Manila Standard - 2017 April 29 - Saturday

Civil servants top agenda doc- signed today, April 29, as

By John Paolo Bencito 2025” as an outcome th

VOL. XXXI • NO. 74 • 5 SECTIONS 24 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations will be signing the “Asean Declaration on the Roles of the Civil Service as a Catalyst for Achieving the Asean Community Vision

ument of the 30 Asean Summit in Manila.

The document will emphasize the role of civil servants and government employees in all Asean states in creating an Asean Community, and it will be

the leaders of the 10-nation regional bloc gather in Manila for the regional summit.

In other developments: • The chairman of the Presidential Commission Next page

Asean chides N. Korea For threatening nuke holocaust

By Vito Barcelo

ASEAN UNITY. Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (left) walks with President Rodrigo Duterte after they inspect a guard of honor during a welcome ceremony at Malacañang, ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit while Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (right photo) walks between rows of troops for the Asean gathering. AFP

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc

Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen

Silk initiatives: 2 Sino provinces seek trade deals

By Rey E. Requejo

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha

Myanmar’s state Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi

Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak

HAINAN, China—The southernmost provinces of Hainan and Guangdong have expressed their intention to establish strong relations with the Philippines to spur growth of their respective economies under China’s Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

Dai Zhen, deputy director-general of the Foreign and Overseas Chinese Affairs of Hainan province, said the provincial government was keen on stimulating growth and development with the Philippines, particularly in the area of trade and commerce, finance, agriculture, tourism and maritime transportation.

The island province of Hainan and Guangdong are China’s two southernmost provinces and face the West Philippine Sea and the disputed islands of the South China Sea. Dai told a delegation of Filipino journalists invited by the Chinese Embassy in Manila to a six-day trip to Guangdong and Hinana that the provincial government also wanted to promote cultural and educational exchanges to foster people-to-people relations between the two countries.

Dai said the Hainan government is upbeat because both Hainan and the Philippines have a lot Next page in common.

‘Kill illegal acts, not Ang’

By John Paolo Bencito TOP gambling operator Charlie “Atong” Ang is “paranoid” for claiming there are death threats against him as a result of the continuing operation of his virtual jai-alai numbers game, an official said Friday.

National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said Ang’s paranoia was typical of people engaging in illegal activities.

“Ang’s illegal gambling, which gives no revenues to the government, is really inferior to our New Small Town Lottery

THE number of Filipinos who considered themselves as “poor” posted a significant six-point rise in the last three months over the same period last year, the latest Social Weather Stations survey revealed.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THREE Chinese naval vessels will arrive at the Sasa Wharf in Davao City for a three-day visit on April 30 to May 2, an official said Friday.

Naval Forces Eastern Mindanao public affairs office chief Lt. Jetmark Marcos said the three ships are from the China People’s Liberation Army Navy Task Group 150.

The vessels are the Chang Chun (DDG150), a guided missile destroyer; the Jin Zhou (FF-G532), a guided missile frigate; and the Chao Hu (890), a replenishment ship.

The flotilla will be headed by Rear Adm. Shen Hao, deputy commander of the East Sea Fleet of the PLA Navy and concurrent Commander-in-Chief of the PLA Navy Task Group 150.

Marcos made his statement even as Senator Panfilo Lacson on Friday urged President Rodrigo Duterte to raise the arbitral ruling on the South China Sea favoring the Philippines during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit here.

He said studies showed that arbitrary rulings were normally defied if not ignored by the losing claimants of contested territories.

But in the course of time the losing countries almost always eventually gave up and complied with the ruling due to international pressure.

“We should not miss the Asean summit to avail ourselves with that opportunity, lest we would regret it,” Lacson said. With PNA

By Sandy Araneta

Next page

The First Quarter Social Weather Survey, conducted among 1,200 adults, said that more than 50 percent, or an estimated 11.5 million families considering themselves mahirap, or poor, six points more than 44 percent or an estimated 10 million recorded in Next page December 2016.

China warships to drop anchor at Davao port

Secret detention cell for druggies uncovered

More Pinoys claim to be poor

By John Paolo Bencito

SOUTHEAST Asian countries will express “grave concern” over North Korea’s nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches, despite Pyongyang’s appeal for support, according to a draft statement due to be released Friday.

In a rare move, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho wrote to the Asean regional bloc’s secretary general appealing for backing in its row with the United States to prevent what it warned could be a “nuclear holocaust.”

But Association of Southeast Asian Nations foreign ministers meeting in Manila on Friday were expected to criticize North Korea for its two atomic weapons tests last year and subsequent launch of ballistic missiles, according to a draft of their statement released by the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila.

“Asean expresses its grave concern over the escalation of tension in the Korean Peninsula,” said the draft statement, which is due to be released after the ministers end their meeting on Friday.

“Asean is mindful that instability in the Korean Peninsula will have serious impact to the region and beyond.”

The ministers will “strongly” urge North Korea “to fully comply” with UN Security Council resolutions and international laws, according to the draft.

However, Asean will also urge “all parties concerned” to “cease all provocative actions and exercise self-restraint to de-escalate the tension and refrain from actions that may aggravate the situation.”

Diplomats in Manila said the other parties apparently refer to the United States and regional powers China, Japan and South Korea—all key strategic players in the region.

Next page

SECRET CELL. This photo, taken April 27, 2017, shows people allegedly kept inside a hidden room at the Drug and Enforcement Unit of the Manila Police Department’s Police Station 1 in Manila’s waterfront district of Tondo.

Human rights workers, acting on a tip, made a surprise inspection on the police station, and claimed to have found a dozen people stuffed inside a dark, closet-sized jail hidden behind a book shelf. AFP

A DOZEN men and women were found stuffed inside a secret closetsized cell hidden behind a book shelf in a Tondo police station, triggering further alarm about abuse under President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

Members of the Commission on Human Rights, accompanied by journalists, found the detainees in a surprise visit to the Raxabago station in the heart of Manila’s slum area on Thursday evening.

Cries of “here we are, here we are” were heard from behind a wall, according to the rights workers and

journalists. The rights workers then found a hidden door behind a bookshelf, leading to the cell.

Stunned detainees came stumbling out of the room, some begging for water while others, in tears, pleaded with the rights workers not to abandon them.

The detainees said they had been held for about a week after being arrested on allegations of drug use or trafficking and that police were demanding hefty payments of up to P200,000 in exchange for their freedom.

“They were picked up on the pretext of drugs but they [the Next page

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SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Issues hound Asean leaders

REGIONAL BONDS.

(From left) Asean Foreign Ministers attending the bloc’s Summit link arms Friday for a family photo during their meeting Friday: Anifah Aman (Malaysia); U Kyaw Tin (Myanmar); Don Pramudwinal (Thailand); Pham Binh Minh (Vietnam); Enrique Manalo (Philippines); Vivian Balakrishnan (Singapore); Pehin Dato Lim Jock Seng (Brunei); Prak Sokhonn (Cambodia); Reetno Marsudi (Indonesia); Saleumxay Kommasith (Laos); and Asean Secretary-General Le Luong Minh. AFP

Jakarta deals inked

By Sandy Araneta

O

FFICIALS of the Philippines and Indonesia on Friday signed two agreements on agriculture and on sea connectivity in a move intended to foster trade and cooperation between the two countries.

The first was a “Memorandum of Understanding on Agriculture,” which was signed by Secretary Emmanuel Piñol of the Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Ir Amran Sulaiman, Minister of Agriculture of Indonesia.

The second was the “Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Sea Connectivity Between Davao-General Santos Southern Mindanao and Bitung North Sulawesi.”

The signatories are Secretary Arthur Tugade of the Department of Transportation and Budi Karya Sumadi, Minister of Transportation of Indonesia.

The joint declaration will encourage the establishment of direct sea connectivity between the cities involved, the designation of their ports for this purpose, regular consultation, and undertaking measures to ensure that certain safety standards are met, Malacañang said.

During the opening statement delivered at the Bilateral Meeting between the two countries, at the Aguinaldo State Dining Room, Malacañan Palace, President Rodrigo Duterte welcomed Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

“I am pleased to welcome you

Secret...

Civil...

police] had not filed any charges against them,” said Gilbert Boisner, Manila director for the CHR who led the inspection.

The detainees also accused policemen of torturing them and demanding money for their freedom.

The detainees also claimed that inadequate lighting, ventilation, and toilet facilities forced them “to urinate and do bowel movements in plastic bags,” Boisner said.

The station commander, Supt. Robert Domingo, told reporters at the scene the detainees were arrested only the previous night and police were preparing to file charges against them.

Domingo and 12 other police officers were suspended on Friday pending an investigation, national police spokesman Senior Supt. Dionardo Carlos said.

“He [Domingo] will undergo an administrative case. If evidence warrants, a criminal case will also be filed against him and the persons involved,” Carlos said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch said the incident was another sign of widespread rights abuse under Duterte’s war on drugs, which has seen thousands of drug suspects killed either by policemen or mysterious vigilantes.

“The discovery of the secret jail is just the latest sign of how police are exploiting Duterte’s abusive anti-drug campaign for personal gain,” a Human Rights Watch statement said.

Duterte said Friday he would look into the secret jail.

At least two senators spoke out against the maintenance of a “secret jail” for drug suspects.

“If true, these policemen are no better than the kidnap-forransom gangs that I used to chase throughout my law enforcement career,” said Senator Panfilo Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police.

“Those responsible must therefore be treated no differently from those criminal syndicates that they themselves are mandated to neutralize,” he added. With Macon RamosAraneta, Rio N. Araja, Herand Kezia Pandaan, AFP and PNA

for the Urban Poor on Friday reminded the Asean delegates of the continuing challenge presented by the more than 80-million urban poor in the Philippines under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“As the Philippines hosts the 2017 Asean Summit, we are reminded of the continuing challenges of urban poverty for the more than 80 million urban slum population of Southeast Asia,” Terry Ridon, PCUP chairman, said in a statement during the 2017 Asean Summit held in Ma-

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“In climate and geographic conditions, Hainan and the Philippines are similar too,” the official said.

“Although Hainan is a young province, but we have cumulative experience in developing Hainan, so in this aspect I can say that Hainan and the Philippines can learn from each other,” the Hainan foreign affairs official said.

She said Hainan already established “sisterhood” relations with Cebu in 1996 and Palawan in March this year.

“We also hope to build cooperation in the area of tourism, as well as share experiences about the development of tourism in-

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Self-rated poverty shot up in all geographical areas, with those in Balance Luzon saying that they were poor rising by eight points to 50 percent in the last year, from a 42 percent in December.

In the President’s home region, Mindanao—more people there said that they were poorer than last year, shooting up six points to 53 percent.

In Metro Manila, 36 percent said they were poor, posting a five-point rise while in the Visayas the reading edged up a point to 57 percent.

The same SWS survey noted that more than 35 percent of Filipinos, or 8.1 million families were “food-poor,” more than the 34 percent recorded in Decem-

HERE are the leaders of Asean opponents and sacked critics nations and issues surrounding within his party. their rule: -Myanmar - Brunei Aung San Suu Kyi’s reputaSultan Hassanal Bolkiah, 70, tion as a democracy icon and is one of the world’s richest men human rights defender has been thanks to his 49-year absolute tarnished by her first year in ofrule over tiny, oil-rich Brunei. He fice. The 71-year-old has aliencaused controversy in 2014 when ated many of her international he introduced sharia law, which backers for not speaking out on paper includes severing of against a bloody army cracklimbs and death by stoning. down on Rohingya Muslims.

At home, poor progress on legal - Cambodia and economic reforms, a stallA former Khmer Rouge sol- ing peace process and a surge dier who defected from the in online defamation cases have brutal regime, Hun Sen, 64, has left many disillusioned with been in power for more than Myanmar’s first civilian govthree decades. The shrewd poli- ernment in generations. tician claims to have brought stability to an impoverished na-Philippines tion ravaged by war. But he is A crackdown on drugs that has also regarded as a strongman claimed thousands of lives has who has leveraged control over been the defining theme of Duthe country’s security forces, terte’s first year in office. Human judiciary and economy to block rights groups warn he may be any challenges to his rule, while orchestrating a crime against huallowing corruption and rights manity. But the 72-year-old lawyer insists he is “happy to slaughabuses to flourish. ter” millions of addicts to end the - Indonesia drug menace, and that he does not Joko Widodo, 55, is the first care about the criticism. elected leader from outside the political and military elites. His - Singapore 2014 presidential victory was Prime Minister Lee Hsien seen as a sign that Indonesia’s Loong, 65, the elder son of late democratic institutions were founding father Lee Kuan Yew, in good health, after emerging has led the affluent city-state since from three decades of iron-fist- 2004. His People’s Action Party ed rule under dictator Suharto was in 2015 returned to power in a landslide election win, extendin 1998.

But he has struggled to push ing the party’s uninterrupted rule through reforms in a country spanning nearly six decades. But still dominated by figures from rights groups have criticised the the Suharto era and analysts say government for clamping down old establishment forces may be on political freedoms. moving to retake power.

-Thailand - Laos Prayut Chan-O-Cha, a Thongloun Sisoulith, 71, rose 63-year-old career soldier who to the premiership last year after toppled an elected government serving as the communist state’s while army chief in 2014, heads top diplomat. He has trumpeted a junta that has clamped down an anti-graft campaign in the on dissent and stripped Thais of impoverished nation. But scru- political rights. The ultra-roytiny of his opaque administra- alist has promised an eventual tion remains all but impossible return to democracy, but the under a regime that bars inter- dates for polls keep slipping and national media and brooks no critics say the new junta-drafted charter will solidify the army’s dissent. role in government.

- Malaysia - Vietnam Najib Razak, 63, has since Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan 2009 been leader of Malaysia’s ruling coalition, which in nearly Phuc, elected last year by the six-decades in power has over- rubber-stamp parliament, is seen rapid economic growth. seen as a competent technocrat But its policies favour the Ma- and a sturdy apparatchik in the lay majority and it has long been conservative communist leadaccused of repressing dissent. ership. The party has little tolWith elections due next year, erance for internal dissent and Najib has cracked down on his routinely jails critics. AFP

to Manila for this important meeting. The Philippines values its long-standing relationship with Indonesia,” said Duterte.

“Our formal ties date back to our Treaty of Friendship in 1951, but we are bound by centuries of interaction and exchange,” Duterte said.

“We have almost seven decades of fruitful and mutually beneficial cooperation. In fact, this is among the oldest of the Philippines’ diplomatic relations and we are eager to achieve more. I am positive that our meeting today will mark yet a new chapter of positive engagement at the bilateral, sub-regional and regional levels,” he said.

“It is my wish that this sustained engagement will further deepen the foundation of our relations in the decades to come,” said Duterte.

For his part, Widodo said: “ I am pleased to meet Your Excellency President Duterte again.”

“And it is an honor for me to reciprocate your visit by visiting Manila. And congratulations on the Philippines’ Chairmanship of Asean this year, the year where Asean will celebrate its 50th anniversary,” said Widodo.

“Within the bilateral context, our two countries has a robust cooperation. The Philippines is our largest trading partner in Asean and I am convinced that our meeting today will add value to our efforts in strengthening our bilateral relations,” Widodo said.

Duterte, in his reply, said: “As Indonesia’s close friend and partner, the Philippines is committed to working with you to open new doors of cooperation.”

“Allow me therefore to highlight the following: on the political cooperation, we need to sustain the momentum of our engagements by utilizing the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation or otherwise known as JCBC,” Duterte said.

nila. * Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly drug war is part of a worrying assault on human rights and democracy across Southeast Asia, activists said as regional leaders gathered in Manila on Friday.

Duterte has been condemned in the West for the crackdown, which has claimed thousands of lives since he took power last year, but he is expected to enjoy the support of most of his guests as he hosts the heads of the 10-member Asean.

This is partly because the leaders of most other countries in the region have few democratic credentials themselves, or have human rights clouds

hanging over them, according to Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia division. * Former President Fidel V. Ramos said it was now the right time for the member nations of the Asean to cut the proverbial umbilical cord from the United States and instead take the lead in maintaining peace, order,and stability in the region.

“The Asean is a big region and should take up responsibilities for providing peace, law and order and especially stability in the bigger region of the Asia Pacific,” Ramos said.

With Sandy Araneta, AFP and Vito Barcelo

dustry,” Dai said, adding that she is also looking forward for the opening of a cruising terminal of its Sanya Phoenix Island and a direct flight of its local Hainan Airlines to and from the Philippines.

Lou Jun, the deputy director general of the Foreign Affairs Office of the People’s Government of Guangdong, said the provincial government intends to build economic links with Manila because the Philippines is very closed geographically with Guangdong.

Lou said that with China’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative which promotes an “open policy,” Guangdong is now opening up its economy to foreign investors, as well as sharing its decades of experiences in transforming its economy, including

the policies that they adopted to achieve its goals and economic growth.

“China is still a developing country. But the improvements we got today is due to good policies implemented by the Chinese government for the last three decades,” he said.

“We can share with you our experiences and achievements for the last three decades of developments. We believe that with hard work, with openmindedness, and with sincere cooperation from other countries, a successful story can be made, just like what we have [here] today in Southern China,” he said.

“Besides, financial support or physical support, we have just to implement good policies,” he said.

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ber 2016, or 7.7 million families.

“Prior to this rise,” SWS said, self-rated poverty “had been either steady or declining for nine consecutive quarters from the fourth quarter of 2014 to the fourth quarter of 2016.”

The Palace admitted that it “needs to intensify its response in addressing the problem of poverty” with the help of business, civil society and other stakeholders, said Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella.

Some of the pro-poor and inclusive efforts of the administration, Abella said, includes higher pensions for seniors, free medicine for indigents, added incentives and combat duty pay for police and soldiers, gratuity pay to job order and contract workers in the government, and regularization of tens of thou-

sands of employees.

Abella said that the government also gave certificates of land ownership awards to farmer-beneficiaries, turned over farm machinery and equipment to farmers and distributed fishing boats to fishermen, accelerated higher infrastructure spending, and promoted easy access microfinancing system, among others.

In a separate survey, most Filipinos believe that the possibility that an offender can reform is a valid argument against the death penalty.

The latest survey, conducted among 1,200 respondents revealed that 50 percent of Filipinos believe that the possibility wherein a person who committed a heinous crime can still change and be a good citizen is a good reason not to reimpose the death penalty.

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which guarantees a daily and monthly revenue for the government,” said Esperon who, together with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre III, was accused by Ang of wanting him dead.

“Is it any wonder then that Ang is making noise? He is not the one who will be killed but his illegal gambling operations.

On Saturday, Aguirre denied the accusations he was involved in a plot to kill Ang. “I categorically deny all the allegations of Atong Ang for being complete fabrications. I am not involved in illegal gambling,” Aguirre said.

“I am not a protector of ille-

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Asean leaders are then due to meet on Saturday, when the situation on the peninsula is also expected to be discussed.

In his letter to Asean, a copy of which was obtained by the Agence France-Presse on Thursday, North Korean foreign minister Ri warned the situation on the Korean Peninsula was “reaching the brink of war” because of Washington’s actions.

Ri urged the Asean chief to inform the Asean foreign ministers “about the grave situation” on the peninsula “and give them a proper proposal,” while criticizing at length US-South Korean military exercises.

Tensions have soared in the

gal gambling. The same is true of his unfounded allegation against my brother who is never involved in illegal gambling.”

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz said Friday he had no knowledge of any plan to have Ang killed as a competitor of the Small Town Lottery.

But Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said Friday he wanted the Senate to investigate Ang’s claims.

He said he would file a resolution when Congress resumes sessions next week for the Senate to look into Ang’s allegations.

“Atong Ang’s highly controversial statements warrant a Senate investigation. I will file a resolution in that regard once session resumes next week,” Trillanes said. With Joel E. Zurbano and Macon Ramos-Araneta region in recent weeks in the wake of a series of North Korean missile tests and tough rhetoric from Washington on the isolated nation’s rogue weapons program.

Washington has deployed an aircraft carrier strike group to the Korean peninsula amid signs the North could be preparing for a sixth nuclear test, and US officials have said all options were on the table.

The Chinese embassy in Manila, meanwhile, said that China’s position is clear-cut on the issue of North Korea’s nuclear capability, saying it was ‘willing to work and make every effort with all parties concerned including the US to push forward peaceful settlement of the Korean nuclear issue through dialogue and consultation.” With AFP

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SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Alvarez supports ‘Magna Carta of the Poor’

By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez has backed the proposed “Magna Carta of the Poor” that seeks to uplift the lives of the poor by strengthening the government’s anti-poverty programs and implementation of other social development strategies.

These are to be done in partnership with government agencies, nongovernment organizations, people’s organizations and other partners.

Alvarez maintained the Lower House would prioritize the passage of pro-poor bills.

Alvarez was referring to a substituted bill to House Bills 31, 232, 478, 1122 and 1895 authored by Reps. Raul del Mar of Cebu, Rodante Marcoleta of Sagip party-list, Jose Antonio Sy-Alvarado of Bulacan, Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list, and Salvio Fortuno Camarines Sur. The bill had been approved by the House committee on committee on poverty alleviation, and was being readied for plenary discussion.

The bill provides for the poor’s right to adequate food.

It mandates the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Agriculture as well as other implementing agencies to undertake actions to mitigate and alleviate hunger especially in times of natural or human-induced disasters, and fully implement and maintain supplementary feeding programs in day care centers and schools among others.

As for the right to decent work, the bill tasks the Department of Labor and Employment to ensure that the poor have access to employment openings.

“Thirty percent of the skilled labor requirements of private contractors and subcontractors doing national and local public works projects funded by the national or local government must be filled by qualified workers who come from the poor sector,” the bill’s authors said.

Maintain a system of free public education in the kindergarten, elementary and high school levels; make higher education open to all poor individuals and families and ensure access to quality technical/vocational education and training through scholarships, subsidies and financial assistance, the bill states.

BACKS TURNED. Protesters, their backs turned, are blocked by riot police while marching towards the US Embassy in Manila Friday as leaders of the Association of Southeast

Asian Nations arrive for their annual summit at the bayside Philippine International Convention Center where leaders are scheduled to discuss territorial disputes, terrorism and economic integration. Lino Santos

Belmonte backs SC ruling on Torre de Manila condo

By Maricel V. Cruz

F

ORMER speaker and Quezon City Rep. Feliciano Belmonte Jr. has backed the Supreme Court decision allowing the construction of the controversial Torre de Manila condominium appearing behind the monument of national hero Jose Rizal at the sprawling Rizal Park in Manila.

Belmonte, a lawyer, said he agreed with the high court’s move to dump the petition filed by the Knights of Rizal that had sought the project’s demolition, saying the structure was ruining the sight line of the Rizal monument.

“I support the decision and the reasoning [of the Supreme Court],” Belmonte said.

Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting said the high court had spoken and its ruling must

be respected.

“We have to abide by what our laws say. We cannot hold DMCI liable if they did not violate any laws at the time they procured the permits and started construction,” Tambunting said.

Voting 9-6, the high court rejected the argument by the Knights of Rizal; and lifted the temporary restraining order it issued in June 2015 that stopped the construction of the condominium being built by DMCI

Project Developer Inc. The Court ruled there was no law prohibiting the construction of the building.

It said DMCI did not violate several laws mandating the protection and preservation of the Rizal Monument by defacing the visual corridors of the monument.

It also junked the petition on technical grounds, citing its lack of jurisdiction on the issues raised in the petition as well as the lack of legal standing of the Knights of Rizal to question the construction of Torre de Manila before it.

