Facebook for more details.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

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ESLYN Santos gave the country another international crown when she bested 27 beauties from five continents of the world to win the fourth edition of the Miss United Continents pageant, the first Asian to make it, during the grand coronation held recently at the Palaxio de Cristal in Guayaquil, Ecuador.

Santos, wearing a gorgeous blue evening gown created by Cathy Capistrano, shed tears of joy as she was crowned by outgoing titlist Nathalia Lago of Brazil. Her crown, by jewelry designer Christian Quintero, was based on the concept of the planet’s five continents.

The 23-year-old broadcast communication major and two-time candidate of Bb. Pilipinas beaity pageant, answered the final round question in the Spanish language which swayed the judges’ nod to her favor. Santos had learned some basic Spanish words and phrases related to the pageant’s theme on world unity as part of her preparation for the Ecuador pageant.

“We are one if we act and think as one. We should not treat each other as strangers and competitors but as brothers and sisters. Although great oceans and land divide us, love always unite us,” Santos said in Spanish. “I can’t believe it,” Santos, who won $10,000 and endorsements, posted in her Facebook, thanking her supporters after her crowning.

Miss Denmark Mette Riis finished as first runner-up and Miss India Lopamudra Raut was second runner up. Miss Brazil Taynara Gargantini and Miss Mexico Cynthia Duque were named third and fourth runners up while Miss Panama Rita Silvestre was fifth runner up.

Santos, a 5-foot-7 volleyball player, was in her second international pageant in Ecuador after the Miss World Peace 2015 in Hong Kong where she finished as a semi-finalist. She was appointed

by John dela Vega,, national director of Miss United Continents Philippines, who was also her mentor.

The Miss United Continents pageant was started in Ecuador in 2006 as a competition for delegates from continent the American but pageant director and owner, Maria del Carmen de Aguayo, decided to expand it worldwide and change it to Miss United Continents.

Eton B. Concepcion

Bulakeña beauty is first Asian Miss United Continents

Imaginary animals come to life in

‘Oops! Noah Is Gone’

‘Oops! Noah is Gone’ is a 3D animated adventure comedy film about little creatures

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Monday, October 3, 2016

ACROSS 1 Dam builder 4 Tours tip, once 9 Word of amazement 12 Limerick or haiku 13 Defy authority 14 Tax-deferred svgs.

16 — — foot pole 17 Quiz-show host 18 Roman historian 19 Rhine nymph 21 Furry thief 23 Flavors the popcorn 25 Subtle distinction 26 Dressing table 29 Traffic no-no (hyph.)

31 Asimov or Hayes 32 PDQ 33 Cloy 37 Fasten down a tent 38 String player 41 Deli order 42 Courtesy env.

44 Sense 45 Feminine side 47 Human herbivore 49 Nervous

50 Sweet roll 53 Slam — (NBA shots) 55 Flowering shrubs 57 Eggy dessert 61 Brusque 62 Forbidden things (hyph.)

64 Lustrous black 65 Parker of “South Park” 66 Nobelist — Joliot-Curie 67 — — grip!

68 Sooner than anon 69 Get to one’s feet 70 Mdse.

DOWN 1 Dorothy’s dog 2 Swerve 3 Concussion result 4 Voluntarily 5 Send payment 6 The rudiments 7 Not e’en once 8 Large profits 9 Garage litter 10 Where Betelgeuse is 11 Utter chaos 12 Crony

15 End of a 1/1 song 20 Shoot the bolt 22 Mongrel 24 Postpone 26 Honchos 27 On a voyage 28 Nitpicks 30 Follow, as a gumshoe 32 Length x width 34 Where Japan is 35 Rolaids rival 36 Auction site 39 Kabul natives 40 Aquariums

43 Curse (2 wds.)

46 Rainy-day cache (2 wds.)

48 Wind dir.

49 Just bought 50 Scurry 51 Blue as the sky 52 D.C. consumer advocate 54 Storrs sch.

56 Prepare laundry 58 In the sack 59 Composts 60 Spiral molecule 63 PBS funder

Thank-you-girl no more, Jeslyn Santos bested 27 other beauties at the Miss United Continents pageant

‘The Amazing Race Asia’ Season 5 premieres this month GET ready for a race like no other as AXN prepares to unleash The Amazing Race Asia Season 5 in its world premiere, 9 p.m. on Oct. 13.

Adrenaline-fueled action mixed with nail biting drama and comedic overtones sets this 10-episode season apart from the pack as 11 teams from six different countries vie for the winning crown and $100,000 in cash.

