Manila Standard - 2017 June 11 - Sunday

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VOL. XXXI • NO. 117 • 5 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

SPORTS/ C4

CAVS TO DUBS: YOU CAN'T CELEBRATE HERE

YOUNG LIFE / E2

PETS ARE FOR LIFE

TARGET LOCKED. An OV-10 Bronco aircraft drops a bomb that explodes on a Maute militants' hideout in Marawi on June 9, 2017. More than 200,000 people have been displaced after Islamist militants led by the Maute attacked the city. AFP

13 MARINES DIE; US JOINS MARAWI FIGHT M

By Sara Susanne Fabunan

ARAWI—United States special forces are providing support to the Philippine military battling to dislodge Islamist militants in this city, the US Embassy said Saturday as 13 Marines were killed in fresh gunbattles over the weekend.

“We are saddened with the result... we have fatalities on the government side. We have incurred 13 killed in action,” Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said following the dramatic surge in the toll from more than two weeks of fierce fighting, sometimes house-tohouse gunbattles with the militants.

Government troops are struggling to dislodge hundreds of Maute and Abu Sayyaf fighters, who rampaged through the mainly Muslim city of Marawi on May 23 flying black flags of the Islamic State group, and have used bomb-proof tunnels, anti-tank weapons and human shields to fortify their positions.

The fresh casualties brought to 58 the number of government troops killed in the fighting, Herrera said.

At least 138 militants and 20 civilians have also been killed, the government said.

The militants have so far withstood more than two weeks air and ground assaults by security forces, although the military said they now occupy only around 10 percent of the city.

As the fighting intensified, the US Embassy in Manila said American forces were providing assistance to the Filipino troops, Turn to A2

MAUTE BRODS KILLED? MOM ARRESTED

By John Paolo Bencito FOUNDING leaders of Maute trrorist group fighting the government forces, Omar and Mhade Maute, may have been killed in the ongoing military offensives in Marawi City, the Army said Saturday.

The news was relayed by Lt.

Col. Jo-Ar Herrera, Joint Task Force Marawi spokesperson, during a news conference Saturday afternoon.

“We are validating this information but that is the report,” Herrera said.

Mhade was the one arguing with Abdulah Maute in a video

that showed planning to invade Marawi City.

To date, a total of 58 government forces have been killed in the operation against the ISIS-linked Maute.

The latest were 13 members of Philippine Marines, Herrera said.

One of the fatalities was a Marine company commander of the Ma-

rine unit that recovered P52 million cash and firearms of Maute.

Twelve other Marines were killed during Friday’s skirmishes, Herrera said.

“We are on the offensive mode, we are constantly moving toward the position of enemies, Turn to A2

P10B SET ASIDE TO REBUILD CITY; EO UP FOR DU30 OKAY

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is set to sign a P10-billion reconstruction and rehabilitation package for Marawi City and other areas affected by the ongoing skirmishes between government forces and extremist forces seeking control of the war-torn area.

Under the proposed executive order, “Bangon Marawi” still awaiting Duterte’s signature, the Defense Department along with the military will be overseeing reconstruction efforts to “bring back residents and normal everyday life as soon as possible.”

“According to Secretary of Defense Delfin Lorenzana, the proposal of the

DND-led recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation program for Marawi is already with the Office of the Executive Secretary awaiting submission to the President,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella told state radio dzRB. “The proposed package amounting to P10 billion as surmised by the President will be a multi-agency effort including DTI, DepEd, DSWD, DPWH, DOE, DICT, among others,” he added.

Abella said that clearing efforts in the city should take “about at least one to two weeks” while reconstruction efforts would take “a minimum of six months and may begin after clearing the city.”

“We assure you that the President is Turn to A2

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BRAVE HEART. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte pins a medal on one of the outstanding personnel of the Army's 603rd Brigade during a visit to a military camp in Mindanao on June 9, 2017. Presidential Photo

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KILLINGS ALARM 32 EU NATIONS

By John Paolo Bencito ALLEGED extrajudicial killings in the country continue to haunt President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration after 32 countries expressed “deep concerns” over the bloody drug war as they called on the Philippines to accept a visit from UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard.

“We wish to express our deep concerns over the high number of killings associated with the socalled ‘war on drugs’ in the Philippines,” said Högni S. Kristjánsson, Permanent Representative of Iceland, on behalf of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.

The countries said they are “alarmed that over 7,000 people have reportedly been killed since the anti-drug campaign was launched last July, many in circumstances, which remain unexplained.”

They likewise denounced the lack of investigation or accountability for the killings, which they said is “contrary to basic democratic safeguards and the rule of law.”

“While understanding the negative implications of drug addiction and its consequences in the Philippines, any efforts to respond to the challenge of illicit drugs must be carried out in full compliance with due process and international human rights law,” they said.

“We call upon the Philippines to take all necessary measures to bring these killings to an end and to ensure prompt, independent and credible investigations into all violent deaths.”

During the UN Universal Periodic Review in Geneva, 45 out of 47 countries questioned the spate of extrajudicial killings despite government denial.

The 32 nations condemned Duterte for saying that he would take responsibility for any crimes Turn to A2

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13...

From A1 at the request of the Duterte administration, although it declined to give details for security reasons.

“At the request of the government of the Philippines, US special operations forces are assisting the [Philippine military] with ongoing operations in Marawi,” the embassy said in a statement.

Herrera confirmed the US help, but said the special forces were not fighting but were only “providing technical support.”

Herrera said the militants’ tactics made it harder for security forces to carry out attacks without causing civilian casualties and hurting religious sensitivities.

“The local terrorist groups are using the mosque, they are entrenched there. They also used civilians as human shields... we are very precise in our operations to avoid collateral damage,” he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte said the militant attack was part of a wider plot

by IS to establish a base in the southern region of Mindanao, and declared martial law there to quell the threat.

The announcement of US help in the embattled southern region came after Duterte has sought to reduce the Philippines’ reliance on Washington and build much closer ties with China and Russia.

The US Embassy in Manila said Washington would “continue to work with the Philippines to address shared threats to the peace and security of our countries, including on counterterrorism issues.” With AFP

P10B...

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deeply concerned for the city, the region and the island’s well being and is very hands-on to ensure that normalcy will be restored at the soonest possible time and serve people’s aspirations for a comfortable life for all,” he added.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has begun processing a one-time P1,000 cash assistance for each family displaced by the ongoing hostilities in Marawi City in Lanao del Sur. Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo said the assistance will be provided under the DSWD Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations (AICS).

“Most of our fellow citizens from Marawi are Muslims. We are now processing to provide them cash assistance because it is Ramadan. They can use it to buy fruits because they are breaking their fast,” Taguiwalo said.

She noted that representatives from Lanao suggested the provision of the cash assistance to help Muslim evacuees who are observing the fasting month of Ramadan despite being in evacuation centers.

Taguiwalo said this is only a onetime cash aid, as her department continues to provide the evacuees food.

The DSWD is also preparing provisions for additional assistance, such as tents, once the evacuees return to Marawi, the social welfare chief said.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office on Friday said it would send P5 million worth of bottled water and medicine for residents affected by violence in Marawi.

PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan said the PCSO board has approved the move to send aid to affected residents, and on top of assistance already being provided to those who were wounded or afflicted with illness after days of continuous fighting Balutan, a former Marine general who spent 20 years in Mindanao, said the aid from PCSO would be transported through the help of the Philippine Marines.

The PCSO likewise directed its field office in Cagayan de Oro City to expedite the processing of the request for assistance of patients from Marawi City who have been hospitalized.

The armed conflict has already displaced a total of 50,327 families or 245,341 persons in 27 barangays in Marawi City and 13 barangays in Marantao, Lanao del Sur. Of the figure, 4,244 families or 20,627 individuals are staying in 63 evacuation centers, while 44,999 families or 219,339 persons are with relatives or friends in Central Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the Negros islands.

In a related development, the Philippine Red Cross said more evacuees can now be accommodated with immediate basic, preventive, and health care emergency treatment and medical supplies.

The PRC set up a basic health care unit in Balo-i, Lanao del Norte to operate in the area. The emergency medical unit can serve up to 3,000 evacuees and patients for one month. It has 20 cot beds for patients mainly for observations and monitoring by PRC’s volunteers health care professionals. With PNA

BUDGET CUTS LIKELY IN '18 , SAYS DIOKNO

By John Paolo Bencito

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CONOMIC managers warned of lower budget and revenue target for 2018 as a result of a “watered-down” first package of the administration’s comprehensive tax reform program even as Malacañang tasked Cabinet Secretary Leoncio “Jun” Evasco to speed up the implementation of infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration.

The Development Budget Coordination Committee on Friday trimmed next year’s budget proposal to P3.767 trillion or equivalent to 21.6 percent of the GDP from P3.840 trillion announced in March, along with a lower revenue target of P2.841 trillion than the P2.91 trillion projected earlier.

“There is a slight reduction, very little because of the comprehensive tax reform program… it’s because of the adjustments made by the House,” Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said. `“Because of the tax reform package… because of lower revenue, we have to adjust our expenditures, because we have to stick to our deficit target,” Diokno said, noting the retained 3 percent of gross domestic product deficit target from 2017 to 2022 as a result of massive infrastructure spending initiative of the administration.

Malacañang on Saturday tapped Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco

Jr. to oversee the billions in funds intended for infrastructure programs.

“The President has also tasked Cabinet Secretary Evasco to monitor and push infrastructure projects.

This will speed up not just projects funded by tax reforms from Congress, but also tens of billions of dollars of investments coming from China, Japan, and other nations,” Abella told state radio dzRB. Diokno said that the expected drivers of economic growth include construction and infrastructure development, primarily fueled by the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.

Also, the increase in government spending is seen to propel the economy upwards as the government plans to expand its investment in human capital.

The new 2018 budget represents a 12.4 percent growth rate compared to the P3.350-trillion national budget for 2017. The expenditure

program (Obligation Budget) is projected to reach P5.661 trillion in 2022, equivalent to 22.3 percent of the GDP. The infrastructure budget for 2018, meanwhile, is being pegged at P1.101 trillion, equivalent to 6.3 percent of GDP. This level is a significantly higher than the P847.2-billion infrastructure budget in 2017, which is equivalent to 5.3 percent of GDP. Infrastructure spending is expected to rise up to P1.840 trillion come 2022, reaching as high as 7.3 percent of the GDP. Under the Department of Finance version, net gains from the first package of the tax reform are projected at P174.2 billion. However, with the adjustments made in the ouse, economic managers said that the first tranche is now expected to make P133.8 billion contributions in government revenues for 2018, Diokno said.

Revenues in 2017 are projected to reach P2.427 trillion while disbursements are estimated to reach P2.909 trillion.

With the implementation of the first tax reform package in 2018, revenues are then projected to increase to P2.841 trillion, which is 16.3 percent of GDP. The revenue program is set to improve gradually to P4.504 trillion by 2022, equivalent to 17.8 percent of GDP. By 2019, economic managers expect a total of P233.6 billion in revenues as a result of the CTRP, followed by P272.9 billion in 2020, P253.0 billion in 2021, and P269.9

billion in 2022.

Diokno said that economic managers are “not giving up” on revenue targets, saying that they “will take it to the Senate and reconcile the differences.”

He clarified that the adjustments on expenditure and revenue targets are not yet final, pending the President’s approval.

Meanwhile, the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals remain rosy after the economic managers kept the official gross domestic product targets unchanged at 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent in 2017 and 7.0 percent to 8.0 percent from 2018 to 2022.

“Macroeconomic assumptions are sustainable and there’s no need to change them,” Diokno said.

Inflation assumptions remain stable at 2 percent to 4 percent for 2017 to 2022, based on estimates by the DOF that the higher excise taxes on petroleum, automobiles, and sugar-sweetened beverages will have minimal effect on prices.

However, trade and foreign exchange rate assumptions were changed in anticipation of tighter monetary policy in the United States.

In terms of oil futures prices and forecasts, the DBCC maintained Dubai crude oil price assumptions for 2017 to 2022. The projected oil price in 2017 was kept at $40 to $55 per barrel, and $45 to $60 per barrel in 2018. Oil prices, meanwhile, were still expected to rise to $50 to $65 per barrel from 2019 to 2022.

STREETS OF MARAWI. Soldiers aboard their vehicles navigate a street in MarawI on June 10, 2017. United States special forces are providing support to the Philippine troops battling to dislodge Islamist militants in the city, the US Embassy said. AFP

KILLINGS...

MAUTE...

From A1

his soldiers commit while martial law remains in force in Mindanao, even if they “raped three women”.

“We further stress that sexual violence can never be tolerated and call on the Government to strongly condemn the use of sexual violence in conflict,” the 32 countries said.

They called on the country to lift its conditions imposed at Callamard to investigate in the country.

“In this regard, we urge the Philippines to accept a visit from the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, without preconditions or limitations.”

“We further urge and look forward to a positive response by the Philippines regarding recommendations received during its recent UPR (Universal Periodic Review), in particular those relat-

From A1

ing to rule of law and the issue of unexplained violent deaths.”

Earlier, UN Human Rights Council had urged the United Nations to make an action on smear campaign against Callamard, who has been subject of a number of “disgraceful incidents of personal threats and insults” along with two other rapporteurs.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano however, questioned the facts, impartiality and fairness of Callamard, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

“This is absolutely unacceptable. As Special Procedures are appointed by this Council, I call on you to consider what actions you may want to take to prevent these sorts of campaigns,” United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said.

unfortunately we incurred several casualties, we are doing our best to re-strategize,” he said.

“The enemy has strong defensive positions, maximize presence of high structure buildings and civilian hostages used as human shields,” he added.

“We are making adjustments in our offensives,” he said, adding that air strikes were effective in the operations.

“We hit the logistical hubs, several command and control and communications and snipers’ nest of Maute,” Herrera said.

“We have so many head ways, we are close to their exact positions, lumalakas ang firefight,” the official said.

Reports of the Maute brothers of being possibly killed came after the news that their mother, Ominta Romata “Farhana” Maute, was arrested Friday afternoon in Masiu, Lanao del Sur, authorities said.

Farhana, who reportedly acts as a financier to her sons, was nabbed together with two injured militants and seven unidentified women was arrested after their vehicle was intercepted at Barangay Kormatan in Masiu

town, Chief Supt. Reuben Theodore Sindac, regional police director of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said.

“Two days ago, information was received from our [asset] that suspect was hiding in barangay Dayawan, Masiu, Lanao del Sur together with wounded members of Maute and it was revealed that Farhana was buying vehicles and firearms in the area to be used for their escape outside Lanao del Sur province,” the report said.

On June 7, President Rodrigo Duterte said the Maute brothers’ mother tried to speak to him but he refused.

Sindac said the Maute matriarch’s group tried to hide at nearby Barangay Dayawan, also in Masiu, where they brought a vehicle and guns before they tried to exit from Lanao del Sur. Ominta, along with his husband Cayamora who was earlier nabbed by the police, reared and sent their sons Omar and Abdullah to Islamic schools in the Middle East where they purportedly absorbed the philosophy of kital, an orthodox Arabian belief allowing killing in ideological stride. With PNA

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DU30 WON’T TALK WITH EX-MARAWI CITY MAYOR

PARK ART. A Luneta artist applies the finishing touches to a painting of the Rizal Iloilo Church in preparation for the 119th Philippine Independence Day rites on June.12. Lino Santos

‘REDS, MNLF JOINING ARMY VS MAUTE DON’T FIT’

By John Paolo Bencito

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OMMUNIST and Moro fighters no longer fit into the picture of joining government troops in the fight against the ISIS-inspired terrorists in the country’s south, President Rodrigo Duterte said as he retracted his earlier calls for secessionist groups to join his war against terror.

In a speech before soldiers in Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao on Friday, Duterte said that there will be problematic scenarios should he continue with his offer for rebels to join government troops.

“Nag-offer ang NPA, nakikipaglabanan sa gobyerno, sama-sama. Sabi ko, ‘t-- ina baka lahat ng tama ng sundalo ko sa likod. Wala sa harap [The NPA offered but they’re also fighting the government. I said, it might turn out that my soldiers will just be shot at the back],” Duterte said. .

“It’s not because I do not trust them but it simply does not fit into the picture,” he added.

Aside from communists guerillas, Duterte likewise

turned down MNLF founding chairperson Nur Misuari offer for his “able-bodied” troops to fight with the government when they talked last week.

“Si Nur promised to send also 2,000 of the MNLF soldiers. Sabi ko, huwag kasi pagdating doon maghalo-halo tayo. Hindi lahat tayo nakakaintindi lahat ng—ang Tausug naman kung marunong kang mag-Bisaya, maintidihan mo ‘yan. Magdahandahan lang salita [I refused because when you’re there, you’re going to sow confusion, because they’re mostly Tausugs. It’s okay if you’re a Visayan because you’re going to understand each other],” he said. Duterte instead asked for understanding and patience.

“Sabi ko, huwag na. Kasi marami na tayo, hindi tayo magkaintindihan. Baka tayo-tayo na ang barilan doon. Sabi ko, ‘Hayaan mo lang ako. Just give us your understanding and be patient. We will restore order in this country [No more. We’re too many. It will only lead to confusion and we might hit each other. Just let me be],’” he added.

In what is seen as an unprecedented move, Duterte in his visit to Jolo, Sulu last May 31 made an appeal to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the Moro National Liberation Front, and the CPP’s New People’s Army to join the government to fight the common enemy.

While the government had successfully crafted a deal with the MILF that led into the creation of two “peace corridors” encircling Lake Lanao, which allowed humanitarian assistance pass through war-

torn Lanao del Sur province, talks with the CPP’s armed wing, the New People’s’ Army were likely unattainable after the Defense Department shut down the aid and called them to surrender first and enlist for military service first before they can help in the government offensive against ISIS-linked Maute group.

“Hindi kami open diyan dahil in fact we brand them as terrorists eh [We’re not okay with them because we brand them as terrorists],” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said when asked about the CPPNPA’s offer of military assistance.

“Kung pumunta sila rito na may mga armas sila, we will ask them to surrender kasi hindi naman sila pwedeng makialam dito so huwag na silang makialam dito. We are trying to convince the NPAs to surrender [Even if they join us and they bring their guns, we will ask them to surrender because they just can not meddle here],” he added.

Lorenzana said there is only one Armed Forces and one police force tasked to enforce the law in the country.

“Tutulong dito? There is only one armed forces saka one police force dito sa bansa. Ngayon kung pupunta sila dito at armado sila, ibig sabihin we are recognizing them as another armed force. Hindi pwede yun. Isa lang. Dapat isa lang,” Lorenzana said.

“Until such time that they are integrated into the armed forces, hindi sila pwedeng makialam,” he added.

FORMER ENVOY TELLS GOVT: KEEP MUM ON QATAR ISSUE

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan A RETIRED senior diplomat had advised the Philippine government to observe “strategic silence” in dealing with the recent decision of Arab countries to cut diplomatic ties from Qatar.

Retired Foreign Affairs undersecretary Rafael Seguis advised against the recent decision of the Philippines to impose a deployment ban in Qatar, saying that the country must observe the basic principle of diplomacy, which is to stay quiet.

“You should not side, we should observe strategic silence to address this issue,” Seguis, who was a negotiator and rescuer of OFWs in a conflict area in the Middle East before, said in a roundtable discussion among selected journalists.

On Tuesday, Department of Labor and Employment secretary Silvestre Bello issued a deployment ban to Qatar as the gas-rich Gulf state grappled with a diplomatic crisis

after its neighbors cut ties with Doha.

Bello said he made his decision due to fears. That problems like food shortages could affect the more than 200,000 Filipinos in Qatar should the crisis worsen.

According to an OFW who have been living and working in Qatar for six years, the situation in the said area is normal and safe even after the diplomatic crisis.

“The panic buying was just for one day when the news broke. After that, everything is back to normal. As an OFW here, I got by my day normally. We don’t really feel anything, nothing different,” she told the Manila Standard.

