VOL. XXXI • NO. 63 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph
Filipinos approve of his work— Pulse Asia By Sandy Araneta MOST or 78 percent of Filipinos approve of the work done by President Rodrigo Duterte, Pulse Asia Research said Monday, citing the results of its March 2017 Ulat ng Bayan Survey. In the latest survey period, Duterte was followed by Vice President Leni Robredo with 58 percent, and Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III with 55 percent. The quarterly survey tracks the performance and trust ratings of the top five government officials. “Three of the leading officials of the national government score majority approval and trust ratings in March 2017; public opinion about these officials’ work and trustworthiness remains virtually constant between December 2016 and March 2017,” said Pulse Asia. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno showed very little change in the Next page
SALUTE TO OFWS.
President Rodrigo Duterte, acknowledging the sacrifices made by Overseas Filipino Workers for their families and their contributions to the Philippine economy, announces on his arrival Monday from his visit to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar that he will implement more programs for the benefit of OFWs. Malacañang Photo
Duterte tops Time readers’ 2017 poll By Sandy Araneta
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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has won a spot in TIME Magazine’s annual list of the world’s 100 most influential people, after he received the most number of votes in an online poll that asked readers who should be on the list.
TIME did not say how many people voted, but said Duterte received five percent of the total “yes” votes in the poll, which closed Sunday night. Since taking office in June, Duterte has waged an aggressive war on drugs that has resulted in the death of more than 8,000 people. Closely following Duterte in the TIME 100 poll were Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, Bill Gates and
Mark Zuckerberg — all of whom received three percent of the total “yes” votes. US Senator Bernie Sanders won the reader poll in 2016 while Russian President Vladimir Putin took the lead in 2015. The official TIME 100 list, which is selected by TIME’s editors, will be announced on April 20. Malacañang welcomed the results and recognition of Duterte. Next page
Bongbong’s protest vs Leni forges ahead CASE ROLLS. Former senator Ferdinand Marcos II is greeted by supporters on his arrival Monday at the Supreme Court to pay P36 million—in two installments—for his election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. Norman Cruz
4.4 quake 20 foreigners remain ASG hostages jolts Ilocos, By Florante S. Solmerin Cagayan LAOAG CITY―A magnitude-4.4 earthquake rattled the residents of Pagudpud in Ilocos Norte at 7:28 a.m. Monday, state seismologists said. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said the quake was tectonic in origin with a depth of 33 kilometers, and its epicenter was 45 kilometers northwest of Pagudpud. Intensity II was felt in neighboring Claveria town in Cagayan and Intensity I in Laoag City. Phivolcs said there were no aftershocks or damage. Thomas Orbos, acting chairman of the Metro Manila Development Authority, said alertness and the role of barangay officials and community leaders would be a big help in lessening the number of casualties in the event “The Big One” struck Metro Manila. “The barangay chairmen should have an inventory of doctors in their area, and they should have a list of available items for survival,” Orbos said. He made the statement a few days after the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council convened and discussed readiness measures Next page
THE Abu Sayyaf still holds 27 captives—20 foreigners and seven Filipinos—after beheading a boat captain last week, a spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Brig. Gen. Restituto
Padilla, said Monday. “The foreigners are Indonesians and Malaysians and a Dutchman,” Padilla said. On April 13, Noel Besconde, captain of the seized FB Ramona, was beheaded by the group of a certain ASG sub-leader Sad-
jawaan in Barangay Tugas, Patikul, Sulu, military officials said. “Mr. Besconde was murdered by his ASG captors because he was reportedly ill and impeded their movement to evade the operating units that are hunting them,” Next page
By Rey E. Requejo FORMER senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. turned over a check for P36 million to the Supreme Court on Monday as partial payment for the expenses that will be incurred to retrieve ballot boxes and poll documents from disputed precincts nationwide in his election protest against Vice President Leni Robredo. The Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has required Marcos to pay a total of P66.2 million for the retrieval
of the election materials and to conduct a recount of the votes for the vice presidential race, which Marcos lost to Robredo by a slim margin of 263,473 votes. Robredo, who has filed a counter-complaint against Marcos in some precincts, has been ordered to pay P15.7 million. Marcos’s check, issued by the Metrobank branch in Taguig City, was received by the Court’s Cash Division. The PET, composed of all 15 Next page
Pump prices rise by 65c; demand up
Worker’s pay loses 15% value
By Alena Mae S. Flores
By Vito Barcelo THE value of an ordinary worker’s pay has dipped by 15 percent due to the 23-centavo increase in the cost of power, the labor group Associated Labor Union-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines said Monday. The group said 23 percent of an ordinary worker’s pay goes to his monthly power bill. “Since January this year, the average household has shelled out P1,324 to P1,420 a month out of a minimum-wage earner’s monthly P9,464 real wage value,” the ALU-TUCP said. “In 2010, 11 percent of a workers’ real monthly wage went to electricity consumption.” Next page
PAY HIKE. Employees from the different government agencies who are members of the militant group COURAGE hold a united forum at the National Food Authority to join what they call a big protest on May 1 as they seek out a P16,000 increase they said the government had not given them. Manny Palmero
THE oil companies raised pump prices by as much as P0.65 per liter effective Tuesday to reflect the movement of world oil prices. They raised the price of diesel by P0.65 per liter, kerosene by P0.60 per liter and gasoline by P0.45 per liter. Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, PTT Philippines, Eastern Petroleum, Seaoil Philippines and Flying V said the price adjustments will take effect at 6 a.m. World oil prices during the first week of April were affected by strong demand and the United States’ missile attack on Syria. The Energy department said Syria had limited oil production but its location in the Middle Next page
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News
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Agri chief accuses media group of ‘poor handling’ By Macon Ramos-Araneta
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GRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel Piñol on Monday slammed the “slow and poor” media operations of Malacañang even as President Rodrigo Duterte gained international recognition after being named as TIME 100 reader’s online poll winner. Interviewed at the sidelines of the Senate hearing on free irrigation and the allocation of LGU funds for agriculture, Piñol said that, as a former newsman, he was witnessing the poor handling of Malacañang media operations. “I frankly see that. Their operation is poor, they are being left behind in releasing
stories, and independent media entities even come ahead of them,” Piñol said. He said he had already taken up the problem with Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Communications Secretary Martin Andanar. But he said he believed Malacañang’s media operations would hardly affect Duterte be-
cause “the guy doesn’t care.” He brushed aside claims that Malacañang ran a media campaign when Time magazine launched its online poll for the Time 100. “What I’m saying is there was no such operation because the basis of that statement is the fact that they cannot even organize very well the media operations of Malacañang,” Piñol said. “How much more a contest or popularity contest that has nothing to do with governance in the Philippines?” Duterte bested Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Pope Francis, billionaire Bill Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in its online poll. The poll was posted on March 24
Duterte...
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“What makes President Rodrigo R. Duterte so admired by Filipinos and international leaders alike is his national agenda—he has prioritized public interest first and foremost, especially the needs and aspirations of the poor and common people,” said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella. “With or without the dist i nction, the President conti nues to be a hardwork i ng gover n ment worker and faithf ul ser vant of the Filipi no peo ple,” said Abella. “In positive terms, he has a simple three-point agenda: Prosperity for all; restore trust in government; build a fair and equitable society,” said Abella. “Indeed Filipinos find in the President a kindred spirit - a leader who acts for the common good,” said Abella.
East and its alliances with big oil producers raised worries about a spreading conflict that could disrupt crude oild shipments. The department said expectations of an extension in the cut in oil production from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries also supported the price increase. This was mitigated, however, by news
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a statement released by the Western Mindanao Command said. In Camp Aguinaldo, AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año condemned the latest beheading. “While the AFP condemns this gruesome murder of this hapless kidnap victim, it all the more drives our soldiers, airmen, sailors, and marines to deliver the lethal blow against this band of terrorists and rescue the remaining kidnap victims,” Año said. “This terrorist group is all the more, by their recent barbarism, fueling the desire of the AFP to crush their beastly practice, stop their kidnapfor-ransom activities, and restore peace in Western Mindanao. We will never falter. We will not rest even a bit in our conduct of combat, intelligence, and civil-military operations to protect our people. We will exhaust all means— legal and moral—to bring this war against terrorists to conclusion,” he added. Año has ordered the commander of the Joint Task Force Sulu to locate the remains of Besconde so that he can be brought to his family and given a proper burial. “We continue to call on every God-fearing resident of Sulu, Basilan, and other
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The Government’s National Wages and Productivity Commission says the purchasing power of the P491 daily minimum pay is P364, or a drop of P127 a day since the last quarter of 2016. ‘‘Gover nment’s regulator y bodies the Energy Regulator y Commission and the Department of Energy off icials who are supposed to protect the interest of consumers
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should The Big One strike anytime soon. Meanwhile, with help from South Korea, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration will soon install a f lood early warning system in Metro Manila to reduce the impact of severe f loods. Under the Korean International Cooperation Agency’s early warning system 3
and asked “Who should be on the 2017 TIME 100?” TIME 100 is an annual list of the world’s most inf luential people who are selected by the magazine’s editors. TIME will reveal its list on April 20. Piñol said Duterte’s out-oftown activities were not being given “extensive” coverage as he chided media entities for focusing on the President’s cuss words and remarks on his campaign against illegal drugs. He said that did not give justice to the programs that the President was doing for the Filipino people. “The media is merely watching his cuss words, drugs; they’re just watching them because they’re always on the front page,” Piñol said.
of restored Libyan oil output and Baker Hughes data as of April 7, showing additional 10 oil rigs bringing the total rig count up to 672, reportedly the highest count since August 2015. There was also higher demand for gasoline from Vietnam, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Indonesia, though supply remained ample and stocks remained high On April 11, the oil companies implemented an increase of P1.10 per liter for gasoline and P0.90 per liter for diesel and kerosene.
project, the weather bureau will put up an additional rainfall and water level station, a closed-circuit television and warning posts for an enhanced monitoring of the hydrological condition and warning of the Pasig-Marikina river basin. The project will expand the f lood early war ning system for Metro Manila, wherein similar network of monitoring stations, CCTVs and war ning posts will also be installed at the Tullahan River basin. PNA, with Joel E. Zurbano and Rio N. Araja
parts of Western Mindanao to help your AFP and other security forces to put a stop to this criminal and evil act of the ASG. They have no place in our civilized society,” Año said. Last week, more than half a dozen terrorists were killed in series of gunbattles with government forces in Inabanga, Bohol. Three soldiers and a police officer were also killed. Terrorists who survived the battles and escaped remain at large and are being hunted by government forces. The ASG had started to penetrate some tourist spots in the Visayas looking for kidnap-for-ransom targets. Aside Bohol, the military and police have yet to give concrete reports about the presence of ASG terrorists in Cebu and Siquijor. The Palace on Monday offered its condolences to the family of Besconde. “We strongly condemn this senseless and coldblooded murder committed during the Holy Week. Local authorities and our security forces are exhausting all means to locate the captain’s remains, as our troops continue to pursue this bandit group and hold them accountable for their crimes,” said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella. “We call on all citizens throughout the archipelago
to remain vigilant, alert and watchful, and to cooperate with our security forces. Let us work against common criminals to make our communities safer and ensure a nation worthy of all Filipinos,” Abella said. Besconde was one of four members of the crew of FB Ramona who were abducted by the bandit group somewhere in Celebes Sea in December 2016. A spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday recent attacks by the Abu Sayyaf on a remote part of the central tourist island of Bohol would not affect the holding of trade meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the province. Foreign Affairs spokesman Robespierre Bolivar said in a statement that the Asean meeting, which will be attended by 10-member state trade officials and Hong Kong and other representatives will push through despite the ASG attack that killed three soldiers and a policemen and six other armed men. “We can confirm that the Asean meeting in Bohol will push through as scheduled, unless any new information dictates otherwise,” Bolivar said. Bohol is hosting the AseanHong Kong Free Trade Agreement meeting on April 18 to
22 in Panglao Island. Bolivar said all relevant international delegates have confirmed participation in the meeting in Bohol. “The Security Committee of our National Organizing Council is continuously working to ensure the safety and security of the meeting,” Bolivar said. Officials said that about 4,000 personnel from the Philippine National Police, the Armed Forces of the Philippines, emergency response units and various agencies will be deployed during the meetings for the Asean Summit, which is expected to draw about 200 delegates. Bohol will be hosting several meetings for ministers, senior officials and technical working groups and these events are expected to be held throughout the year. On April 26 to 29, Metro Manila will play host to the 30th Asean Summit, with the major event on the last day to be held at the Philippine International Convention Center. The Philippines currently chairs the Asean Summit 2017 and it will also host the 31st Asean Summit on Nov. 10 to 14 in Clark, Pampanga. The country’s chairmanship coincides with 50th anniversary of the 10-nation organization. With Sandy Araneta and Sara Susanne Fabunan
are no longer functioning to protect the people against the rising cost of power, said Louie Cor ral, vice president of ALU-TUCP. Manila Electric Co. recently said the recent electricity price hike was due to the low dispatch of contracted Independent Power Producers, maintenance shutdown or outages of power suppliers and the increase in fuel costs. But ALU-TUCP said no one in the Energy department and the ERC was undertaking
field site inspections to validate the claims. ‘‘DoE and ERC are remiss in validating the claims of an interested party who may have conf lict of interest due to what are suspected as sweetheart contracts under their power supply agreement,’’ Corral said. ‘‘Hoarding does not just happen in the rice cartel, it is present in the cartelized power industr y. An increase of one centavo per kwh translates to P700 million annually and has huge cost implica-
tions to ordinar y consumers and the larger economy,’’ the labor group said. Meanwhile, ALU-TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said the World Bank last week reported that the Philippines now had the lowest level of growth in the export sector among the Asean countries. ‘‘Clearly, the lack of power supply and the spi rali ng, seem i ngly u ncont rollable power costs spi kes... are the mai n culpr it to disi ncent ivize the ent r y of locators and
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latest survey period, winning the approval of 40 percent and 42 percent, respectively. As in the previous Ulat ng Bayan surveys, the latest nationwide survey was based on a sample of 1,200 representative adults 18 years and above. It has a ± 3 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level. Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 6 percent error margin, also at 95 percent confidence level. Between December 2016 and March 2017, the performance ratings of the top government officials remained basically the same, Pulse Asia said. In March 2017, only Duterte succeeded in scoring majority approval f igures in all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings (71 percent to 88 percent and 77 percent to 86 percent, respectively). Robredo registered majority approval ratings in most geographic areas and socio-economic classes (58 percent to 61 percent and 57 percent to 66 percent, respectively), with the exceptions being Metro Manila and Class ABC, where she posts a near majority approval score (46 percent). Pimentel’s performance is appreciated by most Filipinos in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Mindanao, and in every socio-economic class (54 percent to 61 percent and 54 percent to 58 percent, respectively). It is only in the Visayas where he failed to obtain a majority approval rating (48 percent). On the other hand, Alvarez scored a majority approval rating only in Mindanao (56 percent). He recorded practically the same approval and indecision figures in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, and Classes ABC and D (33 percent to 43 percent and 37 percent to 44
percent, respectively). Sereno had a near majority approval rating in Mindanao (48 percent) but records almost the same approval and indecision figures in the other geographic areas and in all socio-economic groupings (35 percent to 47 percent versus 35 percent to 50 percent). The same pattern was seen in the public’s assessment of the officials’ trustworthiness, with Duterte getting the nod from 76 percent of respondents; Robredo, 56 percent and Pimentel, 51 percent. A big plurality of Filipinos (44 percent ) cannot say if they trust or distrust Alvarez. Basically the same trust and indecision ratings are obtained by Sereno (40 percent versus 43 percent). On the other hand, the highest distrust rating, numerically speaking, is recorded by Robredo (16 percent) while the lowest is registered by Duterte (5 percent). Ambivalence concerning these officials’ trustworthiness is most pronounced toward House (44 percent) and least marked toward Duterte (18 percent). Public sentiment concerning the trustworthiness of these officials are virtually unchanged between December 2016 and March 2017. Trust is the predominant sentiment toward President Duterte in each geographic area and socio-economic class (67 percent to 90 percent and 74 percent to 84 percent, respectively). Robredo enjoys majority trust ratings in practically all geographic areas and socio-economic groupings (57 percent to 59 percent and 54 percent to 67 percent, respectively). Again, the exceptions were Metro Manila and Class ABC where the vice president posts plurality trust scores (44 percent and 49 percent, respectively). Majority trust ratings were obtained by Pimentel in Metro Manila (55 percent), Mindanao (59 percent), and Classes ABC and E (52 percent and 54 percent, respectively).
members of the Supreme Court, is the sole arbiter of all contests relating to the election, returns and qualifications of the president and the vice president. The tribunal requires that the protesting party make a cash deposit of P500 per contested precinct if the protest requires the bringing of the contested ballot boxes and election documents to the PET. In his protest, Marcos contested the results in 132,446 precincts in 27 provinces and cities. The tribunal said the total would amount to P66.223 million, payable in tranches up to July 14. Robredo, on the other hand, was also ordered to make a cash deposit of P15.43 million in her counter-protest covering 31,278 precincts. The PET resolution required Robredo to pay P8 million on April 17 and the balance of P7.43 million on July 14. Robredo garnered 14,418,817 votes while Marcos got 14,155,344 votes or a difference of 263,473 votes.
Robredo was proclaimed and assumed the post of vice president. Earlier, Marcos’ lawyer Vic Rodriguez had asked the PET to reduce the P62.2 million as election protest payment. “We have asked for a recomputation of the amount, that instead of basing it on the number of established or traditional precincts, it should be based on number of clustered precincts [39,221] with the advent of the automation of our system of election,” Rodriguez said. The PET has yet to act on Rodriguez’s pleading. Robredo also on Monday asked the PET to hold in abeyance her payment of P15.44 million as deposit for her counter-protest against her rival and protestant. In a manifestation, Robredo through lawyer Romulo Macalintal sought clarification on its order directing her to pay the amount, saying that the rules do not require her to deposit the said amount yet. Citing Rules 65 of the 2010 Rules of the PET, Robredo said she should be required to pay the cash deposit only after there is a necessity to retrieve and collect her counter-protested clustered precincts.
i nvestors discou ragi ng job creat i ng i nvest ments needed by ou r m illions of job less work force,’’ Tanjusay said. The DoE has been pushing the availability of what is called “Inter r uptible Load Program” amid the looming power shortage this year. In layman’s terms, ILP means that eventually the only way to avoid brownouts this summer is to r un the generators of the large establishments and malls. ‘‘No investor with 2,000
horsepower machine needs will put up a business under these insecure and expensive conditions. Meanwhile, the poorer households will end up subsidizing the self-generated power of the rich,’’ Corral said. He said President Rordrigo Duterte was being misled by his energy off icials who either were still lear ning how the power business really ran or were ter ribly remiss while the power players were laughing all the way to the bank.
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News Mariano wants all agri lands under Carp By Rio N. Araja AGRARIAN Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano Monday urged peace negotiators from the government and National Democratic Front to place all agricultural lands under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program. Even those already classified into other uses other than agricultural must be placed under the program, he said. Mariano, in a position paper, told the two panels that “actual use” of the land should be made the basis for agrarian reform coverage, “not its classification.” He said there were lands, which might not be classified as agricultural, but were already tilled and developed by farmers. “It must cover the remaining unacquired public and private agricultural lands, which approximately total to more or less six million hectares and distribute them for free to the farmers,” he said. Such scheme would make the “program to be truly comprehensive,” he said. “The exemptions and exclusions provided by the Carp should be removed. Those lands previously exempted or excluded from Carp coverage must also be reviewed, and if the lands remain agricultural in use, they should be placed under the coverage of the agrarian reform program,” he added. He said there was a need for farmer-beneficiaries to have “full control of the land and of the agricultural production.” “Non-land transfer schemes must be discontinued,” he said, referring to stock distribution option. The SDO scheme came under scrutiny due to various violations committed by the landowners against the supposed farmer-beneficiaries or stockholders. “They ought not to be considered an agrarian reform program for they perpetuate landlessness and merely legalized business control of landholdings to the detriment of our farmers,” the agrarian reform chief said.
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
DoJ to probe ‘rent-sangla’ raps By Rey E. Requejo and Sandy Araneta
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HE Department of Justice will conduct a separate preliminary investigation on criminal charges filed by more victims of the “rent-sangla” scheme.
A separate panel of prosecutors will hear the third set of complaints for swindling and syndicated estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code and Presidential Decree 1689 referred by the National Bureau of Investigation last month against Rafaela Anunciacion, alleged brains of the scheme, and several agents. In a subpoena released Monday, the DoJ required Anunciacion and other respondents to appear before the panel and
submit their respective counteraffidavits in a hearing on April 26 at 10 a.m. A separate DoJ panel of prosecutors led by Assistant State Prosecutor Aristotle Reyes is already conducting preliminary investigation on two batches of criminal complaints filed by victims earlier referred by the Philippine National PoliceHighway Patrol Group. Anunciacion already filed counter-affidavits on those complaints.
The suspected architect of the rent-sangla scam claimed her rent-a-car business was legitimate and not a scam as tagged by authorities, citing “so many satisfied customers or clients to boot and nobody to rock the boat so to speak.” She said the problems in her business only started last February “when some rouge agents through whom I entrusted payments earmarked for my clients, the car owners, feloniously pocketed the money in the millions and thus failed to reach the intended recipients.” According to her, the charges against her were a result of “rumors” and “false information” fed by her agents to the car owner that their cars were spirited away and that she was about to leave the country.
Anunciacion lamented how HPG “indiscriminately seized many vehicles” and entered her business “even without any traffic violation of carnapping cases.” She also claimed the complainants were only forced to file their criminal charges against her by the HPG through a threat that they would no longer recover their vehicles. However, when the car owners already recovered their vehicles, they had withdrawn their charges against her, she stressed. In a previous hearing, several complainants filed with the DoJ motions for desistance and withdrew their complaints after talking with Anunciacion. Meanwhile, the DoJ will ask the Philippine National Police– Highway Patrol Group to furnish
THE Department of Finance and the Presidential Communications Operations Office, in cooperation with the Center for Strategy, Enterprise & Intelligence, will unveil DuterteNomics in a forum today at The Conrad Hotel, Pasay City. DuterteNomics is President Rodrigo Duterte’s economic and development blueprint for the Philippines. It includes the current ad-
ministration’s main governance and fiscal policies, comprehensive big-ticket infrastructure programs and upgraded social services targeted to accelerate growth, and by 2022, transform the Philippines into a high middle-income economy. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea will open the forum while Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, a member of the President’s economic team, will deliver the keynote address. The forum is divided into
six sessions—Session 1: Economic Overview and Philippine Development Plan (PDP) Highlights; Session 2: BuildBuildBuild Infrastructure Plan; Session 3: Fiscal Issues on Revenue and Spending; Session 4: Mindanao Economy/ Major Development Initiatives in Mindanao; Session 5: International Context and Environment for the Philippine Government; and Session 6: Reactions to DuterteNomics. The six sessions will be pre-
sented by speakers from the President’s Cabinet: Secretary Ernesto Pernia, Director-General of the National and Economic Development Authority (Neda), will report on the focal points of the Philippine Development Plan 2017–2022 which embodies the Filipino people’s dreams and goals as also envisioned in the AmBisyon Nation 2040. Secretary Martin Andanar of the PCOO, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, Secretary
Mark Villar of the Department of Public Works and Highways, Secretary Arturo Tugade of the Department of Transportation and President and CEO Vince Dizon of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority will talk about the Comprehensive Infrastructure Investment Program bringing about ease of access to electricity and water, increase in productivity, inter– island connectivity and overall improvement in the people’s standard of living.
CBCP welcomes Du30’s plan to create OFW dept By Vito Barcelo THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines welcomed President Rodrigo Duterte’ s plan to create a Department of Overseas Filipino Workers to attend to the needs of Filipinos living and working abroad. The President made the announcement during his visit to Qatar, adding he would discuss this with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III as soon as possible. CBCP -Episcopal Commission on Migrants and Itinerant People (CBCP-ECMI) chairman Bishop Ruperto Santos said the plan of Presidento Duterte to create a department for overseas Filipino workers would definitely help millions of OFWs, particularly those in distress.. “We at CBCP-ECMI appreciate kind gestures and compassion of our government towards
the prosecutors a complete list of recovered vehicles that had been turned over to their owners as well as those still in the impounding area. Assistant State Prosecutor Aristotle Reyes, who heads the DOJ panel of prosecutors conducting preliminary investigation on the rent-sangla scam cases, said they need the list of how many of the recovered vehicles were already in the hands of their owners and how many had yet to be turned over. According to him, once the PNP-HPG provided them a list, this would clear the complaints of some of the victims that their vehicles had yet to be returned to them. The car rental scam has reportedly victimized some 500 people.
