Manila Standard - 2017 September 14 - Thursday

‘Drug war not to kill innocent civilians’

By John Paolo Bencito and Rey E. Requejo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday blamed politics for what he said was the sabotage of war on illegal drugs, and insisted that he’s not out to kill innocent lives.

“Politics here in our country…. it’s meant to destroy [your reputation],” Duterte said.

Duterte said he doesn’t want teenagers such as Kian delos Santos, 17, Carl Angelo Arnaiz, 19, and Reynaldo de Guzman, 14, to be killed in his war on drugs.

“There’s sabotage. Why would you have to kill a Next page

HOUSE OKAYS IMPEACH RAP VS SERENO

By Maricel V. Cruz and Rey E. Requejo

cusations by lawyer Larry Gadon that she betrayed the public trust and was guilty of a culpable violaVOTING 30-4, the House com- tion of the Constitution, corruption mittee on justice found the im- and other high crimes. peachment complaint against Chief On the other hand, the panel disJustice Maria Lourdes Sereno sufficient in form and substance, and missed a second complaint filed by gave her 10 days to respond to ac- Volunteers Against Crime and Cor-

ruption founding chairman Dante Jimenez and Vanguard of the Philippine Constitution president Eligio Mallari, for insufficiency in form by a 28-5 vote.

House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said Jimenez and Mallari should have done their homework before filing their im-

peachment complaint.

“We gave a caveat the last time…

Complainants are warned that when they come here, they should follow the proper form,” Fariñas said.

Gadon said Sereno should be impeached for having assets that were not disclosed in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth—

the same reason her predecessor, Chief Justice Renato Corona, was impeached and ultimately ousted.

Gadon also accused Sereno of extravagant spending of judicial funds, including her purchase of a Toyota Land Cruiser for P5 million and her first-class travel Next page on airlines.

FORM SUFFICIENT. Voting 30-4, the House of Representatives committee on justice finds Wednesday sufficient in form and substance the impeachment complaint filed against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno by lawyer Larry Gadon for alleged betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, corruption and other high crimes. Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, the panel chairperson, ordered Sereno to answer the first impeachment complaint within 10 days. Manny Palmero

Media hit ban on police spot reports

By Florante S. Solmerin JOURNALISTS covering the police beat including Camp Crame are up in arms in connection with an order purportedly issued by Philippine National Police chief General Ronald dela Rosa instructing all police units and offices to deny the media access

to police spot reports.

In a statement, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines called this “illegal” and demanded Dela Rosa “withhold” the order.

“We likewise urge police commanders not to obey a patently illegal order,” NUJP secretary-general Dabet Next page Panelo said.

VOL. XXXI • NO. 212 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

CHR budget slash stirs public uproar

By John Paolo Bencito, Macon Ramos-Araneta, Bill Casas, Sara Susanne D. Fabunan and Rio N. Araja

* Gascon said he would continue to do his job and said he would not resign, despite pressure from Congress for him to do so.

E had it coming.” * Senators crossed party lines This was what President Rodrigo Duterte and vowed to restore the agency’s had to say about Commission on Human proposed budget. * The move to slash the CHR Rights chairman Chito Gascon, whose agency was budget was condemned by the given a budget allocation of only P1,000 for 2018 by Catholic Church, human rights organizations here and abroad, and the House of Representatives. the UN special rapporteur on extraGascon, who the President ac- assigned to his agency, Duterte said. judicial executions.

In remarks Wednesday, the President In a 119 to 32 vote on Tuesday, cused of meddling and making hasty conclusions about his anti- the House reduced the CHR’s bud- denied he had a hand in the House decision to slash the CHR budget from drug war, had only himself to blame get from P678 million to P1,000.

P678 million to only P1,000.

Also on Wednesday: for the punitive budget allocation

“H

“This Gascon, because of his ‘pro-yellow’ bias, opens his mouth in the most inappropriate way,” Duterte said in Filipino, and referring to the opposition Liberal Party, which is known by its use of yellow. “He conducts the business of CHR without knowing anything.

Congress is angry at him.”

Duterte attacked Gascon, calling him tonto (stupid) and told him to stop investigating police abuses in the bloody war on drugs.

“If you are not sure of yourself [and] where you stand, you might as well maybe shut up,” the PresiNext page dent said.

Duterte blasts Trillanes: You got stage 3 insanity PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday said he would not be signing bank waivers to dispute accusations of opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, as he continued his tirades against him for having “stage 3 insanity.”

“If he want[s] to get evidence, do not get it from my mouth. You must be stupid, even if it is true or false. Why would I give you the pleasure?” Duterte told reporters in a chance interview.

Duterte insisted, however, that by not responding to Trillanes’ tirades, he was only invoking a “constitutional right” and should not be construed as admitting guilt.

“No one is allowed to make any adverse inference for some guy using his constitutional right. You cannot draw anything. You cannot infer, you cannot imagine anything bad, because it is sacred,” Duterte said.

“If Trillanes were bright, he should have been the country’s vice president already,” Duterte said.

Trillanes himself disputed Duterte’s assertion the 12 waivers of the bank secrecy which he signed to disprove his alleged offshore bank accounts were useless if the co-signer did not sign.

In a hastily called press conference, Trillanes presented to the media a copy of the revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Anti Money Laundering Act of 2001 to substantiate his stand.

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Drilon defends Hontiveros; Palace tags her a ‘meddler’

By Macon RamosAraneta and John Paolo Bencito

AGUIRRE

SENATE Minority Leader Franklin M. Drilon dismissed Wednesday the pronouncement of Justice Secretary Vitaliano III that Senator Risa Hontiveros could be prosecuted under the Anti Wiretapping Law for making public his text messages with an anti-crime group.

“Senator Hontiveros did not

HONTIVEROS

violate any provision of the Anti-Wiretapping Law, nor did she infringe on the right to privacy when she delivered a privilege speech last Monday,” Drilon stressed.

Aside from the fact that Hontiveros’ speech is covered by parliamentary immunity, “there was no interference or wiretapping as contemplated under RA 4200 or the Anti Wiretapping Law,” he added.

“It is clear from the records of plenary debates on the Anti-

Wiretapping Law that the sponsor and the legislators intended to punish the interference or recording of private conversations, which tend to be ‘dragnet’ in character as to amount to surveillance,” said Drilon.

In Malacañang, President Rodrigo Duterte told Hontiveros not to meddle with the private conversations of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, who was caught on camera reportedly plotting a case against her.

“When two persons talk and you are not a party to it, do not draw conclusions of what they are talking about. For all you know, what the fools are talking about were on women,” Duterte said, as he defended his Justice secretary.

In a privilege speech Monday, Hontiveros said she discovered Aguirre’s plot against her through a photo taken last Sept. 5 during a Senate public order committee hearing on Next page

LP senators oppose move to defer village polls SENATORS from the opposition Liberal Party said Wednesday the planned cancellation of barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections and then allowing President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint village officers in charge could be a step closer to a nationwide declaration of martial law.

“We are against the postponement of the barangay and SK elections and even more,

we are opposed to the proposal to appoint barangay officials,” said Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon.

“Postponing the barangay and SK elections for the nth time will deprive the public [of] their constitutional right to choose their leaders at the barangay level.”

Drilon made his statement even as veteran election lawyer Romulo Macalintal urged the Commission on Elections

to continue its preparations for the October 2017 barangay and SK elections, saying no law had yet been passed resetting the exercise.

Besides, he said, the Constitution tags village officials as elected officers and not appointed ones.

“I think proceeding with the election is the best test for our President to determine if the people truly understand what Next page

Rody downplays ‘boots issue’ in mosque visit PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday insisted he didn’t want to offend Muslims after apparently gaining the ire of netizens for wearing boots inside a mosque.

“I respect Islam. It [his wearing of the boots] was not meant to disrespect or dishon-

or,” Duterte said.

“Do not draw unpleasant inferences because nobody wants to dishonor a religion, me especially.”

Meanwhile, the United States has deployed the Gray Eagle Unmanned Aircraft Systems to Mindanao to give twitter.com/ MlaStandard

additional surveillance in support to the Philippine military in fighting terrorism.

The Gray Eagle has a longer flight duration, which will enable it to cover a larger area for surveillance, the US Embassy in Manila said in a statement.

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facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

KALASAG MEDAL. President Rodrigo Duterte (center) applauds as Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua hands over Wednesday the check worth P65 million to Armed Forces chief Gen. Eduardo Año at Malacañang. The donation is intended for the treatment and recovery of soldiers who were wounded in the current war in Marawi City. Also in photo is Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. Malacañang Photo

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

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Marawi relief goods pour in C

ITY OF SAN FERNANDO—World Medical Relief Inc. is sending medicines and equipment worth $10 million to $15 million to the warravaged Marawi City to help in its recovery.

Michigan, helps victims of disasters, wars and calamities worldwide who are in need of medical supplies. It was founded

by Irene Auberlin in 1953.

The war in Marawi City, the summer capital of the south, started on May 23, 2017, between government soldiers and the Islamic State-supported Maute group.

The war has brought severe devastation and casualties on both sides, the latest of which was Captain Rommel Sandoval of the Army Scout Ranger and a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 2005.

He was killed when he and his men were pushing for liberation

of Marawi City against the remnants of Maute group.

WMRI is being supported by 3,000 volunteers worldwide, who are mostly retired doctors, nurses, professionals and nonprofessional. It also receives grants from various institutions.

Samson told Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III that they were also donating equipment and medicine to the Northern Mindanao Medical Center based in Cagayan de Oro this year.

He said they were also distributing 63,000 recycled pacemaker units around the world under the “My Heart,Your Heart” program in cooperation with the University of Michigan. Romeo Dizon

blocs vowed to restore the CHR budget, even if it means passing a reenacted budget.

If the 2017 budget for CHR is reenacted, the agency would even get a higher budget of P725 million, compared to the proposed 2018 budget, said Senator Francis Pangilinan, Liberal Party president.

He also warned that the “message and pattern of giving a P1,000 budget, is that anyone who is critical of this administration will be bullied and intimidated into submission or face its wrath.”

“It is anti-democratic and authoritarian,” Pangilinan said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said cutting the budget to P1,000 would in effect abolish the CHR, a move that can be challenged constitutionally.

Senator Leila de Lima, detained on drug charges filed by the Duterte administration, said

the move to cut the CHR budget was “pathetic.”

“This is once again a clear proof of Duterte’s power hungry, morally bankrupt and crooked governance,” she said.

“To the 119 lapdogs of Duterte who supported the political persecution of CHR as well as the culture of fear and impunity of this government, shame on you,” she said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, vice chairman of the Senate Finance committee, and member of the majority bloc, promised that the Senate will stand its ground on the CHR budget.

He said the issue here is not about the CHR chairman or any of the commission’s officers and members.

“It is about right and wrong.” said Lacson, who will sponsor the CHR budget in the Senate plenary.

Sereno has rejected all the allegations leveled against her.

Bayan Muna Party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate argued that Gadon’s complaint be dismissed since his allegations were not based on personal knowledge.

But Fariñas backed the decision of the House justice committee, saying that Gadon was able to provide the panel at least 20 authentic records from the Supreme Court , such as certified true copies of resolutions from the Court and Sereno’s Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, to back his allegations against the Chief Justice.

Sereno, through her spokesperson Carlo Cruz denied the allegations in the complaint and vowed to disprove them point by point.

Cruz questioned the findings of the House committee that the complaint against the chief mag-

istrate was sufficient in form and substance when many of the allegations in the Gadon complaint are unsupported by evidence or rely mainly on hearsay consisting of newspaper clippings.

“We further understand that the determinations of the House Committee appear to be inconsistent with its findings and actions in similar proceedings in the past,” the lawyer said.

“We maintain that, contrary to the findings of the House Committee on Justice, none of the allegations in the Gadon complaint is true. For this reason, we respectfully submit that the complaint cannot be considered sufficient in form and substance,” the lawyer added.

Cruz, a lawyer specializing in constitutional and administrative laws and son of late retired Justice Isagani Cruz, said the allegations in the complaint are all not true.

“None of the allegations rises to an impeachable offense. The

complaint against her seems designed to maximize the political spectacle, with the goal of eroding her credibility through innuendo and malicious allegations. This is detrimental to the independence of the judiciary upon whom all citizens rely to defend their rights and to check any abuse,” Cruz said.

He also reiterated the Chief Justice’s earlier pronouncement that she “has always lived a modest, god-fearing lifestyle” and has not violated any law.

“She has followed her oath of office and conducted herself with strict faithfulness to that oath. She has been among the foremost proponents of establishing a culture of modesty and respect for public funds in the Supreme Court.

She has instituted reforms in the judiciary and has asserted and defended the independence of the judicial branch of government,” Cruz said, in the statement. With Rio N. Araja

cases against the lady senator, since he had many other things to deal with.

In the exchange of text messages, Aguirre allegedly told Cong. Jing to expedite their case against Hontiveros.

What’s worse, Hontiveros said, was that Aguirre was caught sending the message while the Senate probe into the death of Kian was ongoing.

Aguirre had emphasized that since the photo was inadvertently taken, it could not be considered as surveillance.

“It also bears saying that during the interpellations of the bill filed by Senator Panfilo Lacson expanding the anti-wiretapping

law, the author clarified that his bill intends to expand the law to prohibit taking screen shots or still pictures of communications, which only means that currently, the act of taking screen shots or still pictures is not considered wiretapping,” Drilon stressed.

He also said that there could be no violation of privacy “if there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.”

“When there is no clear effort to limit visibility of the messages in a public space, then there is no reasonable expectation of privacy,” explained Drilon, noting the Senate Session Hall was a public space, of which photographers are a regular fixture.

The minority leader also pointed out the fact that the speech of Hontiveros was covered by parliamentary immunity under Article VI, Sec. 11 of the Constitution, which states in part that “No Member shall be questioned nor be held liable in any other place for any speech or debate in the Congress or in any committee thereof.”

“Supreme Court cases and deliberations of the Constitutional Commission are unequivocal on this point,” Drilon said.

“The framers wanted to make sure that members of Congress can express their opinions, cast their votes without fear of previous restraint or subsequent

punishment.”

Meanwhile, Hontiveros cited the need for Aguirre to open a dictionary and review the meaning of “decency” as she scored him for trying to skirt the issue after being caught in a plot against her.

She also noted that by trying to skirt the issue with long statements and convoluted legal arguments Aguirre just confirmed what she said was the authenticity of his text conversation caught inadvertently by somebody’s camera.

“Why is the Justice Secretary invoking the Anti-Wiretapping Law? Is he admitting too that the text conversation is real?” she asked.

were complete.

As this developed, he raised anew his challenge to the President to do what he did—sign a waiver on his bank accounts which he exposed towards the end of the campaign.

If the President had nothing to hide, Trillanes asked why was he scared to issue a waiver on the bank secrecy law.

While the President had executed a special power of attorney to open his alleged bank accounts with the BPI where he stashed his unexplained wealth, as alleged by Trillanes, the senator said this was not made public. “[Presidenfial counsel Salvador] Panelo merely flashed a copy of the SPA, which he said was signed by the President, but it was not made public so we never knew if it was true or not.

We also did not know what happened,” Trillanes said.

He accused the President of grand deception—of merely deceiving the public by his lies.

“These are big lies.”

He taunted the President for employing tactics to divert the issue on his son Davao Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte’s alleged involvement in the triad, an international syndicate engaged in the importation and distribution of illegal drugs and other criminal activities.

“While we were asking Paolo if he was willing to show his tattoo on the back of his body to prove that it wasn’t a dragon, it was the President who showed his rose tattoo. We’re not asking for the President’s tattoo,” stressed Trillanes. John Paolo Bencito and Macon Ramos-Araneta

George Samson, president and chief executive of World Medical Relief Inc., said the medicines and equipment will be sent in 20-footer containers and will arrive in November this year.

He made his statement even as the Catholic Church, through its social action arm NASSA/ Caritas Philippines, appealed for reconciliation amid the lingering crisis in Marawi.

“We all can help lighten the situation in Marawi by exchanging

kind and sincere words instead of derogatory and hurtful remarks,” said priest Edwin Gariguez following the launch of the Duyog Marawi program on Aug. 30.

Bishop Edwin dela Peña of the Prelature of St. Mary in Marawi expressed the same sentiments even as hateful and divisive remarks continued to flood especially in the media.

During an interview here, Samson said that each container would carry $500,000 worth

CHR...

its findings to pertinent government agencies for prosecution, a duty which it has in fact done based on records.

Unlike the Department of Justice, which serves as the government’s prosecution arm and administers the government’s criminal justice system, the CHR can only assist complainants of human rights violations.

Gascon, who denounced the House move as a display of vindictiveness, said he would continue to do his job despite the reduced budget.

He also said the commission was merely performing its mandate based on the 1987 Constitution, regardless of which administration was in power.

Commissioner Leah Armamento said it would be a bad precedent for Gascon to resign, especially after House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said the agency would

only get its proposed budget if the current chief steps down. “[This would set a bad] precedent that we can be bullied and then as an independent body, we will now cater to the whims of a political party,” she said.

“We are not enemies of the government. We are the conscience of the people so we are here to provide limitations to the immense powers of the state.”

The P1,000 budget was an insult, Armamento said.

“Are the human rights of a person worth P1,000 only?” she asked.

Duterte said he was open to reviewing the decision of the House of Representatives.

“Since it is an organ of government, maybe someday we will review their decision,” he said. “We are not here to destroy institutions.”

In the Senate, members of the majority and the minority

“What you need to do Gascon, you and the CHR should wait.

They cannot just investigate, they don’t have prosecutorial power,” he said. “‘That’s why congressmen are mad at him.”

Contrary to Duterte’s assertions, however, Gascon is a lawyer, having passed the bar in 1996 and entering the roll of attorneys in 1999, after graduating the University of the Philippines College of Law in 1996 and obtaining a masters in International Law from Cambridge University in London.

The CHR, as an independent agency created under the Constitution, is only a fact-finding and recommendatory body but on its own, can also investigate, make recommendations and forward

Media...

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Print and broadcast journalists assigned at Camp Crame beat called the order “outlandish.”

“A police spot report is a public document that should be available to everyone, not just media, [under] the principle of transparency and accountability,” explained Panelo.

Dela Rosa issued the directive shutting the doors to the Commission on Human Rights for any access to the PNP case folders.

On Tuesday, the CHR also got only P1,000 budget from the House of the Representatives as the agency has been very vocal against state-perpetrated extrajudicial killings in connection with President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody campaign against illegal drugs.

In one of the most recent Senate hearings presided over by

Senator Panfilo Lacson, upon the senator’s prodding, Dela Rosa and CHR Chairman Chito Gascon, after a slight discussion, agreed to meet to talk about the PNP case folders of all the drug-related killings.

But no report of such meeting—if it happened or not—until Dela Rosa’s order on the spot report issue broke out in the media.

In the order, the only information reporters could have access to was a press release copy.

“Suggestions that press releases will be issued in lieu of allowing access to spot reports are not acceptable. Press releases, by their very nature, are sanitized and angled to favor the issuing body and are, thus, not an objective source of information,” Panelo said.

Panelo said it was unacceptable for the PNP to “cloak its operations in secrecy” because a police spot report was a public document.

LP...

Drilon...

must be done in the government’s campaign against illegal drugs,” Macalintal said.

He was referring to Duterte’s oft-repeated justification for appointing village officials to weed out those involved in illegal drugs in their areas.

Earlier, Duterte expressed his intention to appoint officers in charge in lieu of a holdover status because of the alleged involvement of some barangay officials in the illegal drug trade.

The Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms recently approved a measure that will postpone the barangay and SK elections and allow Duterte to appoint officers-in-charge for the barangay on an interim basis.

However, this provision does not sit well with Senator Francis Pangilinan, the president of the Liberal Party.

“This goes along the same thread of what took place in the House last night, where the CHR [Commission on Human Rights] was given a budget of P1,000; the extension of martial law in Mindanao, the spread of fake news, the dictator’s burial at the Libingan ng mga Bayani and, most of all, the unsolved killings. All are assaults on our rights,” Pangilinan said.

“All these to erase our hardwon rights: To live with dignity, for truth, to elect one’s leaders, to have redress against abuse. What does one call all these plans? Dictatorship.”

the killing of 17-year-old Kian delos Santos where Aguirre was one of the resource persons present.

Aguirre was caught on camera texting former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto “Jing” Paras, a member of the pro-administration Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption of the need to “expedite” the cases against Hontiveros.

Duterte, however, branded her allegations as “naive” and should not be given value.

The President added he did not know of any move to file

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Based on the provision on the Definition of Terms on related accounts, this would cover “All accounts or monetary instruments held, owned, or controlled by the owner or holder of the accounts, monetary instruments or properties subject of the freeze order of inquiry, whether such accounts are held, owned or controlled ‘SINGLY or JOINTLY’ with another person.”

From this provision, Trillanes said it could be deduced that the waivers which he signed could be used by AMLA to open all his accounts as alleged by the President.

Trillanes said the waivers, which bore only his signature,

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teenager? What’s your purpose? What will you get?”

“And why would I do that to Filipinos of whom I’m the President? Why would I kill innocent persons? I’m not Trillanes,” he said in Filipino, and referring to his harshest critic, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. Duterte, however, admitted that he has yet to pin down who is behind the alleged plot to sabotage his war on drugs.

On Saturday, the Palace claimed that Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs had hurt the operations of narcopoliticians and drug lords, who were thus conniving to create a negative perception of the President’s bloody crackdown.

Duterte then ordered Philippine National Police chief Ronald dela Rosa to examine the teenage deaths more closely, because the police campaign was being deliberately derailed.

The Justice Department on Wednesday said the Public Attorney’s Office would be given a free hand in the case of De Guzman.

“I am giving PAO a free hand to decide on the matter,” Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said after learning that the National Bureau of Investigation had been involved in the full autopsy of De Guzman.

Aguirre earlier ordered the NBI to conduct a second DNA test to confirm the identity of the body found in Gapan, Nueva Ecija last week.

He gave the order after the Philippine National Police announced Monday that the body found in Nueva Ecija was not that De Guzman, as the DNA did was not a match to De Guzman’s parents.

But PAO chief Persida Rueda Acosta said a second DNA test was no longer needed, because the parents had positively identified the body of their son.

“It will no longer be conducted. The [Justice] secretary already conveyed it to us. Apparently, he was not aware that the NBI had already issued a death certificate certifying that the cadaver was that of Kulot,” Acosta said, referring to De Guzman by his nickname.

The death certificate was certified as correct by Dr. Carlomagno G. Yalung, medicolegal officer from the NBI. The NBI conducted the full autopsy on De Guzman while forensic experts from PAO led by Dr. Erwin Erfe conducted a forensic analysis on the wounds he suffered.

Earlier, Acosta, who is providing legal assistance to De Guzman’s parents Eddie and Lina, questioned the DNA results of the PNP.

of equipment like X-rays, cardiac monitors, operating-room materials, surgical tools, beds and medicines.

He said the shipping of the containers will be facilitated by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., and that those will go directly to the hospitals, the beneficiaries in the war torn city and nearby areas.

“This is our own way of helping the people of the city for their early recovery,” Samson said.

The Philippines is a regular recipient of donations from WMRI that have reached $500 million since 1994.

The charitable non-profit organization based in Detroit,

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‘Drug...

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Gray Eagle, manufactured by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, is a medium-altitude, long-endurance unmanned aircraft system. It can endure 25 hours of operation and has a service ceiling of 29,000 feet.

Duterte said he simply wanted to protect his feet when he refused to follow the Muslim practice of removing their footwear at the Grand Marawi mosque.

Duterte, who visited Marawi for the fourth time on Monday, was criticized along with Communications Assistant Secretary Mocha Uson after she posted a video of Duterte entering a mosque with his boots on.

Zia Alonto Adiong, who represents Lanao del Sur’s first district in the ARMM Regional Assembly, told Uson to “hire an etiquette manager if there’s any” after she entered the mosque without wearing a hijab.

