Manila Standard - 2016 October 11 - Tuesday

Sebastian says • De Lima knew the money came from drugs.

VOL. XXX • NO. 241 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Duterte vents ire on priests PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday again slammed the Catholic Church officials for criticizing his war on drugs that has already claimed 3,000 lives since he took office.

He called them “annoying sons of bitches.”

Speaking before policemen at Camp Abendan in Zamboanga City, Duterte admitted being annoyed at the continuing criticism he has been getting as a result of his war on illegal drugs.

“I’m really appalled by the many groups and individuals― including priests and bishops― complaining about the number of persons getting killed on the operations against the drug problem,” Duterte said.

He said two policemen were being killed daily as a result of the crackdown.

“Nabubuwisit ako. Nag-iinit ang ulo ko bakit mamatay ang pulis.”

Duterte slammed Davao Archbishop Emeritus Fernando Capalla whom he accused of having an affair with a woman despite his vow of celibacy. Next page

• I personally handed P2m to De Lima.

• Sweetie—That’s how De Lima and Sanchez call each other.

• Chinese convicts use cellphones to order drugs overseas.

PLEA FOR IMMUNITY. Controversial kidnapping inmate Jaybee Sebastian, grilled during the House of Representatives justice committee hearing Monday, asks the body for immunity from suit, while testifying in the House inquiry into the proliferation of drugs at the Bilibid, and denying being a government asset of Senator Leila de Lima when the latter was justice secretary. Manny Palmero

Health for lifting of TRO on RH law THE Department of Health has asked the Supreme Court to lift the temporary restraining order it issued in June 2015 stopping the government from purchasing, selling, distributing, dispensing, administering, advertising or promoting contraceptive implants.

The department, through Solicitor General Jose Calida, also appealed to the high court to reverse its Aug. 24, 2016 decision ordering the Food and Drug Administration to determine whether certain contraceptive drugs and devices are abortifacients or non-abortifacients.

The department made its appeal even as various labor groups joined reproductive health advocates in calling the Supreme Court to lift its restraining order on the implementation of RA 10354 or the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012.

Partido Manggagawa secretary-general Judy Ann Miranda said the high court’s order did uphold the constitutionality of the RH law but stopped the purchase and distribution of certain contraceptives until those could be certified under new rules.

The high court issued its order on contraceptive implants as it nullified the certification and recertification earlier issued by the FDA covering 77 contraceptive drugs and implants due to the failure of the Health department to comply with the basic requirements of due process. Next page

‘Drug money for Leila’ De Lima belies Jaybee testimony

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Leila de Lima maintained her innocence Monday and said convicted kidnapping gang leader Jaybee Sebastian was pressured to testify before a congressional panel that he had given her P10 million in drug money for her successful senatorial campaign.

“Obviously, Jaybee Sebastian has been pushed to the wall. Apparently and obviously, he failed to bear the pressure,” said De Lima.

She added that her “very A1 source” told her that Sebastian’s wife had pleaded with him to do as he was told.

For weeks, De Lima said, Sebastian was not easily convinced, but now he

was in the House of Representatives and “joined the lies.”

De Lima said she learned that Sebastian was the real target of the recent riot in the NBP, in which one drug lord was killed. Sebastian suffered stab wounds.

“That can be the only explanation,” De Lima said. “In other words, he listened to his wife, because she begged him to do what they wanted, because they are only after De Lima.”

She branded the hearings in the House of Representatives a “kangaroo court” where lies were being peddled. She said the hearings were not in aid of legislation, but in aid of demolition—to destroy

Sebastian tags senator as protector inside NBP

By Maricel V. Cruz

I

NMATE Jaybee Sebastian on Monday testified before a congressional panel that he raised P10 million in campaign funds from the sale of illegal drugs in the New Bilibid Prison for Senator Leila de Lima when she was still Justice secretary.

Testifying before the House committee on justice, Sebastian in his affidavit said he gave money to De Lima through her former aide, Joenel Sanchez.

At the same hearing, Sebastian also denied De Lima’s claim that he was a government asset.

In one instance, after De Lima led a raid on the NBP on Dec. 15, 2014, Sebastian said he gave her P2 million through Sanchez, then called him to double check if the money had reached her.

“I heard over the line someone

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Immigration on alert vs De Lima, five others

By Rey E. Requejo AN IMMIGRATION Lookout Bulletin Order has been issued against Senator Leila de Lima and five other individuals implicated in the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa.

In a two-page memorandum, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II ordered the Bureau of Immigration to monitor the movements, itineraries or whereabouts of personalities who have been named by President Rodrigo Duterte as involved in the proliferation of illegal drug trade inside the national penitentiary.

The order also covers De Lima’s former driver-body guard

Ronnie Dayan, former Justice undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayu, Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission Executive Director Reginald Villasanta, and De Lima’s former security aide Joenel Sanchez.

Aguirre said the order was issued upon the recommendation of the National Bureau of Investigation, which is currently building up a case against De Lima and the others for their alleged role in the illegal drugs trade in the NBP. Aguirre ordered Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to disseminate the details of the order and to instruct immigration

who sounded like Secretary De Lima,” Sebastian said in Filipino.

“I asked, ‘Did you receive my gift to you?” She replied: “Yes, Jaybee.

Merry Christmas.”

In another instance, Sebastian said, he brought another P2 million to the office of then Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayu.

Sebastian said, “Ma’am, I brought some money here.” De Lima allegedly replied: “Just leave it there” because Sanchez was not around to Next page receive it.

FVR comments worth looking into, says Palace

By John Paolo Bencito THE Palace insisted Monday that President Rodrigo Duterte did “exceptionally well” in his first 100 days in office, and played down assertions made by former President Fidel Ramos that the country was losing badly because of his sharp, unnecessary tirades against other countries.

“Yes, we listen to him, we re-

spect him. But we’d also like to balance his perspective by the statement of his former national security adviser,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said, referring to Ramos’ former national security adviser Jose Almonte.

“When asked… to assess the first 100 days of the President, he [Almonte] referred to the fact that based on the three-point mission, Next page

Next page

Filmfest takes fresh look at DH BUSAN―A documentary that takes an intimate look at the daily dramas of foreign domestic workers has premiered at Asia’s largest film festival, with its director pushing a fresh perspective on the millions employed in homes across the globe.

“So much of what we hear and see about them is sensational or negative,” said Baby Ruth Villarama on the sidelines of the 21st Busan International

Film Festival in South Korea.

“I wanted to show them living their daily lives, with their own hopes and dreams, and hopefully that will open up a dialogue about who these people are and the role they play in the world today,” she said.

Villarama’s quietly engaging “Sunday Beauty Queen” is in the running for the major documentary prize in Busan

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LORD, HEAR US. Embattled Senator Leila de Lima,

placed under a lookout bulletin with eight other people by the Department of Justice, prays during a Mass with other Religious Groups and Coalition against Death Penalty which has urged President Rodrigo Duterte and Congress in observance of World Day Against the Death Penalty not to restore capital punishment. Lino Santos

S

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TROOPS’ SKEDDADLE. US Marines, with their Filipino allies (back), march toward their vehicles while their Philippine counterparts look on as they prepare to join a live fire exercise as part of the allies’ amphibious landing exercise at Crow Valley in Capas, Tarlac Monday, then started to hurriedly pack up in time for the abbreviated military exercise originally scheduled to end Wednesday. AFP

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

Pump prices rise; diesel up P1.55

By Alena Mae S. Flores

I

ncreased demand in the US for oil products pushed up the local prices of diesel and kerosene by P1.55 per liter and of gasoline

by P0.85 per liter effective Tuesday, the Department of Energy announced.

Oil companies Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Flying V, Seaoil Philippines, PTT Philippines, Phoenix Philippines, Unioil advised the DoE of the price increase. Other oil companies are expected to follow suit.

Seaoil’s advisory adjusted

pump prices per liter effective 6 a.m. as follows: gasoline, up P0.85 per liter, diesel, up P1.55 per liter, and kerosene, up P1.55 per liter.

“This is to reflect movements in the international petroleum market,” Seaoil said.

Energy Undersecretary Felix

William Fuentebella said oil prices went up due to the bigger demand from the US and uncertainties arising from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries meeting last month.

Fuentebella, meanwhile, said the department’s Mindanao field office is addressing concerns of oil smuggling, predatory pricing and the selling of petroleum products per bottle.

He said the department is coordinating with local government units against the unauthorized retailing due to consumer safety concerns.

Fuentebella said the Finance department and Bureau of Cus-

Sayyaf member nabbed in Zambo POLICE arrested an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in Zamboanga City on Monday and confiscated from him a 0.45-caliber pistol with 1 magazine, four bullets and a rifle grenade, officials said.

They said Amir Intong Salihin was from Basilan and an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf under Isnilon Hapilon.

He served as liaison officer for finance and was believed to have been involved in making improvised explosive devices.

In Manila, Army Chief Eduardo Año on Monday dismissed insinuations that a pullout of American forces would have a negative impact on the government’s cam-

paign against Islamic terrorists.

“Our counter-terrorism efforts will not be affected because we have an anti-terrorism council and an anti-terrorism unit,” Año said. He said the recent operations against the Maute group, a selfstyled Islamic band wanting to ally with the Islamic State, had shown the effectiveness on the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism.

“We conducted operations against the Maute group and there was no contribution or participation from the US,” Año said.

He said those operations resulted in the arrest of three of the 10 people who participated in the Sept. 2 bombing that killed 15 ci-

vilians and injured more than 60 others in Davao City.

Año also dismissed the reports that the US had sent a military plan to pull out its contingent in Mindanao following President Rodrigo Duterte’s order for them to leave.

“Nothing yet,” he said.

“First of all, the President did not tell them to leave. What he said is that he is concerned for the safety of these Americans, so it would be better if they left. There was no notice for them to pul lout.

They are still there.”

There are less than 100 Americans staying inside the headquarters of the Western Mindanao Command in Zamboanga City.

PNA, with Florante S. Solmerin

Immigration...

tified by President Duterte as the new lover of De Lima after Dayan, while Dera is allegedly a nephew and security aide of De Lima who played a role in a supposed abduction of the niece of high-profile NBP inmate Peter Co. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said the lookout bulletin was merely a reporting system. If a person on the list tries to leave the country, it’s reported to a central database.

“That is the only meaning of that,” Pimentel said, noting that a senator does not need the consent of the Senate leadership to leave on a private trip.

“If it is an official trip, she should seek the permission of

the Senate because she is carrying the name of the Senate,” he said.

In a text message, Senator Risa Hontiveros said the lookout bulletin unduly criminalizes De Lima, which was “unnecessary” since no case has been filed against her in court.

“While the order does not prevent Senator Leila De Lima from leaving the country, it unduly criminalizes her. It gives the impression that Senator De Lima is already a person of interest, worse, a suspect to a crime, when in fact, no charges have been filed against her nor was she convicted of any,” Hontiveros said.

With Macon Ramos-Araneta

escape.”

De Lima also said it was Reginald Villasanta, executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission, and Franklin Bucayu, former Bureau of Corrections chief, who told her that Sebastian was a government asset.

The beleaguered senator got support Monday from The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service (TOWNS) led by former senator Leticia RamosShahani and former Supreme Court Associate Justice Flerida Ruth Romero.

The group deplored the treatment of De Lima, calling it “vile, shameful and condemnable.”

“Even lowly criminals get their day in court. Why shouldn’t an elected solon and former secretary of Justice be accorded the respect and regard befitting her position?”the group said.

The women’s group challenged the administration to file the appropriate charges if they have evidence that will stand up in a court of law.

“But testimony from convicted criminals who have been promised immunity strains the credibility,” the group said.

“Sadly, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, mirroring President Duterte’s personal crusade against Senator De Lima, has led the assault on her right to due process,” the group added.

ring to the drug menace.

“Magpigil ka ngayon patay ang Pilipinas.”

Capalla, who was Davao Archbishop from 1996 until his retirement in 2012, advised the President over the weekend to “listen” amid his daily expletive-laden speeches and “I will kill you” security, pay rates and the distance between them and their families back home in the Philippines.

“They work six days a week and yet they spend their only dayoff preparing and training for this annual event―I wanted to know why,” said Villarama.

“The truth is that this event gives them a sense of identity. It’s about this dream to be happy, despite their struggles, and we are all looking for a happy ending in our lives.”

Although exact numbers from in-

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Aguirre also said De Lima and the five others should be prevented from leaving the country if they do not have a corresponding travel authority from their heads of office.

Aguirre has accused De Lima of tolerating the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the NBP as a way of raising campaign funds for her successful run at the Senate.

The Justice department later issued another lookout bulletin order for Mark Noemin Adricula, Warren Cristobal and Jose Adrian Dera.

Cristobal was previously iden-

De Lima...

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her as President Rodrigo Duterte promised to do.

In his testimony, Sebastian said much of the money was channeled through Joenel Sanchez, who provided her security at the time.

Sanchez denied Sebastian’s testimony at the same hearing Monday.

“Money? Ask Joenel if it’s true. Now, Joenel was also among those pressured to testify. I will not be surprised, if for example, they will recall Joenel for the purpose of collaborating or corroborating the claim of Jaybee Sebastian,” said De Lima.

De Lima also laughed off a lookout bulletin issued by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to prevent her from leaving the country.

“Only a court can stop me from leaving,” she said. “Don’t worry, I have no plan to leave the Philippines to evade charges that will filed against me. I am innocent. Only the guilty

Duterte...

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“This Capalla, we’re just the same. We had mistresses. He is a bishop and I was just a mayor.”

“Mga pari, putang ina bwisit, mga pamoral moral, pano ko pigilan yan?” Duterte said refer-

Filmfest...

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and follows a group of foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong as they prepare to take part in an annual beauty pageant.

By shadowing their preparations for the event, while also getting a close-up look at their daily work routines and the interaction they have with their employers, the film gives rare voice to the worries the women have over such issues as job

toms are helping the DoE determine if there is oil smuggling.

“We are tightening inter-agency coordination to address smuggling,” he said.

Fuentebella said the department is also discussing allegations of predatory pricing by some oil companies.

“We just received letters but no formal complaint was lodged against other oil players,” he said.

The department previously asked the oil players to explain unusual price reductions in gasoline products in Mindanao which could breach provisions in the

law.

“While price rollbacks like this are a welcome development for the consumers, the DoE cautioned that sudden and sustained huge decreases in oil prices might qualify as “anti-competitive behavior” under the Oil Deregulation Law,” the agency said.

“This market behavior puts both smaller oil players and consumers at a disadvantageous position in the long run. Smaller oil players may actually lose its market share and end up closing, thus remaining oil players may have the chance to dictate prices to the detriment of the consuming pub-

lic,” the DoE said.

“Currently, the DoE-Mindanao Field Office has already been coordinating with local government units concerned and the Bureau of Fire Protection to eliminate the selling of oil products in bottles that may endanger public safety and health,” it said.

The department is also in talks with Customs regarding alleged smuggling of oil products as this may hurt not only the oil industry players, but also the economy of local government units in Mindanao and around the country due to unpaid taxes.

nie Dayan, who had been tagged in earlier testimony by other inmates as her bagman at the NBP. Umali on Monday ordered the arrest of Dayan after finding him in contempt, to compel his appearance before the committee.

Sebastian testified that De Lima was more of “a protector” than “an accomplice” in the illegal drug trade in the national penitentiary, in response to a question from Compostela Valley Rep. Ruwel Peter Gonzaga.

Sebastian also said De Lima was to blame for the proliferation of illegal drugs in the NBP. “She knew that the money we raised came from drugs. We had no other way to get money,” he said in Filipino.

In the same hearing, Sanchez denied Sebastian’s claims that he accepted drug money on De Lima’s behalf, or his suggestions that he had a romantic relationship with the former Justice secretary.

Philippine National Police Deputy Chief for Operations Director Benjamin Magalong said that Sebastian’s testimony backed most of the findings of the PNP about the illegal drug trade inside the NBP. “Most of what Mr. Sebastian

said corroborates many of our findings and conclusion,” Magalong told the lawmakers.

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, Magalong said Sebastian’s testimony could be rated a 6.

He said Sebastian’s testimony showed that De Lima knew about the kubol or “special shelters” inside the NBP. Sebastian testified that as early as 2011, during the term of Bureau of Corrections director Ernesto Diokno, De Lima was already aware of the kubol at the NBP. Reacting to this testimony, Magalong said in Filipino: “That’s what surprised me, because when I mentioned the kubol to De Lima, she appeared surprised. That was in May 2014. I was trying to piece things together. I thought if she had gone to the kubol in 2012 or 2011, she should know what those structures looked like.

Magalong was the former chief of the PNP Criminal Investigation and Detection Group, which was supposed to lead the raid on the NBP to break up the illegal drug trade there.

He said while his team worked on the plan, they were eventually excluded from the raid by De Lima.

NO DIRTY ENERGY.

Environmentalies rallied at the Chino Roces Bridge in San Miguel, Manila to protest coal-fired power plants during the Global Day of Action Against Dirty Energy.

N. Araga

'Drug...

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Sebastian said he also channeled P6 million in drug money to De Lima through her close-in security personnel at the office of the Bilibid TV3, where Sebastian held office.

“Starting in March until May 2015, I gave a total of P10 million to Jonel, to serve as campaign funds in the coming elections for Secretary Leila de Lima, until I was told that my monthly quota was P5 million,” Sebastian said in Filipino.

He said he usually gave money to De Lima in P1,000 bills in a paper bag.

Sebastian also said he had met with De Lima about seven or eight times at the national penitentiary, but denied that he was a government asset.

“That’s what I want to clear up here,” Sebastian said when panel chairman and Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali asked him about De Lima’s claim.

Sebastian said he first met De Lima when she went to the NBP to order the dismantling of kubol or huts that powerful inmates had built.

Sebastian denied knowing De Lima’s former driver, Ron-

It issued its order a year after it ruled that the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012 was constitutional.

The tribunal said the FDA certified, procured and administered contraceptive drugs and devices without observing the basic tenets of due process, without notice and without public hearing despite the constant opposition from the Alliance for the Family Foundation Philippines and one Maria Concepcion Noche.

But the Health Department together with the Population Commission and the FDA said the high court’s order could jeopardize the Family

Planning program and lead to increased mortality and morbidity among women and infants.

“If carried out, the SC decision could result in over 900 additional maternal deaths every year arising from almost one million unintended pregnancies that could have been addressed by the full implementation of the Family Planning Program, PopCom executive director Juan Antonio Perez said.

“Those who oppose the law in the legislative arena are now trying to reverse the judgment of history through back-door judicial dilatory tactics, but the millions of Filipinos who stand to benefit from the law will surely bring all of this to an end.” Rey E. Requejo and Vito Barcelo

pronouncements.

Duterte was mayor of Davao for 22 years―from 1988 to 1998, 2001 to 2010 and 2013 to 2016.

In 2001, Capalla issued a Pastoral Letter entitled “Thou Shall Not Kill” in which he called on the residents of

Davao “to assist the City government and its law enforcement agencies to undertake a humane and civil campaign against criminals and lawless elements in society. “ Capalla said it was “erroneous and wrong for any government to inflict capital punishment on

prisoners. Or to tolerate criminal groups like the Davao Death Squad.”

The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines also condemned the alleged state-sanctioned vigilante killings committed under the Duterte administration. John Paolo Bencito

dividual nations are hard to come by, the International Labor Organization estimates there are around 50 million domestic workers employed globally.

They are a vital part of the Philippine economy, sending an estimated US$26 billion home each year―or around 10 percent of the country’s GDP. Hong Kong employs an estimated 300,000 foreign domestic workers―the majority from the Philippines and Indonesia.

Villarama’s film comes at a time

when there is unprecedented attention on their lives―both in that city and beyond―due to a number of high-profile cases of abuse by employers, including one that resulted in a six-year prison sentence.

But the Manila-based director said she was determined to avoid such controversies when charting her documentary’s narrative arc.

“I think audiences are looking more for stories that feed their soul a bit, and the best way to do that is to go into people’s individual

stories and try to understand their journeys, rather than simply look for sensations,” said Villarama.

“I think that this is a way we can understand each other more. My own dream is that people everywhere can understand the situation migrant workers everywhere find themselves in, working a long way from home.”

The winner of BIFF’s Wide Angle documentary competition will be announced when the 10-day festival comes to a close on Saturday.

AFP

“They have tried, convicted, nailed and pilloried the legislator outside the legal process, before the whole world.”

It added that no woman should ever be slut-shamed, whether she is guilty or, more so, if she is innocent.

“We ask the Speaker of the House and his equally culpable cohorts—imagine if this were your mother, daughter, wife or sister. Would you still be lasciviously approving the showing of sex tapes?”

“When we allow such indignity and disrepute to be visited upon a fellow human being, we, as a people, also lose our dignity and capacity for benevolence,” the group said.

Health...

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FVR...

From A1 which is to reduce poverty, which is law and order, which is peace within our borders, he said that the President did exceptionally well,” Abella said.

In his column in another newspaper, Ramos said the tough-talking Duterte could have “hit the ground running” to address the people’s expectations better, if he didn’t focus on ranting about criticism of extrajudicial killings.

Ramos added that while his senior officials are busy undoing the “discombobulating” off-and-on statements by the President on Philippines-US relations, particularly on security and economic matters, Duterte instead busied himself berating outgoing US President Barack Obama, outgoing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and terminating the RP-US exercises.

“In the overall assessment by this writer, we find our Team Philippines losing in the first 100 days of Du30’s administration—and losing badly.

This is a huge disappointment and letdown to many of us,” said Ramos, who had urged Duterte to run.

Abella said they respected Ramos and said his comments were “worth looking into.”

“We can appreciate where President FVR is coming from. On the other hand, we also continue to move on, according to the lights of the President,” he added.

The Communist Party of the Philippines, meanwhile, scored Ramos, whom they branded as an “Amboy top dog” who would pressure Duterte to move away from an independent foreign policy.

“Duterte must now be wary of Gen. Ramos who he won over as a key supporter in the May 2016 elections. It is quite apparent that US military agents in the Philippines are closely working with Ramos to counteract Duterte’s policy statements and measures against US military exercises and presence,” the CPP said in a statatement.

News

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Basilan in mind, Duterte maintains ZAMBOANGA CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday assured residents of Basilan that his administration will improve the services on health, education and power in the province.

Duterte made the assurance in a program at the covered court of the Lamitan Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Cooperative in Barangay Limook, Lamitan City.

The President said he will source out funds to upgrade the government-run hospitals in Basilan province and to construct more national high schools as well as to address the power problem.

Durete said the upgrading of the hospital is one of his priority projects to improve the delivery of health services in the province.

There are two governmentowned hospitals in Basilan province. These are the Basilan General Hospital of the Department of Health and the Lamitan Community Hospital of Lamitan City.

The two government-owned hospitals are complemented by three private hospitals and barangay health units.

Duterte said he will send DoH Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial to Basilan province to assess the BGH in preparation for the health facility’s upgrading.

The President said he will also order the construction of more national high schools to strengthen the education program in Basilan province.

He advised the parents to invest in education by sending their children to school in order for them to have bright future.

Duterte also said a study should be conducted on the possibility of tapping the sea current as source of power to boost the electricity supply of the province.

The main source of power of Basilan province is a power barge owned by the National Power Corp.

Duterte visited Basilan to look into the severity of the coconut scale insect or cocolisap infestation in the province.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol and other officials of the department and Philippine Coconut Authority joined the President in his visit to Basilan.

PNA

MAKING PROGRESS. Peace Secretary Jesus Dureza (center, right) shakes hands with Communist Party founder Jose Maria Sison after signing a joint statement during the second round of peace talks in Oslo, Norway. AFP PHOTO

Yasay pushes end to PH ‘dependence’

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

F

OREIGN Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said that the PhilippineUnited States alliance “cannot be carried out to perpetuate” country’s dependence on Washington.

In a statement he posted in his Facebook account and later on the Department of Foreign Affairs website, Yasay wrote a strong warning to international allies that the Philippines will not hesitate to “terminate” international agreements “when the national interest will no longer be served.”

“In building on the economic pillar of our foreign relations, we must recognize that all nations, whether weak or strong, small or big, will be independent with each other,” Yasay said.

“We will also not hesitate

to terminate our international agreements, when the national interest will no longer be served,” he added.

He said the Philippines will lead into a policy where the distribution of capital and resources, products and markets around the globe will always have a compelling effect upon such interdependence.

“This is how every country will make their economy dynamic, robust, and sustainable for the welfare of its people,” he said.

“Our relationships toward this convergence of interests

must be balanced and fair to be mutually beneficial to all concerned,” he added.

The foreign chief reiterated that the “change” in foreign policy is made to “protect and promote the national interests in promoting friendship with all nations.”

Yasay has yet to reply to questions on the components, guidelines and roadmap of Yasay referred to as the country’s independent foreign policy after a DFA insider said the Duterte administration lacks a concrete plan on how to pursue an independent foreign policy.

Instead, Yasay reiterated his recent statement describing how the United States has failed us, saying that under the Duterte administration, the Philippines will never allow any “bullying” to make us submit to the interest of any other nation.

“Henceforth, we will reject any aid, assistance or oppor-

tunities for joint cooperation from anyone under onerous conditions or offered pursuant to a ‘carrot and stick’ policy,” Yasay said.

Yasay also said Duterte wants to make the Philippines self-reliant in adequately dealing with the internal and external threats to its security.

“Even as we will respect and keep our mutual defense treaty with the US as our safeguard against any risk or menace from external aggression that undermine our territorial integrity, sovereignty rights and maritime entitlements under international law, this important alliance cannot be carried out to perpetuate our dependency thereby making us vulnerable to subservience,” he said.

China has been claiming the whole West Philippine Sea and, since 2013, has been constructing structures, airports and new cities in the contested waters.

Hitman eyes suit vs Duterte at ICC

Palace disputes tabloid’s tag

By John Paolo Bencito

MALACAÑANG on Monday scored claims made by French tabloid Libération calling President Rodrigo Duterte “a serial killer” amid the rise in the number of killing in the war on drugs.

“I think that’s rather unfortunate. And for me, it demonstrates a profound lack of understanding of the Philippine situation,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella reiterated.

Libération, a newspaper in France, published a banner story Saturday about Duterte’s antidrug campaign that has left over 3,000 people dead.

