Manila Standard - 2017 January 20 - Friday

Babel of voices on Trump inaugural

POMP AND CEREMONY. Donald Trump’s inauguration as the 45th President of the United States takes place at noon Friday in Washington (1 a.m. Saturday in Manila), 10 weeks after stunning America and the world, with Chief Justice John Roberts of the US Supreme Court administering the oath on the steps of the US Capitol Building.

WASHINGTON―As Donald Trump prepares to take the helm of a divided nation, Americans across the political spectrum are looking to the inauguration of their 45th president with wildly different expectations― ranging from excitement and elation to despondency and dread.

Trump prepares to take over even as he and the media are digging in for what could be a long and bitter war.

The president-elect, who spent much of his campaign at loggerheads with the mainstream press, has been sharpening his attacks, and the news media are bracing for what some see as a looming campaign of intimidation.

Meanwhile, the prospect of a Hillary Clinton comeback after her shock loss to Donald Trump could hardly be less certain, but in New York where she is revered, plenty of people dream of her running for mayor.

Her public appearances since the election have been largely confined to walks in the woods close to her Chappaqua home, where she is photographed in minimal makeup by neighbors mourning her defeat and repelled by the president-elect.

Here are some of the Americans’ thoughts: ‘Super excited’

THE WHITE HOUSE

Deni Dillon, 60, a small business owner from the Detroit suburbs, spoke to AFP from the road while driving to Washington to attend the inauguration Friday: “I’m super excited because I really do believe this is to be the start for good things for America. I hope that all the people that are protesting, and having trouble, will see as time goes on that they will stop being upset, that they will see how things are going to improve.

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Watchdog sees killing law/order breakdown

By John Paolo Bencito

VOL. XXX • NO. 342 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Korean killed in Camp Crame 2 cops, 5 others face kidnap, murder raps

THE death of a South Korean businessman under the auspices of President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs as a cover for the kidnapping indicates the breakdown of rule of law under this administration, an international human rights watchdog said Thursday.

New-York based Human Rights Watch said that Duterte’s “war on drugs” only “widened the gateway” for policemen to get away with murder without being made accountable for the thousands of deaths in this administration.

“The killing by Philippine police of a South Korean businessman is an ominous indicator of the breakdown of rule of law under President Rodrigo Duterte,” said Phelim Kine, HRW deputy director.

“Jee’s extrajudicial execution

bolsters allegations that ‘death squads,’ composed of police personnel operating in civilian clothes, are committing some and perhaps many of those killings,” he added.

Several policemen were accused in the kidnapping and murder of Jee Ick Joo, a South Korean businessman based in Angeles City, then led his wife to believe he was alive for months to extort money from her, authorities said Wednesday. A Seoul-based news agency, citing police sources, said the victim appeared to have been strangled inside Camp Crame on the same day of his abduction.

The killing is the latest in a long series of criminal acts by members of the Philippine National Police, regarded as one of the nation’s most corrupt institutions, and has fueled concerns about its role enforcing President Next page

By Francisco Tuyay, Rey E. Requejo, John Paolo Bencito and Sara Susanne Fabunan

H

ANJIN executive Jee Ick Joo was strangled right inside the Philippine National Police’s Camp Crame headquarters in Quezon City last October, investigators revealed Thursday as the Justice department approved charges against two policemen and five others.

Charged were Senior Police Officer 3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, SPO4 Roy Villegas, Ramon Yalung and four others identified only under the aliases “Pulis,” “Jerry,” “Sir Dumlao” and “Ding.”

Prosecutors said none of the respondents were able to submit any evidence denying their participation in the crime.

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Digong asks govs’ help in drug war

By John Paolo Bencito A “CALMER” President Rodrigo Duterte summoned governors to Malacañang on Thursday to appraise them on the proliferation of illegal drugs.

“I just had a talk with the governors ... And I gave them the same message, which is the problem of the country,” Duterte said in a speech during the oathtaking of Philippine National Police officials.

He said he appealed to the governors to help the administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.

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EVIDENCE ARRANGED. Anti-Kidnapping Group Legal Officer Supt. Dennis Wagas

presents Thursday a set of golf clubs allegedly used as payment to Gerardo Santiago, owner of the funeral home (below) where it is alleged the body of the kidnapped South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo was stored. Inset is SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel who surrendered to the NBI. Manny Palmero/Jojo Rabulan

Charter no bar to martial law order Rody: Who

By John Paolo Bencito, Macon RamosAraneta and Maricel V. Cruz

TOUGH TASK. Solicitor General Jose Calida reconciles the length and depth of President Rodrigo Duterte’s statement regarding martial law during a press briefing Thursday. twitter.com/ MlaStandard

THE government’s top lawyer said Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte can declare martial law even outside the parameters of the Constitution and even without the approval of Congress and the Supreme Court if “the people’s welfare is on the line.”

At a Palace press briefing, Solicitor-General Jose Calida cited the need to veer away from the “textbook definition” of how a President can declare martial law, citing the extraordinary instances surrounding Duterte’s presidency.

“That is what is placed in the textbook, but you know, there are certain situations as I said and these are hypothetical situations, when there is really a clear and present danger to our country, and nobody will help the President do his job as the father of the nation, he will not allow his family so to speak—us, Filipinos— to suffer because of the inability or unwillingness of certain functionaries to do what is right for the country,” he said.

“We are talking here of certain conditions which cannot be predicted. However, it must be very extreme. In other words, for example, you are aware of

wants to be LP? No one

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte taunted the Liberal Party’s thinning members who, he said, were allegedly behind the plot to steal the presidency from him.

He said no one wanted to be part of the group after it lost badly in the last elections.

“Who wants to be part of the Liberal [Party] now? None,” Duterte said and drew loud cheers from the audience during a speech at the inauguration of a medical facility in Cabanatuan City.

“But [who are] friends with Duterte? See? They’re many.”

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Du30 to visit China again

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will again visit China in May after making an official visit to Beijing seven months ago, its Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

In a statement posted in its website, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed that Duterte

will attend the “One Belt, One Road” International cooperation summit forum in May. The statement quoted Duterte’s assurance about his attendance during the latter’s meeting with China’s Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin in Manila last Tuesday.

“I will come to Beijing in May Next page

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Digong...

From A1 Duterte said illegal drugs affected all sectors, noting that “the enormity of the problem is staggering.”

“We have a huge problem actually. It does not only involve national security but likewise the Filipino man, human being and this has destroyed many lives. Police generals, mayors, governors, and barangay captains, everyone,” he added.

PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said Duterte was “calmer” during his meeting with the governors than he was when he met the country’s mayors last week.

Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, who was in the meeting, said that the President met with governors in two batches at Malacañang’s Social Hall.

Unlike the previous encounter with mayors in which he threatened to kill those who are included on the list of drug personalities, Diokno said that the President was “cracking some jokes with the governors.” “[The Presdient] did not mention any names of governors linked to illegal drugs,” Diokno said in a chance interview.

Dela Rosa added that Duterte urged governors to use the full might of the government’s resources to fight the war on drugs in their respective provinces.

More than 6,000 people have been killed since the President mounted his campaign against what he called a “pandemic” in July.

Rody:...

From A1 Duterte earlier accused the opposition Liberal Party, now led by Vice President Leni Robredo, of plotting to oust him.

But he said he remained unfazed by the plan of the “yellow party” to unseat him.

“So you’re taunting me with this ‘Oust Duterte.’ These yellows, in Bisaya they’re yelo [ice].

But they have long melted, after the elections [they] melted.”

Since the 2016 elections, the membership of the then ruling Liberal Party has thinned, with many transferring to the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan that controls the majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Nevertheless, the LP remains part of the majority bloc in both chambers of Congress.

Duterte said that he was ready to defend his post.

“I’ll give you a good fight, I’ll give you a bloody nose,” Duterte said.

He said his sour relationship with Vice President Leni Robredo stemmed from the Liberal Party’s plan to oust him.

He accused Robredo of joining anti-Duterte rallies, only to show up for a Cabinet meeting the next day.

“You are part of the crowd that says you want me out,” he said.

Robredo and the Liberal Party have denied plans to unseat the President, but Duterte says he is convinced the “yellow group” could not accept defeat.

Duterte won a landslide victory in last year’s presidential race, obtaining 16,601,997 votes or over six million votes more than Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II.

Du30...

From A1

to attend the ‘One Belt, One Road’ international cooperation summit forum, and I look forward to meeting President Xi Jinping again,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said quoting Duterte.

It also said that Duterte was pleased with how bilateral ties had developed since he came to China last year.

Bilateral relations became closer after Duterte announced he would break away from the United |States, its long-standing ally, and form new relationships with China and Russia.

The Department of Foreign Affairs could not confirm Duterte’s coming visit to China because there were no foreign officials present during the Tuesday meeting.

Over the past years, China has dubbed a series of infrastructure projects stretching across some 60 countries as the “One Belt, One Road” initiative based on resurrecting the old Silk Road that once connected China to Central Asia, Europe and beyond.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said that the forum would be attended by a large number of foreign leaders.

House reviews MRT deal He said the review would ensure that the construction of the common station would be beneficial to the riding public and not merely to the businesses involved in the project.

“The cost is so huge. Is the pro-

posal for a common station for the convenience of the passengers?”

Alvarez said.

But the Transport Department defended the project. It said the project cost was now higher because the common station would

now be bigger at 13,700 square meters compared with the 7,200 square meters proposed in 2009.

Under the agreement, the terminal will be located between SM North Edsa and the Trinoma mall on Edsa and North Avenue.

The deal to build the terminal was signed on Wednesday by Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade and Public Works Secretary Mark Villar with LRT Authority Administrator Reynaldo Berroya, SM Prime Holdings Inc. executive chairman Hans Sy, Light Rail Manila Corp. vice chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan, San Miguel Corp. president and chief operating officer Ramon

Korean...

“He finally recalls seeing respondent Sta. Isabel strangling and killing the victim,” the resolution said.

After the victim was killed, Villegas said Sta. Isabel called a certain “Ding” who agreed to receive the body in exchange for P30,000 and a golf set.

Then, the body was brought to the funeral parlor in Caloocan.

“He reiterates that he thought all along that the surveillance and police operations which he participated in are legitimate police operations,” Villegas claimed.

“When he realized it, he did not resist and instead, he obeyed the instruction of respondent Sta. Isabel for fear of his life and that of his family,” the same resolution said.

The Justice department said the respondents failed to counter the evidence against them as well as the testimonies of Morquicho, the victim’s wife Kyungjin Choi and the admission made by Villegas and Baldovino.

“Until now, no controverting evidence was filed by any of the respondents despite the opportunity given to them,” the resolution said.

Despite Villegas’ claim that Sta. Isabel was the one who strangled Jee, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Wednesday he could become a state witness.

Aguirre said Sta. Isabel can be under the coverage of the government’s witness protection program because he knows everything about the incident after he confessed his participation in the crime and pinpointed other police officers involved.

Aguirre added that Sta. Isabel, who is currently under protective custody of the National Bureau of Investigation, has given details to probers during his interrogation.

He declined, however, to say what Sta. Isabel’s version of events was, but said he implicated a “higher official” in the PNP. Aguirre also said the Embassy of the Republic of Korea has sought his assistance in the case, and that he would give them updates on the ongoing NBI investigation.

Five employees of Gream Funeral Services in Bagbag, Caloocan City, are now with the NBI and are undergoing questioning after it was confirmed that the missing Korean national was taken to them on the same day of his abduction and murder last year.

On Tuesday evening, the NBI, together with the Caloocan police went to the funeral parlor after receiving information that the body of Jee Ick Joo, a former executive at shipbuilding firm Hanjin was taken to the funeral parlor the same day he was abducted.

His body could not be found, however, and investigators later learned that Jee’s body had been cremated.

Aguirre vowed to expedite the resolution of the case.

Aside from Sta. Isabel, eight others are implicated in the abduction of Jee. Supt. Dennis Wagas, legal officer of the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group, said the golf set owned by Jee was found in the property of Gerardo Gregorio Santiago, a retired policeman and the proprietor of Gream Funeral Services in Caloocan City.

Wagas said, based on the initial investigation, the set of golf clubs, valued at over P100,000 was brought to the funeral parlor as payment for the safe keeping of Jee’s body.

Police are still looking for Santiago, who was said to have left for Canada.

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE House of Representatives will review the agreement to build a common terminal linking Light Railway Transit Line 1 and Metro Rail Transit Lines 1 and 7, which would cost the government an estimated P2.8 billion, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said Thursday.

From A1 A preliminary investigation conducted by the Justice department showed that Jee, together with house help Marisa D. Morquicho, was taken by two unidentified men from his house in Pampanga on Oct. 18, 2016.

In her affidavit, Morquicho said the men introduced themselves as police officers and ordered her to accompany them to Jee’s room.

The house help said the accused later told her that her employer was involved in illegal drug activities.

Upon arrival at Camp Crame, Morquicho said she was transferred to Sta. Isabel’s car and eventually released.

PO2 Christopher Baldovino said in his affidavit that he was part of the surveillance operation that was conducted before Jee’s abduction.

“He joined the operation as he believed then that the operation was a legitimate police operation against the herein victim who, according to respondent Sta. Isabel, was involved in illegal drugs,” the Justice department resolution stated.

In his affidavit, Villegas said while inside Camp Crame, he heard Sta. Isabel talking to a certain “Sir “Dumlao” where he overheard him say: “Sir ang alam ko ay kilala nyo ang mga taong ito dahil ang pagkakaalam ko ay sanction niyo ito.”

(Sir, I know that you know these people and that that you’ve sanctioned this.”)

He also said that Sta. Isabel was the one who brought packaging tape and surgical gloves and ordered them to cover the head of the victim and follow him instead of Dumlao.

Charter...

From A1

the plot to oust the President. What if they will bomb Malacañang?

They will bomb—put bombs in our malls, you know, to create trouble. And there will be again, you know, the drug lords will hire assassins to kill him. And some parties might be in cahoots with this plot,” he said.

In a chance interview, Calida cited another scenario wherein the breakdown of law and order can be used as a reason to declare martial law.

“The state of lawlessness [can be sufficient]. But if it becomes worse, for instance, if there are already foreign elements trying to destabilize our country, to assassinate him, to assassinate government officials. In those extreme circumstances as I said, somebody has to act,” Calida said.

“In other words, if there is already a breakdown of law and order. And nobody is acting or they are afraid to act. Somebody has to act and it should be the President,” he added.

Over the weekend, Duterte said that he will declare martial law if the drug problem in the country worsens into something “virulent.”

But in a speech at Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija on Wednesday, the President said that he agrees with the military that there is no compelling reason yet to declare martial law.

Under the 1987 Constitution, the

Babel...

From A1

“My hope is that the borders will be secure, that the people that need help in the United States―the veterans, senior citizens, disabled people―will get first priority. We might be the Motor City again.”

At rock bottom Holly Morganelli, a 36-year-old from Miami, Florida, describes herself as “disheartened, disappointed, anxiety-ridden and despondent” over the Trump election: “I truly feel that this country is moving backward, away from positive progress in terms of racial, ethnic and gender equality, away from taking responsibility for the future of humanity, animals and our environment.

“I no longer believe that most of my

President may declare martial law only on two grounds—invasion and rebellion. The period cannot exceed 60 days without congressional approval, and the Supreme Court may review the declaration of martial law.

But Calida said a declaration of martial law could be “extra-constitutional” in the same way the 1986 People Power revolt that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos was.

“During the 1986 Edsa revolution, if you notice, there was no martial law declared but there was a change in government. It was an extra-constitutional movement that changed the government. Why? Because probably during that time, there was really a need to do so,” he said.

In his speech Wednesday, Duterte lamented that the limits set by the Constitution have derailed his job to eradicate the country’s problems.

Should two branches of the government clash—the judiciary and the legislative clash, it would be him—the President who can decide for the future of the nation.

“Who decides now? The Supreme Court says no, but Congress says yes. Who decides? The sitting president. So, it’s me,” Duterte said.

Contrary to Duterte’s statement, however, Calida said that under the Constitution, only the Supreme Court is the final arbiter.

Calida said, however, that the martial law provisions of the Constitution should be amended to be able to quickly address emergencies that require the declaration of military rule. fellow Americans hold these beliefs and values.”

‘Middle of the road’ Rebecca Brannon, 25, from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, volunteered for Trump’s campaign and was invited to the inauguration: “I hope he stays true to kind of who he is. I don’t want him to be too conservative and I don’t want him to be too liberal. I really think he’s that middle of the road kind of guy.”

Build that wall Jim Chilton, 77, a rancher and selfdescribed “irredeemable deplorable” who lives along the Arizona-Mexico border: “I’m so excited about Trump’s wall that my socks are rolling up and down.

“I hope the Trump presidency unites the country and brings about a thriving economy.”

“The 1987 Constitution is a reflex action because of the Marcos experience. So it was not a normal situation when they drafted the Constitution,” Calida said.

Senate President Pro Tempore Frankin Drilon on Thursday reiterated that the drug menace cannot be used as a reason for declaring military rule. The Constitution, he said, recognizes only two grounds for such a declaration—invasion or rebellion, he said.

“The phrase “when public safety requires it” was not a ground upon itself “but a condition that qualifies the two grounds provided under the Constitution,” Drilon said.

Senate Minority Leader Ralph Recto added that under the Constitution, the President does not have the sole power to allow martial law. The Constitution, which the President has sworn to uphold, empowers Congress to revoke martial law, he said.

“The problems we face today do not require the calling in of the army. We do not burn the house down to kill a few rats,” Recto said.

Rep. Gus Tambunting of Parañaque City said the Palace’s legal team must prepare for questions if the President declares martial law outside the parameters of the Constitution.

“The Constitution provides the conditions for the declaration of martial law, that is martial law may be declared to prevent or suppress lawless violence, invasion or rebellion. This denotes events of a certain scale. Whether or not the conspiracy of drug lords against

Ang, and North Triangle Depot Commercial Corp. represented

by Ayala Land Inc. vice chairman Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.

Alvarez made his statement even as Rep. Carlos Zarate filed House Resolution 470 that aims to investigate the P2.8-billion common station because it was “extremely expensive.”

“From all indications, this is a very onerous deal and we may have no choice but to file a case at the Supreme Court, Zarate said.

Alvarez said the project was delayed because of the conflicting interests of the big private players

in the common station.

The project ground to a halt when, in 2014, SM obtained an order from the Supreme Court stopping the Transport Department from transferring the original planned location of the common station in front of SM North EDSA to a location near the Ayalas’ Trinoma mall.

Alvarez said he would see to it that the project was above-board as the people would be at the losing end if it turned out to be anomalous.

“The [Transport Department] must be able to look at the interest of the public and not the interest of big businessmen,” he said.

Aguirre said they would coordinate with Interpol to locate Santiago.

Choi Kyunghin, wife of Jee, 53, said his husband was forcibly taken by eight armed men on Oct. 18 from his residence.

His family paid P5 million in ransom on Oct. 31 but he was never released.

The abductors asked for an additional P4 million but failed to produce a proof of life, prompting the family to seek police assistance.

Police were also still looking for Jee’s Ford Explorer, which remained missing.

In a statement released on Thursday, the South Korean Embassy expressed shock and deep regret over the killing of its citizen by the police.

“We call upon the Philippine authorities to thoroughly conduct the investigation so that the facts of the matter should be brought into light and that those responsible must be brought to justice,” the embassy said.

“We are very much shocked that an innocent Korean businessman became a victim in the heinous crime committed by a group led by police officers under the pretext of performing duties,” it added.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose said Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay met with South Korean Ambassador Kim Jae-Shin.

“I was not privy to what was discussed,” Jose said.

Jose said he did not think ties between the two countries would be hurt by the incident.

“We don’t expect the case to have a diplomatic fallout,” Jose said.

PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa apologized to the South Korean government for letting the murder of Jee

happen under his nose inside Camp Crame.

“I’m very angry. Very offended.

I want to melt in shame. It happened inside Camp Crame. They got him in Caloocan, then brought him inside Camp Crame, and there he was killed. If I can just melt right now because of shame. I’m very ashamed,” Dela Rosa told reporters.

“I’m very sorry that this crime happened with my men involved [in this incident.] If this incident happened in Korea, their customs and traditions dictate that I should kill myself because of shame ... It’s very hard for me, I want to melt because of my men,” he added.

South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se demanded answers after receiving a phone call from Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. to inform him of the murder.

“Minister Yun, expressing grave shock over the implication of Philippine police officers in the case, asked that the Philippine government get to the bottom of the case and bring those responsible to justice,” a foreign ministry spokesman said.

Dela Rosa assured to the South Korean government that he would be give them a proper explanation “in due time.”

“We’re updating the Korean Embassy… We will give the whole explanation after everything is done,” he added.

Dela Rosa cited police reports that the South Korean’s cremated remains were flushed down the toilet.

“The employee of the funeral parlor said that they panicked. I don’t know how true is that, but they allegedly flushed down the ashes of the businessman inside the toilet bowl when policemen visited,” Dela Rosa said.

the President amounts to lawless violence is a question of fact that the President and his legal team must be prepared to answer,” Tambunting said.

“Given this background, pronouncements like these must be made with extreme caution, since beyond expressing what the President is ready to do to solve the drug menace, it may denote a state of affairs which is prejudicial but as of yet non-existent,” Tambunting added.

Rep. Tom Villarin of Akbayan said because the Constitution recognizes only invasion or rebellion as a ground for martial law, Calida “might be referring to a future constitution” when he issued his statements on military rule.

Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles dismissed as “all speculative and hypothetical situations” the threats of martial law.

“The Constitution spells out very clearly the conditions for Martial Law to be declared. And the same Constitution specifies the safeguards given to Congress and the Supreme Court. Does the President know this? Yes of course; he is a lawyer. Does the solicitor general know this? Yes because he is a lawyer,” he said.

“So when the both of them answer speculative questions and hypothetical situations, we must always appreciate that it is in the context of what is written in the Constitution. The President and the Solicitor General and the entire government structure will always follow the Constitution,” he added.

Apprehensive Noelle Cullimore, 54, a mother of two school-age children from Bay Shore, New York, voted for Trump’s Democratic rival Hillary Clinton: “He sounds even less intelligent to me than before―if that is possible.

That whole thing with the election and Russia was so bizarre.

“Frankly, I am even more worried now that he is about to take office. I don’t know what to expect.”

Just set us free Dan Peterson, 55, is a plumber in Hopkins, Minnesota: “I’m not looking for Trump to do anything. I just want him to open up the floodgates of opportunity. I don’t want some bureaucrat to tell me who to hire, how much I have to pay them.

“The only thing I want any president to do is to secure our freedoms…

press freedom, free expression, individuality, the freedom to earn, to work your tail off and to keep as much of what you’ve earned yourself.”

And keep us safe Marina Woolcock, 72, lives in The Villages, a retirement community in northern Florida: “We are looking forward to the first 100 days. We have great hope that this administration will keep the country together. We are in great hope.

“First of all and most important, we are going to be more secure in our country.

I think we are concerned about the new normal we are having, with all these individuals who are being radicalized.”

Terror close to home Denise Galvez, 41, is a CubanAmerican from Miami: “We need a security plan for this country. We can’t allow any more terror attacks

Watchdog...

From A1

Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, Kine said.

“Philippine police have good reason to believe that they can literally get away with murder. Duterte has pledged effective immunity for police who kill in the name of his drug war,” he said. “[Duterte] underscored his own personal contempt for human rights and rule of law on Dec. 12 when he publicly announced that he had personally killed suspected drug users and dealers while mayor of Davao City,” he added.

Since Duterte took office on June 30, his anti-drug campaign has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people. They include 2,250 “suspected drug personalities” killed by police between July 1, 2016, and Jan. 17, 2017. Police have attributed those killings to suspects who “resisted arrest and shot at police officers,” but have not provided evidence that police acted in self-defense. An additional 3,603 alleged drug users and dealers have been killed by “unidentified gunmen” between July 1 and Jan. 9.

“Jee’s killing is notably grotesque even amidst a ‘war on drugs’ that has killed thousands,” Kine said.

“Duterte’s ‘war on drugs’ has widened the gateway for similar abuses.

