Manila standard 20170112 thursday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXX • NO. 334 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

WINE OF HONOR. President Rodrigo Duterte, raising his glass Wednesday in a toast during the New Year Vin d’honneur at the Rizal Hall in Malacañang, urges foreign diplomats to continue to build strong bonds with other nations, while vowing his administration will pursue new relations as Manila nurtures time-tested friendships.

Duterte seeks new allies, boosts old ties By John Paolo Bencito

THE Philippines will strengthen its friendships with other countries even as it strives to forge new ones, President Rodrigo Duterte said before the diplomatic corps on Wednesday during his ﬁrst Vin d’Honneur. “We value partners as we seek to strengthen existing friendships even as we pursue new ones,” Duterte told the diplomatic corps that included Papal Nuncio Guiseppe Pinto, US Ambassador Sung Kim, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua and Russian Ambassador Igor Khovaev. “We believe that friends help each other and utilize constructive engagement to achieve common goals. In truth, we all share

the same aspiration of greater peace, progress and prosperity.” Duterte’s Vin d’Honneur was attended by 94 envoys and heads of international organizations― one of the leanest in recent years. He said the Philippines was doing its part in addressing the challenges it faced as part of the international community, and particularly terrorism, natural and human-induced calamities, transnational crimes, hunger and poverty and international disputes. “Indeed, as we strive to be stronger at our core, we hope to do more not just for our own people but for our region and for the world,” Duterte said He said the Philippines and its partners should work together to Next page

Palace shuts off Leni from Vin d’ Honneur MALACAÑANG invited Vice President Leni Robredo to its Vin d’ honneur reception but then canceled it, Robredo’s spokeswoman said on Wednesday. “Our Ofﬁce received an invitation to the Vin d’honneur via e-mail last December 28,” Georgina Hernandez told reporters in a statement. But “On January 4 Malacañang

called the Ofﬁce to retract the invitation, stating that the guest list was limited,” she said. Malacañang said it was President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision on who to invite for his ﬁrst Vin d’ honneur after Robredo got uninvited to the annual Palace gathering. “It was not the President’s decision to snub her,” presidential

Access to RH choices OK’d

EO spurs use of family planning methods By John Paolo Bencito

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed an order providing access to family planning methods despite a Supreme Court order prohibiting the government’s procurement and distribution of some family planning aids, an ofﬁcial said Wednesday.

Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia slammed the high court for delaying its decision to lift the temporary restraining order on sub-dermal implants, a contraceptive that can prevent pregnancies for up to three years. He said Duterte signed Executive Order No. 12 after it was finalized by the Health Department and other agencies on Jan. 9. FIGURAL FIST. Yet again, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Army and police officers join “All women of reproductive age should be able President Duterte in raising the now familiar fist gesture during the erstwhile social custom to achieve their desired family size, their desired Vin d”honneur Wednesday which has since morphed into a diplomatic ceremony, the iconic Next page highlight being the presidential toast.

Exporters buck SSS pension hike By Othel V. Campos, Gabrielle Marie Consuelo H. Binaday, John Paolo Bencito, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

of exporters, which employs hundreds of thousands of workers, opposes the plan to increase monthly contributions to the Social Security System. “The national government is duty-bound to step in and pay the THE country’s biggest group increase in beneﬁts of members if

Digong chides 1,400 mayors: Heed warning By John Paolo Bencito

PARTING SHOT. US First Lady Michelle Obama (C) and US President Barack Obama greet supporters as daughter Malia looks on after the President delivered his farewell address in Chicago, Illinois on January 10, 2017. AFP

Obama farewell speech: Yes we did CHICAGO, UNITED STATES― Barack Obama addressed America and the world for the last time as US president Tuesday, in a speech that was both a tearful goodbye and a call to arms. Capping eight years in the White House, Obama returned to his adopted hometown of Chicago to recast his “yes we can” cam-

paign credo as “yes we did.” Surveying the staging posts of his presidency―from the Iran nuclear deal to reforming healthcare―the speech sought to lift supporters shaken by Donald Trump’s shock election. Obama urged them to pick up the torch, ﬁght for democracy and forge a new, fairer, “social compact.” twitter.com/ MlaStandard

“For all our outward differences, we are all in this together,” he said, warning that naked partisanship, racism, and inequality all threaten democracy. “We rise or fall as one.” “All of us, regardless of party, should throw ourselves into the task of rebuilding our democratic institutions.” Next page

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte confronted the country’s 1,400 mayors Wednesday and chided them for letting illegal drugs into their communities. After warning those involved in the illegal drug trade to resign or die, Duterte addressed the local chief executives who were

bused in from the Philippine International Convention Center to Malacañan Palace. Duterte spoke to mayors in two batches—the ﬁrst were mayors from the Visayas and Mindanao, the second batch was made up mostly of Luzon mayors. Various sources who were present during the meetings said

AN UNIDENTIFIED gunman shot and killed a state prosecutor and a former Associate of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II in front of a restaurant along Com-

thestandard.com.ph

Martial Law abhorred by most Pinoys By John Paolo Bencito

monwealth Avenue in Quezon City Wednesday afternoon. Aguirre immediately ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to look into the killing of Quezon City prosecutor Noel

MOST Filipinos disagree with the need to impose Martial Law to address the various problems being faced by the country, the latest Pulse Asia survey released Wednesday revealed. The survey, conducted among 1,200 adult respondents showed that 74 percent do not see the need to impose Martial Law to resolve the many crises facing the nation, while 12 percent agree with the need to have martial rule. Fourteen percent were undecided. The sentiment was the prevailing opinion in all geographic

Aguirre ex-law partner slain By Rey E. Requejo

the SSS cannot afford to shoulder the expenses,” said Sergio OrtizLuis, president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc. (Philexport). Under the existing setup, SSS members pay 11 percent of their

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

News

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Maute blamed for Leyte blast T

ACLOBAN CITY—The Philippine National Police in Eastern Visayas said on Tuesday that the Maute terrorist group in Mindanao was behind the Dec. 28, 2016 town plaza bombing in Hilongos, Leyte. No group has not yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but PNP Eastern Visayas Regional Director, Chief Supt. Elmer Beltejar, said that the explosive

device used in Hilongos is of similar design and signature to those planted by the Maute group in Davao and Cotabato bombings and even in the foiled

Aguirre...

ously and currently being handled by Mingoa, noting that his murder could be retaliation by criminals. Mingoa was talking to someone on his phone, while standing in front of the Cebu Lechon House along Commonwealth Ave. in Brgy. Old Balara at 1:20 a.m. when a lone gunman emerged from a black vehicle and shot him at close range. Mingoa is the second prosecutor killed since October last year when Mati City Prosecutor Rolando Acido was shot to death outside Mati City Hall of Justice. 1

From A1

Mingoa to determine if his murder was work-related. “He was a very good man and a very competent litigator. I already asked the NBI to conduct an investigation and apprehend the perpetrators of this heinous crime,” Aguirre said. The Justice Secretary specifically ordered the NBI’s death investigation division to look into the killing. Aguirre said investigators will check on the cases previ-

Martial... From A1

areas, with disproval highest in Metro Manila at 81 percent, Balance Luzon at 74 percent, Mindanao at 75 percent and Visayas at 65 percent. The opinion was also shared by all socio-economic classes (67 percent to 76 percent), age groupings (70 percent to 77 percent), as well as among both men and women (73 percent and 74 percent, respectively). Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella assured the public that President Rodrigo Duterte will not impose Martial Law to solve the country’s social ills. “The President earlier said that the imposition of martial

Duterte... From A1

achieve common goals. “We all share the same aspirations of peace, progress and prosperity. In a world that recognizes our interconnectedness and respect each other痴 sovereign independence, the horizons and frontiers of cooperation are virtually limitless,” Duterte said. “Friendship after all knows no bounds. The Philippines will continue to build on our friendship founded on common objectives, shared values. Let us together work to further expand the areas of beneficial collaboration.” While he read his prepared

Exporters... From A1

monthly salary as premiums, with employers covering 7.37 percent and employees, 3.63 percent. To cover a P1,000 increase in monthly pensions granted by President Rodrigo Duterte, the SSS wants to increase premiums by 1.5 percent every year until it reaches 17 percent of a member’s compensation, to be shared by the employer and the employee. But Ortiz-Luis said the government should first review its figures to consider the impact of increased premiums on members and their employers. He also called for more transparency in how the SSS invests its funds, and why it has not been getting the needed returns to cover members’ benefits. The state-run SSS said Wednesday it its confident it can grant another P1,000 across-theboard pension increase by 2022 or even earlier. SSS president Emmanuel Dooc said that assuming the rate of members’ contributions is increased as planned, the life of the fund can even be extended from the present 26 years to 29 years, with the base year being 2022. He said this did not even take into account an improvement in

law does not seem to improve significantly the lives of the Filipinos. He cited the experience during the administration of former President Marcos as the best argument for him not to declare Martial Law,” he said in a statement. The survey, conducted from Dec. 6 to 11, 2016, had a margin of error of ± 3% at 95 percent confidence level. Among the prevailing issues leading to the date when the survey was conducted were the resignation of Vice President Leni Robredo as head of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and criticisms to the President’s decision allowing the burial of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

speech in full, Duterte’s casual side popped up when he raised his glass to lead others in the toast. “Kampai! Bottoms up!” he announced before downing his glass of apple cider and drawing laughter from his audience. The government officials in attendance were Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Senator Aquilino Pimentel III. Conspicuously absent were Vice President Leni Robredo and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who was in Spain. John Paolo Bencito the agency’s collection efficiency. On Tuesday, Duterte approved an immediate P1,000 increase in monthly SSS pensions for retirees, which was half of the P2,000 hike he promised when he ran for president. Cabinet officials say the second half of the promised increase would come in five years, or 2022. Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the increase in members’ contributions would begin in May, after the passage of the Finance Department’s tax reform proposal. Pernia said the increase in contributions would not be inflationary. For employees, he said, the increase would not be even 1 percent. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the second tranche of the pension increase, targeted for 2022, will depend on the performance of the SSS. “It will be up to them whether they can effect the increase,” Diokno said, noting that the SSS will have to exert great effort to reform the system. “For example, the delinquent employers, they should run after them. Also, they should also look into the exorbitant allowances of GOCC officials,” Diokno said, referring to the high bonuses being given to top SSS

explosion attempt in front of the US Embassy. The police declined to name the suspects, but they are aware of their location. “Per intelligence information we gathered, the main suspect is really a member of the Maute group, but there were three of them who planned and executed the bombing. They were sighted few a days before the bombing, and hours before the bombing,”

Beltejar told reporters. Citing intelligence reports, the police regional chief confirmed that local drug syndicates financed the Maute group to launch the retaliatory attack on Dec. 28, 2016 that injured 35 viewers of an amateur boxing match. The bombing happened after the Oct. 22, 2016 arrest of Raidah Ampaso Sarip, a native of Marawi City and resident of Hindang, Leyte for illegal drugs

trade and production of fake money. “This is also a way for the Maute group to show that they are a force to reckon with to get the nod of ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria] for affiliation and also for fund purposes,” Beltejar said. The police is speeding up the investigation relative to the explosion incident that spoiled the town’s fiesta celebration. PNA

Access...

health facilities to provide a full range of modern family planning methods. The Supreme Court delayed the implementation of the law in March 2013 following opposition from pro-life groups. However, it ruled in April 2014 that the law was “not unconstitutional.” Pernia said the EO would ensure that local governments could not circumvent the implementation of the RH Law, but the Supreme Court was taking too long to decide in the case of some contraceptives. “I don’t know why the Supreme Court cannot act more swiftly. A simple matter and it has already been declared not unconstitutional, and yet you listen to this small minority, small noisy minority.” Pernia said if the high court would not lift its temporary

restraining order on implants soon, only family planning methods would be left in the market by 2018. He said Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial filed a motion for reconsideration in October to affirm the recertification of all modern birth control methods. And with the new EO, the contraceptives prevalence rate was expected to rise to around 65 percent from 40 percent. Pernia said the drive to provide women with responsible parenthood options would help the country reach its growth and economic targets. “If two unwanted births per woman are taken away, are averted, then naturally poverty will go down,” he said. “Because, you know, the poverty incidence is just the number of poor households or poor population.”

build a post-World War II order with other democracies.” “That order is now being challenged,” said Obama in comments that resonate as Americans ponder whether Russia helped to put Trump in the White House. “First by violent fanatics who claim to speak for Islam; more recently by autocrats in foreign capitals who see free markets, open democracies, and civil society itself as a threat to their power.” “The peril each poses to our democracy is more far-reaching than a car bomb or a missile. “ Diehard fans―many African Americans―braved Chicago’s frigid winter to collect free tickets, which were selling for upwards of $1,000 a piece on Craigslist. They were joined by First Lady Michelle Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill―who the president described as “family” in an emotional finale to his speech.

Wiping a tear from his eye, Obama paid a poignant tribute to his own family, his daughter Malia who was present and Sasha who stayed in Washington because of an exam, and the first lady who he addressed as his best friend. “You took on a role you didn’t ask for and made it your own with grace and grit and style and good humor,” he said. “A new generation sets its sights higher because it has you as a role model. You’ve made me proud. You’ve made the country proud.” Obama also acknowledged that his historic presidency was not a panacea for the country’s racist past. “After my election, there was talk of a post-racial America,” he said. “Such a vision, however well-intended, was never realistic. Race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society.” AFP

spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters. “But clearly, it’s his prerogative on who to invite.” Robredo was not around during Duterte’s first Vin d’ honneur where few officials and foreign dignitaries were present.

Malacañang sent an invitation to Robredo on Dec. 28 but retracted it a week later. The vice president traditionally joins the President in welcoming the diplomatic corps during the Vin d’ honneur. Robredo resigned as Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council chairwoman on Dec. 5, after receiving an order to “desist from attending” Cabinet meetings.

In a series of television interviews, Duterte accused Robredo of attending rallies calling for his ouster saying he was not keen on giving her a new Cabinet post. “The problem is, I see Leni in rallies,” Duterte said in a Dec. 29 interview. “You may not really be asking for it but you are part of the crowd who wants me out.” Rio N. Araja and John Paolo Bencito

officials and board members. Diokno said the economic managers and the leftists in the Cabinet had a “healthy and lively” discussion about what to do about the President’s promised P2,000 increase in pensions. Other Cabinet sources said the discussions were “long and intense,” with a sharp divide between Duterte’s economic managers and leftist secretaries. Among the contentious issues was a proposal that the state shoulder the expense of the pension hike. “Our point is, we really should not use taxpayers’ money because there are many things that should be prioritized. We are trying to solve the problems of 2.4 million Filipinos,” Diokno said. Economic managers had earlier opposed the pension hike, saying it would shorten the life of the SSS. The two sides found common ground in granting the initial P1,000 increase. “There is a need to adjust [pensions],” Diokno said. “What the elderly are receiving is not enough.” In the same Cabinet meeting, Duterte ordered the arrest and prosecution of employers who do not remit the SSS contributions of their workers. The President said reforms in the SSS will have to be imple-

mented so he could fulfill his commitment of giving retirees additional pension funds. Senate President Pro-Tempore Franklin Drilon said the plan to raise monthly contributions to fund pension increases was illegal. “The SSS is not allowed to raise the premium rates so it can increase benefits,” he said, noting that Republic Act No. 8282 specifically prohibits the SSS from recommending an increase in benefits that would require an increase in contributions. “The increase in benefits of our pensioners must not come from a similar increase in the burden shouldered by current SSS contributors. The law is crystal clear in that regard,” Drilon said. Drilon said an increase in benefits can only come from “the actuarial soundness of the reserve fund” without requiring any increase in the rate contribution. Senator Francis Escudero said SSS officials must justify the imposition of additional premiums on 34 million SSS members starting in May. He said they should also be able to show to its members appropriate documents where their contributions went and the expenses incurred by agency. Senators Richard Gordon and Juan Edgardo Angara, on the other hand, said the increase in

premiums was necessary. Angara said the SSS would be financially drained if it raised pensions without also increasing member contributions. House of Representatives members welcomed the P1,000 increase in pensions. “The grant of P1,000 hike to SSS pensioners has long been overdue,” said Rep. Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela. Reps. Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar, Carlos Zarate of Bayan Muna party-list, Ariel Casilao of Bayan Muna party-list, and Alfredo Garbin of Ako Bicol party-list said President Duterte “decided morally” to heed the calls of SSS pensioners. But Rep. Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list, a member of the opposition, said that while the pension hike was welcome, it put an additional burden on present SSS members with higher premiums. “This is an issue of delivering to a promise at the expense of others. In this case the current contributors,” Alejano said. Zarate, for his part, thanked President Duterte, the House leadership led by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and the new SSS Board led by chairman Amado Valdez for heeding the voice of the people in granting the long awaited hike in the pension. With Vito Barcelo

From A1

number of children rather than having more children than they can provide for adequately,” Pernia said. “That is exactly the essence of the... Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Law.” EO No. 12 aims to “intensify and accelerate the implementation of critical actions necessary to attain and sustain zero unmet need for modern family planning for all poor households by 2018, and all of Filipinos” within the context of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act of 2012, Pernia said. In his first State-of-the-Nation Address, Duterte called for the full implementation of the Reproductive Health Law that mandates all accredited public

Obama... From A1

The incoming Republican president has smashed convention, vowed to efface Obama’s legacy and hurled personal insults left and right, while in a virtually unprecedented move US intelligence has accused the Kremlin of seeking to tip the election in Trump’s favor. Democrats, cast into the political wilderness with the loss of the White House, the Senate and the House of Representatives plus a majority of statehouses, are struggling to regroup. Obama painted the task ahead as a generational challenge. “A faith in reason and enterprise and the primacy of right over might,” he said, had allowed the United States to “resist the lure of fascism and tyranny during the Great Depression, and

Palace... From A1

Trillanes recycles charges vs Du30 SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV claims that President Rodrigo Duterte has 41 pieces of property across the country that are listed under the names of his sons and daughters. In a television report aired Tuesday night, Trillanes furnished GMA News a list of the pieces of property supposedly owned by the presidential family. He said they were still validating other information about the President’s real wealth. “Contrary to what they have been saying that they are simple people, a simply family with a simple lifestyle, they have a lot of properties,” Trillanes claimed. He said the Duterte family had 41 real estate assets: 34 in Davao City, one in San Juan City, two in Dipolog City, one in Cagayan de Oro City, one in Parañaque City, one in Quezon City and one in Davao del Norte. Of those properties, he said, 15 were under the name of Duterte’s daughter Sara and her husband, 10 were under the name of his eldest son Paulo, eight were under the name of his youngest son Sebastian, and two were under the name of his youngest daughter Veronica. In his 2014 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, Duterte said his combined real properties were valued at P1.36 million. As mayor of Davao City, Duterte earned less than P1 million a year or P79,000 a month. Trillanes said Duterte and Davao Mayor Sara Duterte had joint accounts in banks. He said a simple person would only have one or two properties. “But if you have 10 or more, you have to explain. I believe Mayor Duterte has more properties and assets that are not under his name. I think he has more ill-gotten wealth in the millions,” Trillanes said. John Paolo Bencito

Digong... From A1

the President focused on two topics—the proliferation of illegal drugs and pervasive corruption. “It was just the President giving advice, he was just setting the direction ... resolving issues in governance,” one official said. Another source said that Duterte reminded mayors not to get involved in the illegal drug trade. He said those proven to be involved in drugs would lose their supervisory powers over the police and would have their security withdrawn. “If there’s a shabu business in your city, that means you are not working,” one source said. Another source said the President touched on relevant issues pertaining to security, particularly in Mindanao. It was not clear, however, if the President named mayors who were in his so-called narco-list, which reportedly included the names of congressmen, mayors, barangay captains, policemen, judges and other officials. Unlike other events, no advisories were issued to confirm the President’s attendance at the event. Reporters were also barred from covering the event. A House leader said mayors involved in illegal drugs should not take Duterte’s warnings lightly. “All the guilty mayors must heed to the call of the President or else they might suffer the consequences. Our President is dead serious on his anti-illegal drug war,” said Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers. Barbers also dared President Duterte to divulge the names of mayors allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade to compel them to relinquish their posts. “I think the President has to name those in his list. I am pretty sure that those involved are not only mayors but also vice mayors,” Barbers added. With Maricel V. Cruz

News

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

JBC appeals SC ruling regarding ‘clustering’ By Rey E. Requejo THE Judicial and Bar Council has asked the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling last November nullifying its scheme of clustering nominees for multiple vacancies in the judiciary. In a motion, the JBC, concurrently chaired by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, pleaded with the SC to reverse its decision disallowing the council to intervene in the petition filed by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines questioning the last appointments by former President Aquino in the Sandiganbayan. The seven-member council, mandated to vet nominees to posts in the judiciary and the office of the Ombudsman, alleged its right to due process was violated by the high court. “The JBC was deprived outright of its right to due process, a fundamental right enshrined in our Constitution. Consequently, it was not given its day in court to enable it to present its case, at very least, through a comment on the petition,” motion stated. In its motion to intervene earlier dismissed by the SC, JBC justified its scheme of clustering of nominees for one shortlist per vacancy in cases of multiple vacancies in the judiciary. But the SC ruled to invalidate the scheme that clipped the power of the President to freely choose among nominees. “There appears to be a systematic move by the JBC, under Chief Justice Sereno, to arrogate to itself more power and influence than is actually granted by the Constitution and this Court, and...to ease out the Court from any legitimate participation in the nomination process for vacancies in the Judiciary, specifically in the Supreme Court,” read the unanimous ruling penned by Associate Justice Teresita Leonardo-De Castro. It also also censured the JBC for removing the long-standing rule allowing the SC to submit its recommendations to the JBC before the council votes on a shortlist. The SC disagreed with the IBP’s argument that the former President violated the Constitution in appointing Associate Justices Geraldine Faith Econg and Michael Frederick Musngi in January last year.

REMOVING RESTRICTIONS. Manila City Hall, upset by the daily eyesore of illegally parked vehicles and road obstructions along Pedro Gil corner Onyx in the capital, starts implementing Wednesday a clearing campaign to remove roadblocks which have disﬁgured the city streets. Norman Cruz

Du30, Abe to sign several pacts during 2-day visit By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

ISITING Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Rodrigo Duterte will sign various memoranda of agreement on agriculture, transportation, among others, during the former’s two-day official visit starting Thursday, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said Wednesday. Foreign Undersecretary Millicent Paredes said both leaders would sign agreements on transportation, agriculture, small and medium enterprise, enhancement of security cooperation and infrastructure. “There will be Moa that will be signed again between the President and the Prime Minister,” Yasay told a news con-

ference. “These are on the works and this is what we expect,” he added. Abe, arriving with wife Akie and businessmen, will be the first head of government to officially visit the Philippines this year. Yasay said Abe would be flying on to Davao Friday for continuation of bilateral talks.

Paredes said aside from the Moa, both countries seek to enhance their diplomatic ties. “And whatever we deem ﬁt to receive from Japan. That is our goal for the visit of the Prime Minister,” Paredes said. Yasay also said Abe would also discuss counter-terrorism and drug rehabilitation projects, among other issues, with Duterte. “President Duterte and Prime Minister Abe are expected to discuss a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, counter-terrorism cooperation, drug rehabilitation projects, infrastructure development, maritime cooperation, and development projects,” Yasay said. He said Abe had assured the Philippines Tokyo was ready to give Manila assistance to enhance capacity in ﬁghting against illegal drugs through the

establishment of drug rehabilitation. “Japan has been ready in giving us assistance to enhance capacity in fighting. Assistance to provide building of drug rehabilitation centers and this is somethinng we are looking forward to,” Yasay added. Abe’s visit, Yasay said, is a result of the invitation extended by Duterte to Abe during his official visit to Japan in October last year. Abe’s visit is the first by any highest ranking official to Davao City, home to a large Japanese community. Duterte will host a dinner for Abe at the Malacañang Thursday before leaving for Davao, on the southeastern skirts of the country. Abe’s visit comes as Duterte pivots Philippine foreign policy away from its traditional ally, the US.

GMA wants modernization of health delivery system

Viet envoy gets Sikatuna award

By Maricel V. Cruz

OUTGOING Vietnamese Ambassador to the Philippines Truong Trieu Duong was conferred the Order of Sikatuna award by President Rodrigo Duterte for his exemplary performance and meritorious service in fostering and strengthening bilateral diplomatic links. The President on Tuesday conferred the award to Duong, recognized for showing his “demonstrated concern for the Filipinos” during national calamities, particularly in the aftermath of Typhoon ‘‘Haiyan.’’ Duterte also cited the “laudable representation of his government,” which gained, according to

FORMER president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has pushed for the rationalization and modernization of the health delivery system to address the deterioration of government hospitals despite the devolution of health services to the local governments. In filing House Bill 4143, Arroyo, a House deputy speaker, stressed the need for the state to rationalize and modernize the health care delivery system for the government to fully and effectively perform its constitutional mandate to protect and promote the people’s right to health and instill health consciousness among them. Arroyo said with the devolution of health services transferred to the LGUs, many government hospitals and health centers failed to cope with the health needs because of lack of funding support from the LGUs. “The problems brought about by devolution led to the deterioration of health services particularly in far-flung areas where services are needed most,” Arroyo said. “Only one-third of the total number of hospitals and about half of hospital beds are public. Out of the country’s 41,000 barangays, only one fourth have a barangay health station. These government health facilities have been notoriously described

as ‘death stations’ for their lack of equipment, medicines and able staff,” Arroyo said. To address the situation, Arroyo said there should be a program of extending technological, financial and administrative assistance to LGUs to support and improve the provision, operation and maintenance of their health facilities and equipment through inter-agency and multi-sectoral cooperation. She said the Department of Health should provide each LGU competent physicians to assist the local chief executive as might be appropriate in monitoring health care delivery functions and enhance the capability of hospitals. Not only should more doctors to the barrio be deployed, Arroyo said a residency training and accreditation of private specialist practitioners should be implemented in provincial hospitals and medical centers. “To attract more doctors in remote areas, Mrs. Arroyo said they should be given more incentives and benefits in the form of hazard allowance, subsistence pay, automatic promotion, scholarships to their legitimate children in state colleges and universities as well as free legal representation and consultation in cases of coercion, interference and other cases filed by or against such doctors in the performance of their duties,” Arroyo said.

