Manila Standard - 2017 March 27 - Monday

COMELEC SEEKS REVIEW OF BARANGAY ELECTIONS

By Rio N. Araja, Macon Ramos-Araneta

VOL. XXXI • NO. 45 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

THE Commission on Elections is studying the implications of President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to postpone barangay elections again, a spokesman for the agency said Sunday.

“What is being studied… are the ramifications of another postponement because [these] barangay elections have already been postponed once and as a result of that the barangay officials were

held over,” said Comelec spokesman James Jimenez.

The poll body would have to be guided by a new law that would need to be passed to postpone the elections again, he said.

He acknowledged that the new law postponing the polls could call for the appointment of barangay officials instead of having old ones held over.

“At this point we don’t know what will happen,” he said in Filipino.

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DoJ backs Leni’s ouster Endorses House call, bucks Rody

‘Flip-flop on China may lead to crisis’

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

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By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan CONFUSING remarks by President Rodrigo Duterte about Philippine claims in the Scarborough Shoal and Benham Rise could bring about a crisis in the country’s relationship with its long-time ally, the United States, and other security allies, including Australia, Japan and South Korea, an analyst said Sunday.

Stratbase ADR Institute Inc. trustee and program convener Renato de Castro warned that in the near future the Philippines could be downgraded to the weakest link among other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Duterte’s recent remarks on Benham Rise and Scarborough Shoal reflect a change in Philippine policy, shifting it from balancing China to appeasing it, De Castro said.

He added that Duterte’s move to cut ties with long-time allies and depending on a new master Next page

OVES to oust Vice President Leni Robredo will be pursued even though President Rodrigo Duterte has asked his allies to back off, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Sunday.

gela Merkel, US billionaire Bill Gates, US Senator Bernie Sanders, gymnast Simone Biles and women’s march co-chairs Linda Sarsour, Tamika Mallory, Carmen Perez, and Bob Inland.

Also on the shortlist of other world leaders were Russian President

Aguirre II said House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez would push through with his plan to impeach Robredo against the President’s stated wishes.

“That’s the President’s personal opinion. Impeachment involves the power and discretion of Congress, so it will be a congressional call, not the President’s call,” Aguirre said.

Aguirre vowed to support the impeachment charges against Robredo based on her video message against President Duterte and his administration sent to the annual meeting of the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs.

“What she did was she humiliated the Philippines before the international community.

I’m sure that aside from damaging the image of the country, that definitely will have an effect on the economy,” he said.

Aguirre added the impeachment against Robredo, a vocal critic of the administration’s war on illegal

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SACRIFICE. President Rodrigo Duterte declares that it would be an honor to lay his life on the line in the war on illegal drugs and in service to the Filipinos in his speech during the celebration of the Kaamulan Festival in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. Presidential Photo

Korean trader’s daughter Duterte ahead in Time online poll asks DoJ: Spare my dad

By Sandy Araneta

By Rio N. Araja THE daughter of a Korean businessman on Sunday urged Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to ensure the safety of her father who was arrested by Immigration officials in his office in Makati City.

Junghee Kang, the eldest daughter of Kang Tae Sik, told reporters in Quezon City that Aguirre should guarantee her father’s safety.

She said her 74-year-old father

was the legitimate owner and operator of K&L Jinro Philippines Inc. and had never been involved in any illicit activity, and that he had been staying in the Philippines for 38 years.

In a Feb. 23 Senate hearing on the Jee Ick Jooe kidnap-slay case, Aguirre claimed that an anonymous Duterte administration official had said Kang Tae Sik was the head of a Korean mafia, but the Korean Embassy in Manila denied it.

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Court upholds warrant vs Romero, co-accused

By Rey E. Requejo THE arrest order issued by the Manila Regional Trial Court against the alleged cohort of fugitive Rep. Michael Romero still holds.

This became evident after the Court of Appeals did not stop the implementation of the Manila RTC’s arrest order against Romero’s co-accused Felicia Aquino in the case of the P3.4-million qualified theft that victimized Harbour Centre Port Terminal Inc. Next page Romero

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is an early frontrunner in an online poll for Time Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

According to reports, the Time Magazine poll, which opened on

Friday, has Duterte at the top spot with four percent of the votes as of Sunday.

On his heels was Pope Francis with three percent of the votes.

Completing the shortlist’s top 10 were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, music superstar Beyonce, German Chancellor An-

Army, militia repulse Reds in Cotabato

By Florante S. Solmerin SOLDIERS and militiamen providing security to the base camp of Sagittarius Mines Inc. on Friday foiled an attack by more than 50 communist rebels in Tampakan, South Cotabato, a regional military spokesman said Sunday.

“Around 50 NPA rebels launched the attack against the numerically outnumbered soldiers, militiamen and security Next page

BATTLE OF THE POCKETS. Members of the Living History Society reenact a scene of the ‘Battle of the Pock-

ets’ between Allied forces and Japanese troops during World War II at Camp Aguinaldo on March 25, 2017. The reenactment was held ahead of the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the ‘Araw ng Kagitingan’ on April 9. AFP

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MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Watchdog renews bid vs Army-Navy facelift A GROUP has appealed the decision of the Court of Appeals dismissing its petition to stop the conversion of the former Army and Navy Club in Manila into a boutique hotel.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption wants to stop Oceanville Hotel and Spa Corp. from demolishing the Army and Navy Club, a former landmark, and building in its place another establishment.

(Related story on C1) Group lawyer Rudolf Philip Jurado said the appellate court’s ruling was not yet final as they had filed an appeal before its 15th division.

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada

supports the restoration of the American-era Army Navy Club in Roxas Boulevard and other historical sites in the capital city.

The club was founded in 1898 and was the first American social club to be established in the Philippines for the exclusive use of US military personnel and civilians, and later Filipinos.

The club was completed on April 17, 1911, and since it was established it had been one of the centers of Manila’s social life and

the site of many important events in Philippine-American relations.

In a recent forum, Estrada said the restoration and rehabilitation of the club and landmarks was part of his administration’s urban renewal program.

“It should be fully restored so it can attract more tourists and business into our city,” Estrada said.

The VACC asked why the appellate court instantly dismissed its petition.

The court had ruled that the decision of the Manila City government to enter into an agreement with private entities for the development of the Army and Navy Club and the approval of the development by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines was not a judicial, quasijudicial or ministerial action that

could be subject of a petition for review before it.

The appellate court also cited the failure of the VACC to observe the hierarchy of courts in filing the petition before it instead of going through a regional trial court.

The appellate court ruled that the VACC should have filed a civil action for annulment of the contract among Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., the city government of Manila, the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, Oceanville Hotel and Spa Corp. and Vanderwood Management Corp.

The court did not rule on the merits of the petition, but it held that the case was “considered closed and terminated.” Rey E. Requejo and Sandy Araneta

DoJ...

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drugs, would succeed if the complainants would be able to establish her violations of the Constitution.

“She could be impeached if they could prove that her claim [against the war on drugs] has no factual bases and it greatly damaged the country’s image and economy,” he implied.

Earlier, Solicitor General Jose Calida also expressed support for the impeachment plan, describing Robredo’s video message as “a treasonous act.”

Calida vowed to lend the legal services of his office to help in the proposed impeachment.

Duterte has asked his allies not to pursue the impeachment of Robredo even as he accused her of being behind the impeachment complaint filed against him by Rep. Gary Alejano of party-list group Magdalo.

The super majority coalition in the House is expected to throw out Alejano’s complaint, but the coalition has the numbers to impeach Robredo.

Duterte’s allies also enjoy a majority in the Senate, which will try Robredo if she is impeached by the House.

Alvarez believed that the vice president might have betrayed public trust in her video message to the UN that destroyed the country’s reputation before the international community.

Betrayal of public trust is one of the grounds under the Constitution for impeachment of an official, which law and political experts consider as a numbers game.

An impeachment complaint against Robredo was already filed before the House by Marcos lawyer and perennial impeachment complainant Oliver Lozano. A group of lawyers and academics supporting the Duterte administration is also preparing another complaint

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DRUG CENTER. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte looks on as Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial shows the floor plan of the Drug Abuse Treatment and

Rehabilitation Center donated by the Friends of the Philippines Foundation which will be constructed in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon. Also in the photo is Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri (third from right). Presidential Photo

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Instead, the CA ordered lawyer Jerome Canlas of HCPTI to comment on Aguino’s petition and plea for a temporary restraining order within 10 days.

Romero and Aquino aside, also ordered arrested by Manila RTC Judge Cicero Jurado Jr. was Edwin L. Jeremillo.

Aquino was the cashier and Jeremillo the chief operating officer when Romero was HCPTI chief executive. The three reportedly connived to steal the P3.4 million from the company.

Earlier, Jurado denied the motions filed by Romero and Jeremi-

‘Flip-flop...

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such as China do not sit well with the concept of an independent foreign policy, particularly given China’s excessive claims in the South China Sea. In the last week, reports indicated Chinese activities in Scarborough Shoal and in Benham Rise.

The state owned Hainan Daily reported that China plans to build the first environmental monitoring station in Scarborough Shoal, off the coast of Zambales province.

The Philippines sought clarification but China denied the report and noted that Beijing values its renewed friendship with Manila.

During the previous weeks, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana revealed that a Chinese survey ship was seen in the Benham Rise which lies in the eastern part of the Philippines on the Pacific Ocean, where there is no island or country nearby.

But China maintained that it respects the Philippines’ ownership of the resource-rich waters and that Beijing was only exercising its right of freedom of navigation.

A professor and a maritime ex-

llo to suspend the enforcement and, thereafter, to lift the arrest order issued against them last January.

A check with the CA showed that neither Romero nor Jeremillo had filed a petition to challenge the arrest order.

The CA’s resolution on Aquino’s petition was issued by its sixth division and written by Associate Justice Magdangal de Leon.

In her petition, Aquino wanted the CA to lift the arrest order, stop the judge from proceeding with the case, and dismiss the case for lack of probable cause.

In the case of Romero, the neophyte party-list representative has not been attending the sessions of the House of Representatives since early this year.

pert Jay Batongbacal slammed China’s explanation, however, noting that the “criss-cross or backand-forth-pattern” of the Chinese ship as reported by Lorenzana does not look like an exercise of freedom of navigation.

“For China to correctly claim that its ships were merely exercising navigational rights and freedoms, its vessels must have moved from one place to another in a regular and efficient pace. It would be best if the ship also followed the usual navigational routes through the Benham Rise region like any other foreign vessel. In those cases, it may be said that the ship was merely exercising navigational rights and freedoms, and China had the right to do so even within Philippine waters because it is in accord with international law,” Batongbacal said.

“But if it is shown that the Chinese vessel did not simply move from one place to another along the usual navigational tracks, but instead either took an unreasonably long time or followed an irregular route with patterns such as those described above, then the Philippines may have reason to complain,” he added.

Reports show that he has not complied with the arrest order by submitting himself physically to the jurisdiction of the trial court.

A prosecutor, who requested anonymity for lack of authority to speak for the Department of Justice said ‘‘Romero has become a fugitive from justice for his refusal to submit himself physically to the jurisdiction of the trial court by surrendering and allowing himself to be detained on the nonbailable charge.

A fugitive from justice ‘‘is one who flees after conviction to avoid punishment, as well as one who, after being charged, flees to avoid prosecution.’’

Qualified theft is an offense for which bail is now allowed if

the stolen amount is P222,000 or more.

In a resolution that led to the filing of the criminal cases before the court, the Manila Prosecutors’ Office said Romero, Aquino and Jeremillo conspired in 2007 to issue 18 checks in one day, with each bearing the amount of P200,000 supposedly for “marketing expenses” and payable to the National Food Authority or Felicia Aquino. ‘‘This cannot be done. Doing so indicates badges of felony. No document whatsoever was submitted by the respondents showing transaction between HCPTI [Harbour Centre Port Terminal Inc.] and the NFA [National Food Authority], the resolution says.

Army, ...

Duterte...

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guards of SMI who held their ground until artillery fire support from the 27 IB [Infantry Battalion] and three Air Force helicopters arrived, forcing the attackers to flee,” said Captain Rhyan Batchar, spokesman of the 10th Infantry Division.

He also said two militiamen who were captured by the New People’s Army were released over the weekend in Davao Oriental.

“We welcome the safe return of Rene Doller, 34, and Carl Mark Nucos, 24, who were abducted by the [communist rebels] in Don Mariano village on February 14, 2017,” Batchar said.

Friday’s attack by the New People’s Army’s Guerrilla Front 72 was simultaneously launched around 7 a.m. against the Tablu CAA detachment and the nearby SMI base camp.

“The firefights lasted for five hours and 25 minutes. No soldier, CAA or security guard was hurt in the attack while the fleeing rebels left behind a hand-held radio and plastic containers filled with gasoline,” Batchar said.

Vladimir Putin, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the poll showed.

Voting will close on April 16.

This year’s official Time 100 most influential people list will be announced April 20.

Duterte also landed last December on the Most Powerful People list of Forbes magazine.

The President has made international headlines with his war on drugs, which has resulted in more than 7,000 drug suspects killed since the start of Duterte’s term as president.

Duterte also announced a “separation” from the United States and plans to realign the Philippines with China and Russia.

Duterte is also known for cursing a lot of world leaders including Pope Francis and former American ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, which he described as “an annoying gay.”

He declined to say if the Constitution allowed the appointment of barangay officials.

Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin, meanwhile, urged Duterte not to postpone the barangay elections in October and instead allow the people to kick out village executives believed to be involved in illegal drugs in the 43,000 barangays nationwide.

He said the right to suffrage of the electorate must not be taken away by the President’s plan to appoint at least 344,000 village executives.

“If barangay officials are involved in drugs, let the people kick them out through the ballot.

Give that power to the people, and not to one person. That’s the essence of democracy,” said Villarin.

Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano, who filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte, said the administration must file administrative and graft charges against village executives behind the proliferation of illegal drugs.

“In that way, the accused barangay chairpersons may have the chance to defend themselves, while those clean ones would be spared any accusations,” he said.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez supports the postponement, but

Korean...

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“We are willing to give up our business to them [Korean mafia].

Just free our father and let him live his life freely,” Junghee said.

“If indeed this Korean syndicate wants our business, we are willing to give it to them. Just free our father.”

Junghee said she would convince her father to give up their business as a distributor of a popular Korean liquor.

“Spare my father. We have been doing legal business here for so many years as we love your country,” she said Redentor Viaje, Kangs’ lawyer, said they will file today a petition for a writ of certiorari with the

against her.

Robredo’s video message, posted by the DRCNet Foundation on YouTube on March 13, was played at the “Human Rights Challenge: Responding to Extrajudicial Killings in the Drug War,” a side session for the 60th United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs annual meeting on March 16 at the Vienna International Center.

Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV said he believed the President was not behind the impeachment moves against Robredo.

“I believe President Duterte said he was not involved. The same way VP Leni was not involved in the plan to impeach President Duterte,” Aquino said.

The senator criticized groups creating a division between Duterte and Robredo, saying the country will be on the losing end if the rift between the top two leaders widens.

Aquino also urged allies of President Duterte to follow his call to stop the impeachment of Robredo.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, meanwhile, said the President’s invitation to Robredo and her family to a dinner was a trap to disarm and politically neutralize her.

“Let me remind everyone that it is the same tactic Duterte used early on during his term wherein he belatedly offered a Cabinet post to her,” said Trillanes.

“Then he made fun of her through his misogynistic remarks about her legs and knees,” he added.

Despite her appointment as housing czar, Robredo was not even given the latitude to appoint her own people, Trillanes said. Then, Duterte unceremoniously kicked her out of the Cabinet when it was politically convenient.

“Now, he’s at it again. Only the naive would be fooled,” Trillanes said.

Alejano said it undermines the rights of the people to choose their leaders.

Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman opposed the appointment of officers in charge and other barangay officials.

“The choice of elective officials belongs to the electorate,” he said.

Detained Senator Leila de Lima also assailed Duterte’s proposal to declare vacant all barangay posts and to appoint them in lieu of holding elections this year.

De Lima, chairperson of the Senate electoral reforms and people’s participation committee, said that appointing village officials goes against the idea of barangays being non-partisan government units.

“As the basic political unit in the country, the barangay serves as the front-liner in delivering the basic and important services to people. It offers direct and immediate assistance and support to the community. Barangay officials play a crucial role in providing effective and accountable local governance,” she said.

“Appointing barangay officials, instead of electing them, goes against the principles of shielding them from partisan politics. That is one of the reasons why barangay elections are held separately from national and local elections,” she added. With PNA

Court of Appeals to seek the nullification of Aguirre’s arrest order on the older Kang.

He maintained Kang’s innocence and involvement in the so-called Korean mafia that was allegedly responsible for the kidnapping and killing of businessman Jee Ick Joo, who was strangled inside Camp Crame.

“Authorities had no right to arrest Kang,” he said.

No arrest warrant was presented when Kang was arrested on March 23, he said.

Aguirre reversed the final decision written by his predecessor, now Supreme Court Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguiao, granting Kang’s appeal from the resolution of Bureau of Immigration ordering Kang’s deportation.

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MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

e-passport overpriced, say labor groups

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

SHOWING THE WAY. Tourism Promotions Board Chief Operating Officer Cesar Montano joins the cultural performers in a dance number during the celebration of the Kaamulan Festival in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon on March 25, 2017. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte was the guest of honor during the annual event. Presidential Photo

Youth told: Be ecology warriors

By Macon Araneta SENATOR Juan Edgardo Angara has called on the Filipino youth to be “environment warriors” who can protect and save the planet from plunderers.

“Our youth should lead in taking concrete actions to save the environment, which is now on the verge of massive destruction because of unscrupulous people who wantonly, and with impunity, destroy and pollute our environment for their interests,” said Angara.

He said the youth can use the social media to propagate environment protection even as he urged other sectors to conduct continuous clean up drive to rid communities of pollutant waste materials.

“Why not make use of the social media since our young generation is very much into it?

He said the youth should post information about protecting the environment and climate change.”

The elders who do not know how to use the social media, Angara said, can help clean the environment and can start not using pollutants.

“We should empower our people, especially the youth, with the knowledge on climate change,” he said.

“And they should use this knowledge in convincing the government, policymakers, legislators and nongovernment organizations to come up with measures that will address climate change and save and protect mother nature,” he further said In 2015, Angara filed a resolution reaffirming the support of the Senate to the objectives and goals of Earth Hour and Earth Day, as well as encourages the Filipino people to observe and participate in the worldwide Earth Hour activity.

The senator has agreed with the network’s goal “to build a global citizenry fluent in the concepts of climate change and be aware of its unprecedented threat to our planet” and “to empower everyone with the knowledge to inspire action in defense of environmental protection.”

In the 16th Congress, as acting chairman of the Senate labor committee, Angara sponsored and championed in the Senate plenary the Green Jobs Act, which eventually enacted into law as Republic Act 10771, which granted incentives to companies generating “green jobs” or jobs.

Palace: No sacred cows

By Sandy Araneta

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HERE are no sacred cows in the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, Malacañang said on Sunday.

“The President’s remark that he fired 92 government officials this month underscores that there are no sacred cows in the Duterte administration,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

“These officials came from different agencies of the government, mostly regulatory bodies, where there is an interface between the public and private sectors,” Abella said.

Firing of government officials involved in corrupt practices does not come in batches, he said.

“Any whiff of corruption, particularly those who serve at

the pleasure of the President, means suspension or termination of service in government,” said Abella.

On the other hand, Abella assured that government service will continue despite the firing of these officials.

“In view of this, we assure our people that in cases where heads have been suspended or terminated, day-to-day government operations will remain unhampered because the duties can be performed by the assistant heads who may be designated as officersin-charge while the chiefs or heads of office are temporarily absent,” Abella said.

President Duterte on Saturday revealed that he has just fired 92 government employees from various agencies this month as part of his bid to end corruption in government.

“I have fired 92. I have fired so many customs official, BIR [Bureau of Internal Revenue], the revenue people and the regulatory boards of LTFRB [Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board], the one giving the franchises for public utilities. 92 all of them this month alone, March. I said go,” Duterte said during the groundbreaking ceremony of a drug abuse treatment and rehabilitation center in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.

“I said better... do not f*ck the government with its money, ‘‘cause if you do, we cannot understand each other,” Duterte said.

Duterte said he even fired

Survey fires up police to pursue war on drugs MALACAÑANG on Sunday expressed elation over the recent Pulse Asia survey showing that over 80 percent of residents of Metro Manila feel safer in the streets as a result of the administration’s war on illegal drugs.

The administration’s drug war is well-received by the people on the ground in sharp contrast to the gloom and hopelessness depicted by the President’s critics,” Presidential Spokesman ErnestoAbella said.

“This favorable public sentiment gives us strong impetus to surge ahead in our anti-drug campaign and hope that we continually get the cooperation of the community, and even support of the clergy, especially in the implementation of a rehabilitation program for Tokhang surrenderees,” Abella said.

Over 82 percent of Metro Manila residents said they “feel safer” due to the government’s intensified campaign against illegal drugs , the National Capital Region Police Office said based on the Pulse Asia survey.

The survey was conducted from Dec. 6 to 11, 2016, five months after President Rodrigo Duterte declared war on drugs.

Respondents were randomly selected and were asked to comment on this statement: “Compared to last year, I feel that it is less dangerous now in our place because of the campaign against illegal drugs.”

NCRPO chief Director Oscar Albayalde expressed gratitude about the survey result.

“Siguro yung ating mga kababayan,

nakita for the first five months nung paglunsad nung ating war on drugs na talagang nakita naman po nila na tumahimik yung ating mga kalansanga. Of course nakita rin nila yung accomplishment not only in NCR pero ng buong PNP [Philippine National Police],” Albayalde said Saturday in an interview on dzBB. Duterte suspended the Philippine National Police’s role in the drug war after the death of South Korean national Jee Ick Joo, who was allegedly abducted and killed inside the PNP headquarters in Camp Crame by anti-drug operatives.

On Duterte’s order, the PNP relaunched last March 6 its anti-illegal drug campaign dubbed, “Double Barrel Reloaded, Tokhang Revisited.”

But Duterte administration’s war on drugs drew heavy criticisms from the Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, for the hundreds of drug suspects killed in police operation and in vigilantestyle killings mostly carried out by motorcycle-riding and masked gunmen.

Albayalde, meanwhile, assured Metro Manila residents that the NCRPO will continue to fulfill their duties in the drug war, and will serve the result of the Pulse Asia survey as their “driving force.”

“We will take this accomplishment as one of our basis and guide to improve our performance, to address the security demands of the public, and to pursue our transformation program,” he said in a statement released on Friday. Sandy Araneta

one of his employees who had been part of his team since 1988.

“The guy who was with me since 1988, he was part of my team but when we were already in the government, and I heard that he was suggesting this and that, and I said you have to go,” Duterte said.

“The first whiff of corruption, it’s finished,” he added.

Earlier this month, Duterte said he had fired “a close associate” over allegations of corruption.

Duterte did not name the government official.

Duterte’s announcement of firing a close associate came a day after National Irrigation Administration chief Peter Laviña quit his post in order to spare the administration from corruption allegations.

Malacañang also stressed that government workers should be corruption-free.

AN UMBRELLA organization of labor unions is urging Congress to look into the e-passport project with a view to making the travel document more affordable for the working class, including the overseas Filipino workers.

Philippines Association of Free Labor Unions president Terry Tuazon said the e-passports being issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs cost P950 on top of P250 for “overtime charges” if the applicant was in a hurry and opted to use the express lane service.

He discussed further that the old maroon-colored machine readable passport costs only P550, or P700 “if you want it faster.”

“Except for the electronic chip that is embedded in the e-passport that captures data and security features there are no other enhancement to justify the high cost. Digital products are getting cheaper not going expensive,’’ Tuazon said.

“With 17,000 new applicants [daily] who troop to the various consular offices all over the country that’s a lot of money for the government,” Tuazon noted.

APO-Production Unit and its private partner stand to rake in a whopping P25.5 billion from the e-passport contract, far outweighing the P9 billion offer of a controversial cigarette manufacturer to settle its tax cases with the government.

In a statement, Paflu slammed the alleged overpricing of the new digital passport as “anti-worker.”

“Many of the passport applicants are workers who leave their family to work abroad. Data indicates that there are 5,000 Filipinos who leave the country everyday either as tourists, as an OFW and those who immigrate to other countries for good,” Tuazon added.

In batting for the congressional inquiry, the Paflu invoked the government policy to raise the quality of life of the marginalized Filipinos.

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Opinion

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

EDITORIAL

Not our job

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OURISM Secretary Wanda Teo wants the press to make her job easier by playing down news of the summary executions that have been the hallmark of President Duterte’s war on illegal drugs. All the media attention, she says, makes it difficult to sell the Philippines as a tourist destination.

A video message from Vice President Leni Robredo that accused the police of human rights abuses did not help, she adds.

“Statements like that make it hard for us to sell the Philippines,” Teo said at a press conference in Thai-

Adelle Chua, Editor

land, where she had accompanied the President on an official visit last week.

“This does not only refer to VP Leni but also to media. Let’s tone down statements on extrajudicial killings because I’m always asked wherever I go, even in

Asia and Europe, Is this true?

And I would say it’s safe in the Philippines and I would always ask them to come,” she said.

Addressing her appeal to the press, she added: “Help us sell the Philippines. Help us because…it’s very difficult for me to sell the Philippines, especially if extrajudicial killings are being discussed.”

The Tourism secretary’s appeal suggests that we in the press, as Filipinos, have a stake in getting more tourists to visit the country, and if that means glossing over the

number of people killed in the government’s war on drugs, so be it.

The good secretary fails to appreciate, however, that it is not the job of the press to promote Philippine tourism.

It is our job to seek the truth and report it.

And what truth are we talking about?

Police statistics show that in the six months from July 2016 to January 2017, some 2,555 drug suspects have been killed in police operations. Another 3,603 were deaths still under investigation, and 922 were those that

had already been investigated. That’s a total of 7,800 people killed since the President launched his war on drugs—or an average of 39 killings a day.

Madam Secretary, how do you “tone down” 39 killings a day?

How do we tone down the violent nature of the campaign, when the President himself routinely speaks of the killing of thousands of drug suspects as a laudable goal?

And how can we in all good conscience tell our visitors it is completely safe,

when the case of Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo— murdered by anti-drug police officers who tried to extort money from his widow— shows that even foreigners can be targeted?

Reporting what ails our society does not make us any less patriotic than the government official who promotes the country as a tourist destination. In a democratic society, each has a role to play. The press has a duty to report the news, not tone it down.

Secretary Teo should do her job and let us do ours.

Pride of place

Can an impeachable official be disbarred?

GRECO Belgica is a friend, but I do not agree with him that the Ombudsman should be disbarred, or even that disbarment proceedings should be brought against her. But more than the incumbent Ombudsman, the Belgica complaint provokes what should be an informed, spirited conversation on disbarment in relation to impeachment.

The application of the law to concrete cases and the resulting rule—in our jurisdiction, called “precedent”—is often called jurisprudence, literally, the “prudence” of the law. To Scholastics “prudentia” was the virtue that enabled one to act appropriately under concrete circumstances.

It called for a firm grasp of the particularities of a situation and, without set rules or preestablished norms, allowed a person to act and to respond thoughtfully and meaningfully. That prudence in respect to

law is necessary arises from the fact that the generality of norms and the singularity of situations are antipodal. The Civil Code of the Philippines, for example, was authored by very wise men. But all their wisdom and foresight notwithstanding, it was simply not possible for them to envision every instance to which the provisions of the Code would be applied. How then does one use a general norm to respond to the concrete demands of any case? That is exactly why there is jurisprudence. But there has to be system in the law because of that ideal called “justice,” so usefully rendered in modern times (thanks to Rawls and others) as “fairness.” Similars must be similarly decided: That is the basic precept of jurisprudence —but to decide when the similarity is close enough to warrant similar-

Can prudence ever be systematized?

Would it still be prudence?

ity in holding and disposition, aye, there’s the rub. “Prudentia” was the closest Latin-writing philosophers could get to “phronesis” that figured rather prominently in the thinking of many of the Greeks and that enjoys a premium in postmodernism. “Phronesis” aims at the best response one can give in a situation, with the everpresent cognizance of its tentative character.

Some will be quick to point

to what is apparently “established” or “settled” jurisprudence. The doctrina recepta is that disbarment will not lie against impeachable officials because that would be a way of circumventing impeachment.

If that is the reason, then one must qualify: If the official occupies an office requiring membership in the Bar, then indeed, disbarment results in the loss of the official’s eligibility for such an office. If the office does not require membership in the Bar, such as President of the Republic, then there is no reason why disbarment cannot proceed. But this is just an example of a legal problem that can be reasoned satisfactorily in either way.

Against disbarment, for officials who must be members of the Bar, it can be reasonably maintained that disbarment would be in effect an alternate method of removing a high of-

ficial, where the Constitution prescribes only one—impeachment.

Arguing the opposite proposition it can coherently be maintained that when an official is disbarred, the Supreme Court exercises a constitutionally vested power to discipline members of the Bar, and whatever ineligibility for public office may follow will only be a corollary of the Supreme Court’s exercise of its disciplining power. To hold otherwise would be to allow a public official to violate every canon of legal ethics and through the expedient of the ballot, escape censure for his “unlawyerly” ways.

I must conclude by returning to a philosophical consideration: Can there be such a thing then as the “science of jurisprudence?”