Until the Philippine government stops the drug war killings and seeks meaningful accountability for its thousands of victims, Jee Ick-joo’s murder may portend a flood of for-profit killings by cops,” he added. like Fort Lauderdale. Each time it strikes closer to our homes, our communities. We need to identify who is attacking us. And they haven’t done that yet because they are so worried about insulting any one group―about political correctness. They have not taken this seriously.

“I know he will be the least popular president in the country’s history―and I understand that. I have never blindly followed him, but I think he deserves a chance and we should support him.”

Bring back jobs James Finch, 78, retired supervisor of Conklin, a small town in upstate New York that has lost jobs and industry, wants the Trump administration to promote employment and natural gas drilling in his area: “I think it’s tremendous what he’s getting done, he’s being fair and looking at all sides and all opinions. AFP

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

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Solon hopes Congress will enact lowering income tax bill

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

HOUSE leader on Thursday expressed hope Congress would enact the proposed measure seeking to lower income taxes for individuals after the Department of Finance gave the go-ahead to the proposal.

Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo said the DoF’s position favorable to his proposal was a welcome development.

“This is truly a cause for celebration. Finally, after years of denial by the DoF of my proposal to do gross taxation, the finance agency has heard our side. I congratulate Secretary Dominguez’s leadership of DoF. If not for him, our long rejected proposal to reduce and simplify our tax brackets and rates would not have seen the light of day,” Quimbo, a House deputy speaker, said.

At a congressional hearing Wednesday, the DoF presented before the House committee on ways and means its tax reform package, which restructures the tax rates and exempts individuals earning a gross income of P250,000 and below.

Once enacted, the proposal shall exempt workers earning P250,000 and below for the years 2018 and 2019 from paying personal income taxes.

“Though I strongly believe that my original proposal to exempt from taxes those earning P300,000 is more just and equitable, the DoF’s concession of P250,000 is already a great victory for tax reform advocates. What we have long fought for has been finally acknowledged,” Quimbo said.

Quimbo said the fight for income tax reform had been an uphill battle for the past three

years.

But the DoF’s change of heart was indeed an initial victory for the Filipino people, he added.

Quimbo said the tax reform could be done in phases so as not to severely affect the country’s fiscal health, and not to protract the much-needed inflation-adjustment of individual income tax.

He said the last phase of his proposal pushed for restructuring of tax rates and gross income taxation with an exemption of P300,000 gross income.

He said his proposal was similar to the measure presented by the DoF during the meeting Wednesday of the House committee on ways and means.

In the current system of individual income taxation, only those who are earning the statutory minimum wage are exempted by virtue of Republic Act 9504, Quimbo added.

“In the existing system, 6.2-million Filipino workers mostly carry the burden of paying the individual income tax collection of BIR. They represent only 16 percent of all wage and salary workers, and essentially serve as the milking cow of the BIR. With the headway in the income tax reform, we are a step close to ensuring that our Filipino workers are able to live decently, and sufficiently provide for their families,” Quimbo added.

Mindanao reels under flooding

By Lance Baconguis CAGAYAN de Oro City—Mindanao, previously described as the country’s “land of promise,” continues to experience heavy flooding caused by the Tail end of the Cold Front.

This city’s City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office has raised the alert to Code Yellow, with residents now in heightened alert, and resources are being mobilized for deployment.

In Bukidnon, Provincial Information Office staff Fredelyn Ragandang reported heavy flooding in eight barangays of Valencia City.

Ragandang posted in her FB account flooding in barangays Lumbo, Maapag, Catumbalon, San Isidro, and Poblacion.

The Department of Education-Bukidnon division has suspended classes in Impagsugong, Cabanglasan, Quezon, San Fernando and Pangantucan.

DepEd Region 10 director Allan Parnazo, in a text message, reported “localized suspension, except for Misamis Oriental.”

“What I mean is that all [levels in] Misamis Oriental have no classes,” Parnazo added.

Bukidnon Provincial Information Officer Hansell Echavez said reports of flooding were reported though they were still collating reports.

In Lanao del Sur, an emergency meeting was held last night to address affected areas of floods and landslides in Marawi City and some municipalities in Lanao del Sur.

Solon wants Facebook penalized for fake news

By Macon Araneta SEEKING to stop the alarming spread of misinformation online, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan wants to penalize Facebook for fake news items it allows to be propagated on its pages.

He also asked the Senate to conduct an inquiry on the proliferation of misinformation and fake news sites on social media platforms, particularly on Facebook.

He filed Senate Resolution 271 which seeks to direct the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation on the proliferation of misinformation and fake news sites in social

media platforms and to possibly amend the 2012 Cybercrime Law and other laws, in accordance with respect for freedom of speech and of the press.

Pangilinan said his resolution was inspired by German legislators who announced their intention to penalize Facebook for every post not properly moderated within 24 hours.

The new Liberal Party president noted the propagation of fake news stories had become an effective weapon of several political operatives to influence public opinion and national discourse.

As a result, he said, the level and quality of public discourse have suffered.

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A4

Opinion

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Up close with businessmen

M

EETING up close with the country’s businessmen will always be productive for any leader of a nation. Such an assembly also clears up the business community’s seemingly negative perceptions about President Rodrigo Duterte, whose foul mouth has overshadowed his sincerity to govern the Philippines.

The dinner hosted

by Mr. Duterte for the country’s top businessmen in Malacañang Tuesday night clearly is a step forward in getting the cooperation of

business leaders in furthering the economic and social agenda of the government. Inadequate infrastructure, widespread poverty, peace and order prob-

lems and unemployment are among the critical issues that the government must address.

Every government desires to solve these decades-old problems and it needs the commitment and the resolve of the private sector in providing solutions to the economic malaise.

Tuesday’s dialogue highlighted Mr. Duterte’s concern to develop the poorest areas in the Philippines, especially in Mindanao,

his home before he was elected to the highest post in the land. Mr. Duterte has often complained of Imperial Manila and the subsequent neglect of Mindanao.

He is right and the country’s top businessmen apparently heard him.

The Metro Pacific Group, in response, committed to pour investments in Mindanao as a part of its commitment to help the Duterte administration. PLDT Group head Manuel

Pangilinan bared his conglomerate’s plan to roll out telecommunications services and build hospitals in Mindanao, as well as establish a coconut oil mill in Sulu. San Miguel Corp. president Ramon Ang earlier disclosed plans to invest in a cement plant in Davao City and build more power stations in Mindanao.

Forging a closer relationship with businessmen, and not alienating them, will produce positive results and ease

the government’s job.

Mr. Duterte, meanwhile, should listen to the concerns of businessmen. The ease of doing business in the Philippines, for one, has still room for improvement to make the country more investor-friendly and competitive with Asian neighbors. Lines of communications with businessmen and foreign investors should be open if the government wants to meet its economic objectives.

PENSEES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO

Why the Church teaches about hell

ized and rendered irrelevant also helps ensure a quieter, more productive term for him overall.

Of course, you could say that Duterte’s speeches are very much like Trump’s tweets and that both would benefit from shutting up for longer periods of time. But that’s about the only other thing they have in common and it’s not nearly as noteworthy or damaging – they are both old men little inclined to censor themselves, after all.

I think the Philippines got a better deal with Duterte than the US had when it elected Trump, though. And I’m giving Duterte a better chance of completing his six-year term than Trump has of surviving all four years of his. *** Until the Philippine National Police rids itself of the criminals among its own ranks, it will never be able to successfully fight crime. Progress has been made in the fight against criminality, certainly, but Director General

LATELY, Catholic teaching on hell has been under hellfire from those who think it just one more indication of the obsolescence of religion.

Complains one complainer: Religion terrifies into submission. It makes cowards of us all. Does it? The Church did not invent hell. The concept of eternal damnation is found in Sacred Scriptures, as it is found in most other religions. Even in Buddhism there is a concept of perpetual meaninglessness —and that is hell enough for anyone with any good sense to give some thought to what a good life should be! Many Catholics hesitate bringing up the subject of hell, and many priests consign it to a chapter in the mandatory subject on “Eschatology”—de novissimis, the “last things.”

Nikolai Berdyaev, a wellknown Russian religious philosopher, rejected the very thought of hell saying that it was the unthinkable possibility of the failure of God’s saving love. But it is precisely for that reason that I think it a very ennobling concept in fact, one that affirms in all seriousness human freedom and the capacity we have for decisions that have lasting worth and validity. To insist on the possibility of hell is to assert that human freedom has a transcendental reach, and that even God’s love, his will to save, cannot make a mockery or an illusion of human self-determination.

That, after all, is true love: It affirms the other and therefore makes itself vulnerable insofar as it courts its own rejection.

One who truly loves is open to the possibility that one will be spurned. One who seeks to exclude all possibility of rejection is domineering if not tyrannical. In that there can be no love.

The theological idea of hell —not the apocalyptic imagery and its imaginative renditions —is what I steadfastly affirm.

And I do so in the name of what is most precious to the human person: self-definition.

In Ricoeur’s terms, human dignity is, in its very depths, the capacity of a person to write his own narrative, and stories

Turn to A5

Turn to A5

Trump and Duterte LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES IS TRUMP to America what Duterte is to the Philippines?

They may appear to be a lot alike on the surface, but they are really as different as night and day below it.

Donald J. Trump pulled off an upset victory that the mainstream pundits failed to predict.

His election victory was the direct result of a popular, grassroots-based backlash against the political establishment.

The only real similarity between Trump and President Rodrigo Duterte is the anti-establishment voter uprising that swept them both to power. Beyond that, the two men are as different in background, style and substance as two leaders can be.

By far the biggest difference between Trump and Duterte is

the broad support enjoyed by the Filipino leader. Unlike Duterte, Trump enters the Oval Office without the support of the majority of his countrymen, many of whom are still bitterly divided about their president long after the election.

Of course, the US political and media establishment that cannot accept a Trump victory is very similar to the Filipino elites who still cannot wrap their heads around Duterte’s election more than half a year after he was chosen by the people. But the local guardians of the establishment and the status quo understand that they will never be able to rally the majority of the population against Duterte, should they decide to somehow remove him from office.

In background, the two presidents can’t really be compared.

Trump grew up in a pampered environment as the son of a rich New York landlord; he became even richer than his father after he ventured into the same real es-

tate business and later became a celebrity in his own right as the host of a popular reality-TV show.

Duterte’s roots are much humbler, even by Philippine stand-

The biggest difference between Trump and Duterte is the broad support enjoyed by the Filipino leader. ards. He was raised in a political family and served in government, first as a prosecutor, then as a provincial mayor before finally making it all the way to the

presidency.

Duterte considers public service his career and life’s work.

I don’t think Duterte can even conceive of life outside of politics and government.

Trump merely went into politics after making his mark in business and as a TV star, probably because it was something that would relieve him of his boredom. There seems to be no other purpose to his running for president other than to feed his huge ego.

The other main difference between the two presidents is prospective. Trump appears to be headed for constant conflict with everyone from Congress, the bureaucracy, his own intelligence agencies and almost everyone else outside of government during his four-year term.

Duterte can expect even better days ahead as long as he delivers on his promises of eradicating the illegal drug trade, crime and corruption in government.

The fact that Duterte’s political opponents have been marginal-

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Opinion

NO, THIS piece isn’t about rescuing soldiers who are missing in action.

It’s about an initiative launched yesterday by the estimable lawyer Larry Gadon to scrap the current name of our premier port of entry, Ninoy Aquino International Airport, and restore its previous name, Manila International Airport.

Last year, Larry ran as the lone Senate candidate of the Marcos-era Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL), carrying a message that was, predictably, fiercely anti-Aquino. Despite a shoestring campaign budget in the low six figures, he made the top 24, garnering a totally unexpected 2 million votes.

Evidently, the rest of the country was not as yellow as we in Manila had been made to believe. *** Since that time, Larry has acquired a burr in his seat about the NAIA name. He points out that the late Tita Cory rushed the renaming of the airport even before the prescribed 10-year period following her husband’s death.

The facts of Ninoy’s death are well-known (save for the identity of its mastermind, still unaccountably a mystery after not just one, but two Aquino presi d e n c i e s).

But the facts of his life are murkier, before he was thrown into prison in 1972.

Specifically, says Larry, three “malfeasances” must still be accounted for: One, his expose of the socalled Jabidah massacre in 1967, which reportedly infuriated Marcos because it sabotaged his covert operation to reclaim Philippine territory.

Two, his participation in the reestablishment of the local communist party (in December 1968) and the NPA (in March 1969), both of which he hosted somewhere in the vast cane fields of Hacienda Luisita.

Three, his mysterious and very lucky absence from the bombing of the LP proclamation rally in Plaza Miranda in August 1971, despite being the party’s secretary general and front-runner candidate. *** Personally, I’m willing to make a distinction between the pre-martial law Ninoy—a glib and cocky traditional politician whom many people say could have outdone Marcos as president on both the laudable and execrable sides of the ledger—and the post-imprisonment Ninoy, still ambitious but thoroughly chastened by his years behind bars.

Over a long-enough period of time, those troublesome incidents involving “Ninoy 1” may well be cleared up in his favor. Jabidah is receding from memory amid the glow of Malaysia’s activism in brokering the Mindanao peace process. So too might be forgiven Ninoy’s treasonous flirtations with an incipient insurrection, as and if another peace process achieves closure with the now-aging leaders of that insurrection.

Even the Plaza Miranda bombing has long been in the process of being swept under the rug, especially now that its chief victim and inquisitor, the

late Senator Jovy Salonga, has passed away. For all we know, witnesses may step forward to certify that Ninoy actually overslept that day, or that his car broke down on the way to the rally, or who knows what else might have happened.

But until the passage of that requisite long enough period of time, the martyrdom of the good Ninoy 2—a narrative assiduously cultivated by his water-bearers—remains compromised by the darker accounts about Ninoy 1. There is not yet the full disclosure of facts that unambiguously allows us today to honor genuine national heroes from an earlier era. *** Regardless of speculations about what might have been or might yet be, there is another and more practical reason to considering restoring our gateway airport to its old name of MIA. In the end, it may boil down simply to the need to rebrand the product.

NAIA reached the nadir of its reputation when it was voted the world’s worst airport, under the administration of Ninoy’s namesake son (which may or may not be coincidental). Air-conditioning that broke down, unusable toilets, roofs that leaked or actually collapsed, and of course the ultimate scandal of laglag- bala—all of these indignities happened on the watch of an airport general manager protected by his previous role as PNoy’s bodyguard.

These problems are now being addressed under the new president, but the stink of the past remains.

In situations like this, rebranding, or repackaging, is a time-honored business solution. Examples abound, but the one I best remember is the renaming of the world’s largest oil company, Esso (short for “Standard Oil”), to “Exxon,” a name literally assembled from scratch.

As Larry’s petition puts it, “the name Manila International Airport is a proud and storied one. It is recognizable worldwide, redolent of history and fragrant with promise for the future…Let us restore the legacy of such a name, enhance our reputation abroad, and promote greater unity here at home.”

I think that most airports around the world simply take the name of their locations, as a practical expedient. In our case, if we push ahead with suggestions for multiple airports around Greater Manila, “MIA” would take its place alongside Clark International Airport to the north and, say, a Sangley or a Batangas International Airport to the south.

The Clark airport itself used to be named after Diosdado Macapagal, who at least was a certified former president and died more than 10 years before the naming. Since it was PNoy who renamed it as Clark, I don’t expect to hear objections from him to a similar renaming of the Manila airport, away from someone who by comparison was just an ex-future president.

These problems are now being addressed under the new president, but the stink of the past remains.

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com

A5

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Papal prayer

FORMATION GARY OLIVAR

Bring back MIA

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO POPE Francis prayed for the Philippines and said he would also pray for President Rodrigo Duterte. This he did after receiving a letter from the Philippine President who expressed his high esteem and respect for the Pontiff.

Recall that Duterte vented his ire on the Pope and cursed him during the papal visit in January 2015. Duterte fumed at the Pope for causing him to be stuck in traffic; millions of Filipinos lined the route of the Pope’s motorcade leading to the Quirino Grandstand where he celebrated Mass.

But what’s the Pope to do but forgive Duterte who’s known for his bluster and expletives? Not to do so would make the Pope look bad and unforgiving. Perhaps there’s still hope for Duterte to mend his ways and change his tone of language in his public statements.

The President’s letter was delivered by Peace Process Adviser Jesus Dureza and Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay who were in Rome for the third round of the GRP-National Democratic

Front peace talks. Although he sent Pope Francis a conciliatory letter for his profane outburst, Duterte, true to form, lashed out again at Catholic priests for their “hypocrisy” in criticizing the alleged extrajudicial killing of drug suspects. He said some of these priests who have wives on the side do not realize the extent of the drug menace in the country.

The Duterte administration’s war on drugs was again the subject of a recent US Senate committee hearing on the extrajudicial killings of drug suspects.

Duterte’s war, since it started six months ago, has since claimed 6,000 lives. But the bigger attention now of this widespread anti-drug campaign has been the recent kidnap and killing of a South Korean businessman.

The Senate committee on public order and dangerous drugs headed by Senator Richard Gordon has initiated an inquiry on how some policemen are using the anti-drug campaign as a ploy to arrest and extort money not only from suspects but also from innocent people.

The National Bureau of Investigation revealed businessman Jee Ick Joo was killed on the same day he was snatched in Angeles, Pampanga. His wife had paid the kidnappers P5 million not knowing her husband was already dead and cremated

in a La Loma, Quezon City mortuary. Yet, the kidnappers were still demanding an extra P4.5 million for his release. Fearing for her husband’s safety and because she did not get proof of life, the wife reported the kidnappers’ demand to the NBI. Through dogged sleuthing, the bureau was able to trace the suspects’ identities.

The kidnap-slay of the Korean trader aroused national condemnation as he was a legitimate businessman not involved in the illegal drug trade. His wife, in fact, said he wanted to stay permanently in the Philippines where he planned to put up a foundation to help poor people.

The heinous crime against the Korean businessman comes at a time when 87 candidates are in the country for the Miss Universe beauty pageant. The Association of Southeast Nations summit of leaders is also scheduled right after the Miss U event.

With the presence of the international press in Manila, the Jee Ick Joo kidnap-murder is sure to get worldwide media coverage.

So much for the positive spin expected to be generated by the two big events hosted by the country.

Will Digong be as merciless in dealing with these policemen who have given his war on drugs a black eye? In a warning to leg-

islators, mayors and policemen, he told them to repent, resign or die! Early in his presidency, Duterte released the names of four police generals allegedly involved in coddling drug lords.

But after doing so, these ranking police officials have yet to be charged and tried.

While Duterte is trying to negotiate a peace settlement with the NDF-New People’s Army, he raises the specter of the terrorist group Islamic State threat in Mindanao as a reason for declaring martial law. Then, why not harness the full force of the military and police forces to crush both the decades old communist insurgency and the Muslim separatist movement?

Going back to the time of former President Cory Aquino, the government tried talking to both the leaders of the communists group and the Muslim rebels.

Alas, negotiations have broken down and the insurgency continues on two fronts in Mindanao and Luzon.

With NDF leaders Joma Sison and Luis Jalandoni growing old, perhaps the Utrecht-based communist group might finally reach a peace agreement with the government for lack of new leaders to continue their effort to end the communist movement in the Philippines, one of the oldest in the world.

Martial law, Duterte, the rich VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ THE Palace took the unusual step of presenting Solicitor General Jose Calida to the Malacañang Press Corps yesterday. Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella enumerated his credentials: Ateneo Law, former justice undersecretary, 100 percent bar grade in criminal law.

Calida did not really have any news to announce. He discussed the possibility of President Duterte declaring martial law. (Only in “extreme cases”). “What if they will bomb Malacañang?

Put bomb(s) in our malls. The drug lords will hire assassins to kill him. Some parties might be (in) cahoots in (this) plot.”

Obviously, the Palace has studied all the scenarios. Calida was asked: what if the Supreme Court ruled against martial law, will Duterte comply? Calida, like all officers of the court, should have said yes. He said instead “we will study.”

The SolGen told the press corps: “Just like what Cory [Aquino] did. They did what was outside the Constitution.” Now, that’s disturbing. Cory declared martial law and became a dictator (she signed decrees) for a year until the 1986 Constitution was ratified.

Meanwhile, by some serendipity, President invited 15 businessmen to a private dinner at Malacañang Tuesday, Jan. 17.

Their combined wealth easily exceeds $30 billion. The same day, Oxfam published a 38-page report “An Economy for the 99 percent”, a stinging rebuke of the world’s richest and how they acquire wealth. Oxfam said this year only eight men “own the

Trump...

From A4 Bato dela Rosa will still fail if his own men continue to engage in criminal activity, like those who abducted and killed a South Korean national in Pampanga last October.

It’s embarrassing for Dela Rosa to admit, like he did

Why...

From A4 need not have happy endings.

In fact, it is when all stories predictably end on a happy tune that one is alerted to a made-up universe, and not to the world we inhabit where failure is as real a possibility as its success, and meaninglessness is no mere logical negation of the meaningful.

same wealth as the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of humanity.”

In 2015, the same eight also owned 50 percent of the world’s wealth. In fact, over the years, the share of the world’s richest never fell below 46 percent. Per Oxfam: Since 2015, the richest one percent has owned more wealth than the rest of the planet.

Over the next 20 years, 500 people will hand over $2.1 trillion to their heirs—a sum larger than the GDP of India, a country of 1.3 billion people.

The incomes of the poorest 10 percent of people increased by less than $3 a year between 1988 and 2011, while the incomes of the richest one percent increased 182 times as much.

A CEO earns as much in a year as 10,000 people in working in garment factories in Bangladesh.

In the US, over the last 30 years the growth in the incomes of the bottom 50 percent has been zero, whereas incomes of the top one percent have grown 300 percent.

In Vietnam, the country’s richest man earns more in a day than the poorest person earns in 10 years.

At the dinner with the President were: Alfred Ty, GT Capital Holdings Corp. co-vice chairman; Manny Pangilinan, First Pacific managing director and CEO; Federico Lopez, First Philippine Holdings Corp. chairman and CEO; Doris Magsaysay Ho, Magsaysay Corp. president and CEO; Michael Tan, LT Group president and COO; George Barcelon, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) president; Kevin Tan, Megaworld Corp. first vice president; Hans Sy, SM Prime Holdings chairman of the Executive Committee;

Enrique Razon, International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) chairman, Cong. Arthur Yap, Bohol 3rd District Representative; Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo; Presidential Adviser Joey Concepcion; Tomas Alcantara, Alsons Group chairman; Erramon Aboitiz, Aboitiz Equity Ventures president and CEO; Alice Eduardo, Sta. Elena Construction and Development Corp. president and CEO; Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Ayala Corp. chairman and CEO; Tony Tan Caktiong, Jollibee Foods Corp. chairman and CEO; Edgar “Injap” Sia, DoubleDragon Properties Corp. chairman and CEO; and Domingo Yap, Federation of Filipino-Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. (FFCCCII) vice president.

Duterte asked the tycoons for help in pushing small business entrepreneurship, inclusive growth, anti-drugs campaign, and federalism which Joey Concepcion said they all supported.

It is obvious Duterte is establishing rapport with the country’s top tycoons, rallying them behind his program of government. The administration has a package of tax reforms which if approved by Congress would force businessmen to pay ten to 20 times the taxes they currently pay. Their luxury cars will be taxed 60 percent, for instance.

So a BMW that retails for P5 million will be P8 million. The diesel than runs those cars will be slapped a P10 per liter tax (from zero at present to 30 percent). The highest individual income tax rate will remain at 35 percent. Duterte brings the “killer” or fear factor behind those tax proposals—meaning if the businessmen don’t behave or help, the President has the power

of life and death over their businesses. Remember: Duterte is planning martial law whether the Supreme Court agrees or not.

According to Oxfam, big business and the super-rich are fueling the inequality crisis by dodging taxes, driving down wages and using their power to influence politics. It calls for a fundamental change in the way we manage our economies so that they work for all people, and not just a fortunate few.

The richest are accumulating wealth at such an astonishing rate that the world could see its first trillionaire in just 25 years.

This means a dollar trillionaire would need to spend $1 million every day for 2,738 years to spend $1 trillion.

Yet, 10 percent of seven billion people survive on just $2 a day; They are angry, of course. Inequality was cited by Oxfam as a significant factor in the election of Donald Trump in the US, the election of President Duterte in the Philippines, and Brexit in the UK. Contrary to popular belief, most of the very wealthy are not self-made. “Half the world’s billionaires either inherited their wealth or accumulated it through industries which are prone to corruption and cronyism,” sneers Oxfam. These ultra rich don’t deserve their riches, their wealth having been just been either inherited or stolen at the expense of the people.

