Manila Standard - 2017 March 07 - Tuesday

VOL. XXXI • NO. 25 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Gina under fire for travel paid for by contractor

By Christine F. Herrera

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NVIRONMENT Secretary Regina Lopez is under fire again, this time for accepting an all-expenses paid travel to Paris sponsored by a private contractor, and for personally benefiting from foreign donations amounting to 260,000 euros or about P13.7 million intended for an environmental project at a public university.

Consumer groups on Monday said part of those funds were diverted to bankroll her Oct. 2, 2016 trip to Paris as Department of Environment and Natural Resources secretary.

“Favoring a foreign entity at the expense of Filipinos and accepting favors from a private contractor are acts of graft and corruption and are prohibited by law.

Gina Lopez may love to travel for free but the freebies are what actually make government officials

DENR Secretary Gina Lopez

beholden to the private contractors, which definitely happened in this case,” said Rodolfo Javellana Jr., president of the United Filipino Consumers and Commuters.

Without any probe, Lopez also immediately exonerated her friend and benefactor French national Jean Philippe Henry, who is now facing qualified theft charges for making the huge withdrawals that benefited Lopez and deprived the students of Urdaneta City Next page

Yasay: I’m not American

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

DFA Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr.

FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. admitted Monday that he was able to acquire US citizenship but said he was not an American because he obtained it illegally.

“Taking my oath does not make me a US citizen if precisely the basis upon which the grant of American citizenship is flawed and is defective… I did not acquire legally American citizenship,” Ya-

say said in an interview with ABS-CBN. When he was questioned about his citizenship during his confirmation hearing in February, Yasay said he did not legally acquire US citizenship.

He admitted that he was granted US citizenship in 1986 but he was later disqualified because he had the “preconceived intent of abandoning his US residency.”

He took an oath of allegiance on Nov. 24, 1986 but returned to the Philippines

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Napoles joins fray, accuses De Lima of extortion

By Maricel V. Cruz PORK barrel queen and detained businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles on Monday accused Senator Leila de Lima of extorting money from her in exchange for not reopening the serious illegal detention case filed against her.

She said no illegal detention took place in 2013.

“It was a mere case of illegal detention as the [Department of Justice] already dismissed the case leveled against me,” Napoles said at the sidelines of her pre-trial Monday for the graft and plunder charges filed against her at the Sandiganbayan.

She said the alleged extortion happened in 2013 when De Lima was Justice secretary.

She did not elaborate on the circumstances behind the alleged extortion including the amount involved, but she said she was sure it was De Lima who was among who tried to ask money from her.

Napoles was convicted of illegally detaining whistleblower Benhur Luy who accused her of trying to prevent him from exposing the pork barrel scam.

The Justice department under De Lima’s tenure dismissed the serious illegal detention case filed against Napoles on June 10, 2013, citing a letter that Luy sent to his parents saying he was not taken against his will.

But the National Bureau of Investigation, which charged Napoles and her brother Reynaldo Next page

NFA chief, deputy liable for graft, says council

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales THE National Food Authority Council will hold food officials liable for making a cash cow out of government-led importations, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio B. Evasco Jr. said Monday.

“I will propose to the [NFA] Council the creation of a special committee to investigate the culprits of this flagrant corruption to the detriment of the country’s food security,” said Evasco who is also ex-officio chairman of the council.

He said there had been a reported connivance between the

Grains Marketing Operations Department of NFA Deputy Administrator Ludovico Jarina and NFA Administrator Jason Aquino.

“It has come to the council’s attention that Jarina and Aquino have been holding closed-door meetings even prior to Aquino’s appointment as NFA administrator,” Evasco said.

He said the council had long been requesting copies of the terms of reference of all international and domestic cargo handlers of government rice importations but to date, the NFA Next page

Drug war resumes: Tokhang ‘reloaded’

By Francisco Tuyay THE police have “reloaded” and are back fighting President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs, Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa said Monday, just over a month after they were withdrawn because of widespread corruption.

Duterte suspended the police crackdown on illegal drugs, which has claimed more than 6,500 lives, after police—whom he described as “rotten to the core”—were ac-

cused of kidnapping and murdering a South Korean businessman in a bid to extort millions of pesos from his wife.

But Dela Rosa said Monday reforms had been implemented to ensure there was no repeat of previous problems.

“The war on drugs is on, and this time it is going to be more extensive, aggressive and well-coordinated, with built-in systems that guarantee full accountability and instill internal discipline Next page

Senators find flaws in witness’ testimony

By Macon Ramos-Araneta A RETIRED police officer who accused President Rodrigo Duterte of heading the Davao Death Squad when he was still a mayor apologized to the Senate Monday, saying he had been forced to lie when he testified under oath in October last year that the vigilante group accused of killing more than 1,000 people did not exist.

Senators at the hearing of the Senate committee on public order and illegal drugs, however, were

skeptical of the new testimony of retired police officer Arthur Lascañas, who recanted his October 2016 testimony before the panel.

At that time, Lascañas contradicted the testimony of self-confessed hitman Edgar Matobato about the existence of DDS, saying it was just media hype.

At the hearing Monday, Lascañas said he was compelled to tell lies and counter Matobato’s testimony because he feared for the life of his loved ones, after SPO4 Next page

Sandigan justice Duterte’s 1st appointee to high court

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday named Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Samuel Martires as his first appointee to the Supreme Court under his presidency.

Martires, the high court’s 175th Associate Justice and newest

member, will fill the post vacated by Justice Jose Perez who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Dec. 14 last year.

“The Chief Justice and the Associate Justices of the Supreme Court welcome the Hon. Samuel R. Martires as the Court’s 175th Next page

BACK ON THE RANGE. Handout photo Monday from the PNP Public Information Office has Director General Ronald dela Rosa (center) speaking during a news conference at Camp Crame, where he says his law enforcement cops have ‘reloaded’ and are back in support of President Rodrigo Duterte’s unprecedented deadly war on drugs, a month after they were withdrawn. AFP

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

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Cabanatuan lass tops 2017 PMA class F

ORT DEL PILAR, Baguio City—As if to underline this year’s celebration of the Women’s Month in March, eight of the top 10 graduating cadets of the Philippine Military Academy this year are females, including the class topnotcher, as they provide inspiration to other females who wish to enter the Academy and prove that they too can shine in the maledominated institution.

The top graduating student is Cadet First Class Rovi Mairel Valino Martinez, a 23-year-old who traces her roots in Flordeliza, Bangad, Cabanatuan City.

Martinez, who leads this year’s female-dominated 167-member

Sanggalang ay Lakas at Buhay na Alay para sa Kalayaan ng Inang Bayan (Salaknib) Class of 2017, is set to receive the coveted Presidential Saber from President Rodrigo R. Duterte during their graduation rites on Sunday,

Drug...

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Gina...

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among all personnel,” Dela Rosa said.

Authorities had originally named the drug war “Double Barrel,” in a reference to a two-pronged strategy of police fighting the drug war on the streets while also focusing on “high value” targets.

“Today we are going to relaunch the war on drugs, we’ve relaunched our project: Double Barrel Reloaded,” Dela Rosa said at a speech at national police headquarters in Manila.

An accompanying police statement announcing the new campaign also named it as “Double Barrel Reloaded.”

Dela Rosa said in the statement there had been a “resurgence” in the drug trade while the police campaign had been suspended.

“It only goes to show that we cannot afford to lower our guard when confronting a vicious enemy. There must be continuity of effort if the desire is to completely eradicate the problem,” he said.

Duterte said in late January he planned to “cleanse” the police force, which has long been regarded as one of the most corrupt institutions in the country, before letting it return to the drug war front lines.

Dela Rosa’s comments on Monday and the accompanying press release referred to specific measures to stop corrupt police officers from being involved in the drug war, rather than structural measures to tackle graft throughout the force.

Duterte won presidential elections last year after promising to eradicate drugs by killing tens of thousands of people.

Since then, police have reported killing more than 2,550 people and nearly 4,000 others have died in unexplained circumstances, according to official figures.

Many Filipinos support the drug war.

But critics have warned of extrajudicial killings and other widespread human rights abuses in the drug war, with Amnesty International saying last month police may be guilty of crimes against humanity.

It accused police of fatally shooting defenseless people, paying assassins to murder addicts and stealing from those they killed.

University in Pangasinan of the donated funds that were secured for them in the first place but never reached them, said Sabrina Simbulan, president and trustee of Ecoglobal Foundation Inc. On Oct. 3 or the day after Lopez and several other DENR officials left for Paris, Henry, who diverted the donated funds for Lopez’s travel, was able to secure a renewable energy service contract, official documents furnished the Manila Standard showed.

Simbulan said she and the EFI board of trustees did not authorize Henry’s withdrawal of funds for Lopez’s trip.

Henry was then chairman of EFI, a company engaged in soliciting donations of used vehicle batteries.

“EFI would then sell the batteries to Ecoglobal Inc. [another Henry company] for P10. EFI would extract the lead from the batteries at its smelting plant in Bulacan,” Simbulan said.

On Nov. 15, 2015, EFI amended its primary purpose to accommodate waste water treatment using bamboo, Simbulan said.

She said the EFI, a Philippine foundation engaged in improving the working and living conditions of Filipinos while protecting the environment, is in partnership with Syndicat Interdepartmental pour L’assainissement de L’agglomeration Parisienne, a French publicly owned company involved in treating waste water of Paris.

The SIAAP, through EFI, had given initial funding for a bamboo waste water treatment project in Urdaneta City University in Pangasinan.

The SIAAP committed to fund the program amounting to 260,000 euros annually in the next four years or a total of 1.04 million euros or P55.12 million.

Simbulan said since Henry was signatory to the bank transactions of the EFI, they were not aware that the SIAAP already sent the donated funding for the university and Henry started making huge withdrawals even without the approval of the board.

Qualified theft charges have been filed against Henry before the Makati court.

When the board ousted Henry on Jan. 11, Simbulan said Lopez protested that the French government and SIAAP would stop funding the

Sandigan...

From A1 Associate Justice and its newest member,” the high court said in a statement.

Martires, who was appointed to the anti-graft court in 2005, wrote the resolution approving a plea bargain deal that allowed former military comptroller Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia to petition for the lesser charge of direct bribery and money laundering instead of plunder. In exchange, Garcia would have to surrender P135.43 million of his assets.

This deal triggered the impeachment move against former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez who eventually resigned before her impeachment trial even began.

In 2011, Martires also wrote a decision dismissing a case against then Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte over the demolition of a park installed by his political rival in 2008.

Duterte has yet to name his choice for the post vacated by Associate Justice Arturo Brion, who reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 on Dec. 29 last year.

In his six-year term, Duterte will get to appoint 12 Supreme Court magistrates to replace retiring justices.

Duterte on Monday completed the sectoral representatives of the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council, with Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry president George Barcelon representing the private sector, Taguig City Mayor Laarni Cayetano representing the Local Government Units, and National Youth Commission Chairwoman Aiza Seguerra representing the Youth.

Senators...

From A1 Sonny Buenaventura ordered him to “deny everything” that Matobato said about the killings in Davao and Duterte’s role.

He said Buenaventura is also one of Duterte’s longtime aides who got direct orders from the President.

“The reason... I made my public confession is… my desire to tell all the truth, not only in pursuit of my spiritual renewal and fear of God. I wanted to clear my conscience.

That’s the reason I approached the Church people. Because of my sincerity… for the sake of truth,” said Lascañas, who has confessed to having killed 200 people on his own.

But some senators cast doubts on Lascañas’ credibility and motivation for retracting his earlier statements.

The chairman of the panel, Senator Panfilo Lacson, questioned Lascañas’ failure to recall the name of his first victim after he told Senator Grace Poe that he personally killed almost 200 people.

At that point, Lacson interjected and expressed disbelief that Lascañas could not recall his first victim and yet he remembered eating noodles while narrating the killing of former soldier Jun Bersabal in 1997.

“You can’t recall the first person you killed but you remembered when Bersabal was killed? It has been a long time, right? But during the killing of Bersabal you remembered the pansit. But you couldn’t even remember the name of the first one you killed,” said Lacson.

Lacson, a former police chief, said

March 12, 2017, at the academy’s Borromeo grounds.

Her father, Mariel P. Martinez, is a barangay councilman in their place while her mother, Ruby V. Martinez, is a businesswoman who still found time to raise Rovi Mairel and two other siblings.

“I was about to quit when I was a sophomore cadet because I was not used to do strenuous exercises which we were required to do daily but I was made to realize that I am still lucky because of the thousands of youngsters wanting to enter the Academy, I was one of the few who was able to enter the premier military school,” Martinez said.

Aside from the Presidential

Saber, Martinez, this year’s cum laude, is also set to be awarded the Philippine Navy Saber, the Academic Group Award, Social Sciences Plaque, Navy Professional Courses Plaque, the JUSMAG Award, Association of Generals and Flag officers (AGFO) Award, Spanish and the Australian Defense Force Awards.

As a young girl, Martinez was told that his father had wanted to become a soldier but failed.

His father’s failure to fulfill his personal dream had instilled in her young mind the thought that given the chance to become a full-pledged military personnel, she will grab the opportunity without any reservation.

Urdaneta University project.

In that meeting, the board replaced Henry with former Health Secretary Jaime Galvez Tan as chairman.

person but a part of the Philippine delegation,” Simbulan said.

“Secondly, on her email last Feb. 3, 2017, apart from emailing me in ungodly time, she made presumptuous expectation that part of my obligation was to please her and in fact demanded [that I call her]. After reading her arrogant email, I felt that I was bullied and should be held accountable for her supreme being feelings,” Simbulan said.

Simbulan said Lopez “failed to live up to the role of secretary of DENR.” “Far from the passionate and unprejudiced body envisioned in the Constitution, the Office of the Secretary of DENR has instead become synonymous with depravity, bribery and graft,” Simbulan said.

Simbulan and Javellana said they would face Lopez whenever needed during her confirmation hearing, as they wanted the public to know their strong opposition against her.

Faced with mounting opposition to her confirmation, Lopez has requested the Commission on Appointments to reset her hearing.

Lopez said she has told Senator Manny Pacquiao that she will be out of the country this month, and that she is requesting the CA to reschedule the hearing from March 8 to May 3. “[It’s] May 3, because I’m leaving the country in March. So if I have it [hearing] on Wednesday and there are 19 oppositors, then it [hearing] might not finish so I asked [Senator] Pacquiao if I can make make it in May,” she said.

She said she will be out of the country to go on a retreat, but did not say where she was going.

Lopez is faced with 19 oppositors, one of which is the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines.

Lopez has set the record for having the most number of oppositors at the CA at 19, CoMP vice president for legal and policy Ronald Recidoro said, adding three other groups would file an opposition.

Earlier, Pacquiao, the CA’s environment and natural resources committee chairman, said Lopez was giving him a “headache.”

He was referring to the oppositions filed with the CA to block Lopez’s confirmation.

He said he had no option but to hear each and every opposition. With Rio N. Araja and Maricel V. Cruz

“Upon my investigation, I also discovered that Ms. Lopez, along with DENR Assistant Secretary Juan Miguel Cuna, her executive assistant Celina-Therese Rotea and Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission officers namely Ramil Tan, Helen Arlene Qulilan, Merliza Bonga had partaken on a trip to Paris last October 2, 2016, which was arranged and funded by EFI. This trip was to meet SIAAP for the Pasig River and several waste-toenergy projects in the Philippines,” Simbulan wrote to stakeholders.

“Likewise, the French Embassy received a letter certifying that those Philippine government officials are invited to France to attend a series of meetings with French government representatives and French public companies. The said tour was on no account approved by EFI Board of Trustees. As the President, I did not approve to shoulder any of disbursements thereof,” Simbulan said.

Simbulan said Lopez did not only castigate her for what befell Henry but also went out of her way to rally all stakeholders behind Henry.

At 12:25 a.m. of Feb. 3, 2017, Simbulan said she received an email from Lopez asking her about her letter to stakeholders.

“She stated that Henry is helping her with renewable energy and the Pasig River. Since Henry is no longer part of EFI, then the French government is not keen to help. She also asserted that she is not pleased at all and wanted me to call her,” Simbulan recounted.

She said Lopez sent out an undated letter to stakeholders assuring them that she had undertaken an investigation and concluded that all allegations against Henry were untrue.

Lopez asserted she had evidence to prove Henry was innocent of the charges. To date, Simbulan said, Lopez has yet to show proof of Henry’s innocence.

Simbulan said Lopez insisted it would be sad if the Pasig River and the renewable energy projects did not push through because of “misguided intentions against Mr. Henry.”

“Based on several activities that Ms. Lopez colluded in has made me question her credibility of leading the DENR. First, the trip to Paris was illegal. She was not invited as a private he wanted to test Lascañas’ credibility as a witness.

Lascañas said he only remembered that as a rookie policeman, he accidentally shot and killed a bystander while pursuing a snatcher.

But Poe did not seem satisfied by the answer and said Lacson had a point about how he should have remembered the name of his first victim.

When Poe asked Lascañas if other DDS members could back his testimony, the former policeman said he was not sure.

Poe said if other witnesses would corroborate Lascañas’ testimony, that would strengthen his allegations, but as of now, nobody has showed up to support his claims.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who filed a resolution calling for a reopening of the hearing, defended Lascañas and told the committee that there were still other witnesses who had volunteered to testify but he could not compromise them.

“I believe in time, everything will just fall into place,” said Trillanes.

But Poe said that in the search for truth, evidence should give value to testimony.

Lacson agreed, saying if Lascañas wanted to hold the President accountable under the law, he should provide evidence beyond his testimony.

“If not, our time might just be wasted because our hearing might not bear anything against the personalities you are tagging,” Lacson told Lascañas.

As chairman of the committee, Lacson said he has grown averse to “flip-flopping statements made under oath,” citing his own experiences with witnesses who testified

against him.

“Thus, characters like Ador Mawanay, Udong Mahusay, Cesar Mancao, to name a few, who changed their sworn statements as if they were changing their socks from white to black, or vice-versa may have influenced my natural aversion to selfcontradictions,” he said.

Senator JV Ejercito also questioned the motives of Lascañas in recanting his testimony in the Senate after four of his business proposals were turned down by known allies of the President.

Ejercito probed Lascañas of his attempts to put up several businesses such as getting a small time lottery (STL) franchise, establishing a customs brokerage, application to operate a van terminal and operations in Davao City, and in supplying a quarry for the proposed 53 kilometer Coastal Road in Toril-Bunawan--all of which Lascañas confirmed were rejected by Duterte’s men after the Oct. 3, 2016 Senate hearing.

“It appears that our witness has hit four strikes after his retirement,” Ejercito said in Filipino. “Not one of the four projects he wanted were approved. Maybe that is why he has revised his statement and is trying to ruin President Duterte.”

Ejercito also twitted Lascañas for turning back only now from Duterte and not immediately after his “spiritual renewal” in September 2015.

He also wanted to ensure that Lascañas and his lawyers from the Free Legal Assistance Group were not being used for any plot to destabilize the government. With John Paolo Bencito, Rey E. Requejo and F. Pearl A. Gajunera

She worked as a student assistant while pursuing her accountancy course at the Cabanatuan-based Araulio University when she saw a poster of the Philippine Military Academy announcing the schedule for the entrance examination of those interested to enter the Academy.

Without hesitation, Martinez applied for the examination and handily passed and was accepted in the premier military school in Asia in 2013.

Of this year’s 67 graduating cadets, 104 are males while 63 are females. A total of 58 males and 32 females are set to join the Philippine Army, 20 males and 13 females will join the Philip-

pine Air Force while 26 males and 18 females will join the Philippine Navy.

Martinez, who opted to join the Navy, advised the youth who want to enter the country’s premier military school to arm themselves with the courage to adjust and persevere to the rigid training for future soldiers and learn to sacrifice to be able to achieve their dream to become military officers.

“I believe my father will be happy with my achievement because I was able to fulfill his dreams. I will treasure this success with him because if not for his prodding, then I will not be a graduate of the Academy,” Martinez said.

27 convicts pardoned, to be released today DEPARTMENT of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said on Monday that 27 convicts are set to receive certificate of conditional and commutation pardon today in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s order granting executive clemency to 127 convicts.

Aguirre said he will distribute the certificates of pardon signed by the President in a simple ceremony to be held early morning today at the New Bilbid Prison in Muntinlupa City.

“This is the first batch; 27 convicts will be given conditional pardon and commutation of pardon. The next batch will be next month and also in May. It will be batch by batch,” Aguirre said in a radio interview.

He added that the agency’s Board of Pardons and Parole would continue to look into recommending more inmates for presidential pardon.

The DoJ secretary also said that he made the recommendations for pardon upon endorsement by the Board of Pardons and Parole after reviewing the eligibility of the inmates on the list.

Earlier, Aguirre said that no

high-profile inmates are among the list, adding that most of those who were recommended for pardon are elderly and sick inmates from the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City, the Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City and other penal colonies operated by the Bureau of Corrections.

He said he could not recall if the list include political prisoners whom the National Democratic Front have asked to be released.

Executive clemency is the power of the President to pardon any prisoner, provided for under Article VII, Section 19 of the Constitution and pertains to reprieve, absolute or conditional pardon with or without parole conditions and commutation of sentence.

Parole, on the other hand, is the conditional release of a prisoner from a correctional institution after he or she has served the minimum of his or her sentence.

The list include 100 inmates recommended for commutation of sentences, 14 for conditional pardon with parole, 18 for conditional pardon without parole and two for absolute pardon. PNA

Yasay:...

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months after, in January 1987, I returned back to the Philippines,” he said.

“And this consolidated the position that I did not legally acquire US citizenship and I returned all of my papers, executed an affidavit, telling the American authorities that I did not qualify and this is my right,” he added.

He said under American law, one is “disqualified for being an American citizenship” if at the time of application or granting, one had the preconceived intent of abandoning his US residency and in fact abandoned his US residency within two years after obtaining that US citizenship.

Yasay insisted that he is a Filipino citizen amid accusations that he violated the Philippine Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003, which says appointed public officials cannot be a citizen of another country.

three months after, in January 1987.

Yasay said he applied for US citizenship after former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. was killed in 1983. He said he never expected that President Ferdinand Marcos would be ousted from his post.

“When the ouster came, my application was already there, and when I came back, and I took my oath, I had the pre-conceived intent already because I just came back from the Philippines and said that I was immediately going back,” he said.

Yasay said he went back to the Philippines right after the Edsa People Power Revolution in February 1986.

“I would not have and I did not acquire legally American citizenship. It is precisely for that reason that three

NFA...

From A1 management had refused to furnish the council with them.

“It creates serious doubt on the part of the NFA Council when some of the NFA’s executives have been insisting on G-to-G procurement despite the lack of a recommendation to import from the National Food Security Committee,” Evasco said.

“We have received a copy of Aquino’s letter to the Vietnam Embassy informing the latter that the Philippine government will open a state-to-state importation this month [March] for its buffer-stock.

That letter was sent to the Vietnam Embassy behind the council’s back,” Evasco said.

“So who is or should I say “are” really earning whenever the NFA undertakes a G-to-G transaction?

The NFA Administrator who merely assumed office last January has the audacity to go behind our back and even deliberately defy the council’s decision?”

Evasco said participating countries were prone to giving in to NFA executives’ request for favors.

Napoles...

From A1 Lim for Luy’s alleged illegal detention, appealed the case before the Justice department.

The department under De Lima granted the motion and the charges were then filed before the Makati

“This arrangement seems to be more prone to what I call “government sanctioned smuggling” since the NFA, through the GMOD, identifies the supplier for rice. Its management appears to “recommend the cargo handler.

“This does not go through the regular procurement process [RA 9184] since cargo handling is considered the supplier’s choice. Hence, the suppliers may be forced to give in to those recommended by NFA to get a quota.

“Alleged rebates are taken from cargo handling, which when overpriced bloats the price of rice to the prejudice of our poor citizens. Thus the NFA can easily get away with the overloading if they also control the cargo handler.”

Evasco earlier said that Aquino was facing serious disciplinary sanctions that could lead to his removal over his repeated defiance of the lawful orders of the NFA Council.

He said Aquino’s willful disregard of the Council’s decision to extend the rice importation under the Minimum Access Volume system was offensive to the country’s food security.

But Aquino said the local farmers’ produce should be given priority over private importation.

Regional Trial Court.

Solicitor General Jose Calida earlier filed a manifestation before the Court of Appeals clearing Napoles of serious illegal detention.

But Calida said his statement did not necessarily mean that the government had entered into a compromise with the Napoles camp.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Lawmaker bats for tax-free overtime

By Maricel V. Cruz

LONG ARM OF THE LAW. Vimbi Flores Avila (center) finally gets tapped and presented Monday to media by NBI chief Ferdinand Lavin. Avila was arrested after introducing himself separately as Peter Laviña and Arturo Tugade, both members of the Duterte Cabinet. In 2012, Avila was also arrested for posing as then Vice President Jejomar Binay.

Norman Cruz

IN BRIEF Oil firms cut petrol prices starting today OIL prices declined by as much as P0.55 per liter starting today to reflect the movement of world oil prices.

Energy Undersecretary Melita Obillo said the oil firms cut pump prices due to “sufficient supply and low demand.”

The oil firms cut gasoline prices by P0.55 per liter, kerosene by P0.20 per liter and diesel

by P0.10 per liter.

Oil companies who implemented the price rollbacks are Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Petron Corp., Seaoil Philippines, Unioil Philippines, PTT Philippines, Eastern Petroleum and Flying V. Other oil companies are expected to follow suit.

