Manila Standard - 2017 June 29 - Thursday

CARRYING ON.

Government troops from the Marawi City frontline drive past a mosque Wednesday in the southern lakeshore city aboard their armored personnel carrier as Islamist militants occupying parts of the provincial capital used a water route to bring in, according to military authorities, ammunition and evacuate wounded fighters, helping them withstand a five-week military offensive. AFP

VOL. XXXI • NO. 135 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Hostages turned into ‘sex slaves’ Maute terrorists rape women-captives—AFP

By John Paolo Bencito

M

AUTE terrorists are forcing female hostages into marriage and sexual slavery, the military said Wednesday.

“There are women hostages who became sex slaves. These are information told to us by those who escaped from the fighting in Marawi,” Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in a briefing at the Palace.

“Hostages told us of these, and

we are not inventing them,” he added.

On Tuesday, Task Force Marawi spokesperson Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera said that hostages in Marawi were being forced to convert to Islam and the women’s dignity “destroyed.”

“The worst thing, cases of female hostages who were forced to marry... They are being forced to be sex slaves,” he said.

“This is what is happening inside. As I said, these are evil personalities,” he added in Filipino.

He said seven hostages related what was happening inside the conflict zone of the war-torn city.

“While they were in captivity, they were being used. The hostages were tasked to loot houses, especially for ammunition, firearms, gold, jewelries. These were the tasks given to them by the Maute,”

Herrera said.

Civilian hostages were also forced to carry firearms and fire against the military and bring wounded terrorists back to mosques, where some of the Maute members were hiding.

Herrera said Fr. Teresito Suganob, held hostage by the terrorists since May 23, was still alive.

On Wednesday, the Justice department said it would train 30 Metro Manila prosecutors to handle the rebellion cases in continuous trial against the Maute group terrorists.

Next page

Du30 marks 1st year with visit to Marawi

By John Paolo Bencito PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will be marking his first year as chief executive on Friday, June 30 with a visit to the besieged city of Marawi after his initial scheduled visit was canceled due to bad weather.

Speaking during the 120th Founding Anniversary of the Presidential Security Group, Duterte insisted that he needs to

visit Marawi City since clashes between government forces and the Maute group and other rebels erupted there last May 23.

“I want to go to Marawi. I think I will go there on Friday. It’s too late in the day to be hesitating to go there. I will go there,” he said.

If he runs out of luck, “then I’ll return back here in cargo, in C-130,” the President said.

The President had to cancel his Next page

Military retracts claim ‘Omar’ dead Experts

By John Paolo Bencito hit House decision THE military on Wednesday retracted its claim that terrorist leader Omar Maute was dead, after religious leaders said they saw him Sunday.

On Sunday, Omar’s brother, Abdullah Maute offered to release a Catholic priest that they have held hostage in exchange for the release of their parents, in a meeting that the military said was not sanctioned.

“If we go by what the religious emissaries said, they

talked to Abdullah and Omar,” Armed Forces spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in Filipino during a news briefing at the Palace.

Earlier, Armed Forces of the Philippines chief General Eduardo Año told reporters that Omar may have been killed in an encounter with soldiers.

Joint Task Force Marawi spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera also said there was a “strong indication” that Omar was killed during military operations two weeks ago, since he could no

longer be heard giving orders to their followers.

But an intelligence source who spoke on condition of anonymity told Manila Standard they were still checking the veracity of the information and said Omar and Abdullah might have already escaped Marawi.

The sources added that what was confirmed was that a younger Maute brother, Madi, had been killed.

Padilla said that while the emissaries were simply there to Next page

By Rey E. Requejo and Maricel V. Cruz TWO constitutional experts on Wednesday criticized the House of Representatives for disregarding the separation of powers between the branches of government and for denying the constitutional rights of resource persons appearing before any inquiry in Congress.

Ranhilio Aquino, former dean of the San Beda School of Law and now vice president for Administrative and Finance Services at the Cagayan State Next page

Drug-rehab center donor faces China bribery raps

UN slams rhetoric on EJK

By John Paolo Bencito

By John Paolo Bencito and Sandy Araneta

LIFE GOES ON. Life continues in anxiety for civilians in the southern city of Marawi while troops roll past the neighborhood Wednesday in their search for remnants of Islamist militants following a military offensive for the past five weeks. AFP

TF finds 17 bodies, 5 of them headless

By Florante S. Solmerin and Francisco Tuyay SEVENTEEN bodies of civilians, five of them decapitated, were recovered in Marawi City, the military’s Task Force Marawi reported Wednesday.

This was confirmed by military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla, who also reported the recovery of the remains of two foreign terrorists.

Earlier, task force spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-Ar Herrera said the

Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists have been beheading some of their hostages and turning women captives into sex slaves.

Padilla said the victims’ bodies were brought to Iligan City.

Padilla said government forces have so far recorded 299 dead terrorists since battle erupted on May 23.

He said two of the recovered bodies were foreign-looking men, probably from the Middle East.

Asked how many foreign terrorists had been killed in the bat-

tle, Padilla could not give an exact figure.

The military had earlier reported that some 10 foreign terrorists were in the battle and later, an intelligence report claimed only one was killed during the early days of the conflict.

Of the 299 killed terrorists, Padilla said more than half were accounted for by body count.

Multiple sources from the military said more than 100 terrorists including some foreign fighters Next page

UNITY CALL. President Rodrigo Duterte calls on Filipino Muslims, who form part of the country’s cultural minority, in a speech at Malacañang Tuesday, to channel their energies in helping foster national unity, after greeting them on the celebration of Eid’l Fitr, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. AFP

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte and US President Donald Trump’s rhetoric supporting torture and extrajudicial killings is bad for international law, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights warned on Tuesday.

In a speech before the Law Society in London, Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said Duterte and Trump’s disregard for human rights, which he described as Next page

CHINESE billionaire and philanthropist Huang Rulun, who played a key role in the revival of Philippines-China relations under the Duterte presidency, is under investigation over allegations of corruption in his homeland.

The Financial Times on Tuesday reported that Beijing’s anticorruption watchdog said Huang Rulun, whose worth is listed by the Forbes magazine at around $3.6 billion, is being investigated over bribery allegations after getting removed from a high-level advisory body in Fujian province last week due to suspicion of bribery.

Huang’s company, Century Golden Resources Group, a privately-held Chinese real estate firm, has been tagged by Chinese state media as a source of bribes paid to Bai Enpai, the party secretary of Yunnan province, in connection with a corruption case.

This developed as China expressed its intentions Wednesday to have a greater role in the Philippines’ ongoing drive against Islamic State-inspired militants, setting a “new era” for the bilateral relations between the former rivals.

In a speech during the turnover of Beijing’s free urgent military assistance to Manila, worth P370 Next page

FB: 2-b people and growing

By Glenn Chapman

Mark Zuckerberg

FACEBOOK said Tuesday it now counts two-billion active monthly users, as the social giant’s founder Mark Zuckerberg highlighted his new mission--not just connecting people, but helping them find common ground.

“As of this morning, the Facebook community is now officially two-bil-

lion people!” Zuckerberg wrote in a post marking the milestone.

“We’re making progress connecting the world, and now let’s bring the world closer together,” he wrote. “It’s an honor to be on this journey with you.”

Facebook’s announcement came as it works to redefine its purpose, led by Zuckerberg who traveled the US this Next page

A2

News

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Mishaps kill 34 Pinoys each day

By Maricel V. Cruz GOVERNMENT data show that an average of 34 Filipinos are killed daily in road accidents, alarming lawmakers at a congressional hearing who tried to offer solutions to the problem.

Catanduanes Rep. Cesar Sarmiento, head of the House committee on transportation, said road accidents could be avoided if drivers were screened properly, vehicles were inspected and the laws were strictly enforced.

“Do we really value the lives of our people or are we treating them as mere death statistics?”, Sarmiento said.

Philippine National Police data presented before the panel showed that road accidents were caused by human error, mechanical defects and faulty roads.

Sarmiento said the Land Transportation Office should not register a motor vehicle if it fails a roadworthiness test.

“The purpose of registration is identification and inspection, and that is why we have this motor vehicle inspection report,” Sarmiento said. “ Ba sic a l ly, the objective of having the motor vehicle inspected before it is registered is to ensure that the vehicle is roadworthy.

TF...

From A1

were still inside the battle zone, putting up resistance to advancing government troops.

Padilla said the military still has no definite deadline as to when the Marawi siege will end.

The military had been unsuccessful so far in meeting deadlines to clear Marawi of the terrorists.

“We are not setting any deadline and I have been citing why, because of the complexity of the environment and the terrain,” he said.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had said the conflict would end in about two weeks, but Padilla did not commit to meeting this deadline or gaurantee that Marawi would be liberated by the fourth Monday of July, when President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his second State-of-the-

Drug-rehab...

From A

million, Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua announced its intentions to enter into joint training, intelligence sharing, military exercises between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Chinese military in a concerted fight against terrorism.

“The Chinese government and the Chinese military forces will continue to firmly support your fight against terrorism. We are looking forward to further enhancement of efforts to fighting terrorism, bilaterally and regional and international context,” Ambassador Zhao said at the Clark Airbase in Mabalacat, Pampanga.

“Terrorism is the enemy both China and the Philippines are facing and it binds our two militaries.

To further enhance cooperation

UN...

From A1

“breaking long-held taboos,” was dangerous “to the entire system of international law.”

“The president of the Philippines has spoken openly about extra-judicial killings. And the president of the United States of America has said that torture could be necessary in certain circumstances. There is no longer any pretense. They are breaking long-held taboos,” Zeid said.

“If other leaders start to follow the same rhetorical course, undermining Convention with their words, the practice of torture is likely to broaden and that would be fatal. The Convention would be scuttled and a central load-bearing pillar of international law removed.”

Zeid made his statement even

Crisis endangers soldiers’ fund

By John Paolo Bencito

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday the P50 billion he promised to finance the education of all soldiers’ children might be compromised by the ongoing Marawi crisis.

The military is trying to flush started an attack more than a out the IS-aligned Maute terror- month ago in an effort to claim ists from Marawi, where they territory.

But in his speech during the 120th anniversary of the Presidential Security Group, Duterte said he would try to make good on his promise.

“Let me assure you [that] there will be a P50-billion trust fund for you. I do have this P20[billion] already, but I won’t say what will be the transaction,” Duterte said.

“As I’ve flaunted before, I’ve already seen the source of [the] funds. Even [Finance Secretary

Carlos] Dominguez [has] already agreed. It’s already ready, but then this [Marawi crisis] happened. So the fund might be compromised but anyway, do not worry.”

Duterte had earlier said that P20 billion had already been set aside for the education fund, while the P30-billion balance would be raised in the next five years.

He did not specify where the money would come from but said the amount would be deposited in banks to earn interest.

Hostages...

From A1

Once training is completed, the prosecutors will be divided into two panels of 15 members, each headed by a senior state prosecutor.

Under the continuous trial system, postponements of hearings are generally prohibited and courts are directed to promulgate a decision no later than 90 days from the time the case is submitted for decision.

Case will be tried from Mon-

In the same speech, Duterte joked that the P50 billion would cover even the soldiers’ lovers and second wives.

“In the fullness of God’s time, kung buhayin niya ako, balik tayo sa square one but in my time, ‘yan ang pangako ko sa inyo. Lahat ng kailangan ninyo, lahat ng medisina, lahat. pwede kayong magbaon ibang asawa.

All forgiven. ‘Wag mo lang paanakan. I am just joking,” he said. day to Thursday, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The continuous trial system was set up by Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno when she assumed the top post to enable the speedy disposition of cases.

Citing security risks, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre earlier asked the Supreme Court to transfer the cases from Cagayan de Oro to Taguig City but the justices have yet to issue a resolution.

With Rey E. Requejo

Military...

From A1

PH-CHINA TIES. Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (right) meets with Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano at the Zhongnanhai Leadership Compound in Beijing on June 28, 2017. AFP Nation Address.

“We are trying to finish this as soon as we can because it is not good to prolong this kind of fighting,” Padilla said.

Padilla warned that the ongoing campaign against Maute terrorists might end up like the ongoing fight in Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, which is continuing up until now.

The military, which had stopped giving deadlines, also said that the number of civilians killed in the ongoing clashes could “significantly increase,” citing the challenges in the battlefield.

Padilla noted that there were still civilians, either trapped or held hostage, and clearing the tall buildings in the city center where the gunmen appear to be concentrated was a slow and dangerous process because of booby traps.

“They have placed sophisticated traps and we don’t want to put in danger the lives of soldiers,

in these areas, the Chinese side would like to express the possibility of joint training, intelligence sharing and joint military exercises in the area of fighting terrorism,” he added.

Zhao also announced there would be a second batch to be delivered “in the coming months.”

On Wednesday, China donated some 6 million pieces of ammunitions for the three different sets of firearms it donated--including the TY-85 7.62mm sniper rifles, CS/ LR4A high precision rifles, and the CQ-A5 5.56 auto rifle.

China’s military aid to the Philippines comes after both Australia and the United States extended their support to strengthening the military’s capability in fighting terrorism.

Saying that China is likewise a “victim of terrorism,” Zhao announced that a P5-million aid would be given to the fami-

as Human Rights Watch said Duterte had unleashed a human rights calamity on the Philippines in his first year in office.

The government’s murderous “war on drugs,” the drug-related overcrowding of jails, and the harassment and prosecution of drug war critics had caused a steep decline in respect for basic rights since Duterte’s inauguration on June 30, 2016, the group said.

Security forces and “unidentified gunmen” had killed at least 7,000 suspected drug users and dealers since July 1, including 3,116 killings by the police, according to government data.

But Human Rights Watch said the Duterte administration had rejected all domestic and international calls for accountability for those abuses, and instead had denied any government responsibility for the thousands of drug war deaths.

that is why we’re careful in doing this,” the military spokesman said.

“We’re asking for understanding that what our soldiers are facing is a challenging battlefield environment. It’s challenging, and what we are working out is to finish them in the soonest time possible but this isn’t fast,” he added.

He added that the military got hold of footage showing the terrorists carrying out executions.

“We are not certain on exactly how many civilians [have been killed] because the number you have now, which is 27, may increase significantly once we are able to validate all these information,” Padilla said.

“There have been a significant number [of slain civilians] seen in the video but again we could not include many of these [to the official death toll] because we have not validated,” he added.

lies of wounded and killed soldiers in Marawi City, which is on top of the 15 million given last Tuesday for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of conflict-affected areas.

“China is ready to raise the important consensus raised by President Duterte and President Xi Jinping to gain a fighting hand in infrastructure and anti-poverty.

And now, our cooperation will cover the socio-economic development of Mindanao,” the envoy said.

Zhao earlier said Beijing was eyeing an enhancement of the defense and military ties between the two countries, saying it would “enhance trust and mutual confidence to avoid incidents of misunderstanding because no country, including China and the Philippines, wants conflict or tension.”

In the same speech, Zhao said the Chinese government “express-

FB:...

From A1

year to better understand what people want out of the social network.

“We realize that we need to do more too,” the 33-year-old said in a recent interview with CNN Tech.

“It’s important to give people a voice, to get a diversity of opinions out there, but on top of that, you also need to do this work of building common ground so that way we can all move forward together.”

The firm’s new mission statement says it seeks “to give people the power to build community.”

Zuckerberg’s message was echoed by Naomi Gleit, a vice president at the internet giant, who credited the millions of small communities emerging within Facebook for helping drive growth.

Du30...

From A1

visit to the city on June 8 due to bad weather that day, which could have prevented his aircraft from landing safely.

Duterte instead flew from Davao City to Cagayan de Oro to visit wounded troops at the headquarters of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division in Barangay Patag.

The President placed the entire Mindanao under martial law due to the clashes between government forces and local terrorists, which have left over 200 dead and trapped around 2,000 residents.

Should anything happen to him, Duterte told Filipinos to follow the constitutional path of succession and support Vice President Leni Robredo as he twitted those who continue to question his well-being.

In a speech during the 120th Founding Anniversary of the

es appreciation to the friendly polices of the Philippine government” towards Beijing.

“It is a demonstration of our improving bilateral relationship.

This is a new era of coooperation between our countries.”

The alleged bribes Bai received from Huang totaled 246 million yuan (around $36 million), paid between 2000 and 2013, Chinese state media reported.

In a Palace news briefing, Communications Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag said the Palace sees the investigation as internal to China.

“That is of course internal to China and rest assured that President Duterte is one with the President of the People’s Republic of China in its drive against corruption,” Banaag said, adding the outcome of the investigation on bribery allegations was all “up to China.”

More than a billion people take part each month in Facebook “groups”—built around everything from sporting interests to humanitarian projects, she said in an online post on Tuesday.

For Gartner analyst Brian Blau, Facebook appears to be striving to become “more of a community company than a technology company.”

He noted that Facebook’s role in last year’s contentious US election-during which social networks were awash in misinformation--may have been a motivating factor.

Founded in 2004, the social media behemoth hit the billionuser mark five years ago.

“These billion levels are significant milestones; and certainly it is a lot of people around the planet,” said Blau. “It goes to show the power of community, and how people are naturally drawn to each other.”

AFP

negotiate the rescue of trapped civilians, the talks were not sanctioned by the government.

“If that was their aim and if that was the topic by which they were discussing with the enemy, that’s well and fine because every life saved from inside Marawi, particularly of civilians or innocent civilians who are still trapped there, is relevant. But anything other than that... is not sanctioned,” he said.

Presidential Security Group, Duterte jested that a pretender to the throne, lawyer Elly Pamatong, already proclaimed himself president in his place after he reportedly got sick, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

“There is a pretender to the throne. Assuming that I die within …. Maybe tomorrow, next month, there are two claimants to the presidency. The one has already organized and he claimed that he has deposed me. Presidential candidate Pamatong,” Duterte said.

Duterte however, pointed out that according to the Constitution, his rightful successor is Vice President Leni Robredo.

Robredo however, still faces an election protest from losing vice presidential candidate former Senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In a viral video, Pamatong said he already assumed the presidency after Duterte skipped the Independence Day rites, saying

Experts...

From A1

University, questioned the continued detention of the six employees of the Ilocos Norte provincial government by the House over their alleged refusal to answer questions during a congressional inquiry on the local government’s use of its share of tobacco excise taxes.

And former University of the Philippines College of Law Dean Pacifico Agabin chided the House leadership for disrespecting the Court of Appeals’ lawful orders that were earlier supported by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.

Aquino and Agabin made their statements even as a House official said former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. could face possible charges for advising his sister, Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, not to attend the congressional probe into the provincial government’s alleged misuse of the P66.45-million tobacco fund.

Surigao Rep. Johnny Pimentel, head of the House committee on good government and public accountability, said Marcos Jr. might suffer the same fate of Senator Leila de Lima who was charged before a Quezon City court for advising her former aide and lover to ignore summons from the House of Representatives during its probe into the drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison.

Pimentel’s panel issued a subpoena to Imee Marcos asking her presence in the fourth hearing it scheduled on July 25. But Imee Marcos repeatedly snubbed the panel’s invitations to testify on the case.

Aguino said the rights of the detainees, collectively known as the “Ilocos Six,” had to be protected.

the President already died or was dying.

Duterte also poked fun at those who had been spreading news he was “in coma” but nonetheless pointed out the possibility that anything could happen to him.

He singled out former senator Francisco Tatad, a columnist for the Manila Times, as the possible source of the rumors.

“Tatad probably said that.

Maybe he’s the one who should go baric, because until now, the infection he suffered when he was circumcised has not healed. Stupid son-of-a-bitch,” he said in Filipino.

Questions about Duterte’s health were first raised when he missed out on Independence Day rites on June 12 and stayed out of sight until June 16.

The President was again absent from the public eye from June 21 to 25, but on June 26 (Tuesday) he resumed his public engagements.

“Inquiries in aid of legislation must always be in accordance with the rules of procedure and the Constitution. You must always anchor yourself on the Constitution,” Aquino said in an interview.

“The rights of persons appearing in congressional inquiries are protected under the Constitution.”

The Ilocos Six--Josephine Calajate, Encarnacion Gaor, Genedine Jambaro, Evangeline Tabulog, Pedro Agcaoili Jr. and Eden Battulayan--were detained on May 29 by Pimentel’s panel for allegedly evading the questions on Ilocos Norte’s allegedly illegal purchase of motor vehicles amounting to P66.45 million.

The Court of Appeals’ Special Fourth Division has already started its contempt-of-court proceedings against Alvarez and House Sgt.-At-Arms Lt. Gen. Roland Detabali for disregarding its writ of habeas corpus and its orders to release the employees.

Agabin, a law expert, defended the three CA justices who ordered the release of the provincial employees.

Agabin slammed the decision of the House committee to issue a show-cause order against Associate Justices Stephen Cruz, Edwin Sorongon and Nina AntoninoValenzuela, which he described as a “breach of the separation of powers of coequal branches of government.”

“It was not proper for the House to issue that order. The congressmen are probably not aware of the expanded definition of ‘judicial power’ in the Constitution,” Agabin said.

He rejected the lawmakers’ argument that the appellate court abused its power in issuing the writ of habeas corpus and ordering the release of the Ilocos Six.

News

A3

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN BRIEF BoC seizes 31 rice containers from Vietnam THE Bureau of Customs has confiscated 31 containers of smuggled rice from Vietnam and other smuggled goods worth more than P50 million at the Manila International Container Port.

Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, who led the inspection of the containers, said the shipments were declared to be glutinous rice but were later discovered to contain regular rice from Vietnam.

He said the smuggled rice came from Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, while the fake imported goods which include footwear, bags, and apparels came from Hong Kong.

The BoC was alerted about the shipments after spurious documents were reportedly used to release the containers.

The Customs chief said they will file charges of economic sabotage against the owners of the smuggled rice.

“If smuggling of agricultural products such as rice exceeds P10 million, it is considered economic sabotage and non-bailable,” he said.

Vito Barcelo

Bam pushes for SK polls in October SENATOR Bam Aquino on Tuesday said that the postponement of the Sangguniang Barangay elections for eight times should be enough as he insisted that the government needs young, passionate and idealistic leaders to help change it from within.

Aquino made the statement following moves to defer the SK elections slated on the last Monday of October this year.

“Eight postponements should be enough. Let’s roll out the new and improved SK and start developing better public servants for a better future,” said Aquino pertaining to Republic Act No. 10742 or the Sangguniang Kabataan Reform Act. The new and improved SK, Aquino said, will give the youth a chance to contribute to the development of the country and emerge as better public servants in the future.

Aquino, the former chairman of the National Youth Commission, pushed for the law’s passage as co-author and co-sponsor during his time as chairman of the Committee on Youth in the 16th Congress.

Earlier, Aquino opposed the government’s plan to postpone SK elections and appoint barangay officials instead.

“It is important that the public decides the leader they want to install. In this way, it can be seen that democracy still working in this country,’’ said Aquino.

According to the senator, more young Filipinos are joining the national conversation, taking to the streets to air their grievances and using social media to voice out their opinion and stand on matters of national importance.

Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo

EDSA TRAFFIC. Photo shows bumper to bumper traffic along Edsa in Kamuning, Quezon City. Heavy traffic like this has prompted the Metro Manila Development Authority to propose a two-day number coding scheme in its bid to ease the traffic congestion in Metro Manila. (Story below fold) Manny Palmero

Aguirre okays ‘downgrade’ of cases in Espinosa slay J

By Rey E. Requejo

USTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Wednesday approved the downgrading of charges against members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group team implicated in the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and fellow inmate Raul Yap inside a sub-provincial jail in November last year that allowed them to post bail for their temporary release from detention recently.

Aguirre said he has read the resolution issued by DoJ Undersecretary Reynate Orceo last May 29 and agreed with the findings of his subordinate.

“As what I said at the very beginning, I support the findings of Usec. Orceo. I can vouch for his integrity,” Aguirre said. “Actually, the existence of evidence

of premeditation in the case has not been proven to qualify the killing as murder,” Aguirre said in a text message.

Aguirre upheld the Department of Justice resolution downgrading the cases against 19 accused led by Supt. Marvin Marcos before the Baybay City Regional Trial Court, Branch14,

from murder to homicide, which is a bailable offense.

The DoJ chief also bewailed how critics assailed the resolution without actually looking into the grounds for the downgrading of the charges, citing for instance the “editorial of a biased leading broadsheet.”

“Everybody was attacking the resolution on irrelevant matters and ascribing ill motives in its issuance, but no one has discussed whether the downgrading is correct or not—whether the same is supported by evidence and in accordance with law and jurisprudence,” he said.

Aguirre also turned down the proposal in the Senate to strip the Justice secretary of his power to review serious cases and transfer it to another authority, possibly a retired justice of the Supreme Court.

“I believe that is unconstitutional. You could not diminish the power of the President as

the Chief Executive. One must remember that as the alter ego of the President, I am merely acting for and in his behalf,” he said. “They must first prove that the DoJ resolution is not correct.

No one has done that before,” he said.

Senator Richard Gordon made the proposal in the Senate in response to the downgrading of the charges against the killers of Espinosa and Yap. The senators have sought the reopening of the Senate probe after the DoJ downgraded the charges against Supt. Marvin Marcos and his men despite the earlier findings of the Senate and the National Bureau of Investigation that they should be liable for murder.

Aguirre had said that while he would cooperate with the inquiry, the Senate has no authority to reserve the findings of the DoJ and only the courts can do so.

Avail of amnesty, govt urges Saudi OFWs THE Philippine government urged the remaining undocumented overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia to immediately avail of the amnesty program for all illegal foreign workers given by the Saudi government which ends on June 29, 2017.

The Department of Labor and Employment said that more than 5,000 stranded and undocumented OFWs have been repatriated by the government since the implementation of the 90-day amnesty that started last March 29, 2017. However, Migrante international estimated that there are at least 12,000 Filipino undocumented workers in KSA, and only half of the estimated availed of the amnesty program. Under the amnesty program, illegal immigrants who availed of the KSA’s Interior Ministry’s “Nation without Violations” campaign would be cleared of any fines or penalties linked to violating the Saudi residency law, labor system and boarder security

in the Kingdom.

Labor Undersecretary Dominador Say appealed to Filipino undocumented workers to have their travel documents processed before Saudi authorities start the crackdown by the end of July.

“I have been informed that there are still some OFWs in Saudi Arabia who have not yet registered and some have ignored the announcement of the Philippine Embassy to avail of the amnesty. The processing will take few days before they can leave and all of this should be done before June 29,” Say said.

He added that the Philippine Embassy in Saudi can only process documents of those who are willing and eager to be brought back home and they have no power over those who refuse to avail of the amnesty.

Citing an example, Say said that he spoke with one of the stranded OFWs when he was in Saudi Arabia last April. He tried to

ELECTRIC CHARGE.

Members of civil society and representatives of consumers and coal-affected communities troop to the Energy Regulatory Commission office in Pasig City to file a petition of intervention on Meralco’s applications for Power Supply greements with seven coal-fired power plants across the country.

Manny Palmero

persuade the OFW to avail of the amnesty.

However, the migrant worker insisted not to register yet, saying she can still work for a month and save some money before flying back home.

“The deadline for registration is due to end soon. We hope that OFWs can register as soon as possible because there are still factors to be considered, such as the processing period, acquiring of other documents, and booking a flight back to the Philippines,” Say said.

Say also said that despite being issued with exit visa, OFWs who have not yet left the Saudi territory after the given amnesty period will still be arrested by the Saudi authorities.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III has sent a Rapid Response Team to help assist stranded OFWs in availing of the amnesty program. Foreign nationals who have pending cases in the Arab country are not covered by the amnesty. Vito Barcelo

Lawmakers reject 2-day coding scheme

By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta LAWMAKERS on Wednesday thumbed down the proposal of Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Danilo Lim to implement a two-day coding scheme in a bid to help address the heavy traffic in Metro Manila.

Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone said the two-day coding system would not solve the traffic problem.

