Manila Standard - 2017 August 29 - Tuesday

AFP GEARS UP FOR ‘BIG BATTLE’ VS IS-MAUTE ARMED Forces Chief Eduardo Año said Monday the military was now preparing for the “one big battle” that would liberate Marawi City from the Maute terrorists after regaining the city’s police station and Grand Mosque last week.

He made the statement even as security forces on Monday killed 10 Islamic Stateinspired terrorists in an encounter on Lake Lanao.

Año said the final battle was possible as the area where the remaining terror-

ists were holding out in Marawi City had grown much smaller.

“Formerly they were spread out, [but with the capture of the Marawi City police station and Grand Mosque] they are now consolidating their remaining fighters and positions,” Año said.

The 10 terrorists were trying to sneak into the battle zone in Marawi City to reinforce their comrades, but they were intercepted by Army troops, an official said.

Next page VOL. XXXI • NO. 196 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Church to public: Speak up vs killings

By Vito Barcelo

LAPU-LAPU MEDAL. President Rodrigo Duterte confers the Order of Lapu-Lapu Magalong Medal on Ozamiz City Police Director Chief. Insp. Jovie Espenido during the National Heroes’ Day celebration at the Libingan ng mga Bayani on Monday. He was hailed for his successful anti-illegal drug operations in Ozamiz, where Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog and 14 others were killed recently. Espenido was then reassigned to Iloilo City. Malacañang Photo

CATHOLIC Church leaders on Monday said people should not keep silent on drug killings when it comes to abuses and instead come out and support actions against extrajudicial killings.

Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr. said society should not stay silent when it comes to abuses, and criticized the war on drugs which has already claimed more that 3,000 lives since President Rodrigo Duterte took office last year.

The Jesuit community led

by Fr. Antonio Moreno expressed sympathy for the victims of summary killings and pressed the need for community support and action to curtail the drug problem. Next page

Iloilo mayor warned End drug ties or suffer narco-pols’ fate—Du30

Rody vows justice for Kian Loyd PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Monday assured the family of slain 17-year-old student Kian Loyd delos Santos that justice will be served following his killing at the hands of rogue Caloocan cops.

“He promised us that he would help solve the case because anyone who is guilty should be punished,” said Lorenza delos Santos, Kian’s mother, speaking in Filipino.

Lorenza and her husband Saldy had lunch with the President at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang Park after he arrived from an event in San Fernando, Pampanga, past 1 p.m.

Duterte assured the parents of Kian that no one will meddle in the case, noting that only the courts and the prosecutor will handle it.

At the same time, Duterte vowed there would be no coverup of abuses committed under his administration.

“I don’t cover up abuses. That’s not the work of the President,” Duterte told Kian’s parents. “Our work is to protect the people.”

The meeting, requested by the Delos Santoses, lasted more than an hour.

Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II and Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go accompanied the President durNext page ing the meeting.

By John Paolo Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta

S

AN FERNANDO, Pampanga—President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned Iloilo City Mayor Jed Mabilog that he might lose his life if he does not stop protecting the illegal drug trade, then announced the transfer of a police inspector who was in charge of operations that left two mayors dead.

“Now, while nothing is happening, you might want to end your drug connections,” Duterte said, addressing Mabilog in Filipino.

“Just be a drug lord. You’ll earn billions. But in exchange, you’ll die. Let’s not kid around,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Duterte said he wondered if Mabilog could

Next page

In boodle fight, Rody makes strong pitch for poultry items

PERSONAL GRATITUDE. Parents of 17-year-old Kian Loyd delos Santos, slain last week in an anti-illegal drug operation by police in Caloocan City, call on President Rodrigo Duterte to express their collective gratitude for assuring that justice will be served and that there will be no interference in the case, citing that only due process will prevail. Malacañang Photo

Agrarian chief faces congressional wringer AGRARIAN Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano is set to face the Commission on Appointments for the first time on Wednesday, with at least 10 oppositions filed against his nomination.

In a notice of meeting published by the CA, it listed 10 oppositions, three of which are separate resolutions issued by three

suffer the same fate as Albuera, Leyte Mayor Rolando Espinosa and Ozamiz City Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog Jr., both of whom died in anti-drug operations supervised

by Chief Supt. Jovie Espenido.

“Espenido, where are you? I will ask you again, you asked for

barangays in Tarlac.

Publication of the notice coincided with a concern raised

by ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. Antonio Tinio that leftist lawmakers at the House of Representatives had “practically” broken their alliance with President Rodrigo Duterte.

Next page

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga ― President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday assured the public that poultry products remained safe for consumption as he announced he would seek additional funds to augment the government’s support for the poultry raisers.

“I assure the public that the poultry products in Pampanga and Nueva Ecija are safe for consumption and that we, in government,

are undertaking efforts to stamp out the outbreak and minimize its impact in the country,” the President said, as he visited Pampanga province recently struck by the avian influenza virus.

In making his pitch―the President even feasted on adobong balut, pritong pugo, adobong manok, litson manok, kalderetang bibe and nilagang itlog in a boodle fight with top officials― Next page

Taguiwalo rapped for fund diversion CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga ― Former Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo is suspected of diverting government funds allotted for the government’s conditional dole to support the cause of the communist New People’s Army, President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday.

Citing reports that could not be immediately verified independently, there were insinuations the

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S

bulk of the money supposedly intended for the 4 Ps program was given to the New People’s Army, adding he would have allowed that if the money was used to buy food for poor NPA members.

But he said there were anxieties the money was used to buy bullets or firearms, following the pronouncement of Jose Maria Sison, the exiled leader of the Communist Party of the Philippines, that the communists were expand-

manilastandard.net

ing their ranks and recruiting new members.

Duterte said he did not believe allegations against taguiwalo, who was recently rejected by the powerful Commission on Appointments.

Meanwhile, Duterte told former Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon to first take a break amid the P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China that slipped Next page Taguiwalo through his agency.

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Customs man gets ‘death threats’ Petrol leads

By Vito Barcelo and Maricel V. Cruz

R

ESIGNED Customs intelligence chief Neil Estrella claimed Monday he had been receiving death threats from unknown people in the wake of the alleged attempt to smuggle in P6.4 billion worth of shabu from Customs.

Estrella was among the highranking Customs officials allegedly receiving weekly payoffs from Customs broker Mark Taguba to speed up the release of his shipments, a charge that he denies.

In the House, Rep. Lito Atienza on Monday asked his colleagues to scrap the extra P4.2-billion

annual funding requested by the Bureau of Customs to fill up more than 3,000 vacant positions, saying that was unnecessary.

He also pressed for the passage of a new law requiring the preshipment inspection abroad of all imports bound for the Philippines.

“Nobody can fix the rampant corruption and gross inadequa-

Church...

From A1

security forces.”

UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard once again became the target of the President’s shower of expletives Monday, after she urged an end to his war on drugs with the death of Grade 11 student Kian delos Santos.

In a chance interview, Duterte reacted profanely to Callamard’s call that Delos Santos’ death should be the last in the government’s “cruel” anti-drugs campaign.

“T*** i** niya, sabihin mo. Huwag niya akong takutin. P***** i** niya. G*** pala siya eh [Son of a bitch, tell her. She shouldn’t try to scare me. Son of a bitch. She’s a fool.],” the President said of the French UN official.

Duterte accused Callamard of speaking up before knowing more about the situation on the ground.

He also said that even under French laws, a suspect is guilty until he or she proves his innocence.

“Papuntahin mo dito. Tingnan mo ang sitwasyon. Do not ever give me that kind of shit. Republika ng Pilipinas ito. ‘Di ito teritoryo ng France. Gago pala siya, di siya nakikinig sa sinasabi ko [Let her come here. Look at the situation. Do not ever give me that kind of shit. This is the Republic of the Philippines, not a territory of France. She’s a fool for not listening to what I said],” he said.

Callamard earlier branded delos Santos’ death a murder, as she called for an investigation on “all unlawful deaths.”

Earlier, Duterte dared critics of the government’s war on drugs to stage an uprising against him.

“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.

Callamard expressed regret over Duterte’s remarks against her.

“I regret President Duterte’s response to my condolences to Kian Lyod delos Santos’ family. Kian and others like him deserve dignity and justice. His family and families like his demand our respect and empathy. Not expletives,” Callamard said.

The Jesuits said that looking away will not solve the problem, but unity behind concerted efforts and action will reduce it.

Bacani said the case of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos who was killed in a police operation on Aug. 16 was just one of the many extrajudicial killings.

Police claimed that the grade 11 student was a drug runner who tried to resist arrest and fired a gun at authorities, prompting them to shoot back, but the CCTV footage, eyewitnesses and the autopsy findings contradicted their claims.

“The abuses are saddening; those involved should be held responsible in front of society. I’m asking the Lord to forgive them and that their conscience makes them ask God for forgiveness and to attain it, but in our society, they must be punished and disciplined; we must not just consent to their actions,” Bacani said.

“Though we wish to be in solidarity with all victims of injustice, we must move beyond expressions of outrage to constructive action,” Moreno said.

He said these actions may include raising public awareness about the evil of illegal drugs and by engaging other people, especially the youth, to stay away from vices.

The priest also rallied everyone to get involved, to work together with Church-based groups, the government and civil society organizations.

The Jesuits said it is imperative for everyone to rally behind the authorities and crime-fighting initiatives.

“It belongs to us all,” Moreno said, adding that the “evil” that attacks the human “should unite us, not divide us.”

That’s why the religious order welcomed the call of Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle to a multi-sectoral dialogue to understand the drug problem “in depth”.

Saying that the drug menace, is not just a political or criminal issue, they said that it is “evil that attacks our humanity,” even “turning policemen into murderers, and the poor into the victims of their own

In boodle...

From A1 to end the slump in the sales of poultry and poultry products following the Bird Flu scare.

Duterte then vowed to raise more money using funds from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. to help poultry raisers in provinces affected by the avian influenza.

“Let us find out [how much would be the cost] and maybe we can add more. But [only what we can afford, I will ask Andrea of Pagcor if they have the funds],” Duterte said, adding his administration would raise the money.

“I’ll try to find out in a few weeks and maybe… at the end of the month... Just to add a little bit to the amount that you have already received,” he said in a media interview.

During the event, the President led the awarding of indemnity checks to poultry raisers whose farms were depopulated to prevent further spread of bird flu virus.

Certificates of appreciation were also given to agencies and local government units who worked together to stamp out bird flu To stamp out the outbreak and minimize its impact to the country,

Agrarian...

From A1 Interviewed during the launching of the Movement Against Tyranny Coalition in Quezon City on Monday, Tinio said this was due to Duterte’s pronouncements on certain issues and other progressive matters.

Leftist lawmakers at the House, collectively called the Makabayan bloc, are part of the House superma-

Duterte said the government was undertaking efforts such as the culling of affected fowls, which was completed on Aug. 24.

The President likewise expressed gratitude to the local officials and people of Pampanga and Nueva Ecija for their solidarity and cooperation in quickly stamping out avian flu in the affected areas.

“I thank everyone here today for playing their respective roles in the implementation of isolation and quarantine measures towards the eventual elimination of avian flu in the country,” he said.

Duterte also apologized for constantly coughing throughout his less than 16-minute speech after an allergic reaction following his exposure to flowers.

“I just came from a wreath laying ceremony. I am allergic to flowers...

I cannot tolerate flowers,” Duterte said.

Joining Duterte were Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda, Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado, and former Leyte congressman Martin Romualdez. John Paolo Bencito jority led by allies of Duterte.

The seven-member group includes Tinio and fellow ACT Teachers Party-list Rep. France Castro, Bayan Muna’s Carlos Zarate, Gabriela Women’s Party’s Emmi de Jesus and Arlene Brosas, Anakpawis’ Ariel Casilao and Kabataan’s Sarah Elago.

Tinio said there was no longer basis to continue the alliance with Duterte, given the President’s stance on several issues that the Makabayan bloc feels strongly against.

cy at the BoC. Not even Isidro Lapeña,” said Atienza, referring to the outgoing director of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency who will take his oath on Tuesday as the new Customs commissioner.

“There’s no point in wasting billions of pesos to double the number of Customs staff.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Raneo Abu on Monday defended the House committee on dangerous drugs’ decision not to include former and active basketball players from criminal prosecution as a result of their employment at the Bureau of Customs as technical assistants.

“The liability falls on those who hired and approved their employment if they were qualified or not,” Abu said.

Abu was commenting on the report of the panel led by Rep. Robert Ace Barbers on the alleged attempt to smuggle in P6.4billion shabu from Customs, which is now being signed by its members for final approval.

Atienza authored House Bill 6220, which calls for the compulsory pre-shipment inspection or advance clearance of all foreign cargoes headed for the Philippines.

He said Customs had been “set up to fail” in its mission to protect the country against illegal shipments and to collect the exact import duties and taxes.

He said rotten Customs officials and employees did not want the bureau to succeed in its job.

“They want the BoC to stay inefficient because they thrive

on inefficiency―because corruption thrives on inefficiency,” Atienza said.

“The day the bureau becomes truly effective at its job is also the day corrupt examiners and agents lose their lucrative rackets.”

Atienza said the only viable intervention left was for Congress to require the prior screening overseas of all shipments destined for the Philippines.

“Once we have pre-shipment inspection, the BoC will actually need fewer staff because the bureau will be performing less work,” Atienza said.

In the proposed P3.767-trillion General Appropriations Act for 2018, Customs is seeking to spend an additional P4.2 billion to fill up 3,233 vacant positions.

alleged that Iloilo province is a bedrock of illegal drug trading in the Visayas region—an allegation already denied by local officials.

Espenido earlier led the raids on the houses of the Parojinog clan in July that led to the death of Parojinog and 14 others.

Before that, he was police chief of Albuera, Leyte, when Mayor Rolando Espinosa Sr. was killed in a police raid in his jail cell inside the sub-provincial prison in Baybay City.

Mabilog welcomed Espenido’s assignment to his city.

“I look forward to working side by side with Chief Inspector Espenido as the President’s point-man in the battle against illegal drugs in Iloilo, both city and province,” the Iloilo City mayor, a second cousin to Senator Franklin Drilon, told the Panay News.

“I am sure that we could learn something about his anti-drug strategy, including the identification of new players and where are they hiding,” he said in Filipino.

Drilon said given Espenido’s track record, his appointment to Iloilo City was a “cause for concern.”

Nevertheless, Drilon said, “the peace-loving, cultured, and law abiding Ilongos welcome him to Iloilo City.”

The President named Mabilog as a drug protector and called Iloilo the capital of the drug trade, and said the province was “the most shabulized” in the country.

Earlier this month, Mabilog said his city is drug-free despite Duterte’s pronouncement. However, the mayor conceded he could not help but worry following the deaths of Espinosa and Parojinog.

The name of Espenido hogged

the headlines following the death of Espinosa, father of the alleged Eastern Visayas drug lord Kerwin, who was shot inside his jail cell in Baybay City, Leyte.

Espenido was also the police commander of Albuera, Leyte when Espinosa Sr. was killed in what the National Bureau of Investigation called a rubout inside the jail.

Espinosa and Kerwin were among the drug suspects tagged

by Duterte. The President even gave them an ultimatum to surrender. The mayor heeded Duterte’s call but still died in his cell.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said he trusts Espenido knows what to do.

Despite the President’s obvious threat, Lacson said, it was Espenido’s responsibility to uphold the rule of law and follow the rules of engagement.

“I knew him as a focused, diligent and upright police non commissioned officer when he was working with me at the defunct PAOCTF [Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force] 17 years ago,” said Lacson, a former police chief.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III rejected Drilon’s assertion that Espenido’s designation as Iloilo City police chief was a cause for alarm.

“Not at all. All the local officials have to do is stay away clear of illegal drugs. Nothing to worry about. Unless they insist and fight back, then that’s their problem,” Sotto said.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald dela Rosa said Mabilog had nothing to fear with the assignment of Espenido to his city.

Dela Rosa said the mayor should only be frightened if he is doing something illegal.

did not shoot at the police.

Lorenza said politicians should stop trying to ride on the case.

“All we want is justice for the death of our son,” she said in Filipino. “That’s all.”

Malacañang had earlier tried to play down the case, but later said the law should be allowed to run its course.

Also on Monday, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said student leaders who asked him to inhibit himself in the Kian delos Santos case were “misinformed.”

“These so called student leaders are misinformed or ignorant of our procedures at the DoJ. I will not even touch that case,” Aguirre said in a text message.

Student leaders from various organizations and schools said Aguirre should inhibit himself from Kian’s case following his biased pronouncements against Kian.

The students said they fear that

with Aguirre on the frontline, the case against Kian could be whitewashed.

But Aguirres said he had not handled a single case since he assumed office at the Department of Justice last year.

“At the moment, the prosecutors at the National Prosecution Service will handle it. Even on appeal, I will not handle the case.

The cases on appeal are assigned to my five undersecretaries. They will not be brought to me for any action before filing in court, or their dismissal,” Aguirre said.

Kian’s family through the Public Attorneys’ Office filed murder and torture complaints against Caloocan City Station 7 Police Chief Inspector Amor Cerillo, Police Officer 3 Arnel Oares and Police Officers 1 Jeremiah Pereda and Jerwin Cruz and several John Does. John

Capt. Jo-Ann Petinglay, spokeswoman of the Western Mindanao Command, said the 10 terrorists were on board two motorized pump boats when they were spotted cruising toward Marawi City.

The troops were fired upon as they approached, and that started the firefight that lasted for about three hours, Petinglay said.

She said five of the terrorists were killed instantly, while the other five were killed after they tried to escape.

“The plan of the terrorists was earlier reported to us, and that is why it was easier for patrolling spe-

cial forces riverine units and maritime policemen to detect and neutralize the movement,” said Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, head of the Western Mindanao Command.

“The recent accomplishment of our ground forces only shows the successful coordination made by our troops and the local government units. With PNA

Tinio said they had yet to decide whether they would join the Magnificent 7 or the Minority bloc in case they formally withdraw their support to the Duterte administration.

The oppositions against Mariano were filed by the following: 1. Joint sworn opposition of Mr. Noel A. Mallari, et al.; 2. Sworn opposition of Mr. Manuel O. Gallego, Jr.; 3. Sworn opposition of Mr. Ricardo V. Quintos;

4. Joint sworn opposition of Mr. Rodel Mesa and Mr. Angelito Bais; 5. Joint sworn opposition of Roberto Nidera, et al.; 6. Barangay Resolution of Barangay Sta. Catalina, Tarlac City, Tarlac 7. Barangay Resolution of Barangay Asturias, Tarlac City, Tarlac 8. Barangay Resolution of Barangay Motrico, La Paz, Tarlac 9. Sworn opposition of Mr. Edgar V. Aguas 10. Joint sworn opposition of Mr.

Manolito B. Dagatan and Mr. Hernani P. Geronimo In a text message, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said it would be difficult for the CA to come up with a decision by Wednesday.

“We have to listen first,” Sotto, chairman of the CA committee on agrarian reform, said.

Members of the Makabayan bloc earlier said they expected Mariano, former Anakpawis Party-list solon, to be rejected by the CA.

Iloilo...

From A1 the assignment in Leyte,” he said in a speech at the National Heroes Day commemoration at the Libingan ng mga Bayani.

“You asked for another assignment in Ozamiz. Now, you want to be assigned to Iloilo because Mabilog has been identified as a protector-mayor. Will he remain alive?”

Towards the end of his speech, Duterte announced he was sending Espenido, whom he awarded the Magalong Medal, Order of Lapu-Lapu, to the Western Visayas city.

“He is a dedicated man,” said Duterte of Espenido in a chance interview. “He knows his law.

So he should replicate his exploits in other parts of the country. He wants to be assigned in Iloilo, I will assign him there.”

Duterte reminded Espenido to “follow the rules of engagement” and that “murder and homicide or whatever unlawful killing is not allowed.”

In a radio interview, Espenido said that he was not surprised by the President’s announcement as he gave an early warning to Mabilog.

“See you in Iloilo,” Espenido said.

He added that is never his style to rely on rumors, speculation and second-hand information.

“On my own, I really work so I myself can be sure that there are illegal drugs,” he said in Filipino.

Espenido added he constantly receives information on people engaged in narcotics trade, yet he considers these reports as mere leads in the campaign against drug lords.

In previous speeches, Duterte

Rody...

From A1 Dante Jimenez and Annie Jereza of the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption and Public Attorney’s Office Chief Persida Acosta were also present during the meeting.

Malacañang said the filing of a criminal complaint against the Caloocan policemen “underscores this resolve of the government.”

Kian was killed on Aug.t 16 during an anti-drug operation in Caloocan City conducted by the Philippine National Police. The policemen said Kian was a drug courier who tried to run then shot at them, prompting them to shoot back.

The claim, however, was contradicted by CCTV footage, eyewitnesses and autopsy findings that Kian had no gunpowder residue in either hand, indicating he

AFP...

From A1

Paolo Bencito, Rey E. Requejo and Bill Casas

price hikes

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE oil companies raised pump prices by P0.35 per liter of gasoline and P0.20 per liter of diesel and kerosene starting at 12:01 a.m. today, saying world oil prices had gone up.

Eastern Petroleum, Flying V and Unioil Philippines issued separate advisories on the price increases.

“Please be advised that Eastern Petroleum will hike the price of gasoline by P0.35 per liter and diesel by P0.20 per liter at 6AM, August 29, 2017,” Eastern Petroleum said.

The other oil companies were expected to follow suit.

On Aug. 22, the oil companies also raised the price of gasoline, and by P0.20 per liter, but rolled back the prices of diesel and kerosene by P0.10 and P0.15 per liter, respectively.

Crude oil prices went up after official figures showed a larger-than-expected decline in US crude stocks, the Energy Department said in its latest monitoring report.

Data showing six consecutive weeks of decline in US crude inventories added to the optimism that the market was “rebalancing.”

US oil inventories fell by 6.5 million barrels to 474.4 million barrels early this month.

But Asian gasoline prices stayed elevated on tight supply as well as the relatively good demand in Asia and in the Middle East.

Ample supply from Libya, with production in July hitting its highest level for the year, dampened prices.

“Rising output from Nigeria and Libya dented the oil producers’ attempt to limit oil production,” the Energy Department said.

“Both countries are exempted from the output cut as they strive to restore supplies hurt by internal conflicts.”

Libya seizes oil tanker, detains Filipino crew TRIPOLI, Libya—The Libyan navy said Monday it has seized an oil tanker near the maritime border with Tunisia and detained the 20-member Filipino crew on suspicion of fuel smuggling.

Navy spokesman Gen. Ayoub Kacem said the vessel was intercepted on Sunday off Abu Kamash, 170 kilometers west of Tripoli, and its crew transported to the capital to appear before the prosecutor general.

The Liberian-flagged tanker belonging to a Greek company was loaded with six million liters of contraband fuel, he said.

Plunged into conflict and political chaos since a 2011 revolution that ousted and killed Libya’s longtime leader Col. Moammar Kadhafi, oil smuggling to Tunisia, Malta and Tunisia has become a lucrative trade. AFP

Taguiwalo...

From A1

Last Friday, Faeldon and Duterte met at Davao City, two days after the latter accepted his resignation as Customs chief.

“I told him to take a few days off.

We will talk about his―talk about everything after that.” Duterte told reporters after leading the National Heroes Day commemoration at the Libigan ng mga Bayani.

“The reason why it took me time, because Congress was investigating or still investigating it.” he added.

At a chance interview during an Agriculture department event here , Duterte, however, expressed uncertainty if Faeldon would still like to take on another government post.

Senator Panfilo Lacson earlier claimed that Faeldon received P100 million as “welcome gift” right after assuming his position at the Bureau of Customs.

Duterte, meanwhile, announced that Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Director General Isidro Lapeña would take over Faeldon’s post as Customs chief. John Paolo Bencito

News

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

A3

‘Subway system completed in 8 years’

By Joel E. Zurbano BUILDING the subway train system, which government officials describe as one of the long term solutions to solve the worsening traffic situation in the metropolis, will take at least eight years.

“It will start within the Duterte administration, and will take eight years at least. There will be a signing [agreement] between Japan and the Philippine before the end of the year and the process will start early next year,” said Thomas Orbos, general manager of the Metro Manila Development Authority.

“This will be a 27-kilometer [subway] from Taguig FTI [Food Terminal Institute] to Mindanao Avenue [Quezon City],” he added.

Orbos, also the concurrent Transportation Undersecretary for Road, said the Japan International Cooperation Agency is now conducting a feasibility study for the subway system, which is in line with government’s Build Build Build program.