Written by Arnaud Vaulerin, the four-page article touched on Duterte’s expletive-laced tirades against US President Barack Obama and Pope Francis, his

PROFESSED hitman Edgar Matobato said he will file a case against President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court for his alleged involvement in the Davao Death Squad, his lawyer said Monday.

“We are still working on the possible complaint, but this will be looked into very seriously and the offense is crime against humanity,” lawyer Jude Sabio.

“It’s crimes against humanity because of murder, [President Duterte] committed it in a systematic and widespread.”

CHR chairperson Jose Luis Martin Gascon earlier said the ICC may exercise jurisdiction over the matter

if the government fails to address the issue.

“Failure of government to address this situation currently prevailing, the unexplained extrajudicial killings, and to provide remedies in terms of prosecution of perpetrators could result in the possibility of the International Criminal Court exercising jurisdiction over those matters if we fail to do so,” Gascon said during the second Senate hearing on the extrajudicial killings.

Citing the Rome Statute, Gascon said the ICC can probe killings in the country if the Philippines is either “unable or unwilling” to prosecute cases.

After all, the Philippines, he said, is a signatory to the said convention in 2011.

By John Paolo Bencito

comments referencing the mass murder of Jews under Adolf Hitler’s command and his alleged ties to a hit squad in Davao City.

Abella, however, argued that the true state of the country is not reflected by foreign news reports, but by the public’s confidence in Duterte.

“I think is really unfounded, considering the fact that again and again, we have emphasized the fact that police actions and their campaign against illegal drugs really assumes that certain amount of regularity, that we stay within bounds,” he said.

“Considering the fact that it is a left-leaning paper, I believe they should have been more appreciative of other things that are happening in the Philippines,” Abella added.

Official Philippine National

Police data show 1,390 suspects died in anti-drug operations between July 1—a day after President Mr. Duterte took over the country—and Oct. 6, but unofficial media counts that include possible hits by vigilantes and rival drug gangs have hovered closer to 3,000, with PNP Director General Ronald M. dela Rosa telling senators in one recent hearing that the police have had difficulty keeping up with the daily body count.

Duterte completed his first 100 days in office with “very good” public approval, according to the Social Weather Stations survey in late September but continues to be hounded by criticisms on human rights violations, particularly summary killings by the Davao Death Squad and their copycats while he was mayor, and now that he is President.

Leni says said is not a beggar-donor issue

By Rio N. Araja VICE President Leni Robredo said “I’ve never looked at aid from other countries as a beggar-donor relationship.”

“Many have come to the Office of the Vice President offering help, and I believe it is borne out of a sincere and unconditional desire to help,” she told the Partnerships Against Poverty Summit held at SMX, SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

“I have also come to discover that giving aid is not just about a donor and a donee, and that the donee is not the only party benefitting from such an arrangement.”

Robredo reacted to President Rodrigo Duterte’s stance that foreign grants and aid were just “crumbs.”

“For me, it is also a partnership of two parties, finding ways and means to find the best solutions to the complex problems of the world,” Robredo said.

FREE IRRIGATION. Senator Cynthia Villar, vice chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and

Food, questions National Irrigation Administration administrator Florencio Padernal on the agency’s P36billion budget, including plans to provide farmers free irrigation.

IN BRIEF Ombudsman raps Surigao congressman THE Office of the Ombudsman approved on Monday the filing of graft raps against an ex-lawmaker of Surigao del Sur before the Sandiganbayan in connection with the anomalous procurement of P18.9 million worth of communication equipment in 2007.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales indicted Peter Paul Jed Falcon for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and also ordered charged were ex-Lingig mayor Roberto Luna Jr.; ex-bids and awards committee members Jethro Linao, Aludia de Castro, Carmelo Rebosura and Teofilo Maymay; ex-treasurer Ebrencio Indoyon Jr., and Ma. Luzviminda Lopez of Philflex Trading and General Merchandise.

In 2007, the local officials of Lingig town bought communication equipment and accessories using the lawmaker’s congressional initiative fund.

The Commission on Audit said the local government did not receive the equipment.

As a result, two sets of notices of disallowance were issued

by CoA for the procurement of 36 sets long range radio/telephone, mother base, nine units handsets, 10 units battery chargers, 10 units chargeable batteries, 10 units telephone jackets, one unit connector, umbrellatype antenna with cable, operating manuals and 35 sets of super long range cordless radio/telephone double base with cable and umbrella-type antenna.

The project was awarded to Philflex without any public bidding. Rio N. Araja

Agusan exec suspended THE Office of the Ombudsman ordered on Monday the Department of the Interior and Local Government to implement the one-month suspension of Mayor Demosthenes Arabaca of Magallanes, Agusan del Norte for simple misconduct.

The case against Arabaca stemmed from the illegal disconnection of the electrical lines of several households of Barangay Caloc-an.

The mayor failed to secure the approval of the municipal councilors to allow the power disconnection.

Also ordered suspended were municipal engineer Jerry Delicano and fire marshall Pablo Tresfuentes.

“In passing these ordinances, the Sangguniang Bayan of Magallanes did not intend to give any of the municipal officials the power to disconnect electrical lines, there is thus, sufficient ground to believe that respondent mayor acted beyond his authority,” the Ombudsman’s resolution read.

Simple misconduct is the transgression of some established rule of action, an unlawful behavior, or negligence committed by a public officer.

Rio N. Araja

A4

Opinion

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Celebrity

A

N ACTRESS found herself bashed in social media over the weekend for calling President Rodrigo Duterte a psychopath after he dared the United States and the European Union to withdraw aid from the Philippines if they felt so strongly about his bloody war on illegal drugs.

While the Palace said the actress was free to express her opinion, it said too that her words betrayed dependence on foreign aid. Online, supporters of the President insulted the actress, saying she was the one who

Adelle Chua, Editor

needed psychiatric help and that she was abandoned by her husband because she could not bear him children.

A singer closely identified with President Duterte also took to social media to counter the actress’

Facebook post, emphasizing, in bold letters, how respect begets respect.

Last week, an actor was arrested at a Pampanga checkpoint for possession of almost a kilo of marijuana. Two female police officers were shown grinning as they posed for pictures with the just-arrested actor.

Meanwhile, at least 54 show business personalities are on the list of drug users and pushers, according to

the National Capital Region Police Office.

The names are based on information from two actresses previously arrested for possession of illegal drugs.

According to the police, most of the celebrities on the list— which is still growing —are using shabu, cocaine and party drugs.

The list, still being validated, includes other names, local and national officials, uniformed personnel, members of the judici-

ary, media and others.

Shame stings more when it is akin to a fall from grace.

The President, who won by substantial plurality, himself enjoys celebrity, judging from the high trust ratings he enjoys despite his uncouth statements and erratic policy pronouncements. His celebrity status is also shown by the way his rabid supporters attack anybody who dares disagree or criticize him.

This handful of

popular names sends a louder message to the public, sadly more than the thousands of suspected users and pushers, who have been killed in the past 100 days or so, combined.

Prominence is a perk, but also a responsibility.

Let those who are better known than others keep in mind what they are capable of doing— or undoing—especially in this nation that tends to get starstruck before it finds discernment.

EAGLE EYES TONY LA VIÑA

Duterte’s next 100 days and beyond

Leila goes to jail LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES IT LOOKS like Senator Leila de Lima will soon join Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon “Bong” Revilla in jail. The explosive testimony in the House yesterday of high-profile inmate Jaybee Sebastian practically guarantees that.

Sebastian corroborated, in great and credible detail, earlier testimony given by other convicts and former subordinates of De Lima before the House committee on justice.

If the current leadership of the Department of Justice still cannot cause the filing of charges against De Lima after receiving the affidavit of Sebastian, then it is merely intent on torturing the senator, as she has

repeatedly claimed.

I seem to remember Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre saying that he will file charges (most likely of making money from the illegal drug trade that blossomed in the national penitentiary during the previous administration) against De Lima as soon as he builds an “airtight case.” I’m no lawyer, but the corroboration by Sebastian of earlier testimony— plus the huge amounts thrown around—not only make the case that Aguirre will file airtight, it damned well hermeneutically sealed it.

There is no other denouement to the House investigation but the prosecution of De Lima before the Ombudsman, which will then follow the template that it used to jail Estrada, Revilla and Juan Ponce Enrile during the Aquino years. And because the Senate

showed during the stewardship of Franklin Drilon that it will not stand in the way of the Ombudsman if it wants to jail a senator (or a bunch of them), the chamber can no longer keep

I wish her all the luck as she makes her trip to the place of detention that will soon be her residence.

De Lima out of detention, even if it wanted to.

Of course, the current Senate leadership will probably not be inclined to aid De Lima. The 16

senators who voted to remove the rookie senator as chairman of the justice committee cannot be expected to rescue Leila after what she and her ridingin-tandem buddy, Antonio Trillanes, did with their own witness, Edgar Matobato.

And the saddest part about the drama involving De Lima is that it was totally unnecessary. I doubt very much if she would have courted the ire of the Duterte administration and provoked the reaction that now threatens to land her in jail if she had not embarked on her harebrained probe using the poorly coached Matobato.

But I suspect that De Lima had no choice but to conduct her strange investigation of supposed extrajudicial killings.

I think De Lima was ordered to start the preemptive probe of the slays because the campaign against illegal drugs started by

President Rodrigo Duterte was getting dangerously close to the people to whom the senator was deeply indebted.

If it is true that the illegal drug trade made the New Bilibid Prisons in Muntinlupa its headquarters during the Aquino administration, I can’t believe it would happen simply because De Lima wanted it to.

The repurposing of Bilibid was, I insist, way beyond De Lima’s pay grade as Justice secretary.

Of course, the only person who is certain to go to jail now that the huge racket has been brought out into the open is De Lima. For now. *** Eventually, if the House really wants to get to the bottom of the drug trade, I think it will have to go beyond De Lima and take its investigation, as the late Senator Joker Arroyo Turn to A5

THIS is the final column of my series on President Duterte’s first 100 days. The first column highlighted the strengths of this presidency. The second shared my concerns about it, which I followed with a column last Saturday on human rights, which could be its defining legacy. Today, I write about the scenarios facing the country and my suggestions on how we could respond to this audacious leader.

First, it should be obvious that the country is in for a stormy six years, full of uncertainty for sure.

Some issues the Duterte government has prioritized— with the peace processes and constitutional change as prime examples—are by their nature destabilizing. In both cases, radical economic, social, political and governance reforms are critical for positive outcomes.

Duterte’s approach to governance, including his language and the decisionmaking that seems to be the norm in this presidency (lack of staff work with the President making decisions based on instincts, informed mainly by emotions), also guarantees uncertainty. I do not rule out the possibility for example of a rupture in relations with the United States nor the declaration of martial law as a result of the Duterte approach to governance.

How then should we respond to the challenges posed by the Duterte administration?

First, we should reject all talk about extra-legal regime change. A military takeover will be disastrous for this country, resulting in a bloodbath. Unlike the supporters of President Estrada in 2001, who were not organized, Duterte’s followers will fight back. The consequences of a coup for Mindanao, where Duterte has an 85-percent satisfactory rating based on the latest SWS poll, will be far-reaching. The 1986 People Power revolution was necessary and good, but once is enough. The ouster of Estrada in 2001, in hindsight, resulted Turn to A5

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Opinion TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Drug menace cannot be eradicated THE high trust and satis- the menace is there. How do faction ratings of President you explain the daily killing of Rodrigo Duterte is not unex- drug addicts who have become pected. Upon his assumption pushers?

I will not dwell on the adof office, Mr. Duterte hit the ground running as he waged vantages and disadvantage of war against criminality, illegal the war against drugs. All I am saying is that it can only be drugs and corruption.

Despite local and interna- diminished, never eradicated. tional condemnation, every- If Duterte can do this, then thing that comes out of his for me that is good enough. foul mouth resonates with the The strongman Duterte alpeople, who expect a president ready represents a big change from the lackadaisical and into be strong and dedicated.

I attribute this to people’s competent President Benigno frustration and disenchant- Aquino III. *** ment with former President In the wake of President DuBenigno Aquino III who promised change but did not terte’s expletive-laden tirades against foreign leaders and deliver.

More than 3,000 individuals institutions, now comes Vice suspected of involvement in President Leni Robredo apillegal drugs have been killed pearing like an angel (while during the first 100 days of the Duterte looks like the devil) Duterte administration. He and calling on the President to has promised to eradicate the tone down his language. She drug menace between three claims that the President’s exand six months. Now, he wants pletives are risking the flow of another six months, vowing to foreign aid.

Santa Banana, the Vice never end until the last pusher President has even invited is killed.

The question is this: Will members of the United Naanother six months really end tions and the European Union. the illegal drug trade? I don’t That would certainly make her think so. It all boils down to appear goody-goody, wouldn’t the law of supply and demand. it? She is even blaming the The drug cartels that already President for the weak peso.

Robredo is beginning to have made the Philippines a transshipment point in their sound like the critics of the worldwide drug operations Duterte administration. What can simply go underground is she up to? The President and lie low for a while until doesn’t need a member of his Cabinet as his they can recritic. Is Rosume their nefarious trade. bredo pushing for Plan I have seen B of the Yelit all. When It can only be lows so she Martial Law could take was declared, diminished. over if and President Ferwhen Duterte dinand Marends his prescos made an idency? What example of Kim Seng, who was publicly a hypocrite! *** executed for dealing drugs.

The President wants entreFor about two to three years, drug syndicates and traders preneurs and traders to think like the Chinese, who succeed went underground.

They returned with a venge- in business and actually domiance and reached exclusive nate the Philippine economy. schools like the Ateneo, La Frankly speaking, I cannot Salle, San Beda (Duterte’s for- imagine Filipinos becoming mer college), UP Diliman and like the Chinese. The differeven exclusive girls’ schools ence is cultural.

The Chinese by culture are like Assumption, St. Theresa, Maryknoll, Holy Ghost, and frugal and hardworking. They St. Scholastica among others. work from dawn to midnight This reminds me: Presi- and avoid the frivolities of Filident Duterte and Philippine pinos, who have adopted many National Police chief Ronald of the ways of our Spanish codela Rosa must tackle the drug lonial masters, like “fiestas” problem in schools, public and and conspicuous consumption. private alike. The drug dealers Santa Banana, the Chinese and pushers will not stop so even work on Sundays. long as there’s demand.

I am referring to the old I doubt whether the drug Chinese living in Binondo, menace can be eradicated. who are unlike their chilColombia, where most of the dren whom they have sent to cocaine come from world- American universities and are wide, has been fighting a war now living in Forbes Park and against drugs for the past 30 Dasmarinas Village.They have years but the menace lives to- become Filipinos. day. It may have destroyed big One thing that Duterte cocaine cartels, but there are perhaps didn’t know is that still so many smaller ones to there’s a special council in contend with.

Binondo among the affluent In Mexico, the illegal drug Chinese that is dedicated to problem persists, giving birth help Chinese entrepreneurs fito the headed Sinaloa, whose nancially. Chinese banks have tentacles have penetrated the an unwritten policy to grant Philippines along with drug the loans by the millions, who groups like the Chinese Triad are known to be honest and and the West African cartel. with integrity.

My gulay, even in the UnitI cannot forget what my late ed States, the illegal drug good friend, lawyer Leonmenace persists despite the ef- ardo Siguion Reyna, told me forts of the US Drug Enforce- when he was a member of ment Agency. The demand is an executive committee of there. In Europe, the Russian the Yuchengco-owned Rizal Mafia now controls the co- Commercial Banking Corp. caine trade.

He got nervous when the bank It’s a $100-billion industry would lend to some Chinese worldwide that caters to both millions of pesos without colrich and poor. lateral because that was a vioI think President Duterte lation of banking laws. and the rest of his team should *** harmonize their campaign One of the most ludicrous against illegal drugs with their remarks that ever came out economic agenda. As long as of Malacañang was when poverty and joblessness re- Presidential Spokesman main the two biggest concerns Ernesto Abella told reporters of government, there will al- to use “creative imagination” ways be a demand for illegal in interpreting President drugs.

Duterte’s statements. But The cost of shabu may have media are not the business of hit the ceiling of P25,000 per imagining stories! gram—it used to cost P1,000 These spokesmen are to P2,500 before Duterte’s war doing the President a great on illegal drugs began. Still, disservice.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

New MMDA ‘no-window hour’ policy on Edsa, C-5 illegal HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA (Part I) THE new “no-window hour” policy of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on Edsa and C-5 may purport to decongest both highways, but its threatened enforcement may invite legal suits and anti-graft charges against Thomas Orbos, the new MMDA general manager, and the city mayors who gave their consent to the questionable scheme.

Before anything else, a discussion about contemporary private vehicle ownership in Metropolitan Manila is necessary.

The cost of a fairly good quality vehicle, whether brand new or slightly used, is prohibitive.

If the vehicle is brand new, taxes are imposed on the sale.

Thereafter, the vehicle owner must register the vehicle with the Land Transportation Office, even when no license plates are available, thanks to the incompetence of LTO officials.

On top of registration expenses, each motorist is required to pay a road user’s tax—a tax for the use of public roadways outside of tollroads. This is odd because prior to the road user’s tax, public roads were already being maintained by other existing taxes.

If one is driving one’s own vehicle, he will also have to secure a driver’s license. Like what happens in car registration, the driver must pay for his driver’s license immediately, but he has to wait indefinitely for the issuance of his driver’s license card.

Duterte’s...

From A4 in perceptions of illegitimacy and bad governance for the next 10 years. We should not repeat that experience.

Second, we have options in how to respond to the Duterte presidency. One can be in total opposition or one can also be totally supportive. For the first group, nothing Duterte does is good. For the latter group, Duterte is their hero.

For my readers and audiences, I suggest a principled engagement approach. One can be a principled partner to several initiatives of the Duterte government while opposed to those that are contrary to one’s values and against the national interest. The concept behind this approach is that it is not based on a personal attraction or dislike of the President. It is, rather, based on a set of moral and governance values. Upholding and promoting human rights, social justice, national interest, and democracy are those that I care about deeply.

We must be all principled partners in the peace process. I have praised many of the government officials involved in that process. I should add the names of Nani Braganza and Efren Moncupa, both veteran negotiators, as crucial in the success of the NDFP process.

We should all be principled partners in the anti-poverty and social justice programs of the Duterte government. Let’s support Cabinet Secretary Leoncio

Leila...

From A4 once said, to the very doorstep of Malacañan Palace. A good place to start, in my opinion, will be the Presidential AntiOrganized Crime Commission, headed during the Aquino administration by Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa.

Most people have already come to the conclusion that Ochoa did nothing to stop crime despite the huge, unaudited annual outlays given to the anticrime office he was supposedly

By the way, at the LTO registration center located along Shaw Boulevard in Pasig City, motorists are subjected to a racket—motorists are required to pay a P30 parking fee, but they are not issued an official receipt for their payments. An anti-graft advocate will be suing the LTO for this soon.

Fuel prices are also prohibitive, especially during the first two months of every year when demand for gasoline is highest in America and Europe. Adding to the motorists’ burden is the value-added tax on the fuel.

That’s 12 percent of the cost of the petrol. How the valueadded tax adds to the value of the fuel when, in fact, the tax makes it even more expensive, is something the Department of Finance and the Bureau of Internal Revenue have not yet satisfactorily explained.

The cost of vehicle maintenance is also prohibitive. Spare parts are already expensive, and taxes on their importation and sale add to the burden on the motorists.

Since vehicles are more fuel efficient when they are driven at their optimum speed, fuel bills needlessly increase because of the horrid traffic along Metropolitan Manila’s roadways.

All these put together make private vehicle ownership in Metropolitan Manila very, very expensive.

Commuting may be the alternative to private vehicle ownership, but this is a far worse option, given the way the government, the MMDA in particular, manages the traffic situation in the metropolis.

Public utility vehicles (buses, jeepneys, taxicabs) are full precisely when they are needed most—during the rush hours.

This is especially true for the

MRT and LRT overhead trains operated by the government.

Moreover, the congestion gets worse during rainy days and evenings.

Safety is another problem.

Because many overhead trains are old and improperly maintained, they malfunction.

They grind to a halt between terminals, thus causing inconvenience to commuters. Their doors open indiscriminately even while the train is moving, thus threatening the lives of passengers.

Public utility buses and jeepneys attract many robbers even during the daylight hours. News reports regarding horror stories of the victims, and the lack of available policemen to deter theft, attest to this problem.

Depending on the time of the day, many jeepneys cut their trips, and there is nothing helpless commuters can do about it.

MMDA traffic enforcers conveniently look the other way.

Although the law requires taxicab drivers not to choose passengers, this rule is honored more in breach than in compliance.

Taxicabs and jeepney drivers are notorious for ignoring traffic regulations, especially traffic lights. Each time these drivers violate traffic rules, they risk the safety of their passengers.

Many sex maniacs and perverts are into the transportation business. Remember the news reports of taxi drivers who gas their female passengers to render them unconscious, after which the driver molests them? Who can forget the news report of a private “for hire-on call” vehicle which became a mobile rape site for unwitting passengers?

Disabled persons have virtually no chance of getting a ride

on a bus, jeepney, or government train. How many of them can afford to avail of the relatively reduced inconvenience a taxicab ride offers?

Commuting, therefore, may be an alternative to private vehicle ownership, but it is not a reasonable option in the premises. That is why there are many middle-class Filipinos who are left with no choice but to own and maintain private vehicles.

Since many new private vehicles are sold every day, the volume of vehicles in the metropolitan roads inevitably increases.

This translates to more crowded roadways.

The MMDA may not know it but the traffic mess in Metropolitan Manila can be mitigated if the MMDA has the will to implement reasonable solutions to the problem. Sadly, the MMDA has not done anything in that regard.

Here are some examples mentioned in this column on past occasions, but which the MMDA under Francis Tolentino and Emerson Carlos seemed disinterested in, as shown by their inaction and ineptitude during their incumbency.

Along Edsa and C-5, slowmoving vehicles use any lane their drivers choose. Because the drivers of these slow-moving vehicles are inconsiderate and they ignore whoever is behind them, vehicles in the rear are forced to look for an opportunity to overtake them. Inevitably, the overtaking vehicles have to weave through the road, thus increasing the probability of road collisions which add to the traffic problem. Under Orbos, the slow-moving vehicles are still there, unabated, much to the prejudice of the motoring public. (To be continued)

Evasco Jr., Vice President Leni Robredo and other department secretaries who have assembled excellent teams to make their agencies effective in delivering services and just outcomes to the basic sectors.

Let’s collaborate with the government in addressing the transportation crisis. Citizens must participate actively in the planning and implementation of inclusive mobility programs that would move people better.

Heavy traffic will remain given the unstoppable increase in volume of cars in our roads but over the short term, providing walking, biking, and a variety of transportation options should ease the paralysis in our metropolitan areas.

We should be principled partners with the Duterte administration as it implements economic reforms that focus on inclusive development, and not just on improving our credit ratings. In this regard, the emphasis of Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez on entrepreneurship is welcome. I am happy that my UP Law classmate Rowel Barba will be helping Lopez scale up this effort.

It is good that the education reforms started in the Aquino years are being continued under the leadership of Secretary Leonor Briones. I am pleased that freedom of information advocate Nepomuceno Malaluan has joined Deped as Assistant Secretary and that Undersecretaries Dina Ocampo, Albert Muyot, and Jess Mateo have stayed on to help in the transition.

We must be principled partners with the government in protecting the environment and in making sure that the poor benefit from the wealth of nature. Secretary Gina Lopez has assembled together a first-class team in the DENR. They must work well with the veteran bureaucrats and professionals in the department to achieve sustainable development for this country.

We should continue to oppose the Duterte approach to human rights in the war against illegal drugs. It is good that the president is prioritizing this problem but the killing of the poor and especially of drug users must be stopped. If the massacre of the poor is not stopped, it will contaminate and drown out the good initiatives of the administration.

As for foreign policy, I call for prudence and intelligent discussion and deliberation in crafting a new strategy that would make for more independence. We should build on the past while moving forward to face new challenges. It is a very dangerous world out there now. I expect the president and his foreign policy team to tread carefully for the sake of national interest.

Finally, we must all be vigilant about our democracy. We must fight efforts to eliminate the opposition and shut down critics.

The treatment of Senator Leila de Lima is deplorable and must be condemned. As I am doing in my own social media platforms, we must fight and hold accountable trolls and those who behave

like trolls. Otherwise, our democracy is doomed.

I wish President Duterte and his officials well for the rest of his term. As of now, as former President Fidel V. Ramos has observed in his Manila Bulletin column, Team Philippines is currently losing after 100 days under Duterte. Archbishop Fernando Capalla, speaking for many Duterte friends and invoking even the mother of the president, says in a Mindanews interview that he is worried for his long-time friend. According to the bishop who served the Davao City together with Digong for many years: “I think he has a problem and we need to help him. He is in the course of self-destruction, without even knowing that he is ruining himself. I don’t know that he knows that but because he is already there, we need to help him. How? That’s a big question.

If he can only listen… listen to other people, and not talk too much, earn friends instead of enemies, Duterte can become the greatest President of the Philippines.”

Leadership, strong will, and empathy, this President has in abundance. My prayer is that he is granted wisdom, prudence, compassion for his enemies and yes even for criminals, and gentleness of language. Inshallah, the next 100 and more days will be so much better for the country.

the head of. The leadership of Ochoa of the PAOCTF, I’m told, was not only made to “secure” the funds allocated yearly for the operations of that office; by neglecting to use the task force’s funds for their intended purpose—including fighting the illegal drug menace—Ochoa allowed the rise of Sebastian and other gangsters in their bid to rule Bilibid.

Assuming that Ochoa and his boss, Noynoy Aquino, were not directly involved in the illegal drug trade, their power to influence De Lima

after her election to the Senate must surely have been strong enough to urge her to start her own investigation of the EJK killings. There is no other reason why De Lima and Trillanes came up with Matobato, if not to launch a counter-campaign against the fast-approaching investigations into how the previous administration bungled the anti-crime drive.

But I don’t expect De Lima to rat on Ochoa, Aquino and all the other officials of the previous government who served as her enablers in the conversion

of Bilibid into Ground Zero of the illegal drug trade. Again, I look to the example of Estrada, Revilla and Enrile, who would rather remain in jail rather that turn in the people who helped them “misuse” their pork barrel funds.

As for De Lima, I wish her all the luck as she makes her inevitable trip to the place of detention that will soon be her place of residence for the foreseeable future. As they say, you play with fire, you get burned.

