Manila Standard - 2017 March 10 - Friday

Peace gab with Reds scrapped

By John Paolo Bencito and Francisco Tuyay PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte declared Thursday that the government is ready to wage war with the communists for another 50 years after condemning a New People’s Army ambush that killed four policemen and wounded a fifth in BansaVOL. XXXI • NO. 28 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 • www.thestandard.com.ph • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

PH wary of China ships on Benham

lan, Davao del Sur. On Wednesday, hours after the ambush, NPA rebels went on a rampage at a village in Pagadian City, killing three civilians.

“There will be no peace talks for the meantime,” Duterte said in an interview after visiting the wake of the slain policemen. “I will ask the military and the police Next page to wage war against them.”

PACIFIC OCEAN

By Francisco Tuyay DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday said he has ordered the Navy to send a ship to Benham Rise, an underwater landmass 250 kilometers east of Luzon, to drive away Chinese survey vessels that have been spotted there.

“I have ordered the navy that if they see [these] service ship[s] this year, to start to accost them and drive them away” from Benham Rise, Lorenzana said.

“The very concerning thing is they have several service ships plying this area, staying in one area sometimes for a month as if doing nothing. But we believe they are actually surveying the seabed,” he said.

The United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf approved the Philippines’

CHINA SEA

TEST CASE FOR FRIENDSHIP. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has expressed alarming concern over Chinese survey ships sailing near Benham Rise, a Philippine territory 250 kms off Next page the east coast of Luzon, in what diplomatic observers say is Beijing’s attempt to assert its hold over the island.

CA: Gina acting ‘above the law’ Spurned for imposing own rules Destroy

By Christine F. Herrera and Macon Ramos-Araneta PH, I’ll EMBERS of the kill you Commission on Appointments —Rody

M ROLLING DEFENSE. Members of the powerful Commission on Appointments rebuff

Thursday Environment Secretary-designate Gina Lopez for acting ‘above the law’ by imposing new standards and changing the rules midstream at the continuation of deliberations for her confirmation by the CA. Ey Acasio

Mighty needs P3b to settle cigarette tax case, says Du30

By John Paolo Bencito, Vito Barcelo and Rey E. Requejo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he was ready to turn a blind eye to the oldest cigarette manufacturer’s alleged use of counterfeit tax stamps in exchange for more than P3 billion in donations to government hospitals.

“I will forget about the printing of 1.5 billion worth of fake stamps. I will agree to this: Pay double, I’ll forget about it. Anyway, I assure him that if someone in power

on Thursday rebuffed Environment Secretary Lopez for acting as if she were above the law by imposing new standards and changing the rules midstream when she closed 23 mine sites and canceled 75 mineral production sharing agreements.

Those who opposed Lopez’s confirmation also complained that Lopez not only changed the rules, but also her mind when she opposed a review of her closure orders shortly after signing the order to push through with it.

Those who opposed her confirmation also said Lopez showed her bias against mining and failed to transcend her advocacy.

At her confirmation hearing Thursday, Lopez and CA members debated on the definition of a watershed.

She also said 13 large-scale mining companies passed her audit even though they sat on a watershed. The companies practice “responsible mining,” Lopez said.

The lawmakers also rebuked Lopez for claiming that provinces that were hosts to mining companies were among the poorNext page est of the poor.

pursue the case, I can always pardon him,” Duterte said in his native Visayan referring to Mighty Corporation president Alex Wongchuking.

“Three billion and we’re settled. Tell him.”

He made the statement even as the Bureau of Immigration placed Wongchuking and his brother Ceasar Dy Wongchuking under its lookout bulletin order on the orders of the Justice department.

Immigration spokeswoman Antonette

Palace lets Alvarez do the purge

By John Paolo Bencito and Maricel V. Cruz

Next page

THE Court of Appeals has issued a ruling supporting Taguig City’s control over the 729-hectare Fort Andres Bonifacio, which is popularly known as ‘‘The Fort” or “Fort Boni.’’

In a resolution dated March 8, 2017, the

court’s former Special Sixth Division granted Taguig City’s motion seeking to dismiss the Makati City government’s plea to overturn the July 8, 2011 order of the Regional Trial Court of Pasig City.

The Pasig RTC had stopped the Makati City government from exercising jurisdicNext page tion over The Fort.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday he’s willing to turn vigilante if drug dependents put the life of the people at risk.

“If I were just a civilian and you are lurking within the neighborhood and my female child was killed or you raped her or you contaminate my child with drugs and my child Next page

Court backs Taguig on Fort row

By Rey E. Requejo

By John Paolo Bencito and Rey E. Requejo

CONCEALED. A Customs police officer shows during a news conference Thursday at the Bureau of Customs office at the Manila airport a package containing the illegal drug shabu hidden in candy wraps. AFP

THE Palace said Thursday it will not interfere with the ongoing purge by House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez at the House of Representatives over the officials who voted against President Rodrigo Duterte’s pet bill reinstating capital punishment.

“Let’s let him do the process himself, okay? Let’s let him do follow up whatever he chooses to do so,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella told reporters.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Martial law if violence goes out of hand—Rody

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday told local officials here that he will declare martial law if they will not help him in preventing violence.

Duterte said he will not hesitate to declare martial law if the violence in Mindanao goes out of control.

“If things go out of control and violence has reached the level of total breakdown, I will not hesitate [to declare martial law],” the president said.

He said that Mindanao’s situation has become chaotic because of the presence of terrorist groups and rebels, adding that the main problems in the region include terrorism and lawlessness such as bombings that harms even innocent people, including children.

He said that if the lawlessness continue, the situation will make him look like an idiot who cannot do his job.

“I cannot preside over the fear of the country because it will make me an idiot. It’s either I solve the problem or I go out. It’s the only solution there,” he said.

Duterte said he didn’t want to declare martial law so he is appealing local government officials to help him solve the problem in Mindanao.

“I do not want to do it because it is not good, because if there is martial law the supreme authority in the country will go to the police and me and it will be hard because we have a legitimate structure.”

At the same time, the President said he will be forced to declare martial law only if the violence affect the day to day operations of the government.

Duterte said that he can understand the nature of combats but not to the extent that it includes harming the innocent children.

PH...

From A1 undisputed territorial claim to Benham Rise in 2012, finding that the region is an extension of the country’s continental shelf.

The landmass is believed to be potentially rich in mineral and natural gas deposits.

Lorenzana said the Chinese survey ships have been monitored approaching Benham Rise on several occasions over three months last year.

In February last year, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan expressed concern over a Chinese plan to conduct undersea exploration in Benham Rise.

This happened at the time when the United States stopped a Chinese attempt to build structures on the hotly contested Scarborough Shoal, Lorenzana said.

The Defense secretary said he had been informed by his US counterpart at the time that Chinese barges loaded with soil and construction materials were within the shoal in June.

“The Americans, I think, told the Chinese not to do it and for some reason the Chinese stopped,” Lorenzana said.

Lorenzana’s statement comes as President Rodrigo Duterte seeks warmer relations with Beijing, after ties soured under the previous administration because of conflicting claims in the South China Sea. Asked why the ships might be surveying in Benham Rise, Lorenzana said he received information the vessels were “looking for a place to put submarines.” With AFP

Palace...

From A1 He made the statement even as Alvarez stood pat on his decision to replace his key allies in the super majority holding juicy posts for not supporting the passage of the death penalty bill.

“Definitely, there will be changes,” said Alvarez, secretary general of the ruling Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan.

He said his “toe-the-line” policy will be implemented following the passage of House Bill 4727 on Tuesday.

But opposition Rep. Edcel Lagman dismissed Alvarez’s threat.

He said he was not convinced that Alvarez would be true to his threat to oust those who would vote against the death penalty bill from their key leadership positions.

Deputy Speaker and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, is one of those who voted against the bill.

SC starts probe of ‘narco-judge’

By Rey E. Requejo

In a four-page resolution Feb. 21 but released only on Thursday, the SC approved the recommendation in the fact-finding report of retired Associate Justice Roberto Abad that “an administrative case for corruption be instituted” against Judge Antonio Reyes.

“The Office of the Court Administrative [OCA] is directed to proceed with the inventory of cases decided by Judge Anto-

nio Reyes to determine whether there is basis for the allegation that convictions were reversed in exchange for money,” the resolution stated.

The high court also directed the OCA to investigate the driver of Judge Reyes for bribery, and if the said driver took money from litigants on behalf of Judge Reyes.

Lastly, the Court also requested the National Bureau of Inves-

tigation to locate the witnesses identified in the report of Justice Abad.

In the report, Abad cited several drug cases dismissed

by Judge Reyes after the accused supposedly paid certain amounts as alleged by officials of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

According to Abad, the PDEA submitted an affidavit dated Oct. 26, 2007 executed by a certain Paul Black, a convict, who said that he paid a total of P50,000 in exchange for the dismissal of an illegal drugs case against his wife. Black said he paid the amount in two tranches—the last amounting to P35,000 on July 5, 2007, the date of the promulgation.

Black’s wife was eventually acquitted.

CA:...

From A1

Paquiao said those who vehemently opposed her confirmation said she did not observe due process.

“I did observe due process and my actions were all based on the laws every step of the way,” Lopez shot back.

A Teachers Rep. Julieta Cortuna said Lopez may have been “blinded” by her advisers and the CA members now doubt her competence considering the huge number of sectors strongly opposing her confirmation.

Cortuna also corrected Lopez, who insisted that her trusted adviser and consultant Leo Jasareno, former Mines and Geosciences Bureau chief, had not approved or recommended a single MPSA during his stint.

Lopez, who promoted Jasareno as senior undersecretary, described him as “honest, loyal, not corrupt and who cares a lot about the environment.”

“There is not a shred of evidence of corruption against Leo [Jasareno]. He is an honest guy and I trust him,” Lopez insisted.

Lopez defended Jasareno after a group of mining engineers questioned Lopez’s decision to make Jasareno head the audit team when it was during his stint that the MPSA had been granted the mining companies.

But Lopez denied this as well, saying not one MPSA was signed by Jasareno, a claim that Cortuna disputed, citing official records.

Lopez later apologized to the confirmation body for her lack of knowledge about the signatories to the MPSA. Ronaldo Recidoro, official of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, questioned Lopez’s backing out of the Mining Industry Coordinating Council, which she co-chairs with Finance Secretary Ceasar Dominguez.

At first she signed the order calling for a review of her closure orders, then said the MICC could only review policies, not DENR orders.

She said she had written a memorandum to President Rodrigo Duterte protesting the allocation of P50 million to review her closure orders.

“I told the President in a memo that I personally handed to him that we could use the P50 million somewhere else, for the better, not for the review. We have a game plan. We could use the money, instead in making plans on how to find jobs for our mine workers, who would be displaced,” Lopez said.

Lopez appealed to the CA to give her two more years to prove that she can make the closed mining sites “beautiful, beautiful,” and alleviate the mine workers and communities from poverty.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri contested Lopez’s assertion that the provinces that were hosts to the mining sites were among the poorest of the poor.

“Official records from the Philippine Statistics Office, a government agency, show that not one of the provinces, where mining was present, is in the top 10, not

even in the top 20 of the poorest provinces,” Zubiri said.

“My province, Bukidnon, which did not have mining, was among the top 20,” Zubiri said. “So where did you get your data, Madame Secretary?”

Lopez said her statistics were provided to her by the Department of Social Welfare and Development, based on the list of recipients of the 4Ps. Several members of the tribal groups and indigenous people, who flew from as far as Surigao del Sur, Caraga, Agusan and Zambales, testified that their lives were uplifted as a result of mining.

They said they were now worried about their children, who were sent to school by the mining companies as their scholars.

“May we ask Secretary Lopez as to how she would sustain our needs because the mining companies are providing us with the annual royalty fees by the millions that we use for our developmental projects as a community. The mining companies also provided us with hospitals, schools and livelihood programs, when government for the longest time had not done for us.

We now have katutubo who are educated,” said the tribal chief in Filipino and English.

Pacquiao said Lopez would be bypassed as she is leaving for abroad Friday for a vacation.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, on the other hand, said she could suffer the fate of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr., who was rejected by the CA earlier this week.

During the hearing, Lacson told Lopez her responses to issues raised by CA members were “not enough” to convince the body just yet to vote in favor of her nomination.

“I want to be candid as I think the responses made were not enough to convince at least 13 [members]. I want to help you get past this confirmation hearing,” said Lacson.

Pacquiao’s committee had heard the 23 oppositors against the appointment of Lopez during the two hearings which started Wednesday. It will hold on Tuesday, March 14, a caucus, to discuss Lopez’s nomination as DENR chief. Her appointment will be considered bypassed if the CA fails to come up with a decision before Congress adjourns session on March 18 for the Lenten recess.

At Thursday’s hearing, Lopez again faced her oppositors who called for her rejection as she was “unfit and unqualified” for the job.

The oppositors also cited her lack of technical and scientific knowledge, and her understanding of the mining production sharing agreements (MPSA) or exploration contracts.

They also denounced her blatant disregard for due process for ordering the shutdown of mining companies and cancellation of 75 MPSA, causing a shakeup in the multi-billion-peso industry.

Asked what her motivation was in closing the mining operations and cancellation

In July 2013, the appellate court’s Sixth Division granted the appeal of the Makati City government over the July 8, 2011 order of the Pasig RTC. The appellate court ordered the Taguig City government to stop exercising jurisdiction over several areas within Fort Bonifacio which were earlier declared part of its territory.

These areas include the so-called military villages comprising Cembo, South Cembo, East Rembo, West Rembo, Comembo, Pembo and Pitogo as well as the Inner Fort Barangays (Barangay Post Proper Northside and Barangay Post Proper Southside).

The appellate court also declared as constitutional Presidential Proclamation 2475 issued by the late President Marcos on Jan. 7, 1986 disregarding the claim of Taguig over Fort Bonifacio by stating that the same fell under the jurisdiction of Makati City.

Also declared as valid was Proclama-

tion 518, which modified Proclamation 2475 wherein it said the said tracts of land were situated in Makati although they are parts of Fort Bonifacio.

The Taguig City government earlier sought the dismissal of the appeal filed by the Makati City government before the CA on the ground of forum shopping, but it was denied.

It claimed that the Makati City government filed simultaneous remedies before the Pasig RTC of its July 8, 2011 order and a petition for annulment of the said judgment before the CA. The issue was brought before the Supreme Court by the Taguig City government.

In a ruling issued last year, the high court’s Second Division granted Taguig’s petition and cited the Makati City government in contempt for forum shopping in its legal tug-of-war with the former over jurisdiction on Fort Bonifacio.

paratus. It needs people killed. There’s nothing we can do… that’s just how it is. You cannot stop the movement of drugs in the entire country if you don’t kill them all,” he added.

Duterte said that he’s prepared to go to jail and is willing to assume full legal responsibility over the war on illegal drugs.

“Those of you who insist on doing drugs here, or kidnapping, I will kill you. That was my slogan... and it has kept the peace up to this time,” the President said.

“If you are trying to destroy the Philippines, I would just have to kill you,” he added.

At the same time, Duterte said he has decided not to answer the criticism hurled at him for the drug war.

“I have consistently refused to answer because the allegations just keep

getting recycled. You can’t do anything but to shut up,” he said.

Responding to suggestions that he might be impeached, he said talk is easy.

“I will hand this over to you. You run the show,” he said, addressing his critics.

In dealing with criticism, Duterte said that he has adopted the philosophy of the late US President Abraham Lincoln.

“It’s my favorite adage, and it is good for you to remember, ‘If I were to try to read, much less answer, all attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I can and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won’t amount to anything, but if the end brings me out wrong, 10 angels of god swearing I was right could make no difference,” Duterte said, quoting Lincoln.

T

HE Supreme Court has started administrative proceedings against a Baguio City regional trial court judge who had been tagged by President Rodrigo Duterte last year as one of the alleged narco-judges providing protection to illegal drug trade.

Presiding over Day 2 of the confirmation hearing, Senator Manny Pacquiao, chairman of the CA committee on environment, chided Lopez for imposing her “personal standards” to get her way than following the law.

“You imposed your own personal standards. You cannot do that,” Pacquiao told Lopez.

To justify her actions, lawmakers said, Lopez threw out existing standards and imposed her own, based on “social and economic justice.”

This prompted Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josephine Ramirez-Sato to tell her: “You cannot go outside the parameters of the law. You cannot be above the law.”

Senator Panfilo Lacson agreed with Sato.

“That’s where the conflict starts. The mining companies complied with the highest standards but you changed the rules midstream that became subjective and arbitrary. You changed the policy midstream. They were really surprised because they were ISO 14001 compliant but you changed the standards.”

“If you want to add new standards to the existing requirements, do it the legal and proper way,” Sato cautioned Lopez.

“You cannot just declare, ‘This is what I want.’ You cannot do that,” said Sato, who asked Lopez if she meant to revoke the administrative order issued by former Environment Secretary Ramon Paje, requiring that mining companies be ISO-certified.

But Lopez refused to be swayed.

“This is my stand. You cannot build an economy on suffering. We have to consider social and economic justice where we build an economy that benefits everyone, for the common good, not to make farmers and fishermen suffer. I have moved the DENR from a regulatory agency to a developmental one,” Lopez said.

She said the ISO 14001 was a technical requirement brought about by a private initiative.

When Sato asked Lopez to define ISO 14001, however, she could not and even referred to it as “ISO 41” until a consultant corrected her.

Jo Cristine Li, a young mining engineer, brought out a recorded pronouncement previously made by Lopez when she denied making ISO 14001 a requirement to make the mining firms compliant.

Li let the CA listen to the recorded statement of Lopez, who insisted the ISO certificate did not cover her policy of social and economic justice.

“I am not violating the law. It is in the law. Social and economic justice is mandated by the Constitution, the Mining Act, the Clean Air Act, among other laws. I am just enforcing the law. ISO 14001 is just a technical thing that is a private initiative,” Lopez said.

Court...

From A1 But Makati City spokesman Arthur Carmiña insisted that the court did not rule that Taguig is the rightful owner of BGC. “The Court of Appeals did not rule that Taguig is the rightful owner of BGC. That point needs to be emphasized. Based on the merits, the Court has ruled that Makati, not Taguig, is the rightful owner of BGC,” Carmiña said.

“The case was dismissed on a technical ground of forum shopping committed by the previous lawyers of Makati.

But the order of dismissal by the CA is in conflict with the Decision of the Supreme Court that merely ordered the previous lawyers of Makati to pay a fine and not to dismiss the case. Makati will exhaust all legal remedies to protect its territorial jurisdiction,” he added.

Destroy...

From A1 becomes an addict, I will kill you vigilante-style,” Duterte said in a speech before the country’s councilors Thursday.

“I will get back at you if the policemen cannot do anything or are no longer in control,” he added.

Duterte said killing the poor who get quick money from selling drugs is necessary to destroy the apparatus.

“They say it’s only the poor who are being killed. There’s nothing we can do. Maybe they’re waiting for them to recruit millionaires. There are no rich people loitering in your neighborhood, in your municipality,” Duterte said in Filipino.

“It’s really difficult but that’s the problem. We have to destroy the ap-

PDEA also submitted documents showing that the judge dismissed the drug case against a certain Norma Domingo whom Reyes allegedly used to negotiate pay-offs from those charged with similar offenses.

“The memorandum [dated Nov. 26, 2007] claimed that Domingo even issued a receipt for P300,000 that a certain Richard Lagunilla gave her in exchange for his acquittal by Judge Reyes,” the report said.

Abad also found out that the PDEA planned to entrap the judge, but dropped the plan since payments were made through his driver.

Another affidavit submitted

by PDEA dated Dec. 10, 2007 was executed by a certain Melchora Nagen who said she was acquitted after paying P50,000.

Nagen, in her affidavit, said she became friends with Domingo and accompanied her in jail visits to convince detainees facing drug cases to raise money for their acquittal.

Abad also cited an anonymous letter claiming that certain lawyers Mamaril, Bomogao, Felix and Katigbak had obtained similar acquittals for their clients.

Reyes denied the allegations against him during the factfinding probe and said he hated corruption.

He said that he even dismissed one of his staff for collecting money from a client.

The judge claimed that the acquittals of several accused in drug cases before his court branch were based solely on evidence.

of MPSs,, Lopez repeatedly said that it was based on social justice and her understanding.

Senator Miguel Zubiri contradicted Lopez’s claims that mining operations had not helped the economic lives of people in their areas, which she described as the poorest among the poor.

Occidental Mindoro Rep. Josefina Ramirez-Sato insisted that Lopez’s oassion for social justice should not prevail over the laws in enforcing her actions wgainst the mining companies.

Although she is so passionate about her environmental advocacy, Sato reminded the DENR secretary about adherence to the law. “If you want to improve, give them their rights, that is the essence of democracy.”

On several occasions, she demanded from Lopez the laws which she used as basis for the closure and cancellation of MPSA. She also asked Lopez about her appointment of her own undersecretaries despite the lack of open positions.

Citing feedback from DENR personnel themselves, Sato said this practice has left organic department officials “demoralized.”

Sato said she respected Lopez’s prerogative to choose her own team, “but not at the expense of the organic personnel.”

But Lopez responded that she could not build a team based on whether or not it would cause hurt feelings.

“I need people whom I trust. The organic personnel do not have the capability to do what I want. What about the work I want to do for our country?” she said.

San Juan City Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, also CA member, said the arguments raised by the oppositors have enough basis.

“Can the green economy, a system that will depend on ecotourism, replace the lost jobs, their income after being rendered jobless? “ he asked.

Zamora’s elder brother, Manuel Zamora Jr., is the chairman of Nickel Asia Corp., the country’s largest nickel miner, which insisted on being compliant with all the laws.

Miners from the country’s mining industry on Thursday urged the CA to reject the ad interim appointment of Environment Secretary Gina Lopez, saying she was “unfit and unqualified” in her job.

Chamber of Mines of the Philippines vice president for legal and policy Ronald Recidoro said they oppose the confirmation of Lopez as she has shown herself unfit and unqualified to be the government’s lead regulator.

“We want to be clear--the issue here today is not the mining Industry. The issue is whether or not Secretary-designate Lopez is the right person to head the DENR,” Recidoro told the CA’s committee on environment chaired by Senator Manny Pacquiao during Lopez’s confirmation hearing.

“We ask--is she competent to lead the DENR? Does she have the experience,

education, impartiality and temperament to accomplish the Department’s objectives?

To all these questions, we say no, no and no,” said Recidoro.

Recidoro noted recent events have shown that they are dealing with someone who does not believe in the Constitution’s mandate for the state to undertake the exploration, development, and utilization of natural resources, and as such, has put them, the government’s partners in mineral development, at a quandary.

He dismissed Lopez’s characterization of miners are “environmental rapists.”

Recidoro said Lopez insisted on an industry-wide audit even as some of the miners have secured ISO or international certifications.

“Lopez bypassed legal and administrative processes and disregarded the sanctity of contracts by ordering the closure or suspension of 28 mines and threatening to cancel 75 agreements,” Recidoro said.

He cautioned that the cancellation of contracts could spawn “hundreds” of contract disputes similar to government’s dispute with the German builder of Naia Terminal 3.

“Cancelling contracts without due process and changing rules in the middle of the game frightens away quality investors,” he said.

He also slammed Recidoro’s disregard for due process in ordering the closure of mining operations.

Recidoro also rejected Lopez’s stand against mining in watersheds and open-pit mining contending that such are allowed by law under certain conditions.

COMP has been the most vocal among those against Lopez’s confirmation as environment secretary, ever since she announced the closure and suspension of 28 ‘mining areas in the country--all run by COMP members In February, the group submitted its formal opposition to Lopez’s confirmation before the CA. Calling mining the “most misunderstood industry in the country today,” Recidoro cited the Philippine Mining Act of 1995 in saying that mining companies can’t just go into any area and mine any which way they want.”

Recidoro said Lopez has the duty to enforce the law strictly and consistently.

The chamber highlighted four reasons to pass the confirmation.

1. She does not know the law.

2. She cannot balance her functions as secretary of environment and of natural resources. According to the group, Lopez’s bias agianst mining leaves her unable to appreciate the mechanics of the Mining Act, where rehabilitation is an indispensable requirement.”

3. Her actions expose the Philippine government to massive financial liability from international arbitration, similar to that awarded to Piatco for the construction of the the NAIA Terminal 3, the group said.

4. She is fast and loose with government funds.

Peace...

From A1 “I will allow them to use all available assets. Use rockets,” he said.

He said the communists would never gain power because the people did not want them to.

Duterte said he has ordered the Armed Forces of the Philippines to use all its assets, including newly acquired jets, and drop bombs on the rebels.

“Go ahead, flatten the hills,” he added. “Look at what you have done. Look at how the people responded.”

He said it was no longer viable to talk with the rebels because “they’re diverting issues in the talks, they’re muddling the talks” and waging a revolution based on “ideological cannibalism.”

“It’s a question of honor. We fight a war and as the revolutionary ideology would put it, it’s a kind of ideological cannibalism because you devour your own kind. You kill your own brother and sisters on the altar of a revolution ... Because it is a war among Filipinos, your countrymen,” he added.

Mighty...

From A1 Mangrobang said the Wongchuking brothers were still in the country.

She said Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II ordered Commissioner Jaime Morente to include the brothers in its lookout bulletin due to the ongoing investigation on the alleged seizure of cigarettes with fake stamps worth P2 billion.

Duterte said everything would be settled between him and Mighty Corp. should it give in to his demand to donate money to the hospitals in the slums and conflict-driven areas.

“Here’s the deal. He offered 1.5 [billion] which is definitely unacceptable to me. There was deceit. So he needs to give

The Palace on Thursday said that the deaths of four policemen ambushed by the NPA might derail efforts to revive the stalled peace talks even as top National Democratic Front consultants flew to Europe Wednesday night in an attempt to start backchannel talks with the government.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the killing of the four policemen could set back efforts to restart the negotiations.

The slain policemen were identified as Police Officer 1 (PO1) Rolly Benelayo, PO1 Joe Narvaza, PO1 Saro Mangutara, belonging to the Bansalan Municipal Police Station, and PO3 Jayden May Rabor of the Scene of the Crime Operations of Digos City. Another policeman, PO3 Allen Arnado, was wounded.

Duterte earlier opened up the possibility of reviving the stalled peace talks, but has laid down three “requests” before any negotiation can proceed: A genuine ceasefire done in sincerity, the release of all soldiers and civilians being held captive by the NPA, and a stop to NPA extortion activities.

double. He should offer three billion,” Duterte said.

“He should give one billion for Basilan. He should give it directly to the Secretary of Health, not to me, because I want to fix the hospital there. One billion for Jolo because I also want to fix the hospital there. Then in Manila, one billion for the Mary Johnston Hospital in Tondo.”

Duterte, who earlier admitted being offered bribes from Mighty Corp. while he was mayor, threatened economic sabotage raps and arrest against Wongchuking following the discovery of fake tax stamps in a raid in San Simon, Pampanga.

He then said he was willing to drop the falsification raps and instead pursue the tax evasion case against the cigarette manufacturer if they gave in to his demands.

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FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

CA orders freeze on Sabalones’ accounts

THROWING LIGHT ON.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella clarifies during a news conference in Malacañang Thursday that President Rodrigo Duterte has laid some conditions for the peace talks to resume with the Communist Party of the PhilippinesNational Democratic Front-New People’s Army.

Malacañang Photo

IN BRIEF Sino investment to generate 15,500 jobs FIVE Chinese investors have shown interest in investing in the country, the Palace said Thursday as President Rodrigo Duterte thanked the Chinese government anew for “loving” the Philippines by granting financial aid.

Among the five Chinese companies who expressed their intention to pour in investments as a result of the improved diplomatic ties with Beijing were the Aviation Industry Corporation of China International Aero-development Corporation, Liaoning Bora Enterprise Group Co., Huili Investment Fund Management, Dalian Wanyang Heavy Industries, and YiDingTai International.

“These investments would generate a total of 15,500 jobs for Filipinos by 2022 in industries such as aviation, oil downstream, renewable energy, iron and steel, and shipbuilding and ship repair,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a Palace news briefing.