Showing a picture of his son and nephew at the mosque during last year’s Eid’l Fitr congressional prayer, Adiong said: “Notice how we teach our kids to leave their slippers and not bring them inside the holy ground.”

He added: “We should avoid actions that may offend our Muslim brothers and sisters.”

Uson was placed under an internal investigation after she was seen doing nightly gigs at a popular entertainment complex in Pasay City despite a government policy banning officials inside casinos. John Paolo Bencito

News

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Neda okays 10 new projects

By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE National Economic and Development Authority Board on Tuesday green-lighted 10 new projects to proceed—including the P355.6-billion Metro Manila Subway, which will be fully funded as the biggest-ever official development assistance from Japan.

The construction of the Metro Manila Subway Project-Phase 1, which will connect Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City, is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2018, and is expected to partially operate in 2022, and fully operational by 2025.

The extension to the NAIA complex followed the endorsement of the project by the Neda Investment Coordination Committee earlier this month.

"The extension will mean greater connectivity and improved passenger comfort and convenience,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said. “In other countries, you can reach other cities without ever leaving the platform.

So we [economic managers] thought, since we’re going to build a subway anyway, why not push to extend it to Naia? It just makes perfect sense.”

Apart from a world-class design, the subway system will have waterstop panels, doors, and high-level entrance for flood prevention, earth-

quake detection, and a train stop system, just like the subways in Tokyo.

The country’s first subway system will be financed via Official Development Assistance, with an interest of 0.10 percent per annum, payable in 40 years, inclusive of a grace period of 12 years.

The signing of the loan commitment by Japan is scheduled in November when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe meets with President Rodrigo Duterte during the Asean Summit.

DoH sends assistance to remote locations

By Macon Araneta HEALTH services were brought to the municipalities of Cuyo, Agutaya and Magsaysay in Palawan, including nearby island barangays, considered as "critical areas" due to their remote location, said Department of Health –Mimaropa (Oriental/ Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) regional director Eduardo C. Janairo.

Janairo said they visited the three far-flung areas to monitor ongoing DoH projects and monitor existing health facilities requiring renovation and improvement.

“Health services in these areas are critical because of their remote location that is why medical services, medicines and health facilities must be equipped and improved to handle health care,” he said.

He said residents must be able to conveniently and confidently access services such as primary care, dental care, emergency care and other public health services.

According to the 2010 National Census on Population, the municipality of Cuyo has a total population of 21,847, Magsaysay with 10,885 and Agutaya with 10,422.

During his visit in Agutaya, Janairo assured the residents that he will provide one emergency vehicle that can be used in transporting patients from the barangay to the nearest health facility.

A Community Volunteer Health Worker's Local Health Conference was held in the three municipalities wherein the regional office provided 400 barangay health workers Kits, 35 Buntis Kits and 70 School-based Immunization Kits, including one Ultraviolet Misting Machine to be used in eliminating dengue-mosquitoes in the island.

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IN BRIEF ‘No need to panic over Japanese encephalitis’ THE Palace on Wednesday said that there is no reason for the public to panic amid fears over the mosquito-borne disease Japanese encephalitis in the country.

“The government assures the public that it is closely monitoring cases of Japanese encephalitis in the country with the onset of the rainy season when transmission of the virus peaks because of the rise of the mosquito population,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

We encourage the local government units to report and notify suspect cases of Japanese encephalitis,” he added.

Abella likewise said that the Health Department “is currently firming up plans to introduce vaccination among young children in 2018” amid rumors that cases of Japanese encephalitis have increased and there is a shortage of the vaccine against it.

John Paolo Bencito

Customs fails to meet collection target

TURNING 60. Philippine Constitution Association president Martin Romualdez (left) and wife Leyte (1st District) Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez (center) greet former senator Ferdinand 'Bongbong’ Marcos (right) during the latter’s 60th birthday celebration at The Peninsula Manila Hotel in Makati City. Ver Noveno

Audit unusable China-made trains—Poe SENATOR Grace Poe on Wednesday called for an independent audit of the China-made trains which remained unusable due to incompatibility with existing facilities.

"An independent auditor should come in," said Poe as she noted that in the event the government returns the light rail vehicles to China, the Philippine government will not be faulted without legitimate reasons behind it.

During the Senate

hearing of the Department of Transportation’s proposed P75.6-billion budget for 2018, Poe pressed Transport officials to hire an independent auditor that has no political affiliations.

He said the 48 coaches supplied by Chinese firm Dalian Locomotive and Rolling Stock Co. Ltd. are safe and can be utilized in the capacity-burdened EDSA MRT-3.

DOTr Undersecretary for Rails Cesar Chavez said

other governments have returned defective trains to Dalian, citing Singapore and Malaysia.

He said the department was constrained to deploy the new trains since the coaches do not have automatic train protection signals and are incompatible with the existing maintenance facilities.

He added that out of the 48 light rail vehicles that were delivered, only 29 have been installed with signaling system and only

four trains can be deployed as revenue trains.

Dalian's contract, which was completed during the previous administration, states that the firm should have installed the signaling system that keeps safe distances between trains prior to the delivery to the country, Poe said.

MRT-3 rails can carry a maximum of 48,000 kilograms, but the Dalian trains weigh heavier at 49,000 kgs. per coach, which may put a strain on the rails,

Chavez said.

Chavez said that out of the P3.8-billion contract cost, only P800 million have so far been paid by the Philippine government.

Poe earlier filed Senate Resolution No. 355 and had conducted an investigation into the unusable Dalian trains and called for the prosecution of those involved in the consummation of the contract that was said to have been disadvantageous to the government.

Macon Araneta

MMDA identifies flood-prone areas in the metropolis

By Joel E. Zurbano THE Metro Manila Development Authority on Wednesday drew up a list of flood-prone areas in the National Capital Region that the public should avoid, especially during rush hours and heavy downpour.

With about 20 tropical cyclones entering the country every year, the MMDA also reminded the public to heed warnings and take all precautions to protect their health

and ensure safety during a bad weather condition.

Among the MMDA-identified flood-prone areas in the metropolis are Rizal Avenue corner Ricardo Papa, Sampaloc and its immediate vicinity, and Quiapo and its immediate vicinity, all in the City of Manila; Makati Diversion Channel, South Superhighway, Sen. Gil Puyat Avenue and its vicinity, all in Makati City; Maysilo Circle-Boni Avenue and its vicinity, Kalen-

PICKET LINE.

Cause-oriented groups, representing workers in public, private and informal sectors, including migrant workers, women and the youth, picket outside the main gate of the Senate in Pasay City to submit their position paper denouncing Senate Bill 1571, which aims to institutionalize the adoption of alternative working arrangements including compressed workweek.

Ey Acasio

tong Street, New Panaderos Street, Shaw Boulevard and Acacia Lane, all in Mandaluyong City; Barangay Doña Imelda, Damayan Lagi, Tatalon and Talayan, all in Quezon City, and the Ninoy Aquino Avenue and its vicinity in Parañaque City.During heavy rains, the agency advises people to: Stay indoors and keep calm; Monitor TV and radio reports; keep roads clear for emergency vehicles; go to the nearest designated evacuation center if

your house is in a flood-prone area; Have a flashlight and radio handy, with fresh batteries; and stock up on food, potable water, kerosene, batteries, and first-aid supplies.

"In case of flooding, turn off the main sources of electricity, gas and water in your home. Stack furniture above the expected flood level and keep appliances, valuables, chemicals, toxic substances, and garbage beyond the reach of floodwaters," the MMDA stated.

‘Irma’-affected Pinoys face repatriation

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday said it would repatriate more than 200 Filipinos from several islands in the Caribbean that were devastated by Hurricane ‘‘Irma.’’

Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano, said response teams dispatched by the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC are now on the ground in the British Virgin Islands and are en route to the US Virgin Islands to assist Filipino victims of the typhoon. ‘‘There are now as many as 236 of our kababayans from various parts of the Caribbean who have asked to be repatriated,’’ Cayetano said. ‘‘We assure them that we will bring all of them home,’’ he added.

Citing the latest report from the Embas-

sy, Cayetano said from 160 to 180 Filipinos are waiting to be repatriated from the British Virgin Islands, 20 from Anguilla, and another 36 from St. Martin.

Cayetano said the Embassy, which is overseeing the repatriation effort, is currently planning to charter an aircraft to transport the stranded Filipinos to Manila.

"We hope that all the logistical and administrative requirements would be arranged soon so we could start repatriating our kababayans by Monday," Cayetano said.

The secretary said he was informed by Embassy Chargé d'Affaires Patrick Chuasoto that the two-member response team dispatched from Washington is now in Tortola to make arrangements for the repatriation.

The team has also started to distribute food community in the affected areas.

THE Bureau of Customs fell short of its collection target of P261 billion from the eight-month period this year by more than P58 billion or 4.25 percent but expressed confidence that it would be able to meet the P468billion collection target for 2017.

Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said that to generate more income, the bureau will implement the correct valuation by raising the benchmark from P40,000 to P80,000 per shipment.

“We have to collect at least P50.1 billion a month to meet the assigned target for this year. We have to correct the valuation of every shipment because at the current rate, the bureau is only collecting P35,000 for every container with a declaration of less than P1 million,” he said.

He said that each container vans worth P1 million should pay the proper duties and taxes of P80,000 to P120,000 which is the correct assessment. Vito Barcelo

Energy efficiency can save PH trillions of pesos —Gatchalian SENATOR Win Gatchalian on Wednesday said the Philippine government stands to save trillions of pesos over the next 12 years if it sets in place an energy efficiency and conservation policy as a long-term strategy to address high electricity demand and costs.

Gatchalian, chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy, said Philippine consumers could enjoy between P1.6 trillion to P5.5 trillion in combined electricity cost savings from 2018 to 2030 because of reduced energy demand and consumption prompted by the efficient use of energy.

He said energy efficiency and conservation strategies will not only achieve much needed savings for the government, but it can also significantly bring down the prices of electricity and give consumers extra money in their pockets to spend for other basic necessities. Macon Ramos-Araneta

A4

Opinion

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

The shameful 119

W

E salute these lawmakers who voted against a move to punish the Commission on Human Rights with a budget of P1,000 for 2018.

Gary Alejano (Magdalo Party-list) Lito Atienza (Buhay Party-list) Kaka Bag-ao (Dinagat Island) Jorge Banal (Quezon City) Kit Belmonte (Quezon City) Emmanuel Billones (Capiz) Gabriel Bordado (Camarines Sur) Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Party-list) Wilfredo Caminero (Cebu) Ariel Casilao (Anakpawis Party-list) France Castro (Gabriela Party-list) Fred Castro (Capiz) Raul Daza (Northern Samar) Emmi De Jesus (Gabriela) Raul Del Mar (Cebu)

Sarah Jane Elago (Kabataan Party-list) Bayani Fernando (Marikina) Lawrence Fortun (Agusan del Norte) Mark Go (Baguio City) Edcel Lagman (Albay) Jocelyn Limkaichong (Negros Oriental) Evelyn Mellana (Agusan del Sur) Rosenda Ann Ocampo (Manila) Aileen Radaza (Lapu-lapu City) Ramon Rocamora (Siquijor) Bai Sandra Sema (Maguindanao/ Cotabato City) Antonio Tinio (Act Teachers) Tom Villarin (Akbayan Party-list) Rosanna Vergara (Nueva Ecija) Carlos Zarate (Bayan Muna Party-list) Manuel Zubiri (Bukidnon) We hold in contempt all 119 lawmakers who approved the decision to cripple the constitutional agency tasked to protect our individual rights, and reserve our strongest

scorn for House leaders who encouraged such nonsense, and party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta, who moved to reduce the agency’s budget from P678 million to P1,000.

Marcoleta argued that the CHR should be investigating all human rights violations, including those by criminals, communist rebels and terrorists—forgetting that this is the jurisdiction of the police and other law enforcement agencies whose budgets far outstrip that of the CHR. Marcoleta also argued that the CHR was “invalidly” created—neglecting to say that its establishment was not the result of an executive order, as he suggests, but a mandate in the Section 17, Article 13 of the 1987 Constitution.

Punch-drunk with power, lawmakers such as Marcoleta, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who had threatened earlier to give the CHR a budget of zero for 2018;

and the other 117 who voted for the illconsidered budget decision do not realize or much care that their vindictive actions have real world repercussions.

Encouraged by a powerless CHR, those who would abuse state power would be emboldened to commit human rights violations, a state of affairs that hurts all citizens, regardless of which party is in power.

Our standing in the international community as a nation that respects and protects human rights and that lives up to its treaty obligations—already teetering from the President’s outrageous declarations— would suffer yet another critical blow.

We are hopeful that the independent men and women of the Senate will not let this outrage pass; we heap shame on the 119 members of the House of Representatives who let hubris and vindictiveness get in the way of doing their duty.

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA

The P1,000 budget

How Gascon ruined CHR LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES THERE is a Commission on Human Rights to even up the imbalance of power that exists between the government and the citizenry. That is the job of the CHR, ideally: to defend and protect the ordinary, often-powerless citizen from a powerful, sometimes-abusive government and its agents.

But a CHR that has become politically weaponized cannot perform this function.

Under the stewardship of current chairman Jose Luis Martin “Chito” Gascon, a former top functionary of the Liberal Party before his appointment in 2015, the CHR has morphed into a partisan agency which will not look into allegations of abusive government officials when doing so goes against Gas-

con’s politics.

I will no longer recite particular incidents of Gascon’s aggressive opposition to the Duterte administration’s war on illegal drugs, which in all likelihood cost his agency its budget in the House of Representatives this week. Instead, I will only recall two recent events where the CHR should have stepped in and fulfilled its mandate, but where it most definitely did not.

These are: the bloody March 27, 2016 clash between starving farmers and national and local security forces in North Cotabato which became known as the “Kidapawan Massacre”; and the extended and illegal detention of the so-called “Ilocos Six” at the House of Representatives earlier this year, when Congress was investigating alleged anomalies in the use of tobacco excise tax by the Ilocos Norte provincial government.

These two incidents are perfect examples of how the political bent of Gascon, a key campaigner of Noynoy Aquino and a top official of Aquino’s party before he was rewarded with the post

The CHR is a partisan agency which will not go after officials when doing so goes against Gascon’s politics.

of chief rights watchdog of the previous administration, prevented his agency from doing its job. If Gascon has been overzealous in going after Duterte and the police as

they continue their anti-drug campaign, the CHR chief has not fulfilled his mandate when his politics demanded that he shouldn’t.

In the first incident, Gascon’s CHR did investigate the Kidapawan Massacre, which was one of the final black eyes sustained by the Aquino administration as it limped to its ignominious, empathy-free end last year. But the CHR found that the police were not guilty of using excessive force when they killed two farmers and injured scores of others when the provincial government decided to disperse them outside a National Food Authority warehouse in Kidapawan. The CHR took the Aquino government’s side, saying that the 3,000 farmers who massed on the highway outside the warehouse were “induced to join the protest action through deceit by the organizers and ‘unknown persons.’”

The CHR’s official 46-

page report said violence was committed not only by the police but by “the violent act of protesters that left two police officers battling for their lives.” In an unusual (by present-day standards, of course) move, the CHR did not find that excessive force was used by the police against the protesters, even if “the PNP fired the first [gun]shot.”

In case you’ve forgotten, the protest was launched by farmers went to the warehouse only because they wanted the rice in the NFA warehouse. Those stocks of rice had already been earmarked for distribution to the farmers after the entire country’s rice harvest had been destroyed by the El Niño drought that hit that year.

So, in answer to the question raised by supporters of President Rodrigo Duterte if the CHR under Gascon was ever pro-government and pro-police, well, yes, it

was. But it had to be on the side of the government that appointed Gascon and the police opened fire on hungry farmers first. *** In the second incident, the CHR distinguished itself by not even appearing at the scene at all. For months, the six Ilocos Norte provincial officials were detained by yet another government agency, the House of Representatives, after they were held in contempt by Congress leaders investigating the alleged misuse of tobacco excise taxes by the administration of Gov. Imee Marcos.

The case of the “Ilocos Six” was tailor-made for the CHR’s intervention because the lowly provincial officials were apparently detained only because the House leadership wanted to force Marcos to come to them and admit that she had misused official funds. The

THE House of Representatives has decided to give the Commission on Human Rights a budget of P1,000 for the 2018 fiscal year. This basically abolishes the agency. In the old days, if Congress wanted to show its displeasure at one agency, P1 was normally the budget given.

The P1,000 is probably due to inflation.

Kidding aside, the CHR is a constitutional body that was put in the 1987 Cory Constitution to safeguard the rights of ordinary citizens against the abuses of government. It is a signal to the world that the country’s government believes in a functioning democratic system of government.

Whether Congress can in fact abolish a constitutional body is another legal question. If the CHR is abolished, then all semblance of democracy in our system of government would be gone. In all the years of its existence, I do not know how effective it has been in protecting the human rights of ordinary citizens against governmental abuses.

Maybe it has been a failure to some but certainly a pain in the neck to many government officials. The CHR does make the lives of some in government uncomfortable.

Also, the CHR’s existence is showing to the world that we are aligned with most countries in protecting human rights.

Abolish it and where does that leave the country?

Sure, the communication people of the government will do a good job deodorizing and explaining that even without the CHR, the government can still protect the rights of ordinary citizens. But in the long run, the government will be judged not by what it says but by what it does.

And right now, in eyes of many in the international community, the country is not doing very well in the area of human rights.

The House of Representatives want CHR

Turn to A5

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Opinion Ignorance feeds curiosity; curiosity cures ignorance

By Faye Flam SCIENTISTS have stepped up their investigations into fake news in recent months, and amid all the analyses, studies and meetings, some have raised the possibility that a lot of people simply don’t care whether the claims they embrace are true. “Post-truth” has become a hot topic for researchers from a variety of fields, including Nobel prizewinning chemists: The annual Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany this summer took as a theme “Science in a Post-Truth Era.” Skeptics have long studied why people wrongly believe in astrology, ESP and all manner of weird things, but not caring about truth at all would seem to fly in the face of basic human curiosity. People send probes to other planets, dig up dinosaur bones, and build powerful microscopes to find out the truth about inner and outer space. We follow crime stories because we want to learn what really happened.

Shouldn’t curiosity act as a guardrail to keep us from falling into a post-truth world?

Astrophysicist Mario Livio makes a key observation in his new book, “Why?: What Makes Us Curious”: To be truly curious requires a middling level of knowledge. If you know absolutely nothing, then you don’t know what to be curious about. If you know everything, you have no reason to inquire. So children who have never heard of dinosaurs can’t be curious about them, and very few adults are curious about how many pennies are in a dollar.

I realized, however, that it’s not actual knowledge but people’s perception of their own knowledge that encourages or stifles curiosity. That observation snapped into place for me at an event at the MIT Media Lab. In a talk, Putin biographer Masha Gessen noted that one striking similarity between Putin and Trump is their utter lack of curiosity. I asked her to elaborate, and she said that both men think they already know everything.

That perception of superior knowledge comes through in Trump’s habit of saying “Nobody knows it better than me” when discussing a variety of subjects—taxes, trade, visas, infrastructure, social media, uranium sales, and “nuclear horror,” to name a few.

So curiosity requires a level of humility. But how far does the problem of ego inflation go? In his new book “The Death of Expertise,” author Tom Nichols makes a case that there’s a raging epidemic of egomania in the United States.

“Most cases of ignorance can be overcome if people are willing to learn,” he writes.

“Nothing, however, can overcome the toxic confluence of arrogance, narcissism and cynicism that Americans now wear like full suit of armor against the efforts of experts and professionals.”

Nichols is not convinced that curiosity matters to the bulk of the public. Sure, he said, some people are curious—the engineers and scientists and artists of the world.

How...

From A4

six public servants were eventually released months after they were detained under “inhuman” conditions, according to the governor—but the CHR never entered the picture, apparently because Gascon thought that he should not help the Marcoses in any way.

And as a bonus, I will throw in how Gascon, just months into his job in 2015, simply ignored the finding of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention that found that the Aquino administration’s five-year detention of

The 1,000...

From A4

Chairman Jose Luis Martin Gascon to resign in order for the budget to be restored.

Gaston is of course refusing to do so. I do not want to speculate any further why the House wants the CHR abolished. There is really no rhyme or reason to abolish the agency because abuses by none state actors are dealt with by existing laws of the land. But as that famous US baseball player Yogi Berra

But he doesn’t see curiosity as an important driver of human behavior. “People don’t go on Reddit to learn stuff—they go there to win,” he said. If they read newspaper or magazine stories at all, he argues, it’s not to satisfy a thirst for knowledge, but to look smart or to collect likes on Facebook.

Of course, not everyone takes such a dim view of human curiosity. In another book about expertise, “If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?”, the actor and science advocate Alan Alda takes for granted that many people are hungry for knowledge. But to engage that curiosity, he argues, experts have to pay attention to their audiences to gauge where they fall on that spectrum of intermediate knowledge. By listening and communicating, experts can avoid talking over people’s heads or repeating things they already know— both mistakes scientists sometimes make.

Alda is himself a curious character. He became involved in science communication after hosting the television show “Scientific American Frontiers.” He realized that scientists often find themselves onstage or in front of cameras struggling to explain their research, and thought his expertise in acting and improvisation might prove useful. Now he’s adapting his ideas for business leaders and other experts.

One lesson from improvisation, he says, is that real communication is an exchange, and what you say should depend on what you see and hear from the other party. When I spoke with Alda, he made the memorable observation that everyone knows things you don’t know—whether you’re speaking to an astrophysicist or the person who cuts your hair or delivers your pizza.

They have different experiences. They’ve seen the world from different angles. If people can engage their curiosity, it doesn’t matter who is smarter. What matters is that both parties leave the encounter smarter than they were before.

William Moerner, a Nobel Laureate in chemistry, is one of those curious people. I was interviewing him about various topics after he had spoken at the meeting of Nobel winners in Germany, when the US’ decision to cancel a national commission on forensic science came up. He wanted to know what I knew.

He had a notebook and pen in hand, and by the end of our chat, he may have asked as many questions and jotted as many notes as I had.

While he’d been onstage during the panel discussion, another journalist asked him why he wasn’t more outraged, given the way the US government was sidelining science. Indeed, the world (and especially the world of social media) seems to demand indignation. But outrage hinges on certainty—not on that intermediate level of knowledge that stimulates investigation and curiosity. Moerner’s response? At times like this, he said, “Someone needs to be rational.” Bloomberg

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

A5

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

On turning 90 TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO TOMORROW, Friday, Sept.

15, I will be 90 years old. I count myself blessed at having reached this ripe age.

This is the age when most of my friends, classmates and associates have already died. If not, they are either bedridden or wheelchairbound. I feel I am now at the pre-departure area, just awaiting my final boarding call for my flight to the Great Beyond!

As a teenager, I went through four years of the Japanese Occupation. My two older brothers were officers of the guerrilla forces.

After the Liberation in 1946, I was accepted as a scholar at Ateneo de Manila at the Padre Faura ruins. I obtained my Bachelor of Arts, with honors.

After graduation, I went to Cotabato City to volunteer with the OMI missionaries in producing their publication. I went with the late Rudy Tupas, editor in chief of The Guidon during our time.

That is how my journey as a journalist began. I consider this a calling more than a profession. Being a journalist does not make one a multi-millionaire, but one with a mission in life —to make a difference, no matter how small. An Ateneo education makes one a “man for others.”

My two-year stint with The Mindanao Cross—we called it the little newspaper with the big cause—was a learning experience for me. I covered all beats in a provincial publication: The jails, the police, and on to the Office of the Governor.

One summer, I met the love of my life, Trinidad Kapunan Capistrano, an 18-year-old student from the Philippine Women’s University. She was on vacation. It was a brief encounter since she had to be back in school, but she was able to tell me that she would be transferring to the University of the Philippines.

