Manila Standard - 2017 May 15 - Monday

VOL. XXXI • NO. 90 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Du30 sues for time on drug, graft woes ‘In 3 to 4 years, we’ll really be okay’

By Sandy Araneta

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has asked for three to four years to solve graft, corruption and illegal drugs in the country.

Facing an enthusiastic crowd of Filipinos in Hong Kong Saturday, Duterte said he and his Cabinet are doing their best to encourage Filipino professionals working abroad to return home and contribute to national and economic development.

“Give me time. Three to four years… Four years okay talaga tayo [and we’ll really be okay],” Duterte said in his speech at the Regal Airport Hotel.

“I will not allow my country to go to the dogs. With that kind of situation, around three to four years, you could come home. Invest in some business,” he said.

The President said overseas Filipino workers had an important role to play in eliminating corruption in the government by being assertive when dealing with corrupt officials.

Should the Philippines maintain its momentum, Duterte said, he sees the country stabilizing in

three years to bring about better lives for Filipinos.

He also noted that improved relations between the Philippines and China could open doors to various investments that can generate more jobs.

He expressed optimism about China’s Belt and Road Initiative, saying that he expects something good to be gained from the twoday forum in Beijing.

“This is the strategy of President Xi Jinping for prosperity in this region,” he said.

At the Belt and Road Forum Sunday, the President’s special envoy, Jose de Venecia Jr., proposed the joint development of oil and natural gas by China and Southeast Asian nations in the disputed South China Sea. “It is obvious as members of the Asean family that today, with China, we must find ways and means to jointly develop the area’s Next page

Cyber-attacks engulf 150 nations, 200,000 victims THE global cyber-attack has hit more than 200,000 victims in more than 150 countries, Europol executive director Rob Wainwright said Sunday.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” he told Britain’s ITV television. “The latest count is over 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries. Many of those victims will be businesses, including large corporations.”

The unprecedented global

President Rodrigo Duterte and his partner Honeylet Avancena receive the red-carpet treatment upon their arrival at the Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing on May 13 to attend the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation. The President is among the 29 heads of state and government leaders in the two-day forum. Inset shows Mr. Duterte addressing an enthusiastic crowd of Filipinos in Hong Kong prior to boarding the PAL flight bound for Beijing. AFP and Malacañang Photo

Cops told: Harden terror targets in Quiapo

By Sandy Araneta MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada has ordered police to maintain tight security in Quiapo, the site of a series of bomb blasts in late April and early May, with emphasis on protecting Quiapo Church and the Golden Mosque.

Estrada said he believed that the three explosions in Quiapo were caused by “a religious war among the Muslims” in contrast to persistent rumors that terrorist groups

orchestrated the attacks.

“There’s petty rivalry among them, Muslim versus Muslim, a misunderstanding,” Estrada said.

Manila Police District Director Chief Supt. Joel Coronel confirmed he received orders from Estrada Thursday afternoon not to relax security measures in and around Quiapo Church, the Golden Mosque and all places of worship.

Estrada received a security briefing about the Quiapo blasts

from Coronel, who had spoken to Presidential Adviser on OFW and Muslim Concerns Abdullah Mamao and several Muslim elders at the Islamic Center late Thursday afternoon.

Mamao had asked the Muslim leaders to support the government in fighting criminality and maintaining peace and order in their community, Coronel said.

“In response, the Muslim elders have expressed willingness to closely cooperate with the lo-

Mines’ growth potential stressed

By Christine F. Herrera DESPITE its high potential for growth, the mining industry faces three major challenges—the new administration’s stand on mining, existing debate on the industry’s fiscal regime, and existing impositions from previous administrations that have kept employment levels low.

A study undertaken by the Department of Labor and Employment’s Institute for Labor Studies observed that the Duterte administration’s

stand on “responsible mining” and its most recent actions have kept mining companies on their toes.

The study, commissioned by the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, asked the mining companies if they intentionally reduced their workforce at any time in 2015.

Five out of 21 companies or 23.81 percent answered “yes,” citing financial losses, uncompetitive price, and off-mining season or the lack of mining activities as their reasons.

From 2014 to 2015, there were 1,754 reported vacancies, a number that could have been higher if the mining companies were allowed to operate at full capacity, the study said.

Hard-to-fill positions went vacant for more than a year because only a few applicants applied for the job.

It is assumed that those in the production process were also pursuing exploration activities at the same time. No company said they Next page

cyber-attack affected “more than 75,000 victims” in dozens of countries, French police said in a statement Saturday, the day after the ransomware hit Russia’s banks, British hospitals and European car factories, among others.

“This is a provisional figure of the number of infected computers and could rise significantly over the coming days,” said Valerie Maldonado, deputy head of the

THE Bureau of Internal Revenue lost its tax-evasion case against health care provider Medicard Philippines after the Supreme Court granted its appeal to reverse the Court of Appeals’ order to it to pay P660 million in deficiency taxes in 2007.

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Oct. polls get stalled in Congress

By Rio N. Araja REP. Sherwin Tugna said Sunday Congress may not be able to approve the postponement of the October barangay elections before it adjourns sine die on June 2.

He said there was a need to thoroughly discuss the three proposed laws on the elections’ postponement and the sensitivity of appointing new barangay officials.

“As chairman of the committee on suffrage and electoral

Judges push SC man for vacant post

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The high court ruled that for the purpose of determining the VAT liability of a health care provider, the amounts earmarked and actually spent for the medical use of its members should not be included in the computation of its gross receipts.

The high court’s Third Division

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Taxman loses P600-m case

By Rey E. Requejo

cal government and the police,” Coronel said. “They are willing to help.”

In the initial discussions, the MPD chief said all parties agreed to draft a plan of action with the end view of preventing a repeat of the incident and preserving peace and order in Quiapo.

“We agreed on a system of info sharing and at the same time they would provide us assistance when we conduct police operations in

By Rey E. Requejo

MOTHER’S BLOOM. On Mother’s Day, children join their mothers as they take part in a paper-flower making workshop dubbed as ‘Bloom With Mom’ to celebrate the special day at the SM City-Rosario in Cavite.

Norman Cruz

THE Philippine Judges Association has nominated Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez to the post to be vacated by Supreme Court Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes in July.

The group, through its president Georgina Hidalgo, urged the Judicial and Bar Council to Next page

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News

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Du30...

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hydrocarbon potential to help lessen our common dependence on distant petroleum sources in the Middle East,” De Venecia said in the two-day event hosted

by Xi. De Venecia cited as a precedent the Joint Marine Seismic Undertaking (JMSU), in which the Philippines, Vietnam, and China agreed to conduct joint explorations in the South China Sea. The JMSU was signed by the administration of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the early 2000s when De Venecia was speaker of the House.

Critics of the deal, however, criticized the JMSU for supposedly putting the Philippine government at a disadvantage since up to 80 percent of the JMSU site was inside the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

In 2008, a petition was filed against the JMSU before the Supreme Court.

Philippine Ambassador to China Chito Santa Romana earlier said the Philippines should push for better trade with China “knowing the lessons of the Joint Maritime Seismic Undertaking.”

De Venecia insisted, however, that joint development of the disputed area would turn the South China Sea into a “zone of friendship.”

“Look at the potential for peace, excellencies, for the economic development in the heartland of the South China Sea,” he said.

“Small sea ports, airports, oil pipelines, small tourism townships and fishing villages, in the spirit of the Silk Road, can rapidly rise in the contested areas once converted into a zone of friendship,” said De Venecia.

Toward the end of his speech, De Venecia also proposed the addition of a third route in China’s proposed 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, one of two components of the Belt and Road Initiative.

This third route would encompass the 250-year-old Manila-Acapulco galleon trade route. Such a route could expand the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road to include Australia and Latin America, he said.

Duterte and his delegation were already in Beijing for the two-day Belt and Road Forum.

However, he did not attend the opening ceremony where President Xi and other leaders gave speeches.

Duterte is accompanied by acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello, and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.

Also joining the President are Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, and National Economic and Development Authority Director General Ernesto Pernia.

Also part of the official delegation are Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Lawrence Go, Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, Rep. Wesley Gatchalian, PNP Director General Ronald Dela Rosa, and Philippine Ambassador to China Jose Santiago Sta. Romana.

On Sunday, May 14, the President was scheduled to have a meeting with the Prime Minister of Mongolia Jargatulygn Erdenebat at the Drawing II Room of the Grand Hyatt Beijing Hotel.

The President was then scheduled to join the welcome dinner at the Great Hall of the People.

On Monday, May 15, the President will go to Yanqi Lake, International Convention Center for the welcoming ceremony.

He will then join the Leaders Roundtable Session 1 at the Ji Xian Hall of the International Convention Center.

The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, also known as the Silk Road Summit, will be attended by 29 heads of states and over 60 countries.

BIR told: Explain Mighty claims

The department’s prosecutors gave the BIR until May 18 to reply to the counter-affidavits of Mighty Corp.’s owner and officials.

The accused have denied the charges against them and are seeking the dismissal of the

P9.56-billion tax-evasion case filed against them.

The department cleared the BIR to answer Mighty Corp.’s charges after the company’s executives led by its owner and corporate assistant secretary Alex Wongchuking again appeared on

Thursday before the department’s prosecutors to deny the P9.56billion tax-evasion charges filed against them by the BIR. The prosecutors barred the reporters from covering the hearing.

But Senior Associate State Prosecutor Maria Lourdes Uy told reporters after the hearing that they received the counter-affidavit of the tobacco firm’s president, retired general Edilberto Adan.

“For today it was Adan’s,” Uy said.

The BIR filed the P9.56-billion tax-evasion charges on March 22 against the owners and officials of Mighty Corp. including Wongchuking, Adan, executive vice president Oscar Barrientos and treasurer Ernesto Victa.

Mines’...

similar, the difference between these two factors is that government policy direction is seen in a more general sense, touching on concepts such as the impact on industry: If government were to prioritize the development of the mining industry as a whole; if new export policies are to be implemented; if new trade deals are signed; if there is an upgrade in the credit rating, and so on,” the study said.

The study found that many respondents saw “a blurry outlook” under the Duterte administration.

Before the 2016 election, the survey showed, mining companies were hopeful that a new administration might agree to a better fiscal regime so that Executive Order 79 might be lifted.

Pessimism soon set in, however, after President Rodrigo Duterte named an anti-mining activist, Regina Lopez, as the secretary for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Survey respondents said uncertainty that followed Lopez’s recent mining audits meant they could not do planning.

After a disputed audit of metallic mines, Lopez ordered 23 of them closed and five more suspended.

“These recent actions by the government have serious economic implications for the mining companies and the industry as a whole,” said Stephanie Rose Flores, author of the study.

The second major challenge

facing mining companies is the amended mining fiscal regime, which remains unsettled.

“The former President Aquino’s administration has been pushing to gain more from mining revenues through proposed House Bills (HB) 5367, 3586 and 5843, all of which aim on revising the existing mining fiscal regime.

All of the bills propose higher tax shares from mining, which results (in) economic implications for the mining company, affecting the outlook of the industry,” Flores said.

A third major challenge is the Executive Order 79, series of 2012, which calls for a review and amendment of the Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

“Parts of the EO 79 have made a serious impact on the business, such as Section 1, which closes areas to mining applications and Section 4, which prohibits the signing of new mineral agreements. Since the implementation of EO 79, several mining companies are only at their exploration stage,” the study said.

Several COMP respondents also acknowledged that constantly changing technology means new skills must be developed. Use of different equipment especially in surveying, geologic, and mine planning functions require highly technical skills.

Since these skills were not taught in university curriculums, they either need technical assistance from other countries, or their

By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Justice department is giving the Bureau of Internal Revenue the opportunity to refute the claims of the owner and officials of the tobacco firm Mighty Corp. that they could not be held liable for tax evasion arising from the company’s alleged use of counterfeit excise stamps on its products.

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were solely in the rehabilitation stage.

Primary data gathered showed that 18 out of 21 Chamber of Mines of the Philippines respondents were mining companies.

Four were solely in the exploration stage, while 14 were in the exploration, mining production and rehabilitation stages.

Some respondents said they were through with the exploration stage, but the enactment of Executive Order 79 stopped them from moving on to the mining production stage.

This meant some were left with only a skeletal force in their offices. Further restraints such as limiting mining areas and DENR suspensions further diminished the number of opportunities in the mining industry.

“The underlying assumption is that, if external developments are positive, these are conducive to company expansions. Company expansions, of course, mean a need for more jobs,” the study said.

The top three factors seen to have an influence on the employment level were government policy direction, change in policy and regulatory environment and application of new and advanced technology.

“While government policy direction and change in policy and regulatory environment are

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Judges...

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reforms, I believe the lower house will not be able to finish the deliberations on the pending bills until adjournment,” Tugna said.

“The reason is, the issue of the postponement and appointment of barangay officials should be thoroughly deliberated.”

Tugna promised to scrutinize the three proposed bills seeking to postpone the barangay elections in October, saying he was committed to ensuring that the proposals were rational and constitutional.

The three proposals― House Bills 5359, 5361 and 5380―were authored by Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte, Lord Allan Velasco of Marinduque and Jose Panganiban Jr. of ANAC-IP, respectively.

Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, backed President Rodrigo Duterte’s proposal to cancel the barangay elections and to appoint new barangay officials.

Duterte said if the elections proceeded as scheduled, drug lords could possibly finance the candidates.

“I personally think that the smartest move would be to delay the elections once again and to appoint incorruptible officers in charge who could help us traverse the road to recovery, the road to a drug-free Philippines, Barbers said.

“But how will the barangays spearhead this war against illegal drugs if there are some barangay officials who are protectors of drug lords?”

approve the promotion of Marquez as a member of the 15-member bench, citing his “integrity, competence, work ethic and dedication to the judiciary.”

“He brought about significant innovations and reforms in the dispensation of justice in the first and second level courts,” says the PJA resolution signed by the members of the PJA executive committee.

The group also praised Marquez for his “noteworthy contributions to the judiciary,” including the introduction of electronic voting in their 2015 elections that paved the way for more honest and credible results.

Marquez has been with the judiciary for about 26 years. From a legal clerk for several justices, he rose from the ranks before being appointed court administrator in 2010.

Court administrators are historically appointed to the Supreme Court. The predecessors of Marquez―Josue Belosillo, Presbitero Velasco Jr. and Jose Perez―had all

Taxman...

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granted the petition filed by Medicard Philippines Inc. seeking to overturn the decision issued by the Court of Tax Appeals on Sept. 2, 2015 ordering the health care provider to pay the BIR the deficiency VAT assessment totaling P660 million, including 20-percent interest per year starting January 2007.

Medicard is a Health Maintenance Organization that provides prepaid health and medical insurance coverage to its clients. ‘‘The Decision dated September 2, 2015 and resolution dated January 29, 2016 issued by the Court of Tax Appeals en banc... are reversed and set aside, the high court said.

“Further, the Value-Added Tax deficiency assessment issued against Medicard Philippines Inc. is hereby declared unauthorized for having been issued without a Letter

And on May 9 the BIR slapped Mighty Corp. with a P26.93billion tax-evasion case, bringing Mighty Corp.’s alleged total tax liability to P36.49 billion―the largest tax-evasion case under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II had said his department was considering the consolidation of the two tax-evasion complaints against Mighty Corp.

In the second complaint, the BIR accused Mighty Corp.’s executives of violating the National Internal Revenue Code for unlawful possession of articles subject to excise tax without payment of the tax and for possessing false, counterfeit, restored or workers need to be trained for the new environmental standards.

COMP respondents were asked to enumerate the occupations likely to expand the most from 2016 to 2020.

“Again, companies had a hard time answering the question because many were very uncertain of the outlook of the mining industry,” the survey noted.

A few COMP respondents acknowledged the Asean market integration and climate change as influential in determining their company’s employment prospects.

For Asean market integration, an increase in integration means that mining companies will need to be more competitive in selling their mineral supply to other countries, as well as making their mining processes cheaper.

They also noted the desire to build processing plants, but given the high costs of electricity, they will likely lose to their Asean competitors.

On the other hand, the study said, climate change will, alongside the need to comply with stricter environmental standards, change mining processes. The season for mining may now need to either shortened or lengthened, depending on the new rainy season.

The development of manufacturing sector should be encouraged, the study said, and this can be done through incentives and creation of industrial zones.

been promoted to the high court.

Marquez became prominent during the terms of retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno and the late Chief Justice Renato Corona when he served as the high court’s spokesman.

Marquez started his career in the high court in 1991 as a law clerk for several justices, among them Justice Abraham Sarmiento, Senior Justice and former Philippine Judicial Academy chancellor Ameurfina Melencio-Herrera, and retired Senior Associate Justice Bellosillo.

He then became deputy secretary of the Senate Electoral Tribunal detailed to the office of the chairman under Justices Bellosillo in 1999 and Puno in 2003.

He was also named director of the Supreme Court-United Nations Development Program Project on Technical Assistance to the Philippine Judiciary from 1998 to 2000.

Marquez finished both his degree in economics and his Juris Doctor degree at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Apart from Marquez, the Judicial and Bar Council has received 11 other nominations and applications for

the coming vacancy in the high court that would enable President Duterte to name his third appointee to it.

Court of Appeals Associate Justices Ramon Paul Hernando and Ramon Bato were also nominated to the post and will also face the JBC in public interviews.

Hernando was a former Justice department prosecutor and regional trial court judge of San Pablo, Laguna, and Quezon City, while Bato was a former RTC judge and known for dismissing the criminal charges against Senator Panfilo Lacson in the controversial Dacer-Corbito murder cases.

The nine others had already been nominated in the two previous vacancies from the retirement of Associate Justices Jose Perez and Arturo Brion in December last year: CA Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., Associate Justices Rosmari Carandang, Jose Reyes, Japar Dimaampao, Apolinario Bruselas, Stephen Cruz and Amy Lazaro Javier, Centro Escolar University law school vice dean Rita Linda Ventura- Jimeno, and Pasig RTC Judge Rowena Apao-Adlawan.

of Authority by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue or his duly authorized representatives.”

In its September 2015 decision, the Court of Appeals en banc affirmed the ruling of the Court of Tax Appeals that declared the gross receipts of an HMO for VAT purposes shall be the total amount of money or its equivalent actually received from members undiminished by any amount paid or payable to the owners/operators of hospitals, clinics and medical and dental practitioners.

In its petition, Medicard said its business as an HMO involved two different although interrelated contracts―one between a corporate client and Medicard, with the corporate client’s employees being considered as its members and the other between the health care institutions/health care professionals and Medicard.

Under the first, Medicard said it undertakes to make arrangements with health care institutions

and health care professionals for the coverage of its members under specific health-related services for a specified period of time in exchange for the payment of a more or less fixed membership fee.

Under its contract with its corporate clients, MEDICARD expressly provides that 20 percent of the membership fees per individual, regardless of the amount involved, already includes the VAT of 10 percent/20 percent excluding the remaining 80 percent because Medicard would earmark the portion for medical utilization of its members.

The company also assailed the BIR’s inclusion in its gross receipts of its earnings from medical services, which it actually and directly rendered to its members.

However, the BIR asserted that the taxable base of HMOs for VAT purposes was its gross receipts without any deduction under Section 4.108.3(k) of Revenue Regulation 16-2005.

altered stamps.

The new complaint stemmed from the raid conducted by Internal Revenue and Customs officials on March 24 on the tobacco firm’s warehouses in Bulacan that resulted in the discovery of 536,000 cigarette packs in 1,072 master cases with fake stamps.

The 536,000 cigarette packs were part of the 81,591,500 packs contained in 163,183 master cases found in the warehouses.

The first tax evasion case filed by the BIR against Mighty Corp. in March involved the master cases of cigarettes worth P2.3 billion bearing fake tax stamps that were seized from the firm’s warehouse in San Simon Industrial Park in Pampanga.

Cybe-attacks...

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French police’s anti-Cybercrime Office.

Europol described Friday’s cyber-attack as “unprecedented.”

The attacks used ransomware, which locks users’ files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual Bitcoin currency.

Images appeared on victims’ screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in Bitcoin, saying: “Ooops, your files have been encrypted!”

French police described the mode of the online attack as “particularly dangerous.”

“Once the first computer is infected, it spreads throughout the whole network to which it is connected, paralyzing all the computers whose files it encrypts.”

The ransomware seems to have hit individual and corporate users equally, the police said in a statement posted online.

In the Philippines, the National Bureau of Investigation has been ordered to strengthen the government’s cyber security measures in the wake of what has been dubbed as the WannaCry cyber attack.

“Let us do what we can to monitor and step up our cyber security measures to prevent or at least minimize the adverse effects of the ransomware attacks on our system,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Sunday.

“I gave the same instruction to the Cybercrime Division of the DoJ [Department of Justice],” Aguirre added.

Reports indicated that the attack that began Friday caused chaos in businesses and governments in over 70 countries.

So far, there has been no report of a WannaCry attack in the Philippines, Aguirre said. AFP with Rey E. Requejo

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their community,” Coronel said.

The police, on the other hand, will take extra precautions not to inconvenience residents when they do their work at the Islamic Center.

The agreement is expected to be finalized Tuesday, at a meeting led by Estrada in city hall.

The last time police conducted a major operation at the FilipinoIslamic community in Quiapo was on Oct. 7, 2016, where seven drug suspects were slain in a anti-drug drive. Over 200 other suspects were arrested in the operation.

Among those killed was then incumbent Barangay 648 Chairman Faiz Macabato who fought it out with policemen who were about to serve an arrest warrant to his drug suspect-brother.

Muslim religious leaders also known as “ulamas” can help prevent the Islamic State from settling in Mindanao, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said Sunday.

Earlier, community leaders in Mindanao said they need the help of the “ulamas” to counter recruitment efforts of ISIS and other terror groups.

This can be done by giving the Muslim youth proper spiritual guidance as there are some efforts to recruit the former, they said. With AFP

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Opinion

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

EDITORIAL

Do it right this time

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HERE can be little doubt now that the government intends to use Janet Lim Napoles as a state witness against those who looted public funds but were spared in the one-sided investigation of the pork barrel scam conducted by the previous administration.

The wheels began to roll when Solicitor General Jose Calida, the government’s top lawyer, spoke out on Napoles’ behalf, urging the Court of Appeals to reverse her conviction by a Makati court of serious illegal detention charges filed by her employee and relative, Benhur Luy. She had

Adelle Chua, Editor

already been serving her sentence of at least 30 years imprisonment when Calida made his move.

The administration moved swiftly following her May 5 acquittal. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II declared that his department would reinvestigate the scam, and

consider using Napoles, who was at the center of the scheme to use bogus n o n g o v e r n m e n t organizations to siphon away billions of pesos of legislative pork, as a state witness.

But the law prevents an accused who is deemed “most guilty” of a crime to turn state witness—a problematic restriction, given that Napoles was at the center of so many shady pork barrel deals.

Enter President Rodrigo Duterte, who told journalists that he considered Napoles “a minimal” player and therefore eligible to become state witness. Aguirre chimed in that according to accepted

jurisprudence, the public official who takes a bribe is always more guilty than the private individual that proffered it.

All of this suggests that the government is ready to cut a deal with Napoles to pin down officials from the previous administration who were guilty of taking pork kickbacks, but were spared the selective prosecution by the likes of then-Justice secretary Leila de Lima and the incumbent Ombudsman, Conchita Carpio-Morales, who used the justice system as a weapon against political opponents.

Despite the extensive list that Napoles provided the government at

the time, the Aquino administration jailed only three opposition senators, while giving its friends and political allies who were also caught in the web of corruption a pass.

It is hardly surprising, then, that the Liberal Party, which ruled during the Aquino administration, is now the most vocal against having Napoles serve as a state witness.

We welcome the reinvestigation of the pork barrel scam in the belief that many who were guilty escaped accountability during the previous administration. The current administration, however,

needs to proceed with transparency and sensitivity.

First, it must not repeat the mistakes of the previous administration by pursing its own version of selective justice. All who are found guilty—friend or foe—must be held accountable this time.

Second, in cutting a deal with Napoles it must not forget that a large segment of the public sees her as the face of corrupt government dealings. The people might accept a lighter sentence for her in exchange for information that convicts corrupt politicians, but they will not tolerate a deal that keeps her liberty and illgotten wealth intact.

Independence pays

insight in professor Clarita Carlos’

MANY were skeptical, even afraid, that President Duterte’s announcement of an independent foreign policy would spell doom for the economy, and may even trigger political problems for the new president.

One year after his astounding victory in the 2016 elections, it does not seem that way. Even his approval and trust ratings from the people have remained high.

Two months from now, he will deliver his second State of the Nation Address to Congress and the people, and there will be so much to report, so many changes to show. Changes are happening quite fast.

From the very beginning, Duterte simply said what he, as a Filipino, felt about a suprasubservient foreign policy that assumed America could do no wrong by us. Through words and actions, he threw out what the president inaugurated after the Second World War established as doctrine: That the Philippines would always be guided by the “benevolent” protection of the United States of America.

Duterte bristled at the way leaders of the US and even Europe hectored him on the conduct of the country’s war on drugs on account of alleged human rights violations. And he gave colorful retorts that made many wince.

He would wean the country away from being a clone of the West in Asia. He would make us think and act like the Orientals that we truly are.