Corporate tax dodging costs poor countries at least $100 billion every year, reports Oxfam.

This is enough money to provide an education for the 124 million children who aren’t in school and fund healthcare interventions that could prevent the deaths of at least six million children every year.

yesterday, that two of his own men, aided by some retired cops, were behind what is now called a case of “tokhang for ransom.”

Worse, these police scalawags had the gumption to kill their victim right inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame, after his family had already paid a P5-million ransom.

As in the war on illegal drugs, the people are discovering that

many cops are routinely engaged in criminal activity like kidnapping for ransom. In certain cases, like in the kidnapping and killing of the Korean businessman Jee Ick-joo, they don’t even bother to subcontract the commission of a crime to lawless “assets” under their protection and supervision, but perform the criminal activity themselves.

I don’t know how Dela Rosa

intends to put an end to the practice of policemen using their guns and badges merely as aids to allow them to commit lucrative crimes. There is no wholesale removal of policemen suspected of criminal activity and strict screening of new recruits to the police force; only cosmetic changes seems to have been made so far, despite Bato’s best efforts.

Quite significantly, in the Christian faith, heaven and hell have very little to do with making up for the wealth I never had on earth, nor getting compensated for all the misery I may have suffered, and definitely not getting even with one’s foes. It has to do with feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, walking with the lonely, binding wounds and lightening others’ burdens. Seen this

way, hell is the bitter fruit, the awful harvest of arrant selfishness and merciless self-seeking.

But this does not contradict the teaching on the readiness of God to forgive? God’s forgiveness is infinite as is his mercy, but it cannot be so as to make of human freedom an illusion.

God wants us free, because he desires our free response to him. And so we must be free even for that ultimate, frightful

possibility—the freedom to reject his summons to love.

Ultimately, it has very little to do with Pascal’s wagering, and everything to do with taking human freedom and human decisions with utmost seriousness!

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News

A6

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘De Lima using Senate powers’

By John Paolo Bencito

S

ENATOR Leila de Lima is using her position to suppress the ongoing investigation on her alleged involvement in drug trafficking inside the National Bilibid Prison, Solicitor-General Jose Calida said Thursday.

Reiterating his description of De Lima as “Public Enemy No. 1,” Calida pointed out that the senator has not explained why narcotics trafficking flourished at the national penitentiary during

her watch as former President Benigno Aquino III’s justice secretary.

“She was a secretary of justice. It is her duty to stop the proliferation of drugs and she al-

lowed the proliferation of drugs on her own turf, the National Penitentiary, and because of that, the ripple effect in the country,” he told reporters in a chance interview on Thursday.

A reliable source in the Bureau of Immigration also complained that De Lima, along with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and former Senate President Franklin Drilon, are also using their legislative power of investigation to hit Duterte at the expense of ordinary government workers.

“Those three senators want a

probe into the Fontana bribery case so they will have another circus to hit the President,” the source said.

The source said they believe that the three senators want to pit Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente against his boss Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre so they can attack Duterte.

“By doing so, De Lima can paint Aguirre as a vindictive political plotter and weaken the government’s cases against her while Trillanes can gain publicity mileage. Drilon, on the other hand, can

name whoever he wants in the bureau,” the source said.

Calida confirmed that that may be the strategy of De Lima who is also using her fellow senators for her ends.

“Now isn’t that the work of a Public Enemy No. 1? She’s a senator. She is using her power to suppress investigation. She does not want to be investigated.

What kind of a public official is that?” Calida added.

Calida likewise stressed that the so-called “test case” filed

by De Lima against Duterte

IN BRIEF

BI: 45,000 passengers barred from departing

BoC seizes illegal rice

By Vito Barcelo MORE than 45,000 passengers were barred by the Bureau of Immigration from leaving the country last year who were suspected to be “tourist workers” and victims of human trafficking syndicate, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said.

BI records revealed that of the 111,947 passengers who were referred for secondary inspection, around 66,631 were allowed to leave the Ninoy Aquino International Airport while 45,316 passengers were offloaded.

Morente said that at least 667 were suspected to be human trafficking victims while 601 others were victims of illegal recruiters who were immediately turned over to the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) for investigation.

During Morente’s watch from July 1 to the first week of October alone, a total of 15,408 passengers were offloaded at the NAIA terminals and the five other international airports and seaports nationwide, particularly Mactan, Clark, Iloilo, Kalibo, Davao, and Zamboanga.

Morente vowed that there will be no letup in its drive against human trafficking this year, and advised Filipino travelers to comply with the government’s requirements for departing Filipino tourists under the “Inter-Agency Council against Trafficking Revised Guidelines on Departure Formalities for International bound Passengers” (DOJ Memorandum Circular No. 36).

Morente said immigration officers at the NAIA and other ports will remain vigilant in screening departing Filipino travelers to make sure that they do not fall prey to human traffickers and illegal recruiters.

BEAUTIES IN THE BAY. Miss Universe candidates wave to photographers on board the M/V Happy Life that brought them to the Pico de Loro Resort in Nasugbu, Batangas on Thursday. PNA

THE Bureau of Customs seized some P15.4 million worth illegally imported rice from Thailand at the Port of San Fernando, La Union.

The illegal importation was discovered after the Importer Progressive Grains and Milling Corp. released more than the declared quantity of imported rice it filed at the BoC. “The company paid P46,064,232 worth of duties and other charges for the imported rice but more than 144,000 sacks have been released from the port, more than the 600 metric tons it declared,” acting Chief Port Operations Officer Jose Guillermo said.

He said that upon verification, it was found that 603.15 MT rice were released outside the declared quantity, and that there is no import permit for the excess shipment.

The BoC has seized 12,000 sacks and has transferred them to the National Food Authority warehouse in San Juan, La Union for safekeeping pending investigation.

Vito Barcelo

Tacloban to enjoy govt loan program TACLOBAN CITY—An affordable loan program will be launched in this city next week being one of the three pilot areas in the abolition of the so-called “5-6” money lending scheme popularized by Indian nationals in the country.

The new program is tentatively scheduled for launching at the city public market here on Jan. 25. Arrangements are being made for President Rodrigo Duterte to lead the launching, said Department of Trade and Industry Regional Director Cynthia Nierras.

President Duterte, who ordered for a crackdown of loan sharks last

week, is set to visit post-Yolanda housing projects in the northern part of the city on Jan. 25.

The city government provided a space at the public market for the office of Small Business Corporation, the DTI’s financing arm.

The office will be manned by three staff, with two of them tasked to collect payment around the market on a daily basis.

“Tacloban is a pilot area for the Visayas because our market vendors are most in need of this kind of assistance due to reeling impacts of Super Typhoon Yolanda,” Nierras said.

Other pilot areas are San

Jose, Occidental Mindoro for Luzon and Alabel, Sarangani for Mindanao.

The 2017 General Appropriations Act has included an initial funding of P1 billion for financial assistance, a part of the planned P19-billion financing initiative for micro and small businesses in the next five years.

The program’s fund will be lent out in the business centers in selected provinces, where the participating microfinance institutions and the SBC can operate.

The government earlier identified 30 poorest provinces in the country as priority areas for the

micro-financing program, which include Leyte, Samar, eastern Samar, and northern Samar.

Priority beneficiaries include microenterprises and entrepreneurs that do not have easy access to credit, or are accessing credit at very high cost, such as, microentrepreneurs, market vendors, agri-businessmen and members of cooperatives, industry associations and co-operators.

Loanable amount per endborrower can range from P5,000 for start-ups to P300,000, with maximum interest rate of 26 percent every year with no collateral requirement. PNA

JV: No more excuses for public works delay

By Macon Ramos-Araneta Aquino filed two resolutions THE Department of Public Works and Highways no longer has any reason to delay the construction of flood control projects or rehabilitation of urban drainages nationwide after receiving the lion’s share, worth P454.721 billion, in the 2017 budget, Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito said.

Ejercito issued this reminder to DPWH to quickly act after flash floods inundated Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental on Monday, leaving thousands stranded.

“We supported DPWH to get 13.5 percent of the 2017 national budget in order to fund the government’s most ambitious infrastructure program. Now, it is time for DPWH to fulfill this task and get down to work,” the senator said as vice chairperson of the Senate Committee on Public Works.

Ejercito lamented that many areas in Mindanao, particularly Cagayan de Oro remains vulnerable from flashfloods six years after Typhoon “Sendong” hit the city in 2011.

“We don’t want a repeat of Sendong in CDO or anywhere around the country. As early as now, DPWH should prioritize these projects to avert future disasters,” he said.

Meanwhile, Senator Bam

with the Supreme Court will not prosper.

“There’s another interesting case concerning Public Enemy No. 1. I’m referring to Senator Leila de Lima versus Rodrigo Roa Duterte in the case for the issuance of a writ of habeas data.

Again, I cannot yet argue the merits because this is still sub judice,” the government’s top lawyer said.

“The problem with Senator De Lima is that there is an impregnable wall. The President has absolute immunity during his term. He cannot be sued,” he added.

seeking to determine the status of relief and rehabilitation of schools destroyed by Typhoon “Nina” in Regions IV-A, IV-B and V and post-disaster recovery in the Lawin-ravaged Cagayan province.

In Senate Resolution No. 266, Aquino said 1,046 schools sustained infrastructure damage, 1,548 totally destroyed classrooms and 3,797 partially major damaged classrooms in Regions IV-A, IV-B and V. “Thousands were affected due to the change in the schedule of classes caused by the devastation of the typhoon,” Aquino said, adding that the disruption in classes will last for six months as estimated by the Department of Education.

In addition, 63,232 units of school furniture, 386,689 learning resources and computers in 384 schools were destroyed by the typhoon, which wreaked havoc on Christmas Day. “Preparedness and long-term solutions are needed to mitigate the effects of typhoons and natural hazards to students and learners,” said Aquino, who also backed the DepEd’s call for the restoration of the P650-million Quick Response Fund.

LUNAR NEW YEAR CAKES. Customers queue for varieties of sweet rice cakes in Chinatown’s Ongpin Street in Manila a week before the Chinese New Year celebrations. Ey Acasio

Teachers get hardship pay TEACHERS assigned to multigrade classes, mobile teachers, and Alternative Learning System (ALS) coordinators are set to receive their P977.4-million special hardship allowances for the last year, the Education Department said Thursday.

Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones approved the issuance of Sub-Allotment to Regions/ Operating Units (Sub-ARO) for the downloading of additional SHA fund to cover the deficiencies in the initial release for fiscal year (FY) 2016 to the Regional Offices.

The incoming SHA will covers a total of 14,896 recipient schools (for Teachers Assigned in Hardship Posts and Multigrade Classes) and 2,395 recipient school districts and community learning centers (CLCs) (for Mobile and ALS Teachers).

The department requested the SHA, amounting to P977,405,080, from the Department of Budget and Management on Nov. 8, 2016 to cover the deficiency in compensation to teachers exposed to hardship or difficulty in the place of work, computed based on the guidelines in the DBM National Budget Circular No. 514, series of 2007. John Paolo Bencito

Iglesia launches evangelization plan for 2017 THE Iglesia Ni Cristo, headed by Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, recently launched its annual theme which the church said will guide the programs and activities it is set to implement for the entire year.

“We chose and agreed on the guiding principle Onwards to Further Victories in the Works of the Church. The realization of all our goals for 2017 is placed on the able hands of Brother Eduardo through the continuous launching

and implementation of many programs lined up for the year,” said INC General Auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr. Santos added that before 2016 ended, the INC commemorated the birthday of its late Executive Minister Brother Eraño G. Manalo through the holding and celebration of a Lingap sa Mamamayan activity at the Muslim Compound in Barangay Culiat, Tandang Sora, Quezon City last Dec. 23, 2016.

The Lingap sa Mamamayan is

one of the leading public service programs of the INC. It has been a tradition to hold it regularly during the natal day of Brother Eraño G. Manalo even when he was alive.

“The initiatives and the path laid down by Brother Eraño are being continued and expanded by Brother Eduardo V. Manalo. As proof, the INC continues its phenomenal growth in the United States, Russia, South Korea, Brazil, Japan and in many countries in Africa. Simultaneous with the expansion in these

places is the holding of Lingap activities in different continents. We do not chose who to help. We give care and importance to everyone, irrespective of race or religion,” Santos emphasized.

According to the INC, 16 countries have been reached by vigorous efforts to spread the faith in Africa alone. Various Lingap programs were held in South Africa, Kenya and Lesotho. Reception has been encouragingly warm and thousands have attended.

Sports

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Velez, Madis head PPS Bukidnon chase

Blackwater Elite point guard Roi Sumang (12) glides to the hoop past Barangay Ginebra defender Japeth Aguilar (25). Blackwater and Ginebra clash in the main game of the Philippine Basketball Association at the Cuneta Astrodome tonight.

PATRICIA Velez and Jazzelle Madis brace for a showdown in the premier girls’ side as they lead a strong field clashing in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Dangcagan leg regional age group tennis tournament at the Dangcagan beginning today, Friday, Jan. 20 in Bukidnon.

Organizers have tapped three venues in Dangcagan, Kitatao and Kibawe to accommodate the big number of entries vying for top honors and ranking points in the Group 4 tournament kicking off the 58-leg circuit sponsored

by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

The top seeded Velez, Davao’s leading player, and No. 2 Madis, a rising star from M’lang, hope to live up the hype but both face a crack roster of challengers in the 18-and-under class, including Ma. Angelica Novis and Ilamae Manglungsod.

Madis also gains the top seeding in the 16-U division, which also features Novis, Ivy Poliquit and Cate Pon with Novis and Poliquit heading the 14-U cast along with siblings Andrea and Angela Buyante

and a host of unheralded players raring to steal the thunder from the big guns in the tournament backed by new sponsor Asiatraders Corp.

“This is going to be an interesting start to our year-long circuit and we expect some surprises in both sides with so many new faces out to prove their worth,” said Palawan Pawnshop CEO/president Bobby Castro.

Heading the boys’ 18-U category are Yvu Dandasan, Ivan Malinis, John Linsagan and Mark Poliquit, while John David Velez and Linsagan are the players to beat in the 16-U side, which also includes Basser Ali, Jed Durog, Vince Dandasan and Cyrill Robeniol.

Meanwhile, Malaybalay will host the next stop on Jan. 27-30, before Butuan City and Cagayan De Oro take their turn on Feb. 2-6 and Feb 9-13, respectively, according to tournament organizer Bobby Mangunay, also the PPS-PEPP sports program development director. For details, call 0915-4046464.

For complete schedule, visit www. palawanpawnshoptennis.com.

Barangay Ginebra battles Blackwater

By Jeric Lopez

T

WO more games with big implications in the race to the quarterfinals are set to take place in the resumption of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup. The Blackwater Elite (54) and Barangay Ginebra San Miguel (4-4), teams in the middle of the pack, try to avoid possible elimination and enhance

their chances of securing a berth in the quarterfinals when they battle at 7 p.m.

In the opening game Rain or Shine (5-3) aims to retake sole

possession of second place as it plunges to action against cellardweller Meralco (2-7), which is fighting for survival, at 4:15 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City today.

Only the top eight teams after the elimination round will go on to the playoff while four others at the bottom are set to have an early vacation.

The top two teams will have a twice-to-beat incentive against the lower ranked teams while the middle teams will play a best-of-

three series in the next phase.

The Elasto Painters are hoping they can finish in the top two and a win today will push them back to solo second.

They are currently tied with GlobalPort (5-3) for second and third.

Rain or Shine is looking to bounce back against the Bolts from its 101-107 defeat at the hands of pace-setting San Miguel last week.

On the other hand, Meralco will be fighting for dear life as

it is looking to end its six-game slide. A loss formally eliminates the Bolts from contention.

The Elite was able to pull off one of its biggest wins of the tournament, surviving Alaska, 103-100, last Sunday in an intense game and it now looks forward to following it up against Barangay Ginebra.

“We will again play in a situation where we need to get a win,” said Blackwater coach Leo Isaac.

The Gin Kings, who are hav-

ing an inconsistent campaign up to this point, have a positive vibe going after they were able to nip the Bolts, 83-72, in Iloilo last Saturday.

“Right now, we’re just trying to get back into contention. We want nothing more than finish the elimination round as strong as possible,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone.

The winner between Ginebra and Mahindra will move a step closer to securing a top eight finish and entry to the next round.

Konta faces Wozniacki at Australian Open Brazilian

Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark pumps her fist after a return against Arina Rodionova of Australia in their women’s singles match on day two of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. AFP

MELBOURNE, Australia—Johanna Konta set up a mouth-watering third-round clash against former world number one Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open Thursday, with both players looking in fine touch.

The British ninth seed, who made the semifinals last year to kickstart a breakthrough season, doused the threat from promising 19-year-old Japanese Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

Wozniacki followed her on court and dismantled Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-1, 6-3, barely putting a foot wrong.

Both players are angling for a maiden Grand Slam title with the winner of their clash on Saturday potentially facing sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round and Serena Wil-

liams in the quarters.

“There is still a lot of tennis to be played between now and the fourth round,” said Konta, reflecting on the Wozniacki showdown.

“It will be an incredibly tough one. Every round so far has been.

I think my first round and also today, they were incredibly competent opponents.

“But I’m looking forward to the challenge. I’m looking forward to trying. I’m looking forward to being out on court, competing, and ultimately I’m just trying to make my stay here in Melbourne as long as possible.”

Meanwhile, diminutive Dominika Cibulkova kept her Australian Open campaign on track Thursday as the sixth seed moved deeper into a tournament that has happy memories.

The 27-year-old Slovak, travelling under the radar despite winning the WTA Finals in October, saw off Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-Wei on Margaret Court Arena 6-4, 7-6 (10/8), winning on her fifth match point.

It sets up a third-round clash against Russian 30th seed Ekaterina Makarova, who progressed after her opponent Sara Errani retired while losing 6-2, 3-2 with what appeared to be a leg injury.

If Cibulkova comes through that, dangerous ninth seed Johanna Konta or Caroline Wozniacki, a former world number one, could be next up.

“I had the match under control but in the end she was hitting some great shots,” she said. “I lost confidence a bit but was trying to be really mentally there. AFP

Tennis greats lament latest Kyrgios meltdown MELBOURNE, Australia—Tennis greats slammed the behavior of Australia’s bad boy Nick Kyrgios after yet another inexplicable meltdown triggered a spectacular early exit from the Australian Open.

The combustible 21-year-old was booed off court and accused of giving up as he crashed out in the second round in a stormy five-set defeat to Italian Andreas Seppi on Wednesday, despite winning the first two sets.

John McEnroe labeled Kyrgios as “mentally (ranked) about 200 in the world” and giving the sport a “black eye”, while Rod Laver criticized his countryman’s antics.

The latest episode in the tempestuous tennis career of Kyrgios comes as he makes his return from a ban for “lack of best efforts”, commonly known as tanking, during a match in Shanghai. He has since been seeing a psychologist.

After he was penalized for throwing down his racquet in the third set, Kyrgios unraveled and started playing casually and lethargically, unnecessarily hitting a ‘tweener’ shot between his legs.

The tennis world remained incredulous Thursday over yet another of Kyrgios’s volcanic self-destructions from a winning position,

but McEnroe was particularly damning.

“Even I’m at a loss for words. Overall I would call it a damn shame because I think he’s the most talented guy in the world (aged) 21 and under—maybe even at 29 and under,” McEnroe said during television commentary on ESPN. “He could be the best player in the world, but mentally he’s about 200 in the world, and I think at critical moments it showed.

“When he goes through those periods when he’s not competing, then it’s just a black eye for the sport. And it’s a black eye for him.”

Laver, the last player to complete the calen-

dar-year Grand Slam, was more conciliatory but nonetheless took Kyrgios to task.

“He’s got a lot of talent, yes, but behaviour is part of the game, part of any sport,” he told the Herald-Sun newspaper.

“And I think you’ve got to be able to represent the game you’re playing.”

Four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier said he was mystified by the mental state of the wayward star.

“It is amazing how it can go from so much fun for him to so much misery, when he wasn’t at peril at all,” Courier said during Channel 7 match commentary. AFP

Year of the Rooster comes to PH with World Slasher Cup DO you know that the Filipinos’ national sports and pastime is “sabong” or cockfighting?

Do you know that even before the Spanish colonizers set foot in the Philippines, the natives of the country were already engaged in cockfighting?

Do you know that the Spanish colonizers included reports on “sabong” on their chronicles of their arrival in the country which later was named Philippines after King Philip of Spain?

Do you know that even national hero Dr. Jose Rizal wrote about “sabong” in his famous novel “Noli Me Tangere?”

Do you know that the gamefowl industry is a big industry involving

millions of Filipinos?

Do you that “sabong” is a game of honesty that’s why it has become part of the Filipino culture and heritage for centuries?

Do you that that the Philippines hosts the biggest cockfighting event in the world?

Do you know that the world’s largest arena for gamefowl show and cockfighting is perhaps the famous Araneta Coliseum at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City, which is also home of the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier bout called “Thrilla in Manila” and other top sports, entertainment and showbiz events?

Yes, Virginia, “sabong” or “cockfighting” is very much a part of

Filipinos which is here to stay, said aficionados and industry leaders Dr. Eulalio Lorenzo and Emmanuel “Manny” Berbano, president and CEO and COO, respectively, of the EDL Group of Companies, an agribusiness conglomerate which is engaged in gamefowl, poultry, fisheries and livestock production, animal health and research.

And since 2017 is the Year of the Rooster, there’s no better way to welcome the year than with exquisite roosters themselves.

Greet the Chinese New Year, which starts on January 28, and celebrate with the majestic roosters of various amazing breeds, many coming from countries like the United States and shipped to the

Philippines, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on January 23 to February 1.

The occasion is also the 2017 World Slasher Cup, the annual invitational derby reputed to be the world’s biggest cockfighting event and biggest international gamefowl show and touted also as the toughest cockfighting event in the world – known to all as the “Olympics of Cockfighting.”

The 2017 World Slashers Cup comes on the heels of many prestigious international events hosted by the Philippines like the Miss Universe Pageant and Coronation Night at the Mall of Asia Arena on January 30 and the well-attended and acclaimed World Gamefowl Expo,

World Pigeons Expo and Exotic Pets Expo at the World Trade Center on January 20 to 22.

Well-known breeders and cockers from the United States, Kuwait, Indonesia, Malaysia, and other places will join forces with their Philippine counterparts as they show off their skills in cockfighting, a part of Filipino heritage even before the arrival of Spanish colonizers and considered the Filipinos’ national sports and pastime.

It is expected that close to 400 entries will vie for the World Slasher Cup title in the nine-day global spectacle. Magno Lim, last year’s World Slasher Cup II champion, will defend his title in this year’s event.

studies Philippine athletes

By Peter Atencio FIFTEEN athletes who are going to the coming Southeast Asian Games will be selected to undergo blood testing and a study on their metabolic profile.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco said this will be done following the return of Brazilian sports science expert Prof. Luis Cameron.

Cameron, who was in the country last November, introduced a laboratory tool called “sportonomics” in studying the metabolic profile and nutrition of athletes.

“We’re limiting this to 15 athletes. I would like this be separate (activity).

The focus will be on the athletes. The athletes will likewise be focused,” said Cojuangco in a weekly radio program.

The system is reportedly effective in aiding their performances of athletes.

Cameron, who is a neurochemist and a member of the Brazil High Performance Institute, made his lectures and demonstration with athletes and coaches last November.

The joint task force of the POC and Philippine Sports Commission is currently meeting athletes, coaches and leaders of various national sports association to select athletes who can go to the biennial meet.

The athletes chosen will be done once the selection process for the SEA Games is finished, added Cojuangco.

Long jumper Marestella Torres, taekwondo jin Kirstie Elaine Allora, both Rio Olympic veterans; and 800-meter runner Mervin Guarte, a 2015 Singapore Southeast Asian Games gold medalist, were among those who underwent metabolic profiling while Cameron was around.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

Sports

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

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Knicks subdue Celtics 117-106 LOS ANGELES—Derrick Rose scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday as the New York Knicks pulled away for a 117-106 victory over the Celtics in Boston.

