Manila Standard - 2016 October 15 - Saturday

Assault weapons seized in C de Oro

By Francisco Tuyay and Lance Baconguis A SHIPMENT of about 6,700 rounds of ammunition for high-caliber arms and assault rifles from Metro Manila to Mindanao was intercepted by police and military agents at a port in Cagayan de Oro Thursday, law enforcement officials Next page said Friday.

Cabinet quarrels irk Du30 PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday told the members of his Cabinet to stop squabbling over politics even as a source said they were beginning to quarrel.

In a speech before calamity victims in Batanes province, Duterte said he will not allow politics to overpower his Cabinet over the issues surrounding the country.

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VOL. XXX • NO. 245 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

EFFECTIVE RESPONSE. Members of the Manila Fire Department conduct a disquieting fire drill at the bayside Luneta Grandstand in the capital in preparation for the National Capital Region Fire Olympics on Nov. 4, suggesting the importance of fire drills in whatever situation. Lino Santos

Killings alarm ICC World court flaunts its power to prosecute; Palace unfazed

By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE International Criminal Court in The Hague on Friday said that it is closely following President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs to see if the spate of deaths in the last three months may be considered extrajudicial killings that may warrant prosecution.

GIANT STEPS. President Rodrigo Duterte joins leaders of the 42nd Philippine Business Conference & Expo of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry Thursday, the country’s largest business organization, at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City after receiving recommendations of the community for economic policies. Malacañang Photo

In response, the Palace said the drug-related deaths, including vigilante killings, were not state-sanctioned.

“My office is aware of worrying reported extrajudicial killings of alleged drug dealers and users in the Philippines, which may have led to over 3,000 deaths in the past three months,” Fatou Bensouda, prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, said.

“I am deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements of high officials of the Republic of the Philip-

pines seem to condone such killings and further seem to encourage state forces and civilians alike to continue targeting these individuals with lethal force,” she added.

Since July, Duterte has overseen a brutal crackdown on illegal drugs that has left more than 3,300 people dead, both at the hands of police as well as in unexplained circumstances, according to official data.

In his speeches, Duterte specifically stressed that he sees nothing wrong with his threats to kill drug lords and pushers, citing the gravity of the country’s drug problem calls for it.

“It is never wrong, I repeat, it is never wrong to threaten criminals.

Whatever is the endgame of a particular incident or an event. What… It does not really matter. It is perfectly all right,” he said.

“As far as I’m concerned, as your President and a lawyer, that I have every right to threaten criminals. How it develops to the endgame is another problem,” Duterte added.

During the campaign season for the 2016 polls, the then-Davao City mayor threatened to dump dead criminals’ bodies into Manila Bay to fatten the fish there.

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P200-m shabu found War on illegal drugs takes Du30 to China

By John Paolo Bencito in abandoned car and Vito Barcelo

CAMP OLIVAS―Police seized P200million worth of suspected shabu from an abandoned car in Apalit, Pampanga, on Friday, prompting an official to say that inmates of the Bureau of Corrections were continuing to produce and sell illegal drugs.

Pampanga Police Chief Rodolfo Recomono Jr. said the shabu was found at 1:24 p.m. inside a parked Nissan car along the highway.

He made his statement even as the Philippine National Police said Friday a total of 1,578 drug suspects had been killed in its campaign against illegal drugs.

PNP data also showed that 28,410 drug personalities were arrested during 29,389 drug operations.

A total of 751,933 drug personalities had surrendered of whom 698,082 were drug users and 53,851 Next page were drug pushers.

WHILE attracting new investments will be the primary focus of his first state visit to China next week, there will be no letup in President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, as he seeks to find out how the Chinese are dealing with the problem, the Foreign Affairs Department said Friday.

“As part of his official program, the President may visit some law enforcement and drug rehabilitation centers,” Foreign Affairs

Leila snipes at ‘sexist’ Rody

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Leila de Lima, under chronic criticism from the administration, pounced on President Rodrigo Duterte Friday and called the 71-year-old chief executive a “self-confessed, unfaithful

DE LIMA

Zika PH strain probed after 3rd case THE number of locally transmitted Zika cases in Metro Manila rose to three after two more cases―one each in Makati and Mandaluyong―were reported, the Department of Health said Friday.

The new cases brought the total

number of Zika cases nationwide to 17, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial said.

She said the patients were both female. The one from Makati was a 42 and the one from Mandaluyong 27. twitter.com/ MlaStandard

Jose said that the Philippines and China are working to resolve issues on the drug problem of the country.

“I am sure there are ongoing efforts between our PDEA and their Chinese counterparts on how to address this very serious problem of ours,” he added.

In the same press briefing, Jose said President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to oversee the signing of a number of memoranda of understanding and agreements, as trade deals will top the agenda of the President’s trip to China.

Jose said there will also be many private contracts signed in areas such as energy, infrastructure and tourism.

In his trip, Duterte is expected to meet also with National People’s Congress Chairman Zhang Dejiang and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to agree on “various fields of cooperation between the two countries,” Jose said.

“A joint statement will likewise be issued which will stress areas of cooperation,” he added.

As part of his visit, Duterte will also meet with the Filipino comNext page munity in China.

‘Karen’ gaining strength

and proud womanizer.”

“If that is not sexism, what is? If socalled journalists cannot follow the logic, how can we expect the general public?” De Lima, a former secretary of Justice and chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, told students of the

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Assistant Secretary Charles Jose said in a Palace press briefing.

“I think the purpose is for the President to see for himself how China is also addressing this drug problem and also the fact that China is also assisting us as far as rehabilitation and law enforcement is concerned,” he added.

Duterte, in his Chinese drug triad matrix, earlier revealed that China is the source of all illegal drugs entering the Philippines.

First on the drug hierarchy were three Chinese drug lords, who supervise the illegal drug trade in the country.

Both exhibited the usual Zika symptoms like rashes and fever, red eyes, but they were not brought to hospital and had since recovered.

The World Health Organization

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

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S

TROPICAL storm “Karen” could intensify into a typhoon this weekend and would likely make landfall in Quezon or Aurora on Sunday morning, the weather bureau said Friday.

“That storm can intensify into a typhoon in 24 to 48 hours,” weather forecaster Dennison Estareja said.

“Communities in Luzon must prepare for such possibility.”

“Karen”―international name Sarika”―was 260 kilometers east

thestandard.com.ph

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HIGH ALERT. Metro Manila is placed under cyclone alert as the entire island of Luzon braces for the approach of Tropical Storm ‘Karen’ (international name: Sarika), the 12th weather disturbance this year, is expected to strengthen into a typhoon and cut across Central Luzon this weekend.

Manny Palmero

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Court frees Australian in drugs rap A PHILIPPINE judge dismissed a narcotics trafficking charge against an Australian man after ruling police made up evidence, court documents show, as concerns mount about new President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs.

A Canadian man who was arrested in the same police operation was jailed by a different judge for life, with authorities hailing his prosecution as a sign that the campaign is achieving swift results.

The crackdown has led to more than 3,300 deaths since Duterte took office on June 30, leading to fears police are carrying out extrajudicial killings and breaking the law in other ways to follow the president’s orders of eliminat-

ing illegal drugs in society.

The Australian, Damian Berg, was charged with drug trafficking after police alleged he was caught alongside Canadian Jeremy Eaton trying to sell ecstasy tablets on a Manila street in June.

Berg insisted police had dragged him out of his hotel room, then brought him to the street where the tablets were placed on him and he was paraded before waiting journalists.

Berg’s lawyer presented to the court CCTV footage from the hotel that backed up his claims, and

the judge hearing the case in the financial district of Makati ruled the police had indeed lied about how they arrested him.

“The CCTV footage belied the claim of the prosecution witnesses and destroyed the integrity of their testimonies,” the judge ruled last month.

AFP obtained a copy of the verdict from the court this week.

Eaton, who has insisted on his innocence, was sentenced to life by another judge at the Makati trial court using the evidence of the same police.

Assault...

Killings...

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Two handlers of the cargo and a member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front were arrested after the shipment—thousands of M60 caliber bullets and four rounds for the M203 grenade launchers—was seized.

This was the second shipment of ammunition and firearms intercepted after authorities arrested four members of a gun running syndicate supplying arms to the Abu Sayyaf Group.

The arms cache, worth about P6 million, included M203 grenade launchers, M14 rifles, M16 assault rifles and several boxes of ammunition. Two of the rifles were traced to the government arsenal.

Supt. Tom Tuzon, regional chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group for Region 10, said the cargo was seized after they received a tip from military intelligence.

Tuzon said the two suspects planned to transport the ammunition and grenade launchers to Cagayan de Oro City, on a Philtranco bus on a roll-on rolloff vessel.

The ammunition was to be delivered to a gun shop in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur. The Abu Sayyaf, the object of a relentless military campaign, has splinted into smaller groups after suffering heavy casualties, and is running out of ammunition, officials said.

They added that the ASG is looking for new weapons and ammunition to sustain the fight against the military, which is scouring suspect Abu Sayyaf lairs in the hinterlands of Sulu and Basilan provinces.

Police arrested Amer S. Macarangal and Jabar M. Mangadag at the Agora Bus Terminal in Cagayan de Oro. They carried other ID cards showing them to be Arimao Amer Sultan and Batawi Aratok Orangaga, with addresses in Butig, Lanao del Sur. Butig is the base of the Maute Group which until recently pledged their allegiance to Isnilon Hapilon, purportedly the de facto leader of the Islamic State in the country.

The mountains of Butig are also the site of two of this year’s bloodiest military operations— one in February where almost 60 followers of Maute were killed, including Indonesian bomb expert Mohammed Muktar.

CIDG-10 chief investigator Senior Police Officer 4 Noel Oclarit said they intercepted the Philtranco bus around 9 a.m.Thursday, and arrested Macarangal and Mangadag after they claimed the shipped boxes.

“When we got the information and validated that the shipped boxes arrived on board the bus, we waited to see who would claim them,” Oclarit said.

Capt. Joe Patrick Martinez, spokesman of the 4th Infantry Division of the Army said the success of the interception was facilitated by the sharing of information and coordination with law enforcement agencies and the military.

“We have intensified our intelligence gathering, considering the situation after the Davao bombing and the declaration of the state of lawlessness, in the hope of cutting off the supply of war materiel to armed groups in Mindanao,” Martinez said.

Zika...

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said there was a possibility "of endemicity of this virus in the Western Pacific regions."

“It is different from the virus that was discovered in South Africa, the African region as well as South America. It is presumed to be endemic in the Western Pacific region,” Ubial said.

She said they were investigating if this strain was likely present in the Philippines even before the outbreaks in Singapore and South America.

“We’re still trying to confirm if this particular virus was al-

When the verdict against Eaton was announced last week, the chief lawyer of the national police’s antiillegal drugs group, Enrico Rigor, said the swift prosecution showed the determination of authorities to resolve cases quickly as part of Duterte’s crime war.

When asked by AFP on Thursday about the two cases, Rigor did not deny the judge’s assertion that police had made up evidence.

But he said Berg had been acquitted on a “technicality” and insisted police had done nothing wrong.

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NEW BRANCH. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office officials, led by its vice chairman and general manager Alexander F. Balutan (right), board director Loreto Ata (second from right), assistant general manager for branch operations Remeliza Gabuyo (second from left), and board member Shirlyn Macasarte representing Cotabato Gov. Emmylou Talino, throw lucky coins at the newly opened PCSO branch at the Capitol Compound in Kidapawan City. This is the 54th in the agency’s nationwide network of branches.

While there, Balutan also turned over five brand new ambulance units to Cotabato province.

War...

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He may also visit some law enforcement and drug rehabilitation centers.

The President is also expected to deliver the keynote address at the Trade and Investment Forum attended by Filipino and Chinese investors.

“With this visit by President Duterte, the Philippines hopes to strengthen the bilateral ties between the Philippines and China through mutual respect

Cabinet...

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“Hindi kami nag-uusap ng pulitika at ako’y nagagalit basta―I do not allow the Cabinet talking about politics. I do not even want to hear that,” Duterte said.

He made his statement even as a farmers’ group criticized Vice President Leni Robredo for opposing the proposed two-year ban on the conversion of agricultural land for other purposes.

The Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas called Robredo, who heads the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, a “fake agrarian reform advocate” favoring real estate companies.

“Robredo is not at all concerned with the state of the homeless.

She is protecting the business interests of real estate firms,” KMP secretary- general Antonio Flores said.

Duterte, who ran under PDPLaban, said any money that would be collected would be allocated to all the calamity victims.

“Kung ano ‘yung pera natin, paghati-hatian tayo palagi.

It will be divided equally na walang―ito dito, kontra partido, wala ‘yan and as a matter of fact, nandiyan man ‘yan si Mark [Villar], pati si Ben [Diokno], pati si Judy [Taguiwalo],” Duterte said.

Duterte made his statement ready circulating in the Philippines, but we have not tested for it before. It was only tested when the outbreak in Africa and South America was reported globally,” Ubial said.

Zika, which resembles a light case of the flu, is transmitted by the aedes or tiger mosquitoes.

The disease is usually not lifethreatening but has been linked to a rise in birth defects in other countries, where hundreds of babies have been born with unusually small heads.

The birth defects caused by the Zika virus are microcephaly and other brain deformities in newborns. Macon Ramos-Araneta

and sincere cooperation for the prosperity and benefit of both countries and their peoples,” Jose added, Jose said Duterte would try to avoid dealing with the country’s territorial dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea during his state visit.

The Philippines will primarily focus on trade and investment area during the meeting, Jose said.

“The fact that we are bringing a lot of our business people to China, that’s a very clear signal of the direction that we are takeven as an administration source who refused to be identified said Duterte’s Cabinet members were quarreling.

“Everyone just wants to be heard,” the source said.

“It seems everyone has their own tack.”

The issue became more apparent after members of the President’s economic team submitted to Malacañang on Wednesday their position paper formally opposing the proposed two-year moratorium on the conversion of agricultural land into subdivisions, a proposal started by Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano, a leftist, whom the economic team branded as “antipoor.”

Robredo on Thursday joined the fray, saying that would hurt the homeless.

But the leftist members of the Cabinet accused Robredo and the members of the economic team of being beholden to capitalists.

NAPC head Liza Maza, head of the National Anti-Poverty Commission on Friday attacked the HUDCC’s “anti-poor” low cost housing projects, whom she said were beholden to private entities.

Malacañang declined to comment on the issue and said it would refer the issue to Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco.

John Paolo Bencito

'Karen'...

From A1

of Virac in Catanduanes on Friday and was packing maximum sustained winds of up to 85 kph near its center and gustiness of up to 105 kph.

“The storm continues to intensify as it moves closer to the Catanduanes-Camarines Sur area,” the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said.

Estareja said there was a 100-percent chance for “Karen” to make landfall on Sunday and to leave on Tuesday morning.

PNA

ing in terms of carrying out our bilateral relations with China now. We can now see by this the importance we are giving to our trade and commercial ties with China,” Jose said.

P200-m...

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Recomono said inmates were continuing to produce and sell illegal drugs inside the national penitentiary.

He said an inmate identified

Leila...

From A1 Catholic Miriam College in the latest of her tour of colleges and universities.

De Lima’s academic tour continued as Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II formed a five-man panel to conduct a preliminary investigation of the drug trafficking cases filed against De Lima and seven others for allegedly conspiring to perpetrate the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison.

Aguirre, San Beda-educated like Duterte and De Lima, designated Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Peter Ong as chairman of the panel and Senior Assistant City Prosecutors Alexander Ramos, Leila Llanes, Evangeline Viudez-Canobas and Assistant State Prosecutor Editha Fernandez as members.

The panel will conduct a preliminary investigation on the two separate complaints for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002 filed by the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and former National Bureau of Investigation deputy directors Reynaldo Esmeralda and Ruel Lasala.

Before her applauding audience, De Lima asked: “How can we make our children understand what is wrong with that scenario? How can we hope that our young students, our daughters will not fall victims to the same situation [and] will know how to recognize the situation and, should they be unfortunate enough to encounter it, be able to adequately defend themselves from it?

“How do we teach our sons to be better than their President or their congressmen?”

Answering her own questions, the 57-year-old Iriga City-born lawyer, said “we can do that by not being cowed into silence.”

De Lima stressed it was not the motive for trying to destroy her that makes the issue of sexism and misogyny relevant, but the manner in which they set out to do so, calling her “an immoral woman” who should be so ashamed and hang herself.

The President has made no qualms about the cruel fate awaiting drug lords and pushers who choose to resist arrest instead of surrendering to authorities, saying policemen can shoot them if necessary.

The United Nations, the European Union, the United States and international human rights groups have all raised concern over alleged extrajudicial killings.

Extrajudicial killings may fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if they are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population pursuant to a State policy to commit such an attack.

“Let me be clear: any person in the Philippines who incites or engages in acts of mass violence including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing, in any other manner, to the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC is potentially liable to prosecution before the Court,” she added.

The Palace, however, said Duterte is willing to subject himself for an investigation before the high court because the administration never condoned any drug-related killings in the country.

“Drug-related killings, including vigilante killings, are not statesanctioned. Many of those who died were killed during legitimate police operations which are currently undergoing investigation as directed by the President,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said.

In the same statement, Andanar echoed statements of Senator

as Raymond Dominguez was asked by a Chinese fellow inmate to sell shabu in Pampanga.

But Dominguez, who is in jail for carjacking, reported the matter to the police through friends saying he didn’t want to engage in another criminal activity.

She acknowledged, without going into details, she had “frailties and weaknesses, certain flaws” and that she made mistakes in her personal life, but said she was not an evil woman or a slut Duterte and his allies were trying to portray her.

She added: “I have not partied or slept with any drug convict.” She was referring to Duterte’s suggestion she was using Jaybee Sebastian, an inmate interred at the New Bilibid Prison who was convicted for kidnap-for-ransom and carjacking in 2009.

Sebastian is known for running a prison gang inside the NBP and was allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade within the prison. On Sept. 28, Sebastian and two other inmates were injured, while a Chinese drug lord named Tony Co died after being involved in a stabbing incident in NBP Building 14.

In its complaint, the VACC named as respondents De Lima, former DOJ undersecretary Francisco Baraan III, former Bureau of Corrections chief Franklin Bucayu, De Lima’s former aides Ronnie Dayan, Joenel Sanchez and Jose Adrian Dera; Bucayu’s alleged bagman Wilfredo Ely and Sebastian.

Esmeralda and Lasala’s complaint named only De Lima and NBI deputy director Rafael Ragos as respondents.

Both complaints, accused De Lima and her co-respondents of violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, which prohibits the sale, trading, administration, dispensation, delivery, distribution and transportation of any dangerous drug or controlled precursor and essential chemical.

The offense carries a penalty of life imprisonment and a fine ranging from P500,000 to P10 million.

The VACC accused the respondents of being involved in the illegal drug trade inside and outside the NBP from 2012 to 2016.

Esmeralda and Lasala’s complaint, on the other hand, is anchored on Ragos’ admission during the House of Representatives inquiry on the proliferation of illegal drugs in the NBP that he personally delivered millions in drug money to the

Berg has since returned to Australia with his pregnant Filipina partner.

“I thought we were going down to get shot,” Berg told Australia’s ABC television network this week, recounting how he felt when he was detained.

“I’m thinking this is a complete set up.”

The International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor said Thursday she was “deeply concerned” about the killings in the Philippines, warning those responsible could face prosecution.

AFP Richard Gordon, who practically absolved the President over drugrelated killings in the Senate hearings on extrajudicial killings.

“Even the chairman of the Senate committee on justice and human rights who conducted a legislative probe on extrajudicial killings has been quoted as saying that “there is no proof that the killings were state-sponsored,” the Palace mouthpiece said.

“In any case, the President has articulated that he is willing to submit himself for an investigation before any body,” he added.

Describing his critics as “fools,” Duterte reiterated his position he was not breaking any domestic laws by threatening to kill criminals and pledged the crime war would continue until there were no more illegal drugs in society.

“I will not stop. Be sure of it, you can cast it in whatever stone. I will not stop until the last pusher, until the last drug lord is taken away.”

Duterte, 71, won May elections in a landslide on a pledge to eradicate drugs.

Last month, Duterte said he would be “happy to slaughter” three million drug addicts, and likened his campaign to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s efforts to exterminate Jews in Europe.

He later apologied for his Hitler reference, but said he was “emphatic” about wanting to kill all drug addicts.

Since Duterte took office, police have killed 1,578 people and 2,151 have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures released Friday.

The total of 3,729 is 368 more than the previous police update released last week. With AFP

Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino said Dominguez surrendered the shabu to police authorities.

He said Dominguez promised more revelations but asked to be transferred to another cell for protection.

Romeo Dizon, with PNA residence of De Lima in Parañaque City on several instances in 2012 and handed the money to Dayan, her aide and alleged lover.

In Miriam, De Lima again denied any involvement in the illegal drug trade when she was Justice secretary.

She said: “I have not received anything from a drug convict or a drug lord, or anyone else. I have not received P2 million in one meeting with one of those convicts at the office of a former director. I have not received P3 million a week, a month—I think that’s what they said—since 2012.

“I did not receive P10 million from anyone, let alone from a drug convict. I did not receive P5 million in two or three occasions in my house from a former official of Bureau of Corrections.”

She also rejected accusations she benefited from the illegal drug trade as convicted felons said she did at hearings in the House of Representatives.

“I am not one who won as a member of the Senate and has turned this country into a narco-state, because, in the first place, our country is far from being a narco-state,” she said.

De Lima said Esmeralda and Lasala have an axe to grind against her because she fired them from the NBI because of their links to the alleged brains of the pork barrel scam, Janet Lim Napoles.

“Never did I betray my country. I want that made clear because that’s what I fear that some of you may have started to believe the relentless, vicious attacks being launched and led by the most powerful man in this country,” she said.

The House committee on justice, which investigated the proliferation of illegal drugs in the NBP, is expected to convene Monday to approve its recommendations.

Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, the panel chairman, said his committee will meet on Monday to immediately draft legislation aimed at reforming the penal system.

“Our committee report is still being finalized and we have a scheduled hearing on Monday to approve the report,” Umali said.

With Maricel V. Cruz

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Only 59 teachers got aid —Angara

By Macon Araneta ONLY 59 of the 3,2286 higher education workers affected by the K to 12 curriculum received government subsidy, Senator Sonny Angara disclosed Friday.

Because of this, Angara urged the government to make the financial and employment assistance more accessible to give due relief to those affected by the implementation of the K to 12 program.

“The K-12’s very design is to improve the state of education in the Philippines. I am certain with more scrutiny and efficiency, there is a way we can weather the transition without sacrificing one of the most crucial elements of education: the teachers,” said Angara, an advocate of educational reform and author of a bill seeking higher salaries for teachers.

The Commission on Higher Education revealed during its budget deliberation in the Senate that only 59 of the displaced teachers and nonteaching personnel have so far availed themselves of the financial and employment assistance by the Department of Labor and Employment.

Under DoLE’s Adjustment Measures Program, displaced workers may receive financial aid ranging from P7,000 to 25,000 while they are looking for alternative employment.

The amounts will be based on the prevailing median salary of the higher education institution personnel per nature of appointment per region, or his or her previous monthly salary, whichever is lower.

The duration of the financial support, to be released every end of the month, will be for three months for nonpermanent and six months for permanent higher education personnel.

However, CHED K-12 transition program director Karol Mark Yee said the teachers found it too difficult to access the financial assistance, given the many requirements set by DoLE including a minimum of 10 job applications for the past month as proof they are actively seeking jobs.

Yee also cited low awareness of the DoLE’s program for displaced higher education workers.

CAMP OF MINORITIES. Delegates of various ethnic groups all over the country hold a sunrise ritual at the iconic Oblation statue at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City as part of a campaign to reiterate the rights of minority peoples. Manny Palmero

Philconsa lauds start of Cha-Cha

By Maricel V Cruz

P

HILIPPINE Constitution Association President Martin Romualdez on Friday lauded the House committee on constitutional amendments for its efforts to begin the debate on Charter Change by scheduling a series of hearings to deliberate on proposals to effect federalism as espoused

by President Rodrigo Duterte.

Romualdez, the former House Independent Bloc leader and ex-Leyte threeterm congressman, said Congress should not waste time to support the Chief Executive’s desire to push the shift from the presidentialunitary form of government to a parliamentary-federal system for fair distribution of the benefits of economic growth.