TAX PAYMENTS. Taxpayers from the erstwhile capital Quezon City troop to the Regional District Office-VII of the Bureau of Internal Revenue office in Quezon City Monday to beat the deadline for their income tax returns payment. Manny Palmero
DuterteNomics to be unveiled by DoF, PCOO, CenSEI By Sandy Araneta
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our OFWs,” the bishop said. Remittances from overseas Filipino workers fuel household consumption. They play a crucial role in the economy’s growth. The prelate said it was high time and very necessary to give more importance and caring protection to our OFWs. “We support the creation of department for OFW so that their specific needs will be properly attended to; their basic interests will solely be safeguarded and their personal rights and privileges will be promoted and preserved,” Santos said. “The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will be under the watch of this new Department for OFW, so that common and united efforts for the welfare and wellbeing of our OFWs will be rightly and justly addressed,” the CBCP official added.
HOT ISSUES. Phivolcs Director Renato Solidum (left) discusses Monday the recent tremor which rumbled
underneath Batangas as well as Mindanao while former senator Rodolfo Biazon (right) tackles the issue on the West Philippine Sea during the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel News Forum. Manny Palmero
President streamlines defense contract By Sandy Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has issued an executive order for the streamlining of the rules and procedures of defense contracts. In Executive Order No. 18 issued Monday, Duterte said Republic Act No. 9184 or the “Government Procurement Reform Act of 2003” declared it a policy of the State to promote the ideals of good governnance with a view to transparency, competitiveness, streamlining, accountability, and public monitoring in the procurement of government contracts. In line with the government’s program of good governance, EO No. 235 (s. 2003) was issued which, among others, limited the authority of the Secretary of National Defense to delegate approvals of procurement contracts and established a single Bids and Awards Committee for the Armed Forces of the Philippines. It has been observed that the implementation of EO No. 235 resulted in bureaucratic impediments and unnecessary delays in the procurements of important defense projects. Since the issuance of EO No. 235, the Department of National Defense, the AFP, and the civilian bureaus and agencies have identified and operationalized other reform measures to promote transparency, impartiality, and accountability in procurement transactions. In his EO No. 18, Duterte repealed EO No. 235 (s. 2003).
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Opinion
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
mst.daydesk@gmail.com
EDITORIAL
No surprises
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ANY Filipinos associate disaster with damage and flooding brought by typhoons. In any given year, we see how storms can wield unimaginable damage to communities, agriculture and infrastructure. We either see this in the news, read about it on social media, or experience it ourselves. In recent days, however, the series of midstrength earthquakes felt in various points of the country reminded Filipinos that the ground we stand on is neither stable nor safe.
Adelle Chua, Editor
We are supposedly due for The Big One, a worst-case scenario of a temblor of magnitude 7 or stronger that threatens to claim at least 30,000 lives, damage numerous buildings and disrupt ba-
sic services—power, water and communications —that many of us take for granted. Maps being circulated show us the vulnerable areas where the fault lies and which parts of the country may suffer the heaviest damage. It’s not a question of if, we are told. It’s a matter of when. In response, the Metro Manila Development Authority may just conduct the next annual
shake drill soon instead of waiting for the original schedule in July, given people’s renewed fears after the swarm of quakes in recent days. It will be good for households to impress upon each member, young or old, standard precautions in the event a quake strikes and anticipate what they would do and where they would go should it strike at any given hour. And then, as the MMDA
general manager said, even if people survive the immediate effects of a strong quake, they will have to deal with its consequences and the changes that it may bring to their routine. In this situation, information will be key. Those who know where to go and whom to approach will save themselves the trouble of scrambling like idiots. Those who have run scenarios in their head
will always have the advantage over those who will be surprised, even shocked. It’s not painting a dire scenario but acknowledging a likely and potentially life-altering event. It’s not sowing fear but engaging people enough to get them to prepare for their own sake. We can never prepare enough for any disaster, but thinking ahead is always better than not preparing at all.
A cross and a tomb
Leni’s desperation LOWDOWN
JOJO A. ROBLES WHEN I heard that Vice President Leni Robredo released a statement to the effect that she will pose no objection to the appointment of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte, my first reaction was: Who asked you, anyway? Of course, Duterte doesn’t need to clear his Cabinet choices with Robredo. But this is, after all, Marcos, whose name only needs to be mentioned anywhere for Robredo to go into a fit of self-righteous, Yellow-tinted indignation. Robredo’s belief that opposing Marcos at every venue, and not just concerning his election protest against her, is more important than anything is what cost her a Cabinet post. If Ro-
bredo had not decided to be both the leader of the opposition and nemesis of the entire Marcos family, the dead included, she would probably still be serving as Duterte’s housing czarina and would probably never have been disinvited to Cabinet meetings in Malacañang. After her resignation, Robredo continued on the same theme, second-guessing all of Duterte’s actions and warning of the supposed specter of a Marcos restoration, if Bongbong gains any foothold in the government. She was all vinegar and bitterness, despite the sweet smiles for the camera. And all of Robredo’s political posturing has only made her lose even more adherents. In the latest public opinion survey, Robredo was the biggest loser, suffering a precipitous 11-percent drop in approval and trust ratings. Clearly, the anti-Digong and anti-Bongbong positioning was not working. Perhaps it was time for a kinder, gentler Leni, some-
one who has to do more than grin as she recounts how even the relatives of suspected drug users are being killed by the government in its campaign against illegal drugs. And so, the New Leni Ro-
Even if Marcos seems a cinch to be given the same post that her late husband held at the Interior department, something that the Old Leni would have gone to the streets to protest immediately. The recalibrating to Robredo’s strategy comes not a moment too soon. She is about to plumb the depths of unpopularity and relocate to the political limbo where many of her Liberal Party Give Leni a colleagues like Leila de Lima, little credit for Antonio Trillanes and Kiko Pangilinan seem to have made their realizing that home permanently. the death of her Give Leni a little credit for realizing that the death of her popolitical career litical career need not be something preordained. Who knows, need not be perhaps she will even return to preordained. the Duterte Cabinet, there to serve shoulder to shoulder with Marcos, if Digong makes her another offer. bredo, who is now waiting for Desperate times call for desher turn to have dinner at the perate measures. Right? presidential palace with Duterte, now declares that she won’t ob*** ject to a Marcos appointment. Only the hometown Mindanao
vote was more skewed in favor of Digong. And the Filipinos working in the Middle East were overjoyed when the man they wanted so badly to become president visited them over the Holy Week. More than 70 percent of the million or so Filipinos working in the Middle East who cast their votes in the overseas balloting program in the last elections chose Rodrigo Duterte for president. And they welcomed him in style—Filipino style—when he went a-visiting last week. Toots Ople, head of the Blas F. Ople Policy Center, which works tirelessly for the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, swears she had never seen anything like it. Ople caught up with Duterte’s party as it was on the last leg of its three-nation tour in Qatar, where the emir had given Filipinos free use of its biggest stadium for the day, in order to have a proper place to meet their president. Toots almost tearfully recounted how ordinary Filipinos waited Turn to A5
CROSSES and tombs are not your normal signs of triumph. But in the days of the Paschal Triduum, we are reminded that the former is our salvation and that the latter was necessary for us to be given eternal life. On three occasions, Jesus Christ was tempted to repudiate the cross and take the easy way out. First, the devil tempted him three times in the desert. Second, Jesus strongly rebuked Peter, calling him Satan, when the latter protested upon learning about the manner of death in store for his master. And lastly, while hanging on the cross, the priests standing beneath the Cross hurled a challenge: “Come down and we will believe.” In every instance, Jesus Christ rejected them and willingly embraced his cross even to the point of giving up his life. His enemies were grossly mistaken into believing that Christ would abandon his teaching of selfimmolation and turn his back from the Father. In obedience to the will of the Father, Christ preached to his disciples “unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” For all the beautiful sermons and the parables taught by Jesus, his most eloquent and powerful teaching was the unspoken word of the Cross. The Cross made Christianity possible. Our very essence as creatures of God will be rendered naught without the Cross because in the Cross, Christ took it upon himself to ransom us from our sinfulness. It made possible our redemption and with redemption Christ God reconciled the world to himself, “not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:19) The Cross of Christ is a glorious cross. By his death, Christ, motivated solely by his love for humanity, conquered death. In the same vein, our mundane sufferings and daily travails become glorious and assume a supernatural dimension pleasing to the Father when done with great love. Suddenly, the drudgery of daily living, the pains, and difficulties it entails when done with love become bearable and partake of a redemptive value. Thus, the act of performing simple tasks which Turn to A5
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Opinion TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO
Martial law won’t be declared OVER the weekend I saw some Facebook posts of people I knew to be staunch Catholics. On Good Friday, though, they were in a state of merriment, eating good food and lounging in some five-star hotel or beach resort. What did they wish to prove, I wondered. Only God can judge us, of course, but why post all of those photos on the holiest of days? Do they wish to say—look what you faithful Catholics are missing by observing the tenets of the Church! I think this is the biggest tragedy of our nation. Our morals have indeed sunk so low. I believe we should have a moral regeneration.
desensitized by these killings. We just need to look at Mr. Duterte’s still-high ratings as proof. The people do not mind at all and approve of his performance anyway. This shows that we have really gone so low. I still believe that only God has the right to take a life away. This is why I am against the restoration of the death penalty.
*** Every now and then, President Duterte threatens to impose martial law in the face of terrorism and violence. Now, with the presence of the Abu Sayyaf in the Visayas, especially in Bohol and Cebu, I wonder: What could the President be *** Harassed by corrupt revenue thinking? If President Duterte reads Secpersonnel? Shoot them! Even only tion 18 of Article VII of the Confor the amount of P10! This was supposedly uttered by stitution, on the Executive DepartPresident Duterte during a business ment, he would remember he can impose martial law in cases of forum in Qatar. But would Arabs really do it in lawless violence, invasion and rethe Philippines? Our rule of law bellion. And right now there is no states that a person is innocent threat of invasion nor rebellion to until proven guilty in court. That speak of. Lawless violence when the pubremark must have drawn laughter lic safety requires it? This is farfrom his audience. I am sure the spokesmen of the fetched, of course. The military, of President will clarify what Mr. which the President is commanderin-chief, still has Duterte supposfull control of the edly truly meant country’s nationby that stateal security. ment. Perhaps The It is practically they will say he impossible for was exaggerathim to declare ing so he could Constitution martial law in the drive home the makes it difficult. present context. point that he reThat move will ally wants to need the permisend corruption sion of Congress in the country. and the legitiIn fact, does mization of the he not fire people, even those close to him, if Supreme Court. In effect, the 1987 they are accused of corruption? Constitution has made martial law For example, he fired those two useless! This was a reactionary provision immigration commissioners even as they are supposedly his frater- in the 1987 Constitution. Thennity brothers? Then he also fired President Corazon Aquino did not his friend Peter Laviña who acted want a repeat of the Marcos dictaas his spokesman during the cam- torship. We should be thankful for this paign. He also fired his Interior and Local Governments secre- provision, really. And this is the reason I believe there will be no tary. I am bewildered however at the martial law under President Dufact that he still has not fired his terte. environment secretary, Regina *** Lopez, despite allegations that she I mourn the passing of my good and her entourage went on an allexpense paid trip to Paris for her friend Al Yuchengco who died at help in securing a Department of the age of 94. Al remained a friend even when he became a taipan, Energy contract for her friend. chairman of the Yuchengco Group of Companies engaged in banking, *** There was no letup in President insurance, construction and other Duterte’s war on illegal drugs, not businesses. When I was president of the deeven during the Holy Week. At least 39 were killed. In fact, there funct Business Writers Association were 131 people, allegedly in- of the Philippines, we gave him volved in illegal drugs, who were two awards: Insurance Man of the killed between March 1 and April Year and Young Businessman of the Year. 16. He was also a consummate dipPhilippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa seems extremely lomat, having been a permanent proud of the killings. I just wonder, envoy to the United Nations, and though, how many of these killings ambassador to Japan and South violated human rights, and how Korea and the People’s Republic of China. Under the administration of many were done by vigilantes. Killings are killings, in whatever former President Gloria Macapagal form and for whatever intention. Arroyo, he was presidential adviser For right-thinking people, the end on foreign affairs. My deepest condolences to his does not justify the means. Many of our people have been family.
Leni’s... From A4 for many hours for Duterte to arrive, skipping work (and losing pay for the day) and putting on their Sunday best. All they wanted was to catch a glimpse of the man they put in Malacañang, to listen to him talk to them. (The previous president, the oligarch’s heir, never went to the Middle East during his entire term. Not that the hardworking Filipinos ever really noticed his absence because he was, after all, never really one of them.) And Ople, who has had unprecedented access to nearly all presidents since Ferdinand Marcos, first because she was Blas Ople’s daughter and then later because of her blossoming into a workers’ advocate and political operator in her own right, witnessed it all. The Filipinos in Qatar hung on to every word Duterte said, including the inevitable cuss words, interrupting him incessantly with cheers and applause. On the way home, the Presi-
dent did something none of his predecessors ever did: He brought with him 160 repatriated, distressed kababayan, who had been given amnesty for various offenses and because of legal entanglements that made their trip to the Middle East a living hell. When Duterte arrived at the Manila airport, he distributed chocolates to the children of the workers he had brought back home with him. It was a gesture that endeared him even more to his countrymen, who appreciated the nod to the tradition of giving pasalubong upon arriving from abroad. Somehow, I never got to see reports of how the Filipinos in the Middle East welcomed Duterte like he was really the father of the nation. And this is probably why the elitist media missed out completely on the story of his connection with his fellow Filipinos, not just here, but all over the world.
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
All rice
FORMATION GARY OLIVAR A HOT topic last week was the Presidential firing of Helman Valdez, one of the undersecretaries reporting to Cabinet Secretary Jun Evasco. She had tried to implement her boss’s instructions to extend the validity of a number of rice import licenses by a couple of months, over the vehement objections of National Food Authority head Jason Aquino who preferred to do a government-to-government import deal instead. It should be noted that Evasco is no ordinary CabSec, who normally (as the title implies) simply oversees the work of the different Cabinet members. In addition to that, he’s been given oversight over half of the agencies that enjoy direct reporting lines to the Office of the President. It’s a measure of his closeness to his boss. Since taking office, though, Evasco has been taking his broom to try and sweep out some pretty high-profile subordinates of his, such as the heads of NFA (rice), NIA (irrigation), and PCA (coconuts). These were men who were very close to him, if not to Duterte as well. They joined government the same time as he did, and yet, so soon after, they were already being shown the back door out. These divorces usually don’t happen so early. On balance, I’m inclined to give the benefit of the doubt to Evasco—a former rebel priest—and assume that he was simply an early practitioner of the zero tolerance for corruption that Duterte has more recently also been showing us with his treatment of errant Cabinet members. Unfortunately, it was the hapless
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Ms. Valdez—a rehire from the previous administration—whom the President booted out. I’ve heard that her aggressiveness may have rubbed him the wrong way. But the stated reason is that her support of those rice importers was considered a disservice to the country’s rice farmers.
*** Now that’s a policy issue worth sinking teeth into, and not just because rice is so important to our diet—perhaps overly so, according to nutritionists who worry about all that carb intake. Rice also happens to be a powerful part of our national mythology, rooted in our self-image as a bucolic nation of rural innocents. If we can’t grow all the rice we want to eat, we’re practically traitors to our heritage. In that self-imagining, rice importers and traders are conveniently the bad guys, transplanted Filipinos who hoard the crop, charge exorbitant prices, and exploit the brown-skinned locals. By comparison, rice farmers are our pre-OFW heroes, feet firmly planted on vast paddies of shimmering green stalks, patient like their carabaos as they eke out the hardest of livelihoods to put that coveted grain on our dining tables. Riding on that populist trope, Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol, a media man turned practicing farmer, has placed himself firmly on the side of his fellow men of the soil. He has assured everyone that his reform agenda will eventually lead us to substantive self-sufficiency in rice as well as the economic betterment of our rice farmers. That agenda, he says, has already borne fruit even this early. Satellite data shows that the rice harvest for first quarter 2017 was 4.14 million metric tons across 997,687 hectares of farming area, compared to only
3.93 million MT across a larger area of 1.08 million hectares in first quarter 2016. That translates to 4.15 MT of palay per hectare this year versus 3.63 last year, an impressive improvement of 14 percent year on year. After a 16-percent factor for postharvest losses, the first-quarter rice harvest this year would total 3.48 million MT. At the current buying price of P21 per kilo, compared to the “previous” low price of only P14, this puts an extra P24 billion in the pockets of our rice farmers. Piñol maintains that the extra P7 per kilo was possible because the President ordered the delay of rice imports until after the harvest season, thereby preventing a flood of cheaper imported rice from driving down local rice prices. He says he is not against rice imports in principle, only against bad timing that puts our rice farmers at a disadvantage. *** The big problem with this argument, of course, is that the longer you delay rice imports, the bigger becomes the risk of rice shortage and higher rice prices caused by completely unforeseeable bad weather— be it droughts or typhoons—in today’s era of climate change. At the same time, you’ll end up paying more for your emergency rice imports—usually from Thailand or Vietnam—if you place your order the day after your emergency, instead of three or six months earlier. Don’t go looking for altruism in the marketplace. There’s an alternative solution that’s been proposed by Piñol’s colleague in the Cabinet, National Economic and Development Authority head Ernie Pernia. It’s a straightforward prescription: First, remove quantitative restrictions on rice imports, which NFA en-
forces as the sole authorized rice importer and issuer of import licenses to rice traders. This is something we’ve already committed to do by international trade agreement, but repeatedly sought waivers from. Second, replace QR with an import tariff of, say, 35 percent. If Vietnamese rice production cost is reportedly 50 percent of our own cost, this allows us to recover most—though not all—of their cost advantage via increased tariff revenue collections by our government. Effectively, that cost advantage goes into the public purse instead of traders’ purses. Third, use those tariff collections to fund subsidies to our rice farmers to improve their productivity, move out of rice farming if they wish, and provide safety-net social services. Pernia’s people estimate an annual subsidy size of some P20 billion. That is pretty close to Piñol’s P24 billion figure, plus it ensures that we’ll always have enough rice to eat, no matter how bad the weather. *** Haven’t we learned enough yet to trust the market to provide what we need at the right quantities and prices? From telephone service to water and power supply to air travel and toll roads, the story is always the same: Private providers of goods and services, if properly regulated by an impartial and transparent government, always do better than government itself. Will this capitalist success story be remembered when we talk to the communist insurgents about socioeconomic reforms for our country, the next and most crucial stage of the ongoing peace talks? It’s really up to us to make sure that our government negotiators have long memories. Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.
Leni Robredo’s masquerade collapses HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA GROUPS opposed to President Rodrigo Duterte have good reason to be sorrowful. According to the latest surveys, Duterte remains in very good standing in the eyes of the people, despite all the adverse propaganda hurled against him by his political enemies, and his critics in the Roman Catholic Church. More disturbing for the antiDuterte groups is the survey revelation that the public acceptance for Leni Robredo, the vice president installed by the discredited Liberal Party (LP) and the Smartmatic executives who conspired with the LP, has dropped immensely. Robredo lost almost half of her public approval ratings since the last survey held in December 2016. That’s a clear downfall by any indication. Robredo’s official apologists (who draw their salaries from taxpayers) dismiss this development as a “continuing challenge” for their employer to do better. That’s a specious excuse because the vice president of the Philippines has no specific job description provided by law by which an improvement in performance can be gauged. At best, that was a clumsy attempt by Robredo’s devout followers to provide Robredo a graceful exit from a predicament of their boss’ own making. The official job of the vice president, outside of an assignment in the president’s cabinet, is to patiently wait for a vacancy in the presidency, and then take over the reins of the government. So far, Robredo
cannot even do that job properly because she had clearly demonstrated, by her acts and by her omissions since she assumed office, that she will not wait for Duterte to vacate the presidency by death, resignation, or permanent incapacity, and prefers that Duterte be removed from office by impeachment, so she can seize power immediately. From the start, Robredo was really against Duterte, period. Although Duterte gave her a nominal post in his cabinet, Robredo used that post to undermine the Duterte administration. She undertook her own sorties to disaster areas, even if Duterte had already been there before her. In one event abroad, Robredo was seen engaging in very friendly banter with international personalities publicly disdained by Duterte. Robredo also tacitly supported organized efforts to discredit Duterte during the first few months of his administration, until she was finally fired from the cabinet. Recall that when a strong typhoon devastated the country, Robredo was vacationing abroad. At first, Robredo’s publicists downplayed the fact that Robredo refused to cut short her overseas vacation, particularly at a time when Filipinos were suffering at home. Eventually, the plain truth had to be admitted by Robredo’s camp. Robredo has repeatedly denounced the election protest lodged against her at the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, by ex-Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. Her favorite strategy is to liken her dubious election as vice president to the 1986 special elections for president and vice president. In the process, Robredo conveniently suggests
that if a Marcos unseats her from the vice presidency, the gains of the 1986 revolt would be put to naught. Surprisingly, howeverr, the interconnection between Robredo’s questioned victory in 2016 and the events of February 1986 have not been explained by Robredo, or by her minions. It will be readily noticed that while Robredo desperately paints the Marcos camp as the villain, Robredo is conveniently silent as to her stand on how and why the Commission on Elections billeted Smartmatic officials (who were supposed to provide technical support during the actual election canvass in May 2016) at the Hotel Novotel at the Araneta Center in Cubao, Quezon City during those crucial days of the canvass. The Novotel hotel was where the national headquarters of the LP was housed, and Robredo was the LP bet for vice president. Why is Robredo mum about this? Perhaps, Robredo realizes that the only way she can retain her grip on the second highest office of the land is to revive the Marcos bogeyman and associate it with Bongbong Marcos. That is, of course, an unwise measure because ex-President Benigno Aquino III used that Marcos bogeyman strategy against Bongbong in the 2016 elections, but Bongbong still got the votes— and in numbers that indicate that the days of using the Marcos bogeyman as a political campaign strategy are over. Meanwhile, Robredo lives in a mansion in New Manila, Quezon City provided by the Quezon City government through its city mayor, Herbert “Bistek” Bautista, a staunch LP leader. Why is the government
paying for an official residence for Robredo in the first place? All the vice presidents before Robredo did not have any such official residence paid for by taxpayers money. Why makes Robredo entitled to such an extraordinary privilege at public expense? Again, Robredo is silent on this issue. Considering that Bistek and his rabid allies in the Quezon City Council have a penchant for spending public money indiscriminately, and a propensity to put public officers above ordinary people, that may be the explanation why Robredo has been allowed the use of a mansion at public expense while she waits for President Duterte to vacate his post in Malacañang anytime before the next presidential election. Robredo mistakenly believes that she is the leader of the political opposition in the country. She may be in for an unpleasant surprise. Senator Grace Poe is obviously eyeing another chance at the presidency in 2022, as seen in her recent attempts to project herself as a legislator of substance, even though she fails in that regard. Poe has been buoyed by her extraordinary luck in getting enough justices of the Supreme Court to uphold her baseless claim that she is a natural-born citizen of the Philippines. Fortunately, there were enough dissenting opinions from the other justices to show that Poe’s legal victory is based on “judicial legislation” mainly because it has no support in the Constitution and in international law. Poe is clearly a potential adversary of Robredo. The Poe camp must be cheering, now that the Robredo masquerade has collapsed
The way to appreciate the fullness of Christ’s resurrection is to know the significance of the cross in his paschal sacrifice. Easter is meaningless without the cross of Good Friday. For this reason, our Lord also commands us to embrace our own crosses to attain salvation. Verily, unless one tastes the bitterest of bitter, he will never fully appreciate the sweetest of sweet. This brings me to the tomb where Christ was buried. Pope Francis said that each of us carries some kind of tomb inside our hearts, whether from sin or suffering, and we can either stay bogged down in misery, focusing only on ourselves, or we can allow Jesus to come into that place and heal it. “In front of the big ‘why’ of life we have two paths,” the Pope said “to stay to watch gloomily the tombs of yesterday and of today, or to
bring Jesus to our tombs. “Yes, because each of us has a small tomb, some area that is a little bit dead inside the heart: a wound, an injury suffered or done (to us), a bitterness that does not let up, remorse that returns, a sin that you cannot overcome. “We identify these today, our little tombs we have inside and invite Jesus there,” Pope Francis has said. According to the Pope, we can be tempted to hide our weaknesses and sins from God, dwelling on them. “It’s strange, but often we prefer to be alone in the dark caves that we have inside,” Francis said. Instead of inviting Jesus, we are tempted to always look to ourselves, brooding and sinking in anguish, licking our wounds, rather than going to him, who says, ‘Come to me you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’” For Pope Francis, “In fol-
lowing Jesus we learn not to tie our lives close to the problems that tangle: there will always be problems always, and, when we solve one, promptly another one arrives.” What we can do, however, is tie ourselves to the one thing that is stable and unchanging – Jesus, he continued. The Pope urges us to decide which path to take: “the side of the tomb or the side of Jesus.” Indeed, for the Pope: “It doesn’t matter how heavy our past sins, shame or hurt may be, with Christ’s grace, we can roll away the stone that is keeping him from our hearts.” In life, we are constantly being given choices. Let’s choose the cross of salvation. Let’s rejoice that, as we celebrated last Easter Sunday, the tomb is empty.