The win was a needed boost for the beleaguered Knicks, who came into the contest having dropped 11 of their last 13 and without injured Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah.

Star forward Carmelo Anthony, caught up in speculation over his relationship with Knicks president Phil Jackson and his future with the club, had a relatively quiet night with 13 points.

But Rose was one of six Knicks to score in double figures, matching his highest points total since joining the team in the off-season.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Willy Hernangomez added 17 points each for the Knicks, who ended a four-game skid against the Celtics.

Hernangomez also grabbed 11 rebounds and Rose pulled down 10 as the Knicks out-rebounded the Celtics 57-33.

Meanwhile, Kevin Durant again came up big against his former team, pouring in a season-high 40 points to lead the Golden State Warriors to a 121-100 NBA victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Durant, who departed Oklahoma City as a free agent in the off-season, had scored 39 against the Thunder when the teams met for the first time this season in November.

On Wednesday he provided 13 points in a third-quarter surge that saw the Warriors seize a 93-78 lead in a game that was knotted at 56-56 at halftime.

The 47th 40-point game of Durant’s career helped Golden State withstand Thunder guard Russell Westbrook’s 21st triple-double of the season.

Westbrook amassed 27 points, 15 rebounds and 13 assists, but he also coughed up 10 turnovers and while connecting on just eight of his 23 shots from the field.

Klay Thompson, who arrived at Oracle Arena in Oakland after a trip to visit his ailing grandfather in Portland, was tasked with defending Westbrook and also contributed 14 points on the offensive end. AFP

New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose (25) drives strong to the hoop against Boston Celtics defender Isaiah Thomas January 18, at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. AFP

Sportswriters name Diaz as Athlete of the Year B EHIND her powerful arms and legs, a young petite lady gave Philippine sports a lift it badly needed in the year just passed.

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz gave this country of 100 million people something to cheer about at the break of dawn one rainy day in August after copping an Olympic medal that was long overdue during the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Games.

A combination of hard work, effort, heart, and sheer luck paved the way for the 25-year-old pride of Zamboanga City to run away with the silver in the women’s 53-kg weight division behind

eventual winner Hsu Shu-Ching of Chinese Taipei. Diaz totaled a combined 200 kgs in both the snatch and clean and jerk to the 212 of the Taiwanese bet.

An Airwoman First Class at the Philippine Air Force, Diaz was only hoping for a bronze medal finish, but ended up a surprise runner up when fancied Li Yaiun of China—who earlier set an Olympic record in the snatch —failed to complete her final two attempts in the clean and jerk.

“I thought, thank you Lord. I was only hoping for a bronze but you gave me a silver,” said Diaz moments after her triumph as the first ever Filipina to win an Olympic medal.

The Cinderella finish by Diaz was the first for the country in the last 20 years since boxer Mansueto ‘Onyok’ Velasco punched his way to a similar silver medal feat during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.

Hidilyn also became the first Filipino weightlifter to win an Olympic medal for the country and the only one to bag a silver outside of boxers Velasco and the later Anthony Villanueva (1964 Tokyo Games).

president Riera Mallari, sports editor of the Manila Standard.

Last year, pro boxers Nonito Donaire Jr. and Donnie Nietes, along with young golfer Miguel Tabuena were the recipients of the coveted award annually handed out by the PSA, comprised by editors and sportswriters from the different broadsheets, tabloids, and online portals in the country.

Diaz, who came home empty handed during both the 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London) Olympics, respectively, leads a long list of personalities and entities to be recognized during the formal rite co-presented by CIGNAL/HYPER TV.

SBC, Perpetual chase last bus to Final Four

Huey exacts revenge

By Peter Atencio IT was payback time for FilAmerican netter Treat Huey and his Belarusian partner Max Mirnyi.

The 10th seeded pair got back at India’s Leander Paes and Brazilian Andre Sa, 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4, in the first round of the men’s doubles main draw in the 2016 Australian Open Tennis Tournament in Melbourne Park.

Winning chances came to Huey and Mirnyi when they broke serve in their seventh game of their third in their 2 hour and 13 minute long encounter.

They took a 40-0 lead off their volley winners. This allowed Huey and Mirnyi to move ahead with a 4-3 advantage.

A point off a forehand smash and another error in the ensuing set gave Huey and Mirnyi and 40-15 edge which allowed them to take hold of the eighth game for a 5-3 lead.

Huey, who is preparing for his stint with the Philippine Davis Cup team in Manila this February and Mirnyi will now face two Australians, Sam Groth and Chris Guccione in the second round. Groth and Guccione won over Matt Reid and John Patrick Smith, 7-6 (2), 2-6, 6-4.

The last time they meet two week ago, Paes and Sa ousted top seeds Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi in the ASB Classic in Auckland.

They came away with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 to advance to the quarterfinals.

This was Paes and Sa’s first victory after joining hands in late 2016, and the second meeting will allow Huey and Mirnyi seek payback very early.

In the light of her outstanding feats, the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) was one and unanimous in naming Diaz its 2016 Athlete of the Year during its traditional Awards Night presented by MILO and San Miguel on Feb. 13 at the LE PAVILION in Pasay City.

Diaz is the first lady to be feted by the country’s oldest media organization with its highest individual honor after boxer Josie Gabuco and the Team Manila women’s softball team in 2012.

“This one is a no-brainer.

Hidilyn Diaz is truly the handsdown choice as the 2016 PSA Athlete of the Year,” said PSA

WINNER DOWN UNDER. Australia’s Caleb Ewan (left) from Orica wins stage three of the Tour Down Under cycling race from Glenelg to Victor Harbour near Adelaide on January 19. AFP

SAN BEDA and Perpetual Help seek to keep their Final Four hopes alive as the two clash with also runs Mapua and Jose Rizal, respectively, today in the 92nd NCAA women’s volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan City.

The Lady Red Spikers, who are currently tied with the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates at No. 4 with a 5-3 (win-loss) records, face off with the Lady Robins at 10:30 a.m. San Beda is eyeing nothing less than a victory that will clinch at least a playoff for a spot in the Final Four.

The Lady Altas, who are currently at No. 6 with a 4-3 slate, for their part, tangle with the Jose Rizal Lady Bombers at 12 noon seeking a win that will keep them in the hunt for a berth in the next round.

Perpetual Help is aiming to

Games today

(Filoil Flying V Arena) 9 a.m.- San Beda vs Mapua (m) 10:30 a.m.- San Beda vs Mapua (w) 12 nn. - Perpetual Help vs JRU (w) 1:30 p.m.- Perpetual Help vs JRU (m)

sweep its last two assignments including one against Arellano U, which is at No. 2 with a 7-1 mark, in the final elimination round playdate on Jan. 25.

But first, Perpetual Help coach Sammy Acaylar said they will need to focus on Jose Rizal, which has nothing to lose but everything to gain.

“We have to take care of Jose Rizal first before we think of anything else,” said Acaylar.

Jose Rizal and Mapua are both eliminated with 3-5 and 0-8 marks, respectively.

In men’s play, defending champion Perpetual Help (61) looks for a share of the lead with St. Benilde (7-1) as it squares off with an eliminated

Jose Rizal (1-7).

San Beda (6-2) and Mapua (5-3) fight for a Final Four seat as the two collide at 9 a.m.

The Arellano University Lady Chiefs have already secured their fifth consecutive semifinals appearance after dismantling the Lyceum of the Philippines University Lady Pirates in straight sets Wednesday afternoon.

Arellano tallied its seventh straight victory after they fell to the league-leading San Sebastian Lady Stags on opening day.

The Lady Pirates are in danger of falling out of the top four.

Jovielyn Prado led the Lady Chiefs with 12 points. Setter Rhea Ramirez registered 39 excellent sets.

All of the sets were hotly contested as both teams leaned on their formidable net game and tireless floor defense to frustrate their opponents.

Lee defends ONE Championship title ONE of Asia’s biggest MMA star Angela “Unstoppable” Lee defends her ONE Championship Atomweight world title against Jenny Huang of Chinese Taipei at ONE: Warrior Kingdom at the Impact Arena, Bangkok, Thailand on March 11.

Lee, from Waipahu, Hawaii, is one of the promotion’s most promising young fighters regardless of division and weight class.

She is of mixed Singaporean and Korean heritage and trains at Asia’s premiere mixed martial arts gym, Evolve-MMA. Lee said she is looking forward to an exciting fight against the dangerous Huang.

“I am so excited for my first title defense! I had back to back fights leading up to the title fight, and after I won the belt I took some time off. The goal for 2017 is to be an active champion and to stay busy. I’m really looking forward to headlining the card in Bangkok, Thailand,” said Lee. “I’ve been watching Jenny and have seen her last few fights.

I think that this is going to be a great fight and it will be exciting for the fans to see how our styles match up.”

Lee combines solid striking and grappling skills which has proven to be a potent formula for success as she remains un-

beaten in her MMA career. In her last bout, Lee captured the inaugural ONE Women’s Atomweight World Championship with a comprehensive victory over Mei Yamaguchi.

Twenty five-year-old Huang is also unbeaten with a professional MMA record of five wins and no losses. In her most recent bout, Huang electrified MMA fight fans by executing an extremely rare submission, the gogoplata, overcoming a spirited performance from Filipino fighter April Osenio.

ONE Championship CEO Victor Cui said ONE: Warrior King- ONE Championship Atomweight champion Angela Lee (left) faces off dom is going to be the biggest against challenger Jenny Huang ahead of their fight at ONE: Warrior MMA event in Thailand’s history. Kingdom. ONE Championship

Megaworld readies P30-b bond issuance B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandardtoday.com extrastory2000@gmail.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

B1

IN BRIEF BPO firm to double workforce in 2 years

PAYMAYA-UBP PARTNERSHIP. Digital financial services provider PayMaya Philippines and Union Bank of the Philippines sign a partnership deal to further expand access to

mobile banking, digital payments and money transfers for both PayMaya and UnionBank customers. Shown during the signing of the agreement are (from left) PayMaya and Voyager Innovations chief operating officer Benjie Fernandez, PayMaya and Voyager president and chief executive Orlando Vea, PLDT, Smart and PayMaya chairman Manuel Pangilinan, UnionBank chairman and chief executive Justo Aboitiz Ortiz, UnionBank president and chief operating officer Edwin Bautista and UnionBank senior executive vice president and corporate banking head Eugene Acevedo.

Peso slides to 50 a dollar again

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

T

HE peso touched the 50-a-dollar level Thursday, closing near a 10-year low, following the recovery of the greenback ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration as president.

The peso lost 19 centavos to close at 49.98 a dollar Thursday, the weakest since it settled at 49.99 a greenback on Dec. 20. It reached an intra-day low of 50 a dollar, on a volume turnover of $560 million.

Bangko Sentral’s intervention in the currency market was seen at 50 a dollar. The last time the peso breached the barrier was Nov. 24, 2016.

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing January 19, 2017

8300 7840 7380 6920 6460 6000

7,246.08 89.72

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

Closing JANUARY 19, 2017 43.00 45.40 46.60 47.80

P49.980

49.00

CLOSE

HIGH P49.900 LOW P50.000 AVERAGE P49.953 VOLUME 560.000M

P471.00-P690.00 LPG/11-kg tank P39.50-P48.60 Unleaded Gasoline P27.95-P33.80 Diesel

O

IL PRICES TODAY

ING Bank senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said the stronger dollar movement was due to the positive sentiments in the US Federal Reserve.

Cuyegkeng said the dollar climbed against other currencies because of “Fed Chair [Janet] Yellen’s positive view of the US economy that is near or at Fed’s goal.”

“This resulted in higher US

yields,” he said.

Yellen breathed life back into the greenback with a speech in which she said the US economy was meeting the central bank’s inflation and employment goals, and was confident it would push on.

Cuyegkeng said traders were also moving cautiously ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday.

“Local demand for US dollar continues to finance imports,” he said.

Strong imports resulted in high merchandise trade deficit and balance of payments deficit last year.

Bangko Sentral said the Philippines posted a BoP deficit of $420 million in 2016, missing

the government’s revised target of $500-million surplus.

The deficit was also a reversal of the $2.616-billion BoP surplus registered in 2015.

Data showed that in December alone, the BoP yielded a deficit of $214 million, a reversal of the $481-million surplus in the same month in 2015.

BoP summarizes the country’s economic transactions with the rest of the world, with a deficit indicating foreign exchange payments outstripping receipts and a surplus the reverse.

Persistent surpluses help build up the country’s gross international reserves, an ample supply of which helps prop up the peso vis-à-vis the US dollar and keep domestic inflation at bay.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed merchandise trade deficit widened to a record $22.4 billion in the first 11 months of 2016 from $10.7 billion a year ago, as imports grew strongly and exports sank.

The trade deficit was offset by strong inflows of remittances, business process outsourcing revenues, tourism receipts and foreign investments.

The country attracted $5.9 billion in foreign direct investment inflows in the first nine months.

Foreign portfolio investments or ‘hot money’ posted a net inflow of $354 million last year, surpassing the $1.1-billion net outflow target set by Bangko Sentral.

CUSTOMER relationship management solutions provider C3/ CustomerContactChannels plans to double capacity and the number of its workforce in the country over the next two years as it prepares to make the Philippines its regional hub.

C3 global chief executive founder Sudhir Agarwal said the target would be fueled by its recent acquisition by private equity investor Everstone Capital and co-investor Sunrise BPO. “We plan to expand operations to eight countries from three currently,” said Agarwal, who is also the founder of Sunrise BPO. Everstone Capital and Sunrise BPO completed the acquisition of C3 from US-based Stone Point Capital in December last year and formed Everise Holdings, based out of Singapore.

The company plans to significantly increase its headcount in the Philippines from 2,800 to around 5,600 in the next two years. Global headcount is also expected to increase from 8,500 to 18,000 in five years. Othel V. Campos

BSP starts electronic processing of checks THE electronic processing of checks will start on Jan 20, cutting the time for validation and transaction, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Thursday.

The Philippine Clearing House Corp., a Bangko Sentral-designated exclusive provider of electronic check clearing services, was set to implement the clearing of checks via electronic presentment through its check image clearing system.

Under the CICS, only the digital images of checks and their electronic payment information will be transmitted to the paying bank, allowing a shorter turnaround time for funds to be credited to the depositors’ accounts.

Depositors who transact with CICS-compliant banks/branches may already withdraw on the next banking day against their validated check deposits. Meanwhile, banks that are still on paper-based check processing will continue to render the service under existing timelines.

“The public is likewise encouraged to get in touch with their banks about the new system and reminded on how to properly prepare checks under the CICS,” Bangko Sentral said.

Gabrielle H. Binaday

PH raises $2b, fetches new low interest rate

PUERTO CORTES EXPANSION.

Operadura Portuaria Centroamericana SA de CV, a subsidiary of International Container Terminal Services Inc., signs a contract with China Harbour Engineering Company for the first phase of the expansion of the Specialized Container and Cargo Terminal in Puerto Cortes, Honduras.

Scheduled for completion by mid-2018, the terminal expansion will position Puerto Cortes as the most competitive port in the Caribbean.

Shown sealing the contract are CHEC America marketing director Yu Wu (left) and OPC chief executive Mariano Turnes.

THE Philippines on Thursday raised $2 billion from the sale of 25-year global bonds that fetched a record low interest rate.

The Bureau of Treasury said the 25-year dollar bonds were sold to yield 3.7 percent, similar to the coupon obtained by the debt instruments the government issued in 2016.

The coupon rate was also lower that the initial price guidance of 3.95 percent and still the lowest coupon ever issued by the Philippine government on a global bond since the 3.95-percent yield in 2015.

“With this transaction, the Republic has extended its excellent track record in executing liability management transactions.

The tight pricing we achieved on the new 25-year bond offer-

ing, we believe, underscores the confidence of global investors in the Duterte administration,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.

The transaction was the first offshore bond sale under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte which aims to fund its ambitious infrastructure projects for the country.

Proceeds of the issuance will be used to fund the Philippines’ tender offer and related expenses while the remaining amount will be used for general purposes, including budgetary support.

The inter-agency Development Budget Coordination Committee wants to boost infrastructure spending, reaching 6.8 percent of the gross domestic product in 2018.

Gabrielle H. Binaday

Agriculture sees record Shell execs sue ex-Customs, port officials corn harvest and exports By Darwin G. Amojelar

P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Thursday, January 19, 2017

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.7600

Japan

Yen

0.008750

0.4354

UK

Pound

1.227000

61.0555

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128929

6.4155

Switzerland

Franc

0.993443

49.4337

Canada

Dollar

0.754262

37.5321

Singapore

Dollar

0.700476

Australia

Dollar

0.751100

37.3747

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652520

131.9894

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266716

13.2718

Brunei

Dollar

0.698032

34.7341

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.028225

1.4045

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

13.5479

Euro

Euro

1.064000

52.9446

Korea

Won

0.000850

0.0423

China

Yuan

0.146130

7.2714

India

Rupee

0.014660

0.7295

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.225073

11.1996

New Zealand

Dollar

0.713300

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031529

34.8557

35.4938 1.5689 Source: PDS Bridge

THE Philippines may export corn to neighboring countries soon, as harvests this year will likely exceed the domestic requirement of 5.6 million metric tons, the Agriculture Department said Thursday.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said based on the report of assistant secretary and national corn program coordinator Federico Laciste, yellow and white corn harvest in 2017 was expected to hit 8.1 million metric tons despite the series of natural calamities that hit the country recently, including the seven-month El Niño dry spell.

Piñol said production of cassava, an alternative to corn in animal feeds, would also likely reach 570,000 metric tons, contributing further in stabilizing the corn and animal feeds supply in the Philippines.

Piñol said to address the issue of oversupply, he would ask President Rodrigo Duterte in the next Cabinet meeting to direct the National Food Authority to amend rules prohibiting the export of corn until the country doubled its corn production to 200 percent.

Piñol said the export of corn to Malaysia, Taiwan and South Korea could result in better prices for yellow corn and would encourage farmers to plant more.

THE former top executives of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. filed charges against former Customs and port officials for alleged perjury.

Edgar Chua, the former country chair of Pilipinas Shell, along with PSPC executives Nigel Avila and Roberto Kanapi filed a criminal complaint on Jan. 4, 2017 at the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office against former Customs commissioner Napoleon Morales, former Port of Batangas collector Juan Tan and Batangas-based media person Lourdes Aclan.

The former PSPC executives alleged that the respondents

“willfully made blatant false statements” in accusing them of illegal importation and violation of Republic Act 3019 [the Graft and Corrupt Practices Act] in a complaint filed with the Ombudsman on Sept. 14, 2016.

Morales, Tan and Aclan named the former PSPC executives in relation to Shell’s nonpayment of taxes supposedly due from the company’s past importations of catalytic cracked gasoline and light catalytic cracked gasoline and alkylate.

They also named former President Benigno Aquino III and former Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima for allowing the company to do so.

The former Shell executives,

however, said the respondents did not submit any proof to support their allegations which they described as “all perjuries, outright lies and patently untrue.”

The former Shell executives said the company had dutifully complied with the prevailing rules and regulations, promulgated by the Bureau of Internal Revenue from 2003-2009, which Morales and Tan themselves implemented, being tax collecting agents of the BIR. They claimed that Morales and Tan appeared to have changed and made their own interpretation of the rules in insisting that double excise taxes be imposed on PSPC’s importations of CCG and LCCG and retroactively at that.

B2

Business

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Megaworld readies P30-b bond issuance

By Jenniffer B. Austria PROPERTY developer Megaworld Corp. said its board approved the company’s P30-billion debt securities program.

Megaworld said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it would initially issue P8 billion worth of fixed-rate bonds with an oversubscription option for another P4 billion.

The property arm of tycoon Andrew Tan appointed BDO Capital & Investment Corp. as issue manager, lead underwriter and bookrunner for the bonds.

The proceeds from the bonds will be used to fund the capital expenditures of the company.

“The determination of pricing, terms and conditions and other features of the bonds is delegated to Megaworld management,” the company said.

The bonds will be registered

with the Securities and Exchange Commission and will be listed with the Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp.

Megaworld hiked its five-year capital spending program for 2015 to 2019 to P285.8 billion from P230 billion as it plans to launch new townships and expand existing mixed-use developments.

Megaworld is developing 20 integrated urban townships across the country and has total land bank spanning over 4,000 hectares. Of the 20 township developments, 11 are in provincial areas and 9 in Metro Manila.

Megaworld also owns 100 percent of Suntrust Properties Inc., 82 percent of Global-Estate Resort Inc. and 82 percent of Empire East Holdings Inc. It has already built over 350 residential, office and commercial towers across the country.

Market advances; URC tops gainers S TOCKS rose for a second day, tracking the movement of other Asian markets following a speech of US US Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen that she is confident the world’s largest economy will continue to improve.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, climbed 89 points, or 1.3 percent, to close at 7,246.08 Thursday. This pushed up total gains this year to 5.9 percent.

The broader all-share index

also advanced 40 points, or 0.9 percent, to settle at 4,362.21, on a value turnover of P5.8 billion.

Advancers outnumbered losers, 112 to 70, while 49 issues were unchanged.

All six counters advanced, while 15 of the 20 most active

stocks ended in the green, led by food manufacturer Universal Robina Corp. which climbed 3.8 percent to P173 and property developer Ayala Land Inc. which rose 3 percent to P34.90.

Meanwhile, Tokyo stocks closed higher Thursday as a weaker yen lifted exporters, but Toshiba plunged 16 percent on concerns about huge losses in its US nuclear power business.

