Manila Standard - 2017 August 22 - Tuesday

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Heading heading head ing heading heading h VOL. XXXI • NO. 189 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

‘We’re victims here,’ kinsmen tell PNP chief THE family of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos, who was shot dead by Caloocan police on Aug. 16, on Monday rejected the claim of Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa that the Grade 11 student delivered drugs to his father and uncle.

Kian’s father, Saldy delos Santos, said he and his family were willing to take a drug test to prove they were not users, and asked Dela Rosa for a fair investigation.

Dela Rosa on Sunday presented a supposed drug pusher on Sunday who claimed to have had transactions with Kian.

“Please be fair,” Saldy said, addressing the police chief in Filipino on radio dzMM. “Have mercy on the child because we know nothing [about drugs]. We are the victims here. We are the ones you should be helping.”

GOLD CHASE. The Philippines wins its second and third gold medals in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games Monday after Nikko Huelgas and Kim Mangrobang victories in the men’s and women’s triathlon, respectively, at the Water Sports Complex in Putrajaya. Huelgas’ countryman, John Chicano, bags the silver, giving the Philippines a 1-2 finish in men’s triathlon. Huelgas defended his triathlon title with a time of 1:59.30. He won the same event in Singapore in 2015. SEAGames photos

Duterte to foes: Oust me if you can Joins call for probe of killing, vows no sacred cows

By John Paolo Bencito, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

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RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said there will be no sacred cows in the killing of 17-yearold Grade 11 student Kian delos Santos even as he dared his critics to stage an uprising against him.

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Autopsy shows Kian died of 3 gunshot wounds

By Rey E. Requejo THE Public Attorney’s Office is now preparing murder charges against police officers involved in the killing of 17-year-old Kian Lloyd delos Santos, after autopsy results showed he suffered two gunshot wounds in the head and a “treacherous wound” in the back.

“We are already collating all the evidence that we will use in the filing of the complaint within the week,” PAO chief Persida RuedaAcosta said.

“PAO will not condone abuse,” she added in Filipino.

Although police said they returned fire from Kian during an anti-drug operation, CCTV footage showed two policemen Next page

NBI, PAO STEP IN. NBI agents and Public Attorney’s Office chief Persida Rueda-Acosta (right) inspect Monday the site where 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos was killed Wednesday in a police operation to gather, where possible, physical evidence. Acosta’s office will assist Kian’s family in filing murder complaints against the policemen who shot the teenager dead. Andrew Rabulan

9 dead, 10 hurt in Sayyaf attack on Basilan town ISLAMIST gunmen killed nine people and injured 10 others as they attacked a village in Maluso, Basilan at dawn Monday, burning houses in which women and children were sleeping, police said.

About 60 members of the notorious Abu Sayyaf kidnap-forransom group entered a town in their stronghold on Basilan and began shooting, local police chief

John Cundo told AFP. “This is an act of terrorism and cowardice. When our forces engaged them in a 45-minute firefight and they felt our numbers and volume of fire they backed away and fled,” Cundo said.

“What is unfortunate is that women and children were affected as they were still sleeping when this happened.”

The militants burned four houses and a day-care center in Maluso, Cundo said, adding police and the military were conducting “hot pursuit” operations against the gunmen.

Supt. Christopher Panapan, Basilan provincial police director, identified the fatalities as Radzma Arakani, Radsma Hassan, Camina dela Cruz, Reynaldo Esparcia,

Marktan Jalad, Ajid Aminulla, Ryan Joplo, Baby Arakani, and Andok Haikin Kato.

Injured were Lokaya Arakani, Joey dela Cruz, Julhari Arajani, Mariam dela Cruz, Jessie dela Cruz, Tarhata Arakani, Solo Arakani, Abel Laping, Roderick Villarin, and Grace Fernandez.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose net Next page

Rody names Lapeña to replace Faeldon

By Maricel V. Cruz PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon amid mounting pressure from lawmakers and anti-crime groups for his replacement over his failure to stop

the entry of P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China.

Duterte said he will appoint former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency director-general Isidro Lapeña as Faeldon’s replacement.

“I will put him [Lapeña] here [in BoC]. He will have a free hand to retwitter.com/ MlaStandard

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Missing 7-year-old Pinoy turned out dead in Spain

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE seven-year-old Filipino boy earlier reported missing in Barcelona turned out to be among the 14 fatalities in Thursday’s terrorist attack that seriously injured his mother and more than 100 others, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.

While expressing his condolence, Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said he directed his former aide and newly appointed Foreign Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola to make sure that all possible assistance was extended to the family of the deceased and other Filipino victims of the incident.

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Storm ‘Isang’ gains strength

organize,” the President said.

Duterte said the embattled Faeldon has submitted three resignation letters already.

“Faeldon knows that I will accept it [resignation],” he said.

The President said he still believes Next page

“I will even send trucks for your transportation. Go ahead. I am waiting for that actually, so there will be a change in president and a new government that is working,” he said.

“If there is an uprising, go ahead all those who do not believe in me. Let us have an uprising,” the President said.

Duterte, who used to say that he will protect policemen who will be charged with cases over

BOC chief Nicanor Faeldon

WEATHERMEN hoisted Storm Signal no. 2 over the Batanes group of islands and Signal no.

1 over the Babuyan group of islands on Tuesday after forecasting tropical storm “Isang” will

intensify and become a severe storm this week.

Isang was 170 kilometers east of Basco, Batanes, and packing maximum sustained winds of 80 Next page

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Oil prices mixed; gas up, diesel decreases

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE oil companies raised the price of gasoline by P0.20 per liter effective Tuesday but rolled back the prices of diesel and kerosene by P0.10 per liter and P0.15 per liter, respectively.

Flying V, Seaoil Philippines, PTT Philippines, Phoenix Petroleum Philippines and Eastern Petroleum made the price adjustments, and the other oil distributors were expected to follow suit.

World oil prices fell last week but recovered later in the week due to reports of a fall in US oil production, the weak US dollar and the bullish reports from the Energy Information Administration.

The oil companies have been pursuing various marketing strategies to beat the competition.

Seaoil has launched a raffle promo that will give four lucky motorists a lifetime supply of fuel.

The winners of the “Lifetime Free Gas, Oh My Gas” promo, which started on Aug. 14 and ends on Nov. 14, will be announced during three monthly raffle draws.

To get a raffle entry, a customer must submit receipts totaling P500 worth of Extreme 97, Extreme 95, Extreme U, Extreme Diesel fuels and/or Seaoil lubricants to any Seaoil station nationwide.

PTT Philippines, meanwhile, brought competition outside its service stations and dealer shops by tying up with e-commerce company Lazada and at least two other shopping sites to make its lubricant products available online.

PTT’s engine oil may now be purchased through Lazada’s online shopping site.

The move complements PTT’s growth in the Philippines, where it now has more than 100 gasoline stations.

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in the integrity of Faeldon, who is facing a probe in the House of Representatives.

The House of Representatives’ committee on dangerous drugs is eyeing the criminal prosecution of embattled Faeldon for allegedly bungling the chain in the custody of drug evidence, a House official said on Monday.

Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, the panel chairperson, said his committee which investigated the multi-billion shabu smuggling, said his committee would recommend the filing of criminal charges against the BoC chief with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Barbers panel is scheduled to approve this Thursday the report on their investigation into the supposed P6.4 billion worth of shabu smuggling inside the Bureau of Customs.

“Aside from gross negligence and incompetence, the committee is now studying the possible recommendation to prosecute Commissioner Faeldon and others for their apparent disregard to (sic) the strict provisions of the law on the chain in the custody of drug evidence,” Barbers said.

Barbers said his committee would also make accountable Faeldon and others for “raiding the Valenzuela warehouse without a proper warrant” as he lamented that corruption remains a serious problem at the BoC as admitted by Faeldon himself.

Barbers said copies of the committee report were being readied for scrutiny of the panel members before voting on its recommendations this Thursday.

Quirino Rep. Dakila Cua, chairperson of the House committee on ways and means, which also conducted hearings on the shabu shipment controversy, said he would recommend the abolition of the Command Center of the BoC.

Troops rescue Vietnam sailor A VIETNAMESE sailor kidnapped by Islamist terrorists in Mindanao has been rescued after nine months in captivity, the military said on Monday following the beheading of two fellow crewmen in July.

Philippine troops rescued the hostage on Sunday in Basilan, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf kidnap-for-ransom group, following intensified operations against the militants, authorities said.

“The hostage was able to run from the militants in the course of military operations and our troops

rescued him with the help of local connections,” military spokeswoman Captain Jo-Ann Petinglay told AFP. “We have been conducting continuous operations against [the militants] involving airstrikes.

The group was under pressure.”

Petinglay denied a ransom had

been paid for the Vietnamese hostage’s freedom.

He and five and other crewmen were abducted in November from a Vietnamese cargo vessel sailing less than 20 kilometers from Basilan.

The terrorists beheaded two of the sailors last month, prompting President Rodrigo Duterte to threaten to eat the militants alive in retaliation.

Duterte often uses extreme language when talking about Islamic militants.

One Vietnamese crewman is still in the hands of the Abu Sayyaf following the rescue of a

Duterte...

majority bloc led by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III on Sunday night signed a resolution expressing the sense of the Senate to condemn Kian’s killing and the rash of killings following intensified anti-drug operations.

The senators also sought to review the conduct of anti-drug operations by the PNP as well as its capacity to hold erring officials within their ranks liable for the commission of any crime.

The Senate resolution said eyewitness accounts and CCTV footage contradicted the narrative of the policemen involved, and revealed that the teenager, who was already arrested, was forced to hold a gun and told to run, then shot dead when he did.

“The apparent abuses by the police in undertaking these drug operations have resulted in a series of tragedies such as that of Delos Santos,” the senators said. “Similar incidents require deeper scrutiny to ensure the accountability of the PNP.” They also slammed the PNP Internal Affairs Service for moving sluggishly to investigate such cases.

The Senate committee in public order and illegal drugs, chaired by Senator Panfilo Lacson, will start its investigation on these issues Thursday.

Lacson said he will send out the notices to those who will be summoned to the hearing once the resolution is officially referred to his committee during the plenary session on Tuesday.

Dela Rosa will be among those invited to the hearing.

The panel will also hear from other police officials, the National Bureau of Investigation, key witnesses who are in the custody of Senator Risa Hontiveros, the IAS, the Caloocan policemen involved in the killing, and barangay officials who have control over the CCTV, and Kian’s father.

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said that while he supports the President’s campaign against drugs, he cannot condone the abuses committed by policemen.

“Those who abuse their authority and break the law must be held accountable and punished. The purpose of the hearing is to determine who are accountable and to strengthen our institutions to deal with these issues,” he said.

Senator Grace Poe said killing drug suspects should not be seen as a contest among different police units, and said the government would lose the war on drugs if this was not stopped.

Earlier, the minority bloc demand-

ed that the Senate stand in solidarity against the senseless killings that claimed over 80 Filipinos, including Kian delos Santos.

Even Panelo said that assuming police claims about Kian being a drug courier were true, this did not justify his killing.

“Even if he was a drug runner, you cannot just kill somebody like that,” Panelo said in an interview over radio dwFM. Panelo also said President Rodrigo Duterte would not condone the actions of the police, and that erring cops won’t go unpunished.

He also said the President would support the police, but those who abuse their authority will have to pay.

The Education Department also condemned the killing, and called on the President to “put in jail those who will be found responsible for the student’s death.”

“The Department of Education strongly condemns the shooting of Kian Loyd Delos Santos, a Grade 11 student of Our Lady of Lourdes [College] Senior High School in Valenzuela, by elements of the Caloocan police,” Education Secretary Leonor Briones said in a statement Sunday.

“The department denounces all forms of violence against our students, teachers, and personnel,” she added.

The Education Department said that while they support President Duterte’s directive to uphold the rule of law, an impartial investigation must be done to shed light on the incident.

“While we acknowledge that law enforcement is an important aspect in the government’s comprehensive efforts to battle illegal drugs, ensuring accuracy of information and upholding the rule of law should not be compromised,” the statement said.

Over the weekend, Vice President Leni Robredo visited Delos Santos’ wake to offer her condolences to Kian’s family.

She talked to his father Saldy and visited the scene where Kian was shot dead, including the area captured on CCTV where he was seen being dragged by policemen.

Robredo also offered help to Kian’s family, including providing free legal assistance, in coordination with the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).

Robredo on Monday urged the Catholic Church to play a more active part in helping the poor and the marginalized.

Members of the Liberal Party-led

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the government’s bloody anti-drug war, said he agrees the killing of Delos Santos should be investigated by the National Bureau of Investigation.

“Let us wait for the investigation. If there is criminal liability, I will order the prosecution to the full extent of the law. I can guarantee you that,” Duterte said in a press conference late Monday evening.

“There will be prosecution and they will go to jail if convicted,” Duterte said.

The President said he opted not to go to the wake of the gunned down minor because it could put undue pressure on the policemen involved in the anti-narcotics campaign.

“When I saw the video [of the killing], I immediately told [Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa] Bato to have them [policemen arrested immediately,” Duterte said. “If the suspect has already been arrested, if he is already on his knees and then you shoot him, that will be murder or homicide.”

Politicians associated with the previous administration are using the mounting national outrage over Kian’s death to discredit the President, a Palace official said.

“We already expected this,” said Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, speaking in Filipino.

“They will jump at any issue to demolish the presidency. It comes naturally for them—they won’t stop and will always be like that.”

But even allies of the President spoke out against Kian’s killing, after CCTV footage showed the teenager being dragged by two policemen to an alley where he was shot dead.

The country’s ambassador to the United Nations, Teodoro Locsin Jr., called the police idiots after Dela Rosa tried to discredit Kian by saying he was a drug courier.

“If the cops knew that, Kian was the best witness to the awfulness of the drug trade—and they had to go kill him like a pig. Wow. Bobo (Idiots),” Locsin wrote on his Twitter account.

Duterte’s allies in the Senate also assailed the killing of Kian and said they would investigate the liability of the policemen involved in the war on drugs that may have resulted in “unnecessary and unjustified” deaths.

Fourteen of the 17 members of the

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Saldy added that Kian could not have been a drug courier because he followed a tight schedule in school and was helping mind the family store.

Neighbors would not have sympathized with their family if they were involved in illegal activities, he added.

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dragging the teenager from one alley to another, where his body was found.

Acosta said Kian’s family sought the help of PAO to charge the policemen responsible for their son’s death.

The autopsy was conducted upon the family’s request Sunday morning by a team of forensic experts led by Dr. Erwin Erfe.

The examination showed the first entry wound was on Kian’s back. A second entry wound was behind his left ear, while the third entry point was inside his left ear. Both shots to the head

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work of militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda network.

Its members have engaged in banditry and kidnapping, targeting foreigners in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom.

One faction based on Basilan has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

It is not clear whether that fac-

“It doesn’t make sense,” he continued in Filipino. “We would not be selling smoked fish if we’re selling drugs. If we did that, nobody would have sympathized with us. Nobody would have gone to my sons’s wake.”

In another interview, Saldy urged Dela Rosa to interview his neighbors, who could attest to his character.

“My neighbors will prove what kind of child he was,” he said in Filipino. “My son was good. We were working for a decent liv-

exited on the right side.

Erfe and his team of forensic experts said the first and second shots were fired while Kian was on the ground, face down. On the third wound inside Kian’s ear, the shooter was on the boy’s left side.

Erfe said they could not tell if the same shooter fired all three shots, but all came from a 9mm firearm.

Kian was killed during a police antidrug operation in Barangay 160 in Caloocan City on the evening of Aug. 16.

The three policemen involved in the killing—Police Officers 1 Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz and Police Officer 3 Arnel Oares—have been relieved along with their precinct commander, Chief Insp. Amor Ce-

tion was involved in Monday’s attack on Maluso, although its members are among militants who have been occupying since May parts of Marawi, the largely Catholic nation’s most important Islamic city.

The militants have withstood a US-backed military offensive in Marawi that has claimed more than 700 lives and displaced nearly 400,000 people.

President Rodrigo Duterte has imposed martial law across the southern third of the Philippines,

sailor in June and the death of another during a gun battle in July, Petinglay said.

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

One faction has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and joined the militants battling security forces since May in Marawi, the Philippines’ most important Islamic city.

The terrorists continue to oc-

opposition in the Senate scored the spate of killings in anti-drug operations in the past week, including Kian’s death.

Hontiveros took the family and witnesses under her custody and protection, while Senators Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, Franklin Drilon, and Leila de Lima condemned the incident.

Several protests were held Monday at Plaza Miranda, Caloocan City and Edsa to condemn Kian’s killing, branded by administration critics as a brutal display of state-sponsored killings which sparked public outrage and prompted calls for an investigation.

Liberal Party president Francis Pangilinan on Monday debunked that politicking was behind the mounting outrage over the killing of Kian delos Santos.

“This is not politicking but it is conviction of those opposed to the inhumane and unjust killing of Kian by policemen,” Pangilinan said in a text statement.

He also emphasized the growing anger over the spate of killings of poor suspects.

Pangilinan also welcomed the decision of the majority bloc in the Senate to condemn the killings in the war on drugs.

Commission on Human Rights Chairman Chito Gascon, who has clashed with Duterte before, said the President must be careful in what he says because people will take his words as state policy.

“When he said human rights defenders were fair targets, that could have a consequence,” he said.

Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle said that illegal drugs has divided the Filipino people, and everyone must act together to solve the drug menace.

The church leader made the statement following the death of at least 90 people, including Kian, in a massive police operation.

“We Filipinos agree that the menace of illegal drugs is real and destructive.

We must face and act upon together, as one people. Unfortunately, it has divided us,” Tagle said in a statement.

“Let us invite families, national government agencies, local government units, people’s organizations, schools, faith-based communities, the medical profession, the police and military, recovering addicts etc. to come together, listen to each other and chart a common path,” the prelate said.

With Rio N. Araja and Vito Barcelo

ing. He did not have a gang. He didn’t even know how to curse.”

“His mother worked abroad so that Kian could go to school, not so that he could be a drug courier,” he added.

Kian’s mother Lorenzana, who flew home from the Middle East, said the police who killed her son must be held accountable.

“Please surrender,” she said, addressing the policemen in Filipino. “Pay for your crime. You killed my defenseless son,” she said.

rillo and Caloocan police chief Senior Supt.

Chito Bersaluna.

Acosta, who inspected the site where Kian was killed after an alleged chase and a brief exchange of fire, said “Here? There’s nowhere to run!”

Members of the National Bureau of Investigation also returned to the crime scene as part of a parallel investigation.

Agents took statements from members of the Delos Santos family and residents in the area.

The parallel investigation came on orders of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, who has already expressed openness to placing Delos Santos’ family and witnesses to the incident under the provisional cover-

including Basilan, to quell the militant threat.

Following Monday’s attack, residents evacuated their homes in fear and authorities sent more troops to secure the area, according to Cundo.

The Abu Sayyaf had launched similar attacks on the town in previous years, Cundo added.

The incident came a day after the military rescued a Vietnamese hostage of the Abu Sayyaf also on Basilan island after nine months in captivity. With Francisco Tuyay

cupy parts of the southern city despite a US-backed military offensive there that has claimed more than 700 lives and displaced nearly 400,000 people.

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

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

Last year, the group beheaded two Canadian hostages.

The Abu Sayyaf are holding a total of 18 hostages, including 14 foreigners, Petinglay said. AFP

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“It pai ns us to brea k the sad news to ou r kababayans that we lost one of our own in the recent violence unleashed by extremists against the innocent in Barcelona,” Cayetano said. “ We join the loved ones of our little brother in mourning his passing and in praying for the eternal repose of his soul,” Cayetano said. ccording A to Chargé d’Affaires Emmanuel Fernandez, the Philippine Embassy in Madrid was informed of the boy’s demise by his family after his father identified his remains.

In his report to Manila, Fernandez said the victim’s 43-year-old mother remained in the intensive care unit of a local hospital after undergoing surgery for fractures in both legs and one arm that she sustained in the incident.

In addition to the boy’s mother, two other Filipinos based in Italy were among those injured when a van plowed through crowds gathered at the Las Ramblas tourist district.

T he injured Filipinos, one male and one female, will be assisted by the Philippine Consulate General in Milan in getting medical attention, according to Consul General Marichu Mauro.

Also injured in the attack were four Irish citizens of Filipino descent who were also attended to by the Embassy and the Honorary Consulate in Barcelona.

The four were identified as Norman Potot, 45, his wife Pederlita, 39, daughter Nailah Pearl, 9, and son Nathaniel Paul, 5, and are residents of Dublin. oNrman and Nathaniel remain confined at the Hospital Del Mar in Barcelona.

The father suffered a minor head injury but remains under observation for hematoma of the kidney.

His son is recovering from surgery for the fractured leg he sustained in the incident. oNrman’s wife sustained minor bruises while his daughter fractured her arm.

age of the Witness Protection Program.

Aguirre said he would extend provisional coverage under the WPP if they would apply to the program.

On Monday, the NBI agents started looking for “physical evidence” following claims that Delos Santos was executed and not killed in a shootout as the police claimed.

The police who conducted the drug operations said Delos Santos was armed and fired at them, prompting them to shoot back—an account that CCTV footage and witnesses contradict.

Former vice president Jejomar Binay, who visited Kian’s wake, said the bullet wounds to the head meant the shooters really intended to kill him. With Bill Casas

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kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 97 kph as of 5 p.m on Tuesday.

It was moving west-northwest at 15 kph.

Weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio said the residents of the western section of Luzon and the Visayas must prepare for moderate to occasionally heavy rainfall as a result of Isang’s enhancement of the southwest monsoon.

Moderate to strong winds will blow from the northwest to the west over Central and Northern Luzon, and from the southwest over the rest of the country.

Rio N. Araja, with PNA

News ALU-TUCP seeks P183/day wage hike

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

FLAG AND FLOWERS. The Philippine flag

is hoisted over a statue of the late senator Benigno ‘Ninoy’ Aquino statue even as flowers were strewn below the monument located along Quezon Avenue corner Timog Avenue in Quezon City during a wreath-laying ceremony in commeration of his 34th death anniversary.

Manny Palmero

By Vito Barcelo LABOR group Associated Labor-Unions Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has urged the national wage board to grant the P184 wage hike petition for the 6 million minimum wage workers in Metro Manila which will convene today (Tuesday).

ALU-TUCP spokesperson Alan Tanjusay said the seven-man member are expected to announce within the day the amount of daily pay increase in view of labor groups’ wage hike petitions on top of the current daily wage of P491 a day.

The labor group filed a P184 wage increase petition to restore the real value of P491 which has eroded by 27 percent in May 2017.

“We are very pessimistic the board would grant a significant wage increase today. The board had always been ungenerous and insensitive in increasing the daily wage of workers,” Tanjusay said.

“What will happen is that employers’ and capitalists’ interests will again dictate the rate or amount of increase. And it will be inadequate to lift workers and their families out of poverty,” he said.

Earlier, the ALU rejected the P16 wage increase the wage board is offering to grant instead of the P184 the ALU has petitioned.

Records from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and National Wages and Productivity Commission as of May 25, 2017 showed that the purchasing power of P491 is P357. Meanwhile, the Family Income and Expenditures Survey by the Philippine Statistics Authority showed the daily amount needed by a family of five to be kept out of poverty in 2015 is P302.13 a day. The next survey is expected to be made public in the first quarter next year.

The ALU is the biggest labor federation in the country. It has large union members in services, manufacturing, and agriculture plantations working in both public and private sectors.

Aside from filing wage increase petitions, ALU has served as workers’ representative as dialogue government and employers in tripartite policymaking and enforcement of government program for workers.

Court upholds life sentence vs Coke exec’s 19 kidnappers

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Court of Appeals has sustained the judgment rendered by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court imposing life imprisonment to 19 individuals who had been found guilty for the kidnap-slay of Coca-Cola executive Betty Chua-Sy. In a 25-page decision, the CA’s Fourth Division through Associate Justice Carmelita Salandanan Manahan dismissed the appeal of the 19 accusedappellants for failing to show convincing reason that would warrant a reversal of the Quezon City court’s decision issued in December 2009.

The trial court sentenced accused-appellants Alvin Labra, Cesar Amado, Benedicto de Lima, Mariolito Demol, Edith Alazer, Silverio Superable, Renato Superable, Ramon Demol, Ernesto Callos, Fidel Superable, Rodolfo Artoza, Hector Cornista, Jose Artoza Jr., Vicencio Soliat, Ciderio Macanib, Ramil

Victoriano, Gerardo Anover and Alejandro Aldas to life imprisonment. Another accused, Hunks Cornista is still at-large.

