Manila Standard - 2017 September 21 - Thursday by Manila Standard

QUAKE JOLTS MEXICO, LEAVES 216 DEAD RACE AGAINST TIME. Rescue teams try to beat the deadline Wednesday looking for survivors from the rubble following a major earthquake in Mexico City, with initial reports suggesting 216 people, including women, were killed, 30 of whom from the capital. AFP

MEXICO CITY, Mexico— At least 216 people including 21 children crushed beneath an elementary school were killed when a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Mexico Tuesday. The destruction revived horrific memories in Mexico on the anniversary of another massive quake in 1985, the disaster-prone country’s deadliest ever. It struck just two hours after the country held a national earthquake drill, as it does every year on the anniversary of the 1985 quake, which killed at least 10,000 people. One of the most gutwrenching scenes was at the Enrique Rebsamen primary school on Mexico City’s south side, whose three floors collapsed into one, trapping students and teachers inside. Twenty-one children and five adults were killed, said Maj. Jose Luis Vergara of the Mexican navy, who was coordinating a rescue effort that involved hundreds of soldiers, police, civilian vol-

unteers and rescue dogs. He said another 30 to 40 people remained trapped, while 11 children have been rescued so far. Emergency workers found a teacher and a student alive beneath the rubble and were trying to get them out, he said. But the situation was precarious. Late into the night, part of the wreckage collapsed as rescuers continued their search. Local media reports said soldiers had administered oxygen to one trapped child through a tube. President Enrique Peña Nieto, who rushed to the site, warned the death toll could rise. “Unfortunately, many people have lost their lives, including children,” he said in a national address. The devastation struck across a swath of central states and the death toll as of early Wednesday was 216, the head of the national disaster response agency, Luis Next page

Mopping up as Marawi war nears end THE Marawi crisis will likely end this month as government troops are concluding their operations in the wartorn city, President Rodrigo Duterte said Tuesday. “It looks like we’re just mopping up, and they’re just trying to ﬁnd out where

the leaders are,” Duterte told state-run PTV4. Duterte said that while he thinks the ﬁght in Marawi is “almost over,” there won’t be any victory celebration. “I do not want any celebration of victory. We

all lost in Marawi. Every Moro or every soldier who died breaks our heart. They’re all Filipinos,” he said in Filipino. “So when it’s over, I don’t want anybody shouting, ‘Mabuhay! Mabuhay!’ Next page

VOL. XXXI • NO. 219 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

50 hazing suspects eyed Panel cleared to restore budget of CHR, 2 others By Maricel V. Cruz HOUSE appropriations committee chairman and Davao City Rep. Karlo Nograles said Wednesday night his panel had been cleared to endorse the restoration of the budgets of the Commission on Human Rights, the Energy Regulatory Commission and the

National Commission on Indigenous People after the heads of the three ofﬁces appealed to Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. The breakthrough was achieved after CHR Chairman Jose Luis Gascon, ERC Commissioner Geronimo Sta. Ana and NCIP Chairwoman Leonor OraldeQuintayo sought the help

of House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas and Appropriations Chairman Karlo Nograles to act as a bridge between them and Speaker Alvarez. Nograles said that, during the meeting, Gascon agreed that the CHR should extend its investigations beyond human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by state agents

House junks impeach-Bautista move corruption allegations against him were “fabricated and baseless.” THE House of Representa“I welcome the decision tives’ committee on justice of the House of on Wednesday dismissed Representaoutright the impeachment tives Comcomplaint leveled against mittee on Commission on Elections Justice to Chairman Andres Bautista. Next page Reacting immediately, Bautista said he was considerably relieved after the House panel dismissed the impeachment complaint ﬁled against him and maintained that

By Maricel V. Cruz and Vito Barcelo

WALK-THROUGH INSPECTION.

Comelec Chairman Andres Bautista, against whom an impeachment complaint was lodged by his estranged wife but dismissed by the Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives Wednesday, inspects the printing of ballots for Barangay and SK elections at the National Printing Office in Quezon City. Manny Palmero

to include other groups who were victimizing members of the police, the military and even civilians. “The Speaker basically told Chairman Gascon that we are not the enemy,” Nograles said. “The Duterte government is not the enemy. We are one with the CHR in the ﬁght against all forms of human

rights violation but they must start looking also at the violations committed by criminals and insurgents.” Alvarez earlier said a reenacted budget was a possibility if both chambers of Congress would fail to come up with a compromise on the reduced budget of the Commission on Human Rights. Next page

Bounty on ‘ninja’ cops up; govt admits to some EJKs SOME deaths in the bloody drug war were the ”handiwork of government,” President Rodrigo Duterte admitted Wednesday as he raised the reward for the heads of scalawag cops to P3 million. “Handiwork of government. Meron ‘yung lumaban, admitado namin ‘yan,” Duterte said in an interview with state broadcaster PTV4 when asked if some of the deaths in the drug war were not the result of the government’s anti-narcotics drive. But he described the incidents as “organized crime” that he was not yet ready to divulge. He insisted he was ready to face charges because of the bloody drug drive once he stepped down from ofﬁce after ﬁve years. “Ako, admitahin ko.

Sino... Sino ‘yung nagkaroon ng engkwentro? Sige, akin ‘yan. Sabi ko, “I will hold myself solely responsible.” Balang araw kung gusto nila akong i-demanda, eh ‘di i-demanda mo. “It would be my pleasure to go to prison for my country.” Duterte made the pronouncements as he raised the bounty on alleged ninja cops to P3 million, saying the government’s crackdown on scalawags had somehow been slow. “Wala namang nahuli na ninja cops. I’m raising the ante to P3-million per head,” the President said in his speech during the conferment ceremony of 2017 Outstanding Government Workers in Malacañang. Next page

Frat officers, members tagged; alert order out By Bill Casas

ORE than 50 ofﬁcers and members of the Aegis Juris fraternity are now considered suspects in the hazing death of University of Santo Tomas law student Horacio Castillo III, police said Wednesday.

“Part of the investigation will include possible members of the UST law faculty and alumni who participated in the hazing of Atio Castillo or the cover up of this incident,” said Manila Police District Director PSSupt. Joel Coronel. “They will be held either as co-conspirators, accomplices, accessories [and] even [be] liable for obstruction of justice.”

Under the Anti-Hazing Law, even members who were not present during the initiation rites but had knowledge of it may be held liable for the victim’s death, Coronel said. Aside from 16 ofﬁcers, the police were also looking for about 40 members. The MPD chief added that they were looking into Next page

Protests vs drug war, martial law abuses set By John Paolo Bencito, Bill Casas and Rey E. Requejo THE martial law era of the late President Ferdinand Marcos should be remembered for its failures, especially in upholding human rights, President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday, ahead of massive protests

planned for today, Sept. 21. The protests, coinciding with the 45th anniversary of Marcos’ declaration of martial law, are aimed at the government’s bloody war on drugs, his martial law declaration in Mindanao and what leftist groups described as Duterte’s dictatorial tendencies. Next page

807-page Duterte hints at DAP charges vs De Lima President told state workers for Human Rights were not John Paolo petition seeks By allowed to visit her in her dein a speech. Bencito and Joel tention cell in Camp Crame The President, however, Aguirre ouster Zurbano did not explain how De last Tuesday. A YOUTH group whose leaders wore colorful wigs trooped to the Department of Justice on Wednesday to demand the resignation of Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II. The group dubbed as YouthRESIST delivered to the DoJ an 80 7-page petition, citing reasons why Next page

ASIDE from her alleged involvement in the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison, embattled Senator Leila de Lima may soon face new charges related to the controversial Disbursement Acceleration Program under the previous administration, her top critic, President Rodrigo Duterte, said Wednesday. “She has a case coming up also related to DAP,” the twitter.com/ MlaStandard

Lima, a former, justice secretary, got herself entangled in the DAP under the administration of Benigno Aquino III. “Although I could not believe really because we were talking, this woman is really something,” he continued. Meanwhile, De Lima slammed the Duterte administration after delegates of the Asean Parliamentarians

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De Lima said the APHR delegates led by Tian Chua and Charles Santiago, both members of Parliament of Malaysia, together with members of the minority bloc in the House of Representatives, Reps. Tom Villarin and Teddy Baguilat Jr., were not allowed to see her despite compliance with the 10-day prior notice rule. Next page

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ALLIANCE REBUKED. The Liga Independencia Pilipinas tells a news conference Wednesday that today’s protest rally at the Quirino Grandstand will gather a group of the Liberal Party which it brands as ‘dilawan’ (yellow) and represented by former President Noynoy Aquino and Senator Kiko Pangilinan; the ranks of destabilizers allegedly led by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV; and ‘pulahan’ (reds) to which belongs Jose Maria Sison, the legal front of the CPP-NPA-NDF, and Bayan. Norman Cruz

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Trillanes' bank, Du30's ploy By John Paolo Bencito

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte should be given credit for being honest even if he admitted inventing the numbers of the alleged bank accounts of his political nemesis Senator Antonio Trillanes, Malacañang said Wednesday.

“Malinaw naman siya, hindi naman niya tinago ‘yun, which is to his credit. So malinaw siya kung anong paniniwalaan mo o hindi,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in an interview before the Senate finance committee’s budget

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“The martial law era that began with the promulgation of Proclamation No. 1081 (s. 1972) has imprinted itself in the collective memory of the people as a time attended by the commission of gross human rights violations, arbitrary state interventions, rampant corruption, and disregard of fundamental civil liberties,” Duterte said in his Proclamation No. 319 signed on Sept. 19 and released on Wednesday. “The administration recognizes the fear and indignation of the people against a repetition and perpetuation of such human rights violations and all other failings of the government,” it added. Duterte, however, warned against infiltrators who might seek to provoke law enforcers. “I urge all protesters to act within the bounds of the law, maintain a peaceful conduct of rallies, marches and demonstrations, be vigilant of possible infiltrators who may instigate violence in an effort to provoke the police and other law enforcement authorities, and avoid causing any undue inconvenience to their fellow citizens,” the President said. He previously said he would use force against the protesters if the situation gets out of control. Three major protests are set all over Metro Manila for Sept. 21—one in Luneta led by the Movement Against Tyranny, a loose coalition of church groups and militant organizations, at the CHR compound in UP Diliman by the Tindig Pilipinas, a new cause-oriented group by mostly-Liberal groups, and a rally in Plaza Miranda by the administration PDP-Laban in support of the President’s call for “change.” With Joel E. Zurbano and Maricel V. Cruz

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Let us just pray to God, maybe thank the Lord that it’s over. We hope Allah will remember the people of Marawi,” he added. The President said the government will focus on rebuilding the war-torn city. As of Sept. 18, 673 terrorists and 149 soldiers were killed, while 47 civilians died in the fighting that began May 23. John Paolo Bencito

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Aguirre should resign. The petition, which contained 17,000 signatures gathered through online platform change.org, asked Aguirre to step down for allegedly spreading fake news. The incidents the group cited include showing a photo where opposition leaders allegedly hatched a plan to escalate the conflict in Marawi. The petition also mentioned his supposed exchange of messages with former congressman Jacinto “Jing” Paras to expedite the filing of a criminal case against Senator Risa Hontiveros. “Aguirre must vacate his post at once to protect the public from his machinations. A scheming secretary of Justice is an injustice to the victims of the killings,” the petition said. Aguirre already rejected calls for his resignation. Rey E. Requejo

hearing on the Presidential Communications Operations Office. “Credit him on his sources. And he has his own internal logic. He has his own game plan and the way he [does] things. I think we should-sit’s best to see that