By John Paolo Bencito

Malacañang, the momentum of vibrant relations between the Philippines and Vietnam. The Order of Sikatuna, one of the national orders of diplomatic merit of the Philippines, is being conferred upon individuals who have rendered exceptional and meritorious services to the Republic of the Philippines on diplomats, officials and nationals of foreign states who have rendered conspicuous services in fostering, developing and strengthening relations between their country and the Philippines. Among those awarded the order were outgoing US President Barack Obama, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the late Thailand King Bhumibol Adulayej.

MASS SUPPORT. Embattled Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista attends a Mass at the Manila Cathedral sponsored by employees of the government’s election arm to show their support after he was found guilty of ‘gross negligence’ on the Comeleak issue based on the recommendation of the National Privacy Commission. Norman Cruz

IN BRIEF Ex-solon, 7 agri ofﬁcials face graft raps before court A FORMER lawmaker and seven Department of Agriculture officials are facing multiple counts of graft raps before the Sandiganbayan over a P15-million pork barrel fund scam in 2005. In three separate resolutions, Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales ordered the filing of several counts of violation of Republic Act 3019, or the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act, against ex-Davao Oriental Rep. Joel Mayo Almario, and ex-DA’s regional field unit 11 officials Roger Chio, regional executive director; Romulo Palcon, regional technical director; Alma Mahinay, finance division chief; Godofredo Ramos, administrative officer; Onofre Nugal, agricultural engineering division chief; Jaime Bergonio, chief agriculturist, and Isagani Basco, chief administrative officer. The Ombudsman found Chio and company facilitated the procurement and payment of 100 units of multimedia system with computer set at P10,000,000, water system materials at P2,591,435.40 and 81 units of personalized 10x20 livelihood tent with framing at P2,496,582, or a total of P15,088,017.40. Rio Araja

Aquino new administrator of NFA THE National Food Authority announced Wednesday the appointment of Jason Laureano Aquino as the new NFA administrator, replacing NFA Officerin-Charge and Deputy Administrator for Marketing Operations Tomas Escarez. Escarez has turned over the key of responsibility to the new NFA administrator. Currently, the NFA and three other agencies are under the office of Secretary to the Cabinet Leoncio Evasco. Former President Benigno Aquino III earlier transferred the four strategic agencies of the Department of Agriculture to the Office of the President. The agencies were put under the supervision of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Food Security and Agricultural Modernization headed by then secretary and now Senator Francis Pangilinan. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said earlier he submitted a draft Executive Order which recommends the transfer of the four agencies under the supervision of the Department of Agriculture. “ I already submitted the draft of the executive order. I gave it last Friday. I gave the draft to Bong Go. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will sign the EO. I’m just going to wait for Medialdea to sign it,” said Piñol.

Opinion

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Championing choice

HE Palace has issued Executive Order no. 12, which emphasizes the need for the government to provide access to family planning methods to its citizens.

While the Reproductive Health Law was enacted in December 2012, it continued to encounter opposition from various groups and in fact has not been able to achieve its objectives. The Supreme Court has sat for two years on a restraining order it had issued on the promotion and distribution of hormonal

contraceptives. Because of the TRO, the government is only able to offer tubal ligation, vasectomy and natural methods. Even the distribution of condoms still invites criticism. Previous administrations, out of deference to—nay, fear—of the politically powerful Catholic Church were inclined to use the term “reproductive health” instead of the more accurate “family planning” In the end, though, this is what it really is—enabling Filipino families to assert their choice on how they would build, and raise, their families. For the first time, and thankfully, this administration calls it what it is—because

planning is always a good thing. “You don’t want women to have unwanted babies because then, they would have difficulty raising their babies to their full potential,” National Economic and Development Authority Secretary Ernesto Pernia said. This is not the first time the Executive has taken the lead to nudge a co-equal branch of government to doing as it should. Recall that Mr. Duterte also issued an order on freedom of information, albeit within his sphere, just so Congress could take a hint and pass, finally, the FOI bill that had been festering in its chambers. Alas, nothing has come

out of it to date. Perhaps lawmakers do not heed mere suggestions. In this case, Pernia is correct to score the Supreme Court for taking its sweet time resolving the issue. “[We] cannot continue tolerating the delay in judgment,” he said. Any measure to narrow the gap between the rich and the poor and allow Filipinos to determine for themselves the quality of life they wish to have is always a good thing. On this one, we agree with the President that it is the government’s role to provide families with options. Limiting their choices or keeping them in the dark is consigning them to doom. DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

Toppling governments

Duterte Cabinet by the president himself as a gesture of inclusiveness, the three have shown in the SSS pension increase issue that they can be relied upon to pursue a propeople agenda—and even triumph over the very wellentrenched and influential advocates of conservative macroeconomic policy represented by Dominguez and the rest. *** And then there’s Duterte himself, who showed that he is not afraid to deliver on his promised pension hike, never mind if Diokno had warned earlier that the candidate Duterte was different from the Duterte that is now president. By siding with Taguiwalo’s group, Duterte showed most of all that he has empathy the size of Davao City and was not going to be dissuaded from acting in favor of the poor, despite the dire predictions of his own economic team. Remember that the SSS pension increase was pushed by

IS THERE really a homegrown plot to topple President Rodrigo Duterte? The only open intelligence available to the public is the so-called LeniLeaks which does not really tell us much. Quite frankly, it is hard to say. If there such an effort, how easy would it be for a leader with 83-percent approval rating to be ousted? A coup is not a walk in the park and those planning it must be prepared to pay with their lives if they fail. Maybe what the LeniLeaks is telling us is the beginning of an effort to topple the Duterte administration. One problem of the would-be plotters is the lack of a forceful leader. It is difficult to see how VP Robredo with 63-percent approval rating could lead in the ouster of President Duterte. To be fair to the Vice President, she has denied any participation in any plot. One would think that the era of the coups is long gone. But sadly, we still see it happening occasionally. Coups and other forms of toppling governments are different in every country. Our neighbor Thailand follows the traditional military coup where the military would simply topple the government regardless of whetherit enjoys the support of the voting public. This is what happened there in their last two coups. The governments of Thaksin Shinawatra and his sister were toppled even if their governments were popular. Now, Thailand is ruled by the Thai Army. Pakistan also practices the traditional military coup and the Pakistani Army wields so much influence over the country even if the government is civilian. It has been said that the Pakistani Army is the only army in the world that owns a country. Just recently, a faction of the Turkish army attempted a coup but failed, resulting in a massive retaliation by President Tayyip Erdogan. African countries follow a somewhat different model. There, junior officers can take over a country. In the recent incident in the Ivory Coast, the military engaged in a mutiny because they were not getting paid on time. This resulted in the temporary detention of the

Turn to A5

Davao-sized empathy LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES AS IT turned out, the Cabinet meeting last Monday did have more important matters to discuss aside from those pathetic attempts by the Yellows to bring down the government. And one of those pressing, needful things was how to deliver on President Rodrigo Duterte’s promise to increase pensions of retiree-members of the Social Security System by P2,000. Reports said that the debate on the pension increase pitted two groups in the Cabinet that felt very strongly about the issue against each other: the economic advisers composed of Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Burdget Secretary Benjamin Diokno and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia, who were

against granting the increase immediately; and the leftist bloc made up of Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano and National Anti-Poverty Commission Chairman Liza Maza, who wanted it granted right away. In the end, after hearing both sides, Duterte made his decision. The SSS would immediately give out a P1,000 across the board increase for all pensioners and another P1,000 before the end of his term in 2022. Simultaneous with the granting, the fund’s administrators, led by SSS Chairman Amado Valdez and President Emmanuel Dooc, were to impose a 1.5-percent increase in contributions. They were also told to go after delinquent contributors in order to improve the SSS’ collection efficiency (currently at a miserable 33 percent) and to increase their investment earnings, through measures such as the proposed reserving of 25 percent of the

equity in profitable government infrastructure contracts (i.e., tollway projects and the like) for the SSS. It was a bold political act on the part of Duterte, who was already drawing flak for

The economists aren’t Duterte’s core constituency; the grateful P40-aday pensioners are.

supposedly going back on his promise to grant the increase, after his financial managers issued a memorandum that was interpreted as advising against

granting the long-awaited pension hike. (I say “interpreted” here, because Dominguez and his fellow bean-counters were not really against the increase —they just wanted it granted only after many of the economic reforms they wanted done, especially the new comprehensive tax reform program, were already in place.) Dominguez’ team had merely taken the same position of its predecessor in the previous administration, that granting an increase could endanger the actuarial life of the fund and trigger other financial upheavals that could have dangerous effects on other aspects of the economy. In the new administration, however, there are now important counterweights to this overly prudent, bankerlike view of the SSS and similar funds. First among these is the existence of the populist and leftleaning Cabinet group composed of Taguiwalo, Mariano and Maza. Invited to join the

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher can be accessed at: thestandard.com.ph

Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

ManilaStandard

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

ONLINE MEMBER

PPI

Chairman Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager OIC-Ad Solutions Circulation Manager

Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Francis Lagniton Joyce Pangco Pañares

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor City Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Adelle Chua Honor Blanco Cabie Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion Editor Night Editor Art Director Chief Photographer

Opinion

SOME 1,400 “narco-mayors” have been invited by President Duterte to a “meeting” at Malacañang on Wednesday next week. This is in the wake of reports that he had told them to resign—or get killed. This is a follow-up to the long list of politicians and even policemen allegedly involved in illegal drugs. The problem is that once a mayor is tagged by the President as a narco-politician, he is already deemed guilty. In effect, he would be a dead man walking. He would be an easy target for vigilantes who have also claimed thousands of lives since Mr. Duterte took power. As a former Davao City mayor, a lawyer and former prosecutor, the President should know that they are just suspects, innocent until proven otherwise. They are entitled to due process. These are held sacrosanct under the Bill of Rights in our Constitution. The only alternative, as I see it, is for the President to charge them as being involved in the illegal drug trade in courts. But how much time would it take to charge 1,400 individuals? The trials would take an eternity, knowing how the wheels of justice grind here in the Philippines. The President has given them the option to resign. But will they? I don’t know what the President intends to do with those invited to the Palace. Will he listen to them when they deny their involvement in the illegal drug trade? While I believe that President Duterte is on the right track in combating the drug menace, I also hope he would always be mindful of the rule of law. We are in a democracy. Even criminals and suspects are entitled to it. *** The arrest order and deportation of Indian nationals— “bombays” as they are known in the vernacular—involved in the usurious lending trade can resonate with the poor. They have been victims of those motorcycle-riding Indians involved in the notorious “5-6” lending scheme. When I was business editor of the defunct Philippines Herald at Intramuros during the 70s on to the 90s, every payday, I used to see a motorcycle-riding “Bombay” sitting at the entrance to our building, ready to do business with Herald employees. My gulay, this Indian national I saw would lend the equivalent of P5, but would charge P6 when payday came. That’s an outrageous and clearly usurious interest rate. Years later, I met the same Indian, and he told me he was now in business with his fellow Indians and residing in Dasmarinas Village. I said to myself that the “5-6” money lending business must indeed be very profitable. To add insult to injury, these Bombays do not even pay taxes because they have no permits from government to operate. Thus, the proposed crackdown is timely. *** The appointment by Presi-

dent Duterte of controversial starlet Margaux “Mocha” Uson to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board brings to fore the relevance of reviewing and classifying movies in the age of the Internet. I hate censorship of any kind. Even when I was named by the late President Marcos as a member of the three-man Media Advisory Council during Martial Law, I formed an organization of all radio and television networks— “Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas—to police the broadcast industry. This was so we could get out of the censorship during Martial Law regime. The KBP had its own set of standards that the broadcast industry follows to the present day. The MTRCB is a useless and irrelevant agency at this time of global communication and technology. It remains as a convenient dumping ground for political proteges. The salaries and other perks given MTRCB members can be of better use elsewhere. *** A couple of my friends called me up yesterday to ask why I have become a “Duterte fan” in my column. I wrote about the reasons President Duterte has maintained his excellent poll survey ratings. True, I like President Duterte, despite his foul mouth. I may be critical of the extrajudicial killings and violation of human rights. But I find Duterte, the person, interesting. Look at his humility. He shuns the perks and privileges of people in power. He flies economy when traveling to and from Davao. He refuses to follow protocol and meets with fellow heads of state in his barong Tagalog with his collar unbuttoned and his sleeves rolled. To a columnist like me, he is unlike other presidents. He is a maverick. He is not your usual politician. *** This news has not made headlines, but, it’s a welcome development for people of Caraga that the President’s economic managers have laid out a development roadmap that will strengthen regional centers and see the use of Cagayan de Oro as the country’s fourth economic center after Metro Manila itself, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao. The naming of Cagayan de Oro by the National Economic and Development Authority ensures the spread of government resources, which has long been held by Metro Manila, to the countryside. According to Neda, Cagayan de Oro is poised to become the newest “Metropolitan Center” due to its projected population growth, its strategic location as gateway and logistics hub for northern Mindanao and its status as an education center in the south. CDO is dubbed as “City of Golden Friendship” due to its many shopping malls and business process outsourcing hubs. It has a population of around 600,000 compared to Metro Manila’s 12 million.

The President will meet them next week.

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A vicious cycle

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Will the ‘narco-mayors’ resign?

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ POLITICAL veterans know that there is a vicious cycle whenever there is an adverse change of administration. The new dispensation has not even warmed his seat when he is viciously attacked, to the point that his energy is no longer focused on implementing his legislative agenda and policies. Hence, national progress is impeded. This has been the case for several successive presidential terms, most notably the vilification of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. If you remember, several high-profile cases were filed against her during the previous administration. Most of the cases against her have now been dismissed. Imagine how much time was spent in such investigations, when there

were more urgent concerns that the administration had to prioritize. Look at where we are now. Have we gone far? I don’t think so. History is now repeating itself with the obviously orchestrated international media attacks against PRRD. The President already predicted late last year that a well-funded plan to oust him was under way. This was followed by international media attacks on his drug war. It comes as no surprise then that the so-called #LeniLeaks controversy was uncovered. Screenshots of email conversations among US-based supporters of the Vice President were shown plotting mass action and media attacks against President Rody Duterte. Through a Yahoo group, members of the Global Filipino Diaspora Council (GFDC), including billionaire philanthropist Loida Nicolas-Lewis and her sister, Imelda “Mely” Nicolas, former chairwoman

of the Commission on Filipinos Overseas, are supposedly planning to oust the President. It has always been clear to us that President Digong and VP Leni are not aligned in terms of priorities in leadership. This led to the resignation of the latter from the Cabinet as the Housing Secretary. In fact, the so-called #LeniLeaks email trail was triggered on Jan. 4. The content of the email exchanges was quite bothering. Besides the surfacing of a “Duterte Resign Movement”, it also leaked the communications strategy of the Office of the Vice President Social Media (OVPSOCMED) team to counterattack President Duterte, defeated Vice Presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, and other pro-Duterte personalities. Their plot to undermine the President, if proven true, may lead to destabilization, as expressed by Presidential Communications Secretary Martin

Andanar. The parties involved have not denied the existence of the email trail and their participation in it, but gave an implied admission by saying that it is their right as citizens to express their criticism of the government. The Palace has yet to probe this matter. Considering our previously mentioned history, I sincerely request the people involved to ref lect on their actions. Are your so-called “criticisms,” obviously well-funded and agenda-based, good for the country or is it just about protecting vested interests? It is about time that we keep our motivations in check. Our country will not improve if we continue hating and criticizing whoever is leading us. All democracies are imperfect, but we need to respect the institutions and processes we went through in order to strengthen them. Institutions which bend to the caprices of the losing few will not benefit any of us in the long term.

The Nazareno feast: Ritual and identity THIS year’s staging of a Philippine Roman Catholic religious rite drew comments from around the world for allegedly being a spectacle of superstitious and barbaric behavior after many participants were injured. Shouting “¡Viva Señor Jesus Nazareno!” an estimated 1.5 million devotees thronged around the Itim na Poong Nazareno—the Black Nazarene—last Jan. 9 as it was processed around Manila streets from Quirino Grandstand to Quiapo Church, its home. People, many of them barefoot, pushed and shoved against each other as they threw handkerchiefs or washcloths at guardians of the image for them to wipe against the statue and its cross. The centuries-old statue of the Poón (Lord) is believed to have healing and wish-granting powers. The Philippine Red Cross alone treated 2,235 patients as of 3:30 in the morning of Jan. 10 for minor injuries, dizziness, high blood pressure, and other ailments. The annual event, called Traslación (literally ‘translation’, in

Toppling... From A4

Defense Minister. In our country, we have seen two governments toppled in a relatively peaceful fashion. It is now called all over the world as People Power Revolution. The model developed here is the need for the military and the civilian factions wanting to topple the government to come to a tactical alliance for the single purpose of removing the government. This was what happened to the Marcos and Estrada governments. In the Marcos model, the military faction that led the uprising, had to be supported by civilians to make the takeover successful. The military could not have done it alone. In the Estrada case, it was the civilians that needed the military in order to make the takeover successful.

Davao-sized... From A4

the last Congress in a law approved by both Houses near the end of Noynoy Aquino’s term. Without even attempting to compromise with Congress— or offering a bone to console the millions of SSS pensioners who had counted on the increase—Aquino simply vetoed the approved law when it reached his desk. That was how influential Aquino’s economic team of

this context meaning ‘transfer’) commemorates the sending in 1787 of a copy of the original statue from Recoletos Church inside the walled city of Intramuros to what is now Quiapo Church. The original statue, carved by an unknown artist in Mexico from mesquite wood and sent over by galleon in 1606, was burned in a fire during the Liberation of Manila in 1945. Devotion to the Nazareno is often the fulfillment of a panata—vow. The devotee promises to perform an act in worship of the Nazareno—to walk the traslación, or to carry the statue as a namamasán or bearer—as thanks for a petition granted or a favor rendered, such as the healing of a sick family member. The vow is also expected among some to be borne by members of the family. “Lito”, 70, says his father, a horseracing jockey, participated in the rite almost every year, and Lito began accompanying his father when he was old enough to be trusted to take care of himself amongst the throng. He continued the rite each year up until a few years ago, when he grew too frail. Detractors call the worship unsafe and dangerous, impractical and inconvenient, and a form of idolatry. Monsignor Jose Clemente Ig-

nacio of Quiapo Church said in response to the latter, “I guess the view behind that question isn’t really Filipino. Filipinos are people of the concrete. It is a Filipino trait to want to wipe, touch, kiss, or embrace sacred objects if possible. We Filipinos believe in the presence of the divine in sacred objects and places.” Here we have the explanation for this phenomenon—it is a Filipino thing. Beyond a religious rite, it is a cultural tradition, performed over centuries until it has reified into the extravagant display of faith and belief that it is today. James Carey’s ritual view of communication addresses events of this nature by looking at their purpose. They are a way to communicate shared beliefs that connect the community. “Communication” and “community” stem from the same root “communis.” Thus, “in a ritual definition, communication is linked to terms such as sharing, participation, association, fellowship, and the possession of a common faith” (Carey). It isn’t so much that information is imparted at the moment in that particular space, but rather over time. Rather than sermons (information), prayers are highlighted, because everyone knows what is to be done along the route of the parade. Participation in the sacred ceremony

Dr. Ortuoste is a Californiabased writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember

In this current alleged plot to topple the Duterte government, nothing is clear at all. As we have seen in our past two experiences, the extra-legal overthrow of governments by only one faction cannot succeed. There is a need to forget ideological differences to come together for a common purpose. There is no sign that this is even happening now. If there is, it is perhaps just starting to germinate. And looking at the alleged participants, it is a bunch that does not inspire confidence. Loida Nicolas Lewis, the alleged FilAm financier who lives in New York, is likely out of touch with the realities of the hardships of living in this country. The alleged beneficiary, in case the Duterte government is toppled, is VP Robredo. She is so politically inexperienced that it is hard seeing her able to take over a government in a crisis situation—let alone lead it.

Of course, given time, she may be able, but right now, it is hard to see that happening. Besides, the actual beneficiary of any successful takeover would be former President Aquino and his cohorts. Some officials in the Duterte government are probably right, in saying that there is no need to investigate the alleged plot and that there is no law violated when someone dreams. Also, the support President Duterte enjoys from the police and military is rock solid and there is no sign of it softening. This may have been the reason why former President Ramos remarked that there is no impending coup d’ etat. What we have, he said jokingly, is a “coup be ta” which elicited a roar of laughter from his audience. In the case of the Marcos ouster, it took many years before the attempt was launched. In the case of President Estra-

da, it took a much shorter time because the spark needed was there and the timing was also right and before long President Estrada was out of office. Assuming that there really is such an effort to topple President Duterte and following the lessons of the last two successful extra-legal overthrow of the existing political power, there really should be more solid evidence apparent on the ground instead of just the so-called LeniLeaks. There should be a faction of the military and police working behind scenes but there is none. As they say, where there is smoke, there is fire. Since there is no smoke being detected, does it mean that there is no plot? Not necessarily. As the old Chinese proverb tells us, a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. Prudence also dictate that it is always helpful to be wise and careful.

fiscal conservatives was in his administration. And how unconcerned Aquino was about real-world problems of the poor. Some may interpret Duterte’s action as simply astute politics—if SSS goes belly up because of imprudent spending, after all, that tragic event will happen long after Duterte is gone. But the truth is, Duterte doesn’t need to play politics at this time, when the most logical thing for him to do is to use his gaudy approval and trust ratings to force the

people to take the bitter medicine of fiscal discipline, like his finance people want him to do. The other truth is that the elitist Yellow economic team, through their uncaring hacienda heir of a president, had repeatedly blocked the efforts to increase SSS pensions by at least three consecutive Congresses. Duterte, without waiting for Congress to pass yet another pension-increase measure, gave the pension hike in six months. If you still can’t understand

why the Filipino masses love Duterte, you should consider the political will he showed this week when he basically told the SSS to give the pension increases now and get the money to pay for them later. This is counter-intuitive economic policy, sure, and you fill have no shortage of economic theorists and technocrats who would rather die than recommend such measures. But the economists aren’t Duterte’s core constituency. The grateful P40-a-day pensioners, on the other hand, are.

also shapes identity and confers a sense of belonging among its devotees, in a process of social integration. Ritual communication is culturally biased, so this leads to ethnocentric problems—not everyone shares the same beliefs, so there are those who will be offended by the acts performed at the event—leading to the negative comments about the way the Traslación is conducted. Because it is a religious rite, and because it is a cultural tradition and a legacy of hundreds of years of practice, the Traslación is not something that can just be banned without a huge public outcry. Rather, the steps taken by the local and national governments to try to keep everyone safe and impose some order upon the conduct of the event are the best that can be done under the circumstances. The Traslación, while a superstitious and barbaric display to some, is also a uniquely Filipino custom. And for at least a day, it allows a pious people to express their intense fervor and devotion within a community that has kept this tradition alive for centuries.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News Fil-Am named bishop of Utah

CẢM ƠN NHIỀU LẮM ONG [THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SIR]. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte confers the Order of Sikatuna on outgoing

Vietnam Ambassador Truong Trieu Duong, who helped improve diplomatic relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to its highest level since its establishment in 1976. People-to-people contact between the two nations date back to the 10th to 13th centuries. Palace Photo

FILIPINO-American priest Oscar A. Solis was named bishop of the predominantly-Mormon Diocese of Salt Lake City, which covers the state of Utah, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines announced Wednesday. Citing reports from the Vatican, the CBCP said on its website the 63-year-old prelate is currently an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles became the first Filipino to head a Catholic diocese in the United States. “I know what it means to be a pastor, a shepherd of a particular diocese,” he said. “It is a tremendous blessing and a responsibility and a privilege to be of service to the local Church in the United States of America, coming from the Philippines.” Solis was born in San Jose City in Nueva Ecija on Oct. 13, 1953 and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Cabanatuan in April 28, 1979. From 1979-1984, he held significant positions within the diocese, including rector of the diocesan high school and college seminary, vocations director and professor before he was sent to Rome in 1984 to pursue doctoral studies in canon law. Moving to the US in 1984, he served as parochial vicar of a parish in Union City, N. J. and later in parishes in Louisiana. In 1992, with

Indian lenders defended By Vito Barcelo

RRESTING Indian nationals who provide business loans to microentrepreneurs will mean killing decent folk who are struggling to eke a livelihood in the underground economy, the labor group Partido Manggagawa said Wednesday after the government announced a crackdown.

