Manila Standard - 2017 January 28 - Saturday

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI!

(Story on A6)

Miss U swimsuit tilt excites fans THE next Miss Universe will not be crowned until next week, but the preliminary pageant held at the Mall of Asia Arena on Thursday night excited many fans rooting for their favorite candidates.

The preliminary competition was hosted by actormodel Derek Ramsey and reigning Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach, who wore a barong and terno made by fashion designer Michael Cinco.

The candidates kicked off the preliminary pageant saying their names and countries, which was followed by a swimsuit competition and long-gown competition.

Miss Universe Philippines, who unsurprisingly received the loudest applause, wore an emerald green gown.

The preliminary competition was later called to a close, but the audience stayed for the national costume competition that was taped ahead of the finals.

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BOUNTEOUS BEAUTIES. Reigning Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach of the Philippines (above) poses Friday with a teddy bear and a tee shirt during the opening of the First Miss Universe Pop-up store at the Atrium of the Mall of Asia while 86 Miss U 2016 hopeful candidates (right) including Miss Philippines Maxine Medina parade in their swimwear. Lino Santos/Sonny Espiritu

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Noy liable for debacle —ex-SAF

Mortars rain on MILF coddling ‘narco-mayor’

By Francisco Tuyay and John Paolo Bencito SECURITY forces fired mortars at rogue members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front shielding Ampatuan town Mayor Rasul Sangki, who fled while his followers battled police trying to serve a search warrant for his home in Barangay Saniag Thursday.

Regional police director Reuben Sindac said fighting erupted after Sangki’s followers fired at a combined po-

Napeñas: Aquino gave Purisima the go-signal

By John Paolo Bencito and Maricel V. Cruz

F

LONG ARM OF THE LAW. The San-

diganbayan’s Fourth Division will handle the cases filed against former PNP chief Alan Purisima and former PNP Special Action Force director Getulio Napeñas Jr. (above) in connection with the bloody Mamasapano massacre on Jan. 25, 2015.

ORMER President Benigno Aquino III knew about the involvement of certain Americans in the planning of the ill-fated Mamasapano encounter in which 44 police commandos were killed two years ago, former Special Action Forces chief Getulio Napeñas said Friday.

In a recent television interview, Napeñas also scored Aquino for shielding his shooting buddy, retired Philippine National Police chief Alan Purisima, who was suspended at the time but still oversaw the operation.

Responding to Aquino’s own version of events that held Napeñas squarely accountable for the botched encounter, the embattled police official said that Aquino is trying to save someone’s neck by pinning the blame on him.

“As a leader you have to own your

decision,” Napeñas said in a TV5 interview, adding that Aquino himself gave the go-signal for the operation to get Malaysian terrorist Marwan—a mission that left Marwan dead but also sacrificed 44 police commandos who did not get reinforcements from the government.

Earlier this week, Aquino said the botched antiterror mission was not his fault and would not have happened if Napeñas

READ MY LIPS. President

Rodrigo Duterte urges the public not to stay silent on issues concerning corrupt government workers in his message during the ceremonial switch-on and kick-off of the 210-megawatts Sarangani Energy Corp. Power Plant in Maasim town Thursday.

lice and military contingent serving the search warrant.

Sangki was one of the five Maguindanao mayors whom President Rodrigo Duterte claimed was involved in narcotics trafficking last August.

Sangki surrendered to authorities but was later released for lack of evidence.

“The MILF has given us the go signal to continue the hunt against the followers of Sangki who sought refuge inside MILF areas manned by rogue MILF members,” Sindac said.

Sindac said the authority surfaced after the government and the MILF along with the International Monitoring Team reached a consensus.

But reports said that the MILF refused to abide the government’s call for them to peacefully surrender Sangki, Next page

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Another suspect in Jee slay surrenders to NBI

By Rey E. Requejo, Sandy Araneta and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE owner of the funeral parlor where the body of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo was cremated after he was strangled in police headquarters in Octo-

ber 2016 has surrendered to the National Bureau of Investigation, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Friday.

Aguirre said Gerardo Santiago, a former policeman and owner of Gream Funeral Homes in Caloocan City, returned from

Cops in video clip sent to barracks

By Francisco Tuyay and Joel E. Zurbano POLICEMEN caught in CCTV footage planting drugs in an office raided last year have been sent to barracks and will face investigation and possible administrative charges that could include their dismissal from service, a top police official said Friday.

Director Oscar Albayalde, chief of the National Capital Region Police Office said they have already identified the policemen, who was led by a chief inspector, who barged into a business establishment in October 2016.

Albayalde declined to divulge the identities of the policemen pending investigation against them.

At the Senate hearing on the killing of South Korean trader Jee Ick Joo, Senator Panfilo Lacson, committee chairman of the committee on public order and illegal drugs provided a video showing a policeman sporting a cap and backpack planting shabu inside the cabinet drawers inside the office before the raid took place.

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Defense ties with China, Russia backed

By John Paolo Bencito

ON THE SPOT. The National Bureau of Investigation has taken into custody Gerardo Santiago, a former policeman and owner of the funeral parlor where the body of the slain South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo was brought after he was kidnapped and killed. Norman Cruz twitter.com/ MlaStandard

MANY Filipinos approve of President Rodrigo Duterte’s position to seek security and defense cooperation with China and Russia, the latest Pulse Asia survey showed.

The same survey showed that

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eight out of 10 Filipinos believe the Philippines should assert its territorial rights in the South China Sea based on the arbitration ruling that it won in July 2016.

The latest survey, conducted from Dec. 6 to 11 last year among 1,200 respondents, showed that 84 percent of those polled said

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the Philippines should assert the arbitration ruling that invalidated China’s claims over most of the South China Sea. The same survey showed that 47 percent of Filipinos agree that the Philippines should strengthen its defense ties with China Next page and Russia.

Kidnap raps vs ‘hitman’ pressed

By Rey E. Requejo THE Justice Department has recommended the filing of kidnapping charges against selfconfessed killer Edgar Matobato, who claims to be a member of the Davao Death Squad, for the abduction of suspected terrorist Sali Makdum in Davao del Norte.

City Prosecutor Joseph M. Apao of the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao del Norte, ruled there is probable cause to hold Matobato, along with a Sonny Custodio, criminally liable for Makdum’s kidnapping.

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Davao-GenSan RoRo sets sail

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

T

HE Roll-on/Roll-off (RoRo), which will connect Davao and General Santos City to Bitung Indonesia, is scheduled to set sail this year, the Philippine ambassador to Indonesia Maria Lumen Isleta announced on Friday.

Although she did not reveal the exact date, Isleta said they are now discussing the preparations for the initial voyage of the RoRo, adding that this will further spur trade between the Philippines and Indonesia.

“The Philippines and Indonesia Inter-Agency Task Force for the Operationalization of the Davao or General Santos City to Roll-on/Roll-off Route discussed the preparations for the maiden voyage of the RoRo,”

Another...

[about] what really happened,” Lavin said.

Earlier this month, Santiago took a leave of absence from work and flew to Canada.

Santiago is a retired officer of the Northern Police District, where he had worked with Sta. Isabel, the primary suspect in Jee’s killing.

Santiago reportedly agreed to process Jee’s remains before it was cremated at another establishment in exchange for P30,000 and the Korean’s golf set.

Sta. Isabel and several other policemen have been accused of using President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs as a cover for the kidnapping of Jee from his home in Angeles, Pampanga last Oct. 18.

A Seoul-based news agency, citing police sources, said the victim appeared to have been strangled on the same day of his abduction inside police headquarters.

One of the accused, SPO4 Roy Villegas, tagged Sta. Isabel as the one who strangled Jee. In its supplemental complaint, the PNP-AKG also asked the Justice Department to include as a respondent Christoper Alan V. Gruenberg, the registered owner of the Nissan Exalta used to tail Jee. Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday urged Aguirre to stick to the facts and avoid speculating on what might have happened and who might be involved.

Lacson made the statement in response to Aguirre’s claim that the Jee scandal could be part of a plot to destabilize the administration of President Duterte.

“When he talked about the destabilization, he was saying a group wanted to ride on the destablizafion.

But there’s no denying the fact is what happened to the Korean and the policemen really did it,” Lacson said.

“I don’t know where he’s coming from. It might be his analysis or he has information. But let us take a look at what happened to the Korean, the policemen were the perpetrators, they killed him in Camp Crame. These are facts,” said Lacson, chairman of the Senate public order committee, which is conducting an inquiry into the Jee case.

At the Senate inquiry on Thursday, Aguirre said any attempt to destroy the credibility of PNP chief Director General Dela Rosa could be considered an attack against the Duterte administration.

“If you can destroy General dela Rosa, I’m sure you can demoralize or destroy the PNP. When you destroyed the PNP, which is the arm of President Duterte, you can already destroy the administration of President Duterte,” Aguirre said.

Lacson said, however, that while it was possible that the Jee slay was orchestrated, it was “not probable.”

Senator Grace Poe scored Aguirre for talking without proof, saying high-ranking government officials should focus on finding solutions.

“Listening to those apparently implicated, there’s enough reason to know they acted for their own benefit, and not as part of a plot,” she said.

She specifically cited the case of Sta. Isabel, who appeared to have built up his wealth over the last few years, even before Duterte became President.

The problems that beset the PNP were there before Duterte, Poe said.

“This is why I do not believe statements by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno connecting the death of Jee Ick Joo to an alleged plot to remove Duterte from the country’s top post,” she said.

She added that it was “quite irresponsible” for the two members of the Cabinet to air such speculation.

“If they have evidence, then by all means, they should continue with that investigation,” she said.

In South Korea, a presidential hopeful criticized Duterte for not taking action on Jee’s case.

Moon Jae-in, the leading presidential hopeful from the main opposition Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), said Duterte showed “diplomatic disrespect” to South Korea by not holding Dela Rosa responsible for Jee’s death.

With John Paolo Bencito

From A1 Canada to face the charges filed against him in connection with Jee’s death.

“I am innocent,” Santiago told reporters, when asked why he returned to the Philippines despite threats to his life.

One of the accused, SPO4 Roy Villegas said Santiago had been paid P30,000 and Jee’s golf set as payment for taking the body.

Immigration records showed that Santiago left for Canada on Jan. 11 and returned Jan. 26, when he and his wife were fetched at the airport by the NBI. Aguirre said Santiago had sent feelers asking for NBI protection.

“I came back here because I am innocent,” Santiago said. “If I am guilty, I will not return and just hide in Canada.”

Santiago was not named in the Justice Department resolution, but the charge sheet filed with a Pampanga court included a certain “alias Ding” as the owner of the funeral home that was mentioned in the complaint.

Aguirre confirmed that “Ding” is Santiago, who said he is willing to cooperate with the government.

“The return of Mr. Santiago augurs well for our collective search for the truth behind the dastardly act committed against the person of the late Mr. Jee Ick Joo,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre said he expects Santiago to give his statement at the NBI where he is now in custody.

The Justice Secretary also confirmed that the Philippine National Police Anti-Kidnapping Group has also filed a supplemental complaint before the Justice Department against PNP Anti-Illegal Drugs Group-Pampanga head Supt. Raphael Dumlao and Santiago, formally including them as respondents in the case.

The two allegedly conspired with the prime suspect SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel and will also be facing charges of kidnapping for ransom with homicide.

Sta. Isabel implicated several senior officials in the case, including his superiors Dumlao and Senior Supt.

Allan Macapagal of the PNP AntiKidnapping Group.

Earlier, Aguirre cited the possibility that higher PNP officials were involved in the kidnap-slay case after Sta. Isabel and wife Jinky submitted evidence pointing to involvement of his superiors.

PNP chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa also confirmed Dumlao’s participation in the crime based on the evidence gathered by the AKG. Dumlao was together with SPO3 Sta. Isabel on several occasions on the day the Korean was killed inside Camp Crame.

On Jan. 16, Sta. Isabel surrendered to the NBI and asked for protective custody after being tagged as one of the suspects in the kidnapping and killing of the Korean businessman.

The warrant for the arrest was served on Jan. 20 by members of the PNPAKG at the NBI. Sta. Isabel was transferred to the custody of the PNP. Jee’s wife, Choi Kyunghin, 53, said her husband was forcibly taken by eight armed men on Oct. 18 from his residence and had not been located until now.

His family paid a P5-million ransom on Oct. 30 but he was never released.

The abductors asked for an additional P4 million but failed to produce proof that the victim was still alive, prompting Choi to seek police’s assistance.

On Jan. 17, the NBI, together with the Caloocan police, went to the funeral parlor after receiving information that Jee’s body was taken there on the same day he was abducted on Oct. 18, 2016. No body was recovered as Jee’s body had been cremated last year.

NBI Deputy Director Ferdinand Lavin said Santiago sought protective custody voluntarily.

“He fears for his safety. He fears for his life. He fears for the safety of his family,” Lavin said.

Lavin said Santiago would cooperate with the investigation.

“Full cooperation and he will tell all. He said he will tell the truth

Isleta said.

Isleta said the Roro Route under the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations RoRo Initiative is aimed to enhance maritime connectivity among 10-member countries.

Isleta said the new route is a more cost and time-efficient alternative to the usual Manila to Jakarta to Bitung route which would take about three to five weeks of shipping time.

With the new route, she said direct shipping from Davao to General Santos to Bitung, Indonesia route will take only one day and a half by ship, excluding the port stay.

Isleta said the new route is expected to spur trade between Mindanao and the Sulawesi provinces in Indonesia once the RoRo starts operating this year.

She added that the new route will also provide greater access for local businessmen to engage in international trade, as well as stimulate other areas of development such as joint tourism promotion, establishment of direct linkages, and increase in investment inflows.

Since 1949, the Indonesian government has opened its representative office (Consular Office) in Manila but it was not until the early 1950s that a diplomatic

office (Embassy) was established headed by an ambassador.

To institutionalize the relation between the two countries, a treaty of friendship was signed on June 21, 1951.

This Treaty defined the basic relationship of both countries, covering several aspects such as maintenance of peace and friendship, settlement of disputes by diplomatic and peaceful means, traffic arrangements for citizens of both countries and activities to promote cooperation in the area of trade, cultural, shipping, etc. which include the political, social-economic and security matters of both countries.

Noy...

From A1 had not lied to him and disobeyed his orders.Napeñas insisted that Aquino would always justify Purisima’s involvement even suspended, saying that the former police chief was the “most familiar with Oplan Exodus.”

But in his three-page statement this week, Aquino never mentioned Purisima.

Napeñas said he regretted ever having obeyed Aquino and Purisima, adding that his parents never raised him to be a liar.

“If I had known that in the end they would leave me and my men just like that, I’d never have followed them,” he said.

Napeñas’ former lawyer, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, dared Aquino to submit his mobile phone for forensic examination.

Meanwhile, the militant youth group League of Filipino Students assailed the former president for whitewashing his responsibility on the Mamasapano incident.

“Even for a joke, Noynoy Aquino’s whitewashing remarks regarding the Mamasapano operation are beyond

disgusting and unacceptable. He is a barefaced liar that will do anything to hide his blood-stained hands,” JP Rosos, LFS spokesperson said.

“How can Aquino just callously evade responsibility when he knew all about the Mamasapano operation? How can he deny his involvement when he gave the green light to execute the botched operation? How can Aquino still force the people to believe that he is innocent when after two years, justice remains elusive? Saan kumukuha ng kapal ng mukha ang dating pangulo? [Where does the former get the nerve to do this?],” he added.

The group scored Aquino’s cover-up of the US involvement.

The Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division will handle the cases filed against Purisima and Napeñas by the Office of the Ombudsman on Tuesday.

The Ombudsman, in separate charge sheets, said Purisima, even when under preventive suspension, “unlawfully and feloniously” took part in the planning and execution of the so-called Oplan Exodus.

The Ombudsman placed Purisima under six-month preventive suspension by then in connection

with the alleged anomalous contract the PNP with a courier service company.

Despite the suspension, Purisima participated in the Oplan Exodus where he constantly asked and received updates from Napeñas, the Ombudsman said.

The Ombudsman also said Purisima “willfully, unlawfully and criminally” influenced Napeñas to go against the PNP chain of command, Purisima’s preventive suspension order, and officer-in-charge PNP chief Leonardo Espina order for Purisima and other suspended police officers from performing their tasks.

Also on Friday, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Senator Richard Gordon said they hoped an independent commission to be put up by the President would give closure to the Mamasapano victims and their families.

“There is no peace in the grave of these brave men if we don’t establish the truth, and if the ends of justice not served. The families of the victims rightly feel that justice was not served by the last administration,” said Pimentel.

With Macon Ramos-Araneta

Cops...

Mortars...

now is to talk with you, MI[LF] and the MN[LF],” he added.

“I was shown the map where the encounters were. I am earnestly asking, I am pleading to the MN[LF] and the MI[LF] that do not provide sanctuary to these terrorists in your areas.

Because if that happens, then we will be forced to go after them within your territory.”

“Do not allow the Maute to seek refuge in your camps, otherwise I will be forced to tell the AFP and the police to enter your territories,” he added.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday said they are looking into the transfer to Central Mindanao of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon at the behest of the ISIS people in the Middle East. Lorenzana said Hapilon left Basilan for Lanao del Sur in December 2016.

Earlier reports said Hapilon had been the rising “figure head” of a handful of ISIS followers from different groups such as the Abu Sayyaf based in Basilan and Sulu, the Maute Group based in Butig, Lanao del Sur; the BIFF based in Central Mindanao,

Defense...

From A1 Lacson said the raiders also robbed the office of equipment worth P7 million while demanding another P2 million during the raid.

Albayalde declined to provide details except to say that the policemen were based in Metro Manila.

Revelations that police had kidnapped then strangled Jee inside police headquarters in Camp Crame have sparked public outrage and have cast doubts on the wisdom of President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.

Albayalde urged the public to report abuses by the police.

“The NCRPO has a no tolerance policy on erring cops. The NCRPO has no place for bad eggs,” he said.

The NCRPO announced on Friday it has dismissed from the service 46 policemen, suspended 63 and demoted four others since July last year for their involvement in various illegal activities.

The video clips of the police planting evidence and robbing an office came as a surprise to the Palace, which said it would not allow the rogue cops to go unpunished.

Despite the flak the PNP is taking, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the President still supports police who carry out his orders.

“In a sense, it’s a surprise that we discovered these things. But definitely, this is in alignment with the President’s efforts to deal with crime and corruption, especially within government,” Abella said in a Palace press briefing.

During Thursday’s hearing of the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, Lacson said that extortion attempts were not isolated cases, contrary to the claims of Palace officials.

With John Paolo Bencito

From A1 who is believed to be holed up in an MILF camp.

“We are pounding an enemy stronghold where armed followers of Sangki are holed up,” Sindac said.

More troops have been sent into the battle zone.

Sindac also said that several checkpoints were set up.

So far, 12 soldiers from the 601st Infantry Battalion have been wounded in the two days of fighting.

President Duterte on Friday admitted that he cannot anymore control the spread of local terrorist groups allied with the Islamic State as he threatened to call off the ongoing peace talks with Moro rebel groups should they provide refuge to them in their territories.

“I am pleading that I still want peace. I am ready to talk with you, but not with the ISIS,” Duterte told the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front.

“But the ISIS contamination, I can no longer control it. So what I can do

From A1 Some 34 percent said they might agree or disagree, while another 18 percent expressed disapproval. Two percent of the respondents said they didn’t know.

Across geographical areas, however, it was only in Mindanao where Duterte’s position gained majority approval with 57 percent.

In his visit to Beijing in October last year, Duterte said he wanted to pivot to China and Russia and away from the United States, the Philippines’ traditional ally.

“I announce my separation from the United States,” the President told a packed room of business leaders in the Chinese capital after meeting with President Xi Jinping.

Duterte also said he might go to Russian President Vladimir Putin and tell him “there’s three of us against the world.”

The survey likewise showed that many Filipinos viewed the Philippines’ security and defense relations with the United States as “beneficial, with 47 percent expressing approval, 33 percent saying they might agree or disagree and 17 percent saying they disapproved.

A recent Pulse Asia survey revealed within the same survey period that 76 percent of those polled trusted the United States while 61 percent and 58 percent distrusted China and Russia, respectively.

Duterte is set to visit Moscow by April this year and to return to China later this year for the BRICS Summit in Shanghai.

Miss U...

bring an official Moulin Rouge costume out of France.

Miss Mauritius Kurshboo Ramnawaj wore a costume with a cape that represents a volcanic explosion that created her country. It was also designed by a Filipino designer who was not named by the host.

Miss Sweden Ida Ovmar reused her long gown as a national costume but changed it up a bit. She wore a braided red wig similar to the hair of popular Swedish children’s book character Pippi Longstocking.

Miss Israel Yam Kaspers Anshel portrayed herself as Eve complete with apple and fake snake.

Miss Malaysia Kiran Jassal had a miniature version of her country’s world-famous Petronas Towers stitched as sleeves on her gown.

Miss Germany Johanna Acs had a castle headpiece as a tribute to the Brothers Grimm, who were known for their folk tales including Cinderella, The Frog Prince and Hansel and

Gretel. PNA Despite a wardrobe malfunction, Miss USA confidently strutted onstage wearing a silver warrior costume and carried a shield reminiscent similar to Marvel’s Captain America’s.

In a video showing the terno fashion show in Vigan City held on Jan. 15, Philippine Medina incorrectly said that the traditional Filipino dress was invented by former first lady Imelda Marcos.

Mrs. Marcos popularized the terno in the 1970s but it had been worn as early as 1910, according to experts.

Medina later clarified that she used the wrong word but she really meant to say “popularized”.

Wurtzbach defended Medina from bashers but asked her to be more careful next time.

Wurtzbach will be passing on her crown to her successor on Jan. 30 at the MOA Arena. PNA

From A1 Emcee Nick Teplitz, also known as The Rhyme Guy, replaced Ramsey and Wurtzbach as host and entertained the audience with his witty rhymes.

Miss Philippines Maxine Medina wore an ensemble inspired by the traditional vinta boat. Her headdress was inspired by the country’s famous coral reefs.

Fashion designer Rhett Eala earlier said that the headdress contained south sea pearls from Jewelmer. Her headdress alone cost over PHP1 million.

Miss Myanmar Htet Htet Htun’s wore a model theater stage on her back and later revealed herself to be a puppet on strings, which her country is known for. She received the loudest applause for the obvious effort she put into acting like a marionette.

Miss France Iris Mittenaere became the first woman allowed to

PH-Malaysia border trade reopens on February 1

By John Paolo Bencito THE cross border trade between the Philippines and Malaysia will be reopened by Feb. 1, more than a year after it was closed due to the surge of kidnapping incidents in maritime borders, Malacañang said Friday.

“On the first of February, barter trade between Sabah, Malaysia and the island provinces of the ARMM will reopen,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella told reporters during a Palace press briefing.

“The chief minister of Sabah, Musa Aman announced the lifting of the trade embargo which came about after a string of kidnapping incidents involving Malaysian victims by the terrorist ASG group in the island provinces,” he added.

With the planned reopening of the cross border trade, the three island provinces in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao— Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi— would be initially serviced by the market trade but will be expanded soon to other territories of the ARMM, even to General Santos City, Abella said.

Abella said that not only did the armed conflicts affect the barter trade between Sabah and the island provinces “but [they] also crippled the economic activities of the constituents there.”

Recently, a roll on-roll off (RoRo) service was opened between General Santos City in Mindanao and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia and Manado in Indonesia which was launched to strengthen the Brunei-IndonesiaMalaysia-Philippines (BIMP-EAGA) trade initiative.

Ansar al-Khilafa Philippines and rogue MNLF and MILF groups.

Just recently, security officials said those homegrown terrorist groups had been uniting and evolving into just one group called Dawlatul Islamiyah Waliyatul Masrik or DIWM, and had chosen Hapilon as their sole leader in their aggressive efforts to be recognized by the ISIS. Lorenzana said the ISIS had prodded Hapilon “to find out if Central Mindanao is conducive to the establishment of an organization [provincial caliphate].”

Duterte said allowing terrorists to their camps could prod the government to cancel the peace talks.

In the same speech, Duterte admitted that the previous administration’s Oplan Exodus in Mamasapano, Maguindanao, where 44 elite police commandos were killed was a ‘serious flaw’ on the part of the government.

The previous administration stormed into an MILF territory without proper coordination with the rebel group to arrest Malaysian terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir alias Marwan.

Kidnap...

From A1

The case arose from a complaint from Mirasol Marquez, the live-in partner of Makdum who was abducted on Nov. 9, 2000.

The prosecutor recommended no bail for Matobato and Custodio.

Matobato mentioned Makdum—name during a Senate hearing in which he testified that Makdum was taken by authorities and presented to then-Davao City police chief and now Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa.

Matobato will also be charged with frustrated murder over his attempt to kill an Agriculture Department adjudicator in Digos City, Davao del Sur, in October 2014.