The subway system, to be patterned after those in Hong Kong and Japan, will start from the area of Trinoma Mall at the intersection of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue and North Avenue in Quezon City and end at the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig City.

It will be designed to withstand a magnitude 8.0 earthquake, since the nearby Marikina Valley Fault System can reach a magnitude of 7.27.6 on the scale.

The subway train is also expected to reduce the time it takes to travel from Quezon City to Taguig in just 31 minutes.

“The solution [to traffic] really is subway, railway and adequate public transport,” said Orbos.

Traffic in the National Capital Region caused an estimated productivity loss of around P2.4 billion a day or more than P800 billion a year.

BOODLE FIGHT. President Rodrigo Duterte feasts on various poultry dishes in a boodle fight Monday at San Fernando, Pampanga to assure the public on the safe consumption of commercially sold poultry and poultry products amid the bird flu outbreak in Central Luzon. Joining him were former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, Pampanga Gov. Lilia Pineda, Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Sy-Alvarado and other local officials. John Paolo J. Bencito

Higher hospital fees feared

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE Alliance of Health Workers, a national organization of health workers and its allied services, has warned that the huge cut in the 2018 budget of the Department of Health will force public hospitals to generate income for their operations by collecting higher fees from patients.

“This will lead to corporatization/privatization of public hospitals and eventually the entire health care system,” the AHW said.

Robert T. Mendoza, RM AHW National president, said the Maintenance and Other Operating Expenses budget of the

public hospitals was cut down

by P1.5 billion.

The total budget for MOOE for this year is P5.3 billion while the proposed 2018 budget for MOOE was reduced to P3.74 billion.

MOOE covers the budget for medicines, medical supplies,

communications, utilities and salaries of contractual employees and other hospital operating budget.

Mendoza said the following public hospitals that will suffer from huge budget cuts for 2018 are the following: Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) - P 144.8 million (56.6 percent) cut; Amang Rodriguez Medical Center – P36.239 million (44.9 percent) cut and Quirino Memorial Medical Center – P42.15 million (34.6 percent) cut.

He said the Regional Medical Centers that will also suffer budget cuts are the Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao- P270.8 million (71.89 percent) cut, Southern Isabela

General Hospital – P12.435 million (58.8 percent) cut and Region 1 Medical Center, Ilocos – P49.8 million (58.8 percent) cut.

Even the budget for Amai Pakpak Medical Centers in Marawi City was cut down to a P33.3 million (51.75 percent).

Mendoza said that while the government prioritizes budget for Philhealth by increasing the allotment from the 2017 budget of P53.221 billion to 2018 which is P57.127 billion, an increase of P3.906 billion does not mean that all people can have access to affordable medical care.

Mendoza said the budget for Assistance to Indigent Patients amounting P4.3 billion and the Purchase and Allocation of drugs,

Smuggled shabu ‘middleman’ sent to Pque jail

Judge recused in case vs Parojinogs

By Rey E. Requejo JUSTICE Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday said businessman Kenneth Dong has been transferred to the Parañaque City Jail.

“He was transferred upon orders of the court. The NBI had no choice but to follow the court’s order,” Aguirre said.

Dong was arrested by members of the National Bureau of Investigation last Aug. 15 after a Senate hearing on the shipment of over P6 billion worth of shabu charges pursuant to a warrant issued by the Parañaque Regional Trial Court, Branch 195, on charges of rape.

Aguirre said that the NBI complied with the court’s order because they do not see any risk to his security.

“We could not find any security risk for his transfer,” the Justice secretary said.

Dong is a witness in the Congressional inquiry being the alleged middleman for the shipment of the 604 kilos of shabu.

NBI Deputy Director for Intelligence Vicente De Guzman said they have discovered the pending warrant of arrest after they conducted a background check on the personalities linked to the shabu shipment.

Dong is also one of the respondents in the drug trafficking charges filed by NBI before the Department of Justice, in connection with the P6.4 billion shabu seized last May 26 in two warehouses in Valenzuela City.

By Rey E. Requejo

NO TO 4-DAY WORKWEEK. A nationwide organization of workers in private, public, agricultural, informal, transport, health, education, migrant, women and youth sectors celebrates National Heroes’ Day by honoring workers and denouncing the passage of the Compressed Workweek bill, which they label as pro-foreign investors. Manny Palmero

Waive unpaid irrigation fees, group asks NIA

By Rio N. Araja and Bill Casas INDEBTED by millions of pesos in back accounts to the National Irrigation Authority, farmers from Mindanao urged on Monday Administrator Ricardo Visaya to waive their unpaid fees.

Virgilio Lincuna of the Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas in the Caraga Administrative Region or Region 13 lamented that

medicines and vaccines amounting to P15.5 billion are lump sum budget which is centralized at the Department of Health.

“Why not allocate these budgets to the MOOE of public hospitals so that the poor can access the free and affordable health services,” he asked.

Cristy Donguines, president of a health group at Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center in Manila said health workers continue to be overworked and underpaid.

She said that in the JRMC Male Surgical Ward, there are only two nurses for every 59 patients while at the Women Surgical Ward, there are also teo nurses for every 64 patients including the stroke unit.

despite the lack of irrigation and water supply in their areas, they were charged with obligatory irrigation service fees.

The affected farmers are set to storm NIA central office in Quezon City today in protest and to seek a dialogue with Visaya, whom they dubbed as the “Hacienda Luisita massacre ex-general.”

Despite NIA’s P38.6-billion budget for 2017, local NIA offices continued to collect irrigation service fees even during

calamities or production losses, Lincuna said.

But farmers fear that the multibillion NIA budget will be squandered to corruption and will not be used to provide the much-needed support services for farmers.

KMP said that for fiscal year 2018, NIA is requesting a budget allocation of more than P40 billion.

The KMP said this and other similar situation of farmers nationwide prove that NIA is not following its own Memorandum

Circular No. 13 series of 2017 or the Guidelines on Free Irrigation.

Farmers fear that the multibillion NIA budget will be squandered to corruption and will not be used to provide the much-needed support services for farmers.

KMP said, for fiscal year 2018, NIA is requesting a budget allocation of more than P40 billion.

The agency was constrained to cut the water supply and impose high interest rates due to the farmers’ failure to pay on

time, he added.

“Worse, NIA also threatened to confiscate lands of farmers who failed to pay irrigation fees. NIA in Caraga has previously figured in corruption due to unfinished irrigation systems worth P190 million,” the KMP’s statement read.

Farmers from other regions are similarly situated, Lincuna said, adding NIA is not following its own Memorandum Circular No. 13 of 2017, or the guidelines on free irrigation.

ONE of the judges assigned to handle the criminal cases against Parojinog siblings Ozamiz City Vice Mayor Nova Princess and Reynaldo Jr. has recused from the case.

In a one-page order dated Aug. 8, 2017, Judge Salome P. Dungog of Ozamiz City Regional Trial Court, Branch 35, has inhibited from the case due to her compulsory retirement this month.

“On the ground of compulsory retirement from public service of the Presiding Judge of this court this month—August 2017, having no more time to hear or try the cases or motions in connection thereof which require or need immediate action as well as for reason of delecadeza in order to preclude doubt or suspicion from both parties concerned …the undersigned hereby inhibits from handling the same,” Judge Dungog said.

Nova Princess is facing trial for violation of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, specifically Section 11 for possession of dangerous drugs and violation of illegal possession of firearms and ammunition under Section 28 of Republic Act 10591 or the Comprehensive Firearms and Ammunition Regulation Act.

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Opinion

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

The Andy show

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FTER damning revelations by his wife, Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista now faces an impeachment case before Congress.

Former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio filed a complaint against Bautista for betrayal of public trust for failing to address the hacking of the Comelec website in 2015 and for not disclosing his assets in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

Adelle Chua, Editor

The impeachment complaint, endorsed by Cebu Rep. Gwen Garcia and Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque, also cited Bautista’s admission that he had received referral fees from Smartmatic, the company that provided technology for the 2016 polls, through the Divina Law Office.

Bautista is also

accused of obstructing justice for playing down script changes in the transparency server during last year’s election.

The House justice committee said it would act swiftly on the complaint; it appears a trial at the Senate will soon follow.

We don’t look forward to the circus. We’ve seen at least two such trials and they have a way of absorbing the nation’s attention, rightly or wrongly. The fact that

Mrs. Bautista may just be called to the stand —spousal privilege can only be invoked in criminal cases, experts say—would just amplify the entertainment factor people can derive from peeking into others’ marital woes.

We are sure Mr. Bautista would not want to take part in this spectacle, too.

The only question we are interested in asking is whether Mr. Bautista compromised the integrity of the elections

by acts that unduly enriched him or earned him influence. Outside of that, everything else is noise.

This question, too, will best be determined in a court of law, a trier of facts. Certainly a hearing at the Senate would just muddle the issue, given some lawmakers’ propensity to grandstand. It might entice us with juicy details but establish little about the real national interest that is at stake.

Chairman Bautista

should listen to his fellow commissioners and take a leave of absence. Still a better option would be to resign.

What befell him, whether or not he is to blame, is most unfortunate, but he must weather his storm on his own —not at the expense of the institution he is mandated to lead. It is unimaginable how anyone can seek to clear his name or come clean about his mistakes while carrying out the daunting tasks of an election chief.

Voices of the Catholic Church

Better luck next time LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES I KNEW that the political weaponizing of the tragic death of Kian Loyd delos Santos, the young man from Caloocan City who was killed by three police officers, was on its last legs when President Rodrigo Duterte refused to be baited into defending the cops who gunned Kian down. I didn’t expect that Duterte himself would write “finis” to the cynical repurposing of the teenager’s death and the genuine outrage (as opposed to the fake variety displayed by certain politicians) that grew out of the incident by meeting with Kian’s parents in Malacañan Palace.

It is indisputable that Kian’s parents, Saldy and Lorenza, did not believe that the President had their son killed. This is diametri-

cally opposed to the position of their politician-advocates, who insisted that the boy’s death was on Duterte and, according to their shriller partisans, grounds for his “ouster.”

And it’s impossible for anyone to be more outraged that the Delos Santoses when it comes to Kian’s killing by three policemen.

Which means that the shameless attempt to link Duterte to Kian’s death has just been irreversibly deflated, because how else can the meeting by interpreted but as a vote of confidence in the President’s promise to bring the perpetrators to justice?

(By the way, special mention must be made of the boneheaded play of Senator Risa Hontiveros, who took three witnesses into her personal custody while they awaited summonses to the various investigations of Kian’s death. It turned out that the witnesses were minors whose parents didn’t even know that the

senator had taken their children without their consent; that’s how badly the Yellows wanted to use Kian’s killing against Duterte— they didn’t even stop to think if

They wanted justice and are convinced that Duterte can give them that, or they would never have met him. what they were doing was still legal or no longer so.)

Here I am reminded of two supposed witnesses of the same politicians against Duterte in

the investigation of the alleged Davao Death Squad earlier this year. But Edgar Matobato and Arturo Lascanas were obviously given a prepared script that they were somehow convinced to stick to, no matter how incredible, conflicting and illogical their statements became afterwards.

The key difference between the Delos Santos couple and the two supposed star witnesses in the DDS probe is that Saldy and Lorenza did not have any political agenda rammed down their throats by their minders. They just wanted justice for their son—and they are convinced that Duterte can give them that, or else they would never have agreed to meet the President.

Again, I must state that there was a lot of real anger generated by the death of Kian, and this should not be ignored or belittled. But the politicians ruined it all when they tried to harness

this anger for their partisan political ends.

I can only wish Duterte’s foes better luck next time, using the next controversy that may just bring him down. And watch as all those fake Kian backers flee the scene of their scandalous crime. *** A Makati City prosecutor has found probable cause to sue three persons for syndicated estafa for allegedly duping the owners of a corporation into investing a total of P21.6 million in a company they formed, after which the investment was never included in the capitalization of the new outfit. City Prosecutor Jorge Catalan Jr. said there is reason to charge Marvin Lim, a native of Dagupan City, Pangasinan, his sister Brigette Lim and Gian Marlo Lee with syndicated estafa based on the complaint of Half Moon Inc.

THIS past week, some of the strongest voices protesting against the brutal execution by criminal police officers of Kian de los Santos were from the Catholic Church. If there is any institution that can stop the massacre of the poor, it is the Church.

Ravenous wolves are killing the weakest and poorest of the flock; we need our shepherds to actively stop this. 13,000 have been killed and we will exceed 20,000 casualties by the end of the year, and get to 50,000-60,000 by the end of Duterte’s term with the certainty, admitted by the President himself, that even then the war against drugs would not have been won.

The voices we heard from the Church were diverse, some very personal like that of Fr. Joel Tabora SJ, president of Ateneo de Davao, and Bishop Ambo David of Caloocan where Kian and his family lived. Cardinal Chito Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, and Fr. Tony Moreno SJ, outgoing Provincial of the Society of Jesus were more prescriptive but their words were just as important.

Fr. Joel took the death of Kian personally. He recalled that when he was 17, he was still in first year college. According to Fr. Joel: “That today is the equivalent of eleventh grade. At seventeen, when I was pondering the differences between marriage and the priesthood, between management engineering and joining the Society of Jesus, I was the age of Kian de los Santos in the same academic level as he. That Kian was framed, shot and killed in a police action gone rogue, at a time when his life was yet unfolding, is a matter of deep personal pain for me. It could have been me at seventeen. It could have ended all. In the case of Kian, it did end all.” “The death of Kian is not defensible. He was only seventeen. Think of all the possibilities killed. Think of his goodness extinguished. Think of his bereaved family, friends and nation,” Fr. Joel laments.

Of course, as Fr. Joel points out, we must fight the war on drugs, which is “a battle for human life, for human dignity and the integrity of human society in the Philippine context.” This is echoed by Fr. Moreno who describes the menace of illegal drugs as real and destructive.

Fr. Tony argues that “the evil that attacks the human with the power of the demonic, should unite us, not divide us”; “Instead of turning our weapons on one

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Opinion

IT DOES not appear as though President Rodrigo Duterte can end the war against drugs by the end of his term.

Note that what he is saying now is completely different from what he said in his first year in office. Then, he was so confident he could end the menace.

Now he is realizing the problem cannot be solved that fast, even if he orders his police force to go after anybody suspected of drug involvement.

This war has also spawned collateral damage, like extrajudicial killings. Thousands have been killed, and most of them come from poor communities!

This only validates what I have been saying for so long now—that the drug problem has roots in poverty and health issues.

Why poverty? Look at all those killed in police operations. Many of them come from depressed neighborhoods.

They become addicts to forget their misery, and then turn to drug pushing later on so they can finance their habit.

Why health?

Drug addiction is both psychological and physiological. They must be rehabilitated.

This is why the killings must stop. Killing drug suspects never solves anything. It only worsens the problem.

Now there is outrage among the people. We only have to recall history and what protest movements eventually lead to.

The fact that illegal drugs are being smuggled through the Bureau of Customs tells us that the demand is there. So long as there is demand, the drug problem will not end. We see how corrupt our Customs bureau can be especially given our porous borders. It is just so difficult to stop the entry of illegal drugs!

This is why the President must stop the killings. He must learn from the mistakes of other countries.

As for the case of Kian Loyd delos Santos, I can only echo what Malacañang is saying.

Those responsible for his murder should pay the price! *** The nation marked National Heroes’ Day yesterday.

Sadly enough, as revealed by Manila Times columnist and former Ambassador to Greece Rigoberto Tiglao, we do not have national heroes because

our most eminent historians cannot seem to agree on who is fit to be called a national hero.

There are reports that the Yellows are making things worse because they want to include Ninoy Aquino as their hero.

Speaking of national heroes, I recall the Battle of Bessang Pass at the border of Ilocos Sur and Mountain Province. The infamous Japanese General Yamashita and his men made their last stand there.

I believe that the 1,200 Ilocanos and Igorots who sacrificed their lives in this battle should also be regarded as heroes. My own brother, former Court of Appeals Justice Desi Jurado, was part of this group that led the assault. *** What do we do about the corruption at Customs?

The Duterte administration has been challenged to solve this problem at the agency. It has been having difficulty. Former Captain Nicanor Faeldon, supposedly an honest man who revolted against cor r uption, could not do anything about this problem at Customs.

And now the agency has a new commissioner. Can former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency head Isidro Lapeñas step up and curb corruption?

During the Marcos era, Finance secretary Cesar Virata hired the Swiss-based Societe Generale de Surveillace for pre-shipment valuation. The system worked, for a while.

Soon enough, though, even the SGS people were corrupted by the syndicates, which led to a review of the contract with the government.

I think the solution is the privatization of the entry of shipments across all ports. This will also do away with the practice of politicians of interfering with Customs operations, even having their own people appointed to choice spots. *** I want to congratulate my good friend, former vice governor of Laguna Totoy Tingson, for the promotion of his daughter Col. Rodylyn Tingson Manzano as brigade commander of the 7th Marine Brigade to Brigadier General— the first woman to hold such a position.

Totoy must be so proud.

Congratulations!

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its investments, the latter got understandably worried.

Lim’s group eventually informed HMI that it was not a registered subscriber of Alpha Dragon, and had no legal right to intervene in Alpha Dragon’s internal affairs. The HMI representative’s signature was also deleted in the article of incorporations and replaced with that of an “authorized representative” named Jennifer Latil, who was reportedly an SEC employee.

Lee denied any part in the alleged fraud, and tagged Lim as the chief architect of the plot to dupe HMI. The Lim siblings also denied HMI’s accusations, insisting that the P16 million could not be considered as subscription because HMI’s P21-million contributions were considered mere “liabilities” of Alpha Dragon.

Catalan junked this argument. “No person in his right mind would infuse P21 million in a company if the said amount would only be listed in its financial records as a mere liability, without being secured by any collateral, real of personal,” his ruling stated.

The drug menace cannot be eradicated in so short a time.

Records showed that in September 2015, Lee asked HMI to invest in a company they were putting together for the sales and distribution of automotive oils and lubricants to be called Alpha Dragon Trade and Marketing Corp., which will have an authorized capital stock of P10 million, divided into 100,000 shares valued at P100 each.

As proposed by Lee, Marvin Lim would be the principal shareholder, while Half Moon would have 40 percent of the total shares. HMI put in P625,000 as initial payment for its subscription, followed by P16 million and P5 million after that.

Lim and Lee furnished HMI a copy of Alpha Dragon’s articles of incorporation purportedly filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which stated that HMI was an Alpha Dragon investor with a paid-up subscription of P250,000. But when no stockholders’ meeting was ever called and after HMI was not given any updates on

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Forget about infrastructure

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

A problem of health and poverty

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

FORMATION GARY OLIVAR DRIVING home last week along C-5, I was overwhelmed by a sudden desire for hototai. I stopped by Comida China (just before Rockwell Grove) for a poquito serving of their piping hot soup, washed down with two glasses of ripe mango shake—great for the palate but very bad for the sugar count.

On my way out, I ran into Karl Kendrick Chua, the Finance undersecretary who’s running the administration’s tax reform progress through Congress. Karl is impossibly boyish-looking, a colleague in the Foundation for Economic Freedom, and ADB’s chief economist for the Philippines before he was dragooned into public service at DOF. It was from him that I heard the latest gloomy update on tax reform. The so-called TRAIN bill (“Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion”) is the first of five tranches of tax reform legislation being sent up to Congress by the Duterte administration. Unfortunately, the version passed by the Lower House reduced the projected net tax gain from TRAIN by P30 billion, mainly to accommodate tax breaks for cooperatives.

Now in the Senate, the emasculated TRAIN bill may be shrunk even further, by up another P40-B,

in order to win approval. The senators are already noisily complaining about the proposed new taxes on fuel products and on sweetened beverages. If they have their way, the TRAIN bill may be cut by nearly half, from its original projected net gain of P164 billion, to less than P100 billion when it clears the Senate. *** It’s obvious that the senators acutely remember what happened to one of their colleagues, Ralph Recto, who authored the unpopular EVAT reform bill in 2005. For his pains, Recto lost his reelection bid in 2007 and had to wait until 2010 to regain his seat.

Never mind that EVAT reform is universally credited today as the country’s single biggest fiscal achievement in recent years, one that nearly wiped out our budget deficit (were it not for the global financial crisis in 2008), financed former President Arroyo’s ambitious infrastructure program, reversed our downturn in credit ratings and put us on the road to investment grade.

Duterte’s tax reforms have the potential to accomplish even more for the country. And yet the senators do not seem to appreciate the parallels between EVAT reform in 2005 and TRAIN in 2017. All they seem to be able to see is what happened to Recto, who suffered that most horrible of fates for a politician: losing an election.

I don’t need to remind the reader that an excise tax on diesel fuel falls relatively heavier on

the affluent SUV owner, rather than on poor jeepney passengers who effectively get to share that cost among themselves. Nor need I mention that a tax on sweetened beverages, like the sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco, will be good for public health.

Let me just remind you of some of the different infrastructure projects that will have to be given up if we also give up P70 billion in additional tax revenues due to the timidity of our legislators. If they don’t know that you can’t spend what you didn’t earn, they ought to turn over their seats to their housewives, who’ll know better. *** From the Department of Public Works and Highways: Metro Manila Skyway, Stage 3: Cost P37 billion, due 2018. Reduce travel time between Balintawak, QC and Buendia Avenue, Makati from two hours to 15-20 minutes.

NLEX-SLEX Connector Road: Cost P23 billion, due 2020. Reduce travel time between NLEX and SLEX from 1.5-2 hours to 1520 minutes.

Cavite-Laguna Expressway: Cost P36 billion, due 2020. Reduce travel time between SLEX and CAVITEX from 1.5 hours to 45 minutes.

Southeast Metro Manila Expressway (C-6), Phase 1: Cost P31 billion, due 2020. Six-lane expressway connecting Skyway FTI in Parañaque to Batasan in QC. Bridges crossing Pasig River (six), Marikina River (four), and Manggahan Floodway (two). Total

cost P19 billion.

From the Department of Transportation: LRT-1 Cavite Extension: Cost P65 billion, due 2021. Serve an additional 300,000 passsengers per day between Baclaran and Cavite with eight new stations and three intermodal facilities.

MRT-7: Cost USD 1.5 billion, due 2019. New 23-km railway system to serve 420,000 passengers per day between QC and San Jose del Monte, Bulacan.

Mindanao Railway, Phase 1: Cost P36 billion, due 2021. First railway system outside Luzon, with Phase 1 connecting the cities of Tagum, Davao and Digos.

Metro Manila Subway, Phase 1: Cost P250 billion, due 2025. Initial phase will bring commuters from Mindanao Avenue, QC to FTI, Taguig in just 31 minutes. *** If you’re excited by these projects, like me, then you should be.

Our country is dead last among the six big Asean states in every infrastructure category, bar none.

It’s way past time to start putting cement and steel in the ground for the benefit of our progeny.

The problem is that most of our legislators seem to think we don’t know how to dream big dreams.

We should let them know that, yes, we do. We should let them know that we expect them to start leading us to those dreams instead of just grovelling for our votes.

Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.

Another publicity stunt from Robredo HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA THE camp of Leni Robredo, the purported Vice President of the Philippines, never seems to run out of gimmicks designed to promote her image.

Robredo is the purported vice president of the country because her claim to the office is currently contested before the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET). Rightly so, because the recent allegations against Andres Bautista, the incumbent chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), to the effect that he has amassed a huge fortune during his stint as the head of the Presidential Commission on Good Government, and during his incumbency as Comelec chairman, suggests that not all was well and clean in, among others, the May 2016 vice presidential race between Robredo and exSenator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. Smartmatic was the foreign provider of the automated voting machines used in the 2016 polls. A Smartmatic computer expert was caught tampering with the codes pertaining to the canvassing of ballots. Smartmatic executives were even billeted at the Novotel Hotel in Cubao, Quezon City, the same hotel which hosted the national headquarters of Robredo’s Liberal Party (LP).

After the election, Bongbong Marcos petitioned the PET for a revision of ballots cast in several contested precincts in bailiwicks where he could not have possibly

Voices...

From A4 another, we must unite, coordinate,

and allow good to ally with good; we must fight this enemy together”; it is an evil we must fight with insight, cooperation, cunning, the enlightened use of political and economic power, self-sacrifice, prayer and God’s grace.”