Can prudence ever be systematized? Would it still be Turn to A5

WE SPENT three days in Taichung in central Taiwan for a team-building exercise for personnel of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office, which has offices in Manila, Taipei, Taichung and Kaohsiung.

En route to the venue situated in upland Taichung we passed by an old railroad tunnel built by the Japanese in 1900 when for 50 years the island was its colony. Nothing really remarkable about the tunnel, which was constructed of bricks using the hard labor of the Atayal natives.

The old railroad tunnel, just about 460 meters long, no longer in use because it was single-track and outmoded, was converted into a tourist destination with simple son et lumiere effects.

Along the way, there were Atayal descendants selling native delicacies, mostly dried fruit and vegetable produce of their villages, from dried guava to plums to persimmons.

In the hotel where we held the team-building exercise, we were fed “local” food, which meant mushrooms, bamboo shoots, highland veggies with very little meat and seafood. I was told by the tour operator who organized the visit that these were the simple fare of the aborigines.

In a visit to other parts of Taiwan, I noticed that the natives took pride in their cuisine, their customs, their produce, and except for the capitals, there were hardly any fast-food joints, whether local MOS burgers or McDonalds.

Some were excellent, like the Jiaoxi chicken roasted in brick and mortar urns using lychee wood as fuel. As I write this piece, we are on our way to a roadside eatery that served mushroom shabu-shabu, with some 10 different varieties of locally grown mushrooms flavoring the broth. Some of the food may have tasted so-so, but nonetheless, the Taiwanese took pride in these and served their local fare to tourists.

So very unlike the Philippines, where provincial cuisine had been “killed” by execrable fast food joints. I used to travel to the countryside to savor good native delicacies, such as maliputo in Taal and Lemery, goto in Lipa, tawilis from Lake Taal in Tanauan, Turn to A5

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Opinion

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

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Alliance or appeasement?

DESPITE the still-prodigious support for President Rodrigo Duterte, one issue manages to divide even his staunchest, most devoted followers: Foreign policy. In particular, some say that his perceived closeness to Beijing even as he pivots away from the United States belies his claims of instituting a so-called independent foreign policy.

This was brought to fore anew when reports surfaced that Chinese ships were seen surveying the waters of Benham Rise, the huge potentially resource-rich area east of the country. To many, Duterte’s lackadaisical reaction to the reports—including a joke about the Philippines becoming a Chinese province—signaled the same subservience to what had been perceived as characteristic aggression from Beijing. This also represents a clear turnaround from the vigorous stance put up by Duterte’s predecessor, Noynoy Aquino, whose administration challenged China’s belligerence in the West Philippine Sea by filing and winning an arbitration case at The Hague.

But Duterte is only being “strategic,” some might point out, because he knows that antagonizing the rising Asian power will not be productive, as China’s sheer military might will enable it to do anything it pleases, whether it’s in the West Philippine Sea or Benham Rise.

visioned by the What is OPEN AFP coincided D u t e r t e’s THOUGHTS with the Obareal foreign ma adminispolicy then, OrlaNdO tration’s deciand what kind OxalES sion to pursue of prospects a rebalancing does it hold?

For Dr. Renato de Castro, a to Asia.”

For his part, Duterte played professor of international studies at De La Salle University, down the victory of the counthe “major security challenge” try’s arbitration case against posed by Beijing’s moves are China. He also declared the surely unprecedented and thus end of the joint patrols between the Philippine and US Navies require a complex approach.

“A lot of developments right in the West Philippine Sea. He now seem to be superseding even said that the Philippinesome of the points raised by US Amphibious Landing Exhistorians, specifically when ercise 2016 would be the last we talk about our country’s joint military exercise between policy vis-à-vis China in the two allies.

What this reveals, accordlight of its assertive behavior in the South China Sea,” Dr. ing to Dr. de Castro, is a shift De Castro told the audience at in Philippine policy on China a recent forum organized by from that of balancing to apthe think-tank Stratbase ADR peasement. “[But] with that Institute for International change, you are generating a crisis not only with our alliStudies.

But Duterte’s actions, he ance with the United States but added, seem to undermine, with our security partnerships if not completely undo, what with South Korea, Japan, and the Aquino administration has even Australia.”

Dr. De Castro said the comachieved in terms of maintaining relative stability in the re- plexity of the region’s security gion, in alliance with Wash- situation has blurred the notion of “independent foreign ington.

“The AFP’s buildup of its policy.” “Absolute independterritorial defense capabilities ence only exists in the mind,” is aimed to complement the he stressed. Severing ties with deterrence provided by the US a long-time superpower ally forward deployed forces,” he only to kowtow to another said. “It was predicated upon does not constitute independthe US’ assertion of its position ence.

Instead, the Philippines as the dominant naval power in the Pacific. In a way, the should leverage on its existminimum deterrent effort en- ing reliable alliances. It should

maintain stable and healthy relations with the United States by implementing the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. More crucially, the country should explore how the VFA can facilitate the involvement of South Korea, Japan, and Australia in enhancing AFP’s capabilities in maritime security.

Foreign and defense policies should also be coordinated with the US and its security partners through annual defense consultations, joint trainings in counter-terrorism and maritime security, among others. At the same time, the Philippines should continue to build up its maritime capacity through arms acquisition from and training with the US and its key security partners.

Dealing with China need not be a zero-sum game, he said.

The Philippines should lay the groundwork for constructive bilateral negotiations that are guided by the primacy of the rule of law and close consultation with other allies.

Dr. De Castro also emphasized that while policy should be determined by the national leadership, it is a decision that cannot be taken lightly. “There should be a public discussion, in which all stakeholders, first and foremost the people, are consulted.” The strength of public opinion against Duterte’s forgiving attitude toward China attests to this.

Why Airbnb won’t conquer China

By Adam Minter IT’S never easy for American businesses to make it in China.

Cultural differences, government interference and the sheer cost of competing in a market that dwarfs the US have frustrated companies ranging from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to Uber Technologies Inc. Those stumbles aren’t dissuading Airbnb Inc., however. This week the home-sharing pioneer announced that it’s changing its local brand name in China and doubling its investment there.

By any measure, the opportunity is immense. In 2015, Chinese travelers spent nearly $500 billion, and the government expects that number to more than double by 2020 as the country’s middle class expands. But capturing a major piece of that market will require Airbnb to navigate a far more tangled thicket of cultural issues than what confronted Uber and other tech companies in China.

And judging by its efforts so far, it probably won’t be up to the task.

In theory, China should be one of the world’s biggest and best markets for home-sharing. Chinese travelers took 2.2-billion domestic trips in just the first half of 2016, up nearly 10.5 percent year-on-year. Yet China has only four hotel rooms for every 1,000

Pride...

From A4 longganisa from Lucban in Candelaria, sinigang na ulang and adobong kanduro in Calumpit. Nowadays, all you see dotting the highways are Jollibee and McDo. Similarly, their local handicrafts are promoted, from teacups made of fired ceramic to tea kettles and ladles made of beautifully crafted bamboo.

In fine, there is pride of place, heritage and culture.

On the other hand, we copied Hollywood, period.

Que lastima!, the old folks would exclaim.

Taiwan is not as beautiful as the Philippines, far from it. But the Taiwanese take extra effort to make their island postcardpretty.

They reforest their mountains with evergreens and bamboo and there is hardly a bald patch of earth your eyes would rue.

They plant vegetables and fruits everywhere they can and tend to these with loving care.

Their macopa is sweet and

people, compared to 20 in the US. And thanks to China’s housing boom, about 50-million empty homes are scattered across the country just waiting (in theory) for paying visitors.

But that doesn’t mean Chinese will jump on the opportunity to rent out their properties or stay in someone else’s home.

The biggest barrier is establishing trust between owners and renters. In recent years, Chinese consumers have been confronted by scandals ranging from tainted fast food to dodgy pharmaceuticals. They chronically complain of poor-quality goods and misleading marketing or labeling.

And they’re highly suspicious of small vendors. So renting a room from a stranger advertising on the internet won’t come naturally.

Homeowners, meanwhile, have their own concerns. Many of China’s vacant properties are purchased as investments, and most affluent homeowners—especially those with desirable vacation rentals—will hesitate to open their doors to poorer tourists, who constitute most Chinese travelers these days and who would be the most likely to forgo a hotel. That reluctance is only heightened by the near-constant stream of news reports about misbehavior among

large; while we have hardly any macopa trees left. Their balimbing is apolitical, large and sweet, not tart, because as the fruit begins to flower, they individually wrap these in plastic or paper, to protect it from rain or dew, and warm the outside temperature for the fruit to grow better and sweeter. In short, tender loving care.

This article is not intended to slur or denigrate our culture; nor is it to pander to my host country.

It is an eulogy to our nationalism, an essay on our forgetfulness of roots, our ignorance of heritage, our cavalier attitude towards culture. *** Let me wish our President, Rodrigo Roa Duterte warm felicitations on his 72nd birthday tomorrow.

As is his wont, he intends to celebrate the day simply, with no fanfare, no party, just another day.

As he loves to say, “usa ka tuog ra na,” loosely, “lilipas din iyan” as the Tagalogs would put it.

May the President be granted his simple wish: More strength to serve his people and our country.

Chinese travelers at home and abroad.

Bridging this gap in trust will be difficult. But there’s some evidence that local companies— which are more familiar with local customs and concerns—are figuring it out. For example, Tujia.com, China’s biggest homesharing site, takes the ambitious approach of managing each of the 400,000 properties on its site (or hiring a third party to do so). That includes hotel-like services, such as housekeeping, as well as conducting due diligence to confirm that listings are accurate. That doesn’t just improve the experience for renters; it also expands the number of properties available by giving owners—many of whom live far away from their investments— less upkeep to worry about and more peace of mind.

Airbnb, with its paltry 80,000 listings in China, hasn’t made any such effort, focusing instead on self-starting younger travelers. Where Tujia arranges for home cleaners, Airbnb’s new investments are focused on curated “Experiences,” such as tours of local landmarks, that can be purchased alongside a room. That kind of thing won’t be enough to overcome the cultural barriers inhibiting home-sharing in China.

Can...

From A4

And so far, there’s little evidence that Airbnb is savvy enough to come up with a more appealing approach. On Wednesday, shortly after the company announced its new Chinese brand name—Aibiying—social media users were widely mocking it as nonsensical and hard to pronounce.

It’s not all bad news for Airbnb.

China’s growing tourism market means that even a niche player focused on adventurous young travelers has a big opportunity.

Equally important, outbound travel is growing, and Airbnb’s three-million global listings will remain the best home-sharing option for Chinese who want one, a fact conceded even by its Chinese competitors.

When it comes to winning China’s local home-sharing market, however, Airbnb should probably check out early.

Bloomberg

Ambassador del Rosario’s column will resume on Wednesday.

Saving our planet IF THE participation by the people in the global observance of Earth Hour last Saturday was a gauge of our capacity to act together to protect the earth, then we are in serious trouble.

As in the past years, very few households participated. It was only in major malls where Earth Hour was observed. While shutting off all lights and unnecessary electrical appliances and devices for just one hour is not a tough act, few join in every year on this symbolic gesture of oneness in saving the planet Earth.

Perhaps, people think the one-hour shut off of lights would not amount to anything. They might conclude it’s a useless activity.

Yet, results from last year’s Earth Hour observance translated to over 13.2 million watts in total energy savings, roughly equivalent to 7,370 kilograms of carbon dioxide emissions. The energy saved by each individual during Earth Hour may not be much but taken together with all those who joined, a substantial amount of CO2 is prevented from getting emitted to the atmosphere.

People take for granted that the earth will always be there for humanity to exploit. They do not realize that since homo sapiens inhabited the earth, the earth’s ecosystem rapidly deteriorated.

Dinosaurs lived on earth for some 175 million years until they were wiped out towards the end of the Cretaceous period when a meteor hit the earth. The dinosaurs should be credited for bequeathing to humans a healthy earth with a balanced ecosystem.

The modern man’s ancestors, the Neanderthals and others, lived on earth for six million years but started to evolve only 200,000 years ago. The civilized humans, as we know them now—those standing upright—have been living on earth for only 6,000 years compared to the dinosaurs’ 175 million years. Yet, while men achieved much in this comparatively much shorter period in terms of making life comfortable for their existence, they have forgotten We will no their role as caretakers of the earth. Their inlonger be here ventions and industrial creations have caused then but our devastating effects on descendants the air, the water and the soil. As stated in will.

Universe Today, “the effects of humans on earth cannot be understated.” (www.univesetoday.com/wp-content/ upload/2010/08petermann_tmb_2010207.jpg) Every year, to build more houses for the world’s growing population, we bring down forests and destroy natural habitats, driving animal and plant species into smaller areas and endangerment. We are breathing dirtier air each day, eating and drinking more contaminated food and water. And yet we do nothing. The incidence of cancer and other lifethreatening illnesses plague us but we do not attribute it to our abuse of the environment and the earth.

Man is greedy and selfish. And he is shortsighted, too. He does things only to satisfy his hunger for luxury, comfort and money. The cycle goes on. The enterprising ones build wealth by addressing the hunger of the wealthy for the best and most expensive cars, the biggest diamonds and the most intricate pieces of jewelry set in gold. Mining companies destroy the earth by blasting off forests and poisoning the soil and water—but people do not care. Manufacturers create more products that cause more gas emissions and people happily grab them. Some live for their material joy in the moment while others live for their love of money.

No wonder each summer is getting hotter and more unbearable and each typhoon is getting fiercer and more destructive.

The warming of the planet because of our continued emission of toxic gases that pollute the atmosphere will continue to accelerate until the earth can no longer sustain life. We will no longer be here then but our descendants will. Can we live with the thought that the next generations will blame us for destroying the only planet in the universe they can call home?

Perhaps they will succeed in their search for other planets to move to. But, unless the human species learns now to be one and united in saving the planet earth, there is no reason to believe they will be able to care for another planet they can find to inhabit.

Email: ritalindaj@gmail.com Visit: www.jimenolaw.com.ph

Algorithms can be pretty crude toward women

By Cathy O’Neil

prudence? That is not too far different, I think, from asking whether the art of statecraft can be systematized into a “political science.” Insofar as one is able to discern fact-patterns that give rise to typical judicial responses, then one can establish a “causal” connection between facts identified as material and judicial results, then there is justification in uttering “science” and “jurisprudence” in one breath. Also, because the laws of a jurisdiction must be coherent and must constitute a system if they are to usefully stabilize behavioral expectations, it does make sense to refer to a “science of jurisprudence,” without forgetting that it is “prudence” that is the keyword and science, a maneuver of retrieval! rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

MY FRIEND Michael Harris, a fellow mathematician and author, recently sent me his psychological profile as compiled by Apply Magic Sauce, an algorithm operated by the Cambridge University Psychometrics Centre. This is a cousin of an algorithm that profiles people via access to their Facebook accounts, some version of which was used last year by the software company Cambridge Analytica to help them sway US voters.

Michael opted to input some of his writing, and was immediately profiled as “highly masculine,” among other personality traits. This intrigued me, and not only because I don’t think of Michael as the most macho of men—he’s got the heart of a poet—so I immediately tried it on myself. A recent Bloomberg View column about fake news and algorithms was rated 99 percent masculine, while this one about Snap’s business model was 94 percent masculine.

Even my New Year’s resolutions were determined to be 99 percent masculine. Maybe because I discussed my favorite planar geometry app?

This gave me an idea. What would it say about another woman writing about math? I found a recent blogpost by mathematician Evelyn Lamb discussing the Kakeya needle problem. Magic Sauce says: 99-percent masculine. What about a man writing about fashion? Just 1 percent masculine.

That’s not an enormous amount of testing, but I’m willing to wager that this model represents a stereotype, assigning the gender of the writer based on the subject they’ve chosen. Math and algorithms, from

this point of view, is a “male” topic, so I have been assigned a male “psychological gender.” Pretty crude.

Even so, I know enough about algorithms to know that an effect along these lines can arise naturally, depending on the training set for the model. Imagine that the creators collected Facebook updates and interactions, with associated labels indicating gender and age. The resulting data set, and the model trained on it, would reflect whatever bias is embedded in the population that created it.

This is not a new phenomenon, nor it is constrained to social media data. A July 2016 paper written by researchers from Boston University and Microsoft Research uncovered similar sexism bias embedded in Google News articles. Specifically, they trained an algorithm with that data set to perform old-fashioned SAT analogy questions such as “man is to computer programmer as woman is to what?” To this question, the algorithm spit back “homemaker.” Oops.

What’s interesting is that the researchers managed to pick apart this sexism and even adjust for it, so that the resulting algorithm would be able to answer SAT questions in a gender neutral way. This is an important advance because machine learning doesn’t simply reflect back our current reality; it’s often used to create reality. If a machine-learning algorithm at a job searching website knows I’m a woman and decides to send me job listings that are considered “interesting to women,” then it not only propagates stereotypes but actually magnifies them, by preventing me from getting certain jobs. Better for me, and for our future society, that the algorithms are deliberately made gender-neutral. Bloomberg

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News

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Alvarez: Investigate Tadeco contract

By Rio N. Araja

DEADLY SWEETS. United Filipino Consumers and Commuters president Rodolfo Javellana shows bottled ‘pure liquid glucose’ that have no nutritional facts data. Warning of the dangers of these products, Javellana calls on the Food and Drug Administration and the Department of Trade and Industry to conduct a thorough probe. Manny Palmero

‘BCDA’s non-leased properties tax-exempt’ Lawmaker wants bill protecting telco users

By Rio N. Araja A LAWMAKER has filed a bill for the establishment of a Magna Carta for Mobile Phone Subscribers in a bid to provide better protection to clients of telecommunication companies.

House Bill 5242, filed by Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo, seeks to institutionalize a minimum standard in terms of quality of service offered by local telecoms companies.

Castelo’s measure covers truth in advertising, telecoms offers, customer service, billing, protection of subscriber information, complaint handling and enforcement.

Most notable in the measure are the provisions that aim to address common complaints such as slow internet connection and expiration of load credits.

Under the measure, all mobile telecoms service providers shall provide a committed information rate or minimum internet download speed of 10 megabits per second for mobile broadband/internet access.

“Every two years after the effectivity of this Act, the National Telecommunications Commission shall make a review, and may adjust the standards, taking into consideration industry trends and developments in information and communications technology, provided, that the minimum speed shall be above the global average,” Castelo said.

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Court of Appeals has ruled that the non-leased properties of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City are exempt from payment of real property tax.

In a 28-page decision, the CA’s Eight Division through Associate Justice Celia LibreaLeagogo upheld an earlier ruling by the Taguig regional trial court which partially granted the petition filed by BCDA seeking to declare null and void the P58,708,939 million tax assessment being sought by the Taguig city government.

While agreeing with BCDA, being a government agency, thus it cannot be made to pay real property tax, the Taguig court

declared that the tax assessment is valid with respect to the properties leased and conveyed to real-estate developer Megaworld Corp. (8.38 hectares), International School of Manila (69,423 square meters) and Ayala Corp.

(9.76 hectares).

The Taguig city government appealed the ruling before the CA, arguing that the lower court erred in declaring that BCDA is a government instrumentality, thus, exempt from payment of real property tax.

In upholding the earlier decision, the appellate court pointed out that under Section 133 of the Local Government Code of 1991, local governments cannot impose any kind of tax on national government instrumentalities.

The CA noted that BCDA is neither a stock nor a nonstock corporation, thus, qualifying as a government-owned and -controlled corporation.

“When the law vests in a government instrumental-

ity corporate powers, the instrumentality does not become a corporation. Many government instrumentalities are vested with corporate powers but they do not become stock or non-stock corporations, which is a necessary condition before an agency or instrumentality is deemed a government-owned or controlled corporation,” the appellate court explained.

“It is clear that the petitionerappellee’s properties, although alienable and disposable, are properties of the public dominion belonging to the State. Hence, being real properties owned by the Republic of the Philippines, they are exempt from real property tax,” it added.

However, the CA noted that when BCDA grants the beneficial use of the real property owned by the government to a taxable person or entity, the same becomes subject to real property tax.

“Thus, the portions of the properties which are not leased to taxable entities are exempt from real estate tax while the portions of the properties leased to taxable entities are subject to real estate tax,” the CA said.

Palace: Take action vs climate change

By Sandy Araneta MALACAÑANG on Saturday night urged all Filipinos to fight climate change and be in solidarity with the rest of the world that observed Earth Hour 2017.

“Earth Hour 2017 is a good reminder of our commitment to fight climate change and our solidarity to the rest of the world in spreading the message that while we pursue economic develop-

ment programs, we continuously aspire for sustainable, climate change-resilient living,”Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

Filipinos once again switched their lights off for a full hour on Saturday night as the Philippines participated in the annual global campaign for Earth Hour.

The main event of this year’s Earth Hour Philippines, which urged the public to help “shine a light on cli-

mate change,” took place at SM by the Bay in Pasay City.

“Now everybody is aware of our largest global movement for the environment Earth Hour. We are happy because we are able to engage the youth as well,” World Wildlife Fund Philippines president Joel Palma.

Before the switch-off, an Earth Hour Camp took place which featured interactive climate adaptation and mitigation booths.

The Philippines has been championing the switch-off since 2008 and has topped global participation records from 2009 to 2012—earning it the title of Earth Hour Hero Country.

Earth Hour, which started as a symbolic lights out event in Sydney in 2007, has been engaging individuals, business and organizers in over 7,000 cities and more than 170 countries to act towards climate change.

LOTTO TOP SELLERS. Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office chairman Jose Jorge E. Corpuz (second from right) and general manager Alexander Balutan (third from left) award the Plaque of Appreciation to Athena Gato (fourth from left) for being one of the Top Lotto Sellers Outlets in Taguig City. Joseph Muego

SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez is pushing for a congressional inquiry into the allegedly grossly disadvantageous 25-year lease contract signed by the Bureau of Corrections and a bananafirm, the Tagum Agricultural Development Co. Inc. Alvarez filed House Resolution No. 867 directing the committee on good government and accountability to look into the matter and supposed ill-treatment on the workers in the banana plantation belonging to the family of Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo Jr. “It is the duty of the State, in particular the legislative department, to investigate such practices in aid of legislation to avoid a repeat of the incident,” he said.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II earlier ordered a review of the 25-year lease contract which will last for 12 years.

The government received complaints that the company’s annual payments—both lease and profit sharing—were only a fraction of the prevailing market rate.

Floirendo is the biggest campaign financier of President Rodrigo Duterte, having contributed P75 million based on the President’s report to the Commission on Elections.

Under the new lease agreement, BuCor shall receive a guaranteed annual production share of P26.54 million, which would automatically increase by 10 percent every five years.

“While this arrangement, at first glance, may appear beneficial, an examination of the surrounding circumstances as well as the prevailing industry practices would show otherwise,” Alvarez said.

Clinic funded by Canada launched CANADIAN Ambassador to the Philippines John Holmes will lead today the inauguration of the first of four maternity plus clinics under the ‘Innovations in Reducing Maternal Mortality in the Philippines’ project funded by the Global Affairs Canada and the Canadian NGO Inter Pares.

Three other clinics are set to open later this year in Navotas; Towerville, Bulacan; and Quinapondan, Eastern Samar —areas where there are concentration of poor women to whom the project’s offering of “safe, responsive and respectful maternity plus care” services is dedicated.

The project will also tap PhilHealth benefits for maternity and newborn care and family planning for financial support.

The maternity plus clinic offers skilled birth attendance by trained nurses and midwives; referral and transport to hospitals for emergency obstetric and newborn care; and family planning services that include the full range of methods available.

These are the triad of services that are known to rapidly reduce maternal and infant mortality.

These services are critical in the Philippines where maternal deaths continue to be high with 221 deaths per 100,000 live births based on the 2011 Family Health Survey.

The women who have the highest risk of dying from the complications of pregnancy and childbirth are those without access to maternity plus services.

These include poor women whether in urban or rural areas, women with little education, adolescent girls, women belonging to ethnic groups, and women with mental health problems and other disability. PNA

Sports

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MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Highland boxers cited at Elorde

PH Azkals prepping up for Asian Cup WITHOUT retired goalie Roland Muller, the members of the newly revamped Philippines national men’s football team are adjusting to his absence.

Team skipper Phil Younghusband said this as the Azkals brace for the coming third qualifying round of the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup football tournament.

“We’re playing together after a long break. We played Nepal in the past. Malaysia has always been the stronger team,” said Younghusband.

He talked about the team after the Azkals played Malaysia to another scoreless draw in their friendly match on Wednesday night at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The Azkals are bracketed in Group F with Nepal, whom they will play against on Tuesday next week.

Also in the same bracket are Tajikistan and Yemen.

The top two teams in their series of home and away games will make it to the tournament proper. Peter Atencio

Glen Aguilar survived the hot start of main rival Bornok Mangosong to top the second leg of the Diamond Motor Corporation Supercross on Saturday afternoon at the MX Messiah in Taytay, Rizal. The 42-year-old also won the first leg of the series. KC Cruz

Manila Cockers affirms legality

M

ANILA Cockers Club Inc. (Manila Cockers), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Manila Jockey Club Inc. (MJCI) is affirming the legality of the operation of its cockpit in Carmona, Cavite, and the acceptance of bets through its licensed off-cockpit betting stations at the local

Atty. Peter Francis G. Zagala, president of Manila Cockers, said that his club has a valid and existing license from Carmona, Cavite to operate a cockpit, broadcast its cockfights and offer and accept bets, electronically and/ or through other means within its territorial jurisdiction.

The license issued to Manila Cockers is pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 449, known as the Cockfighting Law of 1974, as amended by Republic Act No. 7160, otherwise known as ìLocal Government Code of 1991î which vested the sole authority to grant licenses to operate, conduct cockfights and the regu-

lation thereof to LGUs. In the advent of Republic Act No. 8792, known as the Electronic Commerce Act (ECommerce Act), transactions outside the territorial jurisdiction of an LGU is deemed transacted in the LGU where the electronic data is received.

In this case, Manila Cockers operates its own totalizator system duly authorized under its license. Manila Cockers likewise uses its own network of terminals located in its Off-Cockpit Stations (OCS) to process bets for cockf ighting; and Manila Cockers has separate, valid and existing contracts with its OCS operators.

The point of sale of the situs where a cockfight bet from an OCS is transacted, accepted and confirmed is in Carmona, Cavite where the totalizator system of Manila Cockers is located. This process is similar to the popular internet-based commerce stores such as Amazon and Ebay, which are examples of how ECommerce Act is applied.

The Games and Amusement Board authorized the use of OCS in processing bets for cockfighting provided that the LGUs, where the OCS are located consent to the same through the issuance of business permits. Accordingly, in its letter dated Oct. 12, 2016, the GAB directed the Manila Cockers to submit busi-

ness permits of its OCS. In compliance thereof, Manila Cockers submitted the business permits of its OCS operators.

The operations of the OCS does not require a license from the Sangguniang Bayan or Panlalawigan as this requirement only applies if a cockpit will be established and cockfights will be held within their respective jurisdictions. Given that Manila Cockers operates only one cockpit duly licensed by the Sangguniang Bayan of Carmona, Cavite; and does not operate and/ or maintain cockpits or conduct cockfighting in areas where its OCS are located, the business permits obtained by its OCS suffice to comply with the

Cockfighting Law, as amended.

Atty. Lucas Carpio, Director of MJCI and Special Legal Cousel in his letter to the GAB, the Philippine Racing Commission and other agencies relayed the position that Manila Cockers has the legal authority under existing laws to offer and take bets for cockfighting outside the territorial jurisdiction of Carmona, Cavite. Hence, Manila Cockers has the approval from the appropriate licensing authorities as required by E.O. 13.

Furthermore, Manila Cockers pays the proper taxes and complies with national and local government laws, rules and regulations. In 2016, Manila Cockers paid P21,669,098 as percentage taxes to the Bureau of Internal Revenue, P3,202,000.00 as business taxes, and P480,000 as sultada fees paid to the town of Carmona.

Vettel masters Hamilton to win Australian GP

SEBASTIAN Vettel out-manoeuvered Lewis Hamilton and the world champion Mercedes team with a stunning victory in the season-opening Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

Vettel won by almost 10 seconds from Hamilton and Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in a commanding victory of tactics and superior speed around the Albert Park street circuit.

Ferrari hadn’t won in Melbourne since Kimi Raikkonen’s 2007 victory and it was Vettel’s second triumph in Australia after winning the 2011 race with Red Bull.

It was also a major fillip for the fledgling season and the new generation of quicker cars after Ferrari’s superior pre-season test times as they chase their first world constructors’ title since 2008.

The victory was the German four-time world champion’s fourth for Ferrari and his first since Singapore in 2015 and his 43rd career win.

“A title challenge is a long way ahead. For now we are just over the moon at the start we have made here today,” Vettel said.

“I was not entirely happy with my start, there was a bit of wheel spin, but I was trying to keep the pressure on to give the message that we are here to fight.

“There was a bit of luck that Lewis came out in traffic.”

Ferrari got the better of Mercedes in the sole round of tyre changes which ultimately decided the race.

Hamilton’s early stop meant he rejoined behind the Red Bull of Max Verstappen which allowed Vettel to open up a decisive gap at the head of the field.

“A big congratulations to Ferrari and Sebastian,” Hamilton said.

“In the race, I struggled with the tyres.†I had to stop very early and I got stuck behind one of the Red Bulls, but that’s just the way it goes.”