The appellate court rejected the claim of the accused-appellants that the testimonies of eyewitness Jorlito Lucero and state witness Romeo Dacallos failed to sufficiently prove their direct involvement in the kidnapping.

The CA ruled that the trial court correctly found that the accused-appellants conspired to commit the crime.

“A careful examination of the records shows that there was conspiracy among the accused-appellants since each of the played a role in the commission of the Crime,” the appellate court said. “The collective and concerted acts of the accused-appellants before, during

and after the commission ofthe crime clearly proved that they conspired with one another to attain a common purpose of depriving Betty Sy of her liberty and demanding a ransom money in exchange for her release,” it said.

According to the CA, the conspiracy was established through the testimony of Dacallo, one of the accused who turned state witness through his positive identification of the appellants and their exact participation in the execution of the crime. The defense of the appellants constituted mere alibis, which were properly rejected by the lower court, the appellate court noted.

“In the case at bench, it was clearly established that the overt acts of the accused appellants were undoubtedly geared towards un-

‘Don’t dishonor Ninoy’s sacrifices’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATE President Franklin Drilon on Monday called on everyone not to dishonor the sacrifices of the late senator Benigno Aquino Jr. by trivializing human life, saying he would have been the first to protest the ongoing bloody drug war if he was alive.

“If Ninoy were alive today, he would have condemned the death of a teenager, a son, a child, a mother, and a father. Ninoy valued life as much as he valued freedom,” said Drilon.

“If he were alive today, Ninoy would have been in the forefront of the fight against police impunity and the government’s acquiescence.

If Ninoy were alive today, he would have rallied every Filipino to protect the democracy and the freedom those who came before us,” Drilon said.

“We honor his death by constant vigilance, not complacency or complicity. I have every faith that the Ninoy in all of us, regardless of party, will prevail in protecting the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth which he died for.

Having said that, I join the call of the Catholic

Church to put an ‘end to the waste of life.’

“I cannot support a war on drugs where the sole benchmark is the number of deaths that we see every night. I join the church in calling for a reorientation of the fight against drugs. Success should not be based on number of deaths but on the number of lives redeemed.” “On the Senate investigation, I support an investigation that is impartial. Thirty-four years ago, Marcos formed the Fernando Commission to investigate Ninoy’s death but was dissolved after two hearings because of perceived bias. I hope the Senate investigation to investigate Kian’s death will not only investigate the events that led to Kian’s death but to find the root cause and reexamine why Kian’s death and all other killings had to happen in the first place,” Drilon added.

Drilon was among those who paid their respects to the resting place of Benigno Aquino Jr., at Manila Memorial Park in Sucat, Parañaque City on Monday morning to mark the late senator’s 34th death anniversary.

A Mass was held which was attended by former President Benigno Aquino III, his siblings, relatives and supporters.

Aside from Drilon, also in attendance were

Senators Francis Pangilinan, Bam Aquino, and Antonio Trillanes IV. A short program was held where former President Aquino said that after 34 years, Filipinos cannot tell Ninoy that the Philippines has changed since the country is still facing the same problems.

He cited the death of Kian delos Santos, who was killed by Caloocan cops during a police operation last week, as one such problem.

The former President said he was struck by what Delos Santos’ mother said in an interview that no parent should bury his/her own child.

He added he remembered his grandmother, the mother of the late senator, who said it was very painful to hear the news that Ninoy was killed.

The late senator, a known rival of then President Ferdinand Marcos, was assassinated on Aug. 21, 1983 at the Manila International Airport.

Aquino, meanwhile, thanked President Rodrigo Duterte for recognizing Ninoy’s sacrifice for the sake of democracy, but added that he hoped the President would re-read his own statements.

Gatchalian to file bill on police ‘body cam’

By Macon Araneta

VITAL ISSUES. Samahang Plaridel Kapihan sa Manila guests Dr. Roland Schissau, (left), Director Jacky Caancan of Environment Management Bureau and Rep. Joselito Atienza answer queries from the media during the weekly forum. Schissau talked about the issue of federalism, while Caancan and Atienza discussed environmental matters. Lino Santos

SENATOR Win Gatchalian on Monday said he would file a bill requiring policemen to wear body cameras to collect video footage of all drug raids implemented by authorities following the death of 17-year old Kian Loyd “Ian” delos Santos at the hands of police antiillegal drugs operatives.

Gatchalian, who pointed to the CCTV footage as potentially damning evidence against the police officers involved in the killing, said that recording video evidence of all antiillegal drugs operations would be a powerful tool to ensure transparency and accountability in the execution of the government’s drug war.

“Footage collected from police body cams would provide concrete

evidence to hold police scalawags administratively and criminally liable for violating their oath to serve and protect the people,” Gatchalian said.

Police officials in Caloocan had maintained that Delos Santos, an alleged drug pusher, was killed after opening fire at police during a legitimate police operation. However, CCTV footage recorded during the time of the raid indicates that Delos Santos may have been the victim of a summary execution.

The bill proposed by Gatchalian would require that all law enforcement personnel authorized to conduct antiillegal drugs operations be equipped with body cameras during said operations. He said these cameras must be set to record footage during the entire operation, from deployment to the target until the conclusion of the mission.

lawfully depriving Betty Sy of her liberty and extorting ransom in the amount of P10 million in exchange for her release. Therefore, accused appellants are liable as principals by direct participation in the crime of kidnapping for ransom with homicide,” the CA held.

Court records showed Sy, 33, was kidnapped on Nov. 17, 2004 in Novaliches while on her way to the office on board a Toyota Rav 4. The suspects shot the victim on the hip while asking the family for P10 million in ransom.

The victim was brought to Trece Martires City, Cavite where she died.

Her body was later found wrapped in a garbage bag and dumped along Pacific Avenue, Marina Bay Homes in Don Galo, Parañaque City.

Bill filed on ‘work from home’ program

By Maricel V. Cruz A LAWMAKER on Monday proposed the establishment of a three-year pilot program for telecommuting or work-fromhome arrangements in select local industries to reduce traffic congestion in Metro Manila and other urban centers and reduce business costs as well.

Rep. LRay Villafuerte wants the Department of Labor and Employment should take the lead in institutionalizing telecommuting or the work-fromhome policy to also raise workers’ efficiency, and increase the chances for employment for circumstantially marginalized individuals such as stay-at-home parents, persons with disabilities, retirees and those living in farflung areas.

Villafuerte’s proposal was contained in House Bill 5630 which mandates DOLE to “set up and maintain a telecommuting pilot program, which will be used to monitor and evaluate the work-from-home scheme.

“Section 8 of HB 5630 states that “the DOLE shall establish and maintain a Telecommuting Pilot Program in select industries, which shall last for a period of not more than three years.”

“The DOLE shall be responsible for baselining, scoping and profiling research work prior to implementation, regular quarterly monitoring and evaluation.

At the end of the period of the program, the DOLE shall submit a report to the Congress,” Villafuerte, vice chairperson of the House committee on appropriations, said.

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Opinion

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

Color blind

S

IX days after the killing of a 17-year-old boy, whom the police insist was a drug courier, the outrage continues.

Rightly so. Emerging details on the death of Kian Loyd delos Santos all point to a grim scenario that in turn tells us just how far this administration is willing to go war on drugs. We also get a clearer picture of the kind of people on whose hands the lives of millions lie. We need only

look at how the Philippine National Police is trying to contain the outrage by discrediting the boy and his family.

This is of and by itself deplorable. It is evil, as the death of all other hapless “suspects” are evil, from whatever angle it is viewed and whoever is viewing it.

We have no words to ap-

proximate how the family of the boy and all those who heard his last words could be feeling.

We have no words, too, to describe our revulsion toward those who attempt to lend political color to the tragedy.

It was nothing but coincidence that the killing took place a few days before the 34th death anniversary of former Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. His death is believed to have sparked the 1986 People

Power Revolution. Those who loudly commemorated his death on Monday, while also extolling the virtues of his wife and the “straight-path” government of his son, conveniently joined the chorus of those crying justice for Kian.

Meanwhile, those on the other side of the political fence are employing the same erroneous, exploitative thinking. Palace officials discredit those who deplore the killing

as belonging to the Yellow movement. “They will jump at any issue to demolish the presidency,” said Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo.

We vehemently disagree.

Shame on these officials who reduce the people to a simplistic, uncritical, either-or society.

Not everybody who condemns the killing is yellow.

Not everybody who wants to see a more humane, civilized and reasonable way of carrying out the war against

drugs wants to bring this administration down.

It is plain evil, the manner in which the boy’s life was snuffed out by people who liked to play god.

One does not have to see the world through lens of yellow, or any other tint.

In getting down to what truly happened on the night of Aug. 16, we just have to go by the evidence and block out all the noise from those who want to milk the tragedy for their own gain.

Everyone a Ninoy and Cory Aquino

Revolution LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES OF COURSE, no one should be killed by the police on the mere suspicion of being a drug pusher.

That would still be all kinds of wrong, even if the government is waging a war on illegal drugs.

But when politicians, clerics and citizens’ groups, all of a certain persuasion, start milking the death of a young man for all it’s worth, prejudging a case that hasn’t even been filed yet and calling for the start of a revolution to coincide with one of their most sacrosanct partisan holidays, then you’ve got every right to doubt if there’s nothing here beyond seeking justice for a wrongful killing at the hands of the authorities. And if that call for revolution doesn’t go beyond the overheated editorials and columns in some newspapers

and febrile social media posts of some political personalities, you know it’s just wishful thinking— with some diversionary, well-coordinated propaganda thrown in, for good measure.

Again, if Kian Loyd delos Santos was executed by policemen last week, regardless of whether he was really a hardened drug courier or a saintly young man who begged to be spared because he had a test in school the following day, it’s still a killing of the extra-judicial kind. If the three Caloocan cops who allegedly did him in can be proven to have gunned down Delos Santos, they must pay for the crime.

But can we please all wait for an investigation first by any competent body before we join the revolution? Or is that, to those who have already condemned the policemen from behind their smartphone and computer screens, just a waste of time?

Because yesterday was yet another anniversary of the kill-

ing of former Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr., perhaps it is important to remember how that case played out. As I recall, while many Filipinos outraged by the killing of Aquino immediately decided that he had been

No, what they did was to watch the Agrava Commission do its work. They followed the case all the way to the various courts that took over afterwards, even after the two subsequent presidents named Aquino basically lost interest in the gruesome killing that catapulted them both to the highest office in the land.

(The 1986 revolution, regardless of what our young people have been taught in school since then, was not staged over the killing of Ninoy, but over allegations that Marcos had cheated his widow Cory in the ill-advised “snap” elections that Marcos called. That revolt would have been reprised by Noynoy in 2010, as he himself warned, if he had lost.)

The so-called revolution that was going to be launched yesterday dissolved in the rain on Edsa, because it was being fought only in the minds of the whacked on orders of Ferdinand people who wanted to use Kian’s Marcos, they didn’t call for a killing to bring down President revolution right away.

Rodrigo Duterte. I doubt very

I doubt very much if a revolution will succeed if its proponents cannot be bothered to come out after a little rain.

much if a revolution will succeed at this time, if its proponents cannot even be bothered to come out—after making such impassioned calls in the media, social and mainstream—after a little rain.

Let justice be done in the case of Kian, if he was really offed by bloodthirsty policemen. As for revolutions, perhaps someone should check the weather first before even talking about launching them to coincide with some politically significant date. *** But it’s still fun to watch antiDuterte politicians run around like headless chickens, though, as they launch what passes for a coordinated attack that in their minds could lead to the downfall of a popular, well-entrenched government. Consider: Just over the past few days, Vice President Leni Robredo visited Kian’s wake, as did Senator Risa Hontiveros—who upped the ante

LAST Saturday, I wrote a column on Ninoy Aquino and his legacy.

Today, I pay tribute to his wife Cory Aquino who, more than anyone else, helped restore our democratic rights after the Marcos dictatorship. Next Saturday, to complete a trilogy of columns on the Aquinos, I will write about the presidency of Noynoy Aquino, the son of Ninoy and Cory.

All of these are written in tribute to good, even if imperfect, public servants. I write about them also in the context of the national situation, of what has become a narcotic (according to President Duterte) and in many ways a lunatic (my description) state. How did the country of Ninoy, Cory, and Noynoy get to be in such a bad state in terms of human rights?

What happened and what do we do to get out of this darkness?

But first a tribute to Corazon C. Aquino.

Cory was a simple wife of a prominent politician. Her simplicity was such that she remained behind the shadows even as her husband was constantly basking in the glare of the spotlight, being at the forefront of the struggle against the tyrannical rule of a dictator. When her husband was imprisoned, she dutifully took care of the children and did everything to keep them insulated from the topsy-turvy world of politics. She was thrust to the political arena when she became the leader of the opposition after her husband was assassinated on August 21, 1983 upon returning to the Philippines from exile in the United States. Marcos, thinking that he could soundly beat a woman in the polls, called for a snap election. He grossly underestimated his “plain housewife” opponent when, in the midst of accusations of massive fraud in the elections, Corazon Aquino, affectionately called Tita Cory, called for civil disobedience. Defections in the military and the support of the local Catholic hierarchy led to the peaceful People Power Revolution that ousted Marcos and secured her accession on February 25, 1986.

Cory’s legacy as the 11th president of the Republic is characterized by her initiatives to restore democracy in the country. After more than 20 years dictatorial rule, the institutions of government were practically destroyed.

The military, Congress and the Supreme Court were highly politicized. Some of her achievements include the promulgation of the 1987 Constitution which Turn to A5

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Opinion

LAWMAKERS, the Catho- Imelda Marcos as governor lic Church, businessmen and of Metro Manila decided to business leaders have shown have the National Power Coroutrage over the spate of kill- poration property in Makati ings resulting in 76 casualties developed. over the past few days.

As head of the technology This is at least a good sign Resource Foundation, she enthat some sectors in the coun- tered into a lease with a firm try are outraged over the kill- headed by then Quezon City ings that have become the Mayor Ismael Mathay and new normal in this country Jolly Benitez to build townsince President Rodrigo Du- houses. The lease was for 25 terte assumed the presidency years, renewable at the option over a year ago. of both the lessor and lessee.

I wonder how foreigners There were some 420 houses must regard us now. built at Ecology Village.

What bothers me more than In 2006, when the governanything is the poor, who are ment decided to end the lease, the target of the killings. And Ecology lawyers met with the yet we hardly hear any objec- Asset Privatization Council tion from the masses aside then headed by Finance unfrom the relatives of the vic- dersecretary Eric Recto. He tims. Have they become so maintained that since we, desensitized to what is hap- Ecology residents, had cerpening? tificates of titles to the imPolice estimate that some provements over the land that 3,500 drug suspects have we occupied, we should be been killed. I wonder how deemed as having good faith many of these were killed ex- with vested rights. tra-judicially. Some estimates We had a referendum of all place the figure at 8,000. the 420 unit owners. Should President Duterte must government try to evict us, realize that killing all drug we would go to court. suspects is not the answer.

Technically, however, EcolDrugs users are victims, not ogy unit owners are squatculprits. This is why I said ters. We no longer have lease from the start that there is a contracts with the governneed for more ment. In the rehabilitation meantime, we centers. can rent or sell Mr Duterte our townhousIt all boils must dig deep es because we into why ille- down to all have certifgal drugs have icates of titles. poverty and become so prevalent. So joblessness. *** long as poverPhilweb ty and joblessCorp., formerness are there, ly owned by the drug menace will prevail. Alphaland chairman Roberto It really boils down to the law Ongpin, was sold last year to of supply and demand.

Gregorio Araneta. The gamThe bigger problem is that ing license expired on August there are some 3 million to 10, 2016.

4 million drug users in this Ongpin used to be my student country. Other countries also at Ateneo High School. Last have many drug users, but year, President Duterte singled their governments do not go him out for being an oligarch – around killing them. furthest from the truth.

When Ongpin sold to Aran*** eta, he lost billions with the I am told that some residents drop in share prices of his of Ecology Village 1,2,3 are company, He also tried to wary of what happened to the save it by offering to donate Prieto-Rufinos’ 2.9-hectare to Pagcor just to save the jobs property called Sunvar which of his employees. Pagcor rethe government took over. A jected the offer. He amended court decided that the Sunvar this offer and now said he owners have been occupying would donate a rehabilitation the place on Amorsolo Street center to be built in Atimoillegally. The lease expired in nan, Quezon. Pagcor again 2006. rejected the offer. That was I can say that the Sunvar when Ongpin decided to sell. lease is a different issue altoIt is also little known that gether from the Ecology Vil- Philweb has a standing agreelage issue. ment for funding scholars During the last days of the with the Jaime Ongpin ScholMarcos regime, first lady arship Foundation.

Revolution From A4 by declaring that she had in her “custody” witnesses who could disprove the police’s claim that no EJK had happened. Senator Franklin Drilon called for the removal of the Caloocan prosecutor handling the case for alleged bias, after digging up old Facebook posts that showed the fiscal was a Duterte supporter, while Senator Antonio Trillanes (whose best bud Magdalo Rep. Gary Alejano fueled talks of an impending revolution) demanded the resignation of Senator Richard Gordon as chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee that probed killings perpetrated by policemen some months back.

When these politicians start acting in unison, it’s safe to conclude that they’re following a script that their old, discredited scenariobuilders handed to them. And they’re apparently not just trying to bring down Duterte this time—they’re trying to drown out another story that’s been hogging the headlines lately, much to their collective discomfort.

That story is, of course, the scandalous wealth-accumulation of Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista, who is widely believed to have engineered the election victory of nearly all of the politicians who still profess the Yellow faith—and quite a few who used to but no longer do.

The urgency of covering up the Bautista story required the repurposing of the Kian story, naturally. And if you believe the Yellows who urge us to keep politics out of the young man’s case, well, you’re really a lot more gullible than you will ever know.

It’s true that Kian was killed and his death must be thoroughly investigated. But it’s also true that Bautista stands accused by his own wife of amassing billions in ill-gotten wealth—and let’s start probing that, as well, unless we can’t all think and chew gum at the same time.

A5

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Kian at Edsa

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Why the war won’t end

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

FORMATION GARY OLIVAR I’M WRITING this piece on another one of the interminable anniversaries of Ninoy’s assassination, in another century and millennium.

Yesterday was when the yellow ghouls again disinterred the fading memory of a deeply flawed man, ultimately humbled into spiritual conversion by years of solitary detention, whose spectacular miscalculation of the rapacity of the political landscape around a dying dictator put him squarely in the path of a gunman’s bullets on the airport tarmac.

Fortunately for him, the victory of undeclared hero-hood was snatched from the jaws of death by the events of Edsa two years later, when a hail of similar bullets into the Edsa crowd was stayed by miraculous intervention—not, I maintain, for our sake, but in order to create a powerful mythology of “people power” that would, only a few years later, help tear down the iron curtain surrounding a vast and medieval country whose consecration to Our Lady she had requested at Fatima a century ago this year.

Unfortunately for us, however, defeat was later snatched from what should have been the victory of “peaceful revolution” when EDSA’s professed ideals were hijacked, not

by Jacobins with guillotines, but by the same small circle of ruling families who, through one factional strife after another, have brought the country to its present pass.

If our people, once past the heady experience of “people power” in 1986, subsequently relapsed into their former apathy and cynicism-conditions fed by the opiate of mindless entertainment and the debilitating dependency of patronage—blame the cultivators of patronage, the purveyors of favors, the dispensers of unearned largesse.

As in the drug wars, it’s not the users, but the pushers, who should be lined up against the wall. *** Yesterday’s EDSA rituals were made doubly ghoulish by the persistent new campaign of the yellows to elevate yet another unwitting victim of violence, 17-year-old Kian de los Santos, to the same status of undeclared hero-hood.

The teenager was shot dead during a single day of multiple police operations against the drug trade in Caloocan City. Despite police claims that he had fired back at them, CCTV footage surfaced showing the boy being dragged somewhere by a couple of burly men, though it’s unclear how much time elapsed between the footage and the actual shooting.

The precise circumstances surrounding the death of Kian are now being intensively investigated by the PNP, the NBI, and, who knows, maybe soon enough by

Congress, whose members rarely pass up opportunities to preen before the media as they investigate in order to legislate. These inquiries are where the facts of Kian’s death properly belong, not in the imaginative efforts of PR hacks and trolls.

As for the deeper significance of his death, it lies nowhere near any of the battle lines now being drawn up by the political camps on both sides of the Duterte divide. The taking of any life matters, especially one so young, and can only be explained but never excused. The killing of anyone, no matter how justifiable, is always a matter for the confessional box.

This is why, for the final word on the moral meaning of Kian’s death, as well as the proper ways to deal with it, I can only turn to the Church through my bishop, Cardinal Chito Tagle. In his message read at Masses last Sunday, he asks us “to reflect, pray and act” according to the following guidelines: Consultation—Illegal drugs are a real and destructive menace. It is not just a political or criminal issue, but a humanitarian concern affecting all of us. Thus, instead of being divided by it, we should face it together. All sectors should come together and listen to each other in order to chart a common path.

Reparation—In the book of Genesis, Cain who had just killed his brother Abel was thusly reproved by God: “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the

soil.” To remind us that any spilled blood comes from our brother, the Church will offer nine days of prayers for everyone who has died because of drugs and the war against it.

Action—The Manila archdiocese operates a parish-based drug rehabilitation program called “Sanlakbay” in partnership with local governments and the police. Basic ecclesial communities (BECs) and other lay organizations are enjoined to support this program.

I suspect that the markers for the true significance of Kian’s death will be laid down by everyone’s efforts, especially among the Catholic faithful, to heed the Cardinal’s enjoinder, which springs not only from today’s headlines, but also from the Source, thousands of years ago, of the Cardinal’s apostolic authority. *** All this talk of death prompts me to close on a much happier note about prospective new life: that of my first-ever grandchild, now about one month since conception, and a future proud citizen of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Words fail me at the giddy prospect, finally, of my long-awaited apo-stolate.

May God shower His Divine Graces upon my panganay na apo and his or her soon-to-be proud parents!

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

Wanted: The full Ninoy slay story HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA YESTERDAY marked the 34th anniversary of the assassination of ex-Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino, Jr. at the tarmac of the Manila International Airport, which has been renamed in his honor.

Back then, this writer and a number of his friends in the United Nationalist Democratic Organization or UNIDO, the political party that genuinely opposed the authoritarian government of President Ferdinand Marcos, joined the entourage organized by Batasang Pambansa Assemblyman Salvador “Doy” Laurel to welcome Ninoy Aquino at the airport. Sadly, what began as an earnest preparation for a welcome ended up as a prelude to a funeral.

The rest of the story need not be discussed here. It’s all over the history books and on the Internet.

As expected, the anniversary of the Aquino assassination was referred to in news and feature stories in the print and broadcast media as the incident which awakened the nation from its complacency, and similar words and phrases to that effect.

Expected, too, were the insinuations and accusations that President Marcos ordered the assassination. As in all occasions associated with Aquino’s death and martial law in the Philippines, Marcos is always propped up as the villain. August 21 and its environs are those days of the year when it has become a tradition to blame the late strongman

for practically any and all unpleasant events which took place during his tenure.

As an authoritarian and regimented leader, Marcos was easy target for sectors that needed someone to blame for Aquino’s death, despite the absence of an official, categorical finding on who was truly behind what is, undoubtedly, a murder most foul.

It is undisputed that Ninoy was a leader in his own right, and his assassination was a tragic loss to the nation. Sadly, Marcos and Aquino had different ideas on how to run the country, and that’s putting it mildly.

Since it’s that time of the year to recall Ninoy’s assassination, a discussion of some insights on the matter will likewise be in accord with the season.

It’s been more than two decades since the soldiers who were charged with the killing of Ninoy were convicted by the Sandiganbayan and incarcerated. None of them has admitted to the murder.

The alleged mastermind, assuming there is one, has never been identified. Perhaps, the quest for the identity of this “mastermind” may give rise to several conspiracy theories similar to those about the assassination of United States President John Kennedy in 1963.

Hours after the shooting at the airport tarmac, Marcos appeared on national television to tell the people that Aquino’s assassin was a communist sympathizer who was shot also at the airport.

It was obvious that Marcos was not in great physical shape when he went on the air.

In a post-Edsa Revolution interview he gave to a famous American men’s entertainment magazine, Marcos said that

when Aquino was shot at the tarmac, he (Marcos) was very, very sick. For a man who detested admitting illness in public, that was one extra-ordinary revelation from Marcos.