Seguis, who have spent most of his diplomatic career in the Middle East and Northern Africa for the past five Presidents as a crisis manager, said that the Duterte administration should have been“discreet” in quietly instructing our embassies concerned to update their respective contingency plans.

DISASTER RESPONSE. The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office donated

an ambulance unit to Combat and Service Support Brigade to further enhance its capabilities in providing assistance during conduct of Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response operations and other medical-related missions. The donation was witnessed by (from left) PCSO general manager Alexander F. Balutan, BGen. Martin Villasin, Commander, Combat Service Support Brigade, Philippine Marines, Chief-ofStaff. Col. Raymondo A. Liwag. The Ambulance turnover was held at the PCSO Main Office, Sun Plaza Bldg. on June 8, 2017.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte expressed no plans of talking to former Marawi City Mayor Solitario Ali, who has been ordered arrested along with his brother for supporting rebellion and being spies of Maute group and Abu Sayyaf group.

Speaking to troops at Sultan Kudarat town in Maguindanao, Duterte said that the former Marawi mayor tried to talk to him but instead referred him to Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza, asking him first to clear his name.

“Solitario called me up,” Duterte said.

“Son of a bitch, what’s up with you? Are you a friend of the government or are we foes? I said: ‘Lorenzana wants you arrested. Son of a bitch, I will really have you killed’.”

Solitario is the brother of former Marawi City mayor Sultan Fahad “Pre” Salic, who was arrested by security forces at a police checkpoint in Misamis Oriental last Wednesday.

Fahad is married to Rasmia, niece of the captured Maute matriarch Ominta Romato “Farhana” Maute whose sons were involved in the armed skirmishes in the country’s south.

Duterte told Solitario not to show himself to government forces because he would really be nabbed and he might be killed.

If Solitario would be able to clear his name and show he had no hand in the Marawi incident, that would be the only time he would talk to him, the President said.

The Salic brothers were among 230 individuals ordered for arrest by the Department of National Defense for alleged involvement in already threeweek siege. John Paolo Bencito

SOLONS BACK BILL IMPOSING P3K ENTRANCE FEE ON CASINOS

By Maricel V. Cruz LAWMAKERS on Saturday backed the proposal of Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III imposing P3,000 entrance fee on casino goers in a bid to deter gambling addicts.

Reps. Robert Ace Barbers of Surigao del Norte and Harry Roque of Kabayan partylist expressed concern over the growing number of people being banned from casinos owing to addiction.

“I support the bill to exclude those who cannot afford to gamble from entering casinos,” Roque, a member of the House minority bloc, said.

Roque said he hopes that the Albano bill will be approved by Congress in the wake of the bloody Resorts World tragedy.

Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs, said the bill will discourage gambling addiction among the Filipino people.

“I fully support that just like in Singapore; it is a bit restrictive for the locals to enter the casino,” Barbers said.

But Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting opposed the proposed entrance fee in casinos.

“For gambling addicts who are able to spend huge sums of money precisely to gamble, an entrance fee might only serve to legitimize their entry into these gambling establishments,” Tambunting said.

He said compelling gambling addicts to pay an entrance fee in casinos and similar gambling establishments will not solve the problem.

“Just making them pay will not solve the problem, it’s as if we are saying we are willing to look the other way because they have already paid an entrance fee, and will not take action even as addicted gamblers piss their life away in the gaming pits,” Tambunting said.

Nevertheless, the bill filed by Albano is worth studying.

“While we do not necessarily rule out a measure like this and are open to studying it, our initial sense is that the problem of gambling addiction must be approached as a mental health issue,” Tambunting said.

In pushing for the bill’s passage, Albano said the amount shall be imposed in all casinos and other similar gaming establishments in the country to deter gambling addicts.

“The bill seeks to strengthen regulation of the participation or engagement of citizens in casino gambling by ensuring that those who enter casinos and similar gambling establishments have the minimum resources to engage in gambling activity therein,” Albano, House majority leader for the House of Representatives’ contingent to Commission on Appointments, said.

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‘CRACKDOWN VS ILLEGAL DRUGS YIELDS 82K ARRESTS’

By Joel E. Zurbano

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ORE than 82,000 people have been arrested in 11 months of police operations as part of the crackdown on drug dealing in the country.

The campaign, involving Anti-Narcotics Unit and Special Operations Group from the National Police, in close coordination with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, also led in the apprehension of 119 elected officials, 23 uniformed personnel, and 138 government employees.

In a recent operation, the authorities nabbed suspected drug dealers Joseph Bayquen and Maria Sofia Gallego on Trion Tower 2 in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City Friday night.

Supt. Jenny Tecson, spokesperson of the Southern Police District, said elements of the PDEA-National Capital Region headed by team leader Rogelio Daculla in close coordination

with the Taguig Police Community Precinct 7 arrested Bayquen and Gallego based on a search warrant.

Recovered from the suspects’ possession were 50 grams of cocaine; 200 grams of methampetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu; 163 tablets of ecstasy, and two firearms—.45 cal. colt and .22 cal. llama.

Tecson said the recovered items were turned over to PDEA-NCR for proper disposition and investigation while the suspects are now detained at the agency’s main office in Quezon City.

Also on Friday, PDEA chief Isidro Lapeña said joint law enforcement agencies arrested a total of 82,607 in-

dividuals involved in illegal drugs from July 2016 to June 6, 2017.

He added that about 61,592 antidrug operations by joint law enforcement agencies were conducted during the period while the numbers of those who surrendered also reached a total of 1,304,795.

As of June 6, 2017, their consolidated report showed that 3,116 drug suspects have died during operations while a total of 2,340.74 kilos of shabu estimated around P12.19 billion were seized.

“In the spirit of transparency and public interest, I earnestly hope that by providing these updated figures, we will have a better appreciation of the drug situation in the Philippines. I also hope that PDEA and our counterparts from law enforcement and other agencies will have more allies which will help save our country and our youth from the devastating effects of illegal drugs,” the PDEA chief said.

Aside from PDEA and PNP, agencies involved in the anti-illegal drugs

operations are the National Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of the Interior and Local Government, among others.

Late last month, the collective efforts of these agencies also resulted in the discovery of a drug warehouse in Valenzuela where 600 kilos of shabu worth P6 billion were recovered.

The consignee of the contraband, identified as Fidel Dee, a Filipino, was arrested during the operation while the lessees of warehouses identified as certain Jhu Ming Jyun and Chen Min, both foreigners, were able to escape but were charged with violations of Republic Act 9165 (The Comprehensive Dangerous Drug Act of 2002).

Lapeña said the huge haul of shabu was the result of the continuing support of the people in the community and the revitalized cooperation and collaboration between Chinese and Philippine drug law enforcement authorities following the state visit of President Rodrigo Duterte to China on Oct. 16 to 21, 2016.

FESTIVE COLORS. Motorists and pedestrians pass under multi-colored umbrellas along a portion of Estrada St., in Manila’s 5th district on the eve of the feast of St. Anthony de Padua. Ey Acasio

INDEPENDENCE DAY FAIR OFFERS 100,000 JOBS

By Vito Barcelo OVER 100,000 job opportunities will be offered in various job and business fairs nationwide in commemoration of the 119th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said.

“A total of 680 participating employers will bring with them 123,330 local, overseas, and government jobs in the 21 Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan [TNK] job and business fairs to be held in 14 regions throughout the country,” he said.

Bello urged jobseekers to take advantage of the

employment facilitation service that the DoLE is bringing closer to the public.

He also reminded applicants to bring the following application requirements: resume or curriculum vitae (bring extra copies for multiple job applications); 2 x 2 ID pictures; certificate of employment for those formerly employed; diploma and/or transcript of records; and authenticated birth certificate.

The top local jobs with the most number of vacancies are: customer service representative; production worker/factory Worker, production helper; production machine operator; sales associate professional/ sales clerk/sales representative; call center agent;

Police Officer (PO1) (CARAGA); service crew; cashier; quality control Inspector; merchandiser; marketing assistant; kitchen staff; salesman; Accounting Assistant; Intelligence Officer (Government) (CAR); Retail and Sales Agent; Technical Support Representative, sewer; company driver and staff nurse.

He said overseas employment is also open.

“The Independence Day job and business fairs replicate the Trabaho, Negosyo, Kabuhayan [TNK] initiative of the DoLE and the Department of Trade and Industry [DTI], which aims to bring employment opportunities and entrepreneurship at the grassroots level,” Bello added.

NAPOLCOM ACCEPTING APPLICANTS FOR PESE

By Joel E. Zurbano THE National Police Commission has started accepting applicants for the Police Executive Service Eligibility (PESE) Written Examination for Police Commissioned Officers of the Philippine National Police which will be held on Aug. 13.

The filing of application starts June 9 to July 24 and the examination will be conducted in Metro Manila, Cebu City and Davao City. The examination is open to qualified uniformed members of the PNP with the ranks of Police Chief Inspector and above with permanent status of appointment.

Napolcom vice chairman and executive officer Rogelio Casurao said the PESE is an eligibility requirement for promotion to the third level ranks of Police Senior Superintendent, Police Chief Superintendent, Police Director, Police Deputy Director General and Police Director General.

The Written Examination focuses on six categories namely—job knowledge, leadership competency, communication skills, analytical/logical reasoning, values and emotional quotient.

“The PESE eligibility process has two phases—Written Examination and Validation Interview, and con-

tains analytical questions on police leadership and police values in order to get the best future leaders or the cream of the crop in the police service,” Casurao said.

He added that passers of the Written Examination are eligible to take the second phase which shall be announced after the release of the Written Examination results.

Former Special Action Force trooper Police Supt. Wildemar Tan Tiu, a BS Civil Engineering graduate and member of the Philippine National Police Academy Sambigkis Class of 2003, topped the list of passers in last year’s PESE for the third level ranks.

DROPOUT RATE STILL ALARMING —SOLON

By Maricel V. Cruz A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Saturday assailed the government for failing to curb the worsening outof-school and dropout rates, with 4.8 million children staying idle, working in the farm or begging in the streets in 2016.

ACT Teachers party-list France Castro said the dropout rate, representing an 11-percent increase in five years, comes in the wake of government’s full support for the voucher program of the Department of Education and the Conditional Cash Transfer doleout scheme to encourage school attendance.

Citing the latest participation rates from DepEd, Castro said elementary school-age children who are not in school more than tripled from around 431,000 in 2011 to 1.4 million in 2015.

"The number of high school-age youth not enrolled from first to fourth years decreased but remains high at 3.4 million in 2015," Castro said.

"Moreover, the completion rate for high school declined during the same period, with 1.9 million, or more than a fourth of the enrollees, dropping out in the middle of the school year," she added.

Non-completion in elementary school was halved but about 2.3 million still left before graduation, indicating that poverty may have compelled the children to abandon school.

Castro also noted the wide gaps between elementary and high school enrollments (91.05 percent and 68.15 percent in 2015, respectively) indicate that a significant number of those in elementary do not go on and finish high school.

While nine out of 10 elementary school-age children are enrolled in elementary, enrollment in high school dropped to only around seven out of 10, Castro said.

“We attribute low enrolment and high drop-out to the alarming shortage of public schools, especially high schools, and the insufficient budget for their maintenance and operations,” Castro claimed.

“With 36,492 public elementary schools and only 7,677 high schools, children in four to five elementary schools will have to cram themselves into a single high school. This means clas srooms bursting to capacity, worsening learning and teaching conditions, and eventually compelling students to drop out," Castro said.

Castro added that while almost all barangays in the country have at least one elementary school, high schools are found mainly in urban areas and population centers only, with the ratio still at one high school for every five barangays.

“Students in rural areas take the worst hit. Transportation costs and long travel—hazardous in many cases—to the nearest high schools contribute to students being discouraged to continue their education. That’s why we see Grade 6 completers not enrolling in or dropping out of high school,” Castro said.

BONSAI LOVERS.

Senator Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate agriculture and food committee, congratulates the Philippine Bonsai Society for promoting livelihood opportunities during the PBS-National Bonsai Exhibition and in celebration of their 44th anniversary in Taguig City. The event kicked off with a ribboncutting ceremony led by the senator. Villar encouraged the group to also teach and conduct training at the Villar SIPAG Farm School on bonsai production that can be a source of extra income, livelihood or business opportunity.

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SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 Adelle Chua, Editor

Opinion

Joyce Pangco Pañares, Issue Editor

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

O

POP GOES THE WORLD

A SHINING EXAMPLE

NE day in November, we woke up to the news that the mayor of a Leyte town had been gunned down inside his cell.

Members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Region VIII said Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. had tried to put up a fight while they were serving him a warrant. Another inmate, Raul Yap, was also killed.

We were incredulous that somebody already jailed to face drug charges slapped against him would have within his person weapons with which he could harm others, or at least defend himself.

But CIDG regional chief Superintendent Marvin Marcos and his team wore a smugness all throughout that period, even during the Senate investigation on the matter, and even when Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa tried to relieve him of his post.

Dela Rosa was later on overruled by “higher authority”—who turned out to be no less than President Rodrigo Duterte.

That Senate committee supported the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation that the killing of Espinosa had been premeditated.

The Justice Department had recommended the filing of murder charges for the 19 cops involved in the Espinosa slay—only to step back and downgrade the charges to homicide, instead.

The resolution said the DoJ “cannot speculate or even assume that there was evident premeditation as nothing in the records could prove the same.”

Given what we have heard so far, we do not know how there could

JENNY ORTUOSTE

BAY AREA BOOKFEST MAGIC

not be any premeditation in Espinosa’s killing. Then again, these are lawyers that can make arguments and offer evidence either way, depending on what suits the purposes of their clients.

But what are our purposes, really? We need to be assured that while this administration clamps down on the drug menace, it does so in a manner that is efficient but lawful.

Unfortunately, what keep resounding in our heads are the words of the President who committed to pardon policemen in the event they are found guilty of crimes committed in the name of the war against drugs.

We have not yet thoroughly addressed these concerns— it so happened that one problem kept emerging after another. While we do have to encourage our cops to do their best in protecting the people from the ills of illegal drugs, this latest message from the Justice Department and from the President himself just emboldens them the wrong way.

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WHEN THE STAKES ARE HIGH LONG STORY SHORT ADELLE CHUA

PART 1 ON JUNE 2, 42-year-old Jesse Carlos went to Resorts World Manila, set the casino tables on fire, tried to steal chips, and then went into a room and killed himself. Thirtyseven other people died of smoke inhalation. The incident dealt a black eye on the

Philippines’ reputation as a gaming/tourism destination. It is now being investigated by Congress, in an effort to address the lapses observed during the unfortunate incident.

The footage provided by Resorts World showed Carlos going on what seemed like a rampage. We saw him during his last mo-

ments. Watching him, we wondered: What was going on in his mind?

Eventually we learned that he was one of 398 “problem gamers” in the exclusion program of the Philippine Gaming and Amusement Corp. Carlos’ name was put on the list at the behest of his family. He Turn to B2

SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA—“Books are a uniquely portable magic,” said Stephen King, and I’ve been enchanted by stories ever since I was a toddler.

Among my favorite events are book festivals. When I moved to a Northern California suburb last year, I knew I would miss the big Manila bookfests crammed with publications from local and international publishers. So when I found about an annual book festival near our area, I made sure to go.

The Third Bay Area Book Festival was held the weekend of June 3 and 4 at Downtown Berkeley, and promised to host “200 authors, 100 lit sessions, and 10 films” as well as a free street fair with 200 exhibitors.

I went on the Saturday. I’d never been to Berkeley, and I had to make the trip alone. It turns out it was easy to get there via BART; I got off at the Downtown Berkeley station and emerged onto Shattuck Avenue, from where it was a short walk to the outdoor event grounds at the Civic Center Park.

The event was held on a sunny, breezy, spring day, perfect for strolling around in a t-shirt. The beautiful weather ensured a good turnout; I saw many families with young children enjoying the day. Unlike the Manila bookfair, which is indoors and hosts a massive array of books, goods, and people, the Bay Area Bookfest, housed in tents, had a community vibe.

The free (no admission fee) street fair showcased sellers of books, magazines, and craft items on the streets around the park. Lectures and talks, which required tickets, were held in the park and in other nearby venues.

The small, local presses and selfpublishers had the majority presence.

It was great to see them take the opportunity to distribute their books to a wider audience.

Books from the big publishers were available at the booths of area bookstores including Half-Price Books, Point Reyes Books, Green Apple Books, and Pegasus Books. I had hoped to see the Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Bookstore represented, but alas, they did not participate.

It was heartwarming to see quite a few children’s book publishers and authors there interacting with the youngsters who came up to their booths. One tent had a chalk art area where kids drew on the pavement, while another booth had storytelling. There was an area with actual (small) colorful carnival rides and booths where you try to hit something and win a prize.

Elsewhere at the fest there was a balloon man who twisted colored balloons into flower and hat shapes, and a talented jazz band that entertained passersby. For the hungry, there were food trucks (a big thing here in the Bay Area) hawking an international array of dishes: ice cream, sweet crepes, pupusas, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, potato knishes, shawarma, falafel. I ended up having sushi for supper at a nearby restaurant.

The Bay Area Bookfest also hosted a few vendors offering creative writing courses, and groups of writers looking for like-minded folk to join them: Mystery Writers of America NorCal, Sisters in Crime, Horror Writers Association, and the San Francisco Area of Romance Writers Association.

I made purchases at the Friends of the Berkeley Public Library booth, where discounts were heavy for pre-loved books. At another booth, I grabbed a copy of Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero’s Journey,” about “the origins and functions of myth, the role of the artist, and the need for ritual to the ordeals of love and romance” (from the back cover). Because it’s all about story, it always has been.

I guess the moral of this piece is, “Just do it.” It was my first trip to Berkeley, and I made it alone, but it was worth it. Walking down unfamiliar streets, sharing the cool air with fellow booklovers, seeing books everywhere so appreciated, it was magic. I look forward to more precious, sunny days like this.

Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Follow her on Facebook: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, Instagram: @jensdecember, @artuoste

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WHEN...

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had been fired from his job at the Finance Department for issues with his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. He had incurred P4 million in debt. He had separated from his wife.

Pagcor’s Code of Practice defines a problem gamer as an individual affected by gambling to the point of no longer having normal control or rational judgment, leading to problems in other areas of the gambler’s life.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders V, the authority in mental health, has a stricter definition of what constitutes gambling addiction. It lays down the following behaviors: 1. Needs to gamble with increasing amounts of money in order to achieve the desired excitement.

2. Is restless or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop gambling.

3. Has made repeated unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop gambling.

4. Is often preoccupied with gambling (e.g., having persistent thoughts of reliving past gambling experiences, handicapping or planning the next venture, thinking of ways to get money with which to gamble).

5. Often gambles when feeling distressed (e.g., helpless, guilty, anxious, depressed).

6. After losing money gambling, often returns another day to get even (“chasing” one’s losses).

7. Lies to conceal the extent of involvement with gambling.

8. Has jeopardized or lost a significant relationship, job, or educational or career opportunity because of gambling.

9. Relies on others to provide money to relieve desperate financial situations caused by gambling.

It’s a mild condition when four or five criteria are met; moderate when six or seven are present; severe when there are eight or nine. *** What is not usually known is that because such a condition can be diagnosed, it can also be treated.

The husband-and-wife team of Ces and Junjun Gonzales has been helping run The One Algon Place in Barangay Mamatin, Cabuyao, Laguna since 2004. It was put up by Junjun’s father, Rudin, who unfortunately passed on at age 66 just a few weeks ago.

Algon Place enjoys two licenses—as a drug rehabilitation facility and as a psychiatric treatment center. Gambling addiction falls under the second category unless the gambler is also a drug dependent.

According to the Gonzaleses, the ideal treatment for a pathological gambler is anywhere between six months and one year in a facility. This usually begins with two full weeks of observation, where the patient’s history, family background, previous illnesses and medication, and the root of the addiction is discussed. This is usually the most difficult phase—patients are known to bang their heads on the walls or curse/threaten the staff. Beyond this, treatment is provided in four aspects: Biological, psychological, social and spiritual. There are sessions with counselors, group activities, various kinds of therapy like sports or the arts, and regular dialogue with family.