In a speech before the country’s league of councilors on Wednesday, the President said the country was reaping rewards from Xi Jinping’s “love” amid the country’s improved relationship with Beijing.

John Paolo Bencito

Malmstrom to meet Asean counterparts EU TRADE Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom is set to arrive in Manila today to attend the 15th Asean Economic Ministers-European Union Trade Consultations, the first big business event following the Philippines’ appointment to the Asean chairmanship.

Malmstrom will also meet with her counterparts from Asean to dicuss EU-Asean Trade Relations including the goal of a Free Trade Agreement between the two regions.

“This meeting is an important occasion to reaffirm the strong ties between the EU and Asean and our joint commitment to good trade relations.

At the meeting, we can lay the foundation to facilitate the work of our respective businesses, and for connecting across our two regions,” Malmström said in a statement.

She will deliver a speech during the Asean-EU Business Summit.

“I especially look forward to discussing how to advance plans for a region-to-region Free Trade Agreement between the EU and Asean,” she said.

Malmstrom said several European companies have found their way to Asean, providing decent jobs and supporting growth, Sara Susanne Fabunan

Seasoned envoy named to replace Yasay at DFA

By John Paolo Bencito and Sara Susanne Fabunan

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has named a seasoned career diplomat to replace outgoing Perfecto Yasay Jr. as the country’s acting Secretary of Foreign Affairs, following his unanimous rejection at the powerful Commission on Appointments over issues on his citizenship.

“Undersecretary Enrique Manalo has been designated and appointed as Acting Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

Describing him as an “excellent transition man,” Abella said Manalo “has been on top of many crucial issues” together with Yasay and has represented the country as senior official in Association of South East Asian Nations meetings, currently being hosted by the Philippines as

this year’s chairman.

Before getting reappointed as Undersecretary for Policy, Manalo, 64, was the former Ambassador to the Court of St. James (United Kingdom) and the International Maritime Organization.

Manalo likewise served as the country’s Ambassador to Belgium and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, and Head of the Philippine Mission to the European Union.

Yasay’s rejection was the first time that a nominee for the position of DFA chief failed to

get the CA’s nod and is the first Cabinet member appointed by Duterte to be rejected by the bicameral body.

The CA in previous presidencies rejected former journalist Ricardo Saludo as Civil Service Commission chairman during the Arroyo administration for failing to meet the minimum qualifications for the post, and Ramon del Rosario Jr. as Finance secretary during the Ramos administration for alleged conflict of interest.

Abella, meanwhile, floated the idea that the President might still appoint his former roommate for another post “if he chooses to.”

Manalo, for his part, assured the public that President Duterte’s foreign policy would continue while he is in charge.

Shortly after the Palace announced his appointment as the acting secretary, Manalo held his first press conference, stressing there would be no changes from the work Yasay had started.

“We will continue what we can do and prioritizing the areas which already are priorities,”

Manalo told the reporters.

“Yesterday is already history, so today of course we are continuing, as I have said, all our priorities, and of them is to promote the interest of our country and the Filipino people...to assure everyone that the DFA is here, is working, and will continue to serve the people,” Manalo said.

His appointment came after the Commission on Appointments rejected Yasay for lying about his American citizenship.

But Foreign Affairs spokesman Charles Jose already said on Wednesday if there was a need to have an officer-in-charge, Manalo would be next in line.

Manalo, son of Ambassadors Armando and Rosario Manalo, said even though he heard he was on the list, he did not expect the President would appoint him to occupy Yasay’s position.

Manalo said the President did not particularly instruct him what he needed to prioritize but gave assurances his foreign policy would continuously be implemented in his leadership.

THE Court of Appeals has issued a freeze order on the bank accounts and assets of suspected Central Visayas drug lord Franz Sabalones.

In an 18-page freeze order dated Jan. 19, 2017, signed by Associate Justice Carmelita Salandanan Manahan and concurred in by Associate Justices Japar Dimaampao and Franchito Diamante, the CA’s Eighth Division, said the freeze order covered Sabalones’ accounts from Banco De Oro and Wealth Bank and his various properties in Cebu.

The freeze order has a duration of six months.

It was the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Central Visayas that requested for its issuance through the Anti-Money Laundering Council.

The CA said the court found probable cause the subject bank accounts and properties were “related to an unlawful activity or money laundering as defined under Republic Act 9160,” or the Anti-Money Laundering Act of 2001.

Section 4 of the AMLA states that “money laundering is a crime whereby the proceeds of an unlawful activity as defined in the law are transacted, thereby making them appear to have originated from legitimate sources.”

“After a careful examination of the allegations stated in the application, as well as the supporting documents attached herein, the Court is convinced there is indeed a reasonable ground to believe that the bank accounts and real properties are related or have connection to the unlawful activity and/or money laundering offense.”

“Thus, probable cause exists the questioned bank accounts and real properties are being used in the laundering of the proceeds of the lawful activity which justify the issuance of the Freeze Order authorizing the AMLC to preserve the monetary instruments or property in any way deemed related to unlawful activities,” the appeals court said.

Investigation by the AMLC also showed he had as much as P70 million withdrawals in his bank accounts.

GMA wants tax relief for calamity victims Supreme Court asked to lift ban on some RH provisions

By Maricel V. Cruz PAMPANGA Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has pushed for tax relief for victims of calamities as she lamented bureaucratic glitches that hamper the steady flow of donations in times of calamities.

In filing House Bill 4373, Arroyo, a deputy speaker, said donations for calamity victims have been hampered by bureaucratic red tape, such as subjecting donors to hefty donor’s tax.

Arroyo, a former president, said those who would seek an exemption to the payment of donor’s tax through charitable organizations face the stringent accreditation process to get their exemption on the top of the requirements they need to

submit to the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Under the law, Arroyo said the donors also have to submit paperwork to the BIR for audit procedures. Compounding the problem is the fact that not all organizations with relief operations are accredited charitable organizations.

“The display of camaraderie and empathy by ordinary citizens who risked their lives to save strangers was a common scene [during times of calamities]. Even hard-earned savings were given freely to charitable organizations to augment relief operations and to serve more of those affected,” Arroyo said. “This display of heroism and gallantry, however, also brought into the limelight a few bureaucratic glitches that impeded the steady flow of donations,” he said.

EXTORT SCAM. Former Police Sr. Supt. Wenceslao Sombero Jr. testifies during the final hearing Thursday by the Senate on the Bureau of Immigration’s bribery-extortion scam. Ey Acasio

By Rio N. Araja PRO-REPRODUCTIVE health advocates urged Thursday the Supreme Court to lift its ban on some provisions of family planning.

At a news conference in Quezon City, Romeo Dongeto, Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development executive director, said the biggest challenge to the implementation of the RH law was the SC’s nearly two-yearold temporary restraining order prohibiting the Department of Health to approve new registration of contraceptives, and promote and distribute hormonal contraceptives “Implanon” and “Implanon NXT.” “It is lamentable that almost five years since its enactment, the agencies tasked to implement the law cannot focus on implementing but are instead occupied with addressing legal issues, such as this TRO,” he said.

He feared for a contraceptive stockout to affect over 13-million Filipino women if the court’s order was not lifted.

They hope the high court will finally decide in favor of the rights and health of the women.

“We also urge the public to join us in our call,” he added.

He disclosed the Purple Ribbon for RH, a broad network of RH advocates, would once again embark on a nationwide campaign to convince the SC to

lift the TRO. “In November last year, we launched a signature drive to gather at least one-million signatures to urge the court to abandon the ban,” he said.

The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act or Republic Act No. 10354 was enacted on Dec. 21, 2012.

Its implementing rules and regulations were signed on March 15, 2013 in Manila.

The Supreme Court issued a status quo ante order against RA No. 10354 in March 2013.

On April 8, 2014, the Act and its IRRs were declared as “not unconstitutional” with the exception of eight items.

Last year, the high court stopped the Health department’s program for the distribution of contraceptive implants that can prevent pregnancies for up to three years and barred the Food and Drug Administration from “granting any and all pending applications for reproductive products and supplies, including contraceptive drugs and devices.”

According to the Commission on Population, the prohibition against the FDA meant that 90 percent of contraceptive brands would no longer be available, rendering the RH Law ineffective.

Dongeto was joined by Health Undersecretary Gerardo Bayugo and PopCom executive director Juan Antonio Perez III during the conference.

A4

Opinion

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Peso losing luster

E

CONOMIC developments and political factors, to a certain extent, are weakening the peso against the US dollar. The Philippine currency has dropped to 10-year lows, closing at 50.39 Thursday with no indications of a quick end to the slump.

The impending interest rate hike of the US Federal Reserve Board has largely pulled down the value of the peso against the greenback. With a better investment return, the US dollar has attracted foreign funds away from emerging markets like the Philippines.

The rising demand for US dollar in the Philippines is also not helping the peso. Philippine

imports are increasing as a result of a growing economy. President Rodrigo Duterte’s ambitious $170-billion infrastructure program is certain to exert further downward pressure on the peso once the plan is aggressively implemented.

Negative sentiments on the Philippines from abroad, however, are playing a key factor on the peso. These negative thoughts, stemming mainly from local political developments, are prompting foreign funds to reduce their exposure to the Philippine financial market.

This administration’s bloody drug war that resulted in the killing of 7,000 people has unnerved some foreign governments. Reports of widespread extra-judicial killings and police abuse have generated a firestorm, especially from human rights group.

Amnesty International decried the campaign, claiming in a report that the police “have killed and paid others to kill thousands of alleged drug offenders in a wave of extrajudicial executions that may amount to crimes against humanity.”

AI’s critical and well-publicized report will fuel more negative market sentiment on the Philippines. The perception that the government is stifling dissent after the arrest of critic Senator Lilia de Lima has also made foreign fund managers more cautious on investing in the Philippines.

It may take a while before the peso regains its strength, notwithstanding the strong Philippine economic fundamentals. Negative market sentiments may linger unless the political scenario soon improves.

PENSEES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO

The problem with justice

The other day, the CA in effect fired Perfecto Yasay, as secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs, for lying about his US citizenship. That was an easy choice, a no-brainer.

Yasay has not been forthcoming, said a CA top honcho. Had the CA endorsed Yasay, we would have had a DFA headed by one who was a former or current American citizen or is stateless at worst. With a DFA led by a US citizen, you could not have an independent foreign policy.

Headed by someone who no citizenship, DFA could have pursued—how do you call it—a multi-polar foreign policy, friend to all, enemy to none. There is not such country today.

Back to Gina. Her statistics presented to the CA yesterday are compelling. Mining generates revenues of P82 billion and employs 235,000. Tourism, on the other hand, generates P982 billion and employs 4.7 million.

Tourism does not destroy the en-

NOT too long ago, a distraught policeman sought my advice. He had been in the government service for over 20 years and was charged with having beaten up someone he was apprehending who had eluded apprehension repeatedly in the past and had jeered the policeman way past endurance. For this offense he was ordered dismissed from the service, his leave credits forfeited, his benefits denied him and his eligibility cancelled. It was wrong for a policeman to have laid his hands on a recalcitrant knave, but it was overkill to have inflicted on the policeman the bundle of penalties he received. Leave credits were earned through years of service. Why should they be forfeited by one offense?

And how does one establish a credible balance between transgression and penalty?

That was supposed to have been the dispensation of justice—and that is just the trouble with justice. Lawyers hardly mention it and when they do, they treat it like some philosophical ideal without any practicable measure. In fact, one can ask the philosophical question that has always been raised in respect to penalty: How can reducing this policeman to penury in his old age better the lot of the beating victim—who was not totally undeserving of the manhandling he got?

Is it just, for example, to be so hospitable to all complaints and to vex hapless respondents with having to respond to all complaints by the preparation of counter-affidavits, memoranda and position papers?

Would not justice demand rather the outright junking of what, on its very face, is pure fabrication, confabulation and oppression? Due process does not mean conceding every demand for the application of process— for processes can be, and have been abused. Congress is one venue for the abuse of process.

And in respect to Leila de Lima, while there is not

Turn to A5

Turn to A5

Hooray for Gina VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ I ADMIRE Regina Paz Lopez (no relation). She is gritty, tough as nails. I tend to share her view that mining has been bad for this country and its people.

Considering her toughness, President Duterte should have recruited Gina to manage his illegal drugs war—imagine mass murders nuanced with gender equality and backed by what is claimed to be the largest and powerful broadcast network in the land.

ABS-CBN could have mined details of extrajudicial killings as fodder for its popular daily “Ang Probinsyano” series. Some of the takes could be reality TV at its best, meaning action with no retakes. The potential for Gina in charge of the illegal drugs war would have been tremendous!

President Duterte has given

signals Gina must paddle her own canoe when facing the CA to secure confirmation as secretary of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The President has said if she is not confirmed, she will not be reappointed.

In managing the DENR and implementing its mandate, Gina has focused on the environment, rather than the exploitation side of natural resources, which is mining. In focusing on the environment, she has been rough.

She has no due process, the mines claim.

Gina withstood two days of grilling at the bilateral, twochamber, multi-party Commission on Appointments which is out to cut her down to size and deny her a well-deserved plum, a powerful cabinet post to pursue her advocacy. Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez has told her the cabinet is the wrong place as a venue for one’s advocacy – which is protection of the environment.

Before her appointment to the DENR, I thought Gina’s environmental advocacy (like cleaning once in a while the hopeless Pasig River) was nothing more than a leisure activity for a rich

Gina’s background is literature. In literature, one of the literary devices is hyperbole.

heiress with nothing better to do.

The Lopez Business Empire is awesome and Gina has not been active in it. The Lopez family owns half of ABS-CBN Corp.

(which has a market cap of P39 billion) and is managed by her brother, Gabby Lopez. The family also owns half of First Philippine Holdings Corp. (market cap: P40 billion) which is managed by her uncle, Oscar Lopez and his affable son, Peki. Both ABSCBN and FPH are owned by the two Lopez brothers—the late Geny, and his brother, the ailing patriarch Oscar Lopez. Geny’s heirs are Gabby and Gina.

If you are looking for a definition of vested interest, you cannot go farther than the 24-member CA. The other day, Gina told the vice chairman of the Commission, San Juan Congressman Ronnie Zamora, “your brother destroyed a mountain!” And Ronnie, a bar topnotcher and a grizzled politician, could not summon a repartee, except a smile.

Ronnie’s brother, a nickel miner, backed a different presidential candidate in the May 2016 elections. That candidate, of course lost, despite awesome financial backing from Ronnie’s brother.

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Opinion FORMATION GARY OLIVAR

HRW “HRW” stands for Human Rights Watch, the international busybody organization that recently released “License to Kill,” a long (134 pages), glossy, well-photographed report essentially accusing President Duterte of “criminal responsibility” for all 7,100 “extrajudicial killings” that occurred in this country from the time he took office last July.

Wow. That is a mouthful. But before we start deconstructing HRW’s fabulism, it’s important to first get to know them better. You may find some of your questions being answered even before you ask them. *** HRW was founded in 1978 originally as Helsinki Watch, in order to monitor compliance by the Soviet Union with the Helsinki Accords. By shining a spotlight on human rights violations in that part of the world, the organization played a role in the eventual democratization of Eastern and Central Europe.

Since then, however, the organization has gone downhill, eerily similar to the way what many people saw as the shining promise of Edsa One degenerated over time into the empty promises of the yellow-ribboned tribe.

Operating today in 70 countries, this massive NGO receives virtually all its funds from private donors (not mass me mb e r sh ip) in North America and Western Europe.

Among them is George Soros, the billionaire philanthropist and foremost advocate of a “new world order,” who in 2010 pledged a cool $100 million over the next ten years.

In 2009, HRW’s own founder and chairman emeritus, Robert Bernstein, an American publisher and Jewish activist, criticized them for their extreme bias against Israel. “Only by returning to its founding mission and the spirit of humility,” he said, “…can HRW resurrect itself as a moral force…If it fails to do that, its credibility will be seriously undermined…” ( ht t p://w w w.nyt i m e s .c o m / 2 0 0 9/10 / 2 0 / opinion /20ber nstein.html?_ r=1&em) [Let me first confess here that I am reflexively pro-Israel.

On religious grounds, Jesus was a Jew. And on geopolitical grounds—despite serious policy overreach on issues like Jewish settling of occupied territories—Israel remains the first-ever, and still the strongest, exponent of Western-style democracy in the Middle East.]

In other words, what we have in HRW is a Cold War crusader that over the years has degener-

ated into just another mouthpiece of the Israel-hating liberal-Left cabal in the US, so beloved by Obama and Hillary. After taking their shot at our own President Duterte, don’t be surprised if they next try to haul President Trump into court over human rights issues in immigration. *** I looked up HRW’s screed against Duterte online, focusing on their investigation into 24 alleged EJK incidents from last October to January. I found myself agreeing with the assessment of the online NGO Monitor: “[HRW] publications reflect the absence of professional standards, research methodologies, and military and legal expertise.” (htt p://w w w.ngo-monitor. org /ngos/ hu man _r ights_ watch_hrw_/) Ouch. Among my observations from the report: • Virtually all the victims in those 24 incidents were admitted drug pushers or users. Nobody was a blameless bystander. Of course their friends and families all maintained they were only “occasional” addicts.

What else would they be expected to say?

• The gory photographs of EJK victims made even me upset and angry. But on reflection, I concluded that an equally unsettling collection of photographs of drug victims —the babies killed, women raped, families massacred—could also be assembled, provided one had the kind of funding that HRW enjoys. In other words, the photos prove nothing either way.

• By focusing on these 24 incidents, complete with gory photographs, the HRW report makes one believe that Statesanctioned killing represents the majority—heck, maybe the entirety—of all 7,100 incidents.

But what about internecine killings among rival syndicates? Or internal rubouts by drug lords or corrupt cops? Straightforward vigilantes? Even the usual opportunistic killings in our country that have nothing at all to do with drugs but got lumped in nonetheless?

• By comparison, the US State Department took a more even-handed approach in its own annual human rights report. It cited PNP statistics that 2,155 of those incidents (less than one-third of total) were suspects killed in police operations, with the balance blamed on unknown vigilantes. It extended the blame to insurgents as well, and acknowledged “a very weak and overburdened criminal justice system.”

Hooray...

From A4

closure of 23 mines—including the biggest mines in Asia. She also canceled 75 mining agreements—the mining industry equivalent of a private-public partnership—without due process, according to the mining companies. “My issue here is not about mining. My issue here is social justice,” she keeps saying.

I am sure if she applied social justice to extrajudicial killings, fewer poor or squatter people would be killed. Maybe, she could even get a couple of bigtime drug lords some of whom masquerade as politicians.

Criminals like drug lords destroy the environment.

Yesterday, Gina said no mines have been closed yet, an apparent turnabout. She now claims only the President can order a mine closure.

It is a Cold War crusader that over the years has degenerated into just another mouthpiece of the Israelhating liberalLeft cabal in the US, so beloved

by Obama and Hillary.

vironment, except when you are referring to overweight bikiniclad tourists posing against the sun at Boracay. Mining makes P35.5 billion in yearly profits.

Of that, P29.2 billion or 82 percent is collected by the mining companies.

The government gets P6.2 billion or a paltry 17.5 percent.

Such lopsided figures in favor of the mining companies Gina equates with lack of social justice which she defines roughly as nearly everyone benefitting from the mining moolah.

Gina’s background is literature. In literature, one of the literary devices is hyperbole which in local slang you can equate with hyper bola.

In February, Gina ordered the

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FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

A5

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Foreigner can’t be foreign secretary BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO THE twists and turns of the tongue cannot the truth make.

Nowhere was this more true than in the case of Foreign Secretary-designate Perfecto Rivas Yasay Jr. who was unanimously rejected by the Commission on Appointments last Wednesday.

Given a chance to explain his questionable citizenship issue, Yasay failed to convince the bicameral CA that he was not an American citizen. By his own words, Yasay said he renounced his US citizenship before an American consul at the US embassy in Manila in June 2016 after Duterte appointed him foreign secretary. Yasay tried to fudge his possession of a US passport, claiming he did not formally assume his American citizenship. He said he did not have any intention of living in the US even after he was granted citizenship.

This, after he took an oath of allegiance to his new adopted country?

As a lawyer who practiced both in the US and the Philippines, Yasay should know that once issued a passport by the US, one is presumed to be an American citizen. After re-

nouncing his US citizenship, Yasay also did not take any step toward reacquiring his Philippine citizenship which makes him ineligible to assume the post of Secretary of Foreign Affairs. He is at the point in his muddled life and confused state—a stateless person.

The ad interim SFA-designate also obfuscated the issues against him by claiming that it’s all part of the destabilization plot to bring down the administration of President Duterte. Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, on the other hand, said an impeachment case will oust Duterte by May this year because of his culpability in the alleged extrajudicial killings of suspects in his brutal war on drugs. The supermajority coalition in the House of Representatives where an impeachment is initiated, however, cast doubts on whether such a move will prosper.

Yasay also gave an insight into his personal agenda and where his loyalty lies. He said he returned to the Philippines and decided to stay when conditions improved after martial law. He gave himself away that he returned only to the Philippines to pursue a better political life with all the perks and privileges. Where will he go to now as a stateless person?

President Rodrigo Duterte should really vet his appointees to the Cabinet and not

appoint anybody just because he or she is a province mate from Davao, or a classmate in San Beda. The President is set to announce an acting SFA. Whether this would be a political appointee or a career diplomat, the President should do a deep vetting process. The one who should be given a chance to head the Department of Foreign Affairs is career ambassador Enrique Manalo who’s presently DFA Undersecretary for Policy. Manalo has had ambassadorial postings in Geneva, London and New York with the Philippine Mission to the United Nations.

The local diplomatic corps who had been silent throughout the brief tenure of Yasay should now speak and endorse one of their own. *** Meanwhile, the confirmation of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez was deferred by the CA due to the numerous opposition against her. Strongest critics to Gina Lopez confirmation were Rep. Josephine Ramirez Sato who also brought down Yasay earlier with her pointed questioning, and Carlos Arcilla, a geosciences professor at the University of the Philippines.

Sato, a Liberal Party congresswoman representing Occidental Mindoro, grilled Gina Lopez on issues concerning her grasp of the mining industry

and environmental measures undertaken by her department.

In reply to Sato’s question to what is a watershed, Lopez simply replied: “A watershed is a watershed, a watershed, a watershed,” adding she as Environment Secretary can change its definition under her mandate. Yeah, right.

The smart-alecky answer only drew more intense questioning by those opposing her confirmation. Arcilla brought up the issue of the First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC) oil leak underground in Bangkal, Makati. Hundreds of residents of the 23-story West Tower in the area had to be evacuated because of the toxic fumes and possible explosion.

The FPIC is owned by Gina Lopez’s family. Arcilla said Secretary Lopez never visited the residents once to look into their plight. The litigation against the Lopez company is ongoing.

The groundswell opposing Gina Lopez’s confirmation was triggered by her closure of 23 mines and the cancellation of 73 mining production sharing agreements of other companies. Arcilla cited Gina’s conflict of interest when she allowed a Lopez company to operate an open pit mining near a watershed in Lobo, Batangas even as she was shutting down other mining companies for alleged environmental violations.

Fix immigration without sacrificing innocent children

By Michael Bloomberg WHOEVER said there are no bad ideas never spent any time in Washington.

Many never get off the ground, thankfully, but one of the worst I can remember hearing is now under serious consideration by the Department of Homeland Security: forcibly separating children from their parents when families are apprehended crossing the US border.

In a word: No. That is not who we are as a nation. The sight of government authorities taking young children from their mothers and fathers and placing them in group homes or foster care is not a policy we can accept. This shameful act would be compounded by the inevitable incidents of mistreatment, abuse and neglect that would result when children slip through the cracks of the system.

Imposing this kind of cruelty on children runs counter to everything we stand for as a moral, compassionate and freedom-loving nation. The federal government should not be in the business of breaking up families, whether they are migrants apprehended at the border, or parents living here illegally with their American-born children.

Any such policy would impose terrible costs on both parents and children —as well as the US as a whole, gravely damaging our image in the world and our relations with our neighbors. And for what?

The rationale for the border proposal is to deter people from coming here illegally. But let’s get serious. Parents seeking better lives for themselves and their children are willing to take extraordinary risks. They don’t attempt illegal border crossings—often sacrificing their life savings to pay a smug-

The problem...

From A4 much sympathy for her, does justice consist in pandering to the popular demand that she be kept behind bars—at this time?

According to the Constitution, one can be denied bail only when one is charged with an offense warranting reclusion perpetua, or life imprisonment or death, when evidence of guilt is strong. So before anyone is denied bail, it must be known that the evidence against the accused is strong. In respect

gler thousands of dollars and enduring life-threatening conditions—believing that they will be caught. The prospect of living the American dream—the chance to work and give your children opportunities you never had—is more powerful than any threat issued by Washington, including family separation.

This should not be a partisan issue. In fact, Republicans should be leading the charge against it, given the energy they devote to defending “family values.”

There is no more important family value than allowing children to live with parents who love them—and our government should respect that value on every inch of US soil.

It’s true that we face an intractable humanitarian problem at the Mexican border. About 54,000 undocumented minors and their accompanying adults were stopped between Oct. 1, 2016 and Jan. 31, 2017—more than twice the number over the same period the previous year. Relatively few are Mexican; most are Central Americans. Although levels of violence in Central America have declined, applications for asylum have increased, driven by bleak prospects at home and the lure of family ties in the US. The surge in asylum cases has fed a backlog in the court system, and without adequate detention facilities, many asylum seekers are released until their hearings can be held—which can take years.

That time lag has fed the perception, encouraged by smugglers, that getting across the border amounts to permanent legal status.

There’s no denying that this is a serious problem, but there are far better ways to address it. President Donald Trump’s recent executive order on border security rightly calls for more asylum officers

to De Lima, it is popularly perceived that the evidence is strong (which, in my own estimation, it is not!), but judicially that is not yet known. That is why there is such a thing as a bail hearing. But she is now being detained. And that then is justice?

Suum quicumque tribuere... to render unto each what is due him. Romans had a charming way of putting things because they were as good orators as they were lawyers! But, really, that formulation is questionbegging for it leaves unanswered the crucial question:

and immigration judges. Speedier case handling must also make provision for the adequate legal representation that judges have called for. Enhanced cooperation with Mexico would help secure its southern border with Guatemala and Belize. Long-term investment in Central America’s governance and development is no less important, and it’s something that General John Kelly, now Homeland Security Secretary, advocated as head of the US Southern Command.

In the end, however, all of these steps are insufficient if Congress does not adopt an immigration reform bill that gets to the root of the problem: The demand for more labor by the US economy.

Migrants come here to work, and they will keep coming—by hook or by crook, no matter how awful the potential deterrents—so long as companies and farmers face labor shortages, and so long as fake work papers can be easily and cheaply purchased.

The solutions are not complicated: Yes, do more to secure the border, where possible and rational. But also increase the number of visas and restructure them around our economic needs, offer a path to permanent status for those here illegally and willing to pay fines and learn English, and create a biometric identification for all legal US workers.

The problem is that politicians have sold the public on the idea that simple solutions—like a giant wall or a massive deportation force—are all we need. The latest simple solution is just the worst one yet. We should build a border wall 1,000 miles tall before we consider making orphans of innocent children.

Cleaving families apart and sacrificing children is not Solomonic. And it’s certainly not American. Bloomberg

What is due another? A natural law theorist will readily answer: his rights. Rawls would answer: as wide a range of liberties as is compatible with a similar latitude for others!

While justice will, we hope, be found in just laws, justice must also be in the workings of the law and its institutions.

This is the reason that equity and prudence are not peripheral issues. They are central to laws that purport to serve the end of justice—and they will involve the discernment, the exercise of discretion and the involvement of as much wis-

dom as the ministers of the law may be able to muster to deal with that all so elusive but all so necessary ideal—justice! rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_ aquino@ sanbeda. edu.ph rannie_aquino@yahoo.com

LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES Mr. Robles’ column will resume next week.

News

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FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

New raps vs Uriarte et al T

By Rio N. Araja

HE Ombudsman filed new charges against former officials of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office for allegedly accepting an all-expense paid trip to Australia in exchange for approving a joint venture to build a thermal paper and printing plant.