When I returned to Manila, I got an offer to teach English, history and literature at Ateneo High School in Loyola Heights. It was a good opportunity for me to meet, once again, the love of my life who by then had already transferred to UP. I looked for her and by some stroke of luck found her. I always had lunch with my co-teachers at the South Dorm cafeteria where I had the opportunity to meet that angel in high heels. I saw her going to Mass every morning.

That began our courtship. It was not easy—I was the poorest among her suitors. Others came in flashy cars and with a driver. I only had an old jeep which my mother had bought for me out of my own savings.

When I was in Mindanao, I sent her P150 every month out of my P250 salary.

I proposed to that young woman when I took her dancing on her birthday. It was at the Skyroom of the old Jai-Alai building along Taft Avenue. The songs— Love Letters, Mona Lisa, Autumn leaves and Stranger in Paradise played by the 21-member Serafin Payawal Orchestra.

She accepted!

Earlier, I had already passed the Bar. We were wed in Cotabato City where we first met.

This year we marked our

I have mixed feelings about my birthday.

63rd wedding anniversary.

I am often asked how we lasted this long, and I have the same answer every time. See, I must have the last word always – “Yes, Darling.” I believe you should never argue with a woman; you will never win.

We have four children and all are doing well. We live with our only daughter who took us in because we could not live by ourselves in a high-rise condominium in Makati.

Last year, Dante Arevalo Ang, chairman emeritus of The Manila Times, told me I should have my memoirs published since I am now about the oldest living, active journalist.

I must admit I never learned to use the computer or to text. I still pound away on my old Olympia typewriter.

I have been a writer for almost seven decades. I have covered no less than 10 presidents since the time of President Elpidio Quirino. I can say I have walked the corridors of power, witnessed history in the making, and seen the best and the worst of the people in power.

This is why after agonizing over Dante’s offer, and weighing the fact that I would need no less than P2 million to publish a book, I eventually agreed. I sought permission, of course, from Philip Romualdez, my chairman, and Rollie Estabillo, my publisher.

The book is almost finished, thanks to writer Lea Beltran and editor Dean Francis Alfar. Hopefully it will be published and marketed in November.

At 90 years old, I believe life is a journey and I am just passing through.

I will continue to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. I will keep on pounding on my typewriter until I write 30.

I am comforted by one of my prayers, The Serenity Prayer, which goes: GOD, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

ference.

Living one day at a time; Enjoying one moment at a time; Accepting hardship as the pathway to peace.

Taking, as He did, this sinful world as it is, not as I would have it.

Trusting that He will make all things right if I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life, and supremely happy with Him forever in the next. Amen. *** I have mixed feelings about turning 90 tomorrow.

I am joyful because God has given me the blessing of a long life, and sad because of the deaths of three people close to us.

The first death was that of Alphonso Medina, a UP professor and a good friend.

My condolences to his wife, Belen.

The second death was that of Mila Barlaan, who was like family to us. She was always there in times of need; she always attended our anniversaries.

Marita Salcedo—the widow of the columnist Louie Beltran—was my secretary when I was president of the Business Writers Association of the Philippines in the 50s and 60s.

She and Louie stayed with us when they got married in Courage to change the their teens. things I can, and the Our deepest condolences. wisdom to know the dif-

A big leap for the future OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ DUBBED as the “Golden Age of Infrastructure,” one of the priorities of the Duterte administration is infrastructure development.

With the recent approval of the 2018 budgets of the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation, promising infrastructure projects that are meant to improve road networks and the transportation system of the country will soon be on their way.

The worsening metro traffic congestion continues to plague the nation.

According to a study of the Japan International Cooperation Agency, our country

loses P2.4 billion a day due to the Metro Manila traffic jam. This could go up to P6 billion a day by 2030 if the government fails to address the traffic menace with urgency. Hence, I am hopeful that the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program will not only address the current traffic problem but will also improve the quality of life of the Filipinos in the long run.

It is high time that we implement long-term plans that would address the worsening metro traffic condition and improve the lives of the Filipinos. Hence, it is good news that the National Economic and Development Authority Board, headed by President Duterte, approved last Tuesday the P358.25billion Mega Manila Subway Project Phase 1, after

thorough evaluation and initial approval by the Neda Investment Coordination Committee, led by Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia.

The Mega Manila Subway will be the country’s first subway system, which will run from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City. The first phase of project alignment would have 13 stops, which is expected to serve 350,000 passengers daily.

The initial subway project cost was $ 4.4 billion with a Phase 1 target completion by 2024. However, with the desire to partially open the subway system before the end of President Duterte’s term in 2022, the cost was raised to $7 billion.

To finance the project, the government would secure the biggest official development assistance from Japan through a loan from JICA. The loan will have 0.10 percent interest payable within 40 years, with a grace period of 12 years. President Duterte and Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be signing the loan agreement at the Asean summit in November 2017.

Before we enjoy the advantages of the fruition of this project, we have to endure the worsening of the already problematic metro traffic situation. In preparation for the construction of the project, which is initially set to start by the fourth quarter of 2018, we have to make certain sacrifices starting this year.

I am glad that Metro Ma-

nila Development Authority General Manager and concurrent DOTr Undersecretary Thomas Orbos committed to implement the 3-digit number coding scheme, which is expected to eliminate 30 percent of the vehicles from the road daily.

I also look forward to the cooperation of the local government units and the MMDA in clearing secondary roads and alternate routes to ensure continuous flow of traffic. Traffic congestion tolls high rates of inefficiencies, across the board.

I fully support the Mega Manila subway project and I look forward to harvesting the fruits of what we are planting today. This is for the Filipino people, most especially for our children who will be the future of our nation.

Get ready for more hurricanes

former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo “arbitrary and violative of the international law on human rights” because it repeatedly denied her bail petitions. Arroyo’s advocate before the UN was international rights lawyer Amal Clooney, wife of Hollywood star George Clooney—but the CHR under Gascon would not have cared more if Arroyo had engaged the lawyerly services of Perry Mason himself.

Gascon has no one but himself to blame for his agency’s budget woes. His record as a political partisan—even if you never consider his opposition to Duterte’s war on drugs —makes that perfectly clear.

BEYOND inflicting epic destruction and suffering, Hurricanes “Harvey” and “Irma” have brought the US face to face with the catastrophic flood dangers posed by climate change.

Fed by deeply warmed ocean waters, the storms turned violent—as climatechange models have predicted. Higher sea levels have intensified flooding.

Yet if history is a guide, no matter how great the losses, Harvey and Irma will not dampen Americans’ enthusiasm for living and working along coastlines vulnerable to hurricanes. The cycle of building, flooding, rebuilding—and then ignoring the problem—plays out repeatedly in every region that ex-

periences big storms. And the costs just keep rising.

The US needs to rethink the way it prepares for and responds to great storms.

This will require measuring the risks better, pricing them more realistically, and getting states, local governments and property owners to bear their share.

Incentives to take responsibility for catastrophic floods have long been out of alignment: Local governments are free to set building rules with little regard for how well structures can withstand wind and water, because when hurricanes happen, the federal government largely foots the bill for cleanup and rebuilding.

There are simple ways to give local governments, developers and homeowners

greater reason to care—for instance, by imposing a state deductible on federal disaster relief, which could be reduced for states that toughen their building codes or help people to move away from vulnerable coastlines.

The National Flood Insurance Program also needs attention. Its premiums should be raised to better reflect individual properties’ potential for flooding, with subsidized premiums for the most vulnerable properties phased out altogether. Such a change is long overdue. The NFIP is already $25 billion in debt, even before shouldering losses from “Harvey” and “Irma.”

The NFIP imposes a noncompete provision on private insurers that participate in the program which prevents them from offering flood coverage

on their own. This should be eventually scrapped—and federal data on flood losses and claims should be made available. Private insurers, equipped with sophisticated catastrophe models that the federal government lacks, are better able to scientifically assess the growing risk of big storms in any given area, and thus to write more realistic policies.

Congress should also consider providing lowinterest loans to encourage preparedness—to help property owners elevate structures and enable communities to buy out homeowners in high-risk areas.

Better flood maps are needed, too. Many of those that exist—they’re available for only about a third of the country—are either out of

date or have been revised, at the urging of state and local governments, to understate risks. The federal government has long been stingy about funding them.

The maps should not only be brought up to date but also be brought into wider use. Some states still don’t require that home buyers be made aware of their properties’ flood history and vulnerability to future storms.

The case for these reforms was strong already. It only gets stronger with the growing risk of monster storms and the continuing movement of people and their homes to the water’s edge. Congress should act now, as the cleanup from “Harvey” and “Irma” proceeds—and before the country forgets, yet again, that hurricanes and floods ever happen.

once quipped, “The game is not over till it’s all over.” The House bill will still have to go to the Senate for deliberation and hopefully there are cooler heads in that chamber who will fight to restore the regular budget so that the CHR can continue to function. *** To a more mundane subject matter, Highway 54 was the original name of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue before it was shortened to Edsa. It was improved during the later stages of martial law to be our first urban freeway in Metro

Manila to connect SLEX and NLEX. This was done by widening the road and removing all the traffic lights in the various intersections along the 24-kilometer stretch of road.

With the improvements however, came development.

Shopping malls started to sprout all over Edsa and bus companies relocated there. As if that were not enough, the MRT3 was constructed along the road which made it busier than ever. Edsa today is arguably the busiest and most polluted highway in the country.

Of the thousands of buses ply-

ing the streets of the National Capital Region, approximately 95 percent ply Edsa.

During martial law, jeepneys together with the tricycles were prohibited along Edsa.

Today, the two are all over the place. To be sure, there are many causes of congestion.

For one, instead of being a predominantly transit road that a motorist uses to go from north to south or vice versa, Edsa is now a destination in itself attracting hundreds of thousands of trips. This is because of the shopping malls, bus stations and other businesses

located along the road. It has now become the battle ground on solving the traffic gridlock in the NCR. But let us set those aside and take the question of the thousands of buses that ply Edsa. In all the steps taken by the government to decongest it, never was the type of buses ever questioned. Why? Because we have been using the wrong kind of buses all these years. The buses plying Edsa are not suited for urban use.

These are buses intended for long distance trips. This is the reason it takes too long for pas-

sengers to exit and enter the buses, thereby contributing to the gridlock. If there are say 15 buses in one intersection, compute the time spent of passengers exiting and getting in one at a time and multiply that with the number of buses and one can understand why it is so difficult to improve travel time along Edsa.

There seems to be no realization on the part of the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board to come up with a plan to phase these buses out sometime in the future and bring in properly designed ur-

ban buses to improve traffic flow. I was recently surprised to see on TV a news footage that Vietnam has started to use urban buses that allows multiple passengers to exit and enter at the same time, thereby saving valuable time. If Vietnam is already operating these buses, there is no reason why we cannot start doing the same. The advantages of these buses are so plain to see that it is difficult to understand why the LTFRB has not all these years require bus companies to start switching to urban buses instead of maintaining the same buses.

Bloomberg editorial

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World

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Rohingya kids fleeing to Bangladesh alone UKHIA, Bangladesh―The lost Rohingya boy made the journey from Myanmar alone, following strangers from other villages across rivers and jungle until they reached Bangladesh, where he had no family and no idea where to go.

“Some women in the group asked, ‘Where are your parents?’ I said I didn’t know where they were,” said Abdul Aziz, a 10-year-old whose name has been changed to pro-

tect his identity.

“A woman said, ‘We’ll look after you like our own child, come along’. After that I went with them.”

More than 1,100 Rohingya children fleeing violence in western Myanmar have arrived alone in Bangladesh since August 25, according to the latest UNICEF figures.

These solo children are at risk of sexual abuse, human trafficking and psychological trauma, the UN children’s agency said.

Many have seen family members brutally killed in village massacres in Rakhine state, where the Myanmar army and Buddhist mobs have been accused of crimes described by the UN rights chief as “ethnic cleansing”.

Others narrowly escaped with their own lives―some children arriving in Bangladesh bear shrapnel and bullet wounds.

The number of children who crossed into Bangladesh alone, or were split up

from family along the way is expected to climb as more cases are discovered.

More than half of the 370,000 Rohingya Muslims who have made it to Bangladesh since August 25 are minors, according to UN estimates.

A sample of the 128,000 new arrivals conducted in early September across five different camps found 60 percent were children, including 12,000 under one year of age. AFP

Residents go back to ravaged Florida 2 officials I travel to SLAMORADA―Residents of the Florida Keys ravaged by Hurricane Irma, which has left at least 12 dead statewide, discovered scenes of desolation as they returned home Tuesday amid a massive operation to restore electricity to millions of people still without power in three southern US states.

AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING. Andrea Powell speaks onstage during the Unitas Third Annual Gala Against Human Trafficking at the Capitale in New York City. AFP

MP denies he’s spying for China WELLINGTON―A New Zealand lawmaker received military and intelligence training in China, it emerged Wednesday, but he denied allegations of being a Beijing spy, saying he was the victim of a racist smear campaign.

China-born MP Jian Yang was the subject of an investigation by New Zealand’s intelligence services over his links to an elite Chinese spy school, according to a joint investigation by the Financial Times and newsroom. co.nz.

The media organizations said Jian, who was elected to parliament in 2011, had not disclosed his background as a teacher at China’s top linguistics academy for military intelligence officers.

New Zealand is a member of the “Five Eyes” intelligence-sharing network, which also includes the United States, Britain, Canada and Australia.

The FT said no other Western nation was known to have a sitting MP with such extensive links to China’s intelligence community.

The revelation “raises questions about Western preparedness to deal with China’s increasingly aggressive efforts to influence foreign governments and spy on them,” said the newspaper.

Jian condemned the “defamatory statements” and said he was a proud New Zealander who had been transparent about his background.

He also questioned the timing of the allegations ahead of a September 23 election, in which his ruling National Party is in a tight race to retain power.

“This is a smear campaign by nameless people who are out to damage me and the National Party 10 days from an election, just because I am Chinese,” he said in a statement. AFP

150 migrants rescued from boat in Black Sea MIDIA, Romania―Romanian authorities said Wednesday they had rescued more than 150 migrants in the Black Sea, the fifth such incident since August amid rising fears that a new migrant route to Europe is opening up.

Authorities said 153 people including 53 children and 51 women, many from Iraq, had been on board the vessel when conditions turned choppy off Romania’s eastern coast in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday.

“The sea had been very agitated, with waves of up three meters (9.8 feet).

These people were in a very dangerous situation and risked either drowning or seeing their boat sink,” Cristian Cicu, a spokesman for the Constanta coastguard, told AFP. AFP journalists in the Romanian port of Midia

As emergency workers picked through the rubble, Irma’s death toll in Florida rose from an earlier figure of two. The storm has now killed at least 50 people across the Caribbean and the United States.

Shattered mobile homes, grounded sailboats and jumbled mounds of debris greeted Keys residents as police began lifting roadblocks to the islands following the passage of Hurricane Irma.

“We don’t have much left,” Patty Purdo, a 55-yearold waitress, said as she surveyed her home in the wreckage of the Seabreeze trailer park on the island of Islamorada.

European leaders visited the storm-ravaged Carib-

bean meanwhile amid criticism over relief efforts and the White House announced that President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, would visit Florida on Thursday.

Brock Long, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Irma caused major damage in the Keys, a 195-kilometer string of islands off Florida’s southern coast known for boating, scuba diving and fishing.

Ninety percent of the archipelago’s homes have been destroyed or significantly damaged he said.

The islands had been all but cut off since the storm struck early Sunday as a Category Four hurricane, and bore the brunt of Irma’s damage while the rest of the

Sunshine State fared relatively better.

“Most areas are still without power and water. Cell service is spotty. And most gas stations are still closed,” authorities in Monroe County, which includes the Keys, said in a Facebook post.

With over 15 million people without electricity in Florida, one million in neighboring Georgia and 20,000 in South Carolina, authorities launched a massive effort to restore power.

“We’re having over 30,000 individuals from out of state helping us get our power back on,” Governor Scott told reporters while touring flood damage in the northeast city of Jacksonville. AFP

witnessed the arrival of the migrants who were then sent for medical examinations before being handed over to the immigration authorities.

EU member Romania is not part of the bloc’s passport-free Schengen zone and until now has largely avoided the kind of influx of refugees and migrants seen elsewhere on the continent over the last few years.

But Bucharest fears that the Black Sea could become an alternative route for migrants seeking a new life in Europe as the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean becomes increasingly difficult, not least since Libya has sought to restrict charities carrying out rescue missions off its shores.

Until last month, only a handful of migrants had been seized in the Black Sea since the migrant crisis erupted in the summer of 2015. AFP

eighth set of sanctions on the North Monday, banning it from trading in textiles and restricting its oil imports, which US President Donald Trump said was a prelude to stronger measures.

The resolution, passed after Washington toned down its original proposals to secure backing from China and Russia, came just one month after the council banned the exports of coal, lead and seafood in response to the ICBM launch.

The North’s foreign ministry condemned the new measures “in the strongest terms”, calling them a “full-scale economic blockade” driven by the US and aimed at “suffocating” its state and people.

It was “another illegal and evil ‘resolution on sanctions’ piloted by the US”, it said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency. AFP

MARIGOT, France― French President Emmanuel Macron and British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson traveled Tuesday to the hurricane-hit Caribbean, rebuffing criticism over the relief efforts as European countries boost aid to their devastated island territories.

Macron’s plane touched down in Saint Martin as anger grew over looting and lawlessness in the FrenchDutch territory after Hurricane Irma.

Speaking in Guadeloupe earlier, Macron said the government began preparing “one of the biggest airlifts since World War II” days before Irma hit on Wednesday.

“Now is not the time for controversy,” he said, adding: “Returning life to normal is the absolute priority.”

The French, British and Dutch governments have faced criticism for failing to anticipate the disaster, with an editorial in The Telegraph newspaper calling the response “appallingly slow.”

Touring Saint Martin, Macron was at times jeered by people waiting for aid supplies or hoping to catch flights for France in order to escape the devastation across the island. AFP

Opera diva announces retirement

N. Korea vows to continue its weapons programs SEOUL―North Korea vowed Wednesday to accelerate its weapons programs in response to the “evil” sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council following its latest and most powerful nuclear test.

The respected 38 North website in the US raised its estimate for the yield from the explosion, which Pyongyang says was a hydrogen bomb small enough to fit onto a missile, to around 250 kilotons― more than 16 times the size of the device that devastated Hiroshima in 1945.

The detonation, Pyongyang’s sixth nuclear blast, prompted global condemnation and came after it carried out two intercontinental ballistic missile launches in July that appeared to bring much of the US into range.

The UN Security Council unanimously imposed an

Caribbean

‘THE PEOPLE SING’. Singer Elizabeth Cook performs during ‘The People Sing’ at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. AFP

Germany resumes Afghan deportations KABUL―Eight Afghans expelled from Germany arrived in Kabul on Wednesday as Berlin resumed the deportations of rejected asylum seekers from the war-torn country months after a huge truck bomb hit the Afghan capital.

Germany suspended the controversial expulsions after a sewage tanker packed with explosives detonated near the German embassy in Kabul’s diplomatic quarter on May 31, killing around 150 people and wounding hundreds more.

The latest group was the sixth wave of repatriations of Afghans from Germany

since December under a disputed Afghan-European Union deal aimed at curbing the influx of migrants.

After arriving at Kabul airport on a charter flight, the deportees were escorted by police to a car park where an official registered their names.

Some of the men carried small backpacks while others had no luggage at all.

“They told me that there is no problem in your country and you can live there so you can’t stay here anymore,” Mohammad Jamshidi told AFP before getting into a taxi.

Reza Rezayi said he was

deported after his wife accused him of beating her.

“Despite having a witness I couldn’t prove it in the court because Europeans only listen to the lies of women,” Rezayi said.

The International Organization for Migration confirmed the arrival of “eight returnees”.

Twelve had been scheduled to arrive on Wednesday, according to Islamuddin Jurat, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s refugees and repatriations ministry.

“We don’t know if there was a last minute change in the schedule or some of them were taken back,” Jurat told AFP. AFP

WELLINGTON―New Zealand opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, hailed as one of the greatest sopranos of the modern age, officially announced her retirement Wednesday at the age of 73.

Te Kanawa has not performed publicly for about a year but told the BBC she did not intend to perform in front of an audience again.

“I don’t want to hear my voice, it is in the past,” she told the British broadcaster.

“When I’m teaching young singers and hearing beautiful young fresh voices, I don’t want to put my voice next to theirs.”

Te Kanawa’s career spanned more than five decades and included performances at the world’s top opera houses, although she is best known as the diva who sang at Prince Charles and Lady Diana’s wedding in 1981.

“I’ve had such an amazing career,” she said, adding that it had taken her five years “to say the goodbye in my own mind”.

Her big break came in 1971 at Covent Garden when she was cast as the Countess Almaviva in Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro”. AFP

Sports Madis, Velez eye net double JAZZELLE Madis and John David Velez hope to live up to the hype as they banner the field in the Palawan Pawnshop-Palawan Express Pera Padala Mlang regional age group tennis tournament which gets going tomorrow (Friday, Sept. 15) at the Mlang Tennis Club in Cotabato.

Madis gains the top seeding in the girls’ 16and 18-and-under divisions with the local ace facing the likes of Minette Bentillo, Arnie Diaz and Jeanne Gornes in both categories of the Group 2 tournament presented by Slazenger.

Velez, on the other hand, looms as the player to beat in two sections of the boys’ side with the Davao find bracing for a duel with Cedric Pamplona, Joaquin Palo and Andrei Padao among others in the big 32-player 14-U field.

But Velez, a multi-winner in the country’s biggest age-grouper put up by Palawan Pawnshop, headed by president/CEO Bobby Castro, braces for a tough outing in the 16-U division which drew the likes of Bruce Hurtado, Reyman Saldivar, Christian Villarin, Herald Aton, Pamplona and Palo.

Hurtado and Villarin, meanwhile, headline the premier 18-U category of the event backed by the Unified Tennis Group, composed of Cebuana Lhuillier, PPS-PEPP, Wilson, Toby’s, BMeg, Citigreen, Babolat and Tru-Flex.

The other fancied players are Saldivar, Pamplona, Andrei Padao and Charles Jumawan in the boys’ 12-U side and Bentillo, Jillian Manangking, Sheboh Ripdos and Jasmen Kadalum in the girls’ 14-U section, while Tennielle Madis, Jose Cabanting, Raicy Bentillo and Shaun Globasa head the 10-unisex field.

Meanwhile, the country’s long-running circuit will hold its next stop in Pikit, Cotabato leg on Sept. 21-25.

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

Sun Life Aquathlon on Sept. 17 OVER 400 newcomers and veterans of multisport will gather at the Makati Aqua Sports Arena and the University of Makati for the 1st Sun Life Aquathlon on Sept. 17.

Gunstart for this swimrun race starts at 6:30 a.m., with the participants set to compete in two categories: the Aqua Full distance consisting of a 400-meter swim and a 5-km run; and the Aqua Lite distance, a 200-meter swim followed by a 3-Km run.

The swim will take place at the Makati Aqua Sports Arena. After completing the swim, marshals will guide aquathletes along the pedestrian footbridge linking MASA to the University of Makati (UMak) track oval, where the participants will finish the run leg.

The event is presented

by Sun Life Financial Philippines and supported by SPEEDO, TIMEX, hydration partner Gatorade, Gardenia, Robinsons Supermarket, Pascual Creamy Delight, Simply Cereal, Prohealth Sports and Spinal Physiotherapy Centres and media partner SwimBikeRun.ph. At stake are specially designed trophies and giftpacks for the Top 3 winners of each individual age group and relay categories.

Awarding takes place 10 a.m. at the UMak track oval, where a race expo featuring sponsors’ products will be set up for all to enjoy.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Athletes get their incentives

By Randy Caluag

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte personally handed out the incentives to Filipino medalists of the 29th Kuala Lumpur Southeast Asian Games in a ceremony at the Malacañang Palace yesterday.