He went overdrive on his rekindling of relations with our nearest neighbor to our northwest, China. Where leaders before him made it a point to visit the US of A after the Asean, Duterte did the opposite. He visited China. And for appropriate balance, Japan as well, where his independence was much appreciated.

In the Asean Summit in Vientianne, Laos, he did not seek a one-on-one with POTUS, then Barack Obama. He even spewed epithets against the outgoing American leader, “undiplomatic” to many observers, but Duterte matter-of-factly said what he felt about the interventionist stance of our former colonial “master.”

And in China on his first visit, he embraced friendship with the dragon, relegating to the backburner what many flag-waving “patriots” wanted him to use as weapon against the insistence of the other country on its supposed historical claims over the South China Sea. Duterte was being practical.

It may be good optics for him as

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The colonization of higher education IF ONE should advance the proposition that university and college education must guarantee the employability of the graduate—and therefore curriculum must match industry, market and governmental needs, there will be virtually unanimous, even enthusiastic, concurrence!

That is, after all, the prevailing ideology.

Habermas’ concept of “colonization” is apropos— education has been colonized by the steering mechanisms of money (economics) and administrative power (government).

The fragmentation that the phenomenologies of MacIntyre and Giddens show to be one of the driving forces of modernity is not only evident but dominant in higher education. Every program of study must have some major field—some specialization—to be useful and worthwhile. A.B. General no longer exists because it was too—general! Medical practitioners who prefer to remain GPs are thought to occupy a lower tier than those who can confound the public by a catena of cryptic

abbreviations indicating “fellow” or “diplomate” of one or the other society of specialists. And yet, in many of the country’s towns and villages, it is the GP who is the more useful and helpful fellow, one with whom a family can forge truly close bonds. OJT is now held to be “obligatory” for almost all courses, and one that has no need of apprenticeship is marked out to be scuttled pronto!

I am all for outcomes-based education, if by that, one means that higher education must target outcomes that can be evaluated. That one must plan backwards—from the identification of outcomes to the fashioning of programs and the design of curricula and the methods of delivery—makes a lot of sense. We want results, after all, and demonstrable ones at that. That is only reasonable.

It is, however, the concept of “outcome” that can be deceptive, especially when it is taken to mean preparing graduates to fit

It is this kind of liberation that higher education should offer the student.

into existing job opportunities and placement possibilities.

Not too long ago, I watched a television report on call centers.

The manager commented that most of the call-center agents are nurses. And then, he followed that observation with the typical comment about “mismatch” between college education and the work of a call-center agent. In the first place, that is to be expected because in our national obsession with sending Filipinos abroad and nurturing this deleterious equation

that work abroad equals prosperity, we have created a terrible glut of nurses. But now, really, does one need four years of university education to be a call-center agent? I do not demean the occupation of call-center employees. The job rakes in for the country almost as much as remittances from our OFWs abroad. What I decry is the transforming of higher education as the preparation of call-center agents, front-desk receptionists, flight attendants, gaming-center specialists, etc. It now seems like university education is one extended on-thejob-training period! In fact, it should not be too difficult to see that that is exactly where the risk lies: When the nurse is schooled to be nothing more than a nurse, then what you get at the end of four or five years of higher education is a young man or a woman who can do nothing more than be a nurse and is fit for nothing else other than a medical or a healthcare setting. And when you have

a tourism graduate who is an expert at booking flights, routing clients’ trips, and plotting the most economical routes for tours and travels but who thinks that Picasso was a plumber and Mozart, a famous cat, then you really have very big trouble. There is nothing that impoverishes a nation more than citizens with emaciated spirits and shriveled souls!

In fact, there is something incoherent about the targets of higher education these days. On the one hand, there is a premium on the dictates and the demands of employers. They are now officially known as “stakeholders” and, as such, have a very powerful voice in the determination of curricula and educational programs. But research is also required of universities, in particular. A teacher who does no research is doomed to remain fixed in her present rank for a very long time. But research can only be the product of a free spirit. Research is synonymous with intellectual unorthodoxy. There is plenty of

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.thestandard. com.ph; e-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

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Opinion

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

A5

Playing our cards right THE Philippines won The Hague arbitration ruling in Manila’s challenge of Beijing’s sweeping claim in the South China Sea. We also have the 1950 Philippine-US Mutual Defense Treaty recently boosted by the US-PHL Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement.

As in poker, it seems we have a good hand going for us. Alas, we are not playing our cards right. We don’t have to play hard ball with China all the time but any smart card player should know how to deal with his opponent and let him raise his bet.

President Rodrigo Duterte thinks he can play the appeasement game with China and in the process loses longtime friends like the US. Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio who is steeped and versed in the South China Sea dispute, said the Philippines can still exact the most from a rising China without raising the dragon’s hackles.

Carpio cites Vietnam’s playbook which gives it a windfall in strong trade ties with China while not buckling down against Beijing in its territorial claim in the Paracels.

While this stance triggered a brief naval battle between the two countries, Hanoi maintains an unwavering policy on the Paracels.

China knows Vietnam is not a nation that can be bullied—unlike the Philippines. Vietnam has a long history of standing up to the big powers like France and the US which were brought down in defeat in Dien Bien Phu and Saigon.

Carpio, in an ANC interview with news anchor Karen Davila , said the Philippines could deploy its few coast guard and two destroyers in patrolling the West Philippine Sea to send a message to China.

Hey, we are friends but you’re stepping into my yard without permission. It’s not saber rattling but more in the form of the concept “good fences make good neighbors.” Now if China is the real friend that Digong perceives it to be, then our giant neighbor should respect our territorial integrity.

That the Philippines does not know how to play its cards was evident in the last summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. As chairman of the Asean 50th meeting of leaders and with Duterte presiding, the Philippines failed to muster the signing of a joint communique on Code of Conduct on the South China Sea. Of course with China’s client states Cambodia and Laos dissenting and resisting any discussion of the SCS dispute, a solid stand on the issue is difficult.

Under Asean’s “constructive engagement” posture, the 10-nation group has gained the reputation as nothing but a talk shop. After all the tight security around the PICC venue and lavish dinner preparations at Malacanang Palace, Asean still cannot shed its tag as a talk shop.

Meanwhile, we extend our congratulations to Senator Alan Peter Cayetano for being appointed by the President as the new Secretary of Foreign Affairs. For sure, the bicameral Commission on Appointments will give Cayetano an easier time than it did Perfecto Yasay Jr. who hid his being an American citizen from the President and the CA. He finally admitted to being an American—but only after so much hemming and hawing and downright lying.

He was finally exposed by the sharp and pointed questioning of CA member Rep. Josephine Sato.

She brought down the foreigner aspiring to be the country’s top diplomat.

I wonder where Yasay is and what he is doing these days. Is he still in the Philippines or in the US? Since Yasay renounced his American citizenship and did not take the necessary steps to reacquire his Filipino one, he is a stateless person. He paid the price for wanting the best of both worlds.

Napoles as state witness Meanwhile the Department of

Justice is seriously considering making accused pork barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles a state witness.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said turning Napoles into a state witness would depend on what she reveals and says on the witness stand.

Napoles as state witness must be the reason why we are seeing a new wave of politicians crossing sides from the opposition to the ruling PDP-Laban party of Duterte and Koko Pimentel.

They think they will be able to get special treatment if they switched sides to the ruling party.

Aguirre has made clear there would be no selective justice once Napoles names names. Some high-ranking senators and congressmen must be spending sleepless nights wondering if Napoles would implicate them. We know of certain senators and congressmen who should have been in the first batch of indictees but were left out because of their strong ties to the past Aquino administration. We are not coming out with their names and will just let Napoles do it. Napoles in court would be even bigger than the impeachment trial of the late Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.

It would be interesting to hear the questions posed by the usual suspects. We can expect questioning to impugn the testimony of Napoles. By their questions, you shall know them. Careful now, boys, do not show your hand too much lest you confirm the speculations and suspicion about your link to the pork barrel scam.

The Napoles camp has asked the justice department for her transfer to a jail in the National Bureau of Investigation because of alleged threat to her life in the Taguig detention center. How safe is Napoles at the NBI holding facility? Recall that Albuera, Leyte Mayor Roland Espinosa was gunned down by po-

licemen inside his cell and Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo was killed right inside PNP headquarters in Camp Crame.

The sooner Napoles spills the beans, the safer she would be because then the motive for silencing her becomes pointless except for reason of revenge by those implicated.

But Senator Francis Pangilinan questions the move to make Napoles a state witness. He said Napoles as mastermind of the pork barrel scam is not the least guilty.

I think Napoles’ identification of those who benefited from the scam would be sensational news. Let us hear what she, as state witness, reveals.

The question is whether she is credible. She has nothing to lose and everything to gain once she breaks her silence.

Recall that Napoles was received by former President Noynoy Aquino at Malacañang late at night. She was brought to the Palace by thenpresidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda and Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas. After the meeting with Aquino, where Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa was present, Napoles was even escorted by Aquino to Camp Crame.

This is the same Aquino who didn’t even bother to be present at the arrival at Villamor Air Base of the bodies of the PNP Special Action Force victims of the Mamasapano massacre.

Aside from Senator Pangilinan, Senators Paulo Aquino, Risa Hontiveros, JV Ejercito and Panfilo Lacson are also wary that Napoles might be used by Justice Secretary Aguirre and the Duterte administration in persecuting members of the opposition.

Well, what goes around comes around. If the usual suspects were able to get away during the Aquino administration, the Duterte administration this time will go after them and hold them accountable.

TV weatherman Kim Atienza says it best: “Ang buhay ay weather —weather lang.”

Was automated elections worth it?

A YEAR into his term, President Rodrigo Duterte has become easily one of the most polarizing figures in Philippine political history. To a certain extent, his brief tenure as the country’s first president from Mindanao had been foreshadowed by his equally dramatic rise into power a year ago, an upheaval that surprised many political experts.

Even so, the tumultuous year of Duterte’s presidency—rocked by scandal after scandal, each one more outrageous than the last—began with one of the most credible and peaceful elections in recent memory. The 2016 national elections was only the third time the Commission on Elections implemented fully automated polls, successfully fulfilling its mandate of ensuring a fast, accurate, and secure conduct of the elections.

In two short years, Filipinos will once again troop to voting precincts all over the archipelago for the midterm elections, where 12 Senate seats are up for contest, in addition to local positions. Already, the Comelec had started preparations for May 2019.

That Filipinos overwhelmingly support automated elections is partly due to the long history of manual elections in the Philippines, one that has been marred by tediousness and fraud. Manual elections require voters to write the names of their chosen candidates on

the ballot, which technology as open they then drop in well as called thoughts for transparent, a box. These are read aloud and fair, orlando credible, recorded on a and accurate oxales tally board. elections. The T h i s subsequent procedure, aside testing of the from being time-consuming, paper-based system and the direct allowed a lot of room for human recording electronic election intervention, which in turn rendered system eventually paved the way the process vulnerable to fraud. for the successful automation of Notorious among the known modus the 2010 polls, today considered are dagdag-bawas, or vote padding a game-changer in Philippine and shaving, ballot snatching, electoral history. Of the more than voter disenfranchisement, as well 75,000 machines used, less than as outright fabrication of election 500 malfunctioned. Local winners returns and canvassed results. were determined in a few hours, Worse, this fraud extended to all and national winners, in a day. rungs, from barangay elections all These represent a far cry from the the way to the national positions. weeks and months it used to take So normalized is the perception for winners to be declared. of rigging in the elections that Subsequent automated polls some take it as part and parcel of in 2013 and 2016 were similarly Philippine politics. Public outcry successful by and large, with continued, however, and finally last year’s edition making use of impelled the Comelec to seek and Vote Counting Machines instead end to the irregularities by way of of Precinct Count Optical Scan an automated election system in machines. In terms of perception, 1992 through Operation Modex, or a survey found that nearly all “Modernization and Excellence.”

Filipinos think that the conduct It was five years later when of the elections had been fast (92 Republic Act No 8346, which percent) and believable (89 percent). authorized the Comelec to The same trend is observed in implement an automated election, perceptions of orderliness and lack was passed into law. Less than a of vote buying and cheating. decade later in 2007, RA 8436 According to the findings of was amended by RA 9369, which a special study of the Stratbase mandated the use of appropriate ADR Institute “Technology,

Independence...

From A4 our new leader to thump our chest on the UN arbitral court’s decision, but then what?

Could we assert our claims and defend it with weapons we do not have? Could we rely on the “great” US of A to fight for us?

Knowing that neither were in the realm of the probable, and knowing further that our big neighbor to the West was willing to assist us by way of massive investments and economic assistance, he wisely declared to the whole world his turning back on previous foreign policy to embrace a truly independent one where the Philippines would be enemy of none and friend to all.

The colonization...

From A4 bold generalization: The academic is by definition left-of-center! It is the refusal to accept established answers, the choice to avoid the well-trod course. The ethos of the researcher is that of a discoverer: If everyone else sails west, why not try the eastern though uncharted course? To do research, one must be

Our newly appointed foreign affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, told me that in his talks with officials of other countries, whether in the Asean or the Middle East, one common thread was admiration for Duterte being able to say on the international stage what “they themselves feel but could not publicly express.”

Now in Beijing for the forum on the Belt and Road Initiative, Duterte will have bilateral talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang to firm up previous agreements that would greatly spur the “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program of his government.

Filipinos so used to groveling for pittance from US-sponsored grants will be awed at

unshackled from the demands of the quotidian and the enslavement of the commonplace, the imperialism of the “way things are”—lured by the prospect of “how things can be.”

In fact, many of the discoveries and inventions that have given modernity its present configuration were not the products of specialists—but they certainly came from men and women of vision, with a profound understanding of things and of wide-ranging

Democracy, and Elections in the Philippines” authored by Dr. Francisco A. Magno and Danica Ella P. Panelo, the general assessment of the 2016 Philippine automated elections was positive and was by far the best managed with nationwide surveys showing strong confidence on the results.

This context is important in view of the crucial link between democracy and the elections. To cite, perhaps it is no coincidence that Duterte’s supporters unfailingly bring up the 16-million Filipinos who voted for him to demonstrate a solid mandate. In many ways this is a testament to the overwhelming faith in that year’s vote. In fact, recent opinion polls reveal that he still enjoys excellent trust ratings of over 80 percent. His predecessor Benigno Aquino enjoyed the same legitimacy despite the usual criticisms.

Contrast this, for instance, to the tenuous tenure of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who had to battle through issues of illegitimacy and destabilization, many of which are rooted in the controversial 2004 elections. Clearly, then, for a democracy like the Philippines’, the normalization of credible polls is an important bulwark. This is the most important lesson of election automation.

So were the billions invested in automated elections worth it?

Definitely!

the magnitude of what China, Japan and other countries will soon give, all because Duterte’s credibility as a no-nonsense leader and his independent foreign policy is precisely what we need to start moving forward with purpose and determination.

Ambitious though it is, the One-Belt, One-Road initiative of China seeks to link Europe with Asia and Africa by land and sea routes reminiscent of the ancient Silk Road. And the Philippines which would have been an isolated island in the midst of these developments, will now become a major participant.

Funding assistance for two new bridges spanning the Pasig River in order to help alleviate the traffic, the railroad modernization from Manila to Calamba,

interests. That breed will soon be extinct if we allow the present colonization of higher education to go unchecked. It has been my thesis that the infinitely trainable person is not one who has been schooled to perform specific tasks, formed to fit into societal and employment moulds. One has only to call to mind those who authored the American Constitution and wrote the seminal papers that engendered present-day American democracy.

Addiction to technology THERE is a form of addiction that stunts and alters brain development, has adverse physiological effects, and impedes a person’s social skills. Yet, few people realize that they themselves cause this addiction to their own children as their kids grow up. I am talking about addiction to screens: Television, computers, computer games, cellphones, iPads and other internet-based gadgets. Parents do not give much thought to the idea that their children own and use as many gadgets as they want, thinking, in fact, that these help in their children’s development. But hear this.

A recent interview by the Daily Mirror with Bill Gates, the world’s richest man, who invented Microsoft, computers and the internet, confounded many. He said that he and his wife did not allow their children to use and own cellphones, computers and gadgets until the age of 14. And even when they reached 14, their hours on the screen were limited. It turns out, even Steve Jobs—the inventor of Apple gadgets such as the iPhone, iPad, and the iPod— did not allow his children to use such gadgets until they were 14 years of age, too. Further research revealed that Chris Anderson, the former editor of Wired and now chief executive of 3D Robotics, a drone maker, has put in place time limits and parental controls on every device in his home. His four kids, aged between six and 17, accused him and his wife of being fascists he said, but he explained that he himself has seen the dangers of technology. These dangers, he said, include exposure to pornography, bullying from other kids, and worst of all, getting addicted to devices. Another prominent technology executive, Evan Williams, the founder of Blogger, Twitter and Medium—together with his wife--has also prohibited their two young sons from using gadgets. They give their sons books instead.

The American Academy of Pediatrics which has There is no conducted studies on the effects of early exposure shirking from of children to screens says that children below two this duty if we years of age should never be allowed to watch television. want to raise Even for adults, too much television-watching puts the intellectually, brain in a highly suggestible emotionally, sleep-like hypnotic state, making it addictive and psychologically causing reduction of higher brain functioning. It is more and physically dangerous for children as it impairs brain development healthy and may cause mental children. disorders like Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD. Studies say that the brain is more active when sleeping than when a person is watching television, making a person less intelligent.

A research by the Michael Cohen Group reveals that 60 percent of kids under 12 play on portable screen often while 38 percent play very often. Gadgets have become the toys preferred by the younger generation. What is the effect? One, the Association of Teachers in Britain reported in 2014 that a growing number of toddlers now lack the motor skills to play with building blocks. Because they spend too much time on gadgets, they spend much less time on physical activities resulting in poor motor skills and early obesity.

Two, gadget addiction can affect a child’s sleep. The greater risks, however, are connected with the mental health of children. Overuse of gadgets have led to child depression, anxiety, autism and other problematic child behaviors, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the US. In the US, in the last two decades, the number of children between the age of four and 17 with ADHD has more than doubled.

What does the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend?

Television and gadgets must strictly be prohibited for children aged two and below. Gadgets must never be used to pacify children.

Even above the age of two, time must be strictly limited in the use of gadgets and television. Parents must monitor what media or websites children are accessing. Even better, they should co-view movies, TV and videos with their children and use this as a way to discuss important family values. There should be a mealtime and bedtime curfew for all devices which must be strictly implemented.

What are the signs a child is addicted to screens and gadgets?

When he is watching or playing more than two hours each day and exhibits mood swings or tantrums when his watching or gaming is disrupted. You know the child needs a gadget or screen detox when he is not socially- inclined, prefers being alone, or when his speech development is delayed. With the advances in technology, parenting has become more challenging now than it has ever been.

There is no shirking from this duty if we want to raise intellectually, emotionally, psychologically and physically healthy children.

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

and expansion all the way to Bicol, the Kaliwa Dam for new fresh water sources, as well as the Chico Dam for irrigation expansion are part of some thirteen projects already approved in principle. With a frenetic pace that Duterte has directed his economic managers and implementing agencies to pursue, finally we may be able to catch up with our more advanced neighbors in Southeast Asia.

Duterte has likewise demonstrated his determination to stamp out corruption in government by swift action and not mere words. The kind of corruption that has delayed and worse, thrown into the wastebin significant big-ticket projects under previous governments will now be a thing of the past.

It was because they were men (the women do not figure prominently in historical accounts!) who put to good use intrepid spirits and truly liberated and capacious minds.

If the graduate of entrepreneurship, for example, looks for employment in existing enterprises, that defeats the purpose of the entire course.

But many who do take the course end up jobless because a successful entrepreneur is one who has a profound grasp of human nature, of

Yes Virginia, independence pays.

But you need a strong-willed and fully determined leader to make sure it does pay.

I recall how President Corazon Aquino towards the end of her term, rued how the “noble houses of finance,” referring to the World Bank, the IMF, and all the multilateral institutions and a slew of foreign banks to which Marcos had earlier pawned our future would teach her, and us, the painful lesson that “democracy pays no dividends.”

Duterte fully understands that, and is intent on ensuring that an independent foreign policy would allow the country to cash in on opportunities brought about by a changing and evolving world economic order.

the dynamics at work in societies and in the interaction of persons and one who does not forget that aside from effective action, there are also the moral qualities of “good” and “bad,” “noble” and “ignoble” that spell the difference between enterprise that is worthy of us, as persons, and whatever might be unworthy and demeaning. Of these, most specialized courses are regretfully incognizant.

There is still much to be said for

Aristotle’s concept of the “liberal arts”—because these need not mean pointless pursuits and the leisures of the idle wealthy. The human spirit is most inventive, most responsive to the demands of situations, most practical when it is liberated. And it is this kind of liberation that higher education should offer the student! rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

A6

News

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rice supply probe eyed amid threat of shortage

By Rio Araja LAWMAKERS are pressed to look into the state of the country’s rice inventory and come up with policy proposals to ensure an “ample and affordable” supply of rice.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte made the call amid fear the country’s buffer stock might not be adequate to last through the lean months after the summer harvest season.

Villafuerte said a congressional inquiry is necessary to help Malacañang determine the actual supply of rice, draw up proactive measures to avert a potential rice shortage and know if there is a need for the National Food Authority to import rice under the minimum access volume during the lean period between July and September.

“Given that rice is the country’s staple food, it behooves the House of Representatives to conduct a public inquiry in aid of legislation into the complete inventory of rice held by the government, private traders and [even the] households,” he said.

Congress could support an immediate importation only if determined necessary “to enable the government to proactively maintain the ideal buffer stock level—equivalent to a 30day supply of the national daily rice requirement—by the time domestic stocks dwindle during the traditional July-September lean months,” the lawmaker said.

READY FOR SCHOOL. Students of the Sto. Niño Elementary School in Marikina City conduct an early Brigada Eskwela annual school cleanup activity in partnership with the Philippine Business for Social Progress. The campaign aims to highlight the bayanihan spirit of employee-volunteers of PBSP’s member-companies. Manny Palmero

Health vows to raise vaccination rate THE Department of Health is keen on increasing the rate of immunization among year-old babies up to 95 percent in the next few years, to reverse the situation that saw the rate declining in 2016, DoH spokesperson Dr. Eric Tayag said .

This target is highlighted with intensified campaign on awareness about the presence of vaccines in the health center which are essential to baby’s protection for the first year of his/her life, Tayag said.

“As of now DoH Secretary Dr. Paulyn Jean Ubial wants to raise this to 95 percent,” Tayag said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency.

Tayag said this target is to counter the declining trend of immunization rate that was observed to have gone down to 65 percent (2016) from 80 percent in 2015.

Due to this decline, almost 25 percent or more than 400,000 newborn babies who are supposed to receive the vaccines had missed-out on them.

“That decline was big and can affect other babies. Imagine if one of them will have measles, that can be transmitted to others as well [who were not immunized],” Tayag explained.

He said the decline can be attributed to several factors depending on each regions in the country.

“Each areas in the country has various reasons,” he said citing that different factors had also made some effects on the drop in immunization trend which needs to be raised again.

Some of the factors are the challenge on the availability of the new 5-in-1 vaccine; some old myths and wrong information on vaccine effectiveness; availability of vaccinators; election campaign in 2016, migration, peace and stability in conflict affected-areas; under-reporting, etc.

He said the delay on availability of the 5-in-1 vaccine or PentavalentHib—that gives protection against five serious infections among babies in the health centers—in some period prompted some mothers to develop the idea of postponing the vaccination of their babies.

He explained that the delay was not in terms of lack of funding for 5-in-1 vaccine but on the slow procurement process which should be followed-up since the procurement for this type of vaccine was not the same with the previous ones (because unlike other vaccine its procurement did not overlapped each other). PNA

House will not kill Du30 impeachment

By Rio N. Araja

A

HOUSE leader on Sunday assured the public that the impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte will not be killed nor railroaded.

“We will give the complainant [Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano] ample time to present and articulate the issues he raised, one by one,” Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali said.

He said there is no pressure to meet a specific deadline as to determining if the complaint is sufficient in form and substance.

However, Umali, chairman of the House committee on justice, admitted that he does not expect intense debates given the lack of support of Congress members to the complaint.

“We will play it by ear. There is no game plan here to finish the process immediately,” he said.

“Railroading the process is a baseless and unfounded fear. We are expecting the

performance of our constitutional duty will be accepted by the people because this will be a dignified process and a sense of decency will be observed,” he added.

Staunch supporters of the President in the House supermajority have downplayed the complaint, saying the impeachment process is just an exercise in futility.

“The impeachment complaint filed against the President is an exercise in futility, given an overwhelming support not only at the House of Representatives, but also from the Filipino people,” Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte said.

“We need this impeachment complaint like we need a hole in the head. I believe we lawmakers could better spend our time right now crafting reform laws that could help the President achieve the government’s goal of sustaining the growth momentum, drastically reducing poverty and transforming our country into an upper middle-income economy by the time his term ends in 2022,” he added.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers and Batangas Rep. Raneo Abu both said the defection of several members of the Liberal Party, Nacionalista Party, Lakas and Nationalist People’s Coalition

to the President’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan does not bode well for the impeachment process.

