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VOL. XXX • NO. 313 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

‘Du30 killings part of anti-kidnap job’ THE Philippines said Wednesday that President Rodrigo Duterte’s killing of three people in the 1980s was part of a police operation, after the United Nations human rights chief urged Manila to investigate him for murder. In several speeches last week, Duterte recounted how in 1988, early in the ﬁrst of his several terms as mayor of Davao City, he and local police ambushed and

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killed three suspected kidnappers. UN rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said in a statement Tuesday that Duterte’s killings, by his own admission, “clearly constitute murder” and Philippine judicial authorities must launch a murder investigation. Duterte spokesman Ernesto Abella said Wednesday Zeid’s comments were nothing more than “his opinion.” Next page

BI chief gets ultimatum to return P20-m payoff By Rey E. Requejo JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Wednesday required Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente to turn over P20 million from the P50 million allegedly extorted from Chinese casino mogul Jack Lam. Aguirre ordered Morente to surrender to his department or to

the National Bureau of Investigation the amount he considers evidence in the extortion case. Aguirre, who supervises the Bureau of Immigration, gave Morente 24 hours or until December 22 to comply with his order. “You are likewise instructed to make a written report to the undersigned on your compliance Next page

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT. President Rodrigo Duterte, his common-law wife Honeylet Avanceña and their daughter Veronica have their picture snapped during the Christmas Party at the riverside Malacañang on Tuesday.

Justice indicts De Lima Files criminal raps for defying House order

Top cops’ bonuses: Nothing received

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

HE Justice Department ﬁled a criminal case Wednesday against Senator Leila de Lima before a Quezon City metropolitan trial court for ignoring a summons of Congress.

By John Paolo Bencito MALACAÑANG on Wednesday maintained that President Rodrigo Duterte did not offer exorbitant bonuses to the country’s top policemen following reports from policemen claiming they received amounts from the ofﬁce of Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa on Monday. “Well, somebody is supposed to have said that sort of thing, but from my own source, nothing was received from their end,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said. “Nothing was received from their end and nothing may be forthcoming.” Malacañang on Tuesday denied Dela Rosa’s announcement that the top policemen would receive bonuses of P100,000 each. Abella said they were still Next page

SHE DID RETURN. Opposition Senator Leila de Lima, described by the Solicitor General as ‘Public Enemy No. 1,’ returns to the country Tuesday after a week-long trip overseas where she received an award and spoke at the Annual Conference on Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, Germany. No media interviews were granted. Eric Apolonio

Power sharing with Reds ruled out By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte told exiled Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison that his demand for power sharing was impossible, and said a ceaseﬁre agreement

was needed before any political prisoners are released. Speaking before soldiers and policemen at Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday, Duterte reiterated that a coalition government that the communist rebels want will not prosper. “It will never happpen. I said

that I cannot share power with him. He knows that,” Duterte said, referring to his phone call with Sison early Tuesday at about 2 a.m. Manila time. Duterte said he also told Sison, his former professor at the Lyceum Next page

Sex—costs, Sayyaf suspects abduct beneﬁts 4 crewmen from PH ship weighed PARIS—From an evolutionary perspective, sexual reproduction could be seen as a non-starter. Compared to cloning, which also exists in Nature, it’s a major waste of time and energy. Think of the ungainly, preening peacock—an easy snack for tigers and wild dogs—strutting his stuff to impress the ladies. Next page

FOUR crewmen from a Philippine-ﬂagged ﬁshing vessel have been snatched in waters off Sulu where Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants have previously taken hostages, the military said Wednesday. A sister vessel found the unmanned FB Ramona 2 in the Celebes Sea early Tuesday, two hours after the crew of both vessels made their last radio contact, regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan said. twitter.com/ MlaStandard

Tan told reporters that seamen from the sister ship “found all crews on board missing and the VHF Radio/GPS was stolen.” He said the Filipino boat captain and three other crew members were believed to have been abducted. The area is close to the remote Sulu island group more than 1,000 kilometers south of Manila. The Sulu group is a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, which is

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In a resolution written by Assistant State Prosecutor Vilma Lopez-Sarmiento, the department approved the indictment of De Lima after it found probable cause to hold De Lima liable for violating Article 150 of the Revised Penal Code, which penalizes “disobedience to summons” after she ignored a House summons to appear before its inquiry into the proliferation of illegal drugs inside the New Bilibid Prison. De Lima’s indictment comes a year after she left her post as Justice secretary to run for the Senate in May. The senator said she would swiftly respond to the charge, describing it as a way to save face, after the House investigation failed to establish a link between

her and the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison. She added that she has yet to receive a copy of the complaint against her. “This rush to crucify me publicly through inaccurate press releases and statements, even before allowing me the chance to learn about the charges against me and to prepare my defense, speaks loudly and clearly of the real motivation behind the ﬁling of this case,” she said. “Therefore, pending our receipt of the formal notice by the proper court, my legal team is currently reviewing all options available to us—but with the disadvantage of not really knowing what the allegations and evidence against me are.” Next page

JT protests EJK, scraps ’17 concert GRAMMY award-winning singer James Taylor said Wednesday he has canceled a February 2017 concert in the Philippines to protest the extrajudicial killings in President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal drug war. “I don’t think of my music as being particularly political but sometimes one is called upon to make a political stand,” the US star said in social media posts on Twitter as well as on his Facebook page. “For a sovereign nation to prosecute and punish, under the law, those responsible for the ilCANCELED CONCERT. Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter legal trade in drugs is, of course, James Taylor has taken to social media Wednesday to announce the understandable, even commendcancellation of his Manila concert next year, saying he needs to make a political stand, citing the increasing number of deaths—now in the vicinity able,” he said, calling drug dependence a “scourge” and a of 5,000—related to President Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs. AFP “worldwide problem.” Next page

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Probe newsman’s slay—Palace

ALACAÑANG on Wednesday condemned the murder of Catanduanes resident Larry Que, the ﬁrst journalist killed under the Duterte administration.

“We condemn the violence perpetuated against journalists, and we call on the authorities to investigate the matter so that justice will be served,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters. Larry Que, a columnist and pub-

lisher of the two-week-old community newspaper Catanduanes News Now, was shot in the head on Tuesday by a gunman wearing a bonnet and a raincoat. The gunman then fled on a motorcycle driven by an accomplice.

Que was killed after he wrote a column criticizing local officials following the recent discovery of a shabu laboratory in the province. He had criticized what he called the local officials’ negligence, which he said allowed the setting up in Catanduanes of a recently raided shabu laboratory. Authorities claimed it was the biggest shabu lab discovered so far.

Justice... De Lima also kept up her attack on President Rodrigo Duterte, branding him a drug addict and saying he should be on top of his list of narco-politicians. “At least I, whom he recklessly and wrongly accuses as a narco-politician, haven’t taken a single addictive drug in my life, while he who runs amok and froths in the mouth like a rabid animal has the temerity to make up a list,” said De Lima. De Lima said Duterte should stop taking Fentanyl, a powerful pain killer, because it has already driven him to “madness and to

ﬁts of paranoia where everyone he sees is either a drug addict or a drug lord.” The prosecutors found probable cause just eight days after House leaders led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez ﬁled a complaint on December 13. The Justice Department cited as basis De Lima’s repeated refusal to appear before the House inquiry and the advice she gave to her former lover and driver Ronnie Dayan to go into hiding to avoid testifying before the panel. “Respondent’s advice to Mr. Dayan through his daughter to hide and not to appear in the House inquiry constitutes an act amounting to restraining another

to attend as a witness in the national assembly [now Congress of the Philippines] and inducing disobedience to a summons,” the resolution said. The penalty for the offense is one to six months in prison and/or a ﬁne ranging from P200 to P1,000. Prosecutor General Jorge Catalan Jr. said the department resolved the case through a summary hearing without giving De Lima a chance to answer the charges because the complaint involved a light offense. De Lima will not have to post bail and will not be arrested, he said. In their complaint, House leaders cited Dayan’s testimony that De Lima advised him to snub the

invitation of the panel to testify. In an earlier hearing, Dayan’s daughter Hannah Mae even showed lawmakers a text message purportedly from De Lima advising her father to hide and not to appear before the panel. On the same grounds, House leaders have also filed an ethics complaint before the Senate against De Lima. De Lima is facing a separate case for drug trafficking, graft, qualified bribery and violations of Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and Presidential Decree 46 or the law on accepting gifts over her alleged involvement in the NBP drug trade.

Two lawmakers, Reps. Reynaldo Umali of Oriental Mindoro and Harry Roque of Kabayan partylist welcomed the Justice Department move. Umali, chairman of the House committee on justice, said his panel has done its part to ferret out the truth. “It is the DoJ’s show,” he said. Roque also welcomed the DoJ case against De Lima, saying it was high time that the former Justice secretary answer all the allegations hurled against her before a proper forum. Roque added that the formal ﬁling of charges against De Lima “will send the message that the powerful are not above the law.”

JT...

‘Du30...

since Duterte took office in late June. Police put the figure at about 5,300 violent deaths, with Duterte consistently rejecting allegations that his incendiary comments could be encouraging police to commit murder. While mayor of Davao, Duterte was investigated by the independent Commission on Human Rights over allegations he ran death squads that killed more than a thousand petty criminals in the city. Duterte has variously denied or confirmed the allegations. The commission did not file any criminal charges after completing its inquiry. Zeid called for “credible and independent investigations” to be immediately reopened into the Davao killings. And he demanded similar probes into the “shocking number of killings that have occurred across the country since Mr. Duterte became president”. “The perpetrators must be brought to justice, sending a strong message that violence, kill-

ings and human rights violations will not be tolerated by the State and that no one is above the law,” Zeid said. During a Palace brieﬁng, Abella said the Palace remained bullish that UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial and summary killings, Agnes Callamard, would accept President Duterte’s conditions for her coming to the Philippines. “First and foremost, the President did open up with conditions. Right? So it’s now the UN rapporteur’s call,” he said. The government accused Callamard of breaking protocol when she allegedly jumped to conclusions based on unveriﬁed media reports that Duterte was promoting extrajudicial killings. But Zeid ahd expressed his full support for Callamard, calling on the Philippines to lift its series of conditions imposed on her visit. Also on Wednesday, the Commission on Human Rights said it will look again into the involvement of Duterte in the killings of criminals when he was Davao

mayor. CHR Chairman Chito Gascon said the commission will build up another investigation of Duterte’s statement that he personally killed criminal suspects. “CHR has reconstituted a team to further investigate [and] look into the new revelations and public admissions that may shed light on our previous ﬁndings,” he told an online news service. Gascon was referring to the President’s admission before business leaders on Dec. 14 that when he was mayor of Davao, he used to kill criminals to show police that they, too, could do it. “And I’d go around in Davao with a motorcycle, with a big bike around, and I would just patrol the streets, looking for trouble. I was really looking for a confrontation so I could kill,” he said. Senator Leila de Lima as then CHR chairperson investigated Duterte for his alleged involvement with the Davao Death Squad in the summary killings of at least 1,000 criminal suspects. No case was ever ﬁled, however. AFP, John

From A1

“But recent reports from the Philippines of summary executions of suspected offenders without trial or judicial process are deeply concerning and unacceptable to anyone who loves the rule of law.” Duterte was elected by a landslide earlier this year largely on a vow to kill 100,000 criminals. Police or suspected vigilantes have killed more than 5,300 people since July, but the government rejects the allegations of summary executions and insists those killed by police had resisted arrest and fought police. Taylor, 68, rose to fame in the 1970s for writing and performing sensitive songs such as “Fire and Rain” and “You’ve Got a Friend” and has won ﬁve Grammy Awards over his long career. In 2000, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In recent press interviews he has openly discussed his recovery from heroin addiction in his teens, just before he became globally famous. Taylor informed local promoter Ovation Productions about his decision late Tuesday and rejected last-minute appeals to reconsider, Ovation president and chief executive Renen de Guia said. De Guia said Taylor was the ﬁrst foreign performer he is aware of to have canceled a Philippine concert over the killings, and hoped he would be the last. “As far as we’re concerned we’re pushing through with the others,” he said. Taylor was scheduled to have played in Manila on February 25 next year as part of a foreign tour. He said his Manila boycott would not affect the Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand legs of his tour. He apologized to his Filipino fans and said all tickets sold would be fully refunded. Asked to comment on Taylor’s stand on the drug-related killings, De Guia said: “This is a very sensitive issue and I don’t want to say anything more.” AFP

Sayyaf... From A1

blamed for the deadliest bombings in the Philippines as well as the kidnappings for ransom of foreign tourists and Christian missionaries. Tan could not immediately say if the Abu Sayyaf was involved in the latest incident. Security forces have been ordered to intercept the kidnappers if they try to land in the Sulu group, he added. The unmanned vessel was part of a tuna fishing fleet based in Mindanao. Tan said the crew were also from the area. Last week military sources said the Abu Sayyaf still had about 18 foreign hostages and five local captives, many of them seized from vessels off the southern Philippines. AFP, with Florante S. Solmerin

From A1

“Again, let me just remind one and all, that the incident referred to by the President was actually covered by media and it was (a) legitimate police action,” Abella added. “It’s already been under scrutiny in the past, but it has already been addressed as far as we know,” he added. He did not address Duterte’s possession and discharge of a firearm while he was not a policeman. Duterte has said he routinely carried a gun during his early years as mayor of Davao to protect himself in a high-crime environment. He has not said if the weapon used in the ambush was licensed. He won the presidential election by a landslide in May largely on a vow to kill 100,000 criminals to stop the country’s slide into a “narco-state.” According to the UN, nearly 6,100 people have been killed

Power... From A1

of the Philippines University, that there would be no release of political prisoners unless they have a ceasefire agreement. “Some of them are sick and maybe I might consider [releasing them on] humanitarian grounds,” he added. Citing his “friendly and productive phone conversation” with Duterte on advancing the government and the NDF’s peace negotiations, Sison said that the ceasefire currently in effect will continue throughout the holidays. The communist leader also said that the bilateral ceasefire agreement between the two groups can be signed next year. In the same speech, Duterte said that he

Sex... From A1

Even without predators, sex and its attendant rituals can be dangerous: when stags butt heads or alpha-male lions fight for mating rights, it does not always end well. Some animals and plants— starfish, bananas, to name two— reproduce asexually. Even a few birds and bees do it solo, Cole Porter be damned. Others, like the Komodo dragon, can work it either way, though asexually produced Komodo babies—produced by their mothers—are not clones. In short, without males in the picture the business of reproducing is faster and less fraught. And yet, sex remains by far the dominant means by which the world’s fauna and flora pass on genes to future generations, ensuring the survival of the species. “One of the oldest questions in evolutionary biology is, why does sex exist?”, said Stuart Auld, a biologist at the University of Stirling in Scotland.

The International Federation of Journalists also condemned Que’s killing in light of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs. “Que’s murder demonstrates the increasing challenges that journalists in the Philippines face reporting on drugs,” said IFJ general secretary Anthony Bellanger. “Action needs to be taken by the Duterte administration to

guarantee the safety and security of the media across the country, and to work to strengthen the freedom of the press to report on stories of public interest.” The IFJ and the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines called on the Presidential Task Force on Violations of the Right to Life, Liberty and Security of the Members of the Media to “immediately investigate the murder.” John Paolo Bencito

reiterated his commitment to ending contractualization. “He kept on complaining about endo. But the one who ﬁrst raised the howl about endo is me,” Duterte said, referring to the practice of letting go of contractual workers before they become regular employees. The government peace panel is set to leave for Rome for the third round of talks with the NDF from January 18 to 25. Topping the agenda in the Rome round of talks are the social and economic reforms that the rebels are putting across the negotiating table. Negotiators from both sides are also expected to tackle and agree on the mechanics and guidelines for a bilateral ceaseﬁre agreement and political and constitutional reforms. Duterte on Wednesday announced the

Darwin’s laws of natural selection dictate that doing it the hard way—sex rather than cloning, in this case—must confer some major, if hidden, advantages. Granted, sexual reproduction fuels genetic variation, which boosts the likelihood that offspring in the wild will have the genetic makeup to thrive in an ever-changing environment. By contrast, clones do not vary, and so if the environment deteriorates, a clonal mother will produce offspring that lack the genes they need to succeed. “But sex needs to be over twice as efficient as cloning to outweigh its costs,” Auld told AFP. “If sex is to be favored by natural selection, a sexual mother needs to either produce twice as many offspring as an asexual mother, or produce offspring that are twice as good.” Biologists have long agreed that the enhanced ability to fight off disease was a major advantage of the genetic changes that come with sexual reproduction. But constructing an experiment to confirm this has always proved difficult: how do you compare the

Paolo Bencito, Rio N. Araja

government’s new counter-insurgency program to replace Oplan Bayanihan, which the communists have denounced. The new program, he said, would be in tune with ongoing peace talks with the communist rebels. Duterte also called for the cessation of hostilities between the government and the communist rebels during the Christmas and New Year season. At the same time, he vowed that “nothing will be conceded to the enemies of the state,” referring to the Abu Sayyaf and the Maute group. “We will conduct focused military operations against the Abu Sayyaf Group and the other local and foreign terrorist groups and continue to strive to restore civil order in the conﬂict-ridden areas,” he said.

costs and benefits of sexual strategies in different species? To get around that “apples and oranges” problem, Auld and two colleagues used an organism— the humble waterflea—that can reproduce both ways. “By comparing clonal and sexual daughters from the same mothers, we found sexually produced offspring get less sick,” Auld said. The ever-present need to evade disease, it turned out, explains why sex persists in the natural world in spite of the high “costs” that come with it, he explained. Parasites and their hosts are in a constant tug-of-war, each evolving and adapting to the other, one attacking immune defenses and the other rebuilding them. Cloning offers fewer chances for genetic changes in the host that can rise to that challenge. But sexual reproduction—with a new genetic variations coming into the mix with each generation—offers more opportunities to fight back against pathogens. The findings were published in the British journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. AFP

Top... From A1

seeking confirmation on where the President had sourced the now canceled cash bonus. PNP spokesman Dionardo Carlos denied that some top police officials had already received their Christmas bonuses. He asked those claiming to have received their bonuses to show their receipts as proof. Several media reports had quoted a police official as saying that the top police officials had received at least P100,000 each on Monday. Carlos denied the claim and even challenged the anonymous source to reveal himself. “We really have to look into the claim of that officer—who is that officer, what he has signed, what he has received—before we claim that it came from the commander in chief,” Carlos said. Dela Rosa’s announcement of the cash gift for high-ranking policemen sparked questions about where Duterte had sourced the funds and why the bonus did not include the policemen below the star rank.

World’s biggest arena sets big events TWO big events in the world’s biggest indoor arena. According to lawyer GP Santos IV, Philippine Arena Chief Operating Officer, this is how the Philippine Arena will welcome the new year, as the 55,000-seat indoor arena will host two blockbuster, family-centered events during this holiday season and to usher in the new year—the PBA Manila Classico game on December 25 and a two-day New Year Countdown from December 30 to December 31—to provide a venue for families to celebrate the coming New Year. “In the Philippines, the basic unit of society is the family, and here the family is not just composed of a married couple and their children, it also includes grandparents, cousins, househelp, and even close friends,” explained Santos. “The development of Philippine Arena is geared towards strengthening the ties of this unit, the bonds of family, because we believe that this is the foundation of a strong society,” stressed the lawyer. “This is why we have created a venue for families to come together, through exciting activities that can only be found in Ciudad de Victoria.” Santos said the two activities to be held at the Philippine Arena typify the kind of family-centered events they frequently hold at the sprawling 140-hectare Ciudad de Victoria property in Bulacan. “Filipinos have an enduring love affair with basketball, and it appeals to people of all ages. The PBA Manila Classico, pitting Brgy. Ginebra San Miguel against the Star Hotshots, is the kind of sporting event that the whole family can enjoy.” Aside from this, Santos said that families can usher in the New Year together at the Ciudad de Victoria complex, with attractions like giant inflatable slides and carnival rides, as well as events to be top-billed by popular local artists like the Juan dela Cruz band and a 30-minute fireworks display to usher in the New Year. Promoting family values has been at the core of Philippine Arena activities. This year alone, the Arena has been busy with events that highlight the importance of family, such as the Philippine Arena Weekend Market, where friends and families can enjoy food, bazaars, zumba, biking, and jogging around the lush scenery of Ciudad de Victoria.

BI... From A1

with this directive not later than 5 p.m. tomorrow, December 22, 2016,” Aguirre said in his memo. He issued his order after Morente admitted in an interview on Tuesday that he authorized the counter-intelligence operation led by dismissed BI intelligence division chief Charles Calima Jr. against former BI Deputy Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles, who were also ordered dismissed by President Rodrigo Duterte for their involvement in the extortion case. Aguirre said the P50 million was proof of corruption. “It should be surrendered immediately for accounting and safekeeping. The longer it remains not surrendered, the longer doubt persists,” he said. Argosino and Robles earlier surrendered to the Justice department the P30 million that they kept for over two weeks. They said it was part of the P50 million they received from Lam through former police chief superintendent Wally Sombero, who supposedly served as Lam’s middleman, on November 27 as part of their covert operation to catch corrupt Immigration ofﬁcials. They claimed that Sombero took the P2 million for his alleged commission while P18 million went to Calima, who was ordered dismissed by Aguirre along with technical assistant for intelligence Edward Chan. The bribe money was supposedly for the release of the undocumented Chinese workers arrested in Lam’s illegal casino facility in his Fontana Leisure Resort in Clark Field, Pampanga, on November 24.

News IN BRIEF Duterte: Support PH movie industry PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte urged Filipinos to spend the holidays supporting the Filipino movie industry by watching the Metro Manila Film Festival set to run from December 25 to Janauary 3. “I will urge you, [I am inviting you] to watch the Manila Film Festival. This is a beautiful event. I will also be there. We will be together,” the President said in a short video clip posted by Film Development Council of the Philippines chairman Liza Diño. The movie-going public will welcome the “change” in this year’s lineup of Metro Manila Film Festival with eight competing films— Die Beautiful, Ang Babae Septic Tank 2, Kabisera, Seklusyon, Saving Sally, Vince and Kath and James, Oro and Sunday Beauty Queen away from the usual light of “mainstream” and commercialized film fest. Diño told a Malacañang news briefing: “It’s a unifying and very diverse yet concerted efforts from all [our] entries. “And it’s really a landmark opportunity for our independent film producers to have the exposure and the platform to showcase their films, especially this Christmas, we know what advantage we would have if our film festival is truly for local films.” “So we’re very proud and I hope you will support this move towards an even better edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival,” she said. John Paolo Bencito

Luzon must brace for stormy Xmas LUZON must brace for a stormy Yuletide. Samuel Duran, Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecaster, said a low pressure area outside the Philippine area of responsibility had developed into a tropical depression at 1,500 kilometers east of Mindanao, and was brewing to enter the country by Thursday night or Friday morning. “Once it enters PAR, the tropical depression will be named ‘‘Nina.” It is forecast to cross Southern Luzon and the Visayas,” he told the Manila Standard. A rainy December 25 is expected, he said. “Most parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, will be rainy due to the enhancement of the northeast monsoon because of the tropical depression,” he added. If its track will not change, the weather system is forecast to stay even until December 26, he said. Rio N. Araja

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DSWD welcomes P100-m aid from Chinese govt T HE Department of Social Welfare and Development was grateful Wednesday for the growing solidarity between the Philippine government and the People’s Republic of China with the latter’s P100million cash aid for the department’s antipoverty programs. The donation was marked by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua at the DSWD Central Ofﬁce in Quezon City last December 16.

The donation aims to ﬁnance livelihood programs and strengthen the department’s anti-poverty and disaster relief programs. “I am particularly happy that this money will be used for the Sustainable Livelihood

Program, which is an important focus of our department. We are trying to develop and strengthen our programs that will create jobs, create businesses so that the poor can stand on their own, as well as assistance to our communityinitiated development programs, disaster response and protective services,” Taguiwalo said. Jianhua assured the Philippine government the Chinese Embassy would continue to work with the DSWD to help the people in the poorest areas of the country. Last November, the People’s Republic of China turned over P35 million to the DSWD to help fund the department’s recovery and rehabilitation efforts for

calamity-stricken areas. This is in addition to the Chinese government’s P60million donation for families affected by Typhoon “Lawin.’’ Taguiwalo said the amount would go a long way in helping the citizens and was proof the government and China were committed to help the Filipino people. Meanwhile, the DSWD, through its ﬁeld ofﬁce in Eastern Visayas, reported Wednesday it had been providing assistance to 31,511 families or 138,559 persons affected by torrential rains brought by the tail-end of a cold front in Eastern, Western and Northern Samar. According to the Disaster Re-

sponse Assistance and Management Bureau, the department has provided P2,512,303 worth of relief assistance to the affected communities through the local government units. DSWD-Eastern Visayas has initially prepositioned 9,000 family food packs, 7,225 hygiene kits, and 15,000 malongs in 14 towns in Samar affected by the inclement weather. In addition, the regional ofﬁce is set to deliver 3,500 FFPs, 1,600 hygiene kits, 3,000 malongs, and 95 cereal boxes in the municipalities of Maslog and Can-avid in Eastern Samar; Catubig in Northern Samar; and Arteche in Eastern, Samar.