The role of the family cannot be overemphasized, according to Ces. These are the people who decide that their family member needs the intervention. Most likely, they have suffered the consequences of the gambling addiction. The gamblers squander family resources, refuse to provide for minors’ needs, and often even put at risk savings and investments that would otherwise secure their future.

Since it is the families who commit the individual to the facilities, it is they who also request that their family member be released. There was one instance when a patient manipulated her family into thinking that she was already treated after just a few weeks. When she got out, she went back to her ways—including stealing from her parents just to sustain her gambling.

This cycle went on until she stayed long enough to be treated properly—and just this year, she was among the passers in one of the most difficult licensure examinations in the country.

Gambling presupposes a difficulty in controlling one’s impulses. Again, Ces emphasizes the role that families play. Children between the ages of 11 and 13 must have their values in place already, because after that, they will be exposed to all kinds of temptations outside the security of their homes. If they are raised without the proper guidance, they can become unable to control their urges and fall into a life of crime.

Tragically, even senior citizens can gamble their life’s work away if they are not able to keep themselves in check. Junjun talks about an elderly man who has pawned off the family home to support his vice. Fortunately for him, his enlightened children— one of them the entrepreneur behind a popular clothing line—work together to intervene and prevent him from throwing away all that he has toiled for.

Another couple in the US discovered gambling later on in life, just prior to their retirement. The problem is that they were not able to control their impulses such that they lost every asset they produced during their active years. They even sold off the property they left behind here in the Philippines. They died paupers.

Continued next week

LET THE PUBLIC UNDERSTAND HOW SCIENCE WORKS

By Pecier Decierdo LATELY, there has been a crisis in confidence in experts. To scientists’ dismay, a surprisingly large number of people today don’t believe that climate change is real and that human activity is causing it, that genetically modified foods are safe, that vaccinating children is advisable, that drug dependence is most effectively dealt with as a health issue rather than a criminal issue, and so on.

I understand how scientists and other experts feel. I experienced this dismay more than once. However, my experience with this lack of trust in scientific findings suggests the following antidote to the public misunderstanding of science— treating members of the public as indispensable partners in the process of science. More specifically, this can be done by explaining to the public how science actually works.

One time, after a planetarium show I was hosting ended, a member of the audience came up with what felt were leading questions that suggest he was hostile to the idea— the conspiracy, as he viewed it—that the Earth was round.

I gently explained to him, and the rest of the audience, that the best if not the only reasonable explanation

for what we see when we look up into the night sky is that we’re looking out from a round planet. I even used the planetarium to virtually fly us to different parts of the world, to show how the sky looked from there.

He seemed to have been satisfied and convinced by my answer. He thanked me afterwards for my comprehensible explanation.

However, when I checked social media later, I discovered to my dismay that the man’s initially wrong opinion about the shape of the world is a fast-growing anomaly in the Philippines—there is an increasing number of so-called “flat Earthers”— people who think the Earth is in fact flat, in our country.

Why did that man initially doubt the reality that the Earth is round?

Part of the explanation is that people like him lost their trust of the experts—the geologists, astronomers, astronauts, and others—who are all saying that the Earth is round.

This conspiratorial view of expertise seems to be on the rise.

For example, many British people who voted in favor of the United Kingdom exiting the European Union, what came to be known as Brexit, did so despite many experts warning them that such a decision is against their best interest.

During the debate over Brexit,

former British Justice Secretary Michael Gove was quoted as saying that British people have “had enough of experts.” What he wanted to say was that they “had enough of experts from organizations with acronyms saying that they know what is best and getting it consistently wrong,” but he was picked up mid-sentence by his interviewer, and his partial statement was held up to criticism by many people. Surprisingly, the said partial statement earned the support of many who felt that indeed, they had enough of experts.

Similarly, Donald Trump, with the support of many, including a lot of the Americans who voted for him, has decided to pull the United States out of the Paris Agreement despite the strong advice of scientists, economists, politicians, and business leaders urging him against it. In other words, the President of the United States and his many supporters disagreed with the consensus of scientists and other experts—that climate change is a big problem, and that the Paris Agreement is a good start in tackling it.

How do scientists help members of the public distinguish between true experts and charlatans? And how will these experts regain the trust of the public? This circles back to my answer at the start of the piece—make the public understand

how science works.

In other words, make the public understand that scientists are just people. They have biases and can make mistakes. However, because scientists are always skeptical of each other’s claims, especially if those claims are novel and radical, they always try to poke holes in each other’s ideas.

In this dog-eat-dog world of ideas, the only ones that survive are the ones supported enough by the evidence, at least so far, that a majority of people who have dedicated their lives and careers to studying were convinced.

Experts, scientists especially, sometimes risk their careers and professional reputation for the sake of their ideas. Many of their ideas turn out wrong. The very few that ends up convincing many other scientists are therefore the best we can do, at least so far.

The more the public understands the stringent requirements that an idea must pass in order to be considered a respectable scientific fact and the professional risks experts take in making public those ideas, the more they will appreciate experts and their ideas.

Pecier Decierdo is resident physicist and astronomer of The Mind Museum.

MISSING FROM COMEY’S FIREWORKS: TRUMP-RUSSIA COLLUSION

By Leonid Bershidsky JAMES Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee centered on his interactions with President Donald Trump. But, in case anyone has forgotten, the underlying issue being investigated is the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election campaign and the possibility of collusion between the Trump campaign and “the Russians.”

Though Comey wasn’t asked too many questions about it, and wasn’t willing to discuss the investigation itself in a public hearing, his remarks provided a useful, if somewhat disappointing, insight into the US intelligence community’s thinking on these matters.

Comey left no doubt he believed that Russia had meddled with the election: The Russians interfered in our election during the 2016 cycle. They did it with purpose. They did it with sophistication.

They did it with overwhelming technical efforts. And it was an active measures campaign driven from the top of that government. There is no fuzz on that.

Quizzed by Senator Richard Burr, Comey said he believed the Russian government was behind the cyber intrusions into the Democratic Party’s networks, the subsequent publication of the stolen data and the hacking of electronic voter rolls, revealed by a recent National Security Agency leak.

He claimed Russia had conducted “a massive effort to target government and nongovernmental, near governmental agencies like nonprofits”—up to 1,000, or at any rate hundreds, of them. That, he said, was “a long-term practice” of Russian spies, only “stepped up a notch in a significant way in ‘16.”

At the same time, asked whether he was sure no votes cast in the election were altered, Comey said, “I’m confident.”

Comey confirmed that the FBI didn’t independently collect any evidence to connect Russia to the Democratic Party breaches. “We got relevant forensic information from a private party, a high-class entity, that had done the work,” he said, almost certainly referring to Crowdstrike, the cybersecurity company the Democratic National Committee had hired. That firm’s reports about the cyberattack, and other efforts to pin hacks on Russian intelligence services, haven’t always been convincing.

The senators didn’t choose to question that slippery bit of testimony or to ask Comey how he knew about the Russian targeting of hundreds of US organizations during the election. Some of them—above all, Democrats—appear to have decided to accept a Russian intelligence role in the hacks and leaks as fact.

While Burr, a Republican and chairman of the committee, referred to “possible” Russian interference, vice chairman Mark Warner, a Democrat, spoke as if that part of the investigation was already over: “We are here because a foreign adversary attacked us right here at home, plain and simple. Not by guns or missiles, but by foreign operatives seeking to hijack our most important democratic process, our presidential election. Russian spies engaged in a series of online cyber raids, and a broad campaign of disinformation, all ultimately aimed at sowing chaos to undermine public faith in our process, in our leadership, and ultimately in ourselves.”

Perhaps Democratic senators are

satisfied with the classified evidence he’s been given, we just don’t know yet. In any case, they’re making no effort to educate the American public about precisely how Russia’s alleged interference occurred. That has been left to the media and their anonymous sources.

With that out of the way, all that remains for the investigation to establish is whether the Trump team colluded with the Russian government or its agents. On this point, Comey’s testimony held some unpleasant surprises for those who are already convinced that collusion occurred.

The ex-FBI chief made it clear he didn’t consider Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to be an intelligence officer—a claim that has been made about him by unnamed US officials quoted by various media outlets.

Comey said it was not improper for an incoming national security adviser to be in touch with a foreign diplomat.

He also said, twice, that a story in a February issue of The New York Times, headlined “Trump Campaign Aides Had Repeated Contacts With Russian Intelligence” and quoting unnamed officials, was gravely flawed. And he stated that closing the investigation into former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s contacts with Kislyak wouldn’t be likely to impede the overall investigation into Russian interference; the two investigations, he added, were “touching but separate.”

All of these statements, strewn throughout the testimony, paint an intriguing picture. At least while Comey was still the FBI director, investigators apparently didn’t see Flynn as a key figure in any putative Trump-Russia plot. Nor did they have much evidence

of communications between Trump surrogates and Russian intelligence, otherwise Comey wouldn’t have denied a newspaper report that specifically talked about such communications. He has proved reluctant to discuss other newspaper reports.

Combined with Comey’s confirmation that, during his tenure, Trump himself wasn’t the subject of a counterintelligence investigation, this means the collusion part of the inquiry hasn’t turned up much of interest so far. Comey also revealed in his written testimony that Trump had told him he’d welcome any findings about members of his team, another indication that he’s confident that this particular line of investigation doesn’t lead back to him.

The lack of substance in the collusion narrative must be why the Comey hearing was so overwhelmingly centered on Trump’s alleged attempts to ensure the FBI chief’s loyalty and a respite for Flynn. The senators are happily looking under the spotlight of Comey’s memos about his meetings with Trump because it’s easier than digging around in the dark of the disappointing collusion inquiry.

As I feared, the investigation—at least the part of it that’s run by the Senate Intelligence Committee— appears to be losing its focus on the fundamental issue of whether Trump accepted Kremlin help in winning power. No matter how damning Comey’s testimony seems, the nature of the questions he was asked should be reassuring to Trump. If his enemies try to get him for anything less than cooperation with Russian spies, it will always look like just another polarizing, partisan attack rather than a serious effort to protect US national security against a hostile power. Bloomberg

THERESA MAY’S DISASTROUS FAILURE Bloomberg Editorial Board UK PRIME Minister Theresa May’s election gamble has failed disastrously. The consequences are dire for her party and government, and could be equally bad for her country’s relationship with Europe.

May had hoped to increase her Conservative majority in Parliament, and instead has seen it wiped out. The Tories are the largest party in the House of Commons and with the support of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionists intend to form a government.

Directing policy and passing legislation, however, will be vastly harder than before.

This would be a serious problem under any circumstances, as

With Brexit talks looming, the UK is without a fully functioning government.

Britain’s previous experience with hung Parliaments suggests. But these aren’t just any circumstances.

Brexit talks were due to start in 10 days. May’s effort to prepare for that challenge has left her plans, such as they were, in shreds.

The immediate prospect is great political disorder and maximum economic uncertainty.

Such is the humiliation of this setback that May might

soon choose—or be forced—to resign. This offers no relief. The task of finding a new leader would only add to the chaos, and there’s no obvious successor capable of uniting the party. But if she hangs on, the question of if and when she goes will linger.

Her authority is irretrievably diminished.

It’s possible, in some alternative universe, to see a way forward.

With power in the Commons more evenly divided, the need for crossparty consensus increases. On the biggest and most urgent issue, Brexit, cooperation between the Tories and the Labor opposition shouldn’t be unthinkable: Both parties agree that Brexit should go forward, and neither wants to revisit

the decision. There’d be some hope of uniting the country around the goal of a friendlier separation from Europe.

Unfortunately, the Labor Party of 2017 is not the centrist party built

by Tony Blair in the 1990s. It is a hard-left party whose organizing principle is militant opposition to Tory rule—and the antipathy is mutual. At the moment, the willing cooperation vital to rescuing Britain from this impasse is all but impossible to imagine.

It will take some time for Britain to absorb the implications of this extraordinary, and in many ways bewildering, election. Another vote, perish the thought, may be the only way to dispel the descending paralysis.

World BODIES FOUND AS MYANMAR SCOURS SITE OF CRASH DAWEI, Myanmar—Myanmar navy ships battled high winds on Saturday as they scoured the storm-whipped Andaman sea for wreckage from a military plane crash, bringing another body to shore as scores remained missing.

The Chinese-made Shaanxi Y8 aircraft was carrying 122 people, including children and other relatives of servicemen, when it disappeared while flying along Myanmar’s southern coast on Wednesday.

Navy vessels and local fishing trawlers have fought fierce monsoon weather as they search for bodies and traces of the plane.

A military vessel pulled another corpse from the waves on Saturday morning, bringing the number of retrieved dead to 33 as the search effort stretched into a fourth day.

“A military ship retrieved a new dead body,” the army chief’s office said in a statement.

One man’s remains were also found late Friday while most of the other bodies were brought to shore on Thursday before severe monsoon weather set in, hampering search efforts.

Hundreds of distraught relatives have flocked to Dawei for mass cremation ceremonies, with desperate families waiting for news of those still unaccounted for, as hopes fade of finding survivors. AFP

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CHINA CONDEMNS EU FOR NEW STEEL DUTIES B

EIJING—China has condemned the European Commission for imposing new antidumping duties on its steel products, accusing the EU’s executive of making China an industrial scapegoat.

The 28-nation bloc said on Friday that it would levy duties of up to 35.9 percent on Chinese hot-rolled flat steel in an attempt to create a level playing field with China as it broadens its campaign to protect Europe’s struggling steel manufacturers.

The EU alleged China, which makes more than half the world’s steel, has flooded global markets in violation of international trade

agreements.

According to the EC, Chinese producers benefit from preferential lending, tax rebates and other financial help that allow exports to the EU at artificiallylow prices.

But China said the bloc’s action stemmed from a misunderstanding of China’s financial loan system and trade trends.

“The European Commission

ignores the fact that China’s steel exports to Europe clearly declined in 2016, using China’s steel overcapacity as an excuse to claim that China’s hot-rolled flat steel products threaten to damage industry in the EU when that is mere speculation with little bearing on reality,” Chinese commerce ministry official Wang Hejun said in a statement Friday.

“China strongly questions the legitimacy and legality of the European Commission’s ruling.”

The EU has had a series of trade disputes with China, its secondlargest trading partner, but is also seeking to resolve the stand-off over steel with Beijing through the OECD, the Paris-based group

of developed economies.

In January, the Commission imposed anti-dumping duties on China’s stainless steel tube and pipe butt-welding fittings.

Like hot-rolled flat steel, the products are commonly used in shipbuilding as well as energy and construction.

Wang noted that China has not only refrained from subsidising steel exports, but also adopted several measures to control them.

“It is biased and unfair for Europe to blame China for its own industrial issues,” he said.

“Unjustified accusations and reckless trade rescue measures will not help to solve the problem.” AFP

DUTCH ARREST ‘RADICAL’ FILMING OUTSIDE STADIUM MUSIC CONCERT THE HAGUE, Netherlands—A Dutch man was arrested filming outside one of the country’s largest stadiums during a concert, police said Saturday, adding he was known to authorities as being possibly radicalized.

The 29-year-old was arrested late Friday outside the Philips Stadium in southern Eindhoven where popular Dutch pop singer Guus Meeuwis was performing.

It comes just a few weeks after a suicide bomber killed 22 people on May 22 at the end of a concert in Manchester by US singer Ariana Grande.

“Officers saw the man late Friday, behaving suspiciously at one of the stadium’s entrances,” Dutch police said in a statement.

“He was filming and had no reasonable explanation for what he was doing, and also had no ticket to the concert,” Eindhoven police added.

The man, from Amsterdam, was also “known to police due to possible radicalization... so it was decided to detain him.” AFP

POLANSKI RAPE VICTIM ASKS JUDGE TO CLOSE CASE FROM 1977 LOS ANGELES—An American woman raped by filmmaker Roman Polanski as a teenager four decades ago pleaded with a California judge on Friday to end the case so she could move on with her life.

Samantha Geimer, who was 13 at the time of the assault in 1977, said she has been serving a 40-year sentence that has kept a cloud over her and her family.

“I would implore you to consider taking action which would finally bring this matter to a close as an act of mercy for myself and my family,” the 54-year-old told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon, reading from a statement.

“I do not want to have to explain to my granddaughter why she can’t go outside or answer the phone, or why there are cameras outside the home and eventually what happened to her nana in 1977,” she said.

Geimer’s testimony marked the first time she has appeared in court in the drawn-out case involving the 83-yearold Oscar-winning filmmaker, who fled to his native France in 1978 and has been engaged in a legal battle to avoid further jail time if he returns to the United States.

Geimer, who now lives in Hawaii and was accompanied to Friday’s hearing by her husband of nearly 30 years, told the judge he could explore various avenues to settle the matter, including dismissing it, sentencing Polanski to time served or recalling an international arrest warrant against the director. AFP

SWINGING IT. A Chinese woman rides a lighted swing during a party in Beijing on Friday. AFP

JAPAN’S MAEZAWA NEW GODFATHER OF ART

TRAPPED. A Yemeni man looks at the rubble of houses destroyed in a suspected Saudi-led coalition air strike in Sanaa on Friday. Four civilians, including two teenagers, died “in a strike by the coalition that targeted a civilian house behind the presidential palace in the south of the capital,” a medical source said. AFP

TOKYO—With a single post on Instagram, Yusaku Maezawa announced not only his purchase of an $110.5 million Basquiat masterpiece, and his place in auction history, but arguably signalled a new era for art in Japan.

The price, a record for the artist, is reminiscent of 1980s Japan when corporate big-spenders splashed out on Impressionist art – along with foreign property and businesses – in an asset-buying spree.

But billionaire Maezawa insists he is just an “ordinary collector” – despite his extraordinary bank balance. His purchases are born out of love and driven by gut instinct, rather than the instructions of any art advisor.

“I buy simply because they are beautiful. That’s all. I enjoy classics together with the history and stories behind them, but possessing classics is not the purpose of my purchase,” he told AFP. Rather than squirrel away his latest purchase – Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 “Untitled”, a skull-like head in oil-stick, acrylic and spray paint on a giant canvas – he plans to loan it out to galleries worldwide.

“I hope it brings as much joy to others as it does to me, and that this masterpiece by the 21-year-old

Basquiat inspires our future generations,” he said after the New York sale last month.

The 41-year-old’s style is a step change from the corporate image of Japan’s traditional art collectors who possess paintings as investment tools or to cement their social status.

Paper tycoon Ryoei Saito, who bought Vincent Van Gogh’s “Portrait of Dr. Gachet” in 1990 for $82.5 million, then a record, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Bal du Moulin de la Galette” for $78.1 million, famously triggered outrage when he said he would have the canvases put in his coffin and cremated with him when he died. He later recanted.

“Many Japanese rushed to buy paintings for investment during the bubble economy,” said Shinji Hasada, an official at Shinwa Art Auction, of the 1980s and 1990s boom period.

Customs figures showed works of art valued at $246 million were imported in 1985, but the figure shot up to $3.4 billion in 1990.

But many of the bubble-era masterpieces were sold off in a fire sale when the Japanese economy collapsed. Today Japan’s art collection market has shrunk to around one20th of its peak, Hasada explained.

AFP

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SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

World

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

TRUMP SAYS ‘100% READY’ TO TESTIFY UNDER OATH

‘CRACKPOTS.’ A television presenter stands outside 10 Downing Street in London on Saturday holding a copy of The Daily Mirror newspaper with the headline “Coalition of Crackpots” the day after the general election resulted in a hung parliament and British Prime Minister Theresa May forming a minority government. AFP

POST-ELECTION TEST FOR EMBATTLED MAY

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ONDON—British Prime Minister Theresa May was expected to hold her first cabinet meeting on Saturday in an early test of her hopes of forming a stable government after a crushing election setback.

Facing demands to quit after her electoral gamble failed, May on Friday scheduled an early weekend meeting of her governing circle in an apparent bid to reassert authority and project stability.

But the firestorm of criticism continued unabated early Saturday after May announced she would keep her ministerial team unchanged and planned to stay in power with the aid of a small Northern Irish party.