“The House supermajority becomes stronger than ever. The entry of more lawmakers to the administration party could further cement the death of the impeachment complaint. The President is the most trusted public official with an excellent trust and performance ratings. I don’t think Congress can turn its back to the overwhelming mandate given to him by the majority of our electorate,” Abu said.

“Let’s not be distracted by this divisive political exercise. Instead, let us allow our President to move on with the business of government to serve and protect the people,” Barbers added.

Alejano, for his part, expressed confidence that the Filipino people will not “just accept that murder is legal in this country.”

He accused Duterte of violating the 1987 Constitution as well committing bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes.

Alejano blamed Duterte for the deaths of over 8,000 persons in his bloody war against drugs.

Japanese arrested in drug bust

By Sandy Araneta

FOR THE LOVE OF WI-FI. Joggers and bikers take a break outside a hotel near the CCP Complex in Pasay City for free Wi-Fi connection. Ey Acasio

AGENTS of the National Bureau of Investigation Special Action Unit and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency have arrested a Japanese national allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade late Friday.

The NBI identified the suspect as Takahiro Yano.

Yano, who has been placed under surveillance earlier, was arrested in a raid at the CityState Tower Hotel in Malate, Manila.

Authorities recovered at least 10 sachets of suspected shabu inside a sunglasses case and one sachet inside a canister of sex enhancing pills.

Apart from possession of illegal drugs, the suspect may also be involved in human trafficking because he was allegedly matching some Filipinas with other Japanese men for marriage. Various passports were also recovered from the Japanese national.

In an earlier report, PDEA director-general Isidro Lapeña said 112 foreigners were arrested in the Philippines in 2016 for drug offenses.

Sports

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

Bulldogs, Lions post big wins

GOLF CHAMP. Thai Gunn Charoenkul (center) holds his trophy as he poses with Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. executive

director Narlene Soriano (left) and Orchard president/CEO Conrado Benitez II after edging local ace Clyde Mondilla by one to rule the $60,000 ICTSI Orchard Championship at the Orchard Golf and Country Club’s Player course last Saturday.

THE National University Bulldogs and the San Beda Red Lions posted big wins last Saturday in the ongoing 23rd Fr. Martin Cup Summer Basketball tournament.

The Bulldogs, led by Matt Salem and Chino Mosqueda, held off the Centro Escolar University Scorpions, 8772, in Group A of the senior division at the St. Placid gymnasium inside the San Beda-Manila campus in Mendiola.

Salem and Mosqueda knocked in 14 and 10 points for the Bulldogs, who coasted to their second straight victory.

The Red Lions banked on the inside plays of Ralph Penuelos and Kenneth Mocon in the closing minutes to get past the Manuel L. Quezon University Stallions, 7874.

Penuelos scored on a charity while Mocon struck with a triple in 26.4 seconds to give the Red Lions a 73-67 cushion in the final moments of the game.

In another game, the Letran Knights drew 21 points from Matthew Bernabe as they prevailed over Diliman College, 93-68, to earn their third win in four games in Group A. In the junior division, the Chiang Kai Shek Blue Dragons got 31 points from Jhon Flores as they fended off University of Santo Tomas, 101-96.

The Blue Dragons picked up their first win in Group A and are behind leader San Sebastian College (3-1).

The San Beda-Rizal Red Cubs, with Carlo Obenza firing 16 points, picked up win no. 2 in Group B at the expense of Hope Christian School, 80-72.

PH’s top spikers in spotlight D RAMA and tension are expected to fly as the best volleyball players in the country fight for their slots in the 18-man national team in the Clash of Heroes today (Monday) at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Games Today: (Filoil Flying V Centre) 4:15 pm – Pilipinas-Blue vs Pilipinas-Red (men’s) 7:00 pm– Pilipinas-Blue vs Pilipinas-Red (women’s) Reigning NCAA Most Valuable Player Johnvic de Guzman and his Pilipinas-Blue team tip things off as they battle Pilipinas-Red squad, bannered by UAAP MVP Marck Espejo in the men’s match at 4:15 p.m.

Although Espejo remains doubtful, his squad remains solid,

giving it a razor-thin advantage in this encounter that serves as the final leg of the tryouts for the national team headed for the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur this August.

Another doubtful participant is former Ateneo star Alyssa Valdez of Pilipinas-Blue team as it faces Pilipinas-Red squad, led by Aiza Maizo-Pontillas of Petron in the 7 p.m. featured battle of this event organized by the PSC-POC Media Group, in cooperation with Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, Inc. and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, with UCPB

Gen as official insurance provider, and TV5 as official broadcast partner.

But prior to the women’s match, the stars of today will pay tribute to those who have brought honor to the country in the international arena like three-time SEA Games gold medalist Arlene ApostolLadimo, Grace Antigua, Zenaida Chavez, Rosemarie Prochina and Joanne Tavera-Tomacruz.

PSC Chairman William Ramirez, Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, LVPI president Joey Romasanta and Sen. Juan

Miguel Zubiri were also invited to do the ceremonial serve, while NCAA cheerdance champion Arellano University is tasked to bang the drums and make some noise.

Valdez, arguably the most popular player in the country, was barred from competing by her mother club, Creamline, to avoid any injury as it braces for the crucial stretch of the Premier Volleyball League.

Also expected to sit out are PVL stalwarts like Myla Pablo and Elaine Kasilag of Pocari Sweat and Gretchel Soltones of BaliPure.

With that, their slots in the national team are in peril as the LVPI made it clear the event serves as the basis for selecting the compo-

sition of the national team.

“The first thing we want to see in these aspirants is their commitment,” sad national women’s team head coach Francis Vicente. “This event is the ultimate test not only to their skills and talent, but also to their character and commitment to serve the national team.”

Tasked to help Valdez -- if ever she makes a surprise appearance – in carrying the load for PilipinasBlue squad are fellow rising stars like Kim Fajardo, Mika Reyes, Kim Dy, Dawn Macandili, Ria Meneses, and Frances Molina.

They will be up against the seasoned Pilipinas-Red squad bannered by Maizo-Pontillas with Aby Marano, Denden Lazaro, Jaja Santiago, Gen Casugod, and Rhea Dumaculangan as support crew.

Familiar, new names emerge in Cebuana tilt A MIX of familiar and unfamiliar names emerged winners at the recent Surigao City leg of the Cebuana Lhuillier Age-Group Tennis Championship Series, with two local bets surviving the onslaught of visiting players from other provinces to win their respective age categories.

Vaughn Spencer Codilla from the host city beat Emmanuel Pedrosa from Agusan del Norte, 6-1, 7-5, for the boys’ 16-under crown, while Ma. Nichole Bonilla was the other local player to win as she whipped Angel Marie Geraldino, 6-2, 6-3, to rule the girls’ 14-under category in the tournament supported by Dunlop as the official ball and played at the DPWH Tennis Club and Matchpoint Tennis Club courts for the 104 entries it attracted.

“We gave a lot of emphasis to holding tournaments in Mindanao and the Visayas as in the past. We have seen a lot of potentials, who have emerged and this year is not different as new names continue to emerge in the these two regions,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President/CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier.

Cebu City’s Marc Nicole Suson, however, remains a consistent winner in the series as he again topped the boys’ 18-under age group, making short work of Prince Bo Lastimosa in the finals, 6-1, 6-1 while Butuan City’s Angely Esguerra beat local bet Alyssa Joanna Peligro 6-1, 6-2, for the girls’ 18-under title.

Another familiar name was Merkisslyn Ubay-ubay, a native of Misamis Oriental, who posted an easy 6-0, 6-1 win over Surigao del Norte’s Regine Entoc, 6-0, 6-1, in the 16-under girls’ finals.

A regular winner in the younger age groups the past years, Brent Sigmond Cortes from Tubod, Lanao del Norte has moved up and resumed his winning ways as he copped the boys’ 14-under title, defeating Surigao del Norte’s Jan Ceasar Paqueo, 6-3, 7-6, in the championship match.

2017 World Slasher Cup 1 champ Frank Berin with handler Jonathan Tabuloc

‘17 World Slasher Cup kicks off May 25 THE world’s most prestigious international derby will sizzle from May 25 to 31 at the historic Smart Araneta Coliseum with some of the finest cockers and breeders in the roster.

The nine-cock invitational derby of the toughest game fowl event in the world, known to competitors as the “Olympics of Cockfighting,” will see whose winning bloodlines will be hailed victorious in the finals.

Frank Berin’s NEJ Sebastian bested over 300 entries to capture the championship title of WSC’s first edition this year.

“All the best cocks compete here,” he told WSC partner Pitgames Media right after his win last February 1. “You can’t join here if your entry is weak. It is not

a joke to fight in the World Slasher Cup. Even foreign participants are here. You have to really prepare for it.”

Joey Melendrez, whose entry scored 7.5 in the thick of the WSC1 finals, said in an interview: “I’ve had my Yellow-Leg McLeans and my Green-Leg McLeans for a long time. The World Slasher (Cup) has developed my lines... The birds I used for the fight are from the lines of World Slasher winners from 2007 onwards. If you want to prove how good you are, you come here.”

Hosted by Pintakasi of Champions, the 7-day 2017 World Slasher Cup 2 schedule of spectacle is: May 25 and 26 (2-cock elims); May 27 and 28 (3-cock semi-finals); May 29 and 30 (4-cock finals for

those with 2, 2.5, 3 and 3.5 points) and May 31 (4-cock finals for those with 4, 4.5 and 5 points).

Supported by Petron and Thunderbird, with Excellence Poultry and Livestock Specialists, and media partner Pitgames Media, WSC2 already has over 200 participants and counting. The derby promises a real smackdown among the finest winged-warriors from the US, Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Because the odds are never truly set in this gentleman’s sport, it will be interesting to see if Berin could score back-toback wins this year; or if Magno Lim and Gary Tesorero could defend their 2016 WSC2 title or lose it to another hungry fighter.

MLQU-Victoria Sports win

MLQU-Victoria Sports, led by consultant Jino Manansala and coach Rainier Carpio

MANUEL Luis Quezon University-Victoria Sports hardly worked out a sweat in beating Philippine National Police, 75-58, in the 2017 MBL Open basketball tournament at the PNP Sports Center in Camp Crame.

Gianne Rivera and Nikko Lao struck hard-

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sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

est for the Stallions, who dominated the game en route to their first win in four matches in this eight-team tournament being held as part of MBL’s 18th anniversary celebrations.

Rivera scored 17 points and Lao added 15 points for the Stallions of playing manager Jo-

mar Acuzar, consultant Jino Manansala and coach Rainier Carpio Patrick Asturiano, Jayson Grimaldo, Kevin Sumay, Alvin Detubio and Allen de la Cruz provided ample scoring support for the New San Jose Builders-backed Stallions.

Beko PH winner ‘Kicks his Way to Barcelona’ BEKO Philippines, one of the largest home appliance brands in Europe, recently treated the sole winner of “Kick your way to Barcelona: The Grand Kickoff Challenge” to an all-expense paid, tax-free trip to Barcelona, Spain to watch the live match of FC Barcelona in LaLiga.

Sole winner, Rafael “Iggy” Halili, 28, who is also a football player, said that despite traveling alone for the first time, he enjoyed the seven-day trip that allowed him to watch his favorite football team play in a live match at the Camp Nou Arena.

Aside from the live match Halili also enjoyed a tour of scenic Barcelona City, its iconic sites like the Sagrada Familia, as well as a side trip in the nearby town of Torre-Serona. During his stay, he was also given free hotel and food accommodation and pocket money.

“It was really a fun and exciting experience. It was my first time watching a live match in Europe and I got to see my idol, Lionel Messi, score two goals.

This makes the trip really unforgettable. I am grateful that Beko Philippines has given me this opportunity. I really thank them, for giving me this once in a lifetime experience,” added Halili.

The “Kick Your Way to Barcelona: The BEKO Grand Kick-off Challenge” is one of the programs of Beko Philippines aimed at allowing football enthusiasts the chance show their appreciation and love for the sport. This promo is done through Beko Philippines Facebook fan page (@BekoPh).

The promo attracted a number of Facebook followers who submitted and posted their creative selfies welcoming Beko’s arrival in the country with #hellobekoph. Successful entries qualified for the Kick-Off Challenge, held last January 14 at Sparta Philippines, the official event venue partner. Sparta Philippines is a sports complex that houses the country’s only indoor and FIFA 1-star certified soccer pitch.

During the Kick-Off Challenge qualifier, each participant was given rapid fire attempts within one minute to try to kick a ball inside a customized mockup washing machine for as many as they can from a distance of 20 feet. The most number of goals will determine the winner. In the final round, Halili won over ten other qualifying participants.

“Though the Philippines is not a football country, we recognize that there is a strong following for the sport. This promo aims to make football more popular among Filipinos,” said Dyeun Zapanta, Sales and Marketing Head of Beko Philippines.

“Aside from this, we also want to emphasize Beko’s underlying brand campaign as a brand that is relevant to the mass premium market—a vibrant market of aspiring individuals who seek for reliability to overcome the demands of their day to day living—breathes its latest global brand campaign Beko as the Official Partner of the Everyday.”

As a relatively new player in the country, Beko has steadily gained presence in the country’s highly competitive home appliance market. It was also known for its partnership with FC Barcelona, its global advertising anchor. With over 300 million FC Barcelona football fans around the world, this partnership connotes the brand’s dedication towards teamwork and excellence.

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

P0 M+ P0 M

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

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MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

Sports

Sotto-led Batang Gilas bludgeons Singapore

By Peter Atencio KAI Sotto put on a big show, some three days after he turned 15.

The 6’11” Sotto hit 17 points to spearhead Batang Gilas in its 108-42 demolition of Singapore Sunday at the start of the 2017 Southeast Asian Basketball Under-16 Championship at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum.

Delighted over his first international stint, Sotto started making his intimidating presence felt in the closing minutes of the first Batang Gilas’ Rafael Go shoots against the pesky defense of Singapore’s Xavier Tan in a SEBA game won by the hosts, 108-42. Roman Prospero period.

“Masaya ako sa first game ko. Ang ganda ng nilaro namin,” said Sotto, who celebrated his birthday last Thursday.

Batang Gilas, which also got 14 points from Terrence Fortea and Rence Padrigao, is now in the early lead with Malaysia.

John Tang led with 23 points for the Malaysians, who turned back Indonesia, 63-58.

The 5’9” Padrigao, a standout from Adamson University, delivered nine points in the first period.

His triple and driving shot in the last 9:46 ASHINGTON—Defending champion handed the Batang Gilas a 19-3 cushion in Cleveland and powerhouse Golden the 5:46 of the opening quarter.

State enter Sunday’s start of the playoff “Start ng game, nangangapa kami. Fortunately, naka-recover ang mga bata at semi-finals pushing toward an unprecedented third nag-focus agad,” said Batang Gilas coach consecutive NBA Finals showdown, adding more Michael Oliver. sparks to an already historic rivalry.

The host squad got off to a great start, racing to a 9-0 lead behind efforts from RC Golden State entertains San more wins to go,” Curry said.

SITTING on top of the table two weeks into “The team showed we have a strong reCalimag and McLaude Guadana.

Antonio in Sunday’s best-of- “We’ll be keeping an eye on the inaugural Philippines Football League bound mentality but we have to develop our With Sotto coming into the picture in seven Western Conference final them.” season, FC Meralco Manila coach Aris Caslib killer instinct,” said Caslib, whose team also the last four minutes of the opening period, Both the Warriors and Cavaopener while the LeBron Jamesfeels his squad has yet to play to its potential rallied from a goal down to beat Stallion LaBatang Gilas went on to take 23-point edge led Cavaliers await Monday’s liers have swept through the after toiling to a come-from-behind 2-1 victo- guna, 5-1, last May 6. when the quarter ended, 33-10. game-seven winner between first two playoff rounds without ry over newcomer Ilocos United last Saturday Meralco got off to a jittery start with CayThey limited the Singaporeans to 14 Boston and Washington in an dropping a game. Golden State at Rizal Memorial Stadium. gill nearly spoiling its debut by opening the points in the next period, and with John Eastern Conference final that be- forward Draymond Green said Goals from new signscoring with a volley Bismarck Lina protecting the boards and he had hoped to see more from gins Wednesday in Cleveland. ing Tyler Matas and past Ace Villanueva, hauling seven rebounds.

No two teams have ever met Cleveland’s East rivals.

Jake Morallo in each before Matas equalized “I thought teams would comfor the title in three consecutive Then, they took a 47-18 spread with 5:33 half completed another in the 18th minute by seasons, as the Cavs and Warriors pete a little harder,” Green said. left behind back-to-back hits from Rafael Go. fightback for the Mafinishing off a flowing could, and only a handful of play- “When you watch Cleveland Guadana, who had nine points, gave the nila side, which fell bemove which he started ers have made the NBA Finals play, you only watching one side Nationals a 41-point lead, 71-28, with his hind on former Meralco from his left back posiseven years in a row, as James of good basketball. That’s kind of jumper in the remaining 5:53 of the third. player and now Ilocos tion. weak.” could do.

Sotto, son of former PBA player Ervin striker Graham CayTahj Minniecon also James does not diminish CleveThe Warriors beat Cleveland Sotto, was naturally the center of attracgill’s 13th minute strike. provided the second for the 2015 crown and were land’s strong start in eliminating tion, but his teammate Padrigao grabbed “We expected a tough goal for Morallo, who one win shy of capping a re- Indiana and Toronto, saying, “It’s his share of the spotlight as the Ateneomatch and that’s what headed home from peat title run last year after a rewarding when you can advance. bound guard finished with 14 points, six happened especially beclose range in the 52nd record 73-win campaign only to It’s not just given to you. You have assists and four assists. cause a big number of minute for the match have James spark the Cavaliers to go out and earn it.”

Padrigao’s play earned him praises from players used to play for winner.

But even “King James” admits: from a 3-1 deficit to the greatest coach Mike Oliver.”Naging very easy sa Meralco,” said Caslib, Despite the defeat comeback in NBA Finals his- “We have another level and we bea former national team that left his side with akin ang pagko-coach dahil siya ang nagtory, taking the trophy in seven lieve we can get there.” mentor. just a point from two direct ng offense namin kanina,” Oliver In the playoffs, James is avergames.

Tahj Minniecon of FC Meralco Manila “But we never exmatches, Ilocos coach said. “Nadala naman niya yung team, both aging 34.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, So it’s no wonder that Warpected that they will leaves behind Ilocos United defender Ian Gillan took pride on offense and defense.”

7.1 assists and 2.1 steals per riors guard Stephen Curry, the play until the final whis- Anton del Rosario. at the way his team In the men’s tournament, Indonesia two-time reigning NBA Most game. And last year, he became tle. Credit to the players fought against one of squeaked past Thailand, 60-59, behind Valuable Player, can ponder the first player in NBA history to for fi nishing the game strong.” the elite sides in the PFL. Mario Wuysang’s clutch basket with 11 a matchup with the Cavs even lead the finals in every major staCaslib still feels his team is lacking that “I think we played quite well,” said Gilseconds left. as he admits Golden State has tistical category. “killer instinct” to put away teams after watch- lan. “Every single week we’re going to be The Indonesians remained unbeaten after “I’m going to let you guys talk plenty of work ahead to oust the ing Meralco struggle to find a third goal that on someone’s radar and cause problems about that as far as if this is the most Spurs. three outings as they dealt the Thais their first could have sealed the match earlier. against other teams.”

“We’ll hammer it out when complete I’ve been in my career,” loss in three games. we get there but we’ve got four James told reporters. AFP

Cavaliers-Warriors’ 3rd straight finals duel looms Meralco coach: We have W to develop killer instinct

Manila, PUP in contrasting wins in softball opener Palace adviser

Team Cabuyao’s Jerome Tenorio (second from right) holds his trophies as he poses with (from left) ASAPHIL operations manager Jun Veloso, ASAPHIL vice president for Luzon Eufracio dela Cruz and Marikina Sports Center administrator Dr. Angelito Llabres after bagging the tournament best hitter, best slugger and most RBIs awards in the ASAPHIL-Cebuana Lhuillier 18-and-under Men’s Fast Pitch softball tournament at the Sto. Niño Ballpark in Marikina City Friday.

MANILA Youth, composed of a select crew of players from all over the country, trounced defending champion University of the Philippines, 6-3, while Polytechnic University of the Philippines rallied to edge Rizal Technological U, 8-7, in the opener of the Cebuana Lhuillier-ASAPHIL National Softball Intercollegiate Championships at the Sto. Niño Ballpark in Marikina City yesterday.

The Manila Youth batters came out of a scoreless first two innings with a four-run binge in the third with Christine Bautista scoring on a two-run homerun followed

by RBIs from Krishia Cantor and Shaina Camacho.

Nichole Padasas sustained the guest team’s charge on top of the fourth, producing another two-run homer then Manila Youth withstood UP’s fightback, aided by a couple of pitching errors, with hurler Alma Tauli finishing off their rivals with superb throws.

“We just wrapped a softball tournament (Men’s 18-Under) and now we’re on to another. ASAPHIL is committed to discovering and developing more Filipino softball stars through a series of tournaments. This intercollegiate series promises a different level of competition so we can expect some outstanding matches among some of the country’s budding softball players,” said Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines and Cebuana Lhuillier president Jean Henri-Lhuillier.

The event, which drew five of the top universities in Metro Manila, including Adamson U, serves as part of the Manila Youth’s buildup for various international tournaments.

Earlier, PUP pulled through in a fierce duel with RTU, snaring the 8-7 win on a catching error in a big start to the weeklong competition organized and sanctioned

by ASAPHIL.

Cool Smashers bounce back, repulse Jet Spikers in PVL two-game skid in the Premier Volleyball League at the Filoil Flying V Center in 10 a.m. – Army vs Cignal (men’s) San Juan late Saturday.

4 p.m. – Creamline vs BaliPure (women’s) The Cool Smashers blew a two-set lead 6 p.m. – Pocari Sweat vs Perlas (women’s) but rebounded from a woeful fourth-set setback to repeat over the Lady Jet SpikCREAMLINE went through a wringer ers, whom they swept in the first round before repelling Air Force, 25-21, 28- elims of the season-opening conference 26, 23-25, 12-25, 15-12, and snapping a of the league organized by Sports Vision.

Games tomorrow

Alyssa Valdez took charge again for Creamline, finishing with another 25-hit output, including clutch hits in the decider, while Pau Soriano added 13 markers and Aurea Racraquin and Ivy Remulla combined for 21 points for the Cool Smashers.

Creamline improved to 2-3 but remained at fifth in the six-team field paced by a surging Pocari Sweat, which

notched its fourth straight victory after two back-to-back losses with a straightset romp over the Power Smashers, also last weekend.

BaliPure, which absorbed its first loss after three straight wins with a five-set setback to Perlas, dropped to second while Perlas moved to third at 3-2 followed by the Power Smashers at 3-3.

backs Lhuillier

WITH Philippine Tennis Association leadership row remains unresolved, long-time sports patron and Philta presidential aspirant Jean Henri Lhuillier continued to draw support from top sports personalities, including presidential sports adviser Dennis Uy. “We need new leaders who have great vision, new ideas and have the passion. Jean Henri did not come overnight in Philippine tennis. In fact he has strongly supported the sport for more than two decades now,” said Uy. “He has supported more than 500 various tennis events to improve tennis in the Philippines from the elite Davis cup team, to sponsoring our national athletes, international tournaments, to junior events, coaching seminar and various clinics around the country.”

“He has also the support of the stakeholders and the backing of various tennis sponsors. With his passion now for the sport, I believe he can make the tennis association in the Philippines to be a world class tennis federation,” added Uy. Earlier this month, former Philippine tennis king and world-class player Felix Barrientos also threw his support to Lhuillier for the sake of Phl tennis revival. Prominent stakeholders from top tennis sponsors such as Palawan Pawnshop, Toby’s Sports, Dunlop, Babolat have also endorsed Lhuillier for the top tennis post in the country.

The Philta elections have been postponed several times that has led to the growing frustration in the tennis community.

MPIC keen on Clark auction B3

IN BRIEF DMCI set to rehire workers in 2 mines DMCI Mining Corp. said it expects to make 15 shipments this year, or equivalent to 800,000 tons of nickel ore, as the company starts building up its stockpile and rehire workers from two mine sites.

DMCI Mining president Cesar Simbulan Jr. said in an interview the Palawan mine was expected to make 10 shipments with a total of 500,000 MT, while the Zambales mine was expected to make five shipments involving 300,000 MT. These targets are based on assumption that the company’s mining operations would be on full blast.

Simbulan said the company was still gathering workers who were previously retrenched because of closure orders issued by former Environment Secretary Regina Lopez against DMCI Mining’s Berong Nickel Corp. and Zambales Diversified Metals Corp.

DMCI reduced its total workforce by 80 percent, excluding the thousands of subcontracted and seasonal workers hired during production rampup. From 1,220 personnel in May 2016, its combined headcount went down to 240 as of March 31. The remaining personnel are mostly involved in back office and environmental rehabilitation works. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

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MPIC in talks to buy Air21

By Darwin G. Amojelar

C

ONGLOMERATE Metro Pacific Investments Corp. is in talks with the family of businessman Alberto Lina to acquire logistics company Air21 Express, a top executive said over the weekend.

