Manila Standard - 2017 July 13 - Thursday

Sona sends House stirring

By Maricel V. Cruz and Joel E. Zurbano THE House of Representatives will implement stricter security measures in this year’s State of the Nation Address to prevent any possible violence by drug lords and terrorists.

House Sergeant-at-Arms Ronald Detabali, at a news conference, said drug lords who have been affected by President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs could use the occasion to retaliate and sow terror.

“Definitely we will impose heightened security measures not only because of the current problem on ISIS, but because of the huge achievements of the President especially in the war on drugs and criminality,” Detabali said.

Without giving details, Detabali said there would be more security personnel from the Presidential Security Group, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines and House security personnel compared to President Rodrigo Duterte’s first Sona Next page last year.

VOL. XXXI • NO. 149 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY,

13, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

SECURITY CHECK. An unidentified K-9 handler starts Wednesday inspecting and searching the area of the Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City, only 12 days before President Rodrigo Duterte addresses his countrymen in his second State of the Nation Address since taking his oath of presidential office last year. Manny Palmero

Turk terrorists in PH—envoy

By Florante S. Solmerin

THE Turkish ambassador to Manila said Wednesday a terrorist group that instigated last year’s failed coup in Turkey has branched out to the Philippines.

In an interview with the ANC news channel, Ambassador Esra Cankour said the Fetullah Gulen Movement is active in a school in Zamboanga, opened in 1997, and two other schools in Manila.

“This is their façade, thinking them as civic education institutions and innocent charity organizations. That will be a huge mischaracterization, that is wrong. They are

the façade. They talk about inter-faith dialogue, but they are concealing themselves,” she said on ANC’s Headstart.

One of the leaders of the movement, Cihangir Arslan, denied the ambassador’s accusations.

“We strongly assail the accusation made by the ambassador against us, our group.

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Top cop: ISIS threat requires ML extension

By John Paolo Bencito and Maricel V. Cruz PHILIPPINE National Police chief Dir. Gen. Ronald dela Rosa said Wednesday martial law should be extended for another 60 days or the maximum period allowed by law, as the problems caused by Islamic State-inspired terrorists have not yet been fully addressed.

“If the law allows 60 more days, [then it’s] 60 days. If the

Wardens told: Kill inmates into drugs

Poll tribunal okays reprieve for Leni

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court, acting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has extended the period for the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo to pay the remaining cash deposit of P7 million for her counter-protest against former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Marcos is protesting his loss of the vice presidency to Robredo in the 2016 election, claiming he was cheated during the counting of the votes and wants a recount.

Robredo in her counter-protest also wants a recounting of the votes in the areas where she lost to Marcos.

Robredo’s lead lawyer Romulo Macalintal on Wednesday said there was no specific period yet for the extension of payment.

“PET will determine [the pe-

riod of extension] based on the arguments we will raise in our motion,” Macalintal said.

He said they will ask the electoral tribunal that the extension should be until the recount on the three pilot provinces in Marcos’ protest was terminated.

“If the results show Marcos [was] able to make substantial recovery, then we will pay [but] if not, no need to pay because the protest will be dismissed,” Macalintal said.

“And since the first issue to be resolved is [the] integrity of the 2016 automated election system, then I calculate the retrieval and recount may still be held sometime [in] January 2018.”

Former senator Marcos is seeking the annulment of about a million votes cast in Lanao del Sur, Basilan Next page and Maguindanao.

By John Paolo Bencito

FRIENDLY EXCHANGE. Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario joins the exchange of repartees with former

National Security Adviser Roilo Golez (right) , Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio (left) and University of the Philippines’s Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea Director Dr. Jay Batongbacal shortly after Wednesday’s forum titled ‘The Framework Code of Conduct, One Year After Arbitration’ in Makati City. Ey Acasio

‘PH territory intact despite sea row’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta lost an inch of the disputed ter- Workshop for Philippine Media.

BEIJING, China—While the Duterte administration has not used the arbitral court’s favorable ruling on the country’s claims to parts of the South China Sea, the country has “not

ritory,” the Philippine Ambassador to China, Jose Santiago Sta. Romana said Wednesday.

“I think we have gained,” Sta. Romana told Filipino journalists who are in Beijing for the Communication University of China Senior

“Now, the Chinese are saying they won’t build,” Sta. Romana said, referring to the Scarborough Shoal, which the Philippines claims as its own, but which China occupies. “There is a consensus to keep Next page it as a fisheries area.”

UP freezes tuition collection in 1st sem

By Rio N. Araja PHASEOUT DENOUNCED.. Transport groups and jeepney operators denounce at a news conference Wednesday at the Quezon City Memorial Circle the phaseout of jeepneys and called on authorities to stop what they called fake modernization. Manny Palmero

problem can’t be solved for another 60 more days, then we’ll apply for another extension,” Dela Rosa said in Filipino.

Dela Rosa said even if the Marawi siege is finished in 15 days as President Rodrigo Duterte estimated, the terrorist threat would remain.

“It doesn’t mean that if the Marawi problem gets resolved, the problem on the ISIS militants and the other armed elements will be finished.

We still need to fully address these threats,” he said.

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THE University of the Philippines in Diliman, Quezon City, has announced the temporary

suspension of the collection of tuition for the first semester of academic year 2017 to 2018 while waiting for the decision on a plan

for a tuition-free policy.

“There will be no collection of tuition until government is clear about their plan,” Chancellor Michael said in

the Philippine Collegian, UP’s official student newspaper.

“They are not clear yet as to how much the Next page

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday ordered the jail wardens to have the inmates involved in the illegal drug trade “shot” or “framed” as he expressed disgust over the reported resurgence of the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.

In a speech during the 26th anniversary of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology in Camp Aguinaldo, Duterte vowed no mercy for the Bilibid inmates who were again reported conducting their illegal business through cellphones.

“Shoot the son of a bitch. If you can’t … I will myself. Son of a bitch, kill them,” Duterte said.

“Now, if they don’t want to fight back, then frame them.”

Duterte also told the wardens not to fear placing criminals in solitary confinement as that was the only way to stop the illegal drug trade from reaching the penitentiaries.

“The only thing we can do is to cut those people off from the rest of the world,” Duterte said.

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THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Friendly fire’ kills 2 soldiers

CIDG chief may regain post

By John Paolo Bencito

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte and Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa on Wednesday said that they will reinstate suspended Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Supt.

Marvin Marcos, despite pending homicide charges against him.

TWO soldiers were killed and 11 others were wounded in another military air strike that struck Marawi City on Wednesday, the second reported incident of friendly fire amid efforts to flush out Islamic State-inspired terrorists in the besieged city.

This is the second time that soldiers died in a “friendly fire” following the botched bombing run that accidentally killed 10 government troops last month.

“Investigation is being conducted to determine the circumstances surrounding an incident where an ordnance missed its target during an airstrike conducted at about 12 noon of 12 July 2017,” Colonel Edgard Arevalo, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office, said in a statement.

“Initial report from Marawi indicates that the bomb was 250 meters off target. The impact of the explosion caused the collapse of nearby structures,” he added.

Large debris from the heavily reinforced buildings accidentally hit two soldiers, who died immediately while 11 others sustained minor shrapnel wounds and are now recuperating in the nearby hospital.

The military vowed to immediately investigate the mishap.

“We are saddened by this unfortunate incident. We are attending to the needs of the families of our troops who died or were hurt,” Arevalo said.

Film fest panel gets three new members

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Film Festival committee on Wednesday announced the names of three new members who will take over the positions vacated by executive officials who resigned in an apparent protest against the selection process for the films to be included in this year’s main competition.

Thomas Orbos, MMFF executive chairman, said the three new members were Mario J. delos Reyes, multi-awarded director and executive director of ToFarm Film Festival; Joy Belmonte-Alimurung, vice mayor of Quezon City and head of the Quezon City Film Development Council, which is in charge of the QCinema International Film Festival; and Arnel Ignacio, actor and currently assistant vice president for Community Relations and Services of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Orbos made his statement even as Rep. Lito Atienza urged independent Filipino filmmakers to capitalize on the international streaming of movies over the Internet as a way to reach a bigger audience and generate new income streams.

“If entertainment firms that provide video-on-demand services online can help struggling Filipino filmmakers make more money, and create more jobs here at home, then we are all for it,” said Atienza, a backer of the Philippine movie industry and a former three-term mayor of Manila.

Orbos said the new members of the executive committee had been tasked to implement and oversee the proper conduct of the yearly festival.

He made the announcement two days after he accepted the resignation of Ed Lejano from the Execom.

“Like Roland Tolentino who was a member of the committee, I accept Lejano’s resignation with the hope that they both would continue to respect the rules, processes and time lines they themselves crafted and agreed to adhere to,” said Orbos, who is also the general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority, the overall organizer and the supervising body of the annual festival.

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subsidy there will be, partial or complete, and who will be eligible. Until they clarify, we will not collect any amount from students.”

The Commission on Higher Education and Department of Budget and Management earlier said state universities and colleges should give priority to the beneficiaries of government student financial assistance programs in implementing the tuition-free policy with an P8-billion allocation in the 2017 budget.

CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III asked Tan’s announcement of a no-tuition policy.

He said he did not know what Tan meant when he said the government was not clear about its plan on the tuition-free policy.

By John Paolo Bencito

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In a speech during the 26th ated that he will not allow police anniversary of the Bureau of Jail and soldiers to be jailed.

Management and Penology in “Si Marcos, suspended. Eh ‘di Camp Aguinaldo, Duterte reiter- suspended siya. Eh tapos na ang

suspension, sabi ko ibalik ninyo sa trabaho iyang mama na iyan [Marcos is suspended. His suspension is already finished, so I said put the man back to work],” Duterte said.

Duterte said he didn’t care about the possible repercussions of his move despite the allegations that Marcos had participated in a rubout of Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa, who was shot dead in his jail cell.

“There’s a case against him?

So what? The son-of-a-bitch criminal can invoke presumption of innocence, and the

gover nment can’t? Why the stupid rationale there?” Duterte said in Filipino.

The Justice Department recently downgraded the murder charges against Marcos and 18 other policemen to homicide, making them qualified for bail.

Dela Rosa said he was glad that Marcos would be returned to service.

“It’s a waste that he’s doing nothing and being paid a salary.

Let’s put him to work,” the PNP chief told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

Suspension orders for 18 other

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BJMP@26. President Rodrigo Duterte is welcomed by Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Director Serafin Barretto Jr. on his arrival at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City for the BJMP’s 26th anniversary celebration. Presidential Photo

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From A1 We’re not terrorists and we are here in the Philippines in goodwill,” Arslan told the Manila Standard in a phone interview.

Arslan said the accusations amounted to political persecution by the Turkish government against their movement.

“We’re not terrorists. Our group was and will strongly oppose this treatment by our own government against us just because we’re vocal in condemning the totalitarian system of the Turkish government and rampant corruption,” Arslan said.

The Turkish government blames Gulen, a US-based cleric, and his followers, for orchestrating last July’s attempted coup, in which rogue soldiers commandeered tanks and fighter jets, bombed parliament and tried to abduct or kill President Tayyip Erdogan.

More than 250 people died and 2,000 more were injured, Cankour said.

The group’s presence in the Philippines is “a bad thing,” she said, because it is a terrorist group.

‘PH...

From A1 He added that Filipino fishermen now have access to the shoal again.

“Whereas before our fishermen could not fish around the Scarborough Shoal or near the Scarborough Shoal, now, by looking at areas where the two sides can find agreement, that has been resolved,” he said.

The ambassador also noted that the Chinese have lifted their blockade on the supply routes to Ayungin and PagAsa Island.

“So I don’t think we’ve lost an inch of territory, we have gained what we lost for so many years. We have regained some of the features or areas we don’t have access to. So I think basically what we are trying to do through this approach is not only to defend what we have but to preserve what we have and if possible to regain what we have lost in the past,” Sta. Romana said.

“And this is I think an approach based on an understanding on how to deal with China. I think this was the shortcoming in the past. If you deal with China in a hard way, in the hardball manner you will face the same equally hard, if not harder approach from the Chinese. This is an important

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He is contesting the results in 132,446 precincts in 39,221 clustered precincts covering 27 provinces and cities.

During Tuesday’s preliminary conference, Macalintal told the PET that, since the tribunal was only in an exploratory stage on the collection of the ballot boxes and the pilot provinces involved only three provinces, it was only practical and reasonable

“We consider Fetullah Gulen as a terrorist organization,” she said.

Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the military is verifying the group’s alleged presence in the country.

Also on Wednesday, police released three members of the Maute clan who were intercepted at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport because they had no evidence linking them to the Marawi rebellion.

Senior Supt Wilson Asueta, the CIDG director identified the three individuals as Ashary Maute, Yasser Maute and Al Nazir Maute, who along with four others were off-loaded from a Malaysian bound aircraft last Monday.

“They [CIDG] found no reasonable ground to hold them further.

They were not able to prove that these Mautes are part of the Maute group that staged the rebellion in Marawi,” said PNP chief Ronald Dela Rosa said.

However, Abdulrahman Maute was arrested and taken into police custody on the basis of an Arrest order No. 2 issued by the secretary of Defense and Martial Law Administrator Delfin Lorenzana.

At least 11 people, including Maute Matriarch, Ominta Romato Farhana and former Marawi City mayor Fahad

Salic have been filed rebellion charges for their alleged complicity in the Marawi siege.

Farhana Maute was charged before the Misamis Oriental Regional Trial Court in Cagayan de Oro City days after she was arrested in Masiu, Lanao del Sur. The nine others charged for rebellion were Sumaya Bangkit Masakal, Radiea Tugosa Asire, Mariam Ibnu Abubakar, Zafeerah Rosales Musa, Nehreen Macaraya Abdul, Nora Moctar Limgas, Mardiyya Haji Ali, Sumayya Lawi Ali, and Noronisa Haji Camal.

All those facing rebellion charges have been transferred to Camp Bagong Diwa Detention center in Taguig City.

A Catholic bishop, meanwhile, expressed concern on the safety of Fr. Teresito Soganub and several other Christians being held hostages by Maute rebels in Marawi City.

Marawi Bishop Edwin Angot dela Peña said Soganub was kidnapped by the ISIS-inspired Maute terror group along with at least 10 others on May 23, when clashes between government troops and members of the Maute Group erupted in Marawi. The fate of the hostages was still unknown. With Francisco Tuyay and Vito Barcelo

lesson from history,” he said.

The ambassador said Vietnam and Russia used to have conflicts with China, but have dealt peacefully with Beijing in the last two or three decades.

He noted that Vietnam and China settled their border dispute, even though it took 10 years to reach an agreement.

“When you start to talk and you start to negotiate, the key is preparation and strategic patience as well as a good negotiating team because the Chinese negotiate very seriously and it takes time. They will try to outlast you if possible,” Sta. Romana said.

“But if you try to force an issue, it will result in the escalation of tension, and possibly conflict as we have known from history in the past 30 years,” he added.

Sta. Romana also said the Philippines needed to de-link the country’s bilateral differences with China and the strategic rivalry between Washington and Beijing.

It has been a year since the Permanent Court of Arbitration said the Philippines has the lawful rights over the West Philippine Sea, but the Duterte administration has not used that victory in its dealings with China.

Sta. Romana said this was the result of a paradigm shift, a basic change in approach in handling

relations with China.

Instead of the previous approach of putting the disputes at the center of the bilateral relations, he said the Duterte administration decided to separate it into two tracks. He said the contentious issues were placed on one track and the non-contentious issues on the other track.

“The contentious issues of course are those of sovereignty, [and] the issue of maritime jurisdiction,” the ambassador said.

However, he said there is a whole range of non-contentious issues where there are no differences—trade, economics, infrastructure, science, and culture, where the two countries can cooperate.

But if you put the disputes at the center as the previous administration did, then these other areas become frozen, he said.

“Where do you discuss these contentious issues? So this is the idea of bilateral mechanism comes in that was inaugurated last May. And this is where you can discuss the sensitive issues,” he said.

Sta. Romana said the government would not give up its claim on the South China Sea territories, nor abandon the arbitral tribunal’s decision, but would take a pragmatic approach.

With Sara Susanne Fabunan, Rey E. Requejo, PNA

to suspend Robredo’s payment of the cash deposit.

The PET ordered Macalintal to file an appropriate motion, while Robredo’s payment of P7 million on July 14 was extended pending a resolution of the motion.

The tribunal also asked the parties to comment on the summary of issues and evidence prepared by it within five working days.

In June, Robredo paid the initial installment of P8 million of the P15.44 million required by the PET for her counter-protest.

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He said the illegal drug trade might have return after cellular phones made their way back inside the New Bilibid Prison.

“The illegal drug trade resurged.

Allegedly about 400 kilos [were collected inside Bilibid.] That’s the reason for that shootout. Somebody died there [in Muntinlupa] because of this,” Duterte said.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre

“That is when the martial law declaration could help,” Dela Rosa said.

“If we can extend it further, we can address the problem of violent extremism led by ISIS-inspired groups.”

Based on a video captured from the terrorists, attacks could also be launched against Iligan and other cities in Mindanao, Dela Rosa said.

“It is difficult to disregard this.

We take this information seriously because they have already done this in Marawi, and they can do it elsewhere,” he added.

While he and Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año agreed to recommend an extension of martial law, the parameters would have to be discussed first, he said.

In a separate interview, Dela Rosa said he agreed with Duterte’s assessment that government forces needed 15 more days to liberate Marawi.

“That’s a very good assessment coming from the President,” the PNP chief said, noting that this was based on reports from security officials.

“He’s very much aware of the situation, he’s being briefed every now and then about the situation there so he came up with that assessment,” Dela Rosa said.

On Wednesday, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the President is still “waiting for the full report” of the military and the police, on whether to lift or extend his martial law declaration.

Abella said the full recommendation would come from Defense secretary and martial law administrator Delfin Lorenzana and Año, who is the chief implementor of martial law.

“The President has repeatedly stressed that the Philippines abides by the rule of law, and extending martial law would be based solely on the assessment and recommendation of the military and the police,” Abella said.

Abella said that they are working to immediately restore peace and

policemen would also be lifted and they will be returned to their mother unit, the CIDG. “It would be up to the CIDG where they will be assigned,” Dela Rosa said, adding that Marcos will be reverted to full duty status and “can be utilized again by the PNP for whatever assignment.”

Marcos and the 18 other policemen, all assigned with the Eastern Visayas CIDG, were charged for the killing of Espinosa Sr. and Raul Yap during a raid on the sub-provincial jail in Baybay City on Nov. 5, 2016. order in Marawi City.

Any action by the President, he added, would be based on legitimate information from security officials.

At the same time, Abella expressed satisfaction that most Filipinos or 57 percent supported President Duterte’s martial law declaration in Mindanao, based on the latest Social Weather Stations survey.

The same survey showed, however, that 63 percent disagreed with proposals for Duterte to expand martial law to the Visayas, and 67 percent disagreed with any move to expand coverage to Luzon.

On previous occasions, the President has said that he might expand the coverage of his martial law in Luzon and Visayas if the Islamic-inspired terrorists reached the islands.

Lawmakers on Wednesday said the SWS survey was an affirmation of the President’s judgement in suppressing violence in Marawi.

“I think it generally reflect the true sentiments of the people,” said Rep. Ben Evardone of Eastern Samar.

Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano said the President continues to enjoy overwhelming support and trust from the public.

Kabayan Party-List Rep. Harry Roque also said it was no surprise that the public supported Duterte’s moves in Mindanao. “[The] factual basis [for martial law] was seen on television and the internet,” he said.

But ACT Teachers party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio said the SWS findings were “not surprising, given the long-standing stereotype of Mindanao in many people’s minds as a land wracked by violence.”

“Add to this the deliberate exaggeration of the threat posed by the ASG and Maute groups and playing up of the alleged links to ISIS,” he said.

“The survey also revealed that support for the President’s declaration is mixed, with 40 percent believing that martial law should have been more limited in scope and not cover the entire island,” Tinio added.

As they did last year, House leaders urged lawmakers and guests to do away with the ostentatious and to instead dress simply.

“The Speaker says the Sona is going to be a working day and so officials and employees are advised to wear inexpensive modest clothes. It could be Filipinia dress, but not long gown; it could also be business attire,” said House Secretary-General Cesar Pareja.

Metro Manila police director Oscar Albayalde said 6,000 men from the National Capital Region Police Office and 2,000 men from the Metro Manila Development Authority will be deployed to ensure peace and order and manage the flow of traffic during the Sona on July 24.

Albayalde said he and other NCRPO officials would discuss security deployment for the Sona with Quezon City Police District chief Supt. Guillermo Eleazar, who is the overall commander of the police forces to be deployed to the Batasan Pambansa complex.

Albayalde said security measures during the Sona would be stricter this year because of some issues such as the martial law in Mindanao and the ongoing armed conflict in Marawi City.

He added the NCRPO will implement security adjustments for this year’s Sona upon orders from Malacañang.

The NCRPO chief said they had added 2,000 policemen due to the presence of Islamic State-leaning sympathizers in Metro Manila.

Metro Manila is under heightened alert in light of the threat posed by

members of the extremist Maute group.

The Maute group on May 23 attacked Marawi City resulting in the declaration of martial law in Mindanao.

Albayalde’s office recently received information that a document was being circulated through social media that a series of bombings would be launched anytime in the National Capital Region.

That memo, dated June 16, spoke of a series of terror attacks planned by the extremist Maute group in Manila, Makati and Quezon City.

Last year, protesters were allowed to conduct rallies during Duterte’s first Sona.

Albayalde also said officials of the Commission on Human Rights would meet with anti-riot policemen days before the Sona.

During the Metro Manila Council meeting, MMDA chairman Danilo Lim said the traffic enforcers will manage the crowd and vehicular flow during the event.

Lim also advised motorists to take alternate routes since traffic flow is expected to be heavy due to protesters.

Authorities earlier said three lanes on the northbound of Commonwealth Avenue will be allotted for protesters this year.

In 2016 Sona, two lanes were allotted to protesters but they also occupied another lane and snarled the traffic flow on the major thoroughfare.

Plastic barriers will also be installed near the Batasan Complex.

The MMDA’s Unified Vehicular Volume Reduction Program, commonly known as the “number-coding,” will remain in effect.

Emergency personnel will also on standby, including fire trucks and ambulances.

earlier admitted that the drug menace had returned within the very halls of the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa, which accounts for more than 60 percent of the illegal drug trade in the country.

Malacañang earlier said that the Philippine Marine Corps would soon replace the Special Action Force troopers in guarding the New Bilibid Prison.

Despite the deployment of police commandos, authorities have yet to fully eradicate the illegal drug trade.

Philippine National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa has already spo-

ken with President Rodrigo Duterte about the complete pullout of the SAF troopers.

More than 300 SAF troopers were deployed to the NBP last year, but they were supposed to stay only for up to six months before being replaced by the Marines.

Upon the assumption of the Duterte administration in July last year, police commandos took over security operations inside the NBP following reports that high-profile inmates continued to run 75 percent of the country’s drug transactions.

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THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Aquino govt has unspent P6.5-b fund, says CoA

By Rio N. Araja THE Aquino administration has left behind an unspent P6.413 billion on the president’s special fund, according to the Commission on Audit.

Based on CoA’s report, the amount came from the P5 billion and proceeds of the sale of the Manila Electric Co. stocks donated in 1990 by the Lopez family-owned Benpres Corp.

The amount should have been used to fund land reform projects, assistance to victims of natural calamities and livelihood assistance for depressed communities.

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. stopped remitting the Office of the President’s monthly share after the president’s special fund was transferred from the Presidential Management Staff and placed directly under the Office of the President.

From June 2014 to December 2016, Pagcor did not remit a portion of its earnings prompting CoA to issue Audit Observation Memorandum No. 015 on June 15, 2016 to require the remittance of the OP’s share in Pagcor’s net income.

“The assistant vice president of the Accounting Department of Pagcor confirmed that the last remittance of Pagcor for the PSF was in July 2014 for the month of May 2014 amounting to P250,600,136.74,” the report read.

With representations from the OP, Pagcor management turned over the full P5 billion to the Palace on Dec. 29, 2016 covered by Official Receipt No. 7494051.

“We commend the [OP] management for complying with the audit recommendation to make representation with Pagcor Management regarding OP’s share in its net earnings,” the commission said.

The OP’s P1.413-billion fund was a result of a 1990 compromise agreement between the Presidential Commission on Good Government and Meralco Foundation Inc. for a dispute settlement involving 27,776,557 common shares of Meralco.

On Aug. 24, 1990, Benpres Corp., represented by its president Eugenio Lopez Jr., executed a deed of donation giving 3,333,333 Meralco shares in favor of the OP represented by then executive secretary Catalino Macaraig Jr.

STREET DRAMA. A Kadamay member falls to the ground to dramatize the group’s protest rally along Mendiola Street in Manila. The group has called on President Rodrigo Duterte to award to Kabayan members the public land located at the Manggahan Floodway amid their continuing fight for free housing for the poor after the issuance of Presidential Proclamation 458 which was later recalled by the Arroyo administration. Norman Cruz

Du30 vows to break impasse on mining

Soldiers foil NPA attack, kill eight in C. Valley

By John Paolo Bencito

By Francisco Tuyay

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte vowed to solve the mining impasse and talk with industry players to discuss the impact of mining on the environment.

“I will institute the reforms after all my troubles in Marawi—I have to solve the mining impasse. I’m warning the rich … I’m seeing the destruction,” Duterte said.

“One of these days, I will call on the rich and the poor. They will just listen. What do they think of here? The fields are destroyed, how will they survive? But they kept on extracting [minerals]. And how… It’s only five percent. Taxes? We get about 70 billion a year and that’s it,” he added.

Environment Secretary Roy

Cimatu earlier said his department expects to release by the end of July the results of the assessment of the appeal made by mining companies which former Environment secretary Regina Lopez shut down.

Lopez had ordered a review on the operations of all operating metallic mines in the country.

Following the audit, the former Environment chief announced that 23 mining operations would be up for closure and five more would be suspended.

Twelve mining companies passed the audit. Lopez also announced that the government would cancel the mining contracts of 75 mining projects which were found within or near watersheds. She also ordered a ban on prospective open-pit mines.

Mining companies, however, questioned the decision and filed their appeal with the Environment Department, but some companies opted to file their appeal with the Office of the President.

Duterte suggested that the rich could pay for the damages done to the environment. “Kung gusto ninyo, kayong mga mayaman, bayaran ninyo sila sa perdition nila. So if he has lost 100,000 hectare, tutal mayaman man ‘yang mining, bayaran mo. Tapos taniman mo ng kahoy, kay ‘pag hindi ‘yan taniman ng kahoy, ‘yang ulo ninyo ang putulin ko

ilagay ko sa—‘yan ang itanim ko doon,” he said, eliciting laughter from the audience.

“There are so many injustices here that we have to correct. But just give me time,” he added.

Meanwhile, in a bid to address the many challenges faced by mining in the Philippines, and to map a way forward to ensure mining’s future growth and contribution to the economy, the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines, the lead association of large-scale miners in the country, will dedicate its 17th Mining Philippines International Conference and Exhibition for this industry-wide discussion.

The conference, which is slated on Sept. 5-7 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Hotel Manila, will highlight the many responsible mining practices already being practiced by mining companies throughout the country.

‘Big-time’ oil price hike denounced Pro, anti-divorce solons weigh in on measure

By Maricel V. Cruz A MILITANT lawmaker on Wednesday denounced the latest big-time oil price hike, saying such will further burden poor consumers as Congress pursues the measure that increases excise tax and impose tax in some previous non-VAT oil products like diesel.

“Poor consumers will likely be the most affected not only by the unabated oil price hikes and the looming tax reform law. A mere centavo increase on oil products often triggers price increase in some basic commodities, what more if the increase is more than P1?,” Anakpawis party-list Rep. Ariel Casilao said.

