Manila Standard - 2017 February 19 - Sunday

XPERIENCE•XCELLENCE•XCITEMENT

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VOL. XXXI • NO. 9 • 5 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

XPERIENCE•XCELLENCE•XCITEMENT

CHURCH RALLIES LAITY VS SLAYS what’s happening because this is something that is regressive. It does not show our humanity.”

Duterte, 71, has attacked the Church as being “full of shit” and “the most hypocritical institution” for speaking out against a campaign that he says would save generations of Filipinos from the drug menace.

The Church, which helped lead the revolution that toppled former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and former President Joseph Estrada in 2001, had initially declined to publicly voice opposition to Duterte’s drug war but, as the death toll of mostly poor people mounted, it began late last year to call for the killings to end.

“I am very surprised and pleased with the outcome,” Pabillo said. “I

By Vito Barcelo

M

ORE than 10,000 people, including bishops, priests, sisters and lay people, gathered at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila to protest the continued killings of suspected criminals and oppose the Duterte administration’s plan to reimpose the capital punishment.

Mostly clad in white shirts, the people walked around the Luneta Park and later gathered at the grandstand where Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo led a prayer rally.

Dubbed the Walk for Life, the prayer rally was organized by the

Sangguniang Laiko ng Pilipinas.

“We have to stand up. Somehow this is already a show of force by the faithful that they don’t like these extrajudicial killings,” Pabillo told AFP before addressing the crowd.

“I am alarmed and angry at

A N N I V E RS A RY

hope that the voices of the people against the killings will reach the government.”

CBCP president and LingayenDagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas hopes President Rodrigo Duterte will listen to the voice of the participants who came from 13 dioceses and archdioceses, including Manila, Cubao, Imus, Malolos, San Jose in Nueva Ecija, Balanga, Urdaneta, Legaspi, and Bontoc-Lagawe.

“We are confident that God will heed our prayers today in our Walk for Life,” Villegas said during the rally.

Caloocan Bishop Pablo David said the Walk for Life is also in support of the peace initiatives between the government and the communist rebels.

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BUSINESS/ C1

BOAT BUILDER WANTS TO BRING 'MEDITERRANEAN VIBE' TO PH

GADGETS / D4

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TRUMP: MEDIA 'ENEMY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE'

SHOW OF FORCE. Thousands of Catholics gathered at Luneta Park in Manila Saturday to demand an end to the killings of suspected criminals and oppose government plans to revive capital punishment in the country. AFP

PRESS FIGHT VS THREATS, DIGONG URGES TROOPS

By John Paolo Bencito BAGUIO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday exhorted security forces to continue securing the nation from the threats of corruption, terrorism and criminality, particularly illegal drugs.

“The nation is threatened by the widening gap between the rich and

the poor, crime, corruption, criminality, and illegal drugs,” Duterte told alumni of the Philippine Military Academy during its annual homecoming at Fort del Pilar here.

“Government must now deliver goods and services to really serve the people, not just the interest of the few. In the past, our government was on the verge of failure

because those who were in the position to help deliberately made wrong decisions, which favored only themselves,” he said.

Duterte vowed to always uphold the sanctity of the common good as the highest goal that always benefits the next generation of Filipinos.

Attaining peace and order is paramount, he said, noting if there

is peace and order, businesses and everything else will follow, as in the case of Davao City where he was mayor for more than 20 years.

He said righteousness and discipline are the foundation of a nation, adding he desires a Philippines that is prosperous and inhabited by peaceful, law-abiding citizens.

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GINA MADE A MESS—RODY

By John Paolo Bencito BAGUIO CITY—Instead of helping make governance easier, Environment Secretary Regina Lopez have the administration a problem that has turned into a mess, President Rodrigo Duterte told the military establishment at the weekend.

“On Gina Lopez, we’re having a problem right now. [The situation] has messed up already,” Duterte told alumni of the Philippine Military Academy’s “Dimasupil” Class of ‘67, of which he is an honorary member, during a reception at the Baguio Country Club late Friday.

While there is a need to correct serious

environmental problems, Duterte said he also needs to take into consideration the benefits of the mining industry.

“I will not judge her now [but] I will review [Lopez’s decision]. If it’s wrong, then I can’t do anything, if it’s destructive to the environment,” he said while admitting that Lopez’s decision to shut down 75 mining projects will hurt the economy.

“We get something like P70 billion a year out of the mining operations in the entire Philippines. We have to also to take into consideration,” he added.

Economic managers had earlier warned Turn to A2

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HAIL TO THE CHIEF. Top officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police greet President Rodrigo Duterte upon his arrival at Fort del Pilar in Baguio City to attend the annual homecoming of the Philippine Military Academy.

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DELA ROSA: LEILA SAFE AT CRAME FACILITY

By Francisco Tuyay SENATOR Leila de Lima will be safe at the Philippine National Police detention center if the court orders her incarceration while undergoing trial for illegal drugs charges, PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa said Saturday.

Dela Rosa said the detention facility at the PNP’s Camp Crame headquarters would be the most appropriate facility for the senator because it is the most secure facility in the country.

“I’m offering that facility for her to have complete protection because she is a senator,” Dela Rosa said shortly after emerging from the Philippine Military Alumni homecoming in Baguio City.

“I promise her she will be very, very safe inside Camp Crame,” he said.

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GOVT TO USE 'ALL RESOURCES' AGAINST ABU SAYYAF GROUP

By John Paolo Bencito FORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City—President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday told security forces to use all government resources to protect Mindanao from the Abu Sayyaf Group, which he said has been destroying the peace in the country’s south.

In a speech before alumni of the Philippine Military Academy during their homecoming here, the President said that both the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police have been directed to continuously contain the ASG threat “through intensified operations using all available assets and resources.”

“The Sulu-based ASG is focused on kidnap-for-ransom. The Basilanbased ASG under [Isnilon] Hapilon remains focused on assimilating the IS violence today,” Duterte said.

Duterte said that recent reports suggesting that Abu Sayyaf’s top leader, Isnilon Hapilon leading the Southeast Asian caliphate of the jihadist group Islamic State, would wreck his efforts for a peaceful country.

“Intensified military efforts is the only way to secure Mindanao,” the president said.

At least eight Abu Sayyaf members were killed in a military assault in Sulu last week, while intelligence reports said Hapilon was severely wounded after an offensive in Lanao del Sur. Only recently, security officials said the homegrown terrorist groups had been uniting and evolving into just one group called Dawlatul Islamiyah Waliyatul Masrik or DIWM, and had chosen Isnilon Hapilon of the Abu Sayyaf as their sole leader in their aggressive efforts to be recognized by the ISIS.

NO REAL REFORMS UNDER DUTERTE—FVR C

By John Paolo Bencito

mates who are us, the rest of the Filipino people—but who are not P. Du30’s property.”

Among the “fiascos” committed by the administration, Ramos said, were the summary replacement of the PNP by PDEA in the anti-drug war; the breakdown of GPH-NDFP Peace Talks and the transfer of rogue cops to Mindanao – much to the consternation of ARMM leaders, the mis-earmarking of funds for calamity assistance in Surigao Norte and the mass awarding of Medals of Valor to 42 PNP-SAF victims in Mamasapano, without the observance of established procedures.

Following the Palace’s lack of guidance in the Edsa celebrations and its announcement telling Filipinos to “move on” from merely celebrating the event, Ramos stressed the need “to make sure the “millennials” (at least) know about EDSA-I’s national and international significance.”

“To many, their prevailing mem-

HANGE has yet to be seen from the Duterte administration, former President Fidel V. Ramos said Saturday as he again threw potshots on pronouncements made by the Palace telling the people to “move on” as it decides to tone down the commemoration of the 31st anniversary of the People Power Revolution on Feb. 25.

“If today, many of our people are unhappy or disgruntled, it is simply because they are not seeing those whom we elected to lead us achieve any real reforms toward the betterment of our country and people,” Ramos said in a statement sent to Manila Standard.

Ramos, who earlier berated Duterte for the “fiascos” he continues to commit more than six months into his term, noted the “painfully obvious” lack of coordina-

tion among the country’s leaders.

“The lack of hands-on, focused advance to progress along the fast lane by our elected leaders is painfully obvious from the daily headlines—which are full of non-inclusive bickering,” the former President said.

Ramos added that “there continues to be a lack of coordination among President Duterte and his cabinet, and teamwork between P. Du30 and his 103 million (+) team-

ory is not anymore a celebration of triumph but uncaring tokenism.

Many leaders and journalists even deride our EDSA commemorations,” Ramos said.

“When Filipinos behave in such manner, we the concerned citizens realize how much more work still needs to be done—to link up Edsa to our libertarian and patriotic traditions. True, many of those happenings did take place before our time, in places we may have never visited,” he added.

But the former leader warned that “the failure to impart the values of transcedent events in our nationbuilding” to the youth will be “the greatest loss to our posterity.”

“We wish to remind our compatriots to join hands in nation-building, and to offer our salute to those who fought and died for our freedom.

By doing so, we commit ourselves as responsible citizens, with pride in our hearts, to work for a better fu-

CHURCH...

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“It is obvious that there is a spreading culture of violence. It is saddening to see, sometimes it drives me to tears how violent words seem so natural and ordinary,” said Manila Archbishop Luis Cardinal Tagle.

“In your surroundings, in your neighborhood, there are so many lives that must be saved. They will not be saved by mere discussion.”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines had called on the faithful to gather at the Quirino Grandstand, where Duterte held a huge pre-election rally, from 4:30 a.m.

“Why dawn? It’s because it is during these hours that we find bodies on the streets or near trash cans.

Dawn, which is supposed to be the hour of a new start, is becoming an hour of tears and fears,” Villegas told the crowd.

Villegas this month issued the Church’s strongest statement against the drug war, warning against a “reign of terror” in poor communities. With AFP

DELA ROSA: ...

From A1 But Dela Rosa clarified the court has not issued a commitment order against the senator who is facing a string of criminal charges, including drug trafficking, qualified bribery and graft, among others.

Aside from De Lima, 17 other respondents were named in the complaint, including her driver/lover Ronnie Dayan, former aide Joenel Sanchez and former Bureau of Corrections officials Franklin Bucayu and Rafael Ragos.

In case De Lima is put behind bars in Camp Crame, she will be joining former senators Ramon “Bong” Revilla and Jinggoy Estrada, whom she prosecuted for their alleged involvement in the controversial Priority Development Assistance Fund scam in 2015.

PURPLE HEART. President Rodrigo Duterte pins a Wounded Personnel Medal, the local equivalent of the US Purple Heart, on Corporal Rey Danatan, who is one of the soldiers hurt in encounters with the communist New People’s Army. Malacañang Photo

MILF AGREES TO END RECRUITMENT OF CHILDREN CAMP DARAPANAN, Sultan Kudarat—The Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Saturday released children associated with the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF) and the Bangsamoro Islamic Women’s Auxiliary Brigade (BIWAB), ending the recruitment and use of children within their ranks.

The move is part of a series of ceremonies that will eventually disengage around 1,858 children who were formally or informally associated with the armed wing of the MILF.

PRESS...

From A1 “That is why I appreciate the PMA. You have the template of discipline and civility. I ask that you continue this tradition and thank you for inviting me to be part of you,” he said.

“Let us together build a nation worthy of the Filipinos; Filipinos worthy of their nation. Pilipinong nararapat sa Pilipinas; Pilipinas na nararapat sa Pilipino; nasud nga angay sa Pilipino, Pilipinong angay sa Pilipinas,” he added.

In response, the Philippine Military Academy Alumni Association Inc. presented a manifesto of support to Duterte.

“We affirm our unwavering support for President Rodrigo Duterte, our commander-in-chief, for his initiatives to wage war against corruption and criminalization in general, most particularly against illegal drugs, heinous crimes, terrorism, and his pursuit of lasting peace,” Anselmo Avenido said in a statement.

“We call on Filipino citizens to support the President and other leaders in the government in the attainment of lasting

The United Nations, through its children’s agency Unicef, facilitated this process in line with the UNMILF Action Plan on addressing the recruitment and use of children in armed conflict in Mindanao.

The UN-MILF Action Plan, signed in 2009 and extended in 2013, signifies the commitment of the MILF to end the recruitment and use of children within their ranks. The progress achieved to date is the result of the commitment and action by the MILF at the highest levels, as well

peace and economic prosperity,” Avenido added.

Duterte said that both the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police have been directed to continuously contain the ASG threat “through intensified operations using all available assets and resources.”

“The Sulu-based ASG is focused on kidnap-for-ransom. The Basilan-based ASG under (Isnilon) Hapilon remains focused on assimilating the IS violence today,” Duterte said.

Duterte said that recent reports suggesting that Abu Sayyaf’s top leader, Isnilon Hapilon leading the Southeast Asian caliphate of the jihadist group Islamic State would wreck his efforts for a peaceful country.

“Intensified military efforts, is the only way to secure Mindanao,” the president said.

Only recently, security officials said the homegrown terrorist groups had been uniting and evolving into just one group called Dawlatul Islamiyah Waliyatul Masrik or DIWM, and had chosen Isnilon Hapilon of the Abu Sayyaf as their sole leader in their aggressive efforts to be recognized by the ISIS.

as by front and base commanders.

The systematic sensitisation, awareness raising and training initiatives for the BIAF and communities living in core MILF base command areas were essential pre-requisites to achieve a level of understanding and acceptance on the issue of recruitment and use of children.

“Children affected by armed conflict are some of the most vulnerable children in the world. We need not look far, right here in the Philippines children are affected by armed con-

flict in different ways. They can be recruited as soldiers and engaged in direct combat, or as aides with seriously harmful consequences threatening their life and well-being.

Let children be children—let them play, go to school and live healthy and happy,” Unicef Philippines Representative Lotta Sylwander said.

Fatimah (not her real name), 16 years old, was forced to leave her home because of conflict. She helped out her community by washing the dishes, cooking and cleaning.

GINA...

From A1 the possible impact of Lopez’s mining orders on unemployment and people’s incomes plus its negative effect on local government finances and the country’s GDP growth.

Duterte mentioned the matter a second time during the PMA homecoming in Fort del Pilar on Saturday and said that while extractive industries does threaten the environment, they can still exhaust administrative remedies.

“As a child of immigrants from Visayas to Mindanao. We hope for a better life in the so-called land of promise. But now it is threatened by climate change caused by manmade diseases like extractive industries,” he told the alumni of the country’s premiere military academy. “[But], there’s such thing as exhaustion of administrative remedies,” he said. “If it’s destructive, I can’t do anything. But if... (it can pass,) then we correct it.”

Following an industry-wide crackdown on alleged violators of safety standards, Environment Secretary Gina Lopez made a decision for the suspension and closure of mining operations in the country, cit-

ing the alleged presence of these mining fiirms in ‘watersheds.’

Of the 41 mines audited, Lopez claimed only 13 passed while 23 were tagged for closure and five for suspension. She later admitted she did not follow the recommendation of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, which only recommended a maximum penalty of suspension of operations and fines.

Lopez then announced she will terminate 75 mineral production sharing agreements (MPSAs).

The 23 mining companies who were hit by Lopez’s closure order, meanwhile, slammed the DENR chief for committing grave abuse of discretion by shutting down their operations “without due process.”

But in a Cabinet meeting Feb. 7, Lopez was told that she needs to prove that due process was observed when she canceled the 75 mining contracts in her campaign against illegal mining.

At the same time, the inter-agency Mining Industry Coordinating Council agreed on the creation of a multi-stakeholder review to advise the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and take another look at the “performance of existing mining operations in consultation with local government units.”

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

LAWMAKER WELCOMES NTC SUPPORT VS SCAMS

MIRROR IMAGE. A reenactment Saturday of the Battle of Manila (Feb. 3, 1945-March 3, 1945), a major blitzkreig of the Philippine campaign of 1944-1945 during World War II fought by the American and Filipino forces against Japan, where 100,000 civilians were killed, at Plazuela de Sta. Isabel in Intramuros, the old walled city of the capital. Norman Cruz

SOLON WANTS ACTION VS BAD TELCO SERVICE

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

HOUSE leader on Saturday asked the House leadership to legislate minimum quality standards for mobile telephone services to penalize telecommunications companies (telcos) guilty of “horrendous” complaints by subscribers, such as poor network signals, overcharging, interrupted or dropped voice calls, vanishing prepaid loads and the surge of spam messages.

In filing House Bill No. 4695, Camarines Sur Rep. LRay Villafuerte also sought to require the NationalTelecommunications Commission to come up with a comprehensive and efficient system for subscribers to report their complaints of substandard services by their respective telco providers.

“It is time we stop settling for below-par services that these companies promise but ultimately fail to deliver. While this sector has had, in recent years, considerable competition, it persists to be an oligopoly that the state is obliged to keep an eye on,” Villafuerte, vice chairman of the House committee on appropriations, said.

HB 4695 seeks to protect the interests of Filipino mobile service consumers by regulating prices, requiring proper detailed billing of both prepaid and postpaid subscriptions, and providing full mobile number portability, he said.

Other service improvements specified in Villafuerte’s bill include offering consumers insurance for their mobile devices, protecting their right to privacy, and prohibiting unsolicited commercial advertisements unless allowed by them and that must be sent only during business hours.

