Manila Standard - 2017 July 21 - Friday

Duterte finally lands in Marawi

By John Paolo Bencito and Macon RamosAraneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday made an unannounced visit to beleaguered Marawi City, finally fulfilling his promise to set foot in the conflict zone as fighting between government troops and Islamic State-linked terrorists continue.

Duterte, who tried going there twice but failed due to bad weather, finally made it after his helicopter landed at around 3 p.m. and posthaste received a briefing from military officials deployed in the area.

The media were informed of the visit after the President had already left for Davao City.

Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera, spokesperson of Joint Task Force Marawi, said Duterte, who expressed full support for government troops, arrived past noon and stayed around two to three Next page

VOL. XXXI • NO. 157 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

HAIL TO THE CHIEF. This handout photo, released to media by the Philippine Army, shows President Rodrigo Duterte, in full battle gear, during an unannounced-to-media Thursday visit to the besieged city of Marawi, where the Commander-in-Chief examines seized weapons from Islamist militants fighting against government troops. (Inset) The activist group Karapatan Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Right stage a protest rally in front of the military headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo Thursday condemning the political killing, illegal arrests as well as indiscriminate firing and aerial bombardment. AFP/Manny Palmero

Govt seeks arrest of NDF consultants

By Rey E. Requejo and John Paolo Bencito

T

HE government will ask the courts to order the arrest and detention of National Democratic Front leaders and members after President Rodrigo Duterte called off backchannel talks because of renewed attacks by communist rebels, including one in which members of the President’s security detail were wounded.

Solicitor General Jose Calida said his office would ask the courts to cancel all bail bonds of NDF consultants, order their arrest and detention.

The chief state lawyer revealed that his office would now ask the Supreme Court and several regional trial courts handling the cases against the communist leaders to recall the bail grant earlier given to them for their participa-

tion in the peace talks in Norway last year, including spouses Benito and Wilma Tiamzon.

Calida said they would also ask the RTCs to re-issue commitment orders on communist leaders who are standing trial for various criminal cases.

Earlier, the government canceled backchannel talks set later this month in Europe following the attack of suspected NPA rebels in North Cotabato last

Wednesday that wounded five members of the Presidential Security Group.

Last May, President Duterte suspended formal peace talks after both sides failed to resolve a dispute over the Communist Party of the Philippines’ order for the NPA to step up attacks against the government to protest Duterte’s declaration of martial law in Mindanao to deal with a terrorist attack on Marawi City. Next page

DFA chief dismisses US panel rights hearing on EJK issue

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and John Paolo Bencito FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano shrugged off a hearing held by a bipartisan caucus of the US House of Representatives into the human rights consequences of President Rodrigo

Duterte’s war on drugs, saying the body has no power over the Philippines.

“They are not the United Nations. They are not our boss,” Cayetano said of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. “So they have no right to summon us.”

If the commission asks the Philippines to attend the hearings,

the Philippine Embassy in Washington will be told to submit the documents the government had prepared for the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council.

The Philippines would not send a representative to any hearings, he added.

The commission earlier said

it has invited witnesses who will analyze the implementation of Duterte’s drug war and its consequences on human rights in the Philippines.

“Although extrajudicial killings have been a major human rights concern for some time, in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016, the Department

of State recognized that such killings increased sharply over the last year,” the commission said.

The witnesses include iDEFEND spokesperson Ellecer Carlos; Amnesty International senior crisis advisor Matthew Wells; and Human Rights Watch Asia Division deputy director Phelim Kine.

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THE Philippines is among five countries with the highest number of terror attacks recorded in 2016, the US State Department said in a report released Wednesday.

In the 2016 US Country Reports on Terrorism, the US State Department said that nearly half of the 11,072 worldwide attacks recorded last year took place in Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and the Philippines.

It cited the continuing attacks posed by Islamic State-inspired groups as a major contributor to the country’s main national security threats.

“The emergence of ISISaffiliated extremist groups, persistent kidnappings by the Abu Sayyaf Group [ASG], attacks on government forces, and bombings, all indicated that domestic and international terrorism remained a serious problem,” the US State Department report Next page said.

By John Paolo Bencito

By John Paolo Bencito

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By John Paolo Bencito and Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

China loans not a debt trap—Neda

Villar tops SALN list of Cabinet members PUBLIC Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar is the lone billionaire and the richest member of President Rodrigo Duterte’s Cabinet with a net worth of P1.409 billion, his latest Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net worth showed.

The former representative of Las Piñas is the son of real estate tycoons Manny Villar, a former Senate president, and incumbent Senator Cynthia Villar.

He had P1.423 billion in assets and P14.52 million in liabilities as of December 2016.

He also listed seven real properties worth P134.86 million consisting of four condominiums and three lots with houses. The rest of his properties were valued P1.289 billion but were not specified.

Among the members of Duterte’s official family, Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano had the lowest net worth of more than P200,000.

Mariano did not declare any real property, but his assets included his clothes worth about P35,000 and cash in bank of P238,629.58.

Following are Duterte’s Cabinet members and their net worth:

PH listed with high terror hits in 2016

BEFORE SUSPECTS. National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa, in front of Chinese and Malaysian suspects detained in a kidnapping case at PNP Headquarters in Camp Crame Thursday. Some 44 Chinese and Malaysian suspects have been detained in the Philippines over the kidnapping and beating of a Singaporean woman abducted at a Manila casino. AFP

44 foreigners arrested for abducting casino players FORTY-FOUR Chinese and Malaysian suspects have been detained in the Philippines over the kidnapping and beating of a Singaporean woman abducted at a Manila casino, authorities said Thursday.

Police found the victim Wu Yan, 48, at a Manila condominium on

Tuesday, a day after her abduction by two Malaysian members of the gang, Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes said in a statement. “[She] was held, deprived of her right to liberty and was beaten and threatened by her kidnappers who demanded $180,000 for her release,” Balmes said.

Two Malaysians, along with 42 Chinese suspects, were arrested after her rescue and would be charged with kidnapping, police said.

“The group was believed to be responsible [for] the series of kidnapping incidents perpetrated against foreign nationals who are

high roller casino players in recent months,” Balmes said.

He gave no details of the other supposed abductions nor what had happened to the victims.

Separately, the Justice Department said 14 of the 44 accused had asked for a preliminary investigation of their case.

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THE Philippines will not fall into a debt trap despite the billions in loans it wants to get from China, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said Thursday.

Responding to former President Benigno Aquino III, who warned the present administration to be more careful in seeking loans with China—Pernia said that there shouldn’t be cause for any concern yet.

“Well, we haven’t yet signed any loan agreement with China except oral commitments or some written memoranda of understanding and we certainly are going to be very careful with our dealings in terms of project financing from the Chinese government,” Pernia said in a Palace news briefing.

Pernia said both sides have clearing mechanisms in place to ensure that such projects are undertaken by “internationally reputable firms” with no bad track record.

“We want the Chinese side to certify to us that the companies, private or state-owned enterprises that will be involved in projects, will be truly competent and with impeccable integrity. That’s on the Chinese side. So they can submit three names,” Pernia said.

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News

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FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘Focal person’ to oversee drug war

By John Paolo Bencito

A

NEW “focal person” has been designated by President Rodrigo Duterte to oversee efforts in clearing up the bad image of his bloody war on drugs, which saw thousands killed since he took office last year.

In Presidential Directive No. 5, Duterte named Aurora Ignacio, currently assistant secretary for Special Projects un-

der the Office of the President, as the new focal person on the drug war, who shall “receive inquiries or clarifications and

PH...

erful Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah, a US-designated terror organization.

The report cited Hezbollah’s support of Syrian President Bashar alAssad with troops and supplies as well as its attacks on Israeli soldiers along the Lebanon-Israel border.

In addition, the report said Iran “remained unwilling” to put on trial senior Qaida members whom it has detained.

“Since at least 2009, Iran has allowed Al Qaida facilitators to operate a core facilitation pipeline through the country, enabling Al Qaida to move funds and fighters to South Asia and Syria,” it said.

The department’s acting coordinator for counterterrorism, Justin Siberell, gave no reason for the decline in attacks, but noted the rising pressure last year from coalition forces on the Islamic State group in its Syria and Iraq strongholds.

But as Islamic State loses territory, he said, its fighters and sympathizers are dispersing, and the threat of attacks elsewhere—in new IS locations, and in the IS fighters’ home countries—is on the rise.

“Another feature of the terrorism landscape in 2016—and this is a continuation of what we saw in 2014 and 2015—is the exploitation by terrorist groups of ungoverned territory and conflict zones to establish safe havens from which to expand their reach,” said Siberell.

After its expansion to the Libyan coastal city of Sirte last year, Somalia, Yemen, northeastern Nigeria, portions of the Sinai Peninsula, the Afghanistan-Pakistan border regions and portions of the Philippines have become “safe-haven environments” for IS fighters, the report said.

Terrorist groups have retained the ability and intent to conduct bombings, shootings, and ambushes against targets of their choice, as seen in a Nov. 28 incident in which a bomb was discovered and disarmed near the US Embassy in Manila, the report said.

The report cited the Abu Sayyaf Group’s beheading of several hostages, the deadly September bombing in Davao City, clashes between state forces and communist rebels in July, and the siege of Butig town, Lanao del Sur by Islamic Statelinked fighters in November.

The report said the Philippine government recognized the threat posed by radicalized citizens supporting ISIS and ISIS supporters traveling to the Philippines to promote violent extremism in the country or seek safe haven.

Members of numerous groups— including parts of the ASG; the Dawlah Islamiyah Lanao (DIL), commonly referred to as the Maute Group; and Ansar-al Khalifah Philippines—have pledged allegiance to ISIS.

From A1

“Philippine military and po-

lice counterterrorism efforts kept up pressure on terrorist organizations, but were unable to prevent numerous attacks against government, public, and private facilities, primarily in central and western Mindanao,” it said.

The same report also noted how Duterte’s bloody war on drugs has “slowed progress towards shifting internal security functions” from the military to the police and how manpower and resources of security forces shifted away from the fight against terrorism.

“The focus on counter-narcotics has increased workload and operational tempo for security forces.

Specialized law enforcement units possess some necessary equipment, but numerous unfulfilled needs remain, and sustainment and maintenance of equipment often exceeds fiscal and human resources,” the report said.

Responding to the report, Presidential Spokeman Ernesto Abella said poverty was the cause of terrorism in the country, and said the government was fighting the latter and addressing the former.

“We recognize that poverty in Mindanao and the sense of hopelessness it brings spawns terrorism.

It is for this reason that while we are fighting terrorism, we are also fighting poverty,” he added.

Abella said the President has already approved the Comprehensive Peace Roadmap aiming to provide peace and development by addressing the issue on the Bangsamoro.

“We can sign a hundred peace agreements but if those on the ground do not immediately feel the dividends of peace, those agreements will [not] be sustainable,” he said.

In its latest country-by-country assessment, the US State Department designated Iran as the top “state sponsor of terrorism.”

The department pinpointed Islamic jihadist groups Islamic State Al Qaida and the Taliban as the leading culprits for terror attacks.

But it said overall attacks had fallen nine percent last year from 2015, and deaths were down 13 percent.

Attacks and deaths were up notably in Iraq, Somalia and Turkey.

The report said a common thread for many of the terror attacks last year “was adherence to violent extremist ideology put forth by a fundamentalist strain of Sunni Islam that perceives itself to be under attack by the West and in conflict with other branches of Islam.”

At the same time, predominantly Shiite Iran was again officially dubbed the leading state sponsor of terrorism. The report cited its longstanding support for the pow-

DFA...

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The commission said these panelist will also provide policy recommendations for ensuring accountability for human rights violations and for addressing the problems of drug abuse and trafficking in ways consistent with promoting public health and strengthening rule of law.

The commission quoted Duterte as ordering the police to kill drug pushers, and to dump them into the Manila Bay to fatten the fish there.

In the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2016, the US State Department raised concern over the increasing number of deaths over the last year.

In the Palace, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the human rights commission should be fair in its assessment.

“The universality of human rights presupposes due process be observed by all,” Abella said in a news briefing.

“Any proceedings that allege wrongdoing should provide opportunity for all sides to be considered. Insinuations and hasty judgments have no place in due process,” he added.

Abella said that the “numbers should be verified [and] information should be cross-checked so that the ensuing conclusions have a solid basis in fact.”

Abella also underscored the need to fight illegal drugs, saying drug

trafficking fuels terrorism, one of the major problems of the Duterte administration.

“The Duterte administration’s campaign against illegal drugs is a noble effort to protect the safety of the Filipino people and the future of the nation,” Abella added.

The latest Philippine National Police data show that a total of 3,200 drug suspects were killed in anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016 to June 20, 2017, or nine killed daily in presumed legitimate antidrug operations in the first year of the Duterte administration.

The PNP has also determined that out of the 12,833 homicide cases from July 1, 2016 to June 16, 2017, 2,098 deaths were drug-related and 2,535 non-drug related. A total of 8,200 homicide cases were under investigation “with motives to be determined,” the PNP said.

In the same news briefing, Abella likewise reacted sharply against a Canada-based tabloid which characterized the Philippine capital as a “slaughterhouse.”

A daily tabloid newspaper, the Toronto Sun, said Manila’s streets looked more “like a slaughterhouse than one of the world’s great cities.”

“Gangsters kill gangsters over women, drug turf and whatever suits their fancy. Extrajudicial assassinations by President Rodrigo Duterte’s death squads add to the sinister mix,” the story written by Brad Hunter said, as he enumerated the world’s most dangerous cities.

provide the necessary intervention on matters pertaining to the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign.”

“A sec Ignacio has been designated by PRRD as focal person to ensure that those offering assistance to the government’s anti-illegal drugs campaign are immediately acted upon or referred to the concerned agencies,” the Palace said in a statement “The directive also mandates

Ignacio to ensure that those offering assistance to the antiillegal drugs campaign are immediately accommodated,” it added.

Also appointed by Duterte is comedian Marco Antonio Ho, known by his screen name “Bogart the Explorer” as board member of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board.

Ho rose to fame on YouTube

as Bogart the Explorer, a character that parodies the late Australian nature show host Steve Irwin. He hails from the same city as President Duterte, and currently co-hosts the TV5 travel show Lakbai with Duterte’s son Sebastian.

Latest Philippine National Police data show 3,200 drug personalities were killed in anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016 to June 20, 2017, or nine

killed daily in presumed legitimate anti-drug operations in the first year of the Duterte administration.

The PNP has also determined that out of the 12,833 homicide cases from July 1, 2016 to June 16, 2017, 2,098 deaths were drug-related and 2,535 non-drug related. A total of 8,200 homicide cases were under investigation “with motives to be determined,” the PNP said.

Govt...

but aggravates the situation.”

Tinay Palabay of militant group Karapatan also assailed the government’s move.

“OSG will be blatantly violating JASIG [Joint Agreement on Safety and Immunity Guarantee] as among the agreements reaffirmed by government if it pushes through with rearrest of NDF consultants. It is among the ways by which the peace process is continuously undermined by the government,” she said in a statement.

Communist Party of the Philippines founding chairman Jose Maria Sison said talking peace with Duterte was unnecessary because of the President’s “obsession with martial law and mass murder.”

Sison also accused government forces of staging an “Enrile-type ambush” to justify the government’s break against communists, referring to former Defense secretary Juan Ponce Enrile, who staged a fake ambush to justify martial law under President Ferdinand Marcos.

“What is the PSG van doing in Arakan, Cotabato? To make provocations or to stage an Enrile-type ambush on the eve of the martial law proclamation by Marcos in

1972?” he said.

In a recent statement, the CPP urged their armed wing, the NPA to continue to strengthen itself nationwide by “carrying out armed counter-actions and offensives across the country” in opposition to Duterte’s plan to extend martial law in Mindanao up to Dec. 31, saying it will lead to more human rights abuses.

In a statement on Thursday, the CPP accused Duterte of bullying the NDF to bow to his terms of surrender.

“By cancelling the scheduled talks with the NDF, President Duterte is showing he no longer has need for peace negotiations with the NDF amid waging a triple war of death and destruction under its US-supported martial law rule,” the CPP said.

A spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Col. Edgard Arevalo, welcomed the President’s decision to call off talks with the communists.

“They have never been sincere in talking peace with government.

Clearly the NPA has no intention to genuinely pursue peace negotiations but merely to buy time to consolidate, to recruit, and to beef up their ranks,” he said.

But the presidential adviser on the peace process, Jesus Dureza, said he remained confident that the cancellation of backchannel talks was just a “temporary hitch” that could still be resolved.

“If we liken the negotiations to a light bulb, it won’t be completely switched off. We will only be dimming [the light] so we could turn it brighter at some future time,” he said.

Dureza, however, noted that communist negotiators in Oslo lack the full authority over their forces on the ground, citing information from Sison.

“Joma said that in an interview.

Do not think that we have full control over our forces. We also deal with them,” Dureza said, quoting Sison.

The leftist group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan said peace talks should continue so that fundamental socio-economic reforms could be carried out.

“The fighting is not being carried out by one side alone. The AFP, under martial law, has carried out military campaigns against communities not even related to the conflict in Marawi,” Bayan said in a statement. With Sandy Araneta

Duterte...

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Tempore Ralph Recto urged the Palace Thursday to declassify and make public the intelligence reports it has used as basis for asking Congress to extend the period of martial law in Mindanao until the end of the year.

“What has been shared to 24 senators and almost 300 congressmen should be shared to the public as well. There’s no harm in such a disclosure, provided it has been purged of its sensitive contents,” Recto said.

Recto said documents and reports presented to them by national security officials “are not so revealing and explosive that they can only be discussed in whispers.”

“These closed-door briefings only add mystery. But in terms of content, it’s not that sensitive that you must take a vow of secrecy before hearing them,” Recto said.

He said “a release of curated information to the public” will help them decide whether an extension of martial law in Mindanao is justified.

Recto said public support for martial law must be “an informed choice, arrived at... freely through a study of facts, not fake news or alternative facts.”

“If terrorists are knocking on our doors, or if they’re already inside, then transparency is the best policy,” he said. “If not, the conspiracy theorists will have a field day and uncertainty is what terrorists want.”

Liberal Party president Senator Francis Pangilinan said there are many questions that the administration must answer during the joint session of Congress on Saturday to deliberate on President Rodrigo Duterte’s request to extend martial

law until Dec. 31, 2017.

“Why does Mindanao need to be placed under martial law for five more months? What are the objectives? What powers does the President want to exercise during this period under martial law that is distinct from the powers granted to him by law and the Constitution?”

Pangilinan said.

The President should also state what goals he hopes to reach during the extension period.

He urged his fellow lawmakers to speak up and be heard in assessing the wisdom of extending martial law.

Detained Senator Leila de Lima said she was dismayed that she will not be able to join the session Saturday, as the Supreme Court has yet to act on her request for a legislative furlough.

Detained on drug charges that she has denied, De Lima said she hopes the joint session will be an honest-to-goodness exercise in which Congress check the possible abuses of the martial law power of the President.

‘I hope to see my fellow legislators ask searching questions and play devil’s advocate—especially given the length of extension reportedly intended...which to me, off-hand, seems egregiously excessive,” she said.

De Lima warned against the dangers of “creeping authoritarianism.”

“Duterte is slowly weaning us away from constitutional democracy, towards his authoritarian designs for a perpetual martial law.

This is the harsh reality all democratic forces must fight and oppose to the end, if we are to preserve freedom and democracy under this tyrant,” she said.

China...

From A1

was earlier designated as the clearing house for proposed investments from China.

The Philippines plans to spend P8.2 trillion or about $167 billion on infrastructure projects may sink the country deeper into debt, mostly through foreign loans funded through China’s Belt and Road initiative.

“Dutertenomics, fueled by expensive loans from China, will put the Philippines into virtual debt bondage if allowed to proceed,” said Anders Corr, founder of Corr

analytics.

Corr said that the fund that will be used for the Duterte administration’s infrastructure program will bring the total national government debt of the Philippines from $123 billion to $290 billion or P14.4 trillion.

While economic managers said that most of the 30 big-ticket projects would likely be funded by taxes, the Palace earlier said that China’s loan offers may be complemented with a 10- and 15-percent interest rate for debt repayment.

Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon said the 14 made the request during the inquest proceedings on Wednesday on the kidnapping and illegal detention charges filed against them following their arrest on Tuesday.

Fadullon said that, with the request, the 14 would be required to submit their counteraffidavits in response to the criminal charges filed against them.

The Philippines has in recent years been drawing foreign casino players as it builds up its gaming industry, aiming to rival Las Vegas and Macau.

However, the reported kidnappings, and an arson attack on another Manila casino that killed 37 people last month, have raised safety concerns.

Abelardo Borromeo, spokesman for the Philippine police’s anti-kidnapping group, said the gang members were also believed to be part of a loan sharking syndicate operating at a glittering strip housing megacasinos fronting Manila Bay. The victim was playing baccarat at one of the casinos there when the two Malaysian suspects “befriended” her and invited her to play in another casino in the area, Borromeo said.

But the suspects instead brought her to the condominium and demanded a ransom, he said.

On Thursday, National Police Chief Ronald dela Rosa vowed a crackdown on kidnappings as he paraded the detained suspects before television cameras.

“You are free to come, enjoy gambling, but you are not free to commit crime when [you] are here in the Philippines,” he told the suspects. AFP, with Francisco Tuyay and Rey E. Requejo

Villar...

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retary Ernesto Pernia, P105.43 million 9. Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, P54.73 million 10. Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, P50.5 million 11. Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, P44.9 million 12. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus Dureza, P40.04 million 13. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, P37.63 million; 14. Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, P25.6 million; 15. National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., P22.24 million 16. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, P19.81 million;

17. National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director General Alex Paul Monteagudo, P16.5 million; 18. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, P15.45 million; Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Catalino Cuy, P14.7 million; 20. National Commission on Muslim Filipinos Secretary Yasmin Lao, P13.9 million; 21. Presidential Management Staff Acting Head Ferdinand Cui Jr., P7.98 million; 22. Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña, P7.45 million; 23. Education Secretary Leonor Briones, P4.38 million;

24. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, P3.65 million; 25. Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, P1.97 million; 26. Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial, P1.16 million; 27.

National Anti-Poverty Commission Secretary Liza Maza,P730,716; 28. Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano, P273,629.58 The SALNs of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco Jr., Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go, and Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu were not made available by the Palace.

From A1 It was the OSG that sought temporary liberty for the Tiamzons and 18 other jailed NDF consultants last year so they could participate in peace talks between the communist rebels and the government.

Calida said that when the Supreme Court granted bail to them in its resolution in August last year, it had set specific conditions.

“One of the conditions is that once their participation ceases or the peace negotiations are terminated, their respective bonds shall be deemed automatically canceled,” he said.

“Since the government has already canceled the backchannel talks, the NDF consultants’ provisional liberty automatically ceased hence, they can now be arrested and recommitted to their respective detention facilities,” Calida said.

Since the peace talks are suspended, the NDF consultants should now surrender, he said.

Edre Olalia, lawyer of the NDF consultants, lamented the development, saying the OSG move was “another unfortunate knee-jerk hardball reaction that does not solve

hours to talk to soldiers and policemen in Marawi City.

He said security personnel in Marawi City were very happy with the President’s visit.

In his speech, Duterte was quoted as expressing gratitude for the heroism and sacrifices of the uniformed men and women who were in efforts to retake the besieged city despite the challenges.

As a sign of gratitude for their service, Duterte also handed out different items and goodies to troops.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. were among those who joined Duterte in his visit In his July 18 letter to Congress leaders, Duterte warned of more attacks by Islamic State-inspired extremists in Mindanao in the coming days as he sought to justify an extension of martial law over the entire island.

Duterte said that extremist groups such as the Maute group, the Abu Sayyaf, Ansarul Khilafah Philippines and the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, were still capable of violent attacks in Mindanao.

He added that the support structures of these groups in various parts of Mindanao and other areas have yet to be destroyed, as top leaders, Abu Sayyaf head Isnilon Hapilon, appointed as the “emir” in Southeast Asia and brothers Omarkhayam and Abdullah Maute and the foreign terrorist Mahmud bin Ahmad remain at large.

Meanwhile, Senate President Pro

“On the Philippine side, we also have a clearing mechanism to pick one of the three recommendees from the Chinese side. So that is the best we can do to ensure that we are not going to get into problems,” he said.

Pernia did not mention the interest on any of the loans from Beijing.

The Investment Coordination Committee of the National Economic and Development Authority

1. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, P1.4 billion; 2. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, P351.86 million; 3. Information and Communications Secretary Rodolfo Salalima, P304.96 million; Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, P301.99 million; 5. Former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez, P266.47 million; 6. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi, P162.7 million; 7. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, P152.27 million; 8. Socioeconomic Planning Sec-

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News BuCor-Tadeco pact supported

by Davao Norte prov’l board

By Rey E. Requejo THE provincial board of Davao del Norte has thrown its support to the joint venture agreement between the Bureau of Corrections and the Tagum Agricultural Development Co. Inc. The board cited what it called the invaluable role being played in rehabilitating the inmates of a local penal colony as well as in providing jobs and improving the lives of some 181,000 residents.

In Resolution No. 364, approved by Davao del Norte Gov. Antonio del Rosario, the Sangguniang Panlalawigan said Tadeco’s efforts at rehabilitating the inmates of the Davao Prison and Penal Farm by giving them agricultural and industrial training plus gainful employment had become a model for other penal colonies.

The three-page resolution, a copy of which was copied to the Department of Justice, read: “Tadeco has provided them with the skills that will enable them to eventually reintegrate into society as productive and responsible citizens.

“Under the JVA, the inmates are able to earn money for their personal expenses and for their families... The JVA rehabilitation program has brought pride to the province of Davao del Norte because its success is well known in the entire Philippine penal system.

“BuCor wanted it replicated in its Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan.”

Even politicians from neighboring areas, including Asuncion municipality, which is a constituent of one of the most vocal critics of the JVA—Davao del Norte First District Rep. and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez—have backed the Bucor-Tadeco deal.