The labor group said that while they agree that usury must end, thousands of small entrepreneurs would also likely close their businesses. “Their existence has become socially-compatible over time

compared to the hooded riding in tandems who roam communities to kill their targets, PM spokesperson Wilson Fortaleza said, noting that the usurious system called “5-6” where every P5 of principal will be paid P6,

or an effective short-term rate of 20 percent. The labor group suggested that an alternative system must be formed or the Duterte administration will only be creating new problems for small people. “We believe an alternative program can easily replace the 5/6 system. A national bank or a national lending program that caters to the needs of the poor can surely take its place. Without this needed replacement, the government will only push the system further into the black market where more notorious financial sharks operate,” he said. He also said that an elaborate national employment program

must be organized to bring down the number of workers in the vulnerable sectors of the economy. “The Bumbays [Indian money lenders] operate without permits and we have the anti-usury law that prohibits the system but this is the kind of arrangement that flourishes in the mainly underground market that dominates the Philippine economy. “They make small loans to small people. This is the practical economic reason why the system gained mutual agreement in poor communities where a big number of unemployed and underemployed members of the labor force are in desperate struggle for sources

of livelihood,” he said. Fortaleza also asked where small-time businesses will go for their small financing needed to jump-start or sustain a small, unregistered enterprise, like a sarisari store, eatery or repair shop. He said these small entrepreneurs definitely are not welcomed by commercial banks because of their inability to meet loan requirements, including collateral. Of close to a million registered businesses in the country, more than 90 percent are considered micro-enterprises or those with capitalization of less than P 3 million and employing not more than 10 people.

Fishermen slam Palawan project By Sandy Araneta

OPUS ESCRIVAI. Fr. William P. Ong, chaplain of Dualtech Training Center, attaches a portrait of Spanish saint Jose Maria Escriva at one of the 500 places where he has already installed an image of the saint. CBCP Photo

MMDA: No roundup of poor during Miss U By Joel E. Zurbano UNLIKE the practice of the Aquino administration of rounding up indigent families during big international events, the Metro Manila Development Authority will not act against the poor during the Miss Universe beauty pageant later this month. MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos said he ordered his men not to conduct operations against street dwellers in connection with the pageant upon the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte. “There will be no cleanup and that is the good thing on the statement of the President... not to hide the reality of poverty. It is good for us because before, they’re hiding the street dwellers and beggars,” said Orbos. “That’s the reality and there is nothing to be ashamed,” he said.

Government records showed that there are more than 1,500 street families in the National Capital Region. Human Rights groups scored the government for allegedly hiding these people from the sight of dignitaries and the international media during highlevel events in the Philippines. Memorandum Circular No. 13, recently signed by President Duterte, mandates all departments, agencies, bureaus, and all government offices to support the Tourism department in hosting the 65th Miss Universe. The Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, the local government units concerned, and other law enforcement agencies will ensure security and public safety during the international event. Special task forces have been organized in every host province.

THE fishermen’s group Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas criticized on Wednesday the American children’s television network Nickelodeon over its plan to build an underwater resort and theme park in Palawan because it would threaten the country’s last ecological frontier. The group said Nickelodeon’s 400-hectare undersea development in Palawan will damage the fragile marine environment and aquatic life in Palawan. “This is the sum of all our fears. Our country’s abundant marine environment has been always the target for destructive projects hiding under the guise of development. Contrary to its claim, the project is no protection but it would pose environmental degradation because this will transform Palawan’s pro-

ductive fishing hub into mere leisure park at the cost of the fisherfolk’s livelihood,” said Pamalakaya chairperson Fernando Hicap. The group said Palawan is home to more than 300 species of corals or about half of all coral species in the world and also a breeding ground of more than 1,500 fish species in the country out of the 2,400 marine species found across the archipelago. “The country’s substantial number of marine species is at stake if Nick’s project will push through,” Hicap said. The group vowed to oppose and frustrate the project in order to protect the country’s marine resources and most of all, the livelihood of the fishers and the Filipino people. Nickelodeon has announced it will build an underwater resort and theme park on Palawan, known as the Philippines’ last ecological frontier, alarming environmentalists.

Singer seeks ban on foreign acts MULTI-AWARDED singer and composer Anthony Castelo called on President Rodrigo Duterte to effect a temporary ban on foreign acts and shows, except for cultural exchange programs, to give local artists a fighting chance to resuscitate the ailing local entertainment industry. Castelo, president of the Dakilang Lahi Foundation composed of local artists, coursed his proposal through folk icon and international performer Freddie Aguilar, whom Duterte recently appointed Presidential Adviser on Culture and Arts. “Major acts like that of James Taylor, Madonna, Barry Manilow and others cause a huge dollar drain in the country and imposing a temporary ban on these performances will give an oppor-

tunity for local artists to regain supremacy in their own country,” he exclaimed. Castelo made the call in the aftermath of Taylor’s decision to cancel his pre-scheduled show as he criticized Duterte’s war on drugs. Castelo described the American singer’s remarks as “irresponsible.” “James Taylor’s remarks against the war on illegal drugs were irresponsible. This incident behooves us to rethink our policy on allowing foreign artists to lord over our equally, if not bettertalented, local artists,” he stressed. He said Aguilar may move to “protect our artistic and cultural heritage from assault by excessive proliferation of foreign culture through live shows, radio, tv, films, in our country.”

“This continuing cultural and economic attrition on our country has a direct powerful negative effect on the Filipino psyche, attitude and behavior,” Castelo said. Proof of this, he noted, was the fact that the public had shown passivity and “numbness” to such attacks when Madonna “dishonored” the country’s flag in her previous performance. Taylor, on the other hand, should have been more discerning and circumspect in attacking the war on drugs as it is something he was “not fully aware of.” These artists, Castelo said, should not be welcomed in the Philippines. “We should be proud of our own artists. We don’t need James Taylor because have our very own international artists such as Freddie Aguilar,” he pointed out.

Solis

the permission of his bishop in the Philippines, he was incardinated in the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux, Louisiana. “I fell in love with parish life,” Solis said in the interview. “I never did parish work in the Philippines.” “That’s the mystery of God’s grace,” he said. “Just be open and be ready for surprises because our God is a God of surprises. Just like now!” In 2003, Solis became the first Filipino to be appointed a bishop in the United States when he was named auxiliary in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles by Pope St. John Paul II. In a statement on the appointment, Los Angeles Archbishop José H. Gomez said “our loss will be a gift to the family of God in Salt Lake City.”

IN BRIEF New Romblon hospital opens THE Mimaropa regional office of the Department of Health and the local government of Romblon province led the inauguration and blessing of the Romblon District Hospital in Romblon, Romblon. The district hospital was upgraded and modernized under the DoH-Health Facilities and Enhancement Program. A total amount of P38,567,224.80 was allocated in 2015 for the construction of a new threestory building. Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo said another P40 million will be allotted this year for the purchase of hospital equipment and other needs of the health facility. “We need to complete the resources in order to effectively deliver health care in the community,” he said. “This hospital will provide first class healthcare services to the people of Romblon, Tablas, Corcuera, Sibuyan Island and Banton. It will cater to the growing population of the province and can accommodate more patients needing immediate health services.” The construction of Romblon District Hospital was started on Nov. 6, 2015 and was completed last December 2016. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Bank launches PWD program THE Maybank Foundation on Wednesday launched an entrepreneurship program for people with disabilities and marginalized sector in the Philippines. The program dubbed as Reach Independence and Sustainable Entrepreneurship (R.I.S.E.), that has already been successfully running in Malaysia and Indonesia, will initially train 100 PWDs coming from various parts of the National Capital Region. The R.I.S.E. program, which was launched in Barangay East Rembo, Makati City, is targeting participants from underprivileged communities—mainly people with disabilities—to help them increase their income without the need for business startup grants. It is also designed to train, coach, and mentor participants to develop their entrepreneurial skills resulting in higherincome levels, thus improving their overall standard of living. The foundation is pouring in an initial P6 million for the R.I.S.E. entrepreneurship mentorship project pilot in the Philippines—a significant investment by Maybank in the Philippines for corporate social responsibility. Joel E. Zurbano

Sports

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

More World Cup slots for Asia pushed

UALA LUMPUR—Asia’s football chief said the region “deserves more slots” at the World Cup, as FIFA’s decision to expand the tournament to 48 teams from 2026 was cheered in countries from China to New Zealand. Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said Asia’s size and economic might merited more than its current allocation of four guaranteed spots, which is expected to rise to eight. Chinese state media said the move could help realise the country’s “dream” of returning

to the World Cup, while New Zealand, which looks set to be a key beneficiary, called the move “fantastic news”. Many critics have rounded on the decision, complaining it will dilute the quality of the World Cup and saying it was driven by hunger for profits and political gain.

But Sheikh Salman, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), said it would have a “positive impact on Asian football”. “We believe that Asia, as the biggest continent, deserves more slots compared with the current quota, looking at the economic power it has, and the popularity for the game in Asia, in addition to the huge development for football at all levels,” he said in a statement. Sheikh Salman is a vice-president of the FIFA Council, which on Tuesday approved the move to increase the number of World Cup

competitors from 32 to 48 teams, the biggest rise in its history. The expansion was a key election promise of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who beat Sheikh Salman to the post in polls early last year. A confidential FIFA report seen by AFP forecasts a 48-team tournament would bring a cash boost of $640 million (605 million euros) above projected revenues for next year’s edition in Russia. ‘No longer just a dream’ Asian countries have largely failed to make an impact at the

World Cup, which is dominated by European and South American teams, although co-hosts South Korea reached the semifinals in 2002. In China, who are 82nd in the FIFA rankings but have set their sights on becoming a global football power, the official Xinhua news agency said FIFA’s move represented a big opportunity. “Even if the levels of skill and strategy in the Chinese men’s football do not grow in leaps and bounds by 2026, the initial objectives of (China’s) football reform will have been realised,”

a Xinhua commentary said. “By then, with the added bonus of World Cup expansion, it is highly possible that China’s return to the World Cup will no longer be just a dream.” Football Federation Australia chief executive David Gallop said FIFA’s move “recognised the growth of the game outside of Europe and South America”. “As the quality of Asian football continues to improve, AFC member associations will justifiably deserve greater representation at the FIFA World Cup,” he said in a statement. AFP

Harden plays down MVP talk; Cavs lose LOS ANGELES—Houston star James Harden played down talk of being this season’s NBA MVP after his latest high-scoring tripledouble on Tuesday as the Cleveland Cavaliers stumbled to defeat against Utah. Harden, one of several players excelling in a high-scoring season across the league, finished with 40 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists as Houston improved to 31-9 with a 121-114 win over the Charlotte Hornets. The Rockets talisman came to Houston’s rescue after Charlotte staged a dramatic fourth quarter fightback to take a shock lead. Houston appeared to be cruising to victory after Corey Brewer’s three-pointer gave them a 108-90 lead with around eight minutes left. But Charlotte responded with a 21-2 rally which featured four consecutive three-pointers as the Hornets edged into a 111-110 advantage with just over two minutes to go. Harden steadied the ship however with an assist for Ryan Anderson’s three-pointer before adding two layups to settle Houston’s nerves. Harden’s late intervention to

secure the game capped another performance likely to ensure he remains firmly in the conversation for NBA MVP. The 27-year-old however said he is not thinking about personal glory as he spearheads Houston’s drive towards the postseason. “As long as I play the right way and be unselfish and we win games, all of that is going to come,” Harden said of MVP speculation. “I don’t really put too much into that or think about it too much. If it happens it happens. The most important thing is winning.” LeBron, Cavs stumble In Salt Lake City, LeBron James scored a game-high 29 points it was not enough to prevent the NBA champion Cleveland Cavaliers slipping to defeat against the Jazz, who improved 24-16 with the win. Cleveland, which fell to 28-9, was undone by a potent all-round scoring display from Utah led by Gordon Hayward with 29 points and Rodney Hood (18 points). No fewer than six Jazz players finished with double figures on the night. While Cleveland struggled, the Golden State Warriors marched on in their home game against the Miami Heat, winning 107-95. AFP

James Harden of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets during the game at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. James Harden recorded his 11th triple-double of the season (40 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists) as the Rockets defeated the Hornets 121-114. Harden becomes the 4th player to record back to back 40 point triple-doubles. AFP

Lhuillier Team SEA braces for tough Ladies Challenge showdown eyes top

Thai teen star Attaya Thitikul will spearhead Team SEA’s drive in the Pradera Ladies Challenge

TEAM Southeast Asia will lean on chemistry and sheer talent of its youth brigade as it slugs it out with Team Pradera in the inaugural Pradera Ladies Golf Challenge beginning Sunday at the sprawling Pradera Golf and Country Club in Lubao, Pampanga. While acknowledging the host team’s proverbial “home-court” edge, Team SEA skipper Dato Raby Abbas remains confident of her wards’ chances in the Ryder Cupstyle format event featuring the country’s top jungolfers and amateurs against 10 leading players from Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. “Certainly, the local players have an advantage, knowing the course and having played with the same team players all the time,” said Abbas. “But Team SEA players are upbeat in performing well and they are at the same time excited to be in the same team with those who are usually their ‘opponents’ during amateur Open tournaments.” She also guaranteed that her

players’ enthusiasm would work to their advantage although she has emphasized the need for her wards to put up some distance off the tees and come up with sharp putting on the long par-72 layout with sloping, unpredictable putting surface to measure up with the local aces. Led by Thai teen star Attaya Thitikul, Team SEA also includes Thais Napabhach Boon-in, Tunrada Piddon, Onkanok Soisuwan and Kan Bunnabodee, Malaysians Qistina Balqis, Geraldine Wong, Natasha Oon and Winnie Ng and Michela Tjan of Indonesia with Phunumpa Pornperan serving as the team’s other skipper. They will be up against a crack selection of local aces, led by former Thailand Amateur Open champion Pauline del Rosario and four-time Veritas world junior titlist Annyka Cayabyab along with Mikha Fortuna, Sofia Chabon, Bernice Ilas, Abby Arevalo, Mika Arroyo, Nicole Abelar, Tomi Arejola and Missy Legaspi with Chona de la Paz of The

Junior Golfers’ League, NGAP’s Rolly Romero and former two-time LPGA winner Jennifer Rosales as team captains. The three-day event, a brainchild of Archen Cayabyab and Lubao Mayor Mylyn Pineda-Cayabyab in consultation with Coach Norman Sto. Domingo, will have the two sides clashing in the four-ball and foursome matches in the first two days and the deciding singles on Jan. 17. The team to score 15.5 points takes the perpetual trophy. “Organizing the Pradera Verde Ladies Challenge is an honor and a privilege. We are working on all preparation to provide our foreign participants and local players with the warmest welcome and most enjoyable experience. We are doing our best to be able to extend what Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club and the Philippines have to offer. We look forward to host more international golf tournaments in the future,” Marilen Nunez, chairman of the organizing Forthinker Inc.

Alfredo Versace: My future as a Freelancer I FEATURE this important interview because it reveals “A piece pf Italian and European bridge history as a whole is losing great sponsor, a historic key figure”. Laura Camponeschi: On the 31st of December, Angelini Bridge Ltd ceased its activity. This does not only mean the end of one of the most popular national and international bridge societies, but also the end of a great sponsor, Francesco Angelini. Alfredo: Lorenzo Lauria and you have played in Angelini’s team for over a decade, you have played with Angelini and you have been his teammate, can you tell me more about this decision? Alfredo Versace: My personal relationship with Angelini is very long, and it lasted for over a decade. Francesco Angelini is very passionate about bridge and when he decided to put together a team he called Lorenzo Lauria, with whom he had been friend since school days. My adventure with them began at the same time: we started with teams that were not very competitive, and grew to become one of the most successful teams in the world. With Francesco we won a range of competitions, both nationally and internationally, I think his proudest achievement is when he partnered Sementa to represent Italy at the European Championships in 2002 (held in Salsomanggiore) and won them with nearly two days to go.

As you know, in addition to his job, Francesco has always been passionate about two things: bridge and football. LC: What do you feel now that Angelini Ltd does not exist anymore? AV: Obviously Lorenzo and I are very sad for his decision. Playing in Francesco’s team has been an amazing experience. Not only was he a sponsor and patron, but also a great player and most of all a tremendous captain, a true leader. He has been a friend to us, he respected us and was always generous. He had and has all the qualities that a leader should have. I really hope that Francesco will be able to play bridge again: this is one of his life’s passions. I am sure that this decision was difficult and torn for him, but clearly he currently cannot devote himself to bridge as much as he would like to. LC: How did the decision to close the team develop? AV: Francesco is a winner: he has fun playing and competing at high level. Being a non-playing captain or sponsor is not an interesting role for him. He probably felt he could not give a substantial contribution to the team, and after Italy’s disappointing performance in Opatija he lost some of his enthusiasm. Francesco has a strong personality and his absence had a negative impact on the team, which did not manage to be a successful as it used to be. To sum up, Francesco decided to stop playing and he took the team with him. LC: Did you expect this decision? AV: Recently I started suspecting it, because cut down on the training ses-

sions (previously he used to call the training sessions on a regular basis) and in the last months of 2016 we did not play at all. We felt that he was distancing himself from the bridge world. LC: Angelini’s decision means that Italian bridge as a whole is losing a great sponsor a historic key figure? AV: Surely. A piece of Italian and European bridge history is going away. Francesco played and won, and he also helped Italian bridge, together with Maria Teresa Lavazza (the other key sponsor of Italian bridge). Angelini and Lavazza have been the leaders of our bridge and their teams trained the championships which allowed Italy to win in Europe and worldwide. LC: Angelini closed the team, at the same time when Maria Teresa Lavazza is playing a less prominent role in Italian bridge. What does the future hold for the Italian bridge federation? AV: Italian bridge is going through a rough time. After Maria Teresa stepped out, Angelini’s decision is a significant loss. We achieved our results in the national team, because our long-term contract allowed us to practice with continuity. This has enabled Lorenzo and me to get to international events in good shape and motivated—and this was the same for Lavazza players. This is why I say that Angelini and Lavazza have been leaders of Italian bridge and enabled their teams to achieve extraordinary international results. Today we have a good number of young players, thanks to which we won

the World Championships in 2016 (in Salsomaggiore) and we qualified to the Lyon World Championship during Budapest’s European Championships. The qualification to the World Championship is a true triumph, especially given that the field was very tough and that two out of three pairs had just started playing. Andrea MannoMassimiliano Di Franco and Alessandro Gandoglia-Giovanni Donati gave a significant contribtion to qualifying. Giovanni Donati is very young and will play with Mustafa Cem Tokay in the next Nationals in Kansas City: he will replace Sementa and will be my teammate together with Lorenzo in Cayne’s team. This is a great growth opportunity for him. The US Nationals are a good challenge for all bridge players, champions from all over the world play there and the competition is very strong. It is very challenging and demanding competition, but at the same time it gives someone like Donati an opportunity to grow and show his skills. LC: Let’s stick with this topic: which open team will represent Italy at the next World Championships in Lyon? AV: I do not know and I am not the one making the decision. There are many question marks. LC: In what way? Are Lorenzo and you not going to play? AV: To be honest, I think that a national team without Lauria and Versace would be surprising, but these days anything could happen. Lorenzo and I have represented Italy for years, and I am very proud of this. On the other hand, playing in the national

team is a serious commitment, which takes many days. Without a strong sponsor like Angelini or Lavazza… lets say that thing change. LC: Things do change. After the contract with Angelini ends, what will Lauria-Versace do? AV: In the near future, we will play with Saverio Vince. We will play with him in Italian competitions and in the Open Europeans in Montecatini. We will continue playing the Nationals with Cayne, whilst for other international tournaments we have yet to find a team. In the long term, I cannot precise and I have started thinking that I might leave Italy. Angelini’s contract was full time, now we are available to take into considerations new proposals. I am currently a ‘freelance’ and therefore I am not ruling out the possibility to play abroad more often. I am looking around and I am giving serious thoughts to the available offers. I am also trying to make the best of other opportunities: for instance, I will play the Cavendish in Februay and the Copenhagen Invitational with Tokay. We are also looking for a team in the US Regionals and the most important Chinese tournaments. I will play the next South American Championships with Juan Carlos Ventin. A few years ago I would have never considered leaving Italy: now things have changed and all possibilities are open. Comments to: sylvia.alejandro@yahoo.com

tennis post LONG-TIME sports and tennis patron Jean Henri Lhuillier has expressed his intention to run for the presidency of the Philippine Tennis Association, which will hold its elections on Feb. 8, 2017 as agreed by the board of directors in a meeting last December. Lhuillier Philta has notified the Philippine Olympic Committee about the upcoming polls. “Having supported Philippine tennis for more than two decades in my private capacity, I have a strong desire now to lead it to even greater heights. If given the chance to lead the association, I will continue to implement the good programs of past administrations and at the same introduce new programs that will make tennis in the Philippines more inclusive and getting all stakeholders more involved,” said Lhuillier, also a chief backer of softball. “My vision is to increase the number of members of Philta just like how it’s being done in the US and in European countries where memberships reach hundreds of thousands,” he added. Lhuillier also said that he is willing and is in fact excited to work hand in hand with all stakeholders who are willing to help. “I welcome all possible help from any stakeholder. I would love to work with people such as Bobby Castro [of Palawan Pawnshop] who has the same vision of strengthening the grassroots program as well as the professional players. I believe that with the support of different stakeholders, we can achieve something special for Philippine tennis in the upcoming years,” said Lhuillier. Castro is the president/CEO of Palawan Pawnshop, which, together with Lhuillier’s own Cebuana Lhuillier, has been sponsoring and organizing more than 80 percent of the age-group tennis tournaments in the country for the past years.

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

Soltones carries SSC to Final 4

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

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

Games tomorrow

8:30 a.m.- EAC vs MIT (jrs) 10 a.m.- EAC vs MIT (m) 11:30 a.m.- LPU vs UPHSD (w) 1 p.m.- LPU vs UPHSD (m) 2:30 p.m.- LPU vs UPHSD (jrs)

Sports San Sebastian College’s Grethcel Soltones smashes one against Perpetual Help’s Jowie Versoza and Coleen Bravo. Roman Prospero

Paniamogan’s hot shooting lifts Mahindra past Meralco I By Jeric Lopez

T was Philip Paniamogan’s time to shine.

The unheralded spitfire fired a career-high 25 points in just 21 minutes of action to show the way for surging Mahindra and help it rout ailing Meralco, 105-92, as the Floodbusters stayed alive in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup last night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Paniamogan, a sophomore from Jose Rizal University, had

the best game of his career, hitting seven triples out of only nine shots and shooting perfectly from the two-point area (2-of-2) for an 81-percent shooting as he towed his squad to the impressive victory. The Floodbusters rode Paniamogan’s career night all-game long to propel it to to its second straight victory. The much-needed win moved Mahindra up to 11th place with its improved 2-5 slate, its chances of making the top eight boosted. While Mahindra is on the move up, the nightmare continued for Meralco as it lost its fifth game in

a row. As a result, it now finds itself in the cellar at 1-6. Five other Mahindra chargers tallied in twin-digits with Alex Mallari, Nico Salva and Jason Deutchman each scoring 13. Mike DiGregorio had 11 and Russell Escoto scored 10. Bursting out of the gates to start the second frame, Mahindra took command following a blistering run. The Floodbuster manufactured a 23-7 bomb that was capped off by a triple from Paniamogan, giving it a humongous 17-point advantage, 48-31, at the 5:10 mark of the second quarter.

At the half, Meralco was able to trim its deficit to 41-52, but that was the Bolts’ only moment of the game as they never truly imposed a threat to the Floodbuster. Paniamogan led the way for the Floodbusters in that first half surge, boosting the team by scoring 11 of his points in the first 24 minutes in just less than seven minutes of play. Following the third quarter, Mahindra kept its lead, 73-64, and it never looked back from there. It once again led by double-digits in the fourth and carried that towards triumph. For the second straight game,

Reynel Hugnatan led Meralco again with a game-high 28 points and six rebounds in another losing effort. The scores: MAHINDRA 105—Paniamogan 25, Mallari 13, Deutchman 13, Salva 13, Digregorio 11, Escoto 10, Yee 8, Elorde 4, Ballesteros 3, Arana 3, Revilla 2, Celda 0, Nimes 0, Eriobu 0, Teng 0. MERALCO 92—Hugnatan 28, Newsome 19, Amer 12, Faundo 9, Uyloan 8, Daquioag 6, Grey 3, Caram 2, Chua 2, Nabong 2, Hodge 1, Buenafe 0. Quarterscores: 25-24, 52-42, 73-64, 105-92

Pacquiao fights relative unknown on April 22 By Peter Paul Duran THE prospect of Sen. Manny Pacquiao retiring for good might just need to wait a bit longer. Two months removed from his bout with Jessie Vargas in November of last year, the Filipino fighting pride, according to a report by ESPN, will once again set foot in-

side the ring as a deal with up-andcoming Aussie Jeff Horn has been struck for a showdown in April. Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Horn’s promoter Dean Lonergan on Wednesday, inked the agreement, formalizing the April 22 bout. The venue for the fight has yet to be determined and it could be held either in Australia or in the United

Arab Emirates as disclosed in the two camp’s meeting in Las Vegas. But Arum said one thing’s for sure: the eight-division champ will defend his belt in three months’ time. “Once we have a location, then I’ll fly over to the Philippines to meet with Manny and finalize everything on our side,” Arum said. “But he is going to fight Jeff Horn.”