The bill proposed penalties against erring telcos ranging from fines of not less than P1 million but not more than P10 million and/or a suspension or revocation of their legislative franchises and other licenses issued by the NTC.

He said he had been urging local governments to ease regulations for telcos in setting up the infrastructure necessary to ensure the delivery of reliable, faster digital services.

This, he added, would further improve mobile voice and data services in the country, “Telcos have been complaining that they have to secure dozens of permits, mostly from LGUs, to put up cell sites,” Villafuerte said.

“On top of securing permits from the NTC plus the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for Environmental Clearance Certificates and the Department of Health for Radio Frequency Radiation Clearance Certificates, Telcos must also get approvals from the city or municipal governments, from the barangay units and even from subdivisions,” he added.

Villafuerte stressed “the urgency for LGUs to help fast-track the establishment of a farreaching telecoms infrastructure not only to spell faster and cheaper Internet services across the country; but also to arrest the sharp decline of the Philippines’ global competitiveness.”

DOLE TO REVIEW ALIEN JOB PERMIT ISSUANCE

By Vito Barcelo THE Department of Labor and Employment said it would review the issuance of working permits to foreigners in the country to ease doing business here and to protect the interest of Filipino workers.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has instructed the Bureau of Local Employment to review Department Order No. 146-15 series of 2015, or the Rules and Regulations on the Issuance of Employment Permit to Foreign Nationals.

“By simplifying the procedures and ensuring that the Alien Employment issuance process is harmonized with other government policies, we can serve our clients better. This will also promote competitiveness and ease of doing business in the country as well

as contribute in eradicating red tape,” said Bello.

Bello said the BLE would also conduct next week a workshop of (Department Alien Employment Permits) regional implementers, med-arbiter, technical support service division chiefs, and focal persons next week.

“The workshop will address all issues and concerns on the issuance of AEP. The goal is to come up with a synchronized, timely, and effective amendment that will be beneficial to the economy while protecting the interest of Filipino workers,” said Bello.

The labor official said the workshop was in anticipation of the implementation of Joint Memorandum Circular on the Rules and Procedures Governing Foreign Nationals Intending to Work in the Philippines.

CONSTRUCTION CENSURED. Members of the left-leaning League of Filipino Students stage a protest in front of the US Embassy in Manila to denounce the construction of US bases in the Philippines and demand the vending of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the United States and the Philippines intended to bolster US-Philippine alliance.

Norman Cruz

A HOUSE leader has welcomed the National Telecommunications Commission’s support for efforts at the House of Representatives to address text scams.

Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo was referring to NTC Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba’s hard stance against fraudulent text messages which threaten the security and safety of the public.

Quimbo earlier requested the NTC to help him stop the dissemination of a text message fraudulently using his name and Tzu Chi Foundation.

The text scam advises the recipient that he allegedly won a cash prize in a raffle.

Quimbo also urged the NTC to come up with tougher policies, stronger regulatory environment, and wider information campaign on text scams.

“We looked into the request of the Honorable Deputy Speaker, and we agree that these scams potentially harm the receiver,” Cordoba said.

“These text scams do not only deceive the public, they also damage the name of publicly-known figures and organizations when the message particularly indicates a personality to lend credibility to its claim,” Cordoba added.

Quimbo said in 2016 alone, the NTC received 433 complaints on text scams.

The figure, he said, does not include the unreported cases of text scams since the victims are often unaware of the recourse available to them.

“We have around 110 million prepaid subscribers alone. As this fraudulent acts persist, more people will possibly be victimized, hence we need to identify the perpetrators of these scams. We encourage the public to be vigilant and to report the text scams to the NTC so we can take proper action,” Cordoba said. Maricel V. Cruz

16 SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS LAUDED

By Joel E. Zurbano THE city government has commended 16 students of Makati City Science High School who were among the 821 students in the country who received the Youth Excellence in Science (Yes) medal from the Department of Science and Technology.

The Yes medal is an institutional award of the DoST given to Filipino students for their exemplary achievements in international individual or team competitions in Mathematics and Science in the past year.

The competitions have been duly registered with DoST Science Education Institute.

Makati City Mayor Abigail Binay congratulated the students, whom she described as “young Math wizards,” for their achievement, and assured them of the continued support of the city government.

“Their achievements should inspire their fellow students to strive for academic excellence. It validates the value of supporting public education with investments that enable our young Makatizens to achieve their full potential,” she said.

The latest awards, given in an awarding ceremony at the Philippine Convention Center in Pasay City, recognized 821 students from 238 different schools, the biggest batch of recipients since its inception. They consisted of 446 students from the National Capital Region and 375 from other regions.

The 16 awardees included five Grade 7 students: Josh Kelvin Aguda, Joshua Clarke Bautista, Reighne Clarence Evangelista, Mark Andrei Elpedes and Lesmon Saluta.

The two Grade 8 awardees were Al Patrick Castro and Paul Samson Topacio.

Other Yes medal awardees from the school included eight Grade 9 students: Jan Paul Aplacador, Trisha Denise Castillo, Albert Timothy Go, Miguel Gomez, Josua Padua, Kenneth Gabriel Rojas, Nathaniel Franz Rustia, and Patricia Ina Tañada, and Christopher Banzon, Grade 11.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 Francis S. Lagniton, Issue Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News HK OFWS DECRY ‘DOUBLE WHAMMY’

‘ENEMIES OF THE STATE.’ A program advertisement is displayed outside the Fox News studio in New York after US President Donald Trump slammed the New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News and CNN as enemies of the American people. However, he called Fox News ‘great.’ AFP

‘MAKING HISTORY

BY PASSING FOI BILL’

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE House of Representatives under the present 17th Congress is poised to make history by enacting the Freedom of Information bill, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said on Saturday.

Alvarez assured the FOI bill that was passed last week by the House committee on public information will be enacted under his watch.

“I am certain this bill will be passed before the year ends,” Alvarez, representative of Davao del Norte and secretary general of President Duterte’s PDP-Laban party, said. “We have so many bills to pass,

and the FOI bill is one of them.”

The FOI bill is among the measures being pushed by the Duterte administration.

Alvarez said the House committee on rules, headed by Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas, will schedule the plenary debates on the proposed transparency measure.

The Speaker said he supports the

FOI bill as this promotes the right of the people to information on matters of public concern and the government’s policy of full public disclosure of all transactions involving public interest.

Last week, the House public information committee passed the consolidated FOI bill, which provides full protection of the right to privacy of individuals, subject to the procedures and limitations provided by law.

The bill states public employees and officials who shall deny a request for information will face administrative, criminal and civil liabilities.

The measure, however, includes

exceptions on national security; law enforcement documents; documents with secrecy provisions; those exempted by statutes; trade secrets; confidential documents; legal professional privilege; and personal memos.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier asked Congress to pass what he called the “long overdue” FOI law.

Last July 23, Duterte signed Executive Order No. 2 or the Freedom of Information Order “operationalizing in the executive branch the people’s constitutional right to information and the state policies of full public disclosure and transparency in the public service and providing guidelines therefore.”

ORBOS: EVENTS ADD TO TRAFFIC CONCERTS and other crowddrawing events contribute to the worsening traffic in the metropolis, Metro Manila Development Authority acting chairman Thomas Orbos said Saturday.

The MMDA is now requiring organizers and establishments to notify the agency of the schedules of events in Metro Manila for traffic management and coordination.

“All events, regardless of where it may be in Metro Manila, even outside main roads, we are affected. I came out with a call for anyone, any group that will have an exercise that

will affect traffic in their area to inform us,” said Orbos.

“Not asking that they need a permit from us, only to inform us so we can help out in traffic management. If it will result that the event might hinder traffic, we’ll ask them to reconsider [staging the event],” he added.

Orbos said this aims to ensure that an appropriate number of traffic personnel will be deployed to areas affected by events, such as fun runs, rallies, and concerts.

“Organizers and establishments [holding] such events must submit to us their com-

prehensive traffic management plan at least one week in advance for proper coordination and information dissemination, so as not to cause too much public inconvenience,” he said.

The MMDA decided to require a traffic management plan from event organizers following heavy traffic along Epifanio de los Santos Avenue from Makati City to Quezon City last Tuesday, reportedly caused by a major Valentine’s Day concert held in Cubao.

Orbos said his agency was not notified of the event.

Joel E. Zurbano

THE WAY TO HAPPINESS. About 6,000 policemen

and other government employees come together for a groupie during the launching of a training program at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City. Norman Cruz

‘TRILLANES ALIVE AS DU30 WANTS TO BULLY HIM’

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte, taunted Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Friday, saying her father “wanted him alive to bully him.”

This was after the senator said the President “wanted him dead” based on information he had received.

On her social media account, “Inday Sara” posted a photo of a news article where Trillanes said Duterte wanted

him dead, with a caption: “Are you sure? Boy Nograles is still alive.”

Sara was referring to former Davao City first district Congressman Prospero “Boy” Nograles, one of her father’s oldest political opponents.

Nograles and Duterte, however, reconciled when the latter decided to run for President.

Sara added that Duterte wanted Trillanes alive “because he wants to play games” with the senator.

“PRD does not want you dead because he wants to

play games. Kung wala ka na wala na siya ma-bully [If you’re no longer around, he won’t have anyone to bully].

Ask Nograles and Senator [Leila] De Lima,” Sara posted on Facebook.

The Duterte family recently criticized Trillanes following the senator’s revival of his allegation made before the presidential elections last May that the President had anomolous bank transactions amounting to P2.4 billion.

The senator included the Duterte children in his assertions.

Sara refuted Trillanes’ accusation, saying: “I never pretended to be what I am not. If Trillanes can show where my alleged P121 million is right now and how it became illegal, let’s get it and I’ll give it to all of you.”

Duterte’s eldest son, Paolo, the city’s vice mayor, also called Trillanes a “moron” and said the senator should take a psychiatric test.

“He earlier accused me of being a drug user, and when I have proven that I am not, now he accuses me of hav-

ing millions in questionable wealth. From drug test and now bank test, if I may suggest for him to take psychiatric test, as something is very very wrong with his mind,” Paolo said.

The President later chimed in, saying the senator “is a robber” and advised him to bring his case to court.

“I would advise Trillanes to go to court and file the proper case against me, and advise him further to stop opening his mouth when he has nothing to say anyway,” he said.

A GROUP of Filipino workers in Hong Kong has criticized the Philippine Overseas Labor Office for hitting them with a “double whammy” of not telling them about a crucial change to their employment contracts, and then charging them again with the same fees they paid for what they thought was the correct paperwork.

Dolores Balladares, chairperson of the United Filipinos in Hong Kong or UNIFILMIGRANTE-HK, said it was doubly painful for OFWs “due mainly to the lack of information and foresight of the Philippine Consulate General through the POLO.” “They already knew the HK Immigration Department will not be processing old contracts anymore starting February—and yet [POLO] processed the old contract they knew they could only give back to the applicant for submission to the Immigration by the said date or even after,” Balladares added.

She said many Filipino domestic workers complained they were not aware of the new blue-colored contract paper from Hong Kong Immigration when they submitted their old green-colored employment contract processed at the POLO office. The OFWs were then asked to return to the Philippine consulate to process the correct paper.

“However, instead of making amends for their failure to inform OFWs, thus creating confusion among the migrant workers, the POLO added more misery for them when they were required to pay another processing fee for the blue-colored contract,” Balladares said. “Should OFWs be punished and penalized for the incompetence of government officials?”

Philippine officials in Hong Kong were responsible for informing OFWs about the new contract process, and should not capitalize on the problem “of their own doing” to collect more fees from Filipino workers there, Balladares stressed.

She asked POLO officials to waive the employment contract processing fee for those whose contracts will be rejected by Hong Kong Immigration, and refund the payment of those already made to pay again.

Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

‘HAPPY WALK’ EYES NEW RECORDS

LAST year, the annual Happy Walk for Down Syndrome set many firsts in its 14year history.

This year, when the Happy Walk unfolds once again today, the event is leveling up its advocacy as children with Down Syndrome are reaching new heights in their achievements.

Elmer Lapeña, president of the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines Inc., said this year’s Happy Walk theme, “All for Down—Level Up” signals their organization has become bigger and stronger with their children becoming achievers.

“We are celebrating our 25th year and we have leveled up. We have been conducting seminars in provinces across the nation to new parents, medical professionals, therapists, and to many other sectors of society,” Lapeña said.

“Many children have become achievers providing inspiration as they attend school, hold jobs, and get involved in activities once thought not possible.

Thanks to all those who believe in them, help promote awareness, and give them opportunities to live more normal lives.”

Happy Walk for Down Syndrome is the kick-off event in celebration and observance of the National Down Syndrome Consciousness Month and is spearheaded by DSAPI and SM Cares.

Lapeña said the SM Cares’ Caring for Customers with Special Needs program has been instrumental in giving their children the attention they need and deserve.

“The SM Cares program has been one of the best programs created for our children. Families experience more warmth and appreciation of their children with special needs because of this,” he added.

In the Happy Walk slated today at the SMX Mall of Asia in Pasay City, they are hoping to set another record for attendance. In 2016, Happy Walk saw more than 3,000 attendees, more than double the previous year.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion

Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor

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EDITORIAL

POP GOES THE WORLD JENNY ORTUOSTE

PERIOD MURDER MYSTERIES WITH Netflix now available in the Philippines, there is an even wider range of shows to watch, many of them quite interesting as to subject matter, and well-researched and well-produced.

It’s difficult to choose what to watch from among so many, but I decided to go by genre. And as a devout fan of Sherlock Holmes, I started with mysteries first. I’m also an aficionado of British writers, especially those from the Victorian era up to the 1940s, so I was drawn to several shows in particular:

SECURITY ISSUES

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F

ORMER President Fidel Ramos played a central role in the election of current President Rodrigo Duterte. He was the one who convinced him, finally, to make a run for the highest post in the land—it was acknowledged so, during the latter’s inauguration in June.

Between then and now, many things have happened.

Mr. Ramos was named a special envoy to smooth the country’s tense relationship with China. He quit after just a few weeks into the job. And then he started criticizing the President’s leadership style, saying that the countr y was a sink ing ship under the former Davao mayor.

Last week, in an interview, Mr. Ramos described Mr. Duterte as insecure, and

the Philippine Constabulary.

It has already served its purpose, Ramos, who once headed the PC, said.

We wonder how M r.

Duterte is really taking all these. Emphasis on “really.”

Over the past few months we have become familiar with his tendency to lambast anybody who does not agree with him or who inconveniences him. Anybody can refer to his political enemies, but also to international nongovernment organizations, the president of the United States, the secretary-general of the United Nations, even the Pope.

It will not surprise us then if Mr. Duterte finally chooses to speak against the man who believed in him first before anybody else did, but who was quick to offer

advised him to consult with the people to get their input and support when crafting government policy.

This week, during his book launch, the elder statesman raised more issues against Mr. Duterte—among them his decision to put the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in charge of the fight against illegal drugs; allow the breakdown of peace talks with the communists; assign erring policemen to areas in Tawi-Tawi, which are “places of honor;” and revive

1. Midsomer Murders: This is a British detective show that was first aired in 1997 and is still running on its 19th season. It’s based on Caroline Graham’s Chief Inspector Barnaby books. The lead character, John Barnaby, is a tenacious detective, rather like a terrier, who won’t give up on something once he’s got his teeth into it. Based at the Causton CID (Criminal Investigation Department), he looks into crimes that take place in the fictional county of Midsomer.

He’s ably aided by a succession of sergeants, some funny and bumbling, others cool and eager, but all capable and of value to Barnaby, although sometimes as a foil to his penetrating insight—the usual hero-sidekick dynamic.

What I like about the series is the setting—the gorgeous British countryside, with their ancient thatched cottages complete with beams and crown glass windows, and acres of green fields. The accents are charming (somehow everything sounds better and more credible with a British accent), and there’s the added bonus of learning the meaning of British words, practices, and customs.

advice on how he could do a better job. Ramos was not perfect as president, and he is not perfect now as an elder statesman. These, however, do not dilute the message from a man who has seen much, and done much, and who seeks not to reclaim power but see that the country moves forward as it should, in the manner that it should.

It would be a welcome surprise if Mr. Duterte sets aside his bravado to simply listen. Not all who criticize him wish to embarrass him, or yank him out of office, or do bodily harm to him. He must be secure enough to take other people’s opinion, see things from others’ point of view, and factor their input into his own decisions and actions. This is still a democracy, after all.

2. Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries: Based on Kelly Greenwood’s books, this detective show is set in Australia during the Gilded Age. Phryne Fisher has gone through hardships as a child, but later her family comes into a fortune and she spends her days in Melbourne as the first lady detective Down Under.

To help her solve crimes she enlists the help of coachmen Bert and Cec and her maid Dorothy “Dot” Williams, while working closely with Detective Inspector Jack Robinson (who has a soft spot for Phryne, though her antics drive him to exasperation) and Constable Hugh Collins (who later marries Dot).

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RECTIFY LONG STORY SHORT ADELLE CHUA

IN DECEMBER 2012, a group of lawyers, scientists and academic institutions launched Innocence Project Philippines at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa and the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong.