Asuncion Mayor Eufracio Dayaday said: “A lot of Asuncion residents are employed in Tadeco.

“So Tadeco for so many years helped not only the economy of District II, but also the First District in terms of employment, both direct and indirect.

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FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Contraceptives recertified to prove they’re safe—FDA

By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE Food and Drug Administration is recertifying contraceptives to prove they are not abortifacients, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said Thursday amid the temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court against the implementation of certain provisions under the Reproductive Health Law. “There is going to be—well, what the FDA is... they are now certifying—recertifying planning—family planning methods already certified before that they are non-abortifacient,” Pernia told a Palace news briefing.

“As soon as they do that, they are going to hold a public hearing. And whatever comes out of that public hearing, if it’s still the voice of the minority, small minority opposing the RP/RH law, then they can appeal to the President, not to the Courts,” he added.

Even if there would be continued

opposition from some pro-life groups and even the Church, Pernia said these would not likely prosper, as the administration remains firm on implementing the Reproductive Health law so as not to hurt the country’s growth prospects.

In the May 26 TRO issued by the high court, any appeal after the FDA’s final decision should be sent to the Office of the President.

“They can appeal to the President and I’m very sure that President Duterte will not uphold them, will not favor their

views. Because he has issued executive order number 12 which he wants—which means implementing fully the law,” Pernia said.

Duterte last January issued Executive Order No. 12, aimed at ensuring the government must meet the needs of Filipino families for appropriate family planning support.

Pernia earlier said the signing of the EO would allow women of reproductive age to achieve their desired family size and number of children rather than having more children than they want or they can afford and provide for adequately.

He likewise stressed that funds would be continually provided to “make effective and modern family planning methods accessible to the poor—because they are going to be distributed free.”

The Supreme Court last May 26 did not lift its temporary restraining order on contraceptives—at least until the FDA presented proof the contraceptives were safe.

In excerpts of a decision released on May 26, the court unanimously denied

the omnibus motion for reconsideration on its Aug. 24, 2016 decision not to lift the TRO. However, the court modified its 2016 decision and ordered the FDA “to consider the oppositions filed by the petitioners with respect to the listed drugs... and to decide the case within 60 days from the date it will be deemed submitted for resolution.”

“After compliance with due process and upon promulgation of the decision of the Food and Drug Administration, the [TRO] would be deemed lifted if the questioned drugs and devices are found not abortifacient,” the decision read.

The Supreme Court order, issued in 2015, prevents the FDA from granting and renewing certifications for contraceptives for women.

It also prevents the DoH from distributing implants, a common method supported by government after the legislation of the Reproductive Health Law. Certificates for contraceptives have been expiring since 2015, with the last expected to expire in 2020.

Ombudsman: Charge ex-Rep. Tupas before Sandiganbayan

By Rio N. Araja THE Office of the Ombudsman directed on Thursday the filing of two counts of graft, one count of malversation and another count of malversation through falsification of public fund against former Iloilo representative Niel Tupas Jr. before the Sandiganbayan.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales said charges stemmed over Tupas’ anomalous use of his Priority Development Assistance Fund in 2008.

Named co-accused were Alan Javellana, Rhodora Mendoza, Romulo Relevo and Ma. Julie Villaralvo-Johnson of the National Agri-Business Corp., and Marilou Antonio, project coordinator of the

Kabuhayan at Kalusugang Alay sa Masa Foundation Inc. At the same time, Morales indicted on Thursday a mayor from Iloilo for multiple counts of graft charges before the Sandiganbayan for repeatedly approving his wife’s business permits.

In a resolution, Morales said there was probable cause to charge Batad Mayor Pedro Alarcon with four counts of violation of Section 3(h) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act or Republic Act No. 3019 for approving the business permits of Batad ice plant, a business owned by his wife, Elvira Alarcon.

The mayor approved Batad’s business permit issued in February 2011, March 2011, February 2012 and February 2013.

The Ombudsman cited Section 3(h) of the law that a public official shall not directly or indirectly have financial or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity, or in which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest.

“In a letter dated 15 May 2008, Tupas requested the Department of Agriculture for the transfer of P5 million to the NabCor for the implementation of his PDAF-funded projects,” the resolution read.

Tupas recommended KKAMFI as the project implementor to buy hand tractors, water pumps and grafted fruit seedlings.

During its field investigation, the Ombudsman found Tupas implemented “ghost projects,” saying mayors from the six towns of Ajuy, Batad, Estancia, Lemery, San Rafael and Sara denied receiving any farm implements.

Moreover, the liquidation documents submitted by respondents were all fabricated with Tupas himself signing the alleged list of beneficiaries of equipment and seedlings from his district.

“To be able to repeatedly release substantial funds from the PDAF, access thereto must be made available, and this was made possible by Tupas Jr. who directly chose and endorsed his own NGO to implement his PDAF-related projects,” the resolution read.

A4

Opinion

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Business not good in Mindanao

I

T MAY not be entirely fair to blame martial law in Mindanao as the cause of sluggish business in the island. But business prospects in strife-torn Mindanao are not good, unless the peace and order situation dramatically improves.

Investment pledges in Mindanao dropped 61 percent in the first six months of 2017 to P6.87 billion from P17.74 billion yearon-year. Data from the Board of Investments showed Regions 10 to 12 registered

slower growth during the period, except for Region 13 where investments doubled to P1.35 biĺlion.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez declined to comment on perceptions that Mindanao was a high-risk area

for investors, especially amid the ongoing battle between government forces and Muslim extremists in Marawi City and the declaration of martial law in the whole island.

The six-month data provided by the BoI provide a disturbing trend. Investment commitments in Region 10, or northern Mindanao where Cagayan de Oro is the regional center, plunged 81 percent to P1.38

billion from P7.3 billion on year. Investments in Region 11, or the Davao region, shrank 50 percent percent to P3.21 billion from P6.38 biĺlion.

Investments pledged in Region 12, or the so-called Soccskargen comprising Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat provinces, plummeted 77 percent to P927.8 miĺlion from P4 billion a year ago. The region includes General San-

tos City as the center of commercial, industrial and economic activities in the area.

Notwithstanding the BoI data, Mindanao remains a promising investment region.

Lopez is still optimistic about the investment prospects “given the island’s strong fundamentals and the strong promise of Mindanao, especially on agroprocessing, manufacturing and property development.”

Mindanao, however, will remain the land of promise and an island that will again miss many economic opportunities. Local and foreign investors obviously will skip Mindanao because of the deteriorating peace and order situation in the island.

A prolonged martial law in the entire island, meanwhile, may not be good for business and further dampen investors’ sentiment in the region.

PENSEES FR. RANHILIO CALLANGAN AQUINO

Listen, LTFRB, and learn!

lic school. But my school protected us from politics. They only taught us values, gave us the tools, the knowledge so that in the future we will know how to decide,” he wrote.

Now, I went to a school where political activism, especially the anti-government kind, was tolerated by school administrators. But I think even the University of the Philippines would not defend the use of children below the age of 18 to participate in student protests, simply because they are too young to fully appreciate the issues involved and too easily swayed by their teachers and school administrators.

As one pundit noted, what Hontiveros and the St. Scho administrators did is the educational equivalent of the conscripting of child warriors

by Islamic terrorists or

WHEN I have a car, and I decide that when I am not using it, and neither is my family, I will allow others to rent it, with me as driver, that is fully an exercise of one of the jura (rights) of ownership guaranteed by the Civil Code.

The last time I checked, only Congress can amend the Civil Code, not you!

And as a commuter, I have the full right to determine how I should commute. I may even choose not to commute at all.

Should I have as loose screws as you obviously have in the head, then I can crawl my way to my destination should I choose to, or use a pogo stick if I want to. If I flag down a police car and ask to be taken to my destination and the police officers gallantly consent to, that is NONE of your business. Or should I hail a passing funeral car because I want more comfortable passage, lying down through the streets that your ineptitude has caused to be hopelessly glutted, that too is none of your business, as long as the funeral director knows that he is not to take me to the cemetery.... yet. So it is that when I choose to ask someone who owns a car to ferry me to where I want to go, and to pay him for the trouble and the gas, that once more is NONE of your business. Why have you developed this nasty habit of nosiness, of dipping your smelly fingers into other people’s jam?

Haven’t you noticed that whenever you, LTFRB, get involved, things go badly wrong? You want us to haggle, and argue and be treated shabbily by the taxi drivers you coddle? Why? What’s with you and them? Something akin to what Korean telenovelas dish out, perhaps?

You claim to be standing up for the welfare of the riding public. Why does the riding public not feel that way,

Turn to A5

Turn to A5

Unforgivable LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES IT’S ONE thing for desperate politicians to attempt to conscript children in their anti-government protest actions because they can’t seem to convince any adults to join their cause anymore. It’s quite another when the administrators of the schools that these children attend, the people who have been entrusted with the care and education of very young, impressionable minds, allow this shameless and dangerous partisan politicking— while not fully informing the parents that their kids have been enlisted in such efforts.

The administration of the Catholic-run St. Scholastica’s College in Manila has been

getting a lot of online flak after some politicians allegedly used pre-teen school to attack the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. Photographs showing the underage school kids displaying placards accusing Duterte of being a dictator went viral in social media, as has the complaint of at least one parent of two students aged 14 and 15 has denounced the nuns of St. Scho for enlisting the school children in the partisan political effort.

At the center of the controversy is Senator Risa Hontiveros, who visited the school and posed with the placardwielding children, who were supposedly participating in a “Youth SONA [State of the Nation Address] 2017” last July 18 at the school’s campus. Hontiveros even posed with some of the kids, who were described in various captions as support-

ing the senator’s opposition to the Duterte administration.

The complaining parent, who identified himself as Ryan Al-

“maliciously misinforming” parents to give permission to attend the anti-Duterte rally at the school, which they thought was an ordinary activity.

“Can you please ask Senator Hontiveros to stage a protest action on her own and not to include our children?” Alingarog wrote. “Why are you using our children?”

The complaining parent, in an expletive-laced social media post, accused the Benedictine sisters at the school of not taking into consideration the consequence of exposing their children to partisan politics.

He said Dizon and her fellow administrators exposed their children to online “bashing” because they could be mistakenly identified as endorsers of Hontiveros’ antiingarog, accused St. Scholas- Duterte politics.

“I am an educated individual, tica College president Sister Mary Frances Dizon, OSB, of I also graduated from a Catho-

What Hontiveros and St. Scho did is the equivalent of the conscripting of child warriors

by Islamic terrorists.

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

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

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

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

ManilaStandard

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

ONLINE MEMBER

PPI

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

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

Managing Editor Associate Editors City Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

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

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Opinion China’s cashless revolution ON A recent trip to Shenzhen, in southern China, I came across a subway busker with two tip jars. The first was a cardboard box filled with coins and bills; the second was a small QR code taped to the box that allowed passersby to leave a tip by smartphone. On one level, this was simply smart business: Chinese made around $5.5 trillion in e-payment transactions last year. But it also offered a glimpse of the future.

Around the developing world, QR codes are beating out Apple Pay and other brand-name payment services for consumers and businesses keen to go cashless. China offers a useful model for that transformation—and a standard that others may soon be emulating.

The QR code may seem like an unlikely candidate to foster a financial revolution. It was developed in the 1990s by Japan’s Denso Corp. after customers grew dissatisfied with the limited amount of information that could be stored using traditional barcodes. In solving that problem, Denso came up with new codes that could be read 10 times more quickly than their predecessors—QR stands for “quick response.”

The technology first caught on in Japan’s automotive industry, which used it to track inventory. But in the early 2000s, Japanese customers began buying feature phones that could read the codes, and marketers began using them to promote websites and products.

By the time Tencent Holdings Ltd. released the social media app WeChat, in 2011, it was clear that QR codes had a lot more potential. WeChat offered users personalized codes that could be used to exchange contact information. When combined with the app’s built-in wallet, they could also be used for payments. Sending money through the app has since become a way of life: During this year’s Chinese New Year holiday, WeChat users sent 46 billion cash gifts via virtual “red envelopes.”

That success shows why QR code payments are likely to take off in emerging markets. For one thing, they don’t require credit cards, which few people in poorer countries have. Apple Pay and other such services, which use Near Field Communication technology, are uneconomical for many of these consumers. (Apple Pay’s market share in China is in the single digits, despite a recent marketing push.)

And the small-scale merchants that predominate in the developing world—restaurants, corner markets, buskers— have little reason to invest in expensive payment terminals for the equivalent of $0.50 transactions.

WeChat Pay, by contrast, allows just about anyone with a bank account and a smartphone to make electronic payments. All a Shanghai noodle shop or a Shenzhen busker needs to accept payments is a free WeChat account and a printout of a QR code. Much of China has become a QR first economy, where codes are now found next to nearly every cash register. WeChat’s share of China’s mobile payments market has grown from 3.3 percent in 2013 to 40 percent today.

Other developing countries are starting to see the potential.

Last year, MasterCard Inc. rolled out a QR code system in Africa that has already attracted 100,000 Nigerian traders.

In February, the Indian government launched IndiaQR, its latest effort to spur a cashless society. Thailand is similarly enthusiastic.

But perhaps the most ambitious step is a new industry standard published last week by EMVCo, a global payments consortium that includes MasterCard, Visa Inc. and the state-backed China UnionPay Co. The effort, spearheaded

by UnionPay, would effectively extend China’s payment standard globally, helping to ensure that QR-mediated transactions can flow seamlessly between banks and card companies, while also making them more secure.

That should make the technology more attractive to consumers, merchants and governments around the world. It could help fill the digital tip jars of subway buskers from Shenzhen to Lagos. And it just might make the cashless society a reality far sooner than anyone had predicted. Bloomberg

Unforgivable From A4 Communist cadres. It is, in a word, unforgivable. *** A Department of Trade and Industry order seeks to make it more difficult for imported cement to enter the Philippines. Some people fear that DTI’s Department Administrative Order 1702/05 may force cement prices, currently below P200 a bag, to go up to their 2015 level of more than P300, because of the continued need for cement and the expected demand spike that will be triggered by the P8 trillion Build, Build, Build infrastructure program of the Duterte administration.

Critics of the order have noted that it could drive cement importers out of the market, even if local “manufacturers” (who also import cement from the same sources abroad as the importers) cannot possibly meet local demand. The net effect will only be windfall profits for the manufacturers from the expected shortage.

At the heart of the dispute

is the requirement by the DTI for importers to secure import clearance certificates for their products, which is not imposed on local manufacturers even if they also import. A graft complaint has already been filed against a DTI undersecretary, who stands accused of pressuring the department’s Bureau of Product Safety to impose the requirement on importers while exempting local manufacturers from it.

At present, local demand for cement is believed to stand at 600-millions bags a year.

Industry watchers say there is simply no way for local manufacturers to meet this demand without causing a severe shortage and returning to the regime of high prices of the previous years, when importation was curtailed.

The DTI order must be reviewed so as not to put a cramp on the current building boom.

When the Duterte administration causes demand for cement to spike because work on its infrastructure projects are starting all over the country, we may have see a severe shortage of cement that will stop construction in its tracks.

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

From peace talks to cease talks BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO

By Adam Minter

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

GOVERNMENT troops who already have their hands full fighting the ISIS-Maute terrorists in Marawi still have to contend with the communist New People’s Army.

Because of ambushes against government troops in various parts of the country—the latest, in North Cotabato, wounded five presidential security guards —President Rodrigo Duterte ordered a stop to the backchannel talks with the Communist Party of the Philippines/National Democratic Front.

And so once again peace talks turned into cease talks. The longest-running communist insurgency in Asia enters another stalemate in the on and off again negotiations. Government peace negotiators Jesus Dureza and Silvestre Bello were told by the President to suspend the talks being held in Oslo, Norway until the CPP can rein in its armed wing, the NPA, to stop attacks against government troops and extortion of business companies operating in the countryside.

The CPP’s Joma Sison, Luis Jalandoni and Fidel Agcaoili apparently have no control over the NPA. But what do you expect?

The communist leaders have been in exile in the Netherlands for years while the NPA rebels are the ones actually carrying on the fight at home. Simply said,

a revolution cannot be done by remote control. The CPP leaders and the NPA are actually comfortable living separate lives.

Joma et al live the good life while in European exile. The NPA insurgents, on the other hand, have made a livelihood out of criminal activities in the guise of revolutionary ideology.

The government is in a bind. It has to talk to the Sison clique in exile because the NPA does not have any visible leader among the local insurgents. So how can the government talk directly to the NPA in order to marginalize and make Joma and company irrelevant?

Call me a pessimist but I don’t see the talks between the government and communist panels making any headway.

There are just too many stumbling blocks like the rebels laying down their weapons and the role the government would give Sison, Jalandoni and Agcaoili in the event a settlement is reached. Appointing them to key positions like the departments of labor, agrarian reform and the National Housing Authority would politicize those government agencies. For sure, there will be protests from traditional politicians who expect to be appointed to these posts as part of the spoils of political victory after a presidential election.

Contrary to communist propaganda, the movement has not been able to proselytize and gain new recruits. The people see through the NPAs as mere bandits engaged in extortion,

destruction of power lines and other forms of criminal activity.

Bringing Joma Sison and company to the negotiation table was initiated by Corazon Aquino when she was thrust to the presidency in the aftermath of the Edsa People Power uprising in February 1986. Cory appointed Ramon Mitra to head the government side in the effort to forge a peace settlement with Sison who was given safe passage to return to the Philippines from his exile in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Somehow, the talks failed and Sison returned to his comfort zone in the Netherlands.

The country has a succession of new presidents every six years but Sison, Jalandoni and Agcaoili who are in their late 70s are not getting any younger. They will most probably not see peace with the government in their lifetime. The harsh reality of it all is that while the CPP/NPA continue to wage war against the government, they have not won the battle for the hearts and minds of men. History is replete with stories of failed and successful revolutions.

The battle for the hearts of and minds is a core component for a revolutions to succeed. This vital element was what made successful the French Revolution, the American colonies’ breakaway from England, the uprising against the Shah of Iran, and Cuban rebels toppling Fulgencio Batista.

Fidel Castro you say could not have done it without American help? US military help alone could not have brought Castro

to power if he did not have the support of the Cuban people.

More importantly, Cuba showed the world it can survive a decades-long US economic embargo after it disengaged from its American patron. For this, Cubans endured hardship but they stayed the course with Castro who was to them some sort of a father figure.

US-Cuba relations Power has shifted seamlessly from Fidel to his brother Raul.

Normalization of relations between Cuba and the US was started in the last year of the Obama administration. The unpredictable Donald Trump seems to have placed the Cuban issue on the back burner given his present preoccupation with banning immigrants and travelers from seven Muslim countries and his plan to build a wall along the US-Mexico border to prevent undocumented and undesirable Mexicans from entering the United States.

Then, too, Trump is saddled with the problem involving his campaign team meeting with the Russians to get dirt on Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. The secret meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya took place at the Trump Tower in New York City during the presidential campaign. Trump’s son, Donald Jr. son-in-law Jared Kushner and campaign strategist Paul Manafort have a lot of explaining to do before a Senate committee called to inquire about the team’s dealing with a Kremlinidentified operator.

RSA to buy Inquirer VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ ON MONDAY, July 17, the owners of The Philippine Daily Inquirer led by its chair, Marixi Rufino Prieto, announced the prospective sale of the country’s largest daily to Ramon S. Ang, the president and chief operating officer of the San Miguel Corp.

Ramon Ang confirmed that he was buying 85 percent of The Inquirer after a due diligence.

“I have accepted the offer of the Prieto family to invest in the Inquirer Group. I am looking forward to be part of this venerable institution and work with the men and women who made it what it is now,” RSA said in a cryptic statement.

In her 212-word statement, Marixi Prieto disclosed she “has resumed discussions with the longstanding friend and business partner Ramon S. Ang for the sale of the Prieto family’s interest and majority share in the Inquirer Group.”

“This culminates a series of talks that began between the two parties in 2014, and restarted early this year after the Prieto family completed its annual review of business plans in the Inquirer Group and other business interests.

The due diligence review on the Inquirer Group will be undertaken soon by Mr. Ang,” Marixi said.

She explained that “the Prieto family’s decision to divest after 25 years is a strategic

Listen,...

From A4 and why are your supposedly valiant efforts spurned, rather than applauded? Because we smell a rat, not very unlike the obnoxious smell that assaults our nostrils when we board the cabs you so lovingly protect. And if, indeed, Uber and Grab drivers are involved in common carriage, then the provisions of the Civil Code sufficiently protect the interests and the welfare of passengers.

All other regulation would be superfluous and regulation that

business decision that it believes will maximize growth opportunities for the Inquirer Group. The family is confident that Mr. Ang will uphold the Inquirer Group’s commitment to pursuing the highest standards of journalism. His investments and business expertise will unlock added value in the Inquirer Group’s newspaper publication, Internet communications, social media, corporate skills training, radio broadcasting, and logistics delivery.”

Prieto said that “all existing employment contracts of the Inquirer Group will remain in effect. Both parties acknowledge that the multi-media organization is where it is today because of the caliber of its people, dedicated to the continuing vision and mission of empowering Filipinos by telling their stories.”

No amount was mentioned but I estimate the deal to be in the vicinity of P6 billion. Or probably less. RSA is easily worth $2.6 billion. He is one of the ten richest Filipinos today.

I base the P6-billion estimate on the valuation given Philstar when Manny Pangilinan bought into Philippine Star. MVP initially paid almost P5 billion for 80 percent of Philstar group in 2013, valuing the newspaper at about 25 times annual earnings. Because of their power and influence, Philippine newspapers tend to have higher valuations.

Based on the BizNewsAsia Top 1000 Largest Corporations, revenues and profits of the Inquirer have been falling

lately. In 2015, Inquirer had revenues of P2.065 billion, down 5 percent from 2014.

Profits also fell more than half to P38 million in 2015 from P81 million in 2014.

Inquirer claims to be the largest newspaper. But it lags behind Philstar in profits.

Philstar reported profits of P242 million in 2014 and P226 million in 2015.

Philstar also claims to be the No. 1 newspaper but the Manila Bulletin easily beats Philstar in sales by 47 percent (Bulletin had P2.946 billion revenues in 2015 and P2.862 billion in 2014; Philstar had P2.192 billion revenues in 2014 and P2.0 billion in 2015).

So in terms of revenues, Bulletin is the largest daily. In terms of profits, Star is the leader.

However, in terms of the influence, Inquirer tops both the Star and Bulletin. “The Inquirer has always strove to be different. We see what’s news that other media outfits fail to see…We set the agenda,” was Inquirer Executive Editor Joey Nolasco’s rather arrogant reply to columnist Bobi Tiglao who asked why the Inquirer ran on its entire page one last March 23, 2017 the New York Times’ March 22, 2017 scathing profile on President Duterte.

The publication en toto by the Inquirer of that NYT article might have been the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back for Duterte.

The President served noticed he would destroy the Prietos as “oligarchs” and punish the Inquirer by attacking the paper

and its owners on two fronts —the recovery of the stateowned Mile Long Property being leased since the early 1980s at sweetheart terms by the Prietos’ Sunvar Development Corp. (the lease expired in 2002 but the Rufino-Prieto families have refused to give it up) and the pursuit of tax cases against both Sunvar and the Prietos’ other main business, Dunkin’ Donuts.

Return of the Mile Long property will likely drive the Rufino-Prieto families to penury. A tax collection on Dunkin’ Donuts will drive them to even more penury.

In his speech to the Filipino community in Qatar in April this year, Duterte disclosed that five years ago, Dunkin’ Donuts was assessed P1.8 billion in back taxes. But the Bureau of Internal Revenue under Kim Henares, he said, lowered the figure to a precipitous P1.4 million. Duterte vowed to rake up the Dunkin’ Donuts tax case and to pursue the recovery of the Mile Long property.

In his Manila Times columns, Bobi Tiglao estimates the Rufino-Prieto families’ obligations to the government (in lease rentals to the government

by Sunvar and in tax liabilities

by Dunkin’ Donuts) to be about P3 billion.

The sale of the Inquirer to RSA will be good for the Prieto family, to the Inquirer itself, to RSA, and to the media industry.

I will tell you why in one of my future columns.

curtails freedoms and severely restricts choices runs against everything that the Constitution embodies.

Our Republic rests on the concept of free enterprise. The Constitution and the laws enshrine it. A control state is the antithesis of a free enterprise State, which is why in such a state, there is a surfeit of regulation. And when regulation stands in the way of public convenience and trumps on the right of the individual to choose—especially when there is nothing intrinsically amiss about choosing to ride Uber or

Grab over a cab or a jeepney, then there is direct assault on free enterprise.

And you warn Uber and Grab not to turn the ire of commuters against you. Are you wondering whether we, the commuting public are angry at you? You bet we are—we very much are! In fact I am so pissed off that I have prayed for the past two nights for St. Peter to see to it that the heavenly gates are tightly shut against anyone wearing an LTFRB identifying mark by the time he gets there. That’s how angry

I am...and I assure you, I am not alone!

Biznewsasia@gmail.com

rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_ aquino@ sanbeda. edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

FORMATION GARY OLIVAR Mr. Olivar’s column resume next week.

will

News

A6

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Ex-gov Ampatuan found guilty of graft, dismissed

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Court of Appeals has sustained the decision of the Office of the Ombudsman dismissing former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao governor Zaldy Ampatuan from the service following a lifestyle check that found him with unexplained wealth and underdeclared assets amounting to P70.67 million from 2000 to 2009.

In a decision, the CA’s Fourteenth Division through Associate Justice Henri Jean Paul Inting junked the petition filed by Ampatuan, one of the accused in the Maguindanao massacre, which sought to overturn the Ombudsman’s decision and order issued on June 26, 2015 and Sept. 23, 2015.

The June 26, 2015 decision of the Ombudsman found Ampatuan guilty of serious dishonesty and grave misconduct and meted him the penalty of dismissal from the

service with accessory penalties of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, perpetual disqualification from holding office, and barring him from taking civil service examination.

The Sept. 23, 2015 resolution, meanwhile, denied Ampatuan’s motion for reinvestigation of the decision.