On Jan. 5 this year, the Digos City prosecutor’s office found probable cause against Matobato following the frustrated-murder complaint filed against him by Abeto Salcedo Jr. Prosecutors found out that Matobato shot Salcedo in October 2014 when Salcedo was about to leave his office in Digos City, but he survived the attack.

In October last year, the 57-year-old self-confessed hitman appeared before the Senate’s inquiry on the series of summary killings in the country that mostly involved alleged drug pushers and users.

In his testimony, Matobato accused President Rodrigo Duterte as the mastermind of the Davao Death Squad allegedly composed of the city’s policemen who killed criminals in cold blood.

News IN BRIEF Workers oppose non-working holiday plan THE labor group Partido Manggagawa expressed opposition to the proposed plan to declare as non-working holiday the pageant day for Miss Universe on Jan. 30.

“We hope President Duterte does not change his mind. A non-working holiday translates to foregone income for millions of wage earners who are paid daily. For workers, an honest day’s work is more productive than watching a grand, commercialized show of women’s bodies,” PM secretary general Judy Ann Miranda said.

The labor group said there were 12-million wage and salary workers in the private sector as of 2016 and the vast majority of them were paid on a daily basis and would thus suffer lost wages for a non-working holiday.

“Besides daily paid workers, also negatively affected by a non-working holiday are poor Filipinos needing vital social services such as sick mothers and children seeking help in health centers, and unemployed...” Miranda said. Vito Barcelo

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Tokhangs-for-ransom’ seen with death penalty

By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

A

S THE House of Representatives is set to begin its floor debates on the proposal to revive death penalty, an oppposition stalwart warned of “a deluge of tokhangs-for-ransom and hulidaps” by rotten police officers once the bill is enacted.

House senior deputy minority leader and Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza maintained that death penalty would never be a deterrent to heinous crimes.

“You can count on it. Corrupt police officers engaged in all sorts of criminal activities will have a heyday. They will use the mere threat of

death sentences to get whatever they want from their targets—from their victims. We will have more cases like those of Korean business executive Jee Ick Joo,” Atienza said.

A group of Philippine National Police officers seized Jee from his home in Angeles City and then brought him to

Camp Crame, where he was brutally strangled to death by SPO3 Ricky Sta. Isabel, in a case of “tokhang-for-ransom,” according to evidence presented at a Senate hearing.

Despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Sta. Isabel has professed innocence, claiming he was being set up by his unit leader, Supt. Rafael Dumlao III, of the PNP’s Anti-Illegal Drugs Group, who is now under restrictive custody.

“Right now, even without the death penalty, we are already witness to the rampant abuse of police powers by crooked officers. The problem is bound to get worse once we have the death penalty,” Atienza said.

He added: “Camp Crame itself claims that more than 6,000

officers are involved in the illegal drug trade. That is an understatement. What about the officers tied up in extortion and protection rackets, kidnapping-for ransom, robbery, carjacking, murder-forhire, illegal gambling and other criminal activities?”

“Violent crime is thriving not because of the absence of the death penalty, but because law enforcement has been overwhelmed by corruption. Instead of fighting hooligans, many officers are themselves wrapped up in all sorts of felonious undertakings,” Atienza said.

“The death penalty won’t address rampant crime. On the contrary, it could spur more crime, particularly by those perpetrated by depraved officers,” Atienza said.

In the Senate, Senator Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan has warned the reimposition of death penalty along with extrajudicial killings would create a new wave of fear among Filipinos.

“Extrajudicial killings together with constitutional killing brought about by death penalty will only add to the growing climate of fear and impunity in the country. It will further undermine the people’s human rights, particularly the right to life,” Hontiveros told leaders of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches on Friday.

The neophyte senator explained the government’s plan to reimpose the death penalty contradicted its supposed rehabilitation and reformation programs for convicted drug users and criminals.

LandBank offers K-12 financing IN SUPPORT of the government’s thrust to enhance and expand basic education in the country, LandBank is offering a bridge financing facility to support schools participating under the Department of Education’s Senior High School Voucher Program.

The government, thru DepEd, instituted the K to 12 program to upgrade the Philippines’ basic education and align with global standards.

To facilitate its implementation, DepEd launched the SHS-VP to provide financial assistance to qualified students through a voucher subsidy that allows them to avail themselves of deductions from the cost of tuition and other fees, it said in a press statement.

WITHOUT WARNING. A militant organization stages a lightning rally it dubs as ‘Black Friday Protest’ in front of Camp Crame, headquarters of the Philippine National Police, to condemn the growing list of abuses of authority and crimes against civilians attributed to men in uniform. Manny Palmero

BI’s Morente criticized by coalition A GRAFT-free coalition on Friday criticized Bureau of Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente for allegedly ordering to relax the campaign against illegal aliens in the country following the alleged P50-million bribery scandal involving Chinese businessman Jack Lam. DU30 4 Graft-Free Philippines Coalition spokesperson Ramon de Leon said Morente’s alleged directive was tantamount to “cowardice.”

“Morente is apprehensive because the bureau is now under investigation by the Senate.

Morente is afraid because he might be included in the investigation,” De Leon said.

Last year, the group, with seven mass-based organizations that supported the candidacy of Duterte, drew the attention of the public after it staged protest actions against Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon over the issue of continuing graft and corruption in his agency. Vito Barcelo

Move to seize Ampatuan assets welcomed One-time

By Maricel V. Cruz amnesty proposed A MEMBER of the House minority bloc on Friday welcomed the move of Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to seize the assets of the late Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr. totaling almost P55 million for being ill-gotten.

“This is indispensable for the payment of reparations of the victims,” said Kabayan party-list Rep. Harry Roque of the P54,965,526.88 in assets ordered to be seized.

Roque served as counsel for the families of 15 victims of the Nov. 23, 2009 Maguindanao Massacre in which the late Maguindanao patriarch was implicated as the brains behind the carnage.

Roque was hopeful the action of the Ombudsman was “not a case of it being too late the hero.”

“We’re hoping against hope the assets have not been dissipated beyond recovery by

the Ampatuans,” Roque said.

“If only for the fact that the Office of the Ombudsman took this long to resolve the matter, the news would have been absolutely perfect,” he added.

In 2010, Roque’s clients initiated a complaint with the Ombudsman for plunder and forfeiture of the assets of the Ampatuan clan, whose key members are being tried for the murders that claimed the lives of 58 victims, including 32 journalists and media workers.

The complaints filed by Roque’s clients were based on a series of special audits made by the Commission on Audit of the coffers of the Provincial Government of Maguindanao, which detailed anomalies involving nearly P3 billion.

The Ampatuans had ruled the province for years, with key members holding important government officials in all levels of the local government.

In a 20-page joint resolution released Wednesday, a panel of investigators said that

based on the former governor’s income tax returns his declared income in 2001 was only P304,721.91 but this ballooned to P1.19 million in 2003 and P1.6 million in 2008.

Meanwhile, in his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth for 2000, Ampatuan claimed his total assets were worth no more than P6.22 million. This went up to to P10.83 million in 2001, when he was elected as governor of Maguindanao.

He remained in the position until 2010.

But the panel noted that in 2002, his assets skyrocketed to P26.25 million and inched further up in 2007 with declared assets worth P26.705 million.

According to the panel, Ampatuan did not declare 15 real estate properties in the cities of Cotabato and Davao. The real estate properties have a total declared value of P55,134,283.10.

It recommended the filing of a forfeiture case against his assets before the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan.

Yasay thanks Austrian envoy for stronger ties

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

POUR OUT THE SAKE. President Rodrigo Duterte, Sarangani Energy Corp. Chairman Thomas Alcantara drink a cup of sake , or nihonshu, the traditional sweet, low-alcoholic Japanese drink made from fermented rice, following the ‘Kagami Biraki’ or the breaking of the sake barrel during the inauguration of the Sarangani Energy Corp. Power Plant Thursday.

FOREIGN Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. on Friday thanked Austrian ambassador to the Philippines Josef Maullner, who ended his diplomatic tour of duty in Manila, for strengthening the ties of both countries.

Maullner, Yasay said, was able to ink a soft loan facility deal amounting to €20.493 million for the purchase of 76 units of Austrian-made Rosenbauer TLF 4000 fire trucks for the Bureau of Fire Protection Capability Program, as well as the signing of the joint venture of Ayala Corp. with Kronreif & Trunkenpolz Mattighofen AG motorcycle company to establish a manufacturing facility in the Philippines in 2017.

“I thanked ambassador Maullner for strengthening Philippine-Austria relations,” Yasay said.

Mauller served as Austria’s envoy to Manila for three years and left the Philippines last Wednesday for his next diplomatic tour of duty.

There is no new ambassador to the Philippines yet but Austria Chargé d’ Affaires Gabriele Zobl-Kratschmann will lead the Austrian embassy in Manila in the meantime.

For his part, Mauellner expressed satisfaction for his fruitful stay in the country and cited the excellent partnership between the Philippines and Austria.

By Maricel V. Cruz A HOUSE leader has proposed a measure granting a one-time amnesty for employers who have failed to pay the Social Security System contributions of their kasambahays—a reference to their household help.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said even if there was a law making the SSS coverage of house helpers mandatory, there were still employers who have been remiss in fulfilling their obligations.

Barbers also said he would coordinate with the SSS officials to find out how many have actually registered with the agency.

“There is a significant number of kasambahay employers who wanted to comply with the registration requirements under the Batas Kasambahay but were imposed huge unpaid SSS contribution and penalties, thus deterring them from continuing with the SSS registration for their kasambahays,” Barbers, chairmam of the House committee on dangerous drugs, said in filing House Bill 4207.

HB 4207 seeks to give employers a chance to settle the unpaid contributions of their kasambahays without the burden of imposing penalties, fines and other additions, Barbers said.

“The bill, if passed into law, will provide them a window of opportunity before new restrictions are put in place and harsher repressive measures are taken against non-compliant employers. Most importantly, it will generate a much needed short-term revenue windfall for the SSS,” Barbers said.

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Opinion

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Denial

O

NE need not look far in search of denial. The new president of the United States, Donald Trump, has asked the Environmental Protection Agency to delete all information about climate change in its website.

He has also told EPA employees to cut contact with the press and refrain from posting on social media.

In defiance of the Trump order, Badlands National Park in South Dakota posted three consecutive messages on its Twitter account, all offering information about climate change.

Acidity of the ocean has increased 30 percent since

the industrial revolution, one tweet said. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is higher than it has ever been in the past 650,000 years, said another.

The third tweet said the pre-industrial concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere was 280 parts per million. As of last month, it was 404.93.

The defiant tweets have

since been deleted.

What we know however is that climate change is one of the areas Mr. Trump is attempting to be bold and controversial.

Unlike all other issues where he is bold and controversial, however, climate change is the most far-reaching.

Whatever the US does—or more accurately, does not do—on the issue will affect not only its citizens but succeeding generations the world over.

Mr. Trump is on record as characterizing climate change as a hoax. He has denied that it is man-made, a result of

centuries of irresponsible industrial activity in pursuit of economic growth.

Of course, previous generations could not have known what we know now—which is why it is now we are seeing global efforts to curb global warming and pursue alternative means to produce energy.

Mr. Trump has announced an America-First policy during his inauguration, and this will likely govern his resistance to US participation in the Paris Agreement.

Our own President Rodrigo Duterte does not take well to said agreement, either. He pointed out that the Philip-

pines was a low carbon emitter—why should we limit our emissions now when we need power, more than ever?

Succeeding generations, they will have to bear the brunt of this resistance. If the world were warmed sufficiently, stronger, more erratic and more frequent weather patterns will take place leaving the most vulnerable sectors unable to protect themselves or rebuild after a tragedy.

Science makes no false representations. One only has to look at the data. The laziness and obstinacy of top decision makers may have irreversible consequences.

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

Save the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex

hunger, poverty, ignorance, superstition and prejudice.” We need to have the vision to dissect these problems; more importantly, we need to have the courage to take actions to address them.”

Xi continued: “As a line in an old Chinese poem goes, “Honey melons hang on bitter vines; sweet dates grow on thistles and thorns.” In a philosophical sense, nothing is perfect in the world. One would fail to see the full picture if he claims something is perfect because of its merits, or if he views something as useless just because of its defects. It is true that economic globalization has created new problems, but this is no justification to write economic globalization off completely.

Rather, we should adapt to and guide economic globalization, cushion its negative impact, and deliver its benefits to all countries and all nations.”

In the Davos speech, President Xi committed China “to

IN THE years prior to World War II, the City of Manila was the Dame of the Orient, and the most picturesque city in South East Asia. It had the charisma of old Spain in its quaint, high-end residential suburbs of Ermita and Malate, and the Romanesque architecture of modern America in its political, commercial and business districts, particularly along Taft Avenue and the Escolta.

The modern sea port at Manila Bay was the envy of other Asian cities. International civil aviation was then in its infancy, but Manila Bay was already in the map of the seaplanes of the pioneer airliners. Automobiles, buses, and a streetcar system provided transportation in the city.

Manila already had commercial arcades, elevators, and soda fountains when many countries in the Middle East still used barrels for bathtubs in their hotels.

The Manila Hotel was a destination for international celebrities. A nearby pensionne, the Luneta Hotel, was for those who preferred less pomp and pageantry.

Air-conditioned cinema houses showing the latest Hollywood films dotted Rizal Avenue in the downtown district of Santa Cruz. The Ideal and State theatres were favorites.

Along the Escolta were the Lyric and the Capitol, which charged larger amounts for admission tickets. The Bellevue Theatre along Herran Street in Malate, an example of Arabian architectural style, specialized in second-run, double-feature film exhibitions.

Stage presentations and concerts were held at the elegant and awesome Metropolitan Theatre at Plaza Lawton (present-day Liwasang Bonifacio).

Family celebrations were almost always held at any of three Chinese restaurants along Tomas Pinpin Street in downtown Manila—Rice Bowl Restaurant, Panciteria Toho Antigua, and Panciteria San Jacinto.

The Jai-alai Building along Taft Avenue was the epitome of art deco architecture. Its Sky Room was for gourmets, while its Keg Room was home to social drinkers and alcoholics alike.

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China rising in Year of the Rooster 2017 IS THE Year of the Rooster, ushered in by the Chinese New Year that we celebrate today. In Chinese astrology, Fire is also the prevailing element of the year. Thus, according to Zhao Li, director of the China Culture Centre in Sydney in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, “This year is special, full of expectation.” She described the rooster as “proud and confident, hardworking and punctual” while “fire by its very nature is the element associated with brilliance, warmth, passion, spark.” Zhao said, “A brilliant and enthusiastic rooster, combined with the salient characteristics of fire, heralds an enterprising and fruitful year, a year of results, achievements.”

She concludes: “This year we

can fulfill all of our dreams.”

It looks like that this is the year that China will begin fulfilling its dream to become the undisputed leader of the world.

I thought this would eventually happen in a decade or two, but now it is within reach.

It is ironic that the administration of Donald J. Trump, who triumphantly shouted “America First” twice in his inauguration speech last Friday, is likely to usher in a new global order where the United States of America will become a second-rate nation. In place of America, we will see a China ascending to be the most looked up and admired among the biggest and most powerful countries, the global leader without par.

Instead of a Trump-led USA becoming great again, it will become desolate, an angry place, and not respected by both friends and enemies. In its first week, we already see the worst happening as scientists are silenced, the protection of

the environment abandoned as a government priority, climate change denied, torture as a policy reinstated, rich banks favored over homeowners, health rights of women threatened,

This is the year that China will begin fulfilling its dream to become the undisputed leader of the world.

trade wars initiated, Muslims discriminated against, and immigrant and refugee rights trampled on.

Compare the terrible, pessimistic, and xenophobic inau-

guration speech of President Trump to that delivered by President Xi Jinping in Davos, Switzerland last Jan. 17, a few days before Trump’s oath-taking. President Xi exuded confidence, solidarity, humility, and leadership.

Quoting Charles Dickens, he described what the world was facing “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .

Today, we also live in a world of contradictions. On the one hand, with growing material wealth and advances in science and technology, human civilization has developed as never before. On the other hand, frequent regional conflicts, global challenges like terrorism and refugees, as well as poverty, unemployment and widening income gap have all added to the uncertainties of the world.”

Before these challenges, Xi said, we must not retreat. Citing Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross, he pointed out, “Our real enemy is not the neighboring country; it is

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The Americans were proud of their mighty dollar not knowing LOOKING now at the global that it would unlock the door for economic landscape, in terms of the migration of US industries contribution to the global eco- to other countries, particularly nomic growth by GDP from 2014 to China, to avail of the lower to 2015, China’s share was 51.3 production cost. China held on percent, the US’ 30.9 percent, to the low value of its renminbi. while India’s was 6.6 percent. The Many took advantage of the sitpercentage share of the US has uation to capture a wider share significantly shrunk while those of the market. Thus, from an of the rest like the EU, China and infant manufacturing economy, Russia and India are fast catch- China matured fast to become a ing up. As of January 26, 2015, technology-driven economy.

The Chinese looked at the the US has an outstanding debt of $13.62 trillion, with China hold- pattern differently. First, the ing $1.3 trillion and with Japan low value of the renminbi would discourage the importation of about $1.2 trillion.

Countries deeply in debt to in- luxury goods. Second, the cost ternational financial institutions of living in China including often incur default in their pay- the cost of wage served as ment due to high interest rate, incentive to foreign investment. are egged on to devalue their Third, that promoted import currency, and have to kowtow to substitution, and later on in the the dictates of their creditors to manufacture of originally-made secure developmental funding Chinese products.

The Chinese cannot be acfor their projects. The creation of the Asian International In- cused of manipulating their frastructure Bank and the New currency much that it was the Development Bank formerly US that invented this economic known as the BRICS Bank, now malpractice in 1971. By allowserves to compete with the US ing the dollar to be revalued, and European-controlled finan- they themselves created a worldwide economic havoc because it cial institutions.

This could break the finan- forced the deregulation of intercial monopoly of the US and est rates that made lending and its Western the trading of partners. The derivatives lucrative. income that has When Chibeen riveted na opened its to the coffers This could economy to of the US-controlled World break the financial the world market in 1978, Bank, the Euro- monopoly of the it was simply pean-controlled I nt e r n at ion a l US and its Western responding to the economic Monetary Fund partners. rules laid down and the US-Jaby the monpan-controlled etarists. China Asian Development Bank, rightly anticithrough a system of syndicated pated that to maintain the value usury, would soon dry up. Most of the renminbi would pave the significantly, they could weaken way for the massive migration fast the financial grip of WB, of production plants from the IMF and ADB that at present West to the East. It was foolish for China to adopt the money favors the West.

The charge by President-elect supply economy anticipating Donald Trump that China is the it could disrupt their economic greatest currency manipulator, timetable of becoming a manuwhich reason why it achieved facturing economy capitalizphenomenal economic growth, ing on its enormous but cheap is completely misleading. To manpower. Many US compabegin with, the US has been in nies even took that opportunity the business of manipulating to earn more because low proits currency long before China duction cost allowed them to opened up its economy to the sell their China-manufactured world. The US war of aggres- goods to earn profitable margin sion in Vietnam resulted in abroad.

China did not make an isheavy expenditures and left the sue against those countries that US deeply in debt.

Because the US dollar was took advantage of their ecofast losing its value, and traders nomic condition just as it did were converting their dollars to not make an issue when the US gold, President Nixon in 1971 detached their currency from announced that the US would the gold standard to allow it to no longer value the dollar to increase its value against the the price of gold. The US dol- other currencies. Had China lar would from thereon be gov- caved in to revalue its currenerned by money supply. That cy, there would have been no marked the beginning of the foreign investment that created monetarist policy enunciated by the economic miracle and made it the “factory of the world”.

Milton Friedman.

The continuing inflation is deThe so-called “Nixon shock” put the world economy on a tail- composing fast the US economy. spin. Many countries had to ad- The US now has to impose an just the value of their currency unprecedented low interest rate to the dollar. Almost instantly, on borrowings. The US Federal the US dollar became the uni- Reserve wants to maintain the versal currency. Countries were value of the dollar, not to say of it compelled to scrap their anti- as a form of currency manipulausury laws because the value tion. But economics has its own of goods was measured by the way of exacting its own price.

By 1980 onward, the US was supply of money in the market, and not by the supply of goods. already suffering from a huge Invariably, lending substituted trade deficit with Japan. There was resentment particularly on production.

The spurt caused by the new the imports of Japanese-made monetary policy saw for a while vehicles. To stem the serious the recovery of the dollar. As trade imbalance, the US applied observed, the dollar moved in various techniques that resulted a parallel but divergent direc- in a long drawn economic retion. Consequently, the value of cession for Japan until it was exports by exporting countries, finally dislodged as the second mostly agricultural and min- biggest economy in the world. eral products, began to decline, First, the US pressured Japan while the value of their imports to ease its ban on the imports increased. Many failed to an- of agricultural products, participate that increasing the value ticularly beef and rice. Second, of the dollar against their own since US automakers could not currency could push the de- compete, US trade negotiators mand for higher wages. As one sought to impose high tariff on would say, inflation is an incur- Japanese-made cars. able disease to a money-supply (rpkapunan@gmail.com) driven economy.

Part I

A5

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Violent extremism in prisons: Behind bars, but not locked up

BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

The greatest currency manipulator

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

By Yury Fedotov VIOLENT extremism today presents a chilling challenge to the world’s prison correction communities.

Anis Amri, shot dead before Christmas by Italian police after killing 12 people in the Berlin terrorist attack, was allegedly radicalized in prison. His story follows a shocking trajectory that enables murderous terrorism due to the incitement and recruitment of vulnerable prisoners.

Cases such as Amri’s show that, today, for the small minority, prisons have become the first step towards committing horrific acts of mayhem and destruction. How can we get this minority back on the rehabilitation path and defeat the violent extremists? While no quick remedy exists, there are approaches that can make prisoners less susceptible.

Extremist recruiters are adept at spotting fragile inmates open to joining extremist causes and who can be convinced to commit terrorist acts upon release.

Using the tedium of prison life, they exploit hatreds and frustra-

tions and bend inmates towards a shared ideological commitment to using violence.

Prisons may not help by exerting their own coercive pressures encouraging prisoners to join groups due to violence, threatening behaviour, overcrowding and poor management.

Based on UNODC’s assessments in a recent publication on managing violent extremist prisoners, there are three crucial areas requiring intervention: prison staff training, risk management, and rehabilitation efforts.

Prison staff, including its management, must build constructive relations and to protect, maintain, and uphold the dignity of inmates. Every staff member should receive specialist training on working with violent extremist prisoners.

Professionalism, ethics, as well as support for staff coping with stress are at the center of this work. Sufficient staff need to be employed and trained to safeguard everyone’s security.

Risk management is founded on implementing the appropriate security measures to ensure inmates are held in safe custody

and on good, solid prison intelligence. It starts with a risk-based assessment on the prisoner’s arrival and should continue with dedicated prison intelligence systems. Such work can inform interventions and rehabilitation and help prison management make strategic decisions on a prisoner’s future.

Professional judgment needs to be applied when making these assessments. Post-release assessments can assist prisoners to disengage from violence and to eventually return to their communities.

Rehabilitation and disengagement are underpinned by the logic that those prisoners who become engaged can also be turned away from radical beliefs and attitudes. To be effective, attention needs to be given to gender, countries and cultures, as well as the prison environment.

Our goal must be behavioral change allied to an acceptance that radical beliefs do not always threaten prisons or communities. Only a small number of radicals become violent extremists. Further research is needed on all aspects of disen-

gagement interventions to appreciate the situation.

One of our strongest instruments is the adoption and full implementation of the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners— known as the Mandela Rules.

The rules set out good practices on prisoner treatment and prison management.

Violent extremism and radicalization in prisons and their relationship to terrorism are high on the international agenda. The world cannot have individuals entering prisons who may already feel angry and frustrated only to have them leave more embittered and determined to kill.

No simple cure exists; but while the violent extremists seek to groom recruits, we also have time to promote dignity and humanity and to set prisoners on the path to their communities and to never looking back. This journey begins with the creation of fair and just prison systems.

Yury Fedotov is the Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

Trump’s wall: A wasteful, foolish boondoggle Bloomberg editorial PRESIDENT Donald Trump’s promised wall has already stopped at least one Mexican from entering the US: President Enrique Peña Nieto, who has canceled his planned trip to Washington next week. Trump tweeted on Thursday that if Mexico didn’t want to pay for the wall, then maybe Peña Nieto shouldn’t come. The Mexican president complied.

Such is the state of relations between the US and its southern neighbor, which is also its thirdlargest trading partner. Building a wall on the US-Mexican border has never made much sense— economically, financially or symbolically. Now its political costs are coming into view.

China...