Last Feb. 28, the oil firms also rolled back pump prices by P0.40 per liter for gasoline but raised the price of diesel and kerosene prices by P0.35 per liter and P0.30 per liter.

Oil prices have been influenced by the movement of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and other producers like Russia which showed adherence to the terms of the output deal agreed last year.

Oil prices, however, have consistently stayed above $50 per barrel even after the output cut was announced in December due to oversupply concerns.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Customs told: File charges vs smugglers THE Bureau of Customs has been ordered to file charges against persons and companies linked to smuggling of counterfeit cigarettes and apparels worth more than P2 billion.

The BoC received the order after Customs operatives seized over P2 billion worth of smuggled and counterfeit tobacco products, including cigarette brands that contained fake tax stamps, in raids in Pampanga and the cities of General Santos and Zamboanga in Mindanao.

In the letter, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III urged the BoC and the BIR to file appropriate charges against persons involved in the illegal activities in court if the evidence warranted.

“I urge the BIR and BoC to file the charges,” Dominguez said.

He also wants government officials in cahoots with the erring entities included in the charge sheets if they were found to have been involved in these tax evasion bids.

Both the BoC and BIR should speed up their investigations and also look into the possible involvement of bureaucrats acting as protectors of these large-scale tax evasion attempts,” Dominguez said.

Vito Barcelo

Alvarez wants businesses run by churches taxed

By Maricel V. Cruz

S

PEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez on Monday asked President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic managers to reexamine the state policy exempting religious organizations from paying taxes to the government.

Alvarez, secretary-general of the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, said it was about time all business endeavors of religious organizations, especially their educational and media institutions, be taxed.

“Religious schools do not cater for the poor. They are notorious in imposing tuition increases. They are not nonstock, nonprofit, they have profitable businesses. In fact, they are expanding,” Alvarez told the House committee on ways and means hearing on Monday.

The committee, chaired by Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua, con-

ducted the hearing on Malacañang’s comprehensive tax reform package with seven Cabinet secretaries President Rodrigo Duterte led by France Secretary Carlos Dominguez in attendance, asking Congress to support the administration bill.

Dominguez said the tax exemption granted to religious institutions is provided in the Constitution.

Meanwhile, Alvarez said House leaders who would be absent or would abstain from voting for the passage of the Palace-backed death penalty bill on third and final reading on Wednesday would be plucked

out of their posts.

But Alvarez said the House leaders, including deputy speakers whose position does not jibe with that of the House leadership and the administration, may opt to stay with the majority bloc.

“Those who will be absent or abstain will be included,” Alvarez told reporters on Monday, even as he maintained that the House leadership’s policy to sanction its allies who would not toe the line stood.

House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas said the House Bill 4727 would be put to a vote on third and final reading today.

The present 17th Congress is composed of 14 deputy speakers and 67 committee chairpersons belonging to Alvarez’s super majority coalition.

Alvarez also defended the decision of the House leadership to limit to drug-related cases heinous crimes to be punishable by death under the penalty bill that was principal-

ly authored by Alvarez.

“The version we approved was not watered down. We just came up with a version that will be acceptable to all and so we can easily pass since the bill is controversial,” Alvarez said.

Dominguez, responding to Alvarez, said “the general rule is religious institutions are exempted, [the exemption is] in the Constitution, Sir.” This prompted Alvarez to say he would file a bill amending the existing policy on tax exemptions for religious organizations.

“I think it is high time to impose taxes on them,” Alvarez stressed.

Their income from educational institutions, aside from the rentals of spaces, I think those are taxable income,” Alvarez stressed.

Alvarez said the constitutional provision for the religious groups to declare their business ventures as a nonstock and nonprofit organization was “unfair to other schools” not run by the Church.

AN OPPOSITION leader in the House of Representatives Monday pushed for the inclusion of tax-free overtime and night shift differential pay in President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposed comprehensive tax reform package.

“We are convinced that freeing from income taxes all the overtime and graveyard shift wages received by salaried employees would give even more meaning to the President’s strategy to adopt a fairer tax system,” House Deputy Minority Leader and Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said in a letter to Quirino Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua, House ways and means committee chairmam.

The committee has begun deliberations on House Bill 4774, the President’s proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion, which seeks to slash personal income taxes, while raising new revenues to help fund the administration’s 10-point socioeconomic plan for all encompassing growth.

In his letter to Cua, Campos sought the incorporation in HB 4774 of HB 1000, which exempts from income tax the overtime pay earned by a taxpayer; and HB 1002, which also excludes from taxable income the night shift differential pay received by a taxpayer.

Overtime pay refers to the additional 25 to 30 percent compensation received by an employee for labor rendered in excess of the required maximum eight hours a day.

The night shift premium is the additional 10-percent remuneration for work performed between 10 in the evening and six in the morning.

Under the Labor Code, Campos said if the overtime work was inside the graveyard shift, the extra compensation for overtime labor would be first added to the employee’s regular hourly rate before computing the night differential pay.

“Our sense is, whatever revenue is waived on account of the additional exemptions would be recaptured by government anyway, since salaried employees would simply spend the extra take home pay on personal or household consumption that is subject to the 12-percent value added tax,” Campos said.

Du30 okays Natl Broadband Plan Leni camp slammed

By John Paolo Bencito for dilatory tactics PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday approved the establishment of a National Broadband Plan for the country, a senior Cabinet official said.

Following a presentation made by DICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima, Duterte emphasized the need for faster communications in the country, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said.

“President Duterte earlier said he would like DICT ‘to develop a national broadband plan to accelerate the deployment of fiber optics cables and wireless technologies to improve internet speed,’” Piñol said in his Facebook post.

Salalima in an earlier interview said the govern-

ment has earmarked more than P77 billion and P200 billion for the country’s National Broadband Plan, including the setting up of an infrastructure, north to south, for the purpose of serving the needs of both the people and the government in the countryside that would take two to three years to implement.

During his first State of the Nation Address in July, Duterte ordered the newly formed DICT to come up with a plan on how to improve the internet service in the country.

The option includes using 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers of fiber optic cables of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines “running from north to south” to make easier for the government to implement the NBP.

UNDYING DEBATE. Buhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza appears Monday before the Samahang Plaridel

Kapihan sa Manila Hotel, and reiterates his position President Rodrigo Duterte should consider a ‘harsher’ form of lifelong incarceration for heinous crimes convicts instead of the death penalty.

Lino Santos

By Rey E. Requejo THE camp of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos on Monday slammed Vice President Leni Robredo for resorting to dilatory tactics to prevent the immediate resolution of the election protest he filed against the latter.

In an 11-page reply to Robredo’s opposition of his motion to set the case for preliminary conference, Marcos through his counsel George Erwin Garcia stressed the vice president’s objection was “obviously dilatory” because, by law, the Tribunal could have set the same as early as Sept. 9, 2016.

Robredo’s opposition was designed to prevent the truth about the massive cheating conducted in the May 2016 elections from coming out, Marcos lamented.

They lamented that more than five months have lapsed since the filing of the “Answer Ad Cautelam to the Counter-Protest,” the last pleading in this case.

“It thus behooves this Honorable Tribunal to immediately schedule the conduct of the Preliminary Conference in this case as mandated by its own Rules of Procedure. Protestee Robredo’s opposition to the setting of the Preliminary Conference is obviously dilatory in nature. This Honorable Tribunal should not be swayed by her ambiguous and distorted arguments,” the pleading stated.

The Marcos camp branded as “misleading” Robredo’s argument that the PET should resolve first the other pending incidents before it considering that a preliminary conference could be scheduled.

Garcia said “In a long line of decided cases, the Supreme Court has held that in an election protest, different causes of action can proceed independently of each other.

“This is because the sovereign will of the people is the core issue in an election protest.

Thus, the purpose of a Preliminary Conference is precisely to avoid unnecessary delays and speed up the process so that the people’s voice will be heard.”

Garcia said the issues brought up by Robredo regarding the numerous unused SD cards which were found to have data, problems with the diagnostics which led to the shutting down of the servers in the Comelec warehouse in Sta. Rosa, Laguna as well as other procedural matters would be discussed in the Preliminary Conference.

“These matters could be threshed out during the conference in order to achieve a just, inexpensive, orderly and expeditious disposition of the election contest,” Garcia said.

“The conduct of the Preliminary Conference cannot be stifled by the pending incidents in this case,” the lawyer added.

A4

Opinion

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

The foreign secretary

S

EEING no way out of his predicament, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. now says he did own a United States passport. This after insisting, numerous times and one of those times under oath, that he never owned one.

The secretary’s most recent lie was during his own confirmation hearing before the Commission on Appointments. Asked by a lawmaker whether it was true he ever owned a US passport—which the US Code states can only be owned by American citizens—he gave a convoluted answer that ended with “not having informa-

Adelle Chua, Editor

tion about the truth of that allegation.”

He further muddled the truth by saying: “What I am saying is that I do not have any information about that passport at all.”

On a television interview Monday morning, however, Yasay said, and rather dismissively as if to lighten his infraction: “I had an American passport, but that

has already been returned together with my naturalization certificate.”

However, documents showed Mr. Yasay only formally renounced his US citizenship on June 28, 2016, before a consular officer at the US Embassy.

This was two days before President Rodrigo Duterte —who had invited Yasay to become foreign secretary— was sworn into office.

On Monday, Yasay insisted that he did not legally acquire American citizenship. He was granted one in 1986 but was disqualified for a “preconceived intent of abandoning his US resi-

dency.”

“Well... taking my oath does not make me a US citizen if precisely the basis upon which the grant of American citizenship is flawed and is defective,” Yasay said That a foreigner was at all invited to be part of the official family—let alone head a department that was the Philippine’s face before the international community smacks of sloppy staff work by the Duterte’s team.

It is unfortunate Mr. Duterte heeded their counsel in the first place.

But that Yasay accepted the post fully aware of his

impediments, proceeded to perform his job while keeping up his lie—in fact defending it before anybody who dared questioned him —speaks volumes about the man’s character.

It gets better when we recall he used to be part of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and had the gall to seek public office, first as senator and then vice president—all before formally renouncing his US citizenship.

We won’t anymore go to the disagreeable acts Mr. Yasay committed in the months he was Secretary of Foreign Affairs. We take

exception, however, to his cunning use of language to try to skirt fundamental questions. Unfortunately for Mr. Yasay, he tries and fails.

One was either a US citizen or not. One either had a US passport or not. One either had the qualifications to be part of the Executive family or not.

One is a liar or not.

Mr. Duterte’s only logical choice is to fire Yasay.

A confirmation is remote, at this point. And if we are to go by experience, we can assume Mr. Yasay, too, will not have the decency to step down on his own.

Amnesty International’s investigation on EJKs

Let her yak LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES PITY poor Senator Leila de Lima, in jail for drug-related offenses that she and her allies desperately want to turn into a textbook case of political persecution. Now they want to stop her from yakking from her cell, as well.

Seriously, I am against the call to stop De Lima from saying whatever she wants, as some officials in Malacañang have proposed. She’s already been deprived of her liberty— she should be allowed to make whatever increasingly demented statements she’s been making from detention.

After all, absent a court order preventing her from doing so, that is still her right. And I suppose this government, despite all the bad press it’s been get-

ting, still respects human rights.

I honestly don’t know why some people would want to issue a gag order on De Lima. It’s not as if she’s been saying anything new ever since she was thrown into the custodial center of the national police headquarters in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

The handwritten missives that De Lima has been producing from jail have not changed in tone of substance since her incarceration. The esteemed journal writer Arthur Lascañas, whose skills in creative writing are now well known, would certainly not approve of them.

Until now, that is, when Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo has said he will petition to Muntinlupa City court that ordered De Lima arrested to issue an order to stop her from talking. The proposal has certainly given De Lima, who is running out of synonyms for “murderous,” something new to write about.

“I refuse to be gagged,” De Lima wrote on Sunday, after learning of Panelo’s proposal. “[The proposed petition] reinforces my belief that the things being done to me, especially my detention, are primarily aimed

My own belief is that the press will soon tire of De Lima, just as a majority of the population already has. at stifling my criticisms against this murderous [that word again] and vindictive President.”

And De Lima is actually correct this time, unlike when she

engineered the arrest and detention of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo despite the issuance of a restraining order from the Supreme Court. (As an aside, Arroyo, during her five years in prison, was not allowed to talk to the press; that she took this further imposition on her rights with grace and in silence is just another reason why De Lima’s habitual bleating from jail sounds so classless.)

My own belief is that the press will soon tire of De Lima, just as a majority of the population already has. And when the detained senator stops saying anything newsworthy (meaning new and unreported) anymore, the reporters who are now regularly poring over the handwritten notes spirited out of jail will just stop reporting on them.

By way of comparison, the only time you hear about the two other senators who have now served several years in the same detention center as De Lima is when they have a

court date or when they are petitioning a judge for some time outside of their cell. Of course, I think Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Ramon Revilla Jr. deliberately clammed up after their arrest, preferring to let their formal submissions to the Sandiganbayan anti-graft court speak for them.

But I think those two understood better than De Lima that they would be better off not crying regularly that they had been singled out for persecution, even if I believe that they really were. Indeed, any noise they make will really make no difference to the court that is hearing their cases, so they must have decided to devote all their time and energy to pleading their case before the tribunal.

Securing a court order to shut her up only plays into the narrative of victimhood that De Lima wants us so desperately to swallow. The government shouldn’t give her yet another reason to

IN THE next few weeks, I will be writing a series of columns on the war against drugs. I will use as my main basis for these articles two important, well-researched, and superbly documented reports by Amnesty International (“If you are poor you are killed”) and Human Rights Watch (“License to Kill: Philippine police killings in Duterte’s war on drugs).

These are excellent reports prepared and issued by two of the world’s top human rights organizations with sterling and formidable reputations. Governments and international organizations act on their reports and the recommendations put forward in them.

The backdrop is the report is a sad number: to date, more than 7,000 have been executed in the anti-drug war, mostly young men coming from the poor. It is reasonable to expect that this massacre of the poor will continue with the President vowing to extend his campaign until 2022. In fact, after a brief lull resulting from the murder of a Korean businessman in Camp Crame, the Philippine National Police has just resumed its infamous Tokhang campaign.

The victims’ families also had to suffer through police theft and planting of evidence. None of the police perpetrators have been caught and brought before the bar of the law or have been dismissed. The harshest that police scalawags can face is to be ordered to do push-ups or be exiled to terror-stricken Basilan province and await reassignment to better postings at some opportune time when the climes become more favorable.

But most of the time, authorities have turned a blind eye on the killings.

In its report, AI investigated 33 incidents of drug-related killings in 20 different cities and towns, spread primarily across the National Capital Region as well as the provinces of Cebu and Cotabato. In the 33 incidents, of which 20 involved police operations and 13 involved unknown armed persons, 59 total people were killed. AI found that based on corroborating witness statements and other credible information, the vast majority of these killings appear to have been extrajudicial executions—that is, unlawful and deliberate killings carried out by government order or with

Turn to A5

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Opinion TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Prostituting mainstream media THERE is a crazy plan concoct- ernment officials, publicists, ed by some pea-brained func- religious leaders and yes, blogtionaries in the Office of Com- gers are allowed to write in the munications Secretary Martin opinion pages. I am not saying Andanar to include bloggers in this because I am afraid of comthe mainstream media cover- petition. In fact I believe in the ing the President. They can also free market of ideas. I just think become members of the Mala- it is unfortunate that newspapers have become a free-for-all. canang Press Corps.

In my generation, one has I say it’s a crazy idea. Bloggers do not have the credibil- to earn his spurs to become a ity, integrity and respectability columnist to earn credibility. of those in mainstream media. What is unfortunate now in my They don’t have the Journal- mind, is that newspapers have ist’s Code of Ethics as we do. become free-for all in opinion They are not responsible to pages.

Some of those who I believe anyone the way we are responsible to our publisher and the are excellent columnists are Bobi public. They cannot be sued for Tiglao, Tatad, Andy del Rosario, and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino. libel.

Journalism is a noble profesMy gulay, hundreds of Filipino journalists have already been sion and it should not be prostikilled, either by those they have tuted by including bloggers. Not exposed for some wrongdoing everyone can last for long. *** in public office or in nongovernThere is no justification for ment organization.

I myself have been sued for li- having those inmates of the bel 17 times. I have apologized Cebu provincial jail strip and four times in pure harassment sit on the bare cold floor of the suits—or made to apologize by gymnasium while officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcemy publisher.

By contrast, it’s so easy for ment Agency searched for drugs anybody to become blogger. and contraband inside their You just have to flick a finger cells.

Whoever was responsible for —whereas we had to go journalthat barbaric ism school to act must not qualify for the only be charged job. with violation I first got of privacy and my feet wet Bloggers are human rights. in journalism He must be when I was not journalists. feathered and editor of The thrown into Guidon, the prison. publication Some charof Ateneo de Manila at the Padre Faura ruins acters say that it was justified right after the Liberation of Ma- because the problem was the nila in the late 40s. I then volun- existence of illegal drugs and teered as an editor of The Mind- contraband items inside prison anao Cross in Cotabato after my cells. My gulay, but should those graduation. I became business responsible, including the Cebu editor of the defunct Philippines governor, who was said to have Herald in the 50s and an edito- given the order, and PDEA and rial writer and political and eco- prison officials get away with nomic columnist until the 70s. this?

I have witnessed brutality, and And then I went on to broadcast barbaric acts of Filipinos against until the mid-80s.

Social media are a product their fellowmen during the Japaof technology, sure. But I still nese occupation by some guerbelieve there’s no substitute for rilla organizations in the Ilocos. the dissemination of news as I had nightmares recalling them. *** the printed word, and broadcast, I can agree with Senate Presi(especially television)—an dent Koko Pimentel that what impact medium.

Counting bloggers among us Lito Banayo, propagandist of professionals prostitutes media President Duterte, and now chairman of the Manila Ecoas a whole.

Many claim social media will nomic and Cultural Office based soon replace the printed word in Taipei, Taiwan, is doing with and make newspapers an endan- MECO employees—classifying gered species. I do not agree. I them like political appointees believe there’s no substitute for and making them resign—is ilthe printed word as an instru- legal and dangerous.

Pimentel said that Meco emment of government policy and ployees are not government above all, research.

I have spent more than six dec- people but are simple private ades of my life in mainstream employees under the One-China media. I have gone full circle in Policy. We do not have diploprint, radio and television. Jour- matic relations with Taiwan.

Meco and its counterpart nalism is more than a profession and a career—it’s more of a call- based in the Philippines like ing. One cannot get rich here. In Teco or Taiwan Economic and fact, a journalist with integrity is Cultural Office are considered non-government organizations. certain to retire poor.

I’m really surprised that BaThat I have lasted this long is nayo, in an attempt to bring with proof of my credibility.

To become a newspaper col- him his team, would resort to umnist, one has to earn his this. He has some experience in spurs. Many columnists today government, having been chairthink that all it takes is knowing man at one point of the National Food Authority. how to write.

Banayo should know better.

In fact I am amazed why gov-

Let...

From A4 say that she’s being persecuted.

I say let De Lima talk until she is blue in the face. Given what’s she’s been saying since she was detained (or even before), I don’t really believe Panelo’s statement that she can “besmirch the reputation” and “further destroy” President Rodrigo Duterte.

That effort will have to proceed without De Lima. For now, let’s just enjoy the absence from the airwaves of the senator’s febrile statements delivered in her excruciating enunciation.

Don’t take away De Lima’s right to speak her mind. Because pretty soon, no one will be listening anymore.

*** Meanwhile, over at the Senate, it seems increasingly clear that the reversal of Lascañas’ testimony has not improved his overall credibility as a witness.

I don’t know about the senators in attendance, but I think Lascañas hit rock bottom when he told the Senate that his new and unimproved statements can be corroborated by Edgar Matobato, the man he accused of lying during the hearings on the Davao Death Squad last year.

Lascañas now also claims to have killed hundreds of people as a DDS assassin, which makes me wonder: If the former cop can’t be punished for perjury, can someone please hold him accountable for the murders that he now says he perpetrated?

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The Senate reorganization is also about money HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA SENATOR Manny Pacquiao has made no secret about his delight in having hosted at his mansion in Forbes Park the meeting among administration senators which led to the ouster of senators identified with the Liberal Party from their privileged posts in certain committees. Actually, nobody really cares if these LP senators lost their privileges.

In case Pacquiao doesn’t realize it yet, his having hosted that meeting was inconsequential.

The ouster of the LP senators would have taken place regardless of where the meeting was held.

Truth to tell, the ouster was inevitable, considering that the LP’s titular head, the purported Vice President Leni Robredo, has been very critical, even to the point of manifest political opportunism, of the leadership of President Rodrigo Duterte.

For almost a year now, the LP has been enjoying the best of both worlds—the bi-polar status of a political opposition party that criticizes the Duterte administration, and that of a strategic ally in the Senate. It’s about time the LP’s duplicity was halted.

So what if a senator is ousted as chairman of a committee?

Stripping a senator of his chairmanship of a committee is not just a diminution power. It also means less allowances for the ousted senator.

Unknown to many, senators receive large allowances for mere membership in a committee, and

a far larger allowance for being its chairman. These allowances are in addition to the salaries and perks they already receive and enjoy, including virtually unlimited expense accounts—all paid for by the already overburdened taxpayers. Yes, it’s not just a matter of power; it’s also a matter of money —lots of it.

This anomalous financial arrangement likewise applies to the House of Representatives.

Like their counterparts in the Senate, congressmen enjoy a compensation package consisting of their salaries, large allowances, and charge accounts.

A legislator’s biggest haul is in the discretionary fund given to each of them. Precisely because it is discretionary, the legislator is not required by law to account for it. The legislator can actually pocket it, and the state auditors cannot get in their way.

When a legislator spends his salary, he may do so in whatever way he wishes to because that salary is compensation for work done. On the other hand, when a legislator spends an allowance, it is on the assumption that the expenditure is justified by some official function or public need.

Being so, the expenditure must be accounted for.

In this light, therefore, there is no reason why a legislator should be exempted from accounting for his expenditure of public money. Since ordinary government employees are required to account for public money spent in pursuit of their work, there is no reason why the politicians in Congress should be exempted from the same requirement. Undoubtedly, the existence of this discretionary fund is in itself highly anomalous.

Which amount should be larg-

er —a salary or an allowance?

In the case of rank-and-file jobs in the government service, and in jobs in the private sector, salaries are higher than the allowances. That is to be expected because a salary is supposed to be the principal compensation, and allowances are given for the purpose of augmenting the employee’s salary.

Senators and congressmen, on the other hand, have it the other way around. The allowances they get are far larger than their salaries. Since this arrangement is manifestly an anomaly, why the Commission on Audit allows it to take place at all is a big mystery.

Then there are the perks of office, also at the expense of the taxpayers.

Senators and congressmen are very fond of dining at hotel restaurants and other expensive establishments, ostensibly to discuss important matters affecting the state over champagne and imported bar chow, not to mention very expensive meals.

These politicians are not worried about the expenses because their gigantic bills are charged to the taxpayers.

They can easily transact business in the catered venues of either the Senate or the Batasang Pambansa, but they don’t. The plush Senate lounge, which is for the exclusive use of the senators and their selected assistants, can readily compete with the restaurants of many five-star hotels in Makati. Its counterpart in the Batasang Pambansa can easily beat the lavish buffets in highend restaurants in the metropolis.

In contrast to such ostentatious abundance in both houses of Congress, many Filipino chil-

dren barely have anything to eat in the squalor of their surroundings in depressed areas of Metropolitan Manila. Good grief!

Why should the taxpayers pay for the meals of these politicians, when there are poor Filipinos starving in Pasay City (where the Senate is based) and in Quezon City (where the House of Representatives is located)? If they were the ones to pay for those meals at those expensive restaurants, will these politicians still frequent those places? It’s easy for them to spend money which isn’t theirs.

There is also the matter of transportation.

Vehicles used by senators and congressmen bear low-numbered license plates—No. 7 for senators and No. 8 for congressmen. No traffic enforcer on Edsa will dare accost these vehicles on the days they are banned from the roads.

It is an open secret that the other vehicles of these politicians are issued multiple license plates by the Land Transportation Office, so that these vehicles can circumvent the number-code ban on the roads of Metropolitan Manila.

While senators and congressmen are exempted from complying with the law, the ordinary Filipino motorist must refrain from using his vehicle once a week, and face threats to his life, limb, and health by using the deplorable public transportation system in the national capital region. To add insult to obvious injury, senators and congressmen shamelessly claim that the taxpayer—a term broad enough to include a motorist in the metropolis—is their master, and they are his servants. What hogwash!

Women’s rights are human rights

By United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon WOMEN’S rights are human rights. But in these troubled times, as our world becomes more unpredictable and chaotic, the rights of women and girls are being reduced, restricted and reversed.

Empowering women and girls is the only way to protect their rights and make sure they can realize their full potential.

Historic imbalances in power relations between men and women, exacerbated by growing inequalities within and between societies and countries, are leading to greater discrimination against women and girls.

Around the world, tradition, cultural values and religion are being misused to curtail women’s rights, to entrench sexism and defend misogynistic practices.

Women’s legal rights, which

Amnesty...

From A4 its complicity or acquiescence. A police officer told Amnesty International that there are significant under-the-table payments for “encounters” in which alleged drug offenders are killed. He also said a racket between the police and some funeral homes leads to payments for each body brought in.