Karma can be a real bitch.

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News

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Online MMDA action site eyed

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

HE Metro Manila Development Authority is set to launch a new website where the public can report a complaint or incident of extortion and other illegal activities involving traffic enforcers.

MMDA officer-in-charge Thomas Orbos said the new website “www.mmda.gov.ph” is a portal where the public are encouraged to report any illegal activities of its personnel.

“We are calling on the public to be on the lookout for these erring traffic personnel on our streets.

We want them to help us in weeding out these people as a way to better serve them,” said Orbos.

The website aims to foster transparency and active civic participation in finding solutions to various metro-wide concerns.

On Monday, Orbos ordered the immediate relief of three traffic

enforcers caught accepting bribe money from erring motorists in Parañaque City and Makati City last week.

He also tapped the agency’s Legal and Legislative Administrative Services to prepare the filing of administrative cases against the enforcers—Crisaldo Lopez, Mark Richard de Guia, and Resty Padel.

Lopez, assigned at the Traffic Discipline Office-Southern District, was seen on a closedcircuit television camera monitor accepting bribe money from a motorist at the intersection of MIA Road and Roxas Boulevard last Oct. 7.

De Guia and Padel, both assigned at the Epifanio de los Santos Avenue-Special Traffic and Transport Zone, on the other hand, were caught “negotiating” with an erring driver as money changed hands on Oct. 8 in the area of Edsa-Magallanes.

The MMDA also suspended a member of its Motorcycle Unit who was arrested for drug dealing in Quezon City on Sunday.

Police arrested Dexter Lucas, 43, during a buy-bust at the corner of Edsa and Muñoz Street.

Recovered from the suspect was a P500 marked money and small transparent plastic sachet of shabu.

During the arrest, Lucas introduced himself as a member of the Philippine National Police– Highway Patrol Group.

Orbos imposed a 90-day suspension against Lucas who is now being investigated while in jail. He said the suspect was previously suspended for operating a colorum vehicle last July.

Orbos is set to meet with the Traffic Sector Heads to discuss command responsibility among traffic personnel.

“This is to remind them that it is their responsibility to be aware of the activities of the people under their command and they will be ultimately accountable for

IN BRIEF

Coding system to start Oct. 17

Habagat season ends soon—Pagasa THE southwest monsoon, or habagat in the vernacular, is weakening, signaling the arrival of the cool northeast monsoon, called amihan, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

“We expect ‘amihan’ to likely begin around the last week of this month,” said forecaster Meno Mendoza, noting the amihan will first be felt in Batanes province and other northern Luzon areas.

“Metro Manila will feel the cool ‘amihan’ winds between December and January,” he added.

According to the state weather bureau, the amihan starts over Siberia as a cold, dry air mass gathers moisture while traveling across the Pacific Ocean.

The amihan affects the Philippines’ eastern portions from October to late March and is characterized by “widespread” cloudiness with rains or showers.

Mendoza noted the habagat is already weakening as meteorological conditions are already transitioning to the amihan.

Rains from the weakening habagat will be less intense than what this weather system brought in previous weeks, he said.

He, however, said that even when the amihan sets in, the intertropical convergence zone and other weather systems could still bring thunderstorms. PNA

WHO starts regional conference THE 67th session of the World Health Organization Regional Committee for the Western Pacific opened in Manila on Monday to discuss important health issues affecting the Region’s nearly 1.9 billion people.

The Regional Committee is WHO’s governing body for the Region, which includes 37 countries and areas from China in the north and west, to New Zealand in the south, and French Polynesia in the east.

In his keynote address to the Regional Committee, Dr. Shin Young-soo, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, paid homage to WHO DirectorGeneral Dr. Margaret Chan, whose term finishes in June 2017.

He extolled her many accomplishments and called her a “proud daughter of the Western Pacific.”

“Under Dr. Chan’s leadership, WHO has launched extensive self-motivated reforms. She has made the Organization more effective and efficient, and much more responsive to Member States,” said Dr. Shin.

any action of their subordinates,” he said.

Orbos said the MMDA will start posting notice to the public bearing the photos and criminal and administrative cases of personnel within the agency premises.

This way, he added, the general public will be aware of those erring personnel of the agency and avoid illegal transactions with them.

“If we acknowledge and recognize the good deeds of our people, we have also the responsibility to the public to warn them to stay away from those unscrupulous personnel,” Orbos said.

CHINESE AID. Philippine Chinese Charitable Association Inc. president Dr. James Dy (left) leads the distribution of medicine to patients dur-

ing a medical and dental mission conducted by the PCCAI in joint cooperation with the Philippine Coast Guard headed by Rear Admiral William Melad. Also in photo is Chinese General Hospital consultant Tessie Roque.

Chinese hospital helps fishermen

By Vito Barcelo MORE than 1,000 families in Masinloc, Zambales affected by the fishing ban by the Chinese government in the disputed South China Sea, were provided free medical and dental services by the Chinese General Hospital and Medical Center, headed by Dr. James Dy, in coordination with the Philippine Coast Guard.

The medical mission was part of the CGHMC and the Filipino Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Inc. continued medical assistance to thousands of

poor Filipinos in the different provinces affected by the natural and man-made disasters, Dy told the Manila Standard.

Among the patients provided with immediate medical attention was Shena Esico, who suffered a third-degree burn in her right leg and needed medicines and for her immediate recovery.

PCG Rear Admiral William Melad, Masinloc Mayor Arsenia Lim and Inhobol barangay chieftain Dennis Ukol, were also present to assist and provide the necessary medicines and equipment for the medical mission.

During the event, Dy urged the Chinese government to allow the Filipino small fishermen folds to continue to fish on the disputed waters on humanitarian grounds.

“I hope that the territorial issue will be set aside for the sake of this small people whose only means of livelihood is fishing in the area,” Dy said.

Filipino fishermen are still not allowed to fish in the waters of Scarborough Shoal, even after an international court backed the maritime case filed by the Philippines against China.

Only recently, Filipino fishermen

attempted to enter the area but they were met by a Chinese fishing vessel and stopped them from entering the area around Scarborough Shoal.

Fishermen were also blocked

by Chinese fishing vessel blocked near the Bajo de Masinloc, one of the traditional fishing grounds of the Filipinos living near the area.

Dy his group will visit Beijing, China, in the coming weeks, to appeal to the Chinese government to allow Filipino small fishermen to fish in the area, since China has already allowed the Philippines to again export bananas and pineapples to China.

Tighter port security readied for Nov. 1 THE Philippine Ports Authority has tightened security checks in various ports nationwide in preparation for the upcoming All Souls Day holiday.

PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago said this is in accordance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to ensure that passengers are comfortable, safe and secure while at the terminals.

“While the expected influx of passengers is still a couple of weeks away, the PPA this early has already prepared our terminals with the proper safety and security procedures vis-à-vis

their comfort and convenience,” he explained.

He said they have coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Maritime Industry Authority in terms of security, and are making sure that passengers waiting to board their vessel in 67 terminals nationwide would get free Wi-Fi access.

“We can’t take for granted the security of our ports and the riding public. We should always be cautious and alert while making sure that passengers are comfortable while inside the terminals through the provision of free Wi-

Fi access,” Santiago added.

The PPA chief said he has instructed all port managers to take the necessary measures to ensure that their ports are safe at all times.

“While the ports are still on heightened alert since the Davao bomb attack a couple of weeks ago, PPA has further increased the security ante but keeping in mind first-class accommodation while inside port premises,” Santiago stressed.

The Davao explosion killed 15 and wounded at least 69 others. PNA

THE government will start tomorrow its dry run for the suspension of window hours for private vehicles traversing Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and Circumferential Road-5.

The Interagency Council on Traffic will conduct the three-day dry run in preparation for the full implementation of the number coding scheme without the “window hour” on Edsa and C-5 Road beginning Oct. 17.

“Suspension of window hours for coded private vehicles will be implemented starting Oct. 17. Dry run on Wednesday to Friday,” the I-ACT stated in its advisory.

Metro Manila Council members, led by its traffic committee chairman Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista, agreed to remove the window hours for the private vehicles traversing Edsa and C-5 Road to ease traffic in the metropolis.

The MMC is the policy-making body of the Metro Manila Development Authority which estimates that 20 percent of vehicles will be reduced on Edsa with the suspension of window hours.

It also stated that 20 percent is equivalent to one lane.

The window hours refer to the five-hour period when motorists covered by the Number Coding Scheme may still pass through Edsa and C-5 Road without being apprehended.

That period is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., but removing the window hours means the vehicles covered by the Number Coding Scheme may not pass through Edsa or C-5 Road from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The I-ACT will also resume the clearing operations of illegally parked vehicles along the 17 Mabuhay Lanes, the designated routes for private motorists avoiding the congested Edsa.

“Clearing of illegally parked vehicles along Mabuhay Lanes will be prioritized to ensure that secondary roads can accommodate coded vehicles,” the council said.

The 17 Mabuhay Lanes are alternative routes to the 23.8-kilometer Edsa. These cover the cities of Mandaluyong, San Juan, Makati, Manila, and Quezon City.

The lanes include secondary roads going to shopping destinations in Metro Manila such as Baclaran in Parañaque, Greenhills in San Juan, Divisoria and Carriedo in Manila. Joel E. Zurbano

EO for national smoking ban done THE Department of Health has assured that the expectation that President Rodrigo R. Duterte will implement the “100 percent smokefree Philippines” policy will soon be realized.

According to Health Secretary Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial, they have already drafted the papers for the implementation of the said policy under an Executive Order that will prohibit smoking across the country.

She said that in a recent Cabinet meeting wherein she presented the Philippine Health Agenda for 20162022, she told President Duterte that the draft EO just needs his signature.

“The President will already sign that EO... Probably within October,” Ubial said in an interview with the media.

She also shared how interested

the President is in implementing the said EO, even telling her to just copy the no-smoking resolution they had implemented in Davao City when he was still the mayor there.

In response, she told the President that they had done that.

“So with that, what is being done in Davao is set to be done nationwide,” the Health chief said.

With the upcoming signing of the EO, she said that the dream to make all public places in the country 100 percent smoke-free is now possible.

It can be recalled that just two weeks ago, President Duterte reiterated his plan to ban smoking in the country, saying it only brings diseases to both the smokers and victims of second-hand smoke.

Aside from the EO, the Health secretary said they are also set to make a strong lobbying to Congress

for the amendment of the existing Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 or Republic Act No. 9211.

She said that by amending R.A. 9211, they (together with other government agencies mandated to implement it) will be able to eliminate other contentious tobacco control policies.

“We are still trying to explore amending R.A. 9211 because of the many contentious issues and gray areas [in its implemenation],” she added.

Some of these issues pertain to the point-of-sale advertisements as well as in the designation of smoking areas.

“What we want is to remove the gray areas in the current law and totally prohibit point-of-sale advertisements as well as designation of indoor smoking areas,” Dr. Ubial said. PNA

GOOD HABIT. Representatives from the Quezon City government, including Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte (right),

assist toddlers from the Yakap Day Care Center in a hand-washing activity at City Hall sponsored by the Manila Water Foundation and the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) section of Unicef Philippines. Manny Palmero

Sports

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Petron guns for lead; RC Cola vs Generika PETRON guns for the early lead, All-Filipino Conference, hopes while RC Cola-Army makes its are high for RC Cola-Army, espehighly anticipated debut in the cially with skipper Jovelyn Gon2016 Asics Philippine Superliga zaga, Royce Tubino, Tina Salak, Grand Prix presented by PLDT Nene Bautista, Michelle Carolino Home Ultera today at the FilOil and Rachel Anne Daquis returnFlying V Center in San Juan. ing for another tour of duty.

After hammerThey will be Games Today ing an impressive powered by Hailie (FilOil Flying V Center) conquest of GeRipley and Kierra 5 p.m. – Petron vs F2 Logistics nerika in the open- 7 p.m. – Generika vs RC Cola-Army Holst, a gem of an er, the Tri-Activ open hitter who Spikers will gun for No. 2 when campaigned for the US juniors they lock horns with a depleted national team in the 2013 FIVB F2 Logistics squad in the 5 p.m. Women’s Juniors World Champiappetizer of this prestigious club onship in the Czech Republic. tourney bankrolled by Mikasa, RC Cola-Army coach Kungfu Mueller, Grand Sport and Senoh Reyes, however, downplayed their with TV5 as official broadcast chances this conference, saying partner. that all teams have done their reMeanwhile, the Lady Troop- spective homework as far as upers are tipped to march with an grading their rosters is concerned. intact roster when they face the “Again, age is a major facLifesavers in the 7 p.m. match tor for us this conference,” said of this event that also has Focus Reyes, whose wards settled for Athletics, KLab Cyscorpions, third-place in the All-Filipino Foton, Petron and F2 Logistics as after their top gunner in Daquis sponsors. crashed with a foot injury in the After falling short in the PSL crucial stretch.

Diliman surprises Batangas U in UCBL Games Thursday

(Olivarez College gym) 12 noon – CDSL vs Olivarez 2 p.m. – BSU vs TIP

DILIMAN College survived University of Batangas’ late surge to post a 72-65 win Monday in the Universities and Colleges Basketball League at the Olivarez College gym.

Romyl Journacion and Joseph Brutas led the Nikki Coseteng-owned school to an auspicious start with 20 and 14 points, respectively.

Diliman’s win was not without trouble as UB rallied from a 59-43 deficit to close in at 69-63.

But Mikko Tay came to Diliman’s rescue, coming through with back-to-back baskets to finally douse cold water on the UB Brahmans.

Diliman College coach Rensy Bajar, a former teammate of Danny Ildefonso in the Philippine team, was elated the way his young players responded to his challenge.

“This is practically a young team. Their ages are in the range of 17 to 18-year-olds. But we were able to win this game because of hard work and determination of my players,” said Bajar.

The presence of Coseteng —a former senator—gave the Blue Dragons more fire as they controlled the game right from the start, taking a 38-32 lead at halftime.

PSA tackles Perlas PH 5 THE victorious Perlas Pilipinas in the recent Southeast Asian Basketball Association championship recalls its title romp in Malaysia when they appear as special guests in today’s session of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

The team will be represented by coach Pat Aquino, deputy Julie Amos, and several players in the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Also invited in the session to be aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918 is Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas executive director Sonny Barrios.

Perlas completed a six-game sweep of the tournament for its first ever SEABA championship since 2010.

BRAFE 11 winners. BRAFE 11 GOLF Lowest Gross and Overall Champion Ed Bagtas and Lowest Net Champion Mike Besa (5th and 6th from left)

hoist their trophies after topping a field of 253 golfers who participated in the latest edition of the annual fund raising golf tournament recently held at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club in General Trias, Cavite City. They are joined by BRAFE GOLF Core Group organizers Edmond Datuin, Bong Africa, Albert MG Garcia, Ting Yupangco, George Elazegui, Roy Peña, and Ben Jacinto. Also proclaimed champions were Robert Rosales in the Men’s Class A division, Dominic Samson in Men’s Class B, Pete Faytaren in Men’s Class C, Raymond Ver in Men’s Class D, Abe Avena in Senior Class A, Chito Recto in Senior Class B, Sheila Ward in Ladies’ Class A, Flor Smith in Ladies’ Class B, and Bing Bunye in the Super Senior 70 years and above division. BRAFE GOLF, has been held every year since 2006 to raise funds for the benefit of the Foundation for Sharing a La Sallian Education. It is held in memory of Br. Rafael “Brafe” S. Donato FSC who established the foundation in 1988. This year, it was able to raise an additional P1 Million to help send financially handicapped but intellectually qualified students at De La Salle University Lipa. The huge number of participants it attracts each year has made BRAFE GOLF the largest annual non-club sponsored fund raising golf tournament in the country.

World wants to know if Woods can roar in return

L

OS ANGELES—Tiger Woods, 14 months removed from his last competitive outing, nearing his 41st birthday and in recovery from multiple back surgeries, still ignites interest like no other golfer.

The 14-time major champion will tee it up on Thursday at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California, in his first competitive start since a 10th-place finish at the Wyndham Championship on August 23 of 2015.

The normally low-key Safeway Open, start of the USPGA Tour’s 2016-17 season in California’s Wine Country north of San Francisco, is suddenly the center of the golfing world.

“I’m sort of glad I’m not there that week,” Northern Ireland’s

Rory McIlroy said when Woods announced the projected timetable for his return in September.

“It’s going to be a bit of a circus.”

Compared to 45 media outlets credentialed in 2015, 106 are credentialed for this year, with organizers doubling the physical size of their media center.

A similar jump in ticket sales was expected, with some reports suggesting fans could be treated to a superstar pairing of Woods and five-time major winner Phil Mickelson in the opening rounds.

Not that Woods needs any help to draw a spotlight, and rampant speculation on just where his game might be after more than a year of painstaking rehabilitation.

“We’ve played nine holes together. He’s pounding it a mile and Woods flushing everything ... his trajectory and ball flight are like the Tiger we knew 15 years ago,” Sweden’s Jesper Parnevik told Golf Digest in early October.

“Comebacks are never a sure thing, but something tells me his might be spectacular.”

Woods, who will turn 41 on December 30, might settle for steady, with no setbacks.

His agent slammed reports

in February that Woods’s rehabilitation wasn’t going well, and that his condition had deteriorated.

In May, promoting the National tournament he hosts, Woods insisted he was making progress—but plunked three shots in the water trying to reach the green of Congressional’s par-three 10th.

Woods said then that he’d had to adapt to a new reality, his body no longer able to support eight or 10 hours of practice a day, or daily runs of five or six miles.

Still, he said in June: “I can play with these guys. I know I still can, I just need to get healthy enough where I can do it on a regular basis.”

Manangking scores twin romp at Tagum netfest JILIAN Manangking finally nailed the elusive crown, winning the 10-unisex title then added the 12-andunder plum to emerge one of the three

“double” winners in the Palawan del Norte Sports Complex Monday.

Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera The third-ranked Manangking Padala regional tennis tournament at from Pikit, Cotabato upended secthe Tagum Tennis Club and Davao ond seed Reyman Saldivar Jr., 5-4(4), 4-0, in the semifinals then dominated Charles Jumawan, 4-0, 4-1, to end a two-year search for the 10-U crown in the country’s premier age-group circuit sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

The young but fiery lass from Pikit Central Elem. School in Cotabato then kept the momentum of her breakthrough win and toppled Jonamil Prado, 7-5, 6-3, for the 12-U title in the Group 3 event which drew more than 250 entries and sanctioned by Philta and backed by Asiatraders Corp., exclusively distributor of Slazenger, the official ball.

Pikit’s Jilian Manangking (right) holds her twin trophies as she poses “We are very thankful to the PPSwith (from left) PPS-PEPP Tagum’s Dorina Fe Pintor and fellow double PEPP tennis program for providing winners John David Velez and Danna Abad.

our young players a circuit to play and hone their talent and skills,” said Vice Mayor Muhyryn Sultan Casi, who personally monitors the training of Pikit’s players. “Jilian’s victories proved that with the right program, training and motivation, they can beat even the best in the fold.”

Casi also cited another Pikit player Joanne Gornes who reached the finals of the girls’ 14-U side before dropping a 6-0, 6-1 loss to eventual champion Jessica Mae Carcueva.

“We’re happy and proud to have successfully staged this event in partnership with Davao del Norte.

The record number of entries only showed that there is wide base of talents in the region,” said Gov. Antonio Rafael del Rosario.

Davao’s Danna Abad and John David Velez matched Manangking’s

twin-title feats with the former foiling Nicole Bautista, 6-4, 6-3, in the girls’ 16-U finals before trouncing Winona Cabardo, 6-2, 6-1, for the 18-U plum.

Velez also stretched his run of victories as he copped two more titles, thwarting Earljan Casal, 6-4, 6-1, in the boys’ 14-U finals before stopping Menard Badal, 6-1, 6-4, for the 16-U diadem.

Top seed Lordrenz Pacheco survived unranked Carlos Santiago 3-6, 6-0, 108, to clinch the boys’ 18-U title while unseeded Gian Camingue bucked the odds to repulse Robert Nobleza, 7-5, 2-6, 10-7, and snare the 12-U crown.

Meanwhile, Dangcagan, Bukidnon will host the next stop on Oct. 13-16. Listup is ongoing. For details, contact Bobby Mangunay, PPS-PEPP Regional Age Group Tennis Event organizer and Sports Program Development director at 0915-4046464.

Barredo, Alcala set out for Bingo Bonanza Open repeat SARAH Joy Barredo and Mark Alcala seek to get better against a field that has become tougher as they try to make it back-to-back in the Bingo Bonanza National Open Badminton Tournament unfolding Oct. 17 at the CW Home Depot Ortigas and SM Megamall.

Barredo needed three sets to turn back national teammate Nicole Albo, 15-21, 21-16, 21-6, to claim the women’s singles Open crown last year but the PBA-Smash Pilipinas standout expects an uphill battle not only against

her fellow national players but also from the collegiate standouts from the Big City and nearby provinces.

Alcala likewise primes up for a highly competitive campaign this year with all the others out to stop his domination of the event marked by a 21-14, 21-17 conquest of top seed Kevin Cudiamat in the last edition of the annual P1.5 million championship sponsored by Bingo Bonanza Corp. and sanctioned by the Philippine Badminton Association headed by Vice President Jejomar

Binay and sec-gen Rep. Albee Benitez.

Tournament director Nelson Asuncion is actually expecting a number of foreign players to join the tournament although they can’t gain ranking points, this being the country’s premier championship which features the best of the best and future stars.

Meanwhile, the draw and seeding will be held today (Tuesday) at the LWRC 26F West Tower, Philippine Stock Exchange Center in Ortigas. The schedule of matches will be

posted on Oct. 14 while the coaches, team managers and players’ meeting will be held on Oct. 16, also at LWRC. The qualifiers and quarterfinals will cover five days of action at the CW Home Depot before the tournament, backed by Victor PCOME as the official equipment, SM Megamall, Smash Pilipinas and the Philippine Olympic Committee, moves to the SM Megamall for the semifinals and finals on Oct. 22 and 23, respectively.

Other players to watch are R-Jay

Trump’s locker-room comment riles US athletes ST. LOUIS—Several American professional athletes slammed Donald Trump on Sunday after the Republican presidential nominee tried to dismiss his sexual comments about women by describing them as “lockerroom talk.”

Speaking during the second presidential debate with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Trump used the locker

On Thursday, Woods and the rest of the world will begin to find out if he has achieved that level of fitness.

Although he’s been sidelined before by various ankle, knee and leg injuries, not to mention the notorious collapse of his marriage amid revelations of his infidelity —this 14-month hiatus is the longest of Woods’s career.

He hasn’t won since the 2013 WGC Bridgestone Invitational, the 79th PGA Tour title of his career leaving him three shy of the record held by Sam Snead.

His most recent major title came on one of those bum knees at the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, and since then he’s looked less and less likely to break the record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus. AFP

room reference numerous times when questioned about the release of a leaked tape on Friday that captured him saying degrading things about women.

The 70-year-old US billionaire dismissed them as “just words” and “locker room talk.”

“I haven’t heard that one in any locker rooms,” NBA Portland Trail Blazers player CJ McCollum wrote on Twitter.

Trump went on to say that the video from 1995 “doesn’t represent who he is.”

Trump acknowledged he was “embarrassed” about his comments. “But I have tremendous respect for women.”

Asked directly if he had done the things he mentioned in the video, Trump said: “No, I have not.”

“As an athlete, I’ve been in

locker rooms my entire adult life and uh, that’s not locker room talk,” Oakland Athletics baseball pitcher Sean Doolittle wrote on Twitter.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who won 18 grand slam singles titles between 1978 and 1990, said the vulgar comments are simply a reflection of Trumps’ true self.

“Locker room talk? Not on

your life- this was Trump exactly how he is. Authentic. Obnoxious.

Criminal. Etc....,” Navratilova said on Twitter.

National Football League player Jacob Tamme used social media to urge Trump to quit using the word.

“Please stop saying “locker room talk”. It’s not normal. And even if it were normal. It’s not right,” wrote Tamme who plays for the Atlanta Falcons.

Ormilla, Kenneth Monterubio, Paul Vivas and Peter Magnaye in the men’s side, and Christine Inlayo and Malvinne Alcala in the women’s side.

The top collegiate and club players from Metro Manila and the different provinces will also join the hunt for the winners’ purse of P100,000 for the men’s and women’s singles champions and P120,000 for the men’s doubles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles of the event sanctioned by the Philippine Badminton Association.

LOTTO RESULTS 6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0 M+ P0 M

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

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TUESDAY, OCTOBE 11, 2016

Castro wants to improve his play

Sports

By Jeric Lopez

Ginebra’s LA Tenorio penetrates the defense of three Meralco defenders in Game 2 of the PBA Governors’ Cup Finals. The Gin Kings won, 82-79, to level the best-of-seven title series at one win apiece.

Lions plunge into their hardest game of season

By Peter Atencio

Games Tuesday

S

AN Beda College coach Jamike Jarin believes Game 2 of the Finals will be the most difficult for the Red Lions this season when they meet the Arellano University Chiefs at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball best-of-three championship series at the Mall of Asia Arena.

“On Tuesday, it’s going to be our hardest game, our hardest win. So, we will be ready,” said Jarin.

The Red Lions have been playing without big man Donald Tankoua, who tore his right ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) in a

game early in the second round.

And without Tankoua, the Red Lions have been counting on backup slotman Benedict Adamos to help fill the void.

The 6’6” Adamos has been stepping up big since the Cameroonian

(Game 2 at the Mall of Asia Arena) 1 p.m. San Beda vs Mapua (jrs) 3:45 p.m. San Beda vs Arellano (srs)

banger went down with the seasonending injury. He scored 16 points, had seven rebounds and a block in the Red Lions’ 88-85 win over the Chiefs in Game 1 last Thursday.

Adamos was just one of the heroes who emerged in the opener, aside from Robert Bolick Jr. and team captain Dan Sara.

Bolick, a transferee from La Salle, came through with the crucial baskets and a defense that shackled Chiefs’ star guard Jio Jalalon.

Sara provided the needed leadership and experience San Beda’s young team lacks.

As for the Chiefs, Jalalon is expected remain as Arellano University’s go-to guy in Game 2 as coach Jerry Codinera said the point guard still has his full trust and confidence.

“I will always count on Jio to take that last shot,” said Codinera.