A cross... From A4 we often find annoying carry a divine seed that will sprout to full fruition when done with love. We should stop seeing difficulties as somehow being in the way, and begin to see them as the Way. Oftentimes, we recognize Christ only when we are forced to pass through spiritual fire. The thief, while hanging on the cross, cried out to Christ in supplication and thus earned his salvation. The prodigal son had to descend to the level of a slave to acknowledge his faults and return to his loving father. Peter exhorted the first Christians, “Do not be surprised, beloved, that a trial by fire is occurring in your midst. It is a test for you, but it should not catch you off guard. Rejoice instead, in the measure that you share Christ’s sufferings. When His glory is revealed, you will rejoice exultantly” (1 Pt 4:11). Embrace our cross for the cross impels us!
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Customs seizes passenger aircraft By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Customs on Monday seized a passenger aircraft after its owners failed to present a certificate of payment of duties and taxes from the Bureau. The plane is being used to transport local tourists and chartered flights to different destinations in the country, according to Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon. BOC-Special Studies and Project Development Committee chief James Layug said the aircraft belonged to Skyjet Airlines. The aircraft owner and operator of Skyjet Airlines, Magnum Air Inc., had already been delisted from the Subic Bay Freeport List of Locators and had ceased operations since 2014. Faeldon has ordered an investigation of the aircraft’s activities due to its illegal operation. The BoC conducted an inspection at the Domestic Airport in Pasay City but the airline’s property custodian failed to show proof of payment of duties and taxes and other documents on the acquisition of the aircraft and its operations. Magnum Air Inc. was given 15 days to present the required documents on the plane’s ownership and operations. Failure to do so would result in the issuance of a Warrant of Seizure and Detention against the aircraft, Faeldon said.
News
Palawan gov puts up P10-m bounty vs rescue chief’s killers P UERTO PRINCESA CITY—Palawan Governor Jose Alvarez on Monday announced that the provincial government is offering P10 million to whoever can point to or give information about the killers of Rescue 165 and Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office chief Gilbert S. Baaco, who was murdered on Good Friday.
TRAFFIC MATRIX. MMDA traffic technicians monitor the main roads and highways via CCTV cameras in the Metro as people start going back to work on Monday after Holy Week. Norman Cruz
The bounty was offered by Alvarez following the communistterrorist New People’s Army’s claim that it was responsible for the summary execution of Baaco, who the rebel group claimed was a “drug lord and a gunrunner” in its Philippine Revolution Web Central website post on April 15. “We were able to discuss yesterday that I will make a request to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to give me authority to come up with PhP10 million to put on the table as bounty,” he said, adding the amount will come from his own pocket. The disbursement of the fund to solve the murder of Baaco will be handled by lawyer Teodoro Jose Matta, who is the provincial legal officer and chairman of the Peace and Order Council of the Palawan government. “I address this money to the poor individuals, who joined the van—to encourage him to talk. There is one person in that van who was wounded because Gilbert was able to shoot one as there was a trail of blood going out the escape route,” he said. The Palawan governor requested the local media present to call on witnesses to cooperate and solve the crime against the Baaco family. “Whoever saw this man that was hit and wounded by a 9mm pistol—if he was being cared for, or brought to any medical facility, please, inform us, inform authorities to help solve this crime,” Alvarez implored. Baaco, the head of Rescue 165, the Palawan Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office and
several other programs of the provincial government, was shot dead past 8 p.m. on Good Friday at his residence in Bgy. Barong-Barong, Brooke’s Point by a group of unidentified armed men. Police Inspector Maribel Ustares said that Baaco was raked with gunfire while he was about to get out of the kitchen to help his wife Maria Victoria, who shouted after being confronted by two armed female communist rebels. He was rushed past 9 p.m. to the Leoncio General Hospital, but was declared dead on arrival by attending emergency doctors. The group of armed men were said to be composed of two females and three males. The females reportedly held Baaco’s wife (name not readily available) while he was being shot. They were said to be carrying high-powered Armalite rifles; their faces painted with what seemed to be coal soot or powder; and were in camouflage outfits. Baaco, or GSB to his friends, suffered four gunshot wounds — one was on his neck — a fatal area. On claims by the NPA that Baaco was a drug lord and a gunrunner, Alvarez said Baaco was never any of these accusations. “We miss our brother, our dear friend… who, in the midst of Holy Week, his murder was planned and carried out by criminals, who are disguising as NPA, and we know who is behind it, but in the meantime, and to maintain peace; I will keep the information to myself,” he said. PNA
MMDA starts clearing operations By Joel Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Monday began clearing operations on the four major roads in the Cubao district, which was identified by the agency as one of the most congested areas in Quezon City. The agency earlier declared the areas of Main Avenue, South Road, 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue in Barangay Bagong Lipunan in Quezon City as “tow away zones,” and planned to open a bypass connecting Mariposa Street to 3rd Avenue going towards Camp Crame. MMDA general manager and acting chairman Thomas Orbos said motorists going to and from Quezon City can go straight to Epifanio de los Santos Avenue if Camp Crame, the Philippine National Police headquarters, would agree to open its gates to the public. Motorists coming from Makati City can exit Edsa instead of Santolan and those coming from Quezon City can exit South Road instead of P. Tuazon Street, he said. Orbos said that MMDA personnel have already conducted series of dialogues with barangay officials with regards to the clearing operations of the roads in the area. “We have already talked with barangay officials, headed by Barangay Chairman Tony Tamalayan, about this bypass which entails clearing of road obstructions. So far they have been supportive of the plan,” he said. MMDA personnel will put up necessary road markings such as pedestrian crossing and yellow box and directional signages to guide motorists who will be using the bypass road. The Department of the Interior and Local Government-National Capital Region recently issued a memorandum enjoining all barangay chairmen “to ensure that all roads within their area of jurisdiction are free from all kinds of obstructions.” In a memorandum dated April 12, 2017, DILG-NCR said that President Rodrigo Duterte has instructed its office and the MMDA to sue barangay officials who neglect or refuse to cooperate with concerned agencies in clearing roads of all types of obstructions.
Coca-Cola’s Negros plant uses local sugar COCA-COLA in the Philippines continues to support the Philippine sugar industry by remaining to be one of its strongest partners. The bottling facility in Negros Occidental, for instance, produces beverages with 100 percent locally sourced sugar. The company has maintained this practice since they opened their plant in Bacolod in 1998. “It is the thrust of Coca-Cola to support the local industries wherever we may be present in the world—and that includes the various stakeholders in and outside our value chain,” said lawyer Adel Tamano, vice president for Public Affairs and Communications of Coca-Cola Philippines. “We wish to continue to work with the government, and the stakeholders of the local sugar industry, to reach a solution to the current situation that is acceptable to all concerned.” A study cited by the Sugar Regulatory Administration and conducted by the University of the Philippines School of Statistics states that the total local beverage industry, which includes Coca-Cola, uses approximately 40 percent of the total Philippine domestic sugar production. As such, Coca-Cola remains a committed partner of the local
sugar industry and one of the main purchasers of local sugar. “At Coca-Cola Femsa, we have always been proud to work with our local partners. The Philippines is the first venture of Femsa in Asia, thus, we are committed to making sure that we are able to serve Filipino communities through our extensive use of local and global resources; and by providing Filipinos with opportunities for productive lives,” said lawyer Juan Lorenzo Tañada, Corporate Affairs and Legal director of CocaCola Femsa Philippines. In a meeting with officials from the Department of Agriculture and the Sugar Regulatory Administration, Coca-Cola executives said that the beverage company has already increased by 50 percent their purchase of local sugar this 2017. Aside from supporting the local sugar industry, Coca-Cola has been able to positively impact Filipino communities through its sustainability programs. In Negros Occidental alone, the Company’s women economic empowerment program, the 5 by 20 Sari-Sari Store Training and Access to Resources Program, has impacted over 5,000 women micro-entrepreneurs.
Sports
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TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
PH-Thailand duel up at ICTSI golf T
ARLAC—The Ladies Philippine Golf Tour resumes Tuesday with six aces from Thailand slugging it out with the leading local players in the P1 million ICTSI Luisita Ladies Challenge at the Luisita Golf and Country Club here.
Thailand LPGA campaigner Janjir Tiensa-ard joins sisters Nemittra and Nimmitta Juntanaket, Chattara Chatwararat, Jaruporn Palakawongnaayuttawa and Numa Gulyanamitta in the hunt for the top P250,000 purse in the 54-hole championship serving as the third leg of the 10-stage circuit sponsored by ICTSI. Korean Euna Koh and Jessica Lydia of Indonesia, along with Japanese amateur Kelly Marutani, are also in the fold but the crack Thai delegation is expected to crowd the top Filipino campaigners for top honors in the event organized by Pilipinas Golf
Tournaments Inc. Spruced up for the event, the Luisita layout, site of the Philippine Open in 2015, is expected to challenge the field’s shotmaking and putting skills with its tight fairways and sleek putting surface and hazards that come into play in crucial holes. Pauline del Rosario banners the local challenge with the former amateur hotshot all primed up for a shot at a maiden victory in the circuit backed by Custom Clubmakers, BDO, Meralco, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and K&G Golf. Del Rosario kicks off her bid
at 7:30 a.m. with Nemittra Juntaket and Chihiro Ikeda, who is also seeking a follow-up to her lone pro win at Orchard last year, with the heat factor also a key in each player’s title drive. Tiensa-ard is grouped with Lydia and Eva Miñoza at 7:50 a.m. while Chatwararat mixes it up with Anya Tanpinco and Lovelyn Guioguio at 7:10 a.m. Focus will also be on Cristina Corpus, who beat Thai Walailak Satarak by three here in 2015 for her breakthrough win although the Fil-Am shotmaker has had so-so finishes last season and early this year.
Busy PSA Forum schedule today THE coming novelty project ‘Clash of Heroes’ will be the center of discussion in the resumption of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum today at the Golden Phoenix Hotel, along Diosdado Macapagal Ave Sunrise Drive in Pasay City. Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas Inc. officials Peter Cayco and Joey Romasanta along with national coaches Francis Vicente and Sammy Acaylar are coming over to talk about the April 28 event at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan pitting members of the men’s and women’s na-
Pauline Del Rosario kicks off her bid at 7:30 a.m. with Nemittra Juntaket (inset).
Suson, Bahonsua dominate Cebuana Lhuillier net tourney CEBU City’s Marc Nicole Suson and Siquijor ‘s Ellaine Rose Bahonsua continued their domination of the older age groups at the recent Cebuana Lhuillier Age Group Championship Series held in Ubay, Bohol, the 10th leg in the Visayas-Mindanao region and the 15th overall for this year’s series, now on its 11th year. Suson took both the 16-under and 18-under titles, beating separate opponents. He disposed of Dipolog bet Stephen Zion Guia, 6-0, 6-3, in the 16-under finals and was equally impressive in bumping off Cagayan de Oro’s Menchiro Suzuki, 6-2, 6-2, in their championship meeting for the 18-under crown. Bahonsua beat local bet Mariam Yazmin Garci for the same titles in the girls’ division. She swept Garci, 6-3, 7-5, in the finals of the 16- under and had an easier time in the 18-un-
der finals, 6-3, 6-2, in the championship match of the tournament also backed by Dunlop as the official ball. “I foresee a bright future ahead of these two young players, they have been consistent in their performance in the series these past recent years. It is just a matter of time before they start competing regularly at the national level,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier. Up-and-coming Aaron Jacque Geromo from Zamboanga del Norte edged out local player Mykk Lungay, 6-4, 6-3, for the boys’ 14-under crown; Jacob Diago from Bais City beat another local player Lander Joseph Butcon, 6-2, 6-2, to take the boys’ 12-under title; while Kenneth Jumamoy salvaged local pride in the 10-under as he defeated James Cyril Romada from Bais, 4-0, 4-1,
in the finals. In the girls’ side, another Bais City bet made waves as Dianafe Perez emerged champion in the 14-under, beating Bohol’s Shanevy Pelino, 6-1, 6-0, for the crown, while Karyl Salas was the lone local bet in the distaff side to win, taking home the 12-under title with a close 6-4, 7-6 victory over Jade-Ann Catulong from Bais. There were only three doubles’ events contested with the duo of Scottie Jumamoy and Wilfredo Gorospe posting an 8-4 win over Suson and Tyrone Lariego in the boys’ 18-under group; Harland Hogan and Geromo squeaking past Lungay and Jericho Ofico, 8-7, in the finals of the boys’ 14 & under finals; and Capulong and James Zyril Romada teaming up to win the 10-under doubles title over the tandem of John Kenneth Jumamoy and Krist Aaron Anud.
Tigresses eye finals vs Lady Archers THE UAAP Season 79 women’s football tournament resumes tomorrow at the FEU-Diliman pitch, with University of Santo Tomas hoping to seal a title duel with De La Salle. Before the competition took a three-week break to pave the way for the country’s successful qualification in the 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup, the Lady Archers are firmly on top with a maximum of 18 points, while the
Tigresses are in second place in the table with 10 points. UST, which is trying to hold off Ateneo (seven) and defending champion University of the Philippines (five), needs at least a win or two straight draws in the last two matches to progress in the title match opposite De La Salle on May 7. The Tigresses only need to beat already-eliminated Far Eastern University on Wednesday to forge a onematch final with the Lady
Archers. If it fails on its first try, UST still has another shot of making it by defeating De La Salle in the final eliminations’ matchday on Sunday at the FEU-Diliman pitch. For the Lady Eagles and the Lady Maroons, their chance of foiling a Lady Archers-Tigresses championship is not in their hands. De La Salle, which will play UP on Wednesday, has been solid all-season behind the league’s lead-
ing goalscorer in Sara Castañeda, the hero of the Philippines’ qualification to the Asian Cup in Amman, Jordan next year. The Lady Archers need this one so badly after their men’s team failed to advance in the Final Four, ending a streak of four straight appearances. UST, on the other hand, has been resurgent, thanks to Charisa Lemoran, who with four goals, has the second most behind Castañeda’s eight.
17 PH tracksters to train in Hong Kong By Peter Atencio SEVENTEEN members of the national pool, led by women’s long jumper Marestella Torres-Sunang is heading for Hong Kong to prepare for the 2017 Southeast Asian Games. Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association secretary general Reynato Unso said they will be there for around two months. While in Hong Kong, the aspirants will also join two international meets. Unso said the plan materialized following recent talks between officials of the PATAFA and Hong Kong Athletics Association chairman Kuan Kee. The PATAFA was supposed to send athletes to train in Australiam but this will no longer push through. Torres-Sunang is the current record holder in the women’s long jump of the SEA Games. She set it at 6.71 meters in 2011. Two newcomers, triple jumper Mark Harry Diones and 110-meter runner Michael del Prado are joining them. The 5’11” Diones, who is coached by Jojo Posa-
das back in college at the Jose Rizal University, cleared 16.70-meter jump on the sixth and last try in the recent National Open. Del Prado, who is the son of the legendary Isidro Del Prado, beat members of the national team to get the silver in 48.47 seconds in the men’s 400-meters.
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
tional pool in an exhibition play. Also joining the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Golden Phoenix Hotel, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp are director Cesar Marquez and world gymkhana champ Milo Rivera, together with officials of the Sta. Rosa de Lima Parish Summer Invitational Cup, led by former PBA chairman and Sta. Lucia team manager Buddy Encarnado. The 10:30 a.m session is being aired live over DZSR Sports Radio 918.
Sports
Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph sports_mstandard@yahoo.com
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TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
Grieving Thomas leads scorers but Celtics fall to Bulls BOSTON—Isaiah Thomas played with a heavy heart Sunday, scoring 33 points in a 106-102 NBA playoff loss to the Chicago Bulls just one day after his younger sister was killed in a car crash. Thomas took to the court on an emotional night at the Boston Garden despite the death of 22-year-old Chyna Thomas, whom he honoured by pencilling her name on his green sneakers and adding “RIP Lil Sis.” There was a moment of silence after the grieving Thomas led his teammates onto the floor and just before the playing of the American national anthem. “He was incredible. He’s an amazing player and an amazing person,” Boston coach Brad Stevens said. “The days won’t get easier for him, but he somehow plays like that.” Thomas received a heart-warming standing ovation from the home crowd. He led the Celtics with 33 points, hitting a layup with seven seconds left to cut Chicago’s lead to 104-102 in the opening game of their first round playoff series. But Chicago’s Jimmy Butler dribbled off a few seconds and sealed the victory with a two free throws with just three seconds on the clock. Butler finished with 30 points. “We were so locked in all week,” said Butler, who also pulled down nine rebounds as the Bulls capitalized on their size advantage and controlled the inside. “We knew their stuff just like they knew ours, but we executed extremely well.” Police said Chyna Thomas died at the scene of the accident around 5:00 am Saturday in Federal Way, Washington, located 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Seattle. Witnesses told authorities that her car drifted off the side of the road into a concrete barrier before slamming into a metal post head-on. Isaiah Thomas was instrumental in Boston’s emergence as the top seed in the NBA’s Eastern Conference playoffs. AFP
James Harden of the Houston Rockets drives to the basket between Taj Gibson of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Enes Kanter during Game 1 of the first round of the Western Conference 2017 NBA Playoffs at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. AFP
Harden outduels Russ as Rockets silence Thunder W ASHINGTON—James Harden scored 37 points as the Houston Rockets routed Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder 118-87 in the opening game of their NBA playoff series on Sunday. Harden outclassed fellow MVP candidate Westbrook also delivering nine assists and seven rebounds for the Rockets who take a 1-0 lead into game two on Wednesday. “Tonight was a good game but it is just one win,” Harden said. “We have to be ready to go for Wednesday.” Westbrook tallied 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists but he also made nine turnovers and missed 17 of 23 shot attempts. Harden and Westbrook are considered the frontrunners in the league MVP race. But Westbrook’s individual brilliance doesn’t always translate into Thunder victories.
The Rockets held Westbrook to just seven points in the second half as they stretched a five point halftime lead to 33 points. As good as Harden was Sunday he also got plenty of help from a strong supporting cast. Patrick Beverley scored a postseason career high 21 points while Nene chipped in 15 points off the bench for Houston. Beverley also shut down Westbrook defensively when it mattered the most. Houston shot 49.5 percent from the floor while Oklahoma City shot 37 percent from the field. “When you are dealing with a team like that it is pick your poison,” said
Thunder coach Billy Donovan. Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors clamped down in the fourth quarter to pull away to a 121-109 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in game one of their series. Golden State, aiming to get back to the NBA finals for a third straight year and regain the crown they surrendered last season to the Cleveland Cavaliers, had 32 points from Kevin Durant in his first playoff game as a Warrior. Stephen Curry added 29. Draymond Green was everywhere, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, five blocked shots and three steals for the Warriors. Golden State withstood 75 combined points from the Trail Blazers duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum to triumph in a game that saw 22 lead changes. “We let them get to their spots in the first half,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “They still made some tough shots, which they’re going to do. I thought we did a better job in the second half of being a little more physical.”
PH Volcanoes settle for 2 bronze medals in Singapore THE Philippine Volcanoes settled for bronze-medal finishes in the men’s and women’s divisions of the 2017 Southeast Asian Rugby 7s tournament in Singapore. The Philippine men’s squad had a shaky start after they took a 5-17 loss to host Singapore in the opener. Then, they found their form with a 35-0 blitz over Indonesia and a 47-5 crushing of Brunei before team skipper Jonel Madrona helped the Volcanoes finish the night on the podium by beating Thailand, 12-10. The Volcanoes scored a buzzer beater as they sprinted from the corner after full time.
On the other hand, the rain was pouring when the Transcom Lady Volcanoes settled for a fight for the women’s bronze medal after comfortably beating Indonesia, 30-0. After losing to Thailand in the semis, the Lady Volcanoes fought back to beat Malaysia, 17-12, in extra time in the bronze medal match. Sylvia Tudoc scored the winning points with a try to win it for the Lady Volcanoes. This allowed them to earn a spot on the podium for the second year in a row as the Lady Volcanoes also secured a bronze last year. “In the end, 7s is so un-
Durant, acquired as a free agent after the Warriors’ loss to the Cavs in last year’s finals, connected on 12 of 20 shots and also pulled down 10 rebounds. Game two of the series, a rematch of a Western Conference semi-final last season, is on Wednesday. Wall leads Wizards Sunday’s Eastern Conference action got under way in Washington, where John Wall scored 15 of his 32 points in a dominant third quarter to lead the Wizards to a 114107 victory over the Atlanta Hawks in their series opener. Wall also handed out 14 assists while teammate Bradley Beal scored 22 points and Markieff Morris added 21. German guard Dennis Schroder led the Hawks with 25 points and Paul Millsap had 19. In Boston, Jimmy Butler scored 15 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter as the Chicago Bulls held on to beat the Boston Celtics 106-102 in the opener of a firstround Eastern Conference series. AFP
PLAYER OF THE WEEK. Jeff Chan’s
take-charge mentality was evident on Holy Wednesday when defending champion Rain or Shine registered a 96-94 win over Phoenix. With his team down by as many as 17 points, Chan willed Rain or Shine back to life with baskets from inside and outside, the last, a three-point play to push the Painters ahead for good, 95-94. The left-handed sniper from Bacolod finished with 24 points, 12 coming inside the final six minutes as Rain or Shine snapped a twogame skid to improve to 4-2 overall. This earned him the AccelPBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of April 10-16.
predictable, so many close games at all levels. I am extremely happy to walk away with some silverware here in Singapore. Both teams used this as a pre-tournament warm up for the 2017 Southeast Games. We are on track, the Men’s identified some youth and the Women’s have seen what it takes to go one better,” said Jake Robrigado Letts, National Team Head. Moving forward, the Men’s Volcanoes are straight into preparations for the 15s Asia Rugby Championships as the SPI Volcanoes are up against Sri Lanka, Malaysia and United Arab Emirates on May 14, 17 and 20 in Ipoh, Malaysia. Peter Atencio
Rivera, Dizon, Moreno top Phoenix slalom
Gabie Desales makes her move in the RACE Motorsports Club Phoenix National Slalom Series recently at Robinsons Starmills Pampanga parking lot to lead the Ladies’ Class.