“Those who can afford will just buy additional car, thus aggravating further the problem,” Evardone said. “In the meantime, employees who cannot afford an additional car will be displaced and will become un-

productive because our public transport is very inefficient,” Evardone added.

Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting also said a long-term solution to traffic is needed and not just band-aid solutions.

Solutions to the traffic problem need to be studied and coordinated. The real problem of traffic congestion is rooted in the volume of vehicles on our major thoroughfares. The logical solution is to reduce volume.

The question is how?” Tambunting said.

Evardone and Tambunting said that major infrastructrure projects such as an efficient mass transport system is needed to address the huge traffic problem.

In a motion filed before the Baybay RTC two weeks ago, the DoJ amended the cases against the accused based on its resolution on their petition for review.

The DoJ denied the plea of the CIDG men for dismissal of the cases, and only downgraded the charges against them.

The petition for review filed with the DoJ by the accused last April had effectively suspended the proceedings before the Baybay RTC where the accused are also facing cases for malicious procurement of search warrant and perjury. Last March, the DoJ indicted Marcos and company after a panel of prosecutors chaired

by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Lilian Doris Alejo found in preliminary investigation that the killings of Mayor Espinosa and Yap inside the Baybay jail were attended by treachery and that the respondents used stealth to carry out the raid.

DPWH, Sokor firms sign MoA on PH project

By Vito Barcelo THE Department of Public Works and Highways signed a memorandum of agreement with Korean firms for the construction and consultancy services of the P4.9-billion cable-stayed Panguil BayBridge Project in Northern Mindanao.

Public Works Undersecretary Emil Sadain said that Yooshin Engineering Corp., Pyunhwa Engineering Consultants Ltd., and Kyong-Ho Engineering & Architect Co. Ltd., will provide the conceptual design, design review, construction supervision, and post-construction supervision of the modern bridge in Mindanao which will start this month.

The proposed cable-stayed bridge would be the first in Northern Mindanao which is expected to bring more economic opportunities in the region, the Public Works official said.

The contract for the new mega-bridge project was signed between the DPWH led by Sadain and Public Works project director Sharif Madsmo H. Hasim, project manager Teresita V. Bauzon, director Nimfa E. Potante and chief accountant Mary Antoinette Z. Puno.

The Korean side was represented by vice chairman Hyun Tae Kang and president Kuan Jung Joo of Yooshin Engineering Corporation; vice president Soo Young Park of Pyunhwa Engineering Consultants Ltd.; and vice president Ryu Jae Hun of Kyong-Ho Engineering & Architectects Co. Ltd.

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Consistency

T

OMORROW it will be a year since Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was sworn into the presidency.

There will be—if there are not already—countless analyses of the positive and negative aspects of the one-year-old administration. This maverick local politician, who ran and won on the promise of change, has certainly made life interesting for Filipinos here and abroad. He has also given the international community a lot to talk about, even if it

is only about his speech patterns, demeanor, or no-apologies wisecracks about women.

But all these bits become nearly superficial when viewed against the deeply rooted, longer-impact problems that the administration must confront in the next five years.

Poverty lies at the root of our struggles. Despite the nominally stable economic growth, inequality persists. Poverty, and the desperation it brings, makes people vulnerable to disaster, substance abuse, a life of crime, and the lure of insurgency, even terrorism.

We trust that the economic team of the Duterte administration is

working quietly and defying all odds to get infrastructure built swiftly and sustainably. Only this can ensure that growth is consistent and more evenly distributed.

We can’t make any conclusions as to their success today, because it is precisely the nature of these plans to take long to materialize. Long, but not longer than they should.

The next five years are difficult to foresee. It will be a mix of external events about which we are powerless, and internal decisions made by the officials we elected and those they appointed.

Perhaps the best commitment the President can make on his

one-year anniversary tomorrow is to free us from ambivalence and uncertainty. Before he utters something, he better have thought about it hard so that his spokesmen do not scramble approximating what he meant, or do damage control, or tell us to be more creative in interpreting his words.

We do not need to spend precious energy figuring out whether our leader means what he says, or will even show up at all. Those who set out to sow confusion and chaos will have less ammunition.

And then we can actually begin to build a nation instead of just putting out fires.

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

Marketing the Philippines

enough to buy her some cheap new furniture.

Or that time when Robredo announced that the millions being demanded from her by the Commission on Elections in order to pay for her counterprotest against former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Robredo claimed that she had to borrow money from her relatives—apparently so she could continue with the pretense that she was poor.

But if Robredo is trying to convince us that she is still working, even if she is merely waiting to replace Duterte if something happens to him, then she should not say that it is with the administration. In the language of theater, she is Duterte’s understudy and can only hope that the regular actor somehow fails to perform his role in the play; until that time comes,

IT IS estimated that tourism constitutes 10 percent of the world economy. It stands to reason that countries around the world are scrambling to attract tourists.

In the case of France for instance, being the most visited country in the world with 83.7-million visitors for 2016 (compared to our 5.9-million visitors), tourism contributes about 7.6 percent to France’s Gross Domestic Product. It is tourism that is keeping France basically afloat. For those who have not yet visited France as tourists, there are more foreigners visiting France in a year than the whole French population. Tourists are also staying longer and spending more.

Another country is Spain. It is the third most visited country with 65 million tourist arrivals for the year 2016. That number earned the country $56.4 billion for the year 2015 compared to our $6.4billion.

Our Tourism department, in spite of great challenges that it has been facing, has time and again tried to market the country as a great tourist destination. Up to now, however, our tourist arrivals cannot compare to other countries in the region.

Of the six major Asean economies, we are the last in tourist arrivals with 5.9-million visitors for 2016. The country failed to attain its goal of sixmillion visitors last year.

For this year, it is hard to see how the country can come close to achieving its tourism goal given what is going on in Mindanao.

Part of our problem is that the government seems to think that tourism is simply the problem of the Department of Tourism. On the contrary, if we want to promote the county as a tourist destination, the whole Team Philippines must participate. This means that the whole organs of the Philippine Government must participate to make the country a top tourist destination.

If we look at the more mature countries in Europe whose tourism industries have developed spectacularly, it was a concerted team effort that got those countries to where they are today. As the old saying goes, Rome was not built in one day.

Turn to A5

Turn to A5

One-way relationship LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES IT’S like “Fatal Attraction,” I think. One party claims there is a thriving relationship, even if everyone else—especially the other person supposedly involved—seems to believe it was just a one-night stand.

Vice President Leni Robredo, who admits that she has not seen or heard from President Rodrigo Duterte in the last three months, said she enjoys a “good working relationship” with him. I don’t know about you, but this claim sounds a lot like fake news (or at least a fake relationship) to me.

The last time that Duterte and Robredo actually worked together was in December last year, the same month that the President relayed to Robredo

his desire that she should no longer attend Cabinet meetings as chairman of the Housing and Urban Development and Coordinating Council. Robredo resigned because she had no other choice and that was the end of the official working relationship, as far as anyone can tell.

According to Robredo’s own reckoning, the last time she and Duterte met and talked was during the graduation ceremonies of the Philippine National Police Academy last March. That was also the time when Duterte was supposed to have offered to host a private dinner with the vice president in Malacanan Palace —a dinner that has not yet happened three months later.

Asked if she had received any calls or exchanged any text messages with the President, Robredo said no. The President, she said, doesn’t seem to carry a cellular phone that he answers

himself.

Seriously, is this any kind of relationship, working or otherwise? Or has Robredo merely deluded herself into believing that she is still working

Seriously, is there any kind of relationship, working or otherwise, between Duterte and Robredo? in Duterte’s administration, even if she has not once been appointed caretaker of the government while Duterte is away on some foreign trip?

I don’t think Robredo has lost her marbles like Senator Antonio Trillanes, who considers his meltdown during a recent BBC interview as one of the greatest moments of his public life. But I believe the Vice President is trying to pull a fast one on the rest of us by saying that she is actually working—and working with Duterte.

It’s just like when she wanted us to believe recently that she went rummaging through other people’s garbage in Boston in order to furnish the apartment of her daughter Aika, who has been enrolled in the uber-expensive Harvard University. I honestly don’t know if Robredo was trying to convince us that she had no money because she had to pay millions of pesos to send her daughter to one of the priciest of Ivy League schools; I figure that if she can send her daughter there, she must have

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher can be accessed at: thestandard.com.ph

Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

ManilaStandard

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

ONLINE MEMBER

PPI

Chairman Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager OIC-Ad Solutions Circulation Manager

Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua

Managing Editor Associate Editors City Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Romel J. Mendez Art Director Roberto Cabrera Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion

THERE is no doubt Filipinos love telenovelas, not only our own but those from other countries.

What we are seeing now is an Ilocano version—and a real one, too, starring Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos and Rep. Rody Fariñas, who enjoys the support of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez.

Both Marcos and Fariñas are in their last terms of office, and the latter is looking to replace the former as governor.

Fariñas has accused provincial officials of irregularities to the tune of P66.5 million. This is for the allegedly anomalous purchase of vehicles without the benefit of public bidding.

Strangely, the six Ilocos Norte officials also used to be the people of Fariñas but are now with Imee. Fariñas has in fact been declared as persona non grata by the provincial government.

The Ilocos Norte Six are now detained at the House of Represent at ives.

This despite a Court of Appeals ruling that the House must release them, as a result of a habeas corpus petition by lawyer Estelito Mendoza.

Fariñas and Alvarez did not honor the decision of the appellate court and said that the House was an independent body.

The House has also threatened Marcos that if she continues to snub the hearings, she would be held in contempt, arrested and detained.

The story gets more interesting by the day.

The Supreme Court must step in to prevent a constitutional crisis.

All I can say is... “Abangan!” *** It has been six weeks since the Maute siege of Marawi City. The IS-inspired terrorists are now holed up in mosques and man-made tunnels. They use hostages as human shields.

Will the government be finally able to liberate Marawi next month? What about the desecration of Catholic churches?

I am not being an alarmist when I say that the Maute and Abu Sayyaf Group will not

stop in Marawi. Their goal is to create a caliphate in this part of the world.

Being a former mayor of Davao City, President Duterte had reason to declare martial law in Mindanao.

The world is actually in a state of war against one enemy: Terrorists. *** The Senate must investigate the downgrading of the killing of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa from murder to homicide, not the killing itself.

The Senate and the National Bureau of Investigation head earlier both found that the killing was premeditated.

President Duterte said earlier that if the police were to be found guilty of crimes committed in relation to the war against drugs, he would pardon them.

However, I don’t believe Mr. Duterte really meant this. He just likes to exaggerate.

The Senate must investigate Ag uir re and the DoJ prosecutors. *** The peace initiatives of President Duterte with the Muslims and the communists remain a big challenge especially now that the problem of terrorism is upon us.

It would seem that both the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front would rather have their autonomous regions under the Bangsamoro Basic Law that wait for the federal system of government to materialize under the Duterte administration.

Again, the constitutionality of such autonomous governments will be questioned because this would in effect be dividing the country.

With all that is happening now, Mindanao is sure to remain a war front. *** Speculation on the health of the President will never end.

This will always happen every time he disappears from public view.

To end all these, the President’s doctors must regularly issue a medical bulletin on the health of the President. I want my president strong and healthy.

One-way...

From A4

That’s what Duterte said.

But I think the President was once again playing the mind games he has already become famous for.

Duterte took the opportunity to make light of reports that have resurfaced of him being stricken ill last week, after he was once again out of the public eye. He joked about Ely Pamatong, the perennial nuisance presidential candidate who made a video saying that he was taking over Duterte’s post because the president failed to show up for the Independence Day ceremonies at Manila’s Rizal Park.

To me, what Duterte was actually saying was that Robredo should wait until something really bad happens to him before she can take over. In the meantime, he will continue doing exactly what he’s been doing —including making Robredo and her backers salivate at the prospect of him not showing up for work for good every time he doesn’t appear in public for a couple of days.

Now, that’s their real relationship: It will only be consummated if Duterte dies.

This one stars the governor and the congressman.

she will only be waiting in the wings, preparing for an opportunity that may actually never come.

I’m convinced that Robredo was virtually fired from Duterte’s Cabinet last year because the president found out that she was working at cross-purposes with him. Robredo cannot now claim that she is working for the president, when he has already made it perfectly clear that he will not have anything to do with her whatsoever.

The working relationship that Leni claims with Duterte is only in her mind. That’s where, in all likelihood, it will remain. *** Speaking of Duterte’s relationship with Robredo, the President once again made mention of it yesterday, during the anniversary of the Presidential Security Group. Duterte pointed to Robredo as his only constitutional successor, should anything happen to him and he is prevented from performing his official functions.

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Saving Boracay

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

An Ilocano telenovela

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ THE Philippines is an archipelago made up of 7,641 islands (per latest data). It is famous to many tourists from around the world who come to the country to experience its pristine beaches.

Most popular among tourists are the islands of Boracay, Cebu, El Nido, and Coron.

The Department of Tourism reports that from January to February 2017, a total of 1,210,817 visitors arrived in the country, which is 10.88 percent higher than the accumulated 1,091,983 arrivals during the same period last year. In February 2017 alone, estimated visitor receipts were worth P18.4 billion.

Regarded as one of Asia’s Top 10 islands, ranking 7th in the 2017 Traveler’s Choice Awards

by TripAdvisor, Boracay has continued to prove its reputation as one of the top destinations of choice by foreign and local tourists. In 2016, Boracay was named as the best island in the world by an international luxury and lifestyle travel magazine, Condé Nast. It surpassed the ranking of Palawan, which came 2nd, and Cebu at the 5th spot of

the Condé Nast Traveler’s 2016 Readers Choice Awards. The magazine described Boracay as an “itty-bitty island,” having great shores and beautiful sunsets, and at the same time, having a thriving nightlife scene.

Boracay Island has been the biggest contributor to the revenues of the Province of Aklan.

A total of 1.7 million visitors arrived in Boracay in 2016. On the first quarter of 2017, the Aklan Provincial Tourism Office recorded a total of 744,704 tourist arrivals, a clear 10.84-percent increase from last year’s 671,876 arrivals. Data showed 364,142 foreign tourist arrivals, 360,461 domestic or local tourist arrivals, and 20,101 overseas Filipinos or “balikbayan” arrivals. The tourist arrivals for the first four months of the year translated into P20,915,436,854.70 in tourism receipts. Out of this total, P14,481,964,972.80 were from foreign and overseas Filipino tourists and P6,433,471,881.90 were from domestic tourists.

While Boracay’s tourism continues to grow, I am afraid that this exhibits a threat to the sustainability of the island. The island has been experiencing worsening algal bloom, which may have something to do with the presence of waste substances in the water. According to a report by the Japan International

Cooperation Agency (Jica), the sewage system of the island can no longer accommodate the growing population. It has already reached alarming levels.

Several studies have also cited the detrimental environmental impact of overdevelopment, tourism, and population boom in Boracay; some of these were poor quality of water, beach erosion, and reduced coral cover.

Boracay is home to over 200 hotels and resorts, and this number continues to grow as more business opportunities come along with the increasing number of tourists in the island. The new passenger terminal in Caticlan Airport is expected to be completed by 2018, which for sure will bring in more business opportunities to the island.

While we appreciate the positive effects of tourism, most especially in generating revenues, the DoT must do something to regulate the influx of tourists in Boracay and prevent further environmental damages.

As the agency in charge in the preservation of our country’s natural resources, the Department of Natural Resources must also do its part in saving the island of Boracay. I am glad that DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu recently committed to address environmental issues in Boracay, prioritizing the water quality.

The local government unit of Malay, Aklan must take steps to improve the sewage system and water quality of Boracay, to reduce the threat to the health and wellbeing of its residents and tourists, and to preserve the beauty of the island.

The government should be vigilant about commercialization. We must learn from the lessons of overdevelopment, most especially on its environmental impact. It is also necessary for the concerned agencies and the LGU to adopt policies and practices that would minimize the adverse effects of tourism in Boracay. While we have existing laws that could possibly address the island’s environmental crisis, we need to be stricter in implementing these laws and come up with further legislative measures if necessary.

Rep. Edgar Sarmiento recently filed a house resolution (HR No. 1087) to review the existing laws and programs of the DoT, with the aim of reducing the environmental degradation of Philippine tourist spots, particularly Boracay. Rep. Sarmiento and the House Committee on Tourism have my full support on this.

Saving Boracay is a shared responsibility of all of us. We must take action now before we lose one of our country’s beautiful islands.

The case of the floating woman THE furor about the “floating woman” statue at the University of the Philippines-Diliman has died down, but the debate on the nature of art and its inspirations flows on.

Sculptor Ferdinand Cacnio’s “UPlift” was recently installed in front of the UP Theater (Villamor Hall). The 7-foot long brass statue is of a naked woman floating on her back, face upward to the sky; the entire mass is tethered to the base by the figure’s long hair.

It simultaneously reaped praises and was the subject of heated controversy. Accusations of plagiarism were bandied about, citing the “Virgins of Apeldoorn,” a group of three similarly floating women statues in the Netherlands.

Cacnio denied copying the said artwork. Others defended him, giving examples from Cacnio’s body of work over the years that explore this theme of buoyant females.

The discourse on the matter asked the questions, how is art made? If one creates a work that looks similar to another, is that

Marketing...

From A4 Since we are a latecomer in this field, we should not waste any time in improving our infrastructure at a more rapid pace together with our peace and order conditions. If we improve governance and our international reputation, there would be less need for tourism ads because the reputation of the country will take of itself.

The city of London suffered successive terrorist attacks in a span of a few weeks. Tourists however, continue to flock to that city. Why? Because the city and the country as a whole has a solid reputation. How about us? I leave that to the reader’s judgment.

How many times has the Tourism Department come out with promotional ads that have been plagiarized? If we cannot even be original in our advertisements, then we are really in trouble.

It is also disappointing that other organs of government, instead of helping create an atmosphere of stability, are the ones creating an atmosphere of instability. It is the duty of senior leaders of government to be the first ones to uphold the law

imitation or inspiration?

In visual art, there are common tropes that emerge from time to time, as artists exercise their own take or vision on a particular theme. An exciting aspect of creation is the technical side: how would I execute this myself? What if I make it in another medium or material?

How can I make it ‘mine’? That seems to be what happened here.

It’s a popular enough theme.

Google “floating woman statues” and you’ll find images of such works from other countries and times that look basically the same.

Cacnio’s UPlift is lovely and appealing. Its form and figure conform to current standards of beauty and is thus pleasing to the eye. The pose is natural, and looks like a woman floating in water, with the legs slightly submerged lower than the head.

Cacnio has been quoted as saying that the statue’s outstretched arms symbolize openness, “the most important quality of a UP education.”

Now, on to another issue.

There are some who call it “the female Oblation,” perhaps as a shorthand or easy label. A marvelous artwork that UP and the country can be proud of, yes.

But as a symbol of UP and all it stands for, as the Oblation is, no. so that our democracy will work instead of always testing the political system to the limit.

Even in the best of times, it is hard for the Tourism department to market the country. All it takes is one kidnapping by the dreaded Abu Sayyaf and all the hard work is gone. We have to bear in mind the effect of the presence of the Maute group, BIFF, Abu Sayyaf, MILF, MNLF and the CPP/NPA on our tourism sector.

Even with all these huge and daunting problems not only in peace and order but also infrastructure, the fact that visitors still come and the volume is even increasing (albeit modestly), speaks volumes of what the country can offer in tourism.

There is no doubt that the potential is there. Next to our spectacular beaches and dive sites, the well-known hospitality of the Filipino people remains to be our biggest assets. That is why even if some parts of country are categorized as a conflict zones, we can still develop a robust tourism industry.

The Ukraine which is also facing a secessionist conflict in the DONBAS region of that country and whose economy is deteriorating is still the 22nd most visited

Why ‘no’? Because of semiotics.

Cultural artifacts, even gestures and actions, are symbolic.

When we see a thing, what often comes to mind are the meanings attached to it, and we interpret that thing according to our frame of reference.

For instance, when I saw UPlift was, my first thought was, why is she on her back? Is she asleep? Dreaming? In a trance?

Swimming in Boracay? She seems disconnected from reality, helpless, powerless, without agency. Worst interpretations: does this mean a woman does her best work on her back? Is she being abducted by aliens or beamed up by Scotty?

Far better representations of what women are and strive to be as UP students and graduates are “Dakila” and “Magdangal,” also sculptures on the campus.

I’ve always admired Sandra Torrijos’s “Dakila,” which stands in front of the UP Center for Women’s Studies.

It is a stout figure of a woman dressed in a Philippine flag made of tiny tesserae (mosaic tiles). On her head is a crown of leaves, in her hand an open book, with an image of a little girl on a page. It’s a work full of symbols: patriotism, strength, steadfastness, the sense of iden-

tity as a Filipino, the love of nature, motherhood and nurturing, knowledge and learning, the young as hope and future.

Similarly, Napoleon Abueva’s “Magdangal,” a sculpture in metal, conveys strength and power.

She stands feet apart and firmly planted, head to the side in an alert pose. She seems to be walking, on her way somewhere with purpose. Her body is not sexy like UPlift’s, in fact it is stocky in comparison, but it is gorgeously muscled, with jutting breasts, defined abs, and robust thighs and calves. I’d take Magdangal’s body over UPlift’s any day; it looks like it’s sturdy enough to take me where I need to go.

The university is fortunate that it now possesses the Cacnio work in addition to these two and the many other sculptures that grace the campus. UPlift is now part of UP lore.

Whether it conveys the idea of openness, as the maker intended, is a subject that will spark spirited discussions, even as all works of art invite our attention and engagement as we attempt to decipher their hidden meanings.

Dr. Ortuoste is a Californiabased writer. FB: Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @jennyortuoste, IG: @jensdecember, @artuoste

country in the world with 12.7-million visitors. Mexico with its own huge drug problem and runaway homicide rate is still the 10th most visited country with 29.1-million visitors. So is Thailand with its own Muslim problem; it was able to attract 24.8-million visitors and is the 14th most visited country last year.

So what makes these countries different? Maybe they have better promotional techniques. It could also be that those countries have such irresistible natural wonders that people simply do not care about the dangers of visiting these countries. It is possible that our own press is making things a lot worse than they really are?

The DoT at one time asked the press to tone down their reporting so as not to discourage potential tourists. Was the DoT right in doing so? Maybe not, but there is a saying that goes—it is not what is said but how it is said that is important.

Whatever our shortcomings are, it is obvious that we have a lot of work ahead of us in order to achieve our tourism goals.

It is also clear that the Tourism department alone cannot do it even with the greatest of ads.

MAIL MATTERS I did not say alliance shift is a welcome move I WRITE in connection with the story “Taiwan upbeat on ties with PH,” written by Sara Susanne D. Fabunan, which appeared in the June 27 issue of Manila Standard.

The eighth paragraph said that I echoed Taiwan’s representative to Manila, Gary Lin, that “the Philippines’ decision to shift its alliance to China was a welcome move but urged Manila to also seek ties and cooperation with Taipei.”

I did not say that the Philippines’ decision to shift its alliance to China was a welcome move.

PETER PAN Executive Officer Taipei Economic and Cultural Office

News

A6

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Olivarez facing plunder, graft before Ombudsman

By Rio N. Araja PARAÑAQUE City Mayor Edwin Olivarez is facing plunder and graft complaints before the Office of the Ombudsman over a P453.37-million settlement in real-property taxes in favor of his godfather.

Jonathan Bernardo, a former Barangay San Dionisio councilor, questioned Olivarez’s move to forego the 2013 tax payment of the Wenceslao Group—D.M. Wenceslao & Associates Inc., Wendel Holdings Co. Inc., Fabricom Manufacturing Corp. and Aseana Holdings Inc.— in the amount of P453,374,700.68.

He urged Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales to place Olivarez and 12 other local officials under a preventive suspension, saying the group of companies’ board chairman was the mayor’s godfather.

City Administrator Fernando Soriano, in a press statement, said: “Since the matter is in the hand of the Office of the Ombudsman, we submit to the honorable Ombudsman to resolve the case.

“But we would like to inform the public [that] the honorable Supreme Court has approved the compr mise agreement of the two parties.”

Bernardo had alleged Olivarez, along with councilors Rufino Allanigue; John Ryan Yllana; Merlies Antipuesto; Vincent Kenneth Favis; Florencia Amurao; Brillante Inciong; Roselle Nava-Tan; Joan Villafuerte; Maritess de Asis, and Jacqueline Bustamante-Mendoza; city legal officer Rommel Frias, and officer in charge city treasurer Anthony Pulmano committed plunder and graft for giving the Wenceslao Group due benefit in November 2013 for

some construction projects in the mixeduse reclaimed area in Parañaque City.

Based on the complaint, Olivarez and the 10 councilors passed a resolution granting a reduced real-property tax assessment per square meter from P12,000 to P6,000 even if the Wenceslao Group had a pending case in the city government, and that there was no public consultation.

The city assessor’s office, however, came up with tax declarations of P12,000 per square meter, Bernardo said.

The Wenceslao Group settled its unpaid taxes in 1998 under protest, challenged the assessed value of P12,000 per square meter and insisted the assessment must only be at P6,000 per square meter.

In November 2013, the city council granted the Wenceslao Group a lowered real-property tax “with bad faith and with precipitate haste,” for passing a resolution in three days without any consultation.

A 62.68-percent discount was granted, he said, adding D.M. Wenceslao and Associates Inc., Wendel Holdings Co. and the Asean Holdings Inc. paid only P269,892,166.81in real-estate taxes.

He said the group of companies must pay P723,266,867.49.

According to Bernardo, the Parañaque City mayor gave special treatment to the Wenceslao Group, whose chairman, Ding Wenceslao, was his godparent and was his campaign donor in the May 2016 local election.

The complaint read: “Suffice it to state that the above discounts constitute as sufficient evidence that the current agreement approved by the SP is manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the City of Parañaque.

WATER EYESORES. An unidentified fisherman gives his best muscles to clear the legendary Pasig River in the metropolis of water lilies which have unduly suspended ferry services with the onset of the rainy season. Lino Santos

Sandiganbayan orders ex-Rep. Dumpit nabbed

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE Sandiganbayan Seventh Division ordered the arrest of former Rep. La Union Thomas Dumpit Jr. in connection with his alleged P43.65-million pork barrel scam case.

In a resolution, the anti-graft court found probable cause for the issuance of an arrest warrant against Dumpit on his malversation of public funds, malversation through falsification, and

violations of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act cases.

“The Court finds that there is substantial basis to support the finding of probable cause

for the purpose of issuing a warrant of arrest against accused and hold them for trial,” the ruling said.

This, after the anti-graft division junked for lack of merit the motion of Dumpit for reinvestigation of his cases allegedly after his signatures were forged though he sent requests to the National Livelihood Development Corp. to allow the use of his pork barrel funds.

The resolution said the antigraft court could determine the authenticity of Dumpit’s sig-

natures during the full-blown trial o“The duty to determine the authenticity of a signature rests on the magistrate, who must conduct an independent examination of the signature itself, in order to arrive at a reasonable conclusion as to its authenticity.

Forgery cannot be presumed,” said the anti-graft court.

Dumpit posted P315,000 bail for his temporary liberty Wednesday.

Dumpit was charged along with Godofredo Roque as the latter was accused of having bo-

Manila

TODAY 1598 M.H. Del Pilar corner Dr. J. Quintos Streets Malate, Manila Tel. Nos. 522-0000, 551-2200 connecting all departments

INVITATION TO BID The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites consultants/ suppliers/manufacturers/distributors/contractors to bid for the hereunder projects: I. Goods and Services

ITB - GS-20170314-02 Supply, Delivery and Installation of Thirty (30) Units Thru-The-Wall Type Cash Deposit Machine ITB - GS-20170502-01 One (1) Year Messengerial/Courier Services for LANDBANK Credit Card Statements of Account National Capital Region - 96,000 Parcels Luzon - 120,000 Parcels Visayas - 72,000 Parcels Mindanao - 72,000 Parcels ITB - GS-20170615-01 One (1) Lot Supply, Delivery and Installation of HP ArcSight Security Information and Event Management Upgrade

Approved Budget Bidding for the Contract Documents Fee (ABC)

Delivery Period

P 51,640,000.00

P

25,900.00

To be discussed during the Pre-Bid Conference

P 18,720,000.00

P

9,400.00

To be discussed during the Pre-Bid Conference

P 22,950,000.00

P

11,500.00

Within sixty (60) calendar days after receipt of Notice to Proceed

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, with an amount of not less than 50% of the ABC. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

By Joel E. Zurbano

T HE Metro Manila Developgus non-government organizament Authority is hastening its tions similar to the fake NGOs clean-up operation of all clogged purportedly run by alleged pork drainage, creeks and open wabarrel scam mastermind Janet terways in the metropolis in line with its anti-flood measure as Lim-Napoles. the rainy season draws near.