Fil-American sprinter Trenten Berams emerged as the biggest recipient among the Southeast Asian Games medalists with P615,000 in incentives after he won two gold medals in the 200-meter dash and the 400-meter run, plus a

bronze with a victory in the men’s 4x100 relay in the athletics’ competition of the games.

Based on Republic Act 10699 also known as the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, a gold winner

will receive P300,00, while a silver medalist will get P150,000. Bronze medalist will take home P60,000.

Trentam, who is currently in the US, was represented by athletics’ president Philip Juico and his secretary general Renato Unso.

Duterte handed out the c a s h i n c e nt ive s amounting t o P18,037,500 to the Filipino athletes, who won 24 gold, 33 silver, and 64 bronze medals in the biennial games.

A total of P7,181,250 were also handed out to their coaches.

Duterte also gave out presidential citations to the medalists for giving pride to the country in the SEA Games topped by host Malaysia. The Philippines ended up at 6th place.

The other gold medals came from Mary Joy Tabal in marathon, Nikko Bryan Huelgas and Marion Kim Mangrobang in men’s and women’s triathlon, Kaitlin De Guzman and Reyland Capellan in gymnastics, Agatha Wong in wushu, Wayne Louie Brennan in fencing, Eric Shawn Cray and Aries Toledo in ath-

letics, boxers Eumir Felix Marcial and John Marvin.

The rest of the golds came from men’s lawn ball, men’s basketball, men’s hockey team, men’s poomsae team in taekwondo, men’s pencal silat Tanding team, judokas Kiyomi Watanabe and Maria Takahasi, taekwondo’s Sam Morrison, equestrian’s Colin John Siquia and billiard’s Cheska Centeno and Carlo Biado.

The athletes were accompanied by PSC Chairman William Ramirez and his four commissioners Celia Kiram, Charles Maxey, Arnold Agustin and Mon

Fernandez.

Meanwhile, Presidential Adviser for Sports Dennis Uy will be giving additional cash incentives to the athletes, with P50,000.00 going to the gold medalists, P30,000.00 for the silver medalists, and P10,000.00 for the bronze medalists.

The additional cash incentives is an initiative by Uy through his Siklab Atleta Pilipinas Sports Foundation to support the Filipino athletes in their hard work and dedication to represent the country in international competitions.

Don Albertini pulls off shocker in JRA Cup race VETERAN but underrated Don Albertini beat seven others on Sunday to rule the P600,000 Japan Racing Association Cup in the biggest reversal so far in the racing season at the Santa Ana Park in Naic, Cavite.

With top jockey O’Neal Cortez handling him beautifully, Don Albertini heroically bucked a big challenge by eventual runnerup Great Wall in the mid-point of the 1600-meter race to win and reward the vast stable of businessman Narciso Morales a rich victory after a disappointing finish in another stakes race two Sundays ago.

Trained by Agah Matias, Don Albertini sold only a few thousands in the daily double betting as the longest shot, which was not surprising given his forgettable fifth place finish among eight runners in the PCSO Cup (Division 1) at the San Lazaro Leisure Park on Sept. 3.

But Don Albertini and his regular jockey returned to action with payback on mind, beating top choice Greatwall by three lengths and second favorite Puting Biyaya

Don Albertini crosses the finish line a clear winner of the rich Japan Racing Association Cup. The veteran runner, owned by lawyer-businessman Narciso Morales, set out as the longest shot in the starting field of seven.

by four with a time of 1 minute and 40 seconds on quarter times of 25-23-24-27.

“The team did a good job in preparing the horse. I know the horse will recover big after that poor showing (in the PCSO Cup),” said Morales, who’s on track of finishing on top again in the most number of wins among horse owners.

Don Albertini, also the oldest in the field at seven, finished three lengths clear of the Apoy Asuncion-ridden Greatwall and four ahead of Putting Biyaya, who rallied in the final straight to salvage third place under RM Ubaldo.

Hot from the get-go under Cortez, Don Albertini built a two-length lead as he entered the final turn, only to find himself shadowed for nearly 100 meters by Greatwall before pulling away deep in the stretch to the horror of the llamadistas.

The win raised Morales’ tally of victories to 180 as of the first week of September, as he stayed well on track of becoming the winningest horseowner for the fourth time in the last five years.

Black Arrow backs Ironman, 5i50 tilt PHILIPPINE triathlon gets a big boost as it drew a new sponsor for its annual 70.3 event beginning next year with the AAI Group of Companies, through its members AAI Worldwide Logistics and Black Arrow Express, also putting up the inaugural Black Arrow 5i50.

The inaugural Black Arrow Ironman triathlon is set on June 3, 2018 in Subic Bay. As the official sponsor, AAI Worldwide will also be providing logistics sup-

port to stage the upcoming Ironman series from 2018 to 2020. Black Arrow Express, the “last-mile” and consumer company of the AAI Group, will be the title sponsor and will launch its own Black Arrow 5i50 triathlon series, also in the next three years.

Officials of the AAI Group of Companies, led by chairman Rico Brizuela, and Wilfred Uytengsu, president and founder of Sunrise Events, Inc., the official licensee of the Ironman Triathlon in the country, signed the sponsorship

agreement recently.

The Phl Ironman series is the only other sanctioned Ironman event in the Southeast Asia region apart from Langkawi, Malaysia. It has lured the some of the world’s leading and rising triathletes in its past staging with the next three editions expected to attract more and more participants from around the world.

Black Arrow president Allan Brizuela, himself is a 70.3 triathlon finisher, will also be racing in the upcoming full Ironman

event on June 3, 2018.

“The AAI Group shares the same spirit and values of the triathlon where commitment to move goods and services often go through various modes of transport over land, air and sea,” said Allan Brizuela. “The same commitment to finish to the ‘last-mile’ is often the most grueling part of the race. Same goes for the Black Arrow which delivers to their customers’ doors by foot through rain and flood sometimes.”

Black Arrow Express CEO Allan Brizuela (second from left) and Sunrise Events CEO Wilfred Uytengsu (second from right) sign the contract making AAI Worldwide, through its members AAI Worldwide Logistics and Black Arrow Express, the new Ironman Triathon sponsor from 2018-20. Others in photo are AAI Worldwide Logistics president Arnold Brizuela (left) and AAI Group chairman Rico Brizuela.

Mondilla storms to 2-shot lead SILANG, Cavite—Clyde Mondilla leaned on his power while Ira Alido banked on his local knowledge as they churned out a pair of bogeyfree rounds in hot but wet condition to take the 1-2 posts at the start of the ICTSI Riviera Classic of the PGT Asia Tour here yesterday.

Mondilla attacked the two par4s and par-5s at the back of Riviera’s Langer layout for four easy birdies, capping a solid 65 (33-32) and a two-stroke lead over Alido, who strung up three straight birdies from No. 10 on his way to a 67 on a course he calls home.

The two local bets’ fiery starts put them ahead of the rest of the 105-starting field in this third leg of the region’s newest circuit sponsored by ICTSI, majority of which struggled in soggy condition at the par-71 layout which has barely recovered from the wrath of Typhoon Maring Tuesday.

Jerson Balasabas holed out with a birdie on No. 9 and carded a 69 in one of the late flights for solo third with Colombian Wolmer Murillo also turning in a two-under card with three holes left to play.

Rufino Bayron, out to atone for his final round foldup at ICTSI Splendido Classic won by Rene Menor last Sunday, gunned down five birdies but had two bogeys and a double-bogey under preferred lies rule to finish with a 70 for joint fifth with Erwin Arcillas, former club pro Marvin Dumandan, Omar Dungca and Korean amateur and club bet Tom Kim.

1598 M.H. Del Pilar corner Dr. J. Quintos Streets Malate, Manila Tel. Nos. 522-0000, 551-2200 connecting all departments

INVITATION TO BID The Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK), through its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), invites consultants/ suppliers/manufacturers/distributors/contractors to bid for the hereunder projects: Approved Budget Bidding for the Contract Documents Fee (ABC)

Items ITB - GS-20170822-01 Supply, Delivery, Installation and Upgrade of Private Automatic Branch Exchange Equipment for LANDBANK Head Office and Fifteen (15) Field Offices

ITB - GS-20170822-02 Supply and Delivery of 400,000 Pcs. LANDBANK Europay Mastercard Visa Cash Card with Personalization and Kitting Service with Collaterals

Delivery Period

P 13,120,000.00

P

6,600.00

Delivery and Installation Period: Within one hundred fifty (150) calendar days after receipt of Notice to Proceed

P 15,900,000.00

P

8,000.00

Within three (3) calendar days from the receipt of submitted embossing file

Prospective bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last five (5) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, with an amount of not less than 50% of the ABC for ITB-GS-20170822-01 and not less than 25% of the ABC for ITB-GS-20170822-02. The Eligibility Check/Screening as well as the Preliminary Examination of Bids shall use non-discretionary “pass/fail” criteria. Post-qualification of the lowest calculated bid shall be conducted.

Clyde Mondilla’s superb iron game helps anchor his solid opening 65.

All particulars relative to Eligibility Statement and Screening, Bid Security, Performance Security, Pre-Bidding Conference(s), Evaluation of Bids, Post Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of R.A. 9184 and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRRs).

The schedule of activities are as follows:

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

ACTIVITIES 1. Issuance of Bid Documents

P0 M+ P0 M

2. Pre-Bid Conference 3. Submission / Opening of Bids 4. Post-Qualification 5. Notice of Award

SCHEDULE September 14 to October 5, 2017 September 21, 2017 - 2:00 PM Bidding Room, 25th Floor, LANDBANK Plaza Building 1598 M. H. Del Pilar corner Dr. J. Quintos Streets, Malate, Manila October 5, 2017 - 11:00 A.M. Procurement Department, 25th Floor, LANDBANK Plaza Building 1598 M. H. Del Pilar corner Dr. J. Quintos Streets, Malate, Manila October 6 to 12, 2017 October 17, 2017

Bid documents will be available to prospective bidders upon payment of the applicable Bidding Documents fee to the LANDBANK Cashier.

LANDBANK reserves the right to (a) reject any and all bids at any time prior to the award of the contract; (b) waive any minor formal requirements in the bid documents; (c) accept such bids, it may consider advantageous and beneficial without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

Sports

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

A8

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Tamaraws rebound; destroy Warriors Games Saturday (at the Araneta Coliseum) 2 p.m. La Salle vs NU 4 p.m. Adamson vs UST

By Peter Atencio

Rain or Shine Elasto Painters import J’Nathan Bullock (4) protects the basketball against Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters counterpart Brandon Brown (23) during their game at the Ynares Center in Antipolo.

Elasto Painters prevail

By Jeric Lopez

T

HE Rain or Shine Elasto Painters leaned on a solid start in the payoff period to propel them to a 116-111 victory over the lowly Phoenix Fuel Masters to move a step closer to making the quarterfinals of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City last night.

J’Nathan Bullock scored 24 of his team-high 33 points in the first half and added eight rebounds and four assists to lead the Elasto Painters.

He wasn’t alone as fellow frontcourt producer Raymond Almazan likewise had a

splendid game, pouring in 25 points on 66 percent shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds for a remarkable double-double showing.

The Elasto Painters opened the fourth ahead by a single point, 85-84, after losing most

of their double-digit halftime lead in the third where they got outplayed by Phoenix.

However, Rain or Shine recovered in the fourth, turning in key runs to regain control and keep the Fuel Masters at bay.

A 10-2 run to start the fourth gave the Elasto Painters a 95-86 edge with over nine minutes left.

They took care of that lead and overcame every Phoenix threat until finally securing their fourth win in their last five games.

Rain or Shine improved its chances of securing a berth in the quarterfinals with this

from Jericho Cruz.

The Elasto Painters were able to maintain and carry that lead at the half, 61-45.

Phoenix made a game out of it by climbing right back in the third. The Fuel Masters outscored Rain or Shine 40-25 to give themselves a chance before once again falling short.

Matthew Wright led all scorers with a conferencehigh 36 points but all his efforts went to naught as his squad was again unable to put up a win.

The scores: RAIN OR SHINE ELASTO PAINTERS

116—J’Nathan Bullock 33, Raymond Almazan 25, Gabe Norwood 17, Jericho Cruz 14, James Yap 9, Mark Borboran 7, Chris Tiu 6, Maverick Ahanmisi 5, Don Trollano 0, Beau Belga 0, Ronnie Matias 0.

PHOENIX PETROLEUM FUEL MASTERS 111—Matthew Wright 36, Brandon Brown 33, RJ Jazul 9, Willy Wilson 8, Doug Kramer 8, JC Intal 7, Jeff Chan 6, Chico Lanete 2, Joseph Eriobu 2, Gelo Alolino 0, Michael Miranda 0, Karl Dehesa 0.

Quarter scores: 24-18, 6145, 85-84, 116-111.

Doliguez wants to bounce back

Sharapova motivated Serena to succeed LOS ANGELES—Maria Sharapova muses on her long, lopsided rivalry with Serena Williams in a new autobiography released on Tuesday and how she believes a locker room moment fueled the American’s drive to dominate her.

The Russian-born Sharapova was 17 when she defeated Williams in the 2004 Wimbledon f i nal. Rather than proving the start of a long, close-run rivalry, it was one of just two victories Sharapova can claim against the US great, who has beaten her 19 times.

In her new book, “Unstoppable: My Life So Far,” Sharapova says it was not only her victory, but the fact that she overheard Williams weeping afterwards in the locker room that ensured the American would always find a way to elevate her game in their future contests.

“Guttural sobs, the sort that make you heave for air, the sort that scares you,” Sharapova writes of the moment, according to excerpts released by The New York Times.

“It went on and on. I got out as quickly as I could, but she knew I was there.

People often wonder why I have had so much trouble beating Serena; she’s owned me in the past ten years.

“I think Serena hated me for being the skinny kid who beat her, against all odds, at Wimbledon,” she said.

In the memoir published

by Sarah Crichton Books, an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Sharapova details her tennis career from the time of her move to Florida at the age of six— and Williams caught her attention early on. AFP

win as it moved up to 5-3 in a three-way tie for fourth place.

While the Elasto Painters moved closer to the next round, the Fuel Masters were officially eliminated after suffering their eighth consecutive loss. Phoenix dropped to 2-8 at 11th place with only a game left in its calendar.

Behind a huge surge midway in the second frame, the Elasto Painters were able to create separation from the Fuel Masters.

Rain or Shine uncorked a 21-7 spurt to turn a two-point lead into a commanding 5135 spread with 3:31 left before halftime after a triple

Roy Doliguez raises his hands during his introduction before a bout. ONE Championship

ROY “The Dominator” Doliguez has been a top contender in the ring or inside the cage, but he still feels that he has something more to prove as he attempts to spark his professional martial arts career under the ONE Championship banner.

Doliguez, a former ONE Strawweight World Championship title challenger, is scheduled to face Yago Bryan of Brazil on the undercard of ONE: Total Victory, which takes place at the Jakarta Convention Center in Jakarta, Indonesia on Saturday, September 16.

The 35-year-old native of Sarangani Province was once considered as

one of the brightest strawweight competitors in the Asian region, but his billing lost its luster due to a string of setbacks.

When Doliguez made his ONE Championship debut against Dejdamrong Sor Amnuaysirichoke for the inaugural ONE Strawweight World Championship belt in May 2015, he lost a fifth-round technical decision to the highlytouted Thai.

Doliguez tried to bounce back from his loss to Amnuaysirichoke by squaring off with Riku Shibuya in January 2016, but he dropped a threeround unanimous decision to the Japanese stalwart.

A victory inside the

ONE Championship remained elusive to Doliguez as he bowed to Alex “Little Rock” Silva by third-round submission last February.

Doliguez has the chance to arrest his three-bout losing skid as he squares off with a fellow former title contender in Bryan at ONE: Total Victory.

“Getting into ONE Championship was a dream come true. So many good and talented martial artists are part of this organization’s roster.

Like any other competitor’s dream, I also wanted to be in a good and big promotion to showcase my talent,” he said.

Jose Rizal Heavy Bombers battle Letran College Knights JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY seeks to keep its hold of the third spot while Letran tries to catch up as it clings to its place inside the magic four when the two squads collide today in the 93rd National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament at the Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan City.

The Heavy Bombers

have held on to No. 3 with a 6-5 (win-loss) record despite absorbing a heartbreaking 109-115 double overtime defeat to the Arellano University Chiefs last week while the Knights have barely kept their hold on the number 4 slot following an 82-88 defeat at the hands of the Perpetual Help Altas Friday for a 5-5 mark.

A win for Jose Rizal would allow it to keep its current ranking while at the same time cut into the wide lead of pace-setting Lyceum of the Philippine University (11-0) and second-running San Beda (10-1). A loss for the Bombers would allow Letran to grab a share of third place.

Game time is at 2 p.m.

Jose Rizal coach Vergel

Games today (Sept. 14) (Filoil Arena, San Juan) 12 noon- JRU vs Letran (jrs) 2 p.m.- JRU vs Letran (srs) 4 p.m.- Mapua U vs EAC (srs) 6:30 p.m.- Mapua vs EAC (jrs)

Meneses admitted the loss to the Chiefs was a hard pill to swallo but said they have to move on.

“There were some breaks late in the game that didn’t

go our way,” said Meneses.

“But we should move on because this is a long tournament and we couldn’t afford to dwell too much on the past.”

Meanwhile, Emilio Aguinaldo College aims to come out of a three-way logjam at No. 6 with Perpetual Help and Arellano University as it faces off with league doormat Mapua U at 4 p.m.

Lakers to retire both Kobe’s numbers LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Lakers will retire both jersey numbers worn by club legend Kobe Bryant before a December 18 game against NBA champions Golden State, the team said Tuesday.

Bryant, an 18-time AllStar who won five NBA titles with the Lakers before retiring after the 2015-16 season, wore number eight in his first 10 seasons before switching to number 24 for another decade.

“As a kid growing up in Italy, I always dreamed of my jersey hanging in the Lakers rafters, but I certainly never

imagined two of them,” Bryant said in a statement released by the team.

“The Lakers have bestowed a huge honor on me and I’m grateful for the fans’ enthusiasm around this game.”

In his two-decade career—all spent with the Lakers—Bryant scored 33,643 points, the thirdmost in NBA history behind Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.

He’ll become the 10th Lakers player to have his number retired, joining Wilt Chamberlain (13), Elgin Baylor (22), Gail Goodrich

(25), Magic Johnson (32), Abdul-Jabbar (33), Shaquille O’Neal (34), James Worthy (42), Jerry West (44) and Jamaal Wilkes (52).

“Kobe’s jerseys are taking their rightful home next to the greatest Lakers of all time,” Lakers chief executive and controlling owner Jeanie Buss said. “There was never any doubt this day would come, the only question was when. Once again, Lakers fans will celebrate our hero, and once again, our foes will envy the legendary Kobe Bryant.”

“This honor is very well deserved,” Lakers President

Former NBA basketball player Kobe Bryant attends a basketball teaching activity in Haikou in China’s southern Hainan province. AFP

of Basketball Operations Johnson said. “Kobe was one of the greatest Lakers and NBA players of all-time and he’s definitely on my Mount

Rushmore. I look forward to seeing BOTH of his jerseys be retired and celebrating this special day with Kobe and his family.” AFP

THIS time around the Far Eastern University Tamaraws had a better start.

The Tamaraws took control of the game right the first quarter as they went on to clobber the University of the East Warriors, 90-83, yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Big man Prince Orizu did better than when the Tams took on the defending champion La Salle Green Archers and lost. This handed the Tams their first win in two games in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.

Orizu struck with his second double double for the season, and a higher output of 15 points and 16 rebounds, way better than the last time.

He scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds when FEU took a 90-95 setback to La Salle last Sunday.

The 6’10” Orizu scattered 10 points in the first period as FEU took a 17-5 lead in the last 4:42.

Ron Dennison led with 16 points, including seven in the first 10 minutes as FEU went on to grab a 16-point edge, 30-14.

Coach Olsen Racela felt they lost to La Salle with a bad start in the first quarter, but this time, Orizu’s defensive stops underneath made the difference.

“Buti na lang, nandito ang anchor ng defense namin. We were giving away too many penetrations in defense. Buti na lang, nandoon si Prince.

Sinalo lahat ng dumadrive na kalaban,” said Racela.

Athletes get PSC support THERE are around 25 athletes that the Philippine Sports Commission will support until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

PSC chairman William “Butch” Ramirez said this right before cash incentives amounting to P18,037,500 were awarded to the medalists of the 29thSoutheast Asian Games on Wednesday at the Malacañang Palace.

“We have to sit down with the Philippine Olympic Committee about this.

Pwede tayong magka-medal sa Olympics,” said Ramirez.

Among the gold medalists that the PSC is committing to provide support are marathon queen Mary Joy Tabal, triathlon champions Nikko Huelgas and Kiyomi Watanabe.

The three are among the athletes whom President Duterte feted and given cash incentives for their successful campaign for the Philippines during the SEA Games.

A total of 24 gold, 33 silver and 64 bronze medals were collected during the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Under Republic Act 10699, also known as the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act, gold medalists will receive P300,000 while silver winners will get P150,000.

Bronze medalists of the Games took home P60,000.

All the medalists will also be given presidential citations by the President.

Presidential Adviser for Sports Dennis Uy also gave out additional cash incentives, with P50,000 going to the gold medalists, P30,000 for the silver medalists, and P10,000 for the bronze medalists. Peter Atencio

Phinma seeks TRO against PSALM B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

B1

WB help eyed in big infra projects

By Julito G. Rada THE Philippines is studying the possibility of tapping the expertise of the World Bank for the planned rollout of 75 flagship infrastructure projects over the next five years under its “Build, Build, Build” program.

The Finance Department said Wednesday Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and other government officials would sit down with World Bank representatives to explore the possibility.

Dominguez, in a recent meeting with World Bank official Otaviano Canuto, said on top of enlisting the World Bank’s support behind the 75 flagship projects, the government also wanted to tap the multilateral institution’s assistance in getting Marawi City back on its feet and in strengthening the infrastructure in the country’s east coast.

“We should rebuild these areas (in Marawi City). People will go back and live there, so the infrastructure should be good and sound. That’s certainly an area where we will need assistance. We welcome your expertise,” Dominguez told Canuto.

Canuto, who is the executive director of the executive board of the World Bank Group and its affiliates, said the bank could

help in Mindanao, where its experience and expertise “is unmatched,” particularly in the area of education.

Dominguez informed Canuto that the Duterte administration was “determined to close the Philippines’ infrastructure gap,” which will require funding of around $170 billion over the next five years.

“We are coming from a long period when we underinvested in infrastructure as compared to our neighbors,” Dominguez said. “We have announced our major program is to reduce poverty and (one of) the tools to be used is building a lot of infrastructure. There’s a wide open field for your engagement on those areas.”

Canuto said the World Bank could provide assistance in tapping the necessary skills and expertise to help the Philippines improve the design and implementation of its infrastructure program.

Canuto also commended the Philippine government for spearheading a tax reform program, which, he said “is a template for a lot of countries.”

“It’s very good to highlight what the Philippines is doing in the area of tax reform. We will use what has happened here as an (example) for other countries,” he said.

SILICON VALLEY ICON. Silicon Valley icon Guy Kawasaki (right), former chief evangelist of Apple and currently with online graphics design company Canva, discusses the Art of Transformation in his keynote speech at the plenary session of the ACC 2017, Asia’s premiere ICT and telecom event, hosted by PLDT Inc. at Shangri-La’s Mactan Resort and Spa in Cebu, September 12-15, 2017. Inset photo shows Kawasaki taking a selfie with PLDT chairman and chief executive Manny Pangilinan (center) and PLDT executive vice president and chief revenue officer Eric Alberto during the ACC 2017 welcome cocktails.