Last Monday, oil companies announced big-

time price hikes of P1.20 for diesel, P.70 for gas and P.90 for kerosene.

About a week ago, oil companies jacked up the price of their oil products, P.70 for diesel, P.3 for gas and P.50 for kerosene.

Casilao said that the promise of change by the Duterte government was not felt by ordinary people and also allowed oil companies to raise their oil products without batting an eye.

This, he said, would be a double whammy for the poor when Congress enacts House Bill 5636 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) where part of the bill is to increase excise tax and impose tax in some previous non-VAT oil products like diesel.

HELP FOR MARAWI. Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista (third), together with

Comelec executive director Jose Tolentino Jr. (left) and Bartolome Sinucruz Jr., hand to DSWD Secretary Judy Taguiwalo a P1-million donation intended for the displaced people of Marawi. Norman Cruz

By Maricel V. Cruz OPPOSITION to the divorce bill of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Wednesday snowballed at the House of Representatives with at least two lawmakers defending the sanctity of marriage.

Representatives Lito Atienza of Buhay party-list and Rodolfo Albano III of Isabela said that while the divorce bill is worth discussing, they doubted about its passage.

“This proposal effectively destroys the institution of marriage in the country. This destroys the sanctity, respect and value of the family. I do not know of any other country in the world that has adopted this kind of law which makes it easy to dissolve a marriage upon agreement,” Atienza, a House deputy minority leader, said.

Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez earlier said that among his priority bills in the second regular session of the 17th Congress was one that would allow couples to jointly petition a court for the dissolution of their marriage.

Atienza frowned on the proposal on divorce, saying that “the genuine essence of marriage is totally removed from the intention of his bill with the idea to make it easy for a couple to separate.”

Atienza said the idea of divorce is also against the law of God, and that in the predominantly Catholic country, the bill

will not get enough support for it to pass.

“Para bang mag-usap na lang kayo, pag ayaw na, hiwalay na. Papaano naman yung kontratang pinirmahan na ang testigo ay ang Panginoong Hesukristo?” Atienza said. “I hope and pray that Speaker Alvarez does not pursue this line of thinking. This would not strengthen marriage, this would destroy marriage. For Catholics, this is a contract of union before man and before God under the Sacrament of Marriage.

I still hope that he was only joking when he said his ideas,” Atienza said.

Albano said the 1987 Constitution provides no divorce.”We have to amend the Constitution first because it is stated in the Constitution that marriage is inviolable,” Albano said.

But Rep. Harry Roque of Kabayan party-list rallied behind Alvarez’s unequivocal support to divorce bill.” I fully support the proposal of Alvarez.

Its about time that spouses who made mistakes be allowed another chance,” Roque, a House deputy minority leader, said.

Alvarez earlier said he would file his own version of the divorce bill to liberate couples who have been into tumultuous marriages.

The Gabriela Women’s Party initiated the filing of the measure in Congress. The bill had been deliberated in past Congresses but did not prosper.

SECURITY forces yesterday foiled a plot by the New People’s Army to conduct a massive offensive during President Rodrigo Duterte’s second State of the Nation Address with the killing of eight insurgents in a fierce fight in Compostela Valley Wednesday morning.

The latest firefight with the local communist also claimed the life of a soldier.

Army Capt. Alexandre Cabales, acting chief of the Army’s 10th Infantry Division, said the clash occurred after ground troops encountered a 40-man rebel band at Barangay L.S. Sarmiento, Laak, Compostela Valley at around 8:30 a.m.

Cabales said the NPA group were the same rebel band that troops from the 25th Infantry Battalion had engaged in a clash in Barangay Casoon in Monkayo town which led to the seizure of an NPA camp last July 10.

He said the rebel group was planning to avenge the seizure of the communist camp in Boy Casison through an ambush against military personnel but failed as security forces anticipated the plot.

Prior to the series of encounters, Lt. Col. Ismael Mandanas, commander of 25IB said that they have been receiving reports that the same NPA rebel group will consolidate at Barangay Casoon to conduct tactical offensives prior to President Duterte’s State of the Nation Address in compliance to their communist leaders instructions,” Anticipating the NPA attack, combined troops from the 25th Infantry Battalion and 60th Infantry Battalion conducted combat patrol in Barangay Casoon and eventually chanced upon the same rebel group.

An hour-long fighting ensued with the rebel band, after which the insurgents withdrew leaving 8 of their comrades dead.

The troops recovered six high-powered firearms consisting of five armalite rifles and an M60 machine gun left by the fleeing rebels.

Major Gen. Noel Clement, commander of the 10th Infantry Division, lauded the bravery of the troops even as he expressed sadness following the death of one of the soldiers, who was not named pending notification of his loved ones.

“We will not lower our guards against any arm threat that can harm the peaceful leaving of our people,” Clement said.

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Opinion

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

A recipe for frustration

D

EADLINES are good. They provide a sense of structure and predictability.

They enable people to focus on targets and work toward their objectives within a reasonable period.

President Rodrigo Duterte now claims that government forces will be able to liberate Marawi City between 10 and 15 days.

IS-inspired terrorists attacked Marawi on May 23, prompting Mr. Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao. The Supreme Court has

since affirmed the legality of the declaration. Without an extension, it will last until July 22.

Sadly, we have heard all this before. First, the administration said Marawi will be liberated before June 2, and then extended it a few days more.

But the fighting has continued, more than 500 have died and thousands of families have been displaced.

A Social Weather Stations survey tells us a majority of Filipinos support the declaration of martial law to counter the growing threat of terrorism. This should be all the input needed by the administration to do

everything that needs to be done to free Marawi and end the threat of terror elsewhere in Mindanao and the country.

It can even set deadlines for itself, too—but refrain from announcing them.

We get that the problem is tricky and that the decisions authorities make every day are difficult. This is why we understand why the battle has been going on for nearly two months now.

When they commit to a date, we get our hopes up that things in fact are getting better. When that day comes, and passes, and nothing changes, our hopes get dashed and

the authorities become just a little less credible in our eyes.

This appears to be a habit for the President, who also once regaled us with promises that he could snuff out the drug menace in just three months.

He asked for an extension—and until now, we see how the drug problem, no matter how drastic the action taken, still plagues the country.

We trust the President knows how serious the situation is. We know the military is doing everything it can to quell terrorism and restore some form of normalcy among the people.

If they are working within deadlines, they should just keep it to themselves lest they miss it again.

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

Transport planning, then and now

justices somehow rule on the Robredo-Marcos protests before 2022, they will—like they did with their recent ruling on the imposition of martial law by Duterte—make legal history. *** I don’t doubt that Marcos, who paid the P66-million protest fee in full on the day that the preliminary conference was held, is serious about seeing this case to the very end. But I really wonder if Robredo is sincere about wanting the truth to come out, since she and her lawyers have basically adopted a strategy of delaying the proceedings using every trick in the book.

Because that is what both parties in the case say they want: For the truth to eventually and unequivocally be established. Even if they do have different, geometrically opposed ways of showing that they want the same thing.

FOR a long time, little was done by successive administrations to develop and improve the country’s transport system; this allowed many existing transport modes to deteriorate.

The cases of the Philippine National Railway and the Manila trams operated by the Meralco from 1905 to 1945 are good examples. The PNR, which started construction in 1889 and operation in 1892, also did not survive the neglect of the government. The more-than900-kilometer railway was operated until the 1970s when it was allowed to deteriorate. The liberation of Manila in 1945 destroyed the trams and was never reconstructed.

In its place, the jeepney took over and underwent a lot of transformation without the benefit of any government regulations on passenger and safety designs. The jeepney also influenced, to a large degree, the land use development that eventually ensued in the National Capital Region. Although we are one of the first, if not the first in the region, to have a railway, we have been overtaken by our neighbors like many other things that we have pioneered.

With a country of more than 7,000 islands, one would think that the first priority of any government would be to develop an efficient transport system to maximize the country’s potential for economic development. Unfortunately however, this was not the case.

Our transport infrastructure deteriorated and lagged behind our neighbors and it is only now that the government is beginning to invest huge amounts of money in order to catch up. And although most Filipinos live in the 11 biggest islands of the country, the predominant transport mode is primarily road-based. The Land Transportation Office and The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board remain as the primary agencies that regulate land transportation—the LTO for vehicle registration and the LTFRB for public transportation. The LTFRB’s authority to regulate public transport

Turn to A5

Turn to A5

The way forward LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES IT TOOK them more than a year to get to first base. Now let’s see how long it takes for the highest court in the land to actually rule on a very important case, where time is of the essence and a precedent-setting decision is expected.

The Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has finally gotten going on the electoral protest cases filed before it over a year ago for the still-disputed vice presidency.

After a closed-door preliminary conference last Tuesday, the magistrates directed the lawyers of both Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to ba-

sically stop filing motions and proceed with the business of resolving the cases.

I say “cases” because while the real protest here is the one filed

by Marcos against Robredo, the vice president has also gone to court to make a counter-protest against the former senator. But almost everyone agrees that the Robredo counter-suit is just one of those legal roadblocks put up by the VP’s lawyers to ensure that the Marcos complaint is stymied or otherwise delayed, which they succeeded in doing up to this week.

To put things in perspective, it took the PET only two months to call for a preliminary conference on a similar case filed by losing vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas against Jejomar Binay right after the 2010 elections. However, the tribunal only decided on the case, dismissing both Roxas’ protest and Binay’s counter-protest, in

August last year.

By that time, of course, both Binay and Roxas had already run and lost in the presidential race, losing badly to Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. And the court had the cheek to say that

The PET can either act with dispatch or act by not acting, which is really a cop-out. it threw out the protests “on the ground of mootness” because Robredo had already assumed the vice presidency, thus making the issue of who really won in

2010 academic.

Of course, the Roxas protest didn’t really go very far because the Liberal Party candidate, who is famous for his parsimony, failed to put up the P167 million demanded of him to finance his electoral protest. Besides, the moment both parties in the case ran for president, they suffered the same fate of both Miriam Defensor Santiago (who protested the victory of Fidel Ramos in 1992) and Loren Legarda (who sued Noli de Castro in 2004), who were deemed to have abandoned their respective protests by running for another elective office—the only real legal precedents set by previous cased filed before the PET. In other words, the Supreme Court has not really resolved an election case involving the presidency or the vice presidency, which only the tribunal has the power to adjudicate. And if the

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Opinion TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Some good news for a change THE World Boxing Organization has affirmed the win of Jeff Horn over Manny Pacquiao last July 2 in Brisbane.

There were complaints from Pacquiao’s camp that the decision was rigged. But, Santa Banana, how could the judges be wrong?

A person should normally be able to accept defeat. But it seems Pacquiao believes he is Superman. Now he is gearing for a rematch.

Actually, we cannot fault him. He has always wanted more money to add to his billions. I can only pity him. He has fallen prey to self-glory and self-importance.

The question now is whether he would finally retire. He will be 39 soon. He obviously forgets his obligation to the people who voted him senator.

His defeat is a message from God. But how can he resist the lure of money? *** President Rodrigo Duterte and the Armed Forces have given themselves another deadline within which to defeat the terrorists who are attacking Marawi City. For the nth time, the President said Marawi will be liberated in x number of days.

Will it, really?

There is a clear disconnect between the timeline given by the President and what is being said about the terrorist groups. They are reportedly recruiting teenage Moros, giving them firearms and money to the tune of P50 thousand to P100 thousand.

We have also heard about foreign jihadists coming to the Philippines to help establish a caliphate in this part of the world. They say that the siege of Marawi is just a test run for the ISIS. I would like to believe that the government is actually winning the battle for Marawi. I hope that Mindanao will not become a hub of terrorism.

Note that even the President says the ISIS will continue to haunt us. This only means he receives intelligence reports.

Santa Banana, let us hope terror does not spill over to Visayas and Luzon! *** We have been having an overdose of bad news. Let’s talk about good things for a change.

One is that the protest of former senator Bongbong Marcos is now proceeding fast. The Presidential Electoral Tribunal is now meeting to resolve the election protest filed by Marcos.

Marcos claims he was cheated by the Liberal Party. The counting started with him enjoying a wide lead over his rival, Leni Robredo.

Marcos now seeks a recount of over a million votes from Lanao del Sur, Basilan, Maguindanao, Camarines Sur, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.

The PET appears decided to resolve the case soon.

Another piece of good news is that the Social Weather Stations found that 57 percent of Filipinos support President Duterte’s proclamation of martial law. Support is highest in Mindanao, and rightly so. Mindanaoans see to what extent terrorism threatens them.

It is also good to hear that the Palace is finally considering a national ID system instead of just having Muslims use them. I believe this is discriminatory! *** President Duterte will deliver his second State of the Nation Address on July 24.

Last year, the Palace’s Martin Andanar said the President’s Sona would “awaken the patriot in each Filipino.”

The speech would not take more than 30 minutes.

The actual speech, however, was 1 hour and 32 minutes long. Mr. Duterte rambled on about his promises and the change the people should expect during his administration.

If there was any change at all, it was the absence of the usual fashion show among lawmakers who outdid each other before television cameras.

So what can we expect in the second Sona?

Duterte cannot seem to rely on a prepared speech. He is prone to rambling about his favorite subjects.

Will he say he has won the war on illegal drugs when we all know his cops are still killing pushers and going after narco-politicians?

Will he claim he is winning the war on criminality when we know that syndicated crimes remain?

And corruption? It remains endemic, a part of Philippine culture.

This is why I have not made any assessment of Mr. Duterte’s first year.

In the case of illegal drugs, so long as there is demand for it, there will always be supply. Crime can only be reduced since it is rooted in poverty. Same as corruption— so long as government people are not able to resist the lure of money, corruption will always be there. *** House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez submitted a bill allowing for the dissolution of marriage. It’s divorce thinlyveiled.

The Catholic Church has been strongly opposing moves to legalize divorce. Perhaps Alvarez wants divorce for himself, but I doubt if he can succeed.

The electoral tribunal is moving fast.

Most Filipinos support martial law, and the proposal for an ID for Muslims is being scrapped.

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

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The big move OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ THE Philippine population has reached the 10-million mark as of August 2015. Based on the 2015 Census of Population, the Philippines has a total of 100,981,437 persons.

National Capital Region alone has 12.8-million people. NCR is the most densely populated region in the country with a population density of 20,785 persons per square kilometer; and the City of Manila is the most densely populated with a record of 42,628 per square kilometer.

Seeing these high numbers, we realize how immensely congested Metro Manila is. Thus, we

suffer its consequences such as traffic, pollution, and flooding.

In an attempt to decongest Metro Manila, I have a pending resolution on the possible relocation of national government center to General Nakar, Quezon, and the construction of a national circumferential road which will service the Pacific side of our country. I re-filed House Bill No. 3383 or the “Pacific Palisades Act,” which seeks to provide for the construction of a superhighway connecting the provinces of Bicol, Quezon, Aurora, Quirino, Isabela, and Cagayan.

The transfer of the seat of the government is necessary to improve coordination and communication between government agencies, reduce bureaucratic red tape, and promote

swift delivery of public services.

Furthermore, constructing a national circumferential road connecting various provinces in the country will promote development of rural areas, improve accessibility to markets, trading centers, and ensure prompt delivery of basic goods and services to the people.

Let us take Malaysia as an example. In 1999, the seat of government was shifted from Kuala Lumpur (the country’s capital) to Putrajaya because of overcrowding and increasing traffic congestion. Putrajaya is a “planned” city located 25 kilometers south of Kuala Lumpur that serves as the country’s administrative center. It was officially declared as a federal territory in 2001. Before the Federal Territory of Putrajaya

was established, Malaysian government offices were located at various areas within Kuala Lumpur. Back then, traffic congestion hindered administrative processes. It is ideal to replicate this in the Philippines now that traffic congestion in the metro is getting worse, resulting to reduced productivity and efficiency.

We should take advantage of what the President dubbed as the “Golden Age of Infrastructure” by prioritizing projects that would have a long-term benefit for the country and its people.

We must be forward-thinking in creating a “masterplan” that would ensure efficient transportation, communication, trade, and most importantly, make a timely delivery of goods and services.

Muslim ID: yay or nay?

IS THE Muslim ID discriminatory, or necessary during an extraordinary time?

A proposal to create identification cards for some 26,000 Filipino Muslims in Central Luzon has been put forward as a counter-terrorism measure, after a dialogue between 200 Muslim community and religious leaders and the police and military in the area.

Such a system is being implemented in Paniqui, Tarlac, by the Paniqui United Muslims Association, with the support of the Muslim community there. The cards are to be worn in public at all times.

The idea was bashed by Senators Bam Aquino and Sherwin Gatchalian as being “discriminatory.” This opinion was echoed by Human Rights Watch, an American-founded NGO. The group called the Muslim ID “a form of collective punishment” upon Filipino Muslims, who are being blamed for their inability to prevent the Maute-group led conflict now occurring in Marawi City.

Transport...

From A4 come from the old Public Service Law passed in 1936 during the Commonwealth period which is now badly in need of urgent amendments to make it more relevant to the times.

We are the only country in the world that I know that relies on private companies to provide public transportation. In most countries, it is the government, whether local or national, that provides most public transportation needs. This is partly the reason why the chaotic system that we have in the NCR is avoided by these countries.

The Department of Transportation was established in 1979 by President Ferdinand Marcos with the appointment of the late Minister Jose Dans Jr. as the first department head and as far as I know, he remains the only civil engineer appointed to that position to this day.

The first years of the agency were hectic years principally because it was the first time that transport problems and

The way...

From A4 Since filing his protest in June 2016, Marcos has consistently been calling for the court to act more expeditiously on the case.

Robredo, who has insisted that she won the election and that her victory will be upheld in any recount, has only filed motion after motion to stop that recount from happening.

Of course, Marcos will move for a speedy recount, since he is pressed for time. What’s less understandable is the position of Robredo, who really shouldn’t stand in the way of a reopening

There are two sides to this issue.

Side A: Why did the Muslims in Paniqui adopt this system?

Perhaps in an effort to police their own ranks, and to identify themselves as being lawabiding citizens. The refusal to wear such an ID would presume an uncooperative attitude and a hidden agenda.

Religion is not so much the criterion here as culture. The term “Muslim” in the Philippines not only refers to the religion but also to a culture—a set of norms, values, attitudes, and other social attributes.

Because of the entwining of religion and culture, there is a tendency also to see Filipino Muslims as a group that might lean towards certain political biases. And obviously, any Islamist terrorists would, because of familiarity and shared culture, tend to approach that group for assistance to further their agenda. This could have been one line of reasoning that justified the ID system in Paniqui.

However, the flaw in this idea is, how would you be able to tell who are the non-ID wearing Muslims from other folk if they are not wearing an ID? Would their fellows report them to the authorities? And what’s to stop

a wolf from pretending to be a sheep? But it seems that the system is working for them at the moment because it was the basis for the proposal to expand it.

Side B: The very idea of singling out a certain group for whatever reason is discriminatory, more so the use of an identifier that sets them apart from other people in society. The most infamous example of this is the yellow star that Jews were made to wear on their clothing during the Nazi era. Imposing such a system would set a dangerous precedent that could lead to witch-hunts and other forms of abuse.

Although the Muslim leaders in Paniqui and those who attended the Central Luzon dialogue agreed, or at the least did not object to, the Muslim ID proposal —police spokesperson Supt.

Fe Grenas even said that it was the Muslim leaders themselves who recommended it—Human Rights Watch pointed out that this does not make it right.

The Armed Forces of the Philippines, the group most heavily involved in resolving the Marawi conflict, is against the Muslim ID card proposal because it discriminates on religious grounds.

AFP spokeman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said the “iden-

tification of individuals should not be aimed at certain sectors of society but must be applicable to everyone.” He also stressed that this is not a religious war, and to label the Marawi conflict as such is a terrorist tactic.

The military does endorse the government’s national ID system. However, that plan is not a priority of government.

The Muslim ID system in Paniqui is a knee-jerk reaction to events, a stop-gap measure until a better solution is found. To expand it is like putting Band-Aids on a wound that needs stitches.

It is not the identification of Muslims that will halt the Marawi crisis. It is not the wearing of ID cards in public that will distinguish a terrorist from an honest and upright citizen. It is not the singling out of one group from the greater population that will defeat Islamist terror organizations.

A Muslim ID system will only serve to widen the divide between Muslims and other groups in Philippine society, and further hurt a sector that is already suffering.

plans were integrated to come up with an overall national action plan. Many of the projects being implemented today were first planned during those years which also goes to show how slow we go about implementing projects. LRT1 was planned and implemented during those years. Originally planned to be constructed at ground level, Minister Dans elevated it due to the perennial flood problems of Metro Manila.

Other light rail routes were also identified like MRT3 along Edsa together with the MRT2 along Quezon Avenue going to part of Marikina. LRT1 was originally planned to go all the way to Cavite which is only be started now, 37 years later. On the current monstrous traffic problems in Metro Manila, which was already beginning to be felt by that time, transport planners reduced the number of bus operators by forming 10 cooperative bus companies and requiring all bus operators.

This reduced the huge number of operators.

For the not-so-young readers,

the famous and efficient airconditioned love buses was one of them. When President Corazon Aquino took over, however, the government reverted to the policy of allowing anyone to operate a bus service and that is the reason why we now have thousands of buses operating along Edsa alone.

Jeepneys and tricycles were also banned from operating along Edsa. But now jeepneys are back and planning was also started for the eventual abolition of jeepneys in Metro Manila in stages. The traffic training center in the University of the Philippines was established to improve the competence of government traffic personnel.

The Transportation department was also supported with a lot of foreign traffic and transportation engineers supported by World Bank grants. All projects were thoroughly studied prior to implementation by an assigned project manager. Even the simple establishment of a department library was thoroughly studied necessitating a trip to the American Academy

of Sciences in Washington, D.C. s to request for assistance in establishing a first class transport library.

Unfortunately this project like so many projects was never implemented. Today, when the DoTr wanted to phase out the jeepney, it backed down when confronted by a series of jeepney strikes. The plan has now been changed by prescribing passenger and safety design improvements which is better than nothing but completely misses the point of the exercise that the jeepney is no longer a viable mass transport system in a highly urbanized city and the limited road system in the NCR. The DOTr may also have failed to consider that the people will continue to motorize thereby reducing dependence on the jeepney in the long run.

Yes, a lot of people still use the jeepney but this is largely due to the inefficiency of the light rail and buses. Improve the reliability and efficiency of these two and dependence on the jeepney will eventually go down.

of the ballot boxes and official tally sheets in the contested areas, if she is truly convinced of her victory.

I fail to see the wisdom of Robredo’s strategy, apart from its dissonance with her belief that she won fair and square. After all, if Robredo really won last year, a recount will only validate her winning.

And Robredo needs that validation, simply because it will lay to rest all the doubts about her cheating her way to the second-highest post in the land. The Good Housekeeping seal will be affixed by no less than the PET/ Supreme Court, whose decision

in such matters is no longer subject to any appeal.

My fear is that the court will once again dilly-dally on the case, instead of embracing the moral responsibility of deciding on it either way precipitously, when a decision is not yet academic. While the court does have a history of dithering until the parties involved finally get the message and abandon their protest cases, it has also shown that it can act with the requisite speed, like when it ruled on Duterte’s martial law declaration.

I understand that giving due course to an election protest,

which requires that physical ballot boxes and tally sheets be painstakingly examined, compared and analyzed, is a lot more difficult and time-consuming than finding out if there is a factual basis for a martial law proclamation. But that doesn’t mean that the court, if it is to take seriously its role as the final arbiter of disputes, has to take it sweet time on time-bound election protests until they become moot, which is basically an abandonment of that role.

The PET needs to act, and with dispatch. Or it can act by not acting, which is really a cop-out.

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

News

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THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Unabated increase in tourist arrivals good for tourism

By Sandy Araneta

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander F. Balutan (center) turns over the symbolic key of a brand new ambulance to Mayor Ibrahim Ibay (second from right) of Parang, Maguindanao during the ambulance turnover under PCSO’s Ambulance Donation Program held at the main office of the charity agency in Mandaluyong City on July 11. Also in photo are (from left to right) PCSO’s executive assistant VI Manuel Fraginal Sr., consultant Kenneth Paglinawan and Cayetano Caganda from the Mayors Office.

PCSO’s Balutan hits PNP’s lukewarm war on jueteng P HILIPPINE Charity Sweepstakes Office general manager Alexander Balutan on Wednesday expressed disappointment over the seriousness of Philippine National Police chief General Ronald dela Rosa to stamp out illegal gambling like jueteng that continues to mess up the monthly revenue collection of the state-sanctioned Small Town Lottery.

“I am disappointed and dismayed by their performance,” said the retired Marine Corps major general.

He said illegal numbers games were still rampant in some areas competing with STL games being operated

by PCSO’s Authorized Agent Corporations.

In a press statement, Balutan reminded the PNP to fulfill its responsibility to eradicate all

forms of illegal numbers game and protect the operation of STL based on a Memorandum of Agreement with PCSO. Under the MOA, the PNP agreed to step up the fight against illegal gambling. In return, the PCSO will give the PNP a share of 2.5 percent of its earnings.

To date, the PNP has received P154 million from the PCSO.

“I had hoped that the PNP would stand true to their oath to implement President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 13,” he said in the statement.

But he said that based on PCSO’s monitoring and reports from AACs, some local police officials allegedly continue to receive payolas from gambling lords who operate the illegal numbers game.

“What happens is that the small-time bet collectors are the ones getting arrested and not the big ones like the illegal gambling financiers, reason jueteng, masiao and other illegal numbers games continue,” Balutan said in Filipino.

Balutan also warned erring police officials to stop using gambling lords to sabotage STL operations instead of con-

vincing these financiers to go legal.

“We sincerely tried to involve them in what we believe will serve the people. Instead, they have chosen to serve crime lords,” he said.

Duterte had chosen Balutan to lead PCSO instead of the Bureau of Corrections as he was earlier promised with hope that the former general who has the moniker “Mandirigma” in the military could help him eradicate illegal gambling in the country.

Balutan said he was very happy with his mission to help needy Filipinos and he welcomed the mission because it was a dramatic change from his 33-year career in the military.

“But it doesn’t mean that I have forgotten how to fight

just because I retired. I feel insulted by the temerity of these people. My oath to my countrymen stands until the day I die,” the general said, citing Marawi City as an example.

He said he had been to Marawi several times in his career and he could not recall any negativity because of the kindness of the Maranao people.

“Now, this kind of people is suffering, that beautiful city is in ruins because of the followers of Satan. I’m trying to help them now but I am prevented from giving what I want to give. I could do so much more if not for the minions of satanic gambling lords,” Balutan said.

“To the gambling lords, understand this, you are my mission now and I intend to accomplish it,” Balutan stressed.

INC distributes relief goods to evacuees THE Iglesia Ni Cristo has distributed relief goods consisting of rice, canned goods and coffee to close to 100,000 people affected by the two month-long Marawi siege in various Mindanao evacuation centers as part of its Lingap outreach program.

INC general auditor Glicerio Santos Jr. said the INC mobilized a thousand of its members in the relief effort, doing crucial tasks such as packing, storing, loading and distribution of items in five venues in Iligan City and 11 sites in Balo-i in Lanao del Norte province.

Members of the PNP and the armed forces ensured that the relief effort was orderly and peaceful.

Local leaders and residents praised the INC’s relief drive and pointed out that such was the first large-scale distribution of relief goods done by a religious group in the area.

“It was a quick and simple matter of deciding within the Church, through the guidance and leadership of Executive Minister Eduardo Manalo, that we had to do something concrete to help

fellow Filipinos who are affected and displaced by the Marawi fighting. Religion and political beliefs were not an issue here. What’s important is assisting people in dire need.” Santos said in a press statement.

The INC has for the last several years expanded its Lingap sa Mamamayan livelihood and assistance programs for both church members and non-members alike.

