Manila Standard - 2017 September 18 - Monday

VOL. XXXI • NO. 216 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

CONQUEST. Military trucks go on patrol in Marawi on Sunday Sept. 17, 2017 after having captured the command center of the IS-linked Maute terrorists. Lower panel shows government soldiers in a house-to-house clearing operations. Mark Navales

Maute/IS base falls, troops rescue priest

By Francisco Tuyay and Bill Casas

T

HE military said Sunday it had captured the command center of Maute group, the Islamic State supporters who have besieged Marawi City for nearly four months.

Security forces have engaged in ferocious street to street combat and launched airstrikes in their efforts to expel the fighters from the city of Marawi, in a conflict that has raised fears that IS is looking to establish a Southeast Asian base in the Philippines.

The military said it had captured the militants’ control center in a deadly battle that began Saturday in a mosque and another building.

“This enormous [military] gain further weakened the terrorist group by denying them their erstwhile command and control hub,”

Armed Forces chief General Eduardo Año said in a statement.

“As follow up and clearing operations continue, we expect the enemy to yield more previously occupied positions, but not without a fight,” he said. “We are ready for that.”

On Saturday, troops rescued the Catholic priest held hostage by the terrorists.

The priest, Chito Suganob, was with an unidentified hostage when security forces freed them at 11 p.m.

Presidential Peace Adviser Jesus Dureza posted Next page

‘Marawi needs more than P50 b’ PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said P50 billion will not be enough to rebuild the southern city of Marawi, citing massive damage caused by the conflict between government troops and Islamic State-linked militants that’s been running for almost four months.

In a Saturday night speech after presenting a police officer released by communist rebels to the media, Duterte also said he wants the budget that was slashed from the Commission on Human Rights to be spent instead on police equipment. He had accused the human rights chief of being a spokesman of his political opponents, who he alleged want him ousted as President.

Duterte said his drug war will continue and that Next page

Impasse feared over CHR budget cut Gascon

Rody taps cluster for peace gab PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will be consulting the security cluster if the government will push through with the resumption of the peace talks with the communist rebels, Malacañang said Sunday.

A report on ABS-CBN Next page

lead to a deadlock in the bicameral conference committee, which could result in a reenacted budget.

“The way I look at it, if there is an impasse, the budget will be reenacted so we’ll be going back to the 2017 budget,” Rocamora said in an interview on radio dzBB. The CHR, which the

House sought to punish, would actually get more— P725 million—than what was proposed in the 2018 budget, which was P678 million, he said.

Senators, even members of the majority bloc, are against the House decision to slash the CHR’s budget.

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6 justices to testify vs Sereno

By Rio N. Araja and Rey E. Requejo MORE witnesses, including Supreme Court justices, will testify against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in impeachment proceedings in Congress, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said Sunday.

Alvarez also dismissed the claim of Sereno’s spokesman, Carlo Cruz, that the complaint would

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not prosper, and that Sereno would be able to defend herself and explain why the complaint must fail.

The willingness of the justices to come forward only showed the seriousness of the allegations against Sereno, Alvarez said.

“More people wanting to testify means that her sins are great,” he told a radio interview when asked to Next page

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

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scoffs at pedo tag

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AN ALLY of President Rodrigo Duterte said the House decision to cut the budget of the Commission on Human Rights to just P1,000 would cause problems for the administration.

Siquijor Rep. Ramon Rocamora, a member of Duterte’s PDP-Laban party, said the budget cut could

By John Paolo Bencito COMMISSION on Human Rights chief Jose Luis Martin Gascon on Sunday denied he was working with President Rodrigo Duterte’s political opponents to topple him, and objected to his being called a pedophile.

“That the President again has resorted to namecalling and to using hurtful language against me is unfortunate,” said Gascon, who was in Korea to attend a human rights conference.

“I hope he might choose to withdraw them in order to have a common civic space,” he said.

Gascon said he has “not Next page

manilastandard.net

ON EXTREMISM. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte discusses matters with Moro National Liberation Front Chairman Nur Misuari in this file photo taken during a meeting at the Presidential Guest House in Panacan, Davao City on June 3, 2017. Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza says the MNLF has been asked to help deal with Muslim extremists. Story on A2. Presidential

Vigilance urged amid protests vs martial law

By Macon RamosAraneta SENATE President Aquilino Pimentel III on Sunday exhorted the public to remain vigilant as he admitted that martial law could be de-

clared anytime in the near future or even on Sept. 21, the 45th anniversary of the declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand Marcos.

President Rodrigo Duterte had earlier threatened to declare martial law nationwide

if lawlessness and anarchy reigned during the planned protest rallies against his administration to be staged by left-leaning organizations.

Duterte had warned the protesters not to resort to Next page

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News

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Justice told to look into teen’s slay

By Rey E. Requejo THE Public Attorney’s Office has asked Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II to order the National Bureau of Investigation to also conduct a parallel probe on the killing of 16-year-old Michael Angelo Remecio.

PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta said she had already requested Aguirre to order the NBI to investigate the killing of Remecio as they did the cases of Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman, Kian Loyd delos Santos and Carl Angelo Arnaiz.

“The [Remecio] family is crying for justice and they trust the NBI better than the police in investigating and resolving the crime,” she said.

Michael Angelo, the latest teenager from Caloocan City who was found dead in Bulacan last week, was buried on Sunday after undergoing autopsy on Saturday by the PAO’s forensic experts at the request of his parents.

PAO’s forensic team conducted tests to confirm that the body was that of Michael Angelo’s who went missing on Aug.26.

Acosta said the test showed that the body did not have an appendix and had bone fracture in the left elbow.

“Based on our forensic report, the parents again positively identified the cadaver as their son’s because he had previous appendectomy and injury in the left elbow,” Acosta said.

A forensic dental exam also showed that the body was that of a male about 16 to 18 years old.

The autopsy showed “blunt injuries and bone fracture at the nape area and signs of bleeding at the back.”

Remecio’s body was stuffed in a sack with his hands tied with a nylon cord when it was found by scavengers.

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quoted Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella as saying that Duterte needed to consider the lives lost and the properties destroyed by the rebels before the peace panels from both sides could go back to the negotiating table.

“To resume the talks necessitates President Duterte to consult first with the members of his security cluster, considering the many lives lost and the civilian and government property destroyed,” Abella said.

He said Duterte would also have to talk to Congress and the judiciary on the matter.

“In spite of PRRD’s [Duterte’s] firm position to protect the nation from violence and terrorism, his fundamental goal is sustainable and lasting peace, which in this case begins with addressing social injustice as the historical root of the conflict,” Abella said.

In his speech on Saturday, Duterte said he was open to resuming the peace talks with the communists but stressed that he could not grant all of their demands.

The peace talks between the government and the communists was canceled due to the continuing assaults by the New People’s Army, the communists’ armed wing.

Duterte asks Misuari for help

By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE government has requested the Moro National Liberation Front to help it deal with the extremist elements in Mindanao, a senior Cabinet official said Saturday night.

This was after President Rodrigo Duterte again met privately with MNLF founding chairman Nur Misuari, who is facing arrest for the

alleged P115.2-million textbook scam in 2000 and 2001 at Davao City,” Peace Process Secretary Jesus Dureza told the Manila Standard

Maute/IS...

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news of the rescue on his Facebook page.

Suganob was with a parish secretary, two working students, and at least 10 other parishioners inside the Cathedral of St. Mary’s when they were abducted by the terrorists who broke into the religious compound on May 23.

A Maute terrorist was killed while five soldiers were wounded during the rescue. A mosque and a school were cleared of terrorists in the action Saturday.

In an interview over Church-run Radyo Veritas, Iligan City Bishop Elenito Galido said they were informed that Suganob was rescued along with

Gascon...

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been involved in any partisan activity” since being appointed to the Human Rights Victims Claims Board in 2014 and since assuming the top post in the CHR. “I have not [and] will not participate in any destabilization or any other action that would undermine our democratic system,” he said.

“If there may be differences between the positions we take in CHR and that taken by the Executive branch, we hope this be viewed as part of the checks and balance system of Philippine democracy,” he added.

Gascon said increasing reports of human rights violations remain

Vigilance...

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violence during their planned protests to mark Marcos’ declaration of martial law in 1972.

Insisting it was hard to predict whether or not martial law would be declared, Pimentel just reminded the public to be always vigilant.

“We are watching not just rebellion. We are also watching terrorism that can happen anytime,” Pimentel said.

“Imagine what happened in London. Nobody expected it would happen.

The world is now different. Let us see what will happen on September 21.”

Pimentel said martial law would be justified if there was shooting on the streets.

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comment on reports that six to seven justices were willing to testify if they are summoned by the House committee on justice.

Cruz said they would hear what the witnesses have to say and respond to their testimony.

Cruz said Sereno will be filing her reply to the impeachment complaint filed by lawyer Lorenzo Gadon on Sept. 25.

He said he is confident the chief justice will not suffer the same fate of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona, who was ousted through impeachment over failure to declare some of his assets and properties in his Statements of Assets and Liabilities and Net

in a text message.

“I talked about closer coordination with the MNLF on the ground, especially on our common effort to deal with violent extremism,” Dureza said.

He said Duterte and Misuari “mainly discussed the government’s plan on the proposed Bangsamoro region and the country’s shift to federalism” following concerns on how to move forward as no lawmaker had volunteered

to sponsor the BBL. Before the meeting, Duterte had presented a “game plan”to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front on how to ensure that the Bangsamoro Basic Law would pass in Congress, Dureza said.

“It’s really how to make sure that it will really pass because if you let it go, if you certify it just like that, when it gets to Congress there might be questions from the members of Congress because

there are still many constitutional issues,” Dureza told reporters in Malacañang on Thursday.

Asked if a possible sponsor for the proposed BBL in Congress was discussed during the meeting, Dureza skirted the question.

“As I said, we would craft a way forward on how to husband it, so to speak,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino.

Dureza said Misuari “had

a teacher of Dansalan College, one of the establishments attacked by the Maute group.

“It’s really good news. We thank the soldiers who rescued Father Chito and one teacher. We’re all so happy that our prayers have been answered,” the bishop said in Filipino.

Government troops spread out through the main battle zone to intercept terrorists who were trying to escape.

Hundreds of armed extremists flying the black flag of the Islamic State movement in the Middle East occupied Marawi on May 23.

More than 800 militants, government troops and civilians have since been killed in the conflict, which has forced thousands to flee their homes and destroyed large parts of the once-

bustling city.

President Rodrigo Duterte has deployed thousands of troops and imposed martial law across the southern third of the country to deal with the crisis, while the military has launched a US-backed air campaign against the militants.

The Palace on Sunday will refrain from commenting on the latest developments in the Marawi crisis, as ongoing operations might be jeopardized, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said.

“We will provide information and other pertinent details as soon as conditions on the ground allow us.

Thank you for your understanding,” Abella said.

Malacañang on Friday said President Rodrigo Duterte will skip the United Nations General Assembly

later this month to attend to the ongoing crisis in Marawi City.

In a separate statement earlier, Abella said Duterte has decided to lessen foreign travels to deal with the country’s issues.

“The President has stated that he would minimize foreign travels for now to attend to pressing domestic concerns, such as the rehabilitation of Marawi,” Abella said.

Fighting between state troops and Islamic State-linked terrorists have been raging for nearly four months in Marawi City, leaving at least 845 dead, most of them terrorists, and hundreds of thousands displaced.

The prolonged conflict has left much of the once bustling urban center ravaged, and the government has begun plans for its rehabilitation.

With AFP

at the top of his concerns, since that is part of his mandate to monitor state compliance with human rights laws.

He scored Duterte’s decision not to share copies of case files held by the Philippine National Police involving deaths related to the government’s campaign against illegal drugs.

“We’re disappointed that clearance was not given by the President for the police to share with CHR copies of all case folders of deaths resulting from the ongoing war-ondrugs,” he said.

“We still hope to establish a workable mechanism for our respective agencies [CHR and PNP] to cooperate in uncovering the truth about the rising number of deaths in order to assist in securing justice for all victims by ultimately holding all

perpetrators of human rights violations to account,” he said.

In a speech in Davao City, Duterte accused Gascon, who was a former director-general for the opposition Liberal Party from 2008 to 2011, of being partisan in doing his job as Commission on Human Rights chairman.

The President also asked the human rights chief if he was a pedophile because of his “fixation” on the young boys being killed in the anti-drug war.

Gascon, appointed by President Benigno Aquino III as CHR chairperson in 2015, has a seven-year term that ends in 2022.

CHR Commissioner Gwen Pimentel-Gana on Sunday defended Gascon and said he was not a pedophile as the President suggested.

In an interview, Gana told radio

dzBB Gascon was only concerned about the welfare of minors because they are weak and vulnerable members of the society.

“Pedophile cannot be used... to describe a person who fights for the rights of the less fortunate… I know Chito Gascon is not a pedophile. Definitely not and he is there to fight for the weak and the vulnerable, and the children are actually part of the sector of the weak and the vulnerable. And I think he is doing it from his heart,” she said.

Gana said House leaders should just approach Gascon if they have problems with him.

“I know Chairman Gascon is willing to listen,” she said.

She said holding the CHR hostage, as the House has done by allocating the agency a budget of only P1,000 for 2018, was unreasonable.

But he acknowledged that the protest actions, rallies and other gatherings of people were allowed by the Constitution, but those gatherings must be peaceful.

“That’s freedom of assembly, so let us allow our people to be together to celebrate or protest, that is their right,” Pimentel said.

Senator JV Ejercito said martial law was a very sensitive issue, hence government officials should be very careful about what they say.

But Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the imposition of martial law was a remote possibility.

He said he did not believe the protesters had the capability to mount the type of mass actions that would warrant the

declaration of martial law on Sept. 21.

Instead, he said Duterte might declare a holiday in government offices and schools in case the mass protests became too disruptive.

Lorenzana said the President saw no problem if the people wanted to express their grievances against his administration or even resort to burning his effigy as long as the protests remained peaceful.

Anti-government groups have been claiming that Duterte intends to place the entire country under martial law to be able to speed up the formation of a federal form of government.

He has repeatedly declared he will resign immediately once the federal system of government is in place.

Worth.

“Well, we remain hopeful. We must remain hopeful. We need to be hopeful,” he added.

On Sept. 15, Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali, committee on justice chairman, issued a notice to Sereno to answer the impeachment rap against her within the next 10 days.

He vowed to finish the impeachment process on the first week of October.

Cruz said that they would not discuss politics regarding the impeachment process against the chief magistrate, but they understand that it is still a political issue.

“We remain hopeful.

[But] we understand that this is political . . . we understand that this is a numbers game and the perception now is that

they have the numbers,” Cruz said in a radio interview.

Cruz said that Sereno will answer the allegations raised in the impeachment complaint with dignity befitting her office and as a professional.

He said they are confident that once her side is heard, the perception on the chief justice will change.

Gadon in his impeachment complaint alleged among others that Sereno failed to report or include in her SALN the earnings she made when she represented the Philippine International Airport Terminals Co. in the controversial case over the alleged irregularity in the construction of Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

some concerns” brought up to Duterte” that “he requested to be confidential.”

Asked on the possible arrest raps against Misuari, Dureza said it was Misuari’s lawyers who should explain his legal woes.

In a resolution, the Sandiganbayan’s Third Division had found probable cause to hold Misuari and his corespondents on trial and his co-accused over the so-called textbook scam.

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big-time personalities will be hunted down even as the campaign has led to killings of teenagers, inflaming public indignation.

“There are some people who died, even teenagers, it doesn’t mean to say that you have to stop. We cannot stop,” he said.

Duterte said he’s still considering if he will resume peace talks with communists after they released the police officer taken as hostage. He said he will take into account the views of the police and the military.

On Friday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said foreign donations for the rehabilitation and repair of Marawi continued to pour in.

In a Palace news briefing, Lorenzana said that more than P2.1 billion has been pledged by foreign governments for the war-torn city, while more than P50 billion would be needed for the city’s complete rehabilitation.

The United States has announced P730 million in humanitarian assistance, while Japan and Thailand both donated P100 million. Bloomberg

COASTAL CLEANUP. Miss Philippines-Earth 2017 Karen Ibasco and Miss Philippines-Air 2017 Kim de Guzman along with Perkin So - AVP Operations-SM Supermalls and Jhon Gomez, Mall Manager of SM By the Bay, lead participants from state agencies and private sector during the International Coastal Cleanup 2017 at the SM By the Bay, Mall of Asia in Pasay City on Saturday, Sept. 16, 2017. Ey Acasio

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Rocamora said allocating P1,000 was tantamount to abolishing the CHR. “I want to help the administration, but the way I see it, this issue regarding the budget of the CHR is not helping the administration,” he said.

“Because it’s clear by giving them [a] budget of P1,000, you’re practically abolishing

an institution which is put there by the Constitution itself. And you cannot change anything on the Constitution without amending the Constitution,” Rocamora said.

The House last week voted 119-32 to reduce the 2018 budget of the CHR to P1,000.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, an official of the PDP-Laban, said senators will restore the CHR’s proposed budget.

On Sunday, Senator Loren

Legarda, chairperson of the finance committee, vowed that all government agencies would receive their proposed budgets.

“I assure you that the agencies will have their budgets. I just have to read their budgets again, what are their activities, what are their programs. Of course, the people need to get their salaries,” Legarda said on radio dzBB. “I assure you that there will be no agency with no budget,” she added.

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

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Koko doubts Faeldon’s ethics case A

LTHOUGH Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon is free to file today as he has promised an ethics complaint against two senators, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III questioned if the basis for the filing was “out of ordinary.”

“Have we not had hearings when names were exposed, and there were witnesses.... and you [Faeldon] said you will hold them liable?” Pimentel asked.

Pimentel was referring to

the blue ribbon committee hearings on the P6.4- billion shabu smuggled into the country that slipped past the Bureau of Customs under Faeldon’s watch.

Faeldon’s name was also

mentioned in the list of those who received bribes under the “tara” system to facilitate the release of shipments through the “green lane.”

The first time Faeldon attended the Senate hearing on the drug smuggling, which was also his last, he made a commitment to take full responsibility for the shabu shipment and punish those liable. Faeldon also refused to appear and answer questions from the senators, for which he was cited in contempt and

detained at the Senate.

Pimentel noted that the basis for the ethics complaint Faeldon intended to file against Senators Panfilo Lacson and Antonio Trillanes IV remains “unclear.”

“Anybody can file an ethics complaint but nobody can say that’s it or it would reach the first base or second base or if it will progress. This is a free country.

There’s democracy if one wants to file a complaint. It will be received but there’s no assurance that it will progress.”

Pimentel emphasized that the problem with Faeldon is that he wants to file an ethics complaint but there were really irregularities in the Customs.

“There was 604 kilos of shabu worth 6. 4 billion pesos and in the hearing, it was established this happened because of the green lane. There was also ‘tara’ [bribery] system . His name also came out, it was mentioned by a senator. That’s the problem of Faeldon,” explained Pimentel.

Lacson for his part said

Faeldon has right to waste bond paper and ink following his threats of filing an ethics complaint against him and Trillanes for implicating him in the massive corruption at the BoC. “Anyway, he has the money to pay his lawyers even if it’s tantamount to an exercise in futility and stupidity,” Lacson said.

“In fact, that was the advice to him by Senator Gordon when he visited him in his detention place,” said Lacson.

He also cited Article VI

of the Constitution on the matter which provides that: Section 11- “A Senator or Member of the House of Representatives shall, in all offenses punishable by not more than six years imprisonment, be privileged from arrest while the Congress is in session. 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.”

Trillanes said Faeldon is a man who seems to not run out of gimmicks.

LGUs urged: Tap P2.5-b PPP monitoring fund

By Rio Araja

MARITIME KICK-OFF. Seafarers and their families celebrate National Maritime Week with a fluvial parade at the Seafarer’s Memorial along Roxas Blvd. on Sunday. The Philippines is considered a major supplier of maritime labor globally, with an estimated one Filipino seafarer for every four complements on board a vessel. Norman Cruz

CAMARINES Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte on Sunday urged local government units to take advantage of a P2.58-billion fund that they can use to check the viability, and efficiently prepare and monitor their large-scale development projects undertaken through a publicprivate partnership.

The P2.58-billion project development and monitoring facility managed by the PPP Center has now become even more relevant for local government units given that business conglomerates, such as the Ayala Group and the First Metro Investment Corp., have started looking for projects outside Metro Manila as part of the Duterte administration’s planned “Golden Age of Infra-

structure,” he said.

“These major infra projects implemented in partnership with the private sector would transform LGUs into engines of economic growth, the only way to disperse investments, create enough jobs and spur inclusive growth in the regions,” he added.

“It will also open opportunities for private firms in search of new business locations, and thereby foster a better environment for investments outside the metro and other major urban centers.”

He cited reports that big firms, such as the Gotianun-led Cyberzone Properties Inc., have now trained their sights on big-ticket infrastructure projects in the provinces to seize business opportunities under the government’s massive infrastructure program.

CC police NEA slaps 60-day suspension of 3 Catanduanes electric co-op officers face child abuse raps `TWO agencies must take the lead and file child abuse charges against the 13 members of the Caloocan City police who brought along a minor when they raided and robbed a house, Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza said on Sunday.

The Social Welfare and Justice departments are the lead agencies tasked to enforce the 1992 law protecting children. They should be the ones to file the criminal charges against the officers involved,” the senior deputy minority leader said.

Atienza also urged the DSWD to take protective custody of the child, who was caught stealing valuables during the unlawful police search.

“We cannot have our very own officers of the law exploiting children, just like Akyat Bahay gangs using kids to break into homes, or drug pushers taking advantage of minors as movers,” Atienza said.

The lawmaker said Republic Act 7610 expressly penalizes the use of children under 18 years of age as police guides, couriers or spies, or their use in illegal activities such as robbery, as well as their exposure to any form of danger, including threats that they might get harmed during possible hostilities.

“What the officers did in this case constitutes gross inexcusable ignorance of the law and barefaced negligence,” Atienza said, adding that under the law, they face dismissal from service, prison terms, and perpetual disqualification from public office.

THE National Electrification Administration has suspended three ranking officers of the First Catanduanes Electric Cooperative Inc., namely its chairman Grace Molina, and two members of the screening committee Francis Gianan and Eula Vimsey Velasco.

Based on the NEA ruling released last July 25, 2017, the members of the

Ficelco screening committee made a mistake on their interpretation of the documents passed by a candidate identified as Gabriel Cantalejo.

Cantalejo ran during the election for the new representative of the municipality of San Andres, Catanduanes to Ficelco’s board of directors.

NEA reviewed the candidacy of Cantalejo, but

found out that he only finished a three-year course in Fisheries, contrary to the report submitted by the screening committee stating that Cantalejo acquired a four-year degree.

NEA added that the findings did not match the criteria for the people who will run the electric cooperative.

A 60-day suspension

was imposed on Molina, Gianan, and Velasco for conduct prejudicial to the interest of Ficelco and to the member-consumers.

Last April, Gov. Joseph Cua of Catanduanes endorsed Francis Gianan, current Technical Services department manager of Ficelco to be the next general manager of the electric cooperative.

According to the letter

of Cua to Edgardo Masongsong, NEA Administrator, Gianan possesses the traits that the NEA is looking for a new general manager who will run Ficelco.

Gianan was one of the suspended officials of Ficelco whom the NEA found guilty of Conduct Prejudicial to the Interest of the Cooperative and Member-Consumers,

an important note the residents of Catanduanes took note as “one big mistake.”

Marlon Suplig, president of the Catanduanes Crusaders Against Illegal Drugs and Corruption Inc., said cooperative members would not let a person take a seat in the cooperative, given that that person has a blemished record.

IN BRIEF OWWA to get govt funding for the first time AFTER 40 years of existence, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will get for the first time government allocation for its operating requirements, said Senator Sonny Angara.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said for 2018, OWWA will have a total budget of P2.876 billion, of which P1.96 billion will come from OWWA Fund and P916 million from the national budget.

The P916 million will cover the personnel services requirement of the entire agency, as well as maintenance and other operating expenses for general administration and support. It also includes the P50-million allocation for the implementation of the emergency repatriation program. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Pimentel bats for modernized Mindanao ports

FOR THE LOVE OF BOOKS. Bookworms queue outside the SMX Convention Center in Pasay city to participate in the 38th Manila International Bookfair. Ey Acasio

Coast Guard gets P6.7b for boats, helicopter THE national government has set aside P6.7 billion for the Philippine Coast Guard next year to beef up its capability with a fleet of brand new patrol boats, a helicopter and weapons.

“The fresh funding will help pay for the acquisition of 10 newly built 44-meter patrol boats from Japan, of which five have already

been delivered to the PCG,” said House appropriations committee member Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel.

The PCG is also acquiring four 24-meter fast boats for delivery in 12 months; an 82-meter boat for delivery in 2019; and two 94-meter, high-endurance boats for delivery in 2020 and 2021.

“The 94-meter boats in particular can operate continuously for 15 days, so they can help reinforce existing Philippine Navy and PCG vessels that are now guarding our exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea,” Pimentel said.

The lawmaker said the PCG is also spending P922 million for firearms, P686

million for a chopper meant for deployment aboard a boat and P682 million for smaller watercraft.

“These new assets will go a long way in enabling the PCG to perform its mission to enforce our maritime laws, conduct sea disaster search and rescue when needed and protect our marine environment,” the lawmaker said.

