Manila Standard - 2017 August 18 - Friday

ECONOMY DEFIES CONCERNS, SURGES BY 6.5%

VOL. XXXI • NO. 185 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

THE Palace on Thursday welcomed results of the latest Philippine Statistics Authority report showing the economy growing by 6.5 percent in the second quarter of the year. (Related story on B1) “We welcome this morning’s announcement by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia of the National Economic and Development Authority [NEDA], that our gross domestic product [GDP] grew by 6.5 percent in the second quarter of 2017.

This figure, which falls within the full-year target growth of our economic managers,

puts us as one of the fastest growing major economies in Asia,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

“Indeed, our growth momentum is on track,” he added, expressing optimism that the economy could sustain its pace for the rest of the year.

National Statistician Lisa Grace S. Bersales noted the growth in household consumption at 5.9 percent while government consumption expanded by 7.1 percent from 0.1 percent, showing a marked Next page

Solon hits DFA’s silence on China

By Maricel V. Cruz REP. Gary Alejano on Thursday expressed dismay over Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano’s statement that there was nothing to fear from the presence of Chinese Navy, Coast Guard and fishing vessels near Pag-asa Island.

“It is disheartening to hear our own DFA secretary brushing aside the unusual and suspicious presence of several huge military and civilian Chinese ships along with Chinese choppers surveying in the vicinity of our largest island for several days and stating that it does not mean anything,” Alejano said.

“Have we already adopted the strategy of silence, inaction and subservience in the West Philippine Sea so as not to offend China?”

Alejano made his statement even as Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the Philippines was “open” to forging partnerships in extracting oil in the disputed West Philippine Sea. Any move for joint exploration with other countries would be welcome, Abella said.

“The President is open to possible cooperation with foreign entities in exploring and extracting mineral and gas resources in the West Philippine Sea,” Abella said.

“We are not limiting ourselves to exclusive economic relationships.”

Cayetano earlier said the issue on the presence

DISQUIETING SIGHT. Photographs from the Magdalo Party-list group claim that five Chinese vessels were seen near Pag-asa Island, occupied by the country in the disputed South China Sea, since Aug. 15, with the party, quoting ‘military sources’ as saying China deployed two frigates, one coast guard vessel, and two large fishing vessels along with militia since Aug. 12, two to five nautical miles away from the island.

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Bloody 2 days: 57 dead As cops ramp up war on drugs, VP outraged

Du30: Drug lords turn PH into ‘narco state’

By John Paolo Bencito THE Philippines is already a “narco state” as several forces collude to perpetuate the illegal drug trade, President Rodrigo Duterte declared Thursday.

“Now, you ask, the Philippines – are we or are we not a narcotics country? Yes, we are,” Duterte told law enforcers in his visit to Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental, a day after its city mayor, Reynaldo Parojinog Sr., was finally laid to rest.

In his speech, Duterte said the people of Ozamiz City should learn from their bitter experience of narco-politicians lord-

ing it over their place, adding “you are now freed of narcopolitics; please do not tell me that there’s no one sensible here; do not ever, ever allow narcopoliticians.”

Duterte said he did not realize the country’s drug problem to be this huge, as he simply thought that killing drug suspects would cure the country of the drug menace, like what he did while he was Davao mayor.

“Now that I’m President, I told all governors, even mayors – do not ever ever f*** with drugs because if you destroy my country, I will kill you. I have Next page

By John Paolo Bencito and Bill Casas

M

ANILA police shot dead 25 drug suspects in another round of anti-drug raids, authorities said Thursday, as they followed President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for dozens of deaths a day.

CUTTING-EDGE LIST. President Rodrigo Duterte shows the updated list of those allegedly involved in illegal drugs in his speech during the 19th founding anniversary of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption in Malacañang on Wednesday. Presidential Photo

The killings, carried out in Manila from Wednesday to Thursday morning, came after police shot dead 32 drug suspects in the province neighboring the capital early in the week in what was billed as a “shock and awe” operation against drug traffickers.

Manila police spokesman Senior Supt. Erwin Margarejo said

the 25 were killed in 18 various operations against drug suspects.

“It is a simultaneous police operation. All the units and stations of MPD (Manila police district) conducted their own operations,” Margarejo said.

Duterte on Wednesday praised the killings of the 32 suspects in Next page

BAI seeks Senate ‘invites’ Bautista to P1-b probe more tests on bird flu

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales

DOZENS DONE IN. The bodies of alleged drug dealers lie on the road during a police anti-drug operation in Metro Manila, with 25 drug suspects breathing their last in yet another round of anti-drug raids, following the President’s call for dozens of deaths for their kind in what police called ‘shock and awe’ operation against drug traffickers. AFP

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THE government is still waiting for the results of the samples it sent to the Australian Animal Health Laboratory to determine the N subtype of the bird flu virus that caused the death of some 37,000 chickens in San Luis, Pampanga, an official said Thursday.

But Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said it had been confirmed by four laboratory tests that the virus was negative

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S

SENATOR Francis Escudero, chairman of the Senate committee on banks, said it would conduct a hearing next week on the allegations of P1 billion in ill-gotten wealth of Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista as exposed by his estranged wife.

To be summoned to the hearing

are officials from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (Luzon Development Bank, Anti-Money Laundering Council and the National Bureau of Investigation.

When asked if Bautista would be invited, Escudero said: “In the meantime, the committee hearing will simply be open to Chairman

Bautista’s participation should he voluntarily want to, given his public pronouncements that he welcomes any probe to air his side and clear his name.”

Escudero made the confirmation after Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Senator Panfilo Next page

Trillanes asks blue ribbon for witnesses

By Macon RamosAraneta SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV on Thursday asked the Senate Blue Ribbon committee to summon Davao City Councilor Nilo Abellera, reportedly a close

manilastandard.net

friend to presidential son Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte in the ongoing investigation of the P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China that was smuggled through Customs.

Trillanes also wanted Customs Auction Division chief Hernani

Co and Lourdes Rosario, from the agency’s Imports and Assessment Service.

In letters to committee chairman Senator Richard Gordon, Trillanes said the three were needed to validate information given Next page

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Underspending worries Recto

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

S

ENATE President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto has warned against “the disturbing trend” of over-appropriations and underspending as the national budget will jump to P3.767 trillion in 2018, or by P1 trillion, from its 2016 level of P2.682 trillion.

He doubts if agencies have the capacity “to spend their allocations, which essentially are taxes collected from the people.”

“The budget will balloon by P1 trillion within two years. Can the agencies spend the money

in full, for the right things and on time?” Recto told economic managers on their maiden Senate appearance to pitch the 2018 spending program.

He cited the budget for “Personal Services,” of which, P746

Solon...

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Bloody...

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of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea “does not mean anything,” even as he said Filipinos must learn to develop trust in China in the same manner that it trusted the United States, a longtime ally.

But Alejano said the issue was not even comparable to the US ships conducting freedom-of-navigation surveillance in the South China Sea, which Cayetano said Filipinos should also be worried about.

“The US is our long-time ally and is not involved in island grabbing in the South China Sea. Unlike China which has a history of grabbing islands and harassing our fishermen. That is entirely two different things,” Alejano said.

He urged the Duterte administration to be transparent in its dealings with China and on the issues in the West Philippine Sea. “We have not heard, so far, of any diplomatic protest lodged by the DFA against China’s intrusions and aggressive actions especially on our fishermen,” Alejano said.

“The Filipino people are kept in the dark as to the real score of Duterte’s foreign policy. We must demand transparency from our government officials.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Prospero Pichay sought to establish a mutual defense treaty with China following the marching order of President Duterte to establish “mutual trust” instead of pursuing the traditional confrontational approach to ensure a successful joint exploration in the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea. Pichay said he broached the idea during a briefing on Wednesday by Cayetano before the House special committee on the West Philippine Sea led by former Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. of Quezon City on the developments in the disputed areas.

“I made that suggestion to Secretary Cayetano and he responded in the affirmative,” Pichay said.

Pichay said the United States had failed to defend the Philippines from the continuing Chinese aggression.

“The US failed to defend and rescue us because they don’t consider the building of military facilities by China in the West Philippine Sea as a form of aggression,” Pichay said.

“They are just for the safe navigational pass. If this is the situation, we should abrogate the MTD with the US and establish a similar one with China.”

With John Paolo Bencito

Bulacan province, describing the operations as “good.”

“If we could kill another 32 everyday, then maybe we can reduce what ails this country,” Duterte said.

However, Philippine National Police spokesman Senior Supt.

Dionardo Carlos insisted that officers in Bulacan and Manila had killed only in self-defense.

“Can you blame the police now when the initial action is perpetrated by the suspect?” he said.

As a matter of procedure, however, the PNP Internal Affairs Service will investigate the killings, he added.

Duterte easily won last year’s presidential election largely on a vow to kill tens of thousands of drug traffickers and addicts, which he said was necessary to stop the country’s slide to narco-state status.

Police have killed more than 3,500 people in drug raids since Duterte came to office in the middle of last year, according to government data.

More than 2,000 other people have been killed in drug-related crimes and thousands more murdered in unexplained circumstances, according to the police.

He has also repeatedly assured policemen that he will protect them if they are charged for killing drug suspects as part of his campaign.

Rights groups have warned Duterte, who has said he would be

Senate...

From A1 Lacson filed a resolution for the Senate panel to look into the “possible violation” of the Anti-Money Laundering Act by the LDB. Senate Resolution No. 468 states that Bautista, under the AMLA, is considered a “politically exposed person” for holding a prominent public position.

It also mentioned a BSP circular which states that covered institutions “shall specify criteria and description of the types of customers that are likely to pose low, normal or high money laundering/terrorist financing risk to their operations as well as the standards in applying reduced, average and enhanced due diligence.”

“In the case of LDB and the bank accounts of the Comelec chair, the compliance with the required due diligence must be studied and investigated,” the senators said.

“The splitting of accounts of the Comelec chair in one small thrift bank so as not to be under the radar of the Anti-Money Laundering Council, likewise, needs to be further looked into,” they added.

Patricia Paz Bautista earlier alleged that the Comelec chief owns more than 30 bank accounts containing a total balance of P329 million.

Based on his 2016 Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth, Bautista only has a net worth of P176.3 million.

The embattled Comelec chief has repeatedly denied the allegations of his estranged wife, claiming that there is an “orchestrated campaign” against him and his former wife was out to extort money from him.

Macon Ramos-Araneta

billion was spent in 2016 out of a budget of P794 billion, “or an underspending or over-appropriation of P48 billlion.”

Personal Services or PS is official budget-speak for payroll and other compensation expenditures for employees and pensioners.

Recto said the same was true in the case of Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses, or MOOE, whose disbursements reached P1.011 trillion out of the P1.127 trillion provided for in the 2016 budget, “or a slippage of P116 billion.”

MOOE covers non-salary operating expenses like utilities, supplies, rent, and grants.

“Even in debts, our request was

over. The previous administratiin asked for P392 billion to service this, but only P304 was spent. There was an excess of P90 billion. Although sometimes we deliberately exceeded our forex assumption in computing interest payments,” Recto said.

But Recto said the worst manifestation of underspending was Capital Outlays, largely infrastructure.

In 2016, he said the Executive Department asked for P1.175 trillion, but managed to obligate P823 billion, or a shortfall of P352 billion.

“In all, unreleased appropriations reached P63.43 billion in 2016, on top of the unobligated allotments of

P544.53 billion,” he said.

“The utilization rate is low,” Recto said.

“We betray the people when we are slow, or if we fail, in returning the taxes they have paid, through the national budget. The results penalize a people who have the right to expect the things promised in the budget,” he added.

Recto theorized that the bureaucracy might have reached “peak capacity” in implementing projects and programs.

He said this could be a result of “a technical deficit,” which in the case of agencies with infrastructure assignments was “due to lack of engineers and technical people.”

“happy to slaughter” 3 million drug addicts, may be orchestrating a crime against humanity.

Wilnor Papa, Philippine human rights officer of Amnesty International, said the apparent uptick in killings this week appeared to be because of Duterte’s calls for more deaths.

“Because of the remarks of the President, these kind of killings will go on,” Papa said.

Duterte on Thursday rejected calls from human rights activists for the administration to stop his bloody war on drugs.

“Human rights? Son of a bitch! I don’t care about you. I’ve got work to do and I’m going to do it. If you destroy the country, the youth of the land, I will kill you,” the President said in Filipino on a visit to Ozamiz City, where police killed the mayor, his wife and 13 others in a raid on July 30.

Rights groups on Thursday called on the President to retract a statement calling on the police to shoot rights activists for obstructing justice.

Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella defended the shooting deaths in Bulacan, saying they were the result of simultaneous police operations in the entire province.

He added that in these cases, the suspects fought back.

“Local authorities were met with violent resistance as evidenced by the recovery of firearms, grenades and live ammunition,” he said.

On Wednesday, President Rodrigo Duterte expressed satisfaction on the record-high anti-drug operations in

Bulacan as a “good” development, saying that the daily killings will solve the country’s drug problem.

“Thirty-two died early in Bulacan, in a massive raid. That’s good. If we can kill another 32 everyday then maybe we can reduce what ails this country,” the President said.

“I will solve the entire problem. I’ll just kill them all,” he said.

Vice President Leni Robredo on Thursday urged the public to express outrage over a 24-hour police operation that killed 32 drug suspects in Bulacan.

“We are not like this. This is not us,” Robredo told ABS-CBN News in Filipino.

“We have long condemned the culture of impunity. Let us not allow it to return.”

Amnesty International said Duterte’s drug war appeared to be “plumbing new depths of barbarity.”

“No one is bearing the brunt of this brutality more than the poorest communities in areas such as Bulacan province, a hotspot for extrajudicial executions since the President took power, and the scene of yesterday’s 32 killings,” said Jams Gomez, director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific at Amnesty International.

The group also expressed alarm at Duterte’s threat to abolish the Commission on Human Rights.

The New York-based Human Rights Watch urged Duterte to retract his remark about shooting rights activists “before there is more blood on his hands.”

Rights group Karapatan said that

the President’s repeated threats and orders to shoot and kill activists is “exacerbating the already dire situation in the country.”

“His fascist campaigns against poor Filipinos—the war on drugs, his counter-insurgency war, and martial law in Mindanao—have already resulted in the killing, displacement and threats to lives, among others,” Karapatan secretary-general Cristina Palabay said.

But former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada expressed support for the anti-crime campaign, and warned offenders to turn over a new leaf.

“In support of President Duterte’s war against drugs and criminality, we in the city of Manila have been serious in stamping out criminality and maintaining peace and order, and so I’m repeating my warning to criminals: give up or face the full force of the law,” Estrada said.

Estrada commended MPD director Chief Supt. Joel Coronel and his men for ridding Manila of unwanted criminals and preserving peace and order; he also reassured the city police force of the city government’s continuous support.

“I have your back, just make sure that this operation is carried out within the parameters of the law and the suspects’ rights are not violated,” he told Coronel.

On Thursday afternoon, Estrada received a briefing from Coronel concerning the “one-time, big-time” operation that started Wednesday night.

With AFP, Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

Du30...

From A1 been repeating that,” Duterte said in Filipino.

“My critics were right. I mentioned before that ‘if I get to be elected as president—three to six months.’ I never knew. Davao was my only template then,” he added.

The President, who presented an “updated” narco-list as of Aug. 8 that includes politicians, judges, law enforcers and barangay captains, said the drug problem was well-entrenched, even in places that he did not expect—devoting his whole speech on how it developed.

In the Senate, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said he was disappointed with the deliberate attempt of the Department of Justice to be “less than transparent” on the number of extrajudicial killings under the Duterte administration’s bloody war against illegal drugs as he moved to defer the approval of its proposed budget for 2018.

“From the testimony, it is clear that over 4,000 have been killed in the drug operations and that was admitted by the secretary of Justice,” said Drilon, referring to Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. On questioning by Drilon in the hearing of the DoJ proposed budget for 2018, Aguirre told the finance committee that out of the more than 4,000 killings-- 3,050 legitimate police operations and over 1,000 were vigilante killings.

Based on the data of the Philippine National Police, Aguirre said “over a thousand” were victims of vigilante killings.

Out of the total estimated number of 4,000, he said the NBI was only handling 37 cases, seven of which happened in the National Capital Region, while the 30 others were from other regions.

With respect to the estimate, NBI Director Dante Gierran said it was only related to the investigation conducted by the NBI. “We do not refer to the investigations being conducted by the other law enforcement agencies such as the PNP,” Gierran stressed.

Justice Undersecretary Reynante Orceo said 3,050 people had been killed in legitimate police anti-drug operations from July 1, 2016 to May 2017.

Later asked on its implication in the Justice department’s peformance, Drilon replied: “What performance?”

Pressed if he meant the DoJ had no performance, Drilon quipped, “You call that performance? Of the over 4,000 cases related to drugs, exactly 37 being investigated and of the 37 [cases], 24 are pending and three have been recommended for prosecution. Dismay!”

He described such action of the Justice department as part of the culture of impunity.

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by Customs broker Mark Taguba, who told the Blue Ribbon committee that Paolo Duterte was part of a group involved in transactions at the Bureau of Customs in Davao City.

Taguba, however, admitted he had no personal knowledge about the vice mayor’s alleged involvement. “Sabi-sabi lang, [It’s just talk],” he told the senators.

Customs Deputy Commissioner Gerardo Gambala also testified he does not have personal knowledge of the alleged links of Paolo to the

Told that Aguirre merely wanted to be accurate, Drilon said he also liked to be accurate. “I’m just basing my statements on their facts. That’s why we will have another hearing on August 31.”

Drilon, a former Justice secretary, also questioned the P33-million budget of the DoJ Interagency committee on extrajudicial killings.

“I cannot understand what is the interagency committee. They cannot even explain what are their job. And they are spending more than P30 million of people’s money. I really cannot understand what they are doing,” Drilon said.

Drilon said there would be another hearing for the DoJ because there were several topics they would want to raise.

“We want to avoid asking these questions on the floor. We’d rather ask these in the committee, because when the budget is presented without all these questions being asked, this leaves us with no choice but to ask them on the floor. That will delay the approval of the budget,” he said.

The proposed budget for DoJ under the submitted 2018 national budget is P17.276 billion, which is 0.46 percent of the total proposed P3.767 trillion.

Out of the P17.726 billion, the Office of the Secretary will be allocated P6.5 billion; Bureau of Corrections, P2.36 billion; Bureau of Immigration, P943 million; Land Registration Authority, P1.072 billion; National Bureau of Investigation, P1.468 billion; Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, P126 million; Office of the Solicitor General, P803 million; Parole and Probation Administration, P877 million; Presidential Commission on Good Government, P121 million; and Public Attorney’s Office, P2.99 billion.

For his part, Aguirre debunked Drilon’s allegations that they were not trasnparent with their figures on the killings in connection with the drug operations.

“I told them that there’s no truth to that. Why are we going to hide them? The President is very transparent on this,” he told reporters in an interview after the budget hearing.

“First, with the NBI, what are the cases that are investigated—they just arrived. Now with respect to the killings related to legitimate operations, it’s like a breakdown, aside from the 3,050, there are killings by the other group—the vigilante group,” he said.

Defending the interagency committee, Aguirre said they were very active in their job, meeting once a month on updates on killings.

On the dismal performance as claimed by Drilon, Aguirre said the NBI was earlier not required to investigate these killings until he issued Department Order No. 120 only in February 2017.

He said that based on the law which was authored by Drilon, there were limitations to cases

Davao Group.

“I could hear noises, I could hear people’s names. I could just hear Davao Group but the people behind it, I don’t know that,” he said.

In an interview on ANC, Trillanes said he was baffled why a councilor from Davao City would be dealing with brokers.

“And this Small Abellera is known in Davao City to be very close to Paolo Duterte,” he said.

“I have formally requested the Blue Ribbon committee about it so that we can... test the credibility of Mr. Taguba,” also said Trillanes.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the admission of

that could be investigated by NBI. “Investigating deaths or drug related killings is not one of them. And under the law, I could add functions to the NBI so I added in February 2017.

Meaning to say before that date, the NBI had no obligation to investigate these killings,” related Aguirre.

In the same hearing, Drilon also quizzed Aguirre about the said order which directs NBI to “conduct investigations on reported killings allegedly related to the campaign against illegal drugs.”

Aguirre initially told the committee that they can provide the necessary data after 10 days. Gierran said there was no “intent to delay” any information or data on alleged EJKs. “We just want to be accurate,” he said.

But when Drilon sought to have a preliminary estimate and threatened to “hold in abeyance” the department’s budget, Aguirre said the data would be provided after 20 minutes.

Among those contributing to the perpetuation of the country’s drug problem, the President stressed, was the entry of illegal drugs from foreign shores; politicians and law enforcement agencies condoning the drug trade; and even terrorists using the drug trade to raise money.

Calling the Bureau of Customs “corrupt to the core,” the President said he did not expect that the greed of some officials in the agency would reach a new high by letting illicit drugs from mainland China slip without notice.

“I feel so bad [with] all of these things. How could I control in three to six months (the problem), when the police generals are involved? Even the Bureau of Customs were involved. P******* ina, nasa droga,” Duterte said.

“How will I succeed [if] they’re into drugs? … I really thought that the Bureau of Customs were (sic) one with me,” he added.

Duterte said the deaths of Parojinog and Albuera, Leyte mayor Rolando Espinosa should serve as lesson to all politicians involved in the drug menace, reiterating his vow to “kill” them all. “[This] is always a lesson to be learned,” he said.

He also reiterated his call for the police force to clean its ranks, placing a P2-million bounty on the heads of members of the PNP who are protecting the drug trade in the country.

“I am ordering the PNP chief, Bato [dela Rosa] is here, order somebody there in Crame to prepare a list. The police involved in drugs, I’ll place a P2 million bounty on your head. No questions asked. ..I want you down dead,” he said.

Duterte also reiterated that “shabu” was keeping Islamic State-inspired terrorists holed up in Marawi City—tenacious despite their dwindling numbers for months already. With Macon Ramos-Araneta

Filipino-Chinese businessman Kenneth Dong to the Witness Protection Program is the prerogative of the Justice secretary, but said this was subject to abuse and public scrutiny.

Dong is the middleman between Taguba and Chen Ju Long alias Richard Tan, a Chinese citizen from Xiamen, who owns Hong Fei Logistics, which owns the Valenzuela City warehouse in which the drug shipment was found.

Meanwhile, Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service Director Neil Estrella said it was unfair for Trillanes to accuse him of being involved in corruption at the bureau.

Estrella was among the Customs officials who resigned amid the con-

troversy over the smuggled shabu.

In an interview with GMA-7, Trillanes had claimed that Estrella and Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon received bribes to facilitate the entry of smuggled goods into the country.

Also on Thursday, President Rodrigo Duterte said he rejected Faeldon’s appeal to be relieved as Bureau of Customs chief three times.

In his visit to policemen at Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental, Duterte said that while he “will not defend” the embattled Customs chief, Faeldon is here to stay.

“Well, si Faeldon is not the one.

He’s not that kind of [person.],” Duterte said. With John Paolo Bencito

Uber makes LTFRB an offer

By Darwin G. Amojelar RIDE-SHARING app Uber System Inc. on Thursday proposed to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board to let it pay a P10-million fine instead of being suspended for one month.

“Uber has filed a second pleading urging the LTFRB to accept a fine rather than suspension to reduce the burden on the Filipino rider and driver community,” Uber said.