This will be Pacquiao’s first title defense of the World Boxing Organization welterweight belt he won after a methodical unanimous decision win over Vargas last Nov. 5. He might be relatively unknown outside of Australia, but the 28-year-old Horn has only lost once in 16 pro fights shortly after

representing his country in the 2012 London Olympics. In what has been labeled as one of the biggest fights in Australian boxing history, the match between a young boxing prospect raring to prove his mettle and an evergreen future Hall of Famer is expected to delay further Pacquiao’s plans to hang up his gloves.

Pagdanganan stuns field with 66, leads by 2 strokes BIANCA Pagdanganan dished out a near-flawless six-under 66 in wet condition to upstage her fancied rivals, wresting a two-stroke lead over Pauline del Rosario at the start of the Philippine Ladies Open Golf Championship 2017 at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club’s West Course in Mandaluyong yesterday. Cashing in on the liftclean-place rule, Pagdanganan rattled off three birdies at the back from where she teed off, including a chip-in from 20 yards on No. 14 then turned fiercer at the front, gunning down four more birdies, including threestraight from No. 6. She could’ve moved threeup on Del Rosario if not for a bogey mishap on the last hole that ruined what could’ve been

a career-best round for the 19-year-old sophomore from Gonzaga University in Washington, who struggled to finish tied for ninth in last week’s Philippine Amateur Golf Championship dominated by Yuka Saso at Riviera. “I did not expect to hit this way today (yesterday) as I struggled at Riviera last week,” said the sports management student. “But it all worked together for me. I was able to put my ball on spots where I wanted and my putting was just as awesome.” But the favorites didn’t stray too far the surprise leader in the rain-hit round of the country’s premier championship presented by Champion Infinity with Del Rosario turning in a four-under 68, and Saso and Thai star

Atthaya Thitikul submitting identical 70s. Harmie Constantino, a former national champion and winner of a pro tournament last year, also put herself in the mix with a 71 while Malaysian Geradline Wong and local bet Kayla Nocum carded identical 74s and 12-year-old Annyka Cayabyab putting in a gutsy 75 to share eighth place with Singaporeans Jacqueline Young and Aloysa Atienza, Thai Tunrada Piddon and Cebu’s Lois Kaye Go. With the weather expected to improve, Pagdanganan braces for the favorites’ charge in the last two rounds of the 54-hole championship organized and conducted by the Womens’ Golf Association of the Philippines.

Bianca Pagdanganan hacks a bailout shot from the rough on No. 3

Upsets, close wins rock women’s spikefest UPSETS and tight wins marked the start of the 21st Women’s Volleyball League organized by the Best Center and backed by Milo for the young athletes over the weekend at the Xavier School gym. San Pedro Relocation Center National High School claimed the biggest scalp in outlasting St. Scholastica’s College, 25-20, 19-25, 15-13,

for its first win in Group D of the 17-and-under Competitive Division, which also saw Immaculate Conception Academy defeat San Antonio de Padua College, 25-21, 25-22. Malabon National High School also frustrated Colegio de San Lorenzo, 25-16, 24-26, 16-14 in Group A, where King’s Montesori also logged a 25-19, 26-24 triumph over Escuela de Sophia.

Chiang Kai Shiek College played steadier in a 21-25, 25-16, 15-1 triumph over Holy Family School in Group B, where Assumption College also survived a game Sisters of Mount Carmel Catholic School, 25-19, 25-20. Group C had Hope Christian High School crush St. Mary’s College, 259, 25-5, and Colegio San AgustinMakati trip St. Scholastica’s College-

B, 25-23, 25-13. Other winners were: 13-and-Under Developmental, Group A-- Colegio San Agustin-Makati, St. Pedro Poveda College, and School of Holy Spirit; Group B-- School of St. Anthony, St. Paul College-Makati, and Young Achievers School; and Group C-- Escuela de Sophia and St. Scholastica’s College-Manila.

17-and-Under Developmental, Group A-- St. Pedro Poveda College, The Seed Montessori, and St. Bridget’s School; Group B-- Immacuate Conception Academy and St. Theresa’s College; Group C-- St. Scholastica’s College, St. Anthony School, and Mystical Rose of Caloocan; and Group D-Notre Dame of Greater Manila and St. Paul College-Quezon City.

GRETHCEL Soltones came through with an MVP performance as she powered San Sebastian to a 25-22, 25-13, 25-13 victory over Perpetual Help and straight to the Final Four in the women’s division of the 92nd NCAA volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan. Soltones, on course to claim her third straight MVP award, fired a game-high 19 points she laced with 18 spikes as the Lady Stags nailed their seventh win in row to book the first Final Four slot. San Sebastian also moved closer to sweeping its way to the finals if it could hurdle Lyceum of the Philippines University on Jan. 23 and reigning titlist St. Benilde on Jan. 25 in a rematch of last year’s finals. If it happens, the Lady Stags will be enjoying a thrice-to-beat edge while turning the Final Four into a stepladder semis. “That’s our goal, to be No. 1,” said Gorayeb in Filipino. The Lady Altas fell to their third loss against the same number of triumphs and one game away from elimination. Earlier, Arellano University stunned defending champion St. Benilde, 25-21, 2521, 25-21, to grab solo No. 2 with a 6-1 (win-loss) record. Skipper Rialen Sante led her team with 15 points, while Jovielyn Prado and Ma. Erica Calixto chipped in 13 and 10 hits, respectively, to help carry the Lady Chiefs to their sixth win in row after dropping its opening game against San Sebastian in five sets. The Lady Blazers dropped their second game against six wins. In men’s action, St. Benilde edged Arellano University, 23-25, 25-16, 29-27, 25-20, to seize the solo lead and clinch at least a playoff for a Final Four spot. The Chiefs slid to 5-2.

PH netter surprises Indian foe By Peter Atencio UP-AND-COMING Arthur Craig Pantino pulled off a 6-3, 6-3 win over Indian rival Srivatsa Ratakonda of India in the first round of the International Tennis Federation Grade 2 Junior Tennis Championships in New Delhi. The 17-year-old Pantino, a student of the Philippine Tennis Academy, advanced to the second round and will clash with top seeded Uising Park of Korea. Last week, he bowed to Roko Savin, 6-2, 6-4, in the second round of a Grade 1 tournament in New Delhi. He reached the first round after a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Nathaniel Golmer. Meanwhile, the pair of Filipino Treat Huey and Belarusian Max Mirnyi are among the seeded pairs when the Australian Open doubles’ competitions start on Jan. 16 at the Melbourne Park in Australia. They are ranked 10th in the acceptance list released by the Association of Tennis Professionals World Tour on Tuesday. Mirnyi is at No. 21 in the doubles’ world ranking, while Huey holds the 22nd spot. Huey and Mirnyi are in the company of top seeds and 2015 finalists Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut of France, defending champions Jamie Murray of Great Britain and Bruno Soares of Brazil, and sixtime winners Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan of the United States. On the other hand, 17-year old Alberto “AJ” Lim Jr. is set to see action in the junior division. The world no. 52 Lim just finished his practice sessions and will be there with Huey as they prepare for their coming Davis Cup competition in the first week of February.

Peza inviting weapon makers

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

Lopez opposes Nickelodeon resort By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

nvironment Secretary Regina Lopez said Wednesday she will oppose Nickelodeon’s plan to build a 100-hectare underwater theme park in Palawan. “Lopez says she won’t allow the underwater theme park in Palawan,” the Environment Department said in a tweet. Lopez made the statement after Viacom International Media Networks’ global kids brand Nickelodeon announced its plan to collaborate with Coral World Park Undersea Resorts Inc. for the development of a Nickel-

odeon resort and attraction in the Philippines. The company said its ﬁrst resort in Southeast Asia would cover 70 hectares for the resort’s accommodation and 30 hectares for the themed attraction. Lopez told broadcast network ABS-CBN Corp. which her family controls that she would never allow the corals to be harmed.

“You can’t kill the corals for a theme park, no way,” she said. The planned Nickelodeon resort will be a part of Coral World Park, a 400-hectare underseathemed masterplanned development in Coron, Palawan. Viacom said in a statement the resort would open in 2020 and feature restaurants and lounges six metes below sea level. The development would “advocate ocean protection,” the statement said. The project will be located amid a cluster of 16 white-sand islands of the CWP. The company said with a distance of 5 to 20 minutes apart by speedboat,

visitors could expect a multi-island experience within CWP that would include island hopping, hidden lagoons, hot springs, an animal reserve and world-class diving amidst shipwrecks. It said when completed, CWP would be the largest coral reef conservation program in Asia, with Asia’s largest marine sanctuary for ﬁve key species – dolphins, sea cows, sea horses, turtles and whale sharks. The Ocean Protection program is jointly funded by Monacobased Dr. AB Moñozca Foundation and its CWP Trust, and supported by global personalities advocating awareness on climate

change. CWP will open in phases starting 2018 and is within a three to six hour radius to major cities within Asia. Environment groups, however, strongly opposed the development of the theme park. Oceana Philippines vice president Gloria Estenzo Ramos said “the proposed plan is unsustainable and will irreparably damage the marine ecosystems and displace our artisanal ﬁsherfolk.” “I’m wondering if a thorough environmental and social impact assessment has been done for such an environmentally critical area,” Ramos said.

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing January 11, 2017

8300 7840 7380 6920

IN BRIEF SC rules in favor of Shell in tax row

THE Supreme Court issued a decision in favor of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., the country’s second biggest oil refinery, on the abandonment case filed by the Bureau of Customs two decades ago. The high tribunal said in the decision that “a perusal of the records reveals that there is neither any iota of evidence nor concrete proof offered and admitted to clearly establish that petitioner committed any fraudulent acts” and “that there is no factual finding of fraud established herein.” Pilipinas Shell said it would await the finality of the decision before reversing the P1.36 billion provision it made. Pilipinas Shell earlier set aside P1.36 billion to cover its financial exposure if the final decision was not in the company’s favor. The Bureau of Customs filed a case against the company in 1996, alleging that the latter had failed to timely pay duties and taxes on crude imports. Alena Mae S. Flores

Standard Insurance gets better rating

6460 6000

7,321.82 42.52

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

Closing JANUARY 11, 2017 43.00 45.40 46.60 47.80

P49.625

49.00

HIGH P49.520 LOW P49.630 AVERAGE P49.564 VOLUME 529.900M

P425.00-P650.00 LPG/11-kg tank P36.90-P47.90 Unleaded Gasoline P28.25-P30.10 Diesel

OPRICES IL TODAY

LIVELIHOOD CART. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III (ﬁfth from left), along with Olongapo City mayor Raulen Panlilio, Subic mayor Jay

Khonghun, Rep. Jeffrey Khonghun and Labor Department region 3 director Ana Dione, distributes P3.8 million worth of Negosyo sa Kariton livelihood assistance to 320 marginalized residents of Olongapo City and Subic town in Zambales. The Nego-Kart project provides decent livelihood mainly for the beneﬁt of marginal workers in the informal sector, speciﬁcally the ambulant workers.

P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG

World Bank and S&P upgrade growth forecasts

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, January 11, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.5480

Japan

Yen

0.008650

0.4286

Pound

1.217100

60.3049

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128959

6.3897

Switzerland

Franc

0.984058

48.7581

Canada

Dollar

0.756144

37.4654

Singapore

Dollar

0.696767

34.5234

Australia

Dollar

0.737000

36.5169

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654914

131.5457 13.2152

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266716

Brunei

Dollar

0.694348

34.4036

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.028093

1.3920

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.4913

Euro

1.056300

52.3376

Korea

Won

0.000833

0.0413

China

Yuan

0.144415

7.1555

India

Rupee

0.014641

0.7254

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.223564

11.0771

New Zealand

Dollar

0.698500

34.6093

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031312

1.5514 Source: PDS Bridge

By Gabrielle H. Binaday THE World Bank on Wednesday upgraded the 2016 growth forecast for the Philippines to 6.9 percent from the previous estimate of 6.8 percent as the country continues to show strong economic prospects. The Washington-based multilateral lender said in its ‘Global Economic Prospects’ report the Philippines was expected to post an average growth of 6.8 percent in 2017 to 2019 on the back infrastructure development. “Among the large commodity importers, Vietnam and Philippines continue to have the stron-

gest growth prospects, although capacity constraints will likely limit acceleration in the medium term and could cause overheating pressures,” the World Bank said. It said buoyant inﬂows of the remittances and strong revenue from services exports would also push the country’s growth forward. The inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee set the growth target for the Philippines at 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in 2017 and 7 percent to 8 percent percent in 2018 and 2019. Recent data showed the economy grew 7.1 percent in the third quarter of 2016, bringing the average growth in the three quar-

ters to 7 percent. The government will announce the full-year growth ﬁgures on Jan. 26. Meanwhile, credit watchdog S&P Global Ratings also raised the Philippines’ growth forecast in 2017 to 6.4 percent from the previous estimate of 6.3 percent, citing the country’s strong external position and low and declining external debt. The revised forecast showed the Philippines would remain in the sweet spot and outperform most of its peers in the Asian region. The revised GDP forecast was at par with China’s 6.4 percent, but higher than 5.2 percent for Indonesia, 2.7 percent for Australia, 1.3 percent for Hong

Kong, 0.9 percent for Japan, 2.7 percent for Korea, 4.5 percent for Malaysia, 1.7 percent for Singapore, 2 percent for Taiwan, 3.4 percent for Thailand and 6.2 percent for Vietnam. India is the only country seen to grow faster than the Philippines this year at 8 percent. S&P said despite the stronger economic outlook, a higher sovereign rating for the Philippines was unlikely over its two-year ratings horizon. S&P particularly cited the country’s weakness in the area of economic assessment but noted strengths in both external and ﬁscal and debt burden assessments. With Julito G. Rada

Govt likely to clear San Miguel and Petron on ash spill allegations By Alena Mae S. Flores

NEW BOI GOVERNOR. The Board of Investments has a new member in its roster of board of

governors—Dr. Jaime Aristotle Alip (second from right), who is a 2008 Ramon Magsaysay awardee. Alip was the founder and managing director of the Center for Agriculture and Rural Development Mutually Reinforcing Institutions and served key positions in government. Shown with Alip are (from left) BoI legal and compliance service director Marjorie Ramos-Samaniego, Trade Secretary and BoI chairman Ramon Lopez and BOI managing head Ceferino Rodolfo.

THE Environment Department is likely to clear San Miguel Corp. and Petron Corp. of allegations of oil and ash spill at its energy complex in Bataan province, following a clarificatory meeting Wednesday. Petron president and chief executive Ramon Ang made a presentation with Environment Secretary Regina Lopez and clarified the charges hurled against the company. Ang said the oil spill happened on July 9 at the Bataan thermal power plant not owned by Petron but by the government. He said the pipeline spill was caused by a contractor of the Public Works Department. He also dispelled allegations of an ash spill from Petron’s limestone ash pond to the Alangan River. He said the ash pond is located two kilometers away from the river. “They thought it was coal ash but it’s limestone powder,” Ang said. Limestone ash has been certified as non-hazardous and is used as raw material for manufacturing cement, he said. Ang said he asked the Environment Department to grant Petron an ore transport permit to transfer the bottom ash to the cement plants. Bottom ash came from Petron’s 140-megawatt solid fuel power plant in Bataan located alongside the 180,000-barrel-a-day refinery. “Bottom ash will be brought to the cement plant as raw mix to cook clinker so there will be no waste generated. All CFB [circulating fluidized bed] coal fired plants should not generate bottom ash fly ash it is needed by the cement plants,” he said. Lopez expressed her willingness to facilitate soonest the issuance of a permit that would allow Petron to transfer the ash stockpile released from its refinery to a cement plant also located within the Petron Bataan Refinery complex in Limay town.

LEADING motorcar insurer Standard Insurance Co. upgraded its national-scale claims-paying ability rating to A (PH), with a stable outlook, the latest rating accorded by Global Credit Rating Co., a highly reputable rating agency operating across four continents. A highly capitalized non-life insurer, Standard Insurance also improved its international scale rating of BB with a stable outlook for US dollar- denominated claims paying ability. In a credit rating released last month, the GCR cited Standard Insurance for its strong and improving capitalization and superior reinsurance facilities from some of the world’s best, highest-rated insurers that protect its motor and property portfolios from catastrophes and large single loss events. The rationale behind Standard Insurance rating was anchored on its strength in terms of high levels of liquidity, consistently strong competitive positioning and a proven track record of sustaining motorcar insurance leadership, innovation and proﬁtability. The non-life insurance company was named Best General Insurance Company in the Philippines for 2016 by World Finance magazine of the United Kingdom. Standard Insurance received the same award in 2013 and 2014.

Finnish ﬁrm to build tire facility THE Agriculture Department said Wednesday it is set to seal a partnership with Filipino rubber farmer groups and a Finland– based tire manufacturer for the construction of a $200-million tire processing facility in Southern Mindanao. The agency said Black Donuts Engineering Inc. president and chief executive Kai Hauvala met Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol for an initial brieﬁng on the rubber industry in the Philippines before heading to Davao and North Cotabato for site validation and assessment. The Mindanao visit seeks to determine whether Filipino rubber farmers have the capabilities to supply the raw material needs of the planned factory. Black Donuts will help in the construction, operations and capability-building and training of farmers while the department will organize farmers through a National Cooperative for Farmers and Fisherfolks who will join the initiative, according to the agency. “We just have to get good farmers that are willing to abide with the rules and participate in rural development projects of the government,” Piñol said. The Agriculture Department said once operational, the facility would produce a tire brand which could be used for passenger vehicles, cargo, small pickups and agricultural machineries. Anna Leah E. Gonzales

Business

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks end rally; Shell advances Megaworld opening S four hotels this year TOCKS fell Wednesday to end a six-day rally, as investors turned cautious ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump’s ﬁrst press conference that will announce his economic policies.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, shed 42 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 7,321.82. Despite the loss Wednesday, the bellwether was still up 7 percent this year. The heavier index, representing all shares, also dropped 8 points, or 0.2 percent, to settle at 4,408.27, on a value turnover of P7.1 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 99 to 88, while 52 issues were unchanged. Ten of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by

gion, investors are on edge as they await Donald Trump’s first press conference since his US election win, with initial excitement about his plans turning to skepticism about whether he can deliver. China on Tuesday said factory-gate prices surged last month at their fastest pace in more than five years, leading to hopes the country could export muchneeded inflation around the world and help kickstart global growth. The news helped ramp up prices in key commodities such as iron ore, copper and aluminium, which in turn provided support to producers. Sydney-listed BHP Billiton was up more than two percent and rival Rio Tinto gained almost four percent, while in To-

Arthaland Corp. which soared 27.5 percent to P0.65 and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. which jumped 5.5 percent to P75.30. D&L Industries Inc. advanced 4.2 percent to P12.40. Meanwhile, most Asian markets rose Wednesday, with commodities-linked ﬁrms boosted by China’s strong inﬂation reading, but oil prices struggled after two days of sharp losses fueled by doubts about the effectiveness of Opec’s planned output cuts. Despite gains across the re-

kyo Sumitomo Metal Mining put on 3.7 percent. In China there were gains of up to nine percent in some commodity ﬁrms, although late selling saw many pare early advances. “Given China is the world’s exporter, changes in their prices are important,” James Woods, global investment analyst in Sydney at Rivkin Securities, told Bloomberg News. Hong Kong stocks climbed 0.8 percent and Sydney put on 0.2 percent, while Tokyo ended 0.3 percent higher. Seoul rallied 1.5 percent and Singapore 0.2 percent, while there were also healthy rises from Wellington to Kuala Lumpur. However Shanghai ended down 0.8 percent. With Bloomberg, AFP

By Jenniffer B. Austria MEGAWORLD Corp., the property unit of tycoon Andrew Tan, said Wednesday it will open four hotels this year that will add 1,662 rooms and solidify the company’s position as a leading hotel operator in the country. Megaworld said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it would open Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Iloilo Business Park and Savoy Hotel Boracay in Boracay Newcoast in the ﬁrst half and Savoy Newport Hotel in Newport City and Hotel Lucky Chinatown in Binondo, Manila in

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.85 289,000 48.1 9,100 92.25 436,790 4 51,000 113 1,613,090 1.52 506,000 38.45 39,800 16.2 37,400 18.96 109,300 1.7 589,000 825 60 0.68 10,712,000 79.5 2,495,280 0.76 1,828,000 55 39,460 240 4,550 149.9 1,030 90.3 1,490 35 105,300 217 742,180 75.9 50,570 1.25 15,000

1,119,220 438,380 40,282,201 202,060 182,648,520 761,190 1,531,415 604,870 2,085,232 1,014,420 49,500 7,227,220 198,412,516 1,401,390 2,172,984 1,093,930 144,909 134,547 3,685,800 161,111,678 3,854,796.50 18,700

19,350 91,485 -8,537,738 96,463,175 -157,440 -442,260 -474,072 217,800.00 16,664,495 19,000 24,900 -750,550 -238,075 -8,433,676 -286,051 -

43 4.52 0.89 1.4 18.06 0.2 89.95 11.76 15.98 22.4 19.32 60 95.9 109.1 1.97 6.45 12.06 11.88 6.48 7.35 5.31 21.55 68.4 12.48 16.46 6.1 1.64 217.6 74.95 2.59 3.79 23 29.5 27.55 14.74 281 0.26 3.2 9.71 3.7 2.33 5.65 1.55 72.45 4.97 227 4.9 2.76 11.54 4.26 0.147 1.54 169 4.33 1.78 1.06

INDUSTRIAL 43.35 1,410,100 4.6 2,391,000 0.92 2,643,000 1.4 860,000 18.6 7,100 0.2 540,000 89.95 200 11.9 8,309,300 16 4,209,200 23 249,300 20.5 5,000 60 80,600 105 3,720 109.1 10 1.99 79,000 6.45 370,900 12.06 8,700 12.4 10,944,800 6.5 519,600 7.38 487,300 5.39 38,221,500 22 4,947,600 68.7 128,800 12.48 34,600 16.5 221,500 6.14 148,400 1.81 3,347,000 219.6 755,150 74.95 140 2.6 96,000 3.79 15,000 28.8 1,800 30 4,647,000 28.2 401,500 14.8 622,700 282.8 195,870 0.275 2,180,000 3.21 4,836,000 9.74 4,394,400 3.7 9,000 2.36 1,435,000 5.65 1,352,000 1.59 510,000 75.3 3,388,140 5.09 175,100 227 80 5.01 3,005,700 2.8 80,000 11.68 7,567,100 4.26 72,000 0.149 2,570,000 1.58 490,000 170.9 1,135,920 4.5 29,000 1.83 7,344,000 1.13 301,000

61,168,365 11,027,700 2,402,090 1,211,510 130,728 110,800 17,990 98,643,642 67,357,426 5,668,905 101,196 4,836,000 377,137 1,091 156,840 2,421,708 105,138 134,219,974 3,408,592 3,596,914 206,109,808 108,561,635 8,825,684 432,512 3,654,696 909,810 5,896,180 165,657,360 10,495.50 249,120 56,950 46,130 139,322,270 11,317,950 9,222,246 55,697,808 594,200 15,571,680 42,840,542 33,420 3,386,810 7,684,510 811,260 251,197,744.50 877,636 18,160 15,027,913 223,300 89,145,256 306,820 380,030 769,040 193,709,328 127,270 13,312,140 322,640

6,572,655 -1,876 -14,004,534 -1,073,510 -4,836,000 -48,000 488,778 -1,513,303 -2,424,875 40,875,444.00 10,787,870 267,924.00 -430,016 -3,073,950 29,890 -70,200 59,887,808 5,560 8,330,925 -10,838,310 661,988 7,356,936 -225,450 -10,455,956 566,830 -6,824,510 111,964,825 500,000 0 14,906,216 19,300 36,526,791 38,970 -12,600 -

0.45 74.95 13.9 1.21 6 0.31 0.3 797 8.8 13.2 8.1 0.19 1,350 76.6 3.92 1.33 8.05 12.94 7.01 0.048 2.01 2.6 99.6 708 0.85 1.27 264 0.3 0.194 0.28

0.42 74.75 13.38 1.13 5.97 0.305 0.3 787 8.75 13 8.03 0.186 1,298 75.45 3.88 1.28 7.98 12.72 6.92 0.044 2 2.48 97.9 680 0.84 1.24 262.8 0.3 0.189 0.265

HOLDING FIRMS 0.44 11,030,000 74.9 999,850 13.38 5,067,500 1.21 102,000 6 344,800 0.31 430,000 0.3 10,000 796 559,300 8.8 5,471,700 13.04 7,137,300 8.1 12,200 0.19 200,000 1,300 72,730 75.7 3,290,480 3.92 101,000 1.31 7,583,000 8.05 1,291,300 12.72 5,005,900 6.99 16,441,100 0.046 444,500,000 2.01 20,000 2.6 67,000 99.5 186,250 680 478,560 0.85 13,000 1.26 437,000 264 12,020 0.3 130,000 0.19 2,090,000 0.265 570,000

4,785,050 74,891,458 68,713,348 123,240 2,068,485 132,800 3,000 444,026,375 48,147,559 92,996,434 98,215 37,700 94,890,570 249,166,160 395,880 9,861,490 10,373,970 63,865,966 114,598,059 20,300,100 40,100 170,600 18,432,411 331,278,080 11,010 549,000 3,171,560 39,000 405,200 152,750