In addition to killings during police operations, AI found, there have been more than 4,100 drug-related killings by unknown armed persons, also finding strong evidence of links between state authorities and some armed persons who carry out drug-related killings. Officers sometimes disguise themselves as unknown armed persons, particularly when the target is someone whose family might bring a complaint or whose death might lead to greater suspicion; he mentioned female targets in particular. Two individuals paid to kill alleged drug offenders told Amnesty International that their boss is an active duty police officer; they reported receiving around P10,000 (US $201) per killing. They said that before

have never been equal to men’s on any continent, are being eroded further. Women’s rights over their own bodies are questioned and undermined. Women are routinely targeted for intimidation and harassment in cyberspace and in real life. In the worst cases, extremists and terrorists build their ideologies around the subjugation of women and girls and single them out for sexual and gender-based violence, forced marriage and virtual enslavement.

Despite some improvements, leadership positions across the board are still held by men, and the economic gender gap is widening, thanks to outdated attitudes and entrenched male chauvinism. We must change this, by empowering women at all levels, enabling their voices to be heard and giving them control over their own lives and over the future of our world.

Denying the rights of women and girls is not only wrong in itself; it has a serious social

and economic impact that holds us all back. Gender equality has a transformative effect that is essential to fully functioning communities, societies and economies.

Women’s access to education and health services has benefits for their families and communities that extend to future generations. An extra year in school can add up to 25 percent to a girl’s future income.

When women participate fully in the labor force, it creates opportunities and generates growth. Closing the gender gap in employment could add $12 trillion to global GDP by 2025. Increasing the proportion of women in public institutions makes them more representative, increases innovation, improves decision-making and benefits whole societies.

Gender equality is central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the global plan agreed by leaders of all countries to meet the challenges

we face. Sustainable Development Goal 5 calls specifically for gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls, and this is central to the achievement of all the 17 SDGs. I am committed to increasing women’s participation in our peace and security work.

Women negotiators increase the chances of sustainable peace, and women peacekeepers decrease the chances of sexual exploitation and abuse.

Within the UN, I am establishing a clear road map with benchmarks to achieve gender parity across the system, so that our Organization truly represents the people we serve. Previous targets have not been met.

Now we must move from ambition to action.

On International Women’s Day, let us all pledge to do everything we can to overcome entrenched prejudice, support engagement and activism, and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

President Duterte took office, they had around two “jobs” a month. Now, they have three to four a week.

The report noted that victims of drug-related killings tend to have two things in common.

First, they were overwhelmingly from the urban poor, mostly unemployed and living in informal settlements or squatter communities. Second, in most cases there is a link to a “drug watch list” prepared by local government officials and shared with the police. Both the concept of the “watch list” itself and the way they are put together are deeply problematic. Inclusion is at times based on hearsay and community rumor or rivalry, with little to no verification.

All extrajudicial executions, irrespective of who the victim is, are unlawful. The investigation report discussed in depth the dynamics of the anti-drug war including Oplan Tokhang, police killings and raids on homes, killings in detention, pressure and incentives that encouraged police killings, planting evidence and falsifying police reports and other crimes that naturally thrive as a result of the climate of impunity like vigilante-style

killings.

Several local human rights activists told Amnesty International that, if anything is to derail the popularity of President Duterte’s anti-drug campaign, it is the growing realization that poor, small-time users and dealers are being hit in a way that major drug lords and traffickers are not. Of the 33 cases of drug-related killings documented by Amnesty International, more than 20 involved men who left behind partners and children—often young children. The loss of a key breadwinner further compounds a family’s economic situation. Funeral expenses add to the problem. In several cases, health expenses have as well.

AI observes that under Oplan Tokhang, the right to life is not only violated through arbitrary and otherwise unlawful killings, but also by subsequent practices that create barriers to justice, accountability and remedy. These barriers, according to the AI report, often reflect the approach and public statements of President Duterte and his administration.

The President has repeatedly said that policemen will not be investigated and has encouraged civilians to personally act against those

involved in drugs. As the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings has pointed out, such conduct is prohibited by international law and “is effectively a license to kill.”

Whether killings occur as part of a common crime, with some police involvement, or during a police operation, including in genuine “armed confrontations,” the Revised Philippine National Police Operational Procedures require an investigation into the loss of life and delineate specific steps to be completed. Yet many of these appear to be routinely omitted in drug-related cases, including basic measures like interviewing witnesses.

The AI Investigation Report is a strong and damning statement on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. It illustrates how the catastrophic effects of this war, mostly on the impoverished families, the police institution and justice system in general will have lasting, deep and deleterious impact on our social and moral fabric. In the next installment of this series, I will highlight the recommendations of AI’s report.

Facebook: tonylavs5 or Dean Tony La Viña Twitter: tonylavs

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News

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

8 nurses back after IS ordeal, DFA says

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

LIFE-SAVING TRAINING. The Philippine Heart Association conducted cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training for 1,000 employees of the Quezon City government with the reminder that even bystanders can save lives. Revoli Cortez

5 more Abus slain in Sulu F

By Francisco Tuyay

IVE more Abu Sayyaf extremists were killed in Sulu as the military pressed its operation, which has moved from the towns of Patikul to Talipao to Maimbung over the weekend.

“Once we have started it, we have to finish it,” Col. Cirilito Sobejana, the recently-appointed commander of Joint Task Force Sulu, said as he vowed no letup in military operation against the Abu Sayyaf.

“So far, we have killed 14 Abu Sayyaf terrorists, body

count. On our side, we suffered 30 wounded in action but their wounds are superficial,” Sobejana said. “My soldiers were hit by shrapnel from M203 grenade launchers.”

Sobejana said “artillery fire from 105mm howitzers are being used to pound the retreating Abu

Sayyaf. This is being supplemented by aerial fire delivered by the Air Force and naval gunfire from the Philippine Navy.”

Among those killed was Jaber Susukan, brother of ASG subleader Idang Susukan, who was critically wounded during the fierce fight that took place at the outskirts of Maimbung, Sulu at around 5 a.m.

Last week, two relatives of ASG leader Radullan Sahiron were also killed in a clash in Patikul, Sulu.

Another four ASG bandits were killed while seven high-powered firearms were in clashes in Talipao Sunday

early morning.

The death toll in the continuing anti-terrorist campaign by the government rose to 19 since the bloody encounter commenced last Feb. 26 following the beheading of German hostage Jurgen Kantner.

Sobejana said the death toll is expected to rise after government forces practically surrounded a large group of ASG bandits in the jungle slopes of Maimbung town.

“More casualties are expected.

We have somehow restrict them.

They are still inside. However, the troops are facing obstacles due to rugged terrain and waist-

deep mud along their route,” Sobejana said.

Sobejana is optimistic Marines would eventually pushed to reach ASG positions deep in the jungles although there was a lull in the fighting Monday.

“Actually, everybody operates under the JTF Sulu. We are doing it simultaneously and we are occupying spaces in order to reduce the maneuvering space of the enemy,” Sobejana said.

“We are holding their strongholds, They are outside of their comfort zones, “Sobejana said adding they could easily detect their presence as “they do not enjoy community support.”

Mining hikes household incomes, study shows

By Brenda Jocson SANTIAGO CITY—A university-based study reveals that mining has decreased poverty incidence in the area where it operates and has increased household income, contrary to the claim of groups supporting Environment Secretary Regina Lopez.

The findings of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños found that mining actually increases household incomes as shown by Barangay Didipio in Kasibu, Nueva Vizcaya, which

hosts the operations of OceanaGold Philippines Inc. In general, monthly household income in the Didipio village increased approximately 31 percent from 2013-2015 from about P7,764 to P10,555, according to the UPLB study.

The mean monthly household income in 2013 increased by 39 percent from P13,200 to about P19,381 a month as a result of the increase in wage earners in the said village which is almost comparable with the 2015 regional and national average family income of P19,750 and

P22,250, respectively.

Also, the UPLB study shows that the mean monthly household income of the village residents of P19,381 has doubled the 2012 poverty threshold in Quirino province of P9,709 per month and Nueva Vizcaya of P9,283 per month.

Chito Gozar, senior vice president for communications and external affairs, said more numbers can disprove the belief that mining causes poverty incidence.

He said the contention of environmental groups is not true because precisely mining’s end is creation of wealth that would

eliminate poverty.

Citing Philippine Statistics Authority study, Gozar said the same observation reveals something that provinces with no mining strangely have higher poverty incidence than those areas with mining.

Gozar said PSA’s survey for 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2015 shows that the province of Nueva Vizcaya, where two government mining projects operate in the villages of Didipio and Runruno in Quezon town, ranks 64th among the 85 provinces studied.

PSA shows that Nueva Viz-

caya is way down its list of provinces showing poverty incidence the top 10 of which are Lanao del Sur, Sulu, Sarangani, Bukidnon, Siquijor, Northen Samar, Maguidanao, Sultan Kudarat, Zamboanga del Norte and Agusan del Sur. The UPLB study pointed out that the major change in the economy of Didipio village was due to the presence of OceanaGold in the village.

Peviously, Didipio is an agricultural settlement and that farming was the primary source of household income.

USAID launches P1.2-b ‘Protect Wildlife’ project

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

GO OUT AND LIST UP. Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista urged unregistered voters to list up for the coming village and youth council elections later this year during a registration caravan at the Commonwealth High School in Quezon City. Lino Santos

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources collaborated with the United States Agency for International Development to enhance the protection and conservation of the country’s biological diversity.

The DENR and USAID on Monday launched the Protect Wildlife Project, a five-year, P1.2-billion initiative that seeks to address biodiversity loss and rampant wildlife trafficking in the Philippines.

US Ambassador Sung Kim said that the project was part of the continuing collaboration between the two governments, along with the private sector, civil society, and individual communities to strengthen natural and environmental resource management in the country.

“It will demonstrate that protecting and managing the Philippines’ diverse habitats and species lead to improved quality of life and sustain-

able development,” he said. “’Protect Wildlife’ is not only the name of our project. It is also the imperative for all of us to take care of the species with which we share the planet,” Kim added.

According to BMB Director Theresa Mundita Lim, the Protect Wildlife Project would also focus on improving benefits provided by ecosystems for food, water, livelihood and ecotourism.

“With the Philippines being both one of the world’s most megadiverse countries and a critical biodiversity hotspot, we need to see how we can communicate development programs more effectively so that people will appreciate better the benefits of conservation,” Lim said.

Lim said that among the strategies to be used in the project include improving the attitude and behavior of stakeholders toward biodiversity, and intensifying their involvement in conserving and financing biodiversity initiatives.

EIGHT Filipino nurses who were held hostage by the Daesh in Libya are back in the Philippines but the government fears “three or more” missing captives may already be dead, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. said.

Yasay also said the arrival of eight is apart from the two other Filipinos who escaped from the hands of the so-called Islamic State, also known as Daesh, and arrived in Manila a little earlier.

“They were rescued by Libyan soldiers but there were at least three or four others who are unfortunately missing and [may already be] dead,” Yasay said in an interview over ANC Headstart, adding that the Philippines has yet to receive any information about the missing Filipinos.

“There are also two who were able to escape when the ISIS has seized them together with eight others, who have been here ahead of time,” he added.

The nurses were employed at the Ibn Sinai Hospital in Sirte when the Libyan city was overran by Daesh in June 2015.

Yasay said he met the eight Filipino nurses and they related their experiences. “Some were very teary eyed,” Yasay said, adding the nurses where all forcefully converted to Islam in exchange for their lives.

Yasay also said the nurses were also forced to medically treat Daesh fighters and even taught them basic first aid.

“But I really honestly think these nurses are true heroes.

They have made sacrifices being there. And if ever they were forced to treat ISIS soldiers or combatants, it was in line with their professions,” he said.

DoJ orders NBI probe of doctor’s killing

By Rey E. Requejo JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday directed the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a parallel investigation on the killing of barrio doctor Dreyfuss “Toto” Perlas in Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte last week.

In Department Order No. 141, Aguirre ordered the NBI to identify the killer of the volunteer doctor and determine the motive of the killing.

“The National Bureau of Investigation through Director Dant Gierran is hereby directed and granted authority to conduct investigation and case build-up over the death of Dr. Dreyfuss “Toto” Perlas who was shot dead in Lanao del Norte,” the DO stated.

Perlas, municipal health officer of Sapad town in the same province, was on board his motorcycle on his way home to Barangay Maranding last March 1 when two men riding a motorcycle fired at him. The doctor died of gunshot wound in the back.

Scene of the crime operatives recovered a bullet shell for a caliber .45 pistol at the scene.

Probers are looking into reports that prior to the attack, the doctor had an altercation with the relative of a patient at the Bontilao Country Hospital.

Perlas, native of Aklan, had been in Lanao del Norte province under the government’s Doctors to the Barrios program since 2012.

He worked to improve health services in the province and was nominated for the Bayani ng Kalusugan award and was hailed as one of the region’s top “health heroes.”

Meanwhile, Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial appealed to authorities to protect our doctors and health workers and help them so they can serve the public better.

Sports

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Wild finishes for Suns, Jazz

L

OS ANGELES—Phoenix Suns rookie Tyler Ulis and Utah Jazz big man Rudy Gobert shared the limelight Sunday with a pair of stunning buzzer beaters to lift their NBA Western Conference clubs to victory.

Gobert’s tip-in game winner in overtime was originally ruled no good, but was counted after a video review, and the Jazz defeated the host Sacramento Kings 110-109.

Ulis scored a career-high 20 points, including a walk-off three pointer from the right side as time expired to gave the Suns a 109-106 victory over the Boston Celtics.

France’s Gobert finished with 24 rebounds, the last one on a tip of a missed shot.

“I was at the right place at the right time. I didn’t know how much time was left, but I saw (Hill) go off to the left side, and I just tried to go get it,” Gobert said.

Willie Cauley-Stein made two free throws with eight seconds left to put the Kings ahead 109-108.

Following a timeout, Jazz guard George Hill’s jump shot fell short, but Gobert reached up and tapped it home.

The referee originally ruled that Gobert’s tip came after the final buzzer but reversed the call.

Gobert finished with 16 points and Rodney Hood had a team-high 28 points in his first game back after a two-game absence for Utah.

“It’s kind of who Rudy is,” coach Quin Snyder said of Gobert. “We talk about what a competitor he is. He doesn’t give up on plays.”

Gordon Hayward added 23 points as the Jazz won their second straight and improved to 39-24 on the season.

Ty Lawson scored 19 points and hit a series of big shots to pace the Kings, who lost their

fourth straight. The Kings have not had a 20-point scorer in any of them.

In Phoenix, Ulis made eight of 12 fieldgoal attempts and added five assists. He had 17 points at half-time, surpassing his career high of 14, and scored 11 consecutive Phoenix points in once stretch.

- ‘Thanks for coming’ “Tyler Ulis. No more questions. Thanks for coming,” Suns coach Earl Watson said to begin his post-game news conference.

Eric Bledsoe tied the game on a layup with four seconds remaining, and after Marquese Chriss slapped ball away from Isaiah Thomas on the inbounds play, it rolled right to Ulis. “(Chriss) made a big play,” Ulis said. “He harassed Isaiah trying to slow him down and ended up getting a steal. It fell into my hands, and I had to let it go with confidence. It feels great. They’re a playoff team.”

Bledsoe had 28 points, Devin Booker had 16, TJ Warren had 14 and rookie Chriss had 10 points as the Suns won a third straight for the first time this season.

Thomas had 35 points and five three-pointers, and Jae Crowder contributed 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Celtics.

Elsewhere, there was another wild finish in Atlanta as Glenn Robinson drained a threepointer with 0.6 seconds left as the Indiana Pacers overcome a six-point deficit with less than two minutes to play to stun the Hawks 97-96 at Philips Arena.

In Dallas, Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook, the league’s leading scorer, was frustrated all night long by the Mavericks defense and finished with 29 points in a 104-89 loss.

Dallas won for the fourth time in five games to climb within two games of a playoff position. Germany’s Dirk Nowitzki finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds for his fifth double-double this season.

Westbrook shot just eight of 24 to go along with six rebounds and five assists. He also picked up his 14th technical foul on the season and a flagrant foul for shoving a Maverick player in the third quarter. AFP

St. Francis clobbers PhilSCA QUEZON CITY—Saint Francis of Assisi College picked up positive momentum entering next week’s quarterfinal round by trouncing Philippine State College of Aeronautics, 89-63, in their final elimination-round game of the National Capital Region Universities and Colleges of Luzon Athletic Association Basketball games at the Colegio de San Lorenzo Gym Friday.

Already assured of Second Place in Group B regardless of the result, the Doves still gave it a full effort and sent the Iron Eagles further down the rankings and in danger of missing the playoffs.

John Michael Cruz joined hands with Paulo Castro and Chris Lalata in the pivotal third period as they combined for 17 of the Doves’ 27 points, including a crippling 9-0 run midway that pegged the count at 54-37.

PhilSCA starting center Jay Gumban fouled out in the third thus allowing the Saint Francis big men to frolic underneath the basket.

With his Doves comfortably ahead, Coach Gabby Velasco then fielded his role players, but kept Cruz who responded by knocking in eight more points in the fourth.

The now 6-1 Doves are set to tangle with Group A third placer PATTS College of Aeronautics (52) in the knockout quarterfinals.

Cruz notched a double-double of 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Castro did not score anymore in the final canto but still finished with 13 points.

Rodelle Bilar carried the fight for the Iron Eagles with 16 followed by Arvin Patricio with 15.

Globe Telecom is backing the Philippine Volcanoes for the next four years. Shown after the two parties’ contract signing are (from left) Chris Everingham (Strength and Conditioning Coach), William Bailey (Treasurer and Board Trustee), Ernest Cu, (Globe CEO), Rick Santos (President) and Jake Letts (National Team Head) at Globe Tower.

Globe, PH Volcanoes ink 4-year partnership THE Philippine Men’s National 7s Rugby Team, more commonly known as the Philippine Volcanoes, recently signed a four-year sponsorship deal with telecommunications giant, Globe Telecom.

The partnership takes the Globe PH Volcanoes through to 2020, with a vision of the national team being at their peak for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Qualifications.

“Over the next four years, Philippine Rugby has identified key events leading into 2020. Globe has actually had an interest in Rugby as far back as 2010, so we are excited to be renewing ties with one of the Philippines’ most iconic brands. The renewal allows

our national team to step up the professionalism and boost our chances of performing well in key events each year” said Jake Letts, National Teams Head.

In 2017 the PH Volcanoes are aiming to repeat their Gold Medal winning performance from the 2015 SEA Games, while also setting their sights on a podium finish at the Asian Games in 2018. The Philippines finished a respectable fifth place at the 2014 Asian Games.

“I believe with the right roster and valuable time playing together we can reach that podium in 2018” added Letts.

For 2019, the national team will

have additional motivation for a Gold Medal when the Southeast Asian Games is held in the Philippines.

“With the Philippines hosting the SEA Games in 2019, we believe the sport in general will be huge in the country. We look forward to showing why Rugby is such a rapidly growing sport and of course playing in front of our supporters. The SEA Games in 2019 will be a spectacle and we want Rugby 7s to be leading the way,” said Letts.

With the support of Globe Telecom, the investment will focus on professionalizing the national Rugby 7s program in the Philippines.

This will allow the Volcanoes to

be even more competitive with the top level teams in Asia. A four year strategic plan leading into the 2020 Olympic Qualifications puts Philippine Rugby at the forefront.

The road to 2020 kicks off this weekend in Doha as the Volcanoes compete in the 2017 Asia Trophy Series. The Globe Ph Volcanoes must finish in first place to qualify to the 2017 Asian Sevens Series.

The Asian Sevens Series is a three leg tournament to be played in Hong Kong, Korea and Sri Lanka across September and October this year.

The team will be coached by former New Zealand All Black Frano Botica and David Johnston.

No. 1 Johnson rules world golf tilt MEXICO CITY—World number one Dustin Johnson held off Spanish rookie Jon Rahm and England’s Tommy Fleetwood over Sunday’s final holes to win the World Golf Championships Mexico Championship by one stroke.

The reigning US Open champion became only the fifth player to capture his first event after moving atop the world rankings, matching a feat done

by Welshman Ian Woosnam, Australia’s Adam Scott, Fiji’s Vijay Singh and American David Duval.

“It means a lot,” Johnson said of the achievement. “It’s a tough spot to be in. There’s a lot of pressure on you. I came out and hit the ball really well. I played great all week.”

After back-to-back 66s, Johnson fired a three-under par 68 Sunday, overcoming two back-nine bogeys with a birdie at the par-5 15th and three closing pars to finish 72 holes on

BRAND ENDORSER.

Ginebra’s 2017 Most Valuable Point/ Shooting Guard Scottie Thompson signs up with Jaoming Marketing Corporation as its new ambassador for Gamboa Sports Products.

Thompson uses Gamboa Cologne in all of his games.

Thompson (center) is shown with (left) Marc Gamboa, VP, Sales and Marketing, Jaoming Marketing Corporation and Louie R. Gamboa, President and Chief Executive Officer.

14-under par 270.

Fleetwood finished second on 271 after closing with a 40foot birdie putt while Rahm shared third with England’s Ross Fisher on 272 with Belgium’s Thomas Pieters and American Justin Thomas fifth on 273.

“I played just well enough I guess because I won by one,” Johnson said.

It was the second victory in as many starts for the 32-yearold American after taking the title last month at Riviera and marked the 14th PGA triumph of Johnson’s career.

Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, who could have overtaken Johnson atop the rankings with a victory, fired a 71 to share seventh with Americans Phil Mickelson and Brandt Snedeker on 274.

Johnson began a stroke behind Thomas, who opened with a birdie to stretch his edge to two strokes, but the world number

one seized command from there.

Thomas never found the fairway at the second and made bogey while Johnson sank a 15-foot birdie putt to share the lead.

Johnson put his approach at the par-5 sixth to five feet and sank the birdie putt to seize the lead alone, then saw Thomas stumble back with a double bogey after finding water at the par-3 seventh and a bogey at eight.

Johnson dropped a 30-foot birdie putt at the eighth and sank an eight-footer at the ninth to make the turn with a fourstroke edge.

But just when Johnson looked to run away, he stumbled with bogeys at the par-4 12th, missing a five-foot par putt, and par3 13th, finding a bunker off the tee. AFP That opened the door and late-charging Rahm, a 22-yearold Spaniard in his WGC debut, battered it down. AFP

GOLF CHAMP. England’s Steve Lewton (right) receives his trophy from Solaire president and chief operating officer Thomas Arasi after bagging the Solaire Philippine Open crown with a playoff victory over Johannes Veerman at The Country Club last Sunday.

Lady Maroons force playoff UNIVERSITY of the Philippines forced a playoff for the remaining UAAP Season 79 softball semifinals berth with a 5-3 win over National University yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

The Lady Maroons actually had a chance of making it to the Final Four in the resumption of their abandoned Feb. 18 game, but the Lady Bulldogs’ 7-0 lead was too much to overcome and ended

up as the final score after only six innings.

With a 5-7 record, UP will take on De La Salle at 9 a.m. on Thursday for the right to play defending six-time champion Adamson University in the semifinals.

The Lady Archers also blew their opportunity of clinching the last Final Four outright after dropping a 0-9 decision to University of Santo Tomas.

FedEx sponsors ATP world tennis tour FEDEX Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. and the world’s largest express transportation company, announced its sponsorship renewal of the ATP World Tour.

Building on FedEx’ extensive history of sports sponsorships around the world, FedEx will maintain its international ATP sponsorship program which includes 17 tournaments, across 11 countries.

“With its unique global footprint, the ATP World Tour is the perfect match for FedEx. We share many values with this globally popular sport, such as speed, precision, anticipation and service,” said Rajesh Subramaniam, EVP Global Marketing and Communications, FedEx. “Since the sponsorship began in 2010, we have seen many priceless moments on the court and the passion of the fans has continued. With this year’s addition of the Dubai and Rio de Janeiro tournaments to our sponsorship, we expect to reach an even wider global audience of millions of fans through television and other media.”

“The ATP World Tour has enjoyed tremendous growth in recent years, and our relationship with FedEx has delivered great results since 2010. We’re thrilled that FedEx has had such a positive experience and will continue its sponsorship,” says Chris Kermode, Executive Chairman and President of the ATP. “We look forward to working further with FedEx to continue the growth and impact of the sponsorship” For more information on FedEx sports sponsorships, visit: http://www.fedex.com/gb / about/sports-sponsorship.

FedEx Express is the world’s largest express transportation company, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-andground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date supported by a money-back guarantee.

Cocolife notches 1st win in WCA Travel Cup COCOLIFE stayed alive after posting a come-from-behind victory against Nickhams Tapsi Haus, 88-81, in the elimination round of the Brotherhood Basketball League “WCA Travel Cup” Expert Division at the Trinity University of Asia in Quezon City over the weekend.

Cocolife trailed Nickhams for three quarters, but the game’s Best Player Tolits Natividad, Tristan Bradley, Joey Protacio and Otep Ronquillo, with the guidance of playing coach Rey Alao, joined forces in the final quarter.

The Cocolife cagers stopped Nichams’ offensive explosion from the outside, highlighted by the team’s trapping defense and fastbreaks to snatch their first win in the tournament.

The cagefest is organized by BBL Chairman Erick Kirong of Macway Travel and presented by the World Cruisers Adventures Travel and Tours’ Chief Executive Officer Engr.

Joven Diaz.

In the Passion Division, R. Lapid Kingstones proved to be too strong against Earist, 92-67.

Prized slotman EJ de Guzman topscored for Rey Lapid’s franchise RL Food Corporation.

Goto Pilipinas of Jong Castaneda scored a one-sided victory over E. Rodriguez Red Fox, 99-64.