In October 1984, the Agrava Fact-Finding Board which investigated the assassination submitted its reports. Many soldiers were found liable, but no mastermind was identified.

From his deathbed in his Hawaiian exile, Marcos told then Vice President Salvador Laurel, whom he had earlier sought out, that he (Marcos) had nothing to do with the assassination of Ninoy, precisely because of their fraternal ties in UP’s Upsilon Sigma Phi. In 1984, Mrs. Aquino publicly expressed her disappointment that the Agrava Board did not consider the possible culpability of President Marcos. Strangely, however, during her incumbency as president (1986-1992), Mrs. Aquino never ordered the government intelligence and investigation agencies to conduct further investigations on the assassination, even just to check out whatever matters the Agrava Board may have overlooked. It seemed like Mrs. Aquino was comfortable enough with the public’s suspicion, founded or otherwise, that Marcos had a hand in the death of Ninoy.

In an interview she gave after relinquishing office, Mrs. Aquino admitted to this writer that she did not have the “smoking gun” with which to pin down the mastermind of the assassination, and that the identity of the mastermind will remain a mystery to her throughout the remainder of her life. Mrs. Aquino has long gone, and the mystery remains.

Truth to tell, it is Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, Ninoy’s only son and namesake, who should be most interested in knowing the entire story about the assassination. Family tradition in the East and in the West posits that sons, not widows, avenge a death in the family. The son did not live up to expectations.

Unlike in 1984, the scientific technology available when Benigno Aquino III was president (2010-2016) could yield new information or promising leads in the unsolved mystery surrounding the assassination. Like his mother before him, Aquino III did not avail of the services of the government investigation agencies at his disposal, apparently because he was also satisfied that a number of people, although substantially reduced since 1983, still point the accusing finger at Marcos.

What is the reason for the unusual, even suspicious, inaction of mother and son? Is there something which Mrs. Aquino knew and which Aquino III knows that they do not want the public to know? Is it possible that there is evidence that will exculpate, from the public perception at least, Marcos from any role in the assassination of Ninoy?

Uncovering what the Agrava Fact-Finding Board was unable to look into, or overlooked in the course of its investigation, is not something for the private satisfaction of the Aquino family, or for the private desire of the Marcos family for closure. It is something which must be done sooner or later because the public has a right to know who were really responsible for that terrible incident at the nation’s premiere airport on that fateful day in August 1983.

for reelection to demonstrate to all that the presidency is not for life. Her integrity remained irreproachable all throughout and not a single accusation of corruption was hurled against her person because everybody knew how honest and incorruptible she was.

With nothing more to accuse her of, her enemies attacked her supposed incompetence which the Marcos loyalists repeated in irritating, albeit ineffective, refrain.

She was even accused by one journalist that she hid under the bed during the coups which she herself belied. This was an accusation which found no resonance; for if anything, Cory was an epitome of courage.

Cory was a humble and principled woman. Even in her retirement she chose to shun the limelight. She gracefully left politics and devoted her time to civic work like organizing aid projects such as rural credit schemes and funding for victims of disasters.

She rarely made herself felt by the public unless it involved her children. Once when her youngest

daughter Kris Aquino gave birth to a son by a 47-year-old divorcee, Cory pleaded for privacy, but then faxed every national newspaper a prayer for Kris she had penned for St Valentine’s Day. An unassuming woman thrust by destiny to become the leader of a country of around 60 million during her time, her lack of experience in government could not be her fault. Yet with all her shortcomings, Cory Aquino demonstrated virtues that are rarely present in a national leader. She was humble, deeply religious, bestowed with ample amount of moral fortitude, courage under fire and willingness to take on challenges of the presidency that she knew would upend her normal life. In the end, she left a legacy of restored democracy; she brought democratic institutions from the ashes and breathe life in them.

Her body wracked with cancer, Cory passed into eternal life on August 1, 2009. For all her imperfections, including her inability to transcend her class origins (the failure of land reform during her

tenure can be directly attributed to this), Cory was, in the words of Conrado de Quiros, in life and in death one damn good person.

Today, seeing the path this country is heading and the threats to democracy and its institutions that she helped restore during her time, will perhaps be turning in her grave. But maybe not. Because there was one thing Cory Aquino shared with her husband, Ninoy: the Filipino is worth fighting for, even dying for. As long as many of us believe this, then this is a temporary state, this darkness will pass, and our children can be safe from murderers.

In the days to come, to stop the massacre of the poor, may we all have the courage and love of our people that Ninoy and Cory had.

Let us set aside indifference and conquer our fears, Everyone a Ninoy and Cory is what is demanded of all of us.

Everyone...

From A4 limited the power of the executive to declare martial law, the creation of the Presidential Commission on Good Government which ran after the billions of dollars stolen by the Marcoses and cronies. Cory gave strong emphasis and concern for civil liberties and human rights, to exorcise the wanton disregard of the rule of law and liberties of the people by the previous administration.

In addition to many challenges facing her administration, natural and man-made, Cory’s toughest challenge came from disgruntled segments of the military led by the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) and Marcos loyalists which almost toppled her government in a coup d’etat staged on 1 December 1989. With the help of Fidel Ramos, who himself succeeded her to the presidency, and her loyal generals she survived seven coups.

Her administration, often tumultuous, was characterized by her fidelity to the democratic principles she passionately espoused.

She declined all requests to run

Facebook: https://web.facebook.com/deantonylavs/ Twitter: tonylavs

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News Tobacco provinces get P15-b bonus

GROUNDBREAKING. Department of Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, (3rd from left) Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia

(2nd from left), Department of Public Works and Highways Secretary Mark Villar (4th from left), Department of Budget and Management Secretary Benjamin Diokno (2nd from right) and Bases Conversion and Development Authority president Vince Dizon (leftmost) lead the groundbreaking ceremony for the P458- million project for the widening of Fort Bonifacio-Nichols Field Road Phase 1 along Bayani corner West Mckinley in Taguig City on Monday. Norman Cruz

TOBACCO-PRODUCING provinces are getting a combined P15.8 billion in 2018 as their annual share of the national government’s excise tax collections from Virginia, Burley and native tobacco, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said on Monday.

“The amount is roughly four times greater than the P3.99 billion which they got five years ago, and this can only be attributed to higher tax collections, since tax rates on tobacco products have been increasing every year since 2013,” said Pimentel, chairman of the House good government and public accountability committee.

Pimentel’s committee has been digging into Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos’ alleged misuse of P66 million in tobacco monies spent on vehicles for the provincial government, rather than for projects meant to reinforce the selfreliance of tobacco farmers, as required by law.

“In the P3.767-trillion national budget for 2018, provinces cultivating Virginia tobacco are getting P12.88 billion, while those growing Burley and native to-

bacco are getting another P2.92 billion,” Pimentel said.

Based on National Tobacco Administration records, Pimentel said only four provinces—Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, La Union and Abra— produce Virginia tobacco.

The top growers of Burley and native tobacco are the provinces of Isabela, Pangasinan and Cagayan, although La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte also produce a significant volume of the same, Pimentel said.

He said the smaller growers of Burley and native tobacco include Occidental Mindoro, Tarlac, Misamis Oriental, Maguindanao, Abra, North Cotabato and Nueva Vizcaya.

“How much exactly each province will get is still subject to certification of actual leaf production volume, plus certification of actual excise tax collections and remittance to the Bureau of Treasury,” Pimentel said.

The tobacco-producing provinces’ share of tobacco tax revenues has become controversial since 2000, when then President Joseph Estrada was impeached, partly over accusations he pocketed P130 million from Ilocos Sur’s allocation.

Intensify cleanup, DENR urged

FDA ramps up ‘regulatory muscle’ vs fake products

By Maricel V. Cruz

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

AN OPPOSITION lawmaker on Saturday urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Laguna Lake Development Authority to implement an honest-to-goodness cleanup of all water bodies, starting with the removal of fishpens and fish cages from Laguna Lake.

“We ask the DENR and the LLDA—what happened to the President’s order during his first SONA for the removal of fishpens and fish cages from Laguna Lake?,” senior deputy minority leader and Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza asked.

The former Environment secretary said what the LLDA has been doing was a “piece meal dismantling of structures and endless praise releases. “ The LLDA claims that they have removed more than 2,000 hectares of fishpens and fish cages from Laguna Lake, Atienza said.

“These figures have merely been inherited by the present LLDA management. But this is far from the truth. Anytime you pass over the lake, you will see that it is still cluttered with these structures! In fact, the fishpens have increased in some areas.,” Atienza said.

He said no less than the President made a commitment to liberate and help our poor fisherfolk who are being deprived of their livelihood,” Atienza said during the meeting of the Committee on Appropriations on the 2018 budget of the DENR. Atienza also pointed out the sad state of Manila Bay, which has become one big sewer and with six reclamation projects in the pipeline.

“The ecological balance of Manila will be damaged if we allow reclamation. We urge the DENR —turn down ECC applications related to any reclamation project in the Manila Bay area in consonance with the Supreme Court order,” Atienza said.

HE Food and Drug Administration, the agency tasked with ensuring the safety, efficacy and quality of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices and health products being used by the Filipino public, is ramping up its regulatory muscle, said FDA director general Nela Charade G. Puno.

T

Since August 2016 up to midAugust 2017, Puno said its Regulatory Enforcement Unit has seized over P4.3 million worth of unregistered and fake drugs and medicines, cosmetics, medical devices and violative hazardous urban household substances products.

“Noteworthy is the strengthening of FDA’s regulatory enforcement capabilities that received a boost with its partnership with the Philippine National Police [PNP] in Task

Force D-PUNCH which stands for Destroy Products Unfit for the Consumption of Humans,” said Puno.

She pointed out that FDA and PNP are one in the goal to minimize, if not eradicate counterfeit, unregistered, adulterated and misbranded health products in the market that pose danger to life, health and safety of the public.

The REU has provided service of legal orders such as Summons and Cease and Desist Orders, sur-

veillance/investigation, assistance to FDA regional field offices and other law enforcement agencies, the Department of Health, and Service of Search Warrants.

It has also padlocked some 29 establishments that are operating without license and selling products without the required certificates of product registration.

As a result of Joint Entrapment Operations and Implementation of Search Warrant with the PNPCIDG in Region 4A and NCR, the FDA has seized and confiscated violative HUHS products confiscated in Rizal and Manila.

The total number of suspects arrested in the joint Entrapment Operation with PNP CIDG are 13, with Criminal Cases referred to the Prosecutors Office.

She also made an assurance to strike a balance between the protection of consumer safety and supporting ease of doing business with partners in the industries that

THE Metro Manila Development Authority lacks the proper equipment to remove heavy vehicles involved in road accidents.

Last week, a driver was killed while four other persons were severely injured after a cement mixer truck crushed a family car in front of the headquarters of the Bureau of Jail and Management and Penology on Mindanao Avenue, near its intersection with Congressional Avenue.

MMDA and BJMP personnel, and residents in the area responded to rescue the victims but they took several hours to remove the truck and pull out the victims from the flattened car.

MMDA general manager Thomas Orbos admitted that lack in personnel and proper equipment hamper the agency’s operation to respond

stakeholders and the public.

Puno also emphasized the need to fill up plantilla positions so as to have the much needed manpower for its plans and programs.

Another milestone is the finalization of the amended Rules of Procedure/Guidelines for the certification and re-certification of all contraceptive products. She added that the FDA is set to hold the first round of summary hearings under the amended procedure starting week of August 21, 2017.

FDA will fast-track the hearings and decide applications involving contraceptive products, so this case can be resolved soonest.

Meanwhile, Puno points out that the future of FDA is clearly mapped out, anchored in innovation, with the Submission and Approval of its 5 Year Development Plan. “We are the only agency under the Office of Health Regulation of DoH which was able to do this,” she said.

Poe advocates proper nutrition

INFORMATION-SHARING. Coast Guard personnel from the US, Singapore, Brunei, Sri Lanka, Indonesia Thailand, Malaysia, and the Philippines gather at the Philippine Coast Guard Headquarters in Port Area, Manila for the ceremonial opening of the South East Asia Cooperation and Training Exercise, an annual multi-maritime security information sharing exercise led by the US Coast Guard on Monday.The event the aims to combat global terrorism and the proliferation of illegal drugs. Norman Cruz

MMDA lacks heavy equipment for road mishaps

By Joel E. Zurbano

FDA regulates.

“We will accomplish this while following President Duterte’s three marching orders of zero backlog, 72 hours turnaround time and strengthened enforcement,” Puno said.

Puno reported the FDA has already posted a 33 percent reduction in all accounted backlogs as of July 31.

“We are committed to reduce our backlogs in applications for license to operate [LTO], Certificate of Product Registration [CPR] and legal decisions by 90 percent by the end of this year.” she said.

Mechanisms are also being put in place to ensure 72-hour turnaround time in response to inquiries, requests and other transactions in the FDA. The recent transfer of the Food and Drug Action Center while the facilities in the main office are being modernized is also expected to further speed up response and turnaround time for FDA services to its

quickly to emergency situation such as road accident, especially when it involves passenger buses and other heavy vehicles.

“We have heavy-duty cranes but we don’t have the special ones that can navigate in congested places,” said Orbos.

MMDA recorded at least five road accidents every day, most of which happened and cause heavy traffic along the busy and congested Epifanio de los Santos Avenue.

Four months ago, more than 40 people were also hurt when an RRCG bus was involved in an accident along Edsa near Estrella Street in Makati City.

Orbos, who is also the Transportation Undersecretary for Road and head of the Inter-Agency Council on Traffic, said the government “need to try to work out whatever we can.”

The MMDA identified more than 50 main thoroughfares as accident-prone areas in the National Capital Region while most of the dangerous times to be on the streets happened at nighttime and wee hours in the morning.

Based on the 2016 Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System program report, road accidents usually happen in the City of Manila along President Sergio Osmeña Highway, Radial Road 10 (R-10) and Roxas Boulevard; and along Commonwealth Avenue, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Quirino Highway, Quezon Avenue and Katipunan Avenue in Quezon City.

In Camanava area, road accidents usually happen along Quirino Highway and Rizal Aven ue in Caloocan City; Circumferential Road-4 (C-4 Road), Gov. Pascual Avenue, M.H. Del Pilar Street, and McArthur Highway in Mal-

abon City; Honorio Lopez Boulevard, Radial Road 10, and Naval Street in Navotas, and Maysan Road and McArthur Highway in Valenzuela.

In Southern Metro Manila, the accident-prone areas are Sergio Osmeña Highway and Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and Edsa in Makati City; the Alabang-Zapote Road, Real Street and Marcos Alvarez Avenue in Las Pinas City; West Service Road, National Highway, and Alabang-Zapote Road in Muntinlupa City; West Service Road, Roxas Boulevard, Ninoy Aquino Avenue, and Dr. A Santos Avenue in Parañaque City; Epifanio de los Santos Avenue, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue Extension and Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City; Carlos P. Garcia Avenue, Circumferential Road 5, M.L. Quezon Street and East Service Road in Taguig City, and Almeda Street and Herrera Street in Pateros.

SENATOR Grace Poe has warned that unless the situation is reversed, chronic malnutrition in the first two years will impair a child for life and leave him with lower chances of finishing school and becoming productive.

At present, she said some 2.2 million underweight and 3.4 million stunted Filipino children have been recorded in the country. She also said over 29,000 children under five years of age die annually due to undernutrition and around $4.5 billion or around 1.5 percent of gross domestic product is lost due to undernutrition.

But she noted that proper nutrition, especially in the first 1,000 days, can be a significant gamechanger for the government as it battles malnutrition and poverty.

At the forefront are local government units, tasked to implement health care programs that impact on their constituents and the community.

Speaking during the launch of Quezon province’s “First 1,000 Days of Life” program on Aug. 21, Poe said all-out support and protection must be provided to a child from the mother’s womb until two years old—the most critical period of growth and development.

An advocate of the First 1,000 Days program, Poe said local government units hold a key role in ensuring proper nutrition is given to mothers and children.

“Without this program, undernutrition or malnutrition of mothers and their babies is a big possibility. Undernutrition or malnutrition during this stage can produce irreversible effects such as stunting,” she said.

Poe lauded the provincial government of Quezon led by

Gov. David Suarez for leading the way in implementing the program, and urged other local government units to replicate the initiative to address hunger and malnutrition.

“The experience and knowledge you will gain in the implementation of this program will be useful to other provinces who wish to duplicate your program.

Kaya sana, masusi niyong irecord at i-document ang lahat ng findings and conclusions niyo dito—pati na rin yung mga problema,” she said.

“In that way, Quezon province will serve as a model for other provinces to follow,” Poe said.

The provincial government has expanded its First 1,000 Days program to include more beneficiaries from 39 municipalities and two cities in the province.

Meantime, one of the “First 1,000 Days” beneficiaries, Mylene Masalunga, who hails from Tiaong, Quezon, thanked Poe and the provincial government for enabling her and fellow mothers to benefit from the program.

Dubbed as the Q1K, the novel health program focuses on food and nutrition, health and sanitation and social care, and provides recipients access to immunization.

Poe is the author of Senate Bill No. 161 seeking to provide a comprehensive healthcare program in every barangay, which includes nutrition and family counselling, proper breastfeeding of children, nutritional support for pregnant and nursing mothers, treatment of malnourished children, and other timely interventions. The measure is awaiting approval on second reading. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Sports

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Belingon back in contention

By Reuel Vidal

F

ILIPINO knockout artist Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon wheele…d right back into title contention with a lightning-quick knockout of Australian submission specialist Reece “Lightning” McLaren.

Belingon took out the highly regarded McLaren in just 62 seconds. The two faced off at the center of the cage and Belingon dropped his Australian opponent with a right straight. McLaren fell to the canvas and Belingon rained down chopping strikes on his fallen opponent on the ground to force referee Olivier Coste to step in and halt the contest.

“First of all, I want to thank God for guiding me during the bout and blessing me with the

victory. Truly, without Him, I am nothing. He gives me the strength that I need to continue my martial arts career in ONE Championship. Second, I would like to thank my teammates and my coach for not giving up on me, especially when I prepared for this bout against an outstanding athlete like Reece McLaren,” said Belingon.

The Team Lakay veteran tallied his third consecutive win and the second consecutive via knockout.

It was actually his seventh knockout win as a professional and puts him right back in title conversation for the ONE Bantamweight World Championship held by Bibiano Fernandes.

“I was surprised that he stood in front of me and tried to test my stand-up skills. We all know that I am comfortable in the stand-up department, so I obliged. If he wanted to strike, it was fine with me since I am a striker. When he was pushing forward, I saw an opening where I could deliver my right straight to his head. I was relaxed when he was coming after me. When he reached in for a left hook, I launched my right hand,” said Belingon.

McLaren is a highly regarded title contender who lost a narrow decision to Fernandes during the title showdown at ONE: Age of

Domination December 2, 2016.

McLaren was riding the rest of a four-fight win streak—Muin Gafurov, Mark Striegl, Edwin Arana and Jacob Mahony—to gain the right to challenge for the crown.

McLaren is a known grappler and initially surprised Belingon when he chose to stand up and trade at the center of the cage.

But Belingon caught him with a power shot dropping him to the canvas. Belingon took full advantage and pounded his foe to submission.

“I saw an opportunity to get the finish when I dropped him with my right hand. He was trying his best to get back up, so I put tremendous amount of pressure by pinning him down while clobbering heavy blows A volley of hard rights got me the finish,”

Belingon said.

Belingon’s last loss came during his failed title bid when he lost via submission to Fernandes.

“I am now on a three-bout winning streak. It’s my first time to win three-straight bouts in ONE Championship, and it’s against two former world title contenders and a tough prospect. I really hope that this victory will lead me to a rematch with Bibiano Fernandes. I think I am back in a position to vie for a world title,” said Belingon.

The shockingly quick victory came during the ONE: Quest for Greatness card held at the Stadium Negara in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where Martin “The Situ-Asian” Nguyen shocked the world by stopping Marat “Cobra” Gafurov in their rematch to become the new ONE Featherweight World Champion.

Cray chases golden double KUALA LUMPUR—Eric Shawn Cray will be gunning for a golden double when athletics competition of the 29th Southeast Asian Games goes full blast Tuesday at the impressive KL Sports City here.

Cray, the two-time Olympian, is scheduled to defend his 100-meter sprint and 400-meter hurdles crown in what promises to be a hectic and challenging day for the Olongapo City-born FilipinoAmerican, who will be bidding to add more athletic gold medals to the women’s marathon title won by Mary Joy Tabal last Saturday.

The newly-minted Asian championship 400-meter hurdles king opens action at 3:30 p.m. in the 100-meter men’s heats together with former three-time NCAA sprint champion Anfernee Lopena.

“We believe in the ability of Eric Cray of performing well despite his tight schedule,” said track chief Philip Ella Juico. “We pray that he can rise up to the challenge and complete a golden double for our country.”

Up next will be the women’s 100-meter preliminaries at 3:10 p.m. featuring fellow Fil-Am Zion Rose Nelson, who will carry the country’s cudgels in the event in the absence of defending champion Kayla Richardson.

Richardson, who became the youngest athlete to win the century sprint title at 17 in the 2015 Singapore SEA Games, has decided to focus on the 200-meter race set for Wednesday and the 4x100 and 4x400-meter women’s relays.

The 28-year old Cray will barely have time to gather his breath before returning to the track of the 87,000-capacity stadium in the men’s 400-meter hurdle heats at 4 p.m.

If his preliminary races go off without a hitch, Cray will be on the starting block of the men’s 400-meter hurdle finals at 8:20 p.m. and then return one hour and 20 minutes later for the men’s 100-meter sprint finals.

Also entering the fray are Aries Toledo at the start of the men’s decathlon and Singapore SEA Games bronze medalist Rosie Villarito and Evalyn Palabrica in the women’s javelin throw.

The Filipino tracksters are bidding to surpass the country’s showing in Singapore two years ago when they went home with a sterling haul of five gold, seven silver and nine bronze medals in winding up fourth overall in the seven-nation track meet.

A shoo-in for the gold would have been pole vault specialist Ernest John Obiena, who holds the national record of 5.61 meters.

But he suffered a seasonending knee injury just before he was scheduled to fly to in this bustling city last Friday.

Filipino MMA fighter Kevin Belingon (on top) unloads with a vicious ground and pound barrage on the fallen Reece McLaren during their match at ONE: Quest for Greatness in Kuala Lumpur. ONE Championship

Lacuna, Yu advance to swim finals KUALA LUMPUR—Jessie King Lacuna and Roxanne Yu hurdled their respective heats early Monday to qualify for the finals of swimming competition of the the 29th Southeast Asian Games that kicked off at the National Aquatics Center here.

A two-time Olympian, Lacuna was sluggish from the start and swam the men’s 400-meter freestyle heats in four minutes and .0064 seconds, good for sixth place, but a far cry from his silver medalwinning time of 3:55.34 in the Singapore

meet two years ago.

Yu fared better, clocking 1:05.40 in placing a close fourth in the women’s 100-meter backstroke, although it was off her personal best of 1:04.80 when she won the bronze in the same event in the Singapore SEA Games.

The 2014 Nanjing Youth Olympic Games veteran, however, was within striking distance of Singapore’s En Qi Hoong (1:05.20) and Indonesia’s Yenny Venesia Yosaputra (1:05.20), who placed second and third, respectively in the heat.

Vietnamese swimming star Nguyen Thi Anh, who bagged eight golds in the Singapore SEAG, easily ruled the heat in 1:03.84.

Failing the cut in the 100- meter backstroke was Fil-Am newcomer Nicole Oliva, who placed 10th with a time of 1:07.06, in the heat where the top eight swimmers qualify for the finals.

Also bowing out was Rosalee Santa Ana, who placed ninth in the women’s 200-meter butterfly heat (2:24.32).

The finals are scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on also on Monday.

Ice hockey makes a splash in SEAG KUALA LUMPUR— Puddles on the rink didn’t dampen enthusiasm as ice hockey made its Southeast Asian Games debut in tropical Malaysia, a country with no winter months but with ambitions in winter sports.

As the hosts beat Indonesia 10-3 in the first SEA Games ice hockey game, marshalls with squeegees had to mop up water after the ice started to melt in the first period.

Keeping the ice frozen isn’t easy in Malaysia, a steamy, winterless country where snow is unheard of, temperatures rarely dip below 20 degrees C (68 F) and humidity hovers at 80 percent.