The Ombudsman indicted former PCSO general manager Rosario Uriarte, who is still facing corruption charges over the alleged misuse of PCSO intelligence funds, along with

board directors Jose Taruc V and Fatima Valdez.

The Ombudsman accused the respondents of accepting a gift in the form of an allexpense paid trip to Australia

from TMA Group of Companies in February 2010.

The Ombudsman noted that Republic Act 3019 prohibits public officials from “directly or indirectly requesting or receiving any gift, present, share, percentage, or benefit, for himself or for any other person, in connection with any contract or transaction between the Government and any other part, wherein the public officer in his official capacity has to intervene under the law.”

Republic Act 6713, or the ethics code for government officials, also prohibits of-

ficials from soliciting or accepting any gift, gratuity, favor, entertainment, loan or anything of monetary value from any person in the course of their official duties.”

The Ombudsman agreed to bail and recommended a total of P60,000 bail for each of the respondents.

Uriarte, Taruc and Valdez were also charged in the P366million plunder case over the alleged misuse of PCSO’s intelligence funds, which included former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, but the

three disappeared until some of the accused, including Arroyo, were exonerated.

In a resolution dated April 7, 2015, the Sandiganbayan declared that Uriarte was the principal beneficiary of the P366 million in PCSO funds, saying Arroyo was only one of her coconspirators. Uriarte surrendered last November.

Shortly after her surrender, Uriarte asked the Sandiganbayan for leave to undergo a medical examination of a lump in her breast that she feared may be a tumor.

Lawyer: Ubial shielded poachers

WOMEN POWER. Lawmakers mark calling attention to women’s rights and celebrating women to mark International Women’s Day and

Women’s Month at the House of Representatives. Pangasinan Rep. Rosemarie Arenas, Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones, Diwa party-list Rep. Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, Bulacan Rep. Linabelle Ruth Villarica, Pasay Rep. Emi Calixto-Rubiano, Batangas Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto, and Batangas Rep. Lianda Bolilia share the moment with beauty queen Maxine Medina.

PCCI welcomes ruling vs DoE order

By Rey E. Requejo THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry calls for the Department of Energy and Energy Regulatory Commission to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling imposing a temporary restraining order on the two government agencies’ recent rulings and policies affecting Retail Competition and Open Access.

PCCI, one of the four petitioners seeking a relief from the SC against the issuance from DoE/ ERC, is pleased with the timely ruling to temporary hold the DoE circular, which the Chamber finds “disadvantageous” to electricity consumers.

George Barcelon, PCCI president, stressed that their group is strongly advocating for the government to implement measures to make the country’s power sector

competitive in the Asean region.

“One of the Chamber’s advocacies is for the current administration to look at power sector as an area for improvement to make the country competitive in the Asean region,” Barcelon said in a television interview.

Philippines have one of the highest power costs today which significantly affects competitiveness of local companies in Asean region.

The DoE and ERC Resolutions mandated that customers who consume more than 1 MW and 750 kW of power to discard their current suppliers, even if it means accepting more expensive power supply.

“I don’t remember we were consulted on the issue,” he added.

PCCI supports the SC TRO as it empowers member companies to decide on their own, whether

they would like to become contestable customers and buy their power from the RES licensed by ERC or from the Local RES. Barcelon said PCCI member companies will be forced to buy their power only from 23 retail electricity suppliers accredited

by ERC. The Local RES, who were previously allowed by the Epira to sell power to contestable customers, were disallowed by the ERC and were ordered to wind down their operations.

PCCI’s concern, together with the three other petitioners, is that ERC is limiting their choices, which is clearly in violation of the supposed ‘free market play.’

Barcelon calls for the ERC to review their rulings and realize that limiting the choice of the consumers is unhealthy. He added that the ERC regulation is not

provided in the Epira of promoting open access.

“As a business, the denominator for us to improve is that we have to be competitive and should be allowed to choose so that … the players compete among themselves to give us better service and price point,” Barcelon said.

The PCCI president said that the Chamber and its members were caught by surprise when the ruling came out just a few days before the deadline set by ERC. The Chamber is open to discussion with the ERC to resolve the issue.

“We hope the ERC to at least tweak the issue that would benefit the consumers. They failed to see the downside of ‘tying the hands of the user’ which only results in the consumers paying higher rates.”

Biggest PH team sent to vital ITB travel mart THE Department of Tourism will led the largest Philippine delegation ever to the world’s biggest tourism trade fair, the Internationale Tourismus Borse, also known as ITB Berlin, in a bid to deepen its penetration of the European tourism market.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said ITB Berlin is attended by the world’s leading travel trade companies and organizations’ top decision makers, experts, buyers and young professionals to network, negotiate and do business.

“It is a must-attend business-tobusiness event showcasing diverse destinations, trade products and services, as well as attractive packages of the different markets. Indeed, ITB Berlin is the foremost business platform for global touristic offers, where supply meets demands,” Teo said.

Teo joined other DoT officials and its attached agencies, led by the Philippine Tourism Promotions Board, in opening the elegantly designed 276-square meter booth at the colossal Messe Berlin.

Also attending the event is Cama-

118 cops show up in Basilan AS PART of the internal cleansing of the Philippine National Police, 118 so-called policemen comprising of 11 commissioned officers and 107 non-commissioned officers have reported for duty in Basilan as of Thursday.

The reassigned policemen are now working as part of Task Force Basilan and are deployed in different municipal police stations.

In the original strength of 309, three had amended orders placing them in the Directorate for Personnel and Records Management-Personnel Holding and Accounting Unit and seven had cancellation of orders and remained in their previous assignments.

A total of 181 are still in absent without official leave status or those who did not attempt to report to Police Regional Office of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. PNA

Meralco set to increase rates again

By Vito Barcelo A TAWI-TAWI health official and his team are facing criminal charges for the alleged smuggling of more than 5,000 eggs of the endangered marine turtle, locally known as “pawikan,” from Turtle Islands, a protected wildlife sanctuary in the southern province of TawiTawi.

Action for Good Governance lawyer Restituto Mendoza filed a complaint against Dr. Sangkula Laja and his team, adding that Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Rosell-Ubial should also be charged for protecting the officials after they were caught with the contraband eggs.

The eggs were hidden in five carton boxes and only became visible when Laja personally distributed the eggs to his staff aboard a Navy vessel.

“Instead of the mandatory filing of the necessary criminal charges against her erring subordinates, Ubial asked Environment Secretary Gina Lopez for clemency for Laja and his team,” the lawyer said.

“The utter disregard of the law by Ubial and invocation of clemency before a co-equal department of government are acts that cause undue injury to the public and the environment,” he said, adding that Lopez has no power to grant clemency to the alleged violators.

Mendoza said mere possession of endangered species and its derivatives, such as the eggs of the marine turtles, is punishable under Republic Act 9147, or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, and violators face a jail term of up to six years and fines of up to P500,000.

Mendoza said Ubial’s action on the matter only amounted to endorsing Laja’s explanation to Lopez, accompanied by a request for clemency.

IN BRIEF

rines Sur Gov. Miguel Luis Villafuerte who personally manned the Camsur Water Sports Complex’s booth to entice the ITB audience to come and experience the province’s natural and man-made wonders.

At least 14 tour operators and 14 hotel and resorts from the Philippines were all busy throughout the day, from opening until closing hours, to accommodate guests from all over the world.

The DoT has been a consistent participant of the ITB Berlin for three decades now. Teo noted that at least five of the 28 Philippine exhibitors this year are ITB first-timers.

“I am not at all surprised that the private sector would like to take advantage of the market that accounts for 10.55 percent of the total inbound traffic in 2016. The private sector has become more aggressive in tapping this market, indicating that our tourism stakeholders and movers recognize the great potential of attracting the European source market,” said Teo. Sandy Araneta

ILLEGAL FIREARMS. Quezon City police chief Guillermo Eleazar, Metro Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde and other officials present to media the different high-power firearms, grenade and ammunition seized during a search at the house of former Iglesia ni Cristo member Angel Manalo.

Manny Palmero

THE Manila Electric Co. announced that the Energy Regulatory Commission has approved the staggered incremental fuel cost to be charged over a period of three months beginning this March this year.

The staggered scheme would help ease the effect of the Malampaya shutdown on consumers’ bills, Meralco said.

In Meralco’s application filed last Jan. 31, 2017, the incremental liquid fuel cost was estimated at P2.417 billion, using certain assumptions, equivalent to around P0.92 per kWh. Based on actual suppliers’ billings provided to ERC last March 3, the incremental cost was lower at P1.752 billion, or about P0.66 per kWh, the collection of which will be staggered over three months.

Overall generation charge this month increased by P0.58 per kWh to P4.90 per kWh. This already includes one-third of the differential amount computed by the ERC. For a typical residential household, the cost will be P0.66 per kilowatthour thereby bringing the overall rate to P9.67 per kWh from last month’s rate of 9.00 per kWh. This translates to a P132 increase in the total bill of a typical residential household consuming 200 kWh per month.

The rate increase this month is mostly due to the upward movement in the generation charge, caused mainly by the 20-day Malampaya Maintenance Shutdown which took place from Jan. 28 to Feb. 16 this year.

The shutdown affected the natural gas supply to the Ilijan, Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo plants which supply an aggregate capacity of 2,565 megawatt to Meralco’s franchise area. PNA

Confessed hitman yields

By Sandy Araneta CONFESSED hitman Edgar Matobato on Thursday surrendered to the Manila Police District over the frustrated murder case against him by agrarian reform adjudicator Abeto Salcedo Jr., police chief Joel Coronel said.

Coronel said the Regional Trial Court Branch 19 in Digos City, Davao del Sur ordered the arrest of Matobato after Salcedo identified him as the one who shot him on Oct. 23, 2014, as he was stepping out of the DAR regional office in Digos. The Court set Matobato’s bail at P200,000.

Salcedo, a former adjudicator of the Department of Agrarian Reform in Southern Mindanao, alleged that Matobato shot him several times as he was leaving his office in Digos City. Salcedo believes the attack was work-related.

Matobato appeared in a Senate inquiry in October, and accused Duterte of being behind a spate of killings in Davao City during the latter’s stint as mayor.

Matobato is one of two supposed whistleblowers presented

by Senators Leila de Lima and Antonio Trillanes IV to testify before the Senate over the alleged involvement of Duterte and his son, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte, in summary executions.

The other witness is retired Davao City policeman Arturo Lascañas who had recanted his previous denial of the existence of the DDS.

Sports

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FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Local aces trail Thai at ICTSI Tour T AGAYTAY—Titiya Plucksataporn stumbled at the finish for a 71 but held on to grab a two-stroke lead over local aces Mia Piccio and Cyna Rodriguez as erstwhile leader Kanphanitnan Muangkhumsakul wobbled with a 77 in the second round of the $75,000 ICTSI Champion Tour at Splendido here yesterday.

While majority of the field succumbed to strong wind for the second straight day, Plucksataporn came out with solid threeunder card after 15 holes to storm past the overnight leader by three.

But the Ladies European Tour campaigner wavered on another windy finish, bogeying two of the last three and settling for the day’s lone under-par card.

She did wrest the lead at 143

but her fumbling windup, and that of her compatriot, enabled five others to get back into the thick of things and earn a crack at the top $15,000 purse with 18 holes left in the kickoff leg of this year’s ICTSI Ladies Philippine Golf Tour presented by Champion.

“My putting and irons were simply good. If I can sustain my game or play even tomorrow [today], I have good chances for the title,” said the 24-year-old Bangkok native, a Queen Sirikit Cup silver medalist.

Muangkhumsakul, whose

late surge Wednesday netted her a 69 and a one-shot lead over Piccio, failed to check a rollercoaster round on poor putting and a shaky finish of three bogeys in the last five holes, tumbling down to joint fourth with Taiwanese Lee Hsin (72), Yeh Hsin-ning (75) and amateur Hung Jo-jua (73), at 146.

“I couldn’t putt out there. It was a very disappointing round for me,” rued Muangkhumsakul.

That also kept Piccio and Rodriguez within striking distance at 145 despite the former’s 75

while the latter, who birdied No. 10, fought back from a bogeybogey mishap from No. 14 with a birdie on the 17th to save par 72 and stay in the title hunt in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc. Local amateur Yuka Saso also struggled with a 75 and fell to joint eighth with Korean Kang Ji-won and Taiwanese amateur Hou Yuchiang, who both matched par 72s, at 147 while Thais Punpaka Phuntumabamrung ang Pimpadsorn Sangkagaro pooled 148s after a 73 and 75, respectively.

Rookie pro Pauline del Rosario,

in joint third at the start of the day, also skied to a 78 and slipped to a share of 13th with Taiwan’s Chen Yu-ju (75) and amateur Hou Yusang (73) and Thai Narisara Kerdrit (73) at 149, six strokes off the new leader.

Piccio fell behind by as many as four after a forgettable 40 start but she birdied the par-5 10th for the second straight time and parred the rest for a 75 and moved to joint second as Muangkhumsakul, who mixed four birdies with two bogeys and two double bogeys after 13 holes, faltered in the wind in the finishing holes.

Federer headlines Indian Wells draw INDIAN WELLS, United States – Roger Federer, riding high after an 18th Grand Slam triumph, isn’t rattled by the tennis version of the group of death.

The Swiss superstar, whose Australian Open victory in January signaled a resurgence after a year disrupted by injury, is drawn in the same quarter with threetime defending champion and second seed Novak Djokovic and Spanish fifth seed Rafael Nadal in the Indian Wells ATP Masters.

“Amazing, amazing draw,” said world number one and top seed Andy Murray, who has the luxury of analyzing it from a safe spot on the opposite end of the bracket.

“I’ve never seen anything like that, probably it would be one of the toughest sections of a draw of all time.”

Ninth-seeded Federer, however, downplayed the drama of sharing a quarter with Nadal and Djokovic. Among the three of them they have won 12 of the past 13 Indian Wells titles.

To add a little more spice, they are joined by former US Open winner Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina, dangerous Spanish veteran Fernando Verdasco, mercurial Australian talent Nick Kyrgios —who shocked Djokovic in Acapulco last week—and tenacious teenager Alexander Zverev, who took Nadal to five sets in Melbourne.

Local ace Cyna Rodriguez watches the ball intently after hitting her drive on No. 10.

San Beda rules NCAA general championships SAN BEDA swept both the juniors and seniors general championships to emerge the most dominant team of the NCAA Season 92 that officially ended yesterday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

The Lions raked in 683 points on wins in basketball, chess, men’s taekwondo, women’s table tennis, men’s and women’s swimming and football to edge St. Benilde,

which ended up second with 647 points on triumphs in men’s volley, women’s taekwondo, men’s table tennis and men’s lawn tennis.

San Beda clinched the title by finishing second in women’s beach volleyball in Subic last month that cushioned the impact of a ninth place performance in centerpiece athletics at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City last week.

It was the Lions’ second overall crown and fifth overall.

“We’re very happy, it’s a proud accomplishment for the whole San Beda community,” said Management Committee chair Jose Mari Lacson of host San Beda.

“We invested in other sports not just the events we’re strong at. We hope to keep on improving year after year. We also put emphasis in indoor and beach

volleyball,” he added.

Arellano U finished third overall with 590 points while Lyceum of the Phl U (444.5), Perpetual Help (384.5), Letran (367), Mapua (301.5), San Sebastian (300), Emilio Aguinaldo (299) and Jose Rizal (172.5) rounded up the top 10.

The Cubs, for their part, needed to thread through the proverbial eye of the needle by edging the Arellano U Junior

Chiefs, 405-397.5, to nail their fifth straight general crown while becoming the school with most general championships with 13, one ahead of St. Benilde.

Letran wound up at No. 3 with 352.5 points while rounding up the top 10 were LPU (278), EAC (271.5), St. Benilde (244), San Sebastian (229), Perpetual Help (188), Jose Rizal (102.5) and Mapua (102).

Head helps children pursue tennis dreams KIDLAT Estogero is just 9-years-old yet he’s not too young to dream that someday he will represent the Philippines in international tennis competitions.

He wants to be like his tennis idols Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic, both international tennis stars.

That’s why at an early age, he’s taking tennis seriously. “Parang duty ko na po ito,” Estogero replied when asked why he’s into tennis.

“Lolo ko po and uncle and si mommy, lahat po sila naglalaro ng tennis. Kaya gusto ko na din po. Someday po gusto kong maglaro for the country,” said Estogero during the launch of the 19th Head Junior Tennis at Conti’s in Makati.

He is among the hundreds of participants in the annual grassroots tournament organized by

Head, the leading local brand in tennis equipment, and its Philippine distributor Dynamic Sports.

Liza Tang-Yujuico,managing director of Head Philippines, is expecting boys and girls from different age categories to sign up for the tournament which has produced Filipino tennis stars like Jason Petrombon and Francis Casey Alcantara.

“On our 19th year, our goal is to continue to discover more young talented tennis players around the country and help them achieve their dreams,” said Tang-Yujuico. “We have always been very proud to become part of tennis development in the country.”

The junior tennis satellite competition starts in Cagayan de Oro on March 20-24 and will proceed to Davao City on March 26-30 and Isulan on April 15. The Visayas

Christopher Tang (4th from left), president and CEO of Dynamic Sport, leads the unveiling of the 19th Head Junior Tennis Tournament at Conti’s in Makati. With him are Liza Tang-Yujuico, Dynamic’s Managing Director, the tournament’s director coach Chris Cuarto, player Kidlat Estojero, Abdulgoahar Allian, Estogero’s mother and Ian Manriza of UBE Express.

leg will be held in Cebu (April 7-11), Iloilo (April 17-21) and Bacolod City (April 23-27).

The Luzon leg will take place in Naga on April 29-May 3, Vigan (May 5-9), Baguio City

(May 11-15), La Union (May 1721) and Olongapo (May 23-27).

The Manila leg will be on May 29 to June 4.

The three-month series, which will feature singles and

doubles division for different age categories, is supported by Chris Sports, Toalson strings, UBE Express, PTV 4, Aksiyon Sports, Business Mirro and its subsidiaries.

Neymar hails win over Barcelona as his best game ever BARCELONA, Spain—Neymar described his two-goal display as the “best game” of his career as he inspired the greatest comeback in Champions League history Barcelona thrashed Paris SaintGermain 6-1.

The Catalans became the first side to come back from a 4-0 first leg deficit as Neymar scored twice in the final two minutes and then teed up a 95th-minute winner by Sergi Roberto to reach the quarter-finals 6-5 on aggregate.

“This is the best game I have ever

played. For what it meant, for what we experienced and because I am in great form,” the Brazilian told BeIN Sports.

Luis Suarez’s early opener, a Layvin Kurzawa own goal and Lionel Messi’s penalty put Barca 3-0 up inside 50 minutes.

However, the Spanish champions looked down and out when Edison Cavani volleyed home what seemed to be the clinching away goal for PSG. “Before... we believed and now even more,” Neymar added on Barca’s chances

winning a sixth Champions League.

“When they scored the goal we had a little dip but then there was the fourth and the penalty. We concentrated and Sergi’s goal came.

“I know that we have made history. A team like this can do anything. The game was lost and we went out to play without pressure and with joy, throwing everything forward.”

Barca boss Luis Enrique announced last week that he will leave the club at the end of the season after he was heavily

criticised following their 4-0 humiliation in Paris three weeks ago.

And Enrique took the chance to round on his critics as he thanked the “faith” of the Barca players and fans.

“First we had the mourning and that was especially hard on one person,” he said.

“This victory is dedicated to all Barca fans, but especially those that had faith in their team even after a day in which they were clearly outplayed by a team like PSG.” AFP

“Most of the guys you won’t even see, because they’ll eliminate each other,” the unflappable Federer said.

But he admitted it got his attention when the draw was made.

“The first message I got was Dudi Sela or Stephane Robert (for his first opponent) and I was like ‘OK, fine,’” Federer said.

“Then I heard that Rafa was in my section I was ‘OK’. Then I heard that maybe Novak’s in my section—you’re like ‘OK, fine.’

“It doesn’t matter,” Federer insisted. “I’ve gone through so many draws. I came here to Indian Wells to play against those guys.

So it doesn’t matter if it’s the semis the final or actually the fourth round.

“I think it’s good for me to play those guys early. I look forward to it.”

The unique situation is the result of last year’s drop in form—and ranking—for Federer and Nadal, who signalled their resurgence with an epic Australian Open final duel in which the Swiss emerged victorious.

Federer and Nadal could meet in the fourth round, and whoever advances from that section could meet Djokovic in the quarters.

In the same half, fourth-seeded Kei Nishikori and sixth-seeded Marin Cilic lurk.

SBC opens hoop camp THE San Beda basketball camps will kick off their 12th season this summer.

It will start again with clinics for boys and girls at the Mendiola and Taytay campuses.

The camp, supported by Gatorade and Molten Balls is open for kids aged five years old and above, and is open for both students and outsiders.

Coaches from San Beda will handle the camp, and will be joined prominent ones from other schools as well.

Interested parties may contact Oliver Quiambao at 735-6011, local 2104, or at 0929-1971071, and through program head, coach Edmundo “Ato” Badolato, at 09088624543.

Registration is now open for classes in the Mendiola campus, which will begin on April 5, and it will be held every Tuesday and Friday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Fees for the camp is set at P4,000. Enrolees for both the April and May sessions will pay only P7,000, and this will include a jersey and a ball.

The camp will not just teach the basic skills of basketball but also important values such as teamwork, cooperation, discipline and respect for opponents, teammates and game officials.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

Sports

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

A8

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

Fuentes, Belibestre seek slots in PH team LONG jumpers College of St. Benilde’s Julian Reem Fuentes and Bacolod bet Jerry Belibestre, are expected to fight for slots in the national athletics team.

Fuentes and Belibestre recently surpassed the silver medal standards of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games.

Because of this, two are expected to make their presence felt in the coming 2017 Ayala Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championships in Ilagan, Isabela.

The 22-year old Fuentes shattered the year-old meet record that he set last year in the 92nd National Collegiate Athletic Association trackfest.

From a leap of 7.42 meters last year, he cleared 7.59 meters last month at the Philsports oval in Pasig.

On the other hand, the 19-yearold Belibestre leapt 7.52 meters in the Bacolod Monthly Relays.

The gold medal standard in the 2015 SEA Games is set at 7.75 meters, which was accomplished

by Supanara of Thailand.

The silver medal standard of 7.52 meters is from Phan Van Nam of Vietnam, while FilAmerican Donovant Arriola owns the bronze medal standard of 7.51 meters.

The National Open will be held from March 28 to April 2.

For many prospective members of the national team, the competition will serve as a tryout for the prospective national pool.

Peter Atencio

Boston Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas (4) attempts a shot after slipping past a pair of Golden State Warriors defenders on March 8 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

Road-weary Warriors bow to Boston Celtics, 99-86 L OS ANGELES, United States—Isaiah Thomas has made peace and the Boston Celtics were able to turn things around with another emphatic win in Oakland.

Boston standout Thomas scored 25 points as the Celtics snapped a two-game losing skid Wednesday with a 99-86 victory over the Golden State Warriors in a battle between two NBA title contenders.

“We are fighters. We compete,” said Thomas. “We are just a bunch of competitors. We wanted to win to end the losing streak.”

The Celtics, who are fighting to hold onto the number two seed in the East, had lost two straight heading into their showdown with Golden State, the Western

Conference’s top team.

To add to their difficulties, leading scorer Thomas went public with criticism of coach Brad Stevens’ coaching style after Monday’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.

But the Celtics had reason to believe they can have success in Oakland. After all, on their last visit 11 months ago, they snapped Golden State’s 54-game home winning streak.

Winning takes care of everything and Thomas was full of praise for Stevens on Wednesday.

“The coach is going to make his

decisions. I believe in the coach. I trust every decision he makes and tonight we won,” Thomas said.

In Houston, Gordon Hayward and Rudy Gobert led the offensive charge as the Utah Jazz claimed the season series against the Houston Rockets with a 115-108 victory.

The Jazz improved to 41-24 on the season and moved to within three games of the third seed in the Western Conference standings.

“Any time you’re on the road and you hit shots early, it’s a good feeling because it’s hard to come back when you get down early on the road,” Hayward said. “To stay with the home team that’s a good feeling. Tonight was an example of that.”

Gobert tallied a double-double

with 23 points and 10 rebounds in front of a crowd of 16,200 at the Toyota Center arena.

Hayward delivered several clutch jumpers en route to 23 points, seven rebounds and four assists for Utah, which stretched its winning streak to four games.

The Rockets were held back by a lack of shooting as they made just eight of 32 attempts from three-point range. Utah hit 12 of 31 from beyond the arc.

After cutting a 13-point deficit to three points in the third quarter, the Rockets finished the period shooting one of nine on three-pointers and five of 13 from the free-throw line.

While Houston clawed to within four down the stretch, its defence failed repeatedly in try-

Japan to give more help

By Peter Atencio THE Philippines can avail of any form of assistance in its training programs for its national athletes from Japan.

This became possible after Japanese sports officials initially agreed to help train Filipino athletes in judo and karatedo.

Philippine Olympic Committee secretary general Steve Hontiveros said he finalized a deal on behalf of the POC following talks with officials of the Japan Olympic Committee.

POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco said a memorandum of understanding with the JOC following a meeting with JOC president Tsunekazu

Takeda during the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August last year.

“We already had an understanding during the Rio Games. These are just the specifics,” said Cojuangco.

Cojuangco said the assistance from Japan will be twofold. The first will be in the form of equipment through the Japan Information and Cultural Center.

Hontiveros met with officials of the JOC in Tokyo when he went Japan for the 2017 Asian Winter Games.

“They want these two sports for the meantime, karatedo and judo, That’s their specialty,” said Hontiveros.

He said he will meet with officials of the Philippine Karatedo Federation and with the Philippine Judo Federations to discuss the specifics of their assistance to them.

The second form of assistance is manpower. The Philippines can send a coach to Japan or a coach can come to Manila.

They can even send a technical official to train people here.

So far, second hand straw mats from Japan were turned over last month to the PJF. The tatami mats, which are very important when judo clubs organize competitions and in their efforts to train young athletes who are seeking to improve their craft.

Philippine Olympic Committee President Jose Cojuangco (holding microphone) says the country can expect more aid from Japan in the coming days.

Ey Acasio

UP softbelles turn back De La Salle to advance to Final 4 UNIVERSITY of the Philippines turned back De La Salle, 10-3, to clinch the remaining Final Four berth yesterday in the UAAP Season 79 softball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

The Lady Maroons had two outs in the second frame but were able to unload eight runs, as the

Lady Archers suffered a maze of errors which was the turning point of the do-or-die match.

A semifinals date with defending six-time champion Adamson University awaits UP tomorrow at the same Malate venue.

The other Final Four pairing pits No. 2 National University and last year’s finalist University

of Santo Tomas.

Holding twice-to-beat advantages for finishing 1-2 in the eliminations, the Lady Falcons and the Lady Bulldogs need only once to advance in the best-of-three Finals.

The semifinals decider, if necessary, will be played on Monday.

In baseball Wednesday, De La Salle kept its bid for a back-to-

back title campaign with a 8-5 win over early finalist Ateneo.

UST and Adamson University are tied at six after 11 innings and their game was suspended due to darkness. The resumption will be announced later.

The Growling Tigers, who are at 6-2 in second place, need to beat the Falcons to advance in the title

round opposite the Blue Eagles.

The Green Archers improved to 5-4 in third spot. De La Salle will force a playoff for the last championship berth if it beats UP on Sunday and UST loses to Ateneo and Adamson University in the resumption of their abandoned game.

NU defeated UP, 12-7, in a nobearing match to rose at 4-5.

Road Warriors battle Elasto Painters

By Jeric Lopez

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters guard Mike Tolomia (0) drives past NLEX Road Warriors counterpart Emman Monfort. The Elasto painters and the Road Warriors launch PBA hostilities next week.

A SECOND meeting between Rain or Shine and its former coach Yeng Guiao and his NLEX side is set to be the main event in the opening playdate of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup Cup next week.