TERMINAL WAIT. Thousands of commuters wait resignedly for passenger buses to return from the provinces inside the Araneta Center bus terminals as they themselves prepare to dash home—not on a reinder’s sleigh—for the Christmas holidays. Ey Acasio

Sports programs, expenses pushed By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives will soon debate on a measure seeking to require higher education institutions to report participation and program support expenditures in all college athletic programs. This emerged after the House committee on higher and technical education, chaired by Rep. Ann Hofer of Zamboanga, passed House Bill 546 authored by PBA party-list Rep. Mark Sambar. The bill would want to encourage college students to participate in regular sports programs, league competitions, amateur

sports and other sports activities undertaken by HEIs by making information about the athletic programs and the expenditures of the HEIs available to the public. Sambar, a vice chairman of the committee on appropriations, said learning institutions should inform prospective students of their athletic programs so that prospective students could make an informed judgment on whether to enroll in the school or not. Hofer said the bill was a reﬁled bill deliberated on by the committee during the 15th Congress without any objection from resource persons from the Philippine

Association of State Universities and Colleges, Coordination Council of Private Education Association or Cocopea, the Association of Local Colleges and Universities or Alcu and the Commission on Higher Education or CHED. “Subsequently, the House approved the bill but it remained pending in the Senate,” said Hofer. Hofer also apprised the committee members that during the previous committee meeting, the Alcu and the National Youth Commission submitted their position papers on the bill.

Customs vows to reach P467.9-b 2017 target By Vito Barcelo DESPITE odds next year, the Bureau of Customs on Wednesday vowed to reach the P467.9-billion 2017 collection target set by the government—by identifying loopholes in collections, conducting study and formulating strategies to maximize revenue collection.

The bureau admitted it would not meet the P406-billion assigned collection target this year, but cited numerous accomplishments, including improved collection performance, apprehension of smuggled goods and illegal drugs in less than six months under the new administration. Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said despite missing the collection revenue

goal this year, revenue collection had improved since they assumed ofﬁce in July this year. He said the bureau was able to recover its collection performance target by as much as 97 percent but not enough to cover the deﬁciency incurred by the previous administration which collected a mere 33.5-percent revenue collection performance.

Naia elevated expressway to reduce rush hour trafﬁc By Vito Barcelo

ANIMAL ORPHANS. Some 200 animal orphans will receive gifts from animal Santa Clauses to share in the love-ﬁlled spirit of Christmas, like in this photo at the Malabon Zoo and Aquarium where owner Manny Tangco is seen with other Santa Clauses. Andrew Rabulan

THE P20.45-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport elevated expressway is now open to vehicles which is expected to reduce trafﬁc during rush hours in the Naia and Pasay area, the Department of Public Works and Highways said. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar and Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade led the opening of the 12.65-kilometer expressway project that will connect Entertainment City and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard to Naia Terminal 3 and Skyway. “This is expected to complement the ﬁrst phase of the project, which connected Macapagal and Pagcor Entertainment City in Pasay City

to Naia Terminals 1 and 2 in Parañaque City,” Villar said. “This project would effectively improve traffic flow in the area and will cut travel time by at least 40 percent, that is why we wanted to open this lane in time for Christmas,” Villar said. “We are committed to finishing the second section of the project, which would provide easier access to the South Luzon Expressway. We will maintain 24/7 operations until the project is completed,” he added. The construction of the elevated expressway includes ramps and 2.22-kilometer upgraded road from Sales Avenue, Andrews Avenue, Parañaque River, Miaa Road and Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard.

Sueno to BJMP: Inspect all jails By Francisco Tuyay INTERIOR Secretary Ismael Sueno has directed the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology to conduct frequent and regulars inspection of all jails in the country aimed at preventing inmates from bolting-out detention facilities. Sueno said Wednesday while the people were busy preparing for the Christmas holidays, the BJMP would have to work double time to ensure that inmates would not take advantage of the holidays. Sueno’s directive surfaced following reports that four drug trafﬁckers from the South Cotabato jail facility tried but failed to punch through their concrete cell using spoons and forks in attempting to bolt from their detention. The suspects are facing large-scale peddling of shabu in different villages in Koronadal City. After the foiled escape attempt, police authorities temporarily closed the detention facility to visitors. “The BJMP should not let its guard down, especially now that everyone is busy with preparations for Christmas,” said Sueno. The DILG Secretary said the BJMP should also strictly enforce jail rules and regulations in all city, district, provincial and municipal jails nationwide. He added the jail bureau must crack down speciﬁcally on all illegal drugs inside the jail premises.

Opinion

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Compassion begins at home

ORE than the clichés of the holiday season—food, presents and the overall frenzy—Christmas is supposed to be a time to reﬂect on the things we hold dear as a nation, a community, and an organization.

The reflections can take us to many places, not the least of all how our actions reflect, or fail to reflect, the values we claim to espouse. Thus, when we say that in the course of building our nation, we uphold the values of truthfulness, integrity and fairness, it is the concrete examples that will bear us out.

These will come in the form of: judicious use of public funds placed in our discretion, the refusal to compromise our values even when faced with great temptation (and a small likelihood of getting caught), and the resistance to favor one party over another because of our biases.

Certainly it is hypocritical to proclaim adherence to the rule of law while making exceptions for one’s allies or political proteges, as it sounds ridiculous to claim having an independent foreign policy while cozying up to a foreign country soon after rejecting a decadesold partnership with that foreign country’s perceived adversary. Much closer to home, Christmas supposedly evokes the spirit of kindness, empathy and compassion.

What then can we make of organizations or individuals who shortchange their fellowmen just because they know these people have no choice but to endure their current conditions? How do we make sense of those who judge and pillory others just because they feel superior to them, failing to realize that they had no prior credentials to their good fortune except by sheer accident of birth—and, by virtue of this, education,

connections, resources and opportunities? The holidays are expected to bring out the kind, compassionate nature of all of us. Alas, for many, all this is lip service to serve their political and economic ends, and they do not see or treat people especially the humble ones as they deserve. These hypocrites give Christmas a reputation of excess and falsehood, no matter how glossy, or pricey, their trimmings are. DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

No end in sight

Saving Sulu LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES REBELLIONS, the current Star Wars movie tells us, are built on hope. In this country, the opposite has always been held to be true—it is a sense of hopelessness that always aids and abets rebellion. Because there was no politics discussed, the news about the launching of the Save Sulu movement hardly merited mention in the newspapers and other media. But the recent gathering of the country’s biggest businessmen in Malacañan Palace to start the most serious bid to bring economic progress to one of the most benighted and neglected parts of the Philippines was way more important than any of the deplorable antics of our politicians. Ramon Ang of San Miguel and Manuel Pangilinan, arguably local industry’s two biggest titans, were there last Monday

to pledge support to the project, as were the children of Henry Sy and Lucio Tan and a cast of other high-powered businesspeople and traders. Their mission: to breathe economic life into the impoverished, strifetorn island province by bringing industry and all the other necessary tools to uplift the lives of some of the most deprived citizens of this land. If all the pledges are delivered, Sulu will soon host a new 50-megawatt diesel-fed power plant, a feed mill supply chain, cellular phone sites, poultry farms and seaweed processing plants, water and power facilities, hospitals and schools, houses and school supplies for up to 100,000 schoolchildren. The new Mindanao-centric government of President Rodrigo Duterte, which initiated the Save Sulu project, promised an initial fund of P50 million for the effort and a host of other training and support programs. The Save Sulu project began after Duterte instructed Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol

to look into ways of improving the lives of the people in the province, who have suffered for decades because of neglect by the national government and a long-running Moro insurgency, especially since it became the base of operations of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom bandit group. Poverty and war have kept

Extreme poverty has always led people to embrace rebellion. Sulu in a century-old time warp, despite its vast potential as an agricultural and fisheries powerhouse. Sulu has a debilitatingly high 67 percent incidence of poverty, compared to the 21 percent na-

tional average. And yet, for decades, the Manila government has continued to pursue a military solution to the peace and order situation, without making a serious effort to improve the economy and free the populace from the clutches of the Abu Sayyaf. It took the ascension of the supposedly warlike Duterte to focus the government’s attention on the plight of Sulu and to enlist private businessmen to help make the first serious attempt in a long time to end the cycle of poverty and bloody rebellion for 900,000 or so Filipinos in that far-flung and mostly forgotten province. If Sulu is to be saved, this is the way to do it. History tells us that the poverty that ravaged Central Luzon right after World War II made the provinces in that region fertile recruiting ground for the original homegrown Communist rebellion. But after the government and private business started pouring resources and developing markets in the area, the Communists were no longer able to entice farmers to join them in the fight to bring

down the state. The growth of small, agriculture-based enterprises in Central Luzon led to the rise of a prosperous middle class that has become the government’s best defense against those who have taken arms to bring it down. Up to this day, Central Luzon’s farmers continue to be held up as the models of agricultural productivity, not just in rice but also in poultry, livestock and many other products. The experience of Central Luzon teaches a clear lesson: Extreme poverty has always led people to embrace rebellion. And uplifting the lives of the poor provides the surest, longest-lasting solution to the problem of lawlessness and revolt. If people are are given the opportunity to lift themselves up economically by the government and private business, which will provide them with the tools to do just that, poverty will be drastically reduced. And they will, as the prophet said, beat their swords into plowshares and train for war no more. Turn to A5

WE DO not have the exact figure but around 6,100 people have already been killed since the war on drugs started. The President, in a statement a few days ago, said that this drug war would continue until the last day of his term. This statement could be interpreted in many ways. First is that the police do not have any idea when it is safe to declare victory. It could also simply mean, as the President also said, that so long as there is one drug lord left, the war will continue until all of them are killed. Since we can safely assume that the government cannot neutralize all drug lords, there is no end in sight. If we calculate the number of people that will die by the end of the President’s term, we would come to a rough figure of about 72,000, more or less. This calculation is admittedly too simplistic and it might be that within a period of a few more months the campaign will somehow simmer down. After all, if the rate of killings continue at this rate, very soon, it will become harder for the police to justify the killings and the so called vigilantes groups will find it harder to locate drugs users to neutralize. In the news the other day, the number one drug lord in Davao City was reported to have been neutralized—and this is a place where the drug war has been going on far longer than the current drug war. In China where the law enforcement methods are even more severe than ours, the illegal drug trade is flourishing even if the public does not read so much about it. There must be a level wherein government can say that the war is won. What could this be? If the government has eliminated public officials either elected, the executive or the judiciary who are involved in the illegal drug trade? This is doable because we are dealing with a lot less people compared to the entire population. President Duterte is of course right in targeting these people. He should really focus on them rather than the small-time users living in squatter areas. A lot of questions inevitably arise when the public sees only the poor users and not the big time distributors who are getting killed. The latest poll showing that 78 percent of the public fear that they, their friends and families could get killed anytime in the drug war while approving of the war on illegal drugs show how conflicted the public is on the number of people getting killed. The public is scared but at the same time still approves of what the government is doing. It also means that the current sentiment Turn to A5

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Opinion A wake-up call

*** Santa Banana, President Duterte has done it again! The American Ambassador to the Philippines, Sung Kim, a Korean-born American career diplomat, was invited to the 2016 Presidential Awards for Filipino Individuals and Organizations Overseas at Malacañang. People heard the President cursing the Americans, calling them hypocrites for the deferment of the second grant of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which was supposedly because of Duterte’s raging war on illegal drugs. It was said the ambassador could just smile awkwardly. You can’t invite somebody and make him or her the subject of your tirades!

for self-preservation. I used to wonder why people were not protesting the killings. Have we become desensitized? Now I know that it is a matter of time. A carabao, when beaten enough, will run amuck and go after the people who abuse it. Filipinos are now realizing that the police have become so useless in containing lawlessness.

*** The President’s health is a national concern. The Constitution is clear that the public must always be informed about physical condition of its leader. Sure, we see President Duterte moving about, delivering speeches and going on trips looking healthy. But he himself says he suffers from constant migraine and back pains. He also has Buerger’s Disease causing the inflammation of veins in his leg. This is a cause for public concern! The President’s doctors must issue a medical bul*** letin to assuage the public’s That poll survey of Social fears. Weather Stations, saying that eight of 10 Filipinos *** live in fear of the President’s There are reports that war on drugs is a wake-up police generals have been call not given hefty only to the bonuses P r e sid e nt ranging but to the from P100 entire popthousand to President ulace. P400 thouDuterte M o r e sand. This than 6,000 causes remust realize have been sentment a few things killed in among the the name rank and about his of this file in the war on ca mpa ig n Philippine since PresNational illegal ident DuPolice. Why drugs. terte took give a bonus office six to the bosses months only when it ago. The is the lower number is staff who growing. risk their While those in gated sub- lives daily? divisions sleep well at night This also moves us to in their air-conditioned ask: Where did the money homes, the majority of the come from? people do not feel safe at all. The President should re*** alize that killing is never a The refusal of Commissolution. In fact, it has now sion on Higher Education become a problem. Chairperson Patricia LicuaI say these killings have nan to resign shows she has already spawned other become a heavy baggage to problems like vigilante kill- her agency. If she has any ings and lawlessness. self-respect left, she must Lest I am misunderstood, resign, pronto. I do not doubt the need to do Like a leech she stays something about the drug on despite being told by menace. If nothing is done, Malacañang not to attend the Philippines will indeed Cabinet meetings anymore, become a narco-state and insisting that her term exthe next generation will be pires in 2018. in great peril. Clearly she does not underBut with this survey, Mr. stand what a presidential apDuterte must now realize pointee is. Has she forgotten that the killings have now that she is an alter ego of the become the bigger problem. President? For her to function With the people living in effectively, she must enjoy his fear, they just might take trust and confidence. And now the law into their own hands it is clear she does not.

Saving...

OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ THE year 2016 is coming to an end and we cannot help but look back at what we have accomplished this year. After the busy and polarizing political campaign, we hit the ground running. This year has been about “change,” ushered in by the Duterte administration. The 2017 National Budget, dubbed as the “Budget for Change” was approved on time. We expect the performance of all our Cabinet Secretaries, constrained by the previous administrations’ JulyDecember 2016 prepared budget, to improve significantly. In the House, we have inves-

tigated on the drug proliferation in the New Bilibid Prison, which led to filing of cases among those involved. However, the war on drugs does not stop there. The President and the PNP should remain steadfast in its fight against the drug menace. At the same time, we wish for more rehabilitation facilities to be established as soon as possible to improve the lives of those who have surrendered. We should also face reality that the illegal drugs trade flourished because it was a lucrative income source for so-called unemployables. One possible viable alternative is for former drug dependents be employed as Small Town Lottery collectors, through the help of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office. The expansion of the STL throughout the country would generate jobs and revenue for the government.

We celebrated the adoption of the “no window hour” policy and the extension of the number coding scheme until 8 p.m. because it eased the traffic congestion. The holidays could have been tougher if this new traffic policy was not implemented. We thank the Department of Transportation and the Metro Manila Development Authority for their pursuance of this new traffic regulation. While there is no silver bullet in resolving traffic, the administration should start with long term traffic solutions such as an efficient train system complimented by rapid bus transport. Next year, we expect the approval of the Tax Amnesty Bill, which I have also authored. After the session break, the Death Penalty Bill will be debated upon on the floor and whatever the result will be, we expect that justice be upheld at all times.

I have a couple more resolutions to file in the first month of 2017 in pursuance of my goal of improving the lives of my fellow Filipinos. I just hope that the administration would also continue to resolve equally important concerns of the citizens. While the fight against drugs may be considered a success, the President should also focus on the fight against poverty. We still see many Filipinos who do not have houses, jobs, food, access to potable water, and access to education. These are concerns that cannot wait. We hope to see a government fully committed to alleviating poverty and improving the lives of our countrymen. And that was the year 2016 for us. Let us all enjoy the holidays and welcome 2017 with an open mind, a positive attitude, and a happy heart. Happy holidays!

A Filipino Christmas is in the heart SAN Francisco Bay Area— Thanksgiving is a bigger deal here, perhaps because it’s not a religious festival and everyone can celebrate it, but for most Filipinos, Christmas will always be the holiday of the heart. No matter how long an immigrant has lived in the US, the Philippines will always be home. Filipinos of the first generation here refer to visiting the country as “uuwi”—I am going home. It is easy to strike up conversations with fellow Pinoys on the BART, bus, and Ubers, and the question often asked is, “Kailan ka huling umuwi?”—When did you last go home? And everyone agrees Pasko is the best time for a visit, the time of cool weather, Simbang Gabi, and colorful, winking parols. Pasko sa Pilipinas holds such strong associations of family and motherland that Filipinos in America are quite sentimental around this season. Heidi, who has lived in the Bay Area for 30 years, says that family and friends back home are always on her mind. So she collects things for them year-round that she can

ship back to the Philippines in a balikbayan box around Christmas time. And Tony, who works for LBC forwarders in this area, says that practically all the goods that are sent over are simple and practical. Most of these items are those that might be pricey back home or not readily available, but affordable here when bought by the bulk at warehouse stores like Costco. Spam, in all its variants, and other canned goods; and toiletries, shampoo and conditioner in giant bottles, soap by the case. Boxes may also be crammed with towels, bedsheets, curtains and other home linens; clothes, handbags, and shoes bought on sale; homeware, toys, electronic gadgets; and other things that are desired or deemed useful. The boxes and their contents are also powerful symbols of love and sacrifice, of memory and longing, and thus have immense meaning in our culture. Therefore whatever makes it easier and more convenient for this tradition to be maintained will be much appreciated by senders and recipients. One such break is the tax exemption on balikbayan boxes beginning this Christmas Day. Boxes containing personal goods with a value of P150,000

($3,060) or less, sent by qualified Filipinos abroad, will be exempted from tax. This is in line with the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (Republic Act No. 10863) and its implementing rules and regulations, Customs Administrative Order 05-2016, signed by the Bureau of Customs and the Department of Finance. “Qualified Filipinos” under this law are everyone who is abroad and holds a valid Philippine passport, whether as overseas workers or permanent residents, or out on student, tourist, or investor visas, except those who have become citizens of another country. Before the CMTA was signed into law by President Benigno Aquino III on May 31 this year, the cap was at P10,000 ($200) worth of goods per box. Because the cap has been raised significantly, the number of boxes that may be sent each year has been limited to three. This is good news for Filipinos abroad who want to ensure that their loved ones have an enjoyable holiday celebration this year. Another way that first-generation Filipinos celebrate Christmas here is by sharing traditions with succeeding generations— those who did not grow up in the Philippines—in an effort to keep

the spirit of the Filipino Christmas alive and strong among the community. For instance, a Fil-Am publication, the Asian Journal SF, carried this week a supplement about Filipino Christmas traditions, with a list of traditional noche buena delights—hamon, leche flan, and queso de bola among them. Another tradition, Simbang Gabi, is now a common practice in churches where there are large Filipino populations, while colorful winking capiz shell parols, brought all the way from the Philippines, immediately identify a Filipino family’s home in the suburbs. Culture is such a huge part of us that we bring it with us wherever we go. And so here in the US, my family will be celebrating Christmas as Filipinos, and every bite and every sip will remind us of the loved ones we’ve left behind. To all my readers, thank you for your support. I wish you and your families happy holidays, and may this be a time of peace, love, and much laughter for us all. *** Dr. Ortuoste is a Californiabased writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember

An open letter to Filipino-Americans AS ETHNIC Filipinos in America, our task is at our very hands—get on the phones, send out e-mails, resort to the social media, and write. The pen is mightier than the sword. We must form the bridge of understanding between the peoples of America and the Philippines. At the top of the criticism are the efforts in the Philippines to eradicate narcotic marketing and distribution, and addiction—one of the three pillars of the platform Mayor Rodrigo Duterte put on the table for the electorate to choose. American officials characterized these as Human Rights violations and American media used adjectives such as “abhorrent.” Let’s look into this. Isn’t this, in fact, a matter of subjective values? While America is permissive of abortions, Filipinos find it abhorrent! Which is worse? Killing criminals who cause cancer-like pestilence that not only destroys the victim (addict) but every body else who loves and surrounds him/ her ...his family, his friends, his associates? Or killing the innocent unborn, a human life ripped apart limb-by-limb or any other painful or sedated method of death? Who bears the guilt of human rights violation? Imagine an America in which not only all of its cities but each of its towns are overwhelmed by drug trade and the destructive addiction of its young, and where even officials and the police

participate? This is narco pestilence! Wouldn’t this constitute national crisis of enormous proportions? Apparently, this has been the metastasizing situation in the Philippines, and it is at stage 4. Let us remind our fellow Americans that President Lincoln, himself, in 1861 suspended the Writ of Habeas Corpus when he determined the public safety to be at high risk. Against the outbursts of Southern sympathizers and orders from the Supreme Court, President Lincoln nevertheless stood fast. Compare this to the Philippines. Has there been a public outburst? Opposition from Congress? Disapproval from the Supreme Court? Rodrigo Duterte was voted by the Philippine electorate from a city mayor to the highest office in the land by a margin of over six million votes. That IS Democracy! A “Government of the People, by the People, and for the People,”... isn’t this a cornerstone of American political governance?? So then, what’s our peeve?? Hasn’t America simply been but an officious intermeddler into the internal affairs of a sovereign nation? Considering the resounding voice of the Filipinos in voting Rodrigo Duterte to the Presidency, this seems simply to show a shallow understanding by America of the pestilence wrecking the social fabric of the Philippines and the destruction of the future of its young! “Let him who is without sin

among you be the first to cast a stone!” A close observation of how President Duterte connects with the masses will reveal that his heart beats with theirs, that he sincerely wants to alleviate the hardships of their life, their despair, their abject poverty, the desolate squalor that their children can only play in, little education, a great need for healthcare. After decades of seeming indifference by their own government and their society, alas, in President Duterte they see hope, and fervently pray to God for redemption. Look at what he has accomplished in a short time: Improved relations with the neighbors of the Philippines, better trade and commerce with China, and a staunch alliance with Japan. It is, of course, with great sorrow to us, Filipino-Americans, that he seems to have a personal grudge against America, and wanting to part ways. It is intensely disconcerting to us that he appears, farther in time, to wholly part with America, military relationship included. With humility, we offer the opinion that such agenda would be terribly inimical to both the Philippines and America. Reviewing the relationship between the two countries, although it started with a war in 1899-1902, to America’s credit it subsequently managed its colonization from being enemies to becoming the best of friends, resulting in the proclamation of the Commonwealth of

the Philippines in 1936, with a promise of independence in 10 years. In the Second World War, soldiers of both countries valiantly fought shoulder-to-shoulder, creating a brotherhood earned in combat and sealed in blood. On July 4, 1946, the ravages of war notwithstanding, America fulfilled its promised to relinquish its sovereignty over the Philippines. A strong alliance formed, and the Filipinos embraced America. With passing years, however, the memory of America’s Government faded and failed to sustain the fraternal spirit between the two sovereign nations. A succession of American Administrations treated the Philippines as a subservient vassal. Until today, when President Duterte rejected America’s intermeddling as disrespectful and intolerable. But he remains open to reconciliation. He explained why: The Filipino people do not want a separation from America, and the Filipinos in America are strongly against it! That’s us! Spread the word! The ball is on the court of the United States. It can do whatever is necessary to save a ship in distress, or lose a faithful ally and geographically strategic country.

would do once elected. In the case of President Duterte, he also vowed to do a lot except one. He promised to bring back the death penalty, work for the establishment of a federal form of government, bring peace to the island of Mindanao and end the problem of illegal drugs and corruption. What he did not say was that he would bring the country closer to China at the expense of our longstanding alliance with the United States. Together with his war on drugs, his frequent tirades against the US in particular and the West in general, together with the United Nations, has been hogging the headlines in the last six months. Why he is so against the United States and

so embracing of China and Russia is somewhat difficult to pinpoint. For the US, it ranges from the sad experience about the extraction of an American treasurer hunter from a Davao City hospital while awaiting charges of exploding a bomb in his hotel room to the treatment he received while applying for a visa at the American Embassy. There were also reports that his children’s applications for a US visa were rejected on account of the president’s human rights record while he was mayor of Davao City. Whatever his reasons are, it is worrying people in the country with close ties with the US, both economically and personally. No poll has yet been taken on whether

the public endorses this move of the President or not. It would certainly be interesting to see how the people will decide on this particular issue. Dependence takes many forms. For the US, it is the strength of their social institutions that Filipinos have embraced over more than one hundred years of relationship that is providing the strong bond between the two countries. If this is broken, what would be the price of such a break? One of the strongest traits of the President is his sincerity. This is perhaps one reason why he feels confident that the people are willing to allow him to chart the country’s destiny.

Jose Y. Lauchengco, Jr. Attorney at law Los Angeles, California

No...

From A4

Economic progress gives people the hope that they will no longer have to embrace poverty and war as their destiny. Let’s all hope that the Save Sulu project gives them that chance to better themselves.

could change easily. One of the things that can trigger the change could be the number of people getting killed. The latest poll should also give the police or government the opportunity to pause and review what has already been done. They might realize that it may be time to shift to other strategies that can also work. It cannot be that the only solution is killing. At a certain point, the killings will take its toll on the country as a whole as it is already beginning to do.

*** The Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter James Taylor will not be doing his much-anticipated concert here early next year. Taylor said he was canceling the Manila leg of his forthcoming Asian tour because “recent reports from the Philippines of summary executions are deeply concerning and unacceptable to anyone who loves the rule of law.” Taylor, of course, has the right to choose where he wants to perform. But I really wish he had based his decision not to go to Manila on more than just “recent reports,” apparently referring to the tidal wave of critical reporting and commentary in the Western media. Like his many Filipino fans, I was really looking forward to watching Taylor perform live here. I’ll still listen to his songs, but I hope he never makes politics his choice for a second career.