From A4

growing an open global economy to share opportunities and interests through opening-up and achieve win-win outcomes.” Using metaphor of a storm to reject protectionism and trade wars, he encouraged faith and optimism: “One should not just retreat to the harbor when encountering a storm, for this will never get us to the other shore of the ocean. We must redouble efforts to develop global connectivity to enable all countries to achieve interconnected growth and share prosperity. We must remain committed to developing global free trade and investment, promote trade and investment liberalization and facilitation through opening-up and say no to protectionism. Pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself up in a dark room. While wind and rain may be kept outside, that dark room will also block light and air.

Save...

From A4

South of the city was the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, which consisted mainly of a coliseum and a stadium. International sports competitions were held here, including the predecessors of the Asian and South East Asian games.

The legendary Babe Ruth played baseball there.

On a postwar note, the complex hosted the one and only Beatles concert held in the Philippines.

That was in July 1966.

Unfortunately, almost all of these pre-war historic and iconic landmarks are no more.

Manila’s premiere pier and its streetcar system were destroyed during the war, and were never rebuilt. Many of the families who used to live in the Ermita and Malate districts have relocated elsewhere.

The plush residential community has been overrun by restaurants, bars, and night spots. Manila Bay no longer hosts commercial aircraft.

The arcades and the law firms along the Escolta have also relocat-

A Trump spokesman said the meeting will be rescheduled, and Peña Nieto has said he is open to it. It should go without saying that they have far more important issues to discuss than Trump’s plans for a wall along their 2,000-mile border.

Not only would the wall be needlessly expensive—Trump says it will cost $8 billion, engineers have said at least twice as much —but there are far better ways to prevent the flow of undocumented immigrants and drugs from Mexico.

Never mind that the number of people trying to sneak into the US through Mexico is dropping to levels last seen in the 1970s, or that most drug smuggling takes place at border crossings. In fact, if Trump

wants to secure the border, he should focus on those crossings, which are badly in need of new technology and manpower. This would also break bottlenecks that block legitimate commerce.

To further reduce the illegal population in the US, nearly half of whom entered legally, Trump could order the full implementation of the E-verify system to screen legal workers and the long-promised biometric entry-exit system. Both of these would be just a fraction of the real-world cost of a wall.

All this said, Trump promised his supporters a wall, he may feel obligated to deliver.

One face-saving idea is stronger and more imposing physical barriers in urban areas, where it’s easier for criminal elements

to melt into the landscape. Another (admittedly unlikely) idea is to help Mexico build a better wall along its border—with Guatemala. That could also have the effect of reducing illegal immigration to the US from Central America.

The mere prospect of the wall is already disrupting relations with a neighbor whose enthusiastic partnership is vital to helping the US grow its economy, achieve energy independence, prevent crime and terrorism, and protect the environment.

All of these efforts require cooperation, not confrontation. If Trump continues to insist on making the wall an issue, he will continue to endanger a relationship that has long served both countries well.

No one will emerge as a winner in a trade war.”

It’s interesting, given its notorious behavior in the South China Sea, including that portion we call the West Philippine Sea, that President Xi proposes a model of fair and equitable governance for the world: “As the Chinese saying goes, people with petty shrewdness attend to trivial matters, while people with vision attend to governance of institutions . . . Countries, big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, are all equal members of the international community. As such, they are entitled to participate in decision-making, enjoy rights and fulfill obligations on an equal basis.”

On international commitments, including the Paris Agreement, President Xi does not mince words: “We should honor promises and abide by rules. One should not select or bend rules as he sees fit. The Paris Agreement is a hard-won achievement which is in keeping with the underly-

ing trend of global development. All signatories should stick to it instead of walking away from it as this is a responsibility we must assume for future generations.”

In Davos, President Xi shared a Chinese adage, “Victory is ensured when people pool their strength; success is secured when people put their heads together.” He elaborated: “As long as we keep to the goal of building a community of shared future for mankind and work hand in hand to fulfill our responsibilities and overcome difficulties, we will be able to create a better world and deliver better lives for our peoples.”

Concluding his speech, Xi is both realistic and hopeful: “World history shows that the road of human civilization has never been a smooth one, and that mankind has made progress by surmounting difficulties. No difficulty, however daunting, will stop mankind from advancing. When encountering difficulties, we should not complain

about ourselves, blame others, lose confidence or run away from responsibilities. We should join hands and rise to the challenge. History is created by the brave. Let us boost confidence, take actions and march arm-in-arm toward a bright future.”

I have no illusions about China.

Given its recent behavior in our sea dispute with them, I am skeptical if they will walk their talk of global solidarity. Nor am I ready to write off America: I suspect that the backlash will be quick and the Republicans will lose heavily in the 2018 midterm elections and Trump will be a single term president. But for now, the odds are on China rising, beginning in this Year of the Rooster.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone! Gōng xǐ fā cái! (Congratulations and Prosperity) Jínián jíxiáng!

(Good luck for this Rooster year).

ed. It is now a ghost of its old self— crowded, and dirty. It’s surrounding esteros which made it look like a Venician city in the past, are now filthy.

Gone, too, are the cinema houses.

The Ideal and Lyric theatres were torn down in the 1980s to give way to department stores, while the Capitol, State and Bellevue theatres are abandoned buildings awaiting the wrecking crew.

Except for Panciteria Toho Antigua, the restaurants along Tomas Pinpin Street are no longer there.

The Jai-Alai building was demolished by the city government under Mayor Joselito Atienza. It’s demolition was supposed to give way to a hall of justice, but this never materialized. Today, a controversial highrise building stands on the site.

Then President Joseph Estrada, who is now the mayor of the city, tried but failed to persuade Mayor Atienza not to demolish the Jai-Alai building.

In the late 1960s and well into the 1970s, the Manila Hotel and the Metropolitan Theatre fell into disrepair. Fortunately, then First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos helped the Manila Hotel regain its status

as a viable five-star hotel and, for a few years beginning in 1978, the renovated Metropolitan Theatre became a modern cultural destination complementing the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

The Met fell into disrepair a second time around, but Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada acquired it for the city and promised to renovate it to its old glory.

Happily, the Luneta Hotel remained in private hands and was refurbished. Today, it stands proud in the Luneta area.

The bad news is that there are plans to demolish the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex to give way to a shopping mall. Excuses have been tendered by city officials and some “interested parties” to the effect that the complex is no longer safe or modern enough for training Filipino athletes.

If the complex is unsafe, the solution should be to retrofit it to make it safe, just like what structural engineers did to the old Ayala Bridge which spans the Pasig River. Demolishing the landmark and historic sports complex is an extreme measure, one clearly uncalled for.

The excuse that the sports complex is not modern enough is too flimsy to warrant its demolition. If the problem is its obsolete facilities, then all the sports complex needs is physical improvement and the infusion of modern training facilities for its athletes. Replacing the sports complex with a shopping mall hardly counts as an effort to modernize it.

It must be emphasized that the Filipino people, and not just the people of Manila, want to keep the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex intact for future generations of Filipinos to appreciate and to identify with. The people cannot afford to lose another important part of Philippine heritage to the altar of shopping mall commerce.

President Erap Estrada wanted to, but could not stop the demolition of the Jai-Alai building. That’s because only the city mayor of Manila can stop the demolition.

Now that Erap Estrada is the city mayor, he save the sports complex.

Moreover, saving the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex as a heritage site is the best legacy Erap can leave to the Filipino people.

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News

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN BRIEF Former lepers to get housing CEBU CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the distribution of land titles for socialized housing to some 900 former leprosy patients living inside the compound of the Eversley Child’s Sanitarium in Barangay Jagobiao in Mandaue City.

Rev. Edwin Bacaltos, former chaplain of the Eversley Sanitarium, said he raised the matter with Duterte, his former Ateneo de Davao classmate, when they met during a reunion last Jan. 21 at the Marco Polo Hotel in Davao City.

Bacaltos said he flew with Duterte and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino to Cebu City last Wednesday night to talk about the distribution of the land titles for socialized housing at the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base and an 11.8-hectare parcel was allocated for housing projects.

The property is within the compound of the Eversley Child’s Sanitarium, which used to be a facility that treated leprosy patients, and where the beneficiaries are also currently living.

The Eversley Child’s Sanitarium “is special government hospital in Barangay Jagobiao, Mandaue City mandated to administer care and treatment of Hansen’s disease or leprosy cases.”

It also serves other regions, Region 8 or Eastern Visayas and Region 10 or Northern Mindanao and also provides basic health services for non-leprosy cases. PNA

Anti-flood body pushed AGRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel Piñol has urged all local chief executives along the DavaoAgusan River watershed to revive the Davao-Agusan River Basin Development Council and look for long-term solutions to the perennial problem of flooding in the Davao and Caraga Regions.

Piñol visited Thursday the Compostela Valley province and Agusan del Sur to assess the damage to crops caused by Typhoon “Auring” and heavy rains.

Davao Region reported an initial damage of P64 million and Caraga region P125 million from the recent typhoon and heavy rains that inundated farming communities.

The agriculture chief underscored the need to reconvene the dormant council and he would present the council’s proposal to President Rodrigo Duterte. “(I will) submit the proposal so I can present it during our Cabinet meeting for possible accessing of the climate change fund of the United Nations (UN),” Piñol said. PNA

LABOR REFORM. The labor group Kilusang Mayo Uno hold up a symbolic pen to press Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to sign a new policy that will end contractualization of workers. Manny Palmero

NorCot still faces troubles M ATALAM, North Cotabato—Serious security concerns continue to hound North Cotabato province and only the government is acting to address them, security forces said Friday in response to leftist claims that continuing operations are meant to derail ongoing peace talks.

In fact, Matalam police director Chief Insp. Sunny Leoncito said entire families are being forced to evacuate because of security threats from Muslim extremists, communist rebels and escaped inmates of the North Cotabato District Jail.

Leoncito said some 50 families were forced to evacuate two remote villages in Barangay Tamped in Matalam after a firefight erupted Friday between authorities and a lawless armed group he did not identify.

The displaced families were

from Sitio Imelda, Barangay Taguranao and adjacent Sitio Maligaya in Barangay Tamped, he said.

He said joint elements of police’s elite Special Action Force and Public Safety Company and the Army’s 7th Infantry Battalion were conducting a law enforcement operation against the inmates who bolten the North Cotabato District Jail last Jan. 3.

According to Leoncito, some of the 50 armed men they encountered were fugitives of the NCDJ who joined the bandit group of Commander Derby operating in the area. Derby himself was an escapee from the NCDJ in 2015.

Earlier this month, Derby’s

group stormed the NCDJ in a bid to set free notorious cohorts in the penitentiary and resulted in the escape of 158 inmates in the escape that has been described as the biggest jailbreak in Philippine history.

But the leftist Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas on Friday insisted that the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense were lying about the armed clash between government soldiers and the New Peoples’ Army in Makilala town last Jan. 21.

“The AFP’s extortion alibi is a lie. Soldiers have been conducting military operations in farmers’

Sayyaf bandit leader nabbed

Roxas Blvd parking banned

By Florante S. Solmerin

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority will impose a no parking zone along the service road of Roxas Boulevard to ease vehicular traffic in the area.

The move, according to MMDA acting chairman Thomas Orbos, is part of a short-term solution to ease traffic in the metropolis pending the approval of both Houses of Congress to the emergency power be given to President Rodrigo Duterte to solve the worsening problem on road congestion.

He said the service road from Pasay City, Manila and Parañaque City will be cleared of all parked vehicles and other obstructions so that it can be used by private motorists as an alternate route to Roxas Boulevard.

“In the first place, the service road is not a parking area. If you look at Roxas Boulevard, there are a lot of space,” said Orbos during a forum in Manila.

Among the areas to be covered by the no parking policy are service road fronting the Ospital ng Maynila, Central Bank of the Philippines, Department of Finance, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., Japan Embassy and US Embassy.

“We already wrote a letter and informed the city governments of Parañaque, Manila and Pasay about this last December.

So far, there is no feedback that they are saying no to our plan,” said Orbos.

He added his agency is also set to discuss the matter with members of the Metro Manila Council, the supervising board and the policymaking body of the MMDA.

communities since last year,” said Gerry Alborme, chairperson of KMP-North Cotabato.

“Soldiers from the 39th and 72nd IB have conducted military operations in the villages of Lukatong, Israel, Kisante, Biangan and Bulatucan in Makilala, North Cotabato,” he said. Makilala is about 32 kilometers from Matalam.

The clash in Makilala caused a controversy in the recently concluded third round of peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front as NDFP peace panel chairman Fidel Agcaoili said that “it appears that there are systematic and deliberate efforts to sabotage the peace talks.”

GONG XI FA CAI. Chinese-Filipinos joined the global celebration of the Lunar New Year with a dragon dance at the Robinson’s Place mall in Manila. Lino Santos

Asia moves to greet Year of the Cock MILLIONS of Asians ended the first phase of the largest movement of humans on the planet on Friday as the first new moon of the year rose to mark the start of the Year of the Rooster.

Even mainly Catholic Filipinos partook of the festivities, joking over the prediction of fortune tellers that since President Rodrigo Duterte was also born in a Year of the Rooster (1945), this year will likely be a “cockfight” for the new president.

According to Hong Kong fortune teller Priscilla Lam, a person born in the Year of the Rooster will face competition from the incoming Year of the Rooster—essentially it’s a cockfight.

“President Duterte’s war on drugs may not be popular among all, but it’ll make his country richer and healthier. Duterte needs to turn down his fire and take a step by step approach to dealing with the drugs problem, so he can win everyone’s support,” Lam said in an interview with CNN. The holiday, also known as Spring Festival, is a time for families to gather their members for plentiful food and fireworks spurring hundreds of millions in China, Japan, Korean and other Asian nations to return to their places of origin.

The world’s largest annual human migration ended Friday when families must be together to usher in the new year on Saturday but getting home is usually a great physical challenge.

Millions of Chinese wearing thick coats and clutching suitcases lined up in freezing conditions at Beijing Railway Station in the hope of snagging a ticket home before the eve of the Lunar New Year.

The demand for tickets is so high that some people spend days trying to snare seats on public transport for the annual mega migration. Qi Xi is one of the lucky ones.

Transport officials estimate that Chinese passengers will make almost three-billion trips during the 40-day Lunar New Year period, including more than 2.5-billion journeys by road, the official Xinhua news agency said.

In Japan, Chinese and other tourists jammed major airports ahead of Lunar New Year’s eve.

While the official holidays in China are set to last for a week through Feb. 2, airline officials said holiday-related travel from Japan’s giant neighbor is expected to continue beyond that date.

An official for Japanese budget carrier Peach Aviation Ltd. said its Shanghai to Os-

aka flights are almost fully booked through Feb. 5. An official from All Nippon Airways Co. said the peak for departures from the airport is likely to take place on Feb. 5.

Last year, Chinese made up 26.5 percent of all tourists to Japan at 6.37 million, the most by nationality, followed by 5.09 million people from South Korea and 4.17 million from Taiwan.

Meanwhile, US president Donald Trump will strut through the Year of the Rooster, thriving as Hong Kong geomancers predict 2017 will be marked by the arguments and aggression— characteristics attributed to the animal.

With Trump at the top of the pecking order, the volatile traits of the rooster—combined with the year’s signature element of fire— mean rocky times ahead, particularly in the western world, feng shui masters say.

“The rooster likes to pick fights, loves to have verbal arguments and is combative,” Hong Kong soothsayer Thierry Chow told AFP. Trump’s inauguration was met with mass protests in the US and he has already riled China, prompting fears of a trade war between the world’s top two economies.

Chow predicted he would ruffle more feathers in his first year as president. “There will be a lot of strikes and even riots,” says Chow.

POLICEMEN arrested Friday morning a sub-leader of the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group in his hiding place in Barangay Cawit in Zamboanga City, Superintendent Rogelio Alabata, public information officer of the Regional Police Office 9, said.

Alabata identified the terrorist as Faizal Jaafar, who is also known under several other aliases like Jaafar Mundi, Abu Jaafar, Aren, and Ben/Abu Raba.

“The terrorist was arrested by virtue of a warrant of arrest at around 12:30 p.m. today by combined operatives from the National Intelligence Service Group, 4th Company of Regional Public Safety Battalion 9 and intelligence operatives of Zamboanga City Police Office,” Alabata said.

He said Jaafar was wanted for 87 counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention stemming from the Sipadan kidnapping incident in 2001. He has also a pending murder case. The charges were docketed in the sala of Judge Danilo Bucoy of the Regional Trial Court Branch 9 in Isabela City and Judge Chito Meregillano of RTC Branch 51 in Puerto Princesa City.

Meanwhile, a military intelligence officer said they have reports that Jaafar was recruited by ASG sub-leader Isnilon Hapilon to join him in Central Mindanao, particularly in Butig town in Lanao del Sur. Butig is the lair of the Maute Group led by brothers Omar and Mohammad.

“We’re verifying such reports and doubly working on the ground to prevent ASG members from Basilan and Sulu to join the Maute group,” the officer said in anonymity.

Sports

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Tio, 2 others score kiteboarding repeat RED Bull’s Christian Tio bested Ken Nacor in a tight duel to repeat as men’s Freestyle champion while Doque delos Santos and Ming Juan ruled the men’s TwinTip Race and the Novice class, respectively, for the second straight time in the ICTSI Philippine Kiteboarding Association Tour’s second leg in Bantayan, Cebu recently.

The 17-year-old Tio, who also foiled Nacor in the kickoff leg of the four-stage circuit sponsored

by ICTSI in Cuyo, Palawan late last year, sustained his form and flaunted his world-class skills and tricks despite stormy weather to earn the nods of the judges at Marlin’s Beach Resort.

Slovak pro-rider Bibiana Magaji also shared the spotlight by racking up two victories, foiling German Franziska Limmer for the women’s Freestyle crown with Dutch Mariska Wildenberg and Jane Gajisan from Tablas ending up third and fourth, respectively.

Magaji, last year’s Big Air world champion, also bagged the Hangtime plum with 3.93 seconds with Kara Leongson plac-

ing second with 3.38 seconds and Limmer and Gajisan taking the next two spots with 2.97 seconds and 2.41 seconds, respectively.

Delos Santos placed third in the Freestyle while Philippine Kiteboarding Association juniors Remel Rentillo, Warner Janoya, Frean Yetyet and Mark Prevot took the next four spots in the featured event which drew riders from Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Slovakia and the Philippines.

The four young riders are actually priming up for next year’s Youth Olympic Games as the PKA stepped up its effort to discover and tap potential talents, the sport being part of the 2018 World Youth Olympics in Argentina with a possibility of being calendared in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Meanwhile, Delos Santos duplicated his victory in Palawan, bucking the tricky wind and edging Julius Non and Nacor for the men’s Twintip title while Juan rallied from fourth to repeat as Novice champion, thwarting Swiss Miguel Gubler, who nipped Toti Reformado for runner-up honors.

COLLEGIATE AWARDS. Coach of the Year winner Jamike Jarin, formerly of San Beda, and Aldin Ayo of La Salle, join other awardees during

the Collegiate Basketball Awards held Thursday night (Jan. 26) at the Montgomery Place Social Hall in E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City. With them are University of the Philippines’ Paul Desiderio (Chooks to Go Breakout Player), La Salle’s Kib Montalbo (Pivotal Player), San Beda’s Javee Mocon (Mighty Sports Mythical Five), UP’s Jett Manuel (Super Senior), Adamson’s Papi Sarr (Mr. Efficiency), San Beda’s Davon Potts (Pivotal Player), La Salle’s Jeron Teng (Mighty Sports Mythical Five), Ateneo’s Isaac Go (Impact Player), Arellano’s Jio Jalalon (Mighty Sports Mythical Five) and La Salle’s Ben Mbala (Mighty Sports Mythical Five/Smart Player of the Year).

Thunder top Mavericks, 109-98 L

OS ANGELES —The Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Dallas Mavericks 10998 late Thursday, but the victory proved costly as Thunder forward Enes Kanter broke his right arm after losing his cool.

Kanter, Oklahoma City’s third-leading scorer and top candidate for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award, fractured his right forearm while punching a chair during a timeout in the second quarter.

Russell Westbrook scored 45

points, Victor Oladipo scored 17 points while Steven Adams added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Thunder.

“We were a little more physical,” Westbrook said. “We came out in the second half more aggressive on both sides of the ball.”

Harrison Barnes paced the short-handed Mavericks with 31 points on 13-of-26 shooting. Justin Anderson came off the bench to post 17 points for Dallas, who played without four of their top six players including Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews.

Point guard Devin Harris said the Mavericks learned from this loss.

“I think we are understanding how we need to play to be successful to win,” Harris said. “Experience helps. Expectations are growing.”

Kanter went for X-rays at halftime and following the game coach Billy Donovan confirmed the fracture.

Kanter tried to take out his frustrations on a folding chair on the Thunder bench.

“It’s tough man,” Westbrook said, “especially doing it the way he did it. I think it’s unfortunate, but he’s a strong man and he will be back better.”

The Thunder did not indicate when he would be able to return.

The 6-foot-11 center entered the game averaging 14.6 points and 6.8

rebounds this season. He had four points and four rebounds in nine minutes of playing time against the Mavericks.

‘Frustrating times’ “He hit the seat, but the seat was a little up,” center Adams said.

“He didn’t mean to do it, obviously. It’s just one of those really frustrating times. I feel bad for him.”

Elsewhere, Paul George scored 32 points and Myles Turner added 23 as the Indiana Pacers snapped a three game losing skid with a 109-103 win over the Minnesota

Timberwolves.

George, who added five rebounds and four assists, was 12 of 22 from the floor and three for four from beyond the arc.

Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with a game-high 33 points and 10 rebounds for his 35th double-double of the season. Zach LaVine scored 23.

In Denver, Nikola Jokic had 29 points and 14 rebounds before exiting the contest in the fourth quarter with an injury as the Denver Nuggets toppled the Phoenix Suns 127-120. AFP

Player on mend after eye pops Benedicto, out in New Zealand basketball Capuchino

This file photo shows Akil Mitchell of the Virginia Cavaliers shooting against the Memphis Tigers in 2014 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. Mitchell’s eyeball popped out midgame of a New Zealand tourney. AFP

WELLINGTON—A New Zealand Breakers basketballer whose eyeball popped out mid-game said Friday he “freaked out” at the gruesome injury but was relieved his sight was apparently unaffected.

“I could still see out of the eye even though it was kinda on the side of my face... it was a weird sensation,” forward Akil Mitchell said.

Mitchell was on the attack in an Australian NBL game against the Cairns Taipans in Auckland on Thursday night when he caught an accidental finger in the eye from an opposing player.

The US import fell to the floor writhing in agony and holding his hands to his left eye as horrified teammates tried to help.”With the palm of my hand I felt my eyeball

on the side of my face, which was when I knew this was worse than I (first) thought it was,” he told Radio Sport.

The 24-year-old heard a collective gasp from the crowd and said he “freaked out” believing he would lose sight in the eye and his career was over.

He told the radio station that while the injury was painful, the worst part was not being able to blink, making his fully functioning eyeball red and irritated.

“Once I got in the ambulance they gave me a little pain medicine and some saline drops in my eye and I felt it slide back into place, which is also a really strange feeling.

“It felt so good to be able to blink again, which is insane.”

The North Carolina native said

he was on track for a full recovery and planned to wear goggles when he resumed playing.

“I’m blessed and lucky that it’s healed the way it has already... the doctor said I should be able to get back on the court pretty soon,” he said.

Mitchell was even able to joke about the injury, tweeting a cartoon of a pair of eyeballs after being discharged from hospital, along with the words “...too soon?”

Breakers general manager Dillon Boucher described Mitchell’s recovery as a miracle, saying his teammates feared the worst when he went to hospital.

Though badly shaken, they resumed the game after the incident, losing 94-81, a result Boucher said felt insignificant after his player’s injury scare. AFP

SMB’s Fajardo is sportscribes’ Mr. Basketball JUNE Mar Fajardo was a towering presence again for Philippine basketball in 2016, literally and figuratively.

The 6’10” pride of San Miguel Beer anchored the greatest comeback ever in Philippine Basketball Association history during the Philippine Cup finals between the Beermen and Alaska to cap a dominant season that saw him become the first ever player to win a third straight Most Valuable Player award.

The feat easily earned Fajardo the title Mr. Basketball from the Philippine Sportswriters Association and will be honored with the recognition when it holds its traditional Awards Night presented by MILO and San Miguel on Feb. 13 at the LE PAVILLON in Pasay City.

Fajardo is the second recipient of the award first handed out to Calvin Abueva of Alaska and Globalport’s Terrence Romeo last year.

Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz is

PBA, GlutaMAX ink pact THE Philippine Basketball Association recently forged an agreement with GlutaMAX Men as its marketing partner.

GlutaMAX is Healthwell Nutraceuticals’ (an affiliate of YSA Skin Care Corporation) complete line of premium and advanced skin lightening products, formulated and tested by experts to safely provide maximum results.