“It’s usually livelihood programs we engage in, but in situations like in Marawi or when disasters and natural calamities occur in certain parts of the country, we shift our efforts at providing immediate material assistance in the form of essentials such as food and medicine. That way, we are able to offer help quicker to those whose needs are urgent.”

Santos noted that they would continue their assistance efforts to cover other evacuation centers housing Marawi evacuees. There are around 35 designated evacuation centers scattered in Lanao and Misamis Oriental.

Ombudsman suspends agri official for negligence

By Rio N. Araja

INC distributes relief goods to 100,000 evacuees of the Marawi siege under its Lingap sa Mamamayan Program.

Palawan named ‘Best Island in the World’ by US mag PALAWAN has been named the Best Island in the World by US magazine, Travel + Leisure for the second year in a row now.

In a survey by Travel + Leisure released on July 11, Palawan got the highest score at 93.15. Meanwhile, another top Philippine destination, Boracay, placed third on the survey with a score of 89.67.

According to the magazine, Palawan won first place “thanks to its hidden lagoons, teeming ocean life, and rustic-luxe resorts.”

One reader even described Palawan as “…the single most beautiful place on earth.”

UNABATED increase in international visitor arrivals bodes well for a recordbreaking year for the country’s tourism industry, hurdling mounting obstacles over the first-five month period, the Department of Tourism has said.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo disclosed that foreign guest arrivals totalled 2,882,737 as of the end of May, posting a double-digit increase of 14.43 percent from the same period in 2016.

The month of January saw the biggest chunk of arrivals, summing up to 631,639 while April posted the highest growth rate at 19.83 percent.

“This record-breaking numbers, which began during the Miss Universe month, clearly indicates a bright outlook for Philippine tourism,” said Teo, who promised to help improve the tourism industry’s performance.

The DoT head also attributed the burgeoning visitor arrivals to the aggressive marketing efforts abroad and high-profile international events in the country within the last 12 months, like the Madrid Fusion and the recent United Nations World Tourism Organization conference.

“The DoT will continue to tap new and emerging markets including little known tourist destinations and sites which are priority growth areas for tourism development,” added Teo. She expressed confidence that the streak in visitor arrivals would likely continue throughout the rest of the year and break last year’s 5.9-million record.

Korea remained the top market, delivering a total 128,691 arrivals visitors since January to May this year, posting an impressive growth rate of 35.84 percent compared to the same period in 2016 with 94,736 arrivals.

DoT sent a delegation to the Korean Travel Fair in May where they met with Korean travel operators and Seoulbased media.

The US held on to the second spot with 83,056, yielding another double digit increase of 12.78 percent.

Improved Philippines-China relations resulted in 73,649 Chinese visiting the country, a whopping 57.29-percent rise compared to 46,825 Chinese travellers in May last year.

Beijing lifted travel advisories against Chinese visits to the Philippines following President Rodrigo Duterte’s state visit to China last October.

“There’s nothing quite like immersing yourself in the natural wonders of this Philippine archipelago, which many of our readers described as ‘rustic,’ ‘romantic,’ ‘affordable,’ and ‘relaxing,’” Travel + Leisure said.

The magazine said Palawan was a “repeat winner” on the list, scoring the No. 1 spot for the first time in 2013. “…With its verdant mountains, a five-mile-long [8 kms] underground river, limestone caves, and spectacular scuba diving, its appeal is as clear as its turquoise waters,” Travel + Leisure noted.

According to the magazine, readers rated islands

according to their activities and sights, natural attractions and beaches, food, friendliness, and overall value.

Its World’s Best Awards survey also asked readers to weigh in on opinions on the top cities, islands, cruise ships, spas, and airlines among others.

The top 10 Best Islands in the World are: 10. Bali, Indonesia; 9. Hvar and the Dalmatian Islands, Croatia; 8. Ischia, Italy; 7. Kauai, Hawaii; 6. Maui, Hawaii; 5.

Santorini, Greece; 4. Galapagos Islands, Ecuador; 3.

Boracay Island, Philippines; 2. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; 1. Palawan, Philippines. PNA

THE Office of the Ombudsman ordered on Wednesday the suspension of a ranking official from the Department of Agriculture for simple neglect of duty over a multimillion-peso bio-organic fertilizer program.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales directed the Agriculture secretary to implement the suspension order of regional executive director Lealyn Ramos of Cagayan de Oro. Investigation found from 2009 to 2012, t he Nat ional I r r igat ion Aut hor it y purchased thousands of bags/ liters of organic fertilizers worth over P17.6 million.

Upon validation, it was found the procurement was highly irregular since the suppliers were not qualified to supply the fertilizers and pesticides, and the deliveries failed to meet the required product specifications and quality standards.

The report showed there was no conduct of a public bidding, and the bidders did not pass the eligibility check.

The Ombudsman said the suppliers did not have the capacity to meet the required volume and were mere dealers, instead of manufacturers.

Regina Salazar, the wife of the former NIA administrator Carlos Salazar, was one of the suppliers of the fertilizers.

“Respondent was required to oversee and monitor the implementation of the projects to make sure that they are successful. If it were really true that [Ramos], through her subordinates, conducted monitoring and actual inspection of the fertilizers and pesticides when they were delivered to NIA Regional Office X, the defects on their quality and specifications could have been discovered at that time,” the resolution read.

Sports Blu Girls upend Canada THE Philippine Blu Girls continued to dish out top form, humbling world No. 3 Canada , 6-2, at the start of the Canada Cup International Softball Championship in Surrey, British Columbia Tuesday.

The 17th-ranked Blu Girls kept the momentum of their back-toback wins over the Mexico side to close out their seventh-place finish in last week’s World Cup of Softball XII, outclassing the hosts early in Pool B of the 15-team field.

They battered the Canadians with 10 hits and scored a pair of runs in each of the second, third and fourth innings to set the tone for the surprise rout.

“I’m so elated with this win by the Blu Girls over powerhouse Canada and I hope they will sustain their form as they slug it out with the other top teams in the world,” said AsaPhil president Jean Henri Lhuillier.

Francesca Altomonte sparked the Blu Girls’ charge, scoring with her two-out, two-run homer on top of the second inning.

The hosts scored on an RBI single

by Larissa Franklin in the bottom half but the Blu Girls countered with a two-run single from Garie Blando in the next frame.

Victoria Hayward’s single netted Canada another run but Dani Gilmore and Hailey Decker hit back-to-back run-scoring singles in the fourth to give the Phl a four-run cushion, 6-2.

Mia Macapagal and sub Sierra Lange then shut down Canada in the next 3 1/2 frames to seal the big win for the Blu Girls.

“The Blu Girls have proven that their wins versus world number 4 Australia and world number 10 Mexico were not a fluke. I’ve never doubted that softball is the team sport that we can be at par with the world’s best. This is a big boost to our bid to qualifying in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” added Lhuillier.

In other results, Australia trounced Venezuela 3-1, Mexico shut out Quebec Rebelles 10-0, and Japan blasted NJCAA 14-2.

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THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Petron shoots for 3 PSL title H rd

IGH intensity and drama are expected to fly as Petron tries to shove reigning champion F2 Logistics off its throne in Game 2 of their Philippine Superliga All-Filipino Conference best-of-three final series today (Thursday) at the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan.

Action erupts at 5 p.m. with the Blaze Spikers looking to formally capture their third crown after winning the 2014 Grand Prix and 2015 All-Filipino titles of this prestigious club league bankrolled

by Rebisco, Belo and Gold’s Gym with TV5 as official broadcast partner.

The battle is tipped to go down the wire with another mammoth

crowd in blue and yellow serving as a fitting background in what is seen to be the tightest, fiercest finals showdown in local volleyball circuit due to the glorious past and star power among the competing players.

In Game 1, the Blaze Spikers caught the Cargo Movers off guard, hounding and pounding them to submission to pull off a

Game Today (Filoil Flying V Centre) 5 p.m. – Petron vs F2 Logistics

sweet 25-23, 25-21, 25-19 victory.

National team mainstay Frances Molina provided the spark with 11 points, but it was a well-balanced performance by veteran Aiza Maizo-Pontillas, Mika Reyes, Sisi Rondina, Remy Palma and Bernadeth Pons chipping in significant numbers that made these Blaze Spikers very dangerous foes for the Cargo Movers.

Petron also lorded it over at the attack zone (37-29) and service box (8-5) while displaying brilliance on the floor with 34

excellent digs compared to F2 Logistics’ dismal 22.

But for Petron coach Shaq Delos Santos, statistics and star power no longer matter in this high level competition.

“This is already the finals,” said Delos Santos, who was part of the coaching staff when Petron tallied a historic sweep of this conference two years ago.

“It’s no longer a question of skills or talent. It’s now a question of willingness and desire.

Whoever wants it more, whoever is more hungry, will definitely win the title.”

F2 Logistics coach Ramil de Jesus has the same mindset.

Billed as one of the brightest

Saso seizes lead with 66 in world golf

PTT RUN FOR CLEAN ENERGY. Vittaya Viboonterawud (third from left), Director for Commercial Fuel & Lubricants, PTT

Philippines; Paul Senador (second from left), president, PTT Philippines Foundation Inc. and Subterranean Ideas’ Matt Ardina and Glenndale Atmosfera display the singlet of the PTT Run for Clean Energy set on July 16 (Sunday) at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Grounds during their appearance at the PSA Forum. Registration for the fun run, also backed by Milcu, Leslie’s and Medicard, is ongoing at Chris Sports SM Manila. Listup is also available during race day an hour before the running of the different categories. Interested runners may also call tel. nos. 09182392009, 09953248315, and landline 9759584 for more details. Nathanielle Punay

Plenty at stake as Murray, Federer, Novak eye semis LONDON—Defending champion Andy Murray will retain his world number one ranking if he makes the Wimbledon semifinals Wednesday, while Roger Federer defies age and Novak Djokovic fights a shoulder injury.

Adding extra spice to Wednesday’s drama is a growing concern over the state of the All England Club’s famed Centre Court where, according to Djokovic, a hole has developed.

Murray, one of five men over 30 in the last-eight, faces big-serving Sam Querrey bidding to make his eighth Wimbledon semi-final in the last nine years.

The world number one is also in his 10th

straight quarter-final at the tournament and has reached the last-eight at 24 of the last 26 Slams.

He leads Querrey 7-1 with the 29-yearold American’s only win coming in Los Angeles seven years ago.

Murray also won their previous clash at Wimbledon in the fourth round in straight sets in 2010.

But the two-time champion won’t underestimate the player who knocked out Djokovic in the third round 12 months ago.

“Sam likes the conditions here.

Obviously a big serve. Goes for his shots.

Very aggressive player,” said Murray who

has made the last-eight despite lingering worries over a hip injury.

“When he’s standing up on the baseline, hitting forehands, dictating, he’s a very dangerous player.”

Querrey made the quarter-finals in 2016 where he lost in four sets to eventual runner-up Milos Raonic.

He has needed two successive five-set matches to get to the last eight, seeing off French 12th seed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Kevin Anderson.

Querrey has also sent down 99 aces, just three behind tournament leader Gilles Muller, the conqueror of Rafael Nadal.

The world number 28 will also attempt

to become the first American in the semi-finals since Andy Roddick finished runner-up in 2009.

With Nadal out of the picture, Murray will be assured of remaining as world number one with victory on Wednesday.

Federer, playing his 100th match at the All England Club, attempts to reach his 12th Wimbledon semi-final and stay on course for a record eighth title when he faces Raonic.

However, the 35-year-old Swiss star is wary of the sixth-seeded Canadian who knocked him out in the semi-finals in 2016 in what proved to be Federer’s last match of the season. AFP

Navy nips Coast Guard in PDBF regatta 2nd leg PHILIPPINE Navy and Philippine Coast Guard renewed their intense rivalry last Sunday, with the Navy paddlers narrowly prevailing in both instances in the actionpacked second leg of the Cherifer PremiumPDBF Dragon Boat Regatta at the Manila Bay. Racing under ideal conditions, Navy rallied in the last 40 meters to slip past Coast Guard in ruling the men’s open 300-meter standard boat race in one minute and 16.09 seconds to the latter’s 1:16.91 of the event organized by the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation.

Bruins and RCP Dragons A had their own skirmish for third place, with the former taking third (1:18.33) in the competition also backed by the Manila City government, Manila Ocean Park, BSI Medicated Spray, Schick, Banana Boat and Tent City.

Earlier, Navy surged to an early lead before holding off rallying Coast Guard in topping the mixed standard 300-meter finals in a time of 1:19.91, while their rivals had to settle for

being the bridesmaid once again (1:20.48) in the well-attended meet that drew a banner field of 46 teams. Triton A placed third (1:23.81) and RCP Sea Dragons fourth (1:25.07) in the regatta likewise supported by Rolls Republic, Bangka Pro and the National Parks and Development Committee.

Showcasing their deep talent pool, the Navy bets romped off with the women’s small boat 300-meter trophy (1:42.49), while Triton A won its close duel for second against the RCP Sea Dragons in placing second (1:47.74) of the competition also supported by Manila Rep. Yul Servo-Nieto and Sun Life Financial.

“We were really aiming for a sweep of the events in the first and second legs, but Coast Guard beat us in the mixed standard race in the opening leg,” Navy coach, Sgt. Suhod Hakim, said. “Malakas din ang Coast Guard so we expect a good fight from them in the next legs.”

Members of the Philippine Navy, shown with PDBF president Doji Lopez (second from left, standing), display their trophy after ruling the men’s open race in the 2nd leg of the Cherifer Premium-PDBF Dragon Boat Regatta at the Manila Bay last Sunday.

Guevarra, Aguilar score Iriga tennis double kill LOCAL ace Glydel Guevarra and JB Aguilar nailed victories in the 12- and 14-and-under divisions of their respective sides to share top honors in the Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala Iriga leg regional age group tennis tournament in Camarines Sur last Monday.

The top-seeded Guevarra lived up to hype as she crushed Carla Andrada twice – a 6-0, 6-3 romp in the 12-U finals and a 6-1, 6-1 victory to dominate the 14-U

minds in the business for having 10 UAAP titles under his belt, De Jesus knows that the series is still far from over. In fact, the Cargo Movers gained a reputation of playing superb volleyball at making adjustments and playing their hearts out when the odds are stacked against them.

“I know that what we showed in Game 1 wasn’t the real performance of F2 Logistics,” De Jesus said. “The adrenaline of the players in Game 1 was so high that they tended to commit mistakes. I told them that most of them were selected in the national team, so they might as well come up with ‘national team-like’ performance.”

section of the Group 4 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

No. 2 Aguilar matched that feat in his side of the battle, ripping top seed Mario Corea, 6-1, 6-3, for the 12-U title then as unranked player in the 14-U side, the Camalig, Albay bet upended second seed Miller Corea of Iriga, 4-6, 6-4, 10-3, at the University of St. Anthony Tennis courts in Camarines Sur. Marcel, meanwhile, saved the

day for the Coreas as he turned back Aa Aguilar, 5-4(3), 0-4, 4-2, to snare the 10-unisex plum in the five-day event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and the new Unified tennis group, led by PPSPEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s and B-Meg. Other winners were Naga’s Osward Hernandez and Walter Luzon, who ruled the boys’ 16and 18-U categories, respectively, while local aces Patricia Corporal topped the girls’ 16-U side

and Nica Alanis reigned in the premier 18-U division.

“With five local winners, Iriga again proved it has a wide base of talents although promising faces still emerged, including Luzon, who we hope to develop to become members of future national pool,” said Palawan Pawnshop president/ COO Bobby Castro.

Meanwhile, action in the country’s biggest and long-running age-group circuit shifts to Naga City this Friday with another huge

field expected to see action at the Naga City Tennis Club. Listup is ongoing. For details, call PPSPEPP sports program development director Bobby Mangunay at 09154046464.

Hernandez thwarted Lancelot Guevarra, 6-3, 6-3; Luzon stunned top seed Kurt Molina in the semis, 3-6, 6-4, 10-6, then ripped No. 2 Jolo Basa, 6-3, 6-2; Corporal overpowered Aika Idioma, 6-1, 6-0; while Alanis edged Corporal, 7-5, 6-4.

YUKA Saso went after the pins like the championship was on the line and went on to post a six-under-par 66 Tuesday (Wednesday Manila time) that gave the Fil-Japanese a two-stroke lead in the girls’ 15-18 years division of the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in San Diego, California.

Her confidence boosted by impressive stints even in professional events recently, the 16-year-old Saso highlighted a fiery round at Torrey Pines North with an eagle on the par-5 17th, where she holed a putt from 30 feet as the national team standout stepped ahead of Thailand’s Kan Bunnabodee, who shot a 68.

Mikha Fortuna, likewise, had an impressive start with a 71 for a share of 10th in the same division and so did Rianne Malixi and Eagle Ace Superal who barged into the Top 6 of their divisions.

Superal, seeking to win another title for family of Junior World champions, was among those tied for fifth in the girls’ 11-12 years play at Bernardo Heights Country Club, while Malixi started four shots behind in a six-way tie for sixth place despite a 74 at the Sycuan Oak-Glen.

Out to atone for a failed bid last year, where she led by four going to the final round but could only place third, Saso’s explosive start also saw her shoot birdies on Nos. 1, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11th holes. The only strokes she yielded were those of a threeputt bogey on the seventh and a 15th green on an errant tee-shot.

Together with the 76 of Bernice Ilas, the Philippines also took the lead in the team event with a 152.

“I really didn’t expect to shoot a low score, but I played quite aggressive today and aimed at the pins. Fortunately I holed a lot of putts today,” said Saso.

Arellano guns for solo lead Games today (Arellano U Gym, Legarda) 2 p.m.- Arellano vs San Sebastian (jrs) 4 p.m.- Arellano vs San Sebastian (srs)

ARELLANO University seeks to ride on the shoulders of Kent Salado anew as it guns for the solo lead against a vastly improved San Sebastian today in the 93rd NCAA basketball tournament at the Arellano U Gym in Legarda, Manila.

Salado, who took over the leadership mantle after former running mate Jio Jalalon turned pro last year, lived up to expectations and exploded with 24 points he topped with seven rebounds, four assists and four steals in the Chiefs’ 91-82 win over the Mapua Cardinals in Saturday’s opener at the MOA Arena in Pasay City.

“He’s now the leader of this team and we expect bigger things from him this season,” said Arellano University coach Jerry Codinera of Jalalon.

While it was Salado who shone the brightest, Michael Canete made heads turn after the former St. John of Davao standout came out of nowhere to finish with 17 points and 12 boards.

And Canete was thankful for the opportunity.

“I was just doing the things coach (Codinera) told me and I’m thankful for the chance,” said Canete in Filipino.

The Stags, for their part, are expected to bounce back big from a heartbreaking 67-76 defeat to the San Beda Lions, the reigning champions, Saturday in a game where they had all the opportunities to win only to disintegrate in the end.

LOTTO RESULTS

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

Sports

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

A8

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

McGregor, Floyd trade expletives LOS ANGELES—Floyd Mayweather and Conor McGregor lit the touchpaper for their cross-combat superfight here Tuesday, turning the air blue in an expletive-laden face-to-face meeting to launch their global promotional tour for the bout.

More than 11,000 fans crowded into Los Angeles’s Staples Center for a raucous first live showdown between former boxing world champion Mayweather and Irishman McGregor, one of the biggest stars of mixed martial arts.

The two men are set to face each other in Las Vegas on August 26 in what could be the richest fight in history after finally agreeing to climb into a boxing ring following a year-long guessing game over whether they would ever do battle.

Tuesday’s fiery face-off saw the swaggering, cocksure McGregor strut onto stage confidently in a three-piece suit featuring pinstripes made up of an offensive two-word insult.

The immaculately tailored profanity set the tone for a spectacle shot through with an endless torrent of abuse from both fighters, no doubt delighting promoters as they drum up hype for a bout which will demand $10,000 for ringside seats.

The suited McGregor was the first to take the microphone, mocking Mayweather’s decision to show up wearing a Stars and Stripes tracksuit, suggesting it was linked to the American’s reported tax difficulties.

“He’s in a tracksuit, he can’t even afford a suit anymore!” McGregor declared to roars of laughter from the massed ranks of his green-shirted fans crammed into the lower tiers of the famous basketball arena.

McGregor, who will start as an overwhelming underdog against one of the most accomplished defensive fighters in history, was bullish about his prospects of victory. “The 0 has got to go,” McGregor declared, referring to Mayweather’s perfect 49-0 record.

“I’m going to knock him out inside four rounds, mark my words,” McGregor said, to more roars. “On August 26, this man will be unconscious, he’s too small, he’s too frail.” AFP

A rematch between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Jeff Horn of Australia looms after the cities of Sydney and Melbourne showed keen interest to host it. AFP

Sydney, Melbourne want Horn-Pacman II

By Randy Caluag

T

HE World Boxing Organization had spoken and affirmed Australian Jeff Horn’s victory over Filipino icon Many Pacquiao in Brisbane and it appears that only a rematch could settle whatever doubts left.

The probability of having a rematch has become more imminent, thanks to the successful turnout and stirring post-fight drama surrounding their first bout won by Horn via unanimous decision, albeit controversial, to pocket the WBO welterweight title.

Brisbane will now have ri-

vals as the site of the HornPacquiao II with Sidney and Melbourne expressing interest to stage the event.

In a report by Australiabased Courier Mail, Melbourne was said to be offering Etihad Stadum, which can accommodate 56,000 fans under a retractable roof.

The rematch could probably take place in November and Horn’s promoter, Dean Lonergan, said that the only thing needed is Pacquiao’s OK to get it going.

“He has a rematch clause in his contract but we still don’t know if he will take it,’’ Lonergan was quoted by Courier Mail reporter Grantlee Kieza.

While Queensland has the right of first refusal, there are apprehensions if the open-air Suncorp Stadium could handle the extremely hot weather of Horn’s hometown in November.

Sidney is also reportedly interested in staging the rematch at the 83,000-seat

ANZ Stadium.

Brisbane got tremendous exposure during the PacquiaoHorn bout which was telecast to hundreds of million viewers in 159 countries.

Horn won the Battle in Brisbane via unanimous decision. The statistics from Punchstats went in favor of the Filipino boxing senator, and the pro-Pacquiao postfight analysis by fight commentator Teddy Atlas stirred a howl of protest against the judges’ decision.

The Games and Amusement Board of the Philippines reacted by requesting the WBO for a review of the bout. In a swift response, the WBO ordered a

Rivera continues dominance in ‘17 National Slalom Series SIX races down, six races won.

With the first half of the 2017 Phoenix—RACE Motorsports Club National Slalom Series done, threetime defending National Slalom Champion Milo Rivera has been off to a flying start.

The 2016 FIA Gymkhana Champion and 2017 PSA President’s Award recipient’s latest victory came last July 9 during the championship’s 6th leg held at Robinsons San Fernando, Pampanga – with a winning time of 49.44 seconds, a good 0.28 second faster than second place finisher, 13-year-old wonder kid, Iñigo Anton (90.72 seconds).

What made the victory sweeter for Milo was that

his brother, former Vios Cup ace driver, Estefano Rivera finished a very impressive third place with a best time of 50.22 seconds.

Capping the Top 5 finishers were Doctor Pewee Mendiola (50.38) and Carlos Anton (50.72), respectively.

The multi-titled Rivera credited his victory to his uncle, former three-time National Slalom Champion, Noel Rivera, and his team, for their relentless efforts in keeping his trusty 1981 Toyota Starlet in winning form.

“Racing is never a oneman sport. There will always be men and women behind you and your car to continuously give you the winning edge, and I’m very blessed to have

with me people who are more than perfect for the challenge,” said the 22-year-old Rivera who is backed by Blade Auto Center Philippines, Foil A Car, United Auctioneers, Inc., and Placewell Intl.

Services, Corporation.

Rivera, who is also a co-host of the hit reality motorsports show, Garahista, is looking forward to the rest of his 2017 season as he looks to not only gun for a fourth straight slalom crown, but to also defend his FIA Gymkhana title which kicks-off its 4-leg championship this July in Indonesia.

Aside from that, Rivera also looks to compete in several championships in and out of the country.

Gilas PH sees tough grind in Jones Cup

By Peter Atencio

Gymkhana world champion Milo Rivera with his trusted 1981 Toyota Starlet

PH vies in 9th ASEAN School Games

Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali (1st row, 3rd from left) and Philippine Sports Commissioner Charles Raymond Maxey (1st row, 4th from left) are shown with some of the athletes competing in the 9th ASEAN School Games from July 13 to 21 in Singapore.

re-scoring using a five-judge panel which in turn, affirmed Horn’s victory.

It didn’t sit well with Pacquiao, who said he was not surprised with the verdict and that’s he’s leaving it to the people what to believe.

“Let the people judge for themselves. People saw what happened. We have seen worse judgments in the past where judges manipulated results,” said Pacquiao in a statement.

Pacquiao is now resting at his home in General Santos City and has reportedly not yet made contact with the public or even with his promoter Bob Arum and coach Freddie Roach.

THE 224-member Philippine contingent leaves for Singapore to compete in the 9th Association of Southeast Asian Nations School Games from July 13 to 21.

The Philippine contingent will be led by Philippines Chef-De-Mission Rizalito Jose Rosales, along with Department of Education (DepEd) Assistant Secretary Tonisito Umali, and Philippine Sports Commissioner Charles Raymond A. Maxey.

The Philippine team is composed of 159 Palaro and Batang Pinoy medalists along with 23 coaches as they aim to bring home top honors in different sports events including athletics, lawn tennis, table tennis, swimming, badminton, sepak

takraw, rhythmic gymnastics, and artistic gymnastics.

Athletes were also housed for 10 days in different facilities here in Metro Manila to train, including the PhilSports Complex in Pasig City before leaving for Singapore.

Potential medalists for the Philippine team’s campaign in the ASEAN School Games are swimmers Maurice Sacho Ilustre and Jerald Jacinto and tracksters Francis Obiena and Jie Anne Calis.

Umali challenged the athletes to strive for excellence and compete in the spirit of sportsmanship during the Pre-Departure Orientation for the Philippine delegation held at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, DepEd Central Office last Saturday.

Umali also encouraged them that gold medalists in the ASEAN School Games will receive a P5,000 incentive, while the gold medalists for the team events will each get P5,000 each.

Umali said they are aiming for a better finish this year, eyeing the second and third place finish overall in the ASEAN School Games.

“For this year, we hope to land second or third,” Umali said.

Aside from the competition, Comm. Maxey said participating athletes should never forget to have fun while competing.

“Represent your country well.

Play your best but play fair and at the same time have fun,” Maxey said.

IT will be a tough grind for the Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball when they see action in the 2017 William Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan.

Assistant coach Josh Reyes said the presence of Canada and Lithuania in the weeklong meet makes it so.

“We have tough opponents out there. Canada and Lithuania are among them. And Taipei wants to win it, too,” said Reyes.

Reyes talked about the tournament during yesterday’s sendoff at the Bar One restaurant of Crowne Hotel in Ortigas.

He was in the company of top Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas officials led by SBP vice chairman Robbie Puno and Butch Antonio, along with members of the team.

This could be the strongest team that will be fielded in the competition after Mighty Sports-Philippines won it last year.

The team is bannered by Blackwater’s Mac Belo, who is back after suffering a meniscus tear on his left knee that required surgery.

He joins fellow Gilas cadets Matthew Wright, RR Pogoy, Mike Tolomia, Carl Bryan Cruz in the the cagefest. They will be leading the team with Von Pessumal, Jio Jalalon, Kevin Ferrer, Ed Daquioag, and Alfonso Gotladera.

Kobe Paras, Kiefer Ravena, FilGerman Christian Standhardinger, Raymar Jose, Almond Vosotros, and Mike Myers have also been listed.