Media commentators agreed she had been badly damaged, and some predicted she and her strategy for Brexit could struggle to survive.

“May fights to remain PM,” the Daily Telegraph headlined. “Tories turn on Theresa,” said the proconservative Daily Mail. The Times wrote: “May stares into the abyss.”

The tabloid Sun said succinctly: “She’s had her chips.”

May was interior minister for six

years before rising to premier in the political chaos that following last June’s Brexit referendum.

She has vowed to steer Britain unerringly out of the European Union, unwinding a complex economic and institutional relationship that has developed over 44 years.

After inheriting a 17-seat overall majority in the House of Commons, May in April announced a snap election three years ahead of time, declaring she needed a stronger hand in the Brexit haggle.

That move, by a vicar’s daughter who styled herself as pragmatic and risk-averse, stunned the country.

May was initially forecast to be on course for a landslide.

But cracks in her campaign-trail performance began to show, and

widened with a bad tactical misstep she made on health care for the elderly.

Those flaws were skilfully exploited by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, a veteran grassroots activist who hammered away at May as cold and uncaring.

Polling day on Thursday delivered a slap to May, leaving her eight seats short of the 326-seat mark for an overall majority.

Forced into minority government, May is reaching out to Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which won 10 seats, in the hope of forging a working majority.

But any deal between the two parties has yet to be announced, and details of how they may cooperate remain sketchy. AFP

MERKEL URGES SPEEDY BREXIT TALKS AFTER UK VOTE MEXICO CITY—German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Britain Friday to quickly launch Brexit talks with the European Union after Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a harsh election setback.

“We are ready for the negotiations. We want to do it quickly, respecting the calendar,” Merkel said during a visit to Mexico.

She said talks with Britain on its withdrawal from what will now be the 27-member EU would start “in the coming days.”

“We were waiting for the election in Britain, but in the next few days these talks will begin. We will defend the interests of the 27 member states, and Britain will defend its own interests,” she told a press conference.

“At the same time, we say that we want to remain a good partner to Britain. Britain is part of Europe, even if it will no longer be part of the European Union.”

May, who became prime minister after Britain’s June 2016 referendum on leaving the EU, called the election three years early in a bid to strengthen her hand in the looming Brexit negotiations.

But in a catastrophic setback, the bet failed and she lost her overall majority.

May’s pitch to the eurosceptic rightwing of the Conservative Party has nudged Britain closer to a “hard Brexit,” in which it may cut ties with Brussels at the cost of damaging itself economically by losing access to the lucrative single European market, say analysts.

European Council President Donald Tusk also warned there was “no time to lose” in starting the negotiations.

“We don’t know when Brexit talks start. We know when they must end. Do your best to avoid a ‘no deal’ as result of ‘no negotiations’.”

EU budget commissioner Guenther Oettinger, meanwhile, warned that May was now likely to be a “weak” negotiating partner, which could also be bad for Europe. AFP

ALBUM LAUNCH. Katy Perry, with singer Sia, hosts ‘Katy Perry: Witness World Wide’ exclusively on You Tube in support of Witness album launch on Friday in Los Angeles, California. AFP

WASHINGTON—United States President Donald Trump punched back Friday against James Comey, accusing the ousted FBI director of lying about their private conversations -- and saying he is “100 percent” willing to testify under oath.

Comey delivered scathing testimony a day earlier in a highly anticipated Senate hearing, saying Trump sought to derail a probe into one-time national security advisor Michael Flynn -- at best, a political miscalculation, and at worst a criminal obstruction of justice.

Trump was addressing reporters at the White House for the first time since Comey’s explosive appearance, in which he branded the president a liar and said he believed he was fired over his handling of the FBI probe into Russian election meddling.

“Yesterday showed no collusion, no obstruction,” Trump said in reference to the twin controversies dogging his administration -- accusations his aides colluded with the Russian effort to tilt the vote, and that he sought to block

BRAZIL’S TEMER STILL IN POWER— FOR NOW BRASÍLIA, Brazil—Brazilian President Michel Temer defied predictions of his imminent political demise when a court acquitted him on charges of having won election thanks to dirty money.

And after Friday’s vote in the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), he promptly went on the offensive in his battle to survive additional corruption accusations.

Despite being branded by opponents a political “zombie” and likened to characters from “The Walking Dead” television series, the scandal-plagued president’s acquittal in the TSE showed he still has plenty of political life.

The TSE judges voted 4-3 against stripping Temer of his mandate on the grounds that the 2014 presidential election was contaminated by undeclared campaign donations and bribes.

That clears him to serve out the rest of his term to the end of 2018.

Dissenting judges painted a grim picture of the way Brazilian corporations seek to buy politicians in Latin America’s biggest country. AFP

‘ANGELS’ FIGHT GAY HATRED 1 YEAR AFTER SHOOTING ORLANDO—Shocked by the slaughter at Florida’s Pulse nightclub one year ago, Jen Vargas joined an organization called the Angel Force and was soon wearing wings made of sheets to help shield the LGBT community from anti-gay hatred.

A gunman named Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 53 others when he opened fire inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, on June 12, 2016.

Police shot and killed Mateen – who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group before the carnage – after a three-hour standoff.

The bloodbath was top news around the world for days.

“Right after Pulse happened, it hit me incredibly hard,” Vargas, 39, said as she strapped on wings of white fabric attached to her body with PVC tubing at a recent memorial event.

“It was offensive, it was maddening, it made me very sad.” AFP

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SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net

MORE FILIPINOS NOW PREFER LUXURY ITEMS

Robinsons Land Corp. president Frederick Go (left) receives the Real Estate Personality of the Year Award at this year’s PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards from Property Report magazine editorin-chief and publisher Liam Aran Barnes.

ROBINSONS EXECUTIVE WINS AWARD

AFFORDABLE LUXURY.

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Angel Yang, president of Kohler, kitchen and bath division, in Asia Pacific

By Othel V. Campos

T

HE expansion of the economy, along with the rise of the Filipino middle-class, fuels the growth not only of local companies but also of multinational firms that have a presence in the country.

One of them is Kohler Co., a 144-year-old US company that sells so-called “affordable luxury” products such as bath fixture and other bath masterpieces that can complement the aspiration of the country’s growing middle class.

“The Kohler company has been in the Philippines for over 30 years now. Some say our products are very expensive. I must agree with that, but with our recent promotional strategy, we have considered to focus on the Philippines, adding the higher middle class as another growth area for us here. We are here to provide the right amount of luxury to the Philippine market,” says Angel Yang, president Kohler, kitchen and bath division in Asia Pacific.

Kohler was named after the company’s founder, John Michael Kohler, who purchased a foundry in Wisconsin in 1873. It is also the name of a village in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin.

Kohler K&B business started in the Philippines in the 1980s. It established a legal entity under Kohler Asia Pacifc Ltd. Philippines in 2012.

As a Kohler executive, Yang has visited the Philippines several times particularly during company meetings and sponsorship events on utilitarian art.

Yang says Kohler has a strong association with art and it has its own museum back in Kohler, Wisconsin, a village created by the long standing success of Kohler as an

American brand. It is where the company is headquartered.

“We associate Kohler with art. We started our art campaign in the US 39 years ago. Our company represents art in every product we make. This is now how we see the company, not just what we produce but an appreciation of how well we chose the art that gives life to our products,” says Yang.

Time and again, Kohler has represented the art of making bathroom products.

Yang says one of Kohler’s best product lines - Veil is all about “effortless” experience.

This line is a modern set of fixtures bordering on futuristic technology like the automatic toilet seat where apart from the automated buttons, the seat itself opens and closes upon sensing movements of the user complete with sanitized flushing technology.

The company is also intent on producing products using deep-cut technology to address conservation needs of the future, she says.

Another innovative line is the Kohler Artifacts bathroom faucet collection that features the state-of-the-art physical vapor deposition process, giving faucets a rich luster that resists scratching, tarnishing and corrosion.

“These are among other products that we introduced to the market lately. As a global leader in the manufacture of luxury kitchen and bath products, we always seek to break the mold of conventional bathroom and kitchen fixtures,” Yang says.

Kohler has four appointed distributors in the Philippines with as many as 44 showrooms.

There are about 39 showroom operated by Wilcon Depot, three by Dexterton Corp., one

by Filmon Finishing Studio and one by Sanitec Import Ventures Inc. In 2017, Kohler felt the need to add eight more showrooms in Quezon Ave., Bacolod, Butuan, Cabanatuan, Cagayan de Oro, Iloilo, Tacloban and Silang, Cavite.

Yang says the company aims to expand its footprint in the Philippines by forging partnerships with home and hotel developers.

“Our mission is to contribute to high level living for those people to experience our products.

The Philippines is more of the strategic market for us. It is a very important market.

We are putting in a lot of focus in terms of resources and support since we are very excited about Kohler’s future in this market. We see ourselves as a total bathroom solution partner, not only in terms of product but of service as well,” she says.

Yang says the Philippine market, although price-sensitive, is also brand conscious and likes anything and everything American. Filipino consumers also pay attention to aesthetic details as well as functionality.

“The trend we see in the Philippines is more of being responsible in the use of resources like water conservation. We see this a form of social responsibility. They start paying attention to sustainability like water conservation. This is an evolving trend. And we are moving high fast in this area. We have products that address this specific need,” Yang says.

She says to grow in the Philippines for another 50 to 100 years, Kohler must build a sustainable model. “ That is why we need to understand consumer behavior, the local culture. How we can provide tailor-made services and products into this market. Brand awareness or brand building is an idea that came to our minds as one of the factors that will help us sustain growth in the Philippines,” she says.

Kohler is creating a synergistic approach to growing the business through retail and by contracts with developers.

Kohler believes that the company continues to grow with the Philippine market, hence its optimism to expanding in Mindanao.

ROBINSONS Land Corp. affirms its reputation as one of the most trusted and diversified full-line real estate developers in the country with several citations in various categories during the recently concluded 5th Annual PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards held in Fairmont Hotel, Makati City.

One of the highlights of the evening was the Real Estate Personality of the Year award given to Robinsons Land president Frederick Go, as chosen by the e d i to r s o f Pro p e r t y R e p o r t Magazine. Over 250 leaders, executives and key personalities in real estate lauded the industry awardees for their excellence in project development, marketing and sales, design, quality and in other aspects.

Robinsons Land received the Best Residential Interior Design award for The Sapphire Bloc mixeduse condominium development in Ortigas Center, Pasig City; the Best Residential Architectural Design – Highly Commended award for its Radiance Manila Bay condominium project at Roxas Boulevard; and the Best Retail Development award for its Robinsons Galleria Cebu Mall in Cebu City. The company also received two special recognition awards, Sustainable Development as well as in Corporate Social Responsibility.

“We want to leave a legacy of having improved the quality of life of everyone we have touched in our businesses, whether they are a mall customer or partner, an occupant in our office buildings, a hotel guest or a homeowner,” Go said in a statement. “We are building the business of building dreams and making life better.”

The PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards is part of the regional Asia Property Awards program established in 2005.

With a professionally run awards system supervised by BDO, the world’s fifth largest auditing and accountancy firm, the Philippines Property Awards is the biggest and most credible industry awards in the archipelago, with the top and emerging names in real estate celebrating the best developers, projects and designs in Mega Manila, Cebu, Davao and emerging resort destinations.

KING SISIG EMBARKS ON EXPANSION THROUGH FRANCHISE PACKAGE AFTER posting a strong growth in the past five years, King Sisig is opening more investment opportunities for aspiring food entrepreneurs via its franchise business package.

As it eyes further expansion in urban and provincial markets this year, King Sisig is offering potential partners a lucrative franchise venture backed by proven business methods and years of experience. With a unique fast-casual restaurant concept that offers accessible, budget-friendly choices for consumers, prospective King Sisig partners are assured of high return on investment and less than three years payback period, says Fernando Iso, assistant vice president of King Sisig Royal Foods Corp., the company behind the sisig food chain.

“We are looking forward to welcoming new partners who wish to become part of our ‘royal’ family, a homegrown food chain that takes pride in serving affordable delicious sisig meals in different variants and other budget-friendly merienda fares in various accessible points in and around the metro,” says Iso. King Sisig product offerings include Lechon Sisig, Crispy Liempo Sisig, Pork BBQ Sisig, Beef Tapa Sisig, Chicken Sisig, Seafood Sisig, Bangus Sisig, King Chicken Meals, Sisig Rice Meal, Sizzling Sisig Meal, Sisig Pancit Chicken, Ice Milk, among others.

The sizzling meals come with sunny side-up egg and unlimited rice whileKing Sisig meals are served with soup of the day. The meals are upgradable to include drinks and a side dish of Veggie Sisig Lumpia,

which can also be had ala carte.

“What makes King Sisig a great franchise option is its winning combination: a bold brand that’s relentlessly hungry to dominate the sisig category and a dynamic business model that provides genuine financial rewards to our franchisees,” says Iso. A King Sisig franchise package ranges from P4.5 million to P5.5 million (depending on the size of the restaurant that one wants to operate), inclusive of the P500,000 franchise fee. On top of brand use and operational rights of a fast-growing fast food branch, the amount also covers turn-key branch construction/documentation costs, rental deposit and advance rent (for leased locations), equipment, furniture and other fixtures, initial merchandise and packaging and other contingencies.

Business

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SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 business@manilastandard.net

MOST FILIPINO BABIES BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK —PSA STUDY MOST Filipino babies were born out of wedlock in 2015, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

The PSA made the conclusion based on certificates of live birth (Municipal Form No. 102) that were registered at the Office of the City/Municipal Civil Registrars all throughout the country.

Data show that of the 1,744,767 live births registered in 2015, more than half (909,783 or 52.1 percent) of the babies were born out of wedlock. In Metro Manila, babies born out of wedlock comprised 63 percent of total live births.

Babies born to teenage mothers (207,830) were higher than those babies sired by teenage fathers (52,789). Moreover, babies sired by fathers aged 50 years old and over (28,460) were far greater than babies born to mothers of the same age group (367) (See Table 5).

From left: Schneider Electric Philippines chief finance officer for Philippines and Taiwan Junmin Shen, Schneider Electric Philippines human resource head Tes Portillo, Go Green in the City 2017 Philippines winners Iliana Tan and Aaron Del Rosario, Schneider Electric Philippines president Claude Mazallon and Energy Undersecretary Arwin Ardon.

DLSU STUDENTS DESIGN ALTERNATIVE COOLING SYSTEM

In Metro Manila, babies born out of wedlock comprised 63 percent of total live births.

Mothers at age group 20 to 24 recorded the highest frequency of live births (498,927 or 28.6 percent).

On the other hand, fathers aged 25 to 29 were recorded to have sired the highest frequency of live births (424,115 or 24.3 percent).

The median age for women that gave birth in 2015 was 29, while most men became parents at age 33.

The PSA said the number of registered live births showed a decreasing trend in the last three years. The number declined 2.5 percent from 1790,367 in 2012 to 1,744,767 in 2015.

“However, this does not mean that the number of babies born in the country is on a decline, as some may have not yet been registered during the reglementary period of 30 days after the event occurred,” the PSA said.

On the average, there were about 4,780 babies born daily in 2015 or about 199 babies born per hour or three babies per minute.

More males (910,877 or 52 percent) were born than females (833,890 or 48 percent) which resulted in a sex ratio of 109 males per 100 females.

Go Green in the City 2017 Philippines winners Iliana Tan (left) and Aaron Del Rosario of DLSU-Manila

By Katrina Delos Santos and Jamie Andrea Turalba

T

WO students from De La Salle UniversityManila who proposed an alternative cooling system for high-rise buildings have emerged as the national champions in the Go Green in the City competition organized by Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management and automation.

Go Green in the City 2017 is the 7th edition of the ultimate global student competition, where par ticipants offer innovative solutions to solve real-world business challenges.

D L S U ’s Te a m G r e e n z o n e , consisting of mechanical engineering student Aaron del Rosario and chemical engineering major Iliana Tan, beat the teams from the University of the Philippines and Technological Institute of the Philippines in the national finals in

Taguig City on June 7.

The competition encourages students majoring in Business or Engineering to create a project that promotes the use of renewable energy. The competition is open to all participants from around the world.

Del Rosario of Team Greenzone says their project, which intends to tap the power of the sun, can provide an alternative solution to the cooling system powered by traditional electricity sources.

“We found out that the cooling solution is something really aligned to our field, so we tried to work on that,” he says.

Del Rosario says what makes their project different is “the integration of different technologies” to create a cooling solution. “We try to integrate different technologies and focus on their strengths and key functions to make up an idea that is strong,” he says.

Team Greenzone will represent the Philippines in the regional finals where they will compete with teams from other Asian countries.

Schneider Electric Philippines president Claude Mazallon cites the importance of the competition in terms of contributing to energy efficiency. “[The Go Green in the City competition] is a fantastic career activity. It’s really refreshing [and] it gives a lot of hope. People have ideas, solutions exist. In itself, it already gives a positive message,” he says.

Mazallon says the competition promotes awareness among the youth on the necessity to save energy and build a better future.

“There is no better way [but to] try to make them develop awareness,” he says.

“It’s a very different stuff when you get involved into a context where you have to find the solutions. When you spend a month [in a project], they are very committed and dedicated so they really spend their energy to come up with interesting solutions,” says Mazallon.

He says whatever the participants do in the future, they will never forget the experience of joining the competition because this is a type of advocacy they will carry around all their lives.

Schneider Electric Philippines human resources head Tes Portillo says Go Green in the City serves as an avenue for the youth to

share their ideas in solving today’s challenges of global energy.

“Every year, we will do the Go Green in the City competition because this is a great platform to really hear about the innovative ideas and at the same time, [to] have an opportunity to get to know young, bright [and] talented Filipinos that we should all be proud of,” she says.

The grand winner of each region—North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Indian Subcontinent, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States, Greater China and Asia Pacific—will compete in the global leg of the competition.

The announcement of the 12 regional finalists, including eight regional winners, three wildcard finalists and an all-female group, will be on Aug. 7.

The grand finals and awarding ceremony will take place in Paris, France on Oct. 9 to 13, 2017.

A team from Ateneo de Manila University won first place in the global finals in 2013 for Oscillohump, a device that absorbs and stores energy generated from cars going through speedbumps while a team from Polytechnic University of the Philippines grabbed the third prize of the global competition in 2015 for Electrifilter which generates electricity as it cleanses waste water.

Energy Undersecretary Arwin Ardon who attended the 2017 national finals took the opportunity to discuss the energy plans of the Duterte administration and recognized Schneider Electric for encouraging the youth in creating solutions for energy efficiency.

“It’s really a part of the DoE’s [goal] to encourage our young students to do the inventions of today, especially things related to energy,” Ardon says.

MOBILE APP ACTS AS ONLINE PERSONAL CONCIERGE A MOBILE app, designed by Singaporebased techpreneurs in 2011, is now in the Philippines and serves as an online personal concierge and delivery service.

It is an all-in-one on-demand lifestyle platform that saves time by handling chores for users. A market research in Singapore finds that it takes people four hours to complete their weekly grocery runs. In Hong Kong it takes about two and a half hours.

With the unresolved traffic issue in Metro Manila, the delivery service is a welcome alternative to driving out, looking for a parking spot and lining up at the checkout counter in order to bring bulky groceries home.

The app was developed by techpreneurs Joel Sng, Isaac Tay and Jonathan Low who set out to revolutionize how mundane daily tasks are accomplished in a modern urban setting. It is now present in key Asian cities Singapore, Taipei, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Niseko and Tokyo.

In the Philippines, the online grocery service is available in Makati, Fort Bonifacio, Ortigas, Quezon City (Katipunan

and Eastwood) San Juan, Mandaluyong, Pasig (Kapitolyo and Valle Verde), and Pasay City (Roxas Blvd - Buendia) One of the keys to the start-up’s phenomenal growth is that it teamed up with industry leaders such as Robinsons Supermarket. This is where their trained concierge handpicks the freshest produce and the premium grocery items according to the customer’s specifications, at same-store prices.