“The Constitution is again in the limelight because of the aspiration of the new administration to have a

federal form of government that is responsive to the needs of the people and meet the exigencies of the nation,” said Romualdez after the panel chaired by Southern Leyte Rep. Roger Mercado began the hearing Wednesday.

Romualdez, president of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Dermocrats, said the grand debate on Charter Change must be sustained to enlighten the public.

“Charter Change will free the nation from sufferings,

especially on selective justice, worsening traffic gridlock, corruption, poverty, drug menace and among other concerns,” Romualdez said.

Philconsa, the oldest association of legal luminaries in the country, in existence for 55 years, itself has been supportive of the initiative.

House senior Deputy Minority Leader and Buhay Hayaang Yumabong (Buhay) party-list Rep. Lito Atienza cautioned his colleagues against rushing the approval of convening Congress into a Constitutional Assembly to amend the 1987 Constitution.

“Let us not rush the issue on Charter Change. We just conducted the first meeting. Let us debate about it, let’s talk about it. There is no need to rush it,” Atienza said “We in Buhay party-list are in favor of a Constitutional Convention composed of experts directly elected by the people and who are in the best position to study proposed amendments to the Constitution,” said Atienza, whose House Bill 3026, he co-

authored along with Buhay Rep. Michael Velarde Jr., which called for a Con-Con was tackled.

During the initial hearing on Charter Change conducted by the House committee on constitutional amendments Wednesday, several House Deputy Speakers Raneo Abu of Batangas and Gwen Garcia of Cebu withdrew their respective bills calling for a Con-Con to support Con-Ass. “My conviction and advocacy on full decentralization and devolution of resources and functions from the national government down to the local government is the reason why I want to shift from unitary to a federal system of government,” Abu said.

Abu said he had to support a Con-Ass as a mode to rewrite the Constitution to enable crafters of the Charter to come up with a “stronger Constitution” for future generations.

The committee has scheduled its next hearings on Nov. 15 to 16, and on Nov. 22 to 23 as Congress goes on a Halloween break from Oct 20 to Nov. 6.

Palace consoles Thai nation MALACAÑANG has extended its condolences to the Thai people on the death Thursday of their King Bhumibol Adulyadej. He was 88.

“On behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Filipino people, we join the rest of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations [Asean] in mourning the passing [on] of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

“We extend our deepest condolences to his family and all those he left behind,” he added.

Adulyadej, the world’s longest-reigning monarch who died after 70 years as head of state, was widely revered but had been in poor health in recent years,

making few public appearances.

He was seen as a stabilizing figure in a country hit by cycles of political turmoil and multiple coups.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, will be the new monarch, the Thai government said.

“At the same time, we wish his son and heir apparent...all the best as he assumes the duties and responsibilities as Thailand’s new king,” the Palace said.

“We are certain that as the country’s titular leader and guiding light, he will be able to enhance Thailand’s stature in the region and help the country achieve lasting peace and continued economic and social progress in the years ahead,” he added.

John Paolo Bencito and Vito Barcelo

Lacson backs DND 3,000 lumad program for shrines camp out at

PARTNERSHIP FOR HEALTH. Leyte Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez wheels 75-year-old stroke victim Flora De La Cruz, one of the patients of the Missionaries of Charity’s House of Hope in Tacloban City whom the congresswoman assisted in partnership with the Department of Health. Ver Noveno

SENATOR Panfilo Lacson supports the P390-million Department of National Defense ‘Love of Country Builders’ program, which seeks to develop shrines and other facilities where children are brought, to inspire love of country.

“Instead of being viewed as ‘pathetic dependents,’ Filipino war veterans may soon have a better chance of inspiring young Filipinos to love their country,” said Lacson.

Lacson said this is the idea behind the program that also intends to bring more funds for the commemoration of historical events and

writing and publication of veterans’ heroic deeds.

“From one veteran to another although we don’t look like [veterans yet], approved, Sir, as far as the committee is concerned,” Lacson told DND Undersecretary and Philippine Veterans Affairs Office administrator Ernesto Carolina during the Senate budget hearing for the DND. Lacson is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s Class 1971.

The DND is seeking P390 million for 2017 for the “Love of Country Builders” program. Macon Ramos-Araneta

UP for rights

ABOUT 3,000 members of minority groups, called lumad, marched to the University of the Philippines-Diliman in Quezon City on Friday to call for the protection of rights of indigenous people.

The “Lakbayan ng Pambansang Minorya” is the first of its kind to gather all minority groups in the country to collectively protest against the increased militarization and plunder of ancestral lands.

More than 150 indigenous communities were present at the protest caravan held during National Indigenous Peoples Month. These included the Moro, Dumagat, Lumad, Ifugao, Kalinga, Kakana-ey, and those from Apayao province, Cagayan Valley, Southern Tagalog, Caraga region, among others. Sandy Araneta

IN BRIEF Graft court orders arrest of governor THE Sandiganbayan has ordered the arrest of former Misamis Oriental governor Antonio Calingin for failure to defend the malversation case filed against him September.

The anti-graft court’s second division, in its arrest warrant order, said Calingin must be arrested at the soonest possible time to start serving his sentence following a Supreme Court decision denying his motion for reconsideration for his conviction for malversation.

The Sandiganbayan meted Calingin a minimum of 10 years and one day of imprisonment to a maximum of 18 years, eight months and one day for malversation in December 2014.

He was found guilty of “cannibalization” of two Toyota 4x4 Hi-Lux which were assigned to him as service vehicles during his incumbency as governor from 1998 to 2004.

Calingin was also ordered to pay a fine of P2,082,385.00 or the amount equivalent to the property embezzled even as he was slapped with perpetual disqualification from holding public office.

The anti-graft court also asked Calingin to indemnify the province of Misamis Oriental in the total amount of P2,082,385.00. Maricel V. Cruz

WHO steps up campaign vs sweets THE World Health Organization said Friday it has begun encouraging all health ministries, agencies and facilities throughout the Western Pacific Region to remove sugary drinks from their cafeterias to “walk the talk” and be role models for their governments and society.

As such, the WHO also developed healthy snack and meal guidelines for its meetings and events, removing sugary drinks and snacks and instead offering healthier options.

As a result, the organization’s regional office has more water dispensers and provides unsweetened drink options, such as fresh coconut water and brewed teas.

The switch to healthier snacks was made in the recently conducted 67th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific that was attended by health ministers and delegates from member countries.

Sodas, energy drinks, fruit juices, flavored milk and powdered and instant drink products have been taken off the shelves and were not made available to emphasize the link of the sale of sugary drinks to obesity, tooth decay and related health care costs in the region.

In addition, participants were encouraged to dance during a “mobility break” as part of promoting a healthy lifestyle. PNA

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Opinion

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Sound advice

A

PROUD, macho culture dictates that the man of the house is expected to make all the decisions.

Nobody should dare question him or point out his excesses and weaknesses.

Anybody bold enough to challenge the leader will risk earning his ire— and who knows what may emerge from this resentment? Cutting words, insults, or a dismissal as a valued member of the group are possibilities.

The man will then proceed with his actions, rightly or wrongly, and perhaps talk more defensively, his ego having been slighted.

These days it appears that Presi-

dent Rodrigo Duterte is becoming that person, slamming or at best ignoring those who dish out advice no matter how well-meaning these may be.

Indeed it appears that his first 100 days in office have gone for much longer than they actually have. This is because instead of focusing on the real ills of the country—economic inequality, security, and yes, illegal drugs—the President and his alter egos have also had to deal with putting out fires that originated from Mr. Duterte’s liberal tongue.

Instead of building and fortifying relationships with existing allies, the President’s tough talk antagonizes them, creating problems that

were not even there to begin with.

This is not a children’s playground where being friends with one does not mean becoming enemies with another.

Those who expressed support for Mr. Duterte’s resolute brand of leadership at the outset, like former President Fidel Ramos, are now disappointed at how Mr. Duterte has conducted himself in his first months in office. The counterproductive verbal assaults now have the potential to derail the country from its path to sustainable development.

Those who dare call out the President for his outbursts find themselves mobbed by supporters who readily attack the persons of the

critics and who believe their idol can do no wrong.

But nobody can do no wrong, not even the President, despite his election victory by a convincing plurality. Everybody benefits from at least listening to the opinion of others however different they may be.

These days as we plod through the remainder of Mr. Duterte’s sixyear term, we can only hope that the members of his inner circle could snap out of being “yes men.”

The most valid criticism, after all, comes not from enemies who wish you ill but from friends who genuinely want you to do well.

There is just too much at stake for the President to let his pride get in the way.

New MMDA ‘no-window hour’ policy on Edsa, C5 is illegal (Part 2)

Better maternity benefits for workers

FILIPINOS get bombarded by bad news. Between the continued daily killings of suspected drug users and pushers, the charades in both houses of Congress “in-aid-of-legislation,” the deteriorating value of Philippine peso, and President Rodrigo Duterte’s unabated bashing of the United States, United Nations, and the European Union, it is easy to get frustrated and think that nothing good is happening in the country.

These problems and many more are serious concerns.

People need to be vigilant and involved so our fears for the country and our people do not become realities. Apart from this, it might help keep our sanity if we look for, and take inspiration from positive news we can find.

Last October 11, I went back as resource person to the House of Representatives’ Committee on Women and Gender Equality. The Committee is very ably headed by Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, and on that day was considering at least 15 bills aimed at extending present maternity leave benefits for women workers.

It is heartening to know that a good number of legislators, including some men such as Reps. Teddy Baguilat, Antonio Tinio, and Mark Villar are now keenly interested in this issue that many consider as an exclusively women’s concern.

Better maternity benefits is an issue that my organization, the Democratic Socialist Women of the Philippines (DSWP), together with other women workers’ groups, have worked on since the 90s. Bills on this were refiled in but failed to be passed by past Congresses. The existing 60 (for normal deliveries) to 78 (for Caesarian section) days of maternity leave granted to

women workers is extremely inadequate. It is also among the shortest worldwide according to data from the International Labor Organization (ILO). Thus, the legislators’ interest is a welcome development.

Rep. Aglipay-Villar was quite impressive and efficient in handling the meeting. It

This bill is good news to women workers. was only the second meeting on the concerned bills yet, there was already a draft consolidated bill that she presented and further improved by the committee and resource persons present. By the end of the meeting, the Committee has passed the Consolidated Bill entitled “100-Day Mater-

nity Leave Law” despite protestations particularly from one Social Security System commissioner. The Committee Report will soon be defended on the Floor for Second Reading.

It is noteworthy that the version passed by the CWGE is markedly more progressive than any one of the filed bills.

The following are some of the salient points of the consolidated maternity leave bill: 1. The recognition that maternity protection is a social responsibility. The bill’s Declaration of Policy acknowledges this. As far as I know, this bill is the first that has explicitly stated this principle and gone beyond looking at pregnancy and childbirth as a woman’s natural obligation.

The recognition that women’s maternity function is a concern of the whole society is an important paradigm shift.

Women give life to our future workers, defenders of the country, and leaders. Without this vital function, society will cease to exist. Thus, we need to see this function as every-

body’s responsibility.

This change in perspective is key in addressing apprehensions that providing better maternity protection and benefits will result in more discrimination against women in hiring and promotion. If employers see that they are as responsible for their workers’ maternal well-being, then they will not discriminate against women employees.

2. The bill protects all working women (government and private), including those in the informal economy, and voluntary members of the SSS. This is a significant point because of the reality that the bigger number of women workers are in the informal economy. These women belong to the poorest segments of society and the ones needing assistance the most.

While protection afforded them by this bill is via PhilHealth, and not the same as benefits for the formally employed, this is still an improvement. No law as of yet has legitimized

TRAFFIC along the northbound half of Edsa in front of the Asian Development Bank and Poveda school in Mandaluyong City is horrid because of a windowless, three-storey building constructed underneath the MRT tracks.

Yes, there is such a structure there. Late-model vehicles and numerous motorcycles can be seen in the parking area beside it. The purpose of that building is a mystery because it has no signages.

Because this structure eats up the innermost lane of the northbound half of Edsa at that particular segment, a bottleneck is created at that segment, with vehicles accumulating up to as far south as Boni Avenue.

Further reducing the available road space in this segment during the morning rush hours is the long line of vehicles at the outermost lane of Edsa starting at SM Megamall. These vehicles turn right at the road separating the ADB compound from the Poveda school and head for the Ortigas business center. Road cones separate this line from the other lanes of Edsa.

As a result, northbound motorists at that segment are left with only three lanes of Edsa, or four if they crowd each other.

Aggravating the problem at that area is the accumulation of vehicles at the approach to the left-turning ramp leading towards Ortigas Avenue. This happens each time vehicles convert the road in front of La Salle Green Hills along Ortigas Avenue to a private parking lot.

To ease the flow of traffic in that segment of Edsa, that mystery building has to go. Since private property can be expropriated by the government for road clearing operations, the MMDA should take steps to remove that building. Likewise, the MMDA should disperse all vehicles parked beside La Salle.

Northbound traffic slows down anew in front of Camp Aguinaldo because vehicles intending to turn left to Santolan Road are allowed to go under the Edsa-Santolan flyover from the innermost lane of Edsa, instead of from its outermost lane. Because there is a trafTurn to A5

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Opinion

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Can Duterte avoid international criminal prosecution?

A square peg in a round hole THE unexpected criticism by ing relations with China, is former President Fidel Ramos something he should resolve on the first 100 days of Pres- to allay the reservation of his ident Rodrigo “Digong” Du- counterpart in the negotiating terte’s performance in office, table.

For instance, he should accalling it a “huge disappointment and a letdown,” reduced cept the fact that the presence him to “a square peg in a of the US military bases in round hole.” He proved to all the country is not really for that he can never be a good our own protection and seteam player in the adminis- curity. In fact, the Enhanced tration. This I say for even Defense Cooperation Agreeif President Duterte has his ment is now being used as shortcomings, like his habit springboard to justify the conof using cuss words, Ramos tinued US naval patrol in the should not have taken them South China Sea. Our agreement to allow the literally to brand it as the lanUS to have five military basguage of uncivilized people.

Besides, Ramos missed the es here all facing the South point that it was meant to China Sea is incongruent to emphasize that the Filipino our desire to improve relapeople cannot easily forget tions with China. The US the savagery of the American is now using the treaty to colonization of the Philippines justify their continued presat the turn of the century and ence in the region, for which the incident in Davao City in the Philippines appears to be 2002 as then mayor Duterte an accomplice to the discredinvestigating Michael Meiring, ited “Pivot to Asia” policy of an alleged CIA agent, was President Obama.

Having a negotiator with a prevented by the FBI after he injured himself with the bomb Cold War mentality, octogehe was about to distribute to narian Ramos finds it difficult to have an open mind and the local terrorists.

Ramos called President Du- maintain a balanced view of terte as the man of the 20th the changing geopolitical recentury pondering on the alities. His mind is deeply past, but ignoring the saying embedded in the problem of that the country would never Philippines-US relation that is be able to move forward if drifting away from its axis.

Ramos is takit does not ing his posiknow its past. tion to define When Presiour policy dent Duterte with China recalled that Ramos should using the outdark chapter dated template in our history, know by heart of the Cold how we were what constitutes War. Instead ruthlessly subof emphasizjugated by our core ing the new the so-called foreign polimentors of interest as an cy thrust of freedom and independent and President Dud e m o c r a c y, terte, Ramos he belied the sovereign state. is attempting belief that not to carve his all is rosy inown policy as sofar as Philif to overrule ippines-US rethe chief executive. lation is concerned.

Because he is running President Ramos should not dwell on nostalgia by asking against the current, China now “Are we throwing away dec- hesitates to lay everything on ades of military partnership, the table, fearful that Ramos tactical proficiency, compatible might raise an issue different weaponry, predictable logistics, from the policy direction of and soldier-to-soldier camarade- the President that banks on the rie just like that?” Rather, he idea of obtaining a win-win failed to appreciate the leverage solution. This I say because the given him by President Duterte Chinese could sense they are that could accord him wider dealing with a possible proxy flexibility in negotiating with whose assignment is to adChina. Besides, the President vance the interest of the US did not categorically state he in the region but officially setwould completely cut off our ting as the country’s accredited military ties with the US. As negotiator. Surely, officials in special envoy tasked to pursue the US State Department now bilateral talks with China, he feel that even if the Philipshould have been more circum- pines has decided to trash the spect to interpret the statements arbitration court’s decision, of the President to his own ad- they know they have their man who could pivot their interest vantage as negotiator.

Ramos should have taken in the South China Sea. As the country’s negotiator the redefinition in our relations with the US in the con- specifically tasked to settle our text that by distancing our- dispute with China, he should selves from the US orbit, it focus on his assignment, and would usher in productive re- not in lamenting the counsults in our negotiations with try’s parting relations with the China. The tectonic “para- US. That task belongs to Fordigm shift in Philippines-US eign Affairs Secretary Perfecto relations” was an indirect sig- Yasay Jr. What he should do is nal for him to take advan- to synchronize what the Presitage of the position taken by dent said to accomplish the job President Duterte to achieve he accepted, instead of putting the goals of a win-win for- the President in bad light. A mula. Besides, Ramos knew veteran diplomat is expected that when the Philippines to soften the impact of the decided to directly negotiate statement or exert efforts to with China, we effectively assuage things that could result shelved off the decision ren- in a diplomatic faux pas.

Perhaps, diplomatic courdered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration to the dismay tesy is restraining China not of the US. Most important, to openly demand the removal that decision underscores the of the US military bases or to reason why he was appointed urge us not to participate in the provocative patrol in the South special envoy.

As former president and China under the guise of aschief architect in the coun- suring the freedom of navigatry’s foreign policy, Ramos tion as their condition for the should know by heart what negotiations. Hence, if Ramos constitutes our core interest could not take it any longer, he as an independent and sov- should resign and give Presiereign state. As negotiator, dent Duterte a free hand to aphe should be receptive to the point one who will comply to changing winds that may af- the new foreign policy thrust fect his position. How he will enunciated by him. interpret our alliance with the rpkapunan@gmail.com US against our rapidly warm-

I WRITE this with a sense of urgency. As I have written in an earlier column, I am against President Duterte being charged at the International Criminal Court for the human rights excesses being committed in the war against drugs. Such a case, in my view, is legally premature and moreover will result in a severe backlash on human rights advocates in the country, endangering many of us. Unfortunately, the filing of charges against the President will contaminate the many good initiaves that the government is doing. I am thinking particularly of the peace processes with the Moros and the communists where the end games seem so promising.

There are also serious diplomatic, foreign policy, political and economic consequences if such a case is filed.

First, we will be perceived as a failed state. Second, the President and other officials will not be able to travel freely in the world if international warrants are issued against them. He would not be able to go to Apec, for example, nor will his officials be able to benefit from interaction with their peers. Third, our hosting of the Asean summit next year, which includes meetings with other heads of states and senior officials of other countries and groupings, will be seriously compromised. Fourth, all of these will result in major economic damage because no one would want to invest in a failed state. It’s ironic because the President launched the war against drugs so we would not become a failed state. Instead, we end up being branded as one on the

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fic light at the Edsa-Santolan intersection, vehicles headed there from Ortigas Avenue eventually accumulate at the two innermost lanes of Edsa, and create another bottleneck there.

Santolan Road-bound vehicles from Edsa should enter the Edsa-Santolan intersection from the outermost lane of Edsa. That way, the bottleneck is avoided.

Half of the northbound lanes under the Edsa-Quezon Avenue flyover across SM Centris has been converted into a waiting station by taxicab drivers. This forces Quezon Avenue-bound vehicles from Edsa to crawl their way in the remaining lane.

Another bottleneck ensues, thus blocking the approach to the flyover.

MMDA general manager Thomas Orbos obviously does not know that there are no MMDA traffic enforcers in this area probably because Orbos does not leave his comfortable office in Makati.

The C-5 McKinley Hill intersection in Taguig should be closed because it also creates a bottleneck that delays vehicles on both sides of C-5. Only

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benefits for women workers in the informal economy.

The coverage of voluntary members of SSS is important. They actually pay double the fees paid by regular employees because they also shoulder the employer’s shares. There is no reason why they should not be provided benefits enjoyed by other women workers.

3. All pregnancies and miscarriages are covered regardless of frequency. This is another important feature of the bill because presently, only four (4) pregnancies and/or miscarriages are afforded maternity benefits.

first year of his presidency.

I am very alarmed because the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor issued and published in its website this self-explanatory statement on Thursday: “My Office is aware of worrying reported extrajudicial killings of alleged drug dealers and users in the Philippines, which may have led to over 3,000 deaths in the past three months.

I am deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements of high officials of the Republic of the Philippines seem to condone such killings and further seem to encourage State forces and civilians alike to continue targeting these individuals with lethal force.

Extrajudicial killings may fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) if they are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population pursuant to a State policy to commit such an attack.

The Republic of the Philippines is a State Party to the ICC and as such, the Court has jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory or by nationals of the Philippines since 1 November 2011, the date when the Statute entered into force in the Philippines.

Let me be clear: any person in the Philippines who incites or engages in acts of mass violence including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing, in any other manner, to the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC is potentially liable to prosecution before the Court.

My Office, in accordance with its mandate under the Rome Statute, will be closely following developments in the Philippines in the weeks to come and record any instance

of incitement or resort to violence with a view to assessing whether a preliminary examination into the situation of the Philippines needs to be opened.

It should be noted that the ICC is a court of last resort and can only intervene if a country is found to be unwilling or unable to prosecute crimes—including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide—under its statute.

Unfortunately, the way the Senate has handled the issue of extrajudicial killings, with its hasty conclusion that the administration is not responsible for the killings, has just confirmed that we cannot be trusted in our own internal proceedings.

The only hope for President Duterte now to avoid criminal prosecution is the Commission on Human Rights; if it is shown that it is allowed to do its work to investigate and exact accountability for the killings, then we might be able to avoid this prosecution. Duterte needs the CHR to do its job very well. If the world is satisfied that the CHR is doing that job unimpeded and excellently then maybe it will give us a chance to make our own corrections. In this sense, CHR chairman Chito Gascon, with his colleagues, is now the best friend, the only remaining hope of President Duterte not to be criminally prosecuted.

It should also be also be pointed out that, while the ICC is always the last resort, the Court can also take preventive measures. If it is convinced that in fact three million people are about to be slaughtered in the Philippines, no doubt it will act.

No doubt.

Will no one in this government be brave enough to tell the President that this is coming? There are many good lawyers, seasoned diplomats and wise senior officials in the Duterte government.

My hope is that they give the right counsel to the President and that he will listen to them. The sad thing here is that it does not require rocket science to know how to avoid this.

The truth is that this is not about the facts on the ground mainly: it’s about his language and that of his officials. All of them are constantly implicating themselves; what President Duterte and his officials actually thinks or intends is immaterial. It’s their objective words and its link to the situation on the ground that matters. I have scanned the international legal expert opinion on this and while there is academic debate about the appropriateness and timing of a case against Duterte, the condemnation for the Duterte’s words and the killings is universal. I doubt whether the Philippines can find good international law experts who will side with the President and his officials when the case is filed.

The fact that the ICC prosecutor herself has stated that she is considering launching an investigation tells us that the words and actions of President Duterte have now crossed over to the more formal stage. Things could go quickly from now on. Thankfully, we have very able lawyer-diplomats in The Hague who could monitor this and help the country respond quickly to developments.

I have to say that I feel the die is cast. It’s like a Greek tragedy where the protagonists are foretold what will happen next and still they persist on the behavior which will cause the death and the mayhem. I am pessimistic that an international criminal prosecution can still be avoided. The stakes are very high on this and God help us all when that happens.

the oligarchs in McKinley Hill benefit from that unwanted intersection.

Vehicles from McKinley Hill headed north should be re-routed to the overpass used by other vehicles headed for the northbound lane of C-5 from Bonifacio Global City.

As in Edsa, slow-moving vehicles also contribute to the traffic mess in C-5. The same can be said of motorcycles, whose reckless drivers invite potential vehicular collisions.

Before Orbos assumed office, a number-coding system regulated the volume of vehicles on Metropolitan Manila roads. Under this scheme, vehicles cannot use metropolitan roads during the rush hours, namely, from 7 to 10 a.m., and from 3 to 7 p.m., one day each week, depending on the last digit of the vehicle concerned.

The 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. period was called the “window” during which the prohibition did not apply.

For reasons unexplained, the family dynasty ruling Binayland south of the Pasig River refused to apply the “window period” in their kingdom. That shouldn’t be a problem for the dynasty members—they have many cars with different license

plate numbers.