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The year that was, what’s next

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

I CANNOT begin this column without thanking my friends who have remembered me in this season of joy and thanksgiving. May your tribe increase.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

*** Voters normally vote for candidates that they like. It also depends on what these candidates promise the electorate that they

News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Duterte decorates 3 gallants in AFP anniversary By Priam F. Nepomuceno THREE servicemen were decorated with top medals in the military during the 81st anniversary celebration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Wednesday. Lieutenant (junior grade) Reginald M. Balidoc of the Philippine Navy was conferred the Distinguished Conduct Star, the second most important AFP decoration next to the Medal of Valor, for conspicuous courage and gallantry as team leader of the elite Naval Special Operations Unit-8. Army Lieutenant Jay L. Maravilla and Corporal Felipe C. Barbadillo of the Marine Corps were both given the Gold Cross Medal, the fourth most important AFP decoration, for their gallantry in military operations against terrorists in Mindanao. Balidoc, a member of Philippine Military Academy Class of 2011, was decorated for valor during a battle with 50 terrorists under Omarkhayam and Abdullah Maute at the Ragayan, Butig, Lanao del Sur on Feb. 25, 2016. Balidoc “inflicted heavy casualties to the enemy thereby showcasing extreme stability under fire and keeping up with the finest traditions of Filipino soldiery,” his citation read. Maravilla, on the other hand, was decorated for gallantry in a battle with 100 Abu Sayyaf terrorists in Sitio Makaita, Barangay Bungkaong, Patikul, Sulu last Aug. 26, 2016 that inflicted heavy casualties to the enemy “through superb combat leadership and tactical acumen.” Barbadillo, a Marine sniper belonging to the elite Special Operations Platoon of the Marine Landing Team-6, was cited for valor in a battle with the armed group of Jaafar Sabiwang Maguid at Sinapingan, Barangay Butril Palimbang, Sultan Kudarat last Nov. 26, 2015. The gallants were decorated by President Rodrigo Duterte during Wednesday’s awarding ceremonies. He was assisted by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. PNA

HAIL TO THE CHIEF. President Rodrigo Duterte troops the line with Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Lieutenant General Eduardo Año during the AFP’s 81st Anniversary at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Wednesday. PNA

PRA unveils 80 projects By Sandy Araneta

HE Philippine Reclamation Authority will implement at least 80 reclamation projects over the next six years, including the ambitious Solar City commercial and business district to be put up in Manila Bay, former President and incumbent Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said Wednesday. Estrada said the city government is almost finished processing the applications for permits and clearances of the Manila Goldcoast Development Corp., which won the joint contract with the city back in 1991. “We’re happy that President Duterte has endorsed the Solar

City project. This will definitely bring more economic development to our city,” Estrada said, recounting his previous meeting with Duterte in Malacañang when the President expressed his support to the project. Solar City, Estrada said, is projected to generate up to P17 billion

in taxes every year, P10 billion in real property taxes and 100,000 jobs during the construction phase and up to 500,000 more when it becomes operational. “When I assumed office in 2013, Manila has the most number of jobless people. With the Solar City project, we can provide jobs to thousands of Manileños,” Estrada said. PRA Chairman Alberto Agra said Duterte has ordered the speedy completion of the multi-billion peso infrastructure projects to help usher in economic progress under his administration. “We have more than 80 reclamation projects in the pipeline, in various stages. There will

be more, mostly in Visayas and Mindanao,” Agra said. “Clearly, this is a priority of the President to bring progress, to create more communities, ease traffic, and reduce poverty.” The most notable in the planned reclamation projects set to be implemented by PRA is the multibillion, state-of-the-art Solar City, a new tourism, commercial and residential district in Manila Bay to be constructed by the MGDC. Other reclamation works in the pipeline include the 635.14-hectare Las Piñas-Parañaque Coastal Bay project; Mactan North Reclamation and Development project in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu; Aklan Beach Zone Restoration and

Protection Marina Development Project in Malay, Aklan; and the 108-hectare reclamation venture of the Bacolod Real Estate Development Corp. in Bacolod City. Contrary to fears raised by critics that the project will cover Manila Bay’s famed sunset, project proponents have assured that it will not because Solar City will be built perpendicular and not parallel to the world famous bay. The reclamation project entails creation of three islands totaling 148 hectares in the Manila Bay, where business centers, residential and commercial properties, and tourism facilities, including an international cruise ship terminal, will be put up.

SC dismisses petition on PLDT ownership By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has dismissed another petition questioning the foreign ownership in telecommunications giant Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. Voting 8-5, the SC junked the petition of lawyer Jose Judd Roy III questioning the implementation by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the SC ruling in June 2011 imposing the 40-percent limit to foreign ownership in PLDT. The high court ruled that the assailed SEC Memorandum Circular No. 8 is consistent with the 2011 ruling that a public utility firm like PLDT must be effectively controlled by Filipinos. “The Court found that the SEC did not gravely abuse its discretion as it was simply implementing the Gamboa Decision and the Gamboa Resolution (2011 and 2012 ruling). “The Court reviewed the Gamboa Decision and Resolution and

reiterated that both defined ‘capital’ broadly but only to apply to shares of stock that can vote in the election of directors and that MC No. 8 simply implemented and is, thus, fully in accordance with Gamboa,” ruled the SC, in a decision penned by Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa. The SC also dismissed the second issue on Roy’s petition accusing the SEC of committing grave abuse of discretion in ruling that PLDT is compliant with the constitutional cap on foreign ownership. “The Court found that the SEC had yet to make a definitive ruling on PLDT’s compliance with the capital requirement pursuant to the Gamboa decision and the Gamboa resolution, thus any ruling would be premature,” the high court held. “Also, the Court cited that the determination of PLDT’s compliance with the capital requirement is a question of fact best left to the SEC as the court’s is not a trier of facts,” the SC stressed.

tors. The basic feature [of DO 30] is the differentiation of real contractors from those that are just fly-by-night that victimize employees,” he said. “Before we can call them legitimate contractors or businessmen, they should have decent capital, in which case we will be requiring them to post a bond registration.” “For example, if they have 100 employees and taking into consideration the rate of the National Capital Region of 12,000 basic monthly pay, they will be filing 50 percent of that or P6,000 times the total number of employees. That is what they will deposit. “That will stand as a safeguard because if, for exam-

Santa Digong gifts PSG PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte distributed cash gifts, bonuses and educational benefits to the members of the Presidential Security Group. Duterte gave the members of the presidential guard a Christmas bonus of P5,000, combat pay, 14th month pay, and P5,000 from the Office of the President plus free education to their children. “As I have promised, I will work on this and it will be this year. The education of the children of soldiers and the police will be free. The government will pay,” he said. “Just work. Just remain loyal to the Constitution. Do not be loyal to me. If I have committed a grave error, you can do what you want. But preserve the presidency because it is needed by our country,” he said. Duterte also acknowledged the SMC Foundation for sharing a gift pack and a cash gift of P1,000 to each member of the security group. PNA

Red tide alert up in Visayas

TRUE COMPASSION. Businessmen who declined to identify themselves distribute gifts to indigents at the corner of Roxas Boulevard and Quirino Avenue on Wednesday. Lino Santos

New job contracting rules ready DA sees higher rice prices after July ’17 SUBCONTRACTING will no longer be allowed under Department Order No. 30 which is set to be released next week, the Department of Labor and Employment said Wednesday. “One of the features that differentiates this from Department Order 18-A, which allows contracting and subcontracting is that subcontracting will be totally removed,” Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say said in a press briefing. Say said DO 30, set to be released on Dec. 28, will eliminate fly-by-night contractors since they will be required to post bonds. “They should be able to post the bond if they present themselves as legitimate contrac-

IN BRIEF

ple, the contractor develops a problem, they will still be able to pay. If, for example, their principal fail to pay them, the contractor can pay on his own account,” Say said. He added that another salient factor of the DO is that the contractor and his principal will be obligated to find a job for the employee after the service agreement has ended. “If the contractor’s service agreement with the principal expires, they will be obliged to find work for their employees within three months only. Within three months, if he cannot give alternate job, he will have to separate the employee and the separation pay will have to be paid,” Say added. PNA

THE Department of Agriculture expects prices of rice to increase because of the lifting of restrictions on rice imports by July 2017 but the agency vowed to support the rice sector, which is considered as the cornerstone of the country’s food security policy. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol said the supposed benefits of full liberalization such as cheaper rice for all consumers could be temporary. Piñol noted domestic rice production will drop and the country will be increasingly dependent on rice imports, as many Filipino farmers who are unable to compete with cheaper imported rice are shifting to other jobs. “We expect this to quickly exert pressure on rice demand in the thinly traded international markets and steadily increasing international prices. We may actually end up with higher rice prices

of which we have no control or influence,” he said in a statement. Piñol thus reiterated his department’s stand for the extension of the quantitative restriction on rice imports for at least another two years to allow the Duterte administration’s support programs to “firmly take root and set the sector on the proper path of sustained self-sufficiency at competitive levels.” “Exposing the sector, particularly the small rice farmers, to unbridled international competition from heavily subsidized exporters will cost the country huge social and economic consequences,” he said. But whether the rice QR is extended or allowed to expire, the DA is implementing various initiatives to support the rice sector, including the President’s Masaganang Ani 6000 and the completion of the rural infrastructure program, particularly the farm-to-market roads network. PNA

SHELLFISH collected from several areas in the Visayas are still unfit for human consumption due to toxic red tide, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources warned on Wednesday. In its latest shellfish bulletin dated December 20, BFAR said the paralytic shellfish poison can still be found in Irong-Irong and Cambatutay Bays in Western Samar, Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar, Leyte, Naval in Biliran province, Gigantes Islands in Carles, Iloilo and Dauis and Tagbilaran City in Bohol. “Fish, squids, shrimps and crabs are safe for human consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly and internal organs such as gills and intestines are removed before cooking,” said the BFAR. Red tide is a common name for a phenomenon known as an algal bloom (large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms) when it is caused by a few species of dinoflagellates and the bloom takes on a red or brown color. Red tides are events in which estuarine, marine, or fresh water algae accumulate rapidly in the water column, resulting in coloration of the surface water. It is usually found in coastal areas. PNA

Sports Bogwardt, Nacor lead kiteboard winners GERMAN Kathrin Bogwardt and Boracay’s Ken Nacor lorded it over the field to share top honors in Hangtime as action in the ICTSI Philippine Kiteboarding Association Tour got under way in tough condition in Cuyo, Palawan recently. Bogwardt and Nacor bucked tough, stormy weather with impressive performances with the former beating Ali Dudfield of Australia, local bets Kara Leongson and Mary Jane Gajisan and Lynley Teng in women’s division of the event sponsored by ICTSI that drew the top and rising kiteboarders from Italy, Sweden, Germany, Australia and the host country. Nacor, the Freestyle Academy owner, also defied strong wind and rain spawned by Typhoon Marce to capture the men’s diadem, foiling Swede ace and former winner Atte Kappel with Christian Tio placing third in tournament backed by Cabrinha, Greenyard Boracay, Strong Media Advertising Solutions and LGUs of Cuyo Island, Sta. Fe, Bantayan Cebu, Boracay, Aklan Province and Mauban, Quezon and airline partner Air Juan. Louie Fernando came in fourth while PKA president Jay Ortiz settled for fifth. Doque delos Santos, meanwhile, took the men’s TwinTip Race crown in thrilling fashion, pulling through in a three-way battle with Sassan Moscoso and Julius Non. Ming Juan shared the spotlight by winning the Novice race, beating rivals half his age, including Roldan Evora. Kappel rebounded from his setback in Hangtime as he ruled the Masters TwinTip Race, edging Louie Fernando and Ortiz while Tio foiled Nacor’s bid for a second crown as the 17-yearold Red Bull athlete clinched the men’s Freestyle diadem in a sunny condition in the final day of the three-day event which kicked off the ICTSI kiteboading tour’s four-leg fourth season also held to discover talents who could represent the country in various international competitions. Dudfield also got back at Bogwardt as she topped the women’s Freestyle event, frustrating the German ace with Gajisan taking third place honors in the event. Despite rainy conditions, the PKA still held seven races over the three-day event.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Angry Cousins powers Kings L OS ANGELES —DeMarcus Cousins ﬁnished with a season-high 55 points and a three-point play with 35 seconds left, following a short-lived ejection, lifting the Sacramento Kings to a 126-121 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday. The Kings forward scored on a driving layup and then appeared to receive his second technical foul when he shouted at the Portland players and his mouthpiece ﬂew toward the Blazers’ bench. Cousins sprinted off the court into the locker room, but returned moments later. He came back to applause, made a

free throw, then blocked a Portland shot to help the Kings clinch the victory. Cousins’ 55 points fell one shy of his career high and came during his first home game since a controversial run-in with a Sacramento sports reporter landed him a $50,000 fine. Cousins became the first player in Sacramento history to have mul-

tiple 55-point games, but he didn’t want to talk about that immediately after the game. He ranted instead about the ofﬁcials giving him a technical foul, ejecting him and then rescinding it after determining his mouthpiece fell out. “It is ridiculous,” he complained. “It is obvious what’s being done out there. I hope the world can see now what’s really going on out here.” “It is getting ridiculous,” he added. “It is really ridiculous.” Asked if his mouthpiece came out accidentally, he said, “Yes, man. This is ridiculous, Ridiculous.” Cousins said he was on the verge

of breaking things in the Kings’ dressing room when he got word that the officials had changed their minds. “I was caught up in the moment of what I was going to tear up in the locker room and they called me back,” he said. “I just didn’t quite get there.” Cousins denied that he spit out the mouthpiece. “I would never spit,” he said. “I am not like that.” Referee Brian Forte said he initially thought Cousins threw the mouthpiece into the stands. “I conferred with my partners and they conﬁrmed that he did not throw the mouthpiece,” he said.

‘He is disrespectful’ Portland’s Meyers Leonard said he was the object of Cousins’ outburst. “He deserved to be out of the game,” he said. “His antics are over the top. He is disrespectful.” Cousins blocked three shots in the game, moving him past current Kings general manager Vlade Divac into third place on the team’s alltime list with 524 blocks. Elsewhere in Milwaukee, LeBron James hit a 33-footer with 24 seconds left in overtime en route to a 34-point night as the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 114-108. AFP

Morales, Pascual share golf honors

Men’s doubles’ open division champions Anton Cayanan (second from left) and Philip Joper Escueta hold their winner’s trophies. They are joined here by PBA team manager Atty. Jackie Cruz (left) and Gil Cortez.

PBA-Smash dominates badminton meet THE Philippine Badminton Association Smash Pilipinas, headed by Anton Cayanan and Philip Joper Escueta, dominated the doubles’ event of the Smart National Open Badminton Tournament 2016 recently at the Vista Mall in Taguig City. Cayanan and Escueta, both national players under the tutelage of Indonesian coach Paulus Firman, teamed up impressively in both sets during the ﬁnal round to beat fellow nationals Ronel Estanislao and Paul Jefferson Vivas, 21-12, 24-22, and capture the men’s

doubles open title. Prior to their finals’ meet up, Cayanan and Escueta routed National University’s Mike Minuluan and Alem Palmares, 21-15, 21-11, in the semifinals, while Estanislao and Vivas bashed national players Peter Gabriel Magnaye and Alvin Morada, 25-23, 25-15, also in the semifinals. In the women’s doubles open finals, Alyssa Ysabel Leonardo and Thea Marie Pomar beat Bianca Carlos and Chanelle Lunod, 21-17, 17-21, 21-16, to capture the title of the annual

competition supported by PBA Chairman and Smart Telecommunication Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan. Leonardo and Pomar, also both national players, beat University of the Philippines’ Gelita Castilo and Eleanor Inlayo, 21-12, 21-11, in the semiﬁnals while Carlos and Lunod of Ateneo De Manila University outplayed Joella De Vera and Aires Amor Montilla, 17-21, 23-21, 21-17, also in semiﬁnals. In the men’s open singles championship, Malaysian Shazwan Shahrul outplayed Rabie

Jayson Oba-ob, 21-13, 21-19, to grab the crown. Bianca Carlos crushed Mariya Anghela Sevilla, 21-15, 2116, to earn the women’s singles’ open trophy. In the mixed doubles ﬁnals, John Paul Pantig and Francesca Bermejo rallied past Carlo Remo and Chanelle Lunod, 1721, 21-16, 21-14, to take home the crown. The PBA is under the leadership of president Jejomar Binay and Secretary General Negros Occidental Rep. Albee Benitez.

Cagayan de Oro captures 120 golds, overall title By Lance Baconguis

Mambajao Mayor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo (left), Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo (second from left) and Camiguin Gov. Maria Luisa Romualdo, poses with athletes and Rosalio Vitorillo, Athletic Manager of the Cagayan de Oro Athletic Association after they are declared as overall champion of the 2016 Palarong Pampook inCamiguin. Lance Baconguis

MAMBAJAO, Camiguin—The Cagayan de Oro Athletics Association dominated the 2016 Northern Mindanao Athletic Association regional meet at the newly constructed Pedro P. Romualdo Sports Complex in the capital town of Mambajao here. COAA garnered 120 gold, 76 silver and 62 bronze medals from 21 sporting events, followed by Bukidnon Division with a 42-42-49 tally. Coming in at third place is Lanao del Norte (42-32-37), followed by Misamis Oriental (32-41-48) and Iligan City (32-38-56). Sixth place is Valencia City with 19 gold, 25 silver and 27 bronze medals. The ﬁve-day sporting event pitted the region 10’s brightest and most promising athletes. From this pool of athletes, delegates for the Palarong

Pambansa 2017 will be choosen. Other sporting events were spread out across the island’s ﬁve municipalities. Mambajao Mayor Jurdin Jesus Romualdo said that they are very happy with the outcome of hosting the event for the ﬁrst time. Mayor Romualdo said that it has been the dream of his parents who were former governor and congressman of the province to host such events. “It is now a reality, a 20-year in the making sports complex project and we are making sure that the complex will be completed with other sporting facilities so that we can host even bigger sporting events,” said Mayor Romualdo, who added that they will be doing a post assessment next week to see what can be done further to improve their performances.

Congratulations! Richard Coren, Tarek Sadek and Aubrey Strul.

JOLI Kansil and I won at Manila Peninsula Games last December 14, 2015. The three rank pairs overall. Sylvia Alejandro & Joli Kansil Susan Kwee & Justo Manlongat Elita Thiergen & Chuchay Tuason Becker team wins Reisinger Orlando Becker team has won the 2016 Reisinger Memorial Trophy in Orlando: Mike Becker, Mike Kamil, Walid Elahmady,

The Reisinger Memorial Trophy was the main event at the FALL NABC (North American Bridge Championships, held in Orlando (Florida, US) from November 24 to December 4, 2016. -oOoCHRISTMAS PAIRS Congratulations to Phil & Suena and Cynthia and Hector for the best NS and EW pair last Thursday, December 15 at the Club in the Elks Club. North/South Ranks 1. Suena & Phil 2. KT & Ann 3. Gemma & Viksi

South ♠A6 ♥AK654 ♦AJ64 ♣A10

East/West Ranks 1. Cynthia & Hector 2. Elita & Chuchay 3. Lani & Bambi I had played with Pascual Pastor, Jr. who had kindly substituted and the original partner begged off. Pasky and I agreed to play the basic standard. On board 22 sitting North/South we had this deal: North ♠KQJ983 ♥Q87 ♦K7 ♣QJ West East 10542 ♠7 ♥J3 ♥1092 ♦10983 ♦Q52 ♣863 ♣K97542

East

North

West

2♠ 6♠

3♥

South 2♣

We did not have a sophicated bidding system. One pair reached seven notrump; but the majority were in six spades making seven spades. Not wanting to be stranded in a game contract; I jump to six spades immediately. In forecasted one pair was for stranded in four spades Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@yahoo

THEODY Pascual carded a 73 to capture the overall low gross crown while Noel Morales took the overall low net honors with a 50 in the 2016 Manila Southwoods Chairman’s Charity Cup at the Legends and Masters courses in Carmona, Cavite recently. Kenneth Ti shot a 44 to edge Ruel Cabral and Rafael Juan, who turned in a pair of 39s and snare the Men’s I crown, while Edmund Yee topped the Men’s II division with a 46, nipping Allan Yap and Pepito Bengzon, who made 45 and 40, respectively, in the 18-hole tournament spread over two days and backed by Platinum sponsors Mitsubishi Motors Phils. Corp./Diamond Motors Corp., Royal Caribbean/Baron Travel, Mit Air Sales Center, Alpha Quality, Agrexplore Corp., The Neat, Inc. and Yukio Suzuki (Southwoods Club Fitter). Rey Luna also shot a 44 and bested Klaus Rasmussen and Jun Del Corro, who both had 39s, for the Men’s III diadem while Almario Alix clinched the Men’s IV title with a 43, beating Jose Flamiano (42) and Bernie Basilan (41) in the event supported by Silver sponsors Philippine Airlines, The Turf Company and Tony and Jacky Salon and hole-inone sponsor Colgate Palmolive. Sharing the spotlight are Changwan Bae, who drove home a brand new Mitsubish Mirage G4 GLS Sedan AT courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors and Diamond Motors as the grand rafﬂe prize winner, Vic Conanan also won a round-trip airfare for two to Hong Kong courtesy of Philippine Airlines, while Poch Hernandez aced the Masters’ No. 13 and won the Greek Isle Cruise courtesy of RCI and Baron Travel during the club’s Halloween tournament last Oct. 30. Other winners were Jimmy Borromeo, Johnny Violeta, Suk Eun Hee, Connie Mamaril and rising star Yuto Katsuragawa, who topped their respective divisions in the tournament which drew 387 players, including 209 in the second day.

Lambunao wins in Singapore tilt TEAM Philippines brought home one gold medal, three silvers and one bronze medal from the 25th World Memory Championship held last week at the Fairmont Hotel, Singapore. International Master of Memory Jamyla Lambunao, the country’s most promising memory athlete, continued her reign in the Random Words event by bagging the gold in the juniors’ division for the third time. She also topped the event in 2013 and 2014. The 15-year-old student from St. Scholastica’s Academy likewise placed runner-up in the Names and Faces retention and Spoken Numbers event. A neophyte player in the world championship stage, 12-year-old Jan Jelo Juanir of St. Joseph School of Lawang Bato, Valenzuela, captured the silver in the Names and Faces event and the bronze in the Spoken Numbers event in the Kids division. Juanir also got his second of the three norms needed to attain the title of IMM. The three-day competition, showcasing an advanced level of superhuman memory skills, brought together 232 of the top mind athletes in the world. “The competition was intense considering the number of elite athletes who joined the tournament. But, despite the limited resources, we were able to train well and challenged the sharpest minds the world can offer,’’ said by team director and head coach AB Bonita, who is seeking the support of the Philippine Sports Commission for their international exposure next year.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

Sports

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

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

This ﬁle photo taken on Nov. 12, 2016 shows Czech Republic’s Petra Kvitova reacting after being defeated by France’s Caroline Garcia in Strasbourg, eastern France, during the Fed Cup ﬁnal tennis match between France and Czech Republic. Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova was injured after an attack by a knife-wielding burglar at her home in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov, her spokesman said. AFP

Fuel Masters surprise Bolts, 94-90, arrest 2-game slide P By Jeric Lopez

HOENIX banked on a ﬁery fourth quarter ﬁnish to edge out Meralco, 94-90, in comefrom-behind fashion and snap its twogame slide in the 2016-17 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the FilOil Flying V Center in San Juan City last night. In yet another solid outing, prized rookie Matthew Wright proved his worth once more, scoring a team-high 22 points, to go with eight rebounds as he powered the Fuel Masters to a much-needed victory. With the game hanging in the balance, Cyrus Baguio sank a goahead triple with 1:12 left to give Phoenix a crucial edge, 91-90,

entering the ﬁnal minute after several exchanges of big shots. Two more free throws from Wright with 27 seconds left pushed the Fuel Masters’ lead to 93-90. The Bolts had a chance to send the game to overtime, but Jonathan Grey missed a potential-tying threepointer with 20 seconds left, allowing the Fuel Masters to hold on.

The win moved Phoenix up in the middle of the standings with an improved 3-3 card, while Meralco further slipped in the bottom half with its 2-3 mark following this second straight defeat. “I am just relieved. We lost the last two games by an average of 31 points. It’s like sleepless nights for all of us. At the halfway point, we’re 2-3, and we’re not out. On our sixth game, I told them let’s just start 0-0,” said Phoenix coach Ariel Vanguardia. “This arena brings back a lot of memories... maraming laban ang naipanalo rito.” Down 65-75 entering the fourth, the Fuel Masters knew they needed to have one splendid showing in the ﬁnal canto to steal the game and they were able to do just that.