Subway rail, funding to begin

By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE Transportation Department said it expects to start the construction of the P355.6-billion Metro Manila Subway Project by the fourth quarter of next year.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the agency secured an approval from the National Economic and Development Authority board to build a subway, which will run from Quirino Highway in Quezon City to the NAIA complex in Parañaque City.

“The extension will mean greater connectivity and improved passenger comfort and convenience,” Tugade said.

“In other countries, you can reach other cities without ever leaving the platform. So we [economic managers] thought, since we’re going to build a subway anyway, why not push to extend it to NAIA? It just makes perfect sense,” he added.

The Neda board also approved four new “flagship” projects during their fifth meeting Tuesday, bringing the administration’s total number of approved

PH keen on Brazil, other beef imports

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales AGRICULTURE Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said the Philippines may buy more beef products from Argentina, Brazil and the United States.

Piñol said Argentina would soon start exporting quality beef to the Philippines after the department accredited three companies as meat exporters.

“In exchange, Argentina is keenly looking at importing coconut products, carageenan and other agricultural products from the Philippines,” said Piñol.

He said beef imports from the US will also be encouraged because of America’s favorable trade incentives to Philippine agricultural producers.

Piñol said a team from the Philippines was flying to Brazil to validate the sanitary and phytosanitary protocols being implemented by meat exporting companies following reports of salmonella presence in some exported meat to the Philippines.

The DA chief said Brazil had a cattle population of 213 million while Argentina had 52 million.

IN BRIEF US firms bullish on Asean AMERICAN companies remain optimistic about the growth outlook and investment opportunities in Southeast Asia amid the solid growth in domestic consumption.

The poll results were contained in the special Asean 50th anniversary edition of the 2018 Asean Business Outlook Survey released Wednesday by the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore.

“The 2017 survey results for the Philippines saw 70 percent of AmCham Philippines respondents planning to expand their operations in the Philippines. This level of confidence was among the highest in the ten Asean economies and the same as Vietnam at 72 percent and Myanmar at 71 percent,” said American Chamber of the Philippines executive director Ebb Hinchliffe.

The survey, which polled senior executives of US companies in Asean countries, found that 56 percent of surveyed expect their profits to increase in 2017 over last year, and 74 percent see higher profits in 2018. Othel V. Campos

EDC tender offer price ‘fair’ INDEPENDENT directors of Energy Development Corp. on Wednesday see the P7.25 tender offer of Philippines Renewable Energy Holding Corp. on the geothermal firm’s shares as fair.

Francisco Ed Lim, Edgar Chua and Manuel Ayala issued a statement to the shareholders of EDC after carefully considering the information available to the board, saying “we are of the view that the tender

projects to 35 worth ₱1.2 trillion, excluding the cost of the TawiTawi bridges.

“The approval and eventual completion of these projects will pave the way for us to achieve our mid-term and long-term goals as a country and a nation,” Neda director-general and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said.

The board also approved other big ticket infrastructure projects of the DOTr such as the Philippine National Railway’s South Commuter (Manila-Los Baños) and South Long Haul (ManilaBicol/Sorsogon/Batangas) Projects, which have a total project cost of P299.4 billion.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, September 13, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency Unit

US Dollar Peso

United States Dollar

1.000000

Japan

Yen

0.009078

0.4620

UK

Pound

1.328600

67.6125

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128021

6.5150

Switzerland

Franc

1.041667

53.0104

Canada

Dollar

0.820883

41.7747

Singapore

Dollar

0.742225

37.7718

Australia

Dollar

0.801800

40.8036

Bahrain

Dinar

50.8900

2.654844

135.1050

Saudi Arabia Rial

0.266660

13.5703

Brunei

Dollar

0.739481

Indonesia

Rupiah 0.000076

0.0039

Thailand

Baht

1.5370

UAE

Dirham 0.272272

13.8559

Euro

Euro

1.196900

60.9102

Korea

Won

0.000887

0.0451

China

Yuan

0.152994

7.7859

India

Rupee

0.015619

0.7949

Malaysia

Ringgit 0.237756

0.030203

37.6322

12.0994

New Zealand Dollar

0.728600

37.0785

Taiwan

0.033326

1.6960

Dollar

Source: PDS Bridge

offer price of PREHC is fair.”

EDC received a notice from PREHC on August 3 that it filed a tender offer report with the Securities and Exchange Commission indicating that it will launch a voluntary tender offer to acquire a minimum of 6.6 billion shares to a maximum of 8.9 billion shares, representing approximately up to 31.7 percent of the total outstanding voting shares of EDC at P7.25 per share.

First Gen Corp. announced last month its wholly-owned subsidiaries signed an implementation agreement with PREHC for a voluntary tender offer of the common shares of EDC. Alena Mae S. Flores

Exchange merger delayed

The planned union of the equities and the bond exchanges could suffer another delay as the Philippine Stock Exchange withdrew its acquisition application with the Philippine Competition Commission.

PCC commissioner Johannes Bernabe said in a press briefing the PSE recalled its merger application on September 4 after the merger and acquisition office of the PCC asked for additional information on the transaction.

“The status of the PSE-PDE deal is withdrawn with the intent to refile with the additional information,” Bernabe said.

Bernabe said PCC earlier found the initial set of information filed by the PSE complete, enabling the planned transaction to enter the second phase of the review process.

During the second phase of the review, however, the PCC’s merger and acquisition office asked for more information on the transaction to give the antitrust body a better view of the competition impact of the deal. Jenniffer B. Austria

The first phase of the subway project, with an estimated initial investment requirement of ₱355.588 billion, will run from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to FTI in Taguig and terminate at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Parañaque City.

DOTr Undersecretary for Railways Cesar Chavez said the department along with the Japan International Cooperation Agency scheduled the groundbreaking for MMSP in the fourth quarter of 2018, and was pushing for partial operations in 2022, and full operations by 2025.

“Secretary Tugade has been working closely with Jica in order to expedite the completion of

the project and allow the public to enjoy the benefits of a subway system earlier,” Chavez said.

Apart from a world-class design, the subway system will have water-stop panels, doors, and high-level entrance for flood prevention, earthquake detection, and a train stop system, just like the subways in Tokyo.

The country’s first subway system will be financed through an official development assistance loan, with an interest of 0.10 percent per annum, payable in 40 years and inclusive of a grace period of 12 years.

The signing of the loan commitment by Japan is scheduled in November when Japanese Prime

Minister Shinzo Abe meets with President Rodrigo Duterte during the Asean Summit.

Other projects approved during the Neda board meeting are the Improving Growth Corridors in Mindanao Road Sector Project of the Department of Public Works and Highways. The project, worth ₱21.19 billion through a loan from the Asian Development Bank, involves the upgrading of seven roads and the widening of a 40-km road segment with slope protection. Construction is set to begin late this year and end in the fourth quarter of 2020.

The three Tawi-Tawi bridges under the project is conditionally approved. With Julito G. Rada

Ayala Land advances ‘walkability’ and pedestrian connectivity AYALA Land, Inc. (ALI), the leading developer of sustainable estates in the country, has long been enhancing mobility in its developments by prioritizing pedestrians and public transit facilities in the design and masterplanning of its estates and malls. To further promote connectivity, ALI has embarked on a ‘Let’s Walk’campaign that highlights how walking around urban areas, not only eases traffic congestion but improves one’s level of fitness as well.

ALI’s information campaign promotes the use of the Makati Central Business District’s (CBD) ‘walkable’ and open spaces. These include footbridges, underpasses and elevated walkways that allow pedestrians to get around the city rain or shine. The Makati CBD in fact has the country’s longest covered elevated walkway in the country, which spans 1,100 meters from Greenbelt to Makati Medical Center.

ALI’s network of connected walkways are a boon for the healthconscious, many of whom set goals of at least 10,000 steps per day. A walk from the Ayala Museum to the Ayala Triangle Gardens would already add 782 steps to one’s daily total. The distance from Greenbelt to Glorietta would total 1,115 steps, while a walk from Ayala MRT station all the way to Makati Medical Center would sum up to 2,493 steps.

Every day, more than 200,000 people already use the pedestrian facility network in the Makati CBD, and this is expected to grow as more covered walkways are being built around the city. The elevated walkway to Ayala Center alone serves more than 50,000 people daily. These facilities have allowed people to walk around more without having to cross through traffic.

The Company’s pedestrian and transit connectivity tenet is focused on three areas, namely pedestrian priority-planning, the building of climate protected walkways, and providing for easy-to-access transit terminals.

As a result, other estates such as Bonifacio Global City, Cebu Park District, Nuvali, Circuit Makati, Arca South, Alviera, Vermosa and Altaraza, among others, also feature pedestrian-friendly streets and incorporate public transit connections in their masterplans.

“As sustainable developers, our goal in building is to make people’s lives better. One way we can achieve this is by providing opportunities for walking and transit connectivity to ease congestion within our estates,” said Anna Maria Gonzales, ALI Sustainability Manager.

ALI continues to track and identify metrics in pedestrian-transit connectivity to monitor and improve its developments’ impact on all stakeholders. The Ayala Malls’ Easy Ride project is one such improvement that provides shoppers with convenient access to various modes of public transportation from any Ayala Mall.

Aside from building public terminals that house intra and intercity public utility vehicles, Ayala Malls’ Easy Ride has also partnered with the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to establish a Premium Point-to-

Makati CBD’s elevated walkways run parallel to Ayala Avenue creating a highway exclusive for pedestrians. Each of its exit points deliver a different facet of the CBD which lead pedestrians to new discoveries.

Achieving one’s fitness goal, such as 10,000 daily steps, is easy just by walking the streets of Makati CBD. Ayala Land’s latest digital posts encourage more people to discover the benefits of walking in its estates.

Point (P2P) bus service that departs on fixed schedules and travels direct routes from terminal to drop-off point. This allows for shorter travel times and a more pleasant commuting experience for the riding public.

In Bonifacio Global City, ridership of the BGC bus transit system continues to increase as the fleet of buses is expanded to accommodate more passengers.

The BGC bus operates 24 hours and is one of the first transit systems in the Philippines to use contactless cards.

Ayala Land’s commitment to building sustainable communities has earned for it various citations both here and abroad through the years. The Company ensures that developments have minimal impact on the environment, and maximize on sustainability through four focus areas which, aside from pedestrian mobility and transit connectivity, also include site resilience, ecoefficiency (energy- water- conservation, waste and materials management, GHG emissions reduction) and local economic development.

An increasing number of regular commuters and car owners now opt to take an “easy ride” via point-to-point buses stationed at major Ayala Malls, and then walk to their destinations.

B2

Business

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Phinma to build 45-MW solar station in Batangas

By Alena Mae S. Flores PHINMA Energy Corp., the power generation arm of the Phinma Group, has obtained approval of the Energy Department to build a 45-megawatt solar plant in Batangas province.

The company disclosed to the Philippine Stock Exchange on Wednesday it signed an energy service contract with the department, giving it the exclusive right to explore, develop and utilize the solar energy resource in a 486-hectare area in the city of Lipa and the municipality of Padre Garcia in Batangas.

“Phinma Energy hopes to construct a 45-MW solar plant in the service contract area. The term of the service contract is 25 years, extendable for another 25 years,” it said.

The company disclosed in July that it won a service contract for its 45-MW solar power plant in a 648-hectare area in the municipality of Bugallon, Pangasinan province.

The solar projects will further diversify the company’s portfolio of renewable energy projects.

“Bugallon is our first venture into solar energy, and this service contract is in time for the opportunities created by the Renewable Portfolio Standards,” said Francisco Viray, Phinma Energy president and chief executive officer.

Pre-development activities such as yield assessment, environmental impact study and system impact study are under way and are expected to be completed within the year, the company said.

Stock market slightly up; GT Capital climbs

T

HE stock market rose slightly Wednesday in a sign of consolidation, ignoring the record close on Wall Street overnight.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 4.57 points, or 0.1 percent, to 8,053.88 on a value turnover of P12.9 billion.

Gainers beat losers, 108 to 96, with 45 issues unchanged.

GT Capital Holdings Inc. of tycoon George Ty advanced 3.7 percent to P1,160, while Security Bank Corp., the fifth largest lender in terms of assets, climbed 2.4 percent to P249.

DMCI Holdings Inc. of the Consunji family gained 1.8 percent

to P16.28.

Bloomberry Resorts Corp. slumped 7.7 percent after the casino operator disclosed that billionaire owner Enrique Razon Jr. raised P3.8 billion from the overnight placement of 350 million shares for P10.85 apiece.

Bloomberry said Prime Metroline Holdings Inc., the holding company and controlling shareholder of Bloomberry, sold 3.18 percent of the gaming firm that owns and operates So-

laire Resort & Casino.

Asian investors, meanwhile, eased off the pedal Wednesday after recent gains but the dollar held up against the yen as North Korea kept itself in the mix by warning it would strengthen its nuclear program in response to fresh UN sanctions.

While Tokyo was able to kick on thanks to a further weakening of the yen, most regional traders were unwilling to track the record close on Wall Street, and Apple-linked firms were mixed after the firm unveiled its new phone.

The latest gains have been fueled by relief that Hurricane Irma did not hammer Florida as badly as feared and that the North Korea crisis had eased

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2017

NAME

OPEN

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.77 1,195,000 59.6 59,490 102 3,064,010 128.8 5,237,030 1.51 2,068,000 36 79,800 15.96 2,100 30.6 687,200 8.26 4,700 1.64 101,000 910 200 0.71 1,394,000 87.4 4,347,550 0.9 755,000 13.12 95,200 60.25 140,580 236 97,550 115 140 88.05 250 53 56,550 249 642,930 1,805 70 86.75 7,870 1.36 5,000

6,028,970 3,542,964 313,453,217 674,303,213 3,103,760 2,871,820 33,796 20,947,305 38,822 169,230 181,500 991,820 378,621,202.50 671,880 1,249,496 8,465,035 23,099,710 16,089 22,007.50 3,007,955 159,990,718 126,600 682,716.50 6,800

2,026,121 -92,033,029 162,169,066 0 -704,995 3,286,765 -45,000 -22,097,123 26,700 -2,459,920.50 6,245,160 8,800 -271,009 74,711,686 -18,050 -

40.05 8.78 0.8 1.46 21.9 0.239 145 5.95 17.3 165.3 36 22.25 64 80.5 1.92 5.4 11.32 10.4 15.14 14.38 7.07 6.82 1.77 17.82 68.25 14.28 12.38 15.6 1.77 240 4.11 3.32 30.3 19.3 17.16 268.8 0.23 10.8 2.91 6.74 10.36 7.1 10.04 1.81 12.1 66.9 6.6 305.4 4.38 4.38 2.55 12.62 4.49 0.142 1.19 152.2 3.75 2.25 29

INDUSTRIAL 40.7 2,195,500 8.84 868,600 0.81 1,170,000 1.47 1,102,000 22.5 123,100 0.244 1,700,000 146 20 5.96 3,016,900 17.34 81,800 165.3 20 36.6 947,500 22.5 33,000 64 340 83 1,270 1.92 106,000 5.63 116,300 11.58 39,600 10.4 10,062,400 15.32 1,985,100 14.78 2,186,500 7.09 265,800 6.91 4,026,700 1.8 34,000 18.12 2,646,400 68.75 92,910 14.28 2,000 12.38 159,100 16.38 8,316,100 1.79 742,000 242 770,740 4.25 49,000 3.37 44,000 30.85 1,851,500 19.5 1,240,900 17.2 767,000 269.4 367,550 0.233 200,000 11.18 93,300 3.04 743,000 6.9 170,200 10.48 4,683,100 7.1 60,800 10.04 300 1.81 691,000 12.46 2,495,000 67 4,151,330 6.6 929,500 310 19,570 4.38 4,000 4.38 12,000 2.73 1,494,000 12.7 856,100 4.52 45,000 0.142 970,000 1.21 80,000 153.9 1,118,670 3.81 17,000 2.27 17,784,000 29 200

89,416,850 7,672,380 936,760 1,627,900 2,773,470 407,990 2,910 18,037,271 1,419,206 3,306 34,803,790 736,635 21,910 105,026 203,520 641,460 455,122 104,842,668 30,356,652 32,416,058 1,890,850 27,683,809 60,890 47,750,602 6,376,455.50 28,560 1,972,546 133,432,016 1,319,210 186,877,812 204,250 148,170 57,318,380 24,145,910 13,235,780 99,238,110 46,090 1,013,594 2,205,150 1,179,252 49,077,800 431,762 3,016 1,254,530 31,013,682 277,733,838.50 6,175,433 6,065,872 17,520 52,560 3,971,430 10,849,992 202,890 138,760 96,130 172,135,862 63,960 40,549,170 5,800

-11,036,745 -23,176 8,000 -51,800 -1,145,370 584,266 927,150 -15,575 -19,200 -4,860 -24,380,680 6,405,650 1,846,084 -97,472 15,825,959 -12,223,806 816,592 -93,808 46,151,816 -258,420 -7,505,552 4,250 11,669,765 4,875,184 -4,112,712 19,368,042 -16,100 1,582,930 736,059 -25,366,114 3,550 90,500 -4,885,536 878,435.50 -1,147,319 -3,803,700 -512,000 -5,991,712 -14,270 -29,743,661 30,000 -1,310,820.00 -

0.35 72.8 14.76 1.13 6.9 0.315 0.325 918 8.18 16 7.52 0.205 1,118 7.69 72.5 5.26 5.3 0.89 6.9 17.18 0.42 6.75 3.22 0.051 0.95 2.08 97.1 2.72 812 1.44 294 0.275 0.196 0.22

HOLDING FIRMS 0.35 1,670,000 73 851,840 14.8 17,917,700 1.13 1,000 6.98 4,100 0.315 1,100,000 0.325 730,000 925.5 367,190 8.18 391,100 16.28 14,089,700 7.52 100 0.205 80,000 1,160 262,170 7.99 230,200 72.5 1,479,210 5.26 2,100 5.3 2,000 0.91 1,247,000 7.1 413,400 17.4 4,911,600 0.42 180,000 6.79 46,653,400 3.22 1,000 0.053 33,200,000 0.95 30,000 2.11 996,000 97.45 250,100 2.72 14,000 812 612,730 1.46 218,000 301 9,090 0.275 90,000 0.196 180,000 0.22 1,330,000

584,650 62,301,759.50 267,983,002 1,130 28,657 347,600 237,250 339,822,920 3,204,754 229,166,672 752 16,400 299,622,900 1,831,425 107,871,807.50 11,066 10,600 1,123,690 2,895,789 85,259,948 75,600 317,408,835 3,220 1,741,800 28,590 2,092,600 24,372,812.50 38,080 500,301,270 317,500 2,722,312 25,000 35,350 294,770

-10,299,382 -7,846,534 15,607,670 1,646,831 14,269,944 -6,150 14,178,800 10,776,975.50 1,122,778 -31,864,676 100,516,040 -6,760 -1,143,119 -19,040 -302,567,215 -282,366 -5,880 -4,500

5.19 1.21 7.02 2.37 1.09 43.45 3.8 5 5.32 0.51 1.3 1.52 0.231 0.49 41.75 0.69 0.149 1.88 1.5 0.97 5.25

PROPERTY 5.19 555,800 1.21 12,671,000 7.45 20,100 2.38 147,000 1.09 7,979,000 43.65 12,732,700 3.8 654,000 5.1 2,312,400 5.33 34,500 0.51 5,124,000 1.33 126,000 1.57 869,000 0.237 58,220,000 0.495 610,000 41.8 802,400 0.7 129,000 0.151 230,000 1.89 31,107,000 1.53 1,984,000 0.97 201,000 5.27 20,787,200

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

AG FINANCE 4.96 ASIA UNITED 59.5 BANK PH ISLANDS 103 BDO UNIBANK 128.3 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.44 CHINABANK 36 COL FINANCIAL 16.1 EAST WEST BANK 30.65 FILIPINO FUND 8.26 IREMIT 1.7 MANULIFE 900 MEDCO HLDG 0.72 METROBANK 86.8 NTL REINSURANCE 0.89 PB BANK 13 PHIL NATL BANK 60.5 PHIL STOCK EXCH 240 PHILTRUST 114.9 PSBANK 88 RCBC 53.3 SECURITY BANK 245 SUN LIFE 1,810 UNION BANK 86.85 VANTAGE 1.36

5.45 59.6 104.3 129 1.53 36.05 16.1 30.7 8.26 1.75 910 0.72 87.4 0.9 13.16 61 240 115 88.05 53.55 253.4 1,810 86.85 1.36

4.77 59.2 101.9 128.2 1.43 35.9 15.96 30.3 8.26 1.64 900 0.71 86.8 0.88 13 60.15 236 114.9 88 53 245 1,805 86.7 1.36

ABOITIZ POWER 40.2 AGRINURTURE 8.87 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.81 ALSONS CONS 1.49 ASIABEST GROUP 23.7 BASIC ENERGY 0.239 BOGO MEDELLIN 145 CEMEX HLDG 5.95 CENTURY FOOD 17.3 CHEMPHIL 165.3 CIRTEK HLDG 36.5 CNTRL AZUCARERA22.5 CONCEPCION 64.75 CONCRETE A 82.8 CROWN ASIA 1.92 DAVINCI CAPITAL 5.5 DEL MONTE 11.5 DNL INDUS 10.4 EAGLE CEMENT 15.2 EEI CORP 14.38 EMPERADOR 7.07 ENERGY DEVT 6.86 EUROMED 1.77 FIRST GEN 17.82 FIRST PHIL HLDG 68.4 GINEBRA 14.28 HOLCIM 12.38 INTEGRATED MICR 15.62 IONICS 1.78 JOLLIBEE 240 LMG CHEMICALS 4.29 MABUHAY VINYL 3.4 MANILA WATER 31.35 MAXS GROUP 19.68 MEGAWIDE 17.3 MERALCO 271.6 MG HLDG 0.23 PANASONIC 11.28 PEPSI COLA 2.91 PETROENERGY 6.74 PETRON 10.36 PHIL H2O 7.13 PHINMA 10.08 PHINMA ENERGY 1.81 PHX PETROLEUM 12.1 PILIPINAS SHELL 66.95 PRYCE CORP 6.74 PUREFOODS 310 RFM CORP 4.38 ROXAS HLDG 4.38 SFA SEMICON 2.55 SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.8 SPC POWER 4.5 SWIFT FOODS 0.143 TKC METALS 1.19 UNIV ROBINA 154 VICTORIAS 3.75 VITARICH 2.29 VIVANT 29

41.2 8.88 0.81 1.49 23.75 0.244 146 6.05 17.36 165.3 37.5 22.5 64.75 83 1.92 5.63 11.58 10.54 15.34 14.88 7.18 6.91 1.8 18.16 68.9 14.28 12.42 16.38 1.8 244.2 4.29 3.41 31.7 19.7 17.3 272 0.235 11.28 3.04 7 10.52 7.14 10.08 1.83 12.62 67 6.85 310 4.38 4.38 2.74 12.8 4.54 0.146 1.21 154.8 3.81 2.3 29

ABACORE CAPITAL 0.355 ABOITIZ EQUITY 73.5 ALLIANCE GLOBAL 14.94 ANGLO PHIL HLDG 1.13 ANSCOR 6.9 ATN HLDG A 0.32 ATN HLDG B 0.325 AYALA CORP 920 COSCO CAPITAL 8.2 DMCI HLDG 16.1 FILINVEST DEV 7.52 FORUM PACIFIC 0.205 GT CAPITAL 1,127 HOUSE OF INV 8 JG SUMMIT 73.45 JOLLIVILLE HLDG 5.27 KEPPEL HLDG A 5.3 LODESTAR 0.92 LOPEZ HLDG 6.9 LT GROUP 17.3 MABUHAY HLDG 0.42 METRO PAC INV 6.83 MJC INVESTMENTS 3.22 PACIFICA 0.051 PRIME MEDIA 0.96 PRIME ORION 2.13 SAN MIGUEL CORP 97.2 SEAFRONT RES 2.72 SM INVESTMENTS 830 SOLID GROUP 1.45 TOP FRONTIER 300 UNIOIL HLDG 0.28 WELLEX INDUS 0.196 ZEUS HLDG 0.225