Hailing from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, the teams are an eclectic bunch of brains, brawn and beauty united by their determination to win, while having a bit of fun along the way.

Virginia Lim, senior vice president and head of Content, Production and Marketing, Sony Pictures Television Networks, Asia said, “This season is the most dramatic, crazy and surprising yet. It’s a wild, culturally mesmerizing ride against some truly spectacular destinations. One second a team is in the lead, only for another to come out of nowhere to take top spot. It’s anyone’s race!”

During each episode every Thursday at 9pm, AXN viewers can take their place in the middle of the action and interact with celebrity show host Allan Wu and their favorite teams live via social platforms using #AXNTARA and @AXNTARA “I’m excited to chat with viewers and share the race experience throughout the series. We have created a lot of exclusive race footage that is only available online.

It will add a whole new dimension to watching the race as viewers will witness what’s happeningbehind-thescenes like never before,” said Allan.

Check out www.AXN-Asia.com/TARA for all the latest news on The Amazing Race Asia.

AXN is seen on Cable Link Channel 38, Cignal Digital TV Channel 61, Global Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Channel 20, GSat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49.

IT’S all about family in Oops! Noah is Gone, an inspiring and fun story of strange animals who wanted to join Noah in the ark built for the great flood. An SM Cinema Family Movie Date monthly feature, Oops: Noah is Gone will have a limited engagement (at select SM Cinemas) on Oct. 15,16, 22 and 23.

Oops! Noah is Gone is about Dave and his son Finny who belong to a strange species called Nestrians. They are clumsy and weird looking animals that seemingly not really good for anything at all, in fact, they’re not even allowed on Noah’s ark. But with a sly trick and with the involuntary help of two carnivorous Grymps, Hazel and her daughter Leah, Finny and Dave manage to smuggle themselves on board. But then the ark leaves and Leah and Finny are accidentally left behind. The unlikely duo has to escape the raising waters and save themselves from a mean and villainous couple of Griffins.

Along the way they meet a pair of even weirder creatures who were also rejected from the ark and take them along on their perilous journey.

The parents who stayed on board the ark do everything in their power to turn the boat around and save their kids. After an action packed showdown our clumsy Nestrians discover their

true destiny. Sometimes you have to face the end of the world to find your place in it!

Based on the beloved timeless biblical story of Noah’s Ark with a few tweaks, this time, though, it’s not about the winners, but the losers, who are often a lot more fun than than those on the right side of the evolutionary fence. This is the story of Nestrians, Grymps and Griffins – animals that never existed. In this “what if?” animated film for youngsters, premium animation technology brings these endearing, brightly colored fantasy creatures to life with a love of detail and originality.

Take your family for a weekend bonding at the movies at SM Cinema nationwide and get your children to watch for free. Simply purchase two tickets for Oops! Noah is Gone and two of your children will be free to watch the movie. The SM Family Movie Date campaign also offers fun activities with lots of discounts and free coupons from the mall’s partner merchants.

Oops! Noah is Gone is from CrystalSky Multimedia - follow CrystalSky Multimedia http:// www.facebook.com/crystalskymultimedia and on Twitter http://twitter.com/crystalskymedia for more updates on SM’s Family Movie Date.

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=lExasiVtW-0

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

MONDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2016

Showbiz

Alden Richards a loyal Kapuso

P

AMBANSANG Bae Alden Richards remains a loyal Kapuso as he renewed on Sept.

27 his exclusive contract with GMA ISAH V. RED Network, Inc.

Present in the contract signing were GMA Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, GMA President and Chief Operating Officer Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., GMA Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Felipe S. Yalong, GMA Films President Annette Gozon, and other top officers of the network.

Alden said that he is very happy to renew his contract with GMA, which has been very helpful in fulfilling all of his dreams, “Masaya po talaga ako to be part of GMA and to be still part of GMA in the years to come. I remained loyal to the Network because GMA has been very good to me and very supportive; I can feel the support and love coming from them. I really feel at home here. It’s where my heart is.”

Alden is considered one of the Kapuso Network’s homegrown, talented and versatile actors. At present, he is recognized as one of the most credible endorsers and most admired male personalities in the country.

Alden is likewise a multi-platinum recording artist. Aside from being one of the mainstays of the hit noontime show Eat Bulaga, Alden is part of the iconic primetime series Encantadia as Lakan, “My experience po with Encantadia has been very fun. Kumbaga, it’s another dream of mine that came true now that I am part of the cast. I am very thankful po kasi the feedback is very positive.”