MILO Rivera clinched the overall best time of the day, followed by Dr. Peewee Mendiola in the second leg of the RACE Motorsports Club Phoenix National Slalom Series recently at Robinsons Starmills Pampanga parking lot. The Tough Gear Racing standout Rivera also bagged the Rear Wheel Best time, while Jevoy Moreno of Auto Fastion won the Front Wheel top clocking. Team Comet’s Eden Dizon garnered the Novice Best Time. The event was highlighted by the participation of drivers from the “Garahista” motorsports show to be aired Sports + Action, with host Rivera, himself a national slalom champion here, and co-host Joyce Pring. The 2017 RACE Motorsports Club National Slalom Series is presented
by Phoenix Premium 98 and Phoenix Premium Accelerate Fully Synthetic Oil, with major sponsors Federal Tyres, Outlast Battery, Robinsons Starmills, Robinson Malls and supported by Starbright Body Kits, Auto Transporter, Cars Unlimited Auto Sales Fairview and Mark Young Cars, media partners Stoplight TV, C! Magazine, Auto Car Magazine, Power Wheels Magazine, Ride and Drive Philippines and Driven2ride.ph. and Medical Team Aeromed. Taking part in the race are Team Big Chill, Tough Gear Racing Team, Team Orthodox, IRM Autoshoppe, Auto Fastion Racing Team, Team GMW, Kajega Racing Team and Mark Young cars. The third leg will be held on May 7 at NFA Compound, Cabanatuan City, while the first leg of the Slalom Invi-
tational will be on April 23 at Robinsons Calasiao, Pangasinan. For details, contact Bing Bang Dulce at 09178119337 or like the event’s Facebook page racemotorsportsclub. Some of the official Results: Novice Stock Injected: 1st Rainier Tinio 57.42; 2nd Jonathan Biglangawa 58.78; 3rd Rap Usman 61.46 Novice Stock Carburated: 1st Joseph Ortega 53.16; 2nd Andre de los Santos 61.70 Novice Modified A: 1st Reden Dizon 52.04; 2nd Adriel Pacis 53.88; 3rd Powee Base 54.98 Novice Modified B: 1st Vegil Calayo 52.34; 2nd Inigo Anton 52.82; 3rd Bryan Ngo 53.36 Novice Modified C: 1st Vegil Calayo 52.46; 2nd Bryan Ngo 52.50; 3rd Inigo Anton 55.08
MILF to set aside land for sports facilities By Peter Atencio THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front can set aside land where sports facilities can be built. The Philippine Sports Commission got this assurance from MILF vice chairman Ghazali Jaafar. PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said around 10 hectares could be used to develop a sports complex in Maguindanao. Jaafar discussed this possibility with Ramirez when they met at the MILF enclave of Camp Darapanan in Sultan Kudarat. According to Ramirez, Jaafar will take up this proposal with the MILF central committee. Last week, Ramirez went to several camps of the MILF in a bid to reach out to former Muslim rebels and get them involved in grassroots sports. The PSC chief said they plan to set up offices in areas where the MILF is active. Officials of the MILF also expressed their interest in developing 10 priority sports in their area of responsibility. They said their interests are in the combat sports, pencak silat, kuntao silat, archery and athletics.
Luzon power supply back to normal B3
Business
Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
B1
BIR to review Tan’s tax payments IN BRIEF
Mitsubishi PH posted record sales in March
MITSUBISHI Motors Philippines Corp. said vehicle sales jumped 38.3 percent in March to a record 6,822 units from a year ago. MMPC said the March figure represented the highest monthly retail sales volume it achieved in the country. March sales also surged 43.8 percent month-on-month. Mitsubishi said it sold a total of 16,509 units in the first quarter, up 12.6 percent from the same period last year. The Japanese carmaker said compared to February, passenger car sales increased 51.3 percent in March to 1,619 units. Mirage G4, which is now locally manufactured and the soon to be locally produced Mirage, continue to attract first-time car buyers and young families. Sales of light commercial vehicles reached 4,966 units, up by 40.8 percent from February. The unveiling of Montero Sport GLX variant and 2017 Strada, which is now equipped with 4N15 Mivec clean diesel engine contributed to record sales. March sales of Montero Sport reached 2,007 units. Othel V. Campos
By Julito G. Rada
T
HE Bureau of Internal Revenue will scrutinize the tax payments of tycoon Lucio Tan to see if he was paying the right amount to the government, a top official said Monday. “Frankly, I am not aware of any pending case against Mr. Lucio Tan. But give me a few more days and I’ll look at the records and talk to the assessment people of BIR and probably I can come out with a definite answer,” BIR commissioner Caesar Dulay said in an interview. President Rodrigo Duterte
said in his visit to Qatar over the weekend that Tan owed the government P30 billion in tax liabilities. Dulay inspected a number of BIR’s regional offices in Manila Monday, the deadline for the filing of income tax returns. “Frankly I don’t see [any red flags yet] but like what I have
said, I’ll look at it and you come and see me again and I’ll tell you what’s the status, if there is,” Dulay said. Duterte said Tan should pay more than P30 billion in tax liabilities to the government, as the Chief Executive vowed to run after oligarchs with tax liabilities. “Lucio Tan has almost billion, 30 billion. He has to pay. He has to pay. All of them, they have to pay,” Duterte told more than 7,000 Filipinos at Lusail Sports Arena in Doha. Tan is listed as the country’s fourth richest man by Forbes Magazine. He has diversified interests in banking, airline, liquor,
tobacco, real estate and education. Tan owns Asia Brewery, Philip Morris-Fortune Tobacco Corp., flag carrier Philippine Airlines, Philippine National Ban, and the University of the East. His net worth was estimated at $4.9 billion as of August 2016. Dulay said the BIR would do its job to find out who were the tax cheats in the country, especially the names mentioned by Duterte in his statements. “If there is somebody who can give any information [on tax cheats], it is all a matter of evidence and reviewing,” Dulay said. Dulay said the BIR was also in
PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing April 17, 2017
8000 7600 7200 6800 6400
Members of Asean tackle nuclear energy
THE Philippines along with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, began discussions on nuclear sources during the 7th Nuclear Energy Cooperation and SubSector Network meeting. “Discussions on nuclear energy as well as radioactive sources tend to attract issues on security. We are cognizant of this and must admit that this issue cannot be discounted as people and the environment must always be protected,” Energy Undersecretary Jesus Posadas said in his welcome remarks. The seminar on security of radioactive sources was organized by Asean Center of Energy in partnership with the Integrated Support Center for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Nuclear Security of the Japan Atomic Energy Agency. Among those attending the seminar were delegates from the International Atomic Energy Agency, ISCN/JAEA and European Union Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear Risk Mitigation Centres of Excellence Initiative. Local participants included representatives from the Energy and Science Departments and the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, the academe and electric utilities. Posadas said the Philippines viewed nuclear energy as a long-term option for power generation that could provide supply security, stability and reliability. Alena Mae S. Flores
Toll road operators OK merger agreement By Darwin G. Amojelar NLEx Corp., formerly Manila North Tollways Corp., and Tollways Management Corp. on Monday signed a merger plan which is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2017. NLEx, the surviving corporation, is the concessionaire of North Luzon Expressway and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway and the proponent of the Connector Road project linking NLEx and South Luzon Expressway. TMC is engaged in the operations and maintenance of tollways, its facilities, interchanges and related works. The merger will take effect within 15 days from and after the approval by the Securities and Exchange Commission of the articles of merger. The transaction will be done through a share swap where shareholders will be given 2.7 MNTC common shares for every TMC share and 16.63 MNTC preferred shares for every TMC share. NLEx will remain an indirect subsidiary of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. after the implementation of the merger. NLEx reported a net income of P4.1 billion last year, up from P3 billion in 2015. Toll revenues reached P10.54 billion, or 25 percent higher than in 2015 due to higher traffic volume at NLEx and SCTEx.
talks with the lawyers of World Boxing Organization welterweight champion and neophyte Senator Manny Pacquiao regarding his existing tax case. “I cannot reveal that now... We are still negotiating which means we have not come to any agreement or figure... They said they will come and see me again. I hope they do it fast,” Dulay said, adding the last discussion happened a month ago. Dulay remained optimistic that the tax collection target of P208 billion for April and the P1.829 trillion for the whole year could be achieved amid the intensified tax collection efforts of the government.
6000
7,588.53 41.11
PESO-DOLLAR RATE
Closing APRIL 17, 2017 45.00 46.50 48.00 49.50
P49.540 CLOSE
51.00
HIGH P49.450 LOW P49.600 AVERAGE P49.535 VOLUME 346.300M
P465.00-P685.00 LPG/11-kg tank P38.20-P47.75 Unleaded Gasoline
GINEBRA BAGS GOLD. Ginebra San Miguel Inc. wins a Gold Anvil Award for Best Public Relations Program directed for its communications
campaign ‘One Ginebra One Goal.’ Shown receiving the award from Public Relations Society of the Philippines officials are representatives from GSMI’s business affairs and communications office (third from left) external associate Jaser Marasigan, manager Nadia Abcede and assistant Nigel Reyes.
February remittances increased 3.4% to $2.17b MONEY sent home by overseas Filipino workers increased 3.4 percent in February to $2.169 billion from $2.098 billion a year ago, driven by sustained demand for Filipino talents abroad, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Monday. The February expansion, however, was slower than the 8.6-percent growth registered in January. “The US, UAE, Qatar, Singapore, Taiwan and Japan were the major contributors to growth in cash remittances in February,” Bangko Sentral said. Cash remittances in the first two months grew 5.9 percent to $4.338 billion from $4.095 billion a year ago.
Personal remittances, which include non-cash items, also rose 3.3 percent in February to $2.397 billion from $2.32 billion a year earlier. This brought personal remittances in the first two months to $4.794 billion, up 5.9 percent from $4.528 billion in the same period last year. Remittances rose 5 percent to a record $26.9 billion in 2016 from $25.607 billion in 2015. The 5-percent expansion surpassed Bangko Sentral’s projection of a 4-percent growth last year and the 4-percent actual growth a year ago. Remittances from Asia rose 7.4 percent, buoyed by transfers originating from Singapore, Ja-
pan, China and Taiwan. Transfers from the Americas increased 3.8 percent, the major contributor of which was the 6.2-percent growth in remittances from the US. Remittances from Europe, however, fell 8.4 percent, with the decline in cash transfers from the United Kingdom because of the depreciation of the pound against the US dollar. Inflows from Italy and the Netherlands also fell. More than 80 percent of the total remittances came from the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, the UK, Japan, Qatar, Kuwait, Hong Kong and Germany. The solid growth in remittances remained one of the strong
backbones of economic growth. Last year, remittances represented 8.1 percent of the gross national income and 9.8 percent of gross domestic product. GDP last year grew 6.9 percent. Bangko Sentral Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said remittances would continue to be stable in the coming months despite the recent decision of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut oil production that could affect the demand for local skilled workers abroad. Bangko Sentral projected a conservative 4-percent growth for remittances this year. Julito G. Rada
P27.68-P38.84 Diesel
OPRICES IL TODAY
P32.85-P41.15 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75 Auto LPG Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, April 17, 2017
F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency
Unit
US Dollar
Peso
United States
Dollar
1.000000
49.5300
Japan
Yen
0.009193
0.4553
UK
Pound
1.253700
62.0958
Hong Kong
Dollar
0.128639
6.3715
Switzerland
Franc
0.994827
49.2738
Canada
Dollar
0.751089
37.2014
Singapore
Dollar
0.715615
35.4444
Australia
Dollar
0.757700
37.5289
Bahrain
Dinar
2.652661
131.3863
Saudi Arabia
Rial
0.266652
13.2073
Brunei
Dollar
0.713063
35.3180
Indonesia
Rupiah
0.000075
0.0037
Thailand
Baht
0.028997
1.4362
UAE
Dirham
0.272287
13.4864
Euro
Euro
1.062200
52.6108
Korea
Won
0.000881
0.0436
China
Yuan
0.145233
7.1934
India
Rupee
0.015513
0.7684
Malaysia
Ringgit
0.227015
11.2441
New Zealand
Dollar
0.699100
34.6264
Taiwan
Dollar
0.032923
1.6307 Source: PDS Bridge
Yuchengo, Que, Aboitiz passed away during Lent By Jenniffer B. Austria THREE prominent Filipino businessmen who led the expansion of their respective family business empires died during the Lent. Banking and insurance tycoon and former ambassador Alfonso Yuchengco passed away Saturday, April 15. He was 94. Mercury Drug Store founder Dr. Mariano Que, 96, died on April 14, while Roberto Aboitiz, 67, a director of conglomerate Aboitiz Equity Ventures, passed away on April 14. Yuchengco, who served as the Philippine ambassador to China from 1986 to 1988 and to Japan from 1995 to 1998, was the founding chairman the Yuchengco Group of Companies. Companies under YGC include Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., EEI Corp., House of Investments and Great Life Financial Assurance Corp. “Our bank is mourning the untimely demise of our chair-
man emeritus, Ambassador Alfonso T. Yuchengco, who passed away last Saturday April 15, 2017,” RCBC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange. Yuchengco was appointed by former President Gloria MacapagalArroyo as the presidential adviser on foreign affairs in 2004. He served as presidential assistant on Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation matters with cabinet rank from 1998 to 2000 and was appointed chairman of the Council of Private Sector Advisers to the Philippine government on the Spratlys issue (marine and archipelagic development policy task group). Through his AY Foundation, Yuchengco has initiated many programs designed to benefit underprivileged communities. He graduated from Far Eastern University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce and completed his graduate studies at Columbia University in New York in 1950.
UNIONBANK CITED. Union Bank of the Philippines makes its mark as a leader in resource-efficient
buildings, as it became the first bank in the country to get LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)- platinum and gold certifications for its Olongapo and Tacloban branches, respectively. LEED is an internationally recognized symbol of excellence that promotes a healthy, durable and affordable environmental practice in building design and construction.
B2
Business
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com
Stocks decline; RCBC, Cemex up Alliance Global set S to spend P78b in ‘17 TOCKS retreated amid thin trading Monday after a long break, as tensions on the Korean peninsula weighed on sentiment across Asia.
The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, shed 41 points, or 0.5 percent, to close at 7,588.53, as all six sectoral indices declined. Despite Monday’s loss, the bellwether was still up 10.9 percent this year. The heavier index, representing all shares, also lost 22 points, or 0.5 percent, to settle at 4,530.50, on a value turnover of P4.4 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 106 to 74, while 50 issues were unchanged. Nine of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by MRC Allied Inc. which surged 10.3 percent to P0.32 and Rizal Com-
mercial Banking Corp. which climbed 8 percent to P42.10. Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. rose 3.8 percent to P8.22 Meanwhile, Asian stocks were mixed as many markets reopened after the holidays with investors assessing geopolitical risks. Tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have soared in recent weeks as a series of North Korean weapons tests have wrought ever-more bellicose warnings from US President Donald Trump’s administration. During a visit to the heavily militarized border between the two Koreas, Vice President Mike Pence said America was ruling nothing out in its dealings with the hermit state, a day after Pyongyang failed in its attempt to test another missile. Trump last week ordered a naval strike group led by the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier to the region, though the vessels remain a long way from the peninsula. Tokyo stocks led markets lower—extending four days of losses—as the growing ten-
sions stoked demand for the safe-haven yen. A stronger yen is generally bad for Japanese shares as it dents exporters’ profitability. “Geopolitical risk will continue to be closely monitored today as a strapping US Navy Armada moves within striking distance of North Korea,” said Stephen Innes, senior trader at forex firm Oanda. “With all the military adventurism in play, those insidious wartime market correlations take force as the risk-off theme grips markets. To what extent the markets need to price in geopolitical risk more actively into their psyche will likely drive nearer term sentiment.” The benchmark Nikkei 225 index, which closed at a 2017 low on Friday, lost another 0.3 percent by the lunch break. Taipei also fell 0.3 percent, while Jakarta dropped 0.2 percent and Singapore declined 0.8 percent. Hong Kong and Sydney were closed for a holiday. With Bloomberg, AFP
By Jenniffer B. Austria ALLIANCE Global Group Inc., the listed holding company of tycoon Andrew Tan, plans to spend P78 billion this year to support the expansion of its business units. This year’s capital expenditures represent a slight increase from P75 billion the conglomerate spent in 2016. Alliance Global said in a presentation during a recent analysts briefing the bulk of 2017 capex would be allocated for property development, gaming and entertainment
MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, APRIL 17, 2017
VALUE
NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP
FINANCIALS 3.18 126,000 48.5 19,600 105.1 500,570 4.23 61,000 119.9 1,099,880 37 1,574,100 16.2 346,800 20.8 1,625,800 1.72 142,000 775 50 0.69 494,000 82.95 3,336,640 14.7 31,700 57.5 12,350 240 390 111 90 90.4 3,390 42.1 1,628,700 218.4 1,125,910 1,670 115 79.75 296,760 1.2 6,000
390,800 947,770 52,609,713 248,720 131,912,967 57,965,380 5,618,156 33,921,230 242,030 38,750 334,390 277,523,471 465,990 710,147 93,810 9,990 304,109 68,257,865 245,837,102 192,050 23,664,964.50 7,240
870,400 -5,967,269 -27,733,512 6,629,800 -5,587,380 -17,755,050 -127,165,046.50 146,643 162,720 -3,032,980 18,123,208 -255,802.50 -
41.3 5.36 0.82 1.41 18.52 0.249 7.8 17 23.1 14.2 68 1.98 11.94 12.72 9.15 6.4 6.08 20.95 72.5 12.22 16.08 7.6 1.6 207.8 4.88 3.61 32.2 25 18.46 283 0.241 6.3 3.9 9.02 11.38 2.14 8.32 1.9 71.95 4.9 300 4.75 2.01 2.73 13.4 4.7 0.142 1.42 169.5 1.65 1.03
INDUSTRIAL 41.3 2,309,800 5.43 1,269,700 0.86 4,155,000 1.41 134,000 19 1,300 0.255 3,540,000 8.22 18,634,500 17.08 390,000 23.6 215,100 14.96 10,400 71 404,030 1.98 387,000 12.04 41,700 12.9 3,186,500 9.39 870,700 6.46 1,005,700 6.09 4,966,700 21.05 1,263,300 72.7 75,770 12.3 4,800 16.1 54,400 7.73 3,362,400 1.64 577,000 209 762,940 4.95 1,203,000 3.63 19,000 32.5 453,100 25 39,400 18.52 1,506,400 283 78,510 0.243 2,040,000 6.35 75,100 3.91 617,000 9.06 1,325,500 11.42 10,100 2.16 4,780,000 8.35 462,800 1.93 112,000 72 225,960 5 33,100 300 34,720 4.75 520,000 2.01 35,000 2.73 14,000 13.7 514,700 4.7 102,000 0.144 1,260,000 1.43 523,000 171 630,850 1.75 5,319,000 1.03 2,000
95,861,945 6,881,976 3,578,340 189,200 24,652 888,560 151,671,114 6,667,498 5,040,245 147,960 28,681,529.50 770,280 501,050 41,030,636 8,038,930 6,496,392 30,275,571 26,658,535 5,509,987 58,966 875,704 26,030,749 942,430 159,559,800 6,020,720 69,330 14,686,030 989,745 28,004,188 22,239,056 492,550 476,486 2,409,490 12,101,992 115,186 10,344,780 3,868,096 214,460 16,270,537 165,424 10,416,010 2,470,000 70,360 38,250 7,016,612 479,450 179,630 759,090 107,876,183 9,112,870 2,060
3,441,410 211,160 76,085,315 2,435,598 -2,216,200 -6,406,341 -29,850 216,360 -7,574,842 -180,169 1,169,897 2,454,183 -13,499,430 -2,530,065.50 17,710 1,115,440 91,680,384 -182,900 4,183,155 -246,010 17,927,738 11,012,506 1,335,680 -932,221.00 6,154,900 594,909 -11,520 3,265,796.50 104,950 219,000 -451,250 10,950 1,639,836 13,585,540 -1,058,120 -
0.375 76.4 14.34 1.16 6.22 0.435 0.465 860 8.4 12.32 7.68 0.18 1,268 6.39 81.5 1.04 7.82 15.5 6.48 0.062 1.86 2.49 109.3 2.99 728.5 1.46 284 0.29 0.184 0.245
0.37 75.35 14.02 1.14 6.19 0.42 0.435 850.5 8.38 12.16 7.66 0.179 1,230 6.34 80.8 1.01 7.71 15.02 6.33 0.06 1.86 2.49 107 2.59 715 1.41 282 0.285 0.184 0.245
HOLDING FIRMS 0.375 530,000 76.3 1,219,320 14.1 6,891,400 1.14 40,000 6.19 136,600 0.42 10,870,000 0.435 6,900,000 859 109,570 8.38 850,900 12.2 14,692,400 7.66 33,300 0.179 150,000 1,245 61,980 6.39 114,300 81.45 558,790 1.01 4,174,000 7.71 250,000 15.02 2,749,700 6.38 14,614,800 0.061 51,810,000 1.86 505,000 2.49 1,000 108.9 494,330 2.77 638,000 721 207,150 1.44 245,000 284 10,920 0.29 260,000 0.184 40,000 0.245 330,000
196,250 92,988,235.50 97,715,154 45,820 849,091 4,620,600 3,155,400 94,089,660 7,140,119 180,063,316 255,304 26,930 77,357,390 729,812 45,456,778 4,228,660 1,935,090 41,594,516 93,413,788 3,130,990 939,300 2,490 53,697,983 1,800,020 149,558,460 348,820 3,091,720 75,300 7,360 80,850
8,005,958.50 70,266,228 962,800 -42,836,055 786,229 -132,651,602 12,343,280 -319,500 -8,490,856 -477,850 -10,598,368 -16,410,463 7,200 27,196,745 55,118,880 -532,600 -
6.88 0.98 2.31 1.36 35.25 3.96 5.17 0.51 1.01 1.28 0.159 0.54 53.85 0.7 0.178 1.66 1 1.15 4.04 0.32 0.32 0.67 4.67 27.5
6.82 0.95 2.29 1.29 34.85 3.93 5.17 0.5 1.01 1.23 0.155 0.53 53.35 0.7 0.17 1.63 0.97 1.07 3.91 0.29 0.3 0.64 4.46 27.5
1,241,631 398,940 150,130 12,599,470 101,589,195 2,053,300 517 1,395,140 20,200 119,930 1,198,140 586,910 12,206,816.50 6,300 549,310 11,910,020 4,688,400 1,462,410 105,905,530 55,516,950 52,600 5,879,400 68,360 13,750
-705,414 -88,400 -16,028,365 628,840 10,000 3,120 1,231,270 -8,860,630 -8,000 28,604,480 63,850 -
NAME
OPEN
HIGH
LOW
CLOSE
AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK PB BANK PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE
3.11 48.5 105 4 120 38.15 16.2 20.8 1.67 775 0.67 84.55 14.7 57.5 241 111 90 40.65 217 1,670 79.65 1.21
3.18 48.5 105.8 4.23 120.2 38.15 16.2 21.15 1.72 775 0.69 85.3 14.7 57.6 241 111 90.4 42.45 219 1,670 79.75 1.21
3.1 48.25 104.9 4 119.5 36.3 16.16 20.7 1.66 775 0.67 82.95 14.7 57.2 240 111 86.5 40.65 214.8 1,670 79.5 1.2
ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CROWN ASIA DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETRON PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PHX SEMICNDCTR PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VULCAN INDL
41.95 5.46 0.83 1.43 19 0.255 7.94 17.12 23.1 14.98 68 2 12.06 12.76 9.42 6.46 6.12 21.35 72.9 12.44 16.1 7.79 1.62 209 4.88 3.61 32.5 25.25 18.6 284 0.245 6.35 3.92 9.28 11.38 2.18 8.39 1.9 72.1 4.98 300.2 4.75 2.02 2.74 13.56 4.7 0.145 1.42 173.7 1.69 1.03
42 5.49 0.89 1.43 19 0.26 8.25 17.14 23.6 14.98 75 2.01 12.06 13 9.42 6.51 6.13 21.35 73 12.44 16.12 7.8 1.66 212 5.1 3.82 32.6 25.3 18.66 284.4 0.245 6.4 3.93 9.3 11.42 2.19 8.39 1.94 72.45 5.05 300.2 4.75 2.02 2.74 13.76 4.75 0.145 1.49 173.7 1.76 1.03
ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG
0.375 75.4 14.32 1.15 6.22 0.42 0.46 859 8.4 12.18 7.68 0.18 1,267 6.34 81.45 1.02 7.82 15.5 6.48 0.06 1.86 2.49 107 2.62 715 1.46 283.8 0.29 0.184 0.245
8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP
6.84 0.97 2.31 1.32 35 3.95 5.17 0.51 1.01 1.27 0.158 0.53 53.85 0.7 0.178 1.66 1 1.13 4.04 0.29 0.32 0.64 4.46 27.5
VOLUME
NAME
OPEN
HIGH
LOW
CLOSE
VOLUME
VALUE
NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP
ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND
25.8 1.76 3.27 30.15 0.99 0.89 5.2
25.8 1.78 3.33 30.2 1.01 0.91 5.25
25.35 1.71 3.27 29.8 0.99 0.87 5.15
25.35 1.74 3.3 30 1.01 0.91 5.25
566,100 227,000 34,000 2,662,600 2,794,000 151,000 1,200,600
14,444,315 396,970 112,260 79,816,840 2,776,280 131,920 6,270,411
4,369,595 31,635,655 34,650 -997,835
2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CALATA CORP CEBU AIR DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IP EGAME IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA JOCKEY MELCO CROWN METRO RETAIL MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT
12.5 46.25 1.58 0.53 0.046 5.31 8.58 0.071 2.19 104.5 8.6 2.5 3.4 970 2,052 6.48 16.12 14.5 3.32 3.77 90 0.0091 12.78 9.04 0.183 1.35 3.8 14.34 4.56 0.98 4.63 2.35 6.72 3.81 16 3.03 11.66 5.39 165 7.94 1,764 1.61 0.425 42.4 78.3 6.2 2.41 1.1 1.92 3.19 0.395 5.28
12.52 46.25 1.58 0.54 0.046 5.33 8.58 0.073 2.21 104.5 8.7 2.5 3.4 970 2,054 6.48 16.4 14.5 3.32 3.77 90 0.0091 12.78 9.04 0.192 1.37 3.85 14.34 4.71 0.98 4.63 2.5 6.72 3.85 16.02 3.07 11.66 5.4 165 8.15 1,769 1.62 0.43 42.5 78.95 6.25 2.46 1.1 1.92 3.2 0.4 5.28
12 46 1.45 0.52 0.045 5.31 8.33 0.071 2.16 100 8.6 2.5 3.4 970 2,040 6.01 16.12 14.5 3.21 3.65 89.2 0.0091 12.78 9 0.183 1.34 3.7 14 4.48 0.95 4.49 2.35 6.48 3.75 16 2.98 11.52 5.32 165 7.94 1,725 1.59 0.42 41.9 76.6 6.12 2.31 1.08 1.92 3.18 0.395 5.2
SERVICES 12.04 46 1.56 0.53 0.046 5.33 8.34 0.072 2.2 104 8.7 2.5 3.4 970 2,040 6.38 16.4 14.5 3.25 3.65 89.85 0.0091 12.78 9.02 0.19 1.34 3.85 14.2 4.71 0.95 4.5 2.5 6.48 3.8 16.02 3.04 11.64 5.4 165 7.99 1,748 1.6 0.43 42.5 78.95 6.25 2.31 1.1 1.92 3.2 0.395 5.21
723,000 12,100 7,000 2,367,000 16,900,000 2,600 2,117,000 14,970,000 1,407,000 394,420 63,000 10,000 1,000 100 154,635 1,804,100 28,800 300 1,076,000 10,000 2,859,650 10,000,000 400 355,000 27,210,000 476,000 79,000 12,900 1,839,000 120,000 622,000 145,000 1,256,500 561,000 1,300 1,901,000 13,200 9,000 1,570 308,200 81,635 14,666,000 520,000 1,451,000 939,550 67,300 11,727,000 3,160,000 1,000 369,000 80,000 3,385,800
8,858,328 557,740 10,910 1,241,250 764,300 13,834 17,732,446 1,076,100 3,079,690 40,574,506 543,450 25,000 3,400 97,000 316,186,250 11,415,228 469,280 4,350 3,486,340 36,660 256,906,426.50 91,000 5,112 3,201,530 5,144,930 645,470 296,600 181,654 8,483,230 114,790 2,802,070 352,570 8,255,301 2,123,010 20,808 5,745,500 153,348 47,968 259,050 2,477,866 142,600,250 23,568,440 220,700 61,179,885 73,227,648.50 419,374 27,920,590 3,454,810 1,920 1,179,970 31,650 17,682,836