LOTTO RESULTS 6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0 M+ P0 M

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

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

Folayang puts title on the line vs Ev Ting THE largest sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship, has just announced its return to Manila on April 21 to hold its 10th event in Philippine shores.

The 20,000-capacity SM Mall of Asia Arena will play host to ONE: KINGS OF DESTINY, which promises another evening of world-class mixed martial arts action that fans around the globe should not miss.

Headlining the card will be ONE Lightweight World Champion Eduard “Landslide” Folayang of the Philippines, who will defend his belt for the first time against Malaysia’s Ev “E.T.” Ting.

Ticket information is available at www.onefc.com “It is always an amazing time when ONE Championship is in Manila, because Filipino fans are so intensely passionate about the sport of mixed martial arts that the atmosphere in the SM Mall of Asia Arena just hits a fever pitch. We can’t wait to be back in April as our team has prepared an incredible main event for the organization’s return to Manila.

The Philippines’ beloved hero Eduard Folayang will defend his ONE Lightweight World Championship against Malaysian superstar Ev Ting,” Victor Cui, CEO of ONE Championship, said: Folayang of the legendary Team Lakay in Baguio City is one of the Philippines’ most experienced mixed martial artists. After nearly a decade of competing in various promotions, Folayang has amassed an impressive 17-5 mixed martial arts record.

The 33-year-old veteran has authored a career resurgence in 2016, winning three consecutive matches against high-profile opponents and showcasing a highly-improved wrestling and grappling offensive arsenal. In his last bout, Folayang shocked the world by capturing the ONE Lightweight World Championship belt with a sensational victory over Japanese legend Shinya Aoki. He will be making his first title defense against Ev Ting.

“Winning the title against a legend like Shinya Aoki will forever hold a special place of distinction in my career, but it is only the first step in establishing my legacy. Before champions are recognized as greats and legends of the sport, every single one of them faced contenders that challenged their prowess as champions. In April, I will have the opportunity to show the world why I hold my coveted title,” said Folayang.

Sports Players, coaches, officials and supporters of San Miguel Beer celebrate the Beermen’s title conquest.

PBA Perpetual Trophy immortalizes Beermen

By Jeric Lopez

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ISSION accomplished for San Miguel Beer.

Winner of three straight Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup championships,the Beermen are grateful to be just the second team in league history to accomplish the feat of taking the Perpetual trophy.

San Miguel Beer wrapped up its bestof-seven finals series against Ginebra, 4-1, with a 91-85 victory in Game 5 to achieve its goal of keeping the Philippine Cup title.

But the Beermen didn’t get to win three straight All-Filipino crowns by accident.

They were pushed to the brink by TNT KaTropa in the semifinals, and forced to win Game 7, and was given a relatively competitive series by Barangay Ginebra, before they were able to finally hoist another trophy, their 23rd overall in franchise history and seventh All-Filipino jewel.

Jubilant San Miguel coach Leo Austria, who captured his fourth championship

with the Beermen in just seven conferences, shared the team’s recipe to success in describing the team’s journey and the happiness and satisfaction that it currently enjoys.

“I’m just so happy for the team. Hindi lang sa akin and sa players, but this means a lot to all the members of our team,” said Austria. “We’re the second team to have the Perpetual Trophy and win three straight Philippine Cup.” “This team really worked hard for us to get these championships. Noong araw, may mga novela pa itong team pero now, we have a group that knows how to sacrifice for the team to reach our goals. This is so special,” he added.

Though Best Player of the Conference June Mar Fajardo was always the focal point of the San Miguel assault, Chris Ross, who was allowed by the Barangay Ginebra defense to have openings in the series, stepped up to the plate and led the team in scoring as he captured his second straight Finals Most Valuable Player.

Like Austria, he, too, credited the team’s selflessness as the main key to its success.

“There’s a lot of things I can say but you don’t win three straight Philippine Cup championships without sacrifice,” said Ross. “That’s what this team is all about. It’s about sacrifice. We’re all about sacrifice. That’s how you win these championships. That’s what we’ve been doing. I love these guys.”

He then commended his coach for doing a great job in figuring the team out.

“Coach Leo has adapted so well to the kind of team that we have,” Ross said.

Prior to the start of the tournament, San Miguel is already the heavy favorite to win it all for obvious reasons and it held its own end of the bargain and lived up to expectations.

Region 1 athletic meet kicks off in Ilocos Sur

Ilocos Sur Gov. Ryan Singson (second from left) receives the Region 1 Athletic Association banner from previous host San Carlos City, headed by City Mayor Joseres Resuello (second from right) during the opening of R1AA being hosted by the province of Ilocos Sur.

BANTAY, ILOCOS SUR—The weeklong Region 1 Athletic Association meet that attracted some 8,000 delegates formally kicked off with spectacular rites, presided over by host province Ilocos Sur’s Gov. Ryan Singson at the President Elpidio Quirino Stadium here Saturday.

Gov. Singson, together with the officials of other provinces and DepEd officials hoisted the R1AA flag followed by the raising of flags of the 14 delegations to signal the start of competition.

He said that hosting the meet is part of the many sports-related activities of the province to raise further the bar of sports programs for the best interest of its people, especially the youth.

Philippine Sports Institute Training Director Mark Albert Velasco, who represented Philippine Sports Commission Chairman Butch Ramirez, was amazed by Ilocos Sur’s hosting of the R1AA 2017 because of the state of the art football field and other sports facilities. port of Gov. Ryan to the PSI,” said Velasco as he bared that Ilocos Sur is designated as center for sports training in the region.

Filipina aces boost Splendido ladies’ golf cast DOTTIE Ardina, Cyna Rodriguez, Mia Piccio and Princess Superal hone up for their respective campaigns abroad as they banner the locals’ bid against a crack international field in the ICTSI Champion Tour at Splendido unfolding Wednesday at Splendido Taal Golf Club in Tagaytay.

Ardina, set to play in a number of LPGA events starting late this month, and Symetra Tour-bound Rodriguez, Piccio and Superal go up against a stellar cast led by the mainstays of the Taiwan LPGA Tour and a slew of Thai aces in the $75,000 event kicking off this year’s ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour.

The 54-hole championship, presented by Champion, also serves as

the third leg of the Taiwan LPGA Tour and the first two TLPGA tournaments, the other being the ICTSI Champion Tour at Mt. Malarayat in Lipa City, Batangas next week.

Superal finished joint third in last year’s inaugural staging of the event won by Lee Jeong-hwa, who nipped Fumika Kawagishi by one in a thrilling finish. Though the Korean and Japanese won’t be around this time, the depth of the field remains as talent-laden as ever with Chen Yu-Ju, currently No. 4 in the TLPGA Order of Merit ranking, leading the foreign challenge.

Also in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. are Thais Saruttaya Ngam-usawan, winner of last year’s LPGT Royal Northwoods, and former LPGT

champions Wannasiri Sirisampant and Amolkan Phalajivin, along with veteran campaigners Ai Asano of Japan, Michelle Koh of Malaysia, Mookharin Ladgratok of Thailand, Taiwanese Lee Chia-pei and Jessica Lydia of Indonesia.

Others tipped to contend in the event, backed by ICTSI, BDO, Champion, Custom Clubmakers, Empire Golf and Sports Shop, KZG, Sharp, Summit Mineral Water, Titleist and Event Captain, are last year’s Orchard leg winner Chihiro Ikeda and former leg champios FilAm Cristina Corpus, Jayvie Agojo and Sarah Ababa.

The same field is expected to compete in the next LPGT leg, also offering $75,000, at Mt. Malarayat on March 15-17.

Dottie Ardina

Gilas Cadets to intensify training

By Peter Atencio THE Gilas Cadets, led by Mac Belo of Blackwater Elite, will be the first to report for duty when the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team starts practicing this month.

National team manager Butch Antonio said this will be in accordance with a memorandum of agreement that the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas signed with the Philippine Basketball Association.

Preparations are expected to intensify next week when the national team handled by returning head coach Chot Reyes sees action in the Southeast Asian Basketball Association men’s tournament.

The Philippines will be the host of this regional joust when it gets going from April 23 to 30 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Also known as Big Mac, Belo heads the Cadets list with a shooting clip of 48.1 percent from the field, including 40.0 percent from beyond the arc.

Also listed are Matthew Wright (Phoenix Fuel Masters), Ed Daquioag of the Meralco Bolts, Jio Jalalon of the Star Hotshots and Carl Cruz of the Alaska Aces.

Also joining are Roger Pogoy, Mike Tolomia, Von Pessumal, Kevin Ferrer, Russel Escoto, Arnold Van Opstal and Alfonso Gotladera.

Whichever team wins the 2017 edition will advance to the FIBA Asia Cup.

Cojuangco graces PSA sports forum THE Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum holds a special one-on-one session with no less than Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose ‘Peping’ Cojuangco as main guest in today’s weekly discussion at the Golden Phoenix hotel along Diosdado Macapagal Ave. Sunrise Drive in Pasay City.

The long-time POC chief is expected to talk anything about local sports, including the country’s coming campaign in the Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games this August.

Accompanying Cojuangco in the session presented by San Miguel Corp., Golden Phoenix hotel, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp, are POC officials Steve Hontiveros, Cynthia Carrion, and Monsour del Rosario.

The 10:30 a.m. public sports program will be aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918.

Dominguez: Tax bill key to growth of PH B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

B1

Tetangco sees no need to hike rate IN BRIEF BoI finalizes rules on investment plan THE Board of Investments said it is finalizing the general policies and specific guidelines of the 2017 Investments Priorities Plan, following the approval by President Rodrigo Duterte of the plan on Feb. 28, 2017.

The IPP, approved through Memorandum Order No. 12 and published on March 3, 2017, is set to take effect on March 18, 2017.

Trade Secretary and BoI chairman Ramon Lopez welcomed the early approval of the new IPP, saying “this development is concrete proof of the administration’s decisiveness to further propel the growth of investments and job generation in the country and attain sustainable economic growth.”

The IPP is a list of priority investment activities that may be given incentives.

With the theme “Scaling Up and Dispersing Opportunities,” the 2017 IPP brings forth significant additions and changes, following the President’s Zero + 10-point Socio Economic Agenda, the aspirations embodied in AmBisyonNatin 2040 and the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022.

These changes include further emphasis on innovation-driven and job-generating businesses; inclusive business for agribusiness and tourism; broadened coverage of manufacturing; information technology and IT-enabled services for the domestic market and telecommunications services for new market players; environment and climate change-related projects; LGU-initiated PPP projects; drug rehabilitation centers; stateof-the-art engineering, procurement and construction services; and the lifting of geographical restrictions for most agriculture and tourist accommodation facilities.

Othel V. Campos

By Julito G. Rada

B

ANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said Monday there is no need at the moment to tweak the current policy settings amid the looming interest rate hike by the US Federal Reserve.

“The market has been slowly adjusting to the March hike as seen in auction results and even on the peso movements. While the anticipatory moves of the market could pave the way for a smoother price action should the Fed actually hike in their March meeting, there might still be volatility if the Fed disappoints,” Tetangco said in a text message to reporters.

“Because the market may have already priced in the March

Fed move, we may have no need to make adjustments to policy for the moment... but as I said we remain data dependent and take into consideration latest and expected developments in our assessment,” Tetangco said.

He said monetary authorities would closely monitor market reaction and allow for the market to take some pressure off positions they have built. Tetangco assured that Bangko Sentral “will not hesitate to come in

should moves be excessive.”

Fed chair Janet Yellen said on March 4 the Fed was set to increase interest rates later this month as long as economic data on jobs and inflation held up.

“At our meeting later this month, the committee will evaluate whether employment and inflation are continuing to evolve in line with our expectations, in which case a further adjustment of the federal funds rate would likely be appropriate,” Yellen said in a statement delivered to a business luncheon in Chicago.

Yellen also said rates were seen to rise faster this year as the US economy appeared clear of any imminent hurdles at home or abroad.

Tetangco also said there was a need to revisit the inflation forecasts made earlier taking into con-

sideration the expected Fed action.

The Monetary Board of Bangko Sentral projected that inflation would average between 2 percent and 4 percent for 2017 and 2018.

Meanwhile, DBS Bank of Singapore said in a report Monday Bangko Sentral might also get cues whether or not to raise interest rates in the succeeding meeting from the outcome of the February inflation and January trade data. Inflation data will be out this week.

DBS said inflation in February likely accelerated to 3 percent from 2.7 percent a month ago, driven mainly by higher increases in food prices.

“Given relatively higher oil prices this year, the upward trend in inflation is intact. Not only has the BSP highlighted higher inflationary risks going forward,

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing March 6, 2017

8000 7600 7200 6800 6400 6000

7,313.87 66.75

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

SM Prime bares plan to issue P20-b bonds SM PRIME Holdings Inc., the country’s leading integrated property developer, plans to issue up to P20 billion worth of fixed-rate bonds.

SM Prime said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the planned bond offering of P15 billion with an an oversubscription option of P5 billion would be issued out of the P60billion three-year debt securities program approved by the Securities and Exchange Commission last year.

The property firm can still raise P50 billion under the P60-billion bond shelf registration program after it issued P10-billion worth of 10-year bonds priced at 4.2005 percent in July.

SM Prime said the latest bond offering was assigned a rating of PRS Aaa by Philippine Rating Services Corp. PRS Aaa is the highest rating assigned by Philratings, denoting that such obligations are of the highest quality with minimal credit risk and that the issuing company’s capacity to meet its financial commitment on the obligations is extremely strong.

SM Prime registered a recurring net income of P79.8 billion in 2016, up by 14 percent from P71.5 billion in 2015.

Jenniffer B. Austria

ERC trims Meralco’s recovery THE Energy Regulatory Commission reduced Manila Electric Co.’s planned power rate adjustment as a result of the 20day Malampaya maintenance shutdown.

ERC approved a fuel cost recovery of P0.66 per kilowatthour equivalent to P1.752 billion, lower than the P0.92 per kWh or P2.417-billion application of Meralco.

ERC said in a statement it approved the implementation of the fuel cost recovery in three installments, equivalent to P0.2211 per kilowatt-hour for March, April and May. “We were able to calculate based on actual bill of suppliers…Meralco’s petition was based on projections or forecast,” ERC spokesman Floresinda Digal said.

Meralco previously wanted to recover P0.92 per kWh over a three month period, or P0.30 per kWh for March, P0.30 per kWh for April and P0.32 per kWh for May. Digal, however, said the approved recovery, as applied by Meralco, did not include the computations on the impact of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market and other suppliers of Meralco.

“When Meralco applied for the staggering, they used forecasted data or projections but when they were asked to submit the data late last week, there was a difference when we computed based on actual,” Digal said. Alena Mae S. Flores

but the central bank is also of the opinion that the domestic economy remains robust. That much is evident if we were to look at import growth figures,” the bank said.

It said import growth jumped 14 percent in 2016 and the January 2017 print was likely to remain close to 10 percent yearon-year. It said strong investment growth was likely to be sustained this year, even if at a slower pace.

“It will be interesting to monitor any comments from the BSP ahead of its policy meeting later this month, particularly given that the US Fed is anticipated to raise its policy rate in mid-month.

We reckon that a total of 50bps rate hikes will be delivered by the BSP this year, and the first one may come as early as in the next policy meeting,” DBS said.

Closing MARCH 6, 2017 45.00 46.50 48.00 49.50

P50.395 CLOSE

51.00

HIGH P50.360 LOW P50.400 AVERAGE P50.379

CARBON MANAGEMENT. The Shell Tabangao Refinery launches a carbon sink management program as a part of the company’s thrust toward promoting sustainable development and addressing climate change. The program is a requirement for Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. to mitigate its carbon dioxide emission. Shown during the signing of a memorandum of agreement are (from left) Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc. program development manager Jay Javier, PSFI executive director Edgar Veron Cruz, Shell Tabangao Refinery general manager Eduard Geus and Shell external relations adviser Darlito Guamos.

183 major power users switch to new retailers

By Alena Mae S. Flores AROUND 183 contestable customers pushed through and participated in the voluntary open access regime despite the Supreme Court’s issuance of a temporary restraining order on mandatory migration to new retail electricity suppliers.

Philippine Electricity Market Corp. manager for training and communications Philip Adviento said as of Feb. 26, 154 contestable customers with 1-megawatt threshold and 29 users with 750-kilowatt monthly consumption continued to switch to their chosen retail electricity suppliers.

Adviento said about 745 contestable customers, or those with 1-MW and 750-KW power requirements, registered with PEMC as of Feb, 26,

2017. PEMC, which operates that country’s Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, also acts as the central registration body for open access, a key provision in the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 which allows power customers to choose their own suppliers.

The Supreme Court issued a TRO on Feb. 21 stopping the Energy Department from implementing the mandatory retail competition and open access regime for users with at least 1-MW requirement. The Energy Department and the Energy Regulatory Commission approved the implementation of the mandatory RCOA regime starting Feb. 26.

ERC spokesman Rexie Digal said while the mandatory implementation of the scheme was stopped, the voluntary im-

plementation continued.

“Yes, voluntary implementation [of RCOA] is ongoing,” Digal said.

Adviento, however, said 144 contestable customers deferred their contracts because of the TRO issued by the Supreme Court.

The Energy Department asked the Supreme Court to immediately decide on the case filed by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, San Beda College Alabang, Inc., Ateneo de Manila University and Riverbank s Development Corp.

The complainants said that under the mandatory implementation of RCOA, they would suffer grave and irreparable injury because they would be disconnected from the distribution utility or made

to pay a supplier of last resort a 10-percent premium between the higher contract cost and the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market.

“We pray that the SC decides on the issue immediately,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said.

Retail competition and open access, as envisioned by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, is expected to bring down power costs and give customers the power to choose their own suppliers.

The department is looking at the issuance of new rules for the scheduled mandatory contestability for the contestable customers with 750-kilowatt to 999-kilowatt average peak demand which is supposed to take effect on June 26, 2017.

VOLUME 352.200M

P500.00-P760.00 LPG/11-kg tank P40.15-P49.25 Unleaded Gasoline P28.75-P34.65 Diesel

OPRICES IL TODAY

P28.50-P36.85 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, March 6, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.3730

Japan

Yen

0.008786

0.4426

UK

Pound

1.229600

61.9386

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128811

6.4886

Switzerland

Franc

0.992063

49.9732

Canada

Dollar

0.747664

37.6621

Singapore

Dollar

0.709320

35.7306

Australia

Dollar

0.758400

38.2029

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652661

133.6225

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266652

13.4321

Brunei

Dollar

0.706814

35.6043

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.028534

1.4373

UAE

Dirham

0.272316

13.7174

Euro

Euro

1.060800

53.4357

Korea

Won

0.000869

0.0438

China

Yuan

0.144949

7.3015

India

Rupee

0.014981

0.7546

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.224618

11.3147

New Zealand

Dollar

0.701800

35.3518

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032346

1.6294 Source: PDS Bridge

PCC to investigate alleged cement price manipulation

By Othel V. Campos THE Philippine Competition Commission said it found reasonable grounds to conduct a full investigation on the cement industry for possible violation of the Philippine Competition Act. PCC was replying to an affidavit–complaint filed by Victorio Mario Dimagiba, a former Trade undersecretary and now president of Laban Konsyumer Inc. The commission said in a reply letter to Dimagiba dated Jan. 27, 2017 that it conducted a preliminary inquiry on the allegations.

The commission terminated the preliminary inquiry, saying it found reasonable grounds to proceed to full administrative investigation on the cement industry’s possible violations of Sections 14 and 15 of the Philip-

pine Competition Act. Under the anti-competitive agreements and abuse of dominant position clauses, the cement companies involved in the case may face administrative fines of up to P100 million.

Dimagiba alleged in his affidavit-complaint filed on Aug. 22, 2016 that the respondents― Cement Manufacturers Association president Ernesto Ordoñez, LaFarge Holcim Philippines Inc. and Republic Cement and Building Materials Inc.―engaged in price manipulation.

Dimagiba claimed that CeMAP used the trade association and pseudo consumer groups to justify the violation of the Philippine Competition Act when it filed unsubstantiated and frivolous cases solely against nonCeMAP imported brands alleging substandard cement.

MEGA EQUIPMENT. International Container Terminal Services Inc. is set to order the most modern

equipment that will have the largest vessel handling capability in the Philippines, existing or planned, and at par with those used in major developed markets around the world. The massive order for the Manila International Container Terminal includes five post-Panamax quay cranes capable of servicing up to 13,000-TEU boxships, the largest in the intra-Asia trade. Also on order are 20 rubber tired gantry cranes. (Story on B2)

B2

Business

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market advances; SMIC climbs Harbor Star plans S expansion in Asean TOCKS advanced for a third day, as most Asian markets tracked a positive lead from Wall Street despite the geopolitical risks caused by North Korea’s firing of multiple ballistic missiles.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, rose 66 points, or 0.9 percent, to close at 7,313.87 Monday.

This pushed up total gains this year to 6.9 percent.

The heavier index, representing all shares, gained 29 points, or 0.7 percent, to settle at 4,415.13, on a value turnover of P7.6 billion.

Advancers outnumbered losers, 107 to 75, while 46 issues were unchanged.

Thirteen of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by SM Investments Corp. which climbed 2.1 percent to P670 and SM

Prime Holdings Inc. which rose 1.7 percent to P29.50. Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. added 1.7 percent to finish at P8.42.

Meanwhile, escalating geopolitical tensions sparked a rise in the yen, while most Asian equities advanced as investors assessed statements from China’s National People’s Congress and Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.

Hong Kong shares ended with gains on Monday following last week’s losses, as investors tracked a positive lead from their counterparts in New York.

The Hang Seng Index added 0.18 percent, or 43.56 points, to close at 23,596.28.

The benchmark Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.48 percent, or 15.56 points, to 3,233.87.

The Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China’s second exchange, jumped 1.18 percent, or 23.63 points, to 2,025.54.

Tokyo shares finished lower as the yen jumped in response to North Korea’s firing of four ballistic missiles, three of which landed

in Japanese-controlled waters.Japan moved to the highest possible alert.

The latest provocation from Kim Jong Un’s regime comes as South Korea and the US undertake annual military drills that Pyongyang has called a prelude to an invasion. Tensions have been rising over North Korea, which also conducted a missile test during Abe’s state visit to the US last month and is suspected of being behind the assassination of its leader’s half brother in Malaysia.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the missiles were launched “almost simultaneously” and warned the threat from Pyongyang had “entered a new stage”.

The yen is seen internationally as a safehaven currency and investors tend to buy it in times of turmoil or uncertainty, but a pickup in the currency hits Japanese exporters’ profitability.

In Asian forex markets, the dollar slipped to 113.87 yen from 114.05 yen in New York on Friday. With Bloomberg, AFP

By Jenniffer B. Austria HARBOR Star Shipping Services Inc., a leading provider of harbor assistance, lighterage, salvage and towing services, on Monday disclosed a plan to expand in Indonesia and Myanmar.