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was fourth with Verstappen fifth ahead of Brazilian Felipe Massa in the Williams. AFP

Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel powers through a corner during the Formula One Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

AFP

Banario upbeat versus tough Aussie foe FORMER ONE Featherweight World Champion Honorio The Rockî Banario dropped five straight losses following his title-clinching performance over compatriot Eric Kelly in 2013, but has recently turned a new leaf, impressively winning three straight over top flight opponents.

A renewed wave of confidence he says is what made a world of difference.

Banario (11-6) will return to action against tough and durable Australian foe ìRuthlessî Rob Lisita (14-9) on April 21 in a three-round lightweight bout that is being considered an early candidate for Fight of the Night honors.

His belief in himself,

Banario explains, is at an all-time high.

My recent wins have given me my confidence back. Iím happy that Iím now able to show the positive outcome of my hard work. Those losses didnít put me down, they gave me the strength to push forward,î said Banario. ìIt changed my outlook on life, my outlook on this sport.î By the time Banario had dropped his fifth straight contest, a 56-second submission loss to Ev Ting, the proud Igorot warrior said he had already contemplated surrender and calling it a day. But it was those closest to him -- his family, friends, teammates at the Team Lakay MMA gym, coach Mark

Sangiao—who urged him to fight on.

I knew it wasnít over.

I had so many fans, true fans, telling me to soldier on and keep fighting and

that they still believed in me. Hearing all the words of encouragement, how can you continue to feel down after that? said Banario.

Honorio Banario of Team Lakay is confident of another good showing to continue his resurgence at the ONE Championship.

Dooley: New batch of Azkals playing better A newly revamped Philippines Azkals national menís football team are playing better and learning how to finish games.

National coach Thomas Dooley said this after the Azkals played to another scoreless draw in their friendly match with Malaysia on Wednesday night at the Rizal Me-

morial Stadium. ìAll teams that we played are getting better. I think we had more chances in the beginning of the game. We played better this time than the last time,î said Dooley.

It was the Azkalsí fifth draw in five years in their series of friendly matches with Malaysia.

The game is supposed to prepare the Azkals for the coming third qualifying round of the 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup football tournament.

The Azkals are bracketed in Group F with Nepal, whom they will play against on Tuesday next week.

Also in the same bracket are Ta-

jikistan and Yemen. The top two teams in their series of home and away games will make it to the tournament proper.

Both teams have their share of good chances to score in the first half, but it was the Azkals who had more shots that went on target. Peter Atencio

FIVE fighters of the Highland Boxing Stable in La Trinidad, Benguet were given during the 17th Gabriel ìFlashî Elorde Boxing Memorial Awards and Banquet of Champions on Saturday night at the Tent of the historic Manila Hotel.

They were World Boxing Council EuroPacific Boxing Council (WBC-EPBC) welterweight champion Sonny Katiandagho, Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Silver featherweight champion Carlo Magali, World Boxing Pacific Federation (WBPF) International lightweight champion Allan Tanada, Philippine welterweight champion Dennis Padua and Philippine flyweight champion Donny Mabao.

They were among the 11 Philippine champions of Class of 2016 as well as regional and international champions from the major boxing organizations in 11 divisions of the same year. ìIím so proud of these boxers and Iíd like to thank the Elordes for the recognition,î said Highland Boxing Stable owner Brico Santig.

The annual boxing award was held in celebration of the 82nd birthday of the late Flash Elorde.

Also feted were Hall of Famers Manny ìPacman Pacquiao and Donnie ìAhasî Nietes, who both received the Award of Distinction, one of the major awards of the Elorde Awards Night. This award is conferred to a Filipino boxer who had already been enshrined to the Elorde Hall of Fame.

POC to open sports hubs in Leyte

By Peter Atencio THREE years after receiving funding from the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the Philipine Olympic Committee POC) is set to open state-of-the-art sports facilities in two municipalities in the province of Leyte.

Former POC chairman Tom Carrasco, who is in charge of the projects, said the facilities will be ready next month.

The facilities were put up in two barangays, Palo and Albuera, by the POC funding support from IOC. “The money was not used to upgrade or rebuild existing facilities. These are new (facilities). These are world class,” said Carrasco in a radio interview.

In 2014, the IOC received $450,000, or roughly P20million to help provinces affected by Typhoon Yolanda get back on their feet.

The money was supposed to be spent on the rehabilitation of sports facilities damaged by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 but opted to build new facilities instead.

Carrasco informed Philippine Sports Commission board member Ramon Fernandez about the status of the undertaking last week.

He told Fernandez that the remittances in funding the projects were coursed through a non-government organization, Gawad Kalinga.

He added that none of the funding was ever course through a government agency, nor a local government unit in Leyte.

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

P0 M+ P0 M

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

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MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

SUBIT lures record field NOSTALGIA has gripped the country’s triathlon community in the run-up to the NTT ASTC Subic Bay International Triathlon slated at Subic Bay Freeport Zone on April 29 and 30.

With its hash tag #balikSubit, the countryís premier standard triathlon celebrating its 24th edition (longest running event in Subic Bay) has already over 800 entries in its registry book.

All out to spoil the Filipino triathletesí trip are their counterparts from the United States, Great Britain, Australia, Switzerland, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, Korea, India, Syria, Chinese Taipei, Malaysia, Uzbekistan and Singapore.

Top finishing elite athletes earn points towards qualifying for the ITU World Triathlon Championships as SUBIT is a leg of the Asia Cup series under the aegis of Asian Triathlon Confederation.

SUBIT also serves as big test for the seven Filipino SEA Games hopefuls before the Asian Triathlon Championships in July.

(Philippines copped the two gold medals staked in the last SEA Games.)

List-up for the SUBIT with SBMA, Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), Finis, Century Tuna, Philippine Star, Gatorade, Standard Insurance, Cablelink, The Lighthouse Marina Resort and ACEA Subic Bay as major sponsors ends on April 1.

Ramon Marchan, president of the organizing Triathlon Association of the Philippines, said, ìThe response to our campaign to return to the root of international triathlons in the Philippines is, indeed, heartwarming that we have to deny entries three weeks before SUBIT. Coming in as minor sponsors are Subictel, Foton, PTT, Moonbay Marina The Villas and Asian Center for Insulation, Subic Bay Travelerís Hotel is the official hotel; Subic Holiday Villas and Subic International Hotel are partner hotels.

Complementing the press and broadcast coverage are media partners: Raceday Triathlon, SBR.ph, Trilife Magazine and AsiaTRI.com.

Interested parties may visit TRAPís website: www.triathlon.org.ph. or Facebook pages https://www.facebook.com/TriPhil/ and https://www.facebook.com/ITUSubit/

PPS Brookside Open qualifiers under way EIGHT slots in the men’s and four in women’s play are up for grabs in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Brookside Open 2017 qualifiers which starts today at the Brookside Hills Tennis Club in Cainta.

Dave Mosqueda, Emmanuel Fuelas, Neil Co and Norman Gaspar banner the big 64-player field vying for eight berths in the tournament proper which fires off on Wednesday with the cream of the countryís crop participating.

Ingrid Gonzales, Erika Manduriao, Grace Melchor and Toni Rose Raymundo, on the other hand, lead the chase for four seats in the main event of the womenís play of the annual event hosted by BHTC president Allan del Castillo.

“We thank the BHTC for its continued support with the event also serving as part of its commitment to hold Open tournaments here at Brookside Hills aside from its regular Mayor’s Cup,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

The Brookside Open, backed by Slazenger, offers a total prize fund of P300,000 prize fund, including P200,000 from BHTC and P100,000 from PPS-PEPP. Johnny Arcilla, who has dominated the PPS-PEPP Open events the last three years, headlines the elite field again but faces a tougher challenger from rivals PJ Tierro, Leander Lazaro, Fritz Verdad, Ronard Joven, John Altiche, Rolando Ruel Jr. and Marc Reyes, among others.

Clarice Patrimonio, meanwhile, gains the top seeding in womenís play with sister Christine at No. 2 and Miles Vitaliano and Rachelle De Guzman ranked Nos. 3 and 4, respectively, in the event backed by Asiatraders Corp., which also features the menís and womenís doubles.

For details, call PPS-PEPP Regional Age Group Tennis Event organizer and Sports Program Development director Bobby Mangunay at 0915-4046464.

The event, backed by the new Unified tennis group, led by PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson Tobyís and B-Meg, also serves as the first of a two-week tennis festival at Brookside with the juniors and doubles set next week featuring the 10-unisex and the boysí and girlsí 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-and-under competitions and 10-U, 14-U and 18-U doubles.

Sports Boar rowers representing various teams from Metro Manila scramble their way to the finish in the first leg of the 2017 Dragon Boat Festival at the Manila Bay. Ey Acasio

Young guns begin quest for glory in SEA athletics I

LAGAN CITY —The best and most promising track and field stars in the region take centerstage when the 12th Southeast Asian Youth Athletic Championship goes full blast today (Monday) at the sprawling Ilagan City Sports Complex in this enchanting city.

Top Mixed Martial Arts fighters AJ Matthews (left) and Mark Striegl try to outdo each other in one of the challenges of the UA Test of Will.

Striegl outduels Matthews at UA Test of Will challenge

ONE Championship fighter Mark Striegl and AJ Matthews of Bellator engaged in a one-onone duel in the Under Armour Test of Will held at the Greenbelt 3 in Makati on Saturday.

Mark Striegl defeated a taller, heavier foe in AJ Matthews in a showdown watched by a big mob at the Greenbelt 3 in Makati City.

It was not a Mixed Martial Arts fight. It was a test of endurance and physical conditioning in the Under Armour Test of Will with Striegl scoring 119 reps against 101 of Matthews, dubbed the Filipino Punisher in Bellator.

Along with other participants, the two international MMA stars competed in different challenges like the four-minute circuit consisting of Burpees, One Arm Thruster, TRX Rows and Sandbag Throw.† Each competitor were

scored based on the maximum number of repetitions achieved within 60 seconds.

The Test of Will challenge was on its second year and the top Philippine scorers will battle in a six-country challenge against bets from Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei.

The highest scoring man and woman of the national heats from each respective country will win an all-expense paid trip to compete in the regional finals, happening in Kuala Lumpur on May 6.

This yearís overall champion of the regional finals will walk away with S$2,500 cash prize, or around Php 88,000.00.

For more information on how to register for Test of Willí, please visit: www.testofwill.com.

A total of 18 gold medals will be at stake in the opening salvo of this prestigious age-group tourney that serves as appetizer for the 2017 Ayala Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championships on Thursday also at the same venue.

The opening ceremonies turned into a memorable night of song and dance numbers as Ilagan City Mayor Evelyn Diaz joined Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) secretary general Steve Hontiveros and Department of Labor and Employment Sec. Silvestre Bello in declaring the games open.

John Carlo Yuzon, a product of this region who plucked the gold medal in last yearís Palarong Pambansa in Legazpi City, lit the championship flame while fellow Palarong Pambansa gold medalist Cherry Mae Banatao led the oath of sportsmanship, much to the delight of close to a hundred delegates from Brunei, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Iraq, Malaysia, Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Timor Leste.

Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (Patafa) president Philip Ella Juico was supposed to grace the opening-day festivities, but pulled out at the last minute to attend to an urgent personal matter.

He, however, issued a statement to welcome both local and foreign delegates. ìPatafa welcomes all our young men and women from Southeast Asia,î said Juico, who also once served as chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC). ìYour presence in this beautiful city of Ilagan in this great province of Isabela reaffirms the truism that sports transcends all boundaries. I urge all the youth athletes to exemplify sportsí pristine values of integrity, selflessness, discipline and all other values that make our nations great.î But spotlight will be trained on Veruel Verdadero and Jane Marie Cambonga, two prized members of the national pool who are looking to book a slot in the national track and field squad that would campaign in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur this August.

A 15-year old student from Immaculate Conception in Dasmarinas, Cavite, Verdadero is looking for nothing but golden finishes in the all of his five events following a dominant performance in the Batang Pinoy National Championships in Tagum City, Davao del Norte last year.

Jay’s pair of treys lifts Rain or Shine

By Jeric Lopez

VETERAN Jay Washington drained a pair of critical three-pointers down the stretch as Rain or Shine came through in the clutch to withstand a stiff challenge from Blackwater, taking a tough 95-88 victory to regain a share of tournament lead in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup yesterday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City.

Shawn Taggart topscored for Rain or Shine with a solid double-double effort of 26 points and 12 rebounds.

The Elasto Painters banked on their experience in the final three minutes of play to get past their pesky foes.

With the game up for grabs down the stretch, Washington took it upon himself to lead his squad, Rain on Shine import Shawn Taggart goes for a slam

connecting on back-to-back triples that practiacally won the game for Rain or Shine.

His first triple broke an 87-all deadlock and gave the Painters a 90-87 lead with 2:46 left.

After Blackwater import Greg Smith split his charities on the other end, Washington once again sank one from way deep, giving Rain or Shine a more comfortable 93-88 lead with 1:43 remaining and that eventually served as the marginal basket for the Painters.

Rain or Shine wrapped the game up with a decisive 8-1 spurt.

As a result, the Elasto Painters remained unbeaten and are now at tied for first with Meralco with similar 3-0 slates.

On the other hand, the Elite remained winless as it fell to the bottom at 0-3, tying NLEX.

Bersola carries UP past NU KATHY Bersola played her best game of the season as University of the Philippines tied National University in fourth place with a 25-14, 25-27, 25-21, 2512, win yesterday in the UAAP Season 79 women’s volleyball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Holding her own against 6-foot5 Jaja Santiago, Bersola had a career-best eight blocks and fired two service aces for a 14-point effort as the Lady Maroons avenged their narrow five-set defeat to the Lady Bulldogs in the first round to improve at 7-5.

UP’s second straight victory, the first winning streak since going 4-0 to start the season, allowed idle University of Santo Tomas (7-4) to seize solo third in the standings.

Earlier, Ateneo, shone in the first of two warm-up matches before its much-anticipated showdown with defending champion De La Salle and showed no mercy against Adamson University, 25-13, 25-13, 25-11, to move within a win of clinching one of two twice-tobeat slots in the Final Four.

Meralco seeks FGen supply B3

IN BRIEF Cement firms spared from mining regulation

THE Mines and Geosciences Bureau issued a circular removing the need for cement manufacturers and holders of quarry and industrial sand and gravel permits to secure a mineral processing permit.

MGB said the move was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s earlier pronouncement to lessen red tape and redundant requirements.

MPP is a permit granted to a qualified person for mineral processing. Mineral processing means the milling, beneficiation, leaching, smelting, cyanidation, calcination or upgrading of ores, minerals, rocks, mill tailings, mine waste and/or other metallurgical by-products or by similar means to convert the same into marketable products.

MGB Memorandum Circular No. 201702 issued on Feb. 6, 2017 by Environment Undersecretary and concurrent MGB director Mario Luis Jacinto states that “contractors who are engaged in cement manufacturing and holders of quarry and industrial sand and gravel [ISG] permits are not required to secure MPP.” Anna Leah E. Gonzales

Bloomberry expects to sustain net profit

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

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Govt backs National Steel sale

By Othel V. Campos

T

HE Trade Department will likely approve the proposal of Steel Asia Manufacturing Corp. to acquire, rehabilitate and operate the mothballed mill of National Steel Corp. in Mindanao.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government was ready to extend tax incentives to Steel Asia, but would not likely grant tariff protection.

Lopez said the department had not received proposals from other companies over the acquisition of National Steel, aside from that of SteelAsia.

“If their intention [SteelAsia] is to have iron and steel operations [in Iligan], by all means that’s a welcomed move. It has to be a modern facility to be efficient. And the presumption here is that they will enter the market without protection, without tariff protection,” Lopez said over the weekend.

He said despite the lack of tariff shield, the Trade

Department’s Board of Investments would assess the proper incentives to be accorded to big investments using modern technology such as the proposal of SteelAsia.

“Steel manufacturing is still a priority industry.

We will give [them] incentives particularly if they are putting up a modern plant with modern technology that is efficient and job generating with low production cost that will render operations efficient,” said Lopez.

A possible challenge to the proponent is the current financial standing of National Steel as claims for the property might surface from banks, as the company is still under receivership. It also has tax arrears.

SteelAsia officials said they were willing to work out a plan with the government to make the proposed acquisition a win-win project for both entities.

There are several proposals to develop the iron and steel industry including a standing proposal by a Chinese group to put a $10-billion integrated steel plant.

SteelAsia plans to put up a modern and environment-friendly factory in Iligan, producing steel

products like plates, beams, billets, slabs and sheet piles which are all currently imported.

Under the proposal to National Development Co., SteelAsia is prepared to negotiate with all valid claimants, including the government, for an assetpurchase arrangement.

If the plan works out, Iligan will be SteelAsia’s seventh steelworks unit. Its six steelworks, located in key growth regions throughout the country, are all operating at full capacity.

SteelAsia is the largest reinforced steel bar maker in Southeast Asia and the Philippines.

SteelAsia president Benjamin Yao said the plan was to produce and deliver quality steel products enough to supply the rising local demand from a growing infrastructure sector of a fast industrializing country.

“We grew exponentially in the past ten years, starting with a production capacity of 450,000 metric tons in 2006 to 2.7 million metric tons in 2016 for rebars and billets. We are putting up new ones in the next two years to bring up our capacity to 5 million metric tons, which will be 60 percent of total annual demand,” Yao said.

BLOOMBERRY Resorts Corp., the operator of the $1.2-billion Solaire Resorts & Casino in Parañaque City, expects to remain profitable this year despite the opening of the $2-billion Okada Manila.

Bloomberry reported a net income of P2.32 billion last year, a reversal from the P3.38-billion net loss in 2015.

Bloomberry chairman and chief executive Enrique Razon Jr. said in a recent interview the significant increase in tourist arrivals from China was providing a big boost to the domestic gaming industry even with the entry of a new player.

“There is already an oversupply because of opening of Okada Manila. Absolutely, we will remain profitable because the market is growing,” Razon said.

Razon said the number of Chinese players going to Solaire grew 200 percent to 300 percent given the renewed relationship between China and the Philippines. “It has been growing [Chinese arrivals] by 200 [percent] to 300 percent at least for people coming to Solaire. It started building up since October and November after President Duterte’s visit to China. They have been sending more tourists,” Razon said.

Razon also welcomed the move of state-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to stop issuing licenses to new casinos in Metro Manila for a period of five years to enable existing players to grow their businesses and recoup their investments. Jenniffer B. Austria

Smart accelerates network expansion

SMART Communications Inc. is ramping up network improvement this year and expanding its 4G long term evolution coverage to include a total of 785 municipalities by the end of 2017, in line with its commitment to the National Telecommunications Commission.

This is about half of the target indicated in the three-year network rollout plan that PLDT submitted to NTC last year, where it said that Smart was focusing on accelerating its LTE deployment and would make it progressively available to users in 1,551 cities and municipalities across the country by the end of 2018.

Joachim Horn, chief technology and information advisor of PLDT and Smart, said the group aimed to roll out 2,165 sites with LTE in lowspectrum bands and 3,568 sites in high spectrum bands in 2017.

“We will also continue to invest in our 2G and 3G networks to meet customer demand and ensure best customer experience,” he said.

The comprehensive network modernization and expansion program features re-equipping cell sites to use low-frequency bands such as 700 MHz and 850 MHz to improve LTE and 3G services, as these frequency bands travel farther than high-frequency bands and provide better coverage, including indoors.

The rollout also includes deploying high-frequency bands like 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz, to increase the capacity of each Smart cell site to handle more calls, texts and increasing mobile data traffic. Darwin G. Amojelar

NEW SAVEMORE STORES. Savemore Market, the neighborhood store format of SM Markets, takes rapid expansion to a whole new level by opening seven new stores in February largely in provincial areas to reach thousands of shoppers in remarkable back-to-back store openings. These include Savemore stores in San Andres, Manila; Kabankalan, Victorias and San Carlos in Negros Occidental; Boracay; and Tagum, Davao Del Norte. Shown are executives of Savemore Market and SM Markets during a store opening.

PH asks Australia to open market for bananas

By Julito G. Rada FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III asked the Australian government to open up its market to Philippine bananas which have been barred in that country for more than 20 years now.

Dominguez, who once served as Agriculture secretary, raised the Philippines’ longstanding concern in his meeting with Australia Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who was in Manila recently on an official visit.

Dominguez brought up the issue amid efforts by Filipino banana grow-

ers to comply with Australia’s stringent export requirements.

“As former minister of Agriculture, I will raise with you the issue of the banana imports. We have been working at that for 20 years, probably. And we have not been able to ship to you a single box of bananas,” Dominguez said in his meeting with Bishop.

Bishop replied by reiterating Australia’s standard response on the need for the Philippines to meet that country’s required risk management measures and offered Australia’s assistance in this area.

“The challenge, I guess with you and for us is for Philippine produce to be

able to meet those conditions in order for exports to occur,” Bishop said.

“We can continue to talk about… more assistance that we can provide to meet those requirements,” Bishop said.

Biosecurity Australia, the inspection and quarantine assessment arm of Australia’s Department of Agriculture, has long been imposing stringent phytosanitary and sanitary requirements on Philippine bananas, which have been barred from the Australian market since 1995.

These requirements include the need for Philippine banana exports to have eight leaves prior to harvest and the use

of non-perforated bags for packing.

The Australian Banana Growers Council has been opposing banana imports from the Philippines.

Dominguez told Bishop that Philippine bananas, one of the country’s top food exports, were accepted and exported in many other countries.

“Japan accepts our bananas, China accepts our bananas, even the Middle East accepts our bananas,” Dominguez said.

The Philippines asked the World Trade Organization in July 2003 to create a dispute panel to settle its complaint with Australia regarding banana exports.

Foreign airline completes due diligence on PAL, readies acquisition

By Darwin G. Amojelar A MAJOR foreign airline completed the due diligence prior to the acquisition of a significant stake in Philippine Airlines, a top executive said over the weekend.

Philippine Airlines said it expected a new strategic investor within the first half of the year, as the due diligence or comprehensive appraisal was already completed.

“The due diligence [was] already completed.

We’re talking about nitty gritty of [the transaction. Valuation is one,” PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista said.

Bautista said he was hoping the transaction would be completed within first half of 2017.

He did not disclose the identity of the strategic investor, but said it’s an “airline in the world.”

Bautista said PAL expected to sell up to a 40-percent stake to the strategic investor.

PAL posted a net profit last year, Bautista said. PAL Holdings Inc., the parent company of the flag carrier has yet to fully disclose the actual net income data.

The airline, now wholly-owned by tycoon Lucio Tan after he bought back a 49-percent

stake that San Miguel Corp. purchased from him in 2012, posted a net income of P2.55 billion in January to September 2016, lower by 57 percent than a year ago.

Revenues increased 3.5 percent in the nine-month period to P85.35 billion, with passenger revenues rising 4.7 percent to P71.47 billion.

Bautista said 2017 would be a challenging year for PAL because of rising fuel prices and intensifying competition.

“Price of fuel is going up. Competition is there,” he said, adding that the Manila airport was now congested.

“That’s why we’re expanding our operations in other airports such as Clark, Cebu, Davao,” Bautista said.

PAL signed a memorandum of understanding in February last year with Airbus for the acquisition of six A350-900 aircraft with an option for another six planes for delivery from 2018 to 2019.

The orders were valued at $1.83 billion.

PAL plans to deploy the A350 extra wide-body aircraft, which seat more than 300, on new routes to North America and Europe. The first A350 is scheduled for delivery in 2018.

SMART’S AWARDS. For the second straight year, Smart Communications won the Company of the Year citation at

the Anvil Awards, after receiving the highest number of Gold Anvils for its public relations programs. Smart received 17 Gold Anvils and seven Silver Anvils in a ceremony organized by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines. On its 52nd year, the Anvil Awards is considered the Oscars of public relations in the country. Shown are members of Smart’s public relations team with their gold and silver awards.

B2

Business

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market likely to stay at 7,200 level

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

TOCKS are expected to keep moving sideways this week, as investors take a defensive stance amid the uncertain developments overseas.

Online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com said despite the positive earnings reported by listed companies, investors would wait for key macroeconomic catalysts before moving away from current defensive stance.

“For now, it would be prudent to maintain a defensive stance, as markets are still waiting for key macro catalysts,” 2TradeAsia.com said.

Immediate support is seen at 7,200 and resistance at 7,350 to 7,400.

The Market Call, the joint publication of First Metro Investment Corp. and University

of Asia and the Pacific capital markets research, said in its latest issue it did not see any positive catalyst for local equities in the next two months.

“If at all, the headwinds appear daunting.

These include the strengthening of US economy and dollar and its negative effect on the peso and the economic fundamentals on the external side show some cracks as the current account looks headed towards a deficit as a result of years of an overvalued currency,” it said.

The publication said given the market’s current trend, investors should be patient, search for value stocks and enter the market on downturns.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, closed lower by 1 percent over last week’s five-day market trading to 7,269.62 on March 24, while the broader all-share index went down 0.9 percent to 4,376.74.

BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said investors were re-

calibrating expectations to reflect the reality that US President Trump’s pro-growth agenda would not push through overnight.

“This affected local investors’ sentiment which caused some profit taking,” Ravelas said.

Major subindices ended mixed, with holding firms, services and mining and oil posting week-on-week gains, while financials, industrial and property registered weekly declines.

Foreign investors were net sellers last week

by P3.3 billion, while average daily turnover eased to P7 billion from the previous week’s average of P8.3 billion.

Top gainers last week were Melco Crown (Philippines) Resorts Corp. which advanced 7.1 percent to P6.19, PLDT Inc. which climbed 3.8 percent to P1.570 and Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. which rose 3.3 percent to P75.30.

Heavy losers included Metro Pacific Investments Corp. which dropped 7.3 percent to P6.03, Ayala Land Inc. which dipped 5.6 percent to P34.50 and Robinsons Retail Holdings Inc. which went down 5.3 percent to P77.50.

EDC earmarks P8b for ‘17 expenditures

By Alena Mae S. Flores ENERGY Development Corp., the country’s largest geothermal and wind energy company, said it is allocating P8 billion for capital expenditures this year, slightly lower than in 2016.

EDC budgeted P8.2 billion for its 2016 capex, a source said over the weekend.

The source said this year’s budget would be used “mainly for Tongonan rehab and recurring capex.”

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

MARCH 20-24, 2017 Close Volume

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

3.3 48.85 120.00 99.65 40.7 4.02 1.18 16.02 20 7.72 1.61 800.00 0.680 77.45 0.72 14.72 25.30 56.10 87.8 115 243 39 201 1715.00 79.65 1.22

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Basic Energy Corp.

Bogo Medelin C. Azuc De Tarlac Cemex Holdings Century Food Chemphil Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Conc. Aggr. ‘B’ Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

Liberty Flour LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ MG Holdings Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Phil H2O Pilipinas Shell Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Phoenix Semiconductor Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ Shakeys Pizza SPC Power Corp.

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

42.1 5.3 0.82 1.35 18.06 0.255 105.9 14.98 7.48 16.82 180 90 95.65 23.45 61 1.95 5.9 12.24 12.700 6.15 6.00 7.85 1.7 22.35 72.45 12.30 15.60 6.88 1.550 188.00 72.80 4.96 3.9 28.50 30.75 26.7 15.76 277.80 0.260 6.78 3.73 9.00 3.7 73.55 11.48 2.24 7.70 1.94 4.9 4.94 2 2.79 280 13.74 4.36 0.143 1.45 161 1.5 31.40 1.00

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Filinvest Dev. Corp.

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

MJCI Investments Inc. Pacifica `A’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion San Miguel Corp `A’ Seafront `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Transgrid Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.375 75.30 13.02 1.11 6.20 0.315 0.335 845 8.7 11.50 5.38 7.93 0.181 1170 6.50 82.00 5.57 7.95 1.03 15.42 0.445 6.03 3.74 0.0540 1.080 2.000 104.00 2.8 666.00 1.39 0.86 200.00 274.800 0.2900 0.1890 0.240

8990 HLDG Anchor Land Holdings Inc. A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings Cebu Prop. `B’ Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Keppel Properties Megaworld MRC Allied Ind.