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reports that members of the Regina Juris, the sorority of Aegis Juris, were also present during the initiation. John Paul Solano, who earlier claimed to have discovered Castillo’s body in Balut, Tondo before bringing him to Chinese General Hospital, and a companion identified as Ralph Trangia, are now both suspects and the subject of a manhunt. Coronel said Solano, who was earlier tagged as “a good samaritan,” actually recruited Castillo into Aegis Juris. “Our investigation shows that John Paul Solano is a UST law student and a member of the Aegis Juris fraternity. We have strong evidence to show John Paul Solano deliberately, intentionally, and maliciously gave false statements to the Manila Police District. He is already considered a principal suspect in the killing of Horacio Castillo III. Manhunt operations are ongoing to effect his immediate arrest and capture,” Coronel said during a press conference. Solano earlier told the police he found the freshman’s body, wrapped in a blanket, in the morning of Sept. 17 at the corner of H. Lopez Boulevard and Infanta St. in Tondo, Manila. Officials of Barangay 133, who checked the CCTV footage in the area, said there was no body there at the time Solano said he found it. Solano told the MPD investigators he brought Castillo’s body to the Chinese General Hospital with the help of strangers. He said he did not know the victim. But Coronel said Solano knew the socalled “good samaritans.”

he does his things within particular context.” Abella insisted that “inventing” Trillanes’ alleged bank account numbers was “the President’s logic” to catch the opposition senator’s lies. “May kanya-kanya pong style ‘yan. The President is quite unorthodox,” he said. Asked why Duterte would be “unorthodox” when he should have been factual, Abella struggled in defending the President, saying the statement should be seen in the entirety of its “context.” “You have to see the larger picture,” Abella said, insist-

Aegis Juris fraternity official Ralph Trangia and Antonio Trangia, whom police believe is the father of Ralph, are also considered primary suspects. Coronel said the Trangias allegedly own the car that transported Castillo’s body to the hospital. “Clearly John Paul Solano, with the assistance and cooperation of Antonio Trangia and Ralph Trangia, deliberately misled [the police] by providing us false and fraudulent statements,” Coronel said. He said the police have reason to believe Solano lied to cover up the murder. Already, Coronel said, there were lawyers trying to discredit the police findings. “The death of Horacio Castillo III is related to a hazing incident involving a law fraternity, identified as Aegis Juris fraternity. A battery of lawyers have already come out to contest or dispute the findings of the investigation,” he said. The Justice Department on Wednesday issued an immigration lookout bulletin order against 16 officers of the fraternity, including Solano and Ralph Trangia. Police said Castillo—who had severe blood clotting on both arms and burn marks in different parts of his body, was not killed inside the UST campus. Initial autopsy findings showed he died of a heart attack as a result of the hazing. Coronel said investigators were having a hard time getting statements from fraternity members after the UST law dean Nilo Divina issued a preventive suspension on all Aegis Juris members. Divina said in a statement he was no longer an active alum-

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kno told reporters when asked if both chambers of Congress would approve the proposed 1,000-peso budget for the beleaguered CHR. “Legislation is the art of compromise. They have to compromise.” The House of Representatives, voting 119-32, approved 1-SAGIP party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta’s motion to reduce the proposed 2018 budget of the CHR to P1,000. Alvarez said he would go for a reenacted budget to prove that the House made the right decision to allocate the CHR a measly budget to cripple its operations. “This is a serious matter. I will not give way,” Alvarez said. But if the CHR will operate under the 2017 or reenacted budget, the commission will even have a higher outlay of P725 million. The CHR’s budget for this year is P55 million higher than its proposed budget next year.

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just detention and calling for my immediate, unconditional release?” the senator said. She added: “Why is this regime doing this? They have already incarcerated me based on trumped-up drug charges, persecuted me with all the lies to destroy my dignity and womanhood, and now they are denying my visitors, in particular, foreign leaders, to speak with me.” While the parliamentarians have submitted their request as early as Sept. 6, which is compliant with the 10-day visiting notice, police officers maintained the request has not yet been granted. The authorities however failed to give an exact reason for the delay of issuing the permit. Chua said the decision to prohibit him and his colleagues from visiting De Lima only showed that the administration was bent on prohibiting international organizations to show their

But he said the House will stand by its decision to slash the proposed P678-million budget of the commission to a minuscule amount for allegedly not doing its job. But Alvarez’s position is contrary to that of many senators who plan to restore the CHR’s budget. “The issue of restoring the CHR budget will entail a long discussion,” Alvarez said. “To me, I do not discount the possibility that the Houseapproved 1,000-peso budget will be increased to a certain amount. But to restore the CHR budget to P678 million, I do not think it will happen.” But Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Wednesday Congress was unlikely to pass a 1,000-peso budget for the CHR. “I don’t think it will happen. It’s not likely to happen,” Dio-

“This is not the first time though that an international visitor was barred from entering my detention quarters,” she said. De Lima said last July 22, Liberal International president Juli Minoves was also prevented from visiting her due to an “administrative excuse.” “This time, my staff were told that the papers got stuck at the level of the Office of the Directorate for Intelligence Services. Apparently, it’s not the fault of the Custodial Center officials but of higher ups,” she said. “I ask why was there no action on the request of the APHR delegation which was a virtual denial of such request? Was it because of the strong statement APHR issued sometime last month, and reiterated at a presscon Tuesday, denouncing my un-

ing the erroneous bank account numbers were an “isolated case” and would not affect the rest of the allegations against Trillanes. “This is a particular case, isolated case, that’s what he was saying, that he intentionally did that. First and foremost, he comes out in the open. He does not hide that, so in other words he’s quite transparent about his intentions, quite transparent about his actions,” Abella said. “You have to understand it in context, which is like he was saying well, you have to go back to the transcript and the way he actually worded it.

nus of the fraternity since he became dean eight years ago. “As dean of the entire Faculty of Civil Law, I knew that I had to remove any vestige or potential source of negative perceptions of partiality on my part,” he said in a statement. The Justice Department on Wednesday issued an immigration lookout bulletin order on 16 officers of the Aegis Juris. The order covered Arvin R. Balag, Mhin Wei Chan, Marc Anthony Ventura, Axel Mundo Hipe, Oliver John Audrey Onofre, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Jason Adolfo Robiños, Ralph Trangia, Ranie Rafael Santiago, Danielle Hans Mattew Rodrigo, Carl Mattew Villanueva, Aeron Salientes, Marcelino Bagtang, Zimon Padro, Jose Miguel Salamat and John Paul Solano. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the names were provided to Justice Undersecretary Erickson Balmes by police investigators looking into the incident Tuesday night. Immigration commissioner Jaime Morente said any person listed must first seek an Allow Departure Order from the Justice secretary before he is allowed to leave. Former vice president Jejomar Binay on Wednesday condemned the killing of Castillo and urged members of the fraternities involved to give themselves up to the authorities. On Tuesday night, Binay visited the wake and extended his condolences to the Castillo family. “He was the only son, a young, promising life ended by senseless violence, a criminal act. I urge the officers of

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dismiss the impeachment complaint filed against me. I would like to thank the Committee and the House leadership for upholding the rule of law and for their objectivity and fairness,” the poll chief said in a press briefing at the Comelec office. “It’s business as usual. Work at the Comelec will continue. We will perform our mandate in respect of the credible conduct of elections,” Bautista said. The impeachment complaint against Bautista was based on his wife Patricia Bautista’s allegations that her estranged husband had P1 billion in unexplained wealth. Bautista said he could now focus on the preparations for the village and Sangguniang Kabataan elections scheduled for next month.

support to De Lima. “We believe that if the authorities have nothing to hide, and if the authorities are doing things according to the principle of transparency, then we should not be denied from interacting and paying our visit to show our regards (sic) to her,” Chua said. On the purpose of visiting De Lima, Chua said: “Our intention was to come here to express our solidarity with her, and as a fellow legislator in another Asean country, we believe that she’s innocent and her persecution is part of the intimidation campaign against her, which violates her rights as a legislator.” Chua added “we find her detention unjustifiable, given she’s a representative doing her work. She is now in jail and for standing up against [the policies] of President Duterte, so therefore, we are here to express our solidarity with her.”

It wasn’t, it was, am not sure about the exact words but it was to entrap or something like that.” On Tuesday, a DBS Bank branch in Singapore said Trillanes does not have any accounts with them, refuting the President’s claims. Later that night, Duterte admitted that the Singapore bank account number he claimed was Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s was a number he invented to “catch” the lie of his political nemesis. “Gawa gawa ko lang. Imbento ko. Tinanggalan ko lang ng mga numero,” the President said.

Duterte, however, said Trillanes’ actual account number was 11780-00281-60-2 and not 1780-00296-01-2 as what he claimed, and was eventually reported and picked up by the media. In his last PTV interview Friday night, Duterte claimed Trillanes had an account with DBS Bank in Singapore with the account number “178000296012” that he claimed had a balance of 193,000, though he did not specify the currency. The President branded the Senator’s visit to Singapore as a “desperate” move, just to posture as a clean person.

the fraternity to cooperate fully with the police. It would be in their best interest if they voluntarily surrender to the authorities at the soonest time possible those involved in the hazing,” he said. At the Senate, a resolution was filed to look into the death of Castillo. In his Senate Resolution No. 510, Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV said the probe will focus on ways to give more teeth to the Anti-Hazing Law of 1995. “There is a need to improve the existing mechanisms for the deterrence of hazing-related crimes,” said Aquino, adding that the community and the schools and universities are integral in ensuring that the crimes of the past will not happen again. Since the passage AntiHazing Law, about 26 cases of hazing-related violence were reported, he added. These include Mervin Sarmiento and Oliver Estrella in 1995, Alexander Icasiano in 1998, Ace Bernabe Ekid and Dominante Tunac in 2000, Rafael Albano in 2001, Marlon Villanueva in 2006, Mark Rodriguez and Chris Mendez in 2007, Elvis Sinaluan in 2009, EJ Intia in 2010 and Anthony Javier in 2015. Makati Cit Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said those implicated in Castillo’s hazing death face 40 years in prison. “We say killers because in a hazing death, all participants in harming the victim are considered principal actors in the commission of the crime,” Campos said. “If there were 10 or 20 fraternity officers or members who paddled, kicked, punched or slapped Castillo, then they are all primarily responsible

for his death,” Campos said. Campos urged the MPD and the National Bureau of Investigation to identify where Castillo’s hazing took place. “Under the law, the owner of place where the hazing was conducted is liable as an accomplice, if the owner knew that hazing was being done, and yet, he or she did nothing to stop it,” Campos said. Fraternities are known to perform initiations rites and hazing in the dwellings of their officers or members. Campos also urged universities “to forcefully use every inch of their police powers” to rein in unwanted fraternityrelated violence. “School authorities have police powers. On one hand, they may recognize peaceful, scholarly and civic-spirited fraternities. On the other hand, they may disband wayward fraternities, and expel their officers and members,” Campos said. Also on Wednesday, the Uber driver who brought Castillo’s things to his home, told police that the law student booked a ride on Saturday, Sept. 16. But when he arrived at Dapitan Street at 1:40 p.m. for the pickup, Castillo told the driver to send his things to his home in San Lorenzo Village in Makati. The driver, who asked not to be named, said he agreed to do so after inspecting the bag that Castillo handed him, saying it contained only school supplies. After delivering his bag to Makati, the Uber driver said he called Castillo, who answered his phone after the fourth call. The driver said he learned about Castillo’s death on Tuesday.

Voting 2-26, the committee chaired by Oriental Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali declared the complaint filed by lawyers Ferdinand Topacio and Jacinto Paras who sought the ouster of Bautista over his alleged P1-billion ill-gotten wealth and alleged non-disclosure of a truthful Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth. Bautista’s estranged wife Patricia remains optimistic however her husband will be held accountable for the acts she has alleged against him. “As I said before, we remain undeterred. This is just the beginning, and this is a bump on the road. But as in all things, we remain committed,” Patricia told reporters in an ambush interview at the House of Representatives. Patricia attended the House panel hearing on the impeachment complaint against Bautista, where she was accom-

panied by her lawyer, Lorna Kapunan. Patricia had accused her husband of possessing unexplained wealth amounting to nearly P1 billion. Her allegations became a basis of the impeachment complaint filed by former Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras and lawyer Ferdinand Topacio, where they accused Bautista of betrayal of public trust for failing to properly disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth. In the interview, Patricia admitted she was disappointed, but expected the impeachment complaint would be dismissed. “Obviously [I’m disappointed], but as Congressman [Harry Roque] said, it is something that is expected. Because again from my experience, as Andy said, he knows many different people in very high places. And this is proof of that,” she said.