For Wright, Pogoy, and Jalalon, it will be their second international stint after they helped Gilas win the gold during the 2017 SEABA Championships in Manila last May. On the other hand, Paras, Ravena, Jose, Tolomia, Vosotros, Pessumal, Standhardinger, Cruz, and Ferrer are also joining the national team in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

KPMG Manabat defends 2Go audit

B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

BPI Family to double assets in five years BPI FAMILY Savings Bank, the savings unit of Bank of the Philippine Islands, plans to double its assets to P540 billion over the next five years from P270 billion in 2016, a top executive said Wednesday.

BPI Family president Maria Cristina Go said in a news briefing in Makati City this could be done through higher loans and deposits over the next five years.

“We hope to replicate our growth performance the past five years. We are doubling again in the next five years,” Go said.

Go said loans were expected to increase to more than P400 billion from P207 billion, and deposits to P480 billion from the current P240 billion.

The bank, however, expects to post a slower growth in loans to P210 billion this year from P207 billion last year.

“We expect modest growth for this year simply because we are streamlining processes and making sure that our credit parameters will allow us to grow more aggressively into the future,” Go said.

Go said profit growth might slow down to 10 percent this year after expanding 20 percent to P4.4 billion last year.

Go said six more branches would be opened this year in the provinces and another six outlets next year to augment its current 156 branches nationwide.

Julito G. Rada

METROBANK FOUNDATION AWARDS. The

Metrobank Foundation Inc. takes home six trophies at the 15th Philippine Quill Awards organized by the International Association of Business Communicators at the Marriott Grand Ballroom in Pasay City.

MBFI received four excellence awards and two merit awards for its various programs under the Corporate Social Responsibility category and one program tool entered under the Publications category.

With the Philippine Quill trophies are (from left) Metrobank Foundation vice chairman Arthur Ty, chairman Dr. George Ty and president Aniceto Sobrepeña.

JTI acquiring Mighty for P45b—Dominguez

By Julito G. Rada

L

OCAL cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. offered to settle P25 billion worth of tax liabilities with the government upon the completion of a P45-billion deal with Japan Tobacco International Inc., the Finance Department announced Wednesday.

JTI could not immediately confirm the acquisition of Mighty, but the global tobacco company behind the brands Winston, Camel and Mevius said it would soon issue a press statement to clarify the Finance Department’s announcement.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the government was now studying the offer of Mighty to settle its tax liabilities amounting to

P25 billion, covering the deficiency excise taxes and internal revenue taxes of the company and its shareholders. Mighty, which employs thousands in its Bulacan factory, is owned by the Wongchuking family.

Dominguez said the settlement offer of Mighty Corp. for its tax deficiencies was separate from the criminal charges that might be filed in court by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

The BIR filed cases against Mighty Corp. for alleged non-payment of excise taxes and use of counterfeit tax stamps on its cigarette packs.

“We are studying the offer,” Dominguez said, referring to the written settlement proposal sent by Mighty Corp. to BIR commissioner Caesar Dulay in a letter dated July 10, 2017.

The letter signed by Mighty president and director Oscar Barrientos said it was confirming “the company’s willingness to settle all such excise and tax issues and respectfully offer as settlement of the company’s shareholders’ and its officers’ liability in this regard the total sum of P25 billion.”

Barrientos said the settlement sum would be funded by means of an “interim loan” from JT International Philippines and the sale by Mighty and its affiliates of its manufacturing and distribution business and assets, along with the intellectual property rights associated with these assets, “including those owned by the company, Wong Chu King Holdings Inc., and other affiliates to JTI or any of its affiliates for a total purchase price of P45 billion exclusive of VAT.” Based on its settlement offer, the total amount that Mighty Corp. would remit to the government include P3.5 billion in deficiency excise taxes on its cigarette products that are now the subject of the three tax cases pending before the DoJ. It also covers P21.5 billion representing the liabilities of the company and its shareholders, as well as the company officers for all internal revenue taxes, including income tax from 2010 to 2016 and the tax period up to the closing of the proposed transaction with JTI, and all transaction taxes related to the agreement with JTI.

SMC eyes nickel plant, electronics, clean energy

By Jenniffer B. Austria

SHELL’S SAFETY INITIATIVE. Shell companies in the Philippines’ safety initiative, Re-energizing Shell’s Life-Saving Rules through Safety Day, is recognized at the PANAta Marketing Effectiveness Awards held at Discovery Primea Hotel in Makati City. The program highlights the company’s efforts to instill a strong safety culture among over 4,500 employees and contractors nationwide. Shown receiving the award is Shell country security manager Leo Bungubung.

TOP Frontier Investment Holdings Inc., the largest shareholder in San Miguel Corp., plans to start the construction of a $1.5-billion nickel processing plant in 2018.

Top Frontier and San Miguel president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said the feasibility study for the proposed 200,000-metric-ton nickel processing plant near Nonoc mine in Surigao del Norte province would be completed before the end of the year.

“We are now finalizing the feasibility study of the project then the technical and financial study.

If the results are positive we will the go for financing and probably start construction by next year,” Ang said.

Top Frontier, through mining unit Clariden Holdings Inc., holds several mining tenements in various areas including Nonoc Nickel Project and Mt. Cadig Nickel Project. It also owns exploration permits for certain areas under the Bango

Gold Project, and has pending applications and production sharing agreement for other areas.

Meanwhile, San Miguel is now plotting its third phase of diversification that will involve electronics manufacturing and clean energy.

Ang said the company was studying plans to venture into electronics manufacturing, which he described as one business that could deliver high margins. “We are now studying how to go to electronic microchips. That is our aspiration,” Ang said.

“We are going to that direction…The third wave of diversification is to go the next generation which is electronics,” Ang said.

“Can you imagine if we can go to the next generation? If we can produce like microchips, plugins, smart telephones, tablets, and smart television? That is where we are going,” Ang said.

Ang said San Miguel was also interested in clean energy including hydro, solar and tidal energy sources. San Miguel currently operates several coal energy plants.

International visitor arrivals rose 20% to 532,757 in May

By Othel V. Campos INTERNATIONAL visitor arrivals increased by nearly a fifth in May to break the 500,000 mark for the first time, the Tourism Department said Wednesday.

“For the first time this year, visitor arrivals in May surpassed the 500,000 mark providing a bright outlook for Philippine tourism.

This positive growth in arrivals can be attributed to aggressive marketing efforts and international events

B1

which included the Asean@50 meetings held in the country,” the department said in a statement.

Data showed visitor arrivals hit 532,757 in May, up 19.6 percent from the May 2016 visitor count of 445,449.

Arrivals in the first five months also increased 14.7 percent to 2.88 million from 2.52 million a year ago.

The biggest volume was recorded in the month of January while the highest growth was registered

in April, data showed.

January saw the biggest chunk of arrivals of 631,639 while April posted the highest growth rate of 19.8 percent.

“This record-breaking numbers, which began during the Miss Universe month, clearly indicates a bright outlook for Philippine tourism,” said Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo. The Department also attributed the strong growth to aggressive marketing efforts abroad and

high-profile international events held in the country within the last 12 months, like the Madrid Fusion and the recent United Nations World Tourism Organization conference.

“The Department will continue to tap new and emerging markets including little known tourist destinations and sites which are priority growth areas for tourism development,” Teo said.

She expressed confidence that the increasing pattern in visitor

arrivals would likely continue throughout the rest of the year and break last year’s 5.9-million arrivals.

South Korea remained the top market, delivering a total of 128,691 arrivals visitors in five months, with an impressive growth rate of 35.84 percent.

The Department sent a delegation to the Korean Travel Fair in May where they met with Korean travel operators and Seoul-based media.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, July 12, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

50.7700

Japan

0.008778

0.4457

Yen

UK

Pound

1.285300

65.2547

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128005

6.4988

Switzerland

Franc

1.037883

52.6933

Canada

Dollar

0.774473

39.3200

Singapore

Dollar

0.723746

36.7446

Australia

Dollar

0.763400

38.7578

Bahrain

Dinar

2.660848

135.0913

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266674

13.5390

Brunei

Dollar

0.721137

36.6121

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.029317

1.4884

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.8240

Euro

Euro

1.147000

58.2332

Korea

Won

0.000871

0.0442

China

Yuan

0.147033

7.4649

India

Rupee

0.015492

0.7865

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.232775

11.8180

New Zealand

Dollar

0.722300

36.6712

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032757

1.6631 Source: PDS Bridge

IN BRIEF LNG facility seen to start next year THE country’s first integrated liquefied natural gas facility is expected to start construction early next year, after the Energy Department received joint venture offers from investors in Japan, China, Russia, Korea and Indonesia.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said the government was presently looking at a government-to-government arrangement for the planned “common carrier” LNG receiving and distribution infrastructure.

“Japan, China, Russia, Korea including Indonesia were able to make it. They have shown great interest but it doesn’t mean we have shortlisted.

But we are evaluating all proposals,” Cusi told reporters during the launch of the “E-Power Mo!” campaign.

Cusi is set to meet with the board of state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. which is tasked to put up the LNG facility in Batangas on Friday.

“We are going to meet PNOC board with management to submit all of these proposals so we can evaluate them,” the energy chief said.

Alena Mae S. Flores

ATI ready to handle more cargoes, ships ASIAN Terminals Inc. said its ports in Manila and Batangas are ready to accommodate more ships and cargoes for the peak season.

ATI executive vice president Andrew Hoad said quay crane production at Batangas Container Terminal stood at 32 gross moves per crane per hour in June while yard utilization remained below 50 percent, demonstrating its capacity to handle more ships and cargoes.

GMPH is an efficiency measure indicating how fast a quay crane moves containers from ship to shore in an hour.

BCT ended the first half of 2017 handling over 93,000 TEUs (twentyfoot equivalent units), marking another mid-year record for the terminal and keeping it on pace to exceed its 2016 record volume of nearly 160,000 TEUs. Manila South Harbor also increased crane production, hitting 30 GMPH, while yard utilization remained at an optimum 70 percent.

MSH already broke its 2016 record by handling just short of 550,000 TEUs in the first half.

“Overall, the two terminals are operating at an optimum range of yard capacity and are ready to take more volumes heading into the peak season in line with the growth of the Philippine economy,” Hoad said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

B2

Business

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Vynex offers to buy listed Metro Alliance

By Jenniffer B. Austria SIGNAGE manufacturer Vynex Signs Philippines Inc. offered to acquire a majority stake in Metro Alliance Holdings Equities Corp., a dormant listed company controlled by businessman William Gatchalian.

Metro Alliance said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it received a letter of intent from Vnyex Signs which indicated its desire to purchase the majority control of the company.

The deal is subject to a mutually agreeable share price and a satisfactory due diligence review of the company’s financial accounts and operations. It is also subject to lifting of the trading suspension of Mahec’s shares at the Philippine Stock Exchange.

Trading of Mahec has been suspended since May 2007 for

failure to submit financial reports. The stock was last traded on May 17 when it closed at P0.70 per share. It had a market capitalization of P128.5 million.

Mahec is one the listed firms affiliated with Gatchalian-owned Wellex Group. It is a holding company with investments in contract logistics and supply chain management services, including third party warehousing and distribution, consultancy and project management and value added services to customers.

Vynex Signs was established in March 1993 by employees of Vynex Signs Asia based in Singapore. In 1995, Vynex Signs became a full-pledged signage manufacturing company equipped with machines and skilled personnel to tackle the growing market in the Philippines and neighboring countries.

Stocks return to 7,900; Waterfront, EEI climb

S

TOCKS rose for a second day, following the release of trade figures showing that imports hit a record level in May, indicating robust domestic demand.

all shares, also gained 40 points, or 0.9 percent, to settle at 4,754.67, on a value turnover of P9.4 billion.

Gainers outnumbered losers, 125 to 85, while 42 issues were unchanged.

The Philippine Statistics Authority reported that imports jumped 17 percent to a record $8.2 billion in May, amid strong demand for consumer goods and capital equipment.

Eighteen of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by hotel operator Waterfront Philippines Inc. which climbed 11.9 percent to P1.32 and

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, jumped 80 points, or 1 percent, to close at 7,938.37, as all six major sectors advanced.

The heavier index, representing

construction firm EEI Corp. which advanced 10.6 percent to P11.44.

Property developer Megaworld Corp. rose 5.3 percent to P4.77.

Meanwhile, most Asian markets retreated Wednesday after two days of gains with confidence hit by fresh revelations regarding Donald Trump’s Russia links.

The sell-off overshadowed a pick-up in energy firms, which tracked a second-successive jump in oil prices.

Crude, which has seen wild swings in recent months, has bounced back from last week’s losses with gains of more than one

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, JULY 12, 2017

NAME

OPEN

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.8 1,000 58 88,270 103.1 1,190,760 124.2 2,582,290 1.4 143,000 36.6 160,900 10 10,000 16.04 39,300 31.85 1,048,800 7.92 600 0.67 2,000 1.8 19,000 860 80 0.7 1,792,000 95.15 5,571,070 0.87 1,339,000 15.6 1,500 67.8 33,910 245 730 120 500 88.15 40 59 158,480 220.2 969,420 1,645 10 86.1 1,890 1.37 155,000

3,800 5,102,271.50 122,564,598 320,616,724 194,510 5,909,945 100,000 630,996 33,496,700 4,754 1,340 33,340 68,800 1,233,030 529,738,639.50 1,158,770 23,390 2,299,130 181,076 56,170 3,525 9,351,029.50 213,406,242 16,450 162,796 212,310

4,824,317.50 -23,017,637 25,114,389 113,380.00 -160,815 173,016 -2,754,675 137,493,662.50 90,550 957,998 1,595,978 -7,912,942 -20,687 -

40 8.6 0.83 1.44 30.15 0.27 7.06 18.5 30.25 14.08 68 69.4 1.96 5.3 11.58 12.22 15.5 10.3 7.98 5.78 1.66 18.62 69.1 15 13.38 15.84 1.95 207.6 60 3.84 32.15 20.6 18.1 266 0.24 6.89 3.15 7.15 9.59 6.9 10.4 1.92 10.02 67.95 6.18 300.6 4.42 2.1 5.01 2.6 13.54 4.49 0.145 1.36 162 2.08 1.05

INDUSTRIAL 40.25 459,700 8.69 1,556,000 0.84 1,974,000 1.46 1,750,000 30.15 161,800 0.275 15,550,000 7.06 3,003,700 18.6 634,900 30.3 647,900 14.08 3,100 68.5 14,920 69.4 980 2 455,000 5.47 125,100 11.58 148,700 12.6 2,232,800 15.6 2,697,300 11.44 12,263,300 8.1 2,166,000 5.87 20,992,400 1.66 1,000 18.7 1,291,600 69.2 59,480 15 77,100 13.4 117,300 15.9 4,224,400 2.01 15,441,000 212 307,130 64 22,940 4.08 308,000 32.5 2,013,300 20.6 530,400 18.18 3,070,800 267.6 1,376,860 0.248 1,700,000 7.15 21,800 3.15 23,000 7.3 416,300 9.59 4,948,800 7.19 252,600 10.4 7,400 1.96 1,592,000 10.3 2,070,800 68 304,900 6.3 192,500 305 73,130 4.52 240,000 2.1 2,000 5.11 263,000 2.61 1,585,000 13.54 3,755,200 4.5 597,000 0.146 320,000 1.39 135,000 162.6 451,590 2.12 8,231,000 1.06 179,000

18,477,070 13,659,007 1,658,300 2,540,020 4,946,175 4,283,400 21,258,677 11,865,640 19,782,495 43,802 1,023,112 68,424 902,090 667,209 1,728,320 27,843,784 42,049,280 136,022,374 17,490,053 123,159,708 1,660 24,153,086 4,130,756.50 1,160,054 1,579,400 68,075,782 32,106,660 65,009,052 1,465,360 1,236,980 65,434,645 11,124,060 55,743,250 368,449,068 411,630 151,885 72,510 3,024,490 47,597,287 1,811,988 76,960 3,081,910 21,188,248 20,773,061.50 1,203,481 22,290,172 1,075,580 4,200 1,353,726 4,197,220 51,518,998 2,690,520 46,650 185,140 73,392,806 17,369,560 188,380

-607,015 -1,552,050 -84,000 20,300 -117,345 2,129,000 -14,143,749 -4,188,742 142,200 -985,537 -208,960.00 9,702,734 8,296,660 -2,343,100 8,053,306.00 8,504,284 6,953,196 -3,238,231.50 3,024 183,646 1,154,776 221,770 18,473,402 63,332,665.00 583,935 -46,223,792 -182,247,788 2,480 44,100 -4,332 24,711,207 58,240 -39,000 -924,180 1,418,600.50 -6,583,118.00 -99,480 -2,100 -12,747,146 1,802,990 7,250.00 -13,810,169 -68,590 -

0.375 75.5 14.08 1.24 6.58 0.34 0.34 878 8.12 14.94 7.8 6.01 6.01 0.221 1,202 7.79 82.1 6 1.02 7.25 15.58 6.8 3.6 0.053 1.15 2.32 103.3 2.74 792 0.93 1.46 304 0.285 0.233 0.25

0.365 74.3 13.98 1.2 6.5 0.33 0.33 867.5 7.96 14.6 7.68 6.01 6 0.205 1,198 7.68 78.9 5.85 0.98 7.16 15.12 6.61 3.23 0.052 1.05 2.25 102.5 2.61 788 0.9 1.44 302 0.285 0.215 0.242

HOLDING FIRMS 0.37 410,000 75.1 538,570 14 14,398,100 1.22 300,000 6.58 25,000 0.34 1,460,000 0.34 500,000 876 118,810 7.96 1,131,200 14.94 15,043,200 7.8 65,700 6.01 300 6 9,800 0.212 2,680,000 1,200 185,050 7.7 138,000 80.85 2,272,520 5.85 10,200 1 4,022,000 7.2 2,565,200 15.56 2,857,200 6.7 58,923,500 3.6 33,000 0.053 31,120,000 1.12 609,000 2.32 1,505,000 103 83,350 2.68 33,000 791 501,340 0.9 114,000 1.46 560,000 303 310 0.285 10,000 0.221 1,630,000 0.25 580,000

151,800 40,389,372 201,624,550 364,680 163,355 485,650 169,000 103,817,185 9,078,657 223,872,906 511,915 1,803 58,814 577,250 222,210,945 1,062,223 184,110,960.50 61,050 4,019,710 18,471,185 44,281,282 396,899,154 118,370 1,641,110 652,110 3,466,640 8,576,034 87,290 396,386,680 102,660 815,920 93,846 2,850 369,430 141,560

6,886,091 -45,729,806 68,000 63,743,385 -2,831,277 89,843,232 275,766 52,160 42,738,755 -5,245,619 -3,220,467 12,575,296 119,260,014 -2,155,913 -120,357,830 -15,146 46,200 -

6 1.4 6.4 2.45 1.14 41.9 3.88 5.36 5.66 0.67 1.2 1.6 0.204 0.54 47.5 0.79 0.168 1.95 1.78 1.12 4.77

5.96 1.33 6.4 2.43 1.11 40.7 3.78 5.22 5.65 0.64 1.16 1.55 0.194 0.52 46.5 0.77 0.165 1.89 1.65 1.06 4.54

5,226,739 9,642,750 7,040 1,692,950 4,371,770 513,431,920 43,041,680 67,924,275 11,315 71,303,160 243,160 2,563,420 30,957,180 2,093,680 9,795,435 3,330,740 268,040 75,000,760 105,292,860 1,664,180 373,964,780

-3,026,397 -412,540 175,381,495 -610,880 -4,597,020 -7,524,940 7,770,260 -477,000 768,645 -208,200 10,010 -1,372,530 -4,307,730 84,408,750

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE 3.8 ASIA UNITED 57.9 BANK PH ISLANDS 103.1 BDO UNIBANK 124.3 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.3 CHINABANK 36.75 CITYSTATE BANK 10 COL FINANCIAL 16.2 EAST WEST BANK 31.5 FILIPINO FUND 7.93 FIRST ABACUS 0.67 IREMIT 1.76 MANULIFE 860 MEDCO HLDG 0.69 METROBANK 95.1 NTL REINSURANCE 0.87 PB BANK 15.5 PHIL NATL BANK 67.8 PHIL STOCK EXCH 249 PHILTRUST 112 PSBANK 88.1 RCBC 59.9 SECURITY BANK 220 SUN LIFE 1,645 UNION BANK 85.8 VANTAGE 1.36

3.8 58 103.3 124.4 1.42 36.8 10 16.2 32.2 7.93 0.67 1.8 860 0.7 95.7 0.87 15.6 67.9 249 120 88.15 59.9 220.4 1,645 86.4 1.4

3.8 57.2 102 123.6 1.25 36.6 10 16.02 31.5 7.92 0.67 1.72 860 0.68 94.15 0.85 15.5 67.8 245 112 88.1 58.95 218.2 1,645 85.8 1.34

ABOITIZ POWER 40 AGRINURTURE 8.75 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.85 ALSONS CONS 1.44 ASIABEST GROUP 31.5 BASIC ENERGY 0.27 CEMEX HLDG 7.09 CENTURY FOOD 18.96 CIRTEK HLDG 31 CNTRL AZUCARERA14.12 CONCEPCION 69 CONCRETE A 70.2 CROWN ASIA 1.96 DAVINCI CAPITAL 5.3 DEL MONTE 11.74 DNL INDUS 12.28 EAGLE CEMENT 15.6 EEI CORP 10.36 EMPERADOR 8.2 ENERGY DEVT 5.78 EUROMED 1.66 FIRST GEN 18.62 FIRST PHIL HLDG 69.7 GINEBRA 15.2 HOLCIM 13.7 INTEGRATED MICR 16.5 IONICS 2.08 JOLLIBEE 208 LIBERTY FLOUR 60 LMG CHEMICALS 4.12 MANILA WATER 32.15 MAXS GROUP 21 MEGAWIDE 18.36 MERALCO 266.8 MG HLDG 0.248 PANASONIC 7.07 PEPSI COLA 3.15 PETROENERGY 7.18 PETRON 9.66 PHIL H2O 7 PHINMA 10.4 PHINMA ENERGY 1.97 PHX PETROLEUM 10.22 PILIPINAS SHELL 68.5 PRYCE CORP 6.32 PUREFOODS 300.6 RFM CORP 4.42 ROXAS AND CO 2.1 ROXAS HLDG 5.4 SFA SEMICON 2.71 SHAKEYS PIZZA 14.2 SPC POWER 4.5 SWIFT FOODS 0.145 TKC METALS 1.39 UNIV ROBINA 162 VITARICH 2.08 VULCAN INDL 1.05

40.25 8.92 0.86 1.46 32.6 0.28 7.12 18.96 31.1 14.16 69 70.2 2 5.47 11.74 12.6 15.64 11.44 8.24 5.9 1.66 18.72 69.7 15.2 13.7 16.8 2.18 212.2 64 4.14 32.6 21.4 18.36 268.2 0.248 7.15 3.21 7.38 9.76 7.4 10.4 1.97 10.3 68.5 6.35 305 4.53 2.1 5.4 2.72 14.2 4.52 0.146 1.39 163.2 2.14 1.06

ABACORE CAPITAL 0.375 ABOITIZ EQUITY 74.35 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 14 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 1.22 ANSCOR 6.5 ATN HLDG A 0.335 ATN HLDG B 0.33 AYALA CORP 867.5 COSCO CAPITAL 8.1 DMCI HLDG 14.6 FILINVEST DEV 7.8 FJ PRINCE A 6.01 FJ PRINCE B 6.01 FORUM PACIFIC 0.205 GT CAPITAL 1,200 HOUSE OF INV 7.69 JG SUMMIT 78.95 JOLLIVILLE HLDG 6 LODESTAR 0.98 LOPEZ HLDG 7.18 LT GROUP 15.12 METRO PAC INV 6.62 MJC INVESTMENTS 3.23 PACIFICA 0.053 PRIME MEDIA 1.15 PRIME ORION 2.29 SAN MIGUEL CORP 103.2 SEAFRONT RES 2.74 SM INVESTMENTS 790 SOC RESOURCES 0.93 SOLID GROUP 1.45 TOP FRONTIER 304 UNIOIL HLDG 0.285 WELLEX INDUS 0.215 ZEUS HLDG 0.242 8990 HLDG 6 A BROWN 1.37 ANCHOR LAND 6.4 ARANETA PROP 2.43 ARTHALAND CORP 1.12 AYALA LAND 40.7 BELLE CORP 3.87 CEB LANDMASTERS 5.34 CEBU PROP B 5.66 CENTURY PROP 0.67 CITY AND LAND 1.2 CITYLAND DEVT 1.56 CROWN EQUITIES 0.195 CYBER BAY 0.53 DOUBLEDRAGON 46.5 EMPIRE EAST 0.79 EVER GOTESCO 0.166 FILINVEST LAND 1.92 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.65 IRC PROP 1.09 MEGAWORLD 4.54

VOLUME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

MRC ALLIED 0.345 PHIL ESTATES 0.375 PHIL REALTY 0.62 PRIMEX CORP 4.01 PTFC REDEV CORP 38.95 ROBINSONS LAND 24.05 ROCKWELL 1.86 SHANG PROP 3.21 SM PRIME HLDG 33.2 STA LUCIA LAND 1.05 SUNTRUST HOME 0.96 VISTA LAND 5.97

0.355 0.43 0.66 4.06 38.95 24.3 1.87 3.29 33.75 1.05 0.96 6

0.335 0.37 0.62 3.96 37 24.05 1.77 3.21 33.2 1.03 0.92 5.9

0.35 0.395 0.66 4 37 24.1 1.78 3.29 33.65 1.05 0.93 5.97

78,550,000 20,990,000 35,517,000 599,000 1,700 2,096,300 1,228,000 54,000 5,599,000 3,792,000 999,000 2,532,500

27,098,200 8,382,700 22,645,000 2,392,960 65,185 50,600,185 2,233,310 177,340 188,249,155 3,940,700 928,880 15,060,450

27,600.00 -905,600 -140,250 323,980 -16,446,800 -443,770 15,904,435 -4,064,878

2GO GROUP 18.7 ABS CBN 42.05 ACESITE HOTEL 1.73 APC GROUP 0.49 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.043 BERJAYA 5.48 BLOOMBERRY 9.49 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.088 CEBU AIR 97 CENTRO ESCOLAR 9.6 DISCOVERY WORLD 2.39 FAR EASTERN U 970 GLOBE TELECOM 2,034 GMA NETWORK 6.24 GOLDEN HAVEN 15.34 HARBOR STAR 2.97 IMPERIAL 3.5 INTL CONTAINER 105 IPM HLDG 8.7 ISLAND INFO 0.183 ISM COMM 1.6 JACKSTONES 3.49 LBC EXPRESS 16 LEISURE AND RES 5.05 LORENZO SHIPPNG 1.63 MACROASIA 8.52 MANILA BULLETIN 0.6 MANILA JOCKEY 2.29 MELCO RESORTS 8.95 METRO RETAIL 4.77 NOW CORP 2.59 PACIFIC ONLINE 11.5 PAL HLDG 5.38 PAXYS 2.88 PHIL SEVEN CORP 173 PHILWEB 11.6 PLDT 1,718 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.59 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.42 PUREGOLD 46.4 ROBINSONS RTL 86 SBS PHIL CORP 6.08 SSI GROUP 4.97 STI HLDG 1.63 TRAVELLERS 3.61 WATERFRONT 1.17 WILCON DEPOT 8.59

22.9 42.05 2.04 0.5 0.044 5.52 9.7 0.089 98.4 9.88 2.39 970 2,090 6.24 15.7 2.97 3.5 106.5 8.7 0.185 1.6 3.49 16.36 5.24 2.02 8.85 0.6 2.33 9.21 4.79 2.75 11.52 5.38 2.88 173 11.96 1,757 1.6 0.45 46.5 88 6.17 5.14 1.67 3.61 1.37 8.7