At any rate, it was the mismanagement of the MMDA under Francis Tolentino and Emerson Carlos which led to the congestion of Edsa and C-5. They tolerated the bottlenecks, as well as the reckless motorcyclists and slowmoving vehicles using those roads.

Tolentino once created a “motorcycle lane” on Edsa and Commonwealth Avenue (in Quezon City) to keep motorcycles from getting in the way of other motorists, but he discontinued the scheme after the publicity he got from it ended.

His successor Emerson Carlos continued the mismanagement of the traffic problem under Tolentino.

Despite their incompetence, Tolentino and Carlos at least did not resort to bans and restrictions when they headed the MMDA. It now appears that Orbos is more incompetent than his predecessors. Instead of getting rid of the causes of the congestion in Edsa and C-5, Orbos has resorted to restrictive measures. More specifically, Orbos dispensed with the existing “window period” allowed under the number-coding system

and imposed the once-a-week road use ban for a full 12-hour period, even outside rush hours.

Orbos may call that his solution, but only a bureaucrat with limited intelligence and insufficient insight will resort to restrictive measures, without first considering other solutions to a problem.

The Orbos “solution” is not only an unwarranted and unnecessary resort to a restriction of rights; it also favors the wealthy—who can afford to own more than one vehicle and, therefore, circumvent the 12-hour ban. Under the Orbos “solution,” the wealthy will be encouraged to buy more vehicles, which will even add to the volume of vehicles operating in the metropolis.

Like other government vehicles, the vehicles Orbos uses as MMDA general manager are exempted from his road use ban. This means government officials using government vehicles are free to use the roadways anytime they want to, and on any day of the week. It also means that the ordinary motorist—a taxpaying citizen in whom sovereignty resides—has less rights to use the roadways. (To be continued)

It should be emphasized that the present law discriminates against women workers with more children. Most often, these women need the benefits more for economic and health reasons. It is good that the Consolidated Bill corrected this infirmity.

4. All women workers are covered regardless of marital status. This is yet another progressive provision of the. This is also consistent with the Magna Carta of Women (MCW). Discrimination on the basis of civil status is removed as far as maternity leave is concerned.

Women no longer need to prove that they are legally married before they can avail of the leave.

5. All women workers are covered regardless of employment status. This specifically means that even women workers hired on a contractual basis will enjoy having maternity leave benefits. This is another pro-poor provision of the bill because it is common knowledge that contractual workers are poor workers.

6. Security of Tenure is assured. Pregnancy and/or childbirth cannot be a ground for demotion or dismissal from employment. This provision is quite important especially for ordinary women workers who are usually quite easy to get terminated from their jobs.

With this bill, women workers are assured of their tenure when they get pregnant, have

miscarriages, or give birth.

While a longer maternity leave of 120 to 150 days of maternity leave as contained in some of the original bills is favored, the Committee’s decision to provide 100 days is not that bad. Hopefully, this is enough to ensure that mothers have already significantly recovered from the pregnancy and childbirth, and that they have had adequate time bonding with and caring for their newborns.

Indeed, this bill is good news to women workers and should be passed by Congress the soonest.

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News

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SBMA to repay base volunteers

By Butch Gunio

RURAL WOMEN’S DAY. Women’s groups trooped to Mendiola Bridge in San Miguel, Manila on Friday to urge the Duterte administration to decisively address the situation of farmers, especially women, by pursuing agrarian reform. N. Araga

IN BRIEF Caloocan taps village chairmen CALOOCAN City Mayor Oscar Malapitan directed all 188 barangays to mobilize communitybased participation through the revitalization of the Barangay Anti-Drug Abuse Council to support President Rodrigo Duterte’s all-out war against illegal drugs and criminality.

Malapitan said barangay leaders who fail to do their tasks in the BADAC will face an administrative case for dereliction of duty under Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act plus a criminal case if they are found to be using or selling illegal drugs, or protecting the drug trade.

DILG Memorandum 2015-63, issued on June 2016, intensified the BADAC. It is chaired by the barangay captain, co-chaired by the kagawad heading the peace and order committee. Jun David

DoH steps up drive vs tobacco THE Department of Health took a step forward further in its campaign in reducing the prevalence of smoking in the country by launching a national television advertisement campaign that highlights the health and economic harms caused by smoking to families.

The TV ad campaign was launched through a partnership with Vital Strategies at the DoH Media Relations Unit in Tayuman, Sta. Cruz, Manila.

“In cooperation with our partners Vital Strategies, we are launching the multi-media campaign of ‘Mahalin ang Sarili at ang Pamilya, Paninigarilyo Itigil na [Protect Yourself and Family, Stop Smoking],” Health Secretary Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial said.

She added that the anti-smoking campaign ad is the first of its kind “where our appeal is for the smokers to quit smoking.”

The commercial, which will air in the country’s national television networks, will be 15- and 30-seconder. It shows a father, sick with cancer and bedridden as a result of tobacco-causing illness, whose daughter has to quit her studies to help support the family.

Through the commercial, the family’s anguish can be felt by viewers as they watch the father’s physical pain and emotional guilt over the daughter’s loss of her happy, successful school days.

With the commercial, the viewers can think deeply on the consequences of tobacco smoking as they watch how the daughter wonders why her father used tobacco and asked what “will happen to her and her future.”

“This will airs starting Sunday and will run for four weeks in the national television,” said Kaloi Garcia, communications manager of Vital Strategies.

He added that they make use of the TV ad campaign because it is proven worldwide that TV is the most effective channel. PNA

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority will prioritize the provision of benefits and incentives to SBMA workers who served as volunteers after the US naval base here closed down in 1992.

SBMA Chairman Martin Diño said during a media conference here that volunteers who are holding contractual positions in the agency shall be given priority in housing and retirement benefits and other incentives.

“When I first arrived in the SBMA, I first asked about the conditions of the volunteers and I promised them that I will see how SBMA could repay them for what they did for the agency,” he said.

He added that his administration will help those hired under contracts of service to look for permanent jobs in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s program to eliminate end-of-contract scheme, commonly known as “endo,” which

limits workers’ contracts to a maximum of six months to avoid permanent hiring.

The chairman explained that his administration will conduct a study “to definitely end contractualization in accordance with CoA [Commission on Audit] rules and regulations.”

The SBMA is still employing about 1,200 workers under contract of service, mostly former volunteers who serve in ground maintenance and housekeeping operations, as well as other office positions.

Diño also said that the SBMA reorganization proposal submitted to the Department of Budget and Management shall be reviewed to make it more beneficial and responsive to the needs and direction of the agency.

“The proposed reorganization in the structure of the agency to cope with the present and realistic conditions in the Freeport, which is continuously growing in terms of investments, will be reviewed to make it fit and responsive to the direction the agency wishes to take,” Diño said.

Erap readies own list of narco-politicians

By Sandy Araneta

M

ANILA Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada is making a list—and checking it twice—of elected city officials whom he said is involved in drugs.

At the conclusion of the 3rd City Development Council Convention at the Manila Hotel last Wednesday, Estrada said he already has his own “narcolist” of city officials who are either drug users or coddlers of drug syndicates.

“It’s already near,” Estrada said when asked when he will divulge his list. “I’m not mak-

ing this a secret. Once it’s completed and sure, I will make it public.”

He did not say how he is coming up with the list of narcopoliticians in Manila but said “a few” in the barangay level have already been confirmed to be into drugs and they are currently under investigation.

“I will reveal this in time,”

Estrada said. “We have 896 barangay chairmen. There are some of them [on the list].”

Estrada said he is certain there are no city councilors in his drug list because all of them have submitted themselves to drug testing on August 8, along with him and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna. No one tested positive for drug use.

“As of now, none in the council, none in the department heads, and we are undergoing drug test for the city hall employees,” he pointed out.

Last Sunday, Estrada announced that he will subject barangay officials, from the chairmen down to the barangay

councilors, to a surprise mandatory drug testing.

This was an offshoot of the October 7 anti-drug operation at the Islamic Center in Quiapo where Barangay 648 Chairman Faiz Macabato was killed after fighting it out with policemen who were arresting his brother, a suspected drug pusher.

Macabato was also among the barangay chairmen who have not complied with the city hall’s directive to submit a list of suspected drug users and pushers in their respective communities.

Estrada warned that severe sanctions await barangay officials who will be found positive

for drug use, being elected public officials.

“Now, if any of the barangay official refused to take the drug test, that is suspicious. It’s for their own good. So that no surveillance will be needed,” he said.

Estrada pointed out that he is going hard on elected public officials that are into drugs in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s all-out war against drugs.

Duterte himself has previously announced that he has a “narco-list” that contains 1,000 names of mayors, governors, congressmen, barangay captains, and police officers.

Matobato freed on P30,000 bail THE Philippine National PoliceCriminal Investigation and Detection Group on Friday released from its custody Edgar Matobato, a confessed hitman and witness in the Senate’s investigation on extrajudicial killings.

According to the PNP-CIDG, Matobato through his lawyer, posted a P30,000 bail for the case of illegal possession of firearms before Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 97 Executive Judge Bernelito Fernandez.

Matobato was released at 3:22 p.m. and fetched by his lawyer, log book of the PNP Custodial Center showed. Matobato remains in the protective custody of Senator Antonio “Sony” Trillanes IV. “Edgar Matobato was able to post bail at the QC regional trial court this morning through his counsel,” Trillanes’ office said in a text message sent to media.

Last Oct. 7, Trillanes personally surrendered Matobato to the PNP’s

Camp Crame headquarters following a warrant of arrest issued for his failure to attend his arraignment in the complaint for illegal possession of firearms filed in 2014.

Matobato’s lawyer filed a motion explaining to the court that he was unable to fly to Davao because he was scheduled to appear in the Senate hearing on Oct. 4 although it was eventually canceled.

The senator previously said that even without a copy of the warrant of arrest, he was willing to send Matobato to PNP to avoid “untoward incidents.”

Matobato claimed that then mayor now President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the killings of criminals and non-criminals in Davao City such as suspected terrorist Sali Makdum, a certain Richard King who was a rival of incumbent Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte over a woman; radio reporter and critic of Duterte, Jun Pala, among others. PNA

DEFYING OBSOLESCENCE. Pedicab drivers display signs expressing their opposition to the planned phaseout of tricycles and pedicabs to make way for electric trikes in Manila. N. Araga

Labor seeks DTI chief’s ouster

By Vito Barcelo THE labor group Bukluran ng Manggagawang Pilipino demanded the resignation of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez over his supposedly continuing contradiction of President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to end the practice of contractualization.

The BMP urged Duterte to remove Lopez from office if the Duterte is still serious about fulfilling his promise.

The labor group was reacting to Lopez’s most recent statement saying contractualization will only scare foreign investors.

“Since he assumed office, Secretary Lopez has consistently opposed measures to end contractualization,” the BMP said in a statement.

“At every step of the way, Lopez has represented and defended not the interests of Filipino workers but

of capitalists, Filipino and foreign.

He fails the test that the President set because he wants to “add more to the abundance of those who have much” rather than “provide for those who have little,” the BMP said.

Expressing frustration at the lack of progress in eliminating contractualization, the group said the President needs to do more to demonstrate his commitment to workers by firing Lopez.

“This is an important moment for the President, another early test by forcing him to choose whose side he will take and whose interests he will protect.

“If the President really cares about Filipino workers, if he really wants to ‘provide for those who have little,’ as he said in his inaugural speech, then he should match his rhetoric with action and do what needs to be done: he should immediate fire those in his Cabinet who favor contractualization,” the BMP said.

The group also called on the President to take concrete steps needed to end labor flexibilization, this include certifying as urgent and mobilizing all his party mates to pass a bill to amend Articles 106 to 109 of the Labor Code in order to prohibit the contracting and subcontracting of “usually necessary or desirable” work in the normal operations of a business, which should be performed by regular employees, in line with Article 280 of said law.

The BMP also said that revising the BMBE law will remove the exemptions to labor standards compliance of small and micro establishments, which comprise more than 90 percent of the employers’ sector, and to repeal DOLE’s DO 18-A and issuing a new order which reviews all existing subcontracting arrangements and cancels those that encroach upon the duties and functions which should done by regular employees.

MMDA suspends 5 mulcting traffic aides THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority suspended five traffic enforcers, one of them for drug pushing while the four were caught for extorting money from motorists.

The MMDA-Legal and Legislative Administrative Services also recommended the filing of criminal and administrative cases against Dexter Lucas, a member of the MMDA Motorcycle Unit and traffic constables Crisaldo Lopez, Victor Santos, Mark Richard de Guia, and Resty Padel.

Lucas was caught in a sting operation by Quezon City antinarcotics agents at the corner of Edsa and Muñoz.

The MMDA officer was apprehended after handing a small transparent plastic sachet in exchange of P500 bill. Lucas also introduced himself to the undercover police officers as a

member of the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group.

Meanwhile, the four other MMDA personnel are facing extortion charges after being caught on a video recording accepting bribe money from motorists.

The five MMDA personnel were immediately placed under 90-day preventive suspension pending summary dismissal.

If found guilty, the traffic personnel will be sacked from the service.

Meanwhile, MMDA General Manager Tim Orbos warned that traffic sector heads will be responsible for their personnel caught involved in illegal activities.

Orbos said he will discuss the command responsibility of traffic sector heads, particularly those linked to extortion of motorists.

Vito Barcelo

Sports Tigresses eye no. 5 vs Bureau of Customs Games today

12:30 p.m. – Cignal vs Champion 4 p.m. – Customs vs UST 6 p.m. – UP vs Pocari

UNBEATEN University of Santo Tomas faces one of its acid tests today as it squares off with Customs even as Pocari and University of the Philippines try to bolster their respective semifinal bids in the Shakey’s V-League Season 13 Reinforced Conference at the Philsports Arena in Pasig.

The Tigresses swept their first four games, including against contenders the Air Force Jet Spikers, the BaliPure Water Defenders and the UP Lady Maroons. But their 4 p.m. match with the Transformers looms as toughest, given the latter’s strength and roster led by Alyssa Valdez and reinforced by Thai imports Kanjana Kuthaisong and Natthanicha Jaisaen.

Sure, Customs dropped a shock three-set loss to a resurgent BaliPure side last Wednesday despite playing with a complete roster. But the Transformers, particularly their reinforcements, are expected to have settled down with their playpatterns and their respective games as they try to stop the Tigresses’ amazing run in the season-ending conference sponsored by Shakey’s.

In fact, UST coach Kungfu Reyes has looked forward to a match with Customs where he hopes his wards.

“At least, we’ll be able to gauge our strength and gain experience from them (Transformers). We’ll be the one to benefit from this game,” said Reyes, who added that prized setter Cherry Rondina will continue to sit out for a much needed rest after steering the school to the UAAP beach volley crown.

While they hope to sustain their form and run, the Tigresses also brace for a big Customs rebound, particularly from its Thai duo and Valdez, who was held to a 16-hit output by the Water Defenders after churning out a league-best 39 points against the Laoag Power Smashers.

“That’s volleyball. Someone’s gonna win, someone’s gonna lose,” said Valdez after the Transformers dropped to 2-1. “We still have to work on our communications and the things that we need to improve.”

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Pacman looks devastating against unbeaten Ramirez

By Ronnie Nathanielsz

S

ENATOR Manny Pacquiao, the eightdivision world champion, looked devastating in sparring against unbeaten Jose Ramirez at the Flash Elorde Gymnasium of the Mall of Asia Complex on Thursday.

“I am inspired and always dedicated to my work. You know how I train. I work hard and it’s the only way I can make boxing easier,” Pacquiao told Manila Standard.

Pacquiao, who was furious over six rounds, cracked Ramirez with vicious uppercuts and combinations and plans to increase his heavy sparring to 10 to 12 rounds as he approaches the Nov. 6 showdown with

Jessie Vargas.

“The passion and the fire are still there and I’m excited to do my job,” said Pacquiao, who claimed that Vargas’ commitment to score an 8th-round knockout would be “impossible to do because God is with us.”

Strength and conditioning coach Justin Fortune said that Pacquiao was “at his best. He was sharp and

his timing was great and was determined to put on a great show.”

Fortune maintained that Vargas “will fight and won’t run. That’s the good thing about Vargas but Manny is stronger and faster.”

But former two-division world champion Gerry Penalosa said: “There is no way Vargas can last 10 rounds. His contention that he will win by a knockout in eight rounds was to keep on dreaming.”

Meanwhile, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said unbeaten Jessie Magdaleno, who battles fivedivision world champion Nonito Donaire on the Pacquiao-Vargas fight card at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, has been “shooting his mouth off” and has helped guarantee a great fight.

Arum told the Manila Standard

that the Donaire-Magdaleno fight is “getting a lot of attention since both fighters are from Las Vegas.”

He said Magdaleno’s statements have fired up Donaire, the reigning WBO super bantamweight champion.

Donaire has been sparring 10 rounds without any trouble and that he “feels great. Amazing.”

The Filipino is training under mentor Ismael Salas, saying he has learned so much from the Cuban, who was also the trainer of Guillermo Rigondeaux and Yuriorkis Gamboa.

Donaire told Manila Standard that under Salas he “feels good.”

“Salas is very intelligent. He is smart and maximized my ability to perform,” said Donaire. “I am feeling good and ready to go.”

Two-time UNTV Cup MVP Ollan Omiping of the PNP Responders (right) will need his ‘A’ game to keep their unblemished record intact against the formidable line-up of the BOC Customs this Sunday.

Clash of titans in UNTV cagefest Games Sunday

(Pasig City Sports Center) 2 p.m. DOJ vs GSIS 3:30 p.m. Ombudsman vs MMDA 5 p.m. BOC vs BFP

THE top spot in Group B will be at stake on Sunday when two powerhouse squads, Bureau of Customs Transformers and the Philippine National Police Responders clash in the UNTV Cup elimination round at the Pasig City Sports Center.

UNTV Cup, now on its 5th season, is giving away more than P8 million in total prize to the chosen charities of all 13 participating government teams.

The PNP-BOC tussle is set at 5 p.m. as the two teams try to keep their unblemished record intact.

Only two other teams have stayed unbeaten in the tournament, Malacañang and BFP in Group A. The BOC Transformers are coming off a thrilling 93-92 victory over the House of Representatives, courtesy of a buzzer-beating, half-court winning shot from Gherome Ejercito.

The Responders, meanwhile, last won on Sept. 28 when they toppled NHA 82-75.

BOC’s big man Marlou Aquino will be going up against PNP’s reliable center Harold Sta. Cruz, while former PBA MVP Kenneth Duremdes of the Transformers will be facing the two-time UNTV Cup MVP Ollan Omiping.

Customs will also get ample support from Ejercito, Bernzon Franco, Samuel Ignacio and Rizal Vonn Ignacio.

In the first game at 2 p.m., winless teams DOJ and GSIS will battle out each other in the race for their first win.

Record field vies in Eagle Ridge CEU, Diliman seek 2nd wins

Golf champ. Anant Singh, (right) VXI’s Vice President for Operations, emerged as overall champion in the Class A Category of the 2nd Indian Independence Day Friendship Golf Tournament recently at the Orchard Golf and Country Club in Dasmarinas, Cavite. He was joined by VXI teammates (from left) Eppie Titong, VP for Operations; Phil Paik, IT Director; Barrie Bradley, Client Services Director; and Jovencito Llanes, VP for Human Resources. Representatives from various BPO and telecommunications companies in the country took part in the friendly golf tournament managed by HGS. The Indian Independence Day Friendship Golf Tournament was created not just to celebrate the Indian Independence day, but also strengthen ties between the Indian and Filipino Community.

EAGLE Ridge Golf and Country Club, the country’s golf hub which boasts of four championship courses, is set to host a record 600 players in the 4x4 Invitational member-guest tournament slated in two separate weekends next month.

The field has been pegged at that level to ensure a smooth pace of play at the Aoki, Dye, Faldo and Norman layouts and guarantee another successful staging of the annual event, EGGCC’s flagship member-guest tournament, according to 4x4 committee chairman

Fred Pareja.

“We don’t want them to stay in the course too long. What we want is for them to be get the 4x4 experience that’s fast, fun and enjoyable,” said Pareja, also a director at Eagle Ridge.

Two brand new cars will be up for grabs as main raffle prizes in the much-awaited four-day tournament, which starts Nov. 5 and 6 for the first week and Nov. 11 and 12 for the next, as main raffle prizes.

Each participant of the tournament, sponsored by Concepts Golf Management, Sta. Lu-

cia Land, WGC Golf, CHEQ Systems and LK Golf, will also receive a Voice Caddy T1 Hybrid golf and fitness watch as giveaways.

“Eagle Ridge wants nothing but the best for its members and guests alike. Constantly, we are improving the facilities in order for us to progress with our overall service as well,” said Pareja.

Participants will also be treated to a wide array of foods to be catered

by Champions Bar, the newest food and beverage concessionaire, and a bigger pro shop complete with golfing needs.

A commendable move in fight vs doping

ONE has to admire the singular commitment of World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman to ensure that boxing is a clean sport and that its integrity is maintained.

The WBC president, together with the renowned Dr. Margaret Goodman, president of the Voluntary Anti Doping Association, who officially announced the “Clean Boxing Program” last May 5 in Las Vegas, has stood firm in making sure that boxers, who failed to participate in the enrollment program, have been removed from the WBC ratings.

Under the agreement, all WBC champions and Top 15-ranked contenders have to mandatorily enroll in the program, with the random out of competition testing administered by VADA. We find it difficult to under-

stand if not comprehend why the other leading pro boxing organizations have not joined the WBC in this worthy endeavor.

What are World Boxing Organization president Francisco “Paco” Valcarcel, World Boxing Association president Gilberto Mendoza and International Boxing Federation president Darryl Peoples waiting for?

The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports has grown as evidenced by the number of athletes found guilty of taking prohibited drugs, who have been penalized by the International Olympic Committee.

In fact, to be honest, some of the boxers who failed to enroll in the random drug testing program and have been listed by the WBC, raised our suspicions by their performances in fights, where they somehow seemed to grow in strength as their fights wore on and exhibited the kind of power and aggressiveness that were nonexistent in the earlier rounds of their fights.

Here is the list of boxers who did not enroll so you would

know and could draw your own conclusions.

David Haye–England–Heavyweight; Jean Pascal–Canada–Light Heavyweight; Jose Uzcategui–Venezuela–Super Middleweight; Gabriel Rosado –USA–Middleweight; Vanes Martirosyan–Armenia–Super Welterweight; Daquan Arnett– USA–Super Welterweight; Amir Khan–England–Welterweight; Lamont Peterson–USA–Welterweight; Rances Barthelemy– Cub –Super Lightweight; Felix Verdejo–Puerto Rico–Lightweight; Emiliano Marsili–Italy–Lightweight; Henry Lundy–USA– Lightweight; Yuriorkis Gamboa –Cuba–Super Featherweight; Hairon Socarras–Cuba–Featherweight; Cesar Juarez–Mexico –Super Bantamweight; Edivaldo Ortega–Mexico–Super Bantamweight; Emanuel Navarrete–Mexico–Bantamweight; Gideon Buthelezi–South Africa– Flyweight; Brian Viloria–USA –Flyweight; Moises Calleros– Mexico–Light Flyweight; Javier Mendoza–Mexico–Flyweight; Angel Acosta–Puerto Rico–Light

Flyweight; Janiel Rivera–Puerto Rico–Minimumweight; Carlos Buitrago–Nicaragua–Minimumweight; Simphiwe Khonco– South Africa–Minimumweight.

The WBC announced that the enrollment process was also extended as the ratings for October are being released, and those fighters who did not enroll have been taken out of the WBC ratings.

The WBC itself deservedly paid tribute to the leadership of Luis Escalona and Margaret Goodman which, quite honestly, has been exemplary and while there have been some problems, mostly with translation and language barriers, there will certainly be adjustments during the process.

As the WBC has stated: “There will be additional adjustments, and this will be an evolving program with the goal to provide as much protection to our athletes worldwide.”

The WBC added: “Within 15 days of publication of the monthly ratings, any boxer entering the top 15 must directly or through his management or promoter, through

an authorized representative of the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program must fulfill all mandatory requirements to enter the CBP. The boxer must enroll in the program, or he shall be removed from the ratings and be unavailable to fight for any WBC-affiliated title until such time as he properly enroll.”

Any party wishing to address any specific case will be able to do so through the proper channels by communicating in writing to Luis Escalona at luiswbc@aol.com, and WBC Legal Counsel Alberto Leon at al@aleonlaw.com.”