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“So kung sabihin mo ‘yung report na ‘yung buildup case tapos ‘yung action taken, kung ‘yan ang hingiin ninyo, ‘di ko ibigay. You know why? I did not do it. “It was Gloria Arroyo who did it. She raised the level of the drug issue as a national security problem. That is part of the state secrets” “Ngayon, ‘yung nakita ninyong patayan diyan na pulis na inaabuso kung walang sumobra, i-prosecute natin. But do not look into the―inside the entrails of the operation.” The case folders contain police spot, investigation, forensic and inventory reports of all the killings related to the war on drugs, both in and out of police operations. The CHR is constitutionally mandated to investigate human rights violations committed by state actors such as policemen and soldiers. John Paolo Bencito

In August 2016, Duterte offered a P2-million reward to those who could give information that would lead to the capture of “ninja cops” dead or alive. “‘Yung ninja cops, ilan ba ang nag-surrender? Balutin mo lang ‘yung ulo nila, ilagay mo diyan sa hagdanan ko, okay na ‘yan. No questions asked,” Duterte said in a speech before government officials. “Iyong mga p***** i***** pulis na ‘yan, g***” Despite that, Duterte reiterated his vow to protect policemen in their performance of their duty and to give them legal assistance if needed. He then slammed the Commission on Human Rights that he barred from accessing the Philippine National Police’s case folders on the drug war.

NBI arrests former PCGG chief Sabio By Bill Casas

NATIONAL Bureau of Investigation agents arrested on Tuesday former Presidential Commission on Good Government chairman Camilo Sabio over cases pending before the Sandiganbayan. Agents from the NBI Ant- Graft Division implemented the arrest orders for violation of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and malversation of public funds issued by the Sandiganbayan Fourth and Fifth divisions, respectively. The NBI did not say how and where Sabio was apprehended as well as the background of the cases. The arrest took 82-year-old Sabio by surprise as he said he did not receive a subpoena or any prior notification. Sabio was assisted by his wife Marlene who was booked at the NBI in Manila Tuesday afternoon. “I did not know about this case. Maybe they forgot,” Sabio said. “I am confident that I can be freed. My record has always been clean,” Sabio said. The NBI acted upon a warrant of arrest and does not possess a copy of the case against Sabio. The former PCGG chairman will be detained at the NBI until he can post an P80,000 bail at the Sandiganbayan. Sabio’s arrest followed his conviction in a separate case in June, where the Sandiganbayan sentenced him to 12 to 20 years in jail for two counts of graft for the alleged anomalous lease of vehicles in 2007 and 2009. Sabio’s conviction stemmed from the PCGG’s rental of 11 vehicles in 2007 and 2009 for P12.66 million, some of which he and several other agency officials used. The Office of the Ombudsman had charged Sabio and four others with graft in 2011 for supposedly failing to hold a bidding process for the contracts. Also tagged in the charges were former PCGG commissioners Tereso Javier, Narciso Nario and Nicasio Conti. Another accused, former commissioner Ricardo Abcede, passed way in 2012.

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Felipe Puente, said on Twitter. In a sign of the ongoing confusion gripping the country, he had at one point put the death toll at 248. In addition to Mexico City, people were also killed in Puebla, Morelos, Mexico state and Guerrero. Well after nightfall, rescue crews and volunteers in Mexico City—home to 20 million people—were still clawing through the rubble of dozens of collapsed buildings looking for survivors and bodies. Rescue workers reported that families were getting WhatsApp messages pleading for help from desperate relatives trapped under debris. Memories of the devastating 1985 earthquake surged to the surface on what was meant to be a low-key 32nd anniversary. Adding to the national sense of vulnerability, the quake also came just 12 days after another temblor that killed nearly 100 people and left more than 200 injured, mainly in the southern states of Oaxaca and Chiapas. Many in the capital ran outdoors when walls around them swayed and cracked. “I’m so worried. I can’t stop crying. It’s the same nightmare as in 1985,” Georgina Sanchez, 52, said in a plaza in the capital. The quake, which occurred in the early afternoon, caused massive damage in the bustling city center. “It was horrible,” said Leiza Visaj Herrera, 27. “I had to hold on to the ground.” Scenes of chaos erupted in the quake’s aftermath. Traffic jammed to a standstill at blanked-out stop lights, and anxious people ran between vehicles as ambulances tried to make headway, sirens blaring. AFP

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Du30 not picking OICs for brgys By John Paolo Bencito

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that he no longer wanted to handpick officers-in-charge to lead the country’s more than 40,000 barangays once the local polls gets postponed. “Sinabi ko kanina sa through the Speaker, House of Representatives ‘wag mong ibigay sa

akin, mag-appointappoint. Ayaw ko. Ibigay ninyo sa iba,” [I told the House of Representatives earlier through the Speaker—don’t give me the power to appoint. I don’t want it. Give it to someone else.], Duterte said in an interview with state broadcaster PTV4 Tuesday. Duterte, however, reiterated that the barangay elections, slated to take place on Oct.

23, should be postponed since nearly half of the country’s barangay captains were into the illegal drug trade. ‘‘They will really win, because they have money. You know barangays, you either scare the people or buy them off,” Duterte said. “If you don’t believe me, okay with me, no problem, let’s have elections. But if those into drugs are reelected, that’s not my

problem,” he added. The Interior Department had earlier said that Duterte wanted to handpick OICs if the barangay polls will be reset. The Commission on Elections earlier decided to move to a later date the filing of candidacy papers and the election period for the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan elections this October. In a resolution, the

Korean ‘accomplice’ in Jee’s murder nabbed By Vito Barcelo IMMIGRATION agents arrested a Korean national tagged as an accomplice in last year’s kidnapping and killing of Korean businessman Jee Ick-Joo, allegedly by members of the police anti-kidnapping group. The suspect, identiﬁed as Edward Yoo Hoon, was arrested in Angeles, Pampanga and is now detained at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City. I m m i g r a t i o n Commissioner Jaime Morente said Hoon is an overstaying and undocumented alien. “It appears that Hoon had been staying in the country for more than 10 years already because according to the deportation order he became an overstaying

and undocumented alien on Jan. 25, 2008,” Morente said. Hoon will not be deported yet as he will undergo a thorough investigation for his reported involvement in the Oct. 30, 2016 abduction and murder of his compatriot Jee. “He will be deported only after he has served his sentence, if convicted, of the crime,” the BI chief said. Jee was strangled to death inside Camp Crame where he was brought hours after he was kidnapped by the suspects in Angeles City. Bobby Raquepo, BIFSU chief, said Hoon was tagged as a person of interest in the Jee case after informants claimed that he arranged the payoff of the P5-million ransom money that the victim’s wife gave the kidnappers.

Comelec decided to move the election period for the barangay and youth polls to Oct. 1 to Oct. 30, from its original date of Sept. 23 to Oct. 30. The filing of Certificates of Candidacy, on the other hand, was pushed back to Oct. 5 until Oct. 11, from its original Sept. 23 to 30 filing period. The Comelec approved the changes to the calendar of activities in its en banc session on Tuesday.

ASEAN ASSEMBLY.

President Rodrigo Duterte skims through the document provided by Asean Inter-Parliamentary Assembly president and House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez prior to the meeting with leaders from the AIPA member countries at the Makati Shangri-La Manila on Sept.19, 2017. Presidential Photo

BIR loses P3.81-b tax case vs PSALM on power plants THE Bureau of Internal Revenue has lost its P3.81billion tax case against the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. involving the sale of Pantabangan-Masiway Plant and Magat Hydroelectric Power Plant in 2006. Voting 12-2, the SC granted the PSALM’s petition seeking to overturn the decision of the Court of Appeals

issued on Sept. 27, 2010 which declared null and void a resolution issued by the Department of Justice directing the BIR to refund PSALM the amount of P3.81 billion representing the deﬁciency valued added-tax that it paid to the tax agency under protest for the sale of the said power plants. The high court instead reinstated the decision of the

DOJ, which was issued in 2008. In a 29-page decision written by Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, the SC ruled that the CA erred when it ruled that the Justice secretary of the DOJ has no jurisdiction to rule on the issue on whether the sale of said power plants is subject to VAT. The SC noted that under Presidential Decree No.

242, “all disputes and claim between government agencies and ofﬁces, including government-owned or controlled corporations, shall be administratively settled or adjudicated by the Secretary of Justice, Solicitor General or the Government Corporate Counsel, depending on the issues and government agencies involved.”

BoC seizes ‘misdeclared’ rice cargo THE Bureau of Customs seized a shipment of imported rice declared as “polyester knitted breast cup” in an attempt to defraud the government of rightful duties and taxes. Customs Commissioner Isidro Lapeña said that Worldwide Apparel Manufacturing Inc. will be criminally charged for the illegal importation of 500 sacks of glutinous rice from Hong Kong worth P2 million declared as “polyester knitted breast cup.” “The consignee declared it as polyester knitted breast cup, however, during the conduct of x-ray examination, a different image was retrieved from the machine which led to the issuance of alert order as per recommendation of the x-ray Inspection Project,” Lapeña said. Vito Barcelo

MMDA to use No Contact Policy in NCR THE Metro Manila Development Authority will use its No Contact Policy in apprehending illegally parked vehicles, a contributing factor to the worsening trafﬁc situation in the National Capital Region. “We will use it to clear the roads of illegally parked vehicles, this is what we called the no contact apprehension. After taking pictures or videos, we will send to the car owner a notice detailing what was the violation, the time, location and date when the act was committed,” said MMDA chairman Danilo Lim. Joel E. Zurbano

Opinion

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

National pride

WENTY-SIX individuals and four groups, all government workers, were recognized Wednesday for “upholding the ideals of excellence, professionalism and integrity in public service.” The Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award is conferred for exceptional or extraordinary contributions resulting from an idea or performance that had nationwide impact on public interest, security and patrimony.

The contribution may be a suggestion, innovation or superior accomplishment. The Dangal ng Bayan is conferred to an individual for performance of extraordinary act or public service and consistent demonstration of exemplary ethical behavior on the basis of the employee’s observation of the eight norms of conduct provided by the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. The Pagasa Award is for outstanding contributions resulting from an idea or performance which directly

benefit more than one department of the government. Maria Corazon de Ungria, scientist and researcher for the University of the Philippines, is one of the Dangal ng Bayan Awardees. In a social media post she said: “In my 18 years in the DNA Analysis Laboratory of UPD-NSRI, I know that there were many challenges and mistakes and triumphs, and today’s award gives me the assurance that amidst my own human frailties, the effort to live up to the standards of being a government employee and working for the people, has its rewards.”

The reminder comes at a time when the people are all too aware of the human frailties of their public servants. We have likely never heard of most of those who received the awards this week, but we have certainly heard much from our more vocal, visible officials. We wonder: Are they as conscious as their humbler counterparts to live up to the standards of being a government employee? We congratulate the awardees as we wish fondly for a time when they would be the norm, not the exception.

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

Two martial law events I REMEMBER the time when martial law was declared 45 years ago. There were two events that served as milestones in my career in journalism. I was then public affairs manager of Kanlaon Broadcasting System Channel 9. Roberto Benedicto owned the nationwide radio-television network. At midnight, I got a call from the chief of security of Channel 9. “Sir, the building is padlocked...all media outlets would be closed.”

These could well be my legacy.