During the contract signing, Atty. Gozon said he is very proud of Alden’s achievements since he is one of the Network’s successful homegrown artists for many years now, “Alam mo si Alden, not only he is one of the biggest stars of GMA but also one of the biggest stars in the country. We are also proud of the humility he has shown throughout this journey, he is a living proof that one can reach the stars while

CERTIFIED KAPUSO.

Showbiz’s Golden Boy Alden Richards inks another exclusive contract with GMA Network

keeping his feet firmly on the ground. Kaya tayo ay lubos na nagagalak dahil napili niyang manatili sa GMA, kung saan siya nagsimula and where he belongs.”

Duavit said that he considers Alden a good and genuine role model for the youth, “Today is a big landmark not only in his life as an actor but in his life as a young man. Sa pagbabalik tanaw, ang layo na ng kanyang narating at sa pagtingin sa hinaharap, napakalayo pa ng kanyang pupuntahan. In the middle of all this is what he has remained to be: a good friend, a good son, a professional, somebody who puts others beyond and above himself. With his success comes a great responsibility. Isa na siyang ehemplo sa ating mga kabataan na kinahahangaan hindi lamang ng mga manonood kundi nating lahat.”

Yalong, in turn, shared that he is delighted with the new chapter of Alden’s life in GMA, “Through all the years he was with us, not only is he a certified viral phenomenon and a box office star but GMA Records is also proud to say that he is a certified recording star. He will always be someone we are proud to call a Kapuso.” *** Tim Yap was tested negative in two separate drug tests: one on Aug. 19 and the other on Sept. 26 at a medical laboratory licensed by the Department of Health and duly accredited with the Dangerous Drugs Board.

According to Yap’s management, ALV Talent Circuit, the results should finally put to rest all speculations and reaffirm Tim’s untarnished reputation and good moral standing.

Yap has reiterated his full support for the government’s intensive antidrug campaign, and encouraged his fellow celebrities to do the same.

For its part, ALV Talent Circuit will follow through with its directive to publicize the results of its other celebrities’ drug tests in the spirit of compliance and transparency.

Jodi Sta. Maria and ‘Bridges Of Love’ earn nods from 2016 International Emmys ABS-CBN Corporation once again received honors from the International Emmy® Awards as Kapamilya actress Jodi Sta. Maria and the ABS-CBN teleserye Bridges of Love picked up nominations at this year’s prestigious competition.

Jodi was recognized for her outstanding performance as Amor Powers in the 2015 remake of Pangako Sa ‘Yo and is nominated in the Best Performance by an Actress category against Judi Dench (United Kingdom), Grazi Massafera (Brazil), a n d Christiane P a u l (Germany).

Bridges of Love, meanwhile, will be competing in the

Best Telenovela category alongside telenovelas from Canada and Brazil.

The series shares the tale of two brothers, Gael (Jericho Rosales) and Carlos (Paulo Avelino), who were bound by their promise to each other, separated by an unfortunate tragedy, and bridged together by love embodied by only one woman — the vivacious club dancer Mia (Maja Salvador).

Bridges of Love was the first Filipino series to air in the Latin American region, particularly in Peru via PanAmericana. It is followed by Pangako Sa’yo, which is currently airing in the said Peruvian TV channel. Aside from Peru, both series already aired in different countries in Asia and Africa.

Jodi and Bridges of Love are the only nominees from the Philippines among the 40 nominees across 10 categories and 15 countries in this year’s awards.

Last year, ABS-CBN chief content officer Charo Santos-Concio was chosen as the Gala Chair for the 43rd International Emmy® Awards and opened the gala before the world’s best producers, creatives, and talents. She is the first Filipino Gala Chair invited to participate in the prestigious event.

ABS-CBN previously scored International Emmy® Awards nominations for Precious Hearts Romances Presents: Impostor (Best Telenovela) in 2011, Dahil May Isang Ikaw (Best Telenovela) and Sid Lucero in Dahil May Isang Ikaw (Best Actor) in 2010, and Kahit Isang Saglit (Best Telenovela) and Angel Locsin in Lobo (Best Actress) in 2009.

This year’s winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony on Nov. 21 at Hilton New York Hotel. The International Emmy® Awards are given by the International Academy of Television Kapamilya actress Jodi Sta. Maria is pitted against British actress Judi Dench in International Emmys Arts & Sciences.