Fr. Tony calls on everyone to come together to have a better understanding of the situation: “We need to understand why the soul of the war on drugs is a human soul, and why the enemy of this war is not human rights, but lack of commitment to human rights. We need to understand why we cannot fight for human beings by denying them their rights. In a society where the human has so lightly lost his soul to corruption, hedonism, and disrespect for the human person, we need to understand how the poor are illegal drugs’ worst victims, addicted, trafficked, then shot by the guns drug money buys. We need to understand how denying the international drug cartels their markets does not mean killing the poor who are their victims, but reforming the structure which keep the poor poor. We need to understand that building the drug-free, smart, socially-just religiously diverse society envisioned by the

lost. In an attempt to lend credence to her suspicious victory, Robredo also questioned the counting in a number of polling centers. The Robredo counter-revision case is rather unusual because winning candidates do not contest the outcome of an election they won.

Pursuant to its rules, the PET required Bongbong and Robredo to pay revision fees proportionate to the number of ballot boxes involved in their respective petitions. Accordingly, Bongbong was charged P30 million and Robredo, P15 million. Bongbong’s fee was higher because his case involved more ballot boxes than Robredo’s case did.

The Marcos camp said Bongbong was able to raise the P30-million revision fee with the help of his family, friends, and supporters.

Right after Bongbong paid his revision fee, Robredo accused the Marcos family of using its wealth to unseat her. Huh? Paying a fee fixed by the PET is synonymous to using one’s money to oppress an opposing candidate? How Robredo and her cohorts in the LP arrived at that impertinent conclusion is unexplained.

When that ruse failed to stir public support and attention, Robredo stopped ranting and made a partial payment of P8 million.

Last June, Robredo still had a balance of P7 million.

Seeing her situation as an opportunity to draw public sympathy anew, Robredo played to her supporters once more. Last July, six women filed a petition asking the PET to permit them to pay part of Robredo’s P7-million balance.

To justify their rather unusual petition, they conveniently said that they have “the right to see to it that the outcome of the elections is

protected.” Really? According to the law, that’s the task of the PET in the first place.

The petition prompts one to ask: Why do these women need to file a petition in the PET and seek permission to pay a part of the balance of Robredo’s revision fee? Why don’t they just turn over their contributions to Robredo herself and let Robredo pay it to the PET? On its face, the petition had all the trappings of a publicity stunt designed to drum up support for Robredo.

As expected, the petition was summarily dismissed, obviously because it is not allowed under the rules of procedure governing cases before the PET. What is clear is that the six petitioners are rabid, partisan supporters of ex-President Benigno Aquino III and the LP. Petitioner Corazon “Dinky” Soliman was social welfare secretary during the administration of President Aquino III. Secretary Soliman spent public money to temporarily house Manila’s street urchins outside of the city in order to keep them off the city streets during the visit of Pope Francis in Manila in January 2015.

Soliman was also the social welfare secretary of President Gloria Arroyo. At the height of the socalled “Hello Garci” scandal rocking the Arroyo administration, Soliman supported Arroyo for a brief period but abandoned her when the going got rough.

Another petitioner, Zorayda Amelia Alonzo, was the head of the Pag-Ibig mutual fund during the regime of President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino. Last May, libel charges were filed against her and other officials before the Regional Trial Court in Pasig City.

Petitioner Nina Yuson, a museum curator, criticized the dismissal of the petition. She accused the PET of favoring wealthy candidates, and of ignoring the concern of 25,000 Filipinos. Yuson, however, did not substantiate her accusations.

Another one said that the money raised for Robredo came from Filipinos from various sectors.

How that argument justifies their unauthorized petition was something the petitioner did not bother to explain.

For her part, Robredo complained that the budget of the Office of the Vice President for 2018 was increased by a mere P15 million for 2018. That means her office will be free to spend some P443.95 million next year, compared to the P428.6 million allotted to it this year.

Good grief! P443.95 million and Robredo is still unhappy? What will her office do with all that money anyway? Since there is no law, other than the annual appropriations act, which specifically defines what the vice president may do during his or her incumbency, Robredo probably believes that she is free to spend the bulk of that money on criticizing the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, promoting herself as his ideal substitute, and maintaining her government-issued mansion in New Manila, Quezon City—unless Quezon City Mayor and fellow LP partymate Herbert Bautista has already pledged city funds for such maintenance. That should not come as a surprise because Mayor Bautista loves to spend city funds indiscriminately. Incidentally, is his brother, city councilor Hero Bautista, already cured of his drug dependency?

Duterte administration needs patient multi-sectoral collaboration of good people collaborating with good people. We cannot build the Philippine nation on the cadavers of the Filipino people.”

In this regard, the Jesuits support the initiative of Cardinal Tagle to bring people together for a multisectoral dialogue so we can have a common understanding, shared objectives, and more importantly undertake joint actions to win the battle against drugs and stopping the massacre of the poor.

Cardinal Tagle is right that what we need are not only statistics but human stories”: “Families with members who have been destroyed by illegal drugs must tell their stories. Families with members who have been killed in the drug-war, especially the innocent ones, must be allowed to tell their stories. Drug addicts who have recovered must tell their stories of hope. Let their stories be told, let their human faces be revealed.”

The most powerful words this past week was of course from Bishop David, who God in his infinite wisdom designated to be principal shepherd of the epicenters of the massacre of the poor. Below are excerpts from the English version of his homily (entitled “When Heaven Wept”) delivered during Kian’s funeral last Saturday. Speaking directly to the parents of Kian, this

gentlest of pastors said: “That is why there are many people here now who are condoling with you, Zaldy and Lorenza. They are here not because of politics.

They are here to silently express their solidarity with you and the many others whose children have also died because they allegedly “fought back.” Many of them have not bothered to file charges, for fear that another one of their children might also be abducted and killed.

There are many witnesses who have not had the courage to testify in court, for fear of reprisal.

But thanks to the outpouring of solidarity, you found the courage to pursue legal means to obtain justice for your son. Even your neighbors found the courage to stand as witness, to testify to what they had seen and heard. I also salute the young lady Barangay Chair for having the courage to submit the CCTV footages. (The families of other victims had demanded such CCTV footages in other barangays and never got them. Most of them were told that the CCTV were not functioning. Almost always, they would be functioning again after a day.) Even the city mayor had the courage to demand an independent investigation--which I was invited to, when he held a meeting of the Peace and Order Council of Caloocan the day after Kian’s murder . . .

Maybe God took Kian on the

feast day of San Roque because he has a message for us all. So that we would wake up and realize that extermination is not the right solution to the modern pestilence of addiction to illegal drugs. The addicts and pushers are not the enemies but the victims. The cruel and simplistic solution of exterminating them will not rid our country of illegal drugs. Thousands of kilograms of shabu will continue to flood our country if there is no systematic effort to trace the source. We are here to plead with the government: Stop the Killings!

Start the Healing! We can work together for the healing of addicts through community-based rehabilitation programs. But more importantly, let us heal the divisions, the conflicts, and the exchanges of cruel words. Let us rid ourselves of anything that diminishes our humanity.

Zaldy and Lorenza, we are one with you in your grief. Even heaven condoles with you. Rest assured that Kian’s life has not been wasted, even if it was cut short by senseless violence and cruelty. It is not wasted because it has served as a thorn that has pricked the consciences of our people and has awakened them from moral slumber.”

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

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News

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DFA extends sympathy to Texas over storm

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Department of Foreign Affairs expressed its sympathy over the reported deaths in Texas in the wake of what has been described as one of the most devastating storms in the southern state’s history.

Storm Harvey, which triggered massive flooding in Houston and surrounding areas, left at least five persons dead and more than a dozen injured, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Quoting initial reports from the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, the DFA said none among the 80,000-strong Filipino community in Houston and surrounding areas has been reported to be among the dead or injured.

“Our hearts go out to the people of Houston, including the thousands of our kababayans, who have to go through this terrible ordeal,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement issued upon his arrival from Kuala Lumpur last night.

“We offer our deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives in this disaster,” Cayetano said. “We will continue to pray for Houston and its people.”

PH to host Asean, China gab on DOC EXPERTS from the Philippines along with those from other Asean member-states and China are meeting in Manila this week to build on the gains that have been achieved so far in efforts to build peace and stability in the South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs said today.

In a statement, the DFA said it will host the seminar on the full and effective implementation of the 2002 Declaration of Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) on August 28 and 29.

“The seminar seeks to build on what we have achieved so far in our efforts to build trust and confidence among the parties involved in the South China Sea issue,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said.

“The seminar also seeks to boost regional efforts to ensure peace and stability in the South China Sea, to help prevent maritime accidents, and to preserve and protect the marine environment and promote sustainable fisheries,” the Foreign chief added.

Senior diplomats, policymakers and maritime cooperation scholars from the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, as well as representatives from think tanks and the academe, will exchange views on how to further enhance practical cooperation between ASEAN and China in the South China Sea. Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

JUST STOP. Student leaders and Law students gesture the stop sign urging Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to inhibit himself from investigating Kian delos Santos’ slay case in a press conference held at Max’s Restaurant in Malate, Manila on Monday. Lino Santos

Tax incentive mulled for ‘less-sugared’ products

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

S

ENATOR Sonny Angara said on Monday that the proposed P10 per liter tax on sugar sweetened beverages will be lowered by 50 percent and implemented under a three-tier system to give incentives to those who will manufacture drinks with less sugar content.

He said some stakeholders have recommended to go for a volume-based tax at P5 (per liter), but said this would not distinguish between a beverage which has one teaspoon since there will be the same treatment.

“So it’s a bit blunt if it’s not really targeted as sweetened. So we might look into the possibility of

putting levels to distinguish better sweeter and beverages which are not so sweet. It’s difficult to set that. We want to get the consensus as to where the levels will be set.

But, for the senators, they’re okay with the three tiers as long as the maximum level does not exceed P5 – equivalent of P5 per liter,” he explained.

Under the existing proposal, the cost of a one-liter bottle of soda will increase by P11 or from the current P27 to P38. The prices of sachets of powdered drinks, such as juice and 3-in-1 coffee, are projected to increase from P9.75 to P20.75.

Angara said the Department of Finance should consider tweaking its proposal by using as basis beverages’ sugar content rather than volume.

“Those that can help jn our health, if we are to encourage healthy habits, it should nit be volume-based, but on the measurement of the contents,” he said.

The chairman of the Senate committee on ways and means said that in other coutnries, if they receive a minimum acceptable of

sugar, whether 50 grams, and it is being taxed, anything over that “tapos pag lumampas ka doon, meron silang scale depende sa content.”

Angara said he plans to pass a committee report on the proposal

by September.

Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, meanwhile, proposed a three-tiered tax on SSB), stressing that while they want to earn government revenue through the sugar tax but, the industry should not be killed.

“I believe that my proposal hits the sweet spot wherein the taxation method and tax rates can address important concerns such as government’s need for revenue, need to stop the rising incidence of diabetes, obesity and dental caries among the many health issues re-

Pangilinan bats for coco levy fund bill SINCE none of the bills seeking to utilize the around P100-billion coco levy funds filed in the past Congresses were passed, Senator Francis Pangilinan called on his colleagues to act on his bill pending on second reading at the Senate.

Pangilinan said funds collected valued at P9.7 billion and now estimated to have grown to around P100 billion can be used to develop the coconut industry and benefit the farmers.

The coco levy funds were proceeds of a forced tax imposed by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos on the coconut industry between 1973 and 1982.

Pangilinan, also Liberal Party president, said a similar version of his bill is being deliberated in plenary at the House.

He said a Coco Levy Trust Fund law would be the best gift President Rodrigo Duterte and Congress could give to the Filipino coconut farmers as the country observes the National Coconut Week.

The senator, who served as Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural modernization in the last administration, expressed hopes that the bill could be approved within the year after leaders of the Senate and the House of Representatives identified it as among the priority measures for passage.

“Many farmers have died without being able to benefit from the fund that came from their hard labor.

They have waited for over 40 years.

We can’t tell them to wait some more),” he said.

The senator said the coco levy fund would also be a big boost for the industry constantly hounded by problems like pests and calamities.

He said coconut farmers groups nationwide, the religious sector, and civil society organizations have all supported the passage of the measure.

“More than the long, arduous fights in court, the main battleground is in Malacañang and Congress, where politics could come

into play,” Pangilinan said.

Former President Noynoy Aquino issued Executive Orders 179 and 180 which authorized the utilization of the coconut levy funds to benefit coconut farmers, but these were stopped by a temporary restraining order by the Supreme Court.

The legal impasse can be resolved if Congress is finally able to pass a law establishing a trust fund for the coconut farmers, Pangilinan said.

“Let’s end our coconut farmers’ woes and give to them and their families what they deserve and work hard for. Let this administration do it,” he said. Macon Ramos-

Araneta

Asean meet showcases women-led startups

BURNING ISSUES. Gwendolyn Pimentel-Gana of the Commission on Human Rights stresses a point during the Samahang Plaridel Kapihan sa Manila Hotel as she discusses the government’s war on drugs, Kian’s death and other human rights-related issues. Lino Santos

A HEARTENING development awaits participants in a regional conference dubbed as Asean Women’s Business Conference which showcases key initiatives that are womenled across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations providing wide-ranging support for start-up companies headed by women entrepreneurs.

The occasion will also serve as an introduction of the Asean 10x10 Initiative that aims to connect 10 businesses with 10 startups across all 10 Asean member states.

These start-ups will gain access to support services such as client acquisition, investments, mentoring, grants and sponsorships, among others.

“This is a great opportunity to spur local entrepreneurship in the country, considering that we have a considerable number of women

business leaders and entrepreneurs in the Philippines,” said of Trade and Industry Undersecretary for Trade and Investments Promotion Group Nora Terrado.

The launching of the Asean 10x10 is set during lunchtime at the Asean Women’s Business Conference on August 31 at the Philippine International Convention Center. The conference was organized in the Philippines through the DTI in partnership with the Asean Women Entrepreneurs’ Network and the Philippine Commission on Women.

“The larger Asean Women’s Business Conference will provide a platform for entrepreneurs to hold dialogues between and among the Asean delegates from the private and public sector as well as Asean partners on matters that advance women entrepreneurship.

lated to excessive consumption of sugar. I also believe the tax rates to be adopted should also push my advocacy for the avoidance of cancer-causing high fructose corn syrup [HFCS],” he said.

SSBs include sweetened juice drinks, tea and coffee, carbonated beverages with added sugar, flavored water, energy drinks, cereal and grain beverages, and other non-alcoholic beverages that contain sugar.

Drinks exempted from the proposal are milk products, natural fruit juices, ground coffee, and unsweetened tea.

Imposing an excise tax of P10 per liter is among the measures included in the House-approved version of the Department of Financeproposed tax reform law.

Transfer businesses to C. Luzon —Gordon SENATOR Richard Gordon called on the government to provide tax incentives for companies and housing groups to move to Central and Southern Luzon as leaders of the business sector threw their support to his proposed bill seeking the creation of an investment corridor by optimizing the use of available infrastructures in these areas.

“We can decongest Metro Manila and relieve its traffic congested and overburdened port and airport with this plan,” he said.

Gordon noted that Central Luzon is the only region in the Philippines that has three airports like New York—Subic, Clark and Manila.

“Central Luzon also has three seaports—Subic, Mariveles and Manila, four if we include Batangas complemented by a network of highways,” said Gordon.

“We have to optimize the use of these infrastructures to promote development. Let’s work together and map out a future for our country,” he added.

The senator recalled that since the 80s, he has been saying that these infrastructure have been put in place for good reasons and “it would be such a waste of precious resources if we do not fully utilize them.”

Macon Ramos-Araneta

Sports

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Nadal, Federer take spotlight

N

EW YORK—Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer will try to add another Grand Slam success in their age-defying seasons while Maria Sharapova takes her comeback to the highest stage when the US Open begins Monday.

World number one Nadal, back on top after more than three years, captured his 10th French Open in June for his 15th Grand Slam title while third-ranked Federer took the Australian Open and Wimbledon crowns, raising his record Slam total to 19.

“It’s something that probably you and we don’t expect to have that much success, but here we are,” Nadal said. “And we worked well. We worked with passion and we played well. So let’s see how we finish season.”

Nadal, 31, and Federer, 36, have never faced each other on the New York hardcourts but could meet in the semi-finals.

“That would be fun for everybody involved,” Federer said.

“There’s like 60-plus players in between us that don’t agree we should make it to the semis. We have our work cut out there. I don’t think we’re both thinking that far ahead.”

Federer opens against US teen Frances Tiafoe on Tuesday, the same day Nadal meets Ser-

bian Dusan Lajovic in his firstround match.

“Ten victories to have that match. A lot of points and games to play,” Nadal said of a possible semi-final with Federer. “Now is not the moment to think about that. For me, I think about Lajovic.

That’s my goal.”

Nadal could face Bulgarian seventh seed Grigor Dimitrov, coming off his biggest career title two weeks ago at Cincinnati, in the quarter-finals while Federer’s last-eight opponent could be Austrian sixth seed Dominic Thiem.

Until this year’s revival, Federer had not won a Grand Slam title since Wimbledon in 2012. Nadal’s most recent major crown was at Roland Garros in 2014.

“You could foresee maybe Rafa

and me would be back in some shape or form but maybe not quite like this,” Federer said. “I think we’re all a bit surprised, all the players, all the media, all the experts and fans.

“It has been a great year and I hope we can keep playing like this.”

- Sharapova’s great memories For Sharapova, the Broadway stage shines a spotlight on her comeback and controversy. She served a 15-month ban after testing positive for the blood boosting drug meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open.

Her comeback began in April at Stuttgart, although many rivals were unhappy she was given wildcards into events. The French Open denied her a wildcard and she missed Wimbledon with a

thigh injury.

Sharapova played only one US Open tuneup match before a forearm injury sidelined her, but she has practiced on the courts and taken inspiration from past success, notably a 2006 US Open title.

“Overall I think the inspiration is being here, really,” Sharapova said in a video on the US Open website. “So many great memories of the tournament, being a champion, coming back to it.”

The 30-year-old Russian has missed three of the past four US Opens, reaching the fourth round in 2014 in her most recent appearance.

Sharapova faces a difficult test Monday in the night feature match at Arthur Ashe Stadium against world number two Simona Halep of Romania.

Highlands Cup braces for grand 12th staging THE Highlands Ladies Cup gears up for another highly competitive but fun-filled tournament as it holds its 12th edition on Oct. 14 (Saturday) featuring a mix of players and guests from various sectors at Tagaytay Midlands Golf and Country Club.

A full-packed field is again expected to play in the 18-hole tournament with the organizing Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter guaranteeing another successful staging of the event backed by major sponsors W Group of Companies, Auto Nation and Tagaytay Highlands International Golf Club Inc. Listup is ongoing with fee pegged at P3,500 for members and P4,000 for nonmembers, inclusive of green fee, cart and lunch. For details, call Gay Gonzales at 0917-8744702 or 263-8065 or fax 521-8848 and email marketing@regenttravelmanila.com.

As in its past editions, top prizes will be up for grabs in various categories of the tournament, also held to foster camaraderie and friendship among the participants, including executives and corporate bigwigs as well as celebrities and guests from the government and private sectors.

The well-kept Midlands layout is again expected to provide a different kind of challenge for the field with its hazards and sleek putting surface, especially when the wind would come into play.

Carina Ricamonte captured the low gross title last year while So young Lee took the low net honors with the duo expected to lead the cast in the upcoming tournament to be played under the System 36 scoring format.

Shiela Ward, who edged Marie Guerrero to snare the ladies division plum, is also tipped to defend her crown along with the other division winners, including Bruce Lee (Class A), Dominic Samson (Class B) and Elmer Lapena (Class C)/ The event also serves as a fund-raiser for THLC’s favorite charity, the Sisters of Mary and the Boys and Girls Town in Silang, Cavite with the mission of education for employment.

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns a shot while practicing prior to the start of the 2017 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens borough of New York City. AFP

CASSEY Padilla pulled off a pair of reversals to snare the girls’ 12- and 14-and-under titles in the Palawan PawnshopPalawan Express Pera Padala Oroquieta leg regional tennis tournament at the Oroquieta Lawn Tennis Association and DPWH Tennis Club in Misamis Occidental yesterday.

Padilla leaned on her baseline game to upend top seed Kristine Bandolis, 6-3, 6-4, in the 12-U finals then the rising Cagayan de Oro star stopped Ella Ramirez, 6-3, 6-0, to claim the 14-U diadem and emerge the lone double winner in the Group 1 tournament sponsored by Palawan Pawnshop and presented by Slazenger.

Second seed Steven Sonsona also repulsed No. 1 and doubles partner Stephen Guia, 7-5, 6-3, to annex the boys’ 16-U title but the Tubod, Lanao ace failed to match Padilla’s feat as he bowed to No. 4 Nilo Ledama of Pagadian City, 3-6, 6-2, 4-10, in the 18-U finals of the event which also staked ranking points for free training abroad under the Unified Tennis Program.

Sonsona and Guia later teamed up to beat Bruce Hurtado and Ledama, 8-4, and win the 18-U doubles plum in the tournament backed by the UTP, led by PPSPEPP, Cebuana Lhuillier, Wilson, Toby’s, Dunlop, Slazenger and B-Meg. Sonsona and Padilla later shared the MVP honors.

Other winners were Robie Baulete of Iligan (girls’ 18-U), Jan Marie Anghag of Ozamiz (girls’ 16-U), John David Velez of Davao (boys’ 14-U), Oroquieta’s Nash Agustines (boys’ 12-U) and Tubod, Lanao’s Kale Villamar (10-unisex), Baulete and Mae Mendoza (girls’ 18-U doubles), Bandolis and Judy Ann Padilla (girls’ 14-U doubles), Heimz Carbonilla and Eric Tangub (boys’ 14-U doubles) and Vinz Bering and Kale Villamar (10-U doubles).

LPGT Pradera Verde Classic unwraps Red Lions try THE ICTSI Pradera Verde Ladies Classic gets under way today (Tuesday) with three of the country’s top guns bracing for a shootout and a slew of others raring to spoil their bid at the Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club in Lubao, Pampanga.

Symetra Tour campaigners Princess Superal and Cyna Rodriguez launch their respective title drive in separate f lights while Pauline del Rosario drew former leg winner Chihiro Ikeda and top amateur Sofia Chabon

in what promises to be a fiery start at the long but f lat par-72 layout.

Superal and Rodriguez are on a break from the US circuit and the two winningest LPGT players have been installed as the early favorites in the seventh leg of the country’s premier ladies circuit sponsored by ICTSI. But Del Rosario looms as the player to foil the anticipated SuperalRodriguez face-off with the former amateur hotshot coming off two vic-

tories and a runner-up finishes in the last three legs of the eight-stage tour organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. “If Ces or Cyna are the favorites, it’s fine with me. It actually takes the pressure off me. But I’ll be there to take care of what I need to do to win, too,” said Del Rosario, who also hurdled the first stage of the Korean LPGA International Qualifying Tournament with a strong runner-up effort recently.

600 jins vying in Best of Best tourney AROUND 600 athletes composed only of gold medalists in national events all over the country and members of the Philippine team, Blackbelt Brotherhood and Blackbelt Sorority will vie for honors in the 2017 SMART/ MVP Sports Foundation Best of the Best Taekwondo Championships on September 2-3 at Robinson’s Place Galeria.

The male and female participants will display their skills in the senior, junior, Cadet and grade school divisions in two events – Kyorugi (free sparring) and Poomsae (forms).

Considered as Philippine Taekwondo Association’s premier tournament, Best of the Best is sponsored by the country’s No. 1 sports patron, Smart Communications and PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan.

Pangilinan is mainly responsible for the tremendous growth of taekwondo here, having supported PTA’s programs for fledgling and outstanding jins for over a decade now.

Many of these gold medalists from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao as well as UAAP, NCAA, AFP-PNP Olympics and PTA events in Metro Manila and the different regions are among the contenders in

National University’s Diether Baylon, a prospective participant again, connects with an axe kick against DLSU’s Joseph Adiaz.

this weekend’s tournament.

Tournament Director Jesus Morales III says an important goal in freestyle Poomsae is the presentation of high level foot techniques like jumping yopchagi, 720-degree spinning kick and kicking with acrobatic actions.

Taekwondo’s scoring system PSS (Protective Scoring System) and ESS (Electronic Scoring System), electronic armors and socks together with IVR (Instant Video Replay) will be utilized to eliminate human error and ensure accurate, fair scoring and spectator friendly matches.