Based on the charges filed by In a report from the MMDA the Office of the Ombudsman, Flood Control and Sewerage Dumpit downloaded the portion Management Service office, the of his Priority Development Aslatest operation was conducted sistance Funds or pork barrel for along Andrews Avenue in Pasay the livelihood programs of 18 City near the Ninoy Aquino Interbarangays in Tubao, La Union national Airport - Terminal 3. where the awarding of the conDredging operation was tracts to the alleged bogus NGOs also conducted at Maytunas failed to undergo the required Creek along J.B.Vargas Street public bidding. in Barangay Addition Hills, CYAN MAGENTA YELLOWCity.

BLACK Mandaluyong

Standard

Items

MMDA cleans up Metro’s waterways

FAKE GOODS. MICP district collector Vincent Philip Maronilla (right) presents to media Wednesday seized counterfeit goods from different countries at the Customs office in Manila. Lino Santos

MMDA general manager Thomas Orbos said aside from traffic, flood control and clearing all the clogged creeks and open waterways in Metro Manila was also one of the agency’s mandates, adding the clean up operation was being made in cooperation with local government officials.

Massive flooding is a contributing factor to the worsening traffic situation in Metro Manila, MMDA officials said.

In October, the agency came up with a list of flood-prone areas in the National Capital Region the public should avoid, especially during rush hours and heavy downpour.

The flood prone areas identified in Manila are the EspañaAntipolo-Maceda in Sampaloc, the Padre Burgos and Manila City Hall vicinity, and the R. Papa-Rizal Avenue; and the areas of Quezon Avenue, Biak na Bato, EdsaTrinoma, Edsa-Camp Aguinaldo Gate 3, and Katipunan Avenue in front of Shakeys Pizza Restaurant in Quezon City.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs).

Over 137,000 Filipinos get PCSO medical aid

The schedule of activities are as follows:

IN JUST half a year, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has helped 137,768 beneficiaries from its medical assistance program, spending P2,842,144,673.84, which the agency expects to increase shortly, general manager Alexander Balutan said Wednesday.

“The increase of beneficiaries under the Individual Medical Assistance Program may be related to the people’s increased understanding of the role of Small Town Lottery in extending help to our countrymen,” Balutan said in a press statement.

Records of PCSO showed that from January to May, the PCSO generated P5.018 billion from the

ACTIVITIES 1. Issuance of Bid Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference

3. Submission / Opening of Bids 4. Post-Qualification 5. Notice of Award

SCHEDULE June 29 to July 20, 2017 July 6, 2017 - 2:00 PM Bidding Room, 25th Floor, LANDBANK Plaza Building 1598 M. H. Del Pilar corner Dr. J. Quintos Streets, Malate, Manila July 20, 2017 - 11:00 A.M. Procurement Department, 25th Floor, LANDBANK Plaza Building 1598 M. H. Del Pilar corner Dr. J. Quintos Streets, Malate, Manila July 21 to 27, 2017 August 1, 2017

Bid documents will be available to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable Bidding Documents fee to the LANDBANK Cashier.

LANDBANK reserves the right to (a) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (b) waive any minor formal requirements in the bid documents; (c) accept such bids, it may consider advantageous and beneficial without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

expanded STL, an increase of 173.38-percent from the P2.066 billion in the previous year, out of a total income of P20 billion from the sales of its various game products.

The P20 billion revenue this year is a 33.21-percent growth of the more than P15-billion sales recorded in the same period last year.

In 2016, the agency was able to help more than 300,000 indigent patients nationwide who sought out medical assistance from the PCSO, an increase of 27.7 percent from the number of beneficiaries in 2015, which came up to 249,751.

“The number of Filipinos receiving medical assistance from PCSO is sig-

nificantly increasing day by day, and we expect more numbers of patients who will seek assistance from us,” he said.

Balutan said the PCSO would continue to expand the operations of STL to increase revenues from 92 AACs nationwide, which is also an increase from the initial 56 launched in January.

Apart from IMAP assistance, medicine and medical supplies, the agency also had medical and dental missions with 1,768 beneficiaries from April to June 15.

Records showed 2,868 outpatients were also registered as beneficiaries with an amount spent 63,609.48 from the months of April up to June 15.

Sports

A7

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Do-or-die PSL quarterfinals on W

New name, new hope for Perlas in Premier volley meet

ITH the preliminaries already in the books, the quest for the crown intensifies as four teams figure in the do-or-die quarterfinals of the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference today at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Games Saturday

4 p.m. – Creamline vs Adamson-Akari 6:30 p.m. – Xentro Mall vs Air Force

THE Perlas Lady Spikers hope to shine with a new name when they resume their campaign in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference starting Saturday at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan.

Now called the Xentro Mall Lady Mall Spikers, the squad will be led by Kiwi and former Ateneo stalwart Amy Ahomiro, along with former UP standouts Kat Bersola and Nicole Tiamzon, Jem Ferrer, Sue Roces, Ella de Jesus and Mae Tajima.

They kick off their campaign against the Air Force Jet Spikers.

Ateneo libero Gizelle Tan will also join forces with sister Bea along with Rysabelle Devanadera, Carmina Acevedo and Raprap Aguilar for the Lady Mall Spikers, who placed fifth in the recent Reinforced Conference. Thai Nai Muhammad has taken over as coach after Jerry Yee moved to league newcomer Hapee Toothpaste.

Also seeing action in the opener are Creamline, which boosted its roster by tapping former Ateneo star setter Jia Morado and veteran Mary Jean Balse, and Adamson-Akari, another new club, at 4 p.m., which will precede the 6:30 p.m.

Xentro-Air Force showdown in the mid-season conference of the league organized by Sports Vision and backed by Mikasa and Asics.

The Hapee Fresh Fighters debut on Sunday as they take on the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors, the reigning champions, at 4 p.m. while the Power Smashers and BaliPure Water Defenders collide at 6:30 p.m.

Meanwhile, the PVL men’s division will also feature eight teams, including new clubs Megabuilders Volley Bolt, composed of National U players, and the Gamboa Coffee Mix Spikers, who will be bannered by the Mapua hitters.

Gamboa Coffee also will make its debut on Saturday against defending champion Air Force at 10 a.m. while Megabuilders will play against Army at 1 p.m.

The other teams are the Sta. Elena Wrecking Balls, Cafe Lupe Sun Risers, Instituto Estetico Manila Volley Masters the newly-crowned Reinforced Conference titlists the Cignal HD Spikers.

Reigning champion F2 Logistics battles Generika-Ayala at 5 p.m. while Cignal tackles Cocolife at 7 p.m. in a bid to advance to the semifinals of this prestigious women’s club tourney bankrolled by Belo, Gold’s Gym and Rebisco with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Foton emerged as top seed after submitting a 5-1 win-loss card

at the end of the short—but very competitive—preliminaries of this tourney that also has Senoh, Mikasa, Asics, Mueller and Grand Sport as technical sponsors.

The Tornadoes will be facing young Cherrylume side while another powerhouse in Petron will test Sta. Lucia Realty in the other quarterfinal battle on Saturday at the

Malolos Sports and Spikers, who brushed Today Convention Center in 5 p.m. Games – Generika-Ayala vs F2 off a rusty start en Malolos City. route to the overLogistics Led by the seasoned 7 p.m. – Cignal vs Cocolife whelming victory. troika of Rachel Anne Cignal coach Daquis, Honey Royse Tubino and George Pascua lauded the effort national team stalwart Jovelyn of his wards, but raised the need Gonzaga, Cignal is tipped to breeze for a strong start in anticipation for through the Asset Managers the tough battles in the quarterfifollowing an emphatic 19-25, nals and semifinals. “We can’t af30-28, 25-22, 25-16 victory over ford to have a slow start in the next the Lifesavers in the final day of round,” said Pascua, who guided preliminaries late Tuesday at the Petron to a clean sweep of this Baliwag Star Arena in Bulacan. tourney two years ago. “Things In that match, the prized are definitely going to be very trio made its presence felt tough from here. We have to work combining for 34 points while on our previous lapses and make another veteran in Cherry Vivas sure that we are ready for battle.” chipped in 13 markers for the HD On the other hand, Cocolife

Barnes avoids jail time after guilty plea NEW YORK—Golden State Warriors for ward Matt Barnes pleaded guilty Tuesday to disorderly conduct but avoided jail time following a December incident at a New York nightclub.

Barnes was ordered to perform 10 days of community service and allowed to do the work in California. He was given until Aug. 29, the next hearing date, to complete the work.

During Golden State’s playoff run to the NBA title, Barnes came off the bench to appear in 12 games, totaling nine points, nine rebounds, seven assists and two steals.

Charges came from an early morning incident involving Barnes when he was a member of the Sacramento Kings and former Kings star DeMarcus Cousins.

Video footage obtained by police appeared to show Barnes as the assailant of three people, with two women reported being choked by Barnes. Another man who ran to aid one of the women was sucker-punched.

Cousins was accused of delivering the punch but was recently cleared of wrongdoing by police.

A civil suit has been filed against Barnes and Cousins by plaintiffs Jasmine Besiso and Myrone Powell. AFP Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook, holding his MVP award, is flanked by his teammates (from left) Andre Roberson, Enes Kanter, Taj Gibson, Nick Collison and Victor Oladipo during the 2017 NBA Awards Show at Basketball City in New York City. AFP

Jordan, Durant congratulate Westbrook NEW YORK—Russell Westbrook received congratulations on his first NBA Most Valuable Player award Tuesday from former Oklahoma City teammate Kevin Durant and Hall of Fame playmaker Michael Jordan.

Westbrook took the honor at the NBA Awards show Monday in New York, defeating fellow finalists Kawhi Leonard of San Antonio and James Harden of Houston in the voting.

The 28-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder guard

became only the second player in NBA history to average a triple double— double digits in points, rebounds and assists—for a full season, joining Oscar Robertson in 1962.

One thing that helped make that feat possible was Durant’s decision to leave the Thunder last July as a free agent and sign with the Golden State Warriors.

Durant helped Golden State win the NBA crown earlier this month, the first of his career and the second in three

seasons for the Warriors.

In a posting on his YouTube Channel page, Durant wrote: “Huge congrats to Russell Westbrook on MVP, that boy went out there and was a created player on 2k all year... balled out. Gotta respect it!”

Jordan, now owner of the NBA Charlotee Hornets, won his first NBA MVP award in 1988, three years before capturing the first of six NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls, and reminded Westbrook of that in a Nike

brand Instagram posting.

“Congrats, Russell,” he wrote. “I got my first MVP award before my first ring, too... Keep going!”

Westbrook and Durant helped the Thunder reach the 2012 NBA Finals, where they lost to the LeBron James-led Miami Heat, and the 2015 NBA Western Conference finals, where they lost to Golden State.

This season, the Thunder were ousted by Houston in the opening round of the playoffs. AFP

British School of Manila’s 1st fencing tilt lures 3 countries THE British School of Manila recently held the First BSM Fencing Championship at the BSM school gym in Taguig City.

Over 175 fencers from over a dozen schools and clubs from the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia competed in 19 events under individual and team categories for all three fencing weapons: Foil, Épée and Sabre.

“It was wonderful to see the BSM Sports Hall transformed into a fencing arena with so many competitors from the region in attendance,” said Simon Mann, Head of The British School Manila. “The standard of competition was reflective of the number of clubs involved and was a real step-up for our team. We place a great value on the positive impact that sports and activities have on young people.”

The BSM Fencing Club was founded in 2008 as an after-school activity with only a few students who trained once a week. Since then, fencing at BSM has grown into a full-fledged club that competes in local and international meets. The latest tournament was as a response to the enthusiasm

will also be marching to the quarterfinals oozing with confidence.

The Asset Managers shut down their campaign in the preliminaries with a morale-boosting 25-22, 25-16, 25-19 domination of Cherrylume also last Tuesday.

But still, Cocolife team captain Michele Gumabao claimed that they are far from perfect.

“We had some lapses in communication in our past few games.

I hope we can resolve that now that we’re entering the quarterfinals,” said Gumabao, referring to her squad that is a mixture of of seasoned veterans and young players from University of Santo Tomas.

of the club’s members and supporters. It is BSM’s way of promoting fencing in the country.

“It gives the nascent sport of fencing a much needed boost to further establish the sport as one of the possible leading choices for many aspiring Filipinos,” observed Dheeraj Bahukhandi, a father of three BSM Fencing Club members.

The foreign participants and their parents recognized the efforts made by the school and the club. Joe Chin, father of Julian and Jason Chin from Blade Fencing Club of Kuala Lumpur who competed in the Under 13 and Under 17 sabre and foil, commented on Facebook, “It was a nicely-ran event. Salute to the organizers and volunteering parents of BSM!” The First BSM Fencing Championship also attracted other fencers who cheered for their favorite players and teams. One of those in the audience was Juliana Gomez, daughter of actor/sportsman Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez. Juliana, who is a trained and active fencer said, “Fencing is a great sport and a wonderful outlet for children and adults to express

themselves in a fun yet competitive way. I’m glad that The British School of Manila organized this to help uplift the sport in our country and show our international guests that we can host such events.”

The tournament turned out to be a true family event.

Jennifer Verlini, mother of 11-year old BSM student Mario who won third place in the Under 13 Beginners Foil said: “The competition was a fantastic experience for our whole family. The organizers ensured a memorable day for the competitors and the supporters.”

With a total of over 560 participants and spectators, Sally Arambulo, Administration Head of the Philippine Fencing Association and tournament director, affirmed, “The British School of Manila’s First Fencing Championship is one of the most attended age-group competitions held in the country this year… I can say that almost everyone enjoyed and felt at home.”

Because of the good outcome, BSM’s fencing coach Arvin Baccay said the club plans to make the BSM Fencing Championship a yearly competition.

GMA 7 to air Pacquiao-Horn FILIPINO boxing fans can catch the muchawaited ‘Battle of Brisbane’, headlined by Manny “PacMan” Pacquiao and Australian Jeff “The Hornet” Horn, exclusively on free TV via GMA 7 this Sunday at 10 a.m.

GMA, in partnership with boxing promoter ALV Events International, will also air realtime blow-by-blow account of the WBO Welterweight title fight on its flagship AM radio station DZBB 594 and RGMA Super Radyo stations nationwide beginning 9 AM. The eight-division world champion Pacquiao, who holds a 59-6 record including 38 knockouts and 2 draws, is determined to put on another thrilling performance after successfully defending his WBO welterweight world title against Jessie Vargas last November.

The ‘Pambansang Kamao’ is facing the 29-year-old Brisbane native Horn, WBO’s No. 1 ranked contender at 147 pounds with a record of 16-0 including 11 knockouts and 1 draw.

The showdown at the SunCorp Stadium in Brisbane is set to become Australia’s biggest fight in history, which will also include two Filipino fighters in the undercard. Jonel Dapidran, Pacquiao’s cousin, will face Australian Brent Dames in the Junior Welterweight bout while another Filipino pride Jerwin Ancajas will defend his IBF World Junior Bantamweight title against Japanese Teiru Kinoshita.

The replay of the “Battle of Brisbane: Pacquiao versus Horn” will also air on GMA on the same day at 11 p.m.

Cage meeting

Over 175 fencers from over a dozen schools and clubs from the Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia competed in 19 events under individual and team categories.

Federer Wimbledon favorite LONDON—Twelve months after shutting down his season in the wake of a devastating semi-final defeat, Roger Federer returns to Wimbledon as favourite to capture a record-breaking eighth title and become the tournament’s oldest champion.

The evergreen Swiss superstar, who turns 36 in August, has stunned the critics who wrote him off as yesterday’s man when he went down to Milos Raonic in five gruelling sets on Centre Court in 2016.

The loss forced him off tour for the remainder of the year to rest a knee injury, leaving his Grand Slam title count on 17 where it had been since 2012.

Fast forward a year and Federer is poised to break the tie for seven Wimbledon titles he shares with Pete Sampras and take his career tally at the majors to 19.

With eternal rivals Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic in slumps of varying lengths and degrees of seriousness, and Rafael Nadal fretting over whether or not his knees will bear the stress of grass courts, it is Federer in the box seat.

Federer, who captured a fifth Australian Open in January, will go into Wimbledon buoyed by a ninth title on the grass of Halle.

His final demolition of Alexander Zverev, 15 years his junior and a player seen as his natural heir, came just a week after he marked his return from a 10-week break by losing in the first round in Stuttgart. AFP

ORGANIZERS of the 15th Fr. Martin Cup Division 2 basketball tournament are meeting this Friday to discuss the opening of their cagefest on July 15.

Commissioner Robert de la Rosa said interested parties and coaches may attend the meeting that is set at 11 a.m. at the Savory Restaurant in Bustillos St., Sampaloc, Manila.

This tournament is for varsity teams, which have players who are listed in their school’s developmental squad.

The competition is held annually during the ongoing first semester collegiate season.

Players who are in team B are allowed to play for schools which are involved in ongoing collegiate tournaments during the first semester.

LOTTO RESULTS

6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M+ 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0 M 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

Sports

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

A8

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

No more imports as NCAA looks to Fil-heritage cage players

By Peter Atencio IN THE future, varsity teams in the National Collegiate Athletic Association will have to rely on Filheritage athletes to beef up their lineups as member schools are no longer allowed to recruit foreign players.

In 2012, the NCAA policy board approved the proposal to disallow member schools from recruiting foreign players for their teams.

The new rule took effect in 2014 and the full impact of their decision will be felt within the next two years.

“Iyung mga imports, baka patapusin na lang namin. Kaya iyung recruitment sa college, kailangan ng pagtibayin,” said San Beda College team manager Jude Roque.

Roque explained that Fil-heritage players will be the best source of talent for their teams if they look for cagers abroad.

The Red Lions have three imports to choose from to play for them when season 93 starts next week.

Arnaud Noah, Nigerian Eugene Toba and Cameroonian Donald Tankoua can come aboard, depending on coach Boyet Fernandez when he finalizes the Red Lions’ roster.

The University of Perpetual Help Altas will banner Prince Eze, while the Lyceum Pirates have Cameroonian Mike Harry Nzeusseu. The Arellano Chiefs are betting on Elie Ongolo Ongolo.

For Roque, this means that the Red Lions will also have to look for the best local players they can find.

“We will have to look for the best local players for the team,” added Roque. “Our goal is to keep that NCAA trophy at San Beda and we expect it to be tougher after our recent victory.”

Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao and trainer Freddie Roach attend a press conference to promote the ring icon’s WBO Welterweight title fight against Australian challenger Jeff Horn at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. Pacquiao’s world title fight with Horn will be ‘short and sweet’ with a knockout likely, his trainer predicted. His Australian challenger, however, said he was ‘ready for war.’ AFP

Team Pacman says fight will be ‘short and sweet’ B

RISBANE—Manny Pacquiao’s world title fight with Jeff Horn will be “short and sweet” with a knockout likely, his trainer predicted Wednesday, as his Australian challenger said he was “ready for war”.

The legendary Filipino, one of the greatest fighters of his generation, is widely tipped to triumph over the unbeaten Horn in front of an expected 50,000 people at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.

“He [Manny] doesn’t like to predict knockouts and so forth but I think it is going to be

short and sweet,” trainer Freddie Roach told reporters at a press conference ahead of the World Boxing Organization (WBO) welterweight bout.

“I think it won’t last too long and someone will get knocked out.”

Roach on Tuesday suggested the fight was a step-

ping stone for the eightweight world champion to secure a rematch with American rival Floyd Mayweather, who outpointed Pacquiao in the “Fight of the Century” two years ago.

Horn’s camp hit back, with the former school schoolteacher’s promoters taking a dig at Pacquiao for spending most of the press conference looking at his mobile phone.

“Not only is Manny Pacquiao an eleven-time world champion... he is also a world champion texter, because he never gets off his bloody

phone,” Dean Lonergan said.

Horn’s trainer Glenn Rushton accused Pacquiao’s camp of underestimating his 29-year-old challenger and said the so-called “Battle of Brisbane” would become the “fight of the year”.

“My vision for this fight is it will be a late stoppage. I think it is going to occur late in the fight after... all of these rounds. I personally believe this will be the fight of the year,” Rushton said.

“I do think Freddie and Manny are probably underestimating Jeff even though

Jaworski to be part of IOC’s Cluster Committee

Fudolin, Del Rosario share lead BAGUIO—Apple Jeen Fudolin stumbled with a three-putt bogey on No. 18 for a three-over 64, dropping to a share of the lead with Pauline del Rosario at the start of the ICTSI Baguio Ladies Classic here yesterday. ]The last-hole mishap at the straight par-3 finishing hole typified the field’s struggle at the unpredictable putting surface of the short but tricky layout, which proved to be as tough as the long, championship courses on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour calendar.

“I didn’t expect to be sharing the lead. I made too many errors on the green,” said Fudolin, who birdied No. 6 but fumbled with four bogeys at the backside, which features all but one par-3.

The Del Monte shotmaker, who has never contended for the crown in a long while, looked headed to grabbing the first day honors in the P1 million event

sponsored by ICTSI with a twoover card going to 18th. But after hacking an 8-iron at the 166yard closing hole to pin-high length, she putted short then missed from four feet.

Earlier, Del Rosario also three-putted the 18th as she, like Fudolin and the rest of the field, groped for putting form with the recent Orchard leg winner still adjusting to the condition coming off a joint sixth place finish in Thailand LPGA. “It’s tough to adjust to the speed of the greens here coming from Thailand where we played on sleek putting surface. But I came in too aggressive on some holes. It was short but wasn’t easy to reach the green. Precision shots should be my focus since there are only two holes that are long,” said del Rosario, who fumbled with back-to-back bogeys from No. 2, dropped another stroke on the 12th before birdying the next.

The duo seized a one-stroke lead over former leg winner Sarah Ababa and Chihiro Ikeda, who carded identical 65s, while Thai Ananya Vitayakonkomol bogeyed the last three holes and slid to joint fifth with amateurs Kristine Torralba and Gretchen Villacencio with 68s.

Thais Chatprapa Siriprakob and Tiranan Yoopan skied to 69s while Japanese amateur Kelly Marutani limped with a 70 in a tie with Thais Supakchaya Pattaranakrueang and Chayuda Singhsuwan, who struggled in a day where birdies proved to be an exception rather than the norm given the 4,115-yardage of the par-61 course.

The event, organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. and backed by Custom Clubmakers, BDO, Meralco, Sharp, KZG, PLDT, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and K&G Golf, is staking P250,000 to the winner.

Apple Fudolin reacts after missing a birdie putt on No. 9

With Serena, Sharapova out, Wimby a wide-open race LONDON—With Serena Williams preparing for the birth of her first child and Maria Sharapova sidelined by a thigh injury, the race to be crowned Wimbledon champion is the most wide-open in a generation.

Having stepped away from the court as she waits to become a mother in September, Williams, who won Wimbledon in 2015 and 2016, has created a power vacuum at the top that Sharapova was expected to fill when the Russian returned from her doping suspension.

Instead, Sharapova lasted just three tournaments before a muscle injury in Rome forced the five-time major winner to withdraw from the Wimbledon

qualifying tournament.

In the absence of American great Williams, who has 23 Grand Slam titles on her CV, and the headline-grabbing Sharapova, women’s tennis has an undeniable lack of star power heading into Wimbledon, which gets underway on Monday.

But the flip-side is the opportunity for the sport’s less heralded names to seize the spotlight, as Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko showed with her unexpected breakthrough triumph at the French Open.

“There are about 15 women who could win this year. It’s one of the most open ever,” said John Lloyd, a former British men’s number one now working as a BBC commentator.

I know they say they are not because he is too experienced not to prepare properly.

“But I do think when they get out there, it’s going to be so different. I think this will become Manny’s toughest fight... we’ve trained as hard as we’ve ever trained for this fight, so we’re ready for war.”

Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 knockouts) briefly retired last year before making a comeback to win the WBO welterweight title against Jesse Vargas in November, as he juggles boxing with his duties as a senator in the Philippines. AFP

Ostapenko, 20, shot up to 13th in the world after coming from a set and 3-0 down to defeat Simona Halep in the Roland Garros final.

Now she has to prove that stunning success was more than a flash in the pan.

A junior Wimbledon champion in 2014, Ostapenko’s game is well suited for the low-bouncing lawns of the All England Club, now that she had learned to enjoy a surface she once thought was only “for soccer”.

While Ostapenko arrives in London on a wave of post-Paris euphoria, world number two Halep is still struggling to come to terms with her failure to win her first Grand Slam.

Three games away from the

title and the world number one ranking, Halep crumbled to her second major final defeat—the other coming at the 2014 French Open.

The 25-year-old Romanian has never been past the semi-finals at Wimbledon, but would dearly love to break her title drought over the next fortnight.

Horrific injury “I still have, before going to sleep, some thoughts about that final,” Halep said.

“The very tough thought is one set, 3-0 up. That one is killing me actually.”

Halep’s battle with current number one Angelique Kerber for pole position in the WTA rankings will be an intriguing sub-plot at Wimbledon.

Kerber needs to improve dramatically after making unwanted history when her defeat against Ekaterina Makarova made her the first top-ranked woman in the Open era to fall in the opening round at Roland Garros.

Beaten by Serena in the Wimbledon final 12 months ago, Kerber, who won the Australian and US Opens last year, has yet to claim a single WTA title in 2017.

If Petra Kvitova gets her hands on the Venus Rosewater Dish for a third time, it would complete a fairytale comeback for the Czech following the horrific hand injury she sustained while being attacked by a knife-wielding burglar in her home in December. AFP

A FILIPINO has been appointed as Chairman of the Urban Cluster Committee for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski will fill this position, according to IOC officials in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Cojuangco-Jaworski immediately left for Lausanne to participate in the initial meeting of the Commission, which will decide on the clustering of venues for new sports like the 3x3 basketball, skateboarding and sports climbing.

She is in a five-member body that will make sure events are more youth-oriented and dynamic.

“This marks the first time that IOC created an Urban Cluster group, so I have no comparison. But knowing how innovative the IOC members are, I have no doubt that this will benefit all,” said Cojuangco-Jaworski in a statement.

She added that she is hoping the committee’s efforts will keep the sports involved more exciting and relevant to the youth.

Cojuangco-Jaworski will also attend the presentation of the Evaluation Commission for the 2024 Olympics from July 9 and 10. Peter Atencio

Govt offers compromise on toll row B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

SM set to reopen Cherry in Antipolo

10TH LISTING ANNIVERSARY.

National Reinsurance Corporation of the Philippines holds a special bell ringing ceremony at the Philippine Stock Exchange to celebrate its 10th listing anniversary.

The company assists in the development of the insurance industry by providing reinsurance capacity and support to insurance companies.

Shown are (from left) NRCP directors Medel Nera and Yvonne Yuchengco, president and chief executive Augusto Hidalgo, chairman Helen Dee, PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon, PSE chief operating officer Roel Refran and NRCP directors Emiliano Napa and Cezar Consing.

By Jenniffer B. Austria SM PRIME Holdings Inc. is set to open SM Cherry Antipolo on June 30, making it the group’s 63rd shopping mall in the country.

Situated along the bustling Marcos Highway, SM Cherry Antipolo offers 27,000 square meters of gross floor area, bringing the group’s total retail footprint to 9.1 million sq m in the Philippines.