But Malaysia’s coach, former Hungarian international Kristof Kovago, said his players were used to a bit of water on the rink—and even saw it as an advantage.

“It is common in Southeast Asia because the weather is way too hot and very humid, and there are a lot of people inside [the venue], so it’s very difficult to keep the temperature down,” he said.

“We’re used to it, that’s our advantage actually. We’ve practised a lot in this kind of situation,” Kovago explained.

“It’s more sticky, so the puck will not slide. So a lot of times, you try to control the puck and you’ve just lost it because it will get stuck in the water.

“So it’s not really an advantage but we got used to it, so we learned to play in these kind of conditions.”

Sunday’s game was at Kuala Lumpur’s brand new national ice skating stadium, in the heart of a suburban shopping mall which remains partially under construction.

The rink, described by Indonesia’s

Malaysia’s Jun Ming Low (center) dribbles the puck past Indonesia’s goalkeeper Sangga Munggaran Putra (right) during their ice hockey match at the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur on Aug. 20, 2017. AFP

coach Gary Tan as the best in Southeast Asia, has had a few teething problems and it was previously blanketed by a thick fog, before staff adjusted the temperature settings.

On Sunday the rink was ringed by hundreds of enthusiastic fans, raising the temperature beyond normal levels.

“In the first period they found it difficult to skate but eventually they were able to skate well and overall the play was quite good,” said Hisham Yahaya, Malaysia’s team leader.

“They’re used to soft ice. The ice here isn’t very hard but they’re able to adjust.”

Ice hockey remains in its infancy in Southeast Asia and is usually played by small groups of enthusiasts.

Indonesia’s team have only been together for a matter of months, and they are playing only their second tournament after making their debut at this year’s Asian Winter Games in Japan.

“This is a milestone in the bigger development of this super-beautiful sport, ice hockey,” said Indonesia’s captain, Jonathan Sudharta.

“Asia is not known for ice games but I think this is a great milestone to develop this even further in the future.” AFP

Pirates target 1st round sweep

By Peter Atencio WITH coach Topex Robinson back on the bench, the Lyceum Pirates will battle the Mapua Cardinals at 2 p.m., today as they go for a ninth straight win that will allow them to sweep the first round.

Assistant coach Jeff Perlas noted that team’s deep lineup is finally showing in the 93rd National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.

“Nakikita na iyung depth ng bench namin,” said Perlas after the Pirates downed the Letran Knights, 75-68, last Friday at the Arena in San Juan.

The Cardinals are currently in the cellar with a 1-6 (winloss) record.

Robinson will be back from a one-game suspension following his ejection from their 97-93 win over Emilio Aguinaldo College at the EAC Gym last Aug. 10.

For him, a sweep is not yet something the team is discussing.

“Honestly, we didn’t discuss about a potential sweep but rather we want to be a better version of ourselves from our Letran game,” said Robinson.

LPU will again showcase its league-best offense as it averages 89.4 points a game, by far the highest as the second highest scoring team is Letran with a 75.3-point norm.

CJ Perez is at the forefront of the Pirates’ attack, with an average of 18.6 points a game in an offense that also norms 15.5 off fast breaks and another 20.6 off turnovers.

In the junior division, the Mapua Red Robins take on the Lyceum Junior Pirates at 10, and will seek their seventh win in eight games.

Later, Perpetual Help and EAC, who are at joint sixth spot with 3-5 marks, for their part, aim for a fourth win as the two take on each other at 4 p.m.

Pinoy cue artists swing into action KUALA LUMPUR—The star-studded billiards squad marches to the warzone Tuesday, looking to come up with another golden performance in the 29th Southeast Asian Games at the KL Convention Center here.

Led by former world champions Efren “Bata” Reyes, Dennis Orcollo and Rubilen Amit, the 11-man squad opens its bid at 10 a.m where Reyes and Francisco Dela Cruz raise the curtains as they vie in men’s English billiards.

Also plunging into action are Orcollo, Warren Kiamco, who will campaign in men’s 9-ball pool doubles, Amit and Cheska Centeno, who bid in the women’s 9-ball pool singles, and Alvin Barbero and Jeffrey Roda in the snookers doubles (Scotch).

“Mahirap magsalita ng tapos, basta ready kami at gagawin namin ang lahat para manalo,” said the 62-year old Reyes, who also acts as national coach together with Francisco “Django” Bustamante and Rodolfo Luat.

Reyes, an Angeles City native, pocketed four bronze medals in the tournament’s past three stagings in Indonesia, Myanmar and Singapore.

The Filipino cue artists finished with three gold medals in the Singapore SEA Games with Carlo Biado and Kiamco ruling the men’s 9-ball doubles. Centeno emerged victorious in the women’s 9-ball singles and Orcollo in the men’s 9-ball singles.

LOTTO RESULTS 6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0 M+ P0 M

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

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

Sports

Palace praises Filipino athletes THE Palace on Monday congratulated Filipino athletes participating in the th Southeast Asia Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia after the country’s medal tally improved to three golds, four silvers and four bronzes.

“Our warmest congratulations to the following athletes: Nikko Bryan Huelgas and John Leerams Chicano for winning the Philippines a gold medal and a silver medal in the men’s triathlon event; Marion Kim Mangrobang and Maria Claire Adorna for the gold and silver medals in the women’s triathlon event; Kareel Hongitan, Nicole Marie Tagle and Maryqueen Ybanez for the bronze medal in the women’s team recurve archery; and Mark Javier, Florante Matan, Gabriel Moreno and Rogelio Tremedal for the bronze medal in the men’s team recurve archery,” presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said.

Huelgas, Chicano, Mangrobang and Adorna—the four members of the Philippine triathlon squad —claimed the top medals in their event. John Paolo Bencito

2017 SEA Games Medal Tally G

S

Malaysia 21 18 Singapore 9 10 Thailand 6 6 Vietnam 6 4 Indonesia 5 7 Philippines 3 6 Myanmar 3 2 Laos 0 1 Brunei 0 0 Cambodia 0 0 Timor Leste 0 0

B 15 8 7 5 13 6 1 1 4 3 0

Kim Mangrobang celebrates after winning the women’s triathlon competition of the 29th Southeast Asian Games Monday at the Water Sports Complex in Putrajaya City. Mangrobang clocked two hours, 11 minutes and 14 seconds to claim the gold medal.

PH triathletes rule SEAG

K

UALA LUMPUR—The vaunted triathlon squad lived up to its potential to capture a pair of gold medals to switch on the country’s medal machine in the 29th Southeast Asian Games Monday at the Water Sports Complex in Putrajaya City.

Nikko Huelgas and Kim Mangrobang emerged with a masterful performance in the men’s and women’s triathlon events to provide a ray of hope for a country that remains hunting for 47 additional gold medals more to match its initial target and consider its campaign a success.

Huelgas, the gold medalist in the previous SEA Games in Singapore, clocked one hour, 59 minutes and 21 seconds to retain his crown while teammate John Chicano timed 2:01:26 to formally complete a gold-silver medal performance in men’s triathlon.

Mangrobang registered 2:11:14 to win the gold medal while last SEA Games’ goldmedal winner Ma. Claire Adorna settled

for the silver with 2:18:58.

After lagging behind Singaporean Clement Chow in the 1.5-kilometer swim on the beautiful man-made lake, Huelgas caught fire and regained his bearing in the bike category before running with Chicano starting the second loop of biking.

Mangrobang and Adorna displayed the same amount of teamwork in the distaff side that allowed them to remove hometown bet Irene Wong in the gold-medal equation.

“It’s okay that I lose the gold,” said Adorna, who ran alongside Mangrobang up to transition two before suffering cramps that prompted her to give her teammate the gosignal to zoom to victory.

“It doesn’t matter who would win. The important thing is that we keep the gold and silver medals and this victory is for the country. We had a very good strategy and we played perfectly as a team.”

Meanwhile, Florante Matan, Gabriel Moreno and Mark Javier as well as Nicole Marie Tagle, Mary Queen Ybanez and Kareel Meer Hongitan settled for the bronze in the men’s and women’s recurve events at the National Sports Center Synthetic Turf Field.

The troika of Matan, Moreno and Javier was completely outclassed by the Malaysians, 54-57, 53-58, 49-52, before bouncing back against the Vietnamese in the bronze medal game, 50-49, 55-54, 52-55.

The triumvirate of Tagle, Ybanez and Meer, on the other hand, suffered the same fate, losing to Indonesia, 50-52, 55-54, 54-56, 52-55, before recovering against Vietnam to salvage the bronze, 51-44, 50-47, 55-47.

Also emerging with a medal in a very productive day for Team Philippines was

the sepak takraw squad of Rizalyn Amolacion, Mary Ann Lopez, Jean Marie Sucalit, Kristel Karloman and Lhaina Lhiell Mangubat, which dominated Indonesia to claim the bronze medal in women’s regu event of sepak takraw.

It was sepak takraw team’s second medal in the biennial meet after its men’s team delivered a silver medal in the chinlone event in the early stretch of the tournament.

Save for the triathletes, archers and sepak takraw aces, the national fencers and a young wushu artist also delivered.

Samantha Catantan emerged with a silver medal while Maxine Esteban ran away with a bronze medal in the women’s individual foil event of fencing competition.

In wushu, Agatha Wong scored 9.65 points to punch the silver meal in women’s optional taijian.

With those impressive victories, the Philippines climbed a notch higher in the meet’s official medal tally with three gold, five silver and five bronze medals.

Local archers miss the mark

KUALA LUMPUR—The gold continued to elude Filipino archers, who settled for a pair of bronze medals in the men’s and women’s team recurve events of the archery competition of the 29th Southeast Asian Games at the National Sports Center Synthetic Turf Field here on Monday.

Pinoy marksmen Florante Matan, Gabriel Moreno and Mark Javier had the misfortune of drawing hometown favorite Malaysia in the semifinals and were completely outclassed, 0-6 (54-57, 53-58, 49-52).

The Malaysians beat the Thais, 6-0, for the gold medal.

The Filipinos vented their ire on the Vietnamese, 6-0, (50-49, 55-54, 54-53) in securing the men’s team bronze.

It was same story Pinay hawkeyes Nicole Marie Tagle, Mary Queen Ybanez and Kareel Meer Hongitan, who were ambushed by Indonesia, 2-6, (50-52.

55-54, 54-56, 52-55) in the semis.

They shut out Vietnam, 6-0, (51-44, 50-47, 55-47) for the women’s team bronze.

Meanwhile, five Filipino squash players were involved in a vehicular accident while on their way to the competition venue Monday at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here.

Santos, Billonez dominate

Chemistry proves key to victory over Thais

SEBASTIAN Santos upstaged his fancied fellow local rivals while Franzyn Billonez lived up to the hype as they scored two singles victories each in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Puerto Princesa leg regional tennis tournament at the Puerto Princesa Tennis Club in Palawan yesterday.

The unranked Santos stunned top seed and doubles partner Rayven Hitosis twice in three times that they faced in the finals, winning the boys’ 14- and 16-and-under titles via 6-2, 6-3 and 4-1, 0-4, 10-6 scorelines, respectively.

Hitosis averted a sweep by winning the 16-U crown in a rainshortened finale, 4-2, 4-1.

Billonez also pocketed the girls’ 14- and 16-U plums over doubles partner Amelie Matta, 6-0, 7-3(3), and 5-4(6), 3-5, 10-3, respectively. But like Santos, she missed sweeping the three titles as Matta took the 18-U diadem with a 1-0(ret.) win.

But their two titles proved enough to net Santos and Billonez the MVP honors in the Group 2 event sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger and backed by the Unified Tennis Group, led by PPS-PEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg. Santos actually won three titles as he and Hitosis took the 18-U doubles plum with an 8-5 win over siblings Jerry and Jericho Ong while Billonez went home with four crowns after teaming up with Matta twice, an 8-3 victory of Steph Cornelio and Trixia Talan in the 18-U finals and an 8-0 rout of Giechelle dela Cruz and Crisha Santos in the 14-U side.

By Peter Atencio

Gilas Cadets big man Troy Rosario (16) is fouled by a Thai defender as he tries to power his way to the hoop.

Gilas beat the Thais, 81-74.

CHEMISTRY proved to be the big difference as Gilas Pilipinas survived the challenge of Thailand.

Veteran Southeast Asia Games campaigner Kiefer Ravena made this observation after the squad made a successful debut with an 81-74 win at the start of the men’s basketball tournament at the 29th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.

“It helps. It should help. Isang tinginan lang alam na kung mali ang ginagawa nung isa, or kung mainit si ganoon, at dapat sabihing ituloy mo iyan,” said Ravena, who is now on his fourth SEA games stint.

Gilas Pilipinas shoots for its second victory in the men’s basketball competition against Myanmar today Tuesday at the MABA Stadium.

In the opener, Bobby Ray Parks

scored 14 points.

The 6’3” Parks, who is son of late PBA great Bobby Parks, had the big task of guarding vaunted Thai-American Tyler Lamb.

Lamb had 17 points and six rebounds but shot 6-of-17 from the field before he fouled out in the fourth period.

Christian Standhardinger and Carl Bryan Cruz were late reinforcements for the Gilas Cadets.

They left the senior Gilas squad in Beirut, Lebanon to be in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia with the Cadets.

The Gilas Cadets are getting ready to meet Myanmar and Malaysia in their next games.

Both Standhardinger and Cruz were named as part of Gilas Cadets’ final 12-man roster for the SEA Games.

Philippine officials however are working on the papers to have Mac Belo replace Cruz who has an MCL injury.

Cignal, CEU start PBA D-League title clash AND then, there were two.

Cignal HD and Centro Escolar University wage war for all the marbles as they dispute the 2017 PBA D-League Foundation Cup title starting today Tuesday at Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

But Hawkeyes coach Boyet Fernandez already has a dilemma on his hands, with Raymar Jose unavailable due to his obligations with Gilas Pilipinas in the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

“Losing Raymar during the Finals is a tough one, but we as a team understand that SEA Games basketball gold is very important to our country,” he said.

Without Jose manning the paint, Cignal will bank on Jason Perkins and its bevy of snipers in Pamboy Raymundo, Jonathan Uyloan, and Byron Villarias to get the job done and gain a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three semifinals.

Fernandez, though, is wary of the

threat of CEU in the titular duel, especially with the way the Scorpions upset Flying V in their semifinals series.

“We know that CEU is a very good team which is well-coached, and matching up with them without Raymar is a tough one. But we will find a way to limit (Rod) Ebondo,” he said. “I’m also worried about their guards in the likes of (Aaron) Jeruta, (Orlan) Wamar, and (JK) Casiño, so we really have to bring our

defensive mentality if we want to win Game 1 and the series.”

On the other hand, CEU coach Yong Garcia just wants this dream run for his crew to continue.

“Wala namang nag-akala na makakaabot kami rito. Hindi naman masamang subukan kaya sabi ko sa players ko, we just try to stay focused and stick to our game plan,” he said.

Tip-off is at 5 p.m.

Thailand economy rose 3.3% in second quarter

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Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

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Thai firm buying 10% of Maynilad IN BRIEF Senate studies 7-tier excise tax on vehicles THE Senate committee on ways and means might adopt the 7-tier tax proposal for automobiles espoused by car manufacturers and importers in place of the 5-tier tax package approved by the House of Representatives.

“We’re looking at numbers.

There’s a lot of consideration especially for consumers. Based on proposal of car companies, the tax increase on small car models will still be affordable,” said Senator Juan Edgardo Angara.

Angara said car companies were not complaining so much for the lower end models, “I think its the higher end [models] they are worried about,” he said.

The tax proposal is on an ascending scheme, which means that the more expensive the model is, the higher taxes it will have.

Angara said this scenario might lead to smuggling, so the committee is “trying to balance the situation”.

“Others have even more grim expectations. They are scared that the proposed tax will have a heavy toll on the auto industry and may cause its demise,” he said.

The industry’s proposal for a 7-tier tax system seeks to establish a median between the current system and the government proposal.

One of the suggestions involved the increase of the tier system to 7 tiers to include the segmentation of vehicular units. Othel V. Campos

PayMaya rolls out point-of-sale terminals PAYMAYA Philippines is accelerating the rollout of its mobile payment technologies in various communities, including over 350 food stalls and lifestyle destinations nationwide.

PayMaya has been providing SmartSpots partner food parks with mobile point-ofsale terminals, allowing customers to swipe Mastercard or Visa prepaid, debit or credit cards to pay for goods.

PayMaya also started rolling out PayMaya Scan-to-Pay, the country’s first QR codeenabled mobile payments.

The company continues to equip merchants in SmartSpot locations with QR code capabilities, allowing consumers to conveniently pay by simply scanning the QR codes of the merchant through their PayMaya app.

“These are exciting times for mobile payments. We’re partnering with as many communities as we can including SmartSpots merchant establishments. For cashless technologies to work, it’s important to build the ecosystem so we can drive critical volume,” PayMaya president and chief executive Orlando Vea said.

The latest technology to be introduced is PayMaya Scan-to-Pay, which can be accessed in the PayMaya mobile app.

The PayMaya Scan-to-Pay delivery system provides important benefits for both merchants and consumers.

For consumers, it makes for lesser errors and faster payments via smartphone.

Darwin G. Amojelar

By Jenniffer B. Austria

M

ETRO Pacific Investments Corp. is in talks with a Bangkok-based water company to sell a 10-percent stake in water utility unit Maynilad Water Services Inc. for P12 billion, sources said Monday.

Several informed sources confirmed that Metro Pacific was in talks with a water company based in Thailand.

Sources said while the Thai firm already completed due diligence on Maynilad, it was still securing the necessary approval for the planned investment.

An executive of Metro Pacific expressed hope that

the planned investment would be approved soon, after Maynilad secured a favorable ruling on its arbitration case against the government.

“We are not subjecting them, the parties we are talking to, to a strict timetable because we know that in dealing with foreign investors, negotiations take time,” a top official of Metro Pacific said.

“But with the favorable arbitration ruling, that would speed things up,” the executive said.

A three-man arbitral tribunal last month unanimously upheld Maynilad’s claim against the Philippine government and ordered the state to pay P3.42 billion for delayed tariff increases from March 11, 2015 to Aug. 31, 2016.

Meanwhile, the sale of additional stake in Maynilad will reduce Metro Pacific’s effective ownership in the water utility firm to 42.8 percent from 52.8 percent.

Metro Pacific would remain the single biggest shareholder of Maynilad.

Metro Pacific plans to use the proceeds from the

transaction to finance big-ticket infrastructure projects.

Other shareholders in Maynilad are Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corp. with a 20-percent stake, and DMCI Holdings with 16 percent.

Maynilad is the private water concessionaire for the west zone of Metro Manila which covers the cities of Manila, Quezon City, Makati, Caloocan, Pasay, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, Navotas and Malabon in Metro Manila; the cities of Cavite, Bacoor and Imus and the towns of Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario in Cavite province.

Maynilad signed a memorandum of understanding with Metropolitan Waterworks Authority of Thailand in 2014 for an exchange program that will have both parties sharing resources, skills and expertise to develop their personnel.

MWA is the state enterprise responsible for water services in Bangkok, Nonthaburi province and Samuntparkarn province in Thailand.

BSP ready to defend peso from sharp drop

By Julito G. Rada

P&G PROGRAM. The Department of Trade and Industry and Procter & Gamble Philippines launch the ‘Angat Kita’ program, a microentrepreneur development program that aims to assist sari-sari store owners by equipping them with necessary entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to help them generate more income. Shown are (from left) Mandaluyong City business permits and licensing department chief Catherine De Leon Arce, P&G general manager Shankar Viswanathan and Trade Undersecretary Zenaida Maglaya.

Mineral production value rose 4.3% in first half

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales ply disruptions from the world’s the country’s major gold pro- on the other hand, suffered a THE value of Philippine mineral production grew 4.3 percent in the first half from a year ago on higher metal prices, despite the restriction on production and exploration imposed by former Environment secretary Regina Lopez.

Data from the Mines and Geosciences Bureau showed that mineral production value in January to June reached P50.81 billion, up from P48.73 billion in the same period last year.

“Experts said that prices were primarily driven by stronger demand from China’s infrastructure and manufacturing sectors.

This was reinforced by the sup-

key copper and nickel mines,” the MGB said.

Gold production reached P25.89 billion and accounted for almost half of the total mineral production value in the first six months.

Nickel direct shipping ore and mixed sulfides took the second spot with 36.32 percent or P18.45 billion, followed by copper with P8.96 billion. The remaining P510 million was shared by silver and chromite.

Masbate Gold Project of Filminera Mining Corp./Philippine Gold Processing and Refining Corp. in Bicol Region and OceanaGold Philippines Inc. in Nueva Vizcaya province were

ducers.

“With the exception of mixed nickel-cobalt sulfide, all the rest of the metallic minerals exhibited lower mine output year-onyear,” the MGB said.

Mixed nickel-cobalt sulfide output rose 24 percent from 37,604 dry metric tons to 46,444 dry metric tons.

Chromite posted the largest decline of 42 percent, from 11,683 dry metric tons in the first half of 2016 to only 6,778 dry metric tons in the first half of 2017. Techiron Resources Inc. located in Eastern Samar was the lone chromite producer this year.

Nickel direct shipping ore,

24-percent setback, from 11.38 million dry metric tons to 8.64 million dry metric tons.

The MGB said the lackluster performance of nickel direct shipping ore was due to the suspension of mining operations following the sanctions imposed due to environment-related issues and concerns; zero production due to maintenance/care status by a number of nickel mines; and unfavorable weather condition during the period.

Eleven mining projects reported no production during the review period. Gold and silver also reported a decrease of 5 percent and 7 percent, respectively.

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said Monday the regulator will not allow the exaggerated decline of the peso against the US dollar for the benefit of currency speculators.

“Speculators may want to take advantage by exaggerating for financial gain an otherwise healthy price correction to recover some of the price competitiveness,” Espenilla told reporters Monday.

“The BSP will not tolerate such speculative behavior and stands ready to use its very ample international reserves and deploy its full policy and regulatory arsenal if necessary,” Espenilla said.

He said Bangko Sentral was very mindful that the adjustment of the peso against the greenback might create market uncertainty if not well explained “so we communicate and explain.”

He said the peso had sufficiently adjusted and could be expected to regain relative stability in the coming days.

“This soft landing is reinforced by effective discipline in fiscal management and a welldesigned and well-executed public investment program,” he said.

The peso was on a sustained decline against the dollar in the past few days, dragged down by external developments particularly the recent tension between the United States and North Korea and the terrorist attacks in Barcelona, Spain.

Govt to push through with Malaya plant sale THE government will push through with the privatization of the 650-megawatt Malaya thermal power plant in Pililla, Rizal this year to ensure additional capacity in the Luzon grid.

“What DoE wants is to make sure that when we bid that, there is really energy production. If the winning bidder will not operate it, then we will be short of power. That is 600 MW. We want that to replace 600 MW because we are counting that as available capacity,” Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi said.

Cusi co-chairs the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp., which is mandated to privatize the power assets of the government.

PSALM scheduled the privatization of the Malaya facility

this year.

“We are still waiting for the final wording of final transaction docs. Because there is a direction from DOE to [convert it] to LNG [liquefied natural gas], make it a baseload plant so that security of supply will not be affected,” PSALM officer-in-charge Lourdes Alzona said.

Alzona said the plan was to start the privatization process this year but the entire process including sale completion may take three to six months.

Cusi earlier proposed certain flexibilities in the planned conversion of the Malaya plant as a part of the privatization strategy.

Cusi said interested bidders should look at how the conversion would impact on power rates. Alena Mae S. Flores

ASEAN RESIDENCE. Diamond Hotel Philippines served as the official residence of Vietnam Foreign

Minister Pham Bình Minh together with other officials and delegates during the historic celebration of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ 50th anniversary. The hotel takes pride in providing worldclass service and it has been a home to numerous heads of state and foreign dignitaries. Shown are (from left, front row) Diamond Hotel Philippines security manager Philbert Togle, food and beverage director Louie Ramos, sales and marketing director Sunshine Robles, Minister Bình Minh, DHP chief financial

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Business

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Australian BPO firm investing P1.6b NLEX sees P24-b O

By Darwin G. Amojelar

revenues by 2022

THE operator of North Luzon Expressway and Subic-ClarkTarlac Expressway said it expects toll revenues to double by 2022, boosted by existing and new tollway projects.

NLEX Corp. said toll revenues would likely reach P24.1 billion by 2022, up from only P11.7 billion this year.

The company’s core net income is expected to grow to P9.68 billion by 2022 from P4.7 billion this year.

