Manila Standard - 2017 July 06 - Thursday

MAUTE ‘FINANCIER’, KIN ARRESTED IN CAGAYAN

By John Paolo Bencito and Florante Solmerin

VOL. XXXI • NO. 142 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

A COUSIN of the Maute brothers who took over as the terrorist group’s financier was arrested in Cagayan de Oro City along with two other people.

Government agents arrested Monaliza Solaiman Romato, her husband Gazim Mantawazi Abdullah and Tahera Romato Taher inside a rented house in Barangay Macasandig at about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

“Monaliza Romato, alias Monay replaced

her aunt [Ominta] Farhana Romato Maute, the matriarch of the Maute terrorist group clan [as the new financier] after she was arrested in Lanao del Sur,” Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said in a Palace news briefing.

The owner of the house, Irene RomatoIdris, was not at home when agents of the Martial Law Special Action Group raided it, though she was identified as a distant relative of Farhana.

Farhana, who was arrested last month, Next page

Sayyaf beheads two more hostages

Task force ‘liberates’ Marawi college

By Florante S. Solmerin and Francisco Tuyay

JOINT Task Force Marawi on Wednesday announced that it overran and took control of another stronghold of the Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists in the main battle area in Marawi City.

Brig. Gen. Rolando Joselito Bautista, Joint Task Force Marawi commander, said troops wrested control of Dansalan College from the terrorist groups.

Bautista said the terrorists had used posted machine gun nests and snipers on some of the tall buildings on campus.

Dansalan College was where the Maute brothers—Abdulla and Omar—had their earlier education.

Troops found caliber .50 heavy machine guns and 14 other high-powered firearms.

“Soldiers are gradually taking over terrorist-held structures as

THE headless bodies of two Vietnamese kidnap victims were found by ground troops pursuing Abu Sayyaf bandits in Tumahubong Village in the town of Sumisip in Basilan early Wednesday morning.

The cadavers left by the bandits were those of Hoang Thong and Hoang Va Hai, two of the six Vietnamese crewmen of the cargo ship m/v Royal 16, who were forcibly taken on Nov. 11, 2016 off Sibago Island, Basilan province.

“The bodies were found at 5:40 in the morning by a member of the local populace,” said Col. Juvymax Uy, commander of the Joint Task Force Basilan.

He said the bodies would Next page

VISIONS OF DELIGHT. Nine of 40 contestants of Miss Philippines Earth 2017 make their shuffle Wednesday at the poolside runway of the Diamond

Hotel Philippines during the formal presentation to members of media, 10 days before the finals at the Mall of Asia. Loren Mar Artajos, who assumed the title of Miss Philippines Earth 2016 following the resignation of Imelda Schweighart, will be crowning the winner at the end of the pageant. Lino Santos

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Sharia vs ‘extremism’ 2 muftis warn MILF: Keep intruders at bay

By Nash B. Maulana

C

OTABATO CITY—The influential Bangsamoro Dharul Ifta (House of Opinion) has issued its Sharia ruling, asserting on the “need to fight violent extremism in the land,” even as the group called on the Moro Islamic Liberation Front “to safeguard its territory from intrusion” by terrorists.

ANGUISHED KIN. President |Rodrigo Duterte comforts a grieving Dexter Carlos during the wake Wednesday for his relations—known in media as

the ‘Bulacan massacre’—his mother, his wife, and three children who were killed by an initially reported drug-crazed suspect. The President extended his condolences and handed the government’s financial assistance to the family.

The seven-paragraph Fatwa No. 1 or ruling was signed by Bangsamoro Mufti Abuhuraira Abdurahman Udasan on June 27, the day after the Ramadan fasting ended. The document, however, was made available to the press only on Wednesday.

Udasan, a Muslim scholar on comparative religions, noted that the issue of extremism has even sown intrigues, causing much division among the people, Muslims and non-Muslims. But

he said the Muslims’ principal sources of law—the Qur’an and the Written Tradition of Prophet Muhammad—are clearly against acts of mischief and abuses.

Aboulkhair Tarason, grand mufti of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Regional Dharul Ifta, has also issued a similar ruling, adding that the ARMM should invest in youth and child development programs, backed by education on Islamic Next page

Tit for tat: AFP trains guns Millennials on Reds, drug syndicates put Aguirre

By John Paolo Bencito in trouble

NBI looks into Bilibid drug trade

MARTIAL law is meant not only to address local terrorist groups in Mindanao, but also to crush communist rebels and illegal drug syndicates, the military admitted Wednesday.

Contrary to earlier claims by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana that the communists had nothing to do with President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law declaration, Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla Jr. said that one

By Rey E. Requejo

of the military’s key tasks under martial law is to degrade the capabilities of the New People’s Army.

“They [the communists] issued a directive [to] heighten attacks against the police and the Armed Forces. That was just an answer to that. If there were no declaration then that would not have been a problem,” Padilla said.

He described the martial law move against the communist rebels as a “tit for tat” measure against their order to the NPA to intensify attacks on police and soldiers.

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By Vito Barcelo and Rio N. Araja A YOUTH group on Wednesday filed an ethics complaint against Justice Secretary Vitaiano Aguirre and called for his ouster for “repeatedly making false accusations and allegations” and for his “refusal to take responsibility for his actions.”

“Aguirre is a factory of fake news,” said Millennials Against Next page

ILLEGAL PLATES. Quezon City Police authorities headed by Chief Supt.

Guillermo Eleazar raid Wednesday a den in Barangay Bagong Silangan where government and private vehicle plates have been illegally manufactured. Eleazar inspects plates seized from suspects (not in photo) Kristine Nemenzo and Jahaziel Fernandez Alcantara. Lino Santos

JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Wednesday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to probe the reported resurgence of the illegal drug trade at the New Bilibid Prison in Muntilupa City. He ordered ordered NBI Director Dante Gierran to investigate in an order dated July 4, and if the evidence warranted the NBI should file Next page

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THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Graft raps vs BuCor pushed

By Rio N. Araja

T

HE Commission on Audit has recommended the filing of corruption charges against the Justice department and Bureau of Corrections officials who signed and approved a joint-venture agreement with Tagum Agricultural Development Co. Inc.

The deal was over Tagum’s in 1969 that the commission says use of government land for a was illegal because there had 3,000-hectare banana plantation been no auction.

‘Commerce over art’ triggers filmfest row

By Joel E. Zurbano PUTTING too much emphasis on commerce over art in choosing the entries to the Metro Manila Film Festival prompted three acclaimed personalities to resign as members of the MMFF 2017 executive committee, it was revealed on Wednesday.

“We resigned because the MMFF 2017 Execom took a different direction by putting too much emphasis on commerce over art,” screenwriter Ricky Lee, former dean of the University of the Philippines’ College of Mass Communication Rolando Tolentino, and journalist and documentary producer Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala said in a joint statement.

They said they made the decision after several meetings and deliberations.

Lee, Tolentino and Alikpala said they accepted the invitation to be part of the committee because they were excited to maximize the gains of the festival last year, when most of the entries were artistically made and independently produced.

“Last year’s festival showcased a wide variety of quality cinema that went beyond the formulaic,” the statement said.

“There was a shift of emphasis from commercial viability to artistic excellence. It also celebrated the spirit of a film culture that produced many cult classics in the early years of the MMFF.” The three also said their resignations had nothing to do with the first four selected MMFF 2017 entries, which included the movies produced by the big film studios and featured box-office hit makers Vic Sotto and Vice Ganda.

“We had expressed our intention to resign long before the announcement of the first four entries was made,” the statement said.

“Some quarters in the Execom insist that only big film studios can produce a blockbuster. We believe that producing a box-office hit and creating quality film is not exclusive to the big film studios nor to independent film outfits.

“All excellent Filipino films deserve all forms of support. This support includes movies being screened for the entire duration of the festival with maximum exposure in as many theaters in and outside Metro Manila.

“We stand committed to seek reforms in the Filipino film industry. We remain steadfast believing in a Metro Manila Film Festival that can once more be a celebration of the finest of Filipino artistry. The Filipino audience deserves no less.”

Last year the Execom, citing the “changing times of the Philippine cinema,” introduced the MMFF 2016 by having a fresh season of eight full-length films that the organizers described as “cinematic revolution”.

They said the MMFF selec-

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administrative and criminal charges against those involved.

“We wanted to get to the bottom of the reported resurgence of the drug trade in the NBP,” Aguirre said in a statement.

“We acted after verifying raw information provided by con-

tion committee made the decision to choose technically excellent films that focused on the quality of their story and production rather than commercial viability and the draw of the star performers.

The 2016 films included Die Beautiful starring Paolo Ballesteros; “Kabisera” featuring Nora Aunor; “Saving Sally” topbilled by Rhian Ramos; “Seklusyon” featuring Rhed Bustamante; “Sunday Beauty Queen” starring Hazel Perdid; “Vince & Kath & James” featuring Julia Barretto; “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2”: “Forever is Not Enough” topbilled by Eugene Domingo; and “Oro” starring Joem Bascon.

The organizers said these films marked a turning point in the history of the MMFF and started a “renaissance” of quality films in the Main Competition. They said the selection of eight feature films gave audiences a different experience from the usual, which was a true reflection of the world of possibility that the thriving local cinema had to offer.

But last year’s lineup failed to hit or surpass the P1 billion that the festival grossed in 2015, having earned only half-a-million pesos.

That prompted Senator Vicente Sotto III, whose brother Vic Sotto’s film “Enteng Kabisote and the Abangers” failed to be included in the MMFF 2016, to file a Senate resolution pushing for a separate festival intended for independent films.

Sotto also said he was not satisfied with the outcome of the festival in 2016, particularly its earnings. He said in the resolution that while some enjoyed the new films in MMFF 2016, others were still looking for old festival favorites that “give them a good laugh.”

In 2015 the MMFF grossed P1.020 billion, which was more than P15 million above what the festival earned in 2014.

The movies included in the list of top earners in 2015 were “My Bebe Love #Kilig Pa More” starring Vic Sotto and the phenomenal Aldub love team Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza, “Beauty and the Bestie” which featured Vice Ganda and Coco Martin, “Haunted Mansion” starring Joem Basco, Alan Paule and Janelle Salvador, and “Walang Forever” starring Jennilyn Mercado.

This year, the first four official entries features Vice Ganda and Vic Sotto in “The Revengers” and “Love Traps #Family Goals,” respectively, along with a “Panday” remake starring Coco Martin and the romantic comedy “Almost Is Not Enough” featuring Jennilyn Mercado.

MMFF 2017 executive chairman Thomas Orbos said the selection process for this year was not yet finished, and that the committee only selected four out of eight official entries. cerned individuals. I have said it before and I will say it again: We shall be relentless in fighting and eradicating the drug menace.”

Aguirre made his statement even as PNP chief Ronald dela Rosa on Wednesday ordered a full investigation into the alleged involvement of Special Action Force troops in the resurgence of transactions in illegal drugs at the NBP. He vowed to pull out the elite

“[The] Public officials involved in the BuCor-Tadeco [deal] may be prosecuted under Section 3 (e) of Republic Act 3019 [Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act],” the commission said in a 2016 audit report.

The agency said the officials’ decision to allow Tadeco to use government land without a public auction resulted in giving the private company unwarranted benefits.

“We also recommended that [the Bureau of Corrections]

management initiate the filing of criminal action before the Office of the Ombudsman for the patent violation of laws and the Constitution,” the commission said.

On Dec. 26, 1969 under the Marcos regime, the government and Tadeco signed a 25-year contract that was renewed on May 21, 2003 under the Arroyo administration.

The auditors said the land subject to the agreement was located in the Davao Prison and

Penal Farm, which they said was non-alienable and hence outside the commerce of man.

They said that made the deal “inexistent and void from the beginning, adding the period covered by the deal was 60 years, which exceeded the constitutional limit of 50 years.

The commission backed the Justice department’s May 29 position paper saying the classification of the deal as a land-lease or joint-venture agreement did not make it legal.

Maute...

monium nitrate.

Chief Insp. Mardy Hortillosa, spokesperson of the Cagayan de Oro City Police, said it was possible the seized items were used to make bombs.

Hortillosa said Idris has assumed the position of Farhana as the group’s financier when the latter was arrested as she was trying to escape in Lanao del Sur last month.

Hortillosa said Idris and the three suspects are also allegedly involved in the operations of the Maute group, according to Maute members who were arrested in Cagayan de Oro and Iloilo recently.

Mohammad Noaim Maute, alias Abu Jadid and Alfaiz Mamintal, believed to be a bomb expert. was arrested in a house he rented in Barangay Macasandig, on June 15.

Three other suspected mem-

bers of the terrorist group were apprehended in Iloilo on June 18.

Hortillosa said the newly arrested suspects will be charged with rebellion and illegal possession of explosives. They are detained at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group headquarters.

Based on the testimonies of several witnesses, Hortillosa said Monaliza and Tahera are involved in the intelligence gathering and acted as liaison officers for the terrorist group.

With the help of the Abu Sayyaf Group, Maute members have been battling government troops in Marawi City for more than a month now.

Maute has pledged allegiance to the Middle East-based terrorist organization Islamic State or Daesh. The local terrorist group is planning to control Mindanao and make it a province of the Islamic State. With PNA

Military spokeswoman Capt.

Jo-Ann Petinglay said the beheading of the hostages was “a desperate measure” because the Abu Sayyaf could see no gains from their kidnap-for-ransom activities.

Abu Sayyaf, originally a loose network of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaida network, has splintered into factions, with some continuing to engage in banditry and kidnappings.

One faction has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, with members among those holding parts of Marawi, the largely Catholic nation’s most important Islamic city.

Militants continue to occupy parts of Marawi despite a USbacked military offensive there that has claimed more than 460 lives and displaced nearly

400,000 people since it began in May. The two Vietnamese were seized last November along with four other Vietnamese crew members of a vessel that was boarded by the militants off the southern region of Mindanao, the military said.

One of the six crewmen was rescued last month and three remain in captivity, Petinglay said.

Abu Sayyaf bandits are holding a total of 22 hostages, including 16 foreigners, Petinglay said.

The Abu Sayyaf is known to behead its hostages unless ransom payments are made.

German national Jurgen Kantner, 70, was beheaded in February after the kidnappers’ demand for P30 million ($600,000) was not met.

Last year, the group beheaded two Canadian hostages. With AFP

siege.

He also alleged on Feb. 23 that some embassy officials were compromised when he said Kang Tae Sik, a legitimate businessman, was a member of the Korean mafia.

He also said the Korean mafia operating in the country was behind the killing of South Korean businessman Jee Ick Joo. In both cases, Aguirre refused to take responsibility for his false statements despite being called out in public, Bulangis said.

“Aguirre lies through gritted

teeth. He knows that. We want to send a message that this government must stop lying,” Karla Yu, a youth group official, said.

The complaint was also filed

by Andrei Buendia of the Ateneo Debate Society, Anna Mercaldi of the Student Council Alliance of the Philippines, Fatima Tolentino and Nikki Nicolas of the San Beda College of Law Student Government, Julie Corridor of UP Diliman University Student Council, sociology student Rae Emmanuel Echaveria and Jonna Roldan of the De La Salle University-Manila.

enemy strong points fall one by one to government forces,” the Joint Task Force Marawi said in a statement.

Bautista said the recovery of the high-powered firearms brought to 410 the total number of firearms recovered by troops in clearing operations within the main battle area.

He said the troops also recovered a cadaver of a foreign-looking individual and is believed that it is one of the reported

fighters from Singapore.

A total of 11 suspected foreign fighters have been reportedly killed so far since the start of the fighting on May 23.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the military was doing its best to locate the individuals in the arrest orders issued by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, martial law administrator.

Padilla said most of the arrested individuals have already been charged in court and noted the spate of arrests recently.

The US Embassy, meanwhile,

said the United States has offered to help the Duterte administration rehabilitate Marawi.

Duterte and American Ambassador to Manila Sung Kim met Monday on the terrorist threat in the region.

“Ambassador Kim had a productive discussion with President Duterte on Monday focused extensively on the terrorist threat in the region, in which the ambassador also indicated the US desire to assist in Marawi’s reconstruction,” US embassy deputy press secretary Emma Nagi said. John Paolo Bencito and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

troops and reassign them to Marawi City where he said their skills were badly needed.

Aguirre said he would also order an investigation of some members of the Special Action Force who might be involved in the anomaly at the NBP. “I have received reports that there were some reactivation, and we are doing something about this,” Aguirre said in an

earlier interview.

“We are going to end this resurgence. I talked to Director General Benjamin delos Santos last Saturday and we know what we are going to do.”

Aguirre said some members of the elite force may have been involved due to their familiarity with the inmates. He said the changing of the guard at the NBP was expected at the end of July.

He said he already talked to SAF Director Benjamin Lusad to change the SAF contingent at the NBP following information that the illegal drug trade there was surging again.

More than 300 SAF personnel who were deployed to the NBP Bilibid last year were supposed to stay only for three to six months and then the Marines would replace them. With Francisco Tuyay

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is mother to Maute group leaders Omarkhayam and Abdullah and was identified by authorities as her sons’ financiers.

Wednesday’s arrest was made by virtue of a search warrant issued by Judge Dennis Alcantar, the executive judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 18. Macasandig village councilors Mario Bolanio and Eric Waban acted as witnesses during the raid.

Seized from the raided house were four M203 grenades (40 millimeter high explosive), a blasting cap, a 9-volt battery with battery holder, a piece of C4 explosive, eight pieces of detonating cords, 19 100-watt incandescent bulbs, a jungle knife, and plastic bag and plastic bottle containing suspected am-

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undergo forensic exam in coordination with the Vietnamese Embassy.

The four other Vietnamese colleagues of the victims still in captivity were identified as Pham Minh Tuan; Do Trung Hieu; Hoang Vo; and Tran Khac.

Last month, ground troops from the JTF rescued a Vietnamese kidnap victim, Hoang Vo, in the same town.

The Abu Sayyaf bandits have hijacked two ships in Basilan and Tawi-Tawi and taken the Vietnamese crewmen hostage.

Western Mindanao Command cief Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr. condemned the beheading of the hostages and urged residents in Basilan to remain vigilant against the terror group.

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Dictators officer Shamah Bulangis.

According to the complaint, Aguirre on June 7 said Senators Bam Aquino, Antonio Trillanes and Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano and former Aquino administration political adviser Ronald Llamas went to Marawi City on April 24 and 28 to take part in the siege of the city.

But the four officials denied they went to Marawi in connection with the planned Marawi

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values to protect them from falling prey to corrupted teachings.

Under the Sunni Madzhahib or Muslim Schools of Law, the “defense of religion, land (territory), people and honor from armed incursion” are the prerequisites that allow a leader to call upon the people to wage a defensive war called jihad al-qital.

Taosug professor Alih Sakaluran Aiyub of the Western Mindanao State University said Muslim scholars will soon come up with a Primer on Violent Extremism and Terrorism to provide guidance to young Muslims and non-Muslims, amid reports that extremists were targeting young recruits.

Mufti Udasan summarized the bases for his ruling, quoting verses in the Qur’an: “And do no evil, nor mischief on the face of the land.” (2:60); “Seek [no occasion for] mischief, for Allah does not like those who do mischief…” (28:77).

Asserting the MILF should safeguard the people and its areas of influence from “violent intrusion,” Udasan quoted in his ruling the Prophet of Islam, saying: “Fight anyone who comes to you and you, affairs to renounce allegiance or to sow discord among you.”

The MILF leadership promptly responded, assuring the Bangsamoro Dharul Ifta of its commitment to safeguard its areas of influence from “intrusion by violent extremist elements.”

“The Marawi cisis would not have happened if the Maute group did not enter the city,” MILF Chairman Hadji Murad Ibrahim said. “Even without discussing the ideological aspect; just looking at it in the practical perspective, what good does ISIS bring?

If we allow them here, what good will they bring? They will only destroy [the communities] further.”

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The military spokesman, however, said the inclusion of communist rebels among targets of military rule in Mindanao “does not necessarily mean we are stopping the peace talks.”

“Actually the NPA and the Armed Forces are in a talkand-fight and fight-and-talk situation. But it would have been more desirable to have the silencing of the guns when the peace talks [are] ongoing,” he said.

Duterte declared martial law over Mindanao on May 23, after Maute group terrorists overran Marawi City.

The list of key tasks includes instructions to “degrade the armed capabilities of NPA,” referring to the communist armed wing New People’s Army, whose leaders in the Communist Party of the Philippines were talking peace with the government.

Duterte over the weekend asked communist rebels to cease fighting with government troops after recent attacks put their sincerity during peace talks under a cloud of doubt.

Labor Secretary and government chief peace negotiator Silvestre Bello III said that government and the National Democratic Front are eyeing the resumption formal peace talks

by August, after the fifth round of talks were called off in May amid a backlash over Duterte’s martial law declaration.

To increase the chances of successful formal talks, Bello added that the two panels will hold informal talks in the third or last week of July.

Lorenzana, meanwhile, said they would need a couple more weeks to determine if an extension of martial law was necessary.

“We will know in a couple of weeks. After that we will make our recommendations [as] we are still studying the situation in Marawi, Lanao del Sur and the rest of Mindanao,” Lorenzana said in Filipino on Tuesday. With Maricel V. Cruz and Sandy Araneta

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THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

IN BRIEF House okays proposed land use policy

ANTI MARTIAL LAW. A militant group staged a lightning rally along Philcoa Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City to condemn the Supreme Court decision upholding President Duterte’s proclamation 216 or the declaration of martial law. Lino Santos

Du30 signs E0s creating two new govt bodies

By John Paolo Bencito and Maricel Cruz PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed two Executive Orders creating the Energy Investment Coordinating Council under the Department of Energy and the Strategy, Economics, and Results Group in the Department of Finance.

In Executive Order No. 30, Duterte established the EICC, which will lead and coordinate national government efforts on matters relevant to the development of energy investments in the country, particularly Energy Projects of National Significance.

To streamline the regulatory procedures affecting energy projects, the EO said that the baselines in the processing of EPNS, from prior approvals of applications to actual approval, should not exceed the 30-day time frame.

For the issuance of Environmental Compliance Certificates for EPNS, the Department of Natural Resources will formulate a guideline consistent with the objectives and provisions of this Order.

To be headed by a representative from the DoE, the EICC will convene within 30 days from the effectivity of the EO and will exercise functions such as the establishment of a simplified approval process, preparation of rules governing the resolution of inter-agency issues, maintenance of an information database and a web-based monitoring system, creation of inter-agency subcommittees and submission of quarterly progress reports, among others.

On the other hand, EO No. 31 organized the SERG to provide strategic advice to the DoF secretary, who likewise chairs the Economic Development Cluster; conduct fiscal economics policy research; and manage and coordinate transformative reforms of the Finance department.

Under the direct control and supervision of the DoF secretary, the SERG is composed of Strategy and Results Office and Fiscal Economics Research Office, each headed by a Director IV.

Duterte govt to adopt natl ID system in 2020 T HE government is looking to adopt a national ID system starting 2020 in a bid to further improve the delivery of services and ensure that state financial aids will go directly to the intended beneficiaries.

Finance Undersecretary Karl Chua said they are targeting to properly identify an efficient way to have a national ID system within two years and initial holders are poor families who get financial aid from the government.

He said the Department of Budget and Management is considering a P2-billion budget for the program under the proposed

2018 national budget even as its 2019 funding has yet to be determined.

He said the Philippine Statistics Authority is being considered to be the implementing agency for the program, which he said will use biometrics and pictures as well as secured technology.

Issues about security will also be ensured under this

program, he said, saying that people do not question the government for getting their personal details and biometrics in the issuance of the Government Service Insurance System and the Social Security System IDs. “So I think majority will be happy about it,” he told reporters after the Tax Reform Forum held Wednesday in Edsa Shang-ri La. With the first package of the proposed tax reform seen to be approved by Congress this year for implementation starting 2018, the government eyes to disburse about P2,400 a month for a year to

about 10-million poor Filipino households to mitigate the impact of the increase in excise tax on oil.

Chua said that since the national ID system is not yet in place next year, the funds will be disbursed to the intended beneficiaries through the existing system being used under the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program, which is through automated teller machine cards issued by the Land Bank of the Philippines.

He added that this one-year financial aid is only temporary and is on top of the existing programs such as 4Ps and the conditional cash transfer. PNA

UP makes top Asia-Pac schools list DoH told

By John Paolo Bencito ONLY the University of the Philippines made it to the list of top Asia Pacific universities, according to the first Times Higher Education Asia-Pacific University Ranking 2017.

The country’s top state university, “largely seen as one of the best Filipino universities in national rankings and among the top institutions in Asia,” ranked at 200+ in the latest ranking in more than 200 universities in 38 nations in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania released Tuesday, July 4.

With more than 48,000 students, UP previously ranked at 800 in the Times Higher Education

World University rankings from 2016-17.

Japan is the most represented nation with 69 universities featured. China is at second place with 52 universities. Other countries with a strong presence in the ranking are Australia (35 universities), Taiwan (26), South Korea (25) and Thailand (nine).

Universities from China and Singapore dominate the top five places. The only university outside Asia to appear in the top five is the University of Melbourne at third place. The other four universities are the National University of Singapore (first place), Peking University (second place), Tsinghua University (fourth place) and Nanyang Technological University (fifth).

TRANSPORT DEAL. Photo shows (from left), Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade and his German counterpart, Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure State Secretary Michael Odenwald sign a ‘Letter of Intent’ during the Meeting on Cooperation in Maritime Transport between the Federal Ministry of Transport of the Federal Republic of Germany and the Department of Transportation of the Republic of the Philippines at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City. PNA

to finish construction of hospitals

By John Paolo Bencito AN IRATE President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial to finish immediately the construction of medical hospitals for soldiers by the end of July as he again expressed disappointment over the slow process involving government procurement.

Speaking before government troops in Sarangani province, Duterte reiterated that the government “will not forget” the families of soldiers who are slain in battle. He however, vented his ire over the slow pace of government procurement in the city.

“Ayaw ko naman palakihin ang ulo ko, but since I assumed the presidency, lahat ng equipment, to arrest the risk of infection [binili ko],” Duterte said, calling afterwards his top aide, Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go to ask a question. “Bong, sandali a. Umiinit na naman ulo ko.”