“SM Cherry Antipolo is the third Cherry Foodarama outlet in the country that SM Prime re-opens to public after acquiring the brand. The opening of this mall provides the company a stronger foothold in the eastern part of Metro Manila along with our three other malls in Rizal province, the SM City Masinag, SM City Taytay and SM Center Angono,” SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim said in a statement to the stock exchange.

The three-level mall, which is already 55-percent leased to tenants when it opens on Friday, will feature an enhanced shopping environment for the community, offering expanded services beyond the traditional grocery experience.

The mall will also have a Skygarden on the second level, which will share a comfortable and inviting outdoor experience with covered dining areas and walking paths.

SM Prime opened SM CDO Downtown Premier and S Maison at Conrad Manila this year.

It is also set to open within the year SM City Puerto Princesa in Palawan.

SM Prime, which recently hit a milestone by hitting P1 trillion in market capitalization, earlier committed to spend P100 billion over the next two years, primarily to roll out more shopping malls and residential projects.

It recently raised P20 billion from the issuance of seven-year bonds due 2024, primarily to fund its capital spending plan.

Peso sinks to 10-year low of 50.50 per dollar

By Julito G. Rada

T

HE peso sank to its weakest level in more than 10 years, on lingering anticipation of the next move of the US Federal Reserve and the gloomy outlook of the International Monetary Fund on the world’s largest economy.

The peso lost P0.21 Wednesday to close at 50.50 a dollar, down from 50.29 Tuesday. It was the local currency’s weakest level in more than 10 years, or since it settled at 50.524 against the greenback on Sept. 13, 2006.

Total volume turnover reached $1.279 billion Wednesday, higher than $452.65 million Tuesday.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Diwa Guini-

gundo said the local currency’s slump was mostly externally driven, especially as the US Congress was not expected to expedite President Donald Trump’s tax measures and fiscal spending.

He also said the “IMF was reported to have a more pessimistic view of the US economy which could affect the outlook for emerging markets including the Philippines. Hence, regional

currencies depreciated across the board.” Related story on B4.

“Finally, it’s quarter and semester end and banks are servicing FX requirements of their corporate clients... heavier than usual,” Guinigundo said.

First Grade Finance managing director Astro del Castillo said the peso’s decline remained “Fed related” as investors anticipated the US central bank to increase interest rates in the coming months.

New York Fed president William Dudley, a close ally of Fed chair Janet Yellen, said last week that US inflation was a bit low but should rise alongside wages as the labor market continued to improve, allowing the Federal Reserve to continue gradually tightening US monetary policy.

That statement drove peso to

continuously fall against the US dollar.

The peso closed at 49.72 to a dollar on the last trading day of 2016. It dropped to 50.40 against the greenback on March 3, 2017, before rebounding in the succeeding days.

The Cabinet-level Development Budget Coordination Committee kept the peso-dollar exchange rate target this year at P48 to P50, while admitting that global economic and political developments could affect the trend in emerging market currencies, including the peso.

DBCC’s forex forecast for the years 2018 to 2022 was adjusted to P48 to P51 per dollar, following the resumption by the US Fed of its monetary policy tightening that could put more pressure on emerging market currencies.

Moody’s maintains PH investment grade

AFICIONADO EXPANSION. Aficionado-Perfumes and Personal Care president and chief executive Joel Cruz (third from left) leads the launching of the upgraded manufacturing facility at Sterling Industrial Park in Meycauayan City, Bulacan. The automated production line will speed up the production of perfume and personal care products. Shown during the launching are (from left) Aficionado plant manager Chris Sagum, senior vice president and chief operating officer Remar De Leon, Bulacan 4th District representative Linabelle Villarica, Aficionado business license officer Primitivo Tamayo, vice president for operations Ernie Laurente and production manager Alvin Valdez.

GOVERNMENT economic managers said Wednesday the decision of Moody’s Investors Service to maintain the Philippines’ debt rating at investment grade reflects the economy’s robust growth.

Moody’s on Tuesday maintained the Philippines’ sovereign credit ratingat “Baa2,” a notch above the minimum investment grade, with a stable outlook.

Outgoing Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr., who will end his second six-year term on July 2, said the decision of Moody’s spoke well of the favorable path the Philippine economy continued to tread, partly on account of the price and financial stability that came on the back of prudent monetary policies and bank supervision.

“The banking sector, which remains strong and stable, will also continue to support the increasing potential output of the economy as it provides financing for growing investment and consumer demand,” Tetangco said.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the favorable credit rating from Moody’s was a “telling mark of the Duterte administration’s heightened efforts to sustain the robust growth of the Philippines by attracting more investments and, more importantly, to make it a more inclusive one by raising spending on infrastructure and human capital.”

Dominguez said financial institutions in the Philippines and abroad lauded Malacañang’s commitment to further economic reforms. The commitment was shown in part by the House of Representatives’ recent approval of the first package of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, which President Duterte had certified as a priority measure. Julito G. Rada

Weak govt expenditures seen to drag ’17 economic growth SLUGGISH government expenditures may result in slower economic growth this year, an official of ING Bank said in a report Wednesday.

Rob Carnell, chief economist of ING Bank in Asia, said government spending in the first five months grew 6 percent, slower than the 19-percent rise recorded in the same period last year.

“We think it puts at risk the official 6.5 to 7.0 percent growth fore-

B1

cast for 2017 [ING and consensus 6.5 percent],” Carnell said.

The Duterte administration expects the economy to grow between 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent this year, driven mainly by higher fiscal spending, robust domestic demand and investments.

Government data showed that the P33.4-billion budget deficit in May put the year-to-date deficit at P63.6 billion or P11.5 billion lower than a year ago.

Year-to-date revenue growth was 7.7 percent and spending growth was 6 percent.

“If sustained for the rest of the year, this would produce a slightly smaller full-year budget deficit than last year’s P353 billion [2.45 percent of GDP],” Carnell said.

He said against a backdrop of military tensions in Mindanao, ING was expecting the fiscal policy priority to shift to supporting growth from fiscal consolidation.

The Bureau of the Treasury said earlier revenue collections in May increased 14 percent to P228.3 billion from P199.8 billion a year ago. This brought revenue collections in the first five months to P996.5 billion, up 8 percent from the P925.4 billion a year ago.

Meanwhile, national government’s expenditures in May grew 20 percent or P44.3 billion to P261.7 billion. Interest pay-

ments for the month amounted to P21.0 billion, up 12 percent yearon-year due to the timing of payment for treasury bonds scheduled in April but paid in May. Expenditures in the first five months grew 6 percent to P1.06 trillion from P1 trillion a year ago.

The economy grew 6.9 percent in 2016, near the upper bound of the government’s target range of 6 percent to 7 percent in 2016.

Julito G. Rada

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, June 28, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

50.2620

Japan

0.008902

0.4474

Yen

UK

Pound

1.281800

64.4258

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128197

6.4434

Switzerland

Franc

1.041450

52.3454

Canada

Dollar

0.757748

38.0859

Singapore

Dollar

0.721033

36.2406

Australia

Dollar

0.758200

38.1086

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654280

133.4094

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266638

13.4018

Brunei

Dollar

0.718442

36.1103

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.029451

1.4803

UAE

Dirham

0.272301

13.6864

Euro

Euro

1.134100

57.0021

Korea

Won

0.000878

0.0441

China

Yuan

0.146746

7.3757

India

Rupee

0.015511

0.7796

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.233291

11.7257

New Zealand

Dollar

0.726900

36.5354

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032932

1.6552 Source: PDS Bridge

IN BRIEF STI selling 20% stake in pre-need company STI Education Services Group Inc. put on sale its 20-percent stake in Maestro Holdings Corp. as it aims to focus on the core business of offering educational services.

Maestro is primarily engaged in pre-need, health and maintenance organization and insurance businesses.

Maestro and STI Education are both owned by businessman Eusebio Tanco.

STI Education Systems Holdings Inc. said in a disclosure to the stock exchange unit STI-ESG approved the disposition of its 20-percent stake in Maestro Holdings in whole or in part, subject to compliance with all regulatory requirements for the disposal of said shares.

STI ESG owns 1.281 million shares in Maestro Holdings. Maestro Holdings owns 100 percent of the issued and outstanding capital stock of PhilPlans First Inc., a pre-need company as well as 99.78 percent of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Philhealthcare Inc., a health maintenance organization.

It also owns 70 percent of the issued and outstanding capital stock of Philippine Life Financial Assurance Corp., a company which provides financial services such as insurance, investment plans and loan privilege programs. Jenniffer B. Austria

Amway launches AI service in PH GLOBAL nutri-science company Amway Group chose the Philippines as its pilot market to launch an artificial intelligence technology that will improve access to product and company information.

Amway head of digital solutions Hyun-Dong Kim said the Philippines was the best market to test artificial intelligence because of high internet and social media penetration in the country.

“ChatBot or chatting robot is an app that responds real time to questions of consumers. We selected the Philippines as a pilot site because of its very young population compared to Japan and Korea. It is easier to engage the younger generation for feedback,” Kim said.

Amway piloted the service in May and the same AI technology will be available in Korea soon.

Amway aims to use the data generated from ChatBot to improve services in all countries where Amway is present. Amway has a standing agreement with Facebook to use its free AI technology via FB Messenger to fuel ChatBot. The Philippines also served as the pilot market for Hybris, the electronic platform used by Amway for e-commerce penetration.

Othel V. Campos

B2

Business

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

JG seeks contractor for petrochem project

By Alena Mae S. Flores JG SUMMIT Holdings Inc., the investment company of industrialist John Gokongwei, is seeking an engineering, procurement and construction contractor for its $700-million five-segment petrochemical project expansion, a top executive said Wednesday.

JG Summit president and chief operating officer Lance Gokongwei told reporters the company had started issuing the invitation to bid for the EPC contractor and planned to award the contract within the year.

“For our petrochem business, we are targeting a run rate of 95 percent for 2017 and will be optimizing operations and raw material supply so as to achieve

high run rates for both the cracker and polymer plants. For our expansion projects this 2017, we are on track with the completion of the engineering studies,” Gokongwei said.

JG Summit allocated P48.2 billion for 2017 capital expenditures, higher than P41.9 billion it spent in 2016, to expand operations of core businesses.

Gokongwei said about P18 billion to 20 billion would be spent for the airlines business, P7 billion for food, P15 billion for property, “a few hundred million pesos” for banking and the rest for the petrochemical expansion.

“Funding will come from free cash flow from existing petrochem business plus borrowing,” he said.

Market slides; Melco, SSI Group top gainers

S

TOCKS retreated Wednesday, in line with the movement of Asian markets amid a selloff in technology shares and uncertainty over legislative and healthcare agenda in the US.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, shed 19 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 7,857.18, as four of the main six sectors declined.

The heavier index, representing all shares, dropped 7 points, or 0.2 percent, to settle at 4,697.20, on a value turnover of P6.6 billion. Losers outnum-

bered gainers, 104 to 88, while 50 issues were unchanged.

Seven of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by retailer SSI Group Inc. which climbed 5.9 percent to P4.12 and casino operator Melco Resorts which rose 2.5 percent to P9.16.

JG Summit Holdings Inc., the investment company of tycoon

John Gokongwei, gained 1.6 percent to P80.25.

Meanwhile, most Asian markets also traded lower.

Republicans’ struggle to push through controversial health care legislation fueled concerns about the chances of US President Donald Trump’s passing his muchvaunted economic agenda.

Global markets soared in the months after the tycoon’s November election victory as traders bet his plans to slash taxes and red tape while ramping up infrastructure spending would fire the world’s top economy.

But his failure to pass an overhaul of Obamacare―a key campaign promise―despite his party controlling

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28, 2017

NAME

OPEN

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.03 131,000 55.4 111,130 105.3 1,916,270 122.1 1,567,090 1.27 197,000 36.9 102,700 16.26 14,800 29.5 1,208,600 0.7 8,333,000 1.84 2,092,000 810.5 50 0.7 2,534,000 86.5 1,871,190 0.94 609,000 15.7 5,900 24.35 500 67.5 102,380 240 4,960 113 170 90 130 58.8 139,130 220 332,740 1,605 240 85.2 66,480 1.38 4,762,000

527,450 6,083,513.50 201,637,874 191,363,000 253,550 3,789,070 237,544 35,714,780 6,371,800 3,765,500 40,525 1,774,280 163,328,738.50 577,240 91,770 12,435 6,911,743 1,192,392 19,242 11,700 8,173,284.50 73,182,036 383,400 5,662,771.50 7,172,010

1,124,041.50 32,806,635 45,100,535 2,168,985 17,719,655 68,810 87,020 14,490.00 24,482,035.50 15,620 593,559.50 11,700 3,792,545 -30,649,020 -325,308.50 -

38.65 7.76 0.84 1.5 26.5 0.27 7.19 18.2 24.2 14.14 79 76.1 1.9 5.4 11.8 12.28 16.12 9.7 7.54 6 1.66 18.76 70 15.12 13.2 13.02 1.67 208.6 3.55 3.68 30.7 18.86 18.9 261.4 0.24 7.02 3.17 9.7 6 10.32 1.92 9.4 68 6.85 318 4.43 5 2.32 12.9 5.17 0.146 1.39 160 2.11 31.8 1.05

INDUSTRIAL 38.65 1,093,300 7.91 1,002,600 0.86 570,000 1.5 1,146,000 28.25 98,900 0.27 3,990,000 7.19 1,762,100 18.52 824,200 25 1,043,200 14.18 2,900 86.4 14,770 77 440 1.98 1,542,000 5.44 50,300 11.84 286,700 12.3 3,702,600 16.3 7,388,200 9.74 711,200 7.56 1,887,400 6.09 7,379,200 1.68 455,000 18.76 644,500 70.35 27,060 15.18 68,500 13.3 240,700 13.7 3,819,300 1.68 1,212,000 208.6 528,440 3.7 192,000 3.68 1,000 31.05 1,735,700 18.86 1,033,500 18.94 176,400 262.2 490,060 0.246 4,470,000 7.1 310,700 3.28 62,000 9.84 5,667,600 6.18 165,900 10.66 2,200 1.94 1,358,000 9.5 693,400 69 308,400 6.91 212,400 318 7,280 4.45 118,000 5 61,600 2.5 4,450,000 13.1 340,000 5.25 10,600 0.146 4,190,000 1.4 748,000 160 1,071,870 2.11 6,036,000 31.8 2,500 1.05 103,000

42,810,670 7,918,004 482,940 1,729,300 2,737,375 1,094,600 12,693,792 15,161,962 25,479,900 41,088 1,256,371 33,871 3,014,770 273,532 3,414,404 45,576,648 120,230,270 6,908,784 14,275,416 44,764,416 833,240 12,144,388 1,896,831 1,042,770 3,194,870 51,789,500 2,048,500 111,059,308 696,840 3,680 53,964,325 19,595,756 3,346,718 128,643,248 1,105,090 2,233,132 199,360 55,824,111 1,021,347 23,252 2,619,070 6,594,601 21,193,871.50 1,467,901 2,315,320 524,550 308,720 10,648,250 4,443,602 54,810 617,630 1,058,670 171,885,601 12,888,250 79,500 109,160

-18,349,310 -28,080 -1,130,650 -195,250 -3,261,890 10,264,884 155,600 2,588,116 4,408,824 -25,897,608 395,002 6,777,662 144,030 3,431,314 42,752.50 -1,506,920 3,508,468 83,500 -27,122,100 5,698,265 -14,774,778 -133,958 -15,802,312 86,750 9,211,369 -483,412 3,488,478 265,095 -1,908,280 543,940 3,410,912 53,768 -72,024,339 -371,810 15,900 -

0.375 75.9 14.66 1.22 6.7 0.37 0.37 842.5 7.98 14.66 7.75 6.2 0.208 1,208 7.88 80.55 5.93 5.99 1 7.37 14.88 0.45 6.44 0.055 1.05 2.35 2.69 104.1 2.7 796 0.99 1.63 304 0.285 0.215 0.244

0.365 75.2 14.4 1.18 6.3 0.35 0.34 837 7.88 14.5 7.63 6.2 0.205 1,199 7.75 79.05 5.32 5.99 0.99 7.28 14.62 0.45 6.28 0.053 1 2.22 2.55 102 2.61 783 0.87 1.51 302.2 0.28 0.215 0.244

HOLDING FIRMS 0.37 410,000 75.8 1,310,140 14.4 2,625,000 1.18 79,000 6.3 41,700 0.35 4,150,000 0.35 420,000 841.5 401,040 7.9 484,800 14.6 9,138,600 7.74 64,700 6.2 100 0.208 60,000 1,205 201,040 7.75 2,800 80.25 1,597,280 5.93 46,700 5.99 100 1 3,011,000 7.36 2,286,800 14.66 4,547,400 0.45 50,000 6.38 27,002,200 0.054 13,530,000 1 79,000 2.22 5,484,000 2.69 60,000 104 95,200 2.7 32,000 787 230,220 0.94 1,899,000 1.55 3,374,000 303 2,320 0.285 310,000 0.215 60,000 0.244 80,000

153,050 99,298,940 38,078,486 93,760 263,521 1,461,900 147,350 337,054,570 3,834,258 133,281,516 499,826 620 12,360 241,996,290 21,739 128,146,557.50 266,179 599 2,986,150 16,732,512 66,687,108 22,500 172,416,010 729,230 79,450 12,485,120 157,900 9,872,936 86,220 181,136,410 1,738,090 5,230,130 702,884 87,950 12,900 19,520

8,387,248.50 1,936,262 24,300 -32,010,945 -513,299 43,100,132 -14,724,015 21,684,871.50 11,146,338 -19,384,254 13,743,971 21,100 314,080 -2,610 21,610,260 130,650 -163,606 -

6.07 1.51 2.54 1.14 40.4 3.85 5.63

6 1.46 2.45 1.11 39.8 3.77 5.7

PROPERTY 6 279,100 1.48 8,785,000 2.54 222,000 1.12 4,996,000 39.9 9,315,900 3.85 1,572,000 5.54 5.54

1,681,216 13,048,970 553,610 5,601,800 371,828,745 6,021,080 8,432,000

-461,397 615,100 -2,500 -449,420 50,438,360 -509,650 47,294,566

5.32 0.59 1.05 1.5 0.198 0.52 49 0.72 0.158 1.74

5.29 0.54 1.05 1.42 0.189 0.5 47.5 0.7 0.158 1.7

5.29 0.57 1.05 1.49 0.19 0.51 47.9 0.7 0.158 1.73

170,277 60,413,140 39,900 490,240 6,483,860 2,140,520 14,479,995 2,025,830 12,640 8,543,880

-10,262,050 -970,530 -7,452,320 -1,065,000 -5,260,510

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE 4.04 ASIA UNITED 54.5 BANK PH ISLANDS 104.8 BDO UNIBANK 122 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.3 CHINABANK 36.95 COL FINANCIAL 16.2 EAST WEST BANK 29.5 FIRST ABACUS 0.68 IREMIT 1.7 MANULIFE 810.5 MEDCO HLDG 0.71 METROBANK 87.5 NTL REINSURANCE 0.95 PB BANK 15.34 PBCOM 25 PHIL NATL BANK 67.05 PHIL STOCK EXCH 240 PHILTRUST 113.2 PSBANK 90 RCBC 58.75 SECURITY BANK 222.2 SUN LIFE 1,600 UNION BANK 85.15 VANTAGE 1.3

4.04 55.4 105.4 122.5 1.3 37 16.26 29.7 0.82 1.92 810.5 0.71 87.85 0.98 15.7 25 68 243.8 113.2 90 58.9 222.2 1,605 85.25 1.73

4.02 53.5 104.5 121.7 1.27 36.8 16.04 29.4 0.68 1.7 810.5 0.69 86.5 0.93 15.34 24.35 67.05 240 113 90 58.6 219 1,595 85.1 1.3

ABOITIZ POWER 39.5 AGRINURTURE 7.82 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.84 ALSONS CONS 1.5 ASIABEST GROUP 27.95 BASIC ENERGY 0.28 CEMEX HLDG 7.24 CENTURY FOOD 18.2 CIRTEK HLDG 24.2 CNTRL AZUCARERA14.14 CONCEPCION 89 CONCRETE A 76.1 CROWN ASIA 2 DAVINCI CAPITAL 5.4 DEL MONTE 11.8 DNL INDUS 12.3 EAGLE CEMENT 16.12 EEI CORP 9.75 EMPERADOR 7.65 ENERGY DEVT 6.12 EUROMED 1.8 FIRST GEN 18.82 FIRST PHIL HLDG 70.4 GINEBRA 15.4 HOLCIM 13.3 INTEGRATED MICR 13.2 IONICS 1.71 JOLLIBEE 210 LMG CHEMICALS 3.65 MABUHAY VINYL 3.68 MANILA WATER 30.7 MAXS GROUP 19.1 MEGAWIDE 19 MERALCO 263 MG HLDG 0.241 PANASONIC 7.4 PEPSI COLA 3.18 PETRON 9.8 PHIL H2O 6.25 PHINMA 10.34 PHINMA ENERGY 1.93 PHX PETROLEUM 9.5 PILIPINAS SHELL 68.25 PRYCE CORP 6.85 PUREFOODS 319 RFM CORP 4.43 ROXAS HLDG 5.1 SFA SEMICON 2.42 SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.9 SPC POWER 5.17 SWIFT FOODS 0.146 TKC METALS 1.44 UNIV ROBINA 162 VITARICH 2.12 VIVANT 31.8 VULCAN INDL 1.06

39.6 7.96 0.86 1.56 28.25 0.28 7.27 18.68 25 14.2 89 77 2 5.44 12.1 12.36 16.36 9.75 7.65 6.12 1.88 18.98 70.4 15.44 13.3 13.9 1.75 211.2 3.88 3.68 31.2 19.1 19.08 264 0.255 7.45 3.3 10 6.4 10.66 1.94 9.63 69 7 319 4.45 5.1 2.53 13.16 5.25 0.15 1.45 162 2.19 31.8 1.06

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

0.375 75.8 14.66 1.18 6.35 0.36 0.37 842 7.98 14.64 7.75 6.2 0.205 1,202 7.88 80 5.65 5.99 1 7.3 14.74 0.45 6.31 0.054 1 2.35 2.55 102 2.61 796 0.88 1.63 303.6 0.28 0.215 0.244

8990 HLDG 6.05 A BROWN 1.48 ARANETA PROP 2.5 ARTHALAND CORP 1.13 AYALA LAND 40.05 BELLE CORP 3.78 CEB LANDMASTERS 11,394,101 CEBU HLDG 5.32 CENTURY PROP 0.56 CITY AND LAND 1.05 CITYLAND DEVT 1.45 CROWN EQUITIES 0.189 CYBER BAY 0.51 DOUBLEDRAGON 48.55 EMPIRE EAST 0.72 EVER GOTESCO 0.158 FILINVEST LAND 1.74

VOLUME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

GLOBAL ESTATE 1.3 IRC PROP 1.13 MEGAWORLD 4.54 MRC ALLIED 0.365 PHIL ESTATES 0.36 PHIL REALTY 0.62 PRIMEX CORP 4.33 PTFC REDEV CORP 33.85 ROBINSONS LAND 24.2 ROCKWELL 1.72 SHANG PROP 3.26 SM PRIME HLDG 33.7 STA LUCIA LAND 1.03 SUNTRUST HOME 0.91 VISTA LAND 6.07

1.3 1.13 4.55 0.38 0.36 0.63 4.33 33.85 24.7 1.75 3.26 34 1.03 0.91 6.07

1.27 1.05 4.43 0.365 0.35 0.61 4.11 33.85 24 1.72 3.26 33.4 1.01 0.88 5.97

1.28 1.05 4.45 0.37 0.36 0.62 4.2 33.85 24.05 1.75 3.26 33.4 1.03 0.89 6.04

7,174,000 3,363,000 20,279,000 52,750,000 430,000 16,434,000 346,000 200 2,147,500 35,000 1,000 5,913,500 771,000 161,000 3,649,200

9,184,280 3,639,950 90,712,580 19,788,650 152,750 10,141,680 1,454,020 6,770 52,215,125 60,540 3,260 198,806,600 784,170 145,320 21,993,845

-24,188,710 761,600 315,600 -21,498,720 7,985,750 -5,024,289

2GO GROUP 23.8 ABS CBN 42.9 ACESITE HOTEL 1.61 APC GROUP 0.495 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.045 ASIAN TERMINALS 11 BLOOMBERRY 9.11 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.087 CALATA CORP 2.15 CEBU AIR 99 CENTRO ESCOLAR 9.53 DFNN INC 8.51 GLOBE TELECOM 2,118 GMA NETWORK 6.15 GOLDEN HAVEN 15.96 HARBOR STAR 2.94 IMPERIAL 3.4 INTL CONTAINER 103.2 IPEOPLE 12.66 IPM HLDG 8.85 ISLAND INFO 0.191 ISM COMM 1.37 JACKSTONES 3.44 LBC EXPRESS 16 LEISURE AND RES 4.33 LORENZO SHIPPNG 2.18 MACROASIA 6.37 MANILA BULLETIN 0.61 MANILA JOCKEY 2.26 MELCO RESORTS 8.92 METRO RETAIL 4.87 NOW CORP 2.68 PAL HLDG 5.18 PHIL SEVEN CORP 170.5 PHILWEB 11.02 PLDT 1,863 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.56 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.4 PUREGOLD 45 ROBINSONS RTL 87.5 SBS PHIL CORP 6.3 SSI GROUP 3.9 STI HLDG 1.45 TRAVELLERS 3.27 WATERFRONT 0.83 WILCON DEPOT 8.06

24 43 1.68 0.5 0.045 11 9.27 0.089 2.16 99 9.53 8.64 2,118 6.15 16 2.98 3.45 103.2 12.66 8.85 0.191 1.39 3.52 16 4.36 2.18 6.42 0.64 2.26 9.16 4.95 2.74 5.18 177 11.06 1,873 1.56 0.4 45.2 88 6.34 4.13 1.57 3.41 0.87 8.14

22.4 42.85 1.6 0.49 0.044 11 8.84 0.086 2.06 98 9.53 8.47 2,098 6.09 15.72 2.9 3.38 100 12.66 8.75 0.185 1.35 3.42 16 4.33 1.87 6.21 0.6 2.2 8.52 4.77 2.68 5.14 170.5 10.7 1,854 1.55 0.395 44.75 87 6.2 3.85 1.45 3.16 0.81 7.94

SERVICES 23.25 989,600 42.85 23,100 1.61 773,000 0.5 700,000 0.045 42,800,000 11 200 9.03 26,721,800 0.087 27,240,000 2.07 3,713,000 98.2 68,280 9.53 400 8.64 102,800 2,110 69,190 6.11 98,900 15.98 21,000 2.97 880,000 3.45 17,000 101.9 1,748,660 12.66 300 8.8 277,000 0.185 22,900,000 1.37 422,000 3.49 98,000 16 500 4.34 580,000 1.87 8,620,000 6.34 2,642,600 0.6 1,047,000 2.2 62,000 9.16 17,368,600 4.83 11,965,000 2.68 1,603,000 5.14 18,300 177 1,540 10.86 1,588,400 1,867 132,135 1.55 4,675,000 0.4 260,000 45.2 2,469,000 87.75 199,530 6.2 333,000 4.12 47,015,000 1.54 75,164,000 3.4 5,807,000 0.82 23,129,000 7.95 13,280,400

22,876,060(6, 990,930 1,250,400 344,850 1,906,900 2,200 241,936,070 2,381,390 7,781,310 6,721,502 3,812 877,818 146,083,420 603,383 335,406 2,581,500 57,730 177,328,279 3,798 2,436,950 4,271,970 572,520 336,740 8,000 2,517,100 17,153,810 16,726,801 633,640 137,450 153,942,009 58,383,540 4,344,220 94,169 271,070 17,244,776 246,599,880 7,257,680 102,800 111,201,745 17,521,031 2,074,783 189,237,600 114,802,010 19,456,490 19,367,440 106,317,295