0.355 73.8 15.04 1.13 7 0.325 0.325 936 8.23 16.38 7.52 0.205 1,160 8 74 5.27 5.3 0.92 7.14 17.42 0.42 6.94 3.22 0.053 0.96 2.13 98 2.72 830 1.47 301 0.28 0.197 0.225

8990 HLDG 5.3 A BROWN 1.23 ANCHOR LAND 7.48 ARANETA PROP 2.41 ARTHALAND CORP 1.14 AYALA LAND 43.7 BELLE CORP 3.83 CEB LANDMASTERS 5.05 CEBU HLDG 5.34 CENTURY PROP 0.52 CITY AND LAND 1.3 CITYLAND DEVT 1.52 CROWN EQUITIES 0.233 CYBER BAY 0.49 DOUBLEDRAGON 43.5 EMPIRE EAST 0.69 EVER GOTESCO 0.149 FILINVEST LAND 1.89 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.51 IRC PROP 1 MEGAWORLD 5.3

5.3 1.26 7.48 2.41 1.14 43.8 3.84 5.11 5.34 0.52 1.33 1.57 0.242 0.495 43.8 0.7 0.151 1.91 1.53 1 5.3

VOLUME

HIGH

LOW

CLOSE

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

0.335 0.52 0.51 5.67 23.9 1.8 3.2 34 1.02 6.67 0.86 6.09

0.34 0.54 0.51 5.75 24.65 1.8 3.2 34.2 1.02 7.45 0.89 6.15

0.325 0.52 0.5 5.55 23.9 1.78 3.2 33.05 1.01 6.67 0.86 6.01

0.33 0.54 0.51 5.66 24.6 1.8 3.2 33.5 1.01 7.45 0.89 6.05

37,650,000 7,101,000 1,561,000 1,645,600 3,947,100 291,000 2,000 11,438,500 265,000 2,600 8,000 3,968,600

12,444,100 3,789,110 784,670 9,281,090 95,913,260 520,120 6,400 386,075,925 269,850 18,891 6,910 24,132,979

-109,050 702,940 471,466 23,025,025 -89,000 -128,669,650 -2,896 -5,020,727

2GO GROUP 20.8 ABS CBN 40.7 ACESITE HOTEL 1.59 APC GROUP 0.58 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.039 BERJAYA 5.12 BLOOMBERRY 11 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.074 CEBU AIR 111.7 CENTRO ESCOLAR 9.27 CHELSEA 10.88 DFNN INC 7.58 FAR EASTERN U 975 GLOBE TELECOM 2,026 GMA NETWORK 6.08 GOLDEN HAVEN 19.58 HARBOR STAR 3.1 IMPERIAL 3.1 INTL CONTAINER 108 IPEOPLE 12.04 IPM HLDG 8.4 ISLAND INFO 0.169 ISM COMM 1.36 JACKSTONES 3 LBC EXPRESS 15.8 LEISURE AND RES 4.45 LORENZO SHIPPNG 1.52 MACROASIA 12.16 MANILA BULLETIN 0.56 MANILA JOCKEY 2.38 MELCO RESORTS 9 METRO RETAIL 4.06 MLA BRDCASTING 19 NOW CORP 2.52 PACIFIC ONLINE 11.02 PAL HLDG 5.18 PAXYS 2.86 PHIL SEVEN CORP 168.5 PHILWEB 10.12 PLDT 1,716 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.62 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.4 PUREGOLD 51.7 ROBINSONS RTL 95.5 SBS PHIL CORP 5.85 SSI GROUP 4.22 STI HLDG 1.51 TRAVELLERS 3.61 WATERFRONT 1.27 WILCON DEPOT 9.4

20.8 40.9 1.67 0.59 0.04 5.12 11.5 0.074 111.7 9.3 10.9 7.68 1,000 2,026 6.1 19.76 3.14 3.1 108.3 12.04 8.4 0.17 1.36 3 16 4.58 1.52 12.36 0.58 2.38 9.1 4.17 19.6 2.56 11.02 5.18 2.86 168.5 10.32 1,716 1.65 0.405 52 95.5 6 4.37 1.52 3.63 1.3 9.47

20.35 40.6 1.59 0.56 0.039 5.11 10.94 0.073 110.2 9.25 10.48 7.58 970 1,995 6.08 19.5 3.05 3.05 106 12.04 8.4 0.168 1.34 3 15.8 4.45 1.48 11.9 0.55 2.38 8.76 4.05 18.2 2.5 11.02 5.16 2.86 167 10.12 1,676 1.61 0.4 51.2 92.5 5.85 4.22 1.48 3.58 1.25 9.26

SERVICES 20.45 155,300 40.9 36,300 1.61 33,000 0.58 6,513,000 0.039 9,300,000 5.11 4,500 10.98 40,423,500 0.074 12,420,000 110.5 185,800 9.25 4,800 10.48 9,443,400 7.68 71,000 1,000 8,680 1,995 61,370 6.08 202,800 19.76 148,600 3.05 8,056,000 3.05 21,000 106 2,367,760 12.04 100 8.4 23,100 0.168 3,240,000 1.34 122,000 3 20,000 15.98 9,600 4.52 911,000 1.48 1,498,000 12.02 2,068,100 0.57 87,000 2.38 1,000 8.8 4,870,300 4.09 1,008,000 18.24 14,900 2.52 3,771,000 11.02 2,200 5.17 13,400 2.86 1,000 167 1,160 10.14 240,900 1,680 67,830 1.65 6,313,000 0.405 660,000 51.7 2,053,190 93.5 844,590 5.94 9,121,500 4.28 2,570,000 1.52 5,963,000 3.59 1,868,000 1.27 13,962,000 9.47 3,154,700

3,183,360 1,482,245 53,700 3,753,960 364,900 23,012 450,390,354 908,720 20,571,833 44,470 101,429,830 540,009 8,567,695 122,851,475 1,234,150 2,925,142 24,976,560 64,500 252,344,281 1,204 194,040 545,910 164,090 60,000 152,800 4,109,310 2,232,220 25,114,118 48,940 2,380 43,052,786 4,136,300 278,510 9,525,290 24,244 69,351 2,860 194,823 2,454,632 114,337,275 10,326,760 264,250 106,100,582 78,915,648.50 53,813,167 11,067,300 8,975,470 6,719,560 17,838,860 29,394,494

747,625.00 -5,800.00 -297,927,652 -7,300.00 1,216,265 -334,060 -303,888 16,575,915 68,710.00 31,100 -12,302,983 50,700 -126,400 672,394 -10,738,942 574,380 252,500 2,860 -103,973 -30,360 -54,485,615 2,465,940 188,000 8,953,691 -59,195,711.50 53,159,200 1,430,810 466,360 798,560 742,340 -5,532,186

570,100 3,438,210 6,702,969 28,366 12,927,860 54,400 2,525 15,263,980 34,550 1,723,210 122,590 489,400 7,046,680 56,952,621 235,120 13,620 785,360 139,700 352,600 81,980 11,659,400 73,326,607 170,399,625 31,700

-5,200 -205,630 -134,766 -662,780 -4,201,260 -5,250 13,930 549,090 16,691,728 -139,800 -3,600 -808,033 5,087,759 -19,122,245 -

NAME

OPEN

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

MS 2,900,214 15,528,480 149,383 350,650 8,845,420 555,562,840 2,496,600 11,762,727 183,817 2,628,730 165,400 1,353,030 13,899,690 299,600 34,204,250 89,130 34,370 58,850,690 3,002,850 196,470 109,599,755

-883,984 -370,760 -24,563 210,480.00 52,634,695 278,970 4,655,348.00 157,731 -5,100 10,640 -4,650 -23,790 -10,323,900 -4,470 51,942,130 -841,555

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

0.0027 1.71 5.4 12.18 1.42 0.39 8.32 2.61 0.275 0.182 0.199 0.011 2.15 7.7 1.88 0.54 1.1 0.012 0.012 2.52 8.99 5.34 49 0.0077

0.0027 1.73 5.65 13.48 1.45 0.39 8.58 2.68 0.275 0.185 0.199 0.011 2.24 8.02 1.88 0.54 1.11 0.013 0.013 2.65 8.99 5.63 50 0.008

0.0026 1.69 5.1 12.12 1.35 0.385 8.32 2.6 0.26 0.182 0.193 0.01 2.08 7.7 1.79 0.52 1.07 0.012 0.012 2.52 8.66 5.27 45 0.0077

MINING & OIL 0.0027 217,000,000 1.72 2,010,000 5.1 1,295,400 13.48 2,300 1.45 9,157,000 0.385 140,000 8.35 300 2.62 5,796,000 0.27 130,000 0.182 9,450,000 0.199 630,000 0.011 45,200,000 2.11 3,260,000 7.94 7,196,200 1.86 129,000 0.54 26,000 1.1 726,000 0.013 11,600,000 0.013 27,300,000 2.57 32,000 8.69 1,330,800 5.44 13,388,600 45.6 3,643,500 0.008 4,000,000

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

40.45 105.6 111.9 516 5.78 1,011 1.07 106 1,049 1,016 103.9 2.25 76.5 81 78.55 81.5 79.8 79.6 80.65

40.7 105.6 111.9 516 5.8 1,012 1.07 106 1,049 1,020 103.9 2.29 76.5 81 78.55 81.5 79.95 79.6 80.75

40.45 105.6 111.5 516 5.78 1,010 1.07 106 1,049 1,016 103 2.25 76.5 80.5 78 81.5 79.8 79.6 80.65

PREFERRED 40.7 43,300 105.6 3,480 111.5 20 516 7,070 5.78 307,000 1,012 520 1.07 9,000 106 20 1,049 120 1,020 5,180 103 5,100 2.29 14,000 76.5 5,360 80.5 36,000 78 13,400 81.5 500 79.95 40,060 79.6 125,000 80.75 61,820

1,757,260 367,488 2,234 3,648,120 1,774,858 525,700 9,630 2,120 125,880 5,278,890 526,165 31,780 410,040 2,910,700 1,051,775 40,750 3,200,875 9,950,000 4,990,246.50

1,745,100 -807,239 -410,040 -1,620,000 -

LR WARRANT

2.6

2.6

2.51

WARRANTS 2.56 211,000

540,830

-102,480

4.9 5 6.1

4.4 4.8 5.92

SME 4.49 4.99 5.93

13,456,540 878,819 8,053,169

11,160 -1,852,650

122.5

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 121.9 122 5,850

714,307

-

10.8

DDS 10.8

110,504

-

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

4.85 4.95 5.94

FIRST METRO ETF 121.9 USD DMPL A1

10.66

TRADING SUMMARY

10.66

SHARES

VALUE

FINANCIAL

20,045,881

1,601,659,494.69

INDUSTRIAL

84,167,194

1,605,962,578.87

129,821,683

2,274,893,854.18

HOLDING FIRMS PROPERTY

236,709,186

1,610,698,580.54

SERVICES

504,613,322

5,331,094,400.25

MINING & OIL

364,227,569

362,472,716.77

GRAND TOTAL

1,357,024,494

12,875,537,855.70

2,905,000 181,500 1,346,600

10,300

FINANCIAL 1,978.31 (up) 11.81 INDUSTRIAL 11,275.49 (up) 22.91 HOLDING FIRMS 7,918.70 (down) 15.85 PROPERTY 3,808.29 (up) 2.26 SERVICES 1,721.73 (down) 20.64 MINING & OIL 13,944.68 (up) 172.42 PSEI 8,053.88 (up) 4.57 All Shares Index 4,776.35 (down) 2.26 Gainers: 108; Losers: 96; Unchanged: 45; Total: 249

somewhat after its recent provocative nuclear and missile tests.

However, Pyongyang attracted renewed attention when it vowed Wednesday to accelerate its weapons drive after “evil” Security Council sanctions.

US President Donald Trump had earlier warned of more measures against Kim Jong-Un’s regime, while the European Union said it would push ahead with further moves.

In equities trade Tokyo ended 0.5 percent higher as exporters benefited from the weaker yen. The greenback broke back above 110 yen Tuesday after last week’s sell-off saw it tumble to the 10-month lows around 107.30 yen.

Shanghai added 0.1 percent but Hong Kong slipped 0.3 percent, while Sydney eased slightly and Seoul and Singapore lost 0.2 percent each. Wellington and Taipei were also lower.

In other currency trading the pound extended gains after hitting a one-year high against the dollar on the back of a strong British inflation reading, while it was also given support by the return of optimism to markets.

London, which fell on the strong pound Tuesday, opened 0.3 percent lower and Paris shed 0.1 percent while Frankfurt was 0.2 percent off.

OANDA head of AsiaPacific trading Stephen Innes issued a word of caution after the recent global volatility.

“Ultimately this buoyant risk sentiment should be cheered, but forex traders remain in the Nervous Nellie camp waiting for the next chaotic patch given the evolving narratives,” he warned. With AFP

SM Prime opens mall in Palawan

By Jenniffer B. Austria SM PRIME Holdings Inc., a leading shopping mall and property developer in the country, is set to open its first premier mall in Palawan on Sept. 15.

SM Prime said in a disclosure to the stock exchange that SM City in Puerto Princesa would be the company 64th mall in the country.

The new mall will have 54,000 square meters in gross floor area, bringing the company’s total retail space in the Philippines to 7.9 million sq. m.

“We take pride in opening the 64th mall of SM Prime in one of the most soughtafter island destinations in the world. We expect SM City Puerto Princesa to add new dynamics and opportunities to the thriving province of Palawan highlighted

by SM’s pursuit of new and unique malling experience,” SM Prime president Jeffrey Lim said.

Built in one of the fastest growing cities in the country, SM City Puerto Princesa is strategically located at the heart of the capital city.

SM Prime said SM City Puerto Princesa is 80 percent lease-awarded upon opening.

SM City Puerto Princesa will have three-level retail and dining floors housing around 180 food and retail shops, a three 158-seater SM Digital Cinema, and two 48seater Director’s Club Cinema.

Designed to complement the tropical vibe of the island, SM City Puerto Princesa is set to be a cost-efficient and energy saving building, in line with SM Prime’s commitment on sustainable future and disaster risk reduction programs.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Business

Manila

Standard

TODAY

B3

Phinma seeks TRO against PSALM vember 7, 2013.

Shortly after winning the bid, however, super typhoon Yolanda struck Region 8 on November 8, 2013, resulting in extensive damage to the ULGPP. Phinma Energy cited that PSALM awarded the strips to the winning bidders after a one-year delay.

PSALM issued the notice of award to Phinma Energy as the IPPA for the 40 MW worth of strips of energy of the Unified Leyte plants in January 29, 2014.

“In several letters to PSALM, Phinma Energy formally sought the renegotiation of the agreement and proposed several measures for relief,” the company said.

It said representatives of PSALM and Phinma Energy met on several occasions, with the power firm expressing the difficulties suffered by the administrators under the agreement.

“Phinma Energy, through counsel, wrote a letter exercising its right to withdraw from the agreement. Discussions on the termination were initiated. However, Phinma Energy received a notice from PSALM of the administrator default and PSALM has resolved to terminate the agreement and forfeit the performance bond. Thus the filing of the complaint,” it said.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

P

HINMA Energy Corp. formally filed a complaint and sought a temporary restraining order against Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. with the Makati City Regional Trial Court for terminating their agreement and forfeiting on the company’s performance bond.

BPI ASSET AWARD. Mario Miranda, president of BPI Asset Management and Trust Corp., receives the award in Hong Kong as the Asset Management Company of the Year. The Asset Triple A Asset Servicing, Fund Management and Investor Awards lauded the company for its leadership in product and service innovation, trusted advice to its clients, strong commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, and exceptional investor education initiatives.

The company disclosed on Wednesday it filed the complaint against PSALM and its former fresident Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. “Phinma Energy seeks to restrain PSALM from terminating the administration agreement for the selection and appointment of independent power producer administrators for the strips of energy of the Unified Leyte Geothermal Power Plants located in Tongonan, Leyte on grounds of administrator’s default,” it said.

The move followed the recent decision of the Phinma Energy board after the state agency moved to terminate the

ICTSI raising fresh funds via sale of treasury shares

By Darwin G. Amojelar INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. said it is raising fresh funds through the sale of treasury shares to finance expansion and acquisition opportunities.

The country’s largest operator said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange its board approved the sale of 10 million treasury shares worth P1.05 billion.

“The sale is in response to a reverse inquiry from an investor who expressed serious interest

for a sizable ownership of the company,” ICTSI said.

ICTSI said the it might redeploy the proceeds in a number of its expansion and acquisition opportunities currently under review.

The sale of treasury share will increase the company’s public float level for common shares to 51.03 percent from 50.74 percent, while the public float level for common and preferred B shares rose from 37.70 percent to 37.96 percent.

2017 BoP headed for large deficit A COUNTRY’S balance of payments is a numerical representation of the state of its economic relations with the rest of the world. Negative bottom lines for the BoP’s two components—the capital account and the current account—indicate that the economic relations between a country and the rest of the world are in a bad state: foreign institutions and individuals pulling their funds out of that country, foreign companies disinclined to make investments there, foreign importers and consumers refraining from buying its goods, tourists visiting it in decreasing numbers and international and foreign aid-givers reducing the levels of their assistance. Positive current-account and capital-account balances, on the other hand, indicate an opposite state of affairs.

Recent reports of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, the agency responsible for its computation and management of the BoP, suggest that things have not been going well for the Philippine economy’s external sector.

One report stated, that in July—two months ago—this country’s BoP posted a deficit of $678 million, a reversal of the $215 million surplus posted during President Rodrigo Duterte’s first month in office. The July 2017 deficit was the largest since the $1.671 billion deficit registered in November 2016 At endJuly the BoP was in deficit to the extent of $1.384 billion, the report stated.

Another BSP report indicated that in November 2016 the peso posted its lowest exchange rate against the US dollar in 11 years.

At that point the peso breached the 51-to-a-dollar mark for the first time since 2006. For several months the peso-dollar rate has gravitated around P51.40.

The third BoP report dealt with the current-account component of the BoP. The report noted the sustained negative trend of the account. “The BSP’s foreign exchange operations (have been) driven by increasing market demand for foreign exchange largely to finance capital goods imports.” The monetary authority said that the surge in imports of capital goods was (in support of) the growing economy as well as the government’s plan to ramp up infrastructure investments. As “imports growth outpace exports growth,” the BSP expects the current account of the BoP to swing from a 2016 surplus of $600 million to a 2017 deficit of $600 million.

Reading these reports, the conclusion is inescapable that things are not going well for the external sector of this country’s economy. These bad things can be allowed to go uncorrected at the risk of sustained Philippine economic growth.

BSP has indicated that it expects the BoP to post a deficit of around $500 million in 2017. A $400 million deficit was recorded last year.

What is the basis for the BSP’s expectation of a $500 million BoP deficit in 2017? “The BSP expects that the recovery and higher-than0expected overseas (Filipino worker) remittances and business process outsourcing revenues will mitigate the current account (deficit) and the overall balance of payments for the whole year 2017,” a BSP statement has said.

Taking into consideration all the circumstances attending the trend of the BoP—the political as well as the economic circumstances—I find it difficult to accept a $500 million BoP deficit forecast for 2017. With a highly distracted political leadership, an uncertainly financed “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program and a weak recovery of exports, I think that this country is headed for a 2017 BoP deficit considerably higher than $500 million.

ICTSI earlier reported a net profit of $103.6 million in the first half of the year, up 19 percent from last year’s $87.3 million.

Gross revenues from port operations in the first six months of 2017 increased 10 percent to 603.7 million from the $550.8 million reported in the same period in 2016.

ICTSI handled consolidated volume of 4,545,405 twenty-foot equivalent units in the first six months, up seven percent from

4,264,633 TEUs in the same period in 2016.

The company has allotted $240 million in capital expenditures for the full of 2017. The expenses will finance the completion of the initial stage development of the company’s greenfield projects in Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq; the second stage development of a project in Australia; development of container terminals in Mexico and Honduras; and capacity expansion in its terminal operations in Manila.

A Sure Bet for Progress in Gaming, Entertainment and Nation Building

InvItatIon to BId for Supply and delIvery of four (4) lotS paGCor employeeS’ unIform for two (2) yearS under ItB no. pB17-064Cor-09 The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is inviting all interested bidders in its forthcoming public bidding for the Supply and Delivery of Four (4) Lots PAGCOR Employees’ Uniform for Two (2) Years under ITB No. PB17-064COR-09.

Brief Description

LOT NO. 1 2 3 4

NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES Guaranteed Provision for Additional 4,786 1,201 2,157 329 1,990 293 6,845 329

Republic of the Philippines Province of Misamis Oriental Municipality of Medina BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE INVITATION TO BID

I. One (1) unit Brand New 6-Wheelers Dump Truck Rated Power/Revolution: 280 HP (206/KW)/2200 rpm Body Volume: 7.71 m3 Gross Vehicle Weight: 16000kg Tire: 1200-20 tube Axle Type: Planetary hub w/differential lock

LOT 1 1,197 complete sets

LOT 2 540 complete sets

Second Delivery - within ninety (90) calendar days from receipt of Notice to Proceed Third Delivery - within one hundred twenty (120) calendar days from receipt of Notice to Proceed

2,872 complete sets

1,295 complete sets

717 complete sets

322 complete sets

4,786 complete sets

2,157 complete sets

Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)

III. One (1) Brand New Motor Grader Rated Power/Revolution: 97 kW @ 2200 rpm Moldboard: 3660mm x 645mm x 18mm Operating Weight: 12000 Kg. Tyre Size: 17.5-25-12PR L-3

Source of Fund

Delivery of the Goods is required within One Hundred Twenty (120) calendar days upon Opening of letter of Credit. Bidders should have completed within Two (2) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “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”.

Prospective Bidders should have experience in undertaking a similar project within the last two (2) years, with an amount of at least Fifty (50%) of the proposed project for bidding.

ABC (VAT-EXCLUSIVE, ZERO-RATED TRANSACTION) LOT NO. DESCRIPTION GUARANTEED ORDER PROVISION FOR ADDITIONAL ORDER 1 Design, Supply Forty Million Eight Nine Million Eight Hundred and Delivery of Hundred Sixty-Eight Seventy-Eight Thousand Five Uniforms Thousand Seven Hundred Thirty-Eight Pesos and Hundred Two 05/100 (PhP9,878,538.05) Pesos and 37/100 (PhP40,868,702.37) 2 Design, Supply Sixteen Million Six Two Million Five Hundred Thirtyand Delivery Hundred Thirty-One Six Thousand Five Hundred of Dealer Thousand One Fifty-One Pesos and 32/100 Uniforms Hundred Fifty-Eight (PhP2,536,551.32) Pesos and 56/100 (PhP16,631,158.56) 3 Design, Supply Nineteen Million One Two Million Eight Hundred and Delivery Hundred Fifty-Seven Thirty-Five Thousand Eightyof Security Thousand One Three Pesos and 55/100 Personnel Pesos and 39/100 (PhP2,835,083.55) Uniforms (PhP19,157,001.39) Design, Supply One Million Five and Delivery of Hundred SeventyNameplates Four Thousand Three Hundred Fifty Pesos (PhP1,574,350.00)

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidder starting September 11-25, 2017 at the LGU-Medina BAC Secretariat 2nd floor Municipal Building, Municipal Library, North Poblacion, Medina, Misamis Oriental, upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount Twenty Five Thousand Pesos (P 25,000.00) in the form of cash, certified check, cashier’s check payable to LGU-Medina. The Bidding documents shall be received personally by the prospective Bidder or his authorized representative.

2,738 pcs.

6,845 pcs.

Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Four Hundred Seventy Pesos (PhP250,470.00)

TOTAL Fifty Million Seven Hundred FortySeven Thousand Two Hundred Forty Pesos and 42/100 (PhP50,747,240.42) Nineteen Million One Hundred SixtySeven Thousand Seven Hundred Nine Pesos and 88/100 (PhP19,167,709.88) Twenty-One Million Nine Hundred NinetyTwo Thousand Eighty-Four Pesos and 94/100 (PhP21,992,084.94) One Million Eight Hundred TwentyFour Thousand Eight Hundred Twenty Pesos (PhP1,824,820.00)

Corporate Budget for CY2017

Bidders should have completed, within the last three (3) years before the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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

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

PAGCOR will hold a Pre-Bid Conference, which shall be open to prospective bidders.

All particulars relative to Pre-Bid Conference, Detailed Evaluation of Bids, Post-Qualification and Award of Contract shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 9184 and its IRR. The schedule of bidding activities is listed, as follows: Activities 1. Issuance of the Bidding Documents 2. Pre-Bid Conference

Interested bidder may obtain further information from BAC Secretariat Ms. Mary Jane A. Calvo and inspect the Bidding Documents at 2nd floor Municipal Building, HRD Personnel’s Office, LGU-Medina, Misamis Oriental during office hours 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

2,395 pcs.

The ABC for each of the four (4) lots are as follows:

The LGU-Medina also requires that the prosPective supplier/bidder must meet the following: 1. Twenty (20) years of experience in selling brand new equipments and Dump Trucks as certified by the Company where the firm started from the Security of Exchange (SEC) w/ registration date and track records; 2. Accredited Service Center based in the island of Mindanao (Sub-contracting Not Allowed); 3. Certificate of Registration from the Bureau of Customs; 4. Certificate of Accreditation as Importer from the Bureau of Customs Intelligence Group Account Management Office; 5. With Certificate of PhilGEPS Registration under PLATINUM membership; 6. Importer Certificate from the Land Transportation Office or Certificate of Accreditation as Importer by LTD; 7. Audited Financial Statement for two (2) preceding years 2015-2016 w/ Income and Business Tax Returns filed and paid through the BIR, Electronic Filling and Payment System (efPS); 8. Tax Clearance (reviewed and approved by BIR) 9. BIR Importer Clearance Certificate; and 10. Exclusive Distributorship Certificate from the manufacturer or letter of Authority from the manufacturer; 11. Warranty period of the brand new trucks and new heavy equipments are one (1) year; 12. The Supplier/bidder must conduct seminars and trainings for the operators and mechanics on preventive service, safety rules and standard operation procedures; 13. Certificate of manufacturer/supplier that dump trucks and heavy equipments are brand new.

14. The Brand new trucks and new heavy equipment must deliver to Municipal Government of Medina,

LOT 4 1,712 pcs.

The total ABC is Ninety-Three Million Seven Hundred Thirty-One Thousand Eight Hundred FiftyFive and 24/100 (PhP93,731,855.24), VAT Exclusive, Zero-Rated Transaction

4

V. One (1) Brand New Excavator Backhoe Volume: 0.52 m3 Rated Power: 82 kW Rated Revolution: 2200 rpm Machine Weight: 13300 kg.

Max Digging Depth: 5245 mm Bids received in excess of the ABC for each lot shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

LOT 3 498 complete sets 1,194 complete sets 298 complete sets 1,990 complete sets

Delivery of any additional order of office uniforms and nameplates shall be within thirty (30) calendar days from placement of order by PAGCOR.

II. One (1) unit Brand New 10-Wheelers Dump Truck Rated Power/Revolution: 310 HP (228 KW)/ 2200 rpm Gross Vehicle Weight: 25000kg Body Volume: 13.25 m3 Tyre: 12.00-20 tube Axle Type: Planetary hub w/differentiallock

IV. One (1) Brand New Vibratory Compactor Rated Power/Revolution: 110 Kw @ 2200 rpm Max Operating Weight: 12300 Kg. w/ front drive Steering System: Articulated frame, full hydraulic steering system Min. steering radius: .55900mm System pressure: 15MPa No. of cylinders-Bore x stroke: 2-090 X 280mm Tyre Size: 23.1-26-12 PR

Design, Supply and Delivery of Uniforms Design, Supply and Delivery of Dealers Uniforms Supply and Delivery of Security Personnel Uniforms Supply and Delivery of Nameplate

Delivery Schedule for Guaranteed Orders First Delivery - within ninety (60) calendar days from receipt of Notice to Proceed

TOTAL

The LGU-MEDINA, Misamis Oriental through the Loan Facility extended by the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) intends to apply the sum of Fifty Million Pesos (P 50,000,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) payments under the contract for Procurement of One (1) Lot Brand New Heavy Equipment composed of the following, to wit:

DESCRIPTION

Note: Bidders may bid on one or any of the lots.

Delivery Schedule

3. Deadline for the Submission and Receipt of Bids 4. Opening and Preliminary Examination of Bids

Date, Time and Venue September 13, 2017 to October 20, 2017 September 22, 2017; 2:00 p.m., Meeting Room 1, 5th Floor, PAGCOR House, #1330 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila October 20, 2017; 10:00 a.m., Meeting Room 1, 5th Floor, PAGCOR House, #1330 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila October 20, 2017; 10:00 a.m. onwards, Meeting Room 1, 5th Floor, PAGCOR House, #1330 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila

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 Eighth (8th) Floor, PAGCOR Corporate Annex, Carmen Building, UN Avenue cor. Orosa St., 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, based on the following schedule: Approved Budget for the Contract 500,000.00 and below More than 500,000.00 up to 1 Million More than 1 Million up to 5 Million More than 5 Million up to 10 Million More than 10 Million up to 50 Million More than 50 Million up to 500 Million

Cost of Bidding Documents (in Philippine Pesos) 500.00 1,000.00 5,000.00 10,000.00 25,000.00 50,000.00

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 Pilar Street corner Pedro Gil Street, Malate, Manila either the Fee 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.

All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

The LGU-Medina, will hold a Pre-bid Conference on September 14, 2017 at 2:00 PM at the Negosyo Center, LGU-Medina, Misamis Oriental.

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.

Bids must be delivered at the LGU- Medina BAC Secretariat, 2nd floor Municipal Building, HRD Personnel’s Office on or before 2:00 PM of September 26, 2017. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

PAGCOR assumes no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

Bid opening shall be on September 26, 2017, 2:00 PM at Negosyo Center, LGU-Medina, Misamis Oriental. Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives. Late bids shall not be accepted.

The LGU-Medina BAC reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

(Sgd.) FREDERICK M. DOCDOC BAC Chairman MAO, North Poblacion, Medina, Misamis Oriental, 9013 E-mail add: maomedina@yahoo.com (Sgd.) MARY JANE A. CALVO BAC Secretariat

In accordance with Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB) Circular 06-2005 - Tie-Breaking Method, the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) shall use a non-discretionary and non-discriminatory measure based on sheer luck or chance, which is “DRAW LOTS,” in the event that two or more bidders have been post-qualified and determined as the bidder having the Lowest Calculated Responsive Bid (LCRB) to determine the final bidder having the LCRB, based on the following procedures: a) b)

In alphabetical order, the bidders shall pick one rolled paper.

The lucky bidder who would pick the paper with a “CONGRATULATIONS” remark shall be declared as the final bidder having the LCRB and recommended for award of the contract.

PAGCOR reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to annul the bidding process, and to reject all bids at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

For further inquiries and or information, please refer to:

Please address all communications to the BAC thru PD, 8/F, PAGCOR Corporate Annex, Carmen Building, UN Avenue cor. Orosa St., Manila, Tel No.: 526-0334.

(Sgd.) ARNOLD FERDINAND C. SALVOSA Chairperson Bids and awards Committee (BaC) 4

POSTING OF INVITATION TO BID CERTIFIED BY:

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

agreement and forfeit on the company’s performance bond because of alleged default.

Phinma Energy said the case had no material adverse effect on the operations of the corporation.

“The grant of the prayer for a TRO will restrain PSALM from terminating the agreement on the ground of administrator’s default and prevent PSALM from asserting any further claim to the detriment of the corporation,” it said.

Phinma Energy said in the event the court ruled against it, the agreement might be invalidated.

“An adverse decision may open the company to possible financial claims by PSALM,” it said.

Phinma Energy, formerly Trans-Asia Oil and Energy Development Corp., was declared one of the winning bidders for the right to administer 40 megawatts “strips of energy” from the Unified Leyte power plants on No-

(MS-SEPT. 14, 2017)

(MS-SEPT. 14, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

DA to convert idle Kalinga land for rice production

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com

B4

By Brenda Jocson

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

HARVEST TIME. Dr. Isa Suntay Cojuangco, the co-founder of the Tarlac Heritage Foundation (second from left) harvests different vegetables from the ‘Hardin ng Lunas’ at Camp

O’Donnell in Capas, Tarlac with (from left) Maj. Gen. Edgar Gonzales, Commander of the Philippine Army’s Mechanized Division, former Armed Forces Chief of Staff retired Gen. Efren Abu, and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. The garden benefits the soldiers at the camp and their dependents, while people from the surrounding communities can buy vegetables there at farm gate prices. Lino Santos

4-hour fire burns down 4-story Paco supermarket

By Bill Casas MANILA Mayor Joseph Estrada placed the city’s emergency units on alert Wednesday morning for deployment to Paco, where a four-storey supermarket building was engulfed by fire.

One firefighter was hurt, while around 30 workers safely evacuated.

The Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau closed down the stretch of Angel Linao Street, from Pedro Gil to Nakpil, as fire fighters battled the blaze that hit Cligan Mart.

The commercial building is located across Paco Market.

“Our MDRRMO [Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office] is closely monitoring it and their rescue teams and support units are ready to deploy in a moment’s notice when the situation worsens,” Estrada said.

The fire started at 5:39 a.m. and reached third alarm by 5:44 a.m. It took four hours, at 10:30 a.m., before firemen have managed to put the blaze under control, according to the command center of MDRRMO at the city hall.

One of the responding fire fighters, FO3 Marlon Podolig, sustained first-degree burns below the nose.

The establishment’s stay-in workers, numbering around 30, were safely evacuated.

MDRRMO reports showed the fire started at the second floor stockroom where flammable materials such as liquors were stored.

‘More women in QC biz’

By Rio N. Araja

S

AYING women must be “an engine of growth,” Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte wants more women in the city involved in business.

Belmonte said the Office of the Vice Mayor will train and teach women to become entrepreneurs through its various livelihood program for women, such as the “Tindahan ni Ate Joy” project, Local Inclusiveness Project for the Advancement and De-

velopment-Pinay program, Artisan Academy, and even Lazada e-commerce online selling.

The vice mayor said her office can accommodate more women in the “Tindahan ni Ate Joy” on top of its 1,000 members, most of them single mothers.

She said they have expanded the program and reached out to the wives of drug dependents undergoing treatment in community rehabilitation centers, and the wives of the drivers of unregistered or “colorum” tricycles will also become program beneficiaries and at the same time, their husbands will be taught alternative livelihood skills.

The Spark Foundation and SeaOil Foundation have launched the Lipad-Pinay program to help the city government train women

on how to put up businesses that is a level up from other livelihood programs, such as soap making and meat processing, she said.

With the help of the Rags2Riches Social Enterprise, Belmonte will also kick off the Artisan Academy to improve the Payatas women sector’s products to reach world-class status.

“Just like in Payatas, a rag sold for only P10 can turn into a nice bag that can be sold for as much as P1,000. Their products are marketed at Rags2Riches

boutiques in Metro Manila,” she said.

The Lazada e-commerce plan will teach women how to sell their products online to largely benefit small businesses with inadequate earnings to build a store.

The vice mayor said 40 percent of the biggest companies in the country are being run by women executives, and that over 97 percent of those who apply for micro-credit loans are women, based on the data of Sikap Buhay Entrepreneurship office. “Only

2 percent [of micro-credit lenders] are men,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mayor Herbert Bautista warned on Wednesday hospitals, clinics and medical waste generators not to deal with hazardous waste haulers not certified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

He approved City Ordinance 2592, requiring such establishments to avail of the services of medical and hazardous waste haulers and treaters accredited only by the DENR.

IN BRIEF 6 Calabarzon police stations swap staffs CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna—The staff of six police stations in Calabarzon have swapped posts following the instruction of Regional Police Director Chief Supt Ma. O, Aplasca.

The entire Dasmariñas City Police was reassigned to the Antipolo City Police, the entire San Pablo City Police to Batangas City, and the entire Biñan City Police to Lucena City.

Aplasca said the reassignment of personnel is not a disciplinary action but “a strategic movement” or utilization of the Philippine National Police to effectively carry out the functions and duties of the organization.

“Movement of our personnel is again part of the continuing Internal Cleansing Program of the PNP, however let me assure the people in these areas that the operations in the six police stations would continue smoothly despite the reshuffle,” Aplasca said. Roy Tomandao

‘Smoke Free GenTri’ program launched

LAS PIÑAS CHAMP. Las Piñas Mayor Mel Aguilar (in black) raises the hand of Nikko Bryan Huelgas (in red jacket) who won the

gold medal in triathlon in the recent Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Huelgas, a native of the city, received a cash incentive and a certificate of commendation from the City Government and the City Council.

18 Navotas volunteers trained in water rescue NAVOTAS Mayor John Rey Tiangco recently recognized the 18 rescuers who completed the water rescue and search training of the Metro Manila Development Authority.

The rescuers, composed of representatives from the barangays, Navotas City Police Station, Bureau of Fire Protection-Navotas, and volunteer firefighters, underwent the seven-day training at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig.

Of the 18 trainees, three completed the one-mile

TABUK CITY, Kalinga—The Department of Agriculture will convert 20,000 hectares of rainfed and idle lands in the province for rice production this year under its Masaganang Ani sa Nayon Project.

Joe Casibang, Kalinga Rice Program Coordinator, said the Project MANA sites are located in the rice producing towns of Pinukpuk, Tanudan, Rizal, and this city.

Casibang said the province contributes at least 1.3 percent to the rice requirement of the country, and this is seen to increase with the Project MANA. At present, the country needs to fill in additional five to ten percent of its rice sufficiency requirement, he added.

Project MANA has two phases: the identification and opening of potential ricelands that are rainfed and idle lands, and the provision of needed farming interventions through small irrigation systems.

The DA is distributing 150 free units of mechanized water-pump and accessories for these interventions. Casibang said the department will also construct small water impounding projects in this city and in Rizal town.

“The project is under the DA’s effort to increase rice sufficiency level in the country by opening new areas for rice production,” he said.

(1.6 kilometers) open-water swim at Manila Bay near the Navotas Centennial Park.

“Navotas is surrounded by bodies of water, the Manila Bay and the Navotas-Malabon River. It is crucial for us to establish a WASAR team to ensure the safety of our constituents especially during calamities,” Tiangco said.

Tiangco joined Vice Mayor Clint Geronimo and members of the city council in the simple recognition rites. Another set of Navoteños will undergo flood rescue training in October. Jun David

GENERAL TRIAS CITY—The local government here led by Mayor Antonio “Ony” Ferrer and the City Health Office and City Environment Office recently launched the Smoke Free GenTri campaign.

This is in accordance with the nationwide smoking ban as contained in President Rodrigo Duterte’s Executive Order No. 26, Republic Act 9211, and City Ordinance No. 15-04, which imposes a smoking ban in the entire city.

Cavite 6th District Rep. Luis ‘Jon-Jon’ Ferrer IV, Vice Mayor Morit Sison and the City Council, and the city’s department heads support the program.

Dr. Renato Escurel, City Environmental and Natural Resources Officer, laid down the basics of the EO by identifying places and vehicles where people are not allowed to smoke. He also said persons in authority, such as policemen and traffic enforcers, were deputized to apprehend violators.

College courses in UNC Bataan in ’18

‘SOCA’ SECURITY. Officials of different agencies meet for the security preparations for the 23rd Senior Officials Committee on Asean Meeting at Camp Vicente Lim in Canlubang, Calamba City, Laguna, led by Chief Supt. Ma. O Aplasca, Calabarzon regional police director (seated, second from right) as Task Group Commander. His deputies in the group are Director Olivia Luces of the Office of Civil Defense (second from left), National Intelligence Coordinating Agency Director Rosalie Escobin (left), Col. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr. of Solcom (right) and Provincial Executive Assistant Rolando Alvaran, (seated center) representing Cavite Governor Jesus Crispin Remulla.

Roy Tomandao

DINALUPIHAN, Bataan—The University of Nueva Caceres Bataan is set to offer college courses next school year.

“We have submitted to DepEd our application of the courses we will offer next year. DepEd already acknowledged our application”, said UNC Bataan founder and former SBMA chairman Felicito “Tong” Payumo.

The school will offer Bachelor of Science in Agribusiness, Bachelor of Science in Entrepreneurship, Bachelor of Science in Accounting Information, Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Bachelor of Science in Security Management, and Bachelor of Arts (in English, Math, and Science Butch Gunio

I

N AN age where our ability to cope with a fast-paced, stressful lifestyle defines our worth, we are threatened to do just that: endure from one life instance to another.

The very response of our overall health from such habits proves the notion as flawed. To embrace your universe, you do not simply cope: you live. You find your balance and take back control. An unparalleled example of this sentiment is Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach.

As the newest endorser and international brand ambassador of Philip Stein, the seamless affiliation delivers a genuine message that, with focus and wellbeing, balancing your world and embracing your universe are realizable.

Since 2003, Philip Stein earned esteem in the world of luxury with its innovative Natural Frequency Technology (NFT) and dual time zone feature.

The company harnesses knowledge from decades-long studies on natural electromagnetic waves surrounding our planet and how these positively influence our health, performance, and overall wellbeing. Metal discs that harvest these naturally beneficial frequencies are part of every Philip Stein piece, contributing to one’s balanced disposition and enhanced focus to take the reins of your world.

After passing on her title to the next Miss Universe, Pia finds herself shuttling from Manila to other parts of the world for work.

But wherever she is, she still makes it a point to stay in touch with her family in London. “I always put family first.

I value my family a lot. I respect them.

I take care of them up until now… I miss London because of my family.

Pia bought her first Philip Stein watch 18 years ago because of its dual time zone feature, which helped her tell the time difference between Manila and the United Kingdom. [When] I check the time with my Philip Stein, I know that they are awake so I can video call and chat with them,” she shares.

Managing her work and time moving to and from New York and Manila, Pia acknowledges how it can be a bit difficult. With the aid of her Philip Stein, she’s able to deal with an effective schedule. “The challenge is really the time difference. I have to check their work hours, I use video calls to communicate, and I send them recaps of what I’ve finished for work,” she says.

It’s a life she wouldn’t trade for anything else.

In Manhattan, she feels

Philip Stein combines function with style

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Life SHOPPING

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach balances her career and personal life by keeping time with the help of her Philip Stein watch.

PIA WURTZBACH

embraces

the Philip Stein

UNIVERSE normal. She loves the bustle of the city.

In Manila, she enjoys the food and the weather, and meeting and connecting with people. Living lives in two cities gives her the kind of balance she needs.

Pia admits having so much in her plate that she’s afraid it might overspill. But stress isn’t something Pia can’t handle.

She continues to set new goals for herself, among them writing a book and studying in New York

Film Academy. “My favorite time of the day is when I start working. When I’m doing video or photo shoots I want the cameras to be rolling all the time.

I keep the momentum. That’s how I work,” discloses Pia. Like Pia, you too can take charge of your time. Philip Stein’s high quality and stylish products with revolutionary technology will help you tune in to your wellness, balance your world, and embrace your universe.

Philip Stein is available in the following stores: 6750 Ayala Avenue, Alabang Town Center, Century City Mall, Festival Mall, Robinson’s Magnolia, Robinson’s Galleria, Shangri-la Plaza Mall, Solaire Resort & Casino, SM City North Edsa, SM Southmall, The Podium, Vertis North, SM Clark, SM Pampanga, Abreeza Mall, Davao, Ayala Center,Cebu, Centrio Mall, CDO, SM Cabanatuan, SM Seaside Cebu, Adora, Chronos, Elemento, Le Temps, Lucerne, Swiss Gear, Wrist_Pod.

Balance your world with Philip Stein’s dual timezone feature

Why the rose gold obsession is here to stay THE rose trend started with the Rose Quartz being named the Pantone Color of 2016, then with the proliferation of all things rosey and new upcoming trends on Rose Gold this year, it looks like our obsession with this color is not going away anytime soon. This soft and vivid color transcended on and off the runway, into gadgets, cosmetics, nail polish; even Elle Fanning’s Dusty Rose Hair. With its timeless warm, quirky, romantic glow, it’s no brainer why this old luxury metal is making a comeback on watches and jewelry, in such a big way.

It’s time to get on the trend-mill, with Anne Klein watches that are not only in-style now but have been the fashionable choice that have endured the test of time. As part of the innovative and forward-thinking Anne Klein brand pioneered by the eponymous fashion designer, Anne Klein Watches have an elegant simplicity that never goes out

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of style, and span intricate and delicate jewelry-based styles to more functional everyday wear that offers complementary accessories to complete your look.

Blush to Rose Gold

A great alter native to traditional silver or gold tones, the Anne Klein Rose Gold Round Watch with rose gold sandblast dial is big enough for the oversized watch trend, yet its soft romantic pinkish glow lends a feminine charm to an otherwise manly look.

The Rose Gold Round Watch Box Set comes with a dainty Beaded Bracelet made of blush beads tassels and rose-gold jewelry clasp. The rose and blush hues are a fresh neutral accessory to match on-the-go plain outfit or

a fashionably posh light-colored jumpsuit.

Dress it up!

Considered by many to be the most romantic metal due to its pinkish-red color, dressing up comes easy with Anne Klein watches that are fitted with diamond dials or genuine motherof-pearls dials; Swarovski Crystals; rose gold straps, bangles and bracelet styles; or a box set that brings all of these together in one fabulous watch-jewelry collection.

With its soft warm glow, rose gold is considered as a universally flattering shade, adding radiance to any skin tone, its beautifying hue looks great in pictures, combining a friendly, quirky glow with all things luxurious. Often more durable than other metals because of the use of copper to make rose gold, it is tougher

than yellow or white gold.

With most luxury brands and couture fashion showing off its own take on this color and more celebrities sporting all sorts of rosecolored ornaments, there’s no question that this trend is definitely here to

stay.

Anne Klein Watches are exclusively distributed by Rustan Marketing Corporation and available at Rustan’s, and other leading department stores nationwide.

For instant updates, follow @RustanMarketingCorp on Facebook and Instagram Anne Klein presents its take on the trendy rose gold color with a range of watches perfect for formal occasions and everyday wear.

Life

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Round

Oblong Rectangular

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HANKS to magazines, TV shows, movies, advertisements, and social media, our idea of beauty has become defined by the Western standard: light skin, a slim frame, a tall nose, and big eyes, among other traits. But while our culture has evolved to uphold one racially-specific look, science, on the other hand, defines beauty as somehow more diverse.

It’s been proven that our brains are hardwired to see beauty— not in the color of skin, ethnicity, or age— but in the harmony and proportion that comes from a mathematical value called the Golden Ratio. This value (1.618:1), also called the divine proportion, is present not just in people’s faces, but in elements of nature and iconic artworks and landmarks too.

Recognizing this more objective and quantitative measure, and aiming to change the underrepresentation of Asian beauty, Merz Aesthetics has created the program MAAT Golden Ratio Search.

One of the world’s leading aesthetics companies and known for the only U.S. FDA-cleared, non-invasive skin lifting and tightening ultrasound device, Ultherapy—the non-invasive skin lifting procedure for the brows, under the chin,

Oval Heart

Square

Do you think you’ve got

the best face?