136,296 -766,100 -429,866 -4,380 14,300,638 -58,051,070 9,630 -21,908.50 340,690 -28,400 1,608,430 -2,279,507 -87,330 226,280 -30,390 -212,850 -591,599 16,241,185 906,080 -30,987,595 -39,508,444.50 -25,000 -10,201,500 2,000,770 563,670 734,400
ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK BENGUET A BENGUET B CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A PHILODRILL PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING TA PETROLEUM
0.0034 1.62 5.22 11.48 1.82 1.85 0.74 0.4 9.08 2.72 0.25 0.182 0.201 0.011 1.81 6.11 2.07 0.9 0.011 0.013 8.5 3.4 151.5 2.8
0.0034 1.7 5.34 11.48 1.82 1.94 0.78 0.4 9.08 2.73 0.255 0.183 0.201 0.011 1.84 6.2 2.12 0.9 0.012 0.014 8.68 3.42 151.5 2.81
0.0033 1.5 5.22 11.48 1.8 1.85 0.7 0.39 8.66 2.67 0.25 0.181 0.19 0.011 1.79 6.11 2.07 0.9 0.011 0.013 8.5 3.37 149.7 2.75
MINING & OIL 0.0033 29,000,000 1.55 28,832,000 5.22 71,300 11.48 200 1.8 290,000 1.94 17,000 0.78 7,767,000 0.395 470,000 9.08 1,200 2.68 824,000 0.25 80,000 0.183 6,790,000 0.192 840,000 0.011 200,000 1.79 48,000 6.16 3,782,700 2.1 56,000 0.9 149,000 0.012 5,800,000 0.013 21,300,000 8.5 397,100 3.37 432,000 150.5 248,820 2.77 74,000
97,700 46,362,640 372,358 2,296 523,500 32,710 5,697,390 186,400 10,520 2,220,410 20,050 1,240,520 161,750 2,200 86,340 23,299,599 117,380 134,100 64,200 277,000 3,396,465 1,463,810 37,443,746 205,140
-12,559,350 -522 -5,550 -64,150 -19,750 188,400 -6,000 -7,844,051 -1,400 74,596 54,240 -25,209,320 -
ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B LR PREF SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H
46.2 530 526.5 107.5 104.5 117.9 5.8 1,021 1,031 1.04 80.25 76.7 77 80 77.7
46.2 530 526.5 107.5 104.9 118 5.8 1,021 1,031 1.05 80.25 76.8 77.8 80.1 78.7
46.2 530 525 107.5 104.5 115 5.69 1,021 1,031 1.04 80.1 76.7 77 80 77.6
PREFERRED 46.2 300 530 750 525 5,300 107.5 8,680 104.9 3,080 115 3,000 5.73 1,402,700 1,021 8,725 1,031 1,000 1.05 350,000 80.1 23,180 76.8 7,050 77.8 4,800 80.1 2,180 78.7 83,420
13,860 397,500 2,787,450 933,100 322,360 352,498 8,078,370 8,908,225 1,031,000 367,000 1,857,082.50 540,785 370,720 174,418 6,543,110
8,655 -
LR WARRANT
2.4
2.42
2.35
WARRANTS 2.42 488,000
1,171,560
-
712,510 3,364,811 19,833,382
-36,750 -2,528,318
1,082,945
206,394
MS
PROPERTY 6.82 0.96 2.31 1.32 34.85 3.93 5.17 0.51 1.01 1.28 0.155 0.53 53.45 0.7 0.177 1.63 0.99 1.07 3.93 0.315 0.31 0.65 4.66 27.5
181,500 415,000 65,000 9,544,000 2,906,300 520,000 100 2,777,000 20,000 96,000 7,660,000 1,104,000 228,280 9,000 3,160,000 7,269,000 4,784,000 1,355,000 26,848,000 180,650,000 170,000 8,987,000 15,000 500
ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS
3.98 6.59 10.14
4 7.5 10.2
3.84 6.59 9.84
FIRST METRO ETF
126.2
126.2
125.7
TRADING SUMMARY
SHARES
FINANCIAL
12,433,047
INDUSTRIAL
69,564,869
HOLDING FIRMS
119,651,079
PROPERTY
266,419,371
SERVICES
129,593,759
MINING & OIL
107,559,706
GRAND TOTAL
707,873,881
3.97 7.14 9.98
SME
180,000 471,900 1,991,400
EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 126 8,600
VALUE 1,877.73 (down) 10.71 901,332,696.67 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,299.07 (down) 78.57 863,659,265.82 HOLDING FIRMS 7,670.64 (down) 12.55 981,242,853.52 PROPERTY 3,305.01 (down) 26.06 1,598.40 (down) 15.78 424,841,166.365 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,100.16 (down) 46.77 1,064,650,891.45 PSEI 7,588.53 123,436,150.263 All Shares Index 4,541.61 (UP) 17.45 4,384,157,699.09 Gainers: 101; Losers:88; Unchanged: 50; Total: 239
businesses. The remainder will be appropriated for liquor and quick service restaurant units. AGI owns Megaworld Corp., Travellers International Hotel Group Inc., Emperador Inc. and Golden Arches Development Corp. Megaworld earlier said it would spend P60 billion this year to accelerate developments within existing integrated townships and acquire more properties for landbank. The developer is fast tracking the expansion of its office and commercial leasing business to boost recurring income. Megaworld said from 2017 to 2020, it planned to add 250,000 square meters of leasable space annually, on top of over 1 million sqm at present. Emperador also continues to launch initiatives to reinforce brandy dominance, increase Whisky awareness and grow its export market. The company’s flagship brand Emperador Brandy is being exported to 51 countries across Asia, North America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Travellers International is currently completing phase 3 of Resorts World Manila. Phase 3 includes the construction of three new hotels, expansion of 14,000 sqm in gaming areas and 3,200 sqm in retail space.
2Go’s profit rises to P1.3b By Darwin G. Amojelar LOGISTICS company 2Go Group Inc. said Monday net income climbed 24 percent in 2016 from a year ago, on higher revenues from nonshipping business. 2Go said net profit rose to P1.34 billion last year from P1.08 billion in 2015. The company attributed the strong performance to sustained topline growth, coupled with improved cost efficiencies. 2Go’s consolidated revenues increased 17 percent in 2016 to P19.28 billion from P16.42 billion in 2015, driven primarily by the nonshipping segment. Non-shipping revenues grew 30 percent to P10.32 billion on increased service offerings and improved market share from major accounts. The company said the non-shipping business accounted for 54 percent of the total revenues, up from 48 percent in the previous year. Shipping revenues grew 6 percent to P8.96 billion on higher volumes and improved vessel turnaround for both large and medium-sized roll-on/roll-off passenger and freight vessels. Total costs and expenses grew 15 percent to P16.74 billion, on account of cost efficiency measures and partly due to relatively low fuel prices last year. SM Investments Corp. acquired a 34.5-percent stake in Negros Navigation Company for $124.5 million. Nenaco owns 88 percent of 2GO. The board of 2Go appointed businessman Dennis Uy as its new president and chief executive, following the decision of Sulficio Tagud Jr. to retire both from the management and the board.
Business
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TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com
Smart hikes Voyager investments to P5.47b By Darwin G. Amojelar
UCPB SCHOLARS. UCPB-CIIF scholars from the Bohol Island State University-Bilar Campus pose with their proud parents. A total of 260 UCPB-CIIF scholars, all children of coconut farmers, are graduating this year with 137 of them receiving their college diplomas this month. The scholarship program is being implemented by the UCPB-CIIF Foundation, one of two social arms of the UCPB Group and the Coconut Industry Investment Fund companies. The other is the UCPB-CIIF Finance and Development Corp., which provides livelihood loans to coconut farmers.
SMART Communications Inc. has infused additional money to Voyager Innovations to fund capital expenditures. Smart invested P3.48 billion in voyager last year and P1.33 billion in 2015. “The additional equity is intended to be used for Voyager’s various investments, as well as capital expenditures and working capital requirements,” PLDT Inc. said in a report submitted to the Philippine Stock Exchange. The total investment of Smart in Voyager amounted to P5.47 billion as of last year. Established less than four years ago, the Voyager group has introduced pioneering services running on mostly over-the-top platforms in the areas of access, commerce, finance and marketing technologies. Through eCommerce platforms such as TackThis!, Takatack and the Virtual eCommerce Marketplace, Voyager powers the online stores of thousands of leading
companies including Philippine Airlines, Uber, MyPhone, ShopTV, and top fashion brands like Giordano and Folded & Hung. Its Takatack Rewards is enabling the likes of UnionBank and a host of business process outsourcing companies to engage their employees with rewards and benefits. Voyager’s freenet has allowed more brands and companies to digitally engage customers with free sponsored data access to their apps and sites. Last year, millions of Filipinos downloaded the freenet app as more than 70 companies such as BPI, Citibank, RCBC, Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines, UnionBank and OLX signed up to sponsor their customer’s mobile internet access. Voyager’s PayMaya, the leading mobile payments acquirer in the Philippines, allowed the country’s top companies to accept card payments through their mobile app, website, or physical point-ofsale terminals.
Luzon power supply back to normal By Alena Mae S. Flores
T
he Energy Department on Monday said power supply in Luzon has returned to normal with the entry of the Malaya thermal power plant in Rizal and some natural gas plants into the grid. “We are no longer on yellow alert because there is enough supply. The plants have started to go online,” Energy Undersecretary Felix William Fuentebella said in a radio interview. Fuentebella said Luzon had an available power supply of 10,797 megawatts as of Monday, reflecting adequate reserves against demand of about 8,700 MW to 9,000 MW. He said power plants that came online included Malaya 1, 150 MW; Ilijan, 600 MW; Sta. Rita, 250 MW; and San Lorenzo, 250 MW. Supply from the natural gas plants in Batangas were disrupted after the April 8 earthquake, resulting in a loss of over 1,000 MW from the Luzon grid. “We are exerting all efforts to enable Unit 50 (of San Lorenzo), San Gabriel, and Avion to export their outputs within the coming days. Our site management team and our contractors have been tirelessly working since last week including through the Holy Week break,” First Gen Corp. vice president Jerome Cainglet said. First Gen owns the 1,000-MW Sta. Rita, 500-MW San Lorenzo, 414-MW San Gabriel and 10- MW Avion natural gas plants.
First Gen last week said while the power plants did not suffer damage from the earthquake, it destroyed various components of the San Lorenzo switchyard. Since the San Lorenzo switchyard connects the San Lorenzo, San Gabriel and Avion power plants to the transmission lines of National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, no power supply from these plants were exported to the grid. First Gen said the company, along with Siemens, the operations and maintenance contractor of the San Lorenzo and San Gabriel plants, was working on an interim solution to restore the operability of the switchyard and enable the operation of the power plants. More electric cooperatives, meanwhile, reduced their systems losses last year, resulting in a record low average of 10.99 percent, down 0.13 percent from the 11.12 percent average they posted in 2015, according to the National Electrification Administration. NEA said in a statement 42 electric cooperatives registered a single-digit system loss average in 2016, while 53 others stayed within the 13 percent cap set by the Energy Regulatory Commission. NEA administrator Edgardo Masongsong said the reduction in the system loss was one of the major policy thrusts of the agency. Significant reductions in systems losses allow the electric cooperatives to become operationally efficient and be of better service to their member-consumers. “Electric cooperatives must continue to implement measures that would keep their system loss average at the minimum to ease the burden on their consumers who are forced to shoulder it,” Masongsong said.
7% of GDP for infrastructure? BEING an experienced businessman, the Secretary of Finance is highly knowledgeable about the relationship between spending and financial capability. A corporation does not enter into a program of stepped-up spending if it is less than sure about the availability of the needed incremental resources. To have to scale back a stepped-up spending program on account of a slowdown in the inflow of financial resources is not only costly; it is also humiliating. Corporate facilities placed on hold because of funding cuts is every bit as embarrassing as government infrastructure projects suspended because of downward budget adjustments. At the start of its life the Duterte administration made known its intention to substantially raise the level of government spending on infrastructure. Whereas past administrations had been allocating 3-4 percent of the gross domestic product to the installation of things like airports, seaports, bridges, schoolhouses and health centers, the Duterte administration announced that it would move to raise the percentage to 5, gradually rising to 7 percent of GDP during the remaining years of Rodrigo Duterte’s term. Realizing fully that he heads the department that provides the financial resources for the Duterte administration’s infrastructure program, Carlos Dominguez III has lost no time spelling out the intimate connection between infrastructure and resources – more specifically, the intimate connection between the new infrastructure that Rodrigo Duterte wants and the increment in the government’s total tax take. In speech after speech, and in successive interviews with the media, Secretary Dominguez has been delivering this simple message: no tax reform package, no infrastructure program. There are no two ways about it, Sonny Dominguez has been saying Congress has to approve the Duterte administration’s tax package in its entirety, or the infrastructure program isn’t going to happen. The Secretary is absolutely right. As it now stands— without the infrastructure spending step-up—the 2018 General Appropriations Act (GAA) is a tightly crafted document. There is no room for a program of substantial additional spending. If the board of directors of his
food processing company or his hotel company were bent on embarking on a substantial expansion program, Sonny Dominguez would tell the directors the same thing: If you want an expansion program, first give me the resources. There are two things that need saying about the Duterte administration’s tax reform program and its ambitious infrastructure plans. One has to do with the prospects for early Congressional approval of the tax program. The other has to do with the relationship between GDP and spending on infrastructure. I don’t know where the tax reform package is in the House of Representatives at this point. What I do know is that the package is a complicated piece of work—it is an amalgam of increases, reductions, inclusions and exemptions—and that there will be many heated discussions in the Lower House and the Senate before the package is ready for President Duterte’s signature. Approval of the package during the current session of the 17th Congress is by no means certain. Given the highly controversial character of some of the package’s components—especially the proposed changes in certain excise taxes—even a late-2017 timetable must be considered chancy. The thing that needs to be said about the relationship between this country’s GDP and public spending on infrastructure is that 7-percent-of-GDP spending on infrastructure is an ambitious target for any capitalist country, let alone a middle-income developing country like the Philippines. The impediment to the realization of 7-percent-of-GDP infrastructure spending is not only financial in character; it is also administrative (read: corruption and inefficiency). A less ambitious 5-percent-ofGDP infrastructure spending target would not be short of financial and administrative issues, but it looks doable. Unreached targets are the breeding ground of frustration and cynicism. It is always preferable to surpass targets than to miss them. Back to the tax reform package. Paraphrasing the old ‘no money, no honey’ saying, no tax reform package, no big infrastructure program. It’s as simple as that. E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com
Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com
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TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
Business Oil drops below $53 on US drilling surge
SAUDI RENEWABLE. Exhibitors and visitors attend the Saudi Arabia Renewable Energy Investment Forum on April 17, 2017, in Riyadh. AFP
OIL declined below $53 a barrel as the US continued to ramp up drilling, stoking fears the nation’s surge in output this year will counter Opec-led efforts to cut a global supply surplus. Futures fell as much as 1 percent in New York, paring last week’s 1.8 percent advance. US explorers added 11 rigs last week, capping the longest stretch of gains since 2011, according to Baker Hughes Inc. data. Prices fell even after Saudi Arabian Oil Co. chief executive officer Amin Nasser said the global oil market is moving closer to balance despite the US shale boom. The recovery in US drilling activity is damping optimism that had sent prices above $53 a barrel after some members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries voiced support for prolonging production cuts with other nations beyond June. While US crude stockpiles declined from a record, Opec said in a report Wednesday that rivals in the American shale industry are growing stronger. “US drillers are recovering output faster than the market predicted and it’s getting faster every day,” Will Yun, a commodities analyst Hyundai Futures Corp., said by phone in Seoul. This “makes it hard to predict how much it’s capable of expanding production.” West Texas Intermediate for May delivery fell as much as 55 cents to $52.63 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, before trading at $52.82 a barrel at 4:08 p.m. in Seoul. Futures gained 94 cents last week to close at $53.18 a barrel. Total volume traded was about 13 percent below the 100-day average. Brent for June settlement dropped as much as 58 cents, or 1 percent, to $55.31 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark crude traded at a $2.31 premium to June WTI. No futures were traded in New York or London on Friday due to the Good Friday holiday. The US drill rig count climbed to 683 last week, the highest since April 2015 and a 13th week of gains, Baker Hughes data showed on Friday. The number of working rigs has more than doubled from a 2016 low of 316 in May. Explorers in the Lone Star State led the week’s growth, with eight more rigs put to work in the Permian Basin of west Texas and New Mexico while three started up in the Eagle Ford of south Texas. Bloomberg
China’s economy grew 6.9% in Q1 Gold set to rise on B political tension
GOLD will extend its rally as the dollar weakens, future US interest rate increases are already priced in and equity markets decline amid mounting geopolitical risk, according to Prestige Economics LLC. “Gold is going higher here,” Jason Schenker, president and founder of the Austin, Texasbased firm, said in a Bloomberg TV interview Monday. “We see a gradually weakening dollar on trend. Although we expect two more rate hikes this year―September, December―and four rate hikes next year, what we also think is that a lot of that’s priced in.” Bullion is up 12 percent this year as investors seek a haven partly because of the unpredictability of President Donald Trump’s political and economic policies. The US bombed Syria and Islamic State positions in a remote area of Afghanistan this month, and tension ratcheted up at the weekend after Trump was said to be willing to consider “kinetic” military action, including a sudden strike on North Korea, after a ballistic missile launch by the country failed. Spot gold climbed as much as 0.8 percent to $1,295.56 an ounce on Monday, the highest level since Nov. 9, and traded at $1,288.87 by 3:53 p.m. in Singapore, according to Bloomberg generic pricing. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index fell 0.3 percent and has sunk about 4.7 percent from a high reached in January. Prestige Economics, an independent market research firm, was ranked the top gold price forecaster for the second quarter of 2016 along with ABN Amro Bank NV, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Schenker is also a Bloomberg View columnist. In a Bloomberg survey last week, traders and analysts were the most positive on gold since December 2015. From a technical viewpoint, breakouts above the Bollinger bands in the past few sessions are a “critically bullish sign,” said Schenker, who sees further downside risk for equities as being supportive to gold. He’s also watching for first-quarter US economic growth on April 28. Bloomberg
EIJING―China’s economy grew 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2017, government data showed Monday, beating expectations in the latest sign of stabilization for the world’s second-largest economy.
Beijing has said it wants to transition away from a reliance on debt-fueled investment and towards a consumer-driven economic model, but the transition has proved bumpy. The economy grew at just 6.7 percent in 2016, its slowest rate in a quarter of a century. “For the first time in the recent years, China starts a year
with a strong headline GDP,” Raymond Yeung of Australia & New Zealand Banking Group told Bloomberg News. “Thanks to strong investment and property, the economy is performing well.” The reading Monday marked the second quarterly improvement since the final three months of 2014.
It was better than the median analyst expectation of 6.8 percent in an AFP poll, and also up on the fourth quarter figure. “The national economy in the first quarter has maintained the momentum of steady and sound development,” the National Bureau of Statistics said in a statement. It added that “positive changes kept emerging and major indicators performed better than expected”. Monday’s data also showed China’s industrial output growth rose to 7.6 percent year-on-year in March, beating a Bloomberg estimate of 6.3. Retail spending rebounded to
a forecast-beating 10.9 percent, while fixed-asset investment rose 9.2 percent in the first three months of the year, representing a slight acceleration from February. The readings follow data showing robust foreign trade and a further expansion in factory activity driven by a pickup in production and demand last month. The faster growth rate was driven by a pick-up in industry and construction, Brian Jackson of IHS Global Insight said in a note, adding that “mining, manufacturing and utilities growth all accelerated,” while the services sector slowed. But the return to stimulus spending and infrastructure to
drive the economy shows Beijing has reverted to “the same old” investment-driven growth model, Raymond Yeung and David Qu of ANZ Research wrote in a note. They said the government’s announcement last month that it would build a vast new economic zone in the relatively unprosperous area of Xiong’an shows authorities have a “tendency to rely on infrastructure development to sustain growth.” News of the Xiong’an zone, which is expected to eventually cover a vast area of some 2,000 square kilometers, set off a flurry of speculative real-estate purchases in the area, which has been struggling economically. AFP
The best new business hotel in London isn’t a business hotel at all By Nikki Ekstein DON’T even think about calling the Ned a business hotel. Yes, behind its grand 1920s Midland Bank facade, it’s the size of a convention center property, with 320,000 total squarefeet of space. And yes, it’s located smack in the middle of the City, London’s finance and business core. But a business hotel is the very last thing the Ned’s founders set out to create. Based on repeated warnings from their handlers, they seem to consider those two words nothing short of anathema. The Ned is the first collaboration between Andrew Zobler and Nick Jones, red-hot hoteliers with a gift for attracting the crème de la crème of the creative class. Jones founded Soho House, while Zobler is chief executive of Sydell Group, which develops and operates acclaimed properties like the Nomad in New York, the Freehand (in Miami and Chicago), and the Line (in Los Angeles and Washington D.C.). An urban resort is more appropriate term, they say. And yet, when it opens on April 27, the Ned will be the best business hotel in town, make no bones about it. Blockbuster proportions If Jones’ Soho House hotels have been like indie movies, he characterized in an interview, then this is his big blockbuster. The project is massive terms of both size and investment: 252 rooms in 13 categories; seven public restaurants; a private members’ club; three bars; a rooftop pool; six meeting and event spaces; a barbershop; a women’s hair studio; separate salons for facials and skin rejuvenation bar, make-up, and nail; a fitness club; and a spa. While the team declined to comment on their total budget, the recent restoration of the glitzy Corinthia, another sprawling London hotel, cost a cool $490 million. And despite the prowess of both hoteliers, neither was willing to tackle the project alone. “Nick had never done anything of this scale, but he understands London as well as anybody and has a great aesthetic and style,” said Zobler of their partnership. “We under-
stood the hotel business and development very well. Together we made a great team.” Jones concurred, “We’ve been responsible for the design, and they’ve been responsible for the implementation―it’s been a super successful collaboration.” Bigger is Better “Lifestyle hotels used to be synonymous with this idea of ‘boutique,’” said Zobler. “Small meant better. More intimate.” He sees that changing. “Growing in scale means you can offer a larger range of amenities,” he explained. Those separate men’s and women’s salons perfectly prove the point: they’ll come in handy whether guests are going to black-tie weddings or buttoned-up board meetings. Ditto the meeting rooms with private terraces or the 24-hour British brasserie called Millie’s (as convenient for locals’ post-party munchies as it will be for suits with latenight flight arrivals). “Nobody wants to stay in the same boring business hotels with the same restaurant menus and the same ugly awnings,” said Jack Ezon of Ovation Travel, whose company books at least 30,000 corporate room nights in London annually. “You want a cool place with a great vibe that gets you in
a good mood, especially if you’re entertaining. And if you can combine that with big, nice rooms it’s even better,” he added. The Ned, he says, ticks those boxes. Entertaining will be easy with eight restaurants that include a sister to Cecconi’s in Mayfair; a Jewish deli; a Parisian-inspired café; and several spaces that will be for guest use only, like a bar in the bank building’s old vault space, a rooftop grill, and a ritzy American steakhouse. “For business travelers, the Ned is a game-changer,” said Ezon, estimating that the project will likely see 60-80 percent of their occupancy ticking the business box on their immigration forms Public-Private Offerings “You have to be a member to walk into a Soho House building, but a good night at the Ned will see every sort of person in there― that’s what will make it interesting and exciting, I think,” said Jones, whose previous projects have always been characterized by a sense of exclusivity. “The Ned is for everyone.” And yet, that’s not entirely true. While a bulk of the restaurants and public spaces will in fact be open to the public, a private membership club will still give the Ned an elite bent.