131,580 -34,002,150 -25,637,790 893,566 -6,114,504 23,756,045 74,043,601.50 -47,000 -408,305.00 -16,959,134 48,228,138 1,169,900 7,371,371.50 -61,845,230 188,090 5,820 5,600

7.85 1.22 6.3 2.63 0.7 35.3 3.2 5.15 0.58 1.1 1.45 0.189 0.63 50.8 0.71 0.169 1.7 1.03 1.25 4.03 0.149 0.29 0.41 4.15 31.25

7.7 1.12 6.2 2.34 0.53 34 3.14 5.02 0.57 1.05 1.38 0.185 0.58 47.65 0.71 0.14 1.66 1.01 1.19 3.87 0.144 0.26 0.41 3.93 31.25

2,598,401 11,212,890 24,900 6,668,530 124,513,910 319,146,185 3,261,440 6,539 5,442,780 70,500 172,840 4,436,200 9,106,780 47,742,305 136,320 1,067,000 12,061,940 3,696,270 223,070 142,050,910 2,153,570 209,300 106,600 8,257,990 3,125

1,687,805 -7,500 -845,290.00 10,478,470 639,010 -3,706,950 -55,500 -119,050 10,168,370 -75,260 -2,840.00 -500,590 12,988,380 659,500 5,750.00 -577,530 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK UNION BANK VANTAGE

3.85 48.15 92.45 3.92 113.8 1.52 38.45 16.2 19.18 1.75 825 0.68 80.3 0.81 55.7 245 140 90.3 35.15 218 76 1.25

4 48.2 92.85 4.12 115 1.55 38.5 16.2 19.18 1.75 825 0.69 80.95 0.81 55.7 245 149.9 90.3 35.15 219.4 76.5 1.25

3.83 48.1 91.75 3.92 112 1.45 38.4 16.1 18.9 1.7 825 0.66 77.95 0.76 54.9 239 136 90.3 35 213.6 75.9 1.2

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CONCRETE B CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PEPSI COLA PETRON PHIL H2O 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 VULCAN INDL

43.6 4.59 0.9 1.45 18.88 0.208 89.95 11.86 16.1 22.4 20 60 95.9 109.1 2.02 6.7 12.1 11.9 6.58 7.35 5.31 21.55 68.4 12.52 16.48 6.14 1.65 220 75 2.59 3.8 26 29.9 28.2 14.92 288 0.275 3.22 9.71 3.72 2.33 5.71 1.62 72.45 4.97 227 5.02 2.76 11.6 4.26 0.15 1.58 170.3 4.33 1.8 1.08

43.7 4.68 0.92 1.45 18.88 0.208 89.95 12 16.1 23 20.5 60 107 109.1 2.02 6.86 12.12 12.5 6.61 7.41 5.44 22.3 68.9 12.52 16.5 6.15 1.85 220 75 2.78 3.8 28.8 30.2 28.2 14.92 290 0.28 3.23 9.88 3.72 2.39 5.8 1.62 75.35 5.1 227 5.02 2.8 11.92 4.28 0.15 1.62 172 4.5 1.84 1.13

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.435 74.95 13.68 1.13 6 0.305 0.3 794 8.8 13.1 8.05 0.186 1,304 76.3 3.92 1.31 8.04 12.9 6.98 0.045 2 2.48 99.55 685 0.84 1.27 263.8 0.3 0.192 0.28

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP

7.77 1.12 6.2 2.36 0.53 34.4 3.16 5.15 0.58 1.05 1.39 0.188 0.6 48.3 0.71 0.14 1.67 1.02 1.2 3.97 0.149 0.285 0.41 3.96 31.25

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

27.35 1.58 3.27 31.3 1.13 0.9 5.09

27.8 1.66 3.3 31.4 1.13 0.91 5.1

27.15 1.57 3.22 30.85 1.09 0.88 5.01

27.2 1.62 3.3 31 1.09 0.89 5.09

929,800 352,000 919,000 16,488,100 6,226,000 660,000 2,060,400

25,350,775 568,190 2,965,640 513,136,680 6,834,920 590,480 10,437,646

12,066,965 114,814,895 -5,099,025

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS 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 MANILA JOCKEY MELCO CROWN METRO RETAIL MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PAXYS PHIL RACING PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT

7.6 46.2 1.35 0.52 0.051 10.94 5.3 6.23 0.073 2.59 95.8 9.88 8.18 2.05 1,820 6.3 16.58 2.88 15.82 75.5 0.0092 9.05 0.24 1.48 15.5 4.19 2.41 2 4.06 4.19 19.2 2.8 11.3 5.3 3.1 9.94 140 10.18 1,600 1.38 0.5 40.9 77 6.18 2.68 1.05 3.28 0.345

7.6 47.6 1.44 0.52 0.052 10.94 5.64 6.23 0.073 2.65 98.9 9.88 8.3 2.2 1,820 6.32 16.58 2.89 17.1 76.2 0.0092 9.05 0.245 1.52 15.5 4.26 2.5 2 4.15 4.28 19.9 2.88 11.3 5.5 3.1 9.94 149.9 10.24 1,605 1.39 0.51 41.55 77 6.3 2.69 1.05 3.29 0.37

7.58 46.2 1.34 0.52 0.049 10.94 5.3 6.03 0.069 2.57 95.7 9.88 8.18 2 1,776 6.3 16.22 2.79 15.8 75.2 0.0091 9.05 0.23 1.45 15.5 4.19 2.41 2 4.04 4.11 19.2 2.79 11.3 5.13 3.08 9.94 132.2 9.98 1,520 1.35 0.485 40.8 74.5 6.18 2.63 1.03 3.27 0.34

SERVICES 7.6 47.4 1.37 0.52 0.052 10.94 5.61 6.06 0.07 2.59 98.05 9.88 8.3 2 1,783 6.3 16.3 2.81 16.24 75.95 0.0091 9.05 0.234 1.45 15.5 4.2 2.5 2 4.05 4.11 19.9 2.86 11.3 5.48 3.08 9.94 132.2 10.04 1,565 1.39 0.5 41.55 75 6.25 2.64 1.04 3.28 0.35

21,100 26,700 65,000 82,000 110,590,000 1,900 4,900 3,895,500 17,840,000 2,471,000 1,119,210 300 128,700 251,000 142,135 56,200 31,000 4,122,000 17,500 1,190,010 34,000,000 450,000 30,920,000 1,693,000 2,200 367,000 23,000 200,000 2,495,000 3,098,000 900 2,706,000 150,300 4,000 29,000 100 93,180 2,741,800 157,280 10,759,000 15,160,000 541,600 1,421,530 4,859,500 781,000 16,427,000 567,000 640,000

160,307 1,253,320 88,020 42,640 5,588,300 20,786 26,542 23,651,935 1,268,700 6,401,500 108,644,964 2,964 1,059,806 508,050 254,703,215 354,512 505,096 11,638,780 288,100 90,192,362.50 311,100 4,072,500 7,343,000 2,513,520 34,100 1,550,960 56,270 400,000 10,199,800 12,901,540 17,350 7,653,050 1,698,390 21,492 89,340 994 12,321,947 27,540,721 246,822,150 14,881,130 7,512,350 22,312,510 108,086,742 30,277,215 2,071,530 16,935,990 1,859,180 233,950

33,150 -15,607,349 55,490 -139,900 -15,792,341 76,325,210 -363,490 -7,538,158 -842,560 -400,000 -3,758,330.00 -1,296,940 -975,790 -530 0 6,158,134 2,843,725 -73,770 7,906,175 -50,481,945.50 250,180 -243,920 11,473,980 -859,340 7,300

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

0.0034 3.17 5.28 2.24 2.16 0.52 0.465 12.28 3.19 0.265 0.221 0.226 0.013 2.58 8.2 2.88 0.475 1.13 0.011 4.06 0.012 9.3 3.67 135.4 2.95 0.0097

0.0034 3.17 5.6 2.24 2.29 0.52 0.47 12.44 3.35 0.27 0.223 0.227 0.013 2.71 8.51 2.9 0.485 1.15 0.012 4.06 0.013 9.36 3.68 135.5 3 0.0097

0.0033 3.03 5.28 2.2 2.16 0.51 0.465 12.02 3.19 0.26 0.22 0.225 0.013 2.58 8.2 2.81 0.475 1.13 0.011 4.05 0.012 9.09 3.64 133.8 2.95 0.0095

MINING & OIL 0.0033 332,000,000 3.09 340,000 5.48 1,110,000 2.24 28,000 2.29 4,000 0.51 323,000 0.47 660,000 12.18 5,600 3.3 18,884,000 0.265 820,000 0.22 13,290,000 0.225 3,500,000 0.013 7,800,000 2.71 2,096,000 8.49 9,657,100 2.81 143,000 0.485 30,000 1.13 134,000 0.011 20,300,000 4.05 9,000 0.012 11,500,000 9.09 3,861,900 3.66 976,000 134 1,844,160 3 14,000 0.0095 3,000,000

1,107,100 1,060,710 6,070,908 62,640 8,900 166,230 308,650 68,112 62,161,370 215,650 2,932,520 788,670 101,400 5,568,110 81,492,297 407,070 14,350 152,240 231,900 36,500 138,700 35,419,447 3,564,270 247,155,158 41,850 28,900

361,380 -221,381 1,751,960 22,700 -222,740 -6,072,448.00 -31,900 7,004,175 -43,830 -36,115,887 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2B SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

46.2 526 542 103 104.4 112.9 517 5.9 1,020 1,026 105.6 1,050 2.4 77 80.25 78 77.5 79.5 77.2 77.75

47.5 526 542 103 104.4 112.9 517 5.9 1,020 1,030 105.6 1,130 2.4 77 80.25 78 77.5 79.5 77.55 77.75

46.2 526 542 103 104 112.9 517 5.89 1,020 1,024 105.6 1,050 2.15 77 80.2 78 77.5 79 77.2 77.5

PREFERRED 47.5 64,300 526 90 542 10 103 139,880 104 77,080 112.9 40,000 517 40 5.9 759,600 1,020 8,420 1,030 33,325 105.6 90 1,130 140 2.15 5,000 77 5,140 80.25 38,350 78 12,500 77.5 30 79 57,990 77.55 31,700 77.5 456,010

3,021,730 47,340 5,420 14,407,640 8,016,374 4,516,000 20,680 4,481,629 8,588,400 34,277,310 9,504 151,800 11,500 395,780 3,077,400 975,000 2,325 4,607,105 2,448,990 35,355,205

-4,475,150 -2,150 -387,750 -

LR WARRANT

2.25

2.31

2.25

WARRANTS 2.31 62,000

139,560

193,600 217,000 990,600

1,769,762 941,340 8,535,758

-36,753 -3,110,286

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 120.9 10,190

1,227,278

-12,130

PROPERTY 7.78 1.2 6.3 2.53 0.65 34.2 3.18 5.02 0.57 1.1 1.44 0.187 0.61 50 0.71 0.163 1.68 1.01 1.25 3.95 0.147 0.265 0.41 4.11 31.25

333,600 9,513,000 4,000 2,656,000 199,126,000 9,239,800 1,029,000 1,300 9,406,000 67,000 123,000 23,780,000 14,871,000 958,000 192,000 6,670,000 7,182,000 3,652,000 185,000 35,904,000 14,750,000 740,000 260,000 2,034,000 100

ALTERRA CAPITAL ITALPINAS XURPAS

9.4 4.4 8.6

9.4 4.4 8.74

9.05 4.3 8.59

FIRST METRO ETF

121.4

119.9

TRADING SUMMARY

FINANCIAL

19,675,764

INDUSTRIAL

127,833,865

HOLDING FIRMS

515,093,669

PROPERTY

371,344,219

SERVICES

274,010,484

MINING & OIL

432,842,103

GRAND TOTAL

1,742,211,912

9.13 4.31 8.62

SME

VALUE 1,760.02 (DOWN) 5.02 610,015,751.75 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,212.25 (UP) 40.51 1,754,012,358.92 HOLDING FIRMS 7,397.61 (DOWN0 58.94 1,898,981,524.985 PROPERTY 3,324.28 (DOWN) 13.96 SERVICES 1,424.71 (DOWN) 9.66 1,311,867,805.09 MINING & OIL 12,614.88 (DOWN) 30.93 1,077,029,264.62 PSEI 7,321.82 (DOWN) 42.52 485,134,526.351 All Shares Index 4,408.27 (DOWN) 8.86 7,149,518,516.617 Gainers:88 Losers: 99; Unchanged: 52; Total: 239

the second half. The 15-story Marriott Courtyard Hotel in the 72-hectare Iloilo Business Park township in Mandurriao, Iloilo City will offer 326 rooms. The new hotel strategically located beside Iloilo Convention Center will be the ﬁrst Marriott brand to open in Western Visayas. Megaworld announced last year it would add the Savoy Hotel brand alongside Belmont and Richmonde Hotels as its homegrown hotel brands. Savoy Hotel Boracay Newcoast is a 559-room resort hotel in the 150-hectare Boracay Newcoast development. The six-story hotel will feature the country’s ﬁrst concert pool arena, which will be capable of hosting events in a pool setting. The 11-story Savoy Newport Hotel will offer 684 rooms and will add to the growing hotel offerings of the 24/7 leisure and entertainment complex of Newport City which is the home of Resorts World Manila. The six-story Hotel Lucky Chinatown in Binondo will offer 93 guest rooms and will mainly cater to Chinese tourists and businessmen as well as for those who are on a historic tour of Manila.

Ayala set to build Indonesia wind farm By Alena Mae S. Flores CONGLOMERATE Ayala Corp. said Wednesday wholly-owned subsidiary AC Energy Holdings Inc. signed investment agreements with UPC Renewables Indonesia Ltd. for the development of a 75-megawatt wind farm in Sidrap, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Ayala said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the project would be developed through PT UPC Sidrap Bayu Energi, a special purpose company based in Indonesia. The Sidrap project is targeted for completion by the end of 2017 and will be the first utility-scale wind farm project in Indonesia once completed. It will also be the first greenfield offshore investment of AC Energy Holdings Inc. through affiliate AC Energy International Holdings Pte. Ltd., a Singapore private limited company. The Sidrap project will cost $150 million, which will be funded through equity and project financing to be provided by the Overseas Private Investment Corp., the US government’s development finance institution and PT Bank Sumitomo Mitsui Indonesia, the Indonesian subsidiary of the Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. of Japan. UPC Renewables is a leading global energy player that develops, finances, constructs, owns and operates a portfolio of wind power generation assets. The company and its proponents have successfully developed and operated renewable energy projects in Italy, the US, Canada, China and the Philippines. UPC Renewables and AC Energy are two of the owners of North Luzon Renewable Energy Corp., the owner and operator of the 81-MW Caparispisan wind farm project in Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte.

Business

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

New BSP head is critical to Duterte

SCHOOL EQUIPMENT. Aboitiz Foundation turns over newly refurbished special science classrooms equipped with reference books and multimedia package to Taguig Integrated School and newly refurbished handicraft and refrigeration and air-conditioning servicing laboratories equipped with reference materials, tools and equipment to Taguig National High School. Shown during the turnover ceremony are (from left) Aboitiz Foundation ﬁrst vice president Maribeth Marasigan, Taguig IS principal Joselito Mataac, Aboitiz Foundation executive vice president and chief operating ofﬁcer Augusto Carpio III, Department of Education Taguig-Pateros Division science supervisor Leticia Andor, Taguig City policy and scholarship director Rene Lopos and public schools district supervisor for cluster I Nestor Ramos.

Peza inviting weapon manufacturers to PH T By Othel V. Campos

HE Philippine Economic Zone Authority is pursuing a plan to make the Philippines a hub for armaments and military equipment manufacturing in the region.

“We want to invite all defense industries around the world and other suppliers of military and police equipment to put up operations in the Philippines,” Peza director general Charito Plaza said during the announcement of the forthcoming business mission to the Middle East. Peza will promote the Philippines in the Middle East because of the latter’s interest in

AirAsia appoints hero pilot president By Darwin G. Amojelar A HERO pilot who helped save passengers and crew from an inflight explosion in 1994 was appointed the new president and chief executive of the Philippine unit of AirAsia. Philippines AirAsia said it appointed Captain Dexter Comendador as president and chief executive effective Jan. 10, 2017. Comendador has over 33 years of experience in the aviation industry, having served as a combat pilot, flight commander and pilot instructor in the Philippine Air Force for eight years before beginning his professional career as commercial pilot in 1992. In 1994, while serving as flight systems engineering crew of a commercial airline, Captain Comendador successfully managed an inflight bomb explosion that earned him a commendation from then-Philippine President Fidel Ramos and international media attention, inspiring stories of bravery, courage and professionalism. Comendador opted for early retirement in 2010 while serving as chief pilot for safety and compliance at a local budget airline. “Captain Dex brings with him a wealth of aviation experience and business knowledge. He is a Filipino hero pilot, a homegrown talent with the extraordinary ability to connect and inspire people and ideas capable of driving change and innovation in the Philippines,” AirAsia Group chief executive Tony Fernades said. PAA currently has 13 operating aircraft servicing domestic destinations, such as Kalibo (Boracay), Puerto Princesa (Palawan), Tagbilaran (Bohol), Cebu and Tacloban. They also fly to China, Korea, Macau, Taipei and Hong Kong.

agro-industrial production. The business mission will coincide with the state visit of President Duterte to Riyadh, Dubai, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. Plaza, a former congresswoman, said Hermosa, Bataan mayor Jopet Inton would allocate 3,000 hectares in the town to house military industrial facilities which would be co-located with the government arsenal in Bataan. The Defense Department Arsenal in Bataan is a defense industrial complex and is the ﬁrst collaboration between the Defense Department and Peza. Plaza said the mayor of Puerto Princesa also committed 1,500 hectares for a military industrial park in the capital of Palawan. She said the agency planned to establish several defense industrial parks in strategic areas “vulnerable to attacks.” The agency is looking at six military industrial parks, including two in Mindanao.

She said all products manufactured inside the defense industrial parks would be for the export market. Plaza said Peza was in constant communication with the Defense Department to help the agency identify potential areas for military economic zones. She said the defense industrial parks could also supply the equipment requirements of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “Instead leasing for land, they can pay us in terms of the equipment we need. For example, within how many years can they supply us, say, of a squadron of military aircraft or a ﬂeet of ships for our navy,” Plaza said. The Philippines has a standing offer to the defense industries of Russia, China, Israel and Japan to put up their own armament manufacturing in the Philippines. Plaza is the ﬁrst lady general of the AFP reserve force with the rank of brigadier general.

Two-tier tax has many benefits–Atienza HOUSE Bill No. 4144 is beneficial to all, according to one of the salient arguments during the recent House committee on ways and means hearing. “It’s a misconception that HB 4144 only favors one local manufacturer,” Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua said in the hearing. “Let’s not forget that foreign tobacco companies are also players in the lower-tier market as well,” Cua said. Buhay Partylist Rep. Lito Atienza also supported HB 4144, saying the wisdom in the proposed amendment lies in its multiple benefits. He said that “if we consider the sin tax on cigarettes, we could consider the same for alcoholic beverages like San Miguel Beer and all other intoxicating beverages.” “Is it possible that the taxation for premium brands like Hen-

nessy XO be the same with local brands like Tanduay or Ginebra San Miguel, to call it a form of unitary tax?”Atienza asked. He said it would immediately kill local brands because the negligible price difference due to a unitary tax system oversimpliﬁed the problem and developed a bias for products of the rich versus products of the less-moneyed sectors of society. “It’s about time we take a more serious look at sin taxes so that while we promote the objectives of good health, we at the same time raise revenue and discourage smoking. Let us not be unfair to our local industries particularly the farmers and manufacturers,” Atienza said. A World Health Organization study on tobacco tax administration indicated that a tiered tax system, be it speciﬁc or ad valor-

em, may be an outcome of various political economic reasons, the most common one being protecting domestic products. Atienza likened the situation to the plight of the Philippine cigar industry where the country used to be number one until a series of measures that ostensibly would have helped them otherwise killed the cigar industry, now earning substantial global revenues, but without homegrown Filipino brands being able to compete. “The proposed amendment gives a second look at the economic situation of our farmers, and at the same time, without forfeiting the objective of discouraging smoking since higher taxes means less smokers. I therefore ﬁnd logic, justice and fairness [to this measure] and we are deﬁnitely supporting it,” Atienza said.

FINANCE Secretary Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez III called it the “most important appointment” that President Rodrigo Duterte will make in his six-year term as the country’s highest chief executive. For having kept inflation stable and the benchmark interest rate to a record low during his 12-year term, Sonny unabashedly backed Bangko Sentral Gov. Amando Tetangco for a third sixyear stint starting in July this year, citing his credentials as one of the top central bankers of the world. The BSP position is indeed key to the success of Mr. Duterte’s economic push amid the revenue challenges faced by his administration. The proposed tax reforms, for instance, is a gamble that Sonny is taking to push the pro-poor agenda of the President. The reforms include a reduction in the personal and corporate income taxes, which would translate into an initial cut in government revenues of more than P200 billion a year. Other reforms in paper would hopefully offset the drop in revenues, resulting in a net gain of P368 billion by 2019. This is, of course, easier said than done. With a massive infrastructure program set to take off—which will supposedly anchor the government’s economic development program—the Duterte government must work double time to raise the revenues needed to fund expenditures. Everyone—even his critics—want the President to succeed. Businessmen are giving him the benefit of the doubt, and no less than the International Monetary Fund is backing Dominguez’s tax reform proposal. But even with the “fingers-crossed” attitude, there is still the nagging feeling that the next three years at least will be a critical period for the country. The big question is: what happens if the government can’t generate enough revenues? It may be a good time for the President to think about the team that will lead the country through the coming critical period. Duterte and Sonny need to decide soon on one particularly important appointment: the next Bangko Sentral governor. Because the BSP chief will be a crucial cog in steering the country through a most interesting time. The stakes are high and margin for error is slim. Some businessmen and bankers we talked to were quite perplexed with Sonny’s statement at the start of the year that he preferred either an insider or someone from the academe to be the next Bangko Sentral governor. Given the conditions in the financial market today, the policies espoused by President Duterte, and the demands on the banking community that will be surely forthcoming, the choice for the next BSP governor will be a “make or break” selection. But why the bias against bankers? Respected bankers Past central bank governors who were former bankers, Jose “Jobo” Fernandez, Jose Cuisia and Rafael “Paeng” Buenaventura, turned out to be excellent central bankers. They not only maintained what was built when they first entered the central bank headquarters. They also initiated forward-looking reforms that profoundly changed banking and the capital markets. Jobo deregulated interest rates and allowed market forces to set it, while Cuisia liberalized the foreign exchange markets and made them transparent. Paeng gave debt capital markets a boost with products like UITF, bancassurance and first layer derivatives sold to the public. He strengthened securities custodial rules, introduced PhilPass and spearheaded reforms in the setting of loan rates and set the basis for banks to give out long term loans. Internationally, among the most respected bankers came from banks. Mark Carney, who was pirated from the Bank of Canada and currently the governor of the Bank of England, came from a private bank. Central bankers also made their impressive mark in Bangko Sentral. Tetangco and Gabriel Singson were exemplary governors. Ironically, a member of the academe—Jaime Laya––was the proverbial sore thumb that stuck out after the infamous $600 million “padding” of country’s international reserves in 1984. Perhaps the main criteria for selecting the next Bangko governor should be competence, knowledge of economics and the financial markets, experience, but most of all a strong sense of nationalism. The next governor—the Duterte governor—will have his work cut out for him. He will be needed to help steer the economy through a very challenging time and reform the banking system as well. Issues like criminality and corruption may seem far detached from the hallways of the central bank, but the truth of the matter is these are problems that proliferate through an unchecked banking system. E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or business@thestandard.com.ph

Control loss feeling among US, Brexit voters? IN A July 2016 national referendum on the desirability of continued United Kingdom membership in the European Union, 52 percent of the British electorate voted for the UK’s withdrawal from the 28-member politico-economic group, in the process dealing a severe blow to the European Project. In the Nov. 9, 2016 US presidential election, the Electoral College of the world’s most powerful country elected the Republican candidate Donald Trump. In the minds of many seasoned analysts the two results represented upsets: the “Remain” side in the UK referendum and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had been expected to win, even if narrowly. Like many people, I have been reading all the analyses and commentaries on the issue of why the results of the UK referendum and the US presidential election went the way they did. Why did the US voters decide to give Trump the Electoral College votes he needed for victory? One of the best analyses I have read has been written by two economists, both Asians. Both are based at National University of Singapore–Kishore Bahbubani is the dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS and Danny Quah is a professor of economics there.