SENATE President Aquilino Pimentel III on Sunday said it is high time for government to modernize the local ports in Mindanao to encourage healthy competition in the domestic shipping industry.

Pimentel issued the call as he expressed full support for the request of businessmen for government to rehabilitate, expand and upgrade the local ports in the country’s southern region. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Expanded assistance for family of wounded, killed uniformed personnel pushed SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV has sponsored a measure granting special financial assistance and benefits to the beneficiaries of uniformed and law enforcement personnel.

“There is no doubt that the lives and well-being of our uniformed and law enforcement personnel are at risk in the performance of their duties, especially in light of the antidrug and anti-crime campaign of the current administration and the ongoing conflict in Marawi and other parts of Mindanao,” Trillanes said. Macon Ramos-Araneta

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Opinion

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

A good start

I

of scalawags, has inspired fear rather than confidence. Any move to address this problem is worthy of public support.

In this case, the 297 sacked personnel were assigned at Police Community Precinct 7, which was home to three of the men tagged in the killing of Grade 11 student Kian delos Santos; PCP-2, where members of the force shot and killed Carl Angelo Arnaiz, 19; and PCP-4, where members forced their way into the house of an old woman.

Metro Manila police chief Oscar Albayalde said all police personThe move is a welcome first step nel in Caloocan would undergo reby the government to reform a po- training and reorientation before lice force that, because of a number being reassigned to other police

N A move to restore public confidence in men and women in uniform, the Philippine National Police on Friday sacked 297 policemen from three precincts in Caloocan City and announced plans to kick out the entire 1,000-member contingent of the Northern Police District after city cops were implicated in the killing of three minors in August.

units, not necessarily in Manila.

Albayalde did not say how long the retraining would last and how long it would take for the entire police force in Caloocan to be replaced.

“Their relief will be done via batches,” he said. “Eventually we will reshuffle the whole Caloocan City Police.”

The shakeup could not be more timely.

On Wednesday last week, 11 members of the NPD-District Public Safety Battalion were seen on CCTV taking valuables from a house during a supposed drug operation, forcing the National Capital Region Police Office to take prompt action.

All 11 members of the unit that took

part in robbery have been kicked out, Albayalde said, but clearly, more had to be done.

Against this backdrop, even Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan— who has been supportive of the local police—has welcomed the reshuffle.

“We know that there are still many good Caloocan cops but there is a need for a drastic change to rid the roster of the rotten ones who continuously taint the image and name of the city,” Malapitan said in a message sent to the media.

The sentiment is shared by all who believe law enforcement should be the realm of decent and honest men and women, and that it needs to be reclaimed from the rogues who have sullied its image.

Sweet spot?

The town I grew up in MANY hardly know anything more of Tuguegarao than that it has one of the most extreme temperatures: sizzling in summer, freezing in December until February.

In fact, a new diagram of the solar system drawn along Copernican lines shows Tuguegarao separately orbiting around the sun somewhere in the region of Mercury—perhaps, even closer to the sun.

That is really how it has felt, and continuous to feel this summer. Despite the onset of rains that have made Manila and other cities miserable these past days, Tuguegarao continues to sizzle. But Tuguegarao is the town (now the city) I grew up in.

Like many towns of the Philippines, its founders and

its early leaders hardly envisioned that it would become a bustling metropolis, one day bursting at the seams. That is just what is happening now. But it was not always like that. The Tuguegarao of my childhood was a quieter, saner and more sedate place to live in. My grandparents, parents and I lived together in a comfortable house in a rather quiet part of town. “79 Luna Street” —that was our exact address, which no longer exists. A huge hotel and a busy restaurant have been built where our house once stood.

It was walking distance from the Tuguegarao Central Elementary School (now known as West Central) where my brother and I did elementary studies. My grandparents were teachers: my grandfather, Sofronio Callangan, was the district supervisor, my grandmother, Constancia Purugganan, a Grade 3, Section 4 teacher. As a

grandmother, she was doting. As a teacher, she was stern, and a bamboo stick was part of her teaching apparatus. Such practices that today would land her in jail for child abuse such as inflicting hand-whips according to the number of mistakes in a quiz were common fare. None of her students died. None I know ever resented her severity.

Many have been profuse in their gratitude for her “tough love.”

Acacia trees lined Luna Street. In fact, they were ubiquitous in Tuguegarao, until we became stupid and, in the name of progress, started felling them. We hacked them down to put up electric posts. We felled them to build multi-storied buildings. We chopped them down to widen the roads.

And that is where the next part of my recollection takes me. Road widening has been a constant problem because

Tuguegarao has paid a high price for the ‘progress’ that has come to it. in many cases there just is no room to widen. I recall that on Luna Street, we had a front lawn large enough for some trees and shrubbery, including my grandmother’s favorite sweet-smelling “rosal.” But calesas then traversed the road and there was no problem. Soon, the first tricycles made their appearance, and the revving of their machines drowned out the pleasant clip-clop of trotting horses. But when motor vehicles—including a Chev-

rolet that my father bought for us, sturdy as tank and as bulky as a road compacter— increased in number, the municipal government started having a problem. Soon, we lost one half of our lawn to a widened street—and one step out of our doorstep took us four steps closer to the street. By all accounts, it was a dangerous proposition.My parents taught at a local college, now a university, and we could walk without much trouble and danger to our lives to the college where they taught from the high schools we attended.

The “calle (de) commercio,” Bonifacio Street, was a long street of one-storied wooden buildings with a variety of stores selling different items that the locals needed. No, Tuguegarao was not backwater by any means, but it was many decades away from being the busy center of commerce and education that it now is.

People were devout in those days, and Wednesday afternoons were novena days. My grandmother took us, her grandsons, in tow to the Perpetual Help Novena, and to these days, the beautiful songs of the novena and their equally moving words—“When the voyage is o’er, oh stand on the shore and show him at last to me”—move me tremendously. I have no doubts that because church was so much a center of Tuguegarao life, it had much to do with my “insistence” on being a priest. The siren sounded at 6 in the evening—and everyone, horses in midcourse included—reverently stopped and even if not all knew the Angelus, everyone knew that it was time to pray and to thank God for the day that was drawing to a close.

On Sundays, the Cathedral was packed, since parishes within Tuguegarao were yet Turn to A5

WHILE reviewing our month-on-month figures for 2017 in Taipei, the staff was quite worried about the plunge in tourist arrivals to the Philippines beginning June. This was after a healthy 23-percent increase in the first quarter of the year compared to 2016 figures.

I instructed the staff to get Department of Tourism figures on the effect of the Marawi crisis and the declaration of “martial law” on visitor arrivals from Japan, South Korea, and the other major sources of visitors to the country. This was so we would know whether the Taiwan decline was ascribable to peace-andorder perceptions, the usual dampener on tourist arrivals.

I recall how, when I headed the Philippine Tourism Authority back in the turn of the millennium, we saw visitor arrivals sorely affected by the Abu Sayyaf kidnap of Sipadan tourists who were then brought to Sulu for atrocious ransom demands. And then, there was the war against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front in Maguindanao.

Having discussed the matter of tourism from Taiwan, we went into a discussion of Philippine economic prospects, and the mood was somewhat lifted by the announcement from the Bangko Sentral about increasing remittances from about 12-million Filipinos working abroad.

Overseas Filipino worker remittances plus business process outsourcing receipts constitute our major sources of income and help shield the economy from external shocks, neutralizing internal diseconomies as well.

BSP Deputy Gov. Diwa Gunigundo reported that “we see both remittances and BPO receipts continuing to grow. They have been resilient all these years.”

That’s the good news.

And indeed, this was followed by Moody’s saying that though there were “political risks,” the Philippine economy would Turn to A5

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher can be accessed at: manilastandard.net Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandard.net

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Opinion

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

It’s a mad, MAD world WITH an unhinged North Korean leader’s itchy finger on the button and an equally temperamental United States president on the other side, we are witnessing a mad ,MAD world.

MAD, in this case, stands for Mutually Assured Destruction. While the US has the edge of a preemptive strike with Patriot missiles strategically positioned in South Korea and Japan, there is no assurance the fusillade of Intercontinental Ballistics Missiles it would unleash might not slip through to hit US territory Guam and the heavily populated West Coast cities of San Diego, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

I feel strongly and concerned about this, having a daughter living and working in San Francisco. I pray someone or North Korea’s own military cabal would put Kim Jong Un in a straitjacket, throw him in a deten-

tion cell and throw away the key.

This is the only way to avert a global nuclear war.

The scenario of a conventional war as seen in the Korean conflict between 1950 and 1953, when North Korean troops crossed over the 38th parallel and into South Korea’s territory.

Seeing North Korea getting military aid and even troop support from China, the United Nations intervened and sent in a coalition force with US ground troops at the forefront. The three-year war officially never ended but a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) along the 38th parallel was placed in effect.

In a discussion of the present tinderbox situation in the Korean Peninsula, someone asked how China and Russia would react if the US unleashes its full complement of ICBMs on Pyongyang. Almost everyone to a man said the two North Korean allies would come to the succor of Pyongyang.

I had a different view of how events would unfold,

but I kept it to myself, not wanting to look like a knowit-all and spark a heated debate. I now express my view on the volatile Korean Peninsula situation in this column.

I expect, of course, divergent views on the matter but here’s mine.

There will be the usual outrage and condemnation from Beijing and Moscow over a possible preemptive US strike against Pyongyang. But after the usual diatribe against America’s excessive use of firepower, sober heads will prevail. For one, the international community cannot really blame the US for decommissioning a nuthead like Jong Un. He has been behaving as a global bad boy, launching several test missiles over Japan and escalating tension not only in the Asia Pacific region but on a global scale.

Jong Un’s rationale for his belligerent behavior?

He claims he wants North Korea to reach a “nuclear equilibrium” with the United States. This is something he might not see in his lifetime since the US is way far too ahead in warfare technol-

ogy. Indeed, Kim Jong Un has crossed the red line.The US has to protect itself and defend against a loose canon like the North Korean leader.

Besides, who knows? Even China and Russia which are trying to rein in Jong Un might only be too glad to get rid of the loony.

There are other players like Britain, Germany , France, Canada and Australia. They figure in the equation in the alignment of forces. South Korea and Japan, which are directly in North Korea’s line of fire, will also act in its own defense. *** Here at home, President Rodrigo Duterte said he has early-stage insanity but that his arch critic Snator Antonio Trillanes IV is already on stage 3. Duterte was reacting to Trillanes’ statement that he should seek psychiatric help for challenging him to a gun duel. The heated exchange was an offshoot of Trillanes daring Duterte to sign a waiver allowing the opening of his bank accounts here and abroad. Asked by ANC news anchor Pinky Webb whether he (Trillanes)

also has secret bank accounts here and abroad, the senator categorically denied he does.

“Not in my name, relatives or friends,” said the senator.

But he accused Duterte of having secret bank accounts abroad.

Digong called the senator “Trililing,” a play on Trillanes’ surname.

Did I hear someone suggest a psychiatric test for all politicians seeking public office? This has been proposed before but the traditional politicians of course think it’s a crazy idea.

Things are really getting out of hand in the use of loose language by our politicians. Last week a visibly irate President Duterte lashed out at Commission on Human Rights Chairman Chito Gascon .

“Gascon likes to bring up the cases of minors and young men allegedly the victims of extra judicial killings. What is he, gay or a pedophile?”

Two young men—Kian delos Santos and Michael Remecio—were recently killed by cops during police operations.

Stress, stress and more stress IT IS surprising but also not.

In a recent study, Manila emerged as the tenth most stressful city in the world. If you think that’s not so bad, for perspective, war-torn Damascus in Syria is eleventh.

Baghdad, Iraq; Kabul, Afghanistan; Lagos, Nigeria; Dakar, Senegal; and Cairo, Egypt make up the top five.

A big chunk of the least stressful cities is in Europe, with four German cities in the top ten.

The study by UK-based dry-cleaning and laundry service Zipjet assessed the usual indicators: traffic levels, public transport, percentage of green spaces, but also the financial status of citizens including debt levels, their physical and mental health, and the hours of sunlight the city gets per year.

For many residents of Metro Manila, the study merely revealed something they already know. Stress is not a possibility in the capital; it is

Sweet...

From A4

continue to show strong growth.

My staff segued into a report in a Taiwan news digest, about how Taiwan would need more skilled workers but noted increased “resistance” from their own labor sector. The article also rued the fact that many young Taiwanese professionals were leaving for better-paying jobs abroad.

Ah, globalization.

The Taiwanese value education probably more than any other country in the region, indeed, even compared to the rest of the world. Most every middleaged professional you encounter has a doctorate or at least a master’s degree tucked into his bona-fides.

In a field trip sponsored

The town...

From A4

to be created. And because public address systems were unreliable, many a priest still had to make the trip from the altar to the pulpit— erected midway through the Church—ascend its steps, and then deliver his perorations in stentorian tones that made it seem to us, children, that priests were angry most of the time when deliver-

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Democrats should try this Trump speaking strategy

By Kara Alaimo THE first question the president took at his last Trump Tower press conference was about the executives then defecting from his manufacturing council. “Why do you think these CEOs are leaving?” a reporter asked.

Trump was blunt: “Because they are not taking their job seriously as it pertains to this country,” he said. “We want jobs, manufacturing in this country. If you look at some of those people that you’re talking about, they’re outside of the country. They’re having a lot of their product made outside.”

It was classic Trump-ese. The president, of course, talks several grade levels below other politicians. Politico’s Jack Shafer memorably compared his vocabulary to “a small box of Lincoln Logs,” explaining, “He prefers to link short, blocky words into other short, blocky words to create short, blocky sentences that he then stacks into short, blocky paragraphs.”

But while Trump’s language may not be very statesmanlike, it’s one of his biggest strategic advantages. To beat the president in the upcoming elections, Democrats need to start talking like him. That’s because people are more likely to believe and like messages they can easily understand. What’s more, people who use simpler language are perceived more intelligent.

Research shows that people like language that’s easier to understand because our brains derive more pleasure from information that is processed faster—something cognitive scientists call the “hedonic fluency model.”

For example, in one study, people judged familiar words (“stormy seas tossed the boat”) as more pleasant than unfamiliar words (“stormy seas tossed the lamp”)— probably because they were easier to process. The same is true in other languages. For example, one study found that in both English and German, people prefer words that are easier to pronounce.

Easy-to-understand language is also perceived as more credible. For example, one study found that people believe that sayings that rhyme (“What sobriety conceals, alcohol reveals”) are more accurate than the same sentiments presented in non-rhyming prose (“What sobriety conceals, alcohol unmasks”). In another study, college students judged familiar adages (“opposites attract”) as more accurate than the same messages expressed in less familiar ways (“People with divergent interests and personalities tend to be drawn to one another.”)

And, perhaps surprisingly, people who use simpler language come across as more intelligent. One series of experiments found that the authors of college admissions essays, translations of an essay by Descartes and a dissertation were viewed as less intelligent when the simpler words they used were replaced with longer, more complex ones. An additional study found that when words are easier to process, people have more confidence in what is being conveyed.

Another thing that helps is using simple names—such as the malicious monikersTrump has given his rivals, like “Crooked Hillary,” “Lyin’ Ted” and “Little Marco.”

In one study, people were more likely to recommend brokerage firms to investors when their names were easier to pronounce. And they thought the stocks of firms with easier names would perform better. A study of actual stock performance found that stocks with more complex names fared worse after they had been on the New York Stock Exchange for one day as well as for one month.

Trump’s elementary communication style can also work for Democrats—with one big difference. The problem for Trump is that, in addition to using simple language, he’s simple-minded. His words aren’t backed up by sophisticated policy proposals. Unlike Trump, Democrats should use basic language to describe informed, complex thoughts. As the linguist and political discourse expert George Lakoff wrote, “The right use of language starts with ideas.”

Democrats needed to start working on these ideas— and the language to describe them—now. The political scientist John Kingdon found that it takes years to convince Americans to support new political concepts. Ideas must be “softened” over time through repetition, so that citizens gradually come to support them.

The president has a head start. So Democrats need to start talk- Atty. Jimeno’s column ing like Trump now. will resume next week.

Bloomberg

a promise. Last Friday saw the usual perfect storm of weekend and payday, and an untold number of people again spent a big portion of their evening trapped in their vehicles or, worse, on stalled MRT coaches.

Lately, the stress does not just come from traffic and notoriously unreliable public transport. The barrage of political scandals, while nothing new, seems to have shifted into high gear (perhaps aggravated by the rapid pace at which they spread due to social media). One of the highlights: the threat of a nationwide imposition of Martial Law in time for its 45th anniversary on Thursday, Sept. 1.

For those who know their history, it was a matter of déjà vu: a sitting president facing a slew of scandals, protest actions left and right, and communist-led unrest as the ultimate motivation.

That the Duterte administration is particularly friendly to the Marcoses does not allay such fears. After all, one of the President’s campaign promises was the burial of the late dictator at the Libingan ng mga Bayani,

which eventually took place amid widespread condemnation. He also dangled the possibility of giving immunity to the Marcoses on the condition that they return a portion of their ill-gotten wealth.

Talk about stress. All these come in the heels of, if not simultaneously with, the threat of Marawi crisis and Martial Law in Mindanao, which some feared would spread outside the embattled city; the huge hullaballoo about the proposed P1,000 budget for the Commission on Human Rights, which many see as retaliation for the agency’s obstruction in the government and police’s bloody war on drugs.

Other things: the multibillion peso shabu shipment that nearly passed through the Bureau of Customs, climate change and weather disturbances in the US, the threat of more taxes to fund Duterte’s ambitious infrastructure program, North Korea’s increasingly unpredictable behavior, etc., etc.

“Parang wala nang gobyerno,” remarked a particularly perceptive Uber driver.

Indeed, this combination of worsening urban life in Metro Manila in addition to the incessant political scandals results in stressful living. The repercussions is not only bad for one’s health but can have consequences even in areas like productivity and political stability.

Going back to the study, models that can create a stress-free environment include carving green spaces and having a strong local economy in the case of topranked Stuttgart, the home of car companies Porsche, Bosch, and Mercedes-Benz; maintaining a reliable public transport system in the cases of Singapore and Taipei; and increasing Family Purchasing Power, which balances average household salaries with the cost of living. Munich, Luxembourg, and Sydney emerged as the top in this category.

In the case of Manila, this obviously requires reconfiguring the city’s infrastructure and mode of development, a drastic rethinking of the public transportation structure, in particular, a time efficient bus system that shifts from a multi-fran-

chise to a zonal monopoly to eliminate the “colorums” and chaotic contest for passengers in every bus stop. If government is successful in building a metro-wide mass transport solution, the jeepney problem will slowly disappear as the riding public shifts to a more convenient way to get around the city.

The developing cities in the regions must learn from the bad lessons of Metro Manila and tap the expertise of urban planners on a holistic master plan that would benefit many generations. They have the opportunity of becoming the new models of urban development and will create new potentials for growth and prosperity. A reverse exodus of workers to new jobs in the regions will greatly ease the congestion in the megapolis.

How to remedy the flurry of scandals besieging the administration? That may be a topic for another time. I just hope that all these stress points don’t climax to another destabilizing event—a situation not good for all of us.

In the meantime, try to stay cool and find a happy way to release your stress.

by the Council of Indigenous People which I took two weeks back, I had a conversation with a 25-year old interpreter who had a master’s degree in international studies and was already pursuing a doctorate in “ethnicity” in one of Taipei’s prestigious universities. And he confided that his girlfriend was soon leaving for Germany to pursue her master’s degree as a scholar in a Goethe Institute program.

So it is no wonder that Taiwanese professionals are in demand abroad, particularly in North America.

Silicon Valley in California for instance is fueled by migrant talent, from Indians to Taiwanese, to Korean, to yes, Filipinos like Dado Banatao.

Which brought us to a discussion of the Filipino diaspora.

Twelve million, likely more, of our country-

men are living and working abroad, the proverbial “greener pastures.” Here in Taiwan, we have some 137,000 of them.

Just recently, New Zealand announced it would be open to hiring as many as 10,000 Filipino workers more than they already have. The Filipino community in that exceptionally beautiful and pristine but population-sparse country at the southern edge of the world is the fastest-growing foreign sector.

Japan likewise announced its need for more Filipino contractuals. As far as Kazakhstan, or Alaska, even in Iceland upon the northern edge of the world, the demand for Filipino workers is strong.

The reason is what social scientists call our demographic “sweet spot.”

Explained very simply, while other countries “controlled” their population

growth in the face of economic realities and even visionary calculation, we in Catholic Philippines merrily propagated our species.

The result is that these countries now have an “ageing” population while ours is very young. Taiwan, for instance, has a median age of 47; ours is 23.

The domestic problem is this: How do we generate enough jobs for the almost a million new entrants to our labor force, on top of absorbing the army of unemployed, and if I may add, livelihood for the “unemployable”?

So we export brawns, and brains.

The reckless population growth has become our economic savior.

This is likely to continue for many, many years. We meet the demand for foreign-labor needs and business process outsourcing as well, regardless of Trump’s insular moods. He is, after

all, passing fancy.

But wait!

At the end of our staff discussion, I rued the fact that we were also losing our skilled workers to foreign destinations. For instance, it has become increasingly difficult to get welders and carpenters back home. The construction industry—in this epoch of Build, Build, Build—is concerned about the lack of skilled workers.

Here in Taipei, the contractors of the new American Institute building have been shuttling between our office and the intransigent DoLE officer because restrictions on direct hiring has caused them huge delays and consequent losses in trying to finish the humongous new headquarters of the American presence here. They acknowledge Filipino skilled workers as “the best in the world,” but their demand is stymied by our regulations

on direct hiring. (After ministrations by MECO with Secretary Bebot Bello and the personal assistance of OWWA Deputy Administrator Dodo Dulay), it looks like the problem will be finally resolved).

“Pluses and minuses,” I described the demographic sweet spot that has propped our economy up.

Then my executive assistant lamented, “But sir, our best are abroad, and what’s left back home are…drug addicts.” The ones who, he added, are dependents of the poor OFWs who send their hard-earned money, a case of the “bagong bayani” financing the habits of the “bangag.”

It’s more “fun” in the Philippines.

ing their sermons (the term “homily” was hardly ever used then).

Obviously there was no wifi and so people were more communicative towards each other. Conversations were highly prized; gossip was readily available. It was, in fact, one of the preferred forms of recreation. But because people talked to each other so often, communities were more tightly knit, and both in times of joy and in times of sorrow, they read-

ily came together to laugh together and to mourn together. Community did not have to be forced on us. It was no artifice, like the Church’s BECs today are.

Our community at Ugac— that section of Tuguegarao where we lived—was not necessarily as cohesive as we might imagine the Pilgrim’s communities were, but we were close to each other. I remember that one night, one of our neighbors, a lawyer and therefore my parents’ compañero, suf-

fered severe abdominal pains. His children roused my father from sleep, and, without much ado, my father drove him in our sturdy Chevrolet to the hospital.

I mourn the loss of the Tuguegarao of my childhood, and while I rejoice in the comforts and amenities we now have, the demise of serenity and sanity is certainly worth the mourning.

Contrary to all common sense, we have allowed the construction of two, even three ginormous malls in the

heart of an already asphyxiated Tuguegarao. Why, I have asked myself and others several times, could they not have been built in the towns immediately adjoining Tuguegarao? People would still have flocked to them, as malls always have a certain capacity to draw hordes of, if not shoppers, at least gawkers, and the neighboring towns could have shared in the blessings of prosperity as well. But it looks like in the Philippines, we have this penchant for making mad-

houses of what once were beautiful and peaceful towns.

When I first started taking the plane—as that was a pricey thing way to go to Manila when I was a child and so could not happen too often—one knew almost every passenger onboard.

Today, that is rare, and it is joy to recognize one face or the other. And when I asked myself whether all towns are meant to go the sad way Tuguegarao has gone, my study of the development of towns and cities provides

me with no easy answer. For some towns have kept their quaintness and, for that very same reason, their alluring and charming qualities. Others have gone bonkers, like Manila, the country’s capital madhouse. Tuguegarao has paid a high price for the “progress” that has come to it— and it is not always clear to me that it has all been worth so much that we have lost! rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

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World

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Afghans eye arming civilians KABUL―Afghanistan is considering training and arming 20,000 civilians to defend the territories where Islamic militants have been driven out, officials say, sparking fears the local forces could become another thuggish militia.

The proposal for a government-backed armed group that would protect its own communities from the Taliban and the Islamic State group comes as Afghanistan’s security forces, demoralized by killings and desertions, struggle to beat back a rampant insurgency.

But the proposal has raised concerns that the local forces could become unruly and turn into another abusive militia terrorizing the people it is supposed to defend.

“The Afghan government’s expansion of irregular forces could have enormously dangerous consequences for civilians,” said Patricia Gossman, a senior researcher at Human Rights Watch.

AFP

Hamas nods to steps to unity

GAZA CITY―Hamas said Sunday it had agreed to steps toward resolving a decade-long split with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas’s Fatah, announcing it would dissolve a body seen as a rival government and was ready to hold elections.

The statement comes after Hamas leaders held talks with Egyptian officials last week, and with the Gaza Strip run by the Palestinian Islamist movement facing a mounting humanitarian crisis.