6.800 6.00 0.93 2.400 1.300 34.500 3.81 5.13 6.09 0.495 1.03 1.190 0.159 0.550 55.2 0.700 0.177 0.97 1.69 1.19 4.03 3.48 0.227

Value

FINANCIAL 7,421,110.00 7,727,150.00 1,328,778,544 516,132,122.00 30,004,180.00 497,590.00 371,850.00 3,623,918.00 128,223,269.00 22,389 259,980.00 999,590.00 7,228,520.00 1,508,998,280.00 422,910.00 1,002,116.00 325,770.00 25,141,803.50 186,088.00 247,353.00 951,681.00 17,110,610 553,295,946.00 2,506,950 27,558,446.50 3,045,410.00 INDUSTRIAL 9,215,300 391,581,885.00 4,660,200 24,797,141.00 1,501,000 1,221,020.00 2,217,000 3,020,250.00 89,800 1,720,770.00 41,950,000 10,685,150.00 190 18,711.00 61,700 912,878.00 132,605,300 1,007,225,515.00 15,621,100 264,098,306 160 29,788.00 2,500 225,728.00 280 26,791.00 765,800 17,903,120.00 863,750 52,117,738 7,829,000 15,981,810.00 3,592,400 20,627,567.00 70,600 858,732.00 19,870,400 253,798,902.00 8,616,200 53,924,604.00 46,428,100 277,361,836.00 1,998,200 15,737,091.00 2,000 3,400.00 11,451,000 258,893,585.00 215,470 15,693,677.00 93,300 1,134,852.00 215,500 3,385,170.00 10,203,200 70,934,094.00 2,699,000 4,214,170.00 2,596,950 496,989,365.00 6,280 455,625.50 11,867,600 60,175,119.00 293,000 1,135,420.00 14,900 417,285.00 9,917,200 302,289,420.00 1,952,000 52,225,655.00 12,516,400 202,672,230.00 1,682,900 478,103,780.00 329,640,000 94,970,500.00 1,309,200 9,091,588.00 14,568,000 54,583,210.00 16,743,200 151,754,696.00 15,000 56,670.00 2,033,860 150,211,338.00 69,400 796,260.00 5,275,000 11,844,260.00 12,555,000 95,151,920.00 3,661,000 7,183,170.00 368,300 1,778,644.00 7,898,000 39,045,900.00 13,000 26,080.00 139,000 392,510.00 138,160 38,246,100.00 23,389,400 323,909,434.00 216,000 946,560.00 9,860,000 1,418,440.00 2,301,000 3,456,470.00 7,593,350 1,236,074,708 6,760,000 10,301,540.00 300 9,430.00 1,283,000 1,284,420.00 HOLDING FIRMS 5,430,000 2,033,200.00 6,138,830 458,861,144.50 40,741,100 525,170,926.00 247,000 272,150.00 179,200 1,086,909.00 26,270,000 8,641,950.00 5,500,000 1,827,850.00 1,540,550 1,284,099,895 3,781,400 33,208,963.00 101,983,500 1,185,648,468.00 10,000 53,800.00 10,000 79,688.00 820,000 148,950.00 618,420 723,757,935.00 264,600 1,680,457.00 8,528,850 690,734,920.50 23,700 129,446.00 3,214,500 25,506,269.00 45,322,000 49,898,170.00 29,411,800 442,480,450.00 320,000 133,100.00 394,309,100 2,430,072,076.00 39,000 141,890.00 508,380,000 27,900,900.00 44,000 47,560.00 2,886,000 5,665,340.00 1,658,910 171,533,140.00 2,881,000 8,538,350.00 2,652,340 1,748,377,075.00 2,856,000 4,073,210.00 2,000 1,720.00 100 20,000.00 32,190 8,798,048.00 2,720,000 781,850.00 450,000 84,990.00 1,900,000 475,170.00 PROPERTY 711,800 4,836,376.00 24,800 151,200.00 2,557,000 2,326,610.00 468,000 1,108,200.00 53,410,000 71,994,840.00 40,256,700 1,428,164,235.00 31,544,000 117,371,450.00 5,200 26,196.00 100 609.00 38,184,000 19,114,530.00 181,000 192,220.00 2,302,000 2,834,280.00 12,980,000 2,061,580.00 5,349,000 2,928,290.00 6,442,890 356,867,938.00 44,000 30,800.00 54,260,000 9,592,940.00 12,144,000 11,833,540.00 26,546,000 44,587,560.00 727,000 877,890.00 58,000 233,780.00 84,145,000 299,339,790.00 1,195,730,000 261,093,580.00 2,369,000 160,100 10,783,470 5,163,720 742,600 124,000 309,000 226,700 6,388,300 2,900 160,000 1,240 10,738,000 19,095,400 586,000 68,200 12,900 445,600 2,130 2,180 4,230 437,000 2,761,250 1,455 346,050 2,477,000

MARCH 13-17, 2017 Close Volume Value 3.1 48.95 125.00 102.40 40.3 4.05 1.23 15.9 20.65 7.72 1.64 835.00 0.710 80 0.72 14.72 25.30 56.60 87 115 240 39 201 1750.00 79.65 1.22

223,000 94,400 19,410,350 5,354,180 1,168,800 53,000 550,000 170,700 969,000 3,300 70,000 580 12,715,000 11,234,760 889,000 245,600 25,500 301,900 15,620 730 7,740 289,700 4,731,060 1,195 405,230 30,000

714,360.00 4,603,715.00 2,399,864,771 533,932,785.50 46,910,385.00 211,450.00 686,690.00 2,656,208.00 19,954,565.00 25,476 117,200.00 476,300.00 8,727,770.00 884,165,259.50 652,690.00 3,569,710.00 645,150.00 17,009,999.50 1,378,233.50 82,780.00 1,865,898.00 11,307,540 668,712,817.00 2,115,250 32,300,690.50 36,600.00

43.5 5.34 0.81 1.38 20.5 0.270 106 15.02 7.5 16.9 187 94 95.7 23.5 60 2.2 5.99 12.1 12.880 6.38 6.04 7.90

8,532,400 5,745,300 930,000 13,696,000 344,800 46,380,000 630 37,300 137,395,500 35,176,400 1,070 1,380 130 1,339,100 192,390 3,247,000 499,400 503,300 41,521,200 27,609,300 79,973,000 1,716,100

369,566,645.00 30,823,255.00 753,940.00 19,278,730.00 6,981,096.00 12,909,150.00 61,606.50 548,122.00 784,120,003.00 601,897,706 211,689.00 129,204.50 12,441.00 30,938,055.00 11,544,555 7,029,470.00 3,017,783.00 6,195,548.00 522,420,582.00 178,217,401.00 479,605,007.00 13,625,801.00

22.45 73.35 12.50 15.70 6.74 1.530 193.20 71.00 5.25 3.95 28.50 30.75 26.95 16.5 290.00 0.265 6.93 3.72 9.10 3.7 73 11.42 2.26 7.40 1.97 5 4.96

4,168,100 443,910 196,600 558,100 3,413,400 2,907,000 2,511,180 8,650 59,481,100 445,000 9,900 6,399,400 2,238,300 20,007,600 1,203,870 17,310,000 1,768,000 13,039,000 43,563,000 23,000 2,182,730 13,400 3,471,000 11,788,900 8,029,000 1,780,900 4,181,900

93,396,070.00 32,024,772.00 2,453,008.00 8,825,930.00 22,890,305.00 4,640,100.00 489,629,423.00 607,850.50 350,099,300.00 1,739,760.00 276,945.00 193,628,950.00 60,337,160.00 319,461,364.00 350,070,844.00 4,464,550.00 12,281,525.00 48,842,610.00 386,712,070.00 88,790.00 159,482,544.00 154,190.00 7,980,200.00 85,524,054.00 15,992,570.00 8,701,748.00 20,680,933.00

2.8 270.6 14.26 4.5 0.147 1.45 163 1.57 31.50 1.02

522,000 293,380 21,949,100 633,000 11,580,000 1,493,000 9,083,960 23,403,000 2,200 1,123,000

1,512,430.00 78,603,988.00 315,138,462.00 2,860,830.00 1,669,150.00 2,146,610.00 1,474,394,630 37,214,470.00 69,230.00 1,144,360.00

0.385 72.90 12.68 1.14 6.32 0.370 0.360 830 8.88 11.86

17,720,000 14,080,370 58,190,700 733,000 1,651,400 7,100,000 2,700,000 1,608,170 12,292,000 59,739,000

6,742,500.00 1,034,795,642.00 727,127,034.00 812,260.00 10,402,336.00 2,528,850.00 969,750.00 1,331,641,760 108,451,031.00 720,007,676.00

8.08 0.178 1152 6.30 81.05 5.48 7.97 1.16 15

172,000 2,350,000 992,540 141,800 10,800,020 3,200 4,071,200 100,771,000 17,575,700

1,381,643.00 424,950.00 1,168,438,820.00 899,597.00 853,119,529.00 16,189.00 32,340,678.00 119,441,620.00 260,549,120.00

6.5 3.6 0.0580 1.090 1.970 103.00 2.93 662.00 1.48

315,697,200 23,000 390,320,000 68,000 2,437,000 704,910 5,541,000 2,787,350 2,249,000

2,084,901,346.00 78,220.00 22,684,920.00 74,200.00 4,801,480.00 73,282,598.00 16,944,450.00 1,820,898,070.00 3,350,790.00

199.90 270.000 0.2950 0.1870 0.242

40 52,300 2,910,000 1,660,000 1,000,000

7,996.00 14,168,508.00 837,900.00 310,960.00 245,070.00

6.980

10,138,400

67,755,396.00

0.93 2.450 1.420 36.550 3.66 5.13 6.09 0.500 1.06 1.320 0.161 0.560 54 0.720 0.161 0.97 1.70 1.18

22,574,000 661,000 79,384,000 64,845,700 18,171,000 85,200 500 29,722,000 123,000 764,000 52,450,000 11,993,000 2,380,090 490,000 3,570,000 8,272,000 47,255,000 352,000

20,981,990.00 1,596,430.00 114,246,000.00 2,355,992,195.00 66,800,130.00 426,899.00 3,045.00 14,937,010.00 129,510.00 996,350.00 8,362,000.00 6,573,480.00 128,120,035.50 342,190.00 543,040.00 8,075,930.00 79,073,160.00 420,600.00

3.59 0.189

155,499,000 594,560,000

564,610,220.00 110,194,960.00

STOCKS

MARCH 20-24, 2017 Close Volume

Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’ Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

0.3250 0.680 28.50 4.3 23.30 1.71 3.35 28.00 1 7 0.890 4.880

13,510,000 224,075,000 500 2,313,000 9,600,500 530,000 1,089,000 64,200,800 25,635,000 3,500 953,000 25,042,000

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Apollo Global Asian Terminals Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Calata Corp.

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Discovery World DFNN Inc. Easy Call “Common” FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Grand Plaza Hotel Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IP E-Game Ventures Inc. IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Seven Corp.

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp.

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

8.75 46.25 1.46 0.510 0.050 12 5.36 7.34 0.0740 2.15 91.2 2.45 8.50 4.98 970 1944 6.12 16.10 15.00 3.28 87.5 3.64 11.92 0.0092 9.01 0.185 1.3200 3.6 14.4 4.14 0.95 3.73 17.98 2.5 6.19 3.72 3.000 11.3 5.38 3.28 164.90 7.82 1570.00 0.445 1.530 43.80 77.50 6.09 2.20 1.110 1.75 3.13 0.400

923,700 60,700 164,000 1,136,000 482,570,000 9,500 49,200 27,506,900 119,640,000 20,982,000 3,078,720 76,000 694,100 1,382,700 80 238,870 756,300 244,300 2,400 9,178,000 18,085,120 520,000 114,900 105,000,000 1,372,000 15,750,000 1,324,000 2,967,000 10,500 15,424,000 38,000 3,386,000 200 2,092,000 49,457,100 1,814,000 21,850,000 20,700 140,400 389,000 116,330 2,934,600 426,555 18,560,000 50,642,000 14,033,700 9,598,330 303,000 7,905,000 18,236,000 1,000 2,274,000 3,420,000

Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Benguet Corp `A’ Benguet Corp `B’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto `A’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining `A’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Philex `A’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. `A’ Semirara Corp.

TA Petroleum United Paragon PREFERRED ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ Alco Preferred B DD PREF First Gen F First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PCOR-Preferred B PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I Swift Pref

0.0032 1.65 5.57 11.38 1.7800 1.8300 0.55 0.400 9.36 2.650 0.250 0.182 0.195 0.012 0.0120 1.7 6.26 2.2 0.4500 0.8800 0.0120 0.0110 4.03 8.57 3.11 0.0130 146.10 2.73 0.0087

418,000,000 12,522,000 660,000 1,400 20,000 25,000 14,263,000 2,600,000 42,200 26,200,000 1,810,000 43,660,000 2,250,000 171,700,000 3,600,000 716,000 9,765,200 139,000 90,000 452,000 183,400,000 8,500,000 75,000 4,842,900 7,360,000 97,500,000 5,062,490 200,000 13,000,000

46 534 528 107 105.1 107.1 116 525 5.84 1021 1035 1.05 107.7 1075 1149 1019 106 112 78 80.5 76 79 80 78.75 78.1 79.55 2.1

2,648,300 300 11,900 24,480 130,600 190 162,500 11,200 5,879,500 3,515 715 76,000 75,520 7,140 1,115 25,370 28,400 160 230 497,570 234,860 101,810 106,500 337,340 378,950 44,250 15,000

LR Warrant

2.370

Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Philab Holdings Xurpas

2.93 3.71 6.74 9.9

First Metro ETF

120.7

MARCH 13-17, 2017 Close Volume Value

Value 4,340,850.00 148,496,900.00 14,250.00 10,126,830.00 226,093,795.00 913,420.00 3,668,690.00 1,822,137,630.00 25,445,950.00 23,654.00 824,100.00 118,689,350.00 SERVICES 7,891,438.00 2,812,810.00 239,450.00 596,680.00 24,004,490.00 114,110.00 261,597 207,686,966.00 8,807,570.00 47,477,880.00 284,719,746.50 185,900 5,947,424.00 6,851,869.00 77,600.00 459,066,125 4,613,083.00 3,881,158.00 36,008 31,376,270.00 1,585,908,182.50 1,904,440 1,415,366.00 987,800.00 12,361,010.00 2,930,340.00 1,750,940.00 10,867,980.00 149,210.00 58,615,860 36,270.00 12,608,820.00 3,596 4,974,470.00 298,289,099.00 6,766,740.00 66,462,780.00 233,402.00 751,048 1,222,790.00 19,226,050.00 24,288,448.00 654,720,380.00 8,122,900.00 77,117,360.00 623,637,710.00 753,772,509.50 1,859,409.00 17,491,750.00 20,348,860.00 1,750.00 7,022,250.00 1,380,800.00 MINING & OIL 1,356,100.00 20,511,310.00 3,551,237.00 15,794.00 35,460.00 45,800.00 7,558,865.00 1,042,100.00 381,280.00 66,414,370.00 450,380.00 7,791,940.00 442,500.00 1,894,700.00 40,700.00 1,250,240.00 52,506,351.00 296,850.00 40,550.00 390,910.00 1,971,900.00 93,600.00 302,870.00 42,056,638.00 22,051,270.00 1,269,500.00 736,673,636.00 544,410.00 116,400.00

121,823,055.00 160,200.00 6,358,540 2,619,360 13,770,550.00 21,231.00 19,156,500.00 5,903,200.00 34,407,329.00 3,589,025.00 745,715.00 79,100 8,007,079.00 7,629,880.00 1,260,565.00 25,855,360.00 2,992,500.00 17,920.00 17,900.00 40,583,152.00 5,215,115.00 7,991,723.00 8,496,934.00 26,679,436.00 29,617,515.00 3,507,260.50 32,190.00 WARRANTS & BONDS 3,437,000 7,723,080.00 SME 5,000 14,650.00 1,298,000 4,918,320.00 316,800 2,147,358.00 22,143,700 220,765,668.00 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 13,590 1,642,097.00

0.2950 0.610 28.50 4.43 23.85 1.69 3.32 28.95 1

1,880,000 84,525,000 1,300 4,580,000 21,834,600 408,000 337,000 56,605,100 38,552,000

561,000.00 50,619,360.00 37,485.00 20,725,390.00 511,078,915.00 694,810.00 1,098,740.00 1,633,081,365.00 39,083,150.00

0.910 4.800

3,164,000 21,336,000

2,775,650.00 101,489,110.00

8.4 46.45 1.47 0.520 0.051 12.2 5.5 7.52 0.0740 2.2 93.6 2.38 8.80 3.88 970 1910 6.12 16.10 15.12 3.54 86.05 3.79 12.38 0.0093 9.02 0.189 1.3400 3.43 14.4 3.72 1.02 3.85 18.00 2.41 5.78 3.73 2.980 11.28 5.35 3.35 165.00 8.70 1512.00 0.425 1.520 45.80 81.90 6.25 2.21 1.130 1.75 3.14 0.385

891,900 22,600 274,000 3,197,000 1,263,630,000 19,100 59,700 47,990,000 467,780,000 24,299,000 3,840,450 18,000 547,400 287,000 60 336,740 458,500 232,100 29,200 7,334,000 19,593,590 569,000 2,000 74,000,000 1,257,000 30,980,000 1,506,000 5,900,000 2,100 4,986,000 55,000 10,167,000 2,800 1,698,000 18,718,500 6,677,000 57,062,000 4,815,300 120,300 105,000 227,850 1,591,000 911,395 10,190,000 63,511,000 29,307,200 7,373,690 4,907,183 11,341,000 19,113,000 4,000 3,244,000 970,000

7,157,865.00 1,046,085.00 407,570.00 1,672,490.00 65,543,840.00 224,494.00 319,746 365,366,109.00 33,503,190.00 54,973,730.00 351,532,412.00 41,380 4,740,127.00 1,103,760.00 58,200.00 653,863,735 2,826,954.00 3,738,928.00 441,504 25,725,260.00 1,608,686,695.50 2,180,370 24,760.00 677,300.00 11,351,415.00 5,853,790.00 2,036,600.00 20,913,790.00 29,672.00 17,898,160 55,610.00 39,236,700.00 46,496 3,917,370.00 106,755,733.00 24,829,140.00 180,379,680.00 54,667,476.00 647,837 336,900.00 36,383,189.00 13,896,692.00 1,387,663,050.00 4,299,350.00 96,494,810.00 1,321,957,085.00 605,531,299.50 3,241,896.00 25,910,940.00 21,781,030.00 7,000.00 10,291,870.00 367,050.00

0.0033 1.66 5.49 11.40 1.7700 1.8300 0.45 0.420 9.33 2.410 0.255 0.183 0.191 0.012 0.0120 1.78 6.47 2.15 0.4550 0.8800 0.0110 0.0120 4.05 8.94 3.10 0.0140 144.50 2.8 0.0088

1,635,000,000 15,757,000 1,935,800 3,100 165,000 16,000 1,230,000 2,930,000 290,800 10,242,000 5,650,000 51,770,000 6,340,000 16,300,000 443,000,000 2,444,000 21,984,900 1,231,000 700,000 576,000 191,000,000 400,000 151,000 5,255,200 7,427,000 606,400,000 4,792,450 203,000 14,000,000

5,496,000.00 27,266,290.00 10,436,197.00 31,801.00 295,020.00 29,630.00 554,250.00 1,203,650.00 2,619,638.00 25,070,670.00 1,402,240.00 9,713,290.00 1,249,430.00 179,900.00 5,305,000.00 4,417,550.00 138,750,905.00 2,608,970.00 325,000.00 503,810.00 2,138,900.00 4,700.00 614,030.00 46,833,837.00 23,350,270.00 8,240,700.00 703,249,910.00 572,000.00 125,400.00

45.85 529 539 107.5 105.5 107.1 118.8 525 5.86 1021 1045 1.04 105.2 1072 1123 1018 104.4 112 78.3 80 76.5 78.4 79.65 79 79 78 2.2

1,544,500 21,200 8,090 88,830 46,110 33,030 40,000 42,520 7,639,300 5,570 9,200 305,000 510 10,015 7,340 10,990 76,000 150 21,200 108,080 3,300 47,330 78,890 156,040 113,790 743,850 13,000

70,975,935.00 11,202,100.00 4,271,740 9,518,202 4,861,527.00 3,560,155.00 4,607,200.00 22,439,940.00 44,781,861.00 5,686,975.00 9,583,500.00 317,200 53,660.00 10,691,060.00 8,242,970.00 11,199,765.00 7,919,240.00 16,350.00 1,659,760.00 8,804,044.50 252,775.00 3,713,262.00 6,384,805.00 12,319,980.00 9,026,933.50 59,436,469.00 28,400.00

2.060

916,000

1,923,830.00

2.93 3.93 6.99 9.75

3,000 2,394,000 637,600 13,638,700

8,790.00 9,788,360.00 4,472,789.00 127,667,958.00

122

151,350

18,240,828.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS MRC Allied Ind. Pacifica `A’ Apollo Global Abra Mining Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

MG Holdings Phil. Realty `A’ Oriental Pet. `A’ Manila Mining `A’ Cemex Holdings

VOLUME 1,195,730,000 508,380,000 482,570,000 418,000,000 394,309,100 329,640,000 224,075,000 183,400,000 171,700,000 132,605,300

STOCKS Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

SM Prime Holdings SM Investments Inc. I.C.T.S.I. Metrobank Ayala Land `B’ Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Ayala Corp `A’ Universal Robina DMCI Holdings

VALUE 2,430,072,076.00 1,822,137,630.00 1,748,377,075.00 1,585,908,182.50 1,508,998,280.00 1,428,164,235.00 1,328,778,544.00 1,284,099,895.00 1,236,074,708.00 1,185,648,468.00

EDC owns the 112.5-megawatt Tongonan geothermal power plant in Leyte. The geothermal plant rehabilitation is now in its second and third phases with the entire works expected to be completed this year.

EDC tapped Siemens for the control systems integration and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems for turbine-generator of the Tongonan power plant.

“For this year, EDC will continue with its asset reliability program as it targets to finish the retrofit of the Tongonan power plant and the refurbishment of other generating units in Leyte,” EDC chief financial officer Nestor Vasay said earlier.

The company posted a net income of P9.72 billon last year, up 23.66 percent from P7.86 billion in 2015.

EDC’s core net income also went up 4 percent to P9.16 billion in 2016 from P8.8 billion in 2015, on improved performance and lower operating expenses of Negros Island and First Gen Hydro business units.

Revenues reached P34.2 billion last year.

“The Bacman and Nasulo geothermal plants were amongst the most exposed to last year’s record-low electricity spot market prices. A reported 25 percent average drop in prices for these plants resulted in a revenue loss of over P1.4 billion full-year,” Vasay said.

Xeleb postpones IPO plan to May XELEB Technologies Inc., the country’s first and largest celebrity-branded and themed casual games company, moved its planned P752million initial public offering to May. This marked the third time the company moved the timetable for the maiden share offering because of the delay in securing regulatory approvals.

Xeleb filed its IPO application with the Securities and Exchange Commission in October and originally aimed to list by December, before the plan was moved to February.

Latest filing with the SEC showed the company set the offering period on May 8 to May 12 and the listing date on May 22.

Xeleb plans to sell 296 million primary shares at an offer price of P2.04 to P2.56 per share.

The company plans to use up to P400 million from the IPO proceeds to expand in Southeast Asia, especially Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

“The company has identified these countries to have favorable markets for distribution of celebrity themed mobile casual games,” Xeleb said.

The offer shares, to be listed under the small, medium and emerging board of the Philippine Stock Exchange, represent 20 percent of the company’s total outstanding capital stock.

Xeleb tapped SB Capital and Philippine Commercial Capital Inc. as joint issue managers and lead underwriters for the offering.

Xeleb portfolio of stars include Anne Curtis-Smith, Alejandro “Kuya Kim” Atienza, Isabelle Daza, Erwan Jean Heussaff and Sarah Geronimo.

Xeleb was originally founded in 2001 as Fluxion Inc., primarily focused on providing wireless technologies, software/hardware tools design and knowledgebased services to corporate clients. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business Phoenix bares plan to pay tax in advance

By Julito G. Rada PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines Inc., the first independent oil company listed in the Philippine Stock Exchange after the Oil Deregulation Law, plans to voluntarily prepay excise taxes due for its gasoline and petroleum-based product sales in 2017 to show support to the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program of the government.

The Finance Department said in a statement over the weekend the move was the first time that an oil company had volunteered to pay its taxes in advance to demonstrate its support for a government program.

Phoenix Petroleum president and chief executive officer Dennis Uy said the company’s move was a gesture of its “commitment to responsible and participatory governance and to the welfare of the Filipino people.”

“Yes, we are a business in the private sector, but we are also Filipino citizens... It is not enough to simply fulfill the responsibilities of a corporate citizen; we must go beyond,” Uy said in a statement furnished the Finance Department.

“After all, it’s also in our interest to maximize the government’s financial flexibility and spending capacity, because it will help them provide the necessary services to the Filipino people, expand the Philippine economy, and foster a more empowered consumer base,” he said.

Uy stressed the sustainability of the pre-payment process.

“We paved a pathway that allows us to help the government without having to raise prices for consumers, or risk the return on investment for our shareholders. This is a win-win situation, and the benefits will be felt by all,” he said.

B3

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Meralco seeks FGen supply

By Alena Mae S. Flores

M

ANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, is negotiating with First Gen Corp. to buy 200 megawatts from the latter’s 414-megawatt San Gabriel natural gas plant in Batangas to ensure adequate power supply during the dry months.

“It’s still in negotiations...

We have ongoing negotiations,” Meralco senior vice president and head of customer retail services, corporate marketing and communications Al Panlilio said The 414-megawatt combinedcycle natural gas-fired San Gabriel power plant in Santa Rita, Batangas is a flexible plant designed to provide baseload, mid-merit and peaking power, depending on the grid’s demand.

The San Gabriel Flex-Plant offers daily start/stop and fast-start capability, as well as quick ramp up and ramp down of the power plant across a wide operating window—from low plant turndown to high output.

Aside from San Gabriel, Meralco has signed interim power supply agreements with Bauang 1590 Energy for 150 MW, Toledo Power Corp. for 27 MW and Panay Power Corp. for 45 MW.

Panlilio said the contracts cover until July 25, 2017.

Meralco president Oscar Reyes earlier said the interim supply agreements could go beyond the dry months up, or up to July.

“Because it’s for summer, hopefully approvals will come in because it’s going to give assurance of better supply at very competitive prices,” Reyes said.

Meralco regularly secures interim agreements when the supply is tight and demand is high.

The Energy Department expects power supply to become tight for some weeks in May in the Luzon grid.

Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella, however, assured while power supply might be lower in some weeks, there would no yellow alerts or brownouts.

Fuentebella said power supply could start to dip during the

week of April 22 to 28 and up to June 3 to 9.

Power demand usually goes up due to to hotter temperatures during the dry months while the output of hydro power plants are curtailed, thus affecting overall power supply.

“It will not reach yellow alert (during the said weeks) but it will become critical if some power plants go on unscheduled maintenance or there are line tripping,” Fuentebella said.

Energy data showed two weeks in May would have lower reserve levels for the Luzon grid, specifically May 13 to 19 and May 20 to May 26, when the gross reserves were estimated at 1,859 MW and 1,892 MW, respectively.

Available capacity for the Luzon grid is expected to reach 11,589 MW for May 13 to 19

and 11,492 MW for May 20 to May 26 compared with the demand of 9,730 MW and 9,620 MW, respectively.

Fuentebella urged consumers to manage their consumption to mitigate the impact of the anticipated higher rates during the dry months.

Data, meanwhile, showed supply in the Visayas grid would become tight starting June with reserves dropping to 190 MW in June 3 to 9 and 146 MW from June 10 to June 16.

“Visayas grid is interconnected with Luzon grid so we can import power from Luzon,” Fuentebella said.

He said Mindanao would have adequate power supply during the dry months. Mindanao’s power reserves are estimated at their lowest from June 3 to June 9 at 884 MW.

Earth Hour saves 165 MW of supply

7 SM AWARDS. SM Investments Corp. and its subsidiaries receive seven awards from Hong Kongbased publication Corporate Governance Asia during the 12th Corporate Governance Asia Recognition Awards 2016 organized by the magazine. CG Asia cited SM, SM Prime Holdings Inc. and BDO Unibank Inc. as “Icons on Corporate Governance” for the 11th, 6th and 12th year respectively. China Bank was named as Asia’s Outstanding Company on Corporate Governance for the second consecutive year. Accepting the award from CG Asia publisher Aldrin Monsod (left) on SM’s behalf is SM Investments executive vice president and chief finance officer Jose Sio.

AROUND 165 megawatts of electricity were shaved off from the entire grid during the celebration of Earth Hour 2017 on Saturday.

This is slightly lower than the 172 MW that went offline during last year’s celebration of Earth Hour, where participants voluntary switch off during the designated time.

The Energy Department said system operator National Grid Corporation of the Philippines observed maximum load reduction during the Earth Hour event at 77 MW for Luzon grid, 44 MW for Visayas grid and 44 MW for Mindanao grid.

The 2016 Earth Hour celebration, meanwhile, reflected a load drop of 136 MW for Luzon grid, 30 MW for Visayas grid and 6MW for Mindanao grid.

Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said there were fewer participants this year, resulting in a lower load drop.

The Earth Hour event is part of the worldwide annual celebration to raise awareness on climate change.

Fuentebella urged the public to promote demand side management with the onset of the dry months.

The department announced measures to ensure the sufficiency and stability of energy supply during the dry months when power output is traditionally lean.

The department has vowed t o continue the close coordination among the stakeholders in monitoring the entire energy supply chain.

The department will also ensure the completion of power plants in time for the dey months, such as the Limay coal-fired power plant in Bataan of San Miguel Corp., which can provide additional capacity to the Luzon grid. Alena

Mae S. Flores

Business

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

B4

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

My Life Plan ACCORDING to lifeplanningnetwork.org, life planTERRANCE TAN ning is a guided process by ROQUE which an individual takes stock of his or her life, clarREEN IGHT ifies goals and challenges, and identifies the steps needed to move forward.

Why do we need to plan? Why it is so important? We need to plan to avoid risks and problems. · Risks to life and health · Risks to status, career or unemployment · Problems of lack of resources · Risks of wasting limited resources, whether money, time or power · The risks to your self esteem if you fail Creating a 25-year life plan is a wonderful exercise for me because if teaches me a lot of things, it opened up my eyes and gave me a vision of myself in the future. Although, I am the type of person that plans for my future, I haven’t figured out a twenty five year plan.