Duterte then tried to seek for answers from his top aide about the developments on his August 2016 vow for a “stateof-the-art” military equipment and a new building for the Armed Forces of the Philippines Medical Center, only to get a response from AFP chief Eduardo Año that the procurement process just hurdled the “bidding” stage.

THE House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading the proposed “National Land Use and Management Act of the Philippines,” which seeks to institutionalize a National Land Use Policy that will govern the country’s land use and management.

House Bill 5240, which was co-authored by former president and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, aims to provide for a rational, holistic and just allocation, utilization, management, and development of the country’s land and water resources; hold owners and users of land responsible for developing and conserving their lands; strengthen the capacity of local government units to manage and maintain ecological balance within their territorial jurisdiction; and treat groups of islands, interconnecting waters and other natural features which are closely interrelated as forming an intrinsic geographical, economic and political entity.

The bill defines “land use” as the manner of allocation, utilization, management and development of land. It also defines “physical framework plan” as the national, regional or provincial indicative plans that outline the overall and macro-level physical development objectives, priorities, directions and strategies in its respective levels as prepared, reviewed, integrated and finalized by the national, regional and provincial land use councils/ boards, respectively, based on the “Comprehensive Land Use Plans” of the LGUs and the national policy guidelines relating to land use and environmental management to prevent or mitigate the adverse effects of inappropriate resource utilization on food security, the people’s welfare, and their environment.

‘Transpo’ security body pushed FORMER President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is pushing for the creation of a body that will improve the transportation security of the country to fight the scourge of terrorism.

In a statement on Wednesday, Arroyo said it is high time to create an independent transportation security office that will secure all modes of transportation in the Philippines as a counterterrorism effort both nationally and internationally.

Arroyo filed House Bill No. 5092, or the Philippine Transportation Security Act of 2017, which seeks the transformation of the Office of the Transportation Security under the Department of Transportation into the National Transportation Security Regulatory Commission, “an independent and single authority performing oversight function the transportation security becomes essential given the network characteristics of international and domestic travel and the consequent accountability challenges that exist in the transportation sector,” she said. PNA

Orbos named new ‘Usec’ for roads THOMAS Orbos, the general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority, has been designated as concurrent Transportation undersecretary for roads.

The 52-year-old brother of Oscar Orbos, who also served as secretary of the defunct Department of Transportation and Communications during the time of the late former President Corazon Aquino, was tapped to head the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic.

The I-ACT is composed of agencies such as Department of Transportation, Philippine NationalPolice-Highway Patrol Group, Land Transportation Office, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and the MMDA. MMDA chairman Danilo Lim said Orbos will stay as the general manager of the MMDA. Joel E. Zurbano

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Commerce over art

I

Expressing her dismay, the producer of one of the bigger film outfits said last year’s lineup deprived Filipino families of traditional joys when, in the holiday season, they spent their hard-earned bonuses on light movies that made them feel good and laugh out loud.

It now appears she was proven right.

Four of the eight movies to be shown at Christmastime were announced this week—and the titles reek of the same tried-and-tested formula: Big names, trite plots, predictable feel-good endings and historical box-office success.

The other four will be announced in November.

We also now hear of the resignation of three members of the executive committee—screenwriter Ricky Lee, former UP dean Rolando Tolentino ad

T all boils down to economics.

Last year’s muchcommended selection of entries for the Metro Manila Film Festival apparently did not translate into enough revenue. The eight films —with themes revolving around gut issues for many Filipinos and which were made by more respected and less commercially oriented filmmakers—grossed just half a million pesos, much lower than the P1 billion earned from the year before.

journalist and documentary producer Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala—for the victory of commerce over art in the selection process.

They said however they had wanted to resign before the first four entries were announced, because some of their colleagues insisted that only big film studios can produce blockbusters.

“We stand committed to seek reforms in the Filipino film industry. We remain steadfast believing in a Metro Manila Film Festival that can once more be a celebration of the finest of Filipino artistry. The Filipino audience deserves no less.”

What we seem to get, however, is what we think we deserve. Unfortunately, filmmakers and producers seem bent on stunting the Filipino viewer’s preferences. How can most moviegoers

decide they want this form over the other when they are presented with very few options, with none designed to make them think about what they want and do not want?

It’s true that films are forms of entertainment, but they do not have to be mindless. In the end, what we see on the screen are a reflection of what we are or what we aspire to be.

And we do aspire to be a nation that is deliberate, conscientious, and not in any way haphazard or held hostage by profit. There is a way to produce better films and influence viewers to demand quality in what they see.

Unfortunately, the people in charge of the festival seem to believe the festival is just that—noise and merrymaking, and not much substance or opportunities to think.

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

Three years

Trusting Duterte LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES WILL President Rodrigo Duterte expand both the scope and the time frame of the imposition of martial law, now that the Supreme Court has ruled that there is factual basis for military rule in order to combat the threat of terrorism? That will depend on how Duterte—and Duterte alone— perceives the seriousness of the threat.

The heads of both the military and the police, speaking after the results of the high court’s voting were made public, announced that they will recommend that martial law in all of Mindanao be extended beyond the 60 days that the Constitution allows a sitting president to impose it. There is no word yet from the authorities if the ruling will pave the way for the imposition of military rule

beyond the country’s second-biggest island in the south.

Of course, congressional approval is required for the extension of martial law beyond July 23. But given Congress’ earlier favorable action on Duterte’s Proclamation 216 and unless the continuing conflict in Marawi is resolved, I have no doubt that the President will seek an extension of military rule—and possibly covering a bigger area.

What seems to be clear, as well, is that the Supreme Court has not been swayed into believing that the terrorist threat is confined in the area of Marawi, as three of the four dissenters to the majority vote claimed. Because in past experience has taught us that terrorists here and abroad are no believers in traditional territorial boundaries, it would be foolish to say that their movements can be restricted by the lines on a map.

The Abu Sayyaf Group, for instance, has recently gone as far as Bohol province in the Visayas, where their attempts to establish a

foothold were fortunately thwarted by civilians and the authorities working together. This should deep-six the contention of Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justices Antonio Carpio and Alfredo Caguioa that martial law should be imposed

I suggest we let the President do his job, instead of listening to those who would rather that the terrorists win to spite the President.

that the Executive, for the most part, and Congress, to a lesser extent, is always better informed that the Supreme Court about the situation on the ground and should be given enough leeway to quickly address problems like terrorism by unsheathing the sword of martial law. As I never tire of saying, if the framers of the 1987 Constitution hated martial law so much, they never should have kept it in the basic law that they drafted.

Duterte has proven so far that he can be trusted to impose martial law in Mindanao and nearly everyone on the island is glad that he did. I suggest we let the President do his job, instead of listening to those who would rather that the terrorists win, if only to spite the President.

*** There must be another way to punish erring policemen other only in Marawi City, where the than reassigning them to places war continues to rage. where they may actually cause The ruling also acknowledges more harm. Like those two cops

who beat up a couple of men they had arrested for violating curfew regulations in Mandaluyong, who have now been sent to war-torn Marawi City, of all places.

PO1 Jose Julius Tandog and his partner PO1 Chito Enriquez gained online fame last week when one of two men they assaulted with a wooden club inside a police station was able to capture their brutality on his cellphone camera. Tandog repeatedly whacked one suspect while Enriquez kept the two of them from fighting back with a drawn firearm.

The two newbie cops obviously have unresolved anger management issues. And this makes them unqualified for their new assignment in the war zone that is Marawi, where security forces are still battling Islamic terrorists trying to put up an extension of the IS caliphate in the Philippines.

Metro Manila police chief Director Oscar Albayalde said

A FEW months ago, President Duterte, in one of his speeches, asked the nation to give him three years to put the country in order.

He did not elaborate what exactly he was referring to with the phrase. He probably meant all the problems he inherited from the previous administration like drugs, lawlessness, corruption, and the peace process.

Now he has just completed his first year in office and it is customary to assess how much of his promises he has fulfilled.

And depending on which side of the aisle one is in, the President either has had a resoundingly successful or an utterly failed first year.

I quite agree with the observation of some people that one year is not really enough to judge the success or failure of a presidency. Still, we are used to evaluating the first 100 days, the first six months and the first year of a president. President Duterte, however, is the first leader to ask the people for three years to solve all the problems of the country. It was a bold move. But this president is made from different stock and is the most unconventional leader that this country has ever had. Can he do it?

After a year in office, in spite of criticism both domestically and internationally, his approval ratings remain high. This is probably all that matters to him.

Without passing any judgment on whether the past year has been a success or not, let us see what has happened so far.

In the economic field, the economy grew 6.4 percent in the first quarter and is poised to grow stronger in the second quarter.

The peso, however, has tumbled to its lowest rate versus the United States dollar in almost 11 years.

The government has lined up an P8.7-trillion five-year infrastructure program that will eventually be equivalent to 7.5 percent of our Gross Domestic Product by 2022.

None of the projects as far as I know have started.

We now have a new central bank governor who delivered an inaugural speech widely praised as pro-poor. Although the President is known as a populist, Congress is now passing a tax bill that will put more burden to the poorer segment of society to pay more taxes. When the President was campaigning, he said that peace and order would be solved in three to six months. Now, we know that the anti-drug campaign will go on until the last day of his presidency.

Turn to A5

Turn to A5

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Opinion TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

What the Supreme Court saw I NEVER once doubted the ment and the communist inlegality of President Rodrigo surgents?

Obviously, the Duterte adDuterte’s decision to place Mindanao under martial law ministration has not learned that it is impossible to talk through Proclamation 216.

The siege of Marawi City peace with double-faced by the combined forces of the peace negotiators. They say Maute Group, the Abu Sayyaf one thing and do another.

The government panel has Group and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters was not learned from the past. not just an attack on a city. It Can they not see that it is imis rebellion that could make possible to talk peace with Mindanao a caliphate of the people who are not sincere?

Why negotiate with the IS in this part of the world.

It is rebellion that could NDFP when they no longer certainly spread to the rest of control the New People’s Mindanao. It can seriously af- Army?

I doubt the next round of fect public safety, as defined under Article VII, Section 18 talks would achieve anything. of the 1987 Cory Constitu*** tion.

The Supreme Court supWhen the critics of President Duterte filed petitions ports the stand of the Court of against the proclamation, Appeals ordering the release they obviously did not realize of the Ilocos 6 through a hawhat was happening on the beas corpus petition. House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez ground.

It is so obvious that their is defying the appellate court opposition to martial law is despite strong support from Chief Justice Maria Lourdes political!

Clearly, the 11 justices real- Sereno. What will happen ized the extent of the terror next?

Any right-thinking man threat especially if the terrorists make Marawi a caliphate. would bow to the rule of law.

I cannot imagine to what So why is Alvarez threatenextent the terrorists can go ing to abolish the CA? Is he now, with their terror cells ready to defy the Supreme Court as well? spread over the country.

Alvarez has become more Will we suffer the same fate popish than the pope himself. as Syria and Iraq?

My gulay, even President My family and I went through the horrifying years Duterte says he respects the rule of law! of the Japanese occupa*** tion. I do not I believe want to exThe justices in checks perience that and balance. ever again. realized the But when Ask Minsomebody d a n a o a n s danger the like Senaif they sup- country faces. tor Antonio port martial Trillanes, a law and I staunch critic am sure they of the Presiwill say yes. dent, calls It is aimed at protecting them from terror- his colleagues cowards, lapdogs and puppets, that’s just ists.

There have been reports of too much.

I have seen critics and opdecapitated civilian hostages in Marawi. If nothing is done ponents of administrations, about this, the entire country and I respect and admire them. But not Trillanes, who can be a terror hub!

It is said that the Marawi is destroying the very institusiege is just a test run for tion he belongs to. the IS-inspired terrorists. I *** can believe that. This is why Every now and then, the I believe President Duterte should extend martial law for two giant broadcast networks come out with figures on another 60 days.

I have been told that dur- viewership. The Lopez-coning a closed-door executive trolled ABS-CBN claims it session, the Supreme Court is leading with the findings justices were given a briefing of Kantar Media. Meanwhile, by the Armed Forces of the GMA-7 leads according to Philippines and other secu- Nielsen.

I tend to believe GMArity advisers. This proved to be the turning point—the jus- 7. Nielsen is a respected tices realized the danger the institution. Its survey respondents are more statiscountry is actually facing. tically representative of the population. *** Another thing is that ABSDid I hear it right—that there would be peace talks CBN is biased in favor of the anew between the govern- oligarchy it represents.

Trusting...

From A4 the transfer of the two policemen was their punishment, “a way to take them out of their comfort zone or their sphere of influence.” But if Tandog and Enriquez take their two-man police brutality show to Marawi, I wonder if Albayalde will still think that he punished two scalawag cops—or if what he did was to penalize the people of Marawi.

I’m sure Abayalde still remembers the time when erring men in uniform were told to “join the Navy,” or taken off the streets and put on “floating” status. And I’m willing to bet that the Metro Manila police chief must have thought about actually throwing these two cops in jail themselves, which is what would have happened to their victims if the situation was reversed and they had assaulted a couple of

policemen.

The conditions in Marawi, where war has been going on for six weeks now, are not conducive to reforming violent policemen accused of mauling civilians. In fact, the entire idea of punishing cops who cross the line by sending them to hardship posts like Sulu or Basilan is an insult to the people there, who cannot be blamed if they feel like they have become dumpsites for men in uniform who are the equivalent of human garbage.

I’d like to believe that, in general, the members of the national police force are not as abusive or stupid as Tandog and Enriquez.

They should be penalized by dismissal or jail time or both.

The people of Marawi, who have already suffered so much, do not deserve these monsters in uniform.

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Our people’s champ OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ LAST Sunday, the world witnessed another boxing match of our people’s champ, Manny “Pacman” Pacquiao against Jeff Horn. Dubbed as the “Battle of Brisbane,” the boxing match of Horn vs. Pacquiao was for the World Boxing Organization welterweight championship.

Horn defeated Pacquiao after 12 rounds by unanimous decision. Many Pacman fans from around the world were disappointed and found the result controversial. Halfway

through the match, Horn headbutted Pacquiao resulting in two bleeding cuts. This affected Pacquiao’s performance in the succeeding rounds.

Horn has a disadvantage in terms of experience and technique, which probably made him resort to playing dirty through head-butting, choking, and elbowing. He showed so much aggression that he came back strong in the 10th round after almost getting defeated in the ninth round.

Pacquiao admitted that Horn was a tough opponent and that he did not expect Horn’s aggressive, to some, controversial, fighting style in the ring.

Pacquiao used his deft movements to avoid Horn’s punches,

and delivered a lot of counter-punches to hit Horn with strong shots. Pacquiao showcased his skill and experience in this match, and proved that he is truly a high-level fighter.

Though the decision did not turn out to be what most of us expected, Pacquiao respected the judges’ decision and accepted his defeat with grace.

There is a rematch clause in the Pacquiao-Horn fight contract. Pacquiao and Horn expressed their interest in a rematch.

I believe that Manny Pacquiao will always be one of the world’s best fighters of this generation. He remains to be an inspiration to many Filipino athletes. Win or lose, the

Filipino people stand behind him. People cried with him in his losses and celebrated victory together. There have been controversial tweets about the Senator post-fight, owing to differing political and religious beliefs. Our personal and individual inclinations notwithstanding, we must recognize that Pacquiao soldiered on, and courageously faced his opponent in the ring, with nothing but love and pride for our country strongly beating in his heart.

He is a warrior and a patriot. I congratulate him for a great fight and wish him a good fight, come rematch. We are all rooting for you, Senator Manny.

Lover, scammer—or both?

BY NOW almost everyone has heard of Xian S. Gaza, the fellow who put up a billboard asking actress Erich Gonzales out for coffee.

At first many saw the gesture as sweet and romantic. The narrative was this: here’s the CEO of a company in Hong Kong who says the actress is his only “desire” and that he wants to meet her. He publicly declares this on a billboard.

For someone to spend all that money on a billboard must mean that the fellow is serious about his affection, right? It was a Cinderella story but with a modern twist, with Gaza cast as Prince Charming.

Not only was the billboard Xian’s way to catch the attention of the object of his obsession. He also used social media, posting a selfie he’d taken with Erich the one time he met her, as well as a photo of a set of Bobbi Brown makeup that he said he bought as a gift for Gonzales.

But when the initial thrill of the fairy tale had worn off, logic

kicked in. Wait a minute, said many netizens, this is creepy and manipulative. It seemed to them that Gaza was pressuring Gonzales to acknowledge him and his obsession. In our culture of hiya, it would be shameful to embarrass the fellow after all the effort he went through and expense he incurred.

Gonzales herself, who is out of the country, when contacted by writer Darla Sauler about the matter, gave a neat reply, saying the gesture was “cute” and that there seemed to be no harm in going out for coffee as long as she was accompanied by Sauler.

This is a form of the standard polite answer that most women give when they are being importuned by men.

What do we make of Gaza’s use of the billboard in this manner? Billboards have been used for personal purposes before. People have rented them to communicate wedding proposals, love avowals, and even for revenge (search ‘cheating husband billboard’). But in those instances, the people involved know each other and have an existing relationship.

This is the first I’ve seen it used as a way to get the attention of a crush.

The billboard also serves to

call attention primarily to Xian himself; is this a narcissistic act to stroke his ego or gain his fifteen minutes of fame? Or is it merely a ploy to sell coffee (Gaza is said to have a kape alamid business)?

The situation deepened. People came forward who know Gaza, who worked for him, who did business with him.

Allegations of fraud and scamming in the line of business emerged. Gaza himself, on his Facebook page, acknowledges that he declared a false bankruptcy to avoid paying partners and employees. Jessica Cruz, mother of another actress, Ella Cruz, also revealed that Gaza had been similarly obsessed with her daughter some time ago and had defrauded them as well.

Now it seems that Gaza is not simply the Prince Charming at people at first thought he was.

Can his use of the billboard to catch Erich’s attention be interpreted as stalking? Stalking does not necessarily involve a person following the object of obsession around. It is, broadly, “unwanted or obsessive attention,” according to an online source.

Xian’s billboard and makeup gift might also be seen as ‘love bombing’. In a negative sense, it

is a tactic of control and manipulation, used by “abusive narcissists who [try] to win the confidence of a victim.”

This bit of trending news, like all the others, will die down soon, as is usually the case with social media’s short news cycle. But this incident should serve as a lesson and a warning. Some actions might at first seem benign or even commendable, but the intention behind them might turn out to be questionable.

Also, if there is any doubt at all, even the slightest, of any negative repercussions or consequences, don’t do it, don’t go there. Women, in particular, are subject to manipulation, coercion, intimidation, and pressure. Resist. Keep your personal safety paramount. If it feels creepy or manipulative, trust your intuition.

No makeup kit nor cup of coffee is worth all this sort of aggravation, and behavior such as this, no matter how flattering it might seem, should not be rewarded.

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

China’s electric cars are actually pretty dirty

By Mark Buchanan COULD China, the world's largest automobile market, help address the threat of global warming if it went completely electric? The answer isn’t as obvious as it seems.

China has been making great strides toward electrification.

Electric vehicle sales are booming: Consumers bought more than 300,000 last year, and more than 5 million are expected to be on the road by 2020. The government just announced bold plans for a wave of big new battery factories.

Encouraging as that may be, though, the move away from conventional cars and trucks won’t immediately reduce the country’s carbon emissions. On the contrary, the production and exploitation of electric vehicles in China actually produces more greenhouse gases and consumes more overall energy. In the short run, China’s moves could make greenhouse emissions go up, not down.

Electric vehicles seem environmentally benign. They’re lightweight, energy-efficient, and potentially greener than their conventional counterparts.

But the reality is more complex. Their manufacture entails energy-intensive mining of rare elements, such as the lithium required for their batteries. Their fuel efficiency can make up for that in the course of use, but only if the electricity is produced in a relatively clean way.

Developed nations get the best results, because they tend to generate electricity using cleaner sources. By one estimate, the average electric car in the US has just half the greenhouse gas impact of a conventional car over its life cycle. It’s even less in the western, southern and northeastern parts of the country, where power plants draw more renewable power. A comprehensive energy model being developed

by Argonne National Laboratory produces a similar estimate.

Europe does well, too. Looking at all the processes involved in the manufacture, use, and ultimate disposal of a range of both electrical and conventional vehicles, Norwegian researchers found that electric vehicles offer at least a 10 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (assuming they were driven about 150,000 kilometers). To be sure, electric-vehicle batteries impose a host of other environmental costs linked to the mining of rare metals. But on carbon emissions, electric vehicles win out.

The real challenge to reducing greenhouse gas emissions will be in developing nations—especially China, which is likely to dominate the global auto market for decades to come. Unfortunately, the structure of China’s industrial economy will make it difficult. One recent study by Chinese engineers estimated that electric vehicles generate about a 50 percent increase in both greenhouse gas emissions and

total energy consumption over their life cycle. The manufacture of the lithium-ion battery alone accounts for 13 percent of the energy consumption and 20 percent of the emissions.

The most promising ways to make electric vehicles better have little to do with the vehicles themselves. Energy infrastructure matters more. In China, electricity production still relies quite heavily on high-carbon sources including coal. Hence, both the manufacturing of the batteries and the operation of the vehicle produce more pollution than they would elsewhere. The recycling industry in China is also underdeveloped. US steel is about 70 percent recycled, compared with just 11 percent in China.

Electric vehicles can help China reduce greenhouse emissions only in the context of a deeper shift toward renewable sources of energy and greater efficiency. No one technology alone can create a green revolution. Bloomberg

equipment must be procured to give the police and military more fire power like assault guns, armor and more advanced planes.

The boldest move of the President, however, is in foreign affairs when he initiated his pivot to China notwithstanding our conflict in the South China Sea. It is too early to say whether this is good on bad for the country but to be sure, there is a lot of uneasiness not only in some quarters in this country but with our traditional allies like Japan and Australia as well. We can only hope that the President has fully studied the situation and understands the consequences of the steps we are taking in relation to the grand strategy of China with regard to the region.

We have not even included

here the peace process of the government with the CPP/NPA, the MILF and MNLF which has a long way to go and corruption which is probably undoable. Despite firing a number of ranking government officials due to corruption issues, the country has even gone down in the world corruption index which tells us a lot. Add the federalization of the government which needs an amendment to the Constitution and our problems increase immensely.

When a President takes over from another administration, he takes over a lot of problems and challenges left by his predecessor.

Maybe what the President should just do is try his best within the six-year period of his presidency

to make the country better than when he took over from his President Aquino. To attempt to solve all the problems and challenges in a short span of three years is probably too much and I do not think the people really expect that from any President.

President Duterte, because of his down-to-earth behavior, remains popular with his people. Rightly or wrongly, they identify with him. In this President, what the people see is what they get. There is no doubting his good intentions. We may not agree with all his methods but at least he is perceived to be sincere and we all hope that he will succeed specially in restoring order in Mindanao. Failure in Mindanao is unacceptable and is something that the country cannot afford at this time.

Three...

From A4 We also now have a full-pledge battle in our hands in the City of Marawi which has now been destroyed.

And if the government moves like the last administration with regard to the reconstruction of Tacloban City, then the remaining five years of this administration will not be enough. The peace-and-order problem in Mindanao will also not end with the retaking of Marawi City if Isnilon Hapilon, the two Maute brothers together with the dozens of foreign jihadist fighters, are not captured or killed as a result of the fighting.

The Marawi fighting has also exposed our defense inadequacies which need to be addressed even while the fighting in Marawi is going on. Training doctrines will have to be reviewed and more

News

A6

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Binay files bill seeking to decongest PH’s jails

By Macon Ramos-Araneta ALARMED by recent reports of severe overcrowding in the detention cells, Senator Nancy Binay has filed a measure seeking the automatic release of prisoners who have served the prescribed term for their crimes.

“It is the policy of the State for the humane treatment of inmates and prisoners. Yet, the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology has recently admitted that its jails are now congested by 583 percent,” said the senator.

Several news reports cited BJMP as saying that 142,013 prisoners have been crammed into 466 jails nationwide as of June 30. This is much higher than last year’s 98,000 detainees.

Concerned, Binay filed Senate Bill No. 1263 which seeks the automatic release of inmates who have served time equal to or more than the prescribed maximum imprisonment for their offenses.

The bill covers all correctional and detention facilities, whether they are under the jurisdiction of the BJMP or the Bureau of Corrections.

The senator reasoned that releasing the said detainees would not only ad-

dress the perennial problem of overcrowding in jails but would also allow for a more humane treatment of the detainees.

According to news reports, Pulilan Municipal Jail in Bulacan is the most overcrowded among BJMP’s facilities, having a congestion rate of 3,590 percent.

Intended to house only four inmates, this facility currently has 159 detainees.

The Biñan City Jail in Laguna is also facing the same problem, housing 595 prisoners even though its capacity is only for 22 inmates—a congestion rate of 2,603 percent.

She said these were only two of the country’s detention facilities that were congested.

She said there were many facilities that have this problem aside from the added issue on the lack of jail guards.

The BJMP has admitted in news reports that it is undermanned with only 11,731 officers and personnel.

Of this number, only 7,000 have custodial functions, a meager number compared to the 86,933 drug peddlers and users authorities have arrested since the government’s campaign against drugs began on July 1, 2016.

AGUIRRE SLAMMED. Nine different youth groups led by Akbayan youth file a complaint at the office of Ombudsman against Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre for the violation of conduct and ethical standards for public officials. Lino Santos

Airport, BI authorities stop ‘escort service’ at Naia S

By Joel E. Zurbano and Vito Barcelo

ALAD days of the so-called “escort service” at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport are numbered, with airport authorities and immigration officials linking hands to stop unathorized people from entering off-limits areas.

The Manila International Airport Authority, in close coordination with the Bureau of Immigration, is now formulating a new policy aimed at stopping the wanton disregard of an airport regulation prohibiting unauthorized individuals from entering immigration areas to give special treatment to VIP (very important person) passengers.

Just recently, a certain “SP04 Ciriaco Peralta” escorted businessman Charlie “Atong” Ang, actress Gretchen Barreto and company upon their arrival at the

Naia Terminal 1 from Bangkok, Thailand.

Peralta, reportedly wearing access pass from the airport’s pass control office, told the staff of the Immigration-Border Control and Intelligence Unit he would be escorting Ang, who was with Barreto.