The league revealed that it will have the Elasto Painters and the Road Warriors as the main event of their Mar. 17 playdate at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Preceding that will be an encounter between Meralco and Mahindra, two teams who both

missed the playoffs in the Philippine Cup. The match takes place at 4:15 p.m.

After Guiao left Rain or Shine for NLEX, the teams have only met once last conference with the Elasto Painters scoring one over their former mentor, 107-97.

What’s more interesting and intriguing this time around is that the Painters won’t only face their old mentor but also their old import.

Former Rain or Shine import Wayne Chism is now a part of NLEX as Guiao tapped him again while the Painters will have returning import Shawn Taggart in

their corner.

Philippine Cup finalists San Miguel Beer and Barangay Ginebra, who just finished their AllFilipino titular showdown last Sunday with the Beermen taking their third straight championship there, won’t play until the eighth playdate of the tournament as they were given several days off.

The next day on Mar. 18, the scene shifts to Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City with another twinbill.

Phoenix is set to take on Blackwater at 3 p.m to be followed by a clash between Alaska and GlobalPort at 5:15 p.m.

ing to stop the Jazz.

Guard James Harden led the Rockets with 35 points and six assists, while centre Clint Capela added a double-double (19 points, 12 boards). Lou Williams and Montrezl Harrell came off the bench to score 12 each.

Both Gobert (10) and Rodney Hood (12) reached double figures by the intermission as Utah stretched its 30-22 lead entering the second quarter to 11 points by the break.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs delivered the biggest comeback of the National Basketball Association season on Wednesday with a 114-104 win over the Sacramento Kings to extend their winning streak to nine games. AFP

SEAG venues world class THE venues of the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur are accessible and world class.

Philippine delegation chef de mission Cynthia Carreon said this as she briefed heads of various national sports associations on the facilities that will be used in the coming biennial meet this August.

“They’re amazing, beautiful, world class,” said Carreon.

Two weeks ago, Carreon and a delegation of Philippine sports officials were given an ocular inspection of the facilities that will be used for the Games.

They visited and had a closer look of the venues at the Games’ three main clusters.

She was accompanied by deputy chef de mission Robert Bachman of squash when they inspected the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITIEC), Kuala Lumpur Sport City, Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Putrajaya Watersports Complex and the National Velodrome and BMX Track in Nilai.

Organizers from host Malaysia have promising athletes, officials and participating countries a smooth and competitive Games.

The Games will open on Aug. 19 and the Malaysian Organising Committee (MASOC) Kuala Lumpur 2017 told them that preparation for the Games, are on track.

The SEA Games task force with various heads of NSAs yesterday afternoon and discussed not only the venues, but also the list of equipment and various that have been procured through the Philippine Sports Commission.

The Games will see the participation of more than 7,000 athletes from the SEA region.

Peter Atencio

Bermaz Auto gets nod for P1.2-b IPO B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

B1

Electricity rates jumped in March

By Alena Mae S. Flores

P

OWER rates in the franchise area of Manila Electric Co. jumped P0.66 per kilowatt-hour this month, reflecting the impact of the 20-day maintenance shutdown of Malampaya natural gas field in Palawan that forced generation plants to run on more expensive fuel.

Meralco said the new rate would translate into an increase of P132 in the monthly bill of typical residential consumers, or those with a monthly demand of 200 kilowatt-hours.

The Energy Department said it was looking at ways not to pass on the incremental fuel cost recovery of future Malampaya gas field maintenance shutdowns to consumers.

“We are still keen on looking for ways on not to pass on to the consumers the incremental cost brought by the shutdown. We are planning to hold a conference among those involved to address a no pass-on policy,” Energy Secretary Cusi said.

Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella told reporters in a joint briefing with Meralco and Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. officials that they would review the gas supply contracts of Spex and the gas plants.

The Malampaya gas project goes on maintenance shutdown every two to three years.

Meralco said the P0.66-per-

kWh increase in March would bring the overall rate to P9.67 per kWh, up from P9 per kWh in February.

It said the rate increase was led by the upward movement in the generation charge, caused mainly by the 20-day Malampaya shutdown which took place on Jan. 28 to Feb. 16 this year. The shutdown affected the natural gas supply to the Ilijan, Sta. Rita and San Lorenzo plants which contribute an aggregate capacity of 2,565 MW to Meralco’s franchise area.

The power plants had to switch from natural gas to more expensive liquid fuel during the shutdown. It also coincided with

the scheduled maintenance of other power plants such as SEMCalaca Power Corp. Unit 1, Quezon Power Phils., Ltd., and one block of the Ilijan power plant, which collectively contributes 1,185 MW to Meralco.

Meralco said the overall generation charge this month increased P0.58 per kWh to P4.90 per kWh which included a fuel cost recovery of P0.22 per kWh. Rates of Meralco independent power producers, which supplied 33.4 percent to the distributor, also went up by P0.63 per kWh. Overall charges from the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market increased by P1.68 per kWh.

IN BRIEF

Cement firms ask PCC for fair probe

Megaworld’s P30-b bond program cleared

By Othel V. Campos A GROUP of cement manufacturers on Thursday described as unfair the Philippine Competition Commission’s investigation of price-fixing in the local cement industry.

“Fairness requires that both sides are heard. Not only were we not given a chance to be heard. More than a month after our letter to PCC asking for what the complaint is about so we could give our side, we still have no reply from PCC,” Cement Manufacturers Association of the Philippines president Ernesto Ordoñez said.

“We just found out about the nature of the complaint through the newspapers. This is onesided and unfair, especially considering the track records of the subjects of the complaint,” he said.

Ordoñez quoted a letter to the commission by the law firm Cruz, Marcelo and Tenefrancia.

“With regards to the alleged complaint of CeMAP, please note that CeMAP has not been furnished a copy of the complaint and is not notified of the allegations against it. CeMAP looks forward to receiving the complaint so it can be given the opportunity to answer the allegations against it,” he said.

Ordoñez said the commission received the letter at 4:15 p.m. on Jan. 26, 2017 but failed to reply.

The PCC said in a statement that after conducting a preliminary investigation, it found reasonable grounds to proceed to a “full administrative investigation.”

TAN’S HONORARY DEGREE. Soka University president Dr. Yoshihisa Baba (left) and chairman Yasunori Tashiro (right) confer the medal of honor and honorary doctorate degree upon business tycoon Lucio Tan at the university’s main campus in Tokyo, Japan. Tan, 82, joins former presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos among the few Filipinos who received such distinction.

The taipan is recognized for the Lucio Tan Group’s valuable contributions to Philippine education through various scholarships and teacher training programs of the University of the East, Tan Yan Kee Foundation and Foundation for Upgrading the Standard of Education.

Vehicles sales rose 7.5% in February VEHICLE sales grew 7.5 percent year-on-year in February, slower than the 27.8-percent increase registered in January, two industry groups reported Thursday.

Combined sales of Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and Truck Manufacturers Association reached 27,040 units in February, up from 25,150 vehicles sold in the same month in 2016.

The sales data excluded those reported by the Association of Vehicle Importers and Distributors.

“February 2017 sales growth was modest compared to the previous month. Despite supply limitations and fewer calendar days, the automotive industry still continues to serve and satisfy the demand of the market,” said Campi president Rommel Gutierrez.

Total sales in the first two months

increased 17.4 percent to 57,465 units from 48,958 units a year ago.

Passenger car sales hit 9,114 units in February, slightly down from 10,984 units in same period in 2016.

Commercial vehicle sales rose 16.9 percent to 17,926 units from a year ago, led by the 29.6-percent rise in sales of Asian utility vehicles.

Data showed that on a month-onmonth basis, the February sales declined 11.1 percent from 30,425 vehicles sold in January.

Campi and TMA said in a joint report that on a month-on-month basis, almost all segments posted lower sales, except for the light trucks and the trucks and buses category IV. The passenger car segment went down by 17 percent to 9,114 units in February from 10,984 units in January.

Deliveries of commercial vehi-

Govt welcomes new telco players

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Information and Communications Technology said Thursday said it may no longer bid out mobile frequencies to attract new mobile telecom players that can challenge the duopoly PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc. “As far as I know, I do not control the frequency. If I am to be followed, [there would be] no auction because we don’t exist for revenue. We are here to provide public service. Give the frequency to those who will use it,” DICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima said at the sidelines of the first Philippine Telecom Summit 2017.

“If any local franchise wants to be third or fourth operator of consequence in this country, [let them] bring in a foreign partner with legal, technical and financial credibility and capacity to mount a credible and effective competition against the existing telcos,” he said.

Meralco sourced 25.4 percent of its requirements from WESM in February.

Rates from Meralco’s power supply agreements and interim power supply agreements declined by P0.03 per kWh. Meralco sourced 41.2 percent of its requirements from these agreements.

Meralco said there was a slight decrease in the transmission charge of residential customers of P0.01 per kWh. Taxes and other charges went up by a combined P0.09 per kWh. Meralco’s distribution, supply and metering charges remained unchanged for 20 months.

Salalima said prospective operators could file their applications for authorization with the NTC. “I welcome you. This government welcomes you with open arms. We are ripe for a third or fourth player,” Salalima said.

“I don’t want a joker competitor just to get frequencies,” he said.

NTC commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba said the agency was encouraging new investors in the telecom industry.

“There are enough frequencies for third or fourth player,” Cordoba said, adding that there are four to five groups that expressed their interest to be a new player.

Joachim Horn, chief technology and information advisor of PLDT, said the group was not afraid about the entry of a new player, Gil Genio, chief technology and information office of Globe said: “We are more than happy to compete.”

A potential third player― San Miguel Corp.--backed out from challenging the duopoly

of PLDT and Globe after its $1-billion joint venture with Telstra Corp. of Australia did not push through.

Meanwhile, Globe Telecom pushed for the amendment of the Local Government Code to expedite issuance of all relevant permits for all telecommunication facilities at the local level.

Genio said bureaucratic red tape was causing significant delay in securing various permits from the local government units concerned relating to the construction of telco infrastructure such as cell sites.

“We have repeatedly emphasized that there is no substitute for government support in developing telco infrastructure in the country,” Genio said.

“We need the government to prioritize and enable the sector to undertake infrastructure builds, not just in the construction of cell sites but also in establishing underground facilities and in facilitating pole attachments,” he said.

cles also went down by 7.8 percent to 17,926 units from 19,441 units while orders for Asian utility vehicles fell 5 percent to 5,725 from 6,026 units. Sales of light commercial vehicles declined 10.7 percent to 11,025 units from 12,340 units, while the trucks and buses category V saw a 17.3-percent drop to 143 units from 173 units.

Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. remained the market leader with a 47.26-percent market share in February, followed by Mitsubishi Motors Philippines with 16.86 percent.

Ford Motor Philippines Inc. emerged as the third biggest seller with 6.9-percent share, followed by Honda Cars Philippines Inc. with 6.75 percent. Isuzu Philippines Corp. captured the fifth spot with 5.62-percent market share.

Othel V. Campos

BSP readies circular on money laundering

By Julito G. Rada THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will soon issue a circular that will strengthen regulations on anti-money laundering.

Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the new circular would be issued in the next couple of days.

“There’s one on amendments to the implementing, updated rules on money laundering. So that’s coming.

It’s actually already approved by the Monetary Board so it’s in the process of issuance. It should be issued maybe later this week or early next week,” Espenilla said.

Espenilla said the new circular would be aligned with the implementing rules and regulations on the anti-money laundering law that was amended late last year.

“We’re also incorporating there new recommendations of the FATF [Financial Action Task Force] that allow more flexibility on customer onboarding. So in particular what I find important and exciting there is …it would allow flexibility on the online KYC [knowyour-customers process],” Espenilla said.

The Financial Action Task Force or Groupe d’action financière is an intergovernmental organization founded in 1989 on the initiative of G7 to develop policies to combat money laundering

THE Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday approved the plan of property developer Megaworld Corp. to issue P30 billion worth of bonds.

SEC secretary Armado Pan Jr. said the corporate approved the P30-billion securities program of Megaworld Corp., including an initial tranche of P8 billion worth of seven-year fixed bonds with an oversubscription option for another P4 billion.

Megaworld said it would use the net proceeds from the bond offering to finance developments in four township projects, including Iloilo Business Park, McKinley Hill, McKinley West and Uptown Bonifacio.

Megaworld said that over the next three years, it would spend P1.16 billion in Iloilo Business Park, P2.14 billion in McKinley Hill, P2.4 billion in McKinley West and P7.2 billion in Uptown Bonifacio. BDO Unibank Inc. is the lead underwriter for the bond offering. Jenniffer B. Austria

WWF teams up with Pure Energy THE World Wide Fund for Nature Philippines teamed up with Pure Energy Holdings Corp. to deploy renewable energy projects, specifically run-of-river hydropower facilities in the country.

These projects will not only reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuel, but will be an institutional investment in conserving the few remaining Philippine rainforests and virgin watershed areas, the two groups said.

“The attainment of the country’s sustainable development is founded on multisectoral partnerships. The collaboration between Pure Energy and WWF-Philippines promotes renewable energy and sustainable water supply, which will help transform the lives of local communities while taking care of the environment,” said WWF-Philippines president and chief executive Joel Palma.

PEHC chairman and chief executive Dexter Tiu said: “We are excited to work together with WWF-Philippines as our advocacy to provide every Filipino with clean renewable energy and sustainable water supply coincides with WWF’s mission.”

B2

Business

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market remains flat; Shakey’s up Bermaz Auto gets S nod for P1.2-b IPO TOCKS barely moved Thursday, following overnight losses on Wall Street and other Asian markets amid worries over a global oil supply glut.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, closed almost flat at 7,295.45, as three of the six sectoral indices declined. The index was still up 6.6 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, rose 1 point to close at 4,402.81, on a value turnover of P6.6 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 105 to 84, while 44 issues were unchanged.

Ten of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by restaurant operator Shakey’s Pizza Asia Ventures Inc. which

surged 5.2 percent to P13.76 and casino company Bloomberry Resorts Corp. which climbed 3.8 percent to P7.99. Retailer Puregold Price Club Inc. advanced 3.2 percent to P45.

Meanwhile, energy firms led a broad sell-off in Asian markets Thursday following a five percent plunge in oil prices, but the dollar held on to gains after a surprisingly strong US jobs report.

Wall Street suffered another loss after a closely watched report showed a shock surge in US oil inventories that rekindled worries about a global supply

glut that has hammered the crude market since mid-2014.

The Energy Department revealed a whopping eight million barrel increase in supplies over the past week--four times more than expected—owing to higher domestic production and increased stockpiling.

The news battered the oil market, with both main contracts slumping more than five percent to lows not seen since the end of last year.

Jeffrey Halley, senior market analyst at Oanda, said the report was the “straw that broke the camel’s back”, with concerns already abound that Russia was not pulling its weight on muchvaunted production cuts agreed between OPEC and non-OPEC countries in November.

And Greg McKenna, chief

market strategist at AxiTrader, said there is growing unease that too much of the burden on reducing output is being shouldered by OPEC nations, particularly kingpin Saudi Arabia.

While oil edged back up Thursday, Asian energy firms took the heat. Japan’s Inpex shed 1.2 percent, Hong Kong-listed PetroChina and CNOOC were each more than two percent down and Woodside Petroleum dived 1.1 percent in Sydney.

That in turn hit wider markets, with Hong Kong down more than one percent in the afternoon and Shanghai 0.7 percent off at the close. Traders brushed off another jump in China’s factory gate prices that indicate a return to inflation in the country, with consumer inflation continuing struggle. With AFP, Bloomberg

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday approved the P1.24-billion initial public offering of Bermaz Auto Philippines Inc., the exclusive distributor of Mazda vehicles in the country.

Documents obtained from the SEC showed that Bermaz Auto would offer 155 million primary and secondary shares at an offer price of up to P8 per share this month.

The offer shares will represent 15.6 percent of the company’s

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.4 10,000 48.7 16,700 99 1,542,160 123 2,503,690 1.28 110,000 39.95 44,500 16 3,600 20.8 433,200 7.72 2,000 1.7 30,000 0.7 10,282,000 80 513,620 0.74 60,000 14.54 6,500 26 1,400 57.2 131,120 238 910 113.1 110 38.85 55,000 203.2 600,500 1,780 415 79.2 46,460

33,710 811,740 152,951,985.50 308,763,881 140,800 1,778,840 57,550 8,996,645 15,440 51,000 7,244,920 41,103,584.50 44,010 94,470 36,330 7,485,405.50 217,730 12,419 2,136,850 121,956,996 738,700 3,678,798.50

767,960 59,400,344 -26,680,543 463,185 -28,400 -2,939,600.50 730 -33,442 -391,899.50 73,815 -71,172,994 396,083.50

43.65 5.4 0.82 1.41 18.7 0.27 97 8.38 16.62 23.35 14.7 58 2.12 6.1 12 12.32 7.6 6.74 5.95 1.76 21.75 72.6 12.2 15.88 6.55 1.65 194 75.6 7.18 4 30.05 26.7 14.92 293.4 0.26 6.35 3.65 8.65 2.33 6.9 1.9 75.2 4.96 266.6 4.94 2.79 13.08 0.145 1.45 160 4.32 1.67 1.05

INDUSTRIAL 43.75 328,600 5.45 737,900 0.83 72,000 1.42 395,000 19.1 10,700 0.27 3,840,000 97 290 8.47 9,125,900 16.66 1,172,900 23.5 186,100 15.06 1,000 59 191,890 2.12 148,000 6.1 20,300 12.16 6,600 12.52 8,144,100 7.74 233,500 6.74 4,930,200 6.1 13,859,900 1.76 6,000 22.5 3,925,300 72.85 83,890 12.2 1,100 15.88 181,900 6.56 387,500 1.67 147,000 197.1 836,090 75.6 20 7.6 809,700 4.1 381,000 30.05 756,500 27 58,400 15 5,530,800 293.4 101,960 0.265 6,520,000 6.65 84,300 3.71 5,047,000 8.68 5,290,700 2.33 818,000 7.01 514,100 1.93 2,117,000 75.5 741,040 4.98 241,000 267 6,560 4.95 54,500 2.83 164,000 13.76 6,811,900 0.146 260,000 1.45 268,000 160 1,027,650 4.32 7,000 1.72 4,150,000 1.05 53,000

14,372,835 4,090,742 59,330 559,840 203,522 1,043,000 28,130 77,715,503 19,568,526 4,352,485 14,808 11,216,387 314,640 124,132 79,792 101,287,838 1,801,337 33,318,982 84,165,522 10,560 88,044,270 6,106,520.50 13,420 2,892,174 2,576,134 243,170 164,797,231 1,525.50 6,084,948 1,617,250 22,870,070 1,570,220 82,921,010 29,961,494 1,711,850 540,748 18,579,010 46,043,087 1,907,570 3,607,746 4,168,030 56,319,872.50 1,203,620 1,749,892 270,852 463,210 92,066,382 37,850 389,550 165,269,855 30,240 7,066,290 55,650

3,421,010 193,750 -18,552,856 3,972,676 -18,800 -1,245,017 4,240 -8,139,840 -912,806 -5,321,538 36,188,588 27,948,410 1,184,943.50 -256,828 -166,233 -23,438,223 -6,337,475 -926,745 23,748,462 8,161,272 1,355,260 -21,092,447 820,160 -1,658,666 -167,200.00 -16,280,213 499,590 683,292 -225,642 2,360,884 -43,495,796 -3,392,150 -

0.37 73 12.34 1.12 6.3 0.36 0.37 816.5 1,001 8.73 12.24 7.93 6 0.183 1,207 6.09 75.7 5 1.08 7.74 14.6 6.65 3.45 0.058 1.98 105 3 655 1.55 267

HOLDING FIRMS 0.375 1,240,000 73.1 635,940 12.36 4,588,100 1.17 16,000 6.3 2,100 0.365 3,720,000 0.37 230,000 820 417,950 1,001 20 8.79 1,279,100 12.36 5,961,900 7.93 38,900 6 43,800 0.184 70,000 1,208 96,750 6.27 167,000 75.85 1,400,860 5.45 5,000 1.11 5,448,000 7.85 59,600 14.7 9,143,600 6.65 25,963,300 3.7 95,000 0.059 96,520,000 1.98 313,000 107 226,540 3.14 8,508,000 660 393,240 1.56 240,000 272 23,110

463,400 46,507,173.50 56,858,644 18,270 13,236 1,356,650 85,100 342,884,530 20,020 11,201,480 73,594,754 308,720 268,716 12,840 116,914,250 1,033,218 106,267,818 26,050 6,069,110 466,518 134,573,850 173,004,825 337,000 5,713,840 619,740 24,109,868 31,524,060 259,783,375 375,510 6,246,236

6,527,849 -26,259,542 39,678,935 419,762 -36,776,564 -20,235,750 588,640 -8,155,306.50 305,277 249,262 -95,329,007 25,740 6,057,739 103,400 -60,746,010 -27,928

6.6 0.98 2.44 1.36 35.8 3.75 5.13 0.5 1.27 0.16 0.54 53.2 0.7 0.156 1.66 0.98 1.22 3.68 0.167 0.29 0.56 4.77 27.75 23.3 1.71

PROPERTY 6.65 345,700 1 2,596,000 2.47 86,000 1.41 10,666,000 35.85 2,017,800 3.82 3,828,000 5.13 100 0.51 9,755,000 1.28 62,000 0.16 4,960,000 0.55 1,212,000 54 172,480 0.7 22,000 0.164 380,000 1.69 13,386,000 0.99 2,432,000 1.25 761,000 3.68 19,700,000 0.172 41,330,000 0.29 1,270,000 0.57 5,124,000 4.78 26,000 27.75 800 23.9 1,240,400 1.75 664,000

2,298,896 2,570,770 211,310 15,008,860 72,467,280 14,485,930 513 4,923,290 79,770 794,920 664,400 9,275,557.50 15,500 60,830 22,581,920 2,395,360 977,680 73,412,890 7,150,970 369,500 2,922,060 124,280 22,200 29,322,135 1,156,130

197,393 -69,100 -3,694,600 -5,066,920 -20,400 2,600,785 -4,699,900 990 -7,834,530 93,800 1,618,485 939,120

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

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

3.4 48.7 99.55 122.8 1.28 40 15.9 20.8 7.72 1.7 0.72 80.2 0.74 14.52 25.65 57.5 238 112 39 202 1,780 79.1

3.4 48.7 99.55 124.1 1.28 40 16 20.8 7.72 1.7 0.73 80.5 0.74 14.54 26 57.5 240 113.1 39 204 1,780 79.95

3.32 48.2 98.85 122.7 1.28 39.95 15.9 20.7 7.72 1.7 0.69 79.95 0.73 14.52 25.65 56.9 238 112 38.8 201 1,780 79.1

ABOITIZ POWER 43.75 AGRINURTURE 5.55 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.84 ALSONS CONS 1.45 ASIABEST GROUP 19.98 BASIC ENERGY 0.275 BOGO MEDELLIN 97 CEMEX HLDG 8.4 CENTURY FOOD 16.7 CIRTEK HLDG 23.35 CNTRL AZUCARERA 14.7 CONCEPCION 60 CROWN ASIA 2.18 DAVINCI CAPITAL 6.18 DEL MONTE 12 DNL INDUS 12.56 EEI CORP 7.6 EMPERADOR 6.83 ENERGY DEVT 5.98 EUROMED 1.76 FIRST GEN 22 FIRST PHIL HLDG 73.5 GINEBRA 12.2 HOLCIM 16 INTEGRATED MICR 6.7 IONICS 1.7 JOLLIBEE 194 LIBERTY FLOUR 76.95 LMG CHEMICALS 7.5 MABUHAY VINYL 4 MANILA WATER 30.55 MAXS GROUP 27 MEGAWIDE 15 MERALCO 294 MG HLDG 0.265 PANASONIC 6.6 PEPSI COLA 3.68 PETRON 8.96 PHINMA ENERGY 2.33 PHX PETROLEUM 7 PHX SEMICNDCTR 2.06 PILIPINAS SHELL 77.95 PRYCE CORP 4.96 PUREFOODS 266.6 RFM CORP 5 ROXAS HLDG 2.92 SHAKEYS PIZZA 13.08 SWIFT FOODS 0.146 TKC METALS 1.46 UNIV ROBINA 162.7 VICTORIAS 4.32 VITARICH 1.67 VULCAN INDL 1.05

43.8 5.63 0.84 1.45 19.98 0.275 97 8.6 16.74 23.5 15.06 60 2.18 6.18 12.3 12.56 7.8 6.83 6.1 1.76 22.7 73.5 12.2 16 6.75 1.7 198 76.95 7.88 4.42 30.85 27 15.04 294.2 0.265 6.65 3.75 8.96 2.34 7.06 2.06 77.95 5.03 267 5 2.92 13.76 0.146 1.46 163 4.32 1.72 1.05

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP BHI HLDG COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT KEPPEL HLDG A LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV MJC INVESTMENTS PACIFICA PRIME ORION SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER

0.38 73.8 12.54 1.17 6.36 0.37 0.37 825 1,001 8.79 12.42 8 6.2 0.185 1,215 6.27 76.2 5.45 1.14 7.88 15 6.74 3.7 0.061 1.98 107 4.74 665.5 1.58 272

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

0.38 73.8 12.46 1.12 6.36 0.37 0.37 822 1,001 8.78 12.4 8 6.2 0.185 1,215 6.17 76 5 1.1 7.88 14.7 6.7 3.5 0.059 1.98 105.9 3.99 655 1.56 267 6.6 1 2.47 1.38 36 3.79 5.13 0.51 1.27 0.16 0.55 53.8 0.71 0.156 1.71 0.98 1.22 3.76 0.167 0.29 0.59 4.79 27.75 23.3 1.74

6.7 1.01 2.47 1.44 36.25 3.82 5.13 0.52 1.3 0.161 0.56 54 0.71 0.164 1.71 0.99 1.32 3.77 0.176 0.31 0.59 4.79 27.75 23.9 1.76

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

3.31 29 1.02 0.93 4.84

3.31 29.3 1.04 0.93 4.9

3.28 28.9 1.02 0.92 4.78

3.3 28.9 1.04 0.92 4.9

1,706,000 1,940,400 1,116,000 16,000 2,976,000

5,646,670 56,234,475 1,153,290 14,740 14,435,800

3,270,280 -10,265,805 -5,906,980

2GO GROUP 7.85 ABS CBN 46.8 ACESITE HOTEL 1.48 APC GROUP 0.55 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.059 ASIAN TERMINALS 11.3 BLOOMBERRY 7.71 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.065 CALATA CORP 2.41 CEBU AIR 91.1 DFNN INC 8.9 GLOBE TELECOM 1,985 GMA NETWORK 6.13 GOLDEN HAVEN 16.22 HARBOR STAR 3.51 IMPERIAL 4.19 INTL CONTAINER 76.5 IP EGAME 0.0095 IPEOPLE 11.92 IPM HLDG 9.06 ISLAND INFO 0.191 ISM COMM 1.36 JACKSTONES 3.01 LEISURE AND RES 3.89 LORENZO SHIPPNG 0.95 MACROASIA 3.73 MANILA JOCKEY 2.42 MELCO CROWN 5.51 METRO RETAIL 3.78 NOW CORP 2.84 PACIFIC ONLINE 11.3 PAL HLDG 5.35 PAXYS 3.45 PHIL SEVEN CORP 148.1 PHILWEB 9.12 PLDT 1,552 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.48 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.41 PUREGOLD 43.65 ROBINSONS RTL 80.8 SBS PHIL CORP 6.25 SSI GROUP 2.4 STI HLDG 1.16 TRAVELLERS 3.24 WATERFRONT 0.41

7.9 46.8 1.48 0.55 0.059 11.3 8 0.066 2.41 92.85 8.9 2,004 6.16 16.5 3.51 4.19 76.9 0.0095 12.48 9.06 0.194 1.36 3.1 3.91 0.95 3.81 2.49 5.55 3.8 2.84 11.3 5.35 3.5 150 9.4 1,599 1.52 0.41 45.15 82.35 6.25 2.4 1.17 3.24 0.41