“The driver would be the growth of the existent assets and eventually we will have new projects that would be completed in the next five years,” Rodrigo Franco, president and chief executive of NLEX and Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. said.

The company is investing P29.43 billion in new projects between 2018 and 2020.

These projects are NLEX Segment 10 which is projected to be operational by first half of 2018; Segment 10 from C3 to R10 section to be completed by first quarter of 2019; and the expansion of Subic Freeport Expressway to be finished by first quarter of 2019.

The NLEX-SLEX Connector Road is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2021.

NLEX earlier reported a net profit of P2.3 billion in January to June, up from last year’s P2 billion.

Toll revenues rose 8 percent in the first half to P5.7 billion from a year ago, on increasing traffic at both NLEX and SCTEX. The average daily traffic along NLEX reached 233,652 daily entries in the first half, or 7 percent higher than the same period last year, while average daily traffic along SCTEX increased 24 percent to 54,991 daily entries.

Non-toll revenues amounted to P83 million, up from P73 million a year ago, because of an increase in royalty fees, utility facility fees and other non-toll initiatives.

NLEX submitted unsolicited proposals worth P122.43 billion to build two major expressway projects in Manila.

Darwin G Amojelar

OSM Solutions, an Australian business process outsourcing company, is investing P1.6 billion over the next four years to expand operations in four provinces in the Philippines.

“We are excited at the prospects of expanding further our operations in the Philippines, given the success we experienced during our first year. We will definitely look forward to opening more sites here,” Linda SaludMargon, chief executive of OOSM, told reporters.

The company operates 75 seats in its Makati office.

OOSM, which is a part of the LSM BPO group in Aus-

tralia, said it was planning to expand in Cavite, Batangas, Dumagauete and Palawan in the next four years.

Salud-Margon said her company would spend P400 million to build a BPO facility in Dasmariñas, Cavite which was expected to be operational by next year.

She said the facility would have a capacity of 3,000 seats. Of the total seats, 500 would be allocated for persons with disabilities.

“Our passion, commitment, professionalism and dedication are among the reasons that catapulted us toward success during our first year, and we are looking forward to accomplish more with the proper training, skills and expertise that are necessary to get the job done,” Margon said.

OOSM was established to help small and mediumsized enterprises in Australia and New Zealand to achieve growth and maintain their businesses by offer-

ing tailor-fitted services targeted to meet clients’ rigorous demand.

“OOSM lives by its core values of delivering quality service at all times while assuring confidentiality and promising cost efficiency, which truly delighted our clients not only in Australia and New Zealand but also in other parts of the world,” Salud-Margon said.

She said the formula to OOSM’s success was in its systematic approach to providing the best solution for clients’ business needs, starting with efficient data gathering, meticulous planning and effective manpower mobilization until the final delivery Among the services offered by OOSM are back office and secretarial services, transcription, accounting and bookkeeping, digital marketing and graphic design, customer support and other high-value offerings such as architectural consultancy and research and studies.

Australian business process outsourcing company OOSM Solution celebrates its first year of operations in the Philippines. Shown during a news briefing at BTTC Centre in San Juan, Metro Manila are (from left) OOSM Solutions IT director Randel Gonzales, business development manager Jayghee Gayo, human resources director Maricelle Gayo and chief executive Linda Salud Margon. Lino Santos

SEC warns public against fake lenders using social media

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Securities and Exchange Commission warned the public against unregistered online lending companies that are operating through popular social media websites.

The SEC said in an advisory that several unregistered online lending companies were luring the public through popular and free social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Linkedln to borrow funds for their financial needs.

The regulator said under the scheme, borrowers would be asked to provide general and personal information.

Thereafter, they would be required to deposit certain amount of money as “processing fee.”

The SEC said after depositing the money, the companies would close all communication threads with the borrowers and delete all negative comments against them.

Some lending companies are even using fake or inexistent address in their profile to make the websites appear legitimate and valid, it said.

“The SEC is the lead government agency that supervises and regulates lending companies. As such, all companies engaged in the granting of loans must be

registered with the commission and issued a certificate of authority to operate as a lending company,” the corporate regulator said.

“Otherwise, they may be held administratively and criminally liable pursuant to The Lending Company Regulation Act of 2007 or Republic Act No. 9474,” it said.

Among the fines are payment of not less than P10,000 and not more than P50,000 or imprisonment of not less than six months but not more than 10 years or both.

“As a precautionary measure, the public is hereby advised to exercise prudence in dealing with online lenders by

checking with the commission if they are registered and have a certificate of authority to operate as a lending company. Anyone who is desperately looking for money could be easily maneuvered by these bogus or pseudo lending companies,” the SEC said.

The SEC said that since the start of the year, it had implemented a crackdown against unregistered informal lenders that were charging exorbitant fees on borrowers.

The SEC said it revoked the primary licenses of 1,248 lending companies as of July 4. The number is expected to increase as more entities are currently being reviewed and monitored, it said.

Infra program to bolster medium-term PH growth

By Julito G. Rada FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the government’s ambitious ‘Build, Build, Build’ program will generate an impressive multiplier effect in the form of more jobs and investments that will lift economic growth to around 7 percent over the medium term.

Dominguez said in a statement Monday a sizable portion of the Duterte administration’s unprecedented infra spending would go the country’ poorest provinces to open up investment opportunities and rev up the economies of these areas.

He said to enable the government to pursue the infra program while maintaining fiscal discipline, the Duterte administration endorsed the congressional approval of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program that aimed to improve tax administration and guarantee a steady revenue flow to support high and inclusive growth.

“We are building an economy that the next generation of Filipinos deserves. It is an economy that cares for the environment, an economy that will allow our people’s many talents to blossom. I invite you to be part of this great enterprise,” Dominguez said at a briefing on the Philippine economy organized by the Standard Chartered Bank at the Mandarin Oriental in Singapore.

“We are looking to sustain a growth rate in the vicinity of 7 percent well into the medium term. That effort will be driven in part by an ambitious infrastructure modernization program which we call ‘Build, Build, Build.’ This program will have an impressive multiplier effect on the domestic economy. It will create jobs, draw investments and improve efficiency throughout the archipelago,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez said the Philippines’ economic strategy took advantage of the country’s benign debt conditions, low interest rates, investment-grade credit ratings and improvements in the ease of doing business that the Duterte administration would continue to enhance by streamlining government operations and cutting red tape.

He said that over the remaining five and a half years of the Duterte administration, it programmed over $170 billion in infrastructure spending, of which $23 billion would go to the infra program next

ANTIQUE COAL PLANT. The Department of Energy and Semirara Mining and Power Corp. sign a pact to facilitate the development of a

mine-mouth power plant in the province of Antique. Shown during the signing of the memorandum of understanding are (from left) National Power Corp. president Pio Buenavidez, National Transmission Corp. president Melvin Matibag, SMPC chairman and chief executive Isidro Consunji, SMPC president and chief operating officer Victor Consunji, Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi and Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative representatives Jun Dela Cruz, general manager Patrocinio Panagsagan Jr., Gregorio Bobos and Ronnie Morales and Occidental Mindoro Electric Cooperative general manager Alfred Dantis.

Govt bares goal to revive oil and gas exploration

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Department listed short-term targets, including the lifting of moratorium on West Philippine Sea exploration, to revive the country’s oil and gas sector which is now on a standstill amid low prices and industry challenges.

The department said in a budget presentation to Congress that

these targets included assessing and reviewing reserves, lifting the moratorium on service contracts affected by the territorial dispute in the West Philippine Sea and monitoring and supervising work programs of contractors.

Service contracts under moratorium include Forum Energy Plc.’s SC 72, which covers a 8,800-square-kilometer area

west off Palawan (Recto Bank) and is estimated to contain bigger reserves than the Malampaya gas project.

The department previously granted a force majeure to Forum Energy on SC 72 due to the territorial dispute even as the company already spent around P1 billion for pre-development activities.

Aside from SC 72, the de-

partment granted PXP Energy Corp. (formerly Philex Petroleum Corp.) a force majeure on SC 75 offshore northwest Palawan near SC 72 (Recto Bank) and SC 58.

Nido Petroleum Corp. of Australia and PNOC Exploration Corp. also sought to suspend their work program under SC 58 in northwest Palawan, while the dispute was being resolved.

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Asian stocks weak amid turmoil in US

BANKRUPT. An Air Berlin plane is pictured on the tarmac at the Tegel airport in Berlin on August 15, 2017. Germany’s struggling budget

airline Air Berlin on Tuesday, August 15, 2017, said it had filed for insolvency proceedings after its main shareholder Etihad Airways said it “would not provide any further financial support.” The German government was providing a bridging loan to keep flights going, it added in a statement, while German rival Lufthansa said in a separate statement it was in talks with Air Berlin to take over parts of the group. AFP

Abaca industry deserves to be resuscitated In the theory and practice of international trade a country is expected to invest heavily in goods and services in whose production it enjoys a comparative advantage of one kind or another.

It is expected to exploit to the hilt the comparative advantage with which it is endowed.

A product in whose production the Philippines enjoys a comparative advantage is abaca, perhaps better known worldwide as Manila hemp. This country’s comparative advantage in the production of abaca derives from the fact that abaca is grown only in only two countries besides the Philippines, to wit, Ecuador and Costa Rica, where it is known not as abaca but as sisal or henequen. Limited competition is undoubtedly a distinct comparative advantage in international trade.

Up until the Commonwealth era abaca production was a major item in Philippine agriculture, with the Bicol region and Leyte as the centers of cultivation. During the years immediately preceding World War II Japanese capital was heavily invested in the establishment of abaca plantations in the Davao area. Production of abaca flourished after the war – thanks mainly to the growing demand of rope-making industry – and until the 1970s abaca was a major item in Philippine export trade.

Then bad times set in. Government and private-sector attention shifted to other important agricultural products – rice, corn, sugar, tobacco, meat, fruits and vegetables – and abaca plantations increasingly became neglected.

Hectarage planted to abaca progressively declined.

This is an enormous pity because of the numerous special industrial and consumer items that are produced from abaca. Besides rope for the shipping and related industries abaca processing gives rise to tea bags, security paper, sausage casings, cigarette paper and surgical masks. It can truly be said that abaca is like no other agricultural product.

At the rate that things are going, with inadequate new investment and little spending on infrastructure, the abaca industry will dwindle into insignificance within two decades. But with a new program that has just been announces by the Department of Agriculture (DA), that fate may be averted.

The new DA program is a five-year, P5 billion program intended to place an additional 90,000 hectares under abaca cultivation. Priority will be accorded to the acquisition of modern technology, improved planting materials, fertilizers and state-of-the-art stripping machines.

The program will kick off in one of the historical centers of abaca production in this country, Southern Leyte. An additional 1,500 hectares will be brought under abaca cultivation with an initial P100 million release. Under the industry’s current technology 1,500 seedlings are planted per hectare; the technology that will be introduced calls for the planting of almost three times that number – 4,000 seedlings – per hectare.

Secretary of Agriculture Manuel Pinol has been informed that the inusa variety grows very well in Southern Leyte. It will be the favored variety for the Southern Leyte segment of the new abaca program.

The Philippine Fiber Industry Development Authority (Philfida) has been instructed to get started on the program.

The list of things that need to be done is long. It includes production of planting materials, disease management, improved fertilizer application, better spacing of plants and enhancement of cultural management practices.

Despite the diminished interest that it has been experiencing at the hands of both the government and the private sector, the Philippine abaca industry continues to generate significant foreign-exchange revenues. In the early part of 2017 exports of abaca products ran at a rate double that of the preceding year. The January figure was $11 million.

The progress of the new program for the abaca industry should lead to the revival of ports that have historically been closely associated with the abaca export trade, such as Tabaco City (Albay) and Malitbog (Southern Leyte).

May the new abaca program mark the beginning of a sustained rescuscitation of one of this country’s oldest and proudest agricultural industries.

HONG KONG―Asian traders moved cautiously Monday with turmoil in the White House fueling concerns about Donald Trump’s economic agenda, as a central bankers’ summit comes into view later in the week.

While tensions over North Korea have eased, the deadly terror attack in Barcelona on Thursday is keeping focus on geopolitical issues.

US dealers provided a negative lead for their Asian counterparts, with all three main New York indexes ending in the red as Trump’s struggles continue.

There are fears his promises of tax reform and other probusiness measures will not see the light of day, with his support from corporate America damaged by his much-criticized response to a white supremacist rally in Virginia over a week ago.

Hopes that his plans would fire the world’s top economy had helped stoke a rally in global markets and the dollar at the start of the year but that has foundered in recent months.

The White House turmoil continued Friday after his top

adviser Steve Bannon was dismissed―marking the fifth highprofile casualty in Trump’s inner circle in just six months.

There has also been talk that his economic adviser Gary Cohn would step down, further dragging confidence.

“Last week was a mess for the president, for the presidency, and for his agenda,” Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader, said in a note.

He added: “(Traders are) asking: ‘Are we at the point where the recovery is over and a new wave of US dollar weakness is set to begin’ or ‘are we in the hiatus after the initial spurt before the US dollar rallies again.”

Tokyo stocks ended 0.4 percent down at a near four-month low as exporters were hurt by a stronger yen, while Hong Kong was up 0.5 percent and Shanghai added 0.6 percent.

Sydney eased 0.4 percent and Seoul was 0.1 percent off. Wellington was slightly lower while Singapore was flat.

In early European trade London dipped 0.3 percent, while Paris shed 0.4 percent and Frankfurt gave back 0.5 percent. AFP

Thailand economy rose 3.3% in second quarter

By Anuchit Nguyen and Yumi Teso

T

HAILAND’S economy grew at the fastest pace in more than four years, led by a surge in farming output and tourism.

Gross domestic product rose 3.7 percent in the second quarter from a year ago after expanding 3.3 percent in the first quarter, the National Economic and Social Development Board said on Monday. The median estimate of 21 economists surveyed by Bloomberg was for growth of 3.2 percent.

GDP rose a seasonally adjusted 1.3 percent in the second quarter compared with the previous three months, higher than the 1 percent median estimate in a Bloomberg survey Thailand’s growth outlook has strengthened this year on the back of a recovery in global trade, but domestic demand continues to disappoint. More than three years after a military

coup, political uncertainty has curbed the private sector’s appetite to invest, while consumer spending remains moderate.

At the same time, authorities are struggling to cap gains in the currency after it surged 7.9 percent against the dollar this year, undermining export competitiveness.

The Bank of Thailand, which has kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.5 percent for more than two years, said last week the currency’s strength may hurt businesses.

The bank has been reluctant to lower interest rates in the face of high consumer debt levels.

“Monetary conditions are accommodative to economic recovery,” said Roong Sanguanruang, a market analyst at Bank of Ayudhya Pcl in Bangkok, who expects the Bank of Thailand to remain on hold.

“Given the latest impressive GDP growth number, we think the MPC will be comfortable with their stance. We don’t expect a rate hike before the middle of next year, but no rate cut,” said Gareth Leather, an economist at Capital Economics Ltd. in London.

“We expect growth to remain relatively

strong over the next couple of quarters, helped by strong external demand and loose monetary and fiscal policy. The uncertain political situation is the main risk to the outlook,” he said.

Market Reaction Baht was little changed at 33.229 against the dollar as of 10:25 a.m. in Bangkok Benchmark stock index rose 0.1 percent Agriculture sector surged 15.8 percent in second quarter from a year ago, up from 5.7 percent in the first quarter. Manufacturing growth slowed to 1 percent from 1.3 percent, construction contracted 6.2 percent, while the hotel and restaurants sector climbed 7.5 percent. The transport and storage rose 8.6 percent.

The statistics agency revised GDP growth forecast for this year to 3.5 percent to 4 percent from 3.3 percent to 3.8 percent, while the central bank projects growth of 3.5 percent.

Porametee Vimolsiri, secretary general for statistics office, said the economy’s expansion was more broad-based than just tourism and exports, and saw the GDP growth accelerating in second half of year, helped by exports.

Turkish companies ready to invest $64b overseas

By Ercan Ersoy and Asli Kandemir ROBERT Yuksel Yildirim had barely been at the family’s construction-materials business a year before the company won its first international contract. Now, it’s a conglomerate with interests in mining, ports and chemicals across 28 countries.

Twenty four years after the deal to import coal directly from Russia was sealed, the impetus to expand Yildirim Holding AS beyond its Turkish home base is stronger than ever. The political fallout from a failed coup in July last year is hindering economic growth and making it harder for firms to operate in a market many see as saturated, cluttered with red tape and expensive for acquisitions.

“Deals outside Turkey are much cheaper and better than Turkish opportunities,” said Yildirim, 57, whose last purchase abroad was a port in Ecuador that his company bought for $750 million in 2016. “It is easier to deal with foreign bureaucracy than Turkish bureaucracy.”

The chairman of Istanbul-based Yildirim isn’t alone in expanding abroad. Turkish companies may spend a further $64 billion on overseas acquisitions and setting up new operations abroad by 2023, according to Volkan Kara, a partner in Bain & Co.’s Turkey office. That is after investing $36 billion in the 10 years through 2016, according to a report by Bain and Turkey’s DEIK Outbound Investments Business Council.

“There is a serious flow of investment towards developed countries, especially to the US and Europe,” Kara said. “We project annual investments to continue growing significantly.”

Shifting Risk Murat Ulker, a billionaire whose Yildiz Holding AS spent 15 billion liras ($4.3 billion) on overseas ventures through 2016, said he is seeing “significant opportunities” for growth in the Middle East, North America, Africa and Asia. His company made the largest investment outside Turkey to date with the 2014 purchase of Middlesex, UKbased United Biscuits Holdings Plc for $3.1 billion.

Companies are seeking to diversify earnings and spread risk after a coup attempt resulted in the detention of opposition party members and human-rights activists, causing relations to sour with Germany, the country’s biggest trading partner.

Gross domestic product expanded 2.9 percent in 2016, the slowest pace since a contraction in 2009.

Turkish businesses are used to operating in a country which has faced several “political chal-

Locals and visitors sit beneath a giant Turkish national flag on Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, on Monday, July 18, 2016. Tourism is an essential source of foreign currency to finance Turkey’s currentaccount deficit and employs 8 percent of the nation’s workforce. Bloomberg

lenges,” said Jonathan Friedman, a director at London-based risk management consultants Stroz Friedberg Ltd. “And you manage risk by diversifying assets.”

Dominant Players The drive to expand abroad also comes amid a weakening Turkish lira, with the currency dropping 17 percent against the dollar over the past 12 months, the biggest decline among 24 emerging markets tracked by Bloomberg.

Many companies are acquiring assets to secure raw materials for production or to expand into under-serviced markets. Fertilizer maker Gubre Fabrikalari TAS invested in Iran, while businessman Turgay Ciner’s Park Holding AS bought a controlling stake in soda ash producer OCI Resources LLC in the US. Turkey’s biggest home appliance maker, Arcelik AS, plans to invest $100 million to build a plant with Tata Group to make refrigerators and other goods in India next year after it bought Pakistan’s appliance maker Dawlance Group for $243

million in 2016.

“After developing dominant domestic market shares, Turkish companies are seeking new markets for growth,” Friedman said.

Other companies that have expanded abroad include billionaire Ferit Sahenk’s Dogus Holding AS, which stepped up foreign investments after selling its stake in the country’s biggest listed bank. Electricity producer Zorlu Enerji, which owns plants in Pakistan and Israel, last year said it plans to spend a “sizable amount” in Iran.

Commercial Rationale Even state-owned utilities have jumped on the bandwagon, with oil and gas producer Turkiye Petrolleri AO, which earns most of its revenue abroad, last year allocating almost 80 percent of its investments outside the country.

“We expect this investment trend to continue among companies in production, transportation, consumer goods and energy industries,” said Efsane Cam, a manager of corporate finance at Istanbul-based brokerage Is Investment. Bloomberg

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

B4

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

Business

Economists fret over Trump agenda

By Heather Scott

W

ASHINGTON―US business economists worry about the prospects for President Donald Trump’s policy agenda, and the potential damage to the economy from his trade and immigration policies, according to a survey released Monday.

TRAIN DELAY. Passengers wait for their trains at The Saint-Charles Station in Marseille on August 20, 2017, following a fire between Aubagne and Carnoux, south-eastern France. Holiday makers who were staying near Aubagne were momentarily evacuated on the night of August 19 and residents confined to their homes as a wildfire burned through 200 hectares of vegetation. Some 3,000 travelers in southern France spent thenight camped out in train stations after a bush fire cut off a busy route between Marseille and the resort city of Nice. AFP

Nafta partners wrap up first round of talks WASHINGTON―US, Canadian and Mexican negotiators on Sunday wrapped the first round of talks aimed at revamping the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, part of a US effort to cut its trade deficit.

The three Nafta countries are “committed to an accelerated and comprehensive negotiation process that will upgrade our agreement and establish 21st century standards to the benefit of our citizens,” according to a joint statement.

The talks opened Wednesday with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer insisting in blunt language that Nafta must undergo wholesale revision in

Total set to acquire Maersk for $7.45b PARIS―French oil giant Total said Monday that it would buy Maersk Oil, a unit of the Danish shipping giant A.P. Moller-Maersk, for $7.45 billion (6.35 billion euros).

The company said the deal would make Total the second-largest operator in the North Sea, with substantial operations in Britain, Norway and Denmark.

It will pay for the company with $4.95 billion in Total shares, while taking on $2.5 billion of Maersk Oil’s debt.

The boards of both companies have approved the deal.

Total said the acquisition would also bolster its positions in the Gulf of Mexico, Algeria, Kenya and Kazakhstan.

“This transaction delivers an exceptional opportunity for Total to acquire, via an equity transaction, a company with high-quality assets which are an excellent fit with many of Total’s core regions,” chief executive Patrick Pouyanne said in a statement.

He said that once completed in the first quarter of 2018, the deal would generate some $400 million in cost savings and other synergies each year, which would help immediately increase the combined group’s cash flow and earnings per share.

“We are also very pleased that we will have a new anchor point in Denmark which will host our North Sea business unit and supervise our operations in Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands,” Pouyanne said.

Total embarked on a cost-saving drive three years ago in response to falling oil prices, but had recently signaled it was once again ready to pursue acquisitions. AFP

order to fulfill President Donald Trump’s goal of reducing bilateral trade imbalances and protecting American jobs, especially in the auto sector.

Trump famously denounced Nafta as “the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere,” and threatened to pull out of the agreement he said has destroyed US jobs. But he eventually succumbed to pressure to renegotiate instead.

“We feel that Nafta has fundamentally failed many, many Americans and needs major improvement,” Lighthizer said in his opening remarks.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and Mexican

Economy Secretary Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal made clear they view the free trade deal as a success and only want to see it modernized and improved, not weighed down with unreasonable goals.

Negotiations will move at a “rapid pace,” with the next round set for September 1-5 in Mexico, “moving to Canada in late September and returning to the United States in October, with additional rounds being planned for the remainder of the year.”

The timeline for the talks is accelerated given elections in Mexico in July 2018, as well as the US legislative calendar, with seven to nine rounds expected to

finish the revisions by the end of 2017.

In addition to revamping Nafta, Trump last week also announced plans for trade talks with Japan and a renegotiation of the free trade agreement Korea also with the aim of cutting the trade deficit with those countries.

The first round of Nafta talks covered more than two dozen different negotiation topics “and agreed to provide additional text, comments or alternate proposals during the next two weeks,” following consultations with businesses and stakeholders in their home countries, according to the statement. AFP

The survey findings add to Trump’s accelerating alienation with the business community.

CEOs fled his advisory councils last week to distance themselves from his both-sides-are-to-blame response to a white supremacist rally in Virginia in which one woman among a group of counter-protesters was killed.

Although the survey was completed more than a week prior to the those events, they reflect growing concerns among businesses that had been cheered since the election about the possibility of seeing tax reform and infrastructure spending that could boost the economy.

“I do think that is some of the concern, that everything that has transpired recently, especially over last week, may impair the administration’s ability to get its legislative agenda passed,” said Frank Nothaft, a policy analyst with the National Association for Business Economics.

Stressing that he was not speaking for the NABE panelists in the semi-annual policy survey, Nothaft told AFP that the administration has a number of very important legislative proposals that could stimulate growth and boost spending.

However, “with everything that’s transpired it puts that legislative agenda at jeopardy. Will anything get passed?”

While the survey showed most economists judge fiscal policy to be “about right” currently, they “quite pessimistic about prospects for ‘meaningful, revenueneutral tax reform’ in the near term,” the survey showed.