“It’s under discussion. That’s all I could say. If something happens, we will announce,” MPIC chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.

Air21, the former Philippine licensee of USbased logistics provider Federal Express, is now engaged in door-to-door courier delivery, cargo transportation, warehousing, crating, bulk shipments and mailing. Its contract with FedEx expired in 2012.

Air21 also operates the premium airport bus ser-

vice under the brand name UBE Express.

MPIC earlier raised its budget to expand its logistics business to P8 billion from P5 billion.

MPIC acquired the assets of mid-size corporate logistics provider Basic Logistics in May 2016 and formed Metro Pacific Movers Inc. to provide logistics, shipping, freight forwarding and e-commerce services.

MPIC’s subsidiary Premier Logistics Inc. also acquired some of the assets and businesses of Ace Logistics worth P280 million. Ace Logistics is engaged in the business of logistics, including warehousing, courier express and parcel delivery, e-commerce delivery, trucking, freight forwarding, customs brokerage and domestic shipping. Ace also has a strong presence in pre-delivery inspection in the automotive industry, which Premier intends to expand.

Metro Pacific earlier said it was willing to invest P5 billion in the logistics business over the next

five years, as other conglomerates ventured into the sector to take advantage of growing commerce and economy.

SM Investments Corp., the holding company of tycoon Henry Sy, acquired a 35-percent stake in the parent firm of 2Go Group Inc. Conglomerate Ayala Corp. also entered into ecommerce space with the acquisition of a 43.3-percent interest in BF Jade E-Service Philippines Inc., the owner and operator of online fashion platform Zalora Philippines.

MPIC is emerging as an infrastructure conglomerate with interests in tollways, railways, power, water distribution and healthcare in the Philippines.

MPIC reported a core net income of P3.13 billion in the first quarter, up from P2.74 billion a year ago.

Its power business contributed P2.1 billion to the company’s income; toll roads, P900 million; rail, P54 million; water, 700 million; and hospital, P182 million.

Retailers cautious on selling Mighty THE government’s multi-billion peso tax case against local cigarette firm Mighty Corp. caused a number of retailers to stop selling Mighty cigarettes, an official of the Philippine Amalgamated Supermarkets Association said over the weekend.

Pagasa president Steven Cua said the fear of the retailers stemmed from the government’s series of raids on Mighty warehouses and the filing of a P9.56-billion tax evasion case against the Bulacan-based cigarette manufacturer.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue asked the Justice Department on May 9 to prosecute Mighty and its executives for tax evasion involving P26.93 billion in unpaid excise taxes arising from its alleged use of fake tax stamps.

“Supermarkets are hesitant to carry the product for fear that they might be “raided” or labeled as an accomplice or colluding/conniving to sell illicit products. Negative publicity under an environment of fierce competition definitely does not help retailers jack up their cause,” Cua said.

“Out of the five active member-stores of Pagasa in Metro Manila we talked to, two have stopped ordering/selling Mighty’s stock,” Cua said. Julito G. Rada

TOP FUND MANAGERS. The Fund Managers Association of the Philippines recognize their partners in building wealth during the Annual Awards Night held in conjunction with the organization’s celebration of 20th anniversary lat the Rigodon Ballroom of Manila Peninsula. Shown are (from left) David Estacio of First Metro Investments Corp. for Best Fixed Income Trader Local, AZ Zamora of ING Bank for Best Fixed Income Trader Foreign, Insurance commissioner Dennis Funa, Michiko Dulay of Security Bank for Best Salesperson, former FMAP president PJ Garcia, Johnson Sia of ING for Best Foreign Market Coverage and Joey Cuyegkeng of ING for Best Fixed Income Strategist and Economist.

Economy likely expanded 6.9% Petron to expand PH, Malaysia refineries in first quarter—Moody’s unit By Alena Mae S. Flores

By Julito G. Rada THE Philippine economy likely expanded 6.9 percent in the first quarter, faster than the 6.8-percent expansion a year ago, on robust domestic demand and consumption, Moody’s Analytics, a division of Moody’s Corp., said over the weekend.

“We expect the Philippine economy to have expanded 6.9 percent year-on-year in the first quarter, improving on the 6.6-percent rise in the prior [fourth] quarter,” Moody’s said in a report.

“Domestic demand continues to be the main driver, with private investment and consumption increasing rapidly. Positive demographic factors and rising incomes are supporting consumption,” it said.

Moody’s said net exports should also be positive, as merchandise exports recovered in recent months and service exports continued to perform well.

The government is set to release the

first-quarter GDP data on Thursday.

The economy grew 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2016, bringing the fullyear average to 6.9 percent, near the upper bound of the Duterte administration’s target range of 6 percent to 7 percent.

The 2016 growth was also faster than the 5.9-percent expansion in 2015.

The government set a GDP growth target of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in 2017, on expected strong domestic demand, higher fiscal expenditures and investments.

The Asian Development Bank kept its growth estimate for the Philippines this year at 6.4 percent and raised the 2018 growth forecast to 6.6 percent as the government ramps up public infrastructure investments.

The International Monetary Fund said the Philippine economy had the potential to expand 6.8 percent this year on the back of the recovery in exports and faster fiscal spending.

OIL company Petron Corp. is expanding its oil refineries in Malaysia and the Philippines to increase efficiency levels and production, a top executive said.

“Expansion of oil refinery in Malaysia is a big investment… The refinery will be expanded to produce petrochemicals and aromatics from 80,000 to 150,000 barrels a day,” Petron president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said.

Petron acquired Esso Malaysia’s Port Dickson refinery and fuel retail network in Malaysia in 2011.

“Here [in the Philippines], we will also expand from 180,000 [barrels per day] to 270,000 [barrels per day],” Ang said.

Petron owns an oil refinery in Bataan province with a capacity of 180,000 barrels a day.

The company started full commercial operations of the $2-billion upgraded refinery in 2016, enabling the company to produce more high-

margin fuels and petrochemicals.

Ang previously announced plans to put up a new 250,000-barrel-per-day refinery that would cost around $10 billion to $15 billion.

The company plans to take in partners for the new refinery.

“I hope to be able to invite one of the big boys like Aramco or Kuwait Petroleum to come and put up a new oil refinery. There a lot of big-time companies that want to put up an oil refinery here,” Ang said.

The executive said he would also invite William Wang, owner of Taiwanese firm Formosa to invest in the new refinery.

He said that once he convinced the investors, Petron would immediately put up the new refinery which would take three and a half to four years to build “and by then, the demand is already very big.”

Ang also said Petron’s existing Bataan refinery had no space for expansion. “And we don’t want to put

all our eggs in one basket,” he said.

Petron posted a consolidated net income of P5.6 billion in the first quarter, the highest quarterly income in the company’s history and double the earnings of P2.8 billion a year ago.

Net income from Philippine operations grew 69 percent to P4.1 billion and accounted for 74 percent of consolidated figures, while income from Malaysian operations surged 335 percent to P1.5 billion.

Petron attributed its exceptional performance in both markets to a strong focus on more profitable segments, production of higher-margin fuels and petrochemicals and aggressive market expansion.

“We are definitely setting our sights on an even better performance this year as we derive more benefits from our strategic investments. Demand for fuels remains strong coming from the transportation, aviation, and manufacturing sectors where we are well-entrenched and poised to grow,” Ang said.

MUFG vows to back infra projects

ONESTORE HUB OPENING. The Filipino Inventors Society Producer Cooperative and the Department of Science and Technology launch the OneStore hub at Delta Building at the corner of West Ave. and Quezon Ave. in Quezon City. Shown sealing the memorandum of agreement with a handshake are FISPC chairman Mike Hortaleza (first row, fifth from left) and DOST NCR director Jose Patalinjug (first row, right). The agreement was witnessed by DOST Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña (second row, third from right), FISPC president Popoy Pagayon, other DOST officials and FISPC members.

MITSUBISHI UFJ Financial Group, one of the world’s largest private financial institutions, expressed its support for the Philippines’ infrastructure program.

MUFG officials made the commitment to “help further expand the development of the Philippines” during a recent meeting with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on the sidelines of the 50th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank in Japan.

MUFG managing executive officer and chief executive for Asia and Oceania Takayoshi Futae said they “want to work together” with the Philippines as it embarks on its multi-trillion-peso infrastructure buildup.

Dominguez said he welcomed the assistance offered by MUFG officials and asked them to help in formulating “hedging” strategies for the Philippines to optimize investments and reduce risks in accelerated infra development plan.

“We also want to develop medium-sized

companies by encouraging them to partner with equally sized Japanese companies for more inclusivity in our development strategy,” Dominguez told MUFG officials.

Futae said Japan-based MUFG was the world’s largest project finance bank with investments in large-scale infrastructure such as railroads and airports.

MUFG’s global network spans 50 countries across the globe. With $2.6 trillion in assets, S&P Global Intelligence listed it as the world’s fifth biggest bank in terms of assets.

Dominguez also informed MUFG of the Philippine government’s planned big-ticket infrastructure projects under its P8.4 trillion “Build, Build, Build” program, among them, the Clark-Manila railway, the ManilaCalamba commuter railway, and the Mega Manila Subway, which would be funded with possible development assistance from Japan. Julito G. Rada

B2

Business

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market expected to move sideways

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

TOCKS are expected to move sideways this week, ahead of the release of first-quarter economic data and as listed companies wrap up their income reports.

Analysts said investors were awaiting the release of first-quarter gross domestic product figures scheduled later this week, even as economic managers earlier said growth likely reached 7 percent in January to March.

“After posting 6.8-percent GDP for 1Q16, attention is set on 1Q17’s GDP data, set to be released on May 18. Indications that would support the upper-end of this year’s economic growth outlook (7 percent

to 7.5 percent) bode well for equities, as the benefits unfold in the coming months,” 2TradeAsia.com said.

“We expect improved capex [capital expenditure] disbursement among listed firms in 2H to support Dutertenomics’ ‘Build, Build, Build’ drive, especially with the Finance bureau taking a more proactive role in unveiling the administration’s spending plan,” it said.

BDO Unibank chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said there was a strong resistance at the 8,000-point mark which could push the market to continue to trade between 7,700 and 8,000 levels.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, breached an intra-week high of 8,018, before ending the week at 7,841.99 on May 12, up 2.5 percent from the previous week’s close. The broader all-share index also climbed 2.1 percent

to 4,673.40.

All counters ended in the green, led by property which jumped 4.9 percent, followed by mining and oil which surged 4.5 percent and financials which advanced 2.1 percent.

Foreign investors were net buyers by P1.9 billion last week, when daily turnover averaged P7.2 billion.

Top gainers last week were 2Go Group Inc. which surged 25.5 percent to P16.20, Travellers International Hotel Group Inc. which jumped 8.2 percent to P3.57 and SM Prime Holdings Inc. which rose 8.1 percent to P32.20.

Heavy losers included Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. which declined 5.3 percent to P6.95, Alliance Global Group Inc. which decreased 3.7 percent to P14.26 and Aboitiz Power Corp. which dropped 3.1 percent to P41.20.

AEV spending P4b to expand food unit CONGLOMERATE Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. plans to spend P4 billion to expand the production capacity of food manufacturing unit Pilmico Foods Corp. from 2017 to 2020.

Pilmico president Sabin Aboitiz said during a recent analysts’ briefing the company aimed to increase the sow level capacity of hog farms to 20,000 heads by 2020 from 14,000 heads at present and raise the output of animal feeds business to 153 tons per hour from 113 TPH. The company also intends to expand its aqua feeds capac-

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

MAY 8-12, 2017 Close Volume

Value

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

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

3.59 48.8 122.20 106.70 4.00 1.35 35.75 16 22.75 7.71 0.67 1.7 830.00 0.700 86.9 0.71 15.6 26.50 68.00 87 108 239 55.4 217.4 1650.00 82.50 1.19

975,000 80,100 11,681,320 12,149,810 85,000 2,063,000 4,737,500 6,692,400 14,959,900 32,600 32,000 75,000 140 100,128,000 8,798,660 522,000 298,400 22,500 1,572,360 6,130 3,390 22,730 3,906,620 3,994,740 10 667,350 191,000

FINANCIAL 3,391,270.00 3,939,700.00 1,430,356,052 1,282,812,593.00 335,460.00 2,782,120.00 171,024,725.00 107,532,956.00 344,686,875.00 251,737 22,180 127,660.00 115,550.00 73,413,540.00 759,946,756.50 370,600.00 4,705,034.00 584,095.00 106,553,703.50 532,858.50 382,720.00 5,456,052.00 225,995,033 871,967,970.00 17,245 54,930,382.00 227,660.00

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

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

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

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

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

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

40.3 5.83 0.85 1.63 21.6 0.290 119.5 14.78 7.03 16.88 166 23.45 82.5 94.85 71.5 1.9 5.9 11.6 12.700 9.91 6.42 5.99 1.69 20.75 71.75 13.10 15.44 9.03 1.550 212.00 72.70 4.85 3.7 27.40 30.8 21.1 19.22 0.250 275.00 6.34 3.44 9.98 3.5 11.44 2.14 10.12 2.17 72 5.98 4.80 3.24 300 13.66 4.45 0.147 1.44 162.5 4.14 1.61 32.00 1.12

10,384,600 12,619,800 5,022,000 56,399,000 823,200 128,596,000 4,410 28,600 51,758,000 15,399,000 20 539,800 4,150 440 3,640 3,850,000 61,300 248,600 19,820,000 10,535,200 7,203,300 86,086,600 17,000 28,921,400 1,036,050 109,900 283,900 31,958,700 2,255,000 3,614,910 6,090 5,379,000 131,000 10,600 8,837,000 9,201,800 15,972,100 10,950,000 2,028,320 227,500 2,734,000 78,107,400 15,000 35,700 12,889,000 10,448,900 8,292,000 7,022,820 8,966,600 1,345,000 1,490,000 168,710 12,336,500 133,000 9,700,000 4,396,000 14,546,900 6,000 19,186,000 4,800 4,525,000

INDUSTRIAL 423,372,505.00 73,195,036.00 4,163,530.00 85,107,960.00 19,089,624.00 71,082,400.00 506,268.50 413,778.00 364,122,924.00 260,694,360 3,320.00 12,515,730.00 338,724.50 40,883.00 259,389 7,435,160.00 355,012.00 2,910,260.00 253,493,482.00 105,189,016.00 46,108,376.00 507,554,056.00 29,710.00 592,042,524.00 74,633,444.00 1,403,962.00 4,394,438.00 285,699,803.00 3,523,290.00 777,010,916.00 435,869.50 25,458,430.00 489,730.00 266,630.00 282,124,645.00 203,611,610.00 309,469,078.00 2,719,970.00 553,678,628.00 1,424,292.00 9,876,900.00 759,648,069.00 52,500.00 407,838.00 27,574,810.00 104,996,565.00 18,005,470.00 506,060,176.50 51,070,532.00 6,449,080.00 4,833,350.00 50,569,790.00 170,995,412.00 597,000.00 1,453,640.00 6,339,300.00 2,460,307,427 24,910.00 30,786,330.00 154,925.00 5,089,280.00

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

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Keppel Holdings `B’ Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

Lopez Holdings Corp.

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

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

0.375 76.05 14.12 1.15 6.11 0.360 0.370 868.5 8.15 13.12 5.89 7.90 0.217 1256 6.50 83.20 4.27 5.05 5.2 1 7.34 16.4 0.415 6.6 3.22 0.0650 1.100 1.880 2.49 108.90 2.8 770.00 1.39 0.92 307.800 0.2900 0.2100 0.250

10,530,000 9,031,640 58,305,300 3,849,000 206,300 127,940,000 37,810,000 1,683,690 4,619,900 64,414,100 59,900 167,800 11,860,000 1,140,665 302,300 15,893,200 15,000 32,100 6,700 9,977,000 12,611,800 20,445,200 60,000 127,913,700 167,000 1,534,050,000 14,000 2,889,000 7,000 958,240 727,000 3,104,450 744,000 165,000 29,480 2,370,000 20,680,000 2,580,000

6.790 1.13 2.270 1.370 39.000 4.21 5.3 0.495 1.05 1.430 0.159 0.510 51.35 0.680 0.172 1.68 1.01 1.05 4.20 4.12 0.385 0.3800 0.760 29.50 3.8

PROPERTY 3,239,300 22,004,594.00 69,057,000 85,865,410.00 956,000 2,159,930.00 339,560,000 486,015,580.00 111,718,300 4,312,222,005.00 31,455,000 135,100,080.00 781,800 4,162,441.00 37,953,000 19,029,980.00 463,000 496,820.00 2,957,000 4,204,820.00 22,640,000 3,626,420.00 24,662,000 12,914,860.00 5,761,380 295,675,310.50 3,087,000 2,166,100.00 15,260,000 2,596,470.00 44,451,000 77,065,550.00 96,379,000 99,687,780.00 16,796,000 17,829,220.00 38,000 159,810.00 240,788,000 1,031,906,400.00 1,201,090,000 468,950,950.00 43,940,000 17,473,350.00 614,491,000 480,492,020.00 1,600 47,090.00 8,410,000 35,512,470.00

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

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

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

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

HOLDING FIRMS 3,910,950.00 687,414,829.50 842,745,168.00 4,451,950.00 1,278,010.00 48,715,050.00 14,585,150.00 1,476,435,195 38,012,917.00 847,961,692.00 335,253.00 1,333,130.00 2,672,200.00 1,456,160,395.00 1,944,892.00 1,344,852,680.50 64,080.00 159,985.00 35,062.00 10,163,070.00 91,937,940.00 341,233,166.00 24,900.00 845,783,264.00 636,730.00 96,148,340.00 15,390.00 5,442,130.00 17,610.00 103,811,711.00 2,081,270.00 2,405,184,300.00 1,037,810.00 151,450.00 8,946,716.00 693,700.00 4,715,990.00 644,700.00

Close

MAY 2-5, 2017 Volume Value

3.18 49.25 123.00 105.10 4.10 1.30 36.45 16.02 22.7 7.73 0.7 1.67 825.00 0.670 86.95 0.71 15.88 25.05 68.65 87.6 108.2 242 58.7 215.6 1695.00 81.95 1.22

519,000 128,700 12,083,980 5,707,490 193,000 1,222,000 4,000,600 232,900 10,004,800 6,900 583,000 34,000 60 43,326,000 7,312,150 579,000 385,300 5,400 3,224,600 6,790 2,010 28,720 3,965,560 2,285,290 280 473,400 1,000

1,639,100.00 6,301,115.00 1,467,827,035 599,599,965.00 775,250.00 1,635,650.00 142,366,480.00 3,774,602.00 227,374,740.00 53,244 392,820 56,640.00 49,450.00 29,996,260.00 627,416,416.00 410,580.00 6,160,116.00 135,290.00 209,423,599.50 600,174.50 222,136.00 6,906,778.00 223,944,057 493,464,692.00 478,300 38,469,535.00 1,220.00

41.2 6 0.85 1.4 18.74 0.270 107.5 14.50 6.95 16.9 166 23.3 82

5,893,900 11,708,300 6,833,000 11,828,000 57,300 108,420,000 240 13,200 68,962,400 5,085,200 10 2,376,800 1,870

246,893,080.00 69,858,020.00 5,816,430.00 16,546,520.00 1,111,616.00 30,368,200.00 24,889.50 188,314.00 490,290,497.00 85,220,116 1,660.00 55,407,435.00 155,710.00

74 1.9 5.94 11.82 12.900 9.85 6.31 5.86 1.69 21.2 72.25 12.40 15.76 8.49 1.590 216.00 59.00 4.87 3.87 28.00 32.2 23.1 19.32 0.247 275.00 6.31 3.71 9.00 3.55 11.40 2.15 9.80 2.15 72.05 5.51 4.91 3.3 298 13.68 4.4 0.154 1.37 183.3

55,390 2,489,000 918,900 153,200 15,550,700 10,301,200 11,163,900 52,510,500 4,000 7,212,200 645,650 12,500 134,700 25,524,500 1,985,000 4,019,860 93,190 3,029,000 222,000 2,800 7,941,800 799,900 6,259,500 27,480,000 1,414,040 240,400 2,409,000 29,900,200 5,000 122,900 21,845,000 15,658,100 8,668,000 3,626,430 1,594,200 310,000 1,889,000 88,680 3,324,400 133,000 16,920,000 707,000 8,408,540

3,966,671 4,731,200.00 5,244,575.00 1,816,774.00 201,225,980.00 104,100,066.00 71,306,214.00 315,756,150.00 6,760.00 153,512,325.00 46,658,488.50 155,024.00 2,070,052.00 206,723,135.00 3,120,490.00 862,370,438.00 5,492,357.00 14,842,070.00 856,060.00 76,920.00 254,555,875.00 18,578,600.00 119,776,864.00 6,801,030.00 393,099,112.00 1,530,166.00 8,912,770.00 273,623,097.00 17,650.00 1,399,690.00 46,980,330.00 144,323,634.00 18,334,070.00 262,396,561.00 9,031,678.00 1,509,950.00 5,791,950.00 26,572,652.00 45,915,034.00 597,660.00 2,589,990.00 971,670.00 1,497,707,652

1.59 35.50 1.12

15,704,000 30,500 2,960,000

25,087,160.00 1,126,460.00 3,231,220.00

0.370 75.50 14.26 1.14 6.12 0.425 0.420 878 8.21 13.24 5.47 7.99 0.220 1255 6.45 85.10 4.68 5.1

8,100,000 5,497,520 33,075,900 280,000 48,400 75,530,000 6,260,000 889,490 8,908,200 41,280,200 50,200 314,800 10,850,000 662,645 468,900 10,243,330 2,000 1,000

2,983,300.00 421,147,201.00 473,386,100.00 320,450.00 298,531.00 31,798,750.00 2,644,700.00 777,811,650 73,271,553.00 540,774,514.00 273,063.00 2,515,051.00 2,338,590.00 824,079,570.00 3,024,462.00 869,356,544.50 9,360.00 5,100.00

1.05 7.32 16.7 0.410 6.65 3.53 0.0560 1.050 1.880 2.55 108.00 2.77 774.00 1.38 0.90 300.000 0.3000 0.2280 0.246

22,782,000 3,961,000 12,000,300 40,000 86,998,607 51,000 138,220,000 194,000 383,000 42,000 887,790 253,000 2,329,510 2,225,000 89,000 21,270 2,310,000 18,060,000 4,450,000

23,861,880.00 29,402,938.00 196,765,346.00 16,350.00 603,046,174.00 175,100.00 7,798,770.00 197,500.00 723,940.00 105,180.00 95,450,219.00 698,050.00 1,776,031,565.00 3,067,400.00 78,860.00 6,357,302.00 679,600.00 4,034,150.00 1,152,430.00

6.820 1.25 2.290 1.350 36.700 4.3 5.33 0.495 1.04 1.400 0.163 0.540 51.8 0.700 0.178 1.76 0.98 1.01

902,800 39,095,000 710,000 51,412,000 70,749,200 22,427,000 665,500 44,275,000 221,000 1,792,000 68,270,000 16,705,000 801,880 1,417,000 6,340,000 37,664,000 9,221,000 10,147,000

6,150,522.00 45,850,770.00 1,614,410.00 69,572,640.00 2,544,591,190.00 95,030,810.00 3,519,675.00 22,212,115.00 223,660.00 2,457,950.00 10,926,960.00 8,950,790.00 41,423,525.00 989,810.00 1,141,960.00 66,135,600.00 8,995,190.00 10,226,820.00

4.2 0.440 0.4000 0.670 27.50 4.43

125,020,000 1,247,000,000 37,870,000 202,537,000 700 850,000

522,029,260.00 546,666,450.00 14,696,700.00 128,236,350.00 19,250.00 3,767,990.00

STOCKS

MAY 8-12, 2017 Close Volume

Value

Close

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

24.00 1.72 3.3 31.90 0.99 6.8 0.890 5.100

17,499,900 1,938,000 481,000 60,178,100 25,641,000 10,300 4,133,000 14,335,100

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

Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ.

