Manila Standard - 2017 May 24 - Wednesday

‘Concert bomber targeted children’ A SUICIDE bombing at a packed Manchester pop concert designed to cause “maximum carnage” killed 22 people including children, in the deadliest terror attack in Britain for more than a decade.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said police know the identity of the bomber, who died in the blast late Monday, and believed he acted alone.

However, police arrested a 23-year-old man on Tuesday morning in connection with the attack.

Screaming fans, many of them teenagers, fled the venue in panic after the explosion at the end of a Next page

VOL. XXXI • NO. 99 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Maute gunmen attack Marawi

By Francisco Tuyay

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HE military confirmed Tuesday that heavy fighting with Maute Group members in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, was aimed at taking out Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, who was spotted in the area with 15 followers.

Armed Forces spokesman Gen. the fighting that started at 2 p.m.

Restituto Padilla said five govern“Contrary to reports and rument soldiers were wounded in mors you are receiving, the AFP-

PNP initiated this operation in Marawi. We received reliable info on Hapilon and a number of his cohorts. Updates to follow as the operation is still ongoing. Please do not believe propaganda from other groups, “ he added.

Hapilon, reportedly the representative of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Philippines, was said to be severely wounded after a series of military offensives in Lanao del Sur early this January.

Military officials said the Maute Group tried to occupy vital instal-

lations but met resistance from government troops.

Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, spokesman of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division, said the five injured soldiers were taken to hospital for treatment.

There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Herrera said the military monitored the presence of Hapilon and the Maute Group at 2 p.m. a few meters from the Marawi City Hall and an adjoining hospital, possible targets of the extremists. Next page

THEN AND NOW. This file photo shows US singer Ariana Grande performing during the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards at Madison Square Garden in New York. Above, this frame grab shows the audience near the stage after the end of Grande’s concert in Manchester, where police said a man set off an ‘improvised explosive device’ that killed 22 people. (Related story on C4)

ANTI-DISTRACTED DRIVING ACT

Govt suspends new law amid confusion, outcry

By Joel E. Zurbano THE government is suspending the implementation of the controversial Anti-Distracted Driving Act following confusion and complaints among motorists over what is allowed and what is not inside a vehicle.

“To respond to the call of both Houses of Congress to defer the implementation of ADDA, the Department of Transportation, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, Metro Manila Development Authority, and the PNP Highway Patrol Group take heed to the Congress, being the authors of the law, to defer the enforcement of Republic Act 10913,” the MMDA said in an advisory posted on Facebook on Tuesday.

In other developments: • The LTFRB has no authority to prohibit rosaries and other religious images in car dashboards, according to a legal expert.

Romulo Macalintal says there is also no legal basis to ban religious items on car dashboards even with Republic Act 10913 or the Anti-Distracted Driving Act. He says rosaries and similar small religious items displayed on a car are not even mentioned or subject to RA 10913.

• Senator Grace Poe said Tuesday she has scheduled a public hearing next week to review the rules released by the government and address the confusion in the implementation of the ADDA. Poe, head of the Senate committee on public services, said she Next page

The government sends more troops to Marawi City amid heavy fighting with members of the Maute Group (inset) aimed at taking out Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon. From the Facebook post of Mohamman Manshawi

Trade windfalls seen in Duterte’s ‘pivot to Russia’

By John Paolo Bencito RUSSIA is offering to sell portable nuclear power barges to the Philippines, Ambassador Carlos Sorreta said Tuesday, as President Rodrigo Duterte began his first official visit to Moscow.

“Russia is a major power in terms of energy [and]... can provide a whole range of nuclear energy

[solutions]... they were able to develop commercially,” Sorreta said.

Efforts to start up the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant have met with strong resistance because of safety concerns, but Sorreta said the Russian portable plants were “quite safe.”

“We don’t have to build it. They have options for us,” he said. “If you want it, we’ll rent it... We will just

buy power from it, put it on a barge offshore [and] run cables [to it]. If we don’t like it anymore, they’ll pull it out,” the ambassador said.

“It’s actually quite safe,” he added. “If you’re still afraid of it, you can have the barge far away.”

Sorreta said the Russians were keen to sell energy products to the region.

“We have not had as deep an

Roxas must explain MRT mess—Poe

Criminal liability still 15 years old

By Macon R. Araneta

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives’ subcommittee on correctional reforms on Tuesday decided to retain the minimum age of criminal liability at 15.

The group also decided to introduce other measures to strengthen the implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, such as penalizing the parents of children running afoul of the law.

The subcommittee made its decision as lawmakers welcomed the decision of the panel under the House committee on justice to defy President Rodrigo Duterte’s plan to lower the age of criminal liability to nine years old.

“What we have tried to do is to remove the stigma of being criminal, but all the interventions are there and being strengthened further,” said deputy speaker and Muntinlupa Rep. Pia Cayetano, a member of the technical working group on the measure. Next page

exchange with Russia even though we have had 40 years of relations, but that’s going to change,” he said.

Duterte, who arrived Tuesday in Moscow for a four-day state visit, is expected to sign various agreements translating to billions of dollars in military-technological cooperation and deals in other fields, such as agriculture, energy, and trade.

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ARRIVAL. President Rodrigo Duterte inspects the Russian Guards of Honor before the singing of the Philippine National Anthem on his arrival in Moscow for an official visit. Presidential Photo

Business group fears PH to lose more EU assistance

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE European Chamber of Commerce warned Tuesday that the Philippines’ refusal of aid with conditions from the European Union could endanger further as-

sistance from the bloc.

In a recent television interview, European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Guenter Taus said Manila’s decision to no longer accept aid from the EU gives the latter a reason not to offer any help at all.

“It’s difficult to predict but usually, you set precedent as defined, ‘I don’t want your aid.’ What that will trigger very likely is... ‘If you refuse this aid, why would we continue offering aid to the Philippines?’,” Taus said on ANC’s Headstart.

The government last week an-

nounced that it will no longer accept the €250-million (P13.89billion) aid from the EU, one of the country’s biggest donors, because of conditions it sets on the assistance.

Foreign Affairs spokesman Next page

SENATOR Grace Poe said Tuesday she now saw the need to invite former Transportation secretary Manuel Roxas II to the Senate investigation on the Metro Rail Transit 3 mess due to suspicions some contracts were signed in exchange for hefty commissions.

Poe, head of the Senate public services committee, said she believed Roxas would be more than happy to explain his side on the issues hounding the operations of MRT 3, including its worsening condition that started under his term.

“It is an opportunity for him to explain his side because [former MRT 3 general manager) Al Vitangcol said he sent a letter and he had proof, documents sent to Roxas about the expiration of the Sumitomo contract],” Poe said.

“Why did he allow the lapse of the contract... when he was sitting [at the DILG] and he left Next page

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Envoy denies China war threat

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte might have “misinterpreted” Chinese President Xi Jinping when he said Xi had threatened war if the Philippines explored for oil and gas in the Reed Bank, an underwater mountain near the Philippines, an official said Tuesday.

Ambassador to China Chito Santa Romana said Xi had only meant there would be a “conflict” if the Philippines went ahead with its plan to explore for oil and gas in the Reed Bank.

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“We detected that this was the core of the Maute Group, so we launched a surgical operation to neutralize the group planning to sow terrorism in Marawi City,” Herrera said.

“Initially, we spotted 15 armed men, including the reported presence of Isnilon Hapilon,” Herrera said.

At the height of the fighting, the Maute group launched a disinformation campaign on social media as a way of diverting the military, Herrera added.

Earlier, Gulf News reported that residents in Marawi City reported heavy fighting the likes of

Govt...

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had decided to convene a hearing on May 30 after several senators called for the temporary suspension of the law’s full implementation.

• Senator JV Ejercito on Tuesday filed Senate Resolution 386 that seeks an investigation into the Implementing Rules and Regulations of ADDA due to the chaos in its enforcement.

He also cited in his two-page resolution the urgent need to suspend the law’s implementation to review and fine-tune its law’s IRR. The MMDA’s advisory also says the Transport Department “shall immediately revive its Technical Working Group to conduct a review of the Implementing Rules and Regulation of the law in coordination with concerned stakeholders.

“An Information and Education Campaign shall commence as soon as the new IRR is crafted. In the meantime, we invite the public to continue the constructive discussion on this new law so as to contribute on how we could all better promote road safety, discipline, and responsible driving.”

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Robispierre Bolivar admitted that the agency was not aware of the decision before it was announced.

But newly appointed Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano defended President Rodrigo Duterte, saying the Philippines would no longer accept any aid with strings attached, in line with its “independent foreign policy.”

Taus said it was strange that the Philippines would go to China to ask for a loan while refusing help from Europe.

“At the end of the day, I think it will be pretty difficult for further aid to come into the country from the EU because you said very clearly... ‘Look, we don’t want your aid’,” he added.

He also said that in 30 years that he has been living in the Philippines, it was the first time that the government rejected any help from other countries.

Taus said that it would be normal for any country to voice out its opinion or concern but that does not mean the Philippines should cut any help from them.

“I still believe that we live in a day and age where we can voice out an opinion and concern, and don’t misconstrue it, it is what it is. What is right for me might not be right for you. And vice versa and that’s where dialogue comes in. But to outrightly refuse or reject it, it doesn’t making any sense,” he said.

He said the Philippines, which

“Ang ginamit nila, ‘Kung pilitin n’yo, magkakaroon ng tunggalian.’ Ang ginamit sa Presidente, ‘Kung pilitin n’yo, magkakaroon tayo ng digmaan,” Santa Romana told GMA-7 television in defending the Chi-

nese president.

He made his statement even as Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveors said Xi’s threat of war must be met with the strongest diplomatic protest from the Philippine government.

She said the threat was an act of aggression and bullying.

“It was also barefacedly undiplomatic. The fact that the threat was personally expressed to the Philippine president makes it more repugnant,” Hontiveros said.

She said the Duterte administration could not afford to waver in the face of the Chinese government’s belligerent behavior.

Santa Romana said the bilat-

eral consultative mechanism on Friday had a “frank but friendly” discussion.

“Ang naranasan ko mismo sa pag-negotiate sa kanila noong Friday, kasi lantarang pinag-usapan namin lahat ng issues, ‘no?

Frank but friendly,” said Santa Romana who was a journalist in China for decades.

Duterte said Chinese President Xi Jinping had threatened to start a war if the Philippines explored for oil in the Reed Bank.

But he said he asserted to Xi the Philippines’ right to its exclusive economic zone in the West Philippines Sea. Foreign Affairs Secretary

Alan Peter Cayetano, however, was not keen on filing a diplomatic protest.

He said Duterte’s remarks was taken out of context and that China was not bullying or threatening.

Meanwhile, after four days China finally responded to Duterte’s statement.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Duterte and Xi had agreed to “strengthen communication” on important bilateral issues.

She said China was willing to work with the Philippines in handling disputes peacefully.

With Macon Ramos-Araneta

which they had not seen since the 1970s Moro uprising.

Reports said police commandos backed by the Army’s 103rd Brigade clashed with the members of the Maute Group, who had besieged the city jail in an attempt to free their jailed comrades.

Residents said they saw the black banner of the terrorist Islamic State mounted on vehicles on the streets of Marawi Tuesday as the fighting raged. Others posted photos of soldiers and choppers and Maute terrorists with their black flags on social media.

In November 2016 and January 2017, Maute terrorists attacked and occupied the municipality of Butig in Lanao del Norte, resulting in dozens of casualties for both sides.

The advisory came a day after lawmakers asked the Transport department and the LTO to suspend the enforcement of the law over the confusion over it.

A number of senators had claimed that the implementing agencies had conflicting interpretations of the law.

Senators Nancy Binay and Richard Gordon also raised concern over the implementation of the law and called for a review of the law’s IRR. Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito also said ADDA became complicated after authorities misunderstood its purpose.

“They made matters complicated when it was basically just about banning the use of cellphones while driving,” he said.

The law says writing, reading, sending a text-based message, making phone calls, or watching movies, surfing the internet, reading an e-book or performing any sort of computation on a mobile device by a motorist is not allowed.

The law also covers motorcycles, trucks, cargo haulers carrying hazardous or flammable materials, cyclists, pedicabs, and animal or human-powered vehicles. With Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta is visited by at least 20 typhoons a year, will continue to need aid.

He added that the Philippines should reconsider its decision and start a dialogue with the EU before rejecting its aid.

Since 1992, the EU has given the country a total of €2.3 billion or P128.91 billion in aid.

Analyst and De La Salle University professor Richard Heydarian said these grants were donations rather than interest-based loans that China is offering.

Heydarian also said that the EU grants are “not bags of cash handed down to corrupt officials” but are well targeted at capacity-building and strengthening state institutions to provide better basic services.

He acknowledged, however, that the aid came with conditions.

“This is where the Philippines can’t just pick and choose, but will have to either consider fullscale rejection of all aid or consider a compromise with the EU,” Heydarian said.

But the analyst said the EU conditions were nowhere as intrusive or potentially destabilizing as those imposed by agencies such as the International Monetary Fund during the credit crunch of the 1980s and 1990s.

“In fact, the EU has mostly sought to encourage recipient countries to observe labor rights or universal values, enshrined in the United Nations’ charter, such as human rights.

If anything, the EU is open to dialogue and partnership with its partners in an event of disagreement or misunderstanding,” he said.

‘PH will be destroyed if federal shift fails’ A FORMER chief justice of the Supreme Court warned Tuesday that failure to shift to a federal system could lead to the “disintegration of the republic” given the threat of secession by various Muslim rebel groups.

In an interview on ABSCBN, former Chief Justice Reynato Puno said a federal system could accommodate “substantive demands” in the agreement signed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in 2014.

A faction of the Moro National Liberation Front led by founder Nur Misuari is also seeking the full implementation of the group’s 1996 peace agreement.

“You have this national security problem posed by the rebellion of the communists in the countryside and more importantly, the threat of secession by the MILF and the MNLF— these are ticking time bombs,” Puno told ABS-CBN News.

“Unless we are able to somehow satisfy their demands, we can be looking at the possible disintegration of the republic.”

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SUPPORTIVE SON. President Rodrigo Duterte's youngest son, Sebastian, joins his father in an official visit to Russia on May 23, 2017. Malacañang Photo

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“For me, one of the strongest manifestations of a successful Russian pivot to our region is [marked by] the good relations with the Philippines. We have the lowest level of relations in the whole of Southeast Asia. Within their metrics, [the Philippine pivot] marks that their “Turn East” policy is succeeding,” Sorreta told Filipino journalists in Moscow.

Sorreta also said Moscow’s “policy of noninterference” would be beneficial for the country.

“They just want to be friends for us. They don’t want to make enemies for us, or tell us not to be friends with others, unlike other countries,” he said.

The Foreign Affairs department said that while relations between Manila and Moscow remain at the “nascent stage,” this will change as a result of Duterte’s visit.

To date, no contract has been concluded between Russia and the Philippines on military-technological cooperation. The purchasing of munitions from the United States has become problematic because of delays and “conditions” imposed by the latter, Sorreta said.

Sorreta, a career diplomat who negotiated every military agreement with the US as former director for treaties and former Assistant Secretary for American Affairs at the DFA, said that compared to the United States, the Russian arms trade is purely commercial and has no strings attached.

“In terms of why Russian arms, why? Because there are no conditions. The arms will be sold and... they trust us to use [these] prop-

‘Concert...

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sold-out concert by US star Ariana Grande in the 21,000-capacity Manchester Arena, in northwestern England.

“A single terrorist detonated his improvised explosive device near one of the exits of the venue, deliberately choosing the time and place to cause maximum carnage and to kill and injure indiscriminately,” May said in a statement outside Downing Street after an emergency ministerial meeting.

The blast occurred in the foyer of the indoor arena, a covered area which links the auditorium to Victoria Station, a train and tram hub.

Witnesses reported being near the arena’s ticket machines and merchandise stores, as chaos ensued inside the concert hall.

erly,” he said.

“I have always believed that our brave men and women in uniform should not be going into battle with arms attached to strings that wrangle all the way to Washington. All of our armaments coming from the United States [in the past] has been loaded with conditionalities,” he added.

In an interview with Russian journalists at Davao City, Duterte said that he’s open to seeking new defense alliances, including fresh arms deals with Russia and China as he vowed to cut off the arms trade between the Philippines and the United States.

Despite the country’s existing Mutual Defense Treaty with Washington, Duterte told Russian media that he’ll be making good of his promise to realign with Moscow and Beijing.

The President added that he is most interested in buying Russian helicopters and planes, as well as precision-guided weaponsto fight off the insurgency in the south.

“Russians don’t have limitations. If you want to buy an attack helicopter, they will train you then sell it to you. They will not say, they’ll sell it to you [then lay down conditions,]” Sorreta said.

Aside from helicopters, planes and precision guided weapons, Sorreta said that Russians can also provide equipment to replace the M4 rifles used by soldiers with the “same exact caliber but with a better construction.”

Duterte is scheduled to meet with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively to discuss issues concerning enhanced cooperation in political, military and economic spheres.

Also on Tuesday, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Manila and Moscow will sign a $2.5- billion agricultural trade agreement in which Russia will buy Filipino agricultural and fisheries products, while the Philippines will buy farm machinery, meat supply and other equipment needed to improve agricultural output.

Putin earlier announced that Russia was ready to buy $2.5 billion worth of Philippine fruits and fisheries products, Piñol said.

“Moscow has long expressed interest in trading with the Philippines extensively but there was not much progress in the negotiations,” Piñol said.

Sorreta said that Manila can take advantage of Russia’s trade opportunities particularly in agriculture and pharmaceuticals.

“One of our targets is agricultural products, Russia is a huge market for bananas, they love bananas. They import P1 billion worth of bananas every year from Ecuador which captures 95 percent of the banana market,” Sorreta told Filipino journalists in Moscow.

The diplomat said that among the agricultural products that can be strengthened for export to Russia are dried mangoes, desiccated coconut, coconut oil, coconut water, coconut sugar, and fish products including canned tuna, and fresh and frozen tuna.

To balance off the trade, Russia can sell to the region products such as oil and nuclear energy products.

For Filipino products to succeed in the Russian market, the government should concentrate on the promotion of our products and repackaging them using the Russian language, Sorreta said.

While 22 people have been confirmed dead, many of the 59 people injured have life-threatening conditions, May said.

“We know that among those killed and injured were many children and young people,” the prime minister added.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing bodies on the floor after the blast around 10:30 p.m. (2130 GMT or 5:30 a.m., Manila time) on Monday, and some fans were trampled as panicked crowds tried to flee the venue.

“There were fathers carrying their little girls in tears,” Sebastian Diaz, a 19-year-old from Newcastle, said.

Families were separated, with dozens of young people taken to nearby hotels overnight, and some parents were still desperately seeking for their children on Tuesday.

“I’m just hearing nothing--her phone’s dead,” Charlotte Campbell, whose 15-year-old daugh-

ter Olivia was at the concert, told BBC radio.

The first victim named was Georgina Callander, an 18-yearold from Lancashire in northwest England, whose death was announced by her college.

The attack was the deadliest in Britain since July 7, 2005 when four suicide bombers inspired by Al-Qaeda attacked London’s transport system during rush hour, killing 52 people and wounding 700 more.

It revived memories of the November 2015 attack at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris in which armed men wearing explosive belts stormed in and killed 90 people. That attack was claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

May said it was “a callous terrorist attack,” conducted with “appalling, sickening cowardice” and Queen Elizabeth condemned it as an “act of barbarity.”

AFP with John Paolo Bencito

“Even if you are as young as nine or 10, you must be responsible for [your actions]. The law in a way has been taken advantage of and gives the impression that it’s okay for these children to violate the law.”

Instead of lowering the age of criminal liability, the House subcommittee proposed amendments to Republic Act 10630 to introduce things like life imprisonment for the parents and syndicates who use children in illegal activities.

RA 10630 amended the Juvenile Justice Act to allow children aged 12 to be held criminally liable for serious crimes such as rape and murder, among other things.

The proposed amendments include stiffer penalties for parents and syndicates using children to commit a crime, such as a penalty of reclusion temporal or 12 to 20 years in prison if the crime committed by the child is punishable with six years imprisonment or less.

The committee-approved bill also provides that the punishment for the adult shall be life imprisonment if the child is ordered to commit a crime punishable by more than six years.

The substitute bill also mandates parents of minors taken into custody will also be required to attend counseling and intervention. They will be penalized if they fail to attend sessions.

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Secretary Abaya to sign the contract, that Abaya was just three days there [DoTC] and he signed the contract?”

Poe made her statement even as the Transport Department said Tuesday it planned to have MRT 3 managed by the Light Rail Transit Authority since it was only being managed by a project management office.

LRTA manages the Light Rail Transit 2 or LRT 2 that runs from Santolan to Recto. It also supervises the Light Rail Manila Corp., the private operator and maintenance contractor of LRT 1 that runs from Baclaran to Roosevelt.

Abaya admitted in a hearing on May 15 that he immediately signed the contract to run MRT 3 to PH Trams-CB&T upon assuming his post so that MRT 3’s operations would not be stalled.

He said it was Roxas’ team who vetted the firm and finalized the contract.

In Tuesday’s resumption of the hearing, the name of Marlo dela Cruz, who was allegedly part of the group controlling contracts in the DoTC under Roxas, cropped up on several occasions.

He allegedly also had links to the maintenance providers even under Abaya who replaced Roxas at the DoTC in October 2012 after Roxas was appointed Interior secretary. With PNA

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘New tax reform an added burden’

By Maricel V. Cruz A MILITANT lawmaker on Tuesday warned that the passage of the proposed Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion will also result in a permanent spike in power rates, apart from increasing rental costs, price of liquefied petroleum gas and other necessities.

Bayan Muna Party-List Rep. Carlos Zarate said that based on initial computations on simulations of industry insiders and research of Bayan Muna, the proposed higher excise tax on diesel and bunker fuel oil used in power generation will increase the cost of generation by around P1.50 per kilowatt hour if the fuel consumption rate is pegged at 0.25L/kWh. “Of course, the increase in generation cost as a result of higher excise tax on diesel and bunker fuel oil will depend on the share of oil-fired generation to overall power plant portfolio,” Zarate said.

“This means that compared to the Luzon and Visayas, grids with a less-than-five percent share of power generation from oil-fired plants, price increases may be higher in Mindanao since oil accounts for around 20 percent of power generation in the grid,” Zarate added.

Zarate also noted that as of January 2015, 11 electric cooperatives in Mindanao with an estimated 241 MW of additional capacity from modular generator sets that use of diesel or bunker fuel would be affected by the increase in excise tax on oil as well as the revocation of value-added tax exemption of cooperatives.

“Furthermore, the electricity price in off-grid or NPC SPUG [National Power CorporationSmall Power Utilities Group] areas in the hinterlands may also increase as these areas source power from generator sets that also use diesel or bunker fuel.

At least a third of these areas operate their generator sets for 24 hours,” Zarate said.

Additionally, Zarate said the estimated impact on the generation cost does not yet include the effect on wholesale electricity spot market prices since price offers of oilfired plants may adjust with new excise taxes.

ON THE WRONG TRACK. Former MRT line 3 general manager Al Vitangcol (left) testifies in yesterday’s resumption of the Senate inquiry on the reported inefficient

management and maintenance of the MRT 3, which resulted in increasing incidents of train malfunction and the reported need to examine the newly delivered Dailan Trains due to allegations that it will remain unusable until 2018. Ey Acasio

SC rejects Napocor’s plea for additional allowances

By Rey E. Requejo

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HE Supreme Court has rejected the payment of additional allowances worth P8.5 billion for personnel of the National Power Corp.

In a 44-page decision, the SC overturned and set aside the November 2008 decision of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court which awarded the additional cost of living allowance and amelioration allowance to members of the Napocor employees’ unions.

The high court made permanent the temporary restraining order it issued in 2009 against the execution of the RTC order mandating the payment of the additional COLA and AA from

the period of July 1, 1989 to March 16, 1999.

The SC ruled that that the lower court committed error in granting the petition for mandamus filed by the unions, explaining that “money claims and judgments against the government must first be filed with the Commission on Audit.”

“Trial courts have already been strongly cautioned against the issuance of writs of execution in cases involving the disbursement of public funds in

Supreme Court Administrative Circular No.10-2000,” the SC decision penned by Associate Justice Marvic Leonen held.

According to the tribunal, the lower court “should have been more prudent in granting the immediate execution, considering that the execution of the judgment award involves the payment of almost P8.5 billion in public funds.”

The high court issued the ruling, which was released only recently, upon petition by the office of the solicitor general in its mandate as “tribune of the people.”

The case stemmed from a petition for mandamus filed by the National Power Corporation Employees Consolidated Union (NECU) and the National Power Corporation Employees and Workers Union (NEWU) before the QC RTC.

The unions sought the immediate release of the additional COLA and AA to their members as they invoked Republic Act No. 6758 (Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989), which standardized the benefits of employees—including those in government-owned and-controlled corporations—effective July 1, 1989.

The law also provided that all allowances and other additional compensation not otherwise stated “shall be deemed included” in the prescribed standardized salary rates.

In Nov. 2008, the trial court granted the petition and ordered the release of the additional allowances. But the SC issued the TRO in April 2009.

The high court, however, took eight years to resolve the case on its merits.

House approves 5-year driver’s license Debate on transport emergency powers up

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives on Monday night approved on third and final reading a measure seeking to extend the validity period of driver’s licenses from the current three years to five years.

House Bill 5648 was approved overwhelmingly by a 221- vote, provides penalty for violations of its issuance and application as part of the government’s campaign to eliminate red tape from the processing of government documents.

The measure penalizes the removal from office of an officer who will be found guilty of issuing a driver’s license without the necessary examination

and for conniving to the applicant for the irregular issuance of the license.

The bill sanctions officials who will tolerate an applicant who committed misrepresentation by submitting falsified documents and cheating in exams.

The bill provides a fine of P200,000 to an applicant who will cheat in the regular application of driver’s license.

The consolidated substitute bill extending the license cards validity is aimed at streamlining government transactions.

The measure is designed to address the long lines of drivers seeking to renew their license cards.

NAVOTAS PRIDE. Residents of the different barangays in Navotas City display their food specialties during the second round of the One Barangay, One Product which aims to showcase the native products that can be found in the city, including sea-based products, and to discover more new products. The project, which is encapsulated in the Navotas Hanapbuhay Center, a job caravan, has the full support of Mayor John Rey Tiangco. Andrew Rabulan

By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives will soon start the debate on the proposed emergency powers being sought by President Rodrigo Duterte from Congress to address the worsening traffic condition in the country.