223,749.9997) -8,300 -32,316,423 4,300 -165,500 -2,623,910.50 -510,020 -56,778,770 -35,020 -62,940,510 204,400 34,700 1,063,260 601,020 -6,955,020 2,267,683 -2,016,690 -49,120 -190,880 -8,416,440 23,588,965 61,603,925 709,422 -16,951,080 -46,559,320 -2,180,920 309,040 32,265,566

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

0.0029 0.0088 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.012 0.18 0.194 0.285 0.39 0.6 0.92 1.01 1.64 1.91 2.12 2.16 2.54 2.74 2.97 5.08 6.3 7.5 8.96 9.39 161.8

0.003 0.0096 0.011 0.011 0.011 0.013 0.18 0.195 0.295 0.41 0.88 1 1.01 1.74 2.05 2.15 2.16 2.59 2.88 3 5.19 6.65 7.9 9.1 9.39 163

0.0029 0.0088 0.01 0.011 0.011 0.012 0.18 0.194 0.28 0.39 0.6 0.92 0.99 1.62 1.91 2 2.16 2.52 2.74 2.96 5.08 6.3 7.16 8.95 8.95 160.6

MINING & OIL 0.0029 499,000,000 0.0089 32,000,000 0.011 220,800,000 0.011 50,500,000 0.011 100,000 0.013 146,700,000 0.18 4,840,000 0.195 780,000 0.295 60,000 0.4 5,040,000 0.81 67,438,000 0.97 7,765,000 1 426,000 1.74 14,554,000 1.95 398,000 2.06 899,000 2.16 1,000 2.55 4,818,000 2.88 293,000 2.99 829,000 5.19 111,300 6.5 16,129,800 7.31 1,784,500 9 1,139,700 9.1 1,400 161.3 386,570

1,454,600 288,800 2,318,700 555,500 1,100 1,762,000 871,200 152,020 17,100 2,038,450 53,151,260 7,523,080 425,160 24,769,560 792,340 1,815,230 2,160 12,321,320(1, 833,450 2,475,140 568,834 105,206,212 13,474,550 10,278,864 12,622 62,281,202

-45,100 -5,500 -224,390 -191,070 -206,560 -131,210 97,870 418,689.9997) 43,800 -102,000 -15,965,608 992,180 -728,191 13,430,975

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B FGEN PREF F FGEN PREF G FPH PREF C GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A LR PREF PCOR PREF 2B PF PREF 2 SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2I

42.95 515 523 107 112.5 113 515 520 5.84 1,100 1.05 1,100 1,013 80.2 80 78.6

43.25 515 523 107 112.5 113 515 520 5.87 1,100 1.05 1,100 1,015 80.9 80 78.6

42.95 515 523 105.5 112.5 108.1 515 520 5.84 1,005 1.05 1,100 1,013 80.2 80 78.5

PREFERRED 43.2 26,500 515 30 523 40 107 24,400 112.5 100 108.1 39,800 515 3,000 520 1,900 5.87 226,900 1,005 5,705 1.05 1,000 1,100 8,640 1,013 440 80.9 4,550 80 22,480 78.5 56,750

1,144,840 15,450 20,920 2,588,350 11,250 4,321,674 1,545,000 988,000 1,327,454 5,736,790 1,050 9,504,000 445,800 367,802 1,798,400 4,457,583

172,755 1,257,114 50,250 -

LR WARRANT

2.28

2.35

2.28

WARRANTS 2.29 62,000

143,240

-

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

3.89 5.88 8.35

4.02 6.01 8.64

3.87 5.86 8.35

SME 3.9 5.95 8.64

986,990 393,727 63,714,285

-5,878,734

119.2

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 118.4 118.4 5,300

629,003

-

NAME

OPEN

MS 32,100 105,502,000 38,000 335,000 33,680,000 4,201,000 301,800 2,859,000 80,000 4,978,000

FIRST METRO ETF 119

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

VALUE

FINANCIAL

26,103,454

718,319,613.80

INDUSTRIAL

76,464,502

1,081,116,917.85

HOLDING FIRMS

88,929,305

1,650,193,816.396

PROPERTY

299,803,877

980,593,168.61

SERVICES

349,138,622

1,841,477,635.112

MINING & OIL

1,077,135,460

305,418,666.755

GRAND TOTAL

1,925,379,170

6,642,845,136.52

252,000 66,200 7,480,400

FINANCIAL 1,936.56 (down) 7.11 INDUSTRIAL 10,980.96 (down) 38.83 HOLDING FIRMS 7,827.16 (up) 11.74 PROPERTY 3,639.83 (down) 25.41 SERVICES 1,732.37 (down) 0.94 MINING & OIL 12,651.68 (up) 65.23 PSEI 7,857.18 (down) 19.19 All Shares Index 4,697.20 (down) 7.27 Gainers: 88; Losers: 104; Unchanged: 50; Total: 242

Congress has led many to question his ability to deliver his major promises.

The president’s lack of detail on his economic plans led the International Monetary Fund to cut its 2017 and 2018 US growth projections.

“US lawmakers have withdrawn the Senate Health Care Bill till after the summer recess. This is a blow to the Trump agenda because it makes tax cuts all the more difficult,” said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader.

All three main indexes on Wall Street ended sharply lower and the losses filtered through to Asia, with the technology sector taking a hit. Big-name giants including Seoul-listed Samsung, Japan’s Sony and Tencent in Hong Kong were all lower.

Tokyo’s Nikkei ended 0.5 percent lower, while Hong Kong lost 0.6 percent in the afternoon, Singapore gave up 0.1 percent and Seoul dropped 0.4 percent.

Wellington and Taipei also retreated but Sydney rose 0.7 percent.

Adding to the selling were concerns about another wave of global cyberattacks reminiscent of May’s WannaCry virus that crippled organizations and companies in 150 countries.

With Bloomberg, AFP

FNI sees nickel sales climbing in few years

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales LISTED nickel producer Global Ferronickel Holdings Inc. said Wednesday it expects nickel sales to increase in the next few years, driven by favorable prices in the world market, higher shipment and rising demand.

FNI, the second largest nickel producer in the country, said unit Platinum Group Metals Corp. was on track to achieve its target of 6 million wet metric tons this year.

“Weather permitting, we expect to meet our 2017 target of 6 million WMT,” FNI president Dante Bravo said at the sidelines of the company’s annual stockholders meeting at Dusit Thani Manila in Makati City.

Bravo said that based on projections, nickel demand would increase 3 percent this year until 2020 amid urbanization and infrastructure modernization in Asia.

“The sentiment is more positive this year. It is more positive compared to last year because there’s urbanization going on basically in Asia Pacific region which will drive nickel demand in the region.

Then there’s technological breakthrough which is the emergence of energy vehicle systems requiring batteries,” Bravo said.

Bravo said the company had already shipped 1.747 million wet metric tons of nickel ore at a year-to-date average realized price of $18.4 per WMT, up from 1.037 million WMT at an average realized price of $13.9 during the same period in 2016.

The company was able to ship 4.309 million wet metric tons of nickel ore while net income amounted to P37.5 million.

“2016 was a year of operational progress and laying the groundwork for a stronger future. During that period, we focused on streamlining operations, pursuing strategic acquisitions and enhancing operational efficiencies,” Bravo said.

Business

B3

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

BSP reminds bank on reporting system

By Julito G. Rada

MARAWI ASSISTANCE. The Social Security System extends financial assistance to soldiers and families affected by the ongoing armed conflict

in Marawi, Lanao del Sur through the Philippine Red Cross. Social Security Commission chairman Dean Amado Valdez (second from left) and SSS president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Dooc (fourth from left) hand over a check worth P500,000 to PRC chairman and CEO Senator Richard Gordon (third from left) during the official turnover ceremony held June 22 at the Philippine Red Cross National headquarters in EDSA corner Boni Avenue, Mandaluyong City. With them are (from left) SSS executive vice president for investments sector Rizaldy Capulong, SSC Commissioners Diana Pardo-Aguilar and Arthur Amansec.

BANKS must have an effective reporting system beginning January 2018 to avoid stiffer monetary and non-monetary sanctions from Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the regulator said Wednesday.

Through a circular, Bangko Sentral issued the guidelines on reporting standards for banks. The timely information are considered vital for the conduct of monetary policy and effective banking supervision.

“Full implementation of the circular will take effect beginning Jan. 1, 2018. For the remaining months of 2017, banks are expected to make the necessary changes to their systems and processes to comply with the requirements of the circular,” the regulator said.

Under the circular, banks are expected to ensure that reports submitted to the Bangko Sentral are complete, accurate, consistent, reliable and timely. This should be done independent of any validation process that the regular

may conduct prior to accepting a report as compliant with the standards.

As such, an effective governance process over the bank’s reporting system must be established by the bank’s board of directors.

These include written policies and procedures as well as defined processes for periodic review, enhancements and reporting to its board and senior management.

This should be supported by a management information system and technology infrastructure that is commensurate to the bank’s level of activity and complexity.

“In cases of non-compliance with the reporting standards, the circular has introduced a combination of enforcement actions that are intended to bring about an improvement in the bank’s behavior. In addition to rationalizing the monetary penalties currently being imposed on banks, nonmonetary sanctions for habitual incurrence of reporting violations as determined through a demerit system were also introduced,” Bangko Sentral said.

Govt offers compromise on toll row Recalling the Mellon Bank case SOME contemporary events have a way of triggering recollections of past events of a similar nature or character. A case in point is the recent computer-system glitch at one of this country’s largest commercial banks, Bank of the Philippine Islands.

The glitch brought about a scrambling of account names and balances of deposit accounts, among other things. Some accounts ended up larger—in some cases much larger—and others ended up smaller or wiped out completely. One depositor woke up the following day with a deposit account magnified by as much as P2 billion (yes, billion).

The erroneous magnification of some BPI deposit accounts brought back to my mind the celebrated 1970s case involving the representative office in the Philippines of the American banking giant Mellon Bank. The case involved Mellon Bank deposit funds remitted from the US to a couple in this country surnamed Javier.

The amount remitted to the Javiers was $1,000—equivalent to around P7,000 at the then-prevailing exchange rate—and the remitter was Mrs. Javier’s sister.

The transaction should have been routine. It should have been just another one of the tens of US$-to-Philippines remittances effected daily by American to Philippine recipients. Unfortunately, something went amiss: When the Javier couple went to Mellon Bank’s Makati office to get their money, they found, to their enormous surprise, P7 million—the approximate equivalent of $1,000,000—awaiting them. A Mellon Bank clerk in the US had added three O’s to the to-be-remitted amount.

Once it was informed by its US head office that an error had been made, Mellon Bank-Makati was too late. The Javier couple had withdrawn the entire peso equivalent of $1,000,000. Pandemonium broke loose.

The Philippine lawyers of Mellon Bank immediately tread to contact the Javier couple but were unsuccessful. The couple suddenly was nowhere to be found. But they had engaged the services of a prominent law firm closely identified with President Ferdinand Marcos. In its initial discussion with the Javiers’ lawyers the Mellon Bank lawyers learned that the position of the Javiers’ lawyers was that, they being the designated recipients of the remittance, the Javiers rightfully owned the $1,000,000.

The source of the remitted funds—the sister of Mrs. Javier— was shocked to learn that her sister and brother-in-law had insisted that she had sent them $1,000,000 and had withdrawn the entire amount. She executed a document that her intention was to send her sister and brother-in-law $1,000, not $1,000,000, and she tried to communicate with them. But it was all too late. The money was gone, and so was the couple.

The principals of the two law firms tried to work things out, but the Javiers’ lawyers were adamant. The $1,000,000 had clearly been remitted by Mellon Bank to the Javiers and so the money belonged to them.

The possibility of an amicable settlement having been fully explored, Mellon Bank went to court. It fully expected that, on the basis of the attendant facts, the court would consider the case open-and-shut affair. But, to the extreme shock and consternation of Mellon Bank, its Philippine lawyers and Ms. Javier’s sister, His Honor ruled in favor of the Javier couple.

Naturally, Mellon Bank appealed the ruling and eventually obtained a reversal of the lower-court decision. But damage had already been done to the image of the Philippine judiciary both here and abroad.

The whereabouts of the Javier couple were never traced. They just vanished with their loot. Their lawyers claimed to high heaven that they did not know where the Javiers had gone. The mystery-thriller aficionados theorized that the husband and wife had undergone cosmetic surgery.

Thus ended a very sad episode in the history of the Philippine judiciary and the Philippine legal profession.

Back to the contemporary events and the BPI computer-system glitch. None of the beneficiaries of the glitch—those whose deposit accounts ballooned overnight—made a move to cash in on their accidental good fortune. The lady whose deposit account grew by P2 billion was quoted as saying that she didn’t dream of touching the money.

How unlike the Javier couple.

E-mail: romero.business.class@gmail.com

By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE Transportation Department is open to allowing the group of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. to implement toll adjustments on a staggered basis to resolve an arbitration case filed in Singapore.

“It would be settled soon,” Transport Secretary Arthur Tugade said, when asked about the updates on the arbitration case filed by NLEX Corp. and Cavitex Infrastructure Corp.

“We are still in discussion because there’s an arbitration case. Based on the arbitration case, the toll increase is contractual and because it’s contractual the accrued amount is P6 billion,” he added.

Tugade, however, said there was no decision yet on the toll hike increase at North Luzon

Expressway and Manila-Cavite Expressway.

Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. senior vice president for legal and regulatory affairs Romulo Quimbo Jr. earlier said that both parties were in favor of a shorter resolution of the arbitration case.

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

The total claims for overdue

toll rate adjustment hit P6 billion as of April.

NLEX also filed last month a toll adjustment at North Luzon Expressway to recover its P2.9billion investment on road widening.

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

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

NLEX president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said the toll adjustment petition was of “extreme urgency” as the company would continue to suffer “great damage or irreparable injury “before a

decision on the matter could be rendered by TRB. “Failure to immediately impose and collect the adjusted toll rates would result to an outright delay or stoppage of urgently needed improvements and expansion of the NLEX,” he said.

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

MPTC will spend P125 billion in the next five years to build highways and toll roads around the Philippines to help ease traffic decongestion.

The company reported a core net income of P1 billion in the first three months, up 28 percent from P700 million a year earlier.

Mindanao firms join trial runs of WESM

By Alena Mae S. Flores

QUALITEK EXPANSION. Qualitek Delta Philippines Inc., manufacturer of high-quality soldering

products since the 1980s, expands its business with the launching of the Qualitek Asian Group of Companies with offices in China, Singapore and the Philippines during the recent Philippine Semiconductor and Electronics Convention and Exhibition 2017 at the SMX MOA in Pasay City. Emily Han (left), president and chief operating officer, presents the symbolic Hawaian lei to Martin Han, incoming chief executive officer of Qualitek Asian Group of Companies.

New deposit to extend Padcal mine life

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales percent copper and 0.3 grams per Philex was also looking at four PHILEX Mining Corp. is upbeat on the prospect of the Bumolo porphyry copper-gold deposit near Padcal mine in Benguet province, saying it could extend the life of Padcal beyond 2022.

“The Bumolo project drilling was completed and could extend Padcal life by two more years. It is still subject for further study.

If ever proven mineable, it could extend (mine life) from 2022 to 2024,” Philex president Eulalio Austin Jr. said during the sidelines of the annual stockholders’ meeting in Marco Polo Hotel, Ortigas, Pasig.

Philex earlier disclosed that the maiden inferred mineral resources in Bumolo were estimated to be 21.7 million tons at 0.2

ton gold.

The Bumolo porphyry coppergold deposit is located in the Baguio mineral district and is only 1.5 kilometers east of the Sto. Tomas II deposit of the Padcal mine of Philex.

The Bumolo deposit lies within the mineral production sharing agreement of Philex.

Philex said the inferred mineral resources represented the first phase of the on-going resource definition drilling program to advance the project and provide additional ore to Padcal mine.

“To convert a resource to a mineable reserve, you have to input the price of metal and cost of doing it,” said Austin.

He said aside from Bumolo,

other areas for possible additional reserves.

The company’s Padcal mine has been in active operation for the past 58 years and produced over 378 million tons of ore.

Aside from Padcal, the company is also developing the Silangan mine, which is expected to start commercial operations by 2020 “pending government approvals.”

“We have completed the feasibility study and the conclusion is quite positive so we are expanding some parts of the feasibility to make it a more comprehensive study. In the meantime, we have to complete all of the requirements and approvals from government,” said Philex chairman Manuel Pangilinan.

TRIAL runs for the integration of the Mindanao grid into the wholesale electricity spot market, or WESM, have started, with power stakeholders joining in end-to-end testing of all interfaces and systems that will involve simulations of all processes such as registration, bid submission, pricing and scheduling and settlement Philippine Electricity Market Corp., operator of the WESM, said in a statement around 41 Mindanao participants participated in the trial operations program as of press time.

WESM is a centralized venue for buyers and sellers to trade electricity as a commodity where its prices are based on actual demand and supply.

The participants include National Grid Corporation of the Philippines as the system operator and metering services provider, generation companies, distribution utilities, and grid-connected customers.

The trial operations program signals the start of implementing test cases of a market-based mechanism for the efficient scheduling, dispatch and settlement of energy withdrawal and injections in the Mindanao grid.

Mindanao currently has an excess generation supply starting in 2016 with the entry of 748 megawatts of new capacity, which is expected to increase further by 1,260 MW until 2018.

The trial runs are expected to last for three months.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@thestandard.com.ph extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

Business

IMF reduces US growth outlook

By Andrew Mayeda

T

HE International Monetary Fund cut its outlook for the US economy, removing assumptions of President Donald Trump’s plans to cut taxes and boost infrastructure spending to spur growth.

SUMMER SALES. French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire poses with Printemps Hausmann director Pierre Pelarrey (right) during the launch of the summer sales of a Paris’ department store, on June 28, 2017 in Paris. AFP

Golden cash machine marks ATM’s 50th year LONDON―The automated teller machine (ATM) marked its 50th anniversary on Tuesday, with a British bank decorating the site of the world’s first cashpoint in gold to mark the occasion.

The first ATM was unveiled by Barclays at their Enfield branch in north London on June 27, 1967.

“The invention of the ATM was a historical moment that completely changed the way the world thought about and used cash,” Barclays said.

The original cash machine was the brainchild of John ShepherdBarron, who was commissioned by the bank to create six cash dispensers. They were based on vending machines.

Customers could access their money outside of banking

hours―a mini-revolution on the high street.

The first person to use the inaugural ATM was actor Reg Varney, the star of a popular British TV comedy called “On The Buses,” brought in to show how easy it was to use.

The Barclays cashpoint in Enfield has been given a gold makeover, and a roped-off red carpet approach to celebrate the anniversary.

A black-and-white picture of Varney using the ATM stands above it, while a commemorative gold plaque has been placed on the bank wall.

There now are an estimated three million plus cash machines on the planet.

The world’s most southerly ATM is at the McMurdo Station

Expanding tourism strains Thai airports THAILAND’S tourism bounty comes with a big challenge for the head of state-run Airports of Thailand Pcl: expanding passenger capacity in Bangkok by about the size of South Korea’s population.

The company is planning for 90 million passengers annually at the city’s main Suvarnabhumi Airport by 2022 and 40 million at Bangkok’s low-cost hub Don Mueang International Airport, up from the present combined capacity of 75 million, President Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said.

The firm operates four other airports, including in tourism hot-spot Phuket.

“We’re about to invest in 10 years about $6 billion for our six airports,” Nitinai said in a June 22 interview in Bangkok.

The plan for Suvarnabhumi includes adding a concourse to the existing terminal complex by 2020, a third runway the following year and a new international terminal in 2022, he said.

Growth in tourism is a bright spot for Thailand’s economy, putting pressure on one of Asia’s biggest airport operators to ensure infrastructure keeps pace. The company’s operating profit could be 50 percent higher in 2020 as new commercial and aircraft facilities are put in place, according to Bloomberg Intelligence.

Airports of Thailand’s shares have climbed 18 percent this year, exceeding the benchmark SET index’s 3 percent advance.

They trade at 28.7 times estimated 12-month earnings, compared with a five-year average of 22.5 times.

The company stands to benefit from Thailand’s position as one of the world’s top travel destinations, but it will take some time before the expanded infrastructure is in place to fully tap these opportunities, said Amnart Ngosawang, an analyst at KTB Securities (Thailand) Co. in Bangkok.

“The current share price offers very limited upside for investors,” Amnart said. “The fundamentals are strong, but valuation is quite expensive now.”

The goal of 90 million passengers at Suvarnabhumi in five years would double its current capacity, Nitinai said.

Changi Airport in Singapore has capacity for about 60 million annually, while Beijing Capital International Airport can accommodate over 90 million.

Both the city-state and China’s capital are also expanding their airports.

The extra concourse at Suvarnabhumi―also called a satellite terminal―would take capacity to 60 million and “just catch up with current demand” since the airport is handling more people than it’s designed for, Nitinai said. The planned new international terminal will add another 30 million.

Doubling the airport’s capacity should be sufficient, Nitinai said. Bloomberg

research base on Antarctica, while the highest is at 4,693 meters (15,396 feet) in Pakistan’s Khunjerab Pass near the Chinese border.

There is an ATM inside the Forbidden City in Beijing, mobile ATMs on trucks, one on a golf buggy in the US state of Georgia and one in a Dubai hotel that dispenses gold bars.

Though other technologies such as mobile and online banking have come into play, the number of cash machines is expected to grow, with China and India driving the expansion.

The Payments UK trade association recently predicted that the rapid growth in the use of contactless cards means cash will be overtaken as Britain’s

most frequently-used payment method by the end of next year.

But in 10 years, it is still expected to make up around a fifth of all payments in Britain.

“Even though recent years have seen a huge uptake of digital banking and card payments, cash remains a crucial part of most people’s day-to-day lives―whether it’s paying for groceries or doing the office coffee run,” said Raheel Ahmed, Barclays’ head of customer experience.

The British record for the most cash withdrawn in a single day was broken last December as Christmas shoppers withdrew 730 million pounds ($935 million, 825 million euros), according to industry figures.

AFP

The IMF reduced its forecast for US growth this year to 2.1 percent, from 2.3 percent in the fund’s April update to its world economic outlook. The Washington-based fund also cut its projection for US growth next year to 2.1 percent, from 2.5 percent in April.

The world’s biggest economy will probably have a hard time hitting Trump’s target of 3 percent annual growth as it’s faced with problems ranging from an aging population to low productivity growth, and with a labor market already back at full employment, the fund said in its annual assessment of the US economy released Tuesday.

Given broad uncertainty on policy, “we have removed the assumed fiscal stimulus from our forecast,” Alejandro Werner, director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department, said at a press briefing in Washington.

The IMF’s assessment casts doubt over a more optimistic forecast in the White House budget proposal, which projects growth will accelerate to 3 percent by 2020 and keep up that pace for seven more years. Even with an “ideal constellation of pro-growth policies, the potential growth dividend is likely to be less than that projected in the budget and will take longer to materialize,” the IMF said in a statement Tuesday.

“The US is effectively at full employment,” the lender said.

“For policy changes to be successful in achieving sustained, higher growth they would need to raise the US potential growth path.”

Growth surges on the scale

Trump is predicting have been rare in the US and abroad, according to the IMF, which says there are only a few cases of such leaps among advanced economies since the 1980s.

Those episodes mostly took place in the mid- to late-1990s, when global demand was strong, and many of the cases came when economies were recovering from recessions, the IMF said. The only time the US economy accelerated at such a pace came in the early 1980s, when it was recovering from a deep recession.

The IMF notes the US is enjoying its third-longest expansion since 1850, with “persistently strong” job growth.

Growth will slip to 1.9 percent in 2019 and 1.8 percent in 2020, according to the fund’s forecasts.

IMF officials said the details of the Trump administration’s economic policies appear undecided. As a result, the fund didn’t include in its projections the effects of any tax reforms― which the administration has said is a priority but will need congressional approval―or Trump’s proposed budget cuts.

The US Treasury said it welcomes the IMF’s support for the administration’s “broad policy objectives.”

“We are focused on making significant reforms to our tax and regulatory policies, as well as renegotiating trade agreements to be more balanced for American workers, which will lead to stronger economic growth and job creation,” the department said on Tuesday in a statement. Bloomberg

Race is on to turn flying car into reality

By Tangii Quemener LE BOURGET―Aeronautics giants are treating the idea of a flying car with caution, as such a project raises more questions than it answers, experts say―it’s a child’s dream, a millionaire’s toy.

But is it really the next big thing in transport?

At this year’s Paris Air Show, you had to search hard to find an aircraft that looked anything like an automobile: but one such model, the AeroMobil, was tucked away under the old Concordes at the Air and Space Museum, just outside the capital.

This strange-looking hybrid, with its bulbous nose and retractable wings, designed by a Slovakian company, is scheduled to go into series production by 2020.

“After you’ve landed at an airport, you transform the plane into a car and take the road to wherever you want,” Simon Bendrey, AeroMobil’s deputy head of engineering, told AFP. And they have already received a number of orders, he added, despite an asking price of 1.2-1.5 million euros ($1.3-$1.8 million).

While flying cars have starred in films including Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Fifth Element, the race to turn such dreams into a reality is being run by dozens of small creative start-ups like AeroMobil.

Quantum leap Among those nearest to takeoff is the Dutch outfit PAL-V, which is offering a two-seater gyrocopter and is scheduled to be available by next year―a steal at 300,000 euros.

Czech company Nirvana Systems says it has had dozens of orders for its mini-helicopter,

This file photograph taken on June 21, 2017, shows Slovakian company AeroMobil’s flying car on display at Le Bourget, during the International Paris Air Show. Aeronautics giants are treating the idea of a flying car with caution, as such a project raises more questions than it answers, experts say. AFP

which can also travel on roads, albeit at rather sluggish ground speeds.

Silicon Valley-based company Kitty Hawk says its Flyer will be on sale by the end of the year.

And just last week France’s Pegase, a cross between a ultra-light plane and a minicar, crossed the Channel, the narrow stretch of water between England and France.

Until recently, flying cars “were a cross between a bad car and a bad plane,” said Bruno Sainjon, head of the French aerospace lab ONERA, on the sidelines of the Paris Air Show.

But there has been a quantum leap in design thanks to vast improvements in the power of electric propulsion, linked largely to the rapid advances in drone technology recently.

Today, such engines lift 80100 kilos (176-220 pounds), Xavier Dutertre, director of the Techoplane project based in Normandy, northern France, told AFP. “And we’re not far from having the capacity to transport one or two men for about 20 minutes,” he added. “In five to 10 years, that will have become common place.”

While driving-flying hybrids may initially be the latest must-have gadgets for the ultra-rich, experts believe that such vehicles could actually be rapidly overtaken, as the industry sets its sights on flyonly solutions further down the line.

‘New era for aviation’ The real future, said ONERA’s Sainjon is “a system of ondemand air transport, which

would clearly be the start of a new era for aviation”―a flying taxi service, in other words.

Flying cars will not be something that just anyone can drive, “because it’s too risky,” Pascal Pincemin, an aerospace specialist with Deloitte, told AFP. He envisaged digital platforms to manage the new form of traffic, and that appears to be what Uber, the App-based ride-hailing service, has in mind with its “Elevate” project.

The idea appears to be to develop a network of electric, vertical-takeoff aircraft and they are aiming to make their first demonstrations in 2020.

Dubai could be the first off the starting blocks with a new kind of small autonomous electric helicopter scheduled to come into operation later this year. AFP

LGUs

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

C1

RESTORED. Tourists visit the restored Sto. Nino Shrine at the Romualdez Museum in Tacloban City after it was destroyed by Super Typhoon ‘Yolanda,’ as they take photos of paintings and antiques around the icon. Thursday marks the Sangyaw Parade of Lights in celebration of the feast of Sto. Nino in Tacloban. Sonny Espiritu

Village chiefs get ultimatum

By Sandy Araneta

M

ANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada on Wednesday issued another ultimatum to the city’s 896 barangay chairmen to cut their ties with drug lords or face dismissal from their posts.