The decision of the Ombudsman arose from the joint-affidavit complaint filed in September 2010 by the lifestyle check panel of the

Office of the Ombudsman against the then ARMM governor for dishonesty and grave misconduct.

The anti-graft body noted that Ampatuan served as assemblyman of the ARMM Regional Legislative Assembly prior to 1998 when he was elected as mayor of Shariff Aguak, Maguindanao for three terms from 1998-2007.

However, Ampatuan did not finish his last term as mayor from 2004-2007 after he ran and won as ARMM Regional Governor on August 2005 and was reelected in 2008.

The Ombudsman said the petitioner submitted his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth for the years 2000-2009 where he declared a net worth of P6.99 million with no liabilities until it ballooned to a net worth of P19.29 million with total assets of P36.49 million and total liabilities of P17.2 million in his 2009 SALN. Ampatuan also declared Maguindanao Pawnshop as his only

business interest.

However, it was discovered that Ampatuan owns at least 38 houses and lots in Shariff Aguak, Cotabato City, Davao City and Metro Manila amounting to P58.48 million that were not declared in his SALN. The Ombudsman said the total value of acquisition per year by the petitioner with respect to the houses and lots far exceed his annual net.

On the other hand, the Ombudsman said the former ARMM governor and his wife Bai Johaira Midtimbang, who served as municipal mayor of Datu Hoffer, Maguindanao, own a total of 24 vehicles worth at least P46.96 million.

The anti-graft body also discovered that Ampatuan has 26 firearms registered in his named worth P6 million and that he went out of the country 16 times in a span of five years.

The Ombudsman said Ampatuan’s unexplained wealth and underdeclared assets for the years 20002009 amounted to P70,671,176.

In upholding the decision of the Ombudsman, the CA did not give credence to Ampatuan’s claim that he was not able to file his counteraffidavit due to the negligence of his counsel.

As a result, Ampatuan said he was deprived of due process, thus, should be exempt from the rule that a lawyer’s negligence binds the client.

“With the foregoing, the contention that petitioner that he was denied due process by reason of his former counsel’s gross negligence is clearly bereft of merit,” the appellate court ruled.

“As can be gleaned from the proceedings before the Office of the Ombudsman, the petitioner was given ample opportunity to file his counter-affidavit and opportunity to explain or defend himself,” it said.

The CA explained that based on the records of the case, the Office of the Ombudsman even gave Ampatuan an opportunity to file his verified position paper in a resolution issued on Feb. 17, 2011.

‘More Chinese tourists visit PH’

‘Bakwits’ get more aids from US govt The US government is partnering with the Philippine government in delivering critical health and education services to civilians being affected by the ongoing conflict in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur. “The United States and the Philippines are longstanding friends, partners and allies,” said US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim. “We will continue to coordinate with the Philippine government on ways to provide relief to families affected by this conflict.”

A statement released by the Embassy on July 19 said the US government, through the United States Agency for International Development, also helped provide access to potable water by distributing 12,000 jerry cans (water containers) and 96,000 chlorine tablets to 12,000 families currently staying in evacuation sites in Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, and Iligan City.

The Embassy statement cited the role of the USAID in providing support to help stop the spread of infectious diseases, particularly tuberculosis.

With the help of local partners and the Philippine Department of Health, USAID facilitated the delivery of much-needed anti-TB drugs and supplies to evacuation centers, allowing patients to continue their strict medical regimen. Patients with confirmed cases receive free medical treatment from the Philippine government.

Recently, the USAID, through one of its ongoing education projects, has also supplied more than 6,000 desks for use by displaced children in temporary learning spaces.

Nash B. Maulana

JV expects no delay in MRT-7 project

By Macon Ramos-Araneta BEIJING, China—The renewed friendship between China and the Philippines under the administration of President Duterte will spurred a great momentum—a healthy and steady growth in the country’s tourism industry, said China National Tourism head for International Relations Yan Xu. He said the Philippines has become one of the hottest travel destinations for Chinese outbound travelers especially during this summer travel season in China.

Since January 2017, he said the total number of Chinese who visited the Philippines reached 389,000, a 36.3 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

This was confirmed by a Department of Tourism report in Manila which showed that China posted the largest jump in visitors arrival at 36.3 percent with 388,896 Chinese tourists in the said period.

This made China the third largest tourism market of the Philippines.

The DoT said the Philippine tourism industry appears to be benefiting from the warming of diplomatic relations with China, which had promised to send one million tourists this year.

It emphasized that substantial increases in the number of Chinese and Taiwanese visitors to the Philippines helped power tourist arrivals in the country to some 2.88 million in the first five months of this year.

Visitors from Taiwan grew by 21 percent to 108,643, landing the country in the sixth spot among the top source markets for tourists for the Philippines.

For the market to hit 1 million, Chinese arrivals in the Philippines have to average some 87,301 every month, from June to December 2017. Looking at past data, however, arrivals from China reached their peak at 85,948 in January, but generally slowed down each month, falling to 73,649 in May. Yet, the 1-million commitment from Beijing made during Duterte’s state visit to China in March boosted the confidence of DoT officials to meet the target goal in terms of Chinese tourists.

IN BRIEF

NO TO EJK. The militant group Karapatan Alliance for the Advancement of People’s Rights stages a protest rally in front of Camp Crame condemning what they claimed as the continuing extrajudicial killing in the country. Manny Palmero

Shabu worth P15m seized at Naia

By Joel E. Zurbano AIRPORTS and Customs authorities at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport intercepted more than two kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu, worth P15 million concealed inside a package at a private warehouse in Pasay City Wednesday night.

Four individuals were also placed under arrest. They were identified as Casan Osor Rainang of Bautista Street, Quiapo, Manila; Jamal Aminah Tantao of Victoria Store Dahlia Street, Fairview; Alnor Sultan Pundato of Sition Kamunoy Street and Isnairah Durannun Pundato of Capitol Estate Batasan Hills, all in Quezon City.

Investigation showed that the four individuals were the claimants of the brown package at the DHL warehouse in Pasay City.

The package arrived in the second week of July and declared as “Sikaflex Sealant” with declared value of US$ 660.00 consigned.

Customs investigators said the package from Mexico was consigned to a certain Mr. James Corpuz of Block 1 Lot 3 Victorian, Fairview in Quezon City.

The arrested suspects were turned over to the Philippine National Police and will be slapped with appropriate criminal charges before the Pasay City prosecutors office while the seized items were submitted to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency for proper disposition.

Authorities last month also in-

tercepted a package shipped from Canada containing marijuana worth more than P100,000.

Four vacuum-sealed plastic pouches containing 343 grams of cannabis dried leaves, an illegal substance, was discovered in the parcel upon examination by teams from the Customs AntiIllegal Drugs Task Force, Naia Customs Police and Inter-Agency Task Group at the Central Mail Exchange Center warehouse in Pasay City.

Deandre Travis Johnson Cruz, who was identified as the claimant of the seized parcel, was brought to the Pasay City Hall of Justice for investigation.

Only recently, a Korean national was also caught in possession of 117 grams of marijuana at the Naia Terminal 3.

Suspect Eunho Ahn, 24, was about to board a Philippine Airlines flight bound for Busan, South Korea when members of the Office of Transportation Security led by Judy Anne de Belen found the prohibited drugs concealed in her belly.

The OTS men then inspected the suspect’s luggage and discovered assorted tablets, believed to be ecstasy, a dangerous party drug.

Manila International Airport Authority general manager Eddie Monreal ordered his men to be on alert in and outside the airport against illegal drug trafficking in a bid to discourage international and local drug syndicates from using the Philippines as a transshipment point or dumping ground for their illegal substances.

US tightens watch on large devices

SMUGGLED ONIONS. Bureau of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Col. Niel

Estrella leads the confiscation of three containers with more than P4.2 million worth of smuggled onions from China at the Manila International Container Port. The shipment was intercepted by BoC after CIIS agents received an intel report saying that the consignee deliberately covered the onions that were underneath the fresh garlic. Norman Cruz

THE Philippine Airlines has announced that all portable electronic devices—larger than a cellphone or smartphone—of passengers bound for the United States will be subjected to additional airport screening.

The move, which took effect on July 19, is in line with the new set of security directives issued by the United States Department of Homeland Security requiring airlines flying from last point of departure to the US. The new US security directive, which will be in effect until June 30, 2018, aims to ensure the integrity of all portable devices brought inside the aircraft.

PAL spokesperson Ma. Cielo Villaluna said electronic devices that exceed the size limit must be surrendered by passengers to the airline for additional

screening at the Redundancy Screening Checkpoint. She, however, said necessary medical devices are exempted from additional screening.

The approximate size of a commonly available smartphone is considered to be a guideline for passengers.

Examples of large electronic devices that will be subjected to additional screening are, but not limited to: laptops, tablets, EReaders, cameras, portable DVD players, electronic game units larger than a smartphone and travel printers/scanners.

Villaluna said passengers must ensure that their large PEDs have sufficient battery charge enough to power up the PED during the additional screening process, and remove their electronic protective casing during inspection. Joel E. Zurbano

SENATOR JV Ejercito expects no more delays in the construction and completion of the MRT-7 project, a railway project that will connect Quezon City to Bulacan by 2019.

Ejercito made the statement during the Progress Briefing and Inspection of Build, Build, Build program held Thursday morning at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

“One of the culprits as to why we are in this transportation crisis is due to the low infrastructure spending in recent years. In the past, we only spent 2 percent of the GDP for infrastructure,” he said.

But now as announced by DBM Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Ejercito said the government will be spending 5 percent for the current year. In the coming years, the government will spend 6 to 7 percent.

“This is a very good sign for big ticket projects ahead, and that is why I am very expectant that there will be no longer any delays for the MRT-7 project,” said Ejercito, who is the Senate Committee vice chairman for Public Services and Public Works.

Ejercito also expressed his full support for the MRT-7 project.

“You have my 100 percent support for the completion of the MRT-7. After a very long delay, I am very glad that we are finally pursuing this project that will improve our transportation situation in Metro Manila. I have always emphasized that railway is the only way.”

With at least 20,000 to 30,000 new cars added on the road every month, he expects things will get worse before it gets better.

“I only ask for understanding from the public with the inconvenience this project will bring.,” he said.

He said the more important thing is that the government has started to build the railways. He commended Trasnportation officials, especially Secretary Art Tugade, for pushing for this project. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Explain missing CoA papers, Imee asked A PARTY-LIST lawmaker on Thursday asked Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos to shed light on the alleged fraudulent use of P66.45 million in public funds representing the province’s share of excise tax collections from locally-manufactured Virginiatype cigarettes.

1-PACMAN party-list Rep. Enrico Pineda said Marcos’ signatures were on most of the documents pertaining to the cash advances made to procure five secondhand buses, 70 minitrucks and 40 multicabs—from the purchase requests to the obligation requests for the funds and even the disbursement vouchers.

“Only Gov. Imee Marcos can solve the mystery behind the documents that have all gone missing after such irregular purchases were uncovered,” Pineda said. “Her stamp of approval were in almost all of the documents related to these questionable transactions, so who else can best explain the paper trail behind them?”

“Hence the need for her to appear before the House committee investigating this apparent fund anomaly on her watch at the Ilocos Norte provincial government,” Pineda said.

COA officials who have testified at the hearings conducted by the House committee on good government and public accountability on the alleged irregular purchase of the vehicles said the use of cash advances in government procurement violates provisions of COA Circular 92-382.

The COA circular provides that regular cash advances are allowed only for salaries and wages, commutable allowances, honoraria and other similar payments to officials and employees, petty operating expenses. Maricel V. Cruz

Sports

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FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Globe TM gives PH kids sports boost

G

LOBE Telecom on Thursday launched TM Sports Para sa Bayan 2017, a program specifically designed to give underprivileged youth a chance to improve their lives and reach their dreams through sports.

The program is spearheaded by Globe TM, the fastest growing mobile brand in terms of customer base, with over 29.4 million customers and counting. This developed as Globe announced the partnership with leading content and consumer company in Southeast Asia, Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad and its regional

over-the-top streaming service Tribe for the second straight year.

The tie-up will again allow talented Filipino kids to get a chance to undergo the Astro Kem Bola Advanced Training Program in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and, potentially, the Overseas Training Camp in Barcelona, Spain by coaches from

FC Barcelona Football Academy (FCBEscola) later this year.

“We are happy to take our sports outreach program beyond Malaysia to provide talented kids within the region an avenue to achieve their dreams. We believe in the comprehensive development of an athlete and look forward to supporting the advancement of football amongst youth in the region through strategic collaborations such as the one we have with Globe,” said Iskandar Samad, CEO of Tribe, subsidiary of Astro.

“We want to use the power of sports to instill the importance of having good values and create opportunities

for higher learning especially for kids who may have no means to pursue their desired careers. At the same time, we want to encourage them to participate in an active and healthy lifestyle and be aware of the positive benefits of sports. Together with Tribe, we hope to discover kids with potential in the game and help them further harness their craft,” said Ray Guinoo, Globe Director for TM Portfolio and Brand Management. TM is Globe Telecom’s value brand offering which has gained popularity due to its very affordable text and call promo offers.

TM Sports Para sa Bayan 2017 will

revolve around football, basketball, and volleyball, three of the most popular sports in the Philippines which anyone, regardless of gender and social status, can easily engage in.

For football, Globe has tapped the services of Green Archers United, a professional football league which has been the company’s implementing partner in developing the football grassroots program in the last four years.

Globe has also partnered with select grassroots football organizations such as Dream Big Pilipinas (Metro Manila), Fundacion Santiago (Vigan, Ilocos Sur and San

Carlos City, Negros Occidental), and Fundlife International (Palo, Leyte). The three non-profit organizations all conduct free football clinics, tutoring sessions, and values formation sessions to kids in underprivileged communities, conflict areas, or disaster-affected provinces.

TM Sports Para Sa Bayan has successfully completed its run in Metro Manila and Tacloban in June, and will soon be conducting the program at the Elpidio Quirino Stadium in Vigan, Ilocos Sur on July 22, and at the San Carlos Football Field in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental on July 29.

PH girls capture ASEAN cage gold SINGAPORE—The Philippine Girls’ Team demolished host Singapore, 82-32, Wednesday to clinch the gold medal in the 9th Asean Schools Games.

With a handful of supporters and some Overseas Filipino Workers in attendance at Tampines Sports Hub, the Filipino team broke the game wide open early and never looked back in scoring their fourth win in the tournament against no defeat.

The 50 points were the biggest winning margin for the girls, who earlier beat Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

For coach Angelina Fedillaga, preparation for this year’s edition of the ASG was the key. The team ended up a bridesmaid twice to Thailand in 2014 and 2015.

Failing to achieve their ultimate goal in the past editions of the Asean Schools Games forced the coaching staff and the girls to go back to the drawing board and regroup.

This time, Fedillaga made sure the outcome would be different.

She knew that with the right players,

they can win the gold.

“Ayaw na namin mag-settle sa runner-up finish. Mindset namin talaga is to win the gold. In-instill ko talaga yan sa kanila,” Fedillaga said.

Kristine Cayabyab played her best game in the tournament, scoring a team-high 21 markers in the final game.

Kent Jane Pastrana and Jeeul Rhcoel B. Bartolo added 13 and 12 points, respectively, for the Philippines.

Cayabyab, who took part in a six-week training in the Nike Rise basketball program under the supervision of national team head coach Vincent Chot Reyes in 2015, showcased her explosiveness and scoring abilities in an all-around performance against Singapore.

“We played with pride and teamwork. That’s why we won,” Fedillaga said.

“Sobrang happy talaga. First time namin maggold. The credit for our success goes to the girls for playing well.”

Players and coaching staff of the girls’ basketball team are shown holding the Philippine flag after demolishing host Singapore, 82-32, Wednesday to clinch the gold medal in the 9th ASEAN School Games. Also in the photo are Philippine Sports Commissioner Charles Raymond A. Maxey, Philippines Chef De Mission Rizalino Jose Rosales and deputy CDM Cesar Abalon.

All-around game nets Que 3-shot ICTSI Classic lead Pinoy swim th LIPA City—Angelo Que pounded Mt. Malarayat’s composite course with another superb all-around game, breaking off a tie with Clyde Mondilla and wresting a three-stroke lead despite a bogey finish for a four-under 68 halfway through the ICTSI Classic here yesterday.

Three birdies to close out the Mt. Makulot backside shoved the power-hitting Que to the solo lead as Mondilla wavered with a 37 in a separate flight and the former

three-time Asian Tour winner held sway at the Mt. Lobo side with three more birdies against two bogeys for a 35-33 card.

He pooled an 11-under 133 and readied himself for an expected charge of the big guns in the last 36 holes of the P2 million championship.

“I’m good and will play the same game—hit the fairways and greens and make the most of my birdie opportunities,” said Que, who missed making it a four-

stroke lead on a missed green mishap on the ninth.

Mondilla needed a fiery windup—three birdies in the last four holes—at Mt. Lobo to save a 71 but the Southwoods and Philippine Masters winner, who matched Que’s opening 65, fell three shots behind at 136 in a tie with Australian Nathan Park, who two of the last eight holes to turn in a second 68.

“I struggled with my driver that’s why I didn’t have too many birdie

chances. But it’s okay, I’ll just try to make for this tomorrow (today),” said Mondilla, who opened with a birdie on No. 10 but fumbled with three bogeys on Nos. 12, 13 and 16 before holing out with a second straight birdie on No. 18.

He dropped another stroke on No. 3 but wheeled back into contention with birdies on Nos. 6, 7 and 9.

Six other players also sustained their form and turned in under-par scores with hardly a breeze to challenge the elite field for the second

straight day while a slew of others rebounded from over par cards with sub-par outputs at the wellmaintained layout.

Joenard Rates, out to snap a three-year title slump, and Jerson Balasabas, seeking a breakthrough win in the circuit sponsored by ICTSI, shot identical 70s and remained tied at 139, the same output put in by Omar Dungca and Jun Bernis, who fought back from 74 and 73 with 65 and 66, respectively.

TELUS International PH dominates BPO Olympics

Members of TELUS’ darts team are shown after their title conquest.

TELUS International Philippines, one of the leading business process outsourcing providers in the country, continues to dominate the 9th season of the BPO Olympics.

Fueled by their passion to excel not just with work but also in sports, TIP members exhibited sportsmanship early in the season channeling a healthier lifestyle and building rapport and camaraderie among colleagues outside of work.

Continuing from their accolades in last year’s BPO Olympics, TIP once again claimed the championship title in this year’s Darts tournament. TIP’s Badminton team was also hailed victorious as they mark their very first championship title in the Men’s Doubles division after defeating Accenture team.

Adding to the triumphs of TIP in this year’s BPO Olympics are successes from their billiards, football, and chess teams. One of TIP’s Special Interest

Groups, the TELUS International Philippines Pool Sharks sealed third place in the Women’s 9-ball tournament finals.

TIP’s football and chess teams also clinched the second runnerup titles against Cognizant and Acquire teams, respectively.

Special awards were also given to TIP chess team members, Aaron Uy for completing all his boards and Andrew Patricio for having only one loss throughout the entire competition.

TIP Men’s basketball team also clinched their way to a battle for third place this coming Sunday as they go head to head with team Accenture at the Meralco Gym in Ortigas, Pasig City.

Now on its 9th season, the BPO Olympics is an annual sporting event for the BPO industry that highlights competitions such as basketball, volleyball, badminton, table tennis, airsoft, billiards, darts, cheerdance, football, and marathon.

U-Town goes to National University ROBI Domingo and Gretchen Ho get to hang out with Filipino basketball icon Danny Ildefonso as their campus tour in the show “University Town” makes a stop at National University this Sunday on S+A and S+A HD at 1pm.

A pride of NU and a former UAAP star, Danny introduces to Robi and Gretchen his son Shaun, who recently transferred to the Bulldogs’ bastion in the hope of following his dad’s footsteps. The duo will also meet other great Bulldogs, Gelo Alolino and Glenn Khobuntin, who are members of the Season 77 champion team.

This is the third leg of the “University Town” this season, which is on its second year of

featuring the eight schools competing in the country’s premier collegiate league.

Also featured in the NU special is Bulldogs’ best man on the football pitch, Mark Marcaida, a partially deaf and mute player who proudly wears NU’s colors in the UAAP Football competition. What makes Mark greater in the eyes of his peers is his ability to pick up game plans and execute them despite his handicap, as well as being able to juggle the life of a student and athlete who lives far away from his hometown in Masbate.

“U-Town’s” latest episode also gives the spotlight to members of the different competing teams of

NU in the UAAP that have been dominant in their disciplines and has shone for the NU athletic program like the Women’s Basketball Team, their Lawn Tennis representatives, the Cheerdance squad, and their Badminton shuttlers.

Don’t miss the chance to get to know more about the NU Bulldogs and their competitive spirit as a community as Robi and Gretchen come down to Recto and tour with “U-Town” on S+A and S+A HD this Sunday at 1 p.m. with a replay on Monday (July 24) at 8 p.m. For more information and stories, visit ABS-CBN’s sports hub sports.abs-cbn.com and follow @ABSCBNSports on Facebook and Twitter.

bet bags 4 gold medal

SINGAPORE—Maurice Sacho Ilustre capped his ASEAN Schools Games campaign with another gold medal, this time in the boys’ 200m butterfly Wednesday afternoon to emerge as the most bemedalled Filipino athlete at the Singapore Sports School with four golds.

Ilustre, a Grade 12 student at the De La Salle Zobel, clocked two minutes and 03.67 seconds to claim the gold.

The silver went to Rhys Jun Kai of Singapore (2:05.58) and the bronze was secured by Zelmi Aryalingga Azel of Indonesia (2:06.01).

Ilustre, who made waves in the Palarong Pambansa just this summer, bagged his fourth in this year’s ASG and the 13th overall for Team Philippines.

The star swimmer, who swept all of his seven events in last May’s Palaro in San Jose de Buenavista in Antique, said his four-week training in the US was a big factor to his performance.

“Malaking tulong talaga ‘yung training ko sa US para mag-improve ako,” said Ilustre, who also won the gold in the boys’ 200m freestyle, boys’ 100m backstroke and boys’ 100m butterfly.

Bhay Maitland Newberry, for her part, timed 30.95 to settle for the silver in the girls’ 50m backstroke.

Th gold went to Indonesia’s Kemala Fathihia Sofie, who clocked 30.47. Thailand’s Tepbud Sutatta (31.26) salvaged the bronze The Philippines’ Chef De Mission Rizalino Jose Rosales said he is satisfied of the country’s performance for having eclipsed its best finish of 11 golds, 14 silvers and 22 bronze medals in 2014.

“Nagdeliver kasi ng medals lahat ng events. Kaya satisfied ako sa lahat ng performance ng mga teams,” Rosales said.

As of 9 p.m. Thursday evening, the medal tally for Team Philippines stands at 13 golds, eight silvers and 21 bronze medals for sixth place overall.

Thailand is in the lead right now with 2926-32, while Indonesia is at second with its 25-33-29.

LOTTO RESULTS

Former NU and SMB star Danny lldefonso (left) is wth his son Shaun, who recently transferred to the Bulldogs’ bastion in the hope of following his dad’s footsteps.

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Sports

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

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FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

Ledecky leads US swimmers in Worlds FIVE-TIME Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky is powering into the swimming World Championships in Budapest, leading a US team out to build on their latest Olympic show of strength in Rio. To be sure some longtime standard-bearers are missing from the US squad—most notably the now-retired superstar Michael Phelps.

But in Ledecky the Americans have a surefire contender for multiple gold. The freestyle great is eligible for six events—the 200m, 400m, 800m and 1,500m freestyles and the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays.

That gives her plenty of scope to match or break Missy Franklin’s record of six gold medals at the 2013 worlds, the most titles won by a woman swimmer at a single championship.

Ledecky won four golds and a silver at the Rio Olympics. She opted to maintain her amateur status, and delivered one of the best collegiate swimming seasons ever by a freshman, helping Stanford University’s women win their first national title since 1998.

Since then she’s made a seamless return to long-course competition in what, for her, has been a relaxed post-Olympic year.

“I haven’t really set time goals for this year,” Ledecky said at the US trials. “Just kind of putting together some good swims and having fun with it.”

Ledecky is the undisputed superstar of the US team in Budapest with Phelps out of the picture, Ryan Lochte having just finished a 10-month suspension and Franklin recovering from shoulder surgery.

Nathan Adrian is a veteran presence on the men’s side, set to contest the 50m and 100m freestyles and relays.

Adrian, whose five Olympic gold medals include the 100m free title at the 2012 London Games, admitted it was “weird” to find himself an elder statesman on the team.

Adrian won the 100m free at trials ahead of Caeleb Dressel, the first time two men have broken 48 seconds in the 100 free at a US championships.

Four-time Olympic medalist Matt Grevers, 32, also brings a wealth of experience after booking a berth in the 100m backstroke a year after failing to qualify for Rio. A strong US supporting cast includes 2016 Olympic gold medalists Lilly King, Simone Manuel and Ryan Murphy—who helped the United States defy gloomy predictions and capture gold in half of the events in Rio. AFP

Perlas Spikers foil UP PERLAS-BANKO survived University of the Philippines’ gutsy stand and eked out a 30-28, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18 victory to stay in the semifinal race in the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan late Wednesday.

The Perlas Spikers bucked Diana Carlos and Isa Molde’s combined 42-hit effort to hack out the one-hour, 41-minute victory that kept them in the hunt for the last Final Four seat in the mid-season conference of the league organized by Sports Vision.

It was only Perlas-BanKo’s second win in five games and remained in fifth but the victory should fire up the Perlas Spikers in their last two games against the BaliPure Water Defenders and the Creamline Cool Smashers.

BaliPure is a shade better at 2-2 while Adamson is in sixth at 1-3 and UP and the Power Smashers are way behind with 1-4 slates with five playdates left in the single round robin elims.

Nicole Tiamzon fired 15 points against her former team while ace stopper Ella de Jesus also turned in a 15-hit performance while teaming up with Jessica Tan for 38 of PerlasBanKo’s 60 excellent digs.