Hamas said it had agreed to key demands made by Fatah: dissolving the socalled “administrative committee”, while saying it was ready for elections and negotiations toward a unity government.

Hamas chief Ismail Haniya agreed to take such steps in talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo last week, a Hamas official has told AFP. It was unclear, however, whether the steps would result in further concrete action toward ending the deep division with Fatah, based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. AFP

Freed French journalist arrives home PARIS―A young French reporter who had been held on terror charges in Turkey, in a case that sparked tensions with France, arrived in Paris on Sunday after being freed.

Loup Bureau, 27, arrived on board an Air France jet at Charles de Gaulle airport on a flight from Istanbul, the campaign group Reporters without Borders (RSF) said in a tweet.

After his arrival, he was taken to a VIP suite where he was effusively greeted by his family and friends. Culture Minister Francoise Nyssen was also there to welcome him.

“I am very relieved to be back,” Bureau said.

Bureau, a journalism student who has worked with the television channels TV5 and Arte and the website Slate, was detained on July 26 at Habur border post in southeastern Sirnak province on the border with Iraq. AFP

600,000 Rohingya kids may flee to Bangladesh

FLEEING THE VIOLENCE. Rohingya refugees cross floodwaters at the Thangkhali refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district on September 17, 2017. Monsoon rain amid a drive to move hundreds of thousands of Muslim Rohingya out of makeshift camps added to the misery of the refugees on September 17 who have fled the violence in Myanmar for Bangladesh. AFP

COX’S BAZAR—Some 600,000 Rohingya children could flee to Bangladesh by the end of the year, a relief group said Sunday, highlighting the scale of the humanitarian crisis triggered by the violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

More than 400,000 Rohingya Muslims have now arrived in Bangladesh from their Buddhist dominated homeland to escape violence that the United Nations says could be ethnic cleansing.

According to the UN, more than half of the refugees are children, and more than 1,100 have arrived alone after trekking mud roads and hills for days.

“That number could rise beyond one million by the end of the year if the influx continues, including about 600,000 children, according to UN agencies,” Mark Pierce, the Bangladesh chief of Save the Children charity, said.

The UN has also said it was possible that all the estimated 1.1 million Rohingya could flee Rakhine.

Bangladesh and relief agencies are struggling to cope with new arrivals sheltering on roadsides, hills and open spaces close to existing camps around Cox’s Bazar, which borders Myanmar.

Aid agencies have said thousands of Rohingya were half-starving and a major health emergency could break out.

Bangladesh has announced it will build 14,000 shelters for some 400,000 refugees but has said it was also readying a desolate island where many could be relocated. AFP

Suu Kyi set to address crisis B ANGKOK―As Rakhine state burns and Rohingya flee, Aung San Suu Kyi is preparing to address Myanmar on the crisis for the first time―a high wire act seeking to soothe global outrage without baiting an army that is again showing its teeth.

Suu Kyi took office last year as Myanmar’s first civilian leader after 50 years of junta rule.

She has since focused her energy on the delicate political dance between her civilian government and the generals who still hold many of the levers of power.

On Tuesday the Nobel laureate will give the biggest speech of her time in office.

The nationally-televised turn will break a near silence since the ulcerous ethnic and religious hatreds in western Rakhine state erupted into killings on August 25, sending 400,000 Muslim minority Rohingya fleeing into Bangladesh.

Some 30,000 ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Hindus have also been internally displaced.

In an interview with the BBC, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the stakes were high for Tuesday’s speech, calling it a “last chance” to stop the unfolding humanitarian calamity.

“If she does not reverse the situation now, then I think the tragedy will be absolutely horrible, and unfortunately then I don’t see how this can be reversed in the future,” he said.

The latest violence was sparked by Rohingya militants’ raids on 30 police posts in Rakhine state.

The UN calls the army fightback a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” with villages set ablaze to drive Rohingya civilians out.

Many abroad are puzzled as to how rights can be fla-

grantly denied to a specific group by a people who once nobly demanded their own in the face of a junta.

Suu Kyi’s televised address-likely at least in part to be in English-comes ahead of a meeting at the UN General Assembly in which Myanmar is expected to be hammered over the crisis.

But analysts say her power to stay the military is limited, and her response thus far indicates she is choosing the lesser of two evils.

“She’s signaling that her chief priority is the relationship between the government and military and that the pogrom is secondary to that,” Francis Wade, author of ‘Myanmar’s Enemy Within: Buddhist Violence and the Making of the Muslim ‘Other’’ told AFP. AFP

Russia plays up donor role in Syria DAR AL KABIRAH, Syria―At a mobile medical clinic in central Syria’s Homs province, a Russian doctor takes an elderly woman’s blood pressure.

Nearby, his colleague examines a dazed teenager on a gurney.

“Take half a pill in the morning and the second half at night,” the Russian doctor tells the woman through a translator.

The pop-up facility outside of rebel-held Dar alKabira in central Syria is one of several medical units deployed by Moscow, which

has remained a close ally of President Bashar al-Assad throughout the six-year conflict.

Russia began an air war in support of Assad in 2015, swinging the conflict in his favor, but it is now increasingly seeking to depict itself as a peacemaker and humanitarian donor in the war-devastated country.

The evidence is on clear display near Dar al-Kabira, where Russia is monitoring a “de-escalation zone” between regime and rebel forces agreed in August.

This week, civilians from

both sides could be seen lining up in separate lines to get sacks of food bearing the slogan “Russia is with you!”

Russian army Colonel Alexander Sazonov, head of the Al-Dar al-Kabira checkpoint, said the buffer zone had been set up two months ago and was already improving the situation for civilians.

“Before, there was no medical aid for five years, and people couldn’t meet their loved ones,” Sazonov said, during a tightly-controlled press tour organized by the Russian military. AFP

PREMIERE. Emma Stone attends the FIJI Water at the Battle of the Sexes Los Angeles Premiere on September 16, 2017 in Westwood, California. AFP

Leaders pledge to pressure North Korea SEOUL―US President Donald Trump and his South Korean counterpart have pledged “stronger pressure” on Pyongyang, Seoul said Sunday, after North Korea defied the tough new sanctions with a missile test and said it wanted to match American nuclear strength.

The international community is scrambling to contain an increasingly belligerent North Korea, which in recent weeks has prompted global alarm by conducting its sixth and largest nuclear test and firing long-range missiles over Japan that it says could reach the US mainland.

In a phone conversation Sunday, South Korean President Moon Jae-In and Trump “gravely condemned” the latest missile test on Friday, which came just days after United Nations Security Council announced a raft of new sanctions against Pyongyang.

“The two leaders agreed on more practical and stronger pressure... to make the North Korean regime realize that further provocation will only bring stronger diplomatic isolation and economic pressure leading to a path of collapse,” the South’s presidential office

said in a statement.

Pyongyang says it needs nuclear weapons to protect itself from “hostile” US forces and is determined to build a weapons system capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to hit the US mainland.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un, who oversaw the latest missile test, has said the launch increased the “combat power of the nuclear force”, according to the North’s official KCNA news agency.

He said the launch was part of the country’s plan to achieve “equilibrium of real force” with the US. AFP

Launching highlights intercept issues

BACKSTAGE. Lilly Hiatt, Cisco Adler, Duane Betts, G-Love and Donavon Frankenreiter are shown backstage during the 18th Annual Americana Music Festival & Conference. Jamtown (Cisco Adler, Donavon Frankenreiter and G-Love) perform at The Cannery ballroom on September 16, 2017 in Nashville, Tennessee. AFP

WASHINGTON―North Korea’s latest missile launch over Japan set sirens blaring and triggered alerts telling people to seek shelter―yet neither Tokyo nor Washington tried to shoot the rocket down.

The test follows one in August that saw another rocket soar over Hokkaido.

In that case too, the muchvaunted Japanese and US missile-intercept capabilities were not used.

Now some in the United States are wondering why all this sophisticated weap-

onry isn’t being used, especially as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un accelerates toward his goal of building a nuclear missile capable of striking the United States.

“The next time the North Koreans launch a rocket, especially one that will traverse over our ally Japan, I would hope that we shoot it down as a message to the North Koreans and to other people, like in Japan, who are counting on us,” Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher told lawmakers this week.

“Unless we demonstrate we’re willing to use force, there’s no reason for them to believe we will.”

The US Pacific Command confirmed Friday’s rocket was an intermediate-range ballistic missile, and Seoul’s defense ministry said it probably traveled around 3,700 kilometers, hurtling to a maximum altitude of 770 kilometers.

The missile, which fell in the Pacific Ocean, represented North Korea’s farthest-ever flight. AFP

Sports

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

NBA’s smart jerseys, anyone?

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OS ANGELES—Sporting a favorite player’s number can now be more than a declaration of faith, thanks to smart jerseys unveiled this weekend by Nike as part of its new partnership with the NBA.

A tap of a smartphone to a label on the jersey allows the wearer a real-time look at Kevin Durant’s statistics, Blake Griffin’s postmatch press conference, or even the music playlist an BA star uses to get motivated before a game.

The high-tech kit was unveiled on Friday night in a show featuring rapper Travis Scott, Golden

State Warriors superstar Durant and Los Angeles Clippers standout Griffin.

Frank Ntilikina, the French sensation who is poised to launch his first NBA campaign with the New York Knicks, was also on hand to tout the technology that will be available worldwide on September 29.

Stefan Olander, Nike vice president in charge of digital innovation, says the jerseys, embedded with a NFC (near field communication) chip will bring customers closer to the game than ever.

“We have access to content that cannot be found elsewhere, and we bring this unique added value to our customers with this jersey,” Olander said.

US sports apparel giant Nike becomes the official supplier to the NBA and its 30 teams in the 2017-18 season, which starts on October 20, replacing Adidas.

Signed in June 2015, the me-

ga-contract covers eight years and while the terms have not been officially announced industry experts put its value in the region of $1 billion.

The deal puts the Nike swoosh on the jersey of the reigning champion Golden State Warriors, the Cleveland Cavaliers of LeBron James, and such iconic teams as the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks.

Nike also has access to exclusive content produced by the NBA and its partners, including videos, match sequences and locker room video -- which fans will now be

able to access through their “connected jerseys”.

“We use NFC technology, the same that allows remote payment in store with Apple Pay or that serves for metro cards.

“Each shirt has its chip that allows the experience of each buyer to be fully customized” said Michael Hailey of Nike Innovation.

Information won’t just flow one way through the smart jerseys and their associated apps. Nike will know who bought specific players’ jerseys and where they are when they scan in.

Players can use them to send social media-style messages specifically to those fans who bought their jerseys.

The connected jersey will be available in two editions, one priced at $110 and one at $200 -- part of Nike’s package of four jerseys for each team.

And there’s no reason to think the technology will be limited to basketball.

“There is no reason to think that we can’t extend this experience to other sports, because in the end, what we do is bring more value to the experience of our customers,” Olander said. AFP

St. Clare clinches Group A top spot SUBIC—Defending champion St. Clare CollegeCaloocan buried Rizal Technological University with an avalanche of baskets in the payoff period to hammer out an 75-60 win and clinch the top spot in Group A in the NAASCU Season 17 basketball tournament at the LSB gym in Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Led by MVP candidate Aris Dionisio and Rafael Rebugio, the Saints opened the fourth quarter with 19 straight points and limited the Blue Thunder to only one point to turn a precarious 52-50 lead after three periods into a commanding 71-51 advantage.

The Thunder, who kept the game close and interesting in the first three quarters, never recovered from there.

Four players, led by Dionisio and Rebugio, shone brightest for the Caloocan City-based Saints of NAASCU president Dr. Jay Adalem and coach Jino

Manansala as they finished with a 6-1 win-loss record.

The Saints have won six straight games since dropping their openingday assignment to Philippine Christian University last Aug. 17 at the Cuneta Astrodome.

Dionisio finished with a double-double of 14 points (on 6-of-11 shooting) and 14 rebounds for the Saints, who are notw assured of a quarterfinal round seat with a twice-to-beat advantage.

Rebugio added 12 points, five rebounds and four assists for the Saints, who are hoping to retain the title which they won in a three-game duel against Our Lady of Fatima University last year.

Kerr Hastley Bangeles finished with 18 points and seven rebounds for RTU, which dropped to 3-4.

Overall, St. Clare made 30 of its 76 shots from the floor, including 9-of-20 from the rainbow territory compared to RTU’s 22-of80 and 5-of-18.

UE, FEU rip rivals

J.R. Smith (left) of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Demar DeRozan (right) of the Toronto Raptors debut the new jersey during the unveiling of the New NBA Partnership with Nike in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Perpetual shocks San Beda, makes chess finals PERPETUAL Help leaned on victories by Carl Zirex Sato and Jerome Angelo Aragones to pull off a shock 3-1 victory over second seed San Beda and clinch the last spot to the championship round in the juniors’ division of the 93rd NCAA chess tourna-

ment at the Lyceum of the Philippines University Auditorium.

Sato, a prized recruit from Davao, downed Gal Brien Palasigue on second board, while Aragones trounced Alfredo Balquin, Jr. on fourth board as the Junior Altas forged an inter-

esting title duel with the Letran Squires, the defending champions who hurdled the St. Benilde Junior Blazers in the semis.

John Marx Anastacio and Lou Anton Rivera drew with Brent Lenard Alanan and John Philip Oncita on the first and

Guirhem, Pason grab Shell chess lead

DONATION. Philippine Sports Institute Mindanao coordinator Prof. Henry Daut (left) receives the replica check representing $3,000 as donation from the Korean Institute in Sports Science, intended for the victims of war in Marawi City during the culmination of the two-day coaching seminar and education held at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.

Cayabyab finishes 3rd in HK; Ilas is 4th

FIFTH seed Fiona Guirhem took charge in the juniors’ division, while No. 2 Allan Pason upended top seed Felix Balbona in the sixth round to wrest control in seniors play halfway through the 25th Shell National Youth Active Chess Championship Visayas leg at SM City Cebu last Saturday.

Top seed Jerish Velarde and No. 20 Jeraian Cagang, on the other hand, posted 5.5 points each to share the lead in the kiddies’ side of the fifth and final regional eliminations of the country’s longest talent-search sponsored

by Pilipinas Shell.

Guirhem, a mainstay of Central Philippines University, toppled Braven Maralil, Adelyn Bensi and Marie Valencia, drew with Cyril Telesforo then trampled Remegio Galenzoga III and Jeremy Tanudra to set the pace in the 13-16 age bracket with 5.5 points.

But eight others stood just half-a-point behind, including top seed Chris Pondoyo, Manilyn Cabungcag, Jave Peteros, Alphecca Gonzales, Jane Quinanola, Reishi Polan, Telesforo and Tanudra, guaranteeing a fierce battle

in the last three rounds of the two-day tournament sanctioned by the National Chess Federation of the Philippines.

Earlier, Sankie Simbulan, Social Investment manager of Shell Companies in the Philippines, and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. Retail Territory manager Greg Moratin made the ceremonial moves, kicking off the two-day tournament where the top two plus the top female players in each division will advance to the national finals set Oct. 7-8 at SM Mall of Asia.

third boards, respectively, to complete the stunning triumph.

The Las Pinas-based chessers will try to complete their Cinderella finish as they tackle a heavily favored Letran, which beat the former, 3-1, in the eliminations.

UNIVERSITY of the East won two in a row, while Far Eastern University rediscovered its winning ways yesterday in the UAAP Season 80 women’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Love Sto. Domingo produced an all-around game of 15 points, 17 boards, two blocks, two steals and two assists as the Lady Warriors downed University of the Philippines, 52-42.

The Lady Tamaraws, with Valerie Mamaril and Precious Arellado teaming up for 31 markers, handed Ateneo its first loss of the season with a 64-58 win.

UE and FEU forged a three-way tie in third place with Ateneo at 2-1.

Defending champion National University and University of Santo Tomas are the remaining undefeated teams in the tournament with identical 2-0 card.

The Lady Maroons, meanwhile, are still winless in three contests.

Lady Chiefs eye key win over TIP spikers Games today 8 a.m. – UST vs NU (men’s) 10 a.m. – St. Benilde vs FEU (men’s) 4 p.m. – St. Benilde vs UP (women’s) 6:30 p.m. – TIP vs Arellano (women’s)

ARELLANO University tries to rebound from a shutout loss to Adamson as it faces winless Technological Institute of the Philippines, hoping to fuel its semis drive with a victory in the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference at The Arena in San Juan today.

The Lady Chiefs swept the St. Benilde Lady Blazers and the San Beda Red Spikers but got swept by the unbeaten Adamson Lady Falcons to drop to joint second with the Red Spikers heading to the homestretch of the single-round robin elims in two-division tournament organized by Sports Vision.

The Bustillos-based squad, however, remains confident of its chances against TIP in their 4 p.m. clash with Jovielyn Prado, Mary Anne Esguerra and Regine Arocha tipped to lead the Lady Chiefs’ charge again.

But on the brink with a 0-3 card, the Lady Engineers are going all-out to score a reversal although Jean Jinon

HONG KONG – Young Annyka Cayabyab rallied with a 69 and snatched third place in the Hong Kong Ladies Open Amateur Championship won by Taiwanese Hou Yu-sang in come-frombehind fashion here late Friday.

Cayabyab, a four-time Veritas world junior titlist, fought back from earlier rounds of 74 and 72 with a strong finish, her threeunder card and a 215 placing her behind Hou (210) and another Taiwanese Lin Jieen (213) in the 54-hole championship at the up-and-down Hong Kong Golf Club’s New Course in Fanling.

Erstwhile Filipina contender Bernice Olivarez-Ilas wavered at the finish again and wound up fourth at 216 after a 71. The Country Club mainstay blew a three-under card with two holes to go as Among the many celebrities who joined RWM President & CEO Kingson Sian (2nd from left) and RWM Assistant Director she three-putted No. 17 and bogeyed the for Public Relations Archie Nicasio (rightmost) in the 2nd Run With Me charity race were Aubrey Miles, Troy Montero, Meg Imperial, Rovilson Fernandez and Jeffrey Santos last hole on an errant approach.

But Hou dominated the last 18 holes as she bounced back from a three-over 75 in the second round with a solid eight-under 64 for a six-under 210 to CLOSE to 5,000 early risers assembled almost 2,000 more than RWM’s 3,000 showed their support included Kim romp off with a three-stroke victory at McKinley West in Taguig City on target. Through the collective efforts of all Chiu, Arjo Atayde, Teresa Loyzaga, over Lin, who shot a 69 for a 213.

Sept. 10 to participate in Resorts World participants, sponsors, and celebrity lead- Diego Loyzaga, Luanne Dy, and Jason “I gave it my best but the TaiwanManila’s 2nd Run With Me celebrity ers, a generous total of 3 million pesos was Zamora of the Manoeuvres to name a ese girl (Hou) played so well,” said the charity race. raised for the various beneficiaries chosen few. Veteran running coach Rio Dela 15-year-old Olivarez-Ilas, who also boWhat started out in 2016 as an initia- by participating celebrity leaders.

Cruz served as co-organizer of the race. geyed the last hole in the second round tive for employees only to promote health, Among the celebrity leaders who Run With Me was divided into three and fell one stroke off the pace. wellness, and camaraderie is now a major guided five teams to the finish line categories with 21K, 10K, and 5K distancAnother TCC ace Sofia Chabon charity event that attracted fitness enthusi- were Troy Montero and Aubrey Miles, es. The celebrity leaders were in charge of carded a 70 and ended up seventh at 218 asts and novice runners alike.

Cristine Reyes and Ali Khatibi, Gian prepping and inspiring their respective behind the 217s of local star Isabella Attendance of this year’s Run With Me Magdangal, Meg Imperial, and Rovil- teams before gun start, aside from competLeung and Huang Yu-ping of Taiwan, was over six times more than in 2016, and son Fernandez. Other celebrities who ing in their chosen distances. who closed out with similar 71s.

Resorts World’s Run With Me raises P3M for charity

and Eunice Mabayao would need to draw solid backup from the bench to neutralize the Lady Chiefs’ edge in talent and experience.

University of the Philippines, on the other hand, seeks to stay in the semis hunt as it faces another winless squad in St. Benilde (02) at 4 p.m.

With a 1-1 mark, the Lady Maroons are in the thick of the race with Diana Carlos, Isa Molde, Marian Buitre raring to go against the likes of Ranya Musa, Marites Pablo and Klarissa Abriam of the former NCAA champion Lady Blazers.

Matches can be viewed live via streaming on www.sports.abs-cbn.com/ livestream/pvl.

Adamson and National U moved closer to the Final Four with 3-0 cards in their respective divisions with the Lady Falcons sweeping the Lady Engineers, 25-12, 2514, 25-13, in Group B and the Lady Bulldogs rallying past the Lady Tams, 22-25, 28-26, 29=27, 25-22, in Group A last Saturday.

Meanwhile, four teams try to keep slim semis hopes alive in men’s division with UST (2-2) clashing with National University (1-2) at 8 a.m. and UP (1-3) battling St. Benilde (0-3) at 10 a.m.

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

P0 M+ P0 M

Sports

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

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MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

Maroons smash Warriors, 84 to 71

By Peter Atencio Games Wednesday (MOA Arena) 2 p.m. NU vs UST 4 p.m. Adamson vs La Salle PAUL Desiderio was hot with his three pointers, while big man Ibrahim Ouattara dominated the boards to power the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons to a 84-71 smashing of the University of the East Warriors in the UAAP Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Araneta Coliseum Sunday.

Playing his best game in three outings, Desiderio top-scored with 28 points and struck hardest in the third period as the Maroons went on to post their second win in three games.

Outtara came up with a double-double output of 14 points and 18 rebounds for the Maroons, who turned the tables on the Warriors after their foes led by as much as 11 in the second period.

Coach Bo Perasol said the Fighting Maroons were able to rebound from their 71-92 loss to the Ateneo Blue Eagles in a big way.

“We were able to bounce back after we were outplayed in the first minutes. I encouraged Ibrahim to be a factor for us,” said Perasol.

With Clark Derige leading with 21 points and nine rebounds, the Warriors took charge with a 17-7 run behind Derige, Alvin Pasaol and Mark Maloles, as they went on to grab a 27-18 spread at the end of the first quarter and stay ahead, 42-38, at halftime.

But the Maroons were able to catch up and overtake the Warriors on three triples unleashed by Desiderio in the last 6:38 of the third quarter, 53-48.

Desiderio tallied 16 points for UP, which held Derige scoreless in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

With Outtara making his presence felt inside the paint, UP limited UE to seven points and finish the third with a 64-49 spread off Jerson Prado’s driving shot at the buzzer.

Meanwhile, Thirdy Ravena banged in 18 points, while Anton Asistio provided 16 points for defending champion Ateneo, which repulsed Far Eastern University, 94-82.

Gennady Golovkin (right) exchanges blows with Canelo Alvarez during their WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight championship fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP

Alvarez wants rematch

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AS VEGAS—Three-belt champ Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez look set to rule the resurgent middleweight division for years to come after their 12-round slugfest Saturday which fittingly ended in a stalemate.

“It was a great fight,” said boxing promoter Oscar De La Hoya. “This is one of the best fights we have seen in recent years.”

Golovkin, who was making his Las Vegas debut, and Mexico’s biggest star Alvarez delivered on all levels as two of boxing’s pound-for-pound best met at the T-Mobile Arena Saturday in a highly-anticipated

fight that was two years in the making.

The evenly-matched fight ended in a draw which meant Kazakhstan’s Golovkin would keep his World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation belts.

Alvarez says he would use his rematch clause for a second fight against knockout

king Golovkin, who has now gone the distance his last two fights. In March, he had his streak of 23 consecutive knockouts snapped when he outpointed Daniel Jacobs.

“We knew going into this it would be a war,” said Golovkin’s trainer Abel Sanchez.

Golovkin will earn a $3 million purse and Alvarez will make $5 million.

Golovkin is considered one of the fittest athletes in boxing and he needed every ounce of that conditioning and every extra breath of air to withstand the force of Alvarez’s body and head punches.

Some said Golovkin was showing his age as Jacobs had

an unexpected surge over the final three rounds before losing by a narrow decision.

Alvarez doesn’t think Golovkin is ripe for the picking but says he might have lost some of the fear factor.

“He has a different power than others I have faced,” Alvarez said of Golovkin. “But he is not the monster everybody is talking about. I didn’t feel that.”

Golovkin has 19 straight title defences and now needs just one more victory to tie Bernard Hopkins for the most middleweight title defences in a row at 20.

Golovkin waited a long time to get his first fight on

Blackwater completes quarterfinal roster

By Jeric Lopez THE quarterfinals cast is complete.

Blackwater clinched the last berth in the quarterfinals after putting down GlobalPort, 118-107, in a critical game in the homestretch of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’

Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City yesterday.

A week after surprisingly being shipped, Allein Maliksi immediately made his presence felt, leading the Elite’s attack and scoring 22 points right away to go with five rebounds.

Roi Sumang wasn’t too far behind, registering 21 points of his own for more offense for the Elite.

With GlobalPort star Terrence Romeo getting thrown out after being called for a flagrant foul penalty two at the 5:01 mark of the second period, Blackwater capitalized and never looked back.

The Elite carried a doubledigit lead, 62-51, at the half and took care of business as well in the last 24 minutes to easily

cruise to victory.