The House committee on transportation, chaired by Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, said it had already endorsed for plenary discussion to the panel chairman the measure giving the President, through the Department of Transportation, a special power to administer the land and air traffic in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Davao City.

It took Sarmiento’s panel about four months to have the draft bill calendared for second and third and final reading approval in plenary session.

At a hearing Tuesday, Sarmiento said his panel will immediately transmit the measure to the House committee on rules to enable it to calendar the measure for plenary action.

The proposed Traffic Management Act that will grant President Duterte’s emergency powers will authorize the secretary of DOTr to implement the projects as ‘de officio traffic chief.”

Under the proposal, the traffic chief will have the authority to consolidate the existing traffic rules and regulations of all local government units (LGUs) in Metro Manila, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao.

The draft bill also provides

that the traffic chief shall have the authority to clear all sidewalks, open the private subdivisions for alternate routes, dismantle the illegal terminals, and among others.

The traffic chief as mandated under the proposed measure shall also have the power to recall the franchise of public utility vehicles, change PUV’s routes, run after reckless drivers and others.

It also empowers the traffic chief to enter into a negotiated contract in line with the main objective of decongesting the major thoroughfares, provided that the DoTR is mandated to make public all the projects to be implemented without public bidding by publishing these in national newspapers.

In a related development, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board admitted before lawmakers that Republic Act 10913 or the Anti-Distracted Driving Act is in fact “silent” on the usage of navigational apps or tools via mobile devices.

AKO-Bicol Party-List Rep. Rodel Batocabe said the intent of the law to prevent distractions while driving should be applied on whether or not drivers should be fined for glancing at Waze on the phone attached to their dashboards.

“It is not a distraction, it is a device that will aid me in driving,” Batocabe told LTFRB chairperson Martin Delgra III at a congressional hearing conducted by the House committee on transportation Tuesday.

IN BRIEF JBC sets interview of SC aspirants next month THE Judicial and Bar Council will vet on the qualification next month of aspirants for the expected vacancy in the Supreme Court arising from the retirement of Associate Justice Bienvenido Reyes in July.

The JBC has set the public interviews on June 19 of eight of the 12 candidates who have been notified to face the council members.

They include Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez and Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr. and Associate Justices Ramon Bato, Apolinario Bruselas, Rosmari Carandang, Stephen Cruz, Ramon Paul Hernando and Jose Reyes.

The four other nominees —CA Associate Justices Japar Dimaampao and Amy Lazaro Javier, Centro Escolar University law school vice dean Rita Linda Ventura-Jimeno and Pasig RTC Judge Rowena ApaoAdlawan—will no longer be subjected to an interview because they were already grilled for the two previous vacancies from the retirement of Associate Justices Jose Perez and Arturo Brion in December last year.

Rey E. Requejo

ALU-TUCP wants P157 wage hike THE country’s biggest labor federation, the Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (ALU-TUCP), will file today (Wednesday, May 24) a petition for an across-theboard P157 wage increase for workers in the National Capital Region.

The TUCP said the petition for wage increase was due to the rising cost of basic needs, such as electricity, water, foods and transportation.

ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said they will file the petition for Metro Manila’s private sector minimum wage earners at the office of the Regional Tripartite Wage and Productivity Boards is-National Capital Region in Malate, Manila.

Tanjusay justified their demand for a P157 increase in daily minimum wage in the NCR , saying the current wage of P491 was not enough to lift workers out of poverty.

If approve d, the minimum wage in Metro Manila would be P648 a day.

The petition for an “acrossthe-board” increase wil benefit all workers in all industries in the NCR, Tanjusay said.

The TUCP cited the reason for the wage increase to the rising inflation—low purchasing power of the workers monthly pay, which actually is equivalent to only P315.56, way below the government’s 600-a-day estimated poverty threshold for a family to cope with the cost of living.Vito Barcelo

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Opinion

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Reason for concern

T

RADE Secretary Ramon Lopez is rightfully concerned that the fallout from President Rodrigo Duterte’s abrupt rejection of some 250 million euros in development aid from the European Union could hurt the substantial trade advantages that the country enjoys under the bloc’s generalized scheme of preferences.

Since December 2014, Filipino exporters have been able to sell their goods to the European bloc duty-free under the EU’s GSP+ program, a crucial advantage in terms of market access covering over 6,000 product categories. But now the arrangement is under review, and Mr. Duterte’s show of independence could affect how EU officials assess our fitness to continue under their trade program.

The EU guidelines are clear. The full removal of tariffs under GSP+ will be granted only to countries that “ratify and implement core international conven-

tions on human and labor rights, environmental protection and good governance.”

Will President Duterte again see these conditions as foreign interference in domestic affairs and spurn our participation in GSP+? Or will the EU find that the Philippines under the Duterte administration is no longer compliant with the core international conventions on human and labor rights?

Either possibility is a recipe for disaster for Philippine exporters.

The latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed export receipts

from EU buyers totaled $2.401 billion in the first quarter of 2017, up 48.3 percent from $1.619 billion from the same period last year. This made the EU the second largest market for Philippine products among other economic blocs.

All this could be imperiled if our GSP+ privileges are revoked in the ongoing review.

Secretary Lopez argues that economic matters be insulated from noneconomic issues such as human rights and opposition to the reinstatement of the death penalty in the Philippines. He also says that unlike grants, the GSP+ benefits both sides.

“It’s not a grant. And they’re commercial transactions that can mutually benefit both sides,” Lopez told one network news service.

“The EU should continue to engage the country. GSP provides market access

to our exporters, but it allows cheaper Philippine products for EU consumers or cheaper inputs for their manufacturers,” he said, painting the country’s participation in GSP+ as “a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

Unfortunately, what Secretary Lopez says will not change EU policies, which are reflected in its guidelines. And those guidelines say that to qualify for GSP+ privileges, we must comply with international conventions on human and labor rights, environmental protection and good governance.

Whether this constitutes interference is beside the point. It is, after all, an EU program and they can administer it as they see fit.

The President would be well within his rights to withdraw our application for GSP+ privileges, but that would be a clear case of cutting off the nose to spite the face.

VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

The useless Anti-Distracted Driving Act

The real ‘palit-ulo’ LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES RIGHT under everyone’s noses, Digong is pulling off his biggest, most outrageous “ ” scheme. But it doesn’t involve killing anyone—the exchange is all about shifting emphasis from traditional diplomatic partners and cultivating new ones regularly eyed with suspicion by the old.

The peripatetic President Rodrigo Duterte, in his latest sojourn, has gone to meet his avowed “favorite idol,” the infamous Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation. The trip to Russia marks the completion of Duterte’s own version of a diplomatic pivot from usual economic, military and cultural partners the United States and Europe, to China and Russia.

If the US and the European Union considered Duterte’s

previous diatribes against them to be mere populist hot air, his visits to Beijing and Moscow must be making them stop and rethink their position. Duterte is now openly talking about sending bananas to Russia in exchange for smart bombs for the Philippines; we’re way beyond Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos’ cultural exchanges in ballet and classical music with the old Soviet Union in the seventies here.

Of course, the official Palace line has always been that Duterte is not replacing his country’s old allies with new ones. He is merely befriending others with whom relations have not really bloomed in the past, given the gravitational pull that Washington has always exerted on America’s “little brown brothers” in Manila.

But Duterte’s travels seem to proclaim otherwise. He has visited Beijing twice before going to Moscow; even after talking to Donald Trump

on the telephone a couple of times, he is in no hurry to make the traditional Filipino leader’s pilgrimage to Washington.

Nearly a year into Duterte’s term, he has not appointed an ambassador to Washington.

no end if Duterte doesn’t realize that while presidents like Trump come and go, US diplomatic policy changes only at a glacial pace.)

A visit to Europe in the coming days has about the same chances of happening, given the Duterte government’s recent rejection of “conditional” EU aid to Manila, as a trip to the moon. Really.

Of course, everyone knows I hope how Putin and his country are Duterte’s biggest at the center of the continuing controversy that is rocking the gamble to assert Trump administration to its his country’s luxury-condo foundations. That Duterte is now consorting with independence on the man accused of everything from rigging the US elections the world stage to receiving secret intelligence succeeds. information intended only for Trump must not be playing well over at State.

I understand perfectly that Duterte’s pivot to China and (This is something that must Russia is necessary, especially make the Philippine experts in after the six years of slavish, unthe State Department wonder abashedly neocolonial “Ameri-

ca First” policy of his predecessor. Duterte served notice that it is no longer diplomatic business as usual, first by shunning a trip to the US and opting to do the rounds of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (most of whose leaders have expressed their admiration for their firebrand and fiercely independent Philippine counterpart) and then by successfully hosting the Asean summit in Manila.

And now Duterte has gone to Moscow upon the invitation of Putin, whom he met at the Apec meeting in Peru. The pivot—or the “palitulo,” if you want—is complete. *** I find myself cheering Duterte on as he expands the Philippines’ reach and drums up interest in our country as a haven for trade and investment, tourism and all sorts of bilateral interaction. That Duterte is making the usual First SalesTurn to A5

THE Anti-Distracted Driving Act (Republic Act 10913) is one of those laws that should be thrown into the dustbin of useless laws.

The law is supposed to minimize injuries, deaths and accidents due to unrestrained use of electronic mobile devices while driving a car, a truck, a bicycle, a motorbike, a tricycle, a pedicab, a kuliglig, a caretela and a kariton. Are there statistics on how many accidents are caused daily by distracted driving because of one’s use of cellphones while driving?

I am sure such stats are no higher than the toll from tokhang and extrajudicial killings perpetrated by the police and vigilantes. The numbers being bandied about are between 4,000 and 9,000 deaths.

And yet, President Duterte says any policeman charged for killing a person while conducting a tokhang or an illegal drugs operations will be protected by him and rewarded with cash, a gun or a promotion. If convicted, said cop will be pardoned. If the policeman is killed in action, Duterte will pay him a visit at his wake.

The six-page (on short bond paper) RA 10913 became law because of the laziness of one president, BS Aquino III, who never bothered to sign the bill.

Because he did not sign it, it lapsed into law, per provision of—you better believe it, the Constitution.

Our Senate and our House of Representatives do not need to feel guilty and justify their presence in our midst or their lack of production by producing instead vexatious and useless laws. Our people understand even if it costs taxpayers P8.65 billion a year to pay for the salaries of people in the House and P3.97 billion a year to do the same in the Senate. In fact, it would be better perhaps if the entire Congress stopped enacting laws.

The Philippines already has more than 15,000 laws. These are more laws than people need. More than half of the laws are useless anyway. The 15,000 are enforced or interpreted by more than 35,000 lawyers this country has. Twothirds of our lawyers either do not practice law or violate the law themselves.

RA 10913 just gives government agencies like the Land Transportation Office (LTO), Turn to A5

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Opinion

SANTA Banana, as if the my gulay? implementing rules and regThis is why I believe that ulations of the Anti-Distract- talking peace with the comed Driving Law were not munists is an exercise in fuenough, now authorities also tility. want to ban religious objects on dashboards! This includes *** rosaries dangling from the There have been many rerear-view mirror. actions to Chinese President I can understand the need Xi Jinping’s supposed threat to regulate the use of cell to go to war with the Philipphones while driving. Call- pines over oil drilling in the ing and texting may really disputed waters of the South distract drivers. But it is China Sea. difficult to understand why There are those who say the use of navigational ap- that the Philippines must file plications like Waze is also a protest before the United banned!

Nations because of the threat Still, the prohibition on re- of war. There are those who ligious items takes the cake. do not agree.

The country is at least 80 I believe we should just let things percent Cathobe. China’s lic.

If you take a threat was bus or jeepney, just a reThis one inevitably you action to see the driver takes the President touching the cake.

D u t e r t e ’s rosary and you comment then know he in the wake of puts his driving domestic in the hands of God. This is comforting to criticism that the President passengers. seems weak and too friendly I think the law must be sus- to China. pended until rules and reguWe can’t afford to go to lations are clarified or made war with China. We cannot sensible. expect the United States to help us despite an existing *** mutual defense treaty.

Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose *** Ma. Sison admitted that the There is one innocuous negotiators based in Utrecht agency whose function must in The Netherlands do not be explained. This is the Clihave control over the move- mate Change Commission ments of he New People’s whose commissioners enjoy Army in the Philippines. the rank of undersecretary.

If this is so, why is the Aside from attending interPhilippine government even national climate change contalking to these negotiators? ventions abroad and getting Sison said that the leaders paid for it, what else can the of the communist movement commission do to make cliin the Philippines were the mate change bearable in the ones giving orders to the NDF Philippines. negotiating panel and their Yes, we need to be inarmed wing, the NPA, since formed about climate the latter are principals of the change. But what else does NDF negotiating panel. the CCC do?

He added that should forces in the Philippines decide *** to disengage from the peace Malacañang should connegotiations, there is noth- sider separating the enviing that the NDF negotiating ronment functions of the panel can do.

Department of Environment A younger generation of and Natural Resources from cadres recently took over the its other role of protecting CPP’s central committee when and overseeing the counit disclosed that it held its sec- try’s natural resources. ond party congress last October, I have always considered more than 48 hours after the these two contradictory. rebel group’s founding.

This was brought to fore That could explain why when Regina Lopez headed despite the peace talks, the the agency. She was passionNPA continues its atrocities ate and zealous about protectin the countryside. ing the environment, and she If all these are happening, did it at the expense of the exwhat use are the peace talks, tractive industry of mining.

The real...

From A4 man’s rounds while showing that the Philippines is no longer any other country’s vassal or yes-man makes the effort even more satisfying.

But at the same time, I can’t help but worry about the pushback from Washington and Brussels, especially since Duterte’s political enemies have always been aligned with these traditional partners. I wonder if those who would want to bring him down back home aren’t at this moment hatching plans to accelerate his removal, with the help of the still-powerful (and still prone-to-meddling) countries that have taken offense at Duterte’s dramatic policy shift.

By going to Moscow and challenging hoary Americaand EU-centric diplomatic policy, Duterte has proven that he has balls the size of his

beloved Davao City. His diplomatic pragmatism is laudable, especially because it is couched on the vastly different geopolitical order of an increasingly insular US and a financially ravaged Europe, while both China and Russia aggressively expand their new-found influence.

(The potential economic returns are nothing to sneeze at, either. That nearly 300 Filipino businessmen—the biggest private-sector group to accompany Duterte on a foreign trip—accompanied the president to Moscow is certainly not an accident.)

For the entire country’s sake, I hope Duterte’s biggest gamble to assert his country’s independence on the world stage succeeds. The alternative—a return to the Yellow-cacique variety of elitist liberal neocolonialism—is simply unacceptable.

BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO SOMETHING must have been lost in translation during the one-on-one meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese leader Xi Jinping The glitch in gab triggered talks of China’s threat to go war if the Philippines insists in drilling for oil in the West Philippine Sea near the disputed South China Sea. Following the furor in Manila, Beijing said there was no threat but merely an expression of the consequences if oil exploration is undertaken by the Philippines on territory the Chinese had claimed.

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, nonetheless, suggested the Philippines file a protest with the United Nations which prohibits the use of force in settling territorial dispute. This, Carpio said, is the step the Philippines should take if it decides not to file a diplomatic protest against China.

Beijing has a track record of totally ignoring Manila’s diplomatic protest since the Chinese takeover of Scarborough Shoal and the ensuing militarization of the South China Sea Philippine Ambassador to China, Chito Sta. Romana, clarified the issue when he said that there was no threat in the bilateral panel discussion he attended in Beijing, But he admitted he was not present in the one-onone meeting between Duterte and Xi. If so, was there a Filipino diplomat with Duterte who could have translated what Xi actually said.?

Was the one-on-one talk between the two leaders done in the English language? Why was Ambassador Sta. Romana not present considering the nuances of language and the delicate subject matter? Sta. Romana was appointed to the Beijing post because he is fluent in Mandarin, having spent nearly 20 years in China as an exile during the Marcos martial law regime. He was also assigned as Beijing bureau manager of the American TV network ABC channel 7.

President Rodrigo Duterte is in Russia for a five-day official visit. Aside from Moscow where he will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he is also scheduled to travel to the historic and beautiful St. Petersburg.

There is no contentious issue between Manila and Moscow.

Nevertheless, we expect President Duterte this time will be accompanied by a Filipino diplomat fluent in Russian so there would be no more problem in the nuances of language.

What Duterte says in his meeting with Putin and what will be signed between the two countries after his visit are being closely watched by Washington and the US State Department. Before he departed for Moscow, Duterte said he wants precision bombs from his Russian hosts.

If Duterte does not get the armaments he wants, we hope he does not vent his ire with a “Putin ina mo” expletive.

Cease talks on peace talks Reader Mel Amado, a wandering wit, has this to say on the current peace talks between the Philippine government and the

Distractions

SO I SEE LITO BANAYO LAND transportation officials have come up with strict implementing guidelines on “distractions” to safe driving. The devil is, as always, on the details.

A firestorm of protest has been raised even by the priests and monsignori of the Roman Catholic Church. Why forbid rosaries slung from the rear view mirrors of public conveyances? Or statuettes of the Blessed Mother, or the Santo Niño, or whatever else santo y padron of the jeepney or taxi driver?

Simply because they “distract.”

So says the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. And because they distract, they cause mishaps on the road.

Ditto for mobile phone and ipad holders, and other such gadgets which have become stockin-trade of taxi, Uber, Grab or whatever else congest the streets of the metropolis. If there is a selfie stick for tourists and Facebook-posting addicts, there must

be a dashboard-applicable holder for cellphones.

But most certainly, using a cellphone while driving is a no-no.

Especially writing short messages or texting while behind the wheel.

Late-model cars have TV monitors even for front-seat passengers, drivers most obviously included. That too is a distraction. But then public conveyances normally do not have such optional gadgets, until Uber came into the transport picture.

In the wilting summer temperatures, would ladies wearing short shorts and flimsy blouses not constitute distraction to every “sweet lover” driver as well?

But here’s a distraction to safe driving, whether by a private or public conveyance that I do not for the life of me understand how and why government authorities allow and do not regulate the same: Billboards.

Thousands of them clutter every inch of space in Edsa, the most densely vehicle-populated avenue in the universe.

Of course, if you are stuck in interminable gridlock, ogling at a pretty face or an even prettier figure splashed on a poly-vinyl tarpaulin keeps your temper from boiling and

A5

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Lost in translation

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Senseless driving rules

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

keeps you from cursing the woebegotten traffic situation.

But whether you are cruising on Edsa or riding fast-clip in the SLEX or NLEX, these billboards or outdoor advertisements can really be distracting, if not destructive as well.

Destructive of road aesthetic; destructive of human life.

And now, authorities have even allowed electronic billboard advertisements which magnifies by a hundred-fold the distraction caused by the TV monitor in your car.

Who is supposed to regulate these? The local governments?

The MMDA? There is also a Public Safety agency attached to the DILG, if I am not mistaken.

Removing these unsightly distractions was once the target of a campaign by a pro-active MMDA Chairman, Bayani Fernando, one of my favorite government officials. But the outdoor advertising industry complained and trotted out the number of employees who would find themselves out of work if these huge advertising media were to be removed. And through the years, they have not only proliferated; they have become clear and present dangers to safe driving.

Communist Party of the Philippines /National Democratic Front panel going on in Oslo, Norway.

“Cease talks,” Amado said as he punned the peace talks that had been going on for decades without any result because of contentious issues. The latest demand of the Joma Sison group is free land for farmers.

Amado said it’s a waste of government funds since the CPP/NDF panel has no control over its military arm, the New People’s Army. The NPA continues its armed rebellion, ambushing government troops even as the peace talks are going on between the two sides in Norway.

Amado has a point as the NPA activity in the Philippines rural areas has been nothing but banditry and extortion of business companies located outside the urban areas. The NPA has also added revolutionary taxes on politicians who want to campaign in areas where it has a strong presence. Politicians who want to ensure their election pay up and contribute to the NPA coffers.

Because it was “politically” unwise to let go of displacedto-be-workers, government just shut its eyes. Now they have come back with a vengeance, as in anywhere and everywhere.

Distraction on the dashboard and inside the vehicle must be the same as distraction outside, on un-regulated roadsides as well. Sauce for the goose must be sauce for the gander, right? *** Donald the Trump is in for a major, major distraction from his America First and America Only crusade.

Major, major because it just might lead to his impeachment as POTUS. The storm clouds are gathering, and getting darker and darker.

Even his fellow Republicans are nervous, and his West End staff are in near panic.

While President Duterte is saved from the vexations of a distraction in the form of another impeachment complaint by whoever, and is now off to Russia un-distracted, President Trump is hexed with a distraction of his own making over Russia as well.

Is this Watergate renamed Russia-gate? Abangan…

Look out, look out there’s a thief about!

By Robert Harland I’VE HAD things stolen while in church, but never during a flight. On a recent PAL flight from Manila to Bacolod I put my iPod and headphones on my seat to go to the CR. A little later I discovered they were missing.

First time in 56 years of flying I’ve lost anything on a plane. Just goes to show, wherever you are, never, ever leave valuables unattended!

The loss of my old iPod was no big deal, but spare a thought for the Turkish businessman who had $260,000 in cash and jewelry stolen last year from his carry-on bag which he placed in the plane’s overhead compartment during a flight to Hong Kong.

I’d not heard of in-flight theft before, but it seems stealing from sleeping and unknowing passengers is on the rise.

The majority seem to occur internationally—many within Asia. The people who steal from passengers’ carry-on bags are both flight attendants and fellow travelers.

In 2015, three Chinese men were taken into custody for stealing cash and belongings of passengers on board an Egypt Air flight from Cairo to Dubai.

The in-flight thieves were caught by

marshals after a crew member noticed the suspicious behavior of a passenger who was visiting the CR repeatedly.

The thieves waited until everyone was fast asleep and then opened the overhead compartments to steal passengers’ property. When the marshal entered the CR after one of the suspects came out, he found stolen money skillfully hidden.

Also in 2015, a woman on a flight from LA to New York was arrested for stealing an iPad and other valuables from a tote bag of one of the flight attendants.

While it’s still the safest way to travel with your personal effects, bringing your carry-on bag aboard the flight still leaves us all open for theft. So, what can we do to minimize the risk of losing belongings on a flight?

First, don’t do as I did and leave something valuable on your seat while visiting the CR! Be watchful: It’s easy to believe that your traveling companions will watch for someone rooting in your bag, but the only one you can count on is yourself.

Watch your seat: Be careful when storing your bag under the seat in front of you. Don’t face any bag pockets forward or the passenger in front of you may walk off with your valuables.

Place carry-on bags upside down: When you place your carry-on bag in the overhead compartment, turn it upside down, so the bag rests on the outer pocket (which often contains valuables) This makes it nearly impossible to un-zip that pocket.

Lock your carry-on bag: While it’s inconvenient, lock your carry on bag so it cannot be accessed while you are sleeping or visit the CR. Most carry-on bags can be locked.

Stow it nearby: Once you’re on the plane, keep your carry-on bag nearby.

Some back-of-the-plane passengers think it’s smart to stow their bag in an overhead bin up front, for an easy grab during de-planing. Additionally, when you get to your seat, place your carry-on in the overhead compartment across from your seat—not over your seat. That way you can see anyone who might try to get your valuables.

Bury your wallet and cash in your carry-on: If you put your wallet or any other valuables in your bag, don’t put them in the outer compartments. If you place your passport at the bottom of your bag or stash your wallet underneath a bunch of other stuff, you’re making it harder for them to simply pluck it out with ease.

Add a Label: Thieves could easily swap your plain black bag for their own. Make sure it’s identifiable as yours. Add a label, tie a scarf on it or write your initials on the bag itself.

Make sure you can identify your bag with a single glance. When thieves are caught, they often just claim to have made a mistake taking the wrong bag.

Dress Down: Make sure you’re dressed down for your flight. You don’t want to flaunt the fact that you have money and valuables. It makes you a target for thieves who will often choose their victims based on the clothing they wear.

There are really only four things you need to have on your person on the plane—your ID (passport if traveling internationally), a credit card, a cellphone and essential prescription medications. If someone steals every single thing you brought with you, these are really the only things you cannot replace quickly.

Above all exercise common sense.

Always remember what English philosopher and author Francis Bacon once said: “Opportunity makes the thief.”

or any electronic device, you are probably violating the law, and thus are subject to severe punishment, like a fine of P5,000 to P20,000—fines which probably are higher than the retail value of your aging horse or carabao or bike or tricycle. That’s how ridiculous the law is.

If you are driving a funeral car on the way to a cemetery and you start using your cellphone, you will violate the law, no matter how slow you are driving. Because the law says “distraction” is using an electronic device while your vehicle is moving.

That’s how ridiculous the law is.

Exempted from the law are, of course, vehicles that in practice are the biggest distractions to

drivers and pedestrians—police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks, and “other vehicles providing emergency assistance.” That’s how ridiculous the law is.

I suppose the latter category —“other vehicles providing emergency assistance,” includes “wang-wang” escorts of alleged VIPs, as well as vehicles rushing to their intended destination, to bring a pregnant woman in labor, a seriously ailing patient, and someone who badly needs to take a leak or move his bowel.

The law, by the way, does not define what exactly is an “emergency.” If as a media man while driving, I see a robbery, a murder, or a EJKs ongoing, and I use my cellphone to video it or

call authorities, is that distracted driving? And if the robber, the murderer or EJK operator happens to be a policeman—who, between us, is violating the law —he or me? He for being a robber or a killer and me, for being distracted in my driving, by a robber or a killer?

Also, the law seems to imply that you can now operate tricycles and pedicabs on national and major roads. Under a very old law and DILG regulations, tricycles are banned from national roads.

Now, under RA 10913, you can operate a tricycle on a national road, provided you don’t use your cellphone while biking.

Robert Harland is a British national based in Bacolod and Makati.

The useless...

From A4

the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA), and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), as well as the traffic enforcement units of various of municipal, city and provincial governments an excuse to mulct from hapless motorists, pedestrians, and people who operate “agricultural machines,” “construction equipment,” tractors, forklifts, motorcycles, pedicabs, kuligligs “and carriages.”

Under the law, if you are on public road and are riding on a horse or a carabao (these animals can count as either “carriages,” “agricultural machines” or “construction equipment”) and you are using a cellphone

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News

4 Malabon ‘ninja cops’ charged in DoJ

By Rey E. Requejo and Francisco Tuyay

F

OUR Malabon City policemen arrested for alleged kidnapping and extortion of an inmate’s girlfriend have been charged before the Department of Justice with various crimes, such as kidnapping, robbery and extortion.