Among those on board the network

upon its conception were religious volunteer groups (CBCP Episcopal Commission on Prison Pastoral Care, Coalition Against Death Penalty and the Philippine Jesuit Prison Service), the Free Legal Assistance Group, the UP DNA Analysis Laboratory, UP

College of Law, De La Salle University College of Law and Ateneo de Davao College of Law. They patterned their efforts after that of Innocence Project US, affiliated with the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University in New

York and largely propped up by the volunteerism of law students.

The group aimed to review cases that had already been resolved by the courts, finding certain persons guilty of crimes. They want to overturn Turn to B2

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

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INVESTIGATE TRUMP’S RUSSIA TIES

By Bloomberg Editorial Board TO RECAP a few anarchic days in Donald Trump’s Washington: At least six agencies are investigating Trump’s ties to Russia. The President is deriding the spies. The spies are keeping secrets from the president.

The White House is mulling a purge.

Everyone is leaking to the news media. And no one has any answers.

If there’s one certainty in this increasingly troubling episode, it’s that Congress must get to the bottom of it. The question now is how to do so in a way that instills confidence in the public and sheds some light on an alarming chain of events.

American spy agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election and likely sought to aid Trump. According to news reports, there is also evidence that the president’s associates were repeatedly in contact with Russian intelligence during the campaign.

This week, Trump’s national security adviser resigned after making misleading statements about a conversation he had with Russia’s ambassador about sanctions.

Yet more worrying, much of the public evidence about all this has come from anonymous leaks, hence the escalating spat between the President and the intelligence agencies. The way to reduce that tension, and to assure the public that the government is in steady hands, is for Congress to exercise its oversight of the executive branch and conduct a far more thorough probe.

An investigation of this gravity can’t succumb to political interference or partisanship. And it can’t be conducted in secret.

Although the House and Senate intelligence committees are looking into Russia’s involvement in the election, potential pitfalls abound: The committees deliberate behind closed doors, evaluate classified evidence, and may never make their full results public. Given such secrecy, the prospect of political influence can’t be ruled out, despite pledges to “go where the intelligence leads.”

That’s why a more open approach is called for. One option, as Senator Lindsey Graham has proposed, would be a select committee made up of the top members of other congressional committees relevant to the investigation. Given the scope of the issues involved—including espionage, national security, cybersecurity, foreign relations, economic sanctions and more—that approach makes some sense.

Another option would be an independent commission. Although it would require legislation, such a panel would ensure a public and transparent probe, and it would be empowered to investigate failures and shortcomings across the government, including within Congress itself. The commission that investigated the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks was an exemplar of open bipartisan inquiry and could serve as a model.

For any such probe, the most crucial attribute is independence.

An investigation of this gravity can’t succumb to political interference or partisanship. And it can’t be conducted in secret. It requires that Congress simply follow the facts, then tell the public what it finds.

WHY GO TO MARS? ONE evening in October of 1899, young Robert climbed a cherry tree to cut off dead limbs. As Robert looked up into the darkening sky, his task done, he was possessed with the possibility of going to Mars. Young Robert went down the cherry tree a different person.

Robert H. Goddard’s lifelong obsession of building rocket ships that will take people to Mars led him to become the father of modern rocketry. Although he did not see it come true, his dream lives on in the hearts of the men and women working to put the first pair of human boots on the dust of the Red Planet.

As with all great space projects, dreams of Mars lead us to questions of priority. Why explore another planet if we have many problems here on ours?

One usual answer astronomers will give you is this: The amount of money spacefaring countries spend on their space program is very little compared to the amount of money they spend on their military, infrastructure projects, or social services. For example, the cost of India’s space program is less than 1 percent of the budget allocated for social services meant to combat poverty.

Given the discrepancy, slashing the small budget meant for space exploration might not be the proper solution to our Earthbound problems. Perhaps a more appropriate response would be to demand for better governance, so that services meant to combat poverty or hunger really do what they’re meant to do. After all, having a space program might even help us solve these problems.

RECTIFY From A1 convictions on the strength of DNA evidence.

They work from the principle that no innocent man or woman should be put behind bars for something he or she did not commit.

Those familiar with crime and detective shows would know that DNA technology can conclusively establish a person’s guilt or innocence on the basis of whether his genes are found on the crime scene. This is not at all new, not even here in the Philippines. It has been nearly 10 years—October 2007, precisely—since the Supreme Court issued its Rules on DNA Evidence. The rules say that even those found guilty through final and executory decisions may seek to have their case re-examined using DNA technology so long as there are biological samples to be evaluated.

Our justice system relies heavily on testimonial evidence, which may be compelling but also subject to error or manipulation. Victims and witnesses may make mistakes, inadvertently or on purpose.

Tragically, aside from these testimonies, there may be no other way to reconstruct what happened. Only science can do away with these pitfalls.

But there has to be two sets of samples: One to be taken from the suspect, and one from the victim or from the crime scene taken during the very narrow and very critical period of investigation.

It goes without saying that appropriate comparisons cannot be made if there are no samples to compare, in the first place. *** But this was four years ago, and under a different time. How is the project coming along?

PERIOD...

From A1 There’s a wealth of accents here, from British and Australian to others more exotic. What makes this series interesting is that Phryne is a feminist who does not hesitate to assert her independence in all ways (including having one night stands with muscular fellows she encounters), and whose commitment is difficult to obtain, though she has given her heart to Jack.

Another gem in this treasure of a series is the costume design. I fell in love with Phryne’s dresses and hats. Although impractical for a detective—Phryne climbs walls in outrageous hats and outfits— they are all well-made and true to the period. The wardrobe from the series has been shown off in

Which brings me to the second part of an astronomer’s usual reply: Spending a relatively small amount of resources on exploring space ends up helping us solve our problems here on Earth. For example, India’s relatively modest space program has already saved millions of lives there by helping local governments plan evacuations when a storm is about to arrive.

But such replies fail to address why we should go to Mars.

First of all, why Mars?

Well, because it’s the closest we’ve got in the Solar System to a planet we can create a habitat on. For one, Mars has a day only slightly longer than the Earth’s. It also has seasons that cycle quite like the Earth’s. We now know it has stores of liquid water and water ice, which future visitors can use for drinking and for fuel. Its gravity, though weaker than what human bodies are used to, is stronger than the Moon’s, which is a big plus.

The fact that it potentially harbors life either now or in its distant past is also a major factor.

A planet that could’ve once harbored life can be made to harbor life again in the future.

Mars could also serve as a springboard to future explorations of the Asteroid Belt and the outer Solar System.

But why colonize it? Because astronomers think it would be better for humans to become a multi-planet species. One quip in the astronomical community describes asteroids as nature’s way to asking us, “How’s that space program going?” They say that the dinosaurs went extinct because they did not have a space program.

It is argued that if we want the human race to continue existing, then it has to exist on multiple planets. Sure, we should make the Earth a better place to live on. But we can do that while also making another planet livable. And even if we did, the Sun will one day gobble down the Earth. Only a spacefaring species could survive such an event.

Those are the answers astronomers will probably give you if you ask them in public.

But if you ask them in private, they’ll tell you a different story. Deep in their heart of hearts, space scientists, engineers, and explorers have a different reason for going to Mars.

They, like the young Robert Goddard, felt that primal pull, that most human of urges to go where no one has gone before, the very same urge that allowed humans to spread from Africa to all of the Earth.

And we, as humans, understand the value of that urge. Like the urge to create great works of art and music, or the urge to compete in great sporting events, the feverish desire to see what’s waiting for us out there in the great beyond is something that courses through our veins. There is no stopping it.

Personally, I hope we will solve our problems here on Earth soon so that we could begin to take the first steps in conquering another planet. To the future generations who are there on the surface of Mars, I am so proud of what you have accomplished, and I wish I were there with you.

Dr. Maria Corazon de Ungria of the UP DNA Analysis Laboratory says the team has faced challenges over the past few years— challenges that have prevented them from achieving their objectives just yet.

Some of the hurdles are logistical and administrative. There is always the threat of violence inside jails. Student-volunteers advance in their studies and may not be able to stick around for the entire cause of the investigation. The activities overlap with the items already in the students’ curriculum.

There is always, always a lack of funds—for meetings, for transportation, all the practical expenses that have to do with getting from one place to another.

you are basically saying that somebody committed a mistake and that they should correct that,” says De Ungria. “It is in the culture of Filipinos to take this personally.”

But the possibilities remain. “Science can provide options and alternatives that have not been used in the past. We just have to find creative, just and fair ways of providing these alternatives.”

Indeed the desire to use science to bring about genuine change and justice is always there.

“We [in Innocence Project Philippines] remain hopeful. We take challenges as they come, address what we can address,” she says. *** In our current context where innocent people face the threat not just of being jailed but being killed, we hope there is room for rectification as well. There is a growing clamor against abuses in the fight against drugs— ironically seen as a menace to life itself. This has to be corrected.

Much work awaits in determining who is guilty and who is innocent, in a country where truth has infinite versions. This has to be rectified.

The really guilty must also have the chance to reform under the principle of corrective justice. Killing them as though they have lost all worth should never be an option in an enlightened society.

The jobs appear to have gotten more difficult, but it does not mean we should stop pursuing the ideal. “There are errors in the justice system—just like there are errors in any system, anyway. Let us work to improve it. I am sure there are good intentions everywhere,” De Ungria says.

Science can be used to bring about genuine justice, genuine change.

Some are systemic weaknesses of our institutions. While the samples offered by convicts asking to be evaluated may be easy to obtain, the collection, storage and preservation of evidence from the crime scene is tricky. There is no established chain of custody and accountability for the samples.

Rape kits containing samples that are crucial to the case are just stacked on closets or on the floor of hospitals or police stations—if they are ever gathered at all.

Some are cultural, and it has something to do with saving face.

“When you seek to overturn a judgment,

exhibitions in Australia.

3. Murdoch’s Mysteries: Based on novels by Maureen Jennings, this show is set in 1890s Canada and showcases the intellectual abilities of Detective William Murdoch of the Toronto Constabulary.

William is a highly intelligent man who uses his scientific knowledge to design gadgets and solve tricky puzzles to bring murderers to justice.

Providing comic foil is his boss, Chief Inspector Thomas Brackenreid, and their constable, George Crabtree.

Along the way, sometimes with the help of others, Murdoch invents forerunners of night vision goggles, sonar, a polygraph machine, audio equipment that isolates background noise, CCTV (which in the show is called a ‘scrutiny camera’), the fax machine, and others. It’s fun watching the show for past versions

Pecier Decierdo is the resident physicist and astronomer of The Mind Museum.

adellechua@gmail.com

crime in the fictional seaside town of Hastings. Foyle prefers not to drive, so Samantha “Sam” Stewart joins him as his charioteer. With Sergeant Paul Milner, they solve mysteries around the town as well as puzzles of national import, particularly when the war is over and Foyle and Sam go to work for MI5.

With the exception of Foyle’s War, these series are based on books and adapted for the small screen. They all have a British flavor; after all, Canada and Australia are British colonies.

If you’re looking to watch something out of the ordinary and immerse yourself in history along the 4. Foyle’s War: another police way, look into these titles. detective story, this one is set in 1940s England. Detective Chief Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based Superintendent Christopher Foyle wants to serve in the war, but his writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny superiors believe he can contribute Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, more to the war effort by suppressing Instagram: @jensdecember of the future.

Murdoch is a conservative Catholic man, and pooh-poohs Crabtree’s speculation into stocks of Coca-Cola, Business Machines, and General Electric. The detective’s love interest is Dr. Julia Ogden, the first woman who graduated with a degree in medicine from a Toronto university, and who works as the forensic pathologist of the police station.

Julia and William make a great professional team, but along the way they make wrongheaded choices about their love and they end up…well, I’ll not spoil it for you, but do watch it.

World

Trump

TRUMP: MEDIA ‘ENEMY OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE’ WASHINGTON, United States—Donald Trump ratcheted up his attacks on the media Friday, describing the press as “the enemy of the American people!” in a tweet.

Shortly after landing at his holiday home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida – where he is spending a third consecutive weekend – the President lashed out in 140 characters.

“The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” Trump wrote.

Trump had tweeted an earlier post which targeted the New York Times, CNN, NBC “and many more” media – and ended with the exclamation “SICK!” But he swiftly deleted that missive before reposting the definitive version – adding two more “enemies” to his blacklist.

Many US presidents have criticized the press, but Trump’s language has more closely echoed criticism leveled by authoritarian leaders around the world. AFP

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MEXICANS FORM ‘HUMAN PROTEST WALL’ C

iudad Juárez, Mexico—Thousands of Mexicans linked arms Friday to form a “human wall” on their country’s border with the United States, protesting President Donald Trump’s plan to build a massive barrier between the countries.

The protest, organized by local authorities and Mexican advocacy groups, brought together people armed with flowers, including politicians, social leaders and crowds of students to the border town Ciudad Juarez – which already is separated by extensive fencing from its American neighbor city El Paso.

Protestors hurled slogans at

Trump, whose plans to build the wall to keep undocumented immigrants out of the US—and make Mexico foot the bill—has enraged many people here.

“The wall is one of the worst ideas,” said Carolina Solis, a 31-yearold student. “It won’t stop anything—not drugs or migrants. It’s just a symbol of Donald Trump’s ha-

tred, the president’s racism.”

Under the watchful eye of US Border Patrol officers, protestors— among them El Paso Mayor OscaZLeeser—formed a human barrier of nearly 1.5 kilometers.

Many people on both sides of the border cross it daily, calling one country home while going to work in the other.

“Ciudad Juarez and El Paso are one city—we will never be apart,” said Leeser, who was born on the Mexican side of the border.

His Ciudad Juarez counterpart, Mayor Armando Cabada, vowed to help resettle migrants deported from the US. “Trump only generates fear in our US compatriots. We must show soli-

darity with them and tell them that they have our support,” he said. “If they are deported, we will welcome them with open arms.”

Last week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested some 680 people across the United States as part of a crackdown by the new administration on the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States.

Officials insist the raids targeted known criminals but rights advocates say people with no serious criminal records were also detained.

A similar protest was planned on Mexico’s Pacific coast, at the border between the city of Tijuana and its US neighbor San Diego. AFP

ARRESTED SAMSUNG HEIR APPEARS BEFORE SOKOR COURT SEOUL—Handcuffed and bound with ropes, the heir of electronics giant Samsung appeared for questioning Saturday over his alleged involvement in the corruption scandal currently engulfing South Korean President Park Geun-Hye. Among other allegations, Lee is accused of paying nearly $40 million in bribes to a confidante of the impeached president to secure policy favors.

The conglomerate’s de facto head stared straight ahead as he was greeted by a horde of journalists and camera flashes upon his arrival at the office of special prosecutors investigating the case.

He kept silent as journalists fired questions at him, but the metal manacles could be glimpsed under the sleeves of his well-tailored, navy suit and white ropes around his arms and back. A badge on his chest bore his prisoner number.

During his first night at the Seoul Detention Centre, Lee was detained in a one-man cell instead of a six-person room – a privilege reserved for dignitaries, local news reports said. AFP

People from Ciudad Juarez carrying flowers protest against the politics of US President Donald Trump along the Rio Bravo, in the border between Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico on February 17, 2017. The event consisting of a human fence was also held at the TijuanaSan Diego border. AFP

JOLIE UNVEILS KHMER ROUGE FILM IN CAMBODIA

ANTI-COAL PROTEST LEADERS DETAINED IN THAILAND BANGKOK—Three people leading protests against the construction of a coalfired power plant in southern Thailand were detained by the army on Saturday, as activists voiced alarm that the trio were being held in a notorious barracks prison.

Hundreds of protesters have gathered outside government offices in Bangkok since Friday to demonstrate against the junta’s decision to greenlight a 800-megawatt coal plant on the coast of Krabi, a region renowned for its popular tropical beaches and steep limestone hills.

The gathering is a rare act of defiance of the junta’s ban on public protests.

Generals seized power in 2014 and have severely clamped down on dissent.

The three protest leaders—Prasitthichai Noonuan, Akkradet Chakjinda and Rungkhun Kittiyakara—were initially detained by police on Saturday morning before being handed over to the military.

Junta spokesman Lt. Gen. Sansern Kaewkamnerd said the trio were “invited for talks” because they did not ask for permission to protest. AFP

Hollywood star Angelina Jolie greets media during a press conference at a hotel in Siem Reap on February 18, 2017. Jolie will unveil her new film on the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era on February 18 at the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, a country the star shares a deep affinity with through her adopted son Maddox. AFP

SIEM REAP, Cambodia—Angelina Jolie unveiled her new film on the horrors of the Khmer Rouge era on Saturday at the ancient Angkor Wat temple complex in Cambodia, a country the star shares a deep affinity with through her adopted son Maddox.

Cambodia’s king and survivors of the communist regime were among some 1,500 people invited to the debut screening of “First They Killed My Father,” directed by Jolie and based on the memoirs of Loung Ung. Loung Ung was five years old when Khmer Rouge troops, led by Pol Pot, swept into Phnom Penh plunging her family into a harrowing ordeal that saw them sent to brutal labor camps before her eventual escape to the United States.

In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the regime killed up to two million Cambodians between 197579 through execution, starvation and overwork.