Learnings from the Exercise Personal Vision Statement – In crafting this statement, I learned to visualize myself not only in terms of working in the corporate world but to also see other avenues that can be beneficial for me and the other party. Example, I wrote in the Vision statement that I also envision myself developing the next generation of business leaders by mentoring, coaching and facilitating training and workshops to sharpen their skill sets and transfer of knowledge.

Personal Mission Statement – this exercise strengthens my conviction to be a good Christian and Father to my children.

Since I am already a Dad, I always believe that one of my most important missions is to prepare my kids to succeed in life, give them a comfortable life and give back to community by uplifting the lives of others through charitable work and social volunteering.

Life Goals – doing this activity helps me clarifies my priorities in life. The list that I had produced will serve as my guide whenever confronted with difficult decision in my prioritization.

As we traverse through this journey, we will deal with situations that will test and confuse us. If we are aware of our priorities in life we will not be lost and will always be on track. Losing direction will impact us greatly because it will waste our valuable time and worst it will destroy our path and might end up feeling loser because you were not able to accomplish the goals that you have set.

Timeline - The exercise also assists me in creating a timeline to achieve the objectives. Knowing the time it will take to get you there allows you to plan how to get there. What are the things that you need to do? What resources do you need?

Would you need a new skill to get there? All these things will and should be uncovered. The assignment also revealed to me that there are also other things that I need to plan such as physical, social responsibility and artistic which are equally important as family, career, and education and financial. By knowing what you want to achieve and when do you plan to accomplish it gives you the feeling of excitement and determination to make this plan a reality.

Financial Planning Worksheet – This is a very helpful activity to me because it focuses on the action plans that I need to do in order achieve my plans. The first row is all about increasing your income, what are the things that you have to do to raise your income. The next row is decreasing living expenses; these are not critical items that you can live without. My personal goals include lessing restaurant dine-in, decreasing clothing expenses, recurring unutilized utilities, e.g., cable and telephone landline, educing Starbucks coffee intake, and conserving energy by unplugging appliances before leaving the house.

An enlightening experience The exercise will also ask you to think and identify the things that you need to do to decrease indebtedness; referrals and training’s that you need to realize your plan. Lastly, you will also have to identify your short and long term financial plan.

Overall, it was an enlightening experience to plan for your life for the next twenty five years. I had goose bumps after I finished my twenty five life plan!

G

L

The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business. This essay is part of a journal he keeps in fulfillment of the requirements of the course, Lasallian Business Leadership with Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics.

Visit his blog at http://terrencetanroque.blogspot.com/.

The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

EU leaders vow unity before UK exit trigger E UROPEAN Union leaders gathering in Rome on Saturday sought to reinforce the unity of the remaining member states, flagging a common defense as a priority, just four days before Britain officially sends notice it’s leaving.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May’s absence from the celebratory summit, marking 60 years since the Treaty of Rome created the bedrock for the EU, highlighted the division and sense of pessimism that’s gripping the 28-nation club. The 27 leaders who did show up published a declaration that stopped short of being a radical blueprint for the future.

“Europe as a political entity will either be united, or will not be at all,” EU President Donald Tusk told the leaders in the frescoed hall on Capitol hill where the original treaty was signed. “Only a united Europe can be a sovereign Europe.”

Brexit wasn’t a topic for this summit but it still cast a shadow. The UK, which joined

the EU 16 years after the founding countries signed the Treaty of Rome, will remain a full member until withdrawal negotiations end. Yet, May decided her presence in Rome wouldn’t be appropriate.

“It is a very sad moment, I do think that Brexit, the exit of Britain, is a tragedy,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters before the meeting, according to The Associated Press. In his speech, EU President Tusk pointed out that “even in London” people were holding proEU rallies.

As they acknowledged the challenges, EU leaders see some indications for hope.

There’s little sign that Brexit has triggered a domino effect across Europe, the nationalist Geert Wilders failed to convert an early poll lead into victory in this month’s Dutch elections and pro-EU candidates remain ahead of rivals for the upcoming votes in France and Germany.

Leaders flagged defense as a priority, amid concern that was increased by US President Donald Trump’s criticism of EU military spending. “We want a more powerful Europe, which means that we will have to cooperate more closely in our defense,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told re-

porters after the summit.

Budget Gap Merkel told German broadcaster ARD in an interview that any post-Brexit budget gap in the EU should be filled jointly.

“If we need money for specific projects, we should find it in Europe,” Merkel said.

“Rather than announcing a unilateral initiative, I’d look to the full 27 who will cooperate after Britain’s exit.”

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, whose country was one of the six founding members of the bloc, recalled at the anniversary ceremony that Europe had been “reduced to rubble” after World War II. “It was a journey of conquest, a journey of hopes that have been fulfilled and of hopes that have yet to be fulfilled,” Gentiloni said.

But in recent years, “Europe has been too slow to act on immigration, growth and jobs,” he said. To relaunch the EU, “we must first of all win back the trust of citizens.”

There’s little agreement about how the EU should evolve when the UK ceases to be a member in two years’ time. And even Saturday’s declaration nearly ran afoul of the Greek and Polish governments, which criticized the absence of commitments to social protection and European unity. Bloomberg Demonstrators wave an EU flag during a rally following an anti Brexit, proEuropean Union march in London on March 25, 2017, ahead of the British government’s planned triggering of Article 50 next week. Tens of thousands of pro-EU protesters took to London’s streets Saturday, in defiance of the terror threat, to mark the bloc’s 60th anniversary just days before Brexit begins. Britain will launch the process of leaving the European Union on March 29, setting a historic and uncharted course to become the first country to withdraw from the bloc by March 2019. AFP

Russia set to repay all Soviet’s foreign debt MOSCOW―A quarter of a century after the fall of the Soviet Union, Russia is finally set to pay off all the foreign debt it inherited from the vanished Communist empire.

Keen to establish a reputation of a reliable borrower―despite Western financial sanctions over the Ukraine conflict―Moscow announced last week it would pay off $125.2 million in Sovietera debt to Bosnia-Herzegovina

within 45 days.

The payment “completes the settlement of the external public debt of the former USSR, which is a historic event,” said Russia’s deputy finance minister Sergei Storchak.

In February, Moscow paid $60.6 million to Macedonia.

After the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, Russia assumed responsibility for its foreign debt of some $70 billion.

This was mostly contracted during the difficult perestroikaera from 1985 to 1991, a time of failed attempts to reform the USSR’s dysfunctional political and economic system.

This commitment proved a painful burden in the 1990s as Russia faced catastrophic economic problems that culminated in a humiliating default on its foreign debt in 1998.

But in 2006―thanks to a

steady influx of petrodollars since the early 2000s―Russia was able to pay off its debts to 17 major creditor-countries in the so-called Paris Club.

A payment of more than $20 billion―or 95 percent of the value of all Soviet-era loans―was made eight years after the 1998 default.

Russia has also allowed itself the luxury of canceling some country’s debts, with Cuba the latest in 2014. AFP

After crisis and competition, Spain textiles sector dons new colors

By Emmanuelle MICHEL MADRID―Spain’s textile sector, flush with the glittering success of brands such as Zara, is beginning to recover from a crisis sparked by cut-throat competition from Asia that destroyed a third of its firms in less than a decade.

Inditex, owner of a range of brands such as Zara, Massimo Dutti and Bershka, easily beat its closest rival, Sweden’s H&M, in terms of earnings last year, booking a bottom-line net profit of over 3.0 billion euros ($3.4 billion).

Thanks to the success of Inditex’s “fastfashion” brands, along with that of two other major Spanish high street clothing retailers, Mango and Desigual, Spain is a key player in the global fashion sector.

Clothing and textiles account for nearly three percent of the country’s gross domestic product. And in terms of sector sales, Spain is Europe’s fifth-largest producer behind Italy, Germany, Britain and France, according to Spanish textile association Texfor.

Texfor calculates that the number of Spanish suppliers of fabric, fibers and accessories such as buttons has plunged by about a third since 2008.

The Spanish sector, like its counter-

parts in other western countries, has been hit by fierce competition from Asia, as well as a slump in demand due to the global economic downturn.

Spanish textile firms were slow to innovate and adapt to the increasingly fast-changing demands of the fashion industry, said Antonio Valdivia, professor in strategy and marketing at the EAE Business School.

Many company bosses in the sector still have “a mentality of industrialists, not of entrepreneurs,” he complained.

‘Respond more quickly’ But last year, the number of textile firms stopped falling for the first time since 2008, stabilizing at around 3,500 companies.

The sector is benefitting from Spain’s economic rebound―growth stood at 3.2 percent in 2016, double the eurozone average―and the disappearance of less competitive firms.

“The firms that survived were those that were export-orientated, able to diversify their order book” and respond more quickly to customers’ demands, said Manuel Diaz, the head of the CIE, the body that represents Spain’s main textile firms.

Spain’s textile exports, which account

A view of clothing rack and signage at a launch party for a new Men’s Fashion Line at TAO Downtown on March 20, 2017 in New York City. AFP

for 60 percent of sector-wide sales, rose by 7.0 percent last year.

Indeed, Spain now ships raw fabric to Morocco―the number one destination for Spain’s textile exports―where it is transformed into clothes for major international brands.

After having “neglected” Spanish suppliers in the past, major retailers such as Inditex and Mango have started using them more and more, but there is still room for improvement, Diaz said.

Inditex says the number of Spanish suppliers that it uses, not only for tex-

tiles, has increased by nearly nine percent since 2012.

Higher added value The focus on international sales adopted by major fashion retailers has also pushed smaller firms to modernize and shift their focus to activities with higher added value, analysts said.

“I would rather see 50 people busy doing high-level graphic design than 50 people sewing T-shirts,” said Frederic Sabria of the IESE business school.

Companies have also diversified away from fabrics destined only for fashion and now also make “technical” fabrics for the automobile, agriculture or sports sectors.

Products with a higher added value represent 60 percent of the output of Spain’s textile firms, according to Texfor chief, Andres Borao.

The textile sector hired 45,000 people in 2016, 3.7 percent more than in the previous year, welcome news in a country grappling with the EU’s secondhighest jobless rate of 18.6 percent.

While most new hires in Spain are offered temporary contracts, the majority of those hired by the textile sector last year were given open-ended contracts, said Borao.

“That’s satisfying,” he said. AFP

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

C1

Makati Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo ( 2nd from left) together with city officials lead the ceremonial switch off, as the city government has been participating in the global Earth Hour 2017 celebration held at the Fountain Area of Tower One and Exchange Plaza, Ayala Triangle Gardens, Ayala Avenue in Makati, while other participants light up candles and use stick lights during the event. Manny Palmero

Erap backs Army Navy Club facelift

By Sandy Araneta

M

anila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada has reaffirmed his support to the restoration of the American-era Army Navy Club in Roxas Boulevard and other historical sites in the capital city.

At a recent media forum, Es- habilitation of such important cultrada said the restoration and re- tural and historical properties is

part of his administration’s urban renewal program.

“Well, of course we are in favor to restore,” Estrada said pointing out that the Army Navy Club project is a matter of extreme urgency since the historical landmark is already in a decaying state.

Estrada has long been supportive of the Army Navy Club restoration. While the project was still being conceptualized in 2014, he

had said that the Club, as an important heritage site, should be restored to its former appearance.

“It should be fully restored to its former beautiful appearance, inside and out… to its original glory, so it can attract more tourists and business into our city,” Estrada said in an earlier statement.

“Binondo is being restored. It’s the biggest Chinatown outside of Manila,” Estrada added.

Binondo, according to Estrada, is one of the priority areas of his Urban Renewal Program aimed at reviving Manila’s “old beauty and glory.”

As to the Army Navy Club, Estrada noted that the old building’s foundations have already deteriorated and need retrofitting; the entire structure has been declared as “condemned” by city engineers.

In 2014, the city government

Dealers face raps for fake rice seeds

Mining puts Didipio on tourists’ radar

By Abe Almirol

KASIBU, Nueva Vizcaya—Alex Felipe, a Filipino-Canadian who visited Didipio in 2008, was fascinated by the ongoing land acquisition process at that time. He posted in his blog photos of locals and their narratives about the land acquisition process. When he left Didipio, Felipe promised to visit again someday to see the changes in people’s lives.

There are many overseas Filipinos who went to Didipio on different occasions to see for themselves what’s going on. Some left positive feedbacks about mining, while others see the open pit as destruction rather than an ongoing economic activity.

Anti-mining advocates all over the world organized countless solidarity missions to Didipio since the 90’s, hoping to generate a global public opinion to back their advocacy to halt mining operations here.

In several occasions where they agreed with the company’s terms, foreign antimining visitors could inspect every inch of the mine, including the ongoing construction of the access tunnel or decline towards the mine deposits underground.

The sheer contrast between the best practices introduced by OceanaGold and the artisanal methods of small scale mining has elevated the subject as a ripe study area for higher studies. Academics were observed to be flocking in Didipio. “We observed many visitors are coming here doing house-to-house surveys more often,” says a resident.

Oxfam, Greenpeace, and Friends of the Earth curved a niche for Didipio in the international community as it was listed in their so-called ‘sites of struggle.’ Having gained a global attention, research-oriented people placed Didipio on the list of important destination for case studies.

Suppliers from Metro Manila found their way to Didipio. “In one afternoon, I found two sales representatives of a heavy equipment spare parts company looking for a place to stay,” narrated a resident. The visitors were shown the way going to the house of Rosanna Lawagan, a promising entrepreneur who started to make money out of offering the third floor of her big house to transients.

In the Macraes mine at New Zealand’s South Islands, OceanaGold had a similar experience. The old hostel and billiard hall in the community was preserved for mine tours. The open pit that turned into a lake was developed as a fishing ground by the local Otago Fishing Game club.

“People find the open pit ugly at this time. But by the time mining is finished and this pit evolves into a lake, people might change their minds,” said engineer Jason Magdaong, the Environment Department manager of OceanaGold’s Didipio Operations.

Magdaong is an Outstanding Pollution Control Officer recognized by the Pollution Control Association of the Philippines Inc. in two succeeding years.

By Brenda Jocson

URBAN FARMERS’ TRAINING. Pasig City recently hosted Batch 128 of Kabalikat Sa Kabuhayan Urban

Farmers’ Training Program, and attracted 228 participants composed of 4Ps beneficiaries and Clean and Green Supervisors. As part of Pasig City’s drug rehabilitation program, the city government also encouraged drug surrenderers to attend the orientation program and their participation in the 12-week training. SM Foundation’s program partner for this batch is MacPlas Academy with professor Allan Si as trainer. The training is conducted every Thursdays at the Brgy. Malinao basketball court. The orientation and launching activity was attended by Francisca T. Delleva, Pasig City Head of Social Welfare and Development; Fernando Santos, DSWD NCR Area Coordinator; Chairman Joel Dela Cruz, Brgy. Malinao; Erik Paul Escuterio, CENRO Urban Clean and Green Division head, and Cristina Angeles, SMFI AVP for Outreach and Livelihood Program, SM Savemore Acacia Store Manager, Maricris Delmundo; and Jerome Penolar, Building Admin Officer of SM City East Ortigas.

San Juan marks 110th ‘Araw’ with exercises, awards night

SAN JUAN, the Rising City of Excellence in Metro Manila, will mark its annual Araw ng San Juan on March 27—its 110th founding anniversary—with physical exercises capped by an Awards Night for Outstanding San Juanenos.

The celebration begins with

Zumba Exercises at 5.30 a.m. led by Mayor Guia G. Gomez on N. Domingo fronting Agora San Juan, with Meralco Volleyball players followed 30 minutes later by a Fun Ride by the city’s cyclists led by Sen. Joseph ‘JV’ Ejercito, himself a physical fitness buff.

Fifteen minutes later, there will be a Fun Run in the city’s major streets to be participated in by constituents of the city, City Government employees as well as residents and officials from the 21 barangays.

In the evening, the City Government, led by Mayor Guia G.

Gomez, will hand out awards to: Top 10 Taxpayer Companies: Ortigas and Company Limited Partnership; Motor Image Pilipinas Inc.; Innovitelle Inc.; Integrated Computer Systems Inc.; Sun Life of Canada; Motor Image Manila Inc.; Colinas Verdes Hospital Managers Corp.; Cats

Motor Inc.; Unimart Inc.; Ricklee Enterprises Inc. Natatanging Guro: (Magdalena S. Rosopa); Employee of the Year: (Oliver B. Reyes); Best Barangay: (Barangay Sta. Lucia); and Natatanging San Juaneno Excellence Award: (Enzo Williams).

Davao City will soon have a ‘chocolate spa’ DAVAO CITY—After opening its Chocolate Museum a few weeks ago, a garden resort here will soon offer a first of its kind service in Mindanao and the whole country—a chocolate spa.

has tapped the engineering firm AMH Philippines Inc. to conduct a structural check of the dilapidated building, which concluded that it indeed needs to be rehabilitated.

The city government then entered a 25-year lease contract with Oceanville Hotel and Spa Corp. to restore the old Army Navy Club and convert it to a boutique hotel that will be called Rizal Park Hotel.

Rhea Pañares, Malagos Garden Resort marketing coordinator, said the chocolate spa will become one of the regular features that will be offered to customers and visitors of the resort.

Pañares said the chocolate spa, which is expected to start during the celebration of Kadayawan festival this August, will utilize waste materials from cacao products such as the cacao husks that can be

turned into soaps and scrubs.

She stressed it will not be a “usual spa but a wellness retreat where clients can stay for two to three days for a full wellness immersion.”

ILAGAN, Isabela—Four rice seed dealers and some unidentified retailers are facing charges for allegedly selling at least P50 million worth of fake rice seeds in Cagayan Valley, one of the country’s top rice producing regions.

In a complaint-affidavit filed before the prosecutor’s office in Ilagan City, SL Agritech Corp. has charged Daniel delos Santos, owner of DIJD Farm Supply and General Merchandise; Dario delos Santos; Jomar “Jessie” Carpio; Rolly Lazaro; all residents of Munoz East, Roxas, Isabela.

Voltaire Alfonso, SL Agritech vice president, said the suspects were accused of trademark infringement and unfair competition under Section 155 and 168 in relation to Section 170 of Republic Act No. 8593. “[They will be liable] arising from their constitutional [sic] act of illegally and unlawfully offering for sale, selling and/or distribution of purported SL-8H hybrid rice seeds that are fake, counterfeit and/or confusingly similar with SL Agritech’s genuine SL-8H super hybrid rice seeds,” Alfonso said in the complaint.

Initial investigation conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation shows that the dealers illegally sold and distributed fake hybrid rice seeds to farmers in Isabela, Cagayan, Quirino and Nueva Vizcaya by imitating the sacks and brochures used by the Manilabased SL Agritech Corporation’s high-yielding SL-8H super hybrid rice seeds.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila Repub c oof he pp nes Republic thePh Philippines REG ONAL TR AL COURT REGIONAL TRIAL COURT Na ona Cap a Jud c a Reg on National Capital Judicial Region BBranch anch 214 214 Manda uyong CCity y Mandaluyong

Standard

TODAY

CR ST NA M CRISTINA M.LEABRES LEABRES Pe one Petitioner, ve sus -versusCCIVIL V L CASE 11265 CASENO NO.MC16 MC16-11265 Fo ON OF For: DECLARAT DECLARATION OF NULL TY OF MARR AGE NULLITY OF MARRIAGE and SSOLUT ON OF andDDISSOLUTION OF COMMUN TY PROPERTY COMMUNITY PROPERTY CHR STOPHER M CO CHRISTOPHER M.RESP RESPICIO, Responden Respondent. xx--------------------------------------x x

ORDER ORDER This is a petition for nullity of mmarriage ONER filed by CCristina Leabres PE (PETITIONER) CChristopher RRespicio against RESPONDEN S m (RESPONDENT) on 30 September 2016.

PE ONER PETITIONER prays that the after m due notice and hearing, judgment be rendered declaring her mmarriage wwith RESPONDEN RESPONDENT null and void ab initio on the ground of psychological incapacity of the RESPONDEN RESPONDENT under AArticle 36 of m CCode of thePPhilippines and for the Family mm the dissolution of community of property, ONER as a consequence thereof. PE PETITIONER further prays for such other reliefs just and m equitable under the circumstances. m PE ONER To support her claim, PETITIONER w cites of the following allegations: (1) That ONER is a Filipino citizen the PE PETITIONER and residing at BBlk 41, Zone 3, Lot 1, W m MMandaluyongCCity WelfarevilleCCompound, wwhileRESPONDEN w RESPONDENT is likewise a Filipino citizen and a resident of GGreenheights SSubdivision, AAlibagu, Ilagan, Isabela; (2) ONER and RESPONDEN That PE PETITIONER RESPONDENT wwere mmarried on 04 MMarch 2009 at the PPhilippine Em Embassy of DDoha, QQatar m and solemnize

by V Vice CConsul Jabbar MM. A Adiong C (Certificate Mof Marriage Rand ReportM of MarriageA as Annexes B B “B-1” of theP Petition); (3) That “B” and ONER and during their mmarriage, PE PETITIONER RESPONDEN m m RESPONDENT acquired a condominium unit wwith an area of 18.21 square mmeters, mmore or less located at EEspaña GGrand RResidences, EEspaña, MManila; (4) ONER decided to That in 2012, PE PETITIONER m RESPONDEN separate from RESPONDENT; and (5) That RESPONDEN RESPONDENT is psychologically m wwith incapacitated thus, he failed to comply the essentialmmarital oblications.

CConsequently, SSummons mm together wwith its annexes wwas sent to RESPONDEN RESPONDENT w at his given address. HHowever, it wwas m returnedUNSERVED UNSERVEDwwith the information thatRESPONDEN RESPONDENT is currentlywworking as overseas contract wworker in DDoha, QQatar R mm (Return ofSService ofSSummons dated 25 NNovember m 2016).

WHERE ORE finding the petition to WHEREFORE, m and substance and be sufficient in form m CCourt AA.M. M NNo. 02pursuant to SSupreme SC S 11-10-SC in rel. to Sec. 15,RRule 14 of the RRules of CCivil PProcedure, let SUMMONS SUMMONS be served upon RESPONDEN RESPONDENT CHR S OPHER MM. RESP CO CHRISTOPHER RESPICIO by PUB CA ON in a newspaper w of general PUBLICATION circulation in the PhilippinesP accredited O by the Office of the Executive Judge Eof Regional Trial RCourt, Mandaluyong C MCity once a C week for THREE w (3) HREE CONSECU WEEKS CONSECUTIVE WEEKSVEand a copy of mmthis Order be sent O to the summons and RESPONDEN RESPONDENT by registered mail to his m w the expense of the last known address at ONER PETITIONER. PE Finally,RESPONDEN RESPONDENT is directed to file w to thePPetitionwwithinSSIXTY X Y (60) hisAAnswer DAYS m the last issue of thisNNotice.

DAYS from SO SOORDERED ORDERED. MMandaluyongCCity 01 February 2017

S MELDA SAULOG (Sgd.) IMELDALL.PORTES PORTES-SAULOG PPresiding Judge CCopy Furnished: OOffice of theSSolicitorGGeneral OOffice of theCCityPProsecutor, MandaMluyong City C AAtty.MMarcianoBBacalla, Jr. CCristina Leabres CChristopherRRespicio OCC C MMandaluyongCCity OCC,RRTC,

Repub c oof he pp nes Republic thePh Philippines REG ONAL TR AL COURT REGIONAL TRIAL COURT Na ona Cap a Jud c a Reg on National Capital Judicial Region BBranch anch 214 214 Manda uyong C y Mandaluyong City CR ST NA M CRISTINA M.LEABRES LEABRES Pe one Petitioner, ve sus -versusJDRC 16 11265 JDRCNO NO.:MC MC-16-11265 Fo ON OF For: DECLARAT DECLARATION OF NULL TY OF AGE NULLITY OFMARR MARRIAGE and D SSOLUT ON and DISSOLUTIONOF OF COMMUN TY PROPERTY COMMUNITY PROPERTY CHR STOPHER M CO CHRISTOPHER M.RESP RESPICIO, Responden Respondent. xx--------------------------------------x x

SUMMONS SUMMONS

CChristopherMM.RRespicio GGreenheightsSSubdivision AAlibago, Ilagan, Isabela GGRREEEE T INNGGSS: YYou are hereby required,wwithin fifteen mm (15) days after service of this summons w this Court C upon you, to file with and to w serve on the petitioner your answer to the petition, copy ofwwhich is attached, together wwith the annexes. If you fail to answer w wwithin the time m fixed, the petitionermmay be granted reliefs applied for in the petition.

W NESS mmy hand under the seal of WITNESS theCCourt, this 10th day ofOOctober 2016.

(Sgd.) MILAGROS ILUMINADA EMILIANA P. ABAD Legal Researcher II / Officer-In-Charge

Repub c oof he pp nes Republic thePh Philippines REG ONAL TR AL COURT REGIONAL TRIAL COURT Na ona Cap a Jud c a Reg on National Capital Judicial Region Manda uyong CCity y Mandaluyong BBranch anch CR ST NA M CRISTINA M.LEABRES LEABRES Pe one Petitioner, Vs -VsCCIVIL V L CASE 11265 CASENO NO.:MC16 MC16-11265 Fo a a on oofNu y For:Dec Declaration Nullity oofMa age &&DDissolution sso u on oof Marriage Commun y PProperty ope y Community CHR STOPHER CO CHRISTOPHERM M.RESP RESPICIO, Responden Respondent. xx------------------------------------x x PETITION PETITION

or or relatives relatives ofof Chris Chris attended attended the the affair. affair.

And And when when petitioner petitioner asked asked Chris Chris on on why why he he had had no no guests guests inin the the affair, affair, Chris Chris just just replied that he does not have friends replied that he does not have friends inin Qatar, which popped up a bubble on Thyn’s Qatar, which popped up a bubble on Thyn’s mind mind-----whatever whateverhappened happenedtotohis hisclaimed claimed friends friendswho whooften ofteninterrupted interruptedthem themon ontheir their dates? dates? But ButThyn Thynchose chosetotojust justleave leaveititatat that.

But then far from her thoughts, that. But then far from her thoughts, this this was wasonly onlythe thetip tipofofthe theiceberg. iceberg.

3.1.

3.1. Chris Chris has has aa xxxxx xxxxx who who also also lives lives inin Doha, Doha, Qatar Qatar and and isis the the same same xxxxx xxxxx who who lived lived with with petitioner petitioner and and respondent respondent throughout throughout their their union union for for three three (3) (3) years years until he was forced to go home to until he was forced to go home to their their province province inin Isabela Isabela because because he he was was ultimately ultimately convicted convicted inin Qatar Qatar for for xxxxx xxxxx as will be discussed later.

He has as will be discussed later. He has aa mother working as dean and a sister who mother working as dean and a sister who isis working working as as aa receptionist receptionist inin nearby nearby Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Saudi Arabia.

Arabia. Yet Yet not not one one ofof them themwas wasinvited invitedby byChris Chrisnor nordid didthey theygo go totothe wedding out of their own accord the wedding out of their own accordtoto witness witnessit.it.

4.4. After less than three (3) years of their After less than three (3) years of their marriage, marriage, petitioner petitioner and and respondent respondent have have been been living living separately separately from from one one another another although althoughboth bothare arestill stillcontract contractworkers workersinin Doha, Qatar on the accepted proposal Doha, Qatar on the accepted proposal ofof Thyn Thynwho whowas wasalready alreadytired, tired,stressed stressedand and nervous nervous with with the the character character ofof Christ Christ and and the the treatment treatment she she had had received received from from him him as will be shown hereunder. as will be shown hereunder.

5.5. The The marriage marriage ofofThyn Thyn and and Cris Cris isis null null and void ab initio.

Chris is psychologically and void ab initio. Chris is psychologically incapable incapable ofof performing performing and and complying complying with with the the essential essential marital marital obligations. obligations.

The Theroot rootcause causeofofthe thenullity nullityisisthat thatChris Chris has has no no understanding understanding ofof marriage, marriage, the the responsibilities responsibilitiesattached attachedtotoititand andhis hislack lack ofof appreciation appreciation ofof his his essential essential marital marital obligations --to live together, observe obligations --- to live together, observe mutual mutual love, love, respect respect and and fidelity, fidelity, and and toto render render mutual mutual help help and and support, support, which which cause cause though though predating predating the the marriage marriage became became more more manifest manifest only only during during and and after the solemnization of the marriage after the solemnization of the marriageand and still stillsubsists subsiststotothe thepresent presentand andappears appearstoto be beincurable. incurable.

6.6. Respondent’s Respondent’s psychological psychological incapacity incapacity was was existing existing prior prior to, to, during during and and after after the the celebration celebration ofof the the marriage marriage and and isis characterized by his selfishness, characterized by his selfishness, selfselfcenteredness, centeredness, irresponsibility irresponsibility and/or and/or refusal refusal toto assume assume responsibility, responsibility, violent violent behavior, narcissism, his antisocial behavior, narcissism, his antisocial behavior, His behavior, and and drug drug addiction. addiction.