With this vital win, the Elite claimed the last spot in the next round as it improved to 5-5, eliminating GlobalPort (3-7) and Alaska (3-7) in the process.

The teams that will advance to the quarters are Barangay Ginebra, Meralco, NLEX, San Miguel, TNT KaTropa, Star, Rain or Shine and Blackwater.

Young blood prevails in URCC’s Battle Extreme YOUNG blood prevailed over a veteran fighter in a classic battle of two “TRex” in Manila.

Drex Zamboanga, a 24-year-old top bet of Top Guys International, pinned down his older mixed martial arts opponent, 35-year-old Rex de Lara of MUMMA/Fight Factory for the elegant belt and the vacant title in the main event of the URCC-CF Battle Extreme Tournament of Superstars 3 at the PAGCOR Casino Filipino in Manila Bay Hotel in Ermita, Manila recently.

The fighters, both nicknamed ‘T-Rex,’ engaged in a fierce exchange of attacks until the middle of the penultimate round when Drex caught De Lara napping at the mat with his ferocious attacks en route to winning his first major international victory, the world URCC/ MMA bantamweight crown.

In the other mainer, Filipino bet John Adajar of Hitman MMA beat top Korean rival Lee Min Hyeok [Crazy Gwang Gym] via split decision for the welterweight plum, while another Korean bet in Moon Syeung Gyu took sweet revenge for his

countryman, knocking out Southeast Asian Fighting Championship title holder Ruel Rio [Yaw Tan] in only 42 seconds of the first round of their welterweight title clash.

The tournament was organized by Universal Reality Combat Championship of founding president Prof.

Alvin Aguilar and presented by Casino Filipino of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, led by AVP-Entertainment czar Jimmy Bondoc.

In other fight night cards, Jim Kimmayong of the Elements MMA, decisioned Eff Sevilla of Team Fight Republic, Blackwater’s KG Canaleta (right) tries to maneuver his way around GlobalPort’s Ryan Arana in a PBA Governors’ Cup game at the Ynares Center in Antipolo. while Lucky Mateo of Fight Corporation beat Crisz Aplicador of Hitman MMA. Michael Fengki of FC won via the scorecards Instead, it will be the are marathon queen

By Peter Atencio over Arvin Bongala of national sports associa- Mary Joy Tabal, triathlon ACT MMA, while Arvin THE 25 athletes that the tion which help them in champions Nikko HuelPhilippine Sports Com- the process of identifying gas, gymnast Carlo Yulo Chan of DEN MMA demission will support the athletes, who deserve and Kiyomi Watanabe. feated Paulo Almendrela The three are among until the 2020 Tokyo such support from the in a verbal tapout at 1:15 PSC. the athletes who got their Olympics are mostly of the first round.

“We are not selecting cash incentives from gold medallists from the Meanwhile, Ariel Olirecent 2017 Southeast these athletes. But we’re President Duterte for varez of Brown House basing it from the results of their winning campaign Asian Games.

MMA, won via TKO over PSC Chairman William the SEA Games. We have the SEA Games.

Eddie Estrada of Yaw Yan A total of 24 gold, 33 “Butch” Ramirez said it’s been monitoring these athBuhawi in the first round, silver, and 64 bronze mednot up to the PSC to choose letes,” said Ramirez.

Among the gold med- als were collected during while Pepito Masangkay the national athletes whom it will support until the next allists that the PSC is the SEA Games in Kuala of DEN MMA stopped committing to support Lumpur, Malaysia.

Olympics.

William “Butch” Ramirez Oyo Cruz of Hitman MMA via TKO.

PSC to support 25 athletes all the way to Tokyo

boxing’s biggest stage in the United States. He has fought in 22 cities and seven different countries but never before in Sin City.

This fight should have already happened and Golovkin had to push hard to get a deal.

But it was left to marinate until there was no other option for Alvarez, who was fighting for just the second time over 155-pounds.

Golovkin wasn’t going to let anything distract him while training for this fight. He even missed the birth of his daughter on September 8 because he was in the gym training for the fight.

His wife, Alina, gave birth to the couple’s second child. AFP

Paralympics veteran gives PH 1st medal in KL games KUALA LUMPUR—Arthus Bucay, a Paralympics veteran and an Asian Games medal winner, handed Team Philippines its first medal by racing to a silver in the men’s kilometer C5 track event of cycling in yesterday’s opening of the ninth ASEAN Para Games at the Velodrome Nasional Malaysia in Nilai Negeri Sembilan here.

The 37-year-old Bucay, who raced in the 2012 London Paralympics and 2014 Incheon Asian Para Games where he pocketed a bronze, timed in an hour, 15 minutes and 4.32 seconds to snare the silver in the event where he wasn’t expected to deliver.

“Ilang beses lang kaming naka-train sa event na ito dahil dinagdag lang ito nu’ng huli.

Buti na lang naka medalya pa,” said PH cycling coach Norberto Oconer, himself a former cycling Olympian.

Malaysian Zuhaire Bin Amad Tarimzi booked the gold in 1:09.690, while Indonesian Sufyan Saori claimed the bronze in 1:19.170.

Bucay, who had an accident in a cycling race in 2013 that led to an operation that left him with a disproportioned pair of legs, go for the gold in the 4000m individual pursuit at 4:30 p.m. today.

In table tennis at the Hall 8 of the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre, Billy Smith Cartera and Darwin Salvacion routed Cambodia’s Voy Yasal and Ch Parnsamoth, 3-0, in the men’s event TT4 of table tennis that practically assured them of at least a bronze.

After seizing the first two singles’ matches, Cartera and Salvacion then sealed the match with a quick, merciless 11-8, 111, 11-6 win over Yasal and Parnsamoth in the doubles.

“This win assures us of a bronze because there are only four entries in this division,” said table tennis mentor Louise Mark Eballa.

DoF: Economy must diversify to lift peso B3

Business

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

SMC cuts plastic bottling unit IN BRIEF

By Jenniffer B. Austria

C

ONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. said over the weekend it will discontinue its plastic bottled water line under the Purewater brand in a bid to reduce its environmental footprint.

MRT hub set to begin construction THE Department of Transportation said it will start the construction of a common station that will link Metro Manila’s overhead train system in Quezon City before the end of this month.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said the groundbreaking for the P2.8billion common station for Light Rail Transit Line 1, Metro Rail Transit Line 3 and the planned MRT 7 was scheduled on Sept. 29.

Tugade said SM Prime Holdings Inc. filed a motion before the Supreme Court to remove the temporary restraining order on the common station project.

The common station proposal started in 2009 but was put on hold due to legal issues.

The Light Rail Transit Authority signed a deal with SMPHI to build the station near SM North EDSA. Five years later, the Transportation Department decided to build the station near Ayala’s Trinoma citing reasons to cut costs. The court intervened and issued a temporary restraining order in favor of SMPHI to stop the construction of the project. The parties agreed to build the station between SM and Trinoma. Darwin G. Amojelar

China firms keen on water projects in PH SIX Chinese companies expressed interest to bid for the construction of the Chico River Pump Irrigation Project in Cagayan and Kalinga provinces and the New Centennial Water Source-Kaliwa Dam project in Quezon province, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said over the weekend.

The Chico River Pump Irrigation Project and Kaliwa Dam Project are two among the 75 flagship infrastructure projects already in the pipeline.

“Under the Chinese protocol, we agreed with the Chinese that for their projects, they will name three candidate bidders,” Dominguez said.

“Only the Chinese companies, because that is part of the loan agreement with them,” he said. Dominguez said these companies would most likely subcontract some of the projects to create opportunities for local firms to take part in the big-ticket undertakings.

“For the Kaliwa dam, it’s China Energy Engineering Co. Ltd., China Power Ltd., and a consortium of Guangdong Foreign Construction Co. Ltd. and Guangdong Yuantian Engineering Co. Ltd.,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez said for the Chico River project, the short list included China/CAMC Engineering Co. Ltd., China GeoEngineering Corp. and Qingdao Municipal Construction Group Ltd. Julito G. Rada

Foreign debt falls to $72.5b THE country’s foreign debt declined 6.7 percent to $72.5 billion as of end-June from $77.7 billion a year ago, on net debt principal repayments by both the public and private sectors, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo said over the weekend.

Guinigundo said in a statement the decrease was partly brought about by the negative foreign exchange revaluation adjustments of $1.2 billion arising from strengthening of the US dollar against other currencies, particularly the yen and the Philippine peso.

The end-June debt stock was also $1.3 billion or 1.8 percent lower than $73.8 billion recorded as of end-March.

Public sector external debt went down to $37.5 billion (51.7 percent of total debt stock) in the second quarter from $37.7 billion in the first quarter, due to a $122-million decline in non-residents’ investments in public sector debt papers issued offshore and net repayments of $121 million.

Private sector debt similarly dropped to $35 billion (48.3 percent of total) in the second quarter from $36.1 billion in the first quarter. Julito G. Rada

SMART-METRO PARTNERSHIP. Smart Communications teams up with Metro Retail Stores Group Inc., one of the country’s top retailers, making its products and services more accessible to millions of subscribers. With the partnership, Smart, TNT and Sun Prepaid Cards, SIM packs and Smart Bro devices will now be sold in Metro Stores. Shown during the signing of the agreement are (from left) Smart center head for key accounts acquisition team George Gordon, head of key accounts Princesita Katigbak and head of consumer wireless division sales and distribution Alex Caeg, Metro Retail chief strategy officer Jonathan Juan Moreno, vice president for corporate affairs Anna Marie Periquet and deputy chief merchandising officer Karan Malani.

Dominguez declines award from WB publication

By Julito G. Rada FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III declined to accept an award as “Finance Minister of the Year” for East Asia Pacific from a joint publication of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

An official of the Finance Department said Dominguez, the leader of the government’s economic team, did not want to receive the award from the GlobalMarkets, the newspaper of

the International Monetary Fund/World Bank Annual Meeting in October, because the finance chief was just “performing” his job as a member of the present administration.

The GlobalMarkets said it chose Dominguez as the Finance Minister of the Year for East Asia Pacific region because of his efforts in pushing for the comprehensive tax reform program that was expected to further boost economic growth.

Marc Gregory Crisosto-

mo, head executive assistant of the Office of the Finance Secretary, said in a letter to GlobalMarkets managing editor Toby Fildes that Dominguez was grateful for being chosen from among a group of distinguished finance ministers in the region.

“Thank you for noting the efforts of the Department of Finance to pass the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program and to usher in the Golden Age of Infrastructure of the Philippines.

The Secretary is not alone

in this fight for a more inclusive economy,” Crisostomo said.

Crisostomo quoted Dominguez as saying that the Cabinet worked had under the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte.

“Thus, it is with deep regret that Secretary Dominguez declines the honor of this award as he is just performing his duties as the Secretary of Finance. As he always tells his staff, the development of the nation is a team effort,” the letter said.

San Miguel said in a statement the move was in line with the strategy to promote sustainability across its various businesses.

“The plastic bottled water business has given us good returns, but we are choosing to forego it in favor of our long-term sustainability goals,” San Miguel president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said.

“As we’ve transformed into a diversified business with interests in critical industries like power, infrastructure, public utilities and fuels, we realize we have a much bigger role to play in tackling the most pressing social and environmental issues,” Ang said.

Ang said while the conglomerate would discontinue its plastic bottle water line, the “Purewater” brand would continue through San Miguel’s investment in filtration technology that would be deployed during calamities to make safe drinking water available to displaced and affected families in lieu of environmentally unsustainable bottled water.

“Leaving a business like the plastic water bottle business while at

How SMDC succeeded in building homes for Filipinos HENRY Sy’s businesses expanded from selling shoes to building homes, a legacy that was passed on to his son, SM Prime Holdings Inc. chairman Henry Sy Jr. who is making his own mark.

SM Development Corp. set the trend for urban vertical living amid the need to address the country’s housing backlog of over 5.5 million units. “I want the Philippines to be a nation of home owners. At the moment, we are selling 15,000 to 20,000 units a year and we want to increase that to provide more families with homes,” Henry Sy Jr. said.

This year, SMDC is celebrating its 10th year in the business with 31 projects and more than 50,000 units delivered to residents. The growth of the business became rapid after the launch of Mezza Residences in 2006.

The key to SMDC’s success was anchored on finding its market niche―families and professionals who aspire for a better life, look for new experiences and are

equipped with increased spending power in a growing Philippine economy. Its simple and successful proposition: to provide accessible and affordable homes with five-star amenities across the country.

SMDC developed properties in key cities in Metro Manila and now in the provinces that offer accessibility to major transport terminals as well as malls and retail podiums and other basic services.

Convenience is the name of the game, said Sy who saw and felt its importance while briefly living in Hong Kong during the mid-1980s until the early 1990s.

“Convenience is very important. I want to give Filipinos a chance to own homes in good, premium areas such as those beside a mall or transport terminal or build a mall within the condominium itself to provide residents with convenience,” he said.

SMDC has complemented convenience with innovation on amenities and de-

SMDC provides generous spaces for five-star amenities such as in Field Residences, one of its earlier developments in Parañaque City.

signs. Among them are the cinema in Light Residences, Sky Lounges in Princeton, Coast and Breeze Residences, island amenities in Shore Residences, a huge clubhouse and sports complex in Wind Residences, large swimming pools in Field Residences, linear parks in Trees Residences, a retail podium in Jazz that boasts of a delectable mix of dining concepts, to name a few.

SMDC also launched an-

other first this year by introducing medium-rise building project outside of Metro Manila like the Cheer Residences in Marilao, Bulacan that rises about five story high. SMDC also unveiled its maiden house and lot project and its maiden foray into economic housing in Pampanga. Nestled in Mabalacat town, Cheerful Homes offers an affordable integrated residential community that has its own commercial area, transport

hub, property management and a hectare of amenities.

In 2016, SMDC entered China’s real estate industry with its Silk Residences showroom in SM City Chengdu, that was well-received by the international market.

Albert Yu of Asya, SMDC’s long-time architect, said listening closely and observing what the market needs is important in coming up with innovation.

“In Asya, our culture is to design with a purpose. One of the things that is important to us is the habitable size of the residence for the buyer,” Yu said.

Sy remains upbeat on the residential market, saying that SMDC’s growth will likely accelerate in the next five years. One of the main factors that will ensure the company’s drive forward he says are the people behind SMDC, a sales force of about 1,700, who are empowered to be part of the decision process and to promote the projects like owners.

Busan asks DOTr to check real cause of MRT3 technical glitches

By Darwin G Amojelar service interruptions of the continuing occurrence of BUSAN Universal Rail Inc., the maintenance provider of Metro Rail Transit Line 3, asked the Department of Transportation to investigate why technical glitches and service interruptions continue to persist despite proper maintenance of the line.

Busan, in a letter to MRT3 general manager Rodolfo Garcia, pushed for the conduct of a probe “to confirm that the MRT3 design flaws are the primary reason for the recurring

system.”

The service provider noted that during the first year of MRT3 operations in 2000 when the trains were all brand new, the system recorded a total of 1,492 glitches. The glitches climbed to 1,927 in 2008 and 2,199 in 2009.

Busan said the original system flaws, compounded by overloading and excessive vibrations and poor track condition that lead to failure of electronic, electrical and mechanical parts, resulted in the

glitches and stoppages.

It said despite these recurring problems, Busan successfully minimized the occurrence of glitches to 992 as of mid-June in 2017 from 2,776 in 2015.

Busan legal counsel and spokesperson Charles Mercado said the maintenance provider was open to an extensive system audit to once and for all produce an indepth factual report of the current status of the system as opposed to putting all the blame to the maintenance contractor.

Mercado said that “no action has been taken” by Transport Undersecretary for rails Cesar Chavez on the design issues of the system.

“Since, it is undoubtedly DOTr-MRT3’s primary objective to serve the interest of the riding public, we look forward to your profound support regarding the [issues in MRT3,]” Busan’s letter to Garcia stated.

Mercado said DOTr should also start the rail replacement as soon as possible to help minimize or eliminate these glitches.

The bidding for the rail replacement was already conducted by DOTr, but its actual implementation has been delayed for almost a year now, he said.

Mercado assured the government that Busan was moving forward to meet its commitment of train reliability, safety and comfort for the ridership.

The company restored an average of two to three cars every month since its contract started, fielding up to 22 trains (consisting of three cars each) during peak periods.

the same time helping build the basic right of all Filipinos to safe and affordable fresh water is a big step to a sustainable future,” the conglomerate said.

San Miguel announced in March its most ambitious sustainability program by cutting domestic and utility use of water by 50 percent by 2025.

San Miguel said it would roll out an integrated water management system across its entire operations.

Water is an essential ingredient to many of San Miguel’s brands. For instance, beer is 90-percent water, and liquor is around 85-percent water.

San Miguel said to implement the ambitious plan, it would minimize the amount of water it draws from ground water sources and would also reuse and recycle process water and harvest rainwater.

The company said it could also utilize surface runoff water (usually excess stormwater) from mountains, creeks and rivers and filter and store these for irrigation.

San Miguel is currently developing the P16-billion Bulacan Bulk Water Project.

MGB cuts procedures for mining permits

By Anna Leah E. Gonzales THE Mines and Geosciences Bureau said over the weekend it will rationalize the requirements for different types of mining applications.

MGB said the plan was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to all government agencies to reduce the number of requirements in applying for permits.

It said the streamlining would apply to applications for exploration permit, mineral production sharing agreement, declaration of mining project feasibility, mineral processing permit, industrial sand and gravel permit, operating agreement and deed of assignment for MPSA. MGB said that from 19 and 10 documentary requirements for new and renewal of EP, respectively, the requirements would be reduced to 15 and 8, respectively.

For MPSA renewal, the 16 documentary requirements would be lessened to six.

MGB said the 16 and nine documentary requirements for DMPF for integrated MPSA and EP would be cut down to 15 and eight, respectively.

For MPP renewal, the 13 documentary requirements would be reduced to 10.

For new and renewal of ISGP, the 20 and 13 documentary requirements would be cut down to 16 and four, respectively.

B2

Business

MONDAY,SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Conglomerate Ayala weighs move to invest in green cars AYALA Corp., the Philippines’ oldest conglomerate, plans to invest $150 million in automobile manufacturing, taking advantage of a global move toward green cars as it expands outside its core businesses of property and banking.

“We see a shift taking place in the automobile sector—the coming to an end of the combustion engine and the move to electronics as the main driver of cars,” Ayala Corp. chairman and chief executive officer Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala told Haslinda Amin in a Bloomberg Television interview on Friday.

Several car dealerships and an electronic-manufacturing subsidiary that supplies half of its output to automotive manufacturers provide Ayala an avenue

to “overweight the sector that’s going through massive disruption,” he said.

The Manila-based group is among the latest in Asia seeking to tap the burgeoning market for zero-emission vehicles as countries including China, UK and France plan banning sales of fossil-fuel powered cars in a few years to battle pollution. Ayala acquired German autoparts supplier MT Misslbeck Technologies this year, while a venture with European motorcycle-maker KTM AG has started manufacturing for China and Southeast Asia, Zobel said.

Earlier this year, the company consolidated its assets in electronic manufacturing and vehicle dealership under unit AC Industrial Technology Holdings Inc. Bloomberg

Market to test 8,300 on favorable outlook

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

HARE prices this week are expected to test the 8,300-point level on the overall positive outlook on the economy.

Analysts said reports that the Senate would try to pass the tax reform program close to the proposal of the Department of Finance as well as positive unemployment data were boosting investor confidence on the domestic economy.

“Chartwise, the week’s close at 8,180.85 highlights the market is gaining momentum to sustain the rally above 8,000. If the rally is sustained, we continue to see a

breakout of a consolidation and could lead to a test of at least 8,300 levels,” BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said.

The end of the ghost month on September 19 could also boost trading in the coming days.

PSE president Ramon Monzon attributed the market’s strong performance to the favorable outlook in the economy.

“Market sentiment continues to be positive buoyed by the favorable outlook of analysts on the overall market. This optimism was again validated with the market closing today at yet another record high and with trading value exceeding P11 billion. We remain hopeful that our market levels and trading volumes continue to be robust,” Monzon said.

After one month of consolidation, the PSEi last week jumped 1.97 percent to close at a new alltime high of 8,180.85, while the broader All Shares Index surged 1.53 percent to 4,836.33 on strong macroeconomic fundamentals despite political risks.

Manila Standard BuSineSS Weekly StockS revieW STOCKS

SEPTEMBER 11-15, 2017 Close Volume

AG Finance Asia United Bank Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI China Bank BDO Leasing & Fin. INc. Bright Kindle Resources COL Financial Eastwest Bank Filipino Fund Inc. First Abacus I-Remit Inc. Manulife Fin. Corp.

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

PB Bank Phil Bank of Comm Phil. National Bank Phil. Savings Bank Philippine trust Co. PSE Inc. RCBC `A’ Security Bank Sun Life Financial Union Bank Vantage Equities

4.64 59.8 128.90 101.00 35.95 3.88 1.75 15.9 32.15 8.30 0.68 1.64 910.00 0.710 88 0.91 13.12 25.50 60.50 88 114.6 237.6 50.55 247.4 1805.00 86.80 1.4

4,437,195 178,990 14,508,650 10,949,850 316,100 51,000 19,153,000 59,400 4,492,300 26,000 45,000 162,000 2,130 6,798,000 13,147,220 2,092,000 214,600 2,100 277,490 1,160 420 160,410 322,420 3,220,170 505 45,990 114,000

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Basic Energy Corp.

Bogo Medelin C. Azuc De Tarlac Cemex Holdings Century Food Chemphil Conc. Aggr. ‘A’ Cirtek Holdings (Chips) Concepcion Crown Asia Da Vinci Capital Del Monte DNL Industries Inc. Eagle Cement Emperador Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) EEI Euro-Med Lab First Gen Corp.

First Holdings ‘A’ Ginebra San Miguel Inc. Holcim Philippines Inc. Integ. Micro-Electronics Ionics Inc Jollibee Foods Corp.

LMG Chemicals Mabuhay Vinyl Macay Holdings Manila Water Co. Inc. Maxs Group Megawide Mla. Elect. Co `A’ MG Holdings Panasonic Mfg Phil. Corp.

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petron Corporation Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Phil H2O Pilipinas Shell Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

Pryce Corp. `A’ RFM Corporation Roxas and Co. Roxas Holdings San Miguel ‘Pure Foods `A’ SFA Semicon Shakeys Pizza SPC Power Corp.

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vivant Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

40.9 9.2 0.8 1.47 23.05 0.238 125 22.20 5.8 17.4 165.3 80 36.7 64 1.94 6 11.56 10.400 15.36 7.20 7.00 14.66 1.8 19 68.5 13.90 12.78 16.54 1.910 243.00 4.45 3.35 23.20 31.4 20.5 17.02 276.00 0.231 11.78 3.05 10.62 6.80 7.27 68.35 9.96 1.80 12.50 6.5 4.30 2 4.38 310 2.75 12.72 4.5 0.145 1.22 153.9 3.71 2.29 28.05 0.99

7,367,900 4,927,300 5,119,000 5,521,000 453,900 4,800,000 1,380 165,000 18,535,800 2,788,800 20 7,600 2,998,100 21,660 937,000 1,885,800 99,900 20,717,500 6,129,200 3,329,600 29,087,300 5,438,000 76,000 11,929,100 512,550 4,100 481,800 21,085,100 5,234,000 3,269,090 3,833,000 227,000 6,900 7,663,700 3,532,400 8,075,400 1,600,690 5,490,000 355,100 1,830,000 18,286,300 501,800 336,400 4,755,440 9,500 2,951,000 4,737,600 2,019,400 65,000 41,000 154,000 106,760 6,365,000 4,905,200 199,000 1,570,000 246,000 6,810,630 41,000 45,231,000 600 251,000

Abacus Cons. `A’ Aboitiz Equity Alliance Global Inc. Anglo Holdings A Anscor `A’ ATN Holdings A ATN Holdings B Ayala Corp `A’ Cosco Capital DMCI Holdings F&J Prince ‘A’ Filinvest Dev. Corp.

Forum Pacific GT Capital House of Inv. JG Summit Holdings Jolliville Holdings Keppel Holdings `A’ Keppel Holdings `B’ Lopez Holdings Corp.

Lodestar Invt. Holdg.Corp.

LT Group Mabuhay Holdings `A’ Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

MJCI Investments Inc. Pacifica `A’ Prime Media Hldg Prime Orion San Miguel Corp `A’ Seafront `A’ SM Investments Inc. Solid Group Inc. South China Res. Inc. Top Frontier Unioil Res. & Hldgs Wellex Industries Zeus Holdings

0.355 74.00 14.58 1.12 6.80 0.330 0.335 928.5 8.06 16.52 6 7.73 0.205 1174 7.68 75.30 5.01 5.2 5.43 7.12 0.9 17.5 0.410 6.79 3.22 0.0520 0.970 2.060 97.50 2.65 835.00 1.46 0.86 300.000 0.2800 0.1980 0.225

3,950,000 4,899,290 44,543,300 84,000 72,900 8,170,000 1,710,000 1,285,900 2,156,200 44,176,400 5,500 490,600 720,000 865,330 413,300 7,463,490 7,700 7,100 100 825,700 4,916,000 15,517,700 580,000 147,244,900 7,000 73,780,000 45,000 15,615,000 1,716,510 26,000 2,014,770 2,387,000 2,000 24,740 690,000 2,590,000 1,870,000

8990 HLDG Anchor Land Holdings Inc. A. Brown Co., Inc. Araneta Prop `A’ Arthaland Corp.

Ayala Land `B’ Belle Corp. `A’ Cebu Holdings CEB Landmasters Century Property City & Land Dev. Cityland Dev. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Cyber Bay Corp.

Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Global-Estate Filinvest Land,Inc. Interport `A’ Megaworld

5.080 7.90 1.19 2.400 1.110 45.000 3.85 5.25 5.12 0.500 1.36 1.540 0.234 0.490 40 0.690 0.156 1.48 2.02 0.98 5.37

2,451,100 210,200 50,609,000 332,000 33,015,000 63,552,200 4,220,000 118,300 12,174,800 71,553,000 6,966,000 1,863,000 161,380,000 5,680,000 4,572,100 2,019,000 1,000,000 26,464,000 201,138,000 3,813,000 152,935,600

Value

FINANCIAL 27,957,850.00 10,665,346.50 1,869,408,904.00 1,113,798,207.00 11,381,070.00 201,540.00 31,777,490.00 948,804.00 140,221,835.00 217,834.00 30,200.00 270,030.00 1,932,300.00 4,801,040.00 1,148,791,888.00 1,884,400.00 2,813,808.00 53,550.00 16,721,748.50 102,088.00 48,081.00 37,960,452.00 16,633,886.00 797,966,524.00 912,850.00 3,992,510.50 154,620.00 INDUSTRIAL 298,995,690.00 43,658,760.00 4,111,770.00 8,092,630.00 10,188,365.00 1,149,400.00 177,362.00 3,584,930.00 109,174,820.00 48,309,298.00 3,306.00 627,672.00 110,162,040.00 1,386,630.50 1,806,020.00 10,952,429.00 1,146,954.00 215,057,030.00 93,787,326.00 23,776,885.00 201,848,968.00 80,817,926.00 136,060.00 219,023,922.00 35,029,875.00 57,796.00 6,077,552.00 341,786,014.00 9,721,440.00 796,431,136.00 17,026,920.00 752,520.00 158,750.00 236,876,895.00 70,256,809.00 138,655,310.00 435,093,018.00 1,264,190.00 3,997,116.00 5,460,550.00 191,827,992.00 3,435,617.00 2,407,364.00 318,493,392.50 94,966.00 5,333,690.00 58,832,248.00 13,360,408.00 284,320.00 82,000.00 674,740.00 33,093,970.00 17,215,630.00 62,183,744.00 896,700.00 225,470.00 298,470.00 1,046,565,179.00 153,570.00 102,715,960.00 17,030.00 246,240.00 HOLDING FIRMS 1,385,400.00 360,602,824.50 660,342,876.00 93,860.00 507,099.00 2,639,950.00 555,900.00 1,191,912,090.00 17,559,686.00 722,555,042.00 33,000.00 3,712,012.00 148,020.00 1,004,378,275.00 3,270,232.00 556,981,381.50 40,099.00 37,146.00 543.00 5,808,137.00 4,412,060.00 269,981,274.00 241,750.00 1,000,934,320.00 22,540.00 3,812,350.00 42,960.00 32,410,620.00 167,205,087.00 69,880.00 1,658,454,355.00 3,470,850.00 1,720.00 7,399,808.00 192,950.00 508,600.00 414,960.00 PROPERTY 12,669,979.00 1,510,912.00 60,967,150.00 792,500.00 36,656,870.00 2,807,593,760.00 16,066,330.00 623,886.00 61,943,177.00 36,538,360.00 9,530,590.00 2,893,970.00 38,238,760.00 2,784,200.00 186,040,655.00 1,397,630.00 149,800.00 39,637,650.00 396,435,640.00 3,633,140.00 816,719,762.00

SEPTEMBER 4-8, 2017 Close Volume Value 4.61 59.55 127.70 103.50 36 4.17 1.43 16 30.35 8.58 0.68 1.69 895.00 0.700 86.45 0.91 13.06 25.50 60.15 88 115 236.6 53.8 243.4 1805.00 86.90 1.36

5,611,100 149,220 13,975,290 9,591,230 648,900 132,000 3,193,000 56,100 6,293,200 324,300 6,000 91,000 230 70,101,000 11,423,300 8,368,000 149,400 123,500 173,900 1,100 1,930 113,250 8,068,760 3,303,370 860 109,510 298,000

27,800,829.00 8,873,535.00 1,787,838,470.00 994,001,397.00 23,276,115.00 535,260.00 4,498,970.00 898,830.00 192,248,410.00 2,763,057.00 4,080.00 150,710.00 206,350.00 51,770,050.00 996,376,430.50 8,028,340.00 1,964,736.00 3,189,655.00 10,515,403.50 96,868.00 213,267.00 26,818,274.00 414,045,090.00 802,930,988.00 1,548,850.00 9,507,602.50 408,300.00

39.8 8.8 0.82 1.44 21.45 0.245 143.8 23.30 6 17.36 165 83 36 64.95 1.91 5.47 11.64 10.320 15.04 7.03 6.89 14.58 1.8 17.74 67.95 14.28 12.10 15.24 1.780 244.00 4.35 3.31 23.00 30.8 19.16 16.8 269.60 0.236 11.30 3 10.34 6.88 7.1 66.7 10.08 1.82 12.00 6.99 4.35

39,349,905 8,648,000 4,590,000 3,243,000 521,700 5,670,000 3,710 236,900 14,642,600 7,058,200 190 11,180 3,110,000 777,190 2,166,000 465,100 74,900 16,748,300 4,339,100 12,485,700 52,591,700 16,760,400 91,000 12,691,000 353,190 19,400 597,200 11,313,900 3,765,000 3,562,660 3,547,000 816,000 11,300 5,198,600 6,292,300 16,746,300 1,644,220 35,900,000 138,300 3,370,000 41,720,100 583,000 401,300 552,320 2,222,600 4,472,000 2,242,600 2,502,700 13,572,000

198,214,090.00 76,850,210.00 3,708,400.00 4,650,110.00 10,795,842.00 1,378,000.00 534,047.00 5,432,605.00 88,457,117.00 123,124,580.00 31,355.00 897,846.00 111,835,280.00 50,123,484.50 4,158,530.00 2,523,277.00 853,422.00 175,718,870.00 65,247,492.00 87,595,213.00 360,657,867.00 239,350,218.00 162,320.00 218,001,614.00 23,916,080.00 276,440.00 7,220,484.00 173,454,148.00 6,731,840.00 861,695,384.00 14,952,350.00 2,734,640.00 245,245.00 160,110,200.00 120,245,120.00 279,667,320.00 443,171,194.00 8,330,850.00 1,592,776.00 10,088,740.00 430,595,173.00 4,010,494.00 2,821,905.00 36,684,614.50 22,227,308.00 8,136,440.00 26,627,830.00 17,295,605.00 59,425,040.00

4.48 309 2.5 12.5 4.51 0.143 1.21 153.5 3.73 2.22 28.10 0.98

272,000 57,550 1,263,000 7,003,700 373,000 1,520,000 783,000 5,795,780 65,000 50,937,000 2,200 797,000

1,196,020.00 17,860,380.00 3,120,970.00 88,603,178.00 1,686,870.00 217,670.00 941,440.00 875,444,168.00 244,340.00 113,432,890.00 62,160.00 782,470.00

0.355 72.75 14.70 1.13 6.99 0.315 0.305 913 8.1 15.76

10,670,000 4,997,830 50,536,600 168,000 82,000 8,220,000 36,120,000 1,073,730 11,922,200 32,668,000

3,756,450.00 367,932,288.00 719,566,924.00 188,250.00 569,318.00 2,569,250.00 11,016,500.00 983,358,260.00 96,613,478.00 507,943,860.00

7.52 0.198 1110 8.05 73.50 5.26 5.35

161,200 740,000 888,865 190,300 5,225,330 22,000 58,000

1,214,273.00 147,850.00 991,909,955.00 1,527,012.00 382,056,368.50 111,366.00 311,500.00

6.89 0.92 17.5 0.430 6.76 3.22 0.0500 0.970 2.060 97.00 2.66 818.00 1.48 0.86 300.000 0.2800 0.1990 0.220

4,171,300 10,404,000 12,145,100 21,350,000 134,322,200 5,000 362,630,000 105,000 1,970,000 835,990 31,000 1,493,830 3,272,000 18,000 8,130 450,000 4,600,000 10,180,000

28,519,716.00 9,509,280.00 216,213,318.00 9,173,350.00 890,170,687.00 16,100.00 18,304,160.00 107,140.00 4,050,940.00 82,037,154.00 83,050.00 1,224,002,005.00 4,839,840.00 15,480.00 2,437,764.00 126,000.00 906,390.00 2,266,230.00

5.250 6.80 1.22 2.420 1.050 43.200 3.82 5.34 4.92 0.510 1.30 1.550 0.231 0.495 43.5 0.690 0.154 1.52 1.88 0.99 5.27

4,844,100 64,600 69,547,920 799,000 23,904,000 43,777,100 3,738,000 24,600 9,507,400 61,141,000 2,683,000 3,602,000 197,400,000 4,947,000 1,495,000 6,035,000 2,980,000 94,859,000 76,563,000 21,522,000 253,932,800

25,597,812.00 436,228.00 45,363,920.00 1,918,860.00 25,196,960.00 1,876,843,420.00 14,077,570.00 131,043.00 46,898,969.00 31,788,370.00 3,553,010.00 5,458,680.00 46,491,030.00 2,456,785.00 66,205,485.00 4,204,530.00 456,160.00 144,973,250.00 143,139,840.00 20,772,560.00 1,300,619,080.00

STOCKS

SEPTEMBER 11-15, 2017 Close Volume

MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’ Phil. Tob. Flue Cur & Redry Primex Corp.

Robinson’s Land `B’ Rockwell Shang Properties Inc. SM Prime Holdings Sta. Lucia Land Inc. Starmalls Suntrust Home Dev. Inc. Vista Land & Lifescapes

0.370 0.5300 0.500 28.65 6.14 25.35 1.8 3.15 34.80 1.03 7.3 0.870 6.370

598,300,000 26,509,000 11,552,000 400 16,540,400 18,159,400 935,000 1,866,000 48,141,000 11,307,000 5,200 163,000 24,957,600

2GO Group’ ABS-CBN Acesite Hotel APC Group, Inc. Apollo Global Asian Terminals Inc. Berjaya Phils. Inc. Bloomberry Boulevard Holdings Cebu Air Inc. (5J) Centro Esc. Univ.

Chelsea Discovery World DFNN Inc. FEUI Globe Telecom GMA Network Inc. Golden Haven Harbor Star I.C.T.S.I. Imperial Res. `A’ IPeople Inc. `A’ IPM Holdings Island Info ISM Communications Jackstones LBC Express Leisure & Resorts Lorenzo Shipping Macroasia Corp.

Manila Broadcasting Manila Bulletin Manila Jockey Melco Crown Metro Retail NOW Corp.

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

PAL Holdings Inc. Paxys Inc. Phil. Racing Club Phil. Seven Corp.

Philweb.Com Inc. PLDT Common PremiereHorizon Premium Leisure Puregold Robinsons RTL SBS Phil. Corp.

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot MINING & OIL Abra Mining Apex `A’ Atlas Cons. `A’ Atok-Big Wedge `A’ Benguet Corp `A’ Benguet Corp `B’ Century Peak Metals Hldgs Coal Asia Dizon Ferronickel Geograce Res. Phil. Inc. Lepanto `A’ Lepanto `B’ Manila Mining `A’ Manila Mining `B’ Marcventures Hldgs., Inc. Nickelasia Nihao Mineral Resources Omico Oriental Peninsula Res. Oriental Pet. `A’ Oriental Pet. `B’ Philex `A’ PhilexPetroleum Philodrill Corp. `A’ Phinma Petro Semirara Corp.

United Paragon

20.35 40.7 1.66 0.600 0.039 11.2 5.29 11.00 0.0750 112 9.22 10.34 2.27 7.60 1000 2040 6.13 20.00 2.33 108.8 3.03 12.28 8.40 0.171 1.3300 3.07 15.96 4.47 1.46 12.70 18.80 0.570 2.38 8.5 4.20 2.700 11.06 5.18 3.11 8.01 170.00 9.84 1690.00 0.420 1.620 51.25 95.40 5.85 4.30 1.540 1.95 3.6 1.220 9.400

411,700 124,500 834,000 22,821,000 53,200,000 2,100 9,200 116,926,400 28,070,000 2,031,040 13,700 37,037,300 1,000 460,900 8,680 164,735 1,277,400 1,417,000 37,148,000 6,850,590 148,000 34,300 611,500 9,370,000 1,476,000 130,000 60,700 2,646,000 4,942,000 13,276,800 33,600 202,000 289,000 37,364,400 4,612,000 15,684,000 7,900 54,600 71,000 29,000 146,340 3,705,700 455,505 4,110,000 16,981,000 8,233,640 2,301,850 10,927,300 9,123,000 34,631,000 25,000 6,588,000 50,184,000 8,545,600

0.0027 1.68 5.03 13.48 1.8300 1.8100 1.48 0.395 8.40 2.630 0.270 0.182 0.198 0.011 0.0120 2.1 7.73 1.83 0.5300 1.0500 0.0120 0.0130 8.69 5.30 0.0130 2.5200 48.00 0.0082

525,000,000 12,574,000 2,113,000 2,500 238,000 125,000 35,156,000 4,400,000 21,200 27,657,000 44,830,000 33,830,000 910,000 96,000,000 1,700,000 6,211,000 25,583,300 611,000 162,000 6,870,000 186,100,000 51,100,000 3,119,700 48,114,200 210,200,000 341,000 15,062,270 32,000,000

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

Ayala Corp. Pref `B1’ Ayala Corp. Pref ‘B2’ Alco Preferred B DD PREF First Gen F First Gen G GLOBE PREF P GMA Holdings Inc. GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B Leisure and Resort MWIDE PREF PCOR-Preferred A PF Pref 2 PNX PREF 3A SMC Preferred B SMC Preferred C SMC Preferred D SMC Preferred E SMC Preferred F SMC Preferred G SMC Preferred H SMC Preferred I Swift Pref

40.65 515.5 520 106 105.3 109.9 112.3 516 5.74 1011 1028 1.06 108 1049 1025 103 76.5 80.7 77.05 79.95 82 79.95 79.6 80.9 2

LR Warrant

2.550

Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Philab Holdings Xurpas

2.86 4.51 4.84 5.8

First Metro ETF

123.2

USD DMPL A1

10.8

SEPTEMBER 4-8, 2017 Close Volume Value

Value

213,411,250.00 14,040,600.00 5,779,180.00 11,460.00 97,179,900.00 444,888,815.00 1,674,600.00 5,925,320.00 1,650,929,075.00 11,579,630.00 37,725.00 142,430.00 153,660,691.00 SERVICES 8,472,795.00 5,076,640.00 1,364,130.00 13,311,330.00 2,085,100.00 23,520.00 47,671.00 1,303,482,072.00 2,067,980.00 227,050,110.00 126,951.00 396,222,838.00 2,270.00 3,506,705.00 8,567,695.00 331,316,830.00 7,803,739.00 28,002,382.00 95,558,970.00 731,377,884.00 448,320.00 329,646.00 5,145,210.00 1,584,240.00 1,959,920.00 383,930.00 960,186.00 11,911,670.00 7,327,120.00 165,865,048.00 632,778.00 112,990.00 687,550.00 324,062,163.00 19,000,890.00 40,743,790.00 87,170.00 280,487.00 211,050.00 235,050.00 24,873,178.00 37,316,523.00 768,989,400.00 1,678,450.00 27,862,170.00 424,739,440.50 218,307,679.50 64,403,813.00 40,137,510.00 52,811,660.00 48,620.00 23,688,740.00 62,887,610.00 80,202,369.00

1,397,500.00 21,383,940.00 10,936,713.00 30,954.00 455,150.00 233,870.00 49,289,350.00 1,728,050.00 178,115.00 72,404,120.00 11,231,300.00 6,141,490.00 176,790.00 1,044,900.00 20,300.00 13,209,500.00 197,280,465.00 1,107,750.00 84,590.00 7,251,110.00 2,266,100.00 663,700.00 27,184,548.00 258,064,658.00 2,598,800.00 844,370.00 855,625,411.00 261,500.00 PREFERRED 481,600 19,554,840.00 12,440 6,412,115.00 10,200 5,297,020.00 100 10,600.00 31,310 3,308,993.00 480 52,804.00 3,110 349,414.00 34,870 17,993,420.00 1,486,300 8,583,001.00 14,005 14,317,175.00 24,705 25,269,940.00 44,000 46,830.00 10,170 1,078,315.00 120 125,880.00 10,700 10,911,090.00 16,210 1,670,815.00 18,430 1,407,600.00 87,810 7,094,794.50 68,200 5,254,176.50 14,040 1,102,043.00 26,690 2,167,280.00 56,670 4,524,879.50 402,970 22,214,274.00 82,490 6,660,881.00 24,000 53,150.00 WARRANTS & BONDS 784,000 2,004,490.00 SME 2,000 5,720.00 6,275,000 29,060,830.00 418,300 2,037,189.00 7,141,200 42,266,507.00 EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 36,470 4,460,587.00 DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. 27,500 292,293.00

0.330 0.5400 0.520 28.65 5.91 23.35 1.78 3.28 33.50 1.02 7.49 0.870 5.990

300,950,000 76,689,000 12,894,000 600 19,026,600 16,178,400 647,000 3,211,000 29,358,300 6,780,000 2,000 675,000 13,897,600

91,703,000.00 42,578,040.00 6,599,300.00 17,190.00 108,479,408.00 375,450,515.00 1,155,950.00 10,284,610.00 1,257,458,630.00 6,880,320.00 13,497.00 587,630.00 82,904,528.00

20.9 40.6 1.6 0.550 0.039 11.2 5.04 11.66 0.0740 109.7 9.28 10.56

554,900 248,300 1,469,000 43,339,000 83,600,000 1,500 80,000 68,233,200 48,930,000 2,269,980 30,500 13,691,900

11,276,308.00 10,122,820.00 2,358,580.00 24,083,770.00 3,370,800.00 16,764.00 402,804.00 791,287,110.00 3,593,440.00 245,990,809.00 283,804.00 144,309,142.00

7.75 970 2000 6.07 19.42 3.00 106 3.03 12.38 8.45 0.169 1.3500 2.93 15.7 4.50 1.48 12.04 19.48 0.560 2.38 9.2 4.17 2.500 11.04 5.11 3 8.25 170.00 10.30 1695.00 0.405 1.660 51.15 95.00 5.86 4.47 1.490 1.94 3.56 1.240 9.400

556,600 1,220 153,750 1,127,300 2,432,400 22,783,000 4,515,720 64,000 72,900 1,494,200 20,640,000 535,000 235,000 60,600 3,022,000 12,174,000 25,774,100 74,900 226,000 795,000 42,063,400 7,660,000 20,345,000 26,600 86,200 28,000 26,100 858,130 10,212,500 436,700 3,510,000 67,376,000 12,640,110 5,005,600 372,500 21,304,000 34,400,000 1,821,000 4,648,000 79,716,000 43,728,000

4,280,609.00 1,183,400.00 308,781,805.00 6,854,470.00 45,460,688.00 65,308,160.00 475,112,847.00 195,520.00 898,422.00 12,611,631.00 3,502,600.00 721,700.00 705,150.00 949,728.00 13,722,030.00 18,321,420.00 303,982,614.00 1,447,896.00 127,010.00 1,895,940.00 388,497,420.00 32,335,000.00 49,946,780.00 293,456.00 444,353.00 82,610.00 212,325.00 146,398,639.00 107,321,670.00 752,964,665.00 1,400,950.00 234,226,910.00 630,522,266.00 466,847,715.00 2,184,311.00 97,469,140.00 51,232,960.00 3,332,540.00 16,167,050.00 100,866,080.00 405,803,166.00

0.0028 1.75 5.57 13.68 1.8800 1.8600 1.29 0.385 8.60 2.650 0.275 0.185 0.199 0.011 0.0120 2.08 7.98 1.9 0.5400 1.1500 0.0120 0.0130 8.90 5.05 0.0130 2.6700 178.00 0.0080

3,103,000,000 28,693,000 4,074,800 3,000 39,000 18,000 17,519,000 900,000 84,200 52,065,000 48,330,000 45,330,000 36,130,000 405,300,000 55,900,000 4,417,000 70,072,200 528,000 922,000 13,230,000 639,200,000 275,100,000 3,071,500 55,654,000 705,100,000 556,000 2,208,420 56,000,000

8,434,600.00 49,683,640.00 21,646,901.00 41,052.00 72,750.00 33,220.00 22,313,590.00 505,300.00 745,357.00 137,555,880.00 12,972,300.00 8,337,600.00 7,192,350.00 4,406,800.00 656,600.00 8,940,450.00 547,300,791.00 995,150.00 490,160.00 15,409,010.00 8,295,400.00 3,819,500.00 27,156,645.00 269,264,730.00 9,087,900.00 1,354,020.00 386,684,958.00 443,700.00

40.55 525 521 106 105.2 107.3 115 516 5.79 1020 1025 1.05 108 1049 1012 105 76 80.85 77 78.5 81.5

1,627,000 32,010 22,400 49,180 56,940 19,620 26,010 24,100 1,628,200 10,505 16,425 686,000 1,170 7,370 2,925 7,170 78,540 125,200 10,950 49,900 193,750

65,566,210.00 16,495,080.00 11,646,760.00 5,213,080.00 6,012,017.00 2,197,239.00 2,991,050.00 12,431,600.00 9,458,724.00 10,660,055.00 16,742,665.00 727,400.00 126,360.00 7,790,200.00 2,966,535.00 750,745.00 5,994,564.50 10,088,878.00 843,545.00 3,935,170.00 15,797,606.00

78.65 80.65 2.29

175,300 115,570 6,000

13,932,131.00 9,270,480.00 13,550.00

2.600

974,000

2,504,970.00

3 4.4 5 6.06

2,000 3,552,000 265,400 16,371,100

6,000.00 15,504,870.00 1,155,309.00 100,360,662.00

121.5

28,710

3,480,037.00

10.5

11,050

116,213.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS MRC Allied Ind. Abra Mining Philodrill Corp. `A’ Filinvest Land,Inc. Oriental Pet. `A’ Crown Equities Inc. Megaworld Metro Pacific Inv. Corp.

Bloomberry Manila Mining `A’

VOLUME 598,300,000 525,000,000 210,200,000 201,138,000 186,100,000 161,380,000 152,935,600 147,244,900 116,926,400 96,000,000

STOCKS Ayala Land `B’ Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. SM Investments Inc. SM Prime Holdings Bloomberry Ayala Corp `A’ Metrobank Bank of PI Universal Robina GT Capital

VALUE 2,807,593,760.00 1,869,408,904.00 1,658,454,355.00 1,650,929,075.00 1,303,482,072.00 1,191,912,090.00 1,148,791,888.00 1,113,798,207.00 1,046,565,179.00 1,004,378,275.00

All sub-indices ended in green led by property which advanced by 3.74 percent, mining and oil which rose 3.29 percent and holding firms which climbed 2.02 percent.

The industrial index increased 1.25 percent while the financial and services rose 0.15 percent and 0.13 percent, respectively.

Foreign investors were net buyers for the week by P3.4 billion, while the average daily value traded reached P9.6 billion from the previous week’s average of P6.8 billion.

Among the weekly top price gainers Robinsons Land Corp., which rose 8.5 percent to P25.35; Filinvest Land Inc., which increased 7.4 percent to P1.91; and First Gen Corp., which advanced 7.1 percent to P19.

Weekly top price losers, meanwhile, were DoubleDragon Properties Corp., which declined 8.05 percent to P40; Melco Resorts and Entertainment (Philippines) Corp., which dropped 7.6 percent to P8.50; and Rizal Commercial Banking Corp., which declined 6.04 percent to P50.55.

New York stock markets ended the week on an upbeat note, with new records for the Dow and S&P as investors brushed off weak US economic data and another North Korea missile launch.

With AFP

AirAsia readies $250-m offering PHILIPPINE AirAsia, the local unit of Southeast Asia’s biggest budget airline, plans to raise up to $250 million (P12.7 billion) through an initial public offering, according to the underwriter handling the deal.

“We are still reviewing the numbers and structuring the issue that could go up to $250 million,” BDO Capital and Investments Corp. president Eduardo Francisco said in a text message over the weekend.

“Timetable is not yet clear as we still... have to clear with the regulators,” he added.

Given the size of the deal, Francisco said the Philippine Airasia IPO would target both foreign and local investors.

Philippine Airasia earlier said it planned to conduct the share sale in the second half of 2017.

It could be the biggest IPO for the year after the offerings of Wilcon Depot Inc. (P7 billion), Chelsea Logistics Holdings Corp., (P5.9 billion) and Eagle Cement Corp. (P8.6 billion) The budget airlines plans to use the proceeds from the public offering to finance the acquisition of more aircraft and construction of a new headquarters in Manila.

The airline as early as 2015 has announced plans to list its shares with the Philippine Stock Exchange.

AirAsia operates a fleet of 17 aircraft with domestic and international flights out of hubs in Manila, Cebu and Kalibo.