Kathy Bersola, another former UP stalwart, backed them up with 14 markers while veteran campaigner and skipper Sue Roces delivered 13 hits for the Perlas Spikers.

UP held its ground in spikes, falling just three kills short of Perlas’ 55, while producing seven aces, two more than their tormentors.

But after coming through with a solid second set performance, the Lady Maroons failed to neutralize the Perlas Spikers’ power and sputtered with a number of mishits and miscues to lose the next two sets.

A member of Team Spain competes in the Women’s Team Free Routine preliminary during the synchronized swimming competition at the 2017 FINA World Championships in Budapest, on July 19, 2017. AFP

Perpetual Help Altas beat Mapua Cardinals, 63-60 P ERPETUAL Help went to AJ Coronel and made key defensive stops in the stretch as it survived the challenge of the Mapua Cardinals, 63-60, yesterday to book its first victory in the 93rd NCAA basketball tournament at the packed Mapua Gym in Intramuros, Manila.

GJ Ylagan and Prince Eze paced the Altas with the former churning out 13 points and the latter ending up with 11 points and 21 rebounds but it was Coronel who took charge in the end when he scored five of his 10 points in the last two minutes to seal their first win after two defeats, the

same record by the Cardinals.

Mapua had two chances of knotting the count and forcing overtime but Andoy Estrella and Almel Orquina misfired on their three-point attempts, allowing the Las Pinas-based school to escape with the win.

“He (Coronel) hit the big shots

in the end and we made key stops in the dying seconds and those things helped us get the win,” said Perpetual Help assistant coach Jimwell Gican in Filipino.

Leading by as much as 10 points and nine entering the final quarter, 49-40, the Altas fell into a maze errors and allowed the Cardinals to launch a furious fightback that saw the latter seizing a 58-57 lead with a little over two minutes.

And then Coronel stepped in and hit a layup from the baseline and a huge triple from the left corner to give Perpetual Help a fourpoint cushion, 62-58, and eventually the win as it hung tough enough to overcome Mapua’s one final comeback.

Games today (July 21) 8 a.m.- San Beda vs EAC (jrs) 10 a.m.- JRU vs Letran (jrs) 12 noon- San Beda vs EAC (srs) 2 p.m.- JRU vs Letran (srs) 4 p.m.- LPU vs San Sebastian (srs)

The Altas seized the initiative early and led, 19-16, at the end of the opening quarter but the turned things around with Andoy Estrella presiding over a run that saw it seize a 23-19 lead.

Despite missing eight of 10 free throws all in the second quarter and 6-11 Nigerian Prince Eze hobbled by foul trouble, Perpetual Help managed to regain control and went into the halftime break ahead, 32-27.

Earlier, defending champion Mapua downed Perpetual Help,

94-74, to join La Salle-Greenhills at the helm with pristine 3-0 (winloss) records.

Will Gozum led his team with 16 points while Warren Bonifacio did almost everything with 15 points and game-best 21 caroms and four blocks as the Red Robins claimed their third win in row.

The Junior Altas slid to 1-2.

The scores: Perpetual Help 63 – Ylagan 13, Eze 11, Singontiko 10, Coronel 10, Pido 9, Lucente 8, Dagangon 2, Yuhico 0, Tamayo 0.

Mapua 60 – Gabo 12, Estrella 11, Orquina 10, Victoria 9, Bunag 5, Aguirre 5, Raflores 4, Nieles 4.

Quarter scores: 19-16, 32-27, 49-40, 63-60.

Kelly bucks established MMA norms and trains alone

Eric Kelly (right) unloads a sweeping leg kick at opponent Hiroshige Tanaka during battle inside the ONE cage. Kelly next faces Kotetsu Boku in the coming ONE: Kings and Conquerors in Macau on August 5. ONE Championship

MOST mixed martial arts (MMA) world champions are forged in strong camps that bring in many great fighters.

In a very different atmosphere from boxing, MMA hardly sees any high-profile competitors building training camps around one man or woman as it often centered around a gym where several coaches work.

Eric “The Natural” Kelly, who has been described as a lone wolf, is an exception because he has never trained exclusively at an established MMA team and only hops from one gym to another.

“For me, I don’t have a stable gym where I train at full-time.

I train more naturally. Whichever gym I find myself in, that’s where I train. Mostly, I just watch YouTube videos and apply it to my training and then I go to some gyms to test it out.

I am in the constant search for more knowledge for my career,” Kelly said.

Kelly finds himself in familiar situation, wherein he has

Meralco, GlobalPort see Governors’ Cup action

By Jeric Lopez FOUR more teams plunge to action as the opening week continues in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. Last year’s finalist Meralco Bolts make their debut as they face unpredictable Blackwater side in their 4:15 p.m. clash to open the hostilities at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Three hours later, an intriguing affair follows as GlobalPort and Rain or Shine meet at 7 p.m. in the nightcap.

GlobalPort parades the guard pair of scorer Terrence Romeo and playmaker Stanley Pringle.

These four squads are looking to follow the footsteps of early winners Phoenix and NLEX, who took care of their opening assign-

ments to break into the winning column.

With reigning Best Import winner Allen Durham back in harness, many consider the Bolts to once again contend in this season’s version of the season-ending conference.

Meralco made its first finals appearance last year with Durham leading the charge before falling to defending champion Barangay

Ginebra.

The Elite will present a mysterious challenge as it will parade a fresh import in Trevis Simpson.

Just like the teams who will open the show, the Batang Pier and the Elasto Painters will present new faces as well in their duel.

GlobalPort will be reinforced by Jabril Trawick while Rain or Shine has JD Weatherspoon.

no specific team to formulate his game plan. He is tasked to take on Japanese veteran Kotetsu “No Face” Boku on the undercard of ONE: Kings and Conquerors in Macau, China on August 5.

Although he acknowledged that a reliable support team in his bouts is missing, Kelly intends to stick with the training regimen that he is used to.

Kelly has been seen diligently grinding at various local gyms in his hometown of Baguio City, while allotting time to make a trip down to Metro Manila to train in the city’s elite fight camps.

The 35-year-old native of Baguio City, Benguet bared that numerous MMA groups have offered and extended their helping hands as he prepares for his return to the ONE Championship cage, including the Mark Sangiao-mentored Team Lakay.

Team Lakay has become an instantly recognizable name in the Philippine MMA scene

because of the big number of successful homegrown talents it has produced since its inception in 2003.

Kelly revealed that he personally received an invite from Sangiao, who is the beloved headmaster of Team Lakay since its founding.

“Yes, he personally invited me to join Team Lakay. But we will talk about it. I see it as a great opportunity,” Kelly said.

Kelly and Sangiao know each other because they worked together in the Philippine national Wushu squad from 2001 to 2004.

According to Kelly, the only thing that hinders him from donning the Team Lakay’s bright red trunks is that he does not want to be confined in a particular team.

“I just don’t want to be stuck in one team. As much as possible, I want to explore all styles and forms of fighting. But I am open to all possibilities. Never say never in this sport. Mark and I will talk about it,” he said.

GlobalPort Batang Pier guard Terrence Romeo tries to dribble past Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee. The Batang Pier and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters clash in tonight’s PBA doubleheader.

Chelsea prices IPO at P10.68 per share B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

B1

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Thursday, July 20, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.8230

Japan

Yen

0.008933

0.4540

UK

Pound

1.301900

66.1665

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128069

6.5089

Switzerland

Franc

1.046792

53.2011

Canada

Dollar

0.793399

40.3229

Singapore

Dollar

0.731154

37.1594

Australia

Dollar

0.794900

40.3992

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654491

134.9092

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266695

13.5542

Brunei

Dollar

0.728491

37.0241

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.029758

1.5124

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.8377

Euro

Euro

1.151700

58.5328

Korea

Won

0.000890

0.0452

China

Yuan

0.148091

7.5264

India

Rupee

0.015564

0.7910

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.233399

11.8620

New Zealand

Dollar

0.735500

37.3803

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032922

1.6732 Source: PDS Bridge

IN BRIEF BSP names Fonacier as deputy governor THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas named Chuchi Fonacier as deputy governor in charge of supervising lenders, appointing its second woman of three deputies at the institution.

Fonacier, 56, started her career as a bank examiner in 1984 and worked her way up the ranks to become assistant governor in charge of compliance of financial institutions. She was appointed earlier this month as officer-in-charge of bank supervision, a position previously held by Governor Nestor Espenilla.

The other two deputies are Cyd Amador, 60, who was appointed earlier this year, and Diwa Guinigundo, 63. Espenilla, who took office in July, made the announcement of Fonacier’s appointment via a mobile-phone message on Thursday.

Fonacier, an accountant, helped lobby for laws that created a framework allowing lenders to issue securities backed by claims against mortgages, and special purpose vehicles to unload bad loans. She also encouraged mergers and acquisitions of and among the nation’s smaller banks. Bloomberg

Shakey’s spending P500m for 20 stores SHAKEY’S Pizza Asia Ventures Inc., the country’s leading chain of fullservice restaurants, said Thursday it will spend up to P500 million to open 20 stores this year as aims to sustain the double-digit growth in sales and profits.

SPAVI president and chief executive Vicente Gregorio said in an interview following the company’s annual stockholders meeting the company was expecting a “mid-teen” growth in net income this year, slower than the 30-percent rise in 2016.

He said among the factors contributing to higher costs this year were the peso depreciation which could increase the cost of imported raw materials and increased competition for good location and manpower.

“With regard to input cost, like many of our peers in the sector, we expected to face headwinds with regard to our input and operating expenses, particularly in the second half of 2017,” Gregorio said.

“To address these margin concerns, we will focus on improving efficiencies and lowering operating cost items. We will review overhead items as we attempt to grow leaner and meaner,” he said. Jenniffer B. Austria

Atimonan thanks ERC for PSA commitment NON-GOVERNMENT organizations in Atimonan town, Quezon province expressed their gratitude to the Energy Regulatory Commission after the regulator committed to act on the power supply agreement between Atimonan One Energy Inc. and Manila Electric Co. within a span of three months.

The PSA is currently pending for ERC approval, after which Atimonan One Energy can begin its construction of a 1,200-megawatt ultra super-critical coal-fired power plant in Barangay Villa Ibaba.

Various NGOs went to ERC and Batasang Pambansa, together with the local government and community of Atimonan on July 4 to express support for the project.

Among the groups that joined this cause were Samahan ng Maliliit na Mangingisda ng Balubad, Lubi, Talaba at Kilait, Barangay Tanod Federation, OFW Federation, Carinay Homeowners Association, Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina, Livelihood Program of Atimonan Tricycle Association Inc. and Farmers Federation.

Greg De Gracia, chairman of SMM BALTAK, who spoke on behalf of the Atimonan group, said they were happy at the result of their visit to both ERC and their participation at the congressional hearing.

“We are pleased by what the ERC commissioners had to say, as they promised to act on the PSA for the power plant within the next three months,” said De Gracia.

“We want to start this project as soon as possible because we believe that a power plant will speed up the development of Atimonan, and greatly help in uplifting the lives of Atimonanins,” he said.

INCLUSIVE BUSINESS. The Board of Investments starts releasing the details of the guidelines on Inclusive Business to concerned government agencies and stakeholders

involved in the evaluation and approval of IB investment projects. Shown are the participants of the inter-agency meeting at the BoI led by Assistant Secretary Felicitas AgoncilloReyes (seated, center).

Govt wants to open telecoms to foreigners L IMITS on foreign ownership of the Philippine telecom industry should be lifted to attract investment and improve its service, a senior Cabine official said Thursday.

Currently foreign firms can own a maximum 40 percent of Philippine utilities, including telecom companies, which should be raised, according to Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

“If we want to attract foreign direct investment, they have to have a larger stake in the investment,” he told reporters.

“Forty percent seems rather low. By raising that to 70 percent, it seems more attractive,” he said.

The Philippine telecom industry is dominated by just two companies―PLDT Inc. and Globe Telecom Inc.―and critics argue the duopoly has led to poor service and high charges.

One study said the country had the slowest internet speed in Asia-Pacific.

Pernia said such a change would require Congress passing a new law, which could prove contentious in a country where many lawmakers have interests in key industries.

However, the Philippine constitution sets the 40 percent ceiling and some analysts have warned scrapping the limit would require amending the constitution itself.

PLDT is run by a unit of Hong Kong-based First Pacific, which holds about 25 percent of the Philippine firm.

Rival Globe Telecom is a joint venture of Singtel and the Philippines’ Ayala group with the foreign investor owning about 20 percent outright.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office last year, has repeatedly called on the telecom industry to improve its service, threatening to bring in “new players” to improve competitiveness and quality.

In November last year, Duterte said the country needed foreign investment to improve its telecom and power sectors.

“I will open the Philippines so this (poor service) will all be gone,” he warned. AFP

ADB upgrades 2017 growth forecast to 6.5% THE Asian Development Bank on Thursday upgraded its growth forecasts for the Philippines, amid the improving economic prospects in Asia and on the government’s plan to ramp up infrastructure spending.

ADB said in a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook 2017 report that it raised its 2017 and 2018 growth outlook for the Philippines, after gross domestic product grew 6.4 percent in the first quarter.

“Growth forecasts are upgraded from 6.4 percent to 6.5 percent for 2017 and from 6.6 percent to 6.7 percent for 2018,” it said.

ADB said the Philippine government was making progress in ramping up infrastructure investment.

“In addition, tax reform likely to be approved in the second half of 2017 will unleash purchasing power in 2018 through lower personal income tax,” the bank said.

The Philippine economy grew 6.4 percent in the first

quarter of 2017, a moderation from 6.9 percent in the same period in 2016, partly reflecting a base effect from election spending last year.

ADB said the high first-quarter growth in Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore kept Southeast Asia on track to meet the 4.8-percent growth forecast this year and 5 percent in 2018.

ADB also upgraded its growth outlook in Developing Asia from 5.7 percent to 5.9 percent in 2017 and from 5.7 percent to 5.8 percent for 2018.

“Developing Asia is off to a good start this year with improved exports pushing growth prospects for the rest of 2017,” said ADB chief economist Yasuyuki Sawada.

“Despite lingering uncertainties surrounding the strength of the global recovery, we feel that the region’s economies are wellplaced to face potential shocks to the outlook,” Sawada said.

Combined growth for the major industrial economies is fore-

cast to remain at 1.9 percent in 2017 and 2018. Improved forecasts for the euro area and Japan due to robust domestic demand have offset the slight growth downturn in the US to 2.2 percent from the previously projected 2.4 percent as a result of disappointing first quarter results in 2017, it said.

ADB said by subregion, growth for East Asia was revised upward to 6 percent in 2017 and 5.7 percent in 2018 from the original projections of 5.8 percent and 5.6 percent, respectively.

After recent growth moderation, an increase in net exports and domestic consumption has improved growth prospects in the People’s Republic of China.

The world’s second largest economy is now expected to expand 6.7 percent in 2017 and 6.4 percent in 2018.

South Asia will remain the fastest growing of all subregions in Asia and the Pacific, with growth on track to meet original projections of 7 percent in 2017

and 7.2 percent in 2018, according to the report. India―the subregion’s largest economy―is expected to achieve previous growth projections of 7.4 percent in 2017 and 7.6 percent in 2018, primarily from strong consumption.

The outlook for Central Asia this year also improved as stronger domestic demand and exports in some countries have fueled an unexpected recovery in the subregion.

Growth is expected to reach 3.2 percent in 2017 and 3.8 percent in 2018 compared to the 3.1 percent and 3.5 percent original projections, respectively.

Growth in the Pacific is expected to remain at 2.9 percent in 2017 and 3.3 percent in 2018 with Papua New Guinea―the subregion’s largest economy― continuing its gradual recovery due to rebounding mining and agriculture industries. Stronger tourism prospects are also expected to drive growth further in the subregion, particularly in Fiji and Palau.

Finance to receive P3.5b from Mighty

By Julito G. Rada THE Finance Department is set to receive an initial payment of P3.5 billion from local cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp., representing a portion of its tax liabilities to the government, Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Thursday.

The amount would actually come from Japan Tobacco International, which agreed to buy Mighty Corp. and its assets for P45 billion.

Dominguez said the acceptance of the money would not mean the department was agreeing to the Mighty’s settlement offer of its tax liabilities.

He said even if the government accepted Mighty’s settlement offer, it would not preclude the company from any criminal charges that the Bureau of Internal Revenue might file against it in connection with its tax-related cases.

“We will accept the initial payment,” Dominguez said in a statement.

Mighty Corp. in a letter to BIR commissioner Caesar Dulay on July 10 offered to settle its tax liabilities for P25 billion

by July 20. The amount represents the deficiency excise taxes (P3.5 billion) and the internal revenue taxes of the company and its shareholders (P21.5 billion).

The letter signed by Mighty president and director Oscar Barrientos said that 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.”

PH firm set to export solar panels to China

By Alena Mae S. Flores SOLAR Philippines Power Project Holdings is set to export P10 billion worth of solar panels produced from its Batangas manufacturing facility to China next year, a top executive said.

Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste told reporters at the sidelines of the 5th Annual Philippines Power & Electricity Week Forum that the panels would be bought by Chinese companies which were seeking to reexport them to the US and Europe.

Solar Philippines also aims to construct 1,000 megawatts of solar projects in 2018 of which half would be in Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, India, the US and subSaharan Africa.

The local company will complete its first solar-battery projects in the Philippines this year which Leviste said would show that solar could supply reliable power at a lower cost than coal.

Leviste said while there were opportunities in the export market, the Philippines would remain the company’s main market.

“Exporting solar panels is not a viable business in itself, as global demand and regulations can change overnight. However, we took the risk on this factory, because even if the global market fizzles, we have our own projects that we can supply. This has allowed us to fully book our capacity for 2017, and build economies Solar Philippines assembles a team of Filipinos experienced in solar manufacturing at world-class standards, of scale to make our costs globally after a US solar company shut down its two factories in the Philippines last year. Solar Philippines now produces solar panels in Batangas province. competitive,” Leviste said.

B2

Business

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market retreats; Semirara, LT climb

S

TOCKS retreated Thursday, after a three-day gain, as investors await President Rodrigo Duterte’s Stateof-the-Nation address on July 24.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, shed 68 points, or 0.9 percent, to close at 7,904.34, as five of the six major sectors declined.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also tumbled 37 points, or 0.8 percent, to settle at 4,738.83, on a value turnover of P8.2 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 131 to 63, while 65 issues were unchanged.

Six of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Wilcon Depot Inc. which rose 2.1 percent to P8.89 and LT Group Inc. which went up 2 percent to P17.50. Semirara Mining and Power Corp. gained 1.8 percent to P165.20.

Meanwhile, Asian and European markets extended their latest rally Thursday following across-the-board records on Wall Street where traders were buoyed by another day of strong earnings.

Better-than-forecast results from New York titans IBM and American Express helped to fuel a buying spree and allowed investors to look past the crises engulfing Donald Trump and his stalled legislative agenda.

All three major indexes ended at all-time highs, which provided a platform for Asia.

Japan’s Nikkei ended up 0.6 percent after the country’s central bank cut its inflation forecasts again meaning its easy money policies would remain in place, while Sydney added 0.5 percent and Seoul was 0.5 percent higher.

Shanghai rose 0.4 percent and Hong Kong added 0.3 percent to extend a rally into its ninth straight day.

But while investors are upbeat about the corporate outlook Trump’s travails, along with stuttering indicators including on infla-

tion, are keeping the dollar at multi-month lows.

Hopes are quickly fading for the tycoon’s promises to boost the economy—which had fuelled a global rally after his November election—as the collapse of his key health care reforms this week throw his tax-cutting, big-spending plans into doubt.

The dollar enjoyed some small gains on profit-taking in US trade but was back under pressure Thursday as investors await the a policy meeting at the European Central Bank.

The euro had surged to a near 15-month high of $1.1583 Tuesday before dipping later in the day.

ECB chief Mario Draghi’s post-meeting statement will be pored over as an improving eurozone economy feeds speculation that the bank will start to soon reel in the vast stimulus measures.

“The risk today comes if Draghi puts his dovish hat on and suggests the program could simply be extended in its current form,” Craig

Chelsea prices IPO at P10.68 per share

By Jenniffer B. Austria CHELSEA Logistics Holdings Corp., a transportation company led

by Davao City-based businessman Dennis Uy, priced its initial public offering at P10.68 per share, enabling it to raise up to P5.84 billion in proceeds, according to the underwriter handling the transaction.

The final offer price is 27 percent lower than the maximum offer price of P14.63 earlier set by the company.

BDO Capital and Investments Corp. president Eduardo Francisco

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, JULY 20, 2017

NAME

OPEN

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 3.87 30,000 59.5 121,390 105.2 1,306,650 3.93 9,000 121.5 6,686,230 1.45 24,000 36.5 163,000 16.06 11,400 32.9 1,566,600 8.29 1,300 0.66 42,000 900 1,930 0.7 976,000 91.5 3,894,330 0.84 688,000 16.2 127,000 67.55 4,730 244.2 3,450 90 60 58 132,060 221.2 615,790 1,685 350 86.4 16,040 1.36 53,000

116,760 7,185,417 137,186,660 35,480 819,172,654 33,940 5,945,820 183,024 51,712,820 10,429 27,810 1,737,000 683,250 357,708,518 574,790 2,001,478 319,517.50 843,834 5,400 7,676,494 136,131,300 593,000 1,384,663.50 72,940

-955,592 90,437,458 -17,589,793 9,870,015 15,870.00 -6,614,286.50 134,500 15,716 -55,366.00 122,500 -5,400 580,000 -36,023,942 -992,077 -

39.25 8.9 0.83 1.42 31.55 0.265 190.2 7.25 18.6 29.45 14.54 68 75.1 2.02 5.31 11.56 12.46 15.44 12.54 7.84 5.89 1.69 18.72 67.65 14.88 13.62 15.76 2.01 218 67 4.02 3.45 32 19.94 18.7 271 0.243 9.6 3.16 7.9 9.66 7.6 10.3 1.93 11.64 67.9 6.63 304.4 4.5 2.2 5.1 3.01 13.14 4.52 0.144 1.36 161.3 4.02 2.06 1.04

INDUSTRIAL 39.25 1,057,100 8.99 647,400 0.84 1,404,000 1.42 863,000 31.7 62,800 0.265 1,970,000 200 2,230 7.28 5,387,500 18.7 1,857,000 29.65 1,073,200 15.3 276,100 69.2 276,410 75.2 3,240 2.02 232,000 5.31 30,000 11.56 5,400 12.5 4,202,000 15.58 3,709,300 12.8 2,372,200 7.85 2,715,400 5.89 6,705,800 1.69 3,000 18.74 743,900 67.8 183,150 14.9 36,100 13.66 44,900 15.9 1,977,600 2.03 1,874,000 220 998,670 67 4,690 4.25 584,000 3.45 9,000 32.05 1,372,200 20 397,600 18.7 4,307,900 271 596,900 0.249 1,120,000 9.8 115,600 3.19 2,468,000 7.99 1,212,000 9.67 3,392,100 7.6 245,200 10.3 159,200 1.94 453,000 12 8,300,700 67.95 487,160 6.65 28,300 305 213,870 4.55 43,000 2.3 18,000 5.1 49,100 3.12 9,670,000 13.18 223,300 4.54 604,000 0.145 1,080,000 1.37 92,000 162 776,250 4.02 23,000 2.17 28,476,000 1.04 175,000

41,989,925 5,815,518 1,169,410 1,232,190 1,998,575 522,450 447,727 39,333,245 34,743,130 31,709,030 4,457,186 19,126,269 252,099.50 471,430 159,300 62,438 52,522,504 57,740,360 30,403,608 21,399,459 39,765,451 5,070 14,006,012 12,425,082.50 538,262 614,142 31,447,574 3,823,560 220,925,338 314,230 2,486,090 31,050 44,290,380 7,965,938 80,601,316 163,489,516 273,320 1,130,784 7,877,010 9,717,380 32,824,321 1,924,356 1,640,636 879,060 99,739,426 33,150,797 188,806 65,216,444 193,800 39,700 250,530 30,267,530 2,941,586 2,749,100 156,700 126,670 125,788,444 92,470 60,396,740 182,100

-21,224,790 -107,762 -141,100 2,700 -53,504 10,979,280 5,284,995 -74,784.00 -7,604,267 24,276 -18,586,294 12,603,558 5,645,658 17,998,435 8,151,626 -8,718,394 -7,124,479.50 -396,486 5,834,336.00 6,060 85,323,218 165,400 -1,089,515.00 -2,704,674 -5,768,796.00 23,428,628 584,450 1,404,475 -37,152 1,940 -10,665,786 -1,983,955 46,730 -6,838,602 -175,700.00 -22,950 -159,130 -35,624 1,362,430 23,200 7,582,081 368,720 -46,800

0.375 75.75 14.08 1.17 7.14 0.335 0.335 870 7.95 15.76 7.8 0.209 1,244 8.68 79.6 5.3 1.06 6.94 17.6 0.44 6.9 0.053 1.03 2.2 103.1 2.92 797.5 0.87 1.6 255 303.8 0.29 0.21 0.25

0.37 72.7 13.94 1.14 7 0.33 0.335 855 7.9 15.32 7.62 0.208 1,229 8.18 78 5.02 1.02 6.85 17.2 0.41 6.67 0.051 1.03 2.16 102.7 2.79 790 0.87 1.56 190 300.2 0.29 0.208 0.25

HOLDING FIRMS 0.375 1,160,000 72.7 1,945,740 13.96 18,937,600 1.14 66,000 7.09 22,800 0.335 980,000 0.335 250,000 855 137,390 7.93 112,600 15.46 9,584,800 7.79 14,100 0.209 80,000 1,230 119,005 8.4 530,900 78 2,466,200 5.02 28,300 1.03 6,912,000 6.85 216,300 17.5 11,234,800 0.44 80,000 6.67 26,385,000 0.052 19,300,000 1.03 51,000 2.17 1,042,000 103 150,200 2.9 110,000 791 396,070 0.87 28,000 1.59 822,000 230 2,040 303.8 4,060 0.29 50,000 0.21 240,000 0.25 720,000