PH’s bets from table tennis, badminton, billiards stumble

TAIPEI—The Philippines’ table tennis, badminton and billiards’ teams, which excelled during the earlier rounds, hit a brick wall in the Summer Universiade here on Monday.

Lemuel Agbon saw his impressive three-game winning streak come to an end at the hands of Wi

Padilla scores PPS net twin-kill

Hun Kang of Korea in their roundof-32 singles’ encounter.

Agbon, however, still emerged as the winningest Filipino in the prestigious 12-day competition also known as the World University Games.

The 22-year-old campaigner from University of Cebu swept

his first three assignments against Karan Rai of Nepal, 3-1; Carlos Barraza Vergara of Colombia, 3-2; and Habib Antoun of Lebanon, 3-2.

Agbon’s compatriot, John Vincent Cabaluna, was also a loser to Masaki Yoshida of Japan in another round-of-32 encounter.

Meanwhile, John Rodlin Bautista dropped a close 7-11 decision to Eirik Riisnaes of Norway in their quarterfinal showdown in the men’s individual biliards event at the Taipei Expo Dome, The 9-ball men’s doubles’ team of Bautista and James Lin also went out fighting in an 8-11

loss to the Japanese duo of Jengi Suzuli and Tskayuki Shishido in the quarterfinals.

Over at the Taipei gymnasium, Adrian Daniele Rigonan lost in the men’s singles and Ruben Haramel Jr. and Christine Garin fell in the mixed doubles of the badminton competitions

to move nearer leading Pirates Games Tuesday 12 noon - JRU vs Mapua (jrs) 2 p.m.- JRU vs Mapua (srs) 4 p.m- SBC vs AU (srs) 6 p.m.- SBC vs AU (jrs)

SAN Beda College seeks to close in on unbeaten leader Lyceum of the Philippines University as it takes on last year’s finals foe Arellano University today in the 93rd NCAA basketball tournament at the Filoil Arena in San Juan City.

The Lions survived the Perpetual Help Altas, 57-53, in an “NCAA on Tour” game on Aug. 17 at the Perpetual Help Gym to stay at No. 2 with a 7-1 (win-loss) record.

A victory over the Chiefs, whom the former swept in last season’s finale, in their 4 p.m. game would push them closer to the Pirates, who finished the first round on top with a perfect 9-0 slate.

The defending champions will be playing an Arellano University side that is coming off an 87-81 win over St. Benilde Friday.

Rookie Levi dela Cruz unleashed a careerhigh 24 points to make up for Kent Salado’s subpar nine-point effort, while helping the Chiefs secure their third win against five defeats to enhance their Final Four aspiration.

And San Beda coach Boyet Fernandez has taken notice.

“We know that they’re main man is Kent Salado, but we have to be ready because they have players who can step up also,” said Fernandez.

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

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

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

Biado credits Bata, Django for feat

Carlo Biado of the Philippines raises his hands in triumph after winning against Duong Quoc Hoang of Vietnam in the finals of men’s 9-ball singles event of the 29th Southeast Asian Games billiards’ competition at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center. Biado prevailed, 9-5, to clinch the gold medal.

Worst PH finish looms KUALA LUMPUR – Another heartbreaking finish looms for Team Philippines with three days left before the 29th Southeast Asian Games comes to a close at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Save for a surprise victory in equestrian, no Filipino athlete emerged with a gold medal, putting tremendous pressure on Olympian Kirstie Elaine Alora and Francis Agojo to deliver strong finishing kicks in taekwondo and a four-man Philippine squad in the wushu finals on Tuesday.

John Colin Syquia, an obscure newcomer from Florida, was the lone bright spot on Monday as he won the individual showjumping crown to pluck the country’s 23rd gold medal and its first mint in equestrian since 2011 in Palembang.

Riding Adventure E, Syquia was tied with five other riders in the first two rounds before blazing in the jump off to clock a commanding 37.63 seconds over Malaysians Sharmini Christina Ratnasingham (41.30 seconds) and Dato’ Seri Mahamad Fathil Qabi Ambak (41.66 seconds).

“This (gold medal) is very special be-

cause this is the first time for me to compete in the SEA Games,” said the 46-year-old Quezon City-born professional equestrian and horse-dealer, who participates in shows and derbies in Wellington, Florida.

The Philippines did not only miss its initial projection of 50 gold medals, but is also headed to what could be its worst finish in terms of gold-medal production the past 18 years.

The Philippines emerged with 29 gold medals in the past two editions in Myanmar in 2013 and Singapore in 2015.

Prior to that, its worst finish was in the Brunei SEA Games in 1999 where it managed to bring home only 20 mints.

But the Brunei Games, where only 233 gold medals were at stake, was a small affair compared with this year’s biennial meet, where a total of 404 gold medals from 38 sports are being disputed.

Malaysia remains on top of the medal tally after shattering the century mark with 102 gold medals, while Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore are way behind with 58, 54 and 48 mints, respectively.

Indonesia, Asian Games host next year, is eight gold medals ahead of the Philippines with 31, making it impossible for the Philippines to steal the fifth spot.

The Philippines also has 30 silver and 55 bronze medals.

World champion Gaylord Coveta of sailing and Olympian Nestor Colonia of weightlifting suffered heart-breaking setbacks, while the entire muay squad was wiped out in the championship battles.

Coveta, the 27-year-old sailor who was crowned as world champion in 2012, settled for silver medal in the men’s windsurfing RS One event behind Olympian Natthaphong Phonoppharat of Thailand, while Illham Wahab of Indonesia bagged the silver medal.

A hurting Colonia also suffered a setback as he finished fifth out of six competitors in the men’s 56 kg division weightlifting competition.

He lifted a meager 113 kg in the snatch

Indonesia: Malaysia cheated in pencak silat KUALA LUMPUR—Indonesia have accused hosts Malaysia of cheating during the pencak silat martial arts competition at the Southeast Asian Games, in the latest controversy between the two countries at the regional miniOlympics.

Malaysia’s Taqiyuddin bin Hamid and Rosli bin Mohd Sharif took gold in the men’s artistic doubles, but Indonesia team manager Edhy Prabowo claimed they were awarded an unfairly high score.

The accusation comes after Malaysian Games organisers mistakenly printed Indonesia’s flag upside-down in a commemorative magazine, prompting protests in Indonesia and revenge hacking attacks.

“It’s absolutely not authentic, not proper. Never in the history of the male doubles has anyone had such inflated points,” Prabowo said, according to Indonesian news website Detiksport.

“They did not even deserve a third place, not even a fourth,” he said, adding: “I knew Malaysia would cheat. This is not good for our athletes, but we now have to accept this.”

Indonesia’s Yolla Primadona Jumpil and Hendy, the defending champions, were reportedly enraged after coming second in the competition with 554 points, behind the Malaysian team’s 582.

“It has never happened before that judges awarded 582 points in this category. Never mind 582, even to get 570 is extremely difficult,” Prabowo said. AFP

and 140 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 254 kg to land fifth out of six entries.

Thach Kim Tuan, the Youth Olympics gold medalist and world record-holder in the 56 kg, lifted 120 kg in the snatch and 149 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 260 kg to retain the crown he won in the Myanmar SEA Games in 2013.

Surahmat Bin Suwoto Wuoy of Indonesia captured the bronze medal with 119 kg in snatch and 148 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 267 kg, while Witoon Mingmoon of Thailand grabbed the bronze medal with 110 kg in snatch and 149 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 259 kg.

Muay fighter Ryan Jafiri also kissed his gold medal chances goodbye as he was knocked out of contention by a Cambodian legend in the 63.5 kg class muay competition.

After drawing a bye in the five-man field, Jafiri was caught by a ramming front kick and a thunderous punch from Khun Dima of Cambodia that sent him crashing with 1:11 left.

Jafiri was the fifth Filipino muay fighter to bid goodbye in the 11-nation conclave.

He, however, would still go home with a bronze medal.

KUALA LUMPUR – Carlo Biado isn’t taking full credit for his golden performance in the billiards competition of the 29th Southeast Asian Games.

He also owes his mentors – legendary cue artists Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante – for teaching him the tricks of the trade.

A champion of the World Games in Poland in July, Biado continued his winning ways when he demolished Nguyen Anh Tuan of Vietnam in the men’s singles 9-balls event to collect his second gold medal in the biennial meet.

Prior to that, he demolished Muayporn Chotipong of Thailand in the preliminaries before running over Irsal Nasution of Indonesia in the quarterfinals.

And he has his coaches to thank for.

“Maganda na sina (national playing-coaches) Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes at Francisco ‘Django’ Bustamante ang mga naging coaches namin sa national team.

Marami kami, ako na mga natutunan sa kanilang dalawa sa training,” said Biado.

“Marami silang alam na mga tira na tinuturo sa amin na malaking bagay at nagagamit namin sa mga labanan.”

But the battle is not yet done for Biado.

After this, he will fly to Ashgabat in Turkmenistan to compete in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games.

His coaches may no longer be there, but the lessons they taught him will still remain in his heart.

Meanwhile, Nestor Colonia, bothered by a knee injury, faded in the weightlifting competition of the 29th Southeast Asian Games at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Center here.

One of the country’s two weightlifters in the Rio de Janeiro Olympics last year, Colonia lifted a meager 113 kg in the snatch and 140 kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 254 kg to land fifth out of six entries.

Thach Kim Tuan, the Youth Olympics gold medalist and world record-holder in the 56 kg, lifted 120 kg in the snatch and 149 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 260 kg to retain the crown he won in the Myanmar SEA Games in 2013.

Surahmat Bin Suwoto Wuoy of Indonesia captured the bronze medal with 119 kg in snatch and 148 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 267 kg while Witoon Mingmoon of Thailand grabbed the bronze medal with 110 kg in snatch and 149 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 259 kg.

Judo champion Takahashi eyes 2020 Tokyo Olympics

BEST PLAYER OF THE WEEK. Larry Fonacier spearheaded NLEX’s confidence-building 103-100 win over powerhouse San Miguel Beer in their PBA Governors’ Cup encounter on Sunday. The 6’2” Fonacier highlighted his heroics by knocking down two huge three-point shots in a nip-and-tuck contest down the stretch to help the Road Warriors secure their sixth win in eight starts. The 35-year-old Fonacier, acquired last May in a three-team trade, banged in 8 of his 16 points in the last period, added four rebounds and issued three assists—a performance that earned him the PBA Press Corps Player of the Week for the period of Aug 21-27.

KUALA LUMPUR – After bursting into the limelight with a golden performance, rising star Mariya Takahashi will be shooting for the next big thing – a slot in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

The 16-year-old Filipino-Japanese will be the second judoka to be groomed for the Summer Games after winning the gold medal in the women’s -70 kg event of the 29th Southeast Asian Games judo competition Sunday here.

The other one is 21-year-old Kiyomi Watanabe, who punched her third SEA Games gold medal after ruling the women’s -63 kg class.

According to Philippine Judo Federation president Dave Carter, they have already reached out to Takahashi’s parents about the possibility of grooming her for the Olympiad.

Takahashi proved that she deserves it after dominating Nguyen Thi Dien of Vietnam en route to a golden finish in her first stint in the biennial meet.

“She is also our brightest bet in the 2019 SEA Games all the way to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics,” said Carter.

Aside from all-out support from her federation, the Philippine Sports Commission also expressed its commitment to back her training, while the Philippine Olympic Committee would recommend her for an athletic scholarship program, where she would be entitled to a $500 monthly allowance.

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Villanueva suggests PH Arena as SEA Games’ main venue FACILITIES owned and controlled by church group of Iglesia ni Kristo can be utilized for the Philippines’ hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

Senator Joel Villanueva said this Monday as he encouraged the organizers of the games to consider holding the sports event at the Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.

“Please seriously consider Bulacan, we have the [Philippine] Arena and other great facilities plus extra ordinary hospitality of Bulakenyos,” said Villanueva, who is from Bulacan, on his Twitter post.

The Philippine Arena is a 140-hectare multipurpose indoor arena at Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue, Bulacan. It is the world’s largest indoor arena with a maximum seating capacity of 51,898.

Organizers are also considering sports facilities that will be put up inside the Clark Green City.

Newly designated Organizing Committee Chairman Allan Peter Cayetano said the Clark facilities will be possible within the next two years.

He added that certain areas of Clark

Field in Pampanga are high in the priority list of the Duterte administration in terms of development.

“We have to meet and see what’s doable,” said Cayetano, who added that the Philippine Arena in Bulacan and some facilities in Iba, Zambales are also being considered.

“If sports facilities and infrastructure have yet to be seen in Clark, I think it would be much better if we utilize those facilities in the Philippine Arena which are only waiting to be showcased,” Vil-

lanueva said.

The senator further expressed his support to the country’s hosting of 2019 SEA Games as it will serve as a good opportunity to boost our sports and tourism sector.

“Apart from showcasing the beauty of the Philippines and the hospitality of our people, the country’s hosting of SEA Games gives us the opportunity to prioritize our sports sector, particularly the training of our athletes, and to fill in the gaps in our sports program facilities,” Villanueva said. Peter Atencio

MRT 3 firm defends performance B3

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Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

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NLEX extending road to Bataan IN BRIEF Eight more foreign banks eye PH offices EIGHT more foreign banks are seeking to set up shop in the Philippines that could further boost the banking industry, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said.

Bangko Sentral Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said eight Asian banks had expressed interest to expand presence in the Philippines, while some foreign banks planned to establish a representative office in the country.

A representative office refers to a liaison office of a foreign bank, which deals directly with the public by promoting and giving information about its services.

It does not include the regional or area headquarters of a foreign bank registered and licensed under existing laws.

“Representative offices are mainly focused on marketing.

It is also important because rep offices are also useful in drawing in investments into the country,” Espenilla said.

“But if they see a really good market demand, it may progress into a branch application,” he added.

So far, eight foreign banks secured approvals from the central bank to operate in the country, namely Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp., South Korea’s Industrial Bank of Korea, Shinhan Bank and Woori Bank, Taiwan’s Cathay United Bank, Yuanta Commercial Bank Co. Ltd. and First Commercial Bank and Singaporebased United Overseas Bank Ltd. Darwin G. Amojelar

By Darwin G. Amojelar

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LEX Corp. is investing up to P20 billion to extend the North Luzon Expressway to Bataan province, a top executive said.

NLEX president and chief executive Rodrigo Franco said the company was currently doing the engineering study for NLEX Phase 3, with the project cost estimated at P16 billion to P20 billion.

NLEX Phase 3 is envisioned as a 37.76-kilometer, two by two-lane expressway from Sto. Tomas, Pampanga to Dinalupihan, Bataan.

“We are set to submit the investment proposal to TRB [Toll Regulatory Board],” Franco said.

Franco said the company was expecting to complete the right of way acquisition in two years and start the construction by 2020.

Phase 1 of NLEX consists of four segments with a total length of 92 kilometers, including the

rehabilitated and expanded 84km stretch from Balintawak, Quezon City to Mabalacat, Pampanga and the 8.5-km Segment 7 from Hermosa, Bataan to Subic Freeport.

Phase 2 of NLEX consists four segments with a length of 21 kilometers, involving the construction of the greenfield northern C5 to connect the existing C5 from C.P. Garcia Ave. in the University of the Philippines complex in Diliman, Quezon City to NLEX, and extend westward to MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City, turning south down to C3 in Caloocan City.

NLEX earlier said it was investing P29.43 billion in ex-

pressway projects between 2018 and 2020.

These projects include NLEX Segment 10 which is projected to be operational by the first half 2018; Segment 10 from C3 to R10 section to be completed by first quarter of 2019; and the Subic Freeport Expressway to be finished by the 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 P2 billion a year ago.

Toll revenues increased 8 percent in the six-month period to P5.7 billion from P5.2 billion a

PT&T wants to resume trading

By Jenniffer B. Austria

DA building eight Apayao warehouses THE Department of Agriculture said Monday eight warehouses worth P86.63 million due for construction in Apayao through the Philippine Rural Development Project (DA-PRDP) are expected to help improve the connectivity of farmers to markets.

Apayao’s provincial agriculturist Prudencio Bosing said one major issue facing agricultural development was the distance of Apayao to markets.

He said individual farmers could not bring their products to big markets because of hauling costs and the required volume.

Bosing said traders mostly controlled farm gate prices.

The provincial local government unit said costs could be minimized with the warehouses serving as consolidation centers for agricultural produce, such as coffee and banana.

“Some of banana fruits sold in Pangasinan, Clark and Manila are sourced here. One big issue is that farmers lose potential profits—we can’t control the traders,” Bosing said.

He added that banana traders usually bought the fruits by piece and not by weight.

“Farmers have decried this system and hoped that one day, the province would build a bagsakan center or warehouse drop-off point where farmers could [collectively] negotiate with buyers,” Bosing said. Anna Leah E. Gonzales

year earlier, because of the increase in traffic at NLEX and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway.

The average daily traffic for NLEX reached 233,652 daily entries in the first half, or 7 percent higher than the same period last year, while average daily traffic alone SCTEX rose 24 percent to 54,991 daily entries.

Non-toll revenues amounted to P83 million in the first half, also up from P73 million a year ago, on higher royalty fees, utility facility fees and other non-toll initiatives.

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

SOLAR LAMPS. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi (second from left) and other energy officials assemble 100 solar-powered lamps under

the guidance of local grade-schoolers that will be donated to families in Bohol during the Asia Cooperation Dialogue in Panglao. The lamps were given to 100 families in the islands of Balicasag, Pamilacan and mainland Panglao, including the families of 34 students from Lourdes Elementary School as beneficiaries.

Egco sees PH as its new Asian flagship market

By Alena Mae S. Flores ELECTRICITY Generating Public Co. Ltd. or Egco Group of Thailand said it is now looking at the Philippines as its flagship market because of limited opportunities in the home country.

Egco president and director Chanin Chaonirattisai said Egco Group in the second half of 2017 would pursue opportunities in the power sector in different countries to maintain at least a 10-percent return on equity for shareholders.

“We understood that investment opportunities in Thailand are quite limited that the power development policy presently gears to small-scale power plants such as biomass power project,” Chaonirattisai said in a statement.

“Egco Group then focuses on seeking overseas opportunities particularly in Asia Pacific region where the company has strong presence through an approach of developing new projects within the existing plant sites. Philippines will be

our flagship market where we stepped in since 2008,” he said.

Egco owns a 49-percent stake in the 630-megawatt Masinloc coal-fired power plant in Zambales province and a 49-percent stake in the 330-MW expansion of the same project.

It owns 100 percent of the 460-MW Quezon Power coalfired power plant in Quezon province and has a 49-percent stake in the 455-MW San Buenaventura coal project which is also under construction in the same province.

The San Buenaventura and Masinloc Unit 3 power plants are expected to start commercial operations by 2019.

Egco Group runs 27 operating power plants with total equity contracted capacity of 4,352 MW in five countries across Asia Pacific region – Thailand, Laos, the Philippines, Indonesia and Australia.

The company’s power plants generate electricity using several fuel sources such as natural gas, coal, biomass, waste, hydro, solar, wind and geothermal.

THE new investors of Philippine Telegraph & Telephone Corp. led by businessmen Benjamin Bitanga and Salvador Zamora plan to seek the Philippine Stock Exchange’s approval for the lifting of the company’ trading suspension after nearly 13 years.

PT&T chief operating officer Miguel Bitanga said in an interview the resumption of trading of the company’s shares in PSE would be a key component to its growth strategy to expand its fixed broadband business in Metro Manila.

“That is a key component because that is how we would be able to get a new investor,” Bitanga said.

Bitanga said PT&T was expecting to get PSE’s approval to lift the trading suspension because it was the company itself that sought voluntary trading suspension in December 2004.

Shares of PT&T were last traded on Dec. 9, 2004 when it closed at P0.33 per share. It had a public float of 29.95 percent.

Bitanga said while the company was in trading suspension, it managed to submit the minimum requirements for compliance with PSE. Bitanga said on the company’s corporate rehabilitation, PT&T would allow the process to proceed. “Being under receivership does not prevent us to go forward. We are still allowed to operate our normal business,” Bitanga said.

PT&T secured court approval in 2011 to implement a 15year rehabilitation plan.

BCDA to change Clark’s master plan

By Othel V. Campos STATE-RUN Bases Conversion and Development Authority plans to change the master plan of Clark Freeport Zone to accommodate new projects and developments.

BCDA president Vincent Dizon cited an urgent need to amend the design for Clark to cover all ongoing and planned developments.

“Master plans are usually updated and revalidated every five years. We haven’t revalidated the plan in more than a decade now,” he said.

Dizon said the original master plan did not include the expansion of Clark International Airport, the construction of a railway system and the creation of Clark Green City. He said this meant the current master plan was already outdated.

Palafox Associates won the bid for the remaster planning of Clark, but BCDA is also in talks

with some of the world’s biggest developers.

“We’re waiting for the results by yearend. With other projects coming in, it’s hard to keep building without the master plan,” Dizon said.

The proposed remaster planning would include the creation of the so-called Asean Villas, a transient residence project where foreign guests can stay during conferences.

The villas will be a part of the privatization plan to recoup the investments spent for improvements in Clark.

“To be honest, we badly need housing. Most of the people working in Clark live outside of the zone,” Dizon said.

Clark Development Corp. said the new plan aimed to optimize the development potential of Clark without compromising the economic, environmental and social integrity of the main Freeport zone.

The new master plan would

incorporate a concomitant business plan that “will leverage on the potentials of Clark to incorporate environment friendly, smart and resilient ‘green initiatives’ and fortify the Freeport’s status as a modern industrial estate and premier service and logistics hub in the region.”

It will provide a fresh take on the most strategic approach for further development of the Freeport zone in accordance with the government’s new mantra “Build, Build, Build” whose goal is to usher in the golden age of infrastructure in the Philippines.

Clark’s new master plan will also integrate with the master plan for Subic-Clark Corridor (CFZ, Clark Civil Aviation complex, Clark Special Economic Zone and Clark Green City), the proposed North Luzon Railways project, Manila-Clark Airport Express Railway and a 60-kilometer railway that will connect Clark and Subic Bay Freeport.

7-ELEVEN’S AWARD. Convenience store chain 7-Eleven bags the Best Booth Display Award at the recently-concluded Franchise Asia Philippines Exposition 2017 at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.

Franchise Asia Philippines 2017 Expo chair Jose Magsaysay Jr. said 7-Eleven bested other booths because of visual impact, creativity and originality in design, creative brand marketing and promotions, as well as audience response during the three-day exhibit. Shown are 7-Eleven staff at its award-winning booth.

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MRT 3 firm defends performance

By Darwin G. Amojelar

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USAN Universal Rail Inc., the maintenance provider of Metro Rail Transit Line 3, said it delivered more than what was required under its contract, contrary to the claim of an official of the Transportation Department.

Charles Mercado, legal counsel of Busan, asked Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez to explain his motive for spreading what Mercado described as “wrong” information about the true state of MRT

3 versus the actual delivery of contract obligations by the maintenance service company.

“We seek to correct the misinformation repeatedly being spread by DOTr Undersecretary Chavez. He keeps rehashing the

wrong information as if to condition the public into viewing Buri negatively and to baselessly support his unjust plan to terminate Buri’s contract,” Mercado said in a statement.

“The DOTr undersecretary’s repeated charge to blame Buri for every glitch and train stoppage is also unfair not only to Buri but to the riding public as well,” he said.

Mercado said even in year 2000, when Japanese company Sumitomo Corp. was maintaining the system in MRT’s first year of operation, when the trains and rails were brand new and rid-

ership was much less, the system already logged 1,492 glitches.

“That fact shows that the glitches are more reasonably due to design flaws – and not mainly maintenance issues. Through the years, the deterioration of the rails and passenger loading above the intended usage only worsened the system’s condition and resulted in more glitches,” Buri said.

“Undersecretary Chavez should be asked to disprove this evidence on the design flaws as opposed to insisting for the immediate cancellation of the MRT3 maintenance service con-

tract,” it said.

Mercado said Buri submitted to the Transportation Department documentary and technical evidence to show the design flaws and their impact on the performance of the trains. He said Buri also repeatedly reminded the DOTr about the completion of the rail replacement, and even Transportation Secretary Arturo Tugade instructed MRT to review loading protocols.

“To set the record straight, it is untrue that Buri has not been procuring proper spare parts. When Buri started its contract in January 2016, only 40 of MRT’s 72

cars were running. These 40 cars were enough for only 13 threecar trains. The other cars were inoperable and had many missing parts. Since then, Buri fixed 28 cars to presently deliver the contract minimum of 18 trains for revenue operation” Mercado said.