Jalalon, who led the Chiefs with 21 points, got a lot of flak for giving up the ball to an open Dioncee Holts from the perimeter instead of taking the shot in the closing seconds of the game. Holts missed the shot with 3.7 seconds and Red Lion cager Bolick scored two free throws that won for them the game after he got fouled by Jalalon during a rebound play.

The Red Lions are now one win away from claiming their ninth

Pocari Sweat wheels back into V-League contention

Donaire spars 10 rounds, looks good

By Ronnie Nathanielsz FIVE-DIVISION world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” has sparred 10 rounds without a sweat against Cameron Dunkin’s southpaw fighter Manuel Flores and Filipino Joebert Alvarez and told The Manila Standard “it was amazing. I feel great.”

Donaire, who is now being trained by Cuban mentor Ismael Salas, said his trainer, who handled unbeaten Guillermo Rigondeaux, among others, had taught him to minimize unnecessary movement and to maximize what he does in the ring.

Donaire previously sparred eight rounds with former WBA bantamweight champion Koki Kameda of Japan and felt good.

He said he was physically and mentally prepared for his WBO super bantamweight title defense against unbeaten 24-year-old southpaw Jessie Magdaleno at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Nov. 6 (Manila time), alongside the WBO welterweight title bout between eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao and champion Jessie Vargas.

Boasting of a record 23-0 with 17 knockouts, Magdaleno has expressed confidence he will beat Donaire and believes he has spotted some weaknesses in the Filipino.

However, Donaire said that trainer Salas was “very smart, very intelligent and maximizes my ability to perform. I feel good and ready to go.”

championship in the last 11 years for a league-best 20th title overall.

“It’s all about adjustments.

When they go small, they play zone, we should be happy that it’s a zone. It will be shooting.

Just taking the shot. But there’s overpassing and overshooting,” added Codinera, noting the things that need to be corrected in their next game.

Earlier, the defending champion San Beda Red Cubs are expected to bounce back in Game 2 of their junior finals’ clash with the Mapua Red Robins at 1 p.m.

The Red Robins turned to the big plays of shooting guard Clint Escamis in the second half to outplay the Red Cubs, 83-64, in Game 1.

MANY think that Jayson Castro is enjoying the prime and peak of his career in the Philippine Basketball Association. He still doesn’t think so, though.

After winning his fourth Best Player of the Conference award last Sunday, Castro insisted that he still has a lot left in the tank, hungry to improve himself even more.

“It’s always good to be recognized and win Best Player, pero I think I still have a lot to improve pa,” said the humble Castro. “Ang ganda ng naging start namin tapos hindi kami umabot ng finals so for me, kailangan ko pa mag-improve and also ‘yung team namin as a whole.”

While June Mar Fajardo challenged him for the plum, Castro was the obvious choice to be the Best Player of the Conference for this 2016 PBA Governors’ Cup after dominating the tournament from the start up until the semifinals before TNT KaTropa suffered a shocking upset at the hands of Meralco.

Even if most people already consider him as a top-notch talent, not only in the country but also in the international scene, Castro is still not satisfied. He continues to aim for the stars.

“Marami pa rin na challenges sa PBA. ‘Yun ang motivation ko,” said Castro. “Ayaw kong makuntento na and gusto ko pang makatulong sa team at makabalik kami sa finals and also, every season, maraming magaling na players na pumapasok sa PBA so dapat magimprove pa rin ako ng laro ko.”

Considered as the best point guard in Asia, Castro was named as one of the 40 Greatest Players in PBA history.

The only thing missing now for the prolific spitfire of TNT KaTropa is a Most Valuable Player award, something that has eluded him as Fajardo has been dominating the league since he came in and is expected to win a record third straight plum this coming Friday in the annual Leo Awards.

Castro’s four BPC awards is second most in league history, tied with Fajardo as well, just one behind Danny Ildefonso.

Meralco’s Allen Durham took home the Bobby Parks Best Import of the Conference award after edging out Barangay Ginebra reinforcement Justin Brownlee.

Durham helped the Bolts reach their first-ever finals as a franchise.

Pocari imports Andrew Kacsits (4) and Breanna Mackie use their height and reach advantage to foil Coast Guard’s Hazel Mea during their Shakey’s V-League Reinforced Conference duel at the Philsports Arena.

POCARI Sweat rebounded from a five-set setback to Air Force with a methodical threeset romp over a hapless Coast Guard side, 25-17, 25-9, 25-16, to wheel back into early contention in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Reinforced Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig yesterday.

The Lady Warriors drew a pair of 10-hit efforts from imports Breanna Mackie and Kay Kacsits while skipper Michelle Gumabao unloaded 14 hits, including four aces, as they disposed off the overmatched Lady Dolphins to force a fourway tie at 1-1 with Air Force, Laoag and UP in the short season-ending conference of the league sponsored by Shakey’s.

So outclassed were the Lady Dolphins that Pocari could play all-Filipino and still win. With a 41-15 discrepancy in spikes, 7-3 in blocks and 11-3, the Lady Warriors had a virtual practice round against a team which has

Games tomorrow

12:30 p.m. – 100Plus vs IEM 4 p.m. – Laoag vs Air Force 6 p.m. – BaliPure vs Customs

dropped its first four games in straight sets in the tournament backed by Mikasa as official ball and Accel as official outfitter.

“It doesn’t matter how you start, but how you finish and we did well in the end,” said Gumabao, referring to their shaky starts in the first two sets that even saw them yield the first six points to the Lady Dolphins.

Pocari also showed up with Jose Rizal U’s Shola Alvarez, who came in late in the third and scored two points, the last wrapping up the 66-minute match.

Grenlen Malapit scored seven hits while Sam Dawson and Jane Maderazo added five and four points for Coast Guard.

Despite the romp, Pocari coach Rommel Abella said there’s still so much work to be down, particularly in team chemistry.

“We need to improve our communication on and off the court. We’re not yet there but we’re getting there,” he said.

Earlier, Air Force bucked a lopsided first-set loss by winning the next three, stunning defending champion Cignal TV, 16-25, 25-22, 25-23, 25-23, to grab the solo lead in the Spikers’ Turf Season 2 Reinforced Conference, also at Philsports.

The Jet Spikers settled down in the second frame after an erratic start with their wing spikers and middle hitters delivering the goods in the next three sets marked by ferocious exchanges of offensive firepower and long rallies.

Two powerful open attacks by Bryan Bagunas, on loan from National U, broke the last of 15 standoffs in the fourth set at 23 and handed the Jet Spikers the match and their second straight victory. They made quick work of debuting 100 PLUS in their opening game last Oct. 1.

PH jins bag 3 golds in Peru meet THE Philippines produced another splendid international performance in taekwondo by winning three gold and five bronze medals in the recent 2016 World Poomsae Taekwondo Championships in Lima, Peru.

Ernesto Guzman Jr. emerged as the top Filipino performer by bagging the recognized poomsae men’s individual under 40 gold and sharing with Jean Pierre Sabido and Glenn Lava the recognized poomsae men’s team over 40 gold.

Jeordan Dominguez provided the third Philippine gold

by dominating the freestyle poomsae individual male over 17 competition.

The bronze medalists were: Dustin Jacob Mella, Rodolfo Reyes Jr. and Raphael Enrico Mella in recognized poomsae men’s team under 30; Rodolfo Reyes Jr. in recognized poomsae individual male under 30; June Ninobla in recognized poomsae individual male under 50; Mark Lorenz Balcita and Janna Dominique Oliva in freestyle poomsae pair over 17; and Jeordan Dominguez, Mark Lorenz Balcita, McAvyngyr Alob, Janna Dominique Oliva and Juvenile Faye Crisostomo

in freestyle poomsae mixed team over 17.

The Filipinos, who also carried the colors of PLDT Home Ultera and MVP Sports Foundation, finished sixth overall out of 55 countries in the prestigious world event.

“Our athletes’ long training and hard work paid off,” said Philippine Taekwondo Association’s CEO, Sung Chon Hong.

“They deserve the medals that they brought home.”

The Philippine team’s participation was also supported

by Smart Communications Inc., Meralco, TV 5 and Philippine Sports Commission.

The jubilant Filipinos display their medals after the awarding ceremony with team leader Igor Mella, foreign coach Ji Ho Chul and international referee Stephen Fernandez. They are Joel Lacsamana, June Ninobla, Dustin Jacob Mella, Rodolfo Reyes Jr.,Raphael Enrico Mella, Ernesto Guzman, Jean Pierre Sabido, Glen Lava, Jeordan Dominguez, McAvyngyr Alob, Janna Dominique Oliva, Angelica Joyce Gaw, Jocel Lyn Ninobla, Alileah Dulce Amor Perez, Rinna Babanto, Juvenile Faye Crisostomo and Mark Lorenz Balcita.

SBMA chief supports call to use Subic Port B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

B1

Foreign investments sustain rise

By Julito G. Rada

F

OREIGN direct investments continued to rise in July, the first month in office of the Duterte administration, bringing the seven-month tally to a record $4.7 billion, amid the sustained investors’ positive outlook on the economy.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas ago. This followed a 40.9-persaid net inflows of FDIs in- cent decline in net inflows in creased 7 percent in July to $503 June. million from $470 million a year “The increase in FDI inflows

was driven by investors’ positive outlook on the Philippine economy, reinforced by strong macroeconomic fundamentals,” Bangko Sentral said in a statement.

Data showed investments in debt instruments grew 79.4 percent in July to $417 million from $232 million a year earlier. Equity capital registered net inflows of $23 million during the month, down by 85.5 percent from a year ago.

Gross equity capital place-

ments in July came largely from Germany, the United States, Singapore, Japan and Korea. These were invested mostly in real estate, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing, financial and insurance and construction activities.

This brought FDI net inflows in the first seven months to $4.7 billion, up 79 percent year-onyear.

The bulk of net inflows in the first seven months were in the

forms of debt instruments which hit $2.8 billion, or more than twice the $1.3 billion recorded in the same period last year.

Equity capital posted net inflows of $1.5 billion in January to July, up by 74.7 percent from $841 million a year ago.

Equity capital placements in the seven-month period came mainly from Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the US, and Taiwan.

These were invested into financial and insurance, real estate,

manufacturing, construction, and accommodation and food service activities.

FDI net inflows hit $5.72 billion in 2015, missing the official target of $6 billion, on lower reinvestment of earnings and debt instruments inflows.

Bangko Sentral expects net inflows of foreign direct investments to increase to $6.3 billion this year, on the back of improving global economic conditions and robust domestic economy.

IN BRIEF

PSe comPoSite index Closing October 10, 2016

8990 Holdings execs buy stake in Primex

8300 7840 7380

PROPERTY developer Primex Corp. agreed to sell P180 million worth of shares to three executives of mass housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. via private placement.

Primex said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it accepted the offer of Luis Yu Jr., Kwantlen Development Corp. as represented by Mariano Martinez Jr. and Januarius Holdings Corp. represented by Januario Jesus Gregorio III Atencio to purchase 15 million shares each at P4 apiece.

Yu is currently the chairman emeritus of 8990 Holdings while Martinez is the chairman. Atencio serves as the chief executive and president of 8990.

The acquisition of 45 million Primex shares translates into a 2.8-percent stake in Primex which currently has 1.6 billion outstanding common shares.

Share price of Primex closed higher by 4.1 percent to P4.09 Monday.

Primex secured a P300-million fiveyear term loan facility from Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. in 2015 to fund expansion plans including the acquisition of properties in prime locations.

Jenniffer B. Austria

6920 6460 6000

7,534.71 43.58

PeSo-dollar rate

Closing OCTOBER 10, 2016 43.00 45.40 46.60 47.80

P48.355

49.00

CLOSE

HIGH P48.200 LOW P48.380 AVERAGE P48.280 VOLUME 299.000M

P427.00-P632.00 LPG/11-kg tank P36.95-P44.25 Unleaded Gasoline

oPriceS il P today

INCLUSIVE BUSINESS. The Board of Investments and the United Nations Development Programme team up with Philippine Business for

Social Progress Inc., Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industries and International Chamber of Commerce Philippines to conduct the Business+ Philippines, a nationwide baseline survey on Inclusive Business among Philippine companies. Shown during the signing of a memorandum of understanding are (from left) PCCI secretary general Crisanto Frianeza, ICCP director general Jesus Valera, UN resident representative Ola Almgren, BoI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo, PBSP executive director Rafael Lopa, MAP vice president Marife Zamora and MBC executive director Peter Perfecto.

P25.58-P28.60 Diesel P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene

Govt resumes bidding of P108-b regional airports

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, October 10, 2016

F oreign e xchange r ate Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.3430

Japan

Yen

0.009682

0.4681

UK

Pound

1.240600

59.9743

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128909

6.2318

Switzerland

Franc

1.022077

49.4103

Canada

Dollar

0.755344

36.5156

Singapore

Dollar

0.728067

35.1969

Australia

Dollar

0.760100

36.7455

Bahrain

Dinar

2.649709

128.0949 12.8891

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266617

Brunei

Dollar

0.725426

35.0693

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000077

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.028640

1.3845

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.1632

Euro

Euro

1.117600

54.0281

Korea

Won

0.000897

0.0434

China

Yuan

0.149824

7.2429

India

Rupee

0.015017

0.7260

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.240674

11.6349

New Zealand

Dollar

0.717900

34.7054

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031789

1.5368 Source: PDS Bridge

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Transportation Department said Monday it will resume the auction for the P108-billion regional airports before the end of the year.

“We would like to have the date for the submission of the bid within the year,” Transportation Undersecretary for aviation and airports Roberto Lim said.

“They [bidders] want to look at the airport again. They want to review their numbers,” he said.

“Seven months have passed, they have to review their numbers. And then they will get approvals from their respective

SN Aboitiz Power signs P19-b financing facility

By Alena Mae S. Flores ABOITIZ Power Corp. said Monday unit SN Aboitiz PowerMagat Inc. secured a P19-billion bank loan to refinance loans and fund other corporate expenses.

Aboitiz Power said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it signed the notes agreement with Bank of the Philippine Islands and China Banking Corp. as initial noteholders for the issuance of fixed-rate corporate notes amounting to P19 billion.

SNAP Magat also appointed BPI, acting through its asset management and trust group, as facility agent and BPI Capital Corp. as mandated lead arranger and bookrunner. China Bank Capital Corp. acted as joint lead arranger for the transaction.

“The proceeds of the notes will be used by SNAP Magat to, among others, repay its existing loans, finance its recapitalization and fund other general corporate purposes,” Aboitiz Power said.

SNAP Magat is a joint venture between Aboitiz Power and SN Power AS of Norway and is

the owner and operator of the 360-megawatt Magat hydroelectric power plant located at the border of Ramon, Isabela and Alfonso Lista, Ifugao.

SNAP Magat is also developing the 8.5-MW run-of-river Maris South Canal Hydroelectric Power Plant in Barangay Ambatali, Ramon, Isabela.

The Maris project aims to generate additional electricity for the Luzon grid by utilizing the irrigation flow from Maris Reservoir into Maris Main (South) Diversion Canal.

The project is expected to be completed in November 2017, with an estimated project cost of $47.1 million.

It is also covered by a memorandum of agreement with the National Irrigation Administration, the government agency that owns and operates Magat dam and Maris re-regulating dam.

The plant will use the same irrigation water that is released from the Maris Reservoir for the Maris Main (South) Diversion Canal and will not affect the current irrigation water supply.

boards,” Lim said.

Lim said the agency would retain the bid parameters for the regional airport projects.

The Transportation Department earlier pre-qualified Maya Consortium led by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Philippine Airports Consortium of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., San Miguel Holdings Corp.-IIAC Airport Consortium, GMR-Megawide Consortium and FilinvestJATCO-Sojitz Consortium for the project.

Aboitiz Equity teamed up with Vinci Airports of France to form Maya Consortium, while San Miguel Holdings Corp. tapped

Incheon International Airport Corp. to create SMHC-IIAC Airport Corp.

Metro Pacific teamed up with Aeroports de Paris Management SA, while Filinvest tapped Japan Airport Terminal Corp. and Sojitz Corp.

The five provincial airports in the PPP bundle are the P20.26billion Bacolod-Silay International Airport and the P30.4-billion Iloilo International Airport under package 1, and the P14.62billion Laguindingan Airport, P2.34-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport and P40.57-billion Davao International Airport under package 2.

The winning concessionaires for each airport bundle will handle the operation and maintenance of the airports for 30 years and expand the facilities. Aside from the operation and maintenance, the contract will require the winner to expand the terminal, apron, airside and landside facilities to address future demand.

The improvements are needed to enhance passenger safety and convenience and ensure more efficient airport operations.

GMR-Megawide earlier won the contract to develop and operate the P17.5-billion MactanCebu International Airport.

BIR to expedite tax number processing THE Bureau of Internal Revenue on Monday signed an agreement with the Trade Department to expedite small and medium enterprises’ procedures of getting a tax identification number.

The two agencies agreed to improve the registration of sole proprietors and partnerships under the jurisdiction of DTI by facilitating TIN issuance. BIR commissioner Caesar Dulay and Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez signed the agreement.

“The memorandum of agreement actually is part of our mandate to respond to the business sector and seeing to it that there is ease in doing buisiness.

Personally, I believe that it is in pursuance with the mandate of the president and this administration to be conscious and aware of the needs of the business community especially with the smalland -medium enterprises,” Dulay said.

Under the agreement, the BIR agreed to issue TIN through the eReg System linked to the Philippine Business Registry under the DTI. BIR shall process the registration of the new business and issue the corresponding certificate of registration and other permits relative to the secondary registration after completing the of documentary requirements. The BIR will also provide information materials to DTI for their clients. Gabrielle H. Binaday

Polish company opens $2-m Bataan vinyl sheet plant PIETRUCHA Groupa of Poland and local partner Design Science Inc. are opening today a $2-million factory in Mariveles, Bataan that will produce vinyl sheet piling.

Pietrucha Maufacturing Philippines is the first Polish-Philippine

investment and jointventure in the civil engineering sector in the Philippines facilitating a unique transfer of technology.

The plant will supply the markets of Southeast Asia with specialized technical profiles used in the civil engineering

sector in flood prevention and protection projects and other land and water infrastructure investments.

The vinyl sheet piling manufactured in Mariveles are an environmentally friendly, lightweight and extremely durable and advanced

alternative to the traditional materials such as steel, concrete or wood.

They are used in construction projects because of the possibility of lowering investment costs. They are used to reinforce flood protection systems, construct flood walls, protect the

SMART HOME. PLDT Inc., through consumer business unit PLDT Home, launches Smart Home suite

of services to Filipino families with a string of partnerships with leaders in retail and entertainment.

Leading the grand launch are PLDT vice president and Home marketing director Gary Dujali (fifth from left), PLDT chairman Manny Pangilinan (eighth from left), PLDT and Smart executive vice president and consumer business group head Ariel Fermin (10th from left) and PLDT first vice president and Home operations head Oscar Reyes, Jr. (12th from left), together with representatives from Roku, iWant TV, iflix, Netflix, Amazon and others.

banks of various water reservoirs as well as to protect slopes, landslides and various excavation sites.

Pietrucha Groupa said it chose the Philippines because of its strategic and logistically convenient location and great economic potential.

The production plant is situated in the Freeport Area of Bataan.

“The Philippines welcome the investment by Pietrucha Group, the first ever industrial project of Poland in the Philippines. We are pleased indeed that such a distinguished player chose ultimately the Philippines after a thorough and long term consideration of various ASEAN markets,” said Philippine Ambassador to Polan Patricia Ann Paez.

Paez said the joint venture proved that the Philippines is an attractive investment destination, also for the Polish investors looking into the Asean region.

“I hope Pietrucha Group will pave the way for other investors from Poland and there will be more Polish businesses and Polish technologies brought into our country,” she said.

Alena Mae S. Flores

B2

Business

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market drops; Bloomberry up S

TOCKS fell a fourth day, amid thin trading as investors trod warily after the US Labor Department said Friday that fewer jobs than expected were created in the world’s top economy in September.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, dropped 43 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 7,534.71 Monday, the lowest in nearly four months or since June 15 when it settled at 7,501.65.

Despite the loss, the bellwether was still up 8.4 percent since the start of the year.

The broader all-share index also declined 14 points, or 0.3 percent, to settle at 4,489.69, on a value turnover P5 billion.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 103 to 60, while 53 issues were

unchanged.

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

by Bloomberry Resorts Corp. which climbed 7.3 percent to P4.86 and PhilWeb Corp. which advanced 5.3 percent to P8.10.

Meanwhile, Asian markets ended mixed Monday. The US Labor Department said Friday that fewer jobs than expected were created in the world’s top economy in September.

The news left all three main indexes on Wall Street in negative territory and sent the dollar

the Note 7 pending probes into reports some replacement handsets had caught fire.

Samsung announced a recall of millions of gadgets last month after complaints that some had exploded owing to a battery problem. The firm said it would exchange the devices but there have been reports that the batteries in the new handsets have also been involved in fires.

Samsung fell almost four percent in morning trade before recovering in the afternoon to end down 1.5 percent.

Asian sentiment was given a lift by the emergence of a tape of Donald Trump making lewd comments about women, which analysts said could deal a severe blow to his presidential hopes.

With AFP, Bloomberg

lower against the yen Friday.

However, analysts said the figures were unlikely to prevent the Federal Reserve raising interest rates by year’s end.

Singapore and Wellington eased, while Bangkok tumbled three percent after officials said King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s health was “not stable” in an update that raised fears for the 88-year-old.

There are fears his demise could lead to economic instability, especially as there is no official discussion on how the country will handle his passing.

Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taipei were closed for public holidays.

Seoul ended up 0.2 percent but Samsung Electronics was battered by news that US telecoms firm AT&T and German rival TMobile had stopped exchanges of

AgriNurture buys into Chinese firm

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales AGRINURTURE Inc. said Monday it acquired a 49-percent interest in Zongshan Fucang Trade Co. Ltd., a Chinese commodity trading company.

Agrinurture, a company led by businessman Antonio Tiu, said it acquired the stake in Zongshan Fucang Trade for 42.6 million renminbi.

Fucang is an agri-commodity trading company based in Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province which is primarily engaged in the

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 17 30.45 0.92 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 91.5 137 80 361.2 57 180 1700 124

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 12.02 19.6 0.74 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 62 88.35 52 276 41 118.2 1200 59

AG Finance 3.65 Asia United Bank 48 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 109.00 Bank of PI 103.30 China Bank 38 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 3.80 COL Financial 16.6 Eastwest Bank 18.88 First Abacus 0.74 I-Remit Inc. 1.83 Manulife Fin. Corp.

698.00 MEDCO Holdings 0.790 Metrobank 84 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.88 PB Bank 14.4 Phil. National Bank 57.50 Phil. Savings Bank 100.9 Philippine trust Co. 230 PSE 269.6 RCBC `A’ 35.8 Security Bank 223 Sun Life Financial 1470.00 Union Bank 75.15

47 1.46 2.36 15.3 89

35.9 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3

20.6 125 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 31.8 109 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5.25 12.98 15 2.65 7.03 3.4 4.5 6.3 7.34 1450 0.315 2.18 234 5.28 1.3 2.17

15.32 62.5 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 20.2 71.5 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 1.63 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.87 8.45 10.04 2.09 3.03 1.95 1 4.02 5.9 801 0.138 1.02 152 4.28 0.640 1.2

0.59 59.2 30.05 3.4 823.5 911 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 1455 7.5 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 5.53 0.0670 1.61 84.9 974 1.66 1.39 156 0.710 0.510

0.44 48.1 20.85 0.225 634.5 260 7.390 12.8 2.6 2.26 837 5.3 49.55 4.84 0.59 12 4.2 0.030 0.550 59.3 751 1.13 0.93 80 0.211 0.310

Aboitiz Power Corp.

45.7 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.87 Alsons Cons.

1.6 Asiabest Group 16.08 Bogo Medelin 50.2 Cemex Holdings 11.8 Century Food 16.32 Chemphil 135.2 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 117 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 23.65 Concepcion 60 Crown Asia 2.08 Da Vinci Capital 6.45 Del Monte 12.28 DNL Industries Inc. 11.540 Emperador 7.24 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.90 EEI 7.40 First Gen Corp.

24.45 First Holdings ‘A’ 71.85 Holcim Philippines Inc. 16.40 Integ. Micro-Electronics 6.04 Ionics Inc 2.180 Jollibee Foods Corp.

245.80 Mabuhay Vinyl 4.11 Manila Water Co. Inc. 30.85 Maxs Group 28.5 Megawide 15.7 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 308.60 MG Holdings 0.260 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 3.18 Petron Corporation 10.60 Phinma Corporation 11.60 Phinma Energy 2.23 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 5.97 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.52 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.77 RFM Corporation 4.20 Roxas Holdings 3.38 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 216 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.148 TKC Steel Corp.