434,250 142,629,974 264,476,220 76,140 161,043 327,650 83,750 118,235,580 890,845 148,338,944 108,312 16,680 146,889,210 4,471,580 193,463,058.50 142,314 7,184,150 1,488,878 196,397,412 34,900 178,869,558 996,270 52,530 2,264,340 15,466,314 308,330 313,651,740 24,360 1,296,630 414,090 1,232,362 14,500 50,080 180,000

-104,133,303 -186,093,146 41,750,075 -301,423 41,993,308 83,158,290 -14,840.00 -138,589,461.50 -587,100 -43,827,040 -70,853,811 -67,270 2,751,205 -98,276,395 286,920 45,542 -

5.97 1.56 2.46 1.13 42 3.77 5.3

5.93 1.49 2.36 1.11 41.8 3.73 5.35

PROPERTY 5.94 367,400 1.5 14,173,000 2.36 37,000 1.11 1,873,000 41.9 5,984,800 3.73 1,459,000 5.23 5.29

2,188,388 21,645,240 87,820 2,085,130 250,675,135 5,467,580 7,532,500

-1,374,480 -17,610 49,950 71,267,475 -378,060 39,590,123

5.34 5.97 0.66 1.28 1.57 0.193 0.54 47.3 0.8 0.185 1.94 1.63 1.06 4.81 0.365 0.415 0.66 4.95 34.55

5.33 5.5 0.61 1.21 1.5 0.19 0.52 46.85 0.77 0.163 1.87 1.53 1.05 4.7 0.35 0.38 0.63 4.73 34.2

5.34 5.97 0.61 1.21 1.55 0.191 0.52 46.9 0.79 0.18 1.87 1.53 1.06 4.73 0.35 0.395 0.64 4.79 34.25

715,894 181,178 102,917,290 654,080 763,010 1,751,030 4,015,560 5,633,925 11,718,940 4,951,190 26,197,110 51,633,030 207,000 231,927,560 28,559,550 9,430,400 3,324,250 11,054,900 126,785

392,483 -11,795,240 -152,000 -1,107,630 -1,186,195 -2,274,440 -157,120 688,620 -4,197,080 158,297,270 527,900 -3,286,750 6,500 -173,580 -

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE 3.99 ASIA UNITED 59.7 BANK PH ISLANDS 105 BDO LEASING 3.98 BDO UNIBANK 122.4 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.43 CHINABANK 36.65 COL FINANCIAL 16.18 EAST WEST BANK 33 FILIPINO FUND 8 FIRST ABACUS 0.67 MANULIFE 900 MEDCO HLDG 0.71 METROBANK 91.9 NTL REINSURANCE 0.86 PB BANK 15.7 PHIL NATL BANK 68 PHIL STOCK EXCH 247.8 PSBANK 90 RCBC 59 SECURITY BANK 222 SUN LIFE 1,700 UNION BANK 86.35 VANTAGE 1.4

3.99 59.7 105.2 3.98 123 1.45 36.65 16.18 33.2 8.29 0.67 900 0.71 93 0.86 16.2 68 247.8 90 59 223.8 1,700 86.4 1.4

3.79 58.3 104.5 3.93 121.5 1.4 36.45 16.04 32.65 8 0.66 900 0.69 91.2 0.82 15.6 67.4 244.2 90 58 220 1,685 85.7 1.36

ABOITIZ POWER 40.15 AGRINURTURE 8.95 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.84 ALSONS CONS 1.43 ASIABEST GROUP 31.75 BASIC ENERGY 0.265 BOGO MEDELLIN 215.4 CEMEX HLDG 7.29 CENTURY FOOD 18.6 CIRTEK HLDG 29.5 CNTRL AZUCARERA14.56 CONCEPCION 68 CONCRETE A 82.7 CROWN ASIA 2.05 DAVINCI CAPITAL 5.31 DEL MONTE 11.7 DNL INDUS 12.54 EAGLE CEMENT 15.48 EEI CORP 12.9 EMPERADOR 7.89 ENERGY DEVT 5.95 EUROMED 1.69 FIRST GEN 19 FIRST PHIL HLDG 67.9 GINEBRA 14.98 HOLCIM 13.72 INTEGRATED MICR 16.06 IONICS 2.06 JOLLIBEE 220.4 LIBERTY FLOUR 67 LMG CHEMICALS 4.4 MABUHAY VINYL 3.45 MANILA WATER 32.3 MAXS GROUP 20.35 MEGAWIDE 18.74 MERALCO 274.6 MG HLDG 0.243 PANASONIC 9.69 PEPSI COLA 3.16 PETROENERGY 8.3 PETRON 9.77 PHIL H2O 7.9 PHINMA 10.44 PHINMA ENERGY 1.94 PHX PETROLEUM 11.96 PILIPINAS SHELL 68.4 PRYCE CORP 6.63 PUREFOODS 304.4 RFM CORP 4.52 ROXAS AND CO 2.2 ROXAS HLDG 5.1 SFA SEMICON 3.13 SHAKEYS PIZZA 13.32 SPC POWER 4.57 SWIFT FOODS 0.144 TKC METALS 1.39 UNIV ROBINA 162.1 VICTORIAS 4.03 VITARICH 2.07 VULCAN INDL 1.05

40.25 9.05 0.84 1.45 32.2 0.27 215.4 7.35 18.92 30.2 18 69.6 82.7 2.05 5.31 11.7 12.54 15.7 13 7.99 5.97 1.69 19 68 14.98 13.72 16.06 2.1 223.4 67 4.45 3.45 32.4 20.35 18.8 275 0.249 10 3.2 8.3 9.82 7.95 10.44 1.97 12.5 68.4 6.79 315 4.55 2.3 5.2 3.2 13.32 4.58 0.146 1.4 163 4.03 2.19 1.05

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

0.375 75.5 14.08 1.17 7 0.335 0.335 868 7.9 15.76 7.8 0.208 1,238 8.28 79.4 5.3 1.04 6.92 17.2 0.41 6.84 0.052 1.03 2.2 103.1 2.8 796 0.87 1.6 255 303.6 0.29 0.21 0.25

8990 HLDG 5.95 A BROWN 1.53 ARANETA PROP 2.44 ARTHALAND CORP 1.13 AYALA LAND 42 BELLE CORP 3.76 CEB LANDMASTERS -1,111,152.00 CEBU HLDG 5.33 CEBU PROP A 5.72 CENTURY PROP 0.66 CITY AND LAND 1.25 CITYLAND DEVT 1.53 CROWN EQUITIES 0.19 CYBER BAY 0.53 DOUBLEDRAGON 47.3 EMPIRE EAST 0.79 EVER GOTESCO 0.163 FILINVEST LAND 1.89 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.63 IRC PROP 1.05 MEGAWORLD 4.76 MRC ALLIED 0.365 PHIL ESTATES 0.38 PHIL REALTY 0.66 PRIMEX CORP 4.91 PTFC REDEV CORP 34.55

VOLUME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

24.9 1.8 3.25 34.7 1.04 7 0.94 5.89

24.05 1.78 3.25 33.55 1.02 6.67 0.9 5.74

24.05 1.79 3.25 33.55 1.02 7 0.92 5.76

2,943,500 137,000 20,000 7,118,200 1,973,000 5,000 55,000 12,370,500

72,128,785 244,700 65,000 240,923,995 2,018,900 34,695 50,610 71,388,658

28,327,010 -78,820 -62,296,785 103,000 -8,132 -5,354,837

2GO GROUP 23.5 ABS CBN 42.95 ACESITE HOTEL 1.83 APC GROUP 0.5 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.043 BLOOMBERRY 9.46 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.085 CEBU AIR 98 CENTRO ESCOLAR 9.61 DFNN INC 9.5 DISCOVERY WORLD 2.23 FAR EASTERN U 990 GLOBE TELECOM 2,036 GMA NETWORK 6.28 GOLDEN HAVEN 15.36 GRAND PLAZA 13.2 HARBOR STAR 3.06 IMPERIAL 3.5 INTL CONTAINER 106 IPEOPLE 12.14 IPM HLDG 8.55 ISLAND INFO 0.189 ISM COMM 1.41 JACKSTONES 3.36 LBC EXPRESS 16.18 LEISURE AND RES 5.18 LORENZO SHIPPNG 1.99 MACROASIA 9.25 MANILA BULLETIN 0.59 MANILA JOCKEY 2.33 MELCO RESORTS 8.53 METRO RETAIL 4.22 MLA BRDCASTING 21.9 NOW CORP 2.56 PACIFIC ONLINE 11.44 PAL HLDG 5.2 PHIL RACING 8.25 PHIL SEVEN CORP 176 PHILWEB 10.62 PLDT 1,685 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.58 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.435 PUREGOLD 47.2 ROBINSONS RTL 87.5 SBS PHIL CORP 6.05 SSI GROUP 5.03 STI HLDG 1.58 TRANSPACIFIC BR 1.96 TRAVELLERS 3.62 WATERFRONT 1.37 WILCON DEPOT 8.75

24.7 43.1 1.84 0.5 0.044 9.6 0.086 98.2 9.61 10.38 2.23 990 2,036 6.29 15.42 13.2 3.11 3.55 106.5 12.58 8.67 0.192 1.41 3.36 16.18 5.18 2.34 9.91 0.61 2.35 8.53 4.22 24 2.59 11.46 5.29 8.25 176 10.62 1,699 1.59 0.44 47.3 88 6.06 5.1 1.58 1.96 3.69 1.43 9.08

23.5 42.85 1.72 0.49 0.042 9.2 0.081 97.5 9.61 9.5 2.22 990 2,010 6.25 15.36 13.2 3.03 3.4 105.9 12.12 8.5 0.185 1.38 3.25 16.18 4.92 1.98 9.25 0.59 2.3 8.05 4.12 18 2.55 11.44 5.2 8.25 175 10.3 1,662 1.57 0.435 46.4 87 6.05 4.73 1.53 1.95 3.62 1.32 8.75

SERVICES 23.75 949,200 42.95 20,900 1.77 935,000 0.5 86,000 0.043 14,900,000 9.22 12,154,800 0.082 151,560,000 97.8 231,580 9.61 2,000 10 4,165,300 2.22 11,000 990 1,800 2,020 47,790 6.27 404,100 15.36 33,600 13.2 21,900 3.06 1,278,000 3.4 67,000 106.2 1,951,680 12.58 25,200 8.5 292,000 0.189 13,810,000 1.4 1,111,000 3.25 33,000 16.18 1,900 4.94 2,542,000 2.25 26,726,000 9.7 4,050,400 0.6 176,000 2.35 2,121,000 8.4 8,365,400 4.15 4,535,000 18 65,500 2.57 1,880,000 11.46 22,500 5.2 31,800 8.25 2,249,600 175.1 296,240 10.38 1,444,600 1,665 130,780 1.57 2,897,000 0.435 2,640,000 46.5 845,200 87.65 2,205,660 6.05 353,300 4.9 17,166,000 1.54 13,772,000 1.96 5,000 3.67 2,451,000 1.33 36,208,000 8.89 20,964,800

22,874,160 897,190 1,649,050 42,740 640,500 113,504,217 12,643,450 22,655,059.50 19,220 41,591,495 24,460 1,782,000 96,525,790 2,533,327 517,180 289,080 3,919,280 230,740 207,291,777 306,354 2,526,060 2,606,920 1,548,810 107,760 30,742 12,766,184 58,467,280 39,445,908 105,390 4,899,940 69,415,468 18,863,790 1,420,970 4,820,190 257,838 167,496 18,559,200 52,137,871 15,156,712 218,445,225 4,569,320 1,148,700 39,648,690 193,386,866 2,137,532 84,259,550 21,396,470 9,790 8,953,610 49,663,970 187,085,665

-633,120 -1,128,131 498,000 4,070,510 9,610 149,280.00 -53,481,550 -152,910.00 114,060,437 25,160 -14,000 32,975 -37,610 2,086,397 -9,856,729 -1,648,960 117,870 2,080 10,500 -740,230 -17,164,475 5,812,840 -12,522,851.50 -6,657,920 30,800 1,493,340 -396,500 20,447,121

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING 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

0.003 1.71 5.11 2.02 2.01 1.24 0.39 8.52 2.77 0.295 0.189 0.197 0.012 0.012 2.1 6.58 2 0.61 1.25 0.01 0.013 2.66 9.21 3.04 162.3 0.0085

0.0031 1.72 5.2 2.02 2.01 1.28 0.39 8.87 2.79 0.3 0.192 0.202 0.012 0.012 2.15 6.7 2.01 0.61 1.25 0.01 0.013 2.67 9.25 3.09 167.2 0.0085

0.0029 1.66 5.11 2 2.01 1.14 0.385 8.52 2.72 0.29 0.185 0.192 0.011 0.012 2.08 6.35 1.98 0.6 1.22 0.01 0.012 2.63 9.08 3.04 162.3 0.0084

MINING & OIL 0.0031 917,000,000 1.67 11,881,000 5.2 77,000 2 30,000 2.01 5,000 1.15 19,282,000 0.385 100,000 8.83 12,600 2.72 3,379,000 0.295 2,860,000 0.185 12,520,000 0.192 2,810,000 0.011 366,200,000 0.012 3,000,000 2.09 704,000 6.45 7,628,300 2 54,000 0.6 694,000 1.22 410,000 0.01 500,000 0.012 64,800,000 2.63 11,000 9.12 949,300 3.05 310,000 165.2 1,880,640 0.0084 16,000,000

2,802,400 20,028,780 398,075 60,060 10,050 23,349,250 38,550 110,491 9,235,000 847,400 2,343,850 561,330 4,030,900 36,000 1,485,470 49,413,063 107,350 418,180 501,750 5,000 777,800 29,180 8,669,972 948,260 311,714,355 134,900

-63,000 1,132,750 -155,970 466,070 -2,007,800 509,960 105,000 -9,278,073 29,900 60,000 2,437,400 -8,706,569 -

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

43.2 516 520 106.5 105 112.5 512 517 6.04 1,011 1,020 1.05 108 1,015 106 2.01 76.5 81.7 76.9 78 81 79 78.5 78.9

43.2 516 520 106.5 105 112.5 512 517 6.06 1,011 1,020 1.05 108 1,015 106 2.01 76.5 81.7 76.9 78 81 79 78.5 78.9

43.2 515.5 515 106.5 104.6 112.5 512 517 6 1,011 1,020 1.05 108 1,015 105.9 2 75.6 81.7 76 78 80.95 79 78.5 78.8

PREFERRED 43.2 48,900 516 27,040 515 4,500 106.5 28,000 104.7 6,560 112.5 100 512 500 517 100 6.05 1,026,300 1,011 2,000 1,020 830 1.05 22,000 108 80 1,015 1,700 105.9 140 2 16,000 75.6 42,630 81.7 18,590 76.2 30,800 78 160 80.95 1,480 79 6,300 78.5 100,010 78.9 162,220

2,112,480 13,952,630 2,320,195 2,982,000 688,086 11,250 256,000 51,700 6,185,603 2,022,000 846,600 23,100 8,640 1,725,500 14,836 32,030 3,234,220 1,518,803 2,348,838 12,480 119,806.50 497,700 7,850,785 12,798,458

0 -2,200,737 50,750 118,200

LR WARRANT

3.12

3.14

3.05

WARRANTS 3.05 1,286,000

3,956,930

-27,450

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

3.91 6 8.1

3.91 6 8.15

3.89 5.8 7.96

SME 3.89 5.98 8

269,030 613,118 6,991,358

2,289,504

120.6

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 119.5 119.5 33,480

10.5

DDS 10.5

NAME

OPEN

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

24.85 1.8 3.25 34.6 1.04 6.67 0.9 5.86

MS 134,100 32,200 164,531,000 534,000 500,000 9,190,000 7,536,000 119,900 15,000,000 27,710,000 13,890,000 32,978,000 196,000 48,985,000 80,390,000 23,480,000 5,171,000 2,278,000 3,700

FIRST METRO ETF 120 USD DMPL A1

10.5

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

16,474,901

INDUSTRIAL

107,529,803

HOLDING FIRMS

104,619,987

PROPERTY

488,774,899

SERVICES

361,384,669

MINING & OIL

1,433,123,451

GRAND TOTAL

2,512,989,572

10.5

69,000 104,100 873,800

400

4,033,288 4,200

22,800 -

VALUE 1,956.30 (down) 2.94 1,531,382,147.37 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,199.01 (down) 46.71 1,468,828,250.23 HOLDING FIRMS 7,851.39 (down) 103.13 1,822,548,564.89 PROPERTY 3,728.82 (down) 44.56 SERVICES 1,680.38 (down) 8.03 1,208,124,670.12 MINING & OIL 12,883.40 (up) 23.40 1,729,779,232.95 PSEI 7,904.34 (down) 68.56 438,074,661.178 All Shares Index 4,738.83 (down) 37.13 8,210,649,049.19 Gainers: 63; Losers: 131; Unchanged: 65; Total: 259

said in a text message that at P10.68 per share, the offering would be sufficiently covered and would provide investors an upside for growth.

“We have convinced Mr. Uy to give an upside and to ensure the success of the IPO,” Francisco said.

Francisco said investors who were previously unsure of investing in CLC because of the financial restatement of its investee company 2Go Group Inc. would now be enticed to buy the stock because of its attractive offer price.

“The shipping and logistics industry plays a vital role in boosting trade and commerce within the Philippines and among countries. That makes Chelsea Logistics a sound and fulfilling investment,” Francisco said.

CLC will sell 546.593 million new common shares during the offer period on July 24 to 31.

The shares, which represent 30 percent of the company’s outstanding common shares, will be listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange on Aug. 8 under the ticker symbol “CLC”.

“Chelsea Logistics has received strong interest from institutional investors and continues to attract more, as it proceeds with its initial public offer of common shares,” Francisco said.

Investors earlier expressed concern about the impact of 2Go’s financial restatement on the company’s business prospects. The restatement resulted in substantial reduction in 2Go’s 2015 and 2016 profits.

PSE plans follow-on offering THE Philippine Stock Exchange plans to sell 11.5 million common shares through a follow-on offering which could raise up P2.8 billion in fresh capital.

PSE said in a disclosure that its board in a special meeting authorized the issuance of 11.5 million common shares out of the unissued portion of the company’s authorized capital stock offered to the public.

The share sale is a part of the company’s move to reduce brokers’ ownership in the stock exchange to 20 percent as prescribed under the Securities Regulation Code.

Other details of the share sale remain to be finalized including the timetable.

The sale of 11.5 million common shares will generate up to P2.8 billion in proceeds, based on the PSE’s closing price of P245 per share Wednesday.

The local bourse said it would use the proceeds from the fund raising activity to finance the acquisition of PDS Holdings Corp. and working capital requirements of the exchange.

The PSE has been planning to acquire a majority stake in PDS Holdings, which serves as the holding firm for fixed-income trading platform Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp., Philippine Depositary and Trust Corp. and Philippine Securities Settlement Corp.

The PDS acquisition was valued at P2 billion.

Newly elected PSE president Ramon Monzon earlier said he would focus on two major programs this year, including reducing brokers’ ownership in the stock exchange to 20 percent and completing the PDS Holdings acquisition.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Motoring

T

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

B3

O SAY that

Honda is on a roll is an understatement. After making headlines about the domestic release of the iconic Civic Type R, Honda Cars Philippines, Inc. (HCPI), is introducing an upgraded version of its subcompact best seller, the Jazz and its dynamic people mover, the Mobilio.

First seen at the Gaikindo Autoshow in Indonesia last year, The 7-seater Multi-purpose Utility Vehicle (MUV) now comes with a bolder and sportier exterior, enhanced interior, and upgraded comfort and safety features that satisfy the Filipino families’ needs and expectations in an allaround vehicle.

The New Mobilio sports a bolder exterior with its redesigned front fascia characterized by a new front grille and headlights with LED Guide Type Position Lights that truly highlight Honda’s unique identity. The 1.5 V CVT and 1.5 E MT variants boast a new Chrome Front Grille complemented by newlydesigned 15-inch Aluminum Alloy Wheels (for the 1.5 V CVT variant) for a tougher and stronger stance. The top-of-the-line New Mobilio 1.5 RS Navi variant is made even sportier with its new RS design Gloss Black Front Grille, and newly-designed 15inch RS design Aluminum Alloy Wheels.

Inside, customers are welcomed with a new sophisticated dashboard packed with smart and functional controls. Furthermore, the New Mobilio retains a spacious cabin designed to comfortably accommodate a family of seven. The second row has 60:40 split folding seats that Slide, Recline, and features a One Touch Fold-to-Tumble function to create generous legroom and knee clearance as well as easy ingress and

Honda rolls out upgraded Jazz and Mobilio egress from the third row. Meanwhile, the third row has 50:50 Split folding seats that recline and has a Fold-to-Tumble back seats flexibility in accommodating different hauling needs.

The New Mobilio is powered by a 1.5-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine that produces 120PS at 6,600rpm and 145Nm of torque at 4,600rpm. The engine is mated to either a 5-speed Manual

FASTLANE

(From left) Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corporation FVP for Vehicle Sales & Marketing Froilan G. Dytianquin, President & CEO Yoshiaki Kato, GMAKF EVP and COO Rikki Escudero-Catibog, Founder and Ambassador Mel C. Tiangco, and GMA Network Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon.

(Photo credit to GMAKF)

Mitsubishi partners with GMA Kapuso Foundation ON ITS commitment to contribute to the enrichment of the society and as a responsible corporate citizen, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. (MMPC) partnered with GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) on a project in Barangay Iraya in Buhi Camarines Sur. Dubbed as “Kapuso Tulay para sa Kaunlaran”, this project aims to replace the broken bridge in Barangay Iraya which was severely damaged last year due to typhoon Nina. Residents of the barangay most especially the children who cross the bridge as the only access for them to go to the school were afraid of the danger and accidents that may happen.

Thru MMPC and GMAKF’s partnership, construction of the steel hanging bridge will be made possible.

MMPC donated one million pesos to fund the construction of the said bridge. During the ceremonial turnover of donation, MMPC President and CEO, Mr. Yoshiaki Kato said, “MMPC believes that this project will greatly benefit our kababayan in Camarines Sur specifically the school children of Barangay Iraya. We hope that thru our simple generosity we will be able to transform and improve the lives of these people. May this project create big impact to the residents and further encourage the children of Brgy.

Iraya to pursue their education”. MMPC also thanked GMAKF for the opportunity to partner with them in this worthwhile project. GMAKF Founder and Ambassador Mel C. Tiangco in response expressed the foundation’s heartfelt appreciation for the donation and assured that the donation will really go to those who deserve it.

Mr. Kato together with MMPC FVP for Vehicle Sales and Marketing, Mr. Froilan G. Dytianquin were warmly received

by GMA Network Chairman and CEO Atty. Felipe L. Gozon, GMAKF Founder and Ambassador Mel C. Tiangco, GMAKF EVP and COO Rikki Escudero-Catibog during the turnover ceremony held at the GMA Network Center.

Transmission (for the E variant) or a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) developed under Earth Dreams Technology that delivers a dynamic and fuel efficient driving performance. Also new to the New Mobilio 1.5 RS Navi variant are Paddle Shifters that provide an even sportier driving experience.

New Jazz now has RS Variant Honda’s best selling Jazz also

gets upgraded with a new “RallyeSport” variant. Enhanced with additional features and sporty updates, the New Jazz aims to give customers the traditional fun driving experience as well as utmost utility and convenience expected from a Honda. Further, the New Jazz will now have a 1.5 RS Navi variant that will gratify customers looking for a more sporty hatchback. The Jazz RS Navi

Trade show highlights domestic transport and logistics THE Philippines may be dubbed as the rising tiger of Asia but in the logistics sector, it is still far from reaching its full potential. According to the 2016 World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index (LPI), the country ranks 71 among 160 countries while Malaysia is at the 32nd spot, Thailand at 46, Indonesia at 63, and Vietnam at 64. Singapore made it to the top 5. To play catch up, the industry must aim for transformation and reinvention.

“There are a lot of challenges for the logistics sector. To start with we are an archipelago, much of the economic activity and developments over the past years have been concentrated in the major cities of Manila, Cebu, and Davao, and then you throw in traffic and port congestion.

The industry has it going tough,” shared Patrick-Lawrence Tan, CEO of Global-Link MP Events International, Inc. “That’s why five years ago, we decided to launch Transport and Logistics Philippines – a trade show that would not only highlight products and technologies for this industry but connect the stakeholders to people who may have a solution for a challenge they are facing and this includes the aftermarket industry as well.”

Since it started in 2013, Transport & Logistics Philippines has brought together hundreds of manufacturers and distributors of commercial vehicles, trucks, buses, and supply chain technologies with thousands more professionals in the industry. This time, it will present a bigger showcase at the SMX Convention Center Manila on August 17 to 19 along with a focused knowledge-sharing forum where a select group of experts will share practicebased insights to help logistics companies move forward.

“One of this year’s goals is to strengthen awareness of the new policies, facilitate adoption of best practices, and, at the same time, promote and maximize the exposure of emerging technologies,” shared Tan. The forum will only be limited to a small group. Interested delegates may inquire by emailingregine.aragon@globallinkmp. com. “There will also be several international pavilions focusing on the aftermarket industry for auto, trucks and motorcycle looking for local distributors and partners in the Philippines. Business opportunities will be in abundance at the show,” Tan added.

variant comes with an exclusive sporty exterior design, which features new LED headlights with Daytime Running Lights (DRL), RS-design Tailgate Spoiler, RSdesign Front Bumper with Fog Lights, RS-design Rear Bumper, new Front Grille with RS emblem, Side Sill Garnish, 16-inch Gloss Black Aluminium Alloy Wheels and Gloss Black Side Mirrors that give it a more dynamic and aggressive exterior look.