It is currently the third biggest airline in the Philippines, next to Cebu Pacific of the Gokongwei group and Philippine Airlines of business tycoon Lucio Tan. Philippines AirAsia controls about 11 percent of the domestic market and 4.6 percent of the international seat capacity. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business Pagbilao coal plant tests full capacity

By Alena Mae S. Flores PAGBILAO Energy Corp. has reached the maximum 420-megawatt capacity of its $1-billion Pagbilao 3 coal-fired power plant in November, its top executive said over the weekend.

Aboitiz Power Corp. president and chief operating officer Antonio Moraza said the new power plant was undergoing testing and commissioning for its full commercial operation by the end of the year.

“We’ve reached full capacity, 420 MW a few days ago. It’s still commissioning but we already hit the 420 MW,” Moraza said, adding the testing and commissioning might take two to three months.

Pagbilao Energy is the joint venture of TPEC Holdings Corp. and Therma Power Inc., wholly-owned subsidiaries of TeaM Energy Corp. and Aboitiz Power, respectively.

TeaM Energy, the joint venture of Tokyo Electric Power Co. and Marubeni Corp., operates the existing 735-MW Pagbilao coal plant.

Energy Department records earlier showed the new power plant was expected to start commercial operations by November and would secure the country’s power generation requirements.

“We are pretty much on time and budget and so far construction is ongoing.

Construction is progressing well, “ Moraza said earlier.

Pagbilao Energy announced in 2015 that the joint venture partners were investing close to $1 billion to put up the coal project. Construction of the project started in the same year.

The project has been approved by the Quezon provincial government, the local government of Pagbilao and by the barangay government unit, Ibabang Polo, in three separate endorsements.

DoF: Economy must diversify to lift peso

By Julito G. Rada

T

HE Philippine economy must diversify to prevent the peso from depreciating too much whenever uncertainties arise from advanced economies, Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran said over the weekend.

Beltran, in an economic bulletin on Asian currencies, said the Philippine peso was among Asian currencies that appreciated eight years before the global financial crisis in 2008.

Citing the Bloomberg and Asian Development Bank, data showed the currencies of 12 Asian economies appreciated by 9.3 percent from December 2000 to December 2007.

The most appreciated currencies were the Korean won (26 percent), Thai baht (22.1 percent), Singapore dollar (16.9 percent), the Philippine peso (16.8 percent), the Indian rupee (15.7 percent) and the Malaysian ringgit (12.9 percent).

But nine years after, as the international economy started to recover from the global financial crisis, Asian currencies reversed and depreciated by 14.6 percent.

Except for Singapore dollar and the Thai baht which continued to

strengthen, the same currencies that gained were among the most depreciated.

These were the Indian rupee (62.1 percent depreciation), Indonesian rupiah (35.4 percent), Malaysian dollar (27.2 percent), Philippine peso (21.9 percent), and Korean won (20.7 percent).

“Currency movements in Asia are a complex product of external and internal economic factors. But in the case of movements from 2008 to 2017, these are mostly accounted for by external factors, mainly the Fed QE [quantitative easing] policy,” Beltran said.

Beltran said regression results show that Fed QE policy accounted mostly for currency movements from 2008 to 2013, with domestic inflation accounting for less than 10 percent.

Compared with other Asian currencies, Hong Kong dollar depreciated

just by 0.1 percent from 2007 to September 2017. Taiwan dollar appreciated by 7.4 percent in the same period, he said.

Beltran said significant diversification of the economy, as in the case of Taiwan and Hong Kong would, however, lead to lesser influence from external factors.

“This is what the Philippine economy aims to achieve in the medium term,” Beltran said.

The Philippine economy has been relying mostly on remittances and business process outsourcing receipts. These two sectors had been very instrumental for economic growth of over 6 percent for the past couple of years.

Remittances and business process outsourcing receipts annually account for around $50 billion in inflows, which provide strength to the country’s external payments position.

Economists said the manufacturing sector must be reinvigorated and services sector must be improved further.They said the Philippines must also look for other potential trading partners and not rely too much on traditional trading partners such as the United States.

MARAWI SUPPORT. PLDT Inc. chairman and chief executive officer Manuel Pangilinan (third from right) meets with Marawi Mayor Usman Gandamra (fourth from right) to pledge support for the rehabilitation of Marawi City. Joining him are (from left) Neil Celeste Rara, program manager for One Meralco Foundation; Darwin Flores, Smart Communications Inc. senior manager for community partnerships; Menchie Silvestre, TV5 Alagang Kapatid executive director; Veronica Gabaldon, Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation executive director; Marge Macasaet Barro, Makati Medical Center Foundation executive director; Butch Meily, PDRF president; Mike Toledo, PLDT Group media bureau head and Philex Mining Corp. senior vice president for public and regulatory affairs; and lawyer Aquil Ismael. The MVP Group Tulong Kapatid program will construct about transition homes for evacuees as well as provide for water, electricity, connectivity and medical services.

Is online buying starting to make a dent on shopping malls?

CLARO GAÑAC, DBA

Green LiGht (Part 1 of a two-part article on the changing shopping lifestyle of the modern-day consumer in the Philippines) BUSINESS publications like Forbes and Business Insider in the United States have recently reported that up to 25 percent of shopping malls may close in the next five years, according to a study released by Credit Suisse, a global banking institution.

The study attributed the grim retail industry scenario to the continued onslaught of e-commerce which has been pulling shoppers away from bricksand-mortar stores.

Long-standing traditional retailers like Macy’s, J.C. Penney and Sears have announced numerous store closings in light of the shift in shoppers’ buying habits to online markets. Highlighting this migration has been the rise of online fashion and apparel retailers, prompting Credit Suisse to predict that the share of apparel sales in the internet will increase from 17 percent today to 35 percent by 2030.

Enjoying double digit growth In the Philippines, the exodus to online markets has not yet reached alarming proportions—at least not yet. Mall giants such as SM malls and Robinsons

B3

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

are still opening sprawling shopping malls, principally in the countryside. But the high density of malls within Metro Manila appears to be taking its toll because of the high saturation level.

E-commerce experts have taken note that the sales of internet retailers enjoyed double-digit growth as of 2016. This has been fueled by the strong domestic economy coupled by an ever-growing base of internet and mobile users. The Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) has estimated that there were 35 million internet users in 2014, which are projected to grow to 70 million by 2018.

Consumers anywhere in the Philippines are now able to shop through online shops anytime, 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year, while avoiding the inconvenience of commute in traffic. Internet shopping aligns the modern lifestyle of contemporary consumers who prefer on-demand satisfaction of their needs and wants.

Shopping behaviors So how do today’s networked consumers shop? I surveyed 388 netizens aged 18-60 primarily living in the greater Metro Manila area in 2016 and uncovered some key online shopping and buying behavior of Philippine consumers.

The study has found that as much as 90 percent of all netizens have tried buying in the internet. Moreover, one

out of three (32 percebt) netizens consider themselves regular online shoppers.

This indicates the extent to which internet buying has spread and taken root within just several years.

True enough, online buying has been fueled by internet access. More than 80 percent of surveyed netizens access the internet daily, and some 10 percent do so at least two to three times a week.

Frequency of online shopping has reached significant levels. More than 26 percent buy at least one product or service every month. A lesser ratio (13 percent) purchase online at least once every other month, while 27 percent have bought at least one product within the last three months. On the other hand, there remains netizens who have not adopted the practice, as 34 percebt have just reported buying only once or less in the last six months.

The empirical study revealed that online shopping has achieved status as a legitimate and substantial marketing channel that cannot be ignored. This explains why many established retailers like Uniqlo and Bench have launched their own online shopping app portals to access untapped or underserved markets.

Buying behavior on-line Internet shopping portals like Lazada, Zalora and Metrodeals have become household names because

of the mind-boggling variety of branded and upstart goods and services they offer to the shopping public.

Assortment and choices are evidently important considerations.

The most often purchased product in online markets is clothing and apparel (58 percent), followed by airline tickets (45 percent), food deliveries (41 percent) and hotel accommodations (37 percent). High purchase levels of airline tickets and hotel room reservations (which are complementary) indicates that many Filipinos have become travel bugs, most probably due to the availability of affordable air travel and lodging facilities.

Almost 28 percent of online buyers purchase personal care products (fragrances, beauty products) and 19 percent buy watches and jewelry. Thus, taken together with clothing and apparel, personaluse products as a category is the market leader in terms of incidence of online purchases.

Smartphones and gadgets (13 percent), laptops (18 percent) and personal computers (9 percebt) rank the fourth-most reported category of online purchases.

With price of electronics products going down, there is expectation of increasing market share for this category. Purchase incidence of concert tickets (18 percent) take up fifth position in the online totem pole.

Shopping using smartphones The study likewise revealed that online shopping has been driven by rapidly increasing ownership of the smart phone. More than 8 out of 10 internet consumers reported to shop and make their purchases using their mobile phones.

Marketers, particularly those who have stuck to the brick-and-mortar model for so long, would do well to take heed of the shifting winds of consumer shopping behavior.

Virtual stores as a marketing channel have substantially lower investments and operational costs, and open new doors to more markets anywhere around the country.

Dr. Gañac is assistant professorial lecturer in the Ramon Del Rosario College of Business of the De La Salle University. He joined the academe in 2012 after a broad and varied career in corporate communications, corporate marketing, corporate social responsibility and investor relations spanning more than 30 years. He teaches Strategic Marketing, Consumer Behavior, Marketing Research, Public Relations among other subjects under the Marketing Management program of DLSU. He can be reached at claro. ganac@dlsu.edu.ph The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

(From Left): With Clarence T. Pimentel, Jr.. president & CEO, C.T.P. Construction and Mining Corp. & COMP Board of Trustee; Horacio C. Ramos, president Pacific Nickel Philippines, Inc. & COMP Board of Trustee; Ian Hiscock, principal consultant, CRU Group; Jose P. Leviste, Jr., chairman, OceanaGold (Philippines), Inc. and COMP vice-chairman; Bill Sullivan, senior foreign counsel; Christian Teo and Partners (in association with Stephenson Harwood LLP), Gloria L. Tan-Climaco, Director, Filminera Resources Corp. and COMP Board of Trustee; Dennis A. Quintero, partner, Quisumbing Torres Law Offices and Pocholo C. Domondon, partner, Isla Lipana and Co. (the Philippine member firm of Pricewaterhouse Coopers)

MINE WAY

ONE morning, over a cup of piping hot cocoa, a daily habit I inherited from my grandmother (who lived till she was 102, so there must be something in those beans), l pondered if I should write about the recent Mining Philippines 2017 conference that was held last September 5-7 at the Sofitel Manila. My initial hesitation was brought about by the fact that I am part of a Group that is into natural resource development, so my opus might come across to most as rather contrived.

This, not to mention the many times I was invited as resource person in several forums on mining and even interviewed occasionally to speak for the industry.

There was a time I had to explain to the public the cause of the accident which occurred in our mines and enumerated the steps we took to mitigate and to arrest any damage, to rehabilitate and to compensate in accordance with that which was prescribed by law and by rules and regulations. Despite that, I was pilloried and called a liar in an editorial of one of the leading newspapers. So, you can understand the apprehension here.

Am I at risk of being lynched? Am I opening my flanks to another visceral, verbal assault?

Perhaps I am, but as the phrase from an all-too familiar song composed by Paul Anka and popularized by Frank Sinatra goes, “ For what is a man, what has he got; if not himself, then he has not; to say the things he truly feels...”

Quicker than Harry Potter’s Professor Snape can say “Expelliarmus!”, Paul Anka’s admonition cast away any lingering doubts. So, here we are.

The three-day annual conference had the theme “Responsible Mining: Beyond Compliance” as the theme for this year. Indeed, what the industry sought to project to the public, after the whirlwind it experienced in the interim between this conference and the last, was that it was an industry that did not just comply with the law and with rules and regulations, but went beyond: by policing its ranks, by stamping out the illegal and the irresponsible, by adhering to international standards, particularly that of Australia and Canada.

Miners planted trees way beyond that required by law and have become the largest contributor to the National Greening Program. Miners have contributed to government more than what was required, where Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) went beyond mere compliance with the Social Development and Management Program (SDMP) of the Philippine Mining Act. In short, miners have, in one way or the other, improved the lives of the people and the communities they serve, way beyond what is expected of them.

For this year’s conference, I had both the honor and pleasure to serve as panelist in the panel discussion on The Global Mining Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities moderated by my good friend, the highly amiable Dr. Jose “Joey” Leviste, Vice-Chairman of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines and Chairman of Oceanagold Philippines Inc. Speakers for this discussion were Mr. Ian Hiscock, Principal Consultant of the CRU Group, who spoke on global mining development and trends in the Asia-Pacific Region, and Mr. Bill Sullivan, Senior Foreign Counsel of Christian Teo & Partners (in Association with Stephenson Harwood LLP), who spoke on Indonesia’s experience with Domestic Processing & Refining (DP&R) and the important lessons it can give the Philippines.

My fellow panelists were Pocholo Domondon, PWC Partner for Isla Lipana & Co., and Atty. Dennis Quintero, Partner of Quisumbing Torres Law Offices.

What interested me particularly in our panel discussion was the Indonesian experience with DP&R as there is a current legislative move to also have this implemented in the country.

The bottomline of Mr. Sullivan’s presentation was that it did not work for Indonesia, so perhaps the Philippines should also reconsider in light of these findings.

I could not agree more. Whatever debate there be on mining policy or direction must be based on solid facts and data, on empirical evidence and not on emotions, conjecture, or even news and facts drawn out of thin air.

All in all, the mining conference had this to say: there are bad mining companies and there are bad mining practices, and that these must stop. The industry, working together with government, as well as with the public, must put an abrupt end to this.

Quickly, before a wizard from Hogwarts can say Finite Incantatem or, worse, Havada Kedavra.

And, as Paul Anka would proclaim to all and sundry, “The record shows, I took the blows, and did it my way!”

COMP Chair and Nickel Asia Corp. president and CEO Gerard Brimo and DENR Undersecretary for Policy, Planning and International Affairs Atty. Jonas R. Leones

Philex Mining Corp. president and CEO Engr. Eulalio B. Philex Mining Corp. Public and Regulatory Austin, Jr. Affairs Division Manager Atty. Francis Ballesteros, Jr. (From left): With other panelists: Bill Sullivan, Atty. Dennis Quintero, Pocholo Domondon, and Ian Hiscock

Leptospirosis cases in Manila drop 64 percent

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com

B4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

By Bill Casas

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

WATER RESCUE. Some of the 18 volunteer rescuers from the municipality of Navotas who recently completed the water rescue and search training of the Metro Manila Development Authority show off their skills in a demonstration for Mayor John Rey Tiangco. The rescuers, composed of representatives from the barangay councils, the Navotas City Police Station, Bureau of Fire Protection-Navotas, and volunteer firefighters, trained for seven days at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig. Jun David

DESPITE a frightening increase in the number of leptospirosis cases all over the country, the City of Manila has recorded an “astounding” 64-percent drop in the number of residents infected by the deadly waterborne disease this year, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada said on Sunday.

From January to September, only 24 leptospirosis cases were recorded in the city, compared to 66 during the same period in 2016, Estrada said, citing a report submitted by the Manila Health Department.

“This is a significant development in our continuing program to eradicate infectious diseases that threaten the health of our constituents,” Estrada said.

He attributed the significant drop to the regular cleanup being done in the barangays, which helped eliminate potential breeding grounds of diseasecarrying rodents and mosquitoes.

Also, under Estrada’s order, the city’s Department of Engineering and Public Works has been conducting extensive drainage repairs and declogging operations to lessen flooding in the city.

“With everybody involved, we can effectively address this threat of leptospirosis in our city,” he pointed out.

Six persons died among the 66 cases from January to September 2016, compared to just four this year from the 24 confirmed leptospirosis infections, according to MHD chief Dr. Benjamin Yson.

QC land use plan approved

By Rio N. Araja

T

HE Quezon City government announced on Sunday the approval of its comprehensive land use plan for 2011 to 2025 by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board.

City administrator Aldrin Cuña recently received from HLURB chairperson Drueco del Rosario

the certificate of approval of the city’s CLUP, which was drafted by the administration of Mayor Herbert

IN BRIEF Bontoc village is top MP Lupong Tagapamayapa BONTOC, Mountain Province—Barangay Poblacion of this municipality was adjudged as the Outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa in Mountain Province and will represent the province in the regional search under the first to third class municipal category.

As the provincial winner having obtained an over-all performance rating of 96.2 with the adjectival rating of Outstanding or Excellent, barangay Poblacion received P15,000 and a Plaque of Commendation from the Provincial Peace and Order Council during the first Monday Flag Raising Ceremony held at the Provincial Capitol.

The Search for the Outstanding Lupong Tagapamayapa is a program of the Department of the Interior and Local Government aimed at recognizing the exemplary performance of Lupong Tagapamayapa in the barangays of cities and municipalities, in pursuing amicable settlement of disputes.

This contributes to the attainment of peace and order in the community and helps build the foundation of meaningful development, the DILG said.

The assessment covers January to December 2016 focusing on the criteria of Efficiency in Operations, Effectiveness in Securing the Settlement of Interpersonal Dispute Objective of the Katarungang Pambarangay (KP), Creativity and Resourcefulness of the Lupong Tagapamayapa, Area of Facility for KP and Financial or Non-Financial Support. Dexter A. See

Bautista and geared toward adapting to changes in the landscape and for business, nature, residential, and disaster mitigation purposes.

A revised CLUP was adopted through City Ordinance 2069-2011 owing to the transformation of the pattern, direction and intensity of the physical environment, Cuña added.

The plan “adheres to applicable national and regional policies, such as the National Framework for

Physical Planning 20012030, National Urban Development and Housing Framework 2009-2016, and Physical Development Framework Plan for Metro Manila 1996-2016,” he said.

The plan is a long-term framework plan defining the city’s desired physical pattern of growth, the city official added.

Pedro Rodriguez Jr., the city’s Planning and Development Office chief, said the CLUP 2011-2015 is the

foundation for the Quezon City Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance of 2016.

“It is the basis of our zoning ordinance as to how we can effectively make use our available land resources. We have studied it carefully. There are too many national infra projects being undertaken here, such as the Segment 8.2, Skyway and Metro Rail Transit line 7, that affect our land use of transportation linkage and roadway, and develop into commercial hub,” he said.

CLUP also contains a long-term spatial strategy, adopting the multiple growth centers’ strategy of the city’s old CLUP, Cuña said.

The growth centers are Central Business District’s Knowledge Community District, Cubao Growth District, Batasan-National Government Center Growth District, Novaliches Growth District, and BalintawakMuñoz Growth District.

The city government also included in its CLUP the

Trouble in the horizon for Sugar Regulatory Administration SUGAR industry stakeholders are calling Hermenegildo Serafica and other board members of the Sugar Regulatory Administration to disclose their participation in the hiring of an allegedly overpaid consultant that led to the resignation of SRA Administrator Ana

Rosorio Paner.

A reliable source within the government agency told reporters Sunday that Serafica, who is the top choice to replace Paner as the new SRA administrator, in fact played a role in the hiring of the consultant, which reportedly earned the ire of Presi-

dent Rodrigo Duterte.

“The hiring of the consultant is above board,” said the SRA source, who requested anonymity. “If Paner was criticized because of that, then Serafica should be kicked out.

They looked for a loophole [against Paner] and are in-

volved in taking her out, if ever they find that very illegal.”

The board, including Serafica, had resolved to authorize Paner “to sign the Contracts of Services for and in behalf of” the SRA for the consultant—who would be paid P1.2 million for six

months—and three project assistants.

A paper signed on Dec. 27, 2016 by lawyer Arvin Beñas, the SRA Board’s Secretary, showed that the board approved Resolution 2016-332 during the meeting at the SRA Conference Room in Bacolod City.

STL helps PCSO give more aid to indigents

Gov urges Pangasinan to support Ms. Millennial LINGAYEN, Pangasinan—Governor Amado I. Espino III urged Pangasinenses to unite and support the bid of Annie Uson, the reigning Limgas na Pangasinan, for the Miss Millennial Philippines crown.

Espino, during the regular flag-raising ceremony of the provincial government, recently praised Uson and described her journey in the televised beauty pageant as a source of inspiration for Pangasinense youth.

At the flag-raising ceremony, Uson thanked the provincial government and Pangasinenses for their unwavering support for her bid for Miss Millennial Philippines, a segment of the country’s longest-running noontime show Eat Bulaga held for its 38th anniversary.

She sought every Pangasinense’s support for her to be able to win the much-coveted crown by joining her crusade in promoting Miss Millennial Pangasinan’s page through social media.

To gain more support, Uson has been visiting various schools and local government units as well.

The live pageant and coronation of Miss Millennial 2017 will be held at the Broadway Centrum, Aurora Boulevard in Quezon City on September 30 and will be aired via GMA 7.

According to The Philippine Pageantry page, the advocacy of the beauty contest launched by one of the country’s most popular shows is not just to show the physical beauty and intellect of young Filipinas, but by showcasing the individual hometown or home province of the ladies. Dexter A. See

land use and infrastructure development challenges from natural hazards, such as floods, earthquakes and climate change.

Bautista envisions Quezon City to be the “green lung” of Metro Manila, to be devoted in recovery and conservation of the network of open spaces, which shall be under perpetual greenery and protection, aside from becoming the knowledge industry capital of the Philippines, and a health and wellness center in Asia.

Some of the 80,000 volunteers from all across Zambales gather along the shoreline of San Narciso on Saturday to participate in the 32nd International Coastal Cleanup 2017. Manny Palmero

ICC Day draws 80,000 volunteers from Zambales ABOUT 80,000 volunteers from educational institutions, local government units, civil society, private groups and the business sector in Zambales gathered along the shoreline of San Narciso on Saturday to participate in the 32nd International Coastal Cleanup 2017.

The annual activity, as organized by the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, was simultaneously held all over the Philippines and 100 states around the world.

The Philippines has been

actively participating in ICC for the past two decades and has constantly held second place in the world in terms of the most number of volunteers for the past five years. This led the PCGA to register with the Guinness World Record as “The Largest Number of Volunteers in a Single-Day Coastal Cleanup Event.”

According to ICC-Philippines National Coordinator Rear Admiral Gerry P. Reyes, the Philippines aimed for 150,000 volunteers this year to double more than

2015’s 107,000 participants.

The ICC, according to RAdm. Reyes, goes beyond cleaning a country’s waterways by picking and collecting trash from the shoreline and seabed. The global initiative of the Ocean Conservancy based in Washington D.C. aims to gather data on the number of common garbage found along the shoreline; many of which are composed of cigarette butts and microplastic materials.

About 12,000 volunteers in Metro Manila also par-

ticipated in ICC along the shoreline of Roxas Boulevard, Mall of Asia, Diokno Boulevard, and Las Piñas Protected Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area. The same was expected from Cavite Province and many other coastal communities of the country.

ICC results in 2015 showed that the province of Zambales topped the list of the most number of participants about 89,000 volunteers, followed by Cebu, Manila, Batangas and Cavite.

CLARK FREEPORT, Pampanga—The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office is intensifying its medical assistance program to reach more people throughout the country, especially the indigent.

Under the Individual Medical Assistance Program, people confined both in private and charity wards can avail of financial assistance from PCSO through guarantee letters issued to the medical facilities.

To hasten their financial assistance, the PCSO partnered with private and government hospitals to establish As Soon As Possible Desks throughout the country.

The f inancial assistance applies to hospital payment, laborator y expenses, hemodialysis, hearing aid, chemo dr ugs, medicine, implants and prosthesis and wheelchairs. Romeo Dizon

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

FOOD

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

C1

Oktoberfest is about the spirit of togetherness—a sense of gemütlichkeit—while enjoying traditional Bavarian dishes and guzzling one glass of beer after the other.

A SALUTE TO

THE JOYCE OF EATING JOYCE BABE PAÑARES

T

O SAY that Germans take their beer seriously is an understatement. In the two occasions that I studied in Germany (first at the International Institute for Journalism in Berlin and second at the Deutsche Welle Academy in Bonn), I’ve had my fair share of German friends rolling their eyes when I ask for a glass of ice to go with my beer.

liquid gold caption

Perhaps that culture of gathering together for a round or two of that amber liquid is most pronounced during Oktoberfest when all beer-loving citizens across the world troop to Munich to let their hair down and drink booze.

In fact, during last year’s 183rd Oktoberfest, over seven million liters of beer—enough to fill almost three Olympic-size swimming pools—were guzzled by close to six million visitors.

Oktoberfest traces its origins to the royal wedding of Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese in 1810. Ironically, no beer was sold during the festivities capped instead by horse races.

Almost two centuries later, it is celebrated not just in Germany but in other countries as well.

The Philippines is no exception as the country marks its 79th Oktoberfest celebration this year.

“Oktoberfest brings together people.

Regardless of nationality, it is that spirit of togetherness that is a common denominator,” said German Club Manila President Bernd Schneider.

The celebration, in fact, is all about the Bavarian spirit of gemütlichkeit—a cozy feeling because of friendship and a sense of belonging—where communal long wooden tables encourage revelers to make new friends over gulps of beer.

“The original reason for selling beer during Oktoberfest was to clear the stocks to make room for new beer. But I guess in the Philippines just as in Germany now, there is no problem of beer getting too old,” he added.