1.81 Universal Robina 184.3 Victorias Milling 4.61 Vitarich Corp.

2.38 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.19 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.370 Aboitiz Equity 77.00 Alliance Global Inc. 15.80 ATN Holdings A 0.355 Ayala Corp `A’ 860 BHI Holdings Inc. 1010.00 Cosco Capital 8.36 DMCI Holdings 12.70 F&J Prince ‘A’ 6.5 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

8.17 GT Capital 1410 House of Inv. 6.27 JG Summit Holdings 75.10 Lopez Holdings Corp.

8.24 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.79 LT Group 14.46 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 7.4 Pacifica `A’ 0.0370 Prime Orion 1.930 San Miguel Corp `A’ 81.40 SM Investments Inc. 675.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.21 South China Res. Inc. 0.91 Top Frontier 233.800 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3100 Zeus Holdings 0.275

10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 5.59 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 0.72 27 8.54 31.8

6.74 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 4.96 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 0.39 23 2.69 22.15

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

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

Double Dragon Empire East Land Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Realty `A’ Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’

7.380 1.15 2.560 0.265 38.100 2.9 5.15 0.580 1.20 1.000 0.160 0.560 55.95 0.750 1.00 1.79 1.17 4.5 0.195 0.405 33.70 3.93 31.20

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.6 3.55 48 46.5 110.10 108.90 105.00 103.30 38 37.9 3.84 3.80 16.62 16.1 19.5 18.7 0.77 0.72 1.83 1.83 695.00 695.00 0.790 0.740 84.45 83.9 0.88 0.88 14.38 13.94 58.00 57.80 101 101 240 230 269.4 260 35.8 35.75 223 219.6 1470.00 1460.00 75.15 74.40 INDUSTRIAL 45.7 44.5 0.9 0.87 1.63 1.61 16.08 15.6 72 58.65 11.82 11.54 16.4 16.22 167.8 165 115 110 23.7 23.6 60.5 60.5 2.08 2.06 6.5 6.25 12.28 12.14 11.540 11.280 7.30 7.24 5.93 5.84 7.45 7.35 24.5 24.05 72.2 71.45 16.40 16.26 6.08 6.01 2.190 2.160 248.00 246.00 4.12 4 30.7 30.15 28.5 27.35 15.96 15.4 309.00 307.00 0.265 0.260 3.18 3.18 10.56 10.32 11.60 11.60 2.23 2.18 5.97 5.80 1.54 1.54 3.8 3.75 4.20 4.19 3.43 3.22 220 217 0.147 0.147 1.83 1.75 185 180.5 4.61 4.61 2.47 2.38 1.19 1.19

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.6 47.95 109.10 104.00 38 3.84 16.62 18.8 0.72 1.83 695.00 0.740 84 0.88 14.38 57.95 101 240 269 35.75 219.6 1460.00 74.75

-1.37 -0.10 0.09 0.68 0.00 1.05 0.12 -0.42 -2.70 0.00 -0.43 -6.33 0.00 0.00 -0.14 0.78 0.10 4.35 -0.22 -0.14 -1.52 -0.68 -0.53

6,000 21,000 1,067,140 1,684,920 212,000 9,000 74,600 331,900 6,778,000 6,000 10 5,468,000 1,848,960 5,000 101,100 5,260 10 190 420 313,400 535,680 80 123,830

45.65 0.87 1.62 16 68.8 11.68 16.28 165 110 23.65 60.5 2.08 6.37 12.18 11.300 7.29 5.93 7.35 24.05 72.2 16.30 6.07 2.180 246.40 4.1 30.6 28.5 15.68 307.80 0.260 3.18 10.50 11.60 2.22 5.95 1.54 3.75 4.20 3.22 217 0.147 1.75 181.3 4.61 2.39 1.19

-0.11 0.00 1.25 -0.50 37.05 -1.02 -0.25 22.04 -5.98 0.00 0.83 0.00 -1.24 -0.81 -2.08 0.69 0.51 -0.68 -1.64 0.49 -0.61 0.50 0.00 0.24 -0.24 -0.81 0.00 -0.13 -0.26 0.00 0.00 -0.94 0.00 -0.45 -0.34 1.32 -0.53 0.00 -4.73 0.46 -0.68 -3.31 -1.63 0.00 0.42 0.00

791,900 1,167,000 206,000 6,000 8,410 1,709,800 755,400 20 420 326,500 110 403,000 634,600 22,100 1,049,700 283,600 9,771,400 323,300 1,228,500 153,500 183,400 421,100 556,000 183,590 12,000 1,973,900 76,500 455,200 38,670 1,060,000 149,000 2,182,300 1,500 934,000 855,000 83,000 106,000 444,000 27,000 810 350,000 398,000 1,409,860 5,000 13,867,000 24,000

0.380 76.80 15.68 0.355 858.5 1050.00 8.3 12.60 6.5 8.14 1385 6.24 74.10 8.19 0.79 14.26 7.19 0.0360 1.960 81.40 669.00 1.18 0.90 233.800 0.3100 0.260

2.70 -0.26 -0.76 0.00 -0.17 3.96 -0.72 -0.79 0.00 -0.37 -1.77 -0.48 -1.33 -0.61 0.00 -1.38 -2.84 -2.70 1.55 0.00 -0.89 -2.48 -1.10 0.00 0.00 -5.45

530,000 295,500 2,600,300 600,000 623,540 5 1,118,400 5,432,200 30,000 217,300 329,305 71,200 696,190 1,490,800 20,000 5,493,000 11,467,300 11,100,000 165,000 181,930 235,620 500,000 2,000 8,140 1,470,000 470,000

7.360 1.16 2.520 0.270 38.200 2.89 5.12 0.580 1.26 1.030 0.161 0.560 56.8 0.750 1.01 1.80 1.12 4.52 0.175 0.405 36.00 4.09 31.25

-0.27 0.87 -1.56 1.89 0.26 -0.34 -0.58 0.00 5.00 3.00 0.63 0.00 1.52 0.00 1.00 0.56 -4.27 0.44 -10.26 0.00 6.82 4.07 0.16

6,800 633,000 687,000 130,000 9,883,000 603,000 900 2,320,000 65,000 108,000 2,800,000 198,000 189,100 11,000 1,145,000 18,306,000 783,000 24,671,000 140,070,000 290,000 2,700 4,722,000 1,128,300

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

2.29 21.35 1.06 7.56 1.62 8.59

1.6 15.08 0.69 3.38 0.83 5.73

10.5 66 1.44 1.09 28.5 15.82 0.1430 5.06 99.1 2.6 7.67 1700 2720 8.41

1.97 35.2 1 0.63 18.2 8.6 0.0770 2.95 56.1 1.6 4.8 830 1600 5.95

1.97 119.5 7 12.5 0.017

1.23 102.6 3.01 8.72 0.011

0.8200 2.2800 5.93

0.041 1.200 2.34

12.28 3.32 2.53 95.5 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 1.01 3.1 1.8 6

-23,301,022.00

1.040 6.41 4 185 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 3 2.28 79 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

8,028,230.00 -541,500.00 -4,205,932.00 -2,111,996.00

11.6 0.85 10 1.9

7.59 0.63 5 1.14

-3,180.00 -4,920,426.00

0.0098 5.45 17.24 0.330 12.8 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 3.06 0.020 0.021 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9 0.016

0.0043 1.72 6.47 0.236 5.11 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 1.54 0.012 0.013 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67 0.0100

70 525

33 500

8.21 1060 1047 78.95 84.8

5.88 997 1011 74.5 75

1.34

1

6.98

0.8900

-22,823.00 9,120.00 -750,090.00

15

3.5

12.88

5.95

-15,841,625.00 -17,280.00 4,608.00 1,180.00

130.7

105.6

372,245.00 10,151,220 -20,939,295.00 602,580.00 -856,766.00 -72,480 612,820.00 -26,880,732.50 280,501.00

Close

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

High

Low

1.6 28.20 1.08 6.99 1.020 5.310

1.65 1.65 28.35 27.80 1.09 1.04 7.2 6.83 1.010 0.990 5.280 5.150 SERVICES 2GO Group’ 7.69 7.78 7.6 ABS-CBN 48.5 48.6 48.3 Acesite Hotel 1.26 1.35 1.26 APC Group, Inc. 0.540 0.560 0.560 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 5.21 5.22 5.21 Bloomberry 4.53 4.87 4.54 Boulevard Holdings 0.0940 0.0950 0.0930 Calata Corp.

3.34 3.36 3.27 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 108 108 106.1 Discovery World 2.77 2.77 2.51 DFNN Inc. 6.86 6.90 6.82 FEUI 958 961 961 Globe Telecom 1821 1847 1800 GMA Network Inc. 6.32 6.32 6.25 Golden Haven 14.42 14.10 13.76 Harbor Star 2.08 2.15 2.05 I.C.T.S.I. 80 80 78.1 Imperial Res. `A’ 19.54 18.82 18.70 IPeople Inc. `A’ 11.7 11.7 11.7 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0099 0.0097 0.0097 IPM Holdings 9.24 9.24 9.05 Island Info 0.238 0.239 0.231 ISM Communications 1.4900 1.5000 1.4300 Jackstones 3.66 3.8 3.6 LBC Express 12.76 12.74 12.18 Leisure & Resorts 5.40 5.57 5.25 Liberty Telecom 2.26 2.32 2.27 Lorenzo Shipping 1.07 1.07 1.03 Manila Broadcasting 19.06 19.80 19.80 Manila Jockey 2 2 1.99 Melco Crown 3.83 3.87 3.81 Metro Retail 5.18 5.20 5.08 NOW Corp.

3.450 3.440 3.360 PAL Holdings Inc. 5.70 5.75 5.70 Paxys Inc. 2.54 2.54 2.54 Phil. Seven Corp.

140.00 137.00 135.00 Philweb.Com Inc. 7.69 8.90 8.00 PLDT Common 1610.00 1620.00 1601.00 PremiereHorizon 0.430 0.435 0.430 Premium Leisure 1.030 1.040 1.020 Puregold 42.00 42.00 41.65 Robinsons RTL 76.00 77.00 75.00 SBS Phil. Corp.

6.06 6.07 5.95 SSI Group 2.87 2.90 2.83 STI Holdings 0.710 0.710 0.690 Travellers 3.23 3.2 3.23 Yehey 5.300 6.450 5.380 MINING & OIL Abra Mining 0.0036 0.0036 0.0035 Apex `A’ 3.08 3.07 3.00 Atlas Cons. `A’ 4.12 4.12 4.12 Basic Energy Corp.

0.220 0.241 0.217 Benguet Corp `B’ 2.1800 2.0500 2.0200 Coal Asia 0.410 0.400 0.400 Dizon 8.38 8.38 8.11 Ferronickel 1.040 1.050 1.020 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.275 0.275 0.265 Lepanto `A’ 0.186 0.190 0.186 Lepanto `B’ 0.193 0.197 0.189 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0110 0.0120 0.0110 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.45 1.45 1.42 Nickelasia 7.08 7.34 7.05 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.88 2.91 2.83 Oriental Peninsula Res. 0.8700 0.8700 0.8700 Oriental Pet. `A’ 0.0110 0.0120 0.0110 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 Philex `A’ 8.33 8.32 8.20 PhilexPetroleum 3.85 3.95 3.80 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0130 0.0120 0.0120 Semirara Corp.

120.50 120.70 119.00 TA Petroleum 3.4 3.47 3.3 United Paragon 0.0096 0.0096 0.0096 PREFERRED ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 48.5 48.35 48.35 Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ 545 535 535 DD Pref 103.8 103.8 103.6 GMA Holdings Inc. 6.01 6.06 6.01 PCOR-Preferred A 1137 1092 1091 PF Pref 2 1157 1023 1021 SMC Preferred B 76.4 76.6 76.5 SMC Preferred C 81 82.5 82.5 SMC Preferred D 78 78 78 SMC Preferred F 80 79.9 79.9 SMC Preferred G 79 79 78 SMC Preferred H 78 77 77 SMC Preferred I 77.6 77.95 77.5 Swift Pref 2.39 2.39 2.39 WARRANTS & BONDS LR Warrant 2.380 2.550 2.350 SME Alterra Capital 3.1 3.65 3.03 Makati Fin. Corp.

3.23 3.25 3.25 Italpinas 4.5 4.43 4.4 Xurpas 14.48 14.56 14.22 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS First Metro ETF 125.2 125 124

MS

0.385 0.380 77.00 76.00 15.80 15.64 0.355 0.345 861 855 1050.00 1050.00 8.36 8.27 12.70 12.20 6.5 6.45 8.17 7.98 1410 1384 6.24 6.15 75.65 73.50 8.2 8.05 0.8 0.78 14.26 14 7.39 7.16 0.0370 0.0360 1.990 1.960 81.50 80.00 676.00 663.00 1.21 1.18 0.90 0.90 233.800 232.200 0.3250 0.3100 0.260 0.260 PROPERTY 7.370 7.350 1.16 1.14 2.560 2.460 0.270 0.265 38.300 38.000 2.9 2.86 5.12 5.12 0.590 0.570 1.26 1.22 1.070 1.030 0.164 0.160 0.570 0.560 57.65 55.5 0.750 0.750 1.01 1.00 1.80 1.76 1.14 1.12 4.58 4.44 0.197 0.173 0.410 0.400 36.00 33.80 4.14 3.91 31.25 30.50

5,294.00 870,795 -100,432,878.00 1,408,109.50

-23,317,190.00

-10,816,694.00 -5,042,216.00

925,122.00 -193,843.00 -11,258,843.00 -1,007,534.00 -8,874,860.00 -4,621,142.00 -1,858,458.00 531,520.00

1,652,020.00 -511,050.00 4,620.00 30,030.00 25,190.00 33,810.00

-42,395,646 19,340.00

-3,671,185.50 -14,528,920.00 -52,685,835

6,759,231.00 4,097,196.00

-44,759,050.00 -437,368.00 12,384,930.50 -1,138,923.00

-34,717,864.00 -399,391.00 108,000.00 -5,186,078.50 -50,950,525.00 7,002.00

1,826,414.50 12,466,720.00

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

19,302,223

INDUSTRIAL

44,825,340

HOLDING FIRMS

75,707,048

-3,583,640.00 -186,460.00

PROPERTY

221,463,998

SERVICES

93,257,464

-539,300.00 -32,593,410.00

MINING & OIL

185,035,219

GRAND TOTAL

646,645,412

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

1.65 28.00 1.08 7.2 0.990 5.200

3.12 -0.71 0.00 3.00 -2.94 -2.07

23,000 6,771,400 3,416,000 600 137,000 2,336,800

9,900.00 -62,758,210.00 159,000.00

7.6 48.5 1.26 0.560 5.21 4.87 0.0940 3.27 106.5 2.72 6.90 961 1820 6.29 14.10 2.09 78.4 18.76 11.7 0.0097 9.24 0.237 1.5000 3.6 12.2 5.25 2.29 1.03 19.80 2 3.83 5.09 3.360 5.70 2.54 137.00 8.10 1601.00 0.435 1.040 41.70 75.75 6.07 2.85 0.700 3.23 6.000

-1.17 0.00 0.00 3.70 0.00 7.48 0.00 -2.10 -1.39 -1.81 0.58 0.31 -0.05 -0.47 -2.22 0.48 -2.00 -3.99 0.00 -2.02 0.00 -0.34 0.67 -1.64 -4.39 -2.78 1.33 -3.74 3.88 0.00 0.00 -1.74 -2.61 0.00 0.00 -2.14 5.33 -0.56 1.16 0.97 -0.71 -0.33 0.17 -0.70 -1.41 0.00 13.21

184,000 17,600 6,000 30,000 5,800 14,676,000 13,650,000 1,272,000 326,250 5,000 44,900 40 101,160 45,800 50,500 5,528,000 455,330 40,500 1,400 9,000,000 504,500 6,790,000 560,000 39,000 12,600 1,108,800 693,000 8,000 1,000 25,000 3,106,000 1,428,700 1,349,000 1,200 1,000 20 7,574,100 124,650 200,000 2,388,000 358,300 1,305,610 20,200 918,000 8,688,000 179,000 7,256,900

-321,740.00

0.0036 3.00 4.12 0.218 2.0500 0.400 8.35 1.040 0.275 0.187 0.190 0.0120 0.0110 1.42 7.19 2.9 0.8700 0.0120 0.0110 8.22 3.86 0.0120 120.10 3.3 0.0096

0.00 -2.60 0.00 -0.91 -5.96 -2.44 -0.36 0.00 0.00 0.54 -1.55 9.09 0.00 -2.07 1.55 0.69 0.00 9.09 0.00 -1.32 0.26 -7.69 -0.33 -2.94 0.00

104,000,000 50,000 7,000 1,820,000 7,000 260,000 900 8,511,000 80,000 5,040,000 320,000 8,700,000 6,400,000 282,000 3,450,000 88,000 20,000 6,100,000 100,000 551,400 1,442,000 36,600,000 117,250 31,000 1,000,000

48.35 535 103.8 6.01 1091 1021 76.5 82.5 78 79.9 79 77 77.95 2.39

-0.31 -1.83 0.00 0.00 -4.05 -11.75 0.13 1.85 0.00 -0.12 0.00 -1.28 0.45 0.00

7,200 1,500 6,170 237,100 2,000 1,100 40,100 30,250 600 10 30,800 7,200 90,830 2,000

2.380

0.00

545,000

3.6 3.25 4.4 14.3

16.13 0.62 -2.22 -1.24

5,704,000 1,000 83,000 1,253,200

-8,870.00 -3,195,902.00

124.4

-0.64

7,730

248,000.00

-7,693,349.00

40,125,510.00 -3,320.00 -995,708.00 -6,850.00 -59,295,445.00 150,024.00 -342,420.00 -3,692,739.50

1,450.00 63,700.00

-8,917,270.00 -2,992,493.00 169,000.00

-1,150,206.00 29,820,615.00 -7,324,655.00 -18,375,524.00 -204,220.00 3,839,500.00 -3,230.00 589,810.00

145,460.00 -8,110.00 3,619,270.00

-227,400.00 7,820,906.00 -185,350.00

-230,930.00 4,050.00 3,571,259.00 -6,880.00 -348,120.00 -1,183,669.00

-1,390.00

VALUE 1,799.93 (down) 0.16 699,022,343.53 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,832.75 (down) 65.89 701,654,404.514 HOLDING FIRMS 7,519.16 (down) 71.91 1,780,984,445.9704 PROPERTY 3,411.84 (down) 3.10 1,437.38 (down) 6.97 825,696,620.71 SERVICES MINING & OIL 11,079.68 (down) 21.22 886,504,155.11 PSEI 7,534.71 (down) 43.58 61,508,009.8122 All Shares Index 4,489.69 (down) 14.82 4,994,428,510.3444 Gainers: 60; Losers: 103; Unchanged: 53; Total: 216

importation of rice and fruits from Southeast Asia and export of spices from China to various countries worldwide.

“The acquisition of 49-percent interest in Zongshan Fucang Trade Co. Ltd. is expected to aid in the expansion of the trading business of the company as well as to develop a new distribution network in China,” Agrinurture said.

Agrinurture currently supplies fresh vegetables, fruits and grain requirements to the country’s retail and institutional accounts.

The company also supplies fruits such as mango, banana, sweet pineapple and papaya in Japan, Korea, China, Europe, North America and the Middle East and invested in vapor heat treatment and hot water treatment facilities to ensure the high quality of the mangoes it exports.

ANI’s family of brands includes FCA (Fresh Choice Always) for fresh and processed wellness food products; La Natural for coconut juice and Nikka for mango nectar and tamarind juices, all of which are exported; Sungrown rice; Superfresh and Big Chill for fresh fruit beverages and dessert kiosks; Canecoctions for sugar cane juice; and Cafeteria Verde, Fresh Bar by Big Chill, and C’Verde by Big Chill for healthy snack bar and cafeteria.

Agrinurture also signed a master license agreement with Tully’s Coffee International Pte. Ltd. to operate Seattle’s famous Tully’s coffee shop in the Philippines.

MB faces possible delisting

By Jenniffer B. Austria MANILA Bulletin Publishing Corp., the publishing company owned by the Yap family, faces possible delisting from the Philippine Stock Exchange if it fails to prove it has a valid corporate life.

PSE chief operating office Ruel Refran said having a valid corporate charter was a basic requirement for continued listing at the local bourse.

“It’s a basic requirement for listing—that a company should be in possession of valid corporate charter and it is duly registered and licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission [SEC],” Refran said.

Trading of Manila Bulletin is currently suspended after it failed to submit to PSE its amended articles of incorporation with a valid corporate term.

Refran said the answer on whether Manila Bulletin had a valid corporate term or not could also be provided by SEC. “That is within their process,” Refran said.

SEC sources, however, said the agency’s registration and monitoring department was still studying Manila Bulletin’s filings.

A company without a valid corporate term had no juridical personality under our legal system, Refran said.

The PSE is giving Manila Bulletin ample time to provide the exchange with the base document, which is the amended articles of incorporation showing that it was able to extend its corporate life.

“We have to be carefully and exhaust all measures because there are investors involved,” Refran said.

PSE suspended trading of Manila Bulletin shares on Sept. 29, citing that the amended articles of incorporation approved by SEC on Dec. 16, 2014 had not indicated any extension of its 50year corporate term.

Business

B3

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Central banking at its most awesome

CHAMPION OF THE POOR. The Junior Chamber International Manila along with AY Foundation announces Fr. Leo Schmitt, SVD (center) as

the recipient of the 2016 Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Award for his remarkable efforts in alleviating the lives of the poor. Fr. Schmitt began the Samahang Bagong Buhay Foundation Inc., an organization that worked for the development of housing projects for informal settlers in various areas of Antipolo City. With him during the recent awards ceremony held at the Yuchengco Musuem of RCBC Plaza, Makati City are (from left) JCI Manila president Ramiro Villavicencio, 2016 BTCA Chairman Ramon Bagatsing Jr., JCI member Gio Valencia and AYF trustee Reynaldo Vea.

SBMA chief supports call to use Subic Port

T

HE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority said Monday it supports the recommendation of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez to utilize the port in Central Luzon.

SBMA chairman Martin Diño said in a statement the proposed plan was highly beneficial to the country’s economy because it would increase business activities in the northern regions of Luzon.

“Efficient trading boosts business growth and where there are thriving businesses; there are job opportunities,” Diño said.

He cited that over 30 million Filipinos would benefit from the proposed utilization plan, providing jobs to several regions in the country.

Taiwan seeking expanded relations

By Othel V. Campos TAIWAN has called for increased cooperation with the Philippines during the 105th National Reception Day of the Republic of China (Taiwan) Monday.

“I would like to point out that right now is the best and opportune timing to work together to enhance our bilateral relations. By broadening multifaceted cooperation, we will eventually create a mutually beneficial win-win situation” said Taiwan representative Gary Song-Huann Lin in his speech during the celebration held at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel in Manila City.

He added that Taiwan’s ‘New Southbound Policy’ of President Tsai Ing-wen and the Philippines’ more inclusive policies under President Rodrigo Duterte complemented each other.

Taiwan and the Philippines have mutually beneficial close relations. The bilateral cooperative ties are wide–ranging from trade, investment, industry, technology and science to agricultural, fishery, labor tourism, aviation, shipping, energy, and even weather forecasting.

Taiwan in 2015 was the Philippines’ fifth largest trading partner, ninth export market and fourth import source.

Total Taiwanese investments in the Philippines in 2015 jumped to P5.46 billion, up 83 percent from a year ago, making Taiwan the Philippines’ third fastest growing investment source.

The Philippines, meanwhile, is Taiwan’s second-largest export partner among Asean countries at $7.45 billion, and the 11th largest trading partner of Taiwan, with bilateral trade amounting to $9.27 billion in 2015.

He said Central Luzon was among the fastest growing regions in the country where infrastructure projects were put in place and where investors were flocking in.

“The roads leading to and from Central Luzon is in place, labor costs are attractive, utility prices are lower than other cities; it is a good place to do business,” he said.

Diño cited an efficient port waiting in Subic Bay that could cater to businesses at the shortest turnaround time possible.

“The port in Subic can hold 600,000 TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent unit) but it can also handle TEUs (forty-foot equivalent units),” he said.

“Imagine, in just four hours your goods are already en route to their destination,” Diño added.

The SBMA chairman said doing business in Subic was like transacting in Manila because the travel time would be cut short and roads leading to destinations were more favorable for truckers.

“You have the NLEx (North Luzon Expressway), SCTEx (Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway) and well paved diversion roads that assure on-time delivery of goods and services. And for businesses, time is a very important resource for investors,” Diño said.

He said the SBMA was waiting for the approvals of the proposed infrastructure projects pitched by the agency to the National Economic and Development Authority to fully harness the potential of the region.

BAT backs smoking ban in public places

By Gabrielle H. Binaday BRITISH American Tobacco Philippines on Monday expressed its support to the strict nationwide implementation of a smoking ban in public places that will be embodied in a proposed executive order.

Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said President Rodrigo Duterte was set to sign this month the EO banning smoking in public places.

“The no-smoking policy being implemented in Davao will also be enforced across the country,” said Ubial in an interview.

Duterte imposed a smoking ban in public places in Davao City, where he was a long-time mayor.

BAT chief executive officer

James Michael Lafferty BAT would have no issue with the implementation of such a ban.

“Such bans are already being implemented throughout the country at varying degrees of enforcement, as already enshrined in Republic Act 9211, or the Tobacco Regulations Act of 2003.

We don’t see any issue with the new administration pushing for a more uniform enforcement across all LGUs (local government units),” Lafferty said.

RA 9211 prohibits smoking in public places such as schools and centers of youth activity; elevators and stairwells; locations in which fire hazards are present; within buildings and premises of public and private hospitals, health centers and similar insti-

tutions; and public conveyances and public facilities, including airport and ship terminals.

Smoking and non-smoking areas will be designated in all other areas where non-smokers may be exposed.

The Department of Health is also pushing for the amendment of RA 9211, which seeks to eliminate contentious tobacco control policies, particularly in the area of point-of-sale advertisements and designation of smoking areas.

BAT said it would take responsible positions on health issues.

“BAT has consistently demonstrated in the Philippines that we will be a responsible tobacco company that supports sensible regulations advocated by the government,” said Lafferty.

THE well-known American humorist paid tribute to central banking with these words: “The three greatest inventions of mankind are fire, the wheel and central banking.” If he wanted to be precise, the humorist should have said “good central banking.” And if he wanted to be even more precise than that, Will Rogers should have said “good central bank governors.”

During the last three years the most powerful woman in the world has been, not the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (Christine Lagarde) or the Chancellor of Germany (Angela Merkel) or the head of the British Commonwealth of Nations (Queen Elizabeth II), but the economist who is the chairman of the US Fed (Federal Reserve Bank), which is America’s counterpart of central bank governor. Janet Yellen succeeded fellow-economist Ben Bernanke in 2013.

In 2008, halfway through Bernanke’sterm, the US was struck by the worst downturn to hit the US economy since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Between them, Yellen, Bernanke and the boards that they headed put an end to an economic occurrence that drove tens of thousands of people to unemployment, financial delinquency and bankruptcy and brought suffering and misery to millions of Americans. And since the US is the principal driver of the world economy, the severe flu in America quickly translated into a bout of fullblown pneumonia for the world economy.

Displaying enormous savvy, sharp judgment and steel-like guts, Ben Bernanke and his board steered the US economy slowly but surely back to stability and, eventually, to growth.

Bernanke had a wide array of monetary tools, including changes in interest rates—the basic interest rate is called the Fed funds rate—and required reserves, open-market operations and special deposit requirements, America’s central bank undertook the tricky task of restoring order to financial and property sectors roiled by the scandal in the sub-prime housing mortgages market. The Bernanke Fed settled on two tools, namely, a zero Fed funds rate and open-market operations consisting of an announced program of scheduled Fed purchases of US government bonds. The first tool was intended to bring down the level of market interest rates; the second tool was intended to reinforce the first by increasing the availability of funds for corporate and personal lending by otherwise timorous financial institutions.