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

Manila Broadcasting Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot

16.52 43.9 1.58 0.520 0.047 12.3 5.31 9.95 0.0890 1.98 101.9 9.8 8.88 2.55 3.54 970 2032 6.12 16.30 13.16 3.00 96.8 3.70 12.64 8.99 0.182 1.3700 3.65 16.4 4.16 0.98 4.02 16.80 2.48 8.2 3.86 2.610 11.9 5.35 2.98 175.00 7.11 1755.00 0.410 1.560 42.95 81.00 6.02 2.40 1.100 2.05 3.62 0.760 5.390

4,354,100 182,500 717,000 8,492,000 351,800,000 52,700 29,000 83,229,500 401,330,000 19,570,000 1,656,700 12,200 476,400 7,000 50,000 1,120 418,675 1,433,800 232,500 36,200 20,203,000 15,106,110 267,000 444,900 1,518,400 29,450,000 1,765,000 1,423,000 121,300 6,631,000 40,000 11,355,000 1,900 2,423,000 64,950,200 19,576,000 12,997,000 89,300 219,800 114,000 344,780 2,962,700 861,645 7,050,000 32,116,000 14,965,100 2,471,630 794,000 30,686,000 47,142,000 394,000 58,100,000 211,328,000 43,725,700

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

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

TA Petroleum United Paragon

0.0033 1.86 5.10 13.48 2.0200 2.1000 0.92 0.410 8.98 0.26 2.550 0.260 0.193 0.195 0.012 0.0120 1.88 6.05 2.2 0.4650 0.9000 0.0110 0.0110 4.18 9.10 3.16 0.0130 159.00 2.62 0.0093

MINING & OIL 1,526,200,000 8,647,800.00 71,733,000 132,860,200.00 2,390,400 12,427,202.00 6,000 78,860.00 471,000 964,360.00 73,000 149,230.00 46,391,000 44,051,800.00 6,320,000 2,609,270.00 36,900 325,842.00 100,000 26,050.00 13,682,000 34,723,240.00 440,000 111,400.00 43,940,000 8,599,420.00 12,720,000 2,514,020.00 46,600,000 528,500.00 77,100,000 925,200.00 2,260,000 4,229,730.00 62,183,800 378,182,268.00 326,000 711,270.00 1,676,000 856,440.00 1,356,000 1,253,620.00 237,900,000 2,622,600.00 112,100,000 1,391,100.00 407,000 1,660,550.00 17,519,100 154,925,587.00 4,830,000 15,180,780.00 20,357,500,000 28,684,600.00 7,013,490 1,123,321,957.00 275,000 716,530.00 404,000,000 3,895,700.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

42.2 107.7 519 505 105 112.5 117.8 520 5.99 1015 1022 1.09 109.8 1028 1099 1020 106.5 118.9 77.5 80.3 76.05 78.2 79.25 79 78.65 79.25 2.1

159,800 108,400 8,230 12,120 113,050 34,010 11,080 520 3,500,400 16,770 38,525 1,057,000 16,910 1,730 1,165 5,450 7,920 11,910 38,610 266,350 28,390 126,210 311,470 2,040 304,950 68,160 2,000

LR Warrant

2.200

WARRANTS & BONDS 3,112,000 7,188,880.00

Italpinas Philab Holdings Xurpas

4.36 6.44 7.9

5,941,000 375,500 32,113,600

435,801,940.00 3,314,530.00 1,581,750.00 1,946,297,485.00 25,628,180.00 65,284.00 3,802,170.00 74,335,887.00 SERVICES 73,573,104.00 8,094,800.00 1,212,910.00 4,383,670.00 16,561,200.00 635,634.00 154,406 829,498,418.00 35,754,450.00 38,054,190.00 171,447,582.50 120,807.00 4,215,768.00 17,410 179,980.00 1,086,400.00 862,344,570 8,789,336.00 3,779,276.00 536,886 61,304,270.00 1,396,588,842.00 968,300 5,437,226.00 13,620,865.00 5,470,550.00 2,460,590.00 5,088,980.00 1,931,642.00 28,755,820 39,200.00 44,627,790.00 31,308 6,064,390.00 545,008,360.00 72,801,110.00 33,905,240.00 1,063,504.00 1,184,351 341,090.00 60,337,770.00 21,577,551.00 1,499,905,710.00 2,874,750.00 49,954,390.00 651,807,905.00 195,968,970.00 4,712,001.00 73,832,500.00 52,103,310.00 835,750.00 221,470,800.00 151,393,400.00 235,562,893.00

PREFERRED 7,023,810.00 11,636,062 4,283,720.00 6,143,250 11,861,043.00 3,825,323.00 1,274,424.00 270,500.00 20,707,453.00 17,054,250.00 39,462,140.00 1,145,180 1,812,700.00 1,777,615.00 1,182,945.00 5,555,265.00 837,060.00 1,313,759.00 2,979,838.00 21,460,063.00 2,161,657.00 9,847,086.00 24,964,577.00 161,184.00 23,981,480.00 5,362,772.50 4,350.00

26.00 1.74 3.32 32.20 1 7 0.910 5.230

5,303,800 1,340,000 385,000 53,287,700 14,064,000 600 411,000 14,324,800

138,090,445.00 2,363,870.00 1,281,210.00 1,665,760,710.00 13,877,350.00 4,118.00 364,910.00 75,223,385.00

16.2 44.6 1.65 0.520 0.046 11.5 5.31 9.50 0.0930 1.91 108.5 10 8.80

9,260,100 323,300 1,595,000 5,483,000 504,600,000 7,400 12,900 37,095,100 966,270,000 19,207,000 1,009,910 26,300 825,900

145,607,696.00 14,381,395.00 2,670,960.00 2,897,490.00 23,668,200.00 86,848.00 68,484 347,987,525.00 90,578,100.00 37,064,470.00 109,098,113.00 269,262.00 7,290,231.00

3.52 988 2044 6.16 16.40 15.00 3.19 90 3.61 12.7 9.00 0.191 1.4500 3.66 15.6 4.34 0.98 4.48 16.02 2.47 8.2 3.65 2.660 11.88 5.50 3 178.00 7.65 1768.00 0.415 1.550 43.80 79.60 5.98 2.27 1.050 2 3.57 0.690 5.340

11,000 2,380 391,865 1,884,900 278,700 100 18,130,000 8,450,800 1,070,000 227,500 1,232,000 59,040,000 4,614,000 852,000 126,000 5,708,000 21,000 3,302,000 1,400 1,822,000 33,428,000 4,507,000 14,499,000 119,800 106,300 125,000 2,540 760,500 515,380 9,890,000 28,996,000 9,490,800 2,839,000 464,900 9,583,000 14,704,000 24,000 20,561,000 150,343,000 42,053,500

38,800.00 2,348,380.00 801,021,350 11,684,250.00 4,573,308.00 1,500 59,358,070.00 754,060,504.50 4,093,220 2,771,020.00 11,078,020.00 11,064,000.00 6,751,870.00 3,104,550.00 1,961,022.00 24,098,840 20,520.00 14,958,990.00 23,782 4,524,080.00 262,116,755.00 16,377,940.00 39,487,000.00 1,411,550.00 582,832 374,980.00 444,280.00 5,866,346.00 905,058,840.00 4,064,000.00 44,443,060.00 410,497,510.00 224,796,427.00 2,757,665.00 21,640,070.00 15,337,890.00 48,280.00 70,320,520.00 96,642,120.00 224,346,728.00

0.0035 1.88 5.31 14.00 2.1000 2.2900 0.9 0.435 8.70

6,560,000,000 201,925,000 860,650 800 1,873,000 877,000 20,508,000 15,810,000 148,000

22,456,700.00 391,805,780.00 4,845,019.00 10,836.00 4,213,710.00 2,082,310.00 18,439,320.00 7,147,000.00 1,357,513.00

2.590 0.265 0.200 0.205 0.012 0.0130 1.88 6.5 2.39 0.4850 0.9500 0.0120 0.0120 4.02 9.06 3.14 0.0130 154.80 2.7 0.0090

45,499,000 5,610,000 70,001,850 27,860,000 553,600,000 272,400,000 11,333,000 53,212,600 1,294,000 210,000 7,833,000 30,900,000 1,000,000 285,000 9,621,200 6,157,000 248,900,000 4,891,890 206,000 36,000,000

126,675,140.00 1,466,180.00 43,093,530.00 5,892,870.00 6,433,300.00 3,288,400.00 23,082,460.00 359,716,473.00 2,985,070.00 103,900.00 7,748,710.00 356,400.00 12,000.00 1,148,460.00 88,581,015.00 19,327,530.00 3,041,400.00 754,489,169.00 558,360.00 321,700.00

44.8 108.4 530 530 104.5 112.3 115 524 5.87 1022 1025

339,600 2,000 4,030 320 116,080 2,440 50,000 1,110 1,167,600 1,750 2,910

15,131,210.00 216,800 2,095,840.00 169,600 12,227,761.00 274,087.00 5,750,550.00 582,670.00 6,800,561.00 1,788,640.00 2,994,520.00

108.2 1060 1115 1019 105

1,310 1,845 3,280 3,455 3,500

141,826.00 1,963,480.00 3,721,490.00 3,519,955.00 368,000.00

76.25 80.6 76.1 79.5 80.4 79.5 78.75 79 2.12

14,300 46,830 13,200 533,370 17,950 70,100 127,820 135,730 21,000

1,088,705.00 3,773,190.00 1,016,910.00 42,403,016.00 1,431,636.00 5,563,330.00 10,033,887.50 10,707,970.00 45,660.00

2.300

655,000

1,494,160.00

SME 27,557,710.00 2,420,737.00 260,700,503.00

4.18 6.5 8.25

5,549,000 690,500 21,695,300

23,375,060.00 4,507,550.00 187,346,270.00

9,905,386.00

130.4

35,560

4,565,899.00

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS First Metro ETF 129.5

76,000

USD DMPL A1

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 9,150 97,879.00

10.6

MAY 2-5, 2017 Volume Value

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Philodrill Corp. `A’ Pacifica `A’ Abra Mining MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Realty `A’ United Paragon Boulevard Holdings Apollo Global Arthaland Corp.

Megaworld

VOLUME 20,357,500,000 1,534,050,000 1,526,200,000 1,201,090,000 614,491,000 404,000,000 401,330,000 351,800,000 339,560,000 240,788,000

STOCKS Ayala Land `B’ Universal Robina SM Investments Inc. SM Prime Holdings PLDT Common Ayala Corp `A’ GT Capital Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. I.C.T.S.I. JG Summit Holdings

VALUE 4,312,222,005.00 2,460,307,427.00 2,405,184,300.00 1,946,297,485.00 1,499,905,710.00 1,476,435,195.00 1,456,160,395.00 1,430,356,052.00 1,396,588,842.00 1,344,852,680.50

ity to 64 TPH by 2020 from 44 TPH by end-2017 and increase the production of ready-to-lay hen to 1 million heads by 2020 from 172,000 heads in 2017.

The group broke ground on several projects including the expansion of meat processing and feedmill plants and a grains storage facility in Tarlac province.

Aboitiz said the company also recently incorporated a trading office in Indonesia as a part of the thrust to expand within Southeast Asia.

“Asean way in the future is going to be big. When you look at our acquisition in Vietnam, that gave us access to 600 million population. So the opportunities are quite good. We are excited to expand that,” Aboitiz said.

Pilmico is currently expanding its customer reach in the Association of South East Asian Nations region while diversifying national operations.

Net income contribution of Pilmico went down 25 percent in the first quarter to P292 million from P389 million a year ago.

Feeds and flour businesses reported a drop in net income contributions on lower selling prices and higher raw material and operating costs.

Depressed flour prices, higher wheat cost and increase in operating costs dragged flour’s net income for the period to P87 million, down 46 percent from a year ago.

Jenniffer B. Austria

NLEx seeking toll hike

By Darwin G. Amojelar NLEx Corp., formerly Manila North Tollways Corp., asked the government to approve toll adjustments at North Luzon Expressway.

NLEx, based on a petition filed with the Toll Regulatory Board, wanted to add P0.26 per kilometer on the current P2.37 per km closed system toll rates for class 1 vehicles (cars, jeepneys, pickup trucks and vans).

For class 2 vehicles (twoaxle trucks, buses and vans), NLEx requested for additional P0.66 per km on the current P5.94 per km and class 3 vehicles (trucks and trailers with three or more axles).

NLEx president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said the toll adjustment petition was of “extreme urgency” as the company would continue to suffer “great damage or irreparable injury “before a decision on the matter could be rendered by TRB. “Failure to immediately impose and collect the adjusted toll rates would result to an outright delay or stoppage of urgently needed improvements and expansion of the NLEx,” he said.

NLEx and Cavitex Infrastructure Corp. each issued a notice of arbitration and statement of claim to the government last year to obtain compensation amounting to about P3 billion for NLEx and P877 million for Cavitex.

Franco said the total claims for overdue toll rate adjustment hit P6 billion.

“These accumulated tariff adjustments now represent material shortfall to the cash flow of MPTC and are constraining our ability to finance road construction necessary for continued economic growth,” Metro Pacific Tollways Corp earlier said.

Business URC sees stronger 2017 sales

By Jenniffer B. Austria UNIVERSAL Robina Corp., the biggest snacks food maker, expects sales to grow by midteens this year amid intense competition and increasing cost of raw materials.

“Given the headwinds we are facing (intense competition, input cost inflation, forex impact and lower selling prices of sugar), we remain cautious and expect a mid-teens growth on sales and single digit growth...,” URC said in a recent analysts’ briefing.

URC, owned by the Gokongwei Group, expects to recover 60 percent to 70 percent of the peak sales level and generate a decent positive margin in Vietnam, after sales were severely affected by a recall order.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Health in May 2016 ordered the recall of beverage products produced by URC for “moderately” exceeding the lead content as prescribed by the government.

URC has reintroduced C2 and Rong Do in the Vietnam market after receiving clearance from the Vietnamese government, with a new packaging that highlighted the brands’ authenticity and supported by marketing activities to rebuild positive brand awareness.

URC also strengthened its engagement with communities, government and regulators.

URC in February formed a joint venture with Hong Kong’s Vitasoy Group to produce plant-based sustainable beverages the Philippines.

“Through this joint venture, URC aims to enter the plant milk market and, thus, further expand its ready-to-drink beverage portfolio in the Philippines addressing consumer trends on well-being and sustainable nutrition,” the company said.

URC reported a 4.7-percent decline in net income to P3.37 billion in the first quarter of 2017 from P3.53 billion yearon-year, as costs rose faster than revenues.

MPIC keen on Clark auction M

By Darwin G Amojelar

ETRO Pacific Investments Corp. said it is interested to join the bidding for the operations and maintenance contract of Clark International Airport in Pampanga province.

Metro Pacific chairman Manuel Pangilinan, chairman of MPIC, said the company also submitted an unsolicited proposal to rehabilitate and expand Clark as well as operate and maintain it, but the government preferred to do the airport development by itself.

When asked if his group was interested to join the bidding for the Clark O&M contract, Pang-

ilinan said, “Yes, of course.”

The Transportation Department earlier said it would no longer entertain unsolicited proposals for the project and just bid out the O&M of the airport in the future.

The “hybrid” mode of implementation means the government would not consider multibillion peso offers to develop Clark airport. The agency, in-

stead, will develop it on its own before bidding out the O&M component. This will enable government to speed up the project without the risk of delay brought about by possible lawsuits filed by losing bidders.

Megawide Construction Corp. and partner GMR Infrastructure Ltd. of India and JG Summit Holdings Inc. and Filinvest Development Corp. will be informed of the new policy.

Both groups were seeking original proponent status for the unsolicited proposal of Clark airport development.

Megawide-GMR said the group submitted an unsolicited proposal for the development of Clark airport on July 27, 2016.

The joint venture partners,

By Alena Mae S. Flores NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the Philippines said over the weekend it will compensate the Social Security System for the pension fund’s Pasay property.

National Grid said in a statement the proposed Pasay 230-kiloVolt (kV) Substation project on the Pasay lot was part of its Transmission Development Plan designed to strengthen Metro Manila’s network by providing the long-term solution to increased power demand, and distribute electricity to retailer Manila Electric Co. National Grid said the project would also improve the grid’s resiliency by providing

N-1 contingency or back-up facility to prevent outages when other equipment are not available or on scheduled maintenance shutdown.

A court ordered the SSS to vacate a portion of its 7.5-hectare property in Pasay City for National Grid’s power project.

SSS bought the property along Diokno Avenue in Pasay City from Public Estate Authority for P1.12 billion in 1993. SSS is contesting the use of the property by the grid operator, saying it the lot would be the site of the SSS Center of the South.

“The proposed Pasay substation is a critical infrastructure project that will support the growth, development, and energy security of

the Western part of Metro Manila,” National Grid said.

“All transmission facilities we will be building during our concession are deemed for public use, and will eventually be turned over to government at the end of the concession period,” it added.

National Grid plans to construct the 230kV substation project in Pasay City to improve power supply and system reliability and serve the area and neighboring zones.

The project includes a provision to connect the Pasay substation directly to a substation in Bataan through a high voltage submarine cable, making the property’s location ideal.

Work Smart GREEN LIGHT ‘WHAT you’re not familiar with, you don’t trust, and what you don’t trust, you won’t buy.”

I guess this is human instinct.

When it comes to transportation, this is also true as we only purchase items that we have tried and tested.

It’s undeniable that people purchase products that are affordable, particularly products from China, typically because they are more affordable than other international brands, and not of the quality. One of the newest automobile players, BAIC, has entered the Philippine market. It is headed by its president and CEO, Mr. George Chua. We had the opportunity of listening to his leadership experience firsthand, and I believe all of us learned from him.

Introducing a new brand In the Philippines, there are already a number of key players in the automotive industry, which makes one wonder if it still possible to enter the market.

Well, yes, it is still possible.

which won the development of Mactan Cebu International Airport, came up with a P200-billion 50-year master plan based on independent studies of Clark and its potential as a gateway. It proposed six phases of development that would provide a saturation phase of 100 million passengers a year.

Another group, the consortium of JG-Filinvest, also submitted an unsolicited proposal to build a P187-billion worldclass airport in Clark Freeport Zone by 2020.

The group said the 50-year concession would start with an initial capacity for 8 million passengers compared with the existing traffic of 1 million.

The master plan allows CIA

to expand its terminals and runways to easily accommodate the traffic growth over the next 50 years.

The consortium committed to a robust and regular capacity augmentation program to ensure the CIA would continually meet the passenger service performance standards of worldclass airports.

Airlines operating in Clark include Qatar Airways, Cebu Pacific, Tigerair Air, Jin Air, Asiana Airlines, Dragon Air, Air Asia Berhad and Emirates Airlines.

These airlines mount flights to Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Macau, Pudong, Incheon, Doha, Dubai, Davao, Cebu and Kalibo.

CLARK UPDATE. Clark International Airport Corp. president and CEO Alexander Cauguiran (second from right) answers questions about the developments at the Clark International Airport from officers and members of the Pampanga Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc. Cauguiran and Bases Conversion and Development Authority executive vice president Aileen Zosa (second from left) are the guests of honor and speakers during the chamber’s 56th General Membership Meeting held at the Laus Event Center in San Fernando, Pampanga.

With them are PamCham vice chairman Renato Romero (left) and chairman Emeritus Levy Laus.

National Grid for compensate SSS on Pasay lot

TEBBY ESTRELLIE TUBALLA

B3

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

At least for Baic. Although it started out slow—all businesses do—this did not stop Baic from gaining consumers. What started out in showrooms now have different dealers nationwide. Baic has proven that anyone can still be competitive in an industry as long as you work smart.

Working Smart vs. Working Hard Mr. Chua has injected to the class the attributes and principles that he carried out at president and CEO. One of them is working smart. Working smart is better than working hard. One has to be efficient in his work. Innovate the work and be as efficient as you can be. Communicate well with others. It is an essential tool for a company to grow.

In any organization, it is important to achieve goals and objectives the fastest, most convenient way possible. In every problem, there are millions of ways to solve them, however, people would rather do the standard operating procedure rather than be creative. Most SOPs take more time and effort, and if we look into making solutions that takes more time, competitors will beat you to it.

Working hard is how you do a job. Hard work is done by physical efforts, and most of the time, there’s only one way to do a job.

Whereas working smart is getting the job done. Working smart allows you to think of more than one way to achieve the end result. Working smart is better than working hard.

Hard work demands discipline, dedication and determination. Hard work includes getting up early every day and get ready for work no matter how sleepy you are, and rushing to report to the office, while smart work requires creativity in achieving your goal. It helps improve time-consuming work, to be more efficient and effective.

Based on the ideas mentioned, if you expect to survive in today’s competitive world, working smart is better than working hard. You can work hard as much as you want, as long as you want, but it takes longer to achieve.

Playing your part In every team, each employee has an important role to play. It is important, according to Mr. Chua, for each and every player of the organization to play his part. Every function has value,

thus, each must learn how to execute his job well. If it is not done right, own up to your mistakes and learn from it until you get the desired result. Think positive. All things end in good outcomes with positivity.

Lastly, know how to execute a plan and turn it to reality. Everything starts with a plan. A plan may be very impressive, but it is nothing when it remains as is.

Executing a plan is what makes all the difference. This is where action is taken, strategy is followed, and tasks are completed.

“It is not how hard you work, but how much you get done.”

The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business. This essay is part of a journal she kept in fulfillment of the requirements of the course, Trends and issues in Business and Management: CEO Series. Visit her blog at http://tebbyestrellietuballa. thoughts.com/.

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

PetroEnergy registered Q1 net income of $4.3m PetroEnergy Resources Corp. said consolidated net income in the first three months of 2017 jumped 327 percent to $4.306 million from $1.009 million year-on-year.

The company in a statement attributed the strong financial performance in the first quarter to higher electricity sales from its renewable energy development and power generation assets and slightly higher crude oil revenues from the Gabon oil production.

PetroEnergy said net income attributed to equity holders of the parent company increased more than five times to $2.858 million in the first three months from $0.518 million on year.

“Our decision to venture into RE, in addition to our upstream oil business, has started paying off,” PetroEnergy president Mila-

gros Reyes said.

“Our 20-megawatt Maibarara geothermal venture was declared in 2011 as the first commercial project under the 2008 RE Law framework by the DoE (Department of Energy) and was successfully put on stream in 2014,” Reyes said.

She said the Maibarara geothermal plant was being expanded to add another 12 MW. “Since then, we have commissioned two more RE plants, the 36 MW Nabas-1 wind power project in 2015 and the 50 MW Tarlac-1 solar power facility in 2016,” Reyes added.

Total net electricity exported by the PetroEnergy subsidiaries increased to 102.91 gigawatt-hours from 76.60 GWh in the first quarter 2016.

SM SUPERMALLS’ AWARDS. SM Supermalls scores a win at the

prestigious Visual Merchandising Christmas Awards for transforming SM Mall of Asia into a whimsical Christmas Wonderland. The mall-wide installation is recognized under the ‘Shopping Centres, Town Centres and Airports’ category at the VM Christmas Awards ceremonies on May 9 at the Retail Design Expo held at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London. Shown are Retail Design Expo Event director Annie Swift, SM Supermalls’ assistant vice president Perkin So and marketing head for North Luzon Jeff Suarez, and Retail Design Expo marketing manager Valeria Perciany David.

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

China’s pledges $78b for new trade project P RESIDENT Xi Jinping laid the framework for Chinese-style globalization and his ambition to lead it during a speech inaugurating his cornerstone diplomatic trade initiative for a new Silk Road.

Grounding the plan in China’s history, Xi described the Belt and Road Initiative as a “project of the century” that had its inspiration in the ancient trade routes linking the country with the world. He pledged an additional 100 billion yuan ($14.5 billion) for China’s Silk Road Fund, 380 billion yuan in new lending for participating nations, and 60 billion yuan in coming years to developing countries and international organizations that join the program.

Xi repeated his call for multilateral trade, calling his initiative a force for peace in “a world fraught with challenges.” He told the almost two dozen world leaders gathered at the forum that countries should “uphold and grow an open world economy.”

The speech built on an image of Xi as a champion of global free trade that he sought to hone since President Donald Trump’s election, most notably in a January speech in

Davos. It set the tone for a major two-day forum starting Sunday to discuss the Belt and Road plan, which aims to connect China with Europe, Asia and Africa through infrastructure and investment.

“They see an opportunity to fill the vacuum and take advantage of perceptions globally,” said Andrew Gilholm, director of analysis for North Asia at Control Risks Group, referring to changing perceptions of US leadership in the Trump era. The presence of major leaders in Beijing to hear China’s plans “fits with the kind of image China has been trying to project.”

Assembled delegates included representatives from more than 100 countries and heads of state including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The US sent Matt Pottinger, senior director for Asia on the National Security Council and special assistant to Trump.

During the opening ceremony, the first speakers to follow Xi were Putin and Erdogan, who pledged support for China’s initiative while showcasing their own regional projects. Putin called the initiative “timely and promising” while highlighting the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union. Erdogan told delegates that the world’s economic center of gravity was shifting to the East and said he would like Turkey’s planned in-

frastructure expansion to be linked with the Belt and Road.

Other world leaders lined up to praise the project. UK finance minister Philip Hammond called the initiative “truly groundbreaking,” stressing the country’s desire for new global trade ties as it prepares to leave the European Union. Pakistan’s Sharif called the forum a “historic event” that would “tear down barriers to trade and commerce.”

Addressing concerns that the initiative will become a bonanza for Chinese companies or a strategic play for regional domination, Xi declared that the plan would be open to all countries and would complement each nation’s development goals.

The speech also drew implicit contrast between Chinese-style development objectives and those of the West, saying the initiative won’t resort to “outdated geopolitical maneuvering.” He stressed that China doesn’t seek to export its development model to other nations while also calling for mutual respect of one another’s sovereignty, territory and “core interests.”

Xi proposed the initiative, then known as the Silk Road, in 2013. China’s investment in Belt and Road countries has surpassed $50 billion, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. Credit Suisse Group AG estimates the plan could funnel investments worth as much as $502 billion into 62 countries over five years. Bloomberg

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde (right) arrives for the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing on May 14, 2017. China opened on May 14 a summit to promote an ambitious global trade infrastructure project highlighting its growing leadership on globalization, but a North Korean missile test threatened to overshadow the event.