Conducted July 18 to August 2 with 184 members, the survey showed only a 10 percent probability of such legislation this year and a 15 percent (median)

probability of passage in 2018.

Over half the respondents said tax reform could add less than one percentage point to real GDP growth over the next 10 years, while a third put the impact on growth at between one and two percentage points.

Business economists also worry about the “unfavorable consequences” of Trump’s trade an immigration policies.

In those areas “survey participants give the administration unfavorable scores,” said NABE Policy Survey Chair Richard DeKaser, who also is executive vice president and corporate economist at Wells Fargo.

Nothaft, chief economist at CoreLogic, explained that anything that clouds the environment for businesses to make investment decisions, whether for exports or imports, can cause firms to delay spending and impact the economy.

When policies are “in flux and the environment can change dramatically, companies may hold back,” he said, noting that “investment is an important part of GDP and economic growth.”

Meanwhile, restrictions on immigration hurt companies that are having trouble finding workers, notably in homebuilding and high-tech.

On monetary policy, Nothaft said the survey shows economists now have a “much stronger belief” compared to six months ago that the Federal Reserve will raise the benchmark interest rate one more time this year.

While 61 percent said monetary policy was “about right,” 53 percent are expecting a third rate hike, NABE said, although there is less agreement about next year. AFP

In Vietnam, graduates face worse job prospects

By Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen NGUYEN Van Duc graduated two years ago with a bachelor’s degree in economics from one of Vietnam’s best universities.

Today, he earns about $250 a month as a motorbike taxi driver in Hanoi.

Duc, whose parents took second jobs so he could be the only one of three children to attend college, is among thousands of Vietnamese college graduates who can’t land jobs in their chosen field, even though the nation’s unemployment rate is just 2.3 percent.

“In university, we only received heavy theoretical training and a lot of Ho Chi Minh’s ideology with communist party history,” the 25-year-old said.

While Vietnam’s schools equip students with basic skills for low-wage assembly-line work, its colleges and universities are failing to prepare youth for more complex work. As wages rise and basic manufacturing leaves for less expensive countries, that may threaten the government’s ambition to attain middle-income status, defined by the World Bank as per capita income of more than $4,000, or almost twice the current rate.

“Countries that have been successful moving up to the next economic stage already had developed country levels of education when they were middle-income economies,” said Scott Rozelle, a Stanford University development economist. “Countries that didn’t

Vietnamese college students cycle past a Coca-Cola beverage distributor November 23, 2005 in Cau Ma, in southern Vietnam. Bloomberg

have that collapsed or became stuck in the middle-income trap.”

Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan developed high-quality colleges long before their economies needed a more educated workforce, he said. Conversely, economies such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico slowed after reaching middle-income status―in part because of insufficient investments in education, Rozelle said.

College students frequently

spend much of their first two years learning about revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh, socialism and party history at the expense of critical thinking and other skills expected by employers. The upshot: firms are reluctant to pay more for workers with degrees that often lack commensurate skills, says the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The jobless rate among young people with university degrees is 17 percent.

to improve their work prospects.

The number of Vietnamese studying in Japan, including language schools, grew more than 12-fold in the six years to May 2016, reaching about 54,000, according to the Japan Student Services Organization.

Authorities acknowledge the challenge.

“The government is trying to improve the quality of training in college and university,” said Nguyen Minh Thuyet, who is overseeing the Ministry of Education’s new curriculum strategy. “We need to overhaul their curricula to reduce training of impractical subjects. But the progress is still very slow.

Not much has been done.”

Literacy Rate Vietnam has expanded the number of colleges and universities across the nation over the last decade to about 450.

The government plans to have 560,000 new students enter college and university in 2020, which will be about an 8 percent increase over 10 years.

Despite the nation’s 97 percent literacy rate, just a third of Vietnam’s labor force had a high school degree last year, according to the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs.

At this stage of development, Vietnam has posted rapid expansion rates even with its low productivity record―the World Bank forecasts growth will exceed 6 percent until 2019. But it remains miles behind regional peers when it comes to getting the most out of its workforce.

Under Pressure “You have private and foreign companies arriving that want better skilled workers, quality managers and engineers,” said Nguyen Xuan Thanh, a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government in Ho Chi Minh City. “The middle class is expanding. Vietnam families want better education.

So the pressure is on the political system to deliver.”

More parents are now sending their children overseas to study Bloomberg

LGUs

MPD is top NCR police district

By Bill Casas MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada has congratulated the Manila Police District, called “Manila’s Finest,” for being adjudged as the Best Police District in Metro Manila.

The 4,600-strong MPD was also cited by the National Capital Regional Police Office for having the highest accomplishment in “Project Double Barrel” and also for registering the highest index crime solution efficiency, as well as having the most number of confiscated firearms from 2016 to 2017.

“You’ve been called ‘Manila’s Finest’ because you exemplify the highest standards of police service: honesty, integrity, and competency. Keep up the good work,” Estrada said in his message to MPD director Chief Supt. Joel Coronel and his men.

Estrada pointed out that the MPD’s hard work and sacrifices have resulted in fewer crimes in the city and the neutralization of hundreds of bigtime drug traffickers that have bedeviled the nation’s capital.

“On behalf of the 1.7 million Manileños, I thank you for protecting the City of Manila. We enjoy continuous economic progress because of the improving peace and order that you pay for with your own lives,” the mayor added.

The awards were handed out by NCRPO Director Oscar Albayalde on Saturday at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City as part of the celebration of the 116th Police Service Anniversary.

Estrada cited the MPD’s recognition as the best of the five police districts in Metro Manila in terms of results in Project Double Barrel, the armed law enforcement operations component of the Oplan Tokhang anti-drug drive.

The award came just as the MPD has completed sustained anti-crime operations across Manila last week, leading to the killing of dozens of crime suspects and the arrest of over 100 more.

Coronel conveyed his gratitude to Estrada for the success of the MPD. “Thank you very much, Mayor Estrada, because of the support you have given us, we were able to do our job,” the MPD chief said.

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

C1

Albay Asean confab shelved

By Manilyn B. Ugalde

L

EGAZPI CITY—Security threats have forced the National Organizing Committee to cancel the five-day Association of Southeast Asian Nations meetings scheduled to start Monday at the Misibis Resort here, the second time the Bicol region was denied a chance to host an event for foreign dignitaries.

In 2015, Albay was also tabbed to host the Asean Pacific Economic Conference ministerial meetings, which were aborted by Malacañang owing to bad weather.

Albay 2nd District Rep. Joey Salceda said the decision to cancel the Asean meeting was reached by the Asean Committee on Security.

Salceda, who had pushed

for Albay to host both Apec and Asean meetings, said he received a letter from Ambassador Marciano Paynor that top officials of the Asean 2017 NOC reached a unanimous decision to recommend the cancellation for the Albay venue conference.

The committee had received intelligence reports that the NPA had deployed 800 improvised explosive devices in Camarines Sur and neighboring provinces to thwart the Asean meeting, the lawmaker said.

Albay is a one-hour ride from Camarines Sur. The Philippines is hosting the meetings of the 10-member

regional bloc this year, which is also the 50th anniversary of the Asean.

Earlier, the Philippine National Police in Bicol said security preparations for the meeting were all set, despite the escalating operations of the communist New People’s Army in the region.

The NPA operations in Bicol resulted in an encounter with government troops in Sorsogon on Aug. 8, where two soldiers were killed.

A succeeding encounter ensued on the island of Catanduanes on August 10, when heavily armed rebels am-

bushed two police patrol cars in a convoy escorting 10 drug surrenderers.

The rebels used IEDs that followed a gunbattle with a responding police team that killed two policemen and wounded two others including a local police chief.

The Asean delegates headed for Albay have been transferred to Metro Manila, Salceda said.

Still, the cancellation was “a sad development,” Salceda said, given Albay’s failure to host the Apec meetings in 2015.

Salceda maintained Albay was “deserving” to host meetings of foreign dignitaries.

SUN AND SAND. While Metro Manila and Luzon is wrapped in rainy weather, this tourist lets the wind whip her shawl as she walks the powder-white sand of the Cresta de Gallo island in San Fernando, Romblon. Teddy Pelaez

Taguig pupils reap medals in Singapore math tilt Quiet

By Joel E. Zurbano THE city government of Taguig on Monday praised 17 public school students in the city after receiving medals and recognition in the 13th International Mathematics Competition held in Singapore.

The awardees were Patrick Welsh Patco, John Albert Mariano, Luis Joseph Flores, Leira Mari Vinarao, Mark Andrei Mallillin, Andrea Monique Ber-

monte, Derick Timothy Jalandoon, and Micah Bless Requierro, of Taguig Science High School; Ed Cedrick Julian and Wally Santos, both of Sen. Renato Compañero Cayetano Memorial Science and Technology High School; and Jeremiah Daniel Regalario, of Signal Village National High School.

The students won bronze medals and besting hundreds of students from 12 other countries in the prestigious competition

organized by the International Mathematics Contest Union.

Nazka Leosala and Jed Riel Balatan, also of TSHS, and Eisen Shaine Mabborang, Ma. Cecilia Mendoza, Haryana Iris Flores and Izra Myca Uldama, of Cayetano Memorial Science and Technology High School, also received merit awards.

The Philippine contingent went on to win 245 medals―33 gold, 66 silver and 146 bronze―and 111 merit awards, making it the

country with the most number of recognitions received. Fourteen other participating countries, with China and Thailand ranking second and third, respectively.

Each participant was only given 90 minutes to answer a challenging 18-item math exam equivalent to 100 points.

The schools expressed their gratitude to the city government, which they said has been supportive of the students and

conscious of honing their talents through its programs.

The city government sponsored all the expenses of the students, from the in-house and intensive summer trainings to their plane tickets and hotel accommodation in Singapore.

Mayor Laarni Cayetano assured them the city government would continue to extend its support and “nurture the children because we believe that they are the future.”

Non-teaching staff meeting in Baguio THE Partnership of Employees and Non-Teaching Staff of the Department of Education will hold its first national convention and seminar in Teachers Camp, Baguio City this month.

With the theme “Meeting the challenges and improving services of Non-teaching staff in the era of change and K-12,” the three-day event will be held from Aug. 25 to 27.

PENS president George Tizon said around 500 participants are expected to join the convention from all over the country. Each region will be represented by members from the school, division and regional level composed of academic non-teaching personnel and non-academic non teaching personnel from DepEd. The group envisions to establish a program for all non-teaching personnel that will provide additional benefits through livelihood projects to raise the morale of non-teaching staff and

the rank and file employees of the department.

During the convention, two main programs will be launched by the organization to define the direction of PENS for the coming years.

The “Opensa Kontra Kakulangan sa Edukasyon” (Offensive Against the Lack of Education) provides free school supplies to poor but deserving students of public schools from the far flung areas in the provinces. These school supplies were gathered through the campaign drive of PENS from public and private schools in the rich cities of Metro Manila to donate unused/old school supplies.

The “Depensa sa Kahirapan, Sama Samang Pagtutulungan” (Cooperation as Defense Against Poverty) on the other hand, is a project aims to provide cash assistance to School Division Office for a livelihood project for the non-teaching staff of the Division Office. Joel E. Zurbano

DANCE CHAMPS. Dancers from Centro Escolar University’s Pep Squad perform at the Sweet Escape

Hataw Galaw Sayaw sa Kalusugan Intercollegiate Dance Competition on Saturday at Vista Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa City. The CEU dancers are the defending champions of the yearly event organized by Friendly Alliances and Media Expressions (FAME) Inc., publisher of DiabetEASE Magazine, that encourages people of all ages to turn their back on a sedentary lifestyle and embrace being healthy and fit through physical activities such as dancing. Lino Santos

rites for Ninoy’s 34th year

QUEZON City Mayor Herbert Bautista and Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte led the wreath-laying ceremony at the Aquino Monument at the corner of Quezon and Timog Avenues to mark the 34th death anniversary of Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino. The ceremony was also attended by officials from the National Historical Commission, officials of Barangays Paligsahan, Project 6, and South Triangle, Quezon City Police District officials led by Chief Superintendent Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar and the off icials of the different departments of the Quezon City gover nment.

No speeches were delivered to keep the event apolitical.

The monument, a 14-foot structure made of brass and stainless steel sheets, was crafted by artist Eduardo Castrillo. It stands about a block away from the Aquino residence at Times Street.

The spot where the monument is erected was also where civilians stopped an armored personnel carrier from proceeding to the Channel 4 complex during the 1986 People Power Revolution. Rio N. Araja

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

LGUs

Standard

C2

TODAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

Ceza, ecozones woo Aussie biz

By Jessica M. Bacud

T

UGUEGARAO CITY―Australian investors are expected to locate some of their big businesses in the Philippines starting next year following a roadshow conducted by the government’s investment promotion agencies in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Secretary Raul L. Lambino, administrator and CEO of the Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, made the bold forecast that a “remarkable

and real change has come to my country” with these investment pledges.

Lambino, who presented the “Build Build Build” infrastruc-

ture program of the government, told the Australians to seize new trade and investment opportunities that have opened up in the Philippines since President Rodrigo Duterte took office more than a year ago.

Duterte has become a “gamechanger” in attracting business leaders around the world to take a closer look at the Philippine market “in pursuit of what is right,” Lambino added.

The government has rolled out a five-year, P9.5-trillion infrastructure build-up under the “Dutertenomics” economic framework with heavy spend-

ing on roads, bridges, airports and seaports that would make the country an “excellent haven for investment and business to thrive,” Lambino stressed.

Other support programs are being firmed up in agriculture, eco-tourism and the industryleading Business Outsourcing Management ventures, he said. These are areas of “deep interest for Australian investors,” he added.

This year, the Philippines became the 10th fastest growing economy in the world, which Lambino said is the result of the Duterte Administration’s trans-

parent and accountable governance and the continuing war against corruption, criminality and drugs.

“Growth is getting more inclusive,” the Ceza chief said, citing government records that pegged inflation at a historical low of 1.8 percent last year, and unemployment that fell below five percent at 4.7 percent in October 2016.

“This is significant because there are more jobs available here in the country and we have been sending less OFWs,” Lambino said.

In promoting Ceza, an investment destination in north-

eastern Luzon, Lambino pointed out its strategic location near major ports and cities in the Asia-Pacific region and along international sea routes that lead to Australia and the US West Coast.

Lambino said the Duterte administration’s thrusts would favor investments in eco-tourism, agri-industrial ventures and ICT development where he added several Australian firms have already expressed their interest to locate at the Cagayan Special Economic Zone and Freeport and other ecozones and freeports around the country.

Drug surrenderers shun Tesda training

By Dexter A. See

BOOK DONATION. Citi Philippines and longtime non-profit partner Philippine Business for Social Progress recently turned over 2,380 colorful, dual-language storybooks to fill up reading corners in 60 classrooms of Tipas Elementary School in Taguig City. Pictured are (from left) Citi Philippines director for Corporate Affairs and Citizenship Aneth Lim, Tipas Elementary School principal Dr. Angelita Buenafe and PBSP’s Regional Portfolio coordinator for education Nilo Tunac. Manny Palmero

BAGUIO CITY―Most drug surrenderers in Baguio City refuse to avail of the free skills training provided by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority because they do not want to be publicly exposed as drug users, the Cordillera office of the agency said.

Engineer David Bungallion, administrator of the Baguio City School of Arts and Trade, said that since the free training for work scholarship was offered, none of the city’s drug surrenderers have approached the institution to apply for the skills training.

Drug surrenderers should undergo Tesda training before being issued the coveted national certification or certificate of competency for selected fields they were able to complete.

BCSAT remains open to interested drug surrenderers from the city’s 128 barangays who can use the skills they acquire to earn a livelihood for their families.

Rafael Abrogar II, Tesda-CAR regional director, said they re-

main open to former drug users wanting to avail of the free skills training, provided they are given the clean bill of health by the Department of Health following the guidelines for the training.

In Kalinga, Tesda provincial director Gabriel Cayacay said 11 drug surrenderers in the province took the free skills training on automotive maintenance and others skills.

Cayacay added that four family members of policemen and soldiers killed in action completed their skills training on bread and pastry making and heavy equipment operation. which they are now using in their new jobs.

In Apayao, Tesda provincial director Victor Brioso said the drug surrenderers in the province underwent training on carpentry, masonry and basketry.

He claimed some of the drug surrenderers were instrumental in the construction of the office of the chief of police of the Luna Municipal Police Station, while the agency hired the basket makers from Abra to train those interested in basketry making.

Aboitiz Group firms plant 114k trees InvItatIon to BId for SERVICE CONTRACT FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF DATASETS FOR THE LAND PARCELS AND AS-BUILT SURVEY OF THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION LINES AND SUBSTATION IN NORTH LUZON, SOUTH LUZON, VISAYAS & MINDANAO AREA Reference No. PB170704-RM38 1. The National Transmission Corporation, through the 2017 Corporate Budget approved by the TransCo Board intends to apply the sum of PHP 234,499,500.00, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF DATASETS FOR THE LAND PARCELS AND AS-BUILT SURVEY OF THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION LINES AND SUBSTATION IN NORTH LUZON, SOUTH LUZON, VISAYAS & MINDANAO AREA Ref. No. PB170704-RM38 . Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

3.

The National Transmission Corporation, now invites bids for SERVICE CONTRACT FOR THE SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF DATASETS FOR THE LAND PARCELS AND AS-BUILT SURVEY OF THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION LINES AND SUBSTATION IN NORTH LUZON, SOUTH LUZON, VISAYAS & 1 MINDANAO AREA. Delivery of the Goods is required to be completed within One Hundred Fifty (150) calendar days. Bidders should have completed, within the last ten (10) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

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

4.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during working days from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.

5.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on August 22 up to September 13, 2017 from the address below upon payment of the prescribe nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by GPPB. Note: For lot procurement, the maximum fee for the Bidding Documents for each lot shall be based on its ABC, in accordance with the Guidelines issued by the GPPB; provided that the total fees for the Bidding Documents of all lots shall not exceed the maximum fee prescribed in the Guidelines for the sum of the ABC of all lots.

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

6.

The National Transmission Corporation will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on August 30, 2017/ 10:00 AM at TransCo Boardroom 2nd floor TransCo Main Building, which shall be open to prospective bidders.

7.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before September 14, 2017/ 10:00 AM. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be September 14, 2017/ 10:00 AM at TramsCo Boardroom 2nd floor TransCo Main Building. 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.

9.

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

For further information, please refer to: Ms. Rossana F. Paguio BAC Secretariat Manager, General Services Division National Transmission Corporation (Transco) Power Center Complex BIR Road corner Quezon Avenue Diliman, Quezon City Telephone 902-1520 and Fax No. 921-3306 rfpaguio@transco.ph (Signed) ATTY. ZITA MARIE M. ATIENZA-FAJARDO BAC Chairperson

CAPTION

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.

For details on the description of the type(s) of Goods refer to the posted bidding document in the TransCo and PhilGeps websites.

(MS-AUG. 22, 2017)

has no known creditors as of the filing of the petition.”

(MS-AUG. 22,29 & SEPT. 5, 2017)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Office of Atty. Rowena De Castro Matira

Notary Public for Quezon City UNION BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES Mortgagee, -versusCASE NO. FRE# 17-778 EXTRAJUDICIAL FORECLOSURE OF REAL ESTATE MORTGAGE UNDER ACT NO. 3135, AS AMENDED MARILOU M. GHOSE married to SANJAY KEVIN GHOSE both represented herein by their Atty.-Infact, Theresita M. Banlasan Mortgagor/s x-----------------------------------x

2nd NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL SALE

Pursuant to the terms of the Real Estate Mortgage dated and notarized on 22 April 2016, executed by MARILOU M. GHOSE married to SANJAY KEVIN GHOSE, Filipino and Indian citizen respectively both represented herein by their duly designated Atty. In-fact, Theresita M. Banlasan by virtue of Special Power of Attorney dated April 21, 2015, with residence and postal address at 61, Brgy. Sambag, Jaro, Iloilo City, Mortgagor/s, in favor of UNION BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES, Mortgagee, to satisfy the mortgage indebtedness in the total amount of PESOS: ONE MILLION EIGHT HUNDRED FIFTY TWO THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED TWENTY SEVEN & 98/100 (PHP 1,852,427.98) Philippine Currency, exclusive of accrued interest as of June 01, 2017; excluding attorney’s fees, expenses of foreclosure sale and other charges, the undersigned Notary Public for Quezon City, hereby gives notice to all parties concerned and to the public in general that on 29 August, 2017 at 9:00 in the morning or soon thereafter at the main entrance/ lobby of the City/Municipal Hall of Quezon City, he/she will sell at public auction to the highest bidder and for cash, in Philippine Currency, the property covered

by Condominium Certificate of Title 004-2015020828 issued by Registry of Deeds for Quezon City, including the improvements thereon and more particularly described as follows: Registry of Deeds for Quezon City

1.

A record-breaking 3,924 Aboitiz TMs and partners—a 48-percent increase from last year’s 2,649— headed to 24 locations in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to grow several fruit-bearing, mangrove, hardwood, and other indigenous types of seedlings. These included rambutan, “NOTICE OF narra, guyabano, WITHDRAWAL OF LICENSE calamansi, molave, mahogany, and lanNotice is hereby given that SAN PASCUAL zones trees, among COGENERATION C O M P A N Y , others.

INTERNATIONAL B.V. will For Manilafile a Petition to Withdraw License with the Securities based Aboitiz TMs, of Exchange Commission after three weeks from the the Aboitiz Annual initial publication of this Groupwide STP notice on August 22, 2017.

For said petition, the took place at the company will certify that it

THE Aboitiz Group and several of its business units, conducted the Aboitiz Annual Groupwide Simultaneous Tree-Planting Activity last July 15, with company team members or TMs planting 114,007 seedlings all over the country.

Condominium Certificate of Title No. 004-2015020828

(Republic Act No.: 4728) IT IS HEREBY CERTIFIED that the unit identified and described as: UNIT 36 – A RESIDENTIAL STUDIO TYPE WITH BALCONY CONDOMINIUM UNIT LOCATED AT THE THIRD FLOOR LEVEL OF “PINE CREST BUILDING 3” WITH AN AREA OF 24.14 SQUARE METERS, MORE OR LESS. in the diagrammatic floor plan appended to the enabling or master deed of the condominium project annotated on TRANSFER CERTIFICATE OF TITLE N-324780; N-324781 which embraces and describes the land located at AURORA BLVD., COR. BALETE DRIVE, NEW MANILA, QUEZON CITY with an area of SEVEN THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED SEVENTY-SEVEN AND FIFTY-TWO (7,677.52) Square Meter, is registered in the name of: Owner: MARILOU M. GHOSE MARRIED TO SANJAY KEVIN GHOSE BOTH OF LEGAL AGE, FILIPINO AND INDIAN CITIZEN Address: OMAN, AIR PO BOX 58, PC-III-SEEB, MUSCAT OMAN. All sealed bids must be submitted to the undersigned on the above stated time and date.

In the event the public auction should not take place on the said date, it shall be held on 05 September, 2017 at 9:00 in the morning or soon thereafter at the same place without further notice.

Pursuant to law, copies of this Notice shall be posted for not less than twenty (20) days in at least three (3) public places in the City/ Municipality where the mortgage property is located and shall be published once a week for a least three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation before the date of the foreclosure sale.

Done at Quezon City, July 25, 2017.

(Sgd.) ATTY. ROWENA DE CASTRO MATIRA Notary Public Warning: It is absolutely prohibited to remove, deface or otherwise mutilate the instant notice form and its place until after the date of the public auction sale.

Copy Furnished: ASSET RECOVERY GROUP UNION BANK OF THE PHILIPPINES UnionBank Plaza, Meralco Avenue Corner Onyx & Sapphire Roads, Ortigas Center, Pasig City MARILOU M. GHOSE married to SANJAY KEVIN GHOSE 61, Brgy. Sambag, Jaro, Iloilo city

Makiling-Banahaw (MakBan) Geothermal Site in Sitio Mahabang Parang, Barangay Limao in Calauan, Laguna, a host community of AP Renewables Inc. Participating business units in Luzon were Aboitiz Equity Ventures, Aboitiz Foundation, AboitizLand, AboitizPower, Advent Energy, APRI, Aseagas, CitySavings, Hedcor, LiMA Land, PETNET, Pilmico, Republic Cement, SN Aboitiz Power, Therma Luzon Inc., Therma Marine Inc., Therma Mobile, UnionBank, and WeatherPhilippines.