A blistering 11-0 run to start the payoff frame turned the tides for Phoenix as it snatched the lead, 7675, and caught Meralco by surprise. The teams went back-and-forth the rest of the way, but the Fuel Masters made the crucial plays in the final minute-and-a-half to get the triumph. Grey led all scorers with his career-high 24 points to lead the way for the Bolts. From a 49-all standstill early in the third, the Bolts took control midway in the period, orchestrating a pivotal 22-10 run to hold a double-digit lead, 71-59, at the 2:46 mark before taking a 75-65 advantage into the fourth. Phoenix retaliated and had a strong start to the fourth to climb back into the game and eventually

take it away. It was 45-44 at the half with the Fuel Masters taking a very slim edge at the turn. Phoenix actually had a nice start, coming out of the gates with an 18-10 lead to start the game to gain early leverage. The scores: PHOENIX 94—Wright 22, Borboran 17, Baguio 11, Alolino 11, Enciso 7, J.Wilson 7, Torres 6, Caperal 5, Hayes 4, Lanete 4, Javillonar 0, Miranda 0. MERALCO 90—Grey 24, Hugatan 15, Hodge 12, Daquioag 11, Yeo 9, Amer 7, Nabong 4, Newsome 2, Al-Hussaini 2, Caram 2, Chua 2, Uyloan 0. Quarterscores: 22-19, 45-44, 65-75, 94-90

Fiery windup nets Thai golf lead THAILAND’S Kanphanitnan Muangkhumaskul closed out both nines of Alabang Country Club with a burst of birdies —and an eagle on No. 7—as she stormed past a steady Chihiro Ikeda and a faltering Lee Jeong Hwa of Korea to wrest control with a 69 and a one-stroke lead at the start of the rich ICTSI Philippine Ladies Masters in Muntinlupa yesterday. Lee looked poised to launch her bid for a third LPGT/TLPGA crown in strong fashion when she went threeunder with six holes to play at the front. But the Korean fumbled with bogeys on Nos. 4 and 6 and scrambled for pars in the last three to drop to joint fourth at 71. That enabled Ikeda to take the challenger’s role as the Orchard leg winner carded a bogey-free 70 to tie Taiwanese Kuo Ai-Chen while Hsieh Yu-Ling, also of Taiwan, turned in a two-birdie, one-bogey effort to join Lee and Thais Chorphaka Jaengkit and Chatprapa Siriprakob at 71 in the $80,000 championship sponsored by

ICTSI and co-organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments and TLPGA. Symetra Tour campaigner Mia Piccio bogeyed No. 8 and settled for a 72 in a tie with former LPGT Southlinks leg champion Hwang Ye-Nah of Korea while LPGA Tour-bound Dottie Ardina birdied the 18th to save a 73 in what she termed as a decent start in challenging condition, particularly the hard, unreceptive greens. Cyna Rodriguez, the former threetime Order of Merit winner and LPGA campaigner, recovered with two birdies at the ﬁnish but still fell six strokes behind with a 75 while Fil-Am Demi Runas limped with a 76 marred by a triple bogey on No. 15. Other contenders were still playing at presstime with Thai Saranporn Langkulgasettrin posting a two-under card with six holes left to play, Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro and Pattaporn Mounchoo, also of Thailand, toting even par cards after No. 15 and Princess Superal, who

launched her pro career with victories at Sherwood and Eastridge last September, hobbling with a two-over card with three holes to play. Third placer in the ﬁrst two Ladies Philippine Golf Tour and Taiwan LPGA Tour events at Splendido and Manila Southwoods both won by Lee last March, Muangkhumaskul put herself in early contention with three straight birdies to close out the backside where she started then eagled the seventh and birdied the next to negate her double-bogey mishap on the par-3 No. 6. That put the Thai ace ahead of the 90-player ﬁeld in a day of changing fortunes in windy condition at the par-72 layout inside the posh village as majority struggled on the tight fairways and unreceptive putting surface. “My effort was okay but my putting not too good,” said Muangkhumaskul, who spiked her 35-34 card with a superb second shot from 219 yards to a pin-high Kanphanitnan Muangkhumaskul flashes top form off eagle putt which she drilled in. the mound.

Judiciary Magis stun Kamao, 74-63

BOC’s Marlou Aquino towers for a rebound.

TWO-TIME champion Judiciary stunned Malacanang Kamao, 74-63, in the 2016 UNTV Cup at the University of Makati Gym. In a game of changing fortunes, the Magis led early, 20-6, but the Kamao stole the lead in the third quarter, with only two minutes left, 47-46; before the Judiciary quickly regained the advantage, 53-52. The Judiciary’s offense remained intense in the last quarter, until the last buzzer of the ball game as it secured second place in the team standings with a 7-1 record. With 25 points, including five shots from the 3-point territory, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals, Judiciary’s Chester Tolomia was hailed as the Best Player of the Game. Malacañang fell to fourth place with a 5-2 slate. In the second game, the BOC Transformers claimed their seventh win in a row, an 8471 thumping of the MMDA Black Wolves.

The Wolves plunged to a 4-4 record. In the first game, the PNP Responders squeaked past the BFP Firefighters in a close encounter, 86-84. Ollan “The Sniper” Omiping was hailed as the Best Player of the Game after drilling 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, alongside Harold Sta. Cruz with 9 points and 11 boards. PNP climbed to third spot, with a 6-2 slate, while the Firefighters fell to 4-4. The Scores First Game PNP Responders (86)—A. Tolentino 22, O. Omiping 21, J. Criste 15, H. Sta. Cruz 9, J. Misola 8, R. Ongutan 5, A. Yanquiling 4, R. Abaya 2. BFP Firefighters (84)—G. Malabanan 21, A. Lim 17, J. Jayona 14, K. Amores 10, D. Macato 6, G. Botin 5, J. Egea 5, R. Namia 4, R. Cartujano 2. QUARTER SCORES 22-21, 38-44, 49-65, 86-84

Second Game BOC Transformers (84)—B. Franco 26, K. Duremdes 21, M. Aquino 11, R. Ignacio 10, G. Ejercito 8, E. Canoza 4, M. Sumalinog 2, C. Manahan 2 MMDA Black Wolves (71)—C. Santiago 25, J. Sanders 12, P. Villanueva 10, J. Decena 5, H. Monzon 5, J. San Pedro 4, J. Fortu 3, A. Olaya 2, G. Sosa 2, M. Guittap 2, A. Nodado 1 QUARTER SCORES 23-13, 42-29, 68-56, 84-71 Third Game Judiciary Magis (74)—C. Tolomia 25, C. Camaso 16, A. Capus 14, J. Rabino 9, W. Ybanez 6, H. Bergonio 4 Malacañang Kamao (63)—V. Javier 17, E. Dela Cuesta 9, C. Luanzon 8, R. Abalos 7, N. Javier 5, M. Ignario 5, A. Guiyab 5, I. Garrido 4, J. Jimenez 3 QUARTER SCORES 20-6, 39-30, 53-52, 74-63

Kvitova recovering from burglar attack PRAGUE—Two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova will need at least three months of rest after surgery to her left hand cut by a knife-wielding burglar on Tuesday, her spokesman said. Kvitova suffered an injury on all five fingers and two nerves in her left hand, her racket hand, after fighting with the burglar at her home in the eastern Czech town of Prostejov. Doctors “stitched the injured finger tendons” during the surgery that took three hours and 45 minutes, Kvitova’s spokesman Karel Tejkal told AFP. “The hand will now be bandaged for two days, then put in a splint for 6-8 weeks. “She can’t burden the tendons for at least three months. “The injury is serious, but the surgeon says Petra is young and healthy and there is no reason why she can’t resume tennis.” Earlier on Tuesday, Tejkal said the burglary was a random crime as “nobody was going to attack or rob her as Petra Kvitova”. The 26-year-old world number 11 said on Facebook she was shaken but “fortunate” to be alive. “I was attacked in my apartment by an individual with a knife,” said Kvitova, adding she tried to defend herself. “I trust the doctors and I believe it will all end well. Don’t worry about me.” Local police spokesman Frantisek Korinek said the attack had occurred before 0730 GMT on Tuesday near the Prostejov town centre and that the burglar was still at large. Lackluster year Meanwhile, support poured in from fellow tennis stars. “So upset hearing the news about @Petra_Kvitova. Hands down one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. All my thoughts with her,” tweeted world number eight Madison Keys. “Just finding out about @ Petra_Kvitova and the awful stabbing and injury to her hand —pulling for you Petra,” added Czech-born former great Martina Navratilova. And Oracene Price, the mother of Serena and Venus Williams, tweeted: “@Petra_Kvitova I’m very sorry to hear what happen to you. I’m praying for your speedy recovery. Blessing to you and your family.” The burglary adds a sombre ending to a rather lacklustre year for Kvitova, who slid from sixth in the world in January to 16th in August. She sacked two coaches before winning the Wuhan Open in China in October after a 13-month title drought. She added a victory at Zhuhai, China in November and was on the Czech Republic team that won the Fed Cup later that month, beating France for their fifth title in six years. AFP

Racela to continue brother’s program FAR Eastern University officials confirmed on the school’s official website the appointment of Rodericko “Olsen” Racela as the new head coach of the Tamaraws in the coming 80th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. The team’s former head coach, Nash Racela, Olsen’s brother, will stay on as a consultant of the FEU basketball program. Nash, who handled the Tamaraws for four years, is now the head coach of TNT KaTropa in the PBA. “It’s a great opportunity for me. I’m here to continue the program of coach Nash,” said Olsen, who is a year older than Nash. The 46-year-old Racela had an 18-year playing career in the PBA and was around to help win nine titles for Purefoods and San Miguel. He was also five time mythical team member. When he retired from playing, Racela became the head coach of the Energen Philippine youth basketball team from 2011-2012. He then handled the Petron Blaze Boosters in the PBA from 2012-2013. At the moment, he is an assistant coach to Tim Cone with Barangay Ginebra. Peter Atencio

4 firms bidding for Malaya plant B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

Tax reform delay seen to cut growth By Gabrielle H. Binaday

HE delayed passage by Congress of tax reforms will affect economic growth in the coming years, the National Economic and Development Authority said Wednesday.

Economic Planning Secretary and Neda director-general Ernesto Pernia said the 2018 government budget might be in peril, if the tax reform proposal of the Finance Department would fall behind schedule. “[The non-passage of the tax reform proposal], will make the 2018 budget difﬁcult. It remains

uncertain. So, I don’t know the assumption to apply,” Pernia told reporters. Pernia said the delay in the passage of the ﬁrst package of the tax reforms might affect economic growth, which would be anchored on infrastructure spending. The government aims to boost infrastructure spending

to at least 5 percent of gross domestic product. The Development Budget Coordination Committee set an annual economic growth target of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in 2017 and 7 percent to 8 percent in 2018, faster than this year’s goal of 6 percent to 7 percent. The enactment of tax reform proposal is now behind schedule in Congress. The Finance Department submitted a proposal to the House ways and means committee, a revision of the original package it submitted in September. The ﬁrst package of the DOF’s proposal included reduction in personal income tax rate, espe-

cially for low-income and middle-income workers and restructuring of excise taxes on certain products. “They should be approved, to achieve a balance between reduction of revenue and compensation for the reduction,” Pernia said. Pernia said the Supreme Court’s decision to restrain some provisions of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law could also affect fundamentals. “[The] non-passage of the tax policy reform program [is a risk in the domestic front]. Another one would be the Supreme Court

becoming adamant on keeping TRO [temporary restraining order] on certain things like RPRH law. These are real risks and and are man-made internal risks that hopefully can be surmounted with the strong hand of the president and his popularity,” Pernia said. The Philippine economy grew 7.1 percent growth in the third quarter, bringing the average growth in the ﬁrst three quarters to 7 percent. Pernia said he expected a 6.9-percent GDP growth rate in the fourth quarter, driven by private consumption and robust infrastructure spending.

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing December 21, 2016

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

6,686.36 27.70

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

Closing DECEMBER 21, 2016 43.00 45.40 46.60

IN BRIEF PH plans to regulate circulation of bitcoin

THE Philippines is considering regulations for digital currencies as the government seeks to bolster protection for the increasing number of overseas Filipinos using bitcoin and its counterparts to send money home. The volume of transactions involving digital currencies is “rising very quickly” because they offer a cheaper and quicker way to move cash than through regular remittance channels, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla said in a Dec. 19 interview at his ofﬁce in Manila. “We are concerned with potential money laundering and consumer protection,” said Espenilla, who heads the central bank’s supervision and examination unit. “We are studying putting virtual currency exchange operators under a more formal regulatory framework.” The central bank is bolstering its anti-money laundering efforts after money from one of the largest heists in modern history found its way into the Philippines earlier this year, and after a series of high-proﬁle security breaches at bitcoin exchanges. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas estimates the volume of remittance transactions involving virtual currencies has risen to at least $2 million a month. Bloomberg

47.80

P49.995

49.00

DA pushes for rice protection for 2 years

HIGH P49.950 LOW P50.000 AVERAGE P49.984 VOLUME 421.00M

P430.00-P661.00 LPG/11-kg tank P35.40-P44.10 Unleaded Gasoline P25.75-P29.32 Diesel

OPRICES IL TODAY

P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene

SAVE SULU. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol (left) presents to President Rodrigo Duterte (fourth from left) forthcoming initiatives to be undertaken under the Save Sulu Project during the Christmas Townhall gathering at Malacañang Palace. The projects, to be implemented under a partnership with the Trade Department and Go Negosyo Group, are in line with the government’s effort to bring peace and socioeconomic development to the province. Also shown are (from left) presidential adviser on peace process Jesus Dureza, Go Negosyo’s Joey Concepcion, Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and Sulu governor Abdusakur Tan.

P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, December 21, 2016

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.9840

Japan

Yen

0.008488

0.4243

Pound

1.236400

61.8002

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128775

6.4367

Switzerland

Franc

0.972384

48.6036

Canada

Dollar

0.748391

37.4076

Singapore

Dollar

0.692425

34.6102

Australia

Dollar

0.725600

36.2684

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652590

132.5871

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266674

13.3294

Brunei

Dollar

0.690036

34.4908

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000074

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.027775

1.3883

UAE

Dirham

0.272309

13.6111

Euro

1.039000

51.9334

Korea

Won

0.000839

0.0419

China

Yuan

0.143906

7.1930

India

Rupee

0.014727

0.7361

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.223314

11.1621

New Zealand

Dollar

0.691600

34.5689

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031216

1.5603 Source: PDS Bridge

Bangko Sentral rebounds with record income By Julito G. Rada BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas posted a record net income after tax of P15.26 billion in the ﬁrst 10 months, a sharp reversal of the P4.41-billion net loss it booked a year ago. Available data compiled by Bangko Sentral since 2001 showed the net proﬁt in January to October was the biggest on record. Revenues jumped 30 percent in the 10-month period to P62.33 billion from P47.87 bil-

lion a year earlier. This mainly came from the 21-percent increase in interest income to P38.83 billion from P32.08 billion. Miscellaneous income also rose to P23.50 billion from P15.79 billion last year. Expenses dropped 2.3 percent in the ﬁrst 10 months to P58.49 billion from P59.90 billion in the same period last year. Interest expenses went down to P36.95 billion from P40.75 billion, while other expenses rose to P21.54 billion from P19.15 billion. Net income before gain on

foreign exchange ﬂuctuations, income tax expenses and capital reserves hit P3.83 billion, also a turnaround from P12.03-billion net loss a year ago. Bangko Sentral had incurred losses since 2010. The biggest net loss was recorded in 2012 at P95.38 billion. However, prudent management trimmed that loss to P17.51 billion in 2013, P10.11 billion in 2014 and P3.90 billion last year. Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo earlier said that “if exchange rate im-

proves and strengthens, which means the economy is improving, BSP incurs losses. But if the peso depreciates, BSP profits.” The peso opened the year’s trading at 47.12 per US dollar on Jan. 4. It dropped to 48.50 at the end of September 2016, driven mainly by external factors particularly the expected rate hike by the US Federal Reserve this year. The Fed last week increased interest rates, the first time in a year and second since the global financial crisis in 2008.

Sy-Tieng group proposes to upgrade Sangley airport By Darwin G. Amojelar

An artist’s sketch of the proposed airport terminal catering to general aviation and low-cost carrier in Sangley Point, Cavite.

ALL-ASIA Resources and Reclamation Corp., a consortium led by tycoon Henry Sy and the Tieng family, said Wednesday it plans to rehabilitate Danilo Atienza Airport in Sangley Point, Cavite for small planes and lowcost carriers to free up Ninoy Aquino International Airport and allow it to have more commercial flights and less delays. Wilson Tieng, ARRC president and chief executive, said his company submitted the proposal to the Transportation Department in August. “We can finish the project in one year and will cost only P1 billion. This is a low-hanging fruit with significant benefits to the public since it will allow Naia to increase its runway movements from 40 takeoffs and landings per hour to around 60,” Tieng said.

The group proposed a Filipinoinspired architecture for the lowcost carrier terminal spanning 2,304 square meters which could accommodate 1.8 million passengers annually. Tieng said the project would be good for tourism, trade and commerce aside from giving the flying public more choices on when to fly. He said that since August when the new Naia administration imposed a ban on small private planes from 12 noon to 7 p.m., commercial flights’ on-time performance sharply improved from around 40 percent to 80 percent. Small planes usually carry only a few and sometimes no passenger at all but need and use the same facilities and time in taxiing, queuing and taking off as a commercial flight with 300 passengers does. Tieng said ARRC was ready to start building the new terminal and rehabilitate the runway.

THE Agriculture Department cited the need to extend the quantitative restriction on rice for two more years to make Filipino farmers more competitive. “While certain quarters have called for the tariffication of the QR, the Department of Agriculture is of the position that it should be extended for at least another two years to allow this administration’s support programs to firmly take root and set the sector on the proper path of sustained self-sufficiency at competitive levels,” said Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol. The Philippines acquired the right to impose quantitative restriction on rice as a result of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations that led to the establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1995. Under the Agreement on Agriculture’s Special Treatment for Rice under Annex 5, QR allows the Philippines to regulate and restrict rice imports entering the country beyond the minimum access volume. MAV refers to the minimum volume of farm produce allowed to enter the country. Anna Leah

E. Gonzales

Meralco expects 8% growth in sales

POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. said Wednesday it forecasts sales volume to grow 8.1 percent in the fourth quarter. “[We expect] 8.1-percent growth for the end of the year in sales for Meralco DU [distribution utility]. It’s gonna be roughly about 39,600 gigawatthours,”Meralco senior vice president and head of customer retail services, corporate marketing and communications Al Panlilio said. Panlilio said Clark Electric Distribution Corp., a subsidiary, would add roughly 500 gigawattt-hours “so it will exceed the 40,000 gWh, consolidated.” “I think that is the ﬁrst time we are breaching 40,000. That’s the estimate. Last year, growth was less than 6 percent,” he said. Panlilio said the full-year 2016 sales were expected to be higher, after electricity sales rose 10 percent in the ﬁrst seven months. “It cooled off in these last few months. If you look at the construction happening on the residential side, still you see a lot of buildings being constructed,” Panlilio said. Alena

Mae S. Flores

Business

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market rises; Megaworld climbs Alterra Capital gets S nod to acquire Philab TOCKS rose Wednesday to end a fourday slump, following advances on Wall Street as the prospects of faster US economic growth propelled markets toward the close of a turmoil-ﬁlled year.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, advanced 27 points, or 0.4 percent, to close at 6,686.36. Despite the gain Wednesday, the bellwether was still down 3.8 percent this year. The heavier index, representing all shares, picked up 13 points, or 0.3 percent, to settle at 4,086.44, on a value turnover of P5.3 billion. Advancers outnumbered losers, 109 to 49, while 48 issues were unchanged. Ten of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by retailer Metro Retail Stores

Turkish ambassador fanned concerns that fresh geopolitical woes could upend a rally in world assets triggered by Donald Trump’s election as US president. But the fear did not filter through to Europe and New York, where the Dow got within striking distance of the 20,000 mark for the first time. “Noteworthy is the resilience of equity markets and low volatility in the face of two horrific terrorist attacks in Europe,” Jason Wong, a currency strategist at Bank of New Zealand in Wellington, wrote in a note to clients Wednesday. “They seem to have had little impact on the market,” he said, according to Bloomberg News. By the break in Tokyo, the Nikkei was up 0.2 percent—putting it on course for an 11th rise in 12 days. Hong Kong added 0.5 percent

Group Inc. which jumped 7.1 percent to P3.95 and property developer Megaworld Corp. which climbed 5.5 percent to P3.64. Metro Paciﬁc Investments Corp. went up 4.1 percent to P6.31. Meanwhile, other Asian markets also turned higher Wednesday and the dollar resumed its upward march as investors tracked another record on Wall Street and refocused on the global economy after Europe’s deadly attacks. The Berlin Christmas market horror and shooting of Russia’s

after suffering a four-day sell-off, while Shanghai was also 0.5 percent higher and Sydney put on 0.6 percent. Seoul gained 0.3 percent, Wellington jumped 0.8 percent and Singapore 0.1 percent. There were also advances in Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur. World markets have been on the rise since Trump’s Nov. 8 election as dealers bet his plans for big state infrastructure spending, tax cuts and deregulation will fire the US economy, the world’s largest and key driver of world growth. There are also widespread expectations that his policies will fire inflation, forcing the Federal Reserve to hike borrowing costs. And last week the central bank said it foresaw three increases next year, surprising markets who had expected just two. With AFP, Bloomberg

By Jenniffer B. Austria ALTERRA Capital Partners Inc. said Wednesday its board approved the acquisition of a 93.48-percent stake in Philab Industries Inc. for P860 million. Alterra said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it acquired 351,750 shares in Philab Industries at P2,445 per share, which was seen as a fair value. The acquisition followed the takeover of 67 percent of the issued and outstanding voting stock of Alterra by Genomics Inc. and

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2016

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK EAST WEST BANK MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

3.78 47.85 88 3.74 105.2 1.54 37.8 9 18.42 810 0.57 71.5 0.8 14.1 21.8 54.7 239 129.5 90 35 200 1,640 74.5 1.21

3.78 47.95 88.5 3.85 107.5 1.54 38 9 18.58 810 0.61 72.5 0.85 14.1 21.8 55 240 129.5 90 35 200 1,690 74.55 1.26

3.43 47 88 3.51 105.1 1.4 37.8 9 18.4 810 0.56 70.75 0.79 14.1 21.8 54.5 238.8 129.5 90 34.75 194.6 1,640 74 1.2

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PEPSI COLA PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PHX SEMICNDCTR PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH

43.65 4.28 0.87 1.2 18.26 0.19 11.5 16.44 23.4 19.52 57 92 1.83 6.7 11.96 11.58 5.9 7.12 5.01 1.75 22.75 68.05 16.4 6 1.67 194 2.71 3.57 29.6 24.8 14.88 260 0.249 3.33 9.84 3.42 11.62 2.19 5.68 1.35 69.6 5 230 4.9 2.72 11.62 4.04 0.141 1.45 157 4.65 1.44

43.65 4.28 0.87 1.24 19.28 0.19 11.66 16.62 23.4 21 58.45 93 1.91 6.79 12 11.58 6 7.13 5.07 1.75 22.8 68.05 16.4 6.05 1.67 198 2.71 3.57 29.8 25 15.12 260.4 0.249 3.37 10.12 3.42 11.62 2.2 5.7 1.37 70 5.1 230 5 2.8 11.82 4.04 0.143 1.5 159 4.65 1.56

42.85 4.22 0.84 1.2 18.26 0.188 11.48 16.3 23.3 19.52 57 90 1.82 6.35 11.96 11.3 5.9 7 5.01 1.75 22.05 67.8 16 6 1.65 190 2.71 3.57 29.4 24.7 14.88 257 0.249 3.33 9.84 3.42 11.62 2.15 5.63 1.35 69.25 5 230 4.9 2.7 11.62 4.04 0.141 1.45 156.5 4.33 1.44

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANSCOR ATN HLDG A AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.435 70.5 12.74 5.99 0.31 715 8.46 13 8.2 1,192 5.91 67.7 1.25 7.78 12.76 6.07 0.037 1.13 1.9 97.8 624 1.2 259.4 0.175 0.26

0.475 70.75 12.8 5.99 0.31 726 8.65 13 8.2 1,218 5.91 68.9 1.25 7.8 13 6.51 0.038 1.13 1.9 97.8 629 1.21 260.8 0.175 0.26

0.435 70 12.6 5.95 0.31 705 8.41 12.84 8.1 1,182 5.9 66.8 1.16 7.7 12.76 6.06 0.037 1.13 1.9 94.9 614 1.19 257 0.174 0.26