Included in the membership cost (which starts at 1,500 GBP, or $1,880) is access to a series of private spaces like the aforementioned restaurants, a marble-clad gym, and a spa with a hammam, sauna, and swimming pool. Perhaps the hardest tables to book on property will be those at the Princes Dome and Poultry Dome Bars, two visually spectacular watering holes built into round rooftop atriums. Though a long-held focus of Soho House clubs, getting admitted here won’t require you to be a creative professional. The hotel’s position in the City will force it to open its network beyond the traditional editorial-, art-, and fashion-types. “What we’re really hoping for is a blend of people,” said Zobler, who said that “getting the alchemy right” would require a diverse mix of business travelers, start-up entrepreneurs, transient locals, leisure types, and beyond. “We’re trying to cultivate that through the diversity of the offerings,” he explained. Financial Districts on the Upswing Until now, there have been few exciting places to stay in the City except for an Andaz, an Indigo, and a few unbranded, unremarkable crash pads. But that’s changing, and not just because of the Ned. Ezon says the recently-opened Four Seasons Ten Trinity―also in a historic building with a private members’ club―is another City game-changer, despite having a more traditional feel. “They’ll cater to a similar comp set but a different psychographic,” explained Ezon. “One for the more trendy and one for the more traditional.” Zobler hopes bringing the cool-kid cred to the City will help change the neighborhood even further. “The center of gravity in London has really moved east. You used to want to stay in the West End, and went to the City just to do business. Now that so much has moved east to Shoreditch and beyond, the City has actually become a great hub,” he said. To his point: nightlife, shops, and tech companies have moved in, and restaurants are expanding their hours past 8 p.m. for the first time. The Ned opens April 27. Rooms start at $250 GPB ($313). Bloomberg
Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
C1
SUMMER GAMES.
School’s out, and what better way to spend the summer vacation than to play in the streets, as in this scene in Makati City where kids play the traditional ‘tumbang preso’ with their slippers and an empty tin can in the afternoon sun. Diana B. Noche
LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS
Estrada turns 80, gives Manila workers a raise By Sandy Araneta
A
S HE celebrates his 80th birthday on Wednesday, Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Monday announced a new round of salary increases for city hall employees.
Estrada broke the good news during the morning flag ceremony at city hall, earning applause from the thousands of rank-and-file workers and career officials. “I’ve seen your hard work and dedication,” Estrada told the employees, “so as my gift to you, you will receive another increase in your monthly pay.” Since becoming mayor in 2013, Estrada said it had been one of his “birthday wishes” to uplift the lives of city hall workers, especially with the
steady increase of the daily costs of living and the school expenses of their children and dependents. The across-the-board increase in the regular employees’ monthly pay would be retroactive to Jan. 1, 2017, according to city personnel office chief Miguelita Alonzo. Each employee’s monthly pay will be increased by 10 percent, he added. The city government has allocated P250 million for the salary adjustments of 8,830 regular
employees based on the regulations set by the Department of Budget and Management. On Jan. 5, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno issued National Budget Circular No. 568 and Local Budget Circular No. 113 that allows agencies and local government units to adjust compensation retroactively effective Jan. 1 under Executive Order No. 201 issued in 2016. The EO mandated compensation adjustments in four annual tranches starting in 2016 until 2019. Inheriting a bankrupt city with an unpaid debt of P5 billion when he assumed office in 2013, Estrada said he has worked hard to regain Manila’s financial stability. In November 2014, he released the employees’ long-delayed benefits, and implemented the fourth
tranche of their salary increase that had been denied to them by the previous mayor. Back then, all government employees were scheduled to receive the fourth tranche of wage hikes in 2012 under the Salary Standardization Law but the previous city administration reportedly claimed that there were no funds available. In a related development, the Sandiganbayan has allowed former Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada to attend the 80th birthday of his father, former president and current Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Ejercito Estrada, on Wednesday. In the minutes of the proceedings dated April 10, the Sandiganbayan’s Fifth Division granted the motion for furlough of the former senator on April 19, 2017 from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. with PNA
N. Vizcaya opens museum, library BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Provincial officials led by Gov. Carlos Padilla have formally opened the Provincial Museum and Library in this town. The National Museum has recently declared the PML as one of the “Important Cultural Properties” in the country. The building has been repaired and developed through the initiative of former governor Ruth Padilla, who allocated funds for its improvement and facilitated its declaration as an ICP. Gov. Carlos Padilla said he will issue an executive order this week encouraging the province’s 15 towns to share their cultural and historical artifacts to the PML. “This will make our provincial museum more informative
Palace issues stay order for Lepanto By Dexter A. See MANKAYAN, Benguet—The Office of the President recently issued a stay order preventing government agencies from executing the suspension order on the embattled Lepanto Consolidated Mining Co. after it filed its allowable appeal to the Palace on time. In his letter dated April 7 to the LCMC legal department, Acting Deputy Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs Ryan Alvin R. Acosta confirmed that thanks to Lepanto’s timely appeal, the controversial suspension order “is deemed automatically stayed until otherwise ordered by the Office of the President pursuant to Section 9 of Administrative Order No. 22.” Palace records show that LCMC filed its notice of appeal before the Office of the President on Feb. 14 this year—when Environment Secretary Regina Lopez declared the cancellation of the mining permits of 75 firms
NO TO FAKE NEWS.
By signing the ‘Covenant to Stop Fake News,’ students and educators commit themselves and vow ‘to refrain from posting or sharing any bit of information that we have not verified to be accurate and truthful—and to have originated from reliable and responsible sources. This, even if such information may seem to confirm what we, or the larger segments of society, think, feel, or believe.’ This was the promise of 200 participants from various schools in Baguio, Benguet, Abra, and Pangasinan who attended the Scholastic Press Program of the Philippine Press Institute and Nickel Asia Corp. on ‘Let’s Get Real on Fake News’ at the University of the Cordilleras in Baguio City. The same seminar will be conducted in Batangas, Bulacan, Metro Manila, Visayas and Mindanao.
and educational, considering there are relevant artifacts that can be contributed by our municipalities,” he said. The building was the seat of local governance in the province even before the Second World War. It was preserved and transformed into a museum and library in the late 1990s by then-governor Rodolfo Agbayani. Officially called the People’s Museum and Library, it stands beside the Saint Dominic Cathedral, which is at the heart of the town and it boasts of having the best sounding church bells in the country. Saint Dominic is made of brick and rare church antiques. It is also near the Capitol Park, considered as the “Luneta of the North.” Ben Moses Ebreo
Calabarzon cop chief aids men shot on Good Friday CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna— Calabarzon Police Regional Director Chief Supt. Ma O Aplasca has personally extended financial assistance to two members of the Nasugbu Municipal Police, who were wounded in a buy-bust operation that preceded an encounter at Barangay Lum-
bangan, Nasugbu, Batangas on Good Friday. Aplasca visited PO1 Joseph Sagucio Martinez and PO2 Jimmy Guevarra Ilao at Apacible Memorial District Hospital in Nasugbu to hand over the cash aid to the wounded policemen. Ilao and
Martinez are members of the Drug Enforcement Team of the Nasugbu Police. The DET members conducted the buy-bust against drug suspect Gilbert Cudiamat, who fired on the team after sensing that the poseur-buyer was a police officer.
The suspect sustained gunshot wounds that caused his death, while Ilao sustained stab wounds on his left hand and left foot. Martinez also sustained a gunshot wound on his left thigh. “I would like to commend these brave and strong men who just risked their lives in the per-
formance of their duties. Your actions are worth emulating,” Aplasca told the policemen. The regional director assured the families of the wounded policemen of his office’s continuous support while they undergo medical treatment. Roy Tomandao
across the country—and its appeal memorandum on March 15. The company represented that it received the assailed suspension order on Feb. 14. Engineer Thomas Consolacion, LCMC resident manager, said the company was elated upon receiving the stay order from the Office of the President, saying it had been business as usual since the suspension order cropped up several months ago. The Lepanto official admitted the company’s stock market value dropped drastically since the suspension order was issued, but managed to stabilize it over the past several weeks as it continued its mining operations after the company filed its notice of appeal on time. Consolacion claimed the company’s losses reached P1.8 billion in terms of shareholders’ investments, aside from other losses incurred owing to the anxiety caused by the sudden suspension, which miners had branded as “without solid basis and cannot stand legal grounds.”
Antipolo sports center finished
ANTIPOLO CITY, Rizal— Antipolo City now boasts a P51.5-million sports center at Barangay San Isidro. Antipolo City Mayor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares expressed his appreciation for the new sport center built through the assistance of Rep. Cristina “Chiqui” Roa-Puno. The new sports hub is equipped with a basketball court and electronic scoreboards, and is designed to hold big sports and special events. Ynares said Puno has shared the city government’s effort to expand its youth sports program through the establishment of recreational facilities and physical fitness and sports activities to keep the youth away from drugs. The mayor has ordered the procurement of basketball, volleyball, badminton and other sports equipment to be used at the sports center. He encouraged the city’s residents, especially the out-of-school youth, to hone their skills at the center. House Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles also endorsed funds to construct the San Isidro sports center, Ynares said. PNA
Republic of the Philippines
National Irrigation Administration (PAMBANSANG PANGASIWAAN NG PATUBIG) Regional Office No. III
Office Address: Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan Telephone Nos. : (044) 766-2467 766-4839, 816-6808 Website: www.region3.nia.gov.ph
Email Address:niar03@yahoo.com Telefax No.(044) 766-2467 TIN: 000-979-570-000
Invitation to Bid Rehabilitation / Improvement of Diversion Works and Canal System of Calius-Gueco CIS, Concepcion, Tarlac ITB NO. NIAR3-RRECIS-2017-TAR-CALIUS-GUECO CIS-23 1.
The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3,hereby invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered Contractors to bid for the project through the General Appropriations Act of CY 2017, intends to apply the sum of Twenty Three Million Four Hundred Seventy Five Thousand Six Hundred Ten Pesos and 23/100 (P 23,475,610.23)being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)to payments under the contract for NIAR3-RRECIS-2017-TAR-CALIUS-GUECO CIS-23. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.
2.
Only those Letter of Intent with a company profile, submitted by the owner or its authorized liaison officer, will be accepted to participate in the bidding.
3.
The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3, now invites bids for Rehabilitation / Improvement of Diversion Works and Canal System of Calius-Gueco CIS, Concepcion, Tarlac. Completion of the Works is required within Two Hundred Forty (240) calendar days. Bidders should have completed within the last three (3) years with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II, Instruction to Bidders.
4.
Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary pass/fail criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.
BFAR warns Bohol of shellfish poisoning T
Interested bidders may obtain further information from NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday to Friday. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on April 4, 2017 to April 24, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and April 25, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., except holidays from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P 25,000.00).
6.
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 fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.
7.
The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on April 12, 2017, 10:00 a.m. at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.
8.
Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before 12:00 p.m. (PST) of April 25, 2017 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bid opening shall be on 1:00 p.m. (PST) of April 25, 2017 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. 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.
9.
Roxas Boulevard Corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. Street Manila 1004
Request foR expRession of inteRest foR PROCUREMENT OF AN INDEPENDENT ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE PHILIPPINE EXTRACTIVE INDUSTRIES TRANSPARENCY INITIATIVE (PH-EITI) FOR 2017 (COVERING 2015 & 2016 DATA)
1.
The Department of Finance (DOF) now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for Independent Administrator for the PH-EITI. Eligibility documents of interested consultants must be duly received by the SBAC Secretariat on or before April 25, 2017, 9:45 am at 8th Floor, General Services Division, EDPC Bldg. cor. P. Ocampo Sr. St., Malate, Manila. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.
3.
Interested bidders may obtain further information from Department of Finance (DOF) and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
4.
A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on April 18, 2017 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Ten Thousand Pesos (Php10,000.00). It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Department of Finance (DOF), provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.
5.
Invitation to Bid The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office of Agusan, through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) for Engineering Projects, invites contractors registered with and classified by the Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board (PCAB) to bid for the hereunder contract: A. Contract ID B. Contract Name
: :
C. Approved Budget for the Contract D. Location E. Scope of Work
NRP-AGN-02-17 Repair of Pavement at North End, Nasipit Port
: : :
P 20,103,323.50 Nasipit Port, Agusan del Norte Mobilization/Demobilization 1. Demolition Works 1.1.Remove and dispose affected paving blocks and sand cushion– 4,033.20 Sq.m. 1.2.Remove and dispose damaged concrete pavement – 1,634.80 Sq. m. 2. Gravel Basecourse – 1,133.00 Cu.m. 3. Portland Cement Concrete Pavement, 3500psi – 5,665.00 sq.m. 4. Construction/Expansion Joints – 3,315.00 l.m. 120 Calendar Days
F. Contract Duration G. Required PCAB Classification/Registration
: :
Port, Harbor and Offshore Engineering: Medium A
Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a single largest completed contract (SLCC) similar to the Project to be bid and having a value of at least 50% of the approved budget for the contract to be bid, adjusted to current prices using the PSA consumer price indices and supported with corresponding certificate of completion/acceptance from project owner/agency.
The minimum passing score is seventy percent (70%). Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.
7.
The Department of Finance (DOF) shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure. The Department of Finance (DOF) shall indicate the weights to be allocated for the Technical and Financial Proposals. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders.
8.
The contract shall be completed within seven (7) months.
9.
The Department of Finance (DOF) reserves the right to 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.
10. For further information, please refer to:
(SGD) GIL S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and SBAC Chairman
(MS-APR. 18, 2017)
Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES
National Capital Region
DENR-NCR Building, National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES FOR CY 2017 The DENR-NCR, through the GAA-CY 20171 intends to apply the sum of TWO MILLION PESOS (Php2, 000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for “Procurement of Motor Vehicles for CY 2017”. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening. The DENR-NCR now invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, authorized franchised dealers to submit Letter of Intent (LOI) and to Bid for the following, to wit: Purchase Request (PR) No.
Quantity
2016-045
Two (2) units
Bidding is restricted to duly licensed Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, corporations or cooperatives duly organized under the law of the Philippines and of which at least 75% of the interest or of the outstanding capital stock belongs to citizens of the Philippines.
A complete set of Bidding Documents will be available to interested Bidders from the address below upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P25,000.00), exclusive of 12% VAT. This Office is not electronically-ready to handle documents, thus submission of bids / proposals electronically is not allowed. The schedule of procurement activities is as follows: Procurement Activities
Schedule
Description
Multi-Purpose Vehicle2
Approved Budget for the Contract (PHP) PhP2,000,000.00
SPECIFICATION Dimensions-Overall (LxWxH) 4.735x1.839x1,795 Wheelbase-2,750 Engine Type • 2.0 Liter diesel, 4 cylinder, in-line valve • Double Overhead, Camshaft • Minimum Power-136/5,600 • Maximum Torque-183/4,000 • Transmissio-5 Speed MT Engine Displacement not exceeding 1500cc for gasoline or 2500cc for diesel
Delivery of the Goods is required as indicated in the Bid Data Sheet of the Bidding Documents. Bidders should have completed a contract similar to the project in the last five (5) years. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedure 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 citizen/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.
Time 9:00 AM -5:00 PM
Date Venue April 12, 2017 - PPA, PMO Agusan Admin April 19, 2017 Building, Port Area, Butuan City
Interested bidders must submit their Letter of Intent from April 18, 2017 to May 05, 2017 and may obtain further information from and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00-5:00 P.M.
Pre-Bid Conference
10:30 AM
PPA, PMO Agusan Admin April 20, 2017 Building, Port Area, Butuan City
A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on April 18, 2017 to May 05, 2017 from the address below and upon payment of a non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Five Thousand Pesos (PhP 5,000.00).
Deadline of Submission and Receipt of Bids Opening & Examination of Bids
8:30 AM
May 2, 2017
9:00 AM
May 2, 2017
Period of Availability/ Issuance of Bidding Documents
PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City PPA, PMO Agusan Admin Building, Port Area, Butuan City
The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office of Agusan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on April 20, 2017 (Thursday) @ 10:30 o’clock in the morning at the PPA, PMO Agusan Administration Bldg., Port Area, San Francisco Street, Butuan City, which shall be open only to all interested bidders who have purchased the Bidding Documents. Bidders must submit their bids on or before the date, time and at the place specified in the above schedule. Late bid/s will not be accepted. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the forms stated in the Bidding Documents. Bids higher than the ABC shall automatically be disqualified at the bid opening. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. The Philippine Ports Authority, Port Management Office of Agusan 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. Similarly, the PPA Port Management Office of Agusan assumes no obligation, whatsoever, to compensate or indemnify any bidder of any expenses or loss that said bidder(s) may incur in its participation in the pre-bidding and bidding process nor does it guarantee that an award will be made. For further information, please refer to: MS. SARAH JANE T. LUCERO Sr. Project Planning & Development Officer Head, BAC Secretariat-Engineering Projects PPA, PMO-Agusan Port Area, San Francisco Street, Butuan City 8600 Tel. Nos. (085) 342-6451/342-5352 Fax No. (085) 815-4434 Email Address: pmo_nasipit@yahoo.com (Sgd.) JUANCHO I. TALILI Division Manager A, Port Services Division BAC Chairperson, Engineering Projects
It may also 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. The DENR-NCR will hold a Pre-bid Conference on April 26, 2017, 2:00 o`clock in the afternoon, at the Conference Room, 4th Flr., DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City which shall be open to all interested parties. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before of 10:00 a.m. of May 08, 2017. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in the Bidding Documents. Bid opening shall be at 10:30 a.m. on May 08, 2017 at the Conference Room, 4th Flr. DENR-NCR Bldg., National Ecology Center, East Avenue, Quezon City. 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. The DENR-NCR 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 Secretariat Procurement Section, 3rd Flr, DENR-NCR Bldg. National Ecology Center East Avenue, Quezon City Tel. 3740091 April 10, 2017. (SGD) DIR. SOFIO D. QUINTANA, Ph.D CESO IV. Assistant Regional Director for Technical Services and Chairman, Regional Bids and Awards Committee Office of the Assistant Regional Director, Technical Services DENR-NCR Bldg. National Ecology Center Compound East Avenue, Quezon City 1 2
(MS-APR. 18, 2017)
HE Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, on Monday, warned Boholanos of possible shellfish poisoning from shellfishes gathered from Dawis and Tagbilaran City coastal waters in the province of Bohol.
The Bureau issued Shellfish Bulletin No. 14 series of 2017 stating the shellfishes from the said localities in Bohol have tested positive for paralytic shellfish poison that is beyond the regulatory limit. Agriculture Undersecretary and Fisheries Bureau director Eduardo B. Gongona said even shrimp fry or “alamang” in the vernacular, gathered from the mentioned places are not safe for human consumption. Other seafoods, though, like fish, squids, shrimps, and crabs are safe for eating provided these are washed thoroughly and cooked well with internal organs like gills and intestines removed during preparation. Further, the Bureau announced that the following areas remain safe from red tide: the coastal waters of Cavite, Las Piñas, Parañaque, Navotas, Bulacan and Bataan; Manila Bay; the coastal waters of Mandaon in Masbate; Juag Lagoon in Matnog and Sor-
Allotment Comprehensive Release to DENR-OSEC-NCR under the FY 2017 General Appropriations Act (GAA), Republic Act No. 10924. Letter of Authority to Purchase to units of MPV dated April 6, 2017 from Sec. Benjamin E. Diokno to Sec. Regina Paz L. Lopez, Attention: Dir. Lourdes Wagan
sogon Bay in Sorsogon; Honda and Puerto Princesa Bays in Puerto Princesa City and Inner Malampaya Sound in Taytay, Palawan; Coastal waters of Higantes Islands in Carles, Iloilo; coastal waters of Pilar, Panay, President Roxas of Roxas City in Capiz and Sapian Bay; Altaves, Batan and New Washington in Batan Bay; Matarinao Bay in Eastern Samar; Cambatutay, Maqueda, Irong-Irong, Villareal Bay, Aldan and Daramm Island in Western Samar; San Pedro, Carigera and Cancabato Bays in Tacloban City; and the coastal eaters of Calubian and Leyte in Leyte; Coastal waters of Biliran Province; Dumaguillas Bay in Zamboanga del Sur; Tantanang Bay in Zamboanga Sibugay; Murcielagos Bay in Zamboanga del Norte and Misamis Occidental; Taguines Lagoon in Benani, Mahinog, Camiguin Island; Balite Bay in Mati, Davao Oriental; Hinatuan, Bislig and Uanga Bays in Surigao del Sur.
4 first-time Baguio visitors get a treat By Dexter A. See
Ms. Mary Ann D. Rodolfo SBAC Secretariat 4th Floor DOF Building, BSP Complex Cor. P. Ocampo Sr., Street Roxas Boulevard, Manila Telephone No.: 525-0487
Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criteria as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act No. 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.
Interested bidders are required to submit to the BAC Secretariat of PPA, PMO Agusan a set of machine and original copies of the following documents for authentication before the issuance of Bid Documents: a) Valid PCAB License; b) Certificate of Completion/Acceptance of owner of the single largest completed project within the last three (3) years; c) CY 2016 CPES Rating; and d) Certification of non-inclusion in the Consolidated Blacklisting Report issued by the GPPB.
- 30% - 50% - 20% 100%
6.
BAC Secretariat/s; NIA – Region 3,Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan Tel No. (044) 766-4839 and 816-8608 VIRGILIO J. ILAO (Sgd.) BAC - Chairman
The SBAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Expression of Interest, including the eligibility documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act 9184 (RA 9184), otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of at least one (1) prospective bidder who will be entitled to submit bids. The criteria and rating system for short listing are: I. Applicable Experience II. Quality of Personnel to be Assigned III. Capacity to Execute the Project Total
10. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3reserves 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.
(MS-APR. 18, 2017)
The Department of Finance (DOF), Government of the Philippines under the General Appropriations Act for CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of Eight Million Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php8,500,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Independent Administrator. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.
2.
All particulars relative to the eligibility screening, bid security, performance security, prebid conference/s, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contracts shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its revised IRR.
11. For further information, please refer to:
By Othel V. Campos
Republic of the Philippines DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE
Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines. 5.