Delivering on their promise LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES THE congressmen warned us this would happen. It’s our fault that we didn’t believe them because we thought that they wouldn’t actually perpetrate this horrible miscarriage of justice. The mistakenly-named House committee on justice threw out the impeachment complaint against Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista on a technicality yesterday. The panel ruled in an overwhelming 26-2 vote that the private complainants in the case did not have personal knowledge of the charges leveled against Bautista and used the wrong form to file their verified complaint, besides. What this means is that

Bautista, who can only be removed by impeachment, is inoculated from further attempts to sack him for an entire year. Or, in the words of Bautista himself in reaction to the verdict, with no apparent irony, it is going to be “business as usual” at the Commission. Oh, there’s the small matter of the plenary voting that committee chairman Mindoro Oriental Rep. Reynaldo Umali said would still have to take place. But given the lopsided majority by which the panel ruled, I think it’s safe to say, as Umali also said, that the complaint is already “deemed dismissed,” not just on the committee level but by the whole House. Speaking of Umali, whose brother Gov. Alfonso “Boy” Umali is a close associate of former President Noynoy Aquino and na-

tional treasurer of Aquino’s Liberal Party, he is not the only Yellow who figured prominently in yesterday’s decision. Majority leader Rodolfo Fariñas (who proposed exempting congress-

Now Bautista will have one more year to carry on as before and to prepare for his defense.

men from arrest for traffic violations) of Ilocos Norte and minority leader Rep. Edcel Lagman (who still

proudly wears his LP colors) were also instrumental in junking the case against Bautista. Which only goes to show that the Liberals (or the Liberals-still, even if they are no longer officially affiliated with the party) continue to control Congress. And because Bautista may be in possession of information that will reveal how the LP rigged last year’s elections to favor the members of the old, discredited pro-Aquino party, they will certainly not be in any mood to impeach the elections boss. But no one outside of the members of the justice committee will be able to say why they let Bautista off the hook, despite the preponderance of evidence against him. And because Congress is such a small, entitled and gangster-like fraternity, they will prob-

ably never tell. For instance, they will never bother to explain why they didn’t just gather the requisite signatures of at least a third of the House that will allow the transmittal of the complaint directly to the Senate, which will convene into an impeachment court without passing through the Umali committee or the House plenary. Both Umali and Fariñas, after all, agreed to this use of a “creeping impeachment” method when they prosecuted the impeachment case against Chief Justice Renato Corona five years ago. They will never say why they did not accept the substitute verification form that cured the infirmities of the original complaint. If the committee members had only allowed the rectification, they would have no choice but to deal with the

merits (or substance) of the complaint, instead of using a technicality to throw it out. The Umali panel cannot convince us that it was just using the same method employed in the impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno when almost everyone believes that the panel was merely scared that Bautista might expose their own individual victories. And not just those Yellow congressmen but of certain LP senators and even Vice President Leni Robredo. But, like I said, we were told beforehand that the Umali committee had already decided to throw out the complaint and would not hear of any move to fix the infirmities it saw, for reasons only the panel really knows. And now Bautista

I knew that martial law would be proclaimed sooner or later. There were rumors that considering all the country’s chaotic conditions prevailing then, it was a matter of time. Proclamation 1081 had been signed by Mr. Marcos days earlier, but it was implemented midnight of Sept. 21, 1972. From my residence at Philamlife Subdivision in Quezon City, I rushed to Channel 9 to see what was really happening. Santa Banana, I had to go through four checkpoints manned by heavily armed troopers. Fortunately, I had with me my KBS card, which the soldiers examined. I reached the television building at about two in the morning. I saw the workers lining up. I stayed there while waiting for developments, but I got hungry out of anticipation and worry. I decided to go back home at around five in the morn-

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The price is right

Two martial... From A4

ing. I went through the checkpoints along Edsa again, and when I was near Hotel Intercontinental I decided to get coffee there. When I entered Jeepney Coffeeshop, I saw a round table occupied by thenMakati Mayor Nemesio Yabut, my mentor Teodoro Valencia, businessman Pat Dayrit, BIR official Joe Viterbo and Yabut aide Biding Sibug. Yabut told me he was waiting to be arrested for a shooting incident at the Intercon where an ally of President Marcos got killed. He had Valencia with him to ensure nothing would happen to him. My gulay, Yabut even had a duffel bag containing his personal things. Ka Doroy instructed me to call all media practitioners who were sure to be jobless henceforth. He said they should assemble at the coffee shop and have breakfast there— all at his expense. Yabut only smiled—he knew he would end up paying. I got home and started calling journalists to take their breakfast at Jeepney. That started the 365 Club. Valencia declared himself chairman. Soon, however, Yabut started complaining because journalists not only took their breakfast there. They also had lunches and dinners with their families. Valencia then issued what he called Proclamation 1082, where everyone who would go to the coffee shop would pay his own way. 365 Club is unique since it began as a breakfast club without any structure. It was just a gathering of people who want to voice their opinion on any issue. It was featured in The Wall Street Journal where it was described as “one of a kind in Asia and even the world.” Now I am the only one living among those who founded it. This Saturday, Sept. 23, the 365 Club will mark its 45th year. We now meet every Saturday at Holiday Inn Suites, also in Makati. I have since designated businessman-spor tsman Alfonso “Boy” Reyno as club president. I am chairman emeritus, while former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile is our honorary chairman. Faces change during our Saturday meetings, but the discussions continue. I must say that throughout martial law days, despite the jokes and dissent, we survived. Credit that to

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

the late Kokoy Romualdez, who was always there to share the fun. *** Another milestone in my career as a journalist was when I organized the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas. It remains a strong and vibrant organization to this day. During martial law, when I was at KBS, I thought of a way to get out of the ambit of censorship. With the approval of my manager, the late Buddy Tan, I called up each and every radio and television network for a meeting. We organized the KBP and adopted a Code of Standards. Because of the insistence of Benedicto and Tan that voting should be according to the number of stations, I quit. When the former asked me why, I told him it is a matter of conviction. I left KBS in 1982 and practiced law. It was in 1987 after the People Power Revolution that I decided to resume my career as a journalist. I say journalism is my calling—I was never really happy when I was a lawyer. *** Another event in my career was when I organized Philippines Inc. I was a member of the business delegation that accompanied President Fidel Ramos to Moscow in 1996. I convinced FVR and thenForeign Affairs Secretary Bobby Romulo to have the delegation form itself into a gathering of businessmen and journalists. It was around that time when there were protests over a perceived attempt to amend the Constitution to extend FVR’s term. President Ramos named the group “Team Philippine” which sounded, to me, like an athletic organization. We soon changed it to Philippines Inc., with myself as the chairman of the Board of Advisors. Ramos always had Philippines Inc. along during his foreign trips. This continued until the term of Joseph Estrada and Gloria Arroyo. *** The only thing I can say during my almost seven decades as a journalist is that I have made a difference, however small. The events I narrated could just as well be my legacy.

OVERSIGHT DANILO SUAREZ THE Lower House passed House Bill 6215, the 2018 national budget bill, on second reading last week. The Appropriations Committee is preparing the amendments to the budget before it returns to the floor for third reading. The House members have been serious about scrutinizing the proposed budget of all government agencies during the committee and plenary deliberations. As the Minority Leader, I took advantage of the period of interpellation to raise our concerns on how these agencies allocate and spend their respective budgets. I have been very particular about the agencies’ absorptive capacities; thus, I have asked for their commitment to spending their budgets more efficiently in order to achieve 100 percent utilization. We were also able to push for a more active oversight committee to monitor and ensure that the funding re-

DUTY CALLS FLORENCIO FIANZA THERE are two developing issues that if they were to happen will affect the country profoundly. These are the impeachment complaints filed against public officials and the possibility of the President declaring martial law throughout the country. There are two extraordinary measures that are taken only as a last resort. But since the genie has been let out of the bottle, impeaching public officials and declaring martial law seem to have become very easy. There are currently two impeachment complaints being tackled by the Judicial Committee of the House of Representative and another might be forthcoming. The two are the complaints against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Commission on Elections Chairman Andres Bautista. Both complaints are for various offenses but the common denominator is corruption. Another impeachment complaint might also be filed against the Ombudsman, Conchita Morales. As a result, there are some sectors warning about the adverse effects of the House of Representatives always

got a budget cut because of the issues hounding its office, such as the corruption of its officials and its failure to release several power supply agreements. The P1,000 budget of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples was due to its failure to act on the killings of Lumad leaders. And the most controversial of all is the one received by the Commission on Human Rights. To clarify, I believe that the CHR serves an essential function in the government. This is of particular importance when the dignity of persons is at risk by acts of violence, which none of us can deny. That said, I am concerned by the Commissioner’s partisan leadership. We would recall that in June 2016, the CHR released the investigation result of the Kidapawan massacre that happened in April 2016. News reports stated that farmers’ groups, party-list congressmen and witnesses opposed the CHR report which seemed to side with the Aquino government despite evidence of excessive force by the police towards

the farmers. Before Commissioner Chito Gascon was seated into position, the CHR’s field investigations reported grave rights violations in the Hacienda Luisita massacre of 2004, where 7 farmers were killed and hundreds were injured by police and army units. However, after more than a decade, nobody has been arrested and the Commissioner has not released updated pronouncements on the status of further investigations. While I appreciate that the CHR identifies human rights violations, it should not selectively do so. The House members, including myself, as much as possible, want all government agencies to receive the right amount of appropriations for them to be able to fulfill their duties. However, previous events showed that some agencies failed to effectively carry out their responsibilities. Should the issues of the concerned agencies not be resolved, we will not hesitate to continue questioning their proposed budgets until the bicameral conference committee hearing.

threatening to impeach public officials like weakening the political institutions of the country which will result in the country becoming a banana republic. To this, some might say that we are already a banana republic. They are, of course, right but we have former President Noynoy Aquino to thank for masterminding the impeachment and conviction of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona for very flimsy reasons. Those who are now objecting to what the House is doing to Chief Justice Sereno should have opened their mouths then. Now, there is even a plan by the Department of Justice to use former Senator Jinggoy Estrada as a witness for the misuse of funds coming from the Development Acceleration Program to the tune of hundreds of millions of pesos. The former senator who has just been granted bail might testify that each senator who voted for the conviction of Senator Corona was given P50 million in DAP funds. If this is true, former President Noynoy Aquino and former Budget Secretary Florencio Abad will be in hot water. Impeaching Chief Justice Sereno may indeed weaken the judicial system which is already weak. But those

politicians who participated in the ouster of Renato Corona—and many of them are still around—should have also thought of the consequences of what they did. Now we have a lower house of Congress that also wants to assert its prerogatives under the leadership of House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez. This should not surprise anyone because that is what happens when the country has leaders who put their interests before the country’s. It is always the nation and ordinary mortals like you and me left holding the bag. It is sad but that is simply the reality of our politics. Will we ever mature? *** By now, we are already accustomed to the speaking style of President Duterte. Unlike his predecessors who would normally deliver their prepared speeches, the President usually puts his prepared speech away and meanders to other subject matters—which, in many cases, end up about drugs. Lately however, Senator Antonio Trillanes and his alleged foreign bank accounts and chairman Luis Martin Gascon, the Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights, have become his targets. When everyone is

supposed to be afraid of the President, Senator Trillanes has the temerity to be throwing accusations against him. Whether these accusations are true or not is of course another matter. How should the public view this ongoing word war between the two? One outcome of this is that it probably debunks what the critics of the President are saying about creeping authoritarianism. It shows that there is still dissent after all. The other subject that has also come up is the probability of the President declaring martial law throughout the country. This was discussed by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana who said that it is a remote possibility. Former Senator Juan Ponce Enrile has also discussed it. He seemed to be providing the justification for martial law. If indeed martial law or a revolutionary government is declared, will it solve our perceived problems? What acceptable justification could be given? The drug problem? The ISIS and the CPP/NPA? It will be a little difficult to come with an internationally acceptable reason and this is not even mentioning how the Filipino people will react. All that it will show is that we have not learned anything from our experiences under martial law.