The app is set up in a way that the user feels like he or she is doing the actual shopping to meet his or her standards and product satisfaction, with the concierge even able to make substitution suggestions to ensure customer satisfaction.

The service on the app is customercentric, and there is room to leave specific instructions for the items to be purchased. Deliveries, which are marked for two hours, are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, subject to store operating hours, including weekends and public holidays.

There is a flat rate concierge or shopper fee of P150. Free delivery is offered for a minimum spend of P1,500. Otherwise,

From left: Eric Bataga, honestbee operations manager for hrocery; Mia Subido, honestbee head of business development; Crystal Gonzalez, honestbee country manager; Robina Gokongwei-Pe, president and chief operating officer of Robinsons Supermarket; Patricia Ann Famador, e-commerce head of Robinsons Supermarket; and Jody Gadia, general manager of Robinsons Supermarket.

a delivery fee of P99 applies. Mode of payment options are COD (cash on delivery) or credit card.

“Robinsons Supermarket’s partnership with honestbee presents us with an opportunity to even be much closer to our customers,” says Jody Gadia, general manager of Robinsons Supermarket. “They now have an option to do their grocery shopping with ease through their mobile phones or desktops and still expect the same high-quality, fresh and healthy food and products from our supermarket to be delivered at their doorsteps.”

Robina Gokongwei-Pe, president and chief operating officer of Robinsons Supermarket says “this is just the first step in making Robinsons Supermarket’s products and services readily available to everyone.”

Honestbee.ph. also launched its additional concierge services for laundry pick-up and delivery (including drycleaning) and soon, delivery from its premium partner restaurants.

The app is available for free download on App store or Play Store.

Sports

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SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 randyproject@yahoo.com

IN SEARCH OF THE NEXT STAR SPIKERS

Young ladies try their spiking skills under camp director volleyball superstar Michelle Gumabao.

M

ICHELLE Gumabao, one of the most noted names in women’s volleyball circuit, has always been passionate about teaching children the rudiments of the sport that has allowed her to enjoy life to the fullest.

The Fil-American Gumabao was a member of the De Le Salle University team that won three consecutive titles in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) women’s volleyball.

She was finals Most Valuable Player in the UAAP season 75 before completing her eligibility in the league and graduating with a degree in marketing.

She is not done yet. Gumabao will continue hitting the net as he sees action for the newly formed team United VC in the Philippine Super Liga (PSL) 2017 season.

And while in active play, she can also share her skills and talents with young girls.

“It is something for them to enjoy and syempre gusto lang talaga naming i-share sa kanila yung mga natutunan namin dati from our coaches,” said Gumabao during the graduation day for participants at the University of Baguio in Baguio City.

As camp director of the Alaska Volleyball Powercamp, she can also instill the values of discipline, hard work, team work and sportsmanship.

The Alaska Power Camp made the most out of the summer months for kids to engage in different sports instead of being hooked on TV, computers or video games at home.

“To encourage them, to push

By Lito Cinco

them, to make them confident enough, to step them out of comfort zone, a lot of these kids hindi nag-iisports, I’m so happy na they trusted us and they came here to try out volleyball,” Gumabao said.

Alaska Volleyball Power Camp encourages children who are not really exposed in sports to participate and enjoy an active lifestyle.

“We really target those who don’t know how to play and those who are just starting to play. So yung mga advanced, meron kaming coaches in Manila, handling advanced team, as we all know these players are part of varsities already,” the PSL player said.

“We’re trying to teach them the discipline na kailangan naming iperfect yung basic, because that’s what volleyball is all about,” she reiterated.

Exemplifying its commitment to nation building through proper nutrition and sports, Alaska celebrated Milk Month as it held the annual Alaska Volleyball Power Camp at the University of Baguio.

Gumabao admitted that training will need a lot of hard work and patience and it will pay dividends later on.

Aside from volleyball, the Powercamp also featured basketball clinic under Camp Director Jeffrey Cariaso, an assistant coach of the Alaska Aces who won several championships with the Aces in

Michelle with two outstanding students of the Alaska Volleyball Powercamp at the University of Baguio

the Philippine Basketball Association, including a rare grandslam in 1996.

Football camp director Tomas Lozano facilitated the training camp at the Benguet State University pitch.

The Alaska Powercamp has designed a training program for children six to 18 years old to cultivate young athletes’ potential through a series of school and open clinics.

It also seeks to help these young talents form the habit of getting the right nourishment by drinking milk and through leading a healthy and active lifestyle – which is the thrust of Alaska.

According to the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), obesity has become one of the most pressing nutritional issues of Filipino children today with

about five in 100 Filipino kids who are overweight.

Alaska emphasizes the need for children to start leading healthier, energetic and nutritionally-balanced lifestyles through programs like the Alaska Powercamp to entice kids to put down their gadgets and pick up a sport instead.

“We have instilled these values in them because this is what real champions are made of,’’ said Cariaso.

Prior to the Baguio finale inside the Philippine Military Academy, the Alaska Basketball Powercamp was also held at the Ateneo de Manila in Quezon City, Subic, Lucena, Batangas, Bacolod and Cebu that encouraged more children to embrace the sport and discover the advantages of a healthy lifestyle at a young age. Randy Caluag

SOUTHWOODS, VILLAMOR OPENS WITH A BANG IN LUZVIMIN GOLF MANILA Southwoods, out to reclaim the crown it lost to Del Monte last year, got on the right track as it pooled a 176 to set the pace in the Champion Infinity Luzvimin golf tournament at the Mimosa Golf and Country Club in Clark, Pampanga last Thursday.

Annika Guangco and Lora Roberto shot identical 46 Molave points, Claire Ong added 44 points while Ma. Rafaela Singson chipped in 40 points as the Carmona-based squad took a seven-point lead over Del Monte in the Diamond division of the 54-hole tournament sponsored by Champion Infinity.

The defending champions assembled a 169 on a pair of 47 points from Pamela Mariano and Martina Miñoza while Rhea Langamin and Sophia Abarcas backed them up with 38 and 37 points, respectively, while Forest Hills-Nicklaus stood at third with 165 and Negros Occidental shot a 161 and Camp John Hay had a 126 in the premier division of the event marking a milestone 25th staging.

Sharing the spotlight in the event backed by Lexus, Metro Pacific, CranUTI, Great Depot, Inc. Srixon and Vermogen and organized and conducted by the WGAP were Elisa Thoburn of Villamor, who scored a hole-in-one on No. 16 using a pitching wedge and a Honma golf ball, while Southwoods’ Ong made an ace on the 102-yard No. 8 of Mountainview, also with a pitching wedge and Bridgestone 2.

Villamor I took charge of the Emerald division with a 158 as Terry Fasol and Shiela Ward each fired 44 points and Marie Guerrero and Nora delos Santos turned in 36 and 34 points, respectively. They seized a six-point lead over Valley Golf, which shot a 152 on Joy Sevilla’s 42 points, Inez del Rosario’s 40 and the 36 and 34 points of Violy Pegels and Cielo Fregil, respectively.

Orchard I carded a 150 for third while Camp Aguinaldo, Manila Southwoods Legends and Alabang had 142, 137 and 136, respectively, in the event held in Luzon for the first time.

A wild finish loomed in Ruby Division with Pueblo de Oro pooling a 128 for a one-point lead over Manila Golf (127) with Forest HillsPalmer just two points farther back with a 125.

Julianne Borlongan shot 37 points, Gladys Opitz had 35, and Alethea Gaccion and Chit Lastimosa each carded 28 points for Pueblo de Oro while Lorna Tabuena sizzled with 44 points to place Manila Golf, which also drew a 39 from Marit Yuchengco and 23 and 21 from Cheon Myounghee and Michiko Graf, respectively.

Corazon Atienzo fired a 34, Ma. Consuelo Conti had a 32 and Sohan Uy and Natividad Toribio added a 31 and 28, respectively for Forest Hills. Bacolod stood at 112 while Tagaytay Highlands groped with a 107 and Apo turned in a 104.

Villamor 2, on the other hand, paced the Pearl Division with a 110, nine points ahead of Alabang 2, as Bea Tronco shot a 32, Mary Anne Reyes chipped in a 27 and Glo De Villa and Marthy Fernando added a 26 and 25, respectively.

Baguio moved to third with a 95 followed by Orchard 2, Negros Occidental and Victorias with 92, 91 and 90 points, respectively.

INDOOR TRIATHLON, ANYONE?

PRESENTLY, people can only imagine the sport of triathlon as being done outdoors.

Now, there’s an indoor triathlon venue for active individuals or even competitive athletes for their training.

Located at the heart of Bonifacio Global City’s SM Aura, this multi sport zone will serve as perfect venue for triathletes without heavy traffic and inclement weather.

Credit goes to Fitness First, which has been operating in the Philippines for the past 15 years, and headed by its Country Manager Mark Ellis, himself a hard core triathlete.

And to introduce the event for the first time, Fitness First held the first ever individual indoor triathlon competition that had three national triathletes and three club members participating.

Carrying the flag for the Triathlon Association of the Philippines( TRAP ) were SEA Games gold medalist two years ago Claire

Adorna, together with Mark Hosana and Wacky Banigued, top aspirant for a slot in the Youth Olympic Games ( YOG ), while facing them were former national triathlete Kaye Lopez, Jamie Ramirez, and Myk Jamistoso.

For the venue, it was at the second floor of the 2100 sq.m. facility of Fitness First at SM Aura, with a swimming pool that can accommodate six triathletes at the same time, and state of the art stationary bikes for spinning and treadmills, all adjustable to simulate road conditions.

It goes without saying that an indoor triathlon venue like this offers a higher safety environment, particularly on traffic and carbon monoxide emissions, no rain or bad weather, no difference between day or night, National triathlon coach Angelo Lozada, one of the guests at the event, also pointed out that for coaches like him, in terms of training, he can easily monitor the performance of his wards at 100% level as he can see them train throughout the session.

Another advantage that he sees is that

it makes it easier for working triathletes, particularly busy executives, to squeeze in the needed training time whether it is only for an hour or a couple of hours.

Another national coach, many-time national champion Ani de Leon-Brown said that based on what she saw, indoor triathlon is good and exciting and comes close to an actual outdoor triathlon in terms of intensity but without some uncontrolled factors of an outdoor race.

Going back to the competition, with Hosana bucking a stoppage of his bike when the plug was accidentally pulled by onlookers, came up with a 4.4K completed distance in the bike, then literally run away in the run leg with 1.37 kilometers for a total of 6.6 cumulative distance to take first place.

Banigued finished second with a total of 5.66 kilometers while in third place was club member Ramirez at 5.55 kilometers.

Jamistoso took 4th place ahead of Adorna as he completed 5.44 kilometers in the given time.

The bike participants at the stationary bike

C4

Sports

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

3-ON-3 OLYMPIC HOOPS THRILLS US LEADERS

NO SWEEP! LeBron James (23) of the Cleveland Cavaliers moves the ball away from Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter in Game 4 of the 2017 NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavs won, 137-116, in Game 4 to stay alive and deny the Warriors a 4-0 sweep. AFP

CAVS TO DUBS: YOU CAN’T CELEBRATE HERE

C

LEVELAND—Talk from the Golden State Warriors about popping champagne corks and celebrating an NBA title on Cleveland’s court for the second time in three seasons inspired Kyrie Irving to do something to prevent it.

Irving scored 40 points and LeBron James added 31 with 11 assists and 10 rebounds to power the Cavaliers over Golden State 137-116 Friday, averting what would have been a historic win and NBA Finals sweep for the Warriors.

Golden State still leads the best-of-seven title series 3-1 and can claim the trophy at home on Monday. But the loss snapped the Warriors’ NBArecord 15-game playoff win streak and denied them the league’s first unbeaten playoff run.

“You hear some chatter going on throughout the Warriors locker room in terms of them trying to end it here, and it was another do-or-die game for us, and we had to leave it all out there,” Irving said.

“It’s part of the game, I understand that. But we knew what we were faced with. Then you add some chatter in there, and that adds some extra motivation.

“And you give us a day in between and we were ready to come out. Especially me, because that taste wouldn’t have been the same if we would have lost tonight and they would have celebrated on our home floor. So I’ll just leave that at that.”

Irving hit 15-of-27 shots from the floor, going 7-of-12 from 3-point range to set the pace for a finals record 24 3-points on 45 attempts.

But it was his extra motivation that caught the notice of James.

“I didn’t hear it, but some of the other guys heard it and told me that they wanted to celebrate on our floor once again and they wanted to spray champagne in our locker rooms,” James said.

“I think it came from Draymond (Green, a Warriors forward), which is OK, that’s Dray anyway.”

Zanieboy Gialon holds his trophy after snapping a three-year title drought with a convincing six-shot victory at ICTSI Calatagan Challenge.

Cleveland Cavaliers fans gather at The Quicken Loans Arena to watch Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors in Cleveland, Ohio. Cleveland, the defending NBA Champions, came back to win 137-116 and force Game 5 in the series. AFP

James shrugged off unbeaten runs and celebration talk and just kept his mind on the moment.

“I didn’t stress anything besides just live in the moment,” he said. “We have a great opportunity to give ourself another opportunity to keep going. We came out and this was as close to a 48-minute game as we played in the post-season. It was big for us.”

Irving said he scans social media for such slights as premature celebration talk.

“We’re in the finals. Everything is accessible.

Social media is everywhere. It raises the bar, especially the attention that goes on with it,” Irving said.

“So we see everything. I’ll be sitting up here lying saying that I didn’t see it. But I relish in that

challenge. I know my teammates do as well.

Definitely heard the chatter.”

Curry said the Warriors will be ready to answer the Cavaliers raising their game.

“We got to find our edge and respond,”Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “So all that chatter and stuff is neither here nor there. It’s whatever you need to get yourself ready to play.”

Green warned that extra motivation is little help at this stage.

“Winning a championship is enough motivation.

All the antics and stuff don’t really matter. That’s water under the bridge,” Green said. “If you need extra motivation to go close out in five, you’re screwed, because that won’t be enough motivation.” AFP

CLEVELAND—Excitement abounds in basketball’s birthplace about the fast-paced 3-on-3 version of the game being added to the Olympic lineup Friday by the International Olympic Committee.

With roots in Harlem’s legendary Rucker Park playground games and the Gus Macker series that has toured US cities for 30 years, 3-on-3 has reached a renaissance that includes an eight-team US pro league tipping off in two weeks and Olympic status starting at Tokyo in 2020.

“USA Basketball is excited that 3-on-3 basketball has been added to the 2020 Olympic Games,” USA Basketball chief executive Jim Tooley said, adding: “3-on-3 is a great way to develop the sport and expand it to parts of the world that might not otherwise be active in basketball.”

While American teams of NBA and Women’s NBA stars have dominated the familiar 5-on-5 version of the game on the Olympic stage, 3-on-3 offers nations with less depth the chance to compete at a global level much as Rugby Sevens does in its realm.

“It is a popular and growing sport,” Tooley said. It’s non-stop, fast-paced, high energy and an exciting version of the game.”

The NBA has conducted 3-on-3 events around the world, including stops in Brazil, China, Philippines, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Italy, Germany and France.

“Today’s announcement by the IOC to include 3-on-3 basketball in the 2020 Olympics is great news and continues to signify the growing popularity of basketball around the world,” said NBA deputy commissioner and chief operating officer Mark Tatum.

The Dew NBA 3X Tour, the first nationwide US elite 3-on-3 competition, is in its second year with events from May to October in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, Washington and San Francisco.

“The last few years, we have made a major push in 3-on-3 basketball with our nationwide Dew NBA 3X tour and several international 3-on-3 competitions and the Olympic stage will provide these elite athletes with the opportunity to further demonstrate their talents,” Tatum said.

‘What fans want’ Former NBA standouts Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups are among players in the new Big3 league, where eight teams play a round-robin schedule of tournaments, four games each night in various cities with playoffs and a championship.

“We would like to commend the Olympics for making 3-on-3 basketball, the most played sport in the world, an official Olympic sport,” Big3 co-founders Ice Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz said in a statement.

“This decision reconfirms our gut instinct that 3-on-3 basketball is what sports and entertainment fans want to see.”

The Big3 tips off on June 25 at New York’s Barclays Center.

World governing body FIBA had 3-on-3 in the 2010 Singapore Youth Olympic Games and in the 2014 edition of the event in Nanjing, China, the sport now becoming the first Youth Olympic discipline to be included in the Olympic program. AFP

GIALON COASTS TO 6-STROKE CALATAGAN WIN ZANIEBOY Gialon snapped a threeyear title spell by winning the ICTSI Calatagan Golf Challenge crown yesterday, leaning on a strong start and a stronger finish to beat Jhonnel Ababa by six on a closing 67 at the Calatagan Golf Club in Batangas.

Two birdies in the first four holes kept Gialon away from erstwhile pursuer Tony Lascuña’s reach and the diminutive shotmaker pulled away at the back with three more birdies on his way to blasting his more illustrious fellow Davaoeño rivals and nailing his fourth career victory in the P2.5 million event sponsored by ICTSI. It was the first lopsided victory in this year’s circuit marked by one-shot triumphs and a playoff finish with

Gialon anchoring his emphatic win on a brilliant third day 66 that netted him a three-shot lead over Lascuña and a near-impeccable final round effort for a 16-under 272 total worth P450,000.

“I expected to win after going 3-up in the third round. I knew it would be difficult for them (Tony and Jhonnel) to give chase,” said Gialon, who came into the event brimming with confidence following a sixth-place effort at ICTSI Manila Southwoods and a tied for fifth finish in the Philippine Masters revival at Villamor last month.

“I knew I’d contend this week since I’ve been playing and hitting the ball pretty solid. And I think Calatagan best suits my game,” said Gialon, who also

cited the support of Transview Callaway’s Kit de Chaves and Wack Wack Federation Team’s Marlon Dizon.

Ababa, who shared the halfway lead with Gialon, rebounded from a disastrous third round 73 with a 66, rallying from joint fifth to solo second at 278 worth P320,000 in the event organized

by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. Lascuña failed to flash his vaunted final round charge with poor putting, finishing with two birdies against the same number of bogeys for a 72, ending up third at 280 while Jun Bernis fought back with a 68 to snatch fourth place at 281. They received P180,000 and P140,000, respectively.

Rufino Bayron, the other player in the

championship flight, failed to sustain a third round 67 with a 73, dropping to joint fifth at 282 with Clyde Mondilla, winner of the last two Philippine Golf Tour events, who rallied with three birdies in the last eight holes for a 70.

Each took home P102,500.

Jay Bayron settled for a 72 for seventh at 283 while Gerald Rosales birdied the first two holes and wound up with a 70 to finish eighth at 284 and James Lam and Orlan Sumcad shot 67 and 70, respectively, to tie first round leader Guido Van der Valk of the Netherlands, who fired a 69, at ninth at 286 in the event backed by BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT.

D1

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017

Jimbo Gulle, Editor

Roger Garcia, Issue Editor

LGUs

mslocalgov@gmail.com

MANILA TAKES IN 34 MARAWI STUDENTS

By Sandy Araneta

A

T LEAST 34 students who escaped from wartorn Marawi City have been enrolled in different public schools in Manila, Mayor Joseph Estrada confirmed on Friday.

Estrada said this number may still grow because of the extended enrollment period, but he assured that Manila public schools are ready to accommodate more displaced schoolchildren not only from Marawi but also from other conflict areas in Mindanao.

“I have advised our teachers and principals to give the best that they can offer to these displaced students,” Estrada said. “In whatever armed conflict, these children are often the most affected and vulnerable, so we have to help them.”

Citing reports from the Division of City Schools-

Manila, Estrada said 34 Marawi children have been accepted in various public high schools and elementary schools as classes resumed Monday, June 5.

The City of Manila has 33 public high schools and 73 elementary schools across the city’s six districts.

Manila Schools Superintendent and Department of Education-National Capital Region officer-in-charge Wilfredo Cabral said public schools in the city can still accommodate “a hundred more” transferees.