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES

7.1 1.1 6.99 2.1 0.42 31.35 3.01 0.54 1.1 1.49 0.15

7.16 1.1 6.99 2.13 0.445 31.75 3.14 0.56 1.1 1.49 0.15

7.1 1.08 6.99 2.1 0.42 30.75 3 0.54 1.1 1.37 0.15

VOLUME

FINANCIALS 3.68 12,000 47.95 9,900 88.3 1,454,150 3.85 25,000 107 1,928,720 1.42 122,000 38 46,300 9 500 18.4 575,200 810 90 0.6 11,731,000 72.3 1,531,470 0.84 1,655,000 14.1 5,500 21.8 10,900 54.7 68,140 239 2,780 129.5 50 90 500 34.8 122,800 196 469,470 1,660 235 74.5 165,660 1.26 62,000 INDUSTRIAL 43.1 1,556,600 4.22 18,000 0.87 5,000 1.24 360,000 19.24 1,600 0.189 2,290,000 11.6 9,907,700 16.36 1,624,600 23.4 284,400 21 8,100 58.45 16,780 93 740 1.91 125,000 6.48 210,100 11.98 41,500 11.3 2,043,300 5.99 71,400 7.11 167,800 5.05 5,419,600 1.75 2,000 22.8 718,500 68 168,330 16 383,600 6.05 72,000 1.65 68,000 190 960,260 2.71 25,000 3.57 1,000 29.55 890,200 24.75 392,400 14.9 1,893,600 259.2 223,120 0.249 10,000 3.35 1,384,000 9.9 3,574,300 3.42 5,000 11.62 6,600 2.16 1,956,000 5.7 1,213,700 1.37 13,000 69.5 720,650 5.01 42,500 230 107,630 4.97 3,657,000 2.7 14,000 11.7 6,161,600 4.04 1,000 0.143 290,000 1.45 46,000 157 2,687,800 4.33 2,000 1.44 7,419,000 HOLDING FIRMS 0.46 14,450,000 70.15 2,654,740 12.64 3,839,100 5.99 131,800 0.31 60,000 713 515,910 8.5 1,268,700 12.84 5,395,800 8.2 15,900 1,197 56,945 5.9 159,600 68.8 2,426,400 1.19 8,188,000 7.77 1,560,300 12.96 6,763,800 6.31 59,853,900 0.038 3,100,000 1.13 11,000 1.9 57,000 94.9 318,980 618 605,400 1.19 274,000 260.8 10,470 0.174 20,000 0.26 10,000 PROPERTY 7.16 5,500 1.09 98,000 6.99 100 2.1 149,000 0.44 5,850,000 31 7,499,500 3.1 3,604,000 0.54 2,017,000 1.1 35,000 1.45 952,000 0.15 480,000

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

42,780 468,850 128,501,628 91,630 205,638,909 171,950 1,759,200 4,500 10,616,512 72,900 6,980,540 110,266,423 1,362,150 77,550 237,620 3,737,478 664,996 6,475 45,000 4,276,340 92,289,594 389,790 12,345,553 75,420

158,395 31,795,760 -60,732,159 1,516,200 -1,692,362 -1,783,200 -25,396,126 -2,369,939 -351,906 -1,295 -3,885,750 -30,280,041 -69,273 -

66,987,395 76,530 4,320 439,720 30,716 432,730 114,174,366 26,639,826 6,641,595 162,752 980,602.50 66,830 231,670 1,361,886 497,170 23,232,018 422,528 1,193,048 27,392,461 3,500 16,245,990 11,444,087.50 6,137,810 433,250 112,750 184,500,682 67,750 3,570 26,310,830 9,715,515 28,457,998 57,838,654 2,490 4,636,570 35,591,207 17,100 76,692 4,246,440 6,917,720 17,570 50,280,919 212,632 24,754,900 17,954,710 38,650 72,076,374 4,040 41,010 67,390 422,254,462 8,980 11,042,510

-34,593,970 21,250 35,380 32,518,504 -570,014 -973,192.50 6,700 -4,213,930 -1,042,447 -10,035,990.00 -1,041,025 3,750,664 150,280 295,787 -150,897,078 -19,483,025 -8,584,800 1,022,134 -18,652,698 -84,160 -23,969,068 2,275,980 -1,104,090 23,706,866 111,000 -17,875,600 14,699,000 9,060,110.00 4,040 2,860.00 -30,570,403 -3,962,100

6,613,750 186,491,028 48,521,584 784,406 18,600 368,351,075 10,788,959 69,434,500 130,330 68,178,350 941,662 166,400,490 9,774,300 12,122,877 87,550,384 380,524,942 114,900 12,430 108,300 30,464,618.50 374,923,950 328,540 2,720,348 3,490 2,600

-118,489,376.50 -9,316,112 -755,055 24,284,235 2,677,289 -45,050,340 -17,611,840 -750,502 -50,932,633.50 -11,250 729,575 24,950,160 -4,429,337 -15,146,288.50 -119,991,050 74,400 -

39,285 106,710 699 314,600 2,544,300 233,651,160 11,147,000 1,107,880 38,500 1,360,140 72,000

-59,080,875 -2,314,960 -84,700 8,840 1,500

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW 0.53 37 0.132 1.58 0.97 1.27 3.43 0.13 3.27 31 25.4 1.51 26.8 1.13 0.86 4.9

CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

0.54 37.8 0.133 1.64 0.97 1.27 3.46 0.13 3.27 31 26.2 1.51 27.3 1.15 0.92 4.95

0.56 38.1 0.133 1.64 1 1.28 3.64 0.135 3.31 31 26.2 1.56 28 1.15 0.92 4.98

2GO GROUP ABS CBN APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CALATA CORP CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL A INTL CONTAINER IP EGAME IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES MACROASIA MELCO CROWN METRO RETAIL NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PHIL RACING PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT

7.5 43.6 0.48 0.04 5.11 5.8 0.065 2.37 91.8 9.9 8.16 2.01 1,440 6.22 15.5 2.23 15.48 71 0.009 9.07 0.205 1.33 15.28 4.85 2.5 3.8 3.69 2.46 11.3 9 11.34 1,316 1.17 0.435 36.5 71.8 5.39 2.58 0.94 3.21 0.335

7.8 44 0.49 0.043 5.15 6.1 0.066 2.53 93 9.9 8.79 2.06 1,483 6.25 15.5 2.28 15.5 71 0.009 9.09 0.212 1.35 15.28 5 2.5 3.95 4 2.52 11.3 9 11.92 1,345 1.17 0.45 37.8 74 5.45 2.59 0.96 3.3 0.335

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING BENGUET A CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL LEPANTO A MANILA MINING A MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A PHILODRILL PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING TA PETROLEUM UNITED PARAGON

0.0033 2.7 4.83 2.16 0.51 0.465 11.3 3.16 0.192 0.011 2.47 7.85 2.96 1.16 0.012 0.012 8.62 3.5 130.8 2.9 0.0089

0.0034 2.8 4.85 2.16 0.52 0.49 11.68 3.25 0.193 0.012 2.51 8 2.96 1.17 0.012 0.013 8.7 3.67 131.9 2.9 0.0089

ABS HLDG PDR DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B LR PREF SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H

44.2 104.7 539 6 1,020 1.05 80.5 79.5 77.05 77.2

44.4 104.7 542 6 1,020 1.05 80.5 79.5 77.05 77.5

LR WARRANT

2.35

2.43

ALTERRA CAPITAL ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

2.36 3.24 2.87 8.48

2.44 3.3 2.96 8.48

FIRST METRO ETF

111.1

111.7

0.56 4,227,000 37 273,200 0.132 1,000,000 1.58 21,031,000 0.99 666,000 1.28 40,000 3.64 36,980,000 0.132 2,600,000 3.28 248,000 31 300 25.4 1,443,300 1.56 76,000 27.25 5,257,800 1.15 1,634,000 0.91 88,000 4.93 25,309,000 SERVICES 7.44 7.44 103,700 43.5 43.5 33,900 0.48 0.49 510,000 0.04 0.04 87,100,000 5.11 5.15 6,000 5.8 6.1 5,807,300 0.065 0.065 2,700,000 2.37 2.51 3,897,000 91.75 92 319,900 9.9 9.9 500 7.8 8.6 2,432,300 2 2.06 8,000 1,435 1,445 132,710 6.2 6.24 63,500 15.38 15.38 4,600 2.18 2.19 2,000,000 14.98 15.5 4,300 69.5 70 286,860 0.009 0.009 1,000,000 9.05 9.08 492,000 0.202 0.21 14,480,000 1.33 1.35 64,000 14.7 14.8 24,700 4.85 4.99 298,000 2.48 2.48 52,000 3.8 3.95 6,907,000 3.67 3.95 19,285,000 2.42 2.49 493,000 11 11.3 10,200 9 9 1,000 11.3 11.9 1,258,800 1,310 1,336 149,730 1.16 1.17 2,884,000 0.435 0.45 370,000 36.5 36.95 633,300 71.8 74 711,240 5.1 5.37 521,300 2.55 2.56 143,000 0.93 0.95 4,457,000 3.21 3.27 608,000 0.33 0.33 100,000 MINING & OIL 0.0033 0.0034 113,000,000 2.7 2.8 12,000 4.83 4.84 1,113,000 2.15 2.15 33,000 0.51 0.52 126,000 0.46 0.48 1,420,000 11.18 11.68 56,000 3.15 3.21 2,632,000 0.192 0.192 6,840,000 0.011 0.012 11,800,000 2.43 2.49 1,500,000 7.82 7.95 2,132,500 2.78 2.88 65,000 1.1 1.13 1,705,000 0.011 0.012 21,200,000 0.012 0.013 271,000,000 8.51 8.7 431,300 3.44 3.53 5,017,000 129.5 131.9 222,920 2.9 2.9 14,000 0.0089 0.0089 1,000,000 PREFERRED 43.75 44.3 40,800 104 104 230 539 542 29,190 6 6 226,000 1,020 1,020 2,020 1.05 1.05 38,000 80.5 80.5 75,930 79.5 79.5 30,000 77.05 77.05 12,700 77.2 77.5 25,500 WARRANTS 2.31 2.31 115,000 SME 2.34 2.38 572,000 3.2 3.3 103,000 2.87 2.96 15,000 8.32 8.38 913,700 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 111 111 44,430

MS TRADING SUMMARY

FINANCIAL

20,000,225

INDUSTRIAL

59,264,827

HOLDING FIRMS

111,916,724

PROPERTY

121,580,025

SERVICES

160,839,811

MINING & OIL

441,375,280

GRAND TOTAL

916,625,022

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

2,344,080 10,254,835 132,800 33,576,470 655,770 50,810 131,863,460 343,930 815,330 9,300 37,025,970 115,630 143,133,130 1,855,940 75,790 124,379,490

-1,110,000 -370,545.00 -29,048,990 7,226,910 -18,705,540 4,650 -42,892,020 -6,447,490

806,445 1,478,040 249,800 3,597,700 30,760 35,166,605 176,390 9,606,010 29,436,582 4,950 20,257,683 16,250 192,806,150 395,238 70,916 4,420,140 65,576 20,045,712.50 9,000 4,466,800 2,967,250 86,340 371,766 1,461,370 129,480 27,053,930 75,300,480 1,226,470 112,490 9,000 14,777,356 200,100,635 3,374,040 162,750 23,517,375 52,007,340.50 2,758,361 367,820 4,217,470 1,987,260 33,200

4,900 193,900 -2,600,468 1,320 1,073,940 7,558,755.50 -319,753 4,208,640 -11,220,165 202,450 497,030 1,857,280 -15,844,330 1,554 96,601,875 126,580 4,669,520 14,300,938 -36,960 -15,440 1,202,210 -356,200 -

374,200 32,980 5,386,080 71,200 64,360 671,850 637,526 8,442,760 1,316,690 140,800 3,719,950 16,806,131 183,900 1,899,950 244,000 3,382,000 3,730,055 18,017,900 29,274,890 40,600 8,900

-4,985,150 -3,726,180 -8,214,337 550,000 1,028,312.00 -24,510,547 -40,600 -

1,803,965 23,927 15,745,980 1,356,000 2,060,400 39,900 6,112,365 2,385,000 978,535 1,976,100

374,950 -1,356,000 -

274,230

1,360,940 335,610 43,620 7,687,566

6,530 -1,939,794

4,934,847

VALUE 1,638.54 (up) 18.82 580,139,245.2 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,537.57 (down) -19.75 1,262,505,997.09 HOLDING FIRMS 6,815.55 (up) 22.58 1,838,868,752.35 PROPERTY 2,979.17 (down) -7.11 1,277.2 (up) 19.41 737,098,940.76 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,048.93 (up) 80.53 754,388,072.73 PSEI 6,686.36 (up) 27.7 94,465,539.54 All Shares Index 4,086.44 (up) 13.59 5,281,829,130.67 Gainers: 109 Losers:49; Unchanged: 48; Total: 206

Philab Industries president Hector Thomas Navasero for P362.32 million through a block sale on Oct. 11. Aside from the acquisition of Philab Industries, Alterra’s board of directors also approved the issuance of 2 billion common shares of the corporation at a subscription price of P0.25 each. The aggregate price is P500 million. The new owners earlier said they were looking at the possibility of infusing assets into the company which would include a Genomics business process outsourcing hub focused on wellness, education and healthcare. Another option considered was to use Alterra for the backdoor listing of Philab Holdings Corp. Genomics is a company engaged in research and development in the area of bioinformatics. Navasero is the president of Genomics and Philab Industries Inc. which is engaged in healthcare, medical equipment and devices and education. Philab has been in the business since 1959 and has been a supplier of math and science equipment to Education Department. Among its clients are the Department of Health, National Institutes of Health at UP Manila and Department of Science and Technology.

Cirtek ATS joins telco infra project By Alena Mae S. Flores CIRTEK ATS, the wireless solutions subsidiary of Cirtek Holdings Philippine Corp., joined the Telecom Infra Project―an initiative started by Facebook, SK Telecom, Deutsche Telekom and others collaborating to develop technologies that will enable affordable and rapid deployment of telecom equipment. TIP is composed of a consortium of telecom operators,infrastructure providers, system integrators, device manufacturers, original equipment manufacturer, electronics manufacturing services and contract manufacturers. Cirtek Holdings said in a statement the participation of Cirtek ATS in the consortium commenced with its participation in a two-day summit of all members at Facebook headquarters in California on Nov. 1 and 2. Cirtek ATS aims to be an OEM and distributor of the OpenCellular box, an opensource GSM mobile wireless access platform and networkin-a-box that will reduce the deployment and operation cost of cellular mobile networks . “This will enable many operators to afford their operation in unserved and underserved areas, greatly expanding the coverage of mobile systems worldwide,” the company said. Cirtek said it aimed to produce OpenCellular trial boxes for ﬁeld trials in the Philippines and evaluate the technology for eventual deployment and operation by telco operators in the Philippines and potentially in the region. “The OpenCellular project is an opportunity for Cirtek ATS to leverage its technical manufacturing and supply chain expertise in improving access to billions of people still unserved and to bridge the gap posed by the digital divide,” Cirtek said.

Business

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Citicore plans to build solar projects overseas

FILIPINOS IN SINGAPORE. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez (seated, third from left) meets with representatives from Filipino entrepreneur

groups to exchange views on strategic ways to strengthen entrepreneurial collaboration and synergy among overseas Filipino workers in Singapore. Entrepreneur groups in Singapore include BDO Unibank Inc., Philippine National Bank, PLDT Singapore, Filipino Overseas Workers in Singapore, FilTreps (Filipino Entrepreneurs), Alalay Sa Kaunlaran Inc. Global Limited and the Global Filipino Investors.

RENEWABLE energy company Citicore Power Inc. plans to build 500 megawatts of solar capacity overseas as a part of its expansion program. The company said the solar projects would be put up in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar. Citicore said these projects in other countries would be a part of the 1,000-MW renewable energy capacity target it planned to put up by 2020. “We have already built 100 MW solar in Philippines and plan to build 500 MW of solar overseas. For the balance of 400 MW, [we] plan to build hydro and biomass power projects here in the Philippines,” Citicore Power executive vice president Manolo Candelaria said. Citicore signed a partnership with Huawei Technologies Company Ltd. for its overseas solar business development. “For the ﬁrst 100 MW that we already built, we did not use Huawei investors yet. For the

next 500 MW, we will use Huawei inverters already,” Candelaria said. Citicore already operates three large-scale solar power plants in the provinces of Bataan, Negros Occidental and Cebu. These three facilities already account for more than 100 megawatts going into the national grid. The company targets 1,000 MW of capacity using the widest range of RE sources such as solar, biomass, wind and hydropower. Huawei is a Shenzen-based global company involved in power and telecommunications equipment and services. It is also the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world. Under the partnership, Huawei will provide project design support and inverter maintenance support for Citicore including remote, hardware and solution support. Alena Mae S. Flores

4 firms bidding for Malaya plant By Alena Mae S. Flores

OUR companies expressed interest to bid for the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal power plant in Pililla, Rizal, an ofﬁcial of Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. said Wednesday. The four companies met the 5 p.m. deadline on Dec. 20 set by PSALM for the Malaya plant assets being offered for privatization. PSALM said it received four letters of interest from APT Global Inc., Phinma Energy Corp., Riverbend Consolidated Mining Corp. and AC Energy Holdings Inc. “The bidding is scheduled on March 8, 2017,” Lourdes Alzona, chair PSALM’s privatiza-

tion, bids and awards committee told reporters. PSALM earlier said the power plant would be privatized on an “as is, where is” basis. The agency gave interested bidders until Dec. 20 to submit their letter of interest. “The committee reserves the right to accept or reject any interested party or bidder or proposal or bids therefrom, or any part thereof, and/or to waive any defects contained therein and ac-

cept the offer advantageous to the government, without offering any reason whatsoever,” Alzona said. The bidders can conduct due diligence on the assets from Dec. 6 to March 6, 2017 while a bid conference would be held on Jan. 6, 2017. Actual bid submission is scheduled on March 8, 2017. PSALM manages the assets and liabilities of National Power Corp. as mandated by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. “There is on-going evaluation for the Malaya plant, and if the board’s clearance to privatize Malaya plant is secured, PSALM could start working on the bidding documents this year,” Alzona said earlier. PSALM is mandated to privatize the remaining power assets of the government such as the

Most important business stories of 2016 ONCE again it’s that time of the year when we look back and pick out the developments that had the greatest impact on the Philippine economy. Barring any dramatic happenings between now and December 31, the following are the stories that had the greatest impact, favorable or otherwise, on the Philippine economy during the twelvemonth period that is about to end. Unquestionably the most important happening in 2016 was Typhoon Duterte. In one of the most remarkable electoral victories in Philippine political history, former Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte won the May Presidential election – and became the nation’s 17th Chief Executive – with a mere 38 percent of the total vote. Although a plurality President, Rodrigo Duterte lost no time talking and acting as though he had won an overwhelming mandate. His ruthless war against the drug trade, his profanity – directed, among others, to Pope Francis, US President Barack Obama and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon— and his foreign policy move away from the US and towards China have taken their toll on the Philippine economy. Unnerved businessmen and investors have pulled out their funds and put investment decisions on hold. As a result, the peso has taken a big hit – it has now breached the P50 to one US dollar mark and the stock market has been behaving erratically. The formation in the House of Representatives of a pro-administration supermajority encompassing all the major political parties was another major development of 2016. With the ranks of the Opposition all but decimated, the prospects of passage of Rodrigo Duterte’s campaign promises – especially a shift to a federal type of government and broad reform of the tax system – were now much brighter. Time will tell whether the supermajority will undergo erosion as Mr. Duterte’s popularity begins to wane. On July 12 the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration announced its decision to side with the Philippines in the arbitration case ﬁled by this country in connection with China’s claim of sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea. China declined to take part in the proceedings and has refused to accept the PCA ruling. From the geopolitical standpoint the Philippines’ victory is of enormous consequence. From the economic standpoint the victory is of great signiﬁcance in view of the vast oil and gas deposits known to lie beneath the Reed Bank and other parts of what has come to be called the West Philippine Sea. The announcement that GDP (gross domestic product) grew by 7.1 percent in the third quarter meant that, barring a decline in the last quarter, this country will grow in 2016 by close to 7 percent – probably the fastest in Asia – in 2016. The pace of economic activity this year was given a substantial push by stepped-up government spending related to the mid-year election. The Philippines clearly has ceased to be Asia’s sick man. The uncertainty and tension associated with President Duterte’s careless and reckless statements manifested themselves in the depreciation of the peso to its lowest level in eight years. As 2016 draws to a close, the peso-dollar exchange rate is hovering in the vicin-

ity of 50 pesos. The government’s supporters have been quick to attribute the peso’s weakening to the positioning that the financial community undertakes in anticipation of an expected US Federal Reserve policy change. However, knowledgeable observers place the major part of the weaknesses at Mr. Duterte’s door. The question “What happens when an environmental activist is placed at the helm of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources” has been answered by Mr. Duterte’s appointment of Gina Lopez as the head of DENR, which supervises the Mines and Geosciences Bureau. Secretary Lopez, who came to office with the mantra “There is no such thing as responsible mining” has been conducting herself much like a bull in a china shop, issuing suspension orders to even the oldest and most respected mining companies. Considering the Philippines’ position in the international mining community – especially in the markets for gold, copper and nickel – that, clearly, is not the way for the government to go. One of Mr. Duterte’s campaign promises was quick action to put an end to the widespread endo (end-ofcontract) labor practice in this country. Quick action there has been, and DOLE (Department of Labor and Empoyment) has lost no time having dialogues with the business community. In the face of increasing layoff of workers by business establishments unable to afford regularized employment or unwilling to violate a no-endo law, DOLE appears to have reduced its antiendo frenzy. Knowledgeable observers believe that the Duterte administration will have to rethink its position on endo. The newest kid on the regulatory block, PCC (the Philippine Competition Commission), made its debut on the national economic scene by insisting on reviewing the joint purchase of Liberty Telecoms Inc.’s frequencies by this country’s telecoms duopolists – Smart Telecommunications Inc. and Globe Telecoms – over the objections of the two companies. When the Court of Appeals supported PCC’s position, Smart and Globe elevated the matter to the Supreme Court, which is expected to hand down an early ruling in view of the telecom industry’s importance to the economy. The UN-sponsored Treaty on Climate Change came into effect after it was ratified by over 660 signatories. After incredibly threatening that the Philippines would not honor the treaty after having signed it, President Duterte gave the go-signal for Philippine implementation of the landmark international agreement. This list of 2016’s most important business stories would not be complete without mention of OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries) and Russia to cut oil output after a long period of non-unity. Accordingly, oil prices begin to harden during 2016’s latter half. Economically, 2016 has been a very good year for this country, but politically it has been a time of turmoil and instability. Bad politics has a way of upsetting the economic applecart. The way things look, is that likely to happen in 2017? It just might. Sad and frustrating.

700-MW Agus-Pulangi hydro plants in Mindanao and the privatization of the IPP contracts of the Steag power plant in Mindanao. PSALM also plans to bid out the 728-MW Caliraya-BotocanKalayaan hydro power plant and the 140-MW Casecnan hydro plant, subject to the instructions of the new administration. The Malaya thermal power plant is presently being used as a security asset and is tasked to run by the government when power supply is tight. The previous administration designated the Malaya power plant as a must-run unit in order to address any instability or supply deﬁciency that may occur as a result of sudden unavailability of any of the operating power plants in the grid.

Bishop backs pro-poor tax bill MOST Rev. Ricardo Baccay of the Diocese of Alaminos, Pangasinan urged faithfuls to shun vices and be wiser in spending money that may be used in more fruitful endeavors. Baccay noted developments in the sin tax law where lawmakers proposed House Bill No. 4144 which aims to impose higher sin tax rates. “In addition to what Archbishop [Oscar] Cruz said earlier, if you smoke a pack of cigarettes daily, you more or less spend P45 each time. That equates to P1,350.00 a month that may be added to your family’s monthly spendings,” he said. Earlier reports stated that Dagupan Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz praised HB 4144 as a “pro-health” measure in his Radio Veritas program. The vocal archbishop cited data from the Social Weather Station that 10 Filipinos die every hour daily from smoking-related diseases. He said the government’s objective was to ultimately stop vices and urge citizens to spend their money on more important needs. Archbishop Emeritus Diosdado Talamayan of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, meanwhile, commended lawmakers for passing the bill as it aimed to help Filipino farmers in their livelihood. Talamayan hails from Cagayan which is one of the North’s tobacco-rich provinces and where many churchgoers are tobacco farmers who depend on the crop to support their respective families.