Other features of the new Jazz are the Touch Panel Automatic Air-Conditioning, Smart Entry with Push Start System, Paddle Shifters and additionally Cruise Control and Speed Sensing Auto Door Lock will be available with the 1.5 VX Navi CVT and 1.5 RS Navi CVT variants while Steering Wheel Audio Controls will be available for all CVT variants.

The New Jazz is powered by a 1.5Liter SOHC i-VTEC engine that produces a maximum power of 120 ps at 6,600 rpm and 14.8

kg-m of torque at 4,800 rpm. The engine is mated to either a 5-speed Manual Transmission (1.5 V MT) or Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) developed based on Honda’s Earth Dreams Technology. Both of which provide responsive performance, acceleration and improved fuel efficiency.

All CVT variants also feature Honda’s Eco Assist System which consists of the ECON button and eco-coaching ambient meter to promote smart and fuel efficient driving habit.

The interior of the New Jazz 1.5 RS Navi variant features a new Seat Fabric Design, 3-Spoke Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel and Shift Knob - all of which are finished in Orange Stitching, giving it a sportier feel. To complement the overall sporty package of the New Jazz 1.5 RS Navi, comes in an exclusive Phoenix Orange Pearl color.

Price of the new Jazz starts at P799,000 for the entry level and P1,029,000 for the Jazz RS and Mobilio RS Navi variants.

Truck show highlights Hyundai trucks HYUNDAI Asia Resources Inc. (HARI), the Philippines’ official distributor of Hyundai passenger and commercial vehicles, will be showcasing the H350 luxury van along with the best-selling Hyundai Trucks and Buses line-up at the Philippines Bus & Truck Expo 2017 from July 14 to July 16 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City.

HARI, as one of the major participants in this year’s PHILBUS & TRUCK, is addressing the growing demand for commercial vehicles in response to the call of the government to improve mass transportation and develop infrastructures that can reduce poverty by 2022.

Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, HARI President and CEO said, “We are committed to broaden our corporate horizon by constantly seeking new market spaces to create value and experiences for consumers. As we position the HARI Commercial Vehicle Division to be the Filipino’s lifetime provider of sustainable customer solutions in freight, payload, and mass mobility needs, we open new venues to drive the ascent of the Philippine economy.”

Moving Industries Hyundai trucks are specially built for the toughest jobs without sacrificing safety and

comfort—both for the occupant and owner’s profitability. Perez-Agudo added, “Their durability leads to business sustainability.

These are vehicles that offer more flexibility in moving goods because of their dependable and balanced design. They are designed to move businesses for the long haul without sacrificing efficiency.”

As for the Hyundai buses, Pe r e z -A g u d o said, “Our buses don’t only look good; they are also much safer than the usual ones plying our streets. Transport operation owners can trust and be truly proud of them because of their cutting-edge design, comfort, global quality standards, reliable build, and exceptional performance.”

The addition of Hyundai Trucks and Buses to HARI’s product line-up serves as the cherry on top of the company’s consistent growth. Because aside from celebrating their 16th anniversary after being appointed

by Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) of South Korea as the official Philippine distributor of Hyundai vehicles in 2001, HARI has also recently bagged the HMC Global Distributor of the Year award in Seoul, South Korea last May 2017.

The call of the wild!

NOTHING gets in your way and have that confidence on and off the road with Black Rhino’s Karoo! Available in Matte Black and or with six gold spokes, the Karoo is among the latest line of Black Rhino wheels to arrive from the United States.

Karoo is sure to be a big hit with off highway tuners. It’s one of the newest off road wheels from Black Rhino, a fresh new design that telegraphs both ruggedness and style.

Seven cam-shaped spokes are deeply recessed in the wheels barrel, giving Karoo unique dimensionality. To cover the full range

of stock and lifted off highway vehicles, Karoo off road rims are available in 17X8 18X8.5, 20x9.5, 22X10, and 24x10 sizes.

Offsets range from 15mm to 52mm for five, and six lug bolt patterns. These truck rims sport huge lips to provide safe bead seating for oversized tires. Karoo truck wheels are featured in matte black, matte black with tinted machined face, and gloss gunmetal.

So when it comes to choosing well built, tough looking wheels for your off road rig, lifted truck or sport utility vehicle, give it horns with Black Rhino Wheels.

Motoring

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Edi tor DIN O DIREC TO III A ss t . Edi tor

B4

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

CTEK

introduces new line of

smart chargers Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

W

ITH THE growing popularity of

off-road trailing/camping in the country, four-wheel enthusiasts are looking for ways to make the outdoors life more convenient and hassle-free. CTEK, the World’s acknowledged battery maintenance and power charging authority is set to revolutionize the market with its latest line of smart battery chargers

As a product whose reputation and innovation is geared towards the advancement of battery management and smart charging systems, CTEK’s new D250S Dual charger is designed to handle modern vehicle electronics with ease. New cars such as the Toyota 200 series Land Cruiser and the Nissan Navara D40 are fitted with technologically advanced smart alternators to use less fuel and meet today’s tighter exhaust emission standards.

Smart alternators lower the load on the engine by adjusting the alternator output voltage to suit. A quick burst of voltage will start the vehicle; the voltage outputs will then drop to a lower level.

The D250S Dual charger will automatically switch on at a lower voltage level than traditional DCto-DC chargers. Providing the ignition is on, its input range from 10V to 22Vallows the system to operate when the output voltage from the smart alternator drops.

This versatile system can also draw power from a solar source when the ignition is off, keeping your batteries in top condition and charged to their maximum capacity.

CTEK’s line up of smart chargers provides convenience and a hassle-free camping for off-road enthusiasts

The D250S Dual is a fully automatic, five-stage charger that supplies 20A to 12V batteries of 40-300Ah. It charges quickly, extending battery life and optimising performance to give you the power to explore! With CTEK, you can power up and enjoy the great outdoors without the hassle of having a flat battery. Using the D250S Dual will provide your battery the power it needs

Edbert Tiu of CTEK PH demonstrates how to power up your battery

to keep those camp lights on and have those beers cold at the fridge at camp night. ”A sensor on the CTEK charger senses the battery temperature and adjusts the required charge by increasing the voltage in cold weather ensuring the battery is fully charged, and dropping the voltage in hot weather to avoid the problems of overcharging. With the D250S DUAL, vehicle owners can be confident

that their battery will always receive the optimal charging voltage, with reduced charge time and while ensuring the charging will be 100 % complete,” explains Johann Tiu of CTEK Philippines.

The charger is IP65 classified (splash proof and dust protected and approved for outdoor use), protects vehicle electronics and is suitable for all types of lead-acid batteries (Wet, MF, Gel, AGM).

A two-year guarantee gives peace of mind.

“This device is perfect for individuals who love exploring the great outdoors. It was designed and engineered for extensive use on off-road vehicles, boats, camper vans, RV’s and service vehicles,” adds Tiu. CTEK is available in car accessory shops and accredited dealers such as Blade nationwide.

This CTEK powered Jeep Rubicon is ready to tackle off-road trails anytime and anywhere

LGUs

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

C1

THINKING MABINI. Members of the Kapisanan ng mga May Kapansanan sa Nueva Vizcaya bring their ‘Apolinario Mabini Ka Look-Alike Contest’ entry for judging as they celebrate National Disability Prevention and Rehabilitation Week with an opening program at the provincial capitol grounds in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya. Mabini, the national hero and so-called ‘Brains of the Philippine Revolution,’ was a paraplegic. Ben Moses Ebreo

‘Alulod’ water saving urged

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

T

HE Department of Environment and Natural Resources said there is a need to intensify promotion of rain harvesting methods, including catching rainwater through house gutters or “alulod” for non-potable household use, to help avert potential serious water shortage in the next few years.

The DENR made the proposal later this year. during the conclusion of the seThe pre-summit meetings ries of meetings in preparation were geared toward developfor a multisectoral water summit ing a national water roadmap

to be presented to President Rodrigo Duterte during the actual summit.

At the final pre-summit meeting at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Pasig City last week, Corazon Davis, DENR assistant secretary for Policy and Planning Service, said the department, through the National Water Resources Board, was committed to coming up with strategic solutions to the country’s looming water crisis.

“Although the Philippines is known for its abundant water resources, we are now experi-

encing scarcity of water due to rapid urbanization, increasing population, indiscriminate use and management of waste, and water pollution,” Davis said.

She said one of the practical and reliable methods DENR officials used at home was the “alulod” water collection system.

Under this traditional system, people harvest rainwater by simply placing a drum or basin at the end of the roof’s gutter drain pipe or downspout for domestic uses like flushing the toilet, watering the garden, and washing clothes. It does not cover water

supply for drinking, food preparation, or personal hygiene.

“Modern Filipino homes may be worth re-designing using ‘alulods’ again. During the old days, the old folks used the ‘alulod’ to collect rainwater and divert it into the ‘banga’ or the ‘tapayan’ [clay jars] where it is stored for future use,” said Davis.

This proposal is consistent with one of the recommendations during the pre-summit meetings, which is to ensure increased rainwater harvesting through strong and innovative government regulations.

Munti City is metro’s friendliest to children MUNTINLUPA City has been hailed as the Most ChildFriendly City in the National Capital Region and conferred with the Seal of Child-Friendly Local Governance.

The Regional Committee for the Welfare of Children conferred the Seal to Muntinlupa for its exemplary programs on children’s welfare and development on Wednesday at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex in Tunasan.

Muntinlupa garnered the highest rank among the 17 NCR local government units in the Child-Friendly Local Governance Audit facilitated by the RCWC, Inter-Agency Monitoring Task Force, and National Award Committee Secretariat for the 2016 SCFLG conferees.

All NCR LGUs passed the qualifying score and were conferred with the Seal. Being the top-scorer for the region, Muntinlupa will vie for the national title of the Most ChildFriendly City in the highly urbanized city category.

Mayor Jaime Fresnedi attributed the city government’s nutrition programs, expanded educational assistance, enabling legislation, and investment on child-care projects, which have reached P634 million, for the recognition.

Through intensive intervention programs on nutrition and maternal care, Muntinlupa improved from having the highest prevalence of undernourished children under six years old in NCR at 5.07 percent in 2014 to just 1.5 percent in 2015.

FOR MARAWI.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan encouraged all city employees and residents to give assistance to the displaced victims of the hostilities in Marawi City. Marawi put his symbolic donation into a collection jar, and looks on as a police officer does the same during the program at the city hall grounds in CaloocanNorth. Jun David

Estrada: Traffic in Manila better by 50%

By Sandy Araneta TRAFFIC in most of Manila’s major thoroughfares is continuously improving, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said Thursday.

Citing a report from the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau,

Estrada attributed the traffic improvement in the city to relentless anti-illegal parking and road clearing operations and establishment of “Pook Kaayusan” traffic discipline zones all over the capital.

“Solving our traffic problems is indeed a gargantuan task. We

still have so much to do, but I can proudly say that somehow, traffic in our city is now 50 percent better, faster,” Estrada said.

Estrada said he sees the continuous improvement of traffic flow in Manila’s major thoroughfares in the coming months because of the renewed

resolve of the MTPB and the Traffic Enforcement Unit of the Manila Police District to go after undisciplined motorists, pedestrians and illegal vendors.

“We’re getting there. We’ll just have to be more consistent in our efforts,” he added.

G. Lopez irked by Runruno opening

By Abe Almirol BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Former Environment secretary Regina Lopez is “dismayed” that another big gold mine has been allowed to commence commercial operations in the province, former governor Ruth Padilla said Thursday in a forum organized by “pro-water” advocates at the Nueva Vizcaya State University here.

Padilla, the wife of current Gov. Carlos Padilla, announced during the open forum that Lopez called her at 11:42 a.m. on Thursday to express her alarm over the development.

“I am one with you in this fight, I will talk to [Environment] Secretary [Roy] Cimatu about this,” Padilla quoted Lopez as saying over their telephone conversation.

Lopez was referring to the approval of the British-owned Runruno Gold Molybdenum Project in Quezon, Nueva Vizcaya, which got the green light to operate after its papers were already signed by Regional Director Mario Ancheta of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau—an agency under the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “[Runruno] declared their intent as early as September last year, but we needed to conduct our validation and had to wait for the results of the debugging [a test run]. I signed the permit on Monday,” Ancheta said in recent reports.

Lopez was President Rodrigo Duterte’s pick as environment secretary, but the powerful Commission on Appointments refused to confirm her appointment, forcing the President to appoint former general Roy Cimatu, the former Armed Forces Chief of Staff.

People from the academe and groups who are critical of large-scale mining in Nueva Vizcaya attended the forum.

QC bans junk food, sugary drinks around schools QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista has approved an ordinance prohibiting the selling and promotion of junk food and soft drinks within a 100-meter radius from schools.

Bautista approved City Ordi-

nance 2579, or the Quezon City Anti-Junk Food and Sugary Drinks Ordinance, designed to promote the health and welfare of the school children as one of his priorities of concern.

The measure, authored by

Councilor Irene Belmonte, covers all private and public preparatory, elementary and high school levels in the city.

“Furthermore, giving away of junk food and sugary drinks as a mode of promotion, encourag-

ing the buying thereof, giving samples, marketing, advertising and sponsorship by the aforementioned products will no longer be allowed,” the ordinance read.

“Even the promotion of junk food and sugary drinks, such as

the use of tarpaulins and flyers, is not allowed. There are times a sugary drink company would repaint walls of schools. That would not be permitted since it is also a form of promotion,” Belmonte explained. Rio N. Araja

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

Manila

Standard FRIDAY, C2 TODAYJULY 21, 2017

Cordillera bill is certified urgent B AGUIO CITY—President Rodrigo R. Duterte has agreed to certify House Bill 5343, which seeks to establish the Autonomous Region of the Cordillera, as an urgent administration measure alongside the proposed enhanced Bangsamoro autonomous region bill for appropriate action by the members of the 17th Congress.

Speaking before over 120 Cordillera leaders Tuesday night at Malacañang, the President recognized the need for the devolution of more powers of the national government to the local government units.

This would include the autonomous regions to be established, greater control of natural resources by the host communities, and the implementation of more development projects in the countryside “to ensure that the people will reap the fruits of genuine development and for them not to be left behind in terms of growth and development,” as provided for in the bill.

However, Duterte said the control and supervision of the armed forces and the police will remain with the national government, so

as not to create serious repercussions to the overall security of the archipelago “from internal and external forces wanting to ruin the stability of the nation.”

The President assured the Cordillera leaders he will allocate two slots for the region in a consultative commission that will be created as the region pursues autonomy in preparation for a shift to a federal form of government.

Officials and members of the Regional Development Council in the Cordillera staged the meeting with Duterte through the persistence of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Jesus G. Dureza.

Present during the meeting with the President were Baguio City Rep. Mark Go, Benguet Rep. M. Cosalan, Abra Rep. Jo-

Republic of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources MINES AND GEOSCIENCES BUREAU

seph Bernos, Kalinga Rep. Allen Jesse Mangaoang (also the appointed Mountain Province Caretaker for Congress).

Also present were Benguet Gov. Crescencio Pacalso, Moun-

tain Province Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr., Ifugao Gov. Pedro Mayam-o, Kalinga Acting Gov. James Edubba, Baguio City Mayor and RDC-CAR chairman Mauricio G. Domogan, Tabuk City Mayor Fer-

dinand Tubban, Abra Vice Gov. and Cordillera Peoples Liberation Army Chairman Ronald Balao-as, Apayao Vice Gov. Remy Albano, Benguet Vice Gov. Florence Tingbaoen, Mountain Province Vice

Gov. Francis Tauli, Ifugao Vice Gov. Jordan Gollitiw and Kalinga Acting Vice Gov. Shirlynne D. Alunday, most municipal mayors and representatives from civil society groups. Dexter A. See

NEW FIRE STATION. Mayor Antonio Carolino of Sta. Maria, Laguna (standing right) speaks during the inauguration of the town’s first ever Fire

Station (inset), a P2.2-million structure funded by the Bureau of Fire Protection. Also at the inauguration are (seated from left) Iglesia ni Cristo minister Bro. Jeorge T. Gubio, Sta Maria Chief of Police Insp. Edwin Goyena, Vice Mayor Virginia P. Tuazon, BFP Region 4A Director Serio M. Soriano Jr, BFP Deputy Regional Director Supt. Reynato B. Marcial, BFP Laguna Provincial Director Supt. Damian J. Rejano, and Sta. Maria Municipal Fire Marshal officer in charge SFO1 Terio S. Bascogin. Roy Tomandao

North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City. Philippines Tel. No. (+632) 928-8642/928-8937 Fax No. (+632) 920-1635 E-mail: central@mgb.gov.ph

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST AND TO APPLY FOR ELIGIBILITY AND TO BID ITB No. 2017-07-028 P.R. No. 2017-06-545 PROJECT TITLE: CONSULTANCY SERVICE – RISK ASSESSMENT AND PREPARATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR SILICA SAND MINES LOCATED IN ROXAS, PALAWAN 1.

The Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), through the General Appropriations Act (GAA) for CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of Two Million Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos (PhP2,750,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for One (1) Lot Consultancy Service – Risk Assessment and Preparation of Environmental Management Plan for Silica Sand Mines Located in Roxas, Palawan under Purchase Request (PR) No. 2017-06-545. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected during opening of the Financial Proposal.

2.

The MGB now calls for the submission of Expression of Interest (EOI) and Eligibility Documents for the Conduct of Consultancy Service - Risk Assessment and Preparation of Environmental Management Plan for Silica Sand Mines Located in Roxas, Palawan.

Interested contractors with a minimum of at least three (3) years’ experience in the abovementioned service must submit their documents during office hours, from 9:00AM to 4:00PM at the Office of the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), MGB Compound, North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City. Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion. Late submission shall not be accepted.

Region 2 breaks ground on disaster shelter 2 Director Melanio C. Briosos of the Department of Public Works TUGUEGARAO CITY―Region and Highways spearheaded the

By Jessica M. Bacud

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES TARIFF COMMISSION

The schedule of procurement activities is as follows:

Date

Submission of EOI and Eligibility Documents

August 4, 2017 @ 1:30 P.M.

Opening of Eligibility Documents

August 4, 2017 @ 2:00 P.M.

Issuance of Short Listing Notice Availability of Bidding Documents Pre-Bid Conference

August 17-21, 2017 Aug. 25 – Sept. 6, 2017 August 25, 2017 @ 2:00 P.M.

Submission of Technical and Financial Proposals

September 7, 2017 @ 1:30 P.M.

Opening of Technical Proposal

September 7, 2017 @ 2:00 P.M.

Opening of Financial Proposal

September 22, 2017 @ 2:00 P.M.

Bid Evaluation and Post Qualification

September 29, 2017 @ 2:00 P.M.

3.

ADOPTION OF AHTN 2017 AS APPROVED

BY THE NEDA BOARD

Schedule

Procurement Activities

Venue

Office of the BAC Secretariat, MGB Compound, North Ave., Diliman, Quezon City

Eligibility Criteria The following persons/entities shall be allowed to participate in this bidding process:

4.

(a)

Duly licensed Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships;

(b)

Partnerships duly organized under the laws of the Philippines and of which at least sixty percent (60%) of the interest belongs to citizens of the Philippines;

(c)

Corporations duly organized under the laws of the Philippines and of which at least sixty percent (60%) of the outstanding capital stock belongs to citizens of the Philippines;

(d)

Cooperatives duly organized under the laws of the Philippines; or

(e)

Persons/entities forming themselves into a joint venture, i.e., a group of two (2) or more persons/entities that intend to be jointly and severally responsible or liable for a particular contract: Provided, however, That Filipino ownership or interest thereof shall be at least sixty percent (60%). For this purpose, Filipino ownership or interest shall be based on the contributions of each of the members of the joint venture as specified in their JVA.

Eligibility Documents shall consist of: Legal Documents (a)

Phil-GEPS Certificate of Registration (Platinum Membership) in accordance with Section 8.5.2 of the IRR, except for foreign bidders participating in the procurement by a Philippine Foreign Service Office or Post, which shall submit their eligibility documents under Section 24.1 of the IRR, provided, that the winning Consultant shall register with Phil-GEPS in accordance with Section 37.1.4 of the IRR;

Technical Documents (b)

(c)

(d) (e) (f) (g)

Statement of the prospective bidder of all its ongoing and completed government and private contracts, including contracts awarded but not yet started, if any, whether similar or not similar in nature and complexity to the contract to be bid, within the relevant period as provided in the Bidding Documents.

Prospective bidder’s Omnibus Affidavit stating among others, that the prospective bidder is not “blacklisted” or barred from bidding by the Government of the Philippines (GOP) or any of its Agencies, Offices, Corporations or LGUs, including non-inclusion in the Consolidated Blacklisting Report issued by the GOP; BIR Registration Certificate; Latest BIR/Tax Clearance; Company profile of the prospective bidder; Statement of the consultant specifying its nationality and confirming that those who will actually perform the service are registered professionals authorized by the appropriate regulatory body to practice those professions and allied professions, including their respective Curriculum Vitae (CV);

Financial Documents (h)

5.

Audited financial statements, stamped “RECEIVED” by the Bureau of Internal Revenue or its duly accredited and authorized institutions, for the immediately preceding calendar year, showing, among others, the total assets and liabilities of the prospective bidder.

The MGB-BAC and its Technical Working Group (TWG) shall draw up a short list of consultants from those who have submitted their EOI and eligibility documents. The selection of the short-listed consultants will be determined in accordance with the criterion and rating system as follows: • • •

Short-listed consultants shall be notified in writing and issued bidding documents upon payment of a non-refundable fee of Five Thousand Pesos (PhP5,000.00). Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the revised IRR of RA No. 9184.

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.

7.

The MGB shall evaluate bids using Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/ QCBS) procedure. The MGB shall indicate the weights to be allocated for the Technical and Financial Proposals. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of bids shall be provided in the Instruction to Bidders.

8.

The contract shall be completed within four (4) months which will start one (1) week upon receipt of the Notice to Proceed.

9.

The MGB reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

10.

For further information, please refer to: Engr. Roberto D. Caseros Head, BAC Secretariat Bids and Awards Committee North Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City Telephone No. 6676700 loc. 153 or 156 E-mail: bac@mgb.gov.ph Website: www.mgb.gov.ph

The AHTN 2017 tariff schedule will be posted at the Tariff Commission website:http://www.tariffcommission.gov.ph .

erations. We are taking the lead in the designing and building resilient and formidable evacuation centers,” Briosos added.

“We are hoping that this project will be completed on time, or better, ahead of schedule, which is expected within 270 calendar days.” he stressed.

Wilzon A. Valdez Jr., DPWH PIO, said in a press release, the evacuation center will consist of eight separate buildings and a two-story main evacuation center building with an area of 838 square meters that will accommodate a 128-bed capacity hospital and a dining area.

Other facilities will include food preparation and dishwashing areas, a communication room, a prayer room, a breastfeeding area and storage room, toilets, a three-story laundry and drying area including a water tank; a two-story operations office and infirmary building; a generator room with a 200 KVA generator set; a water pump room; and a 33 square meter garbage disposal building.

(MS- JULY 21, 2017)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BUREAU DENR Compound, Visayas Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1116 Telephone Nos.: (632) 927-1517, (632) 920-2258 Website: http://www.emb.gov.ph / Email: mail@emb.gov.ph

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING On the ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT (EIS) of the 2 x150 MW COALFIRED POWER PLANT PROJECT of MERBAU CORPORATION to be located in the CITY OF BATANGAS. Notice is hereby given to all parties who wish to give their opinion regarding the implementation of the 2 X 150 MW COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT to attend a Public Hearing on 08 AUGUST 2017 (TUESDA Y) at 9:00 am (registration starts at 8:00 am) at the BATANGAS STATE UNIVERSITY - GOV. FELICIANO SANOY LEVISTE MEMORIAL AND MULTI-PURPOSE GYMNASIUM, RIZAL A VENUE EXTENSION, BATANGAS CITY. The Public Hearing is being conducted in connection with the review of the EIS of the aforementioned project by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Merbau Corp. is proposing to develop the 2 x 150 MW COAL-FIRED POWER PLANT PROJECT to meet the growing electricity requirements of the JG Summit Petrochemical Complex and also to sell surplus power to the Luzon Grid. The twofold purpose of the Project is therefore energy se lf-sufficiency for the JG Summit Petrochemical Complex and energy security for the country in response to the call of the National Government to address the shortfall of electricity.

The key information about project is as follows: Project name Project location and area Nature of project Production capacity Process/Technology Components

2 x 150 MW Coal-fired Power Plant in Batangas Brgy. Pinamucan Ibaba, Batangas City, with a total land area of almost 40 has.

Thermal power plant Power generation with a total gross capacity of 300 MW (2 x 150 MW) Circulating fluidized bed combustion Main power components are: boiler, turbines, generators, control system, electrostatic precipitators, auxiliary systems, switchyard, wastewater treatment facility, coal handling and storage system, jetty, ash handling system and ash pond

All interested parties who wish to attend or participate in this Public Hearing should preferably confirm their attendance/participation and may give their opinion(s) in a concise position paper to the ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT DIVISION (EIAMD) of this Office through mail or through email at eiamd.emb.co@gmail.com three (3) days before the Public Hearing schedule.

Those who will not be able to register or submit written positions may be given the 0PPOltunity to share their issues on the day of the hearing itself.

The project’s EIS and Executive Summary for the Public (ESP) are down loadable at our website: www.emb.gov.ph (kindly access the Notice of Public Hearing/Consultation link found in the lower right portion of our website) while the hard copies will be available in this Office and in the following offices: 1)

EMB Region IVA (CALABARZON) Office Address: 6th Fir. DEN R by the Bay Bldg., 1515 Roxas Blvd., Ermita, Manila

2)

City Environmental and Natural Resources Office Office Address: Batangas City Hall Complex P. Burgos Street, Brgy. Poblacion 17, Batangas City

3)

Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office Office address: Capitol Site, Brgy. Kumintang Ibaba, Batangas City

For more details, please contact the EIAM Division of this Office at telephone number (02) 920-2240.