GlutaMAX products— soap, lotion, deodorant and capsules—contain high amounts of glutathione that makes them

more effective compared to other whitening products.

“GlutaMAX offers a complete product line that compliments each function. All the products address the skin darkening problems. GlutaMAX gently lightens uneven skin tone and discoloration. It nourishes the skin to improve overall texture and restore youthful vibrancy,” said YSA President Robert Nazal.

Four dancers of GlutaMAX Men perform and give away shirts during the PBA halftime and timeouts.

the recipient of the 2016 Athlete of the Year award during the formal affair co-presented by CIGNAL/HYPER TV by virtue of her inspiring silver medal achievement in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.

Fajardo returned from a knee injury he sustained in the semifinals of the all-Filipino conference just in time to boost a San Miguel side that was on the verge of defeat after trailing Alaska, 0-3, in the best-of-seven finals.

The Beermen overcame the tremendous deficit with Fajardo returning to action in Game Five and helping the franchise become the first team in league annals to accomplish the feat.

By season’s end, Fajardo rewarded himself with another MVP trophy—his third consecutive—and joined an elite group of cage greats composed of Ramon Fernandez, Alvin Patrimonio, and William ‘Bogs’ Adornado as the only three-time

winner or more of the league’s highest individual award.

Aside from Mr. Basketball, the country’s oldest media organization will also be handing out awards for Ms. Volleyball, Mr. Football, Mr. Taekwondo, and Mr. Golf in the two-hour ceremony backed by the MVP Sports Foundation, Smart, ICTSI, Foton, Rain or Shine, Mighty Sports, Globalport, PBA, SM Prime Holdings Inc., ACCEL, Gold Toe, and Phoenix Petroleum.

Paulo Legaspi (right, seated), President of Healthwell Nutraceuticals Inc. (maker of GlutaMAX) and PBA Commissioner Chito Narvasa (left, seated) are shown during their contract signing.

They are joined by GlutaMAX Senior Brand Marketing Manager Love Narvaza (right) and Dita Dobles, assistant to the commissioner.

lead 9-cock World Slasher UNKNOWN cockers Max Benedicto of Ilocos Sur and lawyer Amante Capuchino of Bataan lead the 2017 World Slasher Cup Invitational 9-Cock Derby which enters its sixth day today at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Benedicto’s Wapato Boys and Amante’s ARC Farms posted five wins each from Thursday’s semifinal round to qualify to the grand finals on Feb. 1.

Joey Melendres of Australia (Swerteng Anak) tallied 4.5 points to join the grand finalists.

Of the 93 participants, 10 scored four points: Soan Sogianto of Indonesia, Carlos Martinez of Texas, Lito Guerra, Doc Ayong Lorenzo, Harold Ramos, James Uy, Jun Bacolod, Mayor Rex Bernardez, Boyet Legazpi, Paolo Malvar and Boy Marzo.

The third semis round of the 2017 World Slasher Cup unfolds today, Saturday. The stunning fights are just a glimpse of what promises to be an even bigger and better second edition of the prestigious WSC in May. Supported by Thunderbird, B-Meg, Petron and Excellence Poultry and Livestock Specialists, with Pit Games Media Inc. as media partner, this year’s WSC is once again hosted by Pintakasi of Champions.

The 4–cock final rounds will be held on Jan. 29, 30, 31 (3,3.5 and 4 points) and Feb. 1 (4.5 and 5 points).

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

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

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Sports

Perpetual tossers keep title bid alive

Rachel Ann Austero of St. Benilde is foiled by San Beda’s Satriani Espiritu (left), whose teammate Jesa Viray provides help at right in an NCAA volleyball game. Roman Prospero

Mahindra routs NLEX, moves out of the cellar

By Jeric Lopez

A

STRONG finish pushed Mahindra to its third win as it walloped NLEX, 106-96, wrapping up its campaign on a positive note despite already being eliminated in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City last night.

Alex Mallari had a career game, scoring a career-high 30 points to go with 10 rebounds and just missing a triple-double by one assist to lift the Floodbuster as he continues to show his vast improvement.

Rookie Reden Celda helped out as he also scored a careerhigh 18 points for Mahindra.

Strong second and fourth quarters propelled Mahindra to the victory.

The Floodbuster orchestrated

a 21-12 run to end the second, gain steam and hold a 57-49 edge at the turn.

After NLEX crawled its way back in the third and tied things up at 77-all entering the last 12 minutes, Mahindra countered in the fourth with a decisive 17-4 bomb midway in the period to grab a commanding 99-85 cushion after a Jason Ballesteros basket with 4:14 remaining.

It never looked back from there.

Mahindra and NLEX are already out of contention with a game to play each.

With the win, Mahindra improved to 3-7 and moved to a 10th-place tie with Meralco with

Ayo preparing Archers for up-and-down year THIS early, members of the champion La Salle Green Archers are being prepared for the ups and downs of the coming 80th season of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament.

The Green Archers, according to coach Aldin Ayo, got used to winning a lot of games in the past season, 16 in all out of 17 games.

“Ngayon nananalo ang team.

Kung matalo, mag-iiba ang situation. But life goes on. We have to compete, we have to win,” said Ayo after he and Jamike Jarin were shared Coach of the Year honors during the Collegiate Basketball Awards Thursday night at the Montgomery Place Social Hall in E. Rodriguez Ave., Quezon City.

One of the team’s key players, Cameroonian Ben Mbala, was

named Smart Player of the Year.

Ayo said the team has gone back to practice last week, with Jeron Teng as among the veterans who have left.

In Teng’s place are senior players like point guard Kib Montalbo and forward Prince, who are expected to step up as leaders of the team.

During the awards rites, the Cameroonian center received the highest honor given by the group of scribes covering the collegiate beat for leading the Green Archers to their ninth UAAP championship while winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

Mbala and Teng were among the major awardees in the event backed

by Smart, Accel, Mighty Sports, MJM Productions and Chooks to Go. Peter Atencio

an improved 3-7 mark, while NLEX remained at the bottom with its league-worst 2-8 card.

At this point, the only things certain is San Miguel already clinching the top seed. It is already in the quarterfinals along with Phoenix and TNT KaTropa, while Meralco, NLEX and Mahindra are all eliminated and one more team will join them on the sidelines once the smoke clears.

Five teams, TNT KaTropa, Phoenix, Alaska, Rain or Shine and Star are all contending for the No. 2 seed and the remaining twice-to-beat incentive that goes along with it in the quarters.

Alaska, Rain or Shine, Star, Ginebra, GlobalPort and Black-

water are six teams which are still yet to clinch a spot in the playoffs but only five of them will move forward as only the top eight are bound to advance.

The scores: MAHINDRA 106—Mallari 30, Celda 18, Escoto 12, Galanza 11, Apinan 10, Revilla 9, Deutchman 6, Ballesteros 5, Paniamogan 3, Eriobu 2, Yee 0, Elorde 0, Teng 0, Salva 0.

NLEX 96—Camson 17, Guinto 13, Baracael 10, Khobuntin 9, Lastimosa 9, Alas 8, Rios 6, J. Villanueva 6, Monfort 5, Lanete 4, Taulava 4, Soyud 2, Gotladera 2, E. Villanueva 1.

Quarters: 22-27, 57-49, 7777, 106-96

MMA invades Casino Filipino MIXED Martial Arts fans are in for a special treat as Casino Filipino brings a night of hard-hitting action to the City of Manila in the “Battle Extreme Tournament of Superstars” at the Coral Ballroom, Casino Filipino Pavilion.

Today, CF, in partnership with the Universal Reality Combat Championship will showcase round after round of 10 exciting fights headlined by two heavy-handed MMA fighters namely Caloy “Bad Boy” Baduria of Elorde MMA and Nickson Kola of Hyper MMA. PAGCOR Officer-InCharge/Assistant Vice President for Entertainment Jimmy Bondoc said the global appeal of MMA has prompted a surge of the sport’s popularity in the Philippines,

pioneered by URCC with its first ever mainstream event held at Casino Filipino Parañaque in 2002.

“MMA is rapidly gaining popularity among Filipinos especially since the country has emerged as a major player in the Asian regional scene with a number of Filipino fighters gaining winning titles and recognition in the region,” Bondoc explained.

“We want to promote some of the country’s best pro-fighters at the same time bring a whole new level of entertainment to our guests and patrons,” he added.

Also featured on BETS is explosive striker, Arvin “Asintado” Chan of Camp Vallega facing off against the Ukrainian Middleweight fighter, Askar “No Mercy” Mozharov.

The card will also include up and coming URCC stars, Sem “The Beast” Bicaldo versus Ernesto “Iron” Montilla and many more.

Tickets for the tournament are available for P3,000. Each ticket entitles holder to join the CF BETS Special Raffle Draw wherein 40 MMA aficionados can win P10,000 cash plus P5,000 worth of Free Bet Coupon and P5,000 worth of Slot Machine Loyalty Credits.

For more details, please call the PAGCOR Entertainment Department at (02) 708-20-46 or (02) 526-0337 local 2401 to 2403 or the PAGCOR Marketing Department at 254-6266 or visit www.facebook.com/casinofilipino, www.facebook. com/pagcor.artists or

Firefighters, Builders to dispute last quarterfinal slot THE AFP Cavaliers, the Malacañang Kamao and the PNP Responders--these are the three teams already guaranteed a ticket to the quarterfinal round of the UNTV Cup. One more team will complete that list.

The BFP Firefighters and the NHA Builders dispute that last slot at the UNTV Cup hardcourt at 3 p.m. on Sunday at the Pasig City Sports Center. The Firefighters (5-4) must be able to extinguish the Builders to be guaranteed of the ticket.

“Paghahandaan pa namin ‘yung offense at defense namin,” said coach Ramon Garcia.

However, should the green and white jersey beat the Firemen, the two sides will have another faceoff to decide which team wins or goes home.

NHA Builders Head Coach Silverio “Bennett” Palad III confessed: “Kailangan naming bumawi sa next game, kailangan naming manalo.

Actually, kailangan ko na lang i-condition ang mga utak nila,

‘yun na lang ang problema.”

In the second game, the PNP Responders (7-2) take on Malacañang Kamao (6-3).

Whatever the result of this bout, both of them still get a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals.

The next stage of the league starts on Feb. 5, showcasing PNP, Malacañang, AFP and the winner of NHA-BFP match.

Sunday’s games will be aired live on UNTV starting at 3 p.m., with live streaming via www.untvweb.com.

BFP is expecting relevant contributions in all departments from Ryan Anthony Lim, (center) brother of the PBA Legend Samboy ‘The Skywalker’ Lim, on Sunday as they need to defeat the NHA Builders to get the last UNTV Cup quarterfinals slot.

PERPETUAL Help routed Arellano University, 25-18, 25-23, 25-14, yesterday to keep its title-retention bid alive in the juniors’ division of the 92nd NCAA volleyball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan City.

Paul Solamin led his team with 14 hits, while Marvien Castillo and Ivan Encila scattered 13 and 12 points, respectively, as the Junior Altas arranged an interesting duel with the Emilio Aguinaldo Brigadiers, their finals’ foes last year, in the second stepladder semis game Monday.

EAC though will enjoy a twice-to-beat advantage after finishing as the second seed after the elimination round, forcing Perpetual Help to defeat the former two in a row to forge a championship showdown with Lyceum of the Philippines University, which swept its way to the finals where it is ensured of a thriceto-beat advantage.

Otherwise, it will be an LPU-EAC title showdown.

“I have faith in my players and team that we will survive the stepladder semis and make it to the finals,” said Perpetual Help coach Sandy Rieta, who is eyeing to steer his squad to a ninth title and close in on the league-best 15 owned by San Sebastian.

In men’s action, St. Benilde drew strength from team captain Johnvic de Guzman’s explosive effort as it brought down reigning titlist Perpetual Help, 25-21, 25-23, 25-14, in a playoff for the top seeding.

The power-spiking de Guzman unloaded a match-best 23 hits, 20 came on spikes, two on blocks and one on a service ace to arrange the Blazers a semis duel with No. 4 Arellano University on Monday.

The Altas wound up at No. 2 and an equally intriguing showdown with No. 3 San Beda.

Both St. Benilde and Perpetual Help are assured of a twice-to-beat edge.

Ukrainian GM to coach So

By Peter Atencio FILIPINO grandmaster Wesley So will have a new coach for his coming tournaments this year.

Ukrainian grandmaster Vladimir Turmakov is reportedly coming aboard to help train and analyze games of the world no. 4-FIDE ranked (official ranking) So in his effort to stay in shape and possibly move up in the world rankings.

Tukmakov is described as very soft spoken by So’s supporters, a gentleman’s gentleman. He is expected to help give the mild-mannered So the inner toughness he needs in his games.

The entry of Turmakov was made known during a break in the ongoing 2017 Tata Steel Chess Masters in Wijk aan Zee, The Netherlands.

So’s supporters told the Manila Standard: “This year will be a turning point in his campaign to make it to no.1 in the world. This will be the first time he has been able to afford some serious help.”

Turmakov used to coach GM Anish Giri many months ago.

So far, So has been conversing with Turmakov over his games via Skype.

The 70-year-old Turmakov was the non-playing captain of the victorious Ukraine team at the 36th Chess Olympiad in Calvià in 2004. In the same year, he was awarded the title of FIDE senior trainer.

The Tata tournament enters its last three rounds, with So facing Russian GM Dmitry Andreikin in Round 11.In beating Polish GM Radoslaw Wojtaszek in 34 moves of an English Opening in Round 10, So gained a full-point advantage over five close rivals, which included world no. 1 GM Magnus Carlsen.

MPIC upbeat on power project B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Higher oil taxes to yield P800b

DBP IN SIQUIJOR.

The Development Bank of the Philippines steps up its branch expansion nationwide, with the opening of its newest branch in Siquijor and two new extension offices in Naguilian, La Union and Cabugao, Ilocos Sur, to bring its network to a total of 114 locations. Shown at the ribbon-cutting ceremony during the opening of DBP Cabugao are (from left) DBP senior vice president Antonio Owen Maramag; DBP Vigan senior manager Marjorie Anne Muñoz; Cabugao, Ilocos Sur Mayor Josh Edward Cobangbang; and DBP assistant vice president Ma. Dolores Guevara.

By Gabrielle H. Binaday

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing January 27, 2017

8000 7600 7200 6800 6400 6000

7,323.36 1.03

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

Closing JANUARY 27, 2017 44.00 45.50 47.00 48.50

US firms slow down on expansion plans

By Othel V. Campos

50.00

HIGH P49.850 LOW P49.910 AVERAGE P49.883 VOLUME 485.600M

P471.00-P690.00 LPG/11-kg tank P36.34-P48.44 Unleaded Gasoline P27.60-P33.55 Diesel

OPRICES IL TODAY

P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Friday, January 27, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

49.6950

Japan

Yen

0.008737

0.4342

UK

Pound

1.258800

62.5561

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128903

6.4058

Switzerland

Franc

0.999101

49.6503

Canada

Dollar

0.763592

37.9467

Singapore

Dollar

0.701804

34.8761

Australia

Dollar

0.753400

37.4402

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652731

131.8275 13.2555

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266738

Brunei

Dollar

0.699350

34.7542

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.028361

1.4094

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.5313

Euro

Euro

1.067800

53.0643

Korea

Won

0.000856

0.0425

China

Yuan

0.145311

7.2212

India

Rupee

0.014679

0.7295

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.225887

11.2255

New Zealand

Dollar

0.724400

35.9991

Taiwan

Dollar

0.031777

1.5792 Source: PDS Bridge

T

he American Chamber of Commerce and Industry said Friday American investments in the Philippines will stay but business expansion plans are on hold due to “back to back” uncertainties.

Chamber senior adviser John Forbes said in breakfast forum in Makati City that President Rodrigo Duterte’s pronouncements of economic separation of the Philippines from the US had “rattled American investors.”

“Investors want investment stability in a country so expansion of investments are expected. I see no withdrawals of investments but a slowdown or delays of expansion projects,”

he said.

Forbes, however, said Duterte’s message was taken out of context. His Cabinet members later explained that Duterte did not mean severance of ties but more of a “diversification of relationships and that means that American investors are still welcomed in the Philippines.”

Forbes said the second uncertainty was US President Donald Trump’s policy to bring back

all American businesses back to the US, especially those in the services sectors like business process outsourcing and the US decision to withdraw from the economic alliance Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Trump earlier announced plans to bring back jobs to the US by banning US companies outsourcing jobs and talents abroad and urging manufacturers to return to the US. He also announced other protectionist policies like the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with the intention of imposing tariffs on American products entering the US market.

Trump negotiated for the drafting of a bill on anti-offshoring to bring back call center jobs to the

US. Majority of the BPOs operating from the Philippines are American companies.

Forbes declined to identify which industries may delay their investment plans. He cited a recent report showing IT-BPO companies were putting on hold expansion activities due to Trump’s protectionist policy that threatens to penalize any offshoring activities.

BPO firms, he said, could be getting cautious because of the perception that the Philippines might not be a reliable place to go to.

Forbes remains optimistic that despite an apparent miscommunication on both sides, the bilateral economic activities would continue because of the strong US-Philippines ties.

Govt to prioritize $4.4-b projects for China funding THE government will prioritize 12 out of the initial 40 projects lined up for funding by the Chinese government at an indicative cost of $4.4 billion, the Finance Department said Friday.

The economic team of President Rodrgio Duterte earlier this week flew to China to finalize the $15-billion investment pacts from Beijing. The team, led by Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, submitted 40 project proposals.

They include the $3.4-billion Chico River Pump Irrigation Project in the provinces of

Cagayan and Kalinga with an estimated total project cost of $53.6 million; the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam Project in Quezon, $374.03 million; and the South Line of the North-South Railway running from Manila to Legaspi City in Bicol, $3.01 billion.

The other nine projects with an indicative cost of another $1 billion were under feasibility study.

These are North Luzon Expressway East Project, Panay Guimaras-Negros Island Bridges, Davao City Expressway, AmbalSimuay Sub-Basin of the Mindanao River Basin Flood Control and

River Protection Project, Dinagat (Leyte)-Surigao Link Bridge, Luzon-Samar Link Bridge, Agus 3 Hydroelectric Plant, PasacaoBalatan Tourism Coastal Development Program, and the Camarines Sur Expressway.

These projects aim to interconnect the country’s three main island-groups, boost tourism and construct a flood control system in Mindanao and ensure stable power supply.

Dominguez said the three large projects that would undergo China’s loan application process were already approved by the board of the National Economic

and Development Authority and the Investment Coordination Committee.

Dominguez said the Philippine government would recommend three priority projects for loan financing under the $3.4-billion assistance made available by the Export-Import Bank of China to the Philippines, including $2 billion in new commitments.

The three projects aim to raise the productivity of small farmers, improve transportation and logistics services in underserved areas of Luzon, and ensure a steady water supply to Metro Manila, he said. Gabrielle H. Binaday

Meralco seeks power from other generators

By Alena Mae S. Flores MANILA Electric Co. is seeking available capacity from several generating companies, including 150 megawatts from the Angat hydro power plant, to help secure power supply during the 20-day Malampaya gas field shutdown that begins today.

Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said Meralco also requested Panay Energy Development Corp. to deliver 70 MW starting January 28.

“Meralco wrote letters to various gencos requesting for available capacity for short-term (20 day) contract. The 150-MW offer from San Roque/Angat is already undergoing CSP (competitive selection pro-

B1

cess),” Fuentebella said.

Meralco filed with the Energy Regulatory Commission an application for the interim power supply agreement with Strategic Power Development Corp., operator of the San Roque hydro power plant.

Fuentebella said Shell Philippines Exploration B.V, operator of the Malampaya gas project in northwest Palawan, was ready to start its maintenance shutdown.

He said the onshore Malampaya facility, plant and pipeline to Ilijan and First Gen would be repaired during the 20-day maintenance, “All major materials already arrived and other materials are being delivered,” the official said.

THE Finance Department on Friday said the government will collect over P800 billion in additional revenues if fuel taxes are adjusted under a proposed reform package.

Finance Undersecretary Karl Kendrick Chua said in a recent hearing at the House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee the proposed adjustments to the oil excise tax aimed to stop subsidies on the fuel consumption of rich households and channel instead the savings to the government’s ambitious infrastructure program that would create more jobs, boost productivity and sustain high growth.

Chua said adjusting fuel excise taxes and indexing these to inflation from are expected to raise incremental revenues of P807.4 billion over the medium term. About P36.1 billion are expected to be collected in the second half of 2017, P120.9 billion in 2018, P147.2 billion in 2019, P156.9 billion in 2020, P167.6 billion in 2021 and P178.7 billion in 2022.

He said the additional collections assumed that both the House and the Senate would act soon on the first package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program contained in House Bill No. 4774 filed last week by House ways and means panel head Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua. “This is a highly progressive tax because we would be removing subsidies on the fuel consumption of the top 10 percent of households with monthly incomes of around P115,000 and above who consume almost 51 percent of fuel in the country,” Chua told lawmakers at this week’s resumption of the House Ways and Means Committee hearings on HB 4774.

Chua also cited that the top one percent of households, with monthly income of around P293,000 each, accounted for around 13 percent of the fuel consumption in the country.

IN BRIEF Cebgo adds more flights to Siargao A WHOLLY-OWNED unit of Cebu Pacific has increased flight frequencies to Siargao ahead of the dry season.

Starting February 1, passengers of Cebgo will be able to choose from 12 weekly flights between Cebu and Siargao.

From April 2017 onwards, guests can book up to twice daily Cebu-Siargao flights.

“Siargao is a success story for the airline, and a true example of how inter-island accessibility can lead to development, tourism and business opportunities,” Cebgo president and chief executive Alexander Lao said.

“In a span of eight years, it has increased flight frequencies from only twice weekly to as much as fourteen times weekly today,” he added.

Cebu Pacific first launched flights to Siargao back in 2009.

Darwin G. Amojelar

BantayKuryente bucks ERC move

THRIFT BANKS. The incoming 2017 board of trustees of the Chamber of Thrift Banks pays a courtesy

visit on Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. (seated, center) in line with the 2017 CTB national convention slated on March 14 at the Dusit Thani Manila. Also shown are (seated from left) CTB immediate past president and RCBC Savings Bank president Rommel Latinazo; BSP Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr.; CTB trustee and Sterling Bank of Asia president Cecilio San Pedro; CTB and Wealthbank president Gregorio Anonas III; CTB first vice president and China Bank Savings president Alberto Emilio Ramos; and CTB treasurer and Malayan Savings Bank CEO George Martirez.

POWER sector watchdog BantayKuryente lauded the move of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Ateneo De Manila University, San Beda College (Alabang) and mall owner Riverbanks Development Corp. in challenging before the Supreme Court the questionable energy policies being pushed by the Energy Regulatory Commission.

BantayKuryente Secretary General Pet Climaco said “this shows that there is multi-sectoral opposition to the ERC’s new policy.”

BantayKuryente frowned on the recently-issued retail competition and open access policy regulations of the Department of Energy and the Energy Regulatory Commission.

Under the latest policy, consumers with a peak demand of at least 1 MW have until February 26, 2017 to comply with the new rules. To comply, consumers will be forced to break-out of existing contracts and enter into new deals with new suppliers even at higher cost.

B2

Business

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks end flat in thin trading T HE stock market close flat Friday, ignoring another positive lead from Wall Street although traders remain nervous about the outlook for global trade with Donald Trump in the White House.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added just 1.03 points, or 0.01 percent, to 7,333.67 on a value turnover of P5.1 billion. Losers beat gainers, 92 to 82, with 62 issues unchanged.

LT Group Inc. of airline and tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan advanced 4.6 percent to P13.26, while Bloomberry Resorts Corp. of port tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. gained 2.6 percent to P7.90.

Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-biggest lender

in terms of assets, rose 2 percent to P79.25.

Ayala Land Inc., one of the largest property developers, fell 1.5 percent to P35.35, while Semirara Mining and Power Corp., the biggest coal miner, declined 1.4 percent to P136.60.

Market gains in the rest of Asian markets after one of the best weeks in January, meanwhile, were tempered with investors taking a breather as they keep an eye on developments in Washington where Trump is

pushing on with his “America first” agenda.

Markets surged in the two months after Trump’s November election win on hopes his plans for big infrastructure spending, tax cuts and slashing red tape would fan the world’s biggest economy and, in turn, global growth.

The new year saw a retreat as his failure to provide any detail of his economic plans led to worries about his determination to follow through with his campaign promises.

But his decision to give the goahead to controversial oil pipelines across the US lifted spirits on trading floors earlier in the week as it was taken as a sign the tycoon would deliver.

In New York on Wednesday

the Dow broke 20,000 for the first time and on Thursday extended those gains. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq are also sitting around record highs.

Asian markets have followed suit, rallying for most of this week.