If there anything to be learned from our martial law experience, it is that it set the country back for about a decade. Our economy went down so badly that it is only now that we really are on the path to recovery. Do we really want to throw all the gains that we have worked so hard away? If we think, that by declaring martial law we can shortcut the solutions of our problems, we have to think again. This is because along with shortcuts are corresponding problems. If we declare martial law or a revolutionary government which seems to be the preference of the President, our insurgency problem will multiply. At the height of martial law, the strength of the armed group of the CPP/NPA was 24,000 as opposed to the current strength of 4,500. We should not provide the CPP/NPA a recruiting tool. Another is that although our economic managers are not saying it, our economy will surely suffer as the sun rises from the east. We are seeing this happen in Thailand now. Our standing in the international community of nations will also suffer tremendously. I do believe that we can solve our problems without martial law. We have to believe that.

Evangelizing for American exceptionalism

From A4

*** One of the people made happy by the travesty of justice committed by the Umali committee yesterday is University of Santo Tomas law dean Nilo Divina, who is currently doing his best to protect himself in the aftermath of the hazing death of law school freshman Horacio Tomas Castillo III. Divina dodged a major bullet when Bautista’s impeachment trial was dismissed because his law firm, Divina Law, had been dragged into the Comelec scandal after Bautista allegedly referred (for a fat commission) the outfit to represent the poll body’s automation contractor, the always-suspicious Venezuela-based IT provider Smartmatic. Divina is a member of the Aegis Juris fraternity of the UST Faculty of Civil Law, as the law school is also known. In fact, his fraternity had used his name in order to recruit neophytes, who were promised all sorts of intervention by the dean if they joined his frat. Let’s see if Divina’s luck will hold in the Castillo case, where he cannot count on corrupt, cheating lawmakers to save him.

fortunately, this agency’s budget was initially reduced by P1 billion despite various studies showing that our fish catch is severely depleted. After rice, fish is the second most important staple in a typical Filipino family table. BFAR needs a bigger budget to further develop our country’s aquaculture, which could address our food security concerns. There will be a budget realignment for the implementation of RA 10931 or the “Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act,” which will provide free college tuition for students of 112 state universities and colleges. Other concerns that we expect to be addressed by the government agencies with urgency are the country’s poor network connectivity, 3-digit number coding scheme to ease Metro traffic (DOTr), and the implementation of the Lateral Attrition Law (DOF). Many Filipino citizens were opposed to the P1,000 budget received by each of three agencies. The Energy Regulatory Commission

The genie is out

Delivering... will have one more year to carry on as before and to prepare for his defense next year, assuming he is once again impeached then. There is no reason to believe that he will be impeached, however. Bautista simply knows where all the bodies were buried in last year’s election—and Congress has every reason to keep those bodies where they are. Congress also knows that removing Bautista, short of assassination, can only be done through impeachment. And that is how deals with the devils in the Batasan are made.

ceived by all government offices will be spent pursuant to the General Appropriations Act. The P3.8-trillion budget prioritizes social services and infrastructure development. The two biggest allocations were given to the Department of Education (DepEd), and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), respectively. During the deliberations, we felt that some agencies deserve to receive more, while some would have to suffer from budget cuts due to their inefficiency. We are expecting a P1billion increase in the budget of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) for the provision of allowance to seminar attendees. This will encourage more attendees, especially those who have a great potential, but are unable to attend due to lack of money for transportation. We are also looking forward to a P50-billion increase in the budget of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. Un-

By Eli Lake IF YOU want to get a sense of the enduring power of American exceptionalism, watch President Donald Trump’s address Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly. Here we got a clear message from the candidate whose foreign policy platform was “America first”: He implored the regimes of weaker rogues to clean up their acts, or else. The president threatened total destruction for North Korea. Its leader, whom Trump called “rocket man,” is on a “suicide mission for himself and for his regime,” Trump warned. “The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary.” Iran? The deal his predecessor struck to temporarily limit the nuclear program was an “embarrassment to the United States.” But it doesn’t end there. Trump says that sooner or later revolution is coming to the Mullahs. He asserted

the whole world “understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran’s people are what their leaders fear the most.” This was just the warmup. Trump went full neocon for Venezuela. Its leader, Nicolas Maduro, is a dictator “stealing power from his own people.” Whereas Trump was vague about what his plan was for North Korea and Iran, for Venezuela he came very close to calling for regime change. “The United States has taken important steps to hold the regime accountable,” Trump said. “We are prepared to take further action if the government of Venezuela persists on its path to impose authoritarian rule on the Venezuelan people.” For a moment, I closed my eyes and thought I was listening to a Weekly Standard editorial meeting. To be sure, this is not quite a return to the days

of George W. Bush, who in 2005 made it briefly US policy to seek democratic transformation for friend and foe alike. Trump offered no critiques for the illiberal systems and strongmen that rule Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Russia or China. He briefly called out threats to the sovereignty of Ukraine and the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, without mentioning Russia and China by name. And yet Trump, who ran in part against the folly of neoconservative nationbuilding, is also not quite ready to give up the power of America’s values in determining its interests. He calls his approach “principled realism.” And on the surface it nods to the respect traditional foreign policy realists pay to national interests. But there is also a paradox. Trump still wants nation states to serve the interests of their people. Consider this line from the speech: “We do not expect diverse countries

to share the same cultures, traditions or even systems of government, but we do expect all nations to uphold these two core sovereign duties, to respect the interests of their own people and the rights of every other sovereign nation.” On the one hand, Trump is correct. States with governments that respect their own people are almost always less bellicose than states ruled by authoritarians. Dictators like Vladimir Putin often must start foreign wars to distract from their own corruption at home. At the same time, Trump’s formulation leaves a lot of wiggle room for what traditional foreign policy realists deride as military adventurism. After all, who determines when a nation is respecting the interests of its people? Trump certainly isn’t saying that is for the UN to decide. He spent a good portion of his speech threatening unilateral action against

Iran, North Korea and Venezuela. Trump’s newfound enthusiasm is familiar to the public. America has been spreading its gospel for centuries, according to Robert Kagan’s 2006 book, “A Dangerous Nation,” which traced US foreign policy from the founders to the dawn of the 20th century. Kagan argues persuasively that because America is a country founded on democratic revolution, it has always threatened unfree countries by its very existence. From the very early days of the republic, US leaders have supported a kind of American exceptionalism we usually associate with the 20th century. Trump’s speechwriters are beginning to understand this. It’s a lot better than some of Trump’s early signals on foreign policy, when he ingratiated himself to dictators like Filipino strongman Rodrigo Duterte or Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Let’s hope Trump sticks with this new approach.

Bloomberg

World

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

PM: Myanmar must take back Rohingya

DHAKA—Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has issued a new call for Myanmar to take back the some 420,000 Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in the Buddhist-dominated country. Hasina, speaking to Bangladeshi activists in New York where she is attending the UN General Assembly, also called for greater international pressure on Myanmar over the new crisis that has unfolded in the past three weeks, media reports said. “We have told Myanmar, they are your citizens, you must take them back, keep them safe, give them shelter, there should not be any oppression and torture,” she told a meeting late Tuesday in New York. The prime minister said Bangladesh was making diplomatic efforts to per-

suade Myanmar to take back the refugees. “But the Myanmar government is not responding to the calls. Rather, Myanmar is laying land mines along the border to stop the return of Rohingyas to their homeland,” she said. Myanmar’s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi said in a speech hours earlier that the country would take back verified refugees. Myanmar considers the Rohingya illegal migrants from Bangladesh and refuses them citizenship, even though many have lived there for decades. At a meeting of Islamic nations on the sidelines of the UN assembly, Hasina said Yangon was spearheading a state-sponsored propaganda campaign to call the Rohingya ‘Bengalis’, adding that they must be given Myanmar citizenship. AFP

Mexicans scrambling for temblor survivors M

EXICO CITY—When the earthquake hit, it sent panicked people running into the street but many weren’t so lucky. The dust settled minutes later to reveal a landscape of ﬂattened buildings and rubble in the heart of Mexico City. “Awful. I think it was one of the strongest we’ve felt. I don’t know what magnitude, but it was awful,” said Pedro Cruz Martinez, a public servant cradling his little girl, after joining the rush of fearful parents to a local school. After the screams and the shock, people quickly set to work digging for survivors. In a scene reproduced in streets across the city

center, dozens of people scrabbled with bare hands to remove rubble from atop a concertinaed building as they waited for special machinery to arrive. Central areas like Roma, Condesa and Doctores appeared to have taken the brunt of the 7.1-magnitude quake. Several buildings were completely flattened in Roma, popular for its bars

and restaurants and one of the neighborhoods hit hardest by the 1985 earthquake that shattered large swathes of this city and killed at least 10,000―32 years ago to the day. Amid the tears and terror, there were small victories. Cheers and applause echoed around the crowded Calle Alvaro Obregon in Roma as rescuers managed to pull someone from under the rubble. There remained a sense that such moments would be rare, however. In other buildings in the same area, volunteers joined the authorities to remove debris. One of them held a sign with the word “silence” in

Hanged for rape, murder TEHRAN—A man was hanged in front of cheering crowds in Iran on Wednesday after being convicted of the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl that had outraged the nation. The execution of 42-year-old Esmail Jafarzadeh was shown in an amateur video shared on the state broadcaster’s website. He was hanged at dawn in the square of the small northwestern town of Parsabad, in Ardebil province. The execution was held in public “to restore citizens’ sense of security and relieve their troubled minds,” Ardebil’s prosecutor Naser Atabati told reporters. Seven-year-old Atena Aslani went missing on June 19 after walking away from her street vendor father, sparking huge concern on social media. Prosecutors said that Jafarzadeh, who was already the prime suspect, confessed to her rape and murder shortly after her body was found by police in the garage of his house, the judiciary-linked Mizan Online website reported. President Hassan Rouhani described the case as “horrendous” and called for swift justice. It took less than a week to convict Jafarzadeh after his trial began in late August. His death sentence was confirmed by the supreme court on September 11. AFP

order to be able to hear people who may still be alive. Dozens of buildings collapsed in Mexico City― home to 20 million people― as the overall death stood at 216 early Wednesday in the capital city and across a swath of central states. Authorities asked for help from volunteers and for water. Some police officers came through the crowd carrying containers of water. Medics set up makeshift field hospitals in the streets, treating people for broken limbs and crush injuries. Many people lay on stretchers, with medics holding strips of cardboard boxes over victims’ heads to protect them from the sun.

Rain causes chaos at Mumbai airport

PROTEST. People holding ‘Esteladas’ (Catalan pro-independence flags) attend a protest in front of the Economy headquarters of Catalonia’s regional government in Barcelona on September 20, 2017, during a search by Spain’s Guardia Civil police. Spain’s Guardia Civil arrested a top Catalan government official as part of raids on several Catalan government offices, sparking protests in Barcelona. The operation comes amid mounting tensions as Catalan leaders press ahead with preparations for an independence referendum on October 1 despite Madrid’s ban and a court ruling deeming it illegal. AFP

MUMBAI―Dozens of flights were diverted from Mumbai after a SpiceJet plane overshot the runway and became stuck in the mud as heavy rain lashed India’s financial capital and caused travel chaos Wednesday. Schools and colleges also closed for the day as a precaution after severe monsoon rain late Tuesday and overnight led to fears of widespread flooding. The storms came three weeks after 10 people were killed when torrential rain deluged Mumbai, flooding homes and railway lines and shutting down the city for two days. On Wednesday airport officials were trying to move the SpiceJet plane, which skidded on landing around 10:00 pm on Tuesday and forced the closure of the main runway. All 183 passengers were safely evacuated from the Varanasi to Mumbai flight

Trump’s fiery UN address redefines US role in the world UNITED NATIONS―President Donald Trump’s debut speech at the United Nations featured saber-rattling aplenty, but it also showed glimmers of a Trump doctrine that could transform America’s place in the world. It was described by one observer as a “42-minute tweetstorm” and by another as president George W. Bush’s “’axis of evil’ speech on steroids.” But in most respects, Trump’s first stint before the

green marble rostrum was everything you might expect from the truculent, normshattering businessmanturned-politician. It was decidedly not what anyone would have expected from any of his 44 predecessors as president of the United States, and heralded a new style of American leadership in the global arena. Trump’s rhetoric―dubbing Kim Jong-un a “rocket man” on a “suicide mis-

sion”―was lapped up by supporters at home, but left allies around the world bewildered at the change that has gripped the world’s only superpower. Beyond the bellicose style, Trump demanded a change in substance, making it clear he wants to turn the clock back on the last half-century’s growth of global rules and global institutions and return to the primacy of the nation state.