The core of the NUS economists’ analysis of the “Remain” and Clinton electoral debacles was that there was, and still is, a “feeling of lost control” among the majority of the citizenries of the US and the Western European countries. Wrote Quah and Mahbubani: “Inequality is not the root cause of the public disaffection underlying the populist uprising. Feeling of lost control are. The focus, they said, is not where it should be, it should be on geopolitical change. Quah and Mahbubani went on to say: “What united Trump and Leave supporters was not anger at being excluded from the beneﬁts of globalization but, rather, a shared sense of unease that they no longer control their own destinies. Widening income inequality can add to this distress, but so can other factors.” Driving home their point, the NUS economists went on to say: The (US) poor were more favorable toward Clinton, and the rich toward Trump. Contrary to the popular narrative, Trump does not owe his victory to people who were most anxious about falling off the economic ladder. A similar story unfolded in the UK’s Brexit vote … it is revealing that rich businessmen wrote the largest checks to support Leave.” Quah and Mahbubani expounded further: “The

power of the transAtlantic axis that used to run the world is slipping away, and the sense of losing control is being felt by these countries’ political elites and (their) ordinary citizen alike.” Wrapping up their thesis, the NUS economists stated: “So, while income inequality might have been a part of the Brexit and US Presidential campaigns’ background noise, it was not the ﬁrst issue on the voters’ minds.” How about Rodrigo Duterte’s victory in the 2016 presidential election? Are there any parallels that the NUS economists can draw between the May 9, 2016 local political exercise and the US election and UK referendum? Hardly any. For one thing, immigration, globalization and a Philippine foreign entanglement of the UK-EU kind were not issues in the 2016 election. For another, there was no “loss of control” that the Philippines was in any danger of losing. Most important of all, 62 percent of this country’s voters wanted a candidate other than Rodrigo Duterte to control the destiny of the Philippines during the six years beginning June 30, 2016. E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

Business

Trump clouds global outlook By Heather Scott

ASHINGTON―The World Bank on Tuesday pared back its global growth estimate for 2017, but uncertainty about the economic policies of US Presidentelect Donald Trump is clouding the outlook. “We need to pay attention. All eyes are on US policymakers and how they will formulate their policies,” Ayhan Kose, main author of the World Bank’s global forecast, told AFP in an interview. “What happens in the United States does not stay in the United States.” In the semi-annual Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank lowered the estimate for global growth this year

a tenth from the June forecast, to 2.7 percent compared to the 2.3 percent growth seen last year. The World Bank maintained its US forecast at 2.2 percent following a sluggish 1.6 percent in 2016. But those estimates could go much higher. Even the table in the report displaying the forecasts for the major regions and economies comes with a footnote warning about the uncertainty: “The US

forecasts do not incorporate the effect of policy proposals by the new US administration, as their overall scope and ultimate form are still uncertain.” Kose said it is simply too soon to draw any conclusions, however a simulation showed the individual and corporate tax cuts that Trump discussed during the campaign could on their own add three-tenths to the US growth rate this year, and more than double that in 2018. And infrastructure spending could have an even larger impact. “These are signiﬁcant increases,” he said. “A healthy US economy is good for the rest of the world,” since an increase in US growth of one full percentage point could boost advanced economies

by eight-tenths after a year, and emerging markets by six-tenths. So global growth potentially could rise another tenth this year to 2.8 percent, and get a threetenths boost in 2018, he said. However, he was quick to stress the caveats to this estimated impact: It will depend on the timing of the tax cuts, how they impact inflation, and how the Federal Reserve reacts. The same is true for other proposals like big spending on infrastructure, which would have a more direct impact on growth, but could exacerbate an already tight labor market, which also could fuel inflation. The US central bank has cautioned that spending that fuels inflation could require more and faster increases in the benchmark

lending rate. Higher interest rates in turn would tend to slow economic growth. Kose said the rising threat of protectionism in advanced economies also remains a concern, and that uncertainty “is a challenge to businesses in the US and abroad.” But again he said, it is too early to tell what the impact on global growth will be until the speciﬁcs are known--for example, whether US tariff increases Trump has threatened are limited to one product, like automobiles, or extend to an entire country. “One thing we know well, open trade policies help promote economic growth,” Kose said, in the closest he came in the interview to a word of caution to the new administration. AFP

GM says auto plans in Mexico to proceed DETROIT―Leaders of the big three US auto makers have all spoken at the Detroit auto show about how President-elect Trump might impact the industry, but the third, from GM, offered the most business-as-usual message. Trump has slammed American car makers Ford, Fiat Chrysler and GM’s Chevrolet brand for manufacturing cars in Mexico to export to the US market, threatening them with import tariffs. He also has blasted free trade agreements. Ford boss Bill Ford and Fiat Chrysler chief Sergio Marchionne offered their views Monday, at the start of the important auto industry showcase. Ford said Trump has been receptive to industry concerns, while Marchionne was taking a wait-and-see approach but planning no additional Mexico investments for the time being. GM chief Mary Barra was the last to be heard on Tuesday and she held ﬁrm to her plans for the biggest of the US auto makers. She refused to speculate on whether a new White House may require the company to alter course―particularly with regard to investments in Mexico. “We think there’s many things that we can do in working with the administration that are going to make American great again, that are going to strengthen business, which will strengthen growth, which will strengthen jobs,” she said, evoking Trump’s campaign slogan. GM’s Chevrolet Cruze was the target of Trump’s Twitter attack a week ago, but Barra said only that she looked forward to conversing with the Republican president once he takes ofﬁce on January 20. “We’re going to have an active voice as trade policy changes or evolves, but the foundation of our strategy is to build where we sell,” she told reporters. GM, which includes four American brands―Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac and GMC― has production plants in Mexico and even announced Tuesday that the new version of the GMC Terrain, an SUV currently produced in Canada, will be made in Mexico. “These decisions were made two and three years ago” and involve “big investments,” Barra said. Trump’s applauded the other two American auto makers when they touted plans for US investments in recent days. Ford scrapped plans to open a new $1.6-billion factory in Mexico, to instead invest in a US plant, and Fiat Chrysler said it was creating 2,000 US jobs by investing in factories in Ohio and Michigan. AFP

WINTER SALES START. People rush into a French department store in Paris on the ﬁrst day of the winter sales, on January 11, 2017. AFP

HSBC eyes staff transfer from UK LONDON―HSBC chairman Douglas Flint on Tuesday warned that the banking titan could move activities from London to continental Europe ahead of Brexit. Britain is due to trigger Article 50 by late March, kicking off a two-year process to leave the European Union. The nation’s ﬁnancial sector has long feared the loss of “passporting” rights―which allows EU member states to trade across national borders. That provides a crucial gateway for companies to access the rest of the bloc. “The impact (from the loss of passporting) would start to be seen far before the end of the Article 50 process because there would be a period of time necessary to adjust our” activities, Flint told lawmakers on parliament’s Treasury Select Committee. “We would take pre-emptive actions in order to ensure that we have the capacity in place... to continue to deliver what we deliver today. “That would require us to move activities (...) to France or indeed Ireland or Holland or any other place in Europe where we have operations. It would be something like 1,000 jobs.” Flint added that the government’s lack of Brexit guidance “would lead to people thinking earlier as to where to move jobs.” Following Britain’s shock EU exit referendum decision on June 23, Flint had already warned that the bank could potentially move 1,000 Britishbases staff to Paris. Lobby group the British Bankers’ Association cautioned in October that international lenders with operations in the UK are ready to transfer some of their activities out of the country from early 2017. Big banks have long harbored fears about the impact of Brexit, including potential loss of access to the single market. “We are in perhaps a better position than many having a full service bank already in France,” added Flint on Tuesday. “Because we’ve got operations in France we can take a little bit more wait and see approach than possibly more others. AFP

Indonesian islands pay price for global smartphone rush By Nick Perry SUNGAI LIAT, Indonesia― Deep beneath the murky ocean, Paci breathes through a thin plastic tube as he dredges the seabed for tin, a vital component inside smartphones and tablets that’s brought riches and ruin to his island home. One-third of the world’s tin comes from the Indonesian islands of Bangka and Belitung, where thousands risk serious injury and death in the mines. Demand for the metal ore has soared in recent years, driven by a voracious consumer appetite for the latest electronics gadgets. In Bangka, the result has been a free-for-all―both inland and now offshore. Many miners are unlicensed, sailing out in repurposed fishing boats in the hope of finding new deposits with little experience, and no protection. Paci, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, earns US$15 for a day’s work beneath the seas. Clad in goggles and a swimming cap he rakes a powerful hose across the sea floor, sending violent torrents of mineralrich sand shooting to the surface. “It is very dangerous work, and the risks are huge,” he told AFP after surfacing, as the mining crew panned the dark sediment to separate fragments of tin. “But what are you going to do? It’s my life, and this is my job,” he added. He’s not alone. Dozens of dredging crews trawl off northeast Bangka, the same stretch of coastline where a 23-year-old miner drowned in October. At least one miner dies every week in Bangka and Belitung according to estimates from the

This photo taken on November 10, 2016 shows miners walking in a pit mine located inland from Sungai Liat. One-third of the world’s tin comes from the Indonesian islands of Bangka and Belitung, where thousands risk serious injury and death in the mines. Demand for the metal ore has soared in recent years, driven by a voracious consumer appetite for the latest electronics gadgets. AFP

Indonesian Tin Working Group, an organization comprised of electronics companies, tin firms, industry bodies, and activists. Death metal A four-man operation can fetch 30 kilograms of tin ore on a good day, another sea miner told AFP. It passes through many hands before arriving at smelters, which export the refined product used in the solder binding the components of tech gadgets. Half of all mined tin is transformed into solder for the electronics industry, data from industry group ITRI shows, making the brands behind best-selling laptops and flat-screen televisions a powerful force in the global market.

While there is obvious damage to the environment, and miners have lost their lives, tin from Indonesia is considered “conﬂict free” and so there are no trade restrictions on its use. But as the negative impacts on the land, and to local communities are revealed, electronics ﬁrms have come under pressure to properly account for the provenance of the minerals they use. Evert Hassink from Friends of the Earth Netherlands says companies have done little to ensure the tin they used in their gadgets was not harming Bangka. “Companies don’t even know what they are sourcing,” he said. “They refuse to really stick out

their necks and dive into the supply chain.” Ten major tech manufacturers―including Apple, Samsung, Microsoft and Sony―are members of the tin working group, which has pledged to support less harmful mining practises on Bangka. Apple said in a statement it had spent “thousands of hours” in Indonesia in a bid to improve the situation for workers and the environment. It added: “Suppliers who are unwilling or unable to comply with our standards will be removed from our supply chain.” A spokesman for Samsung said the ﬁrm was “committed to con-

tinuously evolving our efforts on responsible mineral sourcing.” ‘It’s all about tin’ A representative for the tin working group said it had two pilot projects aimed at improving worker safety and restoring land degraded by mining in development. Jabin Sufianto, president of the Association of Indonesian Tin Exporters, acknowledged some tin firms were apprehensive about committing further but believes things will change over time. “What’s important now is doing the pilots, so we can show there is progress and it’s not just all talk,” he told AFP. But Retno Budi from Walhi, a conservation group that has mobilized huge rallies against tin mining, is skeptical. Inland from Sungai Liat, a giant pit mine stretches as far as the eye can see, one of the treeless, pockmarked scars visible from a flight over the island. “They say they’re restoring the land―I’m yet to see it,” he told AFP, surveying the ruined landscape. “To this day there’s been almost no effort to fix anything whatsoever.” Just weeks earlier two miners died in a landslide at the mine, he said. Nazaruddin earns less panning for tin, a backbreaking job under the blistering sun, but avoids the dangers of pit mining. “Over there, they don’t think about safety,” he told AFP, gesturing to a crew blasting sand and rock below a steep cliff. “It’s all about the tin, tin, tin.” AFP

LGUs

Munti asks biz to push centenary THE Muntinlupa City Council has passed Resolution 16-133, urging business owners and organizations in the city to install “centennial arches” or logos in front of their buildings to promote the city’s centenary as an independent municipality. “On Dec. 19, 2017, Muntinlupa will be marking its 100th Founding Anniversary as an independent municipality. Members of the private sector are enjoined to participate in this Centennial celebration,” the council said in the resolution. Commercial establishment owners are also requested “to support or adopt all the projects, programs, and activities created by the Muntinlupa Centennial Commission” for the centenary, the resolution adds. Muntinlupa Public Information Officer Tez Navarro said the resolution aims to raise awareness and a sense of cooperation of all sectors in the city. The city government’s request “does not only end with the members of the private sector but also goes to the barangays, homeowners’ association, and grassroots communities,” Navarro added. “Mayor Jaime Fresnedi invites everyone to join the yearlong celebration of Muntinlupa Centennial and hopes that the celebration imparts nationalistic pride to all,” she said. Activities lined up for the celebration include the Centennial Roadshow Caravan, Centennial Women’s Congress, Sale Extravaganza, Centennial Bancathon, Centennial Travel Expo, Lakbay Bulilit, Serenata sa Plaza, and LGBT Parangal, among others.

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Herbert stands pat on veto D By Rio N. Araja

ESPITE the plea of Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte and the 36-member Quezon City council, Mayor Herbert Bautista is left with no other option but to stand pat on his decision to veto two tax discounts that would cushion the impact of the city’s recent real-property tax hike.

In an interview, city administrator Aldrin Cuña cited Section 55 of the Local Government Code, which says “once a veto [power] is exercised, there is no other way for the council to overturn it.” “The council can refile the measure, but I doubt if the mayor

will reverse his own decision,” Cuña told Manila Standard. He said Ordinance No. 20CC-175 and Ordinance No. 20CC-176, which would grant tax discounts to senior citizens and single parents, could prod other “vulnerable sectors” to also seek tax cuts if Bautista

approved the measures. “What about persons with disabilities, the indigent and others? They, too, will follow suit,” Cuna said. “What would the other sectors say, that they have been forgotten? Tax exemption is not easily granted. Even Congress does not grant exemption just like that.” In thumbing down the two proposals, Bautista said the ordinances “would only give a special right to a certain group of people.” Moreover, the City Council was not able to conduct public consultations and to publish the ordinances in two daily newspapers of general circulation for three consecutive weeks, Cuña said. Last Dec.13, the council passed on third and final read-

ing Ordinance No. 20CC-41 to increase the real-property tax of private lots and basic unit construction costs for buildings and other structures pursuant to the Local Government Code. It also passed the two other ordinances meant to cushion the impact of the tax increases on senior citizens and solo parents, which Bautista eventually vetoed. “There is no legal basis to grant a discount. The law may grant such tax relief in cases of natural calamities, civil disturbances, general failure of crops, or adverse economic conditions, such as a substantial decrease in the prices or agricultural or agri-based products,” Cuña said, quoting the Local Government Code or Republic Act 7160.

District 3 Councilor Allan Benedict Reyes and District 4 Councilor Raquel Malangen earlier filed appeals with the Office of the City Mayor, asking Bautista to overturn his veto. “Both these measures were passed after much due diligence and careful deliberation as concessions given to our city’s vulnerable sectors, when it became apparent after 29 public consultations relative to the approval of PO20CC-141 that there was a consistent clamor among these sectors for some kind of consideration,” their letter read. Belmonte, the council’s presiding officer, said they had sent their letter to the mayor. Turn to C2

Quezon City to build 4 drug labs THE Quezon City Council has passed an ordinance authorizing the construction of four drug testing laboratories in Quezon City. Under Ordinance No. SP 2537, Series of 2016 approved by Mayor Herbert Bautista, the laboratories will be put up at the Quezon City General Hospital, Novaliches District Hospital, QC Health Department, and the Quezon City Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Center, also known as Tahanan. Principally authored by Councilor Gian Carlo Sotto, the ordinance also allocates funds for the operation of these facilities beginning this year. QCGH will be provided P4.64 million; Tahanan with P2.89 million, and the Novaliches District Hospital, with P1.58 million. To date, Quezon City’s campaign of promoting a drug-free workplace program in all city government offices and the barangays calls for authorized drug testing among city hall officials and employees and the barangays as well, to eliminate the hazards of drug abuse in the workplace.

PIGGY BANK PROJECT. Minxie Romualdez, daughter of Philippine Constitution Association president Martin Romualdez and Leyte first district Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, holds a

piggy bank while sitting on hundreds more. It’s part of her recently launched Christmas Piggy Bank Project, which aims to distribute more than 500 piggy banks—filled with donations from Minxie’s friends—to poor families nationwide to make their Christmas this year ‘a lot more special.’ Ver Noveno

Makati processing innovations praised Domogan By Joel E. Zurbano RESIDENTS and businessmen of Makati City expressed satisfaction with the fast and convenient processing of tax payments and renewal of permits at city hall, attributing it to innovations put in place by the administration of Mayor Abigail Binay. Among the innovations are the strategic positioning of all concerned frontline offices at the ground floor lobby of City Hall Building II, highly visible signage showing the step-by-

stop processes for each type of transaction, and special lanes dedicated to senior citizens and persons with disability. Also observed was the absence of fixers, while some residents noted that transactions were being done more systematically and quickly compared with their experience during the renewal period last year. Store owner Tirso Lagasca said he also appreciated the comfortable waiting area where clients can rest while waiting for the release of their papers.

“Unlike last year, we no longer have to crowd in the same area while transactions are taking place. The setup now is more organized and efficient,” Lagasca said. A first-timer in license renewals, Jong Gomera, said he did not encounter any problem while renewing his employer’s business permit. “As long as the requirements are complete, transaction is fast,” he said. Boyet Cruz, who works with a foundation, noted that steps and procedures are visible in the

area. “All we have to do is follow the step-by-step instructions, and we would complete our transaction with ease,” he said. Atty. Maribert Pagente, head of the city Business Permit Office, said with the new setup clients have been relieved of the burden of going from one building to another at the City Hall complex in renewing their permits and making payments. Pagente also urged business owners to prioritize the renewal of their permits to avoid penalties.

‘Bato’ pays Espenido a visit in Ozamiz City OZAMIZ CITY—Philippine National Police Director Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa recently paid a surprise visit to the PNP Ozamiz Police Station to personally check on the status of the city’s new top cop, Chief Inspector Jovie Espenido. Espenido, whom Dela Rosa reassigned from his previous post in Albuera, Leyte, welcomed the PNP chief along with Ozamiz City Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog. In a statement, Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Sr. commended Espenidoís recent successful buy-bust operation in the city, as he welcomed the arrival of the new police chief so they can work together ìin fighting illegal drugs and in maintaining

peace and order. Chief Insp. Mardy Hortillosa II, deputy spokesperson of Police Regional Office 10, said Dela Rosa also commended Espenido and challenged him to keep up the fight against illegal drugs during his visit. Last week, Espenido and his men arrested three top marijuana dealers in Ozamiz during a buy-bust operation, identified as Ariel Bundaon, Lindon Bolante and Rosevilla Villamor, all residents of the city. Espenido is noted for his involvement in the recent Senate hearings on the government’s campaigns against illegal drugs while he was still police chief of Albuera. Dela Rosa reassigned Vice Mayor Nova Princess Parojinog welcomes Philippine National Police Chief Ronald ‘Bato’ dela Rosa amid a him to Ozamiz last Dec. 8. throng in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental.

appointed CAR peace chairman

BAGUIO CITY—President Rodrigo R. Duterte has formally appointed Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan as the new chairperson of the Regional Peace and Order Council in the Cordillera for a fixed term of three years. Per Executive Order No. 775, series of 2009, the RPOC serves as the region’s policy-making on peace and order, among other related issues. Domogan’s appointment was personally delivered to him last Monday by engineer Marlo Iringan, regional director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government Cordillera office. “We express our gratitude to the President and Interior and Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno for their trust and confidence to our ability to lead the RPOC-CAR,” Domogan stressed. “We look forward to a harmonious working relationship with the different officials of the member agencies for us to be able to craft up-to-date policies suitable in sustaining the peace and order in the region.” There will be no significant policy changes for the RPOC, the mayor said, while he is reviewing the policies that need to be updated, improved or overhauled to conform with the prevailing situation in the Cordillera. Dexter A. See

IN BRIEF Pusher-cop poser captured in Dau CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—A suspected drug pusher posing as a commissioned police officer was arrested by authorities during an anti-illegal drug operation at a hotel in Barangay Dau, Mabalacat City on Tuesday. Police identified the suspect as Frederic Bacani, 40, of Villa Paz, Sta. Teresita, Angeles City. Despite a pistol tucked into his waist, Bacani did not resist arrest when cornered by the police. Bacani was cornered at the Dianne Garden Hotel, and recovered from him were 15 plastics sachets of suspected shabu, a caliber .45 revolver and a cellphone. He is now detained at the Mabalacat City police headquarters for violation of Section 5 and 11 of the Dangerous Drugs Act and Republic Act 10591 for usurpation of authority. Romeo Dizon

Foiled robbery leads to Dasma shootout DASMARIÑAS, Cavite—A suspected robber died and another man was arrested by elements of the Dasmariñas City Police Station after a bungled holdup and shootout at Barangay San Agustin 1 here. Rodante Timbang, alias “Bontong,” perished after he and fellow suspect Dunloph Schroeder fired at patrolling barangay peacekeepers. Responding police pursued them and exchanged shots at a nearby vacant lot, where Timbang succumbed to a gunshot wound, investigators said. Moments earlier, Timbang and Schroeder attempted to hold up Joel dela Cruz, 35, also of Barangay San Agustin, but the barangay patrol disrupted their plans. Schroeder is now detained at the Dasmariñas City Police Station pending further charges. Benjamin Chavez

Herbert... From C1 “The reasonableness of the proposals went through a comprehensive study of the technical working committee and the legal department,” she said. Tax is an obligation and the lifeblood of not only the city government, “but also of the Republic of the Philippines,” Cuña stressed.

“Since time immemorial, to pay tax is a civic obligation. Taxes apply from womb to tomb. Why reinvent the wheel?” he asked. Quezon City is now implementing the tax increase on real properties, with Cuna noting what is being taxed is the assessed value of the land and the basic construction cost of buildings and other structures at 5 percent only.

NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION OF BUCKINGHAM ENGLISH LEARNING INSTITUTE INC. Notice is hereby given that the Resolution of the Board of Directors of Buckingham English Learning Institute Inc. authorizing the de-registration/dissolution of its corporate registration and consider it closed as of October 13, 2016 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All persons having claims against the said corporation are requested to present their claims to Ms. Angela Jeannine M. Salud at D1b-D2b Molave Industrial Estate, Paliparan Road, Paliparan 2, Dasmarinas, Cavite. This serve as notice to all parties concerned of the legal retirement of Buckingham English Learning Institute Inc. from its business operation in the Philippines. (SGD) Angela Jeannine M. Salud President (MS-JAN. 12,19 & 26, 2017)

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan City of Balanga BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE Invitation to Bid No. Goods-004-2017 04

The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the General Fund intends to apply the below listed procurement w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening. Name of Project 1.

Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC)

Purchase of 12 Units Motor Vehicles for the use of Sangguniang Panlalawigan Members, Provincial Government of Bataan

=P=21,000,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataan now invites bids for the above listed Procurement. Delivery of goods is requiredon or before the maturity date stipulated on contract.Bidders should have completed, at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. Interested bidders may obtain further information from Office of Bataan Bids & Awards Committeeand inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the same office. Bid documents will be available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a nonrefundable amount of using standard rates approved by GPPB as stated on their Resolution No. 04-2012 listed below. Approved Budget for the Contract

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso)

500,000 and below

500.00

More than 500,000 up to 1 Million

1,000.00

More than 1 Million up to 5 Million

5,000.00

More than 5 Million up to 10 Million

10,000.00

More than 10 Million up to 50 Million

25,000.00

More than 50 Million up to 500 Million

50,000.00

More than 500 Million

75,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataanwill hold a Pre-Bid Conference on January 18, 2017 at 10:00 A.MatProvincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan, which shall beopen only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bids must be delivered on or before January 31, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated on IRR of RA 9184 and Bid Securing Declaration in standard form. The winning bidder has the option to deliver the items requested by the end-user with higher technical specification & better technology provided it will be beneficial to the government & will not incur additional expenses on the part of the procuring entity. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend opening of Bids at Bataan BAC Office. Late bids shall not be accepted. In case of the above dates is declared a special Non-Working Holidays, it will automatically reset on the next working days. Other necessary information deemed relevant by the Provincial Government of Bataan Activities 1. Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid 2. Eligibility Check 3. Issuance and availability of Bidding Documents 4. Request for Clarification 5. Opening of Bids

Schedule January 11 - 17, 2017 Refer to date of Opening of Bids January 11 – January 31, 2017 January 20, 2017 January 31, 2017

The Provincial Government of Bataan reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. For further information, please refer to: Engr. Josephine R. Valenzuela Provincial BAC / PEO Bataan Provincial BAC / PEO Office, Capitol Compound, BalangaCity, Bataan 047-237-9316 bac@bataan.gov.ph

(MS-JAN. 12, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 Standard C2 TODAY Manila

(SGD) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC CHAIRMAN

Pangasinan vows more benefits for WWII vets By Dexter A. See

INGAYEN, Pangasinan—Gov. Amado “Pogi” I. Espino III has vowed an expanded benefits program for World War II veterans that would support the impoverished war patriots and their immediate families in the province.