It is the second movie by Jolie to tackle the subject of genocide – in 2011 she made a film about the Bosnian conflict featuring mostly local actors. But her latest silver screen offering is more personal.

Jolie adopted her first child Maddox from an orphanage in Cambodia’s western Battambang province in 2002 and she has been given Cambodian citizenship.

The Hollywood star previously said it was Maddox who pushed her to make the film.

At a press conference in Siem Reap, Jolie described Cambodia as a “second home,” adding that she chose Loung Ung’s book because she wanted to tell the story of the Khmer Rouge era “through the eyes of a child.”

“I wanted to focus not just on the war but on the love of family and on the beauty of the country and in fact I wanted to understand what my son’s birth parents may have gone through. And I wanted to know him better and I wanted to know this country better,” she said.

The film is also co-produced by Rithy Panh, Cambodia’s most acclaimed filmmaker.

He lost almost all his immediate family during the Khmer Rouge years but went on to produce searing documentaries that helped break the silence surrounding the genocide. AFP

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

World

/ Joyce Pangco-Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

KL JAILS N. KOREAN IN KIM MURDER

HITLER’S WARTIME PHONE UP FOR AUCTION

This undated image obtained from the Alexander Historical Auctions shows a phone belonging to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler which will be auctioned in Maryland on February 19, 2017. AFP WASHINGTON—Adolf Hitler’s personal telephone, which the Fuehrer used to dictate many of his deadly World War II commands, will hit the auction block this weekend, the US house selling it announced.

Originally a black Bakelite phone that was later painted crimson and engraved with Hitler’s name, the relic was found in the Nazi leader’s Berlin bunker in 1945 following the regime’s defeat.

Auction house Alexander Historical Auctions estimates its worth between $200,000 and $300,000.

On Sunday, the company, located in the eastern US coastal state of Maryland, will auction off more than a thousand items—including the Siemens rotary telephone embossed with a swastika and the eagle symbolic of the Third Reich. AFP

North Korea’s ambassador to Malaysia, Kang Chol addresses the media on February 18, 2017 at the main gate of the forensic wing at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital, where the body of Kim Jong-Nam, the half brother of the North Korean leader, is being kept. Kang Chol said Pyongyang would reject any results of a post-mortem examination carried out by Kuala Lumpur. AFP

K

uala Lumpur—Malaysian police said Saturday they had arrested a North Korean man over the assassination of Kim JongUn’s brother, as relations between Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur nosedived in a battle for his body.

A 46-year-old was arrested on Friday evening with documents that identified him as North Korean citizen Ri Jong Chol, a police statement said, making him the first person from the North to be detained over the case.

Kim Jong-Nam died after an as-yet unidentified liquid was sprayed in his face at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport on Monday, in an attack Seoul says was carried out by female agents from Pyongyang.

Local officers have already arrested a woman with a Vietnamese

passport and a Malaysian man, as well as an Indonesian woman who foreign police said could have gotten involved in the murder thinking it was a reality TV prank.

Jong-Nam’s body has been held in a Kuala Lumpur morgue since an autopsy on Wednesday, the results of which are still pending, according to Selangor state police chief Abdul Samah Mat. After Malaysia ignored demands to return the remains, Pyongyang accused the Kuala Lumpur of conspiring with its enemies and said it would reject

IMAGINING A 50-YEAR-OLD KURT COBAIN

An undated photo of the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain provided by his daughter, Frances Bean, for the documentary work “Kurt Cobain: A Montage of Heck.”

whatever results came from the post-mortem.

“The Malaysian side forced the post-mortem without our permission and witnessing. We will categorically reject the result of the post-mortem conducted unilaterally excluding our attendance,” the North Korean ambassador told reporters gathered outside the morgue shortly before midnight on Friday.

The comments were the first official remarks from the country since the killing, but ambassador Kang Chol stopped short of identifying Jong-Nam or touching on his cause of death.

North Korean state media has remained silent on the murder.

The ambassador had met with Malaysian police, demanding the release of the body without success, according to an English transcript of the envoy’s comments

distributed by an aide.

“They are colluding with the hostile forces towards us who are desperate to harm us of malice,” the transcript said, suggesting South Korea was trying to defame the North in a bid to distract from a corruption scandal at home.

Jong-Nam told staff he was suffering from a headache and was taken to the airport clinic grimacing in pain, according to Malaysian media citing CCTV footage from the airport.

He was once thought to be the natural successor to his father, but on Kim Jong-Il’s death in 2011 the succession went to Kim Jong-Un, who was born to the former leader’s third wife.

South Korea has cited a “standing order” from Jong-Un to kill his sibling and a failed assassination bid in 2012 after he criticized the regime. AFP

PARIS—Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, who defined grunge and the rise of alternative rock, would have turned 50 on Monday. He remains an enduring cultural presence even for many young people – but what would he be doing if he were alive?

The 27-year-old shot himself at his home in Seattle on April 5, 1994, ending his life, his suffering and, at least symbolically, the grunge movement.

Rock has kept evolving since his suicide yet “Nevermind,” Nirvana’s brutal 1991 masterpiece, is still widely considered one of the most influential albums in history.

“He remains the most important musician of the last two decades in music, with an album that is still one of the last great rock records,” said Charles R. Cross, who has written three books on the artist including “Here We Are Now: The Lasting Impact of Kurt Cobain.”

To Cross, Cobain’s key contribution is opening the way for songwriters to tackle a wider emotional range. Nirvana’s songs included “Lithium,” a frank exploration of Cobain’s manic depression,

and the searing “Rape Me.” “His impact on songwriting was that he made it okay for songs to be about painful emotions, angst, depression – even something as awful as rape,” Cross said.

Nirvana was at the forefront of a boom in alternative rock, as mainstream audiences increasingly listened to Seattle grunge bands who also included Pearl Jam and Soundgarden – as well as hard-edged groups from elsewhere in the United States such as Green Day and Smashing Pumpkins.

But Cobain – with his ragged cardigan and thick blonde locks – may be better known for some younger fans for his look rather than Nirvana’s music, French music journalist Cuesta said.

“Kurt’s poster is in everyone’s bedroom like Che Guevara’s poster used to be, even if people don’t necessarily know much about Che’s political activities or Nirvana’s music,” he said.

Cobain – whose suicide note quoted Neil Young’s line that “it’s better to burn out than to fade away” – may have hated his contemporary image. AFP

SPACEX POISED TO LAUNCH CARGO

MIAMI, United States—An unmanned SpaceX spaceship carrying food and equipment to the astronauts living at the International Space Station is poised to blast off from a historic NASA launch pad on Saturday.

The launch of the Dragon cargo ship is scheduled for 10:01 am (1501 GMT) from Cape Canaveral’s launchpad 39A, which was built and used for the US space agency’s pioneering missions to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

It was also the blastoff point for sending American space shuttles into orbit, until the shuttle program came to an end in 2011.

SpaceX, headed by billionaire internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, managed to negotiate a lease with NASA for the launchpad in 2013, beating out its competitor Blue Origin, which is headed by Amazon. com founder Jeff Bezos. AFP

‘LONESOME GEORGE’ RETURNED TO GALAPAGOS

QUITO, Ecuador – The embalmed body of the giant tortoise known as Lonesome George—the last known survivor of a species that died out in 2012—returned home to the Ecuadoran Galapagos Islands over the weekend.

The body arrived in Puerto Ayora, the capital of the archipelago’s Santa Cruz Island, on an Ecuadoran military plane after undergoing taxidermy work at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, the Galapagos National Park said.

The giant tortoise—thought to be around a century old when he died in June 2012—was the last known member of the subspecies Geochelone nigra abingdoni.

He failed to reproduce despite a decades long conservation effort that earned him the moniker “Lonesome George.” AFP

C1

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@thestandard.com.ph

TRADERS PITCH ON REALITY TV

The Final Pitch creator John Aguilar

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BOAT BUILDER.

Headsail Inc. president Angelo Olondriz

BOAT BUILDER WANTS TO BRING ‘MEDITERRANEAN VIBE’ TO PH B OAT builder Angelo Olondriz envisions the Philippines as the “Mediterranean of Asia”, given the country’s stunning islands and breathtaking marine environment.

What is missing, he says, is the infrastructure that will host yachts and other leisure boats to bring tourists out to the sea or to idyllic island resorts.

“We have all the natural infrastructure in place. We got the islands.

We just need to learn how to move people around. And to do that, we have to build from the ground up this [leisure boating] industry,” Olondriz, president of Subic-based Headsail Inc., tells journalists onboard a Lagoon Catamaran yacht in Manila Bay. Olondriz is the president of Headsail, which manufactures about 25 hammerhead boats a year. He is also the organizer of the 9th Sea-Ex Philippine Boat Show & Nautical Lifestyle Expo on March 3 to 5 at the SMX Convention Center in the Mall of Asia complex, Pasay City.

The expo, dubbed as the biggest marine show in the country, will bring together key personalities and brands involved in the manufacture and distribution of yachts, sail boats, boating accessories, water sports equipment, summer apparel and resort getaways under one roof.

“It is because that I was building boats that I started the boat show,” says Olondriz, who believes that the Philippines can become both a hub of boat manufacturing and destination of yachts and leisure boats in Asia.

“Yes, we can. It is capital intensive, but if people see more demand, more builders will build more boats. We are hoping that they start focusing on the pleasure boat industry. We don’t have to sell boats only to Filipinos,” he says.

Olondriz says the leisure boat industry covers vessels from twometer kayak to 45 meter yacht. “It is not only for the rich. In the car industry, you have Rolls Royce, Ferrari then you have Cherry. You have the whole segments of cars for every type of buyer. The same is true for the boating industry.

You have something for everybody. From a simple kayak, which is a part of our industry, it is unfair to label it for the rich,” he says.

Olondriz, however, confirms that a thriving maritime and coastal tourism industry will attract rich foreign boat owners from Hong Kong, Singapore and other Asian countries. He says some rich yacht

owners spend up to half a million dollars just to replenish their stock.

“Can you imagine that money going to Subic, Cebu or Palawan, that money going into the local economy for buying produce?

That’s the circulation of income that we want to happen all around the Philippines,” he says.

“If you go to Thailand, many of the yachts are owned by foreigners living in Hong Kong. They just leave it in Thailand. We can become like that. All the people in Hong Kong, Thailand and Indonesia can leave their boats in the Philippines and come here to enjoy it. That’s what we are trying to attract,” he says.

Olondriz, who has a 30-year experience in the Philippine maritime and boating industry and a member of the Subic Bay Yacht Club, says while the country has 7,100 islands, the commercial side of the maritime industry in the country is minuscule compared to its neighbors.

“We need industries to bring people to resorts, to get people around. What is happening in this industry is that everybody is doing his own thing, but not getting anywhere. In most countries, they do use a boat show to solidify the industry, bring everybody under one roof. That’s basically what we are trying to do with the holding of the Philippine Boat Show & Nauti-

cal Lifestyle Expo,” he says.

“We want the Philippines to be the Mediterranean of Asia. We want to become the playgrounds not only for Asians, but also Europeans. We have the islands, we have the English-speaking community, we have the friendliest people in Asia,” says Olondriz.

Christopher Madrigal of National Coast Watch Council agrees that “maritime tourism is an area of the national economy that has a lot of potential.”

“It is time that there is a constant dialog between the government and stakeholders. We support our local boat builders. It would generate more income. It would generate more small businesses. It would generate income for people in the coastal areas, which are among the poorest of the poor,” says Madrigal.

Olondriz says at present, the leisure boating industry in the Philippines is very small, with annual contribution of “a hundred million at most.”

“Boat manufacturing is a segment of the industry that has never been realized. Funny, because we have the fifth biggest ship building facility in the Philippines which is Hanjin,” he says.

Olondriz is optimistic that as the Philippine economy grows, demand for leisure boats will also Turn to C2

FOR the first time on Philippine TV, viewers will see the coming together of the best and brightest entrepreneurs on a reality TV show that will link them to multi-millionaire and billionaire investors who are searching to own a piece of the next big business idea.

All of them will go through a business boot camp and series of challenges for their chance to make the pitch of their lives in a once-in-a-lifetime funding round.

Entitled ‘The Final Pitch’, the reality TV show is loosely inspired by the Emmy Award-winning shows ‘Shark Tank’ and ‘The Apprentice,’ and will challenge entrepreneur contestants in the realities of scaling their existing businesses- from exploring funding options, refining their business plans, and marketing their products and services.

The show is set to air on History Channel in May 2017.

“The Final Pitch aims to help entrepreneurs find success by connecting them to investors who can finance them, and to mentors who can fine-tune their businesses—reducing risk factors and boosting growth potential and sustainability,” said John Aguilar, the creator and host of The Final Pitch.

Entrepreneurs will go through a series of challenges that will test their creativity, motivation and character. At the same time, they will learn the secrets behind the success of their potential investors, who are also tasked to handpick the top finalists to proceed on the show.

For Jose ‘Jomag’ Magsaysay, founder of a well-loved global food brand and one of the investors on ‘The Final Pitch’, his picks for the show would be based on whether or not he can see them as future business partners. “I’m looking for people who deserve a break, as I believe in the person more than the business,” he said.

Other investors include the multi-awarded chairman and CEO of the Sterling Group of Companies and SL Agritech Dr. Henry Lim Bon Liong; self-made billionaire and the youngest chairman of a publicly-listed company in the PSE, Joseph Calata; and 25-year old millennial CEO of the angel investing group MFT Group of Companies, Mica Tan. Aguilar said the show is on the lookout for a final investor who will complete the investor panel. “The final slot should go to someone who is not just a successful business person with the capability to invest, but someone who would like to see and help other entrepreneurs succeed.”

ANTIQUE NATIVE SHARES SUCCESSFUL FRANCHISE STORY

Lester Yee says being involved in the family business at an early age has helped him develop the skills and experience that prepared him in running 23 7-Eleven stores.

FRANCHISING has become one of the most common routes for Filipinos seeking for financial independence. To find potential success in any franchise business venture, one of the most pertinent decisions to make would be choosing a trusted product—one that offers a profitable business model.

This is what led to the success story of Lester Mark Yee, whose smart investment in a C-store brand has led him not only to entrepreneurial fulfillment but to a rewarding business journey.

The 38-year-old Antique native is one of the many pioneering and proud

partners that led 7-Eleven’s milestone franchise expansion success in the south in 2012.

“We started our business partnership with 7-Eleven when Chevron Philippines Inc. [Caltex] tied up with Philippine Seven Corp. to convert our mini mart into a branded convenience store. The investment package offered to us as Caltex retailer is very enticing. It’s a total package [products, store design/ layout, systems, marketing, among others] which is worth our investment and also complements our Caltex Station,” says Yee.

“We are one of the first batch of stores that opened in Cebu in 2012, making us part of both 7-Eleven and PSC’s historic Cebu launching. I personally believe that 7-Eleven would mark in the heart of our Caltex customers in Cebu, considering that it will be the first in this area,” he says.

The 7-Eleven franchise package includes a one month preparatory training. Upon completion, Yee and his team were fully ready when they opened the company’s first 7-Eleven store, the Caltex NRA outlet in Mandaue City in July 2012.

“We learned the A to Z of store op-

eration. As a company, we also aimed in becoming the best franchisee of 7-Eleven stores for the emerging markets in the Philippines, with God as the center of our business. We commit in providing customer needs and wants and making their daily life easier via modern convenience stores,” he says.

Prior to franchising 7-Eleven outlets, Yee’s source of business savvy was his early training and exposure to the family business. His family owns and manages various businesses in Antique and Cebu

Turn to C2

Business

C2

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 business@thestandard.com.ph

BOAT BUILDER...

From C1

pick up. This way, property developers will find it viable to build marinas all over the country. He quotes architect Jun Palafox as saying that “waterways is the forefront of development in any country.”

Madrigal of the National Coast Watch Council supports this claim.

“If you examine all the development policies of the country, most of it is terrestrial-based. We don’t realize that water is a bigger part of the Philippines, and that is the potential waiting to happen,” he says.

Olondriz says it is understandable for a landlocked country to have a small boating industry. “But for a country with 7,100 islands and 36,289 kilometers of coastline, no. How do you get around? We should have a number of marinas here, with a number of yachts, and even people like us with no boats can go charter boats,” he says.

FILIPINO INVENTS ANTI-POLLUTION GADGET

The inventor, George de Guzman, points to the gadget which he installed in the car of his customers.

He says the 9th Philippine Boat Show & Nautical Lifestyle aims to raise awareness on the potential of the leisure boating industry. The government through the Maritime Industry Authority, the National Coast Watch Council and the Tourism and Promotions Board are joining the campaign.

“Right now, we are working with them to update the rules and regulations that govern the marine industry.

The last time this was revised was back in 1987. We are also working to get the leisure boating industry legitimized. These developments will pave the way for significant growth in the years to come,” says Olondriz.

Among the local boat builders that are expected to join the show are Trevally Boats, Teamnonino, Australasia Marine Alliance Corp., Advanced Composite Systems-Hammerhead Boats and local boat distributors carrying internationally known brands, such as Azimut Yachts, Beneteau, Lagoon, Princess, Chaparral Boats, Sunseeker, NuMarine, Galeon and Corsair Marine. Roderick T. dela Cruz

ANTIQUE...