“We are also offering financial assistance to driver partners as we work to urgently resolve this matter and hope to be able to serve the Philippines again as soon as possible.”

The LTFRB on Monday suspended Uber for a month after it violated its order on July 26 to stop accepting new driver applications.

The LTFRB last year imposed a moratorium on the processing of new applications for ride-sharing services such as Uber and its Southeast Asian rival Grab as it studied how to regulate a growing industry.

Regulators said while Grab eventually followed the directive, Uber “openly defied” it even after the government issued a new order last month. Other transport groups accused Uber of acting “above the law.”

“Uber was defiant, challenging the regulatory powers of the government and for which they must be accountable for,” agency head Martin Delgra said.

Uber said this month it was accepting new applications for vehicles but was not processing them pending its discussions with regulators.

It also urged the government to simplify the accreditation process, with a representative telling a congressional inquiry: “We cannot impose 1900s regulations on today’s technological innovations”.

Uber on Tuesday initially defied the suspension order after lodging an appeal with the LTFRB. But it quickly reversed its stance and obeyed the order after government officials immediately rejected the appeal and warned that Uber drivers still on the road could be arrested.

Uber’s regional manager, Michael Brown, then struck a conciliatory tone in a meeting with regulators in Manila on Wednesday.

With AFP

Economy...

From A1 improvement in the absorptive capacity of government agencies.

Several sectors grew in the second quarter of the year, including the industry sector at 7.3 percent; the services sector at 6.1 percent and the agriculture sector by 6.3 percent.

The GDP expansion during the April to June period was slightly faster than the 6.4 percent in the first quarter.

For 2017, the government targets 6.5 to 7.5 percent GDP growth.

The Philippine Statistics Authority said agricultural growth was notable, rebounding from a 2-percent decline in 2016. John Paolo Bencito

BAI...

From A1 for H5N1 or the type that could cross over to humans.

“In as far as AH5 is concerned this has been established. It is a relief that it tested negative for N1,” Piñol said.

The World Health Organization says the H5N1 is “a type of influenza virus that causes a highly infectious, severe respiratory disease in birds called avian influenza or bird flu.”

The UN agency says “almost all cases of H5N1 infection in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds, or H5N1-contaminated environments.”

Arlene Vytiaco, head of the Disease Control Section of the Bureau of Animal Industry, says that while the strain identified in Pampanga is not transferable to humans, there is still a need to identify the N subtype. “ We already identified the H5 subtype, so we have to know the N subtype,” Vytiaco said.

“We need to do this because in avian influenza, we should identify the H and N. Definitely, the one in Pampanga is already negative for N1.”

The bureau’s Maria Lagayan of BAI says that, so far, the government is still in the process of identifying the source of the virus.

“We are still investigating the source, although the possible suspect are wild birds or migrating birds,” Lagayan said.

“There is still no confirmation, however. We are also still waiting for the results from Australia which will be released after two weeks.”

Two poultry workers from San Luis were isolated earlier for showing flu-like symptoms.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Speed up Marawi rehab—Du30 P RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday directed concerned government agencies to fast-track all necessary preparations in anticipation of the reconstruction and recovery of wartorn Marawi City.

The President met with officials from the Department of Trade and Industry, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of National Defense, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, National Housing Authority, Local Water Utilities

Administration, and Home Development Mutual Fund to discuss the planned rehabilitation phase for areas affected by the hostilities in Mindanao.

During the meeting held in Malacañang, the Chief Executive said that the government should be fully prepared to immediately execute the recovery plans for

BIR files perjury, more tax cases vs actor Gutierrez

By Rey E. Requejo THE Bureau of Internal Revenue has asked the Department of Justice to prosecute actor Richard Gutierrez for more tax cases aside from the tax evasion cases earlier filed against him for allegedly defrauding the government of P38.57 million in taxes.

In a complaint filed with the DOJ, the BIR accused Gutierrez for falsification of public documents and perjury after allegedly submitting fake documents to the DOJ during a preliminary investigation on the tax evasion charge last month.

The bureau specifically accused Gutierrez of “knowingly using and submitting falsified” annual income tax return for 2012 and quarterly value-added tax returns for the second, third and fourth quarters of the same year.

The BIR also sought the indictment of Gutierrez for two counts of perjury under Article 183 of the Revised Penal Code for lying in his counter-affidavit.

“Respondent Gutierrez filed

fake and falsified tax returns to secure the dismissal of the tax evasion case filed against R Gutz Production Corp. He resorted to this scheme to evade payment of taxes/ fees imposed by NIRC [National Internal Revenue Code] of 1997 thereby defrauding the government of much needed revenues,” read the complaint. “The attached returns were deceptively made to appear to have been stamped received by Revenue District Office No. 42-San Juan City. Revenue District Office No. 42-San Juan City and the Document Processing Division of BIR Quezon City both certified that R Gutz Production Corp. had no VAT returns filed for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th quarters of taxable year 2012,” the BIR said.

In a hearing last July 13, Gutierrez appeared before the DoJ and submitted his counter-affidavit seeking the dismissal of the complaint for lack of probable cause. His lawyers said the actor no longer has any tax liability as the amount cited by the BIR in the complaint has already been paid.

the Islamic City and other affected areas once the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police are done with the clearing operations.

He said once all the fighting is done, it would purely be a “civilian endeavor” to rehabilitate the areas.

The President particularly stressed the need to continuously provide displaced families with their most basic needs, such as food and clean water.

In response, DSWD Undersecretary Hope Hervilla said the distribution of goods in all evacuation centers is still ongoing. On the provision of shelters for internally displaced persons, NHA

general manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. said the construction of temporary shelters will begin in September.

Priority will be given to around 4,900 families living in evacuation centers, NHA noted. The Trade department, for its part, laid down its own initiatives to rehabilitate the lives of IDPs. DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez said the department has already provided livelihood equipment like sewing machines and clothing materials to some evacuees.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority also committed to donate 100 more sewing machines for the IDPs,

Lopez said. For its medium-term plan, the agency already identified specific places in Iligan City which will be converted into temporary marketplaces, where evacuees can place their own stores.

DTI also plans to coordinate with the Labor department to conduct job fairs for IDPs. The Chief Executive, for his part, assured the agencies that he will push for the proper realignment of the country’s budget to cater to the needs of each department in relation to the funding of their rehabilitation plans.

Prior to the said meeting, President Duterte witnessed the signing of the Deed of Donation and turn-

over of check worth P5 million by Robinhood Padilla to the DSWD. The amount will be used for the immediate psychosocial intervention for children affected by the Marawi crisis.

The Commander-in-Chief also met with Senator Gringo Honasan and other members of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement.

Joining Honasan were RAM officers Retired Capt. Felix Turingan, Resigned Capt. Glen Agudo, Retired Commodore Rex Robles, Retired Col. Marcelino Malajacan, Jr., Retired Col. Hernando Caraig, Retired Col. James Joven, Retired Police Director Victor Batac, and Engineer Jegie Pereda.

Drilon: LP bloc voted for Taguiwalo

By Macon Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz SENATE Majority Leader Franklin Drilon said he has supported the confirmation of Judy Taguiwalo, who was eventually ejected by the powerful Commission on Appointments on Wednesday.

Pressed if there should be transparency in the voting of the 25 members of the bicameral congressional body, Drilon said: “I

am transparent with my vote so let other answer for their votes. Why ask me? Let them answer.”

Asked earlier if the CA member should be transparent in their vote, Drilon said he did not know what happened. But he believes that Taguiwalo should stay [at the DSWD] so he had voted to confirm her interim appointment.

Liberal Party President Senator Francis Pangilinan disclosed that the LP Senate contingent on the CA,

composed of Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto, Drilon, and Senator Bam Aquino all voted in favor of Taguiwalo’s confirmation.

Aquino said it was unfortunate that Taguiwalo did not have enough votes for her confirmation, despite his colleagues vouching for her integrity and work ethic.

“Her replacement will have major challenges ahead, like sustaining the success of the 4Ps program and ramping up its imple-

mentation,” he said.

“Our Secretary of Social Welfare and Development [DSWD] will need a passion to address inequality in the Philippines to ensure the effectiveness of our poverty alleviation programs,” he said.

Meanwhile, Recto, who expressed dismay over Taguiwalo’s rejection, said the next DSWD secretary should be in the mold of the 10 women who had held that post since 1986.

Water group turns 39, launches journal THE Philippine Water Works Association, the umbrella organization of the country’s water supply industry, turns 39 today, Aug. 18, capped by a conferment of fellows to outstanding individuals and the launch of Water and Environment Journal, a bi-monthly magazine aimed at promoting the water industry and advocacy for sustainable development at Novotel Hotel.

To be conferred as PWWA

Fellow Awardees are: Engr.

Bernardo N. Buenaventura; Engr. Pedrito D. Camilet, Jr.; Mr. Jorge A. Consunji; Engr. Orlando C. Hondrade; Ramon R. Pastor; Engr. Alfredo S. Silva; and Arturo G. Villasan.

PWWA president Eulogio Agatep II said as part of “our advocacy, the Water and Environment Journal seeks to bring awareness on the importance

and significance of protecting the country’s precious resources—the water system and the environment—including new trends and technology in the water supply industry.” For the maiden issue, the cover story features the MWSS Annual Million Tree Challenge, a noble reforestation project in six critical watershed areas that aims to plant one million trees every year for five years spearheaded

by MWSS Administrator General Reynaldo V. Velasco, who also serves as PWWA director.

Velasco is the featured water industry leader and his five-point agenda on water security and sustainability at MWSs. Other featured water executives in this issue are new Manila Water Corporation president and CEO Ferdinand M. de la Cruz and Maynilad president Ramoncito S. Fernandez.

A4

Opinion

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Bird flu is no small calamity

T

HE Philippines has just lost its status as the only Asian country free of the dreaded avian flu after an outbreak in San Luis, Pampanga last week. Authorities now must quickly act to contain the spread of the virus and erase the stigma that leads people to avoid eating Philippine chicken and scares foreign tourists, among other things.

The government so far is addressing the bird flu outbreak with dispatch, with Presidential Spokes-

man Ernesto Abella treating it as “no small calamity.” The local poultry industry, indeed, is at risk

considering that many small raisers depend on chicken sales for their livelihood.

Stopping the spread of the avian flu and containing it within the Pampanga town will need the cooperation of several parties, including the local government, Department of Agriculture and even the military. Culling hundreds of thousands of birds in San Luis and within the sevenkilometer radius con-

trol area, for one, will require a great number of personnel.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol should be on top of the situation and be given the budget to do his job.

He has sought an initial budget of P100 million to help farmers affected by the bird flu outbreak in Pampanga. Thirtysix farms with 600,000 fowls have been covered by the depopulation process.

Authorities are aware

that any delay in the culling process will result in the rapid spread of the virus to nearby towns. The virus can easily infect poultry farms in other Luzon provinces and create an epidemic that could ruin the country’s poultry sector.

Strict quarantine measures, meanwhile, should be enforced given the porous borders of the infected Pampanga town. The government did the right thing when

it ordered a temporary ban on the movement of live domestic and wild birds and their products from Luzon to Visayas and Mindanao.

The bird flu outbreak is one calamity that the Philippines should quickly address. Small poultry growers outside the Pampanga town can easily lose their livelihood if the virus is not eradicated. Containing the virus is a matter of life and death for the sector.

China’s rising debt unnerves the IMF

End of an affair LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES I CAN’T recall how many times the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the newspaper owned by the RufinoPrieto family, portrayed Ferdinand Marcos as a thief. Then, this week, the government of President Rodrigo Duterte finally evicted the Inquirer’s owners from a prime piece of government property that the family had held on to and benefited greatly from for 35 years, long after it had been asked to leave.

The bid to reclaim the pricey Mile Long property, which was developed and controlled by Rufino-Prieto property company Sunvar Realty, ended almost 15 years after the government said it no longer wanted to renew the sublease agreement between Sunvar and Philippine Development Al-

ternative Foundation. PDAF had leased the land along Amorsolo Street from the owner, the National Power Corp., until 2002, or at the end of 25 years, which coincided with the termination of the sub-lease agreement between Sunvar and PDAF. But according to Solicitor General Jose Calida, who has been pursuing the case almost since the start of the Duterte administration, Sunvar tried every legal trick in the book to fight eviction from Mile Long. Along the way, Calida said, Sunvar accumulated back rentals of more than P1.6 billion, excluding interest.

“When you speak against the government of President Duterte, it’s like you are immaculately clean,” Calida said. “You have used your newspaper, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, to shield your shenanigans [when] in truth, you guys are like the Kadamay squatters... depriving the government of money that could have been used to fund projects for the poor.”

It was in 2009 when the government filed a suit against Sunvar, which claimed that the state should renew its sub-lease for another 25 years. A Makati metropolitan trial

By the time the Court of Appeals upheld the lower court’s ruling in favor of the government, it was already 2016. Sunvar’s lawyers were able to secure a temporary restraining order from another Makati judge, a ruling which once again had to be thrown out by the appellate court for lack of jurisdiction.

That development paved the way for the issuance by Calida’s office of an eviction notice on Sunvar this week, which was personally served by the solicitor general on the realty company and all its tenants in the mixed-used property. The family’s lawyers said it would no longer contest its eviction and merely needed more time to allow its tenants to pack their things.

“Instead of abiding by the [original lower court] decision by vacating the property and paying court ruled in favor of the govern- [back rentals], Sunvar filed one ment nearly six years later, but prohibited pleading after another the case was soon elevated to the to stop the government from implementing the decision,” Calida Court of Appeals.

The RufinoPrietos are cutting their losses and abandoning their newspaper, which helped them grow their other enterprises.

explained. “Sunvar did not even file a... bond and deposit the accruing rentals every month as required by the Rules of Court to stay the execution [of an ejectment order] pending appeal.” *** Meanwhile, ahead of their eviction from Mile Long, the RufinoPrieto family, in a surprise move, announced that it was selling the Inquirer to Ramon Ang, president of San Miguel Corp., the country’s biggest diversified conglomerate.

The sellout followed intense criticism by Duterte of the newspaper for its alleged bias against his administration.

Yet another Rufino-Prieto family asset, Golden Donuts Inc, exclusive franchisee of Dunkin’ Donuts, has also been under siege. In April this year, the Bureau of Internal Revenue said it was reviewing the reported unpaid liabilities of GDI, after Duterte also accused the company of not paying taxes

Turn to A5

CHINA’S budget and trade scolds should pause for reflection.

Debt racked up by China’s government, companies and households will likely balloon to almost 300 percent of gross domestic product by early next decade, the International Monetary Fund projected in its annual review of the country’s economy.

Big, for sure, and a risk to global financial stability.

But anything less would be a risk as well. What would China’s economy and the world’s look like without this level of stimulus? Global growth since the 20072009 crisis would be slower and more dependent on the U.S., which is struggling to escape the world of 2 percent growth.

If that isn’t significant enough, American companies would have likely had fewer buyers for services like banking, education and software. For all the wailing about the U.S. merchandise trade deficit, China itself has a small but growing services deficit with the rest of the world.

The IMF acknowledged this point. It said gross domestic product, adjusted for inflation, would probably have grown only about 5.5 percent annually over the past four years instead of 7.25 percent.

At some point, China will further cool its engines and accept slowing growth. IMF directors “noted that economic activity had recently firmed and saw this as an opportunity to accelerate needed reforms and focus more on the quality and sustainability of growth.”

In the meantime, China’s relatively strong growth has benefits far from Beijing.

China is shifting away from an export-and-investmentdependent economy. Some tables accompanying the IMF report show the trade surplus receding to 3 percent of GDP in 2022 from 4.4 percent last year. China’s deficit in services is going the opposite direction, widening to 2.5 percent from 2.2 percent in the same period.

Turn to A5

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Opinion FORMATION GARY OLIVAR

Punchin’ Judy SOME months ago, I wrote about the confirmation travails of two of the better known ladies in Duterte’s Cabinet, the equally feisty socialite Gina Lopez and socialist Judy Taguiwalo.

Gina had already been turned down twice by Congress, and I predicted she was out for good, as it did turn out later when the President declined to put in her name a third time. Too noisy, too impatient, she was easy pickins for a Congress that hearkens to the siren call of lobby money much like pigs—soooee! soooee!—rush to the trough.

But Judy, I thought, would fare better. Despite already being turned down once, I thought she had done well during the second round of confirmation hearings, despite some pointed questions about her leftist background and a typically boorish remark about her marital status from an actorsenator.

How little I knew. She did end up being turned down a second time, in July, and then a third time the other day. Under an informal “three strikes, you’re out” rule at the Commission of Appointments, that’s the end of the line for her. *** The decision to reject Judy has been hugely unpopular.

Very few people have failed to be impressed by her professional efficiency, her obvious concern for the poor, and, not least of all, her refusal to suck up to the rich and powerful, including several congressmen lusting after the goodies in the DSWD trough.

In an effusive endorsement speech, Senator Ralph Recto said “she personifies that elusive political ideal that persons of different political persuasions can come together for the common good.”

It didn’t help that the commission couldn’t come up with a halfway intelligible explanation why she was turned down. Nor that none of the members who voted against her was willing to be identified.

Ironically, all the oppositionists on the commission lined up behind her, then used her rejection to practically adopt her as a Liberal Party-mate “for continuing Aquino’s successful conditional cash transfer program…and echoing the LP’s opposition to lowering the age of criminal liability of minors.”

You can always count on the party of Robredo and Drilon to scramble for every last creditgrabbing morsel thrown their way. Nothing is wasted with these guys.

Duterte Cabinet as one of several nominees of the communist-led NDF, whose role in the armed struggle is to provide political cover for the CPP and NPA. She was a beneficiary of the President’s heroic efforts to pitch a peace-making tent wide enough to shelter even Leninist revolutionaries committed to the destruction of the Philippine state.

As part of the quid pro quo, peace talks resumed with the Left and struggled along for quite a while. But inevitably, the CPP’s typical hubris reemerged. The NPA couldn’t be restrained from doing what they try to do best: killing Filipino soldiers and policemen.

And the NDF relapsed into their default attack mode when they found out that, even under someone as sympathetic as Duterte, they still couldn’t count on getting 100 percent of what they wanted every time—which as properly raised historical materialists they’ve always believed is their due.

Judy herself hung on to her NDF point of view on some issues: approving of forcible housing takeovers by Kadamay, opposing the tax reforms pushed by Duterte’s economic managers.

But to her credit, she mostly kept those views to herself in the interest of doing a good job at DSWD and working well with the President and her Cabinet colleagues.

Not so though for her NDF peers. After her rejection, they accused Duterte of “not doing enough” to push Judy, even though he’d put in her name a record three times.

Which of course begs the question of whether in fact “doing enough” is already doing too much—now that the peace talks are off, the NPA terrorists (classified as such by the European Court of Justice) are back in action, and their NDF comrades— in or out of the Cabinet—are again, strictly speaking, security risks if not outright enemies of the state. *** It’s a real pity that a woman of Judy’s caliber was caught in the middle. But precisely because that’s who she is, we’re sure she’ll understand and that she’ll bounce right back, none the worse for the entire experience.

In every one of her newspaper interviews afterward, Judy said not a single word of appreciation to the President for having taken chances and bringing her into his official family for an entire year, even after the NDF had stopped being a reluctant ally and relapsed into full-time enemy mode.

Was this just senior forgetfulness by her, or was it part of a political rehabilitation process that’s already begun for her? Time will tell how much, if anything, Judy has managed to bring home from her one year in Malacañang.

*** The problem that finally even someone of Judy’s formidable talents couldn’t overcome is a product of history-in-the-making. In the end, no matter how winsome the singer, it’s still the song that Readers can write me at gbolireally counts.

Judy was brought into the var1952@yahoo.com.

End...

From A4 during the Aquino administration, whose BIR commissioner, Kim Henares, had been accused of “protecting” the family.

While there has been no word lately on the GDI tax case, Duterte has reinstated Othello Dalanon, the BIR examiner who first accused the donut-maker of not paying P1.5 billion in taxes and who resigned during the previous administration. By all indications, the GDI case is by no means closed.

The acclaimed investigative journalist and pundit Rigoberto Tiglao, writing in the Manila Times last April 19, noted that it was “[o]nly Duterte [who] seems to have the balls... to talk against [Inquirer’s owner].” He added that the GDI case “gives us a vivid demonstration of the paper’s awesome power and that of the press in general – which isn’t at all good for the country.”

It seems that the Rufino-Prieto family, which survived an advertising boycott called by

then-President Joseph Estrada (who was removed from office in a civilian-backed military uprising in 2001 that had Inquirer’s support), has met its match in Duterte. The abrupt sale of the Inquirer to SMC’s Ang and the surrender of the Mile Long property cannot be taken as unrelated events: the Rufino-Prietos are cutting their losses and abandoning the newspaper business, which has clearly helped them grow their other enterprises that rely on government contracts.

There will be few like Tiglao who will dare to write about these goings-on, mainly because it is considered taboo in the newspaper game to criticize the competition, out of fear of retaliation. But it has to be pointed out that, under Duterte, the cozy and profitable relationship between oligarchs running media enterprises and bullied government agencies appears to be finally ending.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Casualties at the CA BACK CHANNEL ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO THE bipartisan Commission on Appointments is proving it is not a rubber stamp of President Rodrigo Duterte.

Normally, a party in power elected with an overwhelming majority of votes would have its way in pushing its nominees for Cabinet positions.

But by the composition of the Commission on Appointments, the CA has proven its independence. The latest to be rejected by the powerful CA is Judy Taguiwalo, the President’s nominee for secretary of Social Welfare and Development. Prior to Taguiwalo’s rejection, the CA also threw out the appointment of nominees Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. and Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Regina Lopez.

Taguiwalo, a former militant, has found supports among netizens and in the DSWD who thought she would have made a good Social Welfare secretary.

Ms. Taguiwalo says she is not going to accept another government position even if appointed again by President Duterte. There are not too many like Taguiwalo.

Others would do anything to be appointed by the present dispensation.

Yasay was rejected because it turned out he was an American citizen, a fact that he kept hidden from the CA. Gina Lopez, on the other hand, was rejected for her contentious and adversarial policies against the mining industry. It did not help Yasay that he was a close associate of President Duterte while Gina Lopez of the wealthy and influential Lopez family was a big contributor to Digong’s election campaign and eventual rise to the presidency.

Another appointment that has raised eyebrows is the nomination of newspaper columnist Jose “Babe” Romualdez as Philippine ambassador to Washington. There are certain concerns about his citizenship. Whose interest would he be promoting, the US or the Philippines? So far, no one has come up with evidence that Babe Romualdez at one time held an American passport during his long stay in the US. A party-list congressman and a social media activist have proposed that public officials, including congressmen and Cabinet officials , should take public transport at least once a week so they can get a feel and a sense of the daily hardships being suffered by commuters in Metro Manila. It’s a challenge to our public officials but how many

continues, with Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon taking the heaviest of the brunt. Faeldon has offered to resign but President Duterte expressed his confidence in the BOC chief. In the Senate hearing on the shabu shipment, former comrades in arms Faeldon and Senator Antonio Trillanes IV had a falling out with the former refusing to answer the latter’s question on whether there is widespread corruption in the BOC, something every one already knows the answer to. Trillanes and Faeldon were together during the Oakwood Hotel mutiny in Makati against former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

Senator Trillanes became an arch critic of President Duterte while Faeldon like other former military officials accepted government positions in the administration.