“These became possible only because Buri aggressively executed its parts purchase plan.

Buri has not been remiss in its maintenance operations, and the company weighs its responsibility seriously because it is important for the government’s capacity expansion objective” he said.

Filinvest eyes P3-b revenues in QC project

By Jenniffer B. Austria FILINVEST Land Inc., one of the country’s largest integrated real estate developers and BPO office providers, said it expects to generate at least P3 billion in sales from a newly launched mixed-use project in Quezon City.

The project called Studio 7 would include an 18-story residential building with 459 residential units being sold at P2.45 million to P4.39 million per unit, with sizes ranging from 18 square meters to 31 sqm.

It will also have 18 floors with 36,000 square meters of leasable office space targeting business process outsourcing firms. The office tower can house a total of 14,000 BPO employees.

The project will also have three floors of retail space offering 4,000 sqm.

Studio 7, strategically located along Edsa and 200 meters from MRT GMA-Kamuning Station, targets start-up families, investors, millennials and BPO workers as potential buyers of the residential units.

Filinvest Land first vice president Janet Cordero said the office component of the project was expected to be completed by the latter part of 2019 while the residential tower would be finished by 2020.

Among the amenities that unit buyers can enjoy are an outdoor area for fitness bootcamp, lap pool, sky garden, yoga deck and mezzanine lounge.

The company said the strategic location of the project is a part of the emerging central business district and hub in Quezon City.

Filinvest Land posted a net income of P2.66 billion in the first half, up 8 percent from the same period last year, as revenues increased 9 percent to P10.06 billion.

DYNAMIC LEARNING. Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. launches its first capability building program on project management with 24 participants from the public sector, particularly from the Office of the Cabinet Secretary and Governance Commission for GOCCs in a two-day, back-to-back workshop at Meranti Hotel. Participants form small groups to work on their projects, applying the concepts of project management.

Supreme Court rules in favor of Lipa farmers THE Supreme Court ruled that the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program covers all lands that are suitable for agricultural activities and only those which are reclassified as commercial, residential or industrial by the local government as approved by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board before June 15, 1988 are excluded from the program.

The ruling provides that farm lot is not among the exemptions as the high court cited Rule V Section 18 (d) of the HLURB regulations defining farm lot subdivisions as “planned community primarily for intensive agricultural activities and secondary for housing.”

The Supreme Court, in ef-

fect, permanently lifted the temporary restraining order it previously issued in 2010 and upheld the rights of farm beneficiaries over more than 70 hectares of property located in Lipa City, Batangas originally owned by Augusto Salas Jr. The decision was promulgated on March 29, 2017.

In its 30-page decision in the case entitled “Heirs of Augusto Salas Jr. represented by Teresita Salas vs. Marciano Cabungcal, et. al. G.R. No. 191545,” the Supreme Court through Justice Marvic Leonen ruled that “the general policy of Republic Act 6657 is to cover as many lands suitable for agricultural activities as may be allowed. Where there is doubt as to the intention of

the local government in the area where the property is located, the interpretation should be towards the declared intention of the law.”

Concurring in the decision were Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, chairperson of the Second Division, and Associate Justices Francis Jardeleza, Jose Mendoza and Samuel Martires.

Marciano Cabungcal, one of the beneficiaries of the agrarian reform program and leader of the farm group, shared that the decision of the Supreme Court was a clear manifestation that justice still prevails. “We thank the justices and the president for their wisdom and compassion. How can Salas take away our land af-

ter we have tilled it for generations, and CLOA titles had been given to us more than 15 years ago,” Cabungcal said.

Farmer leader Dominador Castillo said all the farmers and their families were very thankful to the Duterte Administration which promised to distribute farm lots to the farmers. “Many of the beneficiaries have died from age and illness already. At least our children can study and have something of their own to start with,” Castillo said.

The Supreme Court’s second division, in deciding the case, answered the ultimate issue of whether lot reclassified as far, exempts the property from the agrarian reform program.

Some personal thoughts on Venezuela AS I have watched sad events unfolding in Venezuela—the Spanish translation of the conquistadors’ Little Venice—I have wanted to record a few personal thoughts about that beautiful Latin American country, which has contributed many names to the list of Miss Universe contest winners.

Up until my family took up residence in the United Kingdom, my experience with Venezuela was limited to my geography textbooks.

From them I learned that Venezuela essentially was about three things— the Andes mountain range, the mighty Orinoco River and Lake Maracaibo.

The waters of Lake Macaraibo are where the world’s fourth largest oil deposits are found.

Then came London. In Britain’s capital city my family came to know —and to become very friendly—with Frank Alcock, his wife and some Jimmy and Frank Jr. The older Frank Alcock, who was then in his fifties, was a successful British businessman who had married Matilde, a Venezuelan lass who was raised in the upper-class British manner.

The situation of the Alcock family was my first personal brush with dictatorship outside the communist

world. Mr. Alcock, who had come to love the native country of his wife, decided to take his family out of Venezuela and back to England upon the establishment of the dictatorial regime of Marcos Perez Jimenez. Mr. Alcock had reached the conclusion that life in Venezuela under former general Perez Jimenez had become unhealthy for a British couple and their two sons. The fact that Matilde Alcock’s Venezuelan kinfolk, the Perez Mattoses,’ were opponents of the Perez Jimenez dictatorship did not help matters any.

Frank and Matilde Alcock and their son Jimmy—three of the finest people I have ever known—must be turning in their graves because of what has been happening in Venezuela during the past decade. Under President Nicolas Maduro, the oil-rich Latin American country has moved from democracy to mild socialism to full-blown socialism. Disdainful of criticism and democratic processes, antipathetic toward the Western countries, suspicious of foreign capital and very friendly to Cuba, Maduro has brought the Venezuelan economy, once one of Latin America’s strongest, into virtual freefall, with dwindling external reserves, exploding government deficits and shortages of even the most basic

consumer items.

Frank Alcock Jr., the only surviving member of his immediate family, has witnessed two dictatorships in his mother’s country during his lifetime.

Truly a case of déjà vu, he must be tolling himself.

My other personal thoughts about Little Venice involve my sister Raquel, who, during her service with the Department of Foreign Affairs, was posted to the Philippine embassy in Caracas.

That embassy was once merely an adjunct of the Philippine embassy in Brasilia, with the ambassador to Brazil serving concurrently as nonresident ambassador to Venezuela.

Subsequently, DFA decided that Venezuela was sufficiently important —it is one of the founding members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries—to merit a Philippine embassy of its own.

During Raquel’s time in Venezuela, the chief of mission was the able Jocelyn Garcia, who had previously been posted to a number of other Philippine embassies.

It goes without saying that every conversation I had with my diplomat sister during her Caracas assignment eventually turned to the deteriorating geopolitical situation in Venezuela under Chavismo, the politico-social

movement started by Hugo Chavez.

Raquel invariably expressed the view that the general situation was not good and appeared to be getting worse.

Raquel is back in Manila safe and sound, and my family is happy. But for the country she left behind things got worse.

Hugo Chavez governed Venezuela like a virtual dictator, and his successor, Nicolas Maduro, recently took the crucial step of ordering the election of a new National Assembly that he calculates will be amenable to the writing of a new Constitution with a termless-presidency provision.

These personal associations that I have with Venezuela make me feel sad about the bad times upon which that beautiful country has fallen and hopeful that it will be able to resolve its problems without descending into full-blown civil war.

The Venezuelan situation embodies a big lesson for this country.

Filipinos who lived through the Edsa Revolution must make absolutely sure that they do not experience another dictatorship in their lifetime.

One Ferdinand Marcos in a lifetime is quite enough.

E-mail: romero.business.class@ gmail.com

TransCo offering P110-b projects

By Alena Mae S. Flores STATE-OWNED National Transmission Corp. wants to build major transmission lines costing up to P110 billion using funds from the Malampaya gas project in northwest Palawan, a top executive said.

TransCo president Melvin Matibag said the proposed projects would include the VisayasMindanao interconnection which private operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines wanted to construct by itself.

National Grid has a pending application with the Energy Regulatory Commission for the construction of the transmission line connecting Visayas and Mindanao.

“We have to validate it [cost].

Around P90 to P110 billion for everything. For Visayas-Mindanao, we benchmark it at P52 billion,” Matibag said. “[For] the connectivity of Vis-Min, we’re coming out with a position that government will do it. [We propose that] Congress allocate budget from the Malampaya fund and other projects of the secretary,” Matibag said, referring to Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

National Grid operates the country’s transmission network through a concession agreement signed with the government. The transmission assets are still owned by government through TransCo. “If we based it with NGCP, government can do it [cost] lower by at least 20 to 30 percent,” Matibag said.

Matibag said while National Grid proposed to build the Visayas-Mindanao interconnection by 2020, TransCo could do it earlier.

“There is a chance the interconnection between Visayas and Mindanao will be done during the administration of Duterte,” he said.

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Euro hits 20-month high; HK stocks up H

ONG KONG―The euro held its gains on Monday as traders bet that the European Central Bank would start to wind down its crisis-era stimulus program, while lower expectations for further tightening in the United States weighed on the dollar.

Former Ocean Bank CEO Nguyen Xuan Son (center, standing) stands trial along with former Ocean Bank chairman Ha Van Tham (second from right, seated on first row) at the People’s Court in Hanoi on August 28, 2017. A former banking magnate and 50 others went on trial in Vietnam on August 28 over a multi-million dollar fraud case at a major private bank, as the communist nation cracks down on corruption in the scandaltainted sector. AFP

51 bankers, traders on trial in Vietnam HANOI―A former banking magnate and 50 others went on trial in Vietnam Monday over a multi-million dollar fraud at a major private bank, as the communist nation cracks down on corruption in the sector.

Authorities have vowed to clean up an industry plagued by favoritism and dodgy loans― part of a broader drive against corruption in the country.

In the latest trial the exchairman of Ocean Bank, Ha Van Tham, is accused of illegally approving loans worth $23 million in 2012, ultimately leading to the bank’s demise and stripping him of his status as one of the country’s richest men.

Tham and 50 other bankers and businessmen, most of whom worked at Ocean Bank, face various charges related to the illegal loan in the 20-day trial that opened Monday.

Some face the death penalty, according to the lengthy indictment.

The trial involves a record 50 defense lawyers and more than 700 witnesses, and is the second time the accused have appeared after a March trial was postponed for further investigation.

Tham is accused of approving the loan to the Trung Dung real estate company without proper collateral.

The head of the real estate company, Pham Cong Danh, is currently in jail after a separate conviction of economic mismanagement.

Ocean Group, which includes real estate and hotel subsidiaries, enjoyed a meteoric rise after its founding in 2007, and was valued at $500 million in 2013 under Tham’s stewardship.

But after Tham was arrested in 2014, most bank branches shut

US broadcaster CBS buying Ten Network SYDNEY―American broadcaster CBS has secured a deal to buy Australia’s third-largest television network, Ten, the embattled station’s administrators said Monday.

The Ten Network was placed in voluntary administration in June after two billionaire backers refused to continue guaranteeing a key loan of Aus$200 million (US$159 million).

CBS―one of Ten’s key content providers―will fund the purchase by refinancing existing secured debt arrangements in full, the administrators said in a statement.

The agreement came after CBS in July claimed debts of Aus$843 million from Ten in a submission to the network’s administrators, Fairfax Media reported.

“Network Ten has played a significant role in Australia’s media landscape over many decades, and the sale of the business to CBS will allow the iconic broadcaster to move into a new chapter on a strong and stable footing,” Ten receiver and PPB Advisory Partner Christopher Hill said in a statement.

The deal includes Channel Ten, digital channel One, digital platform Tenplay, and digital channel Eleven―of which CBS already owns a 33 percent stake.

CBS said it would also launch its digital on-demand service CBS All Access in the Australian market.

“We have been able to acquire (Network Ten) at a valuation that gives us confidence we will grow this asset by applying our programming expertise in a market with which we are already familiar,” CBS chairman and chief executive Leslie Moonves said in a statement.

The deal needs approval from Australia’s Foreign Investment Review Board.

Media analyst Peter Cox said CBS’ challenge would be to try to keep a third commercial network in Australia viable, adding that a third broadcaster in Britain and New Zealand had not worked.

He added that local programming would be key to Ten’s success as the top rating shows were all Australian.

“The question is can CBS understand the Australian market and be able to pick the programs that are going to work, particularly the reality programs, and whether they can become competitors with (the other commercial broadcasters) Seven and Nine,” Cox told AFP. The announcement came just days after Ten’s former billionaire backers―Lachlan Murdoch, the son of media titan Rupert, and Bruce Gordon, who owns regional network WIN―secured regulatory approval to bid for the network.

But any takeover by Murdoch’s investment company Illyria and Gordon’s Birketu, which would have given them each a 50 percent share, was dependent on the government changing media laws to allow ownership across multiple platforms.

Ten, one of Australia’s three commercial channels and which broadcasts shows such as “I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!,” has been on air since 1964.

The station, like many media groups, has been hammered by slumping advertising revenues and posted a net loss in SeptemberFebruary of Aus$232 million. AFP

and the State Bank of Vietnam, the central bank, acquired Ocean Bank for $0.

Ocean Group is still active in real estate and hotels and services and was valued at about $3.5 million in 2016, according to its website.

Vietnam has already jailed dozens of bankers in other highprofile banking cases, though some say corrupt officials should be targeted as part of the crackdown.

“In economic cases, only enterprise managers and owners are put on trial, not policymakers or state officials... punishment of party and state (officials) is not strong enough,” economic law expert Nguyen Viet Khoa told AFP. In September last year 36 former Vietnam Construction Bank employees were given jail terms of up to 30 years, after

they were accused of secretly withdrawing millions of dollars from clients’ accounts to use for loans or keep for themselves.

Bad debts have long plagued the banking industry. They make up some eight percent of outstanding loans, according to the state bank, though experts say the real number could be far higher.

Authorities have also targeted other sectors in their anticorruption drive, though analysts say convictions are often driven by political infighting rather than a genuine commitment to reform.

This month Germany accused Vietnam of kidnapping Trinh Xuan Thanh, a former oil executive accused of corruption, from a Berlin park.

Officials in Vietnam said he turned himself over to police in Hanoi voluntarily. AFP

While ECB boss Mario Draghi made no mention of the bank’s plans for its bond-buying scheme in a much-anticipated speech Friday, analysts said his optimism about the eurozone economy was enough to fuel euro buying.

Janet Yellen’s decision not to discuss the Federal Reserve’s plans for future interest rate rises was also seen as an indication of the US central bank’s reticence to announce any more increases.

The single currency bought $1.1933, its highest since January 2015, while it was also around eight-year highs against the pound. The dollar continued to struggle against the yen.

While the ECB is widely expected soon to begin tapering its stimulus, its policymakers are concerned about the impact of a strong currency on the bloc’s exports.

“Mario Draghi will be tearing his hair out,” said Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader.

“If saying nothing can drive the euro to its highest level since January 2015 then the ECB president and his colleagues will be genuinely worried about the impact an announcement to further reduce its QE programme could have on the single currency.”

On equity markets Hong Kong extended its winning run into a fifth straight day to reach its highest level since summer 2015.

But Hong Kong-listed shares

in Wanda Hotel Development Co plunged almost 10 percent at one point even though the firm denied reports that chairman Wang Jianlin had been barred from leaving China and detained for hours. It pared some of the losses but was still down almost seven percent in late trade.

Shanghai added 0.9 percent but Tokyo ended flat, Sydney shed 0.6 percent and Seoul was off 0.4 percent.

In early European trade Paris and Frankfurt each dipped 0.5 percent. London was closed for a holiday.

Tech giant Samsung sank almost two percent in Seoul, extending Friday’s losses after Lee Jae-Yong, de facto head of the world’s biggest smartphone maker, was jailed for five years for bribing South Korea’s ousted president and other offenses.

The main US oil contract West Texas Intermediate edged down in early trade after surging at the end of last week, as energy companies were forced to shut down some of their operations because of deadly Hurricane Harvey.

“Some offshore oil and gas operators evacuated platforms and rigs, although offshore production was picking up a bit Sunday, while onshore operators were shutting in what may amount to hundreds of wells in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas,” global energy information provider S&P Global Platts said. AFP

Uber taps deal-maker, Trump agitator as CEO

By Eric Newcomer UBER Technologies Inc. will appoint Expedia Inc.’s Dara Khosrowshahi to run the global ride-hailing leviathan, two people familiar with the matter said. He’ll succeed co-founder Travis Kalanick, who led the firm to $20 billion in annual bookings before scandals forced him out.

In hiring Expedia’s chief executive officer, Uber will land a seasoned deal-maker and an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump, who’s accustomed to sparring with one of his new company’s biggest rivals, Alphabet Inc. While a spokeswoman for Uber directors confirmed that they’ve chosen a CEO, she declined to name the person, saying the board would inform employees first. Expedia didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.

Khosrowshahi will face a number of hurdles as Uber― which has raised more than $15 billion from private investors― navigates its way toward a still-unscheduled initial public offering. The new top executive must grapple with the company’s persistent losses, a high-stakes trade secrets suit filed by Alphabet’s Waymo, a tarnished brand and low morale among Uber’s more than 15,000 global employees.

Uber’s board met over the weekend for a last round of interviews with candidates and to discuss options, said people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified because the deliberations were private.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. CEO Meg Whitman and General Electric Co. Chairman Jeffrey Immelt were under consideration for the job.

The board ultimately went with a dark horse. Khosrowshahi hadn’t been named publicly as a finalist during a CEO search that

was plagued by leaks, boardroom infighting and a lawsuit involving two directors. He has accepted the position, people familiar with the discussions said.

Khosrowshahi, 48, is an Iranborn American who graduated from Brown University with an engineering degree. He had a stint in investment banking at Allen & Co. before joining with billionaire Barry Diller at IAC during the dot-com boom.

Khosrowshahi led an acquisition binge in online travel, expanding IAC’s Expedia with takeovers of Orbitz and HomeAway.

He’s also one of the technology industry’s most outspoken CEOs in opposition to some of President Trump’s policies. He railed against the immigration ban and mocked Trump on Twitter as repeatedly failing to “rise to the expectations of his office” after the president’s response to protests in Charlottesville, Virginia. Uber’s long year of controversies began in January when Kalanick tried to justify his position on a Trump business council before

ultimately resigning that post after customers staged a boycott.

Khosrowshahi was effective at marrying disparate businesses across Expedia, many brought together through acquisitions, said Woody Marshall, an investor in the online travel industry who has known Khosrowshahi since they were kids. “He’s been able to leverage technology in a thoughtful way,” said Marshall, a general partner at venture capital firm TCV, which isn’t an Uber investor. “He’s the real deal. He’s not bigger than life in terms of his public appearance or public personality. He’s bigger than life in terms of culture and values.”

Under Kalanick, Uber grew into a massive global business.

In the second quarter of 2017, the company lost $645 million on $1.75 billion in net revenue.

During Kalanick’s nearly sevenyear stint, the San Franciscobased startup achieved a $69-billion valuation, struck partnerships with major auto manufacturers, took a sizable stake in its biggest global competitor and established

itself as the premier ride-hailing business in most of the developed world. Kalanick earned a sort of legendary Silicon Valley status, elbowing into the ranks of founders like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.

However, Kalanick, 41, cultivated a brash reputation and played a central role in many of the company’s controversies.

He was caught on tape arguing with an Uber driver over pay and was tied to the company’s mishandling of medical records for an Indian woman who had been raped by an Uber driver.

Kalanick helped author the company’s cultural values, which consultants described as a way to justify bad behavior in the office.

He also drove the acquisition of the autonomous trucking startup Otto for $680 million in stock, which led to a lawsuit from Alphabet.

Khosrowshahi has experience jousting with Alphabet’s Google.

Expedia was among Google’s top search advertisers. But as Google began to promote more of its own travel services, Expedia was among the companies that formally opposed the search giant’s dominance in a European Union antitrust case. “We’re comfortably uncomfortable as it relates to Google,” Khosrowshahi told Bloomberg in July.

Uber’s search for a CEO started as a bid to find Kalanick “leadership help,” a process that began in March after Bloomberg published a video of Kalanick’s verbal altercation with a driver.

It shifted focus to the top job after Kalanick’s resignation on June 20. Uber’s other leadership needs include heads of finance and marketing, a general counsel and more independent board members, including a chairman.

Uber is being led by a 14-person management committee alongside the eight-member board until the new CEO starts. Bloomberg

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

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

Business

Harvey closes US refineries; oil mixed

S

INGAPORE―Crude prices were mixed in Asian trade Monday as the closure of refineries in US oil heartland Texas due to monster storm Harvey was offset by sluggish global demand.

A sunken boat lies submerged in front of an oil rig after Hurricane Harvey hit Port Aransas, Texas on August 27, 2017. Hurricane Harvey hit the Texas coast with forecasters saying its possible for up to three feet of rain and 125 mpg wind. AFP

Brexit talks face big gap as new round begins BRUSSELS, Belgium―Britain and the EU kick off a third round of Brexit talks Monday, with London impatient to agree its future relationship with the bloc while Brussels insists the divorce settlement comes first.

The European Union’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier will meet his British counterpart David Davis late afternoon in Brussels for a first exchange, followed by three days of discussions and a joint press conference.

The EU says there has to be “sufficient progress” in three key areas―EU citizen rights, Northern Ireland’s border and the exit bill―before it can consider London’s demand for talks on future ties in October.

Kuroda to push on with stimulus BANK of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda pledged to forge on with very accommodative monetary policy as he warned that his inflation target remains distant and the current pace of growth in the world’s third-largest economy looks unsustainable.

Speaking in an interview with Bloomberg in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Kuroda also said the BoJ’s yield-curve control program has been working quite well and that he doesn’t see a need to adjust it at present. He added that the BoJ may be able to control rates while buying fewer Japanese government bonds and that the market is still “functioning quite well.”

The BoJ chief, who joined Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and European Central Bank President Mario Draghi at the mountain retreat for an annual gathering of monetary policy makers, is grappling with an economy that’s in its longest run of expansion in more than a decade but is still failing to generate significant wage gains and a healthy level of inflation.

“I think 4 percent growth is excellent but we don’t think 4 percent growth can be sustained.

Around 2 percent growth is likely,” Kuroda told Bloomberg Television’s Kathleen Hays. “I think for some time we have to continue this extremely accommodative monetary policy.”

Bloomberg

Britain says it would be best to negotiate the two in parallel and that settling trade issues may even help with other problems such as the future EU-UK border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

That is a complete no-go for Brussels which made no secret of the fact that it expects little progress in bridging what officials last week called a “very big gap.”

They also blamed Britain for a “lack of substance” despite a flurry of position papers they said were strong on aspiration but short on detail.

Barnier last week listed on Twitter the EU’s own negotiating documents, noting: “EU posi-

tions clear and transparent since day one.”

Davis said Monday the British papers were “products of the hard work and detailed thinking that has been going on behind the scenes and should form the basis of what I hope will be a constructive week of talks.”

“We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get down to work once more,” he added.

Both sides have repeatedly warned that the clock is ticking down to the March 2019 Brexit deadline and that they are the ones doing their best to make progress.

The situation is complicated by sharp divisions within Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conser-

vative government after a June election gamble backfired and she lost her parliamentary majority.

May remains in office thanks to a deal with Northern Ireland’s ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party which views the Republic with deep suspicion.

EU officials warned last week that the hard-won Northern Ireland peace process could not be used as a bargaining chip.

As for London’s suggestion that technology could help prevent the border becoming a barrier to trade and the peace process, that was just “a lot of magical thinking,” one EU official said. AFP

Harvey rolled over the US Gulf Coast and slammed into Texas on Friday as a huge Category 4 hurricane, sparking floods and mass evacuations, and prompting many oil refineries and ports to shut down.

US authorities said 22 percent of crude production in the Gulf of Mexico was halted, while global energy information provider S&P Global Platts said roughly 2.2 million barrels per day of refining capacity was also affected.

ExxonMobil said Sunday it had closed its massive Baytown refining complex―the secondlargest in the country.

In early afternoon trade in Asia, Brent crude for October was trading at $52.57 a barrel, up 16 cents or 0.31 percent.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for delivery in October was at $47.69 a barrel, down 18 cents, or 0.38 percent.

The contract had closed nearly one percent higher in New York on Friday as Harvey churned inland.