Trump’s remarks used the words “sovereign” or “sovereignty” 21 times, rhetoric more often deployed in modern times by China to deflect criticism of a domestic crackdown or by Russia to deride US interference in domestic affairs. Aides say Trump’s call for a strong nation state was not a rejection of multilateralism per se, but rather a rejection of a globalism that dilutes the will of the people.

Allies were left with a renewed sense that “America First” will mean America alone. “In America, we do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but rather to let it shine as an example for everyone to watch,” Trump said. Top Trump advisers had billed the address as “deeply philosophical,” setting out an intellectual framework for the president’s long-held world view. AFP

Obama begins lucrative turn as Wall Street speaker NEW YORK―Barack Obama has begun cashing in on his time in the White House with paid Wall Street speeches less than a year after leaving office, a practice that drew stinging rebukes for Hillary Clinton during last year’s presidential campaign. The former US president will appear Monday before a who’s who of the US health care industry at a conference to be held

“Darling, if you want to help, go ahead. Just give me your glasses and be careful,” a woman told her doctor husband as they gazed at buildings reduced to rubble, the intimacy of people’s homes laid bare as curtains swayed in buildings without walls. Police called for calm and cordoned off streets with grotesquely twisted buildings, their reinforcing steel poking out from concrete. People hugged and comforted each other amid anxiety about loved ones. Many stood around in a daze, not sure where to go or what to do. But everyone was staying in the streets, afraid to go home. AFP

next week by the New York trading firm Cantor Fitzgerald, according to two sources with knowledge of the matter. He will deliver remarks before answering questions from the audience, they said on condition of anonymity. Obama will discuss his signature 2010 health care reform legislation, known as Obamacare, which Republican lawmakers are still working to dismantle after several failed attempts.

According to a person briefed on Obama’s planned appearance, he will be paid about $400,000. In August, Obama addressed a New York gathering held by the Chicago private banking and wealth management firm Northern Trust. The panelists at that event, according to the firm’s website, included billionaire former New York mayor Michael

Bloomberg, chief Microsoft cybersecurity adviser Jonathan Trull and IBM general manager for “blockchain” technology Marie Wieck. Obama received $400,000 for his Northern Trust appearance, according to Bloomberg News, which also reported Monday that the former president had made a similar appearance this month at the private equity behemoth Carlyle Group. AFP

Humble bicycle back in vogue in Cuba as demand soars CARDENAS, Cuba―The humble bicycle is gradually shedding its grim association with Cuba’s economic crisis that followed the fall of the Soviet Union, and making a comeback buoyed by demand from tourists and Cubans frustrated by the poor public transportation. Bicycles rattle by everywhere on the flat cobblestone streets of Cardenas, an industrial city on the north

coast where a giant iron bicycle monument greets visitors. Bikes have long been the favored mode of transport here, but in Havana and other cities, the bike is coming back into vogue. Modern bike shops with their smell of rubber and gear-oil are springing up to meet demand from tourists as well as Cubans simply looking for a reliable

way to get around. Osvaldo, a computer technician, sweats over an old Soviet-made MB3 with back-pedal brakes, handlebars shorn of hand grips―the bike itself a collection of spare parts. “Everybody gets around by bicycle in Cardenas, and I use it also to carry all sorts of things, anything I can manage,” he says. AFP

SCREENING. Daphne Owens, MD, Physician volunteer, Puentes de Salud, speaks to guests after HBO ‘Clinica De Migrantes’ screening at The Franklin Institute Science Museum on September 19 in Philadelphia. AFP

after it missed the runway and “skidded off into the unpaved surface” due to wet conditions, the airline said in a statement. “The main runway is out of use due to heavy rains. Only the secondary runway is operational and it can only handle a limited number of flights,” Veena Chiplunkar, a spokeswoman for the international airport, told AFP. Some 56 flights were diverted due to Tuesday night’s thunder and lightning storms, she added. Several other flights had been canceled while travelers were told to expect delays to departures while the main runway remained closed. The plane was still stuck Wednesday morning. Officials had warned of flooding if heavy rain coincided with a high tide, expected around midday, but India’s Meteorological Department said the worst had passed. AFP

Group slams treatment of brick workers NEW DELHI—Millions of Indian brick workers are trapped in bonded labor and regularly cheated out of their wages, an anti-slavery group said Wednesday as it demanded government action. A study by Anti-Slavery International in the northern state of Punjab said workers are often rescued by NGOs only to return to the kilns, needing back wages owed to them or lacking other opportunities. There are an estimated 10 million workers toiling amid punishing heat and life-threatening pollution at tens of thousands of smallscale brick kilns in India. The kilns have become part of the underbelly of India’s economic miracle, producing building materials for gleaming offices, factories and call centers sprouting up across the world’s seventh largest economy. Impoverished families are often forced to involve their children in hard labor since workers are paid by the number of bricks made. The “Invisible Chains” report found 65 to 80 percent of children under 14 working for an average of nine hours a day over the hot summer months. “We have found appalling levels of bonded labor and child labor... young children are working for nine hours a day in a dusty air filled with chemicals rather than going to school,” Sara Mount, the group’s Asia program manager, said. AFP

Sports

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Pradera breaks loose by 34

EBU CITY—Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club set a record twoday total Wednesday while building a 34-point lead over defending champion Manila Southwoods Masters in the 12th Philippine Airlines Ladies Interclub golf team championships at the Cebu Country Club. For the second straight day, Pradera broke par in team play to improve to 331 points, the best ever halfway score in the event’s history. Indonesian Michela Effendie fired three-under par 69 for 57 points while Harmie Constantino had 70 for 56 points as Pradera ended the day with 166

points, just a point short off its opening day output. Kristine Torralba rounded out Pradera’s scoring with 53 points. Lorenz Kayla Nocum failed to count with 46. Despite a record 34-point lead, Pradera captain Normandy Sto. Domingo vowed to deliver the knockout blow on Thursday.

“We hope to finish this tomorrow. We’re sending in our top guns to get the job done so that we can relax on Friday,” said Sto. Domingo who will field Fil-Japanese Yuka Saso and Effendie in the third round. Saso led Pradera’s charge with 59 points last Tuesday. Manila Southwoods, bidding for its seventh straight crown, managed to keep Pradera within arm’s length before fading in the closing holes. Bernie Ilas, playing for the second straight day, led Southwoods with 53 points while teammates Mikhaela Fortuna and Maria Sofia

Effendie

Chabon added 53 and 52 points, respectively. Samantha Dizon failed to count with 47. In the Founders division, Alabang Country Club

scored 129 points to grab the lead over Lady Eagles Australia which slipped to third place. Alabang drew 48 points from Rita Horan, 42 from Christine Popp and 39 from Jocelyn Garcia to hike its total to 255, two points clear of Manila Southwoods Legends. Scoring for Southwoods Legends were Laurea Duque 46, Christine Valdehueza 45 and Marie Claire Ong 38. After scoring a front-running 134, Lady Eagles Australia Golf dipped with 114 for 248 total. This year’s PAL Ladies Interclub sponsors are Primax Broadcasting Net-

work, Mareco Broadcasting Network, Fox Sports, Travelife Magazine, People Asia, Asian Air Safari, Airbus, Travel Now Magazine/ TouchPay, Bombardier, PLDT and Mastercard. Support also comes from TFC, Rustan’s Commercial Corporation, Asia Brewery Inc., Alaska Corporation, Eton Properties, Trinity Insurance and Marco Polo Plaza Cebu. Day 2 results: CHAMPIONSHIP: 331 —Pradera Verde (167, 166); 297—Manila Southwoods Masters (144, 153); 273— Cebu Country Club-A (140, 133).

New rating system to boost PH tennis LOCAL tennis gets a big boost as Unified Tennis Philippines links up with the Universal Tennis Rating to improve the quality of players and competitions in the country. The UTP is the most accurate and reliable technique for rating tennis skill worldwide. “We are so elated to have Universal Tennis Ratings agree to partner with us. This will benefit all tennis stakeholders and will improve the quality of players and competitions in the country,” said UTP founding member and Cebuana Lhuillier president and CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier. The latest UTP move further pushes its mission of making membership and activities in the association more inclusive, and benefit not just the top players but even the age group players and club players. UTR’s 16-point scale covers all ages, genders, and levels of tennis skills. Whether one is a beginner with a UTR of 1.00 or a Pro Player with a 16.24 rating, the UTR enables all players to mea-

Teng brods reunite for PH team By Peter Atencio TWO brothers, Jeron and Jeric Teng, will get to play together again. They have been reunited and both will be part of the Chooks To Go Pilipinas squad, a club team which has been awarded a wild card to take part in the 2017 FIBA Asia Champions Cup. “Alam namin ang laro ng isa’t isa,” said the elder Jeric. The last time, they played together was when he was on his playing year for Xavier School back in 2009. Later, the elder Jeric would move to University of Santo Tomas, while the younger Jeron would join the La Salle Green Archers. Joining the Teng brothers with the Manok ng Bayan squad are Jet Manuel Almond Vosotros, LA Revilla, Norbert Torres, Kiefer Ravena, Reymar Jose, Francis Tamsi and Carl Cruz. Andre Paras and Gab Banal are on the reserve list. They were put there just in case American reinforcement, Isaiah Austin, and big man Rodrigue Ebondo from Congo don’t get their visas in time. The 7’1” Austin last played for the Guangxi Rhinos of the Chinese National Basketball League, while Ebondo is a walk-in player who is student-athlete with Centro Escolar University. National coach Chot Reyes said the squad they formed was built from scratch right after the Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur.

sure their abilities. “We are thrilled UTP is going to provide results to Universal Tennis, which will ensure players in the Philippines are able to benefit from the raging and monitor their progress,” said UTR CEO Bruce Waschuk. “We are also looking forward to collaborating with UTP for future events and different UTR platforms to maximize opportunities through more level-based tennis matches,” added Waschuk. UTR is generated by results from around the world such as ATP, WTA, ITF, USTA, British Tennis, Tennis Australia, Tennis Canada, Tennis Europe and 600 other UTR events worldwide. It will now soon include tournaments from UTP starting with the WTA —Cebuana Lhuillier Under 16 and Under 14 Girls Qualifying on Sept. 22-24 in Valle Verde and the Cebuana Lhuillier and Palawan Pawnshop tournaments in Southwoods on Sept. 24 and Cotabato on Sept. 25, respectively.

4 LEAGUES, 4 TITLES. COCOLIFE basketball team head coach Ray Alao formally turns over the team’s

championship trophies to company President Elmo Nobleza, who is with SVP Ferdinand Santos, VP /Sports Director Joseph Ronquillo and assistant coach Omeng Devin during the recent team’s victory celebration at the COCOLIFE Bldg. in Ayala Avenue, Makati City. The team that won the 2017BBL/WCA Travel Cup, followed by HOOPS’ 17, Kings of the Court Open Basketball League 2017 and the 2017 Impact Athletics Invitational Cup, is composed of ex-pros Bonbon Custodio and Larry Rodriguez, amateur commercial league standouts Mark Lagrimas, Lester Reyes, Totot Mangaran, James Castro, Jay-R Casulla, Alvin Vitug, Francis Camacho, Edel Gregorio, Tox Santos, Jamal Thomas, Anthony Cuevas, Manu Inigo, Carlo Guzman, Alden Ricafranca, Reyner Sadsad, Utoy Bordeos, Adrian Santos, James Abugan, Joey Protacio, Mark Andaya, Jeff Sanders, EricK de la Cuesta, Nino Marquez, Pol Santiago,Tristan Bradley, Tolits Natividad, Popoy Banzali and Clay Crellin.