ERC lady officials stand up to Duterte THE lady commissioners of the Energy Regulatory Board are unfazed by the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to step down following the suicide of an ERC director. A series of letters addressed to God written by the late director Francisco Villa Jr. has plunged ERC into a crisis. Villa intimated in one of the letters that he was under pressure from ERC Chairman Jose Vicente Salazar to approve a contract to produce an infomercial material for the agency. The allegation opened the door for accusations of corruption in the ERC, prompting Duterte to call on Salazar and his four commissioners to vacate their posts. Salazar, very much aware of the sensitiveness of the Villa’s death, said he would wait for the results of the investigation and seek a meeting with the President to give him a “clearer picture.” Salazar has gone on leave beginning December. But ERC lady commissioners Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc and Josefina Patricia Asirit stood up to Duterte and rejected his call for resignation. Yap-Taruc and Asirit in a televised press conference declared that the President could not ask them to resign nor fire them because of a law that gave them a fixed term, or security of tenure. Commissioner Alfredo Non joined the two in the press conference, while commissioner Geronimo Sta. Ana was not present. Yap-Taruc and Asirit earned plaudits from the power sector for standing up to Duterte. The two were both appointed to the ERC post by former President Benigno Aquino III. Yap-Taruc is reportedly a classmate of Aquino at the Ateneo de Manila. Non is also closely identified with Aquino, while Asirit’s maiden name is Magpale. She is the niece of one of Aquino’s closest advisers, former Energy Secretary and now Ayala power business czar Rene Magpale Almendras. Industry observers noted that if Duterte kept the pressure on the ERC commissioners to resign, Yap-Taruc and Magpale- Asirit would be the “last men standing.” The two lawyers know that they have the Electric Power Industry Reform Act backing them in a possible stand-off with Duterte. Yap-Taruc and Magpale-Asirit were both in Aquino’s short list of nominees to replace then retiring ERC Chairman Zenaida Ducut. Salazar, also a lawyer, however, edged out the two in the race for the chairmanship post because of his electrical engineering degree. Probe and reforms Salazar is now under probe by the Commission on Audit upon his own request. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi has also asked the National Bureau of Investigation to help in the investigation to speed up the process. Cusi reportedly wants the probes done fast so he can get the ERC to pursue reforms in the power sector as promised by Duterte. The object of the ongoing investigation is the P300,000 audio-visual production for the ERC infomercial. Power industry observers and players alike are wondering if Salazar can survive the controversy, especially that his “accuser” is a deceased underling who can no longer be made to explain his allegations. Salazar has been put on a tight spot by the axiom that “dead men tell no tales.” The late Villa, unfortunately, did not provide much detail on his allegation against Salazar. He cited the audio-visual project and Salazar’s pressure merely in passing. Most of Villa’s suicide letters were devoted to sharing his innermost emotional struggles and an ongoing battle with an illness which he did not disclose. Villa, a hardworking civil servant and devoted family man, reportedly was torn between retiring early and staying on to serve the ERC. He also worried an early retirement could clip his ability to provide for his loved ones. Salazar must be finding the situation ironic since Villa was reportedly his choice for the position of head of ERC’s bids and awards committee. Salazar’s woes have been made worse by allegations made by some political groups that Villa’s death may have something to do with anomalies at the ERC involving big industry players. Already, two party list groups headed by Bernadette Herrera-Dy and Satur Ocampo have called for investigations to find out if Villa’s death might also be related to pressure to approve power supply contracts entered into by companies among themselves. Ocampo alluded to alleged “midnight deals” with the ERC. Salazar had denied the allegation, pointing out that Villa’s job as bidding committee head was limited to the procurement of office supplies, equipment and services. The clarification has not eased the pressure on Salazar. The House Committee on Energy chaired by Marinduque Rep. Lord Allan Velasco, son of SC Justice Presbiterio Velasco Jr., is bent on doing its own inquiry into the mess now facing the ERC. If the committee pursues the inquiry, Salazar will face added pressure to give up his post. Neither Yap-Taruc nor Asirit would stand a chance to win the top ERC post. Their political association with the Aquino poses a major disadvantage. Among the four commissioners, only Non has connections with the Duterte administration, despite his strong links with former Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima. E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or business@thestandard.com.ph or extrastory2000@gmail.com

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

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

Thailand keeps key rates amid pressures THAILAND held its key interest rate near a record low for a 13th straight meeting, opting for stability as the prospect of higher US borrowing costs weighs on Asian currencies and clouds the outlook for growth. The Bank of Thailand kept its one-day bond repurchase rate at 1.5 percent, with monetary policy committee members voting unanimously in favor, the central bank said in Bangkok on Wednesday. All but one of 25 economists surveyed by Bloomberg predicted the decision. Emerging nations are contending with capital outﬂows after the Federal Reserve last week raised rates by a quarterpoint and signaled three more increases may be warranted in 2017. A yearlong mourning period for King Bhumibol Adulyadej and the prospect of a protectionist tilt in the US pose risks to the export-reliant economy, which is growing at the slowest pace among peers in Southeast Asia. “The BoT will want to keep interest rates low to support the economy, which looks to have started the fourth quarter on a softer note,” Krystal Tan, an economist at Capital Economics Ltd. in Singapore, said in a note. “With inﬂation set to remain benign, we expect the BoT to stay on the sidelines and keep its policy rate on hold” throughout 2017. The SET index was little changed as of 2:10 p.m. in Bangkok, while the baht was up 0.1 percent to 35.99 per dollar. The baht has been among the biggest losers in Asia in the past month, dropping 1.4 percent against the dollar. Thailand’s economy struggled to gain traction this year as moderating consumer spending and a slump in trade curbed investment. Growth weakened to 3.2 percent from a year ago last quarter. Consumer prices rose 0.6 percent in November from a year earlier. Bloomberg

Business

Bitter battle rufﬂes India’s biggest ﬁrm By Megha Bahree

UMBAI, India―The acrimonious battle for control of India’s storied Tata Group is set to get even dirtier as its ousted chairman launches legal action against the firm, marking the latest twist in a months-long saga sullying the 150-year-old conglomerate. Cyrus Mistry―the first nonfamily member to helm the $103 billion steel-to-salt group―was sacked in October after falling out with company patriarch Ratan Tata. He has refused to go quietly, making a series of allegations of mismanagement at the helm of the 150-year-old company, before filing a case in court Tuesday.

And that is where the matter becomes interesting: the Mistry family have been invested in Tata Sons for 50 years and Cyrus’s father is the largest noninstitutional shareholder with an 18.5-percent stake. “My ﬁght will actually continue, and not only continue, it will strengthen,” he told Bloomberg after ﬁling the suit. Tata Sons says it will contest

the petition, which alleges its actions damaged minority shareholders’ interests. The feud between Mistry and Tata, the 78-year-old former chairman who has taken interim charge, has already wiped nearly $9 billion from the collective stock market value of the group’s eight main companies. Experts say it is now damaging one of India’s most respected brands, whose image is built on the Tata family’s reputation for probity in a country plagued by corporate corruption. “None of the Tata companies are great performers,” said one Mumbai executive who has worked with the group, describing the problems raised by Mistry as a “wake up call” for investors. “(Now), the market won’t give them as much leeway for being the Tata group as they had in the

past,” he told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. Ratan, who is credited with building the conglomerate into a global behemoth, says his successor was betraying its legacy. Under him, the organization went on a global purchasing spree, acquiring major names from Tetley Tea to Jaguar Land Rover and the Anglo-Dutch steel ﬁrm Corus in 2007―a major source of pride for a company founded under British colonial rule. But parts of the business have been struggling, and the 50-yearold Mistry had tried to reduce its $30 billion debts by selling underperforming assets. That is said to have irked Ratan. But Kavil Ramachandran, professor at the Indian School of Business, believes he should have given Mistry freer rein. AFP

GLASGOW―While most of Scotland voted against leaving the European Union, whisky makers have quietly been raising a wee dram to a side-effect of the Brexit vote―a plunge in the value of the pound. The currency devaluation has made exports cheaper, generating a bump since 90 percent of Scotch whisky is sold outside Britain, although the industry warns the longer-term outlook is far more cloudy. David Williamson, communications director for the Scotch Whisky Association, said: “Because of the relative strength of the pound we’re certainly getting anecdotal reports back from our member companies that has helped to boost exports.” And Tony Reeman-Clark, who runs the Strathearn Distillery in Perthshire―a relative newcomer to the market―said: “I have been talking to people from bigger distilleries who said there has been a lot of interest, and a lot of sales, because of the weak pound.” Reeman-Clark, who is also the founder of the Scottish Craft Distillers Association, said Strathearn began producing whisky three years ago and its ﬁrst 100 bottles were auctioned off on 1 December. Global interest The ﬁrst sold for £4,150 to an Italian buyer, far exceeding

FRANKFURT―German industrial gases maker Linde and its US competitor Praxair on Tuesday said they had agreed the terms of a proposed $65-billion “merger of equals” to create a global giant in the sector. The agreement, which paves the way for the deal to be finalized, comes after a previous attempt at a tie-up failed in September amid reports of executive infighting over key positions and their locations. “Linde and Praxair today announced that the companies intend to combine in a merger of equals under a new holding company,” the two firms said in a joint statement. “Under the Linde brand, we want to combine our companies’ business and technology capabilities and form a global industrial gas leader,” Linde CEO Aldo Belloni said. By joining forces, the two groups would overtake Linde’s historic French rival Air Liquide as the world number one industrial gas supplier, with combined annual revenues of more than $30 billion (29 billion euros). In the statement, Linde and Praxair estimated that the new combined company would have a “market value in excess of $65 billion.” The merger would lead to annual savings of around $1 billion, they added, “driven by scale benefits, cost savings and efficiency improvements.” “The strategic combination between Linde and Praxair would leverage the complementary strengths of each across a larger global footprint and create a more resilient portfolio,” said Praxair chairman and chief executive Steve Angel. Analysts have warned that the merger could face close regulatory scrutiny, as it would further shrink the number of large players in the market following Air Liquide’s takeover of USbased Airgas in May. AFP

7-Eleven, shop items delivered by drone CHRISTMAS RALLY. Pedestrians walk outside the New York Stock Exchange on December 20, 2016 in New York. Wall Street stocks pushed higher Tuesday with the Dow Jones Industrial Average nudging closer to 20,000 points behind strong gains by banking and industrial shares. AFP

In pro-EU Scotland, whisky makers cheer Brexit boon By Mark Mclaughlin

Linde, Praxair form gas giant

Reeman-Clark’s expectations. He said he had received bids from as far away as “Auckland, Beijing, Hong Kong, Israel, Germany, America, all over the world.” Since the shock June vote the pound has tumbled about 15 percent against the greenback and Graham Hutcheon, the operations director of distiller Edrington, said the industry was having a “jamboree time.” However, he urged the government to provide clarity on Brexit, Bloomberg news agency reported. “We don’t know the questions to ask, let alone answer,” said Hutcheon, whose company makes whiskies such as Macallan and The Famous Grouse. More than 10,000 people are now directly employed in the industry―up six percent in the past three years―while a further 30,000 people are employed in its supply chain from bottling to distribution. The main markets in the ﬁrst half of this year were the United States (£357.4 million), France (£193.1 million) and Singapore (£99.6 million), with total exports equivalent to 533 million bottles of whisky. More than 500 million bottles worth around £1.7 billion Mashman Stuart McIntosh works inside one of the barrels at the are exported from Britain every Auchentoshan Distillery, a Single Malt whisky distillery, on the outskirts of Glasgow on December 12, 2016. AFP year. head of the Glasgow Distillery The full impact of Brexit is nual returns in early 2017. Cask prices rising Company, told AFP during a not expected to be revealed unBut while Liam Hughes, tour of the facilities that “there til distillers complete their an-

has been a 200 percent to 300 percent increase in terms of inquiries for casks” since June, there is a downside to rising import costs. Hughes, one of a growing number of craft distillers who have helped boost the industry in recent years, buys all of his casks from Kelvin Cooperage, which moved from the banks of the River Kelvin in Glasgow to Kentucky in the United States in the 1990s. “As the pound crashes against the dollar the price of the casks goes up substantially, so it’s swings and roundabouts,” he said. Spiros Malandrakis, senior alcoholic drinks analyst at Euromonitor International, said: “We are going to have a shortterm spike, that we are already probably going through and witnessing.” But he said this would be followed by “medium to longterm uncertainty that could potentially prove to be quite damaging. “Brexit has deﬁnitely created a certain boost, primarily from tourists visiting the UK and buying from here,” he said. Another unknown is whether Scotland will decide to go its own way by making another bid for independence as Britain leaves the EU. “That might take away some barriers from Europe but then it could create barriers on the side of the UK,” he said. AFP

SAN FRANCISCO―US drone delivery service Flirtey on Monday announced that its self-piloting flying machines have whisked flu medicine, hot food and more from 7-Eleven convenience stores to customers’ homes. The Nevada-based company boasted of being the first drone service to complete regular commercial deliveries to residences in this country, having completed 77 such autonomous missions. “We have now successfully completed the first month of routine commercial drone deliveries to customer homes in partnership with 7-Eleven,” Flirtey chief executive Matthew Sweeny said in a release. “This is a giant leap towards a future where everyone can experience the convenience of Flirtey’s instant store-to-door drone delivery.” Flirtey said it made 77 drone deliveries to homes of select customers on weekends in November, filling orders placed using a special application. Ordered items, including food and over-the-counter medicine, were packed into special containers and flow by drones that used GPS capabilities to find addresses, according to Flirtey. Drones hovered in the air and lowered packages to the ground, on average getting items to customers within 10 minutes, the company reported. AFP

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

LGUs

MOURNING KENNETH. Students of Pines City High School mill around a banner calling for an end to violence in Baguio City after one of their schoolmates, Grade 10 student Kenneth Velasco, was stabbed to death—over 40 times per police forensic reports—by still unknown assailants in an apparent robbery as he was walking to school on December 13. The city government has offered a P100,000 reward to any information on the killers of the 16-year-old Velasco. David Chan

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

More routes to declog Edsa mulled By Joel E. Zurbano

HE government is planning to open more alternate routes next year to further decongest traffic along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, especially around Makati City and Quezon City. This developed after the Metro Manila Development Authority and Inter-Agency Council on Traffic (I-ACT) formally opened a portion of Edsa near Sen. Gil

Puyat Avenue (formerly Buendia) for private and light vehicles, to be used as an alternate route for motorists going to Jupiter Street.

“Motorist can now use this and it is freely open anytime,” said Manny Gonzales, I-ACT deputy chief traffic officer. “This will help decongest traffic along Buendia Avenue.” Gonzales said two private commercial areas in Makati City and three government facilities, one in Makati and two in Quezon City, will soon be opened for motorists as alternate routes for private vehicles wanting to avoid the congested Edsa. However, he declined to

name the areas to be opened, saying the MMDA and other concerned agencies and local government units are now studying the prospective traffic measures. “Proper coordination is still ongoing, but once we are finished we will announce it to the media,” said Gonzales. The MMDA recently opened three government facilities— Bonifacio Naval Station in Taguig City, the Veterans Memorial Medical Center and Camp Agui-

naldo, both in Quezon City—to accommodate motorists coming to and from Makati, Taguig and neighboring cities. MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos said I-ACT is finding ways to improve the traffic condition in the metropolis, particularly along the 23.8-kilometer Edsa highway that stretches from Monumento Circle in Caloocan City to President Diosdado Macapagal Avenue in Pasay City. The council is composed of

the Department of Transportation, MMDA, Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Office, and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. Orbos said I-ACT expects to reduce traffic density on Edsa by at least 200 vehicles per hour when these facilities and private areas are opened to vehicles. “We are hoping all these measures would be able to alleviate the worsening traffic congestion,” Orbos said.

QC wants to be top medical tourism stop By Rio N. Araja

TOP TAXPAYERS. The city government of Taguig on Tuesday named 10 private companies as its top taxpayers for 2016. Taguig Mayor

Lani Cayetano (second from left) hands a trophy to one of the awardees, whom she said were all instrumental in sustaining the city’s various socioeconomic and infrastructure programs.

QUEZON City is aiming for the top of the country’s medical tourism industr y. As an initial step, Mayor Herbert Bautista tasked the city’s Tourism department to host a meeting with different medical tourism stakeholders, including representatives from private and public hospitals, doctors’ associations, travel agencies, hotels and wellness centers, to prepare for the 1st Quezon City International Medical Tourism Summit slated in March next year. “When we combine the best facilities and the best human resource, then Quezon City is very ripe to take on the challenge of becoming the medical tourism hub of the Philippines,” Bautista said. Medical tourism has been one of the mayor’s programs to bolster tourism and revenue generation as it is a fast-

growing multibillion-dollar industry around the world, Tourism department chief Divina Pascua said. “Quezon City is now ready and excited to take a bite of that market,” Bautista said. City administrator Aldrin Cuña led the unveiling of the official logo and slogan for the Medical Tourism Summit dubbed “For a Healthier and Better You!” Director Cynthia Lazo of the Department of Tourism believes Quezon City can become one of the country’s medical tourism destinations since it “has everything, including all allied and related services.” Former Tourism secretary Mina Gabor also took part in the recent meeting. The worldwide medical tourism industry has exploded in value from $10.5 billion in 2012 to more than $45 billion at present, industry reports say.

Herbert warns of bad meat in markets

WITH the high demand for meat this Christmas season, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Wednesday warned residents of sellers of contaminated meat products across the city’s markets. Bautista directed the city veterinary department to strictly monitor public and private markets to ensure that contaminated

meat and meat products are kept away from the public. He issued the order after city hall inspectors on Monday seized around 150 kilos of contaminated meat at the Commonwealth public market. According to city veterinarian Ana Maria Cabel, at least P20,000 worth of meat products were confiscated from five

stalls at Commonwealth. Also confiscated were some 200 kilos of contaminated meat at the Balintawak and Novaliches markets. All bad meat products were dumped at the Payatas disposal facility, Cabel said. The consumption of such meat products could lead to food poisoning and gastro-intestinal infections, Cabel said. She advised

consumers to buy frozen meat in groceries and meat shops that are equipped with freezers and chillers to maintain the cold chain and keep the meat safe. The city vet said she has been receiving reports that some contaminated meat products were being sold at a cheaper price, and were being bought by unscrupulous eatery owners. Rio N. Araja

Pangasinan Night Job Market draws crowds By Dexter A. See LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—The second Pangasinan Night Job Market attracted hundreds of jobseekers recently at the Pangasinan Provincial Employment Services Offices Building within the Capitol Complex here.

Eleven local companies and six overseas agencies offered jobs in this first-of-its-kind evening employment activity in the Philippines. PESO manager Alex Ferrer said the second installment of the country’s pioneering job fair became possible through the dynamic leadership of Gov. Amado “Pogi” I.

Espino III. “Through his support, we will continue to sustain activities such as this and more special and local recruitment activities so that it could help our provincemates,” Ferrer said. Some 27 applicants from 300 jobseekers were hired on the

spot during the fair. Earlier, Ferrer said the evening fair is intended to provide better employment opportunities for career-changers who are employed during daytime. He assured that another night job market will be mounted during the Pistay Dayat in May 2017.

CHRISTMAS IN BOHOL. For the first time since opening last year, BE

Grand Resort in Panglao Island, Bohol held its first Christmas tree lighting event to welcome the season. A 208-room property, the star-rated BE Grand Resort of Cebu-based developer Enrison Land Inc., hopes to spur tourism growth in Bohol. In photo at the ceremony are (from left) BE Grand general manager Rhea SyCip, Bohol first lady and Balilihan Mayor Maria Pureza Chatto, Tagbilaran City Mayor John Geesnell Yap, and his wife Jane Censoria Yap.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

LGUs

Du30, CSC laud P’sinan agri office By Dexter A. See

INGAYEN, Pangasinan—President Rodrigo Duterte and the Civil Service Commission have honored the provincial government’s agriculture office for their diligence, hard work and innovative skills that have made Pangasinan a consistent top achiever in rice farming across the country.

Duterte, assisted by CSC chairperson Alicia dela Rosa Bala and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, awarded the

Pag-Asa plaque and individual gold-gilded medallions to the nine-member team of Acting Provincial Agriculturist Dal-

isay Moya and Assistant Provincial Agriculturist and director for rice farming Nestor Batalla. Fe Agas, Ramon Claveria, Irene Estrada, Peachy Lozada, Rita Prieto, Gemma Rosario and Danilo Villamil were likewise honored. Moya’s team also received an incentive of P100,000 during the rites held at the Heroes Hall here in the presence of Gov. Amado “Pogi” Espino III, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, and family members of the awardees. In a letter by Bala to Gov. Espino, she commended the provincial chief executive, pointing

out that the honor conferred on the awardee extends to the agency that has nurtured the culture of ethics and excellence. The office of the Provincial Agriculturist of Pangasinan shares the CSC Pagasa award with the province of Bulacan. Pangasinan’s agriculture team crafted and implemented the innovative approach to rice farming called Accelerated Palay Certified Seeds Production along with the Agricultural Technology Enhancement program during the first term of then-governor Amado T. Espino

Jr., who is now the fifth-district representative to Congress. Under APCSP, Pangasinan distributes palay certified seeds to farmers to improve the quality of their harvest and provides a 50-percent fertilizer subsidy to farmers. A full-scale irrigation program that involves construction of shallow tube wells, distribution of irrigation pumps to irrigators groups, and the massive repair and maintenance of irrigation canals dovetails the baseline innovative approach, said Moya. Owing to the success of the

two-pronged program, Pangasinan was awarded thrice as Outstanding Rice Achiever in 2013, 2014 and 2015 by the national government. The province has been elevated to the award’s Hall of Fame. Pangasinan has also carved a niche in corn production as one of the top three achievers in the sector. To protect the province’s gains in agricultural production, Espino has launched the AgroIndustrial Enterprise program to encourage farmers to become entrepreneurs.

Use of fiery sky lanterns nixed

CEMETERY MUSEUM. Visitors admire the displays at the Nagcarlan Underground Cemetery Museum in Laguna, which was recently opened to the public. Leading its inauguration were National Historical Commission of the Philippines Acting Chairman and Commissioner Rene Escalante, Chief Archivist of the University of Santo Tomas Professor Regalado Trota Jose, NHCP Acting Executive Director Ludovico Badoy and Nagcarlan Mayor Nelson Osuna. Roy Tomandao

Virac Urdaneta U gains new school building health center repaired BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank, has renovated the Municipal Health Office in Virac, Catanduanes, in line with its ongoing rehabilitation program of public health structures in calamityprone provinces. Catanduanes was devastated by Typhoon “Ruby” in 2014 and by Typhoons “Karen” and “Lawin” last year. The office was turned over to local officials in ceremonies led by BDO Foundation program director Rose Espinosa and BDO Catanduanes-Virac branch head Normilyn Marino, who recommended the repair of the health center to the foundation and assisted in its completion. Officials led by Virac Mayor Samuel Laynes, Vice Mayor Arlynn Arcilla and municipal health officer Dr. Elva Joson accepted the refurbished rural health unit. Like previous health offices it has rebuilt, BDO Foundation renovated the offices, clinics, consultation rooms and treatment rooms of Virac’s health office along with its spaces for the elderly, children, mothers and babies. The foundation also improved the center’s birthing facilities, making sure good quality patient care is available to mothers. The initiative supports the United Nations Millennium Development Goal for the improvement of maternal healthcare. The improvements will benefit Virac’s population of over 72,000 residents from 63 barangays, Laynes said. Doctors and nurses of the health office will also be able to provide their services more effectively to patients, especially the underprivileged, Joson added.

RESORTS World Philippines Cultural Heritage Foundation has turned over a 24-classroom, fourstory school building to Urdaneta City University that includes 100 computer units and a 500-KVA generator set for the school’s general education classes. The foundation of Resorts World Manila made it possible in partnership with the local government of Urdaneta and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, as the firm committed to ensuring a brighter future for the country by investing in today’s youth, the future professionals and leaders of the land. “Resorts World Manila believes in today’s generation and is happy to provide modern, world-class learning facilities so students may continue to nurture their dreams and hopefully in the future contribute to a better Philippines,” said Atty. Gina Alvarez, chief legal officer of RWM. Earlier, RWPCHF also launched a drug treatment and rehabilitation center in Davao City to help victims of the country’s drug menace once again

Urdaneta City University school officials led by president Dr. Elizabeth Montero (second from right), Resorts World Manila chief legal officer Atty. Georgina Alvarez (third from right), and Urdaneta City Councilor Tet Naguiat (right) flank Urdaneta Mayor Gregorio Amadeo ‘Bobom’ Perez (fourth from right) as he hands a plaque of appreciation to RWM Director for Tax and Legal Compliance lawyer Darius Manlangit.

become functional members of society. “To date, RWPCHF has provided more than 120 classrooms and 30 computer laboratories in various public el-

ementary and high schools all over the country, and supported poor but talented students in the field of performing arts by providing scholarships and financial grants in their chosen

universities,” Alvarez said. For more information about Resorts World Manila and Resorts World Philippines Cultural Heritage Foundation, please visit www.rwmanila.com.

AN ENVIRONMENTAL and health non-government organization has urged local government and fire authorities to issue a stern warning against the use of sky lanterns during the holidays. The EcoWaste Coalition pressed Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno and Bureau of Fire Protection Officer in Charge CSupt. Bobby Baruelo to make the warnings to protect lives and properties against fires caused by wayward sky lanterns. The warning is in line with Section 10.5.4.3 on the prohibition on open burning under the Fire Code of the Philippines, EcoWaste said. The Fire Code prohibits “burning using any materials in any quantities which shall cause the emission of toxic and poisonous fumes,” as well as “depositing hot ashes or cinders, or smoldering coals, or greasy or oily substances liable to spontaneous ignition, into any combustible receptacle.” “Sky lanterns can get out of control and fall on combustible surfaces and cause fires that can damage properties and even claim innocent lives,” said Thony Dizon, coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition’s Project Protect. Dizon recalled that a family of seven people died in Barangay Bungad, Quezon City on Christmas Day in 2012 owing to a fire reportedly caused by a sky lantern. The EcoWaste Coalition is also concerned that sky lanterns being sold by some retail outlets or being offered online for P20 for 100 pieces and up may contain asbestos, a hazardous material. Between 2011 to 2013, the governments of France, Ireland and United Kingdom withdrew from their markets some sky lanterns because “the string in the product contains chrysotile asbestos,” the group said. According to an advisory by the French government in 2013, “the product poses a risk of burns and fire because the paper of the lantern is not fireproof. Moreover, it poses a chemical risk because the string in the product contains asbestos fibers.”