President Sulaiman stated: “The WBC is proud of its champions and challengers who have taken a step forward in this historic process to keep our sport clean and most importantly to look out for the health of our athletes and the integrity and honorability of our sport.”

We who have covered the sport for some 50 years commend WBC president Sulaiman and Dr. Goodman of VADA for their most welcome initiative and wish them all the very best in their pursuit of a noble endeavor.

Games Today (Olivarez Sports Center) 12 noon – CEU vs UB 2 p.m. – Diliman vs Olivarez

MULTI-TITLED Centro Escolar University and Diliman College shoot for their second straight wins when they clash against separate rivals Saturday in the Universities and Colleges Basketball League at the Olivarez Sports Center in Parañaque City.

The CEU Scorpions clash with the University of Batangas Brahmans at 12 noon, while the Diliman College Blue Dragons take on the Olivarez College Sea Lions at 2 p.m.

Both CEU and Diliman College are hoping to secure a piece of the lead with Technological Institute of the Philippines, which romped to its second straight win following a 103-83 drubbing of Bulacan State University.

Though center Rod Ebondo and Samboy De Leon played sparingly the last time, the Scorpions still won pulling away over Colegio de San Lorenzo, 89-71, thanks to the efforts of Oliver Arim and Orland Wamar, who posted 11 points each.

The 6’6” Ebondo and De Leon, the same guys that helped CaféFrance win a PBA Developmental League title last year, scored only 9 points each.

Owned by former Sen. Nikki Coseteng and mentored by ex-PH team player Renzy Bajar, the Diliman Blue Dragons beat the Brahmans, 72-65.

Out to lead the Blue Dragons are Romyl Jornacion, Jam Tay, Joseph Brutas and Johnel Bauzon who are like to face stiff resistance from the Sea Lions, who bounced back from a shock defeat to Bulacan State with a 95-77 drubbing of CDSL Griffins last Thursday.

LOTTO RESULTS 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 4 DIGITS 00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

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

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

Sports

Red Robins bag title, end 15-year drought

By Peter Atencio

A

FTER a 16-year wait, the Mapua Red Robins finally got past the defending champion San Beda Red Cubs, 84-67, to snatch the junior crown Friday in the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association junior basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena.

This time around, they took charge in the first two quarters and put the Red Cubs in an unfamiliar situation of being behind all throughout the game.

The Red Robins sustained their momentum in the last two

periods and continued to frustrate the Red Cubs with their firm grip on the lead as they finally put an end to their foes’ eight-year reign.

“Nagising kami after Game 2. Sa third quarter, 32 points ang binigay

namin. Maganda ang simula namin at nakakapit kami sa third. Sinabi ko sa mga bata na huwag bibitaw sa depensa,” said Red Robins’ coach Randy Alcantara.

Brian Lacap tallied a gamehigh 16 points for the Red Robins, including a triple and jumper in the last seven minutes of the third period. Lacap and Warren Bonifacio led a 9-0 blast that gave the Red Robins a 25-point lead, 47-24.

Clint Escamis gave himself a fitting birthday present a day after his 16th birthday as he chipped in 14 points, including two charities in an 11-4 run in the first half sending the Red Robins to a 24-13

first quarter edge.

Finals’ MVP Brian Samudio drilled in 13 points, making eight in the last period, including a driving shot and a threepoint play in the final 8:23 that kept them up by 14, 57-43.

He kept a keen eye on Red Cubs’ big man Germy Mahinay, who fouled out in the remaining five minutes, with Mapua up by 15, 63-48.

The Red Cubs, who were champions from 2009 to 2015, were put in an unfamiliar situation of being behind in the first period and felt pressured and frustrated at having to play catch up.

“Na-pressure ang mga bata.

We were flat the whole game.

I was expecting a closer game because this is a deciding game.

Pero, the whole game, we were trying to catch up. May run kami. May sagot sila,” said Red Cubs coach JB Sison.

Carlo Obenza led the Red Cubs with 14 points, while Addie Velasquez also had 14, and Mahinay added 11.

The Red Robins made do with the absence of point guard Mike Enriquez, who suffered a recurring foot injury in Game 2 when the Red Cubs won 81-78.

The Red Robins took Game 1 with an 83-64 win.

New volleyball technology unveiled at world tourney will be accurately decided. It is being used in top-tier volleyball events like the Olympics, World Championships, Olympic qualifiers and World Grand Prix.

Aside from the Hawkeye, also set to be used in this starstudded tourney that also has Philippine Sports Commission, Rexona, Mall of Asia Arena, Foton and Price Waterhouse Cooper as sponsors, is the use of tablet system in the interaction between the bench and table officials.

First implemented in the world club tourney last year in Zurich, coaches will be provided with a tablet from Data Volley that is wirelessly connected to the table officials, enabling them to enter their starting roster and request for substitutions, timeouts and challenges with ease.

Data Volley will also use S-Score sheets in providing game statistics.

“This will be the first time for our local fans to witness these world-class volleyball technologies in action,” said Suzara, also a ranking member of the International Volleyball Federation and the Asian Volleyball Confederation.

“With the use of these cutting-edge technologies, we would be able to provide spectators both in TV and at the venue a better understanding of the game. It aims not only to provide entertainment, but also to keep them aware of what’s happening on the court,” said Suzara.

He added they would also use the Senoh transport system that was first used in the ongoing PSL Grand Prix.

PH golfers falter in Thailand, US SOFIA Chabon stumbled with a twoover 75 and wound up eighth in the Thailand Ladies Amateur Open while Princess Superal wavered with a 73 and finished tied for fourth in the National Women’s GA-Zellwood Classic in Florida Thursday.

Chabon and Superal both struggled with their iron game and putting stroke and missed gaining a shot at the crown after staying in the hunt in the first two days of the two tournaments.

The 15-year-old Chabon, four down behind Nur Durriyah Damian after two rounds, had a two-under card after 13 holes at the Legacy Golf Club. But the Country Club ace double bogeyed the par-4 14th and the closing par-5 18th ended up with a 75 for a 217 total, 10 strokes behind the veteran Malaysian campaigner, who closed out with a 69 for a 207 to run away with the crown which Filipina Pauline del Rosario won last year.

Thais Tunrada Piddon (73), Rina

Tatematsu (72), Napabhach Boon-In (75), Atthaya Thithikul (73) and Keerattirya Foocharoen (71) all finished with 215s for joint second.

Mika Fortuna shot a 7 to finish joint 10th at 219 while del Rosario also carded a 74 to share 12th place with TCC teammate Bernice Olivarez-Ilas, who hobbled with a 76 for 221s.

Over in Florida, Superal failed to sustain a solid 68 in the second with a two-bogey, one birdie effort, her miscues on Nos. 2 and 12, both par-3s, a result of poor tee shots. She actually recovered by birdying the 17th, also a par-3, from seven feet but ran out of holes to mount a comeback at the Zellwood Station Country Club.

She ended up with a 214 and received $1,038 with local ace Maria McBride scoring a wire-to-wire triumph with a 70 and a 207, four shots ahead of Laura Restrepo, who rallied with a 67 for a 211.

World best surfers take on top locals

By Lito Cinco

Shell Bike Fair. The success of the Shell Advance Bike Fair in Manila paved the way for a partnership with Shell V-Power Nitro+ and Shell Advance Motocare Express to stage bigger and more exciting events in Visayas and Mindanao. Bike clubs from Visayas went through a rigorous online evaluation, and the top eight clubs were chosen to compete for the Best Bike Fair award. Here, United Panay Riders Club members are all smiles after bagging 3rd place in the search for the Best Bike Club as well as People’s Choice Award at the Bike Fair’s Visayas leg.

By Jeric Lopez JUST a day after making shockwaves by trading its franchise player James Yap, Star continued to make headlines by following it up with a coaching change.

The Hotshots interestingly tapped former Mahindra deputy coach Chito Victolero as the team’s new head coach, succeeding the highly criticized Jason Webb.

The development was confirmed Friday and Victolero was already introduced to Star as its new head coach in practice.

Following an excruciating season where it didn’t make the playoffs in two of the three conferences, Star was bound for drastic changes and these past two days, the dealing already begun.

Less than 24 hours after shockingly shipping Yap, the face of the franchise, to Rain or Shine for Paul Lee, the Hotshots replaced Webb, who wasn’t able to keep the team as a contender in his lone season as coach after replacing the legendary Tim Cone.

Victolero is an upstart looking to continue carving a name for himself as a coach in the league.

A former Mapua coach in the amateur ranks, Victolero had mild success when he served as the deputy coach for Mahindra in its debut season last year, steering the team to multiple monumental wins against powerhouses in the second and third conferences, before being replaced

by Chris Gavina for the post this year.

Now, he has the chance to continue what he started as a PBA coach, this time in a more high-profile post as Star’s head tactician.

Mixed emotions for Yap

Mariana Costa, former Brazil national player and an international and Playboy model, who is also known as Mari Paraiba in the international modeling circuit, flashes the victory sign as she arrives, along with Volero Zurich team Thursday night. Costa will be just one of the head-turners playing in the 2016 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship set Oct. 18 to 23 at the Mall of Asia Arena. Roman Prospero

SPECTATORS will be treated to a world-class volleyball entertainment and a show of new international technology when the 2016 FIVB Women’s Club World Championship fires off this Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena.

According to Ramon Suzara of the organizing Philippine Superliga, they will be using the Hawkeye replay system to maintain the accuracy and integrity of officiating in this prestigious event co-organized

by Eventcourt with TV5, Petron, Asics, BMW and F2 Logistics as official sponsors, Diamond Hotel as official residence and Turkish Airlines as official airlines.

A state-of-the-art computer system, Hawkeye uses seven high-performance cameras located in strategic positions to make sure that crucial calls

Victolero replaces Webb as Star coach

LOCAL surfers from Siargao, Daet, Zambales and Baler, together with La Union’s own surfers converge on the beach cove of Urbiztondo, San Juan in this Northern province for the annual La Union Surfing Break event set Oct. 28 to 30.

Competition will be in the Open men’s long board and short board and women’s long board, with the local surfers enjoying the advantage of familiarity with the water conditions in the area.

“La Union has been known as a breeding ground for the country’s long board surfers and local surfers are the defending champions in the

different categories. We will also have surfing clinics for the fun surfers, including a sprinkling for foreign tourists, who are expected to join this surfing festival,” said Jeff Ortega from the organizing group.

This event since 2013 has been dubbed as the Annual Poks Forever National Surf Competition in honor of local surfing legend Ronnie “Poks” Esquivel, who despite being born with only one leg, took to the sport,attracted attention worldwide from surfers and made his hometown famous.

Esquivel died of heart attack last July 21, 2012 “The ‘ber’ months are the best months for surfing with the Amihan winds causing the Northern swells

that surfers love. The La Union Surfing Break has been recognized several times as one of the best sports tourism event in the country and we again expect a big crowd for this week-end,” said DOT Regional Director Martin Valera.

The organizers have also introduced a Corporate Social Responsibility component in the festival as only surfing and swimming will be allowed in the beach area.

“This is to avoid the resulting trash afterwards and based on records, Pawikan hatching has been going down the past years even as our 37 kilometer long shoreline remains a favorite nesting ground for giant turtles,” added Ortega.

BIG three no more.

Sadness poured in for James Yap, Marc Pingris and Peter June Simon as their triumvirate will no longer be complete after a blockbuster trade sent the 6’3” shooting guard to Rain or Shine in the Philippine Basketball Association.

The stunning swap between Yap and Paul Lee shook not only Star and Rain or Shine but the entire Philippine basketball community as well.

Yap, who has been the face of the Hotshots for the last 12 years, will now wear a different uniform for the first time in his PBA career next season and in a surreal twist, he will no longer have Simon and Pingris, his two bestfriends in the league, around anymore as he embarks on a new journey.

Obviously sad with the sudden turn of events and shift of his career, Yap went to social media to thank his former team, his best pals and his fans for the 12 years he spent with Star, formerly Purefoods.

“Maraming salamat sa Purefoods family ko sa lahat ng tiwala at pag-alaga niyo sa’kin sa 12 years. Salamat sa Purefoods fans sa suporta at pagmamahal. It has been a wonderful ride. Maraming salamat at God bless,” said Yap on his Instagram account (@jcy18).

He also expressed his sadness over his move but still showed his excitement to play for his new team, Rain or Shine.

“Nakakalungkot man pero gusto ko mag-thank you sa Purefoods sa tiwala at pag aala sa akin. I’m excited to play sa ROS. Sa lahat, God bless and kitakits,” added Yap. Just several hours after the YapLee trade went down, Simon and Pingris immediately expressed their sadness over the transfer of their buddy after over a decade of being teammates at Star.

“Salamat ng marami tol! Sa lahat ng pag-sasama, sa panalo at talo. Sad ako pero ganyan talaga buhay, minsan nasa taas, minsan nasa ibaba pero ‘wag mawalan ng pag-asa dahil nasa likod mo ang tunay mong barkada,” said Pingris in his Instagram account (@ jeanmarc15) in a touching gesture.

Jeric Lopez

Shell opts for lower IPO price B3

Business

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

PH assures credit rating firms

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

F

inance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III defended President Rodrigo Duterte in the international community, saying his governance style is “non-traditional,” as the country’s top economic official sought to reassure credit rating agencies about the country’s sound fundamentals.

Dominguez, during his visit in United States along with the rest of administration’s economic team, assured foreign credit rating institutions that Duterte remained “fully engaged” in implementing his 10-point socioeconomic agenda.

This includes inclusive growth, alongside the goals of eliminating crime and corruption and forging a lasting peace within the country and with its neighbors.

Meeting with officials from international credit rater Moody’s

Investor Service, Dominguez urged them not to be distracted by the political noise generated by the President’s non-traditional type of governance.

“If you talk about the political noise, yes, there is. It’s inevitable for someone who’s shaking up the tree. It’s inevitable because of the personality of the President and people not used to this type of governance. But he’s fully engaged in [the administration’s] economic agenda,” Dominguez told Moody’s officials.

Moody’s was represented in the meeting by Christian de Guzman, vice president and senior credit officer; Atsi Sheth, managing director; and Matthew Cir-

costa, associate analyst, of the sovereign risk group.

Dominguez told Moody’s executives that the Duterte administration would carry out its inclusive growth agenda while building on the economic gains of the past administrations and exercising fiscal responsibility.

Moody’s currently rates the Philippines as Baa2 with a stable outlook. The credit rating is higher than what Moody’s has given Vietnam and India.

Dominguez said Duterte had been meeting with Congressional leaders to push the overhaul of the tax system by introducing sweeping reforms in policy and

administration.

The tax reform plan being proposed by the Department of Finance, the first component of which was already submitted to the Congress one Sept. 26, aims to ease the tax burden on wage earners and the middle class, as well as protect the country’s vulnerable sectors, while raising enough revenues to accelerate spending on infrastructure, human capital, social protection and agricultural modernization.

Dominguez said the first package of the proposed tax reform program was completed and submitted to the Congress less than 90 days into the Duterte administration.

Lepanto Mining files corruption charge against Jasareno

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales by the Department of EnvironLEPANTO Consolidated Mining Company filed with the Office of the Ombudsman a corruption complaint against former Mines and Geosciences Bureau director and Environment Undersecretary Leo Jasareno for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. Lepanto in a statement cited bad faith and the alleged gross inexcusable negligence of Jasareno in announcing on national TV on September 27, 2016 that Lepanto had been recommended for suspension

ment and Natural Resources audit team.

Lepanto claimed that the audit team actually signed a report concluding that “the company substantially complied with the pertinent provisions of the environmental and mining laws, rules and regulations” and did not recommend a penalty.

The company said Jasareno’s conflicting statement caused undue injury to it.

Lepanto said that Jasareno’s “misrepresentation of the contents of the audit report besmirched the good reputation of Lepanto as a responsible

mining company.”

“It also caused stock prices of Lepanto “A” and “B” shares to drastically fall, and adversely affected Lepanto’s credit standing.” it said, adding that the act

of Jasareno was considered a corrupt practice.

Jasareno, who is the former head of the mining audit team, earlier said Lepanto was one of the mines that did not pass the audit.

“I have not received a copy of the complaint yet. That’s how it is. If you’re a public official, anyone can file a complaint against you,” he said.

Jasareno was earlier dismissed from the DENR after President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Wilfredo Moncano as acting director of the MGB. Environment Secretary Regina said she would appeal

Jasareno’s retention.

“Leo did not resign. When I was in France, there was an order that director Moncano will be the MGB head and that renders him (Jasareno) out of DENR. I will really like Jasareno’s retention. I feel that the president is a good man and I respect his decision but I am looking forward to meeting him and sort things out ,” Lopez said.

“I’m really happy with his services. He did the audit and to put show cause to 30 miners, that takes courage. Right now, I am keeping him as a senior resource person,” Lopez said.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

B1

IN BRIEF PH mining output down in 6 months MINERAL production in the Philippines fell 13 percent in the first half of the year to P48.25 billion from P55.84 billion a year ago on sluggish metal prices and the suspension of several mines, the Mines and Geosciences Bureau said Friday.

MGB said the value of gold production amounted to P22.68 billion, while nickel direct shipping ore and mixed nickel-cobalt sulfide reached P16.08 billion.

The value of copper production amounted to P9.01 billion, while the collective values of silver, chromite and iron ore hit P0.47 billion.

“In general, the poor showing of the nickel ore and nickel product producers during the period led to the lackluster performance of the metallic minerals industry,” MGB said.

Anna Leah E. Gonzales

Lopez suspends two environment permits THE Environment Department on Friday suspended the environmental compliance certificate of Century Communities Corp. and Austral-Asia Link Mining Corp.

“We are suspending two major ECCs. One is that of Century which was given a housing development inside the La Mesa watershed. That’s the watershed of 12 million people and housing inside... is not an environmental thing to do,” said Environment Secretary Regina Lopez in a press conference.

Century Communities is the developer for the proposed 58-hectare Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System housing project in the La Mesa dam.

Century said it would appeal the decision, claiming it already complied with the provisions of the project’s ECC. Meanwhile, Lopez said the department suspended the ECC of AustralAsia, which operates a nickel mine in Mati, Davao Oriental, because its project was sandwiched by two heritage sites. Anna Leah E. Gonzales

B2

Business

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market rebounds; LT climbs S TOCKS rebounded Friday from a sevenday slump, after China’s inflation beat expectations, boosting optimism about the strength of the world’s second-largest economy.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, advanced 77 points, or 1.1 percent, to close at 7,389.30 Friday. This pushed up total gains this year to 6.3 percent.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also rose 33 points, or 0.8 percent, to settle at 4,40269, on a value turnover of P7.4 billion. Advancers outnumbered losers 132 to 54, while 40 issues were unchanged.

All six sectors climbed, while 16 of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by LT Group Inc., the holding com-

pany of tycoon Lucio Tan, which climbed 6.4 percent to P15.06.

Security Bank Corp. rose 4.3 percent to P215.80, while Semirara Mining and Power Corp. gained 3.5 percent to P122.70.

Meanwhile, most Asian stock markets also traded higher Friday, on news Chinese factory gate prices rose for the first time in more than four years, while Thai stocks rallied on news of King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s death and expectations of a smooth transition, with analysts saying a sell-off this week was overdone.

Beijing said the producer

price index increased last month after 54 consecutive months of falling, beating estimates for a drop and providing some muchneeded hope for the Chinese economy a day after market-sapping trade figures.

Chinese firms have for years been battered by falling prices for their goods in the face of chronic overcapacity and weak demand, putting a damper on growth in a key driver of the world economy.

Consumer prices also rose more than expected.

“The end of PPI deflation is a good signal for the economy’s stabilization,” Gao Yuwei, a researcher at Bank of China in Beijing, told Bloomberg News. “PPI is expected to be remain expansionary in the coming months.”

Traders around Asia broadly welcomed the news on the

world’s number two economy and key driver of global expansion, which is struggling with a years-long fight against slowing growth.

Hong Kong added 0.6 percent by lunch and Sydney—where several firms with close ties to China are listed—gained 0.1 percent, while Seoul was up 0.6 percent. Tokyo added 0.2 percent.

However, Shanghai eased 0.5 percent on worries the data will give the Chinese central bank reason to hold off any stimulus measures.

In Bangkok, the Stock Exchange of Thailand soared 3.7 percent at the open, paring huge losses built up through the week as news filtered out that the king was gravely ill. The baht climbed more than one percent against the dollar.

Thai stocks plunged around

percent this week and the baht lost around three percent as investors grew uneasy about political and economic stability following the death of the monarch who reigned for seven decades.

While he wielded no official power, Bhumibol was considered a uniting force in a fractured nation where political tensions are still raw two years after a military coup.

However, analysts said the king’s death had been priced into the market and investors were now rushing in for bargain stocks, while attention will now be on the succession process for his son.

“Thailand’s economic fundamentals remain unaffected, which should help it to weather this storm,” Jingyi Pan, a Singapore-based strategist at IG Asia Pte, said before the announcement. With AFP, Bloomberg

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

Close

7.88 75.3 124.4 107 56.5 2.49 4.2 17 30.45 10.4 0.92 2.6 890 1.01 100 1.46 30.5 75 91.5 137 80 361.2 57 180 124

2.5 66 88.05 88.1 45.45 1.97 1.68 12.02 19.6 6.12 0.74 1.02 625 0.225 78 0.9 17.8 58 62 88.35 52 276 41 118.2 59

AG Finance 3.5 Asia United Bank 47.85 Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. 106.00 Bank of PI 102.50 China Bank 38 BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. 3.82 Bright Kindle Resources 1.28 COL Financial 16.6 Eastwest Bank 18.2 Filipino Fund Inc. 6.85 First Abacus 0.67 I-Remit Inc. 1.81 Manulife Fin. Corp.

674.50 MEDCO Holdings 0.670 Metrobank 82.8 Natl. Reinsurance Corp. 0.9 PB Bank 14 Phil Bank of Comm 22.00 Phil. National Bank 54.70 Phil. Savings Bank 98.95 Philippine trust Co. 248 PSE 260 RCBC `A’ 35.75 Security Bank 207 Union Bank 75.00

47 5 1.46 2.36 15.3 89

35.9 1.11 1.01 1.86 7.92 40.3

20.6 85 36 65.8 2.97 4.14 21.5 21.6 11.96 9.13 11.8 2.89 31.8 109 20.75 15.3 9.4 0.98 241 79 4 33.9 90 13.26 293 0.62 5.25 12.98 6.75 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 20.2 10.08 29.15 1.5 1.5 10.72 9.55 9.04 6.02 8.86 1.06 20.2 71.5 13.86 13.24 5.34 0.395 173 34.1 1.63 23.35 17.3 5.88 250.2 0.335 3.87 8.45 3 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 2.16 3.4 3.35 823.5 10.2 84 3.35 4.92 0.66 1455 76 9.25 0.85 17.3 0.71 5.53 0.0670 1.61 84.9 974 1.66 156 0.710 0.435 0.510

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

Aboitiz Power Corp.

45.35 Agrinurture Inc. 3.95 Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. 0.85 Alsons Cons.

1.41 Asiabest Group 15.6 Bogo Medelin 68.5 Cemex Holdings 11.2 Century Food 16 Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ 105 Cirtek Holdings (Chips) 23.2 Concepcion 59.9 Crown Asia 1.99 Da Vinci Capital 6.13 Del Monte 12.2 DNL Industries Inc. 10.660 Emperador 7.28 Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) 5.88 EEI 7.20 Euro-Med Lab 1.79 First Gen Corp.

23 First Holdings ‘A’ 70.65 Ginebra San Miguel Inc. 11.90 Holcim Philippines Inc. 16.20 Integ. Micro-Electronics 5.79 Ionics Inc 1.970 Jollibee Foods Corp.

241.00 Liberty Flour 50.00 Mabuhay Vinyl 3.95 Manila Water Co. Inc. 30.05 Maxs Group 26.75 Megawide 14.46 Mla. Elect. Co `A’ 288.00 MG Holdings 0.250 Pepsi-Cola Products Phil. 2.99 Petron Corporation 10.36 Phil H2O 3 Phinma Corporation 11.50 Phinma Energy 2.11 Phoenix Petroleum Phils. 5.95 Phoenix Semiconductor 1.47 Pryce Corp. `A’ 3.3 RFM Corporation 4.17 Roxas Holdings 3.3 San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ 215.6 Swift Foods, Inc. 0.144 TKC Steel Corp.