“Some offshore oil and gas operators evacuated platforms and rigs, although offshore production was picking up a bit Sunday, while onshore operators were shutting in what may amount to hundreds of wells in the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas,” Platts said.

It said however that “refiners have not reported any damage so far.”

The Texas Gulf Coast is home to 4.944 million barrels per day of refining capacity, while the Louisiana Gulf Coast accounts for 3.696 million barrels per day, Platts said, citing data from the US Energy Information Administration.

But analysts said sluggish global demand remained a drag on the market.

“The bottom line is that for oil

prices to increase significantly, global demand has to increase significantly,” Jude Clemente, principal at JTC Energy Research Associates, LLC, said in an article on Forbes.

“Much higher oil demand is the holy grail for oil bulls.”

Gasoline, however, surged to the highest in two years as flooding from Tropical Storm Harvey inundated refining centers along the Texas coast, shutting more than 10 percent of US fuel-making capacity.

Harvey, the strongest storm to hit the US since 2004, made landfall as a hurricane Friday, flooding cities and shutting plants able to process some 2.26 million barrels of oil a day. Pipelines were closed, potentially stranding some crude in West Texas and starving New York Harbor of gasoline.

“Gasoline prices are going to continue to rise this week as we expect another three days of rain in the Houston area,” Andy Lipow, president of consultant Lipow Oil Associates LLC in Houston, said by phone. “With pipeline operators beginning to shut down their crude oil and refined product infrastructure, I expect to see further curtailment of refinery operations. A spike in gasoline and diesel prices will drag up crude oil prices.”

Oil has traded this month in the tightest range since February as investors weigh rising global supply against output cuts by members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies. As Harvey led to widespread flooding, Royal Dutch Shell Plc shut its Deer Park plant, while Magellan Midstream Partners LP suspended its inbound and outbound refined products and crude pipeline transportation services in the Houston area. AFP

World central bankers defend post-crisis reforms

By Jeanna Smialek, Alessandro Speciale and Michael McKee LEADERS of the world’s most powerful central banks defended post-crisis reforms at their annual retreat in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, while discussing the causes and consequences of populist waves that have reshuffled the political order in the US and Europe.

Monetary policy wasn’t a major focus during the threeday gathering. When it was discussed, the messages from the Federal Reserve and European Central Bank stressed their gradual approaches to unwinding emergency-era stimulus as global growth picks up.

Policy makers instead poured over the pros and cons of free trade and made a full-throated defense of the safety net created since the 2008 financial meltdown, which President Donald Trump wants to roll back. Britain’s vote to divorce from Europe, Trump’s election and the anti-immigrant presidential candidacy of Marine Le Pen loomed large over the event.

Top officials came out swinging against populist rhetoric. Fed Chair Janet Yellen gave her strongest defense yet of embattled financial rules, while her euro-area counterpart Mario Draghi warned of protectionism’s perils. Economists chewed over how to mitigate globalization’s distributional problems in a way that doesn’t

Janet Yellen, chairman of Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (left), and Mario Draghi, president of the European Central Bank, walk the grounds at the Jackson Hole economic symposium, sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, in Moran, Wyoming.

Bloomberg

subtract from already-tempered global growth.

“A central element of efforts to raise productivity growth―and build a dynamic global economy―must involve responding to these concerns about openness,” Draghi said in an address Friday.

“A turn towards protectionism would pose a serious risk for continued productivity growth and potential growth in the global economy.”

Global Growth Protecting growth is an important priority for central banks, because weak GDP gains curb how high they can raise interest rates, limiting how far they can

cut rates to fight a recession.

Economists generally favor free trade, because it boosts standards of living, drives down product and service costs and improves idea dispersion. But it also created haves and have-nots, driving wealth toward networked cities and the highly educated while shifting manufacturing jobs away from developed countries.

Anger over those changes became a rallying cry for leaders such as Trump, who has advocated tighter immigration controls, renegotiating trade agreements and preventing off-shoring―all with the goal of reinvigorating

middle-class wages.

The US president has also been taking aim at the Dodd-Frank Act, the 2010 law enacted in response to the financial crisis, which he and congressional Republicans blame for handicapping the US economy. Yellen, in perhaps her final speech at Jackson Hole as Fed chair, took issue with Trump’s narrative.

“Core reforms we have put in place have substantially boosted resilience without unduly limiting credit availability or economic growth,” she said. “Any adjustments to the regulatory framework should be modest and preserve the increase in resil-

ience.” Yellen’s term as chair expires in February and economists polled by Bloomberg don’t expect Trump to pick her for another four-year stint.

Monetary Policy Slow progress aside, the global economy is in its best shape in nearly a decade. The Fed is gradually reducing monetary accommodation and the ECB is contemplating when to begin tapering mass asset purchases, even though inflation lingers below central bankers’ targets in both places.

Jackson Hole discussions offered little insight into the outlook for those policies, and the limited comments policy makers did make hardly budged the needle.

Yellen largely avoided talking about the current state of the economy or the outlook.

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, in a Bloomberg Television interview, said that the recent pace of growth in the world’s third-largest economy is probably unsustainable and pledged to continue with very accommodative monetary policy “for some time” because inflation is still too low.

Draghi reiterated that that the ECB will go extremely slowly when it starts removing monetary stimulus, with a decision expected in the autumn. He said inflation is taking time to converge to the bank’s 2 percent goal, in part because wages respond only slowly to a closing employment gap. Bloomberg

LGUs

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

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PET PARK. A man feeds his cat on a pet playground while owners raise up their dogs to be blessed by a priest (inset) as the first ever SM Pet Park opened in SM City in Taytay, Rizal. The park’s launch coincided with the celebration of International Dogs Day on Aug. 26. Norman Cruz

Mayors, Ormeco in turf war C

By Robert A. Evora

ALAPAN CITY—With over more than 185,000 member-consumers affected, the provincial mayors’ league here and the board of directors of Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc. or Ormeco are clashing over the management of the power firm.

This came about as the ousted Ormeco general manager continued to defy an order from the National Electrification Administration replacing him with an acting GM.

Outgoing GM Patrocinio Panagsagan, Jr., with his supporters, are still holed inside the premises of the barricaded front office of the electric cooperative.

NEA Administrator Edgardo R. Masongsong had replaced Panagsagan with Orlando M. Andres as acting GM effective August 16. Andres is from NEA’s central office in Manila.

Out of 121 electric cooperatives all over the country under NEA supervision, four, including Ormeco, are being “given special attention” in the current investigation of ECs that “have complaints concerning reliability, especially regarding the duration and frequency of power interruptions,” the agency said.

The NEA will take over the management of “ailing electric

cooperatives and suspend erring general managers who are found to be remiss of their mandates,” according to NEA’s directive by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

“There is no exemption. If they [cooperatives] fail, we will determine the reasons behind this and take appropriate actions,” NEA Deputy Administrator Artis Tortola said.

The seven-man Ormeco board of directors, presided by Teodoro de la Cruz Jr., passed a resolution acknowledging and accepting the appointment of Andres as the duly appointed

supervisor and acting general manager of the cooperative effective Aug. 18, 2017.

Andres was also designated, in the same resolution, as the “new authorized signatory to all bank accounts of Ormeco.”

However, the League of Municipalities of the Philippines— headed by Socorro, Oriental Mindoro Mayor Maria Fe Brondial—will submit a petition on Tuesday to President Rodrigo Duterte expressing the Oriental Mindoro mayors’ full support for the retention of Panagsagan as Ormeco general manager.

Dasma marks hospital’s first year

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Pagamutan ng Dasmariñas – a five-storey, stateof-the-art public hospital fully funded and operated by the City Government of Dasmariñas in Cavite to address the health needs of constituents—celebrates its first anniversary today.

Dasmariñas City Rep. Jennifer Austria-Barzaga and her husband, Mayor Elpidio Barzaga Jr., said the hospital has been of great help to the people of Dasmariñas.

“We have been saving lives for a year now and we look forward to continue to do so with the support of our constituents,” said Mayor Barzaga, also a former legislator.

The core principle of the “Pagamutan” is Commitment and Care for the Community with Competence and Compassion,” Rep. Jenny Barzaga, a nurse by profession, said.

“This public hospital is a hallmark that the City Government of Dasmariñas is committed in providing the best public service in terms of healthcare and wellness,” she said.

The hospital was constructed using only the city’s funds without aid from the national government and the private sector.

Construction began in September 2012 during the term of then-Mayor Jennifer Barzaga.

MASS WEDDING. Tacloban City Mayor Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez (second from left) stands with one of the couples who got married in the mass wedding sponsored by the city government at the City Training Center. Robbie Pangilinan

Wounded forester gets top DENR honors AN EMPLOYEE of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, who was shot and wounded by a suspected illegal logger in Palawan province last Aug. 23, received the highest commendation from Secretary Roy A. Cimatu on Monday, as the country marked National Heroes Day. Cimatu awarded Joselito Eyala, a forester at the Community Environment and Natural Resources

Office in Puerto Princesa City, the Medalya ng Bayani ng Kalikasan (Medal of Heroism for the Environment) for his “remarkable dedication to public service, bravery and leadership.”

“It is my honor to give you this award, especially during National Heroes’ Day,” Cimatu said during his visit to Eyala at the Philippine General Hospital, where the forester was awaiting surgery to remove bullets lodged

in his palate and back.

“We want you to know that we are thankful for what you did, and that the DENR will take care of you,” Cimatu said. “We need people like you in the service.”

Cimatu, a former military chief, also awarded Eyala with a Purple Heart, an honor usually given to soldiers wounded in the line of duty.

He likewise commended the Armed Forces of the Philippines

and Philippine Air Force personnel who airlifted Eyala from Palawan to Manila and brought him to the PGH on Aug. 25.

Cimatu also informed Eyala he had been promoted from Forester I to Forester II with an increase in salary grade.

The environment chief also assured Eyala that the DENR will shoulder all his hospital expenses and that he will receive financial assistance to aid him in his recovery.

Manilans asked to help curb trip-cutting

By Bill Casas MANILA Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada on Monday has activated a special unit to apprehend jeepney and bus drivers habitually committing trip-cutting after being swamped with complaints from commuters.

Estrada also asked the public to report any cutting trip to the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau through Manila City Hall’s Facebook community page (https://www.facebook. com/mayorjosephestrada/) for immediate action.

“Trip-cutting is a violation of their franchise, and it is an injustice to the paying passengers.

We should stop this illegal practice at once,” Estrada said.

Trip-cutting is the practice of PUV drivers to cut short their route due to petty reasons, such as traffic congestion, to save on fuel.

The Land Transportation and Franchising Board imposes a fine of P5,000 on tripcutting violators.

As directed by Estrada, MTPB chief Dennis Alcoreza said he has formed a 12-man team to go around the city and apprehend trip-cutting drivers.

Based on complaints reported by netizens to city hall’s Facebook community page, trip-cutting is rampant in the following routes: R. Papa-Rizal Avenue; Divisoria-Recto-San Juan; Harrison Plaza-Baclaran-Buendia; Sta. Ana-Padre Faura-Robinson’s Place; and City Hall-Taft Avenue-Baclaran, among others.

“Our anti-trip-cutting campaign will be carried out mercilessly. This is continuing, until those erring jeepney and bus drivers realize it is no longer practical to cut short their trips,” Alcoreza said.

“So, I’m appealing to the public for their cooperation. If you cannot report it in person, report the details to Manila’s community page. We assure you that we will act on it,” he added.

Quezon City pride councils to convene today

By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City’s Pride Council of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender from the city’s 142 barangays will convene on Tuesday at 1 p.m. to consider the needs of this sector, and integrate programs and

projects at the grassroots level.

Mayor Herbert Bautista gave the 142 barangay chairmen in the city until Aug. 31 to create their own pride councils.

“What the city is doing right now is to make sure that all LGBTQ communities shall be organized,” he said.

Bautista issued a memorandum circular, directing the barangay operations center to inform the barangay officials and the other stakeholders about the Aug. 29 meeting.

He said whatever measures to be adopted by the pride council must be submitted to the 36-member city council

for notification.

According to Bautista, the city government has adopted a stick-and-carrot approach to recognize outstanding institutions and corporations which employ conscious efforts that protect and enhance the rights of the LGBT community.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

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Standard

C2

TODAY TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

AFP: Marawi war on terror shows ‘real challenge’ to US (Conclusion)

By Nash Maulana

M

ARAWI CITY— More than a century after the first coming of the Americans here, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hinted a second coming by US soldiers for “the real challenge.”

Native Maranao Moros and American troops fought fiercely in the Battle of Bayang in 1903.

Days later, Camp Vicars was established a few miles away from the south lakeshore. The camp was named after First Lieutenant Thomas Vicars, the commander of Company F, 2nd Battalion of the 27th Infantry, who was killed in the Battle of Bayang.

A key figure in the US troops was Captain John Pershing, whose “mission was to bring the Maranaos of Lake Lanao under US jurisdiction.” Camp Vicar was later renamed Camp Keithley—and in more recent years to Camp Amai Pakpak, a legendary local hero.

Over 100 years later, Tillerson said: “The real challenge is going to come with once they have the fighting brought to an end, (on) how to deal with the conditions on the ground to ensure it does not re-emerge.”

At the very least, it would be likely that the “real challenge” in Tillerson’s statement is being able

to address the threat posed by the terrorist group Isis with stronger regional security cooperation, to ensure this modern-day lake conflict would not be repeated.

Early in August, Tillerson declared in Washington that the presence of Isis-inspired groups here makes this security concern a global issue.

“I think our next steps on the global war to defeat ISIS are to recognize ISIS is a global issue. We already see elements of ISIS in the Philippines, as you’re aware, gaining a foothold. Some of these fighters have gone to the Philippines from Syria and Iraq,” Tillerson said in a press briefing in the White House on August 3.

Tillerson said the US provides the Philippines with surveillance capabilities, training, information and aircraft to help it fight the militants. He said the equipment includes a few Cessna aircraft and a few drones.

At one point, Tillerson was even quoted as having offered a

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“NOTICE OF WITHDRAWAL OF LICENSE Notice is hereby given that SAN PASCUAL COGENERATION C O M P A N Y , INTERNATIONAL B.V. will file a Petition to Withdraw License with the Securities of Exchange Commission after three weeks from the initial publication of this notice on August 22, 2017.

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A Sure Bet for Progress in Gaming, Entertainment and Nation Building

InvItatIon to BId for the Supply and delIvery of televISIon SetS for dIStrIButIon to puBlIc SchoolS and other agencIeS/InStItutIonS under ITB No. PB17-041COR-06a-08 (REBIDDING) The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in its forthcoming rebidding for the Supply and Delivery of Television Sets for Distribution to Public Schools and other Agencies/Institutionsunder ITB No. PB17-041COR-06a-08.

Supply and Delivery of Television Sets for Distribution to Public Schools and other Agencies/Institutions Within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of receipt by the winning supplier/contractor of the Notice to Proceed or upon Delivery Schedule instruction from the end-user; Partial delivery is allowed in the span of One Hundred and Eighty (180) days.

Approved Budget for the Twenty-Four Million Pesos (PhP24,000,000.00), VAT Exclusive, ZeroContract (ABC) Rated Transaction.

Source of Funds Corporate Budget for CY 2017 Brief Description

Bidders should have completed, within the last five (5) yearsbefore the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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

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

PAGCORwill hold a Pre-Bid Conference, which shall beopen to prospective bidders.

All particulars relative to Pre-Bid Conference, Detailed Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its IRR. The schedule of bidding activities is listed, as follows: Activities 1. Issuance of the Bidding Documents

Date, Time and Venue August 29, 2017 (Tuesday) to September 18, 2017 (Monday)

2. Pre-Bid Conference

September 6, 2017 (Wednesday), 10:00 a.m. @ Corporate Lounge, Sixth (6TH) Floor, New World Manila Bay and Casino, 1588 M.H. Del Pilar Corner Pedro Gil Sts., Malate, Manila

3. Deadline for the Submission and Receipt of Bids

September 18, 2017 (Monday) at 2:00 p.m. @ Corporate Lounge, Sixth (6TH) Floor, New World Manila Bay and Casino, 1588 M.H. Del Pilar Corner Pedro Gil Sts., Malate, Manila

4. Opening and Preliminary September 18, 2017 (Monday) at 2:00 p.m. onwards Examination of Bids Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Procurement Department (PD), acting as the BAC Secretariat, of PAGCOR and/or inspect the Bidding Documents at Room 203, Second (2nd) Floor, PAGCOR House, 1330 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila during office hours of PAGCOR from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Twenty-Five Thousand Pesos (PhP25,000.00).

Prospective bidders may also download the Bidding Documents free of charge from the following websites: www.pagcor.ph and www.philgeps.gov.ph and may be allowed to submit bids provided that bidders shall pay the applicable fee of the Bidding Documents not later than the deadline for the submission and receipt of bids.

Prospective bidders should present to PAGCOR’s Cashier located at the Sixth(6th) Floor, PAGCOR Corporate Office, New World Manila Bay Hotel, 1588 M.H. del PilarStreet corner Pedro Gil Street, Malate, Manila either the Payment Slip which may be secured from PD or a copy of this ITB in effecting payment for the Bidding Documents.

Bidders shall bear all costs associated with the preparation and submission of his bid, and PAGCOR will in no case be responsible or liable for those costs, regardless of the conduct or outcome of the bidding process.

Bidders should note that PAGCOR will accept bids only from those that have paid the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents.

All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the venue of the bid opening. Late bids shall not be accepted.

PAGCOR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

In accordance with Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Circular 06-2005 - Tie-Breaking Method, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)shall use a non-discretionary and non-discriminatory measure based on sheer luck or chance, which is “DRAW LOTS,” in the event that two or more bidders have been post-qualified and determined as the bidder having the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB) to determine the final bidder having the LCRB, based on the following procedures: a) b)

In alphabetical order, the bidders shall pick one rolled paper.

The lucky bidder who would pick the paper with a “CONGRATULATIONS” remark shall be declared as the final bidder having the LCRB and recommended for award of the contract.

PAGCORreserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

Please address all communications to the BAC thru PD, Room 203, Second (2nd) Floor, PAGCOR House, 1330 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila, Tel No.: 524-3911, 336-6906 and/or 521-1542 local 223 or 671. (sgd)RODERICK R. CONSOLACION Chairperson Bids and awards Committee (BaC) 2

(MS-AUG. 29, 2017)

US airstrike on pro-Isis militants’ lair in Marawi. This prompted reporters in Manila covering the Department of Defense to seek reaction from Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Eduardo Año, who said a direct airstrike intervention is not part of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the two countries.

On July 27, US Ambassador Sung Y. Kim and Lt. Gen. Bryan Fenton, Deputy Commander of the US Pacific Command, delivered to the AFP-Philippine Air Force two Cessna 208B Reconnaissance Aircraft.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, along with AFP Chief of Staff General Año and Lt Gen Edgar Fallorina, PAF Commanding General, received the new aircraft units. Fallorina said the new aircraft units will be placed under the custody of PAF’s 300th Air Intelligence and Security Group.

The first lake war

Brave Maranao ancestors were witness to the Spanish-US Naval War unfolding in Lake Lanao at the turn of the 20th century.

In his post-conflict report titled, “Amphibious Infantry: A Fleet on Lake Lanao, US Naval Institute Proceedings (1938),” Lieutenant Parker Hitt said retreating Spanish troops in Lake Lanao sunk American naval boats on the eve of the Spanish-American War. Hitt wrote that the American troops “raised those boats and made them operational again for use in the Moro campaign around Lake Lanao.”

According to a report by Major J.S. Parke, in early December 1903, American troops of the First Battalion, 22nd US Infantry Regiment, arrived in Iligan.

One battalion was temporarily stationed in Pantar, and the rest of the regiment set up camp in Marahui (Marawi).

On Jan. 23, 1904, the US troops boarded barges and native Moro canoes and coursed seven miles across the northern end of Lanao Lake to an expedition against the Sultan of Ramain.

Incidentally, the present top officials of Lanao Sur—Governor Soraya Alonto, Vice Governor Bombit Alonto Adiong, Assemblyman Zia Alonto Adiong, and Congressman Ansaruddin Alonto Adiong, as well as their uncles Abul Khayr Alonto and ARMM Vice Governor Haroun

Al-Rashid Alonto Lucman (both cousins of Governor Soraya)— are fourth and third generationdescendants of Sultan Alawya Alonto of Ramain, who eventually became a member of the Commonwealth Senate.

Sultan Alonto’s son, Senator Ahmad Domocao Alonto was a second-generation senator elected in 1955, eight years after the sultan’s Senate term ended in 1947.

Hitt wrote: “Before reaching the main cottas, detachments were landed. On each side of the river, between the cotta walls and the stream was a narrow trail, along which the detachments, in single file, kept pace with the leading boat.

While moving up the river, many armed Moros were seen running from cotta to cotta; they carried rifles, kampilans, and krises, and were evidently hastening to a large cotta at the upper end of the town.

“Led by two officers, a dash was made into the cotta. Hardly had they entered before the two officers were shot down. These were the first shots fired. The battalion had seen many armed Moros, but in pursuance of a peaceful policy, had refrained from shooting. Orders required the arrest of the sultan, if possible, without the shedding of blood.

“The few men that had gained entrance to the cotta gallantly covered the Moros until the wounded officers (were safely rescued); they then the detachment was reinforced, and immediately charged and captured the cotta.

“This method of attack was continued until there was danger of firing into the other command, which was slowly forcing its way through the swamps to the rear of the town. All firing then ceased; trumpet calls kept each command informed of the position of the other command until a junction was (achieved).”

Second Lieutenant Campbell W. Flake, who was killed in action, became the lone fatality in the Ramaien Expedition.

Land dispossession

In her annotation of the papers of John J. Pershing, Dr. Faina C. Abaya-Ulindang wrote: “As an instrument of pacification, the governing philosophy of land settlements in Mindanao was traced to the homestead program of the American colonizers or as far back as the Spanish reduccion. Agricultural colonies were established in Cotabato and Lanao provinces during the first decade of American rule.”

(Batis ng Kasaysayan, Vol I,

No.1 [2004] Edited by Bernardita Reyes Churchill, Manila: National Commission for Culture and the Arts).

The Center for Philippine Studies at University of Hawai’i at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii introduces Dr. Abaya-Ulindang’s works as one that “presents a detailed annotation and analysis of the papers of John J. Pershing, currently housed at the Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., based on the materials collected from that repository and deposited to the library of Mindanao State University.”

In her study on land dispossession, Dr. Abaya-Ulindang “investigates the history of the Economic Development Corporation (EDCOR) settlement project as an instrument of counter-insurgency during the 1950s and its relevance to the contemporary Mindanao unrest.” (Three EDCOR sites were established in 1951 in Kapatagan, Lanao, and in Buldon and Alamada, both in Cotabato.)

“As an instrument of pacification, the governing philosophy of land settlements in Mindanao was traced to the homestead program of the American colonizers or as far back as the Spanish reduccion. Agricultural colonies were established in Cotabato and Lanao provinces during the first decade of American rule.

“These colonies were intended to assimilate the native Muslims with the Christianized Filipinos, or ‘to make a Filipino out of a Moro,’ according to Governor (Frank) Carpenter of the Department of Mindanao and Sulu.

“Settlements were laid in such a way that the Filipino would have a Moro as neighbor. While the initial impetus for these projects were economic in nature, i.e., to increase the interaction between the native Muslims and Christianized Filipinos, resulting in ‘cultural amalgamation’ was just as important,” Abaya-Ulindang wrote.

On March 18, 1935, Maranao leaders sent a manifesto to the US Congress. Better known as the Dansalan Declaration, Datu Hadji Abdulhamid Bongabong of Unayan and 189 other Maranao datus signed the manifesto, which stated, among others: “Should the American people grant Philippine independence, the islands of Mindanao and Sulu should not be included in such independence. Our public land should not be given to other people other than the Moro Nation.” That manifesto has remained unfulfilled until now.

Menros seek LGU permanent positions BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—Designated City and Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Officers here are asking lawmakers to turn their optional positions into permanent one through the Local Government Code of 1991.

“Many if not all of Cenros and Menros have been dedicating and committing our time and effort as frontliners of the government’s implementation of environmental programs, projects and activities,” said Joseph Openia, Menro of Aritao town.

He said that at present, Menro/Cenro position is not yet a mandate among local government units, placing them under the ‘mercy’ of new political administrations.

Openia said they have already made a dent on the implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act in Aritao town but now in fear of its non-sustenance once a new administration in the LGU comes in.