This year, just as in the past seven years, German Club Manila has partnered with Sofitel Philippine Plaza to celebrate the much-awaited beer festival on Oct. 6 to 7.

Paying homage to time-honored Bavarian ttraditions, Sofitel’s expansive Harbor Garden Tent will be transformed into a traditional biergärten where more than 2,000 guests are expected every night. The organizers are also flying in The Bavarian Sound Express from Germany to regale participants with traditional Bavarian music.

The hotel’s master chefs will also prepare a grand spread of Bavarian specialties, including roasted pork knuckles, roasted calf, laugen rolls, grilled German sausages and mouthwatering pastries, paired with unlimited ice-cold San Miguel beer.

Oktoberfest in this part of the globe has some impressive statistics, too. In 2015, guests downed over 7,000 liters of beer during the two-day festival, while more than a thousand kilos of German sausages—from cheese sausages to Cervelat—and some 600 kilos of sauerkraut were consumed.

That could very well have ended in a mighty hangover, but the fun memories and new friendships formed make the slightly disheveled walk (or crawl) back home worth it.

For feedback, send comments to joyce.panares@gmail.com

9 steps to Belgian beer bliss

EVERY sip of an ice-cold Belgian beer is an experience delivered from many years of brewing expertise. And for Stella Artois, each drop of beer must be poured with precision and perfection to offer an exquisite taste connoisseurs deserve. This is done through the brand’s nine-step pouring ritual that has stood the test of time.

Born from the passion for delivering a full-bodied, authentic flavor of Belgian beer, the nine-step pouring ritual follows strict standards in beer pouring. To ensure that this ritual is preserved and will endure through time, Stella Artois hosted its 2nd Draught Masters Philippines Competition last June 22 at Fairmont Hotel, Makati City. Here, bartenders from various restaurants, bars, and hotels showcased their expertise in the nine-step pouring ritual.

The top three performers will represent the country as finalists in the regional finals in Bangkok, Thailand.

“Our nine-step ritual is a dance between the Chalice and the Draught Master. It is observed properly to serve a pleasantly bitter beer flavor we’ve always loved,” says Chester Cabrera, Head of Marketing, Booze Online, Inc. “With the second installment of Draught Masters Philippines, Stella Artois would like to share the brand’s over 600 years of brewing expertise by keeping our time-honored, ninestep pouring ritual alive.”

Step 1: Purification The ritual begins with the bartender giving the signature Stella Artois chalice a cold-water bath, letting it reach the same temperature as the beer. For Stella Artois, the glass is a chalice designed to offer the authentic taste and aroma of the beer.

Step 2: The Sacrifice In a single swift motion, the tap is opened but the first drops of beer are drained away—a sacrifice to guarantee that each drop poured into the chalice delivers the freshest taste.

Step 3: The Liquid Alchemy The chalice is held at a 45-degree angle to ensure that the beer circulates as it enters the glass, resulting in the perfect combination of liquid and foam.

Step 4: The Crown As the beer pours, the chalice is gracefully straightened and lowered to form a perfect foam, which seals the beer’s freshness by preventing the exposure of liquid to air.

Step 5: The Removal Here, a smooth and fluid exit is guaranteed by closing the tap quickly and removing the chalice to avoid any last drops from entering.

Step 6: The Beheading The head is trimmed using a foam cutter at a 45-degree angle. This ensures that your glass of Stella Artois is void of large,

loose bubbles that can speed up the dissipation of the foam.

Step 7: The Judgement The final head serves as a protection that keeps the freshness of the beer. Its thickness must be three centimeters (two fingers) to ensure that the flavors are locked in.

Step 8: The Cleansing The chalice is dipped in cold water to rinse the outside. The result is a neat, brilliant-looking chalice that is pleasant to hold.

Step 9: The Bestowal For full appreciation, the chalice is placed on a coaster with a drip catcher at the base.

This caps off the ritual with a perfectly served glass of Stella Artois for a Belgian beer bliss.

Each step in Stella Artois’ nine-step pouring ritual guarantees the freshest flavor and aroma of the Belgian beer. This process also ensures the best drinking experience for its patrons.

With the brand’s dedication to offer the best tasting experience of a perfectly poured beer, this ritual will live on.

Belgian beer Stella Artois’ nine-step pouring ritual guarantees the freshest flavor and aroma.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Life

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 C2 Standard TODAY Manila

isahred@gmail.com

DINING OUT?

Reserve a table to get a discount

By Bernadette Lunas

Invitation to Bid Supply and Delivery of Min. 8 HP Diesel Engine; Supply, Delivery and Installation of Min. 65 BHP Industrial EngineRAGD 1:1 Vertical Mixed Flow Turbine; Construction of Pump House, Diversion Works and Canal System of CASTILLO PIP, Concepcion Tarlac ITB NO. NIAR3-EGPIP-2017-TAR-CASTILLO PIP-37 1.

The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3,hereby invites all interested Phil-GEPS registered Contractors to bid for the project through theGeneral Appropriations Act of CY 2017, intends to apply the sum of Thirty Eight Million Five Hundred Six Thousand Nine Hundred Ninety One Pesos and 28/100(P 38,506,991.28)being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)to payments under the contract for NIAR3-EGPIP-2017-TAR-CASTILLOPIP-37. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2. Bidders must secure Site Inspection Certificate from IMO Office as a technical requirement for Eligibility and Technical Document (Envelop A). Non compliance will be a ground for disqualification.

3. Only those Letter of Intent with a company profile, submitted by the owner or its authorized liaison officer, will be accepted to participate in the bidding.

4. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3, now invites bids for Supply and Delivery of Min. 8 HP Diesel Engine; Supply, Delivery and Installation of 65 BHP Industrial Engine RAGD 1:1 Vertical Mixed Flow Turbine; Construction of Pump House, Diversion Works and Canal System of CASTILLO PIP, Concepcion Tarlac. Completion of the Works is required within Two Hundred Ten (210) calendar days. Bidders should have completed within the last three (3) years with an amount of at least 50% of the proposed project for bidding 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, Instruction to Bidders.

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

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least seventy five percent (75%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

6. Interested bidders may obtain further information from NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M., Monday to Friday.

A complete set of Bidding Documents may be purchased by interested Bidders on September 18, 2017 to October 10, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday to Friday, and October 11, 2017 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., except holidays from the address below and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents in the amount of Thirty EightThousand Pesos (P 38,000.00).

7. It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that bidders shall pay the fee for the Bidding Documents not later that the submission of their bids.

8. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3 will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on September 27, 2017, 10:00 a.m. at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan, which shall be open only to all interested parties who have purchased the Bidding Documents.

9. Bids must be delivered to the address below on or before12:30 p.m. (PST) of October 11, 2017 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on 1:00p.m. (PST) of October 11, 2017 at NIA-R3 Office, Conference Room, Brgy. Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

10. All particulars relative to the eligibility screening, bid security, performance security, pre-bid conference/s, evaluation of bids, post qualification and award of contracts shall be governed by the pertinent provisions of RA 91OL84 and its revised IRR. 11. The NATIONAL IRRIGATION ADMINISTRATION – REGION 3reserves 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.

12. For further information, please refer to: BAC Secretariat/s; NIA – Region 3,Tambubong, San Rafael, Bulacan Tel No. (044) 766-4839 and 816-8608

(SGD) JOSEPHINE B. SALAZAR Regional Manager (MS-SEPT. 18, 2017)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Education REGION IV-A CALABARZON Gate 2 Karangalan Drive, Cainta. Rizal INVITATION TO BID BOARD & LODGING FOR THE TRAINING WORKSHOP ON THE CONDUCT OF SCHOOL-BASED LEARNING ACTION CELL 1. The DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON, through the HRTD funds FY 2017 intends to apply the sum of Two Million Seven Hundred Thousand Pesos (Php2,700,000.00) being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the contract for Board and Lodging for the Training Workshop on the Conduct of School-Based Learning Action Cell. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

300 pax x Php1,800.00 x 5 days Date of activity -----October 16-20, 2017 -------150 pax October 23-27, 2017 ------ 150 pax 2. The DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON now invites bids for the Board & Lodging for the Training Workshop on the contract of School-Based learning Action Cell. Delivery of the Services is expected for the Contract duration. Bidders should have completed, within five (5) 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. lnstructions to Bidders.

Preferred venue shall be somewhere within Sta. Rosa City only.

3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (lRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”. (i) Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183.

4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON (BAC Secretariat) and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hour at 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday to Friday.

5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on September 14, 2017 from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for The Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Five Hundred Pesos (Php500.00).

Note: For lot procurement, the maximum fee for the Bidding Documents for each lot shall be based on its ABC, in accordance with the Guidelines issued in the GPPB: provided that the total fees for the Bidding Documents of all lots shall not exceed the maximum fee prescribed in the Guidelines for the sum of the ABC of all lots).

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

6. The DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON will hold a Pre-Bid Conference3 on September 22, 2017 at 10:00 a.m. to be held at the Director’s Office Conference Room, which shall be open to prospective bidders.

7. Bids must be duly, received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before October 5, 2017 at l0:00 a.m. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

Bid opening shall be on October 5, 2017 at the Directors Office Conference Room. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8. The DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its lRR, without thereby incurring any Iiability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9. For further information, please refer to: Ann Geralyn T. Pelias DepED Region IV-A CALABARZON Gate 2 Karangalan Drive, Cainta, Rizal 6477187 & 6171914 www.depedcalabarzon.ph (SGD) ANN GERALYN T. PELIAS BAC Chairperson

1

Mav be deleted ill case the ABC is less than One Million Pesos (PhP1,000,000.00) where the Procuring Entity may not hold a Pre-Bid Conference.

(MS-SEPT. 18, 2017)

In fact, he said, we’re the same as our Southeast Asian neighbors. “In Southeast Asia, people love eating out with their family and friends—it’s very strong—but there is no existing reservation culture [in this region]. Thais don’t reserve, Malays don’t reserve, Singaporeans, to a degree,” averred Cluzel.

To encourage booking-averse restaurant customers to reserve a table, Cluzel and his team thought of offering them discount on their meals if they book for a specific time of the day.

Eatigo, co-founded by Cluzel, is an online reservation platform that offers time-based discounts of up to 50 percent everyday in all its partner restaurants. It has been launched in Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, India, and, most recently, here.

It’s available through its online website and mobile application, available on both Google Play Store and Apple App Store for free.

“I am glad that we have finally launched in the Philippines and I am proud to share that Metro Manila had one of the strongest launches in Eatigo’s history,” said the company CEO. Eatigo users in Manila have access to over 2,000-curated restaurants, which the app developers chose based on “what people want.”

“We curate merchants from three different categories: hotels, chains, and independent restaurants. In each category, we size up the market and find out what do people like, where do they like to eat,” explained Cluzel.

Diners can book a table and get discounts at Eatigo’s partner merchants in Manila that include homey hole in the wall joints like

Eatigo is the leading online reservation platform that offers timebased discounts in Southeast Asia.

Sweet Ecstacy, crowd favorites like CIBO and Ramen Nagi, and premium establishments such as Heat in Edsa Shangri-la Hotel.

Ready to dine out? After downloading the app, select a restaurant from different categories (location, top 50, featured, A-Z), select the schedule during which a specific discount applies (these are usually the establishment’s off-peak hours), indicate number of guests, and get your confirmed reservation, which you need to show to the restaurant for the discount to be applied automatically.

Cluzel said there’s no need for pre-payments, vouchers, or subscriptions.

“We try to provide the best of both worlds. We provide users with a solid selection, while the merchants can tell us exactly when do they want people to come (during off-peak hours) and we will shape the traffic.”

(SGD) VIRGILIO J. ILAO BAC – Chairman

Noted by:

3

F

ILIPINOS love to dine out, but they rarely book a reservation when they do. That’s the observation of German entrepreneur Michael Cluzel.

Republic of the Philippines Department of Finance Securities and Exchange Commission IN THE MATTER OF

: : REGISTRATION OF COMMERCIAL PAPERS

CITYLAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION : : x----------------------------------------x

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on 7 September 2017 a sworn Registration Statement was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on behalf of CITYLAND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION for the registration of One Billion Three Hundred Fifty Million Pesos (Php1,350,000,000.00) worth of Commercial Papers.

According to the papers presented, the following persons are the officers/directors of the corporation: Name Washington SyCip Stephen C. Roxas Andrew I. Liuson Grace C. Liuson Josef C. Gohoc Atty. Sabino R. Padilla, Jr. Peter S. Dee Alice C. Gohoc Helen C. Roxas Emma A. Choa Rudy Go Eden F. Go Melita M. Revuelta Romeo E. Ng Melita L. Tan Rosario D. Perez Atty. Emma G. Jularbal Catherine Grace T. Wong

Position Independent Director/Chairman of the Board Director/Chairman of the Executive Committee Director/Vice Chairman of the Board Director/Deputy Vice Chairman of the Board Director/President Director Independent Director Director Director Executive Vice President/Treasurer Senior Vice President/Compliance Officer Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President-Executive Affairs Vice President-Legal Affairs/Corporate Secretary Assistant Corporate Secretary

Said registration statement and other papers/documents attached thereto (collectively known as *RS*) are open to inspection by interested parties during business hours, and copies thereof, photostatic or otherwise, shall be furnished to any party, upon request, at such fees as the Commission may prescribe. The RS and the Prospectus dated 07 September 2017 and the corresponding updated version may be downloaded from www.cityland.net.

VICENTE GRACIANO P. FELIZMENIO, JR. Director Markets and Securities Regulation Department (MS-SEPT. 15 & 18, 2017)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Finance Securities and Exchange Commission IN THE MATTER OF

: : REGISTRATION OF COMMERCIAL PAPERS

CITY & LAND DEVELOPERS, INCORPORATED : : x----------------------------------------x

NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on 5 September 2017 a sworn Registration Statement was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on behalf of CITY & LAND DEVELOPERS, INCORPORATED for the registration of Four Hundred Million Pesos (Php4,000,000.00) worth of Commercial Papers.

According to the papers presented, the following persons are the officers/directors of the corporation: Name Atty. Sabino R. Padilla, Jr. Stephen C. Roxas Andrew I. Liuson Grace C. Liuson Josef C. Gohoc Peter S. Dee Cezar E.A. Virata Alice C. Gohoc Helen C. Roxas Emma A. Choa Rudy Go Eden F. Go Melita M. Revuelta Romeo E. Ng Melita L. Tan Rosario D. Perez Winefreda R. Go Atty. Emma G. Jularbal Jocelyn C. de Asis

Position Independent Director/Chairman of the Board Director/Chairman of the Executive Committee Director/Vice Chairman of the Board Director/Deputy Vice Chairman of the Board Director/President Independent Director Independent Director Director Director Executive Vice President/Treasurer Senior Vice President/Compliance Officer Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President Vice President-Executive Affairs Vice President Vice President-Legal Affairs/Corporate Secretary Assistant Corporate Secretary

Said registration statement and other papers/documents attached thereto (collectively known as *RS*) are open to inspection by interested parties during business hours, and copies thereof, photostatic or otherwise, shall be furnished to any party, upon request, at such fees as the Commission may prescribe. The RS and the Prospectus dated 05 September 2017 and the corresponding updated version may be downloaded from www.cityland.net.

VICENTE GRACIANO P. FELIZMENIO, JR. Director Markets and Securities Regulation Department (MS-SEPT. 15 & 18, 2017)

Binibining Pilipinas 2017 queens grace the opening of Pizza Hut’s flagship store at SM Mall of Asia

PIZZA HUT

opens biggest PH store PIZZA Hut unveiled its flagship store at SM Mall of Asia with a new concept of dining last month, graced by the reigning Bb. Pilipinas winners, specifically Bb. Pilipinas-Universe Rachel Peters, and its top executives.

From its modest beginnings in 1958, Pizza Hut has grown to become the world’s largest pizza chain where pizza lovers are guaranteed not only of the best-tasting pizza, pasta, and chicken wings but of excellent, customer-oriented service and that feeling of being in your own happy place with friends and family.

Right from the start, Pizza Hut has always been known for its penchant for keeping up with the times. For its new store at SM Mall of Asia, the famed pizza chain is doing away with the rather formal dining experience of yore and switching to an all-new concept of casual dining that is easy to access and avail of. “What we are offering in our new flagship store at SM Mall of Asia is a more immediate and less tedious dining concept,” says Lorent Adrias, chief marketing officer of Philippine Pizza Inc. A fast casual dine in store heightens the whole pizza experience with faster ordering and serving services which also means comfort and convenience for its customers. The new Pizza Hut SM MOA also offers new services like a coffee and dessert bar to satisfy

dessert cravings and a unique merchandising area where PH fans can purchase limited edition shirts and caps.

The new store can hold as much as 175 people at the same time and features a show kitchen where customers get a first-hand look at how their well-loved pizzas are prepared. Pizza Hut pizzas are guaranteed made fresh every day.

The new store located at Level 1 Main Mall Entrance also comes with an all-new look – inviting, comforting, never intimidating. It should appeal to millennials, aside from the already strong market composed of families, friends, and officemates.

Pizza Hut SM Mall of Asia captures the new brand essence of Pizza Hut, which is doing everything that we do For the Love of Pizza.

Another Pizza Hut innovation that is making waves is the PANalo Pizza Promo.

PANalo Pizza Promo allows pizza aficionado to satisfy their pizza fix for as low as P59 for personal, P109 for regular, and P159 for large pizza good for 5-6 persons.

There are three flavors to choose from, namely Cheese Lovers, Cheesy Trio Pepperoni & Bacon, and Hawaiian Supreme.

PANalo Pizza Promo is available for DineIn, Take-Out, and Delivery.

To order, you can call 911-11-11 or visit www.pizzahut.com.ph.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

Manila

Standard

TODAY

T

ODAY, GMA Network premieres Super Ma’am starring Marian Rivera-Dantes.

Marian breathes life to Minerva Henerala, the odd but soft-hearted and dedicated high school teacher who loves her students despite their naughtiness.

Years ago she lost her mother and sister to a tragic archaeological accident. At the same site, she had a close encounter with mythical glowing winged-creatures and shape shifters called Tamawo, and she grew up believing that they exist among humans.

As the years go by, the Tamawo made their way into the city and abducts children to feed on their youthful energy. Now it is up to Minerva’s alter ego—Super Ma’am—to become a Tamawo slayer and save the human world.

This series features the return of Helen Gamboa to GMA. She breathes life to the character of Lolita Honorio, Minerva’s grandmother who also encountered and believes in the Tamawo. She will also be Super Ma’am’s guide in her journey.

Playing opposite Marian is the newest Kapuso heartthrob Matthias Rhoads as Trevor Jones, an American archaeologist and writer who will falls in love with Super Ma’am.

Making Super Ma’am’s life a little more challenging and interesting are Joyce Ching as Dalikmata, a powerful elemental being who transforms into a human and will eventually

fall for Ace (Kristoffer Martin), a Tamawo employed by Greta to do personal security work for her and Avenir; Kevin Santos as Casper, a quirky media personality who reports weird occurrences in the metro; Isabelle de Leon as Rafa, the sexy and beautiful Tamawo who accompanies Avenir in her trainings; Andrew Gan as Keno, Greta’s henchman; and Jackie Lou Blanco as Greta Segovia, the main villainess and the radical and powerful Tamawo disguised as the rich benefactor of the school.

Adding color to teacher Minerva’s life are her students and co-teachers: Jillian Ward as Michelle, a genius 13-year old student of Minerva; Enrico Cuenca as Jake, the geeky Math teacher; Ash Ortega as Kristy, the kikay student of Minerva; Marika Sasaki as Dina, the best friend of Kristy; Vincent Magbanua as Eric, one of Minerva’s mischievous students; Ralph Noriega as Onin, also one of Minerva’s unruly students; Meg Imperial as Jessica, the assistant principal at the school where Minerva is teaching and is immensely jealous of her; Ashley Rivera as teacher Rose, one of Minerva’s co-teachers who is the secret ally of Jessica; Jerald Napoles as Esteban, the talkative janitor at Minerva’s school that secretly loves her; and Shyr Valdez as Lailani, the strict principal at Minerva and Jessica’s school.

Completing the cast are Minerva’s family: Al Tantay as Chaplin Henerala, Minerva’s loving and caring father; Julius Miguel as Bixby Henerala, Minerva’s younger

GMA Telebabad’s newest primetime series goes

SUPERFANTASTIC brother and who lacks the willingness to study; and Kim Domingo as Mabelle Henerala/ Avenir Segovia, Minerva’s lost sister raised by Greta to be a beauty queen and will be interested in Trevor.

Joining them to play an equally important role is Carmina Villarroel as Ceres, the great Tagachu who is heir to the powerful buntot pagi, which

the series is Aiai delas Alas.

Apart from the extraordinary mythical creatures, Super Ma’am is a series that heralds the invaluable role of teachers as second parents of children in our society. Minerva is a role model not only in nurturing every child’s potential, but also in showcasing and proving that there is a good teacher in all of us.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR CONSULTING SERVICES ON THE CALABARZON PROVINCIAL ECONOMIC ACCOUNTS

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF CONSULTING SERVICES FOR THE STUDY ON KEY DRIVERS OF POVERTY REDUCTION IN CENTRAL LUZON

1.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)intends to apply the sum of Nine Million Three Hundred Fifty Thousand Pesos (Php 9,350,000.00), inclusive of all applicable government taxes and charges, professional fees, and other incidental and administrative costs, as the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the Contract for the subject consulting services. Proposals received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

2.

TheNEDA now calls for the submission ofEOI and eligibility documents for the estimation of the economic accounts of each province in Calabarzon.The contract shall be completed within eight months.

1.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) intends to apply the sum of Six Million Four Hundred Forty Three Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty Five Pesos (PHP6,443,955.00), inclusive of all applicable government taxes and charges, professional fees, and other incidental and administrative costs, as the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), to payments under the Contract for the subject consulting services. Proposals received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the Financial Proposals.

2.

The NEDA now calls for the submission of EOI and eligibility requirements for the conduct of the Study on Key Drivers of Poverty Reduction in Central Luzon. The contract shall be completed within eleven (11) months.

Eligibility Documents and Proposals of interested Consultants must be duly received by the NEDA Bids and Awards Committee for Consulting Services (NBAC-CS) on or before 27 September 2017, 12:00 NN, at the following address:

Asst. Secretary Carlos Bernardo O. Abad Santos NBAC-CS Chairman Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning 5F NEDA-sa-Pasig Building 12 Saint JosemariaEscriva Drive Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605

3.

3.

Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion. Interested Consultants may obtain further information from NEDA and acquire a complete set of Proposal/Bidding Documents at the address given above from Mondays to Fridays, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, starting 07 September 2017upon payment of the applicable fee for the Proposal/Bidding Documents in the amount of Php 10,000.00. The Proposal/Bidding Documents may also be downloaded free of charge from the Philippine Government Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and NEDA websites, provided that consultants shall pay the applicable fee for the Proposal Documents not later than the submission of their proposals.

Interested Consultants may obtain further information from NEDA and acquire a complete set of Bidding/ Proposal Documents at the address given above from Mondays to Fridays, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., starting 6 September 2017 upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding/Proposal Documents in the amount of PhP10,000.00. The Bidding/Proposal Documents may also be downloaded free of charge from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and NEDA websites, provided that Consultants shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding/Proposal Documents not later than the submission of their proposals.

4.

4.

Interested Consultants have to option to submit their Legal, Financial, and Class “B” Eligibility Documents (1 original and 4 copies), as applicable, in advance (on or before 18 September 2017, 5:00 PM) for preliminary evaluation by the NBAC-CS in terms of completeness/compliance. The NBACCS, however, shall only proceed with the preliminary evaluation upon payment of a participation fee of Php 2,000. Note that said amount shall cover the attendant administrative cost for eligibility check and shortlisting process and shall be deducted from the cost of the Proposal Documents. The NBAC-CS, after its preliminary evaluation if advance submissions, shall inform the participating Consultants of any deficiency in their respective submissions at least three (3) calendar days prior to the deadline for submission of Eligibility Documents set in this Request for EOI.

A Pre-Proposal/Bid Conference will be held on 12 October 2017, 1:30PM at the 5/F NEDA-sa-Pasig Building, #12 Saint Josemaria Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605, and will be open only to Consultants who have paid the corresponding fee for the Bidding/Proposal Documents. Representative/s should bring a letter addressed to the NBAC-CS Chair certifying that the representative/s has/have authority to speak for and in behalf of the Consultant.

5.

Interested Consultants have the option to submit their Legal, Financial and Class “B” Eligibility Documents (1 original copy and 4 copies), as applicable, in advance (on or before 18 September 2017, 5:00 P.M.) for preliminary evaluation by the NBAC-CS in terms of completeness/compliance. The NBAC-CS, however, shall only proceed with the preliminary evaluation upon payment of a participation fee of PhP2,000.00. Note that said amount shall cover the attendant administrative cost for the eligibility check and shortlisting process and shall be deducted from the cost of the Bidding/Proposal Documents. The NBAC-CS, after its preliminary evaluation of advance submissions, shall inform the participating Consultants of any deficiency in their respective submissions at least three (3) calendar days prior to the deadline for submission of Eligibility Documents set in this Request for EOI.

6.