The dollar rallied against highyielding currencies and cemented gains versus its major peers Thursday as dealers took a speech by Federal Reserve boss Janet Yellen

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, JANUARY 19, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.75 7,000 48.2 32,100 89.95 1,614,060 4.18 77,000 110.8 2,767,120 1.36 103,000 38.4 40,700 16.2 74,100 19.02 77,300 6.68 4,300 0.68 2,000 0.76 64,774,000 77 2,379,810 0.77 1,418,000 14.2 9,800 53.2 665,700 240 2,680 89.5 2,660 36 23,600 213 486,900 1,747 5 78.1 58,450 1.25 7,000

25,800 1,536,885 145,210,826 317,600 306,739,095 136,460 1,565,205 1,200,350 1,471,420 28,621 1,360 47,006,320 183,941,556 1,102,070 139,160 35,317,830.50 643,170 239,070 849,395 103,696,378 8,735 4,569,430.50 8,750

394,490 30,955,570.50 65,120 67,503,409 81,220 -11,550 -343,490 -860,572 -266,720.00 43,641,052.50 -33,957,761.50 -43,200 647,850 -25,233,512 -591,810 -

43.6 4.25 0.86 1.35 17.02 0.21 92 11.44 15.8 22.7 18 57.5 95.15 2.02 6.46 11.96 12.3 7.3 7.07 5.31 1.78 22.1 68.85 12.12 16.26 6.14 1.68 204 76.45 3.66 29.55 26.8 14.2 279.4 5.2 3.2 9.5 2.22 5.72 1.54 75.4 4.99 231 4.91 12.1 4.2 0.146 1.55 166.5 4.3 1.73 1.08

INDUSTRIAL 44.05 2,294,500 4.44 1,695,000 0.88 173,000 1.41 735,000 17.6 2,300 0.21 10,000 96 3,640 11.46 6,816,000 15.98 1,494,600 23 146,200 18 22,900 60 103,860 95.15 20 2.02 165,000 6.6 63,800 12.02 57,500 12.42 6,078,800 7.51 3,562,200 7.1 868,100 5.46 14,463,300 1.78 1,000 22.35 2,888,200 69.05 96,750 12.12 100 16.3 5,200 6.25 578,200 1.69 410,000 205 336,040 76.45 50 3.72 7,000 29.85 732,800 26.9 336,400 14.26 605,100 284 352,180 5.25 26,000 3.2 7,043,000 9.56 983,000 2.25 571,000 5.85 719,900 1.54 74,000 75.9 1,097,690 5.05 51,800 238 640 4.95 149,000 12.24 3,820,700 4.2 45,000 0.152 15,170,000 1.55 197,000 173 728,260 4.3 11,000 1.76 1,790,000 1.08 2,000

101,027,260 7,351,560 150,000 1,022,920 39,862 2,100 343,697.50 78,396,826 23,829,880 3,340,070 428,478 6,230,965 1,903 338,080 420,432 689,836 75,618,120 26,703,658 6,195,156 78,352,299 1,780 64,626,985 6,668,707 1,212 84,752 3,619,398 695,870 69,050,916 3,823 26,170 21,857,120 9,047,205 8,623,182 99,950,494 136,290 22,649,200 9,393,694 1,283,090 4,200,505 115,640 83,265,886 260,152 150,874 734,480 46,825,382 189,000 2,278,520 309,380 124,265,624 48,260 3,134,350 2,160

8,753,635 1,620,060 -68,513,088 6,890,784 14,965 -60,000 -42,928,780 753,204 -1,470,067 42,858,632 -20,719,090 3,221,673 -13,750 39,070 19,558,306 -12,669,915 -666,995 -1,516,250 24,045,788 -109,110 -2,283,277 -444,625 11,236,010.50 -2,390 -665,450 1,792,238 -19,629,675 224,000 -

0.43 74.8 13.1 1.21 6 0.31 800 8.84 13.24 8.15 5.92 0.182 1,353 5.86 75.8 1.15 8.05 12.4 6.88 0.045 2.04 2.56 98 2.5 682.5 0.87 1.36 263 0.295 0.196 0.27

0.415 74.6 12.82 1.15 5.91 0.3 784.5 8.8 12.94 7.92 5.59 0.18 1,332 5.86 74.6 1.11 8 12.06 6.76 0.043 1.98 2.56 96 2.5 678.5 0.87 1.32 261.6 0.29 0.19 0.25

HOLDING FIRMS 0.415 15,640,000 74.8 881,040 12.88 3,793,100 1.15 58,000 5.93 48,700 0.31 500,000 800 179,860 8.84 622,000 13.1 9,755,700 8.15 8,000 5.92 91,200 0.18 30,000 1,340 346,885 5.86 100 75.5 1,159,240 1.13 4,150,000 8.04 298,700 12.36 3,751,900 6.88 16,396,800 0.044 62,500,000 1.98 989,000 2.56 5,000 98 53,160 2.5 28,000 680 380,050 0.87 2,000 1.35 1,071,000 263 3,800 0.295 620,000 0.196 1,360,000 0.255 670,000

6,537,050 65,884,782.50 49,046,150 69,580 288,252 153,450 143,101,985 5,482,957 127,729,426 63,910 524,938 5,440 465,033,035 586 87,209,983.50 4,654,260 2,401,313 46,190,872 112,067,520 2,729,800 1,958,670 12,800 5,191,786.50 70,000 258,535,645 1,740 1,442,400 998,338 179,850 263,920 171,700

4,250 6,241,927.50 -16,094,604 58,080 32,174,370 2,040,556 -43,165,134 49,594,525 53,607,601 -1,085,880 -10,208,213 4,400 0 622,128.50 -44,808,725 114,840 60,900 5,200

7.5 1.2 2.46 0.89 34.9 3.27 5.1 0.57 1.05 1.41 0.194 0.68 51.9 0.73 0.155 1.67 1.02 1.22 3.72 0.175 0.41 4.33

7.34 1.16 2.36 0.79 33.75 3.19 5.1 0.56 1.05 1.34 0.184 0.65 51.15 0.72 0.14 1.62 1.01 1.19 3.65 0.16 0.41 4.04

4,271,247 2,461,150 1,032,290 99,512,760 316,315,265 5,105,580 42,330 15,409,830 27,300 1,262,910 20,509,150 9,268,700 15,064,182 60,060 29,500 8,127,760 2,505,130 790,950 152,843,800 10,380,170 12,300 19,821,910

-969,934 -71,100 -1,630 16,880,560 -1,864,880 -10,131,980.00 1,228,500 270,650 67,000 -5,639,107.50 -21,600 -7,996,640 -64,411,090 -160,380 -276,350

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FILIPINO FUND FIRST ABACUS MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

3.6 48 92.5 4.07 110.8 1.31 38.5 16.1 19.04 6.59 0.68 0.66 77.1 0.8 14.2 53.35 239 90 36 215 1,747 78.15 1.25

3.75 48.2 92.5 4.18 111.3 1.37 38.55 16.2 19.18 6.68 0.68 0.77 78.2 0.8 14.2 54.5 243 90 36.2 215 1,747 78.5 1.25

3.6 47.75 89.9 4.07 110.6 1.31 38.4 16.1 19 6.58 0.68 0.66 76.9 0.77 14.2 53 239 89.5 35.9 212.6 1,747 78 1.25

ABOITIZ POWER 43.7 AGRINURTURE 4.4 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.89 ALSONS CONS 1.38 ASIABEST GROUP 17.32 BASIC ENERGY 0.21 BOGO MEDELLIN 92 CEMEX HLDG 11.6 CENTURY FOOD 15.86 CIRTEK HLDG 22.7 CNTRL AZUCARERA 19.6 CONCEPCION 57.5 CONCRETE B 95.15 CROWN ASIA 2.08 DAVINCI CAPITAL 6.59 DEL MONTE 12 DNL INDUS 12.36 EEI CORP 7.3 EMPERADOR 7.15 ENERGY DEVT 5.32 EUROMED 1.78 FIRST GEN 22.6 FIRST PHIL HLDG 68.9 GINEBRA 12.12 HOLCIM 16.26 INTEGRATED MICR 6.3 IONICS 1.71 JOLLIBEE 204.8 LIBERTY FLOUR 76.5 MABUHAY VINYL 3.68 MANILA WATER 29.9 MAXS GROUP 26.85 MEGAWIDE 14.26 MERALCO 279.4 PANASONIC 5.2 PEPSI COLA 3.24 PETRON 9.52 PHINMA ENERGY 2.25 PHX PETROLEUM 5.75 PHX SEMICNDCTR 1.58 PILIPINAS SHELL 75.8 PRYCE CORP 4.99 PUREFOODS 237 RFM CORP 4.95 SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.2 SPC POWER 4.2 SWIFT FOODS 0.146 TKC METALS 1.58 UNIV ROBINA 166.5 VICTORIAS 4.46 VITARICH 1.77 VULCAN INDL 1.08

44.1 4.44 0.89 1.41 17.6 0.21 96 11.76 15.98 23 19.98 60 95.15 2.08 6.6 12.02 12.66 7.6 7.15 5.46 1.78 22.6 69.05 12.12 16.3 6.34 1.73 207 76.5 3.86 29.9 26.9 14.3 285 5.25 3.24 9.63 2.26 5.85 1.58 76.2 5.05 239 4.95 12.36 4.2 0.153 1.59 173 4.46 1.77 1.08

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

0.425 74.8 12.9 1.21 5.91 0.305 784.5 8.8 13.18 7.93 5.59 0.182 1,349 5.86 74.8 1.14 8.05 12.06 6.78 0.044 2.04 2.56 97 2.5 680 0.87 1.32 261.6 0.29 0.194 0.27

8990 HLDG A BROWN 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 REALTY PRIMEX CORP

7.34 1.19 2.4 0.84 33.95 3.24 5.1 0.57 1.05 1.34 0.187 0.68 51.9 0.72 0.155 1.67 1.01 1.2 3.66 0.169 0.41 4.04

VOLUME

PROPERTY 7.4 573,500 1.18 2,091,000 2.45 431,000 0.79 119,701,000 34.9 9,213,600 3.26 1,577,000 5.1 8,300 0.57 27,265,000 1.05 26,000 1.4 935,000 0.194 106,810,000 0.67 13,890,000 51.4 293,060 0.73 83,000 0.14 200,000 1.62 4,978,000 1.01 2,479,000 1.19 663,000 3.69 41,440,000 0.164 61,640,000 0.41 30,000 4.31 4,718,000

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

25.5 1.64 3.28 30 1.02 0.89 4.96

25.75 1.65 3.28 30.45 1.05 0.91 5

25 1.6 3.28 29.9 1.01 0.87 4.9

25.55 1.64 3.28 30.4 1.02 0.91 5

858,100 116,000 10,000 7,163,400 7,647,000 280,000 1,207,500

21,898,465 190,590 32,800 216,414,880 7,831,560 248,020 6,015,852

4,323,570 34,808,480 -5,100 -1,249,208

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CALATA CORP CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR DFNN INC FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL A IMPERIAL B INTL CONTAINER IP EGAME IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES MANILA JOCKEY MELCO CROWN METRO RETAIL NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PHIL RACING PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT

7.46 48.35 1.37 0.54 0.052 10.6 6.75 0.07 2.65 95 9.88 8.5 1,000 1,649 6.27 16.2 2.99 15.9 110 71 0.0099 12 9.06 0.218 1.4 3.25 14.54 4.29 2 4.19 4.2 2.78 11.24 5.08 8.01 132 10.02 1,480 1.41 0.48 40 73.2 6.15 2.58 1.06 3.21 0.375

7.6 48.95 1.4 0.54 0.058 10.6 6.87 0.072 2.65 96.05 9.88 8.6 1,050 1,690 6.34 16.2 3.05 16.2 125 73.95 0.0099 12 9.06 0.218 1.4 3.25 15.3 4.35 2 4.34 4.28 2.82 11.26 5.09 8.01 132 10.18 1,519 1.42 0.495 40.05 74 6.5 2.61 1.12 3.27 0.38

7.46 48.35 1.35 0.52 0.052 10.6 6.64 0.07 2.58 94.55 9.88 8.1 1,000 1,642 6.25 15.9 2.96 15.64 110 71 0.0093 11.5 9.05 0.21 1.39 3.25 14.54 4.26 2 4.13 4.11 2.71 11.14 5.08 8.01 132 9.99 1,479 1.39 0.465 39.5 72.7 6.11 2.57 1.05 3.21 0.36

SERVICES 7.5 5,500 48.35 13,200 1.37 410,000 0.52 360,000 0.055 343,070,000 10.6 700 6.85 15,445,700 0.071 16,620,000 2.58 2,461,000 94.95 206,860 9.88 1,500 8.6 429,200 1,050 1,730 1,688 103,075 6.25 72,200 16.2 44,200 3.01 3,009,000 15.64 5,900 125 50 73.95 792,410 0.0096 93,000,000 11.5 21,000 9.06 540,000 0.21 52,710,000 1.4 33,000 3.25 57,000 15.3 4,600 4.26 861,000 2 1,000 4.34 13,666,000 4.28 2,929,000 2.76 1,159,000 11.14 9,700 5.09 5,400 8.01 100 132 70,130 10.04 376,500 1,505 98,515 1.42 12,766,000 0.47 45,270,000 39.5 1,060,800 72.7 1,064,590 6.38 5,871,500 2.6 1,366,000 1.11 21,435,000 3.22 285,000 0.36 630,000

41,343 642,525 570,840 190,300 19,130,590 7,420 105,011,141 1,174,620 6,396,000 19,659,504 14,820 3,610,585 1,804,000 173,455,965 452,212 711,024 9,028,080 93,994 5,800 58,125,960 890,600 247,220 4,891,700 11,186,060 46,090 185,250 67,108 3,684,540 2,000 58,517,210 12,376,720 3,193,100 108,802 27,476 801 9,257,160 3,777,974 148,374,280 18,057,170 21,674,100 42,382,875 77,473,347 37,437,452 3,548,360 23,521,070 920,260 237,150

15,600 -97,440 -7,420 8,189,715 -449,340 -5,749,782.50 -423,980 -33,716,020 1,305,100 -10,209,965 96,000.00 402,600 -4,341,990 -2,624,440 -19,320 0 -821,370 -42,621,815 617,460 -248,500 -3,764,700 -2,242,428.50 -221,934 -481,170 4,116,970 -576,430 -

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

0.0034 2.88 5.35 2.15 0.52 0.485 12.08 2.96 0.26 0.221 0.22 0.013 0.013 2.3 6.93 2.78 1.08 0.011 0.011 4.07 0.013 8.96 3.55 134.1 2.92 0.0096

0.0034 2.88 5.35 2.25 0.52 0.49 12.4 3.05 0.26 0.222 0.221 0.013 0.013 2.35 7.06 2.78 1.09 0.011 0.011 4.07 0.013 9.04 3.56 137.5 2.92 0.0096

0.0033 2.73 5.22 2.12 0.52 0.475 12 2.95 0.255 0.213 0.22 0.012 0.012 2.26 6.79 2.7 1.06 0.011 0.011 4.05 0.012 8.95 3.5 134.1 2.91 0.0092

MINING & OIL 0.0034 654,000,000 2.75 1,491,000 5.22 448,600 2.14 21,000 0.52 100,000 0.475 1,740,000 12.1 2,900 3 4,245,000 0.255 950,000 0.213 7,110,000 0.22 1,030,000 0.013 9,800,000 0.013 2,200,000 2.26 1,329,000 6.89 4,948,100 2.77 1,013,000 1.09 135,000 0.011 75,000,000 0.011 2,000,000 4.05 18,000 0.013 8,800,000 9.04 875,800 3.54 1,434,000 137 1,661,370 2.92 38,000 0.0092 8,000,000

2,215,100 4,157,360 2,357,337 44,990 52,000 841,100 35,118 12,673,880 246,650 1,531,690 227,000 117,800 27,600 3,054,870 34,339,771 2,805,970 144,980 825,000 22,000 73,120 113,200 7,890,164 5,040,870 226,874,044 110,950 75,600

3,300 33,430 -157,390 -8,560 3,565,690 229,000 1,644,421 -22,000 84,500 -280,313 44,263,715 48,000.00

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 ALCO PREF B DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B LR PREF MWIDE PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

48.4 525 104 104.1 530 5.9 1,016 1,030 1.04 108 77.4 80.75 78.2 79.5 78.4 78.65 77.6

48.6 525 104.2 104.6 530 5.9 1,016 1,030 1.04 108 77.4 81 78.2 79.65 79.35 78.65 78.9

48.4 525 103.9 104.1 530 5.89 1,016 1,030 1.04 108 77 80.75 77.6 79.5 78.4 77.5 77.6

PREFERRED 48.55 161,300 525 7,400 104.2 105,180 104.5 211,330 530 400 5.89 292,200 1,016 50 1,030 50 1.04 1,000 108 50 77.4 6,240 81 156,070 78.2 23,410 79.65 163,600 79.35 4,000 78.5 12,870 78.9 27,010

7,813,495 3,885,000 10,938,238 22,084,658 212,000 1,723,780 50,800 51,500 1,040 5,400 482,936 12,641,665 1,818,662 13,025,615 315,500 997,446.50 2,095,989

-267,555 -1,605,980 -10,274,040 957,125 -

LR WARRANT

2.25

2.28

2.25

WARRANTS 2.26 42,000

95,150

-

5,476,833 611,750 119,890 13,021,274

94,073 -5,668,895

600,740

-

NAME

ALTERRA CAPITAL ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

7.15 4.11 3.03 8.37

FIRST METRO ETF 117.8

TRADING SUMMARY

SME

7.15 4.19 3.08 8.64

6.55 4.09 2.87 8.3

6.8 4.17 3.08 8.58

119.8

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 117.8 119.8 5,050

SHARES

VALUE

FINANCIAL 75,628,278 INDUSTRIAL 77,592,202 HOLDING FIRMS 125,845,267

911,976,296.41 994,019,510.59 1,423,402,637.45

PROPERTY 416,656,620 SERVICES 643,642,896 MINING & OIL 788,586,759 GRAND TOTAL 2,130,480,705

970,544,913.36 1,235,317,930.658 305,938,778.964 5,861,035,355.16

803,500 148,000 41,000 1,530,100

FINANCIAL 1,725.46 (up) 4.81 INDUSTRIAL 11,145.90 (up) 182.77 HOLDING FIRMS 7,388.52 (up) 51.98 PROPERTY 3,297.40 (up) 60.13 SERVICES 1,392.05 (up) 17.76 MINING & OIL 12,233.24 (up) 105.51 PSEI 7,246.08 (up) 89.72 All Shares Index 4,362.21 (up) 40.63 Gainers: 112; Losers: 70; Unchanged: 49; Total: 231

as a hint that US rates will rise further this year.

A weaker yen helped Japanese stocks lead a broad advance across Asian markets as optimism was buoyed

by Yellen’s remarks on the economy but traders moved cautiously ahead of Donald Trump’s inauguration on Friday.

In the two months after Trump’s November election win the dollar soared against all other currencies on expectations his big-spending, tax-cutting plans will fan growth, ramp up inflation and force the Fed to lift borrowing costs.

But growing uncertainty in the past two weeks, made worse by a lack of policy detail from the president-elect, has sent investors scurrying back out of the US unit until they see signs of firm plans.

However, Yellen breathed life back into the greenback Wednesday with a speech in which she said the US economy was meeting the central bank’s inflation and employment goals, and was confident it would push on.

“Yellen’s comments reinforced the message that we have been getting from other Fed speakers that the economy is already strong even before the addition of any stimulus from Trumponomics,” said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at FX and CFD provider AxiTrader.

With AFP, Bloomberg

PSBank relocates 3 branches

By Gabrielle H. Binaday PHILIPPINE Savings Bank, the thrift bank unit of Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., said Thursday it relocated three branches in Quezon City to provide better customer experience.

“We have relocated three of our branches in Quezon City in better locations that can be more accessible to our clients in these areas. Our clients will still enjoy the exceptional customer experience we are known for and our new facilities in our new branches,” PSBank senior vice president and branch banking group head Francis Llanera.

The three branches are PSBank Quezon Ave. Branch, PSBank Fairview Branch and PSBank Katipunan Branch.

PSBank Quezon Ave. Branch opened its new home at the ground floor of Coher Center in South Triangle on Dec. 5, while PSBank Fairview Branch transferred to the ground floor of No. 71 Commonwealth Ave. in East Fairview on Dec. 19.

PSBank Katipunan Branch is now located at the ground floor of Palodoma Building in Loyola Heights.

PSBank has a total 27 PSBank branches in Quezon City and 255 branches and more than 600 branch and offsite ATMs nationwide.

PSBank recently launched its first ever long-term negotiable certificates of time deposit, which clients can order through the bank’s more than 200 branches nationwide.

The LTNCTDs have an interest rate of 3.5 percent and a maturity of five years and three months. It will be on offer until Jan. 23.

PSBank said proceeds of the sale would be used to support business expansion and diversify the bank’s funding sources. Minimum initial placement is P50,000 with increments of P50,000 thereafter.

Motoring It’s what’s inside a car that counts THE expansive exhibit floor of the Detroit auto show is full of the latest offerings from car companies hoping to woo American consumers. But can you tell one from another?

Sure, there are luxury vehicles from marquee brands, many of them unreachable for most consumers.

And then there are the designer cars from brands like start-up VLF, and even Volkswagen with its futuristic reimagining of its beloved minibus, electrified and automated.

But aside from the most unusual and expensive, many of the models showcased were -- to put it mildly -- hard to distinguish from one another.

As American preferences continue to shift from small, economy sedans to bulkier crossovers, SUVs and trucks, car shapes and looks appear increasingly familiar, even as auto makers endeavor to stand out with distinguishing touches.

Even the Chevrolet Bolt -- GM’s new fully-electric offering which won the North American Car of the Year award at the auto show -- is strongly reminiscent of a Honda Fit, which looks a lot like a Toyota Prius.

“There’s only so many ways you can shape an egg,” said Steve Moskowitz, who for more than three decades ran a dealership selling Oldsmobile cars.

“You can’t build a car that’s so wildly different, and away from a shape that’s going to give you an aerodynamic advantage for fuel economy,” said Moskowitz, director of the Antique Automobile Club of America.

John Heitman, who studies American car history at the University of Dayton said the bulky contraptions US consumers prefer “with few exceptions, are not particularly considered elegant or distinctive vehicles.”

“They’re nothing to write home about, in terms of aesthetics,” he said.

Still, Americans bought 10.4 million of these larger vehicles, 63 percent of all automobiles sold in the United States last year.

So, do Americans care about looks at all? Or is it what’s inside that counts?

- It’s what’s inside Brian Moody of the industry analytics firm Autotrader, said for US car buyers, beauty is more than skin deep, especially among a younger generation that makes up a growing portion of car buyers.

In a recent survey, Autotrader found they are willing to ditch a car brand if it lacks the technology they want -- no matter what other attributes a car has.

But Moody believes that, with time, this will paradoxically, lead to a doubling down on looks as a way to woo young buyers.

As more and more similar advanced tech is crammed into cars, companies will increasingly rely on how a car looks and feels to interest buyers.

“You’re going to see more of that as the way of standing out in a crowd that’s already kind of the same,” Moody said.

Cadillac has been an example of this.

Design has played a big role in the company’s efforts to attract younger buyers and shed its image as your grandfather’s car, Cadillac brand president Johan de Nysschen said.

Cadillac’s latest concept car, the Escala, offers a “softer, more organic curve,” he said, to enhance the perception of the vehicle as “light, lean, athletic and agile.”

De Nysschen has had an easier time with that message in China than in the US. “In China, we’ve never had this legacy, we’ve never had this reputation that we are a brand for older people,” he said.

- The eye of the beholder -Which leads to another question: is beauty in the eye of the beholder?

“What constitutes appealing design may be different from one continent to the other,” said Robert Lutz, a retired GM executive who rejects the notion that American cars aren’t beautiful.

“Whether it’s cars, crossovers, or sport utilities, I think the American producers are producing by and large the most attractive vehicles in the world today,” he said.

But design can be lost in translation.

Europeans may be baffled by Americans’ fascination with the Jeep Wrangler, for example. US consumers bought 191,774 of them in 2016.

“The thing is a complete box,” Luntz said. But to the American consumer “it triggers all kinds of associations of ruggedness” and even “victory in World War II.” Conversely, the Fiat 500, with its nostalgia-inducing image of 1950s Europe, can fall flat in the US. “It doesn’t trigger any emotions, because they don’t know the original,” he said.

The Fiat brand sold a mere 32,742 vehicles last year. AFP

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

B3

Hyundai sets sights on 2017 chart buster L

ast year proved to be another banner year for Hyundai Asia Resources Inc, churning out record-breaking sales.HARI looks forward to 2017 brimming with optimism, according to Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, HARI president and chief executive officer

WOMAN ON TOP. Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, HARI’s president and chief executive officer

“Emulating the vitality of the country’s economy and its fast-growing automotive industry, we can only look forward at 2017 with endless potential, as the company will continue to please the market with its line-up of modern premium products and services,” PerezAgudo said.

Performance and Drivers Attributed mainly to the steadily rising demand for automotive vehicles in the country, the official distributor of Hyundai vehicles in the Philippines hit record sales ending the year 2016.

Hyundai closed its full year 2016 sales with a 53% growth as compared to the previous year. Vehicle sales reached 8,674 units in the 4th Quarter alone, equating to a 62% Year-on-year increase.

As the front runner of HARI’s growth, the PC segment grew at a double-digit rate of 53% for the full year.

Led by the Eon and Accent, the two name plates remain as part of the top selling passenger cars in the country.

The Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) segment was not far from the spotlight

as it pushed to grow 52% of the same period from the previous year, with the well-loved Grand Starex passenger van leading the company’s LCV sales.

Sales and Economic Outlook Philippine GDP expanded by 7.1% for third quarter of 2016 – the fastest quarterly expansion since the 7.9% GDP of the same period in 2013. Growth contributors include the consumer and infrastructure spending during the tail-end of the election period, as well as the buoyant business and consumer sentiment, adequate credit, and domestic liquidity.

Amidst the proposal to increase taxes on both fuel and automotive vehicles, a strong macroeconomic foundation, higher disposable income, and an upbeat rating in auto-buying intentions, has kept an opportunistic view as the demand for automotive vehicles continue to show no signs of a slowdown.

Hyundai’s positive growth strengthens this sentiment and has brought upon record breaking sales for the company for the full year of 2016.

Consumers confused about self-driving cars A GLOBAL study from Deloitte taking in the opinions of 22,000 consumers in 17 different countries finds that although attitudes to autonomous vehicles are becoming more positive, the majority of consumers need evidence that these technological advances will lead to safer cars.

Whether in Germany, Korea, India, China, the US or Japan, a lack of trust was the number-one answer when consumers were asked about whether they’d consider a self-driving car.

In South Korea, 81% of respondents said that they had safety concerns, followed by Japanese (79%) and German consumers (72%). Even in the US where real-world testing of autonomous cars is a reality in a number of states, 74% feel that self-driving cars won’t be safe.