There are currently some 50 former military and police personnel in the administration, among them Faeldon, Dangerous Drugs Board Chairman Dionisio Santiago, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu and Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Danny Lim, to name a few.

Is this a prelude to Duterte declaring emergency rule now that he has key former *** The fallout in the P6.4-billion military officials in his adsmuggled shipment of shabu ministration?

of them are willing to give up the comfort of their air-conditioned limousines? Dinna Dayang, the social activist, wants government officials to take public transport at least once a week so they will know the grief of lining up in the heat or rain and climbing the long flight of stairs because the escalators at the train stations are not working.

The problem of government officials taking the trains or buses is that the three or four security escorts of these ranking public officials will add to the crowded public utility transport system.

The perennial and daily breakdown of the Metro Rail Transit and the Light Rail Transit places a heavy burden on Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade.

It could make or break him and will have a bearing on whether he stays as DOTr secretary or not.

To be fair, the problem of the MRT and LRT goes all the way back to the administration of former President Noynoy Aquino. His men in charge of the public transport system—Joseph Emilio Abaya and Al Vitangcol messed up the awarding of the trains’ service maintenance contract to a little known company without a track record in train repair.

Economy slowing down VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ GOOD news and bad news on the economy.

First the good news. The Philippine economy grew in real terms (that is minus the effect of inflation), by 6.5 percent in the second quarter (April-June 2017).

That’s the fastest in Asia, after China, whose economy grew by 6.9 percent in the second quarter this year.

“We remain as one of the best-performing economies in Asia,” gushed Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia at a press briefing yesterday.

“We have overtaken Vietnam’s 6.2 percent growth and Indonesia’s 5.0 percent. This puts the country as either the second or third fastest growing major Asian economy, next only to China,” Pernia pointed out. “Malaysia and Thailand have yet to release their data, but we can expect that they will be lower than the performance of the Philippines for this quarter,” he said.

Now, the bad news.

The economy is actually slowing down.

That the 6.5 percent second growth is higher than first quarter 2017’s 6.4 percent to me is not all that significant. It could be a function of error (GDP accounting, by the way, has an Errors and Omissions Account, where government economists place figures and trends they do not readily understand or refuse to explain).

Later, when nobody is looking, government economists

adjust their figures to more realistic levels.

The economy is worth P16 trillion. Get one-fourth of that (to represent three months), you have P4 trillion. Get 0.01 percent of that, you get P40 billion—less than half the amount, nearly P100 billion, corrupt Customs people haul in annually as bribe money.

The second quarter 2017 economic growth of 6.5 percent looks bad to me, relatively. In the same period last year (2016), the economy grew at its fastest in three years at 7 percent.

Part of the robust growth is explained by election spending. But just how much could corrupt politicians spend to boost the economy?

So growth in the second quarter last year was real growth, but that was no thanks to BS Aquino III, the do-nothing president.

Growth last year was fueled by spending – by consumers (by 7.3 percent) and by the government (by 13.5 percent). In fact, in April to June last year, 4.9 percentage points (or 70 percent) accounted for the 7 percent GDP growth. Government spending contributed 1.6 percentage points of the 7 percent. So last year, 6.5 of the 7 percent growth rate came from only two sources—consumers and the government.

In the second quarter this year, both consumer spending and government grew but at a much smaller rate. Consumer spending was up 5.9 percent during second quarter this year, down from 7.3 percent in the second quarter 2016.

Government spending was up 7.1 percent, down by almost half, from the 13.5 percent growth in second quarter last year.

Despite the dramatic slow-

down in government spending growth, Secretary Pernia had the temerity to blame private sector spending for the lower- than-expected GDP growth in the second quarter 2017.

Pernia quipped: “Taking the last quarter’s GDP growth, where the government’s spending performance was lackluster but where the private sector stepped up, and then this quarter’s GDP growth, where government really stepped up but where private sector slackened, just think what could happen if both government and private sectors together exerted that extra effort!”

He added: “We really need everyone and every sector to move in sync towards our goal of inclusive, a high trust and resilient society and a globally competitive knowledge economy.”

Why the timidity by private business in the second quarter this year? Two reasons: one, government red tape and corruption; and two, the downside risks to business this year are becoming apparent. There is so much uncertainty in the US, in Europe (with Brexit and failing banks), and in Asia, with nukes manned by fingers owned by crazy leaders.

According to JJ Atencio, who is retiring as CEO of mass housing developer 8990 Holdings, it now takes 100 signatures and 200 documents to launch a housing project.

To comply with those requirements, it would take anywhere from one year to two years, from only six months two decades ago. It takes only eight days for 8990 to build a house, but it takes

them eight months to sell it, because of regulatory requirements.

In the booming business process outsourcing business (BPO), Silicon Valley icon Diosdado Banatao, a Filipino self-made dollar billionaire from Cagayan (my home province), has warned of the threat posed by robots to clerks and humans manning call centers. They call it artificial intelligence. Instead of a beautiful voice coming from a beautiful face, you get the disemboweled voice of a robot who is more intelligent than you. Robots do not take coffee breaks, do not go on medical or pregnancy leaves, do not form unions, do not demand pay increases but they think better and have common sense. So they make a lot of sense to employ. In fact, in one experiment, two robots or AI things were made to speak to each other using language devised by humans. Who know what happened? The robots decided to invent their own language so humans could not eavesdrop.

The same with President Duterte. He uses a different language in dealing with drug lords and drug addicts. As for the economy, he says he doesn’t understand it, leaving Sonny Dominguez, Ben Diokno, and Pernia to devise their own language to explain what’s going on in the economy.

Meanwhile, eight million people still have no jobs or are underpaid in their present jobs. Prices are rising every day. And the LTFRB has not yet lifted the suspension of Uber whose service is used by up to one million commuters everyday.

ing began opening the country decades ago.

What’s been lost in the American conversation about our largest trading partner is that there are rust belts in China, just as there are in the Midwest. You can see a big one outside Beijing, where steel is no longer big business.

The future belongs to Chinese consumers. Starbucks Corp. may be more indicative of where the economy is going than most other Western businesses. Betting on an emerging urban middle class, Starbucks bought out its East China joint venture partner for $1.3 billion, the biggest deal ever for the

company.

Where a textile mill once operated, an international company may now be serving lattes or screening Disney movies. As wrenching as that has been for local communities, the world economy is stronger for it. It’s not possible without the debt China is racking up. Bloomberg

biznewasia@gmail.com

China’s...

From A4 The current account surplus is on course to almost disappear. It will shrink to just 0.4 percent of GDP in 2022.

This is not the Chinese economy your grandfather warned you about. Are exports important? Sure. Is some stuff still cheaper when it’s made in China? Yes. Not everything. Not like it was when Deng Xiaop-

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

Manila

Standard A6 FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 TODAY

Diana’s life still captivates the world

FESTIVAL. This photo taken on August 16, 2017 shows a dancer disguised as an imaginary monster in Japanese folklore walking on a street at the Ikeda Awa Odori Festival in the city of Miyoshi, about 80 kms west of Tokushima, Tokushima prefecture, on Japan’s Shikoku island. Various places in Tokushima prefecture hold the annual Awa Odori festival during ‘obon’, an annual Buddhist period in August to welcome ancestors’ souls, which are believed to return to this world and visit their families. AFP

Fed up with mass tourism, Europe’s residents protest B ARCELONA―”Never again a summer like this”: Exasperated with the hordes of visitors they blame for making their city unlivable, Barcelona residents have risen in protest.

The hugely popular Catalan metropolis has become the latest European hot spot to eye tourism with hostility.

From the romantic canals of ERRORS & OMISSIONS In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published. We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

Venice to the walled medieval town of Dubrovnik via the wilderness of Scotland’s Isle of Skye, tourism is morphing into a nightmare for many locals, de-

Notice of Loss Stock Certificate Notice is hereby given that Anthony M. Te loss his Stock Certificate Number 553 representing 350,000 common shares in Asian Appraisal Company Inc. (AACI). Please take further notice that after the expiration of one (1) year from the date of last publication, if no contest has been presented to AACI regarding said certificate of stock, the right to make such contest shall be barred and said corporation shall cancel in its books the certificate of stock which has been loss and issue in lieu thereof a new certificate of stock unless a bond for issuance of new certificate before the expiration of one (1) yearis secured.

INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF MOBILE DENTAL VEHICLE The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of One Hundred Twenty Eight Million Philippine Pesos (PhP128,000,000.00) for the project listed below. Bids received in excess of each ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening:

Name of ABC (PHP) Contract IB No. Procurement of 128,000,000.00 2017-297 Mobile Dental Vehicle IB No.

Cost of Bidding Largest Completed Contract Documents (Php) 50,000.00 a. At least two (2) similar contracts for local and/ or international contracts and the aggregate contract amounts should be equivalent to at least fifty (50%) of the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) within the specified period in the Section III. Bid Data Sheet; and b. The largest of these similar contracts must be equivalent to at least half of the fifty percent (50%) of the (ABC) as required.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The DOH now invites Bids from eligible Bidders for the procurement of the above-captioned project. Delivery of the Goods as specified in Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within the specified years from the date of submission and receipt of bids a contracts similar to each of the above-cited procurement projects stated in the Bidding Documents. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedure using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the COBAC Secretariat, G/F, Bldg.

6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila and inspect the Bidding Documents at 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

A complete set of Bidding Documents for the procurement package listed above may be acquired by interested bidders on 18 August 2017 to 06 September 2017 from the address above and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB Resolution No. 04-2012, dated 24 February 2012, in the amount specified above.

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

Bidding Documents Fee may be refunded in accordance with the aforementioned Guidelines based on the grounds provided for under Section 41 of 2016 Revised IRR of RA 9184.

6.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference and the Submission and Opening of Bids at the COBAC Conference Room, G/F, Building 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall be opened to all interested parties on the schedule given below: IB No.

Name of Contract

IB No. 2017297

Procurement of Mobile Dental Vehicle

7.

Activity (Date & Time) Pre-bidding Conference Submission and Opening of Bids 25 August 2017; 06 September 2017; 10:00 A.M. 09:00 A.M.

Bids must be delivered to the address stated below. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated below: Form of Bid Security

Cash, Cashier’s/manager’s check issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank.

Bank draft/guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank: Provided, however, that it shall be confirmed or authenticated by a Universal or Commercial Bank, if issued by a foreign bank.

Surety bond callable upon demand issued by a surety or insurance company duly certified by the Insurance Commission as authorized to issue such security.

Bid Securing Declaration

Amount of Bid Security (Not less than the required percentage of the ABC)

Two percent (2%)

Five percent (5%) No percentage required

Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

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

9.

For further information, please refer to: Special COBAC Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830

(MS-AUG. 18, 2017)

tourists in Barcelona, painting over its windscreen and giving passengers a fright.

Beyond these protests, officials too have started addressing the problem of overcrowding.

The Balearic Islands, for instance, have just limited to just over 623,000 the number of visitors that can stay in hotels or legal rental accommodation in one go.

Faced with the protests and criticism, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was forced to defend a sector that counts for 11 percent of Spain’s economic growth.

“I never thought I would have to defend the Spanish tourism sector, it’s really unprecedented,” he said earlier this month.

Tourism is a major source of growth outside of Spain too.

According to the World Tourism Organization, one in 10 jobs world-

wide is tied to a sector that generates 10 percent of global GDP. “Tourism is not the enemy,” WTO chief Taleb Rifai told AFP. From 1995 to 2016, the number of international travelers went from 525 million to 1.2 billion thanks to low-cost companies and visitors from emerging markets like China, India and the Gulf countries.

As a result, some destinations are now sagging under the weight of tourists.

Dubrovnik in Croatia is a favorite with cruise ships―a popularity that soared even further when it was used as a backdrop in the smash TV series “Game of Thrones.”

The walled old town is a delight of 17th- and 18th-century architecture. Locals, though, do their best to avoid it, saying it is almost impossible to move in the congestion. AFP

(MS-AUG. 11,18 & 25, 2017)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE 1.

spite the jobs and income it undoubtedly generates.

In the trendy seaside Barceloneta district of Barcelona, residents have for years complained about anti-social behavior like drunkenness and sex in public areas, as well as a leap in rental prices that has forced many locals out.

“We don’t want tourists in our buildings,” read banners in a protest over the weekend, in which dozens of locals took to a beach that draws revelers from all over the world.

Similar demonstrations have flared in other parts of Spain, the world’s third tourism destination.

This summer in Palma de Majorca in the popular Balearic Islands, activists burst into the port, setting off flares of red smoke and throwing confetti over people eating at a restaurant.

Others assaulted a bus full of

LONDON―From her engagement to Prince Charles as a shy teenager to her roles as doting mother, humanitarian and global celebrity, Diana’s turbulent life still captivates people around the world.

Young, beautiful and fun, she seemed refreshingly informal when she married the heir to the throne in 1981 at age 20, after what the media and palace officials portrayed as a fairytale romance.

But the acrimonious breakdown of her relationship with Charles, during which every salacious detail was played out in the world’s newspapers, would shake the monarchy to the core and drive her to self-harm.

For many people the public image of Diana remains fixed as she was in an extraordinary 1995 interview in which she spoke out about her feelings over her husband’s affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, her own infidelity and her history of self-harm.

The way she spilled secrets, stripping the monarchy of its mystique and casting doubt on Charles’s ability to be king, drew horror in some parts of the British establishment.

But for many ordinary people, her troubles―revived once again in a slew of new documentaries and interviews―made her only more popular.

“Like Marilyn Monroe, she has frozen in time. She was like a creature locked in a piece of amber. There forever―beautiful, young, vulnerable and damaged,” said royal biographer Penny Junor.

Born on July 1, 1961, Diana grew up in an aristocratic family with ties to the monarch―her father worked for the late king George VI and Queen Elizabeth II. She grew up with three siblings, in a childhood marred by the bitter break-up of her parents.

She left school at 16 with no qualifications and went to finishing school in Switzerland, before getting a job in a nursery in London.

From the moment she was linked to Charles, however, her life changed.

The prince was under increasing pressure to find a bride, and at the age of 32, he proposed― perhaps too soon. AFP

(SGD) HERMINIGILDO V. VALLE, MD, MPA Undersecretary of Health Chairperson, Special COBAC

Mexico hit by spreading Odebrecht scandal MEXICO CITY―Mexico is the latest country caught up in the swirling scandal over Brazilian construction firm Odebrecht’s multimillion-dollar bribes―and while heads are unlikely to roll, the political and economic fallout could get ugly, analysts warn.

The scandal, which has already felled a string of big names in Latin American politics and business, arrived at Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto’s doorstep this week when allegations emerged that the former chief executive of state oil company Pemex, Emilio Lozoya―a close ally―took $10 million in bribes from Odebrecht to award the firm juicy contracts.

The payouts allegedly started in March 2012, when Lozoya was head of the international affairs office for then-candidate Pena Nieto’s presidential campaign.

That proximity to the president has raised eyebrows in Mexico, where Pena Nieto is already deeply unpopular over a series of scandals involving his inner circle and top figures in the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party

(PRI).

Lozoya, who headed Pemex from 2012 to 2016, is appearing before prosecutors Thursday to answer questions about the accusations― which he denies as “false” and “malicious.”

Pena Nieto’s office likewise denied his campaign took bribes from Odebrecht, calling such suspicions “absurd.”

But the scandal threatens to deepen perceptions that the Mexican government is festering with corruption, less than a year out from presidential elections.

“The accusations against Lozoya will reinforce the already widespread discontent against President Pena Nieto’s administration, which is largely driven by voter perception that corruption is rampant,” said political analyst Carlos Petersen of consulting firm Eurasia Group.

“The PRI will have a hard time crafting a campaign strategy that allows them to be competitive,” he said in a research note.

The likely beneficiary, he predicted: the firebrand left-wing populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

The former Mexico City mayor, who leads the race in early polling, is seen as a breath of fresh air by many weary voters. His opponents see him as a threat to political and economic stability, and call him the Mexican equivalent of Venezuela’s increasingly autocratic President Nicolas Maduro.

The source behind the bribery claim is Luis Alberto de Meneses Weyll, the former head of Odebrecht in Mexico and a key state witness Brazil’s own investigation.

According to investigation documents obtained by Brazilian newspaper Globo, Weyll told prosecutors he started bribing Lozoya with a $4-million payment at the height of the 2012 campaign.

“I had noticed Emilio Lozoya had achieved a distinguished position in the PRI... whose candidate was favored to win,” he reportedly told prosecutors.

“Lozoya was one of the leaders of the campaign committee, so I knew he would probably be an influential person in the new administration.” AFP

Researchers in peanut allergy breakthrough SYDNEY―Australian researchers have reported a major breakthrough in the relief of deadly peanut allergy with the discovery of a long-lasting treatment they say offers hope that a cure will soon be possible.

In clinical trials conducted by scientists at Melbourne’s Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, children with peanut allergies were given a probiotic along with small doses of a peanut protein over an 18-month period.

When the experiment ended in 2013 some 80 percent of the kids were able to tolerate peanuts.

The research, published Wednesday in medical journal The Lancet, found that four years on, about 70 percent could still eat peanuts without an adverse reaction.

“The importance of this finding is that these children were able to eat peanuts like children

who don’t have peanut allergy and still maintain their tolerant state, protected against reactions to peanut,” lead researcher Mimi Tang said.

“These findings suggest our treatment is effective at inducing long-term tolerance, up to four years after completing treatment, and is safe.

“It also suggests the exciting possibility that tolerance is a realistic target for treating the food allergy.”

Food allergy affects one in 20 children and about two in 100 adults, with seafood, cow’s milk, eggs and peanuts among the most typical triggers.

Peanuts are one of the most common foods to cause anaphylaxis, a potentially fatal allergic reaction.

The researchers said the Murdoch study provides the “strongest evidence yet that a cure

may be possible for peanut allergy”.

“This is a major step forward in identifying an effective treatment to address the food allergy problem in Western societies,” Tang said.

Ten-year-old Olivia May suffered a reaction when she tried to eat a peanut butter sandwich seven years ago.

“We visited the allergist the first time [and] he said ‘sorry, you’re going to have to go home and empty your pantry out, clear it of all nuts, anything with nuts in it’,” Oliver’s mother Tanya told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

But after taking part in the trial, Oliva no longer suffers from her allergy.

“I think perhaps one of the best things has been to be able to just go to parties and I can drop her off or at a sleep over,” Tanya May said. AFP CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Sports

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

3 jockeys suspended for a year T

HE Philippine Racing Commission (Philracom) cracked the whip on three erring jockeys and suspended them for one year each for their questionable performances in various stakes races last July.

Jockeys Jerome Albert Saulog, Dahlwill D. Pagar and Maximillian Pichay were slapped with the stiff suspensions as part of the Philracom’s mandate to keep the races fair and clean.

“This is for the protection ng betting public,” said Philracom Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez.

“As a new member of the IFHA (International Federation of Horseracing Authorities), the

Philracom wants to make sure that horseracing in the Philippines is held at the highest level.”

Saulog was initially handed a 72-racing day suspension by the Manila Jockey Club Inc.’s Board of Stewards for his questionable performance atop Fly Like an Eagle on July 22 at the MJC’s San Lazaro Leisure Park.

A probe by the Philracom followed and in a decision handed

last Aug. 9, the commission found out that a mere review of the video of the race showed that the actions of Jockey Saulog constitute a violation of the Rules and Regulations of Horse Racing PR 76.QQ, which states that “For deliberately losing the race either by easing, pulling and/or stopping his mount without any justifiable reason at any point in the race, wherein the Board of Stewards determines that the horse still has a chance of winning the race: One-year suspension and the horse shall be elevated to the next higher group.”

Saulog’s act of not urging and whipping the horse at the crucial parts of the race and merely hold-

ing the reins and/or pulling the same demonstrate his intention to lose the race. Saulog was successful in doing so as the horse finished second in the race.

On the other hand, Jockey Pagar, who was initially slapped with a 36-racing day suspension by the MJCI-BOS for his performance atop Caravaggio during a July 12 race, also at the San Lazaro Leisure Park, got the same one-year suspension from Philracom for the same violation.

The Commission found out that Pagar’s intention in riding Caravaggio was to lose the race based on his admission, actions and the observation of the MJCI-BOS, hence the oneyear suspension.

Pichay, who was first suspended by the MJCI-BOS for 24 racing days for his questionable performance atop Caravaggio in a July 7 race at the San Lazaro Leisure Park, got the same oneyear suspension (violation of PR 76.QQ) from the Philracom, which found out that he deliberately lost the race by easing and pulling his mount without any justifiable reason.

“Jockeys should be reminded of their crucial role in the racing industry. As one of the stakeholders and main players, the performance of the jockeys should be beyond reproach and free from any doubt to protect the horseracing industry,” the Philracom decision emphasized.

PH bets welcomed in Taipei TAIPEI—The Philippines was formally recognized by the Taipei Universiade Organizing Committee here Thursday, two days before the formal opening ceremony of the 29th Summer Universiade.

The Filipinos, who will compete in the Universiade for the fourth straight time since 2011 in Shenzhen, China, checked in at the Athletes’ Village to join close to 10,000 participants in this biennial competition billed as the ‘Olympics’ of university athletes.

Among the early birds in the 160-strong Filipino delegation supported by the Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines and sponsored by San Miguel Corp., Bestank and Garfield Sportswear are athletes from archery, badminton, judo, tennis and wushu.

Leading the Filipino delegation are FESSAP chairman and delegation head Alvin Tai Lian, FESSAP president David Ong and Federation of Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industries honorary president and Philippine flag-bearer Angel Ngu. Also with the group are FESSAP deputy secretary-general and SMC representative Col. Ariel Querubin, FESSAPvice chairman Danilo Madlansacay, FESSAP treasurer Jean Monteverde and FESSAP preparation and monitiring chair Robert Milton Calo.

“You are already winners by having this opportunity to represent the country. Do your best and be good ambassadors of Philippine sports, “ said Ong during the recent sendoff held at the National Press Club in Intramuros The colorful parade of nations and welcome speeches by no less than Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and other top officials are scheduled on Saturday, Aug. 19.

A day after the opening ceremony, the Filipinos will plunge into action in five sports— archery, diving, judo, swimming and taekwondo—on a long and busy Sunday around the city’s various playing venues.

Athletics, the centerpiece event of the competition, will kick off on Aug. 23.

Proponents of the Nutrilite Health Run are shown here displaying the singlet of the event. They are (from left) Dulce Ricafort, Amway Marketing Manager; Ma. Elenita P. Olmedo, Amway Philippines Country Manager; and Coach Rio Dela Cruz President and CEO, Runrio Event Inc.

Age-group tennis goes to Palawan ACTION in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Puerto Princesa leg regional age group tennis tournament resumes today (Friday, Aug. 17) with fierce battle looming in at least three divisions at the Puerto Princesa Tennis Club in Palawan.

The boys’ 12- and 14-and-under and the 10-unisex divisions all drew 32-player casts, guaranteeing a wild chase for top honors and ranking points in the Group 2 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

Lance Hitosis, Jerry Ong, Jericho Ong and James Banac banner the field in the 14-U side while Jaydan Perez, Renz Billonez, Evan Bacalso and Justin Micayabas are the players to watch in the 12-U section of the nine-category event backed by Asiatraders Corp. and the new Unified tennis group, led by PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s and B-Meg. Seth Torrecampo and Kenrick Bona, on the other hand, headline the 10-U roster that also includes Zir Lumanog and Jorge Matta along with Trixie Gascon, Daniel Gidoco, Chelsea Abaa, Khalil Cahayag, Gian Florentino, Zander Garcia, Joshua Liboon and Alveya Ibba.