(SGD.) Engr. JUANCHO PABLO S. CALVEZ Chairman, BAC

(MS-JULY 21, 2017)

All tariff commodity classification rulings issued under Section 1313-a of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) and Advance Rulings issued under Section 1100 of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) based on AHTN 2012 are no longer considered valid starting 28 July 2017.

Firm Experience – 50% Job Capacity – 25% Qualification of Personnel – 25%

Only contractors with a minimum score of 60% shall be part of the shortlist.

6.

The Philippines will implement the 2017 version of the ASEAN Harmoniz.ed Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) on 28 July 2017 following its approval by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board on 27 June 2017.

recent groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the first Regional Evacuation Complex at Barangay San Gabriel here.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel N. Mamba, the event’s guest of honor, said the P34-million typhoonproof evacuation center will ensure the safety of evacuees in the province in times of calamity, noting the provincial government will see to it the edifice can withstand any disaster.

“If there’s one structure that should be the last to collapse, it should be the evacuation center,” Mamba said.

Briosos said the evacuation center will provide emergency service and public assistance before, during and immediately after disasters, not only to reduce the number of casualties but “to reduce health impacts and meet basic subsistence needs of displaced persons during disasters.”

“DPWH is committed in fulfilling its mandate as one of the agencies involved in disaster preparedness, response and relief op-

Protect the environment ... Protect life ...

(MS-JULY 21, 2017)

DoH funds health centers in Vizcaya

funded the construction and improvement of health centers in BAMBANG, Nueva Vizcaya— this town to provide more health The Department of Health has services and bring them closer to the villagers.

Dr. Edwin the petition should not be granted.

Republic of the Philippines Galapon, ProvinLet this Order be published once a Regional Trial Court week for three (3) consecutive weeks, National Capital Judicial Region cial Integrated a newspaper of daily circulation in the Philippines before the hearing to Quezon City, Metro Manila be selected by raffle pursuant to PD Health officer, said Branch 223 1907, at the expense of the petitioner.

Let also copies of this Order be the DoH recentIN RE: PETITION FOR posted at the lobby of (1) Quezon City RECOGNITION OF DIVORCE Justice Hall, (2) Quezon City Hall and ly inaugurated a AND DECLARATION OF LEGAL (3) Local Civil Registrar of Quezon CAPACITY TO REMARRY City, at least twenty (20) days prior P1.4-million health to the scheduled hearing.

R-QZN-16-12573 Let copies of this Order be center in Barangay JERRRAMY ALBERGA PREMIA, furnished to Jerramy Alberga Premia at his last known addresses, the Petitioner, Almaguer South Office of the Local Civil Registrar of -versusQuezon City, the National Statistics and the on-going Office, the Civil Registrar of Manila, SHINOBI SHINOZAWA, THE the Office of the Solicitor General, LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRY and the Office of the City Prosecutor. construction of OF QUEZON CITY AND THE The petitioner is directed to furnish PHILIPPINE STATISTICS the said government offices with a health centers in AUTHORITY (PSA), copy of the petition and its annexes Respondents. within five (5) days from receipt of Barangay Pallas x----------------------------------------x this Order and manifest to this ORDER Court their compliance herewith. (worth P2.4 milA verified petition was filed by It appearing on the petition that petitioner, through counsel, praying the respondent Shinobu Shinozawa, lion), Barangay declaring and recognizing the divorce is a resident of No. 180-3, Yukisaku, or the dissolution of marriage between Yuki City, Inbaraki Prefecture, Japan, San Antonio South the petitioner and the respondent, and let a copy of this Order be furnished ordering the registration of the divorce to said respondent by way of personal or the dissolution of marriage between service through the Department of (P1.2 million), Bathe petitioner and the respondent which Foreign Affairs all at the expense of was celebrated in Quezon City on April petitioner. rangay Sto. Do18, 2012. The petition dated November Let a copy of this Order together 4, 2016 alleges that the petitioner is mingo Proper (P1.2 of legal age, Filipino, married to the with complaint and annexes be respondent, and a resident of Armel furnished the Office of the Legal million) and Ba2 Subd., Belong Compound, Banaba, Affairs of the Department of Foreign San Mateo, Rizal; that the respondent Affairs, who is directed to personally rangay San Leonis likewise of legal age, Japanese, serve copies of the same to divorced, and a resident of 180-3 respondent Shinobu Shinozawa, at Yukisaki, Yuki City, Inbaraki Prefecture, resident of No. 180-3, Yukisaku, Yuki ardo (P1.9 million), Japan and has no known residence City, Inbaraki Prefecture, Japan. The in the Philippines; that the petitioner said office is also directed to make a all in this town. married the respondent in Quezon return to this Court, within thirty (30) City, Philippines on April 18, 2012; that days from receipt of this Order.

“The health centthe married couple cohabited in the SO ORDERED. Philippines by staying in the petitioner’s Quezon City, Philippines, April 21, ers were funded by present residence in San Mateo, Rizal 2017. for a week after the celebration of the the DoH’s Philipmarriage, and both migrated to Japan (Sgd.) HON. CARIDAD M. WALSELUTERO thereafter, and lived together in the Presiding Judge residence of the respondent in Yuki City, pine Health EnJapan; that unfortunately, the marriage failed due to irreconcilable differences, Atty. Robert Natividad hancement Prohence, the parties by agreement filed Counsel for the Petitioner for divorce in Japan to dissolve their 15 V. Hilario Street, Sta. San Mateo gram.

Some of marriage in accordance with Japanese Jerramy Alberga Premia laws, and it was granted on December Armel 2 Subdivision, Belong these health centers 16, 2015 with in Philippine court for the Compound,Banaba, San Mateo, Rizal recognition of the divorce from Japan Office of the Solicitor General will have birthing so she could have legal capacity to The 134 Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village remarry under Article 26 of the Family Makati City Code of the Philippines; that the clinics,” he said. petitioner has to prove as a fact before The Local Civil Registrar a competent court in the Philippines; Quezon City The DoH also althat the petitioner has to prove as a The Local Civil Registrar fact before a competent court in the Manila lotted P2 million Philippines that the dissolution of the The Civil Registrar of Manila marriage decreed by a foreign country The City Prosecutor’s Office for the expansion of is valid and indeed allowed under the Department of Justice Building foreign laws of that country.

Quezon City Hall Compound, Elliptical this town’s MunicRoad, Philippine Statistics Office WHEREFORE, finding the Petition (formerly National Statistics Office) sufficient in form and in substance, Solicarel Bldg., I & II R. Magsaysay ipal Health Center the same is given due course. Set the Blvd.,Sta. Mesa, Manila hearing of this case on September 15, Office of the Legal Affairs under the PHEP, 2017 at 8:30 in the morning, on which Department of Foreign Affairs date and time, any interested person 2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City Galapon added. may appear and show cause, if any, why (MS-July 14, 21 & 28, 2017)

By Ben Moses Ebreo

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

N. Korea mum on military talks offer

IN BRIEF ‘Despacito’ banned over sexual lyrics KUALA LUMPUR―Muslim-majority Malaysia has stopped playing the sexually charged song “Despacito” on public broadcast stations, a senior minister said Thursday after critics labeled it un-Islamic.

Salleh Said Keruak, communications and multimedia minister, told AFP that his ministry received numerous complaints over the steamy lyrics of the reggaeton beat song that has won international popularity.

“Despacito will not be aired by the government-owned broadcast stations because we received public complaints.

The lyrics are not suitable to be heard,” he said.

Salleh said he hoped private television and radio stations would follow suit.

“For Malaysian private stations, we encourage them to practice self-censorship,” he added.

“Despacito”―a racy track full of sexual innuendo which features Puerto Rican rapper Daddy Yankee―went viral soon after its release in January, and found an even wider audience in April when pop celebrity Justin Bieber sang it in a remix.

The song by Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi has been named the most streamed song of all time worldwide, and is also popular in Malaysia.

The Southeast Asian country has strict censorship laws, and has in the past banned songs with foul language and cut or axed films deemed too sexy or dealing with sensitive issues.

Earlier the opposition Islamic party, Parti Amanah Negara, urged the government to ban the Spanish song over its “sexy” lyrics.

Atriza Umar, chairperson of its women’s wing, described the music as “porn” and unsuitable for young children, warning the song could destroy the moral fabric of the society.

“I regret that these problematic songs are not censored by the ministries,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.

“I urge the authorities to ban this song and other songs that contain sexy and violent lyrics which are not suitable in accordance with Islam and our eastern culture,” Atriza added.

But minister Salleh admitted that in the modern era, fans will still be able to download and listen to the song on other platforms. AFP

Bush crash kills at least 28 in northern India SHIMLA, India-At least 28 people were killed Thursday after a bus plunged into a deep gorge in a Himalayan region of northern India popular with tourists, police said.

The accident occurred around 100 kilometers from the hill resort of Shimla in Himachal Pradesh state, said police superintendent Soumiya Sambasivan.

“28 people have died and seven are injured. All the bodies have been identified,” she said.

The bus was taking around 40 people from Kinnaur district towards Solan when it rolled roughly 200 meters down a gorge to the banks of a river river.

Images from the scene showed emergency workers conducting a rescue operation with the help of local volunteers.

Last week, 16 pilgrims died in a bus crash in neighboring Jammu and Kashmir state, while in April 44 people were killed in Himachal Pradesh in a similar accident.

India has some of the world’s highest traffic fatalities with more than 150,000 deaths annually due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving. AFP

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COMMEMORATION. People carry signs with question marks during a march in central Kiev on July 20, 2017, to commemorate the death of investigative journalist Pavel Sheremet. One year after Belarus-born independent journalist Pavel Sheremet was killed by a car bomb in central Kiev, about five hundred people gathered at the scene of the tragedy to honor his memory and demand a swift investigation. Journalists, civil society activists and Sheremet’s friends marched to the Presidential Administration and Interior ministry to remind authorities that the case is not forgotten and the perpetrators must be punished. Plackard reads One year passed and Who killed Pavel? AFP

6 Syrian actors bring the cost of war to NY N EW YORK―Six Syrian actors battled a fraught US visa process to tread the boards in New York this week, seeking to impress on American theater goers the human cost of a war raging halfway round the world.

Nothing could be further from the typical summer entertainment in this city of flamboyant wealth and consumption, sizzling under a July heatwave and thousands of miles from the horrors unfolding in Syria.

Yet the US premiere of “While I Was Waiting” won a standing ovation from New Yorkers moved Wednesday by the realization that those trapped by the war are ordinary people just like them.

“Anyone in New York is going to understand the characters immediately,” said Sam Sacks, a 37-year-old writer who was at the opening night at the annual Lincoln Center Festival.

“They seem like people who

could be our neighbors here.”

The play tells the story of Taim, a young filmmaker left in a coma after being beaten at a Damascus checkpoint, and how his mother, sister, girlfriend and other friends react to his plight.

As the characters grapple with past hurts and brutal realities, the drama spotlights how their middle-class lives have been upended by the now six-year conflict that has killed more than 320,000 people.

The Arabic-language play, with English subtitles, seeks to dive behind grisly media headlines about gas attacks, beheadings, and a repressive regime to show a more human perspective.

A kiss shared on stage, love of music, hiding a joint from a visiting mother and liberated young women may surprise some who harbor stereotypes about life in a Muslim-majority Arab country.

“It just confirmed that we’re all humans and we’re in this boat together. It doesn’t seem to have a resolution, I hope it will soon,” said Henrietta Gwaltney, a New York social worker.

The four-night production brings six actors as well as additional Syrian crew members to New York. Ultimately, only one technical member of the group was denied a US visa.

Written by playwright Mohammad Al Attar, the play premiered in Brussels last year and has already toured Europe and Japan. Its US run lasts until Saturday.

Nanda Mohammad, one of the actresses, sees New York as a two-fold experience―showcasing Syrian artistry in a city with little knowledge of it, and making a political statement to challenge

stereotypes.

“I’m not sure if we can make any change... But at the end I think it’s essential to do it,” she told AFP. “You must do good art, or there’s no reason to do it, and the people must enjoy it, even if it’s about Syria.”

“I’m really amazed by the American people,” says Mohammad, who currently lives in Egypt.

“I think they are nicer than I imagined.”

Festival director Nigel Redden believed the tale would resonate with New York theater goers, not least in a city hostile to the policies of President Donald Trump.

“This year it seemed particularly right to look at current events,” he said. “We need to see the human side of what is going on in Syria.”

The Lincoln Center initiated the visa applications around the time Trump announced his first travel ban on visa-holders from Syria and six other Muslim majority countries. AFP

SEOUL―North Korea has not responded to South Korea’s offer to hold military talks Friday, Seoul said, dimming the prospects for any easing of the tensions after Pyongyang tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile.

“There has been no response yet,” defense ministry spokesman Moon Sang-Gyun told journalists, adding that preparations were still underway in case the proposed meeting went ahead.

Seoul’s defense ministry on Monday offered rare talks with the North at the Panmunjom truce village on the heavily militarized inter-Korean border.

Separately Monday, the Red Cross in Seoul also proposed a meeting August 1 at the same venue to discuss the reunions of families separated by the 195053 Korean War. The twin proposals are the first concrete steps towards rapprochement with the North since South Korea in May elected the President Moon Jae-In, who favors greater engagement with Pyongyang.

If the government meeting goes ahead, it will mark the first official inter-Korea talks since December 2015. Moon’s conservative predecessor Park Geun-Hye had refused to engage in substantive dialogue with Pyongyang unless it made a firm commitment to denuclearization.

Park was engulfed in a massive corruption scandal that resulted in her impeachment and subsequent ouster from office in March.

“There is no deadline” by which Pyongyang had to respond, a South Korea unification ministry official told Yonhap news agency.

The South’s Red Cross earlier said it hoped for “a positive response” from its counterpart in the North in hopes of holding family reunions in early October. If realized, they would be the first in two years.

Millions of family members were separated by the conflict that sealed the division of the two countries. Many died without getting a chance to see or hear from their families on the other side of the heavily-fortified border, across which all civilian communication is banned.

Around 60,000 members of divided families survive in the South. AFP

Young people trust less but still happy NEW YORK―Young people’s trust in key figures such as politicians and religious leaders has fallen sharply over the past five years but they remain largely happy, a global study said Thursday.

Viacom, the US media company behind youthoriented channels such as MTV and Nickelodeon, as well as Hollywood studio Paramount, surveyed 28,600 people online in 30 major countries about a wide range of views.

In a time of turbulent politics and religious conflict, just nine percent of the respondents described themselves as trustful of religious leaders and a mere two percent said the same of their countries’ politicians.

Since the last survey in 2012, trust for religious leaders has tumbled 33 percentage points and the figure for politicians fell 25 points among people age 30 and younger in the 27 countries that were polled both years.

Views, however, varied sharply among countries, with trust in religious leaders reaching a high of 32 percent in Nigeria.

The Viacom survey, dubbed “The Next Normal,” found that the percentage of people who said they were happy overall was virtually unchanged at 76 percent.

“The overwhelming theme that’s come out of this is that the human is a very resilient animal,” said Christian Kurz, Viacom’s senior vice president for global consumer strategies.

Asked to define happiness, most people in both 2012 and 2017 pointed to spending time with family and friends.

But next in importance in 2017―especially in developed countries―was ensuring time for vacation and enjoyment, while in 2012 more people focused on money.

Kurz said he sensed a shift in attitudes in the wake of the global economic crisis, with many people feeling powerless.

“If you don’t really have a choice, then you focus on the things that you do have control over―and the people you spend time with, you have control over,” Kurz said.

“What we’re seeing now is that that’s becoming even more important,” he said.

Coming from the parent company of MTV, the survey also offered quirky insights on the music culture.

The study found that threequarters of Indians said they occasionally danced alone in their rooms to music, while the Japanese came in last with 27 percent admitting to solitary moves. AFP

LA TRAVIATA. Jordanian soprano Zeina Barhoum as Violetta Valery, and Peruvian tenor Andres Veramendi as Alfredo Germont, perform Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, directed by Luigi Orfeo and conducted by Lorenzo Tazzieri, during the Amman Opera Festival at the Roman Amphitheater in the Jordanian capital on July 19, 2017. AFP

World

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

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FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

Senator McCain has brain cancer WASHINGTON―US Senator John McCain, a former prisoner of war and the maverick 2008 Republican presidential nominee, has been diagnosed with brain cancer, his office announced Wednesday.

The 80-year-old lawmaker from Arizona underwent surgery to remove a blood clot from above his left eye last week and tests “revealed that a primary brain tumor known as a glioblastoma was associated with the blood clot,” the Mayo Clinic, whose doctors performed the surgery in Phoenix, said in a statement released by McCain’s office.

“The senator and his family are reviewing further treatment options,” the statement added, noting they may include a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.

Glioblastoma is a particularly aggressive brain tumor affecting adults. It is of the same category of cancer that led to the death of another icon of the US Senate, Ted Kennedy, who died in 2009 at age 77.

This is not McCain’s first bout with cancer. Doctors removed several malignant melanomas on McCain’s skin in the 1990s and 2000s, including an invasive melanoma in 2000.

Experts had said this week that McCain’s latest operation suggested the possibility of a return of cancer.

McCain’s office said the senator “is in good spirits as he continues to recover at home with his family in Arizona,” and that he will consult with his care team about when he might be able to return to work in Washington.

The news triggered a flood of messages of support from across the political spectrum for McCain, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee and is in his sixth term in the upper chamber of Congress.

“Senator John McCain has always been a fighter. Melania and I send our thoughts and prayers to Senator McCain, Cindy, and their entire family,” President Donald Trump said in a statement. “Get well soon.”

Trump was accused of crossing the line with his criticism of McCain shortly after the billionaire businessman announced his presidential bid in 2015, disparaging the senator as “not a war hero.” AFP

FOR SALE. A Vietnamese flower vendor sprays water from a plastic bottle on a basket filled with different types of flowers for sale in the old quarters of Hanoi on July 20, 2017. AFP

UN says AIDS claimed a million lives in 2016 P ARIS―AIDS claimed a million lives in 2016, almost half the 2005 toll that marked the peak of the deadly epidemic, said a UN report Thursday proclaiming “the scales have tipped”.

Not only are new HIV infections and deaths declining, but more people than ever are on lifesaving treatment, according to data published ahead of an AIDS science conference opening in Paris on Sunday.

“In 2016, 19.5 million of the 36.7 million people living with HIV had access to treatment,” said the UNAIDS global roundup.

This marked the first time that more than half of infected people were receiving anti-retroviral treatment, which subdues the AIDS virus but does not kill it.

“AIDS-related deaths have fallen from 1.9 million in 2005

to one million in 2016,” said the authors, adding that “for the first time the scales have tipped.”

The year 2016 saw 1.8 million new infections, almost half the record number of some 3.5 million in 1997, said the report.

In total, 76.1 million people have been infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, since the epidemic started in the 1980s.

Some 35 million have died.

“Communities and families are thriving as AIDS is being pushed back,” said UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe.

“As we bring the epidemic under control, health outcomes are improving and nations are be-

coming stronger.”

As yet, there is no HIV vaccine or cure, and infected people rely on lifelong anti-retroviral therapy to stop the virus replicating.

Without treatment, HIV-infected people go on to develop AIDS, a syndrome that weakens the immune system and leaves the body exposed to opportunistic infections such as tuberculosis, and some types of cancer.

Treatment carries side effects and is costly, but allows infected people to be healthier for longer.

Most progress has been made in east and southern Africa, the region that was hardest hit by the epidemic and where many interventions were focused.

Since 2010, AIDS-related deaths in the region declined by 42 percent. The region accounts for half the world’s infected population, with women and girls disproportionately affected at 60 percent.

Sixty percent of all people who

receive anti-retroviral therapy live in east and southern Africa which, along with west and central Europe and the Americas, is on target to meet the so-called 90-90-90 targets set by the UN, said the report.

By 2020, states the plan, 90 percent of infected people must know their status, of whom 90 percent must be on treatment. In 90 percent of those, the virus will be “suppressed” by medicine to the extent that it cannot function or replicate.

By 2016, 70 percent of infected people knew their status, said the new report. Of those, 77 percent were on treatment, and 82 percent had virus suppression.

UNAIDS expressed concern about two regions with worsening AIDS trends: the Middle East-North Africa, and eastern Europe-central Asia. Both are areas marred by conflict and political uncertainty. AFP

Auction halted over Madonna objections

PROTEST. Activist Ashley Byrne with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals carries a tray of veggie dogs for their veggie dog giveaway on Capitol Hill on July 19, 2017, countering a National Hot Dog Day event being held elsewhere on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. AFP

NEW YORK―A judge on Wednesday halted an auction of intimate items of Madonna, including a breakup letter from Tupac Shakur, after the pop superstar said her privacy was violated.

New York Justice Gerald Lebovits ordered a hearing on the dispute for September 6 and barred the auction house, Gotta Have Rock and Roll, from holding the sale in the meantime.

Madonna on Tuesday asked the court to intervene, saying the items were taken without her permission.

“The fact that I may have attained celebrity status as a result of success in my career does not obviate my right to maintain my privacy, including with regard to highly personal items,” the Material Girl told the court in a statement.

The items include a letter from Tupac Shakur, one of the defining figures of hip-hop, with whom Madonna had a relationship that was little known publicly until recently.

In the 1995 letter, Tupac―who would be shot dead the following year―said he was upset with her for saying in an interview “I’m

off to rehabilitate all the rappers and basketball players.” He also said his image could suffer by dating a white woman.

Many of the more than 100 items up for auction were identified as coming from Darlene Lutz, a New York art dealer who helped Madonna build a collection before falling out with her.

Madonna said Lutz, while still a friend, had helped her pack up a house in Miami where much of the personal memorabilia was present.

Lawyers for Lutz in a reply submitted Wednesday alleged that Madonna had a “personal vendetta” against Lutz, and said the singer had given up the right to make claims against Lutz as part of a court settlement in 2004.

The lawyers also said that a three-year statute of limitations had passed for Madonna to seek to recover personal property.

Lutz’s lawyers mocked the famously open star’s pleas for privacy, noting that Madonna had sent to a lover a pair of underwear that is now up for auction.

“If Madonna truly wanted privacy, then mailing her lingerie was not the way to go,” the motion said. AFP

Simpson to find out if he will be freed LOS ANGELES―Nine years after being sent to prison for armed robbery, fallen American idol O.J. Simpson is to find out whether he will regain his freedom.

The 70-year-old former football star and actor is to appear before a parole board in the western state of Nevada on Thursday, which will decide his fate.

Simpson, who was famously acquitted in 1995 of the grisly murders of his ex-wife and a male companion, has been behind bars for his role in a September 2007 armed robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas resort.

A four-member panel of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners will hold a hearing in Carson City to decide whether the former National Football League star should go free.

Simpson will not personally attend the 10:00 am (1700 GMT) hearing but will appear by video conference from the Lovelock Correctional Center, the medium-security prison where he is serving his sentence.

Simpson was convicted in October 2008 of armed robbery, assault, kidnapping and other offenses after he and five associates―two of whom were armed―ambushed the two sports memorabilia dealers in a casino hotel room.

Simpson, who earned the nickname “The Juice” during his playing days, claimed he was trying to recover mementos from his career which he said the dealers had stolen.

A Las Vegas jury didn’t buy it. Simpson was sentenced to a minimum of nine years in prison and a maximum of 33.

He could be freed as early as October 1 if the board agreed to grant him parole.

Steve Wolfson, the current Clark County district attorney, told AFP he believed Simpson “makes an excellent candidate for parole.

“The fact that he is a celebrity will have very little bearing, if any,” Wolfson said. “He’s not going to be treated differently by the parole commissioners.”

Bruce Fromong, one of the victims of the 2007 Las Vegas robbery, told CNN that he planned to testify at the hearing in favor of Simpson’s release.

“I never thought that the crime deserved that much time, that long of a sentence,” Fromong said. AFP

Life

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NCIENT Greek Sandals are handmade locally by skilled craftsmen using traditional techniques that have existed for centuries. The chemicalfree, natural tan leather used, ages beautifully with time and wear. A raw yet feminine aesthetic distinguishes this new sandal brand. The idea was to create a flat sandal, which feels light, nude, soft and sexy. The clean round toe sole is deliberately kept light and almost disappears when worn; hence emphasizing the beautifully detailed and often intricate design of the upper part of each style. The ‘golden wing’ buckle is a trademark of the brand.

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

SHOPPING

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

D1

Walk like a goddess

in Ancient Greek Sandals

Born and raised in Greece, co-founder and designer, Christina Martini is a BA (Hons) graduate in Footwear Design and Product Development at the prestigious Cordwainers College (2000).

Christina previously worked as a shoe designer for Balenciaga (2008-2010), Louis Vuitton and Iris srl. Her business partner and co-founder Nikolas Minoglou was born in London and raised in Greece. An MBA graduate from Babson College (USA), in 2006, he returned to Athens and took over the family’s wellestablished footwear business, before joining forces with Christina.

Solid Uppers

This new classic group consists of three new styles that can be worn anytime from beach to bar essentials for every wardrobe. These solid upper sandals are available in vachetta leather, pony or nubuck.

Cut Outs

Since the first season, cut out details have been Ancient Greek Sandals’ DNA. For pre collection S/S17, four new delicate styles have been introduced inspired by ancient Greek ceramic vases in the form of a sandaled foot. From the easy slide Venus, to the more intricate gladiator style Dione, all are available in GREEK GODDESS. Ancient Greek Sandals launches its Spring/Summer 2017 collection featuring new styles, such as cut-outs, closed-toe, mixed and classic braids; and new vachetta, nubuck or metallic crosta. materials, including denim, raffia, and jewellery, among others.

Colors / Materials

New earthy tones such as cappuccino and khaki have been added to the AGS classic color palette, whereas a more fun fuchsia and a classic raspberry complete the colors of the iconic vachetta leather.

Nubuck, which is introduced this season, is available for all styles of the collection in a romantic light pink, khaki and black.

Pink and khaki are also available in the popular pony skin. Snake is available in selected colors only: raspberry and black.