Espino pledged this at the 72nd Lingayen Gulf Landings and 10th Veterans Day celebration on Monday at the Veterans’ Memorial Park within the Capitol Complex here. “Today, in my capacity as governor of this province, I vow to pursue a more comprehensive program to give honor to our unsung heroes, by expanding our services to the less fortunate veterans and their immediate families,” he said. Espino has directed the Provincial Population Officer, Provincial Social Welfare and Development Officer, and Provincial Employment Services Officer to design a special livelihood and educational assistance program for the fami-

lies of veterans who are in dire need of support. “Our World War II veterans were there when we needed them, let us be here for them in return,” he said, noting that by providing aids for the war heroes, “we can assure them of keeping their legacy of bravery.” The veterans were treated to a medical mission and a special luncheon, and received cash incentives from the provincial government afterward. The governor lamented the dwindling number of living war veterans, from around 15,000 at the end of World War II to only 370 as of this month. In his speech, Espino recalled that it was during the time of

his father—the former governor and current fifth district Rep. Amado T. Espino Jr.—that the Pangasinan Veterans Day was instituted as an annual event to coincide with the Lingayen Gulf Landing anniversary. A former soldier himself, Rep. Espino then started giving “premium attention” to the war veterans and their families as well, the governor added. Pangasinan’s veterans have received free health care services from the 14 governmentowned hospitals in the province, along with free transport services, free medical and dental services and medicines, cash gifts and other tokens. A major milestone by the provincial government was the construction of the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office building within the Capitol Complex in 2015, Gov. Espino said. In the same year, Pangasinan awarded medals of valor to the veterans who did not yet receive theirs. “Certainly, they deserve all these. However, we feel that these are not enough to recipro-

cate their sacrifice for our country. They deserve more,” the governor asserted. Vice Gov. Jose Ferdinand Calimlim Jr. welcomed the crowd to the commemoration, and Dr. Vivencio Villaflor Jr. was the guest of honor and speaker of the event. Joining Gov. Espino in the wreath-laying ceremony were Dr. Villaflor, Armed Forces of the Philippines Veterans Affairs Management Division chief Gen. Alfredo Cayton, Philippine Veterans Federation president Bonifacio de Gracia, and Australian Embassy Counselor Kerry Anderson. Also in attendance were second district Rep. Leopoldo Bataoil, Provincial First Lady Karina Espino, AFP 702nd Battalion Commander Col. Milfredo Meligrito, Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Gregorio Pimentel, Police Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Ronald Lee, Australian Embassy Administrative Assistant Craig Cutts, and Reserve Services League of Australia member Peter Renton.

Cordillera firecracker injuries drop 65% BAGUIO CITY—The Department of Health Cordillera office reported a 65 percent drop in firecracker-related injuries from Dec. 21, 2016 to Jan. 5, recording just 22 cases compared to 63 during

the same period last year. Dr. Lakshmi Legaspi, DoHCAR regional director, said Apayao recorded the highest drop in injuries to just two from 14, while Abra registered only six injuries

compared to 25 the previous year, or an 84-percent drop. Abra had the most injury cases with six, followed by Baguio with five, Ifugao and Kalinga (three cases each), Benguet and

Apayao (two each) and Mountain Province had just one. Dr. Rowena Galpo, Baguio City Health Services officer, said the city only recorded five firecracker injuries this season, less than half of the 11 cases scored last year. Galpo noted the injuries in Baguio PHILIPPINE DEPOSIT INSURANCE CORPORATION were a five-year-old boy from Bakakeng New site, a nine-year-old boy from Lower QM, a 20-year-old man Notice is hereby given of the loss of the following provisional receipt forms: from Upper QM, a 32-year-old man from Camp 7, and Serial Number Missing Series Number of Serial Number Missing Series Number of a 49-year-old womBooklets Pieces Booklets Pieces From To From To From To From To an from Barangay 1 100 1 100 2 100 35901 35950 35901 35948 1 48 Phil-Am. 1301 1350 1301 1350 1 50 36001 36050 36001 36050 1 50 Of the 22 fire1451 1500 1477 1500 1 24 36401 36450 36401 36450 1 50 cracker injuries regionwide, 17 men 1551 1600 1551 1600 1 50 36451 36500 36453 36500 1 48 and one woman 1651 1700 1652 1700 1 49 36601 36650 36601 36650 1 50 were described 1701 1750 1737 1750 1 14 36701 36750 36701 36750 1 50 as “active users” 1751 1800 1751 1800 1 50 36901 36950 36901 36950 1 50 while two women 1801 1850 1834 1850 1 17 37551 37600 37551 37551 1 44 and one man were “passive” users. 1851 1900 1851 1900 1 50 37555 37555 Legaspi attributed 1901 1950 1921 1950 1 30 37559 37600 the successful cam1951 2000 1984 2000 1 17 37651 37700 37651 37700 1 50 paign of the health 2001 2050 2001 2011 1 26 37701 37750 37722 37722 1 25 department and the 2032 2032 37727 37750 local governments 2037 2050 37751 37800 37751 37800 1 50 against the sale and use of firecrackers 2301 2350 2329 2350 1 22 38351 38400 38351 38400 1 50 and pyrotechnic ma2351 2400 2363 2400 1 38 38451 38500 38451 38500 1 50 terials for the New 2401 2450 2412 2450 1 39 38701 38750 38701 38750 1 50 Year revelry to their 2451 2500 2451 2500 1 50 38751 38800 38751 38800 1 50 aggressive and com2551 2600 2551 2600 1 50 38801 38850 38801 38850 1 50 bined efforts to tell residents of the seri2851 2900 2851 2900 1 50 39101 39150 39101 39150 1 50 ous effects of using 2901 2950 2901 2950 1 50 39151 39200 39161 39161 1 35 them to celebrate the 3301 3350 3336 3350 1 15 39167 39200 Yuletide season. 3351 3400 3354 3400 1 47 39201 39250 39201 39250 1 50 “We are elated 3401 3450 3401 3450 1 50 39601 39650 39617 39650 1 34 over the significant reduction in 4001 4050 4031 4050 1 20 39851 39900 39852 39900 1 49 the number of fire4051 4100 4051 4100 1 50 74301 74350 74301 74350 1 50 cracker-related inju4101 4200 4101 4200 2 100 74751 74800 74751 74800 1 50 ries this year but we 35201 35450 35201 35450 74801 74900 74801 74900 2 100 5 250 need to sustain our 35501 35550 35528 35535 1 14 74951 75000 74952 75000 1 49 campaign to achieve zero casualties dur35544 35545 75801 75850 75808 75850 1 43 ing the celebration of 35547 35550 75851 75900 75851 75900 1 50 the Yuletide season,” 35551 35700 35551 35700 3 150 75901 75950 75901 75950 1 50 she stressed. 35851 35900 35851 35900 1 50 76001 76250 76001 76250 5 250 Legaspi underscored the need for Consequently, all of the forms described above have been cancelled local governments to enact ordinances effective immediately. All transactions for which those provisional receipts were banning the sale issued shall not be honored. and use of firecrackers and pyrotechnic Persons in possession of the provisional receipts are requested to materials during promptly notify this office and to take the necessary measures to prevent Christmastime to complement orders the improper or fraudulent disposition or use of the same and surrender said from higher authoriprovisional receipts to PDIC.Those who have been issued provisional receipts ties in the future. Galpo added the bearing serial numbers as hereinabove identified are called upon to personally need to engage bavalidate with PDIC the status of their payments.All communications may be rangay officials in a made thru PDIC’s Public Assistance Department at telephone numbers(632) sustained information and education 841-4630/(632) 841-4631 (for Metro Manila) and 1-800-888-7342 (toll free, for campaign to teach outside Metro Manila) or thru e-mail address pad@pdic.com.ph. residents to shift to noisemakers and to non-harmful ways to celebrate the (Sgd.) MA. ANA CARMELA L. VILLEGAS Yuletide season in their own homes. OIC, Receivership & Liquidation Sector Dexter A. See

NOTICE OF LOSS

(MS-JAN. 12, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World IN BRIEF Death warrant for mentally ill Pakistani ISLAMABAD―A Pakistani judge has issued a death warrant for a schizophrenic man, his lawyers said, months after the country’s top court halted the execution of another mentally ill prisoner. Khizar Hayat, a 55-year-old former police ofﬁcer, was sentenced to death in 2003 for shooting a colleague. The United Nations has previously called on Pakistan to protect mentally ill inmates, singling out Hayat as having “psychosocial disabilities”. The Justice Project Pakistan, which is managing his case, said Hayat’s lawyer in September 2015 had challenged the execution in light of his mental illness. Hayat was diagnosed by government doctors in 2008, when a de facto moratorium on the death penalty was in place. But Lahore jail authorities pressed ahead with seeking the death warrant, which was granted by a sessions court, and the execution has been set for January 17. Another mentally-ill man, Imdad Ali, was given a last-minute reprieve from execution by the Supreme Court in October, which said it was “inappropriate” to hang someone in his condition. A ﬁnal decision on his fate remains pending. AFP

$13-m online gambling ring broken up HANOI―Vietnamese police have broken a $13 million online gambling ring, arresting six people in the latest bust in a country where betting is banned. Gambling is illegal in Vietnam outside of a state-run lottery and a few foreigner-only casinos. But the law is widely flouted, especially in the run-up to major sporting events when many punters turn to illegal gambling dens or place bets online. Five people were arrested Ho Chi Minh City and one taken into custody in Hanoi on Tuesday, a police official told AFP, requesting anonymity. According to police’s official newspaper Cong An Nhan Dan, the gang was behind a betting website launched in 2015 and run by a firm in the Philippines. “The total amount of transactions from 2015 until now reached more than $13 million,” the report said, citing police statistics. The website allowed gamblers to move money through bank transfers or ATMS and place bets using crypto-currencies on football and tennis matches, online casino games and the lottery, the report said. “The suspects admitted... organizing and participating in online gambling,” it added. They face up to 10 years in jail under Vietnam’s criminal code. Vietnam considers gambling to be one of three great “social evils” along with general crime and prostitution. AFP

Sydney bakes in scorching heat SYDNEY―Sydney sweltered through scorching temperatures topping 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) on Wednesday, with beaches packed, bushﬁre warnings issued and people urged to stay hydrated. Some towns in the northwest of New South Wales state could reach a sizzling 47 degrees on Friday, the Bureau of Meteorology warned. “We’re gonna go, obviously Bondi Beach, have a dip in the ocean and cool off -- the best way you can do it,” said Sydney resident Brenton Melville, 26, as he headed for the ocean. Authorities issued a total ﬁre ban for several areas across the state while Surf Life Saving NSW warned of an increased risk of dehydration as temperatures soared. “Lifeguards and lifesavers have been extremely busy over the last few weeks and we are urging the public to do what they can to help lessen the load by taking some responsibility for their own safety,” said Surf Life Saving NSW manager Andy Kent. New South Wales has had a balmy summer, but it has been marred by tragedy with more than 20 drownings in backyard pools, waterways or the ocean since Christmas Day. AFP

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

Samsung heir now a suspect S EOUL―Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong has become a criminal suspect in a widening probe into the corruption and influence-peddling scandal engulfing impeached South Korean President Park Geun-Hye, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Lee, vice chairman of Samsung Electronics and the son of the Samsung Group chairman Lee Kun-Hee, would be quizzed as a “suspect” in connection with bribery, prosecutors said. “We have decided to question Lee tomorrow morning... as a suspect,” Lee Kyu-Chul, spokesman for the team of special prosecutors investigating the scandal, told reporters. The affair centers on Park’s secret confidante Choi Soon-Sil, who is accused of using her ties to Park to coerce top firms into “donating” tens of millions of dollars to two non-profit foundations which Choi then used as her personal ATMs. Samsung was the biggest contributor to the foundations. It is also accused of separately giving millions of euros to Choi to bankroll her daughter’s equestrian training in Germany in a bid to curry favour. Prosecutors have for months questioned Lee and other senior Samsung officials. The officials reportedly argued that although they were coerced to offer money, they sought no favours in return and thus the payments were not a bribe. Spokesman Lee said prosecutors “left open the possibility” of formally arresting the Samsung scion later. Prosecutors are investigating whether Samsung bribed Choi in order to win state approval for a controversial merger which it sought in 2015. The merger of two Samsung group units -- Cheil Industries and Samsung C&T -was seen as a crucial step towards ensuring a smooth third-generation power transfer to Lee Jae-Yong. It was criticized by many, who said it wilfully undervalued Samsung C&T’s stocks. But the National Pension Service (NPS) -- a major Samsung shareholder -- voted in favour of the deal and it eventually went through. Prosecutors have raided multiple Samsung offices as well as the NPS in connection with the scandal. The fund -- the world’s third largest pension fund -- is overseen by the welfare ministry. A former welfare minister was arrested last month for allegedly pressuring NPS officials to vote in favor of the Samsung deal. Park, who stands accused of colluding with Choi to extract money from the firms, was impeached by parliament last month but denies any criminal wrongdoing. The Constitutional Court is currently reviewing the validity of her impeachment -- a process that may take up to six months. If the court approves the impeachment, a presidential election will be held in 60 days. Choi, daughter of a shady religious figure who was close to Park for decades until his death in 1994, is on trial for charges including coercion and abuse of power. The latest scandal shed light on unhealthy ties between the government and the powerful family-controlled conglomerates that have powered the country’s economy for decades. There have been frequent scandals in which top managers at the conglomerates, known as chaebol, bribed officials to curry favour. AFP

AWARDS. From left, Honoree Pati Dubroff, editor in chief, Marie Claire Anne Fulenwider, creative director of Marie Claire Nina Garcia, and actress Margot Robbie attend Marie Claire’s Image Maker Awards 2017 at Catch LA on January 10, 2017 in West Hollywood. AFP

Indian policemen rescue 6,000 turtles NEW DELHI―Indian police said Wednesday they had recovered more than 6,000 freshwater turtles weighing over four tons from poachers who planned to smuggle them to Southeast Asia, in the country’s largest-ever wildlife haul. The 6,430 ﬂapshell turtles were discovered stuffed into 140 jute bags in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday. “Wildlife authorities conﬁrmed that this is the largest haul in the country’s wildlife history, both in terms of number and weight -- 4.4 tonnes,” Arvind Chaturvedi, head of the state’s Special Task Force that rescued the turtles, told AFP.

Indian ﬂapshell turtles are not particularly rare but are a protected species under the Wildlife Protection Act. Chaturvedi said police had arrested the “kingpin” and were likely to make further arrests. He said the poachers had ﬁlled half a truck with the turtles to take them to the eastern city of Kolkata, from where they were to be transported illegally to China, Hong Kong, Myanmar, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and Bangladesh. Their meat is considered an aphrodisiac while the bones are powdered for use in traditional medicine and soups. Rachna Tiwari of the US-based Turtle

Survival Alliance (TSA) said smugglers can earn up to 1,000 rupees ($15) per ﬂapshell turtle, while a bigger softshell -- whose meat is considered a delicacy -- is sold for up to 8,000 rupees. “Enforcement against poaching has improved, but the scale at which these protected turtles are being poached, who knows, they may also soon become endangered,” Tiwari told AFP. The turtles are currently at a makeshift sanctuary in the TSA’s local centre. Uttar Pradesh is home to 14 of India’s 28 endangered turtle species and at least 20,000 are reportedly smuggled out of the state every year. AFP

Bangladesh’s siege restaurant reopens

HEAT WAVE. People cool down in front of fans at the Sydney International tennis tournament in Sydney on January 11, 2017. Sydney sweltered through scorching temperatures topping 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) with beaches packed, bushﬁre warnings issued and people urged to stay hydrated. AFP

DHAKA―The upscale restaurant in Bangladesh where Islamist extremists killed 22 hostages last year has reopened at a new location, its owner said Wednesday. The Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka was a favorite hangout for the city’s expats and well-heeled until ﬁve armed men laid siege to it on July 1 last year, taking dozens of diners hostage. Eighteen of the 22 people killed were foreigners. Its owners said they had received “overwhelming” support for the decision to reopen the cafe on Tuesday at a shopping mall, just a few blocks away from its previous location in the heart of the diplomatic district. They plan to turn its former home, a two-story lakeside building with a garden where diners used to sit and chat, into a residence for themselves. “We’ve reopened as we don’t want to be held back by fear. The people’s support has been overwhelming,” Ali Arsalan told AFP. The new outlet will initially operate mainly as a takeaway, with a small number of tables.

Nevertheless its Facebook page was inundated with positive message after the owners announced it was reopening. “Feels like a tiny life renewal for Dhaka,” posted expat Marilyn Watson, calling it a “joyful welcoming place”. Many in Dhaka’s small expat community ﬂed the country after the massacre, which capped a three-year long campaign of murders by Islamist extremists whose targets included foreigners, rights activists and members of religious minorities. Japanese and Italian diners were among the 18 foreigners shot and hacked to death in the attack. The siege lasted for 10 hours until army commandos, using armored vehicles, stormed the compound. Authorities have blamed a local Islamist extremist group, rejecting the Islamic State organization’s claim of responsibility. Since the deadly assault, security forces have killed around 50 Islamist militants including a Bangladeshi-origin Canadian whom police described as the siege mastermind. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

5 UAE ofﬁcials killed in string of bombings

World

Spy chiefs say Trump compromised by info W ASHINGTON―US spy chiefs have informed Donald Trump that Russian operatives claim to possess deeply compromising personal and financial information about him, US media reported Tuesday on the eve of the president-elect’s first press conference. Trump denounced a “political witch hunt” after CNN reported that intelligence officials briefing him last week on allegations of Russian meddling in the US election had also given him a synopsis of the explosive and unverified claims. “FAKE NEWS - A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!” the president-elect tweeted. Intelligence chiefs last week presented America’s incoming 45th president, as well as current President Barack Obama, with a two-page synopsis on the potential embarrassment, according to CNN and The New York Times, who cited multiple unnamed US

ofﬁcials with direct knowledge of the meeting. Obama delivered his farewell address Tuesday evening as the bombshell report was reverberating in political and diplomatic circles with just 10 days to go until Trump’s inauguration. The outgoing US leader had little to add publicly to the bombshell revelations. “You know I hadn’t seen the reports, we were on the plane together, and I hadn’t read the news since then and as a matter of principle and national security I don’t comment on classiﬁed information,” the president said in an interview with NBC News late Tuesday.

He added however that he hopes Congress and the Trump administration will continue to work toward finding answers about who is responsible for hacking scandals that have roiled American politics in recent months. CNN gave no details of the allegations but US media outlet Buzzfeed published, without corroborating its contents, a 35-page dossier of memos on which the synopsis is based, which had been circulating in Washington for months. The memos describe sex videos involving prostitutes filmed during a 2013 visit by Trump to a luxury Moscow hotel, supposedly as a potential means for blackmail. They also suggest Russian officials proposed lucrative deals in order to win influence over the Republican real estate magnate. The dossier was originally compiled by a former British MI-6 intelligence operative hired by other US presidential contenders to do

political “opposition research” on Trump in the middle of last year, according to CNN. Trump was reportedly informed of the existence of the dossier -- and its salacious details -- last Friday when he received a briefing from US intelligence chiefs on alleged Russian interference in the presidential election. The classified two-page synopsis also included allegations that there was a regular flow of information during the campaign between Trump surrogates and Russian government intermediaries. “Nothing’s been confirmed,” Trump senior aide Kellyanne Conway told NBC about the material. “They’re all unnamed, unspoken sources.” The incendiary allegations come on the eve of Trump’s first press conference since his election -- at which he was already set to face intense scrutiny over his relationship with Russia and myriad other controversies. AFP

KANDAHAR―Five UAE officials were among the 56 people killed in a string of bombings across Afghan cities, authorities said Wednesday, as Taliban militants step up a deadly winter campaign of violence. The Emiratis were among 13 people killed when explosives hidden in a sofa detonated inside the governor’s compound in southern Kandahar on Tuesday, while the UAE’s ambassador to Afghanistan escaped the attack with injuries. Just hours before, twin Taliban blasts in Kabul tore through employees exiting a parliament annexe, which houses the offices of lawmakers, killing at least 36 people and wounding 80 others. And earlier Tuesday, a Taliban suicide bomber killed seven people in Lashkar Gah, the capital of volatile Helmand province, as the militants ramp up nationwide attacks despite the onset of winter, when fighting usually wanes. The carnage underscores growing insecurity in Afghanistan, where US-backed forces are struggling to combat a resilient Taliban insurgency as well as AlQaeda and Islamic State militants. Kandahar’s governor Humayun Azizi and UAE envoy Juma Mohammed Abdullah Al Kaabi were wounded by flames from the explosion, but many others were burned beyond recognition, said provincial police chief Abdul Raziq, who was at the scene when the blast occurred. The Emirati officials killed were “on a mission to carry out humanitarian, educational and development projects”, the UAE’s official WAM news agency said on Wednesday. “This incident will in no way

affect the relations and cooperation between Afghanistan and UAE,” President Ashraf Ghani said, ordering an investigation into the bombing. The Taliban denied responsibility for the Kandahar attack, but they said they were behind the Kabul blasts. In the ﬁrst explosion, a suicide bomber blew himself up next to a minibus transporting government employees. As rescuers reached the scene, a car bomb exploded. Among the 36 dead were four policemen who were killed in the second explosion when they rushed to help the victims of the ﬁrst blast. Health ministry spokesman Waheed Majroh warned that the toll was expected to rise as many of the wounded were battling for their lives in hospital. Condemning the “barbaric attack”, Ghani lashed out at the Taliban for the assault on civilians, which left the area littered with bloodied bodies. “The deaths of scores of civilians in today’s Kabul bomb attacks indicates that the Taliban are pressing ahead with a gruesome campaign of violence that makes no effort to spare civilian lives,” Amnesty International said in a statement. “An immediate, impartial and independent investigation must be carried out to secure justice for the victims and their families.” Tuesday’s carnage came just ten days before Donald Trump is sworn in as US president. The situation in Afghanistan will be an urgent matter for the new leader, even though America’s longest war got scarcely a passing mention in the bitterly contested presidential election. AFP

Japan plans to replace its emperor TOKYO―Japan is planning for Emperor Akihito to retire and be replaced by his eldest son on January 1, 2019, reports said Wednesday, as the country works on a legal framework for its first abdication in 200 years. Akihito, 83, expressed a desire in August to abdicate after nearly three decades on the Chrysanthemum Throne, citing his advancing age and failing health. The major national newspapers -- the Yomiuri, Asahi, Mainichi and Nikkei -- cited unnamed sources as saying Crown Prince Naruhito, 56, would succeed his father on New Year’s Day 2019. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga declined to comment on the reports at his regular news conference on Wednesday. After Akihito’s announcement last year, the government established a panel of experts to help decide how best to proceed on an issue fraught with historical and legal challenges. Though abdications have occurred in Japan’s long imperial history there has not been one for 200 years. Under current laws there is no legal mechanism for one. The six-member panel has discussed various legal options, with speculation rampant it will propose parliament pass a special onetime law to allow Akihito to step down. The leading opposition Democratic Party, however, opposes a one-time change, arguing that this would not ensure stable future successions. It has advocated a revision to the permanent law that governs the imperial family. Abdication is a highly sensitive issue in light of Japan’s modern history of war waged in the name of Akihito’s father Emperor Hirohito, who died in 1989. Some scholars and politicians worry that the abdication issue could open a can of worms and risk Japan’s monarchs becoming subject to political manipulation. Under the constitution they play only a symbolic role. The panel plans to compile a summary of its views on the issue this month, a government official said. Its firm proposals, however, will come no later than the end of March before the government submits legislation to parliament, reports said. As for the timing of the abdication, the Yomiuri said the panel considers that January 1, 2019 would be appropriate given he will have reigned for 30 years -- something the emperor himself mentioned as a milestone year in his August speech. The Asahi said Akihito would step down sometime on December 31, though the Nikkei reported it could also happen on New Year’s Day when Naruhito is enthroned. The reports also said that the government plans to announce the official name of Naruhito’s reign era at least six months beforehand to avoid confusion in daily life. Years in Japan are numbered both in terms of the length of an emperor’s reign, as well as in accordance with western calendar years. When Hirohito died on January 7, 1989, the 64th year of his Showa era ended after just seven days. The government announced the first year of Akihito’s Heisei era would start the following day. AFP

FESTIVAL. An Indian student tries to break a mud pot while blindfolded during celebrations of the Tamil harvest festival Pongal at a college in Chennai on January 11. AFP

Guam mulls over legalizing recreational marijuana HAGATNA―Guam will consider legalizing recreational marijuana use and channeling tax proceeds from the drug’s sale to health programs and hospitals under a proposal from the US Paciﬁc territory’s leader. Governor Eddie Calvo, who only last month vetoed a bill allowing home cultivation, said he was forced to act in the wake of a 2014 referendum that backed medical marijuana use. Medical marijuana is now technically legal in Guam for people with conditions like HIV, cancer or epilepsy, but

is not available as the regulations surrounding its distribution have not been clariﬁed. Calvo said it had recently become apparent that allowing medical marijuana while maintaining a ban on recreational use would create a “regulatory labyrinth”. Outlining his plan to the Guam legislature on Tuesday, he said he personally did not support recreational use but legalization was the simplest solution to a complex problem. He added that allowing medical use

meant patients could avoid buying marijuana on the black market but it created new problems. “While eliminating the black market is advantageous, the regulatory nightmare that became the medicinal program would have replaced it with a gray market rife with corruption and cronyism,” he said. The proposal would establish a Cannabis Control Board to oversee the sale and taxation of the drug. Calvo suggested a “sin tax” of 15 percent on sales that would go to pro-

grams promoting healthy lifestyles and the island’s hospital. He said that anyone would be allowed to grow marijuana for personal use “without fear of arrest or the burden of taxation so long as they are not selling their harvest without the business license required by law”. The legal age for recreational marijuana use would be 21, the same as for alcohol purchase and consumption. No timetable has been released detailing when the proposals could become law. AFP

Life

A soft washcloth, gauze pad or silicone finger brush is effective in washing baby’s teeth

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Healthy teeth for babies

OUNG mothers often wonder: Do I have to brush my baby’s teeth? Believe it or not, the answer is yes. Even if baby teeth will eventually give way to permanent ones, it is no less important to take very good care of them, as decayed teeth in young children can impair their ability to absorb nutrients from food and hinder proper speech development. Then, too, healthy baby teeth help ensure the growth of healthy permanent ones when their time comes. Having stated this, isn’t it wise to start cleaning your little one’s teeth— twice a day—as soon as you see his first tooth bud emerging? Baby teeth can be cleaned—after meals and at bedtime—using a soft, damp washcloth, a gauze pad, or a silicone finger brush. You can also use the same to gently scrub the front of your baby’s tongue. Dentists likewise recommend that you clean your baby’s gums after feedings, to prevent bacterial growth and promote good oral health. A toothbrush may be used—from the get-go—to brush your baby’s first teeth as long as it is soft, and has no more than three rows of bristles. It is then advisable to use cavity-preventing toothpaste early on, instead of waiting

until your child turns two as most parents are wont to do. More importantly, the key to good oral health for babies is to choose a toothpaste with a baby-friendly formula, like Hapee Baby Infant Toothgel, which is especially designed for children aged four to 24 months. With a non-foaming formula, Hapee Baby has no added Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), a chemical used in toothpaste to create the foaming action. The babyfriendly toothgel also contains no added sugar and no artificial colors—just a fortified formula to protect your little one’s milk teeth from cavity-causing bacteria. To top it all, kids have fun brushing with Hapee Baby, which features Baby Mickey and Baby Minnie on its new packaging. To further certify that babies will enjoy brushing time, Hapee Baby Infant Toothgel is available in Strawberry Milkshake flavor

TAKE CARE OF HIS TEETH. Make it a habit to brush your little one’s teeth, even if his as young as four months old, with Hapee Baby Infant Toothgel to ensure proper nutrient absorption and speech development.