Estrada revealed the investigation and surveillance of barangay heads suspected of involvement to drugs is nearing completion, saying that he does not give second chances.

“I’m telling you now. There will be no second chances,” Es-

trada said, referring to barangay officials who are in the police’s drug watch list.

“Just explain yourselves in jail,” he added.

Estrada said the Manila Police District is currently building up the cases against these unscru-

pulous barangay chairmen, who are either in the payola of drug syndicates or directly involved in drug trade in their own neighborhoods.

“They cannot stay as leaders because they are the ones who will destroy our communities,” he pointed out.

Late last month, Estrada revealed that 32 barangay officials in Manila, from chairmen to kagawad or councilor, are currently in the drug watch list provided by the local police, including the Malate barangay chief who was recently shot and killed by un-

known assassins.

Estrada rallied the barangay chairmen to be fearless in helping the city government fight drugs, even as he noted that drug lords have the financial capability and connections to harm anyone that stand in their way.

“Drug lords are some of the richest people in our country,” he stressed. “And their influence reaches far and wide, and they have the capacity to do harm.”

“As a civil servant, fear must not prevail. Especially that we cannot avoid our responsibilities.

We must help each other,” Estrada

told the barangay chairmen.

Last November, Estrada ordered the barangay chairmen to submit themselves to drug testing following the previous month’s police raid at the Islamic Center in Quiapo where then incumbent Barangay 648 Chairman Faiz Macabato, was killed after fighting it out with policemen who were about to serve an arrest warrant to his drug suspect-brother.

The results of the drug test will soon be released, according to the Manila Barangay Bureau and Manila Health Department.

Davao names 18 law scholars

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—Eighteen Dabawenyos have qualified for the scholarship program offered by the city government to aspiring law students under the Educational Benefit System Unit.

“Those who qualified will get a full scholarship from the city,” lawyer Raul Nadela Jr, the City Mayor’s Office chief of staff, said.

The law school scholars may enroll in any of the three law schools in the city—Ateneo de Davao University, University of Mindanao, and Jose Maria College.

Albert Abayon, one of those who qualified for the law school scholarship, thanked the city government for the opportunity considering he dreams of becoming a lawyer someday, He admitted his family does not have the financial capability to send him to law school.

“Many thanks for allowing me to avail of this scholarship program of the city government,” Abayon said.

Jecia Anne Opiana, a journalist who also qualified for the scholarship, said the financial grant is a big help.

“I have always wanted to become a lawyer, and I am very happy that I will finally be able to fulfill that dream,” Opiana said.

The city government has allocated P15 million for law school and medical school scholarships. The city has made available 40 slots for law school scholars and 40 slots for medical school scholars.

SOCIAL ALLOWANCE. Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez leads the distribution of the quarterly pension payout for senior citizens of Barangays Don Galo, La Huerta and Baclaran during a ceremony at the city’s multi-purpose hall. The senior citizens in the city’s 16 barangays also received their birthday gift and centenarians’ gift amounting to P100,000.

DSWD, QC plan to house street dwellers

By Rio N. Araja WITH the help of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Quezon City government through its Housing Community Development and Resettlement Department is devising a plan for the city’s

street dwellers.

On the orders of Mayor Herbert Bautista, Ed Madamba, HCDRD assistant head, invited some of the city’s underprivileged and homeless to attend an orientation on the Community Mortgage Program under Republic Act No.7279, or the Urban

Development and Housing Act of 1992.

The program aims to assist underprivileged and homeless people to purchase and develop land under the concept of community ownership.

Quezon City is at the forefront in the provision of hous-

ing for vulnerable families, Madamba said.

To address the problem of street dwellers, the HCDRD will craft proposals for submission to the DSWD for review, and if these should be feasible, the city government will be partnering with them and other shelter organizations.

UMak takes in 7 from Marawi

By Joel E. Zurbano THE city government of Makati has accepted, and is giving full scholarships to, six college and one senior high school students from war-torn Marawi City who have decided to transfer to the University of Makati to pursue their studies.

Mayor Abby Binay reiterated her call to students affected by the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi and children of soldiers killed in combat to take the opportunity to complete their college education as full scholars of the city government.

“We welcome students from Marawi who would like to pursue their college education as scholars of the city government.

This is our simple way of showing that we care for our brothers and sisters whose lives have been disrupted by the conflict in Marawi,” Binay said.

Based on the records of the Office of the Registrar at UMak, as of Tuesday, two transferees from Marawi are now officially enrolled in the university. Five more, including a senior high school student, are completing the enrollment process.

Both officially enrolled students are taking up Bachelor of Science in Management Accounting, one on her third year and the other on her second year.

The other five transferees are two third-year students taking up BS in Management Accounting, a third year BS in Civil Engineering student, a freshman taking up BS in Information Technology Service Management, and a Grade 11 student enrolling at UMak’s senior high school, Higher School ng UMak. Classes at UMak already started last June 19, but the university’s Admission Office remains open for transferees from Marawi and children of slain soldiers.

P200k reward up for Bulacan massacre suspects

By Orlan L. Mauricio MALOLOS CITY—A P200,000 cash reward has been offered for any information leading to the identity of the suspects in the gruesome murder of five members of the Carlos family inside the

North Ridge Royal subdivision in Barangay Sto. Cristo, City of San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan.

Dexter Carlos, a security guard, discovered the lifeless bodies of his loved ones early Tuesday morning after coming home from duty at a bank in Makati CIty.

Gov. Willy Sy-Alvarado offered a P100,000 reward as he ordered Bulacan police provincial director Sr. Supt. Romeo Caramat Jr. to step up the manhunt for the suspects and solve the death of Carlos’s wife, Estrella Dizon, 35; children Donny, 10; Ella, 7; and Dexter Jr., 1;

and mother-in-law Aurora Dizon.

Earlier Wednesday, San Jose Del Monte City Mayor Arthur Robes offered P100,000 for the capture of the suspects. “Justice must be served immediately for the victims of this gruesome crime. This senseless killing must not go unpunished,” he said.

LGUs

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Republic of the Philippines Standard

TODAY GOVERNMENT SERVICE INSURANCE SYSTEM GSIS Building, Financial Center, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City 1308 GSIS ACQUIRED ASSETS FOR DISPOSITION

PROVINCE District

/Subdivision

City /Municipality

1 Bulacan

LAS VILLAS DE STO. NIÑO, Perez FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Mulawin FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Narra FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Narra FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Narra FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Narra FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Narra FRANCISCO HOMES I, Brgy. Narra FRANCISCO HOMES III,

Meycauayan

2 Bulacan 3 Bulacan 4 Bulacan 5 Bulacan 6 Bulacan 7 Bulacan 8 Bulacan 9 Bulacan 10 Bulacan 11 Bulacan 12 Bulacan 13 Bulacan 14 Bulacan 15 Bulacan 16 Bulacan 17 Bulacan 18 Bulacan 19 Bulacan 20 Bulacan

Muzon FRANCISCO HOMES III, Muzon FRANCISCO HOMES III, Muzon STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Guijo STALLION HOMES, Brgy. Mulawin

Property Location

Minimum Acceptable Offer / CMV ( ₱ )

Property Occupancy Bidding Date Place of Bidding Classification Status

C2

TCT/CCT No.

Lot Area (sqm)

T-59.892 (M)

248.00

San Jose Del Monte City

B004A L015 Ph 3A (1) St. Anthony/St. Vincent St. B001 L003 Ph C1

T-153803 (M)

133.00

2,198,400.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17 Level 8, Narra Room, GSIS Building, Financial Center, 1,449,700.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17 Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L020 Ph C1

T-161730(M)

258.00

1,174,466.67 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L021 Ph C1

T-156434 (M)

126.00

638,466.67 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B003 L019 Ph C1

T-153824 (M)

137.00

845,766.67 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B003 L030 Ph C1

T-148779 (M)

110.00

579,666.67 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B003 L032 Ph C1

T-148781 (M)

128.00

1,105,200.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B005 L015 Ph E1

T-281841 (M)

150.00

732,000.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B005 L017 Ph E1

T-281824 (M)

150.00

1,149,000.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B001 L019 Ph F1

T-15693-P (M)

221.00

1,051,800.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B003 L009 Ph F1

T-15397 P(M)

120.00

726,000.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B005 L014 Ph F1

T-15383-P (M)

120.00

622,666.67 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B005 L016 Ph F1

T-15111-P (M)

120.00

624,000.00 House & Lot Unoccupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B005 L017 Ph F1

T-15612-P (M)

120.00

702,666.67 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B006 L020 Ph F1

T-15386P(M)

120.00

859,000.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B002 L004

T-340782 (M)

100.00

568,333.33 House & Lot Unoccupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B009 L018

T-368322 (M)

100.00

568,333.33 House & Lot Unoccupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B028 L009

T-342801 (M)

80.00

549,333.33 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B002 L014 Ph A2

T-347440(M)

150.00

783,600.00 House & Lot Unoccupied 15-Aug-17

San Jose Del Monte City

B002 L002 Ph B

T-343113(M)

121.00

660,000.00 House & Lot Occupied 15-Aug-17

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

‘Total care’ for indigents in Mimaropa

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

A

LL indigent patients under the Medical Assistance Program of the Department of Health in Mimaropa region will be given the “total care package,” Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo said Wednesday.

“All beneficiaries of the MAP will be provided full treatment package, meaning they will not only be assisted during the process but they will also be monitored and complemented even after their treatment to ensure their recovery,” assured Janairo during the First Regional Medical Assistance Program Workshop.

“Let us not be contented by just helping our patients,” he added, citing the need to establish an appropriate aftercare program to monitor indigent outpatients and find out what happens to them after they have been discharged.

Janairo said the responsibility of health workers doesn’t end after giving a poor patient the assistance the person needed.

“We have also a responsibility to provide patient education on treatment options, and help coordinate services needed after their discharge from the health facility,” he said.

Under the MAP, certified indigent patients seeking medical assistance and inpatient services in authorized government health facilities are entitled to services prescribed by the attending physician of the government facility.

In case of non-availability of drugs and medicines, tests and other procedures, Janario said the concerned health facility may refer the needed services to a private health facility provided it is accredited by the DOH. Outside services will be charged against the DOH hospital.

Vizcaya builds own evacuation center

By Ben Moses Ebreo

GENERAL GUIDELINES: 1.

Disposal of GSIS Investment Properties – Retail Units (IP-RUs) is through a competitive public bidding process. Acceptance of Purchase Offer shall start on the scheduled bidding date and time.

2.

Dropping of bid envelopes inside the designated bid box will be on the date of auction from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Opening of Bids will immediately follow.

3.

Disposal of GSIS IP-RUs is on “As-Is Where-Is” basis. Interested bidders are enjoined to personally inspect the GSIS IP-RUs for sale. “As-Is Where-Is” is defined as the present physical condition of the retail unit that GSIS is selling and the buyer is buying, “with all attendant faults, if any,” whether or not immediately apparent and without any express or implied warranty. The buyer takes this condition at his or her own risk, without recourse against the GSIS as to their condition. This includes knowledge by the buyer of the presence of occupants in the retail-unit being purchased.

4.

Strictly, “One bidder, One specific property” only, which means that a bidder cannot submit two (2) or more bids for one property. A bidder may submit one bid each to as many properties as he wants to buy, as long as, he posts a bidder’s deposit for each property in an amount provided below. The bidder must present valid government IDs upon registration on the date of public bidding.

5.

Purchase offer may either be in Cash or through External Financing Institution.

6.

A downloadable bid form shall be properly accomplished with the following data: a. Name and complete address of the bidder b. Exact address of property you are interested to bid c. Transfer Certificate of Title No. d. Amount of bid (in numbers and in words) e. 10 % Bidder’s Deposit equivalent to 10% of the total amount of bid offer f.

Signature of the bidder/representative

7.

Bid proposal shall be written in words and in figures and shall not be lower than the Minimum Bid Price of the property published in the newspaper or posted in the GSIS website. Should there be a difference in the amount in words and in figures, the amount in words shall prevail.

8.

Bidders’ deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer shall be in the form of MANAGER’S CHECK payable to the Government Service Insurance System

9.

The following shall be inserted on the sealed bid envelope: a. the properly accomplished downloadable bid form b. Manager’s Check payable to Government Service Insurance System representing deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the Bid Offer c. the Special Power of Attorney (SPA), if the bidder is an authorized representative d. pre-conditional approval from PBCOM, if applicable e. proofs of occupancy (see No. 12.c.1 and c.2)

10. The following information shall be clearly written outside the sealed bid envelope (mailing envelope) Address of Property you want to bid) Block No. ______ Lot. No. ______ Phase No.____ Name of Subdivision Address of Subdivision TCT NO. _______ Mode: __________ Cash __________ thru External Financing Institution

(

Name of Bidder: Mailing Address: 11. Interested bidders planning to purchase the GSIS property through External Financing Institution (EFI) shall first secure certification from accredited banks stating that he/she is qualified to avail of a loan from External Financing Institution and insert inside the bid envelope.

12. The existing tenant or occupant or his duly authorized representative through a valid Special Power of Attorney (SPA) has the right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, provided: a. he/she is present during the bidding b. participated in actual bidding c. presently occupying the property subject of bidding supported by the following proofs of occupancy: c.1 Barangay certificate that he/she is occupying or residing in the subject property c.2. Any valid government identification document with his/her address similar to the address of the property he/.she is bidding.

13. If the occupant will exercise his/her right to match the offer of the declared highest bidder, he/she need not secure another bank pre-qualification corresponding to the matched offer. Instead, he/she shall pay the equity in cash as stated in Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS). The equity shall be computed as the difference between the Letter of Guarantee from the bank and the offered bid amount.

14. The declared highest/winning bidder shall submit within the day of the actual bidding, the following documents: (a) duly accomplished Personal Profile/Company Profile/Corporate Profile, whichever is applicable (downloadable); (b) photocopies of two valid IDs (one should be a government-issued ID); (c) Articles of Incorporation/Partnership, By-Laws and current General Information Sheet, for corporation/partnership, if applicable; (d) Registration Certificate from SEC for corporation/partnership, DTI for sole proprietorship and CDA for cooperatives, or any proof of such registration, if applicable; (e) current Mayor’s permit issued by the city or municipality where the principal place of business of the winning bidder is located, if applicable.

15. A Notice of Approval of Sale (NOAS) shall be issued to the highest/winning bidder on the day of bidding.

16. In case the bid is in CASH, the 90% balance of the bid amount shall be paid either in cash or manager’s check within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of NOAS, without privilege of extension.

17. In case the bid is thru EFI, the equity shall be paid in cash within thirty (30) calendar days from receipt of Letter of Guarantee (LOG) by the GSIS. The equity is the amount corresponding to the difference between the LOG and the Offered Bid Amount.

18. Upon issuance of the NOAS to the highest/winning bidder, the Bidder’s Deposit of the other non-winning bidder/s shall be returned immediately.

19. Non-compliance with the terms and conditions stated in the NOAS shall result in the forfeiture of the bidder’s deposit.

20. In case the highest/winning bidder fails to comply with the requirements within the specified time, the GSIS shall write the second highest bidder to confirm if he/she is still interested to acquire the property. If still interested, GSIS will require him/her to pay the non-refundable deposit equivalent to ten percent (10%) of his/her previously submitted bid amount and will be issued NOAS. 21. GSIS reserves the right to waive any formality or to reject any or all bids received. The list of properties available for sale may be updated without prior notice.

22. For inquiries, you may call Real Property Accounts Management Department at telephone nos. 479-3536 or 976-4619.

(MS-JUNE 29/30 & JULY 1, 2017)

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya— The Department of Public Works and Highways will be constructing a P25-million Provincial Evacuation Center within the provincial capitol in this capital town.

Gov. Carlos Padilla said the PEC will be constructed on a 3,000-square-meter vacant lot at the back of the People’s Hall or the Sangguniang Panlalawigan building.

“The construction will start next week, which will be jointly supervised by the DPWH and the Provincial Engineering Office,” he said.

The 8R-structured two-story building will offer a ground floor, two toilets, 67-bed capacity infirmary, pharmacy, laundry, water

tank, drying area, cooking area, storage area, assembly and parking area, and offices of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office and the Office of Civil Defense, among others.

The provincial government earlier proposed the PEC to the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council to address the need for an evacuation center in the province and in support of the nationwide disaster risk reduction management program.

The PEC is the first to be constructed in the Cagayan Valley region because it has met the requirements of the NDRRMC. Provincial engineer Manolo Norial said the PEC was immediately approved and endorsed by the Regional Development Council because of its strategic location.

IN BRIEF Albay plans to sue power company LEGAZPI CITY—Nearly four years after the National Electrification Administration privatized the Albay Electric Cooperative (Aleco), a provincial board member said residents of Albay may file a class suit against the San Miguel-controlled Albay Power and Energy Corp.

Board Member Rolly Rosal said Albayanos have found it “unbearable” that the province continues to suffer from daily intermittent and random brownouts and even a weekly wholeday power outage under Apec’s tenure.

Aleco Union officials have also accused Apec of incompetence in troubleshooting even minor power problems, Rosal said. This has led about 230,000 Apec customers to consider a class-action suit, citing the “deafening silence” of the province government executives and its five lawmakers “who all stood united for the speedy privatization of Aleco to spare Albay from total blackout.”

Rosal is the younger brother of Legazpi Mayor Noel Rosal, who together with then-governor Joey Sarte Salceda were among the key figures in 2013 in pushing for Aleco’s privatization into Apec with San Miguel, which inherited P4 billion in debts of the old electric cooperative. Manilyn B. Ugalde

GenTri celebrates Health Worker’s Day GENERAL TRIAS CITY—The local government led by Mayor Antonio “Ony” Ferrer on Wednesday celebrated Health Worker’s, Daycare Worker’s, and Women’s Desk Officer’s Day through the “Only in Gentri” project of the city chief executive held at Amanda’s Resort in Tanza town.

More than 600 workers from the City Health office, Barangay Health workers of 33 component barangays, day care center workers, and women’s desk officers attended the annual project of Ferrer together with his brother Cavite 6th District Rep. Luis “Jon Jon” Ferrer IV, Vice Mayor Morit Sison, and city councilor.

Cavite Councilors’ League president Kerby Salazar, chairman of the City Council committee on health, nutrition and population, initiated the program in 2011 to give recognition to the local health workers.

“This day recognizes and honors your service to our city and its residents,” Ferrer said. “We’re the only city that celebrates this kind of project in the whole country, and we have no plans to stop this.” The mayor also encouraged the city council to file an ordinance making the health workers’ salaries “institutionalized.”

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Manila

Standard

TODAY

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

C3

HK’s allure fading on mainland B EIJING―When Naomi Wu was a teenager, she and her friends would ride the train from mainland China to Hong Kong several times a year to shop for clothes and designer handbags.

But the 23-year-old computer programmer, who lives across the border in Shenzhen, now shuns a city that two decades after the handover from Britain has lost its allure for many mainlanders.

“Chinese gadgets are as good or better than foreign,” said Wu, who prefers to shop online from her home in Shenzhen, which has transformed from a shabby backwater into an industrial powerhouse.

“There’s lots of new malls that are well-designed, and new buildings everyplace else. There are new subway lines and lots of parks. Shenzhen built more skyscrapers last year than the US and Australia combined,” she said.

As Hong Kong readies to mark the July 1 anniversary of the handover, it is increasingly eclipsed by China, which has become a global superpower with a vibrant consumer and cultural

scene of its own.

Beijing and Shanghai boast a sophisticated array of bars and restaurants as well as sprawling shopping centers and arts districts that put space-starved Hong Kong to shame.

China has leapfrogged from seventh to second place among the top economies since 1997 and become a vital engine of global growth, while Hong Kong has fallen from 24th to 33rd.

Import taxes on foreign goods are still much higher in China, but shoppers who once flocked to luxury flagship stores along Hong Kong’s glittering Canton Road are now also heading to cities such as Paris and New York.

The changing fortunes have seen the number of tourist visits from the mainland to Hong Kong steadily decrease, dropping nearly seven percent in 2016 compared to the previous year.

Disneyland even opened in Shanghai last year, attracting millions as visitor numbers sag at its older sister theme park in Hong Kong.

And Hong Kong’s waning cultural clout has also seen it disappear from mainland screens which it dominated during the “golden age” of Hong Kong cinema in the 1990s.

“Hong Kong films and Hong Kong music have faded from our lives, and there is a variety of mainland-produced music and shows,” said Li, a trading manager at a state-owned enterprise who declined to give his full name.

“China’s rapid economic development has greatly reduced the gap between the mainland and Hong Kong.”

As the scales tip, there is growing resentment in Hong Kong over the perceived “mainlandization” of the city as China extends its influence in a range of areas, from business to politics, education and media.

Some see this as a way for Beijing to tighten its grip on Hong Kong and erode the city’s identity and cherished freedoms -- fears reflected in mass student-led rallies calling for democratic reform in 2014.

One of the results is that the mainland tourists who continue to visit Hong Kong don’t always feel welcome. Wu was shocked to hear open criticism aired on the subway during a recent visit.

“Mainlanders go to Hong Kong and spend lots of money, but then get sneered at for our trouble. I speak Cantonese, and they are still rude to me,” she said, referring to the variant of Chinese spoken in the city.

Manners have long been a source of tension, with Hong Kongers complaining about what they see as the unrefined social habits of their “nouveau riche” mainland counterparts.

The growing tension is a hot topic on China’s internet forums.

On Zhihua, a question-andanswer site, nearly 1,400 people posted responses to the question: “Fewer and fewer people go to Hong Kong to shop. Why?” “I loved the shops and restaurants, the public transport was so convenient... and people were very friendly,” wrote Jennifer Liu. “But the last time I went there was a very different atmosphere... on the streets, young people would glare at me,” she added. “Since

then, the news I see from Hong Kong is very strange to me, full of hostility.”

But mainland Chinese still lack the personal freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong, which remains semiautonomous under the “one country, two systems” deal agreed be-

fore the handover.

Thousands make the move to Hong Kong each year to pursue higher education and work opportunities, and the city’s red-hot property market is fueled by Chinese seeking a bolt hole or a place to park their cash. AFP

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION Date Project Title ITB No. Approved Budget for the Contract Pre-Screening of Documents Deadline of Submission of Quotation

: June 28, 2017 : LEASE OF OFFICE SPACE FOR PAGCOR CORPORATE OFFICE FOR A PERIOD OF THREE (3) YEARS : NPLRP17-001COR-05b-06 : The ABC for the project for the first (1st) year is Sixty-Three Million Nine Hundred Thousand Pesos (PhP63,900,000.00) or ONE HUNDRED NINETY-NINE MILLIONN FOUR HUNDRED NINETY-FIVE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED PESOS (PhP199,495,800.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction, for a period of three (3) years. : July 4, 2017, Tuesday, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Venue: Procurement Department (PD), Room 203, 2nd Floor PAGCOR House, 1330 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila : July 6, 2017, Thursday, 10:00 a.m., (Sealed Quotation) Venue: Corporate Lounge, Sixth (6th) Floor PAGCOR Corporate Office, New World Manila Bay Hotel and Casino, 1588 M.H. del Pilar corner Pedro Gil Streets, Malate, Manila.

Please address the envelope containing the accomplished RFQ form and required documents to the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) 1.The envelope shall bear the following information in capital letters: 1. Title and reference number for the project, and 2. Name, address and contact details (telephone/cellphone number and/or email address). : July 6, 2017, Thursday, 10:00 a.m. onwards, (Sealed Quotation)

Opening of Quotation

Venue: Corporate Lounge, Sixth (6th) Floor PAGCOR Corporate Office, New World Manila Bay Hotel and Casino, 1588 M.H. del Pilar corner Pedro Gil Streets, Malate, Manila.

Within one hundred twenty (120) calendar days from the date of opening of quotations

VALIDITY OF OFFER: TERM OF LEASE:

The delivery/required turn-over of the bare Corporate Office Space (leased premises) should be turned over within One (1) month from the date of receipt of the Notice to Proceed (NTP).

The lease contract shall be for a period of three (3) years but shall commence only upon PAGCOR’s acceptance.

1. Lessor shall submit their offer/quotation through their duly authorized representatives using this form only. This form must be completed without any alterations to their format and no substitute form shall be accepted. All blank spaces shall be filled in with the correct and accurate information as required.

NOTES:

2. Offers/quotations submitted exceeding the Approved Budget for the Contract shall be rejected.

3. The prices quoted are to be paid in Philippine Currency VAT-Exclusive, Zero-Rated transaction.

4. All prices quoted are subject to all Philippine Tax Statutes, but should be VATExclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction.

5.

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO - Presiding Officer SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA MARIE ALETHEA SJ. CASAL-UY GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR. DIVINA A. JACOME LUIS S. JAVIER JR. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY ROMEO C. MEDINA MA. ARLENE M. ORTEGA MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

ABSENT: Councilor FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO “ NELSON S. PASIA-Vacation Leave “ ENRICO J. PUNO =========================================================================================================== On motion presented by Hon, M.C.M, Yabut, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Ordinance No, 2017-073 on third and final reading.

CITY ORDINANCE NO. 2017-073 Authors: Hon, M,C.M, Yabut, Hon, M.A.S.J, Casal-Uy, Hon. D.A. Jacome, Hon. G.I.N, de Lara-Bes, Hon, N.S. Yabut, Jr., Hon, A.P. Padilla, Hon. E.D,E, Villamor, Hon. V,V. Hilario, Jr., Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. F.T. Eusebio and Han. L.S. Javier, Jr. Co-Authors: Hon, S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon, N.S. Pasia, Hon, E.J. Puno and Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino AN ORDINANCE PRESCRIBING THE NEW TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN BARANGAY GUADALUPE NUEVO, MAKATI CITY, THE EFFECTIVITY OF WHICH SHALL ONLY BE UNTIL SUCH TIME THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD FINALLY ENACTS THE COMPREHENSIVE REVISION OF THE MAKATI TRAFFIC CODE, SUBJECT TO EXISTING LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS.