“Our schools have not yet reached their maximum absorptive capacity, meaning to say, we can accommodate, especially displaced children from Marawi,” Cabral pointed out.

As instructed by Education Secretary Leonor Briones, Cabral said DepEd-NCR has temporarily relaxed its documentary requirements for the Marawi enrollees until the end of the month.

He assured that the city government and DepEd are doing everything they can to assist these affected students and their families given the experience they had.

The Marawi students are currently undergoing evaluation and psychological assessment.

“The reason why we’re identifying them is that we would like to know their psychological and mental state so we could find out what kind of assistance we can give to them,” Cabral explained.

“We don’t know yet if they were caught in crossfire or they have managed to leave Marawi before the hostilities started. We still have to assess them,” he added.

The DepEd official said the most these students need is counseling to help them adjust to their new environment.

In a press briefing last Monday at the President Corazon Aquino High School in Baseco Compound, Manila, Briones said some 20,000 school-age children were displaced from Marawi due to the ongoing armed conflict between government troops and members of the terrorist Maute group.

She added 1,391 students from Marawi have enrolled in other public schools, mostly in the nearby cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, and even in Quezon City and Manila.

Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista receives from Assistant Secretary and Civil Defense Deputy Administrator for Operations Rodolfo Demosthenes Santillan the award for the country’s third best disaster risk reduction management council for the highly-urbanized city category during the 18th Gawad Kalasag National Awarding Ceremony on Thursday at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. Manny Palmero

COUNCIL OF ELDERS HELPS IN DRUG WAR RECOGNIZING the value of their wisdom and lifelong experiences, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada gathered on Friday more than 80 senior citizens, mostly retired professionals and long-time city residents, to help the city government wage war against drugs.

Estrada believes that by having the senior citizens go down to the barangays to speak about the evils of drug addiction, many people, especially the young ones, will listen and heed their advice.

“When our lolos and lolas preach, we really tend to listen because we respect them, we value their words, and we know that they care,” Estrada said. “For this reason, we have asked our elderly to become our partners in our drug prevention campaign.”

Estrada personally welcomed the first batch of more than 80 sexagenarians and septuagenarians who have volunteered to take part in a drug prevention and anti-illegal drugs training program led by the Office of the Senior Citizens Affairs.

Estrada said he is elated by the enthusiasm shown by the elderly in helping the city government fight drugs, a proof that despite their age and physical condition, they are still eager to play a big role in nationbuilding, especially in saving the new generation from illegal drugs.

“They have been our role models, they have done so much for the society, they should have been living a comfortable life after retirement, but they’re still here, willing to spend valuable time and effort to help their country, their city,” Estrada stressed.

Sandy Araneta

GSIS ‘GSP’ LISTUP EXTENDED TO JUNE 23

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QUEZON CITY 3RD IN GAWAD KALASAG NATIONAL SEARCH QUEZON City has placed third in this year’s search for the country’s best highly-urbanized city disaster risk reduction management council or DRRMC. Quezon City represented the National Capital Region for the Gawad Kalasag national competition.

Mayor Herbert Bautista received the award in a ceremony held on Thursday, June 8, at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay.

Quezon City under Bautista has invested a lot of capital to acquire and

Local Gov’t Units

install state-of-the-art equipment and technologies needed to promote human security and in the strengthening of the city’s capabilities and resiliency, especially in times of calamity.

Quezon City also has one of the most advanced Emergency Operations Center in Asia, Bautista said.

“The city has one of the best programs and capacity to address the four thematic areas [of disaster management], for example in prevention and mitigation, we have a lot of infrastructure built by the local government to mitigate the

flood,” Quezon City DRRMC head Karl Michael Marasigan said.

Last December, Quezon City was recognized by the Office of Civil Defense as the best highly-urbanized city DRRMC in the National Capital Region, based on promoting innovation and excellence on disaster risk reduction management and humanitarian assistance.

A five-man validating team formed by the Gawad Kalasag organizing committee assessed Quezon City’s disaster risk reduction and management efforts, composed of representa-

tives from the Office of Civil Defense, League of Cities of the Philippines and Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Quezon City’s disaster risk reduction and management effort is a consolidation of some of the best practices adopted by other local government units.

“Quezon City is far more progressive in disaster risk management and is more pro-active as far as climate change adaptation is concerned,” City Administrator Aldrin Cuña said during the Gawad Kalasag audit.

THE Government Service Insurance System is currently accepting applications for its enhanced GSIS Scholarship Program for Academic Year 2017-2018. The deadline for submission of application is extended until June 23, 2017.

This year, GSIS is offering a total of 400 scholarship slots to children or dependents of active members and permanent total disability (PTD) pensioners with the lowest annual basic salary. Of the 400 slots, 10 percent are allotted for dependents of persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples, and solo or single parents.

Active members may nominate their children or dependents if they are permanent government employees, have at least three-year government service, have a salary grade of 24 or below (or its equivalent job level), and have paid premium contributions for the last six months. PTD pensioners who are below 60 years old are eligible to nominate their children as scholars.

Active members or disability pensioners may nominate scholars if they are college students in any year level in schools accredited by the Commission on Higher Education as Levels IV and III. Active members who are single or married may nominate one child or dependent, while PTD pensioners may nominate their children only.

MUNTINLUPA SETS UP ENGINEERING COLLEGE IN SUCAT Mayor Jaime Fresnedi (inset photo) led the groundbreaking ceremony of Colegio de Muntinlupa last June 6 at Posadas Avenue, Sucat, together with local officials.

Envisioned to be one of the leading technological and research institutions in the country, CDM will be pioneering five engineering programs in 2018.

THE local government of Muntinlupa has broken ground in Sucat for its engineering college, Colegio de Muntinlupa, envisioned to be one of the leading technological and research institutions in the country.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi led the groundbreaking ceremony last June 6 at Posadas Avenue, Sucat, together with local officials, national agency execs, and state university professors.

CDM College administrator Dr. Teresita Fortuna, a former Department of Science and Technology director for the National Capital Region, said the soon-to-rise engineering college will provide topnotch education on science and technology from highlyesteemed faculty and integrated training with top-of-the-line industrial equipment.

Some of the faculty members who will be

teaching at CDM are Dr. Nathaniel Hermosa, the National Academy of Science and Technology’s Outstanding Young Scientist, 2014 Civil Engineering Licensure Exam Topnotcher Harvey Malolos, and professors from private and state universities, among others.

CDM will initially offer five engineering programs: Bachelor of Science courses in Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.

Muntinlupa residents who will be qualified for CDM programs are set to receive subsidy from the city government through the Muntinlupa Scholarship Program, while non-Muntinlupa residents will be paying full tuition.

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

P’SINAN PDRRMO PREPARES FOR RAINS

By Dexter A. See LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office headed by retired colonel Luchinvar O. Oro held a coordinating conference with various member agencies and offices on operational preparedness for the onset of rainy season, dubbed “Oplan Kahandaan sa Tag-ulan.”

Held at the PDRRMO Conference Room in the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center, the conference not only anchored on operational preparedness but likewise tackled updating the equipage of member agencies and offices to give timely and effective responses to the public in times of disasters or calamity.

Oro stated that to be able to develop an effective operational preparedness, there is a need for all member agencies to enhance their capabilities in disaster management through proper information sharing.

He noted that baseline data are required from each agency/office to be included in the upcoming GeoCloud Integrated Information System, which is expected to go full steam soonest.

Earlier, Gov. Amado I. Espino III, along with Oro, Board Member Angel Baniqued Jr., Lingayen Mayor Josefina V. Castaneda, and Dagupan City Mayor Belen T. Fernandez attended a three-day training on 2nd Knowledge Co-Creation Program in Kawasaki, Japan last May 19 to 23, this year.

The training program sponsored by the Japanese company Informatix Inc., in coordination with Japan International Cooperation Agency, aims to support better understanding of the GeoCloud integrated information technology.

The GeoCloud project, which is the first of its kind in the country, will be launched in three pilot areas of Pangasinan, specifically in Lingayen, Dagupan, and Binmaley under Jica’s verification survey, is part of Japan’s efforts in helping improve regional disaster risk and reduction management systems.

Meanwhile, various member agencies were tasked to present reports on different topics during the coordinating conference to include Pagasa Dagupan, which tackled report on Weather 101 and Climate Outlook for May to December 2017.

The PDRRMO likewise requested all member agencies to submit updated list of manpower resources and disaster response equipment for consolidation.

TELEMEDICINE VIA DOH-MIMAROPA

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

individuals in communities that are still exposed to the dangers of the abandoned Marcopper mining site in the municipalities of Mogpog, Boac and Sta. HE Department of Health Cruz. in Mimaropa and the local The MoA was signed with Batangas Medical Center and East Avenue Medical Center at the government of Marinduque Damian J. Reyes Memorial Hospital in Boac, recently signed a Memorandum of Dr. Marinduque on May 30, 2017.

Agreement with two government “The two medical centers are known for their specialization on poison and toxicology, as well as qualmedical centers to provide ity medication, treatment, diagnosis and manageexpanded health care delivery ment of patients. They will serve as referral hospitals for patients from Marinduque,” he added. system through telemedicine Research and assessment conducted by the and establishing a Toxic Disease health department during 1980s and 1990s discovSurveillance System for the ered that high levels of heavy metal poisoning coming from the mining site are still prevalent. province.

“We have responded to the needs of these exDoH Mimaropa Regional Director Eduardo C. Ja- posed communities by conducting physical examinairo noted that with the collaboration, they can nation on the residents through the use of telemednow properly address the medical needs of affected icine, which virtually evaluates them through video

T

GOOD DEED. SM Santa Rosa restroom attendant Merlita Yulo (left) hands over the cellphone of Allyza Shayne Bercero from Barangay Mamatid, Cabuyao, Laguna, which the former found at the mall’s restroom. Bercero was very thankful to Yulo and to SM management for finding and returning her cellphone. Yulo has been working at SM Santa Rosa in Laguna for three years under Triple-7 Manpower Agency. Roy Tomandao

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST PROCUREMENT OF CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2017-2020 HIV & AIDS COMMUNICATION PLAN REI-CS-GOP-2017-015 1.

The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriation Act of 2017 intends to apply the sum of Fifteen Million Philippine Pesos (PhP 15,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payment under the contract for the Procurement of Consulting Services for the Implementation of the 2017-2020 HIV & AIDS Communication Plan. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposal.

2.

The DOH now calls for the submission of eligibility documents for the Procurement of Consulting Services for the Implementation of the 2017-2020 HIV & AIDS Communication Plan. Eligibility documents of interested consulting firms must be duly received by the COBAC B Secretariat on or before June 19, 2017, 9:00 A.M. at COBAC Conference Room, G/F Building 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

3.

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

4.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on June 11 to June 19, 2017 from the address above upon payment of applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Philippine Pesos (PhP25,000.00).

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

The COBAC shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted Expression of Interest, including the eligibility documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”, and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The criteria and rating system for short listing are: a) b) c)

6.

Applicable Experience (55 %) Qualification of Personnel (35 %) Current Workload (10 %)

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of R.A. 9184.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

7.

The Procuring Entity shall evaluate bids using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation Procedure (QCBE). The Procuring Entity shall indicate the weights to be allocated for the Technical and Financial Proposals. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instructions to Bidders.

8.

The contract shall be completed within eighteen (18) months.

9.

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

10.

For further information, please refer to: COBAC B SECRETARIAT Department of Health 2nd Floor, Building 6, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila 1003 Tel. No. 651-7800 Loc. 1625 – 1627; Telefax No. 711-6061 Website: www.doh.gov.ph

(MS-JUNE 11, 2017)

conference,” Janairo emphasized.

Medical expenses of patients referred to the two hospitals, such as hospitalization, treatment and laboratory examinations will be charged to the Medical Assistance Program of the DoH regional office, including expenses incurred in transporting specimens for laboratory examination.

The telemedicine system was the first health interactive system established at the Dr. Damian Reyes Memorial Hospital in Boac, Marinduque on Nov. 26. It has been used for remotely diagnosing and treating patients requiring immediate treatment and care from the province.

Marinduque is one of the five island provinces of Mimaropa, with six municipalities, usually accessible through Lucena City, Quezon via a three-hour “RoRo” boat ride or through a commercial plane with twice-daily scheduled flights from Manila. It costs a patient about P6,000 to P8,000 travel to a hospital of their choice or a tertiary hospital for referral.

‘PH IS SOCIAL WELFARE MODEL’

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

5.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 D2 Standard TODAY Manila

MA. CAROLINA V. TAIÑO, CPA, MGM, CESO IV Assistant Secretary of Health COBAC B Chairperson

BAGUIO CITY—Many countries in different parts of the world want to replicate the successful implementation of a number of social welfare and development interventions being done by the Philippine government in eradicating poverty in the countryside, the Cordillera office of the Department of Social Welfare and Development revealed.

Naet Armas, DSWD-CAR regional director, said among the social welfare interventions being eyed for replication by other countries include the government’s conditional cash transfer program, community-driven development, and the integration of indigenous peoples practices.

Such programs have contributed to improving the living condition of poor families in the rural villages, even with a small percentage of the reduction of poverty incidence, Armas said.

“Many of our counterparts in other countries have been visiting us to study how we were able to successfully integrate IP practices to the social welfare interventions for them to emulate because, in their own experience, IP practices had been a hindrance to the implementation of their social welfare projects,” Armas stressed.

In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations community, Armas said social welfare and development projects of the government could be considered as benchmarks for similar programs of neighboring countries to improve their anti-poverty programs.

Under the CCT program, the government provides financial assistance to identified poor families in the remote communities of the archipelago to make sure their children attend school and for pregnant mothers to regularly visit the health units for checkup.

The community driver development program ensures the active participation of the community people to complete the various projects that they themselves identified as their priority need.

Armas claimed the mere fact that their counterparts visit the Philippines to benchmark the implementation of our social welfare and development programs means the government was able to craft the proper interventions that help in empowering people to help themselves primarily to move them out from the shackles of poverty within a given period of time.

The DSWD-CAR official underscored that in the Asean setting, the government’s social welfare and development programs is unique in that programs of neighboring countries do not have the CCT and CDD, which were crafted to improve the living condition of poor people, especially those who are in the remote villages in the country. Dexter A. See

BULACAN TO ‘RELIVE SPIRIT OF INDEPENDENCE’ MALOLOS CITY, Bulacan— The provincial government of Bulacan, along with hundreds of Bulakenyos, will relive the spirit of true independence during the 119th anniversary of the Philippine Independence to be held at the historic Barasoain Church here on Monday.

With the theme “Kalayaan 2017: Pagbabagong Samasamang Balikatin,” the celebration aims to inspire and depict the great dedication of Filipinos who fought for the welfare of the country and of the people.

“Unity is the main key in achieving personal and national freedom and the government is more than willing to help the citizens in striving to achieve a better nation,” Gov. Wilhelmino M. Sy-Alvarado said.

“Unity is the no. 1 key toward freedom and progress. Similar to what our noble heroes have done, we, in our present times, should be hand-in-hand for a free, progressive and peaceful nation,” Alvarado said.

Senator Loren Legarda is expected to grace the event as the guest speaker.

The provincial government has also lined up activities to celebrate freedom day.

To help Bulakenyos achieve freedom from health issues, the provincial government of Bulacan through Kapitolyo sa Barangay will conduct on Monday a free medical and dental mission that will offer free medicines, X-ray and electrocardiogram tests, haircut, reflexology and massage as well as legal counseling, coinciding the Independence Day celebration.

On the same day, the Provincial History, Arts, Culture and Tourism Office will hold the “Lakbike Turismo: A Fun Ride to the Past 2017,” a noncompetitive bike eco-friendly tour which aims to create a widespread awareness on the value and importance of health and wellness as a lifestyle and to promote travel destinations in the province by using the most environmentally sustainable mode of transportation.

Participants will pedal their way to various historical places in the province including Garden City in Guiguinto; Enriquez House, Nuestra Señora Dela Asuncion Church, Gregorio Del Pilar marker and Marcelo H. Del Pilar Shrine, all in Bulakan; and Isidoro Torres marker, Malolos Heritage District and Barasoain Church in the City of Malolos.

Independence Day (Araw ng

Kalayaan) is an annual national holiday in the Philippines observed every June 12 as a commemoration of the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12, 1898 by President Emilio Aguinaldo.

Meanwhile, in Bustos, Governor Sy-Alvarado and National Irrigation Administration chief Ricardo Visaya expressed satisfaction on the progress of the ongoing rehabilitation of the Angat Afterbay Regulator dam, also known as Bustos Dam, said to be the world’s largest rubber irrigation dam.

According to NIA Central Luzon manager Josephine B. Salazar, the rehabilitation of the Bustos Dam, which started in May 2016, will be finished before the end of July this year.

The governor and the NIA administrator conducted a project site inspection

Wednesday, accompanied by Bulacan Second District Rep. Gavini Pancho, Bustos Mayor Arnel Mendoza and other NIA officials.

Alvarado said he was glad to know that the rehabilitation is pushing through as scheduled.

“Bustos Dam is one of the three important dams in Bulacan. Once the rehabilitation is completed, it will have an increased holding capacity to prevent flash floods.

It will also secure the delivery of irrigation to farmers in 16 towns in Bulacan and four towns in Pampanga, with over 23,000 farmers dependent on it,” he said.

The governor said that brittle rubber gates of the old Bustos dam is like the proverbial sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the people of Calumpit and Hagonoy, the perennial catch basins of backfloods during typhoon season. PNA

TURNOVER.

Pagsanjan Mayor Maita Ejercito (second from right) hands over the key to a multicab to ABC Chairman Reynaldo Almonte of Barangay Buboy (second from left) of the Emergency Response Rescue and Rehab Group. Also in photo are former Laguna governor ER Ejercito (right) and Councilor Jet Ejercito (left) who witnessed the turnover.

Roy Tomandao

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Gadgets & Games

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

SMART SATELLITE SERVICES EQUIP BALANGAY'S VOYAGE

VOLUNTEERS GET BOOST FROM OPERATION SMILE APP

S

OME 600 years ago, Sultan Paduka Batara of Sulu, his family and 300 of his noble followers embarked on an expedition to China to seek a preferential trade deal from the Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.

Today, a group of Filipino adventurers are retracing that voyage on board ancient boats made of wood, called the “balangay”. This will be the continuation of a journey that started seven years ago but was unfinished because of bad weather.

Unlike the Sultan’s group, however, the team led by Environment Undersecretary Arturo T. Valdez— the same team that conquered the world’s highest peak Mt. Everest over a decade ago, will be armed with satellite telephony.

Smart Communications, the wireless unit of the PLDT Group, is providing Valdez and company satellite communications—a Thuraya Atlas IP for broadband connectivity, and four Thuraya XT mobile satellite phones.

“The Smart satellite mobile and broadband device will provide the group with reliable equipment to monitor weather patterns and choose the safest route to China. It will also allow them to stay connected with their families and provide real-time

updates of their location even when at sea,” said Joel S. Lumanlan, head of Smart’s Global Access and International Services.

Seafaring people, country rich in marine sources On board three Balangays, the team recently sailed from Bacolod to Manila, farther north to Poro Point in La Union before crossing the South China Sea to Hong Kong, and then Shanghai.

“Replicating the Sultan’s journey to China down to the ancient boats called balangay will commemorate the 600th anniversary of that historic undertaking,” said Valdez.

“More than the adventure of sailing on a boat as ancient as the balangay, the whole exercise is to highlight that the Philippines is a seafaring nation, and we are a seafaring people.

In fact, one out of three seafarers in the world is a Filipino,” he added.

He also underscored the vast wealth of marine resources found within the country’s territories.

“We should marshal our resources

Sailing for China on board a balangay. A group of Filipinos led by Environment Undersecretary Arturo Valdez has embarked on a journey to China on board ancient wooden boats called balangays. The trip commemorates a historical voyage made by the Sultan of Sulu 600 years ago to forge a preferential trade deal with China.

and enjoin our maritime stakeholders and policy makers to develop and protect our marine resources.