7.85 46.8 1.48 0.52 0.056 11.3 7.65 0.064 2.34 90.85 8.63 1,941 6.12 16.1 3.37 3.93 74.5 0.0092 11.92 9 0.19 1.35 2.97 3.83 0.95 3.61 2.32 5.4 3.74 2.79 11.3 5.3 3.41 148.1 8.91 1,552 1.46 0.405 43.6 80.8 6.15 2.31 1.14 3.2 0.41

SERVICES 7.88 21,400 46.8 1,400 1.48 13,000 0.52 725,000 0.056 110,370,000 11.3 1,400 7.99 15,063,300 0.065 14,820,000 2.38 11,707,000 91.45 196,430 8.89 72,100 1,970 102,900 6.14 105,600 16.5 70,900 3.41 3,314,000 3.97 80,000 75.95 2,078,530 0.0092 15,000,000 12.48 4,700 9.06 424,200 0.193 4,220,000 1.36 138,000 3.01 623,000 3.83 747,000 0.95 1,000 3.8 1,394,000 2.33 1,389,000 5.5 16,855,400 3.78 560,000 2.84 780,000 11.3 3,800 5.33 3,900 3.5 11,000 150 5,320 8.91 1,121,800 1,575 235,360 1.52 44,264,000 0.405 170,000 45 6,455,400 81.5 907,650 6.15 59,800 2.33 5,033,000 1.15 8,601,000 3.2 257,000 0.41 80,000

168,605 65,520 19,240 381,910 6,306,700 15,820 118,766,868 963,040 27,685,160 17,882,819.50 628,550 203,140,705 647,924 1,166,396 11,333,820 322,170 158,291,436.50 140,100 56,360 3,840,550 808,410 187,380 1,867,930 2,876,680 950 5,225,980 3,329,190 92,032,193 2,124,730 2,194,340 42,940 20,795 37,820 796,771 10,189,286 370,730,515 66,589,960 68,950 287,863,860 73,811,189.50 368,899 11,796,970 9,917,030 828,590 32,800

208,000 22,960 13,531,335 59,050 -3,937,648.50 29,784,075 3,410 353,915.50 57,400 20,250 6,020 -1,613,630 -488,150 -487,000 71,697,889 -1,151,380 762,409 -1,357,953.00 57,706,905 3,237,030 -167,405,575 8,891,118 -1,455,350 240,900.00 -433,600 -

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

0.0032 1.94 5.56 9.63 1.89 1.99 0.465 0.45 10 2.62 0.25 0.186 0.206 0.011 0.011 1.92 6.53 2.29 0.465 0.9 0.012 4.09 0.014 9.11 3.22 148.9 2.94

0.0036 1.94 5.75 11.4 1.89 1.99 0.48 0.45 10.2 2.63 0.25 0.2 0.206 0.012 0.011 1.94 6.53 2.29 0.465 0.91 0.012 4.09 0.014 9.26 3.35 148.9 2.94

0.0032 1.89 5.49 9.63 1.8 1.85 0.455 0.41 9.65 2.61 0.248 0.186 0.206 0.011 0.011 1.88 6.32 2.17 0.465 0.89 0.011 4.09 0.014 9.02 3.2 147.7 2.86

MINING & OIL 0.0035 4,083,000,000 1.9 1,541,000 5.54 629,100 11.4 400 1.86 38,000 1.98 10,000 0.48 220,000 0.45 4,700,000 9.65 31,300 2.63 463,000 0.248 170,000 0.191 58,120,000 0.206 300,000 0.012 3,400,000 0.011 137,600,000 1.88 277,000 6.38 8,780,800 2.19 145,000 0.465 20,000 0.89 73,000 0.011 40,100,000 4.09 20,000 0.014 12,400,000 9.26 299,800 3.29 926,000 147.8 423,980 2.86 7,000

14,067,300 2,931,300 3,464,882 4,383 69,090 19,330 101,550 1,997,750 305,387 1,212,480 42,200 11,323,480 61,800 37,500 1,513,600 529,970 56,364,507 318,750 9,300 65,180 441,200 81,800 173,600 2,752,370 3,036,290 62,682,291 20,100

-1,707,600 -39,070 -23,000 678,380 37,200 -30,900 7,720 -13,801,750 45,970 -136,930 36,432,016 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G FPH PREF C GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2B PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2I

46.15 530 539 106 105.1 112.5 114.6 508 5.83 1,031 1.04 106 1,114 107 77.9 82.2 77.85 80 78 79.6

46.2 530 539 106 106.5 112.5 114.6 508 5.83 1,031 1.04 106 1,114 107 77.9 82.2 78 80 78 79.75

45.9 530 539 105.7 105.1 108.3 113.3 508 5.83 1,031 1.04 105 1,114 106.9 77.9 81.25 77.8 80 77.75 79.6

PREFERRED 46 57,300 530 540 539 40 106 29,700 106.5 19,520 108.3 100 113.3 5,000 508 2,000 5.83 800 1,031 600 1.04 181,000 105 40,000 1,114 500 106.9 2,400 77.9 12,000 81.25 23,190 78 23,400 80 32,500 77.75 5,000 79.75 16,980

2,636,540 286,200 21,560 3,147,900 2,063,483 10,872 570,466 1,016,000 4,664 618,600 188,240 4,205,510 557,000 256,750 934,800 1,902,630.50 1,822,620 2,600,000 389,205 1,354,024

-2,296,020 -1,016,000 -

LR WARRANT

2.19

2.23

2.16

WARRANTS 2.16 74,000

163,270

-

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

3.85 2.93 7 9.06

4.03 2.93 7.36 9.5

3.82 2.93 7 9.06

SME 3.9 2.93 7.02 9.5

417,640 26,370 409,797 74,594,722

-2,563,867

120.7

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 120.5 120.5 13,510

1,628,362

-

NAME SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME UNIWIDE HLDG VISTA LAND

FIRST METRO ETF 120.5

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL HOLDING FIRMS

SHARES

VALUE

17,623,858 122,704,906 167,083,361

827,106,877.481 1,840,797,065.88 1,528,331,690.833

PROPERTY 136,203,510 574,549,897.67 SERVICES 269,576,9192 1,575,156,027.09 MINING & OIL 4,353,754,886 163,652,210.171 GRAND TOTAL 5,075,097,682 6,586,670,967.844

107,000 9,000 57,600 7,963,100

FINANCIAL 1,837.77 (DOWN) 4.07 INDUSTRIAL 11,026.67 (DOWN) 17.19 HOLDING FIRMS 7,294.22 (UP0 13.48 PROPERTY 3,266.79 (DOWN) 10.08 SERVICES 1,484.06 (UP) 13.60 MINING & OIL 12,367.04 (UP) 24.02 PSEI 7,295.45 (UP) 0.89 All Shares Index 4,402.81 (UP) 1.51 Gainers: 84; Losers: 105; Unchanged: 44; Total: 233

total outstanding capital stock after the IPO. Net proceeds from the sale of primary shares will be used to fund the construction of a warehouse and body repair and paint facility, establish a Mazda training facility for automotive repair and motor services and construct Mazda showrooms and satellite outlets.

Pricing date for the IPO will be on March 22. The offering was scheduled on March 27 to March 31 while listing date was tentatively set on April 7.

The company hired Maybank ATR Kim Eng as the international and domestic lead underwriter and Abacus Capital as domestic co-lead underwriter.

Bermaz Auto is the sole distributor of Mazda vehicles in the Philippines. It currently distributes Mazda vehicle model series with a total of 27 variants to cater to different market segments.

The company is 60.4-percent owned by Bermaz Motor International Ltd. of Malaysian conglomerate Berjaya Corp. and 25.5 percent by listed Berjaya Philippines Inc. Bermaz Auto reported a net income of P216.2 million in the first six months of its fiscal year covering May to October 2016, slightly higher than P199.4 million reported in the same period a year ago.

The company sold 2,301 units in the six-month period.

The company commenced operations on Jan. 2, 2013.

Bourse merger seen in 3rd quarter THE Philippine Stock Exchange needs to get the commitment of other stakeholders of Philippine Dealings System Holdings Corp. before it can complete the planned buyout of the bond market operator, a top official of the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday.

SEC commissioner Epyhro Luis Amatong said the PSE needed to secure the commitment of two-thirds of PDS stakeholders before it could take control of PDS. The PSE said Wednesday it secured the commitment of the Bankers Association of the Philippines to sell the latter’s 28.9-percent stake in PDS. Including the PSE’s current 20.1-percent stake in PDS, this would bring the exchange’s stake in the bond operator to only 49 percent.

“That will give them access to roughly 49 percent of PDS and they have to look for 20 percent more,” Amatong said.

Amatong said the planned merger of the PSE and PDS could be completed by the third quarter of the year. He said the PSE was in constant talks with the SEC regarding the merger plan and that the PSE was made aware of the concerns of the corporate regulator regarding the proposal.

Other top shareholders of PDS are San Miguel Corp. and Golden Astra, Singapore Stock Exchange, Tata Consultancy Serves Asia, Computershare Technology Services, The Philippine America Life and General Insurance Co., Financial Executive Institute of the Philippines, Social Security System and Investment House Association of the Philippines. Jenniffer B. Austria

Motoring

Crackdown on car pollution: Tougher rules kick in G lobal carmakers, stung by emissions scandals, are racing to hunt down every gram of harmful CO2 spewed out on the roads as tougher pollution rules kick in.

Auto manufacturers gearing up for Europe’s biggest annual car show in Geneva are celebrating the end of the sector’s crisis. European sales have returned to levels last seen in 2008 before a global financial meltdown inflicted deep dents on their business.

The road to recovery will be paved with unprecedented efforts to fight auto pollution, involving equally unprecedented costs.

Accelerating costs

Sales of cars with cleaner alternative technologies are still only marginal, with electric cars accounting for just 1.2 percent of new car sales in the EU in 2015, according to the European Environmental Agency.

But as diesel cars have been getting a bad rap because of emissions scandals, that target looks harder to meet.

“Diesel cars emit 15 percent less CO2 per kilometre” than gasoline-fuelled models, said Christophe Aufrere, a technology strategist at car parts maker Faurecia.

That means gasoline-powered cars have to take up the slack, requiring the industry to squeeze more efficiency out of engines and to reduce vehicles’ weight.

“Solutions are more and more expensive,” said Marc Charlet, at Mov’eo, an automotive and mobility research network. “There is much at stake here, and the competition is fierce.”

European rules for combustion engines were always going to Every gram counts become more stringent, but the industry’s biggest pollution scanIf they don’t manage, the bill dal to date, has turbo-charged will be high. regulators’ eagerness to crack Automakers failing to meet down on pollution. the CO2 targets -- capping petrol

consumption to 4.1 litres per 100 kilometres and diesel to 3.6 litres -- will have to pay 95 euros ($100) for every extra CO2 gram emitted by each car -- potentially adding up to tens of millions of euros of fines.

“We will have to look for grams to save in every part of the car, particularly in components,” said Guillaume Devauchelle, head of innovation and research and parts maker Valeo.

This includes air conditioning, second only to the engine for energy use, electric compressors, self starters, right down to lightbulbs. Every weight gain of 12 kilos, meanwhile, translates into one gram of CO2 saved.

Better electronics and aerodynamic designs will also help.

Research and development costs “have practically doubled in the past decade” said Remi Cornubert at AT Kearney, a consulting firm, adding that half the increase was forced on carmakers by regulators.

“The car of the future will be significantly more expensive to design and to build,” said Guillaume Crunelle, auto expert at the Deloitte consulting group.

from nagging worries about rules and money can always take time to enjoy the glamour for which the Geneva show is famous.

The legendary Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, McLaren and Bentley have picked Lake Geneva’s shore to present new models.

Renault will showcase the final version of its Alpine A110 sports car.

“Geneva has always been the show of beautiful automobiles and prestigious racing cars,” said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer at the CAR institute.

But the greatest buzz may come from so-called “crossover” vehicles (CUVs), which combine features taken from sports utility vehicles (SUVs) with those of passenger cars.

The segment, including fashionable urban four-wheel drive vehicles, now makes up nearly 30 percent of the European car market and features the Volvo XC60, the Citroen C-Aircross, the DS7 Crossback and the Land Rover Velar.

Some 180 companies will be present at the 10-day show which opens to the public on March 9 after two press days during which most There’s always the glitz major corporate announcements are expected. Last year’s show attracted Executives needing a break 687,000 visitors. AFP

Volkswagen PH showcases best vehicles, deals in ‘Mabuhay Germany’ trade expo

VOLKSWAGEN Philippines, the number one European car brand in the country in 2016, continues its #TripGoals promo of the #2017CarGoalPolo for the Hatchback and Sedan.

New and enhanced packages are available until March 31, 2017.

You not only have the chance to achieve your #TripGoals, you willl also have the choice to get great cash discount, or even outfit your new Polo with the Polo Club Edition package.

To achieve your ultimate #TripGoals this 2017, here is what you need to do: Go to any of the six participating Volkswagen showrooms (BGC in Taguig City, Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, Molito

Lifestyle Building in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Greenfield District Service Center at Sheridan Street in Mandaluyong City, McArthur Highway at San Fernando in Pampanga, and, North Reclamation Area in Cebu City) and reserve a Polo Hatchback or Polo Sedan.

Upon reservation, choose one from any of the following #TripGoals’ packages: A Staycation Trip with overnight stay for two at Shangri-La The Fort Premiere Suites inclusive of breakfast buffet for two with access to the gym and pool plus P10,000 worth of Petron fuel pre-loaded in Petron Value Card.

A Foodie Trip wherein you can avail of P30,000 worth of food

and beverage vouchers available for use at any of the participating restaurants in Shangri-La The Fort such as Canton Road Cantonese Cuisine, Raging Bull Chophouse, Brotzeit German Bar and Restaurant, Planet Grapes Winery, Maisen Japanese Restaurant, High Street Café (buffet), and, High Street Lounge plus P10,000 worth of Petron fuel pre-loaded in Petron Value Card.

Exclusive ‘Club Edition’ Upgrade with limited edition Polo with hyper black wheels; multimedia entertainment system equipped with AM/FM radio, GPS, NAVI, DVD, MP3, CD, USB reader, mirror link for IOS and Android; and, rear sensors

Prestone revs it up at 90

(for Polo Sedan only; standard feature in Polo Hatchback).

As soon as you get your keys to your new Polo Hatchback or Sedan, you can immediately drive off to your chosen #TripGoals, or, you may opt for an outright cash discount of P40,000.

The purchase of the Polo Hatchback or Sedan is already a reward, because It’s More Than Just a Car. The Polo possesses superior build quality, compact yet roomy interiors, fuel-efficient yet powerful Multi-Point Injection (MPI) petrol engine, and world-class German automotive engineering and design expertise that for many generations the Volkswagen brand has been known for.

FOR nearly a century, Prestone has been living up to its lofty reputation as the name to trust in protecting automobiles and motorists.

Prestone has reached another milestone in its journey of providing trusted, proven, and quality car care solutions as it celebrates 90th year in the market.

Upon entry in the industry in 1927, Prestone immediately drove its way to the introduction of the first non-flammable Prestone Ethylene Glycol Antifreeze which keeps engines safe from freezing during winter driving.

The Anti-freeze Solution propelled the brand to greater heights with Prestone sealing partnerships with giant car manufacturers, Ford, GM,

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

B3

FASTLANE Blade is official partner of top brands ESTABLISHED in 2004, Blade Auto Center is the largest chain of car accessories shops in the country with over 50 stores nationwide.

They have carved a niche in the aftermarket industry with its extensive line of affordable automotive accessories and car care products that ranges from car audio-video down to air fresheners.

As the market leader in its segment, Blade offers globally recognized brands in its retail chain such as Sparco, OMP, Goodyear, Polaroid and Chupa Chups. “The brands we carry are all licensed and Blade is an official distributor of the aforementioned brands.

All branded merchandise that we carry are original and licensed,” explains Albert Go of Blade. For brands such as Sparco, OMP and Goodyear, Blade caters to the consumer line of automotive products such as air compressors, seat belt pads, and car floor mats.

Blade is located in all SM, Robinsons and Ayala Malls nationwide. Blade Auto Center’s line of car accessories and gadgets are reasonably priced due to its high purchase volume. “Savings are passed on to the customers. With our network of 50 locations, Blade is able to negotiate for the lowest cost,” adds Go.

Carworld breaks ground for FUSO in Pampanga BACOLOR, Pampanga— Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC)’s authorized dealership, Carworld Inc. (CWI), recently broke ground for the establishment of its first FUSO dealership in Bacolor, Pampanga last February 10, 2017. CWI was able to acquire the 1.4-hectare land in Brgy. Macabacle, Bacolor, Pampanga in which 5,000 sqm area of the land will be turned into facility area. The showroom will be capable of displaying all truck models from light duty to heavy duty.

The service workshop will contain six (6) medium duty to heavy duty bays includ-

ing intensive inspection and multi-purpose bays. Carworld FUSO Pampanga is expected to start operation within 2017.

The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Shigeru Ogura – EVP – Vehicle Sales and Marketing of MMPC, Mr. Dante C. Santos – FUSO FVP – Vehicle Sales and Marketing of MMPC, Mr. Liberato P. Laus – Chairman and CEO of Laus Group of Companies, Mr. Paul A. Laus – President and COO of CWI, Mr. Frank De Jesus – Laus Group of Companies Consultant, Honorable Jomar Hizon – Bacolor Mayor, and Yair Furman – MFTBC.

From left: Frank De Jesus - Laus Group of Companies Consultant; Dante C. Santos – MMPC FUSO FVP - Vehicle Sales and Marketing; Liberato P. Laus – Laus Group of Companies Chairman and CEO; Mayor Jomar Hizon of Bacolor; Shigeru Ogura – MMPC EVP Vehicle Sales and Marketing; Paul A. Laus, Carworld Inc. president and COO.

and Chrysler US, as they installed the mixture into their new vehicles.

With its proven care solutions for automobiles, Prestone partnered with local fleet customers Mitsubishi Motors Philippines, Victory Liner, and Toyota Forklifts Philippines.

The brand has also inked another remarkable venture with Rapide, the largest auto repair network in the Philippines, marking Prestone as the brand of choice.

Not only has Prestone revolutionized in caring for automobiles, it has also established itself as a partner of motorists in ensuring safe travels.

One of the brand’s products, Prestone Break Fluid,

is highly lauded and selected over the competition due to its stellar performance and guaranteed promise.

Now on its 90th year in the business of protecting vehicles and motorists, Prestone keeps fuelling the passion for automobiles.

With the brand’s continuous developments and breakthroughs in the industry, Prestone holds its ground as the leader in innovative and world-class automotive formulas laps ahead the competition.

Having unparalleled success with 90 years in the automotive industry, Prestone celebrates with their consumers and partners in mind as told

by Prestone Brand Manager, Monique Gonzales.

“It will be a year-long celebration for Prestone and our consumers. They can catch us on car shows nationwide.

We will also be launching the Anak ng Mekaniko Scholarship Program to give back to our silent partners in protecting cars for the last 90 Years – the mechanics. We have innovations lined up that they can watch out for, in our dedication to provide new solutions for worry-free vehicle performance.”

Prestone’s 90th anniversary was capped off with a Grand Gathering revved with celebrities recently at the MOA Music Hall. Valued partners throughout the years witnessed and graced the event as they enjoyed hot treats and prizes from the brand.

Motoring

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Editor DINO DIRECTO III Asst. Editor

B4

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

The

The now famous wide body Corvette ZR1 of Car Porn Racing.

Luxury in focus at Geneva show EUROPE’S biggest annual car show kicks off in Geneva on Tuesday with luxury and crossover vehicles in the limelight, but with the emissions scandal still hanging over the industry.

Automakers are celebrating the end of the sector’s crisis as European sales have returned to levels last seen in 2008 before a global financial meltdown inflicted deep dents on their business.

Carmakers are now having to steer toward engines that emit no more than 95 grams of CO2 per kilometre by 2021 to meet European requirements, compared to 130 grams in 2015.

But as diesel cars have been getting a bad rap because of emissions scandals, that target looks harder to meet.

“Diesel cars emit 15 percent less CO2 per kilometre” than gasoline-fuelled models, said Christophe Aufrere, a technology strategist at car parts maker Faurecia.

With electric vehicles still only accounting for a sliver of European car sales, that means gasoline-powered cars have to take up the slack, requiring the industry to squeeze more efficiency out of engines and to reduce vehicles’ weight.

Research and development costs “have practically doubled in the past decade” said Remi Cornubert at AT Kearney, a consulting firm, and if carmakers fail to succeed, the bill will be high.

Automakers failing to meet the CO2 targets -- capping petrol consumption to 4.1 litres per 100 kilometres and diesel to 3.6 litres -- will have to pay 95 euros ($100) for every extra CO2 gram emitted by each car -- potentially adding up to tens of millions of euros of fines.

‘King’ conquers

SEMA

W

HO would have thought that the tall lanky kid who drove a custom VW Bug and sold parts at a speedshop would someday become the first Filipino to create a buzz in SEMA and end up as a prominent figure in the domestic aftermarket scene?

According to Angie King, her passion for four wheels began at age 15 with her first car purchase, a 1974 Volkswagen 1303s Super Beetle. She recalls workers of her father coming over to their house to work on that beloved bug. “That car started it all. We proceeded to modify it with the help of our workers. My Beetle sported the “Cal look” which had one piece windows, single down draft carburetors, AC conversion,

also a big influence to me in terms of performance, styling and that’s when I was given the chance to learn circuit driving in Subic bay,” she adds. King would compete in amateur circuit racing during the downtime of actual races and the adrenaline rush of taking fast corners and gunning the accelerator got her hooked since then. She would eventually move on to other sporting disciplines such as Drift Racing, where Angie would

Photos by Car Porn Racing Text by Dino Ray V. Directo III

that her Porsche is the first RauhWelt Begriff (RWB) in the country crafted by the renowned Porsche builder Akira Nakai of RWB Japan.

“This new shop is more accessible than the old car shop. Car Porn Racing is the one stop shop for all your car needs, we do most works in house from basic oil services, brake jobs, aircon recharging and cleaning, painting and collision repair, four wheel alignment, Detailing, Dyno

Monterey Car Week and SEMA. Car Porn will just be LA and Manila,” she says. Angie made our country proud by becoming the first Filipino to participate in SEMA, the World’s largest automotive aftermarket show in Las Vegas. If you want to make a presence in the global aftermarket stage, then SEMA is your golden ticket. King’s slammed and widebody Corvete ZR1 was one of the stars of SEMA and it catapulted Car Porn

New models Jostling among carmakers for market position is also likely to dominate discussions after French carmaker PSA announced Monday the acquisition of General Motors’ European subsidiary, which includes the Opel and Vauxhall brands, for 1.3 billion euros ($1.38 billion), catapulting it into second place in Europe.

And there was more good news for PSA in Geneva on Monday after its Peugeot brand won European car of the year for its 3008 urban 4x4, as the show opened to the press.

Volkswagen, meanwhile, unveiled its first prototype autonomous car Monday evening, the electric Sedric.

The German giant, whose brands include Audi and Porsche, said it planned to join a string of other automakers in investing billions of dollars in developing the vehicle over the coming years.

Despite the greater emphasis on fuel economy, the Geneva car show is unlikely to disappoint in terms of its usual glitz and glamour.

The legendary Ferrari, Lamborghini, Pagani, McLaren and Bentley have all picked Lake Geneva’s shores to present new models. Renault will showcase the final version of its Alpine A110 sports car.

“Geneva has always been the show of beautiful automobiles and prestigious racing cars,” said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer at the CAR institute.

But the greatest buzz may come from so-called “crossover” vehicles (CUVs), which combine features taken from sports utility vehicles (SUVs) with those of passenger cars.

The segment, including fashionable urban four-wheel drive vehicles, now makes up nearly 30 percent of the European car market and features the Volvo XC60, the Citroen C-Aircross, the DS7 Crossback and the Land Rover Velar.

Some 180 companies will be present at the 10-day show which opens to the public on March 9 after two press days during which most major corporate announcements are expected. Last year’s show attracted 687,000 visitors.

Angie King atop her MacLaren sports car at her GI Automotive shop in Los Angeles.

de chromed, lowered and rolled on chrome steelies with Porsche hub caps.

Breathing properties were enhanced with a set of SMT headers and a stinger exhaust system,” she says.

Angie credits her dad as the biggest influence when talk revolved around her love for four wheels.

However, King’s passion for fast cars was cultivated during her days at Redline Racing, a popular shop during the 90s which specialized in automotive customization and engine modification. “I was around 18 that time and my first job was in that car shop in Araneta Avenue, Quezon City, which I would say was

carve a name as a racer. Fans of the sport still remember her custombuilt Nissan Skyline truck which was modified to go fast sideways.

Stint in SEMA A visit to her new 1000 square meter facility in Taguig would be like visiting Toy Kingdom for any car enthusiasts. You will see cars in various states of tuned perfection from end to end. From a stock Mercedes Benz limousine, down to a widebody 1994 Porsche 993 Carrera 2 painted in an eye popping Amaranth Violet paint. King reveals

tuning, engine transplants, resto mod builds, restoration projects and race prep builds. The list goes on as we can do anything you can think off,” explains Angie.

When not busy with her shop in Taguig, King oversees her North American expansion by way of GI Automotive in Los Angeles. “My partnership with GI Automotive is such a blessing as it gives me technical access to information that I once was just forum hunting for.

Plus because we are an established business over there I benefit with parts sourcing and getting invited to cool events like the Goldrush Rally,

Racing into the global stage.

She has yet to check one off from her bucket list though. “One day I want to own a hyper car but for now I use all the cars in my collection.

It’s quite extensive as I have a car for every purpose and I will thrash any of them on a given day as I believe cars should be used properly. But I do have dedicated drift toys I can drive hard without any care! I dont have a particular daily driver as all the cars need to be used. I’am just lucky I have the opportunity to own these cars and no I don’t have a favorite, I love them all,” says the King.

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

C1

‘TYPE NG BAYAN.’ Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial (in black, center) turns over one of 100 blood testing kits to Pasay City Mayor Antonino Calixto, his wife Edna Calixto and Pasay Rep. Emi Calixto on Thursday at the Cuneta Astrodome. This was part of the turnover ceremony and launch in Pasay of the Type Ng Bayan free blood typing program, a project of the DU30 Cabinet Spouses Association and the Metro Manila Spouses Foundation. Manny Palmero

Peña, 8 others charged for ‘ghost’ sports items

By Joel E. Zurbano

F

ORMER Makati City mayor Romulo Peña Jr. and eight others were slapped with graft and falsification charges before the Office of the Ombudsman about the alleged ghost delivery of sports items and supplies intended for the city government’s summer sports program.

In an 18-page complaint filed on March 6, Marilyn King, head of the city’s Youth and Sports Development Department, said Peña and the other respondents violated Republic Act 3019, or the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act, and Falsification by a Public Officer under Article 171 of the Revised Penal Code.

Also charged were Ernesto Marcos D.P. Lopez, former officer in charge of YSDD; Ama-

lia C. Santos, former OIC of the City Treasurer’s Office; Carmina P. Lazaro, inspection officer, Supply and Property Management Division, General Services Department; Helena L. Cejalvo, inspection officer, GSD; Ramila C. Cruzado, OIC, GSD; Sonia I. Suarez, chief, Supply and Property Management Division, GSD; Fe V. Villasin, Recreation and Welfare Services Officer, YSDD; and John C. Co, presi-

dent of PMPI Creative Suites.

The group “with manifest partiality and evident bad faith, caused the full payment of the purchase price of P823,195.31 even though there was no complete delivery of the purchased goods,” King said.

Their actions caused undue injury to the city government, her complaint stated.

Peña served as acting mayor more than a year after Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. was dismissed from the service as mayor of Makati for his involvement in the alleged overpriced City Hall Building II. In the 2016 elections, Peña ran for mayor, but was defeated by Binay’s sister Abigail.

King said an inventory conducted upon her assumption as YSDD head showed the supplier failed to deliver all the sports items and supplies listed in the duly signed

purchase request and purchase order, despite full payment.