Senior Police Office 2 Ricky Pelicano, Police Officer 2 Wilson Sanchez, PO1 Joselito Ereneo, and PO1 Frances Camua were brought before Assistant State Prosecutor Susan Azarcon for inquest proceedings.

Apart from kidnapping and robbery-extortion, the suspects were also charged with carnapping and violation of Republic Act No. 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act. However, the suspects opted for a preliminary investigation and waived their right to be immediately released from detention.

The four respondents were arrested last Monday by joint operatives of the Philippine National Police from Northern Police District and the PNP Counter-Intelligence Task Force, Anti-Kidnapping Group; Malabon City police station and Highway Patrol Group.

Based on the charge sheet, the victim identified by authorities only with the alias “Norma” was abducted last May 20 in Quezon City after she visited her boyfriend Raymond Bongabon, an inmate at the medium security compound of the New Bilibid Prison.

The suspects reportedly took the victim’s Starex van along with other items including set of jewelries, an iPhone 7, Laptop and P6,000 cash.

They allegedly called the victim’s family and demanded P5 million in exchange for her liberty. They also called Bongabon to give a separate ransom of P2 million.

The suspects also ordered the victim to transact with her Chinese contact for one kilo of shabu. The police suspects received the shabu and still insisted on the payment of ran-

som last Sunday evening.

But when the victim’s family failed to raise the ransom demand, the police suspects filed a case for violation of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act against the victim using the shabu she transacted as evidence.

The police suspects then took the victim at Tondo Medical Center for physical examination as a standard operational procedure to make it look like the arrest of the victim was legitimate.

Authorities then rescued the victim and arrested the four suspects in an entrapment operation.

The respondents have already been relieved from their post, disarmed of their service pistols, police ID and badge.

Authorities are also pursuing the hunt for the seven other cohorts of the suspects from the PNP’s Civil Security Group and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

Also joining the hunt for the remaining suspects are operatives from National Capital Region Police Office.

The seven other suspects, whose names temporarily withheld, remain at large. They are members of the National Police Civil Security Group and Criminal Investigation and Detection Group.

NCRPO director Oscar Albayalde, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction on the coordination made by all concerned units leading to the arrest of the four suspects and the identification of the others who are at large and now the subject of follow-up operations.

“I advise those who are at large to surrender and face the accusation against them. Otherwise, to the full extent of the law, we will make sure that arrests will be made in the coming days,” said Albayalde.

“We will provide the necessary support to all operating units working in our jurisdiction so that our campaign will gain results like this,” he added.

Albayalde asked the public to help police authorities by reporting or giving any information to the whereabouts of the seven policemen. “Rest assured that you have our protection. We shall continue cleansing our ranks,” he said.

The NCRPO is presently investigating more than 300 police officers under its command for their involvement in various illegal activities.

X-Ray Inspection Project officials of the Bureau of Customs inspect the misdeclared bigbike motorcycles and Mitsubishi car from Oakland and Thailand. The cargo was intercepted at the Manila International Container Port on Tuesday. Norman Cruz

Customs seizes misdeclared goods

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Customs seized a P3 million worth of imported shipment declared as household goods and personal effects but turned out to be a high-end luxury car and two motorcycles at the Manila International Container Port.

Deputy Commissioner Gerardo Gambala, head of the BoC Command Center, said the shipment was consigned to a certain Efrell B. Lopez.

“Upon examination, it showed that the declared 170 packages of household goods and personal effects, actually contained a Mitsubishi-3000 GT car, and Honda CB 900, a Yamaha, and a Kawasaki Ltd. 550 motorcycles,” he said.

The X-Ray Inspection Project Team later found undeclared items which constitutes “a prima facie evidence of smuggling.”

“The motor vehicles lacked import permit from the Department of Trade and Industry-Bureau of Import Service, thus was seized by the BoC,” he said.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon said that the vehicles arrived at the MICP from Oakland, USA on board sea vessel Cosco Thailand V-50.

“The consignee will be charged with violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act in relation to Executive Order 156 which prohibits the importation of used motor vehicles,” the BoC chief said.

“I have sent a lot of warnings to all unscrupulous traders in our country to stop and obey the law but they won’t listen,” the commissioner said.

“If we must impose stricter rules to protect our country’s border, then we will do so.”

Sports

A7

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Fierce battle looms in Masters T HE ICTSI Philippine Masters gets under way today (Wednesday) with the elite field all geared up for a fierce battle for what used to be an esteemed title on the pro circuit and on a course so tricky it could deceive even the veterans in the fold.

But Clyde Mondilla, who beat Miguel Tabuena and Tony Lascuña by one to win the ICTSI Manila Southwoods Championship, is eyeing to match or better his impressive 22-under 266 feat last week on a course whose make-up is so similar to where he honed his talent and skills.

“Villamor is like Del Monte, the fairways, the grass and the surface. So I feel like I’m playing right at home,” said Mondilla during yesterday’s pro-am of the P2 million event sponsored by ICTSI and organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. The event actually marks the

return of what used to be one of the country’s version of four majors with Cassius Casas topping the last Masters in 2000, nipping Pactolerin in sudden death.

Long-hitting Orlan Sumcad, meanwhile, proved that power is key to winning at Villamor as he ruled the pro-am with amateur partners Benjie Castañeda, Bong Sacro and Angelo David with a 17-under 55 total, edging Edward Reyes, with Nestor Sevilla, Domeng de Leon and Derek Ramsay, by one.

Lascuña, another pre-tournament favorite, placed third with a 57 with Ben Gorospe, Michael

Montero and Richard Querido.

“The course is also tough.

One errant drive will put you in tough spot under the trees where it would be impossible to go for a birdie,” said Lascuña, winner of five tournaments last year who also won the Manila Masters at Eastridge last month.

Mondilla joins Pactolerin and former Philippine Open champion Gerald Rosales in the 7:30 a.m. flight on No. 10, which used to be the first hole as organizers switched the nines for the tournament while Lascuña drew Rufino Bayron and Benjie Magada at 10:50 a.m. on No. 1.

The Villamor layout measures up to 7,000 yards and though it is expected to yield low scores given the current form of the competing field, it could still pose a challenge with its tight fairways, thick roughs and unpredictable putting surface.

“You just can’t take Villamor

for granted. It could yield low scores but it could also punish those who commit even the slightest mistake,” said Robert Pactolerin, an old hand at the military layout with a number of titles tucked under his belt, including this one which used to rank high in the local golf circuit.

Puerto Princesa hosts 2 major tilts

Centennial III tops HK to La Union race

PU ERTO Princesa City, the E co -Tou rism Center of the Philippines, celebrates the merry month of May with Marcaida III the staging of two major international water sports events on May 28 to 30.

Dubbed as “Pilipinas International Beach Sports Festival”, the three-day summer spectacle will feature the 2nd Pilipinas Open Water Swim and the 4th Pilipinas International Beach Water Polo at the Baywalk in Puerto Princesa, Palawan.

No less than Puerto Princesa City Mayor Luis M. Marcaida III is supporting the hosting of the event, which will bring together world-class participants from the United States, Canada, Russia, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, Singapore and the Philippines.

“The whole Puerto Princesa City is ready to host these two major international water sports competitions,” sad Mayor Marcaida.

“We are really honored to play host to both foreign and local guests and thrilled by the opportunity to showcase this beautiful island paradise of Palawan as well as its friendly and hospitable people,” added Mayor Marcaida.

Dale P. Evangelista, the only certified open water official in the country, will supervise the competitions supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.

The Beach Water Polo event is now on its fourth series.

For this year, it will be a threeday competition with 10 men’s teams and three women’s teams competing for the trophy.

In the men’s category, there are four international teams and six local teams.

The international teams are composed of players from USA, Canada, Russia, Uzbekistan, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

The women’s category, on the other hand, has two international teams coming from Uzbekistan and Hong Kong, and one local team.

STANDARD Insurance Centennial III captured line honors in the 500 nautical mile event of the recent 2017 Hong Kong to San Fernando Race in La Union.

Skippered by Standard Insurance group chairman Ernesto “Judes” Echauz, Centennial III took the 500 nautical mile with an elapse time of two days and seven hours, winning line honors against a top fleet of racing yachts starting from Hong Kong and finishing in San Fernando.

The all-Filipino team with national team members Allan Balladares, gold medalist in keelboat match racing, and Emerson Villena, 470 class silver medalist, in the last Southeast Asian Games, as helmsmen, also won the top IRC 0 class.

Together with Echauz is Standard Insurance computer engineer Stephen Tan as tactician and team manager.

Meanwhile, Standard Insurance, with the assistance from the Chinese Sailing Association, donated to the Philippine Sailing Association six Far East 28Rs, rated as the world’s best racing yacht for its class, to develop competitive keelboat sailing in the Philippines.

KY Derby, Preakness done: What’s next? through the race, Always among the competitors thus the breaks of the game, or a

THE HOARSE Dreaming moved up and eas- far, I’d find it in these two. sign of developing skills and At two, Classic Empire, physiques?

WHISPERER ily grabbed the lead, though JENNY ORTUOSTE THE dust has cleared from both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness runnings this year, and it’s clear we won’t be having a Triple Crown champion.

The jewels of the Triple Crown are being hotly contested among the elite Thoroughbreds colts, with nary a strong filly contender in the offing.

Let’s recap. The KY Derby this year was won by Always Dreaming. According to the horse’s jockey John Velasquez in an item in Daily Racing Form, the horse was “obviously a very young horse—and without a lot of experience,” yet he raced well against a tough field.

On a sloppy track, Always Dreaming ran in second position to State of Honor, who was racing in front. Halfway

chased by the rest of the pack, he showed no tension and kept striding under an easy hand ride.

Down the stretch, Velasquez resorted to the whip and hard scrubbing to bring Always Dreaming over the finish line.

A classic off-the-pace race.

In the Preakness, Always Dreaming got the early lead, but lost it by the clubhouse turn to Classic Empire. Always Dreaming tired at the far turn, giving Cloud Computing, who ran off the pace, a chance to rally down the stretch and nip Classic Empire by a head.

There were 20 runners in the KY Derby and 10 in the Preakness. Always Dreaming, Classic Empire, Lookin at Lee, Gunnevara, and Hence ran in both races.

Of these competitors, both Classic Empire and Lookin at Lee have had the best campaigns so far. If I were looking for any consistency

won the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), Breeders’ Futurity S. (G1), and Bashford Manor S. (G3). He was Eclipse Champion 2YO Male in 2016.

At three, he won the Arkansas Derby (G1), placed second in the Preakness (G1), third in the Holy Bull S. (G2), and fourth in the KY Derby.

At two, Lookin at Lee won the Ellis Park Juvenile Stakes and placed second in the Breeder’s Futurity S. (G1) and the Iroquois S. (G3). At three, he placed second in the KY Derby (G1) and third in the Arkansas Derby (G1).

Always Dreaming had a winless 2YO season but won the KY Derby and the Florida Derby in his third year.

Cloud Computing also had a lackluster juvenile campaign but won the Preakness at three, placed second in the Gotham S. (G3), and third in the Wood Memorial S. (G2).

Were their major wins this year flukes, ascribable to

In any case, if they are all going on to the Belmont, I’ll be looking carefully at Classic Empire’s chances.

Hopefully he and his jockey Julien Leparoux will have learned their lessons from their past two Triple Crown outings.

There isn’t any confirmation yet on whether Always Dreaming and Cloud Computing will run in the Belmont on June 10, though DRF’s Jay Privman quoted Classic Empire trainer Mark Casse as having hinted that they will not miss the race. Privman also noted that Lookin at Lee and Senior Investment (third in the Preakness) are shipping to Belmont. *** Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Facebook: Gogirl Racing and Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @gogirlracing and @jennyortuoste, and Instagram: @jensdecember and @artuoste

Pagente, Sing bag net honors ANDRE Kenny Sing and Gennifer Pagente nailed two victories each as the provincial bets shared the spotlight with their Manila counterparts in the PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala Olivarez leg regional age-group tennis tournament at the Olivarez Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque last Monday.

Sing, ranked fourth in the boys’ 12-and-under class, dominated No. 3 Axl Gonzaga, 6-3, 6-2, to clinch the crown then the rising Davao star topped the full-packed 64-player 14-U field with a 1-0 (ret.) win over top seed Daniel Estanislao III. Pagente, on the other hand, overpowered Danna Abad, 6-1, 6-3, to bag the girls’ 16-U title then the Cagayan de Oro find hammered out a 6-2, 6-3 romp over Bliss Bayking in the 18-U finals of the Group 2 sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented

by Slazenger.

“It’s inspiring to see our young players from the provinces pull off victories in a Manila event which only underscores the level playing field fuelled by the regular staging of the circuit in various regions,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/ CEO Bobby Castro.

Sing and Pagente also emerged the MVPs in their respective sides.

Sing actually came away with three wins, teaming up with Pete Rodriguez to beat Joaquin de Leon and Andrew Garcia Jr., 8-3, for the 14-U doubles crown.

Ateneo’s Cenon Gonzales, meanwhile, stunned top seed Joma Pague in the semis then scored a 1-0 (ret.) win over Stefano Gurria to bag the boys’ 18-U diadem but Gurria, from Imus, Cavite, rebounded in the 64-man 16-U class, scoring a 6-2, 6-2 romp over Laurenz Quitara.

Manila Bay Clean-Up Run listup on THE MANILA Broadcasting Company will mount the seventh Manila Bay Clean-Up Run on July 23.

The event is open to all interested participants and will feature races in the 3K, 5K, 10K, and 21K divisions for both men and women. Medals and cash prizes will be given to the top three winners in each race division.

Interested runners may now enlist at the designated registration desk at the lobby of Manila Broadcasting Company, Sotto Street, CCP Complex, Pasay City. Beginning May 26, registration shall also be accepted at Olympic World Trinoma and Alabang Town Center, as well as at Olympic Village Market Market.

The fun run is one of many activities that have helped generate funds to institute systematic longterm solutions to environmental sanitation problems that have beset the country’s coastal resources and tributaries. As a solid manifestation of corporate social responsibility MBC volunteers have joined their counterparts from other establishments based along Roxas Boulevard for Land Bank’s Manila Bay Clean-Up Program since 2009.

For detailed enquiries, call Runners Link at mobile no. 0926.205.2787

Letter to editor: GAB clarifies legality of MCC’s operations THIS is to clarify certain matters raised in the article entitled “Legality of Manila Cockers Club’s operations upheld,” which appeared on Monday, May 22, 2017 at the Sports Section of your newspaper.

First of all, the article failed to mention that the decision dated April 10, 2017 partially granted the prayer of the complainants and that GAB has already ordered the closure of all off-cockpit betting stations operating without the consent of the local government units where they are located.

In the interest of accuracy, the decision stated: “In view of the foregoing, the letters and/or complaints of Tionloc et al.} Nicson Cruz, Jesli Lapuz and Metro Manila Turf Club, Inc. assailing the authority of MCCI to offer and take bets via the OTB stations outside of the cockpit arena of MCCI in Carmona, Cavite are deemed PARTIALLY GRANTED in that the off-cockpit betting stations operating without authority from the respective local government units have been ordered closed.

However, the prayer for GAB to close down all OCBS is DENIED considering and in due respect of the authority granted to them by the LGU’s which have jurisdiction over cockfighting in their areas. The prayer to withdraw the authority to broadcast and/or livestream given to MCCI is likewise DENIED for lack of merit as discussed above.”

Secondly, your article may be misunderstood to mean that it was GAB that granted MCCI the authority to “offer, take and arrange bets in person or by any electronic or other means of processing transactions under its franchise” and “to utilize any available online, digital, wireless or electronic platform services that may facilitate the taking and acceptance of bets outside of the territorial jurisdiction of Carmona, Cavite” as mentioned in paragraphs 6 and 7, respectively, of your article.

The GAB has no power to grant any authority to take bets relative to local cockfighting as the regulation of local cockfighting has long been devolved to the

local government units pursuant to the Local Government Code of 1991. MCCI’s authority to broadcast/livestream its cockfights which was granted on April 21, 2016 does not carry with it any authority to take bets, electronic or otherwise.

The April 10, 2017 decision actually stated that: “Under Municipal Ordinance No.017-2014of the local government of Carmona, Cavite, MCCI is authorized to offer, take or arrange bets for cockfights in person or by any electronic or other means of processing transactions. It may also utilize any available online, digital, wireless, or electronic facilitate the taking and acceptance of bets outside of territorial jurisdiction of Carmona, Cavite. Likewise, under the license granted by the master licensor ofAPBCO, MCCI is authorized to utilize any available online, digital, wireless or electronic platform services and any other similar or relate platform services including off cockpit betting stations located within and outside the Philippines.

As the grantee of the foregoing authorities from the local government of Carmona, Cavite and the APECO, pursuant to RA 7160 and RA No. 10083 (Creating the Aurora Pacific Economic Zone (APECO), respectively, MCCI is therefore authorized to take and accept bets outside of its cockpit arena. Nevertheless, it has always been GAB’s position that the betting stations should be duly authorized by the local government units concerned.”

Finally, it should be pointed out that the authority granted to MCCI to broadcast/livestream its cockfights is based on GAB’s residual powers over cockfighting not otherwise devolved to the local government units. In order to protect the betting public, GAB merely ensures that: “the cockfights are held in cockpits duly authorized by the local government; the actual cockfights are likewise authorized by the local government and in case of international derbies; the same are duly authorized by the GAB; the applicant is authorized in

accordance with law to show the cockfights and take bets elsewhere; the receiving cockpits or off-cockpit stations are likewise duly authorized by the local government; there is no game-fixing; and the cockfights so covered willnot be or are not being used for illegal betting outside of authorized cockpits.”

As of now, MCCI’s authority to livestream/broadcast that was granted on April 21, 2016 has already expired. GAB has already infor med the local gover nment units concer ned for their appropriate action based on the exercise of their mandate over cockfighting in their respective localities.

We hope that this clarification will also be disseminated in the same manner as the original article, in the interest of accurate and balanced journalism.

Thank you and best regards.

By Authority of the Board: Atty. ERMAR BENITEZ Chief, Legal Division Games and Amusements Board May 22, 2017, Makati City.

Cesar Montano and Cynthia Thomalla are shown during a past staging of the Manila Bay Clean-Up Run.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 6 DIGITS 0-0-0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0.0 M+ P0.0 M+

Meralco, Hotshots joust for top spot

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

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

By Jeric Lopez

Sports Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) glides to the hoop for a lay up against the San Antonio Spurs during Game Four of the Western Conference Finals of the 2017 NBA Playoffs on May 22, at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. AFP

Curry, Durant lead Dubs to sweep of San Antonio L

OS ANGELES—Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant led the way as the Golden State Warriors sealed a clean sweep of the San Antonio Spurs to reach their third consecutive NBA Finals berth on Monday.

Curry scored 36 points and Durant weighed in with 29 as the Warriors powered to a 129-115 win to complete a 4-0 victory in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals series.

It was the third consecutive series sweep of the 2017 postseason for the Warriors, who are now 12-0 in the playoffs heading into the finals.

Durant, who attracted controversy after his blockbuster move from Oklahoma City Thunder last year to the Warriors, was delighted to be back in the NBA

Finals once again.

The 28-year-old forward, who also pulled down 12 rebounds and contributed four assists, admitted he and Curry had rediscovered their understanding following the mid-season injury that sidelined him for around 20 games.

“Our chemistry is getting better and better and we’re going to need it even more whoever we play in the finals,” Durant told an interviewer.

“It’s great to be one of the last two teams standing – we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Curry meanwhile admitted he

was relishing his partnership with Durant.

“It makes the game fun,” Durant said. “The way we play the game and move the ball. Watching him do what he does. It’s a fun way to play and we want to keep that up. I’m having fun, enjoying what I do.

“Things are flowing. It’s a part of our identity to get that mojo going. I think we’re prepared for pretty much anything. We’re going to be confident and ready to go.”

Spurs fans meanwhile bade what looked like a farewell to 39-year-old Argentinian legend Manu Ginobili, who was given a rousing ovation as he left the court.

“He’s somebody I grew up watching,” Durant said. “An amazing competitor. I got nothing but love and respect for him.”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

meanwhile spoke admiringly of the Warriors.

“They were fantastic. To all of them. From ownership, to the coaches, the players. They play a great brand of basketball. Hats off to them. Great job,” said Popovich, who also saluted Ginobili in what might have been his final game.

Popovich said Ginobili had been handed a starting berth “out of respect.”

“This is a hall of fame player who allowed me to play him off the bench for the last decade or something because it would make us a better team overall,” Popovich said. “He’s a big reason for our success. He deserved to have that night of respect so that he really feels that we appreciate everything he’s done for us over the years.

If he decides he’s going to play again that’s up to him,” said Popovich. “Manu is a grown man. He’ll figure out what is best for him and his family.”

The depleted Spurs, missing the injured Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, were always chasing the game as the powerful Warriors offense dominated almost from first to last.

The Warriors win keeps them on course for an unprecedented third consecutive NBA Finals meeting with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who lead their Eastern Conference finals series against Boston 2-1.

The Spurs were always struggling after an early points blitz from the Warriors that saw the visitors power into a 31-19 at the end to silence the AT&T Center crowd in Texas. AFP

FIRST place will be on the line as top dogs Meralco Bolts and Star Hotshots figure in a much anticipated battle for supremacy in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup. Showing consistency throughout the tournament, the Hotshots and the Bolts, both at 7-2, test each other to see who stays at the top in their scheduled 7 p.m. encounter at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

Three hours prior, skidding Alaska (4-4) is facing a must-win situation when it takes on woeful and still winless NLEX (0-9) at 4:15 p.m. in the appetizer.

Currently, Star and Meralco are tied for first place and their meeting will decide which team takes the lead in this crucial part of the elimination round.

Both teams are safely through to the playoffs.

Both are looking to finish in the top two to gain a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals.

A lot will be at stake as the victor will boost its bid of ending up at the top while the loser will slip significantly in the standings.

The Hotshots, with returning import Ricardo Ratliffe dominating, are currently the league’s hottest team. They are riding a three-game winning streak and they are hoping to keep that alive against the Bolts, which lost their last outing.

After starting the tournament on fire with four straight wins, the Aces are currently in the middle of adversity as they are in the midst of a four-game slide.

They are hoping to get back on track against the Road Warriors to get some safe distance from the other teams chasing them for a spot in the top eight.

With only two games left in its awful campaign, NLEX wants to at least post a win and avoid a winless run by winning one of their remaining games.

China, Azkals face off

Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games draws fan interest

A FRIENDLY match is in the works between the Philippine Azkals national men’s football team and China’s national squad.

They are set to confront Asia’s powerhouse China on June 7, according to Philippine Football Federation general secretary Ed Gastanes.

PFF officials have been working on getting the friendly to materialize over the past month.

The encounter will take place in Guangzhou.

“Yes, I confirm the friendly between Men’s “A” teams of China PR and Philippines on June 7 at Guangzhou, China,” said Gastanes.

The encounter will also serve as tune-up match for the Azkals before the team go to Tajikistan.

They will be in Tajikistan for the Asian Cup Jordan 2019 Qualifiers match.

Their clash with Tajikistan is part of the the Asian Cup third round qualification match and it is set on June 13 at the Pamir Stadium in Dushanbe.

The Philippines is riding on the momentum it generated in its 4-1 trashing of Nepal last March at the Rizal Memorial Football Stadium in Manila.

The Azkals are currently tied with Yemen but hold a narrow a two-point advantage on goal difference to take the pole position in Group F.

PARTICIPATION in the local qualification tournament of the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games is drawing a huge following and a lot of interest from fans and enthusiasts alike.

Because of this, there could be more entries from the Philippines when action begins from Sept. 17 to 27 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Chef de mission, Makati representative Monsour Del Rosario, along with his assistant chef de mission Raymund Lee Reyes of karate, made this known as they prepared for the Pre-AIMAG tournament at the end of the month.

“When we posted on social media on the event, ang daming players and fighters from the provinces na gustong sumali,” said del Rosario.

Del Rosario and Reyes discussed the staging of the tournament yesterday during the weekly PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay City.

Peter Atencio

By Peter Atencio

Philippine Karatedo Federation Secretary Raymond Lee Reyes (left), Fil-Am fighter AJ ‘The Mercenary’ Matthews (center) and Makati City Representative Monsour Del Rosario join a photo session during yesterday’s PSA Forum on the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games. Ey Acasio

The pre-tournament competition will feature sports like kickboxing, Kurash, sambo, belt wrestling and traditional wrestling.

It will be held from May 29 to June 2 at the Harrison Plaza Mall, Manila.

“There fighters who are are 40 years and old more who want to join. They want to be there for the experience,” said del Rosario.

The event is open to all Filipino practitioners and can register with the organizers per sport.

Some of the biggest kickboxing organizations are expected to be around, like the Kickboxing and Muay Thai Council of the Philippines, headed by Emmanuel Sabrine, WMKF-Philippines of Gerald Basig and the World Kickboxing League-Philippines of Brico Santig.

The three groups have have bonded to form the Kickboxing Alliance of the Philippines (KAP).

Initially, around 66 Filipino athletes are set to go to the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games slated on September 17 to 27 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

Eustaquio ready to rock Singapore EVEN though Geje “Gravity” Eustaquio is coming off a disappointing setback and facing a familiar foe as he makes his return to the ONE Championship cage, the celebrated Filipino martial artist remains optimistic that he will have his hand raised in triumph.

Eustaquio faces fierce Thai rival Anatpong “Mak” Bunrad on the undercard of ONE: Dynasty of Heroes at the 12,000-seater Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore on Friday, May 26.

The 28-year-old Baguio City native first crossed paths with Bunrad in April 2015 at ONE: Valor of Champions, where the latter took a

razor-thin split decision victory.

Although he is fresh from a firstround submission loss to Finnish submission specialist Toni Tauru this past December, Eustaquio has no doubt that he could settle the score.

“My first fight against him served as a big lesson. It’s my duty to learn from my mistakes and improve to become a better martial artist. I know what I am capable of. I can’t wait to showcase my talent this coming May 26. Singapore, be ready. I am bringing the fireworks to you,” Eustaquio said.

Eustaquio promises a new and improved version of himself when he steps inside the ONE Championship cage against Bunrad.

“There is always a room for improvement. I sensed the urgency to improve my skills and arsenal further after the fight against Toni Tauru. This time, we enhanced timing and precision. We added speed as well as proper executions of game plan,” he said.

Although he expects that Bunrad will stand and bang with him in their three-round flyweight encounter, Eustaquio asserted that he made sure to fine-tune his ground game.