The Philippine Rise, and the Sulu Sea, which is at the heart of the coral triangle are just examples of our rich marine resources,” said Valdez.

Bad weather

Valdez said this trip to China is seen to be more challenging than the one they started, but failed to finish, seven years ago because of the monsoon winds. This time, he said the sea is

even more forbidding, and the heat, scorching.

“The biggest challenge is the weather. We thank Smart for providing us with state-of-the-art equipment so we can get the latest weather updates.

This will help us make decisions that could spell life and death to the members of the team,” added Valdez.

To date, Smart is the largest provider of mobile satellite services in the Philippines complemented by a complete line up of satellite-based solutions.

SKYWORTH, TOSHIBA OFFER NEXT GENERATION HOME VIEWING WITH ANDROID TV SERIES FILIPINOS have always loved sharing television time with friends and loved ones. And with the advent of internetenabled television sets—also known as smart TVs—people today have better and more varied entertainment options than ever before.

Skyworth Digital Holdings Limited (Skyworth), a leading manufacturer of LCD and LED TVs, and Japanese consumer electronics firm Toshiba Corporation (Toshiba) up the ante in the Smart TV marketspace with their line of UHD smart TVs—the Android TV series.

Thanks to both firms, rich, cutting edge viewing is made even more accessible. With the Android TV series—Skyworth and Toshiba are looking to give every Filipino a next generation home viewing experience.

“Many of our fondest memories come from time spent with family in the sala, watching our favorite TV shows and movies,” said Skyworth Philippines General Manager Martin Han.“With smart TVs like the Android TV series, Filipinos have a whole world of entertainment options right at home. And these can now be enjoyed with 4K resolution and top notch sound, at excellent prices.”

The Android TV Series: A Superior UHD Viewing Experience Skyworth and Toshiba’s newest line, the Android TV Series, is

Skyworth and Toshiba’s newest line, the Android TV Series, is equipped with features geared towards elevating the home viewing experience.

equipped with features geared towards elevating the home viewing experience.With 4K Ultra HD resolution at 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, it offers four times the resolution of a full HD television.

IPS LED Display technology provides a viewing angle of 178 degrees and faster response times than conventional monitors. MPEG Noise Reduction and Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) further improve picture quality.

Coming in 50”, 55” and 65”

display models, the Android TV series is a perfect addition to any home with its sleek design combined with modern functionality.

Additionally, a Dolby + DTS sound bar elegantly located below the screen provides cinema-like sound quality to further enhance the home viewing experience.

Android Entertainment

Perfect for tech savvy users, the Android TV Series comes with Android 6.0.1 (Android

Marshmallow) pre-installed, granting access to the full suite of Android entertainment and thousands of apps via the Google Play Store. Users can stream content to their TVs effortlessly via Netflix, Youtube, and Spotify.

Voice Command

The Android TV Series set itself apart with a special feature —Voice Command (powered by Google). With just a push of a button, content is

easily accessed by speaking into the remote mic. Voice Command is perfect for opening apps (Games, Music Apps etc.), searching for movies, changing input/s, and instant Wikipedia.

Even more impressive is Voice Command can recognize 88 different languages (including Filipino). So push a button, and “Just say what you want.”

The Skyworth and Toshiba Android TV Series Smart UHD TV is made for gamers too. Users can dive into single-player, multi-player, online or offline games. Whether casually or serious, Android TV offers new ways to play directly on the TV with the use of a special controller.

The Android TV series also seamlessly integrates with other devices. With standard Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, users can use their mobile phones to control their television sets the Android TV Controller app, control all application that are compatible with Google Cast (Google Home), and send or share photo ,music, video from your device to your TV (All Cast).

And with Chromecast built-in, Android TV series allows viewers stream media from their phone, tablet, or laptop straight to their Skyworth and Toshiba TVs, giving them full control of their viewing experience.

VIVO V5 NAILS SELFIE GAME WITH 16-MEGAPIXEL CAMERA IN the wake of its recent launch, the Vivo V5 Lite has drawn the attention of selfie enthusiasts nationwide due to its 16-megapixel camera, an outstanding feature that no other smartphone brand in the same price range—P9,990—can claim to have.

Too good to be true? Not if selfie fans pit the Vivo V5 Lite against similarly priced competitors, such as the Oppo A39.

First, take a selfie using both the V5 Lite and the competitor— and note the glaring difference in terms of clarity of details. After all, the Oppo A39 only has an eightmegapixel shutter vis-à-vis the Vivo V5 Lite’s 16 MP front camera.

Vivo absolutely nails the selfie game here, as shown in the highpixel details of the subject’s facial features and hair, and even those

of the image’s background.

The Vivo V5 Lite’s more advanced beauty algorithm also puts it at a greater advantage when compared to the Oppo phone. It uses a Face Beauty 6.0 feature that enhances one’s skin tone, giving it a naturally radiant glow that the Oppo’s Beauty Face 4.0 is not capable of.

Another attribute of the Vivo V5 Lite is its Beauty Face 6.0, which can detect one’s gender and apply the appropriate touches: females get a smoother skin tone, a more delicate contour, and bigger eyes, while males are lent a more masculine look.

Another competitor in the same price range is the Huawei GR5 2017, which, like the Oppo phone, has an eight-megapixel secondary shutter. Needless to say, the Vivo V5 Lite

phone produces better-quality and more radiant selfies due to its superior 16 MP front camera.

The real dealmaker, however, is the Vivo V5 Lite’s Selfie Soft Light, which puts it way ahead of the competition. The V5 Lite being powered by this Selfie Soft Light feature, it produces imressive lighting effects akin to those in a professional photo studio. It also chooses the most appropriate colors from the spectrum to make one’s skin tone appear naturally more radiant.

Best of all, the V5 Lite’s Soft Light feature is activated when you set it in auto mode, so you’ll get beautiful, natural-looking selfies any time, anywhere.

Clearly, no other selfie-centric phone does it like the Vivo V5 Lite— the clear winner in the competition.

Make your selfies better and more vibrant for just a price of P9,990 with the new Vivo V5 Lite, which brandishes a 16-megapixel front camera and advanced selfie tools.

D3

FINDING cleft patients has always been one of the biggest challenges for Operation Smile. Most of them are either located in impoverished, remote areas, or some of them are just not confident enough to seek treatment due to their physical appearance.

An initiative by PLDT wireless subsidiary Smart Communications, however, seeks to address this problem. The Operation Smile patient-mapping mobile application, which was conceptualized by Smart for Operation Smile Philippines, was deployed during a recent medical mission in Bacolod City.

“Most patients are in the provinces.

The challenge is how to find them. Another challenge is that when you have a facial deformity, you don’t go out,” said Wiggy Fontanilla, OSP president. “This mapping and tracking system changes the whole endeavor by coming up with a heat map of patients.”

At the Bacolod medical mission, volunteers have recorded cleft patients’ details using the app, as Operation Smile aims to store patient information on the Web for better access and monitoring.

The Operation Smile app is available as a free download for iOS and Android devices. Anyone can download and use the app—just open an account and follow the instructions on uploading patient information.

Patient details gathered through the app will be uploaded to the central server of Operation Smile, which will use the information to monitor patients’ treatment and plan for the locations of succeeding medical missions.

“In our efforts to use technology for good, we partner with institutions such as Operation Smile, which seeks to bring healthcare closer to communities. We support Operation Smile as it aims to eradicate the backlog of cleft conditions worldwide,” said Ramon R. Isberto, public affairs group head for PLDT and Smart.

For its part, Operation Smile has expressed its appreciation for Smart’s efforts. “We sincerely appreciate all that [Smart has] done to help us give people with cleft conditions new smiles,” the global Operation Smile unit said on its Twitter account.# To support Operation Smile, Smart subscribers may also donate by texting SMILE (space) (amount) to 4483.

SONY'S...

From D4 Road to ULTRA Philippines There will be in-store promotions where customers will get a chance to win tickets to Road to ULTRA Philippines in Manila happening on September 15, 2017. Stay tuned for more updates by following Sony on Facebook https:// www.facebook.com/SonyPhilippines/, Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ sonyphinc and Twitter https://twitter. com/SonyPHinc.

Sony EXTRA BASS at ULTRA Singapore ULTRA Singapore partygoers will be invited to try out Sony’s latest EXTRA BASS range of audio products at the Sony booth, designed to enhance the listening experience with deep bass notes for today’s most popular music genres.

These include the: MDR-XB950N1—Wireless headphones with noise cancelling technology that eliminates ambient sounds so you can focus on the music.

MDR–XB510AS—In-ear wireless sports headphones with arc supporters to provide a perfect, stable fit for active users with an IPX5/IPX7 water resistant design.

SRS-XB20 and SRS-XB30—Made for today’s heavy-hitting bass lines and dropping beats, EXTRA BASS technology delivers powerful, clear bass sound where it’s hard to find—in a compact, portable speaker.

The result is a full, deep, resonating sound with synchronized flashing lights that’s perfect for a night of electronic, hip-hop or your favorite music genre.

All speakers feature easy, one-touch connectivity and music streaming with NFC and Bluetooth® compatibility so you can bring your party anywhere. The perfect combination of style and portability, this newly expanded EXTRA BASS wireless speaker series looks and sounds great wherever you put them, indoors or out.

Take them to a pool party with peace of mind, knowing that the IPX5 rated waterresistant design will protect them against splashes.

GTK-XB7—A high-powered portable home audio system with bombastic bass, featuring vibrant speaker lights to create a club-style atmosphere that’s perfect for house parties.

D4

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets & Games

NOKIA LAUNCHES 4 PHONES IN BID TO RECLAIM THRONE Wraps was created from the idea that young people today value fashion and style as much as they do good quality sound.

WEAR YOUR MUSIC AROUND YOUR WRIST The Nokia 6 (left), Nokia 5 (second from left) and Nokia 3 - powered by pure Android, will be available in Philippines by end of June, together with the rebirth of the iconic Nokia 3310 (right).

O

NCE upon a time, Nokia was the world’s top mobile phone maker.

But with the launch of three new smartphones and an iconic mobile, once considered the greatest, sturdiest phone of all time, Nokia is confifdent of reclaiming its throne from new giants.

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, today announced that its first Nokia smartphones range—comprising the Nokia 6, Nokia 5 and Nokia 3— will be available in Philippines by the end of June alongside the iconic Nokia 3310. Unveiled earlier this year at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the smartphones combine superior craftsmanship, distinctive design and powerful entertainment features with a pure Android experience, giving users the ability to use their phone, their way.

James Rutherfoord, Vice President Asia Pacific for HMD Global, said: “Today marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the Nokia smartphones as we re-introduce this much-loved and trusted brand to the Philippine smartphone consumers, alongside the existing Nokia branded feature phones. HMD is committed to draw on the hallmarks of the Nokia phone heritage of quality, simplicity and reliability for an authentic and differentiating experience to appeal to the new generation of Nokia fans.”

Nokia 6: Powerful entertainment experience and superior craftsmanship Combining superior craftsmanship and distinctive design with an immersive audio experience and a 5.5” full HD screen, the new Nokia 6 delivers a truly premium smartphone experience. The unibody of the Nokia 6 is crafted from a single block of 6000 series aluminium and is perfect for those who want a robust phone with outstanding entertainment credentials. The smart audio amplifier with dual speakers allow consumers to experience a deep bass and unmatched clarity, whilst Dolby Atmos®

sound delivers a powerfully moving entertainment experience.

With outstanding colour reproduction, the Nokia 6 has a fully laminated display stack delivering excellent sunlight readability without compromising the slim form. Powered by the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 430 mobile platform and the Qualcomm® Adreno™ 505 graphics processor, the Nokia 6 strikes the perfect balance between performance and power consumption, designed to deliver premium quality entertainment with battery life to spare, maximising your entertainment Nokia officials, led by Shannon Mead (left), HMD Global Country Manager for experience on the go. The Nokia 6 Philippines, Singapore and the Pacific Islands; and James Rutherfoord (right), is available in Matte Black, Silver and Vice President for Asia Pacific HMD Global; display the new Nokia phones.

Tempered Blue—and will be available sunlight and low light screen visibility, security updates your Nokia smartphone at P11,990. there are plenty of reasons to keep is safe, up-to-date as well as clutterthe Nokia 5 out of your pocket and in free—putting choice at the heart of the your hand where it belongs. The Nokia consumer experience. And with the 5 is available in Matte Black, Silver and latest Android come the latest features Tempered Blue—and will be available including the latest capabilities of Doze, which saves battery life while the phone at P9,990.

Nokia 3: Superior craftsmanship is in a pocket or bag. The new Nokia smartphones feature Google’s most at an affordable price This stunning new smartphone recent innovation, the Google Assistant, is designed to deliver an outstand- building further on a great Android expeing experience with unprecedented rience. Our teams have worked together value. The Nokia 3 features a precision to ensure conversations with the Google machined aluminium frame forged Assistant happen seamlessly on Nokia out of a single piece of aluminium, of- smartphones.

HMD Global's Shannon Mead Nokia 3310: fering exceptional structural integrity Thin, light and incredibly durable, the and protection where it counts. FeaturNokia 5: Seamless, premium ing a fully laminated 5” IPS display with Nokia 3310 is a head turning modern and durable design The Nokia 5 has been precision en- no air gap and sculpted Corning® Go- twist on one of the best-selling feature gineered out of a single block of 6000 rilla® Glass, the Nokia 3 offers durability phones of all time. Boasting an incredseries aluminium to create a perfect pil- and superb clarity delivering a viewing ible 22-hour talk-time and month long lowed body that flows seamlessly into experience that is second to none. stand-by, the Nokia 3310’s fresh, colorful, the laminated 5.2” IPS HD display with With fewer reflections thanks to the modern design brings it bang up to date.

Talk all day, text, take pictures, listen sculpted Corning® Gorilla® Glass. Fea- polarised screen, the experience is crisp turing a ground-breaking innovation and clear offering unbeatable visibility to music, and get hooked once more on in antenna design the Nokia 5 brings even in bright sunlight. With seamlessly the original mobile gaming hit Snake, robust structural integrity, attention integrated 8MP wide aperture cameras all on a single charge. With its unparalto detail and the quality of a high-end (front and back), the Nokia 3 packs a leled month-long standby time, the flagship. Powered by the Qualcomm® truly premium quality smartphone ex- Nokia 3310 encompasses everything Snapdragon™ 430 mobile platform, perience into its compact and elegant you knew and loved in a sleek modern Nokia 5 delivers excellent battery life, form. The Nokia 3 is available in four polycarbonate casing, and with inherimproved graphics performance—all distinct colours—Matte Black, Silver ent color throughout its body the Nokia in a package that perfectly balances ev- and Tempered Blue—and will be avail- 3310 is more vibrant than ever before.

Available in four colors—Warm Red eryday usability with a premium quality able at PHP 6,990. and Yellow, both with a gloss finish, Always Pure Android design. With additional features includWith all Nokia smartphones you will and Dark Blue and Grey both with a ing an 8MP, 84-degree wide-angle front facing camera—to squeeze even more always have the latest pure Android ex- matte finish—the Nokia 3310 will be scene into your selfie—and excellent perience for your device. With monthly available at P2,490.

IT probably happened to you one too many times you fumble inside your bag or pocket for your earphones, only to find it in a tangled mess! Apart from the hassle of having to unravel before you can actually use it, the pulling involved also risks damage to one or both speakers. British accessories innovator Wraps understands this and teamed up with Power Mac Center to deliver its simple yet ingenious solution to this perennial problem among Filipino music lovers.

Wraps is the creator of patented wristband headphones. It takes functionality and ease to a new level, allowing you to wear your earphones around your wrist or neck, even when not in use.

This eliminates the frustration of looking for your headphones and makes bringing them anywhere you go easy, stylish, and tangle-free.

“Power Mac Center stands at the forefront of technology that bridges function and form. Our commitment lies in providing the Filipino market products that not only enhance the Apple experience but also keep up with the times, both in appearance and purpose. Multifunctional fashion is here to stay and we’re proud to carry brands that support it,” said Power Mac Center Marketing Director Joey Alvarez.

Wraps was created from the idea that young people today value fashion and style as much as they do good quality sound. It’s all about making a statement and expressing oneself and one’s individuality.

“Filipinos are innate music lovers and these days, wearing headphones is more than just about listening to your favorite tunes. For young people especially, how you look while listening to music spells the difference when choosing a brand of earphones. It’s safe to say that audio accessories nowadays are equal parts listening device and fashion accessory and Wraps headphones tick both boxes,” said Dianne Sta. Catalina of Think Abt Tomorrow Inc., exclusive distributor of Wraps in the Philippines.

Because it is meant to be worn as a bracelet, Wraps features a variety of colors and styles that match the personal aesthetic and finicky taste of the young generation. Its British designers have blended the finest materials and colors to craft a fashion statement headphone that can stylize any outfit and coordinate any look. The unique, patented clasp system keeps the lightweight alloy heads, slider, and jack plug all connected together for a secure fit on the wrist or neck. Meanwhile, world-renowned British Audio’s sound engineers ensure that the headphones are tuned to deliver exceptional sound quality.

SONY'S EXTRA BASS PUMPS UP ULTRA FESTIVAL EXPERIENCE SONY returns with a bang as the official wireless speaker, headphone and home audio system partner for four ULTRA Worldwide festivals across the Asia market—Singapore, Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Bringing the party live to electronic dance music fans across the region, Sony is also proud to be a Live Stream Partner for ULTRA Singapore.

With an exciting lineup of pro-

motional activities planned in the lead up to and during ULTRA, fans can look forward to the ultimate festival experience with Sony.

Returning to the Lion City for its second full-scale edition, ULTRA Singapore will take place on June 10 to 11.

ULTRA Worldwide is the world’s premier electronic music festival brand, featuring leading DJs and state-of-theart production. Attendees will

be invited to experience the smooth rhythms and deep bass beats of ULTRA Singapore at the Sony booth, powered by EXTRA BASS featuring Sony’s immersive EXTRA BASS Club Room. Festival goers will also be treated to Sony’s latest audio offerings and ultimate entertainment experience with our industry-leading 4K Digital Cinema projectors.

ULTRA Live Powered by Sony EXTRA BASS

As the exclusive Live Stream Partner for ULTRA Singapore, Sony will bring the ultimate experience to fans at selected Sony Stores in Southeast Asia. To top it all off, in-store activities and promotions will be rolled out with opportunities for consumers to win free tickets to ULTRA Worldwide events with the purchase of selected Sony EXTRA BASS products.

Turn to D3

GTK-XB7 – A high-powered portable home audio system with bombastic bass.

E1

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor

/

Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

IT’S YOUR TURN TO SPOIL YOUR DAD HE MIGHT have told you not to bother with any gift, but we insist.

Here are a few ideas of things you can wrap up for your father or a father who’s close to you on his special day next week.

Workwear essentials

Scan this icon to view the PDF

THIS FOOTWEAR LABEL

KNOWS HOW TO APPEAL TO MILLENNIALS

A pure cotton tailored fit shirt in neutral color is versatile enough to be worn on Monday meetings or casual Fridays and is sophisticated enough to let people know that dad means business.

A floral printed tie will surely add a fresh punch to his office attire.

(Marks & Spencer shirt and tie)

A

MERICAN footwear label Skechers has found the formula to appealing to the perpetually on-the-go and always stylish millennials: shoes should be trendy and comfortable, easy to style and easy to wear.

As one of the leaders in street style revolution, Skechers has brought the sophisticated Los Angeles style—laid back and effortlessly stylish—to its latest collection Skecher Street.

Each pair of slip-ons and lace-ups in the collection features looks straight off the streets of the City of Angels and incorporates Skechers Air-Cooled Memory Foam technology, resulting in comfortable shoes that can match any OOTD sans the worries of blisters and sore feet.

In the Skechers Move In Style fashion show held recently, the brand showcased how comfortable footwear—that are a dream to walk in— don’t have to look like your usual trainers or running shoes.