The strategy of the Bernanke Fed was slow to take effect.

Given the depth of the economic downturn, that was not surprising. But in the end the financial and capital markets realized that the Fed meant business and began to take advantage of the regime of the unprecedented monetary ease. Even so slowly the American economic ship began to turn around.

Financial markets around the world were apprehensive that Bernanke would be followed into the Fed chairman’s office by an individual who would not be equal to the task. But in no time were their apprehensions allayed, for Bernanke’s successor, Janet Yellen, quickly showed herself to be possessed of the right stuff. Against the advice and opinions of many bankers and economists, and anxious that the Fed should not take its foot off the accelerator, chairman Yellen maintained the steady-as-you-go strategy of Ben Bernanke. Speculation in the world financial community about the Yellen-led Fed’s interest rate intentions has caused the Fed chairman’s name to be the name most often mentioned in wherever and whenever finance people meet.

Another display of central banking chutzpah and savoirfaire was made early this year shortly after the announcement of the victory of the pro-exit side in the March 23 referendum of continued British membership in the European Union. Seeing the negative reactions of the financial markets to Brexit (British exit), Mark Carney, the non-British of the Bank of England, lost no time in announcing that Britain’s central bank would make available all the funds that the financial markets reasonably required—with an initial commitment of 35 billion pounds—to cope with the expected outward movements of funds. That Bank of England gesture quickly calmed the markets, and the steady slide of the pound soon came to a halt.

The examples discussed above portray central banking at its very best. They constitute awesome displays of the finest in monetary management. Will Rogers was essentially right: good central banking is one of the man’s greatest inventions.

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

The quiet Yak DESPITE its name and impending release this week, there isn’t a whole lot being written or said about Ubuntu 16.10, otherwise known as Yakkety Yak. The latest upgrade to the popular Linux distribution is set to be released Oct. 13, and a final beta has been available for downloading since late last month, but the new release is hardly generating any interest.

The lack of excitement can be traced to what Canonical, the company behind Ubuntu, has left out of this version—the long-promised new default interface, Unity 8, and a new graphics engine, Mir. For a while, both were supposed to make their debut in Yakkety Yak—but Canonical scrubbed the plan in May, making it the seventh release in a row that the two technologies were deemed not ready for prime time.

Unity 8 was supposed to be the common interface that would be tie together desktop PCs, laptops, mobile phones and tablets running Ubuntu, and was built on the Mir graphics system—a major departure from the X Window system.

At the Ubuntu Online Summit in May, Canonical boss Mark Shuttleworth said he would not make the same mistake of migrating everyone to a new interface (Unity 7, at the time) before they were ready for it, as they did with Ubuntu 11.04.

“I have said publicly that I’d like the community to tell us that Unity 8 is ready to be the default Ubuntu experience,” Shuttleworth said during a Q&A at the summit. “I think I made a mistake, be-

cause I was so convinced in the convergence story, moving Unity 7 into position before it was ready in 11.04. So, lessons learned. And I think the right way to deal with that is to make a great Unity 8 desktop, use it ourselves, and then let people vote, essentially, and signal that this is what we want as the default Unity for Ubuntu.”

Writing in TechRepublic, Jack Wallen said this was the right way to go.

“Canonical is making the wise decision to mildly disappoint instead of categorically enrage,” he said.

Although Unity 8 will not be the default interface in Yakkety Yak, it is included for testing purposes; anyone who wants to kick the tires on it can choose to try it from the log-in screen without installing any extra software.

Be forewarned, though—there’s a good reason Unity 8 isn’t the default desktop environment. Scott Bouvier, writing in the OMG! Ubuntu! Website, puts it succinctly: “Let’s not lie: Unity 8 needs serious work.”

“If Unity 8 is to have any hope of replacing Unity 7 as the default computing experience on millions of Ubuntu desktops worldwide it has to be better,” he wrote. “Fanboy hand-waving and over enthusiastic Google+ posts will not balm the sting of criticism—only raw code and bug report band aids can do that.”

Ubuntu 16.10 will include updated packages, including Linux kernel 4.8, and the newest versions of Libre-

Office (5.2), GNOME applications, and the Nautilus file browser.

“The most welcome improvements in the default applications come in the new Ubuntu Software app, which made its debut with this spring’s Ubuntu 16.04 release,” writes Scott Gilbertson in The Register.

Anyone who has used the software manager in previous versions will appreciate the faster loading and listing of applications.

The new Software manager also improves support for Snap packages, and will now track and install non-GUI applications, libraries and fonts and multimedia codecs alongside regular applications.

Reviewers of the final beta release also note that the installation disk is considerably larger than it was on 16.04 (1.4GB). The increased size doesn’t come from the addition of more applications, but language packs that take up more space.

Should 16.04 users upgrade to Yakkety Yak? Given that 16.04 is a a long-term support (LTS) version (it will be supported until 2021), it’s awfully tempting to save yourself the hassle of an OS upgrade and stick with what you’ve got—for now.

Column archives and blog at: http://www.chinwong.com

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

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Business

Yuan declines to 6-year low S HANGHAI, China―China’s central bank set the yuan’s central parity rate weaker than 6.7 to the dollar for the first time in six years Monday, the first day of trading after it joined the IMF’s “special drawing rights” reserve currency basket.

The currency has been declining for months in the face of a globally stronger dollar, slowing growth in the Chinese economy, and capital outflows from the world’s second-largest economy.

China’s Communist authorities have repeatedly pledged to liberalize trading in the unit, also known as the renminbi, but still keep a tight rein on it, only allowing it to rise or fall

two percent on either side of a daily fix on the national foreign exchange market.

On Monday the People’s Bank of China lowered the central rate by 230 basis points from the previous trading day to 6.7008, its weakest since 2010.

Chinese markets were closed all last week for national holidays, during which the dollar’s performance was “quite

strong,” Lu Zhengwei, chief economist at Industrial Bank told AFP. “I believe today’s slump is a response to the strong dollar during the holiday.”

Monday was the first trading day in China since the yuan joined the dollar, pound, yen and euro in the IMF’s “special drawing rights” reserve currency basket on October 1, after a decision last year.

The move, long pressed for

by Beijing as it seeks to increase the yuan’s role in global markets, brings with it symbolic prestige but has limited direct impact, analysts say.

Zhang Qun, an analyst at Citic Securities, said the currency’s value was increasingly

dependent on China’s economic fundamentals, adding: “In the medium and long term, the yuan will continue to depreciate at a steady, slow pace.”

The Asian giant’s economy expanded only 6.9 percent in 2015―its weakest rate in a quarter of a century―and has slowed further this year.

In August of last year, Beijing suddenly devalued the yuan, causing investors to dump the currency in volumes not seen since 1994 and sparking an outflow of capital from China. The yuan has fallen eight percent against the US dollar over the last two years.

Strong US economic data released in September and heightened market expectations that the US Fed will raise inter-

Samsung suspends production of Note 7 SAMSUNG Electronics Co. halted production of its Note 7 smartphones after customers reported problems with new devices, the latest blow in a six-week crisis over exploding phone batteries.

Samsung temporarily suspended production of its most expensive phone, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said Monday, asking not to be identified because the decision isn’t public. The move came after wireless carriers including T-Mobile US Inc. and Telstra Corp. stopped selling Note 7s following reports of problems with devices thought to be safe.

Customers have said that replacement Note 7s and models with supposedly safe batteries were overheating and catching fire, fueling concerns Samsung hasn’t solved the problem that led to its initial recall of 2.5 million units. The South Korean company has been engulfed in controversy since the device hit the market two months ago and customers began posting videos of charred and damaged handsets.

“It’s an ongoing nightmare,” said Bryan Ma, vice president of devices research for IDC. “You would have hoped that they could have gotten past this already and moved on. Clearly, it keeps coming back.”

Along with T-Mobile, AT&T Inc. halted sales of the device in the US over safety concerns.

“Based on recent reports, we’re no longer exchanging new Note 7s at this time, pending further investigation of these reported incidents,” AT&T spokesman Fletcher Cook said in an e-mailed statement Sunday. Bloomberg

est rates in December have also caused short-term pressure on the yuan, analysts said.

A depreciating currency has also limited gains by Shanghai shares. Mainland flows into Hong Kong equities swelled to a record last month, partly as investors sought a hedge against yuan weakness.

“Even with a recent narrowing, valuation is still expensive for the mainland,” said Yen Chiu, a Hong Kong-based trader at China Securities International Finance Holding Co. “This year, I am definitely more optimistic about Hong Kong than A shares. For any dramatic change in the mainland’s stock markets, we need to see if turnover can pick up first.” AFP

EMERGING MARKETS.

Central Bank of Colombia Governor Jose Uribe, Bank of Russia First Deputy Governor Ksenia Yudaeva and South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago participate in a panel discussion on emerging markets’ response to recent exchange rate pressures at the 2016 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group at George Washington University on October 8, 2016 in Washington, DC. AFP

Saudi says $60 crude is possible ISTANBUL, Turkey—Saudi Arabia said on Monday it was “not unthinkable” that the price of crude oil could surge to $60 a barrel by the end of the year but warned against drastic production cuts that might shock markets.

Speaking in the opening keynote speech at the World Energy Congress in Istanbul, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said that whatever the oil price the kingdom was in good shape to implement its reform vision to transform the structure of its crude-based economy by 2030.

For months pressured by concerns of slack demand amid a global economic slowdown at a time of a glut in supply, US oil rose above $50 a barrel in New York last week for the first time since June.

This came after Saudi last month agreed to a surprise output cut of oil cartel Opec, the first in eight years.

“We are seeing the convergence of supply and demand,” said al-Falih. “It is not unthinkable we could see $60 (a barrel) by the year end.

“But my eyes are not on the price but on supply and demand.”

He added: “Opec should make sure not to crimp too tightly and create a shock to the market.

“We do not want to shock the markets into a process that could be harmful.”

The minister admitted that the kingdom had become “a little fat around the belly, a bit complacent” during the era of high oil prices but was now fully committed to its economic reform program set out by Deputy Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.

“The kingdom will be prepared to deal with whatever price emerges,” he said.

The minister said he believed that demand for oil would peak but “if it does happen we will be ready for it.”

“The (2030) vision will lead to a stronger and more robust Saudi Arabia,” he said, noting this includes the planned IPO of a portion of state oil giant Saudi Aramco, the biggest such offering in history. AFP

Chinese billionaire Jack Ma acquires stake in Spielberg firm BEIJING, China―Chinese internet billionaire Jack Ma has bought a stake in cinema legend Steven Spielberg’s company, they said, the latest tie-up between China and Hollywood as they seek to make movies for audiences in the Middle Kingdom and beyond.

Alibaba Pictures, a unit of Ma’s sprawling e-commerce conglomerate, has taken a minority shareholding in Spielberg’s Amblin Partners, a film creation company that includes DreamWorks studios.

The deal will see the companies

co-finance and co-produce movies for Chinese and international audiences, Alibaba said on its corporate website.

It marks “an important milestone” in the Chinese firm’s strategy to reach Chinese and global audiences, its chaiman Shao Xiafeng said in a statement.

Alibaba Pictures will also have a seat on the board of Amblin.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

At a press conference in Beijing on Sunday, Spielberg―who shot his 1987 movie “Empire of the Sun” in Shanghai―said the part-

nership will allow him to “bring more China to America and bring more America to China”, according to the Alibaba statement.

Alibaba chief Jack Ma said that while the US and China “may have cultural differences,” the partners will focus on human stories and serve as a bridge between the two countries.

The deal will give Spielberg’s company access to Alibaba’s online ecosystem and films will be distributed through streaming platforms such as the group’s Youtube-like Youku Toudu.

The deal is the latest in a wave

of Chinese money flowing to Hollywood, with real estate developer turned media conglomerate Wanda buying Jurassic World creator Legendary Entertainment for $3.5 billion earlier this year.

Foreign film companies are heavily restricted from entering China’s booming market, with an opaque review process and government caps limiting the number of non-Chinese movies that can be shown.

Censors enforce a broad and shifting set of prohibitions that cover sex and violence as well as political or historical content the

ruling Communist Party deems unacceptable.

To get around restrictions, Hollywood studios have sought partnerships with local companies.

The potential rewards are substantial, as China’s movie market has exploded and PricewaterhouseCoopers projects its box office will rise from $4.3 billion in 2014 to $8.9 billion in 2019, outstripping the US. US studios are keen to capitalize on China’s burgeoning market at the same time as Beijing is pushing entertainment as a source of “soft power.” AFP

Vertical farmers take over in Belgium

By Marine Laouchez WAREGEM, Belgium―As cities expand, eating up swathes of countryside in the process, agricultural pioneers are finding new ways to grow the fresh produce we need, in containers, empty buildings and any other spare space they can find to create new vertical farms.

“We are just trying to imitate nature.

It’s not as futuristic as it might sound,” insists a smiling Maarten Vandecruys, the youthful founder of Urban Crops, a new Belgian company specializing in indoor growing systems with the help of LED (light emitting diodes) lamps.

Behind him, in a spooky, futuristic purple halo of light, stand rows of shelves dedicated to horticulture. It is a closed environment with no natural light.

The purple glow is the result of red and blue lamps and is believed to provide the optimal growing conditions.

Vandecruys prides himself on the completely automated agro-system he has set up in Waregem, in eastern Belgium.

At the Urban Crops lab, a conveyor belt circulates containers of germinated plants which are placed in a special substrate, using no earth to reduce the risks of disease linked to animal-life and other external factors.

The containers are introduced to a closed room, the walls of which are lined with shelves.

Under the artificial light the plants develop in a controlled environment, fed through a hydroponic system―water laced with the ideal mix of mineral salts and essential nutrients.

No pesticides are required in this much more sterile environment and, as the LED lamps don’t heat up, they can be placed close to the plants, allowing for tight layers of plants.

Evolution not revolution According to Vandecruys the future of vertical farming is to expand to an industrial scale.

“It’s just an evolution,” not an agroindustrial revolution, he says, a natural progression from fields to greenhouses, then from greenhouses to vertical farms.

With his system, a 50 square-meter space (540 square feet) can be transformed into 500 square meters of usable “land.” And the plants grow two to three times faster than outdoors, further increasing yields.

In the Urban Crops laboratory, up to 220 mature lettuce plants are produced each day in a 30-square-meter room using just five percent of the water required in traditional agriculture.

However for Samuel Colasse, a teacher and researcher at the Carah agronomic research center in Hainaut, eastern Belgium, the concept of urban farming is “currently not very convincing” in countries like France and Belgium where the distances between the fields and the towns “aren’t enormous.”

But in a highly urban environment like New York “there are projects which work pretty well,” he says.

And in hostile climatic conditions, or in some military or refugee camp situations such “somewhat futuristic” ideas could be envisioned, Colasse adds.

His own laboratory has produced everything from bananas to rhododendrons.

Endless uses For Urban Crops the uses of its vertical farming technology are virtually boundless.

The company can foresee its products being used in pharmaceutical labs to produce plants with medicinal qualities, in supermarkets which could sell their own hyper-fresh produce―and at the same time cut out the transport costs― or in isolated communities in Scandinavia and elsewhere.

For now its clients have more modest ambitions.

A top restaurant, for example, wants to experiment with the flavor, texture, size and color of its ingredients through subtle changes to the light, temperature and nutrients during the growing process.

Urban Foods claims to have produced a type of salad rocket the taste of which “explodes” at the back of the throat.

And for the domestic goddesses, or gods, there are individual shelving and lighting set ups to grow-your-own herbs or cherry tomatoes. AFP

RECORD WEIGHT. Belgian Mathias Willemijns poses with his winning atlantic giant pumpkin after the weight-off at the Giant Pumpkin European Championship in Ludwigsburg, southwestern Germany, on October 9, 2016. Willemjins’ pumpkin has the new world record weight of 1.190,5 kg. AFP

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

C1

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

PROACTIVE. Caretakers of Barangka Cemetery in Marikina City clean and repaint tombs in preparation for All Saints Day. Manny Palmero

BGC offers space for SMEs F

ORT Bonifacio Development Corp., the developer behind Bonifacio Global City, opened to the public its newest co-working space, Square One BGC, on October 7.

Square One is specially de- when we decided to come up signed for small businesses and with this facility,” says Eli Yanstartups. “They’re top-of-mind eza, FBDC manager for business

Bistek opens crisis hotline

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON CITY has activated its own emergency hotline to enable its residents to call for help during emergencies.

Residents, visitors and those transiting Quezon City can dial 122 for the city’s Emergency Operations Center.

Call takers are on duty 24 hours everyday to answer and traffic calls. Duty officers from various law enforcement and frontline service units such as the Quezon City Police District, Bureau of Fire Protection, the Department of Public Order and Safety, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Radio Communications Service and the Public Affairs and Information Services Office are also stationed in the Emergency Operations Center.

Mayor Herbert Bautista will formally launch the 122 hotline when he delivers his State of the City Address this month.

Elmo San Diego, Public Order and Safety chief, said the activation of the hotline completes the full roll out of the city’s enhanced emergency services capability upgrade.

“What Quezon City is having under Mayor Herbert Bautista’s leadership is an integrated, seamless and endto-end operations system,” San Diego said.

The establishment of Quezon City’s own emergency and information help line was mandated by a city ordinance approved by Bautista on Oct. 11, 2010.

The activation of the hotline was, however, held in abeyance pending the construction of the Emergency Operations Center in the DRMMO Building on Kalayaan Avenue in Barangay Central.

development, property planning and office leasing.

“But we also cater to entrepreneurs, professionals and freelancers—basically anyone who needs to have his own small office or desk but cannot be intimidated by the costs incurred by traditional offic-

es,” says Yaneza, Square One BGC’s project proponent.

The operational costs for startups can be enough to dissuade any budding entrepreneur to start a business. On top of the rent for a traditional office space, which can go as high as P200,000 for a 100-square-me-

ter area in BGC, one still has to consider the bills for water, electricity, internet connection, plus salaries for secretarial staff, among others. Moreover, the tenant spends on interior design, furniture and equipment. These concerns are addressed by coworking spaces—making them

the perfect solution for small businesses and startups.

For just a fraction of the cost, anyone wanting to have his own office space need not have high capital to rent a space at Square One BGC. Membership is customizable depending on the Turn to C2

Makati Yellow Cards valid for 3 years, says Binay THE city government of Makati has extended the period of validity of its residents’ Yellow Cards from one year to three years effective October 10, and streamlined processing of medical services at the Ospital ng Makati.

“By extending the validity of the Yellow Card to three years, they will no longer need to submit requirements and fall in line every year,” Mayor Abby Binay said.

Residents who register or re-

new their Yellow Cards starting October 10 will next renew it in 2019.

The Yellow Card is the popular name for the Makati Health Plus (MHP) Program, which provides subsidized health care to residents, city workers and other qualified beneficiaries at OsMak and the city’s health centers, satellite laboratories and barangay birthing facilities.

In the past three months, the

city government addressed the problems plaguing the OsMak including the lack of hospital supplies, non-functioning airconditioning units, and the long lines and delays in extending services to patients.

“After repairs which I ordered done in July, 60 percent of the air conditioning was restored,” Binay said.

“We have amended the AIP to include the purchase of new

air conditioners for OsMaK and have asked the City Council to approve it immediately,” she said.

The mayor also cited a bar code system for the registration of patients of the hospital. “Bar code stickers are placed on the Yellow Card IDs of old patients already included in the database of patients so that each time they return to the hospital, their ID cards will be scanned to imme-

10 barangays join Giant Lantern Fest

By Romeo Dizon SAN FERNANDO—Ten barangays here have joined the 108-year-old celebration of colors and lights called Giant Lantern Festival of 2016.

Jim Jimenez, chairman of the executive committee of this year’s festival said the villages who joined are Sto.Nino, Del Pilar, San Nicolas, Sta.Lucia, San Juan, Dolores, Calulut,

Telabastagan, Sindalan, and San Jose.

Jimenez said exhibitors will receive a subsidy of P120,000 from Giant Lantern Foundation chairman Wilfrito Mah and P100,000 from Gov. Lilia Pineda, respectively. The additional costs will be shouldered by participating barangays.

The unit cost of participating in the traditional festival of color and lights range from P800,000

DAZZLER. One of the entries in the Giant Lantern Festival. Romeo Dizon

to P1 million with three to five months of delicate preparations and production process specially the electrical installations.

Jimenez said Pineda warned all each participating barangay that no lanterns should be produced by another barangay so that technology will be transferred to its residents.

Each lantern must measure about 20 feet and use 7,500 to 13,400 colorful bulbs, and all

entries will vye for the prizes on Christmas eve on the huge battleground at the Robinsons mall here.

Powered by a big generator, each giant lantern will be placed on top of a six-by-six truck and exhibit its dancing lights for almost an hour to the tune of music.

Jimenez said three exhibitors will be declared winners by a panel of judges in the categories. The winning lanterns will be displayed on Christmas Eve in the city proper, Metro Manila and later abroad.

The over all supervisor of this year festival of lights and color is engineer Marni Castro.

The defending champion of the contest is Barangay Dolores.

The city has 35 barangays. The festival was started by Francisco Estanislao of Sta. Lucia in 1909.

The Giant Lantern Festival is one of the few tourism attractions of the city together with the Via Crucis during Lenten season.

Mah said they are developing the train station used by the Japanese Imperial Army to ferry American, Filipino and Australian soldiers from Bataan to Tarlac during the Death March in the Second World War. Located in Barangay Sto. Nino, the train site will be renovated into a park with a regular night market, stalls for delicious Pampanga food, souvenirs items and other amenities, he added.

The train station is now becoming a popular educational tour site for students because it displays several historical relics from the Spanish occupation up to the last world war.

diately activate their registration,” she said.

At the hospital lobby, new patients can choose between the assisted-registration kiosk or the self-registration kiosk. The latter is for computer-literate patients.

Nurses have been designated as physician assistants whoo explain and update doctors on a patient’s medical condition and test results without having to wait for the doctor. Joel E. Zurbano

Palo City recalls Leyte Landing THE local government of Palo in Leyte is preparing for the 72nd commemoration of the Leyte Gulf Landing at the MacArthur Landing Memorial National Park on October 20, Palo Mayor Remedios Petilla said.

Petilla said the four-day event will start with an agr-aqua fair at the Leyte Academic Center on October 17, which will sell the produce of different farmer organizations.

Local and national peformers will hold a nightly concert at the park, the last of which will be at the MacArthur park on October 20, she said.

The sunrise activity will be at the park and the sunset ceremony led by the veterans’ organizations and their sons and daughters groups.

The Office of the President will send a representative since President Rodrigo Duterte will be out of the country by then.

Only the Embassy of Japan has confirmed that their ambassador will attend the event.

On Oct. 20, 1944, American forces landed on Red Beach led by US Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who two years before vowed, “I shall return,” former Philippine President Sergio Osmeña and Brig. Gen. Carlos P. Romulo. PNA

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

LGUs Davao gets weather forecast gear

NATURAL. Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte (right) leads Ecowaste Coalition’s celebration of Green Action Week to promote organic farming and gardening in urban settings to mitigate hunger and malnutrition and create greener and zero waste communities. Manny Palmero

A STATION for weather, flood and farming forecasting will soon rise and serve the constituents in the provinces of Davao del Norte and Compostela Valley in the Davao region.

Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration provincial officer Oscar Zabate on Saturday said the new weather monitoring stations will start to serve the two provinces by the first quarter of 2017.

The station will be installed in the two-story building near the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management office inside the government center of Davao del Norte which, Zabate said, is now ready for occupancy.

The new facility is funded by the Department of Science and Technology-Pagasa central office and was established through a usufruct agreement with the provincial government of Davao del Norte.

Zabate pointed out that the weather station project will help achieve and sustain zero casualty when calamities hit the area.

He said Davao del Norte is prone to flooding during rainy season, which was why the new equipment was set up there.

The station will be headed by Engineer Raul Montilla, who will serve as the station’s officer-in-charge, Zabate added. PNA

‘Clean earth for good health’ H

EALTH Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial said health authorities must advocate environmental protection, clean-energy sources and transport, healthy housing as well as other means of promoting human well-being.

“As a public health practitioner, I know health cannot be improved without addressing the environment,” she said.

The environment department is seeking more experts who can help government develop sustainable science-based models

which converge efforts for better promoting environmental protection and health nationwide.

“Our environment and health are interrelated—protecting the former will benefit the latter so I’m interested in having scientists and other experts join us

in such endeavor,” Environment Secretary Gina Lopez said Saturday on the side of the Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on Health and Environment held at WHO Regional Office at the Western Pacific Building in Manila.

Lopez noted such experts’ inputs would help bolster ongoing work on developing models that can be replicated in urban and rural areas around the country.

“The selling point of such models is improving quality of life,” she said, highlighting urgency for convergence.

Such goal was in line with the administration’s bid to promote social justice nationwide, Lopez noted.

“I hope we can have different models on the ground,” she said.

DENR and its partners already identified 26 rural and urban areas nationwide where government would pilot the models, she said.

UN assistant secretary-general and UNEP deputy executive director Ibrahim Thiaw lauded health and environment experts’ participation in the regional forum.

“Without a healthy environ-

ment, we can’t have healthy people,” Thiaw told the forum’s press conference also on Saturday.

He believes health and environment experts’ interest in the forum can “help break down barriers and nurture integration in many other areas like finance, transport, energy and security.”

“We should spread these emerging partnerships to other sectors like air pollution which can’t be tackled without coordinated effort across transport, energy and finance,” Thiaw said.

Ubial stressed the urgency for

environment protection as she said providing more health facilities and professionals was not the sole means of promoting public health.

Established in 2007, Asia-Pacific Regional Forum on Health and Environment is a multicountry initiative for strengthening cooperation on health and the environment particularly amid climate change’s threats.

UN said during the forum, officials from 14 countries signed the Manila Declaration which seeks action on four emerging issues. PNA

Visayans eye technology investments Online records for EV teachers

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

BUSINESS people from the Visayas are now looking into technologies from the Department of Science and Technology for possible investment and business opportunities.

“We asked DoST to be our partner,” said Jude Abenoja, president of the Ormoc City Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

As a pre-event to the bustling 25th Visayas area business conference, DoST held a Technology Transfer Day featuring 74 technologies available for

adoption. This is the first DoST Technology Transfer Day in the regions.