Belmonte agreed.

“If anybody had reservations, same should have been raised much earlier and not when the building was almost complete,” said Belmonte, House committee on West Philippine Sea chairperson.

The Knights of Rizal filed its petition in September 2014

and the high court held oral arguments on the case in August 2015.

DMCI had persistently asked the high court to resolve the case and lift the temporary restraining order it issued on the completion of the 49-story building in June 2015, citing business losses and damages to third parties, especially the buyers of units in the condominium.

The developer asked the hight court to dismiss the petition that it said could cost about P4.27 billion in capital investments and unrealized profits, including the P1.28 billion it had already spent to build the condominium as of May 2015.

DMCI also warned that granting the petition would create a dangerous precedent and result in “economic havoc.”

It said high-rise buildings were surrounding most of the monuments in Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

Education bill to benefit students ‘Mining, steel sector

By Macon Ramos-Araneta to propel GDP growth’

A SENATOR has affirmed that all students in state colleges and universities will benefit from Senate Bill No. 1304 or the Affordable Higher Education for All Act once it is enacted into law.

“We commend the Commission on Higher Education for coming out with the Implementing Rules and Regulations for the allotted budget. But our priority remains to be the passage of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act so all students in SUCs are provided free tuition,” said Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino.

He was referring to the IRR issued by the CHED in connection with the P8 billion earmarked in the 2017 budget for the free tuition fees in SUCs. He said that under the currently allotted budget, only around half of the students in SUCs stand to benefit from free tuition.

But once Senate Bill No. 1304 is passed into law, every SUC student can avail himself/herself

of free tuition.

There will also be a mechanism for more financially-able students to opt to pay for their tuition fee.

“There are differences in the proposals compared to the released IRR in the use of funds,” said Aquino.

“We’re hoping to file a resolution and invite CHED to give the Senate a full briefing of the IRR,” he said.

“More importantly, we must ensure the passage of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act in Congress, so that all students in SUCs can avail of free tuition,” he added.

During his eight-month tenure as Committee on Education chairman, Aquino pushed for the passage of the Affordable Higher Education for All Act or Senate Bill No. 1304 as principal sponsor and co-author.

The measure was approved by the Senate on third and final reading via an 18-0 vote.

VOICES RAISED. Militants from different organizations call a news conference in Quezon City Friday to announce their nationwide protests on Monday—to raise their voices and assert their demands for regional jobs, living wages and free mass housing. Manny Palmero

THE Philippines will achieve growth rates surpassing the seven-percent mark by unleashing the huge potential of mining, and the revitalization of the steel industry, according to a ranking executive of the Department of Science and Technology.

Dr. C.P. David said inconsistent policies and the lack of a long-term development agenda for the country’s natural resources had delayed what he called the efficient harnessing of an estimated $1.4 trillion in mineral reserves.

David is the DoST executive director of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DoST-PCIEERD), and concurrently, Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi) trustee.

“Hence we see the urgent need to partner with the mining industry in a series of research projects to develop a long-term national road map that will integrate the development of mining, steel and other downstream industries,” he said.

The strategic role and potential of the mining industry issues blocking the revitalization of vital industries, such as steel and manufacturing, were highlighted during the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the DoSTPCIEERD and the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines.

The partnership was forged based on inputs from the mining industry, academe and environmental advocates through consultations organized by the Stratbase ADRi in partnership with the Philippine Business for Environmental Stewardship.

Mining is a recognized industry in the Philippines engaged in the extraction of natural resources, which, if done properly, has a vast potential in contributing to the country’s economic development, according to industry officials.

“Understanding the complex issues of mining while balancing the environmental protection and economic development must be based on sound scientific study and data. We need to tap the expertise and resources of the private sector to work closely with government to ensure that the government comes up with right policies,” said Ysan Castillo, secretary-general of PBEST and Stratbase ADRi fellow.

Castillo said the objective of this partnership was to utilize the research and development arm of the government and the available talent and resources of the mining industry in the development of an integrated long-term strategic road map for the efficient harnessing of the country’s rich natural resources in the context of responsible mining and environmental stewardship.

IN BRIEF Customs foils try to smuggle in 3 luxury cars THE Bureau of Customs has foiled an attempt to smuggle in three luxury cars worth P10 million which arrived from South Korea in Subic, Zambales.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said the seized vehicles—BMW 745 Sedan, BMW 745 Li Sedan and a Hyundai Equus JS350 Sedan—arrived at the Port of Subic on board m/v SITC Osaka 1636S and were consigned to Sea Star Express Corp., a freight forwarder.

BoC agents seized the cars after their shippers were found to have violated a provision of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to Section 3 of Executive Order 156 prohibiting the importation of used motor vehicles.

Faeldon issued an alert order regarding the vehicles upon the recommendation of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service-Intelligence Group, Port of Subic through its Office of the District Collector.

The cars are now in the custody of the BoC. Vito Barcelo

Imported fireworks seized by BoC CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY —Imported fireworks worth an estimated P15 million confiscated by the Bureau of Customs at a local port had been turned over to the police regional office recently, a Customs official said Friday.

According to Alvin Enciso, chief of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service in region 10, the boxes of pyrotechnics were placed inside four 40-foot container vans and arrived at the Mindanao Container Terminal sub-port in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental from China last year, with one of containers’ arrival in said port dating back to 2015.

Enciso identified the consignees of the items as Pro V Marketing and Spherebox Marketing and the shippers as Quingtian Zhangchao Import & Export Co. Ltd., Yiwu Suge Import & Export Co. Ltd., and Guangzhou Kind Sam Import & Export Co. Ltd. He said the shipment had not been properly declared and was reported by the shippers as drinking glasses, cups, reams of bond paper, and sanitary napkins.

When inspected, Enciso said, Customs officials found out the cargo had been misdeclared and turned out to be actually fireworks.

Lance Baconguis

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Opinion

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Surprise, surprise

I

T’S surreal, that story about a secret 1-meterby-3-meter space behind a shelf at a Tondo, Manila police station, where at least 12 men and women were discovered by the Commission on Human Rights on Thursday.

Except that it is true.

The prisoners said they had been there for a week and were being asked to pay between P40,000 and P200,000 in exchange for their freedom.

They enjoyed no electricity. They were made to use plastic bags in lieu of toilet facilities. Some said they were tortured.

Police officers said the captives were rounded up during an anti-drug raid ahead of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit. They were still being processed, the cops said, so their detention was not yet supported by documents.

And given the overcrowding situation in jails, station commander Superintendent

Robert Domingo appeared to pride himself in being creative—the extra room was such a waste of space, he said. “Why should I not maximize it?”

He was relieved of his post Friday.

Still, belaboring Domingo’s point, Manila Police District director Joel Coronel offered members of the media free accommodation for one night in their jails so they would know the conditions there.

The “executive suite” would be offered to the CHR. National Capital Region Police Office Chief Director

Oscar Albayalde, meanwhile, said they welcomed the CHR’s surprise visit, which was prompted by a tip.

Coronel’s attempt at wit and Albayalde’s efforts to put a spin on the discovery are unnecessary. Everybody knows how bad conditions in police jails, even in the national penitentiary, are.

Everybody can assume, as well, that the CHR visit came as a surprise—why else would a bookcase cover the entrance to a narrow room if the police had intended to raise the issue of jail overcrowding?

A probe, they say, is forthcoming. We agree. We need to find out if there are any more secret chambers holding who-knows-how-many undocumented individuals in the name of the war against illegal drugs. We need police officers to know this is a serious matter they should not make light of, and the people to know that just because it is widespread does not mean it is right or acceptable.

Nobody disputes that the war on drugs must be won.

We should insist, however, that it be fought fairly, and decently.

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

That useless ongoing Asean forum

largely occurred in impoverished urban areas, many in the National Capital Region of Metro Manila but in other cities as well. Those killed have been typically been people struggling to make ends meet for themselves and their families—work is irregular if they have work at all. In many of the cases, family members acknowledged that their relative was a drug user—typically of shabu, a methamphetamine— or a dealer, or used to be one.

But none of the cases investigated fit the category of bigtime drug lords—they were people at the bottom of the drug chain.”

“As told to Human Rights Watch by relatives, neighbors, and other witnesses, the assailants typically worked in groups of two, four, or a dozen. They would wear civilian clothes, often all black, and shielded their faces with balaclava-style headgear or other masks, and

BY THIS time, almost everyone in Metropolitan Manila knows that the Philippines is hosting the latest forum of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) at the expanse of expensive real estate beside Manila Bay. As a consequence of that Asean forum, work in schools and government offices in the vicinity of the forum, namely, Pasay City, Manila, and Makati was called off yesterday. In addition, all traffic regulations in the area have been adjusted —local motorists must yield at all times to vehicles identified with that forum.

Courts of justice were also ordered closed yesterday. To litigants, that means postponements anew, and more delay in the administration of justice.

What the Asean forum is officially all about can be gleaned from the news broadcasts of the state-run television station. What the forum is really all about, however, is something else. If the recent past is an indication of contemporary times, not much is to be expected from this forum.

Other than the usual, time-consuming speeches on regional unity, cooperation, and trade, the Asean forum hosted by the Philippines is another useless waste of public funds, and a waste of valuable time.

Truth to tell, Asean has done nothing of substantial consequence that has been beneficial to the common Filipino in recent years.

The nuclear menace posed

by North Korea during the past several days is enough to worry Europe and North America. So far, even Russia is unsettled about the reckless, trigger-happy juvenile running the communist government in Pyongyang. This is obvious from Moscow’s refusal to veto any pre-emptive measure the United Nations (UN) Security Council may pursue against North Korea.

Even Communist China is nervous, as seen by Beijing’s public advisory that the United States and North Korea should

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Duterte, the ICC, and Asean PEOPLE in the Philippines are divided over the significance of the latest development in The Hague where Filipino lawyer Jude Sabio submitted a communication to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the Philippine situation. He alleged that crimes against humanity have been committed or are being committed in the country.

These acts, according to Sabio, are in relation to the war against illegal drugs where the distinction between drug lords and pushers from drug users and addicts have been blurred and thousands have died without trial or any form of due process.

While many government officials have dismissed the communication, saying it is des-

tined to the dustbin, I would not be too complacent. In fact, government lawyers and diplomats must be prepared for the eventuality that the communication matures into a fullblown case.

As I have written in an online media outlet, this is what to expect after a communication is received. The ICC will acknowledge Sabio’s submission and then ICC lawyers will probably be assigned to do due diligence on the case, especially on whether the ICC has jurisdiction. The ICC actually receives many of these communications, and most do not result in any proceeding. In fact, out of the thousands of communications it has received, less than two dozen cases have been filed resulting so far in nine convictions and one acquittal.

At some point, if warranted, a preliminary examination against the Duterte 12 could be launched. This is followed by a full blown investigation.

Only then would indictments be handed down and arrest warrants issued. The fact is that it will take years before a case can move forward from submission of communication to examination to the filing of charges. Trial and conviction could also last for years.

I would not be too complacent about the ICC case.

My educated guess, as I also wrote earlier this week, is that the Duterte 12 case will move forward faster because the ICC Prosecutor herself had warned the government last October that its war against drugs, and

especially the language of the president, could constitute a crime against humanity. Many international law and human rights experts are supportive of this case. There is also a lot of media attention on this and that means there is interest to get a proceeding launched.

There is also a value in initiating the proceedings early to save lives. Some people are arguing that tens of thousands of lives of poor people could be saved if this process were accelerated. In this regard, the Human Rights Watch Report entitled License to Kill, which investigated 24 incidents, would be convincing to the ICC prosecutor to proceed with the case.

Following are some excerpts from that report: “The following 24 incidents resulting in 32 deaths are not a scientific sampling of those killings. However, they share similarities with the clear majority of the cases reported in the media. The killings have

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Opinion BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN

Currency manipulation can work both ways Part III WHEN China introduced a limited system of capitalism in selected areas in 1978, investors led by the US welcomed the relaxation in the economy. They all concluded that China finally accepted the pre-eminence of capitalism. All were anxious to take advantage of the low value of its currency and wage of its workers. Unlike the export processing zone in Southeast Asia, China’s quartered capitalism was sanitized from labor unrest and investors were given comparable, if not, attractive tax exemption privileges.

The US and the rest of the international financial oligarchy wished that China would remain the production and processing capital of the world. In fact, it has constantly reminded China it owes its economic miracle to the US manufacturing plants.

They stressed that the migration of factories will remain viable as long as China maintains the value of the Yuan.

What the US did not know is that the advantage would not be forever. Initially American consumers were able to buy more for their money. The monetarists never anticipated that the American consuming public will later be affected by the high value of their currency.

The theoretical assumption of the monetarists was a fallacy.

For instance, to make it work, the US dollar would have to introduce two denominated set of currency, one for the exchange of goods and services within the US and its territories, and another to pay for goods and services outside the US. The absence of this “financial mecha n ism,” the US manipulation of its currency could work against its own economy.

The high value of their currency was only good for as long as they pay for those goods and services outside the US. Everything was adjusted to the high value of their currency.

However, the big and greedy corporations refuse to increase the wage of their workers for that would mean losing what they earned outside the US. In other words, the profit earned

by US corporations by their outsourcing of production abroad is being paid by US taxpayers and consumers.

Although US imports became cheaper, nonetheless they were sold in the US market based on the current but overvalued dollar. Despite declining productivity because of the closure of many factories, the cost of living in the US steadily keeps on rising. Americans are complaining because for more than 10 years now real wages in the US has remained constant.

To keep the economy going, it has to continually issue treasury bills and resort to the ingenious device called quantitative easing or the printing of money without any foundation to back it up. The problem, however, is that the usurers, which survive on the business of inflating the economy, refuse to be left behind. As the cost of living increases so are the taxes, including real estate which average Americans taxpayers could not sustain if they are unemployed.

In other words, the American public now fear bankruptcy, a fate, Paul Kennedy observed, that happened to all previous empires.

US corporations were having second thoughts in creating new jobs because of the high price of consumer products and demand for higher wages. That means US corporations want to

pay American workers the same level of wages as they do China and elsewhere.

Seeing this discrepancy, Americans who travel abroad are forced to do their shopping outside their own country knowing they could buy more for their dollar. In giving pasalubong, they prefer to buy gifts here because the dollar is rated high against the peso. This constitutes a deviation from the original purpose why US corporations migrated to China.

US products manufactured in China and Southeast Asia end up being sold in many Asian countries. It was the local retailers and distributors that made money. Likewise, many American tourists prefer to visit Southeast Asia where the exchange rate of the dollar is high. In the end, they not only lost their tourism industry but also the buying spree which is inseparable to tourism.

The naive idea of transforming the US dollar to a mighty and universal currency has backfired. It is not only the uncontrollable influx of illegal migrants from South America that they fear but also of the huge amount of dollars getting out of the US. The US-Mexican border has become a unique trading hub. While the South American drug lords export cocaine because they command high value in the US, Latinos remit billions of US dollars to their relatives in the south.

The facilitators from both sides of the border make billions servicing illegal immigrants from the so-called “coyotes” in Mexico to the ambulant i m m ig r at ion lawyers in the US. This has become a flourishing m u lt i bi l l io n dollar industry from both sides.

Bringing back production plants to the US is no longer economically feasible. Maybe, the US earned more by manipulating its currency, but it lost much of its share in the local and international market. While the value of the dollar remains high in many countries, it is the same US dollar American consumers are using to buy goods at home. That means American consumers are buying on an inflated value of their currency.

The cost of living in the US has correspondingly jacked up.

Their savings were eroded by their greater volume and value of imports. A shrinking purchasing power of US consumers coupled with declining sales is a sure indicator of an economy on its way down.

While it can be gleaned that the migration of US factories to China and other countries was motivated by the low currency value and wages of the workers abroad, now it is consumers’ money that is migrating. There is no way the US can prevent the outward flow of the dollar for eerily it encouraged global trade and investment everybody knows will never work without the money. Besides, to reverse the flow could cause many US creditors to dump their treasurer bills and that could deflate fast the US economy.

Contingency measures have been taken by many countries like demanding payment for their exports in gold or in other currencies. This could altogether put to an end US currency dominance, and jeopardize the business of the international financial oligarchy. They are signs of increasing mistrust to the US dollar; that consumers all over the world are not getting the real value of what they are paying for.

Revaluation is most

There is no way the US can prevent the outward flow of the dollar.

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

A5

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Millennials will aspire to elected office, not startups

By Conor Sen THERE’S still a long way to go until the 2018 midterm elections, but already there’s a surge of interest. It’s not just among people following campaigns, but also among an unusually high number of people thinking about running for office. There’s good reason. It’s the modern equivalent of starting a tech company in the late 2000s—a play for power, where the odds are most favorable.

The tech startup boom that began in the late 2000s and has tapered off over the past few years occurred because of a combination of technological, economic and demographic forces. The technological opportunity came about because of the simultaneous explosive growth in social media and the mobile internet brought about by the development of smartphones. Facebook, Google and Apple may have created the dominant social and smartphone platforms that we all use today, but they weren’t the only beneficiaries. Gaming companies like Zynga and King Digital, the makers of Farmville and Candy Crush; ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft; social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat; and many other startups owe their existence to the growth of the social and mobile internet.

But all that technology didn’t get created in a vacuum—the economic fallout from the great recession was responsible for stoking the entrepreneurial spirit of America as well. With

That...

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refrain from making provocative remarks against each other.

Like Russia, Communist China refused to veto the recent UN Security Council measure designed to address the problem posed by North Korea.

The refusal of Russia and Communist China to side with their traditional spoiled-brat ward North Korea in the UN Security Council vote underscores just how much trouble Pyongyang can potentially create for the world.

It will be recalled that Russia is responsible for establishing North Korea after World War II. North Korea was supposed to be a communist outpost in East Asia.

During the Korean War (19501953), Communist China kept North Korea alive after the latter had already been vanquished by UN multi-national forces commanded by General Douglas MacArthur. The historical record shows that after UN forces occupied Pyongyang and pushed the North Koreans off the Korean peninsula, Communist China (then led by tyrant Mao Zedong) joined the war on the side of the North Koreans. As a result,

Duterte...

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baseball caps or helmets. They would carry handguns. They would frequently travel by motorcycle—two to a bike. Often there would be a van, invariably white, and sometimes containing markings signifying a police vehicle. There typically would be banging on doors and barging into rooms, but the assailants would not identify themselves nor provide warrants. Family members often reported hearing beatings and their loved one begging for their lives. The shootings could happen immediately, behind closed doors or on the street, or the gunmen might take the suspect away, where minutes later shots would ring out and local residents would find the body, often with hands tied or the head wrapped in plastic.”

“Whether or not the unidentidebilitating to countries that consigned their production abroad. They lost their factories at home, deprived their workers their jobs, and now made to buy goods at high prices all because

the unemployment rate near 10 percent, and even higher for younger workers, the opportunity cost to take a shot on a startup was low. For entrepreneurs, post-recession office rents and salaries were low, allowing the money they raised from venture capitalists to go a long way. And for venture capitalists, tight credit conditions allowed them to get in on the ground floor of attractive startups at a low valuation.

Still, none of this would have been possible without the people to make it happen. At this time, the biggest “hump” of the millennial generation, those born between the late 1980s and early 1990s, were entering college and the workforce. This provided a steady stream of young people —some interested in working on tech startups, many more interested in consuming their products and services.

Startups are tapering off in part because the environment has changed. Rather than creating new platforms like Facebook did, upstarts now find themselves competing with the likes of Facebook, a daunting task. The economic expansion over the past several years has raised the opportunity cost for workers thinking about working for a startup; it’s riskier to take a chance on stock options when large companies like Facebook and Google are offering attractive salaries. And entrepreneurs find themselves having to pay much higher office rents and salaries than they did in 2009 or 2010. For now, the

social and mobile frontier may be closed.

In 2008 a young person could envision striking gold with a tech startup. Now that seems implausible, but rising through the political hierarchy seems imaginable. In 2017, conditions are in place for an unprecedented surge in the number of people looking to run for office.

Part of the attraction of running for office in 2018, at least on the Democratic side, is the high level of attention and financial engagement the party’s base is showing already in the wake of President Donald Trump’s election. Jon Ossoff, the first-time Democratic candidate in Georgia’s 6th congressional district special election, raised over $8 million for the race’s recently completed “jungle primary,” with the race possibly on its way to being the most expensive congressional race ever. The vast majority of his money came from out of state, much of it raised via viral social media campaigns. Whereas in the past to run a successful congressional campaign a candidate may have needed a slew of local media and elected officials’ endorsements, plus the financial backing of wealthy and powerful people in the community, today seemingly any candidate and campaign has the potential to catch fire and go viral nationally.

There’s a demographic component here as well. The same crop of people who were in their late teens and early 20s in the aftermath of the great

recession are growing up, and are now old enough to run for office, like Ossoff, age 30—and their cohort could vote for them in the same way young people consumed the products of Zynga and Snapchat. At the same time, most of the elected officials and leaders of the Democratic Party are nearing retirement. Nancy Pelosi is 77. Bernie Sanders is 75. Elizabeth Warren is 67.

If you’re an ambitious person in your late 20s, what’s more likely—that you disrupt the businesses of Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, or that you ascend through the ranks of the Democratic Party over the course of a few election cycles as the party’s leadership retires and baby boomers shrink as a share of the electorate?

Just as it’s true that the tech startup boom minted only a handful of mega-winners, the same will be true for this electoral boom. But that doesn’t mean these new political elites will be the only beneficiaries. There’s only one Mark Zuckerberg, but Facebook created thousands of jobs, and is a platform used by a billion people today. A new civic wave might elect only a few dozen out of the hundreds who are running for national office, but a new generation can take comfort in knowing that its values will be the ones being heard in Congress rather than those of the current generation that can’t seem to get anything done.

The trend is clear. The new tech ruling class has already claimed its stake. But government? It’s wide open. Bloomberg

the combined Red Chinese and North Korean armies were able to fight the UN forces, and to regain control of the northern part of the peninsula, which is the territory now held by North Korea.

An armistice in 1953 ended the shooting war, but in the absence of a treaty between the two Koreas, and there is none, the North and the South are still technically at war.

What has Asean done about the North Korean nuclear menace? Nothing, even if a North Korean nuclear attack against South Korea and Japan can trigger a dangerous fallout that will eventually reach most of the nations comprising Asean, thanks to the strong winds from Siberia.

The Association, its apologists say, is not a military alliance.

When Communist China went on an illegal landgrabbing spree in the West Philippine Sea, Asean kept mum about the whole thing. When a number of no-nonsense diplomats tried to prepare an anti-Beijing statement for Asean, other diplomats of the Association, particularly those from the pro-Red Chinese nation of Cambodia, tried to abort it. The end result—a useless, equivocal statement from Asean regarding Communist

China’s bullying in the West Philippine Sea. Having had enough of that blatant abuse of strength by Communist China, Manila took legal action against Beijing before the UN arbitration tribunal at The Hague, in The Netherlands. During the pendency of the arbitration proceedings, Asean was conveniently silent about the case.

The Philippine victory in the UN arbitration tribunal was a devastating diplomatic blow to Communist China. Even if Beijing refuses to honor the tribunal’s ruling, Manila won the moral high ground against Beijing. By reason of that arbitration ruling as well, Communist China’s hollow protestations of peace in the maritime regions around it were exposed.

Indeed, Beijing has remained in the West Philippine Sea, but it is the villain of the region, thanks to the Philippine victory in the UN arbitration tribunal.