“My wrestling is coming. I believe if you’re going to compare it with others, it’s not very low in terms of performance in wrestling or grappling,” he said. “Honestly speaking, I am not that far behind.”

Filipino MMA fighter Geje Eustaquio (right) unloads with a lead straight right hand against his opponent inside the ONE Championship cage during their match. ONE Championship

New system loss cap out in Q4—ERC B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

B1

PAL-SM PARTNERSHIP. Philippine Airlines, Mabuhay Miles and The SM Store launch a joint program partnership called “Shop Your Way to a Dream Get Away Promo.” Under the promo, every P2,000 single receipt purchase at The SM Store by SM Advantage and SM Prestige members entitles them to one electronic raffle entry and a chance to win PAL Mabuhay Miles in weekly and monthly draws. Shown during the signing of a memorandum of agreement at the PAL corporate headquarters in Pasay City are (from left) SM Retail Inc. vice president for marketing Quennie Cua, PAL vice president Kevin Hartigan Go, SM Retail vice president for credit management Sid Bada, SM Retail president Chelo Monasterio, PAL president and chief operating officer Jaime Bautista, PAL executive vice president Stewart Lim, SM Retail executive vice president for controllership Ricky Lim, PAL vice president for sales Ryan Uy and The SM Store assistant vice president Ayee Moya.

Govt terminates airport biddings

By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE Transportation Department abandoned the auctions for the P108.2billion contracts to develop, operate and maintain five regional airports under the publicprivate partnership scheme.

“We received confirmation that the procurement of the much-anticipated Regional Airport PPP Projects [Development, Operations and Maintenance of New Bohol (Panglao),

Davao, Iloilo, Laguindingan and Bacolod Airports] has been terminated,” the PPP Center said in a statement.

The PPP Center said the implementing agencies―the

Transportation Department and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines―decided that the projects would be implemented through other modes.

The Regional Airport PPP Projects were originally approved under a bundled PPP structure by the Investment Coordination Committee and the National Economic and Development Authority board.

The Neda board approved the unbundling of the five airport projects in November 2016.

The five provincial airports in the PPP are the P20.26-billion

Bacolod-Silay International Airport, the P30.4-billion Iloilo International Airport, the P14.62billion Laguindingan Airport, P2.34-billion New Bohol (Panglao) Airport and P40.57-billion Davao International Airport.

The Transportation Department earlier pre-qualified Maya Consortium led by Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Philippine Airports Consortium of Metro Pacific Investments Corp., San Miguel Holdings Corp.-IIAC Airport Consortium, GMR-Megawide Consortium and Filinvest-

JATCO-Sojitz Consortium for the projects.

“While the PPP Center believes in the credibility of these airport projects structured as PPP, and gratefully acknowledges the solid interest of the private sector, we respect DOTr’s and CAAP’s authority and their decision to terminate the projects,” the agency said.

The PPP Center said despite the latest development, it remained ready and committed to support government agencies in their infrastructure and development projects.

“The critical foundations of the PPP program have been laid down, and the institutions, both in the public and private sectors, are ready to deliver,” it said.

The agency said the effectiveness of the PPP program was shown by the awarded PPP projects that were now benefitting countless Filipinos such as the Mactan Cebu International Airport Passenger Terminal Building, Naia Expressway, PPP for School Infrastructure Project and the Automated Fare Collection System or Beep Card.

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX

Filinvest set to open new mall in Tagaytay

8500

By Jenniffer B. Austria

6500

PROPERTY developer Filinvest Land Inc. said Tuesday it is set to open a new shopping mall as a part of a 5.2-hectare townscape project in Tagaytay City.

Filinvest Land said Fora Mall, a commercial development with 48,000 square meters of leasable space, would open within the second quarter this year.

The shopping mall will have Metro Gaisano as one of its anchor tenants and will offer a number of retail brands and restaurants targeting residents and tourists.

Fora Mall is envisioned to be the newest exciting destination in Tagaytay and will offer other amenities such as a centerpiece amphitheater for weddings, outdoor activities and other events; a botanical garden; canopy walk; and a sky garden.

Filinvest said it was on track with the development of the 5.2-hectare Fora townscape project and recently held the topping off ceremony of its condotel component. Fora is envisioned to be the largest integrated themed destination in Tagaytay City.

The condotel, which will offer 280 units, is expected to be fully operational by end of 2018.

Filinvest Land earlier allocated P4 billion to develop the whole property, representiong the company’s first mixed-use development in Tagaytay.

Centrally located at the heart of the Rotunda junction, next to churches, hospitals and commercial centers, Fora boasts of a 360-degree accessibility carefully designed with the convenience, comfort and ease for visitors.

Filinvest Group of the Gotianun family has extensive experience in developing similarly massive master-planned township projects, such as the 244-hectare Filinvest City in Alabang, the 677-hectare Timberland Heights in San Mateo, Rizal and the 50-hectare City di Mare in Cebu.

IN BRIEF Honda PH expects to sell 32,000 units

HONDA Cars Philippines Inc. expects to sell 32,000 vehicles in 2017, up by 33 percent from 24,000 units it delivered in 2016, a top executive said.

Newly appointed Honda Cars Philippines president and general manager Noriyuki Takahuma said sales had been consistently good, even before his assumption to the new position, over the last three years.

“We want to give customers good value. We want them to experience improved and better products as we aim to maintain our market share,” he said during the launch of the all-new Honda City Monday night at the City of Dreams Manila in Pasay City.

Honda is the fourth largest vehicle distributor in the Philippines in terms of sales in the first four months of 2017.

Honda Cars Philippines administrative manager Louie Soriano said the sales forecast would cover all Honda models available in the Philippines. The company adopted the strategy of maintaining the current pricing for all City variants that range from P764,000 for the base model with manual transmission to more than P1 million for top-of-the line variant.

The company’s plant in Sta. Rosa reached its full utilization capacity and the company is also assessing if it can manufacture another Honda model, Soriano said. Othel V. Campos

Microinsurance premiums hit P5.4b

MUTUAL benefit associations ranked first in terms of microinsurance premium production in 2016, Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa said Tuesday.

MBAs produced 54 percent or P2.91 billion out of the total P5.42-billion combined microinsurance premium production last year.

Card Mutual Benefit Association Inc. generated the highest premium income in the MBA sector, accounting for 79.90 percent of the total premium produced by the sector or P2.3 billion.

Tulay sa Pag-unlad Mutual Benefit Association Inc. followed with a premium production of P153.14 million. Alalay sa Kaunlaran Benefit Association Inc., ARDCI Mutual Benefit Association Inc. and Simbag sa Emerhensiya Asin Dagdag Pasegurohan accounted for P84.58 million, P57.57 million and P51.88 million, respectively.

The life insurance sector and nonlife insurance sector generated P1.88 billion and P631 million, respectively.

The MBAs sector also remained the leader in the microinsurance industry in terms of number of lives covered.

“Sixty-one percent of the total lives covered by microinsurance or 17.24 million are members and dependents of MBAs,” Funa said. Julito G. Rada

Closing May 23, 2017

8000 7500 7000 6000

7,812.14 5.57

PESO-DOLLAR RATE Closing MAY 23, 2017

45.00 46.50 48.00 49.50

P49.820 CLOSE

51.00

HIGH P49.740 LOW P49.850 AVERAGE P49.785 VOLUME 572.000M

30TH STCA AWARDS. Following the passing of its founder and chairman, Ambasssador Alfonso

Yuchengco, the AY Foundation carries on his great legacy by officially launching the 30th year of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Awards, formerly known as the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta Awards. The award is a joint project between AY Foundation and Junior Chamber International Manila. Shown during the launching ceremony are (from left) STCA chairman Jerrold Ong, JCI president John Bautista, AYF trustee Cesar Virata, AYF trustee Reynaldo Vea and JCI Manila past president Ramon Bagatsing Jr.

Vitarich unveils expansion plan

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales AGRICULTURE company Vitarich Corp. on Tuesday unveiled an expansion program that includes establishing a new animal feed mill in Davao City and expanding the capacity of existing plants to meet the increasing demand for food and animal feed.

Vitarich president and chief executive Ricardo Manuel Sarmiento said the new animal feed mill would be operational

by July this year.

“We will also double the capacity of our Davao dressing plant from 471,000 heads to 942,000 heads per month,” Sarmiento said.

The company is in the process of expanding and automating its Iloilo feed mill in the Visayas, effectively doubling its capacity to produce animal feed, from an average of 93,600 50-kilogram bags per month in 2016 to around 187,200 bags a month this year.

Vitarich said in Luzon, its toll partners also expanded to double the company’s production capacity by 67 percent for animal feeds and 40 percent for aqua feeds.

The company said in line with the expansion plan, it was now looking for partners and endcustomers with the same mindset to expand the company’s sales and distribution network.

“We are looking for more contract growers in the Visayas area as well as more chicken breeders and hog breeder farms in Luzon to meet the increased demand for food products,” Sarmiento said.

“We have also set in motion a program to enhance our Cooks brand by introducing new quality products that are designed to penetrate new market segments and a new packaging that underscores the brand’s improved quality,” Sarmiento said.

Vitarich’s net income in the first quarter grew 25.26 percent to P47.6 million from P38 million in the same quarter last year.

This was also up by 172 percent from a full-year net income of P17.5 million in 2016.

P427.00-P647.00 LPG/11-kg tank P38.25-P50.40 Unleaded Gasoline P27.75-P32.96 Diesel

OPRICES IL TODAY

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

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, May 23, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.7530

Japan

Yen

0.008987

0.4471

UK

Pound

1.300200

64.6889

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128455

6.3910

Switzerland

Franc

1.027538

51.1231

Canada

Dollar

0.740686

36.8514

Singapore

Dollar

0.721605

35.9020

Australia

Dollar

0.747500

37.1904

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655196

132.1040

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266681

13.2682

Brunei

Dollar

0.719011

35.7730

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.029070

1.4463

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.5463

Euro

Euro

1.124000

55.9224

Korea

Won

0.000897

0.0446

China

Yuan

0.145155

7.2219

India

Rupee

0.015509

0.7716

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.232396

11.5624

New Zealand

Dollar

0.699400

34.7972

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033361

1.6598 Source: PDS Bridge

GMA Network spending P800m to roll out digital service

By Darwin G. Amojelar BROADCAST company GMA Network Inc. said it will spend P800 million this year to finance the initial rollout of its digital terrestrial television service and program rights acquisition.

“The capital expenditures that have been approved related to the initial tranche of DTT transmission and back-end facilities is

roughly in the vicinity of about P400 million,” GMA president Gilberto Duavit said.

“The maintenance capex is very minimal so we do not see a dramatic increase in capital spending,” he said. The company spent P1.14 billion last year.

GMA chairman and chief executive Felipe Gozon said the DTT service would be initially available in Mega Manila, Cebu and Davao by the first half of

2017.

The device can enable digital broadcast services on analog TV while transforming the unit into a smart TV capable of playing on-demand content and running different applications.

Gozon said the company planned to offer at least four digital TV channels.

GMA earlier posted a net income of P842 million in the first quarter, down by 17 percent from

last year’s P1.01 billon.

The network’s revenues also increased 15 percent to P3.76 billion from P3.26 billion in the same period last year. Including political advertisements, GMA’s revenues fell 4 percent in the first quarter from a year ago.

Political ads contributed P640 million to the company’s top time in the first quarter of 2016 in the runup to the presidential elections.

B2

Business

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market extends gains; EEI rises GBPC may expand S capacity to 2,000 MW TOCKS rose for a third day, following a healthy lead from Wall Street and as investors sifted through the latest news on the Trump administration.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 5 points, or 0.1 percent, to close at 7,812.14 Tuesday, as five of the six sectors advanced. The bellwether was also up 14.2 percent since the start of the year.

The heavier index, representing all shares, picked up 7 points, or 0.2 percent, to settle at 4,662.16, on a value turnover of P7.4 billion.

Losers outnumbered gainers, 97 to 93, while 49 issues were unchanged.

Twelve of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by construction company EEI

Corp. which jumped 5.9 percent to P10.70 and East West Banking Corp. which climbed 3.8 percent to P24.90. Property developer Megaworld Corp. rose 3 percent to P4.48.

Phoenix Petroleum Philippines sank 14.3 percent to P9.75, after announcing the sale of a 25-percent stake to ES Consultancy Group Inc. for P12 per share.

Meanwhile, Asian markets mostly turned lower Tuesday as profit-taking overshadowed a healthy lead from Wall Street, while the pound fell after 22 people were killed in a terror blast in Manchester.

Global stocks had rallied Monday, with energy firms benefiting from a surge in oil prices as OPEC and Russia look set to extend an output cut, while US dealers welcomed an optimistic survey on US manufacturing.

But crude was unable to sustain gains Tuesday and this weighed on petroleumlinked firms before a meeting between OPEC and Russia later in the week.

With Donald Trump on his first overseas trip, the political crisis that drove huge losses last week has calmed for now.

However, the Washington Post reported that the president had asked two top intelligence officials in March to help push back against an FBI probe into his campaign’s possible links with Russia.

Markets were hammered in the middle of last week on fears about Trump’s economyboosting agenda, with his presidency engulfed in a crisis over his firing of FBI chief James Comey and allegations he disclosed sensitive intelligence to Russian officials.

Hong Kong closed up 0.1 percent, Shanghai slipped 0.5 percent and Sydney eased 0.2 percent while Tokyo ended 0.3 percent down.

However, Seoul and Singapore each added 0.3 percent.

In early European trade London fell 0.1 percent, while Paris and Frankfurt each eased 0.2 percent. With Bloomberg, AFP

By Alena Mae S. Flores GLOBAL Business Power Corp. expects to double its capacity to a range of 1,500 megawatts to 2,000 MW in the next five years and expand its portfolio to include renewable energy, an official said.

Newly appointed Global Business president Jaime Azurin told reporters the company was looking to expand to Luzon and Mindanao as it was already nearing its market share limit in the Visayas.

The company, led by Metro Pa-

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, MAY 23, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.01 125,000 49.75 17,400 105.7 2,143,430 4 20,000 120.8 1,350,490 1.52 190,000 37.05 998,400 16.06 172,200 24.9 4,120,700 1.7 3,000 0.69 1,626,000 88 2,772,760 0.73 548,000 15.46 344,900 25 8,900 68.4 631,140 238.2 2,530 113 140 89.2 220 59.95 1,615,970 217 635,030 1,650 10 86.3 15,810 1.18 60,000

492,980 863,880 226,885,582 80,000 163,142,159 280,880 36,898,630 2,779,342 102,516,770 5,140 1,136,490 244,113,013 398,450 5,337,134 222,570 43,071,519.50 603,166 15,715 19,600 96,913,553 137,819,840 16,500 1,362,968 70,800

357,450 -18,395,788 -81,674,173 -44,400 14,521,000 -1,822,878 35,463,180 76,425,160.50 -88,560 15,600 -15,323,781.50 -15,138,856.50 -33,783,906 963,017.50 -

39.55 5.99 0.82 1.65 21.75 0.26 7.15 17.38 176 22.95 14.34 73 80 1.93 5.71 11.46 12.76 10.1 6.81 5.99 19.5 70.1 13.12 14.78 9.6 1.57 201 4.48 3.66 31.1 19.1 19.1 276 0.242 6.08 3.38 10.4 11.44 2.1 9.61 1.93 67.7 5.82 297 4.7 3.26 13.14 0.149 1.37 163.3 1.66 1.12

INDUSTRIAL 39.7 1,887,000 6.09 4,097,700 0.86 1,608,000 1.68 2,642,000 21.85 10,600 0.27 15,350,000 7.42 7,342,700 17.4 2,843,200 176 20 23.3 454,800 14.34 3,000 74 1,288,080 80 720 1.93 1,383,000 5.71 55,900 11.5 61,800 12.8 5,758,100 10.62 9,478,400 6.95 2,220,500 5.99 8,689,500 19.52 3,001,300 70.5 79,930 13.3 53,600 14.8 236,000 9.74 1,558,400 1.58 2,262,000 201 404,540 4.48 473,000 3.66 4,000 32.05 2,040,800 19.8 3,855,200 19.5 2,405,100 276.2 162,500 0.243 1,030,000 6.08 18,100 3.4 65,000 10.42 7,210,800 11.44 2,900 2.1 506,000 9.69 21,732,700 1.95 461,000 67.8 806,010 5.86 94,200 300 4,350 4.73 310,000 3.26 93,000 13.32 1,168,500 0.149 210,000 1.44 403,000 165.1 1,293,020 1.71 17,744,000 1.12 1,000

74,852,835 24,821,803 1,361,810 4,435,760 237,490 4,050,650 53,716,764 49,496,318 3,520 10,498,145 43,104 95,317,906.50 57,600 2,695,010 319,189 711,520 73,700,214 99,980,856 15,359,571 52,091,915 58,679,162 5,626,522.50 713,112 3,490,398 15,114,501 3,598,500 81,689,868 2,127,750 14,640 65,239,300 76,707,243 47,055,532 44,947,804 250,000 110,088 221,400 75,926,830 33,274 1,063,180 217,423,352 900,520 54,690,809 551,113 1,302,784 1,465,660 305,470 15,650,582 31,390 568,260 213,427,114 30,606,880 1,120

-48,807,055 5,696,543 1,342,430 18,415,804 27,729,334 -4,603,000 -93,826,830 70,560 111,710 -12,505,830 -38,109,850.00 -539,247 10,322,303 23,998,732.00 -992,382 -63,310 2,116,303 -281,000 -34,918,486 46,651,005 -2,586,189 1,260,686 5,369,544 24,300 61,550 -12,507,656 -22,960 -105,096,260 -13,973,829 599,400 -42,570 11,273,434 16,807,122 4,513,900 -

0.375 77.25 15.3 1.16 6.2 0.34 0.335 875.5 8.2 13.56 7.87 5.64 0.198 1,236 6.93 83.95 4.16 1.04 7.18 16 6.63 3.25 0.059 2.1 110 3.14 790 0.86 1.41 309.8 0.285 0.209 0.245

0.37 76 14.9 1.13 6.1 0.32 0.335 869 8.14 13.36 7.75 5.55 0.198 1,200 6.89 82.85 4.16 1.01 7.08 15.82 6.56 3.24 0.057 2.07 107.6 2.83 779 0.86 1.38 307.2 0.285 0.197 0.245

HOLDING FIRMS 0.37 660,000 76.05 1,760,450 15.24 22,704,700 1.13 313,000 6.1 11,000 0.32 9,410,000 0.335 280,000 870 336,270 8.16 3,076,900 13.52 9,662,400 7.75 66,300 5.55 16,200 0.198 100,000 1,200 186,010 6.9 23,300 83.4 911,600 4.16 1,000 1.02 2,085,000 7.14 65,500 15.98 2,494,600 6.57 23,136,000 3.24 5,000 0.058 42,420,000 2.07 87,000 108.9 351,920 2.99 2,003,000 788 160,770 0.86 40,000 1.41 503,000 309 2,860 0.285 40,000 0.209 690,000 0.245 130,000

244,300 134,405,096.50 344,715,168 354,820 68,100 3,093,450 93,800 293,255,115 25,115,445 130,408,838 516,505 90,486 19,800 225,154,185 160,831 76,044,695.50 4,160 2,131,210 467,070 39,710,072 152,312,186 16,230 2,442,760 180,150 38,454,768 6,093,410 126,646,290 34,400 703,480 883,930 11,400 138,800 31,850

-29,418,242.50 53,279,710 -13,222,405 17,928,895 18,259,296 -77,982,720 9,585,555 128,480 -204,504 -55,575,084 23,200 13,438,048 24,880 48,087,805 -674,218 -

6.6 1.29 2.28 1.34 38.5 4.23 5.32 0.51 1.09 1.43 0.158 0.53 50.1 0.7 0.165 1.65 1.07 1.03 4.49 0.39 0.345 0.75 4.1 27.85

6.33 1.19 2.22 1.28 37.85 4.15 5.28 0.5 1.07 1.37 0.156 0.52 49.8 0.69 0.155 1.62 1.04 1.02 4.35 0.36 0.33 0.72 3.94 27.55

5,323,779 19,836,950 592,210 25,720,920 295,403,145 14,923,940 538,818 951,300 36,830 686,300 221,050 1,224,460 4,983,075 128,350 252,250 7,313,390 6,376,680 500,690 561,041,820 31,074,900 1,048,750 13,347,840 1,081,510 52,540

-4,100,203 49,200 44,400 1,849,160 23,760,915 8,712,700 -125,860 971,627.50 -126,960.00 46,800 36,430 -63,000 322,206,930 62,250 19,800 291,000 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK IREMIT MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

4.14 49.75 105.9 4 121.4 1.47 36.55 16.22 24.25 1.72 0.71 90 0.72 15.4 25.05 68 239 111.5 88 58.6 216.8 1,650 86.35 1.18

4.14 49.75 107 4 121.7 1.52 37.15 16.22 25.15 1.72 0.71 90 0.73 15.62 25.05 68.7 239 113 89.2 61.05 217.8 1,650 86.45 1.18

3.87 49.5 105.5 4 120 1.46 36.4 16.06 24.25 1.7 0.69 87 0.72 15.36 25 67.5 238 111.5 88 58.6 215.6 1,650 85.9 1.18

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETRON PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PHX SEMICNDCTR PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SHAKEYS PIZZA SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VULCAN INDL

40 6.02 0.83 1.65 22.45 0.265 7.15 17.42 176 23 14.76 73 80 1.94 5.71 11.62 12.78 10.12 6.85 6.02 19.56 70.55 13.3 14.78 9.63 1.59 204 4.56 3.66 31.45 19.1 19.2 277.6 0.243 6.1 3.42 10.68 11.5 2.1 11.54 1.93 68 5.82 297 4.73 3.3 13.22 0.15 1.39 163.6 1.74 1.12

40 6.1 0.87 1.7 22.65 0.27 7.42 17.54 176 23.3 14.76 74 80 1.98 5.71 11.62 12.84 10.74 6.96 6.04 19.68 70.6 13.4 14.8 9.8 1.61 204.4 4.56 3.66 32.05 20.8 19.72 277.8 0.244 6.1 3.44 10.7 11.5 2.11 11.54 1.98 68.2 5.89 300 4.75 3.35 13.56 0.15 1.44 165.7 1.78 1.12

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV MJC INVESTMENTS PACIFICA PRIME ORION SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.375 76 15 1.13 6.2 0.34 0.335 872 8.14 13.4 7.87 5.64 0.198 1,236 6.93 83 4.16 1.03 7.17 15.9 6.61 3.25 0.058 2.1 109 2.92 779 0.86 1.39 309.8 0.285 0.197 0.245

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

6.6 1.25 2.25 1.34 38.5 4.15 5.28 0.51 1.07 1.38 0.158 0.53 50 0.69 0.165 1.63 1.07 1.02 4.36 0.385 0.345 0.73 4.1 27.85

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

24.1 1.71 3.33 32.8 0.99 0.88 5.2

24.35 1.72 3.33 33.45 1 0.89 5.52

23.75 1.69 3.24 32.7 0.98 0.88 5.2

23.75 1.7 3.25 32.8 1 0.89 5.46

2,154,000 213,000 139,000 9,438,500 2,642,000 17,000 16,424,700

51,498,160 362,160 452,800 310,797,720 2,611,020 15,080 88,598,362

-18,430,200 49,862,280 10,239,843

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CALATA CORP CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR DFNN INC GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN GRAND PLAZA HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA JOCKEY MELCO CROWN METRO RETAIL NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

17.2 43.75 1.54 0.51 0.046 12 5.82 9.62 0.087 1.99 99.7 9.76 8.95 2,012 6.17 16 13.5 2.89 3.54 100.4 12.66 8.9 0.181 1.36 3.71 16.2 4.12 0.94 4.28 2.38 8.61 3.84 2.58 11.5 5.4 170 8.33 1,636 1.53 0.415 43 83.55 5.82 2.6 1.12 2.13 3.47 0.66 5.41

17.8 43.75 1.7 0.53 0.046 12 5.95 9.89 0.087 1.99 99.8 9.76 8.99 2,012 6.2 16.28 13.5 2.9 3.69 101.7 12.66 8.94 0.183 1.39 3.71 17.36 4.12 0.94 4.3 2.48 8.88 3.89 2.59 11.5 5.4 171 8.55 1,638 1.57 0.415 43.1 84.3 5.82 2.72 1.14 2.13 3.58 0.67 5.41

17.12 43.4 1.54 0.5 0.044 11.96 5.62 9.5 0.085 1.96 99 9.73 8.61 1,994 6.17 16 13.5 2.83 3.5 100.1 12.66 8.9 0.181 1.33 3.55 16.04 4.01 0.91 4.26 2.34 8.6 3.69 2.56 11.5 5.3 170 8.02 1,625 1.53 0.4 42.85 83.55 5.73 2.57 1.09 2.1 3.47 0.64 5.39

SERVICES 17.4 43.5 1.65 0.52 0.045 11.96 5.86 9.5 0.086 1.96 99.4 9.73 8.9 2,004 6.17 16.28 13.5 2.83 3.5 100.4 12.66 8.94 0.182 1.39 3.69 16.04 4.01 0.91 4.26 2.38 8.88 3.75 2.56 11.5 5.36 171 8.08 1,630 1.57 0.4 43 84.2 5.8 2.66 1.12 2.1 3.52 0.65 5.41

567,200 35,800 19,000 7,504,000 53,000,000 2,400 56,600 7,721,000 57,260,000 850,000 289,300 34,400 27,300 32,365 146,800 82,400 1,000 2,240,000 93,000 1,411,530 300 312,000 3,680,000 1,346,000 66,000 9,600 278,000 116,000 524,000 34,000 15,036,900 3,330,000 1,116,000 3,900 9,300 20 1,065,400 103,880 9,885,000 260,000 4,514,400 859,300 718,800 11,026,000 12,026,000 6,000 1,507,000 5,920,000 5,656,400

9,872,712 1,559,440 31,340 3,825,780 2,384,200 28,746 321,970 74,323,369 4,909,370 1,672,730 28,750,003.50 335,195 239,389 64,847,830 907,615 1,333,964 13,500 6,396,060 335,750 142,861,059 3,798 2,786,740 668,560 1,803,900 235,570 159,756 1,122,360 107,430 2,238,900 80,680 132,638,539 12,471,760 2,866,570 44,850 49,906 3,410 8,809,497 169,351,585 15,408,010 104,950 194,073,935 72,340,762.50 4,147,582 29,389,910 13,561,940 12,630 5,323,960 3,864,660 30,554,125