“We are selling technologies, not products,” Science Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara told the audience who were wowed by new products that were out of the market in some areas.

The audience flocked to the sample area that featured crispy and nutritious vacuum fried fruits and vegetables, among others. These products were produced using food processing equipment for DoST’s Food Innovation Centers.

DoST “sells” the technology behind the equipment to entrepreneurs who will get a license to manufacture the machines.

Abenoja said he arranged with DoST-VIII Regional Director Edgar Esperancilla to hold the DoST Technology Transfer Day a day before the business conference “to bring technologies and the DoST closer to the business sector as we share a common goal of bringing economic opportunities to the countryside.”

Around 300 out of the 500 business conference delegates attended the Technology Trans-

fer Day. Abenoja and DoST-VIII identified technologies that can thrive in the region and highlighted these during the Technology Transfer Day. He enumerated them as the: carrageenan plant growth promoter, semen extender for goat, nipa sap sugar production, stabilized brown rice, complementary foods, DoST tablea, Food Innovation Center processing equipment, STARBOOKS, Ecofriendly septic system (EcoSep), and abaca fiber for packaging and currency base papers.

Philpost: Put it in writing TO REVIVE the art of letter writing among young people, the Philippine Postal Corp. held the 4th National Letter-Writing Day on Friday at SM City San Pablo Atrium in San Pablo City in cooperation with the Department of Education and SM Supermalls.

Some 250 students from Dizon High School in the city participated and discussed how students can be heroes and what they want to tell the future generation.

San Pablo City Schools Division superintendent Susan Oribiana said, “we observed that with the advent of technology, the art of writing letters is slowly vanishing.

So, we encourage the young and let them experience writing a letter, placing it in an envelope, and affixing a stamp.”

Mall manager GT Exconde said “writing will always be an effective means of communication.“ Nina Wong-Rada, the mall’s public relations manager, remarked that in this age, young people mostly communicate using mobile gadgets, short text messages and social media.

“We don’t really know anyone who is writing letters or anyone who had received one. It is like an art robbed of romance and even basic courtesy in the age of rapid-fire, efficiency-obsessed, typed–with one thumb on a tiny-keyboard communication,” Rada said further.

SEATS. As Villar SIPAG’s managing director, Senator Cynthia Villar receives a customized school chair

molder from the Department of Science and Technology-Metals Industry Research and Development Center OIC Robert Dizon. More durable school chairs will be made from plastic waste and distributed for free to all public schools.

BGC...

From C1

needs of the business: clients can choose between small offices which can fit between three to 14 workers, dedicated desks, or hot desks where members can work anywhere within Square One BGC’s large Social Hall and Library.

Moreover, FBDC wants to provide the perfect environment for incubator businesses. “BGC has always attracted the creative class, these are the gamechangers that will one day be another Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs,” adds Yaneza.

FBDC’s office leasing portfolio includes eight office buildings in BGC with five more in the pipeline for large-format of-

fice spaces. “It is about time we also offer small spaces. In the future they will be our clients in our bigger offices as well,” says Yaneza.

Square One BGC is near convenience stores, retail shops, dining areas, as well as pocket parks where, a five-minute skiphop can easily take clients’ mind off work-related stress. Just across Square One BGC is Boni-

PALO, LEYTE—If you’re courageous enough, share without expecting something in return.

This was the advice of Dr. Ramir Uytico, CESO IV, the newly installed education director in Eastern Visayas, to the region’s public servants as he started his assignment with a promise “to sincerely serve our teachers.”

One way of doing this, the director said, is the introduction of an online system where all the records of educators can be found and retrieved in just a click of a mouse button.

“We should be aware of the basic role of the DepEd—to develop the hearts and minds of our school children,” Uytico told teachers at the recent joint executive and management committee conference of educators in Palo, Leyte.

“The secret is that the principal and school leaders should have the four C’s in life—character, competence, courage and compassion,” he said, adding that the secret worked in his previous DepEd assignments.

“There are many less-traveled roads in DepEd. The government cannot provide everything to DepEd,” Uytico said.

“We exist because of the people. You don’t have a right to sit in your offices if you deprive them of the services they need,” he said, while announcing some major changes in the regional office in its services to the visiting school officials and teachers.

“I don’t want to hear negative comments that you’re just spending time on Facebook and not processing the retirement papers [of teachers and school leaders]. I will be your worst

nightmare,” Uytico warned, adding that he is willing to do the work of his subordinates if they would not do their job well.

“I will first take care of the superintendents. After all, they are the one implementing programs and projects. I am depending on their performances,” he said.

Uytico said that if the region would genuinely serve the superintendents, this would cascade to the principals down to the teachers and to the school children.

“I will challenge all of them [superintendents] to take care of human resources, first and foremost the principals. I implemented this when I was superintendent of Dumaguete City,” he said.

Uytico also opposed the requiring of service records from teachers every time they go to the division office because the service records are in the division.

He announced the crafting of the regional banner project this October and which will be launched on November 8, the third anniversary of super typhoon “Yolanda.”

The banner project would be a result of the 13 banner projects in 13 divisions in the region.

Uytico added that projects should be culture based and data-driven.

“No one will implement projects not data based,” he said.

“Please be excited because I will not stop dreaming dreams for all of us. I will make it fast. I will never stop thinking for the benefit of the region,” he said.

Uytico, the 2012 Gawad Career Executive Service Presidential Awardee and an outstanding Cebu educator, assumed his post last August 30 upon the compulsory retirement of Dr. Luisa Bautista Yu.

facio Stopover Pavilion with four levels of food, beverage and wellness shops for the co-worker to choose from.

Square One BGC offers a reliable internet connection, free brewed coffee and other refreshments through its creatively-designed pantry, as well as postal/courier services. Other services needed by the members are also available upon re-

quest, such as digital scanning and printing.

Square One is open from Mondays to Fridays, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

It is located at the ground floor of the Bonifacio Technology Center at 31st Street corner Second Avenue in BGC. For more inquiries, visit www.squareonebgc.com.ph or contact Francesca Padilla at 09173933646 or francesca@squareonebgc.com.ph.

By Ronald Reyes

World

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

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Taipei wants new talks with Beijing TAIPEI―Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday called for a resumption of talks with China and pledged that “anything” can be on the table for discussion.

Relations with Beijing have deteriorated under Taiwan’s first female president, whose Chinaskeptic Democratic Progressive Party took office in May after a landslide victory over the Kuomintang party.

Tsai has refused to accept the concept of “one China”, prompting Beijing to cut off all official communication with the island’s new government.

China sees self-ruling Taiwan as part of its territory requiring reunification.

In a speech marking Taiwan’s National Day, Tsai urged both sides to “set aside the baggage of history and engage in positive dialogue”.

“The two sides of the strait should sit down and talk as soon as possible. Anything can be included for discussion,” Tsai said.

While Tsai said she did not want Taiwan and China to go down “the old path of confrontation”, her government would not “bow to pressure” from Beijing.

“Leaders on both sides should

Trump criticized for threat on Clinton

jointly show wisdom and flexibility and a calm attitude to resolve the existing differences between the two sides,” Tsai said.

Taipei has accused Beijing of pressuring a number of countries, including Armenia and Kenya, to deport Taiwanese fraud suspects to China rather than their home territory.

Taiwan has also blamed China for blocking it from attending international events, including a major United Nations aviation meeting in Canada last month and a series of forums in semiautonomous Hong Kong.

“This is our fundamental attitude towards maintaining the status quo and it is based on the collective hope for peace across the Taiwan Strait,” Tsai said.

Relations between Taipei and Beijing improved under the previous China-friendly KMT government, but left many Taiwanese fearing the island’s sovereignty was under threat.

Scores of anti-China protestCYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK ers rallied outside Monday’s ceremony demanding Tsai reject the “one China” idea.

Pro-China demonstrators called for Tsai to step down and one man was removed by police PERFORMANCE. Student groups perform during National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Palace in Taipei on October 10, 2016. Taiwanafter he kept shouting during the ese President Tsai Ing-wen on October 10 called for a resumption of talks with China and pledged that “anything” can be on the table for discussion. president’s speech. AFP Relations with Beijing have deteriorated under Taiwan’s first female president whose Democratic Progressive Party took office in May. AFP

Syria continues its assault on Aleppo Manila

ST. LOUIS―A chorus of critics painted Donald Trump as a dictator in the making Sunday, after he threatened to imprison Hillary Clinton if he wins the White House.

Trump was called “dangerous,” “unfit” to be president and drew a series of unfavorable comparisons to Venezuela and Russia after he told his rival he would have her jailed if he were victorious in November.

“If I win, I’m going to instruct the attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation because there’s never been so many lies, so much deception,” the Republican told his Democratic rival during their second presidential debate.

He was referring to Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of state, which the Federal Bureau of Investigation has looked into and declined to prosecute.

When Clinton said that it was “awfully good” that someone with Trump’s temperament was “not in charge of the law of our country,” he shot back: “Because you’d be in jail.”

During Trump’s campaign rallies his supporters frequently break out into a chorus of “Lock her up” in reference to Clinton but the spectacle of a presidential nominee threatening another with prison is unprecedented in modern US political history.

President Barack Obama’s former attorney general, Eric Holder, led the condemnation Sunday, describing Trump as “dangerous/unfit” and pointing out that even president Richard Nixon’s top lawyer resigned when ordered to probe a political opponent.

A US president does not normally order the legal or criminal investigation of individuals.

“In the USA we do not threaten to jail political opponents. @realDonaldTrump said he would. He is promising to abuse the power of the office,” Holder said in a tweet.

Former US ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul tweeted that the comment “reminds me of autocracies I study. Embarrassed this is happening in America.”

Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman said: “Let’s be clear: a candidate for president promised to put his opponent in jail if he wins. Everything else is secondary.

Trump was also tarred as undemocratic by a number of fellow Republicans. AFP

Standard

TODAY

B

EIRUT―Syrian government forces kept up their blistering assault on rebelheld eastern Aleppo after a divided UN Security Council failed to agree on a truce to save the war-battered city.

Regime forces and their allies were advancing street by street in the eastern sector, which has been out of government hands since 2012.

“Clashes on the ground as well as fierce air strikes went on all night and are continuing Sunday, especially in the Sheikh Said district” of eastern Aleppo, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitor said regime forces took control of the Jandul crossroads in the northeast of Aleppo.

The latest advances aim to clear the way for “a crucial and decisive land offensive”, said Syria’s Al-Watan newspaper, which is close to the government.

The army launched its assault on the besieged sector of Aleppo more than two weeks ago with the backing of Russian air strikes, aiming to re-

unite the city, which was Syria’s economic hub before its conflict erupted in 2011.

Air strikes and artillery fire by the regime and its Russian ally killed 290 people, mostly civilians and including 57 children, since the September 22 launch of operations in Aleppo, the Observatory said.

The Britain-based monitor, which compiles its information from sources on the ground, said 50 civilians, including nine children, have also died in rebel bombardment of regimecontrolled western districts.

Syria’s official SANA news agency said Sunday that rebel shelling killed a baby and wounded two people in the Hamdaniyeh neighborhood.

On Saturday at the United Nations, Russia vetoed a French-drafted resolution demanding an end to the bombing of Aleppo, but its own rival measure on a truce was rejected.

The failure of the two resolutions deepened divisions at the Security Council between Moscow and the Western powers backing rebel forces in Syria’s five-year war, which has killed more than 300,000 people.

France’s draft called for an end to all military flights over Aleppo and to air strikes on the rebel-held east that has 250,000 inhabitants.

It was the fifth time that Russia used its veto to block UN action on the war in Syria.

Shortly after Russia’s veto, the Security Council rejected a rival draft presented by Moscow that called for a ceasefire but did not mention a halt in air strikes.

Britain’s ambassador to the United Nations, Matthew Rycroft, described Saturday’s failure in New York as “a bad day for Russia, but an even worse day for the people of Aleppo”.

Following the meeting, his Russian counterpart Vitaly Churkin insisted that diplomatic efforts on Syria were not dead.

French President Francois Hollande said in a TV interview to be broadcast Monday that he would hesitate to receive Russian counterpart

Vladimir Putin when he visits Paris on October 19 because of “war crimes” in Aleppo. Putin is scheduled to open a Russian orthodox center in the French capital.

The assault on Aleppo was launched just days after the collapse of a ceasefire in Syria that was brokered jointly by Russia and the United States.

Russia says its air strikes target extremist militias such as the Islamic State group but critics say it is more occupied with keeping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power than killing jihadists.

An analysis published Sunday by the US-based IHS Conflict Monitor said that in the first quarter of 2016, just 26 percent of Russian strikes in Syria targeted IS. That dipped to 22 percent in the second quarter, and 17 percent in the third quarter, the report said.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned that the mounting tensions between Washington and Moscow over the Syrian conflict had created a situation “more dangerous” than the Cold War. AFP

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 113, PASAY CITY

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION CIVIL CASE NO. R-PSY-16-22984-CV BRANCH 109, PASAY CITY

AMANDO RUIZ FLORES Petitioner, -versus-

FOR: Declaration of Nullity of Marriage

HERMINIGILDA MAYORHODA FONTE, ARRIBA-PARCIA, Petitioner, Respondent, x----------------------------------------------x

CIVIL CASE NO. R-PSY-16-23585 For: Declaration of Nullity of Marriag Under Article 36 of the Family Code

-versus-

ORDER

A Motion for Leave BERNARD to serve summons by publication was filed by the G. PARCIA, petitioner through her counsel, praying among others, that the summons could Respondent. be served thru publication on the ground that the respondent is no longer x----------------------------------------------x residing at his given address.

SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION

WHEREFORE, as prayed for, let the summons in this case be served TO: MR. of BERNARD G. PARCIA thru publication in a newspaper general circulation once a week for two Blk. 15, Lot 23, 19-16th Street, consecutive weeks.

VAB, Pasay City

SO ORDERED.

GREETINGS:

Pasay City, Metro Manila, September 28, 2016.

You are hereby directed to enter your appearance in the abovecase within thirty (30) days from the last issue of publication he (Sgd.) of CARIDAD GRECIA-CUERDO a newspaper general H. circulation in the Philippines once a w two (2) consecutive weeks Judge and answer the Petition filed by pe x-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------x Rhoda Arriba-Parcia wherein the petitioner prays that judgm rendered declaring as null and void the marriage between the pe and respondent solemnized on 04 March 2008 in Pasay City SUMMONS ground of psychological incapacity of the respondent to comply HERMINIGILDA FONTEand furnish a copy thereof to peti essential maritalMAYO obligations Brgy.

Malagab I. Cuartero, counsel, ATTY. JEANIE Capiz S. PULIDO with postal address at G-0 seaview Tower, 2626 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.

GREETINGS: If you fail to answer within the time fixed, as per the Rules of Co You are hereby required, within thirty days after service petitioner shall take(30) judgment against you of andthis demand from th summons upon you, tothe filerelief with applied this Court and petition. serve on the plaintiff your in this Answer to the Complaint, copy of which is attached, together with the annexes Moreover, you are reminded of the provision of the IB and a Civil Case Information Statement. If you fail to answer within the time Memorandum on Policy guidelines dated March 12, 2002, to o fixed, the plaintiff will take judgment by default and may be granted relief alleged the g restraint in filing a Motion to Dismiss andthe instead applied for in the Complaint. thereof as defenses in the answer. If you fail to answer within t fixed, Court Memorandum shall order theonPublic Moreover, pursuant to the the IBP-OCA PolicyProsecutor guidelines, to investigate w between the parties and but intervene for the dated March 12, 2002, or younot arecollusion expectedexist not to file a Motion to Dismiss see it that the evidence presented fabricated or suppre instead, you are required to to allege the grounds of such Motion is asnot defenses HON.toTINGARAAN U. GUILING, Presiding Judge in your answer. Likewise,Witness you are the expected utilize the deposition-recovery day28 ofof September Court measures under Rules 23, 25, this 26 &19 27thand the Rules of2016.

Civil Procedure.

Failure to resort to deposition by written interrogatories under Rule 25 and (Sgd.) CLEOTILDE P. PAU the request for admission of facts under Rule 27 may be prejudicial to your Officer-In-Charge interest.

(MS-Oct. 1 & 8, 2016) WITNESS my hand under the seal of the Court, this 28th day of September, 2016.

(Sgd.) RENATO C. OCZON (Officer-In-Charge/L.R.)

(MS-Oct. 11 & 18, 2016)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURT OF METRO MANILA BRANCH 43 - QUEZON CITY BANFF REALTY & DEV’T. CORP., Plaintiff, -versus-

CIVIL CASE NO. 41672

SPOUSES GRAClELA M. CASTILLO, And ARNEL V. CASTILLO. Defendants. x ---------------------------------------------------x NOTICE OF SALE ON EXECUTION OF REAL PROPERTY WHEREAS, by virtue of the Writ of Execution issued by the HON. ANA MARIE T. MAS, Acting Presiding Judge of the Court dated July 30, 2014, in the above-entitled case for the recovery by way of distraint of the plaintiff Banff Realty & Dev’t. Corp. against the defendants Spouses Graciela M. Castillo and Arnel V. Castillo of the sum of TWO HUNDRED FIFTY SEVEN THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED THIRTY THREE PESOS AND 13/100 (P257,833.13) representing back rentals, attorney’s fee, costs of suit plus expenses and Sheriffs fees and on April 8, 2016 Levy was made by the undersigned thru the Registry of Deeds of Quezon City, on the rights, interests, and participation of said defendants on the real property more particularly described as follows, to wit:

CONDOMINIUM CERTIFICATE OF TITLE NO. N-63329 It is hereby certified that the unit identified and described as: “RESIDENCIA DE REGINA” 15th Floor RESIDENTIAL

Studio Unit

UNIT NO.

1502

APPROXIMATE TOTAL FLOOR AREA

26.36 (sq.m.)

NOW THEREFORE. by virtue of the said Writ of Execution and in accordance with Rule 39, Section 15, of the Revised Rules of Court, the undersigned Sheriff of Quezon City will sell at public auction to the highest bidder for CASH and in Philippine Currency, on November 3, 2016 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning or soon thereafter at the lobby of the Metropolitan trial Court Branch 43 in the 3rd Floor of Hall of Justice Building, City Hall of Quezon City, Metro Manila, the rights, interests, and participation of the defendants Sps. Graciela M. Castillo and Arnel V. Castillo, in the above-described real property in order to satisfy said writ of execution together with the sheriffs fees and expenses of sale.

All sealed bids with its accompanying transmittal letter address to this office must be submitted to the undersigned on or before the above stated date and hour at which time all sealed bids thus submitted shall be opened.

In the event of public auction should not take place on the said date, it shall be held on November 10, 2016 without further notice.

Prospective bidder or buyers are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the title to the property/ies and encumbrances thereof. If any there be.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, September 28, 2016.

FOR THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF OF QUEZON CITY (Sgd.) HERMINIO D. HAPATINGA

DEVASTATION. Rescuers search for survivors at an accident site after four buildings caved in during the early hours in Wenzhou, eastern China’s Zhejiang province, on October 10, 2016. Four people were killed when a group of houses collapsed. AFP

Sheriff III WARNING: IT IS ABSOLUTELY PROHIBITED TO REMOVE, DEFACE OR DESTROY THIS NOTICE OF SALE ON OR BEFORE THE DATE OF SALE, UNDER PENALTY OF THE LAW. Copy furnished: Banff Realty & Dev’t. Corp.

Sps. Graciela M. Castillo and 34 Esteban Abada St., Loyola Heights, Arnel V. Castillo Quezon City Unit 1502 Residencia De Regina 94 Xavierville Ave., Loyola Heights, Quezon City (MS-Oct. 4,11 & 18, 2016)

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

Opposition in Lithuania set to win

World

Bomb plot suspect seized in Germany

L

EIPZIG―German police Monday arrested a Syrian man suspected of plotting a jihadist bomb attack after a two-day manhunt, in a case that has sparked fresh calls for greater checks on asylum seekers.

Authorities tightened security at airports and train stations after Jaber Albakr, 22, slipped through the police net Saturday when they raided his apartment and found several hundred grams of “an explosive substance more dangerous than TNT”.

Police finally got their man with the help of another Syrian, whom Albakr approached at the train station in the eastern city of Leipzig, seeking shelter, according to Spiegel Online.

The Syrian man allowed Albakr to stay at his apartment but when police arrived, they found the suspect tied up.

“We’ve succeeded, really overjoyed,” tweeted police early Monday.

“The terror suspect Albakr was arrested overnight in Leipzig.”

Albakr was believed to have had online contact with the Islamic State group, reported the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily.

According to security sources quoted by the Sueddeutsche, he had built “a virtual bomb-making lab” in the flat in a communist-era housing block and was thought to have planned an attack against either one of Berlin’s two airports or a transport hub in his home state of Saxony.

Police had said that “even a small quantity” of the explosives “could have caused enormous damage”.

Local media reported that the material was TATP, the homemade explosive used by jihadists in the Paris and Brussels attacks.

Acting on a tip-off from the domestic intelligence agency, police commandos had sought to swoop on the Syrian early Saturday at his apartment building in the eastern city of Chemnitz, about 85 kilometres (53 miles) from Leipzig.

But he narrowly evaded police, local media said.

Albakr’s flatmate in Chemnitz was formally taken into custody Sunday, a day after being detained, as a suspected co-conspirator of a “serious act of violence”.

Police commandos on Sunday also raided the Chemnitz home of another suspected contact of Albakr, blasting open the door and taking away a man for questioning. AFP

VILNIUS―Lithuania’s opposition looked set to beat the ruling Social Democrats in round one of a general election, results showed Monday, suggesting a possible change in government for the Baltic eurozone state.

With results in from 90 percent of polling stations, the national elections commission said the centrist Lithuanian Peasants and Green Union party garnered 22.3 percent of the vote, while the Homeland Union conservatives took 20.6 percent.

Social Democrats finished third with 14.7 percent, in a huge blow for Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevicius ahead of the decisive October 23 run-off vote.

“It was a protest vote against the governing leftist coalition,” Ramunas Vilpisauskas, director of the Institute of International Relations and Political Science in Vilnius, told AFP. He said a new labour law which makes it easier to hire and fire employees and corruption allegations had alienated voters already angered by low wages and mass emigration to the Western Europe.

Three other parties are expected to enter parliament, signalling complicated coalition talks.

Vilnius university analyst Mazvydas Jastramskis told AFP Sunday he expected those talks to get into full swing between the two rounds, but no coalition deal was likely to be sealed before the final vote.

Analysts have tipped the farmer-backed LPGU―currently outside parliament and led by popular former national police chief Saulius Skvernelis―as potential kingmaker in coalition talks.

“I think we will be able to talk with both of them [conservatives, social democrats].

This is only half a step into parliamentary elections,” Skvernelis told reporters upon seeing the results.

Saying “it looks like change is coming” Homeland Union leader Gabrielius Landsbergis, 34, noted he is keen to forge a coalition with the LPGU. “The core of the coalition can be either LPGU with Social Democrats, or LPGU with conservatives and liberals. Today, I would bet on the latter,” analyst Jastramskis said.

Wage growth and job creation have been key rallying calls for candidates in the country of 2.9 million people, plagued by an exodus of workers seeking higher wages.

Since Lithuania joined the EU in 2004, nearly half the estimated 370,000 people who have left went to Britain, where concern over eastern European immigration was seen as a key factor in the Brexit vote to leave the bloc.

Butkevicius, 57, had promised further hikes in the minimum wage and public sector salaries, but admitted “it might be that people want a new party, new faces,” as the unfavorable results rolled in early Monday.

President Dalia Grybauskaite said earlier she voted “for changes” in an apparent swipe at him.

Presenting himself as the face of change, Landsbergis has vowed to fight emigration and poverty by creating jobs, reforming education, boosting exports and foreign investment.

Lithuania’s economy staged a remarkable recovery after taking a nosedive during the 2008-9 global financial crisis, and is slated to grow by 2.5 percent this year. AFP

Gorbachev says world at critical point ONSTAGE. Roger Daltrey performs with The Who during the third day of the Desert Trip music festival at Indio, California, on Octo-

ber 9, 2016. The Desert Trip weekend will mark what will likely become the highest-grossing music festival of all time as six acts who form rock’s canon play in the desert of southern California. AFP

Haiti’s hurricane survivors seek aid

AFTER THE STORM. A woman washes clothes in the streets of Port-Salut, southwest of Port-au-Prince, in Haiti on October 9, 2016 following the passage of Hurricane Matthew. AFP

PORT-SALUTE, Hait— ”Help us,” pleaded survivors of Hurricane Matthew in southern Haiti on Sunday as they massed in shelters or in crumpled homes along a shredded coast.

In several towns joined by a debris-strewn road, residents begged for water and food from passersby. Many said they felt abandoned by aid groups in the country who were nowhere in sight.

In Port-Salut, a former tourist town mostly flattened by the storm on Tuesday, some of around 400 people taking refuge in a school said they had been without basic care for nearly a week.

“We’ve received nothing at all. The situation is really grave,” Antony Bergel told AFP. “We’re waiting for a lot of help. We need shelters,

water, food.”

Around the school, houses were sliced open by fallen trees, most of them stripped of roofs. Palm trees left standing were stripped of fronds on one side and often bent over―forlorn, lopsided testimony to the violent winds that had struck.

Those in the school said they had been visited Saturday by a small Doctors Without Borders team that bandaged open wounds, but with no other attention from organizations that include several UN agencies operating in the desperately poor country.

Late Sunday, former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who was ousted in a 2004 coup, turned up with a truck full of aid to give to the people in the shelter, who pushed and shoved as they lined up by the vehicle.

AFP

MOSCOW―Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev warned on Monday that the world had reached a “dangerous point” as the tensions between Russia and the United States have spiked over the conflict in Syria.

The relations between Moscow and Washington―already at their lowest since the Cold War over the Ukraine conflict― have soured further in recent days as the United States pulled the plug on the Syria talks and accused Russia of hacking attacks.

The Kremlin meanwhile has suspended a series of nuclear pacts, including a symbolic cooperation deal to cut stocks of weapons-grade plutonium.

“I think the world has reached a dangerous point,” Gorbachev, 85, told the state news agency RIA Novosti.

“I don’t want to give any concrete prescriptions but I do want to say that this needs to stop. We need to renew dialogue.

Stopping it was the biggest mistake.”