Immigration reports showed that Peralta was “a media practitioner” and was an employee of the Rustan’s retail stores.

After learning this information, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente asked MIAA

general manager Eddie Monreal to look into the matter and take appropriate action to prevent similar incident in the future.

The Bureau of Immigration on Wednesday also came up with a memorandum directing its personnel assigned at the airports to strictly enforce the policy declaring as off-limits to unauthorized persons its immigration areas and the ban of giving VIP treatment to passengers.

Morente said he had instructed BI port operations division Marc Red Mariñas to relay the directive to all BI personnel assigned and discipline those who defy the same.

He also said BI employees should desist from escorting or facilitating the walk-through of arriving and departing passengers, either personally or via text messaging or phone calls, for the purpose of expediting the conduct of immigration formalities by im-

migration officers in the counters.

The BI chief also reiterated that only BI employees on duty, and those who have travel orders, would be allowed to be present in or at the premises of any international port entry at any given time.

Mariñas, for his part, issued a separate memorandum warning all BI personnel assigned at the airports to strictly obey the bureau’s “no travel facilitation, no loafing and no loitering” policy.

He also warned that employees who disobey the directive would dealt with severely and given disciplinary actions.

Mariñas said that no immigration officer or BI or POD employee was involved in escorting Ang and Barreto.

Meanwhile, MIAA cautioned air travelers against an ongoing extortion racket in which unscrupulous people would pretend to be Immigration personnel providing

“escort service.”

It added the public, especially overseas Filipino workers, should not deal with fake BI agents who are only out to extort money.

Last April, Ang asked for government protection against the plot allegedly planned by Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and other government officials who, he said, wanted to weaken the virtual jai alai operations of Meridien Vista Gaming Corp., where he is general manager, to promote Small Time Lottery.

But Aguirre denied accusations he was involved in a plot to kill Ang. He said Ang made the allegation as his way of getting back at him after his office ordered the recent raid at Fontana Leisure Park in Clark which, he claimed, “busted the billion-peso online illegal gambling operation conducted there by his business partner and best friend Jack Lam.”

Cimatu told to be wary with pollution problem

By Rio N. Araja

RELIEF OPERATIONS. Pagcor Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo addresses Wednesday the evacuees at Maria Cristina Gym in Iligan City during the agency’s relief operations for the families displaced by the armed conflict in Marawi City. Also in photo are Pagcor president and COO Alfred Lim (right) and director Gabriel Claudio (left).

ENVIRONMENTAL advocates urged on Wednesday Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to be more circumspect in dealing with the problem of air pollution.

Dr. Leo Olarte, Clean Air Philippines Movement Inc. president, lauded Cimatu’s move to intensify the campaign against the imminent danger of air pollution due to vehicle emission, and not only due to the operation of coal-fired power plants.

He reacted to Cimatu’s official statement he would continue to monitor coal-fired power plants to improve the quality of air amid the filing of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of a petition asking the Supreme Court to regulate coal-fired power plants.

Olarte said: “We would like to point out an undeniable fact that coal-fired power plants are not the only source of deadly air pollution that critically threatens us all, most especially in our urbanized centers, like Metro Manila.

“More than 80 percent of deadly air pollution in the National Capital Region comes from unabated emissions of the three million motor vehicles.”

Dept. of Health pushes healthy diet for 106m Filipinos THE Department of Health, through the National Nutrition Council, leads the nation in celebrating the 43rd Nutrition Month with this year’s theme “Healthy diet, gawing habit—For Life!”

Health Secretary Paulyn Jean RosellUbial said DoH strongly advocated for the health and nutrition of all Filipinos—by latest count a little over 106 million.

“I emphasize that adequate supply of clean, drinking water should be made available to prevent dehydration,” said Ubial.

Likewise, she said “vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant and lactating women, and the elderly should be given at-

tention to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Let us make every day a Nutrition Day.” Nutrition Month is an annual campaign held every July to create greater awareness on the importance of nutrition among Filipinos.

Throughout the years, the Nutrition Month celebration has been institutionalized by schools and local government units as well as other stakeholders.

The health chief said the campaign aimed to increase awareness on the importance of healthy diets which protects against both under- and over-nutrition and non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, cardio-vascular diseases and certain

types of cancer.

A healthy diet encompasses a wide range of benefits, with positive impacts on nutrition, overall health, economy as well as the environment.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, a healthy diet: a. includes a variety of foods from different food groups; b. meets the individual needs for calories and nutrients; c. is safe, with no risk from toxins, bacteria, mold or chemicals; d. is enjoyable and culturally acceptable; and e. is available and sufficient each day and all-year round.

Moreover, according to the World

Health Organization, a healthy diet emphasizes regular intake of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, root crops, fat-free or low-fat milk, lean meats, poultry, fish, egg, beans and nuts.

It is also low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, sodium and added sugars.

A healthy diet, which is part of a healthy lifestyle, is the foundation of good health, according to medical experts.

It is a diet that is able to satisfy one’s energy and nutrient needs for proper body functions, growth and development, daily activities and maintenance of health, keeping well within one’s caloric needs, they added Macon Ramos-Araneta

IN BRIEF Queen honors Manila envoy THE British Ambassador to the Philippines has received one of the highest forms of recognition by the Queen of England for service in foreign and Commonwealth affairs, an Embassy statement from Manila said.

The statement of the British Embassy said the Buckingham Palace announced on June 16 the appointment of Ambassador Asif Ahmad as Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George, “one of the highest forms of recognition by Her Majesty for service in foreign and Commonwealth affairs.”

“The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George traces its history to 1818, with its motto- Auspicium Melioris Aevi (Token of a better age). The ranks of the Order are: Knight/ Dame Grand Cross, Knight/Dame Commander, and Companion, the rank which Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth of England gave Ambassador Ahmad.

Ambassador Ahmad CMG has served as Ambassador to the Philippines and Palau from July 2013.

Prior to that, he was Ambassador to Thailand and Laos. In August, 2017, he will assume his new four-year assignment as High Commissioner to Jamaica.

Under Ahmad and his predecessor Stephen Lillie, the Embassy of Britain in Manila has taken active role in the growing international support to the peace process between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.

FVR to launch Sermons XII THE Ramos Peace and Development Foundation and the Manila Bulletin Publishing Corp. are set to launch Volume XII of a series compilations of selected “sermons” from FVR column “On Empowering The Filipino People” in the Manila Bulletin every Sunday.

The book launch will be on July at 4 p.m. at the DND Social Hall in Camp General Emilio Aguinaldo in Quezon City.

As with earlier volumes in this series, Volume XII will be launched in time for the next State of the Nation Address by President Rodrigo Duterte, scheduled on July 24 before a joint session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa.

As the title “Make Change Work!” suggests, this book, according to a press statement from the Foundation, aims to serve as a reference for the Filipino people and their leaders in achieving and effecting genuine change.

It said: “Reflecting on our histories as a nation, it seems that the triumphs we have achieved are almost always equally offset by setbacks, constantly slowing the progress we make as a people.

“Given the recent events happening around the world such as the terrorist attacks in Marawi, Kabul, Paris, and London, the worsening effects of the climate change, and the increasing interconnectedness of the world, it is only apt that we as Filipinos start rethinking on our role as citizens of this planet... and how we could be able to contribute to the positive change our world currently needs.”

Sports Dave sets golf pace with a 72 LIPA CITY, Batangas—Dave Hernandez used a strong start to card an even par 72 and grab a two-stroke lead over a late-charging Abe Rosal at the start of the Philippine Seniors and Mid-Amateur Open Championships at the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club composite course here yesterday.

Hernandez birdied two of the first four holes at Mt. Makulot but bogeyed No. 6 then dropped another stroke on No. 16 of Mt. Lobo against a slew of pars as the Calatagan Golf Club manager held off a rallying Rosal to stay on top of the centerpiece 55-years-oldand-above field.

While Hernandez leaned on a strong start to seize control, Rosal used a fiery windup to stay in the hunt, hitting two birdies in the last four holes to save a 74 after a bogey-triple-bogey start in the 54-hole tournament held as part of the PLDT Group National Amateur Golf Tour and backed by the MVP Sports Foundation, Cignal and Metro Pacific Investments.

Abe Avena, who dominated the Seniors field at Summit Point last year, also fought back from a shaky frontside stint, closing out with a 36 to share third place at 75 with Tommy Manotoc, who wavered with a 39 at Mt. Lobo.

Jose Mari Hechanova blew a 36 start with a wobbly 44 as he dropped to fifth at 80 while Japanese Kato Sengyo turned in an 81 followed by Rolly Viray, who skied to an 82, Mike Besa, who fumbled with an 84, Bobby Celestino, who had an 88, and Ernesto Lim and Albert Que, who hobbled with 89 and 91, respectively.

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THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Federer advances to 2 round L nd

ONDON—Roger Federer began his campaign for a record eighth Wimbledon title with ease on Tuesday when opponent Alexandr Dolgopolov quit with an injury in the second set.

Third seed Federer was 6-3, 3-0 ahead when the Ukrainian retired from the first round match on Centre Court with an ankle injury after just 43 minutes.

“It feels great to be back on Centre Court,” said Federer who recorded his 85th match win at the All England Club, passing the mark he shared

with Jimmy Connors.

Federer, who hit his 10,000th career ace in the eighth game of the first set, will face either Dusan Lajovic of Serbia or Greek qualifier Stefanos Tsitsipas for a place in the last 32.

Dolgopolov had called the trainer at the end of the first set, complaining of an ankle injury.

Ironically, three-time champion Novak Djokovic had earlier also benefitted from an early retirement when Slovakia’s Martin Klizan quit at 6-3, 2-0 down after 40 minutes.

“Clearly I was hoping that Alexandr was feeling better today but he’s had a rough one this year. He’s had to pull out of a lot of matches,” Federer said.

“He tried. For me obviously I’m very happy to be back and getting another win here is great news.”

The 35-year-old Federer, seeking a 19th Grand Slam title

and bidding to become the oldest champion at the All England Club, played down the tag of favourite for a trophy he last lifted in 2012.

“Just because I haven’t played the clay court season doesn’t make me the favourite,” he said.

“You would think that somebody who has played well, like Rafa (Nadal) on the clay courts, he would be feeling really good about his chances here and I’m sure he does feel that way.

“The same for (defending champion) Andy Murray, same for Djokovic.

Superliga semifinals blast off Games Today

(Filoil Flying V Centre) 5 p.m. – F2 Logistics vs Cignal 7 p.m. –Petron vs Foton

Switzerland’s Roger Federer serves against Ukraine’s Alexandr Dolgopolov during their men’s singles first round match on the second day of the 2017 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Lawn Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London. AFP

Alanis, Molina head Iriga tennis tourney cast NICA Alanis and Kurt Molina seek up to live to their billing as they gun for the 18-and-under crowns in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Iriga leg regional age group tennis tournament which starts today (Thursday) at the University of St. Anthony Tennis courts in Camarines Sur. Alanis, from Iriga City, hopes to stamp her class against the likes of Patricia Corporal, Angela Cortez, Jasmine Prima and Katrina Salvadora in the premier division, while Molina,

from Daet, Camarines Norte, braces for an uphill battle in the boys’ side of the Group 4 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

Keen competition is also seen in the other categories of the five-day event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and the new Unified tennis group, led by PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s and B-Meg with Jenard Gonzales and Corporal heading the 16-U cast in both sides, JC Gonzales and Glydel Guevarra bannering the

14-U roster, and Mario Corea and Guevarra looming as the players to beat in the 12-U section.

Raymond Corporal, Sabion Sabio, Nicole Monte and Lyka Idioma, on the other hand, are tipped to dispute the 10-unisex crown.

“With over 220 entries, we expect a lot of surprises and new faces to emerge,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/COO Bobby Castro, who reiterated the company’s continuing support to help develop the sport and produce future national champions

through its year-long, nationwide circuit.

Meanwhile, another huge field braces for the next leg in Naga City on July 14-17, according to PPS-PEPP sports program development director Bobby Mangunay. Listup is ongoing.

For details, call 0915-4046464.

Tipped to crowd Molina for the 18-U crown are Jolo Basa, Tim Geraldez, Totoy Anez and Greg Illo while Orward Hernandez, Sam Sernal, Chester Abelida and Illo are the other players to watch in the 16-U side.

Clean Up Run listup deadline on July 16

Spartan Race, world’s largest obstacle race, erupts Sept. 16 strength to the test.

The categories offered will be the Elite category, wherein the Top 3 Male and Female racers will be competing for prize money, while the Competitive category is designed to bridge the gap between our open and elite categories, with top racers in their age categories competing for sponsor prizes.

Meanwhile, the open category features people of all shapes and sizes, from all walks of life as they come together with one collective goal—to cross the

THE race to the crown intensifies when the titans clash today in the semifinals of the Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference at the Filoil Flying V Centre.

Reigning champion F2 Logistics raises the curtain as it battles a seasoned Cignal side at 5 p.m., while Foton tests the mettle of a star-studded Petron squad in the 7 p.m. main offering of this prestigious women’s club tourney bankrolled by Rebisco, Gold’s Gym and Belo with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

Meanwhile, Cocolife and Sta. Lucia dismantled their respective foes in contrasting fashion at the Imus City Sports Complex late Tuesday to book a classification duel for 5th to 6th places at De La Salle Sentrum in Lipa City this Saturday.

The Asset Managers flirted with disaster before escaping past Generika-Ayala, 25-18, 25-22, 17-25, 19-25, 15-10, while the Lady Realtors made short work of Cherrylume, 2515, 25-14, 25-20, in a pair of explosive battles of this league that also has Senoh, Mikasa, Mueller, Asics and Grand Sport as technical sponsors.

But all eyes will be on the semis, especially on the battle royale between Foton and Petron.

After breezing past their respective foes in the Round of 8, the clash between the Tornadoes and the Blaze Spikers is tipped to go down the wire as it serves as a rematch of their dramatic finals encounter in the Grand Prix.

With Americans Lindsay Stalzer and Ariel Usher as reinforcements, the Tornadoes dominated the Blaze Spikers bannered by power-hitting Stephanie Niemer and Serena Warner in their best-of-three finals showdown last December.

The setback sent Petron back to the drawing board, prompting it to launch a massive overhaul with the acquisition of stars like Mika Reyes, Carmela Tunay, Remy Palma, Marivic Meneses, Bernadeth Pons, Sisi Rondina and Rhea Dimaculangan.

Although the Blaze Spikers had little trouble early on as they lost twice to another rival in Cignal, head coach Shaq Delos Santos isn’t that worried as they are the lone squad that tarnished the spotless mark of the Tornadoes in the end of preliminaries.

SBC camp registration starts today

REGISTRATION for the 2017 Manila Bay Clean Up Run will be until July 16.

The event, which is part of fund-raising efforts for the environmental sanitation program to clean our waterways, as instituted by establishments along Roxas Boulevard under the “sunset partnership,” will be held on July 23 and is open to all interested participants in the 3K, 5K, 10K, and 21K divisions for both men and women.

Medals and cash prizes will be given to the top three winners in each race.

Interested runners may register at the designated registration desk at the lobby of Manila Broadcasting Company, Sotto Street, CCP Complex, Pasay City or at Olympic World Trinoma and Alabang Town Center, as well as at Olympic Village Market Market.

For detailed enquiries, call Runners Link at mobile no.

0926.205.2787

SPARTAN Race, the world’s largest obstacle race, has finally arrived in the Philippines after much anticipation since the announcement in 2016.

From the team that brings you Spartan Race Malaysia, the inaugural Spartan Race Philippines kicks off on Sept.

16, with the Spartan Sprint— Spartan’s entry-level course suitable for all fitness ranges.

The course will span over 5km and 20 exhilarating obstacles that will put an athlete’s physical and mental endurance and

“Everybody’s got a chance to win Wimbledon and for me it’s no different. I already achieved my dream to be back here healthy. Now we’ll see how far I can go.”

But Federer did admit that winning an eighth title at Wimbledon and going past the mark he shares with Pete Sampras and William Renshaw would be a special moment.

“It would be beautiful. I would love it. I’m not the youngest any more yet I’m still putting myself out there with a chance,” he added.

Spartan finish line to glory.

“Obstacle Course racing has been on the rise in the Philippines and we’ve seen huge numbers of Filipinos heading overseas to participate in Spartan Races, so we are definitely anticipating a Sold Out first race. I’m very thrilled to announce that we are almost ready to open registration,” Spartan Race Philippines CEO Guenter Taus said.

Private registration will be extended first to those who pre–registered, followed by

a public launch in June 2017.

More information on pricing and venue will be announced shortly on the official Spartan Race Philippines social platforms and website.

“The Philippines has the most resilient culture on earth. Happy in the face of any adversity,” said Spartan CEO and Founder Joe DeSena. “We are so excited to finally be launching here and cannot wait to see the Philippines Spartan Spirit. It’s time to Spartan Up!” With more than 200 events in

more than 30 countries in 2017, Spartan Race has more than a million global participants and offers open heats for all fitness levels, as well as competitive and elite heats.

With more than five million passionate social media followers, health and wellness products, as well as a popular US television series, Spartan Race has made obstacle racing one of the fastest growing sports—and lifestyles— in the world.

Visit www.spartanrace.ph for more information.

REGISTRATION is now open for the new classes of the San Beda basketball camp’s 12th season.

Program head Edmundo Badolato said it will resume at the Mendiola and Taytay campuses starting on July 15 and will end on Sept. 2.

Classes are open to students and nonstudents alike, with sessions held every Saturday from 1 to 4 p.m.

Coaches from San Beda College and from other varsity and commercial teams will share the knowledge to the students.

Interested parties may contact Oliver Quiambao at 735-6011, local 2104, or at 0929-1971071, and through Badolato at 0908-8624543.

Fees for the eight Saturday sessions of the camp is set at P4,000. This will include a camp jersey and a ball provided by Molten.

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

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THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

Unesco to use PSC’s Children’s Games as model

By Randy Caluag THE Children’s Games, a banner feature of the Philippine Sports Institute of the Philippine Sports Commission, may become a global program.

This was after the United Educational and Scientific Organization took interest in expanding and sharing it with other members of the United Nations.

Caroline Baxter Tresise, UNESCO’s Consultant on Youth and Sport Social and Human Sciences, said the partnership is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

“We will use the Philippines as an example on how it should be done. We will align our program with the national sports policy (of the PSC). It’s a great opportunity for the Philippines to take the lead,” said Baxter.

PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez said he’s thankful that UNESCO has taken notice of the PSC’s Children’s Games for peace program held recently in Davao City and Ifugao, adding that the PSC is very glad to share the idea with other nations.

“UNESCO asked about our Children’s Games program and we told them that we have a directive from the President to pursue this program as an early peacemaking among our children, muslims and Christians,” Ramirez said. “It’s an early training for tolerance, understanding and working together.”

The PSC got an invitation to speak about the Children’s Games in next week’s Ministerial Conference for Sports to be held in Kazan, Russia.

Ramirez said he is very proud of the PSC’s brainchild and will definitely make it as the “base, strength and the heart and soul of our grassroots sports program.”

Ramirez, along with commissioners Charles Maxey and PSI national training director Marc Edward Velasco, met with 60 PSI regional and area coordinators yesterday at the Philsports in Pasig City for assessment.

With the program poised to become global, Ramirez stressed their roles in touching the lives of the children, including the out of school youth, orphans, poor and those who have lost hope in society.

Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines reacts after his defeat to Jeff Horn of Australia in their World Boxing Organisation welterweight boxing match at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. AFP

Pacquiao wants review of ‘unfair’ defeat to Horn P

HILIPPINE boxing legend Manny Pacquiao on Wednesday urged the World Boxing Organization (WBO) to review the “unfair decision and officiating” after losing his welterweight title to Australia’s Jeff Horn.

Pacquiao endorsed a formal call by the Philippines’ Games and Amusement Board for the WBO to review the outcome of Sunday’s fight in Brisbane.

“I love boxing and I don’t wanna see it dying because of unfair decision and officiating,” Pacquiao, 38, said in a statement issued by his office.

“I had already accepted the decision but as a leader and, at

the same time, fighter I have the moral obligation to uphold sportsmanship, truth and fairness in the eyes of the public,” said Pacquiao, also a sitting senator.

In the twilight of a 22-year pro career in which he won world titles in an unprecedented eight weight divisions, Pacquiao had initially called for a rematch, but later said he would

also “think hard” about retiring.

Widely written off by observers, Horn, 29, shocked Pacquiao with his ultra-aggressiveness to earn a unanimous 12-round decision.

A day after the bout, the Philippines’ sports regulatory body wrote the WBO calling for a “thorough review” on the decisions of American referee Mark Nelson and the judges.

“We are making this request for a review, which may call for sanctions on the referee and judges if so warranted, in furtherance of our mutual goal of protecting the integrity of the sport,” the board wrote.

Pacquiao attached a copy of

the letter to his own statement.

“WBO should take appropriate action on the letter sent by the Games and Amusement Board so as not to erode the people’s interest in boxing,” Pacquiao said.

The WBO on Tuesday responded to the controversy in its Twitter account.

“The discretion of a referee or judge cannot be reversed, except in a case of fraud or violation of laws which is not the case in Pac vs Horn,” the WBO said.

“The contract for Pac vs Horn provides a rematch clause, which the WBO is in accordance (with) if the promoters decide to move forward.”

While saying he respected

Javee Mocon: Dreaming big, playing hard

By Arman D. Armero A WISE man once said that the journey to a thousand miles begins with a single step, but San Beda College’s Javee Mocon is taking huge strides in achieving his own journey towards making it to the top of the basketball firmament—as a professional baller for the Philippine Basketball Association.

With only two playing years left, the 22-year-old Marketing Management student is focused on playing his best basketball in Season 93 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, which unfolds July 8.

“Two years na lang, puwede na akong magpa-draft,” Javee said, his eyes lighting up in anticipation.

Javee’s foreseeable future as a PBA player seemed set in stone, if one considers his basketball resume so far.

Formerly known as a hard-nosed defender, Javee has evolved into a reliable scorer and rebounder. Last season, for instance, Javee averaged in double figures and was instrumental in keeping the Red Lions in even keel against the Arellano Chiefs in the finals, which San Beda won.

His performance during the entire season didn’t escape the notice of the members of the UAAP-NCAA Press Corps, who named him to the Mythical Five.

But Javee didn’t stop there. In the PBA D-League finals last April, he played monster basketball, finishing with 25 points and seven rebounds to lead Cignal to the title past Racal. He was later named as Best Player of the Conference.

Javee brought his stellar performance in the pre-season Filoil-Flying V tournament, where he, along with high-scoring teammate Robert Bolick, led the Red Lions to the crown at the expense of the La Salle Green Archers.

In the coming NCAA season, Javee is again tipped to be a key component in coach Boyet Fernandez’s rotation, as the Lions embark on another journey to the championship.

But Javee is far from satisfied of his past performance. He knows there’s plenty of room for improvement, not only for the Red Lions’ sake, but because he wants to be better as he inches closer to his dream.

“Marami pa akong gusting maimprove, especially ‘yung ball handling and playmaking skills ko. Basically kasi, defensive player ako pero gusto ko ring matutunan kung paano magdala ng team,” he said.

Javee already has a template in mind in reinventing himself as a playmaker— he looks up to Jayson Castro in the PBA and Chris Paul (now with the Houston Rockets) in the NBA. He also admires former Arellano University playmaker

Jio Jalalon, now with Star in the PBA. But as a power-forward, Javee says his models are Ranidel De Ocampo of TNT and Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.

“Pareho silang mautak maglaro.

Umiiskor kung kailangang umiskor.

Magaling sa depensa pareho,” he said.

And if ever Javee makes it to the PBA (which basketball pundits say is a sure thing), he will soon get to play against and alongside former Red Lions Arthur dela Cruz, Semerad brothers David and Anthony, JP Mendoza, among others and fulfill his wish to play for his favorite Alaska team.

“Ibang klase ang Alaska. Maganda ang sistema, tulungan,” he said.

Javee has indeed come a long away from the scrawny kid who used to watch his elder brothers play basketball, to today’s determined and highly-reliable scorer and defender.

“Dati nanonood lang ako sa mga kuya ko naglalaro. Hanggang sa natuto na ako. Halos araw-araw na akong naglalaro,” said Javee, who later joined his high school varsity team in San Beda-Taytay.

Javee knows he still has a lot to prove and bigger mountains to climb, but with his talent, determination and hard work, his journey will soon lead him to the pinnacle of basketball— Mocon and beyond.

FIVE championships over the last eight conferences.

That’s what San Miguel Beer has accomplished over the last four seasons in the Philippine Basketball Association, earning them the right to be called a dynasty in this era.

Gone are the days when the franchise struggled to get over the hump despite all its talent.

Now, the Beermen have clearly

resumed their winning tradition consistently and is clearly at the top of the country’s basketball echelon.

San Miguel Beer coach Leo Austria cited the biggest factors of the Beermen’s rise to the top.

“We’re so blessed. Not only with all our blessings and championships, but also with the people that compose the team,” said Austria. “Everyone in the team is selfless and that makes us even better.”

According to the player’s coach, he is

also blessed to have such players who are willing to sacrifice personal things for the better of the team and more importantly, have the will to succeed.

“My players really want to win. In order to win, they know what it takes. I’m really blessed to have the kind of players that I have. These are players who sacrifice a lot for the team.”

Austria kept going and mentioned yet another reason why the Commissioner’s Cup champions continue to impose their will in the league.

Joy Tabal, Agravante 1st bets to see action

By Peter Atencio

Sacrifice, selflessness fuel Beermen’s dynasty

By Jeric Lopez

the fight outcome, Pacquiao had questioned the referee’s decisions and made disparaging comments about Horn.

“He’s not really good but he’s really strong,” Pacquiao said of Horn on Monday, while the Filipino’s camp criticized the referee for supposedly allowing the undefeated Australian to get away with a host of illegal tactics.

“The problem here is that the referee, I don’t know if he did it deliberately or he just did not have experience, he just allowed it and did not even give any warning for how many times,” Pacquiao said.

“It’s as if the referee wanted to help my opponent.”