Gerald Anderson together with Sanya Lopez, Kaila Estrada, Barbie Imperial, Mikee Agustin, Nikko Natividad, and Teejay Marquez strutted the runway at SM Mega Fashion Hall wearing the street-ready collection. The celebrity brand ambassadors showcased comfort and effortless style as if they were walking down the street and not on a rather intimidating stage.

Anderson stood out wearing the shiny and fresh-looking Skechers Black Moda, a fun fusion of good ‘ol leather lace-up shoes studded with rhinestones. Lopez showed how women can pull off looks wearing the same style in white and pink.

One of the fashion show’s models, Ally Munda, shared her experience walking down a runway, in most of which she had to wear uncomfortable footwear.

Munda, who walked in Skechers White Uplift with an easy slip on and off feature and pom-pom zipper, said that after almost 12 hours of wearing the shoes, she still felt like she never got out of bed. “I love it that they are fashionable, yet comfy,” she enthused.

Even the event’s host, blogger and model Janeena Chan gushed about how it felt like she was stepping on clouds wearing a pair of slip-on sequined stunner, Skechers Double Up Shiny Dancer in silver.

Other styles include Skecher Street Downtown Fresh’d Out, Skecher Street Sleek Street, and Skecher Street Rise Up. –Marjelle Sy

A bottle of tipple

A bottle of scotch is always a good idea. Take it up a notch by gifting him a limited edition bottle of blended scotch whisky embossed with golden symbols of the Philippines’s centers of progress. Choose from either Manila, Cebu, or Davao. Cheers!

(Johnnie Walker Blue Label Philippine Crafts: Our Cities Limited Edition bottles)

Tough timepiece

Give your punctual papa a durable and stylish timepiece—preferably one that captures his tough nature and love of adventure.

Turn to E2

FROM LA TO MANILA. Celebrity ambassadors Gerald Anderson, Sanya Lopez, Barbie Imperial, Nikko Natividad, Mikee Agustin, Teejay Marquez, and Kaila Estrada strutted on the Skechers Move In Style 2017 runway wearing the latest Skecher Street collection that features the effortless Los Angeles style.

BULLETIN BOARD

UST RECEIVES FIRST-EVER CERTIFIED GUEST SERVICE PROPERTY DISTINCTION THE American Hotel and Lodging Educational Institute (AHLEI) has conferred the University of Santo Tomas (UST) with the Certified Guest Service Property distinction on the back of the latter’s commitment to training its hospitality management educators and staff.

UST’s College of Tourism and Hospitality Management (CTHM) certified its faculty members, staff, and, soon, students working in the university’s on-site hotel through the AHLEI’s Guest Service Gold Program. The staff received the Certified Guest Service Professionals

(CGSP) pin and certificate.

Earning the Certified Guest Service Property distinction is one of many steps UST is taking to ensure that the school is globally competitive.

“The university continues to strengthen degree programs in order to facilitate academic mobility for both faculty members and students. This will help develop their competencies by exposing them to best practices in the world,” Rev. Fr. Herminio V. Dagohoy, O.P., Turn to E2

University of Santo Tomas Rector Rev. Fr. Herminio Dagohoy, O.P., Ph. D. (front, right) receives the Certified Guest Service Property distinction from Asia World Hospitality general manager Francinne San Juan (front, left)

Young Life

E2

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

IT'S YOUR TURN...

From E1

Short on funds? Take advantage of this ongoing sale of selected men and unisex watches from TechnoMarine.

Get 30 percent discount until June 18 at TechnoMarine boutiques. (TechnoMarine UF6)

HOW

YOUNG PEOPLE MANAGE

THEIR

Care from nature

Help dad be clean and fresh as he takes on any challenge with all-natural bath and grooming products that are good for him and the world we live in. Pick an item or better yet the entire range of all-natural bar soap, shower gel, shampoo, facial wash, deodorant, hair shaper, shaving cream, and foot spray. (Human Nature for Men)

Fitness tracker

For the father who puts extra heart in every step, or the one w h o ’ s j u m p starting his healthy and active lifestyle, g i v e him a slim fitness wristband t h a t will help him track his heart rate, daily steps, and calorie burn, among others. He can also wear it as an everyday watch. (Fitbit Alta HR special edition Gunmetal)

FINANCES

T

HE digital age has dramatically changed the way we live our life—the way we communicate, we work, we play, we shop, we pay.

Digital transactions have become a norm, which millennials are taking advantage of. In fact, several studies revealed that individuals aged 19-35 prefer alternative financial products like prepaid cards and check cashing services, among others.

Take for instance these college students from different universities in Metro Manila who use Yazz Prepaid VISA, a reloadable general purpose prepaid card from Metrobank, to pay and manage their finances.

Adamson University student Cedric Rosal finds it awesome how his mom, who’s in Davao, can easily send his allowance through the card.

“I no longer have to line up at money remittance stations just to get my allowance. My mom just sends money directly to my Yazz card, and I can withdraw it anytime,” he shares.

Vivienne Mendoza, from Centro Escolar University, meanwhile, gushed at how hassle-free it is to get your own card. “It’s perfect for students like me because you don’t need to bother with so many requirements and go through long process

before you can get a card of your own.”

Acquiring a card only requires one valid ID; it is reloadable at any participating outlet, once it’s loaded, it’s good to use.

For his part, Kim Rico Cinco from Lyceum of the Philippines University, uses the prepaid card to budget his allowance “because I can view my balance online, anytime.”

San Beda College’s Kenn Maeda, on the other hand, is having lot of fun using it to make purchases online. “Yazz made it easier for me to subscribe to Netflix.” While Jovy Bequillo uses it to pay for his school miscellaneous at Jose Rizal University.

Saving money is what inspires Katrina Danganan of University of the East Manila to use her Yazz card.

“It excites me thinking that I could load my extra money in this card to save and use it in so many ways,” she says. “I really feel more responsible handling my money especially now that I am a young adult.”

Arellano University student Zach James Nicholls likes how cashless transactions fit his lifestyle, “I’m always on the go and cashless transactions save a lot of time and space in my wallet.”

Cedric, Vivienne, Kim, Kenn, Jovy, Katrina, and Zach are the new members of YAZZkada, a group of students who embodies the lifestyle of Yazz.

Joining them are Charlene Dimalanta of University of Santo Tomas, Sarah Pineda of LPU, and Trina Castillo of Far Eastern University.

Sushi and sashimi with the family

Treat dad and entire family to a lavish Japanese lunch (P1,100++) or dinner (P1,250++) buffet spread complete with sushi, sashimi, appetizers, seafoods, meats, and desserts. If he’s accompanied by five paying diners, dad gets to eat for free. Dining dads are also entitled to 15 percent off from all ala carte orders. (Kitsho Japanese restaurant & Sake Bar, 994-3623)

THE NEW WAY TO PAY. Young adults prefer cashless transactions—using reloadable prepaid card—in paying for their purchases and managing their finances.

PETS ARE FOR LIFE PET TALES

BY DESIREE CARLOS EVERY month in our country, thousands of dogs end up in pounds where they are killed (euthanasia) or die a slow death due to lack of food and care, or are found on the streets, sick or injured. More sad is the fact that these dogs were ABANDONED OR SURRENDERED BY THEIR OWNERS. These dogs are the ones rescued by animal welfare groups and animal lovers who become rescuers due to their love and compassion for animals in need.

JC Cruz is one such animal lover.

At three years old, he cried when a neighbor killed a dog for appetizer for a drinking spree.

At about the same age, he took the neighbor’s puppy and put it on his bed to sleep. The next day, the neighbor got the puppy back. This broke his young heart. But he felt worse—devastated— when he learned the pup died one rainy evening while chained outside the neighbor’s house.

At 11 years old, he and his grandmother saw a

dog covered in mud in the market where his grandmother runs a store. He took the dog home, to his mother’s surprise. She resisted at first, giving her son a scolding. Later that day JC said it was his turn to be surprised when he saw his mother giving the dog a bath. They named the dog Kevin, an abandoned Japanese spitz. Kevin became a member of the family and died of old age.

At 22, JC decided to rescue dogs because he felt he had to do something to help the voiceless and the helpless.

A former English teacher, JC is a member of the four-member singing group Four Dimensions. Despite his busy schedule, he finds time to rescue dogs, bring them to clinics for medical treatment, raise funds for their treatment, and look for loving adopters for them.

He finds all his rescues on Facebook, their photos posted by kindhearted strangers. Puppies abandoned by their owners in bushes and trash bins. Or neglected dogs, kept in rooms without food and water. He is most happy of course when his rescues are adopted by loving families or animal lovers.

Continued on E3

BITTERSWEET MOMENT. Abandoned dog Basti thanks his rescuer JC Cruz before going home to his adopter.

UST...

From E1

Ph.D., Rector (UST) said during the awarding cermony.

The ceremony was attended by Aliza Totayo, Commercial Attaché of the International Trade Administration of the US Embassy; Machi Borja, Asia World Hospitality Director; and Asia World Hospitality Public & Media Relations Head.

UST is one of several academic institutions in the Philippines working with AHLEI to enhance their hospitality programs through professional certification. It was one of three campuses that hosted a Certified Hospitality Educator (CHE) workshop and exam session in summer of 2016 to provide faculty members with the opportunity to earn the only professional certification for post-secondary hospitality instructors.

Go to asiaworldhospitality.com for more information.

Showbiz

MAINE

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017

E3

FIL-AM ACTOR IN NEW

MENDOZA

SPIDERMAN MOVIE

ON SOCIAL MEDIA HIATUS

HANDS UP! Phenomenal TV star Maine Mendoza hits the beach in Maldives

T

HE Internet wants to know why Maine Medoza deactivated her Twitter account, her social media outlet that catapulted her as one of fastest-growing celebrity profiles on the microblogging site in 2015.

Summer is not yet over for the "Kalyeserye" star as she shares the season's OOTDs on her Instagram account

Last weekend, Maine shut her Twitter account down, which has more than 4.5 million followers, after posting a series of cryptic messages. Reason was unclear but fans speculated that the 22-year-old TV star was avoiding intrigues that link her to comedian Sef Cadayona.

“I do not get how people can throw so much hate on others. I mean…inano ba nila kayo? (What were they doing to you)? I know how much you love us and how hard you try to protect us but enough with the foul words, guys…Hindi na tama (It’s not right),” her tweets said.

Her series of posts, which hinted her decision to go social media fasting, continued, “When peace and love are no longer being served; and whenever you find yourself taking in so much negativity, you have to take a break and reflect. Sometimes we need to disconnect to reconnect. Taking a break is necessary to save yourself and others from drowning. I hope we all stop pulling each other down.”

It’s not the first time that Maine reacted to people who bash the young comedian. It can be recalled that back in January, the other half of the AlDub love team posted a short tweet after rumors emerged about Maine being linked to Sef and to Vic Sotto’s son, Vico.

The issue with Vico, who said that he was serious in pursuing the “Kalyeserye” star, died down eventually.

But rumors about Sef keeps on resurfacing especially when netizens posted a few photos that allegedly prove his romantic involvement with Maine.

Sources say that Maine felt irked by fans and netizens who put Sef in bad light, and that she’s already tired of explaining herself since she doesn’t owe anyone any explanation to begin with.

Meanwhile, the Destined To Be Yours star left for Maldives on June 5 to celebrate the birthday of her sister. Maine heats up the island paradise in her two-piece bikinis and summer OOTDs, oblivious of the issue that gets AlDub Nation feel extremely uncomfortable.

PET TALES...

From E2

One of the most memorable rescues was Basti. JC read about a dog abandoned in a trash bin near a computer school on Facebook. (He named the dog Basti for BAsurahan (trash bin) and STI, the computer school). He rushed to the site at 2 a.m., and took Basti to a clinic. Basti had severe demodectic mange flare-up or galis, but tested negative for the dreaded and fatal distemper virus.

After treatment and fostering by an animal lover, Basti was transformed from a mangy ugly puppy to a handsome furbaby. He was adopted by a loving family.

Basti is “one of the most memorable and touching rescues because he came to me as if he was thanking me when I brought him to his new loving family,” JC said.

As you will note, almost all of the rescues of JC were either abandoned or neglected by owners.

This is why individual rescuers like JC and animal welfare groups like Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL) have been urging pet owners to be responsible furparents.

Save ALL always emphasizes that PETS ARE FOR LIFE. PLEASE DO NOT GET A PET if you cannot com-

JC with Save All rescue Nica, a parvo survivor, when he visited the shelter and donated dog food

mit to a lifetime of love and care.

Having a pet means setting aside time for the dog or cat, as animals need quality time just like humans. Having a pet means setting aside funds for preventive medical care, maintenance needs or actual medical treatment when the dog gets older or gets sick. If you do not have the time and funds to care for a pet please do not get one.

“Yes, as a rescuer, I do love seeing happy endings for them. But I really hope that one day, I and my fellow rescuers won’t have to do it anymore because everyone has learned to be a responsible pet owner,” JC said.

JC stressed: “Pets are not for display to make you look good among your peers or on your social media accounts. Animals have feelings and they need proper care. Please do not abandon them when they are sick or old.”

As animal welfare advocates would always ask pet owners: Would you want to be abandoned when you are sick or old?

Think about it. Think twice, three times, many times before you get a pet. These voiceless, helpless beings will depend on you for life for their every need.

Can you handle a lifetime commitment? If yes, that is good to know. If you cannot, please do not get a dog or cat.

Namaste. I salute the Divine in you.

JACOB Batalon, a FilipinoAmerican actor who recently made his debut in the film North Woods, is playing Ned Leeds, Peter Parker’s high school buddy as seen in the new trailer for the upcoming movie Spider-Man: Homecoming.

In the trailer, Batalon is shown as an effective comic relief and convincing confidant to young Peter Parker. While his character’s name is a known supporting character in the comics, Batalon’s portrayal looks a lot closer to Ganke Lee’s persona.

While a minor character, fans and movie buffs believe that Ned Leeds marks a step forward for Asian representation in the Marvel cinematic universe.

According to a popular entertainment site, Batalon’s character is supposedly an amalgamation of Leeds, Peter Parker’s Daily Bugle co-worker in the original comics, and Ganke Lee, a supporting character of Miles Morales’ Spider-Man series.

“This is just a small taste of it, but I’m honestly so excited for the film. After we wrapped, I was so anxious to get everything going and now that we’re a month away from the release, it’s just like crazy now,” the 20-year-old actor said during a recent promo tour in Singapore.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is scheduled to hit theaters in July.

It stars British actor Tom Holland as the titular web-slinging hero, Michael Keaton as the Vulture, Tony Revolori as Flash Thompson, Laura Harrier as Liz Allan and Zendaya as Michelle, Peter’s love interest.

Fil-Am actor Jacob Batalon, 20, joins the cast of Spider-Man's latest big screen installment

E4

Showbiz

SUNDAY, JUNE 11, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

VIRAL

SARAHG’S

BIG SCREEN COMEBACK

By Nickie Wang

H

OW can someone like Sarah Geronimo manage her hectic schedule? She is currently one of the coaches in the weekly reality talent search The Voice of the Philippines Teen Edition, and she’s still has numerous engagements outside the studio including a nationwide tour of The Great Unknown Unplugged, a concert series that promotes her latest record.

T h e millennial pop queen will star in not just one but two big screen projects this year. The first will hit the theaters in July and the other one is currently in the works scheduled to be released in November.

The first movie is a romantic comedy with John Lloyd Cruz. It is co-produced by Viva Films and Star Cinema and is entitled Dear Future Husband. Not to be mistaken with the Meghan Trainor pop hit, the film marks the reunion of Sarah and John Lloyd after their three successful movies together namely: A Very Special Love (2008), You Changed My Life (2009) and It Takes a Man and a Woman (2013).

The principal photography for the film started late February with the pair reprising their roles as Laida Magtalas and Miggy Montenegro.

Graded A by the Cinema Evaluation Board, A Very Special Love was a landmark film for both Sarah and Lloydie. By the end of its six-week commercial run, the romcom became the top grossing film of 2008 raking in almost P180 million at the tills. John Lloyd earned his second Box Office King from Guillermo Mendoza Scholarship Foundation while Sarah G got her first Box Office Queen recognition for the blockbuster movie.

A year later, a sequel to the romcom hit the

LITTLE GIRL WITH

ON A ROLL. Juggling her time between singing and acting, the Millennial Pop Queen Sarah Geronimo currently promotes her latest record and will star in two major films this year.

theaters during the love month. The reception was massive as the movie breached the P200-million mark in terms of ticket sales. It ran for seven weeks and had a commercial run overseas. Entitled You Changed My Life, the romantic flick made the tandem of Sarah and Lloydie the Box Office Royalties of 2009 yet again.

Then, due to insistent public demand, Sarah and Loydie reunited in the third installment of A Very Special film series in 2013 in a film called It Takes a Man and a Woman. Like its predecessors, the romcom made a killing at the box office. It grossed P405 million after seven weeks in domestic theaters. It was also the highest

grossing local film and second highest overall in the list of the biggest films released in the Philippines in 2013. During the FAMAS Award in 2014, the film received three nominations including Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Editing.

On the other hand, Sarah G’s second big film for the year is the Filipino adaptation of Miss Granny, a 2014 South Korean comedy-drama directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and top billed by Na Moon-hee and Shim Eun-kyung.

Miss Granny already had a Chinese version in 2015, it was followed by a Vietnamese remake in the same year.

The Japanese and Thai versions hit the theaters in 2016 while an Indonesian adaptation was announced in April this year.

The comedy drama follows the story of a woman in her 70s who magically finds herself in the body of her 20-year-old self after having her picture taken at a mysterious photo studio.

With these two film projects, the pop queen proves once again that she's still one of the more bankable stars of her generation.

1D’S HARRY STYLES TO HOLD SOLO CONCERT IN MANILA FORMER One Direction band member Harry Styles has expanded his world tour to include a stop in Manila, Singapore, and Bangkok.

Billed as Harry Styles Live On Tour , the 29-date tour will kick off in September and will take a break for three months. Then, the 2018 leg will begin in Europe in March before landing in Australia and Asia.

According to MMI Live, tickets to Harry Styles Live in Manila will go on sale starting June 19 via SM Tickets. It also added that the Manila stop will feature American indie rock band Warpaint, as his special guest, and will be held at the Mall of Asia Arena on May 1, 2018.

Styles first visited the coun-

try when One Direction staged a two-night concert in 2015. He was accompanied back then by One Directioners Liam Payne, Louis Tomlinson, and Niall Horan.

After the group announced official split last year, Styles began work on his self-titled debut album which was released on May 12. The album topped music charts in over 84 countries upon release day. The album also made headlines this week, landing a No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart and taking the biggest debut week sale for a British male artist’s first full-length album since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991.

BIG VOICE

British boy band member-turned-rocker Harry Styles

Fil-Am singer Angelica Hale stuns the audience and judges during her "America's Got Talent Audition"

NINE-YEAR-OLD Angelica Hale from Atlanta, Georgia, is taking the internet by storm after her impressive performance in America’s Got Talent that aired on Tuesday.

Belting out the emotional lyrics of Andra Day’s “Rise Up” during the audition, Angelica showed a vocal range and talent far beyond her years that simply stunned everyone in the room.

“I want to be the next Whitney Houston. I want to be a superstar,” Angelica started, “And I’m so happy to be here, because I’ve been watching your show on Youtube and now I’m like, in it! And I’m so awestruck.”

The performance earned her a standing ovation and four yeses from the judging panel comprised of Mel B, Heidi Klum, Howie Mandel, and Simon Cowell.

“This shouldn’t happen.

You’re tiny. Your voice is huge,” Simon told the young singer.

“You are absolutely brilliant. I predict that all of your dreams are going to come true.”

The video of Angelica’s audition has gone viral online, with over two million views garnered on America’s Got Talent’s YouTube channel less than 24 hours after the show’s broadcast.

Angelica’s spot in the show revealed a touching backstory.

Prior to Angelica’s performance, her parents told Tyra Banks, the show’s presenter, that the child needed a kidney transplant when she was four years old. In 2013, Angelica was on life support. It was only until discovering that her Filipina mother, Eva Bolando, was a match and the two went into surgery for a transplant.