So far, Asean has not bothered to thank Manila for standing up to Beijing, and for providing a moral opposition to the Red Chinese landgrabbers. As usual, the Association’s apologists insist that Asean is not a military alliance.

Just what then, in reality, is

Asean? If Asean is not a military but an economic alliance, then it’s doing a lousy job.

For starters, the prosperity the anticipated Asean integration has been promising in its press releases has become a teasing illusion to unemployed Filipinos today, precisely because they remain unemployed, and poverty stalks many places in the Philippines.

When Communist China threatened to stop buying bananas from the Philppines in the wake of Manila’s case against Beijing in the UN arbitration tribunal, Asean never bothered to intervene, even when Beijing’s threat was obviously an economic reprisal against the Philippines—an Asean member-state. Where is the purported economic alliance Asean is talking about?

Last year, Malaysia had a dark role in the draft Bangsamoro Basic Law which almost dismembered the Republic with the threatened creation of an Islamic sub-state in Mindanao.

Ironically, Malaysia is supposed to be an ally of the Philippines in Asean.

Enough of the hogwash! The sooner the ongoing Asean forum ends, the better it will be for the Filipinos.

fied assailants doing the actual killing were police officers or merely agents of the police, the similar modus operandi in these operations shows planning and coordination by the police, and in some cases, local civilian officials. These were not killings by individual officers or by “vigilantes” operating separately from the authorities. The cases investigated in this report suggest that police involvement in the killings of drug suspects extends far beyond the officially acknowledged cases of police killings in “buy-bust” operations. Furthermore, the government’s failure to arrest—let alone prosecute—a single police officer for their role in any of the “war-on-drugs” killings that Duterte has encouraged and instigated sends a message that those involved need not fear being held to account, and that future killings can be carried out

with impunity.”

I do not know how far the ICC will go in this case. It could actually decide that it is premature to get involved now with opportunities for accountability through the Commission on Human Rights, the Ombudsman, and the Judiciary not having been maximized yet. Actually, the ICC rules does not require strict exhaustion of remedies. As I have also written, the spirit of the Rome Statue is that it is a last resort remedy but it does not require all remedies have been taken as perception that there is no will to move forward on a remedy is enough to move a case forward.

The ICC is a complementary —it is not exclusive, appellate or alternative to other forums, and can co-exist with ongoing domestic processes. I think the fact that people are still dying in the hundreds every month, with

full coverage, without adequate investigation could be fatal for the Duterte 12.

This week, President Duterte is hosting all his fellow leaders in the Asean. The submission of the communication by Sabio and the media coverage including a scathing editorial of the New York Times, has been a minor embarrassment. But the initiation of a preliminary examination or even a full blown investigation in November when the Asean leaders meet again and this time with the leaders of the United Nations, China, the United States, Europe, India and other countries, could potentially be more damaging. Let us not be surprised when that happens. Better still, let’s make sure it does not happen by changing course before it’s too late.

not mean anything.

Some predict the US economy could no longer afford to revalue its currency unless accompanied by a drastic surge in industrial activity. Without it, the US

economy would just continue to contract, and would have to rely more on foreign borrowings to keep it afloat.

of currency manipulation. As the saying goes, maybe the government can flood the market with cheap products, but if one does not have even a centavo to buy things he want, that would

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News

BIMP-EAGA sea trade gets boost

By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE opening of the shipping route within the Brunei Darussalam-IndonesiaMalaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) is expected to enhance trading between the Philippines and Indonesia, a senior Cabinet official said.

A Roll-on Roll-off (RoRo) ferry service will begin plying the Davao City-General Santos-Bitung, Indonesia route on Sunday (April 30), which will provide a faster and cheaper channel of trading goods among EAGA’s key cities.

M/V Super Shuttle RoRo 12, operated by the Asian Marine Transport Corp., will provide a weekly shipping service to the route with a vessel capacity of 500 Twenty Foot Equivalent Units.

“Sea linkage within the

EAGA sub-region is crucial in strengthening trade relations among its member countries, since it supports the achievement of the goals of the other EAGA pillars such agribusiness, tourism, and socio-cultural and education,” said Mindanao Development Authority Secretary Abul Khayr Alonto.

Alonto, who will sign the agreement in behalf of the Philippines for the BIMP-EAGA, added that maritime transport is vital to the sub-region’s development, and the Philippines will continue to

push for the opening of sea routes within.

“We are calling on and encouraging key industry and business players and traders to participate in this initiative and to take advantage of the business opportunities and benefits that this new route will provide,” he added.

Alonto said that private sector support will be critical to the sustainability of this project, the Duterte government’s maiden accomplishment under the Philippine chairmanship of the Asean this year.

The opening of the route is a more cost and time-efficient alternative to the usual Manila to Jakarta to Bitung route, which would take about three to five weeks of shipping time.

In contrast, direct shipping through the Davao-GenSanBitung route will take only one day and a half of sailing (excluding port stay).

A savings up to $1,500 (P74,000) per TEU is estimated in using this route given its $700 (P34,713) per TEU rate per 20 feet dry container as compared to using the Davao-General Santos to Manila to Manado via Jakarta route which amounts to $2,200 (P109,098) per TEU. Alonto said the opening of the route will provide greater access for local businessmen to engage in international trade, as well as stimulate other areas of development such as joint tourism promotion, establishment of direct linkages, and increase in investment inflows, among others.

Among the goods identified by the private sector in Mindanao at this stage that will be shipped to Indonesia are: animal feeds, fertilizer, construction materials, ice cream products, poultry (halal), fresh fruits, and synthetics.

Initial list of import goods, on the other hand, include ma-

tured coconut, copra, corn, feed ingredients,lumber, cement, high value crops, vegetables, meat, peanuts, aqua products, charcoal, soya, coffee beans, and sugar.

Arturo Boncato Jr., assistant secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry, said the RoRo service is one of the priority projects of BIMP-EAGA’s connectivity group.

He explained that with the completed port improvements and the declaration of the city of Bitung as an international port, the sustainability of the route becomes more feasible as the Indonesian government has provided its full support to the link’s opening and operation.

Boncato, a senior official to the BIMP-EAGA, said the route is extremely beneficial due to the substantial cost savings it offers, resulting to improved competitiveness for our Mindanao products which have been gaining interest

Luisita farmers tag solon as lessee

Trump’s curbs on media hit GLOBAL press freedom has hit a 13-year low, threatened by US President Donald Trump’s media bashing and restrictions pursued by both democratic and authoritarian governments, a watchdog said Friday.

A survey by Freedom House, a US-based human rights organization, highlighted growing concerns over efforts by governments around the world to clamp down on media and dissent.

“Political leaders and other partisan forces in many democracies—including the United States, Poland, the Philippines, and South Africa—attacked the credibility of independent media and factbased journalism, rejecting the traditional watchdog role of the press in free societies,” said Jennifer Dunham, who headed the research.

In the 2016 study of 199 countries, the group concluded that just 13 percent of the world’s population enjoys a “free press” where coverage of political news is robust, the safety of journalists guaranteed, state intrusion in media affairs minimal, and the press is not subject to onerous legal or economic pressures.

Another 42 percent of the world’s population has a “partly free” press and 45 percent live in countries where the media environment is “not free,” the group said.

Friday’s report echoed a similar survey released this week by France-based Reporters Without Borders, which said press freedom is facing serious threats in 72 countries, downgrading the rankings of the United States, Britain and others.

The Freedom House report said press rights are being eroded by the efforts of politicians in democratic states to shape news coverage and delegitimize media outlets.

“When politicians lambaste the media, it encourages their counterparts abroad to do the same,” Freedom House president Michael Abramowitz said. AFP

within the sub-region, while adding “the route will provide a more efficient access for local businessmen to engage trading with Indonesian counterparts.”

In a feasibility study conducted by the Japan International Cooperation in 2012, the Gensan-Bitung route was selected as one of the pilot areas for a roll-on roll-off operation within BIMP-EAGA. The study also highlighted that the route can be dedicated to a freight service once shipping service requirements are in place.

A study conducted by the Research Education and Institutional Development Foundation through the US Agency for International Development in 2010 revealed that the North SulawesiMindanao sea link offers strong potentials for international trade and commerce between Indonesia and the Philippines since it offers a proximate channel for the shipment of goods.

NO DEAL. Anti-riot policemen block protesters along T.M. Kalaw Street in Manila from marching to the US Embassy to lobby against the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement between the Philippines and US. Lino Santos

Fishermen want Edca scrapped

By Sandy Araneta THE militant Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas on Friday called for the junking of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, a US-Philippine military treaty that was signed under thenPresident Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino” three years ago.

Edca is a supplemental agreement to the Visiting Forces Agreement that allows American troops to use our land and facilities for free, Pamalakaya said.

The fisherfolk group said it is about time that President Rodrigo Duterte put his words into actions by cutting ties with

our long-time colonizer and exploiter, the United States of America.

Pamalakaya said Duterte’s previous pronouncements against the US have yet to materialize since he recently allowed another Balikatan exercise between the Filipino and American troops to proceed next month in the guise of “humanitarian and civil assistance.”

“Unequal military agreements like Edca and VFA allow American troops to violate our sovereign and territorial rights as a nation. It also allows US to store its military armaments in our soil, making us a ground zero and vulnerable to attacks

by America’s state enemies,”

Fernando Hicap, Pamalakaya chairperson, said in a statement.

Hicap added that the return of US bases and military presence in the country under the Edca is part of “US Pivot to Asia” that was a hegemonic strategy introduced by former US President Barack Obama and now adopted and intensified by President Donald Trump.

“This US strategy is to ensure and consolidate its political, military and economic influence among the fastest growing economic states in the region and to counter China as a rising worldsuperpower.”

Pamalakaya said the recent US acts of aggression against its state enemies like its bombing of 50

tomahawk missiles in Syria and the dropping of the Mother of all Bombs in Afghanistan is tantamount to war of aggression and political-military invasion that violates the principles of sovereignty and independence of one’s nation.

“Donald Trump is a carboncopy of his predecessors Barack Obama and even George Bush for being warmonger and war-freak head of state. He will soon face the collective and strong condemnation and rejection by the people all over the world for advancing its geo-political interests throughout the world through unjust war of aggression and stateinterventions,” ended Hicap.

FARMERS belonging to the Unyon ng mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura or UMA on Friday slammed Tarlac Rep. Noel Villanueva as an “aryendador” or lessee of the pieces of land that were distributed in Hacienda Luisita Inc. under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

“The cat is out of the bag,” UMA secretary-general Danilo Ramos said.

He said Villanueva had revealed himself as an aryendador when he questioned the constitutionality of Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano’s nullification of the selling and leasing out of the farm lands awarded to the farmerbeneficiaries of Hacienda Luisita.

He said Vilanueva acted as the spokesman of the other local politicians and influential personalities who rented out or bought CARP lands from the farmers.

He said close to 4,000 farmers had been “duped” by local politicians and other influential personalities within the past three years since the distribution of the certificates of land ownership awards by the Department of Agrarian Reform.

On April 26, Mariano declared that all sold and leased pieces of agrarian land at the Hacienda Luisita were null and void.

Ramos said Villanueva must also be charged for renting out the distributed agrarian lands.

UMA earlier identified Agrikulto Inc., a subsidiary of Central Azucarera de Tarlac or CAT, as one of the aryendadors in Hacienda Luisita.

CAT is now owned by Martin Lorenzo and Fernando Cojuangco while Agrikulto Inc. was specifically bought by it to increase the sugarcane supply of the sugar mill, Ramos said.

Voting 14-0 on April 24, 2012, the Supreme Court ordered the distribution of about 4,900 hectares of the hacienda to about 6,000 farmerbeneficiaries. Rio N. Araja

Pampanga mayor, deputy face graft raps over P7-m pork scam

By Rio N. Araja

JUSTICE FOR JONAS. Protesters wearing masks with the face of Jonas Burgos hold a protest rally in front of Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City to mark his 10th year of disappearance still seeking for justice. Manny Palmero

THE Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption has filed graft charges against Pampanga’s Magalang Mayor Maria Lourdes Lacson and Vice Mayor Norman Lacson before the Office of the Ombudsman over a P7-million pork scam.

At a media briefing at the Ombudsman central office, Pyra Lucas, a VACC-Pampanga chapter coordinator, challenged the inaction in the first graft raps filed against the mayor and other local officials in January.

“I am filing the suit to include the vice mayor’s culpability,” she told Ombudsman reporters after a meeting with VACC founding chairman Dante Jimenez at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

She questioned why the vice mayor was never charged in any complaint filed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

In a 12-page complaint, she said both Lacsons violated Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and RA 6713 or the Code of Conduct And Unethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.

The other local officials— treasurer Raissa Bayani, assessor Adela Tanhueco, engineer Jesus Nathaniel Pili, business permit and licensing chief Ryan Miranda, agriculturist Milagros Suing and barangay chairman Marcial Alfaro—were included in the charge sheet.

Lucas said the respondents also committed gross misconduct.

The Magalang mayor committed a wrongdoing for selling 4,038 hogs

for P7 million to Bacolor Mayor Jose Maria Hizon, son of prominent businesswoman Lolita Hizon of Pampanga’s Best processed meat products, without any legal basis or court disposition in 2016, she added.

Last January, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-National Capital Region director Wilkins Villanueva filed graft raps against Mayor Lacson, Hizon and the other Magalang municipal officials, except the vice mayor.

The pigs were owned by private individuals, and not the municipality of Magalang, PDEA insisted.

Lucas accused the two Lacsons of having profited from the “measly” sale transaction of the 4,038 hogs seized from Jeowang Farm in Barangay San Ildefonso, Magalang town.

Sports RUNRIO race series launched

By Klyde Manansala RUNNING coach Rio dela Cruz continues his advocacy to bring inspiration and innovation to every runner as he officially launched the 7th RUNRIO Trilogy Race Series at the Okada Manila, Paranaque City on Friday.

The first leg is set on June 25, featuring a half-marathon run and a 10-km and 5-km race.

The second leg will be on Aug. 13, which will showcase RunRio 32km Afroman Distance to go with the shorter distances of 21km, 10km, and 5km.

The third and final leg, the RunRio Philippine Marathon, will cap the series on Oct. 1, with a full marathon of 42km.

“My dream is to compete in the Olympics, but unfortunately, I’m too old for this. The reason why I’m doing this is to guide our potential runners to fulfill their dreams by guiding them how to train properly and, of course, guide them to finish their education,” the UP alumnus said.

RUNRIO also launched its new campaign “Heart to Finish,” which Dela Cruz said must be the mantra of all runners.

“We, at RUNRIO, understand that people join races not just to run. It’s more of their desire and passion to be able to finish 21km, 32km, or 42km races with different motivations. We believe that if you run with your heart, anything is possible,” said Dela Cruz.

YesPinoy Foundation Chairman and actor Dingdong Dantes, one of the featured event ambassadors of the 7th RUNRIO Trilogy, also invited beginners to join the race series by training and preparing properly to show how far they can go with their heart.

“I represent the ones who are starting, I’m not an athlete but I want a change in my lifestyle.

That’s why this is one of the happenings that I want to open up for aspiring athletes out there,” Dantes said.

A7

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Raptors, Spurs finish off foes L OS ANGELES—Kawhi Leonard tallied 29 points as the San Antonio Spurs advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs with a 103-96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday.

Tony Parker delivered 27 points for the Spurs, who eliminated the Grizzlies by winning the Eastern Conference series in six games.

“He is playing at an MVP level and I hope he can keep it going because we are going to need him in the next round,” said Parker of teammate Leonard.

The Spurs next face the Houston Rockets in a best of seven series that gets underway

on Monday.

Elsewhere, DeMar DeRozan delivered 32 points as the Toronto Raptors rebounded after blowing a 25-point second half lead to defeat the Milwaukee Bucks 92-89 to reach the second round.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 17 points and 12 rebounds for San Antonio, who won for the first time in Memphis this season.

The Grizzlies got 26 points

from Mike Conley and 18 from Marc Gasol. This was Conley’s fifth straight game with 20 points or more.

Zach Randolph finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

San Antonio survived a strong challenge from Memphis by outrebounding the Grizzlies 46-28.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Memphis was a good test and now his team is better prepared to go on a long postseason run.

“One thing I do like is Memphis is a heck of a defensive team and they play rock ‘em, sock ‘em. That gets you ready for anybody you are going to play,” Popovich said.

“This was a chance for a lot

of our guys who haven’t been with us a long time to see how it works in the playoffs. The kind of tenacity ... and that anything can happen. We have had big leads, other teams have had big leads, and you lose them. It is tough, people are hungry, they want to win.”

Parker’s best playoff game Veteran Parker shot 78.6 percent from the field (11-of-14), the best he’s ever shot in a postseason game.

“I was just trying to be aggressive and my teammates were setting great picks for me,” France’s Parker said.

In Milwaukee, the Raptors used a 9-0 surge late in the fourth quarter at Milwaukee’s

Toughest road test yet for for Gilas PH

DeMar DeRozan (10) of the Toronto Raptors dribbles the ball while being guarded by Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks in the fourth quarter in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2017 NBA Playoffs at BMO Harris Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. AFP

THE PBA All-Star week culminates with what could be the toughest test on the road for Gilas Pilipinas.

The national team faces a formidable Cebu All-Star side on Saturday at the Hoopsdome in LapuLapu City to cap a busy, three-leg series that began in Cagayan de Oro and had a stop in Lucena City.

And the league saved its best for last as Gilas will be going up against a team to be handled by multi-titled coach Tim Cone and bannered by three-time MVP June Mar Fajardo, two-time MVP James Yap, back-to-back Philippine Cup Finals MVP Chris Ross, and scoring champion Terrence Romeo.

Both Gilas and the Cebu AllStars are arriving down South by Saturday.

The nationals so far had their hands in dealing with the Mindanao and Luzon All-Stars, and this one against the Cebu selection is expected to be the most daunting of the three as guaranteed by Cone.

Enriquez sizzles, nails 3 PPS Koronadal net titles SYDNEY Ezra Enriquez upended top seed Carlyn Guarde twice in the higher age group to complete a rare three-title feat in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Koronadal leg regional age group tennis tournament at the Koronadal Sports Complex in South Cotabato yesterday.

Janus Ringia, meanwhile, sustained his win run, sweeping the boys’ 16- and 18-and-under crowns to share the MVP honors with Enriquez in the Group 2 tournament held as part of the Mindanao summer tour sponsored Palawan Pawnshop and

Bradley Center arena to win the first-round Eastern Conference series, eliminating the Bucks in six games.

Toronto advances to face the second-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round, a rematch of last season’s East finals.

DeRozan led the way for Toronto on Thursday. He made 12-of-24 from the field, including a highlight reel dunk with 48 seconds remaining. Kyle Lowry added 13 points for the Raptors.

Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 34 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 47 minutes, but made just seven of 13 attempts from the free-throw line. The Bucks made only 18 of their 28 foul shots. AFP

presented by Slazenger.

The 14-year-old Enriquez stamped her class over Chloveay Pulido, scoring a shutout 6-0, 6-0 title romp in her age group then stunned Guarde, 6-1, 6-2, in the 16-U finals before out-steadying the fancied Sultan Kudarat bet in a thrilling duel, 7-5, 7-6(4), to clinch the 18-U diadem.

“Winning two titles in the higher division speaks well of Enriquez’s caliber. Her rare feat should also inspire the other young players to work and strive harder in pursuit of their lofty goals,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/CEO Bobby Castro.

Ringia, meanwhile, posted a pair of abbreviated victories to make it back-to-back, scoring a 4-0(ret.) win over Nicole Gorospe in the 16-U finals then the Sultan Kudarat ace stopped Steve Sonsona, 6-0, 4-1(ret.) for the 18-U crown, matching his two-title feat in last week’s Gen. Santos City leg of the circuit backed by Asiatraders Corp. and the new Unified tennis group, led by PPSPEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s and B-Meg. Top seed Brent Cortez from Tubod, Lanao lived up to his billing to thumped Michael Padao, 6-0, 6-2, to pocket the

boys’ 14-U plum; Digos City’s Andrei Padao repulsed No. 1 Al Rasheed Lucman, 6-0, 6-0, in the semis then turned back second seed Rey Napala, 6-4, 6-4, to snare the 12-U crown; while top-ranked Shieloh Ripdos crushed Mae Melendres, 6-0,60, to bag the girls’ 12-U diadem.

Lucman, from Malaybalay, Bukidnon, earlier bested Anthony Galvez, 4-2, 4-0, to annex the 10-unisex title.

Enriquez actually capped her solid campaign with another win, teaming up with Kisses Yap to blast Jing Yi Cai and Princess Cerbito, 8-0, in the

18-U doubles final with Bruce Hurtado and Gorospe wresting the boys’ crown with an 8-6 victory over Richard Bautista and Uzziel Pepito.

Jonamil Prado and Pulido took the girls’ 14-U doubles plum with an 8-5 victory over Julia Eramis and Stephanie Basadre while Napala and Padao snared the boys’ title via the same scoreline, 8-5, over Benjamin Ringia and Cortez.

Alexis Quinones and Ernest Aspacio edged Alexander Quinones and Maurice Labrador, 8-6, for the 10-U doubles diadem.

Road to MARHO Breeders Cup Classic, Invitational Race slated THE Metropolitan Association of Race Horse Owners will hold the first leg of the Road to the MARHO Breeders Cup Classic and the 1st MARHO Invitational Race today (Saturday) at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite.

The MARHO Breeders’ Cup Classic, one of the biggest racing events in the Philippine racing industry, will take place in November.

The big event will be preceded by highcaliber races beginning with the initial salvo of the Road to the MARHO Breeders Cup Classic that offers a cash prize of P500,000 to be distributed to the winning horse owner, trainer and jockey.

The first leg, sponsored by the Philippine Racing Commission, will cover a distance of 1,600 meters with the winning breeder receiving a trophy plus P20,000 and P10,000 plus trophy going to the winning stallion, if nominated.

Participating horses and their respective owners are Bite My Dust of Nicomedes Cruz, Heiress of Hope (Kerby Chua), Hot

and Spicy (George Raquidan), Kanlaon (Benjamin Abalos III), Lakan (Benjamin Abalos Jr.) Manalig Ka (Hermie Esguerra), Son Also Rises (Benjamin Abalos Jr.) and Subterranean River (Wilbert Tan).

The 1st MARHO Invitational Race will be participated by Blue Berry of Ed Dimacuha, Iba Ang SwerteKo and St. Suswa (Tony Tan Jr.), Malaya (Benjamin Abalos Jr.), Premo Jewel (Jeci Lapus) and Strawberry Dawn (Jace Lapus).

This race, sponsored by the Manila Jockey Club Inc., will give away P500,000 cash prize to be distributed among the winning horse owner, trainer and jockey.

There will also be a trophy plus P20,000 to the winning breeder and trophy plus P10,000 to the winning stallion, if the stallion is nominated.

Meanwhile, the MARHO will also hold its general assembly and election of the new sets of officers, who will be induced right away at the Chantilly Restaurant inside the San Lazaro Leisure Park.

MARHO’s inducting officer is its chairman emeritus, Mayor Sandy Javier.

Philippine tennis. So I don’t understand all these postponements anymore,” said Lhuillier.

He added: “Someone who has a vested interest is clearly behind this. All I want is to have a fair election done for the sake of the stakeholders especially the players. We should hold this immediately to save the country’s participation in the upcoming Southeast Asian Games.”

The sport’s top backer also ques-

Chooks-to-Go chessfest today AFTER throwing its support for Gilas Pilipinas and the country’s quest for regional basketball supremacy, poultry giant Chooks-to-Go is venturing into the grassroots level in search of budding chess experts.