However, 68% of Americans said they’d change their opinion once such cars have proven they’re safe, and 54% said they’d travel in an autonomous car if it had been built by a brand they trust.

“Automakers and technology companies first have to earn consumers’ trust, then turn that trust into a willingness to pay for a must-have feature,” said Craig Giffi, vice chairman and US automotive industry leader, Deloitte LLP, and co-author of the report. “Today trust is lacking. Ironically, fully autonomous vehicles are being engineered to be much safer than today’s vehicles.”

And it could prove especially challenging for the US automotive industry to gain this trust. Deloitte found just 47% of US consumers trust carmakers to deliver an autonomous car (compared

PHOTO: Mariordo/Wikipedia

with 51% in Germany and 76% of Japanese respondents) but it’s worse still for tech companies.

Google may have taken an early lead in the race to develop a truly selfdriving car, or at least the technology underpinning them, but only 20% of Americans said that they would trust a

car from an established Silicon Valley company.

The report comes as a number of carmakers, from Honda and Toyota to Volvo, have reiterated that despite the rapid pace of technological development, they haven’t lost sight of the fact cars are first and foremost built for people.

“The important question isn’t whether future vehicles will be equipped with automated or connected technologies,” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota during his CES presentation. “It is the experience of the people who engage with those vehicles.” AFP

Milestone for Honda: 23, 199 cars sold in 2016 HONDA Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), Honda’s automobile business unit in the Philippines broke its sales record in 2016 with a total of 23,199 vehicles or 20 percent growth, compared to the same period in 2015 with 19,315 vehicles sold.

The December 2016 sales also set a highest monthly record of 2,805 units.

The reported sales increase is attributed to the brand’s main contributors, particu-

larly the introduction of the All-New BRV, the All-New Civic and the New City.

The All-New BR-V is Honda’s latest addition to its affordable Sport Utility Vehicle lineup. Since its Philippine debut last September, it garnered more than 2,000 reservations and sold 717 vehicles upon its availability in December 2016. The new Civic on the other hand, marked 2,500 vehicle sales and garnered prestigious awards such as 2016 Car of

the Year from Car Awards Group Inc. and Top Gear Philippines. The New City remains as the best-selling model among HCPI’s fifteen (15) vehicle line-up with a remarkable 8,913 units sold last year.

Honda’s participation in significant industry exhibitions such as the 6th Philippine International Motor Show (PIMS) helped boost demand for the brand and expanded its market reach. This also allowed the brand to showcase its complete

line-up in the Philippine market.

“On behalf of Honda Cars Philippines, Inc., we would like to extend our sincerest appreciation to our customers for continuously making the brand their preferred choice. We are pleased by the unwavering support as seen in the 2016 sales milestone. This would not be possible without them.”, said Toshio Kuwahara, HCPI president and general manager. MST Motoring

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Edi tor DIN O DIREC TO III A ss t . Edi tor

B4

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Motoring

Subaru

unveils all-new Impreza

Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

M

otor Image, the exclusive distributor of the Subaru brand in Southeast Asia, drew first blood in the automotive industry by taking the wraps off the new Impreza.

Launched during the Singapore Motorshow, the fifthgeneration Impreza is the first Subaru variant that employs Subaru’s new global platform, which will be the mother DNA for future Subaru models. “With significant improvements to its overall vehicle performance, the

new Subaru Global Platform is set to be a game changer for the Subaru brand. The enhancements to the new platform set a new benchmark in driving comfort, performance and safety, promising drivers an experience like no other. We are excited to be able to launch the Subaru Global

The car’s new platform proved to be flexible even during aggressive driving.

Opening salvo. Glenn Tan, Executive Director of Tan Chong International Ltd., (second from right) leads the unveiling of the Subaru Impreza.

Platform throughout our vehicle lineup in our markets in the near future,” says Glenn Tan, Executive Director, Tan Chong International Ltd., who lead the day’s festivities.

This unified, single design platform concept will aid in the development of all future Subaru models and will strengthen the entire Subaru line up, as it allows for the brand to plan the main specifications of all vehicle types at one time, and offers the flexibility to adjust specifications and requirements of different models. In addition, a single design concept will allow the brand to produce platform components for multiple models in one production facility, rather than manufacturing them in different factories. These time and cost efficiencies will make Subaru products more competitive.

The platform will continue to

complement and enhance the basic foundation of Subaru’s technologies such as the Boxer Engine and All-Wheel Drive. In addition, the new platform is adaptable not only to gasoline engines but also to hybrid vehicles, plug-in hybrids, electric cars, and other types of alternative power units, future-proofing the next generation of Subaru vehicles.

The new platform will make possible a new type of driving experience, appealing directly to the senses and offering better traction, control and stability, all backed up by excellent performance and specifications.

The latest version of the Impreza has extended fender flares for a wider stance and sits low to the ground. The front end highlights Subaru’s signature Cshaped headlamp clusters and a massive hexagonal grille design.

According to Takuji Dai, Corporate VP and Chairman of Product Development for Fuji Heavy Industries, revealed to the media that major improvements were made to the car’s structural rigidity and suspension system. “The new platform achieves a center of gravity that is 5mm lower than present models. The lower center of gravity offers outstanding hazard avoidance through sharper, more responsive steering which enhances the vehicle’s active safety capabilities,” he says.

Playtime with the Impreza A day after the launch, Motor Image provided the Philippine contingent with some downtime with the new Impreza. The organizers built a short course in Margaret Drive, approximately 20 minutes away from Sun Tec Plaza.

They prepared a sedan and hatchback version of the Impreza, and

held a comparison test against its popular rivals from Volkswagen, Mazda and Audi. The goal was for us to experience the Impreza’s overall performance by driving the car around three short courses and tested its acceleration, handling, braking and riding comfort.

“The Subaru Global Platform complements Subaru’s core technologies, offering a new driving experience that is beyond comparison. This car was designed to enhance and elevate the Subaru driving experience, marking a new and significant chapter in the brand’s history and future,” adds Dai. The Impreza’s we tested were equipped with 1600cc engines with an output of 114PS at 5,600rpms. Motor Image will offer for the domestic market the 153 PS 2.0 liter versions for both the four and five door hatchback versions.

Offroading with Overland WITH its vast experience and knowledge of taking on the rugged terrain, Overland makes it their business to protect your SUV from the harsh elements of Mother Nature.

Overland designs are engineered by people who are active 4-wheelers who know first-hand the requirements on how to protect your off-road rig. Overland 4x4 bumpers are designed to minimize vehicle damage and keep you moving. The standThe Impreza took all the fast corners and straights all in stride.

ard Bull Bar replaces the front bumper completely with a robust steel bumper designed specifically for each application. You won’t find a more thoroughly designed and manufactured vehicle protection system than Overland’s line of front, rear and side bumper protection. Engineering a bull bar requires careful consideration of a number of factors to ensure it properly serves its purpose. Factors such as vehicle design, crush rate,

air bag deployment, approach Protect and enhance the caangles, accessory fitment, pacity of your SUV with Overstrength, weight and aesthetics land. It is available in dealers are taken into consideration. nationwide.

Makati extends deadline for taxes

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

By Joel E. Zurbano THE city government of Makati is extending the tax payment deadline without penalties or surcharges to accommodate more businessmen applying for Mayor’s Permit and business licenses until the end of the month.

Under City Ordinance No. For Real Property Tax assessment and collection, taxpayers may avail of the 10-percent discount up to Jan. 31, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. only, provided payment is made in full.

Business Permit Office head Atty. Maribert Pagente urged clients to file their applications for renewal of business permits on or before the Jan. 25 deadline to avoid incurring additional charges.

Penalties on late payments of business taxes include a 25-percent surcharge and a two-percent penalty per month of delay until the amount due is fully settled.

BPO and other frontline offices involved in the processing of business permit applications and tax payments will continue to extend work hours until Jan. 30 only. Their offices will be open to serve clients from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Realty Tax Division will extend work hours until 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays until Jan. 30.

The following are the requirements for the renewal of business permits: Notarized Application Form (triplicate copy) with the following, Gross Declaration/Receipts of the Preceding Year, Number of Employees and Capital Investment; Previous Year Mayor’s Business Permit, Billing Assessment and Official Receipt; Audited Financial Statement and/or Income Tax Return for the year 2015.

For Consolidated Financial Statement, attach breakdown of gross sales/receipts and proof of payments from other Cities/Municipalities. For Fiscal Year Financial Statement, attach breakdown of gross sales/receipts from January to December.

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

COWS FOR MILF. Government peace panel Implementing Panel Chairman Irene Santiago (third from right) and Moro Islamic Liberation Front Implementing Panel Chairman Mohagher Iqbal (center) with World Bank representative Matthew Stephens (right) lead the distribution of cattle to widows of MILF combatants in Camp Abubakar, Barangay Tugaig in Barira, Maguindanao on Tuesday. It is part of the confidence-building measures for the six identified MILF camps in the camp—and transform these camps into peaceful and productive communities under the annex of normalization supervised and coordinated by the Joint Task Forces on Camps Transformation of the GPH and the MILF. Omar Mangorsi

Manila budget pushes thru T

By Sandy Araneta

HE Manila Regional Trial Court has dismissed with finality due to lack of merit a petition filed by Manila Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna seeking to stop the implementation of the city’s recently approved P14.88-billion budget for 2017.

In a resolution, Judge Armando Yanga of RTC Branch 173 denied Lacuna’s plea for a Temporary Restraining Order and a Writ of Preliminary Injunction against Ordinance 7810, appropriating the Executive Budget of Manila for this year.

Yanga declared as valid and legal the City Council sessions held last Dec. 15 and Jan. 3 approving the budget ordinance.

“As far as this Court is concerned, the session, or passage of the ordinance done on Dec. 15, 2016 and Jan. 3, 2017 by the here-

in defendants are valid and legal,” Yanga said in his nine-page decision dated Jan. 13.

“Corollary, considering that the Court has already resolved the prevailing issues, there is no more necessity to prolong the proceedings of this case,” Yanga said. “The resolution of the above-mentioned issues is equivalent to the denial of the complaint; hence it is dismissed for lack of merit.”

On Jan. 3, voting 17-13 with four councilors abstaining, the city council passed on third and final reading the proposed budget ordinance.

As presiding officer of the 36-member council, Lacuna went

to court after members of the majority bloc overwhelmingly voted for the passage of the budget ordinance during its second reading on Dec. 15 and on the third reading on Jan. 3.

Named defendants were Majority Floor Leader Councilor Casimiro Sison of the sixth district and all 17 councilors who voted for the approval of the 2017 budget.

Citing “extreme urgency,” Lacuna asked the court to initially issue a 72-hour TRO, and later on a 20-day TRO, enjoining the “defendant, and all persons acting for and in their behalf, from approving and implementing or action on the proposed 2017 Executive

Laguna’s Santa Rosa celebrates Sikhayan Festival SANTA ROSA, Laguna—The City of Santa Rosa celebrated its annual Sikhayan Festival starting Wednesday with the theme “Bunga ng Pagsisikhay ng Mamamayan, Pamana sa mga Kabataan!”

(The Fruit of the Citizens’ Efforts is an Inheritance for the Youth).

Mayor Danilo Ramon Fernandez thanked the people of Santa Rosa for their continued diligence and participation that brought the city to its current progressive state.

“We owe it to our citizens where we are as a city now, the progress

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which Santa Rosa is experiencing.

It’s just right that we pray tribute to them through the Sikhayan Festival, and so we made an effort to make our annual street dancing parade a truly joyful event,” Fernandez said.

The Sikhayan Festival coincides with the foundation anniversary of Santa Rosa as a town in the year 1792, making it 225 years old.

Six private secondary schools joined the street dancing competition with a “Fantasy World” theme.

The dancers showcased their talents

and creativity using the themes from classic animation movies “Peter Pan,” “Snow White,” “Tarzan,” “Lion King,” “Alice in Wonderland” and “Frozen.”

Colegio De Santa Rosa Laguna emerged as Grand Champion, followed by Queen Anne School, Jesus the Exalted Name School, Blessed Christian School de Sta. Rosa, Laguna Eastern Academy of Santa Rosa, and Laguna Northwestern College in order. The Best in Costume award went to Queen Anne School, which presented the

“Alice in Wonderland” theme.

Members of the Sangguniang Panlungsod, headed by Vice Mayor Arnold Arcillas, heads of city government and national offices, together with employees, barangay officials with staff, representatives from the education sector, business sector, and various nongovernment and civic organizations attended the festival.

Also present were Laguna Vice Governor Katherine Agapay, Board Member JM Carait, First District Rep. Arlene B. Arcillas,

and Rosauro Sta. Maria, head of the Laguna Tourism, Culture, and Arts and Trade Office.

The Philippine Postal Corporation also presented the commemorative stamp for the celebration of Santa Rosa’s founding anniversary. Post Master General and CEO Joel Otarra unveiled it together with the officials and other guests.

Guest artists included Alden Richards and Dennis Trillo. The Ginoong Santa Rosa 2017 official candidates were also presented during the event.

Online filing for police, health clearances in QC set POLICE and health clearances in Quezon City can soon be secured online.

The City Council has approved two resolutions for the adoption of an online application and documents verification system in the issuance of police and health clearance, District 1 Councilor Alexis Herrera said.

The move is designed to simplify the process of securing police and health clearances from the Quezon City Police District and the city health department, respectively.

It also highlights the city government’s continuing effort to harnessing new technologies and systems to provide convenience to those who will be availing of city services.

As provided under both resolutions principally authored by Herrera, the police department and health department are coordinating closely with the city’s Information Technology Development Office for requirements needed to develop these systems.

“Our principle here is to reduce the processing time,” Herrera said.

Normally, it takes about a day to secure a police clearance, while one has to wait for two days before a health clearance is issued. Rio N. Araja

Long lines like this at the Quezon City Hall for police and health clearances will be a thing of the past once two City Council resolutions for an online application and documents verification system for both clearances are implemented.

Budget pending determination of whether the writ of preliminary injunction should be granted.”

Lacuna claimed the majority councilors conducted “unsanctioned” and “unofficial sessions” that led to the approval of the ordinance.

Sison, Lacuna alleged, suspended the rules of the council during the Dec. 15 session and removed her authority to motion for the adjournment. The vice mayor insisted she did not consent to the Dec. 15 session.

In his testimony, however, Sison said it was Lacuna who violated the rules when she abruptly adjourned the Dec. 15 session so that the budget ordinance would not be tackled.

QC wants Payatas jail built QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Thursday called on Local Government Secretary Ismael Sueno and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology director Serafin Barretto to fasttrack the construction of a new city jail in Barangay Payatas.

During the city’s recent peace and order council meeting, Bautista underscored the need to prioritize the development of the 3.4-hectare property acquired by the city government to stem the decongestion problem at the city jail located in Barangay Kamuning along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

The acquisition of the property was authorized by an ordinance passed by the City Council.

Bautista said he saw the need to transfer the old city jail, as its location “has been surpassed and overwhelmed by the development in the area,” and therefore considered “strategically inconvenient and disadvantageous” to its neighboring areas and the entire city as well.

On April 22, 2015, Bautista and the registered property owner, M.S. Florendo and Sons Inc., made a deed of absolute sale for the acquisition of the property in Payatas.

BJMP-National Capital Region will oversee the construction of the new jail facility, the mayor said.

There are 3,884 male detainees at the Quezon City Jail.

The P200-million budget to put up the new jail was incorporated in the BJMP’s 2012 budget, but was scrapped. Jail officials said they would need to submit another request to be able to finance the construction. Rio N. Araja

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LGUs

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

‘Zambo Hermosa’ province proposed

By A. Perez Rimando

Z

AMBOANGA CITY—The creation of a new Zamboanga Peninsula province in Region 9, carved out from 98 barangays of this highly urbanized city, has been proposed by a group of concerned non-government organization leaders and top officials of rural and suburban villages here.

NGO officer Rizaldy C. Mon- ince—to be known as Zamboantebon, a professor and former ga Hermosa—will add to the journalist, said the new prov- region’s three existing provinces

of Zamboanga del Sur, Zamboanga Sibugay and Zamboanga del Norte.

Montebon said due to its booming population—currently close to one million—and its huge 1,500-square kilometer land area, Zamboanga now needs more local executives by converting the seven progressive villages of Vitali, Sangali, Culianan, Landang Gua, Ayala, Talisayan and Labuan into separate municipalities to initially compose the new province.

He said Zamboanga will re-

main as a highly-urbanized city made up of the 26 urban and semi-urban barangays of Baliwasan, Sta. Barbara, Sta. Maria, San Jose, Boalan, Talon-Talon, Sta. Catalina, Mampang, San Ramon, San Roque, Baliwasan Grande, Putik, Divisoria, Arena Blanco, Mariki, Lustre, Lower Calarian, Taluksangay, Upper Calarian, Sinunuc, Recodo, Guiwan, Sta. Cruz, Suterville, Kasanyangan and Maasin.

Montebon claimed that with Zamboanga having nearly 100 barangays, its lone city executive—

incumbent Mayor Maria Isabelle “Beng” Climaco-Salazar—“has been observed having difficulty in effectively and efficiently addressing rural governance.”

This could be readily remedied by the birth of a new province, led by a governor and assisted by new town mayors “who could later pursue necessary local governance measures, especially maintenance of peace and order, the city’s major problem,” Montebon added.

He cited the conversion over four decades ago of Basilan City, then

led by Mayor Leroy Brown, initially into a six-town province, which now boasts of two progressive cities, Isabela and Lamitan, and 13 fastgrowing municipalities.

The creation of Zamboanga Hermosa, Montebon stressed, “would certainly hasten the socio-economic growth and development of the city’s neglected countryside, including its several island barangays, thus benefitting thousands of villagers who often seldom, if ever, receive basic social services from the city government.”

Ilocos Sur gains 2 new Pagcor school buildings Umali THE province of Ilocos Sur became the newest recipient of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.’s school building project.

Pagcor, together with the Department of Education and Department of Public Works and Highways, turned over a twostory, six-classroom building to Ilocos Sur National High School in Vigan City, and a one-story, five-classroom building to Banaoang Community School in the municipality of Santa.

The two buildings will benefit more than 6,000 students from both schools.

Built in 1902, ISNHS is one of the country’s oldest learning institutions and is the most denselypopulated public school in the province with a current enrollment of 6,000.

Despite its huge population, Ilocos Sur National High has only 100 functional classrooms.

“With this new school building we will have adequate rooms for our students. Likewise, we will have additional spaces where they can enhance their skills as we plan to make this new facility a computer center,” said ISNHS principal Romulo Quitevis.

BanCS head Salvador Lazo Jr. was also extremely grateful to the state-owned gaming firm for giving them more than what they requested.

“We only asked Pagcor for funds to buy and install new floor tiles in some classrooms, but we got this beautiful fiveclassroom building that will help build the dreams of our students,” Lazo said.

denies link to Napoles

By Ferdie G. Domingo

Pagcor officers and guests release balloons to celebrate the inauguration of a new five-classroom school building donated by the state-owned gaming firm to Banaoang Community School in Santa, Ilocos Sur.

With a school population of only 248, BanCS has enough classrooms for its enrollees.

But most of their classrooms are cramped.

Ten-year-old Adriane Chris Ancheta, a Grade Five student from Barangay Banaoag, is one of the lucky students in BanCS who will soon use the new Pagcor-sponsored classrooms.

Having studied at BanCS

IN BRIEF 1 dead, 6 hurt in grenade blast SAN PEDRO CITY, Laguna—One person was killed while six others were wounded in an explosion, apparently caused by a hand grenade, at a lot at the center of a property dispute on Monday morning, police said.

San Pedro City Chief of Police Supt.

Harold Depositar identified the dead as a certain Jeffrey, alias “Monay,” a laborer and a resident of Dasmarinas, Cavite.

Injured in the explosion were Mark Angel Ambat, Kim Cabudol, John Caballes, Jester Lustria, Erik Joson and Romcard Esto.

Depositar said the explosion happened at 9 a.m. on an 80-hectare property in Sitio Southridge, Barangay San Antonio. The lot is the subject of an alleged dispute between several owners, whom the police chief said are currently under investigation. Roy Tomandao

since Grade 1, Adriane has gotten used to study in congested spaces. But when he learned that Pagcor donated new and modern classrooms, he was overly excited.

“We used to sit shoulder to shoulder because our classrooms were small, and we’d bump into each other whenever we stand or walk around. Now it won’t happen again,” he said.

With the new classrooms, Adriane looks forward to go to school each day. He is now more inspired to fulfill his deceased father’s dream for him to become a civil engineer someday.

During the formal turnover of the two school buildings, Pagcor Assistant Vice President for Community Relations and Services Arnell Ignacio proudly shared that to date, the agency

has already built close to 4,000 classrooms in more than 700 sites nationwide.

“We feel and share in your joy, not just for giving relief to your concerns through the help we are extending through these classrooms,” Ignacio said. “When before, we were used to seeing children study under trees, now we have more than enough classrooms for them to study in comfortably.”

Vizcaya tabs P12m for irrigation works BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Rice and corn production in this province are expected to increase with the release of P12 million from the provincial government for the repair, improvement and construction of new Communal Irrigation Systems here.

Governor Carlos Padilla said the fund is part of their yearly support to farmers and to provide more irrigation to their fields in Nueva Vizcaya’s 15 towns.

“This is our assistance to our farmers who are contributing much to the food security efforts in our country,” he said. It will ensure

not only the quantity but also the quality of rice and corn products in the province, the governor added.

The amount is a counterpart for the National Irrigation Administration’s Balikatan Sagip Patubig Program, which covers both the construction and rehabilitation of CIS. Through the BSPP, local government units will have the technical and management resources to undertake pre-engineering capabilities and construction activities, while NIA provides similar technical assistance and support.

Bruno Gamponia, president of the Provincial Federation of Farmers Irrigators Association, said the funds will help more than 40,000 farmers in the province.

“This will be a big help for us considering that every year, typhoons tend to damage our irrigation system and crops, bringing huge agricultural loses to our farmers,” he said.

Gamponia also added the assistance will help Nueva Vizcaya sustain its Quality Corn Achiever and Agri-Pinoy Awards given recently by the Department of Agriculture. Ben Moses Ebreo

12 Benguet sites set for Minahang Bayan LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—The Provincial Mining Regulatory Board recently declared 12 areas in two towns of the province as potential “Minahang Bayan” sites.

Engineer Lumino Caniteng, president of the Benguet Federation of Small-Scale Miners, said 10 potential Minahang Bayan sites are in Itogon, while two others are in Tuba.

These potential sites are existing small-scale mining areas, to avoid future complications with other existing claims, he added.

“We are now awaiting the action for validation by the environment department on the declared Minahang Bayan sites, for us to proceed with the processing of the required documents that will eventually lead to the formal declaration of the sites as Minahang Bayan areas,” Caniteng stressed.

The 10 proposed Minahang Bayan sites in Itogon are equitably distributed in the different barangays, except for barangays Tinongdan and Dalupirip, which are classified as agricultural areas. The Minahang Bayan sites in Tuba are in Barangay Camp 4. Dexter A. See

NEW BUILDING. The new Integrated Municipal Annex Hall Building of Santa Maria, Laguna is inaugurated on Jan. 9 by Mayor Tony Carolino (inset, second from left), who leads the ribbon-cutting together with Vice Mayor Virgina Tuazon (left) DTI’s Lina Alcantara, DoH’s Sherwin Carl Valiente, former mayor lawyer Cindy Carolino, DILG’s Darrel Dizon, and DSWD’s Bridon Malapo. Roy Tomandao

CABANATUAN CITY—Former Nueva Ecija governor Aurelio Umali has denied knowing alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Napoles amid their supposed links on the alleged misuse of P15 million intended for the procurement of fertilizers and irrigation pumps for local farmers.

Speaking during the induction of officers of the Nueva Ecija Press Club Inc. at La Parilla 1900 here where he was guest of honor and speaker, Umali said he has not known Napoles personally nor has he dealt with her.

“I don’t know Ms. Napoles because if I did, I might even get her at that time as one of the godmother of my children,” Umali said.

He also clarified that the P15 million in Priority Development Assistance Funds he was accused of mishandling—which were under his discretion as a congressman in 2005—was only P3 million.

The other P12 million was part of the Ginintuang Masagang Ani program, which was a nationwide program.