Among their gains on the ESWMP, he said were the creation of SWMP committees in all sectors and are now conducting regular meetings to address the implementation of SWMP programs, projects and activities, institutionalization of waste segregation and recycling among barangays, establishment of ecopark, reduction of plastic and Styrofoam use in the public market, distribution of eco-bags for the villagers and synchronized river cleanup, among others.

But Forester George Canapi, Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environment Management Bureau’s Solid Waste Management Section chief, they have already proposed the concern for a permanent position among MENROs/CENROs that should be mandated by the LGC of 1991.

“We have already tapped the support of lawmakers who also recognized the need for such position among LGUs, including members of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines. We hope that this will be addressed soon by amending the LGC of 1991,” he said.

Canapi was one of the lecturers during the recent Training of Trainors on Upgrading the Capability of ‘Basura’ Patrollers as Solid Waste Enforcers and Educators Team in Cagayan Valley at the Tam-an Resort in Bayombong town. Ben Moses Ebreo

‘Transform farms as learning, tourism sites’

By Abe Almirol ANGELES CITY, Pampanga— “Teach the young to farm.

Make your farms attractive to local tourists.”

That’s how Senator Cynthia A. Villar prodded Luzonbased farmers who finished the ‘Climate-Smart Farm Business School’ course administered by the Agricultural Training Institute, an agency attached to the Department of Agriculture.

Central Luzon agency heads joined Villar at the graduation ceremonies held at the Grace Crown hotel here on Friday.

They were Regional Director Andrew A. Bido of Tesda, Regional Director Caroline Uy of the Department of Tourism, and Center Director Veronica CV. Esguerra of ATI, who served as the training manager.

Villar heads the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food.

“Of course, we want you to earn some extra income while serving as learning sites. To maximize your time and effort, earn more when you get accredited as a farm tourism site by the DOT,” the senator added.

The 10-day training course is a module approved by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

“People in the concrete jungles of Metro Manila will find new attractive vacation destinations. The farm resorts and

Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food chairperson Senator Cynthia A. Villar happily sends off 30 Luzon farmers who finished the Climate-Smart Farm Business School course of the DA-ATI. Abe Almirol

learning centers we have visited are great models,” said Denver Ordonio, a participating community organizer in Santa Fe, Nueva Vizcaya.

Thirty farmers who finished the course represented farms who are already ATI-accredited learning sites or still seeking accreditation, which are as follows:

Zambawood-Julyan’s Pine Beach Farm (San Narciso, Zambales), Banares Farm (Orani, Bataan), Don Basilio Farm (Gerona, Tarlac), Tarlac Okra Growers PMPC (Tarlac City), St. John Regis Farm (Cabanatuan City), FDN Agri Eco Center (Palayan City), IGB’s Farm (General Tinio, Nueva Ecija), Myriad Farms

(Triala, Guimba, Nueva Ecija), Santtoni Farms-Maria Lourdes Roque (Dona Remedios Trinidad, Bulacan), Our Farm Republic (Managtarem, Pangasinan), LGU Farm (San Felipe, Zambales), Atanacio Farm (Palayan City), and Tibby’s Farm (Angeles City, Pampanga) which are all found in Central Luzon.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

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Guru awaits verdict for rape ROHTAK, India―Indian police warned Monday they would use all necessary force to maintain order when a controversial guru is sentenced for rape, days after his followers went on a rampage that left 38 dead.

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh could be handed a life sentence at a prison-side court hearing starting at 2.30 pm (0900 GMT) in the northern city of Rohtak, where authorities have imposed intense security due to fears his fervent devotees could turn violent again.

Tens of thousands of his supporters set fire to cars and clashed with security forces in the northern state of Haryana just minutes after Singh was found guilty Friday of raping two of his followers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the violence but his ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, which is also in power in Haryana, was criticized for failing to anticipate the riots.

Police are taking no chances in Rohtak, where mobile internet has been cut, roads barricaded with barbed wire and soldiers deployed to man checkpoints.

More than 100 of Singh’s senior loyalists have been placed in detention as a precautionary measure, said Rohtak police chief Navdeep Singh Virk.

He said his officers would use “whatever force is required” to resist the guru’s devotees should they again resort to violence.

“If the situation so arises that [we] need to use firearms, my officers have complete authority,” the police chief told broadcaster NDTV. A judge is being flown by helicopter to sentence the 50-yearold spiritual leader known as the “guru in bling” for his penchant for bejeweled costumes. AFP

Leaders meet for migration summit PARIS―Leaders from seven African and European countries meet in Paris on Monday for a mini-summit to discuss how to ease the EU’s migrant crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited his counterparts from Niger and Chad as well as the head of the Libyan unity government Fayez al-Sarraj, whose countries lie on the main transit route for migrants heading to Europe.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Spanish and Italian prime ministers Mariano Rajoy and Paulo Gentiloni, and Europe’s top diplomat, Federica Mogherini, will join the talks.

European nations are keen to offer development aid and funding to their African partners in return for help in stemming the flow of economic migrants and asylum seekers.

A total of 125,000 migrants have crossed the Mediterranean by boat this year, according to UN figures, with the vast majority arriving in Italy before traveling on to other EU members.

An estimated 2,400 have died en route.

France is seeking improved border controls and patrolling of the waters around Libya -- complicated by the country’s competing governments and state of lawlessness -- as well as development aid to create jobs in Africa.

“The fight against illegal migration is being led on two fronts: development and security,” said a source in the French presidency, asking not to be named.

In July, Macron also proposed―without consulting his allies―the creation of so-called “hot spots” in Africa where asylum seekers fleeing persecution or war could lodge a request to travel to the EU. AFP

BEFORE THE HAJJ. Iranian Muslim pilgrims wait at the Jeddah airport in Saudi Arabia on August 27, 2017, before the start of the annual Hajj pilgrimage in the holy city of Mecca. AFP

2-million Muslims converge in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj J EDDAH―Two million Muslims from across the globe are converging on Mecca in Saudi Arabia for the hajj pilgrimage, a religious duty and for some pilgrims the journey of a lifetime.

MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS. Katy Perry performs onstage during the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards at The Forum on August 27, 2017, in Inglewood, California. AFP

Chinese jailed for fishing in Galapagos QUITO―A court in Ecuador sentenced the crew of a Chinese ship caught fishing endangered sharks in the Galapagos marine reserve to prison terms on Sunday.

The Chinese-flagged Fu Yuan Yu Leng 999 was caught within the protected zone on August 13 with 300 tons of fish―including some 6,000 sharks, mostly protected species such as the hammerhead and the bigeye thresher.

The court announced on the third day of the trial against the crew that it was sentencing the ship captain to four years prison for committing an environmental crime with aggravating circumstances.

The ship’s three top officers got

three years prison, while the 16 other crew members were jailed for one year.

The court also ordered the crew to pay $5.9 million to the Galapagos National Park.

It’s unclear if the Chinese crew will appeal the sentence.

“After the enormous indignation we felt, this will definitely compensate for the damage caused because a historic precedent has been set,” park director Walter Bustos told AFP upon hearing the sentence.

The 138,000 square-kilometer reserve, a sanctuary for sharks, has been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage site.

Some 27,000 people live on the 19

Galapagos islands, located in the Pacific some 1,000 kilometers off Ecuador’s coastline.

The Galapagos is famous for its unique flora and fauna studied by Charles Darwin as he developed his theory of evolution.

“Zero tolerance for environmental crimes!” tweeted Ecuador’s Environment Minister Tarcisio Granizo.

The Chinese ship has been confiscated and will be held in service to the Galapagos park, Granizo said.

Galapagos residents have been protesting what they say is a fleet of 300 Chinese fishing vessels located in international waters just outside the marine reserve. AFP

This year sees the return of pilgrims from Shiite Iran, regional rival to Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and comes with the Gulf mired in political crisis and Islamic State group jihadists squeezed in Iraq and Syria.

“I’m so excited because many people dream of coming to this place,” said 47-year-old Eni from Indonesia, her face framed in a sand-colored veil trimmed with lace.

“We feel more religious when we leave this place,” she said.

Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation, and it also provides the largest number of pilgrims for the hajj.

Eni’s compatriots throng Jeddah airport 80 kilometers west of Mecca, as tens of thousands of pilgrims pass through the gateway to the hajj every day.

But Eni is almost oblivious to the hubbub that surrounds her as she studies her Koran in the oppressive heat, pearls of sweat beading her face.

“After my first pilgrimage I felt I wanted to come back to feel myself close to him,” she said of the Prophet Mohammed before returning her attention to Islam’s holy book.

The hajj is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, which every Muslim is required to complete at least once in a lifetime if he or she has the means to do so.

“This year we expect around two million pilgrims,” Abdelmajeed Mohammad Al-Afghani, director of hajj and umra (lesser pilgrimage) affairs, told AFP. Iranians are back after not attending in 2016 following a deadly Mecca stampede the previous year that killed nearly 2,300 pilgrims.

It was the worst catastrophe in the history of the hajj, with 464 people from the Islamic republic among the dead.

Following the disaster, Tehran railed against Saudi Arabia’s organisation of the pilgrimage.

The two countries then severed diplomatic relations in January 2016 after the Saudi embassy in Tehran was ransacked by a crowd protesting against the execution in the kingdom of a Shiite religious dignitary.

Analysts say that neither Riyadh nor Tehran has any wish to prolong the dispute.

“To politicize an event like this does no good,” said Slimane Zeghidour, author of “La vie quotidienne à La Mecque: De Mahomet à nos jours” [Daily Life in Mecca from Mohammed to Today].

Accusations of the hajj being politicized have marred the region for some time.

For nearly three months, the Gulf has been embroiled in its worst ever political crisis, with Saudi Arabia and its allies facing off against Qatar, which they accuse of being too close to Iran and backing extremism.

A boycott imposed on the small but gas-rich emirate since June 5 has resulted in Qatar’s land, sea and air links being badly affected.

This has also had a knock-on effect on hajj-related travel, although Riyadh announced it was relaxing certain restrictions for pilgrims.

In the arrivals hall at Jeddah airport, determined pilgrims walk hastily to avoid losing contact with other members of their group. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 29 2017

Texans come to the rescue

World

Houston floods spark chaos H OUSTON―Massive flooding unleashed by deadly monster storm Harvey left Houston―the fourthlargest city in the United States― increasingly isolated Sunday as its airports and highways shut down and residents were rescued from their inundated homes by boat.

The city’s two main airports suspended all commercial flights and two hospitals were forced to evacuate patients. A local television station also was knocked off the air.

At least three people have been killed so far, with reports of other fatalities still unconfirmed. As night fell, dramatic rescues―sometimes by volunteers with their own boats―were still taking place.

The National Hurricane Center called the flooding “unprecedented” and said the storm, which crashed ashore late Friday as a huge Category 4 hurricane, would move into the Gulf before doubling back midweek, bringing even more rain.

President Donald Trump, who had said he did not want to disrupt emergency efforts with a visit, is planning to head to the disaster zone on Tuesday, the White House announced.

Rising waters from Harvey inundated roads throughout the Houston area, affecting every major freeway and hamstringing efforts to move people to safety.

“It’s crazy to see the roads you’re driving on every day just completely under water,” Houston resident John Travis told AFP. Overwhelmed emergency services warned residents to head for high ground or climb onto rooftops -- not into attics -- so they could be seen by rescue helicopters. More than 2,000 rescues had been made so far.

The local ABC affiliate showed the helicopter rescue of a man and his six-year-son -- both named Jeremiah -- from the second floor of their home. Each only had the clothes on their back and a backpack.

“This is all we got,” the father said. “We thank God. We thank God.” Emergency 911 operators in Houston received 56,000 calls in a 15-hour span-seven times more than in a usual full day.

“We are going on fumes & our hearts ache for community we serve, but we will not stop!” said Houston police chief Art Acevedo.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott warned the operation was far from over, given the foreboding forecasts.

“The number of evacuees is increasing. The number in harm’s way will increase also with the rain that is forecast to come,” Abbott said, adding that the storm had already inflicted billions of dollars in damage.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner dismissed the idea that evacuations should have been ordered sooner.

“You issue an evacuation order and put everybody on the highway―you really are asking for a major calamity,” Turner told reporters.

Houston proper has a population of 2.3 million people, but the greater metropolitan area has more than six million.

Trump, who spent the weekend at Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland, was preparing for his trip to the flood zone on Tuesday.

“The focus must be on life and safety,” he said in a series of tweets about the disaster, his first major domestic challenge since taking office in January.

At least three deaths have been blamed on Harvey, which has spawned tornadoes and lashed east and central Texas with torrential rains. AFP

HELLO, HAILEE. Hailee Steinfeld attends n:PHILANTHROPY Sponsors Republic Records’ VMA After Party 2017 at TAO at the Dream Hotel on August 27, 2017, in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Jailed Samsung heir appeals conviction SEOUL―The lawyers for the jailed heir to the Samsung empire filed an appeal against his conviction on Monday as South Korean media divided on the ruling that put the country’s top business leader behind bars.

Lee Jae-Yong, the de-facto head of Samsung Electronics, was found guilty last week of bribing South Korea’s ousted president Park Geun-Hye and sentenced to five years in prison.

The official website of the Seoul Central District Court showed that Lee’s lawyer Kim Jong-Hoon filed an appeal on Monday but gave no further details.

Prosecutors have also said they will appeal the court ruling―andto seek a harsher punishment for Lee.

A Samsung Group spokeswoman declined to comment.

But another Samsung Electronics vice chairman, Kwon Oh-Hyun, called the situation “regrettable” in a statement to employees of the world’s biggest smartphone maker, the Yonhap news agency reported.

“We should all steadily wait until the truth is revealed,” it cited him as saying, urging them to “gather power and wisdom to overcome the unprecedented challenge”.

South Korea’s media have divided over the unprecedented imprisonment of the country’s most powerful tycoon, with some newspapers condemning the ruling and others accusing their rivals of

“kneeling” before the rich.

Samsung is by far the biggest of the chaebols, as the family-controlled conglomerates that dominate Asia’s fourthlargest economy are known, with its revenues equivalent to around a fifth of the country’s GDP. Chaebols were instrumental in South Korea’s economic rise but have long had murky connections with political authorities and are also known to wield considerable influence on the media, potentially courtesy of their giant advertising budgets.

The JoongAng Daily, a company with close family ties to the Samsung Group, said in an editorial that an appeal by Lee would have “a good case”. AFP

HOUSTON―Bryan Curtis normally rides his jet ski for fun.

On Sunday, he turned it into an emergency rescue vehicle.

Curtis―who lives in Conroe, a little to the north of Houston― was one of the many civilians who pitched in to help evacuate those stranded in rapidly rising floodwaters in Texas’s biggest city unleashed by monster storm Harvey.

“I’m not even thinking about myself right now to tell you the truth. It’s just people need help, I’m here to help, I want to do my part,” he told AFP. With the official emergency services overwhelmed by the scale of the disaster in Houston, the fourth biggest city in the United States, it was sometimes left to an army of volunteers to save the day.

Some formed human chains while others fired up their motorboats to pluck their fellow Texans to safety from the floodwaters swamping the Lone Star state.

After more than two feet of rain fell in Houston in a 24-hour period, some streets resembled canals, making it impossible for cars to navigate the city.

Some of the few vehicles that could be seen on the streets were giant trucks, loaded with evacuees who had gratefully clambered on board after hearing offers of help.

“We continually go through these neighborhoods and are actually calling out on our loudspeakers trying to get people’s attention and saying: ‘Hey, are you ready to evacuate?’” said local law enforcement officer Alan Rosen.

“We’re just inundated. There’s not enough resources―there never is enough resources―to actually go around and save everybody,” he told the local KTRK TV channel after loading up one of the rescue vehicles with dozens of evacuees.

“We’re doing absolutely the best we can.”

One man was spotted clinging to a tree on Saturday night by police patrol officers who then formed a human chain across a a bayou to save him.

He later posed grinning broadly without his rescuers on the local police department’s Twitter feed.

With so many roads under water, a boat ride was the only option for some of those stranded in outlying areas.

James Lofton, a resident of the suburb of Spring Valley, made multiple journeys on his boat to ferry residents to safety from a nearby hotel to safety.

“We’ve just been carrying people back and forth from the Omni most of the afternoon,” Lofton told AFP. One of the last to leave the hotel was a woman who recently had back surgery who was delicately brought on board.

“Obviously she’s had surgery and is in a lot of pain. This was a very painful ride for her,” said Lofton. AFP

Rohingya deny state accusations

GOODBYE, MIREILLE. This undated file picture shows French actress Mireille Darc posing during a photo session. Mireille Darc died at age 79 on August 28, 2017, according to her family. AFP

YANGON―Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday accused Rohingya fighters of burning down homes and using child soldiers during a recent surge in violence in troubled Rakhine state, allegations denied by the militants themselves.

The impoverished western state neighboring Bangladesh has become a crucible of religious hatred focused on the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, who are reviled and perceived as illegal immigrants in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

Despite years of persecution and government restrictions, the Rohingya largely eschewed violence.

But sporadic armed clashes have erupted since October when a previously unknown Rohingya militant group staged a series of attacks on security forces, sparking a massive crackdown by Myanmar’s military which the UN believes may have amounted to ethnic cleansing.

A brutal round of fresh fighting has been raging since Friday when militants staged new coor-

dinated ambushes.

More than 100 people, including some 80 militants, have been confirmed killed. Thousands of Rohingya civilians have fled towards Bangladesh while local Buddhists and Hindus have sought sanctuary in towns and monasteries away from the clashes.

Both sides have accused each other of committing fresh atrocities in recent days, accusations that are difficult to verify because the fighting is taking place in inaccessible villages.

The government department directly run by Suu Kyi―the State Counselor’s Office―has released a flurry of statements via Facebook, including grim pictures of civilians allegedly shot dead by militants.

“Terrorists have been fighting security forces by using children at the frontline (and) setting fire (to) minority-ethnic villages,” the office said in its latest statement on Monday.

It added that there should be “no concerns for civilians who are not linked with extremist ter-

rorists” and called on Rohingya to not brandish “sticks, swords and weapons” when security forces approached.

The militant group behind the fighting―the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA)―hit back with its own allegations on Monday.

“While raiding Rohingya villages, the Burmese brutal military soldiers bring along with them groups of Rakhine [Buddhist] extremists to attack Rohingya villagers, loot Rohingyas’ properties and later burn down Rohingya houses,” the group said via its Twitter account @ARSA_Official.

Myanmar’s assurances for Rohingya civilians appear to have had little effect, with a fresh influx of refugees heading to Bangladesh. Some have been turned back by Bangladeshi authorities.

Rohingya who made it through on Sunday described Buddhist mobs and security forces shooting people dead and burning down homes. They said many Rohingya men and youths stayed behind to fight. AFP

Life CULTURE & MEDIA

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

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The skyscraper mega buildings amid a dreamlike horizon suggest what the future looks for Dizon.

Digital Dreamscapes

By Neil Doloricon

T

HE advent of digital technology brought us to another level of human emancipation from the mechanical mode of producing things. It also made our work in handling or manipulating various materials easier than before.

Marco Dizon is a classical pianist, a lead keyboard player of a jazz band in DC, and an IT graduate who dabbles in digital painting.

But the new technology will not think for us. Creativity will still reside in our ability to imagine things. Digital technology is just a tool, like a pencil or a paintbrush, for doing painting on canvas and other surfaces for one’s creative undertakings. Digital software will give us an interface with various tools to enhance our creative imagination and help turn its products into reality, both on 2D and 3D. This is how Marco Dizon, a scholar and an IT enthusiast, explores the world of digital imaging. His creative prowess can be seen in the way he achieves the illusion of depth in a surreal landscape by sheer manipulations of digital tools, which if combined would metamorphose into unpredictable visual delights.

The dreamlike horizon in one of his works, with its transparencies of mystical images appearing in the sky, suggests a different wonderland for Dizon. It may even suggest how the future looks for him. The skyscraper mega buildings are part of the endless human effort to reach limitless skies.

In “The Tree of Life” rendering of Dizon, he makes use of the eye of providence as the focal point with Star of David-like rays of the sun over it and the overlaying transparencies that signify a butterfly wings that would convey hope and change.

A digital imaging rendition of transparent image of trees amid the modulating colors in the horizon reminds us of saving them for our survival on this planet.

(Neil Doloricon is a visual art professor at the UP College of Fine Arts, where he served as dean from 1998-2001.)

Dizon explores the world of digital imaging in his works.

DIGITAL ART. ‘The Tree of Life’ rendering makes use of the eyes of providence as the focal point with Star of David-like rays of sun over it.

‘Amorsolo: Love & Passion’ now available AS A staunch supporter of the arts, Philippine heritage and Filipino talent, Rustan’s makes sure that the work and legend of one of Philippines’ most celebrated artists is never forgotten with the re-launching of Amorsolo: Love & Passion. This two-volume is available at Rustan’s.

Published by Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation Inc., the new volumes delve deeper into the stories of the subjects behind the famous portraits, with Amorsolo’s daughter herself, Sylvia Amorsolo Lazo, recounting the memories behind each piece. A true genius of his time, Fernando Amorsolo was best known for his masterful illuminated (chiaroscuro) landscapes and portraits. Through his extensive work, Amorsolo helped form the Filipino national identity and nurture a sense of nationhood by celebrating our culture, traditions and Filipino ideals. He was and will remain to be an important figure in Philippine Art. The new mini-coffee table books (sized at 9.5 x 12.75 inches) includes two volumes: the first of which is Portraits, which features 309 Amorsolo paintings and photos in the compact 188 pages, and Landscapes & Other Works, which includes 193 images by the renowned maestro.

Volume 1: Portraits, which features his works on prominent portrait subjects like Senate President Manuel L. Quezon, Enrique Zobel Ayala and General Douglas MacArthur, among others, is an especially important piece of work as Sylvia Amorsolo-Lazo narrates the incredible stories behind each art work.

Volume II: Landscapes & Other Works, on the other hand, becomes a great kick off point for modern art discussion, as young writers Carlomar Daoana and art critic Cid Reyes tackle the genius of the artist through the point of view of a millennial.

‘Amorsolo: Love & Passion,’ a two-volume mini coffee table book, delves deeper into the stories of the subjects behind each famous portrait by Fernando Amorsolo.

Sylvia Amorsolo Lazo shares, “My father had a view of the world that was remarkably youthful - the world is always fresh and bright, as depicted by his artworks contained in these coffee-table books.”

Through the help of editor Krip Yuson, the mind, passion and heart of the creative master is revealed.

Yuson shares “As writer Jane Allinson shares in her commentary Infinite Variety: Themes and Variations: ‘Fernando Amorsolo y Cueto put his soul on canvas. Each composition was a creative celebration — not a repetition — of the way he saw the world. An accurate assessment of the artist’s oeuvre confirms his statement: ‘My paintings are all original.’”

Amorsolo: Love & Passion is now available at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Shangri-La, Rustan’s Gateway, and Rustan’s Alabang.

For every purchase, portion of the proceeds will go to EPCALM (Erwin Piedad Cabanag Adult Leukemia Ministries), a non-profit organization, which reaches out to leukemia patients, as well as their families.

From left: EPCALM’s Justice Demerre, Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation’s Herman Lazo, EPCALM’s Dra. Erlyn Demerre, Fernando C. Amorsolo Art Foundation’s Fernando Lazo, Rustan Commercial Corporation Chairman and CEO Zenaida Tantoco, Sylvia Amorsolo Lazo, Rustan’s Marketing Head Dina Tantoco, and Contributor and Writer Cid Reyes

Life

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

“B

ALLET MANILA is entering a new age.”

These were the words that Lisa Macuja-Elizalde, CEO and artistic director of Ballet Manila, uttered to her ballerinas and danseurs when plans for the 22nd performance season of the country’s leading classical dance company were made earlier last year.

Named Flights of Fantasy, the new season debuts two all-original productions, which Macuja-Elizalde has been working on with a team of internationally-award winning dancers, musicians, costume, and set designers.

“Ballet Manila has always been known as a company that strictly adheres to the Vaganova technique and Russian style of dancing. That’s something that we’ve always stressed out by staging classical ballets that highlight our technique’s strength. However, we understand that times are changing.

And while we shall continue to stick to our technique—which is widelyaccepted as the best in the world—we understand that we need to up our game if we want to appeal to more people,” she explains.

This season, she works with two classic tales—one Filipino and one foreign—to create world-class productions that will further solidify Ballet Manila’s position as the premiere classical dance company in the country.