UnionBank boasted the largest number of volunteers at 725.

Also present were Forest Man-

agement Bureau Director Nonito Tamayo; Mayumi Quintos-Natividad, FMB Assistant Director; and officers of the National Greening Program.

The Aboitiz Annual Groupwide STP forms part of APARK, the Aboitiz Group’s firm commitment to grow nine million seedlings by 2020 thus upholding the importance of a healthy ecosystem by shrinking the Aboitiz Group’s overall carbon footprint.

The Aboitiz Group, through A-PARK, continues to be one of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ largest NGP partners to date.

IN BRIEF DoH must fund more Vizcaya health workers BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya―The provincial government here is asking the Department of Health to foot the bill for more health workers in its managed public hospitals in the province.

Dr. Edwin Galapon, provincial integrated health officer, said more nurses and medical technologists are needed at the hospitals.

The provincial government is “hell bent” in funding these positions allotted for its public hospitals, but it is prevented by a Department of Budget and Management circular on a personnel services cap, which refers to the maximum salaries and benefits for employees of a local government unit.

The Local Government Code provides that total appropriations, whether annual or supplemental, for personal services of a local government unit for one fiscal year shall not exceed 45 percent (for first to third-class LGUs) or 55 percent (for fourth class or lower-class LGUs).

“We cannot fund these needed positions, that is why the DoH assistance is needed.

Funding these additional workers will bring better quality and more services to our patients,” Galapon said.

He said these additional personnel are supposed to be deployed in various public hospitals managed by the provincial government such as the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Hospital in Bambang town, Kayapa District Hospital in Kayapa, Kasibu District Hospital in Kasibu, Dupax District Hospital in Dupax del Norte, and Diadi Emergency Hospital in Diadi. Ben Moses Ebreo

DA urges farmers to sow garlic, onions BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya―Narciso Edillo, Department of Agriculture regional director for Cagayan Valley, has encouraged farmers here to plant more garlic and onions in the wake of the importation ban on the spices imposed by the national government.

“This will be a good opportunity for our farmers to earn because there is ban on importation of onion and garlic products in the country,” he said.

Edillo said Filipino farmers are expected to fill the huge demand for onion and garlic needed in the country, and encouraged local farmers to use many idle lands and consult local agriculturists for its possible potential for the cash crop.

“In this way, we can shift to other feasible and profitable agriculture ventures so that our farmers can get more income,” he said. Ben Moses Ebreo

(MS-Aug. 8, 15 & 22, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World Workers warned over gay marriage SYDNEY―One of Australia’s top Catholics has warned the church’s thousands of employees it will only tolerate traditional views on marriage, as the country prepares for a vote on whether gay couples can wed.

After years of fierce political debate, Australia will hold a non-binding, nation-wide postal vote on marriage equality next month, with the issue proving politically strenuous for the Malcolm Turnbull government.

The ‘Yes’ campaign has received support from both sides of politics and polls indicate it is favored by most Australians.

But the right-wing factions of the government and senior members of the church have been outspoken in their opposition.

Archbishop of Melbourne Denis Hart warned Saturday that employees of the Catholic Church in Australia would be putting their jobs at risk if they diverted from the definition of marriage between a man and women.

“I would be very emphatic that our schools, our parishes exist to teach a Catholic view of marriage,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“Any words or actions which work contrary to that would be viewed very seriously.”

His remarks have been widely interpreted as a threat to sack church employees who marry same-sex partners.

The church has more than 180,000 employees in Australia, including teachers, doctors and nurses, and community service providers, according to the Australian Catholic Council of Employment Relations.

“Our teachers, our parish employees are expected totally to uphold the Catholic faith and what we believe about marriage,” Hart added.

“People have to see in words and in example that our teaching of marriage is underlined.” AFP

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

C3

In the path of solar eclipse C

HARLESTON― On Monday, when a total solar eclipse sweeps across the United States for the first time in 99 years, people gathering in Charleston, South Carolina, will be the last on the continent to experience it.

FASHION WEEK. Indian Bollywood actress Neha Dhupia poses for a photograph during the grand finale of Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017 in Mumbai on August 20, 2017. Lakme Fashion Week is taking place in Mumbai from August 16 to 20. AFP

Sons confirm death of US defector to North Korea SEOUL―The only US soldier known still to be living in North Korea after defecting more than five decades ago died last year pledging loyalty to the “great leader Kim Jong-Un”, his sons said.

James Joseph Dresnok was among just a handful of American servicemen to desert following the 1950-53 Korean War, crossing the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone in 1962.

He went on to appear in North Korean propaganda films and was believed to be the last US military defector in the country, the others all having died or been allowed to leave.

In a video interview posted on the state-run Uriminzokkiri website, Ted and James Dresnok, his two adult sons,

confirmed that their father suffered a fatal stroke in November last year.

“Our father was in the arms of the republic and received only the love and care of the party until his passing at age 74,” said Ted Dresnok, the elder of the two.

Brown-haired and hazel-eyed, he wore a Korean People’s Army uniform in the video like his brother, adorned with a badge depicting the North’s founder Kim Il-Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong-Il. Both men were born in North Korea and spoke Korean with a thick Northern accent.

“Our father asked us to render devoted service to our great leader Kim Jong-

Un,” said Ted Dresnok, who also goes by the Korean name Hong Soon-Chol.

Their comments were similar to those of ordinary North Koreans, who normally only ever express officially approved sentiments when speaking for a foreign audience.

It was the brothers’ second appearance on the program, after they praised the country in a May 2016 interview.

Their mother is said to have been Doina Bumbea, a Romanian whose family say she was kidnapped by Pyongyang.

In a searing 2014 report on human rights in North Korea, a UN commission of inquiry said: “Women abducted from Europe, the Middle East and Asia were subjected to forced marriages with men

from other countries to prevent liaisons on their part with ethnic Korean women that could result in interracial children.”

Another American soldier defector, Charles Jenkins, married Japanese abductee Hitomi Soga within weeks of meeting her in the North.

Soga was allowed to leave in 2002, and Jenkins and their two daughters followed suit two years later. He was court-martialled for desertion and given a 30-day custodial sentence. They now live on a small Japanese island where he makes a living selling rice crackers.

Four other post-1953 US army deserters are all believed to have died in the North. AFP

They are ready.

Historic Charleston, with its cobblestone streets and elegant antebellum mansions, was a-bustle on Sunday in full pre-eclipse mode.

Its restaurants were packed and downtown parking was at a premium as excited locals and tourists strolled cheerfully along the seafront Battery promenade.

“It has been crazy since Friday night,” said bar owner Chaz Wendell.

“This is probably going to be our busiest weekend all year.”

Weather predictions for Monday were iffy―with clouds and scattered thunderstorms predicted through the hours when the eclipse is due, from the moment when the moon first obscures a small arc of the sun, to totality, and through the end of the whole cosmic viewing experience.

For locals, and for those who have come from far away, it is a big deal.

“We’re very excited,” said Brandy Mullins, a 38-year-old stay-at-home mother who moved to Charleston six weeks ago with her family.

She and her three children all have solar glasses and are planning to watch the eclipse from an open area―weather permitting.

“It’s not looking very good,” she said of the weather forecasts, “but it’s OK―we still get to experience it and see the darkness.”

Nick Willder, 59, and his wife, Sarah Boylan, 60, of Nottingham, England had planned their two-week vacation through the southern US to end in Charleston in time for the eclipse.

It will be their third try to see a total eclipse: earlier attempts in England and China, Willder said, were both rained out.

The “Great American Eclipse,” as it is being called, will move diagonally across the country, northwest to southeast, providing a spectacular solar show―again, weather permitting―and an excellent excuse for scores of eclipse-viewing parties and music festivals.

It will first be visible in the northwestern state of Oregon at 9:05 am (1605 GMT), with totality there coming 75 minutes later.

Oregon authorities say they expect a million people to flood into the state for the event, clogging roadways and overflowing campgrounds, the Oregonian newspaper reported.

“This is the trip of a lifetime,” said Deirdre Duignan, visiting Oregon from Dublin, Ireland.

“It will be one of those moments that will just take your breath away.”

In all, about 12 million people living in 14 states will be in the path of totality, with many millions of others able to witness at least a partial eclipse, according to the American Astronomical Society.

Some street vendors sold T-shirts and buttons to mark the eclipse.

Jan Dahouas, a vendor from Atlanta, Georgia, sold eclipse-themed shirts he designed for $20 each, and buttons that read, “Keep Calm and Stare at the Sun.” Some restaurants advertised sales of the prized solar glasses that make eclipse-viewing safe.

Experts have cautioned people not to look directly at the eclipse or risk causing permanent blind spots in their vision. AFP

Fretting over Big Ben’s silence

MONSOON BLUES. This file photo taken on August 17, 2017 shows Indian residents wading through flood waters in Balurghat in West Bengal. Torrential rain across India, Nepal and Bangladesh has killed at least 700 people since August 10 as the annual monsoon swept the north and east of the region. AFP

LONDON―London landmark Big Ben will fall silent for four years from Monday as a political revolt rumbles on over the renovations that will rob Britain of a cherished symbol at a time of national uncertainty.

Westminster’s Elizabeth Tower, one of Britain’s most popular tourist attractions, is due for conservation work.

The famous clock’s bells are set to stop ringing at midday over safety concerns, silencing an emblem of continuity as Britain grapples with Brexit negotiations.

The decision will protect builders working on the site, amid fears that prolonged exposure to the 118-decibel bongs from the 13.7-ton Big Ben bell, which chimes out the hour, could damage hearing.

But the debate has swiftly moved into the political sphere.

The shutdown will coincide with Britain’s impending departure from the European Union―a period set to be politically turbulent and economically fraught.

The bongs are a venerated part of British life, used at the start of radio and TV newscasts and the midnight countdown to New Year’s Day. The sound is also familiar to many people beyond Britain, as it is broadcast on the BBC World Service.

Pro-Brexit members of parliament

have criticized plans to shut down the chimes for what would be the longest duration in the clock’s 157-year history.

Prime Minister Theresa May is among those who have raised concern.

“Of course we want to ensure people’s safety at work, but it can’t be right for Big Ben to be silent for four years,” she told reporters.

She hoped a House of Commons commission would “look into this urgently so that we can ensure that we can continue to hear Big Ben through those four years.”

The Commons has said that it “will consider the length of time that the bells will fall silent”.

“Of course, any discussion will focus on undertaking the work efficiently, protecting the health and safety of those involved, and seeking to ensure resumption of normal service as soon as is practicable,” it says Under the plan, a lamp at the top of the neo-Gothic bell tower is also set to be turned off for the first time in more than 70 years, but it is not yet known when it will go dark, or how long it will be off for.

Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the House of Commons, held emergency talks on Friday with Speaker John Bercow, who chairs the Commons panel that approved the measures. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

C4

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

American comedian Jerry Lewis dies at 91

World

Tech leaders demand ban on killer robots S YDNEY―Elon Musk is leading the demands for a global ban on killer robots, warning technological advances could revolutionize warfare and create new “weapons of terror” that target innocent people.

The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX joined more than 100 robotics and artificial intelligence entrepreneurs in signing a letter to the United Nations calling for action to prevent the development of autonomous weapons.

“Lethal autonomous weapons threaten to become the third revolution in warfare,” warned the statement signed by 116 tech luminaries, also including Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of Google’s DeepMind.

“Once developed, they will permit armed conflict to be fought at a scale greater than ever, and at timescales faster than humans can compre-

hend,” the letter read.

The innovators also highlighted the danger that the technology could fall into the wrong hands.

“These can be weapons of terror, weapons that despots and terrorists use against innocent populations, and weapons hacked to behave in undesirable ways,” the letter read.

“We do not have long to act. Once this Pandora’s box is opened, it will be hard to close.”

Both Musk and British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking have regularly warned of the dangers of artificial intelligence.

The renewed plea on autono-

mous weapons was released as the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Melbourne got underway Monday, with a record 2,000 of the world’s top AI and robotics experts taking part, organizers said.

One expert said autonomous weapons could make war more likely.

“Today the potential loss of human life is a deterrent for conflict initiation and escalation, but when the main casualties are robots, the disincentives change dramatically and the likelihood of conflict increases,” Professor Mary-Anne Williams of the University of Technology Sydney.

She warned a killer robot ban may be disregarded by some nations but would stop “countries such as Australia from developing defensive killer robots, thereby being vulnerable to other countries and groups that ignore the ban”.

Another expert said decision

made today would help shape the “futures we want”.

“Nearly every technology can be used for good and bad, and artificial intelligence is no different,” said Professor Toby Walsh of the University of New South Wales.

Organizers said the conference, which concludes on Friday, has attracted a record number of participants from China, reflecting a push by Beijing to become a leading player in the field.

A key focus of the event will be looking at the challenges of developing fully autonomous AI systems, program chair Carles Sierra of the Spanish National Research Council said.

A UN group on autonomous weapons had been due to meet Monday but the gathering was postponed until November, according to the group’s website.

In 2015, thousands of researchers and personalities launched an appeal to ban autonomous weapons. AFP

WASHINGTON-Hollywood comedian Jerry Lewis, who died Sunday aged 91, perfected a goofy brand of slapstick that endeared him to millions over the course of a career spanning six decades.

One of the most popular American entertainers of the 1950s and ‘60s, Lewis made his name as the clown behind such quirky comedies as “The Nutty Professor” but also won acclaim as a writer, actor and philanthropist.

The comedy legend, who at the peak of his popularity was among the world’s biggest movie draws, died at his home in Las Vegas early Sunday morning.

“I can sadly confirm that today the world lost one of the most significant human beings,” said his publicist Nancy Kane. “Jerry died peacefully at home of natural causes surrounded by family and friends.”

Fans left flowers at the comedian’s two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Honored with accolades at home and abroad, including a Nobel Peace Prize nomination and France’s Legion of Honor, Lewis became known as much for his tireless efforts to promote awareness of Muscular Dystrophy as for his wacky comedy.

Over the course of 45 years, he raised some $2.45 billion for combating the disease with an annual television event.

Born Joseph Levitch in Newark, New Jersey, to two entertainers, Lewis first took center stage at the tender age of five, when he performed “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” He began playing at resorts outside New York that catered to Jewish patrons, known by touring entertainers as the Borscht Circuit.

By age 15, he had assembled his own routine of lip-synching

and made the rounds of New York talent agents, though to little avail.

At the age of 20, however, everything changed as Lewis embarked on arguably one of the most successful entertainment partnerships of all time with smooth crooner Dean Martin.

The two fed off each other in the now-classic comedy gags, including pratfalls, slapstick and lots of seltzer water, signing a long-term contract with Paramount Pictures.

Tributes poured in Sunday from Hollywood royalty.

“Jerry Lewis was a master. He was a great entertainer. He was a great artist. And he was a remarkable man,” said Martin Scorsese, who directed Lewis in the 1983 film “The King of Comedy.”

“That fool was no dummy,” tweeted comic star Jim Carrey, who cited Lewis as an inspiration. “Jerry Lewis was an undeniable genius, an unfathomable blessing, comedy’s absolute! I am because he was!”

The White House called Lewis “one of our greatest entertainers and humanitarians.”

“Jerry Lewis kept us all laughing for over half a century, and his incredible charity work touched the lives of millions. Jerry lived the American Dream―he truly loved his country, and his country loved him back,” press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

Some of the most notable films in Lewis’ extensive repertoire include “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” (1959), “The Geisha Boy” (1958) and “Funnybones” (1984).

His box office grosses, spanning nearly 50 years, total $800 million―an impressive figure since movie tickets cost no more than 50 cents during the height of his popularity. AFP

Sailors missing after collision off Singapore SINGAPORE―Ten US sailors were missing and five injured after their destroyer collided with a tanker east of Singapore early Monday, the second accident involving an American warship in two months.

The guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain arrived in Singapore Monday afternoon with a large hole torn in its hull after the pre-dawn accident sent water flooding into the vessel, the US Navy said.

A major search involving ships and aircraft from three countries was launched for the missing sailors after the warship collided with the Alnic MC near the Strait of Malacca.

“Significant damage to the hull resulted in flooding to nearby compartments, including crew berthing, machinery, and communications rooms,” the navy said in a statement, after the vessel arrived at Changi Naval Base in the city-state.

“Damage control efforts by the crew halted further flooding.”

A helicopter took four of the injured to a Singapore hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening while the fifth did not need further medical attention, the navy said.

The 505-foot vessel could still sail under its own power after the collision with the Liberian-flagged tanker at 5:24 am (2124 GMT Sunday), which was slightly bigger at 600 feet. Two other vessels escorted it into port, AFP journalists saw.

The warship had been heading for a routine stop in Singapore after carrying out a sensitive “freedom of navigation operation” in the disputed South China Sea earlier in August, sparking a furious response from Beijing.

The vessel is named after US Senator John McCain’s father and grandfather, who were both admirals in the US navy.

McCain said in a tweet that he and his wife “are keeping America’s sailors aboard the USS John S McCain in our prayers tonight -- appreciate the work of search & rescue crews”.

President Donald Trump initially said “that’s too bad” in response to reporters’ shouted questions about the collision, as he arrived back at the White House after a holiday.

He followed up with a Tweet: “Thoughts & prayers are w/ our @USNavy sailors aboard the #USSJohnSMcCain where search & rescue efforts are underway.”

In June, seven American sailors died when the destroyer USS Fitzgerald collided with a Philippine-flagged cargo ship in a busy channel in Japan.

After Monday’s incident Singapore sent three tugboats and four navy and police coastguard vessels, neighboring Malaysia deployed eight ships and was set to send out aircraft, while US aircraft were also involved.

The ship involved in the accident was a tanker used for transporting oil and chemicals and weighed over 30,000 gross tonnes, according to industry website Marine Traffic. AFP

NIGHT RUN. This photo taken on July 28, 2017 shows people running at night in Shanghai. A growing number of young, educated and urban Chinese are shrugging off the myriad hazards to keep fit through serious running and the number of marathons and running events in the country is mushrooming. AFP

US-South Korea joint drills begin amid tensions SEOUL―South Korea and the United States began their annual war games on Monday, US Forces Korea said, amid the heated warnings by Pyongyang that the exercises will worsen the tensions in the region.

Tens of thousands of troops are taking part in the “Ulchi Freedom Guardian” joint military drills, a largely computer-simulated exercise that runs for two weeks in the South.

They are described as defensive, but nuclear-armed Pyongyang views them as a highly provocative rehearsal for invasion.

The drills come during a standoff on the peninsula since Pyongyang

tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles last month that appeared to bring much of the US within range.

That sparked a grim warning by President Donald Trump that Washington could rain “fire and fury” on the North.

Pyongyang threatened to fire a salvo of missiles towards the US territory of Guam―a plan that leader Kim Jong-Un last week delayed, but warned could go ahead depending on Washington’s next move.

While the allies are pushing ahead with the exercises that date back to 1976, around 17,500 US troops will participate in the drills―a cutback

from last year.

South Korean media reports have said the US was considering scrapping a plan to bring in two aircraft carriers to the peninsula.

But US Defense Secretary James Mattis said Sunday the smaller troop numbers were “by design to achieve the exercise objectives”, denying suggestions Washington had cut them back to try to ease tensions with Pyongyang.

“This right now is an exercise to make certain that we’re ready to defend South Korea and our allies over there,” Mattis told reporters aboard an aircraft flying to Amman, Jordan.

US Pacific Command chief Admi-

ral Harry Harris arrived in the South on Sunday to inspect the exercises and discuss growing North Korean nuclear and missile threats.

On the eve of the UFG drills, North Korea said the US was “pouring gasoline on fire”.

In a commentary carried by the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the North warned of an “uncontrollable phase of a nuclear war” on the peninsula.

Washington was “mistaken” to think that such a war would take place on “somebody else’s doorstep far away from them across the Pacific”, it added. AFP

S

ALCEDO Auctions, the country’s premier auction house, launched Gavel & Block, which introduced the auction platform to a contemporary audience through current and accessible quarterly themed sales dedicated to art, design, and the world of valuable collectibles.

Life CULTURE & MEDIA

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

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‘Editions,’ which was the debut auction of Gavel & Block by Salcedo Auctions, featured curated fine food products alongside fine art pieces such as this Vicente Manansala painting

For its debut, Gavel & Block by Salcedo Auctions hosted the first sale entitled “Editions” in collaboration with culinary group The Gourmand Market and the burgeoning creative event hub, Green Sun, in the Pasong Tamo Extension district.

This innovative ‘out of the box’ immersive event, which sprang from a shared interest in enriching the local cultural scene through a one-of-a-kind weekend that enlivens gustatory and aesthetic sensibilities, brought together the art, design, and culinary communities under one roof.

“As industry pioneers, we have always considered ourselves as innovators and catalysts—building and engaging new audiences—and Gavel & Block is the perfect manifestation of this,” said Richie and Karen Lerma of Salcedo Auctions.

“The Gourmand Market thrives on its creed, ‘Eat Well, Live Well,’ and is therefore, more than discovering purveyors and delectable dishes. It is also a platform where people of various interest can come together and celebrate their passions,” said the partners of The Gourmand Market— Trish Panlilio, Dara David-Roa, and Dong Ronquillo.

Green Sun’s Kevin Lim Tan noted that situating the event in a modern, design-focused space such as The Axon fits into their company’s vision for the space. He said, “Green Sun was built to be the launch pad for creativity – and it is our mission to promote the arts and enrich culture.”

The Gourmand Market, Manila’s leading premium food market, offered

a curated spread of fine food products, exciting local flavors and inventive plates to indulge even the most discriminating palates.

Editions, the debut auction of Gavel & Block by Salcedo Auctions was dedicated to the fine art of multiple originals and offered original fine prints, ceramics, and sculptures by local and international masters such as Mauro Malang Santos, Jose Joya, BenCab, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, and Victor Vasarely.

Held at The Axon, Green Sun recently, a printmaking demonstration was also held.

Creative Minds Form a Unique Art

and Fine Food Partnership

Clockwise, from left: Works by Benedicto ‘Bencab’ Cabrera, Salvador Dali, and Fernando Zobel

From left: Green Sun’s Kevin Lim Tan, Salcedo Auctions’ Karen and Richie Lerma and The Gourmand Market’s Dara David-Roa, Dong Ronquillo and Trish Panlilio

Cecile Licad featured in ‘Piano Matters’

By Pablo A. Tariman PIANIST Cecile Licad joined the distinguished list of world-acclaimed pianists given a full interview by awardwinning arts broadcaster David Dubal in his New York-based radio program Piano Matters.

The interview was heard over www fm.org worldwide .

Followed by classical audiences worldwide, Piano Matters played selected pieces from Licad’s new CD released under Danacord label.

Piano Matters compares recordings of great piano works performed by various artists past and present, analyzing and explaining differing approaches to the music.

Among the piano icons earlier interviewed by Dubal include Vladimir Horowitz, Murray Perahia, Mitsuko Uchida, and Alexis Weissenberg, among others.

An acknowledged authority on the piano literature, Dubal’s highly acclaimed books include The Art of the Piano, The Essential Canon of Classical Music, Evenings with Horowitz, Reflections from the Keyboard, and Conversations with Menuhinand among many others.

Dubalʼs video, The Golden Age of the Piano, has been seen worldwide in four languages, and won him an Emmy award.

Meanwhile, American CD critic John France gave Licad’s latest CD -- Anthology of American Piano Music, Vol. 2 Music of the Night American Nocturnes –two thumbs up.

Wrote France: “The playing by Cecile Licad is impeccable. She is absolute master of these diverse styles.

Her superb playing is complemented by the excellent recording by Danacord as well as the readable liner notes by Jeremy Nicholas and an introduction from Thomas Nickelsen.”

The latest Licad CD is now out and headed for critical acceptance even as an American CD blogger going by the

Cecile Licad at the auditorium of the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York where her new CD was recorded. (Inset) Award winning arts broadcaster David Dubal

name Fully Half-Baked (FHB) virtually labeled it as a landmark recording.

A follow up on her previous recording also focused on rarely heard American composers, Volume 2 guides the listeners to the rarely explored landscape of American classical music.

The latest recording under Danacord label features works by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, George Crumb, Amy Beach, Charles Griffes, Louis Moreau Gottschalk, Daniel Gregory Mason, Ernest Bloch, and Leo Orn-

stein, among others.

After initial listening to selected pieces in Spotify, praises have started coming out on Facebook.

One Licad fan, Hadeza Cabaddu, singles out the rendition of Gottschalk’s “La chûte des feuilles” as truly amazing it left her teary eyed over and over again.