On Friday Tokyo rose 0.3 percent as the dollar held Thursday’s rise against the yen. There was also some lift on news that Japanese consumer prices fell in December but at a slower pace than the previous month.

Sydney ended 0.8 percent higher, while Singapore gained 0.4 percent.

Hong Kong ended down 0.1 percent after a four-day rally.

Activity was thin across markets heading into the Lunar New Year break, while Shanghai and

Seoul were already closed.

“Donald Trump is getting down to business and the stock market seems to like that,” Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at FX and CFD provider AxiTrader, said in a note.

“For now we are getting an extension of the Trumponomics rally in stocks. Traders and investors seem to have a renewed focus on the reality that for all his belligerence President Trump does seem likely to institute his key tax and economic plans.”

There remain worries, however, about Trump’s protectionist slant and on Thursday those tensions increased after Mexico’s president scrapped a planned visit to the US over the billionaire’s plans to build a border wall and make the country pay for it. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017

NAME

OPEN

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.64 6,000 48.3 17,300 92.3 762,190 4.12 4,000 114.5 516,310 1.38 76,000 38.55 54,300 16 10,700 20 864,600 6.62 600 1.68 392,000 850 200 0.72 4,512,000 79.25 2,743,670 0.77 569,000 14.24 24,500 24.8 10,500 54 13,620 240 130 136 230 90 1,140 36.1 32,300 213.6 859,500 1,770 345 77.8 27,130

21,870 833,590 70,353,801 16,480 59,154,046 105,070 2,091,990 171,486 17,158,570 3,972 653,830 170,000 3,289,950 216,023,454 435,340 349,100 257,400 735,321.50 31,200 31,550 102,669 1,164,445 183,577,004 610,695 2,114,061

598,650 -12,113,469.50 22,638,348 150,150 52,720 3,893,378 60,850 88,201,930.50 -26,950 -37,129 692,210 -84,636,200 8,895 635,258

43.65 4.79 0.89 1.52 18.14 0.197 11.26 16.72 164 22.45 14.24 56 97.05 2.05 6.5 12 12.3 7.83 6.96 5.6 22.5 69.95 12.12 16.5 6.14 1.79 207 73 3.95 3.6 30 26.9 15.2 283 0.25 3.19 9.41 2.28 5.89 1.52 77.5 5.33 240 4.9 2.84 12.66 4.21 0.147 1.56 167.7 4.35 1.94 1.1

INDUSTRIAL 43.7 948,700 4.9 2,320,000 0.92 566,000 1.55 1,923,000 18.38 6,600 0.199 560,000 11.28 2,132,900 16.8 6,927,400 174.8 740 22.8 171,300 15.9 87,500 56 108,840 97.05 20 2.09 84,000 6.64 29,700 12.08 1,500 12.48 13,912,900 7.98 550,300 7.02 1,213,000 5.64 14,101,000 22.8 505,600 70.55 703,000 12.14 3,900 16.5 219,600 6.17 72,000 1.89 2,168,000 208 698,600 73 30 4.51 9,227,000 3.6 20,000 30.2 1,168,000 27.4 513,000 15.2 1,883,000 285 140,680 0.26 430,000 3.2 48,000 9.42 6,381,200 2.29 354,000 6 1,384,100 1.52 58,000 78.05 487,410 5.34 9,600 251 18,800 5 71,000 2.85 89,000 12.9 5,854,200 4.21 10,000 0.147 100,000 1.6 158,000 168 404,750 4.35 177,000 1.95 7,064,000 1.1 1,000

41,516,620 11,287,210 519,910 2,990,800 124,838 111,030 24,118,970 116,356,948 125,786 3,871,415 1,352,048 6,095,378 1,941 173,320 194,104 18,038 171,702,932 4,389,551 8,484,680 79,629,844 11,520,920 49,557,048 47,300 3,623,410 443,663 4,050,360 145,310,824 2,190 42,127,600 72,220 35,376,265 14,054,090 28,905,512 40,238,476 108,750 153,570 60,514,265 814,140 8,298,578 88,240 38,020,258.50 51,216 4,699,048 351,240 253,870 75,363,632 42,100 14,700 253,750 68,082,897 792,100 13,940,780 1,100

5,583,805 670,440 -142,870 -13,379,868 78,064,602 -6,840 -3,653,218 -6,406,718 -47,950 -1,388,199 53,916,824 305,140 40,694,375.50 -3,290,110 18,600 -179,900 59,136,680 355,640 -2,444,995 -12,439,240 -1,632,076 -6,532,454 54,430 -2,365,556 23,914,794 -10,680 -15,000 -1,188,720 -22,605,481 761,410 -30,360 -

0.41 74.8 12.8 6.01 0.305 800 9.15 12.9 8 1,365 76 1.15 7.89 12.7 6.77 0.043 2 2.55 98 703 0.85 1.36 262.2 0.29 0.185 0.255

HOLDING FIRMS 0.41 11,650,000 74.8 1,062,450 12.86 8,561,200 6.11 12,700 0.305 550,000 800 107,230 9.24 4,035,300 13 3,920,700 8.18 314,200 1,381 133,180 76.3 895,710 1.16 1,926,000 7.99 384,000 13.26 21,747,400 6.8 37,245,300 0.044 63,700,000 2.02 81,000 2.56 52,000 99 316,930 705 172,860 0.85 2,000 1.4 218,000 264.2 6,400 0.29 1,820,000 0.186 1,680,000 0.255 50,000

4,798,300 79,624,461.50 110,272,428 76,694 168,500 86,987,830 37,394,868 50,900,084 2,559,010 183,492,855 68,594,825 2,230,120 3,060,085 284,308,314 253,373,444 2,785,800 162,870 132,680 31,498,498.50 122,002,650 1,700 301,850 1,689,672 527,800 321,830 12,750

32,008,951 -29,040,616 13,773,460 6,898,049 -26,496,132 -5,145,375 3,257,537 -1,170 -1,520,341 -54,137,130 27,910,777 -44,000 1,415,898.50 -1,374,930 8,340 -126,440 -

7.28 1.21 6.11 2.45 0.79 35.35 3.25 5.4 0.55 1.06 1.33 0.188 0.56 52.25 0.75 1.63 1 3.63 0.169 0.26 4.71 30.95 25.8 1.68 29.95 1.04 6.97

PROPERTY 7.3 53,700 1.27 3,836,000 6.11 600 2.59 2,078,000 0.79 21,099,000 35.35 6,298,400 3.25 1,362,000 5.4 44,300 0.55 12,209,000 1.06 39,000 1.35 16,423,000 0.191 15,510,000 0.56 4,077,000 52.4 209,460 0.77 355,000 1.64 12,276,000 1.01 3,422,000 3.64 29,074,000 0.175 74,690,000 0.26 1,080,000 4.92 9,472,000 30.95 100 26.1 754,900 1.68 819,000 30 6,968,900 1.05 3,594,000 6.98 15,100

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE 3.64 ASIA UNITED 48.25 BANK PH ISLANDS 92.5 BDO LEASING 4.12 BDO UNIBANK 114.3 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.37 CHINABANK 38.5 COL FINANCIAL 16.08 EAST WEST BANK 19.54 FILIPINO FUND 6.62 IREMIT 1.7 MANULIFE 850 MEDCO HLDG 0.74 METROBANK 77.95 NTL REINSURANCE 0.76 PB BANK 14.28 PBCOM 24.5 PHIL NATL BANK 53.8 PHIL STOCK EXCH 240 PHILTRUST 143 PSBANK 90.3 RCBC 36.2 SECURITY BANK 213.2 SUN LIFE 1,770 UNION BANK 78.05

3.65 48.3 92.55 4.12 115.2 1.4 38.55 16.2 20 6.62 1.7 850 0.75 79.45 0.78 14.3 24.8 54.2 240 143 90.3 36.2 214 1,779 78.05

3.64 47.5 92.2 4.12 114.3 1.37 38.5 16 19.52 6.62 1.64 850 0.72 77.9 0.76 14.24 24.5 53.75 240 135 90 36 213 1,770 77.65

ABOITIZ POWER 43.8 AGRINURTURE 4.79 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.89 ALSONS CONS 1.53 ASIABEST GROUP 19.2 BASIC ENERGY 0.197 CEMEX HLDG 11.34 CENTURY FOOD 16.78 CHEMPHIL 164 CIRTEK HLDG 22.6 CNTRL AZUCARERA14.26 CONCEPCION 56 CONCRETE B 97.05 CROWN ASIA 2.05 DAVINCI CAPITAL 6.6 DEL MONTE 12.1 DNL INDUS 12.48 EEI CORP 8.16 EMPERADOR 7.08 ENERGY DEVT 5.63 FIRST GEN 22.5 FIRST PHIL HLDG 70 GINEBRA 12.12 HOLCIM 16.6 INTEGRATED MICR 6.2 IONICS 1.8 JOLLIBEE 207 LIBERTY FLOUR 73 LMG CHEMICALS 3.95 MABUHAY VINYL 3.65 MANILA WATER 30.4 MAXS GROUP 26.95 MEGAWIDE 15.4 MERALCO 288 MG HLDG 0.255 PEPSI COLA 3.2 PETRON 9.68 PHINMA ENERGY 2.31 PHX PETROLEUM 6 PHX SEMICNDCTR 1.52 PILIPINAS SHELL 78 PRYCE CORP 5.33 PUREFOODS 240 RFM CORP 4.9 ROXAS HLDG 2.86 SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.8 SPC POWER 4.21 SWIFT FOODS 0.147 TKC METALS 1.56 UNIV ROBINA 167.7 VICTORIAS 4.46 VITARICH 1.96 VULCAN INDL 1.1

44.1 4.93 0.93 1.57 19.28 0.204 11.44 16.82 174.8 22.8 16.16 56.1 97.05 2.09 6.64 12.1 12.6 8.16 7.08 5.68 22.85 70.75 12.14 16.6 6.2 1.9 208.8 73 4.93 3.65 30.8 27.4 15.48 288 0.26 3.2 9.68 2.33 6 1.54 78.1 5.35 251 5 2.9 12.98 4.21 0.147 1.62 169.3 4.49 2.01 1.1

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

0.42 75.65 13.02 6.18 0.31 817 9.32 13.06 8.18 1,388 77 1.17 8 13.32 6.86 0.045 2.02 2.56 100 710 0.85 1.4 264.2 0.29 0.192 0.255

0.415 75 12.86 6.01 0.305 811 9.19 12.9 8 1,365 76.65 1.15 7.89 12.72 6.8 0.043 2 2.55 98.95 710 0.85 1.37 263 0.29 0.192 0.255

8990 HLDG 7.28 A BROWN 1.21 ANCHOR LAND 6.11 ARANETA PROP 2.46 ARTHALAND CORP 0.82 AYALA LAND 35.9 BELLE CORP 3.26 CEBU PROP A 5.8 CENTURY PROP 0.55 CITY AND LAND 1.08 CITYLAND DEVT 1.37 CROWN EQUITIES 0.19 CYBER BAY 0.57 DOUBLEDRAGON 52.25 EMPIRE EAST 0.76 FILINVEST LAND 1.64 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.01 MEGAWORLD 3.65 MRC ALLIED 0.174 PHIL ESTATES 0.28 PRIMEX CORP 4.71 PTFC REDEV CORP 30.95 ROBINSONS LAND 26.2 ROCKWELL 1.68 SM PRIME HLDG 29.95 STA LUCIA LAND 1.06 STARMALLS 6.97

7.3 1.27 6.11 2.68 0.82 35.95 3.34 5.8 0.56 1.08 1.37 0.192 0.58 52.8 0.78 1.66 1.01 3.69 0.18 0.285 5 30.95 26.4 1.76 30.3 1.07 6.98

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

SUNTRUST HOME 1.03 VISTA LAND 5.05

1.04 5.12

0.98 5.01

1.01 5.08

1,618,000 1,516,600

1,646,500 7,691,443

-72,060 1,101,317

2GO GROUP 7.5 ABS CBN 48 ACESITE HOTEL 1.37 APC GROUP 0.53 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.055 ASIAN TERMINALS 10.56 BERJAYA 5.45 BLOOMBERRY 7.69 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.072 CALATA CORP 2.84 CEBU AIR 94.8 CENTRO ESCOLAR 9.92 DFNN INC 8.85 DISCOVERY WORLD 2.13 GLOBE TELECOM 1,775 GMA NETWORK 6.25 GOLDEN HAVEN 16.2 GRAND PLAZA 15.66 HARBOR STAR 3.08 IMPERIAL A 16 IMPERIAL B 119 INTL CONTAINER 78.75 IP EGAME 0.01 IPEOPLE 12 IPM HLDG 9.07 ISLAND INFO 0.215 ISM COMM 1.41 JACKSTONES 3.25 LBC EXPRESS 15 LEISURE AND RES 4.22 MACROASIA 2.57 MELCO CROWN 4.83 METRO RETAIL 4.15 MLA BRDCASTING 18.2 NOW CORP 2.75 PACIFIC ONLINE 11.3 PAL HLDG 5.11 PAXYS 3.02 PHIL SEVEN CORP 137 PHILWEB 10.06 PLDT 1,465 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.45 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.465 PUREGOLD 44.25 ROBINSONS RTL 78 SBS PHIL CORP 6.3 SSI GROUP 2.78 STI HLDG 1.1 TRANSPACIFIC BR 1.72 TRAVELLERS 3.28 WATERFRONT 0.38

7.5 48.15 1.37 0.53 0.055 10.56 5.45 8.03 0.072 2.91 95 9.92 8.95 2.13 1,810 6.25 16.54 15.66 3.13 17 119 78.85 0.011 12 9.07 0.216 1.49 3.4 15 4.23 2.59 4.93 4.15 18.2 2.8 11.3 5.35 3.1 137 10.06 1,501 1.45 0.475 45 78.9 6.46 2.8 1.1 1.8 3.3 0.385

7.44 47.9 1.36 0.53 0.054 10.52 5.32 7.61 0.071 2.81 93.9 9.6 8.85 2.12 1,760 6.15 16.2 15.2 3 15.9 119 78.25 0.01 12 9.05 0.212 1.41 3.1 15 4.14 2.56 4.79 4.06 18.2 2.74 11.3 5.11 3.02 132 9.94 1,464 1.44 0.465 44.25 77.8 6.11 2.73 1.08 1.72 3.25 0.38

SERVICES 7.5 34,600 47.9 8,000 1.36 7,000 0.53 21,000 0.054 22,280,000 10.52 1,400 5.32 3,500 7.9 10,438,700 0.072 7,200,000 2.85 2,106,000 94.75 182,590 9.6 2,500 8.9 639,600 2.12 8,000 1,805 26,990 6.15 710,800 16.5 39,200 15.2 1,000 3.01 3,269,000 16.26 43,000 119 20 78.65 1,723,160 0.01 50,800,000 12 5,800 9.06 529,000 0.215 5,130,000 1.48 937,000 3.1 310,000 15 200 4.14 225,000 2.56 51,000 4.88 8,172,000 4.15 1,664,000 18.2 900 2.77 6,754,000 11.3 2,200 5.34 18,700 3.1 3,000 132 150 9.95 568,900 1,495 53,230 1.44 6,327,000 0.475 1,140,000 44.25 1,363,500 78.05 1,220,480 6.44 936,300 2.74 1,416,000 1.08 7,051,000 1.8 32,000 3.26 407,000 0.38 970,000

258,395 383,570 9,580 11,130 1,203,380 14,736 18,774 82,577,020 511,970 6,050,110 17,286,148 24,224 5,689,796 16,980 48,441,370 4,406,676 645,488 15,336 9,934,350 713,336 2,380 135,683,068.50 524,100 69,600 4,792,500 1,100,690 1,382,240 994,730 3,000 934,190 131,340 39,812,330 6,840,770 16,380 18,593,400 24,860 99,215 9,140 20,500 5,670,842 79,384,425 9,114,560 530,450 60,864,455 95,246,527 5,993,383 3,900,560 7,648,020 56,170 1,328,800 372,250

-43,200 -23,795,974 -2,000 -11,263,699 -953,370 20,546,205 100,160 5,106,386 4,240 -29,600 -2,590 -7,302,150 1,053,480 511 0 1,004 32,848,170 -3,651,840 162,750 -4,407,295 71,131,157.50 98,880 -959,030 3,455,450 21,120 -662,470 -7,600

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK BENGUET A 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

0.0033 2.73 5.45 10.6 2.18 2.11 0.51 0.465 12.36 2.85 0.255 0.219 0.223 0.012 0.013 2.27 6.6 2.7 1.08 0.012 0.013 4.17 0.015 9.12 3.74 138.5 2.97 0.009

0.0033 2.74 5.45 11.48 2.18 2.19 0.52 0.47 12.48 2.88 0.26 0.22 0.223 0.013 0.013 2.27 6.79 2.75 1.08 0.012 0.013 4.19 0.016 9.15 3.81 138.5 2.99 0.009

0.0032 2.7 5.32 10.6 2.17 2.11 0.495 0.45 11.82 2.8 0.255 0.218 0.219 0.012 0.013 2.23 6.59 2.7 1.05 0.011 0.012 4.17 0.014 9.05 3.69 133.4 2.97 0.009

MINING &OIL 0.0033 147,000,000 2.71 1,315,000 5.32 130,000 11.48 1,800 2.17 14,000 2.19 2,000 0.5 2,356,000 0.465 1,320,000 12.18 31,500 2.81 6,676,000 0.255 420,000 0.219 1,190,000 0.22 220,000 0.012 11,100,000 0.013 100,000 2.23 730,000 6.75 6,761,300 2.7 145,000 1.05 62,000 0.011 17,100,000 0.012 14,600,000 4.19 5,000 0.014 754,700,000 9.1 1,312,500 3.7 2,375,000 136.6 1,645,860 2.98 26,000 0.009 4,000,000

484,500 3,567,980 697,742 19,408 30,420 4,300 1,180,660 613,700 376,574 18,878,340 107,150 260,360 48,230 133,300 1,300 1,640,530 45,376,086 391,970 65,670 199,100 185,200 20,910 11,086,800 11,943,303 8,860,760 223,960,793 77,500 36,000

60,120 -106,465 -677,310 -17,094,414 270,000 92,000 -361,237 -37,490 19,650,014 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3A SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

48 542 535 105 104.3 116 5.85 1,041 1,070 1,096 108 76.8 81.5 76 78.25 78 78.1 77.6

48.2 542 535 105 104.3 116 5.87 1,041 1,070 1,178 108 76.85 81.5 76 78.25 78 79.5 77.95

47.95 542 535 105 104.3 116 5.83 1,040 1,070 1,095 108 76.8 81 76 78.25 77.5 78.1 77.6

PREFERRED 47.95 49,800 542 220 535 40 105 6,900 104.3 20,000 116 3,720 5.85 5,709,500 1,040 9,090 1,070 2,000 1,178 355 108 110 76.85 164,270 81.2 17,430 76 9,150 78.25 78,660 77.55 33,880 79.5 28,800 77.95 51,800

2,391,175 119,240 21,400 724,500 2,086,000 431,520 33,388,232 9,454,600 2,140,000 389,240 11,880 12,616,149.50 1,412,186 695,400 6,155,145 2,627,204 2,284,546 4,024,150

479,795 -30,266,214 668,800 -

LR WARRANT

2.25

2.26

2.24

WARRANTS 2.25 106,000

238,240

-33,350

ALTERRA CAPITAL ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE XURPAS

6.9 4.31 3 8.6

6.9 4.31 3 8.65

6.8 4.3 2.93 8.38

SME 6.81 4.3 2.93 8.38

863,014 86,050 32,350 10,390,473

100 -810,062

121.2

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 120.2 120.4 5,650

683,211

-

NAME

MS 391,584 4,819,520 3,666 5,388,410 16,860,410 224,950,640 4,455,510 242,520 6,736,920 41,540 22,098,060 2,953,290 2,309,100 10,980,738.50 272,080 20,216,850 3,446,220 106,103,690 13,092,940 304,950 46,556,560 3,095 19,739,720 1,412,510 209,150,650 3,764,330 105,397

-227,030 -250,780 -386,770 94,950 -13,385,730 -192,140 2,750 10,800 20,769,400 307,960 741,281.50 -6,140,740 -23,159,530 26,100 -56,000 537,990 2,996,780 -51,600 -93,022,395 -

FIRST METRO ETF 121

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL HOLDING FIRMS

SHARES

11,762,640 87,288,090 168,261,239

PROPERTY

228,937,025

SERVICES

150,730,102

MINING & OIL

975,457,726

GRAND TOTAL

1,623,826,642

125,900 20,000 11,000 1,226,900

VALUE 1,765.00 (UP) 4.11 583,725,282.79 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,161.69 (UP) 35.46 1,143,430,661.39 HOLDING FIRMS 7,501.70 (DOWN) 16.77 1,587,281,607.886 PROPERTY 3,301.09 (DOWN) 11.73 SERVICES 1,446.67 (UP) 15.93 738,573,589.94 MINING & OIL 12,195.78 (DOWN) 143.17 737,591,187.409 PSEI 7,333.67 (UP) 1.03 330,278,636.0298 All Shares Index 4,414.90 (UP) 4.01 5,132,938,020.429 Gainers:82; Losers: 92; Unchanged: 62; Total: 236

MPIC upbeat on power project

By Jenniffer B. Austria METRO Pacific Investments Corp. said it is confident of securing next month the approval of the local government on a proposed P15-billion, waste-to-energy project in Payatas, Quezon City.

Metro Pacific president Jose Lim in an earlier interview the company obtained Quezon City’s initial nod on the unsolicited proposal.

Metro Pacific in September last year submitted the plan to the Quezon City government for approval.

Metro Pacific plans to build the project with a capacity to handle 3,000 tons a day of solid waste and produce 30 to 40 megawatts of power.

Metro Pacific earlier tapped US-based Covanta, a world leader in providing sustainable waste and energy solutions and Macquarie as technical partners for the venture.

The project being an unsolicited proposal will be subject to a Swiss Challenge, in which third parties can submit competing offers. The original proponent has the right to match the other offers.

Metro Pacific said the project once successful could be a template for other local government units to address their solid waste and garbage problems.

This is not the first time MPIC has proposed to build a waste-to-energy facility.

The conglomerate in 2014 signed an investment agreement with GGI Energy Pte. Ltd. to pursue a similar facility in Davao del Norte that will be able to produce 2 MW of power and 10,000 liters of biodiesel per day, with an option to expand it to 6 MW. The agreement, however, fell through.

Shell wins Malaya’s oil supply contract

By Alena Mae S. Flores POWER Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. awarded the contract to supply and deliver industrial fuel oil this year to the 650-megawatt Malaya Thermal Power Plant in to Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp.

PSALM earlier bid out the contract for the supply of industrial fuel oil to Malaya with an approved budget of P686.412 million.

PSALM officer-in-charge Lourdes Alzona confirmed Shell, the country’s second largest oil company after Petron Corp., won the auction. Shell owns a refinery in Batangas with a capacity of 110,000 barrels per day.

PSALM, which manages the assets and liabilities of National Power Corp., owns the Malaya facility.

“The notice of award is already approved for issuance,” Alzona said.

The Malaya plant is designated as a must-run unit when power supply is tight, although it is set to be privatized on March 8, 2017.

The power plant will run on selected dates during the 20-day Malampaya gas project maintenance shutdown starting today.

PSALM issued the invitation to bid for the Malaya privatization last month when four bidders expressed interest.

The Malaya plant consists of a 300-MW unit with a once-through type boiler and a 350-MW unit fitted with a conventional boiler.

Home / Design

Turning your dream home into reality P

B3

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SB Furniture helps two couples decorate their abodes

utting together a home could be one of the major milestones in your life.

From the construction of the foundation, to the color of paint in your room, to the smallest detail like where your wall clock will hang: you would want to make sure everything is perfect, and to your liking.

For over forty years, SB Furniture has been making dream homes a reality. Since the company’s establishment in Thailand, where they remain the biggest furniture retailer and manufacturer, they have expanded in twenty countries around the world, including the Philippines.

The brand not only offers European-standard safety, world-class quality, and a variety of trendy and stylish de-

“WE DIDN’T KNOW WHERE TO BEGIN.” Dr Harold and Dra Joanna Siquian couldn’t get enough of the

SB team’s attention to detail

with thousands of completed signs, but excellent custom- Style on a budget er service as well, with their In eight years in the country, projects where they put together free layout consultancy.

SB Furniture has helped people “spaces of beauty” with prod-

BIG HELP IN SEEING THE BIG PICTURE. SB’s staff ostensibly wanted to make things easy for Farah Fungo.

ucts that are “simply beautiful.”

By offering “style on a budget,” many people are able to create their dream homes while getting value for their money.