“I also think our versatility as a team has a lot to do with it. We can go to June Mar (Fajardo) and work from there or we can also go to our wing players and they deliver. That’s a big advantage for us plus our ability to defend as well. Sa team na ito, marami talagang sacrificing lahat,” Austria said.

Now, San Miguel Beer has a golden opportunity to further cement its status as a dynasty as it goes for Grandslam in the season-concluding Governors’ Cup starting on July 19.

OLYMPIAN Mary Joy Tabal and Jeson Agravante will be among first to see action in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Kumpur.

The men’s and women’s marathon competition will start on Aug. 19 with Tabal seeking to improve on the silver medal finish that she achieved the last time around in Singapore.

A clocking that is better than the time of 3 hours, 4 minutes and 39 seconds is expected of her.

That’s after Tabal broke her own record by posting her time of 2:47:49 last December in the 40th Milo National Marathon last December.

Her Milo Marathon clocking is even better than the 3:03:25 of Natthaya Thanaronnawat when the Thai won the gold in the Singapore SEA Games.

Tabal had been training in Italy and recently won a medal in the 2017 Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend half marathon in recordbreaking time last May. Agravante, who clocked 2:35:13 in the Milo Nationals, is expected to be within the range of the time of 2015 SEA Games bronze medallist Hoàng Nguyên Thanh of Vietnam (2:37:10).

Last month, Tabal was allowed to rejoin the Philippine Athletics team to the Kuala Lumpur Games.

The 27-year-old Cebuana got the green light after the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association granted her request to be reinstated.

Tabal is returning to the national team for the third time.

Business

Ruling on Meralco out in 3 months B3

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

Ang gets majority of BMW importer

JOLLIBEE’S 1,000TH BRANCH.

Jollibee Foods Corp. opens its 1,000th branch at BGC Triangle Drive in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. The new branch features the latest modern tropical design concept that’s expected to appeal to customers of all ages.

Shown during the opening of the branch with the Jollibee mascot are (from left) Jollibee brand ambassador and actress Anne Curtis, head of marketing Francis Flores and Metro south regional business unit head Rose Caalam.

Manny Palmero

By Darwin G. Amojelar BUSINESSMAN Ramon Ang is expected to sign an agreement this month to acquire a majority stake in Asian Carmakers Corp., the exclusive importer and distributor of BMW vehicles in the Philippines.

“I have been invited by [Palawan] Governor Jose ‘Pepito’ Alvarez to join the company.

We are finalizing the entry, maybe this month,” Ang, the president of San Miguel Corp., told reporters during the launch of BMW 5 Series in Taguig City Tuesday night.

ACC is a wholly-owned Filipino company under the Alvarez Group of Companies chaired by Alvarez.

Alvarez told reporters they were still finalizing the transaction. “I want him to be majority [owner]. I want him to take it all but he wants me to stay,” Alvarez said.

“He is a good man into a good brand. The brand needs him because of his huge network,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez said he was willing to sell more than 50 percent of ACC to Ang. He did not give the value of the transaction, but the enterprise value of ACC is P2.5 billion.

BMW has the widest dealership network in the luxury vehicle segment in the Philippines, with eight fill service dealer facilities nationwide.

These are AutoAllee BMW in Eton Centris, North Edsa; Autohaus BMW in Quezon City; Motor Ventures BMW in Alabang; Prestige Cars BMW in Makati; Premier Cars BMW in Pampanga; Autobahn BMW in Bacolod; Autowelt BMW in Cebu; and Premium Motoren BMW in Cagayan de Oro. ACC also has a growing motorcycle business with BMW Motorrad. Its network currently includes four dealers including BMW in Quezon City, Premier Cars BMW in Pampanga, Autobahn BMW in Bacolod and Premium Motoren in Cagayan de Oro.

Moodys: Martial law to undermine growth

By Julito G. Rada

G

LOBAL debt watcher Moody’s Investors Service said Wednesday it expects the Philippine economy to sustain its robust growth, but warned that a nationwide imposition of martial rule, which is currently in effect over Mindanao, will undermine expansion.

Moody’s vice president and senior credit officer Christian de Guzman said in a news briefing in Makati City that the Marawi conflict in Mindanao would not have any significant impact on gross domestic product growth.

“We have a higher assessment of political risks such as the Marawi conflict and the imposition of martial law in Mindanao.

But so far, the increase in po-

litical risks have not undermined the reform agenda of the government,” de Guzman said.

He said even if the conflict dragged longer, it would not have a big effect on economic growth because Marawi, and even the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, contributed less than 1 percent to GDP. “We see that the declaration of martial law nationwide will

undermine economic growth, although we do not see this happening because it will have an impact on investors’ confidence,” de Guzman said.

He said the Philippine economy would expand 6.5 this year, before accelerating further by 6.8 percent in 2018. First-quarter growth was registered at 6.4 percent, slower than 6.8 percent a year ago and 6.6 percent in the fourth quarter.

The Duterte administration put the entire Mindanao island under martial law in May after heavy fighting broke out in Marawi between government troops and extremist Muslims believed to be supporters of Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The declaration of martial law was aimed to contain the spread of violence outside the city.

De Guzman said the Philippine

economy would continue outperforming similarly-rated peers as domestic demand remained robust and provided a buffer against external shocks.

“The Philippines’ growth is stronger than its Baa2 peers...

We expect continued outperformance versus similarly-rated peers,” de Guzman said.

Moody’s maintained its Baa2 investment grade rating and stable outlook for the Philippines. It said the affirmation of the rating balanced positive and negative factors.

Moody’s said on the positive side, it expected the country’s economic performance to remain strong while debt consolidation would continue and foster further convergence of key fiscal metrics versus corresponding peer medians.

June inflation softened to 5-month low of 2.8%

ENDERUN COLLEGES ACQUISITION. Udenna Corp., the holding company of businessman Dennis Uy, finalizes the acquisition of Enderun Colleges Inc. in Fort Bonifacio, Taguig, foraying deeper in a sector crucial to developing the country’s human capital and strengthening the Philippine economy. Shown is Uy (second row, fourth from left), together with the founders and leadership team of Enderun Colleges after the signing of the agreement.

INFLATION rate decelerated to a five-month low of 2.8 percent in June from 3.1 percent in May and this year’s peak of 3.4 percent in April, on lower food, transport and fuel prices, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority show.

The June inflation was the slowest since it settled at 2.7 percent in January 2017. This brought the average inflation in the first half to 3.1 percent, slightly higher than the midpoint of the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for the year.

The June inflation was lower than market expectations of 3 percent, and within the government’s target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. This was also within the target range announced last week by former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. of 2.4 percent to 3.2 percent.

Bangko Sentral Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr., who succeeded Tetangco on Monday,

said the June inflation was a welcome news but not unexpected. “The further deceleration in inflation in June is in line with our forecast. The lower inflation is partly driven by lower fuel prices and power rates,” he said.

“This validation gives us the space to carefully consider our policy options with respect to fine-tuning deployment of our monetary instruments to further the market-based development of the domestic financial market,” Espenilla said.

The PSA said indices of some commodity groups registered lower annual gains during the month. These are food and non-alcoholic beverages (3.5 percent); clothing and footwear, housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels, household equipment (2.1 percent); transport (2.3 percent); furnishing, household equipment and maintenance of the house (2.3 percent). Julito G. Rada

Civil Service Commission junks complaint vs ERC chairman THE Civil Service Commission has dismissed the complaints filed by four commissioners of the Energy Regulatory Commission against chairman and chief executive Jose Vicente Salazar over appointments made in the agency for lack of jurisdiction over the case.

Commissioners Josefina Patricia Magpale-Asirit, Alfredo Non, Gloria Victoria Yap-Taruc and Geronimo Sta. Ana alleged in April that Salazar violated the

B1

Electric Power Industry Reform Act, Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 and a CSC order in carrying out an agency revamp that saw the designation of Ronaldo Gomez as OIC-executive director.

Prior to the designation, Gomez was the chief energy regulatory officer at ERC’s Mindanao field office and had served the agency for seven years. It was also the start of a wide-ranging reorganization at ERC, with three senior service directors

reshuffled along with other unit heads.

In their complaint before the CSC, the four commissioners cited EO 172, which created the Energy Regulatory Board―the predecessor of ERC, as the basis for their position.

Salazar maintained that his exclusive power to appoint and overall responsibility for ERC’s operations and performance were founded on Section 38 of Epira, which vested the ERC chairman

as CEO of the commission. EO 172 does not contain this specific provision while Epira invalidates any legal provision that is inconsistent with its specific mandates.

The CSC, in Order No. 170221 issued on June 9, cited the Revised Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service in dismissing the complaints against Salazar. Section 7, Paragraph A of RRACCS, excludes presidential appointees from CSC jurisdiction.

Also referring to Section 38 of Epira, the order signed by CSC assistant commissioner Ariel Ronquillo said: “The above provision is clear in stating that the ERC chairman is a presidential appointee. That being the case, any disciplinary administrative case filed against him cannot be taken cognizance by the commission. Necessarily, the instant complaints filed against Salazar must be dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.”

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, July 5, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

50.5390

Japan

0.008829

0.4462

Yen

UK

Pound

1.292400

65.3166

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128090

6.4735

Switzerland

Franc

1.035947

52.3557

Canada

Dollar

0.773096

39.0715

Singapore

Dollar

0.723327

36.5562

Australia

Dollar

0.760000

38.4096

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651816

134.0201

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266681

13.4778

Brunei

Dollar

0.720721

36.4245

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.029403

1.4860

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.7611

Euro

Euro

1.134900

57.3567

Korea

Won

0.000870

0.0440

China

Yuan

0.147048

7.4317

India

Rupee

0.015438

0.7802

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.232775

11.7642

New Zealand

Dollar

0.728800

36.8328

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032778

1.6566 Source: PDS Bridge

IN BRIEF Phinma to develop 45-MW solar plant

PHINMA Energy Corp. said Tuesday it plans to develop a 45-megawatt solar power plant in Bugallon, Pangasinan that will further diversify the company’s portfolio.

Phinma Energy said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it received a service contract from the Energy Department granting it exclusive right to explore, develop and utilize the solar energy resource in a 648-hectare area in Bugallon town, Pangasinan.

“Bugallon is our first venture into solar energy, and this service contract is in time for the opportunities created by the Renewable Portfolio Standards,” said Phinma Energy president and chief executive Francisco Viray.

Pre-development activities such as yield assessment, environmental impact study and system impact study are underway and are expected to be completed within the year, the company said.

Phinma Energy hopes to construct a 45-MW solar plant in the service contract area which carries a 25year term, extendable for another 25 years. Alena Mae S. Flores

PPA plans to upgrade Davao’s Malalag port

STATE-RUN Philippine Ports Authority said Wednesday it plans to upgrade the Malalag port in Davao del Sur to meet international standards after it took over the management and operations of the port terminal.

The PPA and the local government of Malalag formalized the transfer through a memorandum of agreement signed by mayor Peter Paul Valentin and PPA general manager Jay Daniel Santiago in June.

Santiago said the local government unit of Malalag in Davao del Sur yielded the operations of the port to the PPA to give the terminal the much-needed facelift.

The port remained underdeveloped since it was devolved to the LGU in May 2000.

“With PPA now at the helm, much bigger infrastructure development for the terminal is in the offing to spur economic growth not only in Malalag but play a vital role in the economic boom in the province of Davao del Sur,” Santiago said.

“The mayor already agreed to the proposed development of Malalag port, which will start at the end of this year, with an initial cost of P500 million,” he said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

B2

Business

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Globe says posh village has poor mobile signal

By Darwin G. Amojelar GLOBE Telecom Inc. said more than half of households in Dasmariñas Village in Makati City have no decent mobile coverage because of the continued resistance of some homeowners preventing the rollout of telco services in the area.

Globe said that based on a coverage map, only about 44 percent of the residents in the area were able to get good mobile signal, while the remaining 56 percent had no decent mobile coverage.

The company said residents in Dasmariñas who opposed the use of outdoor distributed antenna system were violating the rights of other residents. In June 2016, the UN Human Rights council declared that internet access is now a basic human

right.

“These people who oppose ODAS in Dasmariñas should be considerate of other residents’ need for connectivity and reliable mobile services within their villages and allow telecommunication operators like Globe to improve mobile services with the installation of additional equipment and infrastructure such as ODAS, cell sites and fiber optic cables,” Globe said.

Globe said it acquired an approval from the Dasmariñas Village Association Inc. to use ODAS technology within the village in 2012. Globe said in April this year, it again obtained the consent to renew the operation of its ODAS network for a five-year period, but some residents continued to oppose the use of Globe Telecom’s ODAS network.

Market bounces back; Century, Wilcon climb

S

tocks bounced back Wednesday, as early jitters over North Korea’s latest saber-rattling gave way to bargain-buying following the previous day’s loss.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 14 points, or 0.2 percent, to close at 7,848.84, as all six major sectors advanced.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also rose 15 points, or 0.3 percent, to settle at 4,712.70, on a value turnover of P6.5 billion. Advancers outnumbered losers, 114 to 87,

while 43 issues were unchanged.

Eleven of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led

by Century Properties Group Inc. which jumped 8.8 percent to P0.62 and Wilcon Depot Inc. which climbed 6.1 percent to P8.48. East West Banking Corp. went up 4.2 percent to P31.95.

Meanwhile, Asian stocks climbed as demand for haven assets ebbed even while geopo-

litical concerns remained in the wake of North Korea’s missile launch. European shares edged lower.

Traders ran for the sidelines in the morning after Washington confirmed that Pyongyang had for the first time tested a missile capable of reaching the United States, ratcheting up pressure on the already tense Korean peninsula.

But in the afternoon the selling and rush for safe-haven assets such as the Japanese yen reversed.

By the close Tokyo was up 0.3 percent, while Seoul also added 0.3 percent and Singapore jumped 0.8 percent.

Hong Kong gained 0.5 percent in late trade after diving 1.5 percent Tuesday, and Shanghai ended 0.8 percent up.

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, JULY 5, 2017

NAME

OPEN

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.97 62,000 56.55 53,440 103.8 1,690,530 123.1 671,070 1.29 51,000 36.65 132,900 16.1 16,200 31.95 5,761,800 0.67 2,000 1.79 162,000 830 760 0.69 4,852,000 87.85 3,791,390 0.92 739,000 15.5 113,100 26 8,100 66.7 138,820 254 1,440 121 1,430 90 1,430 57.6 125,460 219.4 319,260 1,620 115 85.2 28,650 1.41 181,000

244,980 3,006,346 175,482,222 82,442,417 65,290 4,870,100 262,226 182,721,400 1,340 292,910 630,800 3,351,810 331,770,950.50 670,560 1,773,058 210,600 9,200,273.50 368,476 171,820 127,282.50 7,191,529.50 70,048,740 186,460 2,440,864.50 252,010

2,079,445 -24,332,843 -24,703,829 586,920 -64,800 13,872,955 -4,249,079.50 8,824,585.00 1,442,876.50 -41,907,590 63,995.50 -

39 8.47 0.81 1.44 30.3 0.275 96.1 7.1 18.2 27.3 14.14 70 1.92 5.27 11.8 12.22 15.76 10.04 7.72 6 1.68 18.56 70 15.1 13.28 14.1 1.64 207 3.55 3.43 31.75 19.12 18.06 265.4 0.242 7.32 3.18 9.85 6.55 10.38 1.91 10.1 67.6 6.38 308.2 4.4 2.06 4.99 2.31 13.66 4.48 0.146 1.35 162 2.04 30.4 1.03

INDUSTRIAL 39.55 2,820,200 8.8 5,062,200 0.83 1,172,000 1.48 7,370,000 30.9 51,400 0.28 10,920,000 105.6 20 7.11 3,193,100 18.4 2,251,500 28 1,724,000 14.14 900 70 18,800 1.97 411,000 5.3 90,000 11.98 6,300 12.3 1,609,300 15.78 2,115,800 10.04 543,800 7.88 3,098,200 6.07 12,507,600 1.7 3,000 18.68 1,115,100 70.2 118,170 15.1 24,500 13.62 2,014,600 14.64 4,116,400 1.7 1,218,000 208 180,240 3.99 874,000 3.6 18,000 31.9 2,529,200 19.16 847,000 18.06 2,928,200 267.2 568,140 0.25 1,040,000 7.32 202,300 3.18 11,000 9.93 1,152,700 6.8 199,100 10.38 7,000 1.94 2,829,000 10.18 1,784,500 69.2 2,100,930 6.71 332,900 308.2 11,450 4.44 26,000 2.06 1,000 5.01 593,600 2.34 1,071,000 14.02 3,336,700 4.5 1,204,000 0.146 200,000 1.37 274,000 163.7 312,780 2.1 8,132,000 30.95 25,200 1.03 86,000

111,142,940 44,346,715 967,180 10,727,430 1,593,285 3,065,050 2,017 22,718,217 41,379,948 47,800,660 12,750 1,327,188.50 796,700 476,400 74,450 19,772,838 33,512,574 5,489,984 24,352,900 75,908,512 5,080 20,775,886 8,279,101 369,960 27,037,180 59,550,788 2,044,190 37,450,966 3,345,620 63,710 80,689,895 16,294,032 53,207,632 151,762,312 257,510 1,482,793 35,120 11,413,379 1,334,540 72,668 5,438,950 18,180,694 143,304,113.50 2,228,320 3,549,150 114,640 2,060 3,016,296 2,530,150 46,701,736 5,441,030 29,200 376,770 51,044,483 16,852,880 785,835 88,580

-9,897,170 1,536,619 4,100 -7,539,930 14,000 -11,950,763 15,870,968.00 -9,685,990 -887,551.50 1,198 3,705,650 -159,000 -325,756 7,698,818 5,163,774 11,299,750 -981,437.00 3,020 -17,745,918 11,560,578 234,350 -6,971,752 82,970 -14,400 69,388,845 -5,627,542 -8,629,470 -49,406,736 3,729,001 -784,360 748,494 5,203,869.50 -1,409,610 -2,189,658 26,400 11,800 -4,109,704 177,040 -6,929,525 487,850 59,900 -

0.375 75.9 14.32 1.28 6.5 0.345 0.35 860 8.29 14.54 7.77 0.204 1,210 7.8 81.3 7.95 0.99 7.17 15.48 6.43 0.054 1.29 2.28 103.1 2.7 793.5 0.89 1.47 304 0.29 0.223

0.365 75.2 14.1 1.27 6.5 0.335 0.335 851 7.95 14.42 7.73 0.194 1,196 7.54 79.8 6.24 0.97 7.15 15.28 6.4 0.053 1.11 2.19 102.2 2.63 789 0.89 1.43 301.8 0.285 0.22

HOLDING FIRMS 0.365 120,000 75.9 1,315,460 14.18 5,016,600 1.27 24,000 6.5 11,500 0.335 2,370,000 0.35 710,000 860 316,240 8.27 3,724,400 14.5 12,356,500 7.74 90,900 0.194 40,000 1,210 74,200 7.8 36,000 80.2 1,034,380 6.9 991,800 0.97 5,521,000 7.17 421,800 15.3 5,678,000 6.43 11,380,400 0.054 29,520,000 1.16 622,000 2.25 1,565,000 103.1 83,490 2.7 4,000 791.5 348,440 0.89 15,000 1.47 869,000 304 5,040 0.29 1,010,000 0.22 60,000

44,200 99,601,138.50 71,126,936 30,620 74,750 805,450 239,350 271,422,840 30,573,809 178,988,716 704,682 7,980 89,362,355 273,426 82,940,975.50 7,154,154 5,396,920 3,024,018 86,918,134 73,135,732 1,572,690 735,880 3,499,050 8,598,840 10,590 275,676,795 13,350 1,260,480 1,529,140 288,100 13,230

11,665,210.50 -8,751,124 104,505,230 6,697,656 36,710,728 -1,960.00 -4,888,035 31,471,758 9,768 -569,839 -3,175,242 -14,743,990 -24,660 -820,184 -25,916,290 -

6.3 1.34 6.4 2.52 1.17 40.1 3.98 5.47 5.27 0.63 1.14 1.51 0.19 0.52 47.7 0.79 0.158 1.72 1.37 1.06 4.62 0.39

6.1 1.29 6.4 2.48 1.13 39.6 3.91 5.35 5.27 0.57 1.13 1.47 0.184 0.5 46.5 0.72 0.155 1.67 1.27 1.03 4.46 0.38

3,694,137 11,178,810 1,280 878,830 10,920,560 235,446,965 4,422,560 28,959,036 938,060 166,453,730 297,110 1,817,210 1,082,720 974,130 23,107,525 22,886,580 62,760 15,143,410 70,789,350 893,520 88,756,620 21,695,550

-3,325,634 -33,100 39,820.00 -99,743,515 -647,250 -3,102,383 -932,790.00 -42,075,440.00 185,000 -204,000 -8,335,770 -7,474,000 -9,459,470 -436,350 3,120 23,792,100 -79,500

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE 3.96 ASIA UNITED 56.3 BANK PH ISLANDS 104.2 BDO UNIBANK 123.8 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.28 CHINABANK 36.6 COL FINANCIAL 16.2 EAST WEST BANK 31 FIRST ABACUS 0.67 IREMIT 1.89 MANULIFE 830 MEDCO HLDG 0.7 METROBANK 87.25 NTL REINSURANCE 0.9 PB BANK 15.5 PBCOM 26 PHIL NATL BANK 65.9 PHIL STOCK EXCH 253.2 PHILTRUST 120 PSBANK 88.95 RCBC 58 SECURITY BANK 217 SUN LIFE 1,620 UNION BANK 85.15 VANTAGE 1.4

3.97 56.55 104.2 123.8 1.29 36.7 16.2 32.35 0.67 1.89 830 0.7 87.85 0.93 15.7 26 66.7 259 127 90 58 221 1,622 85.2 1.41

3.93 55.7 103.5 122.1 1.28 36.6 16.1 30.85 0.67 1.79 830 0.69 87 0.89 15.5 26 65.2 253.2 120 88.95 56.8 215 1,620 85.15 1.37

ABOITIZ POWER 39 AGRINURTURE 8.9 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.82 ALSONS CONS 1.46 ASIABEST GROUP 31.35 BASIC ENERGY 0.28 BOGO MEDELLIN 96.1 CEMEX HLDG 7.11 CENTURY FOOD 18.4 CIRTEK HLDG 28 CNTRL AZUCARERA14.22 CONCEPCION 80 CROWN ASIA 1.95 DAVINCI CAPITAL 5.3 DEL MONTE 12 DNL INDUS 12.24 EAGLE CEMENT 15.9 EEI CORP 10.2 EMPERADOR 7.77 ENERGY DEVT 6 EUROMED 1.68 FIRST GEN 18.56 FIRST PHIL HLDG 70.1 GINEBRA 15.1 HOLCIM 13.28 INTEGRATED MICR 14.28 IONICS 1.65 JOLLIBEE 208 LMG CHEMICALS 3.66 MABUHAY VINYL 3.43 MANILA WATER 31.9 MAXS GROUP 19.12 MEGAWIDE 18.26 MERALCO 267.4 MG HLDG 0.242 PANASONIC 7.33 PEPSI COLA 3.19 PETRON 9.9 PHIL H2O 6.7 PHINMA 10.42 PHINMA ENERGY 1.91 PHX PETROLEUM 10.22 PILIPINAS SHELL 67.6 PRYCE CORP 7.04 PUREFOODS 311 RFM CORP 4.4 ROXAS AND CO 2.06 ROXAS HLDG 5.05 SFA SEMICON 2.38 SHAKEYS PIZZA 13.8 SPC POWER 4.5 SWIFT FOODS 0.146 TKC METALS 1.35 UNIV ROBINA 162.5 VITARICH 2.06 VIVANT 32.05 VULCAN INDL 1.03

39.55 9.05 0.83 1.48 31.5 0.29 105.6 7.15 18.46 28.15 14.22 80 1.97 5.3 12 12.34 15.9 10.2 7.91 6.08 1.7 18.7 70.3 15.12 13.68 14.64 1.71 208.2 3.99 3.6 32 19.42 18.48 267.6 0.25 7.44 3.2 9.93 6.82 10.42 1.94 10.24 69.2 7.05 311 4.44 2.06 5.2 2.4 14.22 4.6 0.146 1.39 163.7 2.1 32.05 1.03

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

0.375 75.9 14.32 1.28 6.5 0.335 0.335 855 7.95 14.5 7.77 0.204 1,200 7.54 81.3 6.24 0.99 7.17 15.3 6.41 0.054 1.29 2.19 103 2.63 791 0.89 1.46 303.8 0.285 0.223

8990 HLDG 6.3 A BROWN 1.33 ANCHOR LAND 6.4 ARANETA PROP 2.5 ARTHALAND CORP 1.17 AYALA LAND 39.95 BELLE CORP 3.92 CEB LANDMASTERS 5.44 CEBU HLDG 5.27 CENTURY PROP 0.58 CITY AND LAND 1.13 CITYLAND DEVT 1.5 CROWN EQUITIES 0.185 CYBER BAY 0.5 DOUBLEDRAGON 47.7 EMPIRE EAST 0.72 EVER GOTESCO 0.157 FILINVEST LAND 1.71 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.27 IRC PROP 1.04 MEGAWORLD 4.6 MRC ALLIED 0.39

VOLUME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

0.36 0.64 4.19 25 1.77 3.24 33.3 1.05 7.29 0.95 6

0.35 0.62 4.05 24.35 1.73 3.2 32.95 1.01 6.53 0.88 5.88

0.36 0.64 4.12 24.5 1.75 3.24 33.05 1.05 7.29 0.94 6

1,370,000 7,476,000 1,023,000 8,139,900 16,000 393,000 4,907,200 9,453,000 6,500 4,822,000 4,840,500

483,550 4,717,330 4,214,450 198,758,495 27,840 1,257,720 162,067,110 9,823,120 45,433 4,490,600 28,861,457