The first-ever Chooks-to-Go National Rapid Chess Championships, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Nuvali, will be held today (April 29) at the Vista Mall in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

The whole-day competition is expected to attract more than 1,000 chess players, coaches, trainers and chess enthusiasts.

Cash prizes, trophies and medals await winners in the Open (19 year old and up), Junior (13 – 18 y/o), and Kiddies (12 y/o and below) categories.

“Our belief in developing the Filipino potential, especially in the field of sports, motivates us to continue supporting not only basketball but also chess tournaments which foster selfconfidence and camaraderie among players,” said Ronald R. Mascariñas, Chooks-to-Go President and General Manager.

Nietes, Nanpatech match on Sky PPV

SECOND WIN. Maria Sharapova picked up a second win in as many days on her comeback from a 15-month doping ban on Thursday, beating fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova at the Stuttgart WTA tournament.The 30-year-old five-time Grand Slam winner dominated Makarova, ranked 43 in the world, for a 7-5, 6-1 win in just one hour, 20 minutes, in the second-round tie. “I’m happy. I executed my game plan and I was solid,” said a relieved Sharapova, whose comeback is deeply controversial and has a wild card to play in the Stuttgart event where she has been a champion three times.

Philippine Tennis Association issue still up in the air PHILIPPINE Tennis Association presidential aspirant Jean Henri Lhuillier has expressed disgust over the latest postponement of the association’s elections scheduled yesterday.

“Mayor (Edwin) Olivarez has already spoken and he has vouched his support for me. Even Col. Andrada has done the same months ago. The Philippine Olympic Committee has been doing its best also to mediate for the betterment of

“Our approach is that we’re there for a purpose. It’s not an All-Star game in our minds but we’re there for a purpose to get the national team ready,” said the Barangay Ginebra mentor.

“So I expect our guys to go out and play, take it seriously, and really go at it.”

Gilas is using the All-Star week as part of its preparation for next month’s Southeast Asia Basketball Association Championship at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The May 12-18 tournament serves as qualifier for the FIBA Asia Cup set in August in Beirut, Lebanon.

And Cone is more than willing to provide the nationals a tough competition given the talent he has in his team.

“That’s the beauty of this kind of All-Star games. I’ve never been a fan of all-star teams because they kind of just try to fool around,” said the owner of the most number of championships won in the league at 19.

tioned the recent move of some Philta board members to elect a new board member in Atty. Antonio Cablitas, a few days prior to a supposed election.

“Something’s fishy with that. Why do that now? The timing and method are very questionable. It was hastily done and there was not even a quorum,” added Lhuillier.

The Philta elections has been postponed four times already start-

ing last Feb. 8, 2017 when the presidency was not opened for elections after Andrada announced that “he’s staying as president”.

Stakeholders have since then withdrawn support to Philta and have expressed support to Lhuillier. A total of close to 120 tournaments have pulled out from Philta calendar and have joined the Unified Tennis Group which was formed by various stakeholders of the sport.

AN explosive weekend awaits SKY Pay-PerView subscribers as they get a ringside view of one of the most anticipated fights of the year, the Donnie “Ahas” Nietes—Komgrich Nantapech duel, a fight for the International Boxing Federation Flyweight Championship this Saturday.

Nietes (39-4-1; 22KOs), the former light flyweight king, who is undefeated for 10 years, made a successful leap from light flyweight to flyweight last year and is now currently ranked third worldwide. Meanwhile, Nantapech (22-3, 15KOs), also known as Eaktwan BTU Ruaviking of Thailand, is right on Nietes’ heels at fourth.

Natapech is currently enjoying a 15 fight winning streak. This will be Nietes’ third championship should he win the fight. He is following in the footsteps of Filipino boxing greats, Senator Manny Pacquiao and Nonito “The Flash” Donaire, who have multiple belts under their name.

LOTTO RESULTS 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 4 DIGITS 00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Trump trade threat alarms Koreans B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

B1

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

Investors urged to focus on PH infra

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s team wants investors to focus more on a plan to spend up to P9 trillion on infrastructure and less on a growing number of dead drug pushers.

The administration says too much attention is being focused on Duterte’s drugs war, which has claimed thousands of lives since he was sworn into office last June. It wants to shift the conversation toward a spending spree on roads, rail and other projects that the president’s spokesman dubbed a “golden age of infrastructure.”

“People want to talk about extra-judicial killings, but let’s talk about what’s really happening in this country, which is poised to boom,” Public Works Secretary

Mark Villar said in an interview Wednesday. “If we succeed in this infrastructure program, Philippines will be a middleclass country and poverty will be half of what it is today.”

The Philippines, one of the world’s fastest growing economies, has long been been plagued by inadequate infrastructure. The World Economic Forum last year scored the Philippines 106th out of 140 countries on infrastructure. Greater investment will help buoy an economic expansion that the

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development expects at 6.1 percent annually through 2021.

The Philippines growth story continues to be positive despite the negative publicity surrounding accusations of human-rights abuses in the drugs war, according to Eugenia Victorino, an economist at the Australia & New Zealand Banking Group in Singapore. Duterte’s government needs to focus on implementation of spending plans just as much as generating revenue to pay for the infrastructure, she said.

Duterte’s administration plans to lift infrastructure spending from 5.3 percent of gross domestic product this year to 6.7 percent next year, and more than 7 percent by 2019, Budget Sec-

retary Benjamin Diokno told a forum on Tuesday. He said this would help reduce the incidence of poverty from the current 21.6 percent of the population, to 14 percent by the end of Duterte’s six-year term in 2022.

Infrastructure spending would be financed mainly through increased government borrowings, boosting the budget deficit to 3 percent of GDP until 2022, with 80 percent of the money to be raised locally and 20 percent to come from abroad, Diokno said.

Diokno said the administration’s spending forecasts were based in part on the passing of legislation still before Congress that aims to raise tax revenues from about 14 percent of GDP to 17.7 percent by 2022. Diokno acknowledged that while the tax re-

form package still faced delays, he was optimistic that it could pass later this year.

“The numbers are big,” said Bob Herrera-Lim, a Manilabased managing director with Teneo Strategy. “And we need more clarity on how much is being borrowed, the terms, the local counterpart funding, and whether those terms will be affordable.”

“If you look across the region, the Philippines has one of the better-looking fiscal profiles,” said Euben Paracuelles, an economist at Nomura Holdings Inc. in Singapore. “The economy is growing and debt levels have been falling. Just from that standpoint, there’s scope to finance via the usual means of issuing debt through market channels.”

Bloomberg

Peso set to decline to 51.30 by end ‘17 THE peso will depreciate to 51.30 per dollar by yearend as imports will continue to increase and eventually weigh down on the local currency.

Mark Bautista, chief of the Metrobank Research, told reporters in a briefing that he was expecting a significant depreciation of the peso this year compared to last year when it closed at 49.72 on the last trading day of 2016.

“The peso will depreciate to 51.30 by yearend, as the demand for capital goods tends to increase imports and create additional weakness in the peso,” Bautista said.

But he was quick to add that the peso’s decline would not necessarily mean that the economy was weak, when in fact “it is very strong.”

“A weak currency tends to make our exports more competitive (especially the business process outsourcing sector) which is positive for us... A peso weakness is a sign of a strong economy,” Bautista said.

The peso weakened to a 10year low of 50.40 on March 3, 2017, driven by domestic factors such as the possible repercussions from other countries to Congress’ passage of death penalty law and the market expectation that larger fiscal deficit spending would widen the trade deficit and bring the current account to a deficit.

But the succeeding weeks saw the local currency gaining strength and staying at the 49-a-dollar level in the whole month of April.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo credited the peso’s recovery to the government’s tax amnesty plan and the expected passage into law of the comprehensive tax reform program this year. Julito G. Rada

IN BRIEF First Gen is ready for LNG terminal

FIRST Gen Corp. said it has been developing a liquefied natural gas terminal for the past five years to ensure its 2,000-megawatt operating gas plants will have LNG to replace Malampaya gas when it runs out.

The company said the development would pave the way for the continued use of gas and the building of more LNG infrastructure in the Philippines.

“First Gen believes LNG represents the fuel of the future as it is competitive, clean and flexible and complements renewables and storage technologies,” it said in statement.

“First Gen confirms that our executives have had meetings with PNOC (Philippine national Oil Co.) senior management in which we have discussed the possibility of working together to develop an LNG infrastructure,” it added.

Boracay Water hits record production

BORACAY Water, the water and used water service provider in Boracay Island, reached a record high water supply production of over 20 million liters per day to support the 54,867 tourist arrivals during the Holy Week.

The Malay Tourism Office said tourist influx in the island during the Lenten break increased 23 percent from the previous year’s 44,786 visitors. The higher tourist arrivals resulted in a total demand of 20.07 MLD from Boracay Water’s supply.

Boracay Water said it installed 6,379 service connections after taking over the operations of the Boracay water and sewerage system from the Philippine Tourism Authority in 2010 to meet the demands of residents, businesses, commercial establishments and over 1.5 million tourists that visit the island yearly.

Anna Leah E. Gonzales

Globe has widest LTE coverage in PH

NEW PHILEX BOARD MEMBERS. Philex Mining Corp. president and chief executive officer Eulalio Austin Jr. (second from left) shares a light moment with Social Security System Commissioners (from left) Anita Quitain, Michael Regino and Jose Gabriel La Vina (right) at the Saint Louis High School in Ampucao, Itogon, Benguet. The visit was part of their orientation as new members for the commission in the Philex board.

Filinvest allots P40b for bank, property spending

By Jenniffer B. Austria FILINVEST Development Corp., the listed holding company of the the Gotianun family, has earmarked over P40 billion for investment and capital expenditures this year to accelerate the expansion of its property and banking units.

This year’s programmed capital expenditure spending is 60 percent higher than P25 billion spent in 2016, Filinvest Development president Josephine Gotianun-Yap told reporters following the annual stockholders’ meeting held in Alabang.

Yap said the group allotted P20

billion in capital expenditures for property unit Filinvest Land Inc. and P10 billion for the hotel and property group under Filinvest Alabang Inc. Filinvest Development allotted P12 billion for banking unit East West Banking Corp. and P2 billion for other other subsidiaries and possible additional equity investment in existing units.

The company in 2016 registered net income of P8.5 billion, up 21 percent from a year ago on the back of the strong performance of the banking and real estate businesses.

Consolidated revenues jumped 19 percent to P58.6 billion from

a year ago level of P49.3 billion, with banking and real estates business accounting for 41 percent and 39 percent, respectively.

The power, sugar and hotel businesses contributed 13 percent, four percent and three percent, respectively.

The group’s power generation unit FDC Utilities Inc. last year completed its 3 x 135-megawatt coal power plant in Villanueva, Misami Oriental. It will start contributing to the group’s net income and revenues starting this year.

Filinvest Development began operations of Quest Hotel and Conference Center-Clark and two 18-hole golf courses in Mi-

mosa Golf-Clark.

It will also soon start developing the 288-hectare initial phase of the Clark Green City, which will have various components, including industrial, commercial, office, manufacturing as well as residential projects.

The Filinvest group was the lone company that bid for the long term lease of the 228-hectare phase 1 of Clark Green City in 2015.

Clark Green City is a 9,450-hectare master planned property within the Clark Special Economic Zone in the province of Tarlac. It is envisioned to become the country’s first smart, green and disaster-resilient metropolis.

GLOBE Telecom Inc. has the widest coverage of LTE in the Philippines with speeds of 7.42 Mbps, according to the latest report from OpenSignal.

A UK based company that specializes in crowdsourced mobile coverage mapping said the coverage was a marked improvement from 4Mbps in February 2016.

Globe garnered the highest score of 55.3 percent in the latest OpenSignal LTE Availability survey in the Philippines.

OpenSignal said the score meant its testers were able to find Globe LTE signal 55.3 percent of the time nationwide based on data gathered from November 1, 2016 to January 31, 2017. Darwin G. Amojelar

PSE C OMPOSITE 8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,661.01 65.44

PESO-DOLLAR RATE

Closing APRIL 27, 2017 45.00 46.50 48.00 49.50

P49.950 CLOSE

51.00

ATI earmarking P4.6b for expansion of ports

By Darwin G. Amojelar

CEBUANA LHUILLIER TROPHIES. Cebuana Lhuillier president and chief executive officer Jean Henri Lhuillier poses with the eight Anvil awards the company won. Cebuana Lhuillier took home eight trophies at the recent 52nd Anvil Awards held on March 10 in Makati City.

ASIAN Terminals Inc. earmarked P4.6 billon for capital expenditures this year to fund the expansion of ports in Batangas and Manila.

ATI said it would expand Batangas Container Terminal by extending its crane rails and container yard.

The company expects the delivery of two additional quay cranes, four more rubber-tired gantry cranes and other cargo handling equipment by 2018 in line with ATI’s plans of doubling BCT’s capacity to over 600,000 teus (twenty-foot equivalent units).

BCT in 2016 handled over 160,000 teus of foreign boxes, its highest container throughput in a single year. The rate translated into the reduction of more than 80,000 trucks trips along

metro roads, with more shippers opting to route commodities via Batangas instead of Manila.

BCT has emerged as the preferred international gateway for Calabarzon, with its proximity to major economic locators, direct connectivity to foreign markets and world-class efficiency, marked by fast cargo delivery to consignees. Truck turnaround time at BCT averages 30 minutes upon gate entry.

Meanwhile, the development of ATI’s Batangas multilevel car storage facility is on schedule.

MCSF’s phase 1 will come online as early as November while the second phase will be finished by mid-2018.

This will increase the capacity of the country’s top car carrier port to over 7,000 completely-built car units at any single time, in support of the booming consumer demand for imported vehicles.

INDEX

Closing April 27, 2017

HIGH P49.840 LOW P49.980 AVERAGE P49.900 VOLUME 787.900M

P480.00-P700.00 LPG/11-kg tank P39.75-P49.56 Unleaded Gasoline P29.23-P33.96 Diesel

O

IL PRICES TODAY

P32.85-P41.15 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Thursday, April 27, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.7130

Japan

Yen

0.009004

0.4476

UK

Pound

1.283500

63.8066

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128550

6.3906

Switzerland

Franc

1.006543

50.0383

Canada

Dollar

0.736703

36.6237

Singapore

Dollar

0.717463

35.6672

Australia

Dollar

0.753200

37.4438

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652590

131.8682

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266674

13.2572

Brunei

Dollar

0.714898

35.5397

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.029087

1.4460

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.5355

Euro

Euro

1.093000

54.3363

Korea

Won

0.000889

0.0442

China

Yuan

0.145241

7.2204

India

Rupee

0.015550

0.7730

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.228885

11.3786

New Zealand

Dollar

0.694500

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033192

34.5257 1.6501 Source: PDS Bridge

B2

Business

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Asian stock markets slip after strong week

ON-AND-OFF DEFLATION. A woman buys fruit at a store in Tokyo on April 28, 2017. Japanese consumer prices rose in March, data showed on April 28, but a drop in factory output and still-weak household spending underscored the challenges facing policymakers as they battle onand-off deflation. AFP

HONG KONG―Asian investors on Friday wound down after a strong week, with profit-taking weighing on markets and attention turning to the release of US growth data later in the day.

Regional equities have seen a boon this week after France’s moderate Emmanuel Macron won the country’s presidential first round and looked set to beat his far-right rival in the run-off, while Donald Trump unveiled his longawaited tax cut plans.

Tokyo ended down 0.3 percent and Seoul lost 0.2 percent, while Sydney was flat and in the afternoon Hong Kong fell 0.3 percent after a six-day rally. But Shanghai edged up 0.1 percent while Singapore, Wellington and Taipei posted small gains.

In early European trade London and Paris were both flat while Frankfurt shed 0.2 percent.

Upbeat earnings in the US have provided support, as did the Bank of Japan and European Central Bank reasserting their commit-

ment to a loose monetary policy and Trump’s decision not to scrap the Nafta trade pact with Canada and Mexico.

However, the tax overhaul left many wondering how the president would pay for it, while analysts said the proposals added to the doubts around the tycoon.

“The market’s distrust in his ability to run the government is only increasing,” Mizuho Bank said in a commentary.

“He has not been able to deliver most of his campaign promises.

The market has had high hopes for his tax reforms. But the proposal has faced strong criticism from the conservative forces in his party that are demanding more fiscal discipline.”

Also, there are concerns that Washington lawmakers have yet to pass a bill before Saturday that will prevent a costly shutdown of the US government, with Democrats and Republicans unable to agree even a short-term deal to give them more time. AFP

Trump trade threat alarms Koreans S EOUL―South Korean business leaders voiced alarm Friday after US President Donald Trump said he might tear up a free trade agreement with Seoul, warning the deal was a “major pillar” of the allies’ ties.

The US was only recently overtaken by China as the world’s biggest trader in goods, but Trump regularly attacked trade pacts on the campaign trail―raising concerns in Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

He has threatened to withdraw from the Nafta continental trade pact with Canada and Mexico if renegotiations do not produce a “fair deal.”

The issue of the South Korean deal, which went into effect in 2012, appeared to have been put on the back burner in his first 100 days in office.

But in an interview published Friday he told Reuters news agency that he would renegotiate or terminate the agreement.

“It is unacceptable, it is a horrible deal made by Hillary,” Trump

he said, referring to his Democratic opponent in the race for the White House, Hillary Clinton.

The FTA was initially negotiated by the Republican administration of ex-president George W. Bush, and Clinton promoted it as secretary of state before it was approved by Congress in 2011.

South Korea’s top business group―whose members include the country’s biggest manufacturers―immediately rebuked Trump, warning of the risk of rising protectionism.

“We worry that President Trump’s remarks over the Ko-

rea-US trade agreement may trigger the spread of global protectionism,” the Federation of Korean Industries said in a statement.

“The agreement should remain firmly in place as a major pillar of bilateral ties,” it said, adding it hoped for “constructive dialogue” between the two allies.

Seoul’s trade ministry was planning to look into circumstances of Trump’s comment, Yonhap news agency cited a ministry official as saying, adding Washington has not made any official move to renegotiate or terminate the pact.

Two-way trade rose from $100.8 billion in 2011, the year before the FTA went into effect, to peak at $115.5 billion in 2014, although it has since declined to $109.7 billion last year, when the South recorded a trade surplus of $27.7 billion.

South Korean automakers including Hyundai are seen as major beneficiaries, with car exports to the US growing by an annual average of 12.4 percent from 2012 to 2016.

But US car exports to the South grew by 37.1 percent a year over the same period, according to the Korea International Trade Association. AFP

Merkel, May draw Brexit lines in tough talks Crude prices fall back to below $50 per barrel By Frank Zeller and Alice Tidey AFTER a rally in the first half of April, oil is set to end the month back below $50 a barrel.

Futures are down 2.5 percent this month in New York after slipping 6.3 percent in March. That belies three straight weeks of gains that ended April 14. What’s worrying investors is expanding US crude output, which is damping optimism that Opec-led supply cuts will be extended. While American production has expanded to the highest since August 2015, Saudi Arabia’s energy minister has acknowledged that the first quarter of curbs failed to bring stockpiles below the five-year average.

While the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies mull over an extension to the six-month deal past June to drain a global glut, US drillers targeting crude continue to add rigs to shale fields, boosting the count to the highest since April 2015. In a nascent sign that stockpiles may be starting to shrink, American inventories have fallen for the past three weeks after climbing to a record at the end of March.

“Now that prices are under $50, the market is in a bit of a waitand-see mode and there is an expectation that we will see inventories start to fall,” said Ric Spooner, an analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney. “Most see the Opec production agreement being extended, so there may be some upside if that is confirmed.”

West Texas Intermediate for June delivery rose as much as 0.9 percent on Friday from the lowest level in a month after hitting technical support. They were up 41 cents at $49.38 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange by 11:30 a.m. in Hong Kong, bouncing off a Fibonacci retracement level. Total volume traded was about 35 percent below the 100-day average. Prices lost 1.3 percent to $48.97 on Thursday, snapping a two-day gain.

Brent for June settlement, which expires Friday, was 38 cents higher at $51.82 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. Prices are down 1.9 percent this month. The global benchmark crude traded at a premium of $2.43 to WTI. The moreactive July contract rose 38 cents to $52.20.

Global stockpiles increased by less than average during the first quarter and compliance to supply cuts was at 98 percent in March, Opec Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo said in Paris Thursday. Putting pressure on the group is Libya, which is exempt from the curbs. The African nation has restarted output at its largest field and plans to restart another facility. Bloomberg

LONDON―Prime Minister Theresa May on Thursday accused the other 27 EU countries of lining up to oppose Britain over Brexit after Germany’s Angela Merkel said the UK should have no “illusions” over the exit process.

EU nation leaders have stressed a united stance as they plan to meet Saturday to set down the bloc’s “red lines”―although the talks will not begin until June, after a snap British election called by May to strengthen her negotiating hand.

Speaking to parliament ahead of the key summit, the German chancellor stressed that “a third-party state will not have the same rights or even superior rights to a member state”.

“This may sound self-evident, but I have to say this clearly because some in Britain seem to have illusions on this point,” she said. “That would be a waste of time.”

Later in the day, May accused the 27 other EU member states of joining forces against Britain.

“We can see how tough those negotiations are going to be at times,” May told a campaign rally in Leeds, northern England.

“Our opponents are already seeking to disrupt those negotiations–-at the same time as 27 other European countries line up to oppose us.

“That approach can only mean one thing― uncertainty and instability, bringing grave risk to our growing economy with higher taxes, fewer jobs, more waste and more debt.”

The British leader is hoping to shore up her mandate in the June 8 ballot ahead of two years of grueling negotiations.

“The negotiations will be very demanding, without a doubt,” said Merkel, the leader of the biggest EU economy.

Finance question

European Chief Negotiator for Brexit, Michel Barnier (left) arrives at 10 Downing Street in London on April 26, 2017. Brithish Prime Minister Theresa May hosts European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and chief negotiator Michel Barnier at Downing Street for the first face-to-face talks since she triggered the two-year process of withdrawing from the European Union. AFP

The EU has toughened its strategy, making new demands over financial services, immigration and the bills Britain must settle before ending its 44-year-old membership of the bloc.

Britain could be required to give EU citizens permanent residency after living there for five years, in a challenge for May’s Conservative government, which has vowed to limit immigration.

The EU’s latest draft negotiating guidelines, agreed on Monday, seek to ensure Britain does not get a better deal outside the bloc than inside.

According to the document seen by AFP, the other EU countries will seek to hold Britain liable for the bloc’s costs for at least a year after it leaves in 2019―longer than was previously proposed.

Merkel said that talks from the very start must include Britain’s financial obligations, including after Brexit.

She said these issues must be resolved first in a “satisfactory” way before negotiations turn to Britain’s future relations with the bloc―a sequence Merkel called “irrevers-

ible.”

“Without progress on the many open questions regarding the exit, including the financial questions, it doesn’t make sense to hold parallel talks on the details of a future relationship,” she said.

‘Spirit of unity’ May started the Article 50 process of leaving the EU last month. Polls suggest her Conservatives will return to power in June with an increased majority.

A new survey, by YouGov for The Times newspaper, meanwhile for the first time signaled more people now believe the Brexit vote was a mistake.

May hosted a working dinner on Wednesday with key EU Brexit negotiators, including European Commission President JeanClaude Juncker.

EU ministers met in Luxembourg on Thursday to prepare the ground work for Saturday’s meeting.