Ironman 70.3 staging to benefit Davao City tourism By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—Mayor Sara Duterte created on Wednesday the executive committee that will oversee the staging of Ironman 70.3 event here during the next three years. The committee, created through Executive Order 35, would also ensure that the triathlon event becomes successful. Mayor Duterte chairs the committee, while Wilfred Steven Uytengsu of Sunrise Events Inc. had been named co-chair. Vice

Mayor Paolo Duterte was also named as committee vice chair. The members of the committee were Capt. Ronald Go of Davao City Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (DCCCII); lawyers Osmundo Villanueve of the City Legal Office; Raul Nadela Jr., the City Mayor’s Chief of Staff; and Tristan Dwight Domingo, the Assistant City Administrator for Administration. The other members were Michael Denton Aportadera of the City Sports Development,

Regina Rose Tecson of the City tourism Office and Ret. Gen. Benito T. de Leon of the Public Safety and Security Command Center (PSSCC). “Through the event, Davao City’s scenic sights, its people and abundant culture will be in full display to the world for renewed appreciation as to the sustainable progress the city and the entire country have achieved despite some challenges,” the EO reads. Mayor Duterte said that the event will help Davao City’s

tourism industry since many local and foreign athletes will visit the city to join the event. “The Ironman event is a tried and tested event that will bring people to the city. It performed well in CamSur and in Cebu, rest assured that we will expect more tourism arrivals of course the participants of the events to come here in Davao City as well as the supporters of the participants,” she said. The Ironman 70.3 Davao is a special event to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Ironman

in the Philippines. Uytengsu Jr. said that the prior to the Ironman event, they will hold Alaska iron kids, which will be a triathlon for the youths. “We see our youth growing up with technology and they are not exposed to all of the sports, we would like to envibe that in their behavior early on,” Uytengsu said. The COO of Ayala land, Aniceto Bisnar Jr. also committed that the ALVEO land will support the ironman event for three years here in the city.

Officials, athletes march today for unity LEADING sports personalities, headed by former Senator and swimming ‘Godmother’ Nikki Coseteng and multi-titled swimmer and former Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Chairman Eric Buhain return to the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex to lead athletes, coaches and sports supporters in today’s march for unity and change in Philippine sports. Using the theme “Sports Forum: Kilos sa Pagbabago,” the group is calling for change and renewal of the Philippine sporting landscape. The program is set from 9 a.m. to 12 noon. Assembly will be at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum “In the observance of the National Day of Protest, we are joining Filipino athletes, coaches and deprived sports leaders on their quest for justice and fairness,” said group convener Edgardo ‘Tito Boy’ Cantada, president of the Philippine Volleyball Federation (PVF). “We are giving Jose Cojuangco and his gang in the Philippine Olympic Committee a chance to answer all the charges and grievances against them,” said Cantada. “Their track record have shown they are incapable of leading Philippine sports. Cojuangco and his gang exist not for the Filipino athletes, but for themselves. We are retaking the pride, justice and commitment they’ve stolen from the Filipino athletes,” Cantada added. Also expected to attend the gathering are Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Commissioner Ramon ‘El Presidente’ Fernandez and gymnastics’ head Cynthia Carrion. The group also invited Senators Richard Gordon, Bongbong Marcos and JV Ejercito, as well as sports and movie personality Derek Ramsey. Former PSC chairman Aparicio Mequi and VACC president Dante Jimenez also confirmed their attendance.

SunPiology Run now 2-part affair

SunPiology Run founder Piolo Pascual (right) poses with (from left) race organizer Rio dela Cruz, Sunrise Events, Inc. general manager Princess Galura and Sun Life Philippines chief marketing officer Mylene Lopa during the SunPiology Duo launch at Seda Hotel at BGC.

THE SunPiology, an annual fun run fund-raiser founded by actor Piolo Pascual, will now be a two-part affair with cycling to spice up the event when it is held Nov. 18 at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig. Now dubbed as the SunPiology Duo, the event is introducing cycling in addition to the Sun Life Resolution Run, which is slated on Jan. 20 at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. Bikers of all ages and skill levels now get a chance to strut their wares in the Sun Life Cycle PH with around 1,500 beginners and enthusiasts aged two to 65 years old expected to join. “Our mission at Sun Life is to help people achieve

lifetime financial security. But every now and then, we create events on health and wealth because we believe that health and wealth go together. This year, we go all out in our commitment to the Filipinos’ health,” said Mylene Lopa, chief marketing officer of organizer Sun Life Financial Philippines, during the event launch at Seda Hotel in Bonifacio Global City last Tuesday. The cycling event is held in partnership with Sunrise Events Inc. For details and listup, visit www.sunpiology.com. On tap are seven categories, the Tricycle Ride (100-m distance for two- to threeyear-olds), Kids’ Ride (500m for four- to five-year-olds),

Centro Escolar, PWU, San Beda show way in WNCAA

DEFENDING six-time champion Centro Escolar University and Philippine Women’s University streaked to their second wins in as many starts to pace senior basketball, while the San Beda College Alabang volleyball teams are unscathed in all three divisions of the 48th Women’s National Collegiate Athletic Association. CEU thumped Assumption, 107-40, and PWU dealt newcomer University of Makati a

second loss after a 74-37 victory on Sunday at Assumption Makati gym. Junior holder Chiang Kai Shek College, meanwhile, walloped St. Stephen’s High School, 101-39, on Saturday at St. Scholastica Manila gym for a 3-0 card in Group A. The following day, San Beda tied CKSC on top with a 60-27 triumph over St. Paul College Pasig. Sister squads De La Salle Zobel and La Salle College Antipolo also

posted lopsided wins, beating host Poveda (85-17) and Miriam (6332), respectively, to pace Group B with identical 3-0 records. DLSZ, eyeing an 8th consecutive midgets crown, finally won after three tries as it downed St. Jude Catholic School, 42-7. In senior volleyball, defending champion San Beda beat University of Asia & the Pacific, 25-15, 25-10, 25-12, while CEU prevailed over Philippine Women’s University, 25-22, 25-23,

25-15, also on Sunday at Rizal Memorial Coliseum for leaagueleading 3-0 cards. The midget Red Lions tote a similar 3-0 mark after a dominant 25-6, 25-2 win over St. Stephen while reigning titlist DLSZ overcame Poveda, 25-13, 25-18, to occupy second place at 2-0. San Beda and defending champion DLSZ are also on top of Junior A while LSCA, Miriam and CKSC show the way in Junior B, all with 2-0 records.

Family Ride (30-minute ride for six- to 15-year-olds with adult companion), Solo Ride (30-minute ride for six- to 15-year-olds), Short Distance Ride (20-km for 10 and above) and Long Distance Ride (40-km for 10 and above). The last event, the Bid2Bike, will give participants the chance to pedal alongside three-time Tour de France green jersey winner Robbie McEwen and Star Magic artists, led by Pascual. Riders in the 20-km and 40-km divisions will tackle the route that starts at Bonifacio Global City to Kalayaan Flyover toward Roxas Boulevard then back again to BGC, with the latter going through the course in two loops.

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

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

Diaz, Cray settle for silver

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL. Filipino cagers take on the host Malaysians in the Wheelchair Basketball Competition of the 9th ASEAN Para Games. Janneth Tenorio.

Painters boost bid for Top 4 By Jeric Lopez

SING a burly first-half storm, Rain or Shine kept its chances of ending in the top four as it mercilessly dismantled exiting Alaska, 112-82, to improve its stand in the homestretch of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City last night.

The win enabled Rain or Shine to improve to 6-4, hopeful for a shot at a top four finish. However, it still needs to win its last game and hope that the other teams contending upstairs drop their respective games. The top four finishers will have a twice-to-beat incentive in the quarterfinals against the lowerseeded teams. As early as the first half, the Painters showed why they are the ones headed to the quarterfi-

nals and why the Aces are the ones headed to an early vacation. Rain or Shine carried a 29-23 lead at the end of one and then it broke the game wide open in the second canto. A quick 9-2 spurt to open up the second gave the Painters their first doubledigit lead, a 38-25 spread. Several minutes later, the game was already out of hand as the Painters kept pushing hard and found themselves already ahead by a gigantic

22-point advantage, 6341, at the half. There was no looking back from there for Rain or Shine as it breezed through the second half on its way to the easy victory. Bullock and Belga each had 10 at the turn, while Chris Tiu and Mark Borboran also had solid first-half showings, each contributing nine after the first 24 minutes. Alaska wasn’t able to end its season on a positive note and bowed out with a record of 3-8.

The scores: Rain or Shine 112— Bullock 14, Cruz 12, Belga 12, Trollano 11, Tiu 9, Robles 9, Borboran 9, Almazan 7, Yap 6, Ahanmisi 5, Matias 4, King 4, Daquioag 4, Norwood 3, Maiquez 3, Ponferada 0. Alaska 82—Henton 20, Dela Cruz 12, Enciso 9, Manuel 9, Pascual 8, Casio 5, Exciminiano 5, Baclao 4, Cruz 3, Galliguez 3, Hontiveros 2, Mendoza 2, Racal 0. Quarters: 29-23, 63-41, 92-61, 112-82.

It was a total team effort for the Elasto Painters, who drew scattered scoring from their chargers with J’Nathan Bullock

producing 14 points, and Beau Belga and Jericho Cruz each having 12, and Don Trollano pitching in 11.

Spieth eyes FedEx jackpot

NU Bulldogs tame UST Tigers for 2nd win

ATLANTA—World number two Jordan Spieth says he will be targeting victory at the season-ending Tour Championship this week as he bids to pocket another multimillion-dollar jackpot. Spieth heads into Thursday’s first round at East Lake Golf Club in pole position to claim the $10 million bonus on offer to the winner of the FedEx Cup series, leading second placed Justin Thomas by 340 points. That healthy points cushion means Spieth could afford to finish second in Atlanta this week and still win the title, provided none of the other players in the top five win this week’s event. Mathematically, Spieth could even take the FedEx Cup title with as low as a 29th-place finish, depending on the performances of his rivals. The 24-year-old Texan however insists he will not be tempted into trying to play for position when the action begins on East Lake’s 7,385-yard par-70 layout. “If you start playing for position that’s when you take your foot off the gas pedal a little bit, and that’s not how we normally play,” Spieth said. “I’m comfortable at East Lake, and I’m in a great position.” Spieth, who won the FedEx Cup two years ago, has not yet registered a victory in the playoffs this year. He would be the first player to win the title without winning a tournament if he takes the FedEx Cup this week, and only the second player after Tiger Woods to win the title twice.

By Peter Atencio FOR most the game, the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers went toe to toe with the National University Bulldogs. But in the end, the Bulldogs simply found a away to get past the Growling Tigers, 94-84, yesterday at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Bulldogs relied on big plays by Rev Diputado, Jordan Bartlett and Dave Yu in the closing minutes to move ahead and post their

second win in three games in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. Diputado, who only had three points, made all his three freebies count, and so did Bartlett with his threepoint play. The Bulldogs, with Issa Gaye leading with 17 points and 13 rebounds, were slightly ahead, 80-71, when the Diputado and Bartlett came into the picture. From there, the Bulldogs

Games Saturday (MOA Arena) 2 p.m. UST vs FEU 4 p.m. La Salle vs UP

took a five-point edge, 8782, with 3:46 left. When the Growling Tigers fought back behind Jordan Sta. Ana’s putback, the Bulldogs replied with a triple from Yu with 1:45 left, handing NU a 90-84 edge. UST, led by Reggie Basibas with 23 points, never got a chance to come back, as Sta. Ana fouled out in the

remaining time. UST drew 14 points and 4 assists from Sta. Ana before he incurred his fifth foul with 1:32 remaining. “Their (Tigers) record does not speak of where they are right now. It’s tough. They were controlling the game.We were able to make a run and hold on to the lead,” said Bulldogs’ coach Jamike Jarin. Meanwhile, Ben Mbala returned with a bang, hitting 32 points and 10 rebounds for the defending champion

La Salle Green Archers. His inside presence made a difference all throughout as the Green Archers demolished the Adamson Falcons, 83-73. Mbala, fresh from his stint with the Cameroonian national team, scored 10 points as the Green Archers easily built a 36-12 edge in the first period and then coasted to their third consecutive victory. The win also moved La Salle to a share of the lead with Ateneo.