201,600 5,431,155 22,306,345 -102,400 -10,597,265

2GO GROUP 25.05 ABS CBN 42.35 ACESITE HOTEL 1.65 APC GROUP 0.495 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.044 BERJAYA 5.36 BLOOMBERRY 9.65 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.085 CEBU AIR 95.35 CENTRO ESCOLAR 9.9 DFNN INC 8.62 FAR EASTERN U 970 GLOBE TELECOM 2,050 GMA NETWORK 6.21 GOLDEN HAVEN 15.6 HARBOR STAR 3.03 IMPERIAL 3.39 INTL CONTAINER 96.95 IPM HLDG 8.75 ISLAND INFO 0.185 ISM COMM 1.46 JACKSTONES 3.5 LBC EXPRESS 15.7 LEISURE AND RES 4.4 LORENZO SHIPPNG 1.92 MACROASIA 7.55 MANILA BULLETIN 0.64 MANILA JOCKEY 2.22 MELCO RESORTS 9 METRO RETAIL 5 MLA BRDCASTING 14.4 NOW CORP 2.62 PACIFIC ONLINE 11.48 PAL HLDG 5.19 PAXYS 2.89 PHIL SEVEN CORP 185 PHILWEB 11 PLDT 1,770 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.56 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.395 PUREGOLD 44.8 ROBINSONS RTL 87.85 SBS PHIL CORP 6.1 SSI GROUP 4.16 STI HLDG 1.66 TRAVELLERS 3.59 WATERFRONT 0.87 WILCON DEPOT 8.01

25.85 42.5 1.65 0.5 0.044 5.58 9.9 0.088 96.45 9.9 8.7 970 2,080 6.22 15.64 3.09 3.39 97.45 8.75 0.187 1.57 3.52 16.34 4.64 1.92 7.72 0.64 2.27 9.11 5.08 14.5 2.63 11.5 5.19 2.9 185 11.16 1,775 1.56 0.41 45 88 6.17 4.17 1.69 3.71 0.89 8.5

24.5 42.15 1.56 0.495 0.043 5.36 9.53 0.085 95.35 9.8 8.6 970 2,040 6.2 15.56 2.92 3.38 96 8.75 0.184 1.46 3.45 15.7 4.37 1.82 7.35 0.62 2.2 8.88 4.85 14 2.61 11.48 5.19 2.87 180 10.92 1,750 1.54 0.395 44.7 87.8 6.02 4.08 1.52 3.56 0.84 7.95

SERVICES 25 986,800 42.3 25,800 1.58 418,000 0.5 560,000 0.043 43,900,000 5.5 9,700 9.84 18,906,400 0.087 15,580,000 96.45 150,300 9.8 2,000 8.65 1,692,600 970 490 2,080 6,750 6.21 549,800 15.62 17,300 2.92 1,933,000 3.38 24,000 96.85 2,016,000 8.75 317,100 0.185 5,940,000 1.47 7,435,000 3.51 62,000 15.72 4,800 4.61 5,159,000 1.86 1,090,000 7.49 1,288,000 0.62 821,000 2.27 105,000 8.99 3,741,000 5.05 13,882,000 14.5 5,500 2.62 822,000 11.5 6,200 5.19 2,800 2.87 37,000 180 1,440 11 1,487,100 1,767 96,690 1.56 2,671,000 0.395 4,720,000 44.95 192,200 87.85 991,780 6.1 841,300 4.09 5,576,000 1.6 85,135,000 3.71 15,298,000 0.87 13,375,000 8.48 28,117,500

24,787,900 1,091,165 657,930 277,250 1,891,500 53,064 183,951,173 1,349,340 14,415,629 19,700 14,617,662 475,300 13,989,300 3,415,176 270,274 5,787,100 81,320 195,145,781.50 2,774,625 1,093,640 11,386,150 217,220 75,518 23,441,980 2,019,720 9,763,056 516,320 232,770 33,614,951 69,753,490 78,290 2,150,470 71,280 14,532 107,080 259,376 16,413,408 170,671,495 4,144,950 1,887,250 8,638,450 87,159,631 5,132,013 22,965,190 137,782,170 56,204,490 11,530,020 233,984,044

-2,204,445 17,400 53,550,146 -5,116,590 6,893,700 1,926,550 6,100 -98,439,221 -32,430 -310,390 -232,196 5,112,400 -15,596,260 49,780 -84,100 -252,050 -8,006,474 -83,539,265 -468,000 721,415 -40,628,088.50 61,000 565,930 10,922,220 3,223,040 -360,500 -30,767,670

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

0.003 1.72 5.37 14.78 2.09 0.96 0.39 8.85 2.6 0.29 0.178 0.011 0.011 1.98 6.56 2.04 0.66 1.01 0.011 0.01 7.3 0.012 2.7 8.9 3 160.2

0.003 1.74 5.47 14.96 2.12 0.96 0.39 8.9 2.6 0.29 0.182 0.011 0.011 1.98 6.7 2.04 0.67 1.01 0.011 0.01 7.45 0.013 2.74 9.02 3.11 160.2

0.0029 1.7 5.18 14.78 2.09 0.94 0.385 8.55 2.54 0.285 0.178 0.01 0.011 1.89 6.47 1.97 0.64 0.97 0.011 0.01 7.16 0.012 2.7 8.9 2.98 159.9

MINING & OIL 0.0029 494,000,000 1.73 2,485,000 5.39 114,500 14.96 3,100 2.12 34,000 0.96 1,334,000 0.385 660,000 8.75 9,100 2.59 2,277,000 0.285 180,000 0.179 1,040,000 0.01 46,300,000 0.011 2,000,000 1.97 246,000 6.7 4,579,700 2.03 492,000 0.66 1,669,000 1 226,000 0.011 300,000 0.01 100,000 7.16 71,900 0.012 7,100,000 2.72 95,000 9.02 232,000 3.03 2,579,000 160.1 1,006,260

1,433,500 4,270,480 607,359 45,844 71,960 1,271,930 255,250 79,760 5,862,780 51,350 187,040 481,900 22,000 473,680 30,304,602 975,970 1,090,910 223,050 3,300 1,000 519,038 85,300 258,510 2,089,272 7,882,150 161,046,722

287,180 9,600 68,250 -898,490 -2,900 -1,996,695 99,000 566,400 112,850 42,165,538

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A LR PREF MWIDE PREF PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

41.75 515 523 105 520 6.05 1,010 1.06 108.5 1,018 105.5 113.5 76.9 81.1 79.05 80 78.5 78.9 78.5

42 515 523 105.7 525 6.06 1,010 1.06 108.5 1,018 106 113.5 76.9 82 79.05 80.5 78.5 79 78.5

41.6 514.5 523 105 520 6.05 1,002 1.06 108.5 1,015 105.5 113.4 76.5 81 79 80 78.5 78.05 76.55

PREFERRED 41.6 2,800 514.5 250 523 330 105.7 35,240 525 120 6.05 2,087,300 1,002 40 1.06 120,000 108.5 100 1,015 5,010 106 2,080 113.4 1,110 76.5 1,480 82 12,340 79 13,000 80.5 14,890 78.5 8,000 79 69,720 78.5 81,020

116,800 128,675 172,590 3,712,472 62,500 12,628,175 40,240 127,200 10,850 5,085,290 220,440 125,884 113,582 1,005,750 1,027,125 1,194,395 628,000 5,474,729 6,264,835

21,045 5,269,540 680,000 2,017,600.00

LR WARRANT

2.35

2.5

2.35

WARRANTS 2.48 1,542,000

3,764,280

-

3.97 5.92 9.07

3.9 5.77 8.6

SME 3.95 5.89 8.6

1,156,870 231,182 69,082,252

-8,030,386

118.2

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 117.8 118.2 2,670

315,266

89,830

NAME

OPEN

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

0.355 0.64 4.06 24.4 1.73 3.21 32.95 1.02 6.53 0.88 6

MS

PROPERTY 6.1 604,000 1.3 8,533,000 6.4 200 2.52 353,000 1.13 9,603,000 39.9 5,902,300 3.98 1,123,000 5.41 5,349,300 5.27 178,000 0.62 276,981,000 1.13 261,000 1.48 1,224,000 0.185 5,830,000 0.51 1,910,000 47.3 490,900 0.76 30,469,000 0.156 400,000 1.68 8,968,000 1.35 53,101,000 1.06 856,000 4.55 19,649,000 0.385 56,500,000

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

3.97 5.81 8.8

FIRST METRO ETF 118

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

VALUE

FINANCIAL

18,907,383

877,846,399.88

INDUSTRIAL

96,472,396

1,226,132,283.61

HOLDING FIRMS

91,822,241

1,545,647,089.09

PROPERTY

530,783,943

1,128,920,764.70

SERVICES

289,826,331

1,393,161,517.97

MINING & OIL

569,145,573

219,616,165.93

GRAND TOTAL

1,605,137,582

6,462,110,618.68

296,000 39,600 7,841,400

FINANCIAL 1,938.75 (up) 1.43 INDUSTRIAL 11,104.45 (up) 59.26 HOLDING FIRMS 7,872.97 (up) 21.12 PROPERTY 3,632.91 (up) 3.06 SERVICES 1,693.14 (up) 5.19 MINING & OIL 12,648.84 (up) 9.28 PSEI 7,848.84 (up) 14.88 All Shares Index 4,712.70 (up) 15.80 Gainers: 114; Losers: 87; Unchanged: 43; Total: 244

However Sydney finished 0.4 percent off while Wellington and Jakarta also edged down.

Despite the gains, dealers remain on edge and are now awaiting the next development after Russia and China issued a joint appeal to ease tensions while the United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting later in the day.

The test came just as the US was preparing to celebrate Independence Day and days before a G20 summit, where it will likely top the agenda.

It was the latest provocation by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un who is determined to develop a nuclear weapons program he says is needed to ward off invasion.

South Korea and the US on Wednesday launched a barrage of missiles simulating a precision strike against Pyongyang, in response to the provocation.

“Traders and investors may be wondering what reaction this latest missile test will get,” said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader.

Traders were given few leads with European markets slightly down and Wall Street closed for the July 4 holiday.

Tech firms saw some much needed buying after suffering a recent sell-off as global central banks consider tightening monetary policy.

With Bloomberg, AFP

Udenna acquires Enderun Colleges

By Jenniffer B. Austria UDENNA Corp. of Davaobased businessman Dennis Uy finalized the acquisition of premier private school Enderun Colleges Inc. for an undisclosed amount.

Udenna said in a statement the acquisition of Enderun was a part of its overall growth strategy to develop the country’s human capital and strengthen the Philippine economy.

“Our acquisition of Enderun Colleges comes at an opportune time,”Uy said.

“It supports our aggressive expansion in industries vital to the Philippine economy’s further growth.”

“Enderun Colleges provides us another opportunity to support the Philippine economy’s growth. We believe that quality education and skills training are what make our human capital more productive and competitive,” Uy said.

Udenna will retain the corporate management and school administration of Enderun Colleges. It will work closely with the college’s founders to ensure a smooth, efficient and successful transfer of ownership.

“We are committed to the mission of Enderun Colleges to equip students with the academic training, professional competencies and character necessary for success in the global workplace,” Uy said.

Prior to acquiring Enderun Colleges, the company invested in a maritime training school to support its shipping and logistics businesses.

Enderun Colleges was established in 2005, with its main campus located on a 1.8-hectare property in Fort Bonifacio. The Enderun campus now houses six buildings and can accommodate an additional 8,200 square meters of classroom space.

The school initially focused its academic programs around hospitality management and culinary arts. In 2009, it expanded its course offerings to include business administration, entrepreneurship and economics.

Business

B3

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Ruling on Meralco out in 3 months

By Alena Mae S. Flores

T

HE Energy Regulatory Commission plans to reach a decision on the request of Manila Electric Co. to approve power supply agreements with seven generators within three months.

ERC commissioners Josefina Asirit, Alfredo Non and Geronimo Sta. Ana vowed to make a ruling within the period, but commissioner Gloria Yap-Taruc said it would be hard to give a timeline.

“We will try because during hearings sometimes there are

things that we can’t control... to the extent that we can,” Non, who is currently ERC’s officerin-charge, said.

Asirit raised the possibility of issuing the decision during the period but could not say if Meralco’s applications would be approved.

Meralco in April last year signed 3,551 megawatts of supply agreements with seven power generators, accounting for 81 percent of their combined capacity of 4,384 MW. Meralco signed the agreements were signed before the the implementation of the competitive selection process, or CSP, which requires distributors to hold a bidding for their supply requirements, a move that drew flak from various groups.

Non said the ERC would will still hear the petition for intervention filed by several groups.

The ERC asked Meralco to comment o the concerns raised

by the various groups.

The Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, along with Sanlakas, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Koalisyong Pabahay ng Pilipinas and other member organizations of the Power for People (P4P) organization filed separate petitions questioning Meralco’s supply agreements.

They alleged that the agreements would have an impact on the environment and that Filipinos might end up paying more for electricity.

Asirit, meanwhile, denied allegations that the ERC extended the

CSP deadline to favor Meralco.

“We found it difficult to deal with each application for exemptions to the CSP at that time,” Asirit said, adding the commission decided instead to extend the deadline to give time to Meralco and other distributors and electric cooperatives to comply with the CSP requirement.

Meralco also denied allegations of “midnight contracts” with the seven power plants that would allegedly result in “costlier and dirtier energy from coal.”

Meralco said the claims were baseless and totally unsubstantiated as the power supply agreements were legally filed in ac-

cordance with the rules and regulations of the ERC. It said the power supply agreements aimed to ensure adequate and reliable power supply at the least cost to Meralco’s more than six million customers.

“Each of these PSAs had undergone a very rigorous, lengthy and, at times, contentious negotiation process with the generation companies which actually took many months and years before these agreements were signed and filed with the ERC,” Meralco first vice president and head of legal and corporate governance William Pamintuan said.

DTI urges F&B sector to try digital solutions

By Joyce Pangco Pañares doing business. One option is a THE Department of Trade and Industry has urged players in the local food and beverage industry to look at innovative digital solutions for their supply chain as the country seeks a larger market share in Southeast Asia.

Trade Assistant Secretary Art Boncato said setting up an e-palengke platform to connect F&B companies with suppliers will help increase growth in the industry domestically as well as regionally.

“We want our F&B players to be as competitive as possible.

With Asean’s Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, we now have a potential market of 600 million people. That number goes up to 3.5 billion if you add the six partner-countries of Asean,” Boncato said during the recently concluded RestoInvest conference.

“We need to leapfrog and not just catch up in terms of ease of

business-to-business e-palengke platform to connect local suppliers with potential buyers.

That will have a big impact on our farmers and our micro, small and medium enterprises,” he added.

Boncato said food and beverage companies should also boost their presence online to make it easier for customers to browse their menu, make reservations, or order food for delivery.

Filipinos, however, tend to trust online products less according to Stuart Jamieson, country managing director of Nielsen Philippines, who cited online groceries that have remained at a niche 1-percent penetration.

For Jamieson, barriers to online F&B growth include infrastructure (few online resellers can consistently promise sameday delivery); ease of payment; and choice (limited differentiated choice for consumers in the packaged food category).

SUPER METRO HYPERMARKET TAGAYTAY. Residents and tourists in Tagaytay can now shop for quality items at the lowest possible prices 24 hours a day with the recent opening of Super Metro Hypermarket. Located at the Fora Tagaytay mall along Emilio Aguinaldo Highway near the rotunda, the new shopping destination is the company’s 52nd store. Leading the ribbon-cutting ceremony are Tagaytay City Councilor Lorna Toledo (fifth from left), Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. president and COO Arthur Emmanuel (fourth from left) and chairman and CEO Frank Gaisano (sixth from left). Joining them are (from right) Jason Gaisano, Barangay Silang Crossing East chairman Bernardo Cabasi, Filinvest Group of Companies president Josephine Gotianun Yap, Filinvest Lifemalls senior vice president Jovita Polloso and Filinvest Land Inc. SVP Francis Ceballos.

First Metro reduces growth target to 6.5%

By Julito G. Rada FIRST Metro Investment Corp., the investment banking unit of the Metrobank Group, reduced its growth forecast for the Philippine economy this year due mainly to lower government spending and slower-than-expected movement in infrastructure.

First Metro saw the country’s gross domestic product growing 6.5 percent to 7 percent, slower than the 7 percent to 7.5 percent estimate it made at the beginning of the year.

“We expect the Philippine economy to grow at a slower pace if government spending does not accelerate before the

end of the year,” First Metro president Rabboni Francis Arjonillo said in a mid-year economic briefing in Makati on Wednesday.

But he said if the “Build Build Build” campaign of the Duterte administration—which is expected to increase the productive capacity of the economy, create jobs and strengthen the investment climate—would move at a faster pace, the above 7-percent growth could still be achieved.

Arjonillo also said the implementation of the government’s proposed comprehensive tax reform program would give the economy a push.

Infrastructure spending is still seen to grow by 4.5 percent to 5

percent of GDP this year. This is slower than the government’s target infrastructure spending of 5.3 percent of GDP for 2017.

Economic growth decelerated to 6.4 percent in the first quarter, the slowest since 6.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015, pulled down by base effects and the absence of robust spending that was evident a year ago in the run-up to the May presidential elections.

Public construction expanded just 2 percent in the first quarter, compared with the 38.5-percent growth registered in the same period a year ago.

The first-quarter GDP expansion was slower than 6.8 percent a year ago and 6.6 percent in the

last quarter of 2016. Manufacturing, trade and other services were the main drivers of growth during the period.

Despite the slower growth, National Economic and Development Authority directorgeneral and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the Philippines remained one of the strongest performers among the major emerging economies in Asia.

Earlier, the World Bank slightly reduced its growth forecast for the Philippine economy this year to 6.8 percent from the 6.9-percent estimate made in April due mainly to slower public spending in the first three months of 2017.

(Good) Change is (not) Coming PRESIDENTIAL candidate Rodrigo Duterte wooed the voters in the 2016 election with the interesting but vague promise “Change is coming.” One year after the start of his six-year term, it is clear that change has come but it has not been change of the good kind.

The worst of the bad changes that Rodrigo Duterte has wrought during the past year has, of course, been the orchestrated degradation of the national environment for human rights. The principal objects of this devilish governmental effort has been people of interest to Mr. Duterte’s war against illegal drugs. Close to one million Filipinos have been gunned down or arrested or taken in as surrenders without benefit of serving of warrant of arrest, preliminary investigation, access to counsel and other procedures required by the term ‘human rights.’ Mr. Duterte’s declaration “No policemen will go to jail if he does his duty”-–’does his duty’ being translated as killing a suspected drug pusher or killer even in imaginary self-defense—was a virtual carte blanche for policemen to kill suspects wantonly and with impunity. The concept of innocence unless proven guilty was replaced by the concept of regularity in the performance of official duty.

That is change, but not change of the good kind.

Another bad change wrought by Mr. Duterte was in the field of Philippine diplomacy and external relations. In this sphere his footprints were large and grotesque. At best, the change in the conduct of the nation’s diplomacy indicated

unfamiliarity and ineptness; at worst, it bordered on a conscious desire to do harm to the nation’s interest.

With regard to his so-called foreign policy pivot—toward ‘independence’ from the US, the European Union (EU) and the United Nations and dependence on China and Russia—Mr. Duterte changed the rule book on how a country should conduct itself in the geopolitical arena. Under the new Duterte rules, a country plays a strong hand of cards as though it were a weak hand. The ruling of the UN-affiliated Permanent Court of Arbitration gave the Philippines a strong legal hand in dealing with China on the West Philippine Sea issue, but Mr. Duterte has chosen to behave vis-à-vis the Chinese as though the ruling was of little value and totally unenforceable. The men in Beijing have taken full measure of Mr. Duterte; they now know the stuff he is made of.

With regard to his behavior toward the US, the EU and the UN, President Duterte has thrown out of the window the geopolitical rule that says that a country is safer when it is allied with familiar and tried-and-true countries and less safe when it engages in dalliances with countries that do not share the Philippines’ core values and, worse, have a record of questionable conduct on the world stage. Recent polls have shown that the Filipino people overwhelmingly trust the Philippines’ traditional allies and strongly distrust Mr. Duterte’s new friends. He clearly has forgotten the rule that government acts at its peril when it

conducts diplomacy that does not enjoy the trust and support of the citizenry.

A further—and certainly not unimportant—change that Rodrigo Duterte wrought during his first year in office has been in the manner and tone with which the President of the Republic conducts himself. Like Donald Trump in the US, Mr. Duterte has his political base—the 38 percent of Filipinos who voted for him— and he believes that a good strategy for maintaining its support is to show that he is one of them. And so he cusses, badmouths people in public, wears barongs and neckties wrongly and generally behaves and talks like an upper-middle-class kanto boy. In conducting himself the way that he has, Mr. Duterte clearly has forgotten that the majority of Filipinos are not kanto boys and that millions of Filipinos who listen to his rantings are people of impressionable age.

When Rodrigo Duterte declared “Change is coming” in the campaign hustings, at least 38 percent of the Filipino people believed him and cast their ballots for him.

He did not disappoint them. He did deliver change.

Unfortunately the change has been of the bad kind.

Citicore wins contracts to build hydro projects CITICORE Power Inc. has secured service contracts for five hydro projects in Luzon with a combined capacity of 2,300 megawatts.

The Energy Department awarded service contracts for Citicore’s five pumped-storage hydro power projects that will help secure the country’s long term energy requirement.

“Citicore Power saw an opportunity to develop clean energy from renewable sources that will invigorate the country’s energy mix.

Through the projects, the company aims to provide an answer to the increasing demand of power in the Philippines,” said Manolo Candelaria, Citicore Power executive vice president for commercial and development operations.

A hydro project is estimated to cost around $2 million to $2.5 million per MW to build.

Service contracts authorize a power generation company to proceed with the pre-development stage of the proposed projects, which include permitting and various studies.

The projects are in line with Citicore’s goal of providing green energy, while protecting the environment and setting up economic opportunities for the communities where the projects are located.

Citicore currently has an existing capacity of solar projects totaling 100 MW. It is also looking at opportunities in other types of renewable energy development.

The plants include the 18-MW solar plant in Mariveles, Bataan; the 25-MW solar farm in Silay City, Negros Occidental; and the 60MW solar power facility in Toledo City, Cebu.

“We remain committed to explore more projects not just in solar and hydro power, but also in other forms of renewable energy sources such as wind and biomass,” Candelaria said.

The company aim to produce 1,000 MW capacity from renewable energy sources by 2020.

Citicore previously announced plans to build 500 MW of solar capacity overseas as part of an expansion program.

The planned solar projects are in Japan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and Myanmar. Alena Mae S. Flores

OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY GOVERNOR SUPERVISION AND EXAMINATION SECTOR

Circular Letter No. CL – 2017-037 To:

All banks and non-bank financial institutions/non-stock savings and loan associations (NSSLAS)

Subject: Revocation of License to Operate as an NSSLA of N2/NISF Military Personnel and Civilian Employees Savings and Loan Association, Inc. The Monetary Board, in its Resolution No. 459.A dated 16 March 2017, approved the revocation of the license of N2/NISF Military Personnel and Civilian Employees Savings and Loan Association, Inc. to operate as a non-stock savings and loan association, pursuant to Section 22 of Republic Act No. 8367, otherwise known as the “Revised Non-Stock Savings and Loan Association Act of 1997”.

(Sgd.) NESTOR A. ESPENILLA, JR. Deputy Governor

E-mail: rudy.romero@gmail.com 15 June 2017

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

B4

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

Business

Russia bucks further Opec cuts R USSIA wants to stick to the current Opec deal and would oppose any proposal for deeper production cuts at the group’s ministerial meeting later this month, said four Russian government officials.

Any further supply reductions so soon after the existing agreement was extended would send the wrong message to the oil market, said one of the people. Such a move would suggest that Opec, Russia and their allies are nervous that their pact to reduce output by a combined 1.8 million barrels a day through March 2018 isn’t doing enough to support prices, the official said. All four people spoke on condition of anonymity.

Russia plans to host a meeting of some ministers from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and several non-members in St. Petersburg on July 24. They will discuss progress toward eliminating a global supply glut, just as doubts swirl about whether the cuts will be successful amid a resurgence in US shale output. While Brent crude has rebounded from a seven-month low reached in June, analysts including Goldman Sachs Group Inc. say the supply curbs need to be intensified.

Russia’s publicly traded oil producers, both state-led and non-state, have voluntarily reduced output by about 300,000 barrels a day from a post-Soviet record reached in October in order to support prices. Energy Minister Alexander Novak agreed in May to extend that reduction for nine months to the end of the first quarter of 2018.

Part of the government opposes both more cuts and any further prolongation of the deal, another of the people said.

The longer the output curbs remain in place, the worse the volatility when producers are

released from the accord, the person said.

Brent crude traded below $50 a barrel after ending the longest run of gains since 2012.

Futures were little changed in London after losing 7 cents on Tuesday, snapping an 11 percent increase over eight sessions. US crude stockpiles probably resumed declines last week, a Bloomberg survey showed before an Energy Information Administration report Thursday.

While prices have surged during the past week, oil remains in a bear market after concerns that rising global supply will offset output cuts from the Opec and its partners.

Libya and Nigeria, exempt from the Opec-led curbs, accounted for half of the group’s production boost last month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

“The environment at the moment isn’t conducive for prices to extend the rally,” said Daniel Hynes, a Sydney-based analyst at Australia & New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. “Supply dynamics are against the market. It’ll probably be a bit of a wait-and-see period to evaluate the impact of sub-$50 oil.”

Brent for September settlement was at $49.62 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange, up 1 cent, at 7:45 a.m. in London. The contract fell 0.1 percent to $49.61 on Tuesday, the first decline in nine sessions. Prices dropped 9.3 percent in the previous quarter.

West Texas Intermediate for August delivery was down 2 cents to $47.05 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Bloomberg

SUMMER SALE SEASON. A woman walks by shop windows advertising sale prices on July 4, 2017 in downtown Rome, as Italian retailers started the summer sale season. AFP

France unveils pro-business reform program PARIS―French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe unveiled an ambitious program of tax cuts and reduced public spending on Tuesday designed to boost investment and end the country’s reliance on state borrowing.

Philippe put spurring entrepreneurship at the heart of his first policy speech to the National Assembly after presidential and parliamentary elections in May and June.

The government sailed through a vote of confidence held afterwards, with 370 MPs in the lower house backing it and 67 opposed.

There were 129 abstentions.

“Businesses must want to set up and develop on our territory rather than elsewhere,” Philippe told the lawmakers, announcing that corporate tax would be cut

from 33 percent to 25 percent in the next five years.