-732,876 -420,000 4,500 -1,134 -15,615,351 17,200 -19,800 -5,526,837.50 -1,712,145 143,824 85,200 30,533,603 18,100 13,400 44,390 -57,924,354 -7,537,050 204,800 1,710 -2,858,418 16,237,195 -851,980 -104,964,790 33,433,361.50 1,434,164 4,559,530 306,840 79,780 395,000 19,147,823

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

0.0032 1.97 5 11.72 2 0.89 0.395 8.96 2.49 0.255 0.19 0.195 0.011 1.85 6.26 2.21 0.99 0.011 5.69 0.013 9.15 3.39 159.2 2.7 0.0087

0.0033 2.02 5.02 12.98 2.2 0.91 0.41 8.96 2.49 0.26 0.193 0.199 0.012 1.92 6.39 2.28 0.99 0.011 5.75 0.013 9.18 3.44 162 2.74 0.0087

0.0032 1.97 5 11.72 2 0.81 0.395 8.36 2.39 0.25 0.19 0.195 0.011 1.85 6.15 2.15 0.95 0.011 5.61 0.012 9 3.35 157.9 2.65 0.0087

MINING & OIL 0.0032 45,000,000 1.98 4,552,000 5.01 160,200 12.98 400 2.2 23,000 0.9 22,262,000 0.395 290,000 8.94 18,900 2.49 3,631,000 0.25 690,000 0.19 2,110,000 0.199 110,000 0.011 227,100,000 1.9 422,000 6.36 4,160,300 2.28 170,000 0.95 352,000 0.011 8,000,000 5.71 780,700 0.012 6,900,000 9.06 685,300 3.42 2,512,000 160.8 1,038,550 2.66 59,000 0.0087 2,000,000

144,200 9,058,820 802,522 4,814 47,240 19,027,890 116,500 158,599 8,817,430 178,050 402,500 21,850 2,520,700 801,960 26,362,268 375,640 337,370 88,000 4,457,352 83,800 6,222,156 8,533,960 166,953,929 157,960 17,400

629,660 -39,622 21,000 21,600 0 3,763,842.00 -115,000 -466,060 -1,123,370 47,239,573 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2B PF PREF 2 SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

43.2 509 512 105 112.5 115 5.84 1,022 1.1 109.6 1,100 1,019 77.75 81 76.25 79.4 79 78.1 79

43.8 510 512 105 112.5 115 5.85 1,022 1.1 109.6 1,100 1,019 77.75 81 76.25 79.4 79 78.5 79

43.2 508 511 105 112.5 115 5.84 1,021 1.09 109.6 1,100 1,019 77 81 76.25 79.4 79 78.1 78.65

PREFERRED 43.8 5,700 510 1,400 511 1,000 105 1,260 112.5 50 115 11,000 5.85 31,300 1,022 1,500 1.09 40,000 109.6 170 1,100 1,200 1,019 150 77 1,250 81 52,560 76.25 5,000 79.4 4,000 79 610 78.5 149,400 78.65 38,200

248,620 713,350 511,500 132,300 5,625 1,265,000 183,045 1,532,615 43,610 18,632 1,320,000 152,850 96,289.50 4,257,360 381,250 317,600 48,190 11,717,070 3,009,575

140,200 -60,255.00 10,466,770 -

LR WARRANT

2.29

2.3

2.25

WARRANTS 2.25 119,000

268,360

-

746,780 402,217 29,853,417

203,200 4,165,073

839,312

49,210

215,250

-

NAME

MS

PROPERTY 6.52 1.19 2.22 1.29 38.1 4.17 5.28 0.51 1.09 1.39 0.156 0.52 50 0.69 0.155 1.65 1.06 1.03 4.45 0.365 0.33 0.72 4 27.65

816,900 15,995,000 265,000 19,826,000 7,757,200 3,577,000 102,000 1,881,000 34,000 497,000 1,410,000 2,351,000 99,690 186,000 1,610,000 4,458,000 6,053,000 489,000 126,212,000 83,010,000 3,120,000 18,342,000 271,000 1,900

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

4.11 6.31 8.32

4.12 6.32 8.32

4.06 6.2 8.04

FIRST METRO ETF

129.6

129.7

129

USD DMPL A1

10.5

10.5

10.5

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

SHARES

18,084,177

INDUSTRIAL

137,868,880

HOLDING FIRMS

124,029,957

PROPERTY

332,169,950

SERVICES

216,802,825

MINING & OIL

333,113,189

GRAND TOTAL

1,165,986,353

4.06 6.22 8.27

SME

183,000 64,500 3,663,300

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 129.7 6,490 10.5

DDS

20,500

VALUE 1,931.32 (down) 5.75 1,126,287,059.68 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,092.56 (up) 21.83 1,667,489,054.67 HOLDING FIRMS 7,955.17 (up) 21.90 1,649,590,375.588 PROPERTY 3,546.81 (up) 7.64 SERVICES 1,620.28 (up) 3.88 1,551,758,495.45 MINING & OIL 12,710.36 (up) 120.90 1,129,333,553.20 PSEI 7,812.14 (up) 5.57 255,711,196.491 All Shares Index 4,662.16 (up) 7.23 7,412,012,179.88 Gainers:93; Losers: 97; Unchanged: 49; Total: 239

cific Investments Corp., is currently the leading power producer in the Visayas with a gross capacity of 854 MW through its subsidiaries.

“At least 10 to 20 percent of that target capacity will be RE,” Azurin said.

“It depends on what of kind of technology we can fit it―some solar, some biomass, hopefully hydro,” he said.

Azurin said the company was looking at putting up a hydro facility with a capacity of more than 100 MW but he did not specify the location.

Azurin said he expected to have a more definite investment decision for the planned hydro project by early next year. He said the company was also waiting for acquisition opportunities from solar players whose projects failed to get a feedin tariff allocation from the government.

“There are a lot of solar stranded assets…for the right price, if it will complement our existing plants.

There are offers [to sell these solar assets],” Azurin said.

Azurin said Global Business Power was also pursuing the 670-MW La Union coal project in partnership with Meralco PowerGen Corp. under special purpose company Global Luzon Energy Development Corp.

He said the planned energy investment in Mindanao would be undertaken by subsidiary Mindanao Energy Development Corp.

Pru Life to offer low-cost insurance

By Julito G. Rada PRU LIFE UK, a subsidiary of Prudential Plc. of the United Kingdom, teamed up with Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit or GIZ of Germany to provide low-cost life insurance products to lowincome Filipinos online.

Pru Life president and chief executive Antonio de Rosas said in a news briefing Tuesday in Makati City the project would be piloted in Butuan City in Mindanao and Tacloban City in the Visayas.

Pru Life cited a recent study conducted by GIZ showing that selected communities in Tacloban and Butuan had a high appeal for insurance coverage, with 57 percent of the 300 respondents saying they were open to getting an insurance policy in the future.

The study showed that knowledge on insurance was very low, with source of awareness mostly coming from word of mouth. GIZ said financial activities were not yet strong online. Pru Life and GIZ teamed up to use technology to reduce the protection gap in the country.

The initiative supports the Insurance Commission’s circular letter 2015-54 for the adoption and implementation of Enhanced Microinsurance Regulatory Framework.

It is designed to maximize the Filipinos use of online services estimated at 35 million users in mid-2014 and seen to grow to 70 million by 2018, according to the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines.

Business

B3

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Ipilan told to explain massive tree cuttings

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

DISASTER PREPAREDNESS.

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources has given Ipilan Nickel Corp. until today to explain why no criminal charges should be filed against the mining company over its alleged massive tree cutting in Brooke’s Point, Palawan.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Mimaropa Regional Director Natividad Bernardino issued the order based on a directive by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, who ordered a full investigation into Ipilan’s violations for cutting down thousands of trees within its mining area, even after the DENR had stopped its operations.

The DENR recently visited the mine site to investigate the allegations. Cimatu also had a dialogue with the officials of the company and the local govern-

Smart Communications Inc. public affairs head Ramon Isberto (third from right) discusses the company’s disaster preparedness programs as delegates from Bangladesh government and international aid organizations listen during a learning visit at Smart’s headquarters in Makati City.

ment over the weekend.

The alleged massive treecutting earlier drew indignation from residents, led by Brooke’s Point Mayor Mary Jean Feliciano.

The DENR said Ipilan based on initial reports felled around 7,000 trees in 30 hectares of the 353 hectares of land covered by its mineral production sharing agreement ,or MPSA. The DENR said although Ipilan had an existing one-year tree cutting permit expiring on May 26 this year, the same was deemed no longer effective since Dec. 14, 2016 when the DENR, under then Secretary Gina Lopez, cancelled the firm’s environmental compliance certificate.

Ipilan in the show cause order signed by Bernardino was given three working days from receipt to submit a reply before the DENR resolution.

New system loss cap out in Q4—ERC

By Alena Mae S. Flores

T

HE Energy Regulatory Commission is optimistic on the release of a new system loss cap, or the allowable level of system loss for distribution utilities and electric cooperatives, by the last quarter of the year.

ERC spokesman Floresinda Digal told reporters the agency’s consultant PowerSolv had released the system loss cap proposal two weeks ago.

“Before we can implement a new rule to set a new cap and implementation mechanism, we need to undergo pubcon (public

consultations),” Digal said.

She said public hearings would begin in June with the target of finalizing the rules set by the fourth quarter.

Digal said Republic Act 7832 (or Anti-Electricity and Electric Transmission Lines/ Materials Pilferage Act of 1994)

recognizes technical losses in the power sector.

“By nature, electricity encounters technical losses.

There are non-technical losses, there is pilferage,” she said.

System loss refers to the power lost due to technical and non-technical system factors. It is part of the distribution utilities and electric cooperatives performance metrics, and is regularly monitored by the ERC. Digal said the consultant’s proposal segregated technical from non-technical losses and recommended a non-technical system loss cap of 4.5 percent for

electric coops and 1.25 percent for private distribution utilities.

She said the consultant also proposed a technical system loss cap of 2.5 percent to 7 percent.

“We’re trying to improve it on the basis of what should be recoverable considering the capex that we authorized them to use to bring down their system loss,” the official said.

The ERC during the term of former chairman Zenaida Ducut reduced the system loss caps to its current level of 8.5 percent for distribution utilities from 9.5 percent and 10 percent for electric cooperatives from 14 percent.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi earlier said he would look at ways how to bring down power costs, including reducing systems loss charges.

“We have to exert more effort to reduce systems loss in order to lessen the cost of delivery of power to electricity consumers,” he said.

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian said lowering Manila Electric Co.’s system loss to 5 percent from 6.5 percent may reduce the current cost of electricity by P0.12 per kilowatt hour, or a consumer savings of approximately P3.38 billion a year.

Gatchalian has asked the ERC

Group asks BSP to probe NSSLAs

LandBank granted P434-b loans in Q1 OUTSTANDING loans to small farmers, fishers and other priority sectors in the first quarter of the year rose 10 percent to P434.4 billion from P387.4 billion year-onyear, Land Bank of the Philippines said Tuesday.

The bank’s identified priority sectors include small farmers and fishers, micro-enterprises and Small and Medium enterprises, agri- aqua projects of LGUs and GOCCs, and support for National Government projects in communications, transportation, housing, education, health care, environment-related projects, tourism, and utilities and livelihood loans.

LandBank said loans to small farmers and fishers reached P34.6 billion, up P2.4 billion from P32.2 billion on year.

The bank’s loans to agribusinesses, aqua-businesses, and agri-aqua related projects of local government units increased 11 percent to P111.5 billion from

P100.9 billion in the first quarter of 2016.

LandBank’s support to national government projects grew 13 percent to P288.3 billion from P254.3 billion in the same period last year.

These include loans to MSMEs, which rose to P 59.6 billion from P54.6 billion in the same period last year. These include P7.2 billion lent to micro-enterprises, while P52.4 billion supported small and medium enterprises.

LandBank is the biggest credit provider to small farmers, fishers, and local government units, and the biggest lender to microenterprises and SMEs among government financial institutions.

“LandBank remains focused on efforts towards fulfilling its mandate to serve small farmers and fishers and other marginalized sectors, especially in the countryside,” said LandBank President and CEO Alex Buenaventura.

Anna Leah E. Gonzales

SM AWARD. SM Prime Holdings Inc. vice president Diane Dionisio (right) receives an award, on behalf of SM Investments Corp., from Media Chinese International Limited Group CEO and executive director Francis Tiong.

YazhouZhoukan, a leading Chinese business magazine, awarded SM Investments The Global Chinese Business 1000 Awards—Outstanding Performance. This marks the fifth year SM has received the award from YZZ.

Guide NEAR noon on the 20th of May, Enrico Emmanuel Chua Angtuaco, Rico to his friends, left this life. For those of us who knew him, his family, his students, and his colleagues at the Asian Institute of Management, it seems appropriate that he would leave with the sun at its peak, when the world was bathed in sunlight. That was, of course, how he lived his life – with never a deed that could not be held up to full scrutiny.

I received the news at the tail end of the offsite weekend of batch 2018 of the Asian Institute of Management’s Master in Entrepreneurship program. It was a weekend devoted to life planning and team building, a weekend replete with looking back, reflecting on what is truly important, of making choices and looking forward, of building bridges and choosing happiness.

So this week, we talk about journeys and destinations. We talk about the paths we choose to take and the life we choose to live.

Teacher’s Teacher I met Rico on the instigation of a common friend who had decided that I should teach.

The theory was that conversing with Rico would give me clarity. It was two years after I had helped found a business, six months after I had left my full-time job and right about the time when I hadn’t fully decided how to shape the rest of my professional life. In one meeting, Rico both provided me with enough information to make a decision and set me on the first

to conduct a periodic review of the system loss program to encourage power suppliers to engage in more efficient processes.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, also asked the ERC to speed up the assessment of the program to facilitate the early implementation of new system loss caps that would reduce the charges of private distribution utilities and electric cooperatives to consumers.

“The ERC should have a regular mechanism that will study the system loss every so often,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

step to implementing my decision. That decision? Joining the teaching staff of the Asian Institute of Management.

Rico was my definition of the teacher’s teacher. I was lucky to be teaching in the same field he was teaching. It was Rico who shared his notes, calculations and slides with me. It was him I went to with my finance teaching questions. Cases for a topic? Go to Rico? How to set up the lesson plan? Rico. What to anticipate? Rico. How to prepare for class? You got it. Rico.

It was Rico I set up as my personal benchmark for finance teaching. I learned early on that, if Rico had taught a case, he would have analyzed it in every way and would have all sorts of advice for running the class. The first time I asked him for help, he pulled out a clear book with everything he had on the case and the topic. But it wasn’t until he drafted me to help him teach a new topic that I truly realized how extreme Rico’s personal definition of preparedness was.

Rico had said yes to teaching finance to sales managers in the financial services industry. This was in the 1990’s when the idea of financial advisory was still relatively new and, quite understandably, there were no exercises or cases that perfectly suited many of the topics we needed to teach. We needed short cases that still provided enough depth for our students.

As we went through the design for the course, Rico, in a perfectly normal voice explained that we would just have to

create mini-cases and exercises for these topics. In fact, for some of the topics, Rico actually expected that we would provide either a short lecture or a reading.

Guro That was the day I truly understood one of the most enduring affectionate jokes I had heard about Rico. It was during a late night chat session when we were running down the list of professors we admired.

When I mentioned his name, there was general affirmation and this comment: “In a Filipino dictionary, beside the word guro, there should be a picture of Rico Angtuaco.”

Wikipedia explains that guro is the Filipino word for teacher and that it derives from the Sanskrit word guru.

The online etymology dictionary defines guru as more than just a teacher. The word derives from a word with the literal meaning of “weighty.” This explains why guru is usually used to mean someone who not only teaches skills but also mentors the individual.

For me, this was a highly satisfying explanation. One of the words we use in AIM to characterize the professors who are able to dominate the classroom simply be their presence also has the same roots – gravitas. But Rico, unlike many for whom we would use the word gravitas, was never one who would attract attention or raise his voice or throw his weight around.

Rico was always that quiet voice of reason. Rico was the person who would try to resolve an argument with reason and

humor. It is a testament to his character that even as his family mourned his passing, they celebrated his life and his humor.

There are many stories from his children about Rico but the one I loved the most was the one from his youngest child. She explained that, being the daughter of her father meant that they were always ripe ground for recruitment to initiatives meant to help others. One of the things Rico taught to his children is also one of the things he taught his students, and me. It is important to choose the right path.

In his life, Rico made many difficult decisions. I always admired this about him.

He consistently chose meaning and love over fame and fortune. What he leaves behind, in those of us who learned from him, is an enduring legacy of conscience, steadfastness and purpose.

As I begin to close the pages on a week of looking forward and looking back, that is the lesson I want to remember. Ultimately, life is about choices and choices are about trade-offs. You can’t have everything.

But you can choose to have the important things. Choose love. Choose meaning.

Choose happiness. I think Rico would approve.

Rest in peace, dear friend.

Readers can email Maya at integrations_manila@yahoo.com.

Or visit her site at http://integrations.tumblr. com. For academic publications, Maya uses her full name, Maria Elena Baltazar Herrera.

A GROUP of seven financing companies asked the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to issue a cease-and-desist order against an illegal practice being conducted by certain non-stock savings and loan associations.

The group, in a letter addressed to incoming Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr., said the NSSLAs had been accused of providing loans to active and retired members of the Philippine National Police, even if the borrowers still had existing unpaid loans with other firms.

The seven financing companies are DES Financing Corp., Diamond Finance Corp., Facil Lending Corp., Integrity Financing Corp., JMC Financing and Marketing Corp., Quicklend Financing Inc. and Silver WDC Finance Inc. The group provides loans to PNP pensioners, and are duly registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Bangko Sentral under the law exercises supervisory and oversight functions over all NSSLAs, and is mandated to guard against the grant of excessive credit relative to an applicant’s capacity to pay. A PNP retiree, thus, cannot use the same pension as collateral to secure multiple loans.

“There have been many instances where my fellow retirees have been persuaded to take out a second—and even third—pension loan, not fully understanding the implications of this,” noted retired PNP SP01 Edgar Olana.

“Sometimes they are even tricked into believing that their previous loans are cancelled, or that there won’t be any collections on the new loans until the previous obligations are paid. Of course, this is not true,” he added in Filipino.

Olana reiterated the appeal of the financing companies for Bangko Sentral to put an end to the practice.

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

B4

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

Business

EU approves tough Brexit position

By Ian Wishart

T

HE European Union finalized its tough Brexit negotiating position, reiterating its hard line on the UK’s departure bill and refusing to discuss a future trading arrangement until there is agreement on other key topics.

“We want to move to a situation where all the commitments taken by the UK will be honored, as will ours with the UK,” Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, told reporters in Brussels on Monday after a meeting of the remaining 27 na-

tional governments. “We need to settle the accounts, and that’s a question of trust between us to build our future relationship.”

Speaking a day after UK Brexit Secretary David Davis was quoted in an interview as saying Britain would walk away

from talks unless the bloc drops its high financial demands, Barnier said it would be wrong to see any collapse in the negotiations as a success.

The size of Britain’s exit bill, which some estimates put as high as 100 billion euros ($112.4 billion) and is based on the UK’s past financial commitments to the EU, has been a source of debate for weeks and will prove an early test of the ability of both sides to find common ground when negotiations start. Even a 1 billionpound ($1.3 billion) settlement would be “a lot of money,” Davis said in the interview published in

the Sunday Times.

“All 27 of us today have confirmed the position we’re going to defend,” Barnier said. “I do understand the UK has different positions, but as we’ve said, a negotiation is a negotiation.”

The negotiating mandate covers the main areas that need to be tackled before any discussion of a free-trade arrangement, and touches on the divorce bill, citizens’ rights and the UK’s border with Ireland. Barnier said he is seeking to organize the first round of the talks “hopefully in the week of June 19.”

UK Prime Minister Theresa

May used the looming talks as a reason for voters to re-elect her Conservative Party to government in the June 8 election.

“There will be no time to waste and no time for a new government to find its way,” she said in a speech in Wales. “Every vote for me and my team in this election will be a vote to strengthen my hand in the negotiations to come.”

The initial part of the Brexit discussions will be spent working out the order of talks, threatening a breakdown even before the debate on substantive matters begins. The EU has rejected May’s

request that the sides discuss the UK’s future trading relationship with the bloc at the same time as issues relating to its withdrawal.

The two sides have until March 29, 2019, to find common ground on the separation. At that point, Britain will leave the EU regardless of whether it has a deal or not.

“They have to realize that if you’re part of a club and you want to leave―and it’s very British― you have to pay your contribution,” Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders told reporters in Brussels. A good agreement between the EU and the UK “is in the interests of all of us.” Bloomberg

Oil snaps 4-day gain as Opec sets meeting OIL halted its advance after a four-day gain before Opec meets Thursday to decide on prolonging output cuts by the group and its partners.

July futures dropped 0.9 percent in New York after front-month prices Monday capped a 4.3 percent increase over four sessions. Iraq backed a proposal to extend production curbs into 2018, adding to growing support for longer cuts to clear a global glut.

In the US, crude inventories probably slid by 2 million barrels last week, according to a Bloomberg survey before data from the Energy Information Administration Wednesday.

Oil has climbed as Saudi Arabia and non-Opec member Russia rally support for a ninemonth extension to the outputcut deal by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies. Opec will meet in Vienna. While stubbornly high global inventories have taken longer-than-expected to drain, signs that US supplies are starting to ease is adding to optimism.

“There are still negative pressures in the form of US crude production and inventories,” said David Lennox, a resource analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney. “The market is taking confidence from the likely extension of output cuts, but we’re not looking for any significant move higher.”

West Texas Intermediate for

July delivery slid as much as 48 cents to $50.65 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange and was at $50.73 a barrel at 8:08 a.m. in London. Total volume traded was about 20 percent above the 100-day average. The June contract expired Monday after advancing 0.8 percent to $50.73.

Brent for July settlement fell 52 cents to $53.35 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange.

Prices climbed 26 cents, or 0.5 percent, to $53.87 on Monday. The global benchmark traded at a premium of $2.73 to July WTI. Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Energy and Industry Khalid Al-Falih secured Iraq’s backing for a nine-month extension after talks in Baghdad with counterpart Jabbar Al-Luaibi.

Non-Opec nations Oman and Mexico also confirmed their support for prolonging the curbs through the first quarter of 2018.

The White House plan to trim the national debt includes selling off half of the nation’s emergency oil stockpile, part of a broad series of changes proposed by President Donald Trump to the federal government’s role in energy markets. China’s diesel exports fell to a three-month low, easing from a record as the volumes fuel makers were allowed to sell overseas declined and the nation’s oil refiners slowed as seasonal maintenance picked up. Bloomberg

Chinese tourists avoid Korea on missile issue SEOUL―Chinese tourist numbers to South Korea plunged by two-thirds in April after Beijing banned tour groups over Seoul’s deployment of a US missile defense system, official statistics showed.

Beijing imposed a boycott from March 15 on Chinese tour groups visiting the South in a spat over the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system.

Washington and Seoul say it is purely to defend against threats from nuclear-armed North Korea, but Beijing fears it could undermine its own nuclear deterrent and has reacted with fury, imposing a series of measures seen as economic retaliation.

April was the first full month of the ban, and saw a total of 227,811 Chinese tourists visiting South Korea, down 66.6 percent on the 682,318 a year earlier, according to the state-run Korea Tourism Organization (KTO).

Total visitor numbers were down 27.2 percent from last year to 1.07 million, KTO said, blaming a “huge decline in Chinese visitors due to China’s ban on tours to South Korea”.

The tumbling figures have taken a heavy toll on duty-free shops in South Korea.

Sales to Chinese visitors were down 40 percent at Lotte Duty Free, a Lotte spokesman said previously, adding that they usually make up 70 percent of the company’s overall sales.

The South Korean retail giant has been trying to make up for the loss but has been unsuccessful so far, he said, adding: “I’m not hopeful of a recovery anytime soon.”

Lotte, the South’s fifth largest conglomerate, has had to shut down dozens of its stores in China due to boycott calls after the group agreed to provide a golf course in South Korea as a site for THAAD. Its accumulated losses as a result are reportedly expected to hit $1 billion in the first half of this year alone.

South Korea has been struggling to fill the gap with promotional campaigns to attract more visitors from other countries, mainly from Japan and those in Southeast Asia.

But Japanese travelers have also been put off by “negative media reports” about rising regional tensions over the North, KTO said, with their numbers falling 5.4 percent year-on-year in April. AFP

EU TALKS. Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond (center) talks with EU Commissioner of Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs Pierre Moscovici (right) as Spain’s Economy Minister Luis de Guindos listens before a session of the Economic and Financial Affairs, Council (Ecofin) with EU finance ministers on May 23, 2017 at the EU headquarters in Brussels. AFP

Ford shakes up leadership amid declining sales

By Heather Scott WASHINGTON―Ford Motor Company shook up its top management Monday, ousting its CEO amid declining sales in major markets, pressure to ramp up technology and a flagging share price.

The company named Jim Hackett, who launched and led the high-tech division developing Ford’s self-driving cars, to replace Mark Fields as president and CEO. It also named three new executive vice presidents to oversee global markets, global operations and mobility as part of the shakeup. The appointments are effective June 1.

Executive chairman Bill Ford, great-grandson of the company’s founder, said the move had been “in discussion for some time.”

The decision was not made “hastily” but after some consideration “we decided it was the right time for him to resign,” after 28 years with the company.

“This is a time of unprecedented change,” Ford said during a press conference. “And time of great change in my mind requires a transformational leader.”

He praised Hackett as a “proven transformational leader” and “visionary thinker.”

Hackett, 62, has led Ford’s “smart mobility” unit, which includes autonomous vehicles and connectivity features, since March 2016. He previously led a turnaround at office furniture company Steelcase.

Noting the new trends in artificial intelligence, deep learning and robotics, Ford said there is a need to modernize the business, speed up decision-making, and “move decisively to address underperforming areas.”

Under pressure The changes―which one analyst called “a coup from an outsider”―come at a time when Ford is under increasing pressure. Like its US competitors, Ford faces its first downturn

This handout photo obtained May 22, 2017 courtesy of Ford Motor Company shows Bill Ford (right) and Jim Hackett as Hackett met with employees and members of the press to discuss his appointment as president and CEO of Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. AFP

since 2009, after several years of record sales.

The share price has lost more than a third of its value in three years and it was overtaken in April by upstart electric carmaker Tesla in terms of market capitalization.