AFP

Bordeaux 2016 wine prices top ’15 vintage

By Guy Collins BORDEAUX estates are starting to price their 2016 wines for release to the international trade at a higher level than the 2015 vintage, according to data from the London-based Liv-ex online wine exchange, reflecting the assessment of producers and critics that the vintage is potentially the best for at least six years.

Alter Ego, the second wine of Chateau Palmer in Margaux, was priced at 49 euros ($53.50) a bottle for its 2016 vintage by Bordeaux merchants, up 11 percent from the 2015 price of 44 euros, according to Liv-ex data.

Chateau d’Armailhac, a Pauillac vineyard owned by Baron Philippe de Rothschild SA, was priced at 32.40 euros a bottle, up 13 percent.

The vintage comes after a volatile decade for Bordeaux, which saw prices peak in 2011 on the back of speculative buying, then slump more than 40 percent in the following five years. Mediocre or poor harvests between 2011 and 2013 were followed by an improved vintage in 2014 and a highquality crop in 2015. Now producers in the region say 2016 marks a new high point.

“Despite the trials and tribulations of the 2016 vintage, the wet

Alter Ego 2016, the second wine of Chateau Palmer. Bloomberg

weather in the first six months and the drought until the harvest, the vintage turned out to be a remarkably successful one,” James Snoxell, head of buying at Armit Wines in London, wrote in his Bordeaux vintage report.

Buyers who attended trade tastings in the region last month agreed quality is high and indicated they expect that to be reflected in increases of 10 percent or more for many 2016 release prices relative to 2015s.

What growers and buyers are saying about the 2016 vintage: The wine, which they said is comparable in structure and

richness with the landmark 2009 and 2010 wines and in some respects surpasses them, is sold forward while still maturing in barrels. UK-based buyers face additional costs because of the 10 percent decline in the pound against the euro since the UK vote to leave the European Union last June.

August temperatures last year were 5 degrees Celsius more than normal while the month had 30 percent more sunshine than average, according to a study by Laurence Geny and Axel Marchal of the University of Bordeaux. The first 13 days of September were

the hottest since 1950, followed by brief rain and then more sun which helped ripening.

Chateau Branaire Ducru in Saint Julien was priced this week at 39.60 euros a bottle for its 2016 wines by Bordeaux merchants, up 7 percent from the 2015 vintage, while further north Chateau Ormes de Pez in Saint Estephe was priced at 21.60 euros a bottle, up 9 percent, according to Liv-ex. Prices of Chateau Clerc Milon and Chateau Cantemerle also rose.

Last month, Chateau Cos d’Estournel’s 2016 wines were priced at 120 euros a bottle by Bordeaux merchants, unchanged from its 2015 release price. The estate is in Saint Estephe, at the northern end of the Medoc, and is a close neighbor of Chateau Lafite Rothschild.

Sweet white wines from the 2016 vintage in Sauternes have generally been priced at the same level as the 2015s, with Chateau Rieussec priced at 42 euros a bottle and Chateau Suduiraut at 45.60 euros, according to Liv-ex.

The 2016 wines are being priced at a time when growers across Bordeaux are assessing damage caused by frost last month to the 2017 crop. Smaller growers were generally harder hit than the larger, higher-priced estates. Bloomberg

President Joko Widodo and President Rodrigo Duterte look out as the M/V Super Shuttle RORO sets sail, undoubtedly, into our brighter future in ASEAN.

FIRST OF MANY: THE ASEAN RORO LAUNCH IN GRADE school, we learned that the three most prominent ethnic groups that dwelled in Pre-Hispanic Philippines were the Negritos, the Indons, and the Malays. The Indons were the ones who came in from the south from the islands we would later know of as Indonesia. Through the centuries, the exchange of goods and people by sea have continued, notwithstanding the advent of air travel. Use of the traditional routes, however, have kept maritime transport at an average of two weeks.

Not anymore. Recently, Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo were in Davao City to launch the new Asean RoRo (short for RollOn/Roll-Off) Shipping Service between Davao City, General Santos City and Bitung City on the northern coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia. The new route is expected to cut travel time from two weeks to just two to three days, depending on weather conditions.

This will, undoubtedly, boost trade between the two neighboring countries, particularly of agricultural products and implements.

The M/V Super Shuttle Ro-Ro vessel, operated by the Asian Marine Transport System and with a capacity of 500 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit containers), was the first vessel to set sail at the launch and will be running the route on a weekly basis.

It needs to be mentioned that the new shipping route is part of the Brunei DarussalamIndonesia-Malaysia-Philippines

East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), a sub-regional economic cooperation initiative launched in 1994, also in Davao City, when Fidel V. Ramos was President, and Rodrigo Roa Duterte was Davao City Mayor.

This RoRo launch, thus, in some ways, was a “coming to full circle”, so to speak, of our current President.

As what President Duterte had said in his speech at the launch ceremonies, “This route shall be the first of many routes to be formed for the international RoRo network envisioned by our Asean leaders to provide more accessibility and opportunities for our countries. Let this event serve as a reminder that our relationship is not just between trade partners, but between friends that are tied together by a bond that transcends borders.”

Indeed, this launch is a major accomplishment of the Philippine government as chairman for Asean this year.

I am optimistic that the current administration, with President Duterte at the helm and with Finance Secretary Sonny Dominguez, Budget Secretary Ben Diokno, Transport Secretary Art Tugade and Trade Secretary Mon Lopez at his side, pushing forward the “Build, build, build” thrust of its Dutertenomics, would surely bridge the seas, not just between the Philippines and its Asean brethren, but also the waters between our 7,107 islands.

President Joko Widodo and President Rodrigo Duterte

With DTI Secretary Mon Lopez, DOTr Seretary Arthur Tugade and PCG Commodore Joel Garcia

With Aboitiz Group’s Jokin FirstPacific’s Atty. Marilyn Aboitiz and DJ Sta.Ana with First Aquino and Super Shuttle ’s Paul Pacific’s Atty. Marilyn Aquino Rodriguez

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

Escalante health facilities get facelift ESCALANTE CITY, Negros Occidental–Residents of this city are expected to receive improved health services with the recent rehabilitation of their rural health unit, a project undertaken by BDO Foundation, the corporate social responsibility arm of BDO Unibank.

The foundation rehabilitated the Escalante City Health Office and Escalante City Maternity Clinic and recently turned over the facilities to the local government and health officials.

“This is our way of giving back to the community and reaching out to people affected by calamities. Our goal is to help improve the health and well-being of the people, particularly the underprivileged, through better health services,” remarked BDO Foundation president Mario Deriquito, who led the blessing and inauguration of the health office and maternity clinic.

B

The event was also attended by BDO Foundation program director Rose Espinosa, BDO Bacolod area head Glenn Birch Ong, and BDO Negros Occidental-Escalante branch head Peter Paul Bautista.

Local government officials represented by Escalante City Mayor Eddie Montero, Escalante City Vice Mayor Manuel Zamora, and Escalante City health officer Dr. Lolita Legaspi accepted the rehabilitated rural health unit on behalf of the city.

BDO Foundation improved the health center’s offices, clinics, consultation rooms, treatment rooms, breastfeeding station and various facilities. A play area for children complete with books and toys and an area for the comfortable use of senior citizens were also built. Further, the foundation rehabilitated the maternity clinic so that pregnant mothers can be given the best patient care possible.

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142 Valenzuela drug ex-users ‘graduate’ S

By Jun David

A young girl plays with the toys at the Escalante City Health Office and Escalante City Maternity Clinic in Negros Occidental, which BDO Foundation rehabilitated to help strengthen the healthcare delivery system in calamity-stricken provinces.

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

OME 142 drug surrenderers in Valenzuela City have graduated from a six-month drug rehabilitation in Pampanga.

The graduates comprised the first batch of drug personalities who voluntarily yielded to the police last November 2016, Mayor Rex Gatchalian said.

The mayor vowed to provide them a “change of better life” once they graduated from the rehabilitation program.

Their graduation was held at the Valenzuela City Auditorium witnessed by the city and police officials, their families who welcomed them with smiles.

Gatchalian said they will now be reintegrated to the community through the 18-month After

Care Program facilitated by the Valenzuela Anti-Drug Abuse Council, City Social Welfare and Development Office, and the Valenzuela City Health Office.

Gatchalian promised the graduates a better life through different livelihood programs for them and education program for those who want to further their studies, “unless they are tempted to go back to their old habits as drug users.”

Once they are released, each surrenderer will be monitored regularly by a team tasked to report to the VADAC to ensure no one will become user again,

which is the intention of the rehabilitation program and make the program a success.

NPD director Roberto Fajardo, who called the graduates as “warriors,” also appealed to them to help themselves and their parents as well as the PNP to make Valenzuela a drug-free city because the police will continue the anti-drug campaign to the last user.

“Rehab for users, prison for pushers,” he said. “Your family is your inspiration. In all your undertakings, put God at the center of your life.”

Through the Vadac and Councilor Antonio R. Espiritu, action officer, the surrenderers were sent to the Central Luzon Drug Rehabilitation Center in Magalang, Pampanga at the height of the anti-drug campaign.

The authorities said these surrenderers submitted to the rehabilitation program funded by the city government amounting to P7 million, sourced from the VADAC fund and the general fund of the local government.

With its intention to help these surrenderers attain a new chapter in their lives, the City Social Welfare and Development Office also conducted case studies while their families were given support such as livelihood programs and grocery packs to sustain them while their family members were undergoing rehabilitation.

A “Salo sa Pagbabago” Christmas celebration served as a highlight of their stay at the rehabilitation center. Their family were allowed to spend a day with them last Dec. 15.

Computers, printers for 7 QC villages

By Rio N. Araja THE 36-member Quezon City council has approved a series of resolutions authorizing Mayor Herbert Bautista to donate 42 computer sets and desktop printers to seven barangays in District 5.

District 6 Councilor Melencio Castelo authored City Resolution

7059-2017, giving Bautista the green light to sign a deed of donation in favor of Barangay Nagkaisang Nayon covering five computer sets and desktop printers.

City Resolution 7044 was also passed covering four computer sets and printers in favor of Barangay Gulod.

City Resolution 7058 also

gave the mayor the nod to give five computer sets and printers to Barangay Sta. Monica, and City Resolution 7049 covered 13 computer sets and printers for Barangay Greater Lagro.

Three other measures–City Resolution Nos. 7045, 7047 and 7048–covered five computer sets and printers for Barangay

Sta. Lucia, five computer sets and printers for Barangay San Agustin, and five computer sets and printers for Barangay Pasong Putik.

The computer sets and desktop printers were purchased through city government funds allocated to District 5 Councilor Karl Edgar Castelo.

THE CITY OF LIFE CELEBRATES PUTO LATIK FESTIVAL IN MAY

IÑAN is the commerce and trade capital of the South, thus known for “catering to all your life’s needs” —the City of Life. On May 1523, the City shall be staging its 7th Puto Latik Festival commencing on the feast of the town’s patron saint San Isidro

Labrador. The festival shall highlight its world-renowned tourism and cultural products, the Puto Biñan and the Maglalatik dance. Various activities were lined-up to ensure nine days of fun and feasting for the tourists and locals alike, activities such as: Trade Fair Exhibition, Street

Dancing Competition, Land Float Competition, Costume Parade, heritage conservation advocacies, talent contests, sports events, cultural shows and forum, job fair, medical-dental mission and the much awaited Biñan Grand Santacruzan. To add more life to the festival

and as a kick-off, PLDT Home Fibr is bringing Asia’s Songbird Ms. Regine Velasquez Alcasid live in Biñan on May 7 at the Biñan People’s Center. Mayor Arman Dimaguila is inviting everyone to “Experience Biñan” and to discover the surprising abundance of their town’s

culture, people, talents and products.

For more information, please contact the Biñan City Culture, History, Arts and Tourism Office at (049) 511-8479, 09998816800 or visit their official Facebook page facebook.com/ BinanCHATO.

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MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

Calabarzon mobilizes anti-crime groups

By Roy Tomandao

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AMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna—The Police Regional Office in Calabarzon recently met with 150 members of different organized anti-crime groups here to introduce its “Community Mobilization against Lawlessness and Criminality” project and discuss the peace and order situation in the region.

PRO Calabarzon Regional Director Chief Supt Ma.O Aplasca discussed the project, patterned after the old “Village Defense Force” concept, with members of the Guardians Socialite Society Inc., Police Hotline Movement Inc., Guardians Forces Brotherhood Against Crime Int., Bantay Bayan Foundation, Ban-

tay Bayan Riders Association of the Philippines, Kabayan Action Group, United Kabalikat Civicom, Eagle Squad Anti-Crime, and the Bro Guardians.

The Community Mobilization Strategy aims to marshal the whole community “to establish a strong and sustainable community defense system against

Aplasca

lawlessness and criminality in the region,” Aplasca said.

To better understand the strategy, the regional police chief also discussed the eight “focus

crimes,” the threats to peace and order, and special laws in the provinces of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon.

Aplasca ensured the sustainability of the project and encouraged everyone “to exercise vigilance and be able to deny the criminals the opportunity to commit crimes.”

The police regional director, together with the Calabarzon Command Group, has been visiting various local government units around the region to introduce the program and consult with the people in the communities.

“As your regional director, I envision a peaceful Calabarzon conducive to economic and social development for the well-being and happiness of the people by the year 2019,” Aplasca said.

RIVER RESCUE. Members of the Eastern Police District train in river rescues along the Marikina River in anticipation of flooding on the waterway and elsewhere in the city ahead of the rainy season. Manny Palmero

EVAP, LTO thresh out regulation issues THE Land Transportation Office organized a “very fruitful” industry consultation meeting at the Bulwagang Edu inside its compound at East Avenue

recently to discuss and clarify registration and regulations for electric vehicles.

The LTO presented its procedures and guidelines in reg-

Manila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

TODAY

INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS GOODS 1.

The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of Two Hundred Forty Six Million Twenty Two Thousand Philippine Pesos (PhP246,022,000.00) for the projects listed below. Bids received in excess of each ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening: IB No.

Name of Contract

ABC (PHP)

Cost of Bidding Documents (Php)

Single Largest Completed Contract

IB No. 2017-085-A

Procurement of Xpert Cartridge compatible with Gene Machine (Re-bid)

215,922,000.00

50,000.00

At least Twenty Five Percent (25%) of the ABC within the specified period in the Section III. Bid Data Sheet

IB No. 2017-242

Procurement of Passenger Shuttle Vehicle

17,500,000.00

25,000.00

At least Fifty Percent (50%) of the ABC within the specified period in the Section III. Bid Data Sheet

IB No. 2017-243

Procurement of Digital Electro-Hygrometer with Humidity

12,600,000.00

25,000.00

At least Fifty Percent (50%) of the ABC within the specified period in the Section III. Bid Data Sheet

TOTAL

246,022,000.00

2.

The DOH now invites Bids from eligible Bidders for the procurement of the above-caption projects. Delivery of the Goods as specified in Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within the specified years from the date of submission and receipt of bids a contracts similar to each of the above-cited procurement projects stated in the Bidding Documents. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the COBAC Secretariat, G/F, Bldg. 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila and inspect the Bidding Documents at 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents for each procurement package listed above may be acquired by interested bidders on 15 May 2017 to 06 June 2017 from the address above and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB Resolution No. 04-2012, dated 24 February 2012, in the amount specified above.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders who are interested to participate shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

istering electric vehicles. This is in the heels of a recent LTO crackdown on electric twowheelers that were not registered due to the numerous accidents reported when said vehicles plied highways and busy streets.

The LTO clarified that only vehicles run by muscular effort or are manually propelled can be exempted from registration and regulation. Thus, all electric vehicles are considered motor vehicles therefore requiring registration and regulation by the LTO. Present in the dialogue were officers of the Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines led by president Rommel Juan and VP Edmund Araga. EVAP members EV Wealth Inc. Tojo Motors, Bemac, Eliah Green, Le Guider, BYD, Kea Industrial Corp., AET and various other individual members were also there. Also in attendance were representatives from different electric bicycle, scooter and motorcycle dealers and distributors.

Juan reveals that EVAP members who can register their vehicles because they have the proper permits and documentations on hand reached out to the EBike companies so that they might work together and help register all their EBikes, EScooters and EMotorcycles.

“We also gave suggestions to the LTO on how registrations may be streamlined. And we are elated that LTO responded positively and said they will consider our suggestions. Finally, we have an LTO that is proactively consulting and communicating with the industry and its users.”

Araga said the electric vehicle industry welcomes this initiative of the LTO so that EV registration can be made easier. “Electric vehicles are the future of the automotive industry and the Philippines is on the right track. We thank LTO chief Undersecretary Edgar Galvante for giving special attention to this nagging issue and helping us tread closer to our goal of a greener transport system in the Philippines.”

School-in-a-Bag reaches Tagbanua CORON, Palawan—The Tag- family beyond her husband and banua children of Banuang Daan their five-year-old son, who has in Coron, Palawan, are like most: already been using the Batibot They enjoy playing under the app. “It is very helpful because sun, laughing with their friends, it is in Filipino,” she said. and going to school, even when it Developed by Smart in partmeant walking considerable dis- nership with the Community of tances to and from home.

Learners Foundation and OrHowever, unlike other chil- angeFix, the Batibot mobile apdren, many of them have had lit- plication is the first learning app tle to no exposure to technology in Filipino that is aligned with the like tablets and laptops. national kindergarten curriculum Through the support of an of the Department of Education. individual donor, the SchoolThe app, pre-installed in the in-a-Bag, a digital learning tool tablets in School-in-a-Bag, feapackage developed by Smart tures fun games that help chilCommunications was able to dren in kindergarten up to Grade reach Banuang Daan recently, af- 3 learn basic concepts like ter traveling through air, land and matching, sorting, and groupsea. Banuang Daan Elementary ing. Through the app, they are School, second home to some 200 shown how to identify shapes, students, has no electricity. colors, numbers, the alphabet, This School-in-a-Bag dona- and letter sounds. The children tion, which contains a solar can also practice tracing letters panel for electricity, a laptop, with the proper strokes. five tablets, a mobile phone, a “When we saw School-inpocket WiFi with starter load, a-Bag earlier, we thought we LED TV, and learning modules, could use it for our homework,” was made possible by financial said 12-year-old Jake Villamor, consultant Leah Quimson, the a Grade 6 student at Banuang first individual private donor for Daan. “We think the solar panel School-in-a-Bag this year. will be very helpful for us.”

A longtime supporter of edFor James Marlon Miculob, ucation-related charity work, Grade 3 student, the Batibot app Quimson said it was a “no- in particular caught his attenbrainer” when she decided to tion. “I think my classmates and support School-in-a-Bag. “I re- I can learn a lot from it.” ally have a soft spot for kids,” Banuang Daan teachers led she said, adding that the grate- the turnover ceremony, which fulness of the kids and the com- was attended by cheering stumunity touched her. dents. “We are thankful that “When I saw these kids, how your team braved the waves they lived, I was struck. It’s a real- to bring the School-in-a-Bag ity check for me,” she said. “I re- to our school,” said Banuang alized just how many kids really Daan principal Criselda Dacdon’t have much. We tend to take ulla. “There is no other way we this for granted because it is easy could get multimedia equipment for us to have access to tech. So like this, since our school does when the opportunity came up, I not even have electricity. We are thought: Why not help them?” so happy and grateful that it is And now that she has, she said finally here.” the feeling of fulfillment is difHer co-teachers shared her ferent. “It’s a different feeling excitement—even to the point when you are able to help. Some of losing sleep. “When we first people gauge their success with heard about School-in-a-Bag, how many cars they have or how we could not sleep. We were so rich they get. When I have extra excited,” said teacher Devier money, I prefer channeling them Hardiolen. “Before, we were into efforts like this. The fulfill- just imagining it. Now, it’s fiment is more lasting.” nally here. We promise to use it Quimson hopes more indi- so our students would get a betviduals and private groups can ter experience in school.” get involved in the project. “I “Ms Leah really has a good hope they don’t get intimidated, heart,” said Jake. “We are since at first glance it seems thankful that she gave us our like School-in-a-Bag is more for own School-in-a-Bag, it’s really corporations or businesses—it a big gift for our school.” is not,” she said. “Hopefully, Statistics from the Departmore people are able to sponsor ment of Education show some more School-in-a-Bags because 6,000 “unenergized” schools— a lot of schools really need it.” those without electricity, are For Quimson, this donation difficult to reach and are generwas her way of extending her ally disconnected.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Fourteen School-in-a-Bag packages are set to be distributed in the coming months. Individuals and organizations interested to bring the gift of digital learning to more schools in the country by sponsoring a School-in-a-Bag may send an e-mail to TechnoCart@smart.com.ph. Each package costs P100,000.

Bidding Documents Fee may be refunded in accordance with the aforementioned Guidelines based on the grounds provided for under Section 41 of 2016 Revised IRR of RA 9184.

6.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference and the Submission and Opening of Bids at the COBAC Conference Room, G/F, Building 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall be opened to all interested parties on the schedule given below: Activity (Date & Time) IB No.

7.

Name of Contract

IB No. 2017-085-A

Procurement of Xpert Cartridge compatible with Gene Machine (Re-bid)

IB No. 2017-242

Procurement of Passenger Shuttle Vehicle

IB No. 2017-243

Procurement of Digital Electro-Hygrometer with Humidity

Pre-bidding Conference

Submission and Opening of Bids

23 May 2017; 10:00 A.M.

06 June 2017; 09:00 A.M.

Bids must Bids must be delivered to the address stated below. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated below: Amount of Bid Security (Not less than the required percentage of the ABC)

Form of Bid Security Cash, Cashier’s/manager’s check issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank.

Bank draft/guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank: Provided, however, that it shall be confirmed or authenticated by a Universal or Commercial Bank, if issued by a foreign bank.

Surety bond callable upon demand issued by a surety or insurance company duly certified by the Insurance Commission as authorized to issue such security.

Bid Securing Declaration

Two percent (2%) Five percent (5%)

No percentage required

Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The DOH reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9.

For further information, please refer to: COBAC-C Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830

(MS-MAY 15, 2017)

(SGD.) NESTOR F. SANTIAGO, JR, MD, MPHC, MHSA, CESO III Assistant Secretary of Health COBAC - C Chairperson

Drug quitters trained to farm veggies SAN JOSE DEL MONTE, Bulacan–Through its “Healing Vegetable Garden” project, East-West Seed Foundation will share its expertise on vegetable farming and teach improved vegetable gardening techniques to 200 drug surrenderers from the towns of San Jose Del Monte, Marilao, Norzagaray, and Angat in Bulacan, from May to August 2017.

The initiative was launched on May 09, 2017, in partnership with the Villar Sipag Foundation and the Provincial Government of Bulacan. This is part of the VSF’s community-based drug rehabilitation program called “Sagip Bukas.”

According to the Bulacan Police Provincial Office, the province has 38,035 drug surrenderers as of May 2017.

“We want to help build the capacity of the surrenderers on vegetable production for them to have a sustainable source of income and to further uplift the quality of their lives,” says Crisanto Sabino, executive director of EastWest Seed Foundation.

“We also aim to help the surrenderers have a more positive outlook on their lives. As they witness the gardens that they have nurtured flourish from a plot of empty soil into a lush and vibrant vegetable garden,

we hope that they can develop a powerful sense of purpose, discover the value of hard work, and appreciate the benefits of teamwork.”

The surrenderers will be trained to lead the establishment and maintenance of the vegetable garden at the San Jose Del Monte Farm School in Bulacan. Practical skills and technical know-how on planting vegetables, from land preparation to harvesting, will be taught to the participants.

The training will be divided into 12 weekly two-day sessions on vegetable production. The surrenderers will also be assisted in putting-

up vegetable gardens in their own homes to empower them to become active advocates of home vegetable gardening, vegetable consumption, and healthy eating habits to their communities.

Since 2012, the East-West Seed Foundation has been actively promoting vegetable gardening to help create a healthier environment in communities in the country through its schoolbased vegetable gardening program “Oh My Gulay! Tanim sa Kinabukasan”. The program has benefited over 300 public elementary schools nationwide and reached out to around 15,000 school children.

World IN BRIEF Japanese babies face off in crying sumo TOKYO―More than 100 Japanese babies faced off Sunday in a traditional “crying sumo” ring, an annual ceremony believed to bring infants good health.

In the sumo ring at the precinct of the Kamegaike Hachimangu shrine in Sagamihara west of Tokyo, two hulking wrestlers held up toddlers wearing tiny sumo belts and aprons to try to make them bawl.

Wrestlers sometimes shake the babies gently to encourage tears.

“My boy was crying from the very beginning and I felt a little bad,” Tomoyo Watanabe, the mother of Zentaro, told AFP. “But as I watched my baby crying, I was praying for him to grow up healthy and strong after this event.”

The “crying sumo” is held at shrines and temples nationwide, to the delight of parents and onlookers.

“The cries of babies are believed to drive out demons and protect the infants from troubles,” said priest Hiroyuki Negishi.

The ceremony is believed to date back more than 400 years.

The rules vary from region to region―in some places parents want their offspring to be the first to cry, in others the first to weep is the loser. AFP

Treasury vows to protect IT infrastructure WASHINGTON―The US Treasury Department said Saturday it will play a “leading role” in protecting the global financial system’s IT infrastructure.

The statement came as a massive wave of weekend ransomware attacks struck banks, hospitals and government agencies in dozens of countries around the world.