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
LGUs
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 Standard C2 TODAY Manila
BAGUIO CITY—Four first-time visitors to this city were chosen by the members of the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club as this year’s lucky summer visitors, who will be receiving a four-day red carpet treatment from the media organization and the sponsoring local governments of Baguio and Benguet. The two pairs of lucky visitors went through their respective hardships in trying to visit the city prior to being selected by members of the BCBC search team in front of a gasoline station at Rosario, La Union last Wednesday morning. Chosen at around 8:15 a.m. were Rolando Sarmiento Jr., 19, a graduating Marine Engineering student of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy and his girlfriend Karen Joy Villanueva, 22, operations super-
visor of a Caloocan City-based dermatology clinic. Both are natives of Bulacan. Selected three hours later were Annabel Ricolito, 28, a native of Misamis Occidental, and Ma. Jean Deyto, 45, a native of Sorsogon, both Manila-based store workers. The four lucky visitors were impressed with the warm welcome accorded to them by City Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, Tuba Mayor Ignacio Rivera, La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda, and the organizers of the activity. They were also fascinated by the scenic tourist spots they visited for the first time, while being toured around Baguio and the nearby towns of Benguet. Villanueva narrated she and Sarmiento had planned to visit Baguio “for a long period of time” but they could not make the necessary reservations, considering that buses plying the route from Manila were always fully booked.
IN BRIEF Kalibo destroys illegal mufflers KALIBO, Aklan—Officials in the capital town of Kalibo on Monday destroyed hundreds of assorted open-pipe motorcycle mufflers. Kalibo Mayor William S. Lachica led the traffic management unit in destroying the “noisy” mufflers using a backhoe. Lachica said the mufflers were confiscated in various operations in the past months. The mayor said the destruction was to show the commitment of the local government to its campaign against open-pipe mufflers producing loud, irritating sounds. Mufflers are usually customized to amplify engine noise at full throttle. The confiscation of illegal mufflers in the town follows Municipal Ordinance No. 2016-003. Erring drivers were fined P2,500 and required to reinstall the factory-manufactured and -installed muffler. The ordinance also prohibits selling modified mufflers. PNA
Health workers and Masons join forces ARITAO, Nueva Vizcaya—More than 300 children and adults here recently received free medical and dental services from health workers and civil society organizations in the province. Dr. Jojo Gonzales, medical mission coordinator, said 303 children were given free circumcision and 45 patients received free dental services recently in Mt. Ynordenan in Barangay Bone South in this town. “The patients were also given free medicines covering the surgical and dental services given,” he said. The annual medical mission was sponsored by the Veterans Regional Hospital in Bayombong town, the Masonic Lodges of Aritau, Salinas, Magat, Guillermo Bongolan, Scottish Rite Cagayan Valley Bodies and Salinas, Aritau, and Sierra Madre Courts of the Order of the Amaranth. The annual medical mission, which was started in 1983 by Dr. Cirilo Galindez, VRH chief, has benefited thousands of villagers in this town and neighboring municipalities. Ben Moses Ebreo
(MS-APR. 18, 2017)
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
World
Manila
Standard
TODAY
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
C3
Court to rule on Ukraine vs Russia T HE HAGUE―In a key moment for the Ukrainian crisis, the UN’s highest court will rule Wednesday on a bid by Kiev to stop Russia allegedly pumping money, arms and troops into the country’s war-torn east. Three years into a bloody conflict that has claimed more than 10,000 lives, Ukraine is urging the International Court of Justizce to help bring stability to its volatile east. Kiev is also calling on The Hague-based court to order Moscow to halt what it calls “racial discrimination” against minority groups in the Russian-occupied Crimea peninsula, particularly against its Tatar population. The ICJ was set up in 1945 to settle disputes between coun-
tries in line with international law. Ukraine lodged its case in January, accusing Russia of violating the Terrorism Financing Convention and an international treaty against racial discrimination. Moscow rejects the allegations. In its filing, Ukraine, a former Soviet republic, charged Russia with “sponsoring terrorism” by financing pro-Russian separatists and failing to stop military aid from seeping across the border into eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region.
It called on the court’s 15 judges to rule that “the Russian Federation bears international responsibility” for “acts of terrorism committed by its proxies in Ukraine”. These include the shelling and bombing of civilians and the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, shot down by a Russian-made Bukmissile over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. Ukraine wants Russia to pay compensation to all civilians caught up in the conflict -- one of Europe’s
bloodiest since the 1990s Balkans wars— as well as to the families of the 298 victims of MH17. As it can take months for the ICJ to even decide to hear a case, Ukraine also filed an application seeking interim protection measures. In the interim application, Ukraine is seeking a court order calling on the tribunal to order Russia to refrain from “any action which might aggravate or extend the dispute” or make it more difficult to resolve, including a halt to the funneling of money, weapons, equipment and personnel into the east. It also urges the tribunal to order Moscow to control its borders in eastern Ukraine and
halt racial discrimination in the Crimea, particularly against the Tatars. After hearings in March, the ICJ will rule on the interim application on Wednesday. Moscow has strongly denied Kiev’s terrorism claims, saying they were “neither factual nor legal” and argued that the ICJ does not have jurisdiction over the case. “The Russian Federation complies fully with its obligations under (the) treaties that are now relied upon by Ukraine,” Moscow representative Roman Kolodkin told the court last month. The drawn-out conflict, in which Russia also annexed Ukraine’s southern peninsula of Crimea in March 2014,
has pushed ties between Mos- are binding, the court has no cow and the West to their low- power of its own to enforce est point since the Cold War. them. Although the ICJ’s rulings That would fall onto the
UN Security Council, in which Russia—as a permanent member—wields a veto power. AFP
Regional Bids and Awards Committee - Region X 2nd Floor Green Tower Building A. Velez Corner A. Luna Streets, Cagayan de Oro City
INVITATION TO BID The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee - X (RBAC-X), invites Rural Banks and Cooperatives to bid for the hereunder project: Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)
Items
Non-Refundable Fee
ITB No. RBAC X-CCT 2017-004 Service fees for the distribution of DSWD Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program - Distribution of Cash Grants to Non Cash Card/Non Prepaid Card for May 2017 up to March 2018 payouts (Regional Coverage A): Note: Bid shall be on a per Province basis. BUKIDNON 2,771 -- MCCT IP 9,529 -- Offsite Beneficiaries/Payout 486 -- Onsite Beneficiaries/Payout
P
2,383,230.00
CAMIGUIN 3,190 -- Offsite Beneficiaries/Payout 204 -- Onsite Beneficiaries/Payout
P
603,576.00
LANAO DEL NORTE 3,945 -- Offsite Beneficiaries/Payout 93 -- Onsite Beneficiaries/Payout
P
794,502.00
LANAO DEL SUR 393 -- MCCT IP 90,836 -- Offsite Beneficiaries/Payout
P 23,008,572.00
MISAMIS ORIENTAL 649 -- MCCT IP 15,892 -- Offsite Beneficiaries/Payout 1,180 -- Onsite Beneficiaries/Payout
P
TOTAL
3,205,710.00
P 29,995,590.00
P
25,000.00
Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipts of bids, with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted. All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs). The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
SCHEDULE
Posting of Invitation to Bid and Issuance of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Submission / Opening of Bids / Bids Evaluation Post-qualification Issuance of Notice of Award Performance Bond Issuance of Notice to Proceed
April 18, 2017 May 4, 2017 May 18, 2017 May 19 to 23, 2017 May 24 to 26, 2017 May 29 to 31, 2017 June 1, 2017
Bid Documents will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable non-refundable amount to the LANDBANK Cashier, Velez Branch. LANDBANK reserves the right to (1) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (2) waive any minor formal requirements in the bid documents; (3) accept such bids it may consider advantageous and beneficial to the Bank, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE REGION X
BACK TO STRONG GROWTH. People buy goods at a market in Beijing on April 17, 2017. China’s economy grew 6.9 percent in the first quarter of 2017, government data showed on April 17, beating expectations in the latest sign of stabilization in the world’s second-largest economy. AFP
Evacuation after deadly dump collapse COLOMBO―Sri Lanka has moved over 400 families to temporary shelters after tons of rotting garbage collapsed onto a slum on Friday, killing 26 people. Some 145 homes were destroyed when the 300-foot rubbish mountain came crashing down and police say many more buildings were damaged and could collapse at any time. Hundreds of soldiers have kept up the search for survivors amid reports that at least six people were still missing after the disaster, which followed heavy rain the previous day and a fire hours earlier. It came as the country celebrated the traditional new year and followed a warning to Sri Lanka’s parliament that the 23 million tonnes of rotting garbage posed a serious health hazard. “We are keeping up a search, but we are not very hopeful of finding anyone alive in these conditions,” military spokesman Roshan Seneviratne said on Monday. Disaster management officials said 1,700 people had been moved to temporary shelters in state schools while the government looked for alternative accommodation. AFP
Regional Bids and Awards Committee - Region X 2nd Floor Green Tower Building A. Velez Corner A. Luna Streets, Cagayan de Oro City
INVITATION TO BID The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee - X (RBAC-X), invites Rural Banks and Cooperatives to bid for the hereunder project: Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)
Items
Non-Refundable Fee
ITB No. RBAC X-CCT 2017-005 Service fees for the distribution of DSWD Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program - Distribution of Cash Grants to Non Cash Card/Non Prepaid Card for May 2017 up to March 2018 payouts (Regional Coverage B): Note: Bid shall be on a per Municipality/City basis. BUKIDNON 58,409 Beneficiaries/Payout Baungon, Malaybalay, Valencia, Damulog, Dangcagan, Don Carlos, Impasug-ong, Kadingilan, Kalilangan, Kibawe, Lantapan, Manolo Fortich, Maramag, Pangantucan, Quezon, San Fernando, Sumilao, Talakag, LANAO DEL NORTE 30,742 Beneficiaries/Payout Baloi, Baroy, Iligan City, Kapatagan, Kauswagan, Lala, Linamon, Magsaysay, Maigo, Matungao, Munai, Nunungan, Pantao Ragat, Pantar, Poona Piagapo, Salvador, Sapad, Sultan Naga Dimaporo (Karomatan), Tagoloan, Tangcal, Tubod (Capital) MISAMIS ORIENTAL 30,456 Beneficiaries/Payout Balingasag, Binuangan, Cagayan de Oro City, Gingoog City, Jasaan, Lagonglong, Laguindingan, Magsaysay, Medina, Opol, Salay, Tagoloan, Talisayan, Villanueva
P
4,580,431.50
P
4,687,644.00
P
2,114,777.10
P 11,382,852.60
TOTAL
P
25,000.00
Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipts of bids, with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted. All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs). The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
SCHEDULE
Posting of Invitation to Bid and Issuance of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Submission / Opening of Bids / Bids Evaluation Post-qualification Issuance of Notice of Award Performance Bond Issuance of Notice to Proceed
April 18, 2017 May 4, 2017 May 18, 2017 May 19 to 23, 2017 May 24 to 26, 2017 May 29 to 31, 2017 June 1, 2017
Bid Documents will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable non-refundable amount to the LANDBANK Cashier, Velez Branch. LANDBANK reserves the right to (1) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (2) waive any minor formal requirements in the bid documents; (3) accept such bids it may consider advantageous and beneficial to the Bank, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE REGION X
CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK
Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor
C4
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
Palestinians in jail launch hunger strike
World
Ousted president indicted for bribery SEOUL―Ousted South Korean President Park Geun-Hye was on Monday charged with bribery involving millions of dollars over the massive corruption and influence-peddling scandal that brought her down. Park, whose impeachment was confirmed by Seoul’s top court last month, is at the center of a sprawling graft investigation, which has also implicated top businessmen and brought millions of people onto the streets. The former leader, already detained at a center near Seoul, also faces charges of abusing her powers and leaking state secrets, Seoul prosecutors probing the scandal said in a statement. “We have formally charged Park... with multiple offenses including abuse of power, coercion, bribery and leaking state secrets,” they said after wrapping up the months-long investigation. Park is accused of colluding with her confidante at the heart of the scandal, Choi Soon-sil, who is already on trial for coercing local conglomerates into donating a total of 77.4 billion won ($68 million) to two non-profit foundations. Choi allegedly used some of the donations for personal gain. Park is also accused of offering policy favors to top businessmen who enriched Choi, including Samsung heir Lee Jae-Yong who was arrested earlier and is also on trial for bribery. Prosecutors on Monday also charged Shin Dong-Bin, the chairman of the retail giant Lotte Group, with bribing Choi and Park. Shin allegedly offered seven billion won ($6.15 million) to a sports foundation linked with Choi in exchange for a policy favor from Park over Lotte’s dutyfree business. AFP
Harry suffered over death of Diana LONDON―Britain’s Prince Harry suffered “total chaos” before eventually seeking help to deal with the death of his mother Princess Diana, he said in an interview published Monday. Speaking to The Telegraph newspaper, the 32-year-old prince said he had spent years trying to ignore his emotions following Diana’s death in 1997 when he was just 12. “My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mum, because why would that help? It’s only going to make you sad. It’s not going to bring her back,” he said. It was not until the age of 28 that he sought help from mental health professionals after encouragement from others, including “huge support” from his older brother Prince William. “It was 20 years of not thinking about it and then two years of total chaos... I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” he said. While Harry has referred to grief in the past and supported mental health charities, he is acutely sensitive about media attention and it is rare for him to speak openly about his personal experience. Diana and her boyfriend Dodi Fayed were killed in a car crash in a Paris underpass on August 31, 1997, along with their French driver Henri Paul as they tried to outrun chasing photographers. Her death triggered a mass outpouring of public grief and Harry walked behind her coffin during a funeral which was broadcast around the world. AFP
DAY 3. Festival goers attend day 3 of the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival [Weekend 1] at the Empire Polo Club on April 16, 2017, in Indio, California. AFP
RAMALLAH―Hundreds of Palestinians in Israeli jails launched a hunger strike Monday following a call from leader and prominent prisoner Marwan Barghouti, a movement that could mark a serious challenge to Israeli authorities if sustained. The hunger strike was called for in connection with Palestinian Prisoners Day, observed annually, but also ahead of commemorations this summer marking 50 years since the 1967 Six Day War and the start of Israel’s occupation. Hunger strikes by Palestinian prisoners occur regularly, but rarely on such a large scale. Barghouti’s call for the strike has given it added credibility, with the 57-year-old serving a life sentence over his role in the violent second Palestinian intifada. He is a popular figure among Palestinians, with polls suggesting he could win the Palestinian presidency. Graffiti showing the iconic image of his cuffed hands raised above his head flashing a peace sign can be seen in the West Bank. “Decades of experience have proved that Israel’s inhumane system of colonial and military occupation aims to break the spirit of prisoners and the nation to which they belong, by inflicting suffering on their bodies, separating them from their families and communities, using humiliating measures to compel subjugation,” Barghouti wrote in a New York Times op-ed. “In spite of such treatment, we will not surrender to it.” Issa Qaraqe, head of prisoners affairs for the Palestinian Authority, said that “around 1,300 Palestinian prisoners” were participating in the hunger strike and the number could rise. The Palestinian Prisoners Club NGO put the number at 1,500. Israeli prison service spokesman Assaf Librati said that 700 prisoners had announced on Sunday their intention to begin a hunger strike. “We are checking this morning to see the number of prisoners actually striking as some of them said they would only observe a symbolic protest strike and then resume eating afterwards,” he said. AFP
‘Do not test Trump’s resolve’ S EOUL—US Vice President Mike Pence warned North Korea Monday not to test Donald Trump’s resolve, declaring that “all options are on the table” in curbing its missile and nuclear weapons programs. Defying international pressure, the North Sunday test-fired another missile as fears grow that it may be preparing for its sixth atomic weapons test. “We hope to achieve this objective [the North’s denuclearization] through peaceful means but all options are on the table,” Pence told a press conference in the South Korean capital after a trip to the tense border with the North. “Just in the past two weeks, the world witnessed the strength and resolve of our new president in actions taken in Syria and Afghanistan. “North Korea would do well not to test his resolve, or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region,” Pence said at the press conference with South Korea’s Acting President Hwang Kyo-Ahn. Tensions between Pyongyang and Washington have soared in recent weeks, as a series of North Korean missile tests have prompted ever-more bellicose warnings from Trump’s administration. The new and inexperienced US president has indicated he will not allow North Korea to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to the western United States. Pence declared that the era of US “strategic patience” in dealing with the North was over, after more than two decades. North Korea “answered our overtures with willful deception, broken promises and nuclear and missile tests”, he said. The US, which stations 28,500 troops in South Korea, would “defeat any attack and we will meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective response”. Pence’s trip earlier Monday to the Demilitarized Zone between the two Koreas -- one of the most heavily fortified frontiers on the planet -- underscored Washington’s changing policy towards the isolated state.
The visit came after a huge military parade Saturday during which North Korea showcased apparent intercontinental ballistic missiles, and as a US carrier group converges on the Korean peninsula. It also came the day after North Korea’s latest launch -- which failed when the missile blew up seconds after blastoff. Speaking at the village of Panmunjom inside the DMZ, Pence said America’s relationship with South Korea was “ironclad and immutable”. Pyongyang insists it needs a powerful arsenal -- including atomic weapons -to protect itself from what it says is the ever-present threat of invasion by hostile US forces. A top White House foreign policy adviser on Sunday became the latest Trump official to warn that while diplomatic pressure was preferable, US military action is very much on the table. Pence urged the international community to join in demanding an end to the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs. “It is heartening to see China commit to these actions. But the United States is troubled by China’s economic retaliation against South Korea for taking appropriate steps to defend itself,” he said, referring to the US THAAD missile defense system. The system being installed in South Korea is designed to shoot down missiles from North Korea or elsewhere. But China furiously objects to its deployment, saying it could spy on its own defense installations, and has taken apparent retaliatory action against South Korean firms operating in its country. This is Pence’s first visit to South Korea -- part of an Asia swing that also includes stops in Japan, Indonesia and Australia -- and although it was conceived months ago, could hardly come at a time of higher tension. AFP
PRESENT. Marta Pozzan attends the KALEIDOSCOPE: REFRESH presented by Cannabinoid Water on April 16, 2017, in La Quinta, California. AFP
Volcanic island may hold key to coral survival TOKYO――The key to the survival of the world’s threatened coral reefs may lie in the waters surrounding a small volcanic island off the coast of Japan, scientists say. The seabed of Shikine island is a “living laboratory” for researchers aboard the schooner Tara, a French-led scientific expedition, who are looking for clues to help protect coral from the damaging effects of climate change.
While coral reefs cover less than 0.2 percent of the ocean surface globally, they host some 30 percent of marine animal and plant species, serving as a source of food and offering protection from predators. “Losing these reefs would be horrifying,” said Sylvain Agostini, an expedition coordinator and professor at Japan’s University of Tsukuba. Shikine’s unique conditions—
created by underwater volcanoes that flood some of its coves with CO2 and make it less alkaline -mimic what scientists say will be the impact of unchecked carbon emissions on the world’s oceans by 2100. The build-up of CO2 due to greenhouse gas emissions or underwater volcanic activity raises the temperature and transforms the chemistry of ocean waters, in a process known as acidification.
Researchers say the waters in parts of Shikine, located 160 kilometers south of Tokyo, offer a glimpse of how marine life—including corals—can fare in less alkaline water. Japan’s corals, the northernmost in the world, could offer important data to bolster knowledge about marine life, as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef faces a threat to its survival. Last week, scientists said the fa-
mous reef was at serious risk from bleaching—a process in which stressed corals expel the algae that live in their tissue and provide them with food—due to warming sea temperatures. They warned that coral bleached for two consecutive years at the World Heritage-listed site had “zero prospect” of recovery after researchers detected another round of mass bleaching after an earlier event in 2016. AFP
Life
Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
CULTURE & MEDIA
D1
Fil-Am artist ‘Grazing Light’ at Leon Gallery L
EON Gallery, again, is privileged to be the venue for the art of Alfonso Ossorio, Filipino-American artist known internationally and said to be the best to emerge in mid-century. Although Ossorio grew up and was educated in England and the United States, his family was nonetheless well-ensconced in Philippine business circles. His father, Don Miguel Ossorio founded Victorias Milling Corporation, which, at that time, was the most modern sugar refinery in the Philippines. His mother, Maria Paz Yangco, hailed from the family whose successful shipping company was known as the “ King of the Pasig.”
The show aims to re-examine the Fil-Am artist’s process in his art and life
One of Ossorio’s close relatives, Teodoro Yangco, set up Yangco Market in Divisoria. He, himself, was among the first artists from the school of abstract expressionism, a modern art movement that started in New York, and is said to have unseated Paris as the capital of modern art then. His colleagues included Jackson Pollock (the most famous), Clifford Stills, Mark Rothko, and Willhelm de Kooning, among others. Surprisingly, little is known of Ossorio here in the Philippines until recently, despite the fact that his biggest work is permanently displayed as the sanctuary centerpiece at St. Joseph the Worker Church in Victorias, Negros Occidental, right in the middle of the sugar mill compound. From April 21 to May 12, 19 of Alfonso Ossorio’s works will be on exhibit, with representative works from 1942 to 1989. From his early drawings of impeccable draughtsmanship to his wildly colorful “congregations,” Ossorio’s work is a study of meticulously applied scholarship rendered in well-researched material. Alfonso Ossorio: Grazing Light attempts to re-examine, in exhibition, his process in his art and life in this exciting and intriguing collection from the Frederic Ossorio Family Collection. The exhibit will be at Leon Gallery, ground floor Corinthian Plaza, Paseo de Roxas corner Gamboa St., Salcedo Village, Makati from April 21 to May 12. Gallery hours are from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with curatorial guided tours by appointment only.
19 of Alfonso Ossorio’s works, some from 1942 to 1989, will be on exhibit
ADB mounts photo exhibit THE Asian Development Bank (ADB) has marked its 50th year in the Philippines. In line with this, it held a photographic exhibit at nearby SM Megamall. Mall visitors had the opportunity to get to know more about ADB and its role in the development of our country. Held in partnership with SM, the exhibit is part of a series of celebrations marking the Asian Development Bank’s 50th Anniversary. It brings the ADB story to the Filipino public through highlights of its history, key events, and operations, and how it has improved lives in Asia and the Pacific over the years. “Today’s event marks another landmark in celebrating our development partnership with the Philippines,” said Bambang Susantono, ADB vice president for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development during the exhibit launch. “We are bringing the
story and work of the ADB to Filipinos from all walks of life and what better way to do this than through the SM malls.” All these years, “Manila has been ADB’s home, from where our work to support developing Asia and the Pacific has made a positive impact on the lives of the people we serve,” he adds. The ADB is owned by 67 members – 48 from the region. Two Filipinos were pivotal in shaping ADB in 1966 – Justice Florentino Feliciano who helped draft the ADB charter; and Cornelio Balmaceda, then the country’s Secretary of Commerce who advocated for the ADB to be based in a developing country, and in Manila itself. Since its first loan to the Philippines in 1969, ADB has provided over $17 billion in public and private sector loans, technical assistance, and grants.