To accommodate the big number of entries, organizers have also tapped the Puerto Aventura Resort and Bona’s tennis courts as the other venues of the four-day tournament.

For details, call Bobby Mangunay, the PPS-PEPP sports program development director at 0915-4046464.

Meanwhile, Franzyn Billonez and Amelie Matta are tipped to clash for the girls’ 14-, 16- and 18-U crowns while Jeric Ordinario and Hitosis gain the top two seeding in the boys’ premier division. Hitosis also topbills the 16-U side along with the Ong siblings and Ordinario.

Runrio, Amway to hold Nutrilite Run BaliPure NUTRILITE, the world’s No. 1 selling vitamins and dietary supplements’ brand, is hosting the 5th edition of its annual Nutrilite Health Run, a national initiative that advocates wellness and healthy living.

And rightfully so, the company partnered with the country’s premiere race organizer RUNRIO, Events, Inc., to bring the best running experience for those who will participate.

This year, Nutrilite aims to gather more than 12,000 runners in Manila and Davao.

The event kicks off in Manila on Oct. 15 at the SM Mall of Asia Complex Grounds and on Oct. 29 at the SM Ecoland in Davao, with the proceeds of the run going to the Amway One By One Campaign for Children, a program initiated by the company in partnership with

the Department of Education (DepEd).

“Amway advocates a holistic, healthy, and active lifestyle. We are committed to our advocacy to encourage more people to prioritize their personal wellness. We want more people to live healthy by eating right, taking the right supplements, and being active. Our annual Nutrilite Health Run is our proof of providing a health sustaining activity for all,” said Leni Olmedo, Country Manager, Amway Philippines.

This year’s Nutrilite Health Run will cover four categories—1K, 5K, 10K, and 21K. “This year, we are adding the 21K together with the other distances. We acknowledge the fact that Filipino runners want to challenge themselves. That is why having this distance as part of the race, participants are assured of first-class race organiza-

tion, management and, more importantly on the safety of our event. The run is something we are highly committed to as we continue to encourage healthy and active lifestyle among the Filipino community,” Olmedo said.

All 21K Finishers will receive a Finisher’s Medal and Finisher’s Shirt. The 1st 21K runner to cross the finish line, on the other hand, will get a P20,000 Cash Prize, while the 1st 10K Finisher will get a P10,000 Cash Prize.

During the race proper, runners will have the chance to win exciting raffle prizes and experience Amway Brands through the Race Ville Expo.

The event will also highlight the live performance of Sponge Cola, a notable supporter, and participant in the Nutrilite Health Run. There will also be a free running clinic happening at

the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati City every Mondays and Wednesdays from 7 to 9 p.m. starting this Aug. 16. The same activity will also be held at the People’s Park in Davao City every Tuesdays and Thursdays starting on Sept. 5.

The registration fee for the health run is P250, for the 1K, 5K, and 10K, and PP850 for the 21K, respectively. All the participating runners will also get free Nutrilite Health Run shirt and race bib. Gun time is 5:30 a.m. for 1K, 5:30 a.m. for 5k, 5 a.m. for 10k and 3:30 a.m. for the 21K distances respectively.

Registration is open until Oct. 13, in all Amway Distribution Centers (Makati, Cagayan De Oro, Cebu, and Davao) or online through amway.com.ph or runrio.com.

In-store registration for select Toby’s Stores in Manila will start on Aug. 28.

Kiko Matos wins 1st Universal Reality Combat bout

By Robbie Pangilinan FILIPINO-PORTUGUESE actor Kiko Matos, who became popular after his highly publicized “bigwasan” match with actor Baron Geisler last year, won his first fight in the Universal Reality Combat Championship against Billy Jack Magana Sanchez last Aug. 12 at the Araneta Coliseum.

Matos defeated Sanchez via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in Round 1 at the 2:15 mark. URCC President and Founder Alvin Aguilar congratulated Matos, saying he knew the actor would win because he had been taking his MMA and Jiu-jitsu training seriously.

“Thanks to all the fans, friends, brothers in my fraternity , and my family who supported my fight, especially my mother who is here today. Thank you, Coach Michael Park and Alvin Aguilar,” said Matos after the fight.

The indie actor, who stars in the first Cinemalaya entry of Megastar Sharon Cuneta, “Ang Pamilyang Hindi Lumuluha,” is choosing among Polo Ravales, Carlos Agassi and JM Deguzman to fight next.

“I want more challenging matches, if there’s no other celebrity who can fight me

here in MMA, then I might go pro,” said Matos.

At the URCC XXX, the four champions retained their belts. Chris Hofman, the URCC’s only two-division champion, won his seventh straight victory after beating Canadian challenger Robert Sothmann. Hofman dropped Sothmann late in the first round and unloaded a barrage of strikes from top-position, forcing the referee to stop the contest.

Mark Striegl won via submission against Filipino MMA pioneer Andrew Benibe in the first round with a masterful Americana.

“It feels great. Andrew is really tough.

It’s a great opportunity for this win in debut fight in URCC,” said Striegl.

Derrick Easterling defended his URCC flyweight title for the first time after winning it back in January of 2017 by knocking out inaugural Fight Farm Series winner Jiar Castillo in the second round.

South Korean grappler Do Gyeom Lee hooked his URCC featherweight belt against Jojo Orao by securing the Rear Naked Choke. It was his third straight win.

Strawweight defending titleholder Fritz Biagtan defeated Solomon Dultra via third round stoppage win.

quenches thirst for title LIKE most championships, this one didn’t come easy. In fact, BaliPure almost didn’t make it to the semis.

But with sheer determination, guts plus some luck, the Water Defenders can now call themselves champions in only their second year in the country’s premier women’s volleyball league.

“It was a tough road (to the championship),” said BaliPure coach Roger Gorayeb, moments after steering the Water Defenders to their maiden championship with a sweep of the Pocari Sweat Lady Warriors in their best-of-three series for the Premier Volleyball League Open Conference crown Wednesday.

“Before the tournament started, a lot of teams had tried to woo my players to join them. Then we almost didn’t make it to the semis and barely escaped from going through a playoff to advance,” said Gorayeb.

Against the unbeaten Creamline side in the Final Four, BaliPure dropped the first game and moved to the brink again.

But the Water Defenders got some break as the Cool Smashers had to play sans top hitter Alyssa Valdez after the management decided to give the national player her much deserved rest for two big international tournaments.

Still, the Cool Smashers fought back hard but the Water Defenders proved steadier, more determined and earned another crack at the championship.

“We lost the first game (against Creamline) and we almost didn’t make it to the finals,” recalled Gorayeb.

But the Water Defenders swept the Cool Smashers in their next two games then did the same against the defending champions in the finals to crown themselves the new volley queens.

“The girls persevered (in the elims). After that, it’s a different story. Iba na yung character namin,” said Gorayeb, tracing their long, hard trek to the top of women’s volley world.

LOTTO RESULTS

Kiko Matos defeated Sanchez via Submission (Rear Naked Choke) in Round 1 at the 2:15 mark.

6/49 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6/42 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 6 DIGITS 00-00-00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Sports

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

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Que grabs lead back with 66 in Aboitiz tilt

Angelo Que moved back on top with a stirring frontside six-under 30 then checked his shaky start at the back with birdies on Nos. 14 and 18 to preserve a six-under card for a 54-hole total of 199 and a one-stroke lead over Andrew and Miguel Tabuena.

PH bags 3rd bronze; gold remains elusive K

UALA LUMPUR—The gold medal remained elusive for Team Philippines as Earl Yap, Joseph Benjamin Vicencio and Paul Marton dela Cruz provided the country’s third medal—a bronze—in the men’s team compound event in the archery competition of the 29th Malaysia Southeast Asian Games here on Thursday.

Sizzling hot in their opening match, the second-seeded Pinoy hawkeyes dumped Myanmar, 236-214, while advancing to the semifinals against Singapore, which nipped Indonesia, 226-225.

But Yap, Vicencio and Dela Cruz lost their touch just as fast, falling to the Singaporeans, 227-233, and was relegated to the battle for the bronze against Vietnam, a 227-228 loser in the other semis to eventual gold medalist Malaysia.

The Filipino archers topped the Vietnamese, 233-230, duplicating the bronze-medal finish they had in the 2015 Singapore Southeast Asian Games.

It was the second bronze medal for Dela Cruz, who placed third in the men’s individual compound last Wednesday.

“Medyo kinabahan ‘yung mga bata natin,” said coach Clint Sayo of the sudden slide of the Filipino men’s troika.

“Nerves play a lot in this sport and it gets

to the best of them.”

It could be the thing bugging two-time SEA Games women’s individual gold medalist Amaya Paz-Cojuangco, who had another lackluster outing in the women’s team compound event at the National Sports School Synthetic Turf Field inside the Kuala Lumpur Sports City Bukit Jalil.

Together with Abbigail Tindugan and Jennifer Chan, the Filipina archers fell to Thailand, 215-222, in the quarters.

Dela Cruz and Cojuangco, who led the eliminations with a combined score of 1,397 points, will try to break the PH camp’s goldmedal drought when they team up in the mixed-team event on Friday.

With the archers’ pair of bronze medals and another silver from the sepak takraw squad, the Philippines is in sixth place of the medal tally in the early stretch of this

It’s official: PH hosts ‘19 Southeast Asian Games

Colegio de San Lorenzo, Fatima U win Games Tuesday: (RTU gym)

8 a.m. -- De Ocampo vs. Holy Angel 10 a.m. -- PMMS vs. St. Clare 11:30 p.m. -- RTU vs CUP 2:30 p.m. -- OLFU vs. CdSL

COLEGIO de San Lorenzo and Our Lady of Fatima University served notice of their title aspirations with a pair of lopsided victories at the start of the NAASCU Season 17 men’s basketball tournament at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City.

CdSL whipped Manuel Luis Quezon University, 101-82, while OLFU crushed La Salle-Araneta University, 82-66, to kick off their campaigns in this prestigious, 16team competition.

The ‘Twin Towers’ of Soulemane Chabi Yo and Jon Gabriel provided the offensive muscle for the Griffins, who are looking for a fitting follow-up to their successful title campaign in the MBL Open last June.

Yo, the hard-working reinforcement from Africa, asserted himself from both ends of the floor to finish with a double-double of 26 points and 16 rebounds.

Gabriel, who saw action for Wang’s Ballclub in the PBA DLeague as part of their pre-season buildup, added 24 points on a remarkable 9-of-10 shooting from the floor.

So dominant were the Griffins that they finished with more rebounds, 36-25, and more assists, 21-12, than the Stallions.

“I’m satisfied with the performance of the boys.But we’ll take it one game at a time,” said CdSL coach Boni Garcia, who is best remembered for leading AMA to the NAASCU title in 2006.

three-week battle.

As of 5 p.m., host Malaysia is on top with three gold, two silver and three bronze medals followed by Indonesia with two gold medals and a bronze. Myanmar is not far behind with two gold medals, while Singapore and Vietnam are in fourth and fifth place with 1-1-1 and 0-2-2, respectively.

Over at the National Aquatic Center, the PH men’s water polo squad came up with a valiant stand before falling to defending champion Singapore, 5-7, bowing out of gold-medal contention with its second loss in three matches in the five-nation, singleround series.

The Filipino sepak takraw squad, which gave the country its first silver in the chinlone event 3 last Wednesday, was shut out of the podium this time with 76 points, good for fifth place.

CARMONA, Cavite—Angelo Que birdied the 18th then watched Indonesian Ian Andrew muff a three-footer for par for a crucial two-shot swing that thrust the Filipino ace back to the lead with a 66 in the windy third round of the Aboitiz Invitational at the Manila Southwoods’ Legends course here yesterday.

Sliding to third from joint lead with a second round 69, Que moved back on top with a stirring frontside six-under 30 then checked his shaky start at the back with birdies on Nos. 14 and 18 to preserve a six-under card for a 54-hole total of 199 and a one-stroke lead over Andrew and Miguel Tabuena.

Andrew, two down behind Tabuena halfway through, kept his amazing bogey-free run with a frontside 32 to grab the lead. Though he stumbled with his first bogey on No. 12, he struck back with another birdie the par-5 17th and headed to the par-4 closing hole ahead of the two local aces.

But Andrew mishit his final drive deep into the fairway bunker, struggled to reach the green in three then cracked under pressure after Que rolled in a tough uphill putt from 10 feet for birdie.

“I thought I stroked it well,” rued Andrew of his final putt from short range that enabled Que to wrest back the lead heading to the final 18 holes of the the $100,000 championship serving as the kickoff leg of the new PGT Asia Tour put up by ICTSI. Andrew settled for a 69 and dropped to joint second at 200 with Tabuena, who took charge with a flawless 64 Wednesday and held sway in the early going of the third but struggled at the back and wound up with a 71.

Despite his solid start, Que said it wasn’t easy as he had to battle through strong wind, buck tough pin placements and lean on his steady putting to produce that sixunder card.

“I am quite satisfied with my game. A good putting touch served me well in the outward nine,” said Que, who moved 18 holes away from becoming the first winner of the region’s newest pro circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. “I got into a bit of a bump in two of the first three holes at the back side, but I was able to recover and made the birdie in the end.”

“My target is to shoot at least five-under,” said Que, who is coming off a record 12-shot victory in the ICTSI Classic at Mt. Malarayat last month.

BOUND FOR SEA GAMES. Members of the national cycling team seeing action in

the Southeast Asian Games are seen off at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by Philcycling president and Cavite 7th District Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino (in white jacket) on their departure for Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The team includes the country’s only reigning Asian Games gold medalist, Daniel Caluag, and the crack road squad.

Members of the PBA Board of Governors give members of the Gilas Pilipinas Cadet team a warm sendoff. Peter Atencio

THE 30th Southeast Asian Games 2019 in the Philippines will most likely be calendared in the months of November or December.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. said this following preliminary talks with Foreign Affairs secretary Allan Peter Cayetano, who was named as the new organizing committee chairman of the Games.

But no final date has been discussed yet after Cayetano went into an initial meeting with Cojuangco on Wednesday evening.

“It’s usually in November and December. And that’s because of the [good] weather,” said Cojuangco, who finalized Cayetano’s role with on the biennial meet two years from now before he left for Kuala Lumpur yesterday.

Cojuangco signed an agreement with Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez and Cayetano on the formation of a new organizing

committee during an early Thursday meeting at the Marriot Hotel in Pasay City.

The agreement was reached a day before Cojuangco was to meet with the SEA Games Federation Council and discuss the Philippines’ hosting in 2019.

Cayetano said it was the clamor coming from the public sector which became the main reason why Malacanang changed its mind and reconsidered its decision to continue its support on the hosting rights of the Games.

“Simple lang ang sinabi namin, SEA Games always features the host, it puts focus on the host and it’s tailor made to present the host country,” said Cayetano when he talked about the discussions that went on during Tuesday’s Cabinet cluster meeting.

The final decision to continue supporting the hosting of Games was reached after a meeting between Cayetano, Ramirez, Presidential

Special Assistant Bong Go and Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

“It’s about the heart of the Pinoy athlete. That got to us. But it took us to nearly losing, or giving up on the hosting for us to realize how important it is for us to host it,” added Cayetano.

Ramirez said no new facilities will be built for the venues that will be chosen for the Games.

Instead, organizers will just rent or lease facilities that are available.

“This is one area that will be discussed with the presidents of the national sports associations. There are technical matters that will be reviewed.

The PSC Board of Commissioners composed of Ramon Fernandez, Celia Kiram, Arnold Agustin and Charles Maxey also welcomed Cayetano’s role in the Games.

He replaced Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who agreed to give way to Cayetano during the meeting in Malacañang. Peter Atencio

Gilas Cadets need to adjust to SEAG competition fast

By Peter Atencio THE GILAS Pilipinas Cadets need to adjust right away when action in the 29th Southeast Asian Games men’s basketball tournament gets under way this Sunday.

For Kiefer Ravena, it will be his fourth stint in the Games.

And helping his teammates get ready for what’s to come will be his role.

“This is my fourth SEA Games.

Tinutulungan ko ang mga teammates ko mag-adjust. Bago ang team at wala ang oras sa side namin,” said Ravena.

Ravena talked about his role

with the team, the day before they were to leave for Kuala Lumpur during a lunch sendoff ceremony at the Edsa Shangrila Hotel in Mandaluyong.

Chooks to Go president Ronald Mascarinas hosted the lunch for the national team as one of its major sponsors.

The Cadets beat National University, 109-94, on Wednesday to complete a sweep of its tune-up games.

Making up the rest of squad are Gilas cadet rookie Kobe Paras, Ray Parks, Raymar Jose, Kevin Ferrer, Almond Vosotros, Mac Belo, Mike Tolomia, Baser Amer

and Troy Rosario.

Mascarinas said support for the Gilas’ campaign will always be there.

“Wala namang change [on the support]. We’re there supporting the team with Smart. We provide whatever the team needs,” said Mascarinas.

Business

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Thursday, August 17, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

51.4380

Japan

Yen

0.009076

0.4669

UK

Pound

1.289200

66.3139

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.127849

6.5763

Switzerland

Franc

1.035518

53.2650

Canada

Dollar

0.792770

40.7785

Singapore

Dollar

0.733999

37.7554

Australia

Dollar

0.792200

40.7492

Bahrain

Dinar

2.654985

136.5671

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.731315

37.6174

Brunei

Dollar

0.730780

36.9928

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0039

Thailand

Baht

0.030039

1.5451

UAE

Dirham

0.272279

14.0055

Euro

Euro

1.177200

60.5528

Korea

Won

0.000881

0.0453

China

Yuan

0.149454

7.6876

India

Rupee

0.015585

0.8017

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.232721

11.9707

New Zealand

Dollar

0.731100

37.6063

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032994

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017

B1

1.6971 Source: PDS Bridge

IN BRIEF Air Juan plans to buy 10 planes AIR Juan Aviation Inc. plans to acquire 10 aircraft over the next five years as part of its refleeting program, a top executive said Thursday.

“We are spending a lot in the next five years. We want to grow further,” Air Juan president John Gutierrez told reporters.

The company plans to acquire the 10 aircraft at $25 million to $30 million each. “We hope to increase our capacity by five times in five years,” Gutierrez said.

The airline carries 1,500 passengers a month, mostly foreign tourists.

Air Juan currently has six Cessna Grand Caravan seaplanes, four Cessna Grand Caravan EX and two helicopters.

“We make every flight as pleasantly memorable as possible, but we still remain focused on our goal, which is to take passengers to their destination as safety and conveniently as possible,” Gutierrez said.

Air Juan flies to Baler, Boracay, Busuanga, Puerto Galera, Marinduque and Subic. Darwin G. Amojelar

Asean-US cable link completed THE seven-member Southeast AsiaUnited States cable consortium announced the full commercial operations of the $250-million submarine fiber cable system that directly links Asia to the US for faster data transmission, more efficient connectivity and greater network resiliency.

Globe Telecom said with the recent completion of the Philippine and Indonesia portion, the cable system could now provide additional capacity for the exponential growth of bandwidth between the two continents as well as bypass congested, earthquake-prone areas to ensure business continuity even during disasters.

“We are happy that the final leg of the Sea-US cable strategically terminating in Davao, is already done. We are proud to be part of this landmark undertaking because of the immense benefits that it brings to the country and the rest of the Southeast Asian region,” said Globe Telecom president and chief executive Ernest Cu. Globe is one of the consortium members.

“The facility will not only ease our dependence on the two international cable systems routed through Northern Philippines but will also provide support for the expanding business requirement for data in Southern Philippines and the country as a whole,” said Cu. Globe commercially launched the Sea-US cable system on Aug. 11.

Solar PH submits bid for Meralco deal SOLAR Philippines said it submitted an offer to Manila Electric Co.’s invitation to challenge the bid of Citicore Power Inc. to supply up to 85 megawatts of capacity at a rate of P3.50 per kilowatt-hour.

Solar Philippines said in a statement that under its proposal, Meralco consumers could enjoy 30 percent lower rates given the record-low prices from solar developers.

Meralco published an invitation to other bidders to participate in a competitive selection process to supply 85 megawatts and challenge the price offer of Citicore on June 28.

Citicore offered to supply 75 MW to 85 MW of capacity from its three solar plants such as Next Generation Power Technology Corp. in Mariveles, Bataan; First Toledo Solar Energy Corp. in Toledo, Cebu; and Silay Solar Power Inc. in Silay, Negros Occidental.

Meralco is required to publish an invitation for a price challenge under the competitive selection process rules of the Energy Department and the Energy Regulatory Commission. Alena Mae S. Flores

Citicore to supply power to Citystate CITICORE Energy Solutions Inc., the retail electricity supply arm of renewable energy company Citicore Power Inc., signed its first retail power agreement with Citystate Centre Condominium Corp.

Under the contract, CESI will deliver 2.61 megawatts of sustainable energy to Citystate starting Aug. 26.

“Being a newcomer in the industry, we have already achieved significant milestones. This is a momentous occasion because this is our first retail supply agreement to a contestable customer. We thank Citystate for the trust and the opportunity to partner with us, and we hope to strengthen this partnership in the coming years,” CESI president Manolo Candelaria said.

Retail competition and open access, as mandated by the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001, enables large electricity consumers in Luzon and Visayas with an average monthly peak demand of at least one megawatt to have the option to seek their own power suppliers.

“Hopefully, it is the first of a series of relationships that we will be doing.

For us, we believe renewable energy, particularly solar energy, is the way to go for our projects. I think this is more than a start of something good for us,” Citystate president Jesus Antonio Cabangon Jr. said. Alena Mae S. Flores

PEPSI-MAX’S PARTNERSHIP. Pepsi and Max’s Restaurant renew their partnership which is now in its 15th year. Shown sealing the partnership agreement are (from left)

Max’s executive director and vice-president for marketing Jim Fuentebella, Max’s executive director Carolyn Salud, Max’s chairwoman Sharon Fuentebella, Max’s president and chief executive Robert Trota, Pepsi Philippines president Samudra Bhattacharya, PepsiCo country manager Maricelle Narciso, Pepsi Philippines general manager for modern trade Marvyn Taningco and PepsiCo commercial director Chiqui Palileo. Aside from Krispy Kreme, the partnership was expanded further with the inclusion of Yellow Cab Pizza. Max’s has over 190 branches while Yellow Cab has 137 outlets nationwide.

GDP growth picked up to 6.5% in 2nd quarter

By Julito G. Rada

E

CONOMIC growth picked up to 6.5 percent in the second quarter from 6.4 percent in the first quarter, lifted by the sustained strength of the industry sector and the recovery of agriculture, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Thursday.

The growth in the quarter covering the months of April to June, however, was slower than 7.1 percent recorded in the same period last year, when the presidential election was held. Growth in the first half averaged 6.45 percent this year, also slower than 6.95 percent registered a year ago.

“The [GDP] target [of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent this year] remains realistic,” Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said in a news briefing, adding that the Philippines continued to be one of the fastest growing economies in Asia.

The country’s second-quarter expansion was faster than Vietnam’s 6.2 percent and Indonesia’s 5 percent.

ING Bank Manila senior economist Joey Cuyegkeng said the GDP growth target of 6.5 percent to 7.5 percent remained within reach, as some acceleration of economic activity was expected in the second half.