From left: Mariel Hidalgo - Merz Philippines Brand Manager, Dr. Vennis Angelo Viceral - Medical lead at Merz Philippines, Judith Albano - Merz Philippines’ Marketing Manager

Natural pet care system solves pet parents everyday woes

The Fetch! Neem Natural Pet Care System ensures that pets and its environment stay clean and healthy through natural and non-toxic products

WHEN it comes to pet care, pet owners face many problems throughout the years. There is usually the recurring problem of ticks and fleas, which are common for dog and cat owners. Sometimes, pets can have allergic reactions and end up having hot sores or rashes.

And naturally for doting pet parents, they just want a safe and natural way to keep their pets clean and healthy.

Georgianna Carlos, a pet owner herself, experiences these all the time, which led her to co-found Fetch! Neem Natural Pet Care, a complete system that ensures pets’ healthy body and healthy environment. While others would usually focus on what one applies to pets, may it be shampoos or products that are medicinal in nature, Fetch! offers uniquely an end-to-end solution that is sustainable for both pets and pet parents. Plus, all the products are natural and are both FDA & BAI registered.

Neem, also called “The Village Pharmacy,” is known to moisturize fur while having antibacterial properties, which soothes skin ailments. It also naturally repels ticks and fleas. With multiple medical publications supporting the efficacy of the plant, there has been a huge demand in the USA and in Europe for Neem based products. In addition, Neem is non-toxic and biodegradable, which makes it safe should a pet accidentally lick the product, and for the environment.

Fetch! Neem Natural Pet Care System is first in the pet industry that uses 100 percent Neem aqueous extract as base formulation, which makes it more effective as it is easily absorbed by the skin. In addition, Fetch!’s chemist won in the 25th Salon International des In-

Inverted Triangle Diamond

ventions in Geneva, Switzerland for the Neem extraction processed used. The extraction process takes a minimum of two weeks for it to be able to maintain all beneficial properties of the plant in a water-soluble form.

The Neem Natural Pet Care System includes Neem Shampoo, Neem LeaveOn Rinse, and a Neem Cleaner & Bug Repellant. The Neem Shampoo is made out of 100 percent Neem Extract plus Aloe Vera, which naturally moisturizes fur, gently soothes hot spots, and repels ticks and fleas. The formulation is made to match the PH levels of dogs and cats, and is paraben and dye free, which is why it still has a green hue. The Neem LeaveOn Rinse is perfect for freshening pets in between baths, such as cleaning paws after a walk or deodorizing after a visit to the vet. This contains aloe vera, lavender, and other plant derivatives. The Neem Cleaner and Deodorizer is made of 100 percent Neem Extract with Citronella and Lavender, which can be used to naturally disinfect crates, kennels, beds, and floors, while repelling ticks, fleas, and mosquitoes from the home. It’s DEET and additive free, making it safe for pets to roam the newly disinfected floors and for pet parents as it lessens their exposure to harmful chemicals that are normally found in everyday cleaning materials.

Reception of Fetch! Neem Natural Pet Care has been positive, with the product already available in various stores despite it being launched only in March. Some known stores that carry Fetch include all 11 branches of Dogs and the City, U.P. Town Animal Center, Earth Kitchen, all branches of Dog City, Pup Culture, Super Ultra Grocer, and others.

and neck—Merz Aesthetics is searching for faces from 10 different Asian countries, including the Philippines.

Eligible Filipinas can join the MAAT Golden Ratio Search for the Best Face of the Philippines, where one will become the country’s representative among other faces in Asia.

“We’re excited to have a program that moves past the subjective definition of an attractive and beautiful face for something more universal,” shares Merz Philippines Country Manager Jorge Libanan. “By applying a concrete scientific measure, not based on social, cultural or ethnic factors, Merz aims to represent Asian women in the world of aesthetics by highlighting the diversity of what can be considered the best faces from the region.”

Think that you measure up? Find out all about the search at www.facebook. com/UltherapyPH. Submission of entries is until Sept. 30.

Selected participants will take part in the program, which culminates with the Philippine representative being presented at the 8th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Dermatological Surgery (ISDS) in Bangkok, Thailand, and receiving a stipend and aesthetic treatments from Merz Aesthetics.

Facial Symmetry

Horizontal Thirds

Golden Ratio

Zero Halliburton now in the Philippines ZERO Halliburton, the only luggage to travel to the moon and back, finally lands in S Maison at Conrad Manila.

The global luggage brand has an incredible 80-year history of finely engineered designs and a proven track record of protecting one’s valuables.

With its launch in the Philippines, Zero Halliburton introduces the iconic aluminum briefcase that stored rock and soil samples from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Apollo 11 lunar mission back in 1969. The luggage brand also unveils its lightweight aluminum and polycarbonate luggage and, soon, the Greenwich Collection—Zero Halliburton’s lightweight cordura nylon luggage with built-in smart features such as moisture wick material and padded design.

“We are excited to bring over the classic and reinvented designs of Zero Halliburton. Our premium line of luggage provides unequaled protection for travelers’ valuables across the world. Now, we get to share these fine pieces with Filipinos, so they too may travel with utmost ease and confidence,” said Hiroaki Morishita, chairman of Zero Halliburton.

The event is just a glimpse of the brand’s rich heritage. It gives a nod to the brand’s historic past with zero gravity moves from aerial dance performance, and a pocket fashion show that illustrates its launch to the world of business, leisure, and travel.

Originally designed by aerospace engineers, Zero Halliburton cases have grown into a widely loved travel brand in the world.

Its functionality, durability, and sleek design

Premium luggage brand Zero Halliburton finally lands in the Philippines

make it a top choice in cosmopolitan centers including Tokyo and New York.

Its impressive built and aesthetic has evolved into a symbol of sophistication that over 300 films and television series has featured Zero Halliburton. Today, it is one of most recognizable luggage on screen.

Reinvented for business and pleasure

In recent years, the premium luggage has extended its line to wheeled business bags, pilot cases, backpacks, and duffel bags. New materials and designs give traction to Zero Halliburton’s reach in the global tarmac.

Well-known names have been seen carrying the premium luggage, especially in the posh Madison Avenue where its flagship store stands. One notable patron is Brazilian football super-

Zero Halliburton chairman, Hiroaki Morishita and Zero Halliburton Asia representative, Yuichiro Noguchi, unveil the brand’s boutique store in S Maison at Conrad Manila.

star Ronaldinho of FC Barcelona who has recently signed up as the brand’s endorser and consistently seen taking Zero Halliburton cases around.

Engineered for durability

Surprisingly, the famed luggage was developed to suit the needs of just one man—its founder Erle Halliburton, an oil field engineer. Realizing that he needed a durable piece of luggage for his grueling travels across the rough Texas terrain, he and a team of engineers designed the world’s first aluminum travel case.

Seeing how incredible the prototype was, friends of Halliburton convinced him to make it commercially available.

Its first buyers came from the big names of California and Europe. Zero Halliburton cases formally became part of history when no less than Apollo 11 astronauts Edwin Eugene “Buzz” Aldrin, Michael Collins, and Neil Armstrong took it to the moon and back.

Soon after, the legendary luggage found its way to Japan, Asia, and eventually to other countries across the globe. Over the years, its seamless cast, durable built, and superior protection has won over travelers, from business professionals and executives to stylish and high-flying wanderers.

Take a piece of history when you travel. Survey the exquisite selection from this legendary brand by visiting Zero Halliburton boutique in S Maison at Conrad Manila located at Seaside Boulevard corner Coral Way Mall of Asia Complex, Pasay City.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

HS students in ‘MYX Moves’

“24 Oras” anchors Iya Villania, Vicky Morales, Mike Enriquez, and Mel Tiangco

The cast of the top-rating afternoon drama, "Ika-6 na Utos," (from left) Sunshine Dizon, Gabby Concepcion, and Ryza Cenon

GMA Network tops August nationwide TV ratings

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HE Kapuso network maintained its lead in the nationwide TV ratings competition based on data from ratings service provider, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

From Aug. 1 to 31 (with Aug. 27 to 31 based on overnight data), GMA led competition across all day parts in the National Urban Television Audience Measurement (NUTAM) with an average total day people audience share of 42 percent; ahead of ABS-CBN’s 37.4 percent.

In Urban Luzon, the Network toppled competition from the morning up to the primetime block. GMA registered a total day THE Graduation ceremony was for a class of 13. The “lucky 13” is a trite and not altogether accurate way to describe them, though, because it wasn’t just luck or good fortune that got them there. Actually, they made it to that emotionladen ceremony after several years of rigorous training in values formation, accountability and responsibility.

The 13 – a seemingly small number – join the ranks of former addicts who have made a successful re-entry into society.

This was made possible through the guidance and perseverance of a therapeutic community, composed of psychiatrists, medical personnel, social workers and loving families who did not give up on getting back their lost sons and daughters, siblings and spouses.

The therapeutic community is managed by the Self Enhancement for Life Foundation (SELF), in Talisay, Batangas.

A unique, highly symbolic and memorable feature of the commencement rites was the tree-planting activity held the day before the graduation, when each of the 13 graduates planted his or her sapling along a slope of the grounds that witnessed their struggles and eventual victory.

Aptly called “Tree of Sobriety, Trees of Life”, the tree planting activity began in 2000.

It was conceptualized by SELF founder, Martin Infante, himself a recovering addict for 26 years, when the facility and community moved to SELF’s present location in Batangas.

Nestled on a ridge overlooking Taal Lake, the facility has been home to persons (ages range from early teens to mid 60s) with behavioral, substance and drug abuse problems, From a barren mountainside, the place is now a beautiful and healing sanctuary for troubled individuals who are in need of mental, physical and spiritual help. The facility is surrounded by naturally growing vegetation and today, teeming with all kinds of trees planted by former residents – a serene but enduring record

people audience share of 48.7 percent; beating ABS-CBN’s 31.4 percent.

The Kapuso Network posted an even bigger margin in Mega Manila (based on Aug. 1 to 26 data) with an impressive 51.9 percent people audience share across all time blocks versus ABS-CBN’s 27.1 percent.

Urban Luzon and Mega Manila respectively account for 76 and 59 percent of all urban viewers in the country.

Kapuso shows dominated the list of top programs in NUTAM with Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (KMJS) as the most watched GMA show during the said period. GMA also claimed the top eight spots in the Urban Luzon list while it swept the top 16 spots in Mega Manila with KMJS still at no. 1 and closely followed

by Pepito Manaloto.

Also included in the list of top-rating Kapuso shows were Daig Kayo ng Lola Ko, Alyas

Tree of SOBRIETY

Dr. Gregory C. Bunt, president of the International Society of Addiction Medicine

of their successful transition.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, SELF has lined up a series of activities for the members of the local community, for its alumni, present residents and their families, with the presence of a distinguished line up of local and international guests.

To share the concept of and updates on the Therapeutic Community (TC) approach in addressing behavioral, substance and drug abuse problems, SELF is organizing a lecture and panel discussion by internationally-

Robin Hood, 24 Oras, My Love from the Star, Magpakailanman, Mulawin vs. Ravena, Ika-6 Na Utos, and Hay Bahay!.

Meanwhile, GMA Network made history anew when it premiered One Mindanao on Aug. 28. As part of the Network’s continuing efforts to further strengthen its presence in Southern Philippines, One Mindanao features comprehensive and topnotch delivery of news and information in the region.

TV journalist Tek Ocampo, TV host and news presenter Sarah Hilomen-Velasco, and news correspondent Real Sorroche anchor the show. Joining them are the various local news teams based in Northern and Southern Mindanao and news stringers across Mindanao.

It is simultaneously aired in key cities and provinces in Mindanao thru GMA Network’s local channels in Mindanao. recognized experts in the field on the theme “Total Well-Being Approach: A Bio-PsychoSocial-Spiritual Journey to Recovery” 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the SMX Aura Function Room 1.

Dr. Gregory C. Bunt, M.D., president of the International Society of Addiction Medicine, conducts the lecture in the morning, and discusses the efficacy of combining clinical intervention with the Therapeutic Community (TC) approach that SELF has championed. His talk is followed by a panel discussion in the afternoon to be participated in by Indonesian TC practitioners and local officials of the Department of Health.

On Sept. 16, a musical show directed

by Fritz Ynfante with musical director Butch Miraflor will be presented at the SELF’s Sacred Heart Auditorium. Titled Self @ 25, Rekindling Hope, Rebuilding Lives, the show is a journey from SELF beginnings and the many lives touched by it.

Among the people who have sought help from SELF, 55 percent finished the complete program (on a case-to-case basis), with a record of 80 percent of non-relapse.

Besides from being a leader in the use of arts as one of the tools in the treatment of residents, SELF has been recognized as one of the leading Therapeutic Communities in Asia, providing education to university students who would like to spend their on-thejob training in the facility and professors who want their students be exposed to the TC way of rehabilitation and medical treatment of drug dependents.

As a way of giving back to the community, SELF has been actively giving seminars to schools and coordinating with government agencies as regards the prevention of the use of illegal drugs among the youth.

For individuals and groups interested in attending the seminar, and other inquiries on SELF, please call Sockie Averilla at 809-3491 or 0928-552-5656.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, September 14, 2017

ACROSS 1 Biscotto flavoring 6 Declines, as stock prices 10 Helper, briefly 14 Shoe uppers 15 1960s hairdo 16 You, formerly 17 Face shapes 18 Bucket handle 19 Saturday morning fare 20 Recompense 21 Harmful 23 Slim 25 Kind of soup 26 Telegraph signal 27 Chicago’s airport 29 Mountain range 32 Romance, in Venice 33 Born 36 Centrally located 37 Like a porcupine 38 Strad.

39 In vogue 40 Hit hard 41 RC rival 42 Handles problems 43 Playback machine 44 Chess piece

47 Delay 51 Totally destroy 54 Click-on item 55 Close violently 56 Patrick’s domain 57 Austronesian language 58 Container weight 59 Garage — 60 White heron 61 Meadow browsers 62 Trampled 63 Makes one’s way DOWN 1 Says frankly 2 One academy 3 Sketch 4 Dazzling 5 Lisper’s problem 6 It may be rattled 7 Nowhere near 8 Cheshire Cat, finally 9 Isolated 10 Suit or dress 11 New branch 12 City near Inchon 13 Rigid 21 Caress 22 Make healthy 24 Racket 27 Drops

28 Make sharp 29 Rotating machine part 30 Insurance gp.

31 Come to the rescue 32 Church part 33 Tweak 34 Dawn goddess 35 Auto pioneer Ransom — Olds 37 Most foolish 38 Wordiness 40 Hogwash!

41 Interest amt.

42 Rings 43 Notch shape 44 Moisten with drippings 45 Spouse’s mom (hyph.)

46 Entrap 47 Warrior’s horse 48 Squirrel snack 49 Prepared apples 50 Grows together 52 Truth stretcher 53 A Guthrie 57 Kitten’s plea

HIGH school dance crews in Mega Manila are getting ready to battle it out in the second installment of MYX Moves Street Dance Competition, and this time, they will hip hop to fresh tunes as the music channel raises the bar by dancing to all-original tracks by top local DJs. MYX has partnered with record label, Star Music, to produce original tunes for the first dance album of MYX Moves. The teams will work together with music producers Borhuh x MRKIII, John Sedano, MVRXX, and Ian Sndrz for their competition mixes.

A total of 15 dance teams have been chosen as semi-finalists and are now battling for online votes.

The best dance crews from Marist School, Xavier School, Paco Catholic School, Longos National High School, and Jose P. Laurel Sr. High School are vying to be MYX Moves All Boys Division pick.

Dance groups from School Of The Holy Spirit, St. Paul College Pasig, Dominican College, Colegio De Sta. Rosa, and Holy Family School have been chosen as the strongest contenders for the All Girls Division.

The assertive dancers from Colegio San Agustin, School Of St. Anthony, Esteban Abada High School, B u l i h a n National High School, and Fort Bonifacio High School are all competing to be the Co-Ed Division champ.

All MYX Moves division winners will receive P50,000 cash prize while the Grand Champion gets P100,000 cash prize. Aside from these, prizes will be given to the nine division finalists, the MYX Supreme Mover and Online Voters’ Choice.

Catch the MYX Moves semifinals on Sept. 17 at the Ayala Mall South Park.

To vote for your favorite dance crew, visit myxmoves.myxph. com.

MYX is on Skycable channel 23.

For updates, log on to www.myxph.com or follow MYX on Instagram (@MYXPhilippines) and Twitter (@MYXPhilippines).

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Another

Julia Barretto and Joshua Garcia, lead cast of the blockbuster romantic drama, “Love You to the Stars and Back”

ESTREGAN

JOSHUA GARCIA and JULIA BARRETTO claim romancedrama niche

is on the rise

ERICO Estregan, son of actor-turned-politician ER Ejercito, stars in a new action-horror by Francis Jun Posadas. The movie is called Amalanhig: The Vampire Chronicle and will hit the screens nationwide soon.

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Estregan, a De La Salle University graduate in political science and a master’s degree in Communication with a major in applied mass media, is no neophyte actor. He has been in several movies prior to landing a lead role in Amanlahig. He has worked with his father, one-time governor of Laguna and who previously went by the screen name s Jeorge Estregan, in movies like Ben Tumbling, Asiong Salonga, General Emilio Aguinaldo, Muslim Magnum 357, Across The Crescent Moon, and Mandirigma.

“I am very excited to have been cast in this movie because I really love doing action stuff in movies,” says Estregan who placed seventh at the recent 8th Asia Pacific 2017 International Body Building & Fitness Championship.

In this vehicle, he did all the stunts without a double. “I think it doesn’t look good for action stars not to do their own stunts. That’s why I made sure that the stunts I did for this film were those that fit me as an athlete and body builder,” he said.

Estregan is a track athlete and competed in the Track & Field Open in March in the 400-meter dash. He placed seventh overall in the men’s division, all against Philippine team members in the finals. He is also the record holder in the UAAP Track & Field (February this year) after running in the first leg of the 4 X 400-meter relay representing the DLSY track & field team under coaches Jeoffrey Chua, husband of Elma Muros , and George Posadas.

That’s apart from his Most Valuable Player award in the NCAA Track & Field Championships in February 2009 in which he competed and won gold in the 800-meter run, 1500-meter run, 4 X 100 and 4 X 400 meter relays, and silver in 400-meter dash and bronze in 400 – meter low hurdles.

Currently, Estregan is brand ambassador and coach of Nike + Run Club Manila. While he is very active in athletics, he is also very serious in carving a niche in the movies, action movies specifically.

“They say that action movies are dead, but if you look at what indie directors are working on these days, these are action movies, like Amalanhig.

It’s about a group of graduating medical students who wants to find the truth in what is written on an unfinished letter with blood stands with references to human vampirism virus.

Years ago there was a killing spree in a village called San

ISAH V. RED

Esteban that only clues to who the perpetrators are were in that letter. The group goes to the village to find out the mysterious creature involved in the crime.

Estregan said, “You have to watch it to find out what happened to the group, if they were able to discover the truth behind the crime and how.”

ER Ejercito, who said he’s not a stage father, accompanied his son to meet members of the press who were all stunned when the young man showed off the body that earned him the title Mr. Philippines/Mr. Athletic National Champion in 2013.

Amalanhig also stars Sanya Lopez, now one of the popular female stars on GMA Network. *** The anticipation and excitement for the first concert of Jake Zyrus, the singer formerly known as Charice, intensifies after his series of TV guest appearances, radio tour and the muchtalked about episode in Maalaala Mo Kaya.

Fans of Jake and concertgoers are looking forward to the concert and curious at the same time about what other changes will he be making aside from his new identity as a trans man. The concert, simply titled I Am Jake Zyrus, happens on Oct. 6, 8 p.m. at the Music Museum.

“I really don’t want to spill the beans to keep the suspense but it’s going to be a very special s h o w, ” s a y s Jake. “I am so

BEAUTIFULLY CHISELED. Showbiz scion Jerico Estregan gets a leading role in the action fantasy “Amalanhig: The Vampire Chronicle”

excited about this concert because I will be able to finally express my real self,” he adds.

I Am Jake Zyrus will basically cover all genres, from pop to ballads to dance and even rock. The concert aims to showcase Jake as a multi-talented artist and will entertain the audience with some surprise numbers such as a duet with Charice. This idea has been viral and some netizens are in a guessing game how could this happen.

To which Jake jokingly remarks, “Magdo-doble kara po ako....Hahaha!

Dapat manood kayo ng show para makita n’yo.”

J a k e will share stories a n d songs t h a t

best describe his journey to “freedom” and those that represent the dreams he has for himself. He will also be singing his latest single, “Hiling”, under Star Music.

Collaborating with Jake in the concert is his long-time friend and musical director, Troy Laureta. He is a FilipinoAmerican musician and record producer whose credentials include working with artists such as Ariana Grande, Deborah Cox, Iyaz, Iggy Azalea, Rita Ora, David Foster, Stevie Wonder, to name a few. Also joining the show are special guests Klarrise de Guzman, Young JV,and KZ Tandigan.

I Am Jake Zyrus is presented by Echo Jham Entertainment Production and The Mad Union Entertainment Production in cooperation with Manny & Pie Calayan Clinic, Star Music, Star Events and Slimmers World with the support of Trilodent Gold, Greenhills Elan Hotel Modern, Princesa Garden Island Resort & Spa, SiP Purified Drinking Water and Mango Tree Bistro. The concert’s media partners are ClickTheCity, Wheninmanila.com, Philippine Concerts, Orange Magazine, MNL Online, LionhearTV, Inquirer.net and InqPop! Tickets to the concert are priced at P4,000 (with meet & greet and signed poster), P3,200, P2,500, P1,800 and P1,000. Tickets are available at Music Museum (721-6276), Ticketworld (8919999) and SM Tickets (470-2222).

Follow Jake Zyrus (@teamjakezyrus on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) for more updates.

AFTER debuting their love team in last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival entry Vince and Kath and James, Star Magic artists Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto have taken their tandem into new and otherworldly heights through the Star Cinema film Love You to the Stars and Back.

Joshua and Julia once again displayed their undeniable chemistry on their first ever film under “Hugot Director” Antoinette Jadaone.

The film has officially raked in P60 million as of Sept. 5, after almost a week since it hit the local cinemas.

However it was not just chemistry that was evident between JoshLia on their second film together, because there’s also their growing depth, sincerity and maturity as actors.

Joshua gave life fantastically to the cancer-stricken and good-natured Caloy, while Julia owned the longing and eccentric Mika. They have likewise showed how they can work as “partners” after successfully elevating each other and giving a heartfelt performance on their respective moments on the film.

Joshua and Julia’s performances became a trending topic since its release as netizens, including multi-awarded rising actor Christian Bables, continued to rave about the raw emotions or “feels” of the movie. Spoken word artist Juan Miguel Severo lauded the nuances and the mannerisms that JoshLia showed in the film to convey their feelings for one another. There were also the likes of Pelikula Mania, who noted how Julia and Joshua’s youthfulness and undeniable chemistry paved the way for the emotional scenes to become fully-charged one second and totally endearing the next one.

Other netizens, meanwhile, praised the film’s story. According to @ magandabamovie, “It was a story about misery and yet it was told in a very charming way. ‘Yun palang kuha na agad ang attention ng audience.”

While JoshLia’s onscreen magic was most certainly the film’s highlight, Direk Tonet’s tightly written script, solid characters and smooth execution, coupled with the film’s clear cinematography, easily placed Love You To The Stars And Back on the top spot of her own filmography.

Some netizens even dubbed “LYSB” as Direk Tonet’s “best film yet.”

Be part of Caloy’s and Mika’s journey and find out what it really takes to bet on love and to readily accept the flaws of the ever harsh world where nothing seems to last forever.

Aside from Joshua and Julia, Love You To The Stars And Back also features Cherry Pie Picache, Carmina Villaroel, Ariel Rivera, Maricar Reyes-Poon, Edgar Allan Guzman, Joaquin Reyes, Eda Nolan, and Belle Mariano.

It is still is screening in cinemas nationwide.