“It seems that at the moment we are completely united on everything,” said Maltese Vice Premier Louis Grech, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU. AFP

Japan’s consumer prices rose in March but factory production decreased TOKYO―Japanese consumer prices rose in March, data showed Friday, but a drop in factory output and still-weak household spending underscored the challenges facing policymakers as they battle on-and-off deflation.

The figures came a day after Japan’s central bank modestly boosted its economic growth forecast, even as its chief warned an inflation target―already running four years late―was likely to be delayed once again.

Consumer prices rose in March for the third straight month on the back of higher energy costs, data from the internal affairs ministry showed.

After stripping out the volatile cost of fresh food, nationwide consumer prices increased 0.2 percent from a year earlier.

“Inflation is expected to rise for now thanks to the recovery in energy prices, but those gains are likely to be very limited,” Japan Research Institute economist Yu-

suke Shimoda said.

“Japan’s economy is growing but people are keeping a tight hold on the purse strings.”

Separate data showed household spending fell 1.3 percent in March from a year ago―the 13th consecutive monthly drop―and output at the nation’s factories shrank by 2.1 percent.

While Japan’s job market is tight―the unemployment rate was at 2.8 percent in March―individual spending, which accounts

for more than half of the country’s GDP, has remained in the deep freeze.

This month the International Monetary Fund raised its growth forecast for Japan’s economy this year and next, citing a pickup in exports, but warned that a shrinking labor force and below-forecast inflation would curb longer-term expansion.

The Bank of Japan’s most recent business confidence survey showed that firms were more upbeat.

But with cash-rich companies not splashing out on big pay rises, analysts are doubtful about a significant improvement in consumer spending anytime soon.

“The employment situation is definitely strong, while wage and income growth are still quite depressed,” Takashi Miwa, chief economist at Nomura Securities in Tokyo, told Bloomberg.

“This is why consumption demand is still quite weak.”

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe

swept to power in late 2012 on a pledge to cement a lasting recovery through a growth plan dubbed Abenomics.

The scheme―a mix of aggressive monetary easing and huge government spending along with reforms to the economy―stoked a stock market rally as it weakened the yen and fattened corporate profits.

But its effect on the wider economy has been less dramatic, with promised reforms slow in coming.

AFP

World IN BRIEF New China fears in Taiwan after snub TAIWAN―Taiwan’s fears that it will become a bargaining chip between China and the United States worsened Friday after a snub by President Donald Trump, who said he would not do anything to upset Beijing.

Trump rattled China in December after taking a congratulatory call from the self-ruling island’s new Beijing-sceptic president Tsai Ing-wen after his election, smashing decades of diplomatic precedent.

But after Tsai suggested another call could take place in an interview with Reuters Thursday, Trump said he did not want to risk his newfound “personal relationship” with China’s president Xi Jinping.

“I think he’s doing an amazing job as a leader and I wouldn’t want to do anything that comes in the way of that. So I would certainly want to speak to him first,” Trump told Reuters in a separate interview. AFP

B3

Trump duns, Seoul rejects S

EOUL―Seoul on Friday brushed aside US President Donald Trump’s suggestion it should pay for a $1-billion missile defense system the two allies are installing in South Korea to guard against threats from the North.

LATIN MUSIC AWARDS.TT

Monique ‘Momo’ Gonzalez attends the Billboard Latin Music Awards at Watsco Center in Miami,

The first parts of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense or THAAD system have already been delivered to a former golf course in the South―infuriating China―at a time of heightened tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.

Top US officials have said THAAD will be operational “within days”.

“I informed South Korea it would be appropriate if they paid. It’s a billiondollar system,” Trump was quoted as saying by the Reuters news agency. “It’s phenomenal, shoots missiles right out of the sky.”

The two countries have been in a security alliance since the 1950-53 Korean war, and more than 28,000 US troops are stationed in the South.

Seoul retorted that under the Status of Forces Agreement that governs the US military presence in the country, the South would provide the THAAD site and infrastructure while the US would pay to deploy and operate it.

“There is no change to this basic position,” South Korea’s defense ministry said in a statement.

The row comes with tensions high on the Korean peninsula following a series of missile launches by the North and warnings from the Trump administration that military action was an “option on the table”.

Trump said there was “a chance” of “a major, major conflict” with the North --

Another TV show mocking Trump debuts NEW YORK—The explosive dawn of the Donald Trump presidency is energizing comedians and satirists as TV ratings boom, shows proliferate and top talents vie to portray the commander-in-chief as a buffoon.

Into the crowded market dives a new offering―”The President Show,” starring Trump impersonator Anthony Atamanuik as the Republican leader broadcasting his own reality show from the Oval Office.

The weekly program, which made its debut Thursday on Comedy Central, caricatures Trump as a child-like fool bent on bypassing the mainstream media, spliced with advice from a liberal pundit and a trip to New York where wife Melania has changed the locks.

“I have the power to destroy any country on earth, but I promise you it’ll be America First,” says Atamanuik in character, repeating Trump’s campaign slogan and reinforcing the liberal stereotype of the president as an ignorant blowhard.

But to win the ratings war there’s stiff competition.

In the weekly market there is “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” on TBS, the first feminist political satire show on mainstream US television; “Last Week Tonight” with John Oliver on HBO; and the long-running and most-widely watched comedy show “Saturday Night Live” on NBC. AFP

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

which would put the South, whose capital is within range of Pyongyang’s artillery, at risk of gigantic casualties.

But earlier this week Washington said it would seek stronger sanctions against Pyongyang and held open the possibility of negotiations, with US Pacific Command chief Admiral Harry Harris saying it wanted to bring leader Kim Jong-Un “to his senses, not to his knees”.

The White House also wants China to do more to rein in the North, with Trump saying he believed leader Xi Jinping was “trying very hard”.

But Beijing has been infuriated by the THAAD deployment, which it fears weaken its own ballistic capabilities and says upsets the regional security balance.

Social media commentators derided Trump’s comments. “So he wants to start a war with North Korea and he wants South Korea to pay for it,” wrote one Twitter poster.

THAAD is designed to intercept and destroy short and medium-range ballistic missiles during their final phase of flight.

South Koreans are ambivalent over its deployment, with only 51.8 percent in favor in a Korea Research opinion poll last month.

The country has already been hit hard by a series of measures imposed by Beijing as apparent retaliation. AFP

Director Ridley Scott says there are aliens out there PARIS-”Alien” creator Ridley Scott says he’s convinced there are aliens out there-and one day they could come for us.

The veteran director said on Thursday he believed in higher beings as he prepared to release the sixth episode of the sci-fi horror series, “Alien: Covenant”, next month.

“I believe in superior beings. I think it is certainly likely. An expert I was talking to at NASA said to me, ‘Have you ever looked in the sky at night? You mean to tell me we are it?’ That’s ridiculous.

“The experts have now put a number on it having assessed what is out there. They say that there are between 100 and 200 entities that

could be having a similar evolution to us right now.

“So when you see a big thing in the sky, run for it,” he joked.

“Because they are a lot smarter than we are, and if you are stupid enough to challenge them you will be taken out in three seconds.”

“Alien: Covenant”, the second of the prequel films, is set in 2104 on board a spaceship carrying 2,000 cryogenically frozen colonists to a distant planet when they chance upon an uncharted paradise.

But their voyage soon turns into a gory nightmare that makes “Alien’”s original “chestbuster” scene seem tame in comparison.

The “neomorph” aliens in the new film are based on the goblin shark “which has a jaw which hinges in two ways. It’s scary, hideous beyond belief actually,” Scott said.

The 79-year-old British-born director―who was also the brains behind “Blade Runner”―said he never tired of scaring people out of their skins.

“When I did the first ‘Alien’ I had to get a sense of responsibility because the reaction to the kitchen [“chestbuster”] scene with John Hurt was beyond anything I expected―and it was not good,” he told AFP. “But the film was very success-

ful because people are perverse.”

He said he could not believe the terror he had created when he went to see people watching the film.

“Everybody was half underneath the seat watching by the time you get to the kitchen scene. There was a woman underneath the seat with her husband holding her. I said this is not healthy.”

Scott, however, claimed that he was unshockable.

“Nothing scares me. I have a 9mm [pistol],” he said.

“If there is a problem I tend to close down into calm. When you walk in in the morning on a film and 600 people turn and all look at you, that is scary,” he said.

“Alien: Covenant” has a religious subtext, the director insisted.

He said he was “agnostic”, but this did not stop him making a film about Moses, “Exodus: Gods and Kings”, in 2014.

“Either religion is the greatest trick played on mankind. Or it is not, and that poses some great questions, and this film is a great context for those,” he said.

The film sees Irish actor Michael Fassbender return to his role as the cerebral android David which he played in the last prequel “Prometheus” in 2012.

But this time with a twist. Scott uses him to pose questions about the nature of humans. AFP

Rights lawyer given suspended sentence BEIJING―China sentenced a prominent human rights lawyer to a three-year suspended sentence Friday following a secret trial, raising concerns the country is moving to further reduce transparency in high-profile, politically sensitive cases.

Beijing has come under increased fire from the international community as it tightens the screws on the country’s civil society in a crackdown that is said to have relied on torture and illegal detentions to punish critics of the government.

Li Heping, best known for defending blind lawyer Chen Guangcheng, was found guilty of “subverting state power,” the Tianjin Second Intermediate Court said in a post on its verified microblog.

Li stood trial on Tuesday in the port city of Tianjin, close to the nation’s capital, where he said he would “obey the judgment and not appeal,” the statement said.

“Because the case involved state secrets, our court had a trial not open to the public...the court fully protects the rights of litigation of Li Heping,” it added.

The Beijing Global Law Firm partner was detained by police during the so-called “709 crackdown” in the summer of 2015, when authorities rounded up some 200 legal staff and activists.

A suspended sentence means Li will be released from detention, but will continue to be closely monitored by police, likely at his home.

There is a “strong likelihood” that Li was tortured to force a confession, said Frances Eve, researcher for the charity Chinese Human Rights Defenders.

Li has not had access to a lawyer of his own choosing since he was detained, according to his former attorneys.

Ma Lianshun, one of the lawyers, confirmed that he had not received any notice of the court proceedings. AFP

TOURIST DESTINATION. This picture taken on April 23, 2017, shows tourist boats heading out on Halong Bay in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.

A UNESCO World Heritage site with around 2,000 islets, Halong Bay is one of the main tourist destinations in northern Vietnam. AFP

VIEW TO A KILL. When touring your prospective condo unit, take notice of units that face the scenic bay, or the streets.

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

B4

B

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

uying a condo, which is short for condominium, is not the same as buying a single-family home. There are different considerations that need to be taken into account prior to purchasing.

A condo is typically a shared piece of property with individual owners of each “unit” or condo. In most cases, condominiums offer services such as, but not limited to, fitness centers, tennis courts, and pools. Many people buy condos due to less maintenance and also the lifestyle of living in a condominium community.

If you are planning to buy a condo, check out a couple of things before making the final decision.

The things you would be considering before you buy your choice of condo ultimately depend on your lifestyle and selection preferences. Here are some tips to help you arrive at a smart decision.

When you decide to make your condo, or any real estate properties in the Philippines your new home, you want to fit into your neighborhood. You would want to have your neighbors as friends, instead of just acquaintances. You’d definitely want somebody to be there for you when you need help.

Plus, friends add color and inspiration to your life just by keeping you company.

But, you can’t always expect to click with the neighbors you’ll be having. Varying factors, such as lifestyle and preferences, can make you and your neighbors distance yourselves from one another. When going on a condo tour, observe your neighbors carefully to see if it will be worth it to Checking in for a home loan test the waters in connecting with them. Doing this When you make the choice to indulge in condo saves you from the hassle of feeling an outsider living, you put yourself in the position to be armed- once you purchase your condo and move into the ready with the incoming stream of expenses you neighborhood. will be facing. When you decide to purchase a condo, you need to first check the most important The views have it thing – affordability.

Of course, the view your condo living room is Take out your calculator: check your savings and facing matters a lot as it reflects the mood you’ll be income to see if you can afford shouldering all of having throughout your stay at your condo. Your the living expenses on your own. Don’t turn down guests’ mood may be altered either positively or the opportunity to own a condo even if you can’t negatively, depending on the pleasantness of your afford all the expenses. You can always check if condo’s view. you would be eligible to get a home loan from a When touring your prospective condo unit, take bank or from Pag-IBIG house fund. notice in choosing units that face the scenic bay, or the streets.

GETTING A BIGGER

bang out of your condo

Do you like the looks of your condo?

When you decide to buy a condo, you are in the position of investing on something that will stay with you for a long time. You need to be a care-

Comfort of parking

A car accompanies any condo buyer’s concern

GOING THE DISTANCE. You wouldn’t want to an SC decision just to fit into the neighborhood…… think twice living in a condo with bad admin services.

Maintenance and association fees

Maintenance and association fees should be reasonable. Be wary of condo developers who may charge you these fees higher than you expect.

Know who’s the boss

Self-managed condos may pose hassles to you when you move in to your new unit. They may have people in the management who live far away from the condo premises itself. If this is the case, you may find it hard to contact the right person immediately in urgent situations. Developers that houses the management office right at the condo premises gives you the convenience to reach out immediately when urgent concerns arise.

Eyeing the renters

When you choose to rent your condo to somebody else after buying it, think about a strategy to help you find potential renters. When choosing a condo that you will purchase, make inquiries on your shortlisted condo developers to find out if they can help you in finding responsible renters. If you choose to buy a condo for investment, your number one goal is probably to get a clear view of the potential business you see coming before you make the investment.

This checklist is gold, but it is also important you choose a top condo developer in the Philippines to ensure a high-quality condo lifestyle. Buying a condo is something that takes a lot of investment, both financially and emotionally. Making the best choice should be highly prioritized before you regret the decision you’ll make in the long run.

“I should have gotten that parking space.”

ful observant when it comes to the looks of your condo. Do you like the location of your bedroom?

Are the bathrooms easily accessible? What about the living room: does it invite coziness for family bonding and get togethers?

Once you pinpoint the looks and style of the condo that you want, conceptualizing which developer offers your condo preference will not be hard. If possible, go on a condo unit tour with your developer’s agent to see the style of the unit itself with your own eyes, and be able to make a better decision.

One of the most common condo buyer mistakes is the failure to visualize the size of the condo that will fit the need of the buyer. Sometimes, you forget to take into account having extra rooms for guests and family members who may actually live with you sometime once you purchase your condo.

Fitting in

when choosing a condo. When checking out a condo’s parking garage, the first thing you look for is the comfort in the accessibility of the parking garage from your unit. You may visualize easily your daily routine once you move in to your new condo. Of course, you prefer a parking garage that is just one or two floors away from your unit. Your days may constantly be fast-paced, and anything that will slow you down is something you won’t have time to deal with.

Excellent service

One of the main essentials of living in a condo is being aware of your condo admin’s reputation.

When touring the condo premises, give particular attention to the feedback of the residents you may see posted on the message board. Study whether the feedback of majority of the residents regarding the admin’s maintenance and other miscellaneous services are positive or negative. You may want to

CEBU OPTION. Robinsons Residences’ Galleria Residences is destined to be a significant commercial/residential complex in Cebu that promises convenience and easy access to interesting lifestyle options, while giving residents a relaxing environment. The development’s studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units are designed according to Robinsons Residences’ standards. At the same time, homeowners have access to over 30 different amenities.The Galleria Residences is a development by Robinsons Land Corporation. This is Robinsons Residences’ second foray into Cebu, after Azalea Place in Lahug, Cebu City.

By Jimbo Gulle

W

HEN you read this today, it’s exactly 279 days—or nine months and five days, if you prefer that—since we at Manila Standard debuted our LGU Section.

“LGU,” of course, stands for Local Government Units—the 18 regions, 81 provinces, 145 cities, 1,490 municipalities or towns, and over 42,000 barangays that make up the Philippines’ executive and legislative branches of government. Our loyal readers—you, hopefully, included—know that by now, as they scan our pages daily for the latest news in your localities.

Why are we telling you this again?

Today, we are formally relaunching the LGU Section, as we continue the evolution of the Metro and Provincial pages that the Manila Standard used to have, which our competitors continue to employ.

The typical Metro page is confined to city news (and often just Metro Manila news), and so with any Provincial page. But with our LGU page, we can tackle reports from both city and countryside— and in fact, any issue or concern that doesn’t make the Manila Standard front page, thanks to the wider scope of our section.

Even the news from the regional offices of national agencies make our pages.

This section is at its most valuable, however, as a platform for the economic and social events in our home provinces, cities, towns and villages.

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Special Edition

LGU reporting redefined BIG SLIPPER, BIG SMILES. Officials of the municipality of Liliw, Laguna, headed by Mayor Ericson J. Sulibit (fourth from left), his

wife Mary Maileen S. Sulibit, who is also Municipal Administrator (fifth from left) Vice Mayor Pablo A. Orioste and Sangguniang Bayan Councilors James Cyrus Coligado, Ediel Franco Ilocso, Maria Ayessa Ticzon Ulic, Arnold Montesines, Arnulfo Lugada, Jesus Montiero, Ladislao Brosas, and Benjamin Tuala, flash their smiles beside a big slipper made for the celebration of the 16th Liliw Gat Tayaw Tsinelas Festival (Baleng Ganda, Baleng Saya, Tara Na!) from April 26 to May 1. Liliw, known as the Slipper Capital of Laguna, was awarded first runner-up for the Best Tourism Event, festival category (municipal level) by the Department of Tourism. Roy Tomandao

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

C1

Instead of reporting on the thousands of crimes and police reports that litter the run-of-the-mill Metro and Provincial pages, the Manila Standard chooses to focus on the developmental aspects of our local governments—the projects and programs that eventually (should) lead to the welfare of the average Filipino.

We have underscored our commitment to the local government cause by coming out with several supplements focused on certain LGUs, usually for their anniversaries, foundation days or significant fiestas. Thankfully, in less than a year since we launched this section, the LGUs themselves have embraced our unique concept, and are partnering with us to showcase what they are doing (and are going to do) for their constituencies.

The LGU section has even attracted the attention of private companies, organizations, and individuals who are helping the common Filipino, in the form of their corporate social responsibility projects in the countryside. The Manila Standard vows to support these CSR and philanthropic efforts by playing these up in our pages, as much as our space permits. We are believers in advancing the common good, and these firms and people should be lauded for choosing to do it through LGUs across the country.

Ilocos Norte yields 295 tech-voc scholar grads THE “tech-voc roadmap” of the Provincial Government of Ilocos Norte has produced a total of 295 graduates for the first quarter of 2017 through the “Iskolar ni Manang Imee” technicalvocational scholarship program.

Though it was launched in 2012 by Gov. Imee R. Marcos, the “Iskolar” program only began including tech-voc courses in 2015.

As of the second semester of academic year 2016-2017, the program has seen 305 tech-voc beneficiaries and 419 under the Sirib Academic Scholarship, both handled

by the Provincial Education Department.

Marcos had identified tech-voc scholarships as a prime avenue to uplift Ilocano productivity and allow more people wider economic opportunity, thus preventing them from working overseas as a last resort.

Mary Jane Pascual-Leaño, Provincial Consultant on Education, explained: “The roadmap is a detailed guide to the different tech-voc skills that are in-demand in the province.

“We previously identified those skills based on the needs of employers, existing job opportunities, and the prevail-

ing local livelihood.”

Leaño also pointed out the program was a way of preserving cultural heritage alongside ensuring more stable livelihoods for the locals.

Courses in the program include automotive servicing, beauty care or cosmetology, electrical installation and maintenance, hotel and restaurant services, and technical drafting.

Beneficiaries of the tech-voc scholarship are required to perform 20 hours of community service per semester, in addition to passing all their subjects.

Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos (center) stands with some of the province’s tech-voc scholars in a recent graduation ceremony.

HOW TO AVAIL

BISTEKVILLE’S SUCCESS STORY

Affordable housing for the poor: It can be done

• Thru Pag-ibig Fund • Thru Social Housing Finance Corporation • Thru in-house financing

INDIVIDUALS BENEFITED AS OF 2016

54,490

TARGET BISTEKVILLE

35

(22 were completed; 13 for development and finalization of plans) FACILITIES • Day Care Centers • Health Centers • Multi-purpose Halls • Recreational Centers TOTAL NUMBER OF INFORMAL SETTLERS FAMILIES IN QUEZON CITY

193,403

NUMBER OF BISTEKVILLE BENEFICIARIES

10,058

TIMELINE

2010

I

• Mayor Herbert Bautista forms a Special Task Force to oversee the housing concerns of over 200,000 families in QC

mproving the lives of people and urban renewal and redevelopment are just among the many thrusts of Quezon City Mayor Herbert M. Bautista as his administration enters its third term.

Eradicating slums and giving real homes to informal settlers are easier said than done, but Mayor Bautista has proven that it can be done.

As of 2016, there are a total of 193,403 informal settler families in Quezon City.

Mayor Bautista saw the immediate need to improve the condition and lives of these families, thus, the city government’s ambitious housing program called Bistekville was rolled out.

The Bistekville Housing Project is an affordable socialized housing program for low-income to homeless families. Families who live in private properties, danger areas, waterways, infrastructure, and in government properties are the priority-beneficiaries of the program.

As of December 2016, there are 22 Bistekville projects in Quezon City, of which 10 have been completed, with 15,249 families occupying housing units.

Over a thousand families now own the houses they occupy. They’re organized in 259 homeowners associations.

A total 184,096 square meters was allotted for all the 22 Bistekville

Projects and that is 5,032 housing units for occupancy.

Mayor Bautista envisioned a relocation site that is a community in itself.

Unlike other socialized housing programs that are far from the resettlers sources of income, the Bistekville sites are mostly in-city, and some are onsite.

In addition, to ensure a steady source of income, the beneficiaries also receive training in livelihood from partner organizations.

The program does not only benefit the poor but the whole city in general by keeping them away from private properties and danger areas such as highways, waterways, and fault lines.

Bistekville does not end at 22.

Another 133,254 square meters for Bistekville 23 to 35 is being negotiated and prepared.

This will provide shelter for an additional 5,026 families.

During Mayor Bautista’s term an expected total of 10,058 socialized housing projects will be complete, providing shelter for 50,290 individuals.

The program has been successful and has been recognized as an Outstanding Local Governance Program by the Galing Pook Foundation in 2014, while the Home Development Mutual Fund accorded Top Developer Award to Quezon City for its housing projects.

The Commission on Audit has praised the Quezon City Government for its socialized housing program because of its availability to do onsite resettlement and sustainability. The program has also gained accolade in the international community, having been featured abroad.

All the units are subject to refinancing options and payable through PAG-IBIG, Socialized Housing Finance Corporation, or through the financing program provided by the city government.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of a housing project for the benefit of residents living with disabilities or people with disabilities (PWDs) in Barangay Escopa III. In her speech, Taguiwalo described the joint undertaking as a good example of public-private partnership as Gawad Kalinga has also been engaged for the development of the project, which will be known as Bistekville 18.

“Clearly, we can easily reach the target of building more than 10,000 in-city housing units within my Administration. That will represent more than 10,000 indigent families raised from a life of blight to quality living.”

– Mayor Herbert Bautista Produced by the

QC Public Affairs and Information Services Office

/quezoncitypublicaffairs

/qcpublicaffairs

/qcpublicaffairs

Website: http://qcpublicaffairs.info

2011 • QC government acquires 40-hectare property in Montalban, Rizal as a resettlement site for QC informal settler families • Design for Bistekville in-city housing projects in Barangays Payatas and Kaligayahan were approved

Regaining dignity and a roof over their heads

I

By Lottie Salarda and Ramon Jose

2012 • 3,165 families were moved out of waterways and danger zones

t took about a year before Maria Elena Manalang got convinced by the Quezon City government to abandon her shanty in Novaliches and relocate to a safer place.