Two of the homeowners that have SB Furniture to thank for their beautiful new space are Silverio and Farah Fungo. The couple learned about the free layout consultancy service from SB and saw the help they needed in perfecting their first ever dream home. The SB team was quick to visit their house, which was then in the finishing stage, and made measurements from the smallest details down to the last of the rooms.

The Fungo are actually looking to buy more from the brand.

“Maybe the wine bar set-up, a few cabinets to fill in the corridor at the upper floor, and a comfy 2-seater coffee table for the Master’s bedroom as well,” Farah said.

Silverio and Farah are happy, satisfied customers and they’re just two of the many who got great value, quality, and design for

their money at SB Furniture.

Visualizing success Dr. Harold and Dra. Joanna Siquian also decorated their condominium space thanks to SB Furniture.

“We wanted to design our space but we didn’t know where to begin,” the couple said. “We initially went to malls and furniture shops to look for furniture but ended up more confused than ever. With SB, they have plenty of furniture collections that lets you visualize possible designs,” they said.

Working with the limits of a condominium unit, the couple said the layout consultancy service was a big help. “Actually everything in the condo unit came from SB furniture, except for the previously installed cabinets and closets,” Harold said. “We now trust the brand so much that we’re looking into upgrading our office with SB Furniture.”

BREAKING NEW GROUND. The Filinvest

Group continues to develop Filinvest City, a sprawling central business district south of Metro Manila, the legacy of its founder Andrew Gotianun, Sr. In 1995, the Gotianuns developed a 244-hectare lot in Alabang, and established it into what is now the CBD of the south. Situated at the heart of the development is Festival Mall. A flagship of Filinvest’s LifeMalls category, Festival Mall recently a new wing with over 150,000 additional square meters. Filinvest City is also home to some of the country’s premiere institutions and global companies like the Crimson Hotel, Palms Country Club, Asian Hospital, Insular Life, Bellevue Hotel, and the Northgate Cyberzone – Filinvest’s 24/7 IT Campus, a PEZA registered Ecozone that houses various business process outsourcing (BPO) companies. The next three years will see the completion of Filinvest’s anchor projects such as Botanika Nature Residences Tower 1 and Bristol at Parkway Place and Parkway Corporate Center.

FORM AND FUNCTION COMBINED.

Kohler’s newest integrated toilet system takes an ordinary bathroom to magnificent heights: the Veil. The Kohler french curve toilet seat (See main photo) is equipped with a sensor that automatically opens and closes the seat cover as users approach, and depart. Users will immediately experience true comfort upon sitting on it, thanks to the seat’s ergonomic design. The Veil seamlessly integrates innovative technology, comfortable design, and functional features that will take a toilet users’ breath away immediately upon their first encounter.The self-cleaning bidet nozzle— which cleans delicate areas with sterilized water sprayed according to how the user wants it—is automatically cleaned after each wash and sanitized with UV light every 24 hours. One of the technological features is a well-designed remote control, which comfortably fits into the palm of one’s hand (inset). With just one touch, users can already adjust water temperature, nozzle position and function, warm the seat, deodorize the bathroom, turn on the built-in night light, and control the amount of water used for flushing. Just what the doctor ordered.

DENIM DRIFT IS THE COLOR OF 2017.

Leading color experts at AkzoNobel, a global paints and coatings company, have selected a shade of blue they’ve called Denim Drift as the Color of the Year 2017. This was announced at the company’s annual trends forecast known as “ColourFutures™”. Denim Drift is the foundation for an inspirational palette of paint colors centered on the expected global social and design trends for the upcoming year.

The announcement came hot on the heels of AkzoNobel’s recent Philippine launch of their Dulux Professional portfolio of paints and Dulux Ambiance™ Special Effects, a range of premium featured finishes interior paints. “Blue is the colour of life, of every-day life,” said Jeremy Rowe, managing director of AkzoNobel South East & South Asia, Middle East. AkzoNobel products are exclusively distributed by Mega Paint Corporation and Woodcaretech Marketing Philippines, Inc. Shown in photo is the ‘new romanticism’ colour trend that helps create the perfect vibe and inviting mood for your home, creating a space for calm reflection.

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

B4

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

EVOLVING NEEDS. The Solinea Ultramarine.

CONDO PROJECTS TO LOOK FORWARD TO IN 2017

Exciting real estate projects to be finished this year

A

s Philippine real estate continues to grow, developers are giving their best to dish out real estate projects that match the evolving needs of Filipino homebuyers. For 2017, Global property portal Lamudi Philippines lists a batch of fresh properties that are poised to change the local real estate scene.

In Metro Manila, Taguig city will welcome a vibrant mix of residential properties from top real estate companies. Megaworld, the real estate arm of business mogul Andrew Tan, will welcome the first residents of its Venice Luxury Residences and The Viceroy, both of which are in the developer’s mixeduse McKinley Hill township in Fort Bonifacio.

Venice Luxury Residences is a three-tower Italian-inspired highrise condo development. Sitting right next to the Venetian Grand Canal Mall, it offers executive studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom units, ranging in size from 39 to 120 sqm.

The Viceroy is a more affordable option offering studios and onebedroom apartments, and is geared towards young professionals. Also in McKinley Hill, this four-tower condo high-rise is expected to be turned over in the fourth quarter of 2017.

ers Verte at the corner of 9th Avenue and 34th Street in Bonifacio Global City (BGC). A variation of the Spanish word, “to see” Avida Towers Verte is carefully designed to maximize the optimum views of the greens and wide spaces of the northern section of BGC. Avida Towers Verte is slated for turnover in December 2017.

Also in BGC, Madison Park West of Federal Land will open its doors to its first occupants come 2017. Located in Federal Land’s BGC development Veritown Fort, Madison Park West is a luxury condo that boasts unique features, including some units with their very own wine cellars.

Six Senses Resort, also developed by Federal Land, is likewise set to welcome its first residents in 2017. Located along Macapagal Boulevard in the Bay Area in Pasay, residents of this condo project are also automatically members of the elite Club Metropark, the premier amenity deck of the development.

Further down south, a Megaworld township project will complete its residential component this 2017. Poised to be the Beverly Hills of the South, Alabang West is one of the much-awaited real estate developments in Las Piñas.

Premier amenities

Outside Metro Manila, new real estate projects are also set to open in 2017. Cebu city will welcome a new prime residential spot in the second quarter of 2017. The

Avida Land, a subsidiary of property giant Ayala Land, will complete and turn over this 2017 its newest residential offering, the Avida Tow-

ITALIAN-INSPIRED. Viceroy Residences

No monopoly in Metro Manila

NEXT BOOM STORY. Long the center of the Philippines’ commercial activities, Metro Manila is straining to accommodate a growing population and a myriad of business activities. Pushing outside the capital is now a national priority—and Central Luzon, with Clark as its hub, is ready to lead the next wave of growth. Clark Gateway City is the brainchild of the Global Gateway Development Corporation (GGDC).

As a sign of what’s to come, Medical City hospital opened in Clark Gateway City in 2014, bringing the best of the Philippines’ healthcare into Central Luzon. Close by is the growing campus of the University of the Philippines in Clark. Once an extension of UP’s flagship campus in Diliman, UP Clark is being expanded into a 3-hectare permanent campus. In November this year Clark will be the site of the 31st ASEAN Summit.

“TO SEE”. Avida Towers Verte

YOUR OWN WINE CELLAR. Madison Park West

first building of the five-tower condo complex by Alveo Land will offer city resort living like no other. Located within Ayala Land’s 50-hectare Cebu Business Park in downtown Cebu City, Solinea the multi-tower development, all which share a central amenity area that resembles a resort in the middle of a bustling city.

Iloilo city will be greeted by a new residential building: Megaworld’s One Madison Place, scheduled for turnover this 2017. This three-tower cluster of 10-story condos follows a modern contemporary theme and will offer ultimate luxury to Iloilo residents. One Madison Place is located within the 72-hectare Iloilo Business Park, one of Megaworld’s integrated townships in Western Visayas.

Empire East, the affordable arm of Megaworld, also has a list of residential towers that are set to open next year: San Lorenzo Place at the corner of Chino Roces Avenue and EDSA in Makati, Pioneer Woodlands in Mandaluyong, Kasara Urban Resort Residences and the Rochester Garden in Pasig, Little Baguio Residences in San Juan, and Manhattan Garden City in Quezon City. These fresh additions in the affordable category will give more chances to Filipinos to finally get that first home investment.

IMAGIMAX PARTNERS WITH WITH NIPPON PAINT. Architecture and interior design firm Imagimax recently partnered with Nippon Paint

(Coatings) Philippines. The partnership has generated productive results. One of them is the repainting of the Filinvest Land Incorporated’s Prominence I Village in Biñán, Laguna (Seen in photo). Nippon Paint sealers and topcoats were specified for the repaint project of the community’s 144 Mediterranean-inspired townhomes. The walls were coated with Nippon Paint Q-Shield Extra to provide a weather and fungus resistant and durable exterior finish. The roof tiles werepainted with Nippon Paint’s specially formulated Paint Roof Coating.

“In every project, we make it our goal to create a sense of pride for the place,” said Katherine delos Reyes, Imagimax’s pioneer architect (inset). The key to this is in the property’s enduring design. It should meticulously focus on quality, and creatively integrate innovative and sustainable practices to address our clients’ specific needs.” The decision to select Nippon Paint was supported by Miko delos Reyes, lead architect at Imagimax (inset).

“We’re always looking for materials that will better our projects,” he said.

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

C1

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

FREE LUNCH. A beaming taxpayer at Makati City Hall shows off a newly issued business permit before enjoying the free lunch provided by the Business Permit Office on Friday. Makati BPO chief Atty. Maribert Pagente said

about 900 meal packs were distributed to clients as a gesture of appreciation for their efforts to put their papers in order and pay the correct taxes and dues to the city government. The free meals will still be served to taxpayers until Jan. 31, the extended deadline for payment of taxes and fees without penalties or surcharges for businesses that filed their application for Mayor’s Permit on or before Jan. 25.

Puerto Princesa mayor sacked T

HE Office of the Ombudsman has ordered the removal of Puerto Princesa City Mayor Lucilo Bayron after finding him guilty of grave misconduct, serious dishonesty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, for hiring his son to head an environmental task force three years ago.

The decision, dated Nov. 11, 2016 but released only recently, was penned by Assistant Ombudsman Jennifer Jardin Manalili with the approval of Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales, based on an administrative complaint filed by Aldrin Madreo on Nov. 20, 2013.

Records showed that when

Bayron became mayor of the capital city of Palawan in 2013, he contracted his son, Karl, to head the city’s Bantay Puerto VIP Security Task Force starting on July 1, 2013.

This was four months before they were sued by Madreo, who had noted the contract specifically alleged that Karl Bayron

is not related “within the fourth degree of consanguinity to the appointing authority.”

Madreo proves that Karl is the biological son of the mayor by submitting a copy of the younger Bayron’s birth certificate.

The mayor and his son could not be reached for comment at presstime.

The Ombudsman junked the respondents’ claim that Madreo had no legal standing to file the complaint and that the Ombudsman has no jurisdiction over the case.

The anti-graft body likewise dismissed Bayron’s defense that being a contractual employee, Karl cannot be considered a “public officer” subject to the

investigation of the Ombudsman.

While Karl’s appointment is subject to the exemption on the rule on nepotism as it involves “trust and confidence” between the appointee and the appointing authority, the Ombudsman said the Bayrons’ decision to conceal their relationship and in making a “false statement” in the contract of employment is a “deliberate violation” of “behavior expected among public officials and employees,” which is to state the truth.

“As for Lucilo [Bayron], the untruthful narration of facts was made with abuse of his office as city mayor as the hiring authority,” the decision stated.

“Respondents are likewise found guilty of grave misconduct… A misconduct is grave where the elements of corruption, clear intent to violate the law or flagrant disregard of established rules are present,” the Ombudsman added.

On careful evaluation, the Ombudsman said there was “substantial evidence” to find Bayron and his son guilty, with the principal penalty of the mayor’s removal from office.

The Ombudsman also slapped the accessory penalties of Bayron being barred from holding any public office in the future, cancellation of his civil service eligibility and the forfeiture of his retirement and other benefits.

Morong officials fall after drug raid CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—Two government officials of Morong, Bataan were arrested by police operatives during a raid in the area yesterday, police said.

Chief Supt. Aaron Aquino, regional director of the Police Regional Office 3 here, identified the suspects as Bienvenido Vicedo, 45, a municipal councilor of Morong, and Jose Diwa, 44, chief of the general service of the same town.

They were arrested by the joint elements of the Bataan Public Safety Company and Criminal Investigation Detection Group on a warrant of arrest issued by Judge Roline M. Ginez-Jabalde of the Regional Trial Court of Olongapo City.

Seized from the suspects, who were tagged by police as high-value targets, were several sachets of suspected shabu and a shotgun with live ammunition.

They were brought to the provincial police headquarters pending further investigation.

The Department of Interior and Local Government’s regional office is determining if the suspects were on the “narco-politicians” list of President Rodrigo R. Duterte in the region. Romeo Dizon

INSPECTION. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar (right) walks with former Leyte congressman Martin Romualdez as they inspect the New Hope Village—the permanent relocation housing for survivors of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in Leyte province—in Barangay Sta. Elena, Tacloban City. Mel Caspe

GSIS sets P4.9-b emergency ‘Nina’ loans THE Government Service Insurance System has allotted P4.9 billion in calamity loans for its active members and old-age pensioners affected by Typhoon “Nina” in the provinces of Albay, Batangas, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Marinduque, Quezon, and six areas in Oriental Mindoro.

A total of 7,952 active members and 820 old-age pensioners in Calapan City and municipalities of Naujan, Baco, San Teodoro, Pola, and Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro may avail of the loan until Feb. 17, the agency said.

The 73,798 active members

working or residing in these areas, plus 12,305 old-age pensioners residing in Batangas, Marinduque, and Quezon may apply for the loan until Feb. 9.

The application deadline for 62,339 active members and 11,115 old-age pensioners in Albay, Camarines Sur, and

Catanduanes is Feb. 2, GSIS added.

To qualify for the loan, active members must not be on leave of absence without pay, have no arrears in paying premium contributions, and have no unpaid loans for more than six months.

Me sick?

Erap asks ahead of CNY fete

By Sandy Araneta SHOWING support to the city’s Filipino-Chinese community, Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada will lead the Chinese New Year Parade in Binondo today, even as he debunked rumors of his failing health.

Estrada, who will turn 80 on April 19, even joked that he still has an active sex life.

“If I am not active, that means I don’t want it anymore. I will retire. Will this disappear? If this disappears, you don’t have a function anymore,” Estrada said in jest.

He then pointed to his political enemies in spreading the reports he is sick, following his brief hospital confinement last December.

“I am still strong,” the mayor said. “They are just politicizing, destroying my image.”

“I sleep late. I go around Divisoria. I make sure there is no obstruction,” he added in proving he is still in the pink of health and can effectively discharge his duties as mayor.

Estrada and Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua also led the Chinese New Year’s Eve Countdown yesterday at the Plaza San Lorenzo Ruiz in front of Binondo Church.

Russian Ambassador Igor Anatolyevich Khovaev also attended the countdown, as Estrada thanked him and Zhao for accepting his invitation.

“I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Khovaev and Mr. Zhao for taking time off from their busy schedule to grace this event. Their presence will make this New Year’s celebration more meaningful, especially to the Filipino-Chinese community in Binondo,” Estrada said.

Estrada stressed that it was “natural” for a person to get sick and go to a hospital, and that even “[Senator Manny] Pacquiao,” who is a boxer by profession, “gets hospitalized.”

Bautista touts better QC waste management system QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista said on Friday the city’s improved solid waste management and disposal system continues to be at the forefront of his administration’s advancing environmental consciousness and mitigating the impact of climate change.

During the observance of the Zero-

Waste Month at the Quezon Memorial Circle, Bautista noted that solid waste management has been the center of the city’s environmental programs because of its serious garbage problem, further magnified by the Payatas trash slide in July 2000.

Bautista said Quezon City turned things

around “by crafting environmentally sound and sustainable projects, anchored on building a resilient city and creating a clean environment through pollution control and waste management.”

The city government also engaged various stakeholders to increase the rate of the

city’s wastes diversion. It also cemented the enforcement of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act as a discipline associated with the control of generation, storage, collection, transfer and transport, processing, and disposal of solid wastes, the mayor said. Rio N. Araja

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LGUs

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Brod of ex-mayor dies in ambush

By Roy Tomandao

S

AN PABLO CITY, Laguna—The brother of former San Pablo City Mayor Vicente Amante, whose family was among those tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte last year as involved with illegal drugs, was killed in an ambush Thursday afternoon, police said.

Laguna Provincial Director Sr. Supt. Joel Pernito identified the victim as Damaso Amante, 64, married and a resident of Cardel Village in Barangay Del Remedio.

Amante was driving a white Toyota Innova with plate number WCO 502 along the provincial road of Barangay Del Remedio when he was stopped and fired

upon by unidentified suspects.

He sustained multiple gunshot wounds and was declared dead on arrival in a hospital while suspects fled toward the direction of Calauan.

Former mayor Amante, the 68-year-old leader of this city’s political clan, has denied involvement in drug trafficking.

A day after the President’s list that included politicians, judges, and policemen came out, Amante sought PNP Chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa to clear his name.

The ex-mayor, however, has

admitted his younger brother Edwin was once a drug user, and Damaso was also a drug pusher “but they had stopped doing that over a decade ago.”

Damaso also faced illegal drug charges following police raids in 2001 and 2007, but cases filed against him were eventually dismissed. He ran for Congressman of the third district of Laguna in the 2016 elections under the Liberal Party, but lost to incumbent Rep. Marisol “Sol” C. Aragones-Sampelo.

Amante’s death was at least the second high-profile crime in

Laguna this week, as a police official was arrested Tuesday following a rape complaint against him by a 24-year-old factory worker in Calamba City.

Calamba City Chief of Police Supt. Albert Tapulao identified the suspect as Inspector Aaron Cabillan, assigned to the Regional Public Safety Batallion based in Camp Vicente Lim, Laguna.

Based on the complaint of the victim, whom Tapulao identified as alias “Brenda,” she was waiting for a ride near a mall at Barangay Canlubang at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday when the suspect

suddenly stopped the car he was driving, pointed a gun at her and ordered her inside the car.

The suspect brought the factory worker to a parking lot behind a mall where the rape occurred, the victim said in her complaint. At around 12:30 a.m., a police mobile patrol passed by and checked on the parked car, which prompted the victim to shout for help.

The patrolling policemen then arrested Cabillan, who now faces the rape charges filed with the Calamba City Prosecutor’s Office, Tapulao said.

Cancer ward gets help from Duterte

By Ferdie G. Domingo CABANATUAN CITY— President Rodrigo Duterte is fighting a new war—against cancer, that is—as he graced the 20th anniversary celebration of the Premiere Medical Center in Barangay Daang Sarile here.

The Yang clan, led by PMC president Dr. Reynaldo Yang, his wife PMC director Sylvia Banal-Yang, Provincial prosecutor Danilo Yang, Geraldine Yang, and other hospital officials welcomed the President, who said doctors have the highest credibility among Filipino professionals “because they deal with human lives.”

“Even NPAs [New People’s Army rebels] won’t hurt rural doctors. The NPAs have high respect for doctors because these crazy ones also get sick,” Duterte said.

The President then went to the hospital’s Joseph Ray Banal Yang Cancer Institute to meet with some of the patients there. The Yang couple named the center after their youngest son, who was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 13 and died three years later.

His family’s harrowing experience with the Big C inspired the founding of the institute on Sept. 23, 2013, Joseph’s birth anniversary.

Danilo Yang said the President promised to help finance the treatment of cancer patients at the PMC, which has been shouldering their expenses.

“We cannot on our own continue to finance the expenses treatment of cancer patients so President Duterte said he would help,” he said.

CHINESE COMMENDED. Senator Cynthia A. Villar (second from left) recognizes the contributions of the Chinese community to the country during the Philippine Chinese General Restaurant Association Inc.’s Induction of Officers at the Golden Bay Fresh Seafood Restaurant along Macapagal Boulevard in Makati City.

More rounds for P’sinan ‘Karavan’ Thousands join 1st Tinungbo festival cook fest LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—The “I Love Pangasinan Kalusugan Karavan” began its 2017 rounds by staging community services in three barangays per week here.

Led by Provincial First Lady Karina P. Espino, ILPKK went to Barangay San Libo in Bayambang, thus completing the mobile health caravan’s visit to local government units within the third congressional district.

Espino said the caravan, dubbed “Pangkalusugang Serbisyo na Organisado ng Gobyerno Handog sa Inyo,” is one of Gov. Amado “Pogi” I. Espino’s ways of “expressing his love for his provincemates.”

The mobile health clinic also served Barangay Babasit in Manao-

ag last Jan. 11, which marked the caravan reaching the towns in the fourth congressional district.

ILPKK finished its rounds in the district by visiting Barangay Ambalangan Dalin in San Fabian on Jan. 12; Barangay Gueguesangen in Mangaldan last Jan. 17, and Barangay Lobong in San Jacinto last Jan. 18.

On Jan. 19, the caravan returned to the first congressional district via Barangay San Juan in Agno, its 22nd destination since it started last year.

The caravan aims to visit every village in the province to deliver basic quality healthcare services to every Pangasinense.

Earlier, Provincial Health Officer Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman

said Gov. Espino has decided to hold the caravan from once a week to thrice a week, due to the enthusiastic reception and growing participation of village folk.

The provincial first lady spearheads the supplemental feeding program, the distribution of school supplies and slippers for gradeschoolers and special blankets for the elderly, and hygiene kits for expectant mothers from the Department of Health.

Medical consultation, pediatric checkup, tooth extraction and filling, sputum test, chest x-ray, flu immunization, blood laboratory, anti-rabies vaccination, and pharmacy-on-the-go services are also made available to village folks. Dexter A. See

POLICE HQ. National

Capital Region Police Office chief Director Oscar David Albayalde lauds the new Muntinlupa City Police Station Headquarters in Laguerta, Tunasan during its inauguration last Jan. 25. Albayalde said it should be a model for police stations in the country.

Joining the ceremony were Mayor Jaime Fresnedi, Rep. Ruffy Biazon, Chief Supt.

Tomas Apolinario Jr, Muntinlupa Police chief Sr. Supt. Nicolas Salvador, and local officials.

Manila

Extrajudicial Standard Settlement of the

TODAY

Estate of the Deceased Alfredo D. Cruz Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late Alfredo D. Cruz was Extra-Judicially Settled by his heirs Marilou C. Webster, Alan A. Cruz & Josephine Jesusa C. Del Rosario as per Doc. No.330, Page No.67; Book No.436, Series of 2017 before Notary Public Atty.Virgilio R. Batalla (MS-JAN. 21,28 & FEB. 4, 2017)

Mariveles gears up for 72nd Liberation Day MARIVELES, Bataan— This fast-rising industrial town is gearing for a spirited 72nd Liberation Day celebration, as its leaders headed by Mayor AJ Concepcion prepare a string of activities to delight residents and visitors.

Celebrated every fourth Sunday of February, Libera-

tion Day is also the town fiesta celebration of Mariveles. It falls on Feb. 26 this year.

“Aside from the usual activities we’ve done in the past during the term of former mayor and father of the incumbent mayor, Jesse Concepcion, like the Miss Mariveles, Ginang Buntis, and Chess Tourna-

ment, there will be additional events this year,” said Councilor Tito Catipon.

Sectoral shows and boat races are also slated, Catipon said, with activities every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday starting February 3, to culminate on the last Sunday of February, which is the Lib-

eration Day. Concepcion has led meetings with other local officials, municipal department heads, and sectoral leaders in preparation of the Liberation Day celebration.

As in the past, local tourists are expected to witness this year’s Liberation Day activities, the mayor said. Butch Gunio

PUGO, La Union—Thousands of residents and visitors gathered here to partake of various delicacies prepared by 14 barangays and six schools that joined the 1st Tinungbo Festival cookfest, which by tradition uses bamboo as cooking material.

Participants simultaneously cooked their chosen local delicacies in their respective booths for over two hours. The public eagerly awaited the rice and viands to be cooked in bamboo stems, including the traditional Ilocano dishes “dinengdeng” and “inabraw” and freshwater fish cooked different ways.

Barangays Ambangonan, Ambalite, Cares, Cuenca, Duplas, Maoasoas Norte, Maoasoas Sur, Poblaion East, Poblacion West, Palina, Tabora East, Tabora Proper, San Luis and Saytan participated along the schools of Pubo Catholic, Pugo Central National High, Maoasoas National High, Cares National High, Saytan National High and San Luis National High.

The Tinungbo Festival takes its name from the word “tinungbo,” an indigenous way of cooking rice, fish, and other local delicacies using light young bamboo internodes, locally called “tubong,” which are then grilled over charcoal or low fire.