Harbor Star president and chief executive Geronimo Bella Jr. said in an interview at the sidelines of the special stockholders meeting the company was in talks with the Port Authority of Myanmar, which was building a tank farm to serve as an oil depot for an oil

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, MARCH 6, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.38 3,000 48.5 10,500 98 669,600 4.38 114,000 119.5 2,740,900 1.26 50,000 40.2 70,100 16.18 2,100 20.5 2,229,500 0.73 8,000 0.67 1,992,000 81.2 5,602,450 0.74 100,000 14.56 30,300 25.65 14,600 57.25 8,890 240 5,020 113 30 90 10 39.75 7,300 202 469,900 1,790 275 79.9 135,690

9,810 508,435 65,332,188 500,150 325,223,322 63,000 2,810,045 33,960 45,708,360 5,840 1,323,510 454,872,630 73,860 439,352 380,400 509,507.50 1,204,080 3,390 900 291,270 95,047,742 492,250 10,846,820

493,930 28,869,610 133,225,934 -10,827,870 -23,850 33,026,093.50 1,456 -470,270 -641,400 -103,370 -16,351,345 71,600 6,189,518.50

43 5.42 0.84 1.43 19.8 0.275 97 8.19 16.6 165 23.35 14.72 61.5 94 2.16 6.1 11.8 12.76 7.74 6.82 5.82 21.2 73 12.2 16.76 6.51 1.65 197.2 79 7.6 3.87 30.9 26.7 14.86 292.4 0.26 6.42 3.5 8.88 11.56 2.33 7.03 1.84 76.7 4.95 262 5 2.79 12.56 4.35 0.146 1.49 161 4.5 1.67 1.06

INDUSTRIAL 43.8 2,130,800 5.54 494,600 0.84 297,000 1.45 236,000 20.3 26,500 0.275 10,290,000 97 260 8.42 16,490,700 16.68 15,469,000 165 160 23.5 156,700 14.72 3,600 61.5 20 94 130 2.16 114,000 6.15 15,400 11.94 12,700 12.82 2,245,800 7.76 383,000 6.86 832,300 5.9 12,623,500 21.35 761,600 73.05 9,100 12.22 1,100 16.8 415,900 6.6 228,300 1.65 1,010,000 198 716,610 79 330 7.81 2,464,900 3.99 32,000 30.9 566,600 26.95 171,900 14.9 9,243,500 293.6 231,320 0.27 3,580,000 6.89 47,500 3.55 60,000 8.98 3,840,200 11.56 300 2.37 856,000 7.22 7,541,600 1.86 839,000 77.5 631,030 4.95 26,100 266.8 180 5.01 119,500 2.8 4,000 12.9 3,052,200 4.37 49,000 0.148 460,000 1.49 5,000 163 1,490,310 4.5 1,000 1.68 618,000 1.06 90,000

93,309,425 2,730,270 249,480 342,340 534,874 2,852,250 25,295 138,506,544 257,879,578 26,400 3,665,175 52,992 1,230 12,250 247,240 94,510 150,890 28,758,710 2,980,056 5,705,931 74,381,126 16,270,560 665,230 13,430 6,981,892 1,501,397 1,684,200 142,400,720 26,251.50 19,657,922 126,240 17,700,235 4,633,625 139,030,464 68,045,136 957,800 319,562 211,110 34,490,194 3,468 2,006,140 54,016,181 1,549,600 48,716,662.50 129,700 47,496 598,160 11,170 39,175,838 214,170 67,440 7,470 242,231,906 4,500 1,038,570 95,800

53,536,205 31,025 -2,520 -32,996,174.00 9,239,276 -4,700 7,321,932 -388,834 -3,989,467 27,713,425 5,766,240 158,770 -357,840 417,046 -780,320 -51,591,692 -1,800 -6,925,100 526,660 -19,703,098 -8,170,886 116,220 -6,028,539 167,760 -25,985,811 9,350 6,393,474 378,015 20,120,762 89,376,384 -

0.385 73.5 12.72 6.21 0.395 0.375 825 8.86 13.1 8.05 5.31 0.184 1,232 78.5 1.21 7.9 15.48 6.95 0.063 1.1 1.98 107 4.77 670 1.56 269.6 0.31 0.189 0.27

0.375 72.3 12.5 6.06 0.385 0.375 800.5 8.78 12.78 7.96 5.31 0.184 1,208 75.55 1.15 7.89 15.1 6.78 0.058 1.1 1.98 106 3.32 653 1.53 267 0.29 0.187 0.255

HOLDING FIRMS 0.38 270,000 73.5 807,900 12.66 12,615,300 6.06 20,500 0.385 2,080,000 0.375 80,000 823 170,390 8.86 1,556,700 12.8 8,321,100 8.05 115,300 5.31 400 0.184 30,000 1,220 85,245 78.5 2,096,950 1.15 13,026,000 7.9 1,021,700 15.1 2,026,800 6.83 32,382,200 0.062 569,520,000 1.1 6,000 1.98 53,000 106.6 113,330 4.7 4,168,000 670 376,810 1.53 191,000 269.6 3,880 0.295 750,000 0.187 720,000 0.255 680,000

102,500 59,136,556 159,685,662 126,180 804,600 30,000 139,066,815 13,715,696 107,066,684 928,044 2,124 5,520 104,118,230 163,520,529 15,214,250 8,071,150 30,971,962 222,047,544 34,619,160 6,600 104,940 12,067,277 15,979,090 250,229,225 294,510 1,039,810 225,250 135,170 176,750

46,897,700 -12,869,418 54,261,920 1,906,157 -45,932,870 34,743,535 100,250,108 116,000 315,720 -14,472,934 -53,466,611 20 -1,068,729 -12,900 36,794,390 6,240 -214,092 43,350

6.69 1.02 2.52 1.58 36.15 3.79 0.51 1.07 1.32 0.162 0.56 54.05 0.71 0.164 1.68 0.99 1.23 3.76 0.174

6.62 1 2.44 1.51 35.75 3.59 0.5 1.03 1.27 0.161 0.55 53.5 0.71 0.158 1.64 0.98 1.2 3.65 0.164

501,460 3,030,650 704,050 42,604,640 1,251,492,685 26,491,720 2,554,130 26,630 442,410 754,770 390,080 8,498,006.50 84,490 46,630 2,468,950 829,100 635,960 47,372,200 7,362,870

-255,512 49,300 -159,640 112,042,645 -3,588,910 -137,800 -2,600 477,138 8,150 -723,740 22,388,770 82,320

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

3.21 48.35 97 4.35 117.6 1.26 40 16 20.1 0.73 0.67 81 0.74 14.4 26.4 58 239 113 90 40 198.2 1,790 79.95

3.38 48.5 98.5 4.41 120 1.26 40.4 16.18 20.7 0.73 0.67 81.4 0.75 14.56 26.4 58 240.4 113 90 40 204.8 1,790 80

3.21 48.35 96.05 4.34 117.2 1.26 39.95 16 20.1 0.73 0.66 80.8 0.73 14.4 25.6 57.25 239 113 90 39.75 198 1,790 79.75

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

43.75 5.5 0.84 1.47 20.1 0.29 98.5 8.28 16.66 165 23.35 14.72 61.5 95 2.17 6.1 11.92 12.82 7.84 6.9 5.82 21.3 73 12.2 16.8 6.59 1.7 201 79.85 7.94 3.87 31.4 26.7 15.34 293.8 0.265 6.79 3.5 8.88 11.56 2.34 7.03 1.86 77.9 5.04 262 5.02 2.79 12.66 4.51 0.146 1.5 163 4.5 1.7 1.07

44.05 5.56 0.84 1.47 20.7 0.29 98.5 8.49 16.8 165 23.5 14.72 61.5 95 2.17 6.15 11.94 12.92 7.84 6.9 5.91 21.45 73.5 12.22 16.8 6.6 1.7 201.6 79.85 8.09 3.99 31.5 27.2 15.4 295.4 0.275 6.9 3.55 9.02 11.56 2.37 7.25 1.88 77.9 5.04 266.8 5.02 2.8 12.98 4.51 0.148 1.5 164.1 4.5 1.7 1.07

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

0.385 73 12.5 6.2 0.395 0.375 802 8.84 13.06 8.05 5.31 0.184 1,208 75.55 1.18 7.9 15.36 6.9 0.058 1.1 1.98 107 3.32 656 1.56 267.4 0.29 0.189 0.27

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

6.69 1.02 2.47 1.51 35.8 3.63 0.51 1.03 1.27 0.161 0.56 54 0.71 0.158 1.66 0.98 1.23 3.71 0.166

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

0.31 0.6 4.75 23.2 1.71 3.35 29 1.07 0.9 4.86

0.31 0.63 4.79 24.05 1.71 3.35 29.7 1.08 0.9 4.9

0.29 0.59 4.75 23.1 1.7 3.27 28.65 1.04 0.9 4.8

0.31 0.6 4.76 24 1.7 3.3 29.5 1.06 0.9 4.9

4,010,000 29,735,000 440,000 2,044,500 694,000 15,000 6,832,800 10,674,000 8,000 1,316,000

1,201,900 18,183,360 2,103,920 48,756,015 1,180,120 49,360 199,332,795 11,300,010 7,200 6,394,190

-32,000 24,864,605 65,706,910 -212,000 -2,377,780

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

7.86 46.95 1.48 0.53 0.062 11.04 5.16 7.4 0.066 2.45 91.9 9.84 8.84 2.47 980 1,844 6.13 16.5 15.24 3.61 4.2 75 9.07 0.192 1.35 3.07 14.36 3.9 0.95 3.32 2.24 5.19 3.82 2.83 11.2 5.4 3.36 140 9.15 1,450 1.42 0.41 45.5 80 6.4 2.44 1.14 3.22 0.38

7.9 47.45 1.48 0.54 0.064 11.56 5.16 7.6 0.066 2.52 93 10.3 8.84 2.47 980 1,871 6.15 16.5 15.24 3.67 4.2 76.7 9.07 0.195 1.38 3.46 14.36 3.9 0.95 3.65 2.25 5.4 3.82 2.83 11.2 5.52 3.49 140 9.19 1,476 1.42 0.42 46 81.5 6.4 2.47 1.16 3.24 0.385

7.85 46.1 1.48 0.52 0.06 11.04 5.16 7.32 0.063 2.45 91.3 9.84 8.84 2.47 980 1,825 6.1 16.2 15.24 3.35 3.8 74.1 9.04 0.191 1.35 3.07 14.36 3.85 0.95 3.3 2.11 5.11 3.8 2.74 11.18 5.31 3.29 140 8.99 1,450 1.4 0.41 45.05 79.5 6.17 2.42 1.13 3.21 0.37

SERVICES 7.89 46.1 1.48 0.54 0.061 11.56 5.16 7.58 0.065 2.5 91.45 10.3 8.84 2.47 980 1,835 6.1 16.46 15.24 3.54 3.92 76 9.07 0.194 1.38 3.39 14.36 3.9 0.95 3.56 2.25 5.39 3.8 2.74 11.18 5.52 3.42 140 9.09 1,470 1.42 0.41 45.05 81 6.19 2.42 1.16 3.24 0.37

34,100 2,700 12,000 236,000 341,580,000 6,200 4,000 8,615,000 47,320,000 9,587,000 138,130 25,300 100 2,000 10 104,675 63,600 165,400 51,800 5,592,000 359,000 1,762,530 418,000 2,970,000 325,000 131,000 1,500 906,000 5,000 5,797,000 128,000 10,847,100 310,000 1,228,000 15,200 51,300 97,000 10 214,000 73,645 9,204,000 1,730,000 9,986,600 3,218,840 123,900 1,675,000 13,674,000 30,000 1,980,000

268,488 127,330 17,760 124,820 20,902,570 70,140 20,640 64,792,896 3,002,110 23,958,520 12,642,012.50 257,064 884 4,940 9,800 193,261,270 390,454 2,707,088 789,432 19,885,640 1,409,350 134,009,489 3,789,660 571,850 444,860 436,520 21,540 3,502,840 4,750 20,413,920 283,360 58,121,412 1,178,560 3,386,380 170,140 278,162 328,630 1,400 1,933,213 108,288,465 13,008,720 711,300 453,589,520 258,948,049 769,570 4,073,200 15,736,940 96,940 745,250

47,550 -22,741,147 75,800 4,191,795.50 254,112 9,800 42,493,220 15,215,999.50 32,400 -3,177,520 -2,508,890 11,990,055 -657,650 -139,300 114,170 1,400 -49,003.00 80,177,775 -6,882,020 -109,057,675 97,303,839.50 -2,883,030 440,510.00 -58,280 -

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

0.0032 1.89 5.7 1.83 0.44 10.9 2.64 0.25 0.185 0.191 0.012 1.96 6.76 2.36 0.9 0.012 4.09 0.015 9.45 3.3 147.2 2.95

0.0032 1.94 5.75 1.83 0.44 10.9 2.66 0.255 0.187 0.193 0.012 2 6.8 2.43 0.9 0.012 4.09 0.015 9.45 3.36 149 2.98

0.0032 1.88 5.7 1.83 0.44 9.85 2.62 0.249 0.184 0.191 0.011 1.89 6.68 2.25 0.88 0.011 4.09 0.014 9.21 3.24 145.1 2.84

MINING & OIL 0.0032 99,000,000 1.9 2,145,000 5.75 239,700 1.83 10,000 0.44 320,000 10.1 79,600 2.66 1,491,000 0.249 30,000 0.186 1,320,000 0.192 1,320,000 0.012 17,800,000 1.95 963,000 6.72 3,474,900 2.35 153,000 0.9 920,000 0.011 25,500,000 4.09 1,000 0.014 68,500,000 9.37 831,500 3.3 991,000 148 875,000 2.84 27,000

316,800 4,077,610 1,373,742 18,300 140,800 802,661 3,943,950 7,540 244,770 253,040 212,900 1,878,260 23,357,642 354,530 821,530 293,200 4,090 960,900 7,744,297 3,255,030 129,265,361 78,260

-16,002 1,046,950 -191,500 990,400 -17,789,873 21,000 854,612 111,954,560 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2B PF PREF 2 SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

46.9 528 105 114.6 5.85 1,040 108.7 1,142 1,020 2.1 77.9 76.5 79.95 78.15 79.4

46.9 529 105 114.6 5.85 1,040 108.7 1,142 1,020 2.1 77.9 76.5 79.95 78.15 79.4

46.9 528 105 114.6 5.85 1,031 108.7 1,142 1,020 2.1 77.9 76.5 79.85 78.15 79.4

PREFERRED 46.9 7,700 529 1,200 105 29,570 114.6 40 5.85 214,300 1,031 2,800 108.7 30 1,142 10 1,020 5,005 2.1 2,000 77.9 710 76.5 1,500 79.85 5,100 78.15 20,000 79.4 30,000

361,130 633,800 3,104,850 4,584 1,253,655 2,891,300 3,261 11,420 5,105,100 4,200 55,309 114,750 407,445 1,563,000 2,382,000

-314,230 -1,253,655 2,382,000

LR WARRANT

2.15

2.15

2.15

WARRANTS 2.15 1,000

2,150

-

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

3.5 6.75 8.34

3.6 6.9 8.49

3.5 6.5 8.24

3.5 6.89 8.41

87,780 445,525 20,256,140

17,500 -2,015 -12,256,533

FIRST METRO ETF

119.1

120.6

119.1

1,127,160

-

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 6.62 1.01 2.52 1.54 36 3.71 0.5 1.07 1.3 0.161 0.56 54.05 0.71 0.164 1.67 0.98 1.2 3.76 0.172

75,000 3,025,000 286,000 27,497,000 34,765,300 7,132,000 5,042,000 25,000 345,000 4,670,000 707,000 157,830 119,000 290,000 1,488,000 846,000 527,000 12,714,000 43,250,000

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

SHARES

14,264,503

INDUSTRIAL

105,104,244

HOLDING FIRMS

660,368,418

PROPERTY

205,867,017

SERVICES

481,931,278

MINING & OIL

226,035,784

GRAND TOTAL

1,696,082,942

SME

25,000 66,200 2,410,300

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 120.6 9,410

VALUE 1,821.28 (up) 18.96 1,005,713,249.50 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,078.93 (down) 17.45 1,569,337,208.72 HOLDING FIRMS 7,412.19 (up) 66.29 1,435,942,391.22 PROPERTY 3,298.88 (up) 39.75 SERVICES 1,432.34 (up) 14.20 1,942,525,614.155 MINING & OIL 12,445.15 (up) 95.56 1,463,517,310.20 PSEI 7,313.87 (up) 66.75 179,432,235.181 All Shares Index 4,415.13 (up) 29.27 7,618,387,421.575 Gainers:107; Losers: 75; Unchanged: 46; Total: 228

company.

Bella said Harbor Star planned to provide tugboat assistance services to the tank farm, which was slated for completion by the third quarter of 2017.

Harbor Shipping is also in talks with a company in Indonesia, which needs two tugboats to support existing operations, he said.

Harbor Star currently has operations in Malaysia.

Bella said with the planned international expansion, the company was looking to add six tugboats to the current fleet of 52.

Aside from overseas expansion, Harbor Star is also looking to venture into renewable sector, he said.

Bella said the company planned to build a solar plant in Mindanao with a capacity of 25 megawatts.

Port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. earlier partnered with Harbor Star to operate Cavite Gateway Terminal on a sixhectare property owned by the former in Tanza, Cavite.

The plan involves the construction of the Philippines’ first barge terminal for shipping containers between the Port of Manila and Cavite, a project that could potentially reduce annual truck trips on city roads by 140,000.

Bella said the company aimed to replicate the project in Cebu and Bataan.

The company is in talks with Cebu Ports Authority for the planned expansion.

ICTSI set to acquire 5 modern quay cranes

By Darwin G. Amojelar INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. said Monday it will acquire the most modern equipment for its Manila port as a part of a massive capacity building program.

The order for the Manila International Container Terminal includes five post-Panamax quay cranes capable of servicing up to 13,000-TEU boxships, the largest in the intra-Asia trade. MICT will also order 20 rubber tired gantry cranes.

The purchase, along with the construction of another berth, is a part of ICTSI’s $80-million capital equipment program for MICT. It said with a maximum reach of 20 containers across and twin lift rated load capability, the post-Panamax quay cranes are capable of servicing single-ocean box ships, or vessels that are too large to pass through the Panama Canal.

The capital equipment program would enable MICT to service new generation vessels with capacities of up to 13,000 TEUs, setting a new standard for container terminal operation in the country.

“Hitting the two-million mark last year is a clear indication that we need to further expand our operation in response to the direction of the market. We also have to address the growing consolidation trend happening with major carriers that have them deploying larger capacity vessels,” said ICTSI senior vice president Christian Gonzalez.

The 2 millionth TEU milestone triggered a multi-billion peso capacity improvement commitment with the Philippine Ports Authority.

Business

B3

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Bus operators buck two south terminals

PARAÑAQUE NEGOSYO CENTER. Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya (right) and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez shake hands during the launching of the 10th Negosyo Center in the National Capital Region in the city and the 452nd nationwide since its inception in 2014. The Department of Trade and Industry in line with the Republic Act No. 10644, or the Go Negosyo Act, launched Negosyo Centers nationwide to help micro small and medium enterprises in providing access to information, finance, market and training, and business name registration.

Code of Corporate Governance is only half the battle THE Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the organizations that collaborated with it in the production of the newly-released Code of Corporate Governance are to be commended for having brought forth a fine piece of work. As its name suggests, the Code has brought together, in coherent and comprehensive fashion, all the regulations and issuances intended to make this country’s corporations operate in a lawful, fair and transparent manner.

The Code could not be more essential. Despite all government efforts – legal as well as administrative—to bring it about, good corporate governance remains the exception rather than the rule in this country. Most Corporations regularly commit violations of laws and regulations governing their relations with their stakeholders—the government, their stockholders, their creditors and the communities in which they operate.

Through manipulations of books of account, failures to disclose, misrepresentations, manipulations of all sorts and outright falsehoods, most corporations have cheated and deceived their stakeholders.

These corporate transgressions the Code of Corporate Governance seeks to prevent. The rules on disclosures have been tightened; corporations are now required to provide written explanations for acts that appear to be questionable. Independent directors now have to meet higher standards. And reporting requirements—especially to the government and to stockholders —are now tougher.

If strongly enforced, the Code will go a long way toward establishing good corporate governance in this country. A body of laws and regulations, no matter how well crafted, will not amount to much if it is not strongly enforced. The Code of Corporate Governance is concededly a good piece of regulatory draftsmanship. But it is only half the battle; the other—and ultimately the more important—half is reinforcement.

Unfortunately, it is on the field of enforcement that the corporate-governance battle—like almost all regulatory battles in this country—is likely to be lost. The SEC does not have a record of consistently strong performance in the enforcement of Philippine laws and regulations governing corporate governance; in fact, if the truth must be told, its record is rather dismal. How often has the media reported that this or that business entity has, upon investigation, been shown to be unregulated or to not have filed reports with the SEC for years or to have grossly misrepresented its financial situation? And how about the series of scams that over the years have fleeced hundreds of thousands of Filipinos because of the SEC’s inability to do a good job of supervising corporations and their incorporators?

Why has the SEC not been doing a good job of supervising its corporate flock? The answer was given by current chairman Teresita Herbosa in her testimony before the Senate committee investigation into the Janet Lim-Napoles scam, which brought out the fact that almost all of the recipients of the PDAF (Priority Development Assistance Fund) money were bogus and addressless entities. The SEC was grossly understaffed—I cannot recall the number of employees that was stated, but that number struck me at the time as being ridiculously low—she said, and it consequently was not in a position to closely supervise the approximately 25,000 corporations registered with it. How, indeed, can the SEC do a perfect job of keeping the nation’s corporations toeing the line with grossly inadequate manpower and facilities?

Just as there is no such thing as a semi-pregnancy, so there is no such thing as a half-won battle. A battle either is won or it isn’t. With the issuance of the Code of Corporate Governance, the battle to raise the level of corporate governance in this country is half-won. The other half of the battle will be won only when Chairman Herbosa and her SEC folk are given all the tools they need to effect full enforcement of the Code.

E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

THE Southern Luzon Bus Operators’ Association, or Soluboa, is opposing the planned South and South West provincial bus terminals, claiming it is “disadvantageous” to the government.

Soluboa, in a letter addressed to Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, chairperson of the Committee on Transportation, said it was never consulted nor made participants in any discussion for the proposed terminals.

Soluboa executive director Michael Salalima said the organization expressed confidence the government would consider hearing the group’s view on the project.

Soluboa, he said, was not in favor of the proposed terminals for several reasons, citing that the interest of the commuting public would not be served.

Since late last year, major engineering conflicts have surfaced in the planned interfacing of the terminals, to be located at FTI, and the Skyway interchange design.

There have also been delays in the Skyway-to-C5 interchange which will impact on the construction of the SITS. Bus operators from Southern Luzon, who will be using the South Integrated Transport System, have expressed displea-

sure over the FTI complex site location, complaining that their operations would be affected by entering the heavily-congested portions of SLEX-Skyway, resulting in increased travel time, and reduced turnaround times when disembarking and picking up passengers.

Soluboa said the configuration of the SITS vis-a-vis the Skyway meant buses would take the costly Skyway elevated system to gain access to the SITS. Party list Rep. Jess Manalo said the importance of consulting and closely working with relevant stakeholders, especially bus operators, highlighted the lack of sufficient experience of the winning concessionaire in terms of public transportation operations.

The lawmakers also questioned the veracity of the feasibility study used to determine the viability of the provincial bus terminal.

While reassuring that Soluboa would always support government’s plan to decongest traffic in Metro Manila, Salalima said the current administration could still find a better alternative, well-conceived location and design and better compromise other than the identified South and South West provincial bus terminals. Darwin G. Amojelar

Dominguez: Tax bill key to growth of PH construct more local hospitals and improve existing ones, attain 100 percent PhilHealth coverage, and achieve the ideal teacher-to-student and student-toclassroom ratios for the benefit of the country’s future workforce.

Moreover, some P48 billion will be earmarked for targeted transfer programs for low-income groups and other vulnerable sectors to shield them from the initial impact of the CTRP. The first package of the CTRP aims to lower personal income tax rates for 99 percent of the country’s taxpayers while expanding the value-added tax base and adjusting rates for consumption taxes, such as the excise tax on petroleum products and automobiles.

By Julito G. Rada

F

INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said much will be lost if the government fails to seize the opportunity of changing the taxation system in the country through the comprehensive tax reform program.

“This is the tax package that will enable us to reshape our economic growth to make it more inclusive. It is the tax reform package that will bring us to the irreversible path towards being a highincome economy in one generation and bring down our poverty rate to a mere 14 percent by 2022,” Dominguez said at the hearing of the House ways and means committee on the proposed Comprehensive Tax Reform Program on Monday.

“If we fail to raise the volume of revenues required for our economy to break out over the next few years, we will fail in everything else. We will fail to close the infra gap. We will fail to make the investments in our young to prepare them for meaningful economic participation,” he said.

“We will fail to catch up with our neighbors in the region who have invested twice of the amount than what we did on infra over the past three decades. Most important, we will fail to bring down the level of poverty afflicting our people.”

He said the Philippine tax system was direly in need of reform, as personal and income tax rates here were much higher than the rest of the region. He said there was a need to bring them at par to be competitive for investments, adding that unjustly high tax rates were nearly an invitation for evasion.

He added lowering the tax rates would attract even more foreign investments to sustain a higher growth rate. Unless the government seizes the moment and mounts an unmatched infrastructure program that would make the economy far more competitive, favorable economic trends sweeping the region would once again bypass the Philippines, he said.

“This is our economy’s golden moment.

If we fail to seize it, the conjuncture of opportunities will pass us and we will betray our people. We cannot afford to lose because of indecision or because we failed to act boldly,” he said.

The proposed CTRP will allow the government to build or improve 44,000 kilometers of national and local roads,

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

Circular No. 948 Series of 2017

Subject: Amendments to the Manual of Regulations for Banks as of 30 September 2016 The Monetary Board, in its Resolution No. 276 dated 16 February 2017, approved the following amendments to the Manual of Regulations for Banks as of 30 September 2016.

Section 1. The implementing date of the new check clearing process as prescribed in the Memorandum No. M-2016-012 (Clearing of Checks via Electronic Presentment) dated 08 September 2016 is codified as a footnote to Section X206 as follows: “Sec. X206 (2008 - X603) Clearing Operations. The Philippine Clearing House Corporation (PCHC) x x x. It shall implement Clearing of Checks via Electronic Presentment through its Check Image and Clearing System (CICS) upon receipt by the Bangko Sentral of a written notice from the PCHC that CICS is operational.1 xxx 1

The new check clearing process shall be implemented on 20 January 2017.”

Section 2. The effectivity date of the revised rediscount rates under Circular No. 916 dated 08 July 2016 is codified as a footnote to Subsection X269.6 as follows: “ Subsection X269.6 Rediscount/Lending rates and liquidated damages. The rediscount rates for peso, dollar and yen loans shall be, as follows: a. Peso Rediscounts1 xxx b. Dollar/Yen Rediscounts xxx Past due x x x per annum2.

1

These peso rediscount rates shall take effect on 25 July 2016.

2

See Appendix 89 x x x ”

Section 3. The Sworn Certification on Lending to Local Government Units/Borrowing Government Entities as required report under Circular No. 926 dated 13 September 2016 is codified in Appendix 6.

FOR THE MONETARY BOARD: (Sgd) AMANDO M. TETANGCO, JR. Governor 01 March 2017

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

B4

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

Business

Deutsche Bank overhauls strategy

F

RANKFURT AM MAIN―Troubled German banking behemoth Deutsche Bank revealed Sunday a major shift in strategy, saying it plans to increase capital by issuing shares and renew its focus on its home market.

The Frankfurt-based bank will issue almost 690 million new shares in early April, with subscription rights for existing shareholders, to raise about 8.0 billion euros ($8.5 billion), chief executive John Cryan said during a conference call.

Deutsche Bank had signaled such a move on Friday, but it is still a significant about-face for Cryan, who insisted until recently that the bank did not need to raise capital.