Tackling France’s “addiction to public spending” was a priority, he said, warning that the public debt now totaled 2.1 trillion euros ($2.3 trillion), nearly the equivalent of an entire year’s economic output.

“We are dancing on a volcano that is rumbling ever louder,” Philippe told the newly elected lower house.

He announced plans to cut public spending―currently 56 percent of GDP, one of the EU’s highest levels―by three points and bring the budget deficit in line with an EU limit of 3.0 of GDP this year for the first time in a decade.

He did not, however, detail the some 4 billion euros in cuts need-

ed to meet the deficit target but said some planned tax cuts would be postponed.

The leader of the radical left France Unbowed, Jean-Luc Melenchon, accused Macron of pushing a liberal EU-backed line that “is sinking France and strangling Greece.”

“We did not elect Mrs Merkel!” the firebrand Melenchon told the assembly, referring to austerity advocate Chancellor Angela Merkel of EU powerhouse Germany.

Almost all of the measures laid out on Tuesday confirmed election promises made by the 39-year-old centrist President Emmanuel Macron, who was elected France’s youngest ever president in May after promising to modernize the country.

The government has already set out one of his boldest reforms: an overhaul of France’s rigid labor laws which will give companies more powers to negotiate conditions directly with their employees, skirting industry-wide deals.

The reforms, which Macron wants to fast-track through parliament using decrees, face stiff resistance from leftist opponents.

The powerful CGT trade union, which spearheaded weeks of sometimes violent labor protests last year, has already called for protests and strikes in September.

The government will face little difficulty in passing legislation in the lower house of parliament where Macron’s new Republic on the Move (REM) party won more than 300 out of 577 seats in last month’s election. AFP

Hanoi to ban motorbikes by 2030 to curb pollution EU approves bailout

By Tran Thi Minh Ha of world’s oldest bank HANOI, Vietnam―Officials in Vietnam’s traffic-choked capital Hanoi vowed on Tuesday to banish motorbikes by 2030 to ease environment and congestion woes, a decision that swiftly divided a city where two-wheelers are the main means of transportation.

Hanoi is famed for legions of motorbikes―sometimes stacked with entire families or overloaded with deliveries― that clog roads in a fast-growing city with limited public transportation.

There are five million motorbikes among a population of about seven million, compared to half a million cars on the road.

In a country where the average annual wage is still around $2,200, the affordability of motorbikes makes them ubiquitous.

Yet critics have blamed the emissions-heavy motorbikes for Hanoi’s deteriorating air quality and worsening traffic congestion.

The decision to ban motorbikes by 2030 was approved by 95 out of 96 city councillors at a meeting on Tuesday.

Officials said the number of vehicles was growing at an “alarming” rate, according to a report on the city government’s website.

“Traffic jams and air pollution will become serious in the future if no immediate management measures are in place,” the report said.

The ban will be implemented in metropolitan districts and

Motorcyclists ride alongside cars and buses at rush hour on a street in downtown Hanoi on July 4, 2017.

Officials in Vietnam’s traffic-choked capital Hanoi vowed on July 4 to banish motorbikes by 2030 to ease environment and congestion woes, a decision that swiftly divided a city where two-wheelers are the main means of transportation. AFP

public transport options would be increased to wean people off their scooters, the report added.

The number of registered motorbikes in Vietnam is among the highest in Southeast Asia, and officials in Hanoi have longmulled banning the bikes in an effort to modernize the city along the lines of Seoul or Tokyo.

Some welcomed the move, saying the ban is crucial to cleaning up Hanoi’s air, which is notoriously smoggy in the winter months.

“Too many private cars, too many motorbikes... the quality of air is really bad and the decision made today will improve that,” economist and transport expert Luong Hoai Nam told AFP. ‘Totally insane’ The city clocked 282 days of “excessive” levels of PM2.5―

fine particulate matter harmful to human health―last year, according to non-governmental group GreenID, citing World Health Organization guidelines.

The Hanoi government is rolling out an air monitoring system in an effort to make Hanoi “green and clean and civilized so that people living and working here have a high quality of life”, Nguyen Trong Dong, the head of the city’s environment department told AFP last month.

On social media, some people decried the motorbike ban announcement―questioning whether the government will really offer viable public transport alternatives as promised.

“This idea is totally insane,” said office worker Hoang Thuy Duong, who rides a motorbike to work daily.

“Motorbikes are the best means of transportation in Hanoi. I doubt authorities can replace them with public vehicles,” she told AFP. Hanoi does not have a metro system, only public buses which account for 12 percent of travel demand in the city. Officials said Tuesday they plan to boost that share to around 50 percent by 2030.

Construction of a sky train in the city has been repeatedly delayed but is slated to open next year.

Some said limiting individual vehicle use is not effective without efficient public transport in place.

“When you just employ banning as one measure they never succeed,” said Jung Eun Oh, senior transport specialist at the World Bank in Vietnam. AFP

BRUSSELS―The EU competition commission has approved a 5.4-billion euro bailout of Italy’s troubled Monte dei Paschi di Siena (BMPS), the world’s oldest bank, as part of a major overhaul.

The decision, announced in a statement Tuesday, comes days after Brussels accepted that Italy could inject up to 17 billion euros ($19 billion) to break up two insolvent Venetian banks.

Public bailouts were supposed to be a thing of the past after the eurozone created a banking union with specifically designed rules to keep taxpayers from having to bail the banks out.

Founded in Siena in 1472, BMPS has been in deep trouble since the eurozone debt crisis and will now be owned by the Italian state, which has ended up with a 70 percent stake.

EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said the capital injection had been approved, noting it would “help BMPS meet capital needs” if economic conditions worsen unexpectedly.

The bailout is part of a rescue that the EU approved last month after BMPS failed to raise capital on the markets last year.

In exchange for the lifeline, Italy must accept a drastic EUapproved restructuring plan for BMPS that reports say involves up to 6,000 job cuts out of a total of 25,000.

The Commission said on Tuesday the plan would involve salary caps for senior managers

and a demand that the bank reconfigure its business model toward a smaller retail clientele.

The plan will also see 26.1 billion euros in troubled assets set aside in a so-called “bad bank”.

Weakened by the disastrous purchase in 2007 of the Antonveneta bank, BMPS quickly drifted into scandal when its management team was accused of fraud and misuse of funds.

In addition to the bailout, authorities have also forced the bank’s private lenders to become shareholders.

Coming on the heels of the liquidation of two lenders in northern Italy last month, the action defuses what’s been a big source of financial and political stress in the euro zone for the last two years. It also presents the bloc’s third-biggest economy with an opportunity to reboot a banking industry long plagued by shoddy underwriting and political interference that’s held back growth. The question now is, will government and business leaders seize the moment?

“These agreements mark a turning point for the whole Italian banking industry,” said Federico Ghizzoni, the former chief executive officer of UniCredit SpA, Italy’s biggest lender, and now the executive deputy chairman of Clessidra SGR, a Milan-based private equity firm. “The worst is over.

Italian banks have managed to muddle through and hit the reset button.”

With AFP, Bloomberg

LGUs

Makati lauds college scholars MAYOR Abigail Binay on Wednesday praised five Makati City scholars who finished their college education with honors.

Graduating cum laude from the University of the Philippines were Maria Anna Dominique Guamos, Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Communication; Joshue’A Libby’s Mapagdalita, Bachelor of Arts in Political Science; and Charie Surdarlingam, Bachelor of Science in Business Economics.

The other honor graduate, Catherine Taquiqui, finished Bachelor of Science in Chemistry for Teachers at the Philippine Normal University.

Another PNU scholar who recently graduated was Evangeline Balawitan, with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education major in History.

Binay congratulated the new graduates for giving honor to the city by excelling in their studies.

“Congratulations to our scholars who have made the city proud with their achievements. We are optimistic that they are now prepared and equipped to succeed in their chosen fields,” she said.

Makati Education department head Norma Tumambing said the city government has allocated P20 million for the Makati College Scholarship Program for this school year.

Makati college scholars in UP and PNU receive a monthly stipend of P4,000 each for five months per semester, aside from their tuition fees and other school fees shouldered by the city government. They also receive book allowance every semester— P5,000 for scholars in UP and P4,000 for scholars in PNU. For the first semester of academic year ‎ 2017-2018, Tumambing reported five city scholars in UP and nine in PNU taking up various courses.

Now on their third year at UP are scholars Henry Laynesa, Jr., Computer Science; Kate Malda, Statistics; and Louisa Eubie Mae Milambilin, Public Administration. Fourth year scholars are Diana Oblino, Speech Communication; and Helli-mar Trilles, Civil Engineering. Joel E. Zurbano

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

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‘NINONGS.’ Philippine National Police Chief Gen. Ronald de la Rosa, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez, and National Capital Region Police Director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde served as godfathers to 150 couples during a mass wedding held in SM Bicutan over the weekend. The new couples, residents of Parañaque’s first and second districts, have been living together for years and married to formalize their union.

Taguig warns vs rogue cops M

By Joel E. Zurbano

AYOR Laarni Cayetano on Wednesday urged the people of Taguig City to be vigilant and cooperate with the city government in its fight against illegal activities, especially if the crime involves police scalawags and erring local officials.

“As I have said, time and time again, illegal activities are not and will never be tolerated in Taguig. If we all work together, we could triumph against such criminalities and achieve peace and progress in our beloved city,” Cayetano said.

Last Saturday, members of the Philippine National Police Counter Intelligence Task Force arrested a police officer and six village watchmen in Taguig who demanded money from a woman in exchange for the release of her partner suspected to

be a drug dealer.

The suspects—policeman Cesar Espejo, 34; and Reggie Adrales, 29; Bobby Tejero, 43; Rolly Barcelo, 41; Antonio Bontia, 51; Antonio Bag-Ao, 44; and Marcelino Perdonio; and their companion Stephanie Villanueva, 24, all personnel of Barangay Security Development of West Bicutan in Taguig City—were charged with illegal possession of firearms, illegal possession of drugs, kidnapping and usurpation of authority before the Taguig City Prosecutors’ Office.

Authorities said the entrapment at the Barangay West Bicutan Hall was conducted following a complaint from a woman who told them her live-in partner

and a companion were arrested by alleged police officers from Taguig on Friday night.

The complainant claimed she later received a text message and a call from a man who introduced himself as a police officer and initially demanded P10,000 for the release of her partner. She said the caller later reduced the amount to P6,000.

The PNP-CITF, in close coordination with members of the Southern Police District, immediately set up an entrapment operation against the suspects leading to their arrest. Recovered from the suspects were P6,000 in marked money, one caliber .38 revolver, a caliber .45 pistol,

a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, and dozens of live ammunitions.

Cayetano said the city government does not condone any illegal activities in the city, whether by ordinary citizens or public officers.

“Taguig is an advocate of upright and honest services. If we receive reports of our own employees doing illegal activities, we will not hesitate to do the necessary action to stop them since it is our commitment to provide just and quality public service to all Taguigeños,” she said.

She also reminded her constituents they can call hotline ‪1657777 to report cases of extortion by law enforcement officers.

Manila honors donors to govt blood program

By Sandy Araneta MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada on Wednesday honored barangay officials, donors, and volunteers who have supported the government’s National Voluntary Blood Services Program.

In the first recognition and awarding ceremonies for individuals that contributed to the success of the program at the city hall, Estrada and Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial awarded plaques of appreciation to barangay officials, doctors and health center personnel, and regular volunteer blood donors.

“The act of donating blood is an act of generosity. It is a humanitarian gesture which is made even more meaningful since we do not know beforehand who is it exactly that we are helping,” Estrada said, emphasizing the importance of blood donation in saving the lives of millions of Filipinos.

“We hold this event to recognize

their sincere help and support to the blood donation to help to our countrymen,” he added of the awardees.

NVBSP is the blood donation program of the Department of Health created in accordance with Republic Act No. 7719, also known as the National Blood Services Act of 1994.

The law promotes voluntary blood donation to provide sufficient supply of safe blood, and to regulate blood banks as it aims to inculcate public awareness that blood donation is a humanitarian act.

In the City of Manila, Estrada said the Manila Health Department has been active in supporting the blood program by conducting regular bloodletting missions in coordination with the barangay officials and partners like the Philippine Blood Center.

This, he said, is part of his administration’s comprehensive healthcare program for indigent residents.

Cleanfuel backs ‘Lapis at Papel Project’ QC grants Marinduque

AS PART of Cleanfuel’s corporate its website at www.cleanfuel.ph or fuel—Your Fuel for the Environment! social responsibility, the fast-growing Cleanfuel’s Facebook page. Clean- Quality Fuel for Less! full-service fuel refilling company supports Radyo OFW’s “Lapis at Papel Project” to support the education of indigent students at San Roque Elementary School in Bato, Catanduanes.

The firm is providing Cleanfuel bags supplied with notebooks, pencils, crayons, pad paper, sharpener, scissors, glue, bond papers, and art papers via Radyo OFW to Bato, an area severely damaged by Typhoon “Nina,” which also damaged many homes and means of living there.

Cleanfuel is committed not only to providing motorists with high quality fuel for less, but also in giving children and indigent people hope to have good education for a better future.

For more information about Cleanfuel, please call (02) 655-6407 or visit

town P1.5m for market

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista lauded on Wednesday the 32-member City Council for having the compassion to help other local governments in need of help.

The council approved a resolution authorizing Bautista to give Marinduque province P1.5 million in financial assistance to help rebuild the public market in Sta. Cruz town, which was destroyed by Typhoon “Niña” in 2016.

The cash-strapped municipality could not sustain the rehabilitation of the market due to the extensive damage brought about by the typhoon that hit the province last December.

According to Bautista, the hu-

manitarian assistance—which his administration extends to areas hit by destructive man-made and natural calamities—is an extension of gratitude for the continuous growth of the city’s economy and expressing sympathy to the typhoon-stricken victims of disastrous calamities.

On the request of Sta. Cruz Mayor Red Martinez, the Quezon City government granted the funds for the public market, Bautista said.

The city government has always conducted numerous humanitarian missions to reach out to victims of natural calamities through relief services and assistance, the mayor added.

“Quezon City is proud to be of help to localities recover from the destructive forces of calamities,” Bautista said.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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TODAY JULY 6, 2017 THURSDAY,

Vizcaya offers 30 agri scholarships

By Ben Moses Ebreo

GenTrias supports urban farmers

B

AYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—The provincial government here has offered scholarships to help poor but deserving students pursue college degrees to further develop and sustain the province’s agricultural potential.

The “Pamana” Scholarship Program covers the students’ tuition fee for the duration of the courses required, such as Bachelor of Science in Agriculture, Bachelor of Science in Agri-Business, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science, Bachelor of Science in Home Technology, and Bachelor of Science in Information Technology through the Nueva Vizcaya State University.

The PSP targets 30 scholars this year and the same number in 2018. They would receive free school uniforms, a laptop, P1,000 in monthly allowances, and a P5,000 monthly stipend.

“This scholarship program is designed to develop, improve and sustain the agricultural potential of our province by assisting our poor but deserving students to become development technologists in their own fields of expertise,” said PSP coordinator engineer Jonem Gacad of the Provincial Planning and Development Office.

Gacad said the PSP was conceived with Governor Carlos Padilla’s advocacy that the

wealth of Nueva Vizcaya is its own people.

“We need good, inspired and motivated workers for the development of our province. Let us change the impression that there is no economic development in agriculture. In fact, our province depends mainly on agriculture, therefore we need our youth to be involved in these courses because it is needed here,” she said.

The PSP is open to students whose family’s monthly average income is P7,500, whose parents are residents of the province for at least 10 years and are active voters for the previous two elections. Students must have average high school grades of 85 percent or better, have good health and good moral character, are single, have passed the NVSU entrance examinations with high ranks, and are not involved in other scholarship programs.

Applicants will be screened and interviewed through the Public Employment Service Office at the provincial capitol in this town.

ARBOR DAY. The first Arbor Day celebration in Bay, Laguna started with a group planting trees at the edge

of the river in Barangays San Isidro and Nicolas, led by Councilor Dan Lanceras, who heads the town council’s Committee on Environment (second from right). Councilor EJ Valenzuela (right), Bay Chief of Police Insp. Marlon Calonge (left) and barangay chairman Florencio Dungo (third from right) joined representatives of the Rotary Club of Bay, the private sector, non-government organizations and different schools in the town. Roy Tomandao

GSIS loans for 3 VisMin areas

THE Government Service Insurance System has earmarked P66.36 million in emergency loans for active members and old-age pensioners in the municipalities of Kalilangan in Bukidnon, who were hit by a magnitude-6 earthquake, and those in Carmen and Compostela in Cebu, who were affected by Tropical Depression “Crising.”

Active members are qualified to apply for the loan if they are residing or working in the calamity-declared area, are not on leave of absence without pay, have no arrears in paying premium contributions, and have no unpaid loans for more than six months.

Regional Bids and Awards Committee - IX Deadline for filing of 2nd Floor, LANDBANK Building Capt. F. Marcos Road, Pettit Barracks loan applications for KaliZamboanga City langan is on July 7; and for

INVITATION TO BID The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee - IX (RBAC-IX), invites Rural Banks and Cooperatives to bid for the hereunder projects: ITB No. RBAC-IX-2017-007 Service fees for the Distribution of DSWD Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program cash grants to Non-Cash/Prepaid Card Beneficiaries in various Municipalities for May 2017 to March 2018 for six (6) payouts (May, July, September & November 2017 and January & March 2018 payouts) Regional Coverage A - Very Difficult, Difficult, Easy Areas (Note: Bid shall be on a per Province basis) OFFSITE Approved Number Budget for the of Beneficiaries Contract (ABC)

Province and Municipalities / CCT Type BASILAN (MCCT IP) • City of Lamitan, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Sumisip, Tabuan-Lasa, Tipo-Tipo, Unkaya Pukan (Regular CCT) • Akbar, Al-Barka, City of Lamitan, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Hadji Muhtamad, Lantawan, Maluso, Sumisip, Tabuan-Lasa, Tipo-Tipo, Tuburan, Unkaya Pukan SULU (Regular CCT) • Hadji Panglima Tahil (Marungas), Indanan, Jolo (Capital), Kalingalan Caluang, Lugus, Luuk, Maimbung, Old Panamao, Omar, Pandami, Panglima Estino (New Panamao), Pangutaran, Parang, Pata, Patikul, Siasi, Talipao, Tapul, Tongkil TAWI-TAWI (MCCT IP) • Bongao (Capital), Languyan, Mapun (Cagayan de TawiTawi), Panglima Sugala (Balimbing), Sapa-Sapa, Sibutu, Simunul, Sitangkai, South Ublan, Tandubas, Turtle Island (Regular CCT) • Bongao (Capital), Languyan, Mapun (Cagayan de TawiTawi), Panglima Sugala (Balimbing), Sapa-Sapa, Sibutu, Simunul, Sitangkai, South Ublan, Tandubas, Turtle Island CITY OF ISABELA (MCCT IP) • City of Isabela (Capital) (Regular CCT) • City of Isabela (Capital) MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL (MCCT IP) • Clarin, Conception, Don Victoriano Chiongbian (Don Mariabagong Clarin), Jimenez (Regular CCT) • Clarin, Conception, Don Victoriano Chiongbian (Don Mariabagong Clarin), Jimenez

3,047

P

914,100.00

NonRefundable Fee

P

500.00

27,197

6,853,644.00

3,400.00

89,844

P 22,640,688.00

P 11,000.00

13,445

P 4,033,500.00 P

2,000.00

21,986

5,540,472.00

2,800.00

1,010

P

P

298,668.60

1,278

1,137

236,037.00

P

207,866.34

500.00

500.00

P

500.00

814,041.00

500.00

Approved Number Budget for the of Beneficiaries Contract (ABC)

NonRefundable Fee

4,530

ONSITE Province and Municipalities / CCT Type CITY OF ISABELA (Regular CCT) • City of Isabela (Capital)

2

P

251.40

P

500.00

MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL (Regular CCT) • Jimenez

106

P

15,264.00

P

500.00

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipts of bids, with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

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

The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: ACTIVITIES 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Posting or Publication of Invitation to Bid Issuance or Sale of Bid Documents Pre-Bid Conference Submission of Bids Opening of Bids / Bids Evaluation Post-qualification Notice of Award

SCHEDULE July 6 to 14, 2017 July 6 to 27, 2017 July 21, 2017 at 2:00 pm July 28, 2017 at 10:00 am July 28, 2017 at 2:00 pm July 31 to August 4, 2017 August 7, 2017

Bid Documents will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable non-refundable amount which is equivalent to 0.05% of the total ABC of lots to be bid in a particular province rounded off to the next hundred or Five Hundre Pesos (P500.00) whichever is higher, to the LANDBANK Cashier.

LANDBANK reserves the right to (1) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (2) waive any minor requirements in the bid documents; (3) accept such bids it may consider advantageous and beneficial to the Bank, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE REGION IX

Carmen and Compostela on July 14.

Those applying for the first time may avail of a P20,000 loan, while those with existing emergency loan may borrow up to P40,000, from which their outstanding balance will be deducted.

Active members may apply through the GSIS Wireless Automated Processing System (GWAPS) kiosk located in all GSIS branch and extension offices; provincial capitols; city halls; selected municipal offices; large government agencies such as the Department of Education; Robinsons Malls; and selected SM City branches in North EDSA, Manila, Pampanga, Cebu, and SM Aura in Taguig.

Old-age pensioners must apply in person at any GSIS office to avail of the P20,000 emergency loan. Pensioners who are also active members may apply for the loan only once.

GENERAL TRIAS CITY— Mayor Antonio “Ony” Ferrer and his brother, Cavite 6th District Rep. Luis “Jon Jon” Ferrer IV led the distribution of seed money to 117 local farmers during a weekend program at Ferrer Farm in Barangay Pinagtipunan here.

The Ferrers handed over P1,282,500 in seed money and capital investment for the farmers, who must pay it back at the end of harvest season to allow them to reborrow from the fund.

The local government lends seed money to urban farmers without interest. The LGU also distributed organic fertilizers, 500 lime seedlings, and hundreds of mangosteen and lanzones seedlings, and raffled off 30 backpack sprayers to the farmers.

City Agriculturist Nerissa Marquez, APCO-Cavite Eda Dimapilis, and Department of Agriculture Regional Executive Director engineer Arnel de Mesa, joined the activity with Vice Mayor Morit Sison and Councilors Jonas Labuguen, Kyle Salazar, Gary Grepo, Pafoo Lozares and Florencio Ayos.

Bataan biz rally support for Marawi MARIVELES, Bataan—The Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan, along with the registered locators of the Freeport Area of Bataan, joined the government of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in extending help and

support to crisis-affected residents and areas in Marawi City after clashes erupted between the military and the Maute Group.

The Authority recently collected donations from the FAB-registered locators to provide basic goods and

food for the relief operations in the stricken areas. The relief operation program was made under the One with Marawi and Bangon Marawi campaign of ARMM. “As part of the AFAB’s corporate social responsibility programs, we at the Authority work together with Regional Bids and Awards Committee - IX the locators to gath2nd Floor, LANDBANK Building er donations for the Capt. F. Marcos Road, Pettit Barracks victims of the clash Zamboanga City in Marawi City. We are committed in INVITATION TO BID helping the victims The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) through its Regional Bids and Awards Committee - IX (RBAC-IX), and giving back to invites Rural Banks and Cooperatives to bid for the hereunder projects: the people,” AFAB ITB No. RBAC-IX-2017-008 Chairman and AdService fees for the Distribution of DSWD Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Program cash grants to Non-Cash/Preministrator Emmapaid Card Beneficiaries in various Municipalities for May 2017 to March 2018 payouts (Regional Coverage B - Very Difficult, Difficult, Easy Areas) nuel D. Pineda said.

“We hope that by Note: Bid shall be on a per Municipality/City basis. supporting the One OFFSITE Marawi campaign, Approved NonNumber we can further deProvince and Municipalities / Delivery Budget for the Refundable of CCT Type velop the principles Period Contract (ABC) Fee Beneficiaries of patriotism among MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL us and the Filipinos,” 500.00 P 27,955.20 P • Aloran (MCCT IP) 128 500.00 9,497.70 • Aloran (Regular CCT) the chairman added.

61 500.00 P 180,767.70 P • Baliangao (Regular CCT) 1,161 The AFAB do500.00 P 20,311.20 P • Bonifacio (MCCT IP) 93 nated relief goods 500.00 422,102.70 • Bonifacio (Regular CCT) Six (6) payouts 2,711 including pow500.00 P 29,047.20 P • Lopez Jaena (MCCT IP) (May, July, 133 500.00 51,381.00 • Lopez Jaena (Regular CCT) September & 330 dered milk, canned 500.00 P 10,701.60 P • Panaon (MCCT IP) November 2017 49 and bottled goods, 500.00 7,317.90 • Panaon (Regular CCT) and January & 47 crackers and bis500.00 P 33,008.40 P • Plaridel (Regular CCT) March 2018) 212 500.00 P 25,552.80 P • Sinacaban (MCCT IP) 117 cuits, instant coffee, 500.00 24,289.20 • Sinacaban (Regular CCT) 156 cereal drinks and in500.00 P 89,980.80 P • Tudela (MCCT IP) 412 stant noodles.

500.00 18,995.40 • Tudela (Regular CCT) 122 E x p o r t- q u a l it y ONSITE shoe manufacturer Approved NonNumber Boast Inc. encourProvince and Municipalities / Delivery Refundable Budget for the of aged its workers CCT Type Period Fee Beneficiaries Contract (ABC) to donate for the MISAMIS OCCIDENTAL affected families.

(Regular CCT) Six (6) payouts Their collected doP 720.00 P 500.00 • Aloran (May, July, 5 • Plaridel P 576.00 P 500.00 September & 4 nations included • Sinacaban P 3,024.00 P 500.00 November 2017 21 hygiene kits with and January & toothbrush, toothMarch 2018) paste, napkins, body Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the soap, shampoo, cotdate of submission and receipts of bids, with an amount of at least 50% of the ABC. The Eligibility Check/Screening ton and band-aid. 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.

Boast Inc. workers gave instant nooAll particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding dles, canned goods 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). and other food items for the victims of the The complete schedule of activities is listed, as follows: clash. The company ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE also donated 1,000 1. Posting or Publication of Invitation to Bid July 6 to 14, 2017 pairs of shoes man2. Issuance or Sale of Bid Documents July 6 to 27, 2017 ufactured at its FAB 3. Pre-Bid Conference July 21, 2017 at 2:00 pm production plant.