“These global cyberattacks highlight the real world consequences of technological vulnerabilities,” a senior US Treasury Department officials told reporters on the return flight from the G7 gathering of financial chiefs in Bari, Italy.

US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin “has made protecting America’s financial infrastructure from cyberattacks a top priority.”

The Treasury Department “will continue to work across agency and with international partners to develop and spread best practices based on the highest established cybersecurity standards.”

President Donald Trump’s administration “is committed to protecting Americans and the global financial system from the constantly evolving threat of cyberattack ... and Treasury will play a leading role in this critical national security effort.”

Mnuchin said earlier Saturday that he had productive meetings with his counterparts at Bari on the need to protect the financial IT infrastructure.

G7 finance chiefs vowed Saturday to unite against cyber crime, stating that cyber incidents represent a growing threat to their economies and that tackling them should be a priority. AFP

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Hunt on for cyber attackers L

ONDON―International investigators hunted Saturday for those behind an unprecedented cyber-attack that affected systems in dozens of countries, including at banks, hospitals and government agencies, as security experts sought to contain the fallout.

Concrern over Korean peninsula BEIJING―Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping expressed concern about the rising tensions on the Korean peninsula after a North Korean missile test on Sunday, Putin’s spokesman said.

Meeting on the sidelines of an international forum in Beijing, Putin and Xi “discussed the situation on the Korean peninsula in detail” and “both parties expressed their concern over the escalation of tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

According to China’s official Xinhua news agency, Xi said during the meeting that Moscow and Beijing have played the role of a “ballast stone” in safeguarding regional and global peace and stability.

Xinhua did not publish other remarks.

Putin and Xi met after the opening ceremony of a summit on the Chinese president’s One Belt, One Road initiative―a massive global trade infrastructure project to connect China to Asian neighbors, Europe and Africa. AFP

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

INAUGURATION. French police officers walk on the Champs-Elysees avenue during Emmanuel Macron’s formal inauguration ceremony as French President on May 14, 2017, in Paris. AFP

The assault, which began Friday and was being described as the biggest-ever cyber ransom attack, struck state agencies and major companies around the world―from Russian banks and British hospitals to FedEx and European car factories.

“The recent attack is at an unprecedented level and will require a complex international investigation to identify the culprits,” said Europol, Europe’s police agency.

Europol said a special task force at its European Cybercrime Centre was “specially designed to assist in such investigations and will play an important role in supporting the investigation”.

The attacks used ransomware that apparently exploited a security flaw in Microsoft operating systems, locking users’ files unless they pay the attackers a designated sum in the virtual currency Bitcoin.

Images appeared on victims’ screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in Bitcoin, saying: “Ooops, your files have been encrypted!”

Payment is demanded within three days or the price is doubled, and if none is received within seven days the files will be deleted, according to the screen message.

But experts and government alike warn against ceding to the hackers’ demands.

“Paying the ransom does not guarantee the encrypted files will be released,” the US Department of Homeland Security’s computer emergency response team said.

“It only guarantees that the malicious actors receive the victim’s money, and in some cases, their banking information.”

Experts and officials offered

differing estimates of the scope of the attacks, but all agreed it was huge.

Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at the Helsinkibased cyber security company F-Secure, told AFP it was the biggest ransomware outbreak in history, saying that 130,000 systems in more than 100 countries had been affected.

He said Russia and India were hit particularly hard, largely because Microsoft’s Windows XP―one of the operating systems most at risk―was still widely used there.

French police said there were “more than 75,000 victims” around the globe, but cautioned that the number could increase “significantly”.

The virus spread quickly because the culprits used a digital code believed to have been developed by the US National Security Agency -- and subsequently leaked as part of a document dump, according to researchers at the Moscow-based computer security firm Kaspersky Lab. Microsoft said the situation was “painful” and that it was taking “all possible actions to protect our customers”.

It issued guidance for people to protect their systems, while taking the highly unusual step of reissuing security patches first made available in March for Windows XP and other older versions of its operating system.

US software firm Symantec said the majority of organizations affected were in Europe, and the attack was believed to be indiscriminate.

The companies and government agencies targeted were diverse. AFP

Emmanuel Macron youngest French president PARIS―France’s 39-year-old president Emmanuel Macron is an ex-investment banker whose rapid rise has smashed traditions and raised expectations sky-high.

The son of two doctors from the northeastern city of Amiens―the youngest president in French history―breaks the mold of a traditional French leader.

The pianist and poetry lover is married to his former teacher, glamorous 64-year-old Brigitte Macron, a divorced mother of three children whom he fell in love with as a schoolboy.

Their relationship has been a subject of fascination, often en-

couraged by the media-savvy Macron, and she is set to take on a prominent role as a First Lady focused on education and charitable causes.

He has also charted one of the most unlikely paths to the presidency in modern history, from virtual unknown three years ago to leader with no established party behind him.

In a country where political careers have traditionally been built over decades, he has never before held elected office.

He launched his independent movement Republique En Marche (Republic on the Move, REM)

only 13 months ago, which he said was “neither of the left nor the right”.

This unusual positioning for France, which has seen him borrow economic policies from the right coupled with social measures from the left, was initially met with cynicism.

“There is a left and a right... and that’s a good thing, that’s how our democracy functions,” former critic Manuel Valls, a Socialist exprime minister, said at the time.

Others saw the ambitious graduate of elite public sector university ENA as too young and too inexperienced to become leader.

Few apart from his loyal core of advisors believed that he had the ability to triumph in 2017 at the age of 39, a year younger than Napoleon Bonaparte when he took power in 1804.

But Macron pressed on, using his image as a dynamic young modernizer to draw in thousands of volunteers to En Marche, which was modeled partly on the grassroots movement of ex-US president Barack Obama in 2008.

After resigning from his job as economy minister in August last year, he set about writing his preelection book “Revolution” and then finally declared he was run-

ning for president on November 16.

“We can’t respond with the same men and the same ideas,” he said at the launch in a jobs training center in a gritty Parisian suburb.

After that, he benefited from the woes of the Socialist party and a scandal that engulfed one-time favorite Francois Fillon from the right-wing Republicans party, the other mainstream force in French politics.

Fillon was accused of paying his wife hundreds of thousands of euros from the public purse for a fake job as a parliamentary assistant―allegations he denied but which sunk his campaign. AFP

Merkel’s party seeks victory in state vote DUSSELDORF―One in five German voters are heading to the polls in a key state election Sunday, with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party hoping to deal a crushing blow to her main rival four months before national elections.

About 13.1 million eligible voters in North Rhine-Westphalia are casting ballots to elect a new regional parliament for the sprawling industrial region, which has a large migrant population and has been a Social Democratic Party (SPD) stronghold for decades.

But surveys ahead of the vote show the center-left party running neck-and-neck with Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, with some even placing the CDU ahead.

The opinion polls were the latest indication that initial enthusiasm for the new SPD leader, Martin Schulz, could be fizzling out.

The SPD had been ailing nationwide but saw a surge in support in February when Schulz took over. But that support failed to translate into votes in the last two state elections, when the CDU won comfortably.

Schulz shrugged off the two

disappointments.

“Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win. I have the impression that Sunday will be a day when we will say ‘we win’,” he told voters at a rally in Leverkusen on Thursday.

An election in Germany’s biggest state is always significant, but it carries higher stakes this year, being the last regional vote before national polls and having a direct impact on whether the SPD can close the gap nationwide with the CDU. By 0800 GMT, the CDU’s candidate Armin Laschet had already cast his vote in Aachen.

“There is a real chance that we can win. Now it’s time for the voters to decide,” he said in remarks carried by national news agency DPA. In the run-up to Sunday’s vote, Schulz had held more than 30 rallies in the state, where he began his political career in his hometown of Wuerselen.

The party is banking its hopes on incumbent state premier Hannelore Kraft, 55, who secured 39.1 percent in a 2012 vote, while the CDU clinched just over 26 percent.

PERFORMANCE. Singer/songwriter Natasha Bedingfield performs as she opens for training during the

kickoff of their Play That Song Tour at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 12, 2017, in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

C4

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

Jilted lover rapes, kills ex-girlfriend

World

MEETING. Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, right, meets Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev, left, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on May 14, 2017. China touted on Sunday its new Silk Road as “a project of the century” at a summit highlighting its growing leadership on globalization, but a North Korean missile test threatened to overshadow the event. AFP

Syrian rebel district evacuated DAMASCUS―Civilians and rebels began evacuating a third opposition-held district of Damascus on Sunday, bringing the government closer to cementing its control over the Syrian capital.

An AFP correspondent inside Qabun saw around 10 buses carrying out residents and fighters in the morning, after a deal for the neighborhood was announced late Saturday following heavy fighting.

The agreement mirrors those implemented earlier this week in the nearby rebel-held districts of Barzeh and Tishrin.

State media announced the evacuation had started, and an activist inside the remaining opposition-held part of the district earlier confirmed preparations for the operation were underway.

“The buses are being prepared, they are waiting in the areas controlled by the regime,” Odai Awdeh told AFP. “The names of those who want to leave, whether civilians or fighters, are being registered,” he added.

The evacuation deal came on Saturday night after government forces advanced inside the neighborhood.

“The Syrian army yesterday managed to encircle dozens of armed elements inside Qabun neighborhood, forcing them to surrender and hand over their weapons,” a source from the pro-regime National Defense Forces militia told AFP. The deals for Qabun, Barzeh and Tishrin neighborhoods follow a pattern of agreements under which the rebels agree to surrender in exchange for safe passage to opposition-held territory elsewhere.

The government says the deals are the best way to end the six-year war, but the opposition says it is forced into the agreements by regime bombardment and siege.

Two groups of evacuees left Barzeh neighborhood this week, with one leaving from Tishrin.

All three headed to Idlib province, in northwest Syria.

The negotiations on evacuating Qabun had stalled earlier this week over demands that some rebels be allowed to head to Eastern Ghouta, rebel-held territory outside Damascus.

AFP

NEW DELHI―A jilted man who kidnapped and raped his ex-girlfriend before smashing her head with bricks and running her over with a car has been arrested, Indian police said Sunday.

Police in the northern state of Haryana said the 23-year-old victim was abducted by the man and his friend who then allegedly raped and mutilated her, in the latest case of sexual violence in the country.

They then dumped her in an isolated industrial area where a local resident discovered her four days later, on Friday, when they noticed stray dogs nibbling at her mangled body.

“We have arrested two men under various sections―murder and rape also,” Jagjeet Singh, spokesman for Sonipat city police in Haryana, told AFP. “The main accused, Sumit, and she [the victim] were in a relationship but she didn’t want to marry him and he lost it. He wanted revenge,” he said, adding that an investigation was under way.

Singh said the victim’s post-mortem report showed she had been drugged or sedated during the attack.

Women’s rights activists and politicians have demanded justice for the victim, whose case echoed the murderous 2012 sexual assault on a student in the Indian capital that sparked mass street demonstrations.

“This savage and bone-chilling incident has shocked the conscience of the nation, reminding each one of us about the crying need for revisiting the important issue of women’s safety and security,” opposition leader Sonia Gandhi said in a statement late Saturday.

India has a gruesome record on rape, with New Delhi alone registering 2,199 rape cases in 2015―an average of six a day.

Nearly 40,000 rape cases are reported every year but the real number is thought to be much higher, with victims wary of how their complaints will be dealt with or the social stigma attached to sex crimes.

There is also disillusion with a sluggish legal system. AFP

Tougher sanctions urged after N. Korea missile test S

EOUL― President Donald Trump called for tougher sanctions against North Korea after it test-fired a ballistic missile Sunday in an apparent attempt to test the South’s new liberal president and the US.

FASHION WEEK. Models present creations of Australian designer Dion Lee at the Opera House in Sydney on May 14, 2017. AFP

Nepal votes in first local election in 20 years KATHMANDU―Voting began Sunday in Nepal’s first local elections for two decades, a landmark moment in the country’s fraught transition to democracy.

Polls opened in three provinces at 7:00 am (0115 GMT), with nearly 50,000 candidates vying for the position of mayor, deputy mayor, ward chairman and ward member in 283 local municipalities.

With nearly 70 percent of the population aged under 35, many are electing their local representatives for the first time.

The local representatives were last elected in 1997 and their fiveyear terms expired at the height of the brutal Maoist insurgency.

The ten-year war ended in 2006 and the country began a rocky transition from a Hindu monarchy to a secular federal republic, which has seen it cycle through nine governments.

The long gap between polls has left an institutional void at local level, which has seen graft become a way of life in Nepal, hampering the delivery of basic services as well as the recovery from a devastating 2015 earthquake.

Long queues started to formed early outside polling stations in the capital Kathmandu, many eager voters sheltering under umbrellas from the harsh sun.

The ballot paper in the capital―one of the largest constituencies―was around one meter long to accommodate names of the 878 candidates.

“It is difficult to expect much from our politicians―they have always been selfish and not worked for the people―but I hope that with this election things will change,” housewife Shova Maharjan, 41, told AFP after casting her vote in the capital.

While the youth vote is seen as key in undermining the grip of the three main political parties, the elderly were also out in force, including an 105-year-old man who cast his ballot in Gorkha, the epicenter of the devastating 2015 earthquake, according to the election commission.

Many independent candidates are standing for seats, while a number of small reformist parties are also expected to grab some votes from the traditional political heavyweights.

The vote has been split into two phases because of unrest in the southern plains bordering India, where the minority Madhesi ethnic group is refusing to take part until an amendment to the constitution is passed.

The remaining four provinces, considered potential flashpoints for election-related violence, will vote

in the second phase on June 14.

But with results expected from Sunday’s vote later this week, observers have expressed concern that the first phase will influence the outcome of the second.

As part of the deal that ended the civil war, a new constitution was written and finally adopted in September 2015, nearly a decade after the end of the conflict.

The charter mandated that local elections, followed by provincial and then national elections, be held

by January 2018―the final step in the drawn-out peace process.

But the constitution sparked protests by the Madhesi community―who say the document leaves them politically marginalized―and led to a months-long blockade of the India-Nepal border in 2015 that caused a crippling shortage of goods across the country. AFP

“Let this latest provocation serve as a call for all nations to implement far stronger sanctions against North Korea,” the White House said in a brief statement.

The missile flew more than 700 kilometers before landing in the Sea of Japan (East Sea).

It impacted “so close to Russian soil ... the president cannot imagine that Russia is pleased”, the White House said.

North Korea “has been a flagrant menace for far too long”, it added.

Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, had phone conversations with his counterparts in Japan and South Korea to discuss the situation.

China, which has been under growing US pressure to help rein in the nuclear-armed North, called for restraint.

“All relevant parties should exercise restraint and refrain from further aggravating tensions in the region,” the foreign ministry said.

Multiple sets of UN and US sanctions against North Korea have done little to deter it from pursuing its nuclear and missile ambitions.

Before the missile test, the US Treasury said it was considering “every tool in our arsenal” to cut off sources of international financing for illegal activities in the North.

Trump has threatened military action but recently appeared to have softened his stance, saying he would be “honored” to meet leader Kim Jong-Un under the right conditions.

New South Korean President Moon Jae-In, who was inaugurated on Wednesday, has also been conciliatory. But he slammed the missile test as a “reckless provocation” after holding an emergency meeting with national security advisers. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

FOOD

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

D1

Keep Calm

and Curry On T

HE first time I ate at an Indian restaurant was in 2011. My college classmates who were both working in Singapore then brought me and my mom to Little India and regaled us THE JOYCE OF EATING with the prospect of enjoying JOYCE BABE PAÑARES biryani, masala and assorted curry-based dishes. Suffice it to say that I was not prepared for such a “hot” lunch, given my low tolerance for spicy food.

The explosion of spices must have left such an impression on my olfactory sense that I haven’t set foot in another Indian restaurant since then. At least, not until two months ago when I was asked by another journalist to try Swagat, a homey restaurant located on Rada Street in Makati.

I prepped myself by repeating internally: I have survived covering Malacañang for almost a decade. Surely, I will survive giving Indian cuisine another try.

There are not that many Indian diners in Metro Manila that are doing good business, unlike, for example, Japanese and Korean restaurants. But Swagat, which means “welcome” in Hindi, has been serving authentic Indian dishes to locals and expats alike since 2003.

“Some people think that to achieve authentic Indian food, you just have to make your dishes spicy even if they are not tasty. But that is the exact opposite of Indian cuisine. We use a lot of essential spices that make our food tasty,

even if they are on the spicy side,” said the soft-spoken restaurateur Komal Khanchandani.

Take the restaurant’s chicken tikka masala, which uses more than 20 ingredients. The vast array of spices used is one of the things that people may find intimidating when cooking Indian food, and has led to resorting to shortcuts for some restaurants.

The essential ones include the black and green cardamom, which are fragrant and sweet, with mild eucalyptus notes; clove, which is a common spice with strong, almost medicinal flavor; cumin, which adds a characteristic smoky note to Indian dishes; coriander, one of the oldest-known spices in the world with aromatic citrus notes; mustard seeds which are staple in curries with their nutty flavor; turmeric, which is slightly stronger when fresh and has a host of health benefits; and saffron, the most expensive spice which by weight is more valuable than gold.

“It is tiring to cook Indian dishes, but

Swagat owner Komal Khanchandani debunks the stereotype that Indian food is all about being spicy. “We use a lot of essential spices that make our food tasty, even if they are on the spicy side,” she says.

seeing our customers coming back regularly makes it worth it,” said Komal, who, along with her husband Sanjay, has called the Philippines home for more than 20 years now.

Swagat, which for Komal is her own contribution to introducing Indian cuisine and culture to Filipino customers, has an extensive menu of over 80 dishes. These include machchi (fish) masala, green chicken curry that is paired best with roti, and the flavorful (and my personal favorite) rogan josh

which uses goat’s meat cooked similar to local caldereta.

“These are recipes that I grew up with. Sometimes, customers would ask us to make the food less spicy, and we adjust accordingly,” she said.

Already, Swagat has a steady stream of expat customers who troop to Rada to satisfy their craving for authentic Indian meals that remind them of home.

And there is room for expansion not just for Komal’s diner but for other Indian restaurants as well. There are

about 50,000 Indian nationals living in the country, while more than 90,000 Indian tourists have visited the Philippines last year.

Fourteen years since Komal opened Swagat, the same dare is posed to every diner: Don’t pay if you are not satisfied with the food. And, on that late night trip to Rada Street two months ago, we happily paid our bill.

For feedback, send comments to joyce.panares@gmail.com

PH welcomes first-ever Filipino Escoffier apprentices

BY SETTING out on a path that fuelled their culinary passions, nine Filipinos have made a mark in history as the first batch of graduates of the French cuisine flagship program of the Institut Culinaire Disciples Escoffier (ICDE) and the Center for Culinary Arts (CCA Manila). The pioneer batch, consisting of professionals and students from diverse backgrounds, was honored via formal commencement rites held recently at the Cravings Fraser Place in Makati City.

The successful graduates are: Andrei Arlo Carsi Aniag, Mary Ann Enriquez, Michael Daniele Fortes, Maricon Hii, Mika Nagashima, Jecelle Joi Oliva, Armin Saharkhiz, Leslie Suarez, and Lisam John Tan. Taking pride in their milestone are their families and friends, together with the ICDE and CCA officials led by Marinela Guererro-Trinidad (CEO, Cravings Group), Thierry Muller (CFO ICDE-President Amis Disciples Escoffier International Asia), Chef Philip John Golding (Founding President, Disciples Escoffier Philippines Delegation), Dr. Ma. Veritas Luna (CCA Manila Chancellor), Liza Hernandez-Morales (Business Development and PR Director) and Chef Bruno Tirel (CCA-ICDE Philippines faculty). Also there to witness the commencement is French Masterchef Cyrille Soenen (Director of Culinary Arts, Food and Beverage of Resorts World Manila) and Delphine Bonneau (Professeur de Lycee Professionnel titulaire 2eme Grade), the assessment professor and representative of the French Ministry of Education.

Prior to receiving their well-deserved certifications, the graduates, using the classical French cookery training obtained from their French master chef-instructors, prepared a dish for final assessment by Bonneau. Each graduate was later presented with three diplomas—the Escoffier Grand Diploma in Culinary Arts from ICDE,

The pioneer batch of Center for Culinary Arts Manila-Institut Culinaire Disciples Escoffier (CCA-ICDE) French cuisine flagship program with ICDE and CCA officials

the National Diploma in French Cuisine from the French Ministry of Education—both of which are internationally recognized certifications, and a diploma in French cuisine from CCA Manila.

Muller expressed his elation over the graduates’ commendable work. “We are very happy and honored to introduce a huge and worldwide organization and a recognized French culinary program in the Philippines. As the newest members of the biggest congregation of chefs in the world, I congratulate our first batch of ICDE graduates in the Philippines. Today, you have made the first step.

Don’t forget the teachings of Auguste Escoffier as you go on your journey as professional chefs.”

In her speech, Guererro-Trinidad recalled how the ground-breaking collaboration between CCA, Manila and ICDE made way for the Philippines’ pioneer Escoffier Class of 2017.

“All the decisions took time as we were committed to establish a French culinary arts program that is at the forefront of culinary innovation and at par with international standards. ICDE was certainly the best partner for this program. The CCA family deeply thank Chef Robert Fontana, Thierry Muller, Ben Grenier and Vincent Leroux for their uncompromising support to this partnership. Our first batch of graduates is proof of our shared efforts in establishing the ICDE Philippines. To our

graduates, I congratulate you and your families on your completion of this program. You mark the 20th anniversary of CCA and the launch of this cutting edge culinary arts program. Now, it is time for you to champion the exact words of ICDE’s founder and CEO Robert Fontana to make Asia the melting pot for new culinary talents, heritage, curiosity and audacity,” she said.

For Batch 2017 graduate Andrei Arlo Carsi Aniag, he believes his Disciples Escoffier Diploma in Culinary Arts will help open doors for them, especially for him whose family is in the business of food. “As a third generation, I’m planning to expand our business more. I think this is a wonderful program for those who want to create a path in culinary education in the Philippines. Doors are indeed opening around the world, offers have been coming in for internships from Michelinstarred restaurants in Europe, specifically Spain and France, and also New York, and I’m so happy for that. After my stint, I plan to come back here to inspire more and elevate the Filipino cuisine in my own little way.”

The new graduates can look forward to a full range of support services, one of which is being part of the Escoffier alumni network with over 25,000 members in 26 countries. ICDE is the professional culinary school of Disciples Escoffier International, a non-profit organization that is guided by the standards established by legendary chef Auguste Escoffier who revolutionized the fine dining industry and pioneered commercial kitchen systems worldwide.

Enrollment for the second batch of the Escoffier French Cuisine course is ongoing. For more information, call 218-8566 or 0917-5059370 or email talktoccamanila@gmail.com, or visit www. cca-manila.edu.ph. CCA Makati is located on H.V. dela Costa Street in Makati City.

Life

D2

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Gourmet, artisan producers, and food brands from across the world will be coming together at the much-awaited Speciality & Fine Food Asia trade show at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Singapore on July 18-20

GLOBAL EXHIBITORS

at Speciality & Fine Food Asia in Singapore

O

NE of the most hotly anticipated new launches in the Asian trade show calendar, Speciality & Fine Food Asia (SFFA) will take place in Singapore from July 18 to 20 at Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The eagerly-awaited show, which also incorporates Speciality Chocolate Asia, will take place alongside Restaurant, Pub & Bar Asia — a brand new trade show created in response to the demand from the restaurant, pub, bar and hospitality industries.

“We’re very excited to announce the first group of exhibitors that have been confirmed for Speciality & Fine Food Asia,” says Christopher McCuin, Group Business Development director, Fresh Montgomery. “There are amazing gourmet, artisan producers and brands from across the world—from

UK to Taiwan, and beyond—that are looking to establish or grow their presence in Southeast Asia.”

Fresh Montgomery, a specialist exhibition organizer in the foodservice and hospitality industries, has been organizing the UK edition of Speciality & Fine Food Fair in the last 17 years. Showcasing innovation from the finest artisan food and drink producers, the events are vibrant and pivotal in unveiling new brands and inspiring exciting trends.

By launching in Asia, Fresh Montgomery and its sister company Mont-

gomery Asia, are offering a unique opportunity for the fine food and drink producers to reach new markets.

The inaugural events in Singapore will mirror the dynamic UK concept, which draws in more than 850 exhibitors, and over 11,000 trade attendees each year. SFFA will host top attractions including Fine Food Live—an inspiring chefs’ demo theatre hosted by top chefs; a Business Mentoring Area where SME experts are on hand to offer free one-to-one advice; and a Start-Up Village—a zone devoted to 30 up-and-coming artisan food producers showcasing exciting and innovating products. Notably, with the rising demand for artisan and gourmet chocolate in Southeast Asia, Speciality Chocolate Asia will be the region’s only trade event dedicated to premium chocolate, and has already attracted chocolatiers from Vietnam, Singapore

Potato Safari 2017 THIS year’s Potato Safari has Potatoes USA partnering with 25 Seeds by Chef Saul del Rosario, Amare by Chef Chris Locher, Banh Mi by Chef Rex Soriano, and Denlim’s Kitchen by Chef Den Lim to create special US potato menu items offered to the public in all the participating restaurants until June 30.