As a novelty this season, all the natural wooden structures are replaced with a dark chestnut color. Vibrant hues including red, yellow, pink and green are prominent throughout the collection making a statement as solid block colors, or as accents and decoration.

leather, with straps going through, cov- where leather is used only when absoer and hold the foot firmly. From slides lutely necessary. to mid gladiator, these styles offer a more urban look.

Mixed Braids In Greek Mythology, Clotho, Atropos Classic Braids and Lachesis are the three Fates who The success of the Eleftheria sandal were supposedly the ‘weavers’ of life for with delicate braids led to the creation all the mortals. The three styles of this of two more “sister” styles. Amalia and group take their names as they consist Yianna are both available in solid clas- of woven mixed media straps made out sic tones or mixed colors such as plati- of leather, woolen threads, strings and num with black, natural or silver. The metallic beads. This bohemian group is alter ego of these three braided styles available in all black or natural with off are their clean version in flat vachetta white elements. in many colors.

Jewellery

Five styles of beautifully bejeweled sandals form this new evening group.

Masculine Antique symbols engraved on metal A more masculine group has been pieces, spirals and coiled metallic lines developed; sandals with large pieces of give shape to these feminine, sandals

Color Blocking

A new ‘Color Blocking’ group, mixing three key vachetta tones together to create a bold stripe combination are also available. Metallic tones of silver, gold and pink metal extend this group further, creating a sophisticated finish.

The Block Heel

A new construction, is “the block heel.” This vintage inspired heel takes us back to the Mediterranean holidays of the 70’s Jackie O on the island of Scorpios or Maria Callas in Portofino. Four classic styles plus one new moccasin style are available in our trademark vachetta leather or soft nubuck combined with dark wood.

Denim

Following the success of the denim collection, this has been extended to include a tie-dye denim fabrication and patchwork denim group, which combines both light and dark to create an updated collection. Furthermore, the addition of braided denim styles adds extra diversity to this vast group.

Raffia

For the first time, Raffia details have been added to key Ancient Greek Sandals styles. Multicolor or toned blue, woven raffia stripes decorate classic leather or denim styles such as Clio, Thais and Eleftheria, while intricate woven raffia flowers add a more tropical feel to the group.

Closed Toe

For the first time Ancient Greek Sandals has developed a closed toe slide, featuring a different shape and construction from the sandals; the slipper group consist of the plain style, Pasoumi available in wide colour palette including denim, and Lysistrata, a slide loafer available in solid colours as well as colourblocking combinations.

Ancient Greek Sandals is exclusively available at Rustan’s Makati.

‘Transformers: The Last Knight’ at Toy Kingdom JUST in time for the Philippine run of Transformers: The Last Knight, Toy Kingdom recently held an exclusive toy launch at SM Mall of Asia Atrium.

Toy collectors of all ages and Transformers enthusiasts joined in the fun and action to get a first look at toys inspired by this exciting film. There were action figures and life-sized Transformers statues inspired by the newest film, as well as new edition toys inspired by well-loved Transformers characters like Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Leadfoot, and Brains.

Transformers: The Last Knight is the fifth installment of the live-action Transformers film series and a direct sequel to 2014’s Transformers: Age of

Extinction. Directed by Michael Bay, the film features Mark Wahlberg returning from the Age of Extinction along with Josh Duhamel and John Turturro reprising their roles from the first three films, with Anthony Hopkins joining the cast.

In the film, which is showing a t SM Cinemas n at ionw ide, humans are at war with the Transfor mers Transformers fans and toy collectors trooped to Toy Kingdom to get a first look of toys inspired by the film, including this Transformers: The Last Knight Premier Edition Voyager Class Figures Optimus Prime that converts from robot to truck

and Optimum Prime is gone. The key to saving our future lies buried in the secrets of the past, the hidden story of the Transformers on earth. Now it’s up the unlikely alliance of Cade Yeager, Bumblebee, an English Lord, and an Oxford professor to save the world.

Transformers: The Last Knight toys

by Hasbro, on the other hand, are available at all Toy Kingdom Express outlets in SM Department Store, a s well as Toy Kingdom stores in most SM Supermalls.

Also visit www.toykingdom.ph.

Rajo Laurel and American Standard partner for the 'Showers of Happiness' promotion

Rajo Laurel collaborates with American Standard AMERICAN Standard, the brand known for innovation in bathroom design and technology, partners with an esteemed equal, renowned fashion designer, and a brand in his own right, Rajo Laurel.

The two well-loved brands let customers indulge in stylish showering with American Standard’s multi-tiered consumer promotion dubbed as “Showers of Happiness.”

Every purchase of select American Standard shower systems until the end of July entitles customer to premium items, which include a signature Rajo Laurel

luxury towel and a Bath Essentials set (consisting of perfume, hand soap, body wash and lotion) personally created and curated by Rajo Laurel for American Standard. Included in the promotion are the three collections of American Standard shower systems individually titled as Enjoyment, Essential and Experience.

Participating stores include Wilcon Depot, CW Depot, All Home and select home depots nationwide.

Visit www.facebook.com/AmericanStandardPH/ for more details about American Standard products and customer promotions.

Life

D2

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

WHAT MEN WANT

at Crate&Barrel X Malt Manila

DJ Jason Soong, a music enthusiast with a keen ear for remixed tunes, blended club classics with top hits

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RATE&BARREL recently celebrated What Men Want, featuring three personalities from different fields curating their own lifestyle spaces with items from the global brand’s store at SM Aura Premier.

In this joint project with Malt Manila, Jason Soong, DJ of Groove Manila, JP Anglo, chef and owner of Sarsa, and Ben Wintle, founder of Booky shared their #cratestyleph picks and their ideal living spaces while doing the thing they love most.

DJ Jason entertained guests while playing cool music in a Listening Room he created with

Crate&Barrel’s furniture and barware. A businessman whose family purveys super-luxe car brands Maserati and Ferrari, Jason lets loose as a DJ for some of the city’s trendiest nightclubs.

Chef JP cooked for guests in the Kitchen Vignette he curated from Crate&Barrel’s kitchen furniture, kitchenware and dinnerware collections. Known for elevating Ne-

grense food through his restaurant Sarsa Kitchen + Bar, Chef JP hosts the groundbreaking show Hungry with Chef JP on CNN Philippines.

Ben, the foodie who created the Booky App, served cocktails by Don Papa to guests in a Lounge Area he styled with a combination of Crate&Barrel’s wood and leather furniture.

Apart from being an IT entrepreneur, Ben is also an animal lover, health bug, meditation devotee, and—can he be any more intriguing—a journaling enthusiast.

Crate&Barrel is located in SM Aura Premier, SM Makati and SM Megamall.

DJ Jason Soong curated this Listening Room where guests can relax and enjoy while he plays his music

Chef JP Anglo curated a Kitchen vignette and cooked for the guests during the What Men Want event at Crate&Barrel Aura.

Ben Wintle shares his #cratestyleph picks and his ideal Lounge Area

KTM Philippines races ahead with new plant

The country's orginal hypermarket, Shopwise boasts of its wide variety of merchandise, from cooking staples to bathroom essentials

Best value finds

Shopwise highlights imported quality and affordable brand exclusives WISE moms everywhere will now have more reasons to go to Shopwise for their grocery needs as the Philippines’ original hypermarket launches more exclusive brands in their portfolio.

From healthy food products to condiments and other cooking staples, from water to wines, and bathroom essentials to pet care, every item in your grocery list are at Shopwise.

Sips and drinks

From the grand vineyards of Italy to the fresh mountain springs of France, Shopwise satisfies our thirst with its wide array of natural mineral water, premium teas and fine wines.

Drink crystal clear water from Veneto or Fontauroi, or take a relaxing sip of Brewtime made from hand plucked tea leaves. Shopwise also offers a huge selection of wines to fill your personal Kitchen Essentials cellars, from award-winning brands Start the day right with a bowl of like French Cellars, Winemakers Rehealthy breakfast choices from Sun serve, and Australian Red Peak.

Harvest and dairy products from Southdale Farm. Or cook your fa- Bathroom fixes and more Let Shopwise look after your personal vorite Italian dish using Papa Alfredo pastas and sauces. How about a care needs with products that are soft and steaming bowl of noodle in the middle gentle on the skin and which gives you of the day? Nothing a pack of World the brightest of smiles. Enjoy the smooth feel of cotton products from Feathersoft, O’Noodle can’t fix.

Shopwise offers tasty and nutri- or the baby-friendly approved wipes tious food items that you can use as from Jolly Tots. Protect your teeth with ingredients for your special recipes or DentiSmile and get the rest of your other eat straightaway. There is a variety of imported quality household products choices based on flavor or ingredient from Surebuy. Even your pets will enthat complements any kind of diet, nu- joy great quality food and other supplies tritional need or craving you may have. with VitaPet.

THE leadership teams of Ayala Corporation and KTM AG of Austria, the joint-venture partners behind KTM Asia Motorcycle Manufacturing, Inc. (KAMMI), together with their key dealers and motorcycle enthusiasts, led the exciting inauguration of the state-of-the-art KTM assembly plant at the Laguna Technopark in Biñan, Laguna, recently.

Gracing the landmark occasion were Fernando Zobel de Ayala, AC Industrial Technology Holdings, Inc. vice chairman of the board; Arthur Tan, president and CEO of AC Industrial Technology Holdings, Inc.; Peter Perberschlager, KTM AG vice president, Sales for Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East; and Senator JV Ejercito.

In his welcome remarks, Dino Santos, KTM Asia Motorcycle Manufacturing, Inc. president and COO, extolled the values behind the partnership of Ayala and KTM. “Motorcycling involves a partnership, of both science and art; of man and machine working as one,” he explained. “For us at Ayala, we needed a partner that could win in producing the best motorcycles one can imagine – that is KTM.” Meanwhile, KTM’s Perberschlager outlined the significance of the Philippines as its manufacturing hub in Asia. “We consider the Philippines as a very important and strategic market with very good international trading contacts,” he relayed. “We are very proud to partner with Ayala, with whom we share the same vision and

Dino Santos, KTM Asia Motorcycle Manufacturing, Inc. president and COO

Fernando Zobel de Ayala, AC Industrials vice chairman of the board

values. We aim to be a serious player in the Asian region.”

Guests were treated to a special guided factory tour, allowing them a firsthand look of the plant’s world-class manufacturing processes and advanced facilities, which will have an initial production run of 6,000 motorcycles, with the goal of eventually expanding to 20,000 units annually.

The modern facility, which produces KTM’s ready to race line of motorcycles -- the KTM 200 DUKE, KTM 390

DUKE, KTM RC 200, and the KTM RC 390 – has already rolled off 500 units destined for the local market. By the year end, they expect to begin exporting units to China, and The modern facility, which produces KTM’s ready to race line of motorcycles -- the KTM 200 DUKE, KTM 390 DUKE, KTM RC 200, and the KTM RC 390 – has already rolled off 500 units destined for the local market. By the year end, they expect to begin exporting units to China, and thereafter, to several ASEAN countries.

From left: Arthur Tan, AC Industrials CEO; Senator JV Ejercito; and Dino Santos

From left: Peter Perberschlager, KTM AG VP for Sales, Asia/Pacific, Africa and Middle East; JP Orbeta, AC Industrials director; and Harald Starzengruber, KTM AG manager, Strategic Alliances

FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

Merk couple undergoes

MEDSONIX THERAPY

E

NTERTAINMENT couple Richard and Roni Merk had a muchpublicized physical ordeal that happened early last year. The country’s premier jazz artist got into a car accident that left him in a debilitating condition.

Richard’s right foot was nearly amputated, if not for a diabetic wound expert who saved it. Still, he was bedridden and immobile for a year. He even gave up performing, much against his will.

Meanwhile, Roni underwent colon surgery that sidelined her from engaging into any physical activity for several months. She had to wage a battle against the Big C, but is now cancer-free.

The couple cannot be more thankful for their second lease on life. They recently discovered Medsonix Therapy at Clinica Manila at SM Megamall.

The therapy was introduced in the country by Ateneo Graduate School of Business professor, Enrique M. Soriano, early last year.

The Medsonix Acoustic Resonating Therapy is a non-invasive, drug free, pain free, prescription-free, safe and effective method of relieving pain and discomfort, now available in the Philippines.

Medsonix was developed over 10 years ago

by Alphonse Cassone of Las Vegas, Nevada, who has experimented with sound waves for the past 15 years. The US Food and Drug Administration-registered device uses low frequency sound waves to increase blood flow, decrease inflammation, pain and relieve the symptoms of a host of medical problems.

Among the many medical conditions that can be helped by the Medsonix Therapy

System are arthritis, bursitis, migraine, carpal tunnel syndrome, back and joint pain, multiple sclerosis, Lyme disease, fibromyalgia, sciatica, diabetic neuropathy, lupus and peripheral vascular disease.

Medsonix patients can simply sit, relax and absorb the low frequency acoustic pressure waves generated by the Medsonix Therapy System. The treatment is scheduled for 30 minutes.

No preparation time is necessary. Patients do not need to disrobe or take in anything.

The therapeutic procedure is safe, pain free, completely non-invasive and nonpharmaceutical. The acoustic wave form generated by Medsonix does not interfere with a pacemaker, pain pump, other implanted or electrical devices.

Medsonix Therapy is available at Clinica Manila, second floor SM Megamall Building A. For inquiries and appointments, please call 730-3237 or 0947-5951524 or e-mail info@medsonix.com.ph

Clockwise: Professor Enrique Soriano with Medsonix Therapy clients singer Richard Merk and wife Roni

Kapuso launches biggest network promo COMING from the success of Kapuso Milyonaryo, GMA’s longest running proof-of-purchase promo, GMA now offers a bigger “Kapuso Milyonation” (KM) that guarantees winners from all 18 regions of the Philippines.

With Kapuso stars Joey De Leon, and the newest member of the KM family, Jak Roberto, this 11th season will be giving away over P18 million worth of prizes during its 12-week run this year.

Cash prizes and home appliances will be given away to almost 1,500 winners including surprise winners of big cash prizes worth P1 million and

P500,000 in the weekly draws. In the Grand Draw, all submitted entries have a chance to win a new house and lot, plus eight lucky winners of P1 million each from partner sponsors. All prizes are tax-free.

Participants must simply enclose a proof-of-purchase from any of the participating brands in an envelope together with their complete name, age, address, contact details, and handwritten signature. At the back of the envelope, participants must write Kapuso Milyonation, brand attached, and region of residence.

Entries can be dropped into drop boxes in GMA

PEOPLE

...are not talking about

...are talking about

National Youth Commission The agency must have a lot of spare time that they even give prominence to Noli de Castro’s innocent remark on Charice’s transformation to Jake Zyrus. While most people don’t see anything wrong with what the news anchor said about the trans singer, NYC is making a big issue of it. Why not focus on something else like doing its job the way the people in that agency should.

Yassi Pressman She was once overlooked by people due to the popularity of JaDine. But now, Yassi is slowly picking up, showing the public why she deserves equal if not more attention. While a regular face on primetime TV, the Kapamilya star and Viva artist explores other things besides acting. She’s a legit triple treat -- she is a VJ, a singer, and a dancer. And she does all these pretty well.

Weightlifting Fairy Although it was the Kapuso Network who was able to get the rights to air Descendant of the Sun, a.k.a. the biggest K-Drama of 2016, the Kapamilya Network exerted more effort to revive Korean Wave in the country by bringing in Goblin and Legend of the Blue Sea. The two series are equally popular among K-Drama fanatics. And now, it’s airing the unconventional love team of Lee Sung-kyung and Nam Joo-hyuk in Weightlifting Fairy. The Korean coming-of-age romcom made a grand TV debut on Monday, winning the ratings game and hearts of netizens.

AlDub It’s been two years now since the love team became the biggest thing on afternoon TV and on social media, specifically Twitter.

But is it still the same case up to now? Rabid fans would say yes, and many people would say no. But why? Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza are not offering anything new to the public, there’s hardly even any development in their career. For consolation, Alden and Maine have already made a lot of money through their endorsements as a love team and as individual talents.

Losing steam will not hurt them much.

Khalil Ramos What does he have that other stars his age don’t? While looking good must already be a given, 21-year-old Khalil offers more than that. Everybody knows that he can sing but not everyone is aware that he can act really well. This must be the reason why Reality Entertainment chose him to be its first and exclusive talent. Khalil is a potential big star -- a diamond in the rough that can be, through proper guidance, a top leading man.

Kim Chiu Everybody has this one contact on social media who tags you in their photo and video even though you have absolutely no business with the person. Just like Kim, who takes her fangirling act to the next level by tagging Justin Bieber in her latest Instagram post. The Canadian pop star noticed Kim in one of his live sessions on IG, since then, the latter started doing what a normal fan would do. You know, those funny annoying stuff.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Friday, July 21, 2017

ACROSS 1 Source of the Rhone 5 Dryer residue 10 Slide downhill 14 Trading center 15 Harshness 16 Look over to rob 17 Comics dog 18 Ice dwelling 19 Clever ploy 20 Fellow feeling 22 Did garden work 24 Nocturnal sound 25 Penny — 26 Coats of paint 29 Geometric figure 33 Spy 34 Goatee site 35 Type of mate 36 Tijuana aunt 37 Land 40 Drenched 41 Famous lioness 43 Radio hobbyists 44 Beatles drummer 46 Fetch 48 Individual 49 Speedway competition 50 See-through fabric 51 Draw up

54 Go-getters 58 Chicken style 59 Signs 61 Memsahib’s servant 62 Actress — Falco 63 Smithy 64 Mexican lad 65 Proceed 66 Friend of Che 67 Tap defect DOWN 1 Writer — Oz 2 Godiva’s title 3 Straitlaced 4 King or Sondheim 5 Corn snack chips 6 Kind of year 7 Like some crowds 8 Rock’s — Fighters 9 Not happy 10 Determines eligibility 11 Commend 12 To be, to Brutus 13 Lockbox document 21 Main artery 23 Timetable info 25 Tunes for divas 26 In a while 27 Lithe

28 Baker’s buy 29 Term paper 30 Surgeons’ attire 31 “Hasta —!”

32 Rocker — John 34 Desire 38 Mark as completed (2 wds.)

39 Put up 42 Got there 45 Limerick locale 47 Fleming or McKellen 48 Lot

50 Boxer’s jab 51 Twist 52 Keep out of sight 53 Pull in, as a horse 54 Pasture grazers 55 Mideast title 56 Indian noblewoman 57 Boutique 60 Miss Piggy’s word

stations, or selected Mercury Drug (NCR, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao) and Cebuana Lhuiller (Visayas and Mindanao) branches nationwide.

GMA continues to give away prizes to Kapuso Filipinos with the help of partner sponsors: AjiGinisa Flavor Seasoning Mix, Tang, Bagong Bear Brand Fortified Powdered Milk Drink, Nescafé, Milo, Eden, UFC Tamis Anghang Banana Catsup, and Fudgee Barr.

Sending of entries is until Sept. 22.

For more details, visit and like the official Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/GMAPromos.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com FRIDAY, JULY 21, 2017

A PEEK AT

‘My Korean Jagiya’

She still a Kapuso, nonetheless.

During the contract signing, Torres said she feels blessed and thankful that she was renewing contract with the Kapuso Network, “Masaya ako dahil for the next few years makakasama ko ang pamilya ko, ang GMA 7. Dito naman po talaga ako lumaki. Ang nakakatuwa kasi they helped me realize what I want to do here in the industry. Tinutulungan nila ako para maisip ano pa ang pwede kong gawin at paano pa ako mag-e-explore,” she said.

Apart from Bubble Gang she is on a primetime once again reprising the role of the feisty and daring Venus in the sequel to Alyas Robin Hood.

Her Venus got positive feedback from viewers and netizens and as the drama series enters a new chapter, she shared that “mas fierce, mas palaban at mas maraming action scenes ang aabangan sa character ni Venus. Excited na ako kasi magagamit ko na yung mga naging trainings ko for Muay Thai at Boxing.”

She also revealed that she looks forward to reunite with her co-stars and the production team of the soap and to finally work with her friend Solenn Heussaff.

“First time namin makakatrabaho ang isa’t isa.

I’m sure magtutulungan kaming dalawa. Pero we’ve always been friends. Mas lalalim ang friendship namin dahil mas makakasama ko na siya.” ***

T

HE cast and crew of the upcoming ISAH V. RED GMA Telebabad show, My Korean Jagiya, ia now in Seoul, South Korea where they are shooting scenes with lead star Heart Evangelista.

The show’s director, Mark Reyes, posted recently on his Instagram account a photo of the show’s script in three languages—Filipino, Korean, and English—and captioned, “You know you’ve reached new territory when your script is written in 3 languages.”

This is something new in the network and as early as now followers of the Kapuso network and fans of Evangelista are waiting in anticipation for the show.

Another thing that’s making fans giddy is their expectation of the day when the network reveals who this Korean actor that will make everyone excited about.

On her Twitter account. Evangelista teased her fans by uploading photos of how her character would look like. She said she likes her outfits so much, she is gradually looking more like a Korean star. *** Andrea Torres continues her journey, as showbiz folks are wont to say these days, when she renewed her exclusive contract with GMA Network today on July 18.

Heart Evangelista is thrilled with her Korean inspired outfit Andrea Torres is a confessed Kapuso loyalist

Dennis Trillo plays a baddie as Haring Gabriel in Mulawin vs Ravena

The audience loyal to the Kapuso network gives a net satisfaction rating to shows they’re watching nightly, Monday to Friday.

They are hooked on Mulawin vs. Ravena, My Love From The Star, and I Heart Davao.

Proof of this is the nightly trending on social media of these shows, here and abroad. And why not? The shows, like a well-prepared dinner, have everything to make the audience satisfied – action and romance in Mulawin vs. Ravena; drama, comedy, and suspense in My Love From The Star; and drama and comedy with some beautiful sceneries of Davao in I Heart Davao.

The management of the GMA Network thanks the audience for supporting the shows every night. *** Dominic Zapata is impressed at how the members of the cast of Mulawin vs. Ravena has been very cooperative in making the show look like a show from Hollywood.

“Everyone seems to put more work every time they report for taping,” says the director of the show.

He cited particularly Dennis Trillo who plays Haring Gabriel, saying, “Dennis is impressive. I think a lot of his co-actors learn a lot from him. As a viewer there’s a wealth of talent in what he does. Pwede mo siyang ilagay kahit saan at gagalingan niya.”

The director has nothing but praises for the young members of the cast. “Gusto ko si Kiko kasi I like his work ethics. I like that he tries to better himself everyday, and I could say the same thing for all my actors. It has become a culture in their group not only when it comes to acting, pati sa pangangatawan nila obvious naman kay Derrick, or sa kanilang moves. The following day you see that they’re a little bit better and better. That’s the culture that I try to inculcate in the group.”

Well, their hard work is paying off. I heard that the GMA bosses are very happy with the show and how it’s performing in the ratings.

Dew Nation satisfies the thirst for thrills MOUNTAIN Dew recently brought the most exhilarating activities to the center of Bonifacio Global City for an epic weekend made for adrenaline junkies and thrill seekers alike.

An entire block in the heart of BGC was transformed into Dew Nation HQ, which boasted a slew of exhilarating activities. “A first in the Philippines, Mountain Dew’s campaign challenges consumers to stop being spectators and take part in pursuing the things they’re passionate about. It was truly a thrilling sight to see so many Filipinos that actually answered our call and made it to the Dew Nation HQ for a chance to partake in vigorous activities around like-minded people who share the same passions and lifestyle.” said Kay Paras, PepsiCo Flavors Category manager.

Mountain Dew’s Dew Nation HQ featured a dirt track made for a wild round of dirt racing for those with a need for speed.

Racers got to take Mountain Dew’s 4x4 ATV’s out for a spin

and definitely got their fix of speed. “Sam and I didn’t think ATV courses would be so different from the race tracks we were used to. It was truly exhilarating feeling, like a newbie all over again” said Mountain Dew brand ambassador Joyce Pring.

Fellow racer Sam YG added “We’re definitely adding ATVs to our to-do list whenever we get the chance! The speed and height we get from jumps is unlike anything I’ve tried before.”

Gamers were given the opportunity for friendly matches with fellow Dew gamers in a gaming hub. Dew Nation HQ had multiple Virtual Reality consoles for a more hands-on and active gaming experience. Gamers comfortable with the VR process showed off some moves but also shared tips with those eager to learn more and experience Virtual Reality gaming. There was a noticeable learning curve but everyone seemed to be getting the hang of things and enjoyed the experience altogether. “Not too

Mikael Daez participates in Dew Nation

many people realize that gaming requires a lot of skill, timing, and patience. It’s not just mindless button mashing, but you need to think fast and always be one step ahead of your opponent and observe how they retaliate,” said Mountain Dew brand ambassadors Jugs Jugueta and Ramon Bautista.

The Dew crew put on quite a show for the attendees as they exhibited their sickest skateboarding and BMX tricks. Jaws dropped as they sped through humps and quick turns while catching some air and flips every now and then. Some lucky skateboarders and bikers even got to join the Dew crew for a trick tutorial and jam when the event was winding down.

Mountain Dew fans definitely made the right choice not to pass up the opportunity to join their fellow thrill seekers in making history. The stage for an epic weekend had been set and all that was missing were people to join in the mayhem.

If you’re passionate about

extreme sports, a thrill seeker, or just want to experience a burst of adrenaline every now and then, grab a fix of Mountain Dew to keep you ready for more.

Whether or not you were able to participate in Dew Nation HQ, all you have to do is show how you keep the spirit of Dew Nation HQ alive by showing what you do with Mountain Dew in a photo or video. Tag Mountain Dew on Facebook and Instagram, @mountaindewPH and @ mountaindewph respectively and use the hashtags #DewNationPH and #DoItFeelIt. One lucky winner will win an all-expense paid extreme group activity, a year’s supply of Mountain Dew products, a Go Pro Hero 5 and exclusive Dew merchandise.

Promo ends on July 31.

To learn more about Mountain Dew and future epic events like Dew Nation, follow them on: Instagram@ mountaindewph; Facebook- @ mountaindewPH;Twitter@ MountainDewPH.