With its vast supply of light bamboo, locally called “bolo,” along Pugo’s riverbanks and mountains, the old folks of this town mastered this art of cooking. The tradition has been passed on through the generations, although it is no longer widely practiced with the presence of modern cooking utensils, cooking gas and electric stoves.

Still, Mayor Priscilla M. Martin stressed that reviving “tinungbo” and celebrating “the life and memories it evokes in the present time represents a tradition of family love, camaraderie, and gratitude for the God-given treasures to the people of Pugo.”

In olden times, farming was the main livelihood of residents here, and farmers used to go to the mountains or forests to forage for food, or cultivate plants along the vast forests of the town, Martin said.

“After their work in the mountains, the farmers go down to the rivers to take a bath, and while there they eventually have their picnic by catching fish,” she added.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Since they did not carry any kitchen utensils with them, Pugo’s old folk used the light bamboo to cook their food, “and it turned to be a delicious indigenous way of food preparation,” the mayor said.

Martin and other local officials expressed their gratitude to the residents and visitors who attended the various activities, and urged them to include Pugo among their preferred tourist destinations in the province in the coming years.

The mayor stressed the festival will be an annual event, with the hope that “it will flourish to become one of the well-attended crowd drawing events in the province, highlighting the importance of preserving and protecting indigenous ways of living in the community.”

Dexter A. See

World

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Trump angers key partner M

EXICO―By picking a fight with Mexico, US President Donald Trump is antagonizing a strategic partner that could retaliate with a trade war and less cooperation on curbing illegal immigration, analysts say.

Trump has angered Mexicans by insisting that they will pay the bill for a multi-billion-dollar border wall.

The standoff has sparked the biggest diplomatic rift between the neighbors in decades.

President Enrique Pena Nieto had voiced optimism that the two countries could have good relations after Trump’s election, but his goodwill ended on Thursday as he scrapped a meeting with Trump in Washington next week.

For Jesus Velasco, an expert in US-Mexico relations at Tarleton State University in Texas, the last major crisis was in 1985, when a drug cartel tortured and killed a US Drug Enforcement Administration agent, prompting Washington to briefly close the border.

“This is even worse,” Velasco told AFP. “Trump is cornering the Pena Nieto administration so that there is no room for negotiations,” he said.

Velasco said Mexico could hit back by letting Central American migrants cross the border and tell the Trump administration, “I’m not going to have any single cooperation on the border.”

Despite Trump’s criticism, Mexico and the United States have “one of the most successful [border] cooperations in the world,” he said.

Under pressure from former president Barack Obama’s administration after a massive surge of unaccompanied child migrants in 2014, Mexico launched a crackdown on illegal immigration at its border with Guatemala.

Mexico deported 147,370 migrants last year, compared to 80,900 in 2013, according to interior ministry figures.

And while Trump wants Mexico to pay for the wall, there are now more Mexicans returning home than migrating to the United States.

But the Trump administration ramped up the threats on the wall payment on Thursday, with White House spokesman Sean Spicer saying that one possibility would be to impose a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico.

“If the United States imposes a tax of this type, Mexico will impose a similar one,” Luis de la Calle, an economist who was among the negotiators of the North American Free Trade Agreement in the 1990s, told AFP. AFP

IN ATTENDANCE.

Model Margaret Qualley attends Create & Cultivate 100 hosted by Create & Cultivate and Keds at The Greenhouse in Culver City, California. AFP

Pearl Jam to be inducted in Hall of Fame

NEW YORK―Neil Young, nicknamed the Godfather of Grunge for his influence on the Seattle sound, will induct Pearl Jam into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it announced Friday.

Pearl Jam is one of seven acts to be honored at the rock shrine’s annual celebration, which will take place April 7 at the Barclays Center in New York.

The artists are inducted with speeches by other top musicians -- who sometimes join the honored acts in performances.

Veteran folk rocker Young was introduced to a new generation of fans when he joined Pearl Jam at the MTV Video Music Awards in 1993 for an intense rendition of his “Rockin’ in the Free World.”

Pearl Jam later served as Young’s backup band for his album “Mirror Ball.”

Young will be returning a favor to Pearl Jam, whose front man Eddie Vedder inducted the now 71-year-old Canadian into the Hall of Fame in 1995.

Young has repeatedly led inductions at the Hall of Fame, previously turning out for The Everly Brothers, Woody Guthrie, Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, The Pretenders and Tom Waits.

But Young -- known, like Pearl Jam, for his political activism -- boycotted in 1997 when he was to be inducted a second time as part of his former band Buffalo Springfield.

Young was upset that the ceremony

would be broadcast on television, saying it reduced it to a “cheap awards show.”

The latest ceremony will be broadcast

by HBO. Tickets go on sale on Monday.

Young’s contemporary Jackson Browne was announced to induct fellow folk singer Joan Baez while members of Rush will introduce Yes, another classic progressive rock band.

The Hall of Fame has not immediately announced who will honor this year’s other entrants -- slain rap legend Tupac Shakur, stadium rockers Journey and the symphonic Electric Light Orchestra.

Nile Rodgers of Chic fame will receive a separate award for his contributions as a producer. AFP

Two killed as light plane falls into river

DISCUSSION. Build Series Presents Ali Larter and Milla Jovovich Discussing ‘Resident Evil: The Final Chapter’ at the Build Studio in New York City. AFP

SYDNEY―Two people have died after a light plane nosedived into a river in front of thousands of horrified spectators at an air show in Western Australia, missing nearby boats and crowds.

Footage shared on social media showed the Grumman G-73 Mallard seaplane flying above the Swan River in Perth on Thursday afternoon as part of Australia Day celebrations before it went down.

Western Australia Police said the “very experienced” pilot Peter Lynch, 52, and his Indonesian-born passenger and partner, 30-year-old Endah Cakrawati, died in the crash.

“Thank God it went down in the water where it went down -- that was one of my first thoughts,” WA Police Acting Commissioner Stephen Brown told reporters in Perth on Friday.

“There’s... very clear waterway, that was the clear waterway that Peter was flying over and not too far away on the foreshore are thousands of people.

“And further to the west was quite a large group of members of the public on their boats.”

The Swan River runs through Perth city and the seaplane was taking part in an air show ahead of a fireworks display, which had been expected to attract more than 300,000 spectators. Both events were canceled after the accident. AFP

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British PM to meet president WASHINGTON―British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet Donald Trump on Friday, the US president’s first official meeting with a foreign leader that is set to be dominated by talk of trade and security.

After igniting a row this week with Mexico over his plans to build a border wall, Trump will likely have an easier ride with May as she seeks to reaffirm Britain’s “special relationship” with the United States with an eye on her country’s future outside the European Union.

May arrived in the United States on Thursday and received a rapturous welcome from Republican lawmakers gathering in Philadelphia with a speech urging them to “beware” of Russia, and warning US allies to “step up” and play a greater role in global security.

She met with Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan and discussed issues that included early efforts to forge a trade deal for when Britain leaves the European Union.

May is hoping the prospect of a US deal -- while complicated -- will help dispel fears among a divided public that Britain may be economically worse off by leaving Europe’s single market.

But her decision to meet Trump just one week after his inauguration has caused controversy at home, where he has been condemned by politicians of all guises for his comments about women, Muslims and the use of torture.

May, the reserved daughter of a vicar, has promised to be “frank” in her dealings with the unpredictable billionaire, and laughed off questions about their personal compatibility.

“Haven’t you ever noticed that sometimes opposites attract?” she told reporters on her plane.

The pair will meet at the White House and hold a joint press conference before taking part in a working lunch.

It will be the first such event for the president since taking office.

May will begin her day Friday with a visit to Arlington National Cemetery, the final resting place of a number of British soldiers who died fighting alongside US forces in various wars.

The prime minister’s speech to Republican lawmakers on Thursday hailed strong security ties between the two countries, and said their relationship had “defined the modern world.”

Acknowledging rising tensions between the US and China, she said fears of the “eclipse of the West” would not be fulfilled if Britain and the United States continued to stand together. AFP

Rush for designer genitals PARIS―A rush of women going under the knife for designer genitals has taken even plastic surgeons by surprise and divided medical professionals on the ethics and benefits of “labiaplasty”.

In 2015, more than 95,000 women worldwide underwent the procedure, according to data from the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS).

Most often, labiaplasty involves trimming back the inner “lips” or labia minora flanking the vaginal opening, in a procedure that is also known as nymphoplasty.

It was the 19th-most popular surgical procedure in 2015, followed by “vaginal rejuvenation” -- usually tightening of the vaginal canal -- in 22nd place with just over 50,000 procedures.

“I trained in the ‘80s and if you had told me that you could imagine that this is happening know, I would think you were crazy,” Renato Saltz, a plastic surgeon from Utah and ISAPS president told AFP. In the United States alone, 2015 saw nearly 9,000 labiaplasties done -- a 16 percent increase from the previous year, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Older data is not available -- growth in the sector has been explosive in the past few years.

“Women have become much more concerned about the appearance of their genitalia,” ASAPS board member and New York plastic surgeon Nolan Karp told AFP. Why? The internet.

“How many nude women, before the internet, would a woman see in her lifetime?” he asked. “Not many, you know, very carefully looking at... genitals.”

People today, he added, “understand what is pretty, what is normal, what looks good, what doesn’t look good.”

Much of what men and women see, however, does not in any way resemble the variety of shapes and sizes in which the female genitalia exist.

“It’s very concerning,” said Dorothy Shaw, former head of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada, referring to the “standard” being pursued. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

World

Inmate put to death for murder WASHINGTON―Texas late Thursday executed a man sentenced to die for the 2002 murder of two Subway sandwich shop employees, despite calls for a reprieve over claims of prosecutorial misconduct.

Terry Edwards, 43, received a lethal injection and was declared dead at 10:17 pm (0417 GMT Friday), said Jason Clark, public information director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

His final words were “Yes, I made peace with God. I hope y’all make peace with this,” Clark said in a brief statement.

Edwards’ attorneys argued that their client, who was African-American, was sentenced by a 12-person all white jury following a trial in which he was poorly defended.

The attorneys said that black people were systematically rejected from the jury pool.

Edwards was killed despite appeals that went up to the US Supreme Court, which rejected the case just hours before the execution.

Edwards was sentenced to die along with his cousin Kirk Edwards for the 2002 double murder in Dallas.

The two fled with $3,000 taken from the cash register. AFP

PROMOTION. Newly promoted ‘Yokozuna’ or sumo’s grand champion Kisenosato (R) enters the ground of the Meiji shrine to hold a ring-entering ceremony in Tokyo on January 27, 2017. Japan’s excruciating wait for a homegrown yokozuna ended when 30-year-old Kisenosato was promoted to the ancient sport’s highest rank, the first Japanborn yokozuna in 19 years. AFP

15,809 murders in the most violent countries S AN SALVADOR―Central America’s northern three countries -- Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras -- remain among the most violent in the world despite intensified security crackdowns on their lawless gangs.

According to a compilation of the latest official figures, there were 15,809 murders last year in those three nations, collectively known as the Northern Triangle.

“The situation remains difficult. Even though the number of murders has dropped, the pain and suffering of many families in the Northern Triangle continue,” the head of El Salvador’s Human Rights Commission, Miguel Montenegro, told AFP. The Northern Triangle is a major source of US-bound migrants fleeing gangs and poverty.

The United States has allocated $650 million to the region to try to stem the flow by improving prosperity and security.

But, while governments have greatly stepped up mixed patrols and raids by police and soldiers, Montenegro said “the repression

by the states has not made inroads against the violence.”

On average across the three countries, there were 50.6 murders per day per 100,000 inhabitants last year.

That’s lower than the 57.1 murders per day recorded in 2015, but still many times higher than the world average of 6.7 calculated by the World Health Organization.

Per capita, El Salvador was the most dangerous, with 81.2 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants. Then came Honduras at 58.2, and Guatemala with 34.1.

“The violence isn’t going to go away overnight,” an analyst and former El Salvador rebel, Juan Ramon Medrano, said. “It came about over several decades through social and economic conditions. To get rid of it will need many years.”

The gangs blamed for much of the violence were born on

the mean streets of Los Angeles in the 1980s, when Central Americans fleeing Cold Warfomented civil conflicts sought refuge in the United States and fought Mexican gangs.

Deported back home, they brought the gang culture and violence back with them, and today whole neighborhoods are prey to the groups and their turf wars, with local youths forced to join or to run.

“There is no solution to the gangs. Young people are looking for a family and entering a gang gives them an artificial family. There are no rehabilitation programs,” said Ricardo Puerta, a Honduran sociologist.

Honduras is home to up to 36,000 gang members, according to police and international organizations. Some 70,000 are in El Salvador, and 10,000 in Guatemala.

“The gang situation seems more under control in Honduras and Guatemala,” Salvadoran university professor and researcher Carlos Carcach said.

“In El Salvador, territorial expansion by the gangs is rapid and broad.”

With the region acting as a

transit corridor for illegal drugs heading from South America to the United States, and cartels in nearby Mexico active, there are fears the gangs could become transnational outfits.

That has prompted prosecutors to join forces for a crossborder strategy, while police and troops in the Northern Triangle have formed a trinational force.

But analysts believe the more effective way for the countries to handle the problem is to fix their shaky economies and institutions -- to provide jobs and social participation.

“The fragility and weakness of the national democratic systems isn’t allowing them to be strong states able to mount a fight against the problems causing the violence,” Carcach said.

The institutional shortcomings in the countries left over from the civil wars meant impunity reigned for former soldiers and rebels, he said, and that colored society afterward.

An additional problem, he noted, was the lack of control in the region over the illegal sales and trafficking of weapons from those conflicts. AFP

Oscar nods pleases ‘La La Land’ director TOKYO―The director of the hit romantic musical “La La Land” said Friday he was jolted and honored when he learned that his film had earned a record 14 Oscar nominations.

Damien Chazelle’s whimsical tribute to Hollywood’s Golden Age of musicals topped the Academy Award nominations list on Tuesday, tying an all-time record set by “All About Eve” and “Titanic”.

“It was a little bit of a shock and it was a huge honor,” Chazelle told a press conference a day after the film’s Japan premiere.

The movie scored nods for best picture, best director and acting nominations for its two stars, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Its 10 other nominations came in nine categories.

“Ryan and I were staying in the same hotel when we found the news, so we were able to celebrate together with champagne,” Chazelle said.

Gosling stressed the “collaborative” nature of the production.

“If you’re lucky enough

to be recognized in this way for your film in most cases only a few people are singled out,” the Canadian actor said.

“So to see so many our collaborators recognized just really made it that much more special.”

When asked if he had included any references to other films in the production that have gone unnoticed, Chazelle said he might have borrowed something from a Japanese yakuza movie from the 1960s.

“I feel like I took a little from this Japanese movie “Tokyo Drifter” by Seijun Suzuki and his whole kind of oeuvre of movies,” Chazelle said.

“His super wide frames and very pop-art colors -they feel like musicals to me, but with guns.”

“Maybe that’s like a kind of hidden homage, at least not one that anyone in the US would get.”

Chazelle and Gosling also participated in a ritual ceremony and cracked open a wooden sake barrel, hoping for the movie’s success in Japan. AFP

Kashmir avalanche death toll now 20

TOAST TO THE LUNAR NEW YEAR. Dancers pose in front of the Sydney Harbor bridge during the Lunar New Year celebrations in Sydney.

Much of the region will celebrate the Lunar New Year on January 28 this year to welcome the Year of the Rooster. AFP

SRINAGAR―Rescuers retrieved the bodies Friday of another four Indian soldiers buried beneath tons of snow in Kashmir, taking the death toll from a series of avalanches to 20, the military said.

The disaster struck an army post and a patrol along the de facto border that divides the disputed territory with Pakistan on Wednesday.

All eleven members of the patrol, that was approaching a border post along the Line of Control (LoC), were killed.

“Four more bodies were recovered today [Friday]. No one else is missing,” army spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia told AFP. Another separate torrent of snow in the same remote Gurez area buried three other troops at an army post.

The bodies of ten soldiers were pulled from the snow Thursday.

Dozens of Indian and Pakistani soldiers are killed by ava-

lanches almost every winter along the LoC. Indian-administered Kashmir has been witnessing one of the most severe winters in recent decades, with heavy snow across the territory and temperatures dropping to minus seven degrees Celsius (19 degrees Fahrenheit).

Four members of a single family died Wednesday in the same area when the house they were sleeping in was hit by an avalanche. A lone survivor was rescued.

One soldier was also killed in northern Sonmarg area of the territory when a camp was hit by an avalanche.

Authorities have issued avalanche warnings, advising residents in mountainous areas not to venture out.

On Thursday a 60-year-old man died when he came under mounds of snow as he stepped out of his home on a hilly slope in northwest Uri near the LoC, a police officer said. AFP

T

HE Hong Kong Tourism Board invites you to celebrate the city’s biggest and most colorful festival at the Cathay Pacific International Chinese New Year Night Parade at Tsim Sha Tsui today. This highly received entertainment event, now on its 22nd edition, features a series of world-class performances including the famous street dance display of Davao’s Kadayawan festival.

The Kadayawan festival is a thanksgiving harvest festival, which showcases Davao’s rich culture, diversity and the unification of the province’s resident indigenous groups. The main highlight of the Kadayawan festival is the Indak-Indak Kadalanan or street dancing, now Hong Kong presents it as part of the line-up in the Chinese New Year celebration with the theme, “Best Fortune. World Party.”

The festivity begins with a fun-filled, interactive street party, followed by a parade with spectacular floats and a wide variety of local and international performing talent, including marching bands, cheerleaders, dance troupes, and roving costumed characters.

Along with the Kadayawan street dance performance, some of the most talented groups from all over the world will be featured in the parade, including the acrobatic Wheelartistics Wuppertal from Germany, world class marching band Bluecoats Drum and Bugle Corps from the USA and dance group Giant Flowers and Butterflies from France, plus many more.

Welcome the New Year like the locals do by visiting some of Hong Kong’s flower markets with their array of colorful blooms like aromatic orchids plus endless inventive offerings from the stallholders. And don’t miss out on the stunning fireworks display over Victoria Harbour between Central and Tsim Sha Tsui on Jan. 29.

Welcome the Year of the Rooster in the grandest way ever, because the best celebrations of all are definitely in Hong Kong.

For more information, log on to discoverHongKong.com/best

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

D1

Life TRAVEL AND LEISURE

KADAYAWAN IN HONG KONG. The Indak Indak Kadalanan of Davao’s Kadayawan festival will be performed during Hong Kong’s Chinese New Year Night parade.

Davao’s Kadayawan street dance tradition in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year

Philippine pride, Siningtala dance troupe will showcase their flair at the Kadayawan street dance performance at Tsim Sha Tsui, along with some of the most talented groups from all over the world.

How to celebrate Chinese New Year 2017

SPRING has always been the season that symbolizes rejuvenation. Chinese New Year means it is time for a good start. When you are in Hong Kong during this auspicious month, apart from experiencing the many festive celebrations, why not take part in some traditional customs practiced by many Hongkongers to bring good luck to the year? To celebrate the start of the Year of the Rooster and 20th Anniversary of Hong Kong’s Handover to China, visit the 20 lucky scenic spots,which will bring good fortune for the year according to feng shui experts.

Check out the 12 lucky spots that are matched with the 12 Chinese Zodiac signs, as well as the 8 lucky locales to make the most out of the Year of the Rooster.

Roosters: The Peak

Birth Years: 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005 Being the same zodiac sign as the current year is never a good thing because metaphysically, you’d be bullied by the reigning sign. Ease the sense of dominance by rising to Hong Kong Island’s highest vantage poi nt and taking in the commanding vistas from Victoria Peak. Broaden your horizons by soaking up the view of the Kowloon and Hong Kong Island skyline. Feel your worries dissolve and yourself prepped to overcome any challenges in the year to come.

Dogs: Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail, Fanling

Birth Years: 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006 Those who were born in Year of the Dog are affected by unlucky stars this year and are therefore susceptible to insecurity and anxieties. Alleviate the negative energy by heading to the northeast: take a trip in the rural clan of the Lung Yeuk Tau Heritage Trail, where it takes you on a scenic journey into the history of the Tang Clan, one of the five largest clans in the New Territories. It is said that a dragon could once be seen leaping in the mountains there, which is how the area got its name.

You can pick up on the wisdom of Hong Kong’s ancestors evident in the exquisite architecture

while unwinding in the serene surroundings.

2016 was a year of instability for Tigers and This will be beneficial to your career in 2017.

2017 is the best time to go to the seaside located in the southern part of Hong Kong - Repulse Pigs: The Big Buddha, Bay for some calming sea breeze. According to Chinese tradition, spending money can stave Wisdom Path Birth Years: 1935, 1947, 1959, off bad luck, as such sensible shopping at the 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007 many shops in Murray House, Stanley Plaza As the star of Yi Ma, which and the surrounding streets can help you do just represents travel, is affecting that. You can browse the stores while enjoying your zodiac in 2017, those who were born in the fresh air, which is good for your health.

Year of the Pig are likely to find themselves on the move more frequently. Head to the Big BudRabbits: Chi Lin Nunnery dha and the Wisdom Path. Climb the steps for a Birth Years: 1939, 1951, 1963, closer look of the remarkable statue, take a step 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 back and appreciate the zen of the large woodThis is a year of change for those cut Heart Sutra scriptures. This should temper who were born in the Year of the the speed of change and maximize the energy of Rabbit. Various aspects in your life movement for the year to come. including relationships, career and accommodation, may have yet to settle, but in the end it will Rats: Flower Market, Bird all work out for the best. An ideal place to visit when things get tough is the Chi Lin Nunnery, Garden Birth Years: 1936, 1948, 1960, where you can enjoy the serenity of the environs 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008 alongside Tang Dynasty-inspired architecture.

The nunnery is also a good spot for meditation, Congratulations! This is a great so when times are troubling, put your palms toyear for those who were born in the Year of the Rat, especially for those in search of gether, close your eyes, take a deep breath and love! Visit the Flower Market and Bird Garden in feel your troubles dissipate.

MongKok - being embraced by fragrant flowers and birds’ song could boost this romantic power Dragons: Dragon’s Back to the max, and enhance things for those already Birth Years: 1940, 1952, 1964, in a relationship.

1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 The dragon and the phoenix Oxen: Sky100 Hong Kong are symbols of a match made in heaven, so the Year of the Rooster, Observation Deck Birth Years: 1937, 1949, 1961, which is in the same family as the phoenix, is 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 perfect for those born in the Year of the Dragon.

Being born in the year of Ox, If you want to take your luck with wealth to the you have three lucky stars shining on you this next level, head to one of Asia’s best hiking trails coming year. Up the good luck game by being - Dragon’s Back. Enjoy the spectacular views as close to stars as possible on the observa- of the South China Sea, Shek O, Big Wave Bay, tion deck - on the 100th floor of the Interna- Stanley and Tai Tam along the rolling hills while tional Commerce Centre (ICC). Soak up in the upping your luck with work, wealth and all your 360-degree view of Hong Kong’s beauty and other stars. get ready for a year of bumper opportunities and good tidings.

Snakes: Lamma Island Birth Years: 1941, 1953, 1965, Tigers: Murray House, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 Lamma Island is where those Stanley, Repulse Bay Birth Years: 1938, 1950, 1962, born in the Year of the Snake 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 should congregate, as it’s in the

auspicious southwest direction. Take a half-hour ferry ride to enjoy the sea breeze and the exotic experience. You can really sit back and take it easy here – the green mountains and natural rivers surrounding the island can help you relax and amplify all areas of lucks in your life including work and wealth.

Horses: Happy Valley Racecourse

Birth Years: 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 You have the best luck in terms of money among the 12 zodiacs in 2017, so why don’t you pop into Happy Valley Racecourse and try your luck? Get your adrenaline pumping, and feel the excitement as you hear the hooves thunder down the track. Stake some money on your favourite horse, and it could be your day!

Goats: Touring Victoria Harbour

Birth Years: 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 Right in the centre of Hong Kong is where good luck pools for those born in Year of the Goat. Take an evening harbour cruise to enjoy the views on both sides of the harbor and the reflection of buildings lining the harbor as Hong Kong transitions from day to night. Touring Victoria Harbour is always on the list.

Monkeys: Lan Kwai Fong

BirthYears: 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004 If you’re a single Monkey, then Lan Kwai Fong is the place for you. No longer just a night club hub, Lan Kwai Fong is now synonymous with fine food, drinks and all things celebratory. Your romance factor is through the roof this year. While tasting refreshing wines and delicacies in the festive atmosphere, you might find your significant other at the epicentre of Hong Kong nightlife.

Continued on D2

Life

D2

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Notes On Harvard

Harvard University’s main campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts

I

’VE heard about Harvard University since I was in elementary school and, because it was talked about it in the superlatives, I have always looked up to it with a lot of reverence.