Shares of Deutsche Bank fell as much as 6.0 percent as the

Frankfurt market opened Monday, hours after the bank announced it would raise cash by issuing new shares.

The bank’s shares were down 4.89 percent to trade at 18.20 euros ($19.36) just before 0830 GMT, making Deutsche the worst performer in the Dax index of leading German companies, which was down 0.73 percent.

As well as the capital increase, the bank plans to retain its Postbank subsidiary and to partially float its Deutsche Asset Management unit―itself valued

at around 8 billion euros by analysts―within 24 months.

The plan to offer shares in the asset management business must be approved by German financial regulator BaFin. Going forward, Deutsche Bank will be reorganized around three divisions: private banking and wealth management; asset management; and corporate and investment banking.

Executives hope that Sunday’s announcement will mark a new chapter for the bank, which has struggled to make a profit in recent years as it faced low interest rates and mammoth fines― as well as a costly restructuring drive that Cryan launched when he took the helm in 2015.

The bank reported a net loss of 1.4 billion euros for 2016.

Last year saw a number of

scares about Deutsche Bank’s ability to resist financial shocks, as it emerged among the weakest performers in the European Central Bank’s stress tests and had to negotiate with the US Department of Justice (DoJ) over a $14-billion fine sought for its role in the subprime mortgage crisis.

Shares in the bank plunged at several points throughout the year, including when news of the DoJ’s demand became public in September and when several hedge funds later withdrew investments.

While Deutsche Bank ended up negotiating its US fines and compensation down to about $7 billion, the perception of weakness remained.

Proceeds from the new shares will bring the bank’s core capital ratio―a key indicator of the bank’s solvency and resilience―

to 14.1 percent from 11.9 percent at the end of last year.

That figure “will help us remove a source of uncertainty and thus reduce our refinancing costs,” Cryan said, “and also increase confidence in us as a counter-party and encourage clients to deepen their relationship with us.”

The bank aims to further increase its capital cushion by selling parts of its vast asset portfolio, bringing in a further two billion euros.

By integrating Postbank―long slated to be sold as soon as it could fetch the right price―and reorganizing its corporate and investment banking units, Cryan argued that Deutsche Bank would “strengthen significantly our leadership in Germany, where our roots are, while also maintaining our global reach.” AFP

PSA buys maker of Opel cars in Europe PARIS―French carmaker PSA on Monday announced the acquisition of General Motors’ European subsidiary, which includes the Opel and Vauxhall brands, for 1.3 billion euros ($1.38 billion).

The move sees PSA regain its position as Europe’s second-largest automobile manufacturer, after Germany’s Volkswagen, overtaking rival French firm Renault.

PSA said in a statement it was also buying GM Europe’s financial operations for 900 million euros in a joint deal with bank BNP Paribas, taking the total value of the deal to 2.2 billion euros.

The takeover includes six assembly plants and five component-making facilities and some 40,000 employees.

Plans for the takeover of the Opel division by PSA, which owns the Peugeot and Citroen brands, were unveiled in the middle of February, sparking fears in Germany and Britain that the prospective new owner could cut non-French jobs.

The French giant’s shares rose more than three percent on the Paris stock exchange early Monday on news of the deal, trading at 19.67 euros.

PSA boss Carlos Tavares said the firm was “deeply committed to continuing to develop this great company and accelerating its turnaround.”

“We are confident that the Opel/Vauxhall turnaround will significantly accelerate with our support, while respecting the commitments made by GM to the Opel/Vauxhall employees,” Tavares said.

Vauxhall employs around 5,000 people in Britain. Opel operates some 10 factories in Europe spread across six countries, and had 35,600 employees at the end of 2015, 18,250 of them in Germany.

Founded in 1862, Opel, with its lightning-bolt emblem, is a familiar sight on European roads, but in recent years the firm has booked repeated losses, costing Detroit-based GM around $15 billion since 2000.

Britain, where it sells vehicles under the Vauxhall brand, is Opel’s largest European market.

A sharp fall in the pound since Britain’s vote to quit the EU last June sank Opel’s hopes of getting back into the black in 2016, and it ended up reporting a loss of $257 million.

PSA said the deal will enable substantial economies of scale and savings in purchasing, manufacturing and research, and they aim to return Opel-Vauxhall to profit in the next three years.

GM’s chairman and chief executive Mary Barra said the sale was “another major step” in the company’s efforts to improve its performance. AFP

Chairperson and CEO of General Motors Company Mary Barra (center) listens as chairperson of the managing board of French carmaker Groupe PSA Carlos Tavares (second from right)) speaks during a press conference about the acquisition by PSA of General Motors’ European subsidiary, which includes the Opel and Vauxhall brands, on March 6, 2017 in Paris. AFP

UK fund managers announce merger LONDON―British fund management firms Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management said Monday that they have agreed to merge, creating a European giant worth some £ 11 billion ($13.5 billion, 12.7 billion euros).

The deal was billed as a merger but Standard Life shareholders will have overall control with a 66.7-percent stake in the new company. Aberdeen will hold the remaining 33.3 percent.

Aberdeen investors will receive 0.757 new Standard Life ordinary share for each share they already own, valuing the asset manager at £3.8 billion.

“The boards of Standard Life plc and Aberdeen Asset Management plc are pleased to announce that they have reached agreement on the terms of a recommended all-share merger,” the pair said in a statement.

The combined business will oversee assets worth a total of £660 billion―making it one of the largest investment managers in the world. It will be headquartered in Scotland and have 9,000 staff worldwide.

“We have always been clear that it is Standard Life’s ambition to become a world-class investment company and that this would be achieved through continued investment in diversification and growth, coupled with a sharp focus on financial discipline,” said Standard Life chief executive Keith Skeoch.

“We are therefore delighted that this announcement marks another important step towards achieving that ambition.”

He added: “We strongly believe that we can build on the strength of the existing Standard Life business by combining with Aberdeen to create one of the largest active investment managers in the world and deliver significant value for all of our stakeholders.”

The two groups, which had announced that they were in talks over the weekend, aim to complete the merger in the third quarter subject to regulatory approvals.

“This merger brings financial strength, diversity of customer base and global reach to ensure that the enlarged business can compete effectively on the global stage,” added Aberdeen chief executive Martin Gilbert. AFP

A shift in Indonesia mining policy alarms foreign investors

By Sam Reeves JAKARTA―A controversial U-turn on mineral exports has sparked turmoil in Indonesia’s key mining sector, providing a fresh headache for firms struggling to work in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.

Despite sitting atop some of the world’s most abundant natural resources, successive governments have failed to take advantage of its vast riches, with critics blaming badly thoughtout and nationalistic policies that make the country an uncertain place to invest.

And the latest overhaul has sparked a potentially damaging standoff with one of the United States’ biggest miners and a major investor in the country.

Jakarta in January relaxed a 2014 landmark ban on shipments of raw mineral ores, which was originally aimed at spurring the domestic smelting industry but led to mine closures, job losses and a fall in government revenues.

While some firms may stand to benefit from the sudden rollback, it has infuriated companies that invested large amounts in Indonesia on operations for smelting, the process of extracting metals from their ores.

In addition, the government asked firms to sign new permits that critics say offer less protection―triggering a standoff with US giant Freeport-McMoRan, which has stopped shipments from its huge copper and gold mine in the east.

The move is the latest in a series of regulatory changes

from the government that have caused jitters among miners, with some foreign firms choosing to exit Indonesia rather than deal with such an unpredictable environment.

“One of the inherent problems in the Indonesian mining industry over the last few years has been the lack of consistency in government policy, with the government changing its mind quite regularly and unexpectedly,” Bill Sullivan, a Jakarta-based lawyer and mining expert, told AFP. Authorities have raised taxes and royalties on shipments and demanded that foreign miners reduce the stakes in their Indonesian operations to less than half.

Heading for the exit In June US gold mining giant Newmont sold its share in an Indonesian mine to local investors after more than three decades operating in the archipelago, citing more onerous regulations as a factor.

And Rio Tinto, the world’s second-biggest miner, is reportedly considering walking away from its stake in Freeport’s vast Grasberg mine in Papua province owing to the current row.

Economic nationalists have pushed putting stricter conditions on foreign firms in a bid to reap greater profits from the industry, but critics fear the moves could backfire by scaring off investors at a time policymakers are already struggling to reignite slowing economic growth.

As resource-rich nations benefit from a jump in commodity prices after years of declines, the regulatory uncertainty

This picture taken in Kendawangan, West Kalimantan on Borneo island on February 13, 2017 shows a smelter Alumina refenery of PT. An overhaul of Indonesian mining rules has sparked fresh concern for investors in a sector long plagued by uncertainty and triggered a fierce battle with one of the world’s biggest miners.AFP

means Indonesia may not fare as well.

The latest policy change has sparked a fierce row with Freeport, which says it has given the government more than $16.5 billion in taxes and other payments since 1991.

The US miner has refused to bow to the government’s demands to sign a new deal without additional assurances, stopped work at Grasberg― the world’s second-biggest copper pit―started laying off workers, and threatened to sue the government.

“Right now we are at an impasse with the government,” Freeport chief executive Richard Adkerson said during a

visit to Jakarta last month.

Under the changes to Indonesia’s export ban, miners will be able to export nickel ore and bauxite as well as concentrates of other minerals under certain conditions, instead of having to process them in Indonesia.

The amendments went further than analysts had expected, although some exports are still banned.

For investors who have already ploughed money into constructing smelters, including many Chinese firms, the U-turn on the ban is a disaster.

“People who have invested millions of dollars in Indonesia can only pray now that the government will revoke

the regulation,” said Jonatan Handojo, executive director of Indonesia’s main smelter industry association.

Despite the outcry, officials are unrepentant with the finance ministry predicting the reversal could boost government coffers by $3.12 billion in the next five years.

Even if the government does not hit such an optimistic target, the policy overhaul may still turn out to be a good thing in the long term, said mining expert Sullivan.

“Indonesia is clearly being forced to rethink its position regarding resource nationalism and focus more on economic reality,” he said. AFP

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

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WETLAND WILDLIFE. Black winged stilts hover above the shoreline, unmindful of the approaching dog, at the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area in this photo taken Thursday. Senator Cynthia Villar, who chairs the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, has pushed for the area’s recognition as an urban tourism destination. Ey Acasio

Central Visayas wages up by P13 T

By Vito Barcelo

HE Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board in Central Visayas has raised the daily minimum wage of private workers in Central Visayas by P13, the Department of Labor and Employment said Monday.

DoLE said the wage adjust- wage of workers in the provinces ment takes effect on March 10, of Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor. increasing the daily minimum In the commercial and indus-

trial sectors, workers in Class A cities and municipalities, or the expanded Metro Cebu, will receive a new daily minimum wage of P366. Workers in Class B, including the cities of Toledo, Bogo, and the other municipalities in Cebu, except the islands of Bantayan and Camotes, will receive a daily rate of P333.

The daily minimum wage of workers in Class C, includ-

ing Bohol and Negros Oriental, will be pegged at P323. Class D, comprising the municipalities of Siquijor and the islands of Bantayan and Camotes, will now be rated at P308.

In the agricultural sector, workers in Class A cities and municipalities will receive a daily rate of P348 (non-sugar) and P316 (sugar); and P318 (non-sugar) and P303 (sugar) for workers in Class B.

Workers in Class C cities and municipalities will receive P303 (non-sugar and sugar) daily, while workers in Class D municipalities will be afforded P288 (non-sugar) and P303 (sugar) daily wage.

Region 7 Labor Director Exequiel Sarcauga said the new wage order does not cover household or domestic workers, or persons in the personal service of another, as

Bautista: All of QC must learn to do CPR

Erap: P252-m PLM building set for ’17

By Sandy Araneta A NEW P252-million three-storey school building, complete with 16 classrooms and laboratories, for the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila in Intramuros, will be used by its students starting school year 2017.

According to Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada, the building tops the list of the city’s major school infrastructure projects in his second term as chief executive of the capital.

“Thousands of young Manileños have graduated from PLM and have become professionals.

With this new school building, we will be able to help educate many more poor but bright students, the future of our nation,” he said.

PLM was established on June 19, 1965 as a tuition-free local university, Estrada noted. It is known as the first tertiary-level institution in the country to offer tuition-free education, and

the first university funded solely by a city government.

The Manila Department of Engineering and Public Works said the old PLM main building, which was more than 50 years old, had been condemned after many cracks were found in the structure, and it was later demolished.

DEPW said the construction of the new building started last year, and is scheduled to be completed this month. The city engineers said the building’s façade and general exterior features were preserved to maintain its heritage attributes, noting the school has become historical and is located inside the historic Intramuros area.

The construction, however, utilized modern “bored pile” technology of installing the building’s foundations, a technology also used in the construction of the Light Rail Transit system tracks, which minimizes impacts or effects of new constructions to existing structures in the vicinity, DEPW said.

CHINA-MUNTINLUPA TRADE. China Association of Port-of-Entry Vice President Sun Ziyang (second from left) pays a courtesy call to Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (left) on March 2. Ziyang discussed partnership opportunities for economic development, and plans on forging a sister-city agreement between Muntinlupa and Xi’an, through the efforts of Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive Elvie Sanchez-Quiazon. Also in photo is Zhongpin Commercial Management Co. Ltd. vice chairman Carina Perez.

Makati police, anti-drug enforcers undergo training

By Joel Zurbano MEMBERS of the Makati City Police and Makati Anti-Drug Abuse Council went through a series of trainings last month to improve their capabilities in their antidrug operations and handling evidence against drug suspects.

The Makati City Peace and Order Council, led by its chairman Mayor Abigail Bi-

nay, in coordination with other government agencies, spearheaded the training under its Capacity Building Program, which aims to raise the level of competence of the city’s law enforcers and force multipliers in the citywide campaign against illegal drugs.

At the barangay level, the Department of the Interior and Local GovernmentMakati office has started implementing the program by cluster.

Training for the first batch started Monday for officials and peacekeepers of Cluster III (northwest, District I) composed of barangays Carmona, Kasilawan, Olympia, Poblacion, Sta. Cruz, Tejeros and Valenzuela. The twoday training was held at the Session Hall of the Makati City Hall Building 1.

“Following the surrender of over 1,500 drug personalities in the city through Oplan Tokhang, we are now focusing our

efforts on building the capability of the local police and other frontliners in the anti-drug campaign through proper and adequate training,” Binay said.

With more competent and capable enforcers, the mayor said lapses in operational procedure and filing of cases, including the mishandling of evidence, could be avoided. “This will help in promoting a faster and more efficient administration of justice,” she said.

1,000 Taguig kids get dental help from US volunteers ABOUT 1,000 children have benefited from the weeklong dental mission conducted last month by the city government of Taguig in partnership with the US-based Volunteers from Kids International Dental Services.

KIDS is a non-profit, volunteer organization in the United States founded in 2009 by Dr. Robert Renner, a retired prosthodontist and Professor Emeritus at the University of New York in Stony Brook.

they are covered by Wage Order No. RBVI-D.W. 1, which was issued by the board in December 2015.

The new wage order is also not applicable to workers of duly registered Barangay Micro Business Enterprises.

Qualified handicapped workers, on the other hand, should be able to receive the full salary increase as specified in the new wage order.

It is an organization of volunteer dentists, students, and various professionals working toward improving the oral health of impoverished children worldwide.

This is the eighth KIDS dental mission in the Philippines, as

part of its aim to promote dental health in areas of the world where access to quality dental care is difficult. KIDS treats around 1,000 patients in the country every year.

Dr. Ignatius Gerodias, Uni-

versity of California professor and KIDS board member, said one of the organization’s goals is to come back each year to provide a consistent source of dental care to kids in need.

Joel E. Zurbano

QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista on Monday underscored the need to propagate a culture of safety and preparedness in handling emergencies among the city’s people.

“By 2021, we are hoping that at least 60 to 70 percent of Quezon City’s population is CPR equipped,” Mayor Bautista said. “We should all learn, not just our health personnel.”

Bautista led the launch of the 2nd Nationwide Mass Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training at QC Hall, where barangay officials and personnel from the city’s 142 barangays were taught basic steps in administering CPR. The mayor reiterated that CPR forms part of the city government’s disaster preparedness program and thus it is imperative all residents are equipped with basic knowledge on how to administer CPR. Quezon City is set to sign a memorandum of agreement with the Philippine Red Cross QC relative to the manning of ambulances that city hall will distribute to the barangays.

According to the mayor, the ambulances will come equipped with basic life support system including defibrillators, and will be manned by Red Cross personnel.

QC Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Karl Michael Marasigan said the city government continues to provide basic life support training and first aid to barangay personnel, especially those from areas traversed by the West Valley Fault and are prone to flooding.

DRRM has also been providing basic life support training to members of the QC health brigades, whose members include city hall personnel.

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LGUs

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

P150.5m for SBMA neighbor LGUs

By Butch Gunio

S

UBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority has released a total of P150.5 million in revenue shares for the second semester of 2016 to eight local government units adjacent to the Freeport.

SBMA Administrator Atty.

Wilma Eisma said the LGU revenue shares this time is 6.4 percent higher than the P141.4 million posted in the first semester of 2015, and 30.6 percent more than the P115.23 million for the second semester of 2015.

“We are proud to turn over to you the result of the hard work of our SBMA workers who

made everything possible for the agency they serve, as we continue to attract more investors and create more jobs,” Eisma told the local officials.

Municipal and city executives who attended the LGU share turnover ceremony at the SBMA Boardroom were Vice Mayor Jong Cortez (Olongapo City), Mayor Joseph Inton (Hermosa,

Bataan); and Mayors Jefferson Khonghun (Subic), Dr. Estela Antipolo (San Antonio), Jose Angelo Dominguez (Castillejos) and Elvis Soria (San Marcelino) of Zambales.

Dinalupihan and Morong in Bataan were represented by their respective municipal treasurers.

The shares handed over to LGUs were derived from the five percent of gross revenue taxes paid to SBMA by locators and investors operating inside Subic Freeport.

Of that five percent, three percent goes to the national treasury, while two percent was distributed by SBMA among the eight LGUs. The share each LGU receives

is based on the following: population (50 percent), land area (25 percent), and equal sharing (25 percent).

Based on SBMA records this semester, Olongapo City remains the highest revenue share recipient with P35.1 million, followed by Subic with P22.96 million and Dinalupihan with P18.73 million.

Other municipalities were San Marcelino (P18.05 million), Hermosa (P15.65 million), Castillejos (P14 million), Morong (P13.07 million), and San Antonio (P12.92 million).

The funds are to be used to finance community development projects on health, education, and peace and order, as

well as livelihood programs to enable communities near the Freeport to keep pace with the developments in the special economic zone.

Hermosa Mayor Inton thanked the SBMA for its continuous effort in improving the investment climate in the Freeport, which generates employment opportunities for the residents around it.

“These revenue shares will be used for improving the basic services the local government units are providing for their constituents, since these services were already devolved in the discretion of the LGUs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Eisma urged LGU officials to start looking for possible areas to be developed as in-

dustrial parks, as the SBMA eyes to extend the fenced areas of the Freeport to its neighboring communities to meet the land area requirements of new investors.

“We need more lands to be developed as industrial parks for our new investors. We should start making our master plan now. Currently, Subic Freeport has not enough land it could offer to new investors,” she said, adding SBMA is willing to help on the technical side of the planning.

The sooner these industrial parks are created, Eisma said the sooner SBMA would be able to accept big investment proposals, which would mean more jobs and bigger LGU shares.

IN BRIEF Clergy, CV groups hold Caser forum

PLEDGE. Navotas City Mayor John Rey Tiangco leads the signing of the Pledge of Commitment to support the ‘Mamamayang Ayaw sa Anomalya, Mamamayang Ayaw sa Iligal na Droga’ or MASA-MASID, a community-based program that aims to curb illegal drugs, corruption, and criminality in the city’s barangays.

Safe boarding houses ordinance pushed in Vizcaya

By Ben Moses Ebreo BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Lawmakers here have expressed support to the proposed Safe Boarding Houses Manila

Standard

TODAY

ordinance that will tighten the multi-sectoral watch on the prevention of teen pregnancies in the province.

Board member Elma Pinaoan-Lejao, chairman of the Sang-

Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE

Roxas Boulevard Corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. Street Manila 1004 INVITATION TO BID FOR THE PROVISION OF MANPOWER SERVICES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE FOR CY 2017 1.

The DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE (DOF), through the Government of the Philippines under the General Appropriations Act for CY 2017, intends to apply the sum of FIFTY NINE MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED NINETY TWO THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED THIRTY THREE PESOS AND 48/100 (PhP 59,892,633.48) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for the Provision of Manpower Services in the Department of Finance for CY 2017 (the “Project”).

Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The DOF, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), now invites bids for Manpower Services.

Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project which is equivalent to fifty percent (50%) of the ABC for the Project.

The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) No. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders starting on March 7, 2017 up to March 27, 2017 at the General Services Division, 8th Floor, EDPC Building, BSP Complex, Pablo Ocampo Sr. St., Roxas Blvd., Manila and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Fifty Thousand Pesos (PhP50,000.00).

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the DOF, provided that the Bidders shall pay the non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

6.

The schedule of bidding activities is as follows: ACTIVITIES Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid Issuance and Availability of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Request for Clarification Issuance of Supplemental Bid Bulletin Deadline for Submission of Bids Opening of Bids

SCHEDULE March 7, 2017 starting March 7, 2017 March 14, 2017, 10:00 am March 17, 2017 (by email) March 20, 2017 March 27, 2017, 9:45 am March 27, 2017, 10:00 am

7.

Bids must be delivered to the BAC Secretariat, General Services Division 8th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex, P. Ocampo Sr., Street corner Roxas Boulevard, Manila on or before March 27, 2017, 9:45 am. The bidders shall drop their duly accomplished eligibility requirements, technical and financial proposals in two (2) separate envelopes in the bid box located at the abovementioned address. All the bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Instructions to Bidders (ITB) Clause 18.

8.

Bid opening shall be on the date indicated above at the DFG Conference Room, 4th Floor DOF Building. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend.

LATE BIDS SHALL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

9.

The DOF reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. In instances, that may arise and not specifically mentioned herein, the DOF shall resolve bidding issues by resorting to and applying the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations.

10. For further information, please refer to: Ms. Lilia R. Tan, Head- BAC Secretariat Department of Finance BAC Secretariat, General Services Division 8th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex P. Ocampo Sr., Street corner Roxas Boulevard, Manila Telephone N.: 526-8475 Telefax No.: 525-4227 Email Address: ltan@dof.gov.ph / mepajuelas@gmail.com (SGD) GIL S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and DOF-BAC Chairman (MS-MAR. 7, 2017)

guniang Panlalawigan’s committee on family and social welfare and proponent of the proposed ordinance, said they have already conducted a series of public hearings in various municipalities involving boarding house owners and operators in Solano, Bayombong, Aritao and Bambang towns, parent organizations, and school officials.

“Based on our public hearings, the affected sectors have expressed their appreciation and support for the ordinance. We are one in our advocacy to prevent the rise of teen pregnancies in our province,” Lejao said.

A report of the Population Commission in Cagayan Valley showed Nueva Vizcaya ranks second in teen pregnancy occurrence in the region.

Lita Tabudlo, provincial population and development officer, said the magnitude of teen pregnancy in the province is bolstered by the influx of college students from other provinces

in Cagayan Valley, Ifugao, Benguet and Nueva Ecija.

Some of the features of the ordinance, Lejao said, will be the installation of CCTVs inside and outside boarding houses, enforcement of curfew hours for visitation, especially at night time, and compliance of boarding houses to the Fire Code of the Philippines.

It also prescribes the separation of male and females in boarding houses, registration and proper identification of visitors, and the prohibition of intoxicating drinks and illegal drugs inside the houses.

Boarding houses will be also required to secure business permits from the local government, as they will help implement the ordinance in terms of complying with its regulations and provisions.

“Boarding houses that will be violating the ordinance will be penalized. Their business permit will also be revoked once the operators and owners con-

ILAGAN CITY, Isabela—Members of the clergy and various religious denominations in Cagayan Valley gathered in a forum at the Guibang Clergy Center in Gamu town to discuss the working draft of the Comprehensive Agreement on Social and Economic Reforms or Caser.

Caser is one of the “substantive agenda” of the peace talks between the government and the National Democratic Front that the participants hope to push through.

According to Rev. Conrado Perlac Jr. of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, the forum was attended by Fr. Manny Catral, OFM and Fr. Paco Albano of the Roman Catholic Church; Bishop Alexander Wandag and Fr. Clarence Olat of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines; Bishop Jerry Sagun and Fr. Aldrin Acoba of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente; Conference Minister Melita Pindog of the UCCP, and 67 other delegates.

Fr. Catral gave a biblico-theological reflection on the peace process, while Fr. Olat discussed a brief history of the GRPNDFP peace talks. Abe Almirol

NHA GM commends

tinue to defy compliance to the Pangasinan housing ordinance,” she added.

Vice Gov. Lambert Galima LINGAYEN, Pangasinan— Jr., in a recent meeting of the National Housing Authority Provincial Peace and Order general manager Marcelino P. Council, also assured Fr. Renillo Escalada, Jr. commended the Sta. Ana, president ofCYAN St. Mary’s provincial government MAGENTA YELLOW BLACKfor its University, on the approval of housing program, specifically the proposed ordinance. the second phase of the ManiTabudlo said the ordinance boc socialized housing for emserves as the localized version ployees and teachers, and the of a similar proposal authored Aplaya West Resettlement Proby former board member Meri- ject, which is intended to shelter anthe Zuraek. the “poorest of the poor.”