1.68 Universal Robina 179 Victorias Milling 4.62 Vitarich Corp.

2.11 Vulcan Ind’l.

1.19 HOLDING FIRMS Abacus Cons. `A’ 0.375 Aboitiz Equity 75.25 Alliance Global Inc. 15.22 Anglo Holdings A 1.24 ATN Holdings A 0.335 ATN Holdings B 0.345 Ayala Corp `A’ 839.5 Cosco Capital 8.1 DMCI Holdings 12.50 F&J Prince ‘A’ 6.13 Filinvest Dev. Corp.

8.15 Forum Pacific 0.205 GT Capital 1330 JG Summit Holdings 71.10 Lopez Holdings Corp.

8 Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp. 0.78 LT Group 14.16 Mabuhay Holdings `A’ 0.470 Metro Pacific Inv. Corp. 7.2 Pacifica `A’ 0.0360 Prime Orion 1.920 San Miguel Corp `A’ 80.00 SM Investments Inc. 656.00 Solid Group Inc. 1.19 Top Frontier 233.000 Unioil Res. & Hldgs 0.3000 Wellex Industries 0.2020 Zeus Holdings 0.250

10.5 1.99 1.75 0.375 41.4 5.6 1.44 1.97 1.48 0.201 0.69 10.96 0.97 2.22 2.1 1.8 5.94 0.180 0.470 0.72 27

6.74 0.65 1.2 0.192 30.05 3.36 0.79 1.1 0.97 0.083 0.415 2.4 0.83 1.15 1.42 1.27 4.13 0.090 0.290 0.39 23

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

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ 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. Estates Corp.

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

7.240 1.07 2.250 0.265 36.400 2.73 0.570 1.25 1.040 0.149 0.530 51.5 0.740 0.98 1.76 1.18 4.11 0.156 0.2750 0.405 36.35

High

Low

FINANCIAL 3.5 3.45 48 47.7 108.50 107.30 103.60 102.50 38.05 37.7 3.80 3.80 1.33 1.27 16.8 16.6 18.9 18.08 6.61 6.61 0.67 0.67 1.83 1.82 671.00 671.00 0.830 0.670 83.75 82.8 0.87 0.87 14 14 22.10 22.00 55.50 54.65 96 95.55 229 220 260 260 36 35.7 218 207 75.50 74.95 INDUSTRIAL 46 45 4.14 3.91 0.88 0.83 1.54 1.41 15.6 15.08 69.8 63.05 11.32 11.04 15.96 15.5 113.9 100 23.5 23.2 61 59.9 2.09 1.99 6.25 6.13 12.24 12 11.000 10.640 7.37 7.21 5.95 5.84 7.25 7.12 1.78 1.78 23.5 23 71.5 70.6 12.00 11.90 16.20 16.10 5.84 5.75 2.020 1.960 244.00 241.00 65.00 45.65 4.1 4.03 30.65 30.05 27.4 26.5 14.7 14.32 297.00 288.00 0.255 0.245 3 3 10.70 10.18 3.39 3 11.58 11.58 2.15 2.10 5.93 5.89 1.47 1.45 3.34 3.3 4.16 4.16 3.3 3.29 215.8 215 0.147 0.143 1.70 1.68 180 178.7 4.61 4.61 2.31 2.1 1.19 1.19

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.45 48 107.50 103.20 38 3.80 1.33 16.8 18.82 6.61 0.67 1.83 671.00 0.750 83.25 0.87 14 22.00 55.00 96 220 260 35.85 215.8 75.00

-1.43 0.31 1.42 0.68 0.00 -0.52 3.91 1.20 3.41 -3.50 0.00 1.10 -0.52 11.94 0.54 -3.33 0.00 0.00 0.55 -2.98 -11.29 0.00 0.28 4.25 0.00

15,000 18,800 1,967,260 1,075,310 922,400 302,000 252,160 13,500 1,285,300 300 43,000 13,000 690 27,372,000 3,214,910 15,552,000 506,600 4,000 590,180 110 850 680 52,700 1,527,820 48,900

45.65 3.91 0.88 1.45 15.5 63.05 11.12 15.58 100 23.5 60 2 6.2 12.18 10.980 7.37 5.93 7.25 1.78 23.5 71.5 12.00 16.20 5.8 2.010 241.00 61.00 4.1 30.4 27.4 14.48 290.40 0.245 3 10.68 3.39 11.58 2.15 5.89 1.46 3.32 4.16 3.29 215 0.147 1.70 179 4.61 2.19 1.19

0.66 -1.01 3.53 2.84 -0.64 -7.96 -0.71 -2.63 -4.76 1.29 0.17 0.50 1.14 -0.16 3.00 1.24 0.85 0.69 -0.56 2.17 1.20 0.84 0.00 0.17 2.03 0.00 22.00 3.80 1.16 2.43 0.14 0.83 -2.00 0.33 3.09 13.00 0.70 1.90 -1.01 -0.68 0.61 -0.24 -0.30 -0.28 2.08 1.19 0.00 -0.22 3.79 0.00

2,259,500 3,924,000 531,000 5,109,000 18,900 970 5,888,200 3,216,400 2,520 421,500 87,920 210,000 136,900 21,300 5,098,400 536,800 8,520,400 185,000 1,000 1,161,800 175,370 127,600 28,200 1,283,700 451,000 478,250 1,690 33,000 1,036,500 124,900 1,150,900 280,470 480,000 21,000 3,417,400 9,000 300 662,000 33,400 216,000 306,000 1,001,000 20,000 760 5,320,000 459,000 1,211,430 4,000 18,297,000 35,000

0.370 76.50 15.00 1.24 0.340 0.360 840.5 8.25 12.68 6.52 8.12 0.206 1335 71.15 8 0.78 15.06 0.485 7.11 0.0370 1.900 81.00 662.50 1.19 233.600 0.3000 0.2020 0.245

-1.33 1.66 -1.45 0.00 1.49 4.35 0.12 1.85 1.44 6.36 -0.37 0.49 0.38 0.07 0.00 0.00 6.36 3.19 -1.25 2.78 -1.04 1.25 0.99 0.00 0.26 0.00 0.00 -2.00

860,000 1,102,550 3,645,600 2,000 3,190,000 1,270,000 366,810 2,200,400 5,151,700 60,000 83,300 20,000 120,465 2,293,380 3,561,100 462,000 11,582,700 30,000 38,104,700 5,000,000 667,000 373,180 244,700 25,000 1,600 1,720,000 120,000 90,000

7.230 1.05 2.330 0.265 36.850 2.83 0.570 1.24 1.040 0.152 0.540 53.8 0.740 0.98 1.79 1.16 4.14 0.163 0.2700 0.400 34.60

-0.14 -1.87 3.56 0.00 1.24 3.66 0.00 -0.80 0.00 2.01 1.89 4.47 0.00 0.00 1.70 -1.69 0.73 4.49 -1.82 -1.23 -4.81

224,000 2,303,000 1,315,000 3,050,000 23,825,900 710,000 4,742,000 106,000 53,000 4,740,000 3,769,000 1,505,060 118,000 3,457,000 8,881,000 27,000 58,779,000 75,810,000 160,000 170,000 100

602,995.00 -29,020,996 26,367,513.00 5,736,770.00 134,460.00 98,560.00

462,990.00 -3,140,760.00 18,107,199.50 -3,193,400.00

52 Weeks

Previous

High Low

STOCKS

8.54 31.8 2.29 4.9 21.35 1.06 1.62 8.59

2.69 22.15 1.6 3.1 15.08 0.69 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 95.5 2.46 15.2

6.5 1.91 3.1 1.8 6

1.040 22.8 6.41 18 22.9 3486 0.760 2.28 46.05 90.1

0.37 14.54 3 8.8 4.39 2748 0.435 1.2 31.45 60.55

11.6 0.85 2.95 10 0.490 1.9

7.59 0.63 1.71 5 0.315 1.14

0.0098 5.45 17.24 25 0.330 12.7 12.8 1.19 1.62 9.5 4.2 0.48 0.420 0.440 0.022 0.023 8.2 49.2 4.27 3.06 0.021 7.67 12.88 10.42 0.040 420 9

0.0043 1.72 6.47 9.43 0.236 6.5 5.11 0.85 0.77 5.99 1.17 0.305 0.2130 0.2160 0.013 0.014 3.240 18.96 2.11 1.54 0.013 5.4 7.26 2.27 0.015 115.9 3.67

70

33

118 8.21 12.28 1060

101 5.88 6.5 997

1047 84.8

1011 75

1.34

1

6.98

0.8900

Close

Primex Corp.

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

High

Low

3.31 29.00 1.6 3.25 26.05 1.02 0.950 5.000

3.52 3.31 29.50 29.00 1.62 1.6 3.29 3.25 27.25 26.05 1.08 1 0.990 0.950 5.120 5.010 SERVICES 2GO Group’ 7.68 7.68 7.55 ABS-CBN 48 48.5 47.5 Acesite Hotel 1.26 1.35 1.27 APC Group, Inc. 0.530 0.540 0.520 Berjaya Phils. Inc. 5.3 5.45 5.2 Bloomberry 4.95 5.22 4.91 Boulevard Holdings 0.0830 0.0900 0.0840 Calata Corp.

3.09 3.18 3.04 Cebu Air Inc. (5J) 103 104.2 102.6 Discovery World 2.53 2.54 2.5 DFNN Inc. 6.99 6.85 6.60 FEUI 954 995 992 Globe Telecom 1800 1876 1800 GMA Network Inc. 6.22 6.24 6.23 Golden Haven 14.00 13.98 13.72 Harbor Star 1.89 2.05 1.83 I.C.T.S.I. 74 75.55 74 Imperial Res. `A’ 16.40 17.06 16.06 IPeople Inc. `A’ 11.8 11.8 11.8 IP E-Game Ventures Inc. 0.0094 0.0097 0.0095 IPM Holdings 9.23 9.23 9.20 Island Info 0.205 0.210 0.205 ISM Communications 1.5000 1.5000 1.4500 Jackstones 3.47 3.69 3.49 LBC Express 12.22 12.68 12.22 Leisure & Resorts 4.73 4.99 4.80 Liberty Telecom 2.22 2.22 2.18 Manila Broadcasting 25.15 27.85 25.00 Manila Jockey 1.99 2 1.99 Melco Crown 3.68 3.88 3.65 Metro Retail 4.83 4.99 4.71 NOW Corp.

3.050 3.150 2.950 Pacific Online Sys. Corp. 11.32 11.38 11.34 PAL Holdings Inc. 5.55 5.55 5.29 Phil. Racing Club 8.75 8.75 8.75 Philweb.Com Inc. 9.20 9.72 8.80 PLDT Common 1598.00 1625.00 1598.00 PremiereHorizon 0.400 0.410 0.400 Premium Leisure 1.060 1.070 1.040 Puregold 40.40 41.50 40.40 Robinsons RTL 73.95 73.95 73.05 SBS Phil. Corp.

5.63 5.69 5.60 SSI Group 2.76 2.79 2.72 STI Holdings 0.690 0.770 0.700 Transpacific Broadcast 1.87 1.85 1.8 Travellers 3.18 3.22 3.17 Waterfront Phils.

0.345 0.355 0.340 Yehey 5.160 5.300 4.980 MINING & OIL Abra Mining 0.0036 0.0037 0.0035 Apex `A’ 2.95 3.00 2.80 Atlas Cons. `A’ 4.06 4.10 4.10 Atok-Big Wedge `A’ 10.00 10.46 10.00 Basic Energy Corp.

0.203 0.203 0.203 Benguet Corp `A’ 2.0900 2.14 2.0500 Benguet Corp `B’ 2.0500 2.1000 2.1000 Century Peak Metals Hldgs0.57 0.57 0.56 Coal Asia 0.390 0.385 0.370 Dizon 8.30 8.32 8.12 Ferronickel 0.990 1.020 0.980 Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. 0.265 0.270 0.260 Lepanto `A’ 0.182 0.193 0.183 Lepanto `B’ 0.190 0.199 0.190 Manila Mining `A’ 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 Manila Mining `B’ 0.0110 0.0110 0.0110 Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. 1.4 1.45 1.4 Nickelasia 6.95 7.09 6.8 Nihao Mineral Resources 2.86 2.89 2.79 Oriental Peninsula Res. 0.8400 0.8500 0.8400 Oriental Pet. `B’ 0.0110 0.0120 0.0110 Petroenergy Res. Corp. 3.71 4.23 4.20 Philex `A’ 8.11 8.11 8.00 PhilexPetroleum 3.78 4.07 3.71 Philodrill Corp. `A’ 0.0120 0.0130 0.0130 Semirara Corp.

118.60 124.00 118.00 TA Petroleum 3.11 3.15 3.1 PREFERRED ABS-CBN Holdings Corp. 45 48.5 47.5 DD Pref 103.7 103.8 103.6 First Gen F 114.9 106.5 102.8 GMA Holdings Inc. 6 5.98 5.98 Leisure and Resort 1.04 1.04 1.04 PCOR-Preferred A 1029 1092 1091 PCOR-Preferred B 1070 1155 1155 PF Pref 2 1025 1025 1025 SMC Preferred C 80.5 80.7 80.5 SMC Preferred F 78.5 79 79 SMC Preferred G 77.5 79 77 SMC Preferred H 77 77.5 77 SMC Preferred I 77.85 77.8 77.4 Swift Pref 2.1 2.35 2.35 WARRANTS & BONDS LR Warrant 2.330 2.420 2.310 SME Alterra Capital 3.34 3.44 3.24 Italpinas 3.93 4.05 3.6 Xurpas 11.94 12.38 11.94 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS First Metro ETF 120.7 122.1 121.1

MS

0.370 0.365 76.50 74.95 15.38 15.00 1.24 1.24 0.340 0.300 0.360 0.315 843 839 8.25 8.1 12.92 12.50 6.52 6.49 8.15 8.05 0.206 0.205 1400 1320 72.40 70.80 8 7.88 0.78 0.77 15.06 14.14 0.485 0.485 7.17 7.02 0.0370 0.0360 1.920 1.900 81.00 79.50 663.50 657.00 1.19 1.19 233.600 232.800 0.3050 0.3000 0.2020 0.2020 0.245 0.245 PROPERTY 7.250 7.210 1.09 1.04 2.340 2.250 0.265 0.265 37.100 36.450 2.83 2.74 0.580 0.560 1.24 1.15 1.040 1.040 0.154 0.149 0.550 0.520 55 51 0.740 0.740 0.99 0.98 1.79 1.75 1.16 1.16 4.22 4.08 0.164 0.156 0.2700 0.2550 0.405 0.400 34.60 34.60

-471,565.50

637,560 41,819,632.00 1,367,634.50

22,444,060.00 -1,949,630.00 -3,091,600.00

-16,397,510.00 -23,757,560.00

1,176,920 -8,240.00

10,325,310.00 -567,261.00 22,815,991.00 -267,826.00

5,851,330.00

-1,286,400.00

-497,209.00 -8,000.00 -12,062,842.00

15,394,455.00 -1,159,330.00 -9,120,316.00 -41,940,232.00 5,000.00 63,000.00 -9,952,156.00

1,062,600.00 73,000.00 -994,710.00

15,810.00 -67,560.00 -117,927,808 2,657,040.00

21,612,087.00 -26,019,548.00 3,600.00 -33,372,020 479,937.00 39,862,000.00

-82,539,155.00 -15,780,466.00 -473,989.00 13,496,346.00 -55,776,108.00 -1,227,944.00 15,600,455.00

348,473.00

-45,687,410.00 -131,390.00 17,100.00 1,040.00 226,720.00 -6,434,586.00 4,557,210.00 -62,421,020.00 64,330.00

12.88

5.95

130.7

105.6

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

SHARES

55,274,873

INDUSTRIAL

77,409,246

HOLDING FIRMS

83,200,002

PROPERTY

215,579,193

SERVICES

255,744,150

MINING & OIL

971,253,951

GRAND TOTAL

1,662,136,013

Close

%

Net Foreign

Change Volume

Trade/Buying

3.5 29.50 1.61 3.25 26.75 1.04 0.980 5.060

5.74 1.72 0.63 0.00 2.69 1.96 3.16 1.20

1,988,000 3,690,200 86,000 35,000 10,860,500 2,095,000 266,000 2,733,500

-307,810.00 -35,848,685.00 -4,860.00

7.56 48 1.27 0.520 5.45 5.15 0.0890 3.15 103.8 2.5 6.60 992 1835 6.23 13.96 1.92 75.1 16.74 11.8 0.0097 9.23 0.210 1.4700 3.67 12.68 4.95 2.19 25.20 2 3.88 4.88 3.050 11.38 5.29 8.75 9.10 1613.00 0.405 1.050 41.00 73.25 5.63 2.78 0.760 1.85 3.22 0.355 4.980

-1.56 0.00 0.79 -1.89 2.83 4.04 7.23 1.94 0.78 -1.19 -5.58 3.98 1.94 0.16 -0.29 1.59 1.49 2.07 0.00 3.19 0.00 2.44 -2.00 5.76 3.76 4.65 -1.35 0.20 0.50 5.43 1.04 0.00 0.53 -4.68 0.00 -1.09 0.94 1.25 -0.94 1.49 -0.95 0.00 0.72 10.14 -1.07 1.26 2.90 -3.49

141,700 15,600 2,000 535,000 20,700 16,562,000 137,120,000 1,103,000 569,640 128,000 82,000 70 68,665 77,100 40,700 2,637,000 4,447,280 20,300 800 7,000,000 453,000 11,600,000 916,000 112,000 14,300 581,000 849,000 29,000 60,000 7,583,000 21,093,000 2,818,000 9,600 45,000 1,000 12,270,900 198,670 590,000 4,668,000 707,500 660,770 50,500 1,169,000 17,492,000 2,000 352,000 50,000 370,400

2,698.00

0.0037 2.96 4.10 10.46 0.203 2.1400 2.1000 0.57 0.380 8.32 1.020 0.265 0.192 0.195 0.0110 0.0110 1.45 7.03 2.86 0.8400 0.0110 4.22 8.11 3.95 0.0130 122.70 3.15

2.78 0.34 0.99 4.60 0.00 2.39 2.44 0.00 -2.56 0.24 3.03 0.00 5.49 2.63 0.00 0.00 3.57 1.15 0.00 0.00 0.00 13.75 0.00 4.50 8.33 3.46 1.29

905,000,000 75,000 17,000 1,500 40,000 6,000 1,000 144,000 1,460,000 300 20,985,000 320,000 7,450,000 3,490,000 12,300,000 900,000 64,000 2,703,100 45,000 40,000 1,200,000 26,000 688,300 12,240,000 400,000 1,520,820 117,000

48.35 103.6 102.8 5.98 1.04 1091 1155 1025 80.5 79 79 77.5 77.8 2.35

7.44 -0.10 -10.53 -0.33 0.00 6.03 7.94 0.00 0.00 0.64 1.94 0.65 -0.06 11.90

240,100 61,100 15,000 3,000 2,000 4,880 1,320 30 16,000 126,200 167,740 24,240 169,330 8,000

2.360

1.29

164,000

3.39 3.8 12.22

1.50 -3.31 2.35

1,107,000 886,000 1,663,800

122

1.08

15,610

17,471,340.00 -4,603,516.00

14,198,030.00 63,200.00 6,534,821.00 -120,380.00 23,601,475.00 49,250.00 -1,938,429.00

50,400.00 29,300.00 6,120.00 1,991,560 -58,950.00 -3,530,460.00 -54,469,540.00 -5,920.00

-1,486,423.00 39,051,860.00 141,800.00 -13,817,805.00 -30,438,367.00 -831,250.00 3,054,440.00 57,970.00 -53,382.00 -37,000.00 15,000.00

79,800.00 3,432,460.00

4,333,986.00

-3,099,509.00 521,210.00 -11,989,547.00 -3,776,575.00 -1,505,404.00

-1,524,600.00

16,040.00 -2,493,230.00 -7,292,264.00

VALUE 1,780.17 (UP) 22.31 1,106,231,450.273 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,619.98 (UP) 75.97 1,143,114,302.375 HOLDING FIRMS 7,395.56 (UP) 47.39 1,805,176,955.261 PROPERTY 3,266.78 (UP) 60.70 SERVICES 1,424.13 (UP) 17.08 1,675,145,578.64 MINING & OIL 11,140.92 (UP) 276.46 1,328,468,999.76 PSEI 7,389.30 (UP) 77.12 287,822,262.265 All Shares Index 4,402.69 (UP) 33.09 7,375,189,835.379 Gainers: 132; Losers: 54; Unchanged: 40; Total: 226

EastWest goes into leasing business

By Julito G. Rada THE Securities and Exchange Commission approved the registration and incorporation of EastWest Leasing & Finance Corp., a wholly-owned subsidiary of EastWest Banking Corp., the financial services arm of Filinvest Group.

EastWest Leasing, which aims to complement the core lending activities of EastWest Bank, will soon operate and contribute to the bank’s growth and further diversify its income sources.

“Our mandate is to develop the leasing business and portfolio, thereby creating synergies with the different business units of EastWest Bank and the Filinvest Group,” EastWest Leasing president Armando Inabangan Jr. said in a statement Friday.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas approved in July this year EastWest Bank’s P100million equity investment in EastWest Leasing, which is ten times the minimum regulatory requirement.

“We have completed the major regulatory approvals and are now applying for the requisite local business permits and licenses to start commercial operations.

EastWest Leasing is most likely weeks away from providing alternative financing packages to the SME and corporate clients of EastWest,” Inabangan said.

ICTSI raises $375m

By Darwin G. Amojelar PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. said Friday it raised $375 million from the issuance of new perpetual bonds to refinance outstanding securities.

The company owned by businessman Enrique Razon Jr. said it repurchased $345.5 million of its outstanding perpetual securities via tender offer, funded by the $375-million issuance of new senior perpetual securities.

“The liability management exercise allowed ICTSI to further strengthen its capital structure while realizing significant cost savings,” the port operator said.

The new perpetual securities confer a right to receive distributions at a rate of 4.875 percent per annum and were priced at 99.225 percent.

The rate of distribution for the securities will be reset every five years from May 5, 2024 and will increase by 2.5 percent per annum on May 5, 2024, in each case if the securities were not already redeemed by the issuer.

The securities were widely distributed with fund managers accounting for 46 percent, private banks for 30 percent and banks for 24 percent. By geography, Asia took up 82 percent with Europe at 18 percent.

“This capital management exercise is strategic and value accretive in many respects. The two most important of which are the extension of the call duration on almost half of ICTSI’s outstanding senior perpetual securities, and securing guaranteed annual cost savings from the lower distribution rate. We are pleased to have achieved these objectives particularly given the volatile market backdrop,” ICTSI senior vice president and chief financial and compliance officer Rafael Consing said.

Business

B3

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Shell opts for lower IPO price

By Jenniffer B. Austria

P

ILIPINAS Shell Petroleum Corp. has set the final price for its planned maiden share offering at P67 per share, the underwriter handling the transaction said Thursday.

AIA Group call. Philam Life chief executive officer Aibee Cantos (second from left) meets with President Duterte during a courtesy visit in Malacañang, where the President shared his thoughts about the local insurance industry. With them are Philam Life chief agency officer Jay Ledesma (center), AIA Group regional CEO Gordon Watson (partly hidden), and AIA Group chief executive and president Mark Tucker (foreground).

2GO disclaims investor; Phoenix sues

By Darwin G. Amojelar 2GO Group Inc. said on Friday the Tagud family remains in control of the publicly listed logistics company and belied the investment of the parent firm of Phoenix Petroleum Philippines Inc. into the company.

2GO Group issued the statement after Udenna Corp., the parent of Phoenix Petroleum, sought a court order to enforce the latter’s investment in the logistics company.

“The [management] structure is stable, solid and there has been no change in our book. If there are any prospective partners or investors who want to come in, I believe the management would welcome that provided that all investments are compliant with

laws,” 2GO corporate secretary Lawrence Tanlu told reporters in a briefing.

“Our records show that there’s no purchase of Phoenix or any other corporations that is very, very interested into buying into 2Go or any of our subsidiaries,” he added.

Udenna Corp., the parent of Phoenix Petroleum, earlier said it bought 100 percent of KGL Investments B.V. (KGLI BV), a Dutch company, which owns about 40 percent of the voting stock and 80 percent of KGLINM Holding.