From C1

under the Esprutingkle Group of Companies. Aside from being a certified public accountant, Yee says that being involved in the family business at an early age has helped him develop the skills and experience that greatly prepared him in running their C-stores.

Being the manager of a flagship outlet outside Luzon, Yee admits encountering challenges during their pilot operations.

But with PSC’s guidance and all-out system support, Yee is proud to rise above the setbacks.

“There are areas for improvement since it is their first time outside Luzon, nevertheless our store ran successfully because of the collaboration of all the stakeholders,” he says.

“We are confident and we feel secured with our investment with 7-Eleven because of the total package of the brand.

Aside from a world-renowned name and highly successful franchise system, the c-store chain’s effective marketing techniques were built on years of successful global operations. Not to mention its profitability and market acceptability,”says Yee. Now into fourth year as a franchisee, Yee’s group now owns and manages a total of 23 stores across the entire islands of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. Growing rapidly and successfully along with the venture, Yee says they are currently applying for more additional stores. “We apply for stores where there are PSC expansions because we want to grow across the country.”

Today, Yee says they employ a total of 191 staff.

By Ben Cal

A

VISITING Filipino-American has cited a Filipino inventor for developing a device that greatly helps reduce pollution emitted not only from vehicles but also from generators and ships.

Jun Pedery, a retired logistics officer of Lockheed Martin Corp. based in Bethesda, Maryland, lauded George de Guzman, the enterprising Filipino inventor who developed an anti-pollution gadget called “Power-Up” fuel combustor.

Pedery heard about de Guzman’s invention over radio station DZBB program host, Rene Sta. Cruz whom he called by phone to arrange for a meeting with the inventor.

Sta. Cruz, an advocate of Filipino inventors, called up de Guzman telling the latter that Pedery would like to meet him (de Guzman).

As a result, de Guzman and Pedery met twice, first at Alhambra Grill in Quezon City which was followed by another meeting at Merville subdivision in Parañaque City.

During their meeting, Pedery told the Filipino inventor that he was gratified to witness first-hand how “Power-Up” works in containing pollution and at the same time injecting more power to the engine.

“I was so impressed during the actual demonstration of the device that there was practically no pollution was emitted from the vehicle that was newly installed with Power-Up,” Pedery said in an interview with this writer.

De Guzman told Pedery that “Power-Up” also saves fuel up to 50 percent and change oil is done only after 30,000 kilometers.

On his part, Pedery said: “When I go back to the US, I will tell my friends about ‘Power-Up’ and possibly introduce the device to some prospective investors to look into the possibility of bringing the invention to America.”

The “Power-Up” device invented by George de Guzman

“I’m proud of this Filipino invention,” Pedery said, adding “I hope the Philippine government will help in propagating Filipino inventions because there are lots of them that will boost Philippine economy.”

In an interview, De Guzman said he had produced and sold so far over 9,000 “Power-Up” devices, and more have their vehicles installed with the gadget.

He said that one of his customers is former Ilocos Sur Gov. Chavit Singson who used it for his luxury yacht.

De Guzman hopes that the government supports not only his invention but all other Filipino inventors. PNA

TAGUIG STUDENTS WIN BIG AT HONG KONG SCIENCE CONTEST GRADE school students from Taguig Integrated School have brought the country honor and pride on the world stage as they won major science awards for inventing innovative yet practical household products.

The two winning products, “Rauvolfia Serpentina Delicious and Nutritious Tea Drink” and “Coconut Oil, Basil, and Beeswax Anti-Bacterial and Mosquito Repellent Lotion Bar”—invented by students with ages ranging from 10 to 12 – won gold and silver prizes, respectively at the Hong Kong International Invention, Innovation & Entrepreneurship Exhibition held at the City University of Hong Kong and organized by the China Business Strategic Alliance.

Kier Sean Cadag, Brian Ivan Santiago, Franzes Keisha Joven and Lance Ulryck Corpuz took home the gold award while Tracy Gonzales, Chizel Anne Liwanag, Patricia Marites Sanga and Elise Gabriel Santos won silver. The teams were led by research advisers and TIS faculty members Rosenda Puno and Georgie Amaranto.

The two homegrown products also earned additional awards, with the former winning a special award from the World

Invention Intellectual Property Associations, and the latter also earning a special award from the Indonesia Invention and Innovation Promotion Association “in honor of the highest standard of excellence.”

The Aboitiz Foundation, the corporate foundation of the Aboitiz Group, provided the teams financial support during the three-day exhibition as part of its broader

and strong commitment to the Department of Education Special Science Elementary Schools project.

The SSES Project—first launched by DepEd in 2007 to 57 public elementary schools (expanded to 43 more in 2009)—is a research and development project designed to develop Filipino children who are equipped with scientific and technological

knowledge, skills and attitudes; who are creative and have positive values; and have lifelong learning skills to become productive partners in the development of the community and society.

The students explained that their inventions were inspired by their aim to resolve real-world challenges in their community: to create a tasty yet healthy children’s beverage, and to help fight disease-causing mosquitoes from a school-side creek.

“It was a very interesting competition.

We got to meet new friends and exhibit our inventions,” said Santos.

“After the competition, I am further encouraged to explore and study science, because indeed, science is everywhere,” added Cadag.

“These achievements by our student beneficiaries from TIS are a result of perseverance and preparation, and are truly an inspiration to all of us. We will continue supporting important educational initiatives, particularly the strengthening of SSES and technical-vocational high schools, as we help communities feel empowered, safe, and be sustainable,” said Maribeth Marasigan, Aboitiz Foundation first vice president.

Sports

C3

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 randyproject@yahoo.com

FRAYNA PLANS EUROPE TRIP TO BOOST WORLD RANKING

HIDILYN SETS SIGHT ON GOLD IN TOKYO

By Peter Atencio

Diaz receiving her Athlete of the Year Trophy from Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA President Riera Mallari of the Manila Standard. With them are Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Peping Cojuangco (extreme left) and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)chairman Butch Ramirez.

Olympic weightlifting silver medal vows to come back again to the PSA Awards Night as a big winner

Mika Reyes receiving her Ms. Volleyball trophy from Tribune sports editor Aldrin Cardona

By Peter Atencio

T

HE crème de la crème of Filipino athletes took the podium in the recent Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Awards Night, which is considered the Oscars of sports.

The biggest toast belonged to Olympic silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz who was adjudged the Athlete of the Year honors by the oldest and biggest organization of sports journalists in the country.

Diaz said sports and the that silver medal victory in women’s weightlifting in Rio Olympics changed his life and the PSA trophy is something that he would cherish for life.

And she’s hoping to return again.

“Malaking inspiration ito sa akin. Sana, makabalik ako sa 2021,” said the Zamboanga City lass, referring to the year following the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

“Napatunayan ko na walang imposible kung gugustuhin at magwowork sa mga pangarap mo,” added Diaz during her speech after receiving her trophy at the Le Pavilion in Pasay City.

She’s aware that the road to Tokyo is no less difficult. The 2017 Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur is no longer in her calendar

after her even was scratched in the biennial meet.

Instead, Diaz is focusing her preparations on two other top-tier events this year--the weightlifting meet in the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan this September, and the World Championship this Novembers in Anaheim, California.

Diaz will be competing for the first time in the multi-event Asian meet while it will be her third time to join the World tournament organized by the International Weightlifting Federation in the United States.

Diaz said she’s glad to be training again with coach Tony Agustin.

She is back under his wings, and after Dondon Aldanete took over to help train her for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last year.

And there’s something else that’s keeping her busy.

She is back to school, taking up business management after she

Grandmaster Eugene Torre sharing his thoughts after being conferred the Lifetime Achievement award.

accepted a scholarship offer from the College of St. Benilde. The help came from another Olympian, La Salle alumnus Stephen Fernandez, who is the school’s athletic director.

Also sharing the limelight with Diaz during the Awards Night were chess gradmaster Eugene Torre who was conferred the Lifetime Achieve-

ment award and karter Milo Rivera as Presidential awardee.

Other major awardees were June Mar Fajardo as Mr. Basketball, Misagh Bahadoran (Mr. Footbal), Miguel Luis Tabuena (Mr. Golf ), Jeordan Domingues (Mr Taekwondo) and Mika Aereen Reyes (Ms. Volleyball).

GOING up in the world rankings tops the agenda of Filipina grandmaster Janelle Mae Frayna this year, That is why she is hatching plans to go to Europe and compete in topranked tournaments.

“We have mapped out plans to go to Europe later this year,” said Frayna after she got a citation during the PSA Awards Night held recently at Le Pavilion in Pasay City.

The Europe trip is next on her bucket list after she sees action in the FIDE Asian Zonal 3,3 Chess Championship for men and women slated Feb.25 to March 5 in Tagaytay City.

The Asian Zonal is part of the FIDE World Championship cycle and will select two players to advance to the World Cup scheduled this September in Tbilisi, Georgia.

Here, the women’s champion will qualify to the Women’s World Championship and World Championship cycle.

At total of $5,000 in cash prizes will be at stake in the Asian Zonal.

Frayna is expected to fight it out with woodpushers from Brunei, Cambodia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Her current 2325 rating has gone up to 2400, and after she officially earned the men’s International Master title she also bagged in Azerbaijan.

She got it after defeating International Master Olga Zimina.

She is currently at no. 160, according to the FIDE website.

With more international stints ahead, Frayna hopes to break into the top 100 in the coming years. She is ranked first in the Philippine women’s rankings.

Before going into an international campaign, Frayna first has to focus on her studies since she is a candidate for cum laude in her psychology degree at the Far Eastern University.

The 20-year-old Frayna, who is coached by Jayson Gonzales, is not only prioritizing her studies, she is also undergoing a six-hour formal chess training, aside from cross-training in basketball daily.

Janelle May Frayna is ready to take on the best as she competes in tough tournaments in Europe this year

EXEC OF THE YEAR AWARDEE: JUICO SHOWS ‘EM HOW

Philip Ella Juico (third from left) shares his Executive of the Year trophy with fellow former chairmen of the Philippine Sports Commission, Richie Garcia (extreme left) and Eric Buhain (extreme right) and current chair Butch Ramirez during the PSA Awards Night, considered as the Oscars of Philippine sports.

THE national sports associations must first have firm and clear vision of what they want to accomplish in the next few years.

Philip Ella Juico said this after he received the 2016 sports executive of the year and the NSA of the year awards on behalf of Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association.

He was honored during the annual Philippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night held recently at Le Pavilion in Pasay City.

“This requires reflections and lots of consultation,” stated Juico during his speech.

He added that the NSAs must come out with a detailed plan on how they wish to pull of their plans.

From there, they can fully assess their resources and capabilities.

Juico talked about his reflections after one of the country’s top business conglomerates, agreed to help the association plan out its programs for the next four years.

The PATAFA has convinced Ayala Corporation to support its preparations for the 2017 and 2019 Southeast Asian Games, the 2018 Asian Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

He said it was Ayala Cor-

poration CEO, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, who has reached out to PATAFA to discuss his assistance to the association.

“He believes that as host of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, we must dominate it. And what better way to do it than to concentrate on medal-rich athletics or track and field (events),” said Juico.

Juico, who was former chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), advised the NSAs to ask assistance from the government and the private sector” only if you have well thought-out plans for the next several years.”

Juico also urged government to make it easier for businesses to help sports development by not throwing too many unnecessary and bureaucratic rules and regulations.

He added that Mr. Ayala has committed to augment what the PATAFA will get from the PSC. Juico said that Ayala Corporation and PATAFA believed in the strategic management principle of “shared value”—the competitive strength of a business improves if it plays an active role in helping solve the community’s problems.

Peter Atencio

D1

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017

Jimbo Gulle, Editor

Roger Garcia, Issue Editor

LGUs

Local Gov’t Units

mslocalgov@gmail.com

QC TO BUILD HOMES FOR PWDS

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CASH FOR CENTENARIANS. Rosalinda Fabreo and Purificasion Esberto receive their checks for P100,000 from Nueva Vizcaya Gov. Carlos Padilla (standing, fourth from left) and provincial officials in fulfillment of the province’s Centenarian Ordinance of 2014.

Ben Moses Ebreo

ECIJA CENTENARIAN’S SECRET TO LONG LIFE

By Ferdie G. Domingo

Z PHOTO BY Ferdie Domingo

ARAGOZA, Nueva Ecija— This 100-year-old lady still washes her own laundry, does toilet habits on her own, walks by her lonesome with a cane, eats food with gastronomic passion and engages in neighborhood talk.

Dionisia Mamaclay-Reyes

But she is no ordinary senior citizen.

Centenarian Dionisia MamaclayReyes of Barangay Sta. Cruz in this town still alive and kicking. She turned 100 years old last Dec. 6 and expects to live some more years actively and somehow spritely at that.

Lola Dionisia still has an impeccable sense of humor. When asked what’s her secret for longevity, her answer nearly floored everyone when she quickly replies without batting an eyelash, “puffing cigarettes every day.”

“I’ve been smoking cigarettes since I was nine years old,” enthuses Reyes when she sat down for an interview with this reporter.

From La Campana to Balintawak to Marvels, the cigarette brands she’s tried goes on and on.

She said she felt good chomping cigarettes, practically disproving conventional wisdom which says smoking is bad for everybody’s health.

Lola Dionisia shrugs this medically proven threat off. “Pampahaba ng buhay ‘yon (That gives you a long life),” she said with a chuckle.

As if to prove her point, she lit up a cigarette stick from a pack and went smoking while fielding questions.

Research and experts’ advice have revealed that smoking can cause lung disease by damaging the airways and the small air sacs found in lungs. Lung diseases caused by smoking includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis and lung cancer.

According to the American Lung

Association, there are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes. When burned, they create more than 7,000 chemicals, at least 69 of which are known to cause cancer.

Mamaclay-Reyes, who has not encountered any serious illness, said when she met a doctor, Roland Valdez and told him of her “longevity secret,” the latter advised her to “continue smoking.”

A mother to seven siblings, four of whom were still alive, MamaclayReyes never entered school. She is also fond of singing.

Her daughter Lucita, the eldest of the surviving siblings, said her mother also is fond of eating and drinks up to seven glasses of coffee a day. “She gets mad when I try to prevent her from drinking coffee,” she said with a laugh.

Lola Dionisia’s family has a history of longevity. Two of her sisters, Gregoria Madrid and Consuelo died at the age of 105 years and 103 years, respectively. She lost her husband, Nicanor Reyes, who died at the age of 97.

The centenarian gets to mingle with his children who are still alive: Lucita, 66; Antonio Reyes, 62; Ligaya Gatlabayan, 60 and Gerardo Reyes, 55. Gone were Ricardo Reyes, Gregorio Reyes and Juanita Castro, who all died ahead of her due to various ailments, and Gregorio due to lung cancer.

A certificate of live birth was issued last Dec. 14 by the Zaragoza municipal civil registrar Lorna Bacani-Azarcon for Mamaclay-Reyes Turn to D2

SOME 160 housing units will soon be built for Persons with Disability in Quezon City.

A project of the city government, the housing project will be developed in a portion of the National Vocational Rehabilitation Center (NVRC) in Barangay Escopa III. In partnership with the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Gawad Kalinga and the Office of Congressman Jorge “Bolet” Banal Jr. the housing for PWD’s complements City Mayor Herbert Bautista’s continuing effort to expand the delivery of services to the disadvantaged constituents of the city.

A memorandum of understanding has been scheduled for signing this month to formalize the development of the PWD housing project, which also Signatories to the agreement will include Mayor Herbert Bautista, DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and GK–QC head Justine Cruz.

Prior to the signing of the MOU, the parties have already sealed a partnership as early as 2013 for the development of the housing project.

As provided under the partnership, the city government has been tasked to oversee the land development while the DSWD shall ensure the implementation of guidelines governing the selection and disposition of the home lots.

Gawad Kalinga, on the other hand, shall oversee the provision of the housing component.

Mayor Bautista has already unveiled plans for the adoption of a comprehensive development program for the benefit of all PWDs in the city following the passage of an ordinance mandating the provision of a one-percent budget allocation for programs and projects that will benefit senior citizens in the city.

CORDILLERA TO BOOST RICE OUTPUT BAGUIO CITY—The Department of Agriculture-Cordillera Administrative Region has targeted an increase of 50 percent production yield of rice in the Cordillera region by 2019.

Miriam Pastor, technical staff of the region’s Rice Production Program, said that with this goal, the budget allotted for 2018 increased almost 50 percent from the 2016 budget.

The directives set by the DA in the implementation of projects for rice production includes; 1) Climate adaptation change adaptation and disaster risk reduction management which uses high quality seeds for adverse ecosystem, the hybrid and inbred seed buffer stocking, and provision of agricultural chemical buffer stocks; 2) Prioritize the repair and rehabilitation of facilities; and, 3) Pooling of agricultural machineries and equipment for calamity and epidemic quick response.