IN BRIEF 4 drug suspects die in Calamba CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna—Four suspected drug personalities were killed after an encounter with police from Batangas province in Calamba City on Tuesday morning. Three of the suspects were identified as Arnulfo de Silva, Eman Cabrera, and Renando Vergara, while the fourth is still unidentified, Batangas Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Leopoldo Cabanag said. The suspects all died while being treated at Calamba Doctors Hospital. Recovered from them were five sachets of suspected shabu, one hand granade, two caliber .38 revolvers and two caliber .45 pistols. Roy Tomandao

Rape try foiled

COURTESY CALL. Cadets of the Philippine National Police Academy from Camp Castañeda in Silang, Cavite under the

Cadet Attachment Program make a courtesy call on Amadeo Mayor Albert A. Ambagan Sr. on Monday. Benjamin Chavez

KAWIT, Cavite—A construction worker was arrested Sunday after a failed attempt to rape a waitress at a bar and restaurant in Barangay Putol here. Noel Carino, 20, of Bagong Silang in Caloocan City, was collared by the owner of Flintstone Bar and Grill after the waitress, Mary Queen Tamundong, 25, managed to escape being cornered in the women’s bathroom and cried out for help, officer on case SPO2 Roldan Velez Requioma said. Benjamin Chavez

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TODAY

IN BRIEF Indonesian police foil bombing

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Manila

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

31 killed in Mexico blast T

ULTEPEC, Mexico―A massive explosion gutted Mexico’s biggest fireworks market on Tuesday, killing at least 31 people and injuring 72, the authorities said.

JAKARTA―Indonesian police have foiled plans for a Christmas suicide bombing after killing three suspected militants Wednesday and discovering a cache of bombs, authorities said. A firefight erupted at a house in South Tangerang 25 kilometres (15 miles) outside the capital Jakarta, with police saying the alleged militants had opened fire at officers. “We asked the three men to surrender but they fought, with one of them throwing a bomb (at officers). Thankfully the bomb didn’t explode and we took firm action against them,” said national police spokesman Rikwanto, who goes by one name. He said the group had planned to stab a police officer at a police station and wait for crowds to gather before launching a suicide bomb attack around the Christmas holidays. The plot was disclosed by a member of the group who was arrested earlier on Wednesday and tipped off police about the three militants and their whereabouts, police said. The raid came less than two weeks after police arrested four Islamic militants including a female suicide bomber in Bekasi, east of Jakarta. They were plotting to bomb one of the guard posts at the presidential palace. AFP

Probers raid South Korean pension fund SEOUL―South Korean investigators Wednesday raided the staterun National Pension Service in a widening probe into a corruption scandal that has engulfed President Park Geun-Hye and large companies including Samsung. A special prosecutor has been investigating whether Samsung bribed Park’s confidant Choi SoonSil to win state approval for a controversial merger of two of its units. Investigators also said they had sought an arrest warrant for Choi’s daughter Jeong Yu-Ra, who is now at large in Europe. Jeong is accused of bribing her way into a college in Seoul. The merger of Samsung units Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T last year was seen as a crucial step to ensure a smooth father-to-son power transfer to Lee Jae-Yong, scion of Samsung’s founding family. It was criticized by many who said it willfully undervalued Samsung C&T stock, but the National Pension Service (NPS) -- a major Samsung shareholder -- voted in favor of the deal, which eventually went through. Investigators searched some 10 places including offices of the NPS and the health ministry that oversees the fund, Yonhap news agency said. The NPS oversees 543 trillion won ($461 billion) in funds, making it the world’s third largest public pension fund. NPS offices were raided last month by different prosecutors, who also searched Samsung Group offices. AFP

Roads closed after attack in Germany LONDON―Roads in front of Buckingham Palace will be shut during the daily Changing of the Guard ceremony starting on Wednesday following the truck attack that killed 12 people in Berlin, British police said. The military ceremony regularly brings crowds of tourists outside the gates of Queen Elizabeth II’s residence in central London and previously there have only been some trafﬁc restrictions while it takes place. London’s Metropolitan Police said the closures were a “necessary precaution” because of “the event’s high proﬁle in an iconic location with a substantial military presence and attracting large crowds”. The closures had already been planned for a three-month trial period but police said this was being brought forward after a truck plowed into a crowded market in the center of the German capital on Monday. “The planned implementation has been brought forward following the events” in Germany, the police said in a statement. “Alongside the road closures, additional barriers will be in place to maintain security for the guard movements.” AFP

ENDANGERED. This picture taken on November 26, 2016 shows one-year-old male elephant ‘Gold’ playing inside the Dak Lak

Elephant Conservation Center where he is being cared for in the central Vietnamese highland province of Dak Lak. Elephants used to roam freely in the area, mingling with potential mates, but human settlements have cut off once-popular breeding circuits. Now there are fewer than 100 elephants left in the wild and just 80 or so in captivity, mostly used to ferry tourists around the leafy forests of Vietnam’s central highlands. AFP

Vietnam’s elephants are disappearing DAK LAK PROVINCE, Vietnam—Baby elephant Gold has come a long way since he was found trapped in a well in central Vietnam earlier this year. Today, the one-year-old jumbo, whose tufts of jet black hair sprout in a mohican from his wrinkly head, frolics around a grassy enclosure where conservationists are trying to save his species. Gold and his new playmate Jun, another rescue, are among only a handful of young Asian elephants in Vietnam, where low birth rates have see the population dwindle. Conservationists are hoping to nurse the pair back to health and set up a full-scale breeding centre modelled af-

ter successful matchmaking programmes in neighbouring Thailand and Myanmar. “At the rate they’re going now, within a generation or so we’ll probably lose the elephants,” said Tuan Bendixsen, director of Animals Asia in Vietnam, which helps to care for the elephants. “As the number gets smaller and smaller, it’s going to be harder and harder for the elephants to hang on.” Elephants used to roam freely in the area, mingling with potential mates, but human settlements have cut off oncepopular breeding circuits. Now there are fewer than 100 elephants left in the wild and just 80 or so in captivity, mostly used to ferry tourists

around the leafy forests of Vietnam’s central highlands. When it comes to mating, those in captivity are not faring much better. They rarely get the chance to meet a partner since they spend most of the day chained up. Many are also malnourished and overworked, making it difﬁcult to get pregnant. Experts say the Dak Lak Elephant Conservation Centre could be the last hope for Vietnam’s disappearing pachyderms. The ﬁrst goal is to create a small herd, said volunteer vet Dutchman Willem Schaftenaar. “The elephants that are here should be kept under the best conditions... not keeping them for rides,” he added.

But convincing local mahouts to hand over elephants to breed or be pulled from work while pregnant won’t be easy. They can earn about $13 a day ferrying tourists around, more than double the average salary in the country. For many it means losing their sole source of income and the status that comes with owning an elephant -- a symbol of prestige in a country where the animals were historically paraded in royal courts and ridden by ﬁghters heading to battle. “The elephant here is a big asset, but more important, it’s a spiritual animal for us,” said elephant owner Y Vinh who is from the M’nong ethnic minority. AFP

German police step up hunt for truck driver BERLIN―German police on Wednesday stepped up their hunt for the driver of a truck that plowed through a Berlin Christmas market, in a deadly assault claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group. The sole suspect—a 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker—was released late Tuesday for lack of evidence, prompting fears of a killer on the loose and further rattling nerves in a shocked country. “We can’t rule out that the perpetrator is on the run,” Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told public broadcaster ZDF. Twelve people were killed when the Polish-registered articulated truck, laden with

steel beams, slammed into the crowded holiday market on Monday, smashing wooden stalls and crushing victims. Twenty-four remained in hospital, 14 of whom were seriously injured, according to de Maiziere. The scenes instantly revived nightmarish memories of the July 14 truck assault in the French Riviera city of Nice, where 86 people were killed by a Tunisian Islamist. The IS-linked Amaq news agency said “a soldier of the Islamic State” carried out the Berlin carnage “in response to appeals to target citizens of coalition countries”. There was no evidence to

back the claim, nor was the perpetrator identiﬁed. Germany is part of a US-led coalition ﬁghting IS in Iraq and Syria. De Maiziere said several lines of inquiry were being pursued, but “we should let the security services do their job.” “No-one will rest until the perpetrator or perpetrators have been caught,” he told ARD public television. The attack comes at a sensitive time for Chancellor Angela Merkel who is running for a fourth term in 2017 but has faced strong criticism over her decision last year to open the country’s borders to refugees. In a blow to investigators,

federal prosecutors announced they had to release the only suspect in custody after finding no forensic evidence to link him to Germany’s deadliest attack in recent years. The Pakistani man was arrested late Monday after he was reportedly seen jumping out of the truck and fleeing the scene. But officials had expressed growing doubts over whether they had the right suspect in custody, and he denied the charges under repeated questioning. “We may have a dangerous criminal in the area,” Berlin’s police chief Klaus Kandt said, adding that security would be boosted while urging “heightened vigilance”. AFP

The conflagration in the Mexico City suburb of Tultepec set off a quick-fire series of multicolored blasts that sent a vast cloud of smoke billowing over the capital. The market had been packed with customers buying pyrotechnics for traditional endof-year festivities. Christmas and New Year parties in many Latin American countries often wrap up with clattering firework blasts. “You just heard the blast. And everything started to be on fire. People came running out on fire,” Walter Garduno said. “People were alight -- children,” he added before trailing off. From a few kilometers (miles) away, the multiple explosions that started at 2:50 pm (2050 GMT) almost looked festive, alight in blue, red and white. They were anything but. Of the 31 confirmed dead, “26 (died) at the scene and five in hospitals,” local media reported Mexico’s chief prosecutor Milenio Alejandro Gomez as saying. Forensic experts are working on genetic analyses of the bodies because “almost all of them are impossible” to identify, Mexico state’s governor Eruviel Avila told the Televisa television network. At least 72 were wounded, the authorities said. The injured were transported to emergency rooms, and 21 have since been released. Fire crews struggled for three hours before bringing the blaze under control. The head of the civil protection service, Luis Felipe Puente, said crews had to wait for all the fireworks to finish exploding before they could extinguish the flames. “The entire market is gone,” he said. It had 300 stands. Several of the injured were in “delicate condition,” he added, saying searches were under way for more casualties in the scorched area that looked like a scene from a post-apocalyptic film, with little left standing in the smoldering ruins. Homes and vehicles nearby were also severely damaged. In some areas, emergency workers were gently probing for survivors under heaps of charred and twisted roofing material. People desperately searching for family and friends shouted and gestured to rescuers about where they hoped the missing might be found. Most of those picked up by rescuers suffered severe burns, many over their entire bodies. AFP The military, which is in charge of issuing fireworks sales permits, was deployed to help emergency crews transport casualties to hospitals by ambulance and helicopter. Ambulances, fire trucks, police vehicles and army trucks all crowded the sprawling blast area. Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto tweeted his condolences to the families of those killed and his wishes for the injured to recover. The Attorney General’s Office has opened an investigation into the cause of the conflagration, which was prompted by “six pyrotechnic explosions,” it said in a statement. Some speculated the mishandling of gunpowder or other fireworks components may have set them off. That was the cause of an explosion in September 2005 at another fireworks market set up ahead of the Independence Day holiday. That market was destroyed. The following year, another explosion destroyed more than 200 sellers’ stands. Both incidents left dozens of injured, but no fatalities. AFP

BUSINESS CLOSURE NOTICE We regret to inform you that

BUCKINGHAM ENGLISH LEARNING INSTITUTE INC. located at 5F MVL Bldg., Paninsingin, Tambo, Lipa City has ceased its operation since October 2016 due to losses. For any inquiries, kindly contact +639771413461. (MS-DEC. 8,15 & 22, 2016)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Finance Securities and Exchange Commission Markets and Securities Regulation Department IN THE MATTER OF : SEC MSRD order No. 41 : Series of 2016 CITYLAND, INC. : Registration of Commercial Papers - Registrant : x------------------------------x ORDER Upon consideration of the Registration Statement and other papers and documents attached thereto filed on behalf of CITYLAND, INC., the Commission, in its meeting of 15 December 2016, favorably considered the application for registration of Six Hundred Ninety Million Pesos (P 690,000,000.00) worth of Commercial Papers, in accordance with the requirements of Sections 8 and 12 of the Securities Regulation Code. Let a Certificate of Permit to Offer Securities for Sale be issued in favor of the subject company authorizing the sale and distribution of the aforementioned securities. Let this Order be published at the expense of the Issuer in a newspaper of general circulation and uploaded in its website within two [2) business days from its issuance. The corporation is hereby directed to furnish the Commission with a copy of the affidavit of publication of this Order. SO ORDERED. EDSA, Mandaluyong City, Philippines, December 16, 2016.

(MS DEC. 22, 2016)

VICENTE GRACIANO P. FELIZMENIO, JR. Director

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

World

Christmas cheer missing in crisis-hit Brazilian city R IO DE JANEIRO―The Grinch—in the form of devastating recession, giant corruption and unpaid salaries—has stolen Rio de Janeiro’s Christmas.

Things are so tight in Brazil’s party city that the traditional giant Christmas tree on the lagoon has been canceled. There aren’t even municipal holiday lights in the streets. And in shops, would-be Santas are feeling more ho-hum than ho-ho. “It’s a really ﬂat Christmas. People are not energized,” said Daniela Santiago, 41, searching for children’s presents in a store that sells cheap Chinesemade toys and decorations. “Most of my friends and family are feeling down.” Unemployed since she lost her human resources job, Santiago lives with her mother, a school teacher who hasn’t received a full salary since September. It can be hard to remember that just four months ago Rio de Janeiro was hosting the Olympic Games. Today in the “Marvelous City” the

main subjects of conversation are crime and what everyone simply calls “a crise” -- the crisis. “A crise” is shorthand for Brazil’s crippling recession, the near bankruptcy of Rio’s state government, investor ﬂight, nearly 12 percent unemployment, and a corruption scandal tainting politicians all the way up to President Michel Temer. Customers at a hairdressers in Copacabana “talk about the crisis all the time,” said barber Jorge Almeida, 41, who said his sister-in-law, a doctor, is another of those state employees who haven’t been paid for two months. Estimating that business was down 20 to 30 percent compared to the last weeks of 2015, Almeida said: “Haircuts are taking second place to what’s really necessary -- like food.” Rio’s New Year bash -- a party that

sees about two million people pile onto Copacabana beach for the midnight countdown -- is also feeling the blues. The city said Monday that the gigantic ﬁreworks display, one of the most famous around the world, will be pared back by 25 percent: down to 12 minutes from the normal 16. At one of the beach chair rental huts, manager Elaine Maria Silva, 29, said the usual pre-New Year’s buzz is missing. “There’s still no [music] stage set up. Usually by now it would have been,” she said, surveying Rio’s most popular stretch of sand, which even on a weekday morning teemed with sun worshippers, joggers and swimmers. The most dramatic holiday absence in Rio this year is the 174-foot (53-meter) Christmas tree structure usually built on a ﬂoating platform at the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, site of this August’s Olympic rowing and canoe events. Bradesco, the bank that used to pay for the tree and its spectacular lighting, announced abruptly in November that it was no longer joining the party.

“It used to be a big event,” said Fabio Ferreira de Souza, 40, who sells drinks by the side of the photogenic lagoon. “Now with no tree, there’s no one coming.” Economists say Brazil should slowly climb out of recession in 2017, but few Rio residents feel optimism. Meanwhile, the corruption-fueled political mess in the capital Brasilia is only intensifying. Jack de Haan, longtime owner of the Raul Jewelry store in Copacabana, recalled that Brazil was on a roll when he immigrated here from Holland 30 years ago. Gradually, though, the country failed to match its promise. This Christmas period, he said, is “terrible.” “Last week I sold nothing. Five days selling nothing with such a beautiful shop,” de Haan, 63, said, his melancholy words at odds with the glitter of the Brazilian topaz, agate, crystal, and other semi-precious stones he sells. “It’s a shame... Politics, corruption -- if it wasn’t for that it would be a different Brazil.” AFP

Schools closed amid public anger in China SHIJIAZHUANG, China―China’s smoggiest city closed schools Wednesday, as the country suffered through its sixth day under an oppressive haze, provoking public anger about the slow response to the threat to children’s health. Since Friday, a choking miasma has covered a large swathe of northeastern China, leaving more than 460 million gasping for breath. Shijiazhuang, the capital of northern Hebei province, was one of more than 20 cities that went on red alert Friday evening, triggering an emergency action plan to reduce pollution by closing polluting factories and taking cars off the road, among other measures. Nowhere has been hit as hard as the city, which has seen a huge spike in pollution. But the city’s education department waited until Tuesday evening to announce it was closing elementary schools and kindergartens, following similar moves in neighboring Beijing and Tianjin. The announcement said middle and high schools could close on a voluntary basis. The statement, which appeared on the education department’s official social media account provoked anger. “Are middle school students’ bodies’ air purifiers?” one incredulous commenter asked, adding “Are you going to wait for us all to become sick before you step up to fix this?” A picture from neighboring Henan province showing more than 400 students sitting an exam on a football pitch after their school was forced to close was widely circulated on social media, further fueling discontent. Shijiazhuang has seen 10 bouts of serious air pollution so far this winter, according to the China Daily newspaper, putting it at the top of the environmental ministry’s list of cities with the worst air quality. Over the last 48 hours, levels of PM 10 in the city have been literally off the charts, with readings of the larger particle, a major source of haze, repeatedly maxing out at 999. Levels of the smaller PM 2.5, tiny enough to be absorbed into the bloodstream and thought to be a major contributor to respiratory and cardiovascular disease, reached as high as 733, more than 29 times the World Health Organization’s daily recommended maximum exposure of 25. AFP

Russians still divided over the crimes under Stalin MOSCOW―Andrei Kolesnikov laid out the letters his grandfather sent home from the Stalinist labor camp where he eventually died after eight years as a political prisoner. “It was an everyday case, so common for that period,” political analyst Kolesnikov told AFP in his Moscow flat. “My grandfather David Traub was caught up under the wheel of history.” It has been eight decades since the start of the Great Terror that saw countless innocent victims across the Soviet Union executed or sent to the Gulag camps -- and 25 years since the USSR itself finally ceased to exist. But a fight over the historical truth -- and memory -- of the crimes of the Soviet regime still drags on in Russia as the current authorities under President Vladimir Putin stand accused of trying to minimize the dark chapters of the past in a bid to bolster their own grip on power. Earlier this month leading human rights group Memorial -- which has been battling for decades to shine a light on Soviet abuses -- released a database with the names and some biographical details of around 40,000 people who served in the Stalin-era NKVD secret police from 1935-39. Kolesnikov was able to find out more about the NKVD agent he had already tracked down in state archives as responsible for the 1938 arrest of his architect grandfather. Some agents, it turned out, ended up being consumed by the very purges they had helped to conduct, arrested and executed along with their victims. Others went on to become decorated heroes in World War II. “These people all had different fates,” Kolesnikov, who works for the Carnegie Moscow Center, said. Kolesnikov’s grandfather was accused of being a political opponent of the Bolsheviks -- his grandson guesses either to fulfill an arrest quota or due to a private vendetta. He died in the sick ward of his labor camp, leaving his wife and children. “Unity” is the current buzzword among Russia’s elite -- uttered repeatedly by Putin as he tries to forge a sense of national identity that instills loyalty to the Kremlin and smothers dissent. The strongman leader -- and many of those who surround him -- served in the NKVD’s successor organization, the KGB, and headed its post-Soviet incarnation the FSB. Central to their push is shaping a vision of the past that emphasizes the USSR’s victory in World War II and Stalin’s role in achieving it while downplaying the Soviet crimes and repression. When Memorial released its list of NKVD agents it provoked a level of interest -- both positive and negative -- that few at the organization had expected. In the first few days after the list was launched the website crashed as hundreds of thousands of people flooded on to search it. AFP

IT’S NEARLY CHRISTMAS. An Indian Mizo pedestrian walks past a Christian nativity crib in Aizawl, the capital of northeastern Mizoram state, on December 21. AFP

S. Korean court to decide on Park’s impeachment SEOUL―South Korea’s Constitutional Court will Thursday start hearings into whether to conﬁrm the impeachment of President Park Geun-Hye, with her ruling conservative party deeply split on the issue before a likely fresh election. The court has up to 180 days to decide whether to uphold or reject parliament’s impeachment of the country’s ﬁrst female president on charges ranging from bribery to abuse of power. Park has been suspended from her duties since the impeachment vote on December 9, with the prime minister taking over. If the judges back impeachment after hearing from both sides, she will be formally ousted and a presidential election held within 60 days. But any split in the Saenuri Party would drastically reduce its chances in such a poll. More than 30 Saenuri lawmakers who have been at odds with Park have vowed to leave, arguing that the party’s current

leadership refuses to embrace reforms despite the corruption scandal and impeachment crisis. “We’ve reached a conclusion that conservatives’ reform through the Saenuri Party is impossible”, prominent lawmaker Yoo Seung-Min told journalists. A split would also complicate any potential presidential run by outgoing UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, who had been widely expected to compete on the Saenuri ticket. Thirty-ﬁve lawmakers have agreed to break away from the party on December 27, the dissident group said, adding they will try to persuade more legislators to join them. Their departure will leave the party with some 90 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament, relegating it to second place behind the left-leaning Democratic Party. The group crossed party lines to join opposition parties in passing the motion to impeach Park. Park is accused of colluding with her

confidante Choi Soon-Sil to coerce large companies like Samsung into handing over tens of millions of dollars to two dubious foundations which Choi allegedly controlled and plundered. Park is also accused of ordering aides to leak state documents to Choi, who has no official title or security clearance, and allowing her to meddle in state affairs including the appointment of top officials. Investigators on Wednesday raided the state-run National Pension Service in a widening probe into the scandal. A special prosecutor has been investigating whether Samsung bribed Choi to win state approval for a controversial merger of two of its units last year. Investigators also said they had sought an arrest warrant for Choi’s daughter Jeong Yu-Ra, who is now in Europe. Samsung, on top of a huge sum it gave to Choi’s foundations, allegedly transferred millions more dollars to a Choi paper company in Germany under the

pretext of supporting Jeong’s equestrian training. The merger of Samsung units Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T last year was seen as a crucial step to ensure a smooth father-to-son power transfer to Lee Jae-Yong, scion of Samsung’s founding family. It was criticised by many, who said it wilfully undervalued Samsung C&T shares. But the National Pension Service -- a major Samsung shareholder -- voted in favour of the deal, which eventually went through. The NPS oversees 543 trillion won ($461 billion) in funds, making it the world’s third largest public pension fund. Its ofﬁces were raided last month by different prosecutors, who also searched Samsung Group ofﬁces. The special prosecutor has taken over the case against Choi from state prosecutors. She has been formally charged with abuse of power and extortion. AFP

Life

Road safety mentors teach students at the annual road safety camp conducted by Shell in Pandacan, Manila

HEALTH & WELLNESS

N ITS bid to ensure the safety of pregnant women from conception to post-birth childcare, the local government of Quezon City partnered with several health institutions to further guarantee the wellbeing of both mother and child. According to Quezon City Mayor Herbert M. Bautista, the city government is striving hard to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and is focusing on the third item, which is on good health and wellbeing of the citizens. The mayor told participants at the recent 4th Maternal and Neonatal Health Summit, organized by the Quezon City Health Department together with United Laboratories Inc. (Unilab), that the city government will ensure UN development goals of boosting public health, improving maternal health, and reducing neonatal mortality through a localized and sustainable Maternal Newborn Child Health and Nutrition (MNCHN) approach and by implementing a functional Service Delivery Network (SDN). Bautista underscored the priority programs of his government to address maternal and neonatal health, particularly the Seal of Excellence, which seeks to enforce the strict compliance of private lying-ins to the Department of Health’s (DOH’s) standards and to enhance public-private partnership in resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation. The Seal of Excellence is also the quality label awarded to private lyingin clinics in Quezon City that have met all essential maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCHN) indicators using the DOH-approved MNCHN tools, such as the DOH’s License to Operate (LTO); PhilHealth Accreditation, Sanitary Permit and membership in the City’s Safe Delivery Network (SDN). Recipients of the Seal of Excellence for 2016 already reached 23 clinics and lying-ins.

“Reforms in the local health systems will considerably lower the risks of dying secondary to pregnancy and childbirth. We need to standardize regulation and accreditation of birthing facilities and enhance further the referral network, reporting, and transport systems to improve service delivery,” said Dr. Verdades P. Linga, Quezon City Health Officer III. In her presentation, DOH Assistant Secretary Maria Francia M. Laxamana highlighted the efforts of the department in taking steps to further improve the health and well-being of the Filipinos, especially the poorest of the poor. She said the DOH is looking into improving health-emergency management within clinics and lying-ins, including the provision of proper healthcare products and services to those who are in need. Laxamana also emphasized the importance of partnerships with the private sector to further extend the reach of healthcare in the country. This was echoed by Unilab. “Our continuous collaboration with Quezon City on maternal and child health has resulted in sustained community engagements that generated more participative stakeholders. Sharing of values and resources are two components that make our public-private partnership work. We are optimistic that our initiative in setting the standards for health services delivery will prove that strict compliance to public health services delivery can be done,” says Claire D. Papa, head for External Affairs and Social Partnerships of Unilab. Several health professionals presented their respective programs during the conference in line with Quezon City’s promotion of prenatal and postnatal care.

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

QUEZON CITY

boosts network on maternal, childcare

Quezon City Maternal, Newborn and Child Health and Nutrition coordinator Dr. Ramona Abarquez; Unilab Head of External Affairs and Social Partnerships Claire Papa; Quezon City Health Officer III Dr. Verdades Linga; Department of Health Assistant Secretary Maria Francia Laxamana, MD, MHSA, CHS; and Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista with the awardees of the Seal of Excellence

City Surveillance officer Dr. Rolando Cruz said the Quezon City HIV Testing Department is implementing the same-day result testing so patients would be able to act on their diagnosis right away. Since 1984, the city diagnosed over 3,496 HIV and

AIDS patients. For January to June of 2016 alone, Quezon City detected 427 HIV-positive patients. However, Cruz noted that not all the HIV-positive patients are Quezon City residents, citing that 56.64 percent of their patients are from neighboring cities.