The Potato Safari is an annual campaign of Potatoes USA that challenges local restaurants to create innovative recipes using US potatoes. These dishes are offered to the public for a limited time.

“There are other ways of cooking potatoes aside from the traditional fries,” said Reji Retugal-Onal, country representative of Potatoes USA, the marketing arm of the US potato industry. “Through Potato Safari, we would like to introduce innovative uses of potatoes in different dishes— from appetizers to desserts. At the same time, we encourage our partner restaurants to expand their menu and

delight their customers with unique offerings this summer,” she added.

Since its launch in 2014, Potatoes USA has brought the Potato Safari experience to selected restaurants in Cebu and Davao. Now, it’s Pampanga’s turn, the “Culinary Center of the Philippines”.

“Cebu, Davao, and Pampanga are among our key markets. We wanted our local chefs to unleash their creativity in creating a wide variety of dishes using a staple ingredient,” Retugal-Onal said. “US potatoes affords them versatility because of the wide range of cuts available and the consistency in supply,” she added.

25 Seeds is located at 2/F Dycaico Ancestral House, Barangay Sto. Rosario, Angeles City; Amare by Chef Chris is in Royce Hotel, M.A. Roxas Highway corner Ninoy Aquino Avenue, Clark Freeport; Banh Mi is at 1-1 Pacimar Estate Jesus St., Pulunbulu,

Taste award-winning products “It is an exciting opportunity to be able to showcase a number of Great Taste winners to the Southeast Asian market. Our winners are all genuine food people who care about the quality of food and drink they produce, said John Farrand, managing director, Guild of Fine Food. “We believe that Southeast Asian audiences are strong appreciators of fine food and drink products, and relish the chance to highlight some interesting and innovative producers to them at SFFA.” SFFA promises an unrivalled line-up that will make it a must-visit for trade buyers from retail, foodservice, travel, import, wholesale and distribution across Southeast Asia.

For regular updates, visit the official show websites Speciality-Asia. com and RPB-Asia.com.

Making Infused Water Fun to Drink for Kids

Denlim’s Kitchen’s US Potato Congee

Angeles City while Denlim’s Kitchen is on Maharlika Street in Sindalan, San Fernando Pampanga.

Learn more about Potatoes USA at www.potatoesusa-philippines.com and www.facebook.com/PotatoesUSAPhilippines.

B ITES

Red Ribbon’s graduation cake IT’S graduation time and Red Ribbon offers customizcustomiz able themed cake—the limited time offer Red Ribbon Graduation Cake, a mouthwatering vanilla cake with creamy white f r o s t i ng and chocolate icing borders. It is also decorated with colorful graduation-themed embellishments and features a gum paste topper, in which customers can select between a boy or a girl version of their choice.

“Red Ribbon values the success of all the graduating students this 2017. Graduation Day is one of the milestones that we always want to cherish. That is why we are offering this special cake to make the occasion much sweeter and even more

and Malaysia.

Singapore companies are strongly represented in the initial lineup, with cult favorite artisan brands like Shermay’s Fine Foods, Straits Preserves and Ette Tea part of the exhibitor list. Young, fast-growing brands like Coco Loco, Hook Coffee, We Are Cultured and Amazin’ Graze—all of whom started with a dynamic presence online, are now looking to expand their businesses on a B2B and regional level.

A full list of confirmed exhibitors can be found in the Annex.

A key partnership at the inaugural SFFA is with The Great Taste Awards—the globally recognized benchmark for the world’s best food and drink. It has been described as the “Oscars” of the food world and the “epicurean equivalent of the Booker prize.”

Organized by the Guild of Fine Food, visitors can expect to try over 200 Great

worth remembering,” said Ned Bandojo, Marketing head of Red Ribbon.

The cake can also be personalized by putting your spespe cial message on top. This cake comes in an 8x12 size for only P550.

The Red Ribbon Limited Time Offer Graduation Cake is available nationwide until May 31.

To know more about Red Ribbon’s many dede lights, visit www.redr ibbonbak e shop. com.ph.

Celebrate the success of graduating students with Red Ribbon Graduation Cake

SUPER moms know that for the kids to stay healthy and active, they need to drink lots of water throughout the day.

Unfortunately, water is not as appealing to kids as the sweet taste of sodas and juices, so how can moms encourage them to go for the healthier water?

One suggestion is introducing your children to infused water. Infused water can help your children hydrate more because it’s much more interesting than plain water. Apart from that, it’s a great substitute to sweetened drinks.

Drinking infused water is a widely accepted healthy practice for a lot of people. Water regulates body temperature and also keeps kids cool even while they are running around and playing. It carries nutrients to cells, while it also dilutes toxins and helps the body flush them out. It boosts the immune system and keeps your children from getting sick. Drinking lots of water helps in digestion and bowel movement too.

Here are some tips on how to encourage your kids to hydrate more with infused water: Make it colorful. Experiment not just with flavors, but with colors, as well.

With colorful fruits in the water, the drink looks visually inviting. With Contigo’s Tritan Pitcher, the seeds and fruit stay on their side of the pitcher while still making the water appealing to your kids. The Ice Core keeps the water cool and ready to pour and drink without the melting ice diluting the flavor.

Give your kids their own drinking bottle. Have them personalize it. They can put stickers on it and write their names at the bottom.

Want to wean your child off soda? Use sparkling water for your fruit-infused drinks instead of just the flat purified water. It’s an extra treat, espe-

cially on a hot day, without having to resort to unhealthy sodas.

Make infused water ice cubes.

Freeze your infused water, along with small pieces of fruits in an ice tray and add them to your child’s water. Kids prefer really cold water, they like it even better with ice in it.

Be an example. Do your kids see you drinking a lot of infused water throughout the day too? Go ahead and let them see you enjoying the infused water using the Contigo Tritan pitcher.

Contigo’s Tritan Pitcher is BPA-free. It features an infuser stick and ice core. Its unique quick release top makes it easy to refill and stir its contents. It automatically seals between pours to prevent leaks. It’s leak-proof and spill-proof! The simple and elegant design of the pitcher is also very practical: fits easily in your refrigerator. It can be used for any occasion — whether indoors or outdoors. Its ice core keeps your beverage cool without diluting it.

In the Philippines, Contigo products are exclusively distributed by The Neat Inc., and are available at SM Home in North Edsa, Aura Bonifacio Global City, Megamall, Mall of Asia, and Makati; Robinson’s Department Store in Ermita Manila, and Magnolia Quezon City. Toy Kingdom outlets in SM North Edsa and SM Megamall; and Banana Peel store in Alabang Town Center.

For more information, visit and like Contigo Ph on Facebook, and follow @ contigophilippines on Instagram.

Contigo Tritan Pitcher’s infuser stick makes it easy to create infused water

MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

Louise delos Reyes hops over to Viva AFTER her contract with GMA Artist Center expired early this year, Louise delos Reyes joined Viva Artists Agency.

“That’s right!” she says. “I just inked a managerial contract with Viva Artists Agency for five years. I’m excited with this new development in my career. Looking forward to the next steps.”

It’s a fact that she became popular on the Kapuso network. Her last major show with them was the hit fantasy-drama Magkaibang Mundo in 2016. Many are curious why she decided to leave its stable.

“Well, let’s just say that as an artist, perhaps, I just want to explore new horizons, meet new people and gain new experiences. But please don’t get me wrong. It doesn’t mean that because I left GMA, I wasn’t happy with the way they chartered my career. In fact, I’ll forever be grateful to them for all the opportunities they’ve given me.

“When I talked to the management about my decision to leave, we were happy. They wished me luck. I don’t have any resentment whatsoever because when I was still with them, I was given big projects that were ratings winners.

It’s just that I reached the point where I want to push my career further especially when it comes to screen roles.”

It can be remembered that she did a Cinema One material titled Baka Bukas opposite Jasmine Curtis-Smith.

“Yes! I can say it’s one of my most challenging roles to date. Actually, that project made me realize that there’s still a lot of roles I can portray where I can show my acting (sic) wares.

Now that I was given the chance, I want to make the most of it,” Louise explains.

With a new management, some quarters ask if she is ready to shed her sweet image.

“I think it’s high time because I’m already of age. Gone are my love team days. At this point, I want to become an actor in the truest sense of the word.”

Knowing Viva’s association with ABS-CBN, it’s not a remote possibility that she’ll be given the chance to appear in her former mother studio’s fiercest rival.

“That’s fine with me. I welcome the idea with open arms. Wherever Viva wants me to work, I’ll just follow. Anyway, I’m no stranger to the Kapamilya network having started with them as a child star. I had stints then in Maalaala Mo Kaya then Ang TV (Batch 2). I’m sure I won’t find it hard to adjust,” ends Louise. ******** Tom Rodriguez is back in the country after attending his father’s interment in the US. At age 76, the handsome actor’s dad, William Albert Mott, Sr. died due to lung cancer.

“Actually, I flew to America on March 17 upon knowing that my dad was in critical condition. I stayed there for more than a month to attend to his funeral and interment plus related stuff. That’s the reason why after my soap opera Someone to Watch over Me’and the talent reality show #LIKE, I opted not to accept any more shows because I knew I was going to be away for a considerable length of time,” Tom reveals.

The talented Kapuso admits he wasn’t expecting that his father would leave them this 2017.

“It’s tough. Dad left a huge dent in our hearts and we miss him a lot. But on the other hand, our family is happy in a way because he’s no longer suffering. As for me, I can say that I’m gradually moving on.”

It helps that when he came back, two shows are waiting for him: the grand tele-fantasya Mulawin Vs. Ravena and the romantic comedy series I Heart Davao. In both programs, he’ll be with steady date Carla Abellana.

“It’s a welcome thing for me definitely since our last project together was My Destiny almost three years ago. I’m excited,” states Tom.

Billy Crawford sells burger on TVC

J

UST when you thought the 4-Cheese Whopper couldn’t get any cheesier, Burger King really upped the game with the unveiling of its latest celebrity endorser—the equally beefy and cheesy Billy Crawford. The multitalented host/singer/actor is the new endorser for Burger King.

In the most recent campaign, Billy is endorsing the 4-Cheese Whopper, a certified bestseller for all burger fans who love biting into the ultimate cheeseburger experience.

“We are proud to present Billy as the fresh face of the brand. Billy’s outstanding talents and fun loving character are some of the qualities that people admire and can easily relate to. We are confident that Billy perfectly represents the brand and our famous 4-Cheese Whopper,”

said Jo Anne Tan, senior marketing manager of Burger King Philippines.

Crawford, as seen in the newly released TV and online advertisement, invites every cheeseburger lover in the country to try the juicy, flamegrilled, 100 percent beef patty, topped with four types of oozing, stretching, and melting cheese.

Burger King’s 4-Cheese Whopper is 100 percent beefy, 400 percent cheesy, and 500 percent tasty; with a hundred percent beef patty grilled to perfection, topped with a delicious combination of Swiss, American, and Mozzarella cheese, with a generous amount of cheddar cheese sauce that leaves a satisfying taste in the mouth.

“When it comes to burgers, both taste and size matter, just like Burger King’s 4-Cheese Whopper, which also comes in a more king-sized serving loaded with generous servings of cheese and juicy beef. When it comes to burgers, I’m very choosy, that’s why I’m proud to be part of the Burger King family, where it’s hip to be cheesy,” says Crawford who has been part of the entertainment industry since he was three and is currently host of the ABS-CBN noontime show, It’s Showtime. Some of his popular TV programs include Pilipinas Got Talent THE NEW KING. Billy Crawford (second from right) flanked by Burger King Philippines' and Your Face Sounds Familiar on (from left) Chris Punsalan, Jo Anne Tan, and Joan Aquino.

Kapamilya network.

Max Collins beyond showbiz IF THERE is one thing Max Collins is sure of, it’s this: showbiz isn’t forever. Despite working in the industry for more than a decade, she has a good understanding of the fleeting nature of fame and has since prepared a long-term plan beyond her entertainment career.

“In showbiz, work is usually on a perproject basis. Sometimes you work nonstop, but other times you get long vacant days,” Max shares. “This is why I took up an entrepreneurship course – not only is it fun, but it also helped me discover a different interest outside showbiz.”

Knowing all too well how the entertainment industry works, the newest endorser of Ever Bilena Advance admits that she is careful when it comes to her career choices. “I think it’s important to have a business to secure your finances,” she advises.

Having experienced a period of uncertainty in her career as well as lull moments waiting for the next project, has prompted the actress to explore other ventures outside showbiz; this includes her home service waxing business and a beauty app which she will launch later in the year.

“I just finished doing a show on GMA – Someone to Watch Over Me –now I have enough time to focus on my other projects.”

And with her workaholic personality, she adds, “I’m very hands-on with the details of my business, from the look and feel down to the admin work.”

Of course, being an actress and having beauty-centric businesses has also taught her to constantly look her best. “I’m the one who does my make-up when I don’t have a make-up artist on the set,” shares Max. “I usually prefer the natural look, so I always go for Ever Bilena Advance’s nude lipsticks, light blush, and contour to give my face a little color.” Meanwhile, her offduty make-up is often fuss-free, opting for EB Advance’s Lip and Cheek Stain and EB Advance Liquid Concealer.

With fame being fleeting, Max keeps a good head on her shoulder by coming up with businesses that are not too far from her current field. And being the newest endorser of Ever Bilena Advance, she can only be grateful for the many lessons she has learned from the company. She opines, “Ever Bilena treats everyone like family, and for me it goes beyond just the product – it is a lifestyle. Ever Bilena’s products are staples in every Pinay’s kikay kit. And I hope to achieve the same legacy not only in my businesses but also in the entertainment industry.”

Ever Bilena Advance is the premium

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, March 29, 2017

ACROSS 1 Wave away 5 Ben on “Bonanza” 10 Wings, in botany 14 Doozie 15 Bring up the rear 16 Manual 17 “— — Around” 18 Nobody can see it (2 wds.)

20 Entrances 22 Pigskin prop 23 Rockhound’s find 24 Where roses climb 26 Pre-DVD format 27 Horse, updated 30 Straightens up 34 Crete’s sea 35 Porgy’s woman 36 Lemon — 37 Electrical units 38 Moss leaf 40 — Valley, Calif.

41 Norm 42 Weather org.

43 Gardener’s flags 45 Shellfish 47 Never outdated 48 Loop trains 49 Pipe up 50 “Nick of Time” Grammy winner

53 Hamm of soccer 54 Half a pooch 58 Unsure (3 wds.)

61 Sleep like — — 62 Jean Auel heroine 63 Pharaohs’ amulets 64 Prefix for “trillion” 65 Teen hangout 66 Artful dodges 67 Crystal-gazer DOWN 1 Hit some ice 2 Sci-fi award 3 Dairy-case buy 4 Goes faster 5 Soho co.

6 He may rant 7 Like the upper atmosphere 8 Goddess of victory 9 Bay State tree 10 Vouch for 11 Apollo’s mother 12 Pink-slipped 13 Raison d’ — 19 Titled Turks 21 Baja Ms. 25 Elegant sweets 26 Trace 27 Buccaneers’ home 28 Fixer-upper project

29 Greek market 30 Toshiba rival 31 Beethoven’s “Fur —” 32 Puts the finger on 33 Dotted fabric 35 Pasture sound 39 “The Facts of Life” star 40 Stovepipes (2 wds.)

42 “Cape Fear” star 44 Very, informally 46 Deadly

47 Cochise or Geronimo 49 Plummets 50 Knock about 51 Seton of “Foxfire” 52 “— cost you” 53 PC list 55 Helm position 56 Disgruntled 57 Seaweed derivative 59 Wide companion 60 Mountain curve

product line under Ever Bilena Cosmetics Inc that takes your look to a whole new level. It provides a full range of makeup essentials, including eye make-up kits, CC and BB cream, foundation and concealer, cheek

and lip tint, lipsticks, eye makeup remover, and paddle brushes.

To learn more about Ever Bilena Advance and its products, visit www.everbilena.com.ph, and follow www.facebook.com/ EBAdvance.

Phenomenal TV star Maine Mendoza met with her fans in an organized event held in Subic. Capped off by the launch of lanterns at a beachfront (inset), Maine thanked her fans for their overwhelming support.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

MAINE MENDOZA

shows love and appreciation for fans D ESPITE her busy schedule, Maine Mendoza makes sure that she has time for her supporters.

On May 6, fans of the Eat Bulaga mainstay organized a surprise party for Maine at the Whiterock Waterpark and Beach Hotel in Subic, Zambales. Several guests attended the party, which included some of Maine’s family and closest friends.

The party — aptly titled Maine @ 22: A Sky Full of Stars, a reference to a song by Maine’s favorite band Coldplay — served as a belated birthday celebration for Maine, who turned 22 in March, and was also meant to commemorate Maine’s second year in show business. The TV host-actress first appeared in Eat Bulaga in July 2015.

Part of the celebration was the members of the Solid Maine United fans club, organizers of the event, performing songand-dance numbers for Maine. The party’s highlight, however, was the launch of sky lanterns by the Subic beachfront.

According to Gwen Gencianos of Solid Maine United, the group decided to hold a beach party because they “know that Maine is very fond of the beach.”

“Nakita naming na stressed si Maine lately lalo na sa everyday taping niya. So we decided na i-push na talaga,” she said.

The group held a Coachella-themed surprise birthday party for Maine last year.

“For that party, her wish na tinupad naman was to receive a lot of birthday cakes, pangarap n’ya yun kahit hindi pa siya artista,” she added.

This year, they decided to fulfill Maine’s wish of flying sky lanterns.

“The objective why we did this was because, hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin niya na-a-absorb yung lahat sa showbiz. She still can’t believe na she has supporters, so the birthday parties, a once a year activity where we show how much we love her,” Gwen said. “We treasure every moment with Maine kasi yung time n’ya is very, very precious. It’s really a wonderful opportunity.”

Maine turned emotional as she expressed her gratitude and love for the fans who have been supporting her since she joined showbiz. She also offered the party to Raz Alfaro, a member of the Solid Maine United who passed away last March.

“Habang-buhay kong i-te-treasure itong binibigay at ginagawa ninyo sa akin kahit wala na kayo isa-isa,” she said.

Maine added, “Let’s be real here — tatanda rin tayong lahat. Pwedeng phase lang din ito ng buhay natin. Pero gusto kong malaman n’yo na sobrang thankful ako na napaggdaanan ko ito and I got to share this with all of you.”

The surprise beach party was only one of the three belated birthday parties organized by fans that Maine attended.

In March, various fan groups organized a birthday party for her at The Tent in Acacia Estates, Taguig City.

Members of the fans groups performed for Maine — but the highlight of the event was the viewing of that night’s episode of Destined To Be Yours.

Alden Richards, her Destined To Be Yours co-star and Eat Bulaga co-host, was not able to make it to the event due to a prior commitment but nonetheless sent his best wishes for Maine via a video message, much to the delight of the fans.

Maine’s parents Teodoro and Mary Ann Mendoza thanked the fans that painstakingly organized the event for their daughter.

“Salamat sa mga nagbigay ng oras para sa birthday celebration ni Maine,” Teodoro said. “Ang birthday wish ko kay Maine, sana yung health niya, huwag niyang pababayaan, sana maayos lagi ang kanyang kalusugan. At sana, lagi siyang ligtas.”

He added, “At sana, huwag kang makakalimot sa iyong pinagmulan at pinagdaanan.

Lagi kang magpapasalamat.”

“Gusto kong magpasalamat sa inyo at sa pangalawang pagkakataon e andito na naman po kami upang i-celebrate pa ang kanyang birthday at second year sa show business,” Mary Ann told the fans. “Masaya po kami dahil hindi kayo nagsasawa mula sa unang taon hanggang ngayon. Sana po ay huwang ninyong pagsawaan ang suporta n’yo sa AlDub.” Last month, Maine attended another fanorganized birthday party titled Sparkling 22 at the Manila Hotel.

Alden was able to attend the party and gave a short but heartfelt message for Maine.

“Wala naman tayong dapat patunayan sa iba,” he said. “Kumbaga, nagkita tayo for a reason.”

Alden added, “On behalf of every one, we love you. Ako, andito lang ako para sa iyo.”

As always, Maine remains humble even

as she continues to reserve overwhelming support from her fans — supporters who she already consider as important people in her life.

“Tama nga talaga yung sinasabi ni Alden na time is the greatest gift you can give to someone. Saka, syempre love. Nakakatuwa isipin na kayong lahat na andito ngayon, talagang naglaan kayo ng oras para macelebrate yung birthday ko. Malaking bagay para sa akin yun,” she said.

In addition, she said, “Ewan ko, nahihirapan pa rin talaga akong isipin kung bakit ba talaga ako andito. Pero sobrang thankful ako sa suporta n’yo po at pagmamahal n’yo sa amin ni Alden mula simula hanggang ngayon. Sana patuloy n’yo po kaming suportahan sa mga gagawin po namin in the future. Maraming salamat po talaga. Maraming salamat sa oras, sa suporta, at pagmamahal. Thank you, AlDub you all.”

Maine’s fans have a lot to look forward to this year. Besides her ongoing GMA soap opera, she is also slated to do a movie later this year with Alden — follow up to the hit 2016 movie Imagine You and Me. She is also working on her first book, to be published by Summit Media.

‘Forever Sucks’ back for season 3 with more twists, more love LAUNCHED in the summer of 2016, the web-only series Forever Sucks has become one of the biggest hits of D5STUDIO. Directed by acclaimed indie filmmaker Joel Ferrer, the comedy series with a supernatural twist is headlined by Jasmine CurtisSmith who plays Izabel, a 170-year-old vampire pretending to be a normal 21-year-old who works in a call center.

In Izabel’s quest to find true love, she ends up getting her heart broken in the show’s maiden season but somehow manages to bounce back with a new love interest in Season 2.

Because of her immortality, Izabel remains torn between living in the moment or in her own words, “choosing unhappiness” if and when Kiko, the present love of her life played by Felix Roco, dies of natural or other causes.

Ferrer said the plot further thickens in season 3 as more new

A scene from the latest season of D5Studio's "Forever Sucks"

characters are added.

“Most of Izabel’s vampire friends start to show up. Also, someone from Kiko’s past enters the picture. This season will feel like a Valentine’s season dahil sa mga bagong nabubuong love interests,” the director revealed.

For Ferrer, Forever Sucks is one of the most rewarding projects he has ever been fortunate to be involved with. He considers it quite a joyride to work with the show’s crew and cast members that also include Gab Pangilinan, Gio Gahol, and Sari Estrada.

“Working with the cast and crew feels like home. It gets easier and easier kasi in sync na lahat ng tao with each other. May chemistry ang buong group which is important in any kind of production,” he added.

“The show’s success is mainly because of the chemistry of everybody. From the cast and crew, everybody likes to be there, it’s more than work. And the story is well studied and debated.

We don’t want to put out a story that is half-baked. We want to push the boundaries of the storytelling, and it’s really good because everyone on the set feels the same way.”

Already, the director is excited about a possible season 4 should Forever Sucks be renewed for another run.

“Hopefully the show will get bigger with the stakes higher and emotions much higher. Of course, we wouldn’t want to stray away from the light narrative we are doing. Forever Sucks will remain easy watching but we will definitely have more discussions on the show’s direction if we get to that next point.”

Forever Sucks Season 3 premieres on D5 STUDIO (www. d5.studio) in June. Past seasons can also be viewed on YouTube at www.youtube.com/d5studio.

JC and Bianca Gonzalez-Intal create a better home for their family RAISING a family is fun yet challenging. It requires time, commitment, and patience as you juggle responsibilities at home and at work. This is true for everyone, even for married celebrity couples like JC and Bianca Gonzalez-Intal. As seen on social media, the professional basketball player father and the TV host mother tries to make the most of their time for their little family. The snippets of their lives show a family eager to celebrate many firsts of every size—from being on a production set together for the first time to capturing Lucia’s first walk.

Samsung Digital Appliances, a leader in home appliance innovations, welcomes JC, Bianca and their daughter Lucia to the Samsung family as their newest ambassadors.

The Intals enter a different spotlight as they conquer their responsibilities as new parents at home, tackling some of their toughest challenges with the help of the newest roster of Samsung’s Digital Appliances, which include air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, and microwave ovens.

“The Intals are an embodiment of millions of other Filipinos trying to find their way as they start a new family, making them the perfect

trio to help launch Samsung Digital Appliances this year,” shares Chad Sotelo, Samsung Marketing director.

“They exemplify a family committed to giving the best for their home, and our appliances are built to solve reallife challenges and deliver meaningful innovations—making them the ultimate partners in life.”

Samsung’s partnership with Bianca stretches back to 2013 and has spanned different product categories for the brand. This is her first year appearing in Samsung together with her new family. As a long time fan of the brand, she says being the ambassador for Samsung Digital Appliances is like going full circle.

“As a new mother, I now get to share this love for the brand with my husband and daughter, and no less for a campaign that aims to help millions of families have a smarter and more efficient way of living; making the experience even more special and significant,” says Bianca.

Like the Intals, create a better home for your family with Samsung Digital Appliances by heading to authorized Samsung dealers nationwide. For more details, visit the Samsung Facebook page or log on to www.samsung.com/ ph.

Bianca and JC together with their daughter Lucia are the picture of a happy family