The former governor, husband of incumbent Gov. Czarina Umali, criticized some media outfits for “not reporting the truth” about his case, saying he was a victim of trial by publicity.

“I have not signed any MoA [memorandum of agreement, with Napoles] and yet I was maligned, vilified and ridiculed in the media,” he said.

Just recently, the Office of the Ombudsman issued a resolution indicting Umali before the Sandiganbayan for allegedly misusing his P15-million PDAF when he was in the House of Representatives.

Charged with him were Napoles, Department of Agriculture regional director Renato Manantan, and accountant Narcisa Maninding.

Umali was also found guilty of administrative offenses of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service.

Ombudsman Conchita Morales also ordered his perpetual disqualification from office along with Manantan.

Lawyer Honorio Eduardo Reyes III, Umali’s counsel, said all of his client’s PDAF was legally utilized in helping his constituents.

Reyes added that as far as Umali is concerned, he has an unblemished record not only as a member of Congress, but likewise during his full three terms as governor of Nueva Ecija from 2007 to 2016.

He stressed they are disappointed with the Ombudsman’s findings but will exhaust all legal remedies, including the filing of a motion for reconsideration.

Umali said when he was still a congressman, his PDAF “was used to alleviate the plight of poor farmers in the third congressional district,” contrary to claims by field investigators that there were no purchases for fertilizers and irrigation pumps for the growers.

World

Manila

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TODAY

IN BRIEF India school bus crash kills 15 children NEW DELHI―At least 15 children were killed and dozens more injured when a school bus collided with a truck in northern India on Thursday, police said.

The driver of the bus also died in the crash, the latest deadly accident in a country with one of the worst road safety records in the world.

“Tragic road accident in Aliganj, Etah. Over 15 school kids feared dead. Rescue of injured ongoing,” tweeted Javeed Ahmed, director general of police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh where the crash occurred.

Police in Etah district subsequently confirmed via direct Twitter message that 15 children had died and said the number could increase to 20.

It is not yet clear what had caused the vehicles to crash, although collisions are a common occurrence on winter mornings, when northern India is frequently blanketed with thick fog.

Road accidents killed nearly 150,000 people in India last year, around 400 a day, according to the data from ministry of road transport and highways.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his condolences to the victims’ families. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

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Nightmare returns to Italy M ONTEREALE, Italy―Italy was hit by four earthquakes in four hours Wednesday, killing one and bringing terror to snowbound mountain areas still recovering from last year’s series of deadly tremors.

The quakes, all measuring more than five magnitude, struck close to Amatrice, the mountain town devastated by an August earthquake that left nearly 300 people dead.

The body of one victim was found under the debris of a building in the town of Castel Castagna, in the province of Teramo, local authorities said in a statement.

At least three people were missing having been swept away

in an avalanche, rescuers were reported as saying by local media.

They had been among around 20 tourists staying at a hotel in the province of Pescara, which four rescue teams are now trying to reach amid difficult conditions.

And as night fell and temperatures plummeted, fears mounted for isolated residents of remote hamlets cut off by heavy snowfall, while more than 130,000 homes were without electricity.

A mother and child dragged from the ruins of a collapsed country cottage near Teramo in the Abruzzo region were both found to be suffering from hypothermia.

Shortly before dusk, Nello Patrizi, a farmer in Montereale, south of Amatrice, was out with his dog, trying to check on cows knee-deep in snow.

“It was an apocalyptic shock.

We were petrified,” the 63-yearold told AFP. “The first one was bad enough, the others seemed even stronger. You had the impression everything was collapsing, people were screaming.

“With all the snow there was this morning, people could not get out of their houses. I thought ‘all we need now is an earthquake’ and here it is.”

Fabio di Gianfrancesco, 55,

drove from Rome to another hamlet, Aringo, to check on elderly relatives.

“They were trapped in the house because of the snow,” he said.

“We got them out and then helped the last 10 or so residents here to leave.”

Around 160 people were preparing to spend the night under the canvas of a giant tent on a local sports field.

Wednesday’s first shock struck at 10:25 am (0925 GMT).

Monitors put its strength at between 5.1 and 5.3 magnitude. A second, 50 minutes later, was measured between 5.4 and 5.7.

A third, minutes later, measured 5.3, while one of more than 100 major aftershocks was measured atStandard 5.1Manila at 2.30 pm.

TODAY

The tremors were felt powerfully across the Abruzzo, Lazio and Marche regions and clearly in Rome, over 100 kilometers away.

Residents of Aquila, where over 300 people died in a 2009 earthquake, rushed into the snow-covered streets in panic but the city suffered little damage.

Avalanche warnings were issued across a region that has a number of ski resorts and a highest peak, Gran Sasso, at 2,912 meters (9,554 feet).

In Amatrice, the belltower of the 15th Century Church of Sant’Agostino collapsed. It had been damaged by the first of the earthquakes which struck the mountainous centre of the country between August and October last year. AFP

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO IMPLEMENT THE SAN MIGUEL FOODS, INC. SWITCHYARD PROJECT, ERC CASE NO. 2016-170 RC VISAYAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC. (VECO), Applicant. x - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - x

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Vietnam breaks up anti-China rally HANOI―Vietnamese police on Thursday scuffled with activists marking the 1974 Chinese invasion of a disputed island chain as they arrested several people and dispersed journalists.

About 100 people gathered in central Hanoi for the 43rd anniversary of the Chinese takeover of the Paracel islands in the South China Sea -- territory claimed by both nations that remains a diplomatic flashpoint.

In a rare act of public defiance in the communist nation, activists chanted “Down with the invaders!” and held banners against the “age-old enemy” near the capital’s Hoan Kiem Lake.

Plainclothes police swiftly swooped in, snatching banners away and hauling at least a dozen people into a nearby bus.

Journalists were unceremoniously ordered to leave the scene and turn off cameras.

Though Hanoi and Beijing routinely trade barbs over contested territory in the South China Sea, Vietnam often breaks up anti-China protests to avoid stoking anger from regional powerhouse China.

The Paracels remain a bitter bone of contention between the neighbors.

China has controlled the islands since invading them shortly after US-backed Vietnamese soldiers withdrew in 1974.

The attack left 70 Vietnamese soldiers dead. AFP

Quadruple killer executed WASHINGTON―A man convicted of killing a family of four during a burglary was put to death by lethal injection in Virgina on Wednesday, despite concerns about the drugs used for the execution.

Ricky Gray’s case drew attention because the state said it planned to use drugs that his lawyers had warned would cause him extreme suffering.

When asked if he had any last words, Gray’s response was, “nope,” state authorities said.

Hours earlier the US Supreme Court rejected a request for a stay of execution.

Gray, 39, and a nephew of his entered the home of a family in the state capital Richmond on New Year’s Day of 2006 with the intention of robbery.

They killed a couple and their daughters aged four and nine.

The bodies were found tied up in the basement, their throats slashed and their heads bashed in.

The house was set on fire.

The nephew is serving a life sentence in a separate killing.

Gray said that during the assault he was under the effect of drugs he took to forget years of sexual abuse as a child.

Like other US states, Virgina faces a shortage of chemicals used for lethal injections because major pharmaceutical firms refuse to supply them.

So some states turn to so-called compounding pharmacies that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration. AFP

TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 15 September 2016, the Visayan Electric Company, Inc. (VECO) filed an Application seeking authority to implement the San Miguel Foods, Inc. Switchyard Project (SMFI Project).

VECO alleged the following in the Application: 1. VECO is a private corporation existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with business address at J. Panis Street, Banilad, Cebu City. It is a duly authorized distribution utility of electric power in the cities of Naga, Talisay, Cebu and Mandaue, and in the municipalities of San Fernando, Minglanilla, Consolacion and Lilo-an, Province of Cebu pursuant to its franchise under Republic Act. No. 9339.

2. It may be served with notices and other processes of this Commission through its undersigned counsel at the address indicated below.

3. VECO’s 3rd Regulatory Period (3rd RP) covers 1 July 2014 to 30 June 2018.However VECO still has to undergo the reset process and is currently awaiting the final rules to be released by the Honorable Commission to govern the filing of its 3rd RP reset application.

4. This notwithstanding, Republic Act No. 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (“EPIRA”), under Section 23, obligates VECO, as well as other distribution utilities, to provide distribution services and connections to its system for any end-user within its franchise area consistent with the distribution code.

5. In a letter dated 26 October 2015, San Miguel Foods, Inc. (“SMFI”) informed Applicant that it is expanding its business by constructing Feed Mill Plants in the country, one of which is to be located in Barangay Looc, Mandaue, Cebu. SMFI will also install a 5 MVA load end substation within the Feed Mill Plant premises. For this purpose, SMFI requested for a service connection to VECO.

PREMIERE. Actress Anya Taylor-Joy attends the ‘Split’ premiere in New York on January 18, 2017. AFP

Paul McCartney sues to take back Beatles catalog NEW YORK―Paul McCartney on Wednesday filed a lawsuit to secure the copyright to the Beatles back catalog in a case that could have wide ramifications for the music industry.

The complicated dispute centers around the US Copyright Act of 1976, which aimed to address pop music’s checkered history with artists by ensuring long-term rights for songwriters and their heirs.

Under the law, artists could reclaim copyright for songs 35 years after they gave them away -- or 56 years for tracks from before 1978.

But in a startling win for publishers, a British court in December refused to grant Duran Duran the US rights to the pop group’s early hits -- such as “Rio” and the James Bond theme “A View to a Kill” -- on the grounds that the US act did not apply in Britain.

McCartney filed the lawsuit in a federal court in New York against Sony ATV Music Publishing, which was also involved in the Duran Duran case, in a bid to guarantee the transfer of copyright.

Next year will mark 56 years, the time frame spelled out in the US Copyright Act, since the Beatles released their first single, “Love Me Do,” in 1962.

The lawsuit said that the CEO of Sony ATV encountered McCartney’s lawyer at a concert shortly before the Duran Duran decision and hinted that the publisher would fight harder in light of the British case.

The lawsuit said that McCartney had asked Sony ATV to make clear that it recognized the former Beatle’s notices that he planned to terminate publishing contracts under the US law.

“Defendants have refused to provide such confirmation,” the lawsuit said, voicing worry that Sony ATV would instead declare McCartney -- who wrote much of the Beatles catalog with the late John Lennon -- to be in breach of contract.

The case could have wide effects on the future of payments in the music industry. Publishers collect and distribute royalties to songwriters -- an especially lucrative area for classic tunes.

Sony ATV has rights to millions of songs including those by other top names in rock history including Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye and Bob Dylan.

Ironically, Jackson bought the rights to the Beatles songs after a leisurely chat with McCartney who explained the importance of music publishing.

Sony ATV was initially a joint venture with Jackson.

Japan’s Sony Corp. last year bought out the late King of Pop’s 50 percent stake from his estate for $750 million.

AFP

Notice of Extrajudicial Settlement Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Eduardo O. Zabanal consisting of real property and personal property was extra-judicially settled and distributed among his heirs, Shalimar Rosary N. Zabanal, Angelica Almira Zabanal, Regina Tatiana Nabor Zabanal, Lorelei Blossom Nabor Zabanal, Eduardo O. Zabanal, Jr. and Leorosie Nabor Zabanal by means of a public document executed on November 25, 2016, before a Notary Public in the State of Hawaii, authenticated by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of the First Circuit and by Roberto T. Brenardo, Consul of the Philippines in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA as per Doc. No. 4885, Page 212, Book No. XLIII Series of 2016.

(MS-JAN. 13,20 & 27, 2017)

RESERVE YOURAD SPACENOW!

email us at advertise@ thestandard.com.ph or call us at 832-5547

NOTICE OF DISSOLUTION Notice is hereby given that Sonagi Enterprises, Inc. located at BCPI Compound, PTC-SEZ Gov. Drive, Bo. Maduya, Carmona, Cavite was dissolved effective October 31, 2016.

(MS-JAN. 13,20 & 27, 2017)

PANAWAGAN Tinatawagan ang mga magulang o kamaganak ng batang babae na pinangalanang Angel Canares na iniwan ng kanyang ina na si Jessica Canares sa City Social Welfare and Development Office ng City of Bacoor noong July 05, 2016. Ang nasabing bata ay nasa pangangalaga ng DSWD sa ilalim ng Foster Care Program.

Maaaring makipag-ugnayan kina Ms. Lanie Tabios/Eloisa Rogado sa DSWD Field Office IV-A, Alabang, Muntinlupa City sa telepono bilang 02-8508380 • 09989638140.

N OTICE Notice is hereby given that JG SUMMIT PETROCHEMICAL CORPORATION is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as Expanding Producer of Polypropylene Resins on a Non-Pioneer status, at annual capacity of 120,000 metric tons with project site located at Barangay Simlong and Barangay Pinamucan Ibaba, Batangas City.

Any person with valid objection/s on the abovementioned project may file his/her objection in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) days from the date of this publication.

6. SMFI also stated in its letter that it targets the testing and commissioning of all plant equipment by 2017. A copy of the SMFI letter is attached herein as Annex “A”.

7. VECO, pursuant to Section 20 (b) of Commonwealth Act No. 146, as amended, hereby applies for the approval of the Honorable Commission to implement the construction, ownership and operation of the proposed San Miguel Foods, Inc. Switchyard Project (“SMFI Project”).

8. In brief, the SMFI Project involves the construction of a 69 kV switching station with a single bus – single breaker configuration station within the premises of SMFI’s Feed Mill Plant and the stringing of approximately 0.6 circuit-kilometer 795 MCM ACSR double circuit 69kV line that will cut in along the NGCP Mandaue GIS to VECO MRA SS 69kV line segment and terminate at the said switching station.

9. The detailed justification, technical analysis and economic analysis of the SMFI Project are provided in Annexes “B” and “C” hereof.

10. The total cost of the SMFI Project is estimated at PhP28,486,164.14.

11. The related costs in relation to the proposed SMFI project will not have a direct impact on the current rates of VECO until approved by the Honorable Commission as part of VECO’s Regulatory Asset Base (RAB) in the next applicable Regulatory Period.

12. In sum, it is necessary that the SMFI Project be implemented in order to accommodate the load requirement of SMFI. The SMFI Project will provide the customer with reliable power that will likewise promote productivity on their end.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that the Honorable Commission APPROVE the San Miguel Foods Inc., Switchyard Project.

Other relief just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed for.

The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on 31 January 2017 at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.), at the Energy Regulatory Commission Visayas Field Office in St. Mary’s Drive, Banilad, Cebu City.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1)

The petitioner’s name and address;

2)

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

3)

A statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicant rests its case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure.

No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1)

The name and address of such person;

2)

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

3)

The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR (on leave),and the Honorable Commissioners ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA,Energy ,Energy Regulatory Commission,this 22nd day of December 2016 in Pasig City.

(SGD.) EVARISTE M. CAGATAN Director Manufacturing Industries Service (MS-JAN. 20, 2017)

(MS-JAN. 13 & 20, 2017)

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office of the Chairman and CEO

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

C4

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

World

Prince in frontline of war on AIDS NEW DELHI―From setting up his own charity to hanging condoms on trees, Manvendra Singh Gohil has dedicated himself to fighting the scourge of AIDS since coming out 10 years ago as India’s first openly gay royal.

A member of a royal warrior clan and heir apparent to the throne of Rajpipla in deeply conservative Gujarat state, Gohil uses his fame and status to educate the gay community about safe sex and their rights in a country where gay sex is a criminal offence.

“People say homosexuality is a part of western culture. It is absolutely wrong,” Gohil told AFP in an interview, citing the Kamasutra and the homoerotic sculptures that feature in ancient temples across the country.

“It is the hypocrisy in our society which is refusing to accept this truth. And this motivated me to come out openly and tell the world ‘I am gay, so what? And I am proud of it’.”

Gohil has been part of a campaign against the colonial-era law that bans homosexual acts in India, which he says has contributed to the spread of HIV/AIDS. His charity the Lakshya Foundation works with homosexual men and the transgender community to promote safer sexual practices, though they face constant obstruction from police.

“People are having sex under fear and unsafe sex practices are going on,” he said.

“When we started work among the MSM (men having sex with men), we were harassed and threatened by police.

“We would keep condom packets in public toilets, and even hang them on trees in public parks because we did not want to stop them from having sex in toilets or behind the bushes. We just wanted them to have safe sex.”

Gay sex was effectively decriminalized in 2009 when the Delhi High Court ruled that prohibiting it was a violation of a person’s fundamental rights.

But in 2013 the Supreme Court ruled that the responsibility for changing the 1861 law rested with lawmakers and not judges.

Prosecutions are rare, but gay people say they face significant discrimination as well as harassment from the police. AFP

CHINESE NEW YEAR. A rooster sticker is seen on the window at the entrance of a mall in Beijing on January 19, 2017. The Lunar New Year, known locally as the Spring Festival, falls on January 28 this year and marks the Year of the Rooster in the Chinese calendar. AFP

White-collar staff face new workplace threat D AVOS―If your job involves inputting reams of data for a company, you might want to think about retraining in a more specialized field. Or as a plumber.

After industrial robots and international trade put paid to many manufacturing jobs in the West, millions of white-collar workers could now be under threat from new technology such as artificial intelligence.

The issue of how best to face up to this “Fourth Industrial Revolution” has been exercising politicians and business leaders this week at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss Alpine town of Davos.

The progress of artificial intelligence has been “staggering” in recent years, said Vishal Sikka, chief executive of Indian IT services giant Infosys.

“But in many ways we are at the beginning of this evolution

and we face the prospect of leaving a larger part of humanity behind than in any other (industrial) advance,” he warned.

Public disquiet about technological change and globalization has already sparked a populist backlash in Western countries, culminating in Donald Trump’s inauguration as US president on Friday.

But much more dislocation could yet be coming, and both the public and Western governments need to wake up to the challenge, observers say.

New technologies are “going to completely disrupt and change the working place for a long time”, and governments must put in place policies, skills training

and safety nets to cope, International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde said.

Education systems are failing to plug skills shortages, experts say.

Europe and the United States have hundreds of thousands of vacancies in IT and engineering which often get filled by immigrants, for want of homegrown talent, feeding in turn the anti-globalization backlash.

And according to a survey of 18,000 employers in 43 countries by employment consultancy ManpowerGroup, up to 45 percent of tasks done daily in the workplace could be automated using current technology.

For its part, global consultancy McKinsey said more than 60 percent of jobs and 30 percent of business activities could be automated today.

“We can’t rely on government to re-skill people in the face of rapid technological change and

automation. Business will have to drive this,” said McKinsey’s global managing partner, Dominic Barton.

“Back office” labor in banking, insurance and other financial services, which involves clerical work such as data inputting, is seen as most at risk from IT automation.

But even professions like medicine and accountancy could face upheaval as AI evolves to evermore sophisticated heights.

A computer using machine intelligence is perfectly equipped to crunch through the available academic literature when analysing suspected cancer in a doctor’s patient.

But the doctor would still be needed ultimately to exercise his or her judgement over the best course of treatment, a pattern of adding specialist value that needs to be replicated in other professions if they want to stay relevant. AFP

Filmmaker accused of cruelty to a dog

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS. Actress Sofia Vergara and Manolo Gonzalez-Ripoll Vergar attend the People’s Choice Awards 2017 at the Microsoft Theater on January 18, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. AFP

LOS ANGELES―Animal lovers on Wednesday called for a boycott of the coming movie “A Dog’s Purpose” after video footage emerged of an apparently terrified canine being forced into rushing water on the set.

The 2015 video, published by the celebrity website TMZ, shows a German Shepherd struggling to get away from his handler at the edge of a pool with swirling water.

“He ain’t gonna calm down till he goes in the water, you just gotta throw him in,” someone is heard saying on the video, as the dog claws at the edges of the pool and is finally pushed into the turbulent water.

The one-minute video, shot during the movie’s production near Winnipeg, Canada, ends with the dog going under the surface after running into the wall of the pool.

Crew members are then seen rushing to recover the animal.

Animal rights groups expressed outrage over the footage and urged a boycott of the movie as many took to social media to express their anger.

“PETA is calling on dog lovers to boycott the film in order to send the message that dogs and other animals should be treated

humanely, not as movie props,” Lisa Lange, vice president for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, told AFP. Canada-based group Animal Justice said it had filed a complaint with authorities calling for the filmmakers to be charged with animal cruelty.

“It is illegal to inflict suffering and anxiety onto animals, and there is no loophole that lets Hollywood moviemakers get away with abusing animals on a film set,” said Camille Labchuk, the group’s executive director.

American Humane, the organization that oversees animal safety during filming, said it was investigating the incident and had suspended its representative who was on the set.

In a series of tweets, the movie’s director Lasse Hallstrom said he was disturbed by the footage and had not witnessed the incident.

“We were all committed to providing a loving and safe environment for all the animals in the film,” he said, adding that he had been promised a thorough investigation and that anyone found guilty of wrongdoing would be punished. AFP

50 killed in bomb attack in Mali GAO, Mali―A suicide bombing targeting militia groups committed to restoring peace in Mali have left around 50 people dead and struck a fresh blow at longrunning efforts to stabilize the troubled north.

The car bomb attack on Wednesday in Gao, the region’s biggest city, targeted a camp housing former rebels and progovernment militia who are signatories to a 2015 peace accord struck with the government.

President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita ordered three days of national mourning following the attack, the worst in the country in recent years.

The group of Algerian jihadist and Al-Qaeda ally Mokhtar Belmokhtar claimed responsibility, in a statement, for the suicide bombing.

The group, allied to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), identified the attacker as Abdelhadi al-Foulani, in a statement cited by the US-based SITE watchdog and Mauritanian news agency Al-Akhbar.

Defence Minister Abdoulaye Idrissa Maiga swiftly headed to Gao following the blast.

The attack occurred as former rebels from the Tuareg-led CMA movement prepared to go on a joint patrol with pro-government militia members, under the terms of the peace deal.

The United States condemned the bombing, describing the attack as “cowardly”.

“We also denounce in the strongest terms all efforts to derail implementation of the peace agreement in Mali,” State Department Spokesman Peter Kirby said.

Mali’s north fell under the control of Tuareg-led rebels and jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda in 2012. The Islamists sidelined the rebels to take sole control.

Although they were largely ousted by a French-led military operation in January 2013, implementation of the peace accord has been piecemeal with insurgents still active across large parts of the region.

The joint patrols, which also include regular Malian army troops, are supposed to help prepare for the reorganization of the army.

“The provisional toll is 47 dead, including five suicide bombers, and several dozen injured”, the government said in a statement. AFP

Life

VIVO AND MVP.

Vivo's newest flagship model Vivo V5 Plus is equipped with the world's first dual front-facing 20MP and 8MP cameras, and is endorsed by two-time MVP and Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

SHOPPING

D1

Stephen Curry-endorsed

V

5 PLUS, the perfect selfie phone from the top five premium global mobile brand Vivo, will be officially unveiled in a consumer and media launch tomorrow at SM Mall of Asia Atrium, in what is expected to be a celebrity-filled event.

The Vivo V5 Plus, endorsed by basketball superstar Stephen Curry, will be revealed in an exciting event with local stars, top technology, lifestyle and fashion bloggers, and significant personalities.

The newest smartphone from Vivo is an ideal fit for today’s newest trend— the ‘selfie’ phenomenon. Taking a selfie—a self-shot taken with a hand-held camera phone or one supported by a

selfie stick—has truly become a part of every Filipino's routine. For most netizens, taking selfies and posting these on social media is the way to go.

With the selfie’s popularity growing unabated, smartphone manufacturers have been producing phones with camera-focused features. Which is why Vivo, known for its high-quality smartphones, is set to launch its newest flagship model, equipped with the most

Vivo V5 Plus

advanced selfie technology to date: the Vivo V5 Plus.

Curry said he shares the same core values with the brand: energy, professionalism and pleasure.

Notable features of the Vivo V5 Plus include its dual front-facing cameras: a 20-megapixel and eight-megapixel combination, a soft-light flash that enables the user to take selfies even in poor lighting conditions, a face beauty mode 6.0 that corrects blemishes, and the “bokeh” effect—the well-loved photog-

raphy filter that instantly blurs the background of any focused object.

Vivo V5 Plus is also equipped with a 16-megapixel rear camera. Says Hazel Bascon, Vivo Philippines vice president, “We are excited that the Vivo V5 Plus is finally launching here in the Philippines, as Filipinos are known to be selfie lovers. The phone’s advanced selfie features will surely take the Filipino selfie experience to the next level.”