Posted Cabaddu on FB: “The rest of the pieces are exquisitely played like the works of George Crumb, which I found very profound and nakakakilabot (hair-

raising). Thank you Cecile Licad for the exalting and mystical experience.”

FHB sized up the latest Licad CD thus: “Her latest recording exudes – once again – not only her maturity and integrity or her mastery of the piano, but also the divide between the ranks of skillful and talented pianists, with her belonging in the latter. Licad makes them all glittering, lush, and sexy. Her pristine sensitivity, tender touch, and virtuosic competence are all over in place drawing out nothing but exalting

nuances and picturesque landscapes of sound. She particularly excels in executing those delicate keyboard runs naturally without the cheap and unnecessary sentimentality most of the famous pianists today heavily rely on.”

The blogger further noted that if Licad was a painter in the earlier recording, she became a sorceress in the George Crumb playlist. “These Crumb inclusions are in my reading the best treats of American Nocturnes because listeners (and musicians) are introduced to extended techniques of piano music and performance. Second, it’s a rare circumstance to have a first-rate pianist tackle such works and drift away from the mainstream programming that we are able to hear a truly class A and authoritative musical understanding of these avant-garde music fearless of any criticism. It takes a great musical maturity and integrity for an artist to pull off an album that consists of unknown piano works.”

Moreover, the blogger further notes that the latest CD on American composers departs from previous recording in terms of programming and affords listeners a wider repertoire. “Most are not even the composer’s entire opus, but sketches that conceive an evening atmosphere taken out from their birth context to recreate another– like a Beethoven collection of his piano sonata adagios pulled out from their parent sonatas, pooled together, and reordered to arouse a fully different context.”

Based on its aural outcome, the blogger declared the latest Licad CD as a huge success.

The latest CD was recorded at the auditorium of the American Academy of Arts and Letters recognized in the classical music world as a hidden gem and the best place to record solo and chamber music.

Licad said on FB that spending a day with American composer George Crumb she found fantastic and so inspiring. “I sure am proud to have done this recording project,” said Licad who is scheduled to play two Chopin concertos in Manila in October.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Life

The Art of Joyful Giving

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

F

OR people known for its bayanihan spirit, just how generous Filipinos are? Not that generous, it turns out.

Based on the 2016 World Giving Index of the Charities Aid Foundation, the Philippines was ranked 88th out of 140 countries in terms of the average percentage of people who donate money, volunteer, or help a stranger.

Myanmar took the top spot – the third time in so many years that the primarily Buddhist country was ranked number one – followed by the United States and Australia.

“Filipinos are known to be very generous. We are known for our spirit of bayanihan. How come this does not translate into giving? The study showed only 21 percent of Filipinos make donations and do other charitable behavior,” said Ann Cuisia-Lindayag, Funder and CEO of Gava, an online donor community that envisions in making generosity a lifestyle among netizens.

Gava, which means gift in Swedish, enables users to easily create crowd-funding campaigns for various personal events and social causes.

Cuisia-Lindayag said the crowd-funding platform (gavagives.com) currently has 10 payment gateways – Mastercard/VISA, PayPal, Globe Cash, Smart Money, 7-11, payment centers, Bancnet, bank deposit, internet banking, and through cash or check pick-up.

While Gava claims to be “free of fees,” the company earns through a percentage of the donation deducted as service fee: 10 percent for individual, eight percent for non-governmental organizations, and six percent for corporate entities.

Since its inception in 2016, Gava has launched and fulfilled 1,000 causes.

Jannah Malonzo, a 24-year-old overseas Filipino worker, was able to raise $1,501.86 to help her clear her father’s name after he was falsely accused

Joaquin Gutierrez

PPO Youth in concert at CCP

(From left) Gava marketing staff Ria Rabajante, celebrity endorser and Pagcor assistant vice-president Jimmy Bondoc, and Gava CEO Ann Cuisia-Lindayag

of a crime and was put behind bars.

“We’ve tried raising funds through selling brownies, leche flan and preloved stuff, but it isn’t enough. The expenses kept on incurring, and at some point, I felt hopeless. It seems as if freedom has a price tag, and we just can’t afford it. This situation has taken its toll on our family, but we’re not giving up. Because you don’t give up on the people you love, no matter how difficult it may seem,” Malonzo said.

University of Sto. Tomas managed to raise $52,606 for its Project Agham, which aims to promote a “culture of science” by advancing the academic and research capability of the college. The contributions gathered help finance infrastructure improvement, student scholarships, and faculty and student internalization activities.

Of course, there was also the pro-Duterte rally organized by the Duterte Alliance of Volunteers, Artists and Organizers or Davao Movement. The crowd-funding campaign generated $47,470.06, which was used to finance the pro-government’s party in Luneta.

“Gava’s vision is to be top of mind when it comes to gifting, helping more people help more people,” Cuisia-Lindayag said.

“Gava aims to make it fun and easy to give to anyone. It creates a culture of giving, right at the tips of your fingers, hassle-free. The possibility to give, to share to others – it’s all right within your reach,” she added.

The company will soon launch GavaCheers, a portal where beneficiaries can give tokens or gifts to their donors.

BGC features next level edutainment facilities CHILDREN are naturally curious but they have brief attention spans. To effectively nurture kids’ mental development while keeping their focus intact, educators have long employed the technique called edutainment, a combination of “education” and “entertainment,” which literally means mixing learning with fun.

Bonifacio Global City (BGC), home to top educational institutions like the University of the Philippines and the International School Manila, houses establishments that not only engage in edutainment but take it to the next level, that is, through hands-on experience.

The Mind Museum, KidZania, and Active Fun in BGC provide kids with tools that help them learn how the world works and discover their strengths early on.

While it looks like a simple opportunity for play, these establishments cater alternative learning experiences that are fun, entertaining, and age-appropriate.

Apart from the usual videos and pictures, edutainment facilities in BGC have interactive displays and activities that let children experiment and explore things on their own. These establishments provide a complete sensory experience, stimulating all five senses.

The Mind Museum, for instance, inspires exploration, creativity, and understanding for the wonders of everything around and inside us. For kids and kids-atheart, there’s so much to do like play music at the piano stairs, marvel at a life-sized T. rex fossil and a whaleshark, see themselves in an astronaut suit floating in space, or watch live experiments by resident scientists. Every corner is truly an adventure waiting to be explored.

KidZania and Active Fun, meanwhile, are essentially play cities where kids can run around, climb, and jump as much as they want. In addition, they feature activities that are reality-based, hands-on, and interactive. KidZania allows kids to role-play as adults and have a taste of what it’s like to work at particular jobs while Active Fun holds workshops that tackle practical subjects such as Public Speaking, Entrepreneurship, Personality Development, Instrumental Lessons, and Animation. These provide kids an opportunity to develop and enhance social skills as they come face-to-face with new playmates and deal with other children of different ages.

“Kids nowadays are perpetually glued to their gadgets. And while they can learn things via digital, it is important to take them away from screens every so often so they can develop not only motor skills but real world skills. BGC provides a multitude of 21st century learning opportunities to nurture both mental and physical development,” said Sean Luarca, marketing manager of Fort Bonifacio Development Corp.

For more information, head on over to the BGC website at www.bgc.com,ph or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/bonifacioglobalcityph. You may also visit The Mind Museum, KidZania, and Active Fun online.

THE Cultural Center of the Philippines invites young people (ages 10-13 years old) to watch the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra (PPO) perform under the baton of Maestro Yoshikazu Fukumura on Aug.24 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., at CCP’s Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater). Guest artists are Filipino violinist Joaquin Maria “Chino” Gutierrez for the morning concert, and violinist Adrian Nicolas C. Ong for the afternoon performance.

The concert aims to stimulate the children’s creativity as well as develop their understanding of symphonic music in a concert setting. The young audience will also have the chance to acquaint themselves with the four major families of instruments. Certain musical terms will also be explained during the concert.

Program includes J. Strauss’ Die Fledermaus – Overture, and Pizzicato Polka, C. Saint-Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso, R. Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on Greensleeves, Leroy Anderson’s Serenata and Arturo Marques’ Danzon No.2.

Gutierrez began his violin studies at age seven, under Alfonso Bolipata. At 9, he won second prize at the National Music Competitions for Young Artists (NAMCYA), and won first prize in the same competition when he was 12.

He made his orchestral debut at age 10, with the Metro Manila Community Or-

Adrian Nicolas Ong

Active Fun in BGC provides children an opportunity to develop their other skills with its workshops and activities.

KidZania allows kids to role play as adults and experience different professions, such as a pilot.

The Mind Museum takes edutainment to the next level with its interactive exhibits and fun science experiments.

chestra under Josefino Chino Toledo, at the CCP. At 14, Chino was admitted into the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, under Jens Ellermann. His education further flourished under Olga Voitova Bloch and Christoph Poppen in the same institution.

Most recently, he was admitted to the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg under Pierre Amoyal. He represented the Philippines at the Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition and the Singapore International Violin Festival.

Gutierrez is an alumnus of the Kronberg Academy Mastercourse, the Keshet Eilon International mastercourse and the Beijing Central Conservatory masterclasses. He performs on a 1760 Vinaccia on loan from a generous patron.

Meanwhile,. Ong started playing the violin at age 9, under Professor Mellissa Geronimo Esguerra. At age 12, he was accepted as a full scholar from Grades 7 to 9 at the Philippine High School for the Arts in Mount Makiling, Los Baños in Laguna, Philippines, where he trained under Professor Gina Medina Perez.

He was awarded a full scholarship grant for the school year 2016 to 2019, at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, USA. He started as a Grade 10 scholar and was included in the High Honors Lists both in the academics and the arts. He is an incoming Grade 11 student under the tutelage of Professors Paul Sonner, Ara Sarkissian, and Renee Skerik, all of whom are faculty members at the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

He had his first solo recital, titled Concertino on Aug. 26, 2016, at the CCP. He is a pioneer member of the Manila Symphony Junior Orchestra, under Professor Jeffrey Solares. They recently won second place in the Summa Cum Laude Orchestral Strings Category in Vienna, Austria in July.

Ticket price for the concert is Php200.

For more information, call the CCP Marketing Department at 832-1125 loc. 1800 to 1806 or the PPO Office at 832-1125 loc.

1608 and 1610.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

‘CARS 3’ exclusive events at SM

I

N LINE with the much- awaited theatrical release of Disney Pixar’s Cars 3, SM and Disney Philippines recently held two exciting events - Toy Kingdom’s exclusive Toy Launch, and the unveiling of the life-size Lightning McQueen in partnership with SM Leisure and Entertainment, Toy Kingdom, and Disney.

During the Toy Launch at The Block at SM City North EDSA, Cars fans had an exclusive first look of the newest and coolest toys inspired by the movie. They were delighted with the new edition of cars featuring the famous movie characters; Lightning McQueen, Fillmore and Mack.

Kids were also amazed with the cool features of the radio control McQueen and his new rival in the movie, Jackson Storm.

In another exclusive event, Cars 3 enthusiasts were thrilled with the life-size Lightning McQueen unveiled by actor and car racer Matteo Guidicelli at The Block Atrium, SM City North Edsa. During this

event of SM Leisure and Entertainment in partnership with Toy Kingdom and Disney, guests had the chance to strike a pose with Lightning McQueen inside the race track.

Now showing at all SM Cinemas nationwide, Cars 3 is the 3rd installment in the Disney Pixar Cars film franchise.

In the film, Lightning McQueen sets out to prove to a new generation of racers that he’s still the best racecar in the world.

Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast cars, seven- time Piston Cup racing legend Lightning McQueen is unexpectedly being pushed out of the

Celebrity car racer Matteo Guidicelli unveiled the life- size version of Lightning McQueen in time for the movie showing of “Cars 3”

sport that he loves.

Hoping to get back in the game, he turns to Cruz Ramirez, an eager young technician who has her own plans of winning. With inspiration from the Fabulous Hudson

Hornet and new unexpected turns, No. 95 prepares to compete on Piston Racing Cup’s biggest stage.

Feel the thrill of the race with Cars 3 toys available at all Toy Kingdom Express

outlets in The SM Store and Toy Kingdom stores in most SM Supermalls. Also visit www.toykingdom.ph and follow ToyKingdomPH at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

‘PAW Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue’ heads to the Big Dome DO YOU know the names Marshall, Chase, Skye, Rubble, Rocky, Zuma, and Everest? If you do, then chances are your kids and the young ones in your family are fans of PAW Patrol, the hit Nickelodeon animated series featuring a boy named Ryder who leads the pack of aforementioned rescue dogs, and work with the pups on missions to protect their community.

Here is a chance to treat your kids to an exciting, high-energy musical adventure as PAW Patrol goes on stage with “PAW Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue.”

This much-awaited show is scheduled on Oct. 28 to 29 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

In this stage adaptation, the pups come to the rescue when Mayor Goodway goes missing on the day of the Great Adventure Bay Race, proving that “no job is too big, no pup is too small.” Inspired by realworld jobs (fire fighter, a police officer, and a construction

is a great introduction to live theater for kids. Families will be treated to classic theatrical scenery, displayed in a state-ofthe-art video wall that transports the viewer to locations based on the TV series, like Adventure Bay, The Lookout, Seal Island, Yumi’s Farm, and Jake’s Mountain. A special interactive video allows the audience to participate via interviews and solving clues

The cast of the stage adaptation of the Nickelodeon hit animated series, "Paw Patrol"

worker), the show teaches kids lessons on citizenship, social skills, and problem-solving by highlighting the importance of each member’s unique skills, and how success could be attained with teamwork.

Audiences will be in for a truly unique and engaging experience.

The characters are brought to life using Bunraku puppetry, a unique live-theater approach originating from Japan. According to VStar Entertainment group producer Jim Waters, puppetry elements are built into the costumes worn by the actors, creating an atmosphere that would allow

the life-sized pups to “make a stronger connection with the audience.” He adds that the song and dance numbers bring “a fun, realistic parallel between the animated series and the live show.”

Featuring lively music and a cleverly written script, the show

Heartwarming comedy returns for new season YOUR favorite “sisters” continue their adventures as their friendship faces its biggest challenge yet in the new season of the comedy series Playing House on Sony Channel.

Childhood best friends Maggie Caruso (Lennon Parham) and Emma Crawford (Jessica St. Clair) are back, and they are bringing their fun friends with them.

In the new season, the tables are turned, as Emma needs all the support she can have from Maggie after she is diagnosed with breast cancer. With the people who love her by her side, Emma undergoes treatment and emerges somehow happier and more fulfilled than she has ever been.

Despite their differences, Maggie and Emma get through the hard times as they complement each other the way only best friends can - by facing the challenges of their past, present and future together.

Playing House Season 3 airs every Sunday at 7:30 p.m., part of ROFLing Sundays first and exclusive on Sony Channel available on SKYCable Channel 35, Destiny Cable Channel 62, Cignal Channel 120, G Sat Channel 48, and Cablelink Channel 39.

SISTERS. Lennon Parham and Jessica St. Clair, the wacky duo in American comedy, "Playing House"

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, August 22, 2017

ACROSS 1 Bachelor’s last stop 6 Walk off with 10 Lean 14 Watered silk 15 Operatic prince 16 Make over 17 Fabric rolls 18 Swain 19 Romantic deity 20 Acquired the film rights to 22 In a dull fashion 24 Narrow board 25 Got a move on 26 Said in fun 29 Loathes 32 Love, to Pablo 33 Stayed 35 Woosnam of golf 37 Upholstery choice 39 MIT grad 40 Edge past 42 Dixie st.

43 Sees it the same way 46 Volcano’s output 47 Blackboard needs 49 Harder to believe 51 Olin or Horne 52 Leslie Caron film

53 Professor’s goal 56 Set up 60 Mushroom part 61 Drift here and yon 63 March composer 64 In a while 65 No future — — 66 Shankar’s strings 67 Hindu princess 68 Pedro’s house 69 Debate topic DOWN 1 Lectern 2 Air show maneuver 3 Go against Galahad 4 Style 5 Fix a boot 6 Nepal neighbor 7 Like some cheeses 8 RV haven 9 Learned 10 Stair parts 11 Medicinal plant 12 Graven image 13 Inquisitive 21 Goose egg 23 Cattails 25 Be evasive 26 Website language

27 Novelist — Zola 28 Treasure hunter’s aid 29 Eats 30 Type of pool 31 Healing ointment 34 Catcher under Stengel 36 Close by 38 Type of computer printer 41 Where Peoria is 44 Brand X 45 Follow the

recipe 48 Graduates 50 Andre of tennis 52 Ms. Garbo 53 Bygone tyrant 54 Sight from Messina 55 Inert gas 56 Hertz competitor 57 Slangy courage 58 Rebekah’s son 59 Meet defiantly 62 Off — — tangent

with the gang, among others.

Paw Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue will run on Oct. 28 to 29, with two shows a day at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m..

Tickets are now on sale at www. ticketnet.com.ph, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Box-office, and all TicketNet outlets, including the new one on Level 1 Robinson’s Department Store in Galleria. For more information, call 911-5555.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, AUGUST 22, 2017

FAN FAVORITE. JC Santos and Bella Padilla, stars of the unconventional romantic feature film, “100 Tula Para Kay Stella”

Last chance to watch

‘100 TULA PARA KAY STELLA’

I

F FILM Development Council of the Philippines Chairman is expressing overjoy with the success of the first Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, Vic del Rosario of Viva Films, ISAH V. RED producer of the festival’s top-grossing movie, is laughing his way to the bank as 100 Tula Para Kay Stella runs away ahead of the other films in the weeklong Tagalog moviefest.

The film is simple, no frills story of a guy with a speech defect who turns to writing poetry to verbalize his feelings for a girl who has passion for music, written and directed by Jason Paul Laxamana.

Says its marketing pitch, it is an artistic depiction of a realistic love story between college friends Fidel and Stella, (JC Santos and Bela Padilla).

At the press conference of PPP before the festival opened, Santos said the film is based on the true story of director Laxamana himself.

“Mayroon talagang tula at mayroon talagang girl na inalayan niya ng kwento,” he said.

The speech defect is just an added element to the lead character.

Meanwhile, Bela said that before she and Santos landed the roles, many actors had been considered for their roles. She is very grateful to VIVA Films for producing the movie. “Sumugal sila kasi kakaiba yung materyal pero pinayagan nila kaming gawin ito,” she said emphatically.

Undoubtedly proud of this project, she said there was no way she would have let this opportunity pass.

The characters Fidel and Stella are classmates in college majoring in psychology. Fidel limits his sentences to three words because anything longer than that would cause him to stutter. Stella says she doesn’t mind even if he stutters, and treats him as a friend.

The two enjoy each other’s company.

Stella, a vocalist of a rock band, talks about her dream of performing in front of a huge crowd. Fidel encourages her, at the same time, reminding her to pay attention to her studies as well. Fidel falls for Stella and writes poems to win her heart, like, “Handa na ang sundalong ito na sumabak sa giyera. Nais kong malaman mong gustong-gusto kita.”

But having his love reciprocated becomes just another concern as he notices that Stella’s studies are suffering because of her dream.

As he challenges her to set her priorities straight, does his love for her stand a chance?

Time for you to head on to the nearest plex showing the film as the festival ends officially today.

Well, with the popularity of the film it could have an extended run, not unless the Cineplex operators have committed their screens to English language films.

Simple but heartfelt poems, a touch of rock music, JC and Bela’s acting, solid storytelling -- see how all these made 100 Tula Para Kay Stella the big hit in the first ever Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. *** Remember Dayanara Torres?

She seems she can’t forget her experiences in the Philippines.

Recently, she sent a note for every Filipino to read.

We’re reprinting it in toto for your appreciation.

In love with the Philippines It was only at the beginning of this year that I was able to go back to a country that is very dear to my heart, a country that gave me the opportunity to live, work, and make so many wishes come true. I was ecstatic when I heard that this year’s Miss Universe pageant was coming back to the Philippines. I knew in my heart I needed to be there! So many memories, so many friendships…

Arriving in the Philippines was honestly like coming back home.

The love, the smiles, the hugs... it was as if I had never left. My heart was filled with so much love and emotions…brought tears to my eyes…such an emotional journey!

My days were full – in-between my duties as one of the Miss Universe judges – but always making time aside to meet with my old friends and co-workers.

I decided to stay longer and be part of ASAP’s 22nd anniversary!

ASAP was the show I started as a host together with Martin Nievera, Pops Fernandez, and Ariel Rivera in 1994. Getting back to be on that stage and do a dance number just like before was such a memorable

experience. Unforgettable! I will treasure that moment forever.

Lots of ideas and opportunities kept coming…the shows of ABS-CBN, and then I became a member of the Belo Family and Luxxe Renew. I’ve been pretty much dedicated and involved with my sons’ lives... and now they are much older and I have been able to get back to my career, little by little. The timing was perfect!

My summer was set, I was ready to go back to the Philippines for the whole summer! I even planned to bring the boys for part of the summer too.

Unfortunately, the two projects that were supposed to keep me busy in Manila were pushed back a year!

Although I’ve been sad about this, I’m still hopeful that things will turn out when they are supposed to...my Love and admiration for the Philippines and its loving people remains in my heart...

For now I keep connected to my wonderful & loyal fans. I’ll be part of the Binibining Pilipinas USA 2017 this Sunday at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center as one of its judges together with Dennis Quaid, Gary Catona and Cece Peniston. To be televised at a later date on TFC. Will always keep in touch through my social media @dayanarapr (especially on Instagram) any news, events happening...you’ll be the first to know!

Until I come back...hopefully very soon! Hanggang sa muli.

Mahal ko kayong lahat!

Love, Dayanara Torres *** Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara

CLASSIC BEAUTY. Miss Universe 1993 Dayanara Torres poses with fans during her visit in Manila early this year

Torres was the chairperson of the board of judges of Bb. Pilipinas USA. The show was held last Sunday at Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center. The event was hosted by KC Concepcion and KC Montero. Kat de Castro was also one of the judges. *** OPM icon and award-winning songwriter Vehnee Saturno inked a publishing agreement with GMA Network on Aug. 11, assigning all the rights of his hit songs to GMA Records.

The agreement enables GMA Records to administer the copyrighted works of Saturno and allowing GMA Network to use the hit materials as theme music for programs, background music, actual performances, and the like.

Present in the contract signing were GMA executives – Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon, President and COO Gilberto R. Duavit, Jr., Records Managing Director Rene Salta.

Saturno feels honored to be able to share his timeless music to a wider audience and provide quality songs to the Network’s programs.

“Tuwang tuwa ako dahil finally meron kaming magiging partnership with GMA. For a songwriter na mabigyan ng opportunity to sign up yung mga existing catalog mo and gamitin nila sa mga programa ay sobrang nakakatuwa at nakakataba ng puso,” shared the OPM icon.

Meanwhile, Salta expressed his admiration to Saturno’s works.

“Vehnee is one of the living legends of OPM. Iilan na lang silang elite songwriters natin dito sa Pilipinas so it’s very good for us GMA Records and GMA Network na magkaroon ng partnership.”

Some of the songs that can be utilized by the network include “Kung Malaya Lang Ako,” “Sa Aking Panaginip,” “Nasaan,” “Awit Kay Inay,” “Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka,” “Ikaw Na Sana,” and “Lumuhod Ka Sa Lupa.”

Noel Comia wins Cinemalaya 2017 Best Actor

Singer and child actor Noel Comia, Jr. shows off his Balanghai Best Actor trophy for his exceptional performance in “Kiko Boksingero”

WONDERBOY and MCA Music Artist, Noel Comia, Jr. is a multi-talented 13-year-old who plays the ukulele, keyboards, and guitar. Noel won Best Actor at the Cinemalaya 2017 Awards, the youngest winner so far, for his role in the movie Kiko Boksingero.

Prior to landing the lead role for the movie, he became a finalist in The Voice Kids Season 3 under Coach Lea Salonga and has been cast in different theatre plays including KAPI’s Hua Mulan where he won Best Child Performer in 2014. He was also in the movie This Time where he played the role of a younger character played by James Reid.

His cover of “Beauty and the Beast” with The Voice Kids Season 2 Grand Champion Elha Nympha has more than 3.9 Million Views on YouTube now.

With the release of his singles “The Show” and “Alaalarawan,” Noel Comia Jr. is set to charm his way as a promising singer-actor.

You can stream/ download Noel Comia’s singles below: The Show: https://noelcomiajr.lnk.to/TheShowOM Alaalarawan: https://noelcomiajr.lnk.to/AlaalarawanOM