MERCURY RISING Coming from a middle class

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO family in Cebu, I never aspired to enroll there, although it was always my wish to be able to see what “the best school in the world” looks like.

It took several decades after my graduation from college before I could visit the hallowed halls of the university.

This was when I had a stable career in the airline industry and could afford to spend vacations anywhere in the world.

But, when I visited Harvard University the first time, I was part of a large tour group and it was one of the many destinations we had for the day. Needless to say, we just breezed through the campus, took pictures, and off we were to the next destination. I didn’t really get the “close look” that I was looking forward to.

Not too long ago, I had another chance to go to Boston. This time, I did a private customized tour of this Ivy League campus in Cambridge, five kilometers northwest of the capital. I made it a point to really spend time, to learn as much as I could about the university, and to have that vicarious “feel” of its student life.

Harvard University, established in 1636, is the oldest in the USA, and is named after its first benefactor, John Harvard. It is non-secular, although its early years were affiliated with the training of Congregationalist and Unitarian clergy.

Among its many sterling achievements, the university takes pride in being a modern research institution. Of course, its history, the glorious list of influential alumni and its wealth have made Harvard one of the world’s most prestigious. It was only in 1977, when it merged with Radcliffe College, that the undergraduate college became co-educational.

The university is so big that its campuses are scattered throughout Metropolitan Boston. The main campus is called Harvard Yard and is in Cambridge, while the business school, and the athletics facilities are across the

Charles River in Allston. The public health schools (dental and medical) are in Longwood. I focused my tour on Harvard Yard.

Although the cost of a Harvard education is steep, the university has several “generous” financial aid packages that may be availed of by anybody. This is the reason why it prides itself with an illustrious list of alumni that have certainly helped shape the USA and the world.

Based on their records, Harvard has produced eight US presidents, many foreign heads of state, 62 billionaires, and 130 Nobel Laureates.

The first thing that tourists see when they enter the campus is the bronze statue of John Harvard with a very shiny left shoe, and carved on its pedestal is “Founder, 1638.”

Quite cont roversial, it is often called “The Statue of 3 Lies.” First, the statue is not that of John Har vard because

The library’s Annenberg Hall was the model for Hogwarts School Dining Hall in the Harry Potter movies

nobody knew how he looked like, so the sculptor got a student from the early days of the school to pose for him.

Second, Harvard was not the founder but the largest benefactor for the school, and, third, the school was founded in 1636 not two years later, as engraved on the pedestal.

And why is its left shoe very shiny, compared to the rest of the statue? Harvard students rub it for good luck before they take their exams, and tourists do the same, for

How to...

From D1

Other lucky locales in the Year of the Rooster Feng shui enthusiasts believe that each of the 8 directions affects one certain aspect of people’s life. Head to these locations to boost your fortune in the Year of the Rooster.

(1) Chinese New Year Night Parade

It’s Chinese tradition to take a lucky stroll to kick off the new year and where better to do it than at the New Year Night Parade? Bathe in the positive energy and be regaled by performances from around the world alongside beautifully designed floats – surefire way to improve anybody’s mood, boost romance and bring good fortune.

during Chinese New Year. Apart from being the temple that is reputed to turn around bad luck, its location is right on the wealth quadrant on the feng shui grid. Turn the fan-bladed wheels of fortune three times to boost good fortune. Those who were born in spring or summer should wear cool colours such as black, gold, silver, white, gray or blue to amplify the auspicious atmosphere, and those who were born in autumn or winter should wear warm colours such as green, green, red, orange or purple.

(3) Tap Mun

In 2017, the northeast is the direction for those seeking good luck with their studies, literary inThis is one of the most popular destinations sights or clerical work. You can visit Tap Mun in

(2) Che Kung Temple, Sha Tin

The controversial statue of John Harvard in the university’s Harvard Yard (notice the shiny left shoe)

safe travels. However, there have been many recorded instances when studentpranksters were caught urinating on and throwing excrement at the left shoe.

This was the reason why I didn’t bother to pose beside the statue, much less touch the shiny left shoe.

One attraction inside the campus that awed me was the Harvard Library, the world’s largest, with 18 million volumes to offer. It is composed of 79 individual libraries and what I found very interesting was the Annenberg Hall. Its interiors were copied by the makers of the Harry Potter movies to be used as the Hogwarts School’s cavernous dining hall.

I also enjoyed going over the interesting walls of the Harvard Memorial church, which was built in 1932, to honor the 373 alumni who died in World

War 1, with their names engraved on the walls of the church’s interiors.

My personal tour guide wanted to take me to many other points of interest in the university, like their classrooms, cafeterias, etc. but the day rolled by so quickly. It was almost dark and I still wanted to check out the many curio shops around the campus, to see what interesting Harvard-related items there were that I could take home with me. I ended up buying several boxes of personalized stationery with the embossed Harvard logo on them.

It was a day well spent, and I got what I wanted...from the oldest and most prestigious institution of learning in the USA. Now, my notes are complete.

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com.

YOUR SATURDAY CHUCKLE A blonde walks into a bar and sees her friend sitting there with a drink in her hand and looking very sad. She walks over and sits down to ask what is wrong and to see if can she help.

Her friend says, “I feel awful, I went out last night, got drunk and wound up sleeping with a Brazilian.” The blonde says, “OMG, Wow. How many is that?”

the northeastern part of Hong Kong bask in the beauty of nature. Simply take a deep breath, relieve stress and better prepare yourself for examinations or any work challenges ahead.

Seafood Market offers decent seafood and helps boost your luck with people. It’s particularly useful to those who are in careers such as retail sales or entertainment business.

(4) Sai Kung

(7) Tai O

East is the direction associated with wealth in 2017, and Hong Kong’s easternmost point is Sai Kung. Also known as the city’s back garden, this quiet town offers pleasant scenery and tasty local cuisine. Visit the local stores at Sai Kung Town Centre with friends and family, and enjoy the view along the seaside. Take a stroll among the laid back streets after a good meal to boost your fortune.

(5) Shek O

Southeast is the direction for celebration in 2017.

So if there is any call for celebration such as weddings, anniversaries, promotions, it’s a good idea to take a walk on the sands of Shek O with lover, friends and family. Just relax and enjoy a great day out by the sea.

(6) Sam Shing Hui Seafood Market, Tuen Mun

Southeast is where the fortune star faces this year and for those in the finance industry or investment business, a visit to Tai O Fishing Village in Lantau should send good luck your way. Discover the stilt houses in Tai O and taste the authentic local snacks there. Check out the Tai O Heritage Hotel - the former Tai O police station revitalised with the colonial featured remained.

(8) Man Mo Temple, Sheung Wan

Man Mo Temple worships the God of Literature (Man) and the God of War (Mo), who are symbols of academics and physical strength respectively. Apart from appreciating the historical landmark with its unique decor, this place offers blessings from these deities for all things work and studies related.

Situated in the New Territories, Sam Shing Hui (Information provided by feng shui expert Kevin Lau)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Miss Universe: The Early Years

By Eton B. Concepdion

W

HILE Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach is the 64th Miss Universe title-holder, back in 1952, Miss Finland Armi Helena Kuusela bested 30 contestants in the first-ever Miss Universe pageant held that year in Long Beach, California.

But before Kuusela, Lisl Goldarbeiter of Austria was the first beauty queen accorded with the title “Miss Universe” she was announced winner in the International Pageant of Pulchritude in Galveston, Texas in 1929, the world’s first international contest, forerunner of the Miss Universe beauty pageant.

The 1929 International Pageant of Pulchritude was the 4th edition of the contest and took more contestants from outside the USA like Russia, England and Turkey. Winners of the first three years were Misses USA Catherine Moylan (1926), Dorothy Britton (1927) and Ella Van Hueson (1928) who were all given the title of Beauty Queen of the Universe.

Goldarbeiter, in a recorded black and white video, said after her win, “I’m very happy and I

hope I succeeded in giving the proud American people, who I learned to love and know, a good impression about Austrian women and Vienna.”

Goldarbeiter was offered by film director King Vidor a two-year Hollywood contract.

The International Pageant of Pulchritude continued up to the early 30’s before it was aborted in the Depression period in America.

Two were crowned in 1930, Miss USA Dorothy Dell Goff and Miss Brazil Yolanda Pereira.

Miss Belgium Netta Duchateau won in 1931 and Miss Turkey Keriman Halis Ece in 1932.

No contest was held in 1933 and 1934 but was revived for the last time in 1935 with Miss Egypt Charlotte Wassef taking home the title.

Seven years after the Second World War ended in 1945, the first ever edition of the Miss Universe

Actress Piper Laurie crowns first-ever Miss Universe Armi Kuusela (left), and 64th Miss Universe titleholder Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach (right) being crowned by 2014 winner Paulina Vega of Colombia

pageant was held at The Municipal Auditorium in Long Beach, California on June 28, 1952. Kuusela, a 17-year-old, blonde Finnish beauty won over 29 contestants from around the world and was crowned

by Hollywood actress Piper Laurie. Her runners up were Miss Hawaii Elza Kananionapua (1st), Miss Greece Daisy Mavraki (2nd), Miss Hong Kong Judy

Dan (3rd) and Miss Germany Renate Hoy (4th).

Four months before her reign ends, Kuusela decided to give up her Miss Universe crown to marry Filipino businessman Virgilio Hilario after a whirlwind romance. They settled in Manila in Forbes Park where they were blessed with five children.

Miss Universe winners gather for the 65th Edition THE 65th Miss Universe pageant will feature another gathering of previous Miss Universe winners with five former titlists flying to Manila to grace the coronation finals on Jan. 30 at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Lupita Jones, the first Mexican woman to win in 1991, was the first to arrive in the country for the Miss Universe pageant. The 42-year-old actress and currently the director of Nuestra Belleza Mexico, the Miss Universe pageant franchise in Mexico, came to give support to Miss Universe Mexico 2016 Kristal Silva.

Natalie Glebova, who was crowned Miss Universe in 2005 in Thailand, will be on her second travel to Manila following her co-hosting job of the 2016 Miss Global pageant. The 35-yearold, former wife of Thai tennis superstar Paradorn Srichaphan, is coming over with her baby daughter Maya from her present

QUEENS OF THE UNIVERSE. (From left) Mexico's Lupita Jones (1991), Puerto Rico's Dayanara Torres (1993), India's Sushmita Sen (1994), Canada's Nathalie Glebova (2005), Japan's Riyo Mori (2005), and Angola's Leila Lopes (2011) handsome Panamanian fiancé.

Riyo Mori, the second Miss Universe from Japan who won in 2007, will sit as one of the judges along with India’s first winner Sushmita Sen, the winner in 1994 in Manila. Sen, now 41, who has become an award-winning Bollywood actress, expressed excitement on her ‘returning home’ to the Philippines after 23 years.

“I’m getting ready with a dancing heart.

It’s where it all began. Life comes full circle

from winning Miss Universe to having owned its Indian Franchise to now…returning back to Manila this time as a judge,” she posted on her Instagram.

Puerto Rican Dayanara Torres, Miss Universe of 1993 who came to Manila in 1994 to crown her successor, and who started her movie career and became local TV’s “Dancing Queen” has confirmed her plan to return to the local entertainment scene and may also be a part of the Miss Universe grand coronation.

Leila Lopes from Angola will also be one of the judges. She’s the winner in 2011 when Shamcey Supsup placed 3rd Runnerup in the pageant held in Brazil.

The 65th Miss Universe coronation night will be telecast live on Solar, ETC, ABS-CBN Channel 2 and GMA 7, withthe controversial Steve Harvey as host and model Ashley Graham as backstage anchor.

The finals will have a new format with a Top 12, instead of a Top 15, pre-determined by

the judges during the preliminary round of the competition.

The Top 12 will then be trimmed to the Top 9, determined by the scores of the judges and the fans’ votes after the swimsuit segment.

Then. the Top 6 will be chosen, after the evening gown segment with the contestants going through the Q&A round.

From the Top 6 will emerge the Top 3 with the judges getting a “Final Look” and along with the fans (home viewers) will be asked to make a decision based on their overall performance. Rather than score, this segment will be ranked. The judges and home viewers will base their choices on their personal judgment after the Final Look The Philippines’ bet Maxine Medina could increase her chances in winning the title since the local fans are considered the biggest fans in the world.

Eton B. Concepcion

Miss Universe beauties join Smile Train (Philippines) Patient Dialogue THE Miss Universe Organization (MUO) has been involved in promoting awareness about the severity of cleft lip and palate among children in partnership with the International Cleft Charity Smile Train.

Continuing with this charity cause, 17 Miss Universe candidates –USA’s Deshauna Barber, Colombia’s Andrea Tovar, Indonesia’s Kezia Warouw, Jamaica’s Isable Dally, Myanmar’s Htet Htet Htun, Mexico’s Kristal Silva, Haiti’s Raquel Pellisier, Nigeria’s Unoaku Anyadike, India’s Roshmita Harimurtthy, China’s Li Zhenying, US Virgin Island’s Carolyn Carter, Germany’s Johanna Acs, Great Britain’s

Jaime Lee Faulkner, Dominican Republic’s Rosalba Garcia, Argentina’s Estefania Bernal, Vietnam’s Đặng Thị Lệ Hằng – engaged a one-on-one dialogue with some cleft patients during the Smile Train international children charity held at the Taft Room of Conrad Hotel in Pasay City, Friday morning.

The candidates were able to speak with Smile Train’s cleft patients about some of the changes in their lives since receiving free cleft surgery sponsored by the organization, challenges they’ve overcome and their dreams and ambitions. The titleholders were there to support the patients and provide advice and words of encouragement about working

toward their goals and never giving up.

While at the hospital, the titleholders were given the opportunity to learn more about the organization’s sustainable model and interact with cleft patients, parents, social workers and medical professionals who are on the ground helping in the local community 365 days a year.

Following the hospital visit and empowerment workshop, Smile Train hosted a private Q&A panel discussion led by television host Lexi Schulze, and some of the Miss Universe candidates at the Conrad Hotel. The candidates had the ooportunity to reflect and discuss the day’s worth of activities.

Miss Myanmar Htet Htet Htun,

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Saturday, January 287, 2017

ACROSS 1 Move like a butterfly 5 Nerd opposites 10 Strike callers 14 Bard’s archvillain 15 Ms. Verdugo 16 Beery or Webster 17 Cell block brawl 18 Doctrine 19 Guy like Hamlet 20 Kind of search 22 Swarming with 24 Koh-i- — diamond 27 Anthracite deposit 28 Cuddled up 32 Gives Novocain 35 — to lunch 36 Caravan stops 38 Silt deposit 40 Quite similar 42 Mighty deeds 44 Pop’s Celine — 45 Happen again 47 Caterpillar foot 49 Freight weight 50 In a fog 52 Swindle 54 Marks of Zorro 56 Whirling dervish 57 Diner freebies

60 Track down 64 High Asian desert 65 Spotless 68 Cornfield robber 69 The Bard’s river 70 Board for nails 71 Leer 72 Bell sound 73 Kickboxer JeanClaude Van — 74 Looks sleepy DOWN 1 Fragrant trees 2 Cafe au — 3 Mr. Stravinsky 4 Lugging about 5 Jacuzzi feature 6 “Grand — Opry” 7 Bronze coin 8 Troublesome joints 9 Glossy fabric 10 Bright as can be 11 Ghostly noise 12 Twinge 13 Seashell seller 21 Kelly’s possum 23 Tennyson title 25 Viking name 26 VCR button 28 Glide aloft 29 Microwaved 30 Ancient

Phoenician port 31 “The Wreck of the Mary —” 33 Gridiron charge 34 Rotating perch 37 Stanches 39 Prince Charles’ sister 41 Nestling 43 The “Elephant Boy” 46 Get dizzy 48 Adroit 51 Cleared for takeoff?

53 Opaque or transparent mineral 55 Alabama town 57 Rock’s Bon — 58 Black, to Donne 59 Look as if 61 Golden Fleece ship 62 Winter woe 63 Lamb’s ma’ams 64 Traipse about 66 Starfish part 67 PBS “Science Guy”

a 24-year old model, has been involved by the Miss Universe Myanmar Organization as a volunteer with Smile Train and wants to raise awareness for those who are suffering with HIV. Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach met with Smile Train’s Country Director for the Philippines, Kimmy Flaviano, to kick-off the MUO’s partnership with Smile Train inked in December 2015.

Since then Wurtzbach has lent her voice in raising awareness for children born with cleft lip and palate in the developing world, including home country. In September 2016, Wurtzbach joined Miss USA 2015 Olivia Jordan as Smile Train’s ambassadors for the star-studded Charity Day to The

Cantor Fitzgerald Relief Fund participated by charities’ celebrity ambassadors to conduct trades on the phone with clients.

“We are extremely proud to work with Smile Train, an organization that is committed to delivering a positive impact to communities in which we work, and we are steadfast in our commitment to help support their efforts and longterm sustainability,” said MUO President Paula M. Shugart.

Since 1999, they year it was founded, Smile Train has provided more than one million cleft repair surgeries across the world. As official charity partner of MUO, it hopes to mobilize MUO’s incredible voice to raise awareness for the vital cause of cleft lip and

palate repair and related treatment and help transform lives in the process.

While Smile Train Philippines is honored to be working with the Miss Universe Organization to help raise awareness and bring more smiles to children with clefts,” said Coseteng-Flavaino. “Since the beginning of the partnership in December 2015, there has been great support and involvement from the organization’s international titleholders.”

For more information about the Smile Train’s global efforts and to make a donation, you may visit smiletrain.org. Or follow Smile Train on Twitter and Instagram @ SmileTrain and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/SmileTrain.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

ISAH V. RED

A

BS-CBN opens 2017 with a touching story that reminds viewers of their capacity to love.

The new series, My Dear Heart, started last Monday on Primetime Bida.

After her remarkable performance in Nathaniel, Coney Reyes gives life one more to another powerful character, Dr. Margaret Divinagracia, considered the best heart surgeon in the country. With all the success she has, Margaret holds herself in high esteem.

Yet, everything changes as she meets Heart, played by Kapamilya child star Heart Ramos, the source of strength and happiness of her parents Jude (Zanjoe Marudo) and Clara (Bela Padilla). A happy family, Heart, Jude, and Clara face each of life’s struggles together. Their hopes, though, are destroyed when Heart is diagnosed with congenital heart disease.

Desperate to find a cure for their daughter’s illness, they turn to Dr. Divinagracia. She will face what she considers her biggest failure – her inability to cure Heart’s illness.

Their lives get even more complicated while Heart hangs between life and death, her soul travels out of her body, with only Margaret being able to see and speak to her.

Will Heart be saved from her condition? With Heart’s life in danger, what changes are bound to happen to her family? Will Heart be the one person who can change Margaret?

After playing father roles in toprating series Annaliza and Dream Dad, Zanjoe Marudo is happy and honored to be in this series. “I am back to my core.

Heart has a big potential for a 5-year-old girl. I am really lucky to be with such talented kids,” he said.

Even before My Dear Heart begins airing on television, its inspirational story has already garnered praises online.

The sereis also stars Robert Arevalo, Rio Locsin, Joey Marquez, Susan Africa, Eric Quizon, and Loisa Andalio. Also joining the cast are Mark Oblea, Izzy Canillo, Jerry O’hara, Jameson Blake, Sandino Martin, Yñigo De Belen, Vic Robinson, and Hyubs Azarcon.

It is produced by Dreamscape

The cast and director of "My Dear Heart" led by Coney Reyes, Zanjoe Marudo, and Bela Padilla during the official media launch of the primetime series

‘My Dear Heart’ spreads love on primetime

Entertainment Television, the production unit behind inspirational series May Bukas Pa, 100 Days to Heaven, Honesto, and Nathaniel. * * * This February, the love month, T-Rex Entertainment presents Moonlight Over Baler, a timeless love story encompassing two important events in the country: World War II in the ‘40s and EDSA Revolution in the ‘80s.

Moonligh Over Baler stars Elizabeth Oropesa, Ellen Adarna, and the love team of Vin Abrenica and Sophie Albert. Co-starring are Daria Ramirez, Menggie Cobarrubias, and Angie Perro. It is produced by Rex Tiri, written by Eric Ramos, and directed by Gil Portes.

“O Maliwanag na Buwan” is the theme song of this a pre-Valentine offering.

Set in the scenic and historical town of Baler in Aurora Province, the film opens with a Japanese journalist (Abrenica) visiting Baler after covering the EDSA Revolution. By strange coincidence, retired teacher and spinster Fidela finds him the spitting image of Nestor (also portrayed by Abrenica), her great love, a soldier killed during the war.

Sophie Albert plays the young Fidela.

The Japanese falls in love with the town’s beauty (played by Ellen Adarna), whom the retired teacher approves of.

Somewhere along the way, violence erupts when another suitor beats the Japanese black and blue, prompting him to leave Baler. He surrenders his love for the town’s belle over the objections of the retired teacher.

The events lead the teacher to reckon with her tragic past. She feels she was to blame for the death of her sweetheart and to date carries the guilt and the loss of love.

The film has a bittersweet ending, a once sad and happy, proving that love conquers all, that love is here to stay. As the song goes, “The world will always welcome lovers as time goes by.” * * * Are you interested to know what’s Actor Vin Abrenica with co-star Elizabeth Oropesa in a scene from "Moonlight Over Baler" your fortune in the Year of the Fire

It's Chinese New Year in "Sarap Diva" hosted by Regine Velasquez (seated), with special guest Leila Alcasid (second from left)

Rooster?

With Pekto and the happy group of Full House Tonight –Nar Nabico, Tammy Brown, and Inday, find out how you your prosperity and love ratings this year.

And, if you’ve had enough of the way you cook tikoy, Regine VelasquezAlcasid has a take on serving tikoy to guests.

Ogie Alcasid’s eldest daughter Leila (also Regine’s stepdaughter) is the guest in the Sarap Diva house.

It’s a whole hour of Chinese New Year Celebration in Sarap Diva, after Maynila on GMA 7. * * * As we celebrate Chinese New Year today, The World of Gandang Ricky Reyes (TWGRR) host and beauty expert Ricky Reyes lets us in on the do’s and don’ts for us to have a successful year ahead and avoid committing mistakes.

Famed Feng Shui master Hanz Cua talks on how to have good vibes for your home and office while Astrologer, Feng Shui and Palm Reader Master Willy

Ang shares on the lucky and not- solucky animal signs this year as well as the appropriate businesses to venture into.

Commercial model and realtor Paolo Gonzales, who studied Face Reading abroad, reads faces of on the show.

Find out the newest toys and gadgets available in the market today.

Reyes introduces the newest hairstyle called ‘The Twist’ for naturally longhaired women, giving curls to the hair ends.

Reyes also celebrated his mother’s birthday with the abandoned kids of Meritxell Home Foundation with lots of food, laughter, songs and gifts for the kids.

Go Regold for kinky hairs, 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, 9-10 a.m. today on GMA News TV.

Karla and Bayani return in ‘Funny Ka, Pare Ko’ KARLA Estrada and Bayani Agbayani are back in the third season of the ABS-CBN TVplus sitcom, Funny Ka, Pare Ko. The two have been playing husband and wife for two seasons now.

The third season of the first-ever sitcom on on ABSCBN TVplus’ CineMo, is set “seven years” after the second season. Carla (Karla) and Bigboy (Bayani) have moved up in life and now spearhead business seminars to help budding entrepreneurs after the success of their eatery.

With their busy lives, Bigboy and Carla still strive to guide their son Jay-Ar (Igi Boy Flores) through adolescence as he tries to conquer challenges in his academics and love life in his last year in high school.

“I have three children who are now in their teens and my wife and I are very hands on in raising them. That’s why I know how to help and guide them about school and personal problems,” Bayani added when asked how he can relate to Bigboy in raising a teenager.

Meanwhile, Igi Boy feels proud as the newest addition Karla Estrada and Bayani Agbayani tickle viewers' funny bones in "Funny Ka, Pare Ko"

to the cast.

The TomiHo love team of Tommy Esguerra (Tom) and Miho Nishida (Neneng) also return to the new season.

Funny Ka, Pare Ko t may be about laughs and gags, but the show also encourages Filipinos with humble lives to dream big.

“All characters in the show this season are involved in business. In fact, entrepreneurship is a main element in the story because Funny Ka, Pare Ko aims to encourage ordinary Filipinos to start their own business,” Mark Awiten, head of ABS-CBN TVplus’ CineMo said, adding, “Any Filipino can dream big and provide a better life for their families with determination and a positive outlook in life. This is what the show is all about.”

CineMo is the all-day movie channel of ABS-CBN TVplus that airs action, comedy, and blockbuster movies.

Funny Ka, Pare Ko is CineMo’s originally-produced sitcom. The third season airs regularly at 5 p.m.every Sunday.

For more information, visit tvplus.abs-cbn.com or follow CineMo at Facebook.com/CineMoChannel.