Full specifications of the newest Vivo model will be released during the event.

Singer KZ Tandingan and Pinoy Boyband Superstar’s Tony Labrusca and James Ryan Cesena will be performing during the event. Popular fashion blogger Verniece Enciso will also be attending the big launch.

For inquiries about Vivo V5 Plus, visit the Vivo website at vivoglobal.ph, or check out their Facebook (www.facebook.com/ VivoPhil), Instagram (www.instagram. com/vivophil/) and Twitter (twitter.com/ vivophil) accounts.

2 decades with

UNOde50

IN ITS 20th year, UNOde50 pays homage to the most important people to the brand, “The Special One’s.”

These are men and women who share their passion through a design with soul, and who feel connected with the life philosophy of UNOde50.

“The Special One’s” are the inspiration of the UNOde50’s FallWinter 2016/2017 collection represented in various groups that match the main values of the brand’s DNA and who appreciate handmade items above all else. * For the Creative Winds, UNO de 50 has designed the most creative pieces in which uniqueness triumphs above all else, seeking inspiration in countries where the brand has just launched. * The Rebel Voices splurge on their most groundbreaking and daring spirit, and for them, the creative team has designed a line that recreates an aesthetic of extravagant elegance. Perfect for not going unnoticed. * For those who daily follow the motto of Be Unique will have pieces with a conceptual esthetic and a clear industrial inspiration where we can find the true DNA of the brand.

* Those who advocate for the Natural Soul seek out craftsmanship and handmade items above all else, putting particular emphasis on the details.

The pieces for Men Soul, on the other hand, are made for contemporary and cosmopolitan men who are creative, bold and unique.

The UNOde50 attitude continues to break the molds 20 years later, due to ingenuity and a close relationship with art and creativity for each of the brand’s jewels.

The courage to be one’s self and defend it and fearlessly show how to be unique and different make UNOde50 the brand of choice.

Through its creativity, unique style, bold spirit and 100 percent Spanish handcrafted pieces, UNOde50 truly sets it apart from the rest. Founded in the late 1990s by the group of designers who resolved to establish a brand of fashion jewelry and accessories that would break all existing molds, the brand started out with the original and exclusive philosophy of creating only 50 units of each design, thereby supplying the trademark name. This unorthodox approach soon proved an unqualified success.

Twister Bull leather pendant necklace and Cheyenne silver-plated open ring from the Creative Winds line

The Creative Winds line in Unode50's latest collection has a country vibe, perfect for those who seek uniqueness and creativity above all else in their quest for one-of-a-kind style

Today, UNOde50 has more than 50 shops in Spain and over 25 abroad—in some of the world’s top fashion capitals such as New York, Miami, Las Vegas, Milan, Rome and Amsterdam. It opened its first store in Southeast Asia

in partnership with SM Retail at SM Aura Premier creating excitement with its artisan process.

UNOde50 is on the second level of SM Aura Premier, third floor of SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall, second

The Be Unique line is composed of rings, necklaces, earrings and bracelets that have an industrial-inspired design

level of the SM Mall of Asia’s Main Hall, ground floor of SM Makati, and ground floor of SM Store’s Branded Accessories Section in SM City Cebu.

Visit and like UNOde50’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/unode50.es

Mowgli long necklace and Liana bracelet are made of several strands of natural color leather, silver plated metal pieces and handmade crystals

Life

D2

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

‘Bata’ means shoes Bata Shoes opens its first Philippine branch at SM Megamall which has bright and open retail space that gives customers an exciting and convenient shopping experience.

By Bernadette Lunas

F

AMILY-owned Bata was established as the leading supplier of footwear in francophone Africa, so much so that in some tribal languages, the word bata was a synonym for shoes. That was during the redevelopment and expansion of the brand after the Second World War. Today, it is no. 1 in the region.

In 1894, Tomáš Baťa founded Bata Shoe Company in Zlin, Moravia (Czech Republic today). He invented the mass production technique for footwear in Europe in a bid to properly shoe everyone, especially those who can’t afford to buy a pair. Bat’a produced a shoe that was made of canvas and rubber; four times cheaper than anything in the market and just as durable. Thus he was called the “Shoe King.”

“It was like what Ford is for cars, Bata is for the shoe industry,” said Thomas Bat’a, fourth generation member of the family and chief marketing officer of Bata Shoes.

He added, “Shoe making was originally a very expensive industry, and by replacing certain materials with better materials and setting up production lines, we managed to drive down the prices dramatically—which means that big parts of the world can afford shoes for the first time.”

The European footwear brand brings to the country its rich history along with several shoe labels that cater to a wide range of market

It is a remarkable feat for such a brand, not only to innovate a technique, but more importantly to survive two world wars and the Communist revolution—incurring significant losses and setbacks, of course—and stand stronger than when it started.

Under the founder’s son, Thomas Jan Bat’a’s, leadership that spanned four decades, the brand was rebuilt from scratch and established itself in 19 locations in 12 countries—most of which included the Bata name (Batanagar in India, Bataville in France, BataKolonie in Switzerland and Batadorp in the Netherlands).

Today, the brand continues with its global re-expansion; currently present in 76 countries and has a strong pres-

ence in Pakistan, India and Africa. And before 2016 ended, Bata opened its first store in the Philippines at SM Megamall, a comeback after the brand left the country before World War II. “We do believe that there is a very big opportunity here in the Philippines because other [footwear] brands don’t offer these sort of products,” said Bata in an interview with Manila Standard.

While the designs are not entirely exclusive to the brand, which Bata affirmed are “a bit more European in taste,” the price points—which range from about P1,500 to P6,000 and up—make them quite different from the competitors. In terms of style, they have trendy pieces infused with kind of classic, according to the chief marketing officer.

In its first Philippine branch, Bata brings in its Ambassador label, which offers a wide range of footwear for men in lace and slip-ons; Power, designed in Canada with style, technological features, comfort and durability that make it perfect for athletic wearers; and Weinbrenner, composed of “strong shoes” perfect for those who love the outdoors.

Bata also offers North Star, a sport casual footwear and accessories label for the youth; and Bubblegummers, Bata shoes designed for kids.

Women shoppers, meanwhile, have a wide range of choices—patent pumps, block heels, platforms and flat shoes among others—considering that majority or 65 percent of Bata market is composed of women ages 25 to 40.

When asked if Bata is planning to bring in more labels under the brand, the official said, “The first step is to really get to know the market and understand the consumers to see which kind of products people in the Philippines are looking for.”

The shoe company, however, intends to expand its retail presence in the country, starting in Metro Manila, said Bata.

“We’re opening seven to 10 stores at SM Malls in Metro Manila in the next 12 months. From there, we’ll see [what to do next].”

Bata is located on 3/F, The Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall.

For more information, visit Bata Philippines on Facebook and @BataPhilippines on Instagram.

Big Sale at Shang

Technolux and Mall of Kitchens booth at World Food Expo

Choosing Kitchen equipment, small ware TECHNOLUX, the country’s largest importer and distributor of a complete line of foodservice, small ware, laundry and cleaning equipment, was a proud participant at the recently-concluded World Food Expo (WOFEX) at the World Trade Center.

Acknowledged as the biggest and most effective food show in the Philippines today, WOFEX gathered together both trade and consumer markets through participating companies that are major players in the industry. The four-day event showcased main sources of supply solutions in the local food and beverage landscape.

Technolux’s booths highlighted the flagship brands under its portfolio.

These included some of the world’s most recognizable products for commercial use such as Taylor Ice Cream Machines, Vitamix Blenders, Elmeco Granita Machines, Convotherm Combi Steamers Turbo-Air Refrigerators, Menu Master Microwave Ovens, Manitowoc Ice Machines, True Refrigerators and Freezers, Vittore Espresso Machines, Schaerer Fully Automated

Coffee Machines, IPSO Laundry Equipment, JIFFY Steamer, AJ Antunes Water Filtration and Winterhalter Dishwashing Machines.

Mall of Kitchens, a division of Technolux, had booths that featured its top products and small ware including RAK Porcelain, Zieher, Vittore, Bernardaud, Athena, RCR, Adcraft, Eurochef, Tablecraft, SYR, Icel, Carlisle, American Metalcraft, Alegacy, Cooper Atkins, and De Buyer.

Technolux is a major partner of some of the country’s most prestigious fivestar hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, cafes, bars, conveniences stores and QSRs for over 40 years. Its wide range of brands continues to endear the company to its customers who not only value its high-quality kitchen and laundry equipment and smallwares but its excellent customer service as well.

For more information about Technolux, check out www.technolux.net or call 8964941 and 8994531. You may also visit its corporate office at 2176 Primo Rivera Street, Barangay La Paz Makati City.

UP TO 70 percent discount is available at Shang’s Post Holiday Sale ongoing now at Shangri-La Plaza, until Feb. 19.

Mall guests are in for exciting shopping pleasures. Top designer labels, high street brands, sportswear, beauty products, home accessories and furniture, as well as food and pastry shops go on sale up to 70 percent discount on selected items.

With endless options of highly-coveted finds waiting to greet mall guests at the Post Holiday Sale, indulging in your favorite things has just become all the more irresistible, rewarding and pleasurable.

Some of the participating brands include Aeropostale, Anna Pashmina, Bratpack, British India, Crabtree & Evelyn, Digital Walker, DKNY, Escada, Fino, Florsheim, Geox, Great Kids, Golcondia, Harlan & Holden, Kitchenworks, Lacoste Footwear, Me & U, Mico, National Book Store, Officine, Ogalala, Onitsuka Tiger, Pepper Lunch, Periwinkle, Porsche Design, Rajo!, Santoni, Shelter, Sheridan, Tempur, The Body Shop, Tieline, Travel Club, Una Rosa, and Van Laack.

For inquiries, call 370-2597/98 or visit www.facebook.com/ shangrilaplazaofficial. Follow @shangrilaplazaofficial on Instagram.

Shop to your heart's delight at Shangri-La Plaza until Feb. 19

The Big Sale offers discounted items of up to 70 percent from participating brands that include Aeropostale, Geox and Periwinkle, among many others

FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

PEOPLE …are talking about

…are not talking about Bianca Umali

Pia Wurtzbach

The teen star has been receiving criticisms due to a Facebook post early this week. In her post, she urged women to take photos without makeup and filter and post them on social media, to show how confident they can be, even without makeup. Instead of attracting followers, her post elicited flak from people who noticed she’s still wearing makeup on a photo she describes as au naturel. The trouble is, Bianca was just obviously seeking public attention. Hence, she got what she asked for.

THERE are few reasons why she’s the “best Miss Universe ever,” and extending her work with Miss Universe Organization (MUO) as its ambassador even after her reign is just one of those. No doubt that Pia is the best woman for the job as she has exceeded the expectation of MUO. Obviously, everything just keeps on getting better for the country’s third Miss Universe title holder. She seems to have a balanced life, you know, a flourishing career and a blooming romantic life. She’s really confidently beautiful with a heart!

Imelda Schweighart Ryzza Mae Dizon

Dennis Trillo

Your Face Sounds Familiar Kids

AFTER the epic reimagining of Encantadia, GMA 7 is mounting another landmark fantasy series called Mulawin vs Ravena. We couldn’t think of any other Kapuso leading man fit to star in the lead role except for Dennis. Not only Dennis can execute action stunts well, he can also give justice to the role assigned to him. Yes mga Kapuso, the A-list actor is set to bring his charm and intelligent acting back on primetime.

LAST week, Awra Briguela set the online world ablaze with his hilarious impersonation of Mommy Dionesia Pacquiao in the singing show’s premiere telecast. Now, it’s Xia Vigor as Taylor Swift that is taking the Web by storm. Even Hollywood’s most popular gossip blogger Perez Hilton noticed her performance.

To be honest, we couldn’t find anything wrong about the show.

Take from the viewers, Your Face Sounds F a m i l iar Kids is now the most watched show in the country in the weekends.

The 11-year-old child star is now going through an awkward stage wherein people can hardly distinguish whether or not she’s still suitable to play kiddie roles. If she gets through this awkward stage, then good for her.

But we all know that in show business, celebrities and actors don’t quit, it’s the business that quits them. So, by the time she had already hurdled this stage, a younger and

much more talented young star would have taken her place.

‘Halfworlds Season 2’ premieres across Asia Halfworlds Season 2 debuts across Asia exclusively on HBO on Sunday, HBO Asia announced today.

The eight-part, hour-long dark action fantasy drama – the network’s first returnable series –premieres with double back-to-back episodes at 9 p.m., on HBO. A new episode premieres on subsequent Sundays at the same time, culminating with two back-to-back epi-

sodes on Feb. 26.

Halfworlds Season 2 is also available on HBO On Demand and HBO GO. The second season widens the universe established in the first season, transiting from the alleys of Jakarta, to the neon light-bathed streets of Bangkok. Directed by renowned Thai filmmaker Ekachai Uekrongtham (Beautiful Boxer, Skin Trade), this season features a

A scene from HBO original production "Halfworlds"

stellar cast of leading Asian actors from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan.

A tenacious researcher named Juliet (Tia Tavee) is trying to uncover the secret world of demons that live amongst mortals. Armed with research by her late father, she goes on a quest for answers.

While searching for an ancient artefact of great power, her actions draw the attention of the local Thai demons known as Peesaj.

It is not long before her pursuit leads her into the line of fire of the Peesaj leader Charlie (David Asavanond), the mortal peacekeeper Warin (Nicole Theriault) and a Peesaj named Fyter (Peem Jaiyen), who is sent to kill her.

Meanwhile, the Halfbreed Barata (Arifin Putra) is on a quest of his own that requires him to enlist the help of an old friend, Kaprey (Jake Macapagal). He is not the only one on a perilous journey, as fellow Demit Tony (Reza Rahadian) makes his presence known in Bangkok to find a lost love.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Friday, January 20, 2017

ACROSS 1 Be without 5 Memory jogger 9 Type of cracker 13 Important mineral 14 Ruckus (hyph.)

15 Purple fruit 16 Foreign film ender 17 No later than 18 Radius companion 19 Steamy dances 21 Forum hello 22 Crush 23 Ocean fish 25 Part of A.D. 27 It has two humps 31 Throat feature 35 Customs 36 Psyche’s suitor 38 Sawyer of TV 39 Comic-strip prince 40 Makes flakes 42 Geol. formation 43 Bete — 46 Bias 47 Sacked out 48 Popeye’s tattoo 50 Classroom nono 52 PC system 54 Salver 55 Door post

58 Marshy area 60 Also-rans 64 Director — Kazan 65 Physique 67 Cuff 68 HI or AK, once 69 Strode along 70 Famed lioness 71 Picket-line crosser 72 Semester ender 73 Drains DOWN 1 Ski — 2 “La Traviata” highlight 3 R.I. neighbor 4 Lancelot and Gawain 5 Chaney of horror flicks 6 Jot 7 Vishnu associate 8 Kind of scout 9 Trattoria dessert 10 Earthen pot 11 Hassles a debtor 12 Rani’s servant 14 Iditarod team 20 Thole filler 24 Works to get 26 High sign 27 Safari boss 28 Mr. Spelling

29 Pessimist, often 30 Secluded corners 32 Bossa nova kin 33 PC chip maker 34 Tennis great Ivan — 37 Won every game 41 Eddied 44 Pie plant 45 Long period 47 Ocean trenches 49 Leaf through 51 Eastern philosophy

53 Carbon paper’s doom 55 Hot tub features 56 Sir — Guinness 57 Red giant in Cetus 59 Wine valley 61 La senorita 62 Rough file 63 Masseuse employers 66 Dues payer, for short

SHE’S found an ally in Gabriela after the women’s gruop condemned the staging of Miss Universe in the country citing the pageant is promoting sex tourism.

The Miss Earth thankyou girl and a Binibining Pilipinas reject took to Facebook to say how she felt exploited during her stint in a beauty pageant. She said she felt like “so darn exploited like pigs being sold in the market.”

For sure she wouldn’t say this sweeping statement had she won a crown.

Mossimo

Bikini Summit 2017 screening AFTER a series of successful provincial screenings last year, Model Supremacy: The Mossimo Bikini Summit 2017 finally heads to Metro Manila for the search of the final line up of candidates. There will be a screenings on Jan. 21 from 1to 6 p.m. at The Penthouse 8747 on Paseo de Roxas, Salcedo Village in Makati City.

The search is open to all aspiring male and female models (all nationalities with Filipino blood or ancestry), ages 18 to 25 years old, at least a high school graduate, single and with an exceptional character perfect to be the next big thing in the modeling industry.

Height requirement for male is 5’10” and for female is 5’6”.

Interested applicants must also possess a proportional physique and must have excellent communication skills. Application forms can be downloaded on themodelsupremacy.com or visit Mossimo

branches in Glorietta Ayala Center, SM Megamall, SM North Edsa and SM Mall of Asia.

Mossimo Bikini Summit (MBS) is back to grace the country’s beaches. For its ninth year, MBS presents itself with Model Supremacy - the battle that will dictate the new face that will reign supreme in showbiz, fashion and pageantry circuit. This year’s competition goes back to Boracay Island where it was first staged in 2002 ‘til 2004, following Manila in 2006, 2007 and 2009, and Batangas in 2011.

Prior to the finals night on April 8at the Henann Regency Resort and Spa, pocket shows will be held in Cebu, La Union, Pangasinan, Bicol, Palawan and Manila showcasing the designs by local designers as well as the latest collection from global brand Mossimo.

The titleholders receive

P250,000 each, P150,000 each for first runners-up and P100,000 each for second runners-up. Winners will also receive exciting valuable gifts from sponsors.

Something to look forward to during the finals is the collaboration between Mossimo and swimwear brand Agua Brazilian as well as the creations of internationally acclaimed Filipino fashion designers namely Albert Andrada, Cary Santiago, Junjun Ablaza and Rocky Gathercole.

To get more updates, check out www.themodelsupremacy.com, Facebook (fb.me/themodelsupremacy), Twitter (@themodelsupreme), Instagram (@themodelsupremacy) and YouTube (The Model Supremacy). For more details, call the Mossimo Bikini Summit 2017 – Model Supremacy secretariat at 0915-520-8714, 0908-810-2334, 403-1303 or 7344303.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017

Ricky Reyes

‘DIRTY OLD

Isay enthuses, “Yes, we have this show in mind that we’ve been wanting to see staged. Hopefully in two years’ time. It’s an original production so it will take more time to produce it.”

Rounding up the stellar cast are powerhouse theater performers Ima Castro, Kitkat and Fred Lo, with an ensemble comprised of Shalee Vicencio, Gabriela Pangilinan, and Irra Cenina.

Dirty Old Musical’s is ongoing at Music Museum with shows today and tomorrow to 21 and Jan. 26 to 28, 8 p.m., with a 3 p.m. matinee on

Who will be our next Miss Universe after our very own Pia Wurtzbach? The World of Gandang Ricky Reyes (TWGRR) asks netizen on their views and forecast for the most prestigious beauty pageant happening here in the Philippines.

Find out the newest toys and gadgets available in the market today.

Reyes introduces the newest hairstyle called “The Twist” for long haired women, giving curls only to the hair ends.

Try Regold for kinky hairs,

John Arcilla

Noni Buencamino

Fred Lo

Irra Cenina

MUSICAL’ RETURNS

S

potlight Artists Centre has just turned dirt into gold!The production company owned by actors Robert Seña and Isay Alvarez-Seña scored a major theatrical triumph with the highly successful run of Dirty Old Musical (D.O.M.) in September at the Music Museum.

Featuring a talented ensemble that included John Arcilla, Nonie Buencamino, Michael Williams, Ricky Davao, and Seña.

ISAH V. RED Spotlight Artists’ first original Filipino musical earned rave reviews and brisk ticket sales, and struck a resonant chord among OPM fans that gamely sang and danced along with their nostalgic favorites.

D.O.M. tackles the trials, travails and misadventures of the five members of an all-male ‘80s singing group in their twilight years, reunited by a noble cause and given another shot at redeeming their lost loves and long-held passions.

The struggle to reinvent proves to be tougher than they initially imagined as they grapple with the aches and pains of growing old.

For Isay, Robert and the cast, their initial fears and worries about the musical’s “birth pains’’ were all drowned out by the deafening applause and the uproarious laughter they heard on opening night.

“We were so excited and I was particularly proud of Myke Solomon (musical director) and Robert, who were really the ones who planned the musical. To hear and see the pasted smiles on their faces were a clear affirmation of our work,” Isay exclaims.

Partly because of the limited (eight days) first run, Isay and company feel compelled to heed the clamor of frustrated stage fans who were not able to see the show.

“The January rerun is still quite limited due to the complicated schedules of the cast, hence the seven shows, but we expect to do more as we find more free time among everyone,” she adds.

For the January show, equally acclaimed Carlo Orosa takes

Ima Castro

over Michael Williams, with the same technical team headed by librettist Rody Vera, director Dexter Martinez and Myke Salomon as musical director.

With their musical backdrop comprised of memorable OPM hits, Robert clearly remembers some of their well-applauded highlights.

“The arrangements came as a surprise to many. Myke was able to deliver a fresh take on those OPM hits. Particularly, “Saludo” and “Mag-Exercise Tayo Tuwing Umaga” were riots, but the heartrenching act 1 finale was a favorite, too (“Kastilyong Buhangin” and “Nakapagtataka”) rendered by John, Noni, Ima and Kitkat,” he says.

Apart from its solid musical foundation, perhaps part of D.O.M.’s success is its equally “hugot-inducing” themes that revolve around friendship, bromance, and the endearing Pinoy trait of relying on humor to trump adversity.

And because of the strong buzz, Isay also hints at the possibility of extended runs and overseas performances.

She shares, “There are invitations to do a U.S. tour in major cities, but I’m praying to do one here with a big band before the end of 2017.”

Buoyed by D.O.M.’s success, Robert and Isay are even more optimistic about their follow-up project.

Gabriela Pangilinan

Jan. 28.

For tickets call TicketWorld at 891-9999 or Spotlight Artists Centre at 0919-911-4444. *** With a soft spot for children, beauty master, philanthropist and host Ricky Reyes observed his mother’s birthday with the abandoned kids of Meritxell Home Foundation with lots of food, laughter, songs and gifts for the kids.

Miss U bets flaunt curves in Cebu NOT even the intermittent weather could break the Sinulog festive spirit in Cebu City as the Queen City of the South hosted one of the much-awaited ancillary events of the 65th Miss Universe competition – the swimsuit presentation.

Sinulog dancers dressed in colorful Filipiniana as they moved gracefully to the strong drumbeat greeted the 86 candidates upon their arrival at the Mactan-Cebu International Airport.

Hundreds of Cebuanos, wearing their own versions of the Miss Universe crown, lined up the streets waiting for the candidates to pass by.

The ladies were gathered to strut the catwalk and to show off their swimwear at the Jpark Island Resort and Waterpark in Lapu-Lapu City.

In her speech, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo expressed her admiration for the unique beauty of the city.

“No wonder Cebu is always picked as one of the top ten is-

lands in the world. It’s because you have world-class destinations like this one,” she said.

She also reiterated her commitment to making the Philippine hosting a very successful one.

“As I’ve said before, we’d like the 65th Miss Universe competition to be among the most entertaining and most memorable for everyone,” said Teo. Shawn McClain, Miss Universe Organization vice president for Business Development and Marketing, thanked Teo for putting the Philippines in a very positive light to the whole world.

“This will not happen without her leadership and support, it is a true privilege to get to know a wonderful country with a wonderful people. There is just a different feeling that you can’t compare with other countries, there is an immediate warmth,” said McClain.

After the swimsuit presentation in Cebu, the candidates will be off to Baguio City for the Panagbenga Festival.

Miss Universe candidates flaunt their killer curves at the swimsuit parade held in Cebu City

Carlo Orosa

SoftWave for dull hair and natural wigs for hair loss in all Gandang Ricky Reyes Salons.

Pursue your passion in beauty, learn from the best and enroll at the Ricky Reyes Learning Institute (RRLI) with branches in Manila, Cubao, Anonas and Fairview.

Tune in to The World of Gandang Ricky Reyes on Jan. 21, 9-10 a.m. with host Ricky Reyes on GMA News TV.