The NBAC-CS shall draw up the short list of Consultants from those who have submitted EOI, including the Eligibility Documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the relevant provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA), and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of three (3) to seven (7) prospective Consultants who will be entitled to submit proposals. The criteria and rating system for shortlisting are as follows:

along with Maricel (Soriano) and Richard (Gomez).

Meant to ‘Beh will just be my third MMFF offering, so I’m simply thrilled.”

The pretty star is aware that they have huge competition at the tills in the upcoming film fest since other front-rank stars have their respective entries as well like Coco Martin, Vice Ganda, and Jennylyn Mercado.

“Yes, I know. It will be a strong field. The pressure of landing in the Top 3 is a big challenge. But I’m confident with our offering. I think we’re the only family-oriented vehicle in the festival which is good.

I’m sure the viewing public will not only enjoy the film but pick up some valuable lessons from its various themes,” ends Dawn. ******** Asked how he felt that his supposedly reunion movie with estranged wife Sharon Cuneta under Star Cinema was shelved, Gabby Concepcion reveals, “Of course, I’m sad because this development disappointed our fans but I think my reasons for not accepting the initial offer are valid. Much as I really wanted to work with Sharon, the material is a foremost consideration for me. Admittedly, I wasn’t satisfied with the story line presented to me then. I wanted to read the script but they could only come up with the synopsis then.

“Personally, before I accept an offer, I want to see the script first.

It’s better that way because from there, you can make inputs or suggest ideas on how to improve the plot. It’s important for me to have my own contributions to the development or enhancement of the story. But as I’ve said earlier, what they presented to me during that time was just the synopsis so I couldn’t commit.

“One more thing, everyone knows that I signed a two-year contract with GMA. Starting on the last quarter of 2016, my afternoon soap opera Ika-6 na Utos with Sunshine Dizon and Ryza Cenon started taping and luckily, we got very high ratings. In fact, we got extended. So, because of my contract with the Kapuso, I think it doesn’t feel right if I did a project for the film arm of its rival outfit, which is ABS-CBN, right away. I didn’t want to lose the momentum with GMA.” Did he tell Sharon about these reasons?

“Well, I wasn’t able to since we don’t really talk about our work assignments. We don’t consult each other for decisions.”

The handsome actor declares though that he is still very much open to a future movie project opposite the Megastar.

“Oh, yes! We owe it to our loyal supporters,” Gabby states.

gives her power to transform into a young Tamawo slayer.

This buntot pagi will be passed on to her mentee and the chosen one Minerva to help her transform to become Super Ma’am the Tamawo Slayer.

Dina Bonnevie plays Raquel Henerala, a well-known archaeologist and Minerva’s mother.

Playing a very special role in

EOI and eligibility submissions of interested consultants must be duly received by the NEDA Bids and Awards Committee for Consulting Services (NBAC-CS) on or before 27 September, 12 NNat the following address:

Dawn glad to star with Vic in a movie DAWN Zulueta admits her elation with the fact that she’s paired with Vic Sotto in the upcoming Metro Manila Film Festival entry Meant to ‘Beh!”coproduced by OctoArts Films, ATP Entertainment and M-Zet Productions.

“It’s my first time to collaborate with him in the big screen. For a time, I played the role of Faye in his hit sitcom Okay Ka Fairy Ko. I think that was in the mid-‘90s.

It was short-lived though and after that, there wasn’t any chance for us to do another project once again.

“That’s the reason why this movie is special to me. It holds many firsts. Apart from it being my first big screen project opposite Vic, it’s also the first time that I’m working with our director Chris Martinez. Ditto with some of our co-stars like Daniel (Matsunaga), JC (Santos), Gabbi (Garcia), Ruru (Madrid) and Baby Baste.

I’m simply excited!”

Known for her heavy dramatic outings, some quarters ask if she feels comfortable doing a light romantic comedy like Meant to ‘Beh. “Actually, it’s a breather. At least, it’s not emotionally draining. When the project was pitched to me, I thought it would be nice to do it and serve as respite from the usual dramas people are used to seeing me. For a change, as they say. But there’s still a little element of drama in the movie since it tackles family life.

“Here, we’ll feature conflicts that surround contemporary families, like the relationship of husbands and wives when they feel they’ve already outgrown each other after being married for quite some time, how parents handle the challenges and difficulties faced by their children at present and how kids play a vital role in bringing back their parents together. All the characters are relatable. It’s really a heart-warming story that the public will love!”

Dawn is very excited to be part of the MMFF once again.

“Of course!” she states. “It’s one prestigious industry event everyone is looking forward to.

That’s why I’m flattered that Vic got me to play his wife in the story.

Now, I will have the chance to ride the float during the parade of stars.

Ha-ha-ha! It’s truly one enjoyable experience.

“I can very well remember the first time I joined said parade. It was still in the early ‘90s for Kung Mawawala Ka Pa in which I won the Festival Best Actress plum. I was with Christopher de Leon and Amy Austria in the movie.

After that, my next entry came in 2000 when I was part of the ensemble cast of Viva’s Filipinas

Kapuso Primetime Queen Marian Rivera plays superhero again in a new series on GMA-7

5.

Asst. Secretary Carlos Bernardo O. Abad Santos NBAC-CS Chairman 5/F NEDA-sa-Pasig Building, #12 Saint Josemaria Escriva Drive Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605

The NBAC-CS shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted EOI, including the eligibility documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) No, 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act” (GPRA), and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of three (3) to seven (7) prospective Consultants who will be entitled to submit proposals. The criteria and rating system for short listing are as follows: Rating Factor (Hurdle Rate: 60%)

Weight Individuals forming a JV

I.

I.

Experience and Capability of the Firm a.

Years in the consulting services industry b.

Related (similar or relevant) experience/previous engagements

II.

III.

Qualification of Consultants who may be assigned to the project a. Education b. Training c. Similar/Relevant Experience Job Capacity

Total

30

a. Experience (Previous engagements in Similar and/or Relevant Contracts) 80

70

20

10

100

100

The selection process will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Revised IRR of RA 9184. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

7.

Proposals shall be evaluated using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure at a weight ratio of 80% for Technical Proposal and 20% for the Financial Proposal.The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of proposals shall be provided in the Instructions to Proponents/Bidders.

8.

NEDAreserves the right toreject any and all proposals, including that of a single eligible proponent, waive any minor deviation in the submitted documents which will not materially affect the substance of the proposal, annul the procurement/bidding process, or not award the contract without thereby incurring any liability to the affected participating Consultant/s.

b.

Training

c.

Education 10

III. Absorptive capacity of consultant/consulting firm TOTAL

100

7.

The selection process will be conducted through through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the IRR of RA 9184. This procurement activity is open to all interested Consultants subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in said Revised IRR.

8.

Proposals shall be evaluated using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure at a weight ratio of 80% for the Technical Proposal and 20% for the Financial Proposal. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of proposals shall be provided in the Instructions to Proponents/Bidders.

9.

NEDA reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, including that of a single eligible proponent, waive any minor deviation in the submitted documents which will not materially affect the substance of the proposal, annul the procurement/bidding process, or not award the contract without thereby incurring any liability to the affected participating Consultant/s.

10. For further information, please contact the NBAC-CS Secretariat: 3/F NEDA-sa-Pasig Building #12 Saint Josemaria Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605 (02) 631-3724 / (02) 631-0960 to 65 local 312 Fax Nos. (02) 631-2192

For further information, please contact the NBAC-CS Secretariat: 5th Floor, NEDA-sa-Pasig Building 12 Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City, 1605 Telefax: (02) 6354829 / 6350945 – 56 local 501

Issued on 045 September 2017.

Issued 06 September 2017 (SGD.) CARLOS BERNARDO O. ABAD SANTOS Assistant Secretary and Chairperson, NBAC-CS

(MS-SEPT. 18, 2017)

60

Applicable Experience of the Consulting Firm

II. Qualification of the Consultant/s or Officers, key personnel of the Firm who may be assigned to the job

20

6.

9.

Max points

Rating Factor (Hurdle Rate: 70%)

Firms

(SGD.) CARLOS BERNARDO O. ABAD SANTOS Assistant Secretary and Chairperson, NBAC-CS (MS-SEPT. 18, 2017)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST FOR THE CONSULTING SERVICES ON THE ESTIMATES OF THE PROVINCIAL INCOME ACCOUNTS OF BOHOL, CEBU, SIQUIJOR, AND NEGROS ORIENTAL The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) intends to apply the sum of Five Million Three Hundred Fifty-Five Thousand Pesos (Php 5,355,000.00), inclusive of all applicable government taxes and charges, professional fees, and other incidental and administrative costs, as the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payments under the Contract for the subject consulting services. Proposals received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the financial proposals.

The NEDA now calls for the submission of EOI and eligibility documents for the estimation of the provincial income accounts of Bohol, Cebu, Siquijor, and Negros Oriental. The contract shall be completed within twelve (12) months.

EOI and eligibility documents of interested consultants must be duly received by the NEDA Bids and Awards Committee for Consulting Services (NBAC-CS) on or before 27 September, 12 NN at the following address: Asst. Secretary Carlos Bernardo 0. Abad Santos NBAC-CS Chairman Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy and Planning 5F NEDA-sa-Pasig Building 12 Saint Josemaria Escriva Drive Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605 Applications for eligibility will be evaluated based on a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion.

Interested Consultants may obtain further information from NED A and acquire a complete set of Proposal/Bidding Documents at the address given above from Mondays to Fridays, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, starting 07 September upon payment of the applicable fee for the Proposal/Bidding Documents in the amount of Php 10,000.00. The Proposal/Bidding Documents may also be downloaded free of charge from the Philippine Government Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and NEDA websites, provided that consultants shall pay the applicable fee for the Proposal Documents not later than the submission of their proposals.

Interested Consultants have to option to submit their Legal, Financial, and Class “B” Eligibility Documents (1 original and 4 copies), as applicable, in advance (on or before 18 September 2017, 5 :00 PM) for preliminary evaluation by the NBAC-CS in terms of completeness/compliance.

The NBAC-CS, however, shall only proceed with the preliminary evaluation upon payment of a participation fee of Php 2,000. Note that said amount shall cover the attendant administrative cost for eligibility check and shortlisting process and shall be deducted from the cost of the Proposal Documents. The NBAC-CS, after its preliminary evaluation if advance submissions, shall inform the participating Consultants of any deficiency in their respective submissions at least three (3) calendar days prior to the deadline for submission of Eligibility Documents set in this Request for EO!.

The NBAC-CS shall draw up the short list of consultants from those who have submitted EOI, including the eligibility documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act (RA) No, 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act” (GPRA), and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist up to seven (7) prospective Consultants who will be entitled to submit proposals. The criteria and rating system for short listing are as follows: Rating Factor (Hurdle Rate: 60)

I. Applicable Experience of the Firm a. Years in the services industry b. Related (similar or relevant) experience/previous engagements II. Qualification of Individual Consultant or Firm-nominated consultant who may be assigned to the project a. Education b. Training c. Experience (i.e. previous engagements in similar and/or relevant contracts) III. Overall Work Commitments of Individual Consultant or Firm-Nominated Consultant Total

6.

7.

8.

9.

Individuals

90

REQUEST FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI) FOR THE PROCUREMENT OF CONSULTANCY SERVICES ON THE STUDY TO EVALUATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PRIVATE SECTOR REPRESENTATIVES (PSRs) IN THE REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT COUNCILS (RDCs) 1.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) intends to apply the sum of Five Million One Hundred and One Thousand Seven Hundred Twenty-Five and 00/100 Pesos (PHP5,101,725.00), inclusive of all applicable government taxes and charges, professional fees, and other incidental and administrative costs, as the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), to payments under the Contract for the subject consulting services. Proposals received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at the opening of the Financial Proposals.

2.

The NEDA now calls for the submission of E01 and eligibility requirements for the conduct of the study to evaluate the effectiveness of PSRs in the RDCs. The contract shall be completed within nine (9) months.

Eligibility submissions of interested Consultants must be duly received by the NEDA Bids and Awards Committee for Consulting Services (NBAC-CS) on or before 27 September 2017 (Tuesday), 12:00 NN, at the following address: Asst. Secretary Carlos Bernardo 0. Abad Santos NBAC-CS Chairman 5/F NEDA-sa-Pasig Building, #12 Saint Josemaria Escriva Drive Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605

3.

Interested Consultants may obtain further information from NEDA and acquire a complete set of Bidding/Proposal Documents at the address given above from Mondays to Fridays, 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., starting 6 September 2017 upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding/ Proposal Documents in the amount of PhP10,000.00. The Bidding/Proposal Documents may also be downloaded free of charge from the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhiIGEPS) and NEDA websites, provided that Consultants shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding/Proposal Documents not later than the submission of their proposals.

4.

A Pre-Proposal/Bid Conference will be held on 12 October 2017, 2:00 PM at the 5/F NEDA-saPasig Building, #12 Saint Josemaria Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605, and will be open only to Consultants who have paid the corresponding fee for the Bidding/Proposal Documents.

Representative/s should bring a letter addressed to the NBAC CS Chair certifying that the representative/s has/have authority to speak for and in behalf of the Consultant.

5.

Interested Consultants have the option to submit their Legal, Financial and Class “B” Eligibility Documents (l original copy and 4 copies), as applicable, in advance (on or before 18 September 2017, 5:00 P.M.) for preliminary evaluation by the NBAC-CS in terms of completeness/compliance.

The NBAC-CS, however, shall only proceed with the preliminary evaluation upon payment of a participation fee of PhP2,000.00. Note that said amount shall cover the attendant administrative cost for the eligibility check and shortlisting process and shall be deducted from the cost of the Bidding/ Proposal Documents. The NBAC-CS, after its preliminary evaluation of advance submissions, shall inform the participating Consultants of any deficiency in their respective submissions at least three (3) calendar days prior to the deadline for submission of Eligibility Documents set in this Request for E01.

6.

The NBAC-CS shall draw up the short list of Consultants from those who have submitted EOI, including the Eligibility Documents, and have been determined as eligible in accordance with the relevant provisions of Republic Act (RA) No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act (GPRA), and its Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The short list shall consist of three (3) to seven (7) prospective Consultants who will be entitled to submit proposals. The criteria and rating system for shortlisting are as follows:

Weight Firms 50

Rating Factor (Hurdle Rate: 60) Max. Points I. Applicable Experience of the Consulting Firm 60 II. Qualification of the Consultant/s or Key personnel of the Firm who may be 30 assigned to the job

40

10

10

100

100

The selection process will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the Revised IRR of RA 9184. Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, cooperatives, and partnerships or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines.

Proposals shall be evaluated using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure at a weight ratio of 80% for Technical Proposal and 20% for the Financial Proposal. The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of proposals shall be provided in the Instructions to Proponents/Bidders.

NEDA reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, including that of a single eligible proponent, waive any minor deviation in the submitted documents which will not materially affect the substance of the proposal, annul the procurement I bidding process, or not award the contract without thereby incurring any liability to the affected participating Consultant/s.

For further information, please contact the NBAC-CS Secretariat: 3/F NEDA-sa-Pasig Building

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

#12 Saint Josemaria Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605 (02) 631-3724 / (02) 631-0960 to 65 local 312 Fax Nos. (02) 631-2192 Issued on 045 September 2017.

(SGD) CARLOS BERNARDO O. ABAD SANTOS Assistant Secretary (MS-SEPT. 18, 2017) and Chairperson, NBAC-CS

a. Related Experience (Previous engagements in Similar and/or Relevant Contracts) b. Training c. Education III. Absorptive capacity of consultant/conSUlting firm

10

Total

100

7.

The selection process will be conducted through through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the om. of RA 9184. This procurement activity is open to all interested Consultants, subject to the conditions for eligibility provided in said Revised IRR.

8.

Proposals shall be evaluated using the Quality-Cost Based Evaluation/Selection (QCBE/QCBS) procedure at a weight ratio of 80% for the Technical Proposal and 20% for the Financial Proposal.

The criteria and rating system for the evaluation of proposals shall be provided in the Instructions to Proponents/Bidders.

9.

NEDA reserves the right to reject any and all proposals, including that of a single eligible proponent, waive any minor deviation in the submitted documents which will not materially affect the substance of the proposal, annul the procurement/bidding process, or not award the contract without thereby incurring any liability to the affected participating Consultant/s.

10.

For further information, please contact the NBAC-CS Secretariat:

3/F NEDA-sa-Pasig Building #12 Saint Josemaria Escriva Drive, Ortigas Center, Pasig City 1605 (02) 631-3724 / (02) 631-0960 to 65 local 312 Fax Nos. (02) 631-2192

Issued on 045 September 2017.

(MS-SEPT. 18, 2017)

(SGD) CARLOS BERNARDO O. ABAD SANTOS Assistant Secretary and Chairperson, NBAC-CS

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

IME stops for viewers when they watch the much-awaited tale of love that is forever cursed by fate in ABS-CBN’s newest series The Promise of Forever, which airs weekdays in Kapamilya Gold.

T

Viewers will see another side of forever as the plot of the new series progresses and discover how it will forbid two lovers from getting the love and life they aspire for.

Nicolas (Paulo Avelino), an immortal does not age and die, keeps himself from falling in love so he will not feel the pain of losing his loved ones over and over again.

But as he goes on with his life alone, he meets Sophia (Ritz Azul), a young girl he saves from a burning house. Thankful for her second life, Sophia makes the man who saved her as her inspiration and grows up responsible and hardworking for her family.

After several years, their paths once again cross in a cruise ship where Sophia is working and Nicolas one of its passengers.

Because of Nicolas’ uncanny resemblance to the man who saved her life, Sophia persists on knowing Nicolas and tries to learn about his past.

As they spend more time together, they fall in love with each other, but the immortal man’s curse gets in their way and keeps them from having their happy ever after.

But aside from the unbreakable spell, Sophia’s lover Philip (Ejay Falcon) will also make sure that Sophia and Nicolas do not end up together and will do whatever it takes to win her heart back. Also putting their lives in danger is Nicolas’ descendant Marlon (Tonton Gutierrez), whose mission is to end Nicolas’ life.

The Promise of Forever brings viewers to some of the best and most scenic views in eastern and western European countries such as Czech Republic, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Poland. Also bringing more excitement to the series is its stellar cast that includes Cherry Pie Picache, Amy Austira, Benjie Paras, Susan Africa, Ynna Asistio, and Nico Antonio.

PAULO, RITZ, EJAY use love to give new meaning to eternal life

Lead cast of ABS-CBN's big budget series, "The Promise of Forever,'" (from left) Paulo Avelino, Ritz Azul, and Ejay Falcon

Devon Seron now a leading lady

Clive Standen as Brian Mills, the main character in "Taken"

AXN Delivers Non-Stop Action in ‘Taken’ EXECUTIVE producer Luc Besson brings to the small screen the prequel to his international blockbuster franchise in the action-packed drama series Taken, which premieres this September on AXN. Based on the film trilogy of the same name, the series serves as an origin story set in the modern day that follows a young Bryan Mills (Clive Standen), a former Green Beret and CIA agent, and his beginnings as an intelligence operative.

While dealing with a personal tragedy, Mills is recruited by Deputy Director of National Intelligence Christina Hart (Jennifer Beals) into her team of skilled specialists as they investigate several terrorist plots that may lead to the arrest of a Mexican drug lord they have been trying to capture.

As the season progresses, Mills forms a bond with his team and acquires a very particular set of deadly skills along the way. He fights to overcome the pain he suffered and plans to exact revenge on those responsible for the tragic incident that happened to him.

Taken premieres on Sept. 20, and airs every Wednesday at 9:45 p.m. first and exclusive on AXN, available on SKYCable Channel 49, Destiny Cable Channel 61, Cignal Channel 121, Dream Satellite TV Channel 20, G Sat Channel 51, and Cablelink Channel 38.

AXN HD is available on SKYCable Channel 247.

FOR minor stars, breaking away from supporting roles often comes very rare, if not very late. Devon Seron is grateful she was able to break away fast with a project that is set to go down in the history of show business.

After seven years of portraying support roles in a good number of successful movies and shows, Devon is finally taking front and center as the leading lady in the PhilippineKorean movie collaboration You With Me. On top of that, Devon will be sharing the big screen with two Korean Drama actors namely Hyun Woo, who rose to fame from the KBS show The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop and Jin Ju Hyung, who became popular in the KBS2 show Hwarang: The Poet Warrior Youth.

While many would recount that getting such huge projects involved years of hard work, Devon’s path was a little different. A still amazed Devon unabashedly shared that she only got the role after “gatecrashing” an audition for what she thought was an independent film.

“Kasi gusto ko po kasi talaga mag-indie. Ang pagkakaalam ko indie tong in-audition ko, tapos I’m not part of the original auditionees na nasa listahan nila kasi exclusive po pala. So, ang ginawa ko nangulit ako sa friend ko,” she said. “Sabi ko, ‘Uy kahit ipasok mo lang ako sa audition, okay na ako.’”

Devon was already gearing up to brush the project aside as something “unsuccessful” after her life-changing audition in May this year. According to her, she never really imagined that she would make it to the second level screening mostly because she had to vie for a spot in the film against experienced actors.

“Parang medyo hindi naman na-disappoint pero parang feeling ko, ay tinanggap ko na that time na hindi na ako makakakuha as a lead. So parang ‘Ah okay lang, basta ano, makaano lang ako, mapasama lang sa cast’ sinabi ko sa sarili ko,” she said.

Until now, Devon has yet to wrap her head around the idea that she is now officially a leading lady—and of two

Korean stars at that.

“Hindi ko na-imagine na makukuha ko sya. Hindi ko na-imagine na parang ako yung gagawa nung lead, parang first time ko talaga mag-lead. So iba talaga yung feeling. So yun, na-excite tsaka napressure ako, parang lahat ng emotions,” said Devon.

While other castings clearly disclosed what they were looking for, Devon recalled that she has a fairly small inkling as to what she was auditioning for. For starter’s she’s somehow sure during the audition that the movie would have a certain “Korean” element.

Instead of being deterred by that factor, Devon took it as a challenge, especially since, at that time, she was also planning to go to Korea with a friend.

“Plano ko talaga na bakasyunan, na puntahan, Korea talaga.

Tapos dumating to. So, sabi ko talaga, ‘Oh my gosh, hindi lang sya vacation, parang ano, parang hitting two birds with one stone!’” she said, sharing that they shot the film for 11 days in Korea just in June.

While there were already local stars who got to work with other Asian stars, You With Me is the first romance-drama film where Korean actors are involved and Devon couldn’t be any grateful for the once in a lifetime opportunity.

“Maswerte talaga ako. Doon ko na-prove talaga na you just really have to take a risk in life. Kahit sasabihin nila na kailangan mo maghintay, pero while waiting, you have to do your very best talaga sa mga pangyayari sa buhay mo. Kung nakikita mo yung sarili mo na kaya mo gawin, wag ka matakot na magpush sa sarili mo,” she said.

Devon rose to fame as a housemate of the Pinoy Big Brother: Teen Clash in 2010, where she was touted as the “Bubbly Promdi ng Cebu.” It was the same season that had James Reid, her former love team, as its Big Winner. Her recent filmography includes the millennial horror film Pwera Usog. She is also in the blockbuster films Can’t Help Falling In Love, Everything About Her, and Haunted Mansion, among others.

Devon is headlining You With Me together with Jin Ju Hyung and Hyun Woo and directed by Rommel Ricafort for Gitana Productions.

The film is showing in cinemas nationwide on Sept. 27.

Dominic Ochoa plays barangay pediatrician ABS-CBN launched Philippine television’s first ever “sitcommentary show,” Dok Ricky, Pedia (Pedia ng Barangay) that aims to educate mothers on proper nutrition and childcare for growing families.

A project of the ABS-CBN Lingkod Kapamilya Foundation, Inc. (ALKFI) and the National Nutrition Council (NNC), the program features actor Dominic Ochoa, who plays a pediatrician and a single father arriving at the health clinic of the fictional Barangay Masigla to help the community care for its babies and children.

What makes the program different and special is that it will insert commentary courtesy of the NNC

to further educate viewers on the importance of good health among children and tips in child rearing.

According to the NNC, one out of four pregnant women is nutritionally at risk and 33 percent of children in the Philippines are stunted or short for their age, due to poor nutrition and bad habits in child care. Studies also show that malnutrition can be prevented in 1, 000 days of the child, a period when parents can bring out their child’s full potential.

Joining Dominic in the cast of this groundbreaking program are Louise Abuel, who plays his son Johann, Lotlot Bustamante as Kapitana, who initially doubts the capability of a male doctor to do the job, and Teacher Julia, played by Yen Santos. Adding

to the dynamic cast of characters is Tatang, played by Raul Morit, regarded as Barangay Masigla’s wise old man, and the loveteam of Kristel Fulgar and CJ Navato, who will play Trixie and Thor.

ALKFI, is a committed advocate for public service and a manifestation of ABS-CBN’s commitment “To be in the service of the Filipino.”

Dok Ricky, Pedia (Pedia ng Barangay) airs every Saturday, 8:30 a.m. on ABS-CBN and ABS-CBN HD. For more information, visit the ALKFI website www.abscbnfoundation.com or follow ALKFI on Facebook (@ abscbnfoundationkapamilya) and Twitter (@ABSCBNLKFI).

Dominic Ochoa (right) plays a pediatrician in a groundbreaking "sitcommentary"