The items were intended for the city government’s yearly Sports, Music, Arts and Recreational Training program.

Certifications, in the form of Inspector’s Report and Acceptance and Inspection Report, have also been issued by the respondents, stating all the items have been delivered.

The nondelivery of the items was further confirmed by an affidavit executed by Gertrudis Ramirez, operations officer of YSDD, who said there was “a discrepancy between the items indicated in the Purchase Request and the items actually delivered.”

The supplier and lone bidder for the project, PMPI Creative Suites, also confirmed they have not delivered all the items, King said.

Cavite gets tourism showroom spotlight

By Sandy Araneta OFFICIALS of Cavite—city and municipal executives, legislators and tourism stakeholders alike—came in full force during the organization and execution of the province’s program as part of the Calabarzon feature for the Philippine Tourism Showroom, held last Tuesday and Wednesday at the Department of Tourism Building in Makati City.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said that as a “historic and picturesque province at the doorstep of Manila,” Cavite is conducive for both business and leisure.

With Tagaytay as the main tourist center “for a long time,” Teo said Cavite’s towns and other cities have been competing for the travelers’ interest “with their varied attractions from rivers, springs, beaches, waterfalls, mountains, farms, parks and forests, to historical landmarks, museums, golf courses

BuCor gets nod for good meals

QC dads propose ‘Tandang Sora Day’

By Rio N. Araja THE 36-member Quezon City council on Thursday called on Congress to declare Jan. 6, the birthdate of revolutionary hero Melchora “Tandang Sora” Aquino, as a special non-working holiday in the city.

District 3 Councilor Melencio Castelo authored Resolution 6971-2017, asking the six city representatives to declare Tandang Sora Day as a nonworking holiday, in recognition of her valuable contribution in the country’s fight for freedom.

Born Jan. 6, 1812, Aquino— also known as the Grand Old Lady of the Katipunan—was noted for helping soldiers of the Katipunan during the country’s revolution against Spain. Tandang

Sora provided food, clothing and shelter to the Katipuneros.

Charged with aiding the Katipunan, Aquino was arrested by Spanish authorities and jailed at the Bilibid Prison on Aug. 29, 1896.

In complete disregard of her age and gender, the Spanish authorities exiled her to Guam, where she stayed for seven years as a servant.

Aquino returned to the Philippines on Feb. 26, 1903 at the age of 91. She died 16 years later, aged 107.

Every year, the city government, in partnership with the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, commemorates Tandang Sora’s birth anniversary at the heroine’s birthplace on Banlat Road in Barangay Tandang Sora.

PROJECT ISMILE. Doctors and parents discuss the surgical procedure needed to repair the cleft lip of a boy, one of the 90 young patients with cleft lip and palate and burn scars in the province of Masbate given free surgeries through the ‘Project: iSmile’ organized by Filminera Resources Corp. and Phil Gold Processing and Refining Corp. in partnership with Interplast Australia and New Zealand. The patients came from 16 towns in Masbate, including Aroroy. Project iSmile, now on its fourth year in Masbate, is just one of many projects that Filminera and PGPRC operate in the province. They have contributed a total of P260 million in health, education, livelihood and infrastructure projects as part of their Social Development and Management Program. The Interplast team of volunteer surgeons, anesthesiologists and nurses from Australia and New Zealand conducted the surgeries at the Masbate Provincial Hospital, with the help of local medical staff. Interplast is a nonprofit organization based in Melbourne that provides free reconstructive surgery in developing countries.

Clark tourist arrivals rise 2.27 percent, CDC says CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga—Tourists visiting Clark increased by 2.27 percent or about 42,626 persons last year, the Clark Development Corp. said Thursday.

In a statement, the CDC said a total of 1,916,700 tourists arrived at the former American military base in 2016, compared to 1,874,074 arrivals in 2015.

The increased tourist arrivals was attributed to the presence of Clark International Airport and the availability of facilities—like the area’s 63 convention centers for international and local meetings, conferences and trade exhibits for manufacturers, buyers and traders—for business transactions.

The statement also said tourist

and Baroque churches.”

Cultural events and festivals are celebrated monthly in each of the 16 towns and seven cities of the province to promote their local products and their legacies, said DOT-Region IV-A Director Rebecca Labit.

Labit said the “centuries-old traditions and rich culture” of Cavite are the source of great pride to Caviteños. Part of it is the significance of Cavite as the cradle of the Philippine Revolution of 1898 and as the last bastion of defense during World War II, she added.

She encouraged DoT employees and walk-in visitors at the showroom to buy more Cavitemade products, as well as visit the province’s tourist destinations.

Some of the export products on sale included crunchy chips made from banaba, lagundi, ginger, malunggay, ampalaya, onion, garlic, and mussels, as Cavite is one of the Philippines’ biggest producers of seafood.

departures from the airport last year increased to 457,282 from 423,332 in 2015.

Clark is a venue for the meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations scheduled this year.

For weekend tourists, specially those coming from South Korea and Asean countries, the

Freeport offers four golf courses, six casinos, eight wellness facilities, five high-end hospitals and shopping centers inside the former US base, CDC noted.

Another attraction of Clark is its sports activities held every year— car racing, car shows, Frisbee games and its signature event, the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon

Fiesta, which attracts about 110,000 tourists, both foreigners and locals, the company said.

Tourists families can enjoy several picnic grounds, parks, gardens, biking areas and the Clark Museum, which houses the historical artifacts of the base and others important materials for students and researchers to study, CDC said.

A CAUSE-oriented group has lauded the Bureau of Corrections for providing “well-prepared and nutritious food” for inmates of the country’s various penal facilities.

Louis “Barok” Biraogo, who heads the group Taumbayan Para sa Iyo, said the reformation of inmates starts “with their being cared for” by the government and society in general.

“Despite a very limited budget, the BuCor and its private sector partner have met the nutritional requirements of inmates, thus allowing most of them to shake off the concern that they are forgotten and unwanted,” said Biraogo.

BuCor oversees the feeding program of some 40,000 inmates, where about 120,000 meals are served daily in seven penal facilities nationwide, including the New Bilibid Prison and Correctional for Women, as well as Iwahig Penal Colony in Palawan.

“This is no easy task, considering the sheer volume of meals prepared daily,” Biraogo said.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 Standard C2 TODAY Manila

Graft raps hit 11 PPC execs T HE new mayor and vice mayor of Puerto Princesa City are facing graft and corruption charges at the Ombudsman, together with the recently dismissed mayor and eight councilors, for passing a resolution creating a new water district, which violated the Local Water Utilities Act, the Administrative Code and Local Government Units Code.

Incumbent Mayor Luis M. Marcaida III and Vice Mayor Maria Nancy Socrates—who were just sworn into office three weeks ago—were charged along with dismissed mayor Lucilo R. Bayron and members of the Sangguniang Panlunsod, documents filed by Ombudsman

Prosecutor Margie G. Fernandez Alpatura last Feb. 13 showed.

Councilors Jimmy L. Carbonell, Matthew K. Mendoza, Modesto V. Rodriguez II, Roy Gregorio G. Ventura, Victor S. Oliveros, Henry A. Gadiano.

Nesario G. Awat and Primo S. Lorenzo, ex-officio member, IP

Republic of the Philippines ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

representative, were also charged before the anti-graft court.

Marcaida, Socrates, Bayron and the councilors were not available for comment as of press time.

The complaint was filed on Nov. 22, 2016 by Advocates for Excellent Government A.C.S.O., a civil society organization represented by Jose Ma. Mirasol, who accused the 11 city officials of alleged grave abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and other administrative violations under the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Government Officials and Employees and the LGU Code of 1991.

Docketed as OMB-L-A-17-0036, the complaint stemmed from the

ERC CASE NO. 2016-206 RC NATIONAL TRANSMISSION CORPORATION (TransCo) AND MACTAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC. (MECO), Applicants.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 28 December 2016, National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) and Mactan Electric Company, Inc. (MECO) filed a Joint Application dated 13 December 2016 (Joint Application) seeking the Commission’s approval of the sale of the Mactan Load-End Substation.

TransCo and MECO alleged the following in their Joint Application: 1.

TransCo is a government-owned-and-controlled corporation created and existing by virtue of R.A No. 9136, otherwise known as the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (EPIRA), with principal office address at the TransCo Main Building, Quezon Avenue cor. BIR Rd., Diliman, Quezon City. It may be served with pleadings, notices, orders and other documents through its undersigned counsel.

2.

MECO is a private distribution utility (DU), organized and existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines with principal office address in Sangi Rd., Pajo, Lapu-lapu, Cebu City, Philippines. It may be served with pleadings, notices, orders and other documents through its undersigned counsel.

3.

By virtue of Section 8 of the EPlRA, TransCo assumed the electrical transmission functions of the National Power Corporation (NPC) and it was authorized and made to assume the responsibility of NPC for the planning, construction and centralized operation and maintenance of high voltage transmission facilities, including grid interconnections and ancillary services.

4.

Section 8 of the EPIRA and Rule 6, Section 8 (e) of the EPIRA Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) also mandate the segregation of the transmission and sub-transmission functions and assets for transparency and disposal, and authorize Transco to negotiate for, and to transfer such sub-transmission assets and facilities to qualified distribution utility/ies (DUs) and Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA)-authorized entities.

5.

Pursuant thereto, this Honorable Commission promulgated the “Guidelines to the Sale and Transfer of the TransCo’s Sub-transmission Assets and the Franchising of Qualified Consortiums” (ERC Guidelines) dated 17 October 2003.

6.

Consistent with the ERC Guidelines, TransCo has adopted its own Guidelines on the Sale of Sub-transmission Assets (TransCo Guidelines) [Annex “A”], as approved via TransCo Board Resolution No. TC-2003-067 dated 28 November 2003 [Annex “A-1”], as further amended by TransCo Board Resolution No.TC-2004-009 dated 16 March 2004 [Annex “A-2”]

7.

On 06 July 2011, this Honorable Commission issued Resolution No. 15, Series of 2011 entitled “A Resolution Adopting TransCo’s Sub-transmission Assets and the Acquisition by Qualified Consortiums.”

8.

In accordance with the ERC Guidelines, and based on its thorough evaluation, TransCo has determined that the Mactan Load-end Substation is a subtransmission asset. Copies of the Report on the nature of the asset, List of asset/s for sale to MECO and the Electrical diagram are attached as Annexes “B”, “C” and “D,” respectively.

9.

MECO possesses the technical and financial qualifications to acquire, operate, maintain, expand and upgrade the subject asset, as evidenced by its Audited Income Statement as of 31 December 2013 [Annex “E”], as well as the Technical [Annex “F”] and Financial Qualification Evaluations [Annex “G”] conducted by TransCo.

10. On 05 November 2015, the MECO Board of Directors passed a Board Resolution approving the proposed acquisition by MECO of TransCo’s Mactan load-end Substation, as well as the designation of the MECO Board Chairperson (Eusebio Tanco), MECO President (Dennis Villareal) and MECO Treasurer (Douglas Lu Ym) as authorized representative/s of MECO in the execution of the Contract to Sell. The same is evidenced by the Secretary’s Certificate dated 16 February 2016 [Annex “H “], duly signed by M. Alfredo Alex S. Cruz (Secretary) and Ms. Ma. Luz L. Caminero (Assistant Secretary).

11. On 23 December 2015, TransCo and MECO concluded a Contract to Sell [Annex “I”] covering the Mactan Load-end Sub-station amounting to EIGHT MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THIRTY THOUSAND SEVEN HUNDRED TWENTY ONE AND 86/100, Philippine currency (PhP8,530,721.86), inclusive of the 12% value-added tax, net of adjustments and deductions, subject to further adjustments for any major capital improvements.

12. Said amount is based on the Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) 2008 rolled forward valuation [Annex “J”] pursuant to ERC Resolution No. 01, Series of 2009, as amended.

in existence for 41 years already.

In his complaint, he cited Section 6 of PD 198, which declares that the Act “is the source of authorization and power to form and maintain a local water district. Once formed, a district is subject to the provisions of this Act, and not under the jurisdiction of any political subdivision.”

Mirasol said a copy of SP Resolution 218-2016 was submitted to the anti-graft court as “exhibit No. 1 or the ‘smoking gun’ document, to clearly expose the ignorance of the law, sheer abuse of power and authority by some elected city officials out to grab control of the city’s water supply under questionable and scandalous circumstances.”

‘No defying suspension order’

By Brenda Jocson

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR THE APPROVAL OF THE SALE OF THE MACTAN LOAD-END SUBSTATION OF THE NATIONAL TRANSMISSION CORPORATION (TransCo) TO MACTAN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC. (MECO), AS COVERED BY A CONTRACT TO SELL DATED 23 DECEMBER 2015,

passage of Puerto Princesa City Sangguniang Panlungsod Resolution No. 218-2016 on Oct. 17, 2016, which requested then-city mayor Bayron to establish the “Puerto Princesa City Water System” for and in behalf of its residents, to be managed and operated by the City Government.

Bayron approved the council resolution, which Mirasol declared as a blatant violation of PD 198 or the Local Water Utilities Act, under which the Puerto Princesa City Water District was established in 1976.

Mirasol said the officials had no legal basis to pass a resolution creating a new water system for the city because the Puerto Princesa Water District has been

SANTIAGO CITY, Isabela— OceanaGold Philippines Inc., which runs the Didipio goldcopper mine in Nueva Vizcaya, reiterated Thursday it was not defying any suspension order by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources after the Office of the President allowed it to resume its operations.

David Way, general manager of OceanaGold’s Didipio project, said that after receiving the DENR suspension order, the company filed an appeal directly with the office President Rodrigo Duterte, which stayed the order.

“In accordance with the rules

and regulations, OceanaGold appealed to the President, which stayed the execution of the suspension order, allowing us to continue operating during the appeals process,” Way said.

However, anti-mining groups here claimed that large-scale mining companies like OGPI— among 75 mining firms ordered shut down by Environment Secretary Reginal Lopez last month—have continued their operations despite DENR’s mine closure and suspension orders.

Last week, the Samahang Pang-Karapatan ng Katutubong Magsasaka at Manggagawa or Sapakkmmi and the Alyansa ng Nagkakaisang Novo Vizcayano para sa Inang Kalikasan or Ann-

vik picketed the mine’s entrance at Didipio, claiming OceanaGold flouted Lopez’s suspension order.

Didipio village officials said the groups demanded the company’s compliance. Leon Dulce, campaign coordinator of the Kalikasan People’s Network for the Environment, also claimed the closure and suspension of big mining companies remained in force, “but these notorious offenders are still operating with impunity.”

“These corporations should be penalized for stonewalling against the government’s regulations and prolonging the suffering of affected communities,” Dulce said.

Town hits PAF colonel’s killing ASIPULO, Ifugao—Local government officials here have condemned the killing of retired Philippine Air Force Col. Oscar Ibarra, a bike enthusiast from Bagabag town in Nueva Vizcaya.

Mayor Armando Dumilod said Ibarra’s killing by unknown assailants was “a sad incident that brought shame and indignation” on their peaceful town.

“Even we were hurt by this incident because it is our responsibility, considering that he came to our town just to bike and explore our roads,” Dumilod said.

Ibarra, who was 46, first visited the local Philippine National Police station before going to the remote barangays of Asipulo town to bike its paths.

He was found dead along the road on Feb. 14.

Dumilod said the incident was the first unsolved case in Asipulo since three earlier incidents later claimed by the New People’s Army.

“This is different since no one has claimed responsibility until now. However, we have ordered its further investigation,” he said.

The LGU, Dumilod said, has put up P50,000 as reward for anyone who can give vital information on the killing of the retired colonel. Ben Moses Ebreo

Manila

Republic of the Philippines Standard GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM

TODAY

GSIS Building, Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1308 GSIS ACQUIRED ASSETS FOR DISPOSITION PROVINCE

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Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna Laguna

District/Subdivision

ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso ADELINA COMPLEX III, Calaboso JUANA COMPLEX, Halang JUANA COMPLEX, Halang JUANA COMPLEX, Halang JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco JUANA COMPLEX, San Francisco ADELINA COMPLEX II ADELINA COMPLEX II ADELINA COMPLEX II ADELINA COMPLEX II ADELINA COMPLEX II ADELINA COMPLEX II ADELINA COMPLEX II ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente ROSARIO COMPLEX, San Vicente SAMPAGUITA VILLAGE, Sampaguita

City/Municipality Property Location

TCT/CCT No.

Lot Area/ Floor Area (sqm)

Minimum Acceptable Offer / CMV (₱)

Property Classification

Occupancy Status

Bidding Date

Place of Bidding

Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan Binan San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro San Pedro

T-306023 T-299506 T-306001 T-306009 T-306010 T-306013 T-306014 T-306006 T-306002 T-306020 T-306012 T-306007 T-306016 T-125857 T-126005 T-125297 T-206384 T-206387 T-206395 T-189056 T-192909 T-206398 T-213596 T-213597 T-202104 T-202119 T-200029 T-202107 T-206372 T-213619 T-202101 T-198040 T-198060 T-198032 T-201490 T-195411 T-134065 T-131509 T-134031 T-135550 T-135472 T-142625 137341 T-106460 T-115153 T-106404 T-105393 T-107511 T-115219 T-115170 T-112069 T-115106 T-112099 T-41122

88.00 91.00 88.00 80.00 106.00 98.00 80.00 80.00 80.00 88.00 88.00 75.00 120.00 180.00 294.00 180.00 268.00 302.00 240.00 329.00 306.00 169.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 306.00 160.00 150.00 150.00 150.00 180.00 180.00 159.00 153.00 150.00 188.00 150.00 243.00 151.00 475.00 180.00 208.00 240.00 230.00 224.00 180.00 192.00 192.00 292.00 180.00

511,200.00 438,900.00 415,200.00 362,000.00 539,600.00 569,800.00 378,666.67 378,666.67 378,666.67 486,000.00 411,200.00 450,000.00 605,333.33 1,696,000.00 2,254,000.00 1,307,500.00 1,745,200.00 1,939,000.00 1,585,600.00 2,243,266.67 2,080,200.00 1,188,080.00 995,000.00 1,029,080.00 1,029,080.00 1,072,600.00 1,029,080.00 1,029,080.00 1,082,500.00 1,918,280.00 876,000.00 825,000.00 825,000.00 825,000.00 1,098,000.00 1,098,000.00 1,660,400.00 1,000,800.00 1,428,000.00 1,746,200.00 1,587,500.00 1,588,300.00 1,045,600.00 3,828,500.00 1,611,000.00 1,695,000.00 1,938,000.00 2,155,000.00 2,174,666.67 1,513,000.00 1,571,400.00 1,864,000.00 2,437,000.00 1,416,000.00

House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot House & Lot

Occupied Occupied Occupied Unoccupied Unoccupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Unoccupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Unoccupied Unoccupied Unoccupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied Occupied

02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17 02-May-17

Level 8, Narra Room, GSIS Building, Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City

B002 L017 Ph 3 Sampaguita St. B002 L029 Ph 3 Sampaguita St. B004 L019 Ph 3 Santan St. B005 L012 Ph 3 B013 L020 Ph 3 B016 L002 Ph 3 B017 L010 Ph 3 B018 L011 Ph 3 B018 L014 Ph 3 B019 L008 Ph 3 B019 L014 Ph 3 B021 L025 Ph 3 B021 L047 Ph 3 B005 L018 Ph 1 B006 L014 Ph 1 Agate St. B010 L026 Ph 1 B003 L010 Ph 6 Samuel St. B003 L012 Ph 6 Samuel St. B003 L014 Ph 6 Mark St. B006 L001 Ph 3A B006 L007 Ph 6 B010 L002 Ph 6 Abraham St. B010 L006 Ph 6 Abraham St. B010 L008 Ph 6 Abraham St. B010 L009 Ph 6 Abraham St. B010 L010 Ph 6 Abraham St. B010 L015 Ph 6 Moses St. B010 L019 Ph 6 Moses St. B010 L021 Ph 6 Moses St. B011 L027 Ph 6 Moses St. B011 L034 Ph 3B B011 L036 Ph 3B B011 L038 Ph 3B B011 L039 Ph 3B B013 L019 Ph 3A B014 L029 Ph 3A B003 L009 Ph 2SHT1 Camella St. B003 L016 Ph 2SHT2 Carnation St. B003 L021 Ph 2SHT1 Goldfield St. B004 L002 Ph 2SHT1 Adelina cor. Goldfield St. B004 L020 Ph 2SHT1 Goldfield St. B005 L010 Ph 2A Jasmine cor. Cattleya St. B010 L014 Ph 2SHT1 Dahlia St. B001 L006 Ph 1 Our Lady of Immaculate Concepcion St. B001 L017 Ph 1A Our Lady of Piat St. B003 L019 Ph 1 Our Lady of Manaoag St. B004 L004 Ph 1 Our Lady of Immaculate Concepcion St. B012 L018 Ph 1 Our Lady of Carmel St. B020/4 L004A Ph 1A (48) Our Lady of Candelaria St. B021 L015 Ph 1 Our Lady Of Pillar St. B022 L007 Ph 1 Our Lady of Candelaria St. B024 L008 Ph 1 Our Lady of Grace St. B026 L048 Ph 1 Our Lady of Marian St. B014 L008 Dahlia St.

Level 8, Narra Room, GSIS Building, Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City

13. MECO is the only distribution utility connected to, and utilizing the Mactan Load-end Substation and there are no existing directly connected customers thereto, as shown in the attached Annex “K”.

GENERAL GUIDELINES: 1.

Disposal of GSIS Investment Properties – Retail Units (IP-RUs) is through a competitive public bidding process. Acceptance of Purchase Offer shall start on the scheduled bidding date and time.

14. TransCo and MECO also respectfully submit the Description of the Franchise Area Being Served [Annex “L”] and Draft Deed of Absolute Sale [Annex “M”] as part of the requirements provided in the ERC Guidelines.

2.

Dropping of bid envelopes inside the designated bid box will be on the date of auction from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Opening of Bids will immediately follow.

3.

Disposal of GSIS IP-RUs is on “As-Is Where-Is” basis. Interested bidders are enjoined to personally inspect the GSIS IP-RUs for sale. “As-Is Where-Is” is defined as the present physical condition of the retail unit that GSIS is selling and the buyer is buying, “with all attendant faults, if any,” whether or not immediately apparent and without any express or implied warranty. The buyer takes this condition at his or her own risk, without recourse against the GSIS as to their condition. This includes knowledge by the buyer of the presence of occupants in the retail-unit being purchased.

4.

Strictly, “One bidder, One specific property” only, which means that a bidder cannot submit two (2) or more bids for one property. A bidder may submit one bid each to as many properties as he wants to buy, as long as, he posts a bidder’s deposit for each property in an amount provided below. The bidder must present valid government IDs upon registration on the date of public bidding.

5.

Purchase offer may either be in Cash or through External Financing Institution.

6.

A downloadable bid form shall be properly accomplished with the following data:

15. The proposed sale has satisfied all of the requirements and criteria set by the EPIRA and its IRR, as well as the ERC and TrnsCo Guidelines on the Sale of Sub-transmission Assets.

16. The approval by this Honorable Commission of the instant Joint Application shall pave the way for the attainment of a reformed electricity industry under the EPlRA, which would ultimately best serve the interest of the consuming public.

a. b. c. d. e. f.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is most respectfully prayed of this Honorable Commission that, after due notice and hearing, a DECISION be rendered APPROVING the instant Joint Application pertaining to the sale of TransCo’s Mactan Load-end Substation in favor of Mactan Electric Company, Inc. under the terms provided in the Contract to Sell dated 23 December 2015.

Applicants also pray for other just and equitable reliefs.

The Commission has set the Joint Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on 30 March 2017 (Thursday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.), at MECO’s principal office at Sangi Road, Pajo, Lapu-Iapu, Cebu City.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1)

The petitioner’s name and address;

2)

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

3)

A statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicants rest their case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following:

Name and complete address of the bidder Exact address of property you are interested to bid Transfer Certificate of Title No. Amount of bid (in numbers and in words) 10 % Bidder’s Deposit equivalent to 10% of the total amount of Bid Offer Signature of the bidder/representative

7.

Bid proposal shall be written in words and in figures and shall not be lower than the Minimum Bid Price of the property published in the newspaper or posted in the GSIS website. Should there be a difference in the amount in words and in figures, the amount in words shall prevail.

8.

Bidders’ deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer shall be in the form of MANAGER’S CHECK payable to the Government Service Insurance System

9.

The following shall be inserted in the sealed bid envelope: a. properly accomplished Bid Form (form can be downloaded from www.gsis.gov.ph) b.

Manager’s Check payable to Government Service Insurance System representing deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer c. duly notarized Special Power of Attorney (SPA), if the bidder is an authorized representative d. pre-conditional approval from PBCOM, if applicable

10.

The following information shall be clearly written outside the sealed bid envelope (mailing envelope) (Address of Property you want to bid) Block No. ______ Lot. No. ______ Phase No.____ Name of Subdivision Address of Subdivision TCT NO. _______ Mode: __________ Cash __________ thru External Financing Institution Name of Bidder: Mailing Address:

11.

Interested bidders planning to purchase the GSIS property through External Financing Institution (EFI) shall first secure certification from accredited banks stating that he/she is qualified to avail of a loan from External Financing Institution and insert inside the bid envelope.

12.

The existing tenant or occupant or his duly authorized representative through a valid Special Power of Attorney (SPA) has the right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, provided: a. he/she is present during the bidding b. participated in actual bidding c. presently occupying the property subject of bidding supported by the following proofs of occupancy: c.1 c.2.

Barangay certificate that he/she is occupying or residing in the subject property Any valid government identification document with his/her address similar to the address of the property he/.she is bidding.

1)

The name and address of such person;

2)

A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

13.

If the occupant will exercise his/her right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, he/she need not secure another bank pre-qualification corresponding to the matched offer. Instead, he/she shall pay the equity in cash as stated in Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS). The equity shall be computed as the difference between the Letter of Guarantee from the bank and the offered bid amount.

3)

The grounds relied upon.

14.

The declared highest/winning bidder shall submit within the day of the actual bidding, the following documents: a. duly accomplished Personal Profile/Company Profile/Corporate Profile, whichever is applicable (form can be downloaded from www.gsis.gov.ph); b. photocopies of two valid IDs (one should be a government-issued ID); c.

Articles of Incorporation/Partnership, By-Laws and current General Information Sheet, for corporation/partnership, if applicable; d.

Registration Certificate from SEC for corporation/partnership, DTI for sole proprietorship and CDA for cooperatives, or any proof of such registration, if applicable; e. current Mayor’s permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the winning bidder is located, if applicable.

15.

A Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS) shall be issued to the highest/winning bidder on the day of bidding. In case the bid is thru EFI, the equity shall be paid in cash within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of Letter of Guarantee (LOG) by the GSIS. The equity is the amount corresponding to the difference between the LOG and the Offered Bid Amount.

16.

Upon issuance of the NOAS to the highest/winning bidder, the Bidder’s Deposit of the other non-winning bidder/s shall be returned immediately.

17.

Non-compliance with the terms and conditions stated in the NOAS shall result in the forfeiture of the bidder’s deposit.

18.

In case the highest/winning bidder fails to comply with the requirements within the specified time, the GSIS shall write the second highest bidder to confirm if he/she is still interested to acquire the property. If still interested, GSIS will require him/her to pay the non-refundable deposit equivalent to ten percent (10%) of his/her previously submitted bid amount and will be issued NOAS.

19.

GSIS reserves the right to waive any formality or to reject any or all bids received. The list of properties available for sale may be updated without prior notice.

20.

For inquiries, you may call Real Property Accounts Management Department at telephone nos. 479-3536 or 976-4619.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Joint Application may request from Applicants that they be furnished with the same prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Joint Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Joint Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Chairman JOSE VICENTE B. SALAZAR, and the Honorable Commissioners ALFREDO J. NON, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 17th day of February 2017 in Pasig City.