It was made to prevent adolescent Escalada visited the housing pregnancies, especially in major sites at Barangay Maniboc and educational centers in the province Sitio Aplaya in Barangay Pansuch as the towns of Bambang, gapisan Norte here. He said the Bayombong, and Solano. projects are “concrete manifes“But there is a need to localize tation of how the national govit in the municipal level because ernment and the local governboarding house owners and op- ment units are cooperating.” erators then do not follow the He said the NHA is doing its separation of male and female best to capacitate all LGUs. “If we boarders in one boarding house. are able to replicate this project, The present ordinance will fur- we will be able to address probther strengthen our resolve to lems on illegal settlers,” Escalada advocate our efforts to prevent added, mentioning the resettleteen pregnancies,” Tabudlo said. ment project. Dexter A. See

S. Leyte students prepared for disasters OVER 600 students in disasterprone Southern Leyte learned the importance of being prepared in emergencies through games and educational talks during the third leg of the TNT Tropang Ready Disaster Preparedness Caravan held at Southern Leyte State University in Sogod, Leyte.

Disaster preparedness experts from government agencies and other partner institutions taught the SLSU students practical tips on preparing for disasters, as well as what to do when calamity strikes.

The attendees were also treated to interactive booths, games and other activities that put emphasis on disaster risk reduction management and practices, such as making a paracord bracelet, which makes use of a sturdy rope and contains a whistle that can come in handy during emergencies.

SLSU students learn about disaster preparedness through educational games during the TNT caravan.

The topography of Southern Leyte “makes it vulnerable during disasters,” said lawyer Jane Paredes, Smart Public Affairs head for Visayas-Mindanao.

In fact, the province is one of the most prone to landslide and flooding, according to Danilo Atienza, the Provincial Disaster

Risk Reduction and Management Office head.

The goal of the PDRRMO, Atienza added, was to have zero casualties during disasters.

Noel de Guia of Get Ready Pinas talked about “Pinas,” an acronym for the importance of being “prepared, informed, and acting

smart during emergencies.”

Louie Domingo of the Emergency Management Center, meanwhile, discussed tips on how to prepare during emergencies, such as the proper way of doing the “duck, cover, hold” technique during earthquakes, as well as shared the contents and uses of a Go Bag, a kit meant to help an individual or a family survive the next 72 hours following a calamity.

The kit includes a flashlight, bottle of water, mobile phone, which has a separate compartment for a double A battery, big garbage bag, T-shirt, battery for flashlight, and other essentials.

Domingo stressed the importance not just of being prepared during emergencies, but also of dealing with the climate condition in the province through harvesting rain water and maintaining an aquaponics system, among other practices.

World IN BRIEF Hollande vows to stop far-right leader PARIS―Far-right leader Marine Le Pen could win the forthcoming presidential election in France, President Francois Hollande warned on Monday, vowing to “do everything” in his power to stop it happening.

Polls suggest that Le Pen, leader of the National Front (FN), is likely to win the first round of France’s election on April 23.

However, surveys also show she would then lose in the deciding second-round run-off on May 7 either to the centrist and probusiness Emmanuel Macron or conservative candidate Francois Fillon.

But with Fillon’s campaign in turmoil over accusations he paid his wife for a fake parliamentary job from public funds, analysts have warned that the election is extremely difficult to predict.

“There is a threat” of Le Pen winning the election, Hollande acknowledged in comments to French daily Le Monde -- part of an interview with six European papers.

“The far-right has not been so high (in the polls) for more than 30 years but France will not give in,” vowed the president.

France “is aware that the vote on April 23 and May 7 will determine not only the fate of our country but also the future of the European project itself,” he added. AFP

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

World marks Women’s Day as fight for rights continues P ARIS―No selfcongratulations but calls to action will mark many celebrations of the 40th International Women’s Day on Wednesday, as the fight for equality faces new threats.

Palestinian killed in shootout JERUSALEM―A Palestinian was killed in an exchange of fire with Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Ramallah, the Israeli army said Monday.

The man, whom Israeli police named as 31-year-old Bassel alAaraj, opened fire at soldiers who came to arrest him at his home Sunday night and was shot dead.

Two other Palestinians were wounded by gunfire in subsequent clashes with Israeli troops, Palestinian hospital sources said.

Two weapons were later found on the property, according to an army spokeswoman.

A police spokeswoman said al-Aaraj was “the head of a cell planning attacks against Israeli targets”.

Since a wave of violence broke out in October 2015, 254 Palestinians, 40 Israelis, two Americans, one Jordanian, one Eritrean and one Sudanese have been killed, according to an AFP count.

Most of the Palestinians who lost their lives were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, according to Israeli authorities, with others killed during protests, in clashes or during air raids on Gaza.

The Israeli army routinely carries out forays and arrests in Ramallah even though it is in principle entirely under the control of the Palestinian Authority. AFP

15 dead after overnight raid in Afghanistan ISLAMABAD―Five Pakistani soldiers and 10 militants were killed in a coordinated overnight raid at several border posts on the frontier with Afghanistan, the military said Monday.

The fighting took place in Mohmand, one of Pakistan’s socalled tribal districts that form a buffer zone between the two countries, where the military has been battling Islamist militants for over a decade.

Pakistan’s military issued a brief statement providing casualty figures, without mentioning which militant group was involved.

“Effective presence, vigilance and response repulsed (the) terrorists’ attempt,” it said.

Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa “hailed the sacrifices” of the Pakistan soldiers and called for greater numbers to man the border, according to the statement.

The toll could not be immediately verified since the area is remote and journalists are denied access.

The raid came at a time of heightened tension between the two countries, with Islamabad blaming Kabul for a recent spate in militant assaults that killed 130 people in February, after a relatively long lull in violence.

Afghanistan for its part accuses Pakistan of fanning the flames of an insurgency that has gripped its country since the Taliban were ousted from power in 2001. AFP

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AFTER THE SHOW. Models pose for a photo after the Jessica Simpson Girls show during the petitePARADE at the Children’s Club at Jacob Javitz Center on March 5, 2017, in New York City. AFP

In Russia, the pressure piles up on the men MOSCOW―In offices across Russia, the countdown to International Women’s Day is a whirl of last-minute meetings and dashes for gifts as men race to prepare festivities for their female colleagues.

“We’ve sent out loads of emails, we’ve analyzed the market, we’ve pooled ideas, and we’ve just got one more meeting ahead of the launch of Operation Women’s Day today,” confided Sergei Krakhmalyev, who works at Rosbank, a major Russian bank.

“This year we’ve decided not to spend money on gifts that are useless, shall we say, but to organize a buffet,” he said.

Krakhmalyev, who is in his 40s, works in a team of eight men and 35 women. He calculates that this year’s celebration will cost about 25,000 rubles ($430).

“It’s expensive,” he says, “but it’s a So-

viet tradition that I think it’s important to keep up.”

A public holiday in the Soviet Union since 1965, March 8 is an opportunity for Russian men to “remember the importance of women” in society, he says.

International Women’s Day is also a public holiday, so office celebrations are held the day before.

This year’s events are expected to be relatively low-key in comparison to the oil-boom years, when many companies spared no expense.

“The company used to allocate a big budget for this holiday and took as many as 500 women out to a restaurant,” recalled Irina, who works in human resources at a major Russian company.

“That was before the 2008 economic crisis,” said Irina, 40, who asked not to disclose her surname. “Now the men

have a whip-round to buy us flowers and chocolates.”

Nevertheless the holiday “cheers up the atmosphere in the team,” she said.

In Russia, it is also widely seen as a counterpart to the Day of the Defender of the Fatherland, on February 23, which is nominally for those who served in the army but is considered the male equivalent.

In offices, this holiday is often an occasion for celebrations that take an unreconstructed approach to gender roles.

“This year we organized a fake army recruitment drive” for the defender holiday, Irina said. “We gave our colleagues a medical and some of us were dressed up as sexy nurses.”

“Now the men are under pressure.

They have to try to do better than us, even if we know that’s impossible,” she added with a smile. AFP

Murders of women in Latin America, anti-abortion movements in Europe, and machismo talk from men in power are among the growing concerns that have brought millions of women into the streets of world capitals these past few months to defend their rights.

“March 8 is not only to commemorate suffragettes and to celebrate successes from the past, but more to reflect on the present situation,” said Barbara Nowacka, a Polish politician and representative of the committee “Save Women”.

“There is still a lot to do concerning women’s role in the labor market, society, politics,” she told AFP ahead of the global day highlighting women’s rights started by the United Nations in 1977.

Some recent developments have feminists worried about such key issues as abortion rights, pay equity and gender-based violence.

In Nowacka’s own country, the ruling conservative party is trying to curtail laws on abortion rights, already among the most restrictive in Europe -- one of several signs of rising anti-abortion movements across the continent.

These groups “are uniting, are very present on social media and have political weight,” said Christine Mauget, in charge of international matters at France’s Family Planning agency.

“In 2017, there is still a major problem of machismo,” Mauget added. “It is difficult to move things forward, but we try to prevent them from going backward.”

The worries about women’s rights in the face of sexist male attitudes were on display in the huge women’s marches following the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in late January.

Two million women took to the streets in cities around the globe, especially in Washington, where protesters in pink “pussy hats” voiced their opposition to Trump’s policies and his sometimes sexist and vulgar comments about women seen on videotape during the campaign.

Two days after those marches, Trump acted on his anti-abortion stance when, surrounded by male advisors, he signed a decree banning the financing of international charities that support abortions.

“The problem isn’t abortion but unwanted pregnancies,” said Mauget, calling for more extensive sex education to help prevent such circumstances.

When it comes to women’s pocketbooks, the longrunning struggle for equal pay still has a way to go.

Worldwide, women earn on average 23 percent less than men. At that pace it would take 70 years to close the gap, according to the International Labor Organization.

The statistics are also dire regarding violence against women.

According to the United Nations, about 35 percent of women around the world have been victims of physical or sexual violence. Some 200 million women and girls have been subjected to a form of genital mutilation and 700 million have been married before the age of 18.

All over Latin America in October the movement #NiUnaMenos (“Not one less”) rose up against “femicide” and abuse of women after the brutal murder in Argentina of a teenage girl who was drugged and gang raped.

Ariadna Estevez, a university researcher in Mexico, described the mass women’s movement as “a wake-up call” in the region. AFP

Longest-living women dance, skip to keep fit SAMCHEOK, South Korea― Waving white pom poms in the air, dozens of grey-haired cheerleaders in matching red and white uniforms hop and skip to K-pop music that fills the practice room.

Halfway into their two-hour practice session, most of the elderly dancers are panting and sweating, but do not let their bad knees or back pain stop them from what they say is keeping them healthy and youthful.

“Because I come here, I don’t need to take any medicine,” said 82-year-old Oh Geum-Nyu. “Although I’m aging on the outside, this keeps me young at heart.”

Oh is one of the oldest members of Cheer Mommy, a 30-member cheer-leading squad with an average age of 75, based in Samcheok, on South Korea’s east coast.

Life expectancy in Asia’s fourth-largest economy is accelerating rapidly, and for women born in 2030 it could stretch to nine decades on average, the longest in the world, according to

research published in The Lancet medical journal.

The study by researchers at Imperial College London noted improved nutrition and broader access to health care as some of the reasons behind the phenomenon.

Some South Korean experts also point to social factors behind longevity.

“Their love for informal gatherings and forging new personal bonds can be a source of energy,” said Chung Soon-Dool, a social welfare professor at Ewha Women’s University in Seoul.

Most South Korean women in their 60s and older spent much of the lives in a strongly patriarchal society where women were expected to stay at home and raise the children.

Some are now embracing pursuits of their own choosing for the first time after retiring as the “caretaker”.

“I was done raising my seven grandchildren when my friend told me about this place,” said Cheer Mommy member Ahn Young-Ja, 65. AFP

GOLDEN CAMERA AWARD. From left, Australian actress Nicole Kidman, US actress Jane Fonda and

German TV host Carmen Miosga pose with their awards after the awarding ceremony of the Golden Camera Award in Hamburg, northern Germany, on March 4, 2017. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

North Korean missiles reach Japan waters

World

US vows to fight growing threat WASHINGTON-The United States condemned North Korea’s launch of four ballistic missiles, vowing that Washington was ready to “use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat.”‎ “The United States strongly condemns the DPRK’s ballistic missile launches tonight, which violate UN Security Council Resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Korea’s launches using ballistic missile technology,” the State Department’s acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement.

Toner added: “We remain prepared -- and will continue to take steps to increase our readiness -- to defend ourselves and our allies from attack, and are prepared to use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat.”‎ Pyongyang launched four ballistic missiles on Monday in its latest challenge to US President Donald Trump, with three landing provocatively close to America’s ally Japan.

Seoul and Washington began annual joint military exercises last week that always infuriate Pyongyang, with the North’s military warning of “merciless nuclear counter-action”.

Under leader Kim Jong-Un, Pyongyang has ambitions to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland -- which Trump has vowed will not happen.

Seoul said four missiles were fired from North Pyongan province into the East Sea -- its name for the Sea of Japan -- and that South Korea and the US were “closely analyzing” tracking data for further details. AFP

Slowest defense spending for China BEIJING―China’s defense budget will rise seven percent to $151 billion this year, the slowest annual percentage increase since 1991 and roughly in line with decelerating economic growth, Bloomberg News reported Monday.

The budget is normally included in public documents released at the opening of the country’s 10-day annual legislative session, which began Sunday, but was absent this year, adding to perennial concerns abroad over Chinese military transparency.

The 2017 budget will be 1.044 trillion yuan ($151 billion), a finance ministry information officer confirmed to Bloomberg News.

The government has not indicated why the figure was not publicly disclosed at the rubberstamp National People’s Congress on Sunday as per tradition.

“We didn’t remain private deliberately,” the ministry officer told Bloomberg.

US President Donald Trump last week outlined plans to raise American military spending by around 10 percent.

The US military remains by far the world’s most powerful and most well-funded, with an annual budget of more than $600 billion.

China is engaged in a decadeslong build-up and modernization of its once-backward armed forces, as it seeks military clout commensurate with its economic might and increasingly asserts its disputed territorial claims in Asian waters.

Since President Xi Jinping took office in 2012, the armed forces have undergone a massive overhaul, with shifts toward a Western-style joint command structure that gives him more military authority. AFP

MUSIC AWARDS. Singer Katy Perry performs onstage at the 2017 iHeartRadio Music Awards that was broadcast live on Turner’s TBS, TNT and truTV at The Forum on March 5, 2017, in Inglewood, California. AFP

SEOUL―Nuclear-armed North Korea launched four ballistic missiles on Monday in another challenge to President Donald Trump, with three landing provocatively close to America’s ally Japan.

Seoul and Washington began annual joint military exercises last week that always infuriate Pyongyang, with the North’s military warning of “merciless nuclear counter-action”.

Under leader Kim Jong-Un, Pyongyang has ambitions to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching the US mainland -which Trump has vowed will not happen.

Seoul said four missiles were fired from Tongchang County, North Pyongan province into the East Sea -- its name for the Sea of Japan -- and that South Korea and the US were “closely analyzing” tracking data for further details.

The missiles traveled around 1,000 kilometers and reached an altitude of 260 kilometers, said a spokesman for South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, adding they were unlikely to be ICBMs. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said three of the North Korean missiles came down in Tokyo’s Exclusive Economic Zone -- waters extending 200 nautical miles from its coast.

“This clearly shows North Korea has entered a new stage of threat,” Abe told parliament.

The North’s repeated launches “clearly violate UN Security Council resolutions”, he said. “We can never tolerate this.”

Tokyo’s chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga added that Japan was considering calling for an emergency Security Council meeting.

Pyongyang carried out two atomic tests last year and a series of missile launches, but Monday was only the second time its devices had entered Japan’s EEZ. In Washington, the State Department strongly condemned the launches, saying the US was ready to “use the full range of capabilities at our disposal against this growing threat”.

“We remain prepared -- and will continue to take steps to increase our readiness -- to defend ourselves and our allies from attack,” acting spokesman Mark Toner said in a statement. AFP

Police cordon off embassy K UALA LUMPUR―Police armed with assault rifles cordoned off the entrance to North Korea’s embassy in the Malaysian capital Monday, as speculation mounted that the ambassador was about to be escorted to the airport following an expulsion order.

Police vehicles and motorcycle outriders were parked nearby. Senior government officials told AFP that ambassador Kang Chol was expected to leave Malaysia at 18.25 (1025 GMT) on flight MH360 for Beijing, shortly after the deadline for his expulsion expires.

Malaysia and North Korea are embroiled in an acrimonious dispute over the murder of Kim Jong-Nam, the estranged halfbrother of Pyongyang’s leader, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport last month.

On Saturday Malaysia declared Kang persona non grata and gave him 48 hours to leave the country after he failed to apologize for his criticism of Malaysia’s investigation, which found that Kim had been poisoned with the deadly nerve agent VX. North Korea has not acknowledged the dead man’s identity but has repeatedly disparaged the murder investigation, accusing Malaysia of conniving with its enemies.

Asked by reporters whether he would demand an apology from Pyongyang, Prime Minister Najib Razak replied: “Right now we are not getting anything. I don’t expect anything.”

“They should have apologized based on principles, [so] we have declared him persona non grata,” he told reporters.

South Korea has blamed the North for the murder, citing what it says was a standing order from leader Kim Jong-Un to kill his exiled half-brother who may have been seen as a potential rival.

The diplomatic dispute erupted last month when Malaysian po-

lice rejected North Korean diplomats’ demands to hand over Kim’s body.

Kang then claimed the investigation was politically motivated and said Kuala Lumpur was conspiring with “hostile forces”, referring to the North’s arch-rival, Seoul.

Malaysia summoned Kang for a dressing-down, with Najib saying the ambassador’s statement was “diplomatically rude”.

Malaysia has also recalled its envoy to Pyongyang and canceled a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea. It issued a February 28 deadline for an apology.

It ordered the ambassador expelled after he failed to present himself at the foreign ministry when summoned on Saturday.

The foreign ministry has said the expulsion is “part of the process by the Malaysian government to review its relations” with North Korea.

Police are seeking seven North Korean suspects in their probe, four of whom left Malaysia on the day of the murder. But on Friday they released the only North Korean they had arrested for lack of evidence.

After Ri Jong-Chol was deported, he claimed police offered him a comfortable life in Malaysia for a false confession, saying the investigation was “a conspiracy to impair the dignity of the Republic (North Korea)”.

Two women -- one Vietnamese and one Indonesian -- have been charged with the actual murder.

Airport CCTV footage shows them approaching the heavyset 45-year-old and apparently smearing his face with a cloth. AFP

FUNDRAISER. Indian actress Shridevi attends the fundraiser Mijwan 2017 fashion show in Mumbai. AFP

In Japan, the food replicas are only for show TOKOROZAWA, Japan―They may look good enough to eat, but Japan’s mouthwatering food replicas are only for show as restaurateurs compete for the attention of hungry customers.

They’re common sights in this food-obsessed nation, with everything from sudsy beers and perfectly glazed sushi to hamburgers and deep-fried pork cutlets, known as tonkatsu, on display.

Making fake food is a craft that

Noriyuki Mishima has spent the last six decades perfecting.

“I haven’t counted but I must have made tens of thousands of these dishes,” said the 79-year-old, as he painted a plastic roast of beef.

“The toughest thing is probably getting the color right.”

There are no complex machines or special tools at Hatanaka, an eight-person firm in a Tokyo suburb where veterans like Mishima see themselves as artists.

It’s just simple cutting tools, paint brushes, airbrush guns, and drying ovens at the little company with a “Fake Food Hatanaka” sign out front.

They don’t use wax anymore -- it’s durable silicone these days -- but the practice has otherwise changed little since the first replicas were made in Japan about a century ago.

During the early 1920s, artists producing models of human organs for doctors, were approached

by restaurants to do the same thing for the food they wanted to sell.

The idea spread rapidly as eating out soared in popularity and rural people flocked to the cities. Unused to what city restaurants had to offer, the models gave country dwellers and locals alike a quick visual rundown of the chef’s specialties.

They’re also a handy point-andorder option for foreign tourists in a country where most menus are in Japanese only.

“Photos don’t really give a sense of volume -- the replicas are the actual size so customers know immediately when they go into a restaurant what to expect, even before they’re served,” said Norihito Hatanaka, who runs the family company which was founded in the mid-sixties.

Hatanaka doesn’t worry much about new technologies, such as 3-D printers, taking over the food replica business. AFP

Sac Magique paints waffles, tulips and bicyclists for his whimsical tribute to Amsterdam

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

CULTURE & MEDIA

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ART ON TRAY. Passengers of one of Delta’s aircraft will get to see tray tables transformed into canvases by artists from different countries, such as this vibrant presentation of Seoul by Yulia Brodskaya.

FLYING

art gallery

for travelers

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ELTA and The Coca-Cola Company have teamed up to bring art to the place where the two brands meet most often – t he tray table.

Together with 12 artists from around the world, they have created an art gallery in the sky—transforming the tray tables on one of the airline’s 767 aircraft into one-of-a-kind works of art.

Each artist brought their own personal style and taste to their trays and drew inspiration from some of the airline’s most popular destinations, including: Amsterdam, Atlanta, London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, New York City, Paris, Sao Paulo, Seattle, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo. Each piece of art celebrates themes of optimism, travel, refreshment and happiness.

In addition to the in-the-air art gallery, Delta will be displaying the original trays in Concourse A, between gates A15 and A11 at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

The trays will extend in social with additional content, including video footage and other behind-the-scenes assets of the artists in action.

Here are the artists and what you will see on the tray tables.

Sac Magique (Amsterdam) – Dutch

waffles and bicyclists float through the flower-lined streets of Amsterdam in Sac’s whimsical tribute to the city he loves.

Adam Pinsley (Atlanta) – A designer in Delta’s creative department, Adam used actual jet paint and his signature drip-art style to blend the colors of Coca-Cola and Delta in this tribute to Atlanta.

Noma Bar (London) – As a Londonbased artist, Noma is inspired by the weather and how it affects the mood of the city.

Stevie Gee (Los Angeles) – In Stevie’s Los Angeles, the stars of Hollywood Boulevard are playfully juxtaposed with the everyday people who walk on them.

Skip Hursch (Mexico City) – In Skip’s work, the vivid colors and motifs of Central American textile design get a modern twist and give us a taste of the vibrant Mexican capital.

Pedro Campiche (New York City) – Pedro gives us a fresh look at New York City by reimagining the city’s iconic skyline through the lens of street art.

Paris by James Eads

From left: New York City by Pedro Campiche, Los Angeles by Stevie Gee, and Sao Paulo by Alex Yanes

James R. Eads (Paris) – With its swirling, effervescent night sky, James’ portrait of Paris captures the magic of the city at night.

Alex Yanes (Sao Paulo) – Alex drew inspiration from the street art of Sao Paulo to create this portrait of a boy brimming with optimism as he flies high above the city.

Will Bryant (Seattle) – In depicting Seattle, Will drew inspiration from the rivers, mountains and rain-misted evergreens that surround the city and lend it a refreshing, down-to-earth vibe.

Yulia Brodskaya (Seoul) – Although it may appear painted, Yulia’s portrait of Seoul is crafted entirely with paper.

This unique style seamlessly captures the flavor of the city, its vibrant colors, and iconic cuisine.

Ping Zhu (Shanghai) – In Ping’s work, we see Shanghai through the prism of the street market, the place where food, commerce and culture bubble over and tell the story of China’s past and present.

Paola Gracey (Tokyo) – The mesmerizing lights and neon signs of Tokyo take on a life of their own through

Paola’s invigorating use of glitter, paint drips and epoxy resin.

Delta and Coca-Cola’s partnership began in 1927 and was strengthened in 1941 when Delta moved its headquarters to Atlanta, the hometown of The Coca-Cola Company. Today, the airline serves Coca-Cola products on all flights and in Sky Clubs, serving more than 354 million drinks per year.

Delta, along with creative agency Wieden+Kennedy New York and CocaCola developed and implemented the art gallery.

PWU homecoming ALUMNI of the Philippine Women’s Bayanihan alumni from all over the University came from all over the Phil- world displayed the skills that made ippines and the world for the school’s them part of the world-renowned culrecent Grand Alumni Homecoming at tural troupe. the PWU campus on Taft Avenue.

During the recent PWU Alumni As-

Philippine Women University’s Golden Jubilarians in yellow and Silver Jubilarians in maroon

Alumni performing Latin dances during PWU’s Alumni Association’s Grand Alumni Homecoming

sociation’s Grand Alumni Homecoming, they performed Latin dances at the end of a lively program of songs and dances performed by alumni of PWU, Philippine Women’s College of Davao, PWC of Iloilo and JASMS, in addition to the Bayanihan.

The alumni represented several generations of graduates of PWU Manila and Quezon City, JASMS Manila and

QC, Philippine Women’s College of Davao, PWC of Iloilo and the Bayanihan Folk Dance Company.

The homecoming for the hundreds of alumni and guests was also a celebration of the end of PWU’s recent troubles and a preparation for PWU’s Centennial in 2019.

Leading the festivities were members of the Golden Jubilarian Class

(High School Class of 1967) and Silver Jubilarians (HS Class of 1992). They filled the PWU campus with sunflowers in what homecoming chair Sylvia Lina called a symbolic gesture of hope and positive thinking.

PWU president Dr. Francisco Benitez thanked the alumni for their support and called on them to “help build the scaffolding for another hundred years.”