Other strategies include deployment of ICT-based advisory system, pushing for the micro agrienterprise for rice-based advisory development, employing support to small scale irrigation projects, continuation of rice model farm and strengthening the technology demonstration and support activities, training and training-related events, and the strengthening of Local Farmer Technicians and Farm Service Providers. Dexter A. See

PAG-IBIG SPONSORS WEDDING OF MORE THAN 2,400 COUPLES PAG-IBIG Fund once again celebrated Feb. 14, Valentine’s Day, as Araw ng Pag-IBIG when it held its annual “I Do, I Do! Araw ng Pag-IBIG” where more than 2,400 couples exchanged wedding vows in 24 venues nationwide.

In Metro Manila, more than 500 couples participated in the event at the PICC Forum, Pasay City.

“Valentine’s Day is a day of love, hence it is our day—Pag-IBIG Day. Since 2012, it has become our tradition at Pag-IBIG Fund to celebrate Valentine’s Day with mass weddings for Pag-IBIG members who wished to legalize their union or renew their marriage vows. We want to assure the couple-participants that they have a reliable partner in Pag-IBIG as they prepare for the future of their families. We are now on our sixth year,” said

Pag-IBIG Fund president and CEO lawyer Darlene Marie B. Berberabe.

She added: “The annual event is our way of promoting Pag-IBIG to Filipino workers who are not yet Pag-IBIG members. We do this via collaboration with local government units [LGUs] and other government agencies.”

From 2012 to 2016, the Fund was able to wed over 16,000 couples in 118 venues nationwide. The annual event strengthened Pag-IBIG’s linkage and cooperation with LGUs and regional offices of the Department of Tourism, since the venues were at some of the country’s top tourist attractions and chief cities and municipalities.

The event primarily targets Pag-IBIG Fund members and non-members who would want to legalize their unions, espe-

cially those who do not have the financial means to do so. It is a venue for Pag-IBIG to show that it is not only a savings institution and a provider of housing finance, but also a staunch supporter in the building of happy families—the family being the basic unit and pillar of society—through the formal union of couples.

Pag-IBIG provided most of the basic accessories to make the occasion more memorable to the couples, including bouquets and headdresses for the brides, and symbolic wedding rings.

The Fund also prepared the couples’ first meal as husband and wife, standing in for the traditional reception after the wedding ceremony. A house-and-lot package, livelihood packages, and several special prizes were also raffled off to lucky couples.

CO-OPS UNITED. Members of the cooperative movement in Batangas City gathered at the Provincial Sports Complex during the launch of their campaign to oppose the passage of two measures that threaten to abolish the tax exemption privileges for cooperatives. Batangas Gov. Hermilando I. Mandanas (in red T-shirt) and other officials attended the event. Manny Palmero

LGUs

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

ECIJA ...

From D1

who was born on Dec. 6, 1916.

Despite the wear and tear, Mamaclay-Reyes said she never felt she is slowing down, despite a recent freak accident when she fell from her bed and suffered lumps in her face.

She said she wants to continue to enjoy life and live it to the fullest, with his family and relatives.

“Gusto ko pang mabuhay dito sa mundo. Masaya naman ako. Ang mga apo ko mababait. Mahal na mahal nila ako [I still want to live in this world. I am happy. My grandchildren are kind.

They love me so much],” she said.

Lately, she has also been gulping down bottles of a popular energy drink endorsed by retired NBA legend Michael Jordan which, her relatives swore, makes her feel stronger.

The chinky-eyed “super lola” still has good eyesight and does not wear eyeglasses. Occasionally, she would call her grandchildren over the phone.

Appeal to President Duterte Mamaclay-Reyes has been shuttling from this town to relatives in Gen. Natividad town and to Cabanatuan City, hoping to someday soon receive the much-awaited financial incentive and benefits for centenarians like her.

Mamaclay-Reyes said that she feared that she may not be able to receive the P100,000 cash incentive as there are two other centenarians living in this town, one of whom died recently without even receiving a single centavo of the financial incentive due her under the law.

She said she did not want to suffer the same fate and appealed to President Duterte to grant her the incentive.

“Mahal na Presidente Duterte, ‘yung benepisyo po sana e inyong tulungang maipag-kaloob [Dear President Duterte, I am hoping you can help me get the benefits…] referring to the incentive.

Last year, then-President Benigno Aquino III signed into law Republic Act 10868 that will grant a P100,000 cash incentive and additional benefits and privileges to Filipino centenarians.

Under the law, all Filipinos who reach the age of 100 will receive a letter of felicitation from the President of the Philippines and the P100,000 cash gift, whether they are residing in the country or abroad.

They will also be awarded with a plaque of recognition and additional cash gift by their respective city or municipal governments during the National Respect for Centenarians Day, which is set on Sept. 25 of every year.

An estimated 3,500 centenarians were benefited by the enactment of the Centenarian Act. She also called on the provincial government, led by Gov. Czarina Umali and the municipal government, led

by Mayor Louella Belmonte, to help in facilitating the release of the monetary incentives provided by law.

Asked what she would do if she receives the cash windfall, she said she would divide it equally among her grandchildren whose number she could no longer recall.

’TARAY NI AYAT’ TO RAISE FUNDS FOR FUTURE YOUTH THE Ilocos Norte Youth and Development Office, formerly SIRIB, held the “Taray ni Ayat” fun run on Saturday to promote community involvement and participation among the youth.

Weenter Ventura, executive director of INYDO and communications manager of the Sirib Ilokano Kabataan Association, said that the activity came from Sirib Young Leadership scholars, seeking ways to fund their community service programs.

“This fun run project is a way for us to fund our outreach programs such as SIKArunungan, our barangay tutorials program,” he said.

According to Ventura, they have already enlisted more than 700 participants and are still encouraging more youth to register and participate.

The 5K fun run will start from the Ferdinand Marcos Memorial Stadium, heading to Bacarra Road through Apolinario Castro Avenue, then JP Rizal Street towards the Provincial Capital, commencing at the Ferdinand Marcos Memorial Stadium.

“Taray ni Ayat” is just one of the activities in celebrating the 199th foundation anniversary of Ilocos Norte, he added.

Ventura also expressed his excitement in the upcoming “Sirib Awards,” an event acknowledging individuals and groups who brought honor to the province, which will be held four days before the fun run.

Compared last year, “Taray ni Ayat” was a joint event with “Sirib awards” and “I Love Ilocos Norte” concert showcasing performances from Gloc9 and selected Ilocano talents.

SELFIE TIME.

Cebu-based journalist Shiela Gravinez snaps a selfie with some of the child survivors of Typhoon ‘Yolanda’ in Barangay Payapay, San Jose, Tacloban City. Gravinez was part of a group of journalists who went on a familiarization tour of ‘Yolanda-’ affected areas as part of the Philippine Press Institute’s SeminarWorkshop on Environmental Reporting sponsored by Nickel Asia Corp.

Mel Caspe

ARMM BUCKS TAG AS DUMP FOR ROGUE POLICEMEN A

UTONOMOUS Region in Muslim Mindanao officials have expressed their collective resentment in the current administration and police official’s practice of reassigning erring police officers to certain areas in their region as they deem the practice as “an insult and must stop immediately.”

“We are standing up for our integrity and dignity as a people as the practice of dumping errant or undesirable members of the Philippine National Police to our region is both an insult and a great social injustice to the people of ARMM,” Assemblyman Abol Alam Padate said in a recent privilege speech.

This practice is a “sheer insult that should not be taken sitting down” as Padate noted recent reports that 34 rogue policemen have

been deployed to ARMM or the Cordillera regions.

Padate pointed out that he and ARMM Gov. Mujiv Hataman have separately urged Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa to reconsider this action.

“This injury to and mistreatment of the ARMM and the Bangsomoro should no longer continue.”

He then quoted the 1987 Constitution’s mandate of respecting the autonomous regions of Muslim Mindanao and the Cordilleras for human development and empowering the people for social justice.

However, the transfer of rogue cops to ARMM violates this principle, Padate said.

“Will shady police officers empower us with an environment for social justice? Is the PNP an organization that will help us build a framework for social justice? On the contrary, it promotes the idea that we deserve less. It reinforces the propaganda of radical groups that the government is our enemy then, and our government is still our enemy now,” he lamented.

President Rodrigo Duterte was earlier reported citing one of the reasons why

Basilan is the place for erring cops because the stations (police detachments) are favorite target of bombings and raids.

The practice of “dumping” or reassigning erring members of the Philippine National Police was President Duterte’s “punishment” for cops whom he described as “errant and scalawags.”

Meanwhile, in the aspect of the region’s cultural heritage, ARMM Party-List Representative Sitti Djalia Turabin-Hataman pointed out erroneous information in identifying the origins of the indigenous fabrics worn by some of the Miss Universe candidates.

The most glaring error was the attribution of the Tenun, which produced originally by the Yakans, was erroneously identified as Zamboanga made. The Tenun is worn by the women in Basilan on special occasions.

“Being a traditional art advocate, I hope it was represented as a heritage, not just a cloth.

If people understood their value and the story behind every piece, not just of the Yakan Tenun, but of all the fabrics presented there, it would have made the contestants really proud to have worn them,” she said.

NIA EYES MORE COMMUNITY-BASED WORKS NATIONWIDE THE National Irrigation Administration has planned recently to increase its Community-Based Employment Program starting this year along with its thrust in building more irrigation projects nationwide.

Last year, the agency provided at least 66,340 employments to members of the local communities nationwide specifically for the agency’s various infrastructure related projects.

Started decades ago, the CBEP has been a regular component of NIA’s infrastructure program and included in its annual programs.

The agency aims to continually provide labor-based methods, particularly on small, rural-based projects to help the community.

The CBEP is among the priority programs which aim to contribute to the national goal of inclusive growth, poverty reduction, and job creation, particularly in the country-

side or the local community.

Under this program, various government agencies enroll infrastructure and/or non-infrastructure projects that will provide temporary or immediate employment to skilled, semi-skilled, and low-skilled workers in the target communities where the projects will be implemented.

Irrigation works include mostly of repair and maintenance of existing irrigation systems, repair of

groundwater pump irrigation systems, climate change adaptation, Coconet slope protection, improvement of services roads, etc.

NIA Corporate Planning Services acting manager Rogelia dela Torre noted that the agency, last year, apportioned an estimated amount of P24.13 million for the said program.

“Included in this program are both locally funded and foreign assisted projects,” she added.

PROVINCIAL JAIL TRANSFER MULLED

CULTURAL EXCHANGE. A Korean student explains what he understands of the jeepney, the iconic mode of transport for Filipinos, on Feb. 11 during the student cultural exchange program between Bataan Peninsula State University and Yonsei University of South Korea.

Butch Gunio

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga—The provincial government of Pampanga is looking for 20 to 30 hectares of land in the ancestral domain of the Aetas to be used for the immediate transfer of the crowded provincial jail in the area.

Gov. Lilia Pineda said that the provincial government of Pampanga has started to confer with the leaders of the Aetas for the immediate implementation of the project.

Inmates at the provincial jail have continued to swell with more than 2,000 detainees. Originally, it was built to accommodate at most 1,000 detainees.

Several hectares of vacant but productive lands are available in Floridablanca and Porac where majority of Aeta communities have settled. Most of them are currently engaged in small scale farming.

According to the governor, they need several hectares of land so that the prisoners will become productive while serving their sentences.

“Detainees could engage in farming and related livelihood activities so that

they can at least produce and provide for their additional sustenance and eventually become more productive to even help their families,” the lady governor said.

Pineda said 80 present of the prisoners facing drug-related cases remain idle while waiting for the resolution of their respective cases.

Meanwhile, the government spends at least P2 million a month.

Aside from transferring the overcrowded provincial jail, the provincial government is also planning to construct mental health hospital designed for the mentally ill patients of Pampanga.

The hospital will be funded by the Department of Health with free medicines. Dr. Antonio Rivera, provincial health officer, said that the hospital will also be staffed with qualify doctors and nurses for mentally ill patients of the province.

The construction of the hospital was announced during the meeting of the 400 mentally ill patients and governor in Lubao, Rivera added. Romeo Dizon

Gadgets & Games

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

OLX ENUMERATES LAWS TO PROTECT BUYERS Christian Slater

REINVENTING SECURITY WITH HP, WEB SERIES Every so often a few bad apples are out to scam that even the most seasoned buyers and sellers could encounter.

A

S A community that encourages win-win exchanges, OLX does its share to inform and educate consumers so that you get the best experience when buying and selling online.

Online classifieds will always do their best to maintain and promote a safe platform. However, every so often a few bad apples are out to scam that even the most seasoned buyers and sellers could encounter. Here are four laws that can help protect you from online scams: The Cybercrime Prevention Act The Cybercrime Prevention Act covers most online scams. The Cybercrime Prevention Act, also known as the Republic Act 10175, was created to address illegal activities committed that involve Information and Communication Technologies like mobile phones, computers, software, and the Internet.

While the law mostly deals with hacking, identity theft, and data interference, it covers all crimes that are listed and penalized by the Revised Penal Code, which

will be discussed further below, if they are committed through information and communication technologies.

The Cyber Crime Prevention Act increases the penalty for these crimes, making the penalty longer or graver.

The Revised Penal Code Received something of poorer quality or lesser quantity from a seller? Chances are you’ve been swindled. Swindling happens when a seller sends you a product that is of a different quality, quantity, or material from what he promised and what you paid for. Swindling (or estafa), which concerns most online scams is punishable under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code.

Not a lot of people know this but you could also report individuals for theft if they refuse to fulfill their part of the transaction and run off with your money or with a product you had sent them. Theft is definitely against the law and is covered by Article 308 of the Revised Penal Code.

The Consumer Act of the Philippines Any form of dishonesty by a seller before, during, and after a sale is punishable under Republic Act 7394, or the Consumer Act of the Philippines. This would mean that you could be fined or could even go to jail if you convince a buyer to enter into a sale

through acts of concealment, false representation, or fraudulent manipulation.

A simple example of this would be when a seller tells a prospective buyer that a product that is brand new when it is in fact second hand. Ever been duped into buying an expensive designer bag that turned out to be a counterfeit? You could also complain for violation of the Consumer Act of the Philippines.

Republic Act of 10173 Keep in mind that generally, whenever you transact with a seller, he or she can only collect, process and retain your personal information with your consent. This includes your mobile number, email address, or any other personal details you might’ve shared throughout the course of the transaction.

According to the Data Privacy Act of 2012 or Republic Act 10173, personal information collected from you should only be used for the purpose of the sale and cannot be shared with anyone else. As a buyer in OLX, you give your personal information to the seller only to enter in a sale with him. The seller shouldn’t share your contact details to other people for any other purpose. It is illegal for him or her to share your mobile number or email address to other sellers who might want to offer you other services.

NEW FB FEATURES CHALLENGE LINKEDIN

SAN FRANCISCO—Facebook on Wednesday began letting businesses in the US or Canada post jobs and take applications from jobseekers, posing a challenge to Microsoft-owned LinkedIn. The platform’s users will be able to find help-wanted posts at business pages on Facebook or by looking in a new ‘jobs’ bookmark on the leading social network’s mobile application.

“Businesses and people already use Facebook to fill and find jobs, so we’re rolling out new features that allow job posting and application directly on Facebook,” the California-based internet giant said in an online message.

Job postings may appear in news feed streams if companies pay to promote them.

Clicking on an “apply now” button

The platform’s users will be able to find help-wanted posts at business pages on Facebook.

will open an online form already filled out with relevant information from a

person’s Facebook profile, according to the social network.

Applicants will then be able to add, edit, and review forms before submitting them, according to Facebook.

Company representatives managing business pages at Facebook will be able to examine applications and then contact potential candidates using the Messenger text communication service.

Facebook said it tested the new tools in the US and will be rolling them out more broadly here and in Canada in coming weeks.

Microsoft recently reported a rise in profits over the past quarter, showing gains in cloud computing and other new areas of focus as it absorbed the LinkedIn social network. AFP

HP Inc. recently introduced the first of a series of global initiatives to elevate awareness of the security risks facing businesses and consumers.

It kicks off with award-winning actor Christian Slater and the premiere of the newly launched HP Studios’ web series, The Wolf, highlighting how corporate networks can be hacked and what companies must do to protect themselves. Watch and share the trailer and web series at www.hp.com/TheWolf.

In the series, Slater systematically hacks a company—from the mailroom to the boardroom—through overlooked vulnerabilities and poorly secured printers and PCs. This first installment reinforces that security is no longer just the responsibility of the network or is something at the perimeter, but a concern for everyone.

“As the universe of connected devices grows exponentially, so does the sophistication and magnitude of cyber attacks. Securing devices, data and identities is an imperative in driving continued confidence in technology and with whom and with what we choose to connect,” said Pallasena V. Viswanath, HP Philippines Managing Director. “HP is leading from the front to continually make meaningful progress in securing the future of computing, and The Wolf is a creative way to raise awareness of this growing challenge for companies.”

“Christian Slater’s ability to play a charmingly sinister hacker, combined with his popularity in the cybersecurity world, make him the perfect partner to expose security issues that leave businesses vulnerable to attacks. Stay tuned for how The Wolf story evolves and helps turn threat and vulnerability into HP Secure,” said Viswanath.

The Wolf is directed by BAFTA and Emmy nominee Lance Acord and edited by Academy Award winner Kirk Baxter.

“Hacking is a serious and growing problem for businesses and consumers. When HP asked me to partner on this series, I thought it was a great opportunity to help educate the public about how to better protect against cyber attacks,” said Christian Slater.