“Negative base effects would have faded while household and business spending and investments supported with an acceleration in core government spending would continue to support strong economic activity,” Cuyegkeng said.

Cuyegkeng said an export recovery would also deliver a more favorable contribution

although agriculture might post a moderate growth in the third quarter from the Avian flu outbreak in Pampanga.

The net primary income from the rest of the world grew 8.6 percent. As a result, gross national income posted a 6.8-percent growth.

“With the country’s projected population reaching 104.5 million in the second quarter of 2017, per capita GDP grew by 5 percent.

Meanwhile per capita GNI and per capita household final consumption expenditure grew by 5.3 percent and 4.4 percent, respectively,” the PSA said.

Pernia said he expected the economy to remain resilient to risks, such as the Marawi conflict in Mindanao, the recent bird flu outbreak in Central Luzon, and even the weakening peso.

“The peso is not a concern … as long as we are able to manage the fluctuation and minimize wild movements, I think we should be okay,” he said.

Millennium Global buying 81% of Calata Corp.

By Jenniffer B. Austria AGRICULTURE company Calata Corp. on Thursday unveiled a plan to spin off its assets to privately held Agriphil Corp. and sell an 81-percent interest to Millennium Global Holdings Inc., a listed firm formerly known as IPVG Corp.

Calata president Joseph Calata said in a message to shareholders its board of directors approved the two transactions in bid to protect the welfare of minority shareholders after the Philippine Stock Exchange initiated delisting procedures against the company because of multiple disclo-

sure violations.

Calata said the company, as a neophyte member of the PSE, struggled to comply with all the rigorous regulatory requirements of the corporate regulator.

Calata and MGHI did not disclose the value of the transaction.

MGHI, led by chairman, president and chief executive Yang Chi Jen (Michael Yang), recently diversified into the food sector with the acquisition of Millennium Ocean Star Corp. and Cebu Canning Corp.

MGHI said its board approved the increase in the authorized capital stock of the company from P250 million to

P10 billion and the acquisition of 81 percent of Calata by subscribing 2.5 billion shares from Calata’s increase in authorized capital stock.

Calata said “because it would appear that the company’s lack of experience in effectively complying with strict regulatory regulations might compromise public shareholders’ interest as a result of possible sanctions which may be imposed upon an erring listed entity, on Aug. 17, 2017, the board of directors decided that it would be in the best interest of the investing public to welcome new management which

shall inject a new but related line of business into the company,” Calata said.

MGHI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange it would use Calata to acquire the business of subsidiary Millennium Ocean Star Corp., a leading exporter and importer of seafood and aquaculture products in the local and international market.

Trading of MGHI shares were suspended for one hour from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Thursday to give shareholders time to digest the disclosure. Upon resumption of trading, share price of MGHI surged 17.1 percent to P0.280.

Hot money posted net inflows of $206m in July FOREIGN portfolio investments or ‘hot money’ posted a net inflow of $206 million in July, an improvement from the $72-million net inflow in June, as investors kept their exposure in the local stock market.

The July net inflow, however, was lower than $1.066-billion net inflow registered in the same month last year.

Foreign portfolio investments are overseas funds that are temporarily invested in local stocks, government securities and money market. These funds are also called ‘hot money’ because of the ease they are invested in and taken out of the local markets.

Total inflows in July declined to $1.434 billion from $2.269 billion a year ago, while gross outflows slightly rose to $1.227 billion from $1.202 billion.

This brought portfolio investments in the first seven months to a net outflow of $204 million, compared to a net inflow of $1.743 billion in the first seven months of 2016.

Bangko Sentral said the hot money recovered in July because of slower inflation, strong net foreign buying, investor reaction to President Rodrigo Duterte’s second State-of-theNation Address and the US Federal Reserve’s decision to keep interest rates unchanged.

About 90.5 percent of the registered investments in July were in securities listed in the stock market, pertaining to food, beverage and tobacco companies; holding firms; banks; property companies; and utility companies. The 9.5-percent balance went to peso government securities.

Mondelez wants dialog on sweetened drinks tax

By Othel V. Campos SNACK and beverage company Mondelez Philippines asked the government to conduct more studies on the proposed tax rates on sugar-sweetened beverages.

“We are not against taxation.

We want to pay our own share of tax. What we are against is the way the bill is drafted. We feel that the tax is premature in the sense that not enough discussion has happened,” Mondelez Philippines country head Ashish Pisharodi said, referring to House Bill No. 5636 which was passed by the House of Representatives.

Mondelez, which produces powdered juice drink under the Tang brand, also called on the government to conduct a study that would provide data support-

ing its claim that sugar was a cause of obesity among Filipinos.

Pisharodi said the bill, which would impose an extra P10 or P20 per liter tax on all SSBs on top of all other existing taxes such as VAT, would make the cost of SSBs beyond the reach of consumers in the D and E income segments.

Mondelez head for corporate and government affairs Shanahan Chua said the bill would impose P10-per-liter tax on beverages using local sugar and P20 per liter on imported juices, ready-to-drink beverages and softdrinks.

Chan said this would mean that a sachet of Tang juice costing about P9 to P10 per pack to produce a liter of juice would cost P30 per sachet under the proposed measure.

SMART APPLIANCES. A Filipino employee of SAP Philippines demonstrates a digital home solution that can automate the functions of smart appliances such as a washing machine from a desktop or a smartphone during the Asian Innovators Summit at Makati Shangri La Hotel in Makati City. SAP, the world’s largest business software company from Germany, expects the increasing use of artificial intelligence, Internet of Things and data science in the Philippines. Roderick T. dela Cruz

B2

Business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

GDP growth lifts stock market

S

TOCKS rose for a fourth day, sending the benchmark index near a record level, after the government announced that the gross domestic product grew 6.5 percent in the second quarter.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, rose 26 points, or 0.3 percent, to close at 8,072.75 Thursday, the highest in more than a year or since it finished at 8,100.48 on July 27, 2016. It closed at an all-time high of 8,127.48 on April 10, 2015.

The heavier index, representing all shares, also gained 9 points, or 0.2 percent, to settle at 4,760.89, on a value turnover of P6.3 billion. Gainers outnumbered losers, 111 to 77, while 55 issues were unchanged.

Eleven of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Security Bank Corp. which advanced 2.4 percent to P261 and developer Ayala Land Inc. which rose 1.8 percent to P43.25. BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender, went up 1.4 percent to P130.60.

Meanwhile, the peso closed at an 11-year low of 51.355 against the US dollar Thursday, despite the weakness of the greenback in Asian markets.

The greenback was hovering around 110 yen as safe haven assets were reinvigorated, with Asian equities treading water to broadly hold gains from a rally earlier in the week on easing tensions over North Korea.

The Nikkei ended marginally down with automakers and banks in retreat after Fed policymakers hinted at a slower pace of interest rate hikes at their July meeting, with Japanese shares also dragged lower by the stronger yen.

Some members of the US central bank argued it could afford to “be patient” before raising rates again, according to newly

released minutes that showed policymakers focused on persistent weak inflation.

Hong Kong drifted lower in afternoon trade although market heavyweight Tencent was up more than two percent.

The tech giant, which owns hugely popular social media platform WeChat, beat expectations to report surging quarterly net profit to see its fastest revenue growth in seven years.

Stocks in Shanghai saw healthy gains, ahead of results from Chinese e-commerce leviathan Alibaba.

“USD weakness followed the release of [Fed] minutes that indicated ‘many’ members feared inflation will stay lower for longer,” said Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets.

Wall Street on Wednesday shrugged off developments in Washington to rise above 22,000 even as Trump disbanded a pair of business advisory boards after several chief executives resigned over his widely criticized response to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville. With AFP, Bloomberg

PetroEnergy’s income surges 180% to $6.55m

By Alena Mae S. Flores LISTED PetroEnergy Resources Corp. said Thursday consolidated net income in the first six months jumped 180 percent to $6.55 million from $2.34 million in the same period last year, on strong income contribution from renewable energy projects.

PetroEnergy said in a statement the higher consolidated income translated into a 401-percent increase in net income attributable to the equity holders of the parent company .

The company’s renewable energy projects include the 20-megawatt Maibarara Geothermal Power Project in Batangas, the 36-MW Nabas Wind Power Project in Aklan and the 50-

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW THURSDAY, AUGUST 17, 2017

NAME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.38 69,000 59.7 76,410 104.9 436,430 3.93 25,000 130.6 3,598,650 1.3 434,000 35.5 144,100 16.14 23,500 33.1 2,516,000 920 490 0.69 1,873,000 87.1 3,901,590 0.94 2,796,000 13.44 50,600 24.6 8,200 61.15 97,540 241.4 80 115 200 87.65 220 52.6 46,920 261 1,401,900 1,800 440 86.4 65,340 1.37 273,000

303,870 4,552,848.50 45,962,180 98,320 469,263,490 564,200 5,119,560 379,080 82,772,075 450,800 1,283,460 337,804,495.50 2,570,680 668,064 203,950 5,964,130.50 19,316 23,000 19,193 2,511,725.50 364,286,296 792,000 5,645,392.50 374,480

4,194,105 -22,487,718 -58,296,769 895,445 15,725,335 -485,760.00 -30,746,349.50 1,344 -1,812,140 562,740 92,899,978 -189,000 3,538,634.50 -

INDUSTRIAL 39.05 1,093,900 9.14 782,500 0.83 102,000 1.39 91,000 25.75 6,800 0.24 2,570,000 143 670 5.66 3,452,500 16.82 497,900 180 260 31.6 505,300 21.7 253,700 64 650,420 71.5 260 1.96 41,000 5.4 26,800 11.24 30,000 10.08 6,762,400 15.14 457,000 13.3 497,400 7.28 612,000 6.86 10,110,900 17.1 1,075,300 67.05 20,800 12.6 158,900 13.84 1,525,800 1.88 565,000 238.2 1,061,280 3.6 96,000 3.39 75,000 22.8 10,600 31.6 3,986,000 18.5 591,900 18.32 3,481,000 277 235,100 0.28 111,280,000 11.14 212,500 2.87 906,000 7.44 1,769,300 9.53 2,403,900 7.79 60,100 10.08 4,800 1.78 736,000 12.06 519,500 65.3 160,320 7.1 157,800 313 28,860 4.33 10,000 4.43 3,000 2.59 666,000 12.54 124,300 4.61 157,000 1.23 98,000 148.5 2,004,210 2.06 12,233,000

42,767,345 7,149,641 83,670 127,030 172,005 623,760 93,240 19,640,322 8,404,540 47,550 15,985,645 5,348,959 41,626,874 18,590 79,380 144,778 334,432 68,318,762 6,910,850 6,612,176 4,572,225 69,627,214 18,569,140 1,402,727 2,007,106 21,030,110 1,043,490 252,464,130 335,990 258,260 241,775 125,690,690 10,967,158 64,196,394 65,206,570 31,281,730 2,338,056 2,630,210 13,063,052 23,174,437 459,535 48,384 1,312,430 6,261,194 10,454,765.50 1,117,110 8,996,972 43,300 13,290 1,732,910 1,558,728 716,400 119,540 297,872,334 25,439,570

-11,762,605 10,064 -5,649,783 4,910,596.00 8,530 41,580,794 -29,400 -23,241,206 1,167,740 1,145,622 1,455,200 -36,381,131 -11,590,712 -726,724.50 -636,300 13,350,736 0 181,949,312 83,025,705 1,128,960.00 -14,012,948 -12,184,004 -4,468,780 -2,153,310 20,574 1,873,015 -23,000 176,220 3,206,780 3,146,670.50 769,255 306,832 13,290 -18,060 242,040 48,480 48,406,348 -5,225,430

584,450 44,028,829.50 73,419,022 14,300 358,416 24,500 29,250 269,381,025 2,536,121 98,082,152 126,205 48,000 135,740 120,380,135 794 51,770,489.50 57,155 467,270 6,165,967 48,934,134 21,500 149,080,596 353,300 1,880 280,860 4,143,402 29,630 201,782,500 4,350 251,290 1,068,734 2,800 354,000 11,650

11,610,067.50 5,030,654 40,196,795 -1,224,075 24,845,608 -2,093,285 -2,633,328.50 479,637 6,295,230 -22,445,783 7,460 -100,711,700 7,950 -283,870 -

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

4.27 59.6 107 3.96 128.9 1.3 35.5 16 32 920 0.69 86.2 0.88 13.2 26 61.45 241.6 115 87.2 53.5 255.2 1,800 86.4 1.38

4.48 59.7 107 3.96 131.1 1.3 35.55 16.14 33.2 920 0.7 87.15 0.94 13.44 26 61.7 241.6 115 87.65 53.75 262 1,800 86.55 1.38

4.25 59 104.6 3.93 128.8 1.3 35.5 16 32 920 0.68 86.2 0.87 13.2 24.6 61 241.4 115 87.2 52.6 255.2 1,800 86.3 1.32

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH

39.5 9.14 0.82 1.4 25.9 0.244 135 5.74 16.94 183 31.7 19.4 64 71.5 1.92 5.42 11.4 10.04 15.14 13.4 7.64 6.92 17.3 67.05 12.68 13.64 1.82 238 3.55 3.49 22.8 31.5 18.3 18.8 277.4 0.24 11.56 2.95 7.16 9.65 7.59 10.08 1.79 12 65.3 7.02 308 4.33 4.43 2.61 12.6 4.56 1.2 148.8 2.11

39.5 9.18 0.83 1.4 25.9 0.245 150 5.74 16.94 183 31.9 22.1 64 71.5 1.96 5.42 11.4 10.24 15.14 13.4 7.64 6.93 17.44 68.4 12.68 13.88 1.89 239.8 3.6 3.6 22.85 31.95 18.74 18.8 278.2 0.31 11.56 2.96 7.55 9.74 7.84 10.08 1.8 12.2 65.35 7.14 314.8 4.33 4.43 2.63 12.6 4.62 1.23 149.8 2.14

39.05 9.08 0.82 1.39 25.05 0.24 135 5.66 16.82 180 31.1 19.38 63.9 71.5 1.92 5.39 11.12 10.04 15.1 13.22 7.28 6.86 17.1 67.05 12.6 13.58 1.81 236 3.4 3.3 22.7 31.45 18.3 18.2 277 0.239 10.8 2.87 7.14 9.53 7.31 10.08 1.77 12 64.85 7.02 307 4.33 4.43 2.58 12.4 4.54 1.2 147.1 2.03

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A 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 TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.365 73.75 13.8 1.1 7 0.305 0.325 905 7.61 15.88 7.77 6 0.195 1,199 7.94 72.7 5.09 0.92 7 17.58 0.43 6.7 0.046 0.94 2.06 100 2.7 831 0.87 1.62 302.4 0.28 0.205 0.233

0.365 74.45 13.8 1.1 7.02 0.315 0.325 910 7.64 15.88 7.77 6 0.2 1,199 7.94 73.5 5.28 0.92 7 18 0.43 6.78 0.046 0.94 2.09 100.8 2.75 838 0.87 1.62 302.6 0.28 0.215 0.233

0.355 73.3 13.62 1.1 6.99 0.305 0.325 899 7.52 15.7 7.57 6 0.195 1,165 7.94 71.5 5.01 0.89 6.86 17.38 0.43 6.6 0.045 0.94 2.06 99.85 2.64 824 0.87 1.59 300 0.28 0.195 0.233

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU PROP A CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES

5.38 1.35 2.3 0.92 42.95 3.56 5.08 5.97 0.53 1.42 1.51 0.228 0.49 45 0.71 0.155 1.88 1.66 0.96 5 0.285 0.53

5.38 1.37 2.3 0.95 43.35 3.67 5.09 5.97 0.54 1.43 1.55 0.228 0.5 45 0.71 0.159 1.93 1.69 0.99 5.05 0.29 0.56

5.35 1.33 2.25 0.92 42.4 3.55 5 5.97 0.53 1.34 1.51 0.215 0.49 44.5 0.69 0.147 1.85 1.65 0.96 4.95 0.28 0.52

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

0.5 4.7 24.3 1.78 3.19 35 1 7.5 0.87 6

0.53 4.76 24.3 1.79 3.21 35 1.01 7.5 0.88 6.02

0.5 4.65 23.5 1.78 3.18 34.55 0.99 7.5 0.86 5.89

0.52 4.7 23.5 1.78 3.21 34.8 1.01 7.5 0.88 5.99

5,389,000 1,536,000 2,024,000 336,000 169,000 4,715,400 619,000 500 137,000 17,459,500

2,788,980 7,272,110 47,863,765 598,240 538,780 164,425,540 622,780 3,750 118,030 104,412,114

-861,400 -14,014,430 -24,829,650 12,830,603

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN MANILA JOCKEY MELCO RESORTS METRO RETAIL MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PAXYS PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

20.75 41.75 1.65 0.61 0.039 5.03 9.98 0.073 101 10.36 9 2.17 975 2,076 6.15 15.9 2.49 3.16 104.5 8.68 0.163 1.32 3.1 15.22 4.14 1.69 11 0.57 2.4 8.66 4.22 20.8 2.4 11.26 5.2 2.86 177.9 9.6 1,751 1.58 0.4 48 88 5.7 4.2 1.32 3.45 1.21 8.72

21 41.95 1.69 0.62 0.04 5.32 10.1 0.076 102.3 10.54 9.13 2.25 975 2,076 6.17 15.96 2.52 3.16 105 8.68 0.176 1.37 3.12 15.22 4.14 1.74 11.26 0.57 2.4 8.69 4.24 22.5 2.4 11.26 5.2 2.86 177.9 9.68 1,780 1.6 0.4 48.5 89 6.03 4.25 1.4 3.48 1.3 8.89

20.6 41.6 1.59 0.59 0.038 5.03 9.9 0.073 100.9 10.2 8.85 2.17 975 2,046 6.14 15.9 2.4 3.11 103 8.6 0.163 1.32 3.01 15.22 4.09 1.54 10.9 0.57 2.33 8.55 4.1 20.4 2.31 11.26 5.18 2.86 177.9 9.4 1,743 1.58 0.4 47.8 87.9 5.7 4.08 1.32 3.4 1.21 8.5

SERVICES 21 41.8 1.67 0.62 0.04 5.32 9.95 0.076 101 10.42 8.85 2.25 975 2,056 6.15 15.96 2.41 3.11 104.3 8.65 0.175 1.36 3.01 15.22 4.12 1.61 11.2 0.57 2.33 8.69 4.23 21 2.33 11.26 5.18 2.86 177.9 9.46 1,760 1.6 0.4 48.05 88 5.91 4.14 1.4 3.44 1.28 8.85

51,400 14,100 76,000 5,842,000 10,300,000 8,500 8,844,900 38,620,000 418,310 6,395,200 133,500 3,000 10 16,775 95,400 72,900 1,461,000 12,000 2,332,330 275,000 17,300,000 162,000 49,000 12,600 965,000 9,081,000 840,400 1,000 24,000 2,271,600 3,520,000 45,000 1,092,000 500 600 2,000 800 585,400 105,305 1,863,000 200,000 1,833,000 51,550 15,300 7,362,000 33,740,000 137,000 22,721,000 8,060,100

1,069,430 589,540 124,910 3,563,590 404,100 43,630 88,362,147 2,896,970 42,267,966 66,549,790 1,193,566 6,670 9,750 34,459,060 586,869 1,161,756 3,591,900 37,520 243,051,870 2,385,250 2,962,020 218,300 149,500 191,772 3,978,130 15,078,670 9,374,084 570 56,260 19,589,610 14,758,320 961,270 2,556,040 5,630 3,114 5,720 142,320 5,574,633 185,989,395 2,975,360 80,000 88,133,150 4,537,509 90,414 30,434,220 45,829,870 472,450 28,776,480 70,289,000

26,805 56,265,829 -6,780 1,003,873 -4,177,092 295,161 -1,156,280 -894,700 -23,206,119 -17,500 1,154,240.00 -35,890 1,029,702.00 -6,738,950 280,140 -30,243 -2,114,967 -22,467,620 -350,460 -7,771,230 -899,540 6,838,040 21,296,800 -469,890 4,067,345

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

0.0028 1.63 4.98 1.88 1.22 0.385 8.42 2.45 0.28 0.179 0.201 0.01 1.85 5.75 1.88 0.55 1 0.011 0.011 0.011 2.37 8.32 3.5 175.9

0.0029 1.66 5.29 1.88 1.27 0.385 8.42 2.51 0.28 0.182 0.207 0.011 1.87 5.95 1.88 0.55 1.03 0.011 0.011 0.012 2.51 8.4 3.68 177

0.0027 1.63 4.98 1.88 1.19 0.385 8.36 2.45 0.27 0.179 0.19 0.01 1.83 5.75 1.84 0.53 1 0.01 0.011 0.011 2.37 8.32 3.5 174

MINING & OIL 0.0029 129,000,000 1.64 1,832,000 4.98 108,700 1.88 9,000 1.21 6,863,000 0.385 10,000 8.37 400 2.49 3,572,000 0.275 140,000 0.18 1,320,000 0.19 19,090,000 0.011 1,400,000 1.83 1,456,000 5.9 13,948,300 1.88 4,000 0.54 309,000 1.03 213,000 0.011 249,100,000 0.011 1,800,000 0.012 3,300,000 2.51 4,000 8.34 570,000 3.6 8,454,000 174.7 368,010

359,300 3,003,170 541,793 16,920 8,265,730 3,850 3,357 8,876,660 38,100 238,130 3,946,630 15,100 2,667,800 82,096,512 7,440 165,160 217,040 2,732,300 19,800 36,500 9,760 4,759,953 30,170,510 64,497,951

246,000 -7,472 121,000 -492,500 3,910,530 4,994,515 0 -55,875 1,528,970 22,046,352

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B2 DD PREF FGEN PREF F GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A SFI PREF SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

40.75 525 105.5 112.2 516.5 5.9 1,010 1,020 1.06 108 1,040 1,020 104.5 2.25 77 81.9 79.5 80.3

41.7 525 105.5 112.2 516.5 5.91 1,010 1,020 1.06 108 1,040 1,020 104.5 2.39 77 81.9 79.5 80.3

40.55 525 105.5 112.2 516.5 5.9 1,010 1,020 1.04 108 1,040 1,020 104.5 2.25 77 81.9 79.5 80.3

PREFERRED 40.55 13,800 525 100 105.5 10 112.2 50 516.5 100 5.91 370,000 1,010 110,500 1,020 1,000 1.04 9,000 108 200 1,040 195 1,020 600 104.5 4,700 2.39 20,000 77 90 81.9 12,100 79.5 37,500 80.3 5,000

561,220 52,500 1,055 5,610 51,650 2,185,700 111,605,000 1,020,000 9,380 21,600 202,800 612,000 491,150 46,400 6,930 990,990 2,981,250 401,500

-440,385 -413,000 -

LR WARRANT

2.25

2.31

2.25

WARRANTS 2.28 322,000

736,170

-114,500

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

3.81 3.03 5.35 5.68

3.89 3.03 5.35 5.95

3.79 3.03 5 5.68

3.86 3.03 5.2 5.94

409,330 9,090 152,489 15,226,632

57,350 -3,605,660

FIRST METRO ETF

122

122

121.1

1,438,323

-

USD DMPL A1

10.58

10.58

10.58

28,566

-

NAME

MS

HOLDING FIRMS 0.365 1,620,000 74 595,100 13.7 5,349,100 1.1 13,000 7.02 51,200 0.315 80,000 0.325 90,000 908 297,060 7.52 335,600 15.7 6,220,600 7.77 16,500 6 8,000 0.2 690,000 1,171 102,330 7.94 100 71.5 718,200 5.28 11,100 0.91 518,000 7 886,500 17.38 2,805,200 0.43 50,000 6.7 22,263,600 0.046 7,800,000 0.94 2,000 2.09 135,000 100.4 41,300 2.64 11,000 830 243,320 0.87 5,000 1.6 157,000 302.6 3,540 0.28 10,000 0.215 1,710,000 0.233 50,000 PROPERTY 5.37 1.33 2.27 0.95 43.25 3.57 5.03 5.97 0.53 1.34 1.53 0.218 0.5 44.5 0.7 0.156 1.88 1.67 0.99 5 0.28 0.56

224,200 3,319,000 23,000 1,639,000 7,189,500 2,515,000 4,223,100 100 14,836,000 2,055,000 336,000 67,200,000 1,616,000 241,100 354,000 5,010,000 40,651,000 3,431,000 56,000 36,392,000 33,400,000 32,278,000

1,202,645 4,465,320 52,320 1,541,720 310,152,145 8,989,320 21,329,968 597 7,876,770 2,804,810 518,170 14,824,990 803,560 10,782,465 247,780 763,510 76,767,290 5,715,010 53,880 181,858,180 9,427,400 17,514,950

-27,357 -134,000 -149,270 -48,963,985 2,684,340 9,849,916 1,174,760 -653,690 -10,850 4,420 148,000 -2,289,365 24,500 51,679,810 0 93,419,520 496,250.00 25,000

SME

TRADING SUMMARY

SHARES

FINANCIAL

18,132,818

INDUSTRIAL

175,004,815

HOLDING FIRMS PROPERTY

53,208,314 289,386,162

SERVICES

188,931,430

MINING & OIL

443,063,257

GRAND TOTAL

1,170,464,945

107,000 3,000 29,500 2,586,800

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 122 11,800 DDS 10.58

2,700

VALUE 2,012.47 (up) 13.84 1,356,981,380.05 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,059.7 (down) -9.68 1,293,599,097.046 HOLDING FIRMS 7,907.37 (up) -8.59 1,281,857,177.79 PROPERTY 3,826.8 (up) 27.04 SERVICES 1,711.64 (up) 10.64 1,006,392,399.01 MINING & OIL 12,864.95 (down) -12.61 1,143,821,649.51 PSEI 8,072.75 (up) 26.16 212,716,094.219 All Shares Index 4,760.89 (up) 9.8 6,312,604,958.62 Gainers: 111; Losers: 77; Unchanged: 55; Total: 243

MW Tarlac Solar Power Project in Tarlac.