KGLI-NM, meanwhile, has about 60 percent of the voting stock and a 40-percent beneficial interest in Negros Navigation Co. Nenaco, in turn, owns about

88 percent of 2Go Group Inc. As a result, Udenna Investments indirectly has 21 percent voting and 28 percent beneficial interests in 2Go. Lorna Kapunan, legal counsel of Nenaco said there was no change in the majority ownership of the 2GO Group and it remains owned by the Tagud family.

“In the interest of transparency we are awaiting for the documents. We do not want uncertainty created among partners and alliance,” Kapunan said.

Sought for comment, Dennis A. Uy, owner of Udenna said an intra-corporate complaint for injunction, nullification and damages with application for issuance of TRO and/or writ of preliminary injunction was

filed Friday with the Regional Trial Court of Manila.

“Essentially, the complaint just seeks to enforce the right of Udenna Investments as shareholder to participate in the management of KGLI-NM and enjoin Negros Holdings Management Corporation/KGLINM from excluding Udenna Investments in participating in such management,” he said.

Udenna is a diversified holding company engaged in distribution and retailing of petroleum products, commercial shipping, ship management, logistics, financial services, environmental services and property development.

“We have not received a copy of the complaint,” 2GO’s Tanlu said.

“Pilipinas Shell prices at P67 per share, the top end of the price guidance ofP65-P67,” BPI Capital chief operating officer Reginaldo Anthony Cariaso said.

With a base offer of 275 million shares plus another 16 million shares to cover over-allotment, Pilipinas Shell is expected to raise as much as P19.5 billion in proceeds from the initial public offering.

The shares consist of 247.5 million in secondary shares to be sold by selling shareholders and 27.5 million in primary shares.

Pilipinas Shell will not receive the proceeds from the sale of secondary shares. This means the oil refiner will get only P1.84 billion in proceeds from the sale of the primary shares, which it plans to use to expand its retail network across the country.

Pilipinas Shell, according to an initial filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, had planned to raise as much as P29.7 billion in proceeds from sale of a maximum of 330 million shares at P90 apiece.

The oil refiner after the book building process reduced the offering price and the shares as well.

Cariaso said Pilipinas Shell reduced the offering price after parent Royal Dutch Shell Plc. did not want its ownership in the oil refiner to drop below 55 percent.

With the new offering size, Cariaso said Royal Dutch would keep ownership in Pilipinas

Shell above the 55 percent level.

The offering period is set from Oct. 19 to 25 while listing date is scheduled on Nov. 3.

Pilipinas Shell is one of the two refining and marketing oil companies in the Philippine with an estimated domestic refined products market share of 24 percent.

It operates a 110,000 barrelper-day refinery in Batangas, which recently underwent an upgrade to deliver Euro 4-compliant fuels.

Pilipinas Shell as of June 30, 2016 operated a network of 966 Shell Group-branded retail service stations, comprising of 583 retail service stations in Luzon, 160 in Visayas and 223 in Mindanao, offering fuel-based products, lubricants, non-fuel products and services.

Pilipinas Shell will be the third company to be listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange this year. The first two were Golden Haven Memorial Park Inc. and Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc.

Investors Chemist bringing spirit of Johnnie Walker back to life cite BDO for good practices

By Thomas Buckley

BDO Unibank was named as one of the 15 recipients of the inaugural Institutional Investors Governance Awards, a recognition given to companies that have registered high marks in the Asean Corporate Governance Scorecard.

The ACGS provides a rigorous methodology benchmarked against international best practice to assess the corporate governance performance of publicly listed companies in six participating Asean member-countries.

It is a useful tool to demonstrate Asean members’ commitment to sound corporate governance vital in increasing foreign direct investment into the region.

The scorecard was created by the Asean Capital Markets Forum and launched in 2011 as one of the initiatives in preparation for the Asean economic integration in 2015.

The award was given during the recent Investors Forum held at the Manila Polo Club given by institutional investors to publicly listed companies, in partnership with the Fund Managers Association of the Philippines, the Philippine Investment Funds Association, the Trust Officers Association of the Philippines and PJS Corporate Support Inc. Aside from BDO, other awardees were SM Prime Holdings Inc.; Manila Water Co. Inc.; Philex Mining Corp.; Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc.; Globe Telecom Inc.; GT Capital Holdings Inc.; Manila Electric Co.; Ayala Corp.; Ayala Land Inc.; PLDT Inc.; Bank of the Philippine Islands; Energy Development Corp.; International Container Terminal Services Inc.; and Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co.

DR. EMMA Walker was born 121 years after Johnnie Walker died. Her job is to bring his spirit back to life.

The 37-year-old chemist fiddles with thousands of test tubes, pipettes and tinted nosing glasses to come up with new incarnations of a whisky first introduced in 1820 by the Scotsman it’s named after and is the world’s best-selling Scotch brand.

Johnnie Walker accounts for about one in every 10 bottles of Scotch consumed across the world, but it’s grown tired of late.

Sales have been declining the past three years because of competition from bourbon and rye, which are easier to mix into Manhattans and other trendy cocktails. The success of Emma Walker―she’s no relation to Johnnie as far as she knows―could be crucial to Diageo Plc, which relies on its Scotch business for a third of its profit and is examining how to revitalize sales.

“It might be that some people see Scotch and Johnnie Walker as something their dad drank,” she says, driving her small red Seat Ibiza the 40 miles home to Edinburgh from Diageo’s technical center at the foot of Scotland’s Ochil Hills after a day’s mixing and sniffing. “But if we can get people reinvigorated, looking at Scotch again, looking at Johnnie Walker again, that would be brilliant.”

Left behind Best-known for its bottles of Red Label and Black Label, Johnnie Walker has lost market share every year since 2013. Sales fell 9 percent last year as demand for the upmarket 12-year-old Black Label in Asia was hit by weakening currencies there.

A new blend developed by Emma Walker called Red Rye

Emma Walker, whisky specialist and blender at Diageo Plc, tests the aroma of a sample as she poses for a photograph in the Spirit Mastery Room in the Diageo International Supply Centre near Stirling, U.K., on Thursday. Sept.

Master blender Jim beveridge in the archive room.

29, 2016. Bloomberg

is the company’s first since revamping Johnnie Walker in September 2015 with an advertising campaign fronted by British actor Jude Law. On the shelves since then, it’s designed to close the gap with other whiskies that have become more popular. Diageo reported a better-than-predicted profit for the year ended June 30, but it was driven by demand for American whiskey, tequila and vodka in the US. “The one thing the Scotch industry hasn’t really found, unlike Irish and bourbon or rye, is its place in the growing market for cocktails based on whisky,” says Tom Russo, a founding partner at hedge fund Gardner Russo & Gardner. “If there’s an activity designed to make a Red Label variant present in an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan, that would make some sense.”

Russo manages a stake in Diageo worth about 210 million pounds ($258 million) after the stock price rose as the pound sank following the UK’s vote to leave the European Union. His favorite Johnnie Walker is the “beautiful” Black Label, though he prefers

bourbon in his cocktails and single malt Scotch after dinner.

Whisky scientist Red Rye is the first installment of the Johnnie Walker Blenders Batch series. At Diageo’s blending room in the technical center in the village of Menstrie, the “whisky scientist” is busy working on other concoctions with samples of single malts. Red Rye went through hundreds of iterations before its release in the US. Emma Walker said she’d paid little attention to cocktails until she started speaking to bartenders. She now considers the effects of ice, mixers and agitation.

“Just having that idea at the forefront of your mind when you’re looking at the age of whiskies, the strength of whiskies, which distillery you’re going to use, the level of fatty acids in the whisky, how they’ll react at certain temperatures, it awakens a different part of your mind, that more chemistry-focused part of your mind,” she says.

Master blender Growing up in Scotland and northeast England, her interest in Scotch and science developed

from a young age. She says her father’s nickname in the Royal Navy was “whisky” and she remembers visiting a chemical plant with her school class and being fascinated by how many pipes there were.

After completing her doctorate in sulfur oxidation at Sheffield University’s organic chemistry department, she did a stint at drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc developing steroids before joining Diageo in 2008 as a scientist in its Whisky Specialist Team.

She now is among the top contenders to get the job as the company’s first female Master Blender after Diageo last year formed a committee of executives to review and drive sales of Scotch.

Current Master Blender Jim Beveridge, 64, who has spent almost four decades at the company, is mentoring Walker.

“Sometimes the best in the business start as a blank canvas and if you look at Emma’s career, she joined the team from a scientific pharmaceutical background, then she left this team for a while to go into production,” Beveridge says in the Johnnie Walker archive room,

a bright, echoing chamber where 5,000 bottles of old and new blends cover the walls from floor to ceiling. “It’s not technically what she does, but it’s how she does it.”

About time Parking up on arrival in Edinburgh from Menstrie, Walker heads to The Bon Vivant, one of her favorite cocktail bars. Her partner, Dave, will drive her home after.

The bottle of Red Rye she’s brought with her is met with initial skepticism from the tattooed and bearded mixologists whose candlelit shelves are stocked with small-batch mezcals and craft gins. She explains that the blending team in Menstrie is playing around with liquids at different phases of aging, looking into different raw materials such as roasted malt. Johnnie Walker wants to drive innovation, she says.

“Gingerbread, Christmas cake and a little spice, this is definitely one of the nicer ones I’ve tried,” bartender Will Cox says before Walker asks him to mix an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan. “It’s about time you guys branched out a bit.” Bloomberg

CONSTRUCTION SHOWCASE. More than 100,000 visitors are expected to take part in the 4-day Philconstruct event, dubbed the biggest construction show in the country. It will feature everything the local construction industry can offer - from building materials, heavy equipment and machineries, HVAC technologies, to furniture, finishing and furnishing needs.

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

B4

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

Property

Philconstruct 2016 kicks off in November M

ore than 1,300 brands in the construction industry will come together from November 10 to 13 to participate in the 27th Philconstruct exhibition and conference at two major venues: SMX Convention Center Manila and World Trade Center, in Metro Manila.

PUBLISHING COMPANY GOES FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY. Rex Group of Companies, led by its flagship company, Rex Book Store Inc., recently green-lighted the use of its first ever solar power plant for its operations. The Rex Group is an educational publishing outfit with more than 60 years of experience producing books and educational materials. The company’s chairman, Atty. Dominador Buhain, chief operating officer Don Timothy Buhain, and key officials of the group, along with officials from solar power energy provider Greenheat Corporation, recently switched on the the 178.5-kilowatt peak (kWp) solar rooftop during launching ceremonies at its offices in Quezon City. Greenheat Corporation, an ISO-certified solar solutions provider, installed the grid-tiered solar photovoltaic power plant, which is expected to provide a maximum of 20% of Rex’s energy needs, thus reducing the company’s carbon footprint to 108 metric tons, or the equivalent of 1,080 adult trees per year.

The Philconstruct Events, Exhibitions, and Conferences Corporation (PEECC), together with the Philippine Constructors Association, Inc. (PCA) and the Philippine Society of Ventilating, Air-Conditioning & Refrigerating Engineers, Inc. (PSVARE), are organizing the event.

Show of force

Among this year’s exhibitors are Pacific Paint (Boysen) Phils.; Cemex Philippines, CW Home Depot, Hyundai, Puyat Steel, Puyat Flooring, Qishu Heavy

Equipment Corp., and Republic and Fortune Cement Products; Co Ban Kiat Hardware, Inc., and Civic Merchandising, Inc. “This year’s show surpasses its own record in terms of size and number of exhibitors,” said Dante Abando, President of PEECC and PCA, said at a press conference last week “For 27 years, Philconstruct has remained the biggest building and construction expo in the country. It has created a solid platform for the industry since 1990.

The trade show caters to the different aspects of the construction industry – from building materials, finishing and furnishing to heavy equipment and machineries.

This year, Philconstruct is expected to reinforce construction activities from all over the country by providing a venue for networking of industry leaders and convergence of building professionals.

The local construction industry is seen to grow to $47 billion by 2020 from $30.2 billion last year on a compound annual growth rate of 9.22 percent.The infrastructure development is seen as one of the fastest growing sectors in the industry, driven by government plans to develop high-speed

rail links, highways, and sea ports through PPPs.

Trade visitors to check out innovations

Last year, Philconstruct welcomed a total of 71,378 trade visitors in just four days. The show was held simultaneously at the SMX Convention Center, the World Trade Center Metro Manila, and the Philippine Trade Training Center.

“The industry is growing and we must grow along with it in order to provide the best service and exposure to our exhibitors,” said Wilfredo Decena, overall chairman of the Philconstruct Show Series.

This year, Philconstruct will welcome each exhibitor, visitor, and guest to a bevy of opportunities from a world-class industry.

“Expect to see over 1,500 exhibitors carrying top industry brands from different countries including Canada, China, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, United Kingdom, United Stated and more,” said Decena. Held alongside Philconstruct will be HVAC/R Philippines, which will present updated innovations in air and cooling technologies.

DYNAMIC LIVING IN KAPITOLYO. DMCI Homes is building a high-rise residential project, Brixton Place, in Kapitolyo, Pasig. Located at a prime area along Brixton Street corner Fairlane Street and West Capitol Drive, Brixton Place is a quiet haven where residents can relax away from the bustle of the city. The development is DMCI Homes’ 8th residential project in Pasig City, and is being built using DMCI’s trademark eye for world-class craftsmanship backed by over 60 years in the construction and development industry. Kapitolyo in Pasig City is one of the places in Metro Manila that is teeming with a unique cosmopolitan energy. Aside from being near essential places like the Ortigas Central Business District (CBD), the neighborhood’s hole-in-the-wall restaurants and interesting art galleries make life in the locale all the more vibrant for urban dwellers.

SANTA ROSA PRIMED AS NEXT BPO HUB IN SOUTH. SM Prime is betting on the booming PANAY’S FUTURE CBD RISES. Pueblo de Panay (PdP), a flagship project of Pueblo de Panay Inc (PdPI)

is currently being built on a 500-hectare site at Roxas City, Capiz. Pueblo de Panay is being touted as an “emerging location for IT-BPM investments in the Philippines” by the Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP). Assessed using the Next Wave Cities scorecard, Roxas City recently earned high points in talent availability, presence of infrastructure, good business environment, and cost competitiveness. Pueblo de Panay’s township concept involves a mixed-use integrated community, with 7.4-hectare parcel which was given a PEZA license as a technopark. Future locators include a university, a hospital, a four-star hotel, a food terminal complex,and themed residential communities, foremost of which would be Sitio Uno (see photo), the first premiere vertical mixed-use condominium in Capiz. Sitio Uno will feature 20 luxurious commercial units for lease and 88 residential units.

BPO sector as it sets to open another office tower in Santa Rosa, Laguna in the first quarter of 2017.

Built right next to SM Santa Rosa (SMSR), the new BPO tower will have a leasable area of approximately 30,000 square meters, a majority of which will be allotted solely for BPO companies. But the company is providing flexibility for smaller cuts that cater to SME (small to medium-sized enterprises) operations. Dubbed the “investment capital of South Luzon,” Santa Rosa is being eyed as a hub for BPOs and other businesses given its proximity to Metro Manila, but minus the congestion.

LGUs

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

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PARADISE. A favorite shoreline spot for couples in Pagasa Island turns into a secluded paradise this time of the year. PIA

Erap rolls out infra projects

By Sandy Araneta

T

O FURTHER cement Manila’s place in the ranks of highly competitive cities in the country, Mayor Joseph Estrada has lined up more infrastructure and development projects worth billions of pesos that will be completed by 2019.

Estrada said Manila has gone megacity in a relatively short pea long way from being a bank- riod of time. rupt city in 2013 to a progressive “Today, Manila is recognized

as the Most Competitive City in the Philippines,” Estrada said, referring to The Cities and Municipalities Competitiveness Index published by the National Competitiveness Council of the Philippines.

The Competitiveness Index ranks cities, municipalities and provinces of the country according to their economic dynamism, government efficiency and infrastructure. Manila bagged the top slot in 2015.

“We have gone so far since

2013: Deep in debt, no salaries for the employees. This will not happen again,” Estrada said told members of the City Development Council.

Estrada’s 2016-2019 Comprehensive Development Plan is anchored on the “ERAP-G Plan” which stands for Environment, Revival of City Landscape, Advancement of the local economy, Poverty alleviation, and Good Governance.

It is the blueprint of the Estrada administration’s focused and in-

Cordillera DSWD cites 47 seniors

Lacuna said.

“What we present is based on what the barangay needs and the direction the mayor wants, as well as all its members. We integrate them all,” he added.

In his first three years in office, Estrada has completed more than 150 infrastructure projects worth more than P7 billion, including 88 roads, 80 school buildings, 39 parks and playgrounds, 51 flood-control and drainage systems.

Ecowaste pushes for firecracker ban

By Dexter A. See BAGUIO CITY—The Cordillera office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development said 47 residents in the region have reached one hundred years old and are qualified to receive the P100,000 cash incentive from the government.

Melissa Catimo, DSWDCAR social pension coordinator, said the agency is just awaiting the downloading of the funds from the budget department prior to the awarding of the incentives to the qualified centenarians pursuant to the provisions of the Centennarian Act signed into law last June.

Baguio City had the highest number of recorded centenarians with 17 followed by Mountain Province with 9, Abra with 8, Apayao and Ifugao with 5 each and Kalinga with 3.

For Benguet, Catimo explained, the agency has yet to receive the official data to be transmitted by the concerned offices considering the earlier data submitted has been subjected to validation.

The DSWD-CAR official revealed the oldest living Cordilleran based on their available records is 112 years old.

Aside from the P100,000 one-time cash incentive, she added, the qualified centenarians will also be receiving plaques of recognition and other gifts from the government but those who will not be able to meet the prescribed deadline will be given the plaque of recognition minus the cash component.

creased determination in working toward the “rebirth of Manila” to renew the city’s old glory and economic growth, said Dennis Lacuna of the City Planning and Development Office.

The Comprehensive Development Plan is a compilation of Estrada’s vision for the local government unit in the next three years, integrating every barangay’s needs and what projects it requires to provide programs and services to its constituents,

DIALOG. The Indigenous Peoples Month celebration in the Cordillera Region kicks off with a traditional town hall meeting at the a dap-ay (circular gathering place made of stones) in Baguio City. PIA

A WASTE and pollution watch group has reiterated its call for a ban on firecrackers and other pyrotechnic devices following a deadly blast at a firecracker store in Bocaue, Bulacan earlier this week.

The EcoWaste Coalition, which has been conducting its ‘Iwas Paputoxic’ drive since 2003 to complement the government’s annual campaign against firecrackers, warned that more people would perish and suffer this year if the outdated habit of igniting firecrackers and fireworks continue unabated.

“We appeal to the government to turn the citywide Davao ban on firecrackers and fireworks into a nationwide regulation that will safeguard human health and the environment from hazardous emissions and wastes, and protect

the animals, too” said Aileen Lucero, EcoWaste Coalition national coordinator.

“It’s high time that the rule of law, particularly the enforcement of our environmental and animal welfare laws, prevails in our customary welcome of the New Year. It’s time to discard the dirty, dangerous and deadly New Year rites,” she added.

The group expressed optimism that the executive order being drafted by the Department of Health awould totally ban the manufacture, distribution and sale of firecrackers for individual and household use.

“As most of the victims of firecracker-related injuries are young children, we also hope that the EO would impose tough penalties to vendors selling firecrackers to minors,” Lucero said.

Makati city government bids out Peña contracts

THE Makati city government has opened for bidding contracts worth over half a billion pesos which were simply extended by the previous administration, instead of going through regular bidding process.

“In the interest of transparency, we have opened these services to public bidding,” Mayor Abby Binay said.

The mayor said the contracts were among those uncovered by her administration during her first two months in office. “After we conducted a review and evaluation of the

city’s programs and services, we found out that contracts amounting to P568.8 million were merely extended in 2015 and earlier this year,” she said.

She cited the problems that have plagued Ospital ng Makati since last year, including the lack of hospital supplies like medicines and laboratory supplies.

“We are taking urgent measures to address these problems and restore efficiency and compassion in our services,” Binay said.

Based on records from the city accounting department, the contracts were mainly for the supply of medications and other supplies for Ospital ng Makati and Makati Health Department, solid waste management services, and security, janitorial and building maintenance services for various city-run government agencies and institutions.

The extended contracts included the supply of medicines and other medical supplies, P33.3 million (2016) and P98.9

million (2015); security services for city hall buildings, public schools, health centers, police headquarters, fire station, parks, Makati Coliseum and other cityowned public facilities, P102.5 million (2016) and P125.6 million (2015); janitorial services for various facilities, P66.2 million (2016) and P92.7 million (2015); solid waste management services, P38.3 million (2016); and building maintenance services, P8.6 million (2016) and P2.8 million (2015).

PNP: Find shabu laboratories in Nueva Ecija

By Ferdie G. Domingo CABANATUAN CITY—The regional director of the Philippine National Police in Central Luzon has called on political leaders and ordinary citizens in Nueva Ecija to cooperate in locating possible shabu laboratories in the province.

“There is a strong possibility that a shabu laboratory is lurking somewhere in Nueva Ecija as shown by the big number of surrenderees,” Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino said.

“We just haven’t found it yet but I really believe there is a shabu lab in Nueva Ecija. Even Davao has,” he said, adding

that shabu laboratories have already been unearthed in Aurora, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac and Zambales.

Aquino also scolded barangay chairmen in the province, saying they should work harder in combatting the illegal drug trade.

“All they have to do is to check out if

there is a shabu lab or not or if this factory is into shabu making or not,” he said.

Earlier, Nueva Ecija provincial police director Sr. Supt. Manuel Cornel disclosed that 20 barangay chairmen are in their drug watch list while another 155 have refused to cooperate in the war against drugs.

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LGUs

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

NGCP plants 1.5-m seedlings

By Butch Gunio

B

ALANGA CITY, Bataan—Since the start of its operations in 2009, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has planted more than 1.5-million seedlings in over 1,500 hectares of land across the country.

“Indigenous and commercial or fruit-bearing trees such as rubber, cacao, coffee, durian, and rambutan were strategically spread across Region 1 in

North Luzon to Region 13 in Mindanao. Only those tree species that are native to the locality were considered for the greening program,” NGCP Regional Cor-

porate Communication officer Ernest Vidal said.

“These native trees are better suited to restore the natural ecological balance in the area as they draw in or invite species of plants and animals that complete the natural ecosystem, unlike exotic or imported species which absorb ground water and do not allow other species to thrive within their territory,” he added.

Vidal said the greening program not only helped enhance forest condition, it also provided sus-

tainable livelihood for people’s organizations such as the Samarsur Upland Farmer’s Association in Samar, Mt. Malaraya; the Malepunyo Watershed Protection Council in Laguna; and the MidtubukanSpringside-Fatima Land Dwellers Association in Bukidnon.

Some of the widest reforestation areas cover 90 hectares in the provinces of Samar and Eastern Samar, 81 hectares in Antique, and 50 hectares in Batangas.

“As partners in maintaining and protecting the reforested ar-

eas, POs are also able to make use of the plant byproducts as a source of food and/or agro-forestry business. To date, NGCP has partnered with around 50 POs to manage and protect the hectares-wide land,” the NGCP official said.

“NGCP’s partnership with POs do more than the management of the land. This also provides an avenue for the POs, especially among indigenous groups, to boost their socioeconomic situation. Fruit byprod-

ucts such as rambutan, cacao, coffee, and durian put food on their tables, and may also be an additional source of income when sold in the market. We ensure that our contributions to the environment also contribute to the welfare of the communities in the area,” he added.

Vidal said NGCP continues to look for more effective ways of adapting to climate change to lend support to the government’s environmental conservation and mitigation initiatives.

Aurora beach resorts have no ECCs

By Ferdie G. Domingo DINGALAN, Aurora—All 38 beach resorts in this coastal town in southern Aurora are operating without the required Environmental Compliance Certificates.

Dingalan Mayor Shierwin Taay said securing an ECC has gone out of fashion in the province.

“That is not a trend here,” Taay said.

An ECC is a requirement of the Environmental Management Bureau for any project in the country that poses a potential environmental risk or impact, such as mining, agriculture and construction projects.

The EMB issues the certificate but only after a thorough and positive review of the project’s application.

Taay explained that local resort owners could not secure an ECC because the beachfront is part of the so-called “salvage zone” which prohibits the setting up of structures 30 meters from the shoreline.

“The DENR prohibits resorts and other structures from being erected in the salvage zone so you can’t expect an ECC to be issued in favor of the resort owners,” he said.