Over the coming months HP will be elevating its commitment to reinvent security through a broad range of partnerships, events and product innovations for the most secure devices[i], solutions and technologies.

For more information about HP Secure, visit www.hp.com/go/reinventsecurity

SAMSUNG'S NEW QLED IS 1ST 100% COLOR-VOLUME VERIFIED TV SAMSUNG Electronics announced that its 2017 QLED TV, first unveiled at CES 2017, has received verification from world-class testing and certification association, Verband Deutscher Elektrotechniker, for its ability to produce 100 percent color volume.

VDE provided verification for Samsung’s QLED TV based on the organization’s expertise in color volume testing. The verification is a mark of the QLED TV’s ability to provide a consistently high quality picture to viewers.

Color volume, which is the exacting standard of color expression, measures two elements of the TV with three-dimensional space – the color gamut and the brightness level. The color gamut looks at the largest amount of colors that can be displayed physi-

cally. The peak brightness represents the display’s maximum brightness level. The larger the color gamut and the higher the brightness, the bigger the color volume of the TV. The QLED TV’s expanded color volume results in more realistic, accurate and vibrant HDR images as the director or content producer intended, in both bright and dark scenes.

‘100 percent color volume’ presents color that can be expressed regardless of the different levels of brightness. For example, a leaf can be perceived as different colors, from yellowish green to turquoise, depending on the brightness of the light. The Samsung QLED TV can capture even the subtlest differences in color pertaining to brightness —something that is not easily depicted in

The ‘100 percent color volume’ verification awarded to Samsung’s QLED TV signifies the excellence of the product.

traditional 2D color space—thus deliver the most true HDR picture quality as the director intended.

Generally, a TV’s color-rendering capabilities diminish as brightness levels go up, leading to color distortion on-screen. The Samsung QLED TV overcomes the trade-off between brightness level and color. With a peak brightness of 1,500 to 2,000nit, the QLED TV can express 100 percent color volume—a TV industry first.

Samsung’s QLED TV uses a new metal Quantum Dot material—making it possible for the TV to express a significantly improved range of color and peak brightness with much greater detail compared to conventional TVs. The new Quantum dots also allow the Samsung QLED TV to express deep blacks regardless of

how light or dark the scene is, or whether the content is played in a brightly lit or dark room. Best of all, QLED delivers this level of performance no matter where the viewer is sitting, offering consistent color and quality from any viewing angle.

“The ‘100 percent color volume’ verification awarded to Samsung’s QLED TV signifies the excellence of our product and its revolutionary picture quality.

As the global TV market leader for 11 consecutive years, we are thrilled to be leading the TV industry into a world of Quantum dot-powered displays featuring the best available picture quality,” said JongHee Han, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets & Games

NOKIA TO RELAUNCH THE INDESTRUCTIBLE 3310

Nokia is said to be bringing back an iconic, well-loved phone of the last decade, the 3310, which some tech enthusiasts dub as the greatest phone of all time. It was so sturdy, that it produced several memes (right) attesting to its well-built nature.

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OKIA, once the world’s top mobile phone maker, is not only making a comeback on the smartphone market in the first half of 2017.

According to rumors, it is also bringing back an iconic, well-loved phone of the last decade, the 3310, which some tech enthusiasts dub as the greatest phone of all time.

Originally released in 2000, the 3310 boasted of an insane battery life in a nearly indestructible body—features which its fans expect will still be there when it is relaunched this year.

And yes, the game Snake installed in the previous 3310, which was so well-loved that it’s currently available for iPhone, Android and Windows phone users to download, is expected to be there in the new version.

Phones made under the Nokia brand are now sold by HMD Global, a Finnish company that bought the rights to the name. The Nokia 3310 is 17 years old in 2017, and rumor has it HMD Global (the company that owns the Nokia brand) is set to re-release the phone at the Mobile World Congress conference before the end of the month.

The 3310 is an improved version of Nokia’s earlier hit, the 3210, with the former boasting of all the features of the latter, but in a smaller frame, not to mention improvements to the internals and software.

Due to its sturdy built, the 3310

is dubbed as the most resilient phone in history, selling 126 million units since being introduced to the market in September of 2000.

But in today’s world, who will buy an old model that had limited features?

Experts say there is a market for such, like those in the field often and therefore need a long battery life for their phones, or old people who don’t want to complicate their lives.

The same experts say that for the Nokia 3310 to be relevant in the new millennium, it must update its basic features to be truly relevant these days, like internet capability and a good camera.

Nokia is also set to launch two new Android 7.0 Nougat devices, a mid-ranger and a

premium, flagship handset.

The still unnamed devices, especially the flagship one, have piqued the interest of geeks as they compete head to head with Samsung’s premium Galaxy S8 and even the iPhone 7.

The phones may feature 5.2inch and 5.5-inch QHD screens, along with fingerprint scanner, camera innovations, split-screen modes, enhanced notifications and improved gaming due to the support for the Vulkan API. The phones also hint at 3D touch technology, with elements of touch and hover interaction.

The still unnamed devices, especially the flagship one, have piqued the interest of geeks as they compete head to head with Samsung’s premium Galaxy S8 and even the iPhone 7. With AFP

PRINT MORE FOR LESS WITH HP ORIG TONER IN ANY business, operations’ cost is always a priority. For computer shops, creative and design studios, financial companies, healthcare providers, and other enterprises that need high-impact or high-volume output, HP LaserJet printers are the perfect choice.

With its HP Original Toner, HP LaserJet printers minimize cost and provide savings while delivering superior-quality outputs. Businesses can create an impact on their clients with brilliant prints where every design detail shines courtesy of more than 1.5 trillion toner particles that are 1/12 the thickness of human hair.

HP engineers have also built the toner particles to melt faster so businesses can quickly print full-color presentations and volumes of reports for their clients’ needs.

By using HP Original Toners that are guaranteed to work the first time, every time, small- and medium-size business owners are assured of dependable reliability that enables them to avoid reprinting costs, printer downtime, work disruption, and profit loss. Using HP Original Toners also positively impact on the environment as cartridges are immediately recycled at no additional cost.

Reinvent the impact of your business and

ensure its growth and success with HP’s lowcost and highly-efficient printing technology.

Go to the nearest HP reseller to get your own HP LaserJet printers and HP Original Toner to take your business to new heights!

HP Original Toner comes in standard cartridge for reliable results, high-yield cartridge for mid to high volume printing and dual pack for highvolume printing.

To know more about how you can grow your business by reinventing impact through costeffective prints, visit HP’s official website http:// www8.hp.com/ph/en/cartridge/toner.html

GOOGLE ADDS VOICE-ACTIVATED SHOPPING AS IT TAKES ON AMAZON WASHINGTON—Google announced Thursday it was launching voice-activated shopping from its artificial intelligence-powered Home speaker, in a direct challenge to Amazon’s Alexa devices.

Users can simply tell the speaker to order items— diapers, paper towels, or trash bags, for example, and get delivery from any of dozens of participating retailers.

“If picking up paper towels or stocking up

on coffee is on your list, consider it done,” said Google Assistant product manager David Wang in a statement.

“To help you keep up with your busy schedule and shop for the things you need, we’re introducing shopping with your Google Assistant on Google Home.”

The service ties in with tech giant’s delivery arm Google Express, whose US retailers include Costco, Whole Foods Market, Walgreens, PetSmart, Bed

Bath & Beyond.

Consumers can add payment information to their accounts to enable voice-activated shopping, which is a feature on Amazon’s devices powered by the digital assistant called Alexa.

Wang said: “Today is just the beginning of what’s possible for shopping with the Google Assistant. Over the coming months, we’ll continue to add new features and enable purchases for other apps and service.”

This file photo taken on September 1, 2015 shows the Google logo at the Google headquarters in Mountain View, California. Google announced that it was launching voiceactivated shopping from its artificial intelligence-powered Home speaker, in a direct challenge to Amazon's Alexa devices.AFP

AMD UNVEILS VEGA AMD unveiled preliminary details of its forthcoming GPU architecture, Vega.

Conceived and executed over 5 years, Vega architecture enables new possibilities in PC gaming, professional design and machine intelligence that traditional GPU architectures have not been able to address effectively.

Data-intensive workloads are becoming the new normal, and the parallel nature of the GPU lends itself ideally to tackling them. However, processing these huge new datasets requires fast access to massive amounts of memory. The Vega architecture’s revolutionary memory subsystem enables GPUs to address very large data sets spread across a mix of memory types. The high-bandwidth cache controller in Vega-based GPUs can access on-package cache and off-package memories in a flexible, programmable fashion using finegrained data movement.

“It is incredible to see GPUs being used to solve gigabyte-scale data problems in gaming to exabytescale data problems in machine intelligence. We designed the Vega architecture to build on this ability, with the flexibility to address the extraordinary breadth of problems GPUs will be solving not only today but also five years from now. Our high-bandwidth cache is a pivotal disruption that has the potential to impact the whole GPU market,” said Raja Koduri, senior vice president and chief architect, Radeon Technologies Group, AMD. Highlights of the Vega GPU architecture’s advancements include: • The world’s most advanced GPU memory architecture: The Vega architecture enables a new memory hierarchy for GPUs. This radical new approach comes in the form of a new high-bandwidth cache and its controller. The cache features leading-edge HBM2 technology which is capable of transferring terabytes of data every second, doubling the bandwidth-per-pin over the previous generation HBM technology. HBM2 also enables much greater capacity at less than half the footprint of GDDR5 memory. Vega architecture is optimized for streaming very large datasets and can work with a variety of memory types with up to 512TB of virtual address space.

• Next-generation geometry pipeline: Today’s games and professional applications make use of incredibly complex geometry enabled by the extraordinary increase in the resolutions of data acquisition devices. The hundreds of millions of polygons in any given frame have meshes so dense that there are often many polygons being rendered per pixel. Vega’s next-generation geometry pipeline enables the programmer to extract incredible efficiency in processing this complex geometry, while also delivering more than 200% of the throughput-per-clock over previous Radeon architectures.[i] It also features improved load-balancing with an intelligent workload distributor to deliver consistent performance.

• Next-generation compute engine: At the core of the Vega architecture is a new, next-generation compute engine built on flexible compute units that can natively process 8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit or 64-bit operations in each clock cycle.[ii] These compute units are optimized to attain significantly higher frequencies than previous generations and their support of variable datatypes makes the architecture highly versatile across workloads.

• Advanced pixel engine: The new Vega pixel engine employs a Draw Stream Binning Rasterizer, designed to improve performance and power efficiency. It allows for “fetch once, shade once” of pixels through the use of a smart on-chip bin cache and early culling of pixels invisible in a final scene. Vega’s pixel engine is now a client of the onboard L2 cache, enabling considerable overhead reduction for graphics workloads which perform frequent read-after-write operations.

GPU products based on the Vega architecture are expected to ship in the first half of 2017.

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor

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Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

TIPS FOR YOUNG TRAVELERS

NON-TACKY WAYS TO DRESS LIKE A COUPLE

COUPLE dressing is not for everyone; for some it’s a thoughtful way to show your love to your beloved, others find it tacky and rather unnecessary.

But we all have to agree that it’s a nice gesture to show that you and your special someone share the same knack of style—that, aside from telling people around that you guys are together (although we here at Young Life believe you don’t need matching outfits to prove that).

Instead we suggest this caveat: opt for coordinated outfits, not identical. Sometimes, a cool pair of matching shoes is all you need to pull your style together. With this, you can dress up with zero cheesiness and without losing your personal touch on your respective OOTDs.

By Bernadette Lunas

T

ECHNOLOGY and cheap airline ticket prices have opened the world to more people who want to discover every corner of it. What was once considered a luxury only the well off or those who have ample savings can afford, traveling is now possible even to college students.

According to Forbes, millennials now comprise 20 percent of world’s travelers; this number is expected to grow every year. It’s unsurprising really, that this on-the-go, open-mind open-minded generation wants to see what’s out there; seasoned travel travelers agree that this endeavor opens one’s eyes to the world.

And thanks to backpacking, among other cheaper alternatives, more and more young explorers are able to see what’s outside of their home.

But for those who remain reluctant on embarking on that adventure, either a short trip or a long one, and those consid consider themselves a newbie on this front, here are a few tips from young travelers who have already been to different places.

Pack light and keep your stuff safe

Lee Abbamonte Abbamonte, the youngest American to visit every country in the world, told The Boston Globe to “pack half the clothes and twice the money you think you need.” To do this, when packing, lay every piece of clothing you are planning to bring, and put half of them in your bag, leave the rest.

Traveling with less baggage means less money spent on checked luggage and less risk of anything important being stolen. Multiple heavy bags could also weigh you down as you go to your next destination. Choose a sturdy and secure bag that will carry your things and protect them from being loss or stolen.

Australian travel gear brand Pacsafe (www.pacsafe.com) offers a line of long-haul travel bags and carry-on gear containers for world wanderers who want to keep their belongings in check.

Each Pacsafe item is engineered with advanced anti-theft mechanisms: eXomesh, a protector made from flexible stainless steel mesh that forms an impenetrable barricade; slashguards, which resist sharp punctures; RFID-blocking technology; anchor straps and cables to hook bags on any stationary fixture; and a variety of locks and zippers.

Travelers can choose from VentureSafe, SlingSafe or CitySafe series of backpacks, sling bags and tote bags.

Color coordinate

Wearing colors in the same family—think grays and blacks for instance—instead of the same shade will keep you from going overboard with your couple OOTD. (On Her: Pony City Wings Low White for Women; On Him: Pony City Wings Low White for Men)

Be a local, not a tourist

Scan this icon to view the PDF

If you truly want to absorb the culture of the place you’re in, follow the mantra “live Turn to E2

EXPLORE THE WORLD. More and more young travelers are The SlingSafe LX300 backpack is perfect for young city adventurers who want to keep their stuff safe

discovering places outside their homes, but before you venture out, know these basic but important things to make your trip safe and hassle-free.

Opt for white

Not white clothes, but white sneakers. In this case, you and your partner can match any casual wear with classic white Turn to E2

BREAST CANCER SURVIVORS HIT THE CATWALK SIXTEEN women didn’t need to wear bold makeup or a smize to look “fierce” as they walked the New York Fashion Week runway, because they already proved they are a strong figure after surviving breast cancer.

History has been made at the premier catwalk last week, when lingerie brand AnaOno Intimates tapped breast cancer survivors to inspire women who have won or still battling the diseases, and raise funds for charity.

AnaOno is founded for breast cancer survivors and those who are in post-mastectomy by breast cancer survivor Dana Donofree; she started designing underwear for them after realizing that traditional lingerie no longer fit-

ted. Donofree had a double mastectomy after being diagnosed at age 27.

In an interview with Reuters, Donofree said, “It is a very important moment for them to get out there and experience something like this because breast cancer has taken over their bodies.”

She herself had to rebuild her self-esteem and confidence by getting a mastectomy tattoo, talking to other women about life after treatment, and trying on her first bra prototype.

Women of various shapes, being the champion that they are, confidently showed their scars to the audience. Nearly half of the mod-

els, according to Donofree, had metastatic or advanced breast cancer.

A research revealed that in the US, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. While here in the Philippines, this problem is close to our hearts as our country is said to have the highest incidence rate in Asia; one in every 13 Filipino women are expected to develop breast cancer.

But Donofree is firm on her quest to empower breast cancer survivors and sufferers.

“We want to show that whether you have been diagnosed with breast cancer or have a genetic marker, have breasts or have none, Turn to E2

Models wearing alternative lingerie for breast cancer sufferers and survivors walked the runway of New York Fashion Week

Young Life

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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Chloe's letter to 'Google Boss' Sundar Pichai

YOUNG GIRL’S LETTER TO GOOGLE

GETS REPLY FROM CEO

CHLOE Bridgewater, 7, wants to work in a company where she can sit on bean bags and ride go karts, so she wrote a letter to “Google boss” expressing her interest to be a Google employee one day.

In her letter, the young girl from Hereford, England, noted her computer skills and her fascination with a game on her tablet where she has “to move a robot up and down squares.”

She also shared her other dreams, which are to work in a chocolate factory and be an Olympic swimmer.

According to reports, Chloe was inspired to write the letter after seeing images of Google offices. Google is known as a company with unconventional work setting and various employee perks.

But surprise came when “Google boss” himself, Google chief executive officer Sundar Pichai replied to Chloe’s handwritten letter—the second she sent after her first letter to “Father Christmas.”

The CEO of the largest technology company thanked Chloe for expressing her interest in working at Google and told the young girl that “if you keep working hard and following your dreams, you can accomplish everything you set your mind to.”

Chloe’s father, Andy, shared on his LinkedIn profile the letter signed by Pichai and the one Chloe sent.

“Can’t thank such a busy person enough to take time out to make a little girl’s dream become one step closer, although not sure she’s fully aware that it’ll take more than riding go karts and sleeping in pods to make it to Google!” wrote Andy.

The elated father explained that writing the letter was a confidence booster for Chloe who had been knowcked down by a car a couple of years ago.

“She is now even more eager to do well at school and work for Google,” he said.

Chloe Bridgewater with her father Andy

NON-TACKY...