In 2015, around 65 health centers and seven public lying-in clinics in Quezon City served 97,221 pregnant women, with those testing positive for HIV or AIDS immediately given proper care and treatment. Turn on D2

ADVT

Life

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016 isahred@gmail.com

OUNGER people are getting sick with degenerative diseases and it is increasingly becoming common among them to suffer because they are following an unhealthy lifestyle—they do not have the right nutrients that their bodies need from a proper diet and they lack exercise to keep their bodies in top shape.

Responding to this unpleasant trend among people, young and old alike, Pillars 5, Inc. aims to foster health and wellness by bringing in all-natural products that help the body to rebuild its systems and restore them back to optimal health. Through Pillars 5’s network of home-based entrepreneurs, the company’s passion for bringing back health to people has helped not only those in need to get back their lives from all the unhealthy practices, but also those people who have a dream of building their own businesses and achieve financial freedom. Pillars 5 is not shy to say that they are a multi-level marketing (MLM) company. However, it has been a big challenge for them to differentiate themselves from most MLM companies and also to expunge the negative preconceived notions on the industry. “MLM is an industry with a negative image because of how many of the companies in it have been operating. People have compromised their values and so the industry, as a whole, has been compromised. You will find many people being scammed by companies with less than superior products and dubious business practices,” explains Pillars 5 President and Chief Executive Officer, Ramon Garcia. The lack of regulations for the MLM industry does not help companies who do their best in building a better image for the industry, especially those with products that can really help people. “On top of that, many people don’t have a good understanding of the MLM industry that they represent and are not able to communicate what their company has to offer. What we have set out to achieve is to build our business based on five core values: Servant Leadership, Humility, Excellence, Integrity, and Stewardship. Those core values are the uncompromising foundation of our business and, we believe, they will serve us very well now and in the future,” Mr. Garcia adds. They pass on these core values to their home-based entrepreneurs—

Core of Pillars 5

The Executive team of Pillars 5 (From left): Chief Marketing Officer Gertrudes Glissman, COO Karla De Pala, Director for Special Projects Jimmy Fabregas, President and CEO Ramon Garcia, President of Enzyme Village Tony Cheng, Chief Entrepreneurial Development Officer Andrew Trogen, and Chief Network Sales Development Officer Jaylyn Trogen

their distributors— by building a strong relationship and by educating them on how they can “add value” to their customer’s life. For Pillars 5, it is always the best to educate, train, and equip people so they will understand the business, do it the right way and make an honest living. Relationships drive everything else that happens after that. Along with this, the company concerns itself on how to support their distributors in making their individual organizations grow. “We strive for consistency in what we say and do; staying focused on the company’s vision; staying true to our core values. Over time, this is how people will perceive us differently from the rest of the pack,” Mr. Garcia notes. “We differentiate ourselves from the rest by explaining how we do things differently, i.e., having affordable entry into the business, product emphasis, no hard selling, no false claims and promises, no hype.” When these relationships with their distributors have been solidified and imbibed with the company’s core values, it is almost always easy for the distributors to market their products

sourced locally and internationally. The Pillars 5 business is well-founded on products that are made from allnatural ingredients that can give people peace of mind on their usage of them. Unlike synthetic food supplements in the market, Pillars 5 food supplements come from whole foods. Because they are whole-foods based, the activity of the nutrients in their ingredients is kept intact to complement the natural mechanisms of the human body so that the cells in the body can be able to use these nutrients readily. Headlining their product line-up is Life Enzyme, a multi-nutrient supplement. It is sourced from 150 fruits, vegetables, and herbs that have been fermented for 365 days. This process magnifies the nutrients in these ingredients and through the beauty of biotechnology, makes them bio-available to the body. It is produced in Taiwan by Enzyme Village, a partner. Nutrishuz Green Foods Health Drink and My TLC Essential Oils are formulated by their biochemistry expert consultant and produced in the Philippines. Nutrishuz is a delicious veggie

drink ideal for people who are always on the go – an energy booster and contains ingredients good at detoxifying and strengthening the immune system. Because of its great taste, even the kids are raving about it. On the other hand, My TLC is an aromatherapy product. A great home remedy for common ailments, it is a special blend of eight essential oils applied topically or inhaled, and is a must to carry in one’s bag or pocket. It is powerful because it already makes use of the very essence of a plant in addressing a health issue. The Souq Moroccan Argan Oil is sourced from Morocco. It is made of 100 percent pure extract from the Argan nut kernel and underwent pressing from organically certified operations. It is a beauty product that rejuvenates the skin and hair, and nourishes and protects the nails. Their customers all give positive feedbacks but Mr. Garcia constantly reminds that their products are not cures or treatments for illnesses, and would rather emphasize what Pillars 5 products do very well: to rebuild and restore. “We help rebuild the immune

system so that the immune system will restore the person back to optimal health. Our body is the intelligent healer, not the products. What our products do is give the body what it needs to heal and repair itself.” Pillars 5 is a company that provides an opportunity not only for those who would want to regain their optimal health back, but also for those who would want to build on their dreams. They tell their distributors that the road will definitely not be easy for them, as they face many challenges in building each other’s dreams, while at the same time, helping change an unhealthy world. But they remind them, too, that challenges can be met and inspiration from one can ripple to others, which can result to everyone being motivated. “We are in the throes of a health revolution and we want to lead it,” Mr. Garcia says. “We feel privileged to be able to help people improve their quality of life and achieve their dreams.” Find out more. Call them at 6356566, 6356568. Like them on Facebook: Pillars 5, Inc. Check their website - www. pillars5.com.

Quezon... From D1

Community residents who participated in Weather 101 trainings in Palawan organized by Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc.

Weather 101 trainings in Palawan PILIPINAS Shell Foundation Inc. (PSFI), the social development arm of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, recently organized a series of Weather & Tropical Cyclone 101 trainings conducted by Weather Philippines Foundation in the municipalities of Aborlan and Taytay, and the sitio of Sabang in Palawan. These supplementary trainings were conducted to educate community residents on handling weather information coming from the Automated Weather Station (AWS) units provided to each municipality of Palawan. To ensure maximum participation from the municipalities, the trainings were strategically organized to cover the South, North and Central areas. In Aborlan, 133 participants from Española, Narra, Brooke’s Point, and Quezon joined the training. In Taytay, there were total of 130 trainees with residents also coming from Dumaran, Araceli, San Vicente, Roxas, and El Nido. Lastly, in Sabang, a total of 86

community members participated. The trainees were from different sectors such as agriculture, fishery, tourism, and business; and from different agencies such as the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (MDRRMO), Department of Education (DepEd) Division of Palawan, Western Philippines University (WPU), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park (PPSRNP), and Philippine National Police (PNP). Other partners include the Municipal Government of Taytay, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office (PDRRMO), and Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD). Along with Shell’s campaigns geared toward community concerns such as driver education, fuel efficient driving and saving fuel, conducting the Weather 101 training for the communities have been effective in imparting knowledge on handling data derived from the AWS

units considering the effects of global warming and climate change in prevailing weather conditions. Dr. Lita B. Sopsop, dean of the College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Environmental Sciences of WPU emphasized its use for the academe, and the agriculture and fishery sectors. “This training will reinforce our lectures for our students and what we learned here simplifies the impact and use of weather information. For example, since we can now predict when it will rain, for the agriculture sector, we can now know when to plant and harvest rice. This seminar is very helpful and significant to the agriculture and fishery sectors,” she said. Romy Salvame, tMunicipal Mayor of Taytay, highlighted its use for disaster preparedness given the reality of climate change, adding that they could use this weather knowledge in creating appropriate preparedness action, and plans in making practical decisions to reduce the

impact of weather-related disasters. The different MDRRMOs also stated that they are developing different strategies for information dissemination on the weather condition to barangays and to their municipal residents. In San Vicente, they conduct 24/7 monitoring of weather information from the AWS, then they distribute the information to the different barangays each day through handset radios. After this training, they are planning to tap their radio station in San Vicente to reach more people. In his closing remarks, PSFI Program Manager Aquino Veran said, “I hope and anticipate that this training would be of immense help to you, especially the moment you go back to your respective work and municipalities. I hope this would really help you in some way, and that you could share the knowledge you gained from this training so that more people could benefit from this project.”

Dr. Alejandrino Perez presented updates on PhilHealth’s pregnancy packages, emphasizing the need for affordable and accessible financing products to lessen maternal deaths in the country. In 2013, about 3,000 Filipino mothers died from childbirth out of 2.4 million deliveries. Maternal mortality was at 110 to 130 per 100,000 live births. “Ang main goal talaga natin is maibaba ang maternal death without hampering the family budget,” he said. Relying on technology for better health services and reliable healthmanagement system in health centers, Arturo Ongkeko discussed the importance of the Computerized Health Information System (CHITS) in managing the Mag-Ina Telereferral System (MInTS) and Birth Registration Tracking System (BiRTS) across all health institutions. According to the National Telehealth Center website, MInTS aims to strengthen the service-delivery network of maternal and neonatal referral and feedback process among health facilities, while BiRTS seeks easier birth registration through digital form from the CHITS to the local civil registry. These systems have eased and organized, all not only maternal, medical records across the city. Meanwhile, focusing on the general health of the child is the Batang 1000 Program. The joint project between the Quezon City Health Department (QCHD) and UNILAB aims to reduce the prevalence of stunting in children across the city. Launched early this year, the program covers the period from conception of the child to the pregnancy of the mother to the child’s toddlerhood. In October, over 600 expecting mothers and mothers with newborn babies from different barangays were enrolled by the QCHD to the program, making available to them comprehensive health care packages from pregnancy to the time they give birth.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

KOREA’S HOTTEST

new drama only on iﬂix I FLIX, the world’s leading Internet TV service for emerging markets, offering subscribers unlimited access to thousands of TV shows, movies and more, is thrilled to premiere Korea’s hottest new fantasy drama, The Legend of the Blue Sea.

Fast tracked from Korea, iflix will premiere two new episodes every Thursday and Friday, less than 24 hours after their original telecast. iflix subscribers in the Philippines can now stream and download the first eight fully subtitled episodes, as well as new episodes weekly as they become available. Directed by Jin Hyok and written by Park Ji Eun, The Legend of the Blue Sea tells the story of a genius con artist (Lee Min Ho) who meets the world’s last remaining mermaid (Jun Ji Hyun) as she tries to adapt to life on land. Past and present collide as the pair discovers a connection in their past, unfolding into a charming fantasy drama that leaves viewers believing in fate and destiny. Together with veteran actors Song Dong Il, Mun Soo Ri, Hwang Shin Hae, Na Yong Hi, Choi Chong Wu, the star-studded cast will delight Korean drama fans of all ages across the region. The Legend of the Blue Sea joins iflix’s extensive library of popular and highlyacclaimed Korean dramas, including the award-winning fantasy drama Secret Garden, hit romantic comedy Boys Over Flowers, successful action drama City Hunters, and popular drama series Moon Embracing the Sun. Country Manager for iflix Philippines, Sherwin de la Cruz said, “Reception for The Legend of the Blue Sea has been incredible since we first

Two heavyweight filmmakers on millennial students MARK Meily is a film director and producer whose movies have been shown in Honolulu, Seattle, Busan, and Brussels. He is a multi-awardee, to include Best Inspired by a classic legend from Korea's first collection of unofficial historical tales about a fisherman who captures and releases a mermaid, 'The Legend of the Blue Sea' stars Jun Ji- hyun as a mermaid and Director for his Lee Min-ho as a con-artist work in Crying Ladies and Baler in launched the show on iflix. Filipinos are huge fans run exclusives and award-winning programs, each past Metro Manila of K-dramas, and nothing makes me happier than subscription allows users to access the service Film Festivals. giving our members the content they love for them on up to five devices, including phones, laptops, Born and bred Filmmaker and production to enjoy wherever, whenever. Fans of Lee Min Ho tablets, and television sets, for viewing wherever, in Manila, he is a designer Nestor Abrogena and Jun Ji Hyun will surely enjoy this latest drama whenever. iflix subscribers can also download TV graduate of Visual from their favorite stars!” shows and movies from iflix’s extensive catalogue Communication at the University of the Philippines, Now available in Malaysia, the Philippines, for offline viewing. The service is priced at only Film at the Mowelfund Film Institute, and a French Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Brunei, and the P129 per month in the Philippines for unlimited Government Scholar at the Ecole Supérieure d’Etudes Cinématographiques. Maldives, iflix will continue to roll out its world- access with no ads. Nestor Abrogena, a graduate at the University of class service to key additional emerging markets For new subscribers, iflix offers a complimentary the Philippines Film Institute for both his bachelor and in the coming months. Offering consumers, a vast a month trial with full access to its world-class master’s degrees, is known through his cult classic Ang library of top Hollywood, Asian regional, and service, features and content. Go to www.iflix.com Kwento Nating Dalawa, specializes in art direction and local TV shows and movies including many first to register. production design in commercials and films, such as Raya Martin’s Independencia and Joseph Laban’s Cuchera. He also delved into Emerson Reyes’ MNL 143, which garnered several Gawad Urian nominations. Today, Meily and Abrogena are more than just industry experts, they are educators who instruct and assist, inspire and guide the newest crop of eager students, with every hope to share their wisdom. “By starting at the bottom, I can help transform the fate of this profession. A future where the industry is professionalized and creative -- where we can aspire for further growth.” Meily shared. Teaching millennials requires a different skill set. Meily praises them for their openness to learn. “They are like sponges that absorb everything you teach them. They do not have biases, and are easier to mold. They even question you when you slack off.” On the other hand, a fellow millennial himself, Abrogena is comfortable in his conversations with his protégés. “The current generation of learners have different preferences, so I am always prepared with diverse approaches to engage them.” Without a doubt, today’s crop of undergraduates is more creative. Among many memorable moments, Meily’s favorite was when he was presented with a thesis, which combined all seven art forms in one single video clip. As for Abrogena, it was when a pupil proposed a story on the last Princess of Panay, which delved on mature themes. Modern times likewise bring a slew of challenges. Meily reveals that stringent requirements are barriers for highly skilled individuals to be able to teach, while Abrogena notes the constant evolution of media. From left: Pasig City Mayor Robert Eusebio and Mss. Maribel Eusebio; Vice Mayor Christian Bernardo; and But despite all the hurdles, today’s batch of learners actress Meg Imperial with SM Prime Holdings, Inc. Chairman for Executive Committee Mr. Hans Sy; and SM is inquisitive, inventive, and passionate. “That alone Lifestyle Entertainment Inc. President Edgar Tejerero at the opening of the cinemas at SM City East Ortigas. will help safeguard the sector for what lies ahead.” Abrogena ended. exciting rewards when you use your ePLUS card at SM City East Ortigas. For tickets, log on to Meily is currently the chairman of the Filmmaking at SM Cinema. www.smcinema.com and follow SM Cinema Program at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Have the best day at the movies only at SM on Facebook: /SMCinema and on Twitter and (DLS-CSB), while Abrogena is a Film fellow at the Cinema and Director’s Club Cinema, now open Instagram: @SM_Cinema. same institution.

SM Cinema opens at SM City East Ortigas SM CINEMAS recently launched its Cineplex at the newly opened SM City East Ortigas in Pasig City with four fully digitized cinemas and four Director’s Clubs. The four digital theatres each have 250 seats and are equipped with top-of-the-line surround sound systems, the perfect place for enjoying a good movie with family members and friends. For the perfect snack to go with your movie, choose from Grub Central’s wide selection of affordable and tasty cinema treats. Director’s Club Cinema, on the other hand, welcomes its guests with a spacious, fully carpeted lobby and sets the mood with its warm lighting. Guests who are looking for a more reﬁned movie experience can relax in its comfortable, automatic recliners furnished with spacious side tables for food and drinks that may be ordered through a call buzzer, prompting an in-your-seat butler service. With wall-to-wall screens supported by quality surround sound system, guests can sit back, kick back and relax as they watch their favorite movies in total comfort. Both cinemas have PWD-friendly facilities: slots for wheelchairs inside the cinemas, as well as lavatories. A dedicated entrance with a PWD ramp is available for guests of Director’s Club Cinema. Buy tickets over the counter or book your seats at www.smcinema.com with the ePLUS card! Enjoy hassle-free movie ticket purchase and redeem

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, December 22, 2016

ACROSS 1 Abbot’s underling 6 — nelson 10 Auntie of fiction 14 Maureen of the screen 15 Horror-film servant 16 Lemony 17 Washington waterway 18 Franc’s replacer 19 Singer — Hendryx 20 Polished 22 Wavelength unit 24 Size above med. 26 Trip to the top 27 Apples or potatoes 31 Sidekick 32 Priggish 33 Bwana, in India 36 Consumer org. 39 Hop, skip or jump 40 Ruffly front 41 Corrida sight 42 Frat letter 43 Type of canoe 44 Slinky toy shape 45 Dickens 46 Green science 48 Dirty politics 51 Bottom line

52 Joking around 54 Crown 59 Costa — 60 Footnote abbr. (2 wds.) 62 Title role for Madonna 63 FitzGerald’s poet 64 Baja Ms. 65 Splinter groups 66 Volcano goddess 67 Bristle with 68 Buy a round DOWN 1 Firecracker noises 2 Baba au — 3 “Othello” heavy 4 Black-and-white snack 5 Clanked 6 Hotfoot it 7 Water, in Madrid 8 “— Doone” 9 Pond algae (2 wds.) 10 Fireplace ledge 11 Kind of squash 12 North Dakota city 13 Party-tray cheese 21 Elev.

DLS-CSB Film Program chairman and multiawarded ﬁlmmaker Mark Meily

23 Nature’s bandage 25 Dryden work 27 Host’s plea 28 Sporty trucks 29 Graceful wrap 30 Bro or sis 34 Org. for lawyers 35 Phonies it up 36 String tie 37 Tar’s jug 38 Too squared off 40 Flashiest 41 Util. bill 43 Zen riddle 44 Most cozy

45 Obey a caveat 47 Heifer’s mouthful 48 Slug’s trail 49 Slow train 50 — nous 52 Riding whip 53 Concert proceeds 55 Maintain 56 Mince 57 Singer James 58 Sail support 61 Take it on the —

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2016

Primetime TV’s new heartthrobs ISAH V. RED

HERE is no doubt that Ivan Dorschner, Addy Raj with Jak Roberto, and Ken Chan are fast becoming the new TV heartthrobs.

After a series of grueling auditions, the four Kapuso stars bagged the coveted roles of Barbie Forteza’s leading men in the much awaited primetime soap Meant To Be all set to air next year. Their fans and supporters are definitely growing day by day. More and more netizens and viewers are looking forward to the debut of their romantic drama. Ivan, who recently signed an exclusive contract with GMA Artist Center, was born in Los Angeles, California. He is a 26-year-old Filipino-American actor, television host, stage actor and model. Many would remember him as the boy that Katy Perry kissed during her 2012 Manila concert. Another new Kapuso star is the 21-year-old Addy, a full-blooded Indian who fell in love with the Philippines when he first came to Manila as an exchange student at Ateneo De Manila University. He is a sports buff, model and a famous social media personality because of his Tagalog songs. Meanwhile, Jak, who was born in Nagcarlan, Laguna, started his career in Walang Tulugan with the Master Showman. The 22-yearold Filipino model and actor is currently in Bubble Gang and Dear Uge, after Usapang Real Love (URL), Hanggang Makita Kang Muli, and The Half-Sisters. Ken is a 23-year-old ChineseFilipino actor and TV host. He was first seen in Reel Love Presents Tween Hearts and from there, his career blossomed with numerous TV projects that showcased his versatility and talent. At present, he is one of GMA’s most promising dramatic actors. He received the Teleserye Actor of the Year award at the PEP List Awards 2016 for his outstanding performance in the top-rating Afternoon Prime soap Destiny Rose. Fans had already nicknamed Barbie’s team up with the four hot guys as: #VanBie for Ivan and Barbie; #AddBie for Addy and Barbie; #JakBie for Jak and Barbie; and #KenBie for Ken and Barbie. Team #VanBie are flooding Ivan and Barbie’s accounts with lots of hearts and leaving comments such as: “@airasabanana: yay picture pa lang, kinilig na ako“; “@itsmebeabibal: Ito talaga ang nakakakilig!!! ”; and “@ uniquekazandra: Haha. Ito na talaga ang choice ko. Una di ko pa alam kung sino sa apat ang mas bagay kay @barbaraforteza. Mas kinilig ako dito pwamiz. Sana #vanbie. ” Meanwhile, Team #AddBie also has a massive fan base. When Barbie posted a photo of her and Addy with a sweet caption, it immediately received thousands of likes, which made

IVAN DORSCHNER, ADDY RAJ, JAK ROBERTO, and KEN CHAN

Jak Roberto

Ivan Dorschner

Ken Chan

their followers super kilig. These include comments from: @xailyyymhere: Sooo cute #AddBie; @nimrodferdinand Super bagay love it @ barbaraforteza & @addygaur; and @imvince14 Whaaaaaaa!!! Nakakakilig na Nga sila Tapos Yung Caption Ganyan pa! #TEAMADDBIE @addygaur @barbaraforteza On the other hand, Team #KenBie can’t get enough of how perfect their names match. One of the fans noted their similarity with the popular Mattel dolls, Barbie and Ken… “@ cashguy468: I love this. The real Ken and Barbie. #kenandbarbie

#kenchan #barbieforteza”. Ken’s fans are deﬁnitely excited for his reunion project with Barbie. “@missmedicalgirl: Omg team kenchan ako dito bagay kilig panunuorin ko ito” and “@ realleezsa: Kinikilig ako bagay Na bagay kayo bagong LT”. Lastly, Team #JakBie are also building their way up into the fans’ hearts. They mentioned how good they look together. @gidelbenitez24: Ang cute ng shot Ang cute niyo den. Hart hart #JakBie & @aaaashliiiii: #JakBie jusme sana sila na lang magkatuluyan dito); and @ jessalynstyles: @jakroberto @ barbaraforteza Sana kayo na ang

Vice Ganda welcomes Ogie Alcasid as "Tawag ng Tanghalan'' hurado during a song number in 'It's Showtime'

Addy Raj

#MeantToBe bagay na bagay kayoooo #TeamJakBie. In the series, Ivan plays Ethan Spencer-Hughes, a handsome Filipino-British chef with a wicked sense of humor. He’ll slowly fall for Billie’s (Barbie) charms even though he deeply loves his Filipina girlfriend. Meanwhile, Addy is the funny and sometimes naughty Indian from Mumbai, Jai Patel. His life tends to burst into a song and dance number. Among the boys, he is the happy-go-lucky and less serious guy. Jak is Mark “Macoy” Dela Cruz. He is the youngest among the boys and is a pure Pinoy promdi who’s torpe and shy when it comes to girls. Unlike his friends, he is just from a middle class family. The last Meant To Be heartthrob is Ken who plays the role of Yuan Lee, a Chinoy bad boy who doesn’t warm up to people easily. At first, Yuan and Billie are like cat and dog that don’t get along but as they spend time together, he’ll fall for her charisma. In the end, who will Billie choose? Will it be the gentleman from United Kingdom (Ivan), the naughty guy from Mumbai (Addy), the pure Pinoy promdi (Jak) or the Chinoy bad boy (Ken)? *** Acclaimed singer-songwriter Ogie Alcasid has joined “Tawag ng Tanghalan” in It’s Showtime and was officially introduced as one of its hurados or judges in the most talked about competition. Like the other hurados, he will evaluate the performances of contestants from Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao, and Metro Manila. In his first appearance in the competition, Ogie made the audience laugh with his light jokes as he was giving his commentary as a hurado. On Dec. 11, at the Pinoy Boyband Superstar: The Grand Reveal, Ogie was also named one of the judges of Your Face Sounds Familiar: Kids, which premieres in 2017. “Tawag ng Tanghalan” is currently in its Last Quarter with Hazelyn Cascano of Metro Manila, Jeramie Sanico of Mindanao, and Sam Mangubat and Froilan Canlas of Luzon as its semi-finalists. Don’t miss the talented Pinoy singers as they battle for supremacy in “Tawag ng Tanghalan” in the noontime variety show It’s Showtime, Monday to Saturday on ABS-CBN or ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167). *** Maine Mendoza of the popular AlDub love team recently visited the Smart Tower in Makati to celebrate the recent victory of TNT’s AlDub campaign at the Global Telecoms (GloTel) Awards in London. Smart’s mainstream market brand TNT won Best Operator Marketing Campaign at the ceremony organized by industry publication Telecoms.com. GloTel Awards recognizes innovation and excellence in the global telecommunications industry. TNT was cited for delivering above business expectations, combining enjoyable and relatable content with welltimed, market-relevant offers and insightful engagement through endorsement by the well-loved celebrities. As Maine and her AlDub other half, Alden Richards, communicated via Twitter and Instagram exchanges, TNT found them to be the perfect brand ambassadors as it started to target a more digital savvymarket. The pair also represented TNT’s core values of being fun, sociable, accessible, and youthful.

Celebrity endorser Maine Mendoza ﬂanked by (from left) Smart marketing communications and digital partnerships head Carlo Endaya, Smart wireless consumer operations head Kat Luna-Abelarde, PLDT and Smart EVP and chief revenue ofﬁcer Eric Alberto, and TNT center head Miriam Choa