In January, then provincial environment and natural resources officer Cyril Coliflores said that save for a few resorts and hotels in the capital town of Baler, all other establishments have failed to secure ECCs. The lack of the requisite ECC is posing a risk to the province’s tourism potentials, much like the pollution problem which is now hounding Boracay, said EMB regional director Lormelyn Claudio.

Coliflores said the holding capacities of resorts to accommodate the influx of tourists are going beyond the normal, with Aurora threatening to become another Boracay that is unable to sustainably absorb the tourism boom.

Claudio said the EMB plans to complete a master plan to make the entire province cope with the environmental demands of tourism.

MORE FUN IN BAGUIO. Beneficiaries of the government’s Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program enjoy a day of fun and learning as they take part in the Baguio Heritage and Eco-Tour in celebration of the 2016 World Tourism Day. PIA

Eight vie for P3-m bounty for Davao blast

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—The Public Safety and Security Command Center said they are still reviewing all the data provided by eight informants who are claiming that they have led to the arrest of the suspects behind the Roxas night market bombing last month.

PSSCC chief Ret. Gen. Benito de

Leon said it is only after the assessment that they can start the process of releasing the P3-million reward money.

“We will have to review that. We will wait for the final resolution of our local fiscal once a case has already been filed,” he said.

“If the case has already filed, then it would be a strong probable case and

basis for the individuals who will receive the reward,” De Leon said.

He said at least eight individuals have surfaced when the local court in Davao City released the warrant of arrest against the suspected bombers.

De Leon said they also have to resolve how many informants must get a share of the reward.

Earlier, the Special Investigation

Task Group Night Market confirmed that one of the apprehended suspects, identified as TJ Tagadaya Macabalang, was positively identified by the witnesses of the bloody incident.

Other arrested suspects were Wendel Apostol Facturan and Musali Mustapha. All three have denied their involvement in the Davao blast that claimed 15 lives and injure 69 others.

Muntinlupa bags award for business

JOB HUNTING. The provincial government of Ilocos Norte launches its mobile job application program to boost efforts at providing jobs to every Ilocano. PIA

Domogan: Fast-track development funds

By Dexter A. See BAGUIO CITY—The Special Committee on the North Luzon Growth Quadrangle must prioritize the full operation of the Loakan airport, the expansion of the Philippine Economic Zone Authority

and the completion of the inner and outer circumferential roads within the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) area to help spur economic growth in the region, Mayor Mauricio Domogan said here recently.

Domogan said since Baguio

is the jump-off point for tourists visiting the various tourist destinations in the region, there is an urgent need to reopen the Loakan airport to accommodate commercial flights after installing an instrument landing system.

Airlines stopped scheduling flights to Loakan airport more

than eight years ago because their planes had difficulty in maneuvering, especially during bad weather with zero visibility and what they saw as the inadequate length and width of the runway to serve bigger passenger and commercial planes.

Domogan urged the govern-

ment to find a second location for an expansion of the PEZA because numerous investors want to locate in the ecozone but it is full.

Doing so will spur economic growth in other areas by creating jobs and increasing revenues for local governments, he said.

THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry awarded a special citation to Muntinlupa City as one of the top five finalists in the Most Business-Friendly LGU Awards 2016.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi received the plaque of appreciation from the business chamber which recognized the city government’s efforts in implementing good governance in partnership with the private sector significantly benefiting its business community and citizenry.

Fresnedi said that the award serves as a testament to Muntinlupa City’s thrust in heralding inclusive growth through linkages with the local key business partners for common good.

“We envision Muntinlupa City to be one of the leading investment hubs in the country, hence, we in the local government continuously pave the way for investors to locate their businesses in the city,” he said.

The PCCI recognizes top local government units with business-friendly programs to spur development in localities annually.

Other cities from Metro Manila that qualified in the search were Quezon City, Pasig City, and Caloocan City.

Muntinlupa was also a recipient of the same citation last year for its best practices and notable projects for the improvement of economic growth in the area.

The city revels in its swift, convenient, and efficient innovation of business registration called the Single Window Transaction, adjudged as one of the winners in the 1st International Best Practice conducted by the Asian Productivity Organization and Development Academy of the Philippines.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

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Calls rise to dump Trump W

ASHINGTON―Some of the Republican Party’s biggest financial donors urged its national committee on Thursday to drop Donald Trump in the wake of accusations he sexually assaulted women, The New York Times reported.

In a further sign the Republican presidential candidate’s freefalling campaign is sowing deep divisions within a party in crisis, the paper quoted some of those who have given millions of dollars to Republicans as saying the scandal surrounding the real estate billionaire threatens the party

with lasting damage unless it repudiates him.

“At some point, you have to look in the mirror and recognize that you cannot possibly justify support for Trump to your children―especially your daughters,” Missouri businessman David Humphreys told

The New York Times, which said he contributed more than $2.5 million (2.3 million euros) in the last four years.

“He is a dangerous demagogue completely unsuited to the responsibilities of a United States president,” New York investor Bruce Kovner said in an email to the daily.

“Even for loyalists, there is a line beyond which the obvious moral failings of a candidate are impossible to disregard,” he wrote. “That line has been clearly breached.”

The criticism extends to Republican leaders who continue

to stick by Trump, including Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus.

“Reince should be fired and replaced with someone who has the competence and leadership skills to rebuild the RNC,” California investor William Oberndorf told the paper.

However, the party’s major donors have little leverage over a candidate who is relying largely on his own money and many small donations from his farright electoral base.

The party’s rift deepened on Monday, when House Speaker Paul Ryan―the party’s top

elected official―told hundreds of fellow House Republicans that he would no longer “defend” Trump.

Ryan said he would instead spend the remainder of the campaign focusing on protecting the Republican congressional majorities ahead of the November 8 election.

Since then, at least six women have accused Trump of making unwanted physical advances, most of them after Trump asserted in Sunday’s debate with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton that he had never sexually assaulted a woman.

The accusations surfaced after

a video emerged of Trump boasting in 2005 of groping women with impunity because he was famous, sending the White House race into unprecedented levels of vulgarity.

But the 70-year-old Trump remains defiant, castigating his accusers as “horrible liars” on Thursday and accusing Clinton of conspiring in a coordinated media attempt to sabotage his campaign.

Speaking to The New York Times, former RNC finance chairman Al Hoffman summed up the feeling among dissenting donors: “We’re headed for destruction.” AFP

SECURITY PLANT COMPLEX (SPC) DISPOSAL COMMITTEE NOTICE OF AUCTION The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its Disposal Committee, invites bidders to participate in the auction for the sale of the following: Item ITEM DESCRIPTION LOCATION FLOOR PRICE No. 1 1 Unit Komori Sheet Fed double PHP47,503,698.85 deck 6 x 6 colors offset printing press with rainbow printing device 2 1 Unit Automatic Assembly and Bldg. B 13,809,284.57 Finishing Machine 3 1 Unit Automatic Folding Machine 318,897.00 4 5

2 Units Fornigrafica Pressing Machine 1 Unit Special double semiautomatic book pressing machine

4,960.00 301,339.42

The schedule of activities is as follows: 1. Issuance of Bid Documents Room 405, 4th Floor, Building A, Starting date: 17 October 2016 BSP SPC, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Date/Time : 17 October 2016 to 2. Inspection of Items for Auction 21 October 2016 at 9:00 am and 1:00 p.m.

Date/Time: 20 October 2016 3. Pre-bid Conference at 9:00 am 4. Opening of Bids 3/F Staff Dining Date/Time: 26 October 2016 Room at 10:00 a.m.

IN THE NEWS. Beauty queen and actress Alicia Machado attends the Metropolitan Fashion Week Closing Gala & Awards Show on October 1, 2016, at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California. The former Miss Universe, whom Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton mentioned during the first presidential debate, has been the subject of derisive tweets from Clinton’s Republican opponent Donald Trump. AFP

Hope for deal to scrap greenhouse gases KIGALI, Rwanda―Hopes were high Friday that world envoys at a meeting in Rwanda will agree a deal to phase out the use of a potent greenhouse gas used in refrigerators and air conditioners.

Officials traveling with US Secretary of State John Kerry

said they were optimistic that up to 200 nations would agree to end the use of hydrofluorocarbons or HFCs. These gases were introduced in the 1990s to replace chemicals that had been found to erode the ozone layer, but turned out to be catastrophic for

Terrified residents flee in northern Myanmar SITTWE, Myanmar―Terrified residents were fleeing northern Myanmar on Friday, thousands leaving on foot and others airlifted out by helicopter, as troops hunted through torched villages for those behind the attacks on police that have raised fears Rakhine state could again be torn apart.

Local officials believe hundreds of people from the area, home to many from the persecuted Muslim Rohingya minority, spent months planning attacks on police posts along the Bangladesh border that sparked the crisis this week.

Dozens of people have died in an ensuing military lockdown, sparking fears of a repeat of 2012 when sectarian clashes ripped through Rakhine leaving more than 100 dead and driving tens of thousands into displacement camps.

Troops and police have repelled multiple onslaughts on a security office by 50 “violent attackers” and captured a fifth suspect, state media reported on Friday.

Meanwhile families have streamed down the roads around Maungdaw town on foot, their worldly possessions stuffed into carrier bags and plastic buckets or strapped to the front of bicycle rickshaws.

Around 180 teachers, workers and residents were also airlifted out of the region at the epicenter of the crisis, while hundreds of government staff have poured into the state capital Sittwe.

On the ground in Maungdaw,

an AFP journalist reported seeing clouds of smoke billowing from a village Thursday near charred remains of two dozen bamboo houses that the military said “terrorists” had torched the previous day.

Troops have killed 26 people since deadly raids on border posts Sunday, according to state media. Nine police died that night, and four more soldiers have lost their lives in ensuing clashes.

Witnesses say troops used Sunday’s attacks as an excuse for a crackdown against them, gunning down unarmed Muslim civilians in the street. The military say they have been defending themselves from armed attackers.

Most residents in northern Rakhine are Rohingya, a stateless minority branded illegal immigrants from Bangladesh by many from Myanmar’s Buddhist majority.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation issued a statement calling for calm, after receiving “disturbing reports of extra-judicial killings of Rohingya Muslims, burning of houses, and arbitrary arrests by security forces”.

Rakhine state government spokesman Min Aung said the border post assailants had spent months plotting the raids, which were originally intended to hit as many as seven targets.

“There are about 200 to 300 currently in the group,” he told reporters in Sittwe, declining to explain how he knew. AFP

global warming.

Banning HFCs―also found in aerosols and foam insulation―could slow the global temperature increase by half a degree Celsius by the end of the century.

Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame is hosting the meet-

ing and on Friday was to meet Kerry, one of around 40 ministerial level delegates in his east African country’s capital.

Opening the conference this week, Kagame said that eradicating HFCs “will make our world safer and more prosperous.” AFP

Republic of the Philippines

The BSP reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to declare the bidding a failure, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any given time prior to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the bidders.

Furthermore, the BSP reserves the right to waive any minor defect or formality and to accept the proposal most advantageous to the Bank.

(MS-OCT. 15,16 & 17, 2016)

(SGD) ROUENA L. ROSAL Chairperson

Republic of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources MINES AND GEOSCIENCES BUREAU North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City. Philippines Tel. No. (+632) 928-8642/928-8937 Fax No. (+632) 920-1635 E-mail: central@mgb.gov.ph

INVITATION TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID One (1) Lot Laboratory Equipment ITB 2016-10-075 P.R. No. 2016-06-585 1. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for CY 2016 intends to apply the sum of Two Million Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP2,200,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for One (1) Lot Laboratory Equipment . Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected during opening of bids.

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE Roxas Boulevard Corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. Street Manila 1004 INVITATION TO BID FOR THE UPGRADING OF DOF-OSEC AUDIO VIDEO CONFERENCING SYSTEM 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

The DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE (DOF), through the Government of the Philippines under the General Appropriations Act for FY 2016, intends to apply the sum of Four Million Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP 4,500,000.00), being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Upgrading of Audio Video Conferencing System (the “Project”). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

The DOF, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), now invites Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) registered contractors to apply for eligibility and to bid for the Upgrading of DOF-OSEC Audio Video Conferencing System (DOF). Bidders should have completed, within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project which is equivalent to at least fifty percent (50%) of the ABC for the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (R-IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. However, only those who have purchased the Bidding Documents shall be allowed to participate in the pre-bid conference and raise or submit written queries or clarifications.

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

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat and inspect the Bidding Documents at 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex, corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. St. Roxas Boulevard, Manila starting October 17, 2016 during office hours.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on October 17, 2016 at the General Services Division, 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex, corner Pablo Ocampo Sr. St., Roxas Blvd., Manila upon payment of a non-refundable fee Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00).

The Bidding Documents may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the PhilGEPS and the website of the DOF, provided that the Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The schedule of bidding activities is as follows: ACTIVITIES Posting of Invitation to Bid Issuance and Availability of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Request for Clarification Issuance of Supplemental Bid Bulletin Deadline for Submission of Bids Opening of Bids

SCHEDULE October 15, 2016 Starting October 17, 2016 October 24, 2016, 10:00 am October 30, 2016 (by email) November 2 , 2016 November 9, 2016, 9:45 am November 9, 2016, 10:00 am

Bids must be delivered at the 7th Floor, EDPC Building cor. P. Ocampo Sr. St., Manila on or before November 9, 2016, 9:45 am. The bidders shall drop their duly accomplished eligibility requirements, technical and financial proposals in two (2) separate envelopes in the bid box located at the abovementioned address. All the Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Instructions to Bid (ITB) Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on the date indicated above at the DFG Conference Room, 4th Floor DOF Building. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend.

“LATE BIDS SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED.” 9. The DOF reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

10. For further information, please refer to: 8.

Lilia R. Tan, Head - BAC Secretariat Department of Finance BAC Secretariat, General Services Division 7th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex P. Ocampo, Sr. Street corner Roxas Boulevard, Manila Telephone No.: 526-8475 Telefax No.: 525-4227 Email Address: ltan@dof.gov.ph (SGD) GIL S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and DOF-BAC Chairman

The MGB now invites bids for Procurement of One (1) Lot Laboratory Equipment: Portable X-Ray Flourescence for Mineral Analysis Delivery of the Goods is required within thirty (30) days upon receipt of Notice to Proceed (NTP). Bidders should have completed, within Five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II (Instructions to Bidders).

2. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

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

3. Interested bidders may obtain further information from MGB and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours, from 9:00AM to 4:00PM. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from October 17 to 28, 2016 at the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Two Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (PhP2,500.00).

Preview of specifications/scope of work can be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (Phil-GEPS).

4. The MGB will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on October 19, 2016, Wednesday at 2:00PM, at the Office of the Bids and Awards Committee, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

5. Bids must be delivered to the address below on November 02, 2016, Wednesday, on or before 1:30PM. Late bids shall not be accepted.

All Bids must be accompanied by a Bid Securing Declaration or any other bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on November 02, 2016, Wednesday, 2:00PM, at the Office of the MGB-Bids and Awards Committee. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend.

6. The MGB reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

7. For further information, please refer to: HOWELL M. MAPOY Head, Secretariat Bids and Awards Committee North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Telephone No. 667-6700 loc. 153 or 156 E-mail: bac@mgb.gov.ph Website: www.mgb.gov.ph (SGD) Engr. JUANCHO PABLO S. CALVEZ BAC Chairman (MS-OCT. 15, 2016)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

Bermuda ready to pick up the pieces

World

BREAK. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and TV host Ellen DeGeneres talk during a commercial break of the taping of the Ellen Show in Burbank, California. AFP

MIAMI―A weakening hurricane Nicole began moving away from Bermuda after slamming into the tiny British archipelago Thursday, though wind gusts of tropical storm force were still possible, the National Hurricane Center said.

“Weakening is forecast during the next couple of days, but Nicole is expected to remain at hurricane intensity even though it could become a post-tropical cyclone on Saturday,” the Miami-based center said in its latest public advisory.

Nicole was moving toward the northeast at 33 kilometers per hour with maximum sustained winds near 110 miles per hour.

The NHC had classified the hurricane as an “extremely dangerous” Category Three storm when it hit, just two notches shy of top intensity level on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

“It’s been a long day,” Premier Michael Dunkley told local media, though he said the worst had passed without causing any deaths or serious injuries.

“I’m certainly proud... to be able to work with so many people who stand the test of time and meet a real challenge,” the premier said, before asking islanders to stay off the roads to ease clean-up efforts. AFP

Russia war rhetoric spikes MOSCOW―State television threatens the West with nuclear weapons, the Kremlin halts a disarmament treaty, the army warns of shooting down US jets. As the ties between Russia and the West have once again slumped, the rhetoric in Moscow has peaked.

“Relations between Russia and the US, and the West in general, have been dragged down to the bottom, to a level below which it is difficult to fall,” Konstantin Kalachev, the head of the Moscowbased Political Expert Group think tank, told AFP. But it wasn’t meant to be like this.

Just over a month ago Moscow and Washington inked a deal to revive a ceasefire in Syria and the Kremlin seemed to have scored a tactical win by getting the United States to open the door to coordinate strikes against jihadists.

The agreement―hammered out after repeated rounds of exhaust-

ing talks―appeared a potential breakthrough in Syria’s civil war and years of bad blood and furious mudslinging between Moscow and Washington sparked by the Ukraine crisis.

Many, however, were skeptical that the Kremlin and the White House, on opposite sides in Syria, could begin to bury the hatchet― and so it proved.

Soon the truce collapsed and as the violence spiraled, so did the ferocious acrimony.

Washington suspended talks with the Kremlin on Syria; Moscow tore up a treaty on disposing weapons-grade plutonium; the

West accused Russia and Syria of potential war crimes in their brutal attacks on rebel-held east Aleppo.

The US then formally accused Moscow of hacking American institutions to interfere in its looming presidential election.

“Russia went further, turning a local breakdown in bilateral relations into a global one,” wrote Alexander Baunov from the Carnegie Moscow Center.

As President Vladimir Putin suspended the plutonium deal, he slapped on a raft of staggering conditions for it to be restarted: Washington needed to pull back forces in eastern Europe, scrap sanctions

and pay Moscow compensation.

“The kind of talk that Russian leaders have formerly kept to themselves has now burst into the open, like a solar flare,” Baunov wrote.

Quickly, Russia’s slavish state TV and attack-dog spokespeople picked up the baton.

On his weekly Sunday night show, leading presenter Dmitry Kiselyov menaced that any aggression from the West towards Russia had a “nuclear dimension”.

Meanwhile defense ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov made a point of warning Washington that new defense systems Mos-

cow had shipped to Syria meant that any unidentified aircraft flying overhead would get a “surprise”.

Coincidence or not, the spike in rhetoric came as Russia held a series of events that seemed to suggest the country was gearing up for war.

Across the country the authorities said around 40 million people were taking part in civil defense drills, including evacuating buildings and fire alerts.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev―who helped end the Cold War―warned that the world had reached a “dangerous point.” AFP

Official mourning begins for Bhumibol BANGKOK―Massive crowds of blackclad Thais lined Bangkok’s streets Friday hoping to see King Bhumibol Adulyadej’s body borne to his palace, as the nation grieved for a monarch whose passing leaves the country facing an uncertain future.

Bhumibol, the world’s longest-reigning monarch, passed away at 88 on Thursday after years of ill health, ending seven decades as a stabilizing figure in a nation of deep political divisions.

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 64, is the king’s named successor but has made a surprise request to delay formally assuming the throne, according to Thailand’s junta leader, who appealed for citizens to “not cause chaos”.

A sea of reverent mourners, sprinkled with umbrellas against the harsh tropical sun, thronged sidewalks along the route of a royal motorcade that will bear the king from the hospital where he died to his glittering nearby palace complex.

Thousands of others, many holding his portrait, waited at the palace compound, shattered by the loss of the only king most have ever known and expressing anxiety for the future.

Some mourners at the hospital fainted in the heat and were carried away on stretchers, AFP journalists said.

Phongsri Chompoonuch, 77, clutched the late monarch’s portrait as she walked towards the palace.

“No matter how far it is, I can walk,” she said, her voice shaking and eyes glistening with tears.

“We no longer have him. I don’t know whether I can accept that. I fear, because I don’t know what will come next,” she added.

At the palace, the crown prince was to preside over the bathing of the king’s body, a traditional Buddhist funeral rite.

Months of palace rituals were to follow, including at least 100 days of chanting by monks.

Thais had expected Vajiralongkorn to be officially proclaimed king immediately.

But military junta leader Prayut ChanO-Cha late Thursday announced the prince had sought a delay to mourn and prepare

for the crown.

Bhumibol was seen as a pillar of stability during his politically turbulent 70-year reign, and uncertainty for the future rests largely on doubts over whether his son can exert the same calming moral authority.

The crown prince spends much of his time overseas and does not command the reverence at home that his father did.

There was no indication of a threat to the crown prince’s eventual succession, however, and analysts said the pause could merely be out of respect for the deeply revered king.

Strict lese majeste laws muffle detailed discussion of the sensitive succession issue.

“We maybe shouldn’t read too much into (the delay),” said David Streckfuss, an expert on the Thai monarchy.

“But we have already departed from what should have been a normal succession process. An element of ambiguity has been injected into the situation.”

The junta overthrew the democratically elected government of Yingluck Shinawatra in 2014, saying it wanted to end a decade of political strife.

Yingluck’s brother, exiled tycoon Thaksin Shinawatra, had previously been ousted in a 2006 coup, and tensions have simmered between his throngs of supporters and a competing faction seen as aligned to the crown and military.

Some analysts believe the 2014 takeover was prompted in part by concerns over an unstable succession in which Thaksin’s faction could seek to exert influence.

Bhumibol’s reign saw decades of rapid economic development but also frequent military coups that set back democracy.

Although the king approved most of the army’s many successful coups, he also sometimes intervened to quell political violence, and his loss worries some Thais.

“Now I am afraid of what may happen, about the administration of the country, the type of regime in the long term,” said Arnon Sangwiman, a 54-year-old electricity company employee.

Government offices and state-run enterprises were closed out of respect Friday, but commercial activity otherwise carried on as usual. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

WEEKEND LIVING

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LOVE AND ACCEPTANCE

PART OF THE FAMILY. It is important for foster and adoptive parents to introduce the concept of adoption to their child early on and explain that it comes from a place of love and acceptance.

“A

MPON ka lang! (You’re just adopted!),” spoken with anger and disgust, is what we usually hear in telenovelas and films. The stigma in adoption and foster care affects children and their families in more ways than one.

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician Jan Harold Sia of Makati Medical Center shares some insights on the significance of promoting and supporting proper healthcare for adopted and foster care children and their families.

“Adoption or going through foster care changes a child’s world,” Sia points out. “These children are often ignored.

We don’t hear about them because nobody talks about them and their emotional challenges. It is high time we recognize and provide care and attention for these children and their families.”

Foster care is a temporary care provided to minors (younger than 18 years old) who have lost their parents, or who

cannot be cared for by their parents. He or she is placed in the care of a “foster parent” or “foster family” until his or her permanent placement with a family either through reunification with natural parents or through adoption.

Adoption refers to the legal act where an adult becomes the guardian of a minor and gains the rights and responsibilities of a parent at the same time terminating the legal rights and responsibilities of the minor’s biological parents. Foster care sometimes lead to legal adoption.

Adopted children or children in foster care have experiences that they may not know how to properly communicate. “Sadly, the reality is most of these

children are victims of neglect, abuse or abandonment. These childhood experiences are significant risk factors for developmental and behavioral problems,” says Sia, who cautions that being adopted or being under foster care does not automatically mean the child will have developmental, behavioral or mental health problems. That is why it is important to know the child’s story, first and foremost.

According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), abandonment and neglect are the top two cases of child abuse that they receive.

More than 2,000 cases were turned over to the DSWD in 2014. Between the years 2009 to 2015, over 4,000 Filipino children were declared up for adoption.

Given these cases and the rising number of children being taken out of the streets and into the foster care system, the government also stresses the importance of having these kids taken and accepted into loving homes.

To answer the question “How are

we going to tell our child that he or she is adopted?” Sia recommends to introduce the word “adoption” or the Filipino word “ampon” into the child’s vocabulary as early as possible. Later on, parents can introduce the word’s meaning and the concept of adoption in a manner that matches the child’s developmental level and understanding, and explain that it comes from a place of love and acceptance.

“We want to make sure that the children are healthy physically, mentally and emotionally,” says Sia. “As for the adoptive parents, we can help them through the challenges of adoption.