The group’s profits plunged by 38 percent in 2016, a trend that was confirmed in the first quarter, while costs exploded. The company recently announced it was cutting 1,400 salaried jobs in North America and Asia.

“This is a radical move we think, for two main reasons: the incumbent is being usurped by a relative outsider; and the outsider comes from the Smart Mobility division at Ford,” said Paul Moran of Northern Trust Securities.

He said such a “coup” by a turnaround specialist could be followed by similar moves by other large manufacturers.

Fields had led Ford for just three years and wanted to turn the company into a mobility services group in the hope of containing the Silicon Valley offen-

sive in the automobile industry.

Indeed, there is a race against time pitting old-school carmakers against Alphabet (Waymo), Apple, Uber and Tesla to develop and market the autonomous car by 2020.

Despite the many investments made by Fields, and plans for an autonomous vehicle by 2021, investors prefer to bet for example on Tesla, which has technology in its DNA. Few details Hackett and Ford provided few specifics on their plans in the new era. The press release announcing the appointment said priorities include modernizing Ford’s business “to unleash innovation, speed decision-making and improve efficiency,” including through the use of big data, artificial intelligence, advanced robotics and 3D printing.

While they both praised Fields for laying a solid foundation in his three years at the helm, Hackett said the systems he put in place were not adept at handling “complex strategy

questions.”

“If you thought of strategy like a Rubik’s cube, it’s not just solving one side. There’s lots of sides to the problem,” Hackett told the assembled analysts and reporters.

He said he has asked Ford to take some responsibilities off his plate so he can build a lean leadership team to move quickly.

Jim Farley, a former Toyota CEO who has helped Ford to return to profitability in Europe as General Motors recedes, was named executive vice president and president of global markets.

Joe Hinrichs, 50, will become executive vice president and president of global operations; and Marcy Kevorn, 57, will replace Hackett as executive vice president and president of mobility.

The ousted Fields previously led the group’s operations in North America and was credited with restructuring the European operations as well as Mazda, in which Ford had a significant stake. AFP

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

C1

SABANG SURF. Foreign and local tourists—men and women (inset) alike—enjoy surfing at Sabang Beach in Baler, Aurora this summer. Baler is considered the birthplace of surfing in the Philippines, as it faces the Pacific Ocean. Manny Palmero

Cops to guard Manila schools

By Sandy Araneta

M

ANILA Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Tuesday told the public to expect armed policemen guarding the gates of public elementary and high schools in the city on the first day of classes on June 5.

Estrada ordered this security measure to ensure the safety of thousands of returning students, faculty, and school personnel, amid fears of a repeat of the recent Quiapo bomb blasts that killed two people.

“I’ve ordered MPD [Manila Police District] Director Chief Supt. [Joel] Coronel to lay a protective cover around our schools.

We don’t want any unfortunate incident to happen on the first day of classes,” Estrada said.

The mayor also tasked MPD to carry out citywide clearing and anti-criminality operations in areas with high concentration of schools and learning centers such as the University Belt to remove illegal vendors, vagrants, lawless elements, and traffic-causing obstructions and eyesores.

The operations will also target illegal pedicabs and colorum public utility vehicles. Illegal structures will also be removed to clear up more road space for pedestrians and motorists.

As ordered by Estrada, Coronel said they will put up a police

assistance desk or PAD in each of the 77-public elementary and high schools in the city manned by four armed policemen.

“Our assistance desks will be put up just at the entrances of the schools. Our men will be there until mag-normalize na ang school year,” Coronel said.

This will be done in coordination with the school authorities and the Department of Education (DepEd), he added.

“We are coordinating closely, particularly in our security deployment,” Coronel said. “We expect a lot of students trooping

to schools and this would also cause heavy traffic.”

Around 25-million students are expected to return to school this June, including Grade 12 students who will be the first batch of graduates of the senior high school program, according to DepEd. Due to the incidents in Quiapo on April 28 and May 6 that resulted in the deaths of two people and injuries to 20 more, Coronel said the 4,600-strong MPD remained on full alert, especially with the upcoming start of the holy month of Ramadan at the end of the month.

QC pilots 3-year project on GDM QUEZON City is set to pilot an initiative to lessen the risk and incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus or GDM among pregnant women.

Mayor Herbert Bautista has signed an agreement with the Institute for Reproductive Health Philippines to undertake a project that will demonstrate the use of a set of protocols for screening and management of gestational diabetes mellitus among indigent pregnant women in Barangay Gulod.

The Institute for Reproductive Health Philippines is an independent organization engaged in the GDM project. The group works with the World Diabetes Foundation.

The protocol shall be adopted in the maternal newborn child health and nutrition services in Gulod Health Center during the pilot period.

The group shall manage the screening, treatment and education of women and their families on diabetes care at the Gulod health center and Novaliches District Hospital.

At least 150 female patients of the health center afflicted with diabetes will be screened, tested and treated within three years.

The patients’ health will be monitored until six weeks’ post-partum and their babies for the next six months after birth.

The incidence of gestational diabetes mellitus in the Philippines as reported in private hospitals is 14 percent.

Rio N. Araja

TANZA ‘BRIGADA’. Cavite 6th District Rep. Luis ‘Jon Jon’ Ferrer IV (right) chats with Tanza DepEd Division heads Dr. Ma Jovy Legaspi and Dr. Edelisa Catacutan after the lawmaker turned over 40 pails of paint for schools in the town during the Brigada Eskwela 2017 at Hermogenes Arayata covered court in this coastal town of Cavite.

La Loma as PH’s ‘lechon’ capital?

By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City government has an ongoing plan to redevelop La Loma, the country’s lechon capital, to make it conducive to tourists.

Mayor Herbert Bautista on Tuesday called on owners of lechon houses to cooperate with the city government in the development of the area.

Bautista said he wants to address several concerns in the area with a single stroke, “and this entails the full cooperation of the community.”

A sewerage treatment plant in La Loma will be put up, he added. District 1 Rep. Vincent Crisologo will fund the plant construction, the mayor said.

According to Crisologo, there is a need to hold monthly street parties in La Loma featuring the famous roast suckling pig to further stake the district’s claim as the “lechon capital of the Philippines.”

“I call on the Quezon City Tourism department to study the possibility of making the lechon festival a monthly affair. We can close a portion of N.S Amoranto Street and hold a street party once a month.

This would attract more visitors and further promote our district as the country’s Lechon Capital,” he said.

On Sunday, Quezon City marked the 10th lechon festival in La Loma.

Cops hunt 6 inmates who escaped San Pedro jail SAN PEDRO CITY, Laguna— San Pedro City police are on the manhunt for six inmates who escaped from the city lock-up jail at 3:30 a.m. on Monday.

San Pedro City Chief of Police

Supt. Harold Depositar identified the escapees as Benjo Lopena, Mark Joseph Alviar, Jordan Ibanez, Ed Niño Hernandez, Rey Rodrigo and Arvin Basilan.

Depositar said the escapees

sawed off the iron grill of their cell and escaped. Most of them are facing illegal drugs charges.

Depositar said their lock-up jail is overcrowded “by 800 percent”—holding 59 detainees

at the time of the inmates’ escape—after the police’s relentless anti-illegal drug operations.

“If the international standard is 4.7 square meters per inmate, it should have just four male and two

female suspects,” he explained.

Tracker teams were sent out to recapture the escapees, and an alarm was sent to all adjacent police stations, Depositar added.

Roy Tomandao

Taiwan keen on boosting Pampanga agriculture

By Romeo Dizon SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—The Taiwanese representative to the Philippines expressed his country’s interest to develop Pampanga, especially in the field of agriculture, and invest in other development projects in the area.

Dr. Gary Song-Huann Lin, Republic of

China representative to the Philippines, said the country is very interested in Pampanga because of its potential for growth in agriculture and other areas during a courtesy call to Gov. Lilia Pineda on Tuesday.

Pampanga needs help in the development of its agri-tourism through sharing of technology, equipment and funding support, Lin said. Other projects his gov-

ernment wants to develop in the province are green technology industry, electricity, anti-crime, communication and information technology, among others.

He said his government sees the potential growth of Pampanga if fully harnessed with the use of new technology, especially in agriculture.

There are many Taiwanese living in

the cities of Angeles, San Fernando, Mabalacat, and Porac—planting watermelon, tropical fruit and other value crops for export to Taiwan and other countries in Asia Pacific.

For her part, the governor thanked Lin for providing jobs to 4,019 Cabalen overseas workers in Taiwan.

Turn to C2

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

Standard WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 C2 TODAY Manila

6,500 smoking Davaoeños nabbed The big number of arrests, Engracia said, can be attributed to the efforts of the task group and the Davao City Police Office, which provided the data.

He said it is a clear pronouncement to every Davaoeño that the city government is serious in enforcing the laws of the city.

“The police have apprehended a total of 6,483 anti-smoking ordinance violators. Although I do not have the breakdown with me, most

of the violators are from Davao City, and only 10 were identified as tourists,” Engracia said.

He said that though it is obvious the city is serious with its campaign against smoking, there are still many Davaoeños who violate it.

To drive home the point, Engracia has gathered officials from the barangays to create their own teams who will enforce the anti-smoking ordinance in the 182 barangays of the city.

Engracia said this will help the

city apprehend violators at the barangay level.

“We are now starting to organize the barangay enforcers. I have been talking with the barangay officials to let them create a team of their own that will watch over those violators,” he said.

Engracia also reminded the public the law covers not only tobacco-based cigarettes but also electronic cigarettes.

On May 31, the Anti-Smoking ordinance will mark its 15th anniversary, the same date as World Tobacco Day. The Anti-Smoking Task Group has organized a fun walk on that day that Davaoeños can attend for free.

“We are one with the United Nations on their call that on May 31.

We are hoping the city will be entirely smoke-free. I hope no one will smoke on that day, just for a day,” Engracia said.

Taiwan...

From C1

To strengthen the partnership, Lin said his country is providing visafree privileges to Filipinos within the year. He also revealed that a charter flight from Taiwan to Clark, which normally lasts one hour and a half, will be shortened to one hour, to be launched this year.

“We believe that the granting of

the visa-free privilege to Filipinos will improve the relationship between Pampanga and Taiwan,” he also said.

He added the visa-free privilege to Filipinos was supposed to be implemented this June, but it was postponed for some revisions to make the passengers more safe and secure until September this year.

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera Regional Bids and Awards Committee - IX 2nd Floor, LANDBANK Building Capt. F. Marcos Road, Pettit Barracks Zamboanga City

INVITATION TO BID The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee - XI (RBAC-XI), invites Rural Banks and Cooperatives to bid for the hereunder projects: ITB No. RBAC-IX-2017-004 Service fees for the Distribution of DSWD Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program cash grants to Non-Cash/ Prepaid Card Beneficiaries in various Municipalities for May 2017 to March 2018 for six (6) payouts (May, July, September & November 2017 and January & March 2018 payouts) Regional Coverage A - Very Difficult, Difficult, Easy Areas (ONSITE) Note: Bid shall be on a per Province basis.

Approved Number Budget for the of Beneficiaries Contract (ABC)

Province and Municipalities / CCT Type ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE (Regular CCT) • Bacungan,Dapitan, Dipolog City

5,604

NonRefundable Fee

P

704,422.80

P

500.00

P

957,708.30

P

500.00

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR (Regular CCT) • Dumalinao, Dumingag, Guipos, Kumalarang, Labangan, Molave, Pagadian City, Tukuran, Zamboanga City (MCCT Non IP) • Zamboanga City

3,109

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY (Regular CCT) • Buug, Diplahan, Imelda, Ipil

5,792

P

728,054.40

P

500.00

CITY OF ISABELA (Regular CCT) • City of Isabela (Capital)

2

P

251.40

P

500.00

MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL (Regular CCT) • Jimenez

106

P

15,264.00

P

500.00

7,619

390,801.30

500.00

D

AVAO CITY—The number of apprehended smoking violators in this city has ballooned to just under 6,500 from April 12 to May 20 this year, Anti-Smoking Task Group action man Voltaire Engracia said.

Lin invited the local officials, businessmen, media, and nongovernment organizations to visit Taiwan to further improve the two countries’ relationship.

IN BRIEF

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipts of bids, with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs).

The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

SCHEDULE May 24 to June 1, 2017 May 24 to June 14, 2017 June 8, 2017 at 2:00 pm June 15, 2017 at 10:00 am June 15, 2017 at 2:00 pm June 19 to 23, 2017 June 26, 2017

Posting or Publication of Invitation to Bid Issuance or Sale of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Submission of Bids Opening of Bids / Bids Evaluation Post-qualification Notice of Award

Bid Documents will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable non-refundable amount which is equivalent to 0.05% of the total ABC of lots to be bid in a particular province rounded off to the next hundred or Five Hundre Pesos (P500.00) whichever is higher, to the LANDBANK Cashier.

LANDBANK reserves the right to (1) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (2) waive any minor requirements in the bid documents; (3) accept such bids it may consider advantageous and beneficial to the Bank, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Probe Penelco, ex-solon asks gov PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO - Presiding Officer SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA MARIE ALETHEA SJ. CASAL-UY GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR. DIVINA A. JACOME LUIS S. JAVIER JR. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY ROMEO C. MEDINA MA. ARLENE M. ORTEGA NELSON S. PASIA MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

ABSENT: Councilor “ ENRICO J. PUNO-Sick Leave ============================================================================= On motion presented by Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2017-041 on second and final reading.

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2017-041 Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. D.A. Jacome, Hon. G.I.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. N.S. Yabut, Jr., Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. A.P. Padilla and Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr.

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE REGION IX

Regional Bids and Awards Committee - Caraga Region San Francisco Public Market Mall Center Island Street, San Francisco, Agusan del Sur Telephone No. (085) 839-0333 Email: rbaccaraga@gmail.com

INVITATION TO BID

The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee - Caraga Region (RBAC-Caraga), invites Rural Banks and Cooperatives to bid for the hereunder project: Approved Budget for the Contract Non-Refundable Fee (ABC)

Items

Delivery Period

IITB No. RBAC Caraga - CCT 2017 (A) Service fees for the distribution of DSWD Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program cash grants to Non-Cash Card/ Prepaid Card beneficiaries in various Municipalities for May 2017 to March 2018 payouts (Regional Coverage A -- Very Difficult, Difficult and Easy Areas): Note: Bid shall be on a per Province basis.

AGUSAN DEL NORTE 5,951 Beneficiaries/Payout • Buenavista, Carmen, Jabonga, Kitcharao, Las Nieves AGUSAN DEL SUR 2,719 Beneficiaries/Payout • Bunawan, Esperanza, Loreto, San Luis, Prosperidad (Capital), Santa Josefa, Sibagat, Talacogon, Trento, Veruela DINAGAT ISLANDS 1,133 Beneficiaries/Payout • San Jose (Capital)

P

SURIGAO DEL SUR 3,501 Beneficiaries/Payout • Barobo, Bayabas, Cagwait, Cantilan, Carmen, Carrascal, Cortes, Hinatuan, Lanuza, Lianga, Lingig, Madrid, Marihatag, San Agustin, San Miguel, Tagbina

P

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY, HONORABLE VICE MAYOR MONIQUE YAZMIN Q. LAGDAMEO, CITY ADMINISTRATOR ATTY. CLARO F. CERTEZA OR HER DULY AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE TO NEGOTIATE, ENTER INTO AND SIGN A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING (MOU), ON BEHALF OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, WITH SHANGHAI NANJIANG (GROUP) CO., LTD., REGARDING THE DEVELOPMENT AND FORMULATION OF A PROJECT STUDY FOR PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP ON PROPERTY DEVELOPMENT FOR INFORMAL SETTLERS, SUBJECT TO EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS. WHEREAS, Art. II, Sec. 25 of the 1987 Constitution provides that the “(S)tate shall ensure autonomy of local governments”; WHEREAS, the City Government of Makati has been committed in providing land to the underprivileged in line with the policy of the State for a continuing program on land reform and housing; WHEREAS, the City Government of Makati desires to expand the existing land reform and housing programs of the city by any means allowable by law; WHEREAS, Shanghai Nanjiang (Group) Co, Ltd is a juridical entity with seat of office located at 15/F, Tower B, Dawning Center, 500 Hongbaoshi Rd., Shanghai, China 201103; WHEREAS, Shanghai Nanjiang (Group) Co, Ltd is a private corporation involved in real estate, and township development, construction, urban planning and settlement; WHEREAS, in a letter dated 17 April 2017, Shanghai Nanjiang (Group) Co, Ltd., through its authorized representative, expressed its intent to prepare a project study for land developments in the City of Makati; WHEREAS, the said project study will be beneficial to the City Government of Makati in achieving its objective towards the attainment of a holistic and sound public policy for land reform, urban housing, planning and settlement;

660.00

WHEREAS, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the City Government of Makati and Shanghai Nanjiang (Group) Co, Ltd is required to be executed in order to effectuate the abovementioned purpose;

P

P

SURIGAO DEL NORTE 2,670 Beneficiaries/Payout • Alegria, Bacuag, Burgos, Claver, Dapa, Del Carmen, General Luna, Gigaquit, Mainit, Pilar, San Benito, San Isidro, Santa Monica (Sapao), Socorro, Tubod

1,313,688.00

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. F.T. Eusebio, Hon. V.V. Hilario, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino and Hon. E.D.E. Villamor

P

589,752.00

243,876.00

612,576.00

P

P

P

WHEREAS, Sec. 8 (a) (6), of Art. III of RA 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati states that: “(T)he city mayor as the chief executive of the city government shall represent the City in all its business transactions and signs on its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the sanggunian panlungsod”;

500.00

500.00

Six (6) payouts (May, July, September & November 2017 and January & March 2018)

500.00

WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, pursuant to the abovementioned provision of R.A. 7854, hereby authorizes the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay, Honorable Vice Mayor Monique Yazmin Q. Lagdameo, City Administrator Atty. Claro F. Certeza or her duly authorized representative to negotiate, enter into and sign such Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with Shanghai Nanjiang (Group) Co., Ltd. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANGLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IS SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay, Honorable Vice Mayor Monique Yazmin Q. Lagdameo, City Administrator Atty. Claro F. Certeza or her duly authorized representative to negotiate, enter into and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), on behalf of the City Government of Makati, with Shanghai Nanjiang (Group) Co., Ltd., regarding the development and formulation of a project study for public-private partnership on property development for informal settlers, subject to existing laws, rules and regulations.

Let copy of this Resolution be furnished to the Office of the City Mayor, Shanghai Nanjiang (Group) Co., Ltd., Office of the City Administrator, City Law Department and other offices/departments concerned for their information, guidance and reference.

P

781,524.00

P

500.00

This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its approval.

APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 3 May 2017.

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipts of bids, with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs).

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. P PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

SCHEDULE

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

1. Issuance of Bid Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference 3. Submission of plan on securing the money before, during and after the payout against theft or robbery, loss and other fortuitous events and opening of deposit accounts with LANDBANK for crediting and debiting of cash grants 4. Submission and Opening of Bids 5. Post Qualification 6. Awarding by RBAC 7. Head of Procuring Entitiy (HOPE)’s approval 8. Notice of Award 9. Performance Bond 10. Notice to Proceed

May 24 to 31, 2017 June 1, 2017 (10:00 A.M.)

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

SICK LEAVE

June 8 to 14, 2017 June 15, 2017 (10:00 A.M.) June 16, 2017 June 20 to 21, 2017 June 22 to 23, 2017 June 24, 2017 June 27, 2017 June 28-29, 2017

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President Certified true and correct by:

Bid Documents will be available at LANDBANK San Francisco Branch only to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable non-refundable amount to the LANDBANK San Francisco Branch Cashier.

The Bank reserves the right to (1) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (2) waive any minor formal requirements in the bid documents; (3) accept such bids it may consider advantageous and beneficial to the Bank, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE CARAGA REGION

Attested by:

Mayor endorses Tuba water co-op TUBA, Benguet—Mayor Ignacio Rivera is pushing for the establishment of a water cooperative among residents in Poblacion, to maximize the use of existing water resources in the area for their benefit.

The local chief executive said a water cooperative will result in the proper management and utilization of existing water resources, because residents will be responsible for improving the water system and they will surely reap the fruit of having a sustainable water supply in their community.

“We already talked with the members of the irrigators association and the projected domestic users about the proposal to establish a water cooperative, and we are elated to learn that people are supportive of the plan and we will move on from what we have started,” Rivera stressed.

He said the municipal government rejected the application of a private company for water rights over the identified water source of the water cooperative because the local government has better plans for the source.

Some 8,000 households within the projected service area of the water cooperative are expected to benefit from the operationalization of the cooperative to provide them a sustainable supply of water year-round. Dexter A. See

2 dead in Laguna anti-drug buy-busts

The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES

DINALUPIHAN, Bataan—Electric consumers in the province led by a former councilor of this town are urging Gov. Albert Garcia and the Sangguniang Panlalawigan to investigate the Peninsula Electric Cooperative or Penelco for alleged incompetence and abuses.

“Penelco has been so negligent, inconsiderate and callous all these years,” complained former Dinalupihan councilor Jules Moncupa.

On Tuesday, consumers of Dinalupihan and nearby Hermosa town were incensed by what Moncupa said was the “lamentable service” of the electric cooperative.

“They notified us of a power interruption from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., but the power did not resume when they said it would, and seven times the electricity went on and off. The power finally normalized at 10 p.m.,” the former councilor complained.

“Our works and chores are affected, many appliances have been damaged, and this has caused terrible inconvenience to those who have sickness,” he wailed.

Penelco officials could not be reached for comment as of presstime. Butch Gunio

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna—Two suspected drug pushers are dead following separate anti-illegal drugs operations here.

In Rosaflor Subdivision, Barangay Tagapo, Santa Rosa City, a certain alias Onad was killed after the buy-bust operation turned into an armed encounter at 2:30 a.m. on Monday.

In Calamba City, suspected drug pusher Jonhlee Alcantara was killed after a buybust operation in Barangay Real at 2:45 a.m. also on Monday.

Sta. Rosa City Chief of Police Supt. Joel Estaris said Onad drew his firearm and fired shots after he sensed he was dealing with a police officer acting as a poseur-buyer.

Meanwhile, Calamba City Chief of Police Supt. Fernando Ortega said Alcantara is included in the drug watchlist of PNP Directorate for Intelligence. Roy Tomandao

(MS-MAY 4, 2017)

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World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

C3

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

Doctors’ turn to rally in Venezuela C ARACAS―Doctors rallied in Venezuela Monday in the latest street protests against President Nicolas Maduro, as a young man lay in hospital after being set on fire by an angry crowd.

Three people were killed, all of them by gunshot wounds, in violent riots in late president Hugo Chavez’s home state of Barinas―bringing the death toll to 51 as the unrest entered its eighth week, the public prosecution service said.

An AFP reporter saw demonstrators burn a government office and a police car in the western town of Barinas in the state of the same name.

Fresh clashes also broke out between protesters and police

on the outskirts of Caracas, where demonstrators blocked streets with barricades.

After the marches by various civil groups, it was the turn of the Venezuelan Medical Federation to vent its frustrations in the streets.

About 20,000 of its sympathizers marched towards the health ministry in Caracas. Police fired tear gas to drive them back, in scenes that have become familiar after weeks of unrest.

“The country is verging on

catastrophe. The health system is a disaster,” said Fernando Gudayol, a 50-year-old surgeon.

“One is always afraid to come out, but we will carry on doing it until there is a change.”

The opposition is demanding elections to remove Maduro from power. They blame him for an economic crisis that has caused shortages of food, medicine and basic supplies.

“A simple infection can turn into something serious for a lack of antibiotics and any kind of supplies, and for a lack of maintenance of the equipment,” said Eliecer Melear, a 41-yearold urologist.

Maduro’s supporters staged a counter-demonstration near the presidential palace.

“What lack of medicine?”

asked medical student Rangel Vegas, 31. “We are in the streets and in the clinics giving a response to what communities need.”

Maduro’s government repeated its claim that it was targeted by an international conspiracy.

The government side “is the victim of political and ideological persecution in Venezuela and internationally,” Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez told a news conference.

Maduro earlier called for a further “march for peace” on Tuesday.

Maduro accuses the opposition of plotting a coup against him with US backing. He says the crisis is a capitalist conspiracy.

The government and opposition accuse each other of sending armed groups to sow vio-

lence in the demonstrations.

On Sunday, a man was beaten, doused in petrol and set alight during a protest in the capital Caracas.

The government alleged he was attacked for being a Maduro supporter. Speaking on television, the president identified the man as Orlando Figuera, 21.

He said Figuera was hospitalized with first- and second-degree burns over half of his body and six knife wounds.

Elected in 2013, Maduro has resisted opposition efforts to remove him since January 2016.

He has said there will be presidential elections as scheduled next year, but not before.

Instead, he has angered the opposition by seeking constitutional reforms, which his rivals

say aim to strengthen his grip on power.

Maduro retains the public backing of the military and control of most state institutions.

Street protests and international pressure “could lead to divisions within the government or within the armed forces or between the government and the armed forces,” said David Smilde, a Venezuela expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, a nongovernmental organization.

But he added: “It is hard to keep protest waves going. People have to work, study, eat and live their lives. The opposition needs to think about how to consolidate their gains. Otherwise, this movement too could lose steam.” AFP

Regional Bids and Awards Committee - IX 2nd Floor, LANDBANK Building Capt. F. Marcos Road, Pettit Barracks Zamboanga City

INVITATION TO BID

The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee - XI (RBAC-XI), invites Rural Banks and Cooperatives to bid for the hereunder projects: ITB No. RBAC-IX-2017-003 Service fees for the Distribution of DSWD Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program cash grants to Non-Cash/Prepaid Card Beneficiaries in various Municipalities for May 2017 to March 2018 for six (6) payouts (May, July, September & November 2017 and January & March 2018 payouts) Regional Coverage A - Very Difficult, Difficult, Easy Areas (OFFSITE) Note: Bid shall be on a per Province basis.

Approved Number Budget for the of Beneficiaries Contract (ABC)

Province and Municipalities / CCT Type ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE (MCCT IP) • Bacungan, Dapitan, Dipolog City, Godod, Jose Dalman, La Libertad, Mutia, Rizal, Sergio Osmeña Sr., Siayan, Sibuco, Sibutad, Sirawai (Regular CCT) • Bacungan, Baliguian, Godod, Jose Dalman, La Libertad, Mutia, Rizal, Sergio Osmeña Sr., Siayan, Sibuco, Sibutad, Sirawai

INSPECTION. Israeli police inspect the scene of a stabbing attack in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya on May 23. AFP

Police arrest 21 Uber drivers in sting HONG KONG―Hong Kong police on Tuesday arrested 21 Uber drivers for carrying passengers without a proper permit following an undercover operation, in the latest setback for the ride-hailing giant.