His psychological psychological incapacity incapacity isis grave, grave, incurable, incurable, and and permanent permanent because because itit isis aa serious case of personality disorder serious case of personality disorder explicitly explicitly demonstrative demonstrative inin his his said said characteristics, characteristics, which which failed failed toto give give meaning meaningand andsignificance significancetototheir theirmarriage marriage as asmay maybe bediscerned discernedfrom, from,but butnot notlimited, limited, toto the following attitude/behavior of the following attitude/behavior of the the respondent: respondent: 6.1.

6.1. Chris Chris does does not not honor honor his his promises promises toto petitioner, petitioner, including including his his promise promise not not toto prohibit prohibither herfrom fromsending sendingany anymoney moneytotoher her family familywhich whichwas wasbroken brokenon onthe thefirst firstnight night ofof their wedding; his promise that their wedding; his promise that they they would would rent rent their their own own apartment apartment and and not not just justaaroom roomso sothat thatthey theycould couldlive livetogether together alone aloneas ashusband husbandand andwife wifebut butthat thatnever never happened for they continued to live a small happened for they continued to live a small rented rented room room together together with withThyn’s Thyn’s brother, brother, Chris’ Chris’ brother brother and and their their cousin cousin and and with with only onlyaafabric fabriccabinet cabinetseparating separatingthem themfrom from the rest, and although they finally obtained the rest, and although they finally obtained aa one one bedroom bedroom apartment apartment that that did did not not change change the the arrangement arrangement for forhehebrought bought his hisbrother brotherand andhis hiscousin cousinalong alongwith withhim him which left Thyn with no choice but to take which left Thyn with no choice but to take along alongher hersister sisteralso; also;and andChris Chrisreneged renegedon on his hispromise promisetotobuild buildaafamily familyby bytelling tellingThyn Thyn that that he he doesn’t doesn’t want want ever ever toto have have aa child child or children for the reason that that would or children for the reason that that would complicate complicate their their situation. situation. And And aa host host ofof other otherbroken brokenpromises. promises.

6.1.1.

6.1.1. Chris’ Chris’ never never treated treated Thyn Thyn with with respect respect but but treated treated her her as as an an underling underling rather rather than than an an equal. equal. And And besides, besides, respondent was selfish and self-centered. respondent was selfish and self-centered.

For Forone, one,whenever wheneverhe hemakes makeslove lovetotoThyn Thyn he he only only puts puts down down her her panties, panties, insert insert his his thing thing without without any any caress, caress, kissing kissing or or feeling and after he has come he would feeling and after he has come he would wipe wipe off off his his penis penis then then go go toto sleep sleep as as ifif nothing nothing happened. happened. This This became became worst worst later a condom. lateron onwhen ChrisChris wouldwould use ause condom.

This This devastated Thyn andruined ruined her her selfdevastated Thyn and selfconfidence. confidence.

6.1.2.

6.1.2. Worst, Worst, later later on, on, Chris Chris won’t won’t make make love love atat all all toto Thyn.

Thyn. Instead Instead he he gets gets his his stimulation stimulation and and satisfaction satisfaction with with pornography. pornography. Not Not once, once, not not twice twice but but itit must have been three or four times that must have been three or four times that Thyn Thynwould wouldcatch catchhim himmasturbating masturbatingwhile while watching watchinghis hisdownloaded downloadedporn pornmovies movieson on Chris’ Chris’ hard hard drives. drives. And And when when petitioner petitioner would ask him what is he doing, Chris would ask him what is he doing, Chris would would retort retort back back that that his his crotch crotch was was just just itching. itching. Petitioner Petitioner would would just just cry cry but but respondent respondentwould wouldonly onlychide chideher herwith withthe the words “Ano ba?”

Iiyak iyak ka dyan.

Ang words “Ano ba?” Iiyak iyak ka dyan. Ang arte arte arte arte mo mo naman”. naman”. Again Again this this leaves leaves Thyn Thyn confused confused and and hurt hurt the the very very core core ofof her herfemininity. femininity.

6.1.3.

6.1.3. On On the the very very first first night night ofof their their honeymoon, honeymoon, Chris Chris already already demanded demanded from fromThyn Thyn that that she she would would be be paying paying half half ofof whatever whatever Chris Chris spent spent for for the the marriage marriage because becauseaccording accordingtotohim himititwas washis hismother mother who whopaid paidfor forthat. that.

6..1.4.

6..1.4. Also AlsoThyn Thynwas wasmade madetotopay paythe therent rent ofof the the apartment, apartment, internet, internet, electricity, electricity, and and water water utility utility without without Chris’ Chris’ contributing contributing aa single singlecentavo. centavo.

6.1.5.

6.1.5. For Foranother, another,all allthe thetime timethat thatChris’ Chris’ drove droveThyn Thyntotoand andfrom fromher heroffice officeinintheir their car, car,Chris Chriswould wouldcharge chargeThyn Thynfor forthe thefare. fare.

InIn fact, fact, for for every every grain grain ofof rice rice and and viand viand that Thyn would eat in their house, Chris that Thyn would eat in their house, Chris charges charges her her for for this this despite despite that that the the fact fact that thatititwas wasThyn Thynwho whopays paysfor fortheir theirgrocery grocery and andmarket. market.

6.1.6.

6.1.6. Chris Chrisnever neverspent spentfor forthe thespouses’ spouses’ expenses expenses and and looks looks atat Thyn Thyn as as his his investment investment toto the the future future because because Thyn Thyn earns earns almost almost earn earn twice twice than than Chris.

Chris.

Later Lateron, on,when whenChris Chriswas wasdismissed dismissedfrom from his his work work as as senior senior salesman salesman due due toto his his violent violent attitude, attitude, antisocial antisocial behavior, behavior, and and narcissism, narcissism, the the discrepancy discrepancy inin salary salary almost almost trebled trebled when when he he was was atat his his latest latest employment. employment.

6.1.7.

6.1.7. After After passing passing the the Architecture Architecture examination, examination, Chris Chris atat one one time time used used all all Thyn’s Thyn’s books, books, references references and and notes notes and and even even some some ofof Thyn’s Thyn’s clothes clothes toto be be used used as asmaterials materialstotosecure securethe theTV TVset sethe hesent sent toto the the Philippines Philippines for for his his mother mother from from breaking. breaking. Petitioner Petitioner was was insulted insulted terribly terribly for for this this because because respondent respondent treated treated her her current currentclothes clothesas asififthey theyare arealready alreadyrags rags and andbooks booksand andnotes notesas asjunk junkwithout withoutany any sentimental value at all. sentimental value at all.

6.1.8.

6.1.8. Chris Chris evaded evaded seeing seeing or or meeting meeting with with Thyn’s Thyn’s family family whenever whenever he he isis inin the the Philippines.

Philippines. And And whenever whenever he he was was with with Thyn Thyn inin the the Philippines, Philippines, Chris Chris would would get get separate separateaccommodations accommodationsfor forhimself himselfonly only so so that that there there would would be be no no surprise surprise visits visits from fromThyn’s Thyn’sfamily, family, 6.1.9.

When the spouses 6.1.9.

When the spouses brought brought aa condominium condominiumininthe thePhilippines, Philippines,ititwas wasonly only petitioner petitioner who who applied applied for for the the Qatar Qatar bank bank loan loantotopay paythe thecash cashout outofofthe theunit. unit. The The unit costs Php 1.6M and she alone pays unit costs Php 1.6M and she alone paysfor for that thatloan loanwithout withoutany anyreimbursement reimbursementfrom from respondent. respondent.

6.1.10 6.1.10 Other Otherlike likeinstances. instances.

6.2 6.2 Chris Chris isis violent violent inin his his behavior behavior whenever whenever he he argues argues with with Thyn Thyn or or when when he hewants wantsThyn Thyntotosuccumb succumbtotohis hisdemands demands which whichare areoften oftenunreasonable. unreasonable. He Healso alsohas has antisocial personality disorder and has antisocial personality disorder and hasno no feelings feelingsfor forothers. others.

6.2.1.

6.2.1. Often, Often, Chris Chris would would stand stand atop atop the the rooftop rooftop and and threaten threaten toto jump jump toto the the ground ground and and tell tellThyn Thyn that that the the same same shall shall be beattributed attributedtotoher herfault. fault. Or, Or,when whendriving, driving, Chris would threaten that he would crash Chris would threaten that he would crash the thecar carwith withanother anotherso sothat thatthey theycan canboth both die diesimultaneously simultaneouslyand andatatonce. once. And Andwhen when Thyn Thyn isis with with her her co-workers, co-workers, he he would would threaten them with fatal harm if they don’t threaten them with fatal harm if they don’t stop stop seeing seeing petitioner. petitioner. Also, Also, Chris Chris would would detain detainThyn Thyn inin their their apartment apartment by by locking locking her herup upso soshe shedoes doesnot notleave leavehome homeatatall all should such be his mood at the time. should such be his mood at the time.

6.2.2.

6.2.2. When When the the spouses spouses factually factually separated separatedsometime sometimeininmiddle middleofof2012 2012as as will willbe bediscussed discussedlater lateron, on,Christ Christwould wouldvisit visit Thyn Thyn twice twice or or even even thrice thrice aa month month atat the the late latehours hoursofofthe theevening eveningor orthe thewee weehours hours ofof the the morning, morning, drunk, drunk, and and would would throw throw stones stones atat the the door door and and on on the the window window toto wake wake up up petitioner petitioner and and harassed harassed her her toto open openthe thedoor. door. He Hewould wouldeven evenkick kickand andbox box the the door door until untilThyn Thyn would would feel feel embarrass embarrass before before her her neighbors neighbors and and she she would would negligently negligentlyopen openup upfor forrespondent respondentdespite despite the the fact fact that that she she was was already already shaking shaking inin fear. fear. Chris Chris would would shout shout and and curse curse and and even even engage engage the the neighbors neighbors toto aa shouting shouting match matchwhen whenthey theycall callhis hisattention attentiontotoquiet quiet down. down. This Thisactivity activityofofrespondent respondentgoes goeson on until untilnow. now.

6.2.3.

6.2.3.When WhenThyn Thyn would would find find the the courage courage not nottotoopen openthe thedoor doorduring duringChris’ Chris’unholy unholy and and violent violent visits, visits, Chris Chris would would call call her her and and shout shout atat her her or or he he would would go go toto her her office office demanding demanding money money from from her her always always telling her that she owes him money to the telling her that she owes him money to the amount amountofofPhp Php120,000.00 120,000.00and andtells tellsher hertoto pay payup upor orhe hewill willmess messup upher heroffice. office.

6.2.4.

6.2.4.Chris’ Chris’threatens threatenspetitioner petitionerthat thathe hewill will kill killher herififhe hefound foundout outthat thatshe shehas hasanother another man. man. Sometimes Sometimeshe hewould wouldgo gototothe theoffice office and tell Thyn’s male co-employees that he and tell Thyn’s male co-employees that he will will kill kill whoever whoever isis courting courting his his wife. wife. Far Far from fromit,it,Thyn Thyneven evenififshe shehas hasgiven givenup upon on Chris, Chris, remained remained faithful faithful toto her her marriage marriage vows. vows.

6.2.5.

6.2.5. Chris Chris had had already already made made three three threats threatsthat thathe hewould wouldbe becommitting committingsuicide suicide inin Thyn’s Thyn’s office office and and inin front front ofof her her cocoworkers workersso sothat thatthe theincident incidentwould wouldforever forever be beininthe theconscience conscienceofofpetitioner. petitioner.

6.2.6.

6.2.6. Whenever Wheneverthey theyare areininan anagument, agument, wherever wherever they they are are inin aa convenience convenience store, store, eatery eatery or or other other public public place, place, Chris Chris will willmake makeititaapoint pointtotomake makeaascene sceneand and anybody anybody who who commits commits the the mistake mistake ofof looking looking atat him him he he will will challenge challenge him him toto fisticuffs.

Or, when they are in the car and fisticuffs. Or, when they are in the car and ififsomeone someoneovertook overtookhis hislane lanehe hewill willshout shout atatthe thedriver, driver,show showaadirty dirtyfinger, finger,curse curseand and dares dareshim himtotofight fightwith withhim. him.There Therewas waseven even an incident wherein the driver got offended an incident wherein the driver got offended with withChris’ Chris’violent violentbehavior, behavior,he hepulled pulledout outaa baseball baseballbat batand andhit hithim himwith withititwhich whichended ended him himininaahospital. hospital.

These These actions actions ofof plaintiff plaintiff are are dangerous dangerous and and threatens threatens the the safety safety ofof petitioner’s petitioner’s and and other other people’s people’s lives lives and and property property especially especiallysince, since,as asdiscussed discussedhereunder, hereunder, Chris’ Chris’isisaasuspected suspecteddrug drugaddict addictand andthat that he hedisplays displaysthis thisbehavior behaviorwhile whilewearing wearinghis his sunglasses sunglasses to hide his stiff, red, andwwide open eyes..

6.3. CChris does not love Thyn and he does not care at all for her. AAlthough respondent m has never admitted that he does not love w love petitioner or that he does not know w to express it, the actions and and how w that he behavior discussed above show m never performed this duty to the petitioner.

First, he never bothered or cared about their privacy as husband andwwife because they continued living wwith respondent’s brother and cousin. m 6.3.1. They fought over almost everything.

EEven on the simple m sanitation to take a bath, respondentwwould purposely not take m m a bath for days and, sometimeswwould not change his clothes for awweek. m 6.3.2. Then, oftentimes in all their quarrels, wwhenever petitionerwwould ask respondent on wwhether he still loves her or not, the w respondent wwould not answer and wwould only give Thyn a blank unexpressive face.

6.3.3 AAfter their mmarriage, Thyn never heard CChris say to her “I love you” and wwhenever Thynwwould be the one to say it m H toCChris, the latterwwould only remark “Huh m or “ang corny naman!” m um”

Petitioner Petitioner by by the the undersigned undersigned counsel, counsel, toto this this Honorable Honorable Court Court most most respectfully respectfully states statesthat: that: 1.1. Petitioner, Petitioner, hereafter hereafter referred referred toto as as Thyn, Thyn, isis ofof age, age, Filipino Filipino citizen, citizen, married married toto respondent, respondent, and and resident resident ofof Blk Blk 41, 41, Zone Zone 3,3, Lot Lot 1,1, Welfareville Welfareville Compound, Compound, Mandaluyong Mandaluyong City; City; while while respondent, respondent, her her estranged estranged husband husband and and here here referred referred toto as as Chris, Chris, isis residing residing atat Greenheights, Greenheights, Subdivision, Subdivision,Alibagu, Alibagu,Ilagan Ilaganwhere wherehe hemay may be beserved servedwith withsummons. summons.

Annex Annex “A” “A” isis petitioner’s petitioner’s barangay barangay clearance/certification. clearance/certification.

2.2. Thyn Thynand andChris Chriswere weremarried marriedon onMarch March 4,4,2009 2009atatthe thePhilippine PhilippineEmbassy EmbassyininDoha, Doha, Qatar Qatar which which was was solemnized solemnized by

by Vice Vice Consul ConsulJabbar JabbarM. M.Adiong.

Adiong.

Attached Attachedas asAnnex Annex“B” “B”isisaamachine machinecopy copy ofof the the parties’ parties’ marriage marriage certificate certificate and and as as Annex Annex“B-1” “B-1”isis aa machine machine copy copy ofof the the Report ReportofofMarriage Marriageissued issuedby bythe thePhilippine Philippine Embassy in Doha, Qatar.

Embassy in Doha, Qatar.

2.1.

2.1. Petitioner Petitioner and and respondent respondent met met inin June June2008 2008ininDoha, Doha,Qatar Qatarwhere whereboth bothare are contract contractworkers. workers. That That early early Chris Christalready already displayed displayedwhere whereboth bothare arecontract contractworkers. workers.

That That early early Chris Chris already already displayed displayed his his assertiveness, assertiveness, slyness, slyness, and and easygoing easygoing ways ways---traits ---traitsthat thatwould wouldlater lateron onspell spelldoom doom toto their their marriage. marriage. But But what what caught caught the the attention attention ofofTyne Tyne was was Cris’ Cris’flowery flowery words words and and his his persistent persistent style style inin not not letting letting go go until untilhe hegot gother hercellphone cellphonenumber. number.

2.2 2.2 From From then then on, on, Thyn Thyn only only saw saw the the good good side side ofof Chris Chris and and slowly slowly they they became became friends friends ending ending up up as as very very close close confidants confidantswith witheach eachofofthem themsharing sharingtheir their own problems with one another, likes and own problems with one another, likes and peeves. peeves. Soon Soonboth bothwere werealways alwaystogether together even even ifif their their schedules schedules were were atat odds odds with with each eachother’s, other’s,this thiswas wasno nohindrance hindrancefor forthey they always find the time. always find the time.

2.3.

2.3. But But although although Thyn Thyn found found some some red red flags flagsininthe theman, man,she shepreferred preferredtotodispense dispense with withititas asmere merepersonal personalpeculiarities. peculiarities. Even Even the the fact fact that that Chris Chris was was always always wearing wearing shades shades or or sunglasses sunglasses even even indoors indoors and and even even atat nighttime, nighttime, she she did did not not give give this this much much worry worry because because he he would would explain explain this this away away that that his his eyes eyes were were red red due due toto some some allergy allergy and and that that itit was was aa good good fashion fashionstatement. statement. And Andalthough althoughshe shenotes notes that that itit was was always always her her who who shoulder shoulder the the expenses expenses ofof their their meetings, meetings, she she did did not not mind mind that that since since she she was was earning earning more more than what respondent did and besides she than what respondent did and besides she was washappy happyand andgreatly greatlyamused amusedbeing beingwith with Chris.

Chris. Further, Further,she shealso alsonoticed noticedthat thatmost most ofofthe thetime timewhen whenthey theywere wereon onaalunch lunchor or dinner date, some of his claimed friends dinner date, some of his claimed friends would wouldapproach approachhim himand andthey theywould wouldasked asked totobe beexcused excusedand andgo gosomewhere somewherebeyond beyond her hersight sightfor for20 20toto30 30minutes minutesand andon onhis his return returntotopetitioner, petitioner,respondent respondentwould wouldjust just explain explain away away that that the the guy guy had had problems problems with with his his work, work, or or family, family, or or finances finances and and that thathe hewas wasthe theonly onlyguy guythey theyknow knowtotogive give the theright rightadvices. advices.

2.4 2.4 However, However,Thyn Thynaccidentally accidentallyfound foundout out that thatChris Chrisconcealed concealedfrom fromher herthat thathe hehas hasaa current currentlongtime longtimegirlfriend girlfriendand andshe shebecame became terribly terriblyhurt. hurt.Thyne Thynefelt felther herheart heartbreak breakinto into pieces. pieces.She Shequarreled quarreledChris Chrisfor forthis thisdespite despite the thefact factthat thatthis thisisisthe thedefining definingmoment momentofof Thyn’s Thyn’sfeelings feelingsfor forChris Chrisyet yetshe sheheld heldback back her herfeelings feelingsand anddecided decidedshe shewould wouldleave leave Chris Chrisrather ratherthan thanbe beaarelationship relationshipwrecker. wrecker.

But Chris seem to have felt the same way But Chris seem to have felt the same way as ashe hesucceeded succeededtotoconvince convinceThyn Thyntotomove move on on with with their their relationship relationship promising promising that that he he will will marry marry her her and and break break up up with with his his girlfriend.

Thyn did not think twice girlfriend. Thyn did not think twice and and accepted acceptedthe theproposal. proposal.

2.5.

2.5.Soon Soon the the lovebirds lovebirds prepared prepared for for their their wedding wedding and and together together they they dreamed dreamed ofof having having aa family, family, they they can’t can’t wait wait toto begin begin the the next next phase phase ofof their their lives lives as as husband husband and and wife, wife, and and together together they they secured secured all all the the requirements requirements for for the the wedding. wedding. Chris Chris went went toto Thyn’s Thyn’s father father who who was was then then also also working working inin Dubai Dubai and and asked asked for for Thyn’s Thyn’s that respondent care hand handininmarriage marriageand andrespondent respondentpromised promised 6.3.4. The only thing is petitioner’smmoneywwhich enables petitioner’s petitioner’sfather fatherthat thatshe shewould wouldkeep keepher her about m safe safealways, always,take takegood goodcare careofofher, her,protect protect whim to live, be clothed, fed and cared for and and love love her her always. always. Respondent Respondent also also without spending a single centavo and assured assured Thyn’s Thyn’s father father that that he he will will never never this can be seen in the other discussions prohibit prohibit Thyn Thyn from from supporting supporting her her family. family. above.

But Butsince sinceThyn Thynknew knewthat thather hermother motherwould would 6.3.5. AAnd as already stated above, not notconsent consenttotothe themarriage marriagespecially speciallywhen when respondent does not like to have a child for their m thatwwould complicate m their relationship relationship was was almost almost aa whirlwind whirlwind to him things. affair, affair, they they decided decided toto hide hide the the affair affair aa 6.4. PPetitioner has reason to believe that secret secretfrom fromher herininthe themeantime. meantime.

CChris is an addict and a pusher. AAlthough 3.3.Ultimately, m Ultimately,petitioner petitionerand andrespondent respondentgot got CChris never admitted it nor did Thyn caught married. m in the act or that the latter knows w how w married. However, However,on onthe thevery veryday dayofoftheir their him union, union,only onlythe thefriends friendsofofThyn Thynappeared appearedatat a drug addict looks like and behave, she the celebration and reception, no friends m m his the celebration and reception, no friends has a lot of circumstances aside from

attitude and behavior that wwould mmake her believe that respondent is such a character. m 6.4.2. First, xxxxx xxxxxwwho livedwwith them m the time m of theirmmarriage up to the time m from the parties wwere separated, wwas busted in QQatar as a xxxxx xxxxx. HHe wwas able to m evade m imprisonment because he wwas just deported by bribing the arresting officers by using xxxxxmmoney. m theywwere 6.4.3. The incidents at the time just datingwwhen peoplewwould just pop up on their dates and CChris and the visitor wwould leave her beyond her sights from m 20-30mminutes. AAnd she finds it evenmmore strange wwhen CChris told petitioner that the w visitor is always just one of his friends asking m came m for their for help but wwhen the time mmarriage celebration, not one friend ofCChris appeared at hiswwedding. w wwearing shades 6.4.4. CChris wwas always or sunglasses even indoors and even at m AAnd wwhenever he took it up, nighttime. petitioner noticed that his wwere red and often stiff.

6.4.5. PPetitioner often notices CChris to m mmost of the time m and occupy the bathroom m wwhen he wwas for long intervals. OOne time in the toilet and forgot to his cellphone m somebody called up so she looked at the phone for itmmight beCChris’ boss looking for m but itwwas not. AAfter the call, the same m him guy texted CChris wwith this mmessage A “Asan ka na? KKita na lang tayo sa CR CR sa dating tagpuan”. Thismmade Thyn very curious and m her mmind she could not take this off from since then although her husband already m explained that itwwas his friendwworking from CCrispyCCrème m wwhowwouldmmeet upwwith at the CR CRwwhere the callerwwould give respondent m complimentary m m some doughnuts. m 6.4.6. OOftentimes also wwhen Thyn wwould m get home andCChriswwas already there, she wwould notice that her husband’s eyeswwere wwide open and and red and hewwas dazed m not to be himself. m but seem m m 6.4.7. SSometimes respondentwwould either m early and not go towwork at all for go home m m m a number of days. SSometimes, it wwas the w other way around, respondentwwould either m late or not at all for a number m go home of days and hewwould not give the reasonwwhy or the place or person he had been to. HHe wwould not bewwomanizing m w since he would go m wwith the same m clothes, underwear w home and wwithout any bath. m w that mmade This wwas the ultimate straw m petitioner decide to live separately from respondent since mmiddle of 2012 because she feared for her and her sibling’s life and honor as theywwere livingwwith a xxxxx wwho got caught butwwas able to skirt xxxxx because he xxxxx the arresting officers.

W What mmore if her husband wwas also a m being pusher and an addict, aside from already a non-living, non-caring, violent, selfish, irresponsible, disrespectful person. m 6.5. RRespondent is NNarcissistic, admires m and loves himself only and looks at discorn w toward others especially to petitioner.

6.5.1. AAs already discussed, respondent is m wwhenever hemmakes only gratifying himself sex to petitioner; that he does notwwant the mmarriage to produce a child for that wwould m mmatters; and that hemmakes Thyn complicate pay for his driving, and housekeeping as if w and efforts are important and only his time m can be computed by money. m m m 6.5.2. Even during their factual separation, E respondent always ask money from w m petitioner eventhough he m is gainfully employed telling her how miserable she had m wm made his life without mentioning the issues mabout himselfwthat brought m out the marriage m He feels immaculate m break up. from any H mm m be sin in the separation and feels he must entitled to sort of compensation mfor this, financial or otherwise.m w 6.5.3. He blames petitioner for all the bad H hasmsuffered. Even his eventual turns he E dismissal from his employment be blamed it m he was m separated m m work onmThyn when from w a fight with his boss m w and becausewhe got into w the many warnings his employer gave him m absences w m m for his and tardiness.

6.5.4. Despite the fact that petitioner and D respondent are always in a quarrel due to Chris’ attitude andwdespite the fact that they Chave factually separated, respondent still thinks that his relationship with petitioner w as if nothing was still okay and he would act whappened because w to him he was not the m w cause of any harm. m 6.5.5. When Chris found employment again m due toWThyn’sC intercession,mhe would call up petitioner and would tell her wthat he does w work and that why is he not not like his new w w w entitled to this and to that when deserves w loyal employee. it being a hardworking and w Thyn feel how debase m He would make the Hnew w employment m w him when in she had given w m m m w with fact it was his best job offer for someone w m recently w his qualifications, experience and separated employee. m 6.5.6. One time, Thyn suggested to Chris O m needs professional help C with that maybe he m his attitudes and behavior. He agreed to see wa psychiatrist was no good, thatHthe doctor is stupid and the doctor did not find out that C merely w bull shitting his answers to Chris was w questions. thePpsychiatrist’s Petitioner’s logged D calls was occupied w6.5.7. w C by callsCfrom wrespondent.

Everyday her m phone w would register 10 to 30 missed calls from respondent.

P w 6.5.8. Despite the fact thatE the marriage m has already been crashed to w m the rocks, respondent kept on harassing petitioner m to give him authorization for all Thyn’s D m transactions.

This also shows his unreasonable sense of entitlement just because he is still the husband of petitioner. m Chris wants to control all of Thyn’s w Thyn’s finances.. He wants every cent to income be calculated. He evenmasked the petitioner to give him an agreement letter Csayingwthat Thyn is giving him the right to w sign all theHdocuments of their property on herm behalf including theHsale of the property. m m 6.5.9. Chris doesn’t have a m friend in Qatar.

In fact, he is treating all of his colleagues m as a looser for not having an office job.

He never hesitates to criticize anyone and Q his treats C others poorly. He often trash talk co-workers and his manager and in the end this led him into getting a lot warning letters Hculminated by his terminations. Chris had at least three (3) jobsHwhich he lost through w m termination. m w 6.5.10.

Even when mChris is arguing with m C petitioner about herw brother or friends, Chris always ends the argument with saying m “Ang bobo at tanga ng kapatid mo talaga” E kang w magsasama C or “Huwag ng baklawdito ha, ang hirap kausap at nakakasuka!”, and C“Mga walang w w mo kaya kwenta mga m kaibigan A m hindi ka dapat magtitiwala”.

H w m m 7.

All told and in fine, respondent’s psychological was manifested M w wincapacity m m by his non-fulfillment m w of his promises to petitioner; he does not love petitioner and A he never cared for her and the only thing he cared about for her isw her mmoney; he m m never treated petitioner with respect; he treated her as an underling; he does not love her and even refused to have a child m with her; he engages Thyn in sex only for w not recognize self-gratification; he does that he must share in the expenses of their relationship; he disregards petitioner’s rights wand properties; he is violent in his behavior; he has anti-personality disorder; he violates m petitioner’s right to locomotion; make threatening remarks against petitioner, her friends and co-workers, suicidal; he is a drug addict perhaps a pusher too; and he is m m narcissistic. Hence, the marriage between m should be declared null Thyn and Chris w and void.

8. The property regime H m of the null w and void marriage C is the absolute community of property. During their union, petitioner and respondent were able to purchase property consisting of amcondominium unit at m Grand Residences, Espana, mmManila Espana sold by First DGolden Achievers Realty and w Development Corporation containing an m or less area of 18.21 square meters,mmore Estill titled G in seller’s R M by name E and covered A R mother title. G D m C Attached as Annex “C” certified true m is a m copy of the tax declaration m of said property. m WHEREFORE, premises considered, Ait is most respectfully A C prayed that after trial, the marriage between petitioner and defendant be declared absolutely null and WHERE ORE void pursuant to Articlem 36 of the Family code mand that the property of the parties m of between w them as provided be disposed by the law.