PRESENT: Vice Mayor Councilor “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “ “

MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO - Presiding Officer SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA MARIE ALETHEA SJ. CASAL-UY GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR. DIVINA A. JACOME LUIS S. JAVIER JR. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY ROMEO C. MEDINA MA. ARLENE M. ORTEGA MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

LnB President

ARMANDO P. PADILLA

WHEREAS, in the said traffic management plan, P. Burgos St. will be closed for all Public Utility jeepneys (PUJs) and such area shall also be cleared from ilIegally-parked vehicles, sidewalk vendors and other traffic obstructions to reduce traffic congestion; WHEREAS, MMDA also implemented a total ban against PUJs from plying Epifanio Delos Santos Avenue (EDSA); WHEREAS, on 2 March 2017, a meeting between the Members of the Sangguniang Barangay of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, representatives from the MMDA, Makati Public Safety Office (MAPSA), Bantay Bayan, Barangay Special Operations Group and members of various transportation groups playing in and out of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo was conducted to discuss possible rerouting and solutions to the worsening traffic congestion along the streets of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, In the said meeting, a re-routing map for PUJs, including their designated loading stops, was adopted. However, in a letter addressed to the Makati Public Safety Department, the Sangguniang Barangay of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo submitted a Revised Traffic Routing Map (Annex “B”); WHEREAS, in a letter dated 14 March 2017, Acting Punong Barangay Bernadette T. Sese requested the Sangguniang Panlungsod to enact an Ordinance adopting their proposed parking scheme and traffic management system (Annex “C”); WHEREAS, in a letter dated 8 May 2017, Mr. Ricardo Suarez, Officer-in-Charge of the Makati Public Safety Department, stated that such department does not interpose any objection to the proposed parking scheme and traffic management system mentioned in the preceding clause (Annex “D”); WHEREAS, Section 10 (e) (5) of Republic 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati, provides that the Sanggunian Panlungsod shall approve ordinances which shall ensure the efficient and effective delivery of the basic services and facilities and shall regulate the use of streets, avenue, alleys, bridges, parks and other public places and regulate the putting up of signs, signposts, awnings and awning posts on the streets; WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panglunsod is currently studying the proposed comprehensive revision of the Makati Traffic Code; WHEREAS, considering the necessity of an immediate response to the abovementioned changes, not to mention the perennial concerns of the Sangguniang Barangay of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, the Sangguniang Panlungsod hereby adopts the proposed parking scheme and traffic management system of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo but the effectivity of which shall only be until such time the Sangguniang Panlungsod finally enacts the comprehensive revision of the Makati Traffic Code.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT ENACTED, AS IT IS HEREBY ENACTED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, that: Section 1. The following traffic rules and regulations are implemented and enforced: a. NO ENTRY/TOW AWAY ZONES along: 1. Anastacio via Kalayaan (C5) and Buendia Flyover; 2. Del Carmen Street from Orense; 3. Dapitan Extension(Raon) from Kalayaan and Masilang; 4. La Banda Street (upper) from San Jose-Masilang-Dapitan junction shall be a “NO ENTRY” zone for Public Utility jeepneys; 5. Sta. Rita Street Extension corner Buenconsejo (fronting MMDA Office) from EDSA (Shell) located at Escuela Street Extension. b. ONE -WAY ZONES along: 1. Manggahan cor. Nuestra Sra. de Guadalupe (upper) going to Anastacio; 2. Sgt. Fabian Street (7-11 Kalayaan) going to Tulay/Bagsakan area; 3. Camino dela Fe Street exiting to Orense via Anastacio Street; 4. Lower La Consolacion Street exiting to Anastacio via Orense; 5. Lower Antipolo Street exiting to Orense via Anastacio Street; 6. Del Carmen Street exiting to Orense via Anastacio, Buenconsejo, Governor Noble; 7. Dapitan going to La Banda-San Jose-Masilang junction via P. Victor and Sgt. Fabian (Pineslight School); 8. San Nicolas exiting to P. Victor, Orense, Sgt. Fabian via Balagtas and Magallanes Streets; 9. Magallanes going to Balagtas, La Banda and other parts of San Jose via P. Victor Street, Sgt. Fabian; 10. Mactan exiting to P. Victor via Balagtas, Magallanes, San Nicolas; 11. Sampaguita Street going to San jose via P. Victor, Sgt. Fabian, Antipolo (upper); 12. Felipe Street exiting to P. Victor via San jose; 13. Corregidor Street going to 130. Visaya via Jacinto Street.

As regards in the Temporary Closure of the two (2) Neighborhood Security Clusters, the following is hereby declared: a.

The San Jose Neighborhood Security Cluster, which is composed of the following Streets: San Nicolas, Magallanes, Mactan, Felipe and Sampaguita, the entrance and exit thereof shall be at Magallanes Street only and the same shall be closed to traffic at 10:00 in the evening until 5:00 o’clock the next morning.

For the Bo. Visaya Neighborhood Security Cluster, which is composed of the following streets: Bo. Visaya proper, Corregidor Street, Capas Street including its extension beside Ropali (formerly GSIS Bank), Bataan Street, L.O.B. and other adjoining interior streets thereof, shall be closed at 10:00 in the evening also until 5:00 o’clock the following morning and entry and exit thereof shall only be at lower Bo. Visaya Archway (beside Kalayaan foot bridge).

Section 2. The Revised Traffic Routing Map hereto attached as Annex “B” is likewise adopted.

Section 4. In the event the Sangguniang Panlungsod finally enacts the comprehensive revision of the Makati Traffic Code. the provision/s of this Ordinance, including its Annex/es, which is/are inconsistent or in conflict with the revised Makati Traffic Code is/are hereby repealed or modified accordingly upon the enactment of such legislative measure.

Section 5. If any provision of this Ordinance is declared unconstitutional or invalid, all other provisions which are not affected shall continue to be in full force and effect.

(MS-JUNE 29, 2017)

WHEREAS, Ospital ng Makati Foundation, an organization duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Philippines, aims to contribute in providing quality medical services most especially to indigent patients residing in the City of Makati; WHEREAS, Ospital ng Makati Foundation desires to donate the following items: Quantity Product

: :

Technical Specification: Number of LED Power ON Low Power Functional Opening Viewing Diameter Rechargeable Battery Battery Backup Dimensions Net weight

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

HON. ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

HON. ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

HON. ON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

Name of Project

- 22 Orange, 8 Red - Indication by Green LED - Indication of Red LED -17mm - 33 mm - Lithium lon, 3.7V, 1150amAh - 1 1/2 hrs. continuous usage - L125mm; b65mm; h22.7mm - 90gms

WHEREAS, the Sangguniang Panlungsod, pursuant to the abovementioned provision of law, hereby authorizes the Honorable Mar-Len Abigail S. Binay to accept the two (2) units of Hand-Held Vein Finding Device from the Ospital ng Makati Foundation and to sign the Deed of Donation and all pertinent documents relative thereto.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, AS IT IS HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, BY VIRTUE OF THE POWERS VESTED IN IT BY LAW, IN SESSION ASSEMBLED, to authorize the Honorable Mayor Mar-len Abigail S. Binay to accept, on behalf of the City Government of Makati, the donation of two (2) units of hand-held vein finding device from the Ospital ng Makati Foundation and to sign the Deed of Donation and all pertinent documents relative thereto, subject to applicable laws, rules and regulations.

Let copy of this Resolution be furnished the Ospital ng Makati Foundation, Ospital ng Makati, Office of the Mayor, City Administrator’s Office, General Services Department, Makati Health Department, City Law Department and all offices, departments and agencies concerned for their information, guidance and reference.

APPROVED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA, in its Regular Session held on 21 June 2017.

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

HON. ROMEO C. MEDINA

HON. MARIE ALETHEA S.J. CASAL-UY

HON. MA ARLENE M. ORTEGA

HON. GRAZIELLE IONY N. DE LARA-BES

HON. NELSON S. PASIA

HON. FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO

HON. ENRICO J. PUNO

HON. VIRGILIO V. HILARIO JR.

ON. MARY RUTH C. TOLENTINO HON.

HON. DIVINA A. JACOME

ON. EVELYN DELFINA E. VILLAMOR HON.

HON. LUIS S. JAVIER JR.

H ON. MARIA CONCEPCION M. YABUT HON.

HON. LEONARDO M. MAGPANTAY

HON. NEMESIO S. YABUT JR.

VACATION LEAVE

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

Certified true and correct by:

Attested by:

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer Approved by: MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY City Mayor

(MS-JUNE 29, 2017)

HON. MONIQUE Q. LAGDAMEO Vice Mayor & Presiding Officer

1. Purchase of New Equipment needed =P=15,450,000.00 for various operation of Province of Bataan 1 Unit – Water Tank Truck 1 Unit – Single Cab Truck 1 Unit – Boom Truck 1 Unit – Mini Dumptruck (3 cu.m) 1 Unit – Truck Mounted Generator 1 Unit – Manlift Truck The Provincial Government of Bataannow invites bids for the above listed Procurement. Delivery of goods is requiredon or before the maturity date stipulated on contract.Bidders should have completed, at least one (1) contract that is similar to the contract to be bid. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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

Bidding is open to all interested bidders, whether local or foreign, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Office of Bataan Bids & Awards Committeeand inspect the Bidding Documents from 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. at the same office.

Bid documents will be available only to eligible bidders upon payment of a nonrefundable amount of using standard rates approved by GPPB as stated on their Resolution No. 04-2012 listed below.

Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000 and below More than 500,000 up to 1 Million More than 1 Million up to 5 Million More than 5 Million up to 10 Million More than 10 Million up to 50 Million More than 50 Million up to 500 Million More than 500 Million

Maximum Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Peso) 500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00 75,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataan will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on June 30, 2017 at 10:00 A.M at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan Bids must be delivered on or before July 12, 2017 at 2:00 p.m. at Provincial BAC Office, PEO Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated on IRR of RA 9184 or Bid Securing Declaration in standard form.

The winning bidder has the option to deliver the items requested by the end-user with higher technical specification & better technology provided it will be beneficial to the government & will not incur additional expenses on the part of the procuring entity.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend opening of Bids at Bataan BAC Office. Late bids shall not be accepted.

In case of the above dates is declared a special Non-Working Holidays, it will automatically reset on the next working days.

Other necessary information deemed relevant by the Provincial Government of Bataan Activities Schedule 1. Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid June 23 - 29, 2017 2. Eligibility Check Refer to date of Opening of Bids 3. Issuance and availability of Bidding Documents June 23 – July 12, 2017 4. Request for Clarification June 30, 2017 5. Opening of Bids July 12, 2017

Engr. Josephine R. Valenzuela Provincial BAC / PEO Bataan Provincial BAC / PEO Office, Capitol Compound, Balanga City, Bataan 047-237-9316 bac@bataan.gov.ph

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

Attested by:

=P=23,600,000.00

The Provincial Government of Bataan reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further information, please refer to:

Certified true and correct by:

ATTY. DINDO R. CERVANTES Secretary to the Sangguniang Panlungsod

Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC)

1. Supply & Delivery of 100 Robotics Packages as Instructional Materials for distribution to Junior High Schools in the Division of Bataan

Warranty Period: Manufacturer’s Warranty of 6 months from the date of successful completion of commissioning to include parts and service under the terms and condition of warranty.

HON. ARMANDO P. PADILLA LnB President

InvItatIon to BId no. Goods-042-2017 The Provincial Government of Bataan, through the General Fund42intends to apply the below listed procurement w/ corresponding Approved Budget of the Contract (ABC). Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected a bid opening.

Two (2) units Hand-Held Vein Finding Device

VACATION LEAVE

HON. SHIRLEY C. ASPILLAGA

Republic of the Philippines Province of Bataan City of Balanga BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE OFFICE

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the City Government of Makati to promote the health and welfare of its citizens;

Section 8. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately upon its approval.

ENACTED BY THE SANGGUNIANG PANLUNGSOD OF MAKATI, METRO MANILA,, in its Regular Session held on 21 June 2017.

For any inquiries or clarifications, please contact the Procurement Department (PD) at telephone numbers (02) 336-6906, (02) 524-3911 or (02) 521-1542 local 617 and 223 and look for Mr. Krisbert S. Malanay.

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HONORABLE MAYOR MAR-LEN ABIGAIL S. BINAY TO ACCEPT, ON BEHALF OF THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, THE DONATION OF TWO (2) UNITS OF HAND-HELD VEIN FINDING DEVICE FROM THE OSPITAL NG MAKATI FOUNDATION AND TO SIGN THE DEED OF DONATION AND ALL PERTINENT DOCUMENTS RELATIVE THERETO, SUBJECT TO APPLICABLE LAWS, RULES AND REGULATIONS.

Section 6. All ordinances, rules and regulations, or parts thereof, which are inconsistent or in conflict with any provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Section 7. Let a copy of this Ordinance be furnished the Makati Public Safety Department, Liga ng mga Barangay Office, Sangguniang Barangay of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, Office of the Mayor, City Law Department, Office of the City Administrator and other concerned offices, departments and agencies for their information, guidance and reference.

Sir/Madame: In accordance with the Technical Specifications, Scope of Work and General Conditions for the aforementioned project stated herewith, kindly fill up and submit your lowest proposal on the requirements stated in the parameters stated in this Request for Quotation (RFQ).

SGD RODERICK R. CONSOLACION CHAIRPERSON BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE (BAC) 1

Co-Authors: Hon. S.C. Aspillaga, Hon. L.S. Javier, Jr., Hon. L.M. Magpantay, Hon. R.C. Medina, Hon. A.P. Padilla and Hon. M.R.C. Tolentino

This Resolution shall take effect immediately upon its approval.

Section 3. The penalties provided in the Makati Traffic Code shall be imposed for violations of this Ordinance.

b. The lucky lessor who would pick the paper with a “CONGRATULATIONS” remark shall be declared as the final lessor having the LCRB and recommended for award of the contract.

Thank you.

WHEREAS, Sec. 8 (a) (6) of R.A. 7854, otherwise known as the Charter of the City of Makati, provides that the City Mayor, as the chief executive of the city government, shall represent the City in all its business transactions and sign on its behalf all bonds, contracts, and obligations, and such other documents upon authority of the Sangguniang Panlungsod or pursuant to law or ordinance;

It is also declared that P. Burgos Street be declared as “No Exit to EDSA”. As such, all vehicles plying the said Street shall only be allowed to turn right towards P. Victor towards “Bagsakan area” fronting UNIMEC. Further, vehicles from P. Victor Street shall not be allowed to turn left to P. Burgos Street as exit to EDSA. Furthermore, “No Right Turn” to all public utility jeepneys in Felipe and La Banda Streets.

b.

a. In alphabetical order, the lessors shall pick one rolled paper.

WHEREAS, for and in consideration of the goodwill, assistance, liberality and generosity of the Ospital ng Makati Foundation, such foundation hereby voluntarily and freely gives, transfers and conveys, by way of donation, unto the City Government of Makati, for the use of Ospital ng Makati, the abovementioned vein-finding device, and ensures that the same are free from all liens and encumbrances;

c. NO PARKING ZONES along: 1. On both sides of Manggahan going to P. Victor; 2. From Sgt. Fabian 96 (Maranatha School) going to Tulay/Edsa; 3. Whole stretch of Magsaysay Street from Orense, but as agreed between the meeting with different Transport groups and various stakeholders, delivery vans and those owned by customers shall be allowed provided that engines should not be shut off and the same is manned by their respective drivers; 4. Whole stretch of Kalayaan Avenue under jurisdiction of Guadalupe Nuevo; 5. Lower San Jose to Felipe Street both sides; 6. San Jose-Masilang-Dapitan Junction shall be a “NO PARKING ZONE” for Public Utility Jeepneys.

8. PAGCOR shall have the right to inspect and/or to test the real property to confirm their conformity to the technical specifications.

In accordance with Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Circular 06-2005 Tie-Breaking Method, the BAC 1 shall use a non-discretionary and non-discriminatory measure based on sheer luck or chance, which is “DRAW LOTS,” in the event that two or more lessors have been post-qualified and determined as the lessor having the Lowest Calculated Responsive Quotation (LCRQ) to determine the final LCRQ, based on the following procedures:

Tie-Breaking Methods

CITY RESOLUTION NO. 2017-051 Authors: Hon. M.C.M. Yabut, Hon. M.A.S.J. Casal-Uy, Hon. D.A. Jacome, Hon. G.l.N. de Lara-Bes, Hon. N.S. Yabut, Jr., Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, Hon. N.S. Pasia, Hon. V.V. Hilario,Jr. and Hon. E.D.E. Villamor

WHEREAS, due to limited road spaces and increasing traffic demand, there is an urgency to apply new traffic management measures to control, regulate and facilitate the movement and parking of motor vehicles along the streets of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo in order to improve traffic conditions and save travel time, fuel consumption and other costs; WHEREAS, in a letter dated 2 February 2017, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) informed the Mernbers of the Sangguniang Barangay of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo regarding MMDA’s traffic management plan to urgently decongest major roads and ease the traffic flow of vehicles in Makati City (Annex “A”);

6. Award of contract shall be made to the lowest calculated offer which complies with the minimum technical specifications and other terms and conditions stated in the contract of lease.

7. Any interlineations, erasures or overwriting shall be valid only if they are signed or initiated by you or any of your duly authorized representative/s.

ABSENT: Councilor FERDINAND T. EUSEBIO “ NELSON S. PASIA-Vacation Leave “ ENRICO J. PUNO ================================================================================ On motion presented by Hon. M.A.M. Ortega, which was duly seconded by all Members present, the Sangguniang Panlungsod of the City of Makati approved City Resolution No. 2017-051 on second and final reading.

WHEREAS, some of the perennial concerns of the Sangguniang Barangay of Barangay Guadalupe Nuevo, Makati City are the following: worsening traffic congestion, lack of parking spaces which resulted in rampant double parking, illegal parking on the streets and proliferation of variety stores on the streets and sidewalks, with ‘extended’ selling and storage areas, which causes obstruction, adds traffic congestion and puts pedestrians at risk;

For the purpose of standardization of offers/quotations, this RFQ Form will prevail over all kinds and forms of quotation. In case of price discrepancy over the amounts in words and in figures, the amount in words will prevail.

(MS-JUNE 29, 2017)

(MS-JUNE 29, 2017)

(SGD) ENRICO T. YUZON BAC CHAIRMAN

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

C4

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

US: China one of the worst rights offenders

World

WASHINGTON―President Donald Trump’s administration hit China Tuesday over its rights record, listing the country alongside Sudan and North Korea on a list of the world’s worst human trafficking offenders.

The State Department downgraded China in its annual “Trafficking in Persons Report,” saying Beijing is doing little to combat the phenomenon or protect its victims.

It pointed to ethnic Uighurs, a Muslim minority in China’s west, being coerced into forced labor, and to Beijing’s wholesale repatriation of North Koreans without checking to see if they were trafficking victims.

Beijing “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so,” said the report unveiled in Washington

by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

It marked the first significant rebuke of China’s rights record by the Trump administration, which has avoided harsh criticism of Beijing as the president seeks to establish a working relationship over deep trade differences and North Korea’s nuclear program.

The release of the annual report also appeared to signal the Trump administration’s closer embrace of human rights issues as an integral part of its foreign policy. The fivemonth old government has been reticent to highlight rights issues, keeping its focus on more narrowly defined security and economic interests.

Speaking at the report’s launch, Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and White House assistant, said all governments have the responsibility to prosecute human traffickers.

“Human trafficking is a pervasive human rights issue,” she said. “Ending human trafficking is a major foreign policy priority for the Trump administration.” AFP

VISIT. Olivia DeJonge visits Build to discuss ‘Will’ at Build Studio on June 27, 2017, in New York City. AFP

3 to go on trial over disaster in Fukushima

TOKYO―Three former executives at Fukushima’s operator stand trial this week on the only criminal charges laid in the 2011 disaster, as thousands remain unable to return to homes near the shuttered nuclear plant.

The hearing on Friday comes more than a year after ex-Tokyo Electric Power or Tepco chairman Tsunehisa Katsumata, 77, and former vice presidents Sakae Muto, 66, and Ichiro Takekuro, 71, were formally charged with professional negligence resulting in death and injury.

The indictments are the first―and only― criminal charges stemming from the tsunami-sparked reactor meltdowns at the plant that set off the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.

“We hope the trial will shed light on where the responsibility for this accident...lies,” Ruiko Muto, who heads a group that pushed for the trial, told AFP. “The accident hasn’t been resolved. There is nuclear waste from the cleanup efforts everywhere in Fukushima and there are still many unresolved problems,” she said.

The trial follows a battle over whether or not to indict the Tepco executives.

Prosecutors had twice refused to press charges against the men, citing insufficient evidence and little chance of conviction.

But a judicial review panel composed of ordinary citizens ruled in 2015―for the second time since the accident―that the trio should be put on trial.

That decision compelled prosecutors to press on with the criminal case under Japanese law.

“We want a verdict as soon as possible,” Muto said.

“Some victims of this tragedy have died without seeing the start of the trial.”

If convicted, the men face up to five years in prison or a penalty of up to one million yen ($9,000).

Tepco declined to comment on the trial, saying the men “have already left the company”.

The three are reportedly expected to plead not guilty, and argue it was impossible to have predicted the size of the massive tsunami that slammed into Japan’s northeast coast following a huge undersea earthquake.

However, a 2011 government panel report said Tepco simulated the impact of a tsunami on the plant in 2008 and concluded that a wave of up to 15.7 metres (52 feet) could hit the plant if a magnitude-8.3 quake occurred off the coast of Fukushima.

Executives at the company―which is facing huge clean-up and liability costs―allegedly ignored the internal study.

Waves as high as 14 meters swamped the reactors’ cooling systems in March 2011.

Although the quake-tsunami disaster left some 18,500 people dead or missing, the Fukushima accident itself is not officially recorded as having directly killed anyone.

The charges against the executives are linked to the deaths of more than 40 hospitalized patients who were hastily evacuated from the Fukushima area and later died.

Around a dozen others―including Tepco employees and members of Japan’s Self Defense Forces―were injured during the accident. AFP

Thailand’s doctors battle cancer-causing fish dish K ALASIN, Thailand―It wasn’t until he got to medical school that Narong Khuntikeo finally discovered what caused the liver cancer that took both of his parents’ lives: their lunch.

Like millions of Thais across the rural northeast, his family regularly ate koi pla―a local dish made of raw fish ground with spices and lime.

The pungent meal is quick, cheap and tasty, but the fish is also a favorite feast for parasites that can cause a lethal liver cancer killing up to 20,000 Thais annually.

Most hail from the northeast, a large, poor region known as Isaan that has dined on koi pla for generations and now has the highest reported instance of the Cholangiocarcinoma or CCA―bile duct cancer―in the world.

One of the major causes of CCA is a parasitic flatworm―or fluke―which is native to the Mekong region and found in many freshwater fish.

Once eaten, the worms can embed undetected in the bile ducts for years, causing inflammation that can, over time, trigger the aggressive cancer, according to the World Health Organization.

“It’s a very big health burden around

here... it effects families, education and socioeconomic development,” said Narong, who went on to become a liver surgeon to battle the scourge.

“But nobody knows about this because they die quietly, like leaves falling from a tree.”

After seeing hundreds of hopeless late-stage cases on the operating table, Narong is now marshalling scientists, doctors and anthropologists to attack the “silent killer” at source.

They are fanning out across Isaan provinces to screen villagers for the liver fluke and warn them of the perils of koi pla and other risky fermented fish dishes.

But changing eating habits is no easy task in a region where love for Isaan’s famously chili-laden cuisine runs deep.

Many villagers are shocked to hear that a beloved dish passed down for generations is a danger rather than a comfort.

Others are wedded to the convenience of a thrifty lunch they can whip up using

fish caught in the ponds that border their rice paddies.

“I used to come here and just catch the fish in the pond... it’s so easy to eat raw,” said Boonliang Konghakot, a farmer from Khon Kaen province, licking his lips as he sprinkled seasonings into a bowl of the finely-chopped fish’s pink flesh.

Since learning of the cancer link he has started frying the mixture to kill off the parasite―a method doctors recommend.

Yet not everyone is as easily swayed, according to Narong and his team.

Many villagers complain that cooking the dish gives it a sour taste.

Others simply shrug off the dangers and say their fate has already been fixed -- a common belief in the Buddhist nation where karma can dictate decisions.

“They’ll say: ‘Oh well, there are many ways to die,’” lamented Narong. “But I cannot accept this answer.”

When it comes to changing eating habits, health officials are pinning their hopes on the next generation, targeting children with a new school curriculum that use cartoons to teach the risks of eating raw.

For the elderly, the target is to catch infections before it’s too late.

Narong and his team have developed

urine tests to detect the presence of the parasite, which has infected up to 80 percent of some Isaan communities.

They have also spent the past four years trucking ultrasound machines around the region to examine the livers of villagers who live far from public hospitals.

The initiative, called CASCAP (Cholangiocarcinoma Screening and Care Program), started as research at Khon Kaen university but received full government backing last year―putting it on Thailand’s national agenda.

“I’ve never been checked before, so I think I will probably have it because I’ve been eating (koi pla) since I was little,” said 48-year-old Thanin Wongseeda, one of 500 villagers lining up for a recent screening in Kalasin province.

The group ticked off a series of highrisk factors: they were over the age of 40, had a history of eating raw fish and had family members with the cancer.

A third of them showed abnormal liver symptoms and four were suspected to have cancer.

Thanin was one of the lucky ones, emerging from his ultrasound with a look of relief.

“I don’t think I will eat (koi pla) raw anymore,” he told AFP with resolve. As for his neighbors? AFP

Taiwan offers treatment to Chinese dissident Liu TAIPEI―Taiwan said Wednesday that it was willing to offer cancer-stricken Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo treatment after prison officials granted him medical parole, in a move likely to rile Beijing.

The offer came a day after China rejected criticism over its treatment of Liu, as the United States urged Beijing to give the paroled activist freedom to move and choose his own doctors.

Liu’s lawyer Mo Shaoping revealed on Monday that the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize laureate had been hospitalized after being diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer in May. The writer, now 61, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for “subversion” after spearheading a bold petition for democratic reforms.

Lawyer Mo told AFP that people on medical parole usually cannot leave the country, but if he was treated as a “special case” it would be possible for him to seek treatment abroad, according to Chinese law.

Taiwan said it would “welcome” Liu for treatment at a time when relations with Beijing have worsened dramatically under Chinaskeptic President Tsai Ing-wen.

China still sees Taiwan as part of its terri-

tory to be reunified.

But the self-ruling island has developed its own democratic political system and has become home to some activists fleeing China.

“We urge Beijing to immediately release Liu and let him choose wherever he wants to receive treatment,” said Chiu Chui-cheng of the Mainland Affairs Council, Taiwan’s top policy-making body on China.

“We welcome Liu if he chooses Taiwan and we will provide him with the best medical care possible. Taiwan has very good expertise treating liver diseases,” Chiu told AFP. Chinese dissident Wang Dan, a Tiananmen protest leader who lives in exile in Taiwan, said that he has contacted Germany’s foreign ministry in the hope the country would take Liu for treatment, as it has a hospital famous for treating liver cancer.

The new US ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, said on Wednesday he would like to see Liu treated abroad.

Human rights groups have also called on Chinese authorities to give Liu the chance to seek treatment elsewhere.

Ties between Taiwan and China have deteriorated rapidly since Tsai took the reins last year. AFP

OPENING NIGHT. Co-Founder and CEO of SeriesFest Randi Kleiner arrives to the opening night of SeriesFest: Season 3 at Red Rocks Amphitheater on June 27, 2017 in Morrison, Colorado. AFP

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

Life

FROM MAINTENANCE MEDICINE TO MARATHON.

Buteyko breathing method has helped rid Professor Remigio Joseph ‘Bong’ De Ungria of maintenance medicines for hypertension and has allowed him to run his first marathon safely

I

F YOU breathe between 20,000 to 30,000 times each day, shouldn’t you be concerned with breathing correctly and living more healthily?

While Buteyko breathing is a clinically proven technique that delivers immediate and sustained relief from asthma, allergies, and anxiety, among others, management consultant and graduate school professor Remigio Joseph De Ungria, or Bong to his friends, learned it for another reason: “cure” his seven-year bout with sleep apnea.

Bong not only won his battle against sleeplessness and fatigue due to apnea that kept him breathing from a machine every night, he also brought down his blood pressure to normal levels, ridding himself of maintenance medicines for hypertension that lasted seven years.

Diligently practicing Buteyko, he was also able to sustain a new diet, losing 53 pounds in only five months.

He has been able to keep the weight off for the past two years.

In October last year, only 100 days after starting running, De Ungria completed his first marathon safely and injury-free while using Buteyko breathing. In February, he ran his first ultra-marathon at age 51, and he’s gearing up for another full marathon this month.

“Fifty kilometers is a stretch for a 51-year-old weekend warrior who started running less than a year ago,”

HEALTH & WELLNESS

BUTEYKO BREATHING keeps you fit and healthy

Bong credits Buteyko breathing for his life and fitness transformation

he said, crediting Buteyko breathing for his life and fitness “transformation.”

Buteyko has transformed thousands of lives for more than 50 years with breathing exercises and lifestyle modifications that relieve its students not only of asthma and other respiratory symptoms, but also modern-day health concerns such as emphysema, immune and hormonal imbalance, chronic fatigue syndrome, and stress.

The only complementary treatment endorsed by the British Medical Association for asthma and accepted in Australia, the United States, Canada, and other countries, the method was developed by Russian respiratory scientist, Dr. Konstantin Pavolvich Buteyko, who formulated exercises to restore and retrain breathing to a healthy pattern.

Buteyko breathing is taught in the country by senior practitioner Jac Vid-

gen, who introduced the method in Asia two decades ago.