Total electricity exported from the three plants rose to 174,810 megawatt-hours in the first half from 152,898 mWh in same period last year.

“Our renewable energy facilities are showing good results in terms of energy yield and operational efficiencies.

We are optimistic that if we are able to sustain this performance, we will be on track to achieving our full-year targets,” said PetroEnergy president Milagros Reyes.

PetroEnergy’s subsidiary, Maibarara Geothermal Inc., expects to start the commercial operations of its 12-MW Maibarara-2 expansion project before the end of the year.

The company also obtained an environmental clearance for its Puerto Princesa Solar Power Project, the first utilityscale green power project in Palawan province.

Slightly higher average crude oil prices also contributed to the profit increase, with average price reaching $50.38 per barrel in the first half this year from $35.59 per barrel a year ago.

PetroEnergy’s petroleum asset in Gabon West Africa produces 16,000 barrels of oil per day.

“We continue to develop, under our PetroGreen Energy Corp. holding unit, a pipeline of modest-sized renewable energy projects in high-demand or poorly-served areas because we believe this is the fastest way to add much needed power capacity for the country while ensuring shorter payback period for our investments,” said PetroEnergy vice president F.G. Delfin Jr. The company supplies 8.4 percent of wind power and 7.1 percent of solar power capacities in the Philippines.

PLDT’s broadband business grows 12%

By Darwin G. Amojelar PLDT Inc. said Thursday its home broadband business grew 12 percent in the first half, as it rolled out more fiber-to-the-home lines and offered rich digital content and services.

PLDT said its broadband business under the Home brand reached P15.8 billion in the first half, with subscriber base increasing 10 percent to 3.88 million from a year ago.

PLDT said it accounted for around 66 percent of new residences connected with high speed internet, a clear indicator that it was fortifying its leadership in the market.

Data continued to power PLDT Home’s revenue growth, climbing 15 percent to P9.7 billion in the first half. Voice revenues also increased 6 percent to P6.1 billion.

“Along with our enterprise business unit, PLDT Home has continued to set the pace for service revenues, growing for at least six consecutive quarters already,” PLDT chairman and president Manuel Pangilinan said.

“This springs from their success in executing their digital shift much earlier,” he said.

PLDT Home began its shift to data and digital service in the early 2000s when it introduced its DSL home broadband service.

In 2013, the company further boosted its data service business by launching its FTTH service.

Data and broadband revenues now comprise 62 percent of the revenues of PLDT Home.

Motoring

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017

B3

Honda unveils

diesel

powered

CR-V

Text and photo by Dino Ray V. Directo III

T

he World’s most recognized and beloved sport utility just got better.

Since the introduction of the CR-V in 1996, the Honda CR-V has been a consistent best seller with 8.7 units sold in the global market. With the volatility of gasoline prices in the local market, Honda aims to address this problem by introducing a diesel powered variant.

In attendance for the grand launch of the all-new CR-V at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati were Ayala Corporation and Honda Motor Co. Ltd (HMCL) of Japan executives led by former Honda Ph GM, now HMCL Managing and Chief Officer Automobile Operations Takashi Sekiguchi.

“It is nice to be back in the Philippines, a country close to my heart,” says Sekiguchi, who initiated the night’s festivities with a

speech about the new CR-V. Turbo diesel drivetrain Honda Ph unveiled three versions of the seven-seater diesel equipped CR-V; the SX Diesel 9AT AWD; S Diesel 9AT, V Diesel 9AT and the entry level five-seater 2.0S CVT. Under the hood is a 1.6-liter DOHC i-DTEC Diesel TURBO engine developed under Earth Dreams Technology that produces a maximum power of 120PS at 4,000rpm and peak

FASTLANE Power up with Ferrari from MiLi! MILI, a premium brand of mobile solution products recently introduced it latest line of power banks and data storage officially licensed Ferrari products. What better way is there to own a Ferrari or show off your love for the Maranello based manufacturer by using mobile solutions emblazoned by the iconic Ferrari Prancing Horse! According to Johann Tiu of MiLi Ph, these products are designed to support your fast-paced lifestyle by providing portable power and storage solutions.

The Ferrari Power Miracle III which comes in Black or Red colors is a fast-charging, highcapacity universal power bank with dual USB ports and the Qualcomm QuickCharge feature. It is compatible with most mobile devices and the Qualcomm QuickCharge port which has a capacity pf 10,000 mah charges Qualcomm devices by

up to three times faster and can be brought safely into the U.S. And with a capacity of 10,000 mah, it can charge some mobile phones twice over and can be brought safely into the US. The Ferrari Power Nova 1 is MiLi’s MiLi’s popular ultra-slim, aluminum-finish universal power bank (5,000 mah capacity) now comes in a sleek Ferrari design. It’s convenient with its dual USB ports and also offers fast charging.

For your data saving requirements, MiLi’s Ferrari iData Pro is a portable plug and play backup device that is compatible with both media and document files.

For Apple devices, the iData Pro can back-up contacts and other data seamlessly by just connecting it to the Lightning Connector. It also comes with an adaptor for Android devices and is available in 16|Gb and up to 128GB of storage capacity.

Lifetime supply of Seaoil fuels SEAOIL, the country’s largest independent fuel player, has launched the first raffle promo of its kind in the Philippines that will be giving four lucky motorists their lifetime supply of SEAOIL fuels.

“We have always stood by the quality and performance of SEAOIL fuels and this is our

way of thanking our loyal customers, whom we call SEAOIL Believers, for the trust they have placed in us,” said SEAOIL CEO Glenn Yu. Winners of the “Lifetime Free Gas, Oh My Gas!” promo, which will run from August 14 to November 14, 2017 will be announced during three monthly

Ayala and HCPI officials flank the all-new diesel CR-V.

torque of 300Nm at 2,000rpm.

The downsized diesel turbo engine is mated to a new 9 Speed Automatic Transmission with Electronic Gear Selector and Paddle Shifters that produces a powerful yet cleaner and more efficient output. The new gearbox also offers a number of real-world benefits to consumers. Low gear ratio ensures a quick and powerful launch while the high gear ratio gives lower engine speed at cruising speed giving the car lower noise level and better fuel consumption. Honda also revealed that it plans to retain its 2.0-liter SOHC i-VTEC engine offering to the Philippine Market exclusively for the 5-seater variant. The 2.0-liter SOHC i-VTEC engine produces a maximum output of 154PS at 6,500rpm and peak torque of 189Nm at 4,300rpm and is mated to a new Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) developed under Earth Dreams Technology for better fuel efficiency.

Redesigned and spacious interior

raffle draws on September 15, October 16, and November 28.

They will get P5,000 worth of SEAOIL gift certificates per month during their actual lifespan.

Aside from the four main prizes of lifetime SEAOIL fuels, there will be a total of 30 winners of P10,000 pesos worth of SEAOIL gift cards, as well as over 30,000 instant prizes including P10, P20, P100, and P500 discounts on SEAOIL fuels and P100 on SEAOIL Lubricants through “peel-off” cards.

To get a raffle entry which includes an instant prize card, a customer must submit receipts totaling P500 worth of Extreme 97, Extreme 95, Extreme U, Extreme Diesel fuels and/

The dynamism of this new variant continues to the cabin interiors with an aggressive design that surely meets the aesthetic requirement of the Filipino market. Revolving around its exterior concept of “Modern Functional Dynamic”, the front end reflects an aggressive, yet sportier look that is complemented by the new grille design and signature Honda Full LED headlights. New High Beam Support System is now available for the SX Diesel 9AT AWD variant which enables the All-New CR-V to automatically change from low to high beam in dark driving conditions.

The wide muscular arches and tailgate spoiler, plus the headlight integrated Guide Type LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), gives the All-New CR-V its modern and dynamic stance. The Panoramic Sunroof, Power Tailgate, and Auto Rain Sensing Wipers which are exclusive features for the SX Diesel 9AT AWD variant, gives it a practical and luxurious feel. Massive 18-inch Aluminum

or SEAOIL Lubricants to any SEAOIL station nationwide.

“Lifetime Free Gas, Oh My Gas!” promo follows through on the company’s recent product quality campaign which highlights SEAOIL fuel’s top three qualities. Firstly, SEAOIL’s base fuels are imported from advanced refineries in Japan, South Korea, and Singapore, ensuring world-class quality. Secondly, SEAOIL fuels are monitored and tested at least three times daily at the retail stations for consistency. Thirdly, SEAOIL fuels are the only ones in the Philippines that are powered with STP additives, known for superior engine clean-up and keep-clean properties resulting in improved performance.

Level up you garage

WITH the MMDA’s campaign to rid the public road network of illegally parked vehicles, and as a safety precaution to car owners, having your own multi-level parking space is a practical convenience.

Smart Parking offers optional parking for private garages which can hold two to four cars depending on the size of the garage. “This unit is popular among families which have three to four cars. With our parking solution, we promote space saving by maximizing the potential of your garage. It also provides convenience to everybody in the neighborhood because you declog the streets of parked cars.

Smart Paking is a technology has been in use in countries like Japan, Singapore, the United States, Korea and Eu-

rope for years now. The smallest unit can hold six sedans with a maximum of 16 sedans. This parking unit can also accommodate 12 SUV’s. Engineered and designed by Korean firm DongYang PC, Smart Parking is suitable for for areas with existing structures and limited parking spaces. “The unit itself is 100 percent made in Korea, apart from the motor which is made in Germany. Smart Parking carries a 10-year warranty with a lifespan of 25 years,” explains Gilbert Pinuela, Head of Parking Solutions for Emicor Inc. Other advantages of Smart Parking include maximizing your limited space; security against theft; safety because the structure can withstand an M8 earthquake and 250kph winds; quick installation in a matter of days and environment friendly.

Alloy Wheels for the SX Diesel 9AT AWD, S Diesel 9AT, and 2.0S CVT variants compliment the overall look of the CR-V. The 2017 CR-V also offers impressive space and comfort featuring a cabin designed to comfortably accommodate up to seven passengers. Visual changes were made to the instrument clusters which has a highly informative Full Color Thin Film Transistor (TFT) that come standard across all variants. The driver’s seat SX Diesel 9AT AWD is fitted with an Electronic eight-way power adjustment with four-way power Lumbar support that gives the most comfortable seat configuration for every driver. The second row seats of the seven-seater diesel variants features a 60:40 Split Rear seat configuration that slides and recline for an easy ingress and egress of the passengers at the third row. Air conditioning vents and two USB charging ports at the center console are also available for added comfort and convenience.

Honda also upped the ante of this fifth generation CR-V with a host of safety features such as: Electronic Parking Brake (EPB) with Auto Brake Hold, Agile Handling Assist (AHA), Driver Attention Monitor, Driver and Passenger Airbags, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), MultiView Reverse Camera with Dynamic Guidelines, and Low Tire Pressure Warning system.

Additional convenience and safety features such as LaneWatch Camera, Side Airbags, Side Curtain Airbags, and Walk Away Auto Lock feature will also come in standard for the SX Diesel 9AT AWD, S Diesel 9AT, and 2.0S CVT variants.

The all new CR-V is now available in dealers nationwide, and prices start at P1,539,000 for the five-seater 2.0 SCVT and to high end version SX Diesel with a ninespeed AT priced at P2,049,000.

Nissan spreads wings in Bulacan NISSAN expands its presence in the province of Bulacan with the recent opening of its second dealership in Marilao.

The new showroom features Nissan’s new retail visual design - NREDI, applied in all new Nissan showrooms, and its latest end-to-end customer service programs, designed to make car ownership better and more exciting. Nissan Marilao comes equipped with more convenient After-Sales services such as the Nissan Express Service which ensures a complete Periodic Maintenance Service within 30 minutes; and Nissan Executive Car Check-up which features a comprehensive, bumper to bumper assessment of any Nissan car. For more information, visit www.nissan.ph.

About Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2014, the company sold more than 5.3 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.3 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets

the world’s best-selling allelectric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan manages operations in six regions: Japan, ASEAN & Oceana; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America and North America.

Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500, and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault under the Renault-Nissan Alliance since March 1999.

About Nissan Philippines, Inc. Nissan Philippines, Inc. (NPI) is the sole national sales company of Nissan in the Philippines. Since it began operations in 2014, NPI has become one of the fastest growing automotive companies in the Philippines, closing Fiscal Year 2016 with a 48% growth versus the previous Fiscal Year.

NPI is committed to delivering Innovation that Excites to the Philippines market, through the introduction of new and exciting vehicles, innovative customer programs, and excellent customer service.

Ramesh Narasimhan (center,) Nissan Philippines, Inc. President, joins Nissan Marilao executives. (from left): Arman Cruz, Head of Business Permit and Licensing Office, Municipality of Marilao; Joyce Angela Co; and Flor De Liza Licup.

Motoring

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

B4

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017

Give this BUG a HUG Photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

Wurth showroom

T

O ADD more flair to its vehicle line-up, Volkswagen PH threw in a special edition Beetle, known among enthusiasts as the “Bug”.

According to Franz Decleodt, marketing man of VW PH, the Volkswagen Club Edition is more promising and its more than a decorative tribute to the original VW Beetle. Timmy de Leon, the ‘Dragon Lady” of VW PH handed me the keys to a 2017 Club Edition bug for me to see if this beefed-up variant would catch fire like the original variant.

At the onset, this unit looks more masculine with a longer flattened hood and roof line. Engineers also removed the cartoonish curves of the previous generation and the windshield is mounted further back giving the driver a more panoramic frontal view of the road ahead. The high beltline reminds us of the hot-rod generation complimented by a “chopped roof” style giving this Beetle a lower and a much wider stance. This 2017 version is 84mm wider, 12mm lower and 152mm longer than its predecessor. It also comes equipped with special hyper black wheels.

Step inside the cabin and you’ll see the standard leather covered seats, the colored cued dashboard and a not so friendly multimedia system. This writer had a hard time pairing up my iPhone with the car’s multimedia system which is locally sourced. The dashboard layout is bolder and evokes a classier design. It is still your typical VW, but touches like the oval dash ends and upward-opening glove compartment lid pays tribute to the original Bug. It’s all well made with tactile surfaces and switchgear. The center console could be better trimmed, while the

central display is a bit small. But otherwise, it’s decent quality.

This Club Edition Beetle also features leather sports seats with manual adjustment and lumbar support.

They’re well bolstered, but the leather can be slippery when cornering. You sit higher in the Beetle than in the Golf on which it’s based, and when combined with the narrow screen, this makes the front a bit claustrophobic for taller individuals. The rear is actually worse than the front, but for the average sized Filipino, this cabin space is just right.

The flat-bottomed steering wheel looks great with its leather trim, and the multifunction buttons will be familiar to Golf and Polo owners. Still, we have no complaints about the steering feel.

It’s sharp, direct and well weighted, and tightens up nicely in corners. Body control is better than average, but the Beetle is tuned for a supple ride on the standard 18-inch wheels, so there’s too much dive and squat to threaten the likes of the Honda Civic RS for agility.

The positive is that the car isn’t unsettled by mid-corner bumps, and is easily placed on the road.

Powered by a 1400 TSi 4 cylinder, 160bhp direct injection engine with

highlights

global products are on hand to assist customers for product briefing and cash/credit transactions.

In a related development, retail king IN LINE with their expansion in the local Blade Auto Center announces the availmarket, Wurth recently inaugurated their ability of Würth car care products in showroom at their corporate headquarters their 50 mall stores nationwide. As one at the Laguna Technopark in Sta. Rosa, of Germany’s biggest original equipLaguna. The showroom also acts as a re- ment manufacturer (OEM) and producer tail shop where can of chemicals, lubricustomers can purcants, and other autochase Wurth’s commotive hardware, car plete range of autoowners can now exmotive, construction perience the German and industrial prodquality and reliability ucts with over 1,200 Würth is known for. articles available on Engineered and site. Ariel de Jesus, manufactured in EuWürth Philippines rope, Würth products Managing Direcboast of highly effector also reveals that tive formulations that product demonstra- Special tools and lubricants can also be make cars run like tions and product purchased from the showroom. new, as if they just tutorials are available for first time buyers rolled-off the dealership. Würth’s car care and wholesale clients. line sold in Blade Auto Center includes The Wurth facility also acts as its maintenance solutions like silicone sprays, warehouse where products such as lu- spray-on grease, rust removers, brake bricants are kept in a climate controlled cleaners, and fuel system and injection room. “Lubricants, oils and other fluid cleaners. A wide array of interior and exproducts must stored in an appropriate terior cleaning agents such as rapid windroom temperature to keep their efficacy screen cleaner, active glass cleaner, interior up to global standards,” says De Jesus. cleaner, and quick fresh active odor-elimiThe showroom is open from Mondays to nator are also available to ensure your car Fridays from 9am to 5pm. Trained staff always feels, looks, and smells fresh.

Text and photo by Dino Ray V. Directo III

twin chargers, straight line sprints are fun and the engine is refined when you’re on the expressway. It revs strong and hard and is at its best around 4,000rpm, with 240Nm on tap from 4,500rpm. A 0-62mph sprint time of 8.3 seconds reflects the brisk but not neck-snapping acceleration, with the throttle response, clutch and automatic transmission box’s gearing well matched to the steering. The brakes are solid which is typical of German cars.

Conservatively priced at P1.790M, the Beetle Club Edition and priced higher than the gorgeous Golf GTS wagon at P1.4M which offers more space and is more fuel efficient than this “iconic” Bug. So the question now is, will you be willing to shell out more money and trade “pogi” points over practicality?

One thing is certain though, this Beetle has all the bells and whistles, a leather steering wheel and a special “Club Edition” trim package including the wheels – all extra on the Golf. It’s also a more stylish choice than the Golf GTS and it adds 100 percent “pogi” points – and that makes this special edition Bug a serious bidder for your wallet.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2016

Parañaque Rise of the Bay City

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Buoyant and bright outlook for Parañaque

By Nick B. Ferrer

P

ARAÑAQUE City will continue to soar economically and will remain as one of the top cities in the country for years to come owing to the huge developments in the Entertainment City ― the strip of casinos, world-class hotels, shopping and leisure destinations facing Manila Bay.

RISK REDUCTION STRATEGY. In observance of the 2017 National Disaster Resilience Month, the Department of Social Welfare and Development and

the city government of Parañaque led by Mayor Edwin Olivarez (center) signed an agreement on repositioning of food and non-food items during natural calamities. Concerned city department offices also strengthened their approaches to manage natural disasters and crafted a comprehensive plan in disaster risk reduction and management and information drives.

Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez is pinning his confidence and buoyancy on a brighter future primarily on the continued influx of foreign and local investors that have been putting up businesses in various parts of the city, especially in the Entertainment City.

Olivarez said the entry of resorts, casino operators and other locators have increased the city’s annual income tremendously to P5 billion last year, compared to the P2 billion collection of the previous administration.

He recalled that in 2013, the city government had been plagued by a huge budget deficit. When he took over as mayor, he reviewed the system and implemented a massive informa information drive on the payment of taxes.

The effort paid off when the city was adjudged as “2014 Most E c o nom ic a l ly Dynamic City” by the National Competitiveness Council in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development, the Department of Trade and

Turn to C2

Happy Birthday Mayor Edwin Olivarez!

Greetings from:

CENTURY PEAK CORPORATION

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Parañaque Rise of the Bay City

Buoyant...

From C1 Industry, and the National Economic Development Authority.

“The mushrooming casino resort operations in the city have contributed the biggest chunk to the local government’s revenue collection for the past three years,” the mayor admitted.

Under Olivarez’s leadership, Parañaque reached greater heights with record numbers of investors and businesses coming into the city, with the latest count already at over 20,000, which combined have an estimated annual gross sales of over P30 billion.

Entertainment City, the Las Vegasstyle casino and tourism complex conceived by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), has the potential to become the next major central business district in Metro Manila, replicating the success of Bonifacio Global City, where demand for real estate properties has gone up significantly, according to city officials.

In October 2008, the city government approved Pagcor’s plan to build its P25-billion Entertainment City when the City Council ceremonially signed a resolution that declared a 150-hectare property along Roxas Boulevard and Costal Road as a Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) zone.

City Administrator Ding Soriano said Entertainment City, located on 100 hectares of reclaimed land along Manila Bay, is not only poised to become the country’s premier gaming destination, but is also seen to lead the next wave of growth in the metropolis.

Pagcor issued licenses for four proponents to operate integrated casino-entertainment resorts in the area. Bloomberry Resorts Corp. was the first to put up the Solaire Resort and Casino, followed by City of Dreams Manila of Macau-based casino giant Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd and Belle Corp.

Belle Corp., a company majorityowned by the family of mall and banking tycoon Henry Sy, paid Parañaque P135.9 million in real property taxes as an individual taxpayer in 2015.