A m Petitioner likewise prays for other reliefs and remedies thatware just,mequitable and humane. w PAntipolo Cityw for Mandaluyong City, September 16, 2016. m m BACALLA & ASSOCIATES A C LAW FIRM M C S m For Petitioner Unit S-1A Silicone Valley Building BACA A Highway, & ASSOC A ES Sumulong Mayamot AW RM Antipolo City P UBy: S A S V B S m MARCIANO H w S. MBACALLA, m (Sgd.) JR. Roll No.A33948 C B IBP Lifetime Member No. 04237 PTR No. 4822683 (2016) SMCLEMARC ANO S3.30.16 BACA A R V-0017217, RTelephone N No. 4779512 BP m M m N REPUBLIC P R NOF THE PHILIPPINES ) ANTIPOLO ) S.S. MC ECITY V N VERIFICATION & CERTIFICATION REPUBOFCNON-FORUM O HE PH SHOPPING PP NES AN PO O C Y S S I, CRISTINA M. LEABRES, of legal age, Filipino, having been CA dulyON sworn VER after CA ON & CER in accordance law state thatNG I am the O NON toORUM SHOPP complainant in the above-entitled case CR S NA M EABRES and all allegations are true and correct to w on the best of my knowledge and based w m records. m I have not heretofore commenced any other actionminvolving w the same issues in the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, or different divisions thereof, or any tribunal mmcase; and if I or agency except the instant should hereafter learn singlymor jointly, that S m C or proceeding C A a similar action has been filed or is pending thereof, or any other tribunal or agency, I, singly or jointly undertake to promptly inform the aforesaid courts and m tribunal or agency thereof within five other (5) days therefrom.

I have m nothingmto say at this point. w 16 September 2016 at Antipolo City. m (Sgd.) CRISTINA M. LEABRES Complainant/Affiant S m A C SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before S 16thCRday S of NASeptember, M EABRES me this 2016 in C m A Antipolo City. Complainant/Affiant exhibited to me herBED Passport EB5124374 issued SUBSCR ANDNo. SWORN mby________ valid untilS4-11-17. m A C C m A m P N EB Doc No. 398; Page No. 81; DBook N No. LXXI PSeries N of 2016.

B N XX ANNEXES S

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

C2

LGUs

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

Corn torch marks start of 2 events in Isabela I

LAGAN CITY, Isabela—The ceremonial torch to mark start the 12th SEA Youth Athletics Championships on Sunday is seated atop a 30-foot corn hub replica symbolizing this city’s identity as the Corn Capital of the Philippines.

Administrative Order No. 9 issued by the agriculture department on Aug. 6, 2015 officially recognized the City of Ilagan as the ‘corn capital’ of the Philippines. Ilagan’s closest rival in the top spot in corn production is the town of Banga in South Cotabato.

Ilagan’s corn output accounts for 2.17 percent of the national harvest, AO No. 9 acknowledged.

Data from the Office of the City Agriculturist officially revealed that Ilagan City has 17,565 hectares of its agricultural area planted with several varieties of corn. However, latest drone photographs indicate that the total area planted this season may have reached 28,000 hectares based on a study done by the World Wildlife Fund.

The indigenous Ybanag corn farmers call themselves ‘Mammangi’ in the dialect. Ilagan holds its Mammangi festival every last week of May. About a hundred athletes from countries participating in the SEA Youth Athletics Championships such as Sri Lanka, South Korea, Malaysia (Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia teams), Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Guam, and Brunei arrived here last Friday and Saturday in time for the Sunday opening ceremonies. Filipino nationals will compete under the team Philippines-Ilagan City.

Philippine Olympic Committee President Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III who is a native of Ilagan, Patafa president Philip Ela Juico,

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS GOODS 1.

The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act CY 2017 intends to apply the amount of Seventy Five Million Two Hundred Eighty Six Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty Eight Philippine Pesos and Thirty Centavos (PhP75,286,888.30) for the project listed below. Bids received in excess of each ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening: Cost of Bidding Single Largest Completed Name of Contract ABC (PHP) Documents (Php) Contract At least Twenty Five Percent (25%) Procurement of Viral Load 61,286,888.30 50,000.00 of the ABC within the specified Reagents – Re-bid period in the Section III. Bid Procurement of Hygiene 14,000,000.00 25,000.00 Data Sheet Kits – Re-bid TOTAL 75,286,888.30 The DOH now invites Bids from eligible Bidders for the procurement of the above-caption projects. Delivery of the Goods as specified in Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within the specified years from the date of submission and receipt of bids a contracts similar to each of the above-cited procurement projects stated in the Bidding Documents. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

IB No.

IB No. 2017156-A IB No. 2017158-A 2.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the COBAC Secretariat, G/F, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila and inspect the Bidding Documents at 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents for each procurement package listed above may be acquired by interested bidders on 27 March 2017 to 18 April 2017 from the address above and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB Resolution No. 04-2012, dated 24 February 2012, in the amount specified above.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders who are interested to participate shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

Bidding Documents Fee may be refunded in accordance with the aforementioned Guidelines based on the grounds provided for under Section 41 of 2016 Revised IRR of RA 9184.

6.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference and the Submission and Opening of Bids at the COBAC Conference Room, G/F, Building 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall be opened to all interested parties on the schedule given below: Activity (Date & Time) Pre-bidding Conference Submission and Opening of Bids

IB No.

Name of Contract

IB No. 2017-156-A IB No. 2017-158-A

Procurement of Viral Load Reagents – Re-bid Procurement of Hygiene Kits – Re-bid

7.

18 April 2017; 09:00 AM

04 April 2017; 10:00 AM

Bids must Bids must be delivered to the address stated below. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated below: Amount of Bid Security (Not less than the required percentage of the ABC)

Form of Bid Security Cashier’s/manager’s check issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank.

Bank draft/guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank: Provided, however, that it shall be confirmed or authenticated by a Universal or Commercial Bank, if issued by a foreign bank.

Surety bond callable upon demand issued by a surety or insurance company duly certified by the Insurance Commission as authorized to issue such security.

Bid Securing Declaration

Two percent (2%) Five percent (5%) No percentage required

Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The DOH reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9.

For further information, please refer to: COBAC-C Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830 (SGD) NESTOR F. SANTIAGO, JR, MD, MPHC, MHSA, CESO III Assistant Secretary of Health COBAC - C Chairperson

(MS-MAR. 27, 2017)

Republic of the Phillippines Department of Health National Capital Regional Office VALENZUELA MEDICAL CENTER BIDS AND AWARD COMMITTEE Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City Telefax No. 294-4625 Email addressvmc_bac@yahoo.com InvItatIon to BId Procurement of druGS and medIcIneS cY 2017 (1St SemeSter) PuBLIc BIddInG no. vmc-2017-004 1.

The Valenzuela Medical Center (VMC), through the General Appropriations Act/Income CY 2017, intends to apply the sum of Philippine Currency:TWENTY FOUR MILLION, ONE HUNDRED NINETY FOUR THOUSAND, FIVE HUNDRED NINETY TWO PESOS, AND 22/100 ONLY, (PhP24,194,592.22)being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments for theProcurement of Drugs and Medicines under PB No. VMC-2017-004. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The VMC now invites sealed Bids from eligible Bidders for the procurement of the abovecaptioned package.The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, entitled“Instructions to Bidders”.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act” and is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or corporationswith at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to Republic ActNo. 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

4.

Only Bids from Bidders who passed the eligibility check will be opened. The process for the eligibility check is described in Section II of the Bidding Documents entitled, “ITB”. The Bidder with the Lowest Calculated Bid (LCB) shall advance to the post-qualification stage in order to finally determine the responsiveness of the bid submission to the technical and financial requirements of the project. The contract shall then be awarded to the Lowest Calculated And Responsive Bidder (LCRB) who was determined as such during the post-qualification procedure.

5.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from theVMC and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00am-11:00am and 2:00pm-4:00pm starting March 27, 2017

6.

The VMC will hold a Pre-bid Conference for this bidding activity on April 3, 2017, 10:00 am at the VMC Emergency Departments’ Office, Padrigal St., Karuhatan, Valenzuela City.Only those who have purchased the bidding documents shall be allowed to participate in the Pre-Bid Conference. Those who have not purchased the bidding documents may act as observers andsubmit written queries, subject to the guidelines as stated in the IRR of RA 9184.

7.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee in the amount of Philippine Currency: Php25,000.00 for Php20M and above; Php 15,000.00 for Php10M – 20M: Php10,000.00 for Php5M – 10M; Php5,000.00 for 1M – 5M. The method of payment will be in cash, manager’s check, bank guarantee or surety bond. The Bidding Documents shall be received personally by the prospective bidder or his authorized representative. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity;Provided,that Bidders shall pay the nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

8.

Bids and eligibility requirements must be delivered to the address below on or before April 17, 2017, 10:00am, at the VMC BAC Secretariats’ Office.

9.

Bid Opening and Eligibility Check will be on April 17, 2017 at 10:00am. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late submission of bids will not be entertained. All bids must be accompanied by a Bid Security in the prescribed form, amount and validity period.

ANNEXES

10. The Valenzuela Medical Center reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all Bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariats’ Office Valenzuela Medical Center Annex Building, 2nd Floor, Padrigal St., Valenzuela City Telefax No. 294-4625 (SGD) JOSEPH T. NOCOM, MD, FPOA Chairperson Bids and Awards Committee MS M (MS-Mar. 20, 27&&AApr. 3, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

(MS-MAR. 27, 2017)

PSC chairman Butch Ramirez, and Isabela Governor Faustino G. Dy III were among the top personalities invited to grace the opening ceremonies.

Mayor Evelyn Diaz said the city has been prepared for these events. “we look forward to set a good example, that the Philippines could host international events even outside of Manila, and for our visitors to see the beauty of our locality.”

“Eventually, for the accommodation of all the delegates, the hotels, food are already. All athletes, coaches, officials of Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association [Patafa] will be billeted in all hotels,” Diaz stressed.

City Councilor Jayvee Diaz, chairman of the Committee on Sports Development and the spokesperson of the events, said the Patafa had certified that the sports facilities met international standards, qualifying them to host the events.

“We are now ready for the Southeast Asia Youth Athletics Championship and the 2017

Ayala Philippine National Open Invitational Athletics Championships on March 27 to 29 and April 2 respectively,” Diaz added.

Meanwhile, Councilor Antonio Montreal Jr. said over a hundred police have already been deployed to secure the venue of the events, including the hotels of the foreign delegates. Abe Almirol and Jessica Bacud

Legazpi fires all city traffic officers

By Manilyn B. Ugalde LEGAZPI CITY—More than 85 members of the Legazpi Public Safety Office have lost their jobs after Mayor Noel Rosal ordered the city traffic unit abolished on grounds of corruption.

Legazpi police chief Supt.

Nilo Berdin, however, decried the sudden abolition of the PSO, forcing him to mobilize police trainees to handle traffic in the city. It was learned the PSO was abolished effective Feb. 5.

Allegations of corruption and lousy traffic operation in the city prompted Rosal to drastically suspend the PSO operation, with none of the 87 city traffic force members retained, according to PSO head Menchu Ofracio.

Rosal temporarily reassigned Ofracio as the city information officer. PSO members, who asked not to be identified, said Ofracio could have given Rosal an inaccurate report, saying not all PSO members were corrupt.

PSO Legazpi was created in 2007 by virtue of a resolution to handle the burgeoning traffic problem in the city, so the police could concentrate on peace and order, crimes against property, robbery and murder cases.

Legazpi is the Bicol regional center.

Some three years ago, Legazpi was dubbed as the region’s carnapping capital, following a series of motorcycle snatching incidents. Even those parked in the city malls were easily lost to carnappers, even during day time.

Carnapping incidents, however, suddenly vanished after one suspected carnapper was arrested by the police while about to flee with the motorcycle he intended to steal in broad day light at nearby Daraga town.

Police probers forced the arrested suspect to reveal a Legazp-based junk trader as the buyer of stolen motorcycles, parts and engines, who was earlier arrested after a raid in his warehouse found volumes of motorcycle parts and engines declared as junk.

A PSO member who claimed he has been in the traffic force for 12 years since before the creation of the PSO in 2007, said he was receiving P200 a day but has not been involved in the alleged corruption scandal.

“I hope the mayor would reconsider his decision not to rehire some of the 87-member traffic force,” he said.

Mindoro mountain roads to cost P395m

By Robert A. Evora SABLAYAN, Occidental Mindoro—The Department of Public Works and Highways has shelled out additional P395 million to fund the construction of road openings and “missing gaps” to connect the twin Mindoro provinces for purposes of economic development.

The new road project, called the Mindoro Cross-Island Road Project, will cut through two agricultural municipalities in the center of the island, Sablayan, in Occidental Mindoro, and Victoria, in Oriental Mindoro.

Undersecretary Romeo S. Momo, the DPWH’s in-charge for Luzon Operations, informed Sablayan Mayor Eduardo B. Gadiano that an initial amount of P100 million has already been allocated to fund the construction of road openings connecting national roads of the two municipalities.

The Mindoro Cross-Island Road will connect Sablayan to Victoria through a 50-kilometer road network system that will traverse several mountain ranges in the border of the two Mindoro provinces, DPWH engineers said.

Oriental Mindoro District Engineer Nestor del Rosario said the counterpart budget of P145 million for the cross-island project has already been bid out by the DPWH. “It’s ready for implementation to open the new road on the eastern side of the island,” he said.

Mayor Gadiano said this road project is a welcome development for his municipality as “transport of goods, mostly agricultural, such as rice, corn, fishery and other food crops, and services will be easier. It will also promote tourism as more visitors will come to see our town and other parts of the province.”

The Sablayan Sangguniang Bayan, through Vice Mayor Andres D. Dangeros, has passed a resolution in December, 2016, requesting DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, through Occidental Mindoro District engineer Josefino M. Melgar Jr., for the project’s funding and inclusion in the 2017 General Appropriations Act. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World IN BRIEF Hollande arrives in Singapore SINGAPORE―French President Francois Hollande arrived Sunday in Singapore, the first leg in the final foreign tour of his five-year term, and will go on to Malaysia and Indonesia.

The tour ending Wednesday in Jakarta is dominated by economic and defense issues and is aimed mainly at strengthening ties with a region with high economic potential, according to the presidential palace.

Hollande has made some 230 international trips since 2012 but has only one other major commitment abroad before his term ends in mid-May: the post-Brexit European summit in Brussels on April 29.

About forty business leaders, mostly from small and mediumsized enterprises, as well as Secretary of State for Industry Christophe Sirugue and Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian are accompanying him in Southeast Asia.

Hollande will meet French business leaders at the AsiaPacific campus in Singapore of France’s ESSEC business school, before holding talks later Sunday with his Singapore counterpart Tony Tan Keng Yam. AFP

Iraq probes air strikes that killed civilians BAGHDAD―Iraq is investigating air strikes in west Mosul that reportedly killed large numbers of civilians in recent days, a military spokesman said on Sunday.

Iraqi officials and witnesses said that air strikes killed civilians in the Mosul al-Jadida area in recent days, but the number of victims -- said to range from dozens to hundreds -- could not be independently confirmed.

“The defense ministry opened an investigation into this issue,” Brigadier General Yahya Rasool, the spokesman for the Joint Operations Command, told AFP. Rasool accused IS of gathering civilians together and then blowing up explosives-rigged vehicles nearby to make it look like “Iraqi forces... are targeting innocent civilians.”

The US-led coalition against IS said Saturday that it had carried out a strike on a location in west Mosul on March 17 at which civilians were reportedly killed.

But some Iraqi officials referred to more than one day of strikes.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces have since regained much of the territory they lost.

They launched the operation to recapture Mosul in October, retaking the city’s east before setting their sights on the smaller but more densely populated west. AFP

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Switching off for Earth Hour W

ASHINGTON―The Empire State Building and United Nations headquarters in New York joined other iconic buildings and monuments around the world plunging into darkness for sixty minutes on Saturday to mark Earth Hour and draw attention to climate change.

1 killed, 14 wounded in club shooting WASHINGTON―One person was killed and 14 others were wounded early Sunday in a shooting involving at least two attackers at a packed nightclub in Cincinnati, Ohio, police reported.

“We are in the middle of a very horrific situation that occurred at the nightclub with multiple victims,” assistant police chief Paul Neudigate said, WLWT5 News reported.

He said hundreds of people were in the Cameo nightclub when the shooting broke out, causing many to flee the scene.

The Cincinnati Police Department said there were “15 gunshot victims, one deceased” and that its “homicide unit and all available resources are being utilized.”

It was not immediately clear where the shooter was but no one has been taken into custody, Sergeant Eric Franz told ABC News, describing the aftermath as a “large and complicated homicide scene.”

He said police were interviewing multiple witnesses to the shooting, which broke out at around 1 am (0500 GMT).

Captain Kimberly Williams told CNN there were at least two shooters.

“We are sure there was more than one, but we’re not sure if there was more than two at this point,” she said.

“It was a young crowd and we have had incidents in the past, but this is the worst by far.

By the time … the shots were fired, individuals ran outside, so there was not a lot of people inside the club. I believe there was a large crowd earlier this evening, but just a lot of chaos when the shots went off,” she said. AFP

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

PERFORMANCE. Indian Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt looks on during a performance at the Dance Academy, Strut ñ The Dance Makers, on March 25, 2017. AFP

The Eiffel Tower, the Kremlin, the Acropolis in Athens and Sydney’s Opera House also dimmed their lights as millions of people from some 170 countries and territories were expected to take part in Earth Hour, the annual bid to highlight global warming caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas to drive cars and power plants.

The event, which originated in Sydney, has grown to become a worldwide environmental campaign, celebrated across all continents.

The World Wild Fund for Nature conservation group, which organizes the event, said great strides had been made in highlighting the dire state of the planet.

“We started Earth Hour in 2007 to show leaders that climate change was an issue people cared about,” coordinator Siddarth Das said.

“For that symbolic moment to turn into the global movement it is today, is really humbling and speaks volumes about the powerful role of people in issues that affect their lives.”

In Sydney, many harbor-side buildings switched off their lights for an hour from 8:30 pm local time as the call for action began rolling out across the world.

“I agree with the concept, 100 percent,” said student Ed Gellert, 24, in Sydney.

“I think people probably avoid the fact that climate change is happening, so it’s good to see the city grouping together to support Earth Hour.”

From Australia, it moved westward through Asia, with many of the skyscrapers ringing Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour going dark in solidarity, while at Myanmar’s most sacred pagoda,

the Shwedagon, 10,000 oil lamps were lit to shine a light on climate action.

The lights of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France’s best-known symbol, were switched off for five minutes at 1930 GMT and the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, went dark for an hour.

London’s Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and London Eye giant wheel followed suit, among 270 British landmarks that switched off.

Berlin’s famed Brandenburg Gate and its City Hall also plunged into darkness as some 300 other German cities took part in the event.

In Singapore, around 200 organizations, including buildings along the city-state’s iconic skyline, went black to mark the occasion. Organizers said around 35,000 people watched performances and participated in a “carbon-neutral run” that saw some runners in panda and tiger costumes to raise awareness of wildlife protection.

And in Japan, Tokyo’s famed Sony Building in Ginza extinguished its bright lights to honor the occasion.

Homes and businesses were also asked to join, and individuals could commit to the cause on Facebook.

WWF said teams around the world would use Earth Hour this year to highlight climate issues most relevant to individual countries.

In South Africa, the focus was on renewable energy, while in China, WWF said it was working with businesses to encourage a shift toward more sustainable lifestyles. AFP

US: Drone strike killed senior Al Qaeda leader WASHINGTON―A senior AlQaeda commander linked to major attacks in Pakistan including the bombing of a luxury hotel and an assault on a cricket team has been killed in a drone strike in Afghanistan, Washington said Saturday.

Qari Yasin, a member of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan group (Pakistani Taliban), was killed on March 19 in Afghanistan’s eastern Paktika province, the Pentagon said.

“The death of Qari Yasin is evidence that terrorists who defame Islam and deliberately target innocent people will not escape jus-

tice,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in a statement.

Yasin, who went by several aliases including Ustad Aslam, was accused of plotting the September 20, 2008 bombing on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad that killed dozens of people, including two US service members.

He was also said to have been behind a 2009 attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore that killed six Pakistani police officers and two civilians, and wounded six members of the team.

According to official Pakistani ‘Most Wanted’ lists he was also

behind failed attempts to kill former President Pervez Musharraf in 2003 and former Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz in 2004.

The Pentagon described him as being a native of Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan region, though Pakistani records said he hailed from the country’s populous Punjab province.

Security analyst Amir Rana said Yasin was the latest in a series of Pakistani militant fugitives to have been killed across the border in Afghanistan, including Qari Saifullah Akhtar, a former close associate of Mullah Omar, who died in a clash with Afghan secu-

rity forces in January.

“He was once a senior figure and one of the Pakistani Taliban’s few non-Pashtun leaders,” said Rana, but added that Yasin had fallen inactive in recent years after fleeing to Afghanistan.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have long accused each other of haboring militants who carry out attacks in each others’ countries.

Taliban fighters on Thursday captured Afghanistan’s strategic southern district of Sangin, where US and British forces had suffered heavy casualties before it was handed over to Afghan personnel.

The Taliban effectively control

or contest 10 of 14 districts in Helmand, the deadliest province for British and US troops over the past decade, blighted by a huge opium harvest that helps fund the insurgency.

The Pentagon has said it would deploy some 300 Marines this spring to Helmand, where American forces had engaged in heated combat until they pulled out in 2014.

The Marines will assist a NATO-led mission to train Afghan forces, in the latest sign that foreign forces are increasingly being drawn back into the mounting conflict. AFP

Celebrating Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher LOS ANGELES―Friends, family and hundreds of well wishers gathered in the Hollywood Hills on Saturday to celebrate the lives of beloved celebrity mother and daughter Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher.

Comedy actor Dan Aykroyd and singer James Blunt were among the stars who made their way to the Forest Lawn cemetery, where the pair are interred side by side following their deaths just one day apart in December.

Fisher, who catapulted to worldwide stardom as rebel warrior Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” trilogy, died in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack. She was 60.

Reynolds, 84, who won moviegoers’ hearts as a star of “Singin’ in the Rain,” suffered a brain hemorrhage the following day at the Beverly Hills estate the pair shared as she was making funeral arrangements.

Blunt, a close friend of Fisher, debuted a tribute song entitled “I’m Here to Let You Go,” while there was music from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, who took the stage to perform Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors.”

The attendees were treated to montages of photos from the women’s careers and intimate family

snaps—accompanied by the music of “Star Wars” composer John Williams—as well as footage of Reynolds’s last performance, with Fisher and her daughter Billie Lourd.

Students of the Debbie Reynolds Dance Studio also performed during the 90-minute public ceremony at the cemetery’s packed 1,200-seat Freedom Theater.

There were speeches of remembrance from Aykroyd—who was briefly engaged to Fisher in the 1970s before she wed singer/songwriter Paul Simon—and Turner Classic Movies host Ben Mankiewicz.

Aykroyd recalled how he once saved Fisher’s life, applying the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge a Brussels sprout.

“If I had been with our beloved showboat, I might have been able to save her again,” Aykroyd lamented.

Actress Ruta Lee sang “I’ll Be Seeing You” in honor of Reynolds and there was even an appearance onstage by R2D2, the famous robot from “Star Wars.”

Reynolds’s son Todd Fisher— Carrie’s brother—told ABC’s “20/20” show at the time of their deaths that his mother had been devastated not to get the chance to see the actress one last time. AFP

MEMORIAL. Catherine Hickland and Todd Fisher attend Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher’s Memorial at the Forest Lawn Cemetery on March 25, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

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MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

World

NEW CHIEF EXECUTIVE. Hong Kong’s new chief executive Carrie Lam speaks at a press conference after she won the Hong Kong chief executive election in Hong Kong on March 26, 2017.Lam pledged on March 26 to mend political rifts after winning a vote dismissed as a sham by democracy activists who fear the loss of the city’s cherished freedoms. AFP

Britain prepares to launch Brexit LONDON―Britain will take an unprecedented step into the unknown on Wednesday with the first formal move towards leaving the European Union, starting a two-year process that has already divided the country.

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London on Saturday to protest against Brexit, and Scotland’s parliament on Tuesday is set to vote in favor of holding an independence referendum.

Scots voted to stay in the EU but the majority verdict in Britain’s EU referendum last year was 52 percent in favor of putting an end to a loveless marriage that has lasted more than four decades.

Those in favor are impatient for Brexit talks to begin and accuse Prime Minister Theresa May of playing for time since the June referendum.

But europhiles are increasingly concerned.

“Stop this madness!” read a banner held up at Saturday’s march to parliament -- held just three days after a terror attack there -- to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the EU’s founding treaty of Rome.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s formal letter of notification to EU President Donald Tusk will trigger Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty: an exit clause that no member state has ever used.

The EU is expected to issue a first response later this week, followed by a summit of EU leaders on April 29 to adopt guidelines for the talks.

The exit negotiations themselves are not expected to start until at least three weeks after that.

The referendum campaign created bitter rifts between different parts of the country, generations and social classes, as well as exposing a chasm between the haves and have-nots of globalization.

Brexit has also sparked a round of soul-searching in the European Union, even fears of a wider break-up.

EU leaders at a summit on Saturday adopted a declaration that enshrines for the first time a so-called “multi-speed” Europe, in which some countries can push ahead on key issues while others sit out. AFP

HK’s new leader faces tough task HONG KONG―Hong Kong’s new leader Carrie Lam, seen as tough and capable by supporters but hated by the pro-democracy camp, faces a difficult task in calming political tensions in the divided city.

Voted in as chief executive Sunday by a committee weighted towards Beijing, critics say she will only further polarize a society riven by protests two years ago that centered on fears of China’s growing influence.

Lam, who will be the first woman to run Hong Kong, rose through the ranks as a career civil servant before taking public office.

She served as deputy to Hong Kong’s outgoing leader Leung Chun-ying and is tainted by her association with an unpopular figure who was criticized for doing Beijing’s bidding while in office.

Lam is nicknamed “lai-ma” or “wet-nurse” by opponents in a jibe over what they say was fawning loyalty towards her former boss.

Her negative image among activists was sealed when she promoted a Beijing-backed reform package rejected as “fake democracy” by opponents.

The plan triggered mass street protests in 2014 that paralyzed the city for more than two months but failed to win concessions from Beijing on fully free leadership elections.

Lam has made no commitment to revisit the political reform debate, instead trying to connect with the public on livelihood issues.

The 59-year-old cast herself as a force for change on the campaign trail, focusing on issues such as poverty and housing

which have also fuelled unrest.

Although she was well behind main rival John Tsang in most opinion polls before the vote, she had strong support among older residents.

Ex-finance minister Tsang, seen as a more moderate establishment figure, garnered backing from young people.

Lam was widely perceived as Beijing’s favored candidate throughout the race and was viewed as the most likely winner.

Her resignation from her position as deputy leader in January, a move that signaled her candidacy, was quickly endorsed by Beijing.

In contrast, Tsang’s resignation took more than a month to be approved by Chinese authorities.

Lam has promised to try to build consensus and “restore faith and hope” in Hong Kong. But she has also said she would “strengthen the relationship between Hong Kong and China”.

“Hong Kong, our home, is suffering from quite a serious divisiveness and has accumulated a lot of frustrations. My priority will be to heal the divide,” she said in a victory speech.

Lam has also emphasized there is no room for independence for the city, responding to a rise in calls for a direct split from China by some young activists—a sentiment views as unthinkable just a few years ago.

Her bid to be seen as a woman of the people hit stumbling blocks as she sought the leadership.

While using the city’s underground rail network as part of campaigning, she appeared unfamiliar with how to use the ubiquitous “Octopus” travel card to get through barriers. AFP

China’s favorite Lam voted Hong Kong chief executive H

ONG KONG―A mainly proChina committee began voting for a new leader of Hong Kong Sunday to take the helm of the deeply divided city, which is fearful Beijing is curtailing its freedoms.

FASHION WEEK. A model prepares backstage before the “oudifu wave point” collection by Li Zuliang during China Fashion Week in Beijing. AFP

NY skyscrapers adapting to climate change NEW YORK―With a skyline crowded with ever-more luxury towers, the construction of another Manhattan skyscraper wouldn’t normally be remarkable.

But the American Copper Buildings going up on the East River -- a complex of two towers with 764 apartments, panoramic views and a huge entrance hall with a doorman -- is different.

Planned just after deadly Hurricane Sandy ravaged New York in October 2012 -- sounding another alarm about the mounting effects of climate change -- it was designed with new threats in mind, reflecting how the real estate world is evolving to account for global warming, in contrast to President Donald Trump’s moves to roll back environmental protection.

The huge storm killed more than 40 people in New York, paralyzing

the US financial capital for days.

JDS, the company developing the American Copper Buildings, bought the land for the project around the same time.

“The whole thing was a lake, we could have toured the site in a canoe,” said Simon Koster, a principal at the company.

“We knew something like that would happen again,” he added.

“So we said, ‘How can we make sure that if we lived here, we will not be facing that scenario?’ So we let the designers loose.”

One of the main innovations was to ensure residents have access to electricity as long as possible in the event of an outage in the city.

Instead of planning an opulent penthouse on the top floor, the architects reserved space for big natural-gas generators designed to

keep key equipment functioning if the power fails.

Although the machines are situated “in the most valuable real estate of this building,” Koster said, “it makes all the other units all the more valuable.”

“We are going to have more of these events, it’s just being strategic and smart about how you prepare for them,” architect Gregg Pasquarelli said.

“If we lose power, if you can go up and down in the elevator and your refrigerator works and you have one outlet available that you charge your phone on, you can probably survive in New York for a week,” he added.

Every kitchen has two electrical outlets—one reserved for refrigerators—connected to a backup circuit fed by the generators.

That means smartphones can be

charged during a breakdown.

Traditionally relegated to the basement, the heating, ventilation and large electrical equipment have been installed on the first floor instead, more than 20 feet (seven meters) above the street to minimize the risk of flooding.