The 58-year-old together with her family lives in slum area along the banks of a creek in Buena Mar Subdivision which City Hall had identified as a danger zone.

Like many of her neighbors, Aling Elena was born in the slum area and managed to start her own family there. It was only after her shanty got destroyed by the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy that Elena got finally convinced that they have to leave the area.

“Kapag natutulog kami sa gabi ng mga apo ko, naririnig ko ang ragasa ng tubig sa ilalim ng bahay namin.

Siyempre natatakot ako baka tumaas ang tubig at maanod kami,” she said.

Aling Elena and her neighbors were firm in resisting efforts by the city government to have them relocated.

Elena even joined a protest rally in Mendiola which was organized by a militant workers’ group and a party-list organization. Rally organizers told them not believe the resettlement program of Quezon City Hall.

She was made to believe that they have the right to live in the property owned by the State. The militant group inculcated these wrong perceptions and principles.

“Sa simula talagang ayaw kong umalis sa Petronia (street), kasi akala ko doon lang ang mundo kasi masaya na ako doon kasama ang pamilya ko. Mali pala ako.”

Aling Elena said life seemed to be easy in the slums as they don’t pay rent and get free water and electricity albeit illegally. While she’s happy and already content with how they live, she realized that the environment was not good for her grandchildren.

“Maraming tao, dikit-dikit ang bahay, madumi, walang CR (toilet), maingay, magulo at walang privacy doon sa lugar namin. Naisip ko ang future ng mga apo ko. Ayaw ko din namang ganun ang maranasan nila sa kanilang paglaki.

Kaya naisip kong tanggapin ang inaalok na relokasyon ng gobyerno.”

Of the 50 families living along the Petronia creek, only Aling Elena chose to avail of City Hall’s in-city relocation offer while the rest chose to move to relocation site in Bulacan that is being administered by the National Housing Authority.

Coordinators of the Quezon City’s Housing and Community Resettlement Department (formerly the Urban Poor Affairs Office) government were relentless in trying to convince informal settler families to move out of waterways and danger areas. They introduced Bistekville, a housing project of the city government under the administration of Mayor Herbert M. Bautista.

“Dati hindi ko siya maintindihan. Sabi ko, ‘sus pa-pogi lang yan, hindi yan totoo, pulitika lang yan’, pero mali pala ako. Totoo ang proyekto ni Mayor Bistek para sa mga maralita. Oo may binabayaran kami kada buwan at hindi libre ang tubig at kuryente, pero ngayon may dignidad na kami,” Aling Elena added.

Aling Elena and her family have bee living in the Bistekville 2 community in Barangay Kaligayahan for more than two years.

“Nananawagan po ako sa mga ayaw mag-relocate na dapat tayong maniwala sa gobyerno. Napag-isip ko na hindi lahat ng bagay dapat idaan sa karahasan, napag-uusapan naman pala. Dapat tayong magtiwala sa gobyerno, ilalagay nila tayo sa ligtas na lugar. Ngayon po mayroon na akong disenteng bahay na maipapamana ko sa mga apo ko.”

Nena Cayanan, 53, used to live in a community in Barangay Commonwealth that was demolished to give way to the ongoing MRT-7 project.

Of the 31 families affected by the widening project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, 24 chose to move to Bistekville 2.

According to Aling Nena, they were given three months to dismantle their houses and transfer to a safer place in Novaliches.

“Hindi naman po marahas ang pagpapaalis sa amin doon. Binigyan nga kami ng tatlong buwan para lumipat.

Pinapili nila kami, sila ba o kami na lang ang magtatanggal ng bahay namin. Sabi namin, kami na lang kasi sayang din yung mga kahoy,” Aling Nena narrated.

Aling Elena and Aling Nena were among

Of the 31 families affected by the widening project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, 24 chose to move to Bistekville 2. According to Aling Nena, they were given three months to dismantle their houses and transfer to a safer place in Novaliches. “Hindi naman po marahas ang pagpapaalis sa amin doon. Binigyan nga kami ng tatlong buwan para lumipat.

Pinapili nila kami, sila ba o kami na lang ang magtatanggal ng bahay namin. Sabi namin, kami na lang kasi sayang din yung mga kahoy,” Aling Nena narrated.

2013

• 6 Bistekville socialized housing projects for 1,934 informal settler families were completed • 2,000 of 8,962 families living in high-risk areas were resettled by the National Housing Authority

“Dati hindi ko siya maintindihan. Sabi ko, ‘sus pa-pogi lang yan, hindi yan totoo, pulitika lang yan’, pero mali pala ako. Totoo ang proyekto ni Mayor Bistek para sa mga maralita. Oo may binabayaran kami kada buwan at hindi libre ang tubig at kuryente, pero ngayon may dignidad na kami.” the former informal settler families who availed of the 375 units in Bistekville in Barangay Kaligayahan in Novaliches.

According to Bistekville 2 estate manager Teresita Bognot, there are around 8,000 individuals now living comfortably in the area.

As of December 2016, there are 22 Bistekville projects in Quezon City 10 of which are already completed, with 15,249 families occupying these units and 1,031 who are now owners of housing units that are organized in 259 homeowners associations.

The goal of Mayor Herbert Bautista’s administration is to eradicate the slums by implementing a sustainable and socialized housing program. A total 184,096 square meters was allotted for all the 22 Bistekville projects and that is 5,032 housing units for occupancy.

All housing units are subject to refinancing options and payable through PAG-IBIG, Socialized Housing Finance Corporation, or through the financing program provided for by the city

government.

The Bistekville sites are mostly in-city, and some are onsite, so as not to disenfranchise the resettlers from their sources of income. In addition, to ensure a steady source of income, the beneficiaries also receive training in livelihood projects from partner organizations.

Another 133,254 square meters for Bistekville 23 to 35 is being negotiated and prepared. This will provide shelter for an additional 5,026 families.

Quezon City’s housing program has been recognized as an Outstanding Local Governance Program by the Galing Pook Foundation in 2014, while the Home Development Mutual Fund accorded Top Developer Award to Quezon City for its housing projects.

The Commission on Audit has praised the Quezon City government for its socialized housing program because of its availability to do onsite resettlement and sustainability.

Deborah Arcega Lumido, 34,

a public school teacher from Bagong Silangan High School saw the Bistekville project as an opportunity to avail of affordable housing.

Before settling in Bistekville 2, she used to rent a more expensive and congested unit in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Novaliches. She and her co-faculty wrote a letter to Mayor Bautista asking if they can avail of the Bistekville housing project in Barangay Kaligayahan.

“Parang na-grant ang isang prayer namin nung pumayag si Mayor na tumira kami sa Bistekville,” Aling Deborah said.

Truly, transferring from her house in Novaliches to a new home is Bistekville is a social transformation for her and her family.

“Nag-improve ang lahat pati ang behavior ng mga anak ko, mas tahimik at safe kami rito,” she added.

2014 • 2,415 housing units were completed; 8,179 units under construction

2015 • 15,249 families were moved out of high-risk areas -- 8,402 were from waterways while 6,847 were from right of way and other danger areas • 1,031 families were given ownership of Bistekville housing units • 4, 703 beneficiaries waiting for completion of housing unit • 11,443 families were organized into 259 Homeowners Association

2016 • 10,000 In-city housing units were constructed FOR FURTHER INQUIRIES: Housing Community Development Resettlement Department Ms. Mena Ocampo 988-4242 loc 8648

HOW TO AVAIL

BISTEKVILLE’S SUCCESS STORY

Affordable housing for the poor: It can be done

• Thru Pag-ibig Fund • Thru Social Housing Finance Corporation • Thru in-house financing

INDIVIDUALS BENEFITED AS OF 2016

54,490

TARGET BISTEKVILLE

35

(22 were completed; 13 for development and finalization of plans) FACILITIES • Day Care Centers • Health Centers • Multi-purpose Halls • Recreational Centers TOTAL NUMBER OF INFORMAL SETTLERS FAMILIES IN QUEZON CITY

193,403

NUMBER OF BISTEKVILLE BENEFICIARIES

10,058

TIMELINE

2010

I

• Mayor Herbert Bautista forms a Special Task Force to oversee the housing concerns of over 200,000 families in QC

mproving the lives of people and urban renewal and redevelopment are just among the many thrusts of Quezon City Mayor Herbert M. Bautista as his administration enters its third term.

Eradicating slums and giving real homes to informal settlers are easier said than done, but Mayor Bautista has proven that it can be done.

As of 2016, there are a total of 193,403 informal settler families in Quezon City.

Mayor Bautista saw the immediate need to improve the condition and lives of these families, thus, the city government’s ambitious housing program called Bistekville was rolled out.

The Bistekville Housing Project is an affordable socialized housing program for low-income to homeless families. Families who live in private properties, danger areas, waterways, infrastructure, and in government properties are the priority-beneficiaries of the program.

As of December 2016, there are 22 Bistekville projects in Quezon City, of which 10 have been completed, with 15,249 families occupying housing units.

Over a thousand families now own the houses they occupy. They’re organized in 259 homeowners associations.

A total 184,096 square meters was allotted for all the 22 Bistekville

Projects and that is 5,032 housing units for occupancy.

Mayor Bautista envisioned a relocation site that is a community in itself.

Unlike other socialized housing programs that are far from the resettlers sources of income, the Bistekville sites are mostly in-city, and some are onsite.

In addition, to ensure a steady source of income, the beneficiaries also receive training in livelihood from partner organizations.

The program does not only benefit the poor but the whole city in general by keeping them away from private properties and danger areas such as highways, waterways, and fault lines.

Bistekville does not end at 22.

Another 133,254 square meters for Bistekville 23 to 35 is being negotiated and prepared.

This will provide shelter for an additional 5,026 families.

During Mayor Bautista’s term an expected total of 10,058 socialized housing projects will be complete, providing shelter for 50,290 individuals.

The program has been successful and has been recognized as an Outstanding Local Governance Program by the Galing Pook Foundation in 2014, while the Home Development Mutual Fund accorded Top Developer Award to Quezon City for its housing projects.

The Commission on Audit has praised the Quezon City Government for its socialized housing program because of its availability to do onsite resettlement and sustainability. The program has also gained accolade in the international community, having been featured abroad.

All the units are subject to refinancing options and payable through PAG-IBIG, Socialized Housing Finance Corporation, or through the financing program provided by the city government.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista and Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of a housing project for the benefit of residents living with disabilities or people with disabilities (PWDs) in Barangay Escopa III. In her speech, Taguiwalo described the joint undertaking as a good example of public-private partnership as Gawad Kalinga has also been engaged for the development of the project, which will be known as Bistekville 18.

“Clearly, we can easily reach the target of building more than 10,000 in-city housing units within my Administration. That will represent more than 10,000 indigent families raised from a life of blight to quality living.”

– Mayor Herbert Bautista Produced by the

QC Public Affairs and Information Services Office

/quezoncitypublicaffairs

/qcpublicaffairs

/qcpublicaffairs

Website: http://qcpublicaffairs.info

2011 • QC government acquires 40-hectare property in Montalban, Rizal as a resettlement site for QC informal settler families • Design for Bistekville in-city housing projects in Barangays Payatas and Kaligayahan were approved

Regaining dignity and a roof over their heads

I

By Lottie Salarda and Ramon Jose

2012 • 3,165 families were moved out of waterways and danger zones

t took about a year before Maria Elena Manalang got convinced by the Quezon City government to abandon her shanty in Novaliches and relocate to a safer place.

The 58-year-old together with her family lives in slum area along the banks of a creek in Buena Mar Subdivision which City Hall had identified as a danger zone.

Like many of her neighbors, Aling Elena was born in the slum area and managed to start her own family there. It was only after her shanty got destroyed by the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy that Elena got finally convinced that they have to leave the area.

“Kapag natutulog kami sa gabi ng mga apo ko, naririnig ko ang ragasa ng tubig sa ilalim ng bahay namin.

Siyempre natatakot ako baka tumaas ang tubig at maanod kami,” she said.

Aling Elena and her neighbors were firm in resisting efforts by the city government to have them relocated.

Elena even joined a protest rally in Mendiola which was organized by a militant workers’ group and a party-list organization. Rally organizers told them not believe the resettlement program of Quezon City Hall.

She was made to believe that they have the right to live in the property owned by the State. The militant group inculcated these wrong perceptions and principles.

“Sa simula talagang ayaw kong umalis sa Petronia (street), kasi akala ko doon lang ang mundo kasi masaya na ako doon kasama ang pamilya ko. Mali pala ako.”

Aling Elena said life seemed to be easy in the slums as they don’t pay rent and get free water and electricity albeit illegally. While she’s happy and already content with how they live, she realized that the environment was not good for her grandchildren.

“Maraming tao, dikit-dikit ang bahay, madumi, walang CR (toilet), maingay, magulo at walang privacy doon sa lugar namin. Naisip ko ang future ng mga apo ko. Ayaw ko din namang ganun ang maranasan nila sa kanilang paglaki.

Kaya naisip kong tanggapin ang inaalok na relokasyon ng gobyerno.”

Of the 50 families living along the Petronia creek, only Aling Elena chose to avail of City Hall’s in-city relocation offer while the rest chose to move to relocation site in Bulacan that is being administered by the National Housing Authority.

Coordinators of the Quezon City’s Housing and Community Resettlement Department (formerly the Urban Poor Affairs Office) government were relentless in trying to convince informal settler families to move out of waterways and danger areas. They introduced Bistekville, a housing project of the city government under the administration of Mayor Herbert M. Bautista.

“Dati hindi ko siya maintindihan. Sabi ko, ‘sus pa-pogi lang yan, hindi yan totoo, pulitika lang yan’, pero mali pala ako. Totoo ang proyekto ni Mayor Bistek para sa mga maralita. Oo may binabayaran kami kada buwan at hindi libre ang tubig at kuryente, pero ngayon may dignidad na kami,” Aling Elena added.

Aling Elena and her family have bee living in the Bistekville 2 community in Barangay Kaligayahan for more than two years.

“Nananawagan po ako sa mga ayaw mag-relocate na dapat tayong maniwala sa gobyerno. Napag-isip ko na hindi lahat ng bagay dapat idaan sa karahasan, napag-uusapan naman pala. Dapat tayong magtiwala sa gobyerno, ilalagay nila tayo sa ligtas na lugar. Ngayon po mayroon na akong disenteng bahay na maipapamana ko sa mga apo ko.”

Nena Cayanan, 53, used to live in a community in Barangay Commonwealth that was demolished to give way to the ongoing MRT-7 project.

Of the 31 families affected by the widening project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, 24 chose to move to Bistekville 2.

According to Aling Nena, they were given three months to dismantle their houses and transfer to a safer place in Novaliches.

“Hindi naman po marahas ang pagpapaalis sa amin doon. Binigyan nga kami ng tatlong buwan para lumipat.

Pinapili nila kami, sila ba o kami na lang ang magtatanggal ng bahay namin. Sabi namin, kami na lang kasi sayang din yung mga kahoy,” Aling Nena narrated.

Aling Elena and Aling Nena were among

Of the 31 families affected by the widening project of the Department of Public Works and Highways, 24 chose to move to Bistekville 2. According to Aling Nena, they were given three months to dismantle their houses and transfer to a safer place in Novaliches. “Hindi naman po marahas ang pagpapaalis sa amin doon. Binigyan nga kami ng tatlong buwan para lumipat.

Pinapili nila kami, sila ba o kami na lang ang magtatanggal ng bahay namin. Sabi namin, kami na lang kasi sayang din yung mga kahoy,” Aling Nena narrated.

2013

• 6 Bistekville socialized housing projects for 1,934 informal settler families were completed • 2,000 of 8,962 families living in high-risk areas were resettled by the National Housing Authority

“Dati hindi ko siya maintindihan. Sabi ko, ‘sus pa-pogi lang yan, hindi yan totoo, pulitika lang yan’, pero mali pala ako. Totoo ang proyekto ni Mayor Bistek para sa mga maralita. Oo may binabayaran kami kada buwan at hindi libre ang tubig at kuryente, pero ngayon may dignidad na kami.” the former informal settler families who availed of the 375 units in Bistekville in Barangay Kaligayahan in Novaliches.

According to Bistekville 2 estate manager Teresita Bognot, there are around 8,000 individuals now living comfortably in the area.

As of December 2016, there are 22 Bistekville projects in Quezon City 10 of which are already completed, with 15,249 families occupying these units and 1,031 who are now owners of housing units that are organized in 259 homeowners associations.

The goal of Mayor Herbert Bautista’s administration is to eradicate the slums by implementing a sustainable and socialized housing program. A total 184,096 square meters was allotted for all the 22 Bistekville projects and that is 5,032 housing units for occupancy.

All housing units are subject to refinancing options and payable through PAG-IBIG, Socialized Housing Finance Corporation, or through the financing program provided for by the city

government.

The Bistekville sites are mostly in-city, and some are onsite, so as not to disenfranchise the resettlers from their sources of income. In addition, to ensure a steady source of income, the beneficiaries also receive training in livelihood projects from partner organizations.

Another 133,254 square meters for Bistekville 23 to 35 is being negotiated and prepared. This will provide shelter for an additional 5,026 families.

Quezon City’s housing program has been recognized as an Outstanding Local Governance Program by the Galing Pook Foundation in 2014, while the Home Development Mutual Fund accorded Top Developer Award to Quezon City for its housing projects.

The Commission on Audit has praised the Quezon City government for its socialized housing program because of its availability to do onsite resettlement and sustainability.

Deborah Arcega Lumido, 34,

a public school teacher from Bagong Silangan High School saw the Bistekville project as an opportunity to avail of affordable housing.

Before settling in Bistekville 2, she used to rent a more expensive and congested unit in Barangay Sta. Lucia, Novaliches. She and her co-faculty wrote a letter to Mayor Bautista asking if they can avail of the Bistekville housing project in Barangay Kaligayahan.

“Parang na-grant ang isang prayer namin nung pumayag si Mayor na tumira kami sa Bistekville,” Aling Deborah said.

Truly, transferring from her house in Novaliches to a new home is Bistekville is a social transformation for her and her family.

“Nag-improve ang lahat pati ang behavior ng mga anak ko, mas tahimik at safe kami rito,” she added.

2014 • 2,415 housing units were completed; 8,179 units under construction

2015 • 15,249 families were moved out of high-risk areas -- 8,402 were from waterways while 6,847 were from right of way and other danger areas • 1,031 families were given ownership of Bistekville housing units • 4, 703 beneficiaries waiting for completion of housing unit • 11,443 families were organized into 259 Homeowners Association

2016 • 10,000 In-city housing units were constructed FOR FURTHER INQUIRIES: Housing Community Development Resettlement Department Ms. Mena Ocampo 988-4242 loc 8648

C4

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Special Edition

Nashiba Sumagayan

Lanao mayor proves a mother knows best H

By Ayunan Gunting-Al-Hadj

AVING a woman’s intuition and a mother’s instinct could be of great help for a person tasked to govern a local government unit. Just ask Mayor Nashiba G. Sumagayan of the municipality of Taraka in Lanao del Sur.

She’s presently raising six children, a mean feat by any standard, and in her own words “a wonderful badge of honor.”

Sumagayan said that to an extent, being a mother is an asset for any public servant. She asserts that a mayor who happens to be a woman and who also happens to be a mother will always prioritize the welfare of the people.

“The welfare of my constituents is in my hands. I can see how they depend on my leadership, so I do my best to attend to their needs as much as I attend to my children’s needs,” she said.

“We women tend to speak up and act more for the interests of the community because of our closer involvement in community life. It’s same with raising our own children. We speak up and work, putting aside personal needs and wants.”

Now on her second term as mayor of Taraka, a fourth-class municipality with a population of over 23,000, Su-

magayan said any mother who has a career faces bigger challenges, especially when it comes to managing her time between work and children.

The 42-year-old mother said running the municipality and being a leader to her constituents is easier when one works with utmost sincerity and dedication.

Sumagayan was one of 12 children, and she credits her mother for instilling such important values to their very large brood.

“My mother’s principles in life, her way of raising her 12 children, her teachings to us, her fear of Allah swt and everything about her summed up the way I lived my life today,” she said.

The mayor passed on her mother’s teachings to her own children, as she taught them to keep their feet planted firmly on the ground “no matter how high or low their achievements in life are,” and to show respect for everyone.

“With that, I mean equal respect to everybody no matter what status the person is holding,” she said.

Sumagayan also stressed the importance of having a good education and a family with a strong bond that cannot be broken by trials and to continuously ask and thank Allah “for everything that He has offered and will offer us for the rest of our lives.”

The mayor noted she has been using these same principles in governing Taraka, as it is her wish for her constituents to learn from and adopt these tenets in their everyday life.

More women in Mindanao are being appointed or elected to public office, as voters are starting to recognize and acknowledge the benefits of having that distinctive “woman’s touch” in government.

Sumagayan noted that women today are more competitive, better educated and trained in leadership, thus many have chosen a career in politics.

“It’s become the trend in Mindanao.

Women have developed the confidence and courage that they too have the edge to become good leaders in the community,” she said.

The mayor also acknowledged that today’s Maranao women have become more empowered.

Recalling the time when she was growing up in Marawi City, she noticed

only a handful of women were gainfully employed or held important positions in government. But, she happily notes, it’s different today.

In Taraka, one often sees tarpaulins being put up to announce women passing board examinations or other feats.

“This is but an implication that women today are becoming more assertive, which is a good thing because women representation in the community, although slow, is finally happening,” she said.

Indeed, the welfare of women has taken priority in the mayor’s various advocacies, even as Sumagayan noted men still outnumber the women in the workplace.

“In my community, I see to it that women are given equal opportunity with men, both in employment and involvement in community affairs. I organized the women sector with the aim of giving them limitless opportunity. Seminars on women and children’s rights are given much emphasis,” she said.

LGUs in ACTION

Makati Mayor Abby Binay (left) presents the city’s initiatives on disaster resilience at a conference on “Building a Multi-Stakeholder and Integrated Approach to Disaster Resilience” held Tuesday at the Manila Polo Club, Makati City. The mayor was invited by Ambassador Roberto Romulo, chairman of the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation for Peace and Development, to share Makati’s efforts to attain resilience, particularly its ongoing campaign to relocate residents from identified ‘danger zones’ transected by the West Valley Fault.

Seated are (from left) Dr. Cedric Daep, head of Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office; Undersecretary Austere Panadero of the Department of the Interior and Local Government; Ritche Van Angeles, head of Pasig City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office; and Mayor Melchor Llego Mergal of the Municipality of Salcedo, Eastern Samar.