As the last leader of the Soviet Union, Gorbachev oversaw an easing of decades of tensions with the West that helped to end the Cold War. He inked several landmark nuclear disarmament deals with Washington aimed at defusing the standoff between the two superpowers.

“It is necessary to return to the main priorities. These are nuclear disarmament, the fight against terrorism, the prevention of an environmental disaster,” he said.

“Compared to these challenges, all the rest slips into the background.” AFP

Life

An artwork on display at ArtistSpace of Ayala Museum, which Dans painstakingly created using humble materials

ARTS, CULTURE & MEDIA

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

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By Nickie Wang

Photos by Sonny Espiritu

M

OTHERHOOD has been one of the most persistent subject matters in ancient and modern art.

Its cultural significance—a perspective that often revolves around domestic scenes, expressions of intimacy and the nurturing nature of the subject—is dominant enough for it to be considered timeless.

In Ang Mundo ni Inay, acclaimed visual artist Araceli Limcaco Dans explores the enduring theme of motherhood. With each piece that took almost a month to finish, the 86-year-old seasoned painter has proven once more that she deserves to be a National Artist, which even her colleagues and bosom buddies believe she rightfully deserves.

The pieces on display included paintings entitled Pamatid Uhaw, Ani ng Statis, and Pagkatapos ng Ulan and paper clay sculptures like Dumadaan ang Parada, Tulog Na, Anak and Araw ng Linggo, to name a few, all reflect the instinctual aspects of being a mother. It’s also apparent how Dans placed her subjects firmly into the concrete context of how motherhood is viewed in the Philippines.

Every artwork on display bears her signature, not literally her name though, but the embroidered lacy fabric called calado. It’s a truly unique subject and unmistakably Filipino.

“She used to draw portraits but her clients would ask her to make them 10 to 20 years younger or look slimmer in the painting. She didn’t want that. She wanted her artwork to reflect reality,” said Carlo Isodoro, the acclaimed artist’s grandson.

Isorodo

Cheloy to her friends, the 86-year-old seasoned artist plunges her hands into the world of paper clay sculptures, crafting and painting her figurines using discarded newspaper and glue.

Maternal language speaks in

‘Ang Mundo ni Inay’ further explained the history of her grandmother’s famous and delicate calado paintings in acrylic and watercolor.

“She wanted something that promotes the Filipino people and their culture. So, she did her research, and she stumbled upon turn of the century artists painting women in Maria Clara. She was so fascinated with the fabric.

She tried painting the same but in watercolor.

A n d

we all know that watercolor is the hardest medium because you can’t change the painting once it’s done unlike using acrylic where you can still make some enhancements,” he shared.

A graduate of the UP Fine Arts and a seasoned artist with over 70 years of experience in the arts, Dans has held more than 160 exhibits both local and abroad. A multi-awarded artist, she has received a roster of recognitions such as: the Centennial Award for Painting and Art Education from the Cultural Center of the Philippines, Mariang Maya Award for Outstanding From left: Araceli Limcaco Dans, Sylvia Lopez Alejandro and Juliette Romualdez

Acclaimed visual artist Araceli Limcaco Dans

Achievement in Visual Arts and the Art Distinction Award for Painting and Art Education from the City of Manila, among others.

Furthermore, she has been honored by the UP and the Philippine Women’s University alumni associations for her contributions in the field of visual arts and art education. Unknown to some, Dans

established the Arts Education Program of the Ateneo de Manila Grade School, as well as the College of Fine Arts of the Philippine Women’s University. She has also served as the President of the UP College of Fine Arts Alumni Association.

The exhibit was on display at ArtistSpace of the Ayala Museum from Sept. 22 to Oct. 4. Part of the proceeds

would benefit the Sagip-Buhay Medical Foundation, Inc., which conducts fundraising activities to help indigent patients’ medication and diagnostic work that can help determine the proper course of treatment. The exhibit was co-sponsored by the University of the Philippines’ (UP) Sigma Delta Phi Alumnae Association.

Boho in a Solo

GINNY GUANCO’S figures for her painting exhibit at the Galerie Y at SM Megamall are what can be described as a Bohemian’s rhapsody. The art show on Sept.15 featured all-female subjects.

Of the 32 colorful paintings of women, 26 of these are clad in classic boho chic designs in a bow to the artist’s roots as a full-bloomed flower child of the ‘70s.

Even in her growing up years, Ginny’s inclination to art was already very evident. In school, she participated in art contests. It was no surprise that after graduating high school at the College of the Holy Spirit in Mendiola, Fine Arts was the course she chose at the University of Sto. Tomas.

As an artist immersed in her era, she believed in the message of peace, love, joy and happiness against a backdrop of rock music and hippie art.

“I was also really into bohemian fashion then as much as I am now. I did not outgrow my fashion taste, because I feel that it fits my personality and represents who I really am.”

Her 26 muses are clad in similar fashion, in flowing and flowery creations and are labeled, alphabetically, after hippie names that derive inspiration from the elements. Among the collection, exhibit guests would meet Aura, Freedom, Lilac, Seagull, Meadow, and Ocean, all hand-drawn in acrylic, in a style Ginny describes as a fusion of fashion and art illustration. This effect is a direct result of her training as an artist both in the UST and in the Corcoran School of Art in Washington D.C., along with fashion illustration lessons from no less than the doyenne of Slim’s

Fashion and Arts School, the late Salvacion “Slim” Lim Higgins. “I would describe my drawings as a mix of the two drawing disciplines where one features elongated figures for fashion and the other shows a more sinewy effect as in the fine arts,” she describes.

Paintings number 27 to 32 were her homage to the strong women in the comicverse, featuring pop culture heroines from Marvel and DC franchises – Black Widow, Elektra, and the two main incarnations of Wonder Woman.

“I have always been attracted to strong female characters, as I was also very much into women’s rights in the 70s. I have always believed that women should be empowered, that regardless whether you are a career woman,

FLOWER CHILD. PR practitioner Ginny Guanco came out from her 15-year hiatus to exhibit her 32-piece collection inspired by the carefree decade of ‘70s.

Ginny’s boho muses are clad in flowing and floral garb, each of whom is named with words associated with earth, nature and environment.

a CEO, (or) a homemaker, you should know how you are as a person, knowing your worth, a human being to be respected and not looked down. And one who is secure in who she is.”

The solo exhibit took a long time coming, as Ginny took a 15-year hiatus from painting, pursuing a career, first in the media, and later on as a public relations professional. It took the passing of her favorite ginger cat, Simba and a few art materials lying around to get her back to art. A post of her finished

figure on social media garnered a lot of interest from friends to convince her to take up the brush again. A chance meeting with Galerie Y owner Rollie Yusi, who viewed her works with interest, set the exhibit in motion. Ginny’s bohoinspired pieces join the gallery’s carefully curated works by established and emerging Filipino artists as it works toward the enrichment of contemporary Philippine art.

Visit the artist’s website, artbyginny. net or Art by Ginny on Facebook.

Life

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

TH E AT E R

Benildean talent in

Badong Bernal show T

HE shared spotlight shines on young and talented Production Design students of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) who showcase their creations at the retrospective exhibit entitled Badong: Salvador Bernal Designs the Stage.

The show, which opened on Sept.

29 at the SDA Campus Gallery, highlights the apprentice’s works, with themes that span different eras, including Egyptian, Renaissance, Edwardian, Fantasy, Rococo and Elizabethan.

Inspired by Badong Bernal, National Artist for Theater and Design, and under the expert guidance of Eric Pineda—who was once an apprentice of Bernal, and now a professor at Benilde—the choice selection included Amneris by Chelsea Boncodin, Cardinal by Charlene Andrea Samson Catindig, Helena by Jasmine Sadsad, Hippolyta by Nica Santos, Lady Fidget by Kylie Nadine Agero, Mary Start by Candy Leviste, and Oberon

by Sang Hoon Lee. The galley highlights Bernal’s obra maestras, such as scale models, costumes and digital images, in ballet, opera, theater and film, from the ’70s until he passed away in 2011.

These were created when he was then resident designer of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) in collaboration with Ballet Philippines, with dance legends Alice and Denisa Reyes and Tanghalang Pilipino, with theater icon, the late Rolando Tinio.

“The inclusion of our students’ works is conclusive proof of Bernal’s everlasting heritage,” Architect Gerry Torres, Center for Campus Art Director and Co-curator of the exhibit explains.

The show is guest curated by Dr. Nicanor Tiongson and Gino Gonzales, who were both close collaborators of the artist.

The exhibit is open daily except Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will end on Dec. 17. The SDA Gallery is located at 12th floor, SDA Campus, 950 Pablo Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila.

PHOTOS BY PJ ALMERA

Cardinal by Charlene Andrea Catindig

Helena by Jasmine Sadsad

Chelsea Boncodin takes cue from Egyptian style for her Amneris costume

Hippolyta, a fantasy-inspired creation by Nica Santos

Mary Stuart by Candy Leviste

Oberon by Sang Hoon Lee

ART EXHIBITION FOR A CAUSE

The Peninsula collaborates with visionary Chinese multimedia artist Mulagat follows the story of an architecture student awoken by strange sounds outside his condo unit

TAXI Theater

cranks up Halloween MARK your calendars and prepare for a frightening theatrical show as TAXI Theater (Theater. Applied. Experiential. Immersive) and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde welcome Halloween with the production of Mulagat.

The story centers on Nico, a graduating architecture student, who wakes up in the middle of the night and investigates the strange sounds emanating from the hallway outside his condo unit.

He stumbles upon a young girl searching for her brother.

The tale unfolds in a series of eerie encounters that spiral down uncontrollably, escalating into a spinechilling revelation.

A multi-sensorial horror theatrical play written and directed by Eric Villanueva Dela Cruz, it integrates the use of Theater-in-the-Dark style in some portions of the play. It is designed to plunge the audience in complete darkness to stimulate the other senses and provide an alternative to the visual bias of watching a play.

The maiden production of TAXI Theater will be presented in cooperation with the Arts Management Pro-

gram under the Culture and Arts Studies cluster of the college’s School of Design and Arts (SDA).

TAXI Theater is group of young theater practitioners and collaborators from various disciplines identified as Imagination Architects and Experience Engineers, working with the creative process of synthesizing art and science to extend the boundaries of audience engagement and deliver unique theatrical experiences.

The group is founded by Eric Villanueva Dela Cruz, a faculty of the Theater Arts Program in Benilde, who acts as one of its Creative Navigators together with fellow practitioners, Meann Espinosa, Julia Enriquez Cristobal and Norbs Portales.

Mulagat runs until Oct. 29.

Screening continues on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. until the final show at 8 p.m.

SDA Black Box Theater is on the 6th Floor, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts Campus, 950 P. Ocampo Street, Malate, Manila.

For inquiries, contact TAXI Theater at 0908-4854983 or taxi.theater@gmail.com.

THE Peninsula Manila is proud to wear pink this Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Marking its sixth anniversary in 2016, the annual Peninsula in Pink campaign to raise awareness and funds for breast cancer charities continues with The Art of Pink.

This year, The Peninsula Manila is collaborating with China’s most celebrated avant-garde photographer and multimedia artist, Chen Man, and bringing four of her works to a global audience with an exhibition at The Lobby until Oct. 31. The event also coincides with pink-infused dining and room experiences for guests to enjoy.

In keeping with the global commitment to support innovative art, The Peninsula Manila joins its sister hotels in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Bangkok, Tokyo, Paris, New York, Chicago and Beverly Hills in presenting Nao Nao, an exclusively commissioned series of art pieces installed at 10 Pen-

insula destinations around the world.

Both exciting and intimate, the collection draws the sensual photographs that have cemented Chen Man’s style and success, re-conceptualized with a subtle feminine theme in reference to the Peninsula in Pink breast cancer initiative. The artist’s lauded photographs are brought together for the first time on such a grand, international scale, and offer a unique opportunity for guests and visitors at each hotel to personally interact with the art in a novel way.

Each photograph will be covered by two pink dots – symbols of breasts and the colon, a punctuation that precedes a conversation. In a nod to The Peninsula Hotels’ focus on China this year, visitors will use traditional Nao Nao bamboo sticks to gently scrape the dots and slowly unveil the image behind. Through her photographs and the unspoken, yet very physical interaction with it, the artist hopes that the re-

moval of the punctuation will open up a dialogue about breast cancer and bring awareness to the cause.

“With this collection, I wished to celebrate distinctive interpretations of beauty and power, while at the same time evoking dialogue about a subject that is often deemed taboo,” says Chen Man. Her four photographs are on exhibit at The Peninsula Manila’s iconic lobby. The photographs will be auctioned off and additional funds will be raised through the sale of the Nao Nao sticks, which visitors can purchase to scratch the piece and keep as keepsakes. The proceeds will be donated to the Philippine Foundation for Breast Care, Inc. which is rehabilitating the Breast Care Center of East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City.

Information on how to acquire each art piece is available on www.peninsula.com/pink.

PINK POWER. Chinese multimedia artist Chen Man exhibits four of her photographs at The Peninsula Manila for the benefit of breast cancer patients in the Philippines.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

By Nickie Wang

T

HE actress, singer and TV host everybody calls Megastar is hard at work these days preparing for a concert.

It’s the first time she is performing before a large crowd since 2012 when she headlined a show with Martin Nievera at the Big Dome.

Megastar Sharon Cuneta is also officially back to making new music

Also, Sharon Cuneta is officially going back to the recording studio and plans to release an album before the year ends.

“I’m meeting with Star Cinema for a new movie, which I cannot divulge yet. I’m going to work with a young love team. Cathy Garcia-Molina is directing the movie. On the same day, I’ll be meeting with Star Records, my new recording studio, and we’re going to go over the choice of songs for my new album,” Sharon shared with Manila Standard.

The 50-year-old multi-awarded performer couldn’t hide her excitement while telling the details of her new projects with ABS-CBN. Obviously, she must have missed performing to sold-out arenas and singing for her supporters that have religiously followed her illustrious career.

In 2011, the Megastar left her longtime home studio, ABS-CBN, after

23 years and moved to then aggressive and revitalized TV5. But for four years that she was with the network, we hardly heard anything of her projects.

In fact, her last concert was a huge flop.

Admittedly, Sharon was disappointed because only a few people showed up. She then realized that without the support of a big media network, not all of her fans, especially those who follow her recording career, would know she’s having a show.

“When I made my move from my home station ABS-CBN to another station, I did a concert. It was a painful experience for me, very painful. I have to admit, it’s taken me awhile to accept and recover from that. Not too many people knew about it, very few people came [to see the concert] and we’re (Nievera) both wondering what happened, and I realized that I lost the support of my mother station,” the star revealed for the first time.

But now that she’s back at ABSCBN, she feels reinvigorated and believes that she’s ready to hit the concert stage again.

“That rebuilt my confidence to do a concert again because there’s support from my mother station. With ABSCBN, I’m confident to do a concert.

When I did shows in America and in Europe, they just kept on really assuring that the people know my shows,” she recalled.

And this October, the stage at The Theatre at Solaire Resort and Casino is set for a two-night concert in celebration of the Megastar’s stellar career. Billed simply as Sharon, the concert will be at 8 p.m. on Oct. 15 and 22.

“I’m back on the concert stage. You know, I am very excited because I haven’t done any show for a long time.

I also like the venue. It’s not too small and not too big. So, this is what I call an intimate concert and this is what I needed (at) this point in time. It’s a beautiful theater,” the singer said abaout the venue that can seat 2000 people.

In what to be an expected emotional and intimate show, Sharon will have her daughter Frankie and the members of Team Sharon from The Voice Kids Season 3 as her special guests. Her repertoire will include a good mix of “well-known songs and not very wellknown songs and maybe not heard for a long time but sorely missed.”

The show promises to be a showcase of Sharon’s stellar career spanning almost four decades, and the audience can reminisce with her classic hits and listen to new favorites, and find out why she is and will forever be known as the Megastar.

Sharon Cuneta back on the

concert circuit

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, October 11, 2016

ACROSS 1 By — of (owing to) 5 Obi-Wan’s foe 10 Journey parts 14 Curved molding 15 Hazard a guess 16 Light tan 17 Gravitate toward 18 Shows up 19 Whoopee!

20 List of typos 22 Fields 24 Cager — Holman 25 Ancient story 26 Locating 30 Griffith or Zola 35 Pablo’s aunt 36 Donne’s “done” 37 Craze 38 What vines do 41 History warehouses 43 Hawke of “Alive” 44 Metal in pewter 45 Beluga delicacy 46 Almond confection 47 Diet aim 50 Go for a worm 53 Undercover org.

54 With skill 58 Abominable 62 Sherpa’s

sighting 63 Colder 66 Onetime Trevi Fountain coins 67 “Wish me —!”

68 Like days of yore 69 To be, to Brutus 70 “Off the Court” author 71 Greenish-blues 72 Dizzy of baseball DOWN 1 Mete out 2 Disney CEO Bob — 3 Kind of miss 4 Apartment dweller 5 Trade 6 Military addr.

7 Cloudy 8 Us, to Pogo 9 Odometer button 10 Beyond risque 11 Alpine comeback 12 Waxed 13 Drags into court 21 Make lace like granny 23 Attentiongetters 25 Boss, briefly 26 Precipitous

27 Ship of 1492 28 Pledges 29 Society column word 31 “Diamond Lil” 32 Habituate 33 VIPs’ transport 34 Slackens off 39 Thai temple 40 Feckless 41 Wire gauge 42 Tapestry beasts 44 My, my!

48 Halfway 49 Fastened shut 51 Economist

— Janeway 52 The seasons do it 54 Jean Auel heroine 55 — ex machina 56 Draw on glass 57 Peak explorer?

59 Belgian river 60 Livy’s bear 61 Laid eyes on 64 Ms. Lupino 65 Conger

DZMM anchors in a special performance during the radio station’s anniversary celebration

‘Headline Pilipinas’

on DZMM

DZMM, ABS-CBN’s flagship AM radio station, continues to revolutionize its delivery of news with the launch of the noontime national newscast Headline Pilipinas yesterday, 12:30 p.m. on DZMM TeleRadyo on cable and ABSCBNTVplus.

The announcement came as a welcome surprise during the station’s 30th anniversary celebration held at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City early this week that was attended by past and present anchors, reporters, and employees of DZMM 630, established in 1986 at the end of Martial Law. Headline Pilipinas, a stand-alone program on TeleRadyo, DZMM’s news channel on television, is helmed by veteran broadcast journalist Tony Velasquez, who together with ABS-CBN Cebu’s Leo Lastimosa and ABS-CBN Davao’s Melanie Severino deliver the latest and most relevant news gathered from all over the country, giving voice to Filipinos from different regions across the country.

ABS-CBN Integrated News & Current Affairs head Ging Reyes said this is just a part of DZMM’s continuous evolution to keep Filipinos updated on things that matter to them, to help them make informed decisions in their day-to-day lives.

“We are building upon the gains of Teleradyo by transforming it into a nationwide platform. This way, DZMM continues to be relevant to our news audiences. Expect stronger programming, more current affairs content, and a fusion of style and substance that will continue to improve as technology evolves and as we

Charo Santos-Concio and ABS-CBN News head Ging Reyes

become more and more present in the digital space,” she said.

Reyes led a “who’s who” list of guests at the station’s anniversary party, which featured production performances

by Jona, Morissette, Kyla, Imelda Papin, Rico J. Puno, Darren Espanto, Arnel Pineda, Noel Cabangon, Jed Madela and actor Piolo Pascual, who sang DZMM’s latest station ID. DZMM anchors Doris Bigornia, Gerry Baja, Anthony Taberna, DJ Richard, Carl Balita, Marc Logan, Gus Abelgas, and Kabayan Noli De Castro also showcased their singing talents while Radyo Patrol Reporters like Angel Movido, Robert Mano and Raya Capulong danced to the hits of the ‘80s to the present, with anchors Nina Corpuz, Atty. Claire Castro, Maresciel Yao, Toni Aquino, Jasmin Romero, Neil Badion, DJ Chacha, DJ Bea, Gretchen Fullido, and Ahwel Paz. ABS-CBN president and chief executive officer Carlo Katigbak stressed the station’s strong commitment to public service, a core value of the news organization.

“We have two larger goals, the first is to stay relevant to our audience and continue to deliver useful information that matter to them by the people that matter to them. Our second goal is to fulfill our mission to be in the service of the Filipino people. It means we’re not just journalists and nation builders. We are also advocates that champion the causes that are closest to our values as an organization. It means that we need to help find solutions to the problems that we discuss on air,” Katigbak said, after highlighting DZMM’s many public service programs, including the Teaching Learning Caring (TLC) classroom and clinic-on-wheels that served victims of calamities in the past years.

Other ABS-CBN executives also paid tribute to the men and women who contributed in making DZMM the no.1 AM radio station in Mega Manila, and TeleRadyo as the no.1 Filipino news channel on cable.

Showbiz

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2016

‘Alyas Robin Hood’

VIGILANTE. Dingdong Dantes as Pepe De Jesus who uses an alter ego he adopts while he is trying to clear his own name from a crime he did not commit

cast grateful for fans’ extraordinary support ISAH V. RED

’ during the

bin Hood f of ‘Alyas Ro

n staf d productio The cast an mass g thanksgivin

series’

T Jericho

HE whole cast of GMA Primetime show Alyas Robin Hood are feeling over the moon for the unprecedented support of their fans that kicked off the program’s strong debut.

has a new love

AWARD-winning actor Jericho Rosales does not just have a new teleserye airing on prime time TV, but he has a new love as well.

As the endorser of the Kuya J restaurant brand, Jericho is integral to the campaign that launches a new addition to the already sumptuous menu of the fastest growing casual dining chain in the country.

Kuya J’s roast chicken is the newest “bida’’ to the list of popular dishes that include Kuya J Crispy Pata, Bulalo and Grilled Scallops.

The introduction of roast chicken also satisfies the Filipino’s craving for it and offers them a healthier alternative.

Jericho’s new love is timely with the holiday season fast approaching. In keeping with tradition, families gather to share a meal and gifts with loved ones. And like the award- winning actor, they are expected to follow suit and fall in love with this new addition to their Kuya J favorites.

Kuya J’s roast chicken is expected to be a cut above the rest for its sweet and smokey barbecue flavor and the manner it is roasted.

Kuya J uses a unique process that ensures that the end product is superior in taste and quality.

Kuya J now has over 40 branches for you to visit and taste their latest addition. You may visit their Facebook page to know more.

Actor and Kuya J brand ambassador Jericho Rosales

Led by Kapuso Primetime King Dingdong Dantes, the group attended a thanksgiving mass last Thursday after the show’s strong win in the national ratings since its premiere.

Dingdong shared that since the beginning, he saw that the program is indeed a blessing since he was able to show the other side of himself as an actor.

“Magmula naman ng umpisa, blessing talaga na magkaroon lang ng trabaho, makasama ang mga magagaling na artista at makabilang sa isang network na ang primary objective ay magbigay ng entertainment. At sa pagpasok namin sa aming 4th week, gusto talaga namin magbigay ng pasasalamat sa lahat ng grasya na binigay sa’min. This show is a blessing because we’re here every night to inspire, to give entertainment kaya thank you rin sa audience for giving us very good ratings,” the actor said.

On the other hand, its director Dominic Zapata said he is delighted that the sacrifices of the people who supported their program have paid off.

“Gusto lang namin magpasalamat na tinulungan kami ni Lord na sagutin yun mga hiniling namin. Natutuwa ako na nasuklian namin ng maayos ang sacrifices ng mga bosses namin dahil sa mataas na TV ratings ng programa,” he said.

Alyas Robin Hood airs Monday to Friday after Encantadia. ***

Kapuso stars Miguel Tanfelix (left) and Louise delos Reyes (right) celebrate their birthdays in a meaning way

Positively influenced by the action drama “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,’ this young boy now aspires to become a policeman

beautiful photos. She admits that she is still learning and a part of it is being patient with herself. This is one of the tips she shared with her followers when she gave a small talk about her passion in photography. “’Practice makes perfect’ is a bit cliché, but it really works. Just be patient. Keep taking photos, and just do what you love to do,” said Louise.

As for Miguel, he spent his 18th birthday with the children of New Hope SPED Center. Even after two years of taking the role of a mentally challenged Niño, he admits that he still has the heart for those who are in the same condition. He looked back and remembered how he used to immerse himself in their community to understand their behaviors and help him portray the role.

“Masaya po akong nakasama ko sila sa birthday ko. Nakita kong game naman sila sa mga activities and that really makes me happy,” Miguel said.

Both of them, who are blessed with talent and opportunity, do not wish for material wealth, but for a greater common good and the safety of their loved ones. *** GMA Network’s Someone To Watch Over Me continues to tug at the heartstrings of the audience even as the series gets more intense and compelling.

This timely drama takes everyone on an emotional ride as the character of TJ, portrayed by Tom Rodriguez, is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. His condition gets worse day by day affecting not only his memory but also his work and family.

Viewers who have consistently followed the series are immensely sympathetic to Lovi Poe’s character Joanna, TJ’s compassionate wife. She will do everything for her sick husband who unfortunately now remembers his ex-girlfriend Irene (Max Collins) more than her.

Likewise, netizens are impressed by how the cast members effectively portray their characters in their dramatic scenes. They are also hooked because, as they says, the series is very inspiring, enlightening and relatable as it shows how the illness affects the person and his loved ones.

Someone To Watch Over Me airs weeknights after Alyas Robin Hood on GMA Telebabad.

Three-year-old Mikhael Mercado is not your normal kid. In a video that has gone viral on the Internet, the son of two teachers was seen marching and doing push ups as if he were a real policeman, like the character of his idol Coco Martin in the teleserye FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano.

Mikhael’s dream to be a crime-busting cop was greatly influenced by “Cardo,” the lead character in his favorite show. With a keen interest in law and justice, all little Mikhael wants is a police costume to start his law-enforcing career. Unfortunately, his family earns just enough to put his older brothers to college.

Mission Possible and Julius Babao thought of suprising the family, bringing them all to the Ocean Park and even introducing Mikhael to his idol. *** As artists in action, Kapuso stars Louise delos Reyes and Miguel Tanfelix live every day by following wherever their passion takes them.

To celebrate her birthday last month, Louise organized a photography session with her fans. The Kapuso actress is gradually making her name in the photography scene, and many people admire her ability to capture

Lovi Poe and Tom Rodriguez in a compelling and inspiring drama that talks about the struggles of people afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease