Manila Standard - 2017 May 16 - Tuesday

Warning on P8-t buildup ignored By John Paolo Bencito and Vito Barcelo MORE than 12-million jobs will be created over the next five years when the administration starts rolling out its ambitious P8-trillion infrastructure development plan, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said Monday even as an analyst warned that the additional spending might sink the country into “virtual debt bondage.” “After listening to my coworkers, they picture a golden age of infrastructure, which to the Department of Labor is the golden age for employment. It’s a golden age for build, build, build. To the Department of Labor that means the golden age of jobs, jobs, jobs,” Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello told an audience of mostly Chinese businessmen and the foreign press in Beijing. “With $164-billion infrastructure projects for the next five years, we are talking of not less than 12-million jobs for our countrymen,” he added. The January 2017 Labor Force Survey from the Philippine Statistics Office shows that the employment rate is at 93.4 percent, underemployment is at 16.3 percent, while unemployment is at 6.6 percent. While the administration creates more than a million jobs every year, increased infrastructure spending in the country would likely double the number of Next page

Sino loan to finance weapons’ buy—DND VOL. XXXI • NO. 91 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

PARTNERS. President Rodrigo Duterte gets a warm welcome from China President Xi Jinping prior to the holding of the first session of the Leaders’ Roundtable with the theme ‘Synergy for Closer Partnership.’ Presidential Photo

By John Paolo Bencito and Francisco Tuyay THE Philippines is ready to buy planes, fast boats and drones from China using a $500-million long-term soft loan to build up its defense capabilities, Defense Secretary Delfin Lazaro said Monday. After executives of the stateowned arms manufacturer Poly Technologies paid a courtesy call on President Rodrigo Duterte, who is on a working visit in Beijing, Lorenzana said he signed a nonbinding letter of intent to buy defense equipment, including “airplanes, drones [and] fast boats” that can help the military stop bandit groups and pirates operating in Basilan, Tawi-Tawi and Sulu. “We’re not saying we will buy or not. But if we need anything from the Chinese defense industry, we will procure [these] using the loans they will offer us,” he said. Beijing offered a $500-million loan on standby, which the Philippines can draw from once the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ modernization fund is fully used up. “If we still have money, we will buy with our money. When we run out, that’s when we dip into their loan,” Lorenzana said. Lorenzana said a technical team will have to inspect the equipment being offered, while the Defense department will consult with the Army, Navy and Next page

PH, China set ‘peace’ gab Bilateral talks slated on May 17, a first in joint bid to end sea row By John Paolo Bencito

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte vowed Monday that the Philippines would continue to “peacefully engage” with China to lower tensions in the South China Sea, saying that bilateral meetings that would be held for the first time on May 17 were a step in the right direction towards settling the territorial dispute between the two countries. “It is important to keep our communication lines open. I am pleased that we have established a bilateral consultation mechanism on the South China Sea. This is one step forward toward peacefully engaging disputes and I hope the inaugural meeting will be a success,” Duterte told President Xi Jinping during their meeting at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People.

Formed during President Duterte’s first trip to China last year, the bilateral consultative mechanism (BCM) will see Filipino and Chinese officials meet for the first time from May 18 to 19 to tackle the South China Sea dispute. Manila’s Ambassador to Beijing, Jose Santiago Sta. Romana will lead the Philippine delegation during the bilateral discussions,

while China will be represented by Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua. Duterte said the mechanism should be used to strengthen relations between the two countries. “We have signed many agreements and resumed bilateral dialogue mechanisms, such as the foreign ministry consultation. These are steps... in the right direction,” Duterte said. Foreign Affairs Executive Director Evangeline Ong said the bilateral consultative mechanism would allow both countries to separate the tracks where they cooperate well, and where they have problems. For his part, Xi said the relations between the Philippines and China Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana shares his views on the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation have improved since Duterte’s state during a press briefing at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Beijing. Members of Mr. Duterte’s Cabinet are in full force Next page including Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez. Presidential Photo visit in October 2016.

‘Impeach-Duterte’ bid rejected

Napoles’ petition cast aside

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives’ committee on justice on Monday junked the impeachment complaint filed against President Rodrigo Duterte, with all 42 of the members present voting that it was

By Maricel V. Cruz and Rey E. Requejo THE Sandiganbayan on Monday denied the request of accused pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles to be detained at the National Bureau of Investigation, ordering her transfer instead to Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City from the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City. The court’s First and Third Divisions, in separate orders, granted the prosecution’s motion to have Napoles, who is accused of plunder, detained at Camp Bagong Diwa. Napoles had been serving a 20- to 40-year sentence in the Correctional Institution for Women after a Makati court convicted her of serious illegal detention, but asked to be transferred to the NBI after the Court of Appeals overturned her conviction this month. Next page

insufficient in substance. The committee, chaired by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, said the complaint filed by Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano was sufficient in form but lacked substance because it relied on hearsay allegations against the

President. House Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas subjected Alejano to intense grilling on the impeachment complainants’s verification of the complaint by asking Alejano if he would have Next page

Ex-Transport chief found Abu Sayyaf, liable for MRT mess—Poe 11 Maute men fall By Macon RamosAraneta

REJECTED. Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano ponders his next move after he gets raked over the coals before the House committee on justice which eventually decides to dump his impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte. Manny Palmero

SENATOR Grace Poe said Monday former Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya was remiss in his job when he signed for his department a P3.8-billion contract with a new maintenance company that resulted in the many problems hounding Metro Rail Transit 3. “Yes, I can see he committed some blunders and and he even admitted them,” Poe said. “He was the one who said he did not know what he entered into. He just fully trusted the previous DoTC officials that he said

were doing their job well.” Abaya’s revelation that he signed the contracts for MRT 3 without going through the “nitty gritty” was the biggest disclosure in Monday’s hearing of the Senate committee on public services led by Poe. “Perhaps that’s the biggest revelation here: He allowed the entry of a maintenance contract to replace Sumitomo but he did not know the details of this [contract],” Poe said. “He said he merely signed because, as he said, he was just new there... the past secretary [before him] and the latter’s people decided on the contract.” Next page

THE military said Monday a member of the Abu Sayyaf who served as a contact, spotter and purchaser of high-speed boats in the group’s cross-border hijacking and kidnapping activities was arrested in Tawi-Tawi on Saturday. Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokesman of the Western Mindanao Command, identified the suspect as Sahidul Bandhala Jikiri who carries the aliases Idul, Jamiri Saidul, Saidul Idul and Jikiri Saidul. He said Jikiri was a resident of Next page

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TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

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SWS: Agencies rate ‘good’ P UBLIC satisfaction with key government institutions remained “good” in the first quarter of 2017, the latest Social Weather Stations survey revealed Monday.

The survey, conducted among 1,200 respondents, found half of those polled said they were satisfied with the performance of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet while 17 percent were dissatisfied and 31 percent were

undecided. Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said the results of the latest SWS survey indicated that the Senate was going in the right direction. “Our positive numbers are en-

Sino...

In May, two US senators filed a bill barring the sale of certain weapons by the United States to the Philippine National Police over concerns about the rising death toll in the war on drugs. The bill called Philippines Human Rights Accountability and Counternarcotics Act of 2017, was filed by Ben Cardin and Marco Rubio. “No defense articles or defense services may be exported, and no licenses for export of any item controlled by the United States for law enforcement, riot control, or related purposes may be issued, for the use of Philippine National Police or entities associated with the Philippine National Police,” the bill said. The restrictions, however, would not apply to the export of defense articles, or the provision of training for Coast Guard drug interdiction, criminal justice programs, human rights training and counter-terrorism programs. The bill states that the US will continue to support the Philippines on defense, counter-terrorism, maritime law enforcement, and maritime domain awareness. It also authorizes $50 million for the use of the Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development to “promote a public health approach to substance abuse and to support Filipino defenders of human rights, assist victims of human rights violations, respond to human rights emergencies, and promote and encourage the rule of law, including the support for nongovernmental organizations in the Philippines.”

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Air Force about their requirements and determine if the Chinese weapons are in line with the specifications of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In December, Beijing gave Manila a $14-million (P700 million) grant to buy four fast boats, 200 sniper rifles, several hundred rocket-propelled grenades and ammunition that are scheduled to be delivered by the end of the year. But Lorenzana said the insurgency and criminality in the South are driven by the lack of economic opportunities, and said he was hopeful that the opportunities brought about by China’s One Belt One Road program would address some of these problems and improve the security situation there. Poly Technologies, a subsidiary of China Poly Group, was among four Chinese companies that faced US sanctions for allegedly breaching a US law designed to hamper the development of weapons of mass destruction by Iran, North Korea and Syria in 2013. The sanctions mean that no US government department or agency may enter into procurement contracts with the companies or assist them. Poly Technologies has denied the US allegations. Most of the weaponry in the Armed Forces inventory are Western-acquired armaments, particularly from the United States and regional allies.

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personal knowledge of the accusations he hurled against President Duterte as cited in the impeachment complaint. Fariñas said Alejano must be able to show he had personal knowledge of the allegations against the President otherwise lawmakers would be entertaining a “stupid impeachment complaint bereft of any probative value.” Addressing Alejano, Fariñas said: “You stated under oath that your material allegations [are based on personal knowledge]. You said it all under oath and yet these are all hearsay allegations; you do not have authentic records,” Fariñas told Alejano. Fariñas went through Alejano’s impeachment complaint and the supplement complaint to the impeachment line by line and said Alejano merely based his allegations on affidavits and testimonies of other persons such as self-confessed Davao Death Squad members Arturo Lascañas, Edgar Matobato and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and newspaper accounts, such as online news reports and not on authenticated records. “I have no personal knowledge as a witness but I have personal knowledge as a complainant based on the records,” Alejano said, adding that he went through the records thoroughly

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Testifying during the hearing, Abaya told Poe’s committee he was not aware that PH-Trams CB&T that won a maintenance deal for MRT 3 was only two months old and had no more than P500,000 in capitalization, but he signed the contract anyway. Sumitomo was the MRT 3’s maintenance provider from 2000 to 2010. After Sumitomo, the government awarded an interim maintenance contract to PH Trams-CB&T. “Secretary Abaya, are you aware that PH-Trams was incor-

and he believed in them. Fariñas made Alejano admit that he had no personal knowledge of the allegations by asking if he was able to witness all of these on his own. Clearly, it’s not in his personal knowledge. That is the defect here… You are introducing statements under oath, these are not your own. These are all hearsay,” Fariñas said. He also warned that Alejano could be facing perjury charges and an ethics case for submitting a flawed impeachment complaint. In his defense, Alejano said his complaint was based on “authentic documents.” I culled from important records including the news reports regarding the authentic records. I understand we are not here where we would present the evidence. There is no marking of evidence yet,” Alejano said. My allegations are based on authentic records… In proper time we will present the authentic records, Mr. Chair,” Alejano added. But Umali agreed with Fariñas, likening the impeachment to a case undergoing preliminary investigation before a prosecutor. He said the impeachment complaint would be a “mere scrap of paper” should Alejano—being the complainant—fail to substantiate his allegations based on his personal knowledge. With John Paolo Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta porated just a few months before actually winning a bid?” Poe said. “Did you know that it has a small capitalization, about P625,000, when you gave the contract for more than 50 million [pesos] a month? It had been incorporated for only two months and yet it won a contract? Were you not surprised?” Abaya replied that, being new, he did not know those facts. He also said he was advised not to interfere in the bidding process since the “eventual appeal” would be brought to his office anyway. He also said it was the CB&T that was invited to join the bidding for the MRT 3 maintenance service because of its track record.

couraging, and can be viewed as an indicator that our people are pleased with the direction of the Senate and the work it is doing,” Pimentel said. The Cabinet’s net satisfaction rating remained unchanged at a “good” +32, the same as in the previous quarter. The Senate’s satisfaction ratings remained highest at a “good” +52, with 65 percent satisfied, 13 percent dissatisfied and 21 percent undecided with

the performance of the Senate in the first quarter of 2017. The Senate’s net satisfaction score was one grade and four points higher than December’s “good” +48 score. Net public satisfaction with the House of Representatives remained “good”, edging up three points to +39 with 53 percent satisfied, 14 percent dissatisfied and 30 percent undecided from the previous +36 in December.

The Supreme Court’s net satisfaction rating similarly remained “good”, inching up two points to +40 with 56 percent satisfied, 16 percent dissatisfied and 27 percent undecided from December’s +38. The First Quarter Social Weather Survey, conducted from March 25 to 28, had sampling error margins of ±3 percent for national percentages. John Paolo Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta

LEADERS' PARTNERS. President Rodrigo Duterte’s partner Honeylet Avancena (right) joins the spouses

program for the partners of the different heads of state who attended the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation at the Forbidden City in Beijing, China on May 15. While Mr. Duterte and other heads of states were attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, Honeylet and the others were given a tour at the Forbidden City, one of the major cultural and historical sites of China. Presidential Photo

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As both countries try to write a “new chapter of collaboration,” Duterte signed four agreements on power, human resource development, finance and communications when he met with President Xi and Prime Minister Li Kequiang on the sidelines of the One Belt, One Road Forum at Beijing. Duterte said his visit to China affirmed mutual interests in furthering the partnership between Manila and Beijing. “I am pleased to be back in Beijing upon invitation of your government. We have yet another important opportunity to take stock of our relations and the progress we made during my state visit,” he said. “As I’ve said before the Philippines and China are writing a new chapter of collaboration in these modern times. Allow me to highlight the following: on strengthening bilateral relations, my state visit last year reaffirms our mutual interest in furthering our partnership,” he added. Following President Duterte’s visit to Beijing in October, Du-

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But First Division acting chairperson Geraldine Econg said the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, not the NBI, had the mandate to take custody of persons detained who were awaiting investigation or trial. She added that a plea for safety and security was “premature at this stage.” Napoles, in her motion, said threats had been made on her life, particularly after the government said it would consider her as a state witness in the pork barrel scam. Napoles’ lawyer, Stephen David, said they will appeal the Asked by Poe if the DoTC had already decided to award the contract to PH-Trams, Abaya said he was not aware of it because at the time he was occupied with familiarizing himself at the DoTC. “I was orienting on air, on sea. That was my last concern,” said Abaya who was Transport secretary under the administration of President Benigno Aquino III. Pressed by Poe if he agreed and approved the maintenance contract although he did not know the background of PH-Trams and the particulars, Abaya said yes. “Because there was a presumption that the organization, that the bureaucracy was doing its job,” Abaya said.

terte was able to forge a tentative fisheries agreement with China that enabled Filipino fishermen to enter the disputed Scarborough Shoal. Members of his economic team said that while the Philippines is not giving up its sovereignty, the disputes should not stop the country from forging trade and economic ties with other claimant countries like China. The Department of Foreign Affairs said that during the Leaders’ Roundtable for the One Belt, One Road Forum in Beijing, Duterte spoke of “concrete proposals on generating economic growth and tackling global economic challenges” and emphasized his administration’s commitment to bring inclusive growth in the Philippines. Duterte also pitched his ambitious P8-trillion plan that would use high-impact projects to create jobs and bring down the cost of doing business through logistical and infrastructure support. The President also spoke of attempts to modernize agriculture and expand industrialization to give farmers, producers and manufacturers more efficient and cost-effective access to internal and external markets,

the DFA said. For the President, the Philippine approach “can complement regional and international connectivity mechanisms, such as China’s One Belt, One Road initiative and the Asean Master Plan on Connectivity. Duterte also referred to enforcement of laws to address the illegal drug trade and stressed his determination to combat corruption. Duterte cited the need for “clean and green” infrastructure construction, saying that the environment should be the strong foundation upon which infrastructure is built. On Sunday, Duterte met with Mongolian Prime Minister Jargaltulga Erdenebat on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing. In discussing regional developments, Duterte expressed his view that peace is better served when there is more participation by stakeholders in the region. He welcomed Mongolia’s growing ties with the region, saying that he felt that a closer partnership with Asean would be desirable. Mongolia is host to more than 200 Filipinos, a number of whom work in professional services.

decision of the Sandiganbayan. Napoles and former senator Jinggoy Estrada are facing plunder and multiple counts of graft in connection with the alleged pork barrel scam before the two courts. The Sandiganbayan Third Division turned down the request of Napoles--where former senator Juan Ponce Enrile was her co-accused. The court’s Fifth Division on the same matter was not yet resolved as of press time Monday--where former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. is Napoles’ co-accused. “The NBI is neither a police station nor a jail,” Sandiganbayan Presiding Justice Amparo Cabotaje-Tang, who chairs the Third Division, said, citing Sec-

tion 3, Rule 113 of the Rules of Court, that the accused shall be delivered to “the nearest police station or jail without unnecessary delay.” Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday assured the public that the reinvestigation of the Department of Justice into the multibillion-peso pork barrel fund anomaly would not be selective, unlike it was during the previous administration. “Rest assured that while I am serving as secretary of Justice, we will be guided only by evidence. There will be no selective justice or miscarriage of justice just like what happened during the time of my predecessor,” Aguirre told reporters.

Abu...

when they were surprised by soldiers in simultaneous raids. The military raiding team seized eight high-powered firearms including a 60mm mortar grenade launcher, an M60 machine gun, an M14 rifle, an M16 rifle, a Garand rifle and several ammunition. Petinglay said members of the Marine Battalion Landing Team 10 were talking with some residents in Sipangkot when one of the residents identified Jikiri as an alleged member of the Abu Sayyaf. Joint Task Force Tawi-Tawi commander Brigadier General Custodio Parcon confirmed the incident. Florante S. Solmerin and Francisco Tuyay

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Barangay Sipangkot in Sitangkal town. Another official said 11 suspected members of the terrorist group Maute were arrested during lightning raids of their lair in Lanao del Sur on Monday. Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said the 11 Maute rebels were nabbed in Marogong, Lanao del Sur, around 5:20 a.m. Maj. Gen. Arnel dela Vega, commander of the Army’s 6th Infantry Division, said the Maute members were in three houses

Drug war death toll down 2% TWO months after Oplan Tokhang 2: Project Double Barrel Reloaded was launched, the government significantly improved its performance in the campaign against illegal drugs, the Interior department said in a statement Monday. Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III said the death toll from drug-related police operations went down to 2 percent from the 5.3 percent during the initial implementation of Oplan Tokhang. “We have noted a sharp decrease in the number of deaths during police operations,” Densing said. “Before, one drug suspect died in every 20 police operations because they fought back and endangered the lives of our operatives. This time, only one suspect lost his life in every 50 operations.” Densing made his statement even as Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada fired five members of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau after they were found positive for drug use. They were part of the 240 MTPB enforcers who were subjected to a surprise drug test on April 24. “Government work is serious business. We have no room for drug addicts,” Estrada said. Densing said Oplan Tokhang 2 was “a lot better” than the initial Oplan Tokhang implementation that recorded 1,665 deaths (5.3 percent) out of the 31,200 operations from July to September 2016. He said there were only 183 deaths (2 percent) out of the 9,353 anti-drug operations from March 6 to May 5, 2017 during Oplan Tokhang 2. He rejected previous reports that the death toll related to the anti-drug campaign had reached 7,000. Chief Supt. Dennis A. Siervo of the PNP Human Rights Affairs Office said the PNP was strictly observing the principles of self-defense as articulated in the Article II of the Revised Penal Code. With Sandy Araneta

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jobs, particularly in the manufacturing and infrastructure sector, economic managers said. The administration’s infrastructure plan will spend P3.6 trillion from 2018 to 2020, mostly funded through domestic and foreign borrowing. Anders Corr, founder of Corr Analytics, however, warned that the Philippines’ plan to spend P8.2 trillion or about $167 billion on infrastructure projects may sink the country deeper into debt, mostly through foreign loans funded through China’s Belt and Road initiative. “Dutertenomics, fueled by expensive loans from China, will put the Philippines into virtual debt bondage if allowed to proceed,” Corr said. Corr said that the fund that will be used for the Duterte administration’s infrastructure program will bring the total national government debt of the Philippines from $123 billion to $290 billion or P14.4 trillion. “More likely according to my analysis, at 10-percent interest the new debt could go to $452 billion, bringing Philippines’ debt-to-GDP ratio to 197 percent, second-to-worst in the world,” he said in a Forbes article Sunday. “That understates the burden to the Philippines, as existing national government debt would also accrue interest over that time, and such interest was not included in the analysis,” he added. Corrs warned that the once the Philippines’ debt to GDP ratio balloons to 296 percent, the country will no longer be able to repay China. “Without much needed transparency from the Duterte government and China on the rate, conditionality, and repayment terms of $167 billion of new debt for the Philippines, the public should assume, to forestall a worst-case scenario, that the rate would be somewhere between 10 percent and 15 percent,” Corr said.

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TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Trader runs to DoJ on Trillanes ‘bribery’ THE businesswoman who admitted she was being bribed by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to testify against President Rodrigo Duterte on the dreaded Davao Death Squad killings has sought help from the Department of Justice. Accompanied by lawyer Bruce Rivera, Guillermina Arcillas met with Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and expressed her willingness to file criminal charges against Trillanes. Aguirre offered Arcillas with coverage of the government’s Witness Protection Program for her safety but she declined the offer. “She wants to file a case. She was offered witness protection, but we didn’t want it at this point since we don’t want this thing to be colored by politics. We just have to make sure that she was properly secured,” Rivera said in an interview after the closeddoor meeting. Arcillas said she decided to seek help from the DoJ after receiving death threats that she believed came from the camp of the senator. “No other than Senator Trillanes,” Arcillas said, when asked who she thought was behind the threats. Arcillas also reiterated that she has no links with President Duterte and has never talked to him. “Up to now, I haven’t made contact with the President. We never had any communication,” she said in Filipino. Rivera, former lawyer of pork barrel scam queen Janet Lim-Napoles, clarified that he is not Arcillas’ lawyer and that he only accompanied her to the office of Aguirre. “She has a lawyer in Davao City who will handle everything. I’m just here to help her out in talking with Secretary Aguirre and deciphering for everyone on how we are going to do about it,’ he said. Arcillas earlier claimed that one of Trillanes’ staff member offered her P1 million to implicate Duterte in the DDS killings and support the testimonies of witnesses Edgar Matobato and Arthur Lascañas. She said she was offered P500,000 as initial downpayment and another P500,000 after the filing of the case against Duterte before the International Criminal Court. Rey E. Requejo

ON THE HOT SEAT. Former Department of Transportation and Communications secretary Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya and former DoTC Undersecretary for Project Implementation and Special Concerns Julianito Bucayan testify before Senators Grace Poe and JV Ejercito,into the reported inefficient management and maintenance of the Metro Rail Transit 3 resulting in increasing incidents of train malfunctions and the need to examine the newly delivered Dalian Trains due to allegations that it will remain unusable until 2018. Ey Acasio

SC clears ex-Sandiganbayan justice of ‘impropriety’

Senate okays bill on passport extension

By Rey E. Requejo

By Macon Araneta

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HE Supreme Court has cleared a former Sandiganbayan justice of impropriety, specifically on the allegations that he had an illicit affair with a Caloocan City clerk of court whose name appeared as the co-owner of a property he purchased in Las Piñas City. In a decision penned by Associate Justice Jose Mendoza, the SC dismissed for lack of merit the administrative complaint filed against retired Justice Associate Justice Roland Jurado for allegedly having an illicit affair with Caloocan City clerk of court Mona Lisa Buencamino, and for allegedly amassing unexplained wealth. Jurado was the Sandiganbayan magistrate who ordered the arrest of former senator Jinggoy

Estrada in 2015 for his alleged involvement in misuse of his pork barrel funds as lawmaker. The high court also exonerated Jurado of the allegation that he had amassed unexplained wealth and for his failure to declare all his real estate properties in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. “The court finds the complaint bereft of merit… [T]here is no prima facie evidence showing that either Justice Jurado or Buencamino has unlawfully ac-

Jinggoy seeks leave for bum shoulder By Maricel V. Cruz DETAINED former senator Jinggoy Estrada has asked the Sandiganbayan to allow him to be brought to a hospital over complaints of aching right shoulder. In a four-page motion, Estrada asked the court’s Fifth Division that he may be allowed to undergo a medical checkup at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City at the soonest possible time. Estrada’s lawyers said the former senator experienced extreme pain in his right shoulder in the late afternoon of May 11. They said Estrada had been in pain since last April 2016. “As the pain on accused-movant’s right shoul-

DISASTER READINESS.

A US Marine soldier operates a communication equipment during a simulation of a disaster drill as part of the annual joint Philippines-US military exercise in Casiguran town, Aurora province on May 15. The Philippines and the United States launched annual military exercises on May 8, but the longtime allies scaled them down in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s pivot to China and Russia. AFP

der have been extreme... accused-movant prays of the Honorable Court that he be allowed to be brought immediately at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center for immediate medical attention,” Estrada said in his motion. The lawyers also noted that Estrada was diagnosed to have “frozen shoulder” in November 2014, prompting the court to allow him to undergo therapy sessions at Cardinal Santos Medical Center. Estrada was accused of pocketing P183 million in commissions from the pork barrel scam allegedly engineered by Napoles. He is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

cumulated wealth,” the SC ruled. “For the same reason, the charge of immorality should likewise be dismissed. There is no evidence on record that would show that Justice Jurado and Buencamino had an immoral relationship,” the high court said. The SC dismissed the initial findings of an eight-member panel created by the Office of the Court Administrator in 2010 to look into the allegations against them. The investigating panel also discovered that Jurado did not declare several of his properties in his SALN, while Buencamino’s own SALN had “inconsistencies.” It also concluded that Jurado’s net worth “appeared to have considerably widened” after he was appointed to the anti-graft court in October 2003. It also found out that they co-owned a property in Las Piñas, which they eventually admitted.

However, the SC held that their admission was not enough to prove that they were having an affair as Jurado and Buencamino were able to “sufficiently” explain that they acquired the property after they entered into a business venture. Jurado explained that his relationship with Buencamino was “purely professional.” The respondents argued that it was not the first time that they were accused of engaging in an immoral relationship and that they had ill-gotten wealth. Jurado and Buencamino said the National Bureau of Investigation had already absolved them of the same allegations and that the Office of the Ombudsman had also junked a similar complaint against her. The SC also accepted Jurado’s justification that he did not put several properties in his SALN since he had already sold them.

ERC greenlights Meralco refund By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Regulatory Commission has approved Manila Electric Co.’s petition to refund consumers around P6.9 billion which will hopefully be implemented in the June bills of consumers. ERC Commissioner and officer-in-charge Alfredo Non said the commission has confirmed the previous decision on Meralco’s application which was issued prior to the suspension of chairman Jose Vicente Salazar. “Yes. Same as the previous order. We just confirmed it,” Non said. He said consumers will enjoy a P0.75 per kilowatthour refund over a three-month period but is unsure if it can be released in time for the June billing. “I believe so. Don’t know if it can be accommodated by Meralco billing cutoff,” Non said. ERC Commissioner Josefina Asirit said last week the commissioners will meet this week to reconfirm the order for the refund. In an application, Meralco asked the ERC to refund around P6.9 billion representing underrecovery for the generation, transmission for the period the

period covering January 2014 to December 2016. Meralco wants to refund generation charges amounting P4.9 billion for a period of 36 months a rate of P0.0502 per kWh, transmission charges of P632.2 million for 36 months at P0.0051 per kWh, system loss rates of P1.242 billion for 36 months for P0.0099 per kwh and senior citizen discount and subsidiary at P2.32 million for one month at a rate of P0.0011 per kWh. Meralco, however, wants to recover for consumer P1.089-billion covering real property taxes over a period of 36 months at a rate of P0.0087 per kWh. “These over/underrecoveries shall be made to both captive and contestable customers,” it said. ERC allows distribution utilities to file their respective consolidated applications every three years for the confirmation of pass-through charges. Meralco head for utility economics Lawrence Fernandez said that once the order is issued, they can implement the refund by next month. “We can implement it by June. We are still waiting for the order,” Fernandez said.

WITH 18 affirmative votes, and zero negative vote and zero abstention, the Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a bill extending the validity of Philippine passports from five to 10 years, said Senator Cynthia A. Villar. Villar, vice-chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and sponsor of Senate Bill No. 1365, or the Philippine Passport Act, said the proposed law sought to extend the validity of the passport from five years to 10 years to make travel abroad easier, especially for overseas Filipino workers. “We owe a lot to our OFWs. They keep our economy afloat with their remittances of approximately $50 billion annually. Giving them a 10-year guarantee on their right to travel abroad will certainly be a great help to them,” Villar added. She said the passport’s current period of validity of five years was in actuality less than five years because travel abroad was often disallowed for persons whose passports were about to expire within six months’ time or less. “Our Constitution guarantees our countrymen’s right to travel. We should indeed have the freedom to move around and even leave the country for whatever valid purpose we may have. We could only be prevented by the government from leaving the country if there is a statutory basis for it; and the grounds are limited only to matters of national security, public safety or public health,” Villar said. She said the measure also sought to prevent backlogs in the issuance of passports with the extension of its validity. Senator Sonny Angara, meanwhile, expressed confidence that Villar’s bill will easily hurdle the bicameral conference committee. He echoed the belief of Villar that this measure will certainly give comfort to our OFWs. The bill mandates the government to issue tamper-proof passports using the latest data management technology. Angara said 18 years after the passage of Republic Act 8239, or the Philippine Passport Act of 1996, there is obviously a compelling need to amend it to simplify the application process of the Department of Foreign Affairs which issuance of passport has been increasing by an annual average of 29.3 percent since 2010.

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Opinion

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Mr. Good Faith

T

HE former secretary of Transportation and Communications was remiss in his job because he signed a multi-billion-peso contract for the Metro Rail Transit without going into the nitty-gritty of the agreement. Joseph Emilio Abaya trusted that the previous officials of the Department of Transportation and Communications were doing their job well, and that “he did not know what he entered into,” said Senator Grace Poe, who chairs the Senate committee on public services. During Monday’s committee hearing, Poe said Abaya’s blunder was that he allowed a reputable

Adelle Chua, Editor

maintenance contractor to be replaced by an untested company that later on proved incompetent. Abaya failed to get into the details of the contract with that new company. He was just new there. He did not know the company was only two months old and had a mere P625,000 capitalization. At the time of the bidding, he was busy familiarizing himself with the workings of the

department. He signed the contract on behalf of the government, anyway. The hundreds of thousands who take—no, endure—the MRT every day, there being no other option, soon reaped the effects of that refusal to act. The rail system has deteriorated to a point where riding the train has become not just inconvenient but downright dangerous. “Imagine if I came in as a doubting Thomas,” he said. Under this nondoubter, his department also bought 48 light-rail vehicles from Dalian company in China

that have proved useless because they are incompatible with the MRT 3’s existing signaling system. Abaya insisted that they were compatible—at least on paper. Now train officials are dangling the vision of improved services beginning the end of the year. Director Deo Manalo says that things are bound to get better for MRT 3 passengers. Power upgrades will allow them to use more cars to supplement the 23 trains now serving 500,000 passengers a day. By 2019, Manalo said, more efficient operations will allow them to serve

800,000 passengers. Unfortunately, these scenarios do not mean anything to the worn-down commuting public. Many grandiose promises have been made—remember the time when former President Benigno Aquino III said he would get himself run over by a train, Abaya alongside him, if the LRT Line was not extended to Cavite by a certain deadline? That reckoning period soon lapsed—and both Aquino and Abaya said nothing more of the matter. Just because we have gotten used to the sight of long lines in train stations, the experience of subhu-

man congestion in the trains and the strong likelihood of mishap does not mean these are things we should accept. And now that we know exactly when, with whom, and how this all began— through the negligence of the former Transportation and Communication secretary—we should know better than buy his lame excuse. Good faith, in some instances, can be criminal. So, yes, we look forward to better times. But this does not mean that those responsible for the current mess should not have to pay.

Hope in the rule of law

ICC: The real audience LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES THE plan was never to impeach President Rodrigo Duterte, which has about the same chance of happening as Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano has of growing back his hair. What happened yesterday was the laying of the predicate for the intervention of the International Criminal Court. If that isn’t clear to you yet, Alejano has made it perfectly so: The impeachment case that he filed and which was summarily dismissed by the House justice committee is headed for the ICC, he promised. Of course, Alejano said that he will bring his case to The Hague because the House has proven that it cannot dispense justice by the dismissal. Where can he get justice, Alejano asked, sarcastically and faux-forlornly,

from Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre? But Alejano is being disingenuous and intellectually dishonest. Even if he is no lawyer, he must have known that his complaint to impeach Duterte was doomed from the start because it is based only on media reports of previous congressional investigations—which makes it thrice removed from the actual evidence that such a serious complaint requires. Here’s the real plan: The Alejano complaint was intended to comply with ICC’s requirement that domestic judicial remedies must first be exhausted before the international tribunal can take cognizance of a case. Since Duterte can only be removed from office legally through impeachment, that course of action should be taken first. And now that Alejano and the other people who want to oust Duterte can claim that impeachment has been eliminated as an option, they can plead their case directly to the tribunal.

This strategy seeks to exploit Rule 17 of the so-called Rome Statute which created the ICC. It lies at the heart of the principle of complementarity, which makes intervention by the tribunal allowable only if a) national

Alejano laid the predicate for the intervention of the International Criminal Court.

authorities are already dealing with the same case; b) the same authorities have investigated the case and decided not to prosecute; and c) the same case

has already been prosecuted at the national level. The Rome Statute includes two exceptions to this “principle of admissibility” in the same article, which are both important to the case that those who want to remove Duterte want to make. These are, according to the International Center of Transitional Justice, if the national authorities “are either unwilling or unable to carry out fair proceedings.” The important thing to remember is that the earlier so-called case filed by that heretofore unknown lawyer against Duterte was deep-sixed because local remedies had not been exhausted. The Alejano impeachment case, now that it has been junked by the House, will take care—in the minds of its proponents and funders, anyway—of that problem. But is the ICC so stupid that it will not see the Alejano complaint for what it is—a rehash of the Sabio pleading brought before it earlier, the only

difference being that this one went through the impeachment process in the House? Doesn’t the international tribunal have its own prosecutors who will seek real (as opposed to “published in Rappler”) evidence and eventually exonerate Duterte? Ah, but the real point is not even to have Duterte convicted by the ICC, something that is going to take some doing despite the vast resources of Duterte’s foes. To paraphrase one of the more prominent Yellows, Duterte doesn’t really have to go to jail—he just has to appear like he’s a world-class criminal. Put another way, the Yellows know that Filipinos, most of whom are Duterte’s supporters, want nothing to do with their nonsense anymore; the junking of the Alejano complaint by the people’s elected representatives is just a reflection of that. But if foreigners, their media and their agencies like the ICC can be made to give them more than just a passing glance, they Turn to A5

CONTINUING her discussion on the rule of law and the present state of impunity in her speech at the 16th National Convention of Lawyers of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) on March 24, 2017 at Marriott Manila, Pasay City, Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno stated that addressing impunity becomes the shared burden of those in the judiciary and the legal profession. It is within this context that I pose my question to all of us— in view of the creeping impunity that we once again find ourselves in, how should we understand the role of lawyers in promoting the rule of law? She proposed an answer to this by suggesting that we (in the legal profession) should situate ourselves once again in the nobility of our profession and in the best, not the worst, that it has to offer our many publics— our clients, our people, and our country. To the Chief Justice, an environment of fear and violence is anathematic to the rule of law. It contributes to impunity. To preserve the rule of law, lawyers must steel themselves, to a certain degree, to develop a level of indifference to the ambient noise, and discharge their duties to the best of their abilities as their conscience dictates. Good lawyers must swim against whatever tide meets them. When judges and lawyers hesitate to do the right thing for fear of being derogated for the company they keep or when they respond to vilification, threats and actual violence with surrender and capitulation, the rule of law is shoved out and impunity steps in, she added. Chief Justice Sereno reminded the members of the profession that the courts are the refuge, often the final refuge, for those who seek to hold offenders—public and private, highly-ranked or of common station, accountable for their acts of violence. The long arm of the law often finds a face in our courts, yet it has been my experience that the long arm of the law often has a very short reach—before the courts can act, controversies must be investigated, cases must be filed and prosecuted. Practicing lawyers and members of the Bar are part of the long arm of the law. She pleaded with the members of the profession to not limit the reach of the law by inaction, or worse, active collaboration with those who would seek to promote impunity and diminish the rule of law. Turn to A5

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ManilaStandard

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Opinion

THIS is a column I have hesitated to write because it is very personal. Nonetheless, I am writing it now. Last Sunday was Mother’s Day and the 62nd anniversary of my wedding to the love of my life. I call her Palang-ga, which means “beloved” in Visayan. It was in Cotabato City (the province of Cotabato at that time was not yet divided) that I met her, in 1950. My friend Rudy Tupas and I volunteered to help the Oblates missionaries in their weekly publication “The Mindanao Cross” which was circulated throughout Mindanao, especially all Notre Dame schools in Cotabato, Zamboanga and Sulu. I used to go to church daily. And almost every day, I noticed someone pass the middle aisle—an angel in disguise, I then thought. When I asked who she was, I learned she was Trinidad Kapunan Capistrano, the only daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Vicente Capistrano. It turned out she was on vacation from the Philippine Women’s University. A good friend intimated to me that she was “unreachable” because she never associated with any local male. To me, that was a challenge. One day I gathered enough nerve to follow her, hoping I could find a way to get to know her. My first line: “May I walk with you?” She said: “This is a free country, suit yourself.” And I walked with her the way to her house. Soon after, I started visiting her mostly in the drug store of her mother where I brought her, through a friend, a bunch of sampaguitas almost daily. I was in love. “Nining,” as she was called, was only 18 years old, a freshman at PWU and home for a vacation. I was so impressed with her maturity and spirituality that I lent my books by a Trappist monk named Tomas Morton. These became part of our conversation. How I loved talking with her! I told myself, here’s a woman I would like to marry. I could engage her in conversation about anything! There was one occasion when I thought I could see her more intimately. She was some kind of a manager of a city’s annual cotillion with both young men and women participating. She called me up by telephone and said: I am the head of his cotillion, but we need one college man. Would you honor us with your presence? She said it was a black-and-white event, meaning I had to dress up in formal attire. I told her I did not have one. “What, an Atenean without a black-and-white formal wear?” she asked. Determined to be her partner in that affair, I told her a while lie that I would have it sent from Manila, and that I would call her soon. Immediately I sent a wire to my mother back home that I needed a black-and-white attire. My mother replied: “What are you doing there, attending formal affairs? But yes, I will have one tailored for you.” After a few days, I received my outfit, including shoes, in a big box. Right away, I called Nining Capistrano, and asked her if I could still be qualified, and she said yes. When I found out that she was not my partner, I was very disappointed. In any case, I continued my courtship of her, until she left for school when vacation was over. I did not see her, or talk to her, for a long time since then. We just did not have time nor opportunity. When I returned to Manila to finish my law studies, I was a working student. I taught, half day, at Ateneo High School at Loyola Heights. But, fortune (that’s why I be-

lieve God is behind my marriage to her) had it that one of my coteachers, Rene Licamco, was a graduate of the University of the Philippines Engineering School. One time he said there was a very popular girl among UP alumni and students named Miss Trinidad Capistrano from Mindanao and that many engineering students were courting her. I told Rene I knew her and sent her a note; I said I wanted to see her. Santa Banana, that triggered a courtship that lasted almost five years until I proposed to her and married her in 1955 in Cotabato. I said our marriage was made in heaven because at one time she became my blind date. Well, not exactly “blind,” because it was somehow pre-arranged when her roommate at UP South Dorm wanted to go on a date with my best friend, the late Rody Olivarez. She convinced Miss Capistrano to double date. Thus, when both Rody and I went to pick them up at the dorm, upon seeing me, Miss Capistrano exclaimed: “So it’s you!” That started my visits to her whenever the occasion demanded. At times, there would be some three or four others visiting her— some of them known to belong to rich families. I was perhaps the poorest among her suitors. But I was never discouraged, being an Atenean. I was then finishing my law studies. And when she finished her pharmacy studies and passed the board, I wrote to her every day. She always responded to my letters. But, one day, she sent me a “Dear John” letter telling me not to write her anymore. She said she wanted to consider a lot of things first. That was devastating—to me, she could never compare to the others girls I had met and known. And then I got a note from her good friend, Miss Emeline Santaniel from Kidapawan, Cotabato, that Miss Capistrano was regretting sending me that “Dear John” letter. That emboldened me, so I started writing her again, although she did not respond. I knew she wanted time to think. She had to come to Manila to take the oath as a pharmacist. At that time I was already a junior partner of the Salonga & Ordoñez Law Office on Escolta. I met up with Emeline, who told me that Miss Capistrano was in town, staying at a ladies’ dorm beside Far Eastern University on Morayta Street. I then rushed to the place, but she was not expecting me. Thus, when she asked the dorm receptionist who it was, the girl simply said: “It is somebody in a suit and tie.” When she met me, she was surprised but excited. And knowing that her birthday was on Jan. 8, I invited her to have dinner at the old Skyroom along Taft Avenue. To make the long story short, to Serafin Payawal’s 21-man orchestra playing “Autumn Leaves,” “Mona Lisa” and “Love Letters,” I proposed to her. And she said yes. That was sweetest moment of my life and wanted to marry her immediately, but she pleaded that she would ask her parents for the date. Thus, it was set on May 14 that year, 1955, in Cotabato City where almost everybody known to the Capistranos and all our relatives were invited. My father was sick at that time. Thus, only my mother, my brother Willie and brother-in-law, Atty. Fred Ferrares came. We were married at the city Cathedral Church with the late Bishop Gerard Mongue officiating. I’m now 89 years old, going 90, and my wife is already 85. With God’s grace and blessing, we are still comparatively healthy except for the usual aches and pains that go with old age.

ICC:... From A4

pay their local agents handsomely for such things, apparently. *** Meanwhile, at the Senate, the former government official who made it a policy to sign shady contracts and snub Congress finally put in an appearance.

Here’s how I know my marriage is made in heaven.

will have already achieved their propaganda goals. If the ICC gets going and builds and prosecutes a case, that’s already a bonus. And they

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

OBOR

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Something personal

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

FORMATION GARY OLIVAR HERE in Beijing, the buzzword on everyone’s lips is “OBOR.” That’s short for the “One Belt, One Road” Initiative being assiduously pushed by the Chinese government. It’s also being called “Belt and Road,” which, perhaps not by accident, reduces the hegemonic tone of “one this, one that.” OBOR is China’s gargantuan plan to build a transport network across land and sea that interconnects the Asian mainland from North to South Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. There’s a lot of route variety in the maps I’ve seen, but there are broadly just two main corridors. Over land is the “New Silk Road Economic Belt,” which generally retraces the old Silk Road that brought Venetian Marco Polo to the heart of the Middle Kingdom in the 13th century. It starts in Xian in central China, traverses the Central Asian “stan” republics, crosses the Mediterranean from Turkey, takes a hard right upward to Moscow, hangs a left through eastern and central Europe before coming back down to terminate in Venice. Over the sea is the “New Maritime Silk Road,” which starts from Venice, crosses the Mediterranean into the Suez Canal, and

spills out into the waters of the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. By various routes, this maritime corridor landfalls in Africa (Nairobi), South Asia (Kolkata and Colombo), and various coastal cities of Indochina and Indonesia before terminating in Fuzhou in southern China. There are various spurs here and there. One spur sweeps south from the Belt to connect to Pakistan and Iran. Another one wends its way down the Malayan peninsula through Indonesia and may, hopefully, terminate in the Philippines through the newly opened overnight RoRo service between Davao City and Bitung. It is likely that there will be new spurs to be discovered as the momentum of the project picks up. *** There are many reasons that can be adduced to a project of this size and scale. One is commercial: China flexing its muscle as the world’s foremost trading nation. Opening up all this transport connectivity allows the OBOR participants to scale up the movement of people and commodities between each other. In the case of China, people often forget that it has never annexed territory as aggressively as the old Western colonial powers did. Trade and commerce were always its main influencers, then and now. Even during the long decades under Chairman Mao, the mischief-making that China instigated abroad was always for the sake of exporting ideological

revolution, not claiming colonies. A second reason is financial: By co-investing in all the projects that will make up OBOR, the Chinese ought to be able to realize asset yields far beyond what they’re seeing in their home market, where there’s too much export-generated liquidity chasing after too little domestic demand from a population that traditionally saves a lot more than it spends. A third is diplomatic: More intimate and regular contact between countries (what the Chinese like to call “people to people” relations) tends to encourage friendship and minimize the incentive and opportunities for mutual hostility to break out. China in particular faces an uphill battle against often racially motivated Sinophobia. A fourth reason, from the Chinese viewpoint, may be strategic. Not to put too fine a point on it, but the same roads over which container cargo may be travelling today can also carry tanks, if necessary, tomorrow. What history may teach us is never a guarantee of what the future can bring. It was interesting to catch a TV panel interview one night that featured, among others, the defense ministers of Pakistan and India. The former country has always been friendly to China, and the minister waxed eloquent about the benefits of OBOR. On the other hand, India, a rival of both Pakistan and China, was much more circumspect, “for reasons that we all understand,” as

the minister put it. Even now, sovereignty and security issues are rapidly becoming the main bone of contention. This ought to be expected from a transnational project of this magnitude that wants to cross so many boundaries. *** I’m writing this piece the night before President Duterte goes through his paces at the opening tomorrow of the OBOR Forum here in Beijing. I have no idea what he’ll be saying, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to guess: A call for Asian unity, especially since he’s this year’s Asean chair. Words of respect for China’s leadership, and appreciation for its reengagement with the Philippine economy. Perhaps cautionary words again about the regional drug scourge that, ironically enough, counts Chinese meth manufacturers among its biggest promoters. But whether he says so or not, the OBOR project is one that’s bound to resonate loudly with his own Dutertenomics brand of governance. Though very different in size, they’re tied together by a common expansiveness of ambition, some very practical conjoining of connectivities, and a shared resolve to assert the Asian view in one case—the Philippine view in the other—against stereotypes whose exponents, sadly enough, too often are we ourselves. Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

We told you so the Asean summit was the knowledge that Burma’s democratic icon Aung San Suu Kyi attended the forum, an indication that somehow the military junta running Rangoon has relented in its iron grip on its people. The Philippines will host the next Asean summit scheduled for November this year. US President Donald Trump is expected to attend the summit as its special guest, and to confer personally with President Rodrigo Duterte. Trump will likely tell Asean to get their act done as a regional force, instead of comporting itself as an impotent cocktail party organization bullied around by Communist China. So far, things are going the way Communist China wants. Asean has not condemned Red Chinese island-grabbing in the sea lanes of South East Asia, and it doesn’t seem interested in confronting Beijing on that issue. South Korea is undergoing some difficulty over its leadership and its finances, and President Trump wants Seoul to pay for an American-made missile defense system recently installed near the border with North Korea to protect South Korea against any aggression from the northerners. Shoddy goods manufactured in Red Chinese factories continue to flood the markets of Southeast Asia, enough to kill local smallscale enterprises. Make no mistake about it. The biggest reason why Red Chinese goods are cheap is because they are not subject to quality control. There have been numerous complaints of brittle kitchenware, exploding textile, lead-laced canned meat and vegetables, carcinogenic cosmetics, toys and school supplies laced with toxic paint, and

too much monosodium glutamate in junk food—all manufactured in Communist China. Why the Philippines even imports all that garbage is a big mystery. The only Red Chinese-made products that are of tolerable quality are those bearing foreign trademarks and manufactured under the strict supervision of the foreign licensor. Since waiting for Asean to become an organization of serious consequence may be an exercise in futility, it may be up to Manila to initiate greater opposition to Communist China’s expansionism in the strategic sea lanes of Southeast Asia. Instead of declaring war against the communist giant, the Philippines should engage in activities which will annoy Beijing, since Beijing’s acts in the West Philippine Sea are annoying to the Philippines and the Filipino people. For example, since Beijing does not want to abide by the judgment of the UN arbitration tribunal, there seems to be no reason why Manila should continue with its one-China policy. Manila can deal with Nationalist China (Taiwan) as the real China, and even greet Nationalist China on its foundation day—October 10 or the double ten. The Taiwanese may be allowed to operate an “embassy” in the Philippines by upgrading their “trade office” in the country. Filipino businessmen can start calling Nationalist China as the Republic of China, as opposed to the People’s Republic of China in the mainland. Manila can justify its behavior with the same kind of empty rhetoric Beijing’s international communist propaganda bureau is known for. All Manila needs is

a skillful diplomat at the Philippine Embassy in Beijing. After all, what can an angry Beijing do—declare war on the Philippines? That will make Beijing look worse than it does to the international community right now. Cutting off diplomatic ties with Manila is also fraught with dire consequences for that will mean a stoppage to Red Chinese exports to the Philippines. Those exports can be replaced by exports by Nationalist China. The Philippines and Taiwan can also consider declaring the stretch of water between Taiwan and Luzon an exclusive fishing zone. Manila and Taipei can litter their respective sides of the strait with junk fishing vessels enough to make navigation in the area very difficult. Although Beijing considers Taiwan a renegade province, Beijing will not dare attack Taiwan. The Nationalist Chinese have enough military muscle to resist an armed attack from the mainland, and Beijing respects only those countries that can fight back. Besides, the United States has a standing promise to defend Taiwan from any attack from the mainland. If Washington, D.C. is not keen about defending the Philippines from Beijing, the Americans may have a better regard about keeping its commitment to Taiwan. Vietnam may have a communist government like that in Beijing, but it has been a traditional enemy of the ancient Chinese. Hanoi has enough reason to be hostile to Beijing since the latter seized Vietnam’s Paracel Islands decades ago. Thus, Vietnam can also reexamine its one-China policy and follow the Philippine lead.

She observed that many of our people, including some among our ranks, have been desensitized or rendered numb by violence. Desensitization is the first step towards hopelessness, and an uncritical embrace of the status quo. Our role as lawyers is not to simply embrace uncritically the status quo. It is, rather, to provide a voice for those rendered voiceless, to bring causes that would otherwise not be heard, to provide hope in the midst of impunity. She then proposed four practical steps that lawyers can do to combat impunity. First, take the Lawyer’s Oath to heart and grow in character. As I wrote in the first of this series of columns on the legal profession, Sereno proposed that the Lawyer’s Oath is no ordinary canonical incantation. Nor is it a routine legal requirement. The Oath, far from

being a sterile form of words, gives us (lawyers and judges) the road map to action as lawyers and defines us as a profession. In a very real sense, it is a definition of who we are and to what we have been called. Second, sign up to help. There are so many ways to help, according to the Chief Justice. If you find yourself in a position to help those who seek to bring suit to protect their rights, then by all means do so. Just be mindful though of the admonition in the Oath as to groundless suits and our intolerance to those. Third, go against the grain; do not take the path of least resistance. Challenging the status quo means being unafraid to go against the grain, to take the path least trod, and to break new trails. Challenging the status quo means that we must occasionally confront traditions that may have taken root through inertia and, if necessary, create new traditions, she explained.

Fourth, continue this conversation started in the IBP Convention. I am doing my share of that through these columns. We must find ways to resist the culture of impunity. We must be innovative. We just can’t raise the flag of surrender and shrug that there is nothing we can do about it. This is why I do not support a case in the International Criminal Court against Duterte and his people at this time. In my view, there are still legal, judicial, and political avenues we have not tapped and used to fight extrajudicial killings and the crimes against humanity being committed. We have not maximized the Rule of Law to give our people hope. By way of conclusion, the Chief Justice emphasized that the fight is not against a person or against an establishment. Rather, it is a fight against a culture, a way of thinking, of seeing, and thus of acting or not acting. It is a culture that is ingrained and deeply rooted. It is a culture that started when people

started to look the other way; a culture that thrived when people stopped caring; a culture that prevailed when people stopped hoping. The only way to fight against a culture is to be a counter-culture— to stand up for truth and right even when others choose to keep silent or to spread lies; to encourage action when others are apathetic; to dare to hope even when others have given up. Chief Justice Sereno urged the IBP to stand up, for what is true, what is honorable, what is right, what is pure, what is of good repute, what is excellent and worthy of praise. This, according to her, is the transcendent essence of the lawyer’s oath. For judges and lawyers, this is our common cause, our shared burden, our one hope. With fullness of conviction, I truly believe that the rule of law assures us that hope will in the end prevail and rule.

Noynoy Aquino’s favorite Cabinet member, former Transportation Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya, repeated his tired old defense that he approved of contracts that eventually ruined the MRT-3 system because he had faith in his predecessor and the

organization he headed. Abaya, who really should no longer be alive after Aquino promised that both he and his transportation secretary would lie down in front of an onrushing train if the LRT-1 was not extended to Cavite (of course

it wasn’t), was still using the know-nothing strategy of his former boss, sprinkled liberally with that old, unreliable “good faith” defense. By his own admission, he is not only stupid, he is also as incompetent as his old boss.

Abaya really shouldn’t be attending congressional hearings, even if he has all the time in the world these days, since he no longer has a job. What this poster boy for inutility should be doing is making that date with the train —with Noynoy, as promised.

HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA LAST week, this column posited that the Association of South East Asian Nations summit hosted by the Philippines was an utter waste of time and resources. Aside from the usual handshakes and smiles, and the speeches invoking regional peace, cooperation, and stability, nothing beneficial to the average Filipino was realized in that forum. At best, there was the Asean expression of alarm about North Korea’s provocative behavior in East Asia, as seen in Pyongyang’s missile tests designed to annoy South Korea, Japan, and the United States. Those tests ended in failure because the rockets exploded either at the launching pad, or seconds after they were airborne. Big deal! Asean is not the only entity concerned about North Korea. The whole world is alarmed at the nuclear menace that Pyongyang is. The biggest disappointment in the summit was the supposed manifesto of Asean regarding Communist China’s expansionist activities in the sea lanes of Southeast Asia. After intense pressure from Beijing’s allies and stooges in the Asean leadership, the manifesto was reduced to nothing more than a formal expression of dissatisfaction, with no mention of the ruling of the UN arbitration tribunal declaring Beijing’s incursions in the West Philippine Sea illegal and in violation of International Law. Perhaps the only practical benefit the world could derive from

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Hospital deposit bill endorsed By Vito Barcelo A LABOR group welcomed a Senate bill that would prevent hospitals from asking any form of advance payment as a prerequisite for admission or medical treatment to emergency-case patients. The Partido Manggagawa said that the bill will give families, particularly the poor, medical attention in case of emergency cases. Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros filed Senate Bill No. 1353, that seeks to amend and strengthen Republic Act. No. 8344 otherwise known as the Anti-hospital Deposit Law by imposing stricter penalties such as four to six years of imprisonment to erring hospitals which demand any deposit or other form of advance payment as a prerequisite for admission or medical treatment of an emergency patient. Hontiveros’s bill also increases the fines for hospitals which refuse to administer basic emergency care from P100,000 to P1,000,000. It also gives authority to the Department of Health to revoke the license of a health facility after three repeated violations committed pursuant to an established policy of the hospital or clinic or upon the instruction of its management.

GAMBLING SUSPECTS. Members of the NBI Anti-Organized Transnational Crime Division presents five persons arrested during a raid against illegal gambling in Sta Cruz and Quiapo, Manila. The five are identified as Reynaldo Zulueta, Clordeliza Caguioa Cortez-Rotor, Arlene Tin-Tee, Rose Marzan Fernandez and Anthony Razal Moran. Norman Cruz

House expands MMDA powers By Maricel V. Cruz

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HE House of Representatives is poised to pass a measure seeking to expand the powers and function of the Metro Manila Development Authority, especially of the Metro Manila Council. This came after the House committee on Metro Manila Development, chaired by Rep. Winston Castelo of Quezon City, created a technical working group to study provisions of House Bills 4642 and 5057 which seek to amend Republic Act (RA) 7924, otherwise known as “An Act Creating Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, Defining Its Powers And Function, Providing Funds Therefor And Other Purposes.” HB 4642, authored by Castelo, seeks to grant

MMDA additional powers and functions by amending Section 5 of RA 7924. On the other hand, HB 5057, authored by Rep. Bayani Fernando of Marikina City aims to strengthen the MMDA by amending its charter. Fernando, former MMDA chairman, said his bill if approved, will give the MMDA the power to enact ordinances and resolution which will have the full force and effect of a law among its member local government units upon ratification. He said the MMDA is beset with problems as it could not push forward its projects and metrowide programs that can address the problems of traffic, flood, garbage disposal, and waste management, among others. Fernando said the MMDA lacks the legal authority to implement ordinances and resolutions that is acceptable to the courts. “The collective wisdom of the voting members of the Metro Manila Council composed of 17 elected mayors, the president of the Vice Mayors League and the Councilor Leagues,

complemented by representatives from all national government agencies cannot be effectively used in light of the limitations of its power as provided in RA 7924,” Fernando said. Fernando, who served as MMDA chairman for eight years, explained that the MMDA is mandated under RA 7924 to lead traffic management efforts for the whole Metro Manila as well as to provide metro-wide services which are essentially services that have metro-wide impact and transcend local political boundaries or entail huge expenditures such that it would not be viable for said services to be provided by individual local government units comprising Metro Manila. Since its creation in 1994, Fernando said the MMDA has conceptualized, proposed and implemented all types of metro-wide programs that has made life in the bustling metropolis easier, keeping at bay the chaos that threatens to overwhelm Metro Manila residents—be it traffic congestion, flooding garbage, pollution, and all other threats to public safety.

QC issues cease order vs Capitol By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City government has issued a cease-and-desist order on the 57-year-old Capitol Golf Course and Country Club Inc. for operating without a permit in the past 10 years. In a May 11 order signed “for and by authority of the City Mayor” by Garry Domingo, Business Permit and Licensing Office head, the city government said “verification from our database shows that you are operating under EXPIRED Business Permit No. 97-069456 last issued on May 8, 2007, amounting to operating WITHOUT the required permit.” ‘‘In view of all the foregoing, you are hereby ordered to cease and desist from further operating your business immediately. Please be informed also, that your establishment will be inspected after the service of this order and if you are found to be violating the same, the procedures for the PERMANENT CLOSURE of your business establishment will be initiated.” The CDO was addressed to Jose Dagdagan, general manager of the CGCCCI. The order stemmed from the complaint of the Madrid Danao and Carullo Law Offices.

The Reagan Museum took delivery of an old Air Force One in 1972.

Classroom of Democracy nestled on California hill By Honor Blanco Cabie SIMI VALLEY, California—On a hill nearly 346 meters above sea level is a presidential library and museum described by the 40th US President Ronald Reagan as a “classroom of Democracy.” This is the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, sitting on a 40-hectare area of windswept rolling hills in Simi Valley which is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Museum informant John Gallagher told Manila Standard the Library and Museum, which is also the final resting place of Reagan (1981-1989) and his wife Nancy, was designed by Hugh Stubbins and Associates and is only 64 kilometers northwest of downtown Los Angeles. It is the largest of the 15 federally operated presidential libraries and is numbered in honor of Reagan’s place as the 40th President. Gallagher said the Library and Museum had “informed and inspired more than five million visi-

tors since opening in 1991” from which perch visitors can have a sweeping view of the surrounding mountains, valleys and the vast Pacific Ocean. The Library and Museum preserves, as the 14 other do, the written record of US presidents while providing special programs and exhibits that serve their communities. Reagan himself had described these libraries as “classrooms of Democracy,” representing what Gallagher said was the “shining city on a hill.” Officials initially planned to build the Reagan Library at Stanford University and an agreement was reached in 1984 but the plans were cancelled in 1987. The Museum charts a young Ronald Reagan on his rise from a local hero and college standout to the glamorous world of Hollywood stardom through California as governor and then as President when he was elected. The Library and Museum experience integrates artifacts, historical documents sand dozens of interactive displays that pays tribute to Reagan. Visitors—the young, men and women and the elderly including some in wheelchairs—get to experience 24 different galleries, with visitors entering a full-sized replica of the Oval Office. Any visitor can experience giving an inaugural speech on board the actual Air Force One aircraft which served as the “Flying White House” for Reagan and six other US Presidents. One has to pay admission fee —$16 general; $13 for seniors; $9 youth (11-17); —which includes a tour the National Treasures Gallery and the Mary Jane Wick Gallery which features a special changing exhibits. The efficiently manicured grounds offers a replica of the White House Rose Garden, one of the major pieces of the Berlin Wall to be brought out of Germany, a de-commissioned F-14 Tomcat and President Reagan’s Memorial Site. Reagan’s extraordinary life is explored in a museum that spans 24 galleries featuring state-ofthe-art technology and historical artifacts. At the same time, the Museum offers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Ronald and Nancy, telling the story of the man “who inspired freedom and changed the world.” A line from his Farewell Address to the Nation on Jan. 11, 1989 can be read on the Library wall: “Once you begin a great movement, there’s no telling where it will end. We meant to change a nation and instead we changed the world.”

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Marikina pips Davao Aguilas in Football League thriller

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AGUM CITY - JPV Marikina edged Davao Aguilas in a five-goal thriller last Sunday to climb to third in the Philippines Football League table at Davao del Norte Sports Complex. Goals from Takashi Odawara, Boyet Canedo and Takumi Uesato proved enough to spoil the Aguilas’ home debut, witnessed by a league-record 4,300 spectators. Dylan De Bruycker struck

twice for the home side, including a stoppage time penalty that put the match on a knife-edge heading into the final seconds. But Marikina hung on for three points that allowed them to gain third spot behind FC Meralco

Manila and Global Cebu FC. It took just two minutes for the visitors to open the scoring with Odawara firing from close range after good work from Kouichi Belgira on the left. But the Aguilas levelled just six minutes later through De Bruycker, whose first time effort found the top corner and left JPV keeper Nelson Gasic rooted to his spot. Omar Khan set up the 19-yearold for the opener beating his defender on the left before delivering the pass that De Bruycker

tucked home. Canedo restored the advantage for Marikina in the 20th minute, curling home a free kick from just outside the box. Belgira should have made it 3-1 at the hour mark, but he scoffed his effort over the bar much to the relief of the home side. Davao kept pressing for an equalizer and the Aguilas were almost rewarded by Brad McDonald, who forced a fine save from Gasic from 35 yards out at the stroke of halftime.

Leonard sprains ankle, Dubs rally to rip Spurs Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors dunks against the San Antonio Spurs in Game One of the Western Conference Finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

JPV wasted a couple of golden chances with Alen Angeles guilty of spurning a big opportunity in the 64th minute when he fired off target with only Marko Trkulja to beat. The Aguilas thought they had tied the match in the 69th minute when Richard Talaroc poked the ball away from Gasic’s grasp and rolled it into the back of the net only for the referee to waive off the goal for a foul. Uesato then gave the visitors the cushion they needed with a

SAN FRANCISCO—Stephen Curry scored 40 points and Kevin Durant 34 to power a stunning second-half comeback that lifted Golden State over San Antonio 113-111 Sunday in an NBA playoff thriller. The Spurs squandered a 25-point lead and might have lost star forward Kawhi Leonard, who left the game for good with a sprained left ankle early in the third quarter. Golden State seized a 1-0 edge in the best-of-seven Western Conference final, which continues Tuesday in Oakland. The winner plays defending champion Cleveland, Boston or Washington in the NBA Finals. “We just controlled what we could control and played smarter,” Curry said. “It’s the playoffs. You’ve got to take a win any way you can get it.” Curry credited the reversal of fortunes in the dying minutes to “aggressiveness, paying attention to details and obviously we’ve got to make shots.” The much-anticipated matchup between the most productive NBA scoring attack of Golden State, which led the league with 67 wins, and the top NBA defense of the Spurs, next best at 61 wins, met high expectations. Kawhi Leonard scored 18 of his 26 points in the first half and LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 of his 28 in the opening two quarters as the Spurs seized a 62-42 half-time lead. But Leonard left the contest for good with 7:53 to play in the third quarter,

1,500 jins vying in Meralco tilt AROUND 1,500 taekwondo newcomers face their first big test on May 20-21, when they compete in the 2017 Meralco/ MVP Sports Foundation National New Face of the Year championships at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. In the two-day event supported by Smart Communications Inc., Philippine Sports Commission, Philippine Olympic Committee, PLDT and Milo, the young martial art aspirants

will be able to show the techniques and styles they have learned so far. The participants will come from the Philippine Taekwondo Association’s chapters and branches in Metro Manila and the provinces as well as the country’s military branches. They will compete in eight categories, namely, novice and advance divisions in senior men and women, junior men and women, cadet men and women

and grade school boys and girls. Organizing Committee Chairman Sung Chong Hong says the tournament is also held annually as part of the PTA’s commitment to develop the sport and support the government’s grassroots program. Parents who are interested to enroll their children in the country’s most popular martial art and sports enthusiasts are in- Abraham Gabriel Martin of Navotas Chapter (left), one of the vited to watch the competition participants in the tourney, connects against his opponent, Jerich Danelle Durigay, of Walter National Sucat Gym. which starts at 9 a.m.

PSA tackles horse racing PHILIPPINE Racing Commission Chairman Andrew Sanchez and Manila Jockey Club Inc. Racing Manager Jose Magboo will grace today’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum to talk about the events celebrating 150 years of horseracing in the Philippines. Magboo will announce MJCI’s Founder’s Cup on May 21 at the San Lazaro Leisure Park in Carmona, Cavite, while Sanchez will discuss the coming 1st leg of the Triple Crown, the Philracom-sponsored series considered as the most prestigious racing extravaganza for three-year-old horses. They will be joined by Philracom Commissioners Wilfredo De Ungria, Bienvenido Niles Jr. and Lyndon Noel Guce. The public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Golden Phoenix Hotel, Accel and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. starts at 10:30 a.m. with a live airing over DZSR Sports Radio 918.

Eustaquio eyes decisive finish

FILIPINO martial artist Geje Eustaquio has no plans to leave the outcome of his upcoming bout in the hands of the three judges at cageside as he is set to share the ONE Championship cage with fierce Thai rival Anatpong Bunrad. Both men are scheduled to square off against each other on the undercard of ONE: DYNASTY OF HEROES, which takes place at the 12,000-capacity Singapore Indoor Stadium in Singapore on May 26. Eustaquio and Bunrad first crossed paths in April 2015 at ONE: Valor of Champions, where the latter took a split decision victory. “The last time we fought, it was a razorthin decision,” Eustaquio said, looking back on his close decision setback to Bunrad two years ago.

ROW YOUR BOAT. Rowers compete in the Philippine Canoe Kayak Dragonboat Federation Club Crew Challenge Series 1 on Sunday at Manila Bay. Ey Acasio

Pocari takes on Perlas, seeks 5th straight win Games today 1 p.m. – Army vs Cignal (men’s) 4 p.m. – Creamline vs BaliPure (women’s) 6:30 p.m. – Pocari Sweat vs Perlas (women’s) POCARI Sweat shoots for a fifth straight win against a resurgent Perlas side even as Creamline and BaliPure tangle in a duel of fancied teams in

the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference today at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan. On a four-game run after dropping their first two games, the Lady Warriors look to extend their charge in their 6 p.m. duel with the Perlas Lady Spikers, who, however, are also coming off a big win over the weekend. Perlas, bannered by for-

mer Ateneo and UP stars, stunned the erstwhile unbeaten BaliPure side, rallying from two sets down to pound out a 22-25, 2225, 25-22, 25-16, 15-12 decision to gain solo third at 3-2. But Pocari later swept the Power Smashers to seize the solo lead at 4-2 with BaliPure dropping to second at 3-1. The Power Smashers also slid to fourth at 3-3

while Creamline, which outlasted Air Force in five, improved to 2-3 but remained out of the Final Four picture. That should make the Cool Smashers’ 4 p.m. clash with the Water Defenders a must-win game with Alyssa Valdez, Pau Soriano, Aurea Racraquin and Ivy Remulla going up against Grethcel Soltones, Aiko Urdas, Risa Sato and Jerrili Malabanan.

Colegio de San Lorenzo subdues Wang’s Ballclub COLEGIO de San Lorenzo-V Hotel found an unlikely hero in Argie Baldevia to subdue Wang’s Ballclub-Asia Tech, 74-69, for its third straight win in the 2017 MBL Open basketball tournament at the PNP Sports Center in Camp Crame. Baldevia hit two backbreaking three-point shots in the final two minutes

and finished with 23 points to power the Blue Griffins of sports patron Jimi Lim and coach Boni Garcia to victory over the hard-fighting Couriers. Nigerian import Chabi Soulmane added 14 points, including a breakaway reverse dunk following a costly Wang’s turnover with under a minute left. The 6’6” Soulmane also

shone on defense, frustrating the vastly-improved Wang’s line-up built around Fil-Am players hoping to land a contract in the coming PBA draft. Charles Callano added 10 points. The win was also a fitting follow-up to CdSL-V Hotel’s earlier victories over Emilio Aguinaldo College (72-69) and MLQU-Victo-

ria Sports (89-79). “We’re 3-0 now, but there’s plenty of work to do,” said Garcia, who steered the Griffins to four UCSAA titles and the inaugural NCRUCLAA crown over De Ocampo last March. Former Ateneo de Manila mainstay Chris de Chavez carried the fight for Wang’s with 17 points, including four triples.

header off a corner in the 84th minute. Left unmarked, the Japanese headed a J Baguiro corner for a 3-1 advantage. Uesato’s goal proved crucial as JPV conceded a penalty in stoppage time when Camelo Tacusalme brought down Mcdonald inside the box. De Bruycker stepped up to convert from the spot for his third goal of the campaign, but it proved too little too late for the home side, which remained with a single point from two matches.

limping to the locker room with a left ankle sprain. “Just very painful because I tweaked it before,” Leonard said. “It’s hard to tell (about Tuesday). I definitely couldn’t go (the rest of Sunday’s game). But we’ll see how I get better each day.” Leonard is expected to undergo an MRI on Monday and his status for game two is questionable. The Warriors responded by scoring the next 18 points, pulling within 7873 on Durant’s fast break slam dunk. “We were smart when we got out and pushed the basketball. We were disciplined when we ran,” said Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown, guiding the team in place of idled coach Steve Kerr. The Warriors were given a half-time pep talk by Kerr, who has given way to Brown since the second playoff game due to complications from back surgery. Curry scored 19 points in the third quarter to ignite the fightback, going 5-of-6 from 3-point range, but the Warriors still trailed 90-81 entering the fourth quarter, Curry being treated on the bench for a right arm issue. - Heroics by Durant, Curry Two Durant 3-pointers and a dunk trimmed the Spurs’ lead to 96-93. And after two baskets by Shaun Livingston and some Spurs misses, Durant’ dunk with 4:09 remaining put Golden State ahead 101-100, their first lead since 8-7 in the opening minutes. AFP

Alforque, Milliam share net honors VENZ Alforque played true to form in the boys’ 16-and-under play then upended the fancied bets in the 18-U class to bag the MVP crown in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Maasin leg regional age-group tennis tournament at the Maasin City Tennis Courts in Leyte over the weekend. The top-seeded Alforque clobbered Ceasar Salimbangon, 6-3, 6-1, to nail the 16-U title then as No. 5 in the 18-U side, the rising star from Naga, Cebu upended second seed Troy Llamas, 6-3, 6-2, in the semis then stopped Ken Mejia, 6-2, 6-3, to complete a “double” in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger. Top seeds Alexa Milliam from La Carlota and Elsie Abarquez from Carcar, Cebu matched that two-title romp with the former beating Corazon Lambonao, 6-4, 6-0, in the 12-U finals and dominating Mia Gemida, 6-2, 6-0, for the 14-U diadem to clinch the MVP title in the girls’ side. Milliam actually bagged two more titles in doubles, teaming up with Terrilou Gazo to edge Lambonao and Gemida, 8-7(2), for the 14-U plum and then partnering with Tracy Llamas to nip Abarquez and Janzen Albino via the same scorline, 8-7, for the 18-U plum while Alforque also teamed up with Vhon Tudtod to rout Troy Llamas and JJ Gazo, 8-1, the 18-U doubles trophy. Abarquez, on the other hand, crushed Tracy Llamas twice, scoring a 6-3, 6-0, romp for the 16-U title and fashioning out a 6-4, 6-2 win in the U-18 finals of the event, which served as part of the PPS-PEPP summer tour. No. 1 Al Rasheed Lucman from Malaybalay, Bukidnon also lived up to his billing as he took the 10-U plum with a 4-2, 4-1 victory over Baybay leg winner Thirdy Jocson while Sal Andrei Lago and Salimbangon produced the two reversals in the event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and the new Unified tennis group, led by PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s and B-Meg. The unranked Lago shocked top seed Alain Ocat, 6-1, 6-3, in the second round then the Sogod, Leyte find went on to whip Hans Cabellon, 6-2, 6-0, to capture the boys’ 12-U diadem. The third seeded Salimbangon likewise foiled Ocat, 6-0, 6-4, in the semis then the Consolacion, Cebu bet trounced James Casem, 6-2, 6-0, to nail the 14-U crown.

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

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

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Batang Gilas crushes Indonesia By Peter Atencio RC Calimag made his father proud yesterday as he led an initial attack that helped propel Batang Gilas to a 96-73 swamping of Indonesia at the Araneta Coliseum. Sixteen-year-old Mclaude Guadana then joined Calimag with his all-around game in the third period and this contributed big to Batang Gilas’ second consecutive victory in the 2017 Seaba Under-16 basketball tournament Calimag, whose father Ricky played for San Beda College during his college days and for many teams in the Philippine Basketball Association later, had 17 points. This included nine crucial points in the first 10 minutes of the game, highlighted by a jumper and a triple in the last 7:41 of the opening period that touched off a 9-0 run. His back-to-back hits midway in the first period then led to an 11-0 blast, and Batang Gilas went on to grab a 33-17 edge at the start of the second period. “We played with intensity in the first two quarters. Then, we lost it in the third. Fortunately, we got it back in the last quarter,” said Batang Gilas coach Michael Oliver. Guadana, a prized find from the Lyceum Junior Pirates, struck hard in a 13-3 run, his barreling moves allowing Batang Gilas to move further away, 66-33, with 6:11 left. Gaudana finished the game with a triple-double of a game-high 19 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Promising 6’11” slotman, 15-yearold Kai Sotto shot 12 points, hauled seven boards and had two blocks for Batang Gilas. Felix Alexander connected with 18 for Indonesia. In another U-16 game, Malaysia, behind Wong Thiam Mun with 24 points, clobbered Thailand, 74-62, to keep up with Batang Gilas. In the men’s tournament, Dasom Wutipong shot a game-high 40 points and hauled in 11 rebounds for Thailand as it walloped Myanmar, 102-35. This enabled the Thais to bounce back from their loss to Indonesia with their third win in four outings.

Batang Gilas’ Migs Pascual rams his way inside the defense of Indonesia in an U-16 Seaba game won by the hosts, 96-73.

Gilas PH looking good, but Chot warns of complaceny By Jeric Lopez

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HREE out of three.The Gilas Pilipinas National team is showing everyone why it is the perennial favorite to win the Southeast Asia Basketball Association Championship.

The Nationals have yet to lose in their first three games and they’ve not only cruised through their first victories, they dominated. As expected, Gilas Pilipinas is yet to be challenged as it won by gigantic margins, 107 against Myanmar, 47 over Singapore and 55 against Malaysia. National coach Chot Reyes and his wards are three more wins away from capturing yet another SEABA crown. However, Reyes knows there’s still a

lot of work to be done, especially when two of the top three teams in the tournament are yet to take on Gilas. “We still have a long way to go. We’re doing what we’re supposed to do so far and we can’t be complacent. The tougher part of the tournament is ahead us now,” said Reyes. The mentor added that the team is continuing to develop and find its way in the middle of the tournament. “We’ve had some great moments so

far and we’ve also had some brief down times, but what’s important for us is that we’re continuing to grow as a team,” Reyes said. Indonesia and Thailand, considered to be the two countries that can, at the least, make the Philippines sweat, are what’s in store for Gilas in two of its last three assignments, the other one being Vietnam. After getting an off yesterday following three straight days of play over the weekend, the Nationals plunge back to action against a tough Thailand side today at 7 p.m. as they seek for win No. 4 The Thais are showing that they can hold their ground, but they suffered a heartbreaking 59-60 setback at the hands of the Indonesians last Saturday. There is no playoffs for the tournament. The team which gets the highest placing or record after the single-round robin will be

crowned the champion and get a qualification for the 2017 FIBA Asia Cup. The tourney ends on Thursday with the Philippines and Indonesia being the main attraction in what will most likely become the game that decides the champion. After winning three straight games, Gilas Pilipinas, however, still needs a lot work in the way it takes on its opponents. And patience will now have to play a vital part in the character of their game. Reyes said this after his team crushed Malaysia, 106-51, Sunday. “We have to continue to be patient and yet aggressive in our defense,” said Reyes, adding that the improvements will come with the team as time goes by. “This team is a work in progress, and that’s going to come with time. We still need to learn how to move the ball a lot quicker, a lot faster,” he added.

Madrid winner Nadal now no. 4

Tabuena heads Southwoods’ cast MIGUEL Tabuena sets out fresh and strong coming off a much-deserved rest, shooting for another crown against a tough field in the $60,000 ICTSI Manila Southwoods Championship, which begins tomorrow (Wednesday, May 17) at the Legends course in Carmona, Cavite. Tabuena rallied from seven down in the final round then nipped South African Mathiam Keyser in sudden to snatch the crown in the ICTSI Luisita Championship the other week but opted to skip last week’s Orchard tournament to rest after a grueling campaign that included stints in the Asian Tour and Japan PGA Tour. He expects to put up a hot start and build some momentum and confidence although the elite field, led by Orchard runner-up Clyde Mondilla, Luisita leg winner Tony Lascuña and perennial contenders Jay Bayron and Elmer Salvador, is as much ready as the Olympiad veteran.

Though some of the foreign aces who boosted the Luisita and Orchard casts won’t be around this week, they remain a force to reckon with in the 72-hole championship sponsored by ICTSI with American John Catlin resuming his hunt for the elusive Philippine Golf Tour title. The 26-year-old shotmaker from Sacramento has put himself in contention in the early going of the past PGT legs but just couldn’t unleash a strong finishing kick to vie for the crown. He, however, hopes to produce a different kind of ending this week. The same thing with former Singapore amateur hotshot Choo TzeHuang, Dutch Guido Van der Valk, James Bowen of the US, Swede Oskar Arvidsson, Aussies Chris Carey, David Gleeson and Jason Dawes, Korean Park Jun Sung and American Nicolas Paez. Meanwhile, the leading local and

foreign pros test the bunker-laden layout in today’s (Tuesday) traditional pro-am tournament where they will be paired with officials and guests of the event’s chief backers, including ICTSI, BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT. The event, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc., also serves as a prelude to next week’s revival of the ICTSI Philippine Masters, which used to be one of local version’s four majors at its home at Villamor Golf Club. Also tipped to contend this week are Keanu Jahns, who turned in a strong third place finish at Luisita but missed the cut at Orchard, Jhonnel Ababa, Ira Alido, Ferdie Aunzo, Rufino Bayron, Michael Bibat, Jobim Carlos, Cassius Casas, Marvin Dumandan, Mhark Fernando, Mars Pucay and Frankie Miñoza.

Miguel Tabuena shoots for another crown against a tough field in the $60,000 ICTSI Manila Southwoods Championship.

Suzara denies blocking volley players’ transfer to rival league PHILIPPINE Superliga president Ramon Suzara yesterday objected to allegations he was behind the failure of the Premier Volleyball League to secure international transfer certificates (ITCs) for its foreign players to see action in the ongoing Reinforced Conference. Suzara, also the chairman of the Marketing and Development Committee of the Asian Volleyball Confederation and a member of the International Volleyball Federation, has been under attack in the traditional and social media as fans and even PVL players accuse

him of hindering the release of the ITCs for the PVL imports. Suzara denied having a hand on the issue and emphasized that securing ITCs is the main responsibility the PVL. He said PVL president Richard Palou should make himself aware of the FIVB’s Electronic International Transfer Procedure Manual-- a 58-page document regarded as the bible of international transfer in volleyball, to ease his management and scheduling of the PVL tournaments. Based on the FIVB transfer manual, the transfer of

PVL imports should not be within the ITC period of Oct. 15, 2016 to May 15, 2017. The PVL Reinforced Conference started on April 30, 2017 and fell outside the ITC release period based on the same FIVB regulation. The Larong Volleyball sa Pilipinas, according to its president Joey Romasanta, had sent about 25 E-mailed requests to the FIVB to expedite the processing of the ITCs for the PVL imports, disproving claims unseen hands tried to impede the FIVB release of the ITCs. The LVPI, however, was

able to obtain ITCs for five Thai Players last May 3, according to FIVB records, again another proof the PVL had received support from the LVPI in securing the ITCs. The FIVB also allowed the release of a Japanese player last May 12 to play in the PVL. All ITCs were coursed through the LVPI in representation of the PVL before the FIVB. Other PVL teams, however, still do not have imports as the ongoing conference is about to reach its midway mark. The LVPI had recently se-

cured the recognition of the FIVB, which dropped the old Philippine Volleyball Federation as country representative in the international federation. The PVL, however, uses PVF officials in the officiating of its matches. Suzara said he had informed Palou about the consequence of moving the PVL Reinforced Conference from season-ending (like the what is practiced by the PSL for its Grand Prix) to season-opening as it would encounter problems with ITCs. No changes have been made in the PVL calendar, though.

PARIS—Rafael Nadal’s climb one place to fourth in the world on the strength of his Madrid Masters win was confirmed in the latest ATP rankings released Monday. The Spaniard continued his flawless record on clay this season by beating Dominic Thiem to win the Madrid tournament for a fifth time 7-6 (10/8), 6-4 on Sunday. The Spaniard is now 15-0 on his favoured surface this year having also picked up his 10th titles in Monte Carlo and Barcelona in recent weeks. Thiem’s reward for making the final was a two-place move to seventh. Nadal was last ranked fourth in October last year. The highest mover of the week was Borna Coric, who jumped 18 places to 41st after his quarter-final appearance in the Spanish capital. 1. Andy Murray (GBR) 10.360 pts; 2. Novak Djokovic (SRB) 6.845; 3. Stan Wawrinka (SUI) 5.605; 4. Rafael Nadal (ESP) 5.195 (+1); 5. Roger Federer (SUI) 5.035 (-1); 6. Milos Raonic (CAN) 4.180; 7. Dominic Thiem (AUT) 4.035 (+2); 8. Marin Cilic (CRO) 3.735 (-1); 9. Kei Nishikori (JPN) 3.470 (-1); 10. David Goffin (BEL) 3.055; 11. Grigor Dimitrov (BUL) 2.900 (+1); 12. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) 2.870 (-1). AFP

DoT’s Teo woos Chinese investors

B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

B1

Agriculture sector rebounds 5.3% IN BRIEF A By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

Apex’s net income surges 254% to P100m

APEX Mining Co. Inc. said Monday consolidated net income in the first quarter surged 254 percent to P100.2 million from P39.2 million in the same quarter last year. Apex said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its parent company’s net income also climbed 118 percent to P112.2 million from P51.3 million, while earnings rose to P0.018 from P0.008 in 2016. Mill throughput of the company’s Maco mine reached 135,904 tons, an average of 1,677 tons per day. Gold production rose 17 percent to 14,969 ounces from 12,779 ounces a year ago, while silver production increased to 75,359 ounces from 61,085 ounces. Metal prices improved to $1,234 per ounce gold and $18 per ounce silver in the first quarter from $1,214 per ounce gold and $15 per ounce silver last year. Apex said revenue generated by Maco mine increased to P991.5 million from P 775.4 million in 2016. “We aim to stabilize the Maco mine milling tonnage to 1,800 tons per day by year-end. If we are able to achieve this, we should see better metal production this year. As long as metal prices remain close to their current level, we expect continuing earnings growth for the company in 2017,” said Apex president and chief executive Walter Brown. Anna Leah E. Gonzales

griculture and fishery production rebounded with a 5.28-percent growth in the first quarter from a contraction of 4.62 percent a year ago, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Monday.

The agriculture sector, which accounts for more than a tenth of the gross domestic product, is expected to contribute to GDP growth in January to March, after dragging economic performance in the past quarters. “The 5.28-percent growth of the agri sector could be attrib-

uted to the blessings of a good climate and favorable conditions in the farming sector. It is also an indication that we are on the right track in agri and fisheries development,” said Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol. Data from PSA showed that at current prices, the gross value of

agricultural production hit P407.6 billion, up by 8.79 percent from P374.67 recorded in the same period last year. Crop production surged 8.3 percent in January to March, a reversal of the 8.4-percent contraction in the same period last year. Palay (unmilled rice) production went up 12.4 percent in the first quarter to 4.42 million metric tons from 3.93 million MT last year. “This was attributed to the increases in area harvested in most regions due to availability of eater in irrigated farms and sufficiency of rainfall in both

rain-fed and upland farms. In addition, higher yield level was observed in most regions and this was brought about by the usage of high yielding varieties,” PSA said. Corn production also increased 23.4 percent to 2.37 million MT from 1.91 million MT as a result of increased plantings induced by the sufficiency of water, higher demand for white corn in Ilocos Region and additional provision of quality seeds. Output increments were also reported for sugarcane, banana, cassava, garlic, peanut, tomato and eggplant.

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX Closing May 15, 2017

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,772.93 42.60

PESO-DOLLAR RATE Closing MAY 15, 2017

AEV spending $300m to expand cement unit

ABOITIZ Equity Ventures Inc. is spending $250 million to $300 million over the next three to five years to expand cement production, a top executive said Monday. Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. president Sabin Aboitiz said in an interview at the sidelines of the annual stockholders’ meeting that the planned investment would increase the group’s capacity by 1 million metric tons from the current 7 million MT across six cement plants. The expansion involves ‘debottlenecking’ existing cement plants and construction of a new kiln. Several cement companies are also expanding production capacities in anticipation of increased government spending on infrastructure. The Duterte administration announced plans to roll out more than P3.6 trillion in public infrastructure projects from 2018 to 2020. Cement demand, however, was weak in the first quarter, which resulted in a number of cement firms such as Holcim Philippines, Cemex Holdings Philippines Inc. and AEV-owned Republic Cement to report lower profits in the first quarter. “While 2017 may be lower than originally forecasted, we do believe in the future growth of the industry. The demand for cement given the construction boom, housing boom and the all the infrastructure projects that are expected to come still we are very bullish on the prospects of the cement industry moving forward,” said AEV president Erramon Aboitiz. Jenniffer B. Austria

GMA-7 open to investors By Darwin G. Amojelar THE chairman of GMA Network Inc. is open to revive talks for the sale of a majority stake in the broadcast network. “I am not the one reviving. The buyers are the one trying to revive. As of now we are not talking, but we are going to talk,” GMA Network chairman and chief executive Felipe Gozon said. “We are open anytime, but the offer must be acceptable to us,” he said. Gozon said the owners were talking to the same interested potential investor. The Gozon, Jimenez and Duavit families own a combined 79 percent of the network, which airs on Channel 7 on free TV. Majority shareholders of the broadcaster earlier agreed to sell about 30 percent of the company to businessman Ramon Ang, but the negotiation bogged down after more than a year of talks. Talks with the group of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. also fell through over price and regulatory issues. The broadcast firm posted a net income of P842 million in the first quarter, down by 17 percent from last year’s P1.01 billon.

Coconut production, however, went down 2.3 percent as the effects of dry spell last year resulted in lesser nuts developed in Davao del Sur and Sultan Kudarat. In Basilan, some bearing trees were cut down due to the occurrence of “cocolisap.” Lower outputs were also recorded for coffee, mango, calamansi, sweet potato, cabbage, abaca and other vegetables. The livestock subsector grew 3.3 percent in the first quarter, led by higher hog production. The poultry subsector grew 1.9 percent as chicken production increased 1.5 percent during the period.

45.00 46.50 48.00 49.50

P49.690 CLOSE

51.00

HIGH P49.670 LOW P49.770 AVERAGE P49.710 VOLUME 558.000M

P427.00-P647.00 LPG/11-kg tank P38.25-P50.40 Unleaded Gasoline

CLARK-BUSUANGA FLIGHT. Clark International Airport Corp. president and chief executive Alexander Cauguiran (center), Cebu Pacific vice president for corporate affairs JR Mantaring (fourth from right) and Tourism assistant secretary Daniel Angelo Mercado (fourth from left) lead the cake-cutting ceremony to formally launch the three-times weekly service of Cebu Pacific, through subsidiary Cebgo, to Busuanga (Coron) at Clark International Airport domestic terminal. The Busuanga flight is one of two flights kicked off by Cebu Pacific from its Clark hub on May 15, the other being the daily Caticlan flight.

P27.75-P32.96 Diesel

MONEY sent home by Filipinos working overseas jumped 10.7 percent in March to a record $2.615 billion from $2.362 billion a year ago, as demand for Filipino talents continues to be strong abroad. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed cash remittances in March also exceeded February’s $2.169 billion. This brought cash remittances in the first quarter to $6.953 billion, up 7.7 percent from $6.457 billion registered in the same quarter last year. “Remittances sent by landbased workers [at $2.1 billion]

and sea-based workers [at $0.5 billion] increased by 12.8 percent and 3.4 percent, respectively, compared to the levels in the same month a year ago,” Bangko Sentral said. Cash remittances came mostly from the United States [with 3.9 percentage points contribution to the 10.7 percent aggregate growth], Canada and United Arab Emirates [each contributing 2.1 percentage points], Japan [1 percentage point] and Hong Kong [0.8 percentage point]. Almost 80 percent of the cash remittances in the first quarter came from the US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, Japan, United Kingdom, Qatar, Kuwait, Hong

Kong and Canada. Personal remittances, which include non-cash items, also climbed 11.8 percent in March to $2.915 billion from $2.606 billion a year earlier, bringing total personal remittances in the first quarter to $7.709 billion, up 8.1 percent from $7.134 billion a year ago. The increase in personal remittances in the first quarter was driven by the 10.5-percent growth in transfers from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more, making up for the 2-percent decrease in remittances from sea-based and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year.

The strong remittance growth, combined with robust exports, are expected to boost gross domestic product figures in the first quarter. The Agriculture Department also reported that farm production grew 5.3 percent in January to March. Remittances support the growth of various sectors such as banking, real estate, automotive, education, healthcare and retail in the Philippines. Last year, remittances hit a record $26.9 billion, up by 5 percent from $25.6 billion in 2015. The 5-percent expansion surpassed Bangko Sentral’s projection of a 4-percent growth last year and the 4-percent growth in 2015.

TODAY

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

Remittances jumped 10.7% in first quarter By Julito G. Rada

OPRICES IL

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Monday, May 15, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.8130

Japan

Yen

0.008838

0.4402

UK

Pound

1.288600

64.1890

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128322

6.3921

Switzerland

Franc

0.999700

49.7981

Canada

Dollar

0.730194

36.3732

Singapore

Dollar

0.712099

35.4718

Australia

Dollar

0.739000

36.8118

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652872

132.1475

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266645

13.2824

Brunei

Dollar

0.709572

35.3459

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.028810

1.4351

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.5634

Euro

Euro

1.093300

54.4606

Korea

Won

0.000891

0.0444

China

Yuan

0.144942

7.2200

India

Rupee

0.015567

0.7754

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.230203

11.4671

New Zealand

Dollar

0.685300

34.1368

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033139

1.6508 Source: PDS Bridge

DICT confirms global cyber attack in progress THE Department of Information and Communications Technology on Monday warned the public to be cautious while doing their online activities, as a global ransomware attack is currently in progress. DICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima said in a statement the sophisticated ransomware, known as ‘Wanna Cry’ or ‘Wanna Decryptor,’ was exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Windows operating system. “This malware is designed to spread laterally on a network by gaining unauthorized access to the IPC share on network resources on the network on which it is operating. It is also believed that this ransomware is spread through phishing emails, malicious adverts on websites, and questionable apps and programs,” the department said. “Users are advised to be extremely cautious in their online activities,” it said. Globe Telecom said its security operations center averted more than 900 malware attempts so far.

“Globe has invested in top-of-theline information security to protect valuable customer data and information technology systems against malware, believing that in the digital age, information security has never been more vital and relevant,” said Globe chief technology and information officer Gil Genio. Cyber security company FortiGuard Labs said that on May 12, it began tracking a new ransomware variant that spread rapidly throughout the day. “It is a highly virulent strain of a self-replicating ransomware that has impacted such far-flung organizations as the Russian Interior Ministry, Chinese universities, Hungarian and Spanish telcos, and hospitals and clinics run by the British National Health Services. It is especially notable for its multi-language ransom demands that support more than two-dozen languages,” said Fortinet senior security strategist Aamir Lakhani. Darwin G. Amojelar

METRO RETAIL’S EXPANSION. Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. solidifies its industry dominance in

the Visayas region with the recent opening of its 51st store in the heart of Mandaue City in Cebu. The 2,544-square-meter Metro Supermarket also features its Metro Pharmacy to cater to the health and wellness needs of shoppers. Shown during the ribbon-cutting ceremony are (from left) Canduman barangay chairman Leo Jabas, MRSGI president and chief operating officer Arthur Emmanuel, Mandaue City chief of staff Elaine Bathan, MRSGI board director Edward Gaisano and site lessor Dr. Roland Lee.

B2

Business

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Bloomberry posted P2.15-b profit in Q1 By Jenniffer B. Austria BLOOMBERRY Resorts Corp., the owner and operator of Solaire Resort & Casino, said Monday it posted a net income of P2.15 billion in the first quarter, a reversal of the P1.15-billion net loss it incurred in the same period last year, on record gaming revenues. Bloomberry said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its Korean operations under Jeju Sun Hotel & Casino also booked its first ever profitable quarter with P324 million in income, led by foreign exchange gains. Consolidated gross gaming revenues rose 40 percent to P10.71 billion, as Solaire’s VIP volume grew 35 percent yearon-year to post a new all-time high. Solaire’s mass table drop and

electronic gaming machines coinin generated strong year-on-year growth rates of 24 percent and 26 percent, respectively, to also hit new quarterly records. “We are very pleased that the turnaround and headway we experienced in 2016 continued to be felt in the first quarter of the year. We are convinced that this trending will go on for the rest of the year. Our programs on fund management, cost containment and customer engagement across the entire organization are reverting to us with winning points,” Bloomberry chairman and chief executive Enrique Razon Jr. said. Non-gaming revenues in the quarter grew 41 percent to P786 million, with hotel occupancy continuing to further improve to 92.6 percent from 84.9 percent in the first quarter of 2016.

Stock market drops; Metrobank, AGG up S TOCKS fell Monday, as investors await the release of first-quarter economic growth data later in the week and following the release of disappointing US economic figures.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, dropped 42 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 7,772.93, as five of the six major sectors declined, with only holding firms treading in positive territory. The heavier index, representing all shares, went down 16 points, or 0.4 percent, to settle

at 4,632.17, on a value turnover of P7.5 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 112 to 85, while 50 issues were unchanged. Eight of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Alliance Global Group Inc., the holding company of tycoon Andrew Tan, which climbed 4.1 percent to P14.70. Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second

largest lender, rose 2.4 percent to P89, while JG Summit Holdings Inc. of tycoon John Gokongwei added 2.1 percent to close at P84.95. Meanwhile, most Asian markets rose Monday, with Hong Kong heading for a sixth successive gain as traders brushed off another set of disappointing US economic figures. Investors were given a healthy lead from Europe where London and Frankfurt ended at record highs but below-par Chinese figures tempered gains. Hong Kong rose 0.7 percent to levels not seen since mid-2015, while Shanghai edged up 0.2 percent, a third straight win after losing about seven percent

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW MONDAY, MAY 15, 2017

NAME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.45 20,000 48.6 24,300 106 1,021,190 4.01 9,000 121.8 1,921,470 1.27 588,000 34.95 680,500 16.04 12,700 22.8 825,900 7.7 9,500 0.67 2,000 1.7 3,000 820 160 0.71 2,583,000 89 3,399,460 0.72 6,000 15.6 147,600 26.5 1,500 67.5 166,850 243 100 110 130 55.95 70,160 215 792,710 1,655 100 83 134,960

69,100 1,184,660 108,107,230 35,610 234,096,344 753,850 23,834,595 203,274 18,979,715 73,220 1,340 5,080 131,450 1,791,290 300,649,160 4,320 2,302,650 39,750 11,208,108.50 24,064 14,300 3,934,972.50 170,562,544 165,500 11,171,521.50

580,275 23,831,203 -6,668,137 5,398,755 40,050 -2,188,655 -73,220 41,000 119,370 177,730,760.50 1,953,444 -284,825.50 -19,930,784 -165,500 -4,088,169

39.65 5.72 0.83 1.6 21.3 0.275 7.01 16.76 185 22.85 14.2 71 81.25 1.9 5.72 11.6 12.54 9.86 6.53 5.95 1.7 19.96 71.7 13.2 15.36 9.02 1.54 206 4.73 3.6 27.3 30.7 20.2 19 273 0.245 6.25 3.38 9.97 11.42 2.13 10.12 2.01 71.55 6 297.4 4.76 2.01 3.14 13.3 4.4 0.146 1.37 159.1 1.6 1.1

INDUSTRIAL 39.8 1,902,700 5.78 1,956,400 0.85 8,147,000 1.63 9,350,000 22.2 11,500 0.29 21,550,000 7.12 4,814,900 16.8 1,655,500 191 500 23.35 58,800 14.3 9,400 71 35,340 82 1,280 1.91 210,000 5.75 22,900 11.9 13,900 12.58 2,815,500 9.9 262,200 6.54 4,935,000 5.99 21,963,800 1.7 8,000 20 4,322,600 71.8 252,580 13.3 294,800 15.36 143,200 9.13 2,275,200 1.54 232,000 206 1,527,880 4.74 279,000 3.6 50,000 27.3 600 30.7 156,600 20.35 1,136,000 19.1 3,360,600 274 107,710 0.249 800,000 6.25 28,100 3.39 583,000 10 7,533,800 11.44 23,600 2.14 2,119,000 10.6 2,381,600 2.05 3,988,000 71.6 578,430 6.15 595,300 297.4 15,550 4.76 469,000 2.01 60,000 3.18 375,000 13.3 3,235,200 4.5 438,000 0.146 900,000 1.39 603,000 159.9 3,384,650 1.61 1,068,000 1.12 198,000

75,864,870 11,325,888 7,060,240 15,391,540 255,775 6,229,300 34,088,465 27,843,574 94,725 1,370,375 137,550 2,509,227.50 104,588 401,450 132,230 162,240 35,517,006 2,587,785 32,516,971 131,579,745 13,910 86,566,684 18,132,265 3,931,682 2,202,808 20,892,383 358,940 317,130,382 1,340,980 181,180 16,390 4,830,145 23,738,605 64,187,518 29,567,128 197,190 176,844 1,971,780 75,394,888 270,016 4,532,420 25,027,218 8,300,240 41,611,614 3,669,129 4,684,866 2,250,300 120,600 1,190,750 43,697,160 1,969,850 131,830 839,410 541,855,260 1,723,930 219,080

-31,313,550 219,523 500 -3,951,800.00 -555,000 -903,224 11,270,488.00 -2,485,000 17,813,582 -172,511 12,729,334 -24,959,948 -52,754,122 -5,079,195.50 -2,130,498 5,136,850.00 1,540 -200,547,022 18,000 -1,152,215 -15,648,915 -43,566,690 8,292,036 -47,930 8,532,829 639,000 139,788 -42,400 -5,890,876.50 1,270,895 -2,794,500 43,200 3,390 -3,872,926 -84,011,507 80,800 -

0.37 75.4 14.22 1.15 6.11 0.36 0.37 855 8.13 13.12 7.9 5.89 0.2 1,235 6.5 83.05 0.99 7.25 16.3 0.41 6.5 3.3 0.065 1.88 2.5 107.5 2.7 770 1.38 199.8 306 0.285 0.21 0.246

HOLDING FIRMS 0.37 550,000 75.7 1,280,200 14.7 24,027,300 1.2 386,000 6.11 300 0.36 9,260,000 0.38 680,000 864 315,880 8.16 568,600 13.16 10,495,500 7.9 1,000 5.89 4,900 0.2 2,160,000 1,235 118,860 6.5 22,300 84.95 2,154,770 0.99 1,385,000 7.25 2,152,500 16.42 233,000 0.41 20,000 6.65 11,922,300 3.3 5,000 0.066 165,580,000 1.88 781,000 2.5 10,000 107.9 46,140 2.78 28,000 773 285,370 1.39 81,000 200 330 307 4,030 0.285 640,000 0.22 100,000 0.246 1,230,000

204,150 96,908,083 350,106,492 450,290 1,833 3,370,550 257,450 272,342,960 4,637,508 138,229,864 7,935 28,861 436,940 147,175,850 144,950 181,380,692.50 1,375,410 w15,771,363 3,815,870 8,200 78,877,431 16,500 10,977,900 1,469,280 25,000 4,977,824 76,490 221,156,330 112,450 65,970 1,237,206 182,400 21,840 304,980

-23,321,464.50 -71,569,324 19,250 11,710,595 272,513.00 79,646,258 -3,950 -35,640 -56,273,665 103,003,476.50 646,555 517,870.00 42,695,178 -55,610 -599,720 -1,711,112 102,908,225 -586,202 4,640 123,000

6.78 1.11 2.24 1.36 37.45 4.13 5.31 0.495 1.08 1.42 0.157 0.5 51.05 0.68 0.162 1.64 1 1.05 4.17 4.11 0.365 0.36

PROPERTY 6.78 115,600 1.14 8,638,000 2.27 415,000 1.38 3,820,000 37.45 13,964,100 4.2 4,441,000 5.31 123,400 0.5 3,990,000 1.08 137,000 1.44 71,000 0.158 5,770,000 0.51 7,590,000 51.2 316,000 0.68 123,000 0.162 3,620,000 1.64 22,272,000 1.02 9,264,000 1.09 1,251,000 4.17 4,000 4.16 21,772,000 0.37 94,150,000 0.36 4,310,000

783,868 9,933,150 936,950 5,234,500 540,698,280 18,649,230 656,421 1,976,150 149,130 101,650 911,460 3,866,070 16,236,048.50 84,070 595,290 36,847,950 9,357,300 1,337,220 16,690 90,711,140 35,497,500 1,577,050

-573,010 16,200 -11,460 163,104,060 -10,017,470 612,000 3,866,081 3,400 4,860 -28,655,620 10,100 -16,690 8,267,450 638,500 -

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE 3.6 ASIA UNITED 48.6 BANK PH ISLANDS 106.9 BDO LEASING 3.85 BDO UNIBANK 122.2 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.3 CHINABANK 35.6 COL FINANCIAL 16 EAST WEST BANK 22.75 FILIPINO FUND 7.71 FIRST ABACUS 0.67 IREMIT 1.69 MANULIFE 825 MEDCO HLDG 0.71 METROBANK 87.45 NTL REINSURANCE 0.72 PB BANK 15.6 PBCOM 26.5 PHIL NATL BANK 68 PHIL STOCK EXCH 240.4 PHILTRUST 110 RCBC 55.4 SECURITY BANK 216.8 SUN LIFE 1,655 UNION BANK 82.5

3.6 49.25 107 4.01 122.6 1.35 35.6 16.04 23.2 7.71 0.67 1.7 825 0.71 89 0.72 15.66 26.5 68 243 110 56.4 217.4 1,655 83

3.4 48.5 105.2 3.85 121.3 1.25 34.5 16 22.75 7.7 0.67 1.69 820 0.69 86.95 0.72 15.6 26.5 66.8 240 110 55.4 213 1,655 82.5

ABOITIZ POWER 40.45 AGRINURTURE 5.84 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.85 ALSONS CONS 1.63 ASIABEST GROUP 22.45 BASIC ENERGY 0.285 CEMEX HLDG 7.01 CENTURY FOOD 16.88 CHEMPHIL 185 CIRTEK HLDG 23.45 CNTRL AZUCARERA14.76 CONCEPCION 73.95 CONCRETE A 82.95 CROWN ASIA 1.9 DAVINCI CAPITAL 5.8 DEL MONTE 11.6 DNL INDUS 12.68 EEI CORP 9.91 EMPERADOR 6.59 ENERGY DEVT 6 EUROMED 1.77 FIRST GEN 20.6 FIRST PHIL HLDG 71.8 GINEBRA 13.2 HOLCIM 15.44 INTEGRATED MICR 9.03 IONICS 1.55 JOLLIBEE 212 LMG CHEMICALS 4.85 MABUHAY VINYL 3.65 MACAY HLDG 27.35 MANILA WATER 30.8 MAXS GROUP 21.5 MEGAWIDE 19.22 MERALCO 275 MG HLDG 0.25 PANASONIC 6.34 PEPSI COLA 3.44 PETRON 9.97 PHINMA 11.48 PHINMA ENERGY 2.15 PHX PETROLEUM 10.2 PHX SEMICNDCTR 2.12 PILIPINAS SHELL 72 PRYCE CORP 6 PUREFOODS 300 RFM CORP 4.78 ROXAS AND CO 2.01 ROXAS HLDG 3.39 SHAKEYS PIZZA 13.66 SPC POWER 4.5 SWIFT FOODS 0.146 TKC METALS 1.42 UNIV ROBINA 162.5 VITARICH 1.62 VULCAN INDL 1.1

40.45 5.84 0.9 1.7 22.9 0.305 7.13 16.94 191 23.45 14.78 73.95 82.95 1.95 5.8 11.9 12.72 9.91 6.65 6 1.78 20.6 71.9 13.48 15.44 9.33 1.58 213 4.91 3.65 27.35 31.4 21.5 19.22 276 0.25 6.34 3.44 10.08 11.48 2.15 10.6 2.16 72.05 6.3 304 4.8 2.01 3.39 13.78 4.5 0.149 1.42 163.4 1.64 1.15

ABACORE CAPITAL 0.37 ABOITIZ EQUITY 76 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 14.22 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 1.17 ANSCOR 6.11 ATN HLDG A 0.36 ATN HLDG B 0.385 AYALA CORP 868.5 COSCO CAPITAL 8.2 DMCI HLDG 13.16 FILINVEST DEV 7.97 FJ PRINCE A 5.89 FORUM PACIFIC 0.21 GT CAPITAL 1,244 HOUSE OF INV 6.5 JG SUMMIT 83.3 LODESTAR 1.02 LOPEZ HLDG 7.3 LT GROUP 16.4 MABUHAY HLDG 0.41 METRO PAC INV 6.59 MJC INVESTMENTS 3.3 PACIFICA 0.066 PRIME ORION 1.89 REPUBLIC GLASS 2.5 SAN MIGUEL CORP 107.9 SEAFRONT RES 2.7 SM INVESTMENTS 770 SOLID GROUP 1.39 SYNERGY GRID 199.8 TOP FRONTIER 308 UNIOIL HLDG 0.285 WELLEX INDUS 0.232 ZEUS HLDG 0.25

0.375 76 14.76 1.2 6.11 0.375 0.385 870 8.2 13.28 7.97 5.89 0.21 1,250 6.5 84.95 1.02 7.36 16.42 0.41 6.65 3.3 0.068 1.89 2.5 108.9 2.78 788 1.39 200 308 0.285 0.232 0.255

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP KEPPEL PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES

OPEN

6.78 1.15 2.25 1.36 39 4.22 5.38 0.5 1.09 1.44 0.159 0.51 51.25 0.69 0.165 1.7 1.01 1.05 4.18 4.13 0.39 0.38

6.79 1.18 2.28 1.39 39.75 4.24 5.38 0.5 1.09 1.44 0.16 0.52 52 0.7 0.17 1.71 1.02 1.1 4.18 4.22 0.395 0.385

VOLUME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

0.76 3.85 24.45 1.72 3.3 31.95 0.99 6.8 0.88 5.1

0.78 4.1 25 1.73 3.3 32.85 0.99 6.8 0.9 5.19

0.71 3.85 23.75 1.7 3.25 31.9 0.98 6.23 0.88 5.01

0.72 4.05 23.8 1.71 3.25 32 0.99 6.23 0.9 5.15

45,901,000 2,515,000 2,617,500 206,000 1,081,000 11,476,300 1,336,000 1,300 31,000 3,075,100

33,873,210 10,060,070 63,287,325 353,970 3,553,460 370,248,330 1,317,990 8,783 27,670 15,697,826

-14,800 437,100 7,966,815 202,856,045 -623 -7,172,407.00

2GO GROUP 16.54 ABS CBN 44 ACESITE HOTEL 1.59 APC GROUP 0.52 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.047 ASIAN TERMINALS 12.3 BERJAYA 5.3 BLOOMBERRY 10.04 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.089 CALATA CORP 1.98 CEBU AIR 101.8 CENTRO ESCOLAR 9.86 DFNN INC 8.91 GLOBE TELECOM 2,032 GMA NETWORK 6.11 GOLDEN HAVEN 16 HARBOR STAR 3 IMPERIAL 3.61 INTL CONTAINER 96.6 IPEOPLE 12.68 IPM HLDG 9 ISLAND INFO 0.184 ISM COMM 1.38 JACKSTONES 3.69 LBC EXPRESS 16.4 LEISURE AND RES 4.16 MACROASIA 4.08 MANILA JOCKEY 2.48 MELCO CROWN 8.28 METRO RETAIL 3.91 NOW CORP 2.62 PACIFIC ONLINE 11.9 PAL HLDG 5.3 PAXYS 2.98 PHIL SEVEN CORP 165 PHILWEB 7.1 PLDT 1,753 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.56 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.405 PUREGOLD 42.95 ROBINSONS RTL 81 SBS PHIL CORP 6.02 SSI GROUP 2.4 STI HLDG 1.1 TRAVELLERS 3.66 WATERFRONT 0.76 WILCON DEPOT 5.39

17.5 44.2 1.59 0.52 0.047 12.32 5.69 10.26 0.089 1.98 101.8 9.99 9.07 2,036 6.12 16.48 3 3.65 99 12.68 9 0.184 1.4 3.69 16.4 4.18 4.45 2.5 8.5 3.95 2.62 11.9 5.46 2.98 170 8.98 1,753 1.56 0.405 43.2 81.05 6.02 2.47 1.1 3.79 0.77 5.49

16.52 43.85 1.57 0.5 0.045 12.3 5.3 9.9 0.086 1.92 97.5 9.83 8.76 1,990 6.1 16 2.79 3.57 96.1 12.5 8.99 0.182 1.36 3.55 16 3.95 4.07 2.4 8.28 3.87 2.55 11.7 5.3 2.98 165 7.03 1,669 1.53 0.4 42.8 80 5.9 2.36 1.06 3.62 0.65 5.39

SERVICES 16.8 773,700 43.9 72,400 1.57 17,000 0.52 5,269,000 0.046 47,500,000 12.3 4,400 5.69 17,800 10.04 10,702,900 0.086 26,530,000 1.92 1,946,000 98.6 366,340 9.98 3,900 8.77 414,500 2,000 73,080 6.11 327,800 16.46 159,400 2.85 8,113,000 3.65 67,000 97.9 1,227,840 12.52 65,300 8.99 255,000 0.184 1,320,000 1.36 635,000 3.69 89,000 16.36 26,000 4 2,086,000 4.42 1,727,000 2.46 300,000 8.4 2,518,200 3.95 9,206,000 2.56 943,000 11.7 19,200 5.46 65,100 2.98 6,000 170 529,110 8.63 8,070,600 1,679 230,875 1.56 6,189,000 0.405 3,160,000 42.95 906,800 80.05 270,010 5.9 157,900 2.36 8,134,000 1.09 2,612,000 3.64 2,730,000 0.65 44,518,000 5.43 16,713,200

13,210,182 3,184,020 26,890 2,638,560 2,181,700 54,144 99,215 107,583,286 2,312,090 3,758,790 36,203,752 38,445 3,724,339 146,625,190 2,002,608 2,607,456 23,181,150 240,770 119,739,293.50 817,582 2,292,500 242,060 865,430 322,840 419,890 8,460,570 7,357,730 744,020 21,210,710 36,107,780 2,427,530 227,980 347,319 17,880 89,948,200 68,143,140 388,767,460 9,599,070 1,274,150 38,940,135 21,619,432.50 936,717 19,621,960 2,822,330 10,049,760 31,424,620 90,937,805

-13,870 -1,400,000 13,600 25,433,220 87,000 124,800 -9,715,710 269,700 -105,378,240 208,320 3,650 33,784,663 49,200 -172,600 864,914 -15,136,000 60,850.00 17,880 -5,100 -22,055,126 -36,827,635 1,509,850 405,000 20,061,850 19,254,381 496,545.00 -1,716,270 650,470 1,970,600 537,790 34,538,102

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

0.0033 1.89 5.09 13.48 2.02 2.3 0.93 0.41 8.98 2.54 0.255 0.193 0.195 0.011 0.011 1.86 6.18 2.15 0.465 0.89 0.011 0.011 4.21 0.014 9.1 3.24 159 2.64 0.0092

0.0034 2.05 5.1 13.48 2.02 2.3 0.94 0.41 8.98 2.57 0.26 0.194 0.195 0.012 0.012 1.89 6.2 2.23 0.465 0.9 0.011 0.011 6.2 0.014 9.1 3.35 160 2.83 0.0092

0.0032 1.82 5.08 12.8 2.02 2.29 0.88 0.4 8.53 2.51 0.25 0.19 0.195 0.011 0.011 1.8 6.1 2.15 0.465 0.87 0.011 0.011 4.21 0.013 8.91 3.22 157.1 2.64 0.009

MINING & OIL 0.0033 177,000,000 1.92 20,294,000 5.1 272,700 13.46 5,500 2.02 7,000 2.29 2,000 0.89 3,688,000 0.41 410,000 8.97 400 2.57 1,040,000 0.255 1,270,000 0.19 1,870,000 0.195 100,000 0.012 145,400,000 0.012 108,000,000 1.89 139,000 6.17 2,281,400 2.22 14,000 0.465 50,000 0.89 165,000 0.011 2,900,000 0.011 1,000,000 5.63 6,695,000 0.013 18,300,000 8.99 848,900 3.3 3,887,000 157.7 772,130 2.7 50,000 0.009 18,000,000

579,700 39,593,090 1,389,734 72,572 14,140 4,590 3,326,010 166,100 3,545 2,638,100 319,100 358,410 19,500 1,620,000 1,196,000 259,980 14,032,808 30,270 23,250 146,260 31,900 11,000 35,464,130 239,400 7,663,724 12,825,300 121,830,183 138,030 163,700

-502,220 -394,217.00 -90,000 554,280 -4,523,241 -1,237,630 4,200 16,789 409,350 -40,003,475 55,850 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 DD PREF FGEN PREF F GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B LR PREF PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

42.2 520 104.7 112.5 529.5 5.99 1,025 1.09 106 2.35 77.75 81 78.1 80 79 78.1 79.25

43.5 520 104.7 112.5 529.5 6 1,025 1.09 106 2.4 77.75 81 78.15 80 79 78.1 79.25

42.2 520 104.6 112.5 529.5 5.8 1,022 1.08 106 2.1 77.75 80.3 78.1 80 79 78.1 79.25

PREFERRED 43.5 3,900 520 1,700 104.7 22,100 112.5 2,250 529.5 400 5.93 79,300 1,022 1,000 1.09 110,000 106 2,660 2.1 19,000 77.75 11,380 80.3 23,120 78.15 116,800 80 26,020 79 3,800 78.1 20,000 79.25 10

166,260 884,000 2,313,770 253,125 211,800 464,105 1,022,075 119,830 281,960 43,140 884,795 1,860,036.50 9,122,320 2,081,600 300,200 1,562,000 792.5

72,760.00 -

LR WARRANT

2.2

2.25

2.2

WARRANTS 2.2 102,000

224,700

-

4.32 2.93 6.65 8.25

4.08 2.93 6.35 7.99

SME 4.08 2.93 6.48 8

3,174,420 5,860 967,764 43,950,348

4,180 -6,950,199

FIRST METRO ETF 129.2

130

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 129.2 129.4 3,650

473,117

-

USD DMPL A1

10.66

10.5

DDS 10.66

144,228

-

NAME

OPEN

PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND STARMALLS SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

MS ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

4.32 2.93 6.39 8.19

10.5

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

14,076,261

INDUSTRIAL

124,953,687

HOLDING FIRMS

237,387,031

PROPERTY

274,463,617

SERVICES

219,223,746

MINING & OIL

514,634,422

GRAND TOTAL

1,391,102,015

757,000 2,000 151,000 5,449,400

13,600

VALUE 1,924.21 (down) 2.28 1,031,745,085.54 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 10,992.40 (down) 121.36 1,811,302,052.38 HOLDING FIRMS 7,930.85 (up) 30.05 1,602,713,926.595 PROPERTY 3,485.83 (down) 49.84 1,623.63 (down) 25.45 1,276,949,612.88 SERVICES MINING & OIL 12,567.16 (down) 30.53 1,460,341,205.53 PSEI 7,772.93 (down) 42.60 244,229,944.4598 All Shares Index 4,632.17 (down) 16.09 7,475,854,580.44 Gainers: 85; Losers: 112; Unchanged: 50; Total: 247

since April on worries about a government crackdown on leveraged investment. Seoul added 0.2 percent as investors ignored another missile test by North Korea at the weekend, while Singapore climbed 0.3 percent. However, Tokyo ended 0.1 percent lower on the back of a stronger yen. Troubled conglomerate Toshiba jumped more than three percent despite once again delaying the release of nine-month earnings and warning of a 950 billion yen net loss. The figure was smaller than the more than one trillion yen loss previously estimated and analysts said the jump was likely due to investor relief that authorities do not appear ready to delist Toshiba, despite repeated earnings delays. In China, official data showed output from the country’s factories and workshops slowed more sharply than expected in April, while retail sales were also below par. The data comes as China hosts an international summit showcasing its Silk Road project that it hopes will revive ancient trading routes and breathe life into the world’s number two economy, which grew last year at its slowest pace in a quarter of a century. With AFP, Bloomberg

Emperador to buy back P5b worth of shares EMPERADOR Inc., the liquor unit of tycoon Andrew Tan, is embarking on a P5-billion two-year share buyback program as the company expects to miss its target to double net income by 2017. “We will come short of our target,” Emperador president Winston Co said in an interview following the annual stockholders’ meeting. Emperador earlier projected that net income would double by 2017 to P11.6 billion from P5.8 billion in 2013, after it aggressively expanded overseas through acquisitions. Emperador posted a net profit of P1.5 billion in the first quarter, up seven percent from a year ago. Firstquarter revenues were flat at P8.9 billion, with Brandy accounting for 73 percent and Scotch Whiskey 27 percent. Revenues from the Scotch Whisky business grew 12 percent from a year ago, driven by own Scotch whisky labels The Dalmore and Jura which were particularly stronger within UK, Travel Retail and Latin America. Among the liquor assets it acquired over the past few years were Scotch whisky maker Whyte and Mackay Group, Bodegas Fundador in Spain and Domecq brandy and wines of Pernod Ricard. Meanwhile, Co said the share repurchase program was implemented because the company believed that the stock was “seriously undervalued”. “We believe it is seriously undervalued that is why we have embarked on share buyback program. The company has earmarked P5 billion to buy back shares from the market for a period of two years. We believe that the buyback will create shareholder value and bring the value to where it has to be,” Co said. Co said he expected the company to post better profit than a year ago, as it planned to launch new products in the market. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business

B3

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

LandBank opening 10 branches, offices By Julito G. Rada

TOYOTA SUPPLIERS. Toyota Motor Philippines Corp. holds the 2017 Toyota Supplier Conference and 17th Toyota Suppliers Club General

Assembly at the Bellevue Hotel in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. TMP commended the Toyota supplier network’s hard work, contributing to the achievement of TMP’s targets and goals. The suppliers’ combined effort led to the successful introduction in 2016 of the All New Innova, which continues to be the No. 1 Multi-Purpose Vehicle in the country.

STATE-RUN Land Bank of the Philippines, the third-largest lender in terms of assets, will open 10 branches and extension offices this year as part of an expansion program to serve more clients nationwide and promote greater financial inclusion. LandBank said in a statement Monday it opened two branches in San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte and Caticlan, Aklan in March, bringing its total number of branches and extension offices to 372. The next two branches to be opened are in Binalonan, Pangasinan and San Ildefonso, Bulacan. The bank is also set to open branches in Lopez, Quezon; Silang, Cavite; Balamban, Cebu; Koronadal and Tupi in South Cotabato; and Tubigon, Bohol. LandBank expects to finish the year with 380 branches and extension offices nation-

wide. LandBank is the only bank present in all of the country’s provinces, including underserved regions like the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. “This is in keeping with our thrust to better serve LandBank’s growing clientele and further expand our reach, especially to unbanked sectors in underserved areas,” president and chief executive Alex Buenaventura said in a statement. The bank launched this month the LandBank Inclusive Banking Center in support of the government’s drive toward inclusive banking and more efficient service. The first LIBC was set up at the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board main office in Quezon City. This will help LTFRB streamline its processes for the ease and convenience of its payor-clients.

DoT’s Teo woos Chinese investors By Othel V. Campos

T

ourism Secretary Wanda TulfoTeo made a strong pitch for more Chinese investments to support tourism development between China and the Philippines. “Now is the time to look at the Philippines from a different light, not just a place to visit and enjoy its destination, but a place to do business as well. I urge you to raise your stake on our country and be part of the dawning of a new era—the ‘golden age of infrastructure’,” she said in a trip to China over the weekend.

Teo during Belt and Road Forum hosted by China wooed 17 key Chinese corporations to invest in the Philippines’ P8-trillion infrastructure development program to help sustain Manila’s economic growth momentum in the next six years. “With the ‘Build, Build, Build’ thrust of the current

administration, tourism infrastructure ranging from airports, seaports to hotels are integral to cope with the booming Philippine tourism industry. We are prepared to offer both fiscal and non-fiscal incentives through our tourism enterprise zone model,” Teo said. The Department of Tourism called for Chinese investments on projects like the redevelopment of the historic ‘Old Walled City’ of Intramuros, the proposed Philippine Travel Center and in raw lands covered by the Tourism Infrastructure Economic Zone Authority. “This meeting ushers in a new chapter in our efforts to further heighten cooperation in tourism development between

Tulfo-Teo

the Philippines and China,” Teo said. Tourism undersecretary Rolando Canizal said China is the second largest trading partner of the Philippines, citing

the growing interest of Chinese investors to bring in tourism infrastructure projects to the country. One common concern among Chinese investors was the Philippines’ capacity for the influx of international arrivals and foreign direct investments in the tourism industry. Teo vowed to increase the country’s capacity. Tourism has allotted over P600 million for its infrastructure program between 2017 and 2022, including budgets for airports, cruise ports, roads, railways, site infrastructure and TEZs. The investments exclude private sector investments of over P2.2 trillion on transport units and accommodation.

FDA backs group

Vista Land’s profit up by 11% to P2.3b in Q1 By Jenniffer B. Austria VISTA Land & Lifescapes Inc., the real estate arm of billionaire Manuel Villar, reported an 11 percent growth in net income in the first quarter of 2017 to P2.3 billion from P2.1 billion yearon-year. Consolidated revenues in the quarter stood at P9 billion, up 14 percent from P7.9 billion on year.. Leasing revenue jumped 50 percent to P1.43 billion from P961 million in the prior year period after adding about 70,000 square meters of gross floor area in its investment properties from expansion of existing malls. “2017 promises to be another record year for Vista Land. We are pleased to have been able to achieve solid growth over the past years and should have no problem continuing the trend

this year,” Vista Land chairman Manuel Villar Jr. said. “Our positive outlook for the year is due to the continued expansion of our commercial assets in addition to our core housing business on the back of sound Philippine macroeconomic fundamentals. We are also seeing improvement in our reservation sales growth as we registered a 12 percent growth from a year ago,” he added. Vista launched new projects totaling to about P12 billion in the first quarter of 2017. “We have seen a continued significant growth in our leasing business as we continue to roll out our expansion programs to achieve our stated target of 1.3 million sq. m. in GFA by the end of 2018,” Vista Land president and chief executive Manuel Paolo Villar said.

BEST BOUTIQUE DEVELOPER. Keyland Corp. is among the notable developers awarded during the 5th Annual Property Guru Philippines Property Awards 2017 at the Fairmont Makati Ballroom in Makati City. Keyland teamed up with the Ascott Group to operate, manage and market Citadines Benavides at the heart of bustling Legaspi Village. Shown are (from left) Keyland president Jose Montinola, Ascott Group general manager for the Philippines Arthur Gindap and Keyland chairman Rex Drilon.

The US visa picture in the Trump era IT IS probably correct to say that most Filipinos thought that the immigration and entry-visa system of the US had been totally altered by the entry into office of the administration of President Donald Trump. They probably thought that the rules of the Immigration and Citizenship Service had undergone total change and that the requirements and procedures for entering and remaining in the US were no longer what they used to be in the preTrump era. This impression was not surprising, considering the intensity with which candidate Trump articulated his views on immigration during the electoral campaign. Indeed, one of the first official acts of President Trump was to issue an Executive Order temporarily banning immigration from a number of majorityMuslim countries. Unfortunately, most Filipinos focused their attention on the word ‘immigration’ and concluded that the whole US immigration environment had become restrictive and exclusionary.

“Our numbers will speak for itself. We are hitting new targets with our continuing and sustained efforts. February of this year alone, tourist arrivals to the country hit a four-year high counting a total of 579,178 visitors, an increase of 27.81 percent since 2013” Teo said. “With the bureaucratic reforms, strong private sector consensus, and a more level playing field in the country’s tourism under the auspices of the newly approved National Tourism Development Plan (NTDP 2016-2022), your investments are assured to propel the industry as major economic driver for inclusive growth, greater connectivity, and infrastructure development,” Teo said.

That this clearly is not the case was pointed out to me last week by a FilAmerican lawyer, Johnson Lazaro, who specializes in US immigration law and heads a San Francisco-based law-practice group bearing his name. The group is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Network. Mr. Lazaro was in the Philippines to address a seminar organized specially to apprise Filipino entrepreneurs and professionals on the present state of US immigration law and to correct the numerous false impressions that had been created by Trump’s bombastic assertions and tough statements. So well was the seminar received, said Lazaro, that a follow-up seminar has been scheduled for this coming October. The Fil-Am lawyer’s core message was that nothing—repeat, nothing— has changed in the law and regulations governing entry into and residence in the US. It is neither harder nor easier to enter into or reside in the US today. The requirements and benefits of the longstanding visa categories are still what

they were before President Trump came into the picture. Mr. Lazaro pointed to the E-2 visa as an example. The requirements and benefits of that visa have not changed since January 20, 2017, the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration. For an investment of $70,000—around P3,500,000 at today’s exchange rate—a Filipino can bring his entire family to the US. I remember Mr. Lazaro saying that a household helper can even be brought along. Aside from the $70,000 investment, an E-2 visa requires that the visa-seeker establish in the US a business employing at least ten (10) workers. More favorable treatment is accorded if the business is established in a high-unemployment part of the US. Neither have there been any changes in the requirements for the issuance of the basic business visa, B-1, Mr. Lazaro said. The arrival of President Trump has made no difference to the processing of B-1 visas. These visas are still readily available if the principal requirements —financial, economic and professional

capabilities—are complied with by the applicants. How about processing time, I asked. How long would it take for a visa to be issued? No longer than the pre-Trump processing time, Mr. Lazaro said. If all of an applicant’s documents are in order, an E-2 visa can be obtained in around 120 days. The processing time for an B-1 visa should be about the same, assuming that there are no documentation issues. All in all, now is a good time for desirous and qualified Filipinos to apply for an investor’s visa or a business/professional US visa, Mr. Lazaro said. Why is that, I asked. Because of the overall environment created by the judicial and political pushback against President Trump’s antiimmigration moves, he said. Filipino entrepreneurs and professionals wishing to explore the idea of residing and working in the US can wait for Johnson Lazaro’s October seminar, or they can seek out the Lazaro Law Group—or other law firms—in the meantime. E-mail: rudyromero777@yahoo.com

FOOD and Drug Administration director-general Nela Charade Puno assured the Philippine Pharmacists Association that FDA agency is supportive of the advocacies of the group in backing government health programs. Puno made the assurance in the wake of concerns from the PPhA that the recent FDA advisory warning the public against unauthorized immunization programs in drugstores without FDA approval might project a negative view on their efforts to support government health priorities and erode public confidence in their profession. “As a registered pharmacist myself, I will be the last one to do that. I certainly believe that the profession is a very critical component to provide safe, effective and quality medicines and other related services to the Filipino public,” Puno said. The FDA issued the advisory based the guidelines on licensing and procedures of the FDA. It said all establishments covered by directive must first secure the appropriate license to operate or authorization from the FDA before engaging in any activity promoting the health product. “As the regulatory body, FDA has no option but to enforce the AO (administrative order, unless the (Department of Health) will repeal it, “ Puno said. “We do not oppose community initiated health services. In fact, we are working with the DoH to provide training for pharmacists in the administration of vaccines since this is a critical procedure especially for children,” she said. “The FDA supports these community based initiatives but we need to ensure that several safeguards are in place before authorizing them to offer an immunization program,” she added.

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

B4

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

Business

Toshiba delays results, says it likely lost $8.4b TOKYO―Troubled conglomerate Toshiba on Monday delayed its earnings for a third time since January, but warned it likely lost 950 billion yen ($8.4 billion) in the just-ended fiscal year, with fears growing about its survival. The latest delay comes as one of Japan’s best-known firms grapples with claims of financial misconduct at money-losing US nuclear unit Westinghouse Electric, which is sitting in bankruptcy protection. Toshiba twice postponed nine-month earnings before it released unaudited results last month. Monday’s warning―largely linked to the bloodletting at Westinghouse―was, however, slightly better than an earlier projected net loss of 1.01 trillion yen for the year ended in March. “We can’t officially disclose the earnings as they’re still being audited,” Toshiba president Satoshi Tsunakawa told a news briefing in Tokyo Monday. Toshiba―still recovering from a 2015 accounting scandal―has said it needed more time to probe claims of financial misconduct by senior managers at Westinghouse and to gauge the impact on its finances. The investigation was started after a whistleblower complained that one or more executives at the US unit exerted “inappropriate pressure” on its accounting. The series of delays have stirred fears that Toshiba could be delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The company now faces a deadline for the end of June to file its results with Japan’s finance ministry, or face a possible end-ofJuly delisting. But it is not clear if the firm’s shares will be yanked from the exchange even if that date is missed. Toshiba stock, which has lost more than 40 percent of its value since late December, rose 3.43 percent to 261.8 yen on Monday. “The market does not feel that the exchange is pushing toward a delisting,” Toshihiko Matsuno, chief strategist at SMBC Friend Securities, told AFP. AFP

BELT AND ROAD FORUM. Leaders pose for photographs during the Belt and Road Forum at the International Conference Center in Yanqi Lake, north of Beijing, on May 15, 2017. Chinese President Xi Jinping urged world leaders to reject protectionism on May 15 at a summit positioning Beijing as a champion of globalization, as some countries raised concerns over his trade ambitions. AFP

Oil jumps on extension of output cut

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IL jumped to its highest level in two weeks after the Saudi Arabian and Russian energy ministers said they are in favor of extending a production-cut deal for nine months.

Futures added as much as 2.2 percent in New York, on course for their highest close since April 28. While output curbs that started Jan. 1 are working, global inventories aren’t yet at the level targeted by Opec and its allies, Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih said in Beijing alongside his Russian

counterpart, Alexander Novak. The ministers agreed the deal should be extended through the first quarter of 2018 at the same volume of reductions, they said. “The market is certainly reacting to comments from Saudi Arabia and Russia’s ministers, and it should help at least maintain current prices,” Will Yun, a

commodities analyst at Hyundai Futures Corp., said by phone. “However, we’ll see whether the rebound remains until the US market opens. It could be shortlived and may not be able to boost prices anywhere above $60 or $70.” Russia and Saudi Arabia, the largest of the 24 nations that agreed to reduce supply for six months, are reaffirming their commitment to the deal amid growing doubts about its effectiveness. An increase in Libyan output, together with a surge in North American production and signs of recovery in Nigeria, may

undercut Opec’s strategy to rebalance the market and prop up prices. West Texas Intermediate for June delivery climbed as much as $1.04 to $48.88 a barrel before trading at $48.82 on the New York Mercantile Exchange at 7:56 a.m. in London. Total volume traded almost double the 100-day average. The contract gained 3.5 percent last week. Brent for July settlement added as much as $1.04, or 2.1 percent, to $51.88 a barrel on the Londonbased ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract increased

7 cents to $50.84 on Friday. The global benchmark crude traded at a premium of $2.70 to July WTI. Extending the curbs at already agreed-upon volumes is needed to reach the goal of reducing global inventories to the 5-year average, the energy ministers of the world’s biggest oil producers said in a joint press conference. They will present their position at a meeting of Opec and other nations that are part of the agreement on May 25 in Vienna. Opec members agreed in November to cut output by 1.2 million barrels a day, and several non-members, including Russia,

Cruise ships navigate hostile sea to lure Chinese travelers LIU JING wakes at 7, feeds her 84-year-old mother and two-year-old grandson and then spends the day watching the boy play in the playground, with breaks for meals and his afternoon nap and perhaps a little TV in the evening. That’s not unusual for a Chinese retiree, many of whom play an instrumental role in raising grandkids, but Liu, 57, is on board the Costa Atlantica, a luxury cruise ship packed with activities and events that she largely ignores. “I just don’t have time to do all these,” said Liu, 57, a Beijing resident who sailed with her husband, grandson and mother from Tianjin port late last year. “Everywhere you look on the cruise, you see middle-aged people like me, with small kids.” Lines including Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Carnival Corp. have sent an armada of luxury vessels to China to tap the world’s fastest-growing market, but they face turbulent waters. In addition to satisfying the tastes of Chinese passengers, they sail in the shadow of the region’s increasingly volatile politics. And soon, a new threat will emerge: Chinese companies are building their own big ships. “Right now it’s a learning process,” said Ken Muskat, chief executive officer at SkySea Holding International Ltd., a Shanghai-based cruise operator. “Everybody is adapting and learning more about what the Chinese market is looking for.” The number of passengers in China has risen tenfold in five years, to around 2 million in 2016, and the government ex-

A lifeguard stands in an empty swimming pool onboard the Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. Ovation of the Seas Quantum-class cruise ship docked at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in Hong Kong, China. Bloomberg

pects 4.5 million by the end of the decade. Most make shorter trips―five days on average― and call in South Korea and Japan, the top two destinations in Asia outside of China, according to industry body Cruise Lines International Association. With so much potential―China is still nowhere close to the 11 million plus Americans who cruise each year―companies are bringing bigger and better ships to the Yellow Sea, tailoring their offerings and seeking new destinations in an effort to persuade Chinese travelers that a cruise is more than just a form of transportation. Royal Caribbean’s latest mega-ship, the 4,905-passenger “Ovation of the Seas,” complete with indoor sky-diving and robot bartenders arrived at its new

home port of Tianjin on May 4 for the summer season after being christened in China last year by actress Fan Bingbing. On deck, a sculpture of a mother panda reaches out to her cub on the deck below. “We have still a huge challenge ahead of us to create more consumer awareness of what a cruise is, what that experience is like,” said Adam Goldstein, president of Royal Caribbean. But before China’s newbie cruisers adapt to life on the ocean, the cruise lines first have to adapt to local tastes. And that starts in the kitchen. “Whether it’s rice and congee for breakfast or different types of seafood for lunch or dinner, they’re sticklers for the authenticity of Chinese cooking,” Goldstein said.

Then there’s the entertainment. Out go the Broadwaystyle shows beloved in the Caribbean and in come flashy Chinese song-and-dance hits and local celebrities. SkySea invited candidates from the Voice of China reality TV singing contest to perform and staged the Miss World China Final beauty pageant on its ship Golden Era, which can carry 1,814 people. Royal Caribbean in 2016 invited cross-talk artist Guo Degang to perform on “Ovation of the Seas” during the ship’s inaugural visit to China last year. “There’s much more of an emphasis on shopping,” Goldstein said, adding that Chinese passengers spend two or three times as much in the on-board stores. “Plus we know that they’re shopping energetically in the

ports of call.” But perhaps the biggest difference in China is that cruises are often a multi-generational holiday. “Chinese cruise travelers are very family oriented” said Muskat at SkySea, which counts Royal Caribbean and Chinese online travel service Ctrip.com International Ltd. as major backers. “They like to spend a lot of time with their family whereas in North America you can put the kids in the youth program for seven days and not see them again.” Liu said she barely tried any of the swimming pool, mahjong, shows, casino, bars and gym on her cruise ship, owned by Italy’s Costa Crociere SpA, because her grandson and 84-year-old mother required her constant attention. Costa said it invites local chefs for its China cruises and adds more extensive retail space. The company, which still keeps an Italian flavor to its voyages, said about 85 percent of its passenger accommodation is in family cabins for China cruises. Tailoring ships to win over Chinese seafarers may provide an advantage to local cruise lines that can adapt quickly to the rapidly changing tastes of Chinese consumers, said Yu Dunde, CEO of Chinese online travel booking service Tuniu Corp. China has “too many similar offerings,” said Yu. “To win the market, you’ll have to differentiate through activities, you have to give people something that other cruises can’t.” Companies are trying to diversify, with more ships departing from southern ports like Guangzhou and Xiamen into the warmer waters of the South China Sea for the winter market. Bloomberg

agreed in December to contribute a combined 600,000 barrels a day of reductions. “Preliminary consultations show that everybody is committed” to the output agreement and no country is willing to quit, said Novak. “I don’t see reasons for any country to quit.” Rigs targeting crude in the US increased for a 17th week to 712, the highest since April 2015, Baker Hughes data showed on Friday. The number of working rigs has more than doubled from a 2016 low of 316 in May and is up more than 30 percent so far this year. Bloomberg

Thai economy picks up slightly B A N G K O K ― T h a i l a n d ’s economy saw a slight pick-up in the first quarter of the year, data showed on Monday, as the junta-run nation recovers from a dip caused by the recent death of its long-reining king. The first three months of the year saw gross domestic product expand 3.3 percent yearon-year, up from 3 percent the previous quarter. Thailand spent the close of last year plunged into a period of national mourning after the October death of 88-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej whose reign spanned seven decades. The subdued atmosphere hit consumption as the nation toned down celebrations and festivities as a mark of respect. Government officials will continue to mourn for a full year. But the first-quarter growth suggests business sentiment has improved. Porametee Vimolsiri, secretary general of the economic planning agency, said growth was fueled by “the agriculture sector, government spending and growth in the export sector.” He said Thailand’s was expected to grow between 3.3 and 3.8 percent this year, compared with 2016’s 3.2 percent. While those figures would bring delight to most western industrialized countries, Thailand still has one of the worst performing economies in Southeast Asia. After two decades of roaring growth that saw the middle class boom, the nation has seen its financial fortunes stutter in recent years. AFP

LGUs

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

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NAME AND SHAME. Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada (left) takes the podium to publicly name five members of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau who were found positive for illegal drug use. The five were fired on the spot, as they formed part of 240 MTPB enforcers who were subjected to a surprise drug test on April 24.

15,000 in Makati gain from ‘Lingkod’ caravan M By Joel E. Zurbano

ORE than 15,000 residents have benefited from the Makati Lingkod Bayan Caravan since its launch in August last year, covering 18 barangays as of the end of March, Mayor Abigail Binay said on Monday.

A brainchild of Mayor Binay, the caravan is a one-stop shop scheduled twice a month in selected barangays to bring city government services directly to city residents. “We are pleased with the remarkable turnout at every caravan we have conducted so far. It has made our efforts to improve Makatizens’ access to basic services truly worthwhile,” Binay said. She added that the crowd-drawing caravan inspired her administration to launch “Ugnayan sa

Barangay” where residents get a chance to engage in a face-to-face dialogue with her and other key city government officials. Since January, the dialogue has been held immediately after every caravan. From August 2016 to March this year, the caravan had served 15,258 residents in 18 barangays. From January to March this year, it was conducted in seven barangays, namely, Cembo, Palanan, San Antonio, West Rembo, La Paz, Guadalupe Nuevo and Sta. Cruz.

From August to December last year, the caravan was conducted in 11 barangays: Pio del Pilar, Guadalupe Viejo, Pinagkaisahan, Valenzuela, South Cembo, Bangkal, Southside, San Isidro, Pitogo, Carmona and Pembo. On that period, about 5,061 residents availed themselves of free medical consultations provided by doctors from Makati Health Department. Some 1,089 clients were given anti-hypertensive drugs. Free diagnostic services were also made available to residents, such as blood screening for 951 clients, X-ray for 874 clients, and ECG for 780 clients. Volunteer dentists performed tooth extraction on some 1,063 clients and gave free dentures to 728 clients. Brand new reading glasses were also given to some 3,922 patients, courtesy of the Office of Vice Mayor Monique Lagdameo. Free haircut and massage services were also enjoyed by residents

of all ages and genders provided by the Makati Social Welfare Department, with more than 2,000 clients for haircut and about 1,754 clients for massage services. The learning camp and other youth-oriented activities conducted by the Youth and Sports Development Department drew over 4,700 young residents. They also received free books and toys, courtesy of partner-NGOs. Over 13,800 residents have also benefited from the feeding program. The free vaccination program of the City Veterinary Services Office has also benefited about 2,007 dogs and cats. The caravan has consolidated several essential services, including the processing of new applications or renewal of Yellow Card, BLU Card, White Card, and PhilHealth registration by the MSWD, and the services of the City Civil Registration Office.

Taguig launches child abuse hotline

THE city government of Taguig has launched an emergency hotline in line with the city’s program against child abuse. The program came a month following the arrest of three men engaged in cybersex operation and the rescue of two minors during a raid in Bonifacio Global City conducted by the National Bureau of Investigation and the United States—Homeland Security Investigation. Through the hotline (0937-5870000), residents will be able to report any looming threat to children, which in turn will enable city authorities to respond faster. Mayor Laarni Cayetano led the launching of the emergency hotline simultaneously with the Taguig Comprehensive Youth Welfare, Protection and Development Program at the Lakeshore Hall in Barangay Lower Bicutan on May 2. The program aims to protect the youth from specific dangers to their health, welfare and wellbeing such as cybersex and sexual exploitation, teenage pregnancy, drugs, bullying and smoking. Cayetano said the city govern-

Uniforms, supplies for Munti students

Davao ex-druggies join rehab program By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—Around 700 reformed drug users gathered Sunday to enroll in a rehabilitation program of the city government headed by the City AntiDrug Abuse Council. CADAC action officer Michael Denton Aportadera said the Health and Wellness Caravan for the drug “reformists” in the city aims to help them “survive their daily lives away from illegal drugs toward a better future.” Aportadera said the CADAC took a different approach to drug users who surrendered themselves to the authorities and sought help. “CADAC partnered with different agencies in the government and in the private sector and that

includes the religious sect. Now they have all the reasons to go back to their community as a better individual,” he said. The Philippine Dental Association, the academe and LGBT community were among the private groups who joined the campaign of the city government. Each drug ex-user will undergo a check up to determine the rehabilitation they will need. According to “Rick,” 18, an ex-user, the program is a big help for a former addict like him. He said he would like to finish his studies and become an engineer. “I’ve been using marijuana, shabu and even rugby for eight years, and I am so happy right now that I’ve been sober for days,” Rick said.

BAYANI CHALLENGE. Officers and workers of Teleperformance celebrate after participating in the Bayani Challenge, Gawad Kalinga’s annual home-building project, held in Del Carmen, Surigao Del Norte. With the theme, ‘Tatak Bayani,’ the Bayani Challenge brought together employees from Teleperformance sites in Cebu, Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and Metro Manila to help build houses and repair school facilities in Siargao Island for six days.

Career official named head of QC planning office By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City Council has confirmed the appointment of a career official to head the city government’s planning office. City Resolution 7010 -2017, introduced by Councilors Roderick M. Paulate and Godofredo Liban II, completes the “substantive and

procedural requirements” set by Civil Service laws and rules on the appointment of architect Pedro P. Rodriguez Jr. as City Planning and Development Officer. “In his capacity as the OfficerIn-Charge of the said office, he has proven and performed efficiently his duty in urban planning and development of the

ment has always been “dedicated and aggressive” in addressing the issues faced by children through the continuous implementation of programs that will surely uplift and improve their lives. “We believe that the young generation is a gift from the Lord, so we need to prepare and protect them; and therefore, we will also need the support of our hardworking employees in attaining this goal,” she said. The City Social Welfare and Development Office continues to conduct interventions for the prevention of violence and exploitation or child trafficking by creating community awareness through community education and assistance for the victimssurvivors of these cases. Rescue operations were also organized by different agencies such as the Philippine National Police Cybercrime Group, PNP Women and Children Protection Center Anti-Human Trafficking Division of Camp Crame, the National Bureau of Investigation and even the US Department of Homeland Security to save the children from abuse. Joel E. Zurbano

city,” the resolution read. The Local Government Code of 1991 provides that the appointment of the heads of departments and offices issued by the City Mayor shall be with the concurrence of the City Council’s majority. Mayor Herbert Bautista has appointed career officials as department and office heads, as he be-

lieves in promotion through merit and values the experience and institutional knowledge of employees who rose from the ranks. Rodriguez, who was appointed officer-in-charge of the City Planning and Development Office in December 2015 by Bautista, started serving the city government in 1986 as an architect in the Office

of the City Engineer. Rodriguez graduated with an Architecture degree from Adamson University in 1985. He earned a diploma in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of the Philippines in 2005, and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Lyceum of the Philippines University in 2013.

PUBLIC elementary students in Muntinlupa are set to receive free school uniforms and school supplies from the city government. Muntinlupa City Administrator engineer Allan Cachuela led the distribution of materials on Monday during the opening of Brigada Eskwela 2017. Cachuela said the initiative to provide free supplies for public elementary students is to help parents with school expenses and boost students’ drive to study well. Every beneficiary will be receiving notebooks, pencils, bags, writing pads, among others while uniforms are locally made by the Muntinlupa City Technical Institute. In the spirit of “bayanihan,” Muntinlupa City Government offices also joined hands with local schools and provided cleaning materials for the duration of Brigada Eskwela. Local government offices participated in the clean-up drive to 27 public schools that will run until May 20. Members of the private sector and the Philippine Army also took part in the activity.

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LGUs

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

Senate probe on Sulu execs asked T HE Abu Sayyaf Group’s influence is growing in Sulu “as it enjoys protection from local officials,” the non-government organization Save Sulu Movement said Monday in a statement, as it called on the Senate to investigate provincial and municipal officials who may be coddling the terror group notorious for kidnapping for ransom and violence against civilians and military.

The SSM appealed to the Senate to look into reports of local officials supporting the Abu Sayyaf, adding a law should be

passed “ordering ransom payment as a criminal act and that conniving officials should be criminally liable.”

The group said the Abu Sayyaf “remained unassailable” in a province that is historically known as a bailiwick for warlords. It quoted Ricardo Visaya, the former Armed Forces chief and current head of the National Irrigation Administration, in an interview by a foreign news agency as saying that “governors of Sulu down to village chiefs have been coddling the ASG.” During negotiations for the release of kidnapped victims, the local officials “claim the major share” in the Abu Sayyaf’s ransom, the movement’s statement added. In

some cases, these officials “demand more money than what was originally stipulated,” SSM added. The “breakdown of negotiations” involving factions of the Abu Sayyaf and its supporters “has led to tragedies” such as the beheading of a Malaysian hostage in 2015, the group added. SSM spokesman professor Octavio A. Dinampo, a former ASG kidnap victim himself, said: “It is sickening to keep on hearing the no-ransom policy when everyone knows too well that ransom is actually being paid and brokered by the local government officials, thus per-

petuating the business of the ASG.” Local politicians supply the Abu Sayyaf with weapons “because they can either smuggle or acquire them from the military,” the group added. “Terrorism is a menace that is threatening all of us in the country, not only in Sulu,” said Dinampo, a professor at the Mindanao State University in Sulu. “We want the Senate to investigate the backers of ASG, including politicians and businessmen in our area.” “We also urge the kidnapped victims to cooperate with the authorities so that we can finally

bring the kidnappers to the bar of justice,” the group’s statement added. “We also urge the Committee on Muslim Affairs in Congress to conduct public hearings in Sulu and personally listen to the stories of the people on the ground.” Although the SSM has repeatedly informed the authorities about the local officials’ alleged participation with the Abu Sayyaf, none of them have taken action, the group said. It noted that no official in Sulu has been accused of receiving ransom money on the pretext of negotiation. Erick Gonzalez, with PNA

PCSO aids provinces via I-HOPE program THE provinces of Sulu, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur, and Sarangani in Mindanao are the first batch of recipients of medical equipment worth P50 million each from a charity fund aimed to help improve their delivery of services to the people, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Balutan said on Sunday. He said the provinces were identified by the National AntiPoverty Commission as among the poorest in the country. “Our priority is help these four identified provinces. The PCSO has allotted P50 million worth of medical equipment to each province,” Balutan said. The project is under the Integrated Health for Overall Productivity and Empowerment or I-HOPE program of the PCSO, an integrated program to assist four identified poor provinces each year as identified by the NAPC, the GM said. “This undertaking is a collaboration of the PCSO and NAPC that aims to provide direct financial assistance to primarily improve health facilities in terms of equipment, medicine and basic equipment to barangay health centers,” he added. Balutan said the provinces are the beneficiaries of the IHOPE program for 2017, and PCSO will be assisting another batch of provinces next year. “It’s our way of alleviating the concern of the local government units in terms of managing their constituents when it comes to health care management,” he said. These provinces in Mindanao are also known as conf lict areas where residents are usually affected by clashes between government forces and local armed groups. Balutan said he had worked in these provinces for more than 20 years when he was still a Marine Corps officer, and he is aware that the primary problem of the area is more of livelihood and health. “Their livelihood and health concerns have not been meet because the government hasn’t been able to reach them properly,” the PCSO boss said. He believed that being the first beneficiaries of the IHOPE program, residents in these provinces “will finally feel the effort of the government to improve their lives.”

YOUNG VOLUNTEER. In the spirit of volunteerism, Roma Bautista, an incoming Grade 2 pupil of Javalera Elementary School in the upland part of General Trias City in Cavite, cleans one of the blackboards of the school during the Brigada Eskwela cleanup program of the Department of Education in GenTri and the city government.