“Breathing correctly,” says Vidgen, “could be the most important factor in having a longer and healthier life as it helps increase your immunity and resistance to infections, improve the quality of your sleep and concentration, provide you with more energy, and counter stress.”

Vidgen is also available for private workshops, consultations and online coaching.

Call Jac Vidgen at 897-1804, 8971806, 896-6407 (Unit 1704) and 0919-6356060, email buteykoasia@ gmail.com or visit www.buteykoasia.com. Check workshop schedules on Buteyko Asia’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/buteykoasia.

Dengue Self-Test Screening Kits at your fingertips PROLONGED fever is a cause of worry for every parent. Is it really just fever or something worse, say dengue? The days of guessing are no more. Moms can now buy self-test screening kits as it becomes available online to be delivered right in the comfort of their homes.

PHILAB Holdings Corp., through its brand LABitDx, launched the Dengue NS1 Ag self-test screening kits now available at Lazada.

Darlene Marie B. Berberabe, Philab Holdings president, said the self-test kits are finally available for the retail market.

She said Philab decided to sell the product through Lazada.com so that working moms can also have access to the product by simply going online or downloading the Lazada app and

D1

ordering the test kits from their mobile phones.

“For now, it is available online, but we hope to start delivering to drugstores nationwide so that everyone can have access to the self-test screening kits,” she added.

“Moms can now put their worries to rest, the Dengue self-test screening kits will help them determine if it’s time to bring their kids, who are suffering from fever, to the doctors to confirm the diseases,” Berberabe said.

“No more guessing at home.

Parents can now act faster because the self-test screening kit provides a result in as fast as 15 minutes,” she said.

The kit is easy to use and comes

Philab’s dengue self-test screening kit is easy to use and provides results in 15 minutes

at an affordable price. It comes with a lancet or finger pricker that draws out blood for testing. Results shown will be similar to the ones in a pregnancy kit where two lines indicate positive while one line indicates negative. Kids need not worry, as the whole process is relatively painless.

The screening kit can be used at the onset of fever. It is advised that for positive result and if symptoms persist especially with a negative result, the user should consult a doctor.

Data from the Department of Health showed that as of July 2016, children ages between five and 14 are most prone to Dengue, while mortality rate is highest among kids between 0 to five years old. As of October last year, there were 161,000 reported cases of Dengue.

“We hope to help curb the mortality rate of this disease with the screening kit technology. Time is important when dealing with a disease such as Dengue— a day of delayed administering of treatment can be fatal for the patient,” Berberabe explained.

KonsultaMD is a 24/7 health hotline that provides access to licensed and professional doctors

Better medical service for Globe customers

KONSULTAMD, a 24/7 health hotline service that provides access to licensed and professional doctors to provide immediate medical attention to Filipinos, recently partnered with MedGrocer, FamilyDOC, Healthway Medical, and Lifeline with these benefits: By calling 79880 (mobile) or (02) 798 8000 (landline), callers can speak to a licensed Filipino doctor regarding their health concerns. Inquiries about health-related issues include, but is not limited to, maternity, pediatrics and primary conditions like fever, rashes, and allergies, to name a few.

Callers may also inquire about matters pertaining to health coaching, nutrition counseling, permissible medication, and even laboratory results.

To be able to connect with the hotline service, customers need to apply for a subscription, which can be done by visiting any Globe store nationwide, calling the KonsultaMD hotline at 79880 (mobile) or (02) 798 8000, or by signing up at their website, www.konsulta. md/. Currently, only Globe customers can subscribe to KonsultaMD but this service will be opened to other operators soon.

Life

D2

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Volunteers from the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society Cebu Chapter hold lectures on cervical cancer and mass Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) screening at the Lapu-Lapu City Health Office

Winning the fight against F

CERVICAL CANCER

OR many women, the fight against cervical cancer is a personal one, particularly for those who have journeyed with the disease and survived it.

A handful of cervical cancer survivors from She Matters Cervical Cancer Foundation, Inc. had this in mind when they recently gathered at the Lapu-Lapu City Health Office to support the “Mass Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) Cervical Cancer Screening.”

The event, organized by the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS) Cebu Chapter in cooperation with the Department of Health (DOH) Region VII, is part of the annual “Scarlet May” which is a month-long celebration promoting cervical cancer awareness, prevention, and control.

Forty five-year-old Gina (not her real name) was one survivor who shared her story with over 920 women aged 21 to 65 as they waited for their VIA screening. VIA is proven an effective and viable alternative to pap smears in low resource settings.

“Dapat gawin yearly ang Pap Smear o VIA to keep safe. Takot talaga ko dati sa doctor lalo na sa OB. Psychological kung baga. Baka isipin nila marami akong partners. Pero dapat ang mga babae hindi na iniisip yun. Dapat intindihin muna natin sarili natin (Pap Smears and VIA screenings should be done yearly to keep safe. I was really fearful of doctors before particularly

of the OB. It’s psychological. They might think I have lots of partners. But women shouldn’t be thinking of that anymore. We should be worrying about ourselves first),” said Gina.

Gina was 22 when she was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After battling it for three years, she made a commitment to have herself screened regularly. In 2006, Gina learned that her disease returned as cervical cancer at the late stage of 3B, followed by breast and thyroid cancer. She bravely fought these diseases until 2011.

At this time, Gina experienced the pain caused by her diseases particularly that of cervical cancer – which is known as a prolific killer. “Noong 2006, sabi ng doktor ko hanggang seven months na lang daw ako. Malapit na akong bumitaw noon pati na rin kapamilya ko (In 2006, my doctor said I only had seven months to live. It came to a point when I and my family almost gave up hope),” she shared.

But Gina kept her faith and won the fight. Today, she continues battling cancer with other women by espousing activities such as those held on “Scarlet May”.

Lorna (not her real name), on the other hand, was diagnosed with cervical cancer stage 2B at age 24. She found out when she visited the doctor for a

check-up after experiencing consistent pain on her hips after giving birth.

“Early detection and treatment is really better compared to finding out too late,” said Lorna, now 26 years old. “I think opportunities such as these where indigent women can get free screening is really important.

More women should participate in these activities because doctors and specialists will be here and they can consult them as well.”

Fortunately, in two years, Lorna has coped well with her treatments. Today, she’s positive that the results of her continuous screenings will yield negative until she’s declared fully cancer-free.

Apart from VIA, lectures on cervical cancer focusing on its risk factors, causes, and symptoms were also held during the event. Human papilloma virus (HPV) was highlighted as the leading cause of cervical cancer, with over 99 percent of cases linked to HPV infection. For participants found HPV positive, free cryotherapy treatment was provided to quickly eliminate irregularities in the cervix.

“Through events such as these, we want people to know that cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths among Filipino women, but it is highly preventable. Early detection greatly increases chances of survival, so we cannot stress enough the importance of screening,” explained Dr. Pherdes Galbo, POGS Coordinator of the Scarlet May Cervical Cancer Awareness Month during an interview.

Dr. Helen Amorin, president of the POGS Cebu Chapter, discussed the significance of vaccination for girls aged 9 to 10. HPV not only causes cervical cancer but also genital warts, ovarian and vulvar cancers, among others. Thus, it is vital to get wider coverage protection against these various HPV strains.

“Women play an integral role in society – they are our mothers, sisters, daughters. If we lose our women to cancer, then it will be a loss to society.

HPV is a common infection that anybody canget. Hence, it’s time to break the stigma that screening and vaccination encourage early sexual activity,” said Amorin.

“Scarlet May” is spearheaded by POGS Cebu Chapter in cooperation with the DOH, with support from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center, She Matters, and MSD in the Philippines.

All month long, the DOH holds free cervical cancer screening for women aged 25 to 55 years at selected DOH hospitals nationwide.

Further, as part of its National Cancer Prevention and Control Program, the government increased its number of beneficiaries (9-year-old Grade IV girls in public schools) for free quadrivalent HPV vaccination which protects people not just from cervical cancer but other HPV-related infections such as genital warts.

Healthway Medical, Merck, and PTA boost fight against thyroid disorders “THYROID diseases represent an area in healthcare that warrants significant action. Healthway Medical has always been dedicated to putting the health of Filipinos at the center of what we do.

With this endeavor, we believe that we can help mitigate the prevalence of these diseases and improve the quality of life for many,” said Carmie de Leon, VP of Sales and Marketing of Healthway Medical.

More than 70 Healthway medical doctors attended the Thyroid Management Update Workshop at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Pasig City that kicked off Healthway’s partnership with Merck and PTA. Dr. Nemecio A. Nicodemus Jr, president of the Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism (PSEDM), tackled the latest guidelines on the management of thyroid function disorders. Meanwhile, Dr. Erick S. Mendoza of the PTA shared his expertise on the options in the management of thyroid nodules.

Ramonito T. Tampos, president and managing director of Merck, Inc. underscored the importance of the partnership in combating the oft-misunderstood disease that affects 5.8 million Filipinos, most of whom are women.

A study conducted by the Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism (PSEDM) reveals that one out of 11 Filipino adults has goiter and

Healthway Medical VP of sales and marketing Carmie de Leon (first row, 5th from left) with Dr. Erick SR. Mendoza of Philippine Thyroid Association; Dr. Nemencio A. Nicodemus Jr., President of Philippine Society of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism; Dr. Rayond S. Tapang, Medical Director of Merck, Inc.; Chrysanthus Herrera, Medical and Government Affairs Manager of Merck Philippines; and the Healthway Medical executives

one out of 12 adults experiences some form of thyroid disorders. The study further reveals that one out of eight (8) women is likely to encounter some thyroid-related issue in her lifetime.

“The challenge now is for us to ensure that more women will be aware of the symptoms and the risks of thyroid diseases. We want them to realize that the treatment of thyroid disorder is not that complicated,” Tampos added.

“Healthway Medical is our first private partner for this advocacy. We are grateful that the company helps us not just to

promote awareness, but also to increase the number of possible patients seeking diagnosis or treatment of any form of thyroid disease.”

The event is part of Healthway Medical’s mission of promoting of preventive healthcare and making healthy living part of every day lifestyle.

“As the leader in the industry, it is something we have to do and we can only do this if we tied up with the right partners, namely, Merck and the Philippine Thyroid Association,” added De Leon.

For more information, visit Healthway Medical clinics at Alabang Town Center, Festival Supermall, Greenbelt 5, Market! Market! Healthway 8 Adriatico Manila, Shangri-La Plaza, and SM North EDSA, The Block.

You may also like the official fan page of Healthway Medical www.facebook. com/healthwaymedical. To learn more about thyroid disorders, like the “Unmasking Your Thyroid” page (www.facebook.com/thyroidph) and visit www. thyroid.ph to take the Thyroid Quiz and the Neck Check.

FitFil National Weight Loss Challenge FWD Life Philippines, the country’s most exciting insurance brand, proudly supports the Fit Filipino (FitFil) Movement’s National Weight Loss Challenge. The challenge, spearheaded by fitness coaches Jim and Toni Saret (“Biggest Loser Philippines Season 2”), aims to get the country moving in the name of health and wellness, with the goal of collectively losing one million pounds during the campaign period from June 6 to Dec. 5.

“As an insurance industry pioneer in the space of health and wellness, FWD Life Philippines is delighted to partner with the FitFilipino Movement and coaches Jim and Toni to inspire Filipinos in leading healthier lives with a series of fitness-centered events,” said FWD Life Philippines Head of Marketing Rochelle Vandenberghe. “Through our Live to Move fitness parties in collaboration with FitFil and the challenge’s partners, we hope to inspire a new wave of awareness for the health benefits of keeping fit. For us at FWD, living life to the fullest starts with being healthy.”

Top celebrity fitness coach and FitFilipino movement founder Jim Saret said, “We have been working with FWD for over two years and their #GetReadyToLive brand attitude serves as one of the strong pillars of the National Weight Loss Challenge. We are excited to bring to life the country’s biggest health and wellness campaign as we challenge Filipinos to collectively lose one million pounds!”

“Through this advocacy and movement, our goal is to spread the message that being fit and well starts with a simple commitment, encouraging everyone to take ownership of their health and join us in getting fit,” said Saret.

FWD launched the Live to Move health and wellness program with a fun and energy-packed fitness party on June 24 at Central Park, SM by the Bay, Mall of Asia. Along with some of the country’s top fitness coaches, Jim and Toni Saret led the workout program centered around the four-minute metabolic fitness (metafit) routine, the FWD Motion.

The FitFil National Weight Loss Challenge is supported by the country’s premier medical organizations led by the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), the country’s umbrella organization for medical practitioners, as well as Philippine Heart Association (PHA), Food & Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), Nutritionist-Dietitians’ Association of the Philippines (NDAP), and Philippine Nurses Association (PNA). The Philippine National Police (PNP), Department of Science and Technology (DOST), various universities, local government units (LGUs), fitness clubs, and numerous corporations have likewise pledged their support to the challenge.

THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

M

ODEL and TV host Kelly MisaFernandez is back with the latest trends and topics about today’s generation in Trending with Kelly starting July 2, 9:30 p.m. on ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel.

New season of ‘Trending With Kelly’ on ANC

Formerly #trendingNOW, the revamped lifestyle program promises a more gratifying experience with features on what’s trending in beauty, health, fashion, food, travel, science, technology, and the arts to inform, inspire, and engage people to live out their own life goals and aspirations.

In the show’s first episode, Kelly will set sail and open her journey in search for the best things that life can offer.

Join her as she takes a sip of the latest trends in wines from Ralph Joseph of Ralph’s Wines and Spirits and help her find the latest style in fashion with no less than trending designer Albert Andrada. Also, believe in a healthy and long lasting love life with a romantic story delivered straight from the USA. Kelly, one of the Philippines’ most popular commercial models, who has also made a name as a beauty columnist and

Beauty columnist and lifestyle blogger Kelly Misa-Fernandez

lifestyle blogger, will introduce her co-host and resident food trend expert Chef Myke Tatung Sarthou, more popularly known as Chef Tatung, who is an author, celebrity chef and culinary heritage advocate.

Together, they promise to give viewers more reasons to achieve and experience the best and the latest as they travel to our dream destinations, bask in the latest style, and taste our newest cravings.

Trending with Kelly airs every Sunday, 9:30 p.m. on ANC, with replays on 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

The show is also simulcast around the globe on The Filipino Channel (TFC).

For updates, follow @ TrendingwithK on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Trending with Kelly is produced by Takels Entertainment Productions in partnership with ANC.

Sports, romcom, heroic anime on Hero HERO TV brings in slice-of-life sports series Haikyuu!

Season 3, light teen romance Nogizaka Haruka No Himitsu – Purezza, and more adventures of the wandering swordsman in Samurai X OVA 3: Shin Kyoto-Hen to perk up the anime cable channel.

The battle between Karasuno Koko versus Shiratorizawa Gakuen Kok begins in Haikyuu! Season 3. This time, the stakes are higher, and the odds are much more difficult. Which volleyball team will reign supreme in this nerve cracking battle?

Meanwhile, the story of young love continues in Nogizaka Haruka No Himitsu – Purezza, where Yuuto still conceals his dear friend Haruka’s manga and anime hobby. However, when Yuuto’s other female friend starts to feel attracted towards him and leads to a feeling of jealousy, war among friends begins.

Kenshin Himura continues his quest of stopping the evil Makoto Shishio and his plot to take over Japan in Samurai X OVA 3: Shin Kyoto-Hen. Told from the perspective of teenage kunoichi Misao Makimachi, the third Samurai X OVA installment is an alternate

Relive

the ‘90s CONCERT goers and music lovers alike will experience the music of the ‘90s all over again on July 22, 8 p.m. in The 90s Live!.

It will be both a grand reunion and a musical treat as ‘90s music icons Wency Cornejo of Afterimage, Jett Pangan of The Dawn, Paco Arespacochaga of Introvoys, Cooky Chua of Color It Red, Medwin Marfil of True Faith, Dong Abay of Yano, Naldy Padilla of Orient Pearl, Perf De Castro of Rivermaya, and Lei Bautista of Prettier than Pink share the stage again as if it is the ‘90s again.

Throughout that decade, OPM (Original Pilipino Music) was never more alive. Bands ruled the airwaves with most radio stations playing Pinoy rock every hour.

Evenings were spent shuffling from Mayric’s to Club Dredd to Yosh Café to catch the gigs of the country’s most popular rock bands.

The 90s Live! is The Theatre at Solaire’s effort, among several, in support of and in championing homegrown musical artists. “We want to make The Theatre at Solaire the ‘home of concerts and musicals,’’ says Audie Gemora, Solaire Entertainment director.

'90s music artists Wency Cornejo, Naldy Padilla, Dong Abay, Cooky Chua, Paco Arespacochaga,Jett Pangan, and Medwin Marfil reunite in a concert

“Foreign acts have dominated the local concert landscape the past decade or so. We are committed to bringing back the heyday of OPM by being a venue to established as well as new artists.”

Gemora considers it a feat to have gathered the vocalists and musicians from the 90s rock bands for The ’90s Live! .

“It is a rare occurrence,” Gemora declares. “Whether you were a child of the ‘90s or not, this gathering of incredible artists and the chance to hear their now timeless hits is a show you cannot miss.”

It is probably because there are songs that never grow old or feel dated. The ‘90s rock music spoke to a whole generation about timeless

themes like love (True Faith’s “Perfect”), friendship (The Dawn’s “Salamat”), and hope (Afterimage’s “Next In Line”). Much as they were anthems of the young, they were as well lamentations about a future that was uncertain and a present that was far from idyllic.

The public is assured of a good time reminiscing and jamming with the rock artists who will get as much kick from just performing together again in one vast concert venue.

“This is something I have dreamt about for several years now,” says Cornejo.

The Dawn with Jett Pangan is still very much a part of the local music scene. “It is an honor for us

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, June 29, 2017

ACROSS 1 Iota follower 6 Derrick arms 10 Fall mo.

14 Eurasian range 15 Watermelon shape 16 La Scala highlight 17 Summary 18 Luau staple 19 Real estate 20 Took a sip 22 Omaha’s state 24 IBM and GE 26 Iowa college town 27 Wine and soda 32 So! 33 They’re almost grown 34 Fresh 36 Winemaking valley 40 Coup d’— 41 Log home 42 Twofold 43 Bolivia neighbor 44 Teller’s stack 45 European capital (var.)

46 Freezing 48 Power 50 Sweater letter 52 Narrow inlet

53 Genetic research insect 57 Put stress on 62 Timber wolf 63 Stead 65 Give a command 66 Similar 67 Meryl, in “Out of Africa” 68 Bete — 69 A few thou 70 Fix potatoes 71 Norse neighbor DOWN 1 — Vonnegut Jr. 2 Carpeter’s calculation 3 Snow boots 4 Urban map 5 Viewpoints 6 Make a note 7 “Ghostbusters” director Reitman 8 Expose 9 Unkempt sort 10 Newt 11 Blank a tape 12 Carnation colors 13 Mock fanfare (hyph.)

21 Egg qty.

23 Stadium noise 25 Car type

27 Make a move 28 Seeger of folk music 29 Broncos do it 30 Perceptive insights 31 Refuse to obey 32 Author — Rand 35 More prudent 37 Subtle glow 38 Twinge 39 Toward shelter 41 Affectedly modest 45 Signal fires

47 Tabby or tiger 49 Through 50 Out of cash 51 Jazzman — Blake 53 Alert 54 Toss, as a coin 55 “Mona —” 56 Fiscal period 58 Cornfield robber 59 Actress — Adams 60 Unhip sort 61 Oak or sycamore 64 Luau music

to take this ‘side trip’ of sharing the stage with some of the country’s greatest vocalists and musicians who have helped create timeless songs an entire family can rock out to,” he says.

Cooky Chua of Color It Red calls it “a chance to jam with good friends who are great artists as well.” Lei Bautista of Prettier than Pink believes that The 90s Live! is an “epic endeavor.”

Medwin Marfil of True Faith puts it this way: The 90s Live! is a testament to the fact that that decade was an awesome time for Pinoy Music/OPM.” For ticket reservations to The 90s Live!, call TicketWorld at 891 9999.

retelling of the Kyoto Arc Chronicles.

Hero TV is the only 24-hour Filipino-dubbed anime cable channel, home to international anime hits. The channel also provides the best-localized anime experience of adventure and self-discovery through local productions such as My Hero Nation, I-Animate, Comics On Cam, Hero We Go and Hero In Tunes.

Nogizaka Haruka No Himitsu – Purezza airs starting today..

Hero TV is on SKYcable Channel 44.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, JUNE 29, 2017

LIZA

SOBERANO

to sing ‘Darna’ theme song?

Millennial Darna Liza Soberano opens up about her passion for music

E

XCITED and eager are two of the best words to describe Liza Soberano after she was chosen to play Darna— perhaps one of the most coveted roles for any young actress.

NBA Superstar Stephen Curry lauds V5

Liza Soberano (third from left) flanked by MegaPro Plus executives during the launch of the teen star as the brand's first celebrity endorser

You can easily sense the excitement in her voice, every time she is asked about portraying the ultimate Filipino heroine despite all the negative criticisms questioning her suitability for the iconic role.

“Well of course I’m happy.

Overwhelmed. At first when they announced na ako yung magdaDarna, I was very overwhelmed.

Of course there are some good opinions and there are also some who don’t agree. But I have to respect everyone’s opinions because I can’t control everyone’s minds,” Soberano told reporters during her recent launch as the first ever celebrity endorser of Megapro Plus and Megasound Karaoke.

“If they don’t think that I’m the right one to be Darna, then so be it. I respect that. But I still want to prove to everybody who does think that I am the rightful one to be Darna that I can do it, and I am trying my best.”

Then there’s her eagerness to prove that Director Erik Matti made the right choice, and that she would do well in the role previously portrayed by the likes of Vilma Santos, Sharon Cuneta, Nanette Medved and Angel Locsin among others.

She has already started her physical training allotting a portion of her weekends to running, as well as taking dance lessons for

grace and timing to meet the physical demands of her role, as this will be a drastic change for her considering her previous film projects were generally romantic comedies.

Liza says she would prefer to do all her stunts, unless of course they become too dangerous for her and would consider only having a stunt double if and when it becomes life-threatening for an action newbie like her.

Besides the stunts, Liza says she also ready to go daring and wear the sexy superhero costume— even a two-piece, just like her predecessors.

“Anything naman, actually, as long as I’m prepared for it. Basta prepared po ako,” she said.

She is even willing to sing the theme song for the movie—“Pero feeling ko hindi po nila ako kukunin,” Liza said. “Pero kung kukunin naman po nila, bakit naman hindi ’di ba? It will be an honor.”

Unknown to many, Liza loves to sing, knows how to play the guitar, and is also trying to write songs.

Who knows, now that she is endorsing a karaoke system, Liza might be getting a lot of singing practice as well.

MP MegaPro Plus Marketing Corporation proprietor and business partner Andy Co believes Liza Soberano is the perfect choice as endorser.

“We chose Liza not only

because we believe that she best represents our brand but also because she embodies the millennial Filipino—ambitious, talented, very hardworking and most importantly—loves to sing in her free time.”

“Liza may not be a professional singer but if you’ve watched her YouTube videos singing, you’ll see her passion and that is what MegaPro Plus karaoke is, not just for professional singers but more for those who really love to sing.”

Soberano says she is thankful for the opportunity to endorse the brand as “this means that anyone can really sing talaga. I can’t say na I’m the best singer but when I sing with my friends or relatives, or even during shows, I know that I’m having fun. For me, that’s the important thing kasi eh,” As a music enthusiast, Liza listens to pop, rap and R&B of artists like Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande who are on top of her list of favorite international artists. Asked who she wants to work with locally, she mentioned KZ Tandingan and Yeng Constantino.

Founded by Kim Sungbok and business partners Jacinto Co and son Andy Co, MP Megapro Plus Marketing Corporation is one of first local companies to manufacture its own line of

karaoke systems.

“It is common knowledge that a party is not a Filipino party without karaoke,’’ said Andy Co. “Our vision is to spread entertainment throughout the Philippines and truly showcase the Filipinos’ natural festive attitude through singing,” Co added.

MP Megapro Plus Marketing Corporation first began to develop and manufacture its own karaoke system in 2006, using Korean engineering technology. The first model they introduced in the market was the MP-100NS DVD system.

Over the years, MP Megapro Plus Marketing Corporation has continued to develop more products to meet the demands of the diverse market, both for home and commercial use.

“Quality, durability and affordability are our top priorities.

We want to make sure that all our products remain reasonably priced for the Filipino budget while improving our after sales service to support our expansion in delivering our products available nationwide,” Mr. Kim Sungbok pointed out.

“We are proud to say that we have the most number of service centers available nationwide as compared to other karaoke manufacturer or brand,” he added.

MegaProPlusKaraoke is available nationwide.

TOP-FIVE premium global brand Vivo ambassador and National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar Stephen Curry commends the leading smartphone brand for continuously innovating its V5 line of “perfect selfie” phones—and reiterates his commitment to it.

Curry, a two-time NBA Most Valuable Player awardee, only had the highest compliments for Vivo when the brand recently introduced its most impressive phone yet, the Vivo V5s, for the selfie-centric Philippine market.

The V5s touts the new groufie technology, which allows panorama-panning effects in ‘groufies’ or group shots.

This new feature’s portrait and landscape orientations likewise help capture outdoor ‘groufies’ or family portraits without needing to squeeze in or cut out anyone.

Curry said the launch of the V5s signified the brand’s success in capturing the hearts of selfie-loving Filipinos, as he reaffirmed his continued support to Vivo in expanding its market in the Philippines with quality product offerings.

He was introduced as brand ambassador of the V5 Plus, the V5s’ predecessor, last year. The Golden State Warriors point guard, who is also the official endorser of other smartphones from the Vivo brand, had stated, then, that he shares with Vivo the same elements of energy, professionalism, and pleasure.

Now Vivo is set to dominate the local market for selfiecentric phones following the successful launch of the new V5s, which brandishes a 20-megapixel front camera and more advanced selfie-enhancing tools that trump those of its competitors and other brands.

The V5’s superb front-facing camera is complemented by a 13-megapixel rear camera with f2.2 aperture, which also takes radiant-looking photos with an ultra-highdefinition mode that can render stunning images of up to 52 megapixels.

Vivo Philippines executives earlier declared that Stephen Curry is the perfect choice for the title Vivo brand ambassador because like the NBA star, Vivo has an “impressive record in the industry, thanks to its hard work, p e r s e v e r a n c e , and dedication to consumers.”

For inquiries about Vivo V5s, visit the Vivo website at vivoglobal.ph, or check out their Facebook (https://www. facebook.com/VivoPhil), Instagram (https://www. instagram.com/vivophil/), and Twitter (https://twitter.com/ vivophil) accounts.

Two-time NBA MVP and Vivo celebrity endorser Stephen Curry

SKY is going to bring the fight between the People’s Champion, Manny Pacquiao and Australian boxing sensation Jeff Horn on July 2, 9 a.m. on SKY Sports Pay-Per-View (PPV).

Sen. Manny Pacquiao (59-6-2, 38 KOs) is all set to return to the boxing ring after a triumphant comeback fight in November 2016 against American Jessie Vargas. The reigning World Boxing Organization Welterweight champion will face Horn (16-0-1, 11 KOs), a former schoolteacher who has faced-off and won against top caliber opponents in his young career.

Horn, whose professional boxing career started just five years ago after an appearance

at the 2012 Olympics, defeated two former world champions in one year in 2016, finishing Randall Bailey via technical knockout and Ali Funeka via a knockout in the sixth round.

Pacquiao, meanwhile, will be entering his 68th fight in 16 years as a professional boxer.

Pacquiao fights for the Filipino people and defends his WBO Welterweight title against Horn live from Brisbane, Australia. Watch the fight for only P949. This is available to all ONE SKY, SKYcable, SKYdirect, Destiny, and SKYbroadband subscribers nationwide.

Call 418 0000 or your local office, text PacquiaoPPV to 23662 or visit www.mysky. com/pacquiaoppv to subscribe.