4. Submission of Bids July 28, 2017 at 10:00 am 5. Opening of Bids / Bids Evaluation July 28, 2017 at 2:00 pm Grand Innovasia 6. Post-qualification July 31 to August 4, 2017 Concept Corp. gave 7. Notice of Award August 7, 2017 20 pieces of 10 MW Bid Documents will be available only to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable non-refundable amount which and 30 MW solar is equivalent to 0.05% of the total ABC of lots to be bid in a particular province rounded off to the next hundred or Five panel with 42 pieces Hundre Pesos (P500.00) whichever is higher, to the LANDBANK Cashier.

LED lights and batLANDBANK reserves the right to (1) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (2) waive any teries to the affected minor requirements in the bid documents; (3) accept such bids it may consider advantageous and beneficial to the Bank, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. families and local government unit of REGIONAL BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE Marawi City.

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THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

Trump, Putin to meet finally W ASHINGTON―It was a constant refrain on the campaign trail for Donald Trump in his quest for the US presidency: “We’re going to have a great relationship with Putin and Russia.”

Now, weighed down by claims that Moscow helped put him in the White House, Trump is set to finally meet his Russian counterpart in an encounter fraught with potential danger for the struggling American leader.

The talks are due to take place late Friday on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

There should be no shortage of subjects to discuss, including the conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, North Korea’s nuclear program

and efforts to combat terrorism.

But for Trump, the main challenge will be how to improve ties with Putin without seemingly going soft on a man who American intelligence agencies say oversaw a massive effort to influence the outcome of last year’s US elections.

“Trump needs to be polite but firm and not too friendly,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a Russia expert at the Brookings Institution.

“If he wants to improve USRussia relations down the road, he needs to convey the gravity of

his concerns about recent Russian behavior first. Otherwise, Putin may think he’s a pushover, and the Congress will rise in opposition to Trump’s Russia policy.”

Trump’s surprise election in November was expected to have heralded an upturn in relations between Moscow and Washington.

But ties that had chilled under Barack Obama have become even frostier, with Russia’s backing for President Bashar al-Assad in Syria a particular source of friction.

Moscow was furious when the Trump administration launched a cruise missile strike against Syrian forces in April, in retaliation for what Washington said was a chemical weapons attack by Assad’s regime against civilians.

Talks between senior US and Russian diplomats that had been

set for last month were canceled

by Moscow in the wake of Washington’s decision to reinforce sanctions imposed over Russian interference in Ukraine and its occupation of Crimea.

And an FBI investigation into whether Trump’s campaign team colluded with Moscow during the election―claims the president has dismissed as “fake news”―have further complicated matters.

Trump has yet to hand back two Russian diplomatic compounds in Maryland and New York that were impounded on Obama’s orders in December as evidence emerged of election meddling.

But while the portents may not be great, both sides do appear keen to make some headway.

Senior Putin aide Yuri Ushakov has said the meeting should be cru-

cial for international stability and it was in both sides’ interests “to break the current impasse in bilateral relations.”

HR McMaster, Trump’s national security advisor, said there is no specific agenda for the talks and the main aim is to forge a “more constructive relationship” while also confronting Moscow over its “destabilizing behavior.”

The pair could find common ground when discussing how to deal with the Islamic State group whose last strongholds―Mosul in Iraq and Raqa in Syria―appear to be on the verge of collapse.

But for the 71-year-old Trump― still an absolute novice when it comes to diplomacy―the optics of the meeting with a leader who has been in power for nearly two decades will be sensitive. AFP

NON-STOP RAIN. An Indian resident steps off a boat in the flood-affected village of Balimukh Ashigarh in Morigoan on July 5, 2017. Flooding has affected some 400,000 people in 13 districts across Assam as the annual monsoon rain continues in the Indian subcontinent. AFP

Stars beat a path to Christian Dior show PARIS―A huge show about the fabled French fashion house Christian Dior that opens Wednesday has had a galaxy of stars making the pilgrimage to Paris.

With Hollywood actresses Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst and Kristen Stewart already in town for the label’s haute couture show, Stewart’s “Twilight” costar Robert Pattinson queued with models Bella Hadid, Karlie Kloss and Cara Delevingne to get a sneak peak of the retrospective at the city’s decorative arts museum.

While Dior―celebrating its 70th anniversary―has become synonymous with classy highly feminine glamor, fashion was not its founder’s first love.

Christian Dior came to clothes through art after setting up a Paris gallery to “champion the most

avant garde of artists”, said the exhibition’s curator Olivier Gabet.

“It was he who gave Salvador Dali and Alberto Giacometti their first shows” in the French capital, he added.

And it was his friendships with artists Jean Cocteau, Max Jacob and Pablo Picasso that helped sustain him through a difficult decade after his gallery closed in the Depression.

Dior, a talented artist, began designing theater costumes and from there took his first steps into couture.

Hugely superstitious, he only made the final leap after a tarot reader told him he would head his own fashion house.

Two years later in 1947 his “New Look” revolutionized fashion, throwing wartime austerity

out the window, trailblazing a new femininity.

Tarot and astrological motifs would later become one of Dior’s trademarks.

Historian Florence Muller, who co-curated the show, said the “New Look” became “emblematic”, with the show tracing how the six designers who came after Dior subtly adapted it―and how rival houses still “reference” it to this day.

The spectacular exhibition― which includes more than 300 haute couture gowns and dresses―documents how Dior became the go-to brand for stars from Lauren Bacall to Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and Sophia Loren.

It also reveals that Dior named his famous Bar suit after the bar of the Plaza Athenee hotel next to

his headquarters on Avenue Montaigne between the Champs Elysee and the River Seine.

Ever the artist, Dior spent much of his time in the country drawing, leaving the nitty gritty to Marguerite Carre, who headed his studio.

“I think of my work as ephemeral architecture dedicated to the beauty of the female body,” he said.

It was, however, to prove far from ephemeral.

When Dior died suddenly at the age of 52 from a heart attack in 1957 his mantle fell on his timid young assistant Yves Saint Laurent, who was only 21 at the time.

Yet in his very first collection Saint Laurent invented the “trapeze dress” that became a runaway success, and he was quickly dubbed the “little prince of fashion”. AFP

CARACAS―A Venezuelan helicopter pilot who vanished after dropping grenades on the Supreme Court in what the government slammed as an attempted coup reappeared in a video posted online late Tuesday.

In the clip, Oscar Perez urged Venezuelans to “stand firm in the streets” in their protests against socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

“The moment is now, not tomorrow. The moment to wake up is now,” the 36 year-old elite cop said, speaking in front of a Venezuelan flag. “Let’s stand firm in the streets.”

On June 27 Perez and unidentified accomplices flew over Ca-

racas in a police helicopter and dropped four grenades on the Supreme Court before opening fire on the interior ministry. There were no casualties.

Perez appeared in a video released online around the time of the attacks flanked by four masked figures in black―two of them holding rifles―calling for an uprising.

He claimed to belong to a group that included military members, police and public servants opposed to the “criminal government.”

Maduro branded the action a “terrorist attack,” part of an “escalation” by right-wing “coup” plot-

ters. He put the military on alert in response.

A day later, Perez’s helicopter was found in the coastal town of Osma, 85 kilometers from Caracas.

In Tuesday’s video, Perez said the attacks were carried out as planned.

“We only damaged structures ... there was no collateral damage because that’s what was planned, because we’re not murderers... like you, Mr. Maduro,” Perez says, pointing his index finger at the camera.

Perez, who said he was back in Caracas, added that his group would join the protests.

“We will go out in the streets and will be with you. You are not alone,” he said.

The opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable coalition has distanced itself from the attack.

“The MUD demands democratic change only by peaceful means,” opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido said earlier.

Many people, including opposition leaders, suspect that Perez might be a front man hired by the government to justify its crackdown on the opponents.

Maduro is under pressure after three months of unrest that officials say have left 91 people dead.

AFP

Mob kills Rohingya Muslim in Myanmar YANGON―A Rohingya Muslim was stoned to death and six others wounded by a mob of Buddhists in the capital of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, authorities said Wednesday, the latest flare-up in a region seething with religious tension.

The western state is a hotbed of sectarian unrest, with frequent bouts of communal violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, a persecuted minority.

The worst bloodshed in 2012 left hundreds dead and forced over 100,000 people―largely Rohingya―into squalid displacement camps where they have languished for years, many facing severe restrictions on their movements.

Little has been done to reconcile the two communities, with tensions skyrocketing since October in the wake of violence between Rohingya militants and the army.

On Tuesday a mob of ethnic Rakhine Buddhists hurled bricks at seven Rohingya men in the state capital Sittwe.

“One Muslim was killed and six others injured. Two are still hospitalised,” a local officer told AFP, requesting anonymity.

The Rohingya men were granted permission to leave their displacement camp on the outskirts of the city to give statements at a criminal case in a Sittwe court, state media reported.

After attending court they requested a police escort to a nearby dock where they discussed purchasing a boat from a local businessman.

“At the boat jetty, an argument developed,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar reported.

“They were attacked by several people with bricks,” it added, referring to the incident as a “fatal stone throwing”.

Myanmar has long faced international condemnation for its treatment of the Rohingya, who are considered one of the world’s most persecuted people.

The Rohingya trapped in displacement camps struggle to access food, education and healthcare, conditions many have likened to a form of apartheid. AFP

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE Roxas Boulevard Corner Pablo Ocampo, Sr. Street Manila 1004

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SUPPLY, DELIVERY AND INSTALLATION OF FURNITURE/FIXTURES/ WORKSTATIONS FOR THE DOF 7TH FLOOR OFFICES 1.

The DEPARTMENT OF FINANCE (DOF), through the Government of the Philippines under the General Appropriations Act for CY 2017 intends to apply the sum LOT No.

Description

ABC

1

Customized Wooden Furniture

2

Customized Metal Furniture

Php 1,567,690.00

3

Modular Tables and Partitions

PhP28,892,780.00

4

Chairs

PhP 1,703,150.00

PhP 7,533,085.00 Total

PhP 39,696,705.00

being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for each lot/item. Bids received in excess of the ABC for each lot shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The DOF now invites bids for Supply. Delivery of the Goods is required within Sixty days (60) days upon receipt of the Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/ fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

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

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders starting on July 5, 2017 up to July 25, 2017 at the BAC Secretariat Office, 8th Floor, EDPC Building, BSP Complex , Pablo Ocampo St. cor. Roxas Blvd., Malate, Manila and upon payment of a non-refundable fee in the amount as follows LOT No.

Description

1

Customized Wooden Furniture

2

Customized Metal Furniture

3

Modular Tables and Partitions

4

Office Chairs Total

Venezuelan pilot in grenade attack reappears

C3

ABC

Amount

PhP 1,703,150.00

Php 5,000.00

1,567,690.00

5,000.00

28,892,780.00

25,000.00

7,533,085.00

10,000.00

PhP 39,696,705.00

PhP 25,000.00

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

6.

All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

BAC Secretariat, General Services Division 8th Floor EDPC Building, Pablo Ocampo Sr. St. Cor. Roxas Blvd., Malate, Manila

7.

The schedule of bidding activities is as follows: ACTIVITIES Advertisement/Posting of Invitation to Bid Issuance and Availability of Bid Documents

SCHEDULE July 6, 2017 starting July 6, 2017

Pre-Bid Conference

July 13, 2017, 10:00 am

Request for Clarification

July 15, 2017 (by email)

Issuance of Supplemental Bid Bulletin

July 18, 2017

Deadline for Submission of Bids

July 25, 2017, 9:30 am

Opening of Bids

July 25, 2017, 10:00 am

8.

Bid opening shall be on 10:00 a.m., July 25, 2017, at the DFG Conference Room, 4th Floor DOF Building, Roxas Blvd., Malate, Manila. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

9.

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

10. For further information, please refer to: BAC SECRETARIAT Department of Finance 8th Floor EDPC Building, BSP Complex Pablo Ocampo Sr. Street cor. Roxas Boulevard Malate, Manila Telephone No. 526-8475 Email address:mepajuelas@gmail.com (MS-JULY 6, 2017)

(SGD.) GIL. S. BELTRAN Undersecretary and BAC Chairman

World

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

C4

Leaders meet under Pyongyang’s shadow

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

US, South Korea warn North after ICBM test S EOUL―South Korea and the United States fired off missiles Wednesday simulating a precision strike against North Korea’s leadership, in response to a landmark ICBM test described by Kim Jong-Un as a gift to “American bastards”.

Tuesday’s launch―acknowledged as an ICBM by Washington―marked a milestone in Pyongyang’s decades-long drive for the capability to threaten the US mainland with a nuclear strike, and poses a stark foreign policy challenge for Donald Trump.

The US president had vowed that “won’t happen”, but independent experts said it could reach Alaska or even further towards the continental US. It will require a reassessment of the threat posed by the nucleararmed North, which has carried out five atomic tests and said the multi-stage rocket’s warhead could survive atmospheric re-entry to strike a target.

Amid international condemnation of the test, South Korean and US military forces launched short-range ballistic missiles of their own less than 24 hours afterwards from the peninsula into the Sea of Japan.

Both weapons homed in on their target, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said, “displaying the capability of a precision strike against the enemy headquarters in times of emergency”.

The South’s new President Moon Jae-In, who backs engagement with Pyongyang to bring it to the negotiating table, said the North’s “serious provocation required us to react with more than just a statement”.

US general Vincent Brooks, the Combined Forces commander in South Korea, said: “Self restraint, which is a choice, is all that separates armistice and war.

“As this alliance missile live fire shows, we are able to change our choice when so ordered by our alliance national leaders.”

The two countries are in a security alliance, with 28,500 US troops stationed in the South to protect it.

Their language is likely to infuriate Pyongyang, which says it needs nuclear weapons to defend itself against the threat of invasion and has been subjected to multiple sets of UN sanctions over its atomic and missile programs.

The launches came hours after a joint appeal by the presidents of China and Russia for all sides to exercise restraint and ease tensions.

Disagreement on how best to respond will complicate discussions at the UN, where the Security Council was due to meet in emergency session later Wednesday after Secretary-General Antonio

Guterres condemned the North’s launch as a “dangerous escalation.”

After personally overseeing the test, the North’s leader Kim Jong-Un “said American bastards would be not very happy with this gift sent on the July 4 anniversary”, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.

Breaking into peals of laughter, KCNA said, he “added that we should send them gifts once in a while to help break their boredom”.

Kim had inspected the Hwasong-14 missile and “expressed satisfaction, saying it looked as handsome as a good-looking boy and was well made”.

The Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the mouthpiece of the North’s ruling party, devoted five of its six pages to the news, including 55 color pictures.

Questions remain over the precise capabilities of the weapon, but footage on the North’s state television Wednesday showed the first stage separating from the device and falling away. AFP

BERLIN―US President Donald Trump meets other world leaders at Germany’s G20 summit from Friday, with North Korea’s first successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile casting a long shadow over the gathering at the heavily-fortified venue.

The rising global threat posed

by Pyongyang is likely to see conflicts over climate and trade take a back seat as regional neighbors China, Japan and South Korea gather with Trump and Russian strongman Vladimir Putin in Hamburg.

“Testing an ICBM represents a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region, and the world,” US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said, confirming North Korea now possessed a weapon capable of reaching US territory.

Russia and China condemned Tuesday’s test and the European Union may consider additional sanctions.

All eyes will be on Trump, who had vowed North Korea’s goal of possessing an ICBM “won’t happen” and has repeatedly pressed China to rein in its truculent neighbor.

In the most anticipated moment of the G20, Trump will meet Putin, the ex-KGB agent accused of having aided, with hackers and fake news, the surprise rise of the property tycoon into the White House.

The moment they shake hands is sure to see “an Olympian level of macho posturing between these two leaders, who both understand the importance of symbolism and the perception of being tough,” said Derek Chollet of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

Trump ruffled other leaders at

a G7 meeting in Italy in May and has steered the economic and military superpower on an isolationist “America First” course.

His counterparts are bracing for fresh surprises after Trump stunned the world by pulling out of the 2015 Paris climate pact, questioned long-standing NATO allegiances and dismissed free trade principles.

Trouble is also brewing at the conference table at a time when the West and Europe are deeply divided, the post-Cold War order is fraying and China and Russia are asserting themselves on the global stage.

“There is a danger that the summit will lead to polarization between the US and other countries” on climate change and other issues, warned Oxford Analytics economist Adam Slater.

Trade wars loom as Trump has demanded Germany and China reduce their huge surpluses and threatened other countries with punitive measures in battles over steel, natural gas and hormonetreated beef.

The year’s gathering of the Group of 20 big industrialized and emerging economies, the biggest diplomatic event outside the UN, will also provide a stage for other world leaders muscling for power and regional influence.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet regional rival Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, at a time when both are worried about North Korea.

Also looming over the summit will be the bloody conflict in Syria and the frozen one in Ukraine― both involving Russia―as well as the struggle for Mideast dominance between Saudi Arabia and Iran. AFP

China walks a tightrope over N. Korea BEIJING―The US and Chinese presidents face an awkward encounter at the G20 summit this week as rising tensions over how to deal with North Korea threaten to shatter the already-crumbling facade of their friendly rhetoric.

North Korea’s landmark test of an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching Alaska has intensified the friction between the superpowers ahead of US President Donald Trump’s meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the summit in Germany, which starts Friday.

In the weeks leading up to Tuesday’s missile test, Trump had used a series of Twitter outbursts to criticize China over its failure to rein in the nuclear-armed North, vexing Chinese leaders who prefer closed-door diplomacy to public tongue-lashings.

In a marked change of tune, Trump has gone from calling Xi a “good man” after their first face-to-face meeting at the US billionaire’s Florida resort in April to accusing him last month of failing to resolve the North Korea issue.

In his latest salvo on Monday, Trump called on China to “put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!”

China’s foreign ministry responded that Beijing had made “relentless efforts” to resolve the issue.

For his part, Xi complained in a call with Trump on Monday about a “negative” patch in relations after the US administration slapped sanctions on a Chinese bank linked to North Korea and authorized a $1.3 billion arms sales to Taiwan.

While China, the North’s sole major ally and economic lifeline, could do much more to starve Pyongyang of the foreign currency it needs to fund its weapons programs, analysts say the US actions make that less likely to happen.

China is also carefully calibrating its moves to avoid destabilizing its unpredictable neighbor for fear of triggering the regime’s collapse and a flood of refugees across its border―or giving the US a reason to launch a strike in its backyard.

“They are trying to find the point to keep the Americans happy and keep Trump from veering off and looking at military options,” said Andrew Gilholm, director of analysis of Greater China and North Asia at Control Risks.

Gilholm added, however, that China’s economic leverage over the North did not necessarily mean it could persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear ambitions.

But the North’s possession of a working ICBM could signal time is running out for China to act.

Trump, who has made halting the nuclear threat his top foreign policy priority, has vowed to act unilaterally against Pyongyang if Beijing fails to rein in North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un’s regime.

“It’s a delicate balance,” said Willy Lam, a politics expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

“If they [China] don’t take action fast enough it’s possible that the US might contemplate some action, either a surgical strike or other action.” AFP

INDEPENDENCE DAY. Fireworks explode over the National Mall in Washington, DC, as the US Capitol (R) and National Monument (C) are seen on July 4. AFP

With Alaska in missile range, few options for Trump WASHINGTON―North Korea’s testfiring of a missile apparently capable of reaching Alaska underlines the shrinking options for US President Donald Trump to halt Pyongyang’s nuclear drive after losing faith in China’s mediation efforts.

Shortly before his January inauguration as president, Trump said he would never let North Korea develop a nuclear weapon that would put parts of the United States in range, declaring on Twitter: “It won’t happen!”

But after Washington confirmed that North Korea had successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), experts say the US may have to accept that red line is close to being crossed if the missile system can be developed to carry a nuclear warhead.

“The window for negotiating denuclearization is closed,” Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in nuclear non-proliferation, told AFP.

“The big point is that we have to accept North Korea with a nuclear-armed ICBM.” In the immediate aftermath of the latest test, Trump again took to Twitter to berate the North’s leader Kim Jong-Un and press China to “put a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!”

But there are growing signs that Trump has already effectively given up on China’s capability of reining in Kim’s regime, declaring last month that Beijing’s efforts had not worked out.

The Trump administration’s hardening stance was also illustrated last Thursday when it slapped sanctions on a Chinese bank linked to North Korea―drawing an angry response from Beijing.

In a weekend phone call with China’s president, Trump reportedly told Xi Jinping that Washington was prepared to act on its own in pressuring North Korea, ac-

cording to the New York Times.

As well as leaning on China, Trump has also been seeing if he can work with South Korea’s new leader Moon JaeIn, inviting him to the White House last week.

He has even tried to flatter Kim himself, calling him a “smart cookie” whom he would be “honored” to meet -- if only he would halt his missile programs.

Adam Mount, a senior fellow at the Center for American Progress for Nuclear and Defense policy, said international pressure and diplomacy was of limited use now that Pyongyang was so far down the line.

“It is now illogical to apply pressure to prevent the threshold from being crossed.

It has been crossed. Denuclearization is untenable,” said Mount.

“US policy failed. The best we can hope for now is to sustainably deter, contain, constrain, and reform the regime

over the long term.”

In the short term, the Pentagon is studying its options for military action, though the United States and South Korea quickly made a show of force following the ICBM test, firing missiles off the coast of the Korean peninsula in what Washington called a display of “precision fire capability.”

But US military chiefs have made clear they see enormous risks in a confrontation with the North.

Speaking in May, US Secretary of Defense James Mattis said any war with North Korea would be on a scale similar to the devastating Korea conflict in the 1950s.

“The North Korean regime has hundreds of artillery cannons and rocket launchers within range of one of the most densely populated cities on Earth, which is the capital of South Korea,” he told CBS News. AFP

Life

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

HEALTH & WELLNESS

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

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TRECE ZUMBATHON. Amaia Scapes Trece homeowners exercise while having fun as they join a Zumbathon activity organized by Amaia Land.

A community that fosters A

ACTIVE, HEALTHY LIFE

S SUMMER starts to fade, still, families chill at shopping malls and troop to beaches and mountain hideaways. Yet, some people like staying closer to home, enjoying days with people they love and having a healthy, active lifestyle in the comforts of their own community.

This is how summer came to life for the homeowners of Amaia Land, when the latter launched a series of exciting events geared to make the most out of the fun season.

Residents and people from neighboring communities happily participated in Amaia’s various activities that included a basketball clinic in Amaia Steps Novaliches; a basketball league in Amaia Scapes Bauan; Zumbathon in Amaia Scapes Trece Martires and Amaia Steps Altaraza; a car show weekend in Amaia Steps Sucat; and Air Race in Amaia Steps Nuvali.

Families and barkadas gleefuly participated in Easter Egg Hunts in Amaia North Luzon projects. Some savored a poolside barbecue in Amaia Skies Cubao, an Acoustic Evening in Amaia Steps Pasig, and a Baga Manila event in Amaia Steps Bicutan.

All these outdoor activities were made possible by Amaia Land’s tree-lined spine roads and patio greens that make the communities cool and comfortable despite the oppressive heat. Its firstclass features and amenities like clubhouses, basketball courts, swimming pools and play areas likewise boost its wellness factor.

Nikie Lingad, Amaia Land’s Project Development head, reiterated that the series of activities in summer was just one of Amaia’s many commitments to its homeowners, foremost of which is the completion and delivery of affordable and quality homes.

Before 2016 ended, Amaia delivered no less than 2,000 units to its new residents. In the first quarter of 2017, 600 units were turned over to their owners, while another 800 units were set to be delivered during the second quarter. This includes properties in Amaia Scapes Bulacan, Amaia Scapes Urdaneta, Amaia Skies Sta. Mesa, Amaia Skies Avenida, Amaia Skies CuAmaia Land bao, Amaia Square Novaliches, Amaia Steps Alheld a series of taraza, Amaia Steps Pasig, Amaia Steps Sucat, Amaia Scapes Trece Martires, Amaia Scapes exciting summer events in its General Trias, Amaia Steps NUVALIand Amaia properties, such Steps Mandaue. as basketball Prospective buyers will find it easy to own clinic in an Amaia home as Amaia Land offers flexible Novaliches, Easter payment schemes: cash payment, deferred, PAG- egg hunt in North Luzon, and car IBIG and bank financing. show in Sucat For inquiries about Amaia, visit www.amaialand.com or like www.facebook.com/AmaiaLand.

Water immersion facility for labor and delivery

From left: Johnson’s senior brand manager Ria Gatmaitan, event consultant Gav Bengzon, brand manager Regina Dimayuga, Philippine Toy Library marketing manager Michael Santiago, franchise marketing manager Bessie Campillo, and Bettina Carlos

Making more playtime happen to children in communities

SCENES of children going down slides and riding swings are quickly disappearing due to scarce playgrounds. Countless communities in Manila are unable to provide children with clean and safe play areas, too. This is a saddening truth despite the fact that play is important in the holistic development of children. In fact, play is a birth right of every child and it is quite proper to give them just that—playgrounds where they can freely move around and unlock their imagination.

Johnson’s has always believed in the importance of quality playtime that’s why it continuously looks for ways to promote this among children. In the recent launch of its campaign called Johnson’s Active Kids Playcation, different play pods were put up to provide safe spaces where children built structures, created masterpieces, ran around, and solved problems while using their imagination. Johnson’s has pledged to donate these play plods to the Philippine Toy Library in its aim Turn to D2

MAKATI Medical Center recently inaugurated its Water Immersion Facility for Labor and Delivery for mothers who want to try a safer alternative natural birthing method.

“MakatiMed’s Water Immersion Facility recreates the comfort of home birth and combines it with the safety of giving birth in a world-class medical center,” said Sonia E. Bongala, MD, immediate past chairman of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

“Each delivery will be closely supervised by our board-certified doctors, well-trained nurses, and qualified allied healthcare personnel, ensuring the wellbeing of both mom and baby.”

“More and more women are opting to undergo natural childbirth, especially those who cannot or would rather not have pain medication during labor,” said Martin Manahan, MD, also of the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology. “Water birth is one such alternative, where mothers undergo the normal labor and delivery process through warm water immersion.