From left: SM Megamall assistant vice president Christian Mathay, PPMI Chairman Michael Romero, SM Megamall mall manager Egbert Lim, and ADB principal director of Department of External Relation Satinder Bindra
ADB U.S. alternative executive director Michael Strauss
ADB principal communications specialist David Kruger
Dizon and Lee Imao
From left: ADB consultant Roquena Domingo, PRHC Property Managers Inc. chairman Michael Romero, ADB principal director of Department of External Relation Satinder Bindra, ADB Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department director Yasuyuki Sawada, and Ortigas Center Association, Inc. general manager Malou Reyes
ADB executives Sonia Sandhu and Omana Nair
ADB vice president for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development Bambang Susantono and ADB director general for Sustainable Development and Hendy Widjaja and Jeff Climate Change Ma. Carmela Taylor Locsin
ADB digital communications specialist Giovanni Verlini
DFA assistant secretary for the Middle East and Africa Hjayceelyn Quintana and SM senior vice president for Marketing Communications Group Millie Dizon
Raphael Balmaceda
Bien and Ian Benitez
adobo Design Awards Asia 2017 finalists AFTER two grueling days of judging at Green Sun, 122 finalists emerged out of over 400 entries submitted to the adobo Design Awards Asia 2017 (aDAA). For the second year, aDAA has the full support of D&AD, the world’s toughest and most prestigious design awards. It has 20 professional categories patterned after the show, including Press and Poster, Corporate/Brand Identity, Typography, Illustration, Book Design, Magazine and Newspaper, Film Advertising, Videos, Short Film, Film/Video Craft, Graphic Design, Packaging Design, Outdoor, Environmental/Spatial, Product Design, Wearable Design, Production Design, Photography, Digital/Interactive, and Mobile, sponsored by Globe, Student Category, and Open Category. The jury was led by no less than D&AD’s President, Bruce Duck-
worth. He was joined by Tokyo’s most award-winning creative director from Dentsu Tokyo, Inc. Yoshihiro Yagi, renowned local designers, artists, and agency executives, Merlee Jayme, chairmom and chief creative officer at Dentsu Jayme Syfu; CJ de Silva-Ong, associate creative director at TBWA\Santiago Mangada Puno; Patrick Cabral, typographer and calligrapher; Dan Matutina, founding partner at Plus63 Designs; Robert Alejandro, founder and designer at RAD; Jowee Alviar, co-founder and creative director at Team Manila; Harvey Tolibao, Marvel and DC Comics artist; Wawi Navarroza, internationally acclaimed photographer and founder at Thousandfold; Quark Henares, film director and head of Globe Studios; and Ivan Despi, owner and creative director at The Acid House. With the theme, “Inspiring Human-
ity Through Design,” design works with a purpose took center stage. “Trying to give the work that we do a purpose that’s a little bit bigger and doing anything to make people’s lives a little bit better I think is a great step forward,” shared Duckworth. “All of this art, if it pushes goodness, somehow it will inspire goodness among ourselves in this world. And that for me is the whole purpose why we’re here and why we’re creative,” commented Jayme. This year’s entries from both professionals and students showcased the cultural diversity not just in the Philippines but in Asia. “There was a lot of teasing out of different cultural differences between what I would understand as a Westerner,” said Duckworth. “I love the diversity, it’s very good,” added Alejandro. The awards ceremony will be held on April 19 at Axon, Green Sun.
Life
D2
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017 isahred@gmail.com
VISUAL ARTS
Art Lozano’s
‘Vintage Beauty’
at ArtistSpace
T
HE exhibition Vintage Beauty is a follow-up to visual artist Art Lozano’s previous show entitled Abandoned Beauty.
In the said exhibit, the artist painted a favorite subject—automobiles—that rest in unlikely environments. While the show succeeded in establishing the harmonious coexistence between the subject and its derelict environs, the exhibit undeniably evoked melancholy and solitude, through the prevailing theme of neglect. In Vintage Beauty, he paints his subject alive — still rolling and working to provide the mobility which the enthusiast of the subject enjoys tirelessly. Instead of revealing marks of age and wear, the exhibit highlights buffed hoods, glinting glass and waxed tires, qualities of endurance, fortitude, and strength. Moreover, the subject no longer belongs to the woods and ruins but is a living member of a vibrant community. By portraying the machine as if it was a living thing, the exhibition celebrates the everlasting relationship between the man and his machine — as iconic as ever. Lozano is a visual artist from Ilocos and a member of the renowned Baguio-based Tam-Awan Artist Group. He has received various recognitions for his works from prestigious competitions such as the AAP Annual Art Competition, MetroBank Art and Design Excellence National Competition, GSIS Art Award, and the Philip Morris Art Award. He has also participated in many international art expositions such as: the Philippine Korea Art Exchange in South Korea (2012), and the Tsunami Experience (Japan Tragedy) in Singapore (2011). Vintage Beauty runs until April 23 at ArtistSpace, Ayala Museum, Makati avenue corner De la Rosa street, Greenbelt Park, Makati City. For inquiries on the exhibit, email artistspace@ayalafoundation.org. For inquiries on the exhibit, contact Olan Cruz at cruz.re@ayalafoundation.org.
Vintage Beauty features automobiles that rest in unlikely environments—showcasing co-existence between subject and environs
The exhibit highlights the vintage automobiles’ buffed hoods, glinting glass, and waxed tires to showcase endurance and fortitude
This 20th century Limoges Dinner Service Set, which sold for P320,000, is one of the European pieces auctioned off at Casa de Memoria
AUCTION
PAGES
How to be prepared for digital disruptions
By Bernadette Lunas WHO would have thought the day would come that it’s possible to buy products online or that we could create objects from 3D printers, or get a response for our questions from a chat robot (chatbot)? All of this, and more, happened because technology has driven significant changes in the way we live; such a capacity that could make it an overwhelming pill to swallow. Technology entrepreneur Winston Damarillo aims to change the way people think—he hopes that people make a “conscious decision” to like these changes because these are the present and the future. In his book Ready or Not: The 6 Big Disruptions That Will Change The Way We Do Business, Los Angeles-based Damarillo lists down technological innovations that have begun to reshape the way we live, and why businesses will need to adapt to be able to survive these changes. In a nutshell, digital disruptions are the transformation caused by digital technologies and business models that affects existing goods and services. It’s like how Airbnb opened a platform for wider choices in accommodation, or how Bitcoin allows people to transact directly without a bank.
“Competition and engagement is more profound than ever so if you don’t participate you’re gonna be left out,” emphasized Damarillo, co-founder of digital innovation consultancy firm Amihan Global Strategies. Damarillo discusses in his book the online marketplace, big data, rapid creation, peer-to-peer technology, robots, and the Internet of Things—the effects they have had on the business landscape thus far and the predictions on how they will affect our culture and society in the next 10 years. “The disruptions that we identified are driven by observation; what’s changing the day-to-day life, not just the enterprise,” Damarillo told Manila Standard. He further explained the disruptions he mentions in the book are based on a statistical survey they conducted in the US and the Philippines. The respondents answered what technology they thought would change their life. The strategic advisor and self-confessed geek is optimistic about the opportunities these disruptions will open for our country. “I think we’re in for an interesting surprise,” he said. “I think we’re going to use technology to resurrect industries and areas of business the Philippines is really good at, like making shoes or furniture or food,” he said. Ready or Not, which features comic illustrations by Manix Abrera and card game created by UPSTART founder Richard Dacalos, makes its easy for readers to understand technology and its impacts in the day and in the life of a user. The book also helps those resistant to adapt to the transformation by providing them valuable information that would make them “understand it so they won’t fear it and they would embrace it because there’s no choice.” “If we embrace these changes I think we will be ready for the future,” opined Damarillo. Ready or Not: The 6 Big Disruptions That Will Change The Way We Do Business is published by Summit Books and is available in all National Book Store branches for P295.
European elegance in the Filipino home WHILE contemporary Filipino art seems to be all the rage these days—local galleries and auction houses all seem to have them on display—one particular auction house had just proven that fine European art still maintains its prized status among the country’s most discerning collectors. At the recently concluded opening auction of Casa de Memoria, an impressive catalogue of European pieces found their way into new collections as the hammer went down for the first time this year. Dubbed as Auction .0005, the event featured mostly European fine and decorative art from various periods, some dating as far back as the 17th century. Fine European antique furniture were among the most sought-after, with pieces like the 19th Century Ebony Cabinet commanding a final bid of P400,000. The sophisticated Italian cabinet with engraved pewter and ivory line inlays on ebony wood features a Renaissance Revival stylization, featuring medallions, foliage, vases, flora and fauna, and other mythological motifs. The sale of this 17th century Flemish oil on wood painting depicting the Adoration of the Magi proved that religion
is still a popular motif among collectors. Fetching P180,000 on the block, the sale of this piece demonstrates the prominence of Christianity as one of Europe’s biggest legacies to the Filipino culture Titled Bailando, this 20th century mixed media on canvas painting by Portuguese artist Peter Charters d’Azevedo (b. 1946) proves that contemporary European art has as much of a following as pieces from earlier periods. The warm palette gives weight to the subject, making it appear more inviting as it appears to leap beyond the canvas and onto its observer. The piece sold for P220,000. Fine home accessories such as the 20th century Limoges Dinner Service Set also reflected the place of European aesthetic sensibilities in the life of modern collectors. Sold for P320,000, the 153-piece set proudly features gilt and Bordeaux embellishments at the friezes, depicting swirling foliage with its primarily Neoclassical revival appeal. These and all other pieces sold during the auction were professionally authenticated and restored by a team of European advisers and art conservation experts. Remaining lots will be on display
From left: Angelique Lhuillier-Miranda, Tiffany Mathay, and Ferdi Salvador
at the Casa De Memoria showroom on Jupiter street in Makati. According to Casa De Memoria Director Angelique Miranda, her ultimate goal is to spread the beauty of European art beyond the confines of museums and straight into the Filipino home. “These pieces have a place in the Filipino home,” she says. “Nowadays, we see an upward trend in decorating the home by mixing contemporary art with vintage pieces, and combining Asian aesthetics with European ones. It makes for a very unique and interesting setting. We want people to come into the Casa to be inspired and experience the pieces for themselves – not just see the furniture, but really feel it.” Following the success of the all-encompassing Auction .0005, she shares that The Casa’s next step would be to demonstrate the versatility of European art through a series of auctions that focus on specific lifestyles. The next one will be on May 6. Casa de Memoria is located at the corner of Jupiter and Comet streets in Bel-Air, Makati. For more information, visit CasaDeMemoria.com, follow @CasaDeMemoria on Instagram, and Like @TheCasa-
Gian Mathay and Polly Mathay
TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
JOSE MARI CHAN through the years
OPM icon and Diamond artist Jose Marie Chan
By Rogelio Constantino Medina
J
OSE Mari Chan is an unpretentious (what you see in him is what you get) performer; a great talent, a good conversationalist and a true friend, very helpful and generous, is always in high scale and always happy, so the late TV host and disc jockey Eddie Mercado, the “Frank Sinatra of the Philippines”, told this writer some years ago in his Las Piñas City abode. Those were the similar comments of songwriters Louie Ocampo and Willy Cruz, TV and stage director Al Quinn, and talent manager Sandra Chavez of Chan. Aconsistent hit maker, the songs of Jose Mari Chan for years served as landmarks of original Pilipino music (OPM). Not too many know that he is the only Filipino artist to have attained unprecedented record sales of 20 times platinum for
his Christmas In Our Hearts album and 16 times platinum for the Constant Change album. His other albums were all double platinum. Since 1971, he has also been an active jingle writer for a wide range of consumer products and business institutions. “He writes his songs from the heart, and that makes him more enduring. His songs are lyrical and he has captured the Filipino sentiments,” said back-up singer
Kitchie Molina. Joe Mari’s songs, according to musical director Archie Castillo, are influenced by Richard Harris and Henry Mancini. “He has his own distinct sound and style, very distinctly Jose Mari Chan.” For the late talent manager Angie Magbanua, Joe has a very cool voice, just like that of Cliff Richard. “We speak the same dialect, Ilonggo, and that creates closeness within us. He’s
very malambing (sweet).” As a performer, he is a musical genius and a good comedian, said Moy Ortiz of The Company. “He is a very generous performer. He is not insecure on stage for he is ready and willing to share with other performers. He is fun to be with.” Moy added, “Joe is quickwitted. He knows how to entertain his audience. He is also humble and treats people alike. Hindi siya matapobre (He isn’t aristocratic), considering he is a multi-millionaire (being the eldest son of the late Antonio Chan, a successful sugar magnate).” To comedian Gary Lising, who has known Joe Mari since their college days at Ateneo, he has never changed. "He is still the same Joe I know. He’s an artist par excellence and a worldclass performer.” Singer Lindsay Custodio nodded her head in assen, “He is one of the best performers I’ve ever seen. He is down-to-earth, kind and humble.” In 1974, Jose Mari Chan was awarded the TOYM and he received the Dangal ng Musikang Pilipino award from the Philippine Association of the Recording Industry and the Antonio C. Barreiro Lifetime Achievement Award from the Metropop Foundation. When Pope John Paul II was
still alive, he, together with Cris Villongco, had the privilege of singing at St. Peter’s Square in Rome, Italy at a holy Mass for the migrant pilgrims, attended by more than 50,000 people of different nationalities. “Italy has always been one of my favorite destinations when going on holidays. In fact, it was in Naples and Sorrento where my wife Mary Ann and I had our honeymoon,” reminisced Joe. “We’ve since gone back to Italy many times, rediscovering San Gimignano, Venice, Florence, Rome and other Italian cities through the eyes of our children (Liza, Jose Antonio, Michael, Franco, and Angelica).” Joe’s entertainment career began in 1966 when he hosted a daily teenage show, Nineteeners, on ABS-CBN Channel 9. At that time, he was still in college at Ateneo de Manila taking up economics. It was however in 1967 when his first single “Afterglow” caught the cynosure of Filipino music enthusiasts. “It was a landmark record because it was one of the OPM songs that broke the stronghold of foreign songs in our airwaves,” vividly recalled Joe Mari. That was followed in 1969 by his long-playing album Deep In My Heart, which was a tremendous hit. Eventually, he began writing songs and scores
for movies. He worked with directors Lino Brocka, Celso Ad Castillo, Nestor Torre, Ishmael Bernal, Luis Nepomuceno and Luciano Carlos, and movie stars like Hilda Coronel and Dolphy, among others. In 1975, Joe Mari and his family migrated to the US. But he continued to write songs. He joined the Metropop Song Festival, and twice he lost. In 1986, he returned home. Later on, Universal Records convinced him to do a comeback album. He was surprised to find out that the success that came after was greater than the success he enjoyed before leaving for the US, considering that he is much older and record buyers are getting younger. “It was a pleasant surprise...and it’s a blessing. I must have done something good in my previous life.” Much of the blessings he has now in life must have come because there was a time that his wife Mary Ann and he served in Japan as lay missionaries. Asked what he would want his legacy to be, Jose Mari Chan remarked, “As a father, to bring to this world responsible citizens who will constructively contribute to our society. As an artist and songwriter, to be able to write songs that not only touch lives but will live on long after I’m gone.”
Five life tips for the undead TIPS to survive a zombie apocalypse are a dime a dozen. Running fast, carrying some form of weapon with you, and having a stash of supplies – it’s common knowledge at this point. But have you ever wondered how zombies might survive in a world where they are on the run from us? Warner TV’s iZombie explores the adventures and misadventures of a zombie named Liv Moore as she navigates her way through the everyday life of the undead. We’ve taken some time to collect some lessons that we picked up from Liv, to help zombies in our midst enjoy a relatively normal life (except of course with the whole brain-eating, decomposing and general inconvenience of being dead in the world of the living thing they got going). 1. Fight your urge to eat living people. It gets problematic pretty fast. We know you get the munchies, like all the time. Imagine, walking just about anywhere and all you get to see are possible meals. It must get really taxing. But as difficult as it may seem, please fight the urge to eat people while they’re still alive. Eating people can get messy and we’re sure you’d compound your problems if you decided to dine on some humans. Just take a cue from iZombie’s Liv, she hangs out in a morgue, thus easy access to free food. 2. Keep a tight circle. So you’re a zombie now, and you just want to share it to the world. Stop right there, and bite your tongue. Going from alive, to dead, to being undead is difficult as it is, it’s better to make sure that you keep it a secret from most humans. You really wouldn’t want all of that unwanted attention. So if you have an itch to share, share it to a trusted few. 3. Don’t be afraid to fall in love, but remember they’re off the menu! Love is a universal concept, whether you’re an ordinary human or a zombie. So don’t be afraid to fall in love and start a meaningful and hopefully lasting (you’re basically immortal, we can’t say that about your partner) relationship, but just remind yourself that though times may get hard and there might be a bumpy road ahead, your boyfriend or girlfriend are off the dinner table. 4. Blend in.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, April 18, 2017
ACROSS 1 Did in the dragon 5 — au vin 8 Cockamamie 12 Archer of note 14 Soybean product 15 Qatar ruler 16 Wonderland girl 17 Stereo system (hyph.) 18 What Ali stung like (2 wds.) 19 Put to bed (2 wds.) 21 By a whisker 23 Slumber-party attire 24 “NOVA” network 25 Country rtes. 26 Heavy rainfalls 30 Edgar — Poe 32 Man-made fiber 33 Jealous (hyph.) 37 Afrikaner 38 Poet’s adverb 39 Wizened 40 Jogger’s wear 42 Wood finish 43 Ridge between faults 44 After-dinner chore 45 — Mahal 48 — -di-dah
49 Garnet or ruby 50 Did not resist 52 As if in a reverie 57 Botanist’s wings 58 Gossip tidbit 60 River in France 61 Funny Nora — 62 — de plume 63 Funny bone 64 Gets the picture 65 Earth, in combos 66 Spyglass part DOWN 1 “Out, cat!” 2 Dilly 3 Spectacular 4 Candle part 5 Kind of purse 6 Switch position 7 Nitpicker 8 Diary opener 9 Fossil resin 10 Pasture 11 Low cards 13 Keep digging 14 Closer than that 20 LP spinners 22 Wise-owl link 24 Beseech 26 Is grief-stricken 27 Stern opposite 28 Nautical position 29 Rabbi’s reading 30 “You —
serious!” 31 Robins’ domiciles 33 Grind, as teeth 34 Slangy OK 35 A Great Lake 36 Lairs 38 Causing a blister 41 Enameled metal 42 Metaphor kin 44 Some, to Pierre 45 Warty critters 46 “Devil With — — Dress On” 47 Dixon of
astrology Junk food buys Longings Office note Ex-NFL coach Chuck — 54 Taunt 55 Hubbard of sci-fi 56 Somber evergreens 59 “Little piggie” 49 51 52 53
So you have the pallor of a corpse, some flesh might be falling off, and you crave humans, but don’t you worry, child. It might be time to spiffy up your looks and learn to use a bronzer. It is imperative to look and act normal. So try and look alive, literally. 5. Despite all the precautions, don’t forget to have fun! Living can be a blast, you must have immense understanding of that. Don’t get it? We mean you’re dead and yet you’re walking among us. So enjoy life, or life after death really, and have a go at having the time of your life. So even if being a zombie can sometimes be a bit of a problem, remember, you’re still lucky. Want more? Watch Liv Moore on Warner TV’s iZombie every Wednesday at 9:50pm, same day as the US. And for even more gruesomely dead awesome fun, why don’t you try your fleshy hand in iZombie Brain Juice, where you help Liz snap up as many brains she can before she turns full on zombie mode! Thid app will definitely be a treat.
Liv Moore, a medical resident who turned into a living dead, is the main protagonist in Warner TV's "iZombie"
Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, APRIL 18, 2017
M
ORE and more viewers in foreign countries are falling in love with the Philippines’ valuesoriented and romance-filled programs, like the popular ABS-CBN teleseryes Pangako Sa ‘Yo, Forevermore, and Be Careful With My Heart.
A hit in Kazakhstan, the Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil starrer "Dolce Amore" is popular among young viewers
ABS-CBN International Sales and Distribution head Leng Raymundo revealed while programs from countries, like USA, Mexico, Taiwan, and Korea, have become hits on local television, our own TV series have also been gaining a following all over the world. In fact, she said Pangako Sa ‘Yo has already been dubbed and adapted by various local networks in more than 20 territories outside the Philippines. Other Kapamilya shows enjoying a strong viewership abroad include Got 2 Believe, Bridges of Love, and On the Wings of Love, turning our local talents into international celebrities, like Jericho Rosales in Malaysia, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla in Vietnam, and James Reid and Nadine Lustre in Indonesia.
The good news was relayed to over 1,000 mass communications students during the 11th Pinoy Media Congress (PMC), the annual media conference organized by ABS-CBN and the Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE), at St. Mary’s College Quezon City campus, and beamed live via satellite to Visayas State University. In her presentation on “Creating Content for Global Audiences,” Leng shared the reason ABS-CBN’s programs have been successful in capturing the hearts of audiences from the Asia Pacific region, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and in Latin America – the authenticity of its stories. “Each country has a different culture but everyone is looking for the same
thing – a strong love story, family and moral values, and an inspirational character who they can look up to,” she shared. And with 60 years of experience and expertise in storytelling, ABSCBN continues to deliver what local and foreign viewers are yearning to see, keeping in mind the goal to also empower and serve audiences apart from providing them entertainment. “We want to see ourselves in those characters – the ones who triumph despite the hardships and tragedies they face without compromising their values,” she explained. International award-giving bodies have also begun to notice the Philippines, with Jodi Sta. Maria nominated for Best Actress at the International Emmys, while Bridges of Love was nominated in the Best Telenovela category. ABS-CBN executive adviser to the chairman, chief content officer, and ABS-CBN University president Charo SantosConcio, was also chosen as Gala Chair in 2015, the first Filipino to have been given this honor at the International Emmys. However, while ABS-CBN is becoming one of the leading sources of content in the region, it continues to lead as well in acquiring quality stories and format from other nations that it believes will bring a meaningful viewing experience to Filipinos. PMC delegates cheered as they were teased with ABS-CBN newest acquisitions that included Korean top-raters Goblin, Legend of the Blue Sea, and Love in the Moonlight, the latter now airing in ABS-CBN’s Primetime Bida.
"Bridges of Love," which stars Jericho Rosales, Maja Salvador, and Paolo Avelino, has garnered international success in Latin America
Foreign audiences LOVE KAPAMILYA DRAMA SERIES
Jericho Rosales as Angelo in the the original version of "Pangako Sa 'Yo" that aired in 2000
REP’S ACTING workshops
"Pangako Sa 'Yo," with English title "The Promise" has been dubbed in different languages and adapted in more than 20 countries
Loisa marks debut
with a major solo concert REALITY TV star-turned-teen idol Loisa Andalio has come a long way from being a Pinoy Big Brother housemate to becoming the latest concert performer to watch out for as she holds her first-ever solo concert at the Music Museum on April 29. The Loisa18: A Birthday Concert is being produced by Star Events, an exclusive present to the multi-talented millennial teen star and a huge career milestone as she turns 18 on April 21. “I just wanted a simple birthday celebration, to just eat out with my family. I didn’t expect that I would be given a concert on my special day, but Star Music and Star Events gave me this wonderful opportunity,” shared Loisa. Joining Loisa in the concert as her special guest is none other than pop-rock singer Yeng Constantino who is the former’s topmost favorite amongst today’s local performers. This exciting show follows the release of her first single and music video under Star Music entitled, “High School,” held in March signaling her official entry to the music scene. This revival song of Sharon Cuneta’s original 80’s hit is just one of the pop song lineups for her muchawaited debut performance. The singer-actress first became popular in Pinoy Big Brother: All In in 2014. She has since
become a must-see talent starring on hit TV shows Nasaan Ka Nang Kailangan Kita, Be My Lady, Wansapanataym: My Hair Lady, and My Dear Heart. Many have seen Loisa grow as a performer, too. She is a former member of It’s Showtime’s all-female group, GirlTrends, and is now part of ASAP’s BFF5 together with Maris Racal, Kira Balinger, Ylona Garcia, and Andrea Brillantes. Prior to PBB, she was also part of a sing and dance group called 3G. Last year, she was handpicked by One Music PH to become part of the digital concert Double Hearts featuring other up-and-coming singers Maris, Sue Ramirez, and Kristel Fulgar. This time, Loisa is excited to showcase her vocal prowess live on stage at her very own concert. Tickets to the Loisa18 Concert are priced at P2,500.00 (VIP), P2,000.00 (lodge), and P1,000.00 (balcony). Interested parties may log on to ticketworld.com.ph or call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or Music Museum at 721-0635 or 7216726. For more information on Loisa18 Concert, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/ starmusicph, or @starmusicph on Twitter and Instagram.
DEBUTANTE. PBB Alumna Loisa Andalio celebrates her 18th birthday via a musical spectacle at the Music Museum
PREMIER theater company Repertory Philippines or REP, is offering an array of summer workshops for all ages, in sessions of two hours each over the course of six weeks at Active Fun, 9th Street & High Street at Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. Kids can join the Repertory Philippines Workshop for Performing Arts, which feature the Kiddie Class for students ages 5 to 8, the Pre-Teens Class for the 9 to 12 age group, while older kids aged 13 to 16 are welcome to enroll in REP’s Teen Class. A Teens Master Class with Joel Trinidad and Nicky Treviño is open for teens who would like to take their theater skills to a more advanced level. An open audition will be held for interested applicants of the Masterclass. Adults looking to gain confidence not only onstage but also in their daily interactions are invited to sign up for the Adult Basic Acting Class, where they will receive holistic training in the skills for theater acting. Those who have had previous workshop experience and are seriously considering a career in theater are invited to sign up for the Advanced Acting program, where participants will be exposed to advanced acting principles. Registration for the REP’s summer workshops is on a first-come-firstserve basis. For information or to enroll in any of these classes, please call Rep at 843-3570 or 584-8458 or email rep. repandrep@gmail.com. Like and follow repertoryphilippines on Facebook and Instagram, and follow @repphils on Twitter.