Korean hopes to turn Pinoys on to solar ‘Biz plans RALPH Kim, a Korean, saw the energy problems of the Philippines firsthand when he came here in 2013. He has since felt a burden to help. Kim was baffled: the Philippines had abundant sunlight, but suffered from a shortage of electricity and saw the continuously rising cost of power owing to the demand of its growing population. Electricity in the Philippines comes from power plants using oil, coal, natural gas, and hydropower, among others. Solar power, however, is underused in a country that sits just a few degrees north of the equator. “Sunshine is a gift from God. It is

clean and free. We should use it,” thought the Korean businessman, who is also a taekwondo and aikido instructor. To remedy the situation, Kim opened the Unique Korean Corp., which supplies solar energy-powered generators and equipment to residential, commercial, and industrial clients from its Sky Taeho main factory in Korea. “You can make your home fully powered by the sun. Imagine the savings you’ll have in your electric bill. You can save 100 percent,” says Kim, who takes pride in his company’s latest technologies, such as the Eco-Generator that offer long-term

savings to clients. Unique Korean Corp.’s team shares Kim’s mission of protecting the environment by using solar energy—a clean, renewable and domestic energy source. Many solar-power businesses are coming out in the market, but Kim says the difference of his product is that it uses just one machine—a whole package of solar technology in a single machine that does not take up big space, is very easy to install, and can be used 24/7. Kim says the machine has a “very simple diagram. You just need a few materials like brackets and wire. You can also

choose how many solar panels you want.” The company installs the machine within a day in Metro Manila, Iloilo and Cebu, and a few days in other provinces. Machine prices range from P40,000 to P250,000, and return of investment “is as little as three years,” Kim said. “After that, you get free electricity for many, many years.” He invites the public to visit Unique Korean Corp. at Unit 101 Sycamore ARCS1, Buencamino St., Alabang-Zapote Road, Muntinlupa City. They may also call 835-9251 or (0929) 640-3000 for inquiries. Robbie Pangilinan

Ralph Kim, a Korean who has lived the last five years in the Philippines, says the solar-powered generators of his company Unique Korean Corp. are easy to install and can fully power homes in the country that enjoys sunshine most days of the year.

House bill to open public utilities to foreign funding THE House Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a substitute measure to a bill filed by Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, seeking to amend the statutory definitions of Public Service and Public Utility under the 80-year-old Philippine Public Service Act or Commonwealth Act No. 146. Salceda’s House Bill 446, titled “An Act Further Amend-

ing Commonwealth Act No. 146, or the Public Service Act” is deemed an urgent legislative measure since it will break monopolies and liberalize the entry of telecoms, transport and power industries into the country to 100 percent foreign capitalization, the lawmaker said. The measure seeks to solve the country’s debilitating woes over these three vital industries

“which have stalled economic growth for so long,” said Salceda, senior vice chairman of the House Committee on Economic Affairs. It has gained popular support from both private and government sectors, including the Philippine Competition Commission, which asserts that one way of “promoting a competitive environment is to

open fully the market to foreign players.” Salceda said the proposed amendments will clarify the “ambiguities” in the statutory definition of Public Service and Public Utility, which have paved the way for oligarchs to monopolize telecoms, transport and power industries, among others, for decades “to the detriment of consumers

and the country.” The Duterte administration has vowed to break oligarchy in the country. The bill, Salceda added, also seeks to address the “changes in the economic framework brought about by globalization and rapid technological innovations by adjusting the provisions of the law… and enable it to fulfill its purpose of truly serving the public.”

a must for livelihood assistance’ By Ben Moses Ebreo BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya— The provincial government has required individuals and organizations seeking livelihood assistance to prepare their business plans “to ensure the progress and upliftment of their economic status.” Through the Livelihood and Enterprises Development program, officials have high hopes the provincial government’s investment capital mechanism will succeed. “There was strong resistance to this policy at first. But various stakeholders later realized the importance of this regulation,” said engineer Jonem Gacad, rural development action officer. A business plan is part of the basic requirements that should be submitted for an aid recipient to be considered for the program. The Office of the Governor will then assess the project proposals and endorse them to the appropriate provincial bureau “for sustainability and customer satisfaction.” Gacad said the provincial government will be strict in monitoring the beneficiaries and making background investigations on the groups or organizations being funded to ensure their legality and good standing in their respective communities. “There were instances in the past that a certain beneficiary will ask for assistance other than the project previously identified. There are also tendencies that the funds provided will be doled out,” she said. With this scheme, Gacad said the government can track the direction of the various livelihood projects based on their business plan through their regular and periodic monitoring of the projects funded. “We are concerned about the business plan because it is important to see if the livelihood project is earning or losing. The plan helps beneficiaries to implement their projects properly,” she added.

World IN BRIEF Public broadcaster starts airing JERUSALEM―Israel’s new public broadcaster began airing Monday after reforms to television and radio stations seen as integral to the country’s history threatened snap polls and evoked tearful on-air tributes. Radio newscasts began at 6:00 am (0300 GMT) with the same two-hour morning show as previously, with iconic anchor Aryeh Golan remaining in the chair. “Good morning, at this time the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation sets out on its way,” he said in his opening remarks. But in a reference to the layoffs that have accompanied the reforms, he said, “Our rejoicing, of course, is tinged with sadness for the hundreds of our colleagues from the IBA who were left by the wayside.” The exact number of layoffs has yet to be confirmed. Many Israelis grew up with only public radio and television run by the former Israeli Broadcasting Authority until private stations began appearing in 1993. The launch comes after bitter political infighting over the reforms that seek to streamline the former authority’s operations. The now defunct IBA had one television channel and eight radio stations, and the new corporation will contain the same. A dispute between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon over how to move ahead with the reforms threatened early elections, before a compromise was reached in March. Netanyahu has been accused of reneging on a previously reached agreement by seeking too much control of the new broadcaster, while Kahlon was committed to it and wanted to see through financial reforms. AFP

India appeals to stop execution THE HAGUE―India was to appeal to the UN’s top court on Monday to order Pakistan to suspend its planned execution of an Indian national convicted of spying. In an emergency hearing due to open at 0800 GMT, lawyers for New Delhi will urge the International Court of Justice to halt the execution of Kulbhushan Sudhir Jadhav. Jadhav was arrested in the southwestern province of Balochistan last year and Pakistani officials claim he has confessed to spying for Indian intelligence services. But India has denied he was a spy, and last week lodged a protest at the ICJ in The Hague accusing Pakistan of “egregious violations of the Vienna convention,” the court said in a statement. India was not informed of Jadhav’s detention “until long after his arrest” and Pakistan “failed to inform” him of his rights, according to New Delhi. India is seeking the “immediate suspension of the sentence of death awarded to the accused,” the court said, adding that New Delhi had also highlighted “the extreme gravity and immediacy of the threat”. “India submits that it has information that Mr. Jadhav was ‘kidnapped from Iran, where he was carrying on business after retiring from the Indian Navy’,” it added. India was to present its case on Monday morning asking the court to order provisional measures to suspend the execution until the tribunal has had time to consider and rule on the full case. New Delhi ultimately wants the tribunal to order Islamabad to annul the sentence completely. AFP

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Warning over nuke warhead S EOUL―North Korea Monday celebrated the launch of what appeared to be its longest-range ballistic missile yet tested in a bid to bring the US mainland within reach, saying it was capable of carrying a “heavy nuclear warhead”. Leader Kim Jong-Un personally oversaw the test on Sunday, the official Korea Central News Agency said, and pictures by state media showed him gazing at the missile in a hangar before the launch. In others he gleefully clasped hands with officers and staff after the black missile―named as the Hwasong-12―ascended into the sky in the dawn light, atop a column of fire. The isolated North is under multiple sets of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear and missile programs, which have triggered global alarm. The missile was launched on an unusually high trajectory, with KCNA saying it flew to an altitude of 2,111.5 kilometers and traveled 787 kilometers before coming down in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). That suggests a range of 4,500 kilometers or more if flown for maximum distance, analysts said. Aside from Pyongyang’s space launches, Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in the US told AFP: “This is the longest-range missile North Korea has ever tested.” On the respected 38 North website, aerospace engineering specialist John Schilling said it appeared to demonstrate an intermediate-range ballistic missile that could “reliably strike the US base at Guam” in the Pacific. “More importantly,” he added, it “may represent a substantial advance to developing an intercontinental ballistic missile”. The North has carried out two atomic tests and dozens of missile launches since the beginning of last year in its quest to develop a missile capable of delivering a

nuclear warhead to the continental United States―something President Donald Trump has vowed “won’t happen”. KCNA said the new rocket was a “perfect weapon” which was “capable of carrying a large-size heavy nuclear warhead”. It cited Kim as saying the North would never succumb to what it called the “highly ridiculous” US strategy of “militarily browbeating only weak countries and nations which have no nukes”. “If the US dares opt for a military provocation against the DPRK, we are ready to counter it,” it said. Tensions between the two reached a peak in recent weeks, with Washington saying military action was an option under consideration and Pyongyang issuing threats of its own. Trump later appeared to hold open the door to negotiations, saying he would be “honored” to meet Kim and calling him a “smart cookie”. Last week the South elected a new president, Moon Jae-In, who advocates reconciliation with Pyongyang and said at his inauguration that he was willing “in the right circumstances” to visit the North to ease tensions. But he slammed the latest missile test as a “reckless provocation” and said dialogue would be possible “only if the North changes its attitude”. Pyongyang says it needs atomic weapons to defend itself against the threat of invasion. In April it put dozens of missiles on show at a giant military parade through the capital, including one that appeared to be the type launched on Sunday. AFP

ONSTAGE. Kirk Hammett of Metallica In Concert on May 14 in East Rutherford City. AFP

Dying lake underscores climate change threat ATESCATEMPA, Guatemala― The dried-out oyster shells lie on a landscape parched and cracked by the sun. This is what is left of Lake Atescatempa, once a vast blue-green body of water in southwestern Guatemala. ANow the lake is dying, a conspicuous victim of the climate change that is projected to profoundly and irreversibly affect Central America. A prolonged drought descended on the region last year, shriveling two rivers that feed into Lake Atescatempa, and with it the flow of tourists to the area and the liveli-

hood of residents. “We have no more money coming in, nowhere to work. Our hopes for eating fish or supporting our families, that came from the lake,” explained Juan Guerra, a 56-year-old who has lived his whole life by the lake. Today however the lake’s shore is dotted with abandoned boats left high and dry. Wilman Estrada, an unemployed 17-year-old wearing jeans and a T-shirt who for the past nine years lived off fishing here, sat by one of the last puddles. “It makes you want to cry,” he said, casting a despondent gaze at

the rainless sky. Other locals said they began noticing water levels starting to shrink three years ago. And the weather forecast for Central America offers no relief. From July, El Niño―the irregular weather system that raises the temperature of the Pacific Ocean and causes droughts in some regions―could return. “Climate change is really affecting the lives and future of these countries and those of our children in Central America,” said Hector Aguirre, coordinator of Mancomunidad Trinacional, a group representing towns and vil-

lages around the junction of the borders of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The “Dry Corridor,” a zone that runs along the Pacific coast from Guatemala to Panama, felt the brunt of the last burst of El Nino. In 2016, the weather phenomenon left 3.5 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Crop production from vulnerable small growers shrank badly. “El Niño, bolstered by climate change, has made the Dry Corridor one of the most vulnerable areas on the planet,” Aguirre said.

His group has tried to mitigate the problem by training more than 2,000 farmers in how to diversify their crops, with the aim of guaranteeing food security. But malnutrition is already evident in some places, as in the village of La Ceiba Taquezal, in eastern Guatemala, where 114 families from the Ch’orti’ people of the indigenous Maya population have long depended on coffee-growing to survive. Four years ago, a fungus called coffee rust devastated their coffee plantations, and with it their revenues. Hunger soon set in, most noticeably among children. AFP

Malaysia foils attempt to smuggle tortoises

MARITIME REVIEW. Singapore Navy’s RSS Independence sails past China’s navy frigate Huangshan (R) and French navy vessel Frigate FS Prairial (C) during the inaugural maritime review along the strait near Changi Naval Base in Singapore on May 15, 2017. Twenty-eight foreign warships from 20 navies participated in the inaugural review, which is part of Singapore Navy’s 50th anniversary celebration. AFP

KUALA LUMPUR―Malaysian customs foiled an attempt to smuggle hundreds of the world’s most endangered tortoises into the country from Madagascar, a senior ofAficial said Monday. The 330 plowshare and radiated tortoises seized at Kuala Lumpur International Airport Sunday were worth $276,784, Abdul Wahid Sulong, deputy director of the customs department told AFP. All of the reptiles were found alive, he added. “It is a big haul. It could be for the local market or for reexport. We are investigating,” the enforcement agency said in a statement. “Based on public tip-off, customs officials raided the cargo area of the airport and found five suspicious crates,” the statement added. “It had arrived at KLIA on an Etihad Airways flight from Antananarivo airport in Madagascar.” The golden-domed plowshare tortoise is native to Madagascar and due to poaching is the most endangered tortoise on

the planet. Madagascar’s radiated tortoise―considered one of the most beautiful species of the animal― is also rapidly nearing extinction due to rampant hunting for its meat and the illegal pet trade. Abdul Wahid said the contents of the crates were labeled as stones and the address of the recipient was found to be false. Malaysia bans the import of critically endangered animals. Anyone found guilty of the offense can be jailed for up to three years and fined. Elizabeth John, senior communications officer of the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network (Traffic), said the tortoise haul followed on the heels of other busts of animal products originating from Africa, including rhino horn and pangolin scales. “With the string of recent seizures of wildlife from Africa, Malaysian enforcement agencies are sending a strong warning to smugglers that they mean business,” she told AFP. John said the routes used by traffickers in recent cases point to a need for greater scrutiny of airports in the Middle East. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

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Syrian capital capture nearing

World

Fear of more cyberattacks L ONDON―Governments and computer experts girded Monday for a possible worsening of the global cyberattack that has hit more than 150 countries, as Microsoft warned against stockpiling vulnerabilities like the one at the heart of the crisis.

European policing and security agencies said the fallout from a ransomware attack that has already crippled more than 200,000 computers around the world could deepen as people return for another work week. The indiscriminate attack began Friday and struck banks, hospitals and government agencies, exploiting known vulnerabilities in older Microsoft computer operating systems. US package delivery giant FedEx, European car factories, Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica, Britain’s health service and Germany’s Deutsche Bahn rail network were among those hit. In China, “hundreds of thousands” of computers at nearly 30,000 institutions and organizations were infected by late Saturday, according to Qihoo 360, one of China’s largest providers of anti-virus software. Government agencies and universities were among those hit as well as petrol stations, ATMs and hospitals, it said. Europol executive director Rob Wainwright said the situation could worsen on Monday when workers return to their offices after the weekend and log on. “We’ve never seen anything like this,” the head of the European Union’s policing agency told Britain’s ITV television Sunday, calling its reach “unprecedented”. Wainwright described the cyberattack as an “escalating threat”. “I’m worried about how the numbers will continue to grow when people go to work and turn on their machines on Monday,” he said. The warning was echoed by Britain’s National Cyber Security Center: “As a new working week begins it is likely, in the UK and elsewhere, that further cases of ransomware may come to light, possibly at a significant scale.” The attack looks like this: images appear on victims’ screens demanding payment of $300 (275 euros) in the virtual currency 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 locked files will be deleted, according to the screen message. Bitcoin, the world’s most-used virtual currency, allows anonymous transactions via heavily encrypted codes. Experts and governments alike warn against ceding to the demands and Wainwright said few victims so far had been paying up. Security firm Digital Shadows said on Sunday that transactions totaling $32,000 had taken place through Bitcoin addresses used by the ransomware. 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 Moscowbased computer security firm Kaspersky Lab. A hacking group called Shadow Brokers released the malware in April, claiming to have discovered the flaw from the NSA, Kaspersky said. Brad Smith, Microsoft’s president and chief legal officer, said in a blog post Sunday that it was in fact the NSA that developed the code being used in the attack.AFP

COMPETITION. Miss Minnesota USA 2017 Meridith Gould competes in the swimsuit competition during the 2017 Miss USA

pageant at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on May 14, 2017, in Las Vegas. She went on to be named the second runner-up. AFP

EU pushes Myanmar to open for aid YANGON―A senior European Union official has urged Myanmar to allow full aid access to the north of Rakhine state, where thousands have fled their homes after a months-long army crackdown on Rohingya Muslims. The area along the country’s northwestern border has been under lockdown since October, when the military launched a campaign to hunt down Rohingya militants who staged deadly attacks on police posts. Some 100,000 people from the Muslim minority were displaced by the violence, most of them fleeing to Bangladesh and bringing with them harrowing stories of rape, torture and mass killings by soldiers.

Myanmar has rebuffed UN claims that its security forces may have committed crimes against humanity and has refused to allow international observers into the area. De facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi this month publicly rejected a UN mission to probe the violence after meeting the EU’s diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini. European Union commissioner for aid Christos Stylianides said he pushed for unrestricted humanitarian access during a three-day visit to Myanmar, which included a tour of northern Rakhine. “A lot of problems remain in order to see what we want... about humanitarian access,” he told AFP late on Sunday at

the end of his trip. “I raised this issue a lot in my meetings, not only with ministers but also with the district commissioner of Maungdaw,” he added, referring to one of the locked-down areas. The EU has pledged to give Myanmar some 800 million euros ($875 million) of development aid between 2014-20, making it the second-largest recipient in Asia after Afghanistan. Stylianides is the highest-profile foreign official to visit northern Rakhine since UN rights envoy Yanghee Lee and former UN chief Kofi Annan, who leads a commission tasked with healing deep divisions between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine. AFP

BEIRUT―Syria’s regime is close to cementing its control over the entire capital under local deals with rebels after a sixyear war that has ravaged suburbs of Damascus and caused population displacements. Rebels have evacuated some of the last Damascus districts under their control, shattering their dream of one day seizing the capital and toppling a fivedecade-old regime. Over 2,000 civilians and rebels evacuated the Qabun district on Sunday, after similar departures from the Barzeh and Tishrin neighborhoods earlier last week. “With the seizure of these three neighborhoods, the regime now controls almost all the capital,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. In the east of the capital, “the rebels now only hold a part of the Jobar district, most of which is destroyed”, he said. In the south, the Tadamun and Hajar al-Aswad neighborhoods as well as the Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmuk are now mostly controlled by jihadists including the Islamic State group, he said. The so-called reconciliation deals that led to the latest evacuations from the capital have dealt a heavy blow to the armed opposition, following their defeat in the northern city of Aleppo in December. “With Aleppo retaken and Damascus about to be, the rebels no longer present a political or military alternative,” said Syria expert Fabrice Balanche. “The regime is therefore not under any threat and doesn’t need to make any concessions,” added Balanche, a visiting fellow at The Washington Institute think-tank. For President Bashar alAssad, regaining control of the capital was vital to retain power after anti-government protests that began in 2011 before spiraling into civil war. His fortunes have sharply reversed since July 2012, when thousands of rebels seized several of the capital’s neighborhoods before a two-week counteroffensive by elite regime troops repelled them. More recently, in March, rebel groups and jihadists from former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front briefly entered Abbassid Square near the city centre in a surprise assault from Jobar, before being pushed back days later. But the capital, with its approximately 1.6 million inhabitants, has largely been insulated from the civil war and has endured far less destruction than other major hubs such as Aleppo and the city of Homs in northern Syria. “The regime was reinforced by Russian and Iranian foreign troops at the expense of a defenseless people,” said Mohammed Alloush, head of Jaish al-Islam, the most powerful rebel faction in the opposition-held Eastern Ghouta area outside Damascus. AFP

France’s Macron ready to name PM

INAUGURATION. French President Emmanuel Macron parades in a car on the Champs Elysees avenue after his formal inauguration ceremony as French President on May 14, 2017 in Paris. AFP

PARIS―New French President Emmanuel Macron is set to name a prime minister and visit German Chancellor Angela Merkel on a busy first full day in office on Monday. The 39-year-old centrist leader laid out his ambitious plans as he took power on Sunday, promising to restore France’s shattered self-confidence and help rebuild the flagging European Union. The former investment banker said he wanted to convince people that France was “at the dawn of an extraordinary renaissance”. His choice of prime minister will be crucial in building confidence, with the 46-year-old centreright Edouard Philippe from the Republicans party seen as the favorite for the job. Picking him would send a clear signal that Macron hopes to attract other young modernizers from the Republicans to his new centrist party, La Republique en Marche (Republic on the Move, REM), which will contest parliamentary elections in June. Macron, who was economy minister in the outgoing Socialist government of ex-president Francois Hollande, has already attracted dozens of centre-left MPs to his movement as he reshapes French political life. But he faces an uphill battle to win an outright majority in parliament, without which he could struggle to push through his planned labour, pensions, unemployment and education reforms. Philippe is mayor of the gritty northern port of Le Havre and an MP for the region since 2012 who studied at the same universities as Macron and shares

many of his views on the economy and social issues. Later on Monday afternoon, Macron will travel to Berlin to meet Chancellor Angela Merkel, maintaining a French presidential tradition of making the first European trip to the other half of the EU’s power couple. This month, Macron will also hold talks with Donald Trump, when the US president visits Brussels for a NATO summit. Senior US officials told AFP that the internationalist Macron and protectionist Trump would have a “lengthy lunch” on May 25 to “compare perspectives”. In Berlin on Monday, the fervently pro-Europe Macron will push for deeper ties in the 28-member EU to help the bloc overcome the imminent departure of Britain. France’s place is in the European Union “which protects us and enables us to project our values in the world”, Macron said on Sunday, but the club needed to be “reformed and relaunched”. He intends to press for the creation of a parliament and budget for the eurozone which would see Germany, the zone’s richest member, contribute funds to support economic growth in weaker nations. German media, including the influential tabloid Bild and news magazine Der Spiegel, have recently drawn attention to the danger of Macron’s presidency costing Germany more money. Olivier Ihl, an academic from the Grenoble Institute of Political Studies, said the visit was “an important moment because he wants to relaunch Franco-German cooperation in a Europe that is on its knees”. AFP

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

CULTURE & MEDIA

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

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MASS MEDIA AND THE ARTS

‘Game of Thrones’

A Pencil Microsculpture Exhibition Russian artist and sculptor Salavat Fidai was commissioned by HBO Asia to produce microsculptures from the HBO Original hit series ‘Game of Thrones’

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USSIAN artist and sculptor of the Game Of Thrones A Pencil Microsculpture Exhibition (#GOTPencilArt), Salavat Fidai, was in Singapore recently to demonstrate his craft and promote the exhibition. The exhibition, exclusively in Singapore, is organized by HBO Asia (#HBOAsia) and K+ (#kplussg) and is open to the public until June 4 at K+ Curatorial Space in Scotts Square. HBO Asia commissioned Fidai to produce 16 themed sculptures from the HBO Original hit series, Game Of Thrones (#GameofThrones), into the tips of fragile graphite pencils. The 16 pencils on display will include the microscu microsculpture carvings of the Iron Throne, sigils from House Stark, House Targaryen, House Greyjoy, House Bar Baratheon and House Lannis Lannister, as well as the Hand Of The King pin, Cersei’s new crown, Drogon the dragon, the Three Eyed Raven, the Night’s King, a White Walker, the Titan of Braavos, the Weir Weirwood tree, and two swords – Brienne of Tarth’s Oathkeeper and Jon Snow’s Long Claw. Fidai is world renowned as one of the leading experts in the field of miniature sculpture, creating intri intricate and detailed art on tips of pencils with diameters between 2mm to 5mm. Using an X-Acto knife, a microscope and an illuminated loupe, he can take anywhere from 12 hours to 14 days for a microsculpture to be completed.

The 16 pencils on display include microsculpture carvings of the Iron Throne, sigils, and other iconic characters and items

It takes Fidai 12 hours to 14 days to complete a microsculpture

“The Iron Throne was definitely one of the most challenging one I’ve done,” says Fidai. “It took me almost two weeks to complete it as I had to make sure every intricate detail was accurately carved.” He adds further, “I am a huge fan of Game Of Thrones — I love how unpredictable the plot is, and I particularly love shows about war and knights. I was absolutely thrilled when HBO Asia approached me to work on some of the most recognizable icons from the hit series.” “HBO Asia loves bringing innovative ways for new and existing fans to connect with the series. This collaboration with K+ and Salavat Fidai is really our way of letting fans see Game of Thrones from a new perspective,” says Magda-

lene Ew, HBO Asia’s head of Marketing, Creative and Content. “In the past, we have organized Game of Thrones Mondo Art Exhibition as well as an interactive The Game of Thrones Experience: Worlds of Westeros Exhibition event, which included the Game of Thrones: Ascend the Wall 4D virtual reality experience, actual weapons and original storyboards from the series, as well as a replica of the Iron Throne,” says Ew. “This time, in continuing our efforts to bring the hit series to fans in an experiential way, we went with an art form which juxtaposes the magnitude and enormousness of the series which is a worldwide phenomenon onto the tiny, delicate and intricate tips of pencils.”