With the inauguration of this new facility in MakatiMed, our patients can request and access topnotch professional support for this delivery experience.”

The modern facility in MakatiMed CP Manahan Pavilion OR-DR Complex (Delivery Room), has a birthing tub, cable TV, audio system where mothers can listen to their preferred soothing and relaxing music, a medical-grade patient bed that can be converted to a delivery bed, and a waterproof fetal Dop-

Makati Medical Center’s Water Immersion Facility for Labor and Delivery

pler monitor (baby heartbeat monitor).

It is a safe hospital setting with easy access to surgical and operating room facilities and multi-specialty physicians in case of emergencies.

A maximum of three companions can accompany the patient inside the birthing room to maintain a clinically organized, yet relaxing and homey room to welcome the new bundle of joy.

Water birth has many benefits as it promotes relaxation and provides natural pain relief during labor. Buoyancy in the water promotes better blood circulation between mother and baby during labor. Water immersion also allows free movement inside the birth pool so

mothers can assume any position in the water according to what makes her comfortable. Water has also been found to make the perineum (the area between the anus and the vulva) more elastic and relaxed, reducing severity of tearing, and lessening the need for stitches.

“Consult your OB-Gyn to see if this method is the best birthing option for you,” said Bongala.

To know more about this birthing option, call the CP Manahan Pavilion ORDR Complex (Delivery Room) through 8888-999 locals 3500 and 3501. The CP Manahan Pavilion is located on the 5th Floor, Tower 2 of Makati Medical Center.

Life

D2

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Mitsubishi Electric’s contribution to a GREENER PHILIPPINES

A

S PART of its environmental corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, Mitsubishi Electric Group of Companies in the Philippines recently organized a tree planting activity in Laguna.

Held at Tayak Hill in Rizal, the event was attended by volunteers from various Mitsubishi Electric subsidiaries in the country, all united in an effort to preserve the environment and to contribute to the company’s vision of a greener Philippines.

According to Mitsubishi Electric Asia–Asia Corporate Office director Shoichi Suwa, the company has embarked on such activity to help lessen the hazardous impacts on the environment brought by industrialization.

“Mitsubishi Electric recognizes that our planet needs to be protected for future generations. Climate change is one of the most critical issues that we must address, to realize a sustainable global environment,” he said.

Around a thousand seedlings of bignay and guyabano were planted on the slopes of Tayak Hill, which was chosen because of its ecological importance to the province—serving as a catchment area for rainwater. The trees will help prevent soil erosion and preserve the natural flow of ground water, essential in sustaining streams and lakes around San Pablo. These bodies of water are considered main sources of livelihood to nearby communities.

Mitsubishi Electric Asia corporate office director Shoichi Suwa (in red cap) led the employee volunteers of Mitsubishi Electric Group of Companies in the Philippines during the company’s tree planting activity

In terms of sustaining the project, International Elevator and Equipment, Inc. (IEE) President Ramoncito Ocampo said they have arranged for caretakers to look after the trees, and to make sure that the project will stay viable and useful to Rizal and its surrounding towns.

“By planting a tree, we promote life.

Not only do trees take in carbon dioxide as part of the photosynthesis, it also gives oxygen as by product and this is vital for human survival,” he said.

Suwa noted that the tree planting

activity is just the start of Mitsubishi Electric’s environmental endeavors in the Philippines. He said, “We expect to continue because our aim is to lessen our environmental impact, and we are also thinking of doing cleanup drives.

We believe that through our projects, people would know about our aim to help the environment. In the future, we would like Mitsubishi to be known as a green company.”

In addition to this initiative, Mitsubishi Electric companies have also implemented

other environmental programs, like Laguna Auto-Parts Manufacturing Corporation’s (LAMCOR) participation in recycling competitions and vegetable gardening.

According to Suwa, the company wants to become a leading “green” company on its 100th anniversary— part of its Environmental Vision 2021, which advocates concern for nature in all aspects of its business operations.

“Hazardous companies do not care about environment. But we believe that if we want to maintain being a leading

company, environmental concern is the key element,” he said.

“This endeavor does not bring immediate result. Our people should learn that environment is important, and if we do this step by step and slowly, we can soon see its effects—which are long-term,” he added.

The activity was also strongly supported and participated in by the local government of Laguna, led by Rizal Mayor Tony Aurelio and Vice Mayor Vener Munoz.

iPhoto

Sekaya steps up health R&D through S&T THE Sentrong Katutubong Yaman (Sekaya), an affiliate of United Laboratories, Inc. (Unilab), is tapping into the country’s rich biodiversity to develop natural medicinal products with the help of science and technology (S&T).

Sekaya signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for enhanced research and development (R&D) on health, especially in medicinal plants.

The MoU signing was held during the recent inauguration of the Sekaya Research and Development plant at the Unilab Pharma Campus in Mamplasan, Laguna. The facility is envisioned to become a collaborative R&D center for local medicinal plants and as a platform to develop natural products based on science to help the indigenous communities and small farmers benefit from the country’s rich resources.

“Indigenous communities and farmers, who are among the poorest in the country, have a lot to gain from the development of plant-based natural products in terms of livelihood and health benefits,” said Dr. Eliseo Banaynal, executive director of Sekaya.

Agricultural research points out that lack of access to modern technology and technical expertise are among the barriers that prevent Filipino farmers from being competitive and from increasing their income.

Through the Sekaya facility, small farmers can tap the expertise of sci-

entists and gain access to innovative technologies and processes.

The Philippines is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world or the world’s top biodiversity-rich countries, which host two-thirds of the Earth’s biodiversity and contain about 70 to 80 percent of the world’s plant and animal species. The country ranks fifth in terms of number of plant species and home to five percent of the world’s plants (about 10,000 to 13,000 species of plants described and recorded).

“The Philippines’ rich biodiversity should be protected at all cost, at the same time we should make sure that benefits from it will redound to the Filipinos. Unilab, through Sekaya with the help of science and technology, will support communities in cultivating and developing practical applications for the country’s natural resources that will be beneficial to them,” said Joey Ochave, senior vice president of Unilab.

Dr. Jaime Montoya, PCHRD executive director, underscored the government’s call for continuous development of the country’s biodiversity for health-related discoveries, particularly plant-based medicines.

DOST, through PCHRD, is at the forefront of the government’s efforts to develop herbal medicines to maximize the potential of medicinal plants which abound all over the country.

“We could not have found a better partner than Unilab in this collaborative R&D initiative. The company has always been guided by its commitment in supporting initiatives and

programs that would help Filipinos live healthier lives—most especially those who belong to the base of the pyramid,” added Montoya.

According to PCHRD, experts have identified over 1,500 indigenous medicinal plants in the Philippines. Globally, there is renewed interest and demand for herbal medicines in recent years.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that eight out of 10 people worldwide use herbal medicines.

It is stated under the Global Strategic Plan for Biodiversity of the Convention on Biological Diversity cites that, “by 2050, biodiversity is valued, conserved, restored and wisely used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people.”

Environment protection and stewardship is a priority under the MoU. It cites that Sekaya and PCHRD “commit to work together as stewards of Philippine biodiversity, particularly in the development of plant-based natural products”.

Also present during the signing of the MoU and the inauguration of the Sekaya R&D Pant were Dr. Rowena Guevara, DOST undersecretary for Research and Development; Carmencita OngsiakoReyes, governor of Marinduque; Dr. Fabian Dayrit, professor at the Ateneo de Manila University Department of Chemistry; Dr. Dolores Ramirez, national scientist; Dr. Teresita Borromeo, professor and head of the Plant Genetic Division of UP Los Banos; and Dr. Cecilia Maramba, director of the National Institutes of Health.

USANA Philippines recognized at Asian Networking Convention AURORA GASTON (center), USANA vice president for the Philippines and Indonesia, receives the Innovative Company 2017 Award at the Asian Networkers Convention and Expo 2017 held recently at the Ynares Sports Arena.

USANA, a world leading manufacturer and distributor of health supplements in the multilevel marketing industry, bagged three other awards including Vision Excellence Award for USANA founder and president Dr. Myron Wentz, Outstanding Couple Networker Award — Duard and Rosanne Ricalde, and People’s Choice Rising Star Best Male Award — Billy Dela Fuente.

These awards cap USANA’s eighth year celebration in the Philippines as it broke through the P4 billion sales in 2016. In her speech, Gaston, with the company’s Field Development and Marketing team, Ethics and Education, Top Income Earners and active associates, took pride in the company’s science-based products, exceptional compensation plan and world-class multilevel company during the awarding ceremonies.

Making...

From D1

From left: DOST Philippine Council for Health Research and Development executive director Dr. Jaime Montoya, national scientist Dr. Dolores Ramirez, UP Los Banos professor Dr. Teresita Borromeo, National Institutes of Health director Dr. Cecilia Maramba, Ateneo de Manila University professor Dr. Fabian Dayrit, and Sekaya executive director Dr. Eliseo Banaynal

to extend the value of “playcation” to children in more communities.

“Realizing the benefits of play in the wellbeing of a child, totoo nga’ng ‘di lang laro ang laro. Thus, it is important that we drive them to be more active and be really engaged in active play,” said Regina Dimayuga, Johnson’s’ brand manager. “That is why we have partnered with Philippine Toy Library—to bring these play pods to communities that lack in providing opportunities for children to play, and make the value of play real to more children.”

The Philippine Toy Library is a nonprofit organization that shares Johnson’s cause and dreams of providing spaces for play, creativity, and imagination, and meaningful social interactions through active play among children.

“It is important that we create safe spaces that will encourage children

to play and use their imagination.

By ensuring that they have this opportunity, experiencing the optimum benefits of play is just at their arm’s reach,” shared Michael Santiago of Philippine Toy Library.

The four play pods that will be donated to the Philippine Toy Library are called Imagine & Seek, a play space with rubber mats that allows kids to bring images to life such as castles, houses, etc; Fireball Away is a structure that challenges kids to dodge ‘fireballs’ while trying to balance their way on top of a beam; Dragon Maze, a maze structure where kids need to count notable items as they make their way out to the exit; and Little Builder’s City, which has different building blocks of different sizes that require children to build their own fortresses. These play pods were made purposeful and safe for children to play to ignite their imagination and develop their cognitive skills.

Visit www.johnsonsbaby.com.ph to know more.

THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

Smile like a

Rising love team Elisse Joson and McCoy de Leon, a.k.a. McLisse

STAR

McLisse’s first single together

C

ELEBRITIES have the best smile—their almost perfect white teeth make them shine brighter. You, too, can have the smile of a star.

“There is a relatively simple permanent solution. It only takes two to three visits and you will be smiling like a star,” say the dynamic duo behind the dental clinic, Fashion Smile, Persian-Filipino dentists Farzaneh J. Shamsi and Shahideh L. Nikbin.

The Philippines’ dance diva, Regine Tolentino, has undergone this procedure at Fashion Smile.

“I love that I only needed to visit Fashion Smile thrice. First was when I consulted Drs. Far and Shideh; then the preparation of my teeth for the veneers, and lastly, bonding the veneers to my teeth. It was super!” said the fashion designer, actress, TV Host, professional dance fitness instructor, health and fitness advocate, Shamsi says anyone can have veneers.

“Absolutely anyone who’d like to have a movie-star smile. Most especially, patients with cracked, chipped, or broken teeth, those with gaps between their teeth, and those whose teeth are worn down or unaligned.”

“Also, if your teeth are extremely stained or discolored, and regular whitening products will not work, veneers are for you. Even if you are just unhappy with your smile, go get a brighter smile with veneers,” adds Nikbin.

Also known as porcelain laminates,

ALL SMILES. TV host and fitness advocate Regine Tolentino shows off her perfect set of pearly whites.

veneers imitate the actual enamel of a tooth.

They are thin, custom-made shells of toothcolored material bonded to the front of the teeth to change their color, size or appearance.

When worn, it hides away permanent stained or chipped tooth. Hollywood stars, like Tom Cruise, Catherine Zeta Jones, Hillary Duff, and Kate Beckinsale, wear veneers.

The results are immediate. You get white, perfect, more natural-looking teeth.

The Fashion Smile hands-on dentists recommend porcelain veneers, which are

stain-resistant and translucent like your natural enamel so they mimic the tooth’s natural looks. These veneers can seal out substances which cause stains.

Like celebrity judge, mom, actress, and MTV’s first Filipina VJ Regine, you can have a bright smile with the help of Fashion Smile, Unit 601 Heart Tower 108 Valero St., Salcedo Village, 1227 Makati City. Call (02) 4787738, 09175092010 or 09178207827 for inquiries and appointments.

RM Pangilinan

MARIA

OZAWA

SUN-KISSED. Model/actress Maria Ozawa enjoying the subtropical sun in Guadalajara

in Mexico

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, July 6, 2017

ACROSS 1 Quart, plus 6 Drop syllables 11 Somber evergreen 14 Unfastened 15 Swimming holes 16 Hagen of “The Other” 17 “The Black Tulip” author 18 Opens a letter 19 T’ai — ch’uan 20 Convoy chaser (hyph.)

22 Wide tie 24 Least possible 28 Ignore 29 Battery terminals 30 Huge-antlered deer 32 Free from blemishes 33 Backbreaking 35 Living qtrs.

39 Prom rental 40 Harry’s successor 41 On an even — 42 Etc. relative (2 wds.)

43 Rodeo venue 45 — Lee cakes 46 Edmonton puckster

48 Rush away 50 Evens up 53 Flour and sugar 54 Obie relatives 55 Sweeping 57 British inc.

58 Barkin or DeGeneres 60 Complete range 65 Nibbled on 66 Rodeo noose 67 Draw forth 68 Chicago White — 69 Rome’s river 70 Followed a pattern DOWN 1 Advanced deg.

2 Cash substitute 3 Hanks or Brady 4 That, to Pedro 5 Applicant’s handout 6 — salts 7 Ms. Falana 8 No future — — 9 Insect killer 10 Literary pieces 11 Agave 12 Social mores 13 Hangs around 21 Many-branched shrub 23 Talks louder

(2 wds.)

24 Kind of sugar 25 Aleut language 26 Shearer of old films 27 Set of beliefs 28 Young male 30 Inventor 31 Pizzeria must 34 Gael republic 36 One of a strand 37 — Haute 38 Leaves laughing 43 Hirt and Pacino 44 Movie pooch

47 Pay-telephone word 49 Sponges 50 Reference book 51 Jackpot game 52 Book feature 53 Whale finder 55 Talk too much 56 Nerve network 59 XXVI, twice 61 Cato’s hello 62 Do yard work 63 Luau instrument 64 Danson or Turner

ONE of the most recognizable faces in South East Asia, Maria Ozawa began making waves on social media with a series of Instagram posts from the popular vacation town of Guadalajara, Mexico.

The 31-year-old model/actress visited Mexico for a getaway that included a trip to La Rojeña, the historic distillery that has produced Tequila for almost three centuries.

Ozawa was accompanied by other personalities such as Tim Yap, Bianca Manalo, and Charmaine Palermo.

Ozawa landed at Guadalajara, where she spent the evening at the Camino Real Hotel. She enjoyed her day sightseeing and hanging with locals, before embarking to the town of Tequila, Jalisco the following morning. The trip began with the Jose Cuervo Express, a luxury ride that takes tourists straight to the town of Tequila.

“I’m so excited for my new adventure!” Ozawa shared online.

In Tequila, Ozawa and her friends were taken to the blue agave fields to learn how the harvesting of the plant plays such a pivotal role in the production of the much-beloved drink. The experience at the fields gave way to a unique tour through La Rojeña, to witness the distillation and production of tequila.

ONE of the country’s most promising love teams, McLisse, McCoy de Leon and Elisse Joson, will make fans fall in love, with the song “If We Fall In Love a single released by Star Music.

“We’re both nervous and excited to share it with you guys.

We’re excited because this is another ‘first time’ for us as a love team,” said Joson.

“We really prepared for this.

We really took it seriously,” adds De Leon. “I kept playing the song on repeat (mode) until I was already dreaming about it.”

Producer Rox Santos also shared he had no difficulty working with the pair as the song suited them well. He also teased that there is a possibility for an album for the pair.

“We picked ‘If We Fall In Love’ because we all know their love team really make fans swoon, and their journey is really something people watch out for every now and then,” says Santos. “So why not come up with a song that will bring out the kilig in fans, and at the same time reflects the real score

between them?”

Joso says, “When I read the lyrics, I said the song matches us.

It’s difficult to say if it perfectly matches us, but I feel it’s really fitting.”

Hashtags member De Leon agrees saying he also feels a connection with the song, stating that “If We Fall In Love” does convey his status with Elisse.

“There are still questions about what’s happening between us. We still don’t know what’s here, so the song really suits us,” he said.

The ballad, originally performed by Yeng Constantino and RJ Jimenez, was written and composed by RJ during his stay as a contestant in the 2006 hit talent-reality show Pinoy Dream Academy.

The new single, re-mastered

by Santos, is now available on Spotify and YouTube.

For more information, visit Starmusic.ph or follow Star Music’s official social media accounts at Facebook.com/ starrecordsphil, Twitter.com/ starrecordsph and Instagram. com/Starmusicph.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, JULY 6, 2017

Showbiz couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera

DongYan’s fond memories of US trip Fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger (left) and model Gigi Hadid during the “see-now-buy-now” runway event in London

B

EGINNING Fall 2017, the internationally renowned American musician/producer duo, The Chainsmokers, will appear as global brand ambassadors for ‘Tommy Hilfiger’ menswear.

Tommy Hilfiger announced Alex Pall and Andrew “Drew” Taggart, globally known as the celebrated pop music duo The Chainsmokers, will appear as the global brand ambassadors for Tommy Hilfiger menswear, including Hilfiger Edition, Tommy Hilfiger Tailored and Tommy Hilfiger sportswear, beginning Fall 2017. The Grammy award-winning duo brings a modern, youthful twist to the brand’s more than 30-year global menswear legacy.

“The Chainsmokers is at the center of modern pop culture and its music resonates with a global audience,” said Hilfiger. “I admire the way Pall and Taggart have carved out a new niche that fuses indie, pop, dance, and hip-hop. Alex and Drew are truly the perfect definition of today’s Tommy Guy. Their talent, optimism, unique sound, and effortless cool have made them standout in the music world. We’re extremely excited to work with them in the fashion space.”

“Tommy’s pioneering approach to fusing fashion and music is part of our menswear heritage,” said Daniel Grieder, CEO, Tommy Hilfiger Global and PVH Europe. “Our partnership with The Chainsmokers reflects the company’s strategic commitment to bring the next generation of Tommy Hilfiger consumers into our men’s business with exciting fashion collections, curated shopping experiences, and digital commerce convenience. Our menswear category remains a key area of focus as we look to unlock the full potential for the Tommy Hilfiger brand in all regions around the world.”

Formed in 2012, The Chainsmokers have sold more than 10 million singles and are currently the third moststreamed artist in the world. In 2017, the duo won the Best Dance Recording Grammy with “Don’t Let Me Down,” featuring Daya, and their single “Closer,” featuring Halsey, was recognized as the Top Collaboration of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards. It was also the first lyric video in history to surpass one billion YouTube views.

“Like Tommy Hilfiger, we have always believed in celebrating individuality and breaking conventions,” said The Chainsmokers. “Tommy paved the way for collaborations between fashion and music, and we are excited to collaborate with a brand that aligns so closely with our own artistic approach and shares our passion for creating memorable experiences for our fans.”

The campaign was photographed by Lachlan Bailey in San Francisco, and exclusive video teasers will be set to a custom-mixed music track by The Chainsmokers.

Breaking globally in Fall 2017, the integrated men’s campaign includes print, online, and out-of-home media placements, and is supported by unique consumer activations and experiential events that continue to bring the brand’s unique perspective on pop culture to life around the world. The Tommy Hilfiger menswear campaign will run alongside the brand’s dedicated women’s advertising featuring global brand ambassador and American supermodel, Gigi Hadid.

The Fall 2017 Tommy Hilfiger menswear offering celebrates the ‘90s with a fresh twist on tradition as the collection embodies the rebellious attitude that characterized

TOMMY HILFIGER’S new global brand ambassadors

Alex Pall and Andrew Taggart of the Grammy-winning EDM duo The Chainsmokers

the decade. The Tommy Hilfiger menswear collections are available at Tommy Hilfiger stores globally, through select wholesale partners and online (www.tommy.com).

Hilfiger has a longstanding affinity for music, which has remained a never-ending source of inspiration throughout his career and developed into a strong connection between his brand and the music industry. In the ‘90s, Hilfiger was one of the first designers to blend fashion and celebrity, and he became a pioneer in the industry by dressing young artists such as Aaliyah, Mark Ronson, and Usher; sponsoring tours for the likes of Britney Spears and Lenny Kravitz; and featuring musicians such as David Bowie and Beyoncé in his advertising campaigns.

Tommy Hilfiger was the sponsor of the Rolling Stones’

acclaimed No Security tour in 1999, which was then the band’s first arena tour in decades. Since then, Tommy Hilfiger has continued to work with legendary male and female music artists, including Wyclef Jean, John Legend, and Alicia Keys, among others.

In the Philippines, Tommy Hilfiger is exclusively distributed by Stores Specialists, Inc., and is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Greenbelt 5, Kiss & Fly – NAIA Terminal 3, Newport Mall, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Rustan’s Cebu (childrenswear only), and ShangriLa Plaza Mall. Follow @ssilifeph on Instagram for more information.

Filipino celebs in History’s ‘Celebrity Car Wars’ season 2 FILIPINO model, actress and TV anchor Phoemela Baranda is joining other Asian stars in a race to win the second season of Celebrity Car Wars, which is shooting on-location in various parts of the Philippines.

A+E Networks Asia has commenced production for the second season of automotive reality entertainment series for History Asia.

Produced by Emmy-winning active TV and sponsored by Caltex, Celebrity Car Wars won the Gold award for “Best Idea – Content Marketing” at the MARKies Awards earlier this year.

Celebrity Car Wars Season 2 assembles six new popular, socially connected, outspoken, pampered and coiffured celebrities to embark on an eight-week road of automotive discovery.

Viewers are set to find out if their favorite personalities – now without their usual drivers and minders – can actually drive!

The regional celebrities getting behind the wheel also include Malaysian actor and

comedian Harith Iskander; Hong Kongbased model and TV personality Dominic Lau; Thai actor, model and singer Ratchanont Guy Suprakob; along with Thai actress Aerin Yuktadatta. Jarrod Schulz, from the popular History hit series Storage Wars on HISTORY Asia, also joins as the first celebrity from the U.S. in Celebrity Car Wars.

Professional motor racing experts, Malaysia’s Alex Yoong, as well as the Philippine’s very own Gaby Dela Merced and Michele Bumgarner return as Mentors to impart tricks of their trade to the new stars.

Last season it was the role of the Mentors to prepare the celebrities for a grand finale race, but a simmering rivalry between the professionals looks set to be settled on the track in the new season.

Celebrity Car Wars host Bobby Tonelli is back to put celebrity egos to the test in a newly introduced quiz segment, which complements the high octane, nail-biting driving challenges.

"Celebrity Car Wars" host Bobby Tonelli

THE recent US trip of Kapuso Primetime King and Queen Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera was filled with fond memories of their participation in the Philippine Independence Day celebrations (PIDC) in two cities in California.

DongYan’s presence in the highly successful “Pista sa Nayon: Philippine Independence Day” in Vallejo and the PIDC in Carson City on June 3 and 10, respectively, was made possible by GMA Pinoy TV. The couple flew to the US with baby Zia. They could not forget the warm welcome from the Kapuso Abroad as soon as they arrived at the Vallejo Waterfront in Mare Island Way for the festivities organized by the Philippine Cultural Community of Solano County, Inc. The couple delighted the crowd as they danced, joked, teased, playfully flirted with each other on stage, and even challenged three newlyweds to a dance showdown.

After the event in Vallejo, the family took time off to have a quick vacation at South Lake Tahoe. DongYan also celebrated their 10th anniversary as one of GMA’s iconic on-screen couples.

They also paid a courtesy call on the Consular General Office of Los Angeles, where they were given citations of merit and recognition from the Senate, Congress, House Assembly, City, and the Foundation. GMA International, the Network’s international business unit, was also recognized for its continuous support of the annual PIDC. Meanwhile, the show in Carson City, which was organized by the Philippine Independence Day Foundation, provided no dull moment as the couple filled the event with excitement. A huge number of fans trooped to the GMA Pinoy TV booth to have their dream photo op with DongYan after the show.

Dantes expressed his appreciation to the Kapuso Abroad for the successful celebrations. “It was a very, very warm welcome. Lalong naging significant ang pagpunta namin. Through our shows, we hope to bring the feeling of being home with them.”

He will is preparing for the second book of Alyas Robin Hood.

Rivera echoed Dantes’ sentiment as she enjoyed being united with Pinoys abroad.

“Nakakatuwa ‘yung pagtanggap ng mga tao. Ang sarap ng pakiramdam kapag ‘yung mga kapwa Pilipino mo, talagang nagsasama-sama to celebrate especially Independence Day,” said the host of Tadhana, a drama anthology about Filipinos abroad.

“Last season’s success proved that the show’s high-octane energy and antics matches really well with what our Caltex brand stands for. Expect even more thrilling challenges and sharper twists, which incidentally also demonstrate what our improved Caltex with Techron fuels can do on any journey,” says Carlos Rey C. Castaños, general manager of Asia Pacific Sales & Marketing Support at Caltex.

The first season was already a rollercoaster ride of stunts and challenges, but the series is cranking it up to another level this year to bring sheer motoring mayhem, at even more unexpected locations. A motor racing designer is also giving the rides a sensational new look to rival the spectacle of the star-studded cast of the new season.

In each episode, the celebrities compete for points towards the ultimate prize: joining inaugural champion, KC Montero, in the Hall of Fame by winning Celebrity Car Wars Series 2. The Filipino media personality, host and actor won the first season, which premiered in August 2016.

The eight-part-one-hour series is the latest among History Asia original productions, which include Photo Face-Off in its fourth season, and Ride N’ Seek in season 5.

Celebrity Car Wars will air in the last quarter of 2017.