ATTY. NATHAN J. MARASIGAN Chief of Staff Office of the Chairman and CEO (MS-MAR. 10 & 17, 2017)

(MS-MAR. 9/10/11, 2017)

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Protesters wear red to hit out at Trump NEW YORK―Throngs of demonstrators, mostly women and many wearing red, rallied in New York and Washington on Wednesday to protest against President Donald Trump’s policies toward women on International Women’s Day. In New York, nearly 2,000 people gathered on an unseasonably warm day at the edge of Central Park two blocks from Trump Tower, the Republican president’s longstanding New York home and headquarters of his property company.

Red was everywhere, in a hat, bandana or coat, while others wore the pink “pussy hats” that came to symbolize the giant women’s march on Washington the day after Trump’s January 20 inauguration.

From the podium, Palestinian-American activist Linda Sarsour and a range of other community activists exhorted demonstrators to “keep resisting” and “keep motivated.”

Another New York rally is scheduled Wednesday night.

Arielle Datz, who works in publishing, said she took the day off -- dubbed “Day Without a Woman” -- to take part in the demonstration and described the speeches as “very inspiring.”

“We hope it won’t be four years... but we will keep it up as long as we have to,” she told AFP in reference to Trump’s four-year term.

Many men also were protesting, such as Corey Ford, who closed his small venture capital firm to take to the streets.

“Fifty percent of our team, eight employees, and 50 percent of the CEOs of our companies are women,” he said.

“This is a women’s demo, anti-Trump is part of it but it’s not all of it.”

In Washington, at Lafayette Park across from the White

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Manila

House, many of the several hundred demonstrators carried signs decrying Trump’s order blocking US aid to foreign nonprofits that provide or actively promote abortions.

“Donald Trump has got to go!” and “This is what democracy looks like!” the crowd chanted.

Susanne Lowen, a 55-yearold baker, decried the president’s plan to link foreign aid to a prohibition against disseminating information on birth control as “cruel and immoral.”

Plenty of anger was also directed at other Trump administration policies.

Sheila Collins choked on her words when she tried to explain the many reasons she was protesting, ranging from Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns to controversial statements by cabinet officials like Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.

“Every day I wake up thinking, ‘this can’t be real,’” said the 40-year-old marketing director with a sign that read “Our Bodies, Our Lives, Our Vote.”

“They are doing things to undermine our democracy,” she said.

As the crowd streamed into Lafayette Park, knots of demonstrators broke off and paused to take selfies with the White House as a backdrop.

Police officers clad in black, several on bicycles, discreetly eyed the crowd from a distance.

For demonstrator Tess Thapalia, 20, the main issue was what she described as “reproductive justice.”

“These are our bodies. And we decide what to do with them. For anyone else to say what to do with them is truly shameful,” said Thapalia, a college student from New York. AFP

Spaniards call for end to domestic violence MADRID―Around 40,000 tic violence, marking a 14 protesters took to the streets percent increase compared of Madrid on Wednesday to to the previous year, accordmark International Women’s ing to figures provided by a Day and call for an end to dowatchdog group. mestic violence.

Elsewhere in Europe and Gathered in the central around the world marches square, the protesters carried were held to mark Internaposters reading “Justice” tional Women’s Day, with raland “We are not all here” lies taking place in Istanbul, -- in reference to victims of Ukraine, New York and Bueviolence who have lost their nos Aires. AFP lives.

PSD-13-00034, LRC REC. NO. 1037), REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Municipal offiSITUATED IN CAPITOL DIST. Q.CITY REGIONAL TRIAL COURT cials estimated at NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION M. MLA. BOUNDED ON THE SW, OFFICE OF THE EX-OFFICIO SHERIFF ALONG LINE 1-2 BY LOT 16, BLK. 84 least 40,000 peoOF THE CONS-SUBD. PLAN ALONG QUEZON CITY LINE 2-3 BY LOT 59-C-1-B, PSD-13ple had rallied in 000034; ON THE NW., ALONG LINE 3-4 BY LOT 18, BLK. 8A; ON THE Madrid, and smallSTERLING BANK OF ASIA, INC. NE., ALONG LINES 4 TO 8 BY ROAD (A SAVINGS BANK).

LOT 10A; AND ON THE SE., ALONG er protests were Mortgagee, LINES 8-9-1 BY ROAD LOT 9A, ALL held in Barcelona -versusFRE NO. 11576 OF THE CONS.-SUBD. PLAN XXX CONTAINING AN AREA OF FIVE and other cities.

HUNDRED FIFTY NINE (559) SQ. SPS. ORVILLE M. ROQUE AND VICTORINA JUDY E. ROQUE. METERS. “Gender vioMortgagors.

All sealed bids must be submitted to x-----------------------------------------x lence must end, the undersigned at the aforesaid office NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SALE on the above stated date and time. equality must be OF REAL PROPERTY UNDER Interested parties are hereby ACT 3135 (AS AMENDED) enjoined to investigate for themselves attained and the the title to the said property/ies and UPON extra-judicial petition under the encumbrances thereon, if any ‘glass ceiling’ for ACT 3135, as amended by ACT there be. women in business 4118 and pursuant to the terms and In the event that public auction conditions of the Deed of Real Estate broken,” Marta Mortgage executed on DECEMBER should not take place on said date due to fortuitous event of if the same 21, 2015 by SPS. ORVILLE M. Garcia, a protester ROQUE AND VICTORINA JUDY E. be declared a non-working holiday, it shall be held on APRIL 12, 2017 at the ROQUE -#60 Queensville St., corner at the Madrid rally, Whitefield Ave., White Plains, Quezon same time and place without further told AFP. City/Lot 17 Blk. 8A Nervi cor. Norris, notice.

Quezon City, Metro Manila, March Filinvest 2, Bagong Silang Capitol, But Garcia said Quezon City, Mortgagors in favor of 1, 2017.

STERLING BANK OF ASIA, INC. she was pleased to (Sgd.) EDGAR R. LUCAS (A SAVINGS BANK), Mortgagee, Sheriff IV to satisfy the mortgage debt in the see the number of amount of Php 2,800,970.98 as (Sgd.) GREGORIO C. TALLUD of January 31, 2017 including of men taking part in Clerk of Court VI and interest, and penalties, together with Acting Clerk of Court & Ex-Officio Sheriff the demonstration. all the lawful fees and expenses of foreclosure sale, the Ex-Officio Sheriff Manuela Carof the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City and/or his duly authorized Deputy WARNING: mena, the city’s Sheriff, hereby announces that on It is absolutely prohibited to remove, APRIL 5, 2017 between the hours of deface or destroy this Notice of mayor, released 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Ex-Officio Sheriff’s Sale on or before the date of a video message of the Clerk of Court & Ex-Officio Auction Sale under penalty of the law.

Sheriff, Regional Trial Court, Hall of together with the Justice Bldg., Elliptical Road, Diliman, Copy Furnished: Quezon City, will sell thru public mayor of Barceloauction to the highest bidder for cash, ATTY. JERIC ALVIN F. CRUZ Third Floor, Sterling Bank of Asia in Philippine Currency, the following na Ada Colau, adCorporate Center described real property/ies with all the 8004 Ortigas Avenue, Greenhills vocating to an end improvements existing thereon, to wit: San Juan City 1500 to violence against TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF SPS. ORVILLE M. ROQUE AND TITLE NO. 004-2015015263 VICTORINA JUDY E. ROQUE women.

Registry of Deeds of Quezon City #60 Queensville St., corner, Whitefield Ave., White Plains, Quezon City In the last three A PARCEL OF LAND (LOT 17, BLK. 8A OF THE CONS.-SUBD. PLAN Lot 17 Blk. 8A Nervi cor. Norris, months of 2016 PCS-13-000132, BEING A PORTION Filinvest 2, Bagong Silang, Capitol, there were 38,402 OF THE CONS. OF LOT 59-C-2-D-2 Quezon City (LRC) PSD-78381 & LOT 59-C-1-A, (MS-March 10, 17 & 24, 2017) reports of domes-

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

C3

Women demand end to sexual harassment B UENOS AIRES―Thousands of women across Latin America took to the streets Wednesday to demand an end to sexual harassment and violence, in a region where crime against women is rife and often steeped in traditional culture.

“March 8: If you stop a woman, you stop the world,” said a banner over a rally in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, that attracted tens of thousands of protesters marking International Women’s Day. The gathering extended 1.5 kilometers along 18 de Julio Avenue, with demonstrators calling for an end to violence against women and equal rights.

“Sorry to bother, but we’re being killed,” said one handwritten message on a cardboard placard.

Argentina has had a woman president yet “machismo” is prevalent in many areas of society.

Every 30 hours, a woman in

Argentina is killed by her male partner or ex-partner.

“Enough already! We want each other ALIVE,” read signs in purple lettering waved by the thousands who jammed the Plaza de Mayo in front of Argentina’s presidential palace.

Purple is the symbol of the movement against gender-based violence. Demonstrators largely were decked out in black to signify mourning.

Violence against women is part of long-held traditions in many of South America’s Andean nations, with mixed Spanish-indigenous cultures.

But it is also pervasive in countries such as Argentina and Uru-

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO - Presiding Officer SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA MARIE ALETHEA SJ. CASAL-UY GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR. DIVINA A. JACOME ROMEO C. MEDINA MA. ARLENE M. ORTEGA NELSON S. PASIA MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

guay where most people are of Italian descent.

Even in better-off cities across the region, women who go to police stations bruised and battered to report domestic violence are told to go home and make up.

Grimmer still: half of the 25 countries with the largest number of women killed are in Latin America, according to UN Women, a body that supports gender equality and the empowerment of women.

In Mexico’s capital, thousands of women filled the vast Paseo de la Reforma.

“We don’t want flowers. We want rights!” they chanted, as well as, “Being a woman should not be a risk factor.”

Mexican women say they are constantly beset by unwanted sexual talk on the streets, and often groped by strangers.

The region’s only current woman president, Chile’s Michele Bachelet, said on Twitter that “we

renew our commitment to more rights, opportunities and an end to violence.”

In Brazil, President Michel Temer sparked a media firestorm on International Women’s Day, musing publicly that women are really good at food shopping, price tracking and budgeting.

After jaws dropped, the conservative, who is 76 and was accompanied by his wife Marcela, 33, backtracked and changed course.

Temer then said that if children grew up successfully, it was because they were raised right, at home.

“And certainly, that isn’t done by the man. It’s the woman,” Temer added.

On Twitter, some could barely believe their leader.

“Somebody tell Temer that we are in the 21st century now,” one quipped of the man who took the place of Brazil’s first woman president, Dilma Rousseff, when she was impeached. AFP

RESERVE YOURADemailSPACE NOW! us at advertise@ thestandard.com.ph or call us at 832-5547

Notice of Publication Notice is hereby given that an “Affidavit of Self-Adjudication” has been executed by Sheila Marie P. Suarez as sole heir of the late Rogelio A. Suarez and Teresita P. Suarez under Doc No. 340; Page No. L8; Book No. 3; Series of 2017 executed before Atty. Agustin B. Cabredo, Notary Public for Manila.

(MS-FEB. 24/MAR 3 & 10, 2017)

ABSENT: Councilor FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO “ LUIS S. JAVIER JR. “ LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY “ ENRICO J. PUNO ========================================================================= On motion presented by Hon. N.S. Pasia, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2017-024 on second and final reading.

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2017-024 Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. D.A. Jacome, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. N.S. Yabut, Jr., Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr. and Hon. E.D.E. Villamor Co Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino and Hon. A.P. Padilla A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY, TO NEGOTIATE, ENTER INTO AND SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT (MOA), ON BEHALF OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, WITH UNIVERSITY OF MAKATI (UMAK) – COLLEGE OF ALLIED HEALTH STUDIES, WHICH IS UNDER THE PHILIPPINE HEALTHCARE EDUCATORS INC., REGARDING THE AFFILIATION AND TRAINING OF ITS PHARMACY STUDENTS IN OSMAK PHARMACY, SUBJECT TO EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS. WHEREAS, the College of Pharmacy of UMAK – College of Allied Health Studies, which is under the Philippine Health Care Educators Inc., a duly recognized private institution by the Commission of Higher Education (CHED), gives importance to the learning and career experience that will prepare student trainees for a career in hospital pharmacy; WHEREAS, the ultimate goal of future pharmacists is to engage in the profession of preparing, preserving, compounding and dispensing medical drugs and such goal can be attained only when pharmacy students have undergone actual training and allow them to experience what takes place in different areas of a hospital pharmacy; WHEREAS, significant part of the medical training of pharmacy students prepares them to enter the medical field armed with the knowledge they need in order to excel in their chosen field;

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION JUDICIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 67 MARIKINA CITY AMALIA NAVARRO,

New Hall of justice building Marikina City on May 25, 2017 at 8:30 am Morning at which Place and Date and Hour aforesaid, all interested person are hereby cited to appear and show cause, if any they have, why said petition should not be granted.

SUMAYAO

Let this Order be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a news paper of general circulation, to be determined in a raffle in accordance with the Provision of the Rules of Court.

Petitioners/s

-VersusCivil Case SP. PROC. 2017-1034-mk for: judidal Recognition and/ or Enforcement of a Foreign Judgement and/ or cancellation of entry in the Civil Registry AMALIA SUMAYAO NAVARRO, and/ or Civil Registrar General and Philippine Statistics Authority and/ or Marikina City Civil Registrar, Respondent/s. x--------------------------------x

Further Serve copies of this order together with the copy of the petition and its annexes upon the office of the Solicitation General.

The Local Civil Registrar of Marikina City, The Office of the City Prosecutor’s of Marikina City, The National Statistics Office at the expenses of the petitioner with five(5) days upon receipt of the order. Failure to do so will be a Ground for dismissal of petition.

ORDER This is a “Petition for Judicial Recognition and/ or Enforcement of a foreign Judgment and/ or cancellation of entry in the Civil Registry”, Finding the said petition sufficient in form and substance, Notice is hereby given that the said petition will be heard by this Court sitting at the Third Floor,

Furnish the petitioner and her counsel and the respondent copies of this order.

SO ORDERED. Marikina City, This 6th day February 2017 Acerey C. Pacheco Judge (MS-MAR. 3,10 & 17, 2017)

WHEREAS, OSMAK, in return, expressed its intent to accommodate the pharmacy students of UMAK – College of Allied Health Studies under the Philippine HealthCare Educators Inc. in its facilities for their training; WHEREAS, both parties agree on the fact that learning and training will prepare student trainees for a career in pharmacy and that the presence of students in the pharmacy will improve further the efficient delivery of health services to the patients; WHEREAS, a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the City Government of Makati and UMAK – College of Allied Health Studies is necessary in order to implement and guide further the parties in achieving the abovementioned purpose; WHEREAS, Art. III, Sec. 8 (a) (6), RA 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati states that: “(T)he city mayor, as the chief executive of the city government, shall represent the City in all its business transactions and signs on its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the sanggunian panlungsod;” WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, in consideration of the necessity of allowing the pharmacy students of UMAK – College of Allied Health Studies, to use the facilities of OSMAK in their training, hereby authorizes Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay, pursuant to the abovementioned provision of R.A. 7854, to negotiate, enter into and sign such Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with UMAK – College of Allied Health Studies.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay, to negotiate, enter into and sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with University of Makati (UMAK) – College of Allied Health Studies, which is under the Philippine HealthCare Educators Inc., regarding the affiliation and training of its pharmacy students in OSMAK pharmacy, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.

Let copy of this Resolution be furnished the University of Makati (UMAK) – College of Allied Health Studies, Ospital ng Makati, City Law Department and other concerned offices for their information, guidance and reference.

This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its approval.

APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 8 March 2017.

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. PASIA P

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

MARKETS AND SECURITIES REGULATION DEPARTMENT IN THE MATTER OF THE CEBU LANDMASTERS, INC. (Registrant) x --------------------------------------- x

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

SICK LEAVE HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

Notice is hereby given that on 20 February 2017, a sworn Registration Statement (“RS”) has been filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “Commission”) on behalf of CEBU LANDMASTERS, INC. (the “Company”) for the registration of One Billion Seven Hundred Fourteen Million (1,714,000,000) common shares with par value of One Peso (PhP1.00) per share broken down as follows: Primary Offering (To be offered and sold by way of Initial Public Offering , unissued shares)

430,000,000 common shares

At an initial public offering price of up to PhP6.56 per share

Secondary Offering (To be offered and sold by way of Initial Public Offering, issued shares)

75,000,000 common shares

At an initial public offering price of up to PhP6.56 per share

Over-allotment Option (To be offered and sold pursuant to the Over- allot Option, issued shares)

75,000,000 common shares

At an initial public offering price of up to PhP6.56 per share

Issued and Outstanding Shares (Not included in the Offer and the Overallotment Option)

1,134,000,00 common shares

With par value of One Peso (PhP1.00) per share

Total

1,714,000,000

According to the documents presented on 20 February 2017, the following persons are the directors and/or executive officers of the Company: NAME Jose R. Soberano III Ma. Rosario B. Soberano Jose P. Soberano, Jr. Jose Franco B. Soberano Joanna Marie B.Soberano Janella Mae B. Soberano Rufino Luis T. Manotok Ma. Aurora D. Geotina-Garcia Jesus N. Alcordio Stephen A. Tan

Connie N. Guieb Macario P. Balali Dennis R.H. Alcarez Sylvan John M. Monzon

Certified true and correct by:

Attested by:

Pedrito A. Capistrano Jr. Marie Rose C. Yulo

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

REGISTRATION OF SECURITIES Initial Public Offering NOTICE

Larri-Nil G. Veloso

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

: : : :

POSITION Chairman of the Board, Chief Executive Offer, and President Director, Treasurer and Executive Vice-President Director and Corporate Secretary Director, Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice President Director, Vice President and Marketing Director Director Independent Director Independent Director Independent Director Chief Finance Officer, Assistant Treasurer and Investor Relations Officer Assistant Vice-President of Legal, Documentation, Permits & Licenses; Assistant Corporate Secretary and Compliance Officer Assistant Vice-President for Engineering Assistant Vice-President for Finance and Accounting, and Financial Comptroller Assistant Vice-President for Sales Assistant Vice-President for Human Resources and Administration Head of Business Development for Horizontal Projects Head of Business Development for Vertical Projects

The Registration Statement, its attachments and any amendments therein (collectively referred to as “RS”) are open for inspection by interested parties during business hours. Copies thereof, photostatic or otherwise, shall be furnished to every party upon request at such reasonable fees as the Commission may prescribe. Said RS and its updated version may be downloaded from the company’s website: https://www.cebulandmasters.com/

VICENTE GRACIANO P. FELIZMENIO, JR. Director

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer (MS-MAR. 10, 2017)

(MS-MAR. 3 & 10, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

C4

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

Samsung heir denies charges at hearing SEOUL―The heir to the Samsung business empire denies all charges in connection with a wideranging corruption scandal, his lawyers told a preliminary hearing Thursday.

Lee Jae-Yong, 48, was not present at Seoul Central District court for the hearing, which comes as his giant company -- the world’s biggest smartphone maker -struggles to recover from a recall scandal.

Lee, the vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics, is being held in custody on accusations of bribery, corruption, perjury and other offenses stemming from a scandal that has seen President Park GeunHye impeached. Four other Samsung executives have also been charged.

“Everyone denies all the charges,” a defense lawyer told the court at the hearing, which lasted little more than an hour.

The prosecutors’ formal indictment was sketchy, with some of the accusations lacking clear evidence and only circumstantial, the defense said.

The accused allegedly paid nearly $40 million in bribes to Park’s close friend Choi Soon-Sil to secure policy favors.

The courtroom was about 80 percent full, with dozens of reporters, students and a handful of middle-aged and elderly citizens.

When one of Lee’s attorneys finished reading his statement, an elderly lady abruptly stood up from her seat and shouted: “Can a member of the public ask a question?”

Her request was rejected by the judge, and she was removed by security when she persisted.

Lee has effectively been at the helm of Samsung since his father suffered a heart attack in 2014.

One of the favors which Lee allegedly sought from Park was state approval for a controversial merger in 2015 of two Samsung units seen as a key step to ensure a smooth transfer of power to him.

The deal was opposed by many shareholders who said it had willfully undervalued the shares of one of the two firms. But it eventually went through after the national pension fund -- a major Samsung shareholder -- approved it.

The corruption scandal centers on Choi, who is accused of using her close ties with the president to force local firms to “donate” nearly $70 million to non-profit foundations, which Choi allegedly used for personal gain. AFP

AGAINST TRUMP. Women wearing Statue of Liberty costumes protest US President Donald Trump’s immigration policies in Sydney’s Martin Place on March 9, 2017. AFP

Fleeing migrants stuck between Trump, gangs M EXICO CITY―When a gang threatened to kill Rocio, her husband and their two small children, they fled their native Honduras, hoping for asylum in the United States.

Now they are stuck in Mexico, too scared to risk being deported from the United States under President Donald Trump’s crackdown on migrants.

The family fled to Mexico last June and was anxious to move on, fearing the Honduran gang would track them down.

“We changed our minds because of that president, the way he is deporting people,” she said of Trump, who has vowed stepped up deportation procedures against undocumented immigrants.

Now the 25-year-old woman and her family live in a charity shelter in Mexico. She asked to be identified just as Rocio, without her last name, for fear of reprisals.

She has applied three times for refugee status, which would protect her from deportation and allow her access to health care and education.

But the courts have so far denied it to her family for lack of evidence.

Deadly gang violence in Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala is driving hundreds of thousands of desperate migrants to flee north.

Officials say nearly 9,000 people applied for refugee status in Mexico last year and the figure may double this year.

“The radicalization of certain measures by the new US government makes us expect the number of applications will increase,”

Mexico’s deputy migration minister Humberto Roque Villanueva told AFP. Carlos, a 43-year-old farmer from El Salvador, also risks deportation after failing to get refugee status.

He lives in an overcrowded shelter in Mexico City where airplanes flying nearby make a deafening noise.

“We would all prefer to go to the United States, but now everyone is staying here” in Mexico, says Carlos, 43.

“Trump says he is not going to deport everyone, just the bad people, but that’s not certain. If they grab one person in a place, they’ll grab everyone there.”

Carlos would much rather be back home on his peaceful farm growing sesame and corn, but it is too dangerous.

After members of one gang ordered him to feed them, he became a reluctant enemy of their rivals, the notoriously violent Salvatrucha gang.

“I was greatly afraid all the time,” he said. “Mexico may be dangerous, but at least here you can go out for a walk and make friends.”

Mexico’s President Enrique Pena Nieto last year promised to speed up the refugee applications process.

But immigration authorities still only have about 50 staffers assigned to handling all the cases. Of those, 29 are paid by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

Mexican officials “don’t give residency papers to people who really need them; but they do give them to people who chose to leave home and come here,” Rocio complained, clenching her fists.

Authorities say more than 400,000 people cross into Mexico via its southern border each year.

“Applications keep increasing,” says senior UNHCR official Jose Francisco Sieber.

“Innovative solutions are needed to allow applications to be processed fairly.” AFP

Hawaii first US state to contest Trump ban

PROTEST IN PARIS. Members of the feminist activist group Femen pose on March 5, 2017 in Paris.

Lower row from left are Fleur Kovacevic, Lola Vernot, Sophia Antoine, Nora Benomar and Sarah Constantin.

Upper row from left are Mathilde Froon, Julia Naccache, Constance LefËvre, Inna Shevchenko, Tara Lacroix, Arielle LÈva and Anne-Lise Leonio-Niclou. AFP

WASHINGTON―Hawaii has become the first US state to file a suit against President Donald Trump’s amended travel order banning the entry of people from six mainly Muslim countries and suspending refugee resettlement.

The state’s attorney general argued late Wednesday that while the new order features changes to address the complaints raised by the courts that blocked the first travel ban, the new order is pretty much the same as the first one.

The far-flung Pacific state is seeking a nationwide restraining order blocking the implementation of the order Trump signed on Monday.

The new order suspends refugee admissions for 120 days and halts the granting of new visas for travelers from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen and Sudan. It explicitly exempts Iraqis, who were on the first list, and legal permanent residents and valid visa holders.

“Nothing of substance has changed: There is the same blanket ban on entry from Muslimmajority countries (minus one),” state attorney general Doug Chin said in a statement.

“The courts did not tolerate the Administration’s last attempt to

hoodwink the judiciary, and they should not countenance this one,” Chin wrote.

Trump’s first order sparked a legal, political and logistical furor.

There was chaos at major airports and mass protests while several district courts moved to block its implementation and lawmakers expressed opposition.

The troubled rollout also dominated the first weeks of the new administration, leaving many with the impression that it was badly planned and badly implemented.

Polls show American public opinion is deeply divided on the issue. Most indicate a slight majority of voters opposed, with strong support among Trump’s political base.

The Republican president criticized a court order suspending the ban as “a very bad decision, very bad for the safety and security of our country. The rollout was perfect.”

But he has now stepped away from a promise to challenge the matter in the courts. The second order repeals the first, spelling the end of any pending legal proceedings. AFP

New film revives the iconic King Kong LOS ANGELES―Eight decades since furry wrecking machine King Kong first stomped into theaters, the giant ape with a predilection for bottle-blonde damsels in distress makes his cinematic comeback this weekend.

“Kong: Skull Island” is expected to be a huge worldwide hit, leveraging a global fan base built up through a series of sequels, reboots and spin-offs that has turned the character into a cinematic icon.

“Going back to the classic 1933 ‘King Kong’ starring Fay Wray, this beauty and the beast tale has held a particular fascination for audiences and has continued to inspire filmmakers over the decades,” Paul Dergarabedian, of media analytics firm comScore, told AFP. “Though superheroes seem to rule the earth, monster movies will always have a place in the hearts of audiences, and this latest version should benefit from that interest.”

Directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, a newcomer to big studio properties, the latest Kong monster mash features a stratospherically famous cast led by Samuel L Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and a svelte John Goodman.

Set in 1973, with US involvement in the Vietnam War ending, explorer Bill Randa (Goodman) persuades a senator to let him gather a team to explore the seismology of a mysterious Pacific island isolated by storms.

“Jurassic World” meets “Apocalypse Now” as Randa’s military escort -- a motley band of brothers led by the brooding Lt Colonel Preston Packard (Jackson) -- give the big guy and an array of other scary monsters plenty to chew on.

Along for the ride is Captain James Conrad, an SAS tracker turned mercenary (Hiddleston), and plucky anti-war photojournalist Mason Weaver -- Brie Larson in her first role since her Oscarwinning performance in “Room.”

The comic relief is provided by John C. Reilly’s deliciously impish portrayal of half-crazed World War II pilot Hank Marlow, who has been marooned on the island for 29 years.

Kong, meanwhile, shares his home with vicious lizard-like creatures that have been skulking in a primordial hollow beneath the island, occasionally surfacing to wreak murderous havoc among a small community of human natives. AFP

From left: ILC marketing communications manager Marco Cruz, marketing manager Valeri Villano, and customer service manager Cess Gonzales

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

SHOPPING

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

D1

half a decade in the business

“O

UR brand is strong.

Our reputation is strong.”

This was the celebratory pronouncement of Ricky Delgado, Jr., chairman of the executive committee, as he summed up the last five years of Isla LPG Inc. (ILC), the company behind leading LPG brand Solane, when it recently celebrated its fifth year as the country’s leading liquefied petroleum gas solutions company.

“Solane has only been running for five years but we’ve already done so much. This company is respected for what it does well, and I think that if you look at how far we have come, it’s really because of the same strategy we have kept from the start—reliable, safe, and we take what we say seriously,” said Delgado.

Taking part in the momentous occasion were top executives led by Ruben Domingo, ILC chief executive officer (CEO), Shoichi Watanabe, Isla Petroleum and Gas (IPG) CEO, Willie Sarmiento, IPG chief finance officer, and Tonito Gonzalez, ILC general manager for sales. Also present were Bobby Kanapi, IPG board member, and executives of ITOCHU—one of

THE Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines (CFIP) together with the Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation (CFIF) and Pampanga Furniture Industries Foundation (PFIF) join efforts once again in launching the 6th Philippines International Furniture Show 2017. It is at the SMX Convention Center, SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City until tomorrow.

PIFS 2017 is going to be part of a mega showcase that will see the first ever consolidation of the design and construction industries under one roof.