The sting comes as the San Francisco company has encountered regulatory roadblocks around the world, despite its huge popularity, and after five Uber drivers in the southern Chinese city were found guilty of operating without proper licenses in March.

Those drivers were arrested in a police swoop in 2015 after furious traditional cabbies smashed up their own taxis with hammers and called for authorities to act over unlicensed cars.

Police spokesman Edwin Lau told

reporters 20 men and one woman had been arrested.

“We sent decoys on many trips, eventually we took all the evidence,” Lau said, describing the undercover operation that took place earlier this month.

The drivers were arrested for illegally carrying passengers for reward and for not having third party insurance, he said.

Uber is the most prominent of several smartphone apps that are shaking up the traditional taxi landscape in cities around the world.

But it has faced criticism and significant resistance from regulators in several countries, who accuse it of unfair competition and a lack of standards.

“We are extremely disappointed

by the police enforcement today. We stand together with the twenty-one driver partners and their families,” An Uber spokesman said in response.

“Ride sharing should not be a crime. Hong Kong is an international city known for its embrace of global economic trends and new technologies, but current transportation regulations have failed to keep up with innovation,” he said.

Uber also added that its ride-sharing insurance policy complies with the city’s legal requirements.

In April, Uber said it would relaunch its services in Taiwan with a new business model following a two-month hiatus on the island after sparring with authorities over legal issues. AFP

Trauma of ‘Stolen Generations’ SYDNEY―Aborigines belonging to Australia’s socalled “Stolen Generations” Tuesday accused the government of prolonging their suffering by failing to implement recommendations from a landmark report 20 years ago that investigated the forced removal from their families.

The term “Stolen Generations” refers to the thousands of indigenous children who were taken from their homes and put in foster care with white families or institutions under assimilation policies that ended only in the early 1970s. Many never saw their parents or siblings again.

The pivotal “Bringing Them Home” report in 1997, which followed a national inquiry into the tragedy, acknowledged the human rights violations suffered and set out measures to support those affected.

One of the key demands mentioned in the report was a national apology, which finally came in 2008.

But two decades on, the victims said that while funding had been provided for counseling, cultural programs and family support, they con-

tinued to face institutional racism and cited a failure to properly address mental health issues.

“For many Stolen Generations members, this has created additional trauma and distress,” “Bringing Them Home 20 Years On”, a new study by indigenous support organization The Healing Foundation, said.

“The resulting trauma has been passed down to children and grandchildren, contributing to many of the issues faced in indigenous communities, including family violence, substance abuse and self harm.”

One of the victims, Lorraine Peeters, was taken from her family aged four and placed in the Cootamundra Domestic Training Home for Aboriginal Girls, where she was “brainwashed to act, speak, dress and think white”.

“We were not allowed to talk in our language or about culture or about our families.

It wasn’t until I was in my fifties that I suffered a mental health issue, trauma. There was an Aboriginal person inside, screaming to get out,”

she said.

“Behavior is learned. If my children are watching me have anxiety, fear, drinking issues to numb the pain, that behavior is learned by little people. That will continue.

We have to revisit the recommendations that haven’t been implemented.”

The new report called for a national study into inter-generational trauma and a full assessment of the continuing and changing needs of Stolen Generations members as they age.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull responded to the report saying there was “much unfinished business”.

“Your report will guide us on the progress we are yet to make,” he said. “We’ll carefully consider the recommendations”.

Aborigines, whose cultures stretch back tens of thousands of years, remain the most disadvantaged Australians.

They were believed to have numbered around one million at the time of British settlement, but now make up only about three percent of the total national population of 24 million. AFP

NOTICE OF LOSS This is to inform the general public that Valle Verde Country Club, Inc. Ppropriety membership Certificate No. 4689 issued to MS. PADHMINI RAMNANI was lost. ( M S - M AY 2 4 , 31, J U N E 7 2 017 )

NOTICE OF EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE WITH WAIVER AND RENUNCIATION OF RIGHTS Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late ANGEL VELANTE and PHOEBE VELANTE was extra-judicially settled by and among their heirs as per Doc. No. 8663; Page No. 18; Book No. XXXV; Series of 2015, executed before CARLYN A. MONASTRIAL - Vice Consul (Philippine Consulate-San Francisco, California, USA).

(MS-MAY 10,17 & 24, 2017)

LEGAL NOTICE Pursuant to Sec 1, Rule 74 of the new Rules of Court, Notice is hereby given the intestate of the late Juanita Duque who died on April 16 1978 in San Juan City, Metro Manila, Philippines.

Left a parcel of land covered

by Transfer Certificate of Title no T1202 situated in the city of Davao, Philippines. Containing an area of Two hundred ninety Square Meter (293) s, more or less. Has been the subject of Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate. Made and executed by the heirs as per Doc no. 450; Page No. 91; Book No. II; Series of 2017. Before Notary Public Atty Sarah Joelle Lintag of Makati City.

4,296

ZAMBOANGA SIBUGAY (MCCT IP) • Alicia, Buug, Diplahan, Imelda, Ipil, Kabasalan, Mabuhay, Malangas, Naga, Olutanga, Payao, Roseller Lim, Siay, Talusan, Titay, Tungawan (Regular CCT) • Alicia, Kabasalan, Mabuhay, Malangas, Naga, Olutanga, Payao, Roseller Lim, Siay, Talusan, Titay, Tungawan BASILAN (MCCT IP) • City of Lamitan, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Sumisip, Tabuan-Lasa, Tipo-Tipo, Unkaya Pukan (Regular CCT) • Akbar, Al-Barka, City of Lamitan, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Maluso, Sumisip, Tabuan-Lasa, Tipo-Tipo, Tuburan, Unkaya Pukan SULU (Regular CCT) • Hadji Panglima Tahil (Marungas), Indanan, Jolo (Capital), Kalingalan Caluang, Lugus, Luuk, Maimbung, Old Panamao, Omar, Pandami, Panglima Estino (New Panamao), Pangutaran, Parang, Pata, Patikul, Siasi, Talipao, Tapul, Tongkil

CITY OF ISABELA (MCCT IP) • City of Isabela (Capital) (Regular CCT) • City of Isabela (Capital) MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL (MCCT IP) • Clarin, Conception, Don Victoriano Chiongbian (Don Mariabagong Clarin), Jimenez (Regular CCT) • Clarin, Conception, Don Victoriano Chiongbian (Don Mariabagong Clarin), Jimenez

215

P

5,851,809.90

29,157

ZAMBOANGA DEL SUR (MCCT NON IP) • Zamboanga City (MCCT IP) • Aurora, Bayog, Dimataling, Dumalinao, Dumingag, Guipos, Josefina, Kumalarang, Labangan, Lakewood, Mahayag, Margosatubig, Midsalip, Molave, Pagadian City, Pitogo, Ramon Magsaysay (Liargo), San Miguel, San Pablo, Tabina, Tambulig, Tigbao, Tukuran, Vincenzo A. Sagun, Zamboanga City (Regular CCT) • Aurora, Bayog, Dimataling, Dumalinao, Dumingag, Guipos, Josefina, Kumalarang, Labangan, Lakewood, Mahayag, Margosatubig, Midsalip, Molave, Pagadian City, Pitogo, Ramon Magsaysay (Liargo), San Miguel, San Pablo, Sominot (Don Mariano Marcos), Tabina, Tambulig, Tigbao, Vincenzo A. Sagun, Zamboanga City

TAWI-TAWI (MCCT IP) • Bongao (Capital), Languyan, Mapun (Cagayan de TawiTawi), Panglima Sugala (Balimbing), Sapa-Sapa, Sibutu, Simunul, Sitangkai, South Ublan, Tandubas, Turtle Island (Regular CCT) • Bongao (Capital), Languyan, Mapun (Cagayan de TawiTawi), Panglima Sugala (Balimbing), Sapa-Sapa, Sibutu, Simunul, Sitangkai, South Ublan, Tandubas, Turtle Island

P 1,150,382.88

NonRefundable Fee

P

44,440.50

600.00

2,900.00

P

500.00

8,028

2,084,229.36

1,000.00

86,328

17,843,997.60

8,900.00

5,440

P 1,168,512.00

41,684

8,616,082.80

3,047

P

914,100.00

P

600.00 4,300.00

P

500.00

27,197

6,853,644.00

3,400.00

89,844

P 22,640,688.00

P 11,000.00

13,445

P 4,033,500.00 P

2,000.00

21,986

5,540,472.00

2,800.00

1,010

P

4,530

P

298,668.60

1,278

1,137

236,037.00

P

207,866.34 814,041.00

500.00 500.00

P

500.00 500.00

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipts of bids, with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs).

The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Posting or Publication of Invitation to Bid Issuance or Sale of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Submission of Bids Opening of Bids / Bids Evaluation Post-qualification Notice of Award

SCHEDULE May 24 to June 1, 2017 May 24 to June 14, 2017 June 8, 2017 at 2:00 pm June 15, 2017 at 10:00 am June 15, 2017 at 2:00 pm June 19 to 23, 2017 June 26, 2017

Bid Documents will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable non-refundable amount which is equivalent to 0.05% of the total ABC of lots to be bid in a particular province rounded off to the next hundred or Five Hundre Pesos (P500.00) whichever is higher, to the LANDBANK Cashier.

LANDBANK reserves the right to (1) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (2) waive any minor requirements in the bid documents; (3) accept such bids it may consider advantageous and beneficial to the Bank, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE REGION IX

(MS-MAY 24,31 & JUN 7, 2017)

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C4

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

World

World leaders condemn bombing in Manchester P ARIS―World leaders on Tuesday expressed shock and horror at the suicide bombing in Manchester which killed at least 22 people, including children.

Here are some of the reactions: Britain Prime Minister Theresa May called it an “appalling terrorist attack” and suspended her campaign ahead of a general election on June 8 along with chief opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn.

“All our thoughts are with the victims and the families of those who have been affected,” said May. Labour Party chief Jeremy Corbyn tweeted: “Terrible incident in Manchester. My thoughts are with all those affected and our brilliant emergency services.”

Finance minister Philip Hammond said: “It is as far as we know a terrorist incident.

We’re treating it as such. My thoughts are with the victims and families and the people of Manchester and I’d like to give tribute to the emergency services. They’ve done a great job throughout the night and they’re continuing to work at the scene.”

Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced “sorrow and horror”, adding: “This suspected terrorist attack will only strengthen our resolve to work with our British friends against those who plan and execute such inhuman acts. I assure the people in Britain: Germany stands by your side.”

Russia Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to boost anti-terror cooperation with Britain after “this cynical, inhuman crime.

“We expect that those behind it will not escape the punishment they deserve,” he said.

France French President Emmanuel Macron voiced “horror and shock” and said he planned to speak to the British prime minister.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said it was an example of “the most cowardly terrorism” that was aimed “specifically and knowingly” at young people.

Australia Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said the attack was “especially vile, especially criminal, especially horrific because it appears to have been deliberately directed at teenagers.”

He added: “This is an attack on innocents.

Surely there is no crime more reprehensible than the murder of children. This is a direct and brutal attack on young people everywhere, on freedom everywhere.”

Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte said: “Terrible news from Manchester where a great evening ended in tragedy. Our thoughts are with the victims.”

Spain Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said: “I condemn the Manchester attack. My condolences to the families of the deceased and my fervent wishes that the wounded recover soon.”

Italy Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni tweeted: “Italy joins forces with the British people and government. Our thoughts go out to the victims of the Manchester attack and their families.” AFP

BENEFIT. A model walks the runway during the 69th Annual Parsons Benefit on May 22 in New York City. AFP

Two caned for gay sex in Indonesia BANDA ACEH―Two Indonesian men were caned Tuesday in front of a jeering crowd as punishment for gay sex, in a first for the Muslim-majority country where there is mounting hostility towards the small LGBT community.

The pair received 83 strokes of the cane each after being found guilty of breaking sharia rules in conservative Aceh province, the only part of Indonesia that implements Islamic law.

The men, aged 20 and 23, were led onto a raised stage outside a mosque in front of a crowd of thousands, who jeered and booed loudly.

The pair, whose identities have not been revealed, were dressed in white robes and bowed their heads as they were whipped by officials wearing brown cloaks and masks with eye slits.

One of the men grimaced occasionally and the other showed little emotion.

Before the caning, Abdul Gani Isa, a member of the Acehnese clerics’ council, told the crowd the caning was “a lesson for the public”.

“Lessons carried out with our sharia law are conducted in a very thoughtful way, are educational and do not violate human rights,” he said.

Their sentences, which were carried out in the provincial capital Banda Aceh, were reduced by two strokes of the cane due to time already served in detention.

The gay men were caught together in March by vigilantes who burst into the house where they were staying.

Shaky phone footage of the raid that circulated online showed the vigilantes kicking, slapping and insulting the men, with one of them slumped naked on the ground during the attack.

Public caning has long been common for offenses such as gambling and drinking in Aceh, which was given the right to implement sharia law in 2001 as part of a deal with the central government aimed at ending an insurgency.

The punishment is carried out with thin rattan canes, with people still clothed while the strokes are delivered. It causes pain but does not normally inflict permanent damage, and the canings are as much about public humiliation as hurting those guilty of breaking sharia law.

Tuesday’s caning was the first time such a punishment has been meted out for gay sex since a sharia regulation came into force two years ago banning the practice.

Eight other men and women were publicly caned on the same day after being found guilty of breaking sharia laws.

Gay sex is not illegal elsewhere in Indonesia, which has the world’s biggest Muslim population.

While rights groups have repeatedly expressed alarm over the strengthening of sharia law in Aceh, many of those living in the staunchly Islamic province support the rules.

Zubaidah, a 20-year-old female college student who watched the couple being punished, told AFP it was the first time she had witnessed a caning.

“I wanted to watch it so it could serve as a lesson for me not to commit any act that violates Islamic teaching,” said the student, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

“Homosexuality is a curable disease, it is very forbidden in Islam.”

Amnesty International was among groups that had urged authorities not to flog the men, decrying the use of caning as a “cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment”. AFP

Grande a wholesome teen favorite hit by tragedy NEW YORK-Pop star Ariana Grande, whose concert was struck by one of Britain’s deadliest attacks in years, is a favorite of pre-teens rarely known for causing a stir.

The 23-year-old former child star called her last album “Dangerous Woman” but her controversies have been markedly low-key, with the “danger” in her lyrics more about love than anything more sinister.

Grande wrote on Twitter that she felt “broken” after Monday’s deadly attack, which sent screaming fans fleeing the venue after a blast in the foyer of the Manchester Arena moments after the left the stage.

“From the bottom of my heart, I am so

so sorry. I don’t have words,” she wrote.

Born in Florida, Grande showed promise from an early age in theater and by her teenage years had joined a Broadway musical, moving to New York where she sang on the side.

Grande entered the public eye when she was cast on the Nickelodeon sitcom “Victorious,” playing the talented but at times aloof high school student Cat Valentine.

Grande kept the feline imagery as she branched out into pop music, frequently sporting a cat-ear headband or tying her brunette hair up in pigtails.

Over the course of her three studio albums, her look has gradually turned more sensual as she sports slinky black skirts and sings of her power over men.

But unlike Miley Cyrus, a fellow onetime child star to whom she is sometimes compared, Grande never broke completely with the teenybopper image. Her “Arianator” fan base is full of young girls experiencing their first concerts.

In perhaps her biggest brush with controversy, Grande in 2015 released a feminist manifesto that attacked the focus on her, and other women’s, personal lives.

“The double standard and misogyny are still ever present,” Grande, who has more than 45 million followers on Twitter, said in the statement disseminated on social media.

“I can’t wait to live in a world where people are not valued by who they’re dating /married to / attached to, having

sex with (or not) / seen with ... but by their value as an individual,” she said.

In an interview last month with Cosmopolitan, Grande revealed that she has started running her show “from top to bottom” as she no longer felt comfortable putting her business in others’ hands.

“Now I’m very much in charge, and it feels amazing,” she said.

As a celebrity, she has occasionally found herself in the tabloid press. In 2015 she was caught on camera with one of her back-up dancers licking the frosting off a donut and mumbling, “I hate America.”

She later clarified that she was proud to be American and was only critiquing her country’s penchant for overeating. AFP

China gasps at grad’s speech in US BEIJING-A young Chinese woman has drawn criticism on social media after unfavorably comparing her homeland’s air and politics to those in the US during her graduation speech at an American university.

Speaking at the University of Maryland, Yang Shuping said coming to the United States had been a breath of “fresh air” after growing up in China.

“The air was so sweet and fresh and utterly luxurious,” she said in a video of the speech posted on YouTube.

“The moment I inhaled and exhaled outside the airport, I felt free,” she continued, drawing a parallel between China’s notorious air pollution and its similarly choking restrictions on political speech.

The reaction was swift and brutal, with comments in Chinese and English telling her to stay in America.

On Tuesday afternoon, posts related to the video on the Chinese micro blogging site Weibo had received over 56 million views.

“People like this, with biased opinions and broken English, should never be allowed to speak publicly as a commencement speaker,” said one remark posted under the YouTube video. The site is banned in China.

Commenters who said they hailed from Yang’s hometown Kunming accused her of lying about the air quality in the major metropolis in the city’s southwest, with many claiming it was as clean as Washington’s, near her university’s campus.

“The only explanation for her wearing a mask in Kunming is that she’s ugly,” said one commenter on Weibo, referring to her comment that she had worn one to protect herself from the bad air.

On Tuesday, air quality read-

ings in Kunming were as high as 107, four times the World Health Organization’s recommended maximum exposure for a 24-hour period. In Washington, they were at two.

Thinly veiled criticisms of the speech appeared in state-owned media Tuesday, quoting some of the vicious responses.

An article titled “Chinese student at University of Maryland slammed for biased commencement speech” was ranked as the most viewed story on the Englishlanguage website of the People’s Daily, the Communist Party mouthpiece.

As the criticism piled up, Yang, who majored in psychology and theater, apologized according to an article in the state-owned tabloid the Global Times, a reaction that seemingly proved her point that there is little space in China for critical speech. AFP

POSE. Australian actress Nicole Kidman poses as she leaves on May 22, 2017, following the screening of the film ‘The Killing of a Sacred Deer’ at the 70th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes. AFP

Life

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

FASHION & BEAUTY

WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

D1

A little

Moroccan MAGIC A

VEIL of soft lights, exotic aromas, and vibrant prints transformed the chic Kate Spade New York Boutique in Greenbelt 5 into a whimsical Moroccan dream.

Marking the launch of its Spring2017 Collection, Kate Spade New York wowed its loyal patrons with mysterious visions of the dusky desert, sweet Moroccan mint tea by TWG Tea, and sultry belly dancers who set the tone and spirited rhythm for the evening’s festivities. The night was a fitting homage to the historic cultural capital, as the romantic ambience transported guests to an oasis of calm in the Majorelle Gardens.

Held recently, Kate Spade New York offered guests—including Miss World 2013 Megan Young—an exotic escape where they could relax, sit back, and revel at the new luxe pieces from the latest collection. While the ladies wined and dined, they were also pampered with exclusive treats and shopping perks.

the philosophy “more is more” in design.

The pieces—in an extravagant display of color and print—boasted a meticulous eye for detail with textured fabrics and a flourish of eyelets, pompoms, appliqué roses and ruffles that sat softly on flowing, feminine silhouettes. It was a celebration of femininity, as well as a reflection of the universality of Kate Spade New York fashion.

In the collection, the classic fit and flare silhouettes received a bohemian reinvention in the form of loose pleats and free-flowing fabric. Tiered dresses and skirting evoked an elegant expression against casual cotton and linen styles, while billowing sleeves lent a Moroccan flair to shift dresses and structured blouses.

Rose prints and embroidered accents were also spotted on structured denim Styles of the season and silk, with tassels trimming the Moving away from trends of the past, edges of midi length dresses, coats and Kate Spade New York playfully explored soft denim pants. Delicate lace added a

kate spade new york lends a Moroccan flair to its latest collection with the use of extravagant display of color and print

Sultry belly dancers set the tone to the mysterious visions of the dusky desert.

Miss World 2013 Megan Young came in kate spade new york spring collection from clothes to accessories.

GLOBAL footwear brand Bata recently marked two milestones in Manila: the launch of its Spring /Summer 2017 collection, and the opening of its second store in the Philippines at SM City Bacoor.

Bata’s Global CEO Alexis Nasard flew in to grace both events, indicating how Bata continues to expand its footwear legacy of manufacturing quality and innovative shoes in what he calls

“a dream market. . . because it has everything it takes for businesses like us to be successful.”

Bata executives – Asia-Pacific Region President Roberto Longo, Chief Finance Officer Alberto Toni, Chief Personnel Officer Davide Zornetta and Regional Finance Director for Asia, Africa and Latin America Shaibal Sinha – also came in full force to celebrate this milestone.

kate spade new york Wicker Camel Bag

Never forgetting the staples, Kate Spade New York also included timeless jewelry, handbags, shoes and accessories for the modern woman, offering a more casual take to style that could seamlessly integrate into everyday looks.

For the modern woman of mystery and allure, Kate Spade New York’s Moroccan inspirations truly make a powerful style statement.

In the Philippines, kate spade new york is exclusively distributed

by Stores Specialists, Inc., at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 5, Newport Mall, Power Plant Mall, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, and Rustan’s Cebu.

Visit facebook.com/katespadenewyork. philippines or follow @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information.

New store, new collection

Actress Antoinette Taus

Bata’s second branch in the Philippines is located on the Upper Ground Level of SM City Bacoor

touch of elegance to airy cotton blouses, while structured eyelet styles grounded the season’s rich hues. Stunning embroidered sequin tassel dresses and skirts rounded out the seasonal offering with a shock of glamour.

In terms of color, fresh white and true black provided a clean canvas for the season’s standout colors and patterns.

Florals were given a new treatment, growing larger and more impactful, while peacock plumes covered silk dresses in bold blues and striking reds.

The brand’s Spring/Summer collection was showcased at the Palace Pool Club with a stylish summer party and fashion show. Shoes were the stars of the night - the All That Glitters, Classy, Coachella, In Full Bloom, Pretty Pastels, and Summer Glam collections for women; as well as the Boy-Next- Door and Sorrento styles for men.

All these highlighted what Nasard earlier said their business is about” indulging, having fun by shoes that make you feel good about yourself.”

Models Hideo Muraoka, Fatima Rabago and Marie Ann Umali

Bata’s opening at SM City Bacoor signaled the brand’s further expansion in the country through its partnership with SM Retail. Czech Ambassador to the Philippines HE Jaroslav Olsa, Jr. led the guests that included diplomats, designers, celebrities, and members of the media, who were delighted at the superior shoe shopping experience.

Established in 1894 by siblings Tomas, Anna, and Antonin Bata in Zin, Czechoslovakia, Bata has grown to be a leading footwear manufacturer and

retailer in the world. The brand now operates in over 70 countries with over 5,000 stores and sells over one million pairs of shoes a day.

Bata’s Spring/Summer Collection is available at Bata branches at the 3rd Level of the SM Megamall’s Building B and Upper Ground Level of SM City Bacoor. Get connected with Bata through Bata Philippines on Facebook, @bataphshoes on Twitter and @ bataphilippines on Instagram.

Life

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WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

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Men in foliage for SUMMER

HE SM Men Summer ‘17 Collection takes us back to Copacabana, a hotel in Rio de Janeiro, described in the similar-titled song as “the hottest spot North of Havana.” The song describes a 1970s club showgirl sporting yellow feathers in her hair, and the men involved in her affairs.

If that Copacabana setting was today, we imagine those men wearing pieces from this SM Men collection.

Inspired by the unending summertime vibe and retro foliage aesthetic of tropical locales such as Rio and Havana, Cuba, where men are able to emasculate botanical elements and incorporate them into dapper clothing.

Tropicana has long been a recurring in fashion, yet its place in menswear has long been left for the fashionably bold—thankfully, palates have been skewed to accommodate nature prints in menswear fit for just about any kind of man. SM Men’s Summer ‘17 Collection provides a wide range of tropical prints and complementing pieces that hits the right notes for the summer.

Starting the season with a fresh palate, SM Men features shortsleeves polos with lush leaves and foliage prints in cool-toned palettes, complemented by drawstring cropped shorts in both printed and plain summer colors. Worn together as complete coordinates, clashing prints or complementing pieces, the collection is versatile enough to wear in summer cityscapes or tropical nature spots.

Until May 31, buy any three reg-

Tropical prints and cool-toned palletes are the highlights of SM Men Summer ‘17 collection of shortsleeved polo shirts and drawstring cropped shorts

SCENT-SATION

1902 Tradition Eau De Cologne now in Manila ular-priced items to get P100 off on these brands: Baleno, Bo Athletics, Code Blue, Coco Republic, Men’s Club, Sportsclub and Maxwear.

Visit facebook.com/SMMensfashion or on Twitter and Instagram at @SM_Men for more details on the summer collection and other promos.

Stylish men wear Allen Edmonds THE New Spring Styles Collection for 2017 highlights a move toward the use of color, textures and different fabrics. This year, the shoes feature weaves, suede, and exciting new leather colors throughout the collection. Many of the new styles also further blur the lines between work and play, with relaxed casual becoming an ever-more important trend in Allen Edmonds footwear fashion.

Stylish men around the word choose Allen Edmonds whenever and wherever they go.

The shoes are available at Rustans Department Stores (Makati, Shangri-La Plaza, Gateway Araneta Center and Ayala Center Cebu).

Allen Edmonds’ new footwear collection features weaves, suede, and new leather colors

Generous rewards, gifts, and discounts WITH Citi Credit Cards, enjoy easy on the pocket payment terms with PayLite installment plan, plus a wide range of gifts with purchase including Asia Travel vouchers worth P2,000 thru purchases from Electroworld and Abenson and 1,000 worth of Gift Certificates from CW Home Depot and Automatic Centre.

You will get P1,000 worth of CW Home Depot gift certificates available for redemption upon purchase or until July 20.

You can also get Asia Travel discount vouchers worth P2,000 when you shop

for the latest gadgets from Electroworld, or appliances from Abenson worth Php50,000or more at 0% Citi PayLite up to 24 months until July 31.

Be rewarded with an Automatic Centre gift certificate worth P1, 000 when you spend at least P 25,000 at 0%Citi PayLite up to 24 months until July 31.The rewards from Automatic Centre, Abenson, and Electroworld are all available for redemption on the same day of the PayLite transaction until Sept. 30.