NUEVA Vizcaya officials led by Gov. Carlos Padilla, former governor Ruth Padilla, Vice Governor Lambert Galima Jr., and Bishop Emeritus Ramon Villena lead the formal opening of the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Museum and Library in Bayombong town, which has been declared by the National Museum as one of the Important Cultural Properties in the country. Ben Moses Ebreo

THE Aicaland Water Park, the biggest inflatable water park in the south of Manila, was inaugurated by Pagsanjan Mayor Maita Ejercito (third from right) together with former Laguna governor Jeorge ER Ejercito (second from right) and park owners Paul and Russel Ann Fonte (center) and Marlon and Benedicta Tobias (second from left). Aicaland is located beside the CLA mall in Barangay Binan, Pagsanjan, Laguna. Roy Tomandao

Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco (center, in white) uses the spade during the groundbreaking of the city’s columbarium, crematory and funeral chapel at the local cemetery compound in Barangay San Jose. With the city chief executive are Vice Mayor Clint Geronimo, councilors, village chairmem, and city government department heads. The project is set to be completed next year. Jun David

MUNTINLUPA Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (center) poses with hundreds of local youth who will be deployed to various city government offices last April 24 at Ayala Malls–South Park in Alabang. Fresnedi encouraged the millennials to strive and not to slack off during their summer job under the Special Program for Employment of Students through the Department of Labor and Employment, where 350 students across Muntinlupa will be participating in the program’s first batch.

Bataan second district Rep. Joet Garcia, and Pilar town officials led by Mayor Alice Pizarro and Vice Mayor Mar Caguimbal (from left) greet residents during the Congressional Barangay Week event there. Butch Gunio Noveleta, Cavite Mayor Dino Reyes Chua shows off his mandatory drug test certificate, as he complies with the DILG memorandum on the drug free LGU workplace.

Chua took the test with other local officials and 16 barangay captains recently at the Noveleta Public Market.

The Quezon City government, together with Japan International Cooperation Agency and Bemac Electric Transportation Philippines Inc., started pilot testing of the electric tricycle service on April 24. The service would ferry commuters from Quezon City Hall to the Maginhawa Art and Food Hub in Sikatuna Village.

7thSowing

adopt tree

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

Manila Standard celebrates

Earth Month with Mangrove Tree Planting O

NCE again, employees of Manila Standard Publishing Inc., and Kagitingan Printing Press Inc., participated in their tree planting project, dubbed “Adopt a Tree: Mangrove Planting Activity.” This sowing, the seventh in the ongoing series, was held at Brgy. Balibago, Calatagan, Batangas, on April 27, 2017.

In line with the celebration of Earth month and with the company’s strong dedication and efforts to protect and sustain the environment, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) champions of Manila Standard (MS) have planted, this year, over 1,000 mangrove propagules across 20 hectares.

According to Januel Peras, Officer-in-Charge of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) – Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of

Calaca, Batangas, mangroves provide habitat for many wildlife species, including commercial fishes . Thus, it contributes in sustaining the local fish and shellfish populations.

“Itong mga mangroves ‘yung nagsisilbing proteksiyon sa ating mga corals, kung mapapansin ninyo mayroon silang characteristics na may mga ugat na nakatayo na tinatawag na ‘stilt roots’.

Ito ang nagta-trap sa mga silt from uplands na maaaring tumabon sa mga corals, na nagsisilbi namang shelter ng mga isda at iba pang lamang-dagat,” he explained.

According to Peras, mangroves have been contributing a lot to the community of Brgy.

Balibago.

Turn to C2

Progress in Harmony Diverse services, one mission—to improve lives and contribute to the nation’s economic progress.

Actively working to connect people and bridge places by managing efficient toll operations, energizing communities with adequate power supply, ensuring clean and safe water, providing world-class health care and managing a reliable rail system.

Metro Pacific Investments Corporation drives progress that fit together in harmony.

www.mpic.com.ph

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SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

7thSowing

adopt tree

Green warriors. From left, Capco, Klyde Manansala, Nathaniel Mariano, Reynoso, Dulay, and Payumo.

CSR Champions together with DENR officials and Globe Telecom employees From C1

Germar Aranez, center, one of the forest technicians of CALMADA receives a plaque of appreciation from Manila Standard Circulation Manager Edgar Valmorida, left and OIC for Operations Anita Grefal, right

DENR representative Roy Gulane receives a plaque of appreciation from Valmorida, MS Administrative Manager Chito Constantino and Grefal

Calatagan Mangrove Development Alliance (CALMADA) president Virgilio Enriquez shared that mangroves have been the source of living of the less-fortunate family in the barangay.

“Ang purpose ng mga mangroves dito sa aming barangay ay ‘yun nga’ng pagdami ng lamang-dagat na siyang ginagamit ng mga tao na pang-suporta sa mga pamilya at sa paghahanap buhay,” said Enriquez.

He added that mangroves are also vital in providing oxygen to the environment. “Kaya kadalasan ‘yung mga may sakit ay pumupunta dito para makalasap ng sariwang hangin mula sa mga mangroves.”

One of the ecological values mangrove also has is that it serves as a strong protection from big currents, lessening the chance and possibility of soil erosion and the effects of climate change.

CALMADA envisions Brgy. Balibago as a model barangay with volunteer organizations tasked and committed to environmental care and protection.

“Sana matularan ng ibang barangay itong grupo namin [CALMADA] para hindi lang kami ang may ganitong mangrove plantation, at mas lalong lumago ang mga bakawan (mangrove),” said Enriquez.

Peras and Enriquez warmly welcomed all the employees, hoping that the planted mangrove propagules will successfully grow in the coming years. The employees are likewise optimistic that the mangroves will continue to propagate along with the growth of the company.

Meanwhile, Anita Grefal, Standard Officer-in-Charge of Operation, said this year’s project is very special to Manila Standard as they have expanded their contacts with Local Government Units (LGUs) for them to have more activities and projects to collaborate on.

“May mga project kami na sarili lang namin, like this ‘Adopt a Tree’ project but mayroong ring activities na nakikipag-cooperate kami like sa projects ng DENR,” she explained, looking forward to these upcoming activities and projects.

The said tree planting activity was co-presented by San Miguel Corporation and was made possible by Metro Pacific, Globe Telecommunications, Artha Land, and Cebu Exchange.

Grefal digs deep into the waters

Anthonette Capco, one of the tree-planting volunteers, receives propagules (mangrove seedlings) from one of the local foresters

OIC for sales Baldwin Felipe, Erika Gatmaitan and Angel Padua, Expert Citizenship Globe Telecom and Grefal.

MS Champions wade into the waters of Calatagan to plant mangrove propagules

ADOPT A TREE: 7TH SOWING

MPIC Vice President PR and Corp Comm. Ms. Melody Del Rosario receives plaque of appreciation as major sponsor for Manila Standard Adopt A tree Project from Felipe.

CALMADA president Virgilio Enriquez leads the tree planting activity.

Photos by

Words by

John Ryan T. Padlan Klyde Vincent Manansala Anthonette Capco

John Ryan T. Padlan Nathaniel Mariane

Manila Standard CSR Champions join DENR Coastal cleanup drive LAST April 8, the Manila Standard CSR Champions rallied to the call for a coastal cleanup issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The cleanup was held at the Las Pinas – Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), and was the first of a three-part series of festivities lined up in time for Philippine Earth Month.

About 30 Manila Standard Champions, along with volunteers and officials of the DENR, participated in the clean up.

The volunteers were divided into three-member teams and deployed along the area to pick up trash and other hazardous waste (like syringes, blades, hospital waste, and blades) littering the coast.

The Champions set upon the task with gusto, clearing up a substantial area of the Las Pinas-Paranaque coastline in no time.

After spending a backbreaking day in the sweltering heat, the Champions went home tired but with a sense of accomplishment, knowing they had helped in keeping the earth healthy and safe—or at least one area of it.

The Coastal Cleanup was a resounding success, thanks to the Manila Standard CSR champions and other volunteers

The tired but happy Manila Standard CSR Champions complete the cleanup project and go home with a sense of accomplishment.

The CSR champions harvested a veritable trove of plastic bags, pieces of netting and other non-biodegradable items from the shore line which could have endangered wildlife in the area, as well as made the waters toxic.

The Warriors worked under the sweltering sun to clean up the shoreline of Las Piñas and Parañaque.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

7thSowing

adopt tree

Shore It Up gears for its 10th year

The seedlings planted at Ipo Dam Watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan during the first sowing of Manila Standard’s Adopt a Tree project in November 2009 have now taken root and grown tall

Adopt a Tree: Manila Standard’s way to help the environment

By Bernadette Lunas NATURE called and Manila Standard answered, and continues to do so.

In November 2009, the Adopt a Tree project, the company’s corporate social responsibility program, brought employees of Philippine Manila Standard Publishing, Inc. and Kagitingan Printing Press, Inc. to Ipo Dam Watershed in Norzagaray, Bulacan to plant seedlings in a bid to help protect the environment and lessen the effects of climate change.

Almost eight years since its first sowing, Manila Standard, led by CSR project proponent, Circulation department chief Edgar Valmorida, recently returned to the area to check the planted seedlings which have now taken root and grown tall.

The first leg of the tree planting activity was then followed by planting events at Halamanang Pilipino in Luneta Park, Manila; Paco Park and Pook ni Mariang Makiling in Los Baños, Laguna; Marikina Riverbanks in Marikina City; and returned to Ipo Dam twice for another batches of tree seedlings.

In choosing to pursue this project, Valmorida avers “The trees help prevent a number of natural disasters such as flooding and landslides.

Trees also help clean the air we breathe.”

Recognizing the importance of such activity, more and more Manila Standard clients are extending their support to the tree planting program.

“More clients are interested to support our project now compared to before, especially when they see how big the trees are now from the time we planted them,” shares Valmorida.

In gratitude for their support, seedlings were

planted under the advertisers and subscribers’ respective names.

“You will see however small it is, this symbolizes the importance of public and private cooperation. It doesn’t have to be a big project, it’s the sincerity and consistency [that count],” enthuses Manila Standard publisher Rolando Estabillo.

For the seventh sowing of Adopt a Tree project on April 27, 2017, Advertising, Circulation, Editorial, Finance, Human Resources, MIS, Production, and Purchasing employees joined forces to plant mangroves in Brgy. Balibago, Calatagan, Batangas. It was the second mangrove planting of the company, the first one was held a few days prior, on April 18, in celebration of the Philippine Earth Month.

“We chose to plant mangroves this time of the year because planting trees is discouraged during summer because of high mortality rate due to less rainfall. There is no need to water mangroves,” explains Valmorida.

Further, mangrove is known for its multiple benefits to the environment. It serves as a barrier for storm surges and tidal waves, serves as habitat for various marine aquatic organisms, restores the richness of biodiversity in the marine and estuary ecosystems, increases fish supply, and promotes environmental stability (8 percent increase in carbon sequestration and 12 percent increase in forest cover).

According to the Circulation department chief, about 800 to 1000 propagules (mangrove seedlings) were planted along the coastline of Brgy. Balibago.

The one-day mangrove planting activity was co-presented by San Miguel Corporation.

Sponsors were Metro Pacific Investments,

Globe Telecom, and Arthaland.

The seventh sowing is definitely not the last for the company, as Valmorida bared plans to continue the company’s environment projects in the coming years.

“We have a number of tree planting activities lined up all the way up to the end of the year,” he reveals. “June will be the start of the tree planting season because of the expected rainy season. We have one in Calamba, Laguna in partnership with their local government. We are also looking at planting bamboos somewhere in Laguna.”

He continues, “We are also looking at adopting sites where we can conduct planting, replanting, and maintenance activities. We plan to create MOAs with concerned agencies to adapt said planting sites.”

Valmorida also intends to initiate visitation in previous planting sites at least every six months to replace seedlings that did not make it after the replanting as well as to clean the area to give the trees a better chance of survival.

On top of helping protect the environment, this activity also helps in fostering stronger relationship among Manila Standard employees.

“Because whatever differences or animosities we may have in our everyday office work, these are set aside because the employees are happy participating in our activities,” says Valmorida.

Camaraderie is indeed promoted as Manila Standard employees cheerfully participate in the activities for the day.

Projects such as Adopt a Tree help preserve Mother Nature and provide a renewed sense of purpose to the individuals who are given the privilege to contribute something good to the future of the planet. Now those are good things to reap from what we sow.

From left, Melody del Rosario, MPIC VP for PR and Corp Comm; Mayor Alfredo Coro III of Del Carmen,Siargao SDN; Vice-Mayor Kim Michael Odchigue of Medina, Misamis Oriental; Secretary Adelino Sitoy, Presidential Adviser on Legislative Affairs; Mayor Mary Therese SitoyCho of Cordova, Cebu; Mayor Noel Luisitro of Mabini, Batangas; ViceGovernor Arturo Carlos Egay of Surigao del Norte and Jose Ma. K. Lim, President and CEO of Metro Pacific Inestments Corporation.

Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) marks another milestone in its award-winning corporate social responsibility program as it harnesses the synergy of its local government partners in marine ecosystem preservation.

Set in March 17-18, 2018, in Antipolo City, the event titled “Shore It Up Confluence: Charting Our 10th Year,” will gather the local chief executives from partner LGUs namely Alaminos City (Pangasinan), Del Carmen (Surigao del Norte), Mabini (Batangas), Medina (Misamis Oriental), and Cordova (Cebu).

Incepted in 2009 in the wake of Typhoon Ondoy, it is the country’s longest corporate environmental program which involves volunteer scuba divers from the MVP Group of Companies and local communities.

The event will also induct Shore It Up’s Board of Advisors namely Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary Rear Admiral Geronimo Reyes, mangrove ecosystem guru Dr. Jurgenne Primavera, ecotourism advocate Caloy Libosada, endangered marine species authority AA Yaptinchay, and technical diving expert Jake Miranda.

According to MPIC vice president for communications Melody Del Rosario, the conglomerate is taking its environmental advocacy to the next level by engaging in long-term sustainable programs by involving local stakeholders.

She said that MPIC chief executive officer Manuel Pangilinan

will lead in setting the new directions of the program as it marks its tenth year in 2018.

She added that with this wholistic endeavor, the program hopes to bring a positive impact on the environment, as well as the economic and socio-cultural life in the areas they venture into.

“For the past nine years, Shore It Up has mustered over 75,000 volunteers from Metro Pacific firms, the government sector, academe and civil society groups in activities such as underwater and coastal cleanup, mangrove and tree planting, giant clam rearrangement, artificial reef restoration, environmental education for school children through the Junior Environmental Scouts (JES) and livelihood for coastal villagers,” Del Rosario enthused.

She added that Metro Pacific has also embarked on the infrastructure aspect of marine environmental restoration with the construction of Mangrove Propagation and Information Centers in Alaminos City and Siargao Island, and a marine laboratory in Mabini, the first of its kind in the country.

Shore It Up is a recipient of the Public Relations Society of the Philippines’ Anvil Award of Merit for sustained environmental program for the environment from 2011 to 2013, as well as the Best Corporate Social Responsibility Program in the Corporate Governance Asia Award in the same period.

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

TRAVEL AND LEISURE

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Your

summer

destination

PRIVATE PARADISE. Two Seasons Island Resort and Spa in Coron, Palawan is a secluded getaway where guests can enjoy unspoiled nature, world-class service, and sophisticated amenities.

T

HIS summer, experience the ideal island life of beautiful Palawan at Two Seasons Island Resort and Spa in Coron, Palawan.

For those who seek tranquility away from the busy city life, it is the perfect getaway where unspoiled nature meets luxury and sophistication of world-class service in premier accommodations and exciting recreational activities.

Each of the comfortable and tastefully appointed 42 bungalow-type accommodations has a view of the charming sceneries of the island, whether it’s the seascape or the sandbar, sunset, the beach, even the mountains of Coron.

The bungalows have easy access to the beach for the convenience and privacy of each guest.

Adventure awaits travelers of any age as the resort has a wide range of marine activities for guests through the Pawikan Aqua Sports Center, the resort’s recreational hub.

A fleet of catamarans, banana boats and kayaks are available for those who want to engage in light or challenging water sports.

For non-divers, there’s the HydroBOB Submersible Scooter for those who would like to explore the deep without the need to know how to swim, while those looking for a different kind of thrill can go scuba-diving to explore the Japanese shipwreck dive sites which are listed in the Top Ten Best Scuba Diving Sites in the World compiled by Forbes Traveler Magazine. Land lovers can join the curated day tours that transport guests to notable island landmarks steeped in Coron’s natural beauty and colonial heritage.

Throughout the day, guests can enjoy sumptuous meals that combine island flavors with international cuisines at the Two Season’s Sulu Restaurant with its fresh seafood and grilled specialties.

For a more laidback vibe for that ultimate vacation feel, the Bahura Bar offers a mix of good music and drinks in a fun and casual atmosphere.

To elevate that blissful experience,

Each of the 42 bungalow-type accommodations has a charming view of either the sandbar, the seascape, the beach, the sunset, or the mountains of Coron

book a relaxing massage at Narra, the resort’s signature island spa, where guests can choose their own private corner among the beachfront cabanas, hilltop spa villas, and spa villas nestled within mangrove forests.

The property is known as the first eco-friendly luxury resort located in the tropical peninsula of Malaroyroy, Palawan where guests can enjoy the island in its most serene and natural state.

It offers a stunning spectacle of Palawan’s famed flora and fauna, where mangroves and a house reef provide a peaceful haven for a protected giant clam and turtle sanctuary. The natural limestone cliff formations offer a stunning backdrop with a view of the ocean, set to the soothing sound of rolling waves. Nestled within the expansive property is a sandbar connecting to a islet, and a 200-meter westside beach, with another 200-meter

east-side beach with mangroves connected by a trail of lush gardens.

With its exquisite combination of a scenic location, warm Filipino hospitality, and world-class amenities, Two Seasons Island Resort and Spa is a touchstone of paradise and the perfect vacation spot for those looking for the ultimate luxurious island getaway. It is also an ideal eco-friendly venue for memorable gatherings such as private conferences and seminars, destination weddings, and other social functions.

Visit www.twoseasonsresorts.com or call (02) 410-2075 to 80; fax number (02) 732-1747/411-8209; email bliss@twoseasonsresorts.com. Like Two Seasons Coron Island Resort on Facebook.

The resort’s Manila office is located at Nena Building, 132-A Bayani Street, corner Araneta Avenue, Quezon City.

Jardine Distribution, Inc. takes its 158 customers to Jeju Island, South Korea for a fourday vacation

Boracay at its best BASK in the beauty of Boracay shoreline and get a full view of the island life when you stay at Sun Villa Beachfront, located in the middle of White Beach, between Stations 1 and 2.

The Sun Villa Beachfront is just a few meters away from D’Mall, Boracay’s main shopping center, and right in the midst of Boracay’s jumpiest clubs, bars and restaurants. It has 18 air-conditioned rooms with private toilet and bath, hot and cold shower, free WiFi and cable TV. The SunSpa offers various massages and other beauty services, including SunSpa’s Body Massage, Bentosa (Cupping) Body Massage or Stone Massage and SunSpa’s body scrub or waxing services that will surely energize and give you a smooth, healthylooking skin.

Sun Villa Beachfront also boasts sumptuous meals at its Sun Asian Kitchen, which serves delicious

Asian fare as well as Filipino specialties including Nasi Goreng, Laksa, Spicy Crabs and Garlic Shrimp, among others.

Sun Asian Kitchen is also home to the famous eat-all-you-can Mongolian Grill, which offers an array of meat, seafood and tasty sauces that perfectly complement your bowl of rice or noodles.

Sun Resorts Boracay also has two other charming resorts, Sun Villa Hilltop, a quiet refuge nestled in a lush tropical garden on top of a hill located at Station 2; and Sun Garden Hilltop, a haven of peace and quiet designed for the budget conscious traveler located at Station 3.

For more information, visit www. boracaysunresorts.com.ph/ or follow their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sunresortsboracay. For inquiries, call (036) 288-1306 or (036) 288-5915.

JDI takes 158 customers Jeju Island AS A “thank you” to its customers, Jardine Distribution, Inc. (JDI) recently took them to South Korea’s Jeju Island, a place that is known in the travel industry as the “Island of the Gods,” for a four-day vacation.

A total of 158 customers that included dealers, distributors, and mango contractors—and six JDI representatives— joined the trip from Jan. 4 to 7.

The fun getaway featured trekking on Mt. Halla, South Korea’s highest peak; a visit at the gravity-defying Mysterious Road; a look at one of the nation’s mon-

uments—the Daepo Jusangjeolli Cliff; and a glimpse of Seongsan Ilchubong, the “Sunrise Peak” formed five thousand years ago by hydrovolcanic eruptions upon a shallow seabed.

The happy vacationers also enjoyed the attractions at Glass Castle, a glass art theme park; viewed the adorable displays at the Hello Kitty and Teddy Bear museums; strolled the gardens of, and checked out the zoo at, Hallim Park; visited the historic and cultural Seoungeup Folk Village; watched the classic Painters Show; and saw the famed sensual and erotic

sculpture park, Love Land.

During breaks from exploring tourist destinations, the travelers shopped and dined at Jeju Island’s shopping destinations: Ginseng Outlet, Duty Free, and Chilseongro Street.

Kaye Aguilan, JDI product manager, said, “We at JDI believe that this incentive trip is a way to thank our loyal customers, and at the same time, strengthen our relationship with them.”

“We value our dealers, distributors and contractors, and this is just one of Turn to D2

Sun Villa Beachfront’s accessible location in the middle of White Beach offers a strategic place for Boracay travelers to relax

Life

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SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Isla de Sta. Cruz gets a facelift D

EPARTMENT of Tourism (DoT) Secretary Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo is thrilled over the inclusion of the Great Sta. Cruz Island (also called Isla de Sta. Cruz) in Zamboanga City in the list of the 21 Best Beaches in the World by international publication National Geographic. “We are proud of this citation and happy with the very timely announcement, which comes right after our visit in December when I had pushed for the island’s immediate improvement and development as an ecotourism destination,” she said.

The Great Sta. Cruz Island, also called Isla de Sta. Cruz, made it to National Geographic’s list of ‘21 Best Beaches in the World’

The Great Sta. Cruz Island used to be under the supervision of DoT’s implementing arm for infrastructure, the Philippine Tourism Author-

ity (PTA), now named as Tourism City Tourism Office, Protected ManInfrastructure and Enterprise Zone agement Unit.

Authority (TIEZA). In 2011, it was The DoT chief instructed DoT Region turned over to the local government’s 9 Director Antonio Blanco to coor-

dinate with TIEZA to assist the local government in undertaking facilities upgrade, provision of additional cottages and offering more nature-based recreational activities.

“The planned development will highlight its conservation and preservation, it being a protected area.

Nonetheless, the outcome should enable locals and foreign visitors alike to enjoy the island’s beauty but still strictly maintaining it as a day destination. We would like to attract genuine ecotourists as they take ‘responsible, ethical and sustainable tourism’ to heart,” Teo said.

On its website (www.nationalgeographic.com), NatGeo said, “Hardly lacking in gorgeous beaches, the Philippines claims a pink-sand variety, too. The blush color comes from billions of pieces of crushed red organ-pipe coral, seen in every handful of sand. The number of visitors to the island is regulated, and advance arrangements should be made through the tourist office in Zamboanga.”

The Philippines was also part of NatGeo’s List of Top Destinations for 2016. (www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/ best-trips-2016)

The Vu From The Top hotels in that area. This made me want to pay the hotel a visit, but its location was too far away from my radius of activity, being a Manila resident and office worker.