PAGES

Europe through diverse eyes

Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr. and Andrea Pasion-Flores with EU ambassadors Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr. signs copies of his book, Layag: European Classsics in Filipino

MORE than five centuries ago, the first Europeans set foot on Philippine soil after miles upon miles of sailing the world’s hitherto impassable oceans. Now, it’s the Filipinos who explore unfamiliar territory through Layag: European Classics in Filipino – the very first Filipino anthology of short stories. With contributions from 11 European nations, it has a story of its own, as the longtime ambition of Czech Ambassador Jaroslav Olša, Jr.. The last decade—after the signing of the Lisbon Treaty eight years ago—Europe became an even more integrated economic and political bloc. However, it still remains a whole continent with rich and diverse languages, cultures. That is what keeps attracting tourists and scholars from all around the world. A sample of the best of Europe´s literary culture was unveiled to the Philippine public in the anthology Layag, which contains 14 short stories by writers from 11 European countries. This literary tour of Europe, translated into Filipino, features Nobel Award for literature laureates, such as Italian Luigi Pirandello and Polish Henryk Sienkiewicz, and global all-time favorites:

Austrian Stefan Zweig, French Guy de Maupassant, Czech Karel Čapek, and German Erich Kästner. Moreover, yet unknown in the Philippines, masters of their national literatures from Denmark, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland are included. It is the very first time that such a selection of short stories by different European writers have been combined in one book in Filipino. This pioneering anthology, published by Anvil in cooperation with Manila cluster of EUNIC, a European network comprising of cultural institutes and embassies, was spearheaded by the Czech Ambassador to the Philippines. A former translator, editor and publisher himself, Olša, who came to Manila in 2014, is convinced literature is a very effective tool of cultural promotion and visibility to the public. “There are many tools for public diplomacy, such as films, music and the arts. But I believe literature is something that has a really long-lasting impact,” he said. “Therefore, I embarked to promote both Czech and European literature in the Philippines, and establish and maintain two-way literary traffic, too.“ The result is noticeable: famous Prague writer

Franz Kafka saw recently editions of The Metamorphosis in Filipino and Bicol dialect; acclaimed pre-World War II Karel Čapek´s drama R. U. R. Rossum´s Universal Robots was staged by Tanghalang Ateneo and published by the Czech Embassy in Filipino. Plans for Cebuano editions are being made in the near future, and soon, the selection of Čapek´s short stories will be published in two volumes in Bicolano. Among the upcoming titles are the anthology of Czech writing, from the late 19th to early 21st century in Filipino, to be published by Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino, and a reciprocal anthology of 39 short stories written by contemporary Philippine writers, due for publishing in the Czech Republic by mid-2017. Furthermore, Ambassador Olša wants a deeper and wider presence of Europe in Philippine literature. The cooperation with Anvil Publishing will bring more anthologies of contemporary writers from around Europe, and already three new countries, which did not participate in Layag, but nevertheless, expressed their great interest, namely Britain, Sweden and the Netherlands. Thus this and Turn to D2

Life

D2

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

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EMARKABLE music and fine French cuisine came together and delighted foodies and art aficionados in Musique et Gastronomie, the fundraising send-off concert of Coro San Benildo, the resident choral group of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), at Vatel Restaurant at Hotel Benilde Maison de La Salle.

CLASSICAL MUSIC

Coro San Benildo’s fundraising concert

De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s Coro San Benildo entertained guests with its repertoire of madrigals, art melodies, and pop hits during the group’s fundraising sendoff concert

The exquisite meal was prepared by Vatel Executive French Chef Pierre Cornelis as members of the choir entertained the guests with a selection of songs from its repertoire of madrigals, art melodies, and pop hits. Guests had a choice of dining at Vatel Restaurant either for dinner on May 12, or lunch on at 12 noon or dinner on the following day. The team participated at the 46th Florilège Vocal de Tours International Choral Competition in Tours, France, one of the most prestigious choral competitions in the world. Winning the championship at the said contest is a step towards participation in the most coveted European Grand Prix for Choral Singing to be held in Maribor, Slovenia in May 2018. Coro San Benildo, led by choirmaster Lorenzo C. Gealogo, is under the Office of Culture and Arts. Having participated in numerous festivals, it has transformed into a globally competitive group. Their strong sense of innovation and showmanship garnered them numerous awards and recognitions. Recently, they were hailed winners at the Youth Choir Category of Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod in Wales, United Kingdom. Proceeds raised from the concert funded the airfare of the delegation. Vatel Restaurant Manila is located on the Roof Deck of Hotel Benilde Maison de La Salle, Estrada corner Arellano Streets, Malate, Manila.

LAURELS

Doctor of Humanities

honoris causa for McDonald’s chairman and founder MCDONALD’S Chairman and Founder Dr. George T. Yang was recently conferred the degree of Doctor of Humanities honoris causa by his alma mater, De La Salle University. This is his second honorary doctorate degree after receiving one from Jose Rizal University in 2014. The conferment was in recognition of his invaluable contribution to the development of the country through job creation, and educational advocacy through the Ronald McDonald House Charities. “This experience is truly humbling and I would like to share this achievement with the entire McDonald’s family. I remain committed to contribut- George T. Yang ing what I can, for as long as I can, for the progress of our nation,” Yang says. Through Yang’s leadership, McDonald’s Philippines has built a franchise of more 500 stores that has been excellently serving Fili-

pinos since 1981. Recently, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) awarded the McDonald’s Restaurant Support Center, as well as 126 of its stores in NCR, with Certificates of Compliance for adhering to general labor standards, and occupational safety and health standards. The chain currently has over 50,000 regular employees nationwide, with plans to come up with 5,000 more employment opportunities this year as new stores are built. Apart from offering customers with an overall great experience, Yang believes that at the heart of McDonald’s is making a difference, especially in the lives of children. Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) has programs since 1995 that support the need of children for shelter, education, and peaceful wellbeing.

CULTURAL OUTREACH

PIA-NCR brings ASEAN exhibit to Metro Manila malls IN AN effort to help spread awareness on ASEAN, the Philippine Information Agency-National Capital Region (PIA-NCR) in partnership with the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) held mall tours in Metro Manila. On April 23. the ASEAN Mall Exhibit was on display at the Trinoma Cinema Lobby in Quezon City. Six feet tall photos of famous landmarks in 10 ASEAN member states – Brunei (Sultan Omar Ali Saiffudin Mosque), Cambodia (Angkor Wat Temple), Indonesia (Borobudur Temple), Lao PDR - Pha That Luang (Great Sacred Stupa), Malaysia (Petronas Twin Towers), Myanmar (Shwedagon Pagoda), Philippines (Rizal Monument, Luneta Park), Singapore (Merlion), Thailand (Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, Ayutthaya), and Viet Nam (Ha Long Bay) were put up on display. The exhibit also included panels entitled, “Celebrating ASEAN,” provided by the National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA), describing the rich culture of ASEAN member countries. To add color and emphasis on the country’s culture and tradition, the Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) Dance Troupe provided a cultural presentation during the event. PIA-NCR Regional Director Riza Baldoria said the two-day exhibit was open to the public.

Baldoria shared that same activity wasl also held in other malls and local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila. Apart from mall tour, PIA-NCR conducted barangay forums, university tours and flash-mob dance performances in various places in Metro Manila to increase public awareness on ASEAN. A flat screen TV installed in the exhibit area also showed audio-visual presentations. An info kiosk for various ASEAN related information, education, communication materials for the public were also put up. “We encourage everyone to take a photo at the exhibit and use the hashtags #ASEAN2017 #ASEANLandmarks when posting online and help in the promotion of the Philippines hosting of ASEAN 2017,” Baldoria said. The Philippines is honored to be the Chairman of ASEAN 2017, with the theme “Partnering for Change Engaging the World”. It reflects the Philippine government’s advocacy to promote unity with and among ASEAN member states and its global partners. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a regional grouping founded on Aug. 8 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines to promote economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the Southeast Asian region through multilateral cooperation.

Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City hosted the International Book Day on April 22 with a series of entertaining and educational activities

Dia Del Libro in Makati: A day with roses, books, and the masters

HOME to signature events that cater to all, Makati City once again hosted the celebration of the Dia Del Libro or International Book Day on April 22 at Ayala Triangle Gardens. The event was filled with a series of activities that kept the guests entertained from morning till night, beginning with the inauguration of the traveling exhibit featuring 53 life-size photographic print reproductions of masterpieces from The Prado Museum in Madrid. The collection included works from the masters of the 12th to 19th centuries such as Rembrandt, Botticelli, Rubens, and Van Dyck. The exhibit, which has been shown in cities around the world, is the first stop in an inspiring roadshow across the Philippines called El Museo del Prado en Filipinas (The Prado on Philippine Streets). A project of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and The Prado, this endeavor is being carried out by the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines and the Instituto Cervantes de Manila. The opening of The Book Stop Project – a pop-up library where visitors can borrow or exchange books – followed. In addition, guests were provided with various forms of entertainment as well as a lively performance from

the Manila Symphony Orchestra. Ayala Triangle Gardens, which sits at the heart of the business district, is now a haven of arts and culture, bringing art closer to people as the month-long celebration is open to public — from the corporate set to residents to passersby, its accessibility makes it easier for them to appreciate paintings that have been passed on for decades. The traveling exhibit and The Book Stop Project will be at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati until May 22. Until May 21, visitors of The Book Stop Project are in for a treat as they will have activities every weekend. From May 20 to 21, there will be a Spanish Cultural Night, featuring a Spanish Poetry Night and a screening of a Spanish literary film. There will also be a Japanese Cultural Night, featuring origami (paper folding), shodo (calligraphy), and Kamishibai, the Japanese form of storytelling. Instituto Cervantes de Manila and Ayala Land Inc. have a long history of collaborating to deepen Filipinos’ love and appreciation of the high arts. It aims to capture the rich history and culture of Spain, to which Filipinos have a deep affinity. For more information about the city that makes it happen, visit www.makeitmakati.com or like and follow Make It Makati on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Europe...

volved. He adds, “It’s rewarding for everybody. Thanks to such projects, many Filipinos can learn about the diversity of the European countries the way, which is much different from promotional brochures and leaflets,“ Olša said. “It is a genuine way of generating interest, in a way that trade and investment can’t possibly do. The next step could be translations to other Filipino languages to which he seriously looks into. We already have some partners who might be interested to cooperate with us to bring European stories to other languages, such as Pangasinan and Waray-Waray. There is a lot which could be done,“ ambassador adds with a promising smile on his face.

From D1

following books could be like “a message of hope in a bottle dropped in the ocean to find its way to these shores,“ as Andrea Pasion-Flores, Anvil´s general manager, said during the Layag´s launch. As Ambassador Olša has been quite involved in every single book, from recommending some of the stories and persuading publishers to find outstanding authors to partake on literary projects, he is optimistic that he would be able to persuade more countries to be in-

TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

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NN Philippines tells yet another story that delves deeply into the lives of the Filipino: basketball. The Philippines is a basketball country, where the sport means more than just recreation. For Filipinos, basketball influences communities and culture, and each citizen has a remarkable basketball story to tell. From sidewalk athletes to prisoners, from people with disabilities to shoe enthusiasts, every Filipino, regardless of region, status or place in society, considers basketball an inherent part of life.

One man was set to discover the multifaceted, phenomenal Philippine basketball culture. Six years ago, Rafe Bartholomew, a former editor and an author from the United States published his book Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin’ in FlipFlops and the Philippines’ Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball, an in-depth look on Pinoy ball.

2017 Cinemalaya Short Feature finalists

"Hoop Nation," CNN Philippines' newest documentary series about the country's love affair with basketball

Philippine basketball culture shines in

‘HOOP NATION’ He returns to the Philippines with the same gusto for the subject as he hosts Hoop Nation, CNN Philippines’ newest documentary series. Watch Rafe in Hoop Nation as he goes around the Philippines, immersing in the country’s colorful basketball culture. In the program, Rafe explores the streets of Tondo, playing with sidewalk athletes in makeshift basketball courts, uncovers the spirit of basketball players with physical disabilities, profiles the most prolific characters in professional basketball, and goes behind the court to discover the secrets of the most iconic basketball teams. Rafe reflects on how deeply entrenched

American author Rafe Bartholomew

basketball is into Filipino living: “Every episode of Hoop Nation delves into some aspect of Philippine basketball, from the grassroots level all the way up to the PBA and UAAP. That’s one of the most amazing things about using basketball as a way to learn about people’s lives here in the Philippines— the sport connects so many people that their stories become almost universally relatable. It’s not about basketball, it’s about humanity.” Catch Hoop Nation every Saturday, 7 p.m. on CNN Philippines Free TV Channel 9. Catch the CNN Philippines livestream on cnnphilippines. com/video.

All-around action and adventure on Animax ANIME fans are surely in for a visual treat as they are bound to experience a whole lot of action and adventure, blended with fantasy and mystery, when today’s hottest anime series are shown on Animax. My Hero Academia (all new episodes) In a world where majority of the population has developed a superpower, the young and idealistic Izuku Midoriya seems to be isolated for having been born without one. But as fate would have it, top hero All Might decides to impart his power with Izuku in a chance encounter, and this changes Izuku’s life forever. With his newfound superpower known as “Quirk,” Izuku begins to attend a high school for budding heroes and finally embarks on his lifelong dream to become a hero himself. With the highly anticipated U.A Sports Festival approaching, the clashes between Izuku, Bakugo, Torodoki, and others continue to heighten. New faces will appear, including members of Class 1-B. All the hero students are fired up for the festival and Izuku is no exception! My Hero Academia (all new episodes) airs same day as Japan at 10 p.m. every Saturday. Alice & Zoroku Sana and a group of young girls are locked away in secret to be experimented upon for possessing a mysterious power known as “Alice’s Dream,” which gives them the special ability to make their imaginations come true. However, Sana escapes to the outside world and crosses paths with Zoroku, a stubborn old man who intensely dislikes

Japanese manga "Alice & Zoroku"

disruptions to his orderly life. Now with Sana around, Zoroku’s life will never be the same again. Alice & Zoroku airs same day as Japan 11 p.m. every Sunday. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable The year is 1999. The peaceful town of Morioh is suddenly beset with unexplained disappearances and mysterious events.

An older Jotaro Kujo, better known as JoJo, travels to the coastal city and meets with high school freshman Josuke Higashikata, the illegitimate son of his grandfather. Along with two of their friends, and all their “Stand” super powers in place, JoJo and Josuke join forces to save their hometown from an emerging threat that creeps from within… JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable premieres on May 26, and air thereafter from Wednesday to Friday at 10 p.m., with two episodes back-to-back. Chain Chronicle -The Light of Haecceitas In the continent of Yggdra, humans, ogres, giants, forest sprites, and many other mythical creatures live in harmony. Under the Holy King, the remote continent has been at peace until the arrival of a mysterious group called the Black Army, which conquered the land. When all seemed lost, Yuri, a young swordsman, decides to fight back and become the Holy Capital’s likely hero. He forms the Volunteer Army to restore peace in Yggdra. Yuri then leads the battles against the Black Army before the world, as they know it, is swept by darkness and destroyed. Chain Chronicle -The Light of Haecceitas premieres on May 30 and airs every Monday and Tuesday at 10pm, with two episodes back-to-back. Animax is available on SKYCable Channel 46, Cignal Channel 73, Dream Satellite TV Channel 07, and G Sat Channel 24

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, May 16, 2017

ACROSS 1 Drummed 7 Smog monitoring grp. 10 Cuba, to Castro 14 Heated discourse 15 White Sox org. 16 Purse-sized bottle 17 Come into view 18 So-so grade 19 Not pro 20 Blank check (2 wds.) 23 Ancient fly trap 26 Microscopic 27 Luster 28 Herb in a pickle 29 Spoiled 30 Ziegfeld nickname 31 “Grand — Opry” 32 Munich single 33 Horse raiser 37 Censor 38 Turtle-to-be 39 Popeye’s assent 40 Big Ten sch. 41 Motorcycle races 43 Agent 44 Geol. formation 45 Hobby shop buy 46 Poetic adverb 47 Summer job seeker

48 Kareem — -Jabbar 51 Mensa data 52 Officious 53 Opposite of frank 56 Type of seaman 57 Ms. Hagen of films 58 Raw 62 Eggnog time 63 Make an antimacassar 64 Cream-filled pastry 65 Basilica area 66 Mao — -tung 67 Everest guide DOWN 1 I-90 2 Draw a bead on 3 Game or season opener 4 Package 5 Degas or Cayce 6 Forest forager 7 Moderated 8 Freshman at Annapolis 9 Explorer — Tasman 10 Sir Walter Scott novel 11 After 12 Woodworking tool 13 Sci-fi movie

with a cat 21 Plunks 22 Out like a light 23 Mud brick 24 La Scala site 25 Mixture 29 Intolerant person 30 Young chicken 32 Uncannily 33 Least covered 34 Geodesic structures 35 — Park, Colo. 36 Soupy

42 Luau strummer 46 Consider the same 47 Start walking 48 Fridge maker 49 Jazz genre 50 Hills and — 51 Greek vowels 52 Long seat 54 Mongrel 55 Tints 59 Boathouse item 60 Pinch 61 Mesozoic, for one

THE Cinemalaya Foundation announced the finalists for the Short Feature Film category for the 2017 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and Competition. For the first time in Cinemalaya history, 12 instead of the usual 10 were selected. According to the Cinemalaya Selection Committee, “We strongly feel that the list of entries in this year’s competition merits to include two additional entries added to the traditional list of ten films.” Subject matter and themes of the finalists are wide-ranging, including children and family, transformation, history and memory, justice and redemption. The finalists are: Aliens Ata by Karl Glenn Barit, Juana and the Sacred Shores by Antonne Santiago, Lola Loleng by Jean Cheryl Tagyamon, Fatima Marie Torres and the Invasion of Space Shuttle Pinas 25 by Carlo Francisco Manatad, Bawod (Bent) by Terimar Malones a.k.a TM Malones, Nakaw by Arvin Belarmino, Sorry For The Inconvenience by Carl Adrian Chavez, Hilom by Paul Patindol a.k.a. P.R. Patindol, Manong ng Pa-aling by E del Mundo, Maria by Jaime Habac Jr., Nakauwi Na by Marvin CabangunayIslabodan by Juan Carlo Tarobal. The 12 finalists were selected from a total of 174 entries. The 12 films will be screened during the 2017 Cinemalaya Film Festival on Aug. 4-13 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Ayala Cinemas. The Best Short Feature Film will receive a prize of P150,000.00 and the Balanghai trophy during the Cinemalaya Awards Night on Aug. 13, at the CCP Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). For more information, please visit www. culturalcenter.gov.ph, www.cinemalaya.org, and the CCP and Cinemalaya Facebook pages.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, MAY 16, 2017

Oil spill films return to GUIMARAS

"Pagbugtaw" tackles various political and social concerns, the film tells the story of a city-bred man waking up from his apathy and deciding to take action

Comedienne AiAi delas Alas is back on the big screen with another "motherly role" in "Our Mighty Yaya"

Role-model mom still reigns as

COMEDY QUEEN A

I AI de las Alas still reigns as local showbiz’s comedy queen. Over the years, she has endeared herself to the public by portraying roles of a role model mom. Ai Ai cast a magical spell on her fans when she plays mother roles, just like her performances in the movie franchise Ang Tanging Ina N’yong Lahat. The roles prove to be something close to home for the multi-awarded comedienne. In her biggest and funniest film outing just yet, Our Mighty Yaya, Ai Ai tackles an almost similar part, that of a nanny, Yaya Virgie, where her mettle as the

country’s Best Comedy Actress once more shines. In real life, Ai Ai is a mom, yaya, sister all rolled into one. The sacrifices she’s done to give her children—Sancho, Nicolo and Sophia—a better life and a brighter future is an open book. Eldest son Sancho lives with Ai Ai. She helped him open a restaurant business. Nicolo and Sophia are both in the US pursuing their studies. “Mother and yaya ang role ko pag nasa Amerika ako. Laba, linis, plantsa at luto ang ginagawa ko para sa kanila. Natutuwa sila kapag nandoon ako dahil nakakatikim sila ng mainit na luto ko. Masaya ako sa ginagawa kong ‘yon para sa aking mga anak. Malayo man sila, kampante ako na hindi sila maliligaw ng landas,” shares Ai Ai.

Our Mighty Yaya opened in cinemas in time for Mother’s Day last Sunday. Admittedly, it is a favorite play date of Regal Entertainment, Inc., which holds an impressive track record of Mother’s Day offerings. The mother and daughter team of Lily and Roselle Monteverde is, no doubt, an expert in the field. In fact, Mother Lily was so impressed with the movie as well as Ai Ai’s performance after seeing it in its entirety. So, gear up for a roller coaster ride of fun, laughter and tears as Yaya Virgie takes moviegoers through a series of adventures and misadventures with Our Mighty Yaya from the able direction of Jose Javier Reyes. Other stars in the film are Megan Young, Miss World 2013, Zoren Legaspi, Sofia Andres, Lukas Magallano, Alyson McBride and more.

‘HOME FOODIE SEASON 3’ features ‘Madalicious Meals’ D E L I C I O U S , Easy and Convenient. This is what Home Foodie Season 3 is all about. Your favorite Home Foodie couple Drew Arellano and Iya Villania-Arellano, together with the San Miguel Purefoods Celebrity Chefs – Llena TanArenas, RJ Garcia and Rene Ruz - share more “Madalicious Meals” that can be cooked at home. From a beginner cook in Season 2, Iya is now able to prepare recipes on her own while Drew tries his cooking skills in level up, either trendy or resto-inspired, but still very easy dishes. The 26 recipes will be presented in thematic combos to give viewers quick tips and ideas on meal pairings. With Home Foodie, eliminate meaplanning woes. Most of the recipes featured this season have about five main ingredients that are pantryfriendly and come in four-step procedures, using the finest quality products of San Miguel Pure Foods.

FIVE short films from the Guimaras: Short Films from the Oil Spill anthology make their official return to the province when they screen 1 p.m. today at the Guimaras Trade and Information Center (GTIC) Function Hall as part of the first CineMangga: The Guimaras Film Festival. The oil-spill films to be shown are Bunker 0: Sumirib Plus by JP Carpio, Ang Hele ni Guima (The Lullaby of Guima) by Drei Boquiren, Oil Spill on Canvas by Rox Lee, Toxic Mango by Khavn Dela Cruz, and Pagbugtaw (Waking Up) by Seymour Sanchez. They are part of the 16-film project of ABC5 Public Affairs and the Independent Filmmakers Cooperative of the Philippines in 2006. Apart from Carpio, Boquiren, Lee, Dela Cruz and Sanchez, filmmakers Emman dela Cruz, Jeck Cogama, Kidlat De Guia, Wilfred Allen Galila, Raya Martin, Oscar Nava, Milo Paz, Ann Angala-Shy, Kidlat Tahimik, Paolo Villaluna and Victor Villanueva also contributed their works to the cause. The short films were made in an effort to inspire action to help heal the province, its local communities and nearby areas in Western Visayas amid the largest oil spill in Philippine history. Bunker 0: Sumirib Plus gives a glimpse of the lives of residents of Sitio Sumirib, Barangay La Paz in the municipality of Nueva Valencia, one of the areas most affected by the massive oil spill from the sunken tanker Solar 1 chartered by the Petron oil corporation. The film focuses more on their thoughts and feelings regarding this man-made ecological disaster and the actions they take to somehow cope with very difficult times ahead. Ang Hele ni Guima tells the sad fate of Guima brought about by the oil spill. It is a retelling of an old Guimarasnon folklore of a princess named Guima who eloped with her lover, a slave named Aras. The princess was washed ashore and Aras was nowhere to be found when their boat capsized during a storm. In the legend, she roams the island in search of her only love. Fictional and real-life tragedy meet in the short film as the princess was covered by the oil slick still looking for her lost lover. Oil Spill On Canvas shows the filmmaker painting on a canvas using oil seeping through the sea. Within the dead seashore of sand and oil, the oil spill has left nothing but death. Toxic Mango is a sardonic tale of fruit and genocide. A black mango becomes the “Adam and Eve apple” of ill-fated lovers

Guima and Aras when it appears on a tree. To eat or not to eat the mango is their question. The black and white silent film ruminates over a dystopic future when the effects of the oil spill tragedy have reached nightmarish proportions. Pagbugtaw tells the story of a city-bred man who remembers his father, a Guimarasnon. Tackling various political and social concerns, the film sees the character waking up from his apathy and deciding to take action. CineMangga, which was derived from the words “cinema” and “mangga” (mango), the province’s main product, is a brainchild of the Provincial Government of Guimaras, Guimaras Provincial Tourism Office, and filmmaker Allen Rivera Galindo. The film festival, which coincides with the Manggahan Festival, aims to promote tourism by showcasing Guimaras as a film location, to discover and promote the culture, heritage, tradition, and arts of Guimaras through films, to discover new filmmakers that will become ambassadors of the province and to encourage Guimarasnons to support their own story through films. Galindo, lead organizer of Cinemangga 2017, earlier conducted a series of filmmaking workshops at the Guimaras State College (GSC) Main Campus, GSC Mosqueda Campus, San Miguel Central School and Supang National High School to get them to participate in the festival. CineMangga has five film categories: films in competition under the Open and Student Categories; featured films selected by the organizing committee; films in exhibition - documentaries, non-competition films, and other films that do not belong to other categories but is related to the province of Guimaras, and Sweet Films – international films that showcase “sweetness” of love and life that are inspiring or heartbreaking. The grand prize winner will take home 15,000 pesos in cash. “Through films, we hope to build a network of filmmakers and a wide audience exploring, understanding, and appreciating the value of our culture, the beauty of our sites, and the various traditions in the province of Guimaras,” Galindo said. Aside from the regular screenings at the GTIC Function Hall, CineMangga sa Plaza outdoor screenings are also be held at the Guimaras Capitol Canopy. The the awards night tonight will be staged at the Museo de Guimaras Grounds.

"Home Foodies" hosts Drew Arellano and Iya Villania with San Miguel celebrity chefs

This season also launches the Home Foodie Madalicious Meals Mobile App where all Home Foodies can download the app on their smartphones and watch 60-second cooking demos as well as meal planning and

preparation tips of the recipes featured on Home Foodie TV Episodes. Home Foodie airs Monday to Friday after Unang Hirit on GMA 7. Home Foodies can also

visit the following online pages for a copy of the featured recipes: www. homefoodie.com.ph; Twitter: @homefoodiePH; Facebook: Home Foodie and Instagram: homefoodiePH.

“Toxic Mango” is a black and white short that talks about the sardonic tale of fruit and genocide