17 41.9 1.66 0.49 0.042 5.48 9.45 0.086 96.5 9.6 2.39 970 2,034 6.2 15.34 2.88 3.41 103 8.45 0.183 1.5 3.4 15.52 5.05 1.6 8.35 0.59 2.21 8.92 4.55 2.56 11.5 5.3 2.88 170 11.34 1,718 1.57 0.42 45.9 86 6.08 4.8 1.56 3.44 1.11 8.2

SERVICES 22.8 6,167,500 41.9 18,600 2 6,075,000 0.49 430,000 0.044 18,400,000 5.52 500 9.7 9,211,100 0.087 27,680,000 98.4 110,770 9.7 17,100 2.39 1,000 970 30 2,084 66,585 6.22 106,600 15.7 36,300 2.93 1,457,000 3.41 21,000 103 1,288,890 8.45 457,000 0.184 6,060,000 1.5 1,715,000 3.4 191,000 16.16 103,100 5.09 3,274,700 1.91 8,803,000 8.7 2,823,000 0.59 22,000 2.33 49,000 9.21 6,048,500 4.59 19,679,000 2.7 13,448,000 11.52 1,200 5.3 6,100 2.88 500,000 170 92,910 11.44 5,884,900 1,726 95,400 1.6 4,721,000 0.445 22,050,000 45.9 1,224,000 88 694,440 6.1 963,500 5.06 30,213,000 1.58 46,827,000 3.51 7,207,000 1.32 148,047,000 8.66 18,465,300

128,814,616 780,740 11,682,960 211,650 795,400 2,756 88,056,700 2,432,280 10,804,755 165,288 2,390 29,100 138,376,930 662,324 564,806 4,233,830 72,720 134,680,617 3,926,735 1,111,250 2,627,790 651,610 1,671,038 16,921,567 16,646,650 24,562,491 13,160 111,190 55,272,010 90,615,090 34,931,570 13,804 32,730 1,440,000 15,818,080 68,764,358 165,910,145 7,535,390 9,679,000 56,355,095 60,616,638.50 5,893,540 151,964,110 74,472,140 25,228,710 184,154,550 158,243,320

-2,547,025 -293,360 43,000 293,883 1,508,050 1,712,940.50 -54,349,320 135,830 -13,887,583 -46,200 34,200 106,024 146,520 170.0001 -253,500.00 -13,808,154.00 -19,093,890.00 -61,900 -262,610 -8,205,116 -54,648,850 23,000 -19,444,440 -21,002,614.50 -1,743,690 -1,991,540 13,903,740 -1,935,150.00 -4,204,521.00

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

0.0029 1.72 5.23 13.5 2.02 2.05 1.07 0.39 8.85 2.67 0.295 0.192 0.198 0.011 0.011 1.91 6.27 1.99 0.63 1.03 0.01 0.013 2.63 8.9 2.99 161 0.0086

0.0029 1.75 5.23 14.9 2.02 2.05 1.07 0.395 8.85 2.82 0.295 0.195 0.198 0.011 0.011 1.98 6.39 1.99 0.68 1.16 0.011 0.013 2.73 9.04 3 161 0.0086

0.0028 1.71 5.15 13.5 2.02 2.03 1.01 0.38 8.53 2.66 0.29 0.188 0.198 0.011 0.011 1.9 6.27 1.95 0.6 1.02 0.01 0.012 2.62 8.85 2.97 160.4 0.0086

MINING & OIL 0.0029 105,000,000 1.74 4,053,000 5.21 41,900 14.9 300 2.02 34,000 2.05 20,000 1.03 4,353,000 0.38 1,610,000 8.55 2,500 2.8 12,121,000 0.29 210,000 0.195 11,500,000 0.198 20,000 0.011 14,100,000 0.011 2,000,000 1.9 493,000 6.39 4,122,800 1.98 193,000 0.66 4,872,000 1.08 3,803,000 0.011 5,100,000 0.012 3,500,000 2.63 109,000 9.04 1,551,800 2.97 926,000 161 1,088,710 0.0086 1,000,000

301,300 7,019,550 218,006 4,190 68,680 40,670 4,479,170 623,600 21,531 33,163,340 60,950 2,211,680 3,960 155,100 22,000 950,550 26,309,800 381,560 3,186,280 4,171,680 56,000 45,400 286,710 14,005,142 2,761,220 175,060,811 8,600

696,000 -1,545 -4,100 582,050 -2,556,660 17,450 -169,250 -1,446,177 -20,100 -41,490 1,300 593,829 -360,370 18,336,852 -

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

41.85 515 515 107 105.5 112 516 6.05 1,019 1.06 1,036 1,019 105.1 113.4 76.75 77 79 80.5 78.5 78.45 78.7

42 515 515 107 105.5 112 516 6.05 1,019 1.06 1,036 1,019 105.1 113.4 76.75 77 79 80.5 78.5 78.45 78.7

41.85 515 515 107 104.9 112 515.5 5.98 1,019 1.05 1,036 1,019 105.1 113.4 76.75 77 78 80.5 78.5 78.05 78.05

PREFERRED 42 1,008,500 515 1,350 515 1,000 107 3,650 105.5 57,680 112 2,190 515.5 600 6 97,600 1,019 15 1.05 555,000 1,036 430 1,019 3,165 105.1 500 113.4 90 76.75 600 77 10,500 78 38,410 80.5 16,480 78.5 3,200 78.05 17,470 78.65 60,210

42,356,985 695,250 515,000 390,550 6,084,740 245,280 309,425 585,585 15,285 582,930 445,480 3,225,135 52,550 10,206 46,050 808,500 3,015,390 1,326,640 251,200 1,365,541.50 4,738,396.50

844,185 -509,450 78,500 -

LR WARRANT

3.06

3.3

2.97

WARRANTS 3.11 4,503,000

14,110,620

-9,300

3.95 2.97 5.84 8.56

3.86 2.95 5.71 8.26

SME 3.95 2.97 5.8 8.3

1,554,730 41,560 282,013 22,179,198

0 3,176,440

120.2

119

788,479

-

NAME

OPEN

MS

PROPERTY 5.97 875,200 1.39 7,078,000 6.4 1,100 2.43 696,000 1.14 3,868,000 41.55 12,411,900 3.79 11,351,000 5.3 12,850,700 5.65 2,000 0.66 108,784,000 1.19 207,000 1.59 1,613,000 0.202 154,810,000 0.52 3,983,000 47.5 208,300 0.77 4,292,000 0.165 1,610,000 1.9 39,202,000 1.72 61,002,000 1.1 1,532,000 4.77 79,381,000

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

3.88 2.95 5.84 8.55

FIRST METRO ETF 119

TRADING SUMMARY

400,000 14,000 48,900 2,638,300

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 120.2 6,610

SHARES

VALUE

FINANCIAL

15,711,072

1,296,276,845.86

INDUSTRIAL

157,362,390

2,050,098,073.16

HOLDING FIRMS

144,817,260

2,046,299,000.308

PROPERTY

657,803,702

1,650,194,103.26

SERVICES

429,054,861

2,008,232,010.90

MINING & OIL

181,844,714

275,643,505.74

GRAND TOTAL

1,589,703,829

9,351,596,712.73

FINANCIAL 1,971.83 (up) 1.33 INDUSTRIAL 11,145.92 (up) 82.98 HOLDING FIRMS 7,910.91 (up) 73.39 PROPERTY 3,731.65 (up) 78.30 SERVICES 1,702.74 (up) 8.06 MINING & OIL 12,738.81 (up) 105.50 PSEI 7,938.37 (up) 80.23 All Shares Index 4,754.67 (up) 40.52 Gainers: 125; Losers: 85; Unchanged: 42; Total: 252

percent Tuesday on bets that US stockpiles had fallen last week.

Comments from the OPEC cartel that its output cuts with Russia were bearing fruit were also welcomed and on Wednesday Asian traders extended the oil rally, boosting energy companies in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Sydney.

However, the ongoing crisis surrounding Trump stepped up on Tuesday when his son Donald Jr released emails showing he had embraced Russia’s efforts to support the tycoon’s presidential campaign against Hillary Clinton.

The news is the latest blow to the White House, which has been battered by accusations over Russian collusion and accusations of cover-ups -- fuelling worries about the president’s ability to push through his marketfriendly economic agenda.

“Today’s revelation ... has sent US political risk to another level,” said Stephen Innes, a senior trader at Oanda.

“Investors are once again questioning President’s Trump’s administration ability to pass through a probusiness agenda/attitude/ stance to further stimulate the US economy.”

With Bloomberg, AFP

Smart rolls out Wi-Fi at LRT 1

By Darwin G. Amojelar SMART Communications Inc. said Wednesday it rolled out high-speed Wi-Fi connectivity at six stations of Light Rail Transit Line 1.

Smart initially made Wi-Fi connectivity available at the newly rehabilitated Doroteo Jose station in February and since then expanded its transmission and resiliency network infrastructure serving to bring #SmartWifi to five additional stations including Abad Santos, Pedro Gil, Gil Puyat, UN Avenue and R. Papa.

PLDT Inc. and Smart senior vice president and head of enterprise Juan Victor Hernandez said the continuing rollout of Wi-Fi at LRT1 complemented the telco’s deployment of #SmartWifi in various high-traffic areas in Metro Manila, including all 13 stations of Metro Rail Transit Line 3 which was completed recently.

“As our nationwide rollout of #SmartWifi goes on full swing, this deployment along the LRT-1 is yet another step forward in our efforts to make world-class Internet connectivity accessible to more and more people,” Hernandez said.

Smart said after the initial five stations, it was looking at completing its public WiFi installation in all LRT-1 stations and on the corresponding street level stretch by the end of the year.

The telco also committed to strengthen its 2G, 3G and 4G coverage along the entire stretch of LRT-1, as well as in Metro Manila’s major transport terminals and railways.

“These are all aligned with our efforts to improve the commuting experience in the Metro. These are also opportunities for us to let the public reap the benefits of our network modernization program – specifically our Smart Wi-Fi and our LTE rollouts,” said Hernandez.

Business

B3

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

KPMG Manabat defends 2Go audit Power supply, PH broadband are key DUTERTENOMICS and the government’s Build, Build, Build agenda will not take off if ample and cheap power supply is not readily available. The economy cannot also match the strides of Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia if the Philippines cannot establish a credible broadband network and make connectivity at par with its Asian neighbors.

The power sector in the Philippines, despite reforms initiated by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act, has not developed into its real potential as regulators fail to get their act together.

Unnecessary delays in getting many power plants up and running due to lobbying by renewable energy advocates and leftist groups are not contributing to efforts to trim electricity rates in the Philippines.

The impasse at the Energy Regulatory Commission has already ticked off Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez. The lawmaker in a congressional hearing last week asked the ERC for a timeline on the approval of the power supply agreements that retailer Manila Electric Co. forged with the generators over a year ago.

Suarez was particularly concerned about the 1.200-MW Atimonan coal-fired power plant which local residents have been clamoring for. He demanded to know the cause of delay on the part of ERC, stressing the recent supply shortfalls and yellow alerts the Philippines has been facing—a sign that the country’s power supply simply cannot match the increasing requirements of the economy.

Suarez demanded an assurance from the ERC to resolve Meralco’s application and avoid a power supply shortfall. The lawmaker saw no legal impediments or roadblocks to the ERC approval, notwithstanding the noise from so-called environment activists.

ERC officials finally committed to resolve the issue in three months pending hearings and due process. The economic stakes are high. Filipinos do not want a return to he crippling blackouts experienced during the latter years of the Corazon Aquino administration, when the economy was on the verge of collapse.

Suarez’s take on the inaction of the ERC is understandable.

The lawmaker during the same Congressional hearing cited the benefits of the Atimonan coal plant to the local community and the province. Revenues from the power plant, once operational, will be shared by the barangay, municipality and the province.

This means increased medical assistance, educational services and livelihood to all the members of the community.

Such benefits are already being enjoyed by communities hosting the Pagbilao and Mauban coal plants, with no reported case of any kind of safety or health hazard.

On another positive note, EO 30 signed by President Rodrigo Duterte is expected to streamline the licensing and permitting processes required of a power plant by classifying such projects as of “national significance.” Power supply in the Philippines shouldn’t be a problem as long as government agencies and regulating bodies like the ERC enforce the proper and legal process for all energy projects, and prioritize them as of national significance.

Connectivity age Investors see a real window of opportunity in the Philippines in what is termed as the country’s “Golden Age of Infrastructure.”

For them, the initial P3.6-trillion budget of President Rodrigo Duterte for the infrastructure program is a dream come true.

One of the earliest concluded investment deals is that of between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Duterte over the funding of a subway system to the tune of P227 billion.

The giant project aims to solve the worsening traffic problem in key and densely-populated urban areas in the country.

But another another serious infrastructure problem in the Philippines that impacts on the gross domestic product is connectivity. The lack of telecommunications infrastructure has made the Philippines lag behind the connectivity factor, especially when compared with its neighboring countries where their governments built and funded their respective national broadband network.

Commissioner Gamaliel Cordoba of the National Telecommunications Commission acknowledged during the recent Philippine Telecoms Summit that all other Asean countries had telecoms networks that are either wholly-owned, partly financed, or operated by their respective governments. It is only in the Philippines that the broadband networks are constructed, owned and operated by private companies.

The infrastructure problem here will be licked if the Duterte administration succeeds in itsNational Broadband Plan to build the corresponding network infrastructure. With a budget of P77 billion to P199 billion to implement the plan over the next three to four years, the government wil become a veritable “third telco player.”

The implementing agency here is the newly formed Department of Information and Communications Technology headed by Atty. Rodolfo Salalima, who cited the mandate set by the President during his first State of the Nation Address in July 2016.

“We are establishing broadband infrastructure from the northern to the southern parts of the country. This aims to deliver telecommunications services to areas in the countryside without access to the internet,” Salalima said, adding “we chose the option to build a broadband infrastructure that will be operated by DICT.” The DICT, however, cannot implement the plan alone, and operate in a vacuum. It needs operational telcos like PLDT-Smart and Globe Telecom to participate in the program.

Unfortunately, PLDT-Smart and Globe Telecoms could be crippled by the aggressive intervention of the Philippine Competition Commission and the decisions and actuations of both the National Telecommunications Commission and the DICT. There is fear among industry observers that the NBN program will be hindered by PCC’s overlapping role with the NTC and the DICT. This stems from the case of the joint acquisition last year of the telco units of San Miguel Corp. by both PLDT-Smart and Globe Telecom for P70 billion. The PCC has sought to declare the transaction null and void for being anti-competitive.

After declining to accept the Court of Appeals injunction and going up to the Supreme Court, the PCC also went against the tacit endorsement of the NTC as the rightful regulatory agency on the joint use of the 700MHz frequencies owned by the SMC telco units acquired by both PLDT-Smart and Globe.

The PCC must recognize that the NBN program, as supported

by PLDT and Globe, is a significant step forward in upgrading the state of the telecoms industry in the country.

The PCC must must take a more collaborative approach to an industry issue that is more complex than it is perceived to be. The antitrust body, in short, should not be a hindrance to Duterte’s Build Build Build program.

E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or business@manilastandard. com.ph or extrastory2000@gmail.com

By Jenniffer B. Austria

A

CCOUNTING firm KPMG RG Manabat & Co. on Wednesday defended the original 2015 and 2016 financial statements of client 2Go Group Inc.

RG Manabat, the local partner of international accounting firm KPMG, audited the 2015 and 2016 financial statements of 2Go Group under the previous management. The new owners of 2Go led by businessman Dennis Uy and SM Investments Corp. hired SGV & Co., which restated the financial statements resulting in substantial decline in profits.

RG Manabat chairman and chief executive Robert Manabat said in an interview at the sidelines of Top Frontier Holdings Inc.’s annual stockholders meeting the restatement of

2015 and 2016 financial performance of 2Go was just “accounting interpretations.”

“We are confident that we will be able to explain our side,” Mabanat said.

“When you look at some of the adjustments, it was a question of interpretation… accounting interpretation,” he said.

Manabat welcomed the move of the Securities and Exchange Commission to conduct an investigation on the matter. Manabat said the company had not yet received a summon from the SEC regarding the issue.

Manabat said this was the first controversy involving the accounting firm. 2Go Group became a client of KMPG Manabat in 2014.

Manabat said despite the controversy, no existing clients of KMPG Manabat had expressed interest in canceling it services. He said KMPG Manabat was even re-elected as the auditing firm of San Miguel-led Top Frontier.

Meanwhile, the SEC ordered 2Go Group to provide additional information and clarification

on the restatement of financial reports.

The corporate regulator said the clarification should explain the circumstances requiring the restatement of financial statements, the relevant accounting standards supporting the restatement and overall impact of the restatement on the company’s operations.

“The company is required to submit the written clarification on the statement by July 14, 2017,” SEC commission secretary Armando Pan said in a text message.

Share price of 2Go fell 2.15 percent Wednesday to P22.80, after a two-day trading suspension.

The Philippine Stock Exchange lifted the trading suspension of 2Go shares after the company submitted audited financial statements covering the first quarter of 2017, 2016 and 2015. It also submitted the auditor’s report which contains the summary of adjustments made and provides a comparison and discussion of the financial items being restated and the reason for such restatement.

SMART-ERICSSON ADVOCACY. PLDT Inc.’s wireless subsidiary Smart Communications and Ericsson sign an agreement to develop an Internet of Things solution to help in the protection and conservation of mangroves in the Philippines. Shown signing a memorandum of understanding for the Connected Mangroves project in the Philippines are (from left) Smart vice president and head of technical operations center Pierre de los Reyes, PLDT-Smart public affairs head Ramon Isberto, PLDT-Smart senior vice president for network planning and engineering Mario Tamayo, Ericsson country unit head Sean Gowran and Ericsson vice president and key account manager Anthony Valdez.

Govt blacklists 43 garlic importers amid high prices

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales to bring in only 19,000 metric imports about 93 percent of its the loaning program.

AGRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said Wednesday the government will blacklist 43 garlic importers for failing to import the commodity amid high demand that eventually led to excessive prices in the domestic market.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the prevailing market price of native garlic was P150 to P300 per kilogram while retail prices of imported garlic ranged from P100 to P180 a kilo.

“We will blacklist importers.

At the time that we needed to import, they did not import. We will issue the order today [Wednesday] banning them,” Piñol said.

The agriculture chief said the 43 garlic importers were supposed to import 70,100 metric tons this year, but they were able

tons.

“The problem is they do not want to import because of the high prices. I will issue an administrative order placing the issuances of [import permits] under the Office of the Secretary,” said Piñol.

Piñol confirmed the existence of cartels which manipulated the price of garlic in the country.

“There are cartels manipulating the prices of at least four basic commodities whose level of production is not enough to supply the requirements of the country. These four commodities are rice, meat, garlic and onion and milk and dairy products. The most serious problem of supply and price manipulation is in the garlic and onion sectors,” said Piñol.

Piñol said the Philippines was

garlic requirements and about 70 percent of its onion requirements. He said the government was ramping up efforts to improve local garlic production.

He said the government initially linked onion and garlic farmers with direct buyers like SM Supermarket, Robinson’s, Rustan’s, Puregold and other direct users through the Kapatid Go Negosyo program.

Piñol said a lending program was also being prepared for onion and garlic farmers. The program will allow farmers to have a maximum loanable amount of P25,000 per hectare and will be started in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija where workers of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council and information technology experts of the department were accrediting farmers prior to the start of

“In the 2018 proposed budget, a P200 million [instead of P50 million as earlier proposed] has been submitted to jump-start the 5-year road map for garlic and onion development. This involves the support for traditional production areas of onion and garlic production and the development of new production areas in other parts of the country. This will include the introduction of modern technology in Garlic and Onion farming to allow farmers to plant more than once during the year,” he said.

“All garlic and onion farmers will also be given access to the Production Loan Easy Access Program of ACPC which offers a maximum of P25,000 per farming household without any collateral and a 6-percent interest annually,” said Piñol.

A 14% national poverty rate by 2022?

SINCE it came into office one year ago, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has made two major economic commitments to the nation. One is that between now and the end of Mr. Duterte’s term—June 30, 2022 —this country will experience a Golden Age of Infrastructure, with P8 trillion worth transportation and communication facilities put in place. The other major commitment made by the Duterte administration was that by June 30, 2022 the national poverty rate will have been brought down to 14 percent.

Is a reduction of the national poverty rate to 14 percent within the next five years something achievable? My answer Is “Positive but highly unlikely.”

To put things in time-perspective terms, going back five years in time would bring us back to 2012 and going back ten years would bring us back to 2007. In 2012 Benigno Aquino III was in the third of his six years as President of the Philippines, and five years earlier Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was seven years into her 10-year stay in Malacanang. Try as they did, their administrations were never able to bring the national poverty rate below 20 percent.

Mr. Aquino left office with the national poverty rate at 21 percent.

That reducing the national poverty rate to a tolerable level is a very difficult exercise is an understatement. It requires nothing less than a gargantuan, total-focus effort. I think that the Duterte administration is not capable of such an effort: it is headed by a person who has many distractions and is weighed down by much personal baggage.

Target-setting is a necessary part of good governance. But the policy targets that governments set must be within the realm of realism. When I first read about the target of 14 percent national poverty by 2022, the question that immediately came to my mind was, what made the Duterte administration’s socio-economic planners set a target as unrealistic as that?

Given today’s 21 percent national poverty rate, achieving the Duterte administration’s

target will entail trying to take 7 percent of this country’s estimated 107 million people out of the clutches of poverty. That in turn will mean providing 7 million Filipinos with incomes sufficient to buy three meals a day, meet the cost of a roof over their heads and pay for utilities (electricity, water and fares), health care charges and education-related outlays. That is a tall order, considering that most of the Filipinos covered by the 21 percent poverty rate do not receive such incomes. Many of them do not even earn the P19,000 that the National Statistics Authority (NSA) has estimated to be the minimum average monthly income needed to support a family of five.

The key to income adequacy for the nation’s poor is a minimum daily wage for industrial and agricultural workers. Realizing that private employers could not be relied upon to pay their workers a living wage—a wage sufficient to enable a family to pay for its daily needs—Congress adapted the Western concept of minimum wage-setting and passed the Minimum Wage Act. Though the Act has been amended numerous times, with each amendment providing for a minimumwage increase, the resulting wage has been either inadequate or barely adequate for the daily needs of poor Filipino families.

The minimum wage should lead the way toward higher incomes for low-income Filipinos, but unfortunately the Minimum Wage Act is widely violated. Given this fact, repeatedly increasing the national minimum wage is only a part of the needed remedial action; enforcement of the Act needs to be much improved. Nor should the minimum wage be continually raised, considering the adverse impact of wage increase on the viability and competitiveness of the nation’s SMSEs (small and medium-scale enterprises).

Bad socio-economic conditions are part and parcel of—and dramatize—the condition of poverty in which 21 percent of Filipinos find themselves. The backlog of decent housing has not only shrunk; it has been lengthen-

ing continuously, thanks to the relentless increase in the national population. And though Philhealth has been succeeding in bringing thousands of Filipinos into its rolls, a disconcerting number of Filipinos continue to pass out of this world without having known the benefit of maternity and other medical care.

Turning this socio-economic situation around will require a heroic effort involving a huge amount of public expenditure.

The trickle-down theory of economic development held that as an economy developed, the condition of the poorer sectors of society would progressively improve as the benefits of economic growth trickled down to them from the top. The theory has not been effective in this country and the rising tide of economic growth has not raised the boats of the poor.

Recognizing the non-trickle-down of the benefits of economic growth, the Arroyo administration decided to adopt Brazil’s conditional cash transfer system, under which cash transfers are directly made to poor families on the basis of conditions relating to maternal care and children’s school attendance. The domestic version, the 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program) gives every eligible family P1,400 per month. The 4Ps program was continued by the Aquino administration and has been retained by the Duterte administration.

It has been criticized for being supportive of mendicancy,, but there is recognition that the program has been effective in allowing the poor to directly share in the benefits of Philippine economic growth.

The monthly 4Ps cash transfer will have to be far higher than P1,400 if the Duterte administration’s target for national-poverty-rate reduction is to have a chance of attainment.

E-mail: rudy.romero@gmail.com

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

B4

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

Business

Dutch project tests floating cities

By Sophie Mignon

T

HE HAGUE―Dutch researchers unveiled Tuesday a model of what could become within two decades a floating mega-island to be used as a creative solution for accommodating housing, ports, farms or parks.

Made up of 87 floating triangles of different sizes, the huge, flexible island made of concrete or steel would eventually stretch 1.5 to two kilometers (one to 1.2 miles), or a total of three square kilometers.

Squeezed for space in this tiny northern European country, “some cities are starting to look into floating solutions, like a floating park on the river for example, where they want to have an area for recreation close by the city center,” Olaf Waals from the Maritime Research Institute of the Netherlands (MARIN) told AFP. If plans for floating islands go ahead it would be a twist in the history of this lowlying country, much of which down the centuries has been reclaimed from the sea and which is protected from the waters by an intricate system of dykes and canals.

“In these times of rising sea levels, overpopulated cities and a rising number of activities on the seas, building up the dykes and pumping out the sands is perhaps not the most efficient solution,” said Waals, referring to common methods to reclaim land.

“Floating ports and cities are an innovative solution which reflect the Dutch maritime tradition.”

The model, which measures roughly six by eight meters and is made of wood and polystyrene, was laid out Tuesday in a huge water tank to simulate wind, waves and storms, in a presentation for several potential investors.

According to MARIN director Bas Buchner, discussions are underway with the local authority of crowded Haarlemmermeer and the Lelystad airport, both close to the burgeoning capital of Amsterdam, the daily Telegraaf reported.

But the project remains at the early stages, the institute said.

The islands would be anchored to the sea bed and also moored to the shore. But tests still need to be carried out on how they will withstand weather conditions and tidal movements and how to make them self-sufficient in energy and resources, as well as on the effects on marine life―and the cost.

The “Space at Sea” project in collaboration with other countries has won about 1.6 million euros ($1.8 million) in European subsidies to carry out three years of studies into different uses for such islands―from seaweed and fish farms to floating cities and ports.

“Technically it could be feasible in 10 to 20 years from today,” Waals said.

According to MARIN such solutions are part of a “blue future” seeking sustainable and durable ways to use the oceans and seas which cover 70 percent of the Earth’s surface.

Under growing pressure for space “the Netherlands will have to divert back towards the water,” Buchner told the Telegraaf. “And we have always been pioneers in this fight.” AFP

Wine discovered in a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea was found to be better than equivalent vintages. AFP

Sunken bottles of wine better than in cellars

By Ambre Tosunoglu S A I N T- A N D R I E R - S U R MER, France―Divers scavenging in shipwrecks slumbering at the bottom of the North Sea since World War II were disappointed not to find dazzling troves of gold and jewels.

As consolation, not only did they turn up decades-old wine, but the wine came with a bonus: it was better than equivalent vintages selling for top dollar in luxury caves.

Among the latest to test the benefits of a deep soak are Bandol winemakers in southern France who teamed up with a dive school for a year-long experiment.

Choosing a tranquil section of a marine park off the Riviera, they submerged 120 bottles of Bandol wine to a depth of 40 meters (130 feet), leaving them there

for a year.

Another 120 bottles were kept in a cellar for comparison purposes.

“It’s important not just to live long but to live well,” said Guillaume Tari, head of the regional wine association, Vins de Bandol.

Submersion in deep waters “preserves the acidity because there’s not much light, there’s absolutely no air, it’s relatively cool and the temperature is constant,” Tari said.

The underwater conditions― total darkness and constant temperature―are thought to initially accelerate the aging process, adding complexity to the wine.

Over longer periods, the aging process slows or stops altogether, making underwater storage excellent for conservation and explaining why shipwreck wine

emerges so well.

Master sommelier Gisele Marguin took part in a blind tasting, comparing the underwater Bandols with the same wines stored in a traditional cave.