The thought of having to go through hours of “traffic torture” kills my enthusiasm every time I feel like going there. I’ve had many invitations to MERCURY RISING Cocktails or Dinners at the hotel, and,

BY BOB ZOZOBRADO the first time I got one, I was excited to I HAVE to admit that, ever since it finally have a chance to see the place. opened its doors three years ago, I But, on that first occasion, I left Inhave never been tramuros at 5:30 to Marco Polo Orp.m. and by 7:30 tigas. In fact, all p.m., I was still on that time, I never the highway, very knew its location. far from the hotel, I was aware that tired, starving, and it’s somewhere in on the brink of beAt a dance party a shy the Ortigas Busi- boy approached a girl and coming homicidal, ness District, but, so I turned back to as to its distance asked, “Will you dance go home to get myfrom Megamall, with me, please?” The self some hot soup Shangri-La Plaza, arrogant girl says, “I don’t and bring down The Podium or my temper with a dance with a kid.” The Asian Developnice warm shower! ment Bank, it was smart boy, hurting from You can figure out never in my mental the rejection, decided to what I did with the radar. succeeding invitaget even and lashed out, But my friends tions. have been raving “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize Not too long ago, about the hotel’s you were pregnant.” in my desire for Vu’s Sky Bar and my sons and I to Lounge which, acdo something new cording to them, had the best view of for the weekend, I finally gathered the the Metro Manila skyline among all the strength to bear the nightmarish traf-

YOUR SATURDAY CHUCKLE

Singapore Airlines and SilkAir partner with MasterCard to offer a companion fare promotion

Amazing companion fares NOW that the dry season is here, Filipinos are in search for exciting travel options to finally make their dream vacations a reality. Whether travelling solo or with family and friends, Singapore Airlines (SIA) and SilkAir, in partnership with Mastercard, have plenty of exciting deals and promotional offers to help you check off your summer travel bucket list.

With the launch of its 70th Anniversary Companion Fare, KrisFlyer members and Mastercard cardholders can look forward to experiencing SIA’s premium brand of service and excellence with their families and friends as they fly to destinations in Asia, Australia, and Europe – all at exceptional rates, for travel until Aug.31.

Under this companion scheme, fullpaying travellers can bring one of their companions, starting from an all-in fare of $70 to destinations like Singapore, Bali, Phuket, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh, Hanoi, and Kuala Lumpur. Companion fares are also available for travellers

going to Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Wellington, Paris, London, Copenhagen, Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Milan, Moscow, Munich, Rome, Istanbul, Zurich, and Stockholm, starting from an all-in fare of $370. Now there is definitely no reason to leave anyone behind.

Going solo? Passengers who plan to explore the world alone are also in for a treat with the airlines’ individual passenger promotional fares, valid for travel until Dec. 31. All-in fares to key Asian destinations are available from $250, to Australia from $700 as well as New Zealand and Europe from $970.

For bookings and inquiries, visit Singapore Airlines Ticket Office, call SIA Manila Reservations at 7568888, SilkAir Cebu at 6332-505-7871, SilkAir Davao at 6382-227-5301, SilkAir Kalibo at 6336-500-7226, or contact any participating travel agent.

For more details on these promos, please visit www.singaporeair.com.

Vu’s Sky Bar at Marco Polo Ortigas offers a view of the glittering skyline of Eastern Metro Manila

fic situation. I drove all the way to the hotel for a weekend stay…and I’m very happy that I did!

The imposing 45-storey hotel is on Meralco Avenue and has 316 spacious and well-designed rooms and suites, including two Continental Club floors that accord special privileges and benefits to its loyal patrons.

What I happily discovered and found very interesting was that some of Manila’s best dining destinations are in the hotel. Cafe Pronto is a relaxed venue, which offers a wide selection of coffees and tea, and an array of sandwiches, cakes, breads, fine chocolates, oversized cookies, and croissants.

Cucina is an all-day dining restaurant on the 24th floor and it features live action stations manned by expert chefs, offering flavors from the world’s culinary capitals. Diners can choose from among the Seafood Station, Asian Noodles, Pasta, Carving, Cheeses, Cold Cuts and from the delicious spread of heavenly dessert. Cucina is, again, in this year’s Philippine Tatler’s Best Restaurants Guide. With the 40-year culinary expertise of the hotel’s new Executive Chef, Alisdair Bletcher, we can be sure the restaurant will continue to be among the metro’s best.

But my favorite is Lung Hin, the hotel’s contemporary specialty restaurant located on the 44th floor, which offers authentic Cantonese cuisine and fresh seafood. Its Hong Kong chefs made me feel, albeit for an hour or so, that I was in one of the restaurants in the Tsim Sha Tsui district of Kowloon. The food is real Cantonese! I started with some Dim Sum then I segued to the signature carving dishes and seafood, and punctuated the lavish meal with the delectable Chilled Mango Pudding. Just like Cucina, Lung Hin is also in Philippine

JDI...

From D1

the many ways we can express our gratitude,” she added.

The participants were from different provinces of the Philippines: Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Benguet, Tu-

The appetizing cocktail buffet at Vu’s sky Bar and Lounge

could name the most. I forgot to bring my glasses so they both did it faster than I. Apart from the remarkable skyline scenery, the Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge offers a vast selection of cocktails, wines and other spirits together with a well-curated line-up of Filipino, Spanish and Mediterranean dishes. That time we were there, it just started its Aperitivo Promo, which includes a wide range of appetizers, such as cold cuts, pizzas, cheeses, croquettes and house wine. These delectable items certainly heighten one’s enjoyment of the relaxing view.

The hotel’s Flow Spa is known for its Algotherm treatment for facial skin, utilizing seaweed extracts and other marine ingredients, promising to bring visible results on the first try. I wanted to give myself more ME-time by getting pampered there with a thorough massage. It must have been my very comfortable bed or my having enjoyed tremendously the bar’s breathtaking view, I woke up noontime the following day, too late for a Spa visit, as check out time was already at hand.

There are so many good things going for Marco Polo Ortigas. No wonder it was recently accorded the prestigious Five-Star Award. It is the first and only hotel in Manila given such honor

by Forbes Travel Guide, the global authority on luxury travel. The amiable General Manager, Frank Reichenbach flew to New York to receive the distinguished and enviable recognition.

Tatler’s Best Restaurants Guide 2017.

Of course, after dinner, it was time to hie off to the Vu’s Sky Bar and Lounge on the 45th floor, to enjoy the much talked about breathtaking scenery that only this hotel can offer. As expected, I was immediately swept off my feet, mesmerized by the thousands of sparkling lights blanketing the metropolis several hundred feet below. The venue offers two choices – you get a table with a view of the Western, or that of the Eastern part of Greater Manila. I chose the latter because I wanted to familiarize myself with the skyline of Pasig, Marikina and Antipolo.

Sitting there, just watching those beautiful lights and the vehicles traThe hotel really knows how to stay on versing the roads, very much like blood corpuscles flowing along an artery, was top...and the Vu from the top is always very calming and it certainly loosened captivating! me up. It was fun trying to identify the For feedback, I’m at landmarks on the horizon. My sons and bobzozobrado@gmail.com I tried to outdo each other as to who

guegarao, Isabela, Batangas, Quezon, Palawan, Mindoro, Iloilo, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, Butuan, General Santos and Cagayan de Oro. The trip was arranged to reciprocate the support of these customers in purchasing a package of JDI agro-products—insecticides, herbicides, molluscicides, fungicides, seeds and yield boosters.

JDI, a member company of the Jardine Matheson Group, represents a number of leading brands in crop protection, local and foreign-made pesticides, plant growth regulators, plant nutrition, hybrid rice seeds, and vegetable seeds.

For more information, visit www.jardinedistribution.com.

SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

BEA ALONZO

iPhoto

Paulo Avelino checks out KTM Philippines

graces instax Memory Lane Album launch

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FTER the well-received Photo Diary, FUJIFILM Philippines launched the Memory Lane album, a unique instax album made of thick-bordered pages where you can insert your instax prints.

FUJIFILM Philippines is always thinking of new ways to preserve memories and make them last for generations. With the Memory Lane album, you can now keep in place that instax photo of a trip to Baguio to see flowers abloom at the Panagbenga

Festival or that moment when your child wore a “toga” (graduation gown) at the school’s commencement exercises.

“Our mission is to keep memories on hand and make sure that they would be available for future generations to gaze at,” says Takuya Maeda, FUJIFILM Philippines Division head for Electronic Imaging and Photo Imaging. “Filipinos love taking photos and FUJIFILM acknowledges that. We have endeavored to help them preserve their memories in the best possible way, especially now since it is graduation and summer season, when people really need to keep important memories.”

The Memory Lane album protects precious prints from dust, dirt, moisture and sunlight to reduce fading and ensure that they stand the test of time.

The Memory Lane album is

bundled up with the instax Mini 8 and a range of FUJIFILM digital cameras. There are three variants for the Memory Lane album, namely the instax Memory Lane Package that includes an instax Mini 8, pack of film (10 sheets), a Memory Lane album, and a pen marker; the XA3 Memory Lane Package that includes an XA3, instax SHARE SP-2, pack of film (10 sheets), a Memory Lane album, and a pen marker; and the XA10 Memory Lane Package that includes an XA10, instax Mini 7s, pack of film (10 sheets), a Memory Lane album, and a pen marker.

To make the Grand Launch of the Memory Lane album kits more fun and celebrity-watching worthy, Bea Alonzo, FUJIFILM Philippines brand ambassador and a proud instax fan girl graced the event. FUJIFILM Philippines Circle of Influencers wasl

TELEVISION and film actor and KTM motorcycle fan Paulo Avelino shared the excitement of KTM Philippines in its first ever participation in the recently-concluded Inside RACING Bike Festival and Trade Show held at the World Trade Center.

A racing enthusiast, Avelino joined the team behind KTM Philippines in introducing the brand’s impressive line of high-powered motorcycles and the present 200 Duke available at P147K. Recently, Avelino underwent rider training at the renowned California Superbikes School Philippines using the KTM RC390.

also around to help the guests design their own Memory Lane album using available craft materials.

“It will be exciting to watch everyone design their own Memory Lane album in creative ways,” said Bea. Guests were encouraged to doodle on the sides, place stickers, even write haiku or short poems to make their albums not only unique but very personal and heartrending.

After all, that is the essence behind FUJIFILM Philippines’ efforts to capture memories instantly and produce the tangible prints in seconds.

Memories are all about celebrations, occasions, and moments spent with family, friends, anyone you hold dear and consider family. And wherever and whenever there is something special you want to make last forever, an instax will be there, on hand and on cue.

National Geographic premieres ‘Genius’ ALTHOUGH his scientific achievements still inspire awe, few know the full story of the 20th century’s most brilliant icon Albert Einstein. National Geographic’s new 10-part series Genius – the channel’s first fully scripted series – explores Einstein’s extraordinary professional achievements along with his passionate and complex personal relationships. The miniseries premiered on National Geographic 8 p.m. on April 26.

With Genius, National Geographic is taking a revolutionary step to becoming an original content creator, ready for battle on the scripted TV landscape. It follows Einstein’s journey from an imaginative thinker of humble origins, to fleeing the Nazis during World War II, to attaining global celebrity status for his scientific endeavors. National Geographic’s first-ever fully scripted series reveals the untold story of the man behind the mind, delving into Einstein’s happiness and heartbreak as he struggles to be a husband, a father, and a man of principle. Entertaining as well as educational, GENIUS will help viewers learn more about how Einstein unlocked the mysteries of the cosmos in a significant historical era spanning two World Wars.

A start-studded cast and behind-the-camera team joined Genius. The fully scripted series stars world-famous Oscar-

winner Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech, Pirates of the Caribbean) as Einstein, while prestigious English actress Emily Watson (War Horse, The Theory of Everything) plays Einstein’s second wife. The Genius executive production team includes the multi Oscarwinning team of Ron Howard and Brian Grazer; and Howard also makes his scripted television directorial debut with the first episode of Genius. Other Genius stars include familiar faces from Game of Thrones, Grey’s Anatomy, Mad Men and more.

The series begins in Einstein’s teenage years, when he argues with his father and drops out of school in Germany to go to University in Switzerland.

Einstein encounters romance, political drama and unexpected personal struggles, but he manages to make a name for himself as a rising scientific mind. As relief at the end of World War I turns to fear at Europe’s rising tide of antiSemitism, Einstein seeks sanctuary in the United States.

Here, he struggles to balance his identity as a lifelong pacifist and a remarkably talented scientist who is the only one in the world potentially capable of stopping the rise of Hitler.

Lucien Harrington, SVP of Marketing & Communications for FOX Networks Group in Asia, says, “Genius is an evolution of National Geographic programing. Already

Geoffrey Rush as the brilliant physicist Albert Einstein in "Genius"

the global leader in premium science, adventure and exploration programing, National Geographic is now firmly establishing itself as an original content creator bringing the best in education and entertainment to audiences in Asia and around the globe. We are delivering on the National Geographic renewed vision to take people one step to the edge of impossible and then, further.

Genius is not only a global miniseries entertainment event – it is also a brand new way for National Geographic audiences to explore the past and learn the truth behind the legend of famous historical figures like Albert Einstein.”

The “Everyday Genius” Contest “I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein.

Are geniuses born or made?

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Saturday, April 29, 2017

ACROSS 1 Sums, for short 5 Heirloom 10 Bangkok native 14 Persian monarch 15 Acid in proteins 16 Turkey gotogethers 17 Not much in Mexico 18 Fishlike 19 Pull an allnighter 20 Light puffy dish 22 Sackers of Rome 23 Type of pad 24 Fodder storage 26 Leap aside 28 Dazzling 32 Minces 33 Cunning 34 The Plastic — Band 35 Cato’s highway 36 Looks mischievous 37 Bummed out 38 Depot, briefly 39 Sugar source 40 Farm implement pioneer 41 — up (recalls) 43 Wired 44 Bought at a flea market 45 Grey of Western novels

46 Maximum 49 Draw 52 With, to Maurice 53 Hoopsters’ venue 55 Kind of tradition 57 Curly-leafed veggie 58 Infra opposite 59 Westwood sch.

60 Runs its course 61 Wyoming range 62 Snakes do it DOWN 1 Nile reptile 2 Electrical units 3 Kind of salad 4 Road edge 5 Sell chances on 6 A Bronte sister 7 Stripe 8 Motel of yore 9 Playfully demure 10 Magnate 11 Hind’s mate 12 Calcutta nanny 13 Dogmas 21 Brownish fruit 22 Merriment 24 Joyrides 25 Reformers’ targets 26 “Same here!”

27 Continental divider 28 Business wear

29 30 31 32 33 36

Metes out Harden Rotunda’s crown Part of CD Money-hunger “Pretty Woman” lead 37 Ready to share 39 Museum piece 40 Job for a body shop 42 Fruit drinks 43 Clan ID 45 Masked swordsman

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46 Water-ski locale 47 Tsar name 48 Blend 49 Golf stroke 50 Foot part 51 Ivy League member 53 Snip off 54 Pamplona cry 56 Fictional collie

Was Einstein destined from birth to become a brilliant scientist, or was his genius all down to hard work?

To commemorate the launch of Genius, National Geographic is challenging viewers across Asia to harness the power of their minds and accelerate their genius.

Join the “Everyday Genius” contest by submitting your brilliant ideas – the ones that could solve an everyday problem, and the ones that could change the world – for your chance to win exclusive access to the National Geographic Explorers Festival in Washington D.C across June 15 to 18. This exciting annual event brings together the world’s most fascinating and innovative scientists, conservationists, explorers, and storytellers together in one place to share their latest discoveries and ideas.

Find inspiration for your entry in the long history of innovation in Asia; from silk cloth, to the umbrella, to the magnetic compass, to gunpowder and more.

Visit www.everydaygenius.asia for more information and to submit your ideas from now till May 7.

Vote on who you think should be named Asia’s “Everyday Genius” from May 12.

Genius is a National Geographic original scripted series produced

by Fox 21 Television Studios, Imagine Television and OddLot Entertainment.

National Geographic is also partnering with the SNOW app, where users can use the face filter to look like Einstein.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com

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SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2017

V

IEWERS are set to witness the story of two people who will strive to reach for their dreams and fight for their true love in the ABSCBN series Ikaw Lang ang Iibigin, featuring the mostawaited television reunion of Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson.

From Sana Maulit Muli, My Girl, Your Song, Tayong Dalawa, and Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo, the love team known among their fans as KimErald will once again grace the television screens with new roles that will surely leave a mark in their fans’ hearts. Fans should also watch out for the newest tandem of Jake Cuenca and Coleen Garcia set to add more excitement in the series.

Kim and Gerald will play Bianca (Kim Chiu) and Gabriel (Gerald Anderson), childhood friends both determined to give their families a bright future. Bianca aspires to become a triathlete to provide for their needs. Gabriel also carries the same aspirations, facing life’s struggles head on for his family. As they reach for their dreams, they also experience love for the first time together.

However, they will eventually part ways as Bianca leaves their province to save her father’s life suffering from a fatal disease.

As they live their separate lives, they will take on different journeys that will keep them away from each other.

But love will reunite their paths as they once again see each other in a triathlon event of TigerShark, headed by Carlos (Jake Cuenca), the man who will come between them.

Being the no.1 triathlete in the country, Carlos is not used to failure and always seeks the approval of his father.

To further ensure the success of his

REUNITED. Former flames

Gerald Anderson and Kim Chiu star in "Ikaw Lang Ang IIbigin"

Kim, Gerald

FIGHT for LOVE and DREAMS

Balladeer Christian Baustista seranading Pinoys in Dammam

Kapuso fans in Saudi Arabia give

Christian Bautista warm welcome FILIPINOS in Saudi Arabia gathered together at the Cobra Amusement Park in Dammam on April 7 to celebrate “Bayanihan Festival 2017,” an event sponsored by GMA Pinoy TV. Making the festivities more colorful was Asia’s Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista whom Kapuso fans welcomed warmly upon his arrival in Middle East kingdom. GMA’s flagship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV, invited the Kapuso singer-actor to serenade his kababayans in time for the celebration of the Araw ng Kagitingan in the Philippines.

The audience was thrilled as Christian performed his signature OPM and pop songs. They also grabbed every opportunity to take Bautista’s photo while he was singing on stage.

Christian, in turn, expressed his pleasure with the fans during the eventful celebration. “Singing for fellow Filipinos in [Saudi] was a real treat. They were so warm and friendly. We enjoyed singing together our favorite OPM songs. Hopefully we can see each other again soon,” Christian said.

Christian is set to star in the much-awaited Filipino TV adaptation of the hit Korean series My Love from the Star, which will premiere in May on GMA Pinoy TV. The Bayanihan Festival 2017 was organized by the Bayanihan Entertainment Group - KSA and Cobra Entertainment City.

GMA Pinoy TV was the exclusive media sponsor for the event.

IF THE hit Broadway musical, Sister Act, became the huge international success that it is today, it is largely because of its great cast whose brilliant performance has drawn lots of raves and accolades from musical theatergoers and critics alike everywhere.

Its ensemble of talented and exceptional actors, singers and dancers has definitely left a deep and lasting mark in turning the musical into one of the most acclaimed and most successful musical theater acts in recent times.

The same world-class quality and level of acting and music making by its cast will enthrall local music lovers and theater-goers when Sister Act comes to Manila for a twoweek run that will premiere on June 27 at the Theatre at Solaire at Entertainment City in Paranaque City.

Ovation Production, in association with Broadway Entertainment Group and Troika Entertainment, is bringing the show for the first time to the local musical theater scene as part of its American production’s Asian tour for 2017 that ends on July 9 with no extension.

Based on the 1992 hit comedy movie of the same title starring Whoopi Goldberg, Sister Act is expected to attract impressive crowds of theater-goers and music lovers, considering the box office success of the original film version here 25 years ago.

Since it made its Broadway debut in 2011 following its world premiere in 2006, the musical has gained widespread renown as America’s new musical comedy classic.

The musical takes the audience’s breath away as it follows for two-and-a-half delightful hours the funny adventures of Deloris Van Cartier, a Vegas wannabe diva whose life takes a surprising turn when she witnesses a crime and is placed by the cops under protective custody in the last place anyone would think to look – a convent., Disguised as a nun and under the suspicious watch of Mother Superior, Deloris helps her fellow sisters find their voices as she unexpectedly re-discovers her own.

How Deloris breathes new life and brings positive change to the convent is told through the original music and score with a big Broadway sound written by the most acclaimed composer of our time, eighttime Oscar winner Alan Menken (Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid,

Little Shop of Horrors), with lyrics by Glenn Slater.

The story was written by Bill and Cheri Steinkellner with additional book material

by Douglas. Carter Beane.

The cast of Sister Act is headed by Dene Hill in the role of Deloris Van Cartier. Hill is an award-winning international opera singer who co-starred recently in the PBS docudrama, A Time for Greatness, in which she played the role of Geraldine Whittington, the first African-American secretary in the White House (to President Lyndon B. Johnson).

Also performing major roles are Rebecca Mason-Wygal (Mother Superior), Will T. Travis (Eddie Souther), Brandon Godfrey (Curtis Jackson), Moses Bernal (Pablo), Emma Brook (Mary Patrick), Nancy Evans (Mary Lazarus), Sophie Kim (Mary Robert), Harry McEnerny V (Joey Finnochio) and Kevin D. O’Neil (Monsignor O’Hara).

Others in the cast s are Jarred Bedgood, D’Naysa Jordan, Caitlin Masiano, Meghan Deely and Tyler Simakh, Berlande Mills, Gabriel Rodrigues, Denzel Edmonson, Scott Fuss, Olivia Gjurich, Heidi Hayes, Kristin Litzenberg, Taylor Morgan Marsh, Ashley Masula, Paige McNamara, Damon McToy, Megan Opalinski, and Stephanie Miller.

The American production of the musical is produced by Whoopi Goldberg, music by Alan Menken and directed by Jerry Zaks.

Sister Act premiered at the Pasadena Playhouse in the Fall of 2006, followed by a production at Alliance Theatre in Atlanta in the Winter of 2007. The West End production began previews at the Palladium Theatre in London on May 7, 2009, while the Broadway production began preview performances on March 24, 2011 and officially opened on April 20, 2011 at the Broadway Theatre.

Seen by over 6 million theater-goers across the globe, Sister Act has been performed worldwide in Milan, Vienna, Paris, Germany, The

company, he hires Bianca as an endorser, but later on falls for her, despite his ex-girlfriend Isabelle (Coleen Garcia) being against with it.

This sparks the battle between Carlos and Gabriel not only in triathlon, but also for Bianca’s love. Their fight for their love and dreams also gets even more complicated as secrets from the past threatened to destroy their love and their lives.

Will Gabriel and Bianca still be able to reach their dreams together? Can Carlos succeed in destroying their love for each other? Will Gabriel and Bianca be able to fight for their love and dreams?

Also in Ikaw Lang ang Iibigin are Gina Pareño, Bing Loyzaga, Ayen Munji-Laurel, Michael De Mesa, Daniel Fernando, Dante Rivero, Nicco Manalo, Ivan Carpiet, Andrea Brillantes, and Grae Fernandez.

Netherlands, Japan and on tour throughout the United States and the United Kingdom.

It has also been played in Canada, Ireland, South Africa and Spain.

The musical received five Tony Awards nominations in 2011: Best Musical, Best Original Score (Alan Menken-music/Glenn Slater-lyrics), Best Book of a Musical (Cheri and Bill Steinkellner and Douglas Carter Beane), Best Actress in a Musical (Patricia Miller) and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Victoria Clark) It was also nominated for four Olivier Awards in 2010, including Best Musical.

The musical has drawn widespread critical acclaim for being a “fun, funny and feel good” act, with The New York Post describing it as “ridiculously fun” and The Huffington Post lauding it for providing fans “an unbridled joy.”

Sister Act is Ovation Productions’ second Broadway musical presentation after Disney’s Beauty and the Beast two years ago at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Tickets at P6,500, P5,500, P4,500, P3,500 and P1,500. Available online at www. ticketworld or call (02) 981-9999.)