Life

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TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

From left: De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Chancellor Robert Tang, Board of Trustees Member Mayo Ongsingko, Board of Trustees Member and La Salle Green Hills President Br. Victor Franco FSC, and Benilde President Br. Dennis Magbanua FSC led the groundbreaking ceremony for the new DLS-CSB campus

A new campus for Benilde A

T THE corner of Arellano and Ayala Streets in Malate, Manila, a new campus will soon rise as the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) commemorates the construction of its new Academic Building with a recent groundbreaking ceremony.

College officials DLS-CSB President Br. Dennis Magbanua FSC, some members of the Board of Trustees Mayo Ongsingko, Br. Victor Franco FSC, and Br. Michael Va-

lenzuela FSC, and Benilde Chancellor Robert Tang did the honors.

In his opening remarks, Tang said the new campus will assist in finding new ways to enhance the teach-

PAGES

Business professor’s new works

ENRIQUE SORIANO, a National Agora awardee for Excellence in Marketing Education in 2013, has released two new books – Ensuring The Family Business Legacy and The Kite Runer Columns.

The books contain everything you need to know about running a successful family business inspired by Asian entrepreneurs.

He said, “Only one out of three family businesses make it to the second generation, while less than three percent survives past the third generation. What makes a family business fail and others succeed? The books answer these crucial questions and more.

Soriano is a family business coach, book author, professor of Global Marketing and Program Director for Real Estate of the Ateneo Graduate School of Business (AGSB). He is also the Immediate Past President of the Association of Marketing Educators (AME) and Director of PCCI QC. Currently, he is a Senior Advisor of the Wong + Bernstein Advisory Group, a strategic consulting group servicing ASEAN organizations related to strategic leadership, growth in Asian family businesses, organizational change and competitive strategies.

His advocacy and academic work related to strategic management and family business governance has made him a sought after advisor and resource speaker in International Conferences in the US, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and China.

As an educator and business mentor, he has helped and reengineered dozens of companies to growth and profitability.

He writes weekly columns in newspapers and business magazines in the Philippines and in a leading Filipino-American Newspaper in the US. His columns are widely circulated in popular online magazines in Europe as well.

Every year, Prof Soriano delivers more than 150 talks in the Philippines and the ASEAN region espousing Strategic Innovation and Growth Strategies.

He majored in History at the University of the Philippines, then earned an MBA from De La Salle University, Doctorate Units at the UP National College of Public Administration and pursued Executive Education at the National University of Singapore Business School.

His last executive engagement was as Group CEO of the Belo Medical Group. Prior to his Belo engagement, he was

ing and learning experience of its faculty and students.

“The facility aims to develop a school culture that is solidly anchored on our Lasallian and Benildean values. In making this vision a reality, Benilde would like to encourage everyone to be actively involved in our pursuit in developing future leaders of our country who are sensitive to the needs of the least, the last, and the lost,” he declared.

The new property will be the hub of

Business coach and educator Enrique Soriano releases his two new books

the chairman of publicly listed Suntrust Developer, president of Travelers Hotel International, Country CEO of ERA Philippines and set up the Commercial and Lifestyle Malls of Megaworld Corporation.

The Kite Runner Columns is the compilation of selected speeches and articles from the author’s business lectures. It provides valuable lessons for every family business owner and member.

Sorinao will guide you through the slippery slopes and blind curves that usually enen danger family businesses, and he will teach you how to build a strong and healthy enterprise.

Taking his lessons to heart can help you save millions of dollars and protect your most precious relationships.

Ensuring The Family Business Legacy, meanwhile, provides vital points in setting up and maintaining family businesses.

This informative and inspiring book provides a quick but comprehensive reference for understanding what it takes to build a successful family business.

the incoming freshmen classes, as well as the venue for the programs of the School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPaCE), School of Hotel, Restaurant, Institution Management (SHRIM), and the Lasallian Mission and Student Life (LMSL).

The building’s ground floor will be the new location of Solomon Restaurant, one of SHRIM’s student-run-andmanaged bistros, making it more accessible to the community. The place will likewise be equipped with Master Chef-

style kitchen-laboratories and the first school-based Oenology Center, which focuses on the study of wines.

The development will have its own Learning Resource Center and Cafeteria, and will house the future Initiative Learning Studios. There will also be publicly accessible chapel. The whole property will be armed with a heat stack ventilation system.

Dubbed with the operational name Academic Building 4, it is set to be completed and open by January 2019.

Scholarship programs in Taiwan for Filipinos TAIPEI Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in the Philippines has announced various scholarship programs, which are now open to qualified Filipino students. Available scholarships are intended for Filipinos who would like to pursue their further studies in Taiwan (Master’s and Doctoral Degrees) or for those who would like to learn the Mandarin Language.

As the Republic of China (Taiwan) under the leadership of Dr. Tsai Ing-wen is pushing forward the “New Southbound Policy,” it has opened more slots and types of scholarship programs—giving more chances for Filipinos to study in Taiwan, learn the traditional Mandarin language, experience the rich and vibrant Taiwanese culture and broaden their international perspectives.

As of now, Taiwan through TECO in the Philippines has opened the application for the following scholarship programs: 1. Ministry of Education (MOE) Scholarship gives two-year scholarship for Master’s and four years for Doctoral Degree. MOE will shoulder NT$40,000 of the tuition and the remaining costs will be shouldered by the scholar. An additional NT$20,000 will be given every month as scholar’s stipend. Application is until April 30.

Website: taiwanscholarship.moe.gov.tw 2. Huayu (Mandarin) Enrichment Scholarship allows applicants to choose to pursue either two months or three months intensive Mandarin courses subject to TECO’s approval.

A monthly stipend of NT$25,000 will be provided to cover all the expenses.

Application is open until March 31.

Website: taiwanscholarship.moe.gov.tw 3. International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) covers full tuition, living expenses, economy class airfare tickets and textbook costs. Scholars pursuing Master’s will receive a monthly stipend of NT$15,000 and NT$20,000 for those pursuing Doctoral degrees. Application is until March 17.

Website: www.icdf.org.tw

4. Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) will also offer scholarship programs for two years for Master’s and three years for Doctoral. A total of NT$30,000 monthly will be will be given to the recipient/s covering tuition fee, stipend and other expenses. Application is until March 31.

Website: taiwanscholarship.moe.gov.tw Interested applicants can only choose one scholarship program and must process first their university admission in their preferred university in Taiwan. They also have to comply and submit necessary documents to TECO for review and recommendation based on the indicated deadlines of each program. Scholarship guidelines and additional requirements prescribed

by TECO can be found at the official website of TECO in the Philippines at www.roc-taiwan.org/ph.

Since the introduction of these scholarship programs to the Philippines, Taiwan has partnered with Philippine institutions and universities to attract more young and capable talents to study in Taiwan.

Most of the Taiwan Alumni Scholars, who successfully finished their degrees, now holds various key positions in the government, business and other sectors.

Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin, representative of Taiwan/ROC to the Philippines, is hoping that more and more Filipinos will seize these opportunities to study and experience Taiwan, as the two countries share a lot of commonalities and could really work together. “Taiwan can offer the resources, knowledge and technology while (the) Philippines can complement it through its young talents who are willing to equip themselves and be trained,” emphasized

by Dr. Lin. For further information regarding these scholarship programs, you may visit www.roc-taiwan.org/ph or contact TECO’s Press Division at pressdivisionteco@gmail.com

TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC’S EARTH DAY RUN 2017

8 years of environmental advocacy

A

PRIL 23 marks another milestone in raising the public’s consciousness about environmental issues and health and fitness for National Geographic, which celebrates its eighth straight year of holding Earth Day Run.

Presented by the channel and its partners Cherifer Premium and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF), Earth Day Run 2017 aims to continue the tradition as one of the biggest running events in the country, expecting scores of running enthusiasts and Eco Warriors to register and run for the environment. The event will be held not only in Manila, but also in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Taichung, an initiative that was adopted last year and effectively spread the vision and advocacy of Earth Day Run across Asia.

National Geographic has the hashtag #8withEDR. This year’s event welcomes all previously registered participants with VIP treatment and special loyalty perks to be enjoyed on the day of the run. Participants from previous Earth Day Runs will be given priority placement in front of the starting line at the beginning of the race and can claim their loot bags and finisher shirt at a special express booth. They can also make use of a special warm-up and cool down teånt before and after the race to condition themselves and recover in comfort.

This year’s new participants can also join in the celebrations of Earth Day Run’s eighth anniversary by visiting the 8 Years of EDR Gallery at the race village and learning about what the event has accomplished over the years, including the environmental and social initiatives it has benefited with the help of its registered runners. Visitors to the gallery will learn how their participation at Earth Day Run has made a significant impact on certain communities in the Philippines as well as how their actions as individuals can affect the environment.

Earth Day Run 2017 in Manila will be held at the SM Mall of Asia grounds, where participants can join 5K, 10K, 21K and 42K categories.

The event encourages and welcomes all types of Eco Warriors to take part, from fun-runners of all ages to the serious marathon runners who

Fox Networks Group executives during the media

launch of NatGeo's Earth Day Run

regularly compete. This year, Earth Day Run will also be sporting new features for its runners. As a special treat, all race kits will come with LED shoelaces, serving as a badge of pride and as a safety precaution for Eco Warriors running at night or before sunrise. Prizes will also be given to costumed runners who showcase their creativity by coming in their best ensemble made from recycled materials. Finally, to make each Eco Warrior’s voice heard in this run for the Earth, advocacy banners will be hanging above the finish line so that each runner can grab them as they cross to make a shout-out for the environment, keep as a souvenir, and use for all their post-run selfies to amplify the message of acting now to save the environment.

Last year, Earth Day Run participants ran to benefit such causes as saving the Irawaddy dolphins at the Malampaya Sound Research and Conservation Project in Palawan; giving the Earth Hour or “Gift of Life” village in Monreal, Masbate sustainable solutions that reduce carbon footprint; conservation of the Marine Protected Area and coral reef in Apo Reef in Occidental Mindoro; and beefing up reforestation efforts in the Ipo Watershed

in Bulacan, which supplies Metro Manila with fresh water. Registered runners at Earth Day Run 2017 will not only experience a fun day of outdoor fitness by joining this year’s event, but will also be doing their part in contributing to National Geographic’s environmental efforts.

“Earth Day Run 2017 will be the biggest version of the race yet, with more expected participants from Manila and four other cities across Asia. We’re also excited to look back on our eight years of environmental advocacy and share and celebrate with our runners the positive change that they helped make possible through the years by joining Earth Day Run. We hope that Earth Day Run 2017 not only brings communities of running enthusiasts together for the common cause of saving the environment but also that it amplifies the important message of doing your own part today to help stop climate change and commit to sustainable solutions to save our beloved planet Earth,” said Charo Espedido, director and head of Content and Marketing at FOX Networks Group Philippines.

Interested runners of all ages can join National Geographic’s Earth Day Run 2017 by registering at natgeoearthdayrun.com until April 16.

Smart Giga Movies debuts with ‘Logan’ premiere SUBSCRIBERS of Smart Communications were treated to the advance screening of Logan on Feb. 28 at the Power Plant Mall. It is the first movie screened via #SmartGigaMovies, Smart Postpaid’s newest campaign.

Smart subscribers were among the first in the world to watch Logan, the best superhero movie since The Dark Knight. Those at the screening experienced serious Wolverine action ahead of its Philippine showing on March 1 and worldwide release on March 3.

“This is just the first of a series of Smart Postpaid-sponsored blockbusters.

We want to reward our subscribers with the most anticipated Hollywood experiences that they can share with their friends and family,” said Patrick Tang, head of Smart Postpaid. “#SmartGigaMovies is just one of the many perks that Smart Postpaid will provide regularly for our subscribers this year and the years to come.

We want to give back to our loyal postpaid users in with exclusive lifestyle experiences such as the #SmartGigaMovies lineup, instant perks and even bigger offers that Smart Postpaid will announce soon so please do follow Smart’s social media accounts and be updated via our website,” he added.

Said to be Hugh Jackman’s final portrayal of the iconic steely clawed mutant character, Logan brings viewers to the year 2029 when mutant population has significantly decreased and an aging Logan is now working as a chauffeur to get by while he’s caring for Professor X. Logan’s “retirement” is interrupted when he drives for a young mutant girl, young X-23, who mirrors his powers. All of a sudden, Logan is faced with a choice to utilize what remains of powers to protect the girl from dark forces.

20th Century Fox recently launched a Logan Super Bowl trailer featuring “Amazing Grace” as background to chunks of action and drama clips.

Directed by James Mangold, it also stars Patrick Stewart reprising his role as Professor X alongside Richard E. Grant, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen

Merchant, and Dafne Keen.

Jackman, who first played Wolverine/Logan 18 years ago, has appeared in the X-Men series and stand-alone Wolverine films since 1999.

If you’re a Smart postpaid subscriber, follow Smart’s official Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts for chances to win tickets to future screenings of 2017’s biggest movies. Track #SmartGigaMovies for more details.

Comedian Ramon Bautista attends the advance screening of "Logan" at Power Plant Mall

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, March 7, 2017

ACROSS 1 Reduces by 50% 7 Potato st.

10 Dr.’s visit 14 Microscopic animal 15 Hosp. scan 16 Wyo. neighbor 17 Filet — 18 Water lily leaf 19 Peal of thunder 20 500-mile race locale 23 Imagine 26 Sgt. 27 Corroded 28 Shrink’s reply (2 wds.)

29 Quit stalling 30 Extended family 31 Clean-air gp.

32 To and — 33 Outdone 36 In good shape 37 Banking convenience 38 On the — 39 Less than one 41 Rough-textured 43 Lgth. units 44 — Paulo, Brazil 45 Take a crack at 46 Veld grazer 47 Fish in cans 48 Major artery

51 Plant sci.

52 Out in front 53 Famed story teller 56 Dilute 57 Set of tools 58 Made a profit 62 Tear apart 63 Navigator’s dir.

64 Went along with 65 Galena and bauxite 66 Scottish river 67 Luxurious hotel DOWN 1 Grocery buy 2 French friend 3 Daily record 4 Canal city 5 Piano-key wood 6 Pearl starter 7 Collision 8 Pipe unclogger 9 Verdi opera 10 Write-up 11 Voting place 12 Braid 13 — -turvy 21 Tax form item 22 Light benders 23 Feudal estate 24 Meat jelly 25 “Really cool!”

29 — -craftsy 30 Reeves of “Speed” 32 Ms. Fawcett 33 Filled pancake 34 Follow 35 Goddess of the hunt 40 Take on cargo 42 Puts in an appearance 46 Pointed beard 47 Those people’s 48 Texas player 49 Yellow pigment

50 Lorelei’s river 51 Salt water 52 “Time is money,” e.g.

54 Used sparingly 55 Petri-dish contents 59 Opposite of “paleo” 60 Constantly, to Poe 61 Banned bug spray

JaDine

sightings everywhere REGULAR sighting of Nadine Lustre and James Reid in various venues partying with friends, enjoying the beach, and even while on a shopping spree makes people think they are not the busy celebrities like they used to be.

After their previous soap Till I Met You, less popular than their phenomenal hit On the Wings of Love, nothing is heard of them.

Though reports say they will soon face the cameras for their next project, nothing concrete is being talked about nor posted on the social media. On the TV front, it seems that ABS-CBN has a number of soaps in the can for the rest of 2017 that even the likes of Kathniel and LizQuen have to wait.

Many of JaDine fans and supporters are asking us for the latest update of whatever the love team has in store for 2017 but they are getting nothin.

JaDine is among the biggest “moneymakers” of 2016 and not seeing them (except for their individual product endorsements) is not a pretty good sign. Agree? ****** Fans of Kris Aquino have now reason to be happy as their long wait is almost over.

Kris, who perfectly makes herself her best PR, just revealed that she will very soon go back to her former “network” (remember the tag line “where I originally belong,” she used to her social media posts?).

Finally, it can now be told that her travel-themed special called Trip Ni Kris will be airing on GMA 7 after Kapuso Mo Jessica on March 26.

The two-hour special, according to our sources, will showcase places and provinces, and present food, people, scenery, and other features that make a place worth visiting.

If that sounds very familiar, that’s because we have seen a lot of similar concepts on TV before (and even now), though our same sources state, “siyempre iba pag si Kris ang maglalagay ng sarili niyang touch.”

Well, we would like to welcome this development as something exciting again. This is a very good test case for the multi-media experts and researchers. Kris has been long doubted to be just the perfect example of a multi-media superstar due to “hype or the power that goes with her name and/or the image that has been given to her by ABS-CBN.” She must prove us wrong this time, especially now that her famous “love, love, love words” get back home at the Kapuso network. ****** However, Kris former BFF, Aiai de las Alas just inked a one-picture deal with Cineko Productions, the outfit behind the successful Vhong Navaroo starrer Mang Kepweng Returns.

We were invited to her contract signing with representatives from the new film outfit that has only Aiai on their mind when Ricky Lee’s script was handed over to them.

“Siya lang or hindi na namin gagawin ang project at all,” producer Ladyliyne de Guzman said.

The working title of the movie, which will soon start filming is Bes with Benefits, from the script of our dear kababayan and friend, the award-winning Ricky Lee, who is to be joined by two young writers, products of his scriptwriting workshop.

“Sa mga hindi nakakalaam, trivia lang po, though this will be my first movie na isang Ricky Lee ang magsusulat, siya din po ang writer ng kauna-unahan kong stage act o concert na Aiai Who Have Nothing. Exciting di ba? Plus, may Joel Lamangan pa as director,” remarked the comedy concert-queen, or the acknowledged comedy queen of showbiz.

“I have done so many projects with Aiai na din pero sa TV lang. First time lang sa movies at excited din siyempre ako. Pareho kaming luka-luka, kaya’t asahan na ninyo ang kakaibang mga kaluka-lukahan sa Bes with Benefits,” reacted Lamangan.

Unlike Kris, Aiai is busier on both TV and in the movies.

She in fact has a project under Star Cinema, where Kris used to lord but seems not interested in her anymore. She also has a toprating show on GMA 7 and has a Mother’s Day movie offering courtesy of Regal Films.

“Nagkataon lang po. Part pa rin ng magandang blessing sa atin dahil nagpapakabuti tayong tao. Basta po ako happy sa pag-welcome sa mga bagong producers gaya ng Cineko dahil ibig sabihin, nagtitiwala sila sa industriya at mapapasaya nila ang mga workers dito at patrons nito, Happy lang,” Aiai concluded.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017

LIVING UP TO EXPECTATIONS.

Something sinister in

"Destined to be Yours" starring the phenomenal TV love team of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza is making waves on primetime.

‘FRIEND REQUEST’

A scene from the supernatural-psychological horror film directed by Simon Verhoeven

Fans’ overwhelming support for

‘DESTINED TO BE YOURS’

G

MA Network’s newest primetime series Destined To Be Yours starring the phenomenal love team of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza has been making a splash all over social media as the story of Benjie (Alden) and Sinag (Maine) continues to unfold on the GMA Telebabad block, keeping viewers hooked to their television screens every night.

After all the anticipation, “worth the wait” has never been more real as netizens pour out overwhelming love and support since its premiere on Feb. 27. The pilot episode’s official hashtag, #DestinedToBeYoursWorldPremiere, garnered over a whopping 4.6 million tweets and was the top trending topic nationwide. Simultaneously, “DTBY WorldPremiere” also became a trending topic nationwide and worldwide.

One Twitter user with the handle @shie061809 tweeted, “Kudos @GMADestinedToBe @mainedcm @aldenrichards02 ang galing! Sobrang galing ng pilot!” Meanwhile, even Facebook users have been vocal about their happiness. To quote another netizen Emma Miraha Arceo, “Ang ganda ng teleserye ni Maine at Alden nakakawala ng problema at nakakainlove.”

On Instagram, @glittered_gurl commented “Ang gaganda ng reviews kay Maine at Alden dahil natural sila mag deliver ng acting nila.”

The two lead stars couldn’t help but express their gratitude.

“Maraming, maraming, maraming salamat, grabe kayo. Kung gaano karami ang support niyo sa amin, ganun din karami ang pagsisikapan pa namin,” Maine exclaims. For his part, Alden promises to work even harder on the series. “Paghihirapan pa at pagagandahin pa namin lalo ang Destined To Be Yours gabi gabi po, para sa inyo. Tutok lang,” he says. *** Bacoor, Cavite Representative Strike Revilla, brother of actor Bong Revilla celebrated his 47th birthday on March 2 with a high level of advocacy. He chose to celebrate his special day with Bacoorenos and through the launching of Duterte Against Drugs (DAD) in Strike Gymnasium of new Bacoor Government Center (BGC) in Bacoor.

“My heart is with every Bacoorenos. My day will not be complete without them. And through DAD, Bacoorenos will be more aware on how to protect their kids or loved ones from any form of illegalities, especially illegal drugs.

“Every father, like me, should be aware of the bad things illegal drugs will bring to their families,” says Revilla during the interview with members of the press.

DAD Chairman Dinky Doo was with female celebrities who provided the entertainment for guests and Bacoorenos through a volleyball exhibition game against the city employees, Bacoor City Strike team.

With representatives from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB) the launch featured Dragon dance, hot dance number from celebrities, and raffle draws.

“I will never and no one can ever stop me from serving Bacoorenos. Even now in Congress, I see to it that most of my bills will give Bacoor a better life,” adds Congressman Revilla who is also one of the DAD’s board of trustees. *** There’s a new morning show on ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel, to jumpstart our day with the top news and business stories in the country and around the globe.

Early Edition, anchored by TJ Manotoc and Annalisa Burgos, premiered on Feb. 27 with the latest and breaking news reports and financial updates at 5:30 a.m. from Monday to Friday.

ISAH V. RED

LAURA, a popular girl in school, has more than 800 friends on Facebook where she posts almost everything about her life. But after accepting a friend request from Marina, a classmate she barely knows, a terrible curse is set in motion.

Marina commits suicide, and a video of it is mysteriously uploaded on Laura’s Facebook page. Laura cannot delete the video or even deactivate her account altogether. One by one, she also loses her closest friends who all die a cruel death. Time is running out for Laura, but she must solve the mystery behind these tragic events to save the few friends she has left, as well as her own life.

German director Simon Verhoeven, highly acclaimed for his work in the comedy film Men in the City, shares how he came up with the idea for this supernatural-psychological horror film.

“A distant acquaintance of mine had died. Weeks later, I noticed that his Facebook profile was still available online, unchanged. I shuddered at the idea that I might suddenly receive a message from him. Friend Request was born in that moment.”

Based in Germany, Verhoeven and his producer friend Quirin Berg felt right away that Friend Request is the kind of material that would work internationally.

Berg says, “Classic horror is usually set in what Americans call the ‘comfort zone,’ often in a home—in other words, precisely the place where you want to feel most safe. The ‘comfort zone’ of our times is our social network, which is the digital extension of our home.”

“On Facebook it’s so simple to gather hordes of ‘friends,’ because these hundreds of people are not real friends in so many ways...(This) particular film is about a so-called ‘best friend’

who is anything but that. This leads to catastrophe as, in a flash, the ‘friendship’ transforms into the total opposite, to disappointment and rage,” the director explains.

But it is not intention of this movie to be overly critical of social media. Coproducer Max Wiedemann says, “It’s much more that we’re using a theme that will be deeply familiar to everyone as the engine for our film. Simon is always an extremely accurate observer—not just in his comedies. His great achievement here is showing us the real moments of life on the Internet and discovering that a social life online also has its dark side.”

In casting the characters, Verhoeven says that they chose actors who are still emerging stars. They found a gem in Alycia Debnam-Carey, who plays Laura.

Playing Olivia, Laura’s best friend, is American actress Brit Morgan (known for her role in the series True Blood).

The film is set in California but the majority of the film was shot in Cape Town, South Africa.

As for the film’s execution, Verhoeven favored images he could film in reality over computer animated visual effects to stay true to the horror genre. But he made an exception with the wasps that serve as the symbols of the Marina’s undead apparitions, which was created through CGI. The special effects contribute significantly to the disturbing atmosphere of the movie.

Qiron Berg proudly assures that Friend Request “has a few additional layers, with a clever, psychologically interesting dimension” that viewers, especially horror movie fans will surely appreciate.

Friend Request is in cinemas now from Viva International Pictures.

The fast-paced news-oriented program also features Paolo Abrera and ANC news correspondents Michelle Ong and Christian Esguerra to help TJ and Annalisa with significant and relevant information and analysis viewers can use as they face another busy day ahead.

It also has sports, lifestyle, and entertainment news, and live discussions on the trending topics in the country and in the world today. Resident ANC analyst Richard Heydarian is also in th show to explain and dissect issues on foreign relations and foreign policy.

The show formally introduces Burgos as the newest anchor of ANC. She is considered as the gold standard in news and analysis in the Philippines. The Los Angeles-born international journalist brings with her over 17 years of experience as a multi-media journalist covering news, business, and lifestyle beats in Asia, New York City, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles.

Prior to joining ANC, Annalisa was an anchor and lifestyle correspondent for Channel NewsAsia’s regional English-language morning show, FirstLook Asia, interviewing global newsmakers. She also hosted a popular weekly food and travel series, What’s Cooking, covering topics like luxury travel in Japan, fine dining on the Mekong River and sustainable farming in Central Vietnam.

Before moving to Asia, Annalisa was a New York-based anchor, reporter and editor for several major media companies, including Yahoo, HGTV, Forbes, CNBC and Bloomberg.

She graduated from UCLA and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

The public servant with his constituents