The $1.3-billion project has six hotel towers, including the 260-room Crown Towers hotel, 321-room Nobu Hotel Manila, a Hyatt Hotel, as well as numerous restaurants, bars, gaming facilities, a multi-level car park, the DreamPlay indoor amusement park, and approximately two hectares of restaurant and retail space.

Soriano said the City of Dreams Manila, which he described as “an electrifying, innovative and diverse entertainment destination,” played a major role in the development of the city.

Solaire was the first to open in Entertainment City – seen as the country’s answer to Macau ― followed by City of Dreams and Okada Manila, which was granted a Pagcor license in August 2008 to establish and operate a casino at the Entertainment City with a total investment of $2.4 billion.

Soriano said the newly-opened Oka-

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Parañaque City Mayor Edwin L. Olivarez inaugurated several projects of his administration during the weeklong celebration of his 54th birthday in several barangays. As pictured: 1) A celebrated Mass was held Monday at the city hall, attended by employees, family members and friends after the regular flag ceremony; 2) A priest blessed the newly-acquired ambulance to be distributed to city fs 16 barangays; 3) The mayor led the distribution of wheel chairs to senior citizens and person with disability attended members of the city council and Parañaque First Lady Janet Olivarez; 4) The birthday celebrant assisted by his brother and Parañaque Rep. Eric Olivarez also handed the symbolic key to teachers of the new four-storey, 12-classroom building of Parañaque National High School.

da Manila will add P100 million to the city’s coffers coming from real property taxes, business taxes, clearances like health and police, and other miscellaneous revenue payments.

The integrated casino resort boasts of being a major landmark in Philippine tourism, especially with the addition of its $30-million light-and-water fountain that rivals two of the most popular fountains in the world.

Okada Manila has gaming floors that can accommodate up to 500 tables and 3,000 slot machines, a premium shopping promenade, and an impressive night club and indoor beach club.

Completing the four components of Entertainment City is another integrated resort casino project by Alliance Global Group Inc. of Andrew Tan and Genting Hong Kong Ltd., to be called Resorts World Bayshore.

Not to be outdone, Ayala Land Inc. will develop a 500,000 square meter shopping mall, bigger than the 406,000 square meter Mall of Asia and hotel complex project.

A short drive away from Makati City and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, Entertainment City’s strategic location is another prime attraction. The extension of the existing LRT Line 1 from Baclaran to Bacoor, Cavite and the construction of the elevated expressway linking the South Luzon Expressway to NAIA Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are also expected to

boost commercial activity in the area.

At full development, Entertainment City is expected to deliver up to $10 billion annually in gaming revenues, as well as generate over 400,000 direct and indirect jobs. It is seen to attract at least a million tourists annually and capture 10 percent of the global gaming market.

Soriano, the city administrator, said Parañaque expects a threshold annual income of P2 billion when all integrated resorts have been completed in the Entertainment City along the stretch of Manila Bay. Soriano said the hotel and casinos will not only generate income for the city and tourism revenues, but will likewise generate jobs for city residents, as the law stipulates that they comprise as least 40 percent of the workforce of new establishments.

Since the multi-billion hotels and world-class casino projects will employ around 250,000 people, that means at least 100,000 jobs for city residents, he explained.

The Rise of ‘Bay City’

To sustain this growth momentum, the city is investing P5 billion in infrastructure over the next four years to complement the national government’s huge capital outlay.

City officials also expressed optimism that Parañaque will attract more investments in 2017 following a recent sisterhood agreement with the city of

Almost 329 applicants were got hired on the spot at the job fair spearheaded by Paranaque City’s Public Employment Service Office in coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment during Mayor Edwin Olivarez’s birthday celebration at the city’s sports complex.

There were 79 participating companies, direct and local agencies, which assisted and interviewed the city resident applicants. Photo shows Olivarez (second from right) officially opened the job fair with PESO consultant Rina Fernandez (right), PESO chief Henry Leonardo, Parañaque Chamber of Commerce Inc. president Lolit Duria, Parañaque First Lady Janet Olivarez, and Parañaque Rep. Eric Olivarez.

Haeundae, South Korea and the City of Carson, California, USA, whose council members visited the city last week.

This developed as Olivarez announced the new brand name of Parañaque which from now on will be called the “Bay City” with the slogan “Life Never Stops at the Bay City.”

“Bay City” was born out of the city government’s desire to seek and create an identity that will be unique to Parañaque, while also retaining the color, character and values of a true Parañaqueno.

Meanwhile, the city received three awards July this year as among local government units in Metro Manila conferred with the Seal of Child-friendly Local Governance award by the Regional Committee for the Welfare of

Children in the annual event spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Interior and Local Government.

Last year, Parañaque was also conferred by the council for the Welfare of Children for the LGU’s “commitment in promoting child rights to survival, development, protection and participation.”

Two awards was also received from the Metro Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council and the Office of the Civil Defense–National Capital Region with Gawad Kalasag 2017 NCR for placing third Best Government Emergency Management Service in NCR and also third place in Best Disaster Management Council (Highly Urbanized City Category).

Parañaque sewer work to benefit 516k in city THE city of Parañaque will finally experience potable water before the end of the year.

The West Zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) has fast-tracked the Parañaque Sewer Network Project that will benefit 516,000 people in nine of 16 barangays in the city.

Since Parañaque became a municipality in 1975, water has been a problem for its households and subdivisions, after a huge private subdivision in the city refused to allow Maynilad to take over its water supply and distribution.

However, Mayor Edwin Olivarez disclosed that 95 subdivisions in the city will also benefit with the completion of the multimillion-peso project funded by the Development Bank of the Philippines and Japan International Cooperation Agency by October this year.

The project, which started July last year, has caused tremendous traffic, particularly along the stretch of Dr. A. Santos Avenue or Sucat Road and several village roads, after Maynilad laid 34.6 kilometers of the 77-kilometer sewer line it is installing in the city.

The project involves laying 65 kilometers of sewer pipes, with diameter sizes ranging from 200 mm to 1,500 mm.

Olivarez said the city’s sewer network will catch, collect, and convey wastewater generated by households in Barangays La Huerta, San Dionisio, BF Homes, Don Bosco, Marcelo Green Village, Moonwalk, San Antonio, and San Isidro to Maynilad’s sewage treat-

ment plant.

This will ensure the proper removal of harmful elements from the wastewater, thus protecting community health and the environment, Maynilad officials told Olivarez.

“Laying new wastewater infrastructure is in line with our mandate to help reduce pollution loading into river systems. We thank Parañaque City for its support of our effort to meet this mandate,” said Maynilad president Ramoncito Fernandez.

The water company also invested billions of pesos for wastewater management projects this year, designed to treat wastewater collected from the septic tanks of its customers in the southern Greater Manila Area, particularly the residents of Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and Cavite.

Likewise, Maynilad is constructing six new sewage treatment plants in various parts of its West concession area to expedite the provision of sewerage and sanitation services for its customers.

These new facilities―located in Muntinlupa (Cupang and Tunasan), Pasay, Parañaque, Valenzuela, and Cavite City―will have a combined treatment capacity of 269 million liters per day.

The accompanying 125-kilometer conveyance systems of these new STPs are currently being installed.

Once completed, these new wastewater facilities will be able to serve approximately 1,475,000 Maynilad customers, collecting and treating wastewater to render it safe for discharge to receiving bodies of water.

Parañaque tops CSC anti-red tape poll FOR two consecutive years, the Civil Service Commission has awarded the City of Parañaque as the top performing city in Metro Manila for its excellent delivery of frontline services without red tape and corruption.

The city was commended for its efforts to implement the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007 in improving quality customer service to the public, according to the survey conducted by CSC-NCR in July last year.

Judith Dongallo-Chicano, CSC Director IV, said the local government of Parañaque received an overall score of 92.70 percent, “which is equivalent to excellent” in the ranking among the 16 cities and the town of Pateros in the metropolis.

Dongallo-Chicano said Parañaque, under the leadership of Mayor Edwin Olivarez, also “received a final score of 92.70 with a descriptive rating of excellent” in 2015.

ARTA Watch is a mechanism to spot

the local government agencies’ compliance with the provisions of the Anti-Red Tape Act, such as the “no noon break” policy and its anti-fixer campaign.

For the “no lunch break” provision, the city scored 100 for following the regulation on work hours of local government officials and employees of rendering eight working hours a day for five days a week.

When he assumed office in 2013, Olivarez ordered a crackdown on fixers

after receiving several complaints about them camping at City Hall, enticing the public to expedite transactions and documents for a price.

Parañaque, dubbed “The City by the Bay,” also received 97.71 points for their anti-fixer campaign, Chicano said.

As for overall client satisfaction, Parañaque received a grade of 94.40 percent also equivalent to excellent rating, Dongallo-Chicano said.

Based on the CSC-report card survey,

the city of Pasig received a score of 91.0 after Parañaque followed by Muntinlupa with 90.99.

Placing fourth among the Metro Manila cities is the city of San Juan with 90.79, followed by the city of Valenzuela (90.38). Caloocan City got 90.34 points and Taguig with 90. 16 score.

The CSC rated the remaining cities with numeral scores of 80 to 80.99 or good while the city of Manila rated 72.71 or “acceptable.”

Parañaque Rise of the Bay City

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Parañaque bans party drugs in bars T

HE city government of Parañaque has summoned at least 30 resto-bar and club owners operating on the busy Aguirre strip in the BF Homes Subdivision following reports that party drugs, such as Ecstasy, are being used and sold openly in night establishments in Metro Manila.

Mayor Edwin Olivarez also convened the local peace and order council, ranking police officers and officials of the Business Permits And Licensing Office and reminded them about the national government’s campaign to stamp out illegal drugs in six months.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa earlier said high-end clubs and bars in Metro Manila will be the next target of the government’s crackdown on prohibited drugs.

The stretch of Aguirre Avenue in BF Homes hosts 35 resto-bars and clubs catering to residents of Parañaque, its neighboring cities of Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Taguig and the provinces of Cavite and Laguna.

During their first meeting with city officials, the bar operators and owners in BF Homes promised full cooperation on the illegal drug campaign of President Rodrigo Duterte and the city government, according to Olivarez.

Olivarez said the bar owners who attended the meeting promised that they will police their own establishments and ban all forms of party drugs like Ecstasy tablets from their premises.

He said bar owners assured city hall officials that they will allow police operatives to enter and inspect their establishments and likewise vowed that they will bar the entry of unaccompanied minors.

For his part, Parañaque police chief Senior Supt. Jose Carumba disclosed that they will deploy plainclothes police officers and implement new security measures to prevent bar patrons from using party drugs.

Last July 6, agents of the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency ar-

rested Taiwanese national Chun Ming Lin during a simultaneous drug raid on Unit 1D Executive Villages Society in BF Homes Phase 5, Parañaque City.

PDEA agents arrested Lin inside the warehouse where 10 kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride, locally known as shabu, and around 200 kilos of suspected ephedrine were found.

The authorities also dismantled a shabu storage facility at BF Homes.

Police said ephedrine, an ingredient in manufacturing the prohibited drugs, was stored in Parañaque and brought to the house in Las Piñas for processing into shabu crystals.

Carumba also reminded subdivision residents that there will be no let-up in their implementation of the 10 p.m. curfew on minors in compliance with the city ordinance.

He added that they will fully enforce the city noise pollution ordinance, which states that it is unlawful for any person to use or operate videoke machines, karaokes and sound systems with amplifiers and components which are unreasonably loud without proper permits in public areas.

Under the ordinance, a barangay permit is needed before the use of sound systems for parties and rallies.

As part of the agreement, bar operators assured BPLO chief Melanie Malaya that their establishments will start toning down the noise at 1 a.m..

Malaya also reminded bar operators on Aguirre that she will not hesitate to revoke their business permits if they will not follow the law for commercial establishments inside a residential area.

Joel E. Zurbano

Mayor Olivarez on Wednesday led the ground breaking ceremony of the multi-level three-storey parking building to be constructed at the back of the city hall to solve the tremendous traffic in the area. Present during the simple ceremony are Parañaque First Lady Janet Olivarez, Vice Mayor Rico Golez, ABC president Cris Aguilar, Parañaque Rep. Eric Olivarez, city councilors and department heads.

Progress with the environment in mind.

Leonel Waste Management Corporation www.leonel.com.ph Contact us at admin@lwmc.ph Malabon 294 4986 | Paranaque 952 4255 Taguig 978 6831 | Muntinlupa | 810 5152

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Mayor Edwin Olivarez:

Living up

Parañaque Rise of the Bay City

to his pedigree

By Noelle Adriene Castellano

A

MAN who is committed to his people, and a man who delivers on his word — that is Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez. Since taking office in 2013, Olivarez has proven that he can live up to the name and pedigree of his father, former City Mayor Dr. Pablo Olivarez.

Mayor “Elo” is a successful businessman and was a licensed real estate broker before he decided to enter government service. He was elected as the Number 1 board member of Laguna, became Vice Governor of that province, and served as Congressman of the first district of Parañaque before being elected mayor.

He is seen as the man who will embody the upsurge of new politics in the City of Parañaque. This is without a question, as Mayor Olivarez has dedicated his term to improving the city. In return, he has received awards on behalf of the city for programs implemented during his tenure.

His first 100 days in office was highlighted by the completion of several socialized housing projects for hundreds of beneficiary families in the city. He had instructed the Local Housing Development Office to determine a relocation site incity to make sure no informal settler families would be displaced, to avoid disrupting their livelihood, and to keep their children in school.

Philippine National Police chief Gen. Ronald de la Rosa, Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez and NCRPO Director Chief Supt. Oscar Albayalde (from right) served as godfathers to 150 couples during a mass wedding held in SM Bicutan. The new couples are bona fide residents of the first and second district of the city, and have been living together for years before formalizing their union.

Mayor Olivarez said most of these properties are under the Community Mortgage Program. Its beneficiaries must be willing to pay the cost of the housing projects in budgetfriendly installments to the Social Housing Finance Corporation. The payments will refund the lot purchase amount to the city government, allowing the city to use the money for future housing projects.

The mayor was also a recipient of the 2013 National Maagap Awards by the Organized Response for the Advancement of Society or ORAS Movement, which is dedicated to the promotion of punctuality and civility in society. ORAS also commended the mayor’s achievements in governing the city.

In the same year, he was chosen as the Most Outstanding Business Executive and a recipient of the Gawad Sikap Award, both given by the Child Assistance and Rehabilitation Inc. or CARE. The mayor has also received the Anvil Award—an annual public relations award given to select public relations nominees of exemplary performance in the field—for “Best in Science, Technology & Agriculture.”

He also initiated the OSCA Cares Program by the city’s Office of Senior Citizen Affairs upon his assumption. The program provides benefits such as free laboratory examinations and medical check-ups during the birth months of senior citizens of Parañaque, aside from those provided by Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010.

Senior citizens in the city are also entitled to P500 birthday cash gift and another P500 as a Christmas gift every year, as well as free movies within the city, among other benefits.

In 2015, he decided to open “friendship routes” to ease the traffic in Parañaque and neighboring cities such as Las Piñas, Pasig, Muntinlupa and Taguig.

Opening some of Parañaque’s private villages as alternate routes became an immediate solution to the worsening traffic situation in

southern Metro Manila. He also directed that P30 million be set aside for the maintenance of the private roads included in the friendship route.

Mayor Olivarez’s second term proves how much the people of Parañaque trust this man. The plans he has lined up and will continue will build on the citizens’ hopes and aspirations, which are his hopes and aspirations as well. Fulfilling this great responsibility will push Parañaque to a prosperous and bright future.

‘Sucat traffic ends in October’ THE tremendous traffic jams along the stretch of Dr. A. Santos Avenue, also known as Sucat Road, in Parañaque City will be finally solved before the end of the year, Mayor Edwin Olivarez has assured motorists and commuters.

Since April last year, the 10-kilometer avenue experienced monstrous traffic when the Maynilad Water Services Inc. started its sewer network project to protect community health and the environment through proper sewage collection and treatment.

According to Olivarez, ranking Maynilad officials promised that the multimillion-peso project will be finished by the third quarter this year, after 34.6 kilometers of the 77-kilometer sewer line had been laid down and installed. This line will convey wastewater generated by households to the company’s Par-

añaque sewage treatment plant.

The Office of the Mayor has been receiving numerous complaints from residents after Maynilad occupied two of the three westbound lanes of Sucat for almost five months, which resulted in day-and-night traffic in the area Motorists also complained that Maynilad failed to designate their own traffic personnel in the area when they laid the sewer pipes, with sizes ranging from 350mm to 1,350mm in diameter along the Baclaran-bound side of Sucat Road.

“Just five months more and traffic will be eased along Sucat. Aside from this, thousands of residents will also benefit from the foreign funded sewer network project,” Olivarez said.

Once completed, the project, funded by Development Bank of the Philippines and Japan International Cooperation Agency, will benefit

some 470,000 people in nine barangays and 95 subdivisions in Parañaque, the mayor said.

The project is also part of Maynilad’s program to expedite the provision of sewerage and sanitation services in the metropolis, company officials said.

The water company also invested billions of pesos for wastewater management projects this year, designed to treat wastewater collected from the septic tanks of its customers in the southern Greater Manila Area, particularly the residents of Las Piñas, Parañaque, Muntinlupa and Cavite.

Since Parañaque became a municipality in 1975, water supply has been a problem for its households and subdivisions, after a huge private subdivision in the city refused to allow Maynilad to take over its water supply and distribution.

Metro Manila Development Authority general manager and acting chairman Thomas Orbos and Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez (center) together with the MMDA’s clearing operation team intensely discussed strategy in relocating hundreds of illegal vendors and the clearing up the service road of Roxas Boulevard and the vicinity of Redemptorist Church in Baclaran. For the part of the city government, Olivarez disclosed that they will allocate P40 million to transfer the vendors to a proposed flea market area in a onehectare government-owned lot at Aseana complex, fronting the church. He said the city government will fully coordinate with MMDA on the development projects of the Duterte administration in the stretch of Roxas Boulevard.

Life H&M

continues

with growth and expansion in 2017

A

MIDST a thriving local retail landscape, H&M Philippines announced plans for continuous growth and expansion in the country, with three stores opening in key locations in the Metro over the second half of 2017. This adds to the already 26-strong roster of the brand in local shores, both within and outside the capital.

H&M Philippines opened at SM Mall of Asia on Aug. 4, it will be followed

by Greenbelt 4 and Robinsons Galleria, which are expected to open during the

latter part of the year. These and other locations in the pipeline will round out the nine stores H&M plans to close the financial year with in total.

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

SHOPPING

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017

D1

Fashion brand H&M is set to open three more stores—SM Mall of Asia, Greenbelt 4, and Robinsons Galleria—over the second half of 2017

H&M Philippines ended last year with 21 stores from 15 stores the previous year.

According to H&M Philippines head of Communications and Press, Dan Mejia, “We continue our strong expansion in the country, creating new jobs. As of May 2017, we have over 700 colleagues working in the stores, distribution center, and the support office. We are truly happy that our customers continue to patronize our business offer—fashion and

Anna is a stylish and versatile shopping bag, that suits a variety of outfits, moods, and occasions

quality at the best price in sustainable way. We have been well received since we opened our first store in 2014, and we aim to grow in a controlled manner, with quality, sustainability, and continued high profitability in mind.”

H&M’s expansion in the local market also rides the momentum of the global H&M group’s significant gains in 2016.

In the previous year’s financial report, global H&M also announced that aside from introducing an exciting concept

within its stores, it also plans to launch its online business in the Philippines later this year.

Given the growing shift to an online market, H&M’s well developed online business model integrates the digital and physical world to offer customers a more seamless shopping experience.

“We confirm the launch of Shop Online in 2017 – we look forward to share more information with you at a later stage,” says Mejia.

The bag you need when shopping WITH its timeless, elegant design and generous capacity, ‘Anna’ is a bag you can easily carry at all times. Available in medium and large sizes, it is stylishly reversible and changes color or texture to suit your desires, your mood, your outfit, or the occasion.

Available in five colours—black, red, navy blue, green, and beige—Anna uses inside/outside color blocking for color contrasts and presents a bi-material effect with a petit piqué coated canvas side and a side with a grainy leather effect.

Practical. It can be carried as a handbag or shoulder bag and has a removable zipped internal pocket.

Versatile. This chic and casual new bag combines elegance and practicality and is sure to be your ideal companion every time you go out.

The ‘Anna’ shopping bag is available in all Lacoste stores: Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Alabang Town Center, Eastwood Mall, Estancia in Capitol Commons, Fairview Terraces, Gateway Mall, Greenbelt 3, Newport Mall, Podium, Power Plant Mall, Robinson’s Galleria, Robinson’s Magnolia, Robinson’s Place Manila, Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Shangri-La Plaza East Wing, SM Mall of Asia, SM Megamall, Trinoma, Ayala Center Cebu, Abreeza Davao, SM Davao and Veranza KCC Mall. Lacoste Accessories is located at Gateway Mall and Glorietta 4.

Lacoste is distributed in the Philippines

by Store Specialists, Inc.

Power essentials for the urban dad URBAN dads deserve to be pampered for their hardwork. And what better way to shower and accessories from Urbanize, the metro’s one-stop shop. Whether one’s dad is a daddy them with love than by giving them gifts that ease up the day-to-day challenges of being dapper, a sporty dad or a corporate dad, Urbanize has a slew of great products, which albosses and family breadwinners? Some great gift options to consider are versatile bags lows him to stay more organized and become an even better super dad in the urban jungle.

For the adventurous dad

Dad can finally have a trusty backpacking companion: The ruggedly handsome CabinZero Military 44L is designed to fit a wide variety of travel situations, from short trips to mountain hikes. At the heart of the CabinZero Military 44 is Military Spec Nylon, an extra-tough fabric that can withstand extreme situations and heavy use. The Military 44L boasts a huge 44-litre capacity, side compression straps, a sturdy topgrab handle, thick-padded AirMesh back and straps, sternum straps, a waist strap, and secure interior and frontal zipped pockets, which can be locked to guarantee additional security and protection. Featuring an accessory webbing, the backpack has the right combination of form and function befitting the extra-tough dad.

But tough dads need extra protection too, especially with the prevalence of identity theft nowa- Cabin Zero Military 44L is a perfect traveling bag days. Surprise dad with a Lewis N Clark RFID Blocking Neck Stash, a strong yet low-profile neck or trekking up the mountains. wallet that keeps information secure during his One also can’t go wrong by gifting his adventravels. The wallet has a speturous dad a Stewart Stand Bill Fold Hercial lining that blocks unauringbone, a stainless steel billfold wallet thorized RFID scans and an featuring crossing card slots, a silver ultra-lightweight rip-stop nyballistic nylon spine and interior aclon exterior that provides extra cents. durability. Featuring four individThe Stewart Stand Bill Fold ual compartments, the wallet alHerringbone blocks unauthorlows dad to easily store his credit ized transmission from RFIDcards, passport, electronics such enabled credit cards & IDs. It as smartphones and music players, also has six credit card slots, currency, receipts, and other valutwo stash pockets and a bill ables. And as the wallet’s back is compartment, all of which alpadded with a special TravelDry low dad to stay organized fabric, which moves moisture away while traveling. from the skin and dries fast, dad can keep himself and his belongings Lewis N Clark RFID Blocking Neck Stash dry, whether he is in a crowded subway

For the tech-savvy dad

Help dad prevent scratches on his Macbook with the ELECOM Zeros h o c k Macbook Sleeve, a Macbook sleeve featuring wave-shaped low-resilience polyurethane, which effectively absorbs shocks from dropping. The ELECOM Zeroshock Macbook Sleeve’s water-repellent surface ensures that his Macbook stays dry, while its velvet case interior prevents scratches on his Macbook. The Macbook sleeve also has a tablet pocket that can hold up to 10.1-inch tablets and a double fastener that allows him to access his

Everyday accessories for dad

Give the coffee-loving dad a reason to smile each time he pours coffee every morning at work.