The main entrance hall is large and austere, with steel pillars and floor tiling designed for outside use.

Wood-paneled walls warm the atmosphere—but the open side panels can dry easily with no damage in the event of flooding.

The building’s cheapest studios will be available for rent starting from $3,000 a month, and include the luxury perks of access to a swimming pool and huge terrace with views of the Empire State Building in addition to the more prosaic bonus of flood resistance. AFP

It is the first leadership vote since the mass “Umbrella Movement” rallies calling for fully free elections in 2014 failed to win reform and comes after a turbulent term under current chief executive Leung Chunying.

Leung is seen by opponents as a Beijing puppet and will step down in July after five years in charge.

Hong Kong is semi-autonomous and has been governed under a “one country, two systems” deal since it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997.

But, 20 years on, there are serious concerns Beijing is disregarding the handover agreement designed to protect Hong Kong’s way of life.

Activists call the vote a sham as around three quarters of committee members are from the pro-mainland camp.

Frustration at what they see as China’s increasing influence and a lack of promised political reform has sparked calls for selfdetermination for Hong Kong, or even a complete split from China.

Sunday’s election is forecast to usher in another divisive leader—Leung’s former deputy Carrie Lam. Lam is widely seen as Beijing’s favorite for the job and would become Hong Kong’s first ever woman chief executive.

She is intensely disliked by the pro-democracy camp after promoting the Beijing-backed reform package that sparked 2014’s massive protests.

That plan said the public could choose the city leader in 2017, but insisted candidates must be vetted first. AFP

Happy

vibes and good

Life FOOD

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

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Eat City ties up with Amaia Scapes Cavite to serve delectable specialties to residents and locals

food at

Eat City Amaia Land’s Amaia Scapes General Trias is located close to hospitals, shopping malls and schools

Saturday and Sunday evenings become more special at Amaia Scapes General Trias with delectable treats courtesy of Eat City

H

APPY vibes, beautiful music, and a wide array of food offerings... weekend nights have become more exciting at Amaia Scapes General Trias, where Amaia Land has partnered with Eat City, a themed food avenue that features classic comfort food, street-food favorites, and delicious specialties.

The weekend al fresco dining happens at the Amaia Scapes Cavite model block—Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays—from 6 p.m. to 12 midnight, and will go on until July 16.

Because Filipinos love to bond over food and music, Eat City sees this tieup with Amaia Land as an opportunity to make weekend gatherings of residents and guests more fun and lively.

Meanwhile, to bring communities together and inspire them to experience the humble comforts in its communities, Amaia invites residents from neighboring villages and towns like General Trias and Dasmariñas to join homeowners of Amaia Scapes Cavite in savoring Eat City’s delectable dishes and performances by live bands.

These

Women’s Work: Resorts World Manila honors the beautiful women of Philippine theatre

By Aileen Martin

Theatre is truly an effective medium to showcase the many layers of women.

Whether through Tanya Manalang’s Kim showing a woman’s strength amidst poverty and war in the 2014 revival of Miss Saigon, or Pinky Marquez’ portrayal of the broken temptress Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, countless Filipina actresses have time and again showed us the true nature of women in a way that leaves a mark in our hearts.

This Women’s Month, Resorts World Manila (RWM) pays tribute to three actresses who have effected change one way or another through their passion for onstage acting.

Pinky Marquez

“If you were born as a singer or if you have been singing all your life, I guess the next step is theatre,” Veteran actress Pinky Marquez shares. “There is something about theatre that makes me feel complete,” she adds noting her first foray onstage via Jose Javier Reyes and Ryan Cayabyab’s Katy: The Musical in 1989.

And it takes a complete actor to really move a live audience as how Pinky did in her performances in such titles as Magnificat, Oedipus Rex, The Portrait of a Filipino as an Artist, The Vagina Monologues, Diary of Anne Frank, Rama at Sita, and The Graduate, among others.

Despite the experience, Pinky’s swan song is yet to come. “It’s a great responsibility and I am taking on the challenge even up to today,” she shares. “If I still have my voice and my acting skills, then I can affect people and make their lives even better”.

Tanya Manalang

It all started when she was five and the song “Stages of Love” swept her off her feet. From then on, West End actress Tanya Manalang pursued a career in theatre that landed her roles in such major productions as KAOS, The Sound of Music, The King And I and her biggest one to date, as Kim in Miss Saigon.

During this open-for-all activity, guests may check out the model block at Amaia Scapes Cavite, in order to see and experience an Amaia home firsthand.

Amenities at this Cavite property include a village patio that features a pavilion, swimming pool, and basketball court for the leisure and recreation of its homeowners.

Meanwhile, to ensure safety and security, this Amaia community has guarded entrance and exits and a perimeter fence.

Amaia Scapes General Trias, the sequel to Amaia Scapes Cavite is also along Arnaldo Highway in Brgy. Santiago, General Trias. It is strategically located near hospitals (General Trias

Medical Center and Hospital Inc. and De La Salle University Medical Centre), shopping malls (The District Cavite, SM Dasmariñas, and Robinsons Place Dasmariñas), and schools (Lyceum of the Philippines, Immaculate Conception Academy, and De La Salle University).

Prospective buyers will find it easy to own a home in Amaia Scapes General Trias. As it does in all of its properties, Amaia offers flexible payment schemes: cash, deferred, PAG-IBIG and bank financing.

For more information about Eat City and Amaia Scapes General Trias, check out www.facebook.com/eatcityfj/. For inquiries about Amaia, visit www.amaialand.com or like www.facebook.com/ AmaiaLand.

“I always look forward to just losing that moment of being so nervous, and being so comfortable on stage all the time,” she shares.

With Miss Saigon,, Tanya faced the challenges of living alone and eventually grabbed the opportunity to learn via a scholarship grant at the Arts Educational School in London.

“The biggest thing that a theatre actor can do onstage is touch people. And if you’re able to touch people through your performance, then that means you’ve told the story well,” she shares.

Sheila Valderrama-Martinez

It takes undeniable strength to be a serious actor and seasoned Filipina thespian Sheila Valderrama-Martinez knows this all too well.

Her undeniable stage presence is illuminated in such roles as Belinda Blair and Flavia Brent in Noises Off, as Anna in The King And II, as Princess Fiona in Shrek: The Musical and as the mother of a cancer-stricken child in Dani Girl, among others.

Offstage, Sheila’s role as wife to actor Lorenz Martinez and mother to daughter Simone does in no way hinder her passion for acting, but rather provides her with more inspiration onstage.

Today, Sheila continues to play roles that continue to challenge her. “As a Filipina actress I have the power to show other Filipina talents that we can be as great as any other all over the world,” she states as how a true and confident Filipina can be.

In support of Women’s Month and World Theatre Day this March, Resorts World Manila honors the women of theatre in a video tribute entitled Leading Ladies: A Glimpse into the Life of a True Filipina Actress. Visit the official RWM Facebook page for the full video.

Life

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MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Filipino chef

shares passion for

Hong Kong dining A

From left: Hong Kong Tourism Board deputy executive director Becky Ip, Chef Margarita Fores, and Hong Kong Tourism Board regional director SEA Simon Wong

core must-have experience of Hong Kong is ‘dining’. Boasting a vast diversity of dining experiences from unique local street food to Michelin-starred restaurants to world-class international cuisine, Hong Kong allows travelers to eat the entire world within the city—making it a true “culinary capital of Asia.”

Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2016 Margarita Fores Spotted Philippine Garoupa ‘in Cartoccio’ inspired by Hong Kong’s claypot rice

Salted egg panna cotta and Red Bean ensaymada

The new habit

INSPIRED by Anti Pasti Misto Buffet, take your predinner drinks and appetizers to new heights with an Italian ritual to enjoy with a view at Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge.

Redefining the nightlife scene on this side of the metro is Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge. Located on the 45th topmost level of Marco Polo Ortigas Manila, Vu’s is poised to be a signature Ortigas attraction offering an unobstructed 180-degree view of Manila.

Apart from the remarkable skyline scenery, Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge invites diners to indulge in its vast selection of cocktails, wines and other spirits together with a well-curated line-up of dishes that is a good mix of Filipino, Spanish and other Mediterranean favorites. Starting this month, the sky bar is introducing Aperitivo, an Italian ritual of socialising over good food and drinks.

It consists a wide range of appetizers, such as cold cuts, pizzas, cheeses, croquettes, and house wine, which can be enjoyed with the stunning views of the metro.

For more information, contact (02) 720-7777 or book online via www.marcopolohotels.com or email manila@ marcopolohotels.com.

Crab Trio Sformato with Chinese Black Vinegar and Negros Muscovado Glaze

One thing that always connects Filipinos to Hong Kong is the shared love for food. Asia’s Best Female Chef, Margarita Forés’ strong passion for Hong Kong has landed her an opportunity to be part of the filming of the gourmet dining video, and also inspired her to create a special menu that fuses Filipino and Hong Kong flavors.

“I am honored to be able to marry two of my favorite things, Hong Kong and my passion for cooking, and contribute to Hong Kong’s latest brand campaign,” shares Chef Margarita. “I hope that through my specially-created dishes, fellow Filipinos will be able to savor the best tastes and experiences Hong Kong has to offer, and discover Hong Kong to create their own unique authentic experience.”

She also adds, “For Filipinos, food means celebrations, togetherness and hospitality. It is no surprise why we keep flying to Hong Kong, to enjoy an exciting variety of food options. Personally, I love exploring traditional dishes that reflect the heritage and cultures of Hong Kong.”

Apart from the food, Hong Kong is also Chef Margarita’s favorite travel destination because of its booming and stylish fashion scene. The city’s attractions also never fail to delight families, just like Chef Margarita who used to bond with her son by visiting Hong Kong Disneyland and Ocean Park.

Chef Margarita is also amazed by the less known side of the city—natural landscapes. Hong Kong has green mountains, beaches and outlying islands to explore and enjoy the natural breathtaking scenery; suitable for Chef Margarita’s healthy lifestyle.

For more information, log on to discoverHongKong.com/best.

New at Costa THERE’S something new crafting at Costa Coffee. It’s their Corto range of coffee that gives that hot, indulgent, and intense caffeine mix.

Have a taste of Mocha Italia at its very best, perfectly complimented with a little velvety milk when you order a cup of Classic Corto (P120).

When caramel is added to this wonderful drink, you’ll get the new Caramel Corto (P130). The Black Corto (P120), meanwhile, is the product of shorter extraction ensuring that you get the sweetness of the beans. The combination of chocolate and coffee is a definite winner. This is what you’ll enjoy in a cup of Mocha Corto (P130).

Each cup of coffee at Costa is handcrafted with utmost care and a lot of heart by its baristas. Technically trained and passionate about their craft, they certainly know their beans.

To go with these beverages are five

Party trays

make the year more exciting

Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge at Marco Polo Ortigas introduces Aperitivo, an Talian ritual of socialising over food and drinks

Partake of wide range of appetizers such as cold cuts, pizzas, cheeses and croquettes

From indulging in rich food and hopping from party to gathering with friends and family, SaladStop! makes the year more exciting. It now offers Party Trays for a great and healthy feast. A nutritious meal is also made more special when you and your loved ones are getting healthier together.

SaladStop!, the fastest growing food and beverage operations from Singapore, also offers the largest selection of fresh ingredients and locally inspired dressings in Asia. The Party Trays come in select variants of your favorite salads and wraps such as Oh Crab Lah!, Iron “Wo” Man, and Hail Caesar.

The dressing comes in handy squeeze bottles so it’s easy to serve and adjust to your desired amount of dressing.

SaladStop! delivers the party trays in selected areas or you may also call them in advance for pickup. For deliveries, please call the SaladStop! store nearest you a day before the delivery date.

SaladStop! is located at Alabang Town Center (7712655); Greenhills (656-1014); Ayala Tower One (8023141); One Palanca (808-7569); Burgos Circle (8050939); Power Plant Mall (833-4754); Central Square (958-5534); Salcedo Village (884-8862); Glorietta 2 (807-1481)

new food items: Cream Cheese Melt, Banana Hazelnut Crossini, Ham and Cheese Croissant, Brookie, and Crusted Cheesecake with Chocolate Chips.

Costa Coffee has been a part of the British coffee drinking culture since 1971 when it was founded by brothers Bruno and Sergio Costa who were inspired by their love for premium coffee.

Visit Costa Coffee branches at Robinsons Place Manila, Robinsons Place Antipolo, Robinsons Selections Venice Grand Canal, Tera Tower Bridgetowne in QC, One World Place Bldg. in Bonifacio Global City, Citywalk 1, Eastwood City, The Block, SM North Edsa, Robinsons Supermarket Robinsons Galleria and UP Town Center. Soon to open is its flagship store on the 2nd level of Robinsons Galleria sporting the latest Costa Coffee look.

SALADSTOP! Party Trays let you bring a delicious nutritious food on your next potluck.

The Party Trays come in select variants of popular salads and wraps such as Oh Crab Lah!, Iron ‘Wo’ Man, and Hail Caesar

MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

A

BS-CBN’s Head of Global AntiPiracy, Elisha Lawrence, thanked the Xixiang Police Station of Shenzhen Public Security Bureau (PSB) for the heroic police work in raiding and arresting Alan Zhou, Roland Lu, Long Zhao and Yunmin Chen, four major players in the global piracy operation of the pirate streaming box Filstream.

Police Officers Cui Yang and Yinbo Lin received awards in the presence of their superior, Deputy Chief Police Officer Zuo Yang.

Also present was Yunze Lian, senior partner and head of Patent and Trademark Group of the Hylands Law Firm, who represented ABSCBN and worked together with Lawrence and the Shenzhen Public Security Bureau in the investigation and raid.

According to Lawrence. “It was important to ABS-CBN to recognize the excellent work by the Xixiang Police Station of Shenzhen Public Security Bureau. Without them, the piracy operations of Filstream would have continued to thrive to the detriment of the hardworking people of ABS-CBN who produce the copyrighted content that Filstream illegally streamed.

I was extremely impressed by the Shenzhen PSB’s dedication, professionalism and commitment to law enforcement. ABS-CBN is truly grateful.”

LORNA T

back as Kapamilya

Members of Shenzen Police force receive the award from ABS-CBN for their exemplary work in the raid and arrest of the owners of Filstream, which illegally streams ABS-CBN contents online

ABS-CBN thanks Shenzhen police

William Moseley of ‘Narnia’ now all grown up in ‘Carrie Pilby’ WIDELY known to be the older son (Peter) in the highly-successful she works the graveyard shift proofreading legal briefs in a job reluctantly Chronicles of Narnia, William Mosley is all grown-up in the romantic arranged by her dad; Cy (William Moseley), her didgeridoo-playing neighbor who, like Carrie, is also a prodigy; and the confused, engaged Matt (Jason comedy Carrie Pilby.”

Starring opposite Bel Powley who takes on the titular role “Carrie Pilby,” Ritter), who thinks he might find clarity about his pending nuptials in the arms Moseley plays Cy, Carrie’s neighbor and match to her intellectual ability. of another woman. As Carrie gets to know them, she learns that they are not Carrie is a 19-year-old genius, a year out of Harvard, four years ahead of one-dimensional stereotypes but living, breathing, complex human beings. her peers, living in New York City. Burdened with an overactive moral Carrie begins to understand that humans, like books, can’t be judged by their compass and self-consciously aware of her uncommon intellect, in a city full “covers”.

“When we first meet Cy he’s this of people she considers oversexed, seemingly homeless, wild card kind deceitful hypocrites, Carrie finds of guy, we don’t really know who he herself isolated, friendless, dateless is,” said Moseley. “He seems like a and unemployed. weird hippie living on the streets in To coax Carrie out of her shell, New York – it turns out there’s a lot her psychiatrist, Dr. Petrov (Nathan more than meets the eye. He’s actually Lane), makes a list of goals she is to a very bright guy, he plays like eight achieve between Thanksgiving and musical instruments on an orchestral the end of the year: 1. Go on a date. 2. level, in fact he plays the clarinet for Make a friend. 3. Spend New Year’s the New York Philharmonic. Carrie Eve with someone. 4. Get a pet. 5. and Cy are both prodigies.”

Do something you loved as a child.

“I think Cy sees in Carrie something 6. Read favorite book. At first Carrie a little bit different, you know,” he resists, but when her goal-oriented continues. “He sees in her somebody prodigy brain kicks in, she embraces who isn’t like every other girl, who isn’t the task with a vengeance. She has crazy ambitious to get somewhere. This the time, anyway. Her father, (Gabriel is the kind of world we live in now, we Byrne), who has always joined her live in an insta-world, and she’s quite for the holidays in New York, isn’t old fashioned in a way, she reads a lot, coming this year.

I don’t think she’s a media person, so As she tackles each item on the list, that is attractive to him.”

Carrie begins to make new friends: Tara Carrie Pilby opens March 28 in (Vanessa Bayer) and Doug (Desmin cinemas from Pioneer Films.

Borges) at the law office where Bel Powley and William Moseley in a romantic scene from "Carrie Pilby"

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Monday, March 27, 2017

ACROSS 1 — -relief 4 Wilts 8 Venomous snakes 12 Cats do it 13 Gallon fraction 14 Outburst of joy 16 Look intently 17 Soon 19 Kind of tire 21 Literary miscellany 22 Hockey feint 23 Pipe fittings 25 Snowballed 27 Avalanche 31 Trite phrase 35 NASA counterpart 36 Moneychanger’s profits 38 Buzz off 39 “Who Made Who” rockers 41 Film spectaculars 43 Sharpen up 44 Chocolate substitute 46 Pry 48 Finished first 49 Ditch 51 Dazzling 53 Close tightly 55 “— kleine Nachtmusik” 56 Going around in

circles 59 Ad — committee 61 Shelved indefinitely 65 Famous trail location 68 River in the Congo 69 Sawyer of TV news 70 Man of the haus 71 Erik the Red’s son 72 Is, in Madrid 73 Hang around 74 APB datum DOWN 1 La — Tar Pits 2 Did very well 3 Chilling cry 4 Overflow 5 Goal 6 Home-loan org.

7 Smart 8 Tarzan’s nanny 9 Lunch order 10 Mr. Sampras 11 Polio vaccine inventor 12 Aries mo.

15 PBS “Science Guy” 18 DEA operative 20 — Romeo 24 Lingerie buys 26 Loop trains 27 Strike back

28 Witty Wilde 29 Core group 30 Pork purchases 32 Swarm in 33 Asian capital 34 Make changes 37 Range 40 Fixed 42 Remote 45 Prior to yr. 1 47 Elizabeth of “La Bamba” 50 Big laugh (hyph.)

52 Interstellar dust cloud

54 Lomond and Ness 56 Aberdeen kid 57 Mayberry kid 58 Hot-tub locales 60 Guitarist — Atkins 62 Scallion kin 63 Director — Kazan 64 — Leppard 66 Grassy field 67 Rollover subj.

AFTER five years, Lorna Tolentino is proud to be back on ABS-CBN grounds via the upcoming prime time series Victims of Love where she shares the screen with Angelica Panganiban, Julia Montes, Paulo Avelino, and JC Santos.

“That’s right!” she says. “I’m back as a Kapamilya and I’m excited with this project since my role is not the usual viewers see me doing.”

LT reveals it’s a contravida part.

“Yes, I’m not kind here! The character is not white or pure. She’s gray that’s almost black already. That’s how I can describe my role in the soap.”

For this, the award-winning actress feels very challenged.

“I really find it hard breathing life to bad characters on screen. It’s easy to be kind since basically there is kindness in every person’s heart. But when you’re a villainess, you have to tap what’s evil in you, which makes it difficult.”

For two years, she hasn’t done any soap opera.

What made her accept Victims of Love?

“Well, for one, the story is beautiful and interesting. Then, there’s the role, which offers a new level of thrill. My co-stars were also huge consideration. How can I refuse to a project surrounded by ‘giving’ actors? You won’t find it hard doing scenes with them because they are all highly-competent!”

On the lighter side, many ask if she’s still entertaining the thought of falling in love again since it’s been a long time that her husband Rudy Fernandez passed away.

“Honestly, no,” Lorna admits. “I think I’m too old for that already. At this point, I’m okay with my present status. There are various factors to consider like age (LT is 55), my sons, then hormonal imbalance, which is a normal phase a woman undergoes in her life. I don’t like to drag another person onto the scene where he will just get irked by it.”

So does that mean she discourages any suitor right now?

“Ha-ha-ha! As I’ve said, I’m fine being alone right now. But I’m okay with making friends with everybody,” ends LT. ******** Despite the sad development that she won’t be able to do the latest Darna movie due to her health condition, Angel Locsin admits her heart is happy at present.

“Yes! My personal state is doing well. I started going out on dates already. So, it’s the beginning of my moving on stage, so to speak,” she states.

However, the pretty actress doesn’t want to go on details about this latest exciting phase in her life.

“Anyway, it has just started so it’s too early to elaborate on it. One more thing, he’s non-showbiz so let’s respect his privacy.”

Angel stresses that the guy she’s seeing right now is the only one.

“When I go out on dates, it’s exclusive. I can’t do multiple dating. Personally, I don’t like that. I want to focus on a person, get to know him better.

If things won’t work, then, that’s the time to see someone new.”

There are reports that she’s dating Nino Barber, son of former Senator Robert Barbers.

“For the record, there’s no inch of truth in that!

We never went out on a date. Nino is a good friend. In fact, I felt shy because he was baselessly dragged into the scene. To reiterate, there’s nothing special going on between us so I hope the issue will subside now,” Angel avers.

PRESTIGIOUS MILESTONE.

Wish 107.5 has now officially garnered 1 MILLION YouTube subscribers, making it the first FM radio station in the country to reach such feat.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com MONDAY, MARCH 27, 2017

ISAH V. RED

F

OR being the first FM radio station in the country to hit one million YouTube subscribers, Wish 107.5 staged a free concert on March 18 at the Eastwood Mall Open Park.

The event, titled A Million Thanks for the One Million Subscribers, featured popular and up-and-coming stars including Jay R, Kris Lawrence, Tippy Dos Santos, Luke Mejares, Tim Pavino, Leah Patricio, 5th Gen, Jay Kent, JBK, Luky Robles, Kath Loria, JV Decena, Moses Akoh, Mica Javier, and Francis Lim. These artists did not only impress the huge crowd with their live WISHclusive covers but also with their original materials.

“Wish helps us not only by giving us just a platform but a huge platform to share our music, our talents, our original music, our covers,” Kris, whose cover of “Versace on the Floor” holds the record of having the fastest WISHclusive video to reach one million YouTube views, shared.

Apart from the free concert, the leading FM YouTube Channel also granted the wishes of selected Wishers.

For her wish, 24-year-old Michelle Arroyo asked for a BP apparatus for her mother Rose who has hypertension.

Meanwhile, the station also granted parents Regine Anne and Erwin Abaigar’s wish of giving their daughter Arabella a birthday celebration.

The station has also granted the wish of another avid fan Lovi Dela Cruz -- a wedding anniversary celebration package.

Teary-eyed Arlene Diction received a wheelchair from Wish. Her sister Maricel wished on her behalf when she visited the station’s Wishing Walls in Caloocan.

Wisher Cecille Guiterrez was also surprised when the station said it would answer the medical treatment she needs for her kidney disease. The wish that she originally had, which was also granted, was giving her two daughters brand new school supplies.

Wish, through BMPI’s Vice President for Radio Gerardo Etorma III, also held a soft launch for one of its flagship project this year, WISHcovery. The amateur singing competition will be using a mobile studio to “WISHcover” hidden OPM talents.

The Wish 107.5 YouTube Channel is only one of the station’s many innovations.

It is also known for the Wish 107.5 Bus, the Wish 107.5 Music Awards and for its sustained wish-granting advocacy. ***

Wish 107.5 ’s free concert, grants wishes on thanksgiving celebration

Singer and VJ Tippy Dos Santos

The upcoming face off between Jaclyn Jose and Katrina Halili in the new series on GMA 7 called D’Originals should be interesting to watch. The two are the industry’s most competent actresses and both played Angelica Santibañez in separate versions of the Mexican telenovela Marimar.

Katrina’s post on her Instagram account in which she is seen with Jaclyn of the clip where she pointed out the animal event of her event. Jaclyn remarked, “Maganda, lush, green—kulay ahas!” while giving Katrina a pointed look. “Isang balyenang daig pa ang inagawan ng oxygen sa dagat kaya nagwawala at nagkiki-kisay”, she said. D’Original wife answered back, “Oo, balyena ako. Sinisuguro ko sa iyo, hahampasin ka ng buntot ko…sa mukha mo!”

That’s the kind of repartee the audience will hear from the characters o the new series. And, according to netizens, it’s just in the teasers. What more if they’d be watching the real series!

The question: Who wins in the confrontation – Jaclyn or Katrina? *** Besides the very competent co-stars, Ryza Cenon’s supporters are among those that encourage her to be very effective as Giorgia in Ika-6 na Utos.

R&B artist Jay-R

According to the actress, among those who is giving her the necessary encouragement is her boyfriend, Pocholo Barretto. To him it’s never an issue that she is playing a mistress in the highly rating afternoon series.

Says the actress, “Sobrang understanding niya at supportive na boyfriend. Hindi niya ako pinapakialaman when it comes to work.

We both understand kung ano ‘yung flow ng taping or shooting, kung ano ang mga nangyayari. Basta informed lang ang isa’t isa na ganito ‘yung story, ito ‘yung nangyayari, para walang gulatan.”

That inspires Ryza all the more in playing her character in the series. *** Maine Mendoza and Sheena Halili have become the best of friends since the first day of taping of Destined To Be Yours.

If you follow the Instagram accounts of both stars, you’d see how close they had become.

Meanwhile, in the soap, the Obispo’s plan to sell their land was aborted when Benjie offered to help in defraying Sinag’s younger sister’s hospital bills.

But the revelation of who Benjie really is caused the rift between the budding couple.

*** It surprised me to see an image of former Kapuso, Janno Gibbs, in the top-rating Meant To Be. Tina Paner even posted on her Instagram account a welcome message for the actorsinger-comedian.

She said, w h i l e M e a n t To Be is Manilyn Reynes and Keempee de Leon’s reunion, with Janno around it will be a reunion for all of them, including Sheryl Cruz.

I t seems Janno will play the role of Adonis Adlawan, a record producer.

He was a fan of Amelia (Reynes), the reason why he

wants to produce and release her album.

Also, this would allow him to let Amelia know his feelings for her before. *** Many are asking if Sanya Lopez and Rocco Nacino are now a couple.

They say the two can’t hide how they feel for each other, even in their scenes in Encantadia.

The two are both single and there’s no hindrance if their friendship and professional relationship turns into something romantic.

“Isa si Sanya sa mga nakakapagpasmile sa ‘kin ngayon. And talagang nae-enjoy ko ‘yung company niya,” Rocco said in one interview.

Sanya, meanwhile, said she’s not closing the doors on Rocco. “Kung ano man ang mangyari [sa ‘min], I’m open sa lahat,” she added. So does this mean that their love team in Encantadia will become true to life? As the teleserye would say at the end, “Abangan!

For now, can Avria (Eula Valdes) triumph in here attempt to seize Lireo?

Kris Lawrence

Snow and rain effects in 4DX BONIFACIO High Street (BHS) Cinemas was the first in the country to launch the revolutionary 4DX™ technology in 2014. This immersive, all-five-sense experience that combines precise choreography of motion system and environmental effects, did not disappoint.

With chairs that heave up and down, roll sideto-side, pitch forward and backward to allow you to physically participate in the action onscreen, 4DX™ also enlivened all other senses— mist and rain, smoke and fog, gusts of wind, bubbles, or a flash of lightning—once confined to the silver screen, these special effects were recreated around you. Even allowing you to smell various scents!

BHS Cinemas once again changes the game

with two brand new environmental effects— snow and rain. Catch snowfall mid-air and bask in the romance of the rain while immersing in your favorite films, making you feel that you are actually in the movie.

Marc Buencamino, general manager for BGC’s Commercial Business, said the addition of these elements is a testament to Bonifacio High Street’s commitment to continuously provide new and unique experiences to the public. “We always want to provide our customers the best when it comes to retail, dining, and especially entertainment,” said Buencamino. “Movie buffs are definitely in for a treat since 4DX enhances and elevates every movie watching experience.”

Experience a tale as old as time Both effects debuted on March 16, at an exclusive screening of the much-anticipated film Beauty and the Beast starring Emma Watson as Belle and Dan Stevens as the Beast.

“Everybody’s excited about Beauty and the Beast and we thought we’d take it up a notch.

Not only do viewers get to watch a timeless classic, they get to experience some of what the characters feel as well, including the rain and the snow,” said Buencamino.

The country has become a large market for Disney thanks to the fans who always flock to the cinemas to watch their favorite tales come to life. Buencamino noted that the new 4DX

features will add a new dimension to the Disney classic.

BHS Cinemas welcomes you to a brave new world of movie going, where technology meets imagination. All its theaters are also equipped with the Dolby Atmos™ surround-sound system technology. One can even enjoy these enhancements while seated in the plush comfort of motorized leather recliner seats.

Bonifacio High Street Cinemas is located at 3F Central Square, Bonifacio High Street, 30th St. corner 5th Ave., Bonifacio Global City. For movie schedules, promotions, and more information, visit www.facebook. com/BoniHighStreet or www.bgc.com.ph/ cinema.