The underwater Bandol had “a nice texture in the mouth, a good structure, and notes of very ripe dark fruit... even chocolatey,” she said.

However its “secondary aromas are not sufficiently present”―suggesting that the wine would benefit from more time with Davy Jones.

“It’s a wine of the future,” she said.

“I think that this only can be done with great vintages. It wouldn’t be much use to submerge wines with a less promising future.”

‘The must of musts’ The results of similar experimentation elsewhere in France―

Tiny HK homes offer opportunity for storage firms

By Narae Kim PEOPLE often complain about Hong Kong’s notoriously tiny apartments, but for investors like Blackstone Group LP, opportunity can be found in small places.

Welcome to the world of self storage.

The majority of Hong Kong’s 7.4 million residents live in cramped homes with limited space for clothes, shoes, books, sports gear and other items. So there’s a desire to find somewhere else to store non-essential belongings.

“People don’t want to give up their stuff, things that they have an emotional attachment to,” said Ralph Myers, a 38-year-old who started using a storage unit six months ago. The theater set and costume designer pays HK$250 ($32) a month for the space, which is packed with his own furniture.

“Apartments in Hong Kong are so small there’s not that much difference between my storage unit and my place,” Myers said in an interview. “Essentially my storage unit looks like a furnished apartment itself―bed, chairs, table and so on―just without a kitchen or a bathroom.”

Chris Heady, chairman of Asia Pacific and head of Asia real estate at Blackstone, described the sector as “interesting” at a panel discussion at the Wharton Global Forum in Hong Kong last month. “It’s not a glamorous business necessarily, but a good business.”

Blackstone invested a reported HK$420 million in MiniCo SelfStorage in March 2015. The company is now called Minibox Self Storage.

Residential buildings stand illuminated at night in the Tung Chung area of Hong Kong, China. Bloomberg

Asia ‘Massively UnderServiced’ Self-storage supply in Hong Kong in 2015 was 0.44 square feet per person―way behind the US figure of 7.8 sq. ft., according to a report by CBRE Group Inc. At the end of that year there was a shortfall of about 200,000 sq. ft. of selfstorage space in Hong Kong.

Simon Tyrrell, managing director at E3 Capital Partners in Hong Kong, said the city is “the least developed” core Asian market when it comes to self storage. E3 Capital acquired an operator called Big Orange Self-Storage as part of a takeover, and Tyrrell aims to launch a premium service.

“If you look to Western markets, Asia is massively under-serviced and with the rise of the middle class, logic tells you that demographically the industry has to be set for a massive increase,” he said.

In Tsing Yi in Hong Kong’s New Territories, a 20 sq. ft. storage unit―large enough for a two-

seater sofa, painting, small dresser, mattress and 24-inch TV―costs from HK$400 for a one-month contract. A 100 sq. ft. unit―big enough to take the above items plus a filing cabinet, five document boxes, a lamp, a computer, a golf bag, a chair, two bags of clothes and a dining table―costs from HK$2,750 a month.

Jones Lang LaSalle said in a report last month that the sector is attractive to Hong Kong investors because of its strong regular income growth and the fact that high occupancy levels are underpinned by a stable tenant base.

Millennials and the younger generation are typically more open to self storage, according to Bob Tan, JLL’s national director for alternatives, Asia Pacific. “If you go one or two generations back, people like to have their stuff in their own houses, they don’t want to go outside and use a third-party provider.”

Around three-quarters of selfstorage customers are individuals.

Factors driving demand include marriage―couples combine two households into one―and divorce, where one person moves out and needs somewhere to store possessions. The rising death rate is another driver, as people inherit furniture and heirlooms that won’t fit in their homes.

“As people pass on, their belongings must be sorted and cataloged by their relatives,” the CBRE report said. “Self storage is the solution when this event occurs.”

The widening gap between property prices and wages has also forced some homeowners to downsize, reducing space for their belongings.

The tininess of Hong Kong homes is well documented. CBRE said the average household space per person is just 167 sq. ft. That compares with 247 sq. ft. in Singapore, 402 sq. ft. in the U.K., 853 sq. ft. in Australia and a cavernous 980 sq. ft. in the US. Colliers has estimated that 852,000 private residential units―76 percent of the total―lack dedicated storage space.

Skip Schwartz, managing director of private real estate equity for Asia Pacific at Heitman LLC, a Chicago-based property investment management firm, said there is a “compelling” case for self storage in Hong Kong. He said he’s looking for a joint venture as a way to enter the market.

The government tightened guidelines for self-storage operators after a blaze at a building in Kowloon containing storage facilities killed two firefighters last year.

“The fire was the biggest accident since self storage started in Asia,” Luigi La Tona, executive director at the Self Storage Association Asia in Hong Kong, said in an interview. Bloomberg

in western Brittany and in the southwest―remain largely confidential.

But Philippe Faure-Brac, who was named the world’s best sommelier in 1992, recalled: “Twenty years ago we had the privilege of tasting bottles of white― Sancerre and Pouilly―off the coast of Noirmoutier (western France) that were placed in oyster beds” for a few months.

They were “exceptional bottles in their complexity and conservation.”

The approach can be used with reds, whites and roses, but Tari said red wines are especially enhanced by long submersion, calling the result “the must of musts.”

Faure-Brac noted that the technique costs more for the winemaker because of the extra time and logistics required. AFP

Japan banks merge to prevent extinction HIROSHI Iwama and Mitsunori Watanabe used to joke about merging their banks in central Japan. When the Bank of Japan introduced negative interest rates last year, things got serious.

The two golfing buddies run Mie Bank Ltd. and Daisan Bank Ltd., two of Japan’s roughly 100 regional lenders.

For years, these banks dotted around the nation have faced headwinds as rural areas emptied and aged. With the monetary-policy shift, their plight became acute.

“It changed from being something we might have to think about someday to something we had to think about now,” Daisan President Iwama, 62, said in an interview.

Daisan and Mie, led by Watanabe, also 62, announced plans to merge in February.

With the pressure showing few signs of easing, more banking executives are coming to the same conclusion.

Consultancy Bain & Co. estimates that about half of Japan’s lenders will disappear by around 2025 as they face a stark choice: merge or close.

Despite the existential threat, many Japanese banks remain resistant to teaming up due to long-standing rivalries and different corporate identities.

Regional banks are “highly proud” institutions, and “many of them wouldn’t even be able to change their names,” Hirofumi Gomi, a former chief of the Financial Services Agency, said in an interview. “It’s hard to imagine a wave of mergers and reorganization given the history of regional banks to date.”

The introduction of negative rates has crushed banks’ lending profitability, in a further blow to the financial ecosystem in rural areas that has been strained by more than two decades of economic stagnation and population flight to large cities. Unlike so-called megabanks like Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., regional lenders don’t have the global reach or financial muscle to escape the pressures by expanding overseas.

Combined profit at Japan’s 82 listed regional banks fell 11 percent in the year ended March 31, and is likely to drop another 17 percent this fiscal year, SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. analysts estimated in May. Banks that can’t find a way to cope with muted loan demand and razor-thin lending margins “face extinction,” according to S&P Global Ratings analyst Ryoji Yoshizawa.

“The profitability situation for regional banks is very severe,” said Yoshizawa, who has worked in Japan’s banking industry for 30 years. While large lenders have made certain progress after merging years ago and redeploying staff, “it’s clear that regional banks need to do more,” he said. Bloomberg

LGUs

Sirens, whistles mark QC exercise

THE sound of shattering glass, followed by continuous siren and whistle blasts, will signal the start of the 3rd Metro Shake Drill at Quezon City Hall at 4 p.m. on Friday.

Employees and the general public will then be directed to emergency exits by members of the QC Disaster Action Teams organized in each city government, department, and office and assemble at designated assembly areas within the city hall compound.

Fire and rescue services from the Bureau of Fire Protection will simulate firefighting and high-rise evacuation, while the QC Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office will set up an incident command post at Quezon Memorial Circle where most emergency scenarios will be simulated.

Quezon City under Mayor Herbert Bautista has invested heavily on public safety.

“All those infrastructure and hi-tech equipment will be useless if we don’t invest in our human resources. The drills are also meant to inculcate a culture of safety and develop muscle memory on what should be done should the Big One happens,” Bautista said.

QCDRRMO chief Karl Michael Marasigan emphasized the importance of the drill in Quezon City’s disaster contingency plan, which aims to attain zero casualties particularly during actual occurrences of mass casualty scenarios such as earthquakes.

The 3rd Metro Shake Drill was organized to prepare for and raise awareness on the threat posed by the West Valley Fault, which is expected to generate a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

Twelve barangays in Quezon City lie on the path of the fault line, thus Marasigan expects full participation especially from the barangays.

QCDRRMO has prepared several scenarios in the shake drill.

The aim is to simulate more realistic scenarios to test preparedness of the emergency response teams of all the city’s barangays.

Marasigan assures that Quezon City will not stop improving on the shake drills until they find the proper solutions on loopholes in the existing earthquake emergency plan. Rio N. Araja

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

LGUs joining 3rd shake drill

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

HE city government of Taguig has announced it will be participating in the 3rd Metro Manila Shake Drill spearheaded by the Metro Manila Development Authority and Department of Interior Local Government, slated from July 14 to 17.

“In line with this, we would like to remind the public to please remain calm as the said activity may cause some parts of the city to experience water, electricity and cellular network interruption on the said dates,” the city’s public information office said in a statement.

It added the interruptions are necessary in order to make the activity and scenarios of a strong earthquake realistic, and to see the capacity and capability of the local government unit in responding to disasters like this.

The MMDA will conduct the

four-day earthquake drill to inform the people about survival methods and the “do’s and dont’s” before, during and after the “Big One.” The agency will be doing the shake drills at around 4 p.m. to allow other emergency responders from other regions to come in and participate. This year’s event also aim to identify the gaps during the first two drills held in 2015 and 2016.

The drills will allow first responders and emergency personnel of national government agencies and private organizations to fine-tune their respective contingency measures in case of the occurrence of the 7.2 magnitude tremor.

MMDA chairman Danilo Lim said every sector of society should all be aware and be ready to respond to such catastrophic event.

“We should not ignore and not take this activity lightly because lives are at stake here. We should not be complacent and should participate in this. Let us make this a meaningful exercise,” Lim said.

Under the Oplan Metro Yakal Plus, MMDA’s disaster contingency plan, the engagement for disaster preparedness and awareness will start from the national level to the local government units down to the family and individual.

Apart from testing response and rescue, command and control

THE Manila Police District on Wednesday said it has not found any evidence linking one of its ranking officers to the alleged extortion of vendors at the University Belt.

“So far, there’s no evidence, it’s all hearsay, not directly implicating the police,” MPD director Chief Supt. Joel Coronel said.

Chief Insp. Ramon Nazario,

commander of Police Community Precinct (PCP) U-Belt, together with Kagawad Gregorio Bernardo of Barangay 409 Zone 42 and a certain Raymund Baga, were arrested on July 7 by the PNP’s Counter Intelligence Task Force based on an extortion complaint filed by a group of vendors in the area.

The vendors claimed Bernardo, in cahoots with Nazario and some of his men, have been collecting weekly

payoffs from them.

Coronel said he will see to it the allegation against Nazario is thoroughly investigated, since it has implications on the city government‘s ongoing campaign against illegal vendors.

Upon Nazario’s arrest, Coronel said he immediately ordered the administrative relief of the police officer to preclude any accusation of whitewash.

He said they are still waiting for the complaining ven-

dors to finalize their formal complaints.

“He [Nazario] will be subjected to administrative and criminal investigation, and if he is cleared and the case against him will be dropped, the complaint will be withdrawn, then we will put him back,” Coronel assured.

“But if there is prima facie evidence that he is involved in the alleged extortion, we will institute summary dismissal pro-

ceedings against him,” he added.

Citywide road clearing operations had been conducted specifically to protect legitimate vendors from these protection syndicates and unscrupulous individuals, Coronel noted.

Since June last year, the city government’s road and sidewalk clearing operations were intensified, driving away more than 3,500 illegal vendors and removing countless road obstructions and illegal structures.

Moro royal couple in Cotabato hold key to peace

By Nash B. Maulana MIDSAYAP, North Cotabato― The Latin-surnamed heirs of an 18th century Moro sultan have the key to continuing dialogue between Muslims and Christians in old Cotabato Province, amid threats of terrorism smashing into the existing peace like the current siege of Marawi City.

Both born Muslim, the couple Datu Yusuf Fernandez and Bai Tessie Jolila Dilangalen-Fernandez had spent most of their lives in places where there are mostly Christian residents and a few Muslims. To their Christian friends, he is simply known as Datu Bebot, and she, Bai Tessie.

In retirement, Bai Tessie, who works at the Davao City Hall, says she intends to come home for good after a planned vacation in Australia, where two of their children have settled.

Their common dream is to work for the restoration of community peace and the old atmosphere of mutual trust and respect they both grew up in, where Maguindan-

and communication systems, the exercise will also focus on early recovery-rehabilitation capacity.

This year, to make the exercise realistic, quadrant commanders of the four sectors—North, East, West and South—would have to start from scratch in mobilizing and setting up emergency operations centers in their respective places of assignments, as personnel and equipment will no longer be prepositioned.

This will test the community preparations and how every organization or agency will execute its contingency plans. For private groups, this will test their business continuity capabilities in times of disasters, MMDA officials said.

RISK REDUCTION. In observance of the 2017 National Disaster Resilience Month, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the city government of Parañaque led

by Mayor Edwin Olivarez (center) signed a memorandum of agreement on repositioning of food and non-food items during natural calamities. Concerned city department offices also strengthened several approaches to manage natural disasters and crafted a comprehensive plan in disaster risk reduction and management and information drives.

MPD: No proof of extortion vs U-Belt cop chief

By Sandy Araneta

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aon Muslims and their neighbors among families of Christians and indigenous tribes have lived together in harmony.

Three years ago, Datu Bebot was unanimously acknowledged by his kin as the rightful heir of his father, Sultan Mohammad Dimasonsang Fernandez Tambilawan II, who in June 2006 inherited the royal title of his 19th century grandfather, Sultan Mohammad Tambilawan.

Datu Bebot has been anointed as Sultan Ameer Yusuf Fernandez, while Bai Tessie was crowned 11 years ago as Bai-a-Labi Amira Jolila Fernandez Dilangalen-Fernandez, along with her father-in-law. Datu Bebot’s father was the big brother of Bai Tessie’s mother. So they are first cousins, and their marital union is allowed in Muslim tradition.

Two of their children have established a chain of restaurants―the Tambilawan Restaurant in General Santos City and in Koronadal City―that is slowly gaining its share of business-name goodwill in the local food industry. The restaurants have employed Christian and Muslim individuals evenly.

A reshot royal photo of the Fernandezes with their patriarch, the late Sultan Mohammad Dimasonsang Fernandez Tambilawan II. Nash B. Maulana

“Sad,” “unfortunate,” “un-Islamic” is how the Fernandezes would comment outright on the militants’ social media uploads of photos or videos of gory, deplorable acts of beheadings and bombings committed in the name of Islam―and on the resulting reactions of bigotry against Muslims in other places.

Weeks ago, extremists from the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters attacked two nearby villages, and reportedly desecrated a chapel, as they briefly held but later freed mostly Christian hostages.

Moderation is key

The royal couple’s moderation

is their “open secret” in “dealing with people of any tribe or religion, because the true teachings of Islam are “made of compassion, forgiveness, perseverance in unfavorable situation, and of being grateful in fine times,” they told the Manila Standard.

Turn to C2

QC dad stresses worth of PTAs

By Rio N. Araja A QUEZON City councilor on Wednesday urged parents to support schools and take an active involvement in parentteachers’ associations.

In an interview, District 4 Councilor Peter Anthony “Onyx” Crisologo said parents and teachers must develop a better relationship because they both play an integral role in the development of school children.

“As city councilor, I will always be supportive of the good programs of the PTAs to promote the welfare of the student and the schools,” he told the Manila Standard.

“It is important that both parents and teachers come together, know what is happening at the school, and address issues concerning the students and the learning system,” the councilor added.

Baltazar Prisno, Bagong Silangan Elementary School’s General PTA president and Partido Demokratiko PilipinoLakas ng Bayan officer, along with PTA vice president Joey Bilaos, invited Crisologo as guest speaker in their recent oath-taking ceremony in District 2.

Councilor Precious HipolitoCastelo administered the oathtaking of the PTA officers.

CYAN CYAN MAGENTA MAGENTA YELLOW YELLOW BLACK BLACK Manila Manila

Republic of the Philippines StandardENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

TODAY TODAY

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San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR APPROVAL OF CAPITAL EXPENDITURE PROJECTS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2016 WITH PRAYER FOR THE ISSUANCE OF A PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY, ERC CASE NO. 2016-204 RC SAN FERNANDO ELECTRIC LIGHT AND POWER COMPANY, INC. (SFELAPCO), Applicant. x-------------------------------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 28 December 2016, San Fernando Electric Light and Power Company, Inc. (SFELAPCO) filed an Application dated 15 December 2016 for the approval of its capital Expenditure (CAPEX) projects for 2016, with prayer for the issuance of a provisional authority.

SFELAPCO alleged the following in its Application: 1.

SFELAPCO is a private corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the Philippines, with office address at Limjoco Street, Barangay Lourdes, Teopaco, City of San Fernando, Pampanga. It is the grantee of legislative franchise under Republic Act No. 9967 dated February 6, 2010 to construct, operate and maintain a distribution system for the conveyance of electric power to end-users in the City of San Fernando, the Municipality of Floridablanca and Barangays Talang and Ligaya in the Municipality of Guagua, in the Province of Pampanga. It may be served with the orders, notices and processes of the Honorable Commission through undersigned counsel at the address indicated below.

2.

Republic Act No. 9136, or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001 (“EPIRA”), under Section 23 thereof, obligates a distribution utility, such as SFELAPCO, to provide distribution services and connections to its system for any end-user within its franchise area consistent with the distribution code. Further, distribution utilities share in the objective of the EPlRA to ensure the quality, reliability, security and affordability of the supply of electric power.1

3.

Thus, for SFELAPCO to pursue its mandate under its franchise and the EPIRA, it is necessary for SFELAPCO to continuously invest in the improvement of its system and services to better serve its customers.

4.

As such, SFELAPCO, in pursuit of its duty to better serve its customers, and in accordance with Section 20 (b) of Commonwealth Act No. 146 2, hereby applies for the approval of the Honorable Commission to implement its Capital Expenditure Projects (CAPEX) which will be implemented for Calendar Year (“CY”) 2016, summarized and enumerated as follows: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

“Subtransmission Project: New 69,000 Volts Line 3” New Substation: Purchase of Lot for Proposed New Sub-station Primary Distribution Lines: An eight (8) kilometers, 13.8kV Primary Lines for Extension, Maintenance and Rehabilitation Secondary Distribution Lines: A twenty (20) kilometers, low voltage, secondary distribution lines extension, line maintenance and line rehabilitation Other Network Assets: Procurement of Miscellaneous Distribution Transformers and its associated equipment for Installation Other Network Assets: Customer Service Drops and Metering Equipment Non-Network Assets: Communication System: Installation of Fiber Optic Communication Non-network Assets: Vehicles: Boom/Basket/Derrick Truck Utility Vehicles Non-network Assets: Various Test Equipment

5.

The “Subtransmission Project: “New 69,000 Volts Line 3” project which will be the construction of a 10.75 km, 69kV, single circuit, 3 phase, #795 MCM ACSR subtransmission line from the NGCP-Mexico substation to St. Dominic Court sub.

It includes the installation of poles and line accessories, disconnect switches and miscellaneous materials. The additional 69 kV line is for the increase in the capacity of the SFELAPCO subtransmission system and for N-1 reliability. If the project is not implemented the impact would be the prolonged interruption or rotational brownout when either Line 1 or Line 2 is down.

6.

The “New Substation: Purchase of Lot for Proposed New Sub-station” project involves the Purchase of a vacant lot for the proposed 50-MVA Substation to be located at the New Public Market in Barangay Del Pilar, San Fernando Pampanga The new 50 MVA substation is proposed to be installed in year 2018. The new substation is to supply load growth in the southern portion of the San Fernando franchise area and to decongest the load of the Magdalena Substation and Greenville substation.

7.

The “Primary Distribution Lines: An eight (8) kilometers, 13.8kV Primary Lines for Extension, Maintenance and Rehabilitation” project involves the installation of an estimated 8 circuit kilometers line extension, line maintenance and line rehabilitation; and to purchase the needed materials for extension, maintenance and rehabilitation of the SFELAPCO primary distribution lines. The project aims to reach new additional customers throughout the franchise area and improve service of the customers.

8.

The “Secondary Distribution Lines: A twenty (20) kilometers, low voltage, secondary distribution lines extension, line maintenance and line rehabilitation” project involves the installation of an estimated 20 circuit kilometers line extension, line maintenance and line rehabilitation; and to purchase the associated materials. The project aims to reach new additional customers and improve service of the SFELAPCO customers throughout the franchise area.

9.

The “Other Network Assets: Procurement of Miscellaneous Distribution Transformers and its associated equipment for Installation” project is a combination of providing power service to new customers, replacement of defective transformers, upgrading the capacity of distribution transformers due to growth in the customers loads, and have safety stock level. The project will be implemented due to the addition of new customers, load growth, and replacement of defective distribution transformers.

10.

The “Other Network Assets: Customer Service Drops and Metering Equipment” project involves the procurement of metering requirements, its associated materials and associated wires to layout service drops for new customers. The 3,500 kWh meters will be used to serve the new customers and to replace the defective, burnout and broken kWh meters. The project will replace the installed kWh meters that need to be re-tested for accuracy in compliance with ERC resolution regarding the Testing and Maintaining of Meters. The project will also use the 50 poly phase kWh meters for new large commercial and industrial customers and replace the defective poly phase kWh meters.

11.

The “Non-Network Assets: Communication System: Installation of Fiber Optic Communication” project involves the installation of Fiber Optic communication of all substations to be used for SCADA, Billing and collection and CCTV monitoring.

12.

The “Non-network Assets: Vehicles: “Boom/Basket/Derrick Truck Utility Vehicles” project consists of the procurement of one (1) unit boom/basket/derrick truck and five (5) units of utility vehicles. The project will be implemented because the existing truck in Floridablanca can no longer accommodate the 40-footer concrete poles and installing of distribution transformers. The loading and de-loading of 40-footer concrete poles and installation of distribution transformers will be disrupted/affected if there is no truck available to load/de-load them. If the project is not implemented, there will be a slowdown in the operations at Floridablanca.

13. The “Non-network Assets: Various Test Equipment” project which involves the procurement of the following equipment: Oil tester, Megger Insulation resistance tester, Distribution transformer core loss and copper loss tester, SF6 Gas leak detector tester, DIGSI Siemens tester, and an AC Generator. The testing and measuring equipment will be used for the monitoring and maintenance of all installed equipment in the substation and distribution lines.

14.

11,540,360.00 8,237,560.00 35,535,483.00 18,575,100.00 15,000,000.00 12,750,000.00 3,000,000.00 P191,826,365.00

16.

The proposed CAPEX for RY 2016 will not have a direct impact on the current rates of SFELAPCO until approved by the Honorable Commission as part of SFELAPCO’s Regulatory Asset Base (RAB) in the next applicable Regulatory Period.

Public interest and necessity requires the immediate implementation, without delay, of the subject CAPEX projects. The loading and reliability constraints of the current substations are reaching critical levels, necessitating the upgrade and/ or construction of the relevant substations. Aside from these, in the event that the CAPEX projects are not immediately implemented, the consumers may suffer from prolonged power interruptions and additional load coming from existing and new customers may likewise not be accommodated. These negative consequences, which are detrimental not only to the economy of the areas covered by SFELAPCO, but also to the livelihood and everyday lives of the consumers may be mitigated by the immediate approval of the SFELAPCO’s 2016 CAPEX projects.

Thus, pending final approval, there is an urgent need for a provisional authority for SFELAPCO to immediately implement its proposed 2016 CAPEX Projects. In support of the prayer for the grant of the provisional authority, attached as Annex “B” is the Judicial Affidavit of Eliseo P. Lapuz.

The foregoing CAPEX for RY 2016 are indispensable for the systematic and economic expansion and rehabilitation of SFELAPCO’s distribution facilities and ensuring compliance with safety, performance and regulatory requirements. The benefit arising from these CAPEX projects will ultimately redound to the endconsumers of SFELAPCO in terms of continuous, reliable and efficient power supply.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it in view of the foregoing, SFELAPCO respectfully prays that this Honorable Commission: 1. Pending trial on the merits, immediately issue a PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY authorizing SFELAPCO to implement, its Capital Expenditure Projects (CAPEX) for Calendar Year (“CY”) 2016.

2. After due hearing, APPROVE WITH FINALITY, SFELAPCO’s proposed Capital Expenditure Projects (CAPEX) for Calendar Year (“CY”) 2016.

Other reliefs just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed for.

The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on 02 August 2017 (Wednesday) at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.) at SFELAPCO’s principal office at Limjoco Street, Barangay Lourdes, Teopaco, San Fernando City.

All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: i.

The petitioner’s name and address; ii.

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and iii.

A statement of the relief desired.

All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicant rests its case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1) The name and address of such person; 2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and 3) The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours.

WITNESS, the Honorable Officer-in-Charge of ERC, ALFREDO J. NON, and the Honorable Commissioners, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC, and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 5th day of June 2017 in Pasig City.

FOR AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSION:

JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT Oversight Commissioner for Legal 2

Valera-Bernos, who personally attended the joint Regional Peace and Order Council and Regional Development Council meeting at the Mansion House here last Friday, said the 303 barangays and 27 municipalities of Abra are rich with potential tourist destinations.

These could be maximized through the aggressive implementation of infrastructure development that will propel the

province’s economy in the future, she said.

“We have struggled to get out from the bad image being depicted of the province, that is why we are working extra hard to aggressively implement the desired infrastructure development province-wide to allow the discovery of our rich tourism potentials,” the governor said.

“We want Abra to be known as one of the prime tourist des-

Section 2 (b) of the EPIRA. Public Service Act

(MS-JULY 13/20, 2017)

The governor pointed out that efforts of the local government are being geared toward the appropriate infrastructure development, so that tourist areas around the province could be explored, developed and maximized for their potential in bringing development to the remote villages of the province.

Valera-Bernos said it is “unavoidable” that killings happen in the different parts of the province, but based on police reports, these untoward incidents could be attributed to personal grudges and revenge, and no longer politically motivated as what had been happening in the past.

To show Cordillerans the state of development that Abra was able to achieve over the past several decades, she extended the invitation to the RPOC and RDC to hold their future joint meetings in the province.

Mayor eyes NLEX exit

By Romeo Dizon

STO. TOMAS, Pampanga—This smallest town of the province, which is the pottery and casket capital of Pampanga, can attract more investors, businessmen, traders, and economic activity if the North Luzon Expressway opens a new interchange here.

Mayor John Sambo said he is inviting the North Luzon Expressway to open a new interchange in Barangay Rosario Pau to spur the town’s development.

The opening of the interchange will create more economic activities that will result in more employment and livelihood for the 38,062 residents of the town based on the 2010 census, Sambo said.

The mayor said Sto. Tomas would then be accessible to investors and traders interested in their products, like export quality pottery, ceramics, caskets, and poultry products.

Once opened, the new NLEX interchange would also be accessible via proposed connecting road that will run as far as Barangay San Bartolome, at the western tip of the town.

SIMULATION. Santa Rosa City Police treat an injured

person in a simulation exercise led by city police chief Supt. Joel Estaris at the Seda Hotel in Nuvali, Santa Rosa, Laguna. City officials led by Laguna Rep. Arlene Arcillas, City Mayor Dan Fernandez, Vice Mayor Arnold Arcillas, and the Calabarzon Regional Police led by Chief Supt. Ma. O Aplasca observed the exercise that simulated an ‘active shooter’ scenario similar to recent incidents in Manila. Roy Tomandao

Moro...