EDUCATIONAL ANIMATION

on agriculture interests young Davaoeños

MakatiMed’s fast refractive and cataract surgery platform enables doctors to plan and perform procedures with specifications designed and customized for each patient

New way to see clearly “IS it safe? Is it going to be painful? Will I really be glasses free?” A nearsighted patient met with Edward C. Uy, MD, head of Makati Medical Center’s Cataract and Refractive Laser Surgical Center (Dr. Ramon J. Ongsiako, Jr. Center), who the doctor said was apprehensive about undergoing LASIK (Laser-Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis) surgery. An 85-year-old patient suffering from cataracts had a check-up with Benjamin M. Abela, Jr., MD, chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology. A cataract, often related to aging, is a clouding of the lens in the eye, which affects vision. “He was informed that the preferred technique to get rid of his cataracts is surgery that needed seven sutures, with a visual recovery of two months,” he said. “I offered him the option of femtosecond laserassisted cataract surgery at our Cataract and Refractive Laser Surgical Center.” Now both patients can see clearly following their respective surgeries at MakatiMed’s state-of-the-science eye center, located on the 6th floor of MakatiMed Tower 2. Equipped with the latest medical devices and computer-guided technology, the Cataract and Refractive Laser Surgical Center is dedicated to help people suffering from nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or age-related vision problems such as cataracts. Dr. Uy said his patient who underwent LASIK considered his glasses as an extra limb. But now he can work out and participate in sports without worrying about glasses that interfere with his activities. “He shares that when he wakes up in the morning, his instinct is no longer to reach out for his glasses to start seeing clearly,” Dr. Uy shares. “He feels way more confident.” As for the cataract patient, “The laser procedure has made the lens extraction smooth,

simple, and with no complications,” shared Dr. Abela, adding that the patient was grateful for the warmth of the staff and the highly professional care given to him. The Center’s skilled ophthalmologists use the fastest refractive and cataract surgery platform available to capture precise, high-resolution images of the eyes prior to surgery, enabling doctors to plan and perform the procedure with specifications designed and customized for each patient. Its roster of equipment include the only excimer laser to operate at a powerful laser frequency of 500 Hertz, with an average treatment time of approximately 1.4 seconds per diopter (a unit of measurement of the optical power of a lens), and a laser platform that can create a flap in the patient’s cornea (needed in LASIK surgery) in approximately six seconds. “Our laser platforms are graded the fastest in the United States, because we use femtosecond laser,” added Dr. Abela. Femtosecond laser is more precise in creating corneal incisions. This reduces collateral tissue damage and complications, which lead to post-operative visual problems, making cataract and LASIK surgery safer, faster and more effective. An advantage of going to the MakatiMed Cataract and Refractive Laser Surgical Center is that all its treatments are done in a hospital setting, assuring patients of quality care, sterility and safety. “Patients can rest assured that they will be met by only the best experts, backed by MakatiMed’s world-class facilities and services,” said Dr. Uy. For more information, call Makati Medical Center’s Cataract and Refractive Laser Surgical Center through (02) 888-8999 locals 3640 and 3646, email mmc@makatimed.net.ph or rjocrl.surgicalcenter@makatimed.net.ph, or visit www.makatimed.net.ph.

MONSANTO Philippines, Inc. recently led a student outreach activity in Davao City to broaden young people’s awareness on the role of modern agriculture in feeding the country’s growing population. In collaboration with the Department of Education (DepEd) Regional Office, Monsanto conducted the first educational and animated presentation entitled Lina’s Town Rises Again, the only Filipino published children’s book on agricultural biotechnology. The book was written for elementary pupils so they can gain a basic understanding of the food value chain, the different challenges to food sufficiency, and the role of modern science in keeping up to the growing demand for food. It was inspired by a true story of how biotech seeds positively transformed a woman farmer’s life in Sultan Kudarat, and enabled her farming community to recover economically from a devastating typhoon. Division Librarian II and DepEd Hub Coordinator Rosalie Antipuesto said the animation had a very good impact on the school children because they were getting good information about modern agriculture while being entertained. “The questions they asked showed how much the story engaged them. You can see that they are starting to show interest in modern agricultural technology.” Authored by Chat Ocampo, Corporate Engagement Lead of Monsanto

Young students learn about the vital role of modern agriculture in feeding the country’s growing population

Philippines, who has authored two other children’s books, it was written in an informative manner to keep the interest of young readers while conveying some highly technical information about seed technology, as well as deliver messages on sustainability and safety. Through this book, Ocampo feels she is able to do her share in “keeping the younger generations interested in matters related to agriculture while reaching out to equally important audiences, such as young parents and teachers.” Meanwhile, Antipuesto said, “I hope Monsanto is able to do more of

these activities which not only encourages interest in agriculture but also love for science. It is also good to see students and teachers getting clear and straightforward information about biotech crops.” Monsanto is committed to expanding the discussion on the importance of sustainable agriculture in schools and colleges across the country. Since 2012, Monsanto has already reached out to more than 10,000 students in Quezon City, Iloilo, Davao, General Santos and Cagayan through their activities geared towards making young minds interested in agriculture.

The story of how a woman farmer’s life in Sultan Kudarat was changed with the help of biotech seeds is told in the children’s book, Lina’s Town Rises Again

Life

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

SKIN CARE

THE MAGIC OF

The Skin Specialist

Dr. Jean Marquez performs a procedure using the Eraser Laser in her skincare clinic The Skin Specialist, located in Quezon City. (Inset) Volleybal player Cha Cruz enjoys her facial treatment

EAUTY standards vary around the world but most, if not all, include having a clear complexion. Not everyone is blessed with blemish-free alabaster skin. Some have to contend with birthmarks, blotches, acne, scars or wrinkles. Now, naturallooking beauty can be achieved with the latest scientific innovations and technological marvels from The Skin Specialist.

Founded in October 2002 by certified dermatologist Dr. Jean Marquez, FPDS, the skincare clinic in Quezon City counts the provision of safe, non-invasive and effective solutions for various skin concerns as its no. 1 mission. The wide range of services includes anti-aging treatments such as firming and lifting procedures, slimming, whitening and laser treatments for scars, birthmarks and other skin problems as well as a comprehensive series of facials, peels and acne treatments. The products and services can be customized to one’s needs. Patients often go to the pretty dermatologist for her hands-on approach and eye for beauty. Using state-of-the-art, USFDA-approved equipment, the resulting enhancements look natural and do not come off starkly different from the previous look. Dr. Marquez has studied and trained abroad, attending master class trainings on anti-aging treatments and lasers to keep abreast of the continuous development in the industry. She also hosts a medical show on TV. Whether for medical treatment or simply a total aesthetic makeover, patients at The Skin Specialist are assured of professional service handled by a staff of highly trained registered nurses. Providing excellent skin solutions with utmost professional care, The Skin Specialist offers affordable rates without compromising quality, safety and comfort. The Skin Specialist is located on the ground floor of ESNA Building, 30 Timog Ave., Quezon City.

HOME

Amaia Skies Cubao welcomes new homeowners in a grand turnover event IN AN exclusive event recently, Amaia Land turned over Amaia Skies Cubao’s new Tower 1 units to its first batch of residents. The occasion saw 19 homeowners—families and individuals, mostly residents of Quezon City—happily moving into their new homes at Amaia Skies Cubao’s recently completed first high-rise after inspecting and accepting their units. Wilborn Famatigan, CRU Head of Amaia Land expressed excitement and happiness in welcoming the new Amaia Skies residents, who were likewise received by the core team of Amaia Skies Cubao and Amaia Land’s customer care team. “As promised, Amaia continues to provide affordable condo-living to Filipino families,” Famatigan said. “This is a special milestone for Amaia Land be-

H E A LT H

cause Amaia Skies Cubao is our firstever venture in high-rise condominium development,” he added. Amaia Skies Cubao is one of Amaia Land’s best-selling projects, largely due to its unbeatable location along Edsa, where it has access to business hubs, commercial establishments, and modes of transport like the MRT, jeepneys and buses. This factor, in fact, proved to be a strong selling point for the new homeowners, who at the event revealed that they go to work in the business districts of Metro Manila. Before the turnover, the happy homeowners inspected and accepted their new abodes that were either studio- or one-bedroom units, all telephone- and cable-ready, and equipped with a sprinkler system, painted concrete walls, aluminum windows, a

The spacious lobby of Amaia Skies Cubao offers a space for homeowners to relax and meet with their friends

kitchen sink with base, complete toilet and bath fixtures, and a provision for washer/dryer. The new residents were also pleased to know that the three-tower development has several first-rate amenities like a retail area on the ground floor, a swimming pool, landscaped gardens with reading nooks, and a playground

TIPS

How to overcome depression DEPRESSION is considered a serious medical illness that negatively affects the way a person think, feel or act. However, this condition is often dismissed as a basic case of mood swing, but health experts strongly disagree. Symptoms of depression, according to Dr. Nicky Montoya of MediCard, include (1) fatigue and loss of interest, (2) irregular sleep, (3) appetite or weight changes, and (4) suicidal thoughts. The good thing is, depression is preventable and treata-

ble, thus when one shows these warning signs, Dr. Montoya suggests three easy steps to overcome it.

Stay connected

Reaching out to people is an essential part of a person’s journey to recovery. Isolation fuels depression, which is why it’s a big help to stay connected with loved ones, especially at times when the person always wants to be alone. Attending social activities may also be helpful.

Engage in physical activities

Working out is another good way to combat depression, because while engaging in physical activity, the body releases feel-good hormone called endorphins that may boost mood. It’s best to start a routine that can be easily followed everyday such as walking, running, swimming and dancing.

Seek professional help

If changes have already been made but the situation hasn’t improved or changed, it’s best to see a doctor for a thorough check-up. MediCard has 14 free-standing clinics located in key cities nationwide that offer consultations. Visit www.medicardphils.com for more information.

on the podium level. With limited units remaining, prospective homeowners are enjoined to check out Amaia Skies Cubao’s prime residential units, which stand ready— at any time—for buyers to move in and enjoy. Offering f lexible, affordable and easy payment schemes such as cash,

deferred payment and bank financing, Amaia Skies Cubao puts the dream of having your own home within your reach. Turnover of more units is now ongoing. For inquiries about Amaia Skies Cubao, check out www.amaialand.com or like www.facebook.com/AmaiaLand.

5 low-impact exercises to stay fit and healthy FOR those who want to get fit but prefer exercises that don’t include weight-lifting, contact sports or anything that is strenuous and intense, fortunately have several choices that are low-impact but can still make them healthy and relaxed.

Walking

This exercise is perhaps the easiest since it can be done anytime and anywhere. A brisk 30-minute walk everyday helps in lowering levels of LDL or bad cholesterol while increasing levels of HDL or good cholesterol thereby reducing the risk of stroke by up to 27 percent.

Elliptical machine

This machine offers upper and lower body on proper breathing, correct spinal and pelvic workouts—working the legs, chest, shoulders, alignment, and muscle balance. In Pilates classes, you can opt to perform exercises using your own back and arms—in a less stressful condition. body weight or with the help of various equipment like Reformer or trapeze table. Tai Chi Frequently described as a meditation in motion, it is perfect if you want to develop proper posture, fight Yoga By doing physical poses, a stronger and more stress and maintain strength, flexibility and balance. flexible body can be achieved. This gentle exercise allows the mind to be calm and focused, thus Pilates This type of exercise improves flexibility, improving overall health. It also improves circustrength, balance and body awareness. It focuses lation, slows heart rate and lowers blood pressure.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017

JOLINA MAGDANGAL

Epitome of a happy, contented mom

A screengrab of Jolina Magdangal's social media post that captures how relaxed she is as a mom

ARJO ATAYDE and the understated athlete’s aesthetic

Team #AxeBlackArjo. Axe Black Man ambassador Arjo Atayde (right) joined by his cousin Martin Atayde at the most recent edition of Axe's Pop-up Bar Series

XE, the world’s #1 Male Fragrance Brand launched its Axe Black Concept Store campaign last year. Patterned after last year’s Pop-up Bar Series, the Concept Store Series aimed to invite guests into the Axe Black Man’s world of understatement, showcasing his take on less effort, more style. The Concept Store Series was kicked off with Axe Black Ambassador DJ Nix Damn P, at his Maharlika store, while fashion and lifestyle blogger David Guison took the spotlight last with his Aviation Axe store. Recently, Axe wrapped up the series with Axe Black Ambassador, actor Arjo Atayde, as he showed his take on the understated lifestyle with Axe Park. Together with teammates Ria Atayde, Landon Leoncio, Martin Atayde, and Boys Night Out DJ Slick Rick, the Axe Park zeroed in on fashion, grooming, and fragrance, along with injecting Arjo’s personal style of athleisure. Always on the go, Arjo took his concept store’s inspiration from his daily life. This showcased that despite a busy schedule, guys can always take their cue by completing their look with pieces that are both bold yet simple, much like the

Axe Black fragrance. “In my line of work, I constantly have to juggle my taping schedule with football training and the gym. Through my concept store, I want to be able to introduce guys to the world of luxury sports wear - showing them that being athletic can also be classy, if done the right way,” Arjo explained. “For the Axe Park, we wanted it to be a space where guys felt comfortable enough to shop and be themselves, even if their girlfriends were around.” Replicating the aura of a varsity locker room, the venue featured in-store stylists and grooming consultants to help customers mix and match different pieces. Arjo and his teammates were also present throughout the event to help guests finish up their look with a spray of Axe Black. As guests arrived, they were greeted by stylists who took them on a tour of the different apparel available, including exclusive pieces by local retail brands Rocca and Halo Halo. Attendees also perused through other essentials, like special jackets, Mist and Sip jugs, and special merchandise from Vans. His 10-showcased pieces were a mix of both local and foreign brands, but combined together created a look that was distinctly Arjo. “For me, I’ve always been athletic but when it comes to fashion, I’m all about being comfortable without sacrificing style, it’s just about the way you carry yourself,” shared Arjo. “That’s why I keep highlighting the fragrance, because when you smell good, you feel good, and when you feel good you can pull off any outfit.”

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, January 12, 2017

ACROSS 1 Tree trunk 5 Porch seat 10 Close-mouthed one 14 Fromm or Clapton 15 Indiana cager 16 Mezzanine 17 Stein fillers 18 Crop up 19 Asia is east of it 20 Whodunit 22 Gull or albatross 24 Feign 25 The Big Apple 26 Washer cycle 30 Politico of old Rome 34 “Holly —” (Neil Diamond tune) 35 When pigs fly 37 Starlet’s dream 38 Town near Tulsa 39 Objective 40 Pen point 41 Trig function 43 Open-air lobbies 45 Met celeb 46 Nonstop 48 Less available 50 “—, humbug!” 51 Books pro 52 Homburg cousins 56 Effervesce

60 Declare solemnly 61 Plant parasites 63 — fide 64 World’s longest river 65 Privileged few 66 Black, in verse 67 Downhill racer 68 Round on top 69 Noisy disputes DOWN 1 Shaft of light 2 Paris hub 3 Fabrications 4 Bliss 5 Athenian’s enemy 6 Slow to trust 7 Here, to monsieur 8 Monsterhunter’s loch 9 Leafier 10 Amtrak amenity (2 wds.) 11 Loughlin or Petty 12 Petri-dish goo 13 Canasta play 21 Kind of system 23 Novelist — Rand 26 Just a passing —

27 “The Thinker” sculptor 28 Spiral-horned antelope 29 “The Mermaid Tavern” poet 30 Truck stop sight 31 Quinine water 32 Dark complexion 33 Steel rod 36 Caesar’s man 42 Jostled 43 Mortified 44 Defendant

45 More lackluster 47 Flair for music 49 PD dispatch 52 Stadium fillers 53 Like Mr. Hyde 54 Allot 55 Rocket housing 56 — noire 57 Gray wolf 58 Plenty, for Tennyson 59 Karate levels 62 Holt of oater fame

KAPAMILYA celebrity mom Jolina Magdangal is looking every inch a happy and contented mom of two-year old son Pele Iñigo. It seems that she has established a very good rapport with her husband, Rivermaya’s original member Mark Escueta, when it comes to taking care of their kid. This enables the former teen idol to handle a resurgent career as a mainstay of Sunday variety show ASAP and as daily host of talk show of Magandang Buhay with fellow “momshies” Karla Estrada and Melai Cantiveros. In her recent social media posts, she mentioned having peace of mind in running her home. But apart from a very loving and supportive husband, it is because of her energy-efﬁcient home appliances whose electricity cost per hour she is aware of. In one Twitter post, Jolina raved, “Fullblast aircon bonding nights kasi made even better by Meralco Orange Tag we’re assured of our cost per hour!”

In another post also on Twitter, the actress singer shared, “Tonight’s mission: Look for perfect bedtime snacks for Pele. No worries ‘cause according to Meralco Orange Tag, it’s around P18 per day to have the ref working.” Then you might ask, how does she know how much is the electricity cost of using major home appliances? She said this is made possible by the Meralco Orange Tag – that round, bright orange label that you will ﬁnd on some appliances on display in your favorite mall. The said labels inform appliance buyers how much it costs per hour to operate a certain type of electric appliance. Next time you go shopping for bigticket home appliances, make sure that you look for the Meralco Orange tag so you can choose the most electricity costefﬁcient brand and model of appliance. This info is also available at http:// www.meralco.com.ph/orangetag.

Pay for SM Cinema and PlayPark tickets with ePlus NOW, you can use your ePLUS credits online to purchase movie tickets and to level up on Play Park games. In addition to the reloadable card, ePLUS users can now transfer their credits to their ePLUS online account to purchase SM Cinema movie tickets and unlock games, levels and accessories through PlayPark. Cardholders can now also play popular online desktop and mobile games from Level Up, published and operated by PlayPark Inc. Experience the world of Cabal, feel the adrenaline rush from ﬁrst person shooter game Special Forces 2, and re-live the fun of arcade games with Zone 4 when you load up or top up your Level Up accounts using your ePLUS card online. To make its newest online payment system possible, ePLUS Online partnered with Openbucks, an online cash-based payment solutions company that provides online payment platforms to some of the world’s biggest brands. ePLUS Online will soon include food,

retail shopping, gaming, leisure and entertainment merchants to extend more day-to-day convenience to its valued cardholders and to further promote the reach of the cashless payment innovation in the Philippines. Register your ePLUS card for an online wallet at www.eplus.ph.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2017 Iza Calzado and Ian Veneracion team up in "Ilawod," a horror ﬂick helmed by Dan Villegas

Romcom director tries horror in

‘ILAWOD’ D

AN Villegas who made a name ISAH V. RED directing romcoms (romantic comedy films) dips his fingers into the gothic genre. He is directing (Quantum Films) the horror flick Ilawod, which assembles a cast that he thinks can spark fear and terror among the audience. Pretty-faced Iza Calzado and handsome Ian Veneracion play the lead roles in this story about the breakdown of a family in the face of supernatural trauma. Joining them are Xyriel Manabat, Therese Malvar, Epi Quizon, and Harvey Bautista. Dennis (Veneracion), a news website reporter, accidentally

brings a spirit home with him from an assignment. The spirit, Ilawod, manifests in different ways to different family members. It makes Dennis short-tempered and taste bitterness in hot drinks. It makes his wife Kathy (Calzado) feeling warm, and also changes the intensity of her sexual desire.

Scenes from the scream movie, which is the story of a family's breakdown in the midst of a demonic attack

Ilawod also manifest to daughter Bea (Xyriel Manabat), and the youngest child, Ben (Harvey Bautista) and wreaks havoc on Dennis’ family who fights against it to save, not just their lives, but also their souls. Lead cast, Ian and Iza, displayed their natural talent while Xyriel as their daughter showed talent skills anew as teen actress. Harvey, son of Mayor Herbert Bautista, is very promising in his first film outing. Its full trailer’s initial post on social media immediately earned

Kapuso TV darling Barbie Forteza ﬁnally gets honored with a star on the Eastwood's Walk Of Fame

ABS-CBN’s Choose Philippines website recognized the tourist spots, attractions, and dishes that were deemed most memorable and delicious by the public in the ﬁrst-ever Choose Philippines Awards. Cebu bagged three honors. Honoring the best of what the Philippines has to offer, Choose Philippines Awards aims to honor the country that inspired people to eat, explore, and share meaningful experiences in its three major categories: Best Destination, Best Dish, and Best Accommodation. Cebu bagged the Best Festival award (Sinulog), Best Accommodation for Solo Travelers (Plantation Bay Resort and Spa in Lapu-Lapu City), and Best Destination (Water Form) for the three-stage cascading waterfall Kawasan Falls. It was followed by Quezon, which won Best Accommodation for barkada (Balesin Island) and Best Accommodation for Family (Villa Escudero in Tiaong). El Nido in Palawan, known for its white-sand beaches, coral reefs, and limestone cliffs, won the Best Destination (Islands and Beaches) award. Representatives from the government, tourism ofﬁcers, industry experts, celebrities,

over a million likes, views and shares. So brace yourselves as Villegas offers a different kind of scream film for his initial foray into the horror genre on Jan. 18. Ilawod also features best child actress winner in Moscow Therese Malvar, in her first mainstream flick. *** Several celebrities and media personalities were honored with stars at Eastwood’s Walk of Fame recently. One of the inductees was

GMA Artist Center star Barbie Forteza who related her recent achievement to a child who excels and does well in class. “Kapag very good ang isang bata sa school, lagi niyang pinapakita sa magulang niya at sinasabing, ‘May star po ako.’ Pero ako, ang sasabihin ko na sa pamilya ko ngayon ay ‘May Walk of Fame Star na ako!” She also thanked the people who have been very supportive of her career. She promises to strive to be better and continue to be a good example to her audience.

“Napakasarap sa pakiramdam bilang isang aktres na maglileave ako ng mark sa mga tao na hinding-hindi nila malilimutan. Gusto ko ring magpasalamat sa mga taong naniwala at patuloy na naniniwala sa aking kakayahan bilang aktres. Asahan po nilang lalo ko pang pagbubutihin ang aking ginagawa.” Meanwhile, Barbie top bills GMA Network’s 2017 primetime offering Meant To Be with leading men Ken Chan, Ivan Dorschner, Addy Raj, and Jak Roberto.

Choose Philippines Awards winners

WINNER'S CIRCLE. Winners at the recently concluded Choose Philippines Awards hold their trophies during a photo op at the end of the event establishment owners, and travel bloggers and photographers graced the event to accept their respective awards. Meanwhile, recognized as the Best Pinoy-at-Heart was Canadian Kyle “Kulas” Jennerman, whose viral campaign #BecomingFilipino aims to remind Filipinos of their country’s rich culture and heritage.

Banduria teacher Zosima Acuram was named the Best Pinoy Advocate. Zosima, whose passion for music inspires her to teach children, created the nowacclaimed Dimlao’s Children Rondalla. At the awards night held at the Dolphy Theater, singer Angeline Quinto performed “Piliin Mo ang Pilipinas,” the theme song of Choose Philippines. Kapamilya

stars Matteo Guidecilli, JK Labajo, and Yohan Huang also entertained the audience in their production numbers. All the winners at the Choose Philippines Awards were nominated and voted for by netizens from all over the country and the world. Kuya Kim Atienza and Ai de la Cruz hosted the awarding ceremonies.

Choose Philippines Awards is only one of the ways ABS-CBN, the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment company, is promoting and supporting Philippine tourism. The network, now rapidly transitioning into an agile digital company, also regularly features the country’s must-see destinations on multiple media platforms – in its magazines, TV shows, ﬁlms,

and other digital platforms and services. ABS-CBN, through its Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation’s Ecotourism Projects, also offers packages that support the livelihood of locals and protect and maintain the natural ecosystems of the tourist sites. To know more about the winners, visit ChoosePhilippinesAwards.com.