Simply present your valid charge slips at the store outlet where you made the qualifying purchase.

On top of this, you can also get a free weekday buffet at Vikings, Four Seasons Buffet and Hotpot or a free weekday lunch at NIU by Vikings for qualified purchases made until April 30. Simply present your valid original charge slips along with your Citi card.

You can then enjoy free buffet lunch or dinner from Monday to Friday until June 30.You can even get a 10 percent discount for companions using Citi credit card.

To learn more exciting offers and other exclusive Citi promotions, visit www. citibank.com.ph.

A GUST of fresh air welcomes the summer season with the arrival of a new French fragrance brand, the 1902 Tradition Eau de Cologne by the House of Berdoues with young yet elegant fragrances crafted around three main accords- hesperidian, floral or aromatic-- forming a range of 12 fragrances grouped into three family of scents: Classic, Floral and Bold.

Cologne is an olfactive family in itself, dictated by its structural simplicity to use only the most exclusive ingre-dients. As magicians of scents, the perfumers at the House of Berdoues took it to themselves to find the precise dosage of citrus, floral, woody es-sences... to cre-ate the perfectly subtle balance between fresh-ness, tenacity and elegance.

The Classic Family offers four lines suitable to both men and women, with its sub-tle blends of sparkling notes, citrus, tea and light woodsy base, this fam-ily of scents is a precise mix of masculine and feminine notes, a must-have d ay- a nd -n ig ht cologne.

One can choose from a traditional fra-grance mixed with fresh notes of the Naturelle, or a more in-tense yet fresh classic, the To-nique; the fresh feel with hints of green tea in The Vert or with more masculine woody tones in

Vetiver. The Floral Family has two romantic scents—Lavande is a scent that will bring one’s spirit away to the lavender plains of Haute Provence, and Violette, a soft subtle scent that suggest a warm and emotional universe, both inspirequal to the task of inspir ing global Filipinas.

The Bold Family on the other hand, Cehas 6 lines: Ce dre Blanc, a fresh woody fragrance; Madarine & Cuir which captures the freshness and mancharacter of man darin in a bottle; Figue Blanche is the sensual mix of fig pulp and fresh citrus; Verveine Yuzu, hesa traditional hes peridian scent; Pa mplemou sse is a cocktail of heady notes and pure fresh citrus splash while the Gingembre Vert sparis a sweet spar kling fragrance.

From the true modclassics to mod ern scents, sweet notes of fruit and citrus to opulent scent of adtea or floras, this new ad dition to the scene of counscents in the coun try, brings the trastart of a new tra dition surrounded by the air of fresh elegance in true French fashion.

1902 Tradition CoEau De Co logne Collection is available at Deleading SM De partment Stores and exclusively distributed by MarketRustan Market ing Corporation.

French fragrance brand 1902 Tradition Eau de Cologne by the House of Berdoues is now available in the Philippines

app k), aring site e), photo ccount m), or g (Twitter). est are just ves, novelties, layers that ut of the n no time.

me sense, audience ndle one major film already have the ila Film Festival ommercial movies Holidays, and the vating Cinemalaya Film Festival that uns between July All the rest remain st of the world, more o the mass audience. e comes Pista ng ilipino (PPP). m event, which th Buwan ng Wika, few days after the of Cinemalaya from 2. It will feature 12 which according to person Liza Diño, d from 2015 up to will be selected by Ricky Lee, Erik Briones, and Manet critic Oggs Cruz, za Calzado. to be considered in , it should not have usly commercially he country, or have ed on the Internet, ave English subtitles. in goal is to give rms for films to usively. We know ts of film producers workers. So, Pista ng Pilipino is our heir appeal,” Diño Standard.

MORETHAN JUST A

From left: MTRCB Vice President Emmanuel Borlaza, FDCP Chairperson Liza Diño, and National Youth Commission Chairperson Aiza Seguerra sealed their partnership during a joint press conference for the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino

CIRCUS SHOW

Do we really need another Tagalog film fest?

The FDCP chairman explained that the festival wants to address the economic aspect of the industry to encourage development and sustainability.

She was proud to announce that the films entries will be seen in more than 700 commercial screens dedicated to the weeklong film festival. This remarkable endeavor was made possible by the film agency’s partnership with 20 cinema operators including SM Cinemas, Robinsons Movieworld, Ayala Malls Cinemas, and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls, to name a few.

“It’s a collective effort between cinema operators, the film agency and film workers,” Diño added.

In a separate presscon, the FDCP chair announced that the National Youth Commission (NYC), National Commission

on Culture and Arts (NCCA), and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) are all now onboard to ensure PPP’s success.

“Of course, we also wanted to make this an annual film celebration. But that would depend on the success of the first PPP,” Diño said.

PPP aims to connect with a wider Filipino audience through its nationwide release. As an audience-oriented event and a nationwide festivity, the event will offer a variety of film genres.

It also hopes to create a venue for the local film audience to let the industry know what films move

and appeal to them, thereby creating a dialogue between film stakeholders.

In addition to the nationwide screening, there will be caravans, audience surveys and forums to maximize the participation of its stakeholders, which basically the same activities conducted by the already established indie film festival mentioned earlier.

Nonetheless, Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino is a welcomed addition to the list of local festivals that we have. But audience might concentrate in just two festivals – the one in early August and another one in the latter part of December.

Would it been better if FDCP just channeled its energy into an existing festival, which already has a solid following, by developing it into a national event?

MORE viewers tuned in to the much-awaited reunion of Bianca (Kim Chiu) and Gabriel (Gerald Anderson) in the Kapamilya series Ikaw Lang ang Iibigin. The show scored high in national TV ratings and brought kiligWEDNESDAY, to Kimerald MAY 24, 2017 fans. The series scored a national TV rating of 15.7 percent, compared to its rival program Trops that only got 10.4 percent. The episode was also a trending topic on social media as the show’s official hashtag, #ILAIMulingPagkikita harvested thousands of tweets on Twitter.

Meanwhile, as Bianca and Gabriel finally crossed paths, their friendship will once again be put to test as Carlos (Jake Cuenca) tries to separate them.

Will Bianca and Gabriel’s friendship continue to blossom?

Will Carlos succeed in keeping them apart?

Don’t miss the series that will show how people can fight for their love and their dreams, Ikaw Lang ang Iibigin, on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN HD (Sky Cable ch 167).

‘C The Difference’ now on second season

Doctors Manny and Pie Calayan with the segment hosts of "C the Difference" AIRED on GMA News TVG (Cha. 11 on free TV) Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. on GMA News TV and on GMA Life TV worldwide C The Difference, hosted by the doctors to the stars and a renowned cosmetic surgeon and dermatologist in the Philippines, Manny and Pie Calayan, is a beauty and lifestyle show focused on explaining common problems on skin, face and body and the solutions to these problems.

The show is now on its second season and the Calayan couple are very happy the audience are reacting to their segments very positively.

Segment hosts, Bernice Calayan and Ral Javier tackle latest fitness trends in the segment called “Fitness Challenge.” They aim to inspire and encourage the audienceto get fit and moving as well.

Andrea Calayan, together with Dr. Pie Calayan and a guest chef, whips up different recipes, budget friendly, of course, and nutritiously pleasing the palate in “Superfood.” They show that healthy eating can still be delicious without breaking the bank.

Kim Chiu and GeraldThe Anderson in theiron much anticipated reunion in other segments the show apart from "Ikaw Lang Iibigin"

Darren Espanto surprises fans

"Metamorphosis" is a unique circus show featuring circus aritists from France and Canada including some beneficiaries from Cameleon Association.

and “Hanggang Hidren Hello” – signaling his that something must Performer Darren Espanto subjected to incest, I thought CAMELEON Association Inc. partners with SM Cares Philippines. as aninteartist.beThe version Deluxeand Edition ofClub Be of With MeAyala to stage Metamordone,”Standard Ligier shares.

According to Ligier, circus isgrowth a professional the Zonta Makati came outbenefi digitally but the urprising his fans.

It circus debuted Cameleon currently hasCD two centers in Passi City in cia- worldwide phosis, a unique showatat the SM Mall of Asia gration tool for some of the Cameleon’s Iloilo and (where will soonhe have another ries. Since they started the unique program, 15 girls Hall happening Monday, May 29. was released in Singapore had a center in Negros. It iTunes Music Philippines albumonchart to beand a model institution that promotes the emnow give circusThe show, open to the public and a celebration of have become circus trainers and promotional tour inaims 2016) Korea. of the release. development center inrecently Passi powerment thehe association’s 20th anniversary, features nine for- training sessions weekends in theEspanto won the and Favorite Artistof children and their fame release, held a Twitter Party ilies through education, health, psychosocial intervenbecameMale the Artist eign circusonartists comingthe from France and Canada. (Iloilo) for 60 girls. One of them andeven Favorite award at the 2017 hen announced midnight tions, legal and livelihood. Part of its mission They will performThe different MYX Music Awards and assistance has achieved of the Deluxe Edition. sameacts like aerial ring, aer- official circus teacher. is to raise civil society’s awareness of children’s rights “Over the past years, circus countless has helped the girls from ialalbum silk, Chinese hand-to-hand, acrobatics, tight trophies prestigious awardo sold his in twopole, Astroplus by informing and mobilizing rebuild themselves.

It promotes physical wellness wire, and hula-hoop. giving bodies. He has likewise Platinumthe media, public authoriall of Asia and SM Megamall. institutions publicMe) opinion. mental and stability.

The show may look like an ordinary production and improved emotional health and (Darren) Goldties, Record (Beand With Me: Deluxe Edition features Today, Cameleon has offi This unique program has already shown its positive based on the acts that the artists will perform, but albums, has nine no.1 singles, the youngestces in France, Switzergle “My Baby & Me” featuring Luxembourg, while establishing partnerwhat separates Metamorphosis from all other circus impact on these girls,” she adds. performer to hold aland soloand concert at Mall of teen singer Nik Qistina. It Ligier decided to leave her family and friends in ships in Belgium, Andorra and the United States. shows that we have witnessed is its mission not just Asia Arena, still in demand for concerts and hted ontoSpotify’s “New Music “The association has staged the same production entertain audience but to also send a special and France and put up the non-governmental organizahere and abroad, one of the laylist. specifi Alsoc message included is his of is few years ago,mainstays but it was a fund-raising event. tion in Iloilo back in 1997. Thegigs association, which to all. of ABS-CBN variety ASAP n for Qistina’s song “Young Thisshow time, the showand is allgot about creating awareness. can grow up Joining the foreign circus artists on the perfor- envisions a society in which children noticedand byininternational artists Nicki pped)”. mance venue are Cameleon girls, they will present with dignity with their rights respected; shares Rita Dy of Zonta Club which Hence, it’s for free,”Minaj, Kutcher Barrino. uch an honor for an international of Fantasia Makati Ayala. adults are independent, caring Ashton and responsible to- and their talent in contortion, diabolo and unicycle.

Be With Me: Deluxe Edition is now on ik Qistina “Performing to have guested in my Hosted by celebrity-advocate KC Concepcion, in circus has been a tool for therapy wards them. downloads (iTunes, Spinnr) did the for duet with her for ‘Young There” with Jed Madela, versions will alsoand feature France Got Tal“Whenacoustic I first came here, I was digital just a young girl who Metamorphosis Cameleon girls,” says Laurence Ligier, a French streaming (Spotify,entApple Music, Spinnr) was nice that two from of a“7 Minutes” and wanted “Alam” and the viral hit,When 2016 Third Placer Alienette Coldfire And Reto make a difference.

I saw the situation National, who people founded Cameleon, shelter that proand in atchilleading record stores. untries tects can and work togethersexually and his cover of inSia’s nowned French Actress Sabrina Ouazani. of women who were abused and raped, andCDs young rehabilitate abused girls the “Chandelier”.

For bookings and inquiries, please ful music. I’m so excited about The album boasts top-notch producers ration which I hope will open Kiko Guevarra, Jungee Marcelo, contact Kerwin Rosete of MCA Music for me especially in Southeast Jay-R, Kiko Salazar and a line-up of artist management at +632 9162504, nto said. international and top Filipino songwriters. +639209682991 or email mcabooking@ us tracks in the album are “I’ll Be Darren also penned two songs – “Home” umusic.com.

Globe #CreateCourage campaign for ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’

Globe Telecom’s #CreateCourage branded film has been shortlisted at the Tangrams Effectiveness@Spikes Awards, the Asia-Pacific awards which honor outstanding marketing strategies that deliver remarkable business results.

As part of a multi-year strategic partnership with Disney, Globe promoted the 2016 movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story to Philippine viewers. Instead of focusing on revenue-generating marketing activities such as exclusive merchandising, the company launched #CreateCourage, a campaign designed to advoWednesday, May 17, 2017 cate for non-judgmental understanding and to celebrate bravery during struggle.

The branded film tells the story of a young Star Wars fan named Alex who wears her Stormtrooper helmet everyday at home, in school, or out and about, piquing the curiosity of people around her. As the story unfolds, tear-jerkingKaren reasons for wearing the mask are revealed, and the reactions to the revelation 60 Average (hyph.)

28 Deride 51her Baroness Palace are61 Turkey neighbor 29 Extinct birds 52 Karate studio equally emotional. t 62 Cat’s-paw 30 Nut cakeand triumph over 53 Right now!

Beautifully demonstrating a child’s resilience challenges, the heartwarming video went viral in a matter of days after its release by Globe, Cracked Bid 54 Pita treatof Star Wars fans. It garnered over 45 million views and has been recognized by and63 soon received praise from all31 over the world, especially from the legions erhaps top64 More Tijuana dad Mashable, 55Huffi Medea on online newsthan channels such as32 CNN International, ngtonsailed Post, Upworthy, among others. of asked Donne’s “done” her The video was also produced 35 to raise awareness for the plight of the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), which needed to raise funds for the rehabilitation n” 65pediatric Jedi ally 38 Timely Claimof on of its oncology clinic. Globe enlistedquestion the support of 56 its millions viewers to donate to the clinic, so that the hospital could make it a warmer, more join 66 The Keystone — 41 Royalty property cheerful environment conducive to the children’s recovery. ss exam 67 Legendary receivers 57 Where Keokuk “Rogue One is the story of unlikely heroes who dditive pioneer 43 Governess in banded together is to do unexpected heroic feats. Our story pays homage to people like that who persevere through untold odds.

In particular, we wanted to recognize children who are facing tremendous challenges but whose spirit and heart keep them parking 68 Pond makers Siam 58 Kind of lens honored by the recognition from Tangrams and grateful to have been given the chance to try and positively impact maybe going, determined to prevail. We 44are Fragrant 59 Wapitis hich DOWN 46 Half a double 61 Long sandwich sparkle 1 — does it! date ousin 2 Kirk’s helmsman 48 Attack e 3 Roman love god word 4 Supply new gear devices 5 Coup omputer 6 Jai — Wednesday, May 24, 2017 7 Encyc. sections maybe 8 Dueler’s 40 Crowbar 70 Took legal action ACROSS weapon de a bed 41 Eagle’s gripper 71 Command to a dog 1 Uses a microwave 9 — on (pretend) 44 Prepare to deal 5 Penicillin, e.g. culls) 10 Punk hairdos 47 Genghis Khan’s people DOWN 9 Took steps vice 11 Tailor’s need 49 Spouted rhetoric 1 Miniseries “Shaka —” 14 Water or tel.

Hari 12 Metric prefix 50 Villain’s lament 2 Egyptian god 15 Waikiki setting r 13 Swiss painter 53 Correspond 3 — colada 16 Diver’s hazard omer 17 Solitary Paul — 54 Rapid 4 — of hand rogant18 Present 21 Earns 55 Choir member 5 Turn down a page (hyph.) e homophone 56 Diner sign 6 Attacks 19 Martini garnish 57 Puts a stop to ask 22 IBMhelp and GE 7 TV band 20 Without 59 Milk, to Yves 8 Cleans fish s pt. 22 Blurred 24 Has a hankering 60 Volcano in Sicily 9 Total, say state 24 Lawn 25 Rascal 61 Not we 10 Slice of ham 26 Financial mag y 26 Type of bear 64 — de cologne (2 wds.)

27 Popeye’s tattoo game e 27 State-run

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

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Bluegrass State Shoulder muscles Give up land Decorated tinware Between pi and sigma Least speedy Narrow inlet Assns.

In a dead heat Grace enders Easy pickings Cauliflower bud Late actress Mary — Faint with pleasure Hoopla Curl Hang — — (turn) Simon or Diamond Pledge Long scarf Social outing Occupation Slightly tinted

11 Math subj.

12 Roof projection 13 Did Easter eggs 21 Smelting waste 23 Back to the salt — 25 Barbecue spits 27 — — in the bucket 28 Hindu statesman 29 Thick-soled footwear 31 Paradise 32 Kitchen tool 33 “Soapdish” actor 34 Baker’s buy 36 Small bay

● Fitness Challenge Bernice and Ral feature different workout studios to try the latest fitness activities.

It will also be a challenge for the viewers to try the activities for themselves, and ● Superfood Andrea, Dr. Pie and a guest chef will create wholesome recipes that will inspire the viewers to recreate themselves. These are nutritious entrees that can help reverse several diseases and put them back on a healthy track, are: ● Skin Upgrade Dr. Pie Calayan addresses the common problems on skin such as pigmentation, acne scars, syringoma, etc. She will discuss solutions to these problems with the services and products offered at Manny and Pie Calayan Clinic, and ● Best Face Forward Dr. Manny Calayan and a guest doctor talk about varying topics related to their respective fields. They will also share tips and fixes on the segment.

Visit Drs. Manny and Pie Calayan at Makati Branch (Suite 1701 Medical Plaza Makati, Dela Rosa cor. Amorsolo Streets, Legaspi Village, Makati City Philippines. Phone: 09178214462/ 09175534108Tel: (02) 845 0015Email: mannyandpiecalayan@gmail.com) or Cebu Branch (SMSeasideMall,3rdLevelMountainWing,SRPRoad,CebuCity,Phone:09178214460/63, Tel: (032) 256 2879Email: mpcc.seaside@gmail.com) or Davao Branch (SM Lanang Premier, 2nd Level,J.P. Laurel Ave, Lanang, Davao City, Philippines Phone: 09178214463 / 09171004464, Tel: (082) 298 2439, Email: mpcc.davao@gmail.com)

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, MAY 24, 2017

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ISAH V. RED

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ockoustic Heartthrob Sam Milby finds his way back to the music scene with a brand new album under Star Music entitled Sam: 12.

Sam Milby strums some good music again as he promotes his fourth solo album

Doraemon reintroduces itself to new audience FIRST appearing in manga in 1969 and later in three anime series that spanned around 2,000 episodes and translated in over a dozen languages, Doraemon is definitely one of Japan’s most iconic characters, and his popularity spans almost five decades and transcends generations. Despite the emergence of many, more recent Japanese characters, Doraemon remains among the more enduring ones, as his likeness continues to be seen on t-shirts, hats, wristwatches, toys, school supplies, and even musical instruments, among many other consumer products and collectibles, all over the world.

In the Philippines, Doraemon continues to have a large fan base, thanks to the continued airing of the anime series on GMA 7, as well as the efforts of Animation International Philippines, the local branch of the Hong Kong-based licensing company Animation International Ltd., which is committed to distributing popular anime TV series and films and licensing authentic, quality consumer products and services bearing the brands of renowned anime titles and characters like Doraemon for the satisfaction and entertainment of families all over Asia. Animation International’s aim is to raise Doraemon’s profile in the Philippines even further by obtaining partners in bringing the character into the consciousness of anime and pop culture fans and aficionados all over the country, especially in the digital age.

It is with this goal that Animation International, headed by i Director Hiroshi Kondo,

welcomed guests to its one-of-a-kind trade show on April 20at the Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City, where it reintroduced the world of Doraemon, showcased its partners and their wide range of merchandise, and announced Doraemon’s upcoming “I’m Your Hero” campaign, which will include Doraemon Roadventure (a traveling exhibit/ road show), Doraemon School Adventure (a campus tour), and the Grand Doraemon Blow-out, that will bring Doraemon and friends closer to fans of all ages, and potentially make new ones.

In this era of social media and instant messaging, Doraemon remains as relevant and as ‘cool’ as ever, as this robot cat was sent from the future to be a guardian to the young Nobita, helping the boy stay out of trouble and achieve his goals.

Thus, Doraemon himself carries a positive message worth spreading, one of being proactive, goal-oriented, kind, and helpful to others. Animation International Philippines looks forward to forming more partnerships to spread this message, while bringing quality entertainment in the form of merchandise, media, events, and other promotions to families and fans of all ages. In 2008, Japan’s Foreign Ministry appointed Doraemon to be the country’s first ‘anime ambassador,’ to promote its culture to other countries. Let us then welcome Doraemon into our country again, and introduce even more Filipinos to this iconic character, his funny adventures, and the positive values he represents.

One of Japan's iconic characters, Doraemon remains relevant as ever

Jericho Rosales leads the roster of stars present at the Star Magic Anniversary show

This is Sam’s fourth solo album, his fifth overall, and his much-awaited return to recording since he last released Be Mine in 2011. The actor-singer is now on his 12th year in showbiz and the album is aptly called such signifying his successful years in the industry since he started as a housemate in Pinoy Big Brother Season 1 in 2005.

“The long wait is over now. I am back with my music. I hope you enjoy all the tracks,” shares the Filipino-American artist.

This latest album consists of nine original tracks including three songs written by Gabriel Tagadtad: “Virus,” “Balang Araw,” and Sam’s latest single “Who’s that Girl?”

“Balang Araw” is an exciting track, a hopeful, happy-sounding duet with KZ Tandingan, while “Game Over” is another collaboration with The Voice of the Philippines Season 1 alumna Moira dela Torre whom Sam has previously done covers with.

Completing the track list are Nathan Concepcion’s composition “Bulag Sa Pagibig,” Francis Kiko Salazar’s “Tunay Na Pag-ibig,” and “’Di Kita Minahal,” Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connoly, Jonathan Graham Quinn, Tom Simpson, and Paul Wilson’s “Chasing Cars,” and Jonathan Manalo’s “Last Goodbye.”

Sam, Malou Santos and Roxy Liquigan are the executive producers of the album while Jonathan Manalo is the over-all album producer.

Sam: 12 is out now in all digital stores worldwide. The album will soon be available at all record bars nationwide for only P299.

For more information, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/starrecordsphil, Twitter.com/starrecordsph and Instagram. com/Starmusicph. *** BG Productions, the film company owned by Baby F. Go, continues to harvest awards from local award giving bodies and international film festivals.

At the 15th Gawad Tanglaw Awards, Allen Dizon won Best Actor for Iadya Mo Kami, Aiko Melendez the Best Supporting Actress trophy for the same film, while Ferdinand Lapuz won the award for Best for the film Area, which also took home the Best Editing Award for Gilbert Obispo.

The Best Production Design award went to Cyrus Khan for Laut. . Baby Go also received three medals of distinction for the three films that filmmaker Louie Ignacio directed for BG Productions: Special Jury Prize for Area ; Best Film for Children for the movie Child Haus and Student’s Choice for Best Film for Laut.

BG Productions International also made it presence felt at the 19th Gawad Pasado where Iadya Mo Kami won major awards, namely Best Film; Best Director for Mel Chionglo; Best Actor for Allen Dizon; Best Supporting Actress for Aiko Melendez at Best Cinematography for Mycko David.

In the international film festival arena, apart from Area winning the Special Jury at the prestigious 12th Eurasia International Film Festival in Kazahkstan, the film recently won the Special Jury Remi Prize Award at the 50th Worldfest Houston International Film Festival where Sue Prado was nominated for Best Supporting Actress and Ai Ai de las Alas for Best Actress.

De las Alas won her first international Best Actress Award at the 7th Queens World Film Festival in New York for the film Area.

The winning ways of BG Productions International continued at the recently concluded Asean International Film Festival and Awards (AIFFA) held at Kuching, Malaysia. Ignacio won the Best Director for Area while Ana Capri won the Best Supporting Actress for Laut and De las Alas won her second international Best Actress Award.

AiAi delas Alas in a scene from the indie production, "Area" This inspired the amiable lady producer Ms. Baby Go to throw a thanksgiving party for the stars as her appreciation for the awards won. She personally presented the trophies of Capri and De las Alas were both unable to attend the AIFFA event.

The comedy queen was very happy thankful for winning her second International Best Actress Award.

“I am overwhelmed. God is really good time. I would like to thank Ms. Baby Go, my director Louie Ignacio and the people in Area who inspired me to give life to Hillary, the character I played. She is a good woman in search of her son and is a victim of poverty. I gave my all to this film. And I learned to pray to the miraculous Apu in Pampanga,” said Ai Ai. Area tells the story of ageing prostitutes in Angeles City who render sex service for a very minimal fee.

Area will be shown again thru FDCP Cine Lokal on June 2 to 8 at SM MOA,SM Bacoor, SM Cebu,SM lloilo, SM Megamall, SM Southmall, SM Fairview, and SM North Edsa. *** The brightest Star

John Lloyd Cruz joins Kapamilya's star-studded gathering at the Big Dome Magic artists were in the longest running variety show ASAP last Sunday for Star Magic’s silver anniversary.

Dubbed as ASAP The Star Magic 25th Anniversary Party, the show held at the Big Dome at the Araneta Center featured John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo, Angelica Panganiban, Jodi Sta. Maria, Jericho Rosales and John Lloyd Cruz leading the weekend’s star-studded gathering. Joining them were the biggest Kapamilya love teams – Kim Chiu and Gerald Anderson, Janella Salvador and Elmo Magalona, Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil and Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla The ASAP Star Magic 25 episode also featured performances from Star Magic’s up and coming stars and love teams, new generation royalties, bankable leading men and leading ladies, promising kids and teen stars, reliable singers, notable comedians and even Star Magic artists that many don’t see as often.

The two-part ASAP episode, the second part will be aired on May 28, would also served as the official launch of some of Star Magic’s 25th year-long anniversary celebration.

There’s the all-star music video of the Star Magic 25th anniversary theme song “Ikaw Ang Magic ng Buhay Ko,” by JV Kapunan and music by J. Lukban, and sung by the Star Magic artists.

Then there’s the formal launch of the Star Magic’s official website. This new portal is set to be the go-to venue for anything and everything Star Magic related. It would feature the most up-todate events, videos, photos, news and other tidbits about your favorite Star Magic artists.

Not only that, it would also be the newest avenue where aspiring Star Magic artists can audition. The most exciting part of the website is that fact that it would bring the supporters closer to their idols through a special interactive section.