From C1 InvItatIon to BId for the Procurement of emPloyee’s cafeterIa concessIonaIre for two (2) years under ITB No. PB17-006BAC-05A-07 The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in its forthcoming public bidding for the Procurement of Employee’s Cafeteria Concessionaire for Two (2) Years under ITB No. PB17-006BAC-05A-07.

Brief Description

Procurement of Employee’s Cafeteria Concessionaire for Two (2) Years at Casino Filipino - Bacolod Two (2) Years Contract from the date of receipt by the winning contractor of the Notice to Proceed.

Approved Budget for the The ABC for the project is in the amount of Nineteen Million Eight Contract (ABC): Thousand Pesos (PhP 19,008,000.00), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction, for two (2) years contract.

Source of Funds: Corporate Budget for CY 2017 Contract Duration

ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF THE PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

1

B

AGUIO CITY—Abra Gov. Maria Jocelyn Valera-Bernos on Wednesday said the provincial government will embark on tourism and infrastructure development as the driver of its desired growth, to help move the people of the province “out from the shackles of poverty in the future.”

tinations in the north in the future and we want our people to benefit from the potentials of tourism in their places,” ValeraBernos told the RPOC and RDC members during the presentation of the Abra security plan for the upcoming Unity Gong Relay.

The governor said local officials are trying their best to rid their places of the spate of killings “that tend to affect the overall image of the province when published and broadcasted.” She encouraged the active participation of concerned sectors in making sure the occurrence of untoward incidents that will compromise the province’s peace and order situation should be avoided.

Abra has been branded as the killing fields of the north from the early 1980s up to early 2000s because of the reported brutal murder of influential individuals and their supporters there.

15,000,000.00

The detailed justifications, technical analysis, economic analysis and alternatives considered, if availing, for SFELAPCO’s CAPEX program for RY 2016 are discussed in detail in Annex “A” of this Application.

19.

By Dexter A. See

TOTAL COST IN PHP 72,187,862.00

15.

18.

Abra to bank on tourism

The total estimated cost of SFELAPCO’s RY 2016 CAPEX is Php 191,826,365.00 and the complete list of SFELAPCO’s 2016 CAPEX, together with its estimated cost, is as follows: CAPEX PROJECTS Subtransmission Project: New 69,000 Volts Line 3 New Substation: Purchase of Lot for Proposed New Sub-station Primary Distribution Lines: An eight (8) kilometers, 13.8kV Primary Lines for Extension, Maintenance and Rehabilitation Secondary Distribution Lines: A twenty (20) kilometers, low voltage, secondary distribution lines extension, line maintenance and line rehabilitation Other Network Assets: Procurement of Miscellaneous Distribution Transformers and its associated equipment for Installation Other Network Assets: Customer Service Drops and Metering Equipment Non-Network Assets: Communication System: Installation of Fiber Optic Communication Non-network Assets: Vehicles: Boom/Basket/Derrick Truck Utility Vehicles Non-network Assets: Various Test Equipment TOTAL

17.

LGUs

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years before 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.

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

PAGCOR will hold a Pre-Bid Conference, which shall be open to prospective bidders. .

All particulars relative to Pre-Bid Conference, Detailed Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its IRR. The schedule of bidding activities is listed, as follows: Activities 1. Issuance of the Bidding Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference 3. Deadline for the Submission and Receipt of Bids 4. Opening and Preliminary Examination of Bids

Date, Time and Venue July 13, 2017 – Aug. 2, 2017 July 21, 2017 (2:00 p.m.) at the Conference Room, Third (3rd) Floor, Admin Building, Casino Filipino – Bacolod, 14th Lacson Street, Bacolod City Aug 2, 2017 (2:00 p.m.) at the Conference Room, Third (3rd) Floor, Admin Building, Casino Filipino – Bacolod, 14th Lacson Street, Bacolod City Aug 2, 2017 (2:00 p.m.), onwards at the Conference Room, Third (3rd) Floor, Admin Building, Casino Filipino – Bacolod, 14th Lacson Street, Bacolod City

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Procurement Section (PS) of PAGCOR, Casino Filipino - Bacolod and/or inspect the Bidding Documents at the Procurement Section Office, Ground Floor, Admin Bldg., Casino Filipino – Bacolod, L’ Fisher Hotel, 14th Lacson Street, Bacolod City during office hours of PAGCOR from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount based on the following schedule: Approved Budget for the Contract More than 10 Million up to 50 Million

Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Pesos) 25,000.00

Prospective bidders may also download the Bidding Documents free of charge from the following websites: www.pagcor.ph and www.philgeps.gov.ph and may be allowed to submit bids provided that bidders shall pay the applicable fee of the Bidding Documents not later than the deadline for the submission and receipt of bids.

Prospective bidders should present to PAGCOR, CF-Bacolod’s Finance Section located at the Second (2nd) Floor, Admin Bldg., Casino Filipino – Bacolod, L’ Fisher Hotel, 14th Lacson Street, Bacolod City either the Fee Slip which may be secured from PS or a copy of this ITB in effecting payment for the Bidding Documents.

Bidders shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of his bid, and PAGCOR will in no case be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the bidding process.

Bidders should note that PAGCOR will accept bids only from those that have paid the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents.

All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause Error! Reference source not found..

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the venue of the bid opening. Late bids shall not be accepted.

PAGCOR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

In accordance with Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Circular 06-2005 - Tie-Breaking Method, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) shall use a non-discretionary and non-discriminatory measure based on sheer luck or chance, which is “DRAW LOTS,” in the event that two or more bidders have been post-qualified and determined as the bidder having the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB) to determine the final bidder having the LCRB, based on the following procedures: a) b)

In alphabetical order, the bidders shall pick one rolled paper.

The lucky bidder who would pick the paper with a “CONGRATULATIONS” remark shall be declared as the final bidder having the LCRB and recommended for award of the contract.

PAGCOR reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Please address all communications to the Branch Bids and Awards Committee (BBAC) thru Procurement Section, Ground Floor, Admin Bldg., Casino Filipino – Bacolod, L’ Fisher Hotel, 14th Lacson Street, Bacolod City, Tel No.: (034) 434-8901 to 10 local 110.

(SGD) RANDY O. CHUA Chairperson BBAC, CF-BAColod (MS-JULY 13, 2017)

Friends and kin to Christian and Muslim residents here, the Fernandezes lived in Davao and Manila but were raised in Midsayap, partly because of the teaching and military careers of their respective parents.

Datu Bebot’s parents were both public school teachers, and her father was a ranking military officer of the World War II United States Armed Forces of the Far East (USAFFE).

But beyond that, their parents were known for generosity to early Christian families of settlers from the North. Bai Tessie’s father, Colonel Datu Manteel Dilangalen, was described as an “astute, landed rich old man,” and many still remember he had given away vast tracts of land in Barangays Salunayan and Kapimpilan to families of farming settlers in Midsayap.

Datu Bebot’s father, now deceased, was the firstborn son of Tato Fernandez, son of Sultan Mohammad Tambilawan of Cotabato Upriver Valley, known as the Kingdom of Bwayan.

Why Fernandez? The first Christian man to have stepped on the soil of Kudarangan—an interior village in Cotabato Upriver Valley—that is part of the kingdom of Sultan Mohammad Bayaw (father of Sultan Tambilawan), was the Jesuit Padre Jose Fernandez Cuevas in 1860.

In his book, “History of Maguindanao,” Dr. Najeeb Saleeby, 19th century American scholar, decoded (from Farsi-Arabic Maguindanaon text) the Tarsilan (Royal Genealogy), sometimes called the “Book of Kings.” In his English treatises on the genealogical narratives, Saleeby attested to the royalty of Sultan Mohammad Bayaw, the 18th century forebear of the Fernandezes.

It was said that, passing off as a teacher amid mostly bladed male Moros, the priest was known here as “Señor Fernandez.” He was looking for a place where he could establish a school as a community gift from the Queen of Spain.

The priest had wanted for that purpose the elevated Kabalukan Hills, ideal for a monastery retreat, which he called Reina Regente (“The Queen’s Country Administrator”). But Sultan Bayaw declined Fernandez’s offer to buy the hills, because it was the old dominion of their great grandmother’s brother, the Sultan Sa Kabalukan.

Then, “Señor Fernandez” instead talked to the very young heirapparent of Sultan Bayaw, later crowned as Sultan Mohammad Tambilawan, who then gave him a portion of Kudaranggan, now an interior village in Midsayap.

The territory was soon considered to have been ceded to the Spanish colonial government in Manila. The American colonial government later made the area into an agricultural colony, and at its core was the Kudarangan Integrated School of Agriculture, the first center of Western learning in Cotabato Valley.

The anecdote goes on that as a gesture of friendship, the priest asked the young Sultan Tambilawan that if he could not anymore witness the ceremonies of his marriage when he returned to Spain, then the Moro leader would at least “honor his cordial visit by naming his firstborn male after Fernandez.”

The second version is that Sultan Tambilawan named his firstborn Tato Fernandez after Don Luis Fernandez Golfin, the military commander of Mindanao in 1872, when Cotabato (Kuta a Wato, that is, “Fort of Stone” to locals) was referred to in old official Spanish maps as “El Tercer Distrito de Central Mindanao” (The Third District of Central Mindanao).

A second territory ceded to Spain by Sultan Tambilawan was Salunayan, which the American government much later designated as a military camp during the Moro-American War. In 1940, President Jose P. Laurel Sr. awarded the same camp to Major Froilan Matas, a leader of the then-Philippine Constables, which backed up the invading foreign forces. But this was fiercely opposed by the USAFFE Philippine Army Guerrillas under Colonel Dilangalen and his cousin, Colonel Salipada Pendatun.

CYAN CYAN MAGENTA MAGENTA YELLOW YELLOW BLACK BLACK

World IN BRIEF Wombat warms the hearts again SYDNEY―An orphan baby wombat who warmed the hearts of the world in a viral Facebook video viewed 40 million times has turned one, with his latest exploits also proving a huge hit.

George was still in his mum’s pouch when she was hit and killed by a car last year. Luckily, a passer-by found the scared animal and delivered him to the Australian Reptile Park near Sydney.

It was there that general manager Tim Faulkner became his new “fill-in” family, providing him with the milk he needed and the cuddles he craved.

A video of George following Faulkner around, getting his tummy rubbed and chewing his sock became a massive social media hit and the park has now recreated it to mark his first birthday.

Since being posted on Tuesday evening, the new footage has already been viewed nearly 900,000 times, with the furry marsupial now fatter and bigger but still loving the attention.

“It’s always hit and miss with these little orphans.

It’s hard to know if they’ve been exposed to disease, are malnourished or even injured in the accident,” said Faulkner. AFP

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

C3

Turkey’s murdered women I

ZMIR, Turkey―As she did most afternoons, Pinar Unluer was waiting to collect her sixyear-old son from his school in Turkey’s Aegean city of Izmir.

OPENING. US pop star Madonna hugs her Malawian adopted daughter Mercy James after she made a speech during the opening ceremony of the Mercy James Children’s Hospital at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi. AFP

Somalia hit hard by accidental internet cut-off freezing the lives of those, like the sick child, whose hopes depend on international connections.

There are a wealthy, fortunate few with the wherewithal to get online via satellite link-ups, but the vast majority of the 6.5 million people in Somalia’s southcentral region are in the dark, said Mohamed Ahmed Jama, chief executive of Dalkom, a Somali telecommunications company that is part of the consortium providing the Eastern Africa Submarine Cable System.

The blackout has wreaked havoc in Somalia, where decades of conflict have combined with irrepressible entrepreneurialism to

MOGADOSHU―Last month, a baby was born in the Somali capital Mogadishu with a terrible eye defect that requires treatment abroad.

The infant was cleared for treatment in Turkey but before the paperwork was complete a container ship, believed to be the Panamaflagged MSC Alice, docked outside Mogadishu port, accidentally dragging its anchor through the main fiber optic cable connecting Somalia with the rest of the world.

Since that evening of June 24 most of the Horn of Africa nation has been cut off from the web, costing it an estimated $10 million (nine million euros) a day in lost business according to the government, and

create a far-flung diaspora of almost two million people who earn money abroad and send it home to their relatives. The internet is what connects these Somalis with Somalia.

“In Somalia the telecommunications sector has thrived, even during some of the worst years of conflict,” said Ahmed Soliman, Somalia researcher at the Chatham House think tank in London. “Urban Somalis have become increasingly connected online since fibre-optic was rolled out in 2014.”

The World Bank estimates that at $1.4 billion annually, international remittances make up a quarter of national GDP.

Habiba Mohamud, a customer relations officer at Mogadishu’s International Bank of Somalia, said the international transfers department has been cut off since last month’s anchor incident.

Mohamud has been personally affected too. Unable to check her email in recent weeks she struggles to communicate with her family, most of whom live in Nebraska in the United States. With international phone calls expensive, she commonly gets in touch via the WhatsApp and Viber messaging services.

“It has affected every part of my life: social life, family life, love life, work life,” Mohamud said. AFP

She was then shot dead in broad daylight only meters away from the school, by a man whose marriage proposal she had rejected.

The 29-year-old was among the 210 Turkish women killed or forced to commit suicide in 2012 in misogynist attacks by men, according to the women’s rights group We Will Stop Femicide.

Since then there has been a chilling increase in the number of women killed, often at the hands of men they know.

Newspapers report almost daily on the murders of women by men they knew, and the rights group says 328 women were killed last year.

In the first five months of 2017, 173 women were killed across Turkey compared with 137 in the same period of 2016, the group said in its monthly report in May. “When a woman is killed, I feel the same pain. I see them as my daughters,” Pinar’s father, Zeki Unluer, told AFP. “When my daughter was laid to rest, my wife and I died.”

Since 2010, 118 women have been killed in Izmir alone, even though the city, Turkey’s thirdlargest, is considered its most progressive and a bastion of secular society.

Women’s activists told AFP that the rise in killings had come as more women sought to exercise their rights, including divorcing abusive partners.

“Women are changing but men are not. Men cannot keep up and there is a crisis,” said Gulsum Kav, a founding member of We Will Stop Femicide.

The Turkish government has said that the number of women killed every year is unacceptable, but activists warn that the problem is getting worse.

The notorious attempted rape and murder of a 20-year-old student, Ozgecan Aslan, by a minibus driver in southern Turkey in 2015 sparked nationwide protests and hopes that action would finally be taken to reduce the killings.

But even though Pinar Unluer’s killer is now serving a life sentence in prison, her father said he had seen no change, and denounced what he called legal loopholes that let perpetrators escape long sentences.

“I would ask [to a minister]: ‘If it were your children, your daughters, your mothers, what would you think? Our women are dying, you are doing nothing’.”

He said that Pinar’s killer had sought a reduced sentence by claiming he had been provoked, a tactic often used in such cases.

Activists also say the killers try to get reduced sentences by claiming insanity, alleging that a woman had insulted them or that they had been cheated on.

Eda Okutgen, described by her sister Nazli Okutgen as having “a heart of gold”, was stabbed multiple times in November 2014 by AFP herCYAN ex-husband in Izmir.

MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Manila

Standard

TODAY

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

INVITATION TO BID The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites consultants/ suppliers/manufacturers/distributors/contractors to bid for the hereunder projects: I. Goods and Services Items ITB - GS-20170522-02(2) One Lot (1) Event Management and Production Services for the Client Appreciation Events ITB - GS-20170621-02 Supply and Delivery of 2018 LANDBANK Calendars Lot 1 - 491,000 Pcs. Wall Lot 2 - 35,000 Pcs. Desk ITB - GS-20170627-01 One (1) Lot Replacement of 3.15 MVA Cast Resin-Type Transformer into 3.75 MVA Oil-Immersed Transformer ITB - GS-20170629-01 Licenses for the Virtualization Computing Software

ITB - GS-20170629-02 250,000 Pcs. LANDBANK T-Shirt

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) P 16,077,600.00

P

Bidding Documents Fee P

8,100.00

Delivery Period

To be discussed during the Pre-Bid Conference

Within thirty (30) calendar days after receipt of Notice to Proceed

9,117,870.00 1,385,650.00

P

4,600.00 700.00

P 10,650,000.00

P

5,400.00

Within one hundred eighty (180) calendar days upon receipt of Notice to Proceed

P 13,320,000.00

P

6,700.00

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

P 30,500,000.00

P

15,300.00

To be discussed during the Pre-Bid Conference

Singapore urged to stop execution SINGAPORE―Human rights activists have urged Singapore to halt the looming execution of a Malaysian drug trafficker, citing a pending appeal in his home country and alleged flaws in his trial.

Prabagaran Srivijayan was sentenced to death in 2012 for trafficking 22.24 grams of heroin, but has consistently maintained his innocence.

He is expected to be hanged Friday, according to Amnesty International and other activists quoting members of his family.

Trafficking certain volumes of illegal drugs carries the mandatory death penalty in Singapore, except if certain conditions are met for it to be commuted to a life sentence.

“The Singaporean authorities

must immediately halt his execution before another person suffers this inhumane and irreversible punishment,” James Gomez, Amnesty International’s director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Amnesty said the convict’s lawyers had raised concerns about the fairness of his trial, including the alleged failure of the authorities “to follow up leads and call on key witnesses that would corroborate his version of events”.

Prabagaran’s lawyers have also launched a case in Malaysia where the Court of Appeal is considering an application to refer Singapore to the International Court of Justice over concerns about the trial, according to activists.

Both Malaysia and Singapore execute murderers and drug traffickers by hanging, a system that dates back to British colonial rule.

On Wednesday, Singapore’s anti-death penalty group We Believe in Second Chances also called for Prabagaran’s execution to be halted.

“There is no need to rush to hang an individual. Prabagaran’s execution should not have been scheduled while his case has yet to be fully heard in the Malaysian courts,” the group said in a Facebook post.

Singapore, however, has consistently maintained that the death penalty is an effective deterrent to crime and has rejected calls to abolish capital punishment. AFP

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

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 schedule of activities are as follows: ACTIVITIES 1. Issuance of Bid Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference

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

SCHEDULE July 13 to August 3, 2017 July 20, 2017 - 2:00 PM Bidding Room, 25th Floor, LANDBANK Plaza Building 1598 M. H. Del Pilar corner Dr. J. Quintos Streets, Malate, Manila August 3, 2017 - 11:00 A.M. Procurement Department, 25th Floor, LANDBANK Plaza Building 1598 M. H. Del Pilar corner Dr. J. Quintos Streets, Malate, Manila August 4 to 10, 2017 August 15, 2017

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

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

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

UP YOU GO. Peruvian matador Andres Roca Rey is tossed by a Jandilla fighting bull in Pamplona. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

C4

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

World

Trump Jr. says he loves Russia’s dirt on Clinton W

ASHINGTON ―Donald Trump’s eldest son on Tuesday released emails showing he embraced Russia’s efforts to support his father’s presidential campaign, admitting he would “love” to get dirt from Moscow on Hillary Clinton.

Donald Trump Jr was told by an interlocutor that he could get “very high level and sensitive information” that was “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.”

The 39-year-old Donald Jr.―who now runs the family real estate business in his father’s stead―responded “if it’s what you say I love it” and set up a meeting with a “Russian government attorney,” according to the emails.

The email chain, released in its entirety by Donald Jr. on his Twitter account, added fuel to the political firestorm swirling over the allegations that Trump’s campaign team colluded with Moscow to influence the 2016 election.

US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin approved a mass effort to tilt the election in Trump’s favor, including hacking and leaking embarrassing emails from Democrats.

The email disclosure now thrusts the president’s son to the center of multiple US investigations by Congress and by the FBI as to whether Trump’s team was in the know.

In a statement accompanying the emails, Donald Jr said he believed he was going to receive “political opposition research” on Clinton, and added that the Russian lawyer, “as she has said publicly, was not a government official.”

Trump jumped to his son’s defense, saying in a statement: “My son is a high-quality person and I applaud his transparency.”

Donald Jr. had initially dismissed the meeting he arranged with the Russian lawyer, Natalia Veselnitskaya, as having to do with adoptions, but then offered shifting explanations as more details emerged.

In the emails released Tuesday, Rob Goldstone―a publicist close to the Trumps―tells Donald Jr. that he has learned of a Russian offer of compromising material on Clinton from a pop singer he represented, Emin Agalarov. AFP

Hospital says Liu suffers organ failure BEIJING―The hospital treating China’s cancer-stricken Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo offered a grim update on his health on Wednesday, but human rights groups cautioned that the authorities may be manipulating the medical reports.

The 61-year-old democracy advocate’s liver function continued to deteriorate and he suffered from “shock and organ failure”, according to the First Hospital of China Medical University in the northeastern city of Shenyang.

The hospital’s website has been giving regular updates about Liu’s condition since he was admitted early last month after he was transferred from prison due to late-stage liver cancer.

The Chinese government has rebuffed international appeals to let Liu seek treatment abroad, saying he is getting the best possible care from top domestic doctors.

The United States repeated calls on Tuesday for Liu to be released and said it was ready to welcome him if he chose to be treated there.

US and German cancer experts visited Liu last weekend and determined that he was strong enough to be medically evacuated, but the hospital has issued pessimistic medical updates since then.

“As the authorities are controlling all the information about Liu Xiaobo’s health condition, it’s difficult to verify if the information released on the hospital’s website is true or not,” Amnesty International’s China researcher Patrick Poon told AFP. “It’s also legitimate to question if the authorities are releasing the information about his worsening health as an attempt to delay and justify not allowing Liu Xiaobo to leave the country,” Poon said.

Human Rights Watch’s Asia researcher Maya Wang said there had been little information coming from Liu’s family about his health, limiting the amount of independent updates.

“We simply don’t know to what extent this is a professional medical reports and to what extent this is politically-manipulated information,” Wang said.

Amid the medical updates, a video was leaked earlier this week showing the Western doctors praising their Chinese counterparts as they stood by Liu’s bedside. AFP

Clinic in Rio turns into ‘war’ hospital

MEAL IN A TEMPORARY CAMP. A displaced Syrian family, who fled the countryside surrounding the Islamic State group’s Syrian stronghold of Raqa, share a meal at a temporary camp in the village of Ain Issa. AFP

US extends review for Sudan sanctions WASHINGTON―US President Donald Trump on Tuesday opted to extend by three months the deadline on whether to lift the decades-old sanctions against Sudan, saying “more time is needed” for review.

Trump was to decide by Wednesday whether to permanently lift Washington’s sanctions on Sudan after his predecessor Barack Obama eased the embargo in January but kept Khartoum on a six-month review period.

In his executive order Trump amended the deadline to October 12, 2017.

Obama made the permanent lifting of the sanctions dependent on Khartoum’s

progress on five areas of concern at the end of the review period.

“I have decided more time is needed for this review to establish that the Government of Sudan has demonstrated sufficient positive action across all of those areas,” Trump’s order said, adding that “the Government of Sudan has made some progress”.

Washington imposed a complex set of economic sanctions on Sudan in 1997 for its alleged backing of Islamist militant groups.

Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, who was killed in a US commando raid in Pakistan in 2011, was based in Khartoum from 1992 to 1996.

Washington also justified the

embargo with accusations of scorchedearth tactics by Khartoum against ethnic minority rebels in war-torn Darfur.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced since a brutal conflict erupted in Darfur in 2003, the United Nations says.

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes related to the conflict in Darfur, charges he steadfastly denies.

Prior to Trump’s measure, the United Nations said it hoped the United States would make a “positive decision” on the sanctions against Sudan for allowing more humanitarian aid access across war zones as sought. AFP

RIO DE JANEIRO-In the City of God, a Rio slum made famous by a movie of the same name, the local clinic used to treat minor ailments like the flu or stomach aches.

In recent months, however, it has come to operate more like a field hospital in a war zone, handling an increasing number of bullet wounds.

Last Friday, at 10 pm, the first patient arrived: a bulky 38-year-old with a gunshot to the hand, and signs of a beating over all his body, leaving a trail of blood as he was taken to the emergency room.

While babies with fevers cried on their mothers’ necks and some senior citizens waited to be seen, the doctors and nurses on duty gave him first aid with their basic supplies so he could be transported to a nearby hospital with the necessary surgical staff and facilities.

The scene repeated itself early Monday, though more dramatically: an intense shootout between heavily armed cops and drug dealers shut down the favela as bullets flew wild.

Three patients with bullet wounds turned up at the same time, filling all but one of the emergency room beds. The three -- a 17-year-old boy shot in the chest, a 63-year-old man wounded in the belly, and an 82-year-old woman who was struck in the chest as she slept in her home.

“We are doing war medicine, literally, because on top of those shot, the [clinical] units are located in conflict zones,” the head of the 24-hour clinic, Luiz Alexandre Essinger, told AFP. The facility is one of 14 Rio de Janeiro’s municipality has opened in the past eight years in the city’s favelas, where an estimated 1.5 million residents―a quarter of Rio’s population―live.

Essinger, a surgeon with 30 years of experience in emergency wards, compared the current situation in Rio to a high-crime, high-conflict period it lived in the 1990s. AFP

Australia enters marijuana market MELBOURNE―At a secret location in Australia’s southeast, Peter Crook delicately tends to a twomonth-old cannabis cutting.

Barely knee high, it is one of about 50 government-sanctioned “mother plants” to be cloned for future generations of crops for the country’s fledgling medicinal marijuana industry.

“I think we’ll see Australia punch above its weight, both in agriculture research as well as medical technology,” says Crook, the chief executive of Cann Group Limited, the firm granted Australia’s first commercial grower’s license.

“As different conditions come online we are going to see the market grow rapidly.”

Following Canada, Israel, and more than half the US states, who through varying

approaches have legalized medicinal marijuana, Australia has signaled its intention for a homegrown industry.

But a patchwork of regulations that guard access for many desperate patients, and a lack of confidence among doctors in prescribing the drug, are acting as impediments.

While recreational marijuana use remains illegal in Australia, the laws passed last year permit medical use, with a dozen licenses since issued, ranging from cultivation and research to manufacturing.

At least 10 sector-related firms have listed on Australia’s stock exchange, while tens of millions of dollars has been pledged for clinical trials investigating treatment for conditions including epilepsy and relief for the terminally ill.

Driven by a growing recognition of treatment for chronic pain, arthritis and migraines, the global market is estimated to reach US$55.8 billion by 2025 with the US, Canada and Israel leading the way, US-based analyst Grand View Research says.

But unlike those markets, which have liberal patientaccess, Australia has a “very conservative government” that wants a regulatory framework in place up front, says Adam Miller, founder of medical cannabis start-up BuddingTech.

“They’re doing things by the book so that when they have the evidence required to satisfy not only Australia’s but other countries’ governments, and medical bodies, they will be able to export those products to those countries,” he added. AFP

INFERNO IN CALIFORNIA. A fire tornado appears above a burning house during the Wall fire in Oroville,

California, on July 08, 2017. The first major wildfires after the end of California’s five-year drought raged across the state on July 8, as it was gripped by a record-breaking heat wave. AFP

Life HEALTH & WELLNESS

Philam Life’s ‘Live Better’ campaign ambassador Solenn Heussaff takes charge of her health by eating right

isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

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TAKE CONTROL

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Through this campaign, Philam Life seeks to encourage Filipinos to take control of their overall health in order to live longer, healthier, and better.

This motivation is in light of the alarming results of the 2016 Healthy Living Index on Filipinos’ behavior and perception towards health.

The study shows that while adults in the country have high self-awareness on the need to improve their health, they fail to do so due to unhealthy habits and poor lifestyle choices. Philam Life likes to help Filipinos bridge that gap and create a positive difference in Filipinos’ lives through “Live Better.” “‘Live Better’ is a campaign that signifies the dramatic shift that is about to take place in the over-all strategy of Philam Life,” said Tim Marriott, Philam Life’s chief marketing officer. “At the core of ‘Live Better’ is the Vitality Program, a holistic program that helps Filipinos live better, by letting them take charge of their overall health, their mind, body, as well as their financial wellness. In the long term, it seeks to help Filipinos live life to the fullest by helping them take charge of their overall wellness.”