They need a venue where they can safely and freely talk about their feelings and concerns about adopting a child and about being adoptive parents, and how to communicate with and become a parent to a child who may be emotionally or psychologically fragile. For those who already have biological children, we can talk about how this decision will impact their family relationship.”

“On the other hand, for the birth parents or birth mother who ‘lost’ a child through adoption, they need help in coming to terms with their feelings of loss and grief,” Sia continues.

“It all begins with providing support by letting these children and families know that there are people who can help and support them throughout this journey,” he says.

“MakatiMed provides healthcare for all, but also recognizes the unique health needs of children and youth who are adopted or who are in foster care,” adds Rita EspirituDolendo, MD, chairperson of the Department of Pediatrics.

“MakatiMed is open to those families in this situation who wish to seek consultations and support from experts,” she concludes.

For more information, contact MakatiMed On-Call at (02) 8888-999, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph or visit www. makatimed.net.ph.

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Associate Dean for Culture and Arts Cluster Dr. Sunita Mukhi (fifth from left) receives the 20-volume Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts donated by the Fo Guang Shan Mabuhay Temple

Buddhist workshop at Benilde THE Venerable Jue Huang of The Fo Guang Shan Mabuhay Temple in Manila recently held a lecture on Entering Empty Village, following a workshop on the creative process at the Black Box of the School of Design and Arts (SDA) at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB).

The topic introduced the Buddhist

concept of the Six Sense Organs to equip participants to master and discover these in themselves. It allows them to examine the creative process and their relationship to their creation.

“Although Art History classes under SDA’s Design Foundation Department have attended special lectures at the Temple along Vito Cruz in Manila, this was the first time

Buddhist monks held a workshop within CSB.” said SDA Culture and Arts Cluster Associate Dean Dr. Sunita Mukhi.

The event was co-organized by Terrie Martinez, a former faculty of the Design Foundation Department.

To commemorate this momentous affair, The Fo Guang Shan Mabuhay Temple surrendered a 20-volume En-

cyclopedia of Buddhist Arts to Dr. Mukhi, as a gift for the college.

The encyclopedia, which has been compiled by the Taiwan-based Fo Guang Shan, covers the range of Buddhist art, from architecture, grottoes, sculpture, painting, crafts, calligraphy and seals, and important artists. It contains 3.8 million Chinese characters of text and more than

15,000 images.

The Fo Guang Shan Mabuhay Temple, formally known as International Buddhist Progress Society of Manila, Philippines, follows Humanistic Buddhism, a modernized style of Buddhist teaching as propagated

by The Venerable Master Hsing Yun, spiritual founder and teacher of the order.

Life

D2

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

S

INCE 1912, Electrolux has been revolutionizing the cleaning industry with wellthought designs and efficient technologies that offer the ultimate cleaning experience for homes across the globe.

A century of cleaning

expertise and innovations Model V

Only nine years later, the next vacuum cleaner, Model V was introduced. Model V was a perfect example of how Electrolux pioneered innovative thinking. The new vacuum was completely different than the relatively heavy and immobile Lux 1. The Model V was the first vacuum turned sideways and it was equipped with runners also making it the first truly mobile vacuum cleaner. The Model V was such a success that Swedish maids protested when it was launched.

Another of Wenner-Gren’s pioneering moves was the introduction of home sales.

The sales representatives would showcase the new product, while at the same time meet with the decision maker who would eventually approve the investment, as well as gain valuable insights on how consumers actually used the products. In the Philippines, children of the ‘80s would surely remember the Electrolux man and his famous “Knock on your door” jingle as he sold vacuum cleaners from door to door.

Through the years, Electrolux also pioneered other firsts such as the first robotic vacuum cleaner and the

Lux 1

Considered a visionary and sales genius, company founder Axel Wenner-Gren saw the potential of adapting the industrial vacuum cleaner for use in homes, marking the beginning of the end for brooms in the modern home. Enter the Lux 1 in 1912, the world’s first home vacuum cleaner affordable, efficient and smaller than its industrial counter par ts (though still weighing a hefty 14 kg!).

Electrolux ErgoClean ZVE4110FL

ErgoClean ZVE4110FL is the perfect balance between performance and design.

Understanding that space is a premium in urban homes, ErgoClean addresses the need for convenience and flexibility - its compact body ensures easy storage and its 4G cyclonic technology provides powerful suctioning for optimal cleaning.

How much can you really save on an inverter refrigerator?

INVERTER technology has revolutionized home appliances, bringing greater energy efficiencies that translate to more savings. In particular, refrigerators—which traditionally consume almost 1,800kwh/

year—are now being designed with digital inverter compressors that cut down electricity consumption from about 500 to 380kwh/year.

Digital inverters are fast becoming the standard for modern home refrigerators.

However, innovations are pushing the limits of what inverters can do to help households enjoy real savings from their appliances.

Greater efficiency, less power

Inverter compressors adapt to the cooling needs of refrigerators. Unlike conventional counterparts that consume the same amount of energy whether the fridge is frequently used or not, inverter compressors “slow down” when they don’t need to actively decrease the temperature, such as at night. This lessens energy consumption while reducing wear and tear on the compressor.

Haier takes the technology a step further with its FICA Ref Series.

“Our FICA Ref Series is equipped with an FD-Plus inverter compressor, which is integrated into a single conversion chip for better reliability compared with other inverter compressors,” said Haier’s Senior Product Manager for Refrigerators and Air Conditioners, Jennifer Samson.

Home appliances company Haier introduces to the Philippine market its FICA Ref Series which is equipped with inverter compressor that consumes low electricity

Previous compressors from the brand had frequency plates that consumed 0.6W on standby power. The newer FD-Plus inverter compressor cuts this down further to less than 0.1W when idle—the lowest in the refrigerator industry.

“The chip also runs on a 32-bit operating system, unlike typical digital inverters that run on a 16-bit OS. This greatly enhances cooling performance for better food storage and cost efficiency,” Samson added.

All in all, the FD-Plus inverter consumes power from 245 to 310kwh/year.

“The cost of electricity is often a major setback when it comes to modern conveniences like refrigerators,” Samson said. “This is a challenge that Haier wants to address to help families enjoy life at home without the high cost.”

These benefits come on top of other features such as a 360-degree duct that allows pervasive cooling air flow, a brighter LED lamp that saves more energy, tempered glass shelving that can load up to 120kg of food, and anti-odor and anti-bacterial deodorizer that helps preserve food quality.

Haier’s two-door top-mount FICA refrigerators are available in three different sizes: 8.5, 9.3, and 11.1 cubic feet. The suggested retail price for each is P20,998, P23,598, and P26,598 respectively.

All FICA refrigerators come with a two-year warranty on parts and labor, as well as a ten-year warranty for the compressor.

“Home appliances should be designed to enhance the lifestyle of the consumer.

That’s why for the Filipino market, Haier combines good quality, affordable cost, and excellent after-sales service to provide every family with the comfort they deserve,” ended Samson.

For more details, visit www.haier. com/ph.

Ergorapido, the first cordless stick cleaner that complimented the trend of grab-and-go cleaning.

Backed by 100 years of heritage, Electrolux has since proven its understanding and knowledge on consumer needs leading to insightful and inspiring innovations.

In recognition of its design and innovations, Electrolux vacuum

cleaners have received numerous acknowledgements and remarkable awards including; the Swedish ‘Good Design’ Award, the ‘Red Dot’ Design Award, the ‘iF Design’ Award, the ‘Plus X’ Award for ‘high quality, design and ease of use.’ and the ‘European Excellence & Eurobest’ Award for outstanding European PR communications.

Electrolux Flexio II Z931

In addition to bringing cleaning performance to every corner of your home, the Electrolux Flexio II Z931 wet and dry vacuum cleaner ensures superior suction power for excellent dust pick-up with its large drum capacity. Flexio II also features an effective filtration system that traps dust and airborne particles, resulting in a more hygienic cleaning process.

Live free of dust and leave cleaning in the hands of Electrolux.

For more ideas on home care and healthy living, please visit electrolux.com.ph, and follow instagram.com/electroluxph, and facebook.com/ElectroluxPhilippines.

Dr. James Rouse shares steps to increase positive energy, vitality meaningful family NATUROPATHmoments, exercisIC doctor, entreing, and putting preneur, and huquality food on the man performance table every day and expert Dr. James night. They opt to Rouse is all set have work-life balto energize audiance, and strongly ences at the 2016 encourage other Healthy Options people to reclaim Talks dubbed “Vitheir awesome lives tamins of Life: today.

Eat, Think, Move, Making simple Thrive.”

The lifestyle shifts, wellness event Rouse noted, can will unfold on Oct. diminish the im18 atShangri-La pact of toxins and Fort, in cooperacan naturally keep tion with worldthe body in balclass gym, Kerry ance.

Sports.

Both Healthy Rouse and his Options (the counwife Debra have Wellness expert Dr. James Rouse will try’s leading alllong been em- give a talk on making simple lifestyle natural products powering people shifts to improve health store) and Dr. to take charge of their health and discover their innate James Rouse are committed to inspirhealing capability. As Rouse conveys ing people to achieve the vibrant, high in the book, Think Eat Move Thrive: performance lives they deserve.

Tickets to “Vitamins of Life: Eat, The Practice for an Awesome Life, the daily practice of thinking, eating and Think, Move, Thrive” are available moving, when mindfully and proac- at any Healthy Options branch. Ticktively integrated and embraced with et prices are P1,000 for Healthy Opeach passing day, can benefit people tions Gold Card Members; P1,500 for Healthy Options Green Card Memin a huge way.

Rouse, also a healthy lifestyle ex- bers; and P2,000 Non-Members. Part pert, and his wife do not merely speak of the “Vitamins of Life” event that atabout wellness. They live health, vi- tendees may avail is a complimentary tality and wellness. In every health meditation session, yoga or spinning forum he serves as guest speaker, he class at Kerry Sports. In the evening, does not tell the audience something the live seminar featuring Dr. James he and his wife do not do themselves. will be followed by book signing.

Interested participants may visit They are busy doctors and entrepreneurs with numerous work commit- Healthy Options, contact (+63)917ments, yet they make sure they spend 5374768 or email marketing@healthytime nurturing friendships, enjoying options.com.ph for more information.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

Bestselling young adult novel now a movie

Laguna model, Sagada cop win

Misters of Filipinas 2016

WINNER’S CIRCLE. The victorious fine men who walked home bagged the coveted titles in the recently concluded male pageant, Misters of Filipinas

M

IGUEL Mari Guia of San Pablo, Laguna and Christopher Comicho Dulagan of Sagada, Mountain Province were named Mister International Philippines 2016 and Man of the World Philippines 2016, respectively, during the finals of Misters of Filipinas 2016 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila recently.

The 27-year-old, 5-foot-11, Guia, an aspiring real estate broker from a family of models, earned the right to represent the country at the Mister International 2016 in Bangkok, Thailand on Dec. 19. Guia won the Face of Misters and Mister One Canvas Dulagan, a 23-year-old, 5-foot-10 Sagada native and Police Inspector,

widely predicted to win one of the titles at stake, will compete at the Man of the World 2016 international pageant, which will be held in the country for the first time next year. PINSP Dulagan takes pride in being of service to his fellow men in his capacity as officer in charge of the Plaza Miranda PCP-MPD police best practice “feeding program,”

which is related to his personal advocacy to help the poor street children, LGBT group and old people.

Other winners were Albay’s Issa Janda, a 21-year-old 6-foot-1 criminology student. He won the title Man of the Year Philippines 2016 succeeding Karan Singhdole, who won the Man of the Year 2016 international title. Janda also won the best in formal wear special award. He quit his title as Mister United Continents Philippines 2016.

CJ Querol of Pandi, Bulacan, popularly known in social media as the good-looking “gasoline boy” won Manhunt International Philippines 2016 succeeding Don McGyver Cochico. Alberto Rodulfo “AR” De la Serna, who finished first runner up last year, won the Mister Supranational

Philippines 2016 title and will compete at the inaugural Mister Supranational pageant in Poland.

Vincent Jarina from Bacolod, Negros Occidental won the Mister Asian Philippines 2016.

A business management student and member of the basketball team of Trinity University of Asia won the Media’s Choice award. He will be at the Mister Asia pageant.

The Mister Congeniality award went to Jonathan Maniquis of San Jose Del Monte; Mister Talent, Best in Ethnic Wear and Mister Online Popularity special awards went to John Glenn Seridon of Cagayan Valley; and Mister Photogenic was Roberto Lim Jr. of Romblon.

Words and photos: Eton B. Concepcion

‘Talking Tom’ and ‘Grizzy & The Lemmings’

THE much anticipated feature film adaptation of Lauren Kate’s worldwide bestselling young adult novel, Fallen comes to the big screen with a cast of exciting young stars and directed by award-winning Australian director Scott Hicks.

Starring Addison Timlin, Jeremy Irvine, and Harrison Gilbertson alongside Joely Richardson, Lola Kirke, Sianoa Smit-McPhee, Daisy Head, Hermione Corfield, and Malachi, Fallen is seen through the eyes of Lucinda “Luce” Price, a strong-willed 17-year-old living a seemingly ordinary life until she is accused of a crime she didn’t commit.

Sent off to the imposing Sword & Cross reform school, Luce finds herself being courted by two young men to whom she feels oddly connected. Isolated and haunted by strange visions, Luce begins to unravel the secrets of her past and discovers the two men are fallen angels, competing for her love for centuries. Luce must choose where her feelings lie, pitting Heaven against Hell in an epic battle over true love.

“I’m delighted to have directed Fallen, I was drawn in by the intriguing premise of Lauren Kate’s story, the powerful array of memorable characters, and the timeless romance between Luce and Daniel. I enjoyed working with a very fine cast, including the exceptionally promising talents of Addison, Jeremy and Harrison, and the remarkable Joely Richardson,” says director Hicks.

Fallen opens on Nov. 9 in cinemas nationwide, from Pioneer Films. Trailer link: https://youtu. be/Gryva0UWv1c

on Boomerang

BOOMERANG, the home for iconic and family-friendly shows, premieres two new shows this October – Grizzy & The Lemmings and Talking Tom and Friends.

At 5:20 p.m. every Wednesday, get ready for some bear-sized belly laughs as alpine bear Grizzy and his neighboring tribe of pesky, mischievous lemmings battle for forest supremacy in nonstop nonsensical antics in Grizzy & The Lemmings. This playful family comedy follows the adventures of these kooky critters, whether they are as big as a bear or as small as a lemming, they attempt to co-exist in the Canadian wilderness.

Meanwhile, Saturday mornings, immerse yourself in the real lives of Talking Tom and Friends as they make the most out of their talents and create amazing new apps. The Internet

talking cat sensation Tom, together with his friends Angela, Hank, Ben and Ginger show us behind the scenes of their organization of cuteness as part of Boomerang’s new Caturdays programming block starting at 11 a.m..

Boomerang is available on SKYcable Channel 118 and Cignal Channel 39.

Prince Stefan as Nico, the gay lover of Ali (JC Santos)

Will JC find love in Prince Stefan?

MORE kilig moments await viewers as another love story unfolds between Ali and Nico, played by Prince Stefan, who recently joined that cast of the ABS-CBN primetime series Till I Met You. Prince, who plays Nico, is Ali’s (JC Santos) new love interest, is thankful for the positive feedback he has received from fans since he first appeared in the JaDine-led series.

“It’s fun working with the cast, especially JC. I respect him as an actor and as a person,” said Prince.

“I am grateful to be in the same room with JaDine. This is such a huge blessing.”

“I can really identify with the character of Nico. It’s not hard to

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Saturday, October 15, 2016

ACROSS 1 Corduroy ribs 6 Gator ender 9 Loathe 14 Bakery enticement 15 “Don’t have a —, man!”

16 Nonchalant 17 Cajun dish (2 wds.)

19 Falcon’s refuge 20 A mean Amin 21 Cartridge fillers 22 Jacket feature 23 Pealed 25 Machine part 26 Leave on a trip 29 Vegas sight 31 Ascertains 32 Called from the Tyrol 36 Loafer part 37 Mantra chants 38 Shortening 40 FBI ploy 43 Lodge builder 45 Pharaoh’s amulet 46 Cure 47 Burst of energy 50 Sight for a psychic 51 Mowbray and Ladd

52 Gone by 54 Diner sandwich 57 Arroyo 58 Rash 61 Parrot’s word 62 Luau welcome 63 Maureen of film 64 Investment 65 PC button 66 Organic compound DOWN 1 Ravine 2 Bone-dry 3 Petty or Loughlin 4 911 responder 5 Remark 6 Doing great 7 Wharf 8 Lambs’ parents 9 Mother-of-pearl source 10 Baa or moo 11 Zeppo’s brother 12 Willow twig 13 Fishing gear 18 Skating venues 23 More uncommon 24 Ode inspirer 25 Retina cell 26 Subway opposites

27 Cat’s plaint 28 Island near Java 29 Dryad 30 Aurora, to Plato 33 Burro alternative 34 Chalet feature 35 A memorable Scott 37 Wood for floors 39 Good for cacti 41 Close range 42 HBO alternative 43 Insensitive clod 44 Poet’s “always” 47 Fishtails

48 Becomes tiresome 49 Male relative 50 Tomato jelly 51 Ottoman title 52 Carpet thickness 53 Iowa college town 54 Freight hauler 55 Entice 56 Autocrat of yore 59 Bunion site 60 Cousins of “um”

portray the role. I want to thank ABS-CBN and Dreamscape for this opportunity,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ali and Nico have started getting to know each better after going on a date. However, Iris and Basti, both concerned about Ali, followed him to make sure he would not be taken advantage of, hurting their friend’s feelings.

Will Nico be the one to help Ali forget about his feelings for Basti?

How will Basti and Iris express their support for Ali? Don’t miss the scenes showing that real love wins in Til I Met You, weeknights after Magpahanggang Wakas on ABS-CBN or on ABSCBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).

A scene from ‘Fallen,’ a romantic fantasy based on a novel of the same name

Showbiz

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

D4

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2016

ALDEN RICHARDS

graces Give a Bag of Hope closing event

Convergys brand ambassador Alden Richards lends his hand to a meaningful cause; (inset) the employees of the country’s largest private employer join the Pambansang Bae in the campaign initiated by the company in 2015

I

T SEEMS Alden Richards is truly ubiquitous these days. He is seen in Eat Bulaga and Sunday Pinasay (that’s seven days a week, not to mention his mall shows to promote his albums and overseas engagement), yet he still finds time for his endorsements.

Convergys, the country’s largest private employer, recently concluded the second run of its Give a Bag of Hope (GABOH) campaign this 2016. Aimed at helping alleviate school dropouts due to lack of school supplies, GABOH Year 2 included books and a storytelling session for children.

Convergys brand ambassador Richards graced the culminating event, held at Convergys Megamall to announce the results

of the program. The employeedriven campaign almost doubled its records in 2015 of 22,000 bags of hope and P9 million. This year, a total of 33,245 bags with books and supplies totaling P18 million were given to Grades 1 to 3 students in 40 public schools and communities across the country, contributed by 42,000 Convergys Philippines employees.

Says Richards, “Thank you for welcoming me to be part of the team. I am proud to be

NEGATIVE. Kapuso actor Martin del Rosario is tested negative for prohibited drugs

TV host and beauty guru Ricky Reyes

ISAH V. RED

among individuals who are just as passionate, determined, and driven. Thank you for inspiring communities to do their best in achieving their dreams and building stories of success.”

According to Convergys President for Asia-Pacific Ivic Mueco, “It is wonderful to see our employees sustain the culture of giving, demonstrate our company value of ‘Serving The Community’, and exceed their previous contributions. Through this program and many others, our employees make a difference in the communities where they live and work. They are helping children be one step closer to their dreams.

We look forward to continuing this program again next year.”

The Give a Bag of Hope campaign is part of Convergys’ commitment to leverage employee volunteerism to create positive change in the areas where it operates. It is also aligned with one of Convergys’ focus areas for philanthropy – which is to remove barriers to stability and improve quality of life. *** It’s that time for spooky stories on TV, and GMA News TV is featuring special love stories this Halloween season.

A marriage threatened by a haunted house, a young woman possessed by an element, and the love story of Philippine cinema’s Horror Queen are some of the stories that the award-winning weekly drama anthology Wagas has prepared for its viewers this October, showing how love weathers all storms—sometimes even the most eerie, if not scary circumstance.

Last Saturday, the anthology series featured the story of how a man fought for his wife being troubled by a tikbalang. It starred Dion Ignacio and Jak Roberto with indie film actress Mercedes Cabral.

Today, Rafael Rosell joins Valeen Montenegro breathe life to Ramon and Digna whose marriage is put to the test after they moved to their new house with their son Jay-R. The house is big and the rent is very reasonable. The couple is looking forward to starting a new life here. It turns out that their new home is haunted and this is where the problem starts.

Meanwhile, Antoinette Taus makes a comeback in her first Wagas appearance on Oct. 22 opposite Joross Gamboa. She

plays Catherine who is possessed by an element wanting to claim her body. The arrival of Gabriel (Jorross) in Catherine’s life will change everything.

Finally, on Oct. 29, Wagas features the love story of the Philippines’ Horror Queen—the late Lilia Cuntapay. Nanay Lilia was a teacher in Tuguegarao.

Here she met Basilio but their relationship would be tested and they would part ways, with Nanay Lilia unable to tell Basilio she was pregnant with their child, Gilmore.

A few days before she passed away, Nanay Lilia told Gilmore his father was still alive.

Wagas’ Halloween special airs, 7 p.m. tonight on GMA News TV. *** Today, Sarap Diva will be on a different level as her neighbors, all legends of comedy bars, will visit her.

Phillip Lazaro will kick off the laugh session with Allan K. With them as well are Boobsie and Divine. Ate Regine will offer them a merienda with a twist. That’s halo-halo and empanada.

Certainly, you’ll love the gang as the tittle tattle, eat and sing together today after Maynila, also on GMA-7. *** Kapuso actor Martin del Rosario recently submitted the latest results of his drug test.

Based on the results of a medical laboratory licensed by the Department of Health (DDOH) and duly accredited with the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB), Martin tested

negative for methamphetamine and tetrahydrocannabinol in a random drug test dated Oct. 11, 2016.

Martin underwent voluntary drug testing in compliance with the directive of his management company, ALV Talent Circuit, in full support of the government’s anti-drug initiatives. *** Drew Arellano invites viewers to a whole month of fright, fun, and information in AHA!: Horror Fest.

For the next three Sundays, three “mini-movies” will be presented in celebration of Halloween. Kicking off the screening of the special tomorrow is “Gamer”, a story of a gadget geek who, in his addiction to augmented reality gaming applications, finds himself trapped in an old house full of mystery and unexplained phenomena.

The second mini-movie, Maria, Maria, airs on Oct. 23.

A group of friends in search of the ‘best sem break ever’ accidentally unearths a chilling secret that they thought has been long buried.

Finally, on Oct. 30, AHA! brings viewers “Matilda,” a story about an urban kid’s seemingly boring trip to her mother’s rural hometown that turns out to be hair-raising and terrifying.

Are all the frightening, bonechilling, and fearsome events for real? Or is there a clear science explanation behind all these?

Fun, learning, and terror await

viewers in the three-part special, AHA! Horror Fest, on Oct. 16, 23, and 30 with Drew Arellano, 8:15 a.m. on GMA-7. *** With the upcoming 20th Hair Olympics scheduled on Oct. 26, beauty icons provide tips and give advices for competitors to boost their chance of winning.

Miss Earth contestants, salon owner Ness Astilla and designer Frederick Peralta let you in on how to win in a beauty competition.

Two “Gandang Challenge” contestants pit against each other to come up with a fab costume with only P1000 on hand in just 30 minutes.

Mentors Stephanie Ilagan and Peping De Guzman give protégées important tips and tools on doing proper hair and make-up on models to boost their confidence on stage.

Mother knows best as host and beauty master Ricky Reyes gives his own advices for the competitors.

Meanwhile, hair problems will be solved at all Gandang Ricky Reyes Salons with the following treatments: Regold for kinky hairs, SoftWave for dull hair and natural wigs for hair loss.

Pursue your passion in beauty, learn from the best and enroll at the Ricky Reyes Learning Institute (RRLI) with branches in Manila, Cubao, Anonas and Fairview.

All these and more this Saturday, Oct. 15, 9 to 10 a.m. in Gandang Ricky Reyes Todo na Toh (GRR TNT) over GMA News TV.

In this week’s episode of ‘Sarap Diva,’ Regine and her friends prepare merienda popular to locals

Hallow fest starts in October on AHA!