Interior & Design Manila (a curated trade show by the Philippine Institute of Interior Designers), Philippine Finishing and Furnishings Expo (an interior and fit-out construction trade event by no less than the creators of PHILCONSTRUCT), and Philippine Ventilating and Air-conditioning Expo (a showcase that will focus on air cooling technologies for home, office, and commercial establishments) will join PIFS. This combination makes this year’s event the primary destination for all construction, design, and fit-out needs.

“In 2016, PIFS pushed the standard even higher, attracting thousands of buyers internationally and locally, confirming PIFS as one of the key events in the cycle of furniture and craft fairs in the entire Southeast Asia,” said PIFS overall event chairman Eduardo Zuluaga.

Last year, PIFS recorded over 7,000 trade visitors, with more than 500 foreign trade buyers representing 73 countries. The top foreign countries represented at last year’s show were, by rank: United States of America, Japan, China, Australia, Singapore, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Netherlands, Italy and United Kingdom, which indicates that PIFS is globally recognized for its top quality furniture and furnishings.

“We are excited to also bring in international designers who will showcase locally made furniture from various exhibitors,” said Christina Gaston, CFIF event chair for PIFS. “Nelson Sepulveda, designer for Ay Illuminate, a Netherlandsbased producer of lighting products, will be doing a special design setting inside the exhibition halls; Shigeki Fukuda, a Japanese designer and owner of Latitude Ltd., will be doing lobby setting highlighting up-and-coming designers and their furniture pieces.”

This year’s participants include Azcor Lighting Systems Inc., Betis Crafts Inc., Calfurn Manufacturing Phils., Inc., Cancio Contract Furniture, Cebu Fil Veneer Corporation, Coast Pacific Mfg. Corp., Contemporaneo Design Enterprise, Country Accents Inc., Designs Ligna, Inc., E. Murio Inc., Feliix, Inc., Filipino Creazione De Mano, Inc., Furniture Doctor Trading, Hacienda Crafts Company, Inc., Hein Chrispijn Metamorfose Phils. Inc., Industria Home Vico Manufacturing Corporation, JB Woodcraft, Inc., Las Palmas Furniture Inc., Leather Italia Ph Inc.,

ISLA Petroleum and Gas chairman of the executive committee Ricky Delgado, Jr. and chairman Ricky Delgado, Sr. celebrate the fifth anniversary of ILC, the company behind the Solane

the company’s shareholders—including Yuji Fukuda, ITOCHU senior managing executive officer, and Keisuke Oba, ITOCHU Manila general manager Awards were also given to the employees who have been part of this mile-

IPG CFO Willie Sarmiento and ILC general manager for sales Tonito Gonzalez

stone. The Team ACE Awards were given to the Bulk and Commercial Team consisting of Marvin Castor, Kaiza Yu, Miguel Estrada, Raph Carbonell, John Cort, Rey Enriquez and headed

by Elma Revillame for exceeding the

ILC CEO Ruben Domingo and IPG CEO Shoichi Watanabe

sales target compared to the previous year. The Account Manager of the Year was awarded to Haidee Alverne of the VisMin Team. Further, the Eagle Awards were given to Gigi Indangan, third place, Regie Reyes, second place,

and Ricky Estolas, Jr., first place, for their outstanding performances as ILC operations staff.

To know more about Solane, visit www.solane.com.ph and www.facebook.com/solane.ph.

International furniture show at SMX International designers, such as Nelson Sepulveda (inset), will showcase locally made furniture from various exhibitors.

The Chamber of Furniture Industries of the Philippines, Cebu Furniture Industries Foundation, and Pampanga Furniture Industries Foundation join forces to launch the 6th Philippine International Furniture Show

Lenbert Manufacturing Inc., Lig Investment Co., Ltd., Liza Tazewell Designs, Mehitabel Inc., Multi Flex Rnc Philippines Inc. (Uratex Philippines), Natural Craft Connection Enterprise, Natures Legacy Eximport, Inc., Nexus R Asia Inc., Obra Cebuana, Inc., P&B Valises

Et Compagnie Inc., Pacific Traders & Manufacturing Corporation, Philiana Design, PJR Furniture Design Studio, Porcelaines Jacques Pergay, Samatta Enterprise, South Sea Veneer Corporation, Stonesets International, Tagum Agricultural Development Co., Inc.,

Vito Selma, YKK Philippines Incorporated, and Zentiments Handicrafts.

Aside from the three chambers, other organizations involved in putting together the events in March are the Philippine Constructors Association (PCA), Philippine Institute of Interior Design-

ers (PIID), and the Philippine Society of Ventilating, Air-conditioning, and Refrigerating Engineers (PSVARE).

For more information about the show, visit its website and pre-register at www. pifs.ph and follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @PIFS_Manila.

Life

D2

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

The new standard in clean

ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY. German home appliances brand Miele introduces its W1 washing machine and T1 tumble dryer that have added features and the highest energy efficiency rating available in the market.

M

IELE, a premium kitchen and home appliances from Germany, recently unveiled its latest range of laundry appliances – the W1 washing machines and T1 tumble dryers. Touting a multitude of added features and advanced technology, unprecedented standards in cleaning performance, as well as the highest energy efficiency rating available in the market of A+++, Miele is set to revolutionize laundry care as we know it.

W1 has the world's first built-in dosing system of detergents for colored and white garments

Since its founding in 1899, Miele has always adhered to the company philosophy of “Immer Besser,” which means “Forever Better,” a promise that is reflected in the legendary quality and longevity of the company’s products. This represents Miele’s continuous contribution to improving the quality of life.

Five years of research and development and millions of Euros have been invested in the making of the new generation of Miele laundry appliances. All parts of the washing machines and tumble dryers have been redesigned, tried and tested over and over again to ensure that they are durable enough to last for 20 years.

Miele W1 Washing Machine

The CapDosing, capsule dispensing system, feature caters to special and delicate fabrics

T1 tumble dryer has a SteamFinish feature that reduces the need for ironing

A new era has been launched in the history of laundry care. With the new W1 generation of washing machines, laundry is washed cleaner, more conveniently and textile-specific than ever before.

Three of world’s firsts in laundry innovation are responsible for this revolutionary and new standard in clean: 1) TwinDos 2) CapDosing and 3) PowerWash System.

TwinDos is the world’s first built-in dosing system of detergents for both colored and white garments. No other liquid detergent system washes whites as well as colored garments as thoroughly as this two-phase system. TwinDos operates in two stages: The first detergent (Miele UltraPhase 1) removes soiling caused by grease and protein before the second detergent (Miele UltraPhase 2), which has a higher cleaning power, sets to work on stubborn stains such as those caused by red wine and coffee. Depending on the type of fabric and the amount of load size that you put in the washing machine, both detergents are automatically dispensed at precisely the right time and at the correct ratio. Thanks to this automatic dispensing system system—

available exclusively from Miele—one can avoid overdosing or underdosing, resulting in detergent savings of up to 30 percent while still maintaining outstanding cleaning results.

CapDosing is another exclusive Miele feature that caters to special and delicate fabrics. For instance, woolen items are protected against shrinkage and felting (himulmol in Filipino), breathable sportswear are cleaned and unpleasant odors are neutralized and outdoor wear such as parka/jackets’ water repellant characteristics are retained while being cleaned. This capsule dispensing system facilitates the precise use of conveniently portioned fabric detergents, additives or fabric conditioner.

At the heart and soul of the new PowerWash system is a second pump in the form of a circulation pump. In combination with a special drum rhythm and rotational speed, detergent penetrates the load deeper and faster.

Sixteen years ago, Miele had set new standards with its patented honeycomb drum design ̶ a feature that remains unparalleled to this day. Small perforations in the honeycomb sculptured surface allow a thin film of water to be created between the drum and the laundry. This results in the laundry gliding gently inside, thereby protecting the garments’ fibers perfectly.

The new generation of T1 tumble dryers harmonizes perfectly with the W1 washing machines and ensures precise drying through Miele’s tried-and-tested PerfectDry system—even if the water contains significant amounts of calcium.

This is by no means the norm on tumble dryers. The calcium content in the water influences residual moisture sensing, and in turn, has an impact on drying results.

This patented PerfectDry function takes the current calcium content of the water into account and adjusts the program ac-

Miele W1T1 brand ambassador Grace Barbers Baja

cordingly. This ensures that the laundry is neither too dry nor too wet. The selected drying stage is always achieved.

Another unique program of the new T1 tumble dryer is the SteamFinish feature that reduces the need for ironing and depending on the type of fabric, may even dispense the need for ironing altogether.

Water from the condensate container is sprayed in the machine and heated up to create steam. This serves to remove wrinkles and to gently flatten the fabric. This is especially useful when you have clean but wrinkled clothing, say when you come back from travel and have some unused clothing which got wrinkled inside the suitcase. Just pop it into the dryer, choose the SteamFinish program and it’ll be ready in no time.

Miele Domestic Appliances are exclusively distributed in the Philippines

by Focus Global Inc. Showrooms are located at the Ground Floor of The Residences at Greenbelt, San Lorenzo Tower, Esperanza Street, Makati City, (02) 794-2095; Twenty-four Seven McKinley, 24th Street corner 7th Avenue, McKinley Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, (02) 705-9999; Pioneer corner Reliance Streets, Mandaluyong City, (02) 634-8587; and The Design Center of Cebu, P. Remedios corner A.S. Fortuna Streets, Mandaue City, Cebu, (032) 2387605. For more information, visit www. focusglobalinc.com

Be a master in the kitchen

with MasterChef knives limited edition HOW does one become a MasterChef?

The right set of tools will definitely help.

Rustan’s Supermarket continues to offer quality products with its release of MasterChef Knives. The hit reality TV cooking program featuring competing home cooks has developed a range of kitchen knives to help anyone level up their cooking skills.

Ask any chef and they’ll say their knives are some of their most prized possessions.

A good, sharp knife makes prep work so much easier and safer. Quicker and less forceful strokes mean less damage to the food and to your fingers. Plus, it makes prep work more of a pleasure than a chore.

The MasterChef range contains eight knives of high-quality materials and expert design that come with a five-year warranty. The stainless steel knives have passed food grade requirements of four countries: Germany, France, USA and Italy. The range contains the basics that every aspiring chef should own: a cleaver for heavy duty tasks; steak knives for easy meat cutting; a small and large Santoku knife for slicing, dicing and mincing; an all-around cook’s knife; multi-functioning utility knife; and a sharpening steel.

Take the first step to becoming a good chef, and stock up on quality knives from MasterChef and Rustan’s Supermarket.

Rustan’s Supermarkets are located at Makati Area: Glorietta, Greenbelt 1, Paseo de Magallanes, Alphaland Makati Place, Paseo Center, Century City Mall, and San Antonio Plaza. North Area: Shangri-La Plaza, Gateway Mall, Katipunan, Tomas Morato, P.Guevarra, Corinthian Hills, Village Center Antipolo, and The Grove by Rockwell. South Area: Ayala Alabang Village, Evia Lifestyle Center, Uptown Mall BGC. Cebu: Oakridge Business Park, Ayala Center, and Arcenas Estate CDO: Ayala Centrio Mall. Also, visit Marketplace by Rustan’s at Rockwell Power Plant Mall and Central Square Bonifacio High Street.

For more info, visit www.rustansfresh.com.

The MasterChef range of knives is composed of a cleaver, steak knives, small and large Santoku knives, an all around cook's knife, multifunctioning utility knife, and a sharpening steel

Be the MasterChef in your kitchen with the help of right tools

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

PEOPLE ...are talking about

The wacky and talented cast members of "Sabagay Life," (from left) Dino Pastrano, Pocholo Barretto, Kat Argao, Brian Sy, Joyce Pring and Gabby Padilla.

DIGITAL MEDIA

‘Barkada’ series takes millennial friendship to new, hilarious levels

W

ITH over five million minutes in watch time and over one million cumulative videos views for all its six episodes, D5STUDIO scores another hit with Sabagay Life, a web series that takes its inspiration from US sitcoms like the hugely popular Friends and How I Met Your Mother.

Sabagay Life focuses on the lives of six twentysomething individuals at the crossroads of their lives. The six friends namely Jinno (played by Brian Sy), Jackie (Joyce Pring), Bryan (Dino Pastrano), Timi (Gabby Padilla), Gail (Pocholo Barretto) and Din (Kat Aragao) are at the tail-end of their college years and are in the process of figuring out what the real world has in store for them.

“When you’re in your 20s, somehow you’re lost. You’re looking for your passion and everyone goes through that phase,” director Joel Ferrer said in explaining the

premise of Sabagay Life.

Even as each of these millennials has their own individual thing going on, they still spend a lot of time with each other allowing their diverse personalities to clash with the often hilarious circumstances that they find themselves in.

As introduced by the actors themselves, viewers, especially those in the 20s should be able to relate to at least one or two.

There’s Jinno, the torpe, hopeless romantic type who thinks that everything is set for him; his love interest, Jackie, is opinionated, artsy, out there type whose strong sense of adventure often gets her into trouble; Bryan is supposedly the tough, Alpha-male type who is really a softie inside; his live-in girlfriend, Timi, is the ultimate drama queen and it’s not just because she acts for a living.

Meanwhile, Gail is the barkada’s resident jerk who often makes others uncomfortable with one unpleasant stunt after another. And Din is the grumpy, cranky bookworm type who almost always needs to study.

Although a good part of the show is focused on how or when Jinno will finally muster the courage to reveal his feelings for Jackie, whom he has been carrying a torch for years, the series also shows how the situations of the other members of their barkada affects their everyday relationship.

Case in point is the episode where Bryan and Timi decide to break up and enlists the others’ help in dividing and sorting their belongings. Or, the time when Din has to review for her final exams only to be horrified by a sudden brownout.

Like Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) in Friends, Jinno and Jackie often find themselves in the center of such circumstances that may or may not bring them closer together.

Ferrer, who directed the acclaimed indie film, Baka Siguro Yata and D5Studio’s hit show, Forever Sucks, brings his trademark screwball humor to Sabagay Life. This D5STUDIO original online series premiered in December and has attracted a solid following as its millennial fans are already looking forward to a second season.

But while waiting for the next adventures and misadventures of Jinno, Jackie, Bryan, Timi, Gail and Din, fans can relive the first season of Sabagay Life anytime on D5Studio (YouTube: www.youtube.com/d5studio).

Also included is a special video of the cast playing a game of “Wagi or Sawi” and a behind the scenes interview with Ferrer and the cast members as they talk about the series and their respective roles.

Also available on http://www.d5.studio/ originals/shows/sabagay-life

‘Art 2 Art’ celebrates Women’s Month ART 2 Art celebrates Women’s Month this March with all-female guests as interviewed by host Lisa Macuja.

On March 12, Dolly de Leon and Jasmine Ong talk about the social enterprise Ladies Who Launch that they formed with three other women – Zena Bernardo, Jozy Acosta Nisperos, and Judith Albano. Just three months after establishing their group, they launched their first theater production – Never Again: Voices of Martial Law, composed of nine short plays.

On March 19, self-employed creative entrepreneur Abbey Sy relates how she honed her hand-lettering skills to eventually develop her own products and books, including The ABCs of Journaling, The ABCs of Hand Lettering and the illustrated postcard set Letters from ABC. She is also a book illustrator and gives art workshops.

On March 26, young soprano Camille Tagadtad discusses her journey from her native Looc, Romblon where she grew up with a fondness for kundiman to Manila where she is now pursuing a degree in music. She is under the tutelage of baritone Joseleo Logdat at Santa Isabel College. Tagadtad will also regale listeners and viewers with two song numbers.

Produced by the Manila Broadcasting Company, Art 2 Art airs every Sunday, 3:30 to 4 p.m., on radio via DZRH (666 khz on the AM band), on cable television via RHTV (Channel 129 on Skycable in Metro Manila, Channel 18 on Cignal TV and Channel 3 on Cablelink) and online livestreaming at http://dzrhnews television.tv.

The show may also be viewed through the Facebook account DZRH News Television.

For inquiries, please e-mail art2artdzrh@gmail.com or visit the Ballerina ng Bayan page on Facebook. Past episodes of the program may be viewed on YouTube/Art 2 Art with Lisa Macuja.

Lisa Macuja (center) with guests Dolly de Leon (left) and Jasmine Ong of Ladies who Launch

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Friday, March 10, 2017

ACROSS 1 Paperless exam 5 Ms. Dinesen 9 Shafts of light 13 Cartoon chipmunk 14 Scruffs 16 Say with confidence 17 Burden 18 Wonderful 19 First-magnitude star 20 Crater edges 21 Tyrannosaurus — 22 Dried grape 24 Viking name 26 Satyr 27 Unwrapped 30 Doubles 33 Sanctify 34 Thigh muscle, in the gym 35 Laundry room fixture 37 Not their 38 Business attire 39 “— -Pan” 40 Qatar ruler 42 Tailors’ aids 43 Unsmiling 45 Drops of condensation 47 Accommodated

48 Helsinki citizen 49 Sulk 50 Capri’s Blue — 53 Panel truck 54 Done with 58 Tidy the lawn 59 Highway alert 61 Took a cab 62 Not fully shut 63 Destines 64 Mediterranean landmark 65 Barks 66 Furtive whisper 67 Merger or buyout DOWN 1 Nose stimulus 2 Rajah’s spouse 3 Pickling ingredient 4 Diminishes 5 Bergman of old films 6 Spock’s dad 7 Triangle tip 8 Green parrot 9 Canyons 10 Broad sts.

11 Berra of baseball 12 Ballet lake 15 Leaves helpless 23 31-day mo.

25 Home tel.

26 27 28 29

Edicts Woodwind Repair pipes Paranormal, to some 30 Feeling regret 31 Ceremonies 32 Bag 34 Actor Anthony — 36 Sort 38 By-product 41 White-water enthusiasts 43 Not worth a —

44 Coached 46 Telegraph signal 47 Straightforward 49 Removes the rind 50 Take suddenly 51 Indian ruler 52 Thumbs-up 53 Dye containers 55 Cast a ballot 56 Ferber or Best 57 Very, informally 60 Wash against, as waves

Ella Nympha This kid with an amazing set of pipes has surprised a global audience. The 12-year-old singer has become an Internet sensation after her performance of Sia’s “Chandelier” in the Steve Harvey-hosted show, Little Big Shots, was uploaded on YouTube. The video has garnered 1.5 million views in less than a week and the story is now making rounds in major entertainment sites online. Ella is definitely enjoying the same kind of attention Charice Pempengco had experienced, when she was still a bankable singer.

Brillante Mendoza The year 2016 was a great year for the multi-awarded filmmaker and this year is no exception. As early as March, before the awards season starts, Mendoza added another feather on his cap when he took home another best director trophy for his movie Ma’ Rosa. This time, the award was from the 2017 Malaysia Global Awards, a two-year-old film event that aims to promote Malaysia’s film, art and culture while recognizing excellent Asian films and filmmakers.

My Ex and Whys The biggest LizQuen movie has set the bar high.

A strong contender for being the most successful film of the year, My Ex and Whys is making a killing at the tills.

As of Friday last week, the romantic flick has snagged P341 million worldwide. This includes ticket sales from local cinemas, as well as screenings in the Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific, the US and Canada. Producer Star Cinema announced the figure in a thanksgiving party, which was attended by lead stars Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil.

...are not talking about Bernard Palanca The only time washed-up celebrities trended on social media was either when they got embroiled in a club brawl or when they had racy videos online. For the former band vocalist and actor, it’s definitely the latter. On Tuesday morning, a video featuring a man pleasuring himself using a sex toy popped up on Twitter. While the public seems used to this kind of clips online, they are we wait for Bernard’s explanation on TV still waiting before another scandal erupts.

Maymay Entrata She won the latest and the longest edition of Pinoy Big Bother after garnering a total of 42.71 percent of votes during the reality show’s finale. While her fans rejoice for her victory, a number of the show’s viewers are not happy with the outcome accusing the network of rigging the results. Fans insist if we they were to talk about the challenges inside the Big Brother house, there were more deserving housemates who could have walked home as the Big Winner.

Mang Kepweng Returns Let’s say, what about a dose of a recycled comedy? Anyone? The remake of the 1979 comedy film is set to premiere on an ABS-CBN’s cable channel. This prompted people to ask how come it goes straight to cable when in fact they haven’t even heard of it premiering on the big screen. Simple, it’s either the film didn’t do well at the box office or the producers wanted to cover the losses that’s why they’re trying to milk the film by releasing it on a paid channel.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

“Moonlight” star, Naomie Harris, wearing Piaget Gem of Roses earrings

WHAT THE STARS WORE AT

The faces of "24 Oras:" (from left) showbiz anchor Iya Villania and senior news anchors Vicky Morales, Mike Enriquez, and Mel Tiangco.

ISAH V. RED

G

MA Network (GMA) maintained its nationwide TV ratings dominance in February, that’s according to data ratings service provider Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

From Feb. 1 to 28 (based on overnight data from Feb. 19 to 28), GMA Network remained the viewers’ choice with an average total day people audience share of 41.2 percent in National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM), leading 6.3 points versus top ABS-CBN’s 34.9 percent.

GMA led across all day parts in NUTAM with primetime fantasy series Encantadia on the top spot. The Alden Richards-Maine Mendoza starrer, Destined To Be Yours, which premiered on Feb. 27, immediately ranked high while Magpakailanman, Alyas Robin Hood, Kapuso Mo Jessica Soho, and primetime newscast 24 Oras also joined them in the list of the network’s highest rating shows.

In Urban Luzon, which accounts for 77 percent of the total urban TV household population in the country, GMA reigned supreme with an average people audience share of 47.3 percent, outranking ABS-CBN’s 29.1 percent.

The Kapuso Network also led across all day parts in the said viewer-rich area, where 24 out of 30 top rating programs were from GMA. Topping the list are primetime programs Encantadia and Destined To Be Yours. Recently launched programs Legally Blind, Saturday comedy-musical show Full House Tonight, and crime documentary drama Case Solved also made it to the list of top programs. *** The GMA drama series Hanggang Makita Kang Muli recently premiered in Peru making it the first Kapuso drama to air in Latin America.

Acquired by PanAmericana Television SA, the GMA Afternoon Prime series went well on its pilot week with ratings almost twice that of the program it replaced.

Meanwhile, GMA Worldwide Inc. (GWI) Vice President Roxanne J. Barcelona is glad to learn about Peru’s warm reception of the program. “We are proud and happy that the canned version of Hanggang Makita Kang Muli is enjoying a successful run on free TV in Peru. This is a first for GMA in Latin America,” she said.

“A seed has been planted in that part of the world and we hope that it (would) grow(s) and open(s) more doors for GMA’s content. It proves that our stories can travel well across all cultures. A ‎ special thank you to Jose Escalante of Latin Media Corp., who helped us make this happen,” Barcelona

Derrick Monasterio and Bea Binene

KAPUSO claims ratings dominance in

February

Dingdong Dantes as Alyas Robin Hood

"Destined to be Yours" lead stars Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza

acknowledged.

Hanggang Makita Kang Muli, which aired in March 2016, is being aired with the title Cautiva or Captive in English. Under the direction of Laurice Guillen, the series features Kapuso artist Bea Binene portraying the challenging role of a feral child who grew up in a dark room isolated from human contact. On-screen partner Derrick Monasterio also stars as her love interest. *** Darren Espanto jumpstarts summer at the Shang tomorrow.

The former The Voice Kids Philippines finalist is all set to serenade Shangri-La Plaza mall guests at 6:30 p.m. at the East Atrium.

The 15-year-old Filipino-Canadian singer, who rose to fame after placing second in the reality TV singing contest, will be performing well-loved songs from his certified platinum self-titled studio album, Darren, and his latest album, Be With Me. The young performer has been singing since he was two, and is now staging concerts in major arenas all over the Philippines, Canada, and the USA. For inquiries, call 370-2597 or 98 or visit www.facebook.com/shangrilaplazaofficial.

Follow the Shang on Instagram: @ shangrilaplazaofficial. *** Tomorrow, Francine Prieto shares her love story in GMA News TV’s Wagas.

Portraying her is Kapuso actress-host Lovely Abella.

One of the hottest sexy stars in her time, Prieto graced the covers of several men’s magazines. She also became a model, a TV personality, and headlined some of Seiko Film’s movies as a sexy actress.

Unknown to many though, Francine’s life was far from perfect. She was the breadwinner in the family and she had to work hard for her mom who had cancer. As fate would have it, her mother’s death coincided with her career’s decline. Francine failed to look after herself. The sexy star eventually gained weight. She also fell into depression that made her gain more weight.

But at that point in her life when she had lost her career and her sexy figure and just when she was starting to believe no one could possibly fall in love with her anymore—she met Frank (played by Fabio Ide).

Frank is an American biologist and professor Francine met on a blind date. Frank accepted everything about Francine—he didn’t care if she was famous or not, if she was sexy or fat. Frank loved all of Francine and soon the two decided to marry.

Catch this story that proves that everyone has a shot at true love.

Wagas airs every Saturday, 7 p.m. on GMA News TV.

The Film Independent Spirit Awards

FOR the 10th consecutive year, Piaget co-hosted the Film Independent Spirit Awards, a star-studded affair honoring the year’s most important films held on the beach in Santa Monica. The event drew some of the biggest names in Hollywood, including Casey Affleck, Orlando Bloom, Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington, Viggo Mortensen and Jon Hamm among others.

Piaget was the jewelry of choice for many of the afternoon’s most glamorous women, including Moonlight star, Naomie Harris, who looked dazzling in the new Piaget Gem of Roses earrings set in 18-carat white gold featuring diamonds, pearls and tourmalines, along with stacked Piaget Possession rings. Her co-star, actress Janelle Monáe, accessorized her black and white ensemble with a pair of Piaget Rose earrings set with diamonds, as well as a mix of Piaget rings from the Possession, Limelight Couture Précieuse and Extremely Piaget collections.

Isabelle Huppert, star of Elle and winner of Best Female Lead, looked effortlessly chic in Possession earrings in 18-carat white gold set with 106 brilliant-cut diamonds and Piaget Possession rings.

Presenter Kate Beckinsale, who also attended Piaget’s pre-Spirit Awards cocktail party the previous evening, added a pair of long drop Piaget Possession earrings in white gold to match her red carpet look.

2017 marks the 60th anniversary of the Piaget Altiplano and it was the watch of choice for many of the afternoon’s leading men, including Manchester by the Sea producer, Matt Damon, who wore the 18-carat white gold Altiplano Chronograph. Close friend of the brand, Miles Teller, chose the 18-carat rose gold model to match his blue suit while Terrence Howard rocked the white gold and diamond version.

Brazilian influencer, Lala Rudge, wore the stunning Piaget Limelight Garden Party necklace in white gold set with diamonds and emeralds and a Gem of Roses ring with diamonds, emeralds and tourmalines.

German actress, Veronica Ferres, accessorized her outfit with the iconic Piaget Rose ring in 18-carat white gold set with 112 brilliant-cut diamonds.

Piaget “Game Changer” and French chef, Jean François Piège, wore his Piaget Polo S Chronograph timepiece with a blue dial, along with Spanish star, Iván Sánchez, who also sported the Piaget Polo S Automatic timepiece with a blue dial.

Swiss model, Alizée Gaillard, wore a Possession necklace in rose gold and diamonds with matching Possession bangles.

Lebanese TV personality, Raya Abirached, accessorized her formal red dress with a Piaget Possession Rose pendant in 18-carat rose gold with diamonds and a Piaget Rose bracelet and ring.

Finally, Spanish actor Miguel Ángel Munoz, added a touch of diamonds to his Piaget Altiplano 40mm timepiece in 18-carat white gold.

The Piaget Producer’s Award has become a coveted prize at the Spirit Awards, honoring emerging producers who demonstrate creativity, tenacity and vision to produce quality independent films, despite limited resources. This year’s award went to Jordana Mollick.

Throughout the afternoon, award winners and guests celebrated in Piaget’s backstage VIP lounge to enjoy a celebratory glass of champagne.

Actor and singer Janelle Monae accessorized with Piaget at the 2017 Film Independent Spirit Awards at Santa Monica Pier