From E1 shoes. Should you prefer to try something different, go for utilitarian style outfits.

(On Her: Pony City Wings Low White for Women; On Him: Pony City Wings Low White for Men)

Back to black

You don’t need to don all-black outfits—although, if that’s what you want, then by all means—but wear color coordinated clothes and completing the ensemble with an all-black lace-up pair for an effortlessly edgy look.

Go bold

A part of your ensemble could create a whole lot of difference. Punch up your street style wih a bright-colored sneaker in an iconic silhouette.

The aforementioned shoes are available at pony.com.ph

FIL-AM SNAPCHAT CO-FOUNDER IS FOURTH YOUNGEST BILLIONAIRE IN US

W

HILE many twentysomethings are burning their money on travel and gadgets, FilipinoAmerican entrepreneur Bobby Murphy is busy growing his billion-dollar empire that brought to us the mobile app Snapchat.

At 28, Murphy is currently the fourth youngest billionaire in the United States with estimated net worth of $4 billion, according to Forbes. The California-based entrepreneur co-founded Snap Inc. along with Evan Spiegel—second youngest billionaire in US—and Reggie Brown. Murphy sits as the company’s Chief Technology Officer.

He’s also ranked 11th in Forbes’s America’s Richest Entrepreneurs Under 40 in 2016, together with Spiegel and a star-studded lot, including Kobe Bryant, Floyd Mayweather, Beyonce Knowles, and Jessica Alba.

Robert Cornelius Murphy was born on July 19, 1988 to mother Rosie Go-Murphy, a Filipino state government employee who migrated to the United States in the early ‘80s, and Richard Cornelius Murphy Jr., also a government employee. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematical and Computational Science at Stanford University in 2010, where he met Spiegel.

After working on a now defunct startup called Future Freshman, a website that helped high school kids get advice and help when applying in colleges, the two worked together on creating a disappearingimage messaging app called Picaboo, which later became Snapchat in September 2011.

In an interview with Forbes in 2014, Murphy said, “We weren’t cool (in college), so we tried to build things to be cool.”

The idea of a temporary image messaging application was previously balked at when Spiegel introduced it in class. But with the help of Murphy, who wrote the source code for the application, Snapchat has become a popular app among millennials, with over 156 million users worldwide as of 2016.

Snapchat is primarily used for creating multimedia messages referred to as “snaps,” which vary from photos, videos, drawings and text messages. Users can send these snaps to selected recipients or post them as “Story,” and will only exist for a limited time depending on the sender.

“Evan and I got started (on) Snapchat in the summer of 2011. We wanted to create a way that would enable that to be a means of communication, rather than a piece of content around which communication actually happens,” Murphy explained during a Google Cloud Platform Live session in 2014.

Murphy and Spiegel are expected to earn more as they are planning a potential $25 billion IPO for Snap Inc., wherein they would own around 45 percent of the total stock, The Wall Street Journal reported.

They have also recently launched the company’s first hardware product, Spectacles, which are wearable smart glasses that can capture videos and photos and be sent to the user’s Snapchat account.

Despite the success of their consumer technology business, Murphy continues to maintain a low profile. He’s currently residing in Venice, California, where he bought a $2.1-million two-bedroom house.

TIPS...

From E1

MILLENNIAL BILLIONAIRE. Fil-Am Bobby Murphy, the co-founder of mobile app Snapchat, is the fourth youngest billionaire in the US, with an estimated net worth of $4 billion.

get a cab anytime (Uber) or notify your loved ones when you’re in an unsafe situation (bSafe).

like a local.” Eat where they eat, go where they go and try things you see them doing. This way, you could also avoid tourist trap activities, which are usually more expensive and time-consuming.

Living like a local also means not looking like a tourist. It’s best to dress inconspicuously and don what locals generally wear in order to blend in. Not only does it help in keeping dangerous predators from taking advantage of you, but also ensure that you are not disrespecting any tradition—for instance, wearing hijabs in much of the Middle East is necessary, so as wearing outfits that don’t show your arms and knees when entering most churches and temples.

Get travel insurance

Getting travel insurance when you’re already stretching your budget as much as possible can be oxymoronic, but it’s not. Set aside money to get yourself insured when traveling, as this could help in many different unfortunate but inevitable scenarios, such as losing your luggage and your flight being canceled, among others.

In addition to travel insurance, be cautious and download safety apps, especially when traveling solo.

There are a couple of apps available that can help you

Go for cheaper options

Opt for Airbnb over checking in a hotel, especially when you will be spending much of your time exploring outside. Some Airbnbs even offer an entire house for you to rent, meaning you can cook your own food should you prefer.

Walk or bike instead of taking a cab or renting a car.

Aside from seeing your surroundings up close, you could also squeeze in exercise while you’re at it. But if you’re going to farther destinations, take the bus or train instead.

Skip guided tours if it’s possible to go to a location on your own. With this, you’re not only saving money, but also saving time. Do a thorough research, build an itinerary, and just be open-minded especially when there’s a detour on your way.

BREAST...

From E1

have visible scarring or even tattoos in place of nipples, it doesn’t matter. You are still empowered, strong and sexy!”

Donofree said in a press release shared with People.

Donofree partnered with Cancerland, an outreach and advocacy charity in the US, to create the runway show. All proceeds went to the organization to help breast cancer patients.

Don’t be afraid

Lastly, don’t be afraid. If you want to do it and you have enough money, do it. It’s the best time to explore the world while you still have the strength and fewer responsibilities. Abbamonte said, “You can learn more in one year of traveling than in 18 years of school,” so, go and learn about your world and yourself.

Just always be safe and responsible.

AnaOno tapped breast cancer survivors and sufferers for a fashion show to inspire women

Showbiz

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017

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ANGEL AND MARIAN’S IMAGINED RIVALRY

By Nickie Wang

F

OR the first time, Angel Locsin and Marian Rivera have agreed to share the cover of a fashion magazine, which squashed all rumors made up by their warring fans that the two detest working together.

On Thursday, Mega Magazine released a photo of the first joint magazine cover of the two actresses to mark its 25th anniversary.

Fans couldn’t resist asking who’s prettier and who nailed the photo shoot.

This is not the first time that the two were pitted against each other. In 2013, they both appeared in one frame for Rogue Magazine.

Although they shared the cover with Anne Curtis, Judy Ann Santos, and Charlene Gonzalez, in the inside pages, the two had pictures together.

Fans have created a r i v a l r y between Angel and Marian, which both

actresses claim to be false. They have worked together and gotten along well and are actually good friends. Many witnessed how they exchange comments on Instagram especially when they first shared a caricature of them as the iconic comics character Darna.

The supposed rivalry between the Angel Locsin and Marian Rivera has gone a long way. Since the rise of the latter as GMA Network’s primetime queen, fans have become too obsessed pitting the two against each other.

In 2007, Angel stirred controversy when she rejected to play the title role in GMA-7’s remake of the Mexican hit series, Marimar. She made headlines with her unexpected transfer to ABS-CBN after five years as a Kapuso. That big move became an opportunity for Marian, who was just playing bit roles in afternoon soaps back then. She was tapped to portray the role Angel rejected and turned out to be the perfect star to play Marimar in the local TV version.

In 2009, Marian went on to star as Darna in the TV series produced by GMA-7 four years after Angel gave life to Mars Ravelo’s most popular komiks creation. Since then, ABSCBN and GMA-7 have learned to play the game that involved both actresses, most of the programs that starred them were scheduled on the same timeslots creating more conflict between two warring fan groups.

The truth is, the two stars are in good terms.

It’s just their fans that aren’t.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Sunday, February 19, 2017

ACROSS 1 Smart guy?

6 Antarctic sea 10 Bankrolls 15 Rogue 20 Curriculum — 21 Kentucky college 22 Legislate 23 Desert wanderer 24 Cow stomachs 25 Best possible 26 More than once 27 Liszt opus 28 Teutonic war god 29 Transmission parts 30 Railroad bridge?

32 Kept pestering 34 Winning 36 Wyo. clock setting 37 Portuguese lady 40 Focus 41 Dada artist 42 Old G.I.’s group 44 Runner Zatopek 48 Afore 49 Average grade 50 Furtive whisper 53 Deafening 55 Make the most of 56 Baffling thing 58 Woods insect 59 Look high and low 61 Watering places 63 Struck out 64 Perfect, at NASA 65 “Jeopardy!” ans.

66 Farming majors 67 Sang heartily 69 Heat and spice wine 70 TV sleuth Peter — 71 Foul callers 74 “Maggie —” (Rod Stewart) 75 Acupressure in Japan 78 Early theologian 81 — — few rounds 82 Wild flower, maybe 83 Morticia’s cousin 84 Like a bow string 86 Chou En- — 87 Kind of skier 89 Eccentricity 93 HBO alternative 94 Londoner’s spare 95 Columnist — Bombeck 96 NOW and WHO 97 Looking secretly 100 Wings it (hyph.)

102 Veer off-course 103 Nine-headed monster 104 Quilt filler 108 Emperor after Nero 109 Nursery rhymes 110 Late spring flower 111 Prior to 112 One, to Conchita

113 115 116 117 118 120 121 123 124 125 127 129 131 136 138 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153

‘Vette rival (hyph.)

Hiss Queen’s last letter — Maria AC supply I-70 Baseball stat Avg. size Yell insults Battery size Matted wools Archimedes’ shout No reason (2 wds.)

Calliope’s sister Like tweed Socrates’ forte Burning issue?

Stray calf Toughen up Grounds Left or magnetic — Improve upon Muscle fibers Spills over Loosens, as a grip Not any Overexcited

DOWN 1 Say frankly 2 Prom rental 3 Oregon, to Yves 4 Greenish melon 5 Actor Reeves 6 Cash in, as coupons 7 Daphne or Echo 8 Char a steak 9 Zesty dip 10 Shackle 11 Open 12 River nymph 13 Cato’s 701 14 Light machine gun 15 Troublesome joints 16 Jot down 17 China/Russia divider 18 — mecum (manual) 19 Fulda feeder 21 Important thing 31 Autobahn autos 33 Earth goddess 35 Pillbox or bowler 37 Legal paper 38 Sarah — Jewett 39 Simon or Diamond 42 You, to Yves 43 Flat-needled tree 45 Thoughtfully 46 Um-hmm (2 wds.)

47 Reduced 49 USN rank 50 Peak discoverer 51 Lots and lots 52 Aurora locale 53 Year-end airs 54 Healthy lunch

57 58 59 60 62 64 66 68 69 71 72 73 76 77 79 80 82 85 88 90 91 92 94 98 99 100 101 102 103

Figures out El Greco’s city Hunkers down Kind of film Hindu god of fire Wings to a zoologist Sugar cane rodent Bulova rivals Plant parasites Gross!

Low Femura neighbors Door parts Comes out with Hearing aid?

Never, to Wolfgang Aussie marsupial “Puppy Love” singer Tiny drop Allotted Something to beat “Heidi” author Nine-to-fiver’s cry Fix a manuscript Must-have Chills and fever Boone, informally Holding a grudge Streetwise

105 106 107 109 111 114 115 116 119 121 122 123 124 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 137 139 140 141

Act like grandma Buffalo’s lake “— Window” Quarry A.D. coiner Bonny hillside Plop down — in on Herb for kitty Repair a pump Mixes it up Rebellion Perky Yawning gulf Circuit breakers Family car More than willing Potato nosh Triangular sails Mountains between Europe and Asia Just OK (hyph.)

Sidewalk — Prima donna’s tune Canning tomato Impolite sound Camembert’s cousin Two semesters

RK Bagatsing is the new hunk on the block

THE

OTHER LEADING MAN THE television series Wildflower is not just about Maja Salvador and her seductive character, which is a scorned woman who wants to take revenge. It’s also about the three men who play pivotal roles in the series.

While people are already familiar with Joseph Marco and Vin Abrenica, they have yet to discover RK Bagatsing, the other leading man in the drama.

In Wildflower, RK plays Arnold Torillo, Diego’s (Joseph) older brother who is groomed to be the family’s next politician. He too will be caught by the charm of the vengeful Ivy (Maja).

RK is the younger brother of actor Raymond Bagatsing.

Starting as a commercial model, RK saw this as a stepping stone for his dream of becoming an actor. He started a career in showbiz starring in a couple of independent movies including Slumber Party (2012), Violator (2014) An Kubo sa Kawayanan (2015) and Apocalypse Child (2015).

On television, he started playing bit roles in The Half Sisters (2014) and Be My Lady (2016) before he landed a starring role in Wildflower.

In a recent interview, he said that he almost gave up on his dream to be an actor. He was rejected so many times and it came a point that he had to sell his car to make both ends meet. But with his determination to improve his craft, he is glad that his hard work if finally paying off.

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Showbiz

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

WHO AMONG LIZA, JANNELLA, JANINE AND NADINE

THE MEN IN

JOLLIBEE ADS YOU’VE seen the commercials that are still making rounds on social media and still getting millions of views. So, it’s about time to meet and get the 411 on these men who gave us “national heartbreak.”

IS YOUR FAVORITE STAR?

By Nickie Wang

I

T WAS a battle of fandoms when Twitter erupted with hashtags and trending topics for Janella Salvador, Janine Gutierrez, Liza Soberano, and Nadine Lustre, who were announced as nominees for the Favorite Filipino Star award at Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards 2017.

Liza Soberano

Janine Gutierrez

Since it is an online popularity contest, it’s quite a challenge to predict on who’s going to win. It’s good to note that these celebrity nominees all have a massive following on social media. Janella, for instance, has the biggest fan base on Twitter with 2 million followers and she’s got 2.9 million fans on Instagram. On Facebook, she has two unofficial fan pages, which have more than 200,000 fans and likers each.

The other half of JaDine is an influential personality on different social media platforms having 3.4 million active followers on Instagram, 1.3 million on the microblogging site, and 1.6 million Facebook fans. Meanwhile, Kapuso star Janine maintains a decent following on Twitter (78,000), Facebook (72,000) and Instagram (318,000).

But if we are going to talk about social media presence and influence, it’s Liza who is the runaway winner. Among the nominees, she is the most popular on Instagram (4.9 million followers) and Facebook (2.9 million fans). On Twitter, she has over 1.5 million active followers.

In 2015, Daniel Padilla was the one who won the Orange Blimp, which earned him a nomination for Favorite Asian Act at the 2015 KCA. Although he lost to Indonesian group JKT48, he did not go home empty-handed because it was him who won the Nickelodeon’s Global Slime Star recognition.

Last year, Kathryn Bernardo, James Reid, Enrique Gil, and Maine Mendoza were vying for the Favorite Pinoy Personality award. Propelled by her online popularity, Maine was the one who took home the coveted iconic blimp.

This year, fans can vote for their Favorite Pinoy Star and in the other categories on the Nickelodeon Asia website or through Twitter

The Best Friend Mark Joseph Tam or simply MJ is the most talked about among the talents featured on the Valentine series of the fast food giant. Playing the martyr “best friend” in the first ad “Vow” he became an overnight sensation after the commercial breaks the Internet.

Tam is a body building titlist and was a champion during the Mutant Bodybuilding Championship in 2014.

The father of one actually ended up marrying his best friend in real life.

Janella Salvador

Nadine Lustre

and Facebook using the special Kids’ Choice Awards hashtag and the hashtag of their favorite nominee.

For the Favorite Pinoy Star category, the hashtag is “#KCAPinoyStar.”

The 2017 Kids’ Choice Awards will be hosted

by John Cena and will be held at the USC’s Galen Center in Los Angeles on March 13. So, who do you think will win and who will you vote for?

The Groom The guy who just had a few second exposure in “Vow” is Matthias Rhoads.

The 5-foot-10 Filipino American vlogger and fitness buff does some side jobs in modeling and acting. He used to work in finance and interested in travelling, cooking, music production, and branding using graphic design.

The former New Yorker was also among the featured men in 2016 edition of Cosmo Bachelors.

LIZQUEN’S ‘MY EX AND WHYS’ A BOX OFFICE HIT

KING OF THE GIL. Enrique Gil is the lead star of "My Ex and Whys," which earned P31.5 million on its opening day.

STAR Cinema’s Valentine offering My Ex and Whys top billed by Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil grossed P31.5 million on its opening day according to the film outfit’s official Instagram account.

The social media post uploaded on Feb. 16 had the caption: “Congratulations Team #MyExandWhys!

The film earned P27 million on its first day of screening! Maraming salamat Kapamilya!” Later in the day, another photo was uploaded with a caption that says: “My Ex and Whys has earned P31.5 million to close the entire day.”

The date movie premiered on Feb. 15 in 250 screens nationwide. It was partly shot in South Korea and is the onscreen couple’s third film together with Everyday I Love You and Just the Way You Are being the first and the second, respectively.

Directed by Cathy Garcia Molina, who also directed the Kapamilya pair’s top rating series Forevermore, the romcom follows the story of a former playboy (Gil) trying to prove to his exgirlfriend (Soberano) that he’s already a changed man.

The nerdy cutie The second ad entitled “Crush” features Enrico Cuenca. In the commercial, he plays the nerdy high school guy who secretly pursues a campus crush by giving her burger sandwiches. A nerd in real life, but dashing nonetheless, he is a graduate student of Film Criticism and Production Management at the California State University.