Ibong Adarna, one of the two original productions mentioned by Lisa, will open the 22nd performance season this August. Choreographed by one of the company’s principal dancers and multi-awarded choreographer, Gerardo Francisco, the show will bring to life the magical kingdom of Berbanya with modern production techniques, flying sequences, and impressive routines that can rival even those of the most well-known classical pieces. It will feature Gia Macuja Atchison, a West End star, as the voice of Ibong Adarna, and will also showcase music

by Diwa de Leon, set and costume design by Make It Happen Workshop, and script by Angela Blardony Ureta.

Following Ibong Adarna in October is one of the world’s most enduring classical romantic ballets—Swan Lake.

Featuring music from master composer Peter Tchaikovsky, the production is a showcase of the company’s commitment to have at least one classical ballet in its repertoire every season—so as to uphold its Vaganova Academy roots.

For its version of Swan Lake, Ballet Manila’s production features the original Lev Ivanov choreography for the white acts and a brand new set design by Miguel Faustmann. It will also make use of new costumes created by fashion designer Michael Miguel and live accompaniment from the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Alexander Vikulov of Russia’s Marinsky Theater.

“Swan Lake is, for me, the ultimate test for a classical ballerina. To dance the dual roles of Odette and Odile is one of the most difficult roles to do because you need to be vulnerable and lyrical as the white swan and sharp and steely as the black swan.”

Ballet Manila

debuts 2 original ballets Ballet Manila’s staging of classic Filipino tale ‘Ibong Adarna’ features principal dancer Rudy de Dios together with Abi Oliveiro, Romeo Peralta, and Mark Sumaylo The legendary bird Ibong Adarna

Principal dancer Katherine Barkman plays Snow White and Godwin Moreno as the Evil Queen/Witch

Come November, the company will stage its second original production this season, and Lisa Macuja-Elizalde’s second full-length choreography work— Snow White. Aimed at making the holiday season more magical for everyone, Ballet Manila promises to bring everyone a heartwarming take to the classic tale.

“We are making Snow White a more magical and musical experience for everybody—from toddlers to the lolos and lolas,” says Macuja-Elizalde. “I won’t reveal much, but we are working so hard to make sure that our version leaves a mark that will make the holidays more memorable and spectacular.”

And to close Flights of Fantasy, Ballet Manila will stage another installment of

its widely-popular Ballets & Ballads.

Happening in February 2018, this edition will feature live music by the ABSCBN Philharmonic Orchestra.

“Ballet is a form of dance that is usually accompanied by music without words. By dancing to popular ballads performed live, we are showing another side to our storytelling—one that is more appealing and relatable to the modern audience. And again, this is in line with Ballet Manila’s vision of bringing ballet closer to the people, and the people closer to ballet.”

In addition to the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra, Ballet & Ballads will also premiere British choreographer Martin Lawrance’s Aria. Lawrance has collaborated with Ballet

Katherine Barkman as Odette in Ballet Manila’s Swan Lake

Manila many times in the recent past, most notably in the highly acclaimed original, Rebel.

Ibong Adarna premiered on Aug. 26 at Aliw Theater. And it will be on stage again on Sept. 2, 6 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Sept.3.

Swan Lake goes on stage on Oct.7 and 14 at 6 p.m. and 3 p.m. on Oct. 8 and 15.

The Snow White world premiere is set for Nov. 25 at 6:00 p.m. with other shows on Dec. 2 at 6 p.m., and 3 p.m. on Nov. 26 and Dec. 3.

You can catch Ballet & Ballads on Feb. 10 and 17, 2018 at 6 p.m., and 3 p.m on Feb. 11 and 18, 2018.

For more information about the shows, including ticket prices and schedules, visit www.balletmanila.com.

ph or follow Ballet Manila on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Tickets are also available through all TicketWorld outlets. Please call 891-9999 or visit www. ticketworld.com.ph for more information. In addition, those who are planning to watch all the shows may take advantage of the company’s Season Subscription Programs, which offer up to 50 percent discount on ticket prices. For more information, you may visit www. ticketworld.com.ph/balletmanila/Online/ and click on ‘View Details’ under ‘Season Subscription Program’.

PAGES

‘Basag’ shares tips

on nursing a broken heart and moving on The ‘_revision Creative Group Art Exhibit’ features artworks made by employees of advertising agencies

Sustaining an artist’s soul “COULD you do these revisions for me?”

After sacrificing many sleepless nights in order to meet a deadline, advertising creative staff are often then told to build up on their output – hence the word “build” becoming common term for revisions and feedback in the industry. But, why is the word “revision” steeped in so much negativity, when it is simply another word for change, something inherent to the human condition? Why is the act of revising needlessly is antagonistic to those in the industry?

These questions are exactly what associate creative director Paulo Correa and senior art director Angelo Estrella, both of Campaigns & Grey, are taking a stand on by founding the Revision Collective, a group of advertising creative individuals whose aim is to reclaim the word that was once theirs. And as part of the collective’s opening act, Correa and Estrella recently spearheaded an exhibit entitled _revision Creative Group Art Exhibit, which ran for two weeks at the Nova Gallery in Makati’s La Fuerza art hub. Some of the other

Paulo Correa and Angelo Estrella of Revision Collective

agencies that were represented in the exhibit were TBWA, Saatchi, Leo Burnett and Publicis JimenezBasic, just to name a few.

For Correa and Estrella, the exhibit is the perfect opportunity to showcase that drive inherent in every creative when it comes to creating something – “We have that drive to create something. I believe that none of us is an artist, but we are all creators. If you have the drive to create something, no matter what industry you are from, an outlet is

needed,” Estrella explained.

Their goal is to provide an outlet where creatives of all stripes are able to produce pure art they can rightfully claim as their own, unfettered from the input of others. “The main objective for Revision Collective is for people in the advertising industry to never forget their roots of creating their artworks purely for themselves; for people not to forget that creativity sustains the artist’s soul,” Correa said.

Incessant revising is a fact of life in any ad agency. At the collective, ‘revision’ takes on a new meaning. Correa and Estrella are hopeful that their burgeoning movement will inspire other advertising creatives to look beyond the revisions, look beyond the builds, and see that art for art’s sake is still possible even in a world where change is constant and inevitable.

To know more about _revision Creative Group Art Exhibit and revision collective, follow them on Instagram @ revisioncollective, or on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/RevisionCollective/

BEHIND the sad love songs and the hugot lines, what really goes on in a brokenhearted person’s life?

In this brutally honest book, Basag: Bachelor in Nursing a Broken Heart, Major in Moving On, new author Prexy Calvario relates the disappointments and depression she experienced with several heartbreaks.

For years, she labored to move on, until one day, she was finally released from the regrets and sad memories.

Published by OMF Literature, Basag aims to help brokenhearted women (and men) take the first steps towards moving on.

Reading Basag is like listening to a friend who is walking alongside you as you come to grips with your pain. More than giving pat answers, the author candidly tells her story in a way that is gritty, funny, and very relatable; sharing her lessons that can only come from having “been there, done that.”

Basag: Bachelor in Nursing a Broken Heart, Major in Moving On is available for only P75. Look for the book at OMF Lit Bookshops, Passages Bookshops, Philippine Christian Book Stores, National Book Stores, and other leading bookstores nationwide.

You can also order online at www. passagesbooks.com.ph. The book will

Prexy Calvario’s ‘Basag’ aims to help brokenhearted people take the first steps towards moving on

also be available soon in e-book format. For more information, please call 63(2)531 43 03 local 304, or the OMF Lit Bookshop at 63(2)531 43 03 local 201 or 203. You can also send an email to inquire@omflit.com.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

Music Matters Live 2017’s first wave of its artist lineup THE award winning Music Matters Live returns this year for its 12th year (seven in Singapore). Running alongside the All That Matters industry conference, Music Matters Live kicks off the fiveday event on Sept. 9, and promises to showcase some of the brightest and most promising bands and artists from the Asia Pacific region and beyond.

This year, organizers, Branded, are extremely excited to be able to work with Apple Music to show support for local Asian and international music and the industry. From Sept. 1, music fans will be able to access exclusive playlists curated by Music Matters Live on Apple Music. In addition to the exclusive content, Music Matters has made Apple Music the festival’s official music service of this year’s festival.

For the first time, Music Matters Live will be adding a new award entitled “Artist that Matters 2017” in association with Apple Music. The winning band will be selected in collaboration with Apple Music’s expert Editors and given the coveted featuring of “New Artist Spotlight” on Apple Music across Southeast Asia and beyond.

Over two days and five nights, more than 40 acts from 12 countries will take stage in front of All That Matters delegates as well as the general public.

This year, for the first time, Chijmes has partnered with Music Matters Live as main showcase venue partner. The main showcases will be held at the Chijmes outdoor lawn and entry to the event is free for everyone.

Following the tradition of Music Matters Live, the festival will once again include country-specific showcases from the Asia Pacific Region. These showcases include “Aussie BBQ” (supported by Sounds Australia), “Taiwan Beats” (supported by Ministry Of Culture R.O.C (Taiwan), “Sound of India” (supported by Artist Aloud), and more country showcases to be announced.

Timbre Music also returns as official venue partner to the festival, providing their venues Barber Shop by Timbre, Timbre Music Academy Hall, Switch by Timbre and Timbre @ The Substation, for performances by Music Matters Live artists during the festival.

“The Music Matters Live festival provides a unique win, win, win for musicians. Music Matters has provided a global platform for thousands of bands since 2006 including conference attendance, business academies, song writing workshops, and of course, The Music Matters Live festival. So we are thrilled, proud and humbled to be working with Apple Music that will see them actively participate in local artist curating plus also provide support for the performing artists. We look forward to welcoming everyone to our new home at Chijmes and to creating even more opportunities and long term relationships with the artists,” says Jasper Donat, CEO of All That Matters organizers Branded Ltd. Among the 40+ acts that make up this year’s exciting international line up are Philippines’ R&B Kiana Valenciano, Canadian Hip Hop hitmaker Dizzy, electro-pop from New Zealand’s Theia, Sony Malaysia’s soulful heartthrob SonaOne, the heavenly grooves of Indonesia’s Soundwave, and Australian indie darlings, Fairchild.

S

INGERSONGWRITER Matisyahu has been on a journey inward for more than a decade. The journey has been private and public.

The journey has, at times, been explicitly external, even while being driven by internal change.

Now, nearly 13 years after the release of his first studio record, Matisyahu and his band have done something unmatched in his past repertoire; they have crafted that journey into a musically thematic eightsong-movement.

The band features longtime guitarist Aaron Dugan, Dub Trio’s bassist and drummers Stu Brooks and Joe Tomino, and keyboard virtuoso BigYuki -- and the journey starts with them.

The band improvised for hours in the studio with Matisyahu watching on as an admirer without singing a single lyric.

Out of the improvisations grew melodic themes, rhythmic peaks and valleys, blissful and proto-song guitar passages, deep dub meditations and ultimately an inspired instrumental record unto itself.

Only once the band had crafted this musical narrative, did Matisyahu begin to work on a lyrical narrative of his own -- a lyrical narrative that is simultaneously informed and integrated with the music yet driven by Matisyahu’s own personal journey.

The result is Undercurrent, Matisyahu’s sixth studio album.

Matisyahu has performed with Kenny Muhammad, a Muslim beatboxer. He also recorded the song “One Day” along with Akon, who is also Muslim.

Matisyahu is featured on Trevor Hall’s single “Unity” from his self-titled album, also on “Roots in Stereo” and “Strength of My Life” from P.O.D.’s album Testify.

Jewish American reggae star and alternative rock musician Matisyahu (center) with his band

Matisyahu in Manila Matisyahu collaborated with Shyne on the song “Buffalo Soldier” from his 2012 release, Spark Seeker.

Matisyahu collaborated with J. Ralph on the song “Crossroads feat.

J. Ralph” from his 2012 release, Spark Seeker, also with Infected Mushroom on the song “One Day”, as well as during various live sets.

Matisyahu various collaborations includes those with Moon Taxi on the song “Square Circles” off the band’s 2012 release Cabaret, with The Crystal Method on their single “Drown in the Now.” He is featured on The Dirty Heads’

In 2015, Matisyahu collaborated with Avicii in his album Stories, where he sang alongside Wyclef Jean in “Can’t Catch Me,” and in 2016 he was featured on “Dodging Bullets,” a single by Jewish rapper Kosha Dillz on his record What I Do All Day And Pickle.

Matisyahu is coming to Manila for the first time ever for a one-night show at SM North Edsa SKydome on Sept. 23.

This event is brought by DMC Entertainment Production Management Philippines, Novotel Manila Araneta Center, Thrifty Car rentals in cooperation with ABS-CBN, MYX Music Channel & Cinema One.

Tell your story and join Singtel’s ‘The 5-Min Video Challenge’ WHAT can you do in five minutes?

Not many would claim to watch a film, but it’s a challenge that Singtel would like to make to seasoned and budding content creators with “The 5-Min Video Challenge,” a regional film competition where participants must create compelling content in a limited time frame.

The challenge’s theme is “Connecting Lives,” which aims to explore how the connections in life can bring the world together. The competition is open to creators from Singtel Group’s markets across Asia, Africa, and Australia.

In the Philippines, Singtel has partnered with Globe to search for the country’s top content creators. Those interested in joining must fill out the application form available on the Globe website and submit their five minute video, along with the video poster, subtitles (if applicable), and members’ photos. Entries will be accepted until Oct. 22.

“Our partnership with Singtel’s “The 5-Min Video Challenge” is part of our vision to give more opportunities to talented Filipinos to produce original content. At the same time, we are giving local audiences the chance to have access to quality content, which they can watch whenever. Sometimes, all you need is five minutes to get a point across,” shares Chief Commercial Officer, Albert De Larrazabal.

Three local winners will be announced on the official Facebook and Twitter pages of Globe Telecom on Oct. 30. The grand prize winner will get P150,000, while the first runner-up will win P50,000 and the second runner-up will win P25,000.

The grand prize winner and the first runner-up will fly to Singapore to represent the country in the regional round, where they will compete with entries from Africa, Australia, India, Indonesia,

Singapore, and Thailand. The winners will be announced in a gala celebration on November 22 and the grand-prize winner will be awarded $30,000, while the runner-up will take home $15,000.

Singtel will also be giving away special awards such as the Social Media Star award with the prize of $3,000. It is for the entry with the most number of likes on its trailer until Oct. 22.

There will also be two People’s Choice winners based on the top two entries with the highest votes during the regional voting in November.

Winners will take home $3,000 and $2,000 respectively.

“The 5-Min Video Challenge” was established in 2016 by Singtel to test the creativity of the most talented minds in the region, and create a collection of entertaining and thought-provoking content in bite-sized pieces perfect for the mobile phone, one of the strongest drivers of entertainment consumption.

Last year, Filipinos Miguel Lorenzo Sotto and Jazmine Yvette Reyes won first runner-up for their short film entitled Pagnanakaw.

For more information on the challenge and how to submit your video, visit the website at http://www.globe.com.ph/the-5min-vidchallenge.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Tuesday, August 29, 2017

ACROSS 1 Fleece 5 Whitish gems 10 Multitude 14 Dry watercourse 15 K, to a jeweler 16 Constructed 17 Gridder — Alonzo Stagg 18 Zoo heavyweight 19 Straw in the wind 20 Xerxes ruled here 22 Loch Ness site 24 Part of SST 25 Did garden work 26 Toledo locale 28 Kin of argon 32 Municipality 35 Diver’s milieu 37 City on the Rio Grande 38 Pub pint 39 Woodwind 41 Eighteenwheeler 42 Show again 44 Sci-fi computer 45 Celts, to Romans 46 Alaskan pole 47 Writer Kellerman 49 Slackens off 53 On both feet

album Cabin by the Sea on the single “Dance All Night,” and with Bostonbased rapper Nosson Zand on his 2013 release, “Believers.”

Matisyahu is featured on the 19-track compilation album, Songs for a Healthier America, a collaborative project by the Partnership for a Healthier America, whose honorary chair First Lady Michelle Obama, and Hip Hop Public Health. His song “U R What You Eat” also features Travis Barker, Ariana Grande, and Salad Bar. In 2014, Matisyahu was featured on Cisco Adler’s song “Hypnotize,” which was included on his Coastin album.

57 Told secretly 60 Scarcely 61 Relating to the mouth 62 Bicker 64 The Phantom of the Opera 65 Land parcel 66 “Ninotchka” name 67 Antler prong 68 Diplomat’s need 69 Moderated 70 Arms the alarm DOWN 1 Trades 2 Antique brooch 3 Dress up 4 NASA’s — Control 5 Slimy vegetable 6 Hogwash!

7 Get up 8 Spear 9 Tolerated 10 Fume 11 Sand mandala builder 12 Churchill successor 13 Proceed 21 Freud, to himself 23 Waco resident 25 Troubles 27 “— —, old chap”

29 Caligula’s nephew 30 Garfield’s housemate 31 Holiday quaffs 32 Lemony-tasting 33 Dairy-case item 34 Shed tears 36 Pale gray 37 “Damn Yankees” vamp 39 Familiar deer 40 Lummoxes 43 Spring growth 45 Black-footed critters

48 Senate vote 50 Saying 51 — incognita 52 Goes very slowly 54 Chilling 55 Dirty Harry portrayer 56 Tots 57 Layer 58 Willy or Shamu 59 DEA operative 60 Necklace part 63 Ouray’s tribe

BIDDING ADIEU. "The

Better Half" lead stars JC de Vera and Shaina Magdayao (first and second from left), and Denise Laurel and Carlo Aquino (first and second from right) with the rest of the cast during the series' thanksgiving event.

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com TUESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2017

‘THE BETTER HALF’ NEARS FINALE

Cast sad show ending after half a year on the air A

T THE presscon for the last two weeks of The Better Half, members of the cast – Shaina Magdayao, Carlo Aquino, Denise Laurel, and JC de Vera – chimed a common feeling of melancholy for the show’s soon-tocome finale.

All of them had something common to say that they enjoyed each other’s company, in fact, underscoring that they seem to have become a family.

Laurel said that she’s prepping herself up for the days that she won’t see her co-stars and that she may not work with them for quite a time.

All of them said they will miss each other, but that didn’t stop them from saying what the followers of the show should anticipate for the two weeks before the finale.

In the show, the lives of Camille (Magdayao), Marco (Aquino), Rafael (De Vera), and Bianca (Laurel) are at stake as they play the unpredictable game of love to live freely and happily with their better halves.

The show kicks the suspense up a notch as it brings more explosive revelations and thrilling scenes that will make viewers’ hearts pound even harder. Even the stars of the show are also excited about the series’ much-awaited finale, teasing viewers with the stories’ unexpected twists.

“I was surprised when I read the script. I could feel my heart beating. I am sure viewers will be pleased with how the show will end,” said Magdayao.

“If you thought Bianca was already bad, well, you have not seen her worst yet. She will make everyone crazy,” teased Laurel.

“You will see how far Marco’s love will go for Camille and his sacrifices for her. You will love him

even more,” shared Aquino.

“You have yet to see which team will win --- Team Sunrise or Team Sunset? We promise you, we will not let you all down with our explosive ending,” De Vera insisted.

As they all fight to live a happy life, who will win in the game of love? Will they be able to escape the wrath of Bianca? Whose life will be at risk next?

Since the series started airing in February, it has added suspense to viewers’ afternoons and impressed fans with the stars’ performances.

The show has also consistently won its timeslot, hitting an all-time high national TV rating of 18 percent, according to data from Kantar Media. It is also a daily trending topic as it garners thousands of tweets daily.

The Better Half airs after Pusong Ligaw on ABSCBN and ABS-CBN HD (SkyCable 167). *** Here’s some bit of good news for workers in local filmmaking.

After announcing the creation of the FDCP National Registry on Aug. 2 at Limbaga 77, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will hold an on-site registration for all film workers wishing to avail of the benefits and services of the Registry.

As a database of all active film workers, the FDCP National Registry ensures the monitoring, protection, and provision of basic social services to all active film workers.

On-site registration will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 30-31 at the UP Film Institute Film Center (Cine Adarna).

Film workers – actors, producers, directors, production staff, technical workers, creative and artistic team – actively working in the last three years are eligible to register and will be able to avail of benefits, such as SSS, Philhealth, and Pagibig services, including attendance to workshops, forums, and legal consultations, as well as access

MEDIA giant GMA Network makes history once again as its regional arm, Regional TV, launched the local news program One Mindanao yesterday.

Anchored on the tagline “We are One. We are Mindanao.

We are One Mindanao,” the local news program airs 5 p.m.

Monday to Friday. It will be simultaneously broadcast in key cities and provinces in Mindanao on GMA Network’s local channels in Mindanao: GMA 5 Davao, GMA 35 Cagayan de Oro City, GMA 8 General Santos City, GMA 12 Jolo, Sulu, GMA 9 Zamboanga City, GMA 12 Cotabato City, GMA 2 Tandag City, GMA 10 Surigao City, GMA 26 Butuan City, GMA 4 Dipolog City, GMA 3 Pagadian City, GMA 5 Ozamiz City, GMA 11 Iligan City, and GMA 12 Bukidnon.

One Mindanao features comprehensive and in-depth news and information in the region.

A local news program made by Mindanaoans for the Mindanaoans, Tek Ocampo, reputable TV host and news presenter Sarah Hilomen-Velasco, and experienced news correspondent Real Sorroche anchor One Mindanao.

Joining them are the various local news teams based in Northern and Southern Mindanao and news stringers across Mindanao.

GMA Vice President and Head of Regional TV Oliver Amoroso underscores the significance of One Mindanao.

“Close to the Network’s heart is for Mindanaoans to have

to job opportunities for local and foreign productions.

“Currently, we have hundreds of film workers working independently or on a per ISAH V. RED project basis. Access to basic social services, security, and job opportunities are real issues with them and we hope that the National Registry will be a good start in addressing these gaps,” said Liza Diño. “Film is an industry as it is an expression of art and we have to start looking after our workers.

We are glad that we have the support of the social services institutions for this,” she added.

A socialized annual membership fee will apply for all FDCP Members under the Registry, and the amount will be based on their monthly income.

For more information on the FDCP National Registry, visit the FB page or email fdcpnationalregistry@gmail.com. *** Be careful when hiring house helps or kasambahay. The girl or boy you could be hiring might be someone who would con you with money, gadgets or other valuables.

I got an e-mail from a college classmate at the University of the Philippines Diliman College of Mass Communication. Melvi Pacubas D’Avanzo was one of the sensitive actors in theater and film at the time of the new Philippine cinema spearheaded

by Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, Mario O’Hara, and Orlando Nadres.

In the mail she sent me she rants how her mother’s kasambahay left her mom’s house with a stash of cash meant to settle bills, like electricity, phone, and other things.

We’re reprinting her letter in toto Dear Editor: I request your assistance in informing the general public of a theft, which our kasambahay, Helen Palmaera Landar, had committed on my mother’s household in Paco, Manila. My mother’s name is Rosa S. Pacubas, 96, and bedridden. Ms. Landar was given money (P11,500) on May 1, 2017

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to pay Meralco, PLDT and Social Security dues.

She was also entrusted P21,500 for safekeeping.

She withdrew P 8,000 from my mother’s GSIS ATM card without permission. In addition, she had taken a cell phone, pan, clothing, bag and others.

She had texted my mother’s caregivers that she would hurt my mother and my family if we complain to the authorities. We have a pending investigation with the NBI. My purpose for this request is to put out this information and caution any family she can victimize in the future. Please forward any information about Ms. Landar’s whereabouts to NBI - AOTD Anti-Organized Crime Transactional Division.

Thanks a lot.

Melvi D’Avanzo Daughter, Rosa S. Pacubas So, if you’re in dire need of house help, you know who not to hire. I am also posting her photo in case she applies and uses another name.

Helen Palmaera Landar

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GMA Davao and Gensan Station Manager Mariles Puentevella states, “At this point in the nation’s history, when Mindanao has taken center stage, it is imperative that Mindanaoans have access to fair and balanced information vital to growth and progress as a united community.”

“There’s a lot happening in Mindanao. It is also best that everyone in Mindanao will know about it,” says GMA Cagayan de Oro Station Manager Armi Sobremisana.

“We believe this is the right time to bring One Mindanao at the core for a timely delivery of information. This way, Cagayan de Oro and the rest of Mindanao will have a better understanding of what’s going on and can, therefore, proactively contribute to building a unified and peaceful Mindanao,” she added.

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