To inspire its customers to take the first step towards a healthier lifestyle, the company enlisted

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer

four sought-after personalities who are also thought leaders in the health and wellness space: Solenn Heussaff, Nico Bolzico, Wil Dasovich, and Raymond Gutierrez. They will be joining powerhouse athletes Alyssa Valdez and Mika Reyes in promoting the company’s wellness-oriented advocacy to encourage more Filipinos to go out, eat right, and live a life of total wellness.

“Today’s exciting launch is to kick off our new brand promise of living better. Our presence will be felt in major cities as we roll out the Live Better Wellness Exhibition,” said Bernadette Chincuanco, Philam Life’s head of Brand and Communications.

“The ‘Live Better’ campaign will also permeate the other aspects of Philam Life’s business, notably in the changes that will have an impact on its brand positioning and customer proposition,” Chincuanco added.

“We will make our customers’ lives better by rendering relevant and personalized service through our nationwide distribution network of premier advisers. Live Better also means that we are taking great strides to make it easier for our customers to do business with us, including making significant investments in new technologies that will enhance our customers’ experience.”

HILAM Life launched “Live Better,” a campaign centered on wellness that seeks to help Filipinos live life to the fullest.

Raymond Gutierrez and Wil Dasovich are considered thought leaders in health and wellness

Eat food, lose weight

New healthy recipes at DS Cafe Spinach Salad with Shrimp and Quail Eggs Ingredients: 1 kg shrimp, cooked and shelled 12 pcs quail eggs, hard-boiled and sliced 6 cups spinach leaves 2 cups radicchio, sliced 1 tbsp cider vinegar 2 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp Dijon mustard sea salt and pepper to taste Procedure: For the dressing, dissolve the mustard, sea salt, and pepper in vinegar and add the olive oil, slowly mixing well. Place spinach in salad bowl, add salad dressing, mix and plate. Add radicchio. Top with shrimp and sliced eggs.

Per serving: 391 calories; 17g fats; 51g proteins; and 5g carbohydrates

Pork Chops with Mushrooms DS Café, an offshoot of the Diana Stalder Face, Body and Skin Care Center, advocates a holistic approach to beauty. “Train your taste to trim your waist,” says consummate beauty expert Dina Dela Paz-Stalder.

By Joyce Pangco Pañares “TRAIN your taste to trim your waist.”

Dina dela Paz-Stalder’s motto seemed to be the farthest thing on her mind as she served pork chops with mushrooms and spinach salad with shrimp and quail eggs at her restaurant, DS Cafe.

The dishes were delicious – nowhere near the usual bland meals that have become synonymous with dieting and healthy eating.

“I used to be overweight. And then it hit me: it’s the kind of food we eat that makes us less healthy.

Now, I eat everything – even lechon – as long as I eat in moderation. I no longer take maintenance medicine for high blood,” said the consummate beauty expert.

“I love cooking and the food I serve here is also food that I enjoy. Our dishes adhere to specific calorie counts that include healthy amounts of vegetables, protein and healthy carbohydrates so diners can make informed choices,” said Stalder, who is the only Filipina coach of Canada’s Ideal

Protein Weight Loss Program.

The cafe also now serves organic healthy juices competitively priced at P150 to P200 per bottle.

“Our juices only have a 12-hour shelf-life because we do not use preservatives. That way, you are assured of drinking only the freshest and healthiest in every bottle,” she added.

Stalder also began sourcing brown rice from Sagada.

“In our own little way, we are able to help our upland farmers while helping our clients eat healthier, too.”

DS Cafe is actually an offshoot of the Diana Stalder Face, Body and Skin Care Center as part of Stalder’s holistic approach to beauty.

“Someone who values healthy diet supplementation is also better equipped to address various skin issues. Combining both skin treatments and healthy eating means more positive results,” she said.

Back in the 1990s, Stalder began mixing her first batch of beauty potions, which she preferred to call “compoundings,” in a stainless steel pot that came all the way from England, and which she she has kept until today.

Her first beauty center, which was then named Dermaline Facial Center, was established in 1996.

She later changed the brand name in 2004 to reflect her daughter’s, Diana Stalder. The younger Stalder has followed her mother’s footsteps, too, and is now a registered pharmacist and aesthetician.

Diana Stalder provides a whole range of beauty services from basic care to anti-acne, anti-aging, whitening and other medical procedures, to high quality and luxurious treatments. These include the Nacar Treatment plus Blanc White, a combination of two powerful brands for fast and effective whitening and anti-aging; Caviar Luxury Facial treatment plus dS Anti-Aging Kit which is an excellent way to get rid of wrinkles and sagging skin; the Instalift Luxury Facial which is a non-invasive alternative to facial surgery that combines Rgnerin Mask RT4 Retinol with Vitamin C to stimulate cell regeneration; and the ultra-luxe Skin Sensations treatment with Casmara Gold Mask 2080, which contains 24k gold dust and seaweed extract to tighten the face and neckline while providing deep moisturization.

Ingredients: ¾ kg pork chops, about 4 pieces 8 cups mushrooms, chopped 1 tsp dill leaf 4 packets Ideal Protein Mushroom Soup prepared 1 tsp olive oil sea salt and pepper to taste Procedure: Remove all fat from pork. Sauté seasoned pork and set aside. In same pan, sauté mushrooms. Add dill leaf. Put half mushrooms in a baking dish, add pork chops and top with other half of mushrooms. Coat with mushroom soup. Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until the chops are cooked.

Per serving: 399 calories; 19g fats; 47g proteins; 9g carbohydrates

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THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

CEMEX

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UILDING solutions leader Cemex Philippines, through The CEMEX Philippines Foundation, supports education by ensuring a safe, resilient, and conducive to learning environment for Filipino children.

This year, it conducted cleanup activities in Calavera Elementary School in Cebu and San Joseph Elementary School in Antipolo.

These efforts are part of the annual Brigada Eskwela activities and are also in line with Cemex Philippines Foundation’s Build Education program.

More than 100 Cemex Help. Engage.

Reach. Out. (H.E.R.O.) volunteers participated in the activities, which included repairing and repainting of classrooms and cleaning up the surroundings within the school premises.

In addition, it also distributed school supplies to around 350 pupils in communities in Naga, Cebu and 700 students in Barangay Palangoy, Binangonan.

Jasmin Birondo, principal of Calavera Elementary School, expressed her gratitude for Cemex’s continued commitment and support: “We would like to thank Cemex and all their volunteers for their time, effort, and resources.

The partnership we have will be treasured forever because it takes a village to educate a child.”

The annual participation and support of Cemex to the Department of Education’s Brigada Eskwela program is also an opportunity for Cemex employees to exercise volunteerism and give back to society. “We always look forward to our yearly participation in cleaning up the schools in our communities,” stated Chito Maniago, Cemex Philippines Foundation executive director.

CEMEX H.E.R.O. volunteer help repaint the classrooms and walls of Calavera Elementary School in Cebu

Calavera Elementary School pupils are delighted to see their classrooms repaired and repainted

“In our small way, we are able to make Cemex Philippines Foundation’s execa lasting impact on the lives of fellow utive director affirmed the organization’s Filipinos, especially the youth,” added long-term commitment to nation buildManiago. ing through a grassroots community ap-

proach. “It is no question for us to ensure the welfare and sustainable development of the communities that we operate in,” he said.

Exceptional amenities define luxe living at Botanika

Botanika offers a uniquely tiered infinity swimming pool that offers a serene respite backdropped by verdant spaces for a fresh, calming scenery.

THE taste and needs of today’s affluent residential buyers are continually evolving. While a prestigious address remains to be a priority, their definition of luxury has gone beyond the collection of amenities, into how these lifestyle features will give them a richer experience. This is the promise of Botanika Nature Residences, the first luxury condominium in Alabang thoughtfully designed to give its discerning residents above par facilities that complement their lifestyle.

Located in the most exclusive area of Filinvest City, Botanika is truly the new coveted address for the privileged few, where many of life’s necessities and luxuries are well within reach. There is the members-only The Palms Country Club for sports, recreation and relaxation; Westgate and Festival Mall for shopping, dining and entertainment; Asian Hospital and Medical Center for world-class healthcare services, and top-notch academic institutions like De La Salle Zobel and San Beda College Alabang.

With its turnover set in the fourth quarter of this year, Botanika exudes

a distinct south Manila village charm.

This low-density development, with generous living spaces and large balconies, ensures the comfort, privacy and security of its residents. Its sun-roofed atrium provides natural light and scenic elevators give a dramatic view of the Flow Garden – a picturesque landscape of water and lush greeneries.

Botanika, registered under the Philippine Green Building Council’s BERDE certification program, lets its residents enjoy a well-lived life—an extraordinary melding of luxury and functionality. Boasting of amenities that are designed to enliven the body and restore the spirit, Botanika features a uniquely tiered infinity swimming pool that offers a serene respite with verdant spaces for a fresh, calming scenery in the background.

A sun deck is made available for those who enjoy the sun while a canopied veranda by the pool makes it perfect for family and friends to get together over intimate al fresco gatherings. Unique sculptured tree houses are not only best enjoyed by the young, but

are also a perfect venue to bond with their parents, along with an indoor and outdoor play area, and a game room for indoor recreation for families. Botanika also mixes work with play, by incorporating a functional business center or library that can cater to those who prefer to work without leaving the comfort of their homes.

Botanika also puts the value of health and wellness front and center, with facilities where residents can unwind and rejuvenate. And for those who are members of the Palms Country Club, they will be given easy private access to its facilities from its tennis, basketball, and squash courts, eight-lane bowling alley, garden spa, sauna and steam rooms.

Truly, Botanika keeps to its promise of fulfilling the deepest aspirations of luxury residential buyers – lushness, exacting details, and superior quality in the primest location. And with Botanika Nature Residences still on its preselling period with turnover of units set in the fourth quarter of this year, buyers can experience the art of fine living at the best price.

Give your little ones freedom BABIES love to see, smell, hear, taste, and feel the world around them. But as any mom knows, their diapers can slow them down, and in turn, can slow parents down as well. When it comes to your baby, let y o u r little o n e k e e p on moving without the discomfort with GOO.N Diapers, a leading diaper brand in Japan and Southeast Asia now in the Philippines through One-Stop Distribution Inc (ODI).

“Japan is known for its cutting-edge technology when it comes to their products, and diapers are no exception. We are thrilled to bring GOO.N Diapers to the Philippine market. Its affordable price points will make sure that we can bring these superior-quality diapers closer to Filipino families, so infants and toddlers can enjoy the best of their surroundings, while parents relish in quality time without worrying about their babies’ comfort.” says Jesse HoMaxwell, president of One-Stop Distribution, Inc. GOO.N Diapers give the best diaper technology and offer the best comfort for babies as they grow from newborn to toddler. Its ultra absorbent core and super soft, dry and breathable outer sheets wick moisture away from your

child’s skin and allows your baby to move freely. With GOO.N, babies can experience uninterrupted sleep and more active playplay time.

Moms need

not wor wor- r y about having to change diapers all the time nor feel anxious that their babies will get messy leakage or diaper rash.

The siblings Jessica Kienle-Maxwell and Stephanie Kienle-Gonzalez, GOO.N Diapers’ newest brand ambassadors, are ideal examples of moms on the go. As these well-known designer duo lead hectic schedules, making time for both their families and their careers can be quite a challenge.

“Motherhood is such a lifechanging experience. Your priorities and your values change, and ultimately, you just want the best for your baby.

When I first had my

child, juggling my work and parenting together was tough. But as I learned along the way, choosing highimporquality diapers was so impor tant for my baby’s welfare easand makes my job a lot eas ier,” shares Steph “And now that Jess has just given birth, I can’t wait to share more of my parenting tips and experience motherhood together with her!”

GOO.N ofof fers premium ( G O O . N Premium) and econoecono my (GOO.N Friend) diapers.

Each one comes in pants and tape variants depending on your child’s needs.

Give your little one the freefree dom to move around and play to his/her heart’s desire, like all babies should. Connect with your baby and teach them all about the world they live in. Go on, and feel free with GOO.N DiaDia pers!

For more information, visit @ GoonDiaperPH on Facebook and @goonphilippines on InsIns tagram Japanese diaper brand GOO.N has ultra absorbent core and breathable outer sheets that keep babies comfortable

Venus Pelonio of the Clorox team tidying her designated space in the gymnasium.

(Inset) Clorox products help eliminate bacteria

On the road to cleanliness

CLOROX plays a significant role in safekeeping public health. The world renowned brand not only keeps its promise to its consumers of eliminating germs and bacteria in their homes, Clorox also gives back to the communities it serves.

On June 2, Clorox International Philippines, Incorporated partnered with Don Bosco Technical College in Mandaluyong for a day of cleaning of the institution’s gym and facilities. Clorox believes in creating a cleaner world by tidying places where people grow and thrive.

As part of the initiative, the Clorox team donated cleaning materials and facilitated in cleaning of the gymnasium itself. “In Clorox, we believe that

‘clean matters’ as it enables us to start fresh, create good beginnings which in turn, allows us to thrive,” says the company in a statement. And through the Clorox Clean-up Drive, the company and its employees are able to bring this purpose to life.

The Clorox team ensured the cleanliness in the areas with the disinfecting prowess of both Clorox and Pine-Sol. Pine-Sol is a multi-surface cleaner that stands for powerful clean, delightful scent.

Clorox International Philippines, Inc. markets world-renowned brands: Clorox Bleach, Clorox Toilet Cleaner, Clorox Clean Up, Clorox Bleach Pen, Tilex, and Pine-Sol.

THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

Nightly feast of food and music SPICE up evenings with great music and food at The Plaza in Newport Mall, Resorts World Manila with the Live Mall Sessions— a nightly delight of free concerts starting at 7:00 p.m.

Music lovers will be spoilt for choice this July with the Live Mall Sessions’ eclectic lineup of established and up-and-coming talents from various genres.

The Plaza has turned into a grand dining hall for the Live Mall Sessions as Newport Mall restaurants set up tables directly on The Plaza’s grounds, giving diners premium views of the shows to go with their world class cuisine.

Upcoming weekend shows feature “The Singing Diplomat” Raoul Imbach on July 15 and

King of Philippine RnB JayR featuring Mica Javier on July 16.

Those who prefer cool cocktails to go with their entertainment can visit RWM signature restaurant Bar 360 at the ground floor gaming area. The Draybers, Mocha Girls, Singing Sensations, and Primo lead the pack of talented artists lighting up the Bar 360’s iconic stage.

As a special welcome back treat for guests, Bar 360 and other RWM gaming area restaurants are offering select menu items for only P88 for a limited time.

For reservations and inquiries, call the Tourist/Visitor hotline at (02)908-8000 or visit rwmanila. com for the complete show schedules.

Miss Philippines Earth candidates parade their costumes made out of recycled material

Miss Philippines Earth 2017

T R&B singer JayR along with Mica Javier leads the roster of talented acts headlining the concert series at The Plaza in Newport Mall

Lifestyle’s exciting new shows LIFESTYLE TV updates its roster of wellness and entertainment titles with the premiere of culinary talk show The Kitchen, Indian-themed fitness program Bollyfit, riotous reality TV series My Fab 40th, celebrity news show Hollywood News Feed, and comedy hit series Playing House.

Talk with five of the Food N e t w o r k ’s star chefs -- Geoffrey Zakarian, Jeff Mauro, Katie Lee, Marcela Valladolid, and Sunny Anderson -as they dish on culinary trends and demonstrate recipes in new talk show The Kitchen.

In the comedy series Playing House, lifelong friends navigate their biggest and most hilarious adventure yet when pregnant Maggie discovers her husband is cheating, and her BFF Emma gives up her career to help her friend raise the baby.

Keep fit Bollywood style in Bollyfit as instructor Reshmi and her dancers lead you through workout moves with a traditional Indian flare in this fresh fitness program on cable TV. Meanwhile, stay up to date in celebrity gossip and entertainment news show Hollywood News Feed. From the premieres, events, telltales to the latest headlines—walk with the

stars every week as you get the hottest news and video updates about the land of fame excess.

Get into a world of wildly extravagant fortieth birthday parties in the American series My Fab 40th. From lavish venues to priceless gowns and custom cakes, 39-year-olds are kicking off the next chapter of their lives with a bang and a bit of drama on the side.

When it c o m e s to overthe-top birthday parties, forty is the new s w e e t sixteen in this new reality show.

Lifestyle TV, a pioneer in local lifestyle programming, serves as a TV guide with a wealth of relevant and insightful content for the multi-faceted Filipino women. |It balances a mix of acquired and locally produced programs that bare the everchanging wellness, living and entertainment craves of its viewers.

Lifestyle TV is available on SkyCable and Destiny Cable channel 52, and Sky Direct channel 31.

For updates and a complete schedule of shows, follow Lifestyle on Facebook (facebook.com/lifestyletvph), Instagram and Twitter (@ lifestyletvph).

showcases outfits made from trash

HE indigenous “Trash to Class” competition of Miss Philippines Earth 2017 was recently held at the Grand Ballroom of Versailles Palace Alabang with this year’s 40 candidates from all over the country.

The Trash-to-Class Competition featured Filipino ingenuity and creativity with a collection of original creations using recycled or trashed materials. The environment-caused

CHAOS once again strikes the lives of Marco (Carlo Aquino), Camille (Shaina Magdayao), Rafael (JC de Vera), and Bianca (Denise Laurel) as they fight for their other halves in the Kapamilya afternoon series The Better Half.

Reconciliation might be on the horizon between Rafael and Camille after he comes home drunk to his ex-wife’s house, which leads to a night of passion and both of them confessing their true feelings for each other.

Just as when the two are beginning to patch things up, Marco declares his intention to pursue Camille, thinking that she is ready to fall in love again and

DOWN 1 Trots 2 Rights org.

3 “How’ve ya —?”

4 Kerchief 5 Vampire chronicler (2 wds.)

6 Nook or cranny 7 New Year’s Eve word 8 Lyricist — Gershwin 9 Most humble 10 Order 11 All thumbs 12 Before Polk 13 Left over 21 D.C. figure

23 25 26 27

finally move on from her past.

But the road towards Camille’s heart will not be easy with Rafael standing in the way.

Bianca, on the other hand, is ready to carry out her plans with the help of her dad. Fueled by obsession, she will try to help Rafael and Camille rebuild their relationship so she can secure Marco’s heart all for her.

How will Marco fight for his love? What more evil plans does Bianca have up her sleeve?

The Better Half, weekdays after Pusong Ligaw on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable 167). For updates, follow @ thebetterhalfTV on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

"The Better Half" cast (clockwise) Shaina Magdayao, Carlo Aquino, JC de Vera, and Denise Laurel

Thursday, July 13, 2017

51 Small houses of the Southwest 54 Eyebrow shapes 55 Fish hawk 56 Bellowing ones 60 Watch’s face 61 “Puppy Love” singer 63 Atelier item 64 Singer — Adams 65 Roulette color 66 Buoy up 67 Email program command 68 Tijuana Ms. 69 Twisted sideways

just a few hours before the show made from excess parts of soft drink plastic covers shared by fellow candidates as her original entry from a local designer failed to come.

The Trash to Class competition is part of the Miss Philippines Earth 2017 preliminaries to determine the semifinalists after the Swimsuit (Beauty of Figure) and before the Beauty of Face/Poise, and Beauty of Intelligence competitions.

The winner of Miss Philippines Earth 2017 and Miss Philippines Earth Loren Mar Artajos will pass on the crown to her at the grand coronation night at SM Mall of Asia on July 15 at 7 p.m. and telecast on ABS CBN at 10 a.m. the following day. - Eton B. Concepcion

Carlo, Shaina, JC, Denise fight for love

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1 “Star Wars” gangster 6 Commuter line 10 Quote from 14 Barracuda habitat 15 French bread 16 Jet black 17 Close or Miller 18 Lobster appendage 19 Liquefy 20 Divided 22 Having less rigidity 24 God of war 25 “High Hopes” singer 26 Rutabagas 29 “Mystic River” lead 30 Newton or Asimov 31 IBMcompatibles 32 Consider 36 Cartoon shriek 37 Follow the example of 41 Big fuss 42 Took a straw 44 Beth and Jo’s sister 45 Zodiac sign 47 SOS response 49 Read hurriedly

Manila-based pageant gives importance to this pre-pageant fashion event showcasing outfits made from disposable materials like old newspapers, plastics, paper cups, sacks, plastic spoons and forks.

Adjudged the best among the entries were Celine Mae Pangan of Ozamiz City who won the Gold Medal with the blue-and-white creation and matching headdress made of materials from sacks and plastic cups.

Rheena Mae Ferrer of Makati City won the Silver Medal with glittering white/silver jumpsuit made of aluminum tubs of soft drink cans. Bronze medals went to Klaidel Hope Anderson Concepcion of Marikina City and Marie Sherry Ann Tormes of Mandaluyong City. Concepcion wore an outfit completed

Room offerer Humane org.

Made fast Computer owner 28 Long-handled tool 31 Labor at 33 Get by effort 34 Razor feature 35 Emotional tone 38 Kuala Lumpur residents 39 Refs 40 Refugees 43 Spun around

46 Hook up 48 Riviera summer 49 Bedouin’s domain 50 — -Magnon man 51 Encryptions 52 All kidding — 53 Where Seville is 56 Short play 57 Jacob tricked him 58 Nerve network 59 Yukon hauler 62 A conjunction

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2017

Nadine Lustre and James Reid open the grand awards show Luis Manzano accepts the Best Actress trophy on Vilma Santos' s behalf

SPEEd president Isah V. Red

Boy Abunda receives the Joe Quinto Award

Regal Entertainment's Mother Lily, Producer of the Year

Best Actress nominee Nora Aunor

Superstar moments AT THE FIRST EDDYS

Ogie Alcasid

By Nickie Wang Photos by Sonny Espiritu

W

INNING the highest acting honor in any awards show is an ultimate triumph for an actor. But for the country’s lone superstar Nora Aunor, gracing an awarding ceremony without expecting victory, is the greatest act of sportsmanship.

She was one of the people who was genuinely smiling and loudly applauded when presenters Jodi Sta. Maria and Cristine Reyes announced Vilma Santos’s name as the winner of Best Actress award at the inaugural Entertainment Editors’ Choice Award for Movies.

La Aunor, who was nominated in the Best Actress category for her role as a “kept maiden” in the Cinemalaya Film Festival entry, Tuos, was defeated by her perennial rival in the movie world who portrayed a successful business woman whose personal life falls apart when she learns she is suffering from stage three cancer in the comedy drama Everything About Her. Aunor’s presence alone made the award show, held on Sunday at the Kia Theater, a remarkable affair emblazoned with surprises on the stage and at the podium where names of the

PAMBANSANG Bae Alden Richards surprised fans when he took on a different kind of leading role in his latest TV commercial with McDonald’s.

Clad in boots and a cape, he channeled the iconic Filipino fantasy prinsipe of classic Pinoy films as his character travelled through mountainous terrain on a trusty horse. In the longer, one-minute TVC, which you can watch by clicking the link https:// youtu.be/61b3BWwZVEc, Alden showed us all why he has the potential for more comical and dashing roles in the future!

McDonald’s is no stranger to producing campaigns that lighten Filipinos’ days. Just when you think you’ve seen McDonald’s tackle a breadth of emotions, its latest TVC breaks conventions and leaves viewers laughing. The

winners were known the first time. The list of winners was not even leaked to the officers and members of group behind the now notable awards show fashionably called The Eddys.

The star-studded gathering witnessed the Society of Philippine Entertainment Editors’ (SPEEd) endeavor to encourage great work, set the bar high, inspire new generations of creative people, and create a dynamic environment that can stimulate growth of the ever-evolving local movie industry.

The snazzy movie awards that clocked in under just two hours showcased a fast-paced program featuring snappy production from the country’s most revered set of love teams and performers including James Reid and Nadine Lustre, Julian Trono and Ella Cruz, Arjo Atyde and Yassi Pressman, Martin Nievera, Ogie Alcasid, Marissette

TVC is an ode to the early days of Pinoy storytelling that kept generations of Filipinos glued to their screens, as it was shot in black and white and completed with grainy effect and dramatic scoring.

Inspired by Filipino epics like Ibong Adarna, with a comedic and charismatic exchange between Alden’s Prinsipe and the temperamental giant, the commercial stands out and is making a big impression on viewers.

Just like Alden’s cunning Prinsipe, you too can rely on the delicious McDonald’s McSaver Meals to get you through.

Choose from the Crispy Chicken Fillet Meal (P59), Chicken Fillet Ala King Meal (P59,) and 1-pc. Mushroom Pepper Steak (P55).

Martin Nievera

The Eddys hosts Luis and Edu Manzano

Amon, and Klarisse.

Dominated by the Star Cinema film Everything About Her, which bagged four major awards including Best Musical Score, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actress for Angel Locsin, The Eddys also honored luminaries who have made indelible marks in their chosen field.

Alden Richards as an amiable prince in a new fast food TVC

Alden Richards’s classic cinema-inspired ad is trending

Special awards were handed to Boy Abunda (Joe Quirino Award), Lav Diaz (Manny Pichel Award) and Mother Lily Monteverde (Producer of the Year).

Abunda and Monteverde personally accepted their recognition highlighting in their speech how grateful they are for the unparalleled support of the entertainment editors who are regarded

movers in the industry.

Also a big winner of the night was the Lav Diaz’s Golden Lion-winning film Ang Babaeng Humayo that won Best Supporting Actor for John Lloyd Cruz, Best Director for Diaz, and Best Picture.

The decorated Jun Lana film Die Beautiful continued its awards haul, this time at The Eddys, for winning Best Actor trophy for Paolo Ballesteros, Best Production Design, and Best Editing.

MMFF 2016 big winner Seklusyon, directed by Erik Matti, snatched the technical awards namely Best Sound, Best Visual Effects, and Best Cinematography.

Other winners were Sunday Beauty Queen (Best Documentary) and Saving Sally (Best Theme Song).

Hosted by father and son Edu and Luiz Manzano, The Eddys is a joined production between Viva Live and ABS-CBN. Taped as live, it will air on Sunday after Gandang Gabi Vice.

Solenn Heussaff, loyal Kapuso ACTOR and TV host Solenn Heussaff impresses Kapuso top guns as she vows her loyalty to the network when she renewed her exclusive contract with GMA Network in the presence of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, and Senior Assistant Vice President for Alternative Productions Gigi Santiago-Lara.

Reena Dimaculangan of Leo V. Dominguez Management was also present.

Heussaff, who has been a loyal Kapuso for the last six years, said she feels happy and fulfilled with her renewal of contract with GMA 7, “I grew a lot here as a person and I got to learn my mother tongue here. Super happy ako. I really feel it’s my family here and I just want to be with GMA. And learn more and grow with the company.”

The actress further shared she is equally proud to have built a good working relationship with GMA which she considers her second family, “I really feel the sense of family in the network. Dito ko talaga nakita yung balance. Everyone on the set is at the same level. Walang super bida, walang director na maarte, like feeling powerful. Everyone respects each other. Which is what I really love in GMA 7, it makes work fun and easier

but still everyone is hard working.”

Solenn is currently in GMA News TV’s lifestyle show Taste Buddies. She was also in Encantadia as Cassiopeia.

Atty. Gozon said he is pleased that Solenn continues to affirm her loyalty to the Kapuso Network, “Tayo rin ay nagagalak dahil meron talagang talent si Solenn. At si Solenn ay talagang hindi lamang maganda, napaka-sexy pa.”

Solenn Heussaff renews her ties with GMA Network