Thanks to Artiart’s innovative Suction Mug C, he won’t ever have to worry about coffee spillage ruining his workday. The mug is designed with a clever grip-pad that keeps the mug from tipping over when accidentally knocked and works on all flat and non-porous surfaces such as office desks.

Artiart’s innovative Suction Mug C’s twin-wall insulated system keeps beverage hot for longer hours too—this means he’ll enjoy warm coffee even in the middle of his workday!

Help dad stay on top of his health with the Lewis and Clark Deluxe Pill Organizer, a foldable and light-

Macbook with ease.

Meanwhile, the High Road Express Air Vent Cell Phone Holder is a great gift option for dads who need help organizing items such as smartphones inside their car while keeping them within arm’s reach. It features a soft-lined back pocket, a mesh front pocket that can accommodate up to three-inch wide smartphones, an adjustable attachment strap, and a soft back that definitely prevents damages on the car dashboard.

Elecom Zeroshock Macbook Sleeve

weight pill organizer ideal for everyday use. He can remember his vitamins and medications with the organizer’s medical reference card, which keeps his Artiart’s innomedical informavative Suction tion handy. The Mug C Lewis and Clark Deluxe Pill Organizer even has an adjustable fastener for keeping contents secure and nine removable slide-locking compartments.

These products are available at Urbanize outlets in U.P. Town Center, Gateway, Shangri-La, The 30th, Glorietta3, Uptown BGC, Venice Grand Canal, Kiss & Fly NAIA Terminal 3, Alabang Town Center, The DistrictImus, Solenad and Serin-Tagaytay.

For more information, please visit urbanize.com.ph or follow Urbanize on Facebook and Instagram.

Life

D2

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

SM Appliance Center’s new look G

UESTS were #WOWEDatSMAppliance when the store recently launched its new look at SM City Pampanga.

As they entered the store, the use of warm timber slatted finishes, and integrated greenery made guests feel they were entering into their own homes.

A departure from the usual industrial look associated with appliance stores, the new look is a dynamic way of highlighting the most innovative products to help each Filipino transition into a digital home. And guests were wowed by the 2,300 squaremeter store’s attractive focal points that

ease navigation and encourage discovery along the shopper journey.

They were also wowed by the latest selections from top appliance brands, especially exclusive items for the Kapampangans like the Brikk refrigerators and microwave and La Germania oven in green color; as well as those first seen in Pampanga like the Samsung 82” TV and Samsung Side by Side Refrigerator in gold tone.

Vanessa Yvonne Sicat, Mutya Ning San Fernando is wowed by the touches of green in the store counter, which makes it a nice selfie area.

San Fernando City Vice Mayor Jimmy Lazatin

Marion Lagman, businesswoman and wife of Councilor BJ Lagman

San Fernando Pampanga City Councilor BJ Lagman joins SM Appliance Center President Maria Teresa Cheng and VP for Operations Tomasito Mendoza for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the new SM Appliance Center at SM City Pampanga.

Samsung Vice President Jun Fillart

Lakan Ning San Fernando Paolo Santiago

Everybody’s Café owners Pocholo and Pette Jorolan

Pinoy’s Most Loved Flip-flops Celebrates 15th Year FOR Banana Peel, 2017 marks the 15th year of being the Filipinos’ favorite flipflops. It was in 2002 when Banana Peel started changing the way Filipinos know and wear flip-flops. From plain rubber slippers worn only at home to colorful, trendy flip flops you can wear anywhere.

Over the years Banana Peel flip-flops has been the perfect companion of Filipinos in their adventures and beach trips, and has been a staple in one’s casual fashion ensemble. The anniversary theme, Explore in Color, takes inspiration from the Filipinos fun-loving nature and vibrant personality.

Explore in Color features colors and patterns that tickles your brain and gets you daydreaming about your next adventure.

Banana Peel has been providing the explor- Flip-flops brand Banana Peel celebrates its 15th anniversary with the Flashback Sale ers, adventure seekers, and wanderers with To keep the adventurous spirit going, the perfect adventure buddy in the form of Banana Peel is giving back the love to functional and stylish footwear.

customers via a year round Flashback sale. The Flashback sale offers an irresistible price mark down of P39.00 on selected Banana Peel products every 15th of the month, from 10 a.m. to 12 nn at any Banana Peel outlet.

“We would have not made it to 15 years if our customers didn’t love our products. As we continue our journey, we will definitely continue to give them inspiring, trendy, modern and durable products that they will love to wear, and like to be seen wearing. Through out the year, we will have pockets of activities, in addition to the Flashback sale, to give the love back to our customers,” said Paul Ng, Neat, Inc.CEO, makers of Banana Peel.

To know more about Banana Peel, go to www.facebook.com/bananapeelflipflops.

FamilyMart customers win latest gadgets and exciting getaway SUMMER may be over, but all the fun and excitement continues at FamilyMart. The convenience store giant treated their customers to a major promotion for a chance to win the coolest gadgets and a trip to paradise. Now, more than 20 lucky winners have everything they need for an epic vacation.

Harold Lance R. Goco won the grand prize of FamilyMart’s Gadgets and Getaways Raffle Promo, getting an all-expense paid trip for two to the breathtaking island of Coron, Palawan.

While, Jeremy Paul Herrera, Earl D.C. Bracamonte, Rey Johnino A. Carinugan, Nenita D. Saygo, Ma. Clarinda P. Merle, Cressa Sumayod, Nelson R. Sison, Nova Bernisse B. Boquiren, Janine A. Guillermo, and Bernancy Del Mundo get to soundtrack any and every occasion with their new waterproof Polk Boom Speakers.

Emily N. Atienza, Fatima Sumaya, Katherine Adrianne Dela Cruz, Jonas S. Ferreras, and Lareina Ricci Tolentino can reach new heights and get to see the world like never before with their new Syma X8C Drone.

More winners include Andrea Nichole Cayanan, Melanie Catanghal, Rosary Gucaban, Clarisse Ann C. Cabayag, and Jowel M. Mallari Jr. who can keep memories from

Grand prize winner Harold Lance Goco (leftmost) with the other winners of FamilyMart’s raffle promo

the roughest and wildest of their adventures with the Go Pro Hero 5.

Finally, another lucky customer who gets to take home the Go Pro Hero 5 is Jestopher Cambosa. His hilarious photo of himself with his friends enjoying FamilyMart’s Chicken Bucket was chosen as the Summer Snaps Contest winner.

Everything, from your everyday essentials to your vacation must-haves, is at FamilyMart. Make coming down to this convenience store a daily habit and get exciting rewards.

For updates, exciting products, and

awesome deals, like and follow FamilyMart Philippines on Facebook, @ familymartph on Instagram, and @ FamilyMartPH on Twitter. For store locations or more information on FamilyMart Philippines, log on to www.familymart.com.ph.

FamilyMart is the second largest convenience store chain in the world with over 18,000 stores across Asia.

In the Philippines, FamilyMart has branches in Makati, Ortigas, Quezon City, San Juan, Manila, Mandaluyong, Marikina, and Fort Bonifacio Global City.

Rustan’s Supermarket helps you easily find rainy-day must-haves at the 'Feels Like Home: A Health, Home, and Household Fair'

Rustan’s Supermarket

brings you home essentials for the rainy days RUSTAN’S Supermarket always has the choicest products on its shelves, and the rainy season is time to stock-up on items to keep your home warm and dry.

You can easily find all those rainyday must-haves at the Feels Like Home: A Health, Home, and Household Fair until Sept. 3.

Apart from the amazing selection of food, Rustan’s Supermarket gives you a complete shopping experience so you can easily get your hands on your essentials like haircare, skincare, feminine care, soap dishes and loofah sponges for the bathroom; food containers, plastic wraps, and scrub pads for the kitchen as well as cleaning supplies, first aid kit necessities, and so much more.

As a special treat for its customers, Rustan’s Supermarket is also bringing you a special rainy-day promo. Grab an inverted umbrella for only P199, for every minimum spend of P3000 with at least P300 worth of sponsor products

like Ariel, Perwoll, Mr. Muscle, Feathersoft, Vitapet, and Dentismile.

For more info, visit www.rustansfresh.com, follow and like rustansfresh on Facebook, and @rustansfresh on Instagram and Twitter.

Rustan’s Supermarkets are located at Makati Area: Glorietta, Greenbelt 1, Paseo de Magallanes, Alphaland Makati Place, Paseo Center, Century City Mall. North Area: Shangri-La Plaza, Gateway Mall, Katipunan, Tomas Morato, P. Guevarra, Corinthian Hills, Village Center Antipolo, The Grove by Rockwell, Ayala Malls The 30th. South Area: Ayala Alabang Village, Evia Lifestyle Center, Uptown Mall BGC. Cebu: Oakridge Business Park, Ayala Center, Arcenas Estate CDO: Ayala Centrio Mall. Also, visit Marketplace by Rustan’s at San Antonio Plaza, Rockwell Power Plant Mall, Central Square Bonifacio High Street, and Connecticut San Juan.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017

PEOPLE ...are talking about

...are not talking about GMA Telebabad Ryza Cenon

The Kapuso Network is doing its best to topple its lone and fierce rival. But just like how the popular karaoke song goes, it did its best but its best wasn’t good enough.

Its shows are not faring well in the ratings game based on the data released by its trusted ratings provider, AGB Nielsen. Two shows were expected to deliver but failed miserably. My Love From The Star, which ended last Friday got an AGB rating of 8.8 percent while Alyas Robin Hood 2 got 10.7 percent. Their direct competition got 11.1 and 11.8 percent, respectively. So, who’s doing “telebabad” on GMA? Apparently, they’re doing it on another channel.

A lot of actors always say that it’s more fun to play the villain than the hero, and we can totally see why. Take Ryza for example. The Kapuso star is receiving hate messages because of her performance in Ika-6 na Utos in which she plays Georgia, the archnemesis of Sunshine Dizon’s character. While she keeps on explaining that she’s just portraying a role, the Viva artist is thankful at the same time that she is affecting a lot of people as Georgia.

It only means she’s an effective actor since not everyone who plays baddie role experiences the same.

Arci Muñoz People are feasting on her recent photos that circulate online. Netizens point out the glaring difference between her old and recent pictures. A Facebook user even posted a photo of Arci side by side the late Michael Jackson’s face ruined by botched surgery. Although the actress has not denied going under the knife to change her features, some fans are worried she might be overdoing it. Someone needs to tell her to stop right now, because we might not recognize her face in the future if she does anything to her face again.

Rochelle Pangilinan People were curious why she’s trending on Twitter the other week. Well, the former Sex Bomb dancer recently tied the knot with longtime beau Arthur Solinap. The lavish ceremony was attended by the some of the biggest names in local showbiz. Their nuptial was such a grandiose and astounding affair that even foreign news outlet noticed how the couple prepared for the wedding. Indeed, it was a fairytale wedding.

Vice Ganda

Wildflower

The TV host and comedian is famous for his trademark snide humor. He makes a living out of attacking and poking fun at someone’s imperfections. His recent victim though is Tony Calvento, who does take things seriously. Although Calvento’s reaction was a bit too much to the point of overacting, Vice Ganda has definitely found an enemy who would be willing to take legal actions because of uncalled for remark.

But for some reason, people are entertained because of this spat they thought they were watching a circus show.

If we were going to compile the most talked about TV series, the Maja Salvador starrer drama would be on the list.

It might even land on top. Wildflower is breaking its ratings performance week on week posting its highest ever viewership when Ivy (Maja) appeared on her wedding wearing a black dress. The episode trended worldwide and an avalanche of memes dominated social media for days. How many TV series can achieve the same feat?

DZBB’s powerhouse pledge for Serbisyong Totoo SUPER Radyo DZBB recently launched its latest station ID and music video as GMA Network’s flagship AM radio station cements its mandate of providing fair and balanced news to the public.

The new station ID, seen on GMA-7 and GMA News TV, presented the DZBB team in full force with Dobol B sa News TV anchors Mike Enriquez, Arnold Clavio, Ali Sotto, and Joel Reyes Zobel.

GMA Vice President for Radio Operations Glenn F. Allona said that since DZBB’s reach has expanded with the mix of radio and television, a strong theme is created for this project to reflect the station’s commitment to public service through news and information. “The presence of our content in television is an opportunity for us to show that DZBB is not just a pool of voices but of real, dedicated and hard-

FULL FORCE. DZBB news team led by Mike Enriquez (center) in their pledge for Serbisyong Totoo

working people who are committed to Serbisyong Totoo,” said Allona.

Radio GMA President Enriquez admitted that being on two platforms at the same time is more challenging since their reports now need to have a video component. “It makes it a lot more challenging but a lot more exciting. This

kind of outlook is shared by all the men and women of DZBB that we are not just being listened to, but now we are also being seen,” he added.

As DZBB continues to respond to the ever-changing needs of the listening and viewing public, it also reaffirms its commitment to live up to the motto Walang kinikilingan, Walang pinoprotektahan, Serbisyong totoo lamang.

“This is not an empty slogan. It’s a way of life. As an individual, it helps the way you deal with other people—with fairness and balance, and always, always wanting to hear both sides of the story,” Enriquez emphasized.

Catch the biggest news and commentaries in Dobol B sa News TV weekdays 6 to 11 a.m., on GMA News TV Channel 11 and on GMA News TV International overseas.

Stevie Award anew to ABS-CBN TVplus ABS-CBN TVplus, the pioneering digital terrestrial television product of ABS-CBN, clinched a Bronze Stevie at the 2017 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, a business awards program that recognizes innovation in the workplace across 22 nations in the region.

The Bronze Stevie was given to ABS-CBN TVplus in the Innovation in Business-to-Business Services category for continuing to introduce services that feature quality content to Filipinos at home on top of the four TVplus exclusive channels on digital TV. ABS-CBN TVplus’ latest Stevie tri-

umph comes as the network transitions into a digital company, echoing its strong commitment to help the Department of Information and Communications (DICT) accelerate the Philippines’ shift to digital TV by constantly offering innovations.

Recently, ABS-CBN TVplus was also honored in the Philippine Quill Awards and Anvil Awards, two of the most prestigious communication award-giving bodies in the country.

It also previously won a Silver International Stevie Award for Best in New Product –Media and Entertainment category and a Bronze International Stevie Award for Best in

Marketing Campaign at the 2016 International Business Awards, while it took home two Bronze Stevie Awards at the third annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards last year.

More popularly known as the “mahiwagang black box,” ABSCBN TVplus has sold 3.2 million units as of July 2017. The rise in TVplus boxes sold has also contributed to the increase in ABS-CBN’s audience share in Mega Manila.

The Stevie Awards are the world’s premier business awards that honor the achievements and positive contributions of organizations and working professionals worldwide.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Friday, August 18, 2017

ACROSS 1 Stadium 6 Heavy rainfall 11 Teethchattering sound 14 Painting on a wall 15 Greasy 16 Mekong native 17 Own up 18 Totally dependable 20 Most burdensome 22 Trace 23 Sicilian landmark 24 Prime minister 26 Prestige 29 Mecca resident 30 Prepared to fire 31 In a funk 32 Scrabble block 36 “Exodus” hero 37 Hugs 40 Stewart of rock 41 Grievance, slangily 43 Isle off Sicily 44 Conceited 46 Simpson and Kudrow 48 Lots 49 Leaning on 52 Give the impression

53 Enticements 54 Highway exits 58 Was jealous of 61 Less moist 62 GI entertainers 63 Bookbinding leathers 64 Cay 65 Map abbr.

66 Unfilled 67 Perry’s secretary DOWN 1 Far East nanny 2 Churlish 3 Columnist — Bombeck 4 Lack of experience 5 Pilot’s concern 6 The “March King” 7 Two cups 8 Visitor from Melmac 9 Reception 10 Redacted 11 Russian pancakes 12 Weapon-target distance 13 007 portrayer — Moore 19 Maximum 21 Naval off.

24 Ms. Zahn 25 Regretted

26 Import car 27 Makeshift swing 28 Fifi’s friend 29 Litterbugs 31 Musical key (2 wds.)

33 Fe, commonly 34 Unmannered one 35 Circular current 38 Monsterhunter’s loch 39 Marvelous 42 Pilot 45 Compunction

47 Guarantee 48 Pricing word 49 Scrapbook 50 Caller 51 Radio-tube gas 52 Frothy 54 Bivouac sight 55 Feed fully 56 Sense 57 Mex. miss 59 Monastic title 60 Mountain pass

ABS-CBN TVplus ambassadors Sarah Geronimo and Coco Martin

WINNER'S CIRCLE. Cinemalaya 2017 winners pose for the photographers during the independent film festival's culmination held last Sunday at Cultural Center of the Philippines Main Theater

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com FRIDAY, AUGUST 18, 2017

‘RESPETO’

A

Cinemalaya 2017’s best film

lberto Monteras II’s Respeto, an exploration of the Pinoy hiphop underground world where a young aspiring rapper and a Martial Law poet cross paths, won seven awards at the 13th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival Awards Night, Aug. 13, at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Main Theater.

The film won Best Film, Best Supporting Actor, Best Sound, Best Editing, the 2017 NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema) Award and the Audience Choice Award.

The film shared the Best Cinematography Award with another full length feature Joseph Israel Laban’s film Baconaua, including two major prizes--the Special Jury Prize and Best Direction award.

Respeto was cited “for its infectious, propulsive energy, its highly convincing cast of characters and very effective ensemble acting, its breathtaking, nearly epic sweep of the underside of Manila, its expert application of the resources of cinema to depict a teenager’s drive to rise above poverty and violence, its cogent melding of contemporary rap and traditional oral literature, and its sheer humanity and coruscating poetry.”

The NETPAC jury praised the film “for tackling the complex issue of human rights violation across two generations, musically connected by the vibrant and socially-conscious use of language.”

Best supporting actor Dido de La Paz was lauded “for his powerful portrayal of an old man haunted by the demons of his past and compelled to adjust to the present.”

Corinne De San Jose bagged the Best Sound

award “for the impressive evocation of the din and blare of the underside of Manila, and the effective conjuring of the roar and tumult of the hip-hop underworld” while the Best Editing Award went to Lawrence Ang. Respeto’s Ike Avellana and Baconaua’s TM Malones shared the Best Cinematography award for their “powerful application of light and shadow and effective rendering of shots and images.”

Respeto bested eight other films in the Full Length Feature category. As Best Film winner, Respeto won the P350,000 cash award and the Cinemalaya Balanghai trophy.

Baconaua, based on an actual story of how one morning after a particularly strong squall, a sleepy fishing village woke up to the astonishing sight of the sea that had turned red, was acclaimed for director Joseph Laban’s “effective summoning of the resources of cinema to depict a sleepy fishing village reeling from the auguries of superstition while confronting the ugly specter of crime and violence.”

Angeli Bayani won Best Actress for her role in Bagahe by Zig Dulay while Noel Comia Jr. and Yayo Aguila booked the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress awards respectively for their work in Kiko Boksingero by Thop Nazareno.

Bayani was hailed for her role as an OFW suspected of dumping a newborn child in the trash bin of an airplane toilet; Comia for his heartrending performance of a boy grieving for his mother while trying to win the love of his estranged father; and Aguila for her endearing portrayal of the nanny who tries to soothe her ward’s loneliness.

Bagahe also won the Best Screenplay award for Dulay while Kiko Boksingero bagged Best Musical Score for Pepe Manikan.

Members of the Main Competition Jury were Padmashri Dr. Girish Kasaravalli, Freddie Wong, Sheron Dayoc, Lee Briones-Meily and Joselito “Lito” B. Zulueta.

In the NETPAC Jury were Ismail Basbeth, Tsengel Davaasambuu and Ricardo Lee.

'Wildflower' hits new all-time high rating MORE viewers nationwide tuned in to Philippine television’s ‘wildest wedding of the year’ as ABS-CBN’s hit primetime series Wildflower with Maja Salvador scored a new all-time high national TV rating and even trended on Twitter worldwide.

According to Kantar Media, the show hit its highest national TV rating to date of 29.3 percent on Aug. 11 against the rival’s 13.3 percent as viewers watched the intense confrontation between the “bride in black” Ivy Aguas (Salvador) and Arnaldo Ardiente Torillo (RK Bagatsing) after the latter finally confessed to the murder of Ivy’s second mother Nay Carlota.

The show also kept viewers on the edge of their seats on Aug. 9 and 10 as the ‘wildest wedding’ episodes hit national TV ratings of 28 percent and 28.2 percent, respectively.

Apart from scoring high ratings in its early primetime slot, Wildflowe also created a buzz on social media. Its official hashtag #WildflowerWildestWedding trended on Twitter worldwide and got netizens tweeting positive feedback particularly on Maja and RK’s superb acting skills.

Wildflower airs weeknights before TV Patrol on ABS-CBN or ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable ch 167).

For updates, follow @wildflowerabscbn on Instagram, @RSBDramaUnitNew on Twitter and like the show’s official Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/wildflowerchannel2/.

Catch its latest episodes on iwantv.com.phorskyondemand.com.ph for Sky subscribers.

Forum with Madeleine Albright on ANC

ANC, the ABS-CBN News Channel, aired a TV special – Forum on Global Governance & World Economy, An ANC Leadership Series – featuring Madeleine Albright, 8 p.m. last Wednesday.

Karen Davila’s exclusive interview with the former U.S. Secretary Of State will also be shown on Aug. 23, 8 a.m. in Headstart with Karen Davila, also on ANC and ANC HD. The special included the full speech of Albright, as well as the open forum moderated by Davila in the event held on July 19 at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Grand Ballroom, where over 400 business leaders and diplomats gathered to listen and learn from Albright, including Department of Foreign Affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, US Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, and Rep. Pia Cayetano, as well as ABS-CBN executives led by network President and CEO Carlo Katigbak and ABS-CBN News Head and ANC Managing Director Ging Reyes.

Albright, currently a professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University School of Foreign Service and chairman of the National Democratic Institute, discussed some of the pressing issues in the world today, such as the on-going armed conflicts around the globe, and empha-

Former U.S. Secretary Of State Madeleine Albright in an exclusive interview with Karen Davila for ANC sized the importance of cooperation mental standards abroad. Despite beamong countries in resolving issues. ing away from politics, her views on She also answered questions from Da- the world’s current political and ecovila and members of the audience that nomic situation remain relevant today. sought for her stand on national issues This is the second time that ANC feasuch as the current war in Marawi. tured a world-renowned speaker at the In Headstart, Davila will also get in- ANC Leadership Series, which aims side the mind of one of the world’s to raise the discourse in topics such greatest women leaders, who was once as economy and politics in the counthe highest-ranking woman in the US try. Last year, ANC brought in Virgin government and was deeply involved Group founder and philanthropist Sir in global affairs. As secretary of state, Richard Branson who shared his Albright reinforced America’s alli- life story and business knowledge to a ances, advocated for democracy and crowd of business leaders, celebrities, human rights, and promoted American and professionals in the forum modertrade, business, labor, and environ- ated by Cathy Yang.

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