JRA CUP. Officials of the Philippine

Racing Commission welcomed to the country Japan Racing Association (JRA) Chief Representative Hiroyuki Koezuka (3rd from left, seated) and Representative Masashi Shoju (4th from left, seated) for the staging of the JRA Cup-Philracom Race at the Santa Ana Park in Naic, Cavite recently. The Japanese officials are joined here by (standing from left) Philracom Commissioner Bienvenido C. Niles Jr., Philippine Racing Club Inc. Senior Vice President and COO Santiago N. Cualoping III, Chairman Andrew A. Sanchez, Atty. Pilita Q. Venturanza, Exec. Dir. Andrew M. Buencamino, (seated from left) Commissioner Jose Santillan, PRCI Racing Manager Antonio Alcasid Jr. and Commissioner Wilfredo de Ungria.

NU belles stay perfect in 51 games

Durant sorry for ‘idiotic’ tweets; Aussie Bogut joins Lakers SAN FRANCISCO— Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant apologised on Tuesday for exchanges with fans on Twitter about his departure from Oklahoma City Thunder, branding his comments “childish” and “idiotic.” Durant, who was speaking while appearing on a Tech Crunch panel in San Francisco, said he regretted posting remarks that cited former coach Billy Donovan and team-mate Russell Westbrook. The NBA Finals MVP was caught out on Twitter after using his official account on the social media site to reply to comments from a fan asking why he had left Oklahoma City. “He didn’t like the orga-

nization or playing for Billy Donovan,” Durant wrote in the third person. “His roster wasn’t that good, it was just him and Russ (Russell Westbrook).” US media reports have said Durant had meant to post the remarks from a fake Twitter account. Durant on Tuesday took ownership of his gaffe—but vowed to continue replying to fans. “I use Twitter to engage with fans,” Durant said. “I happened to take it a little too far. That’s what happens sometimes when I get into these basketball debates about what I really love, to play basketball. I don’t regret clapping back at anybody or talking to my fans on Twitter. I do regret

ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan—Rio Olympics silver medalist Hidilyn Diaz and Fil-American Eric Cray missed out on winning gold medals in their respective events as the two settled for silver medals in the 5th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Tuesday night at the Ashgabat Olympic Complex here. Diaz had a total of 204 points to place second behind China’s Liao Qiuyun (208) from the combined snatch, and clean and jerk in the 53kg category. Turkmenistan’s Kristina Skermetova bagged the bronze (196). “Kaya ko pa pala,” said the 26-year-old native of Zamboanga City. “Sabi ko nga ayoko na, gusto ko na mag-give up kasi nahirapan ako magdisciplina,” said Diaz. “Pero hindi din ako naggive up… kaya ko pala, napatunayan ko na kaya ko pa, wala sa age.” “Hindi dahil nanalo ka na hindi ka na puwedeng bumalik pa, puwede pa pala,” Diaz added. Cray, likewise, finished second in the 60m run as he clocked 6.63 seconds, behind the 6.55 seconds of reigning champion Hassan Taftian of Iran. Iran’s Reza Ghasemi got the bronze (6.64). Long jumper Janry Ubas missed out a podium finish as he placed fourth (7.40m) behind gold medalist Nguyen Tien Trong of Vietnam (7.48m), Amila Pedige of India (7.45m) and Chan Ming Tai of Hong Kong (7.44m). In taekwondo, Kristie Elaine Alora and Kristopher Robert Uy settled for bronze medals after losing in the semifinals. Alora lost to Uzbekistan’s Svetlana Osipova (16-8), while Uy to China’s Liu Jintao (27-10). Diaz was already down three points after her best score of 90 kilos out of three attempts in snatch to Liao’s 93. The two lifted similar weights of 110 kilos to start the clean and jerk. Diaz failed to lift 114 kilos in her first attempt in the clean and jerk, but was able to eventually carry the same weight on her third and final attempt. Her rival from China lifted 115 kilos on her second attempt to win the gold.

using my former coach’s name and the former organization I played for. That was childish. That was idiotic, all those types of words. I apologise for that.” Durant said while he would continue to interact with fans, he expected to scale back his social media activity. “I don’t think I’ll stop engaging with fans,” Durant said. “I really enjoy it, and it’s a good way to connect us all, but I’ll scale back a little bit right now and just focus on playing basketball. “I’ll move on from that, it was tough to deal with yesterday.” Meanwhile, Australian star Andrew Bogut has inked a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, the player’s agent said on

Durant

Tuesday. Bogut, 32, has been a free agent since parting with the Cleveland Cavaliers in March, when he sustained a broken leg on his debut for the club. The deal, confirmed by agent David Bauman on Twitter, is reportedly worth

$2.3 million (1.9 million euros) for the towering center. Bogut endured a nomadic 2016-2017 season, starting out with the Dallas Mavericks where he averaged three points and 8.4 rebounds in 26 games. He was later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers and then reached a buyout agreement in February which freed him to join the Cavaliers. However his Cleveland career lasted just 58 seconds after a collision with Miami’s Okaro White left him with a fractured tibia. Bogut, the number one pick in the 2005 draft, was a member of the Golden State Warriors team which won the NBA Finals in 2015 and was a runner-up the following season. AFP

DEFENDING champion National University grabbed the solo lead and extended its winning streak to 51 games with a 95-65 rout of University of Santo Tomas yesterday in the UAAP Season 80 women’s basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena. The Lady Bulldogs outscored the Tigresses, 5427, in the second half to become the only undefeated team of the season at 3-0. Trixie Antiquera shot 27 points, Jack Daniel Anmam had 23 points and 18 rebounds, while Ria Nabalan nearly had a triple-double with 17 points, 11 boards and nine assists for NU. Congo’s Rhena Itesi also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 boards on top of two blocks for the Lady Bulldogs. UST fell in a four-way tie in second place with Far Eastern University, University of the East and Ateneo at 2-1. Adamson University, behind Nathalia Prado’s 26 points, entered the win column with a 88-84 decision over De La Salle. The Lady Archers dropped at 0-3.

Electricity reserve not enough B3

Business

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

Busan files graft vs DOTr officials

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Wednesday, September 20, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency Unit US Dollar Peso

By Darwin G. Amojelar BUSAN Universal Rail Inc., the maintenance contractor of Metro Rail Transit Line 3, ﬁled graft and administrative complaints against several executives of the Department of Transportation before the Ofﬁce of the Ombudsman. The complaint named Transportation Undersecretary Cesar Chavez, DOTr senior technical assistant Hernando Cabrera and Jorgette Bellen, program head of Uici-Seoul Metro-DongIL-JF Cancio Joint Venture Program. Busan alleged in its complaint that Chavez conspired with Cabrera and Bellen to deliberately delay the payment of the maintenance provider’s monthly billings. Busan claimed that unpaid billings reached P176 million for services already rendered to the DOTrMRT3 for the maintenance component of the contract. “Respondents’ concerted acts, geared towards both imposing deductions not founded in the contract and delaying payment of BURI’s monthly billings and billing for overhauled LRVs, smacks of utter bad faith,” Busan said. “Respondents’ concerted acts have wrought damage and prejudice to BURI, which had been deprived of payments due it under the contract, which it could have used to further improve its services as maintenance provider for the MRT3 system,” it said. Sought for comment, Chavez said, “My decision to withhold payment is precisely to protect public funds, hence, antithesis to graft.” “How can I be charged of graft when I am only protecting public funds?” Chavez asked. Busan said it brought to the attention of DOTrMRT3 the system and design issues that existed during Sumitomo’s tenure as service provider, which were allegedly kept hidden from the public until the new maintenance provider took over. Busan earlier urged the Transportation Department to investigate why technical glitches and service interruptions continued to persist despite proper maintenance of the line.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

PLDT’S AWARD. Microsoft grants the 2017 Microsoft Country Partner of the Year Award for the Philippines to ePLDT Inc., an industry-leading enabler of digital business solution at RCB Building in Makati City. Shown during the awarding ceremony are (seated, from left) PLDT Enterprise head and senior vice president Jovy Hernandez, Microsoft Philippines managing director Bertrand Launay, Microsoft Asia Pacific president Andrea Della Mattea, ePLDT president and chief executive Eric Alberto, ePLDT chief operating officer Nerisse Ramos and Microsoft lead for one channel partner and small, medium and corporate group Eileen Ong. With them are other executives of PLDT, Smart and Microsoft.

United States Dollar

1.000000

51.0360

Japan

Yen

0.008962

0.4574

Pound

1.351100

68.9547

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128131

6.5393

Switzerland

Franc

1.038961

53.0244

Canada

Dollar

0.813802

41.5332

Singapore

Dollar

0.742721

37.9055

Australia

Dollar

0.800900

40.8747

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651043

135.2986

Saudi Arabia Rial

0.266667

13.6096

0.739973

Brunei

Dollar

Indonesia

Rupiah 0.000075

37.7653

Thailand

Baht

UAE

Dirham 0.272272

13.8957

Euro

1.199600

61.2228

Korea

Won

0.000885

0.0452

China

Yuan

0.151837

7.7492

India

Rupee

0.015553

Malaysia

Ringgit 0.238663

0.0038

0.030234

1.5430

0.7938 12.1804

New Zealand Dollar

0.731700

37.3430

Taiwan

0.033269

1.6979

Dollar

Source: PDS Bridge

BIR reorganization rejected By Julito G. Rada

HE Budget Department rejected the proposed reorganization of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, saying the plan could affect some functions of the tax collection agency.

BIR commissioner Caesar Dulay earlier asked the DBM approval to transfer the Internal Affairs Service from the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Group to the Office of the Commissioner. Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said in a letter to Dulay that it would be “more prudent and appropriate” to retain the current organizational arrangement, which has the Internal Affairs Service under the Office of the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Group.

The reorganization request was made at a time the BIR was dealing with high-profile tax evasion cases involving Del Monte Philippines Inc. and local cigarette manufacturer Mighty Corp. The BIR accepted P65.4 million to settle Del Monte’s three-year tax discrepancies initially valued at P8.7 billion. The controversy was the subject of two congressional committee hearings. A plunder case was also filed against top BIR officials including Dulay. Mighty Corp., meanwhile, accused BIR of using “malfunctioning devices” that ended up tagging their products as bearing fake tax stamps. Under the present setup, the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Group oversees the conduct of preliminary investigation, hearing of administrative cases and recommending courses of action for the

approval of the commissioner. Observers said that by seeking to have the IAS unit transferred under Dulay’s jurisdiction, the BIR chief was inadvertently painting himself into a corner. They also said the move might be interpreted as his attempt to control the outcome of any IAS probe. Diokno, in declining the BIR request for a reorganization, said “there are enormous tasks, which, when transferred to the Ofﬁce of the Commissioner, may unduly burden the Commissioner of the responsibility of direct supervision over the IAS.” “Moreover, the Larger Taxpayers Service, whose functions include the development of policies/standards/guidelines, as well as enforcement of internal revenue laws and regulations involving large taxpayers, already reports directly to the com-

missioner, thus posing considerable demand on executive time,” Diokno said. Diokno said that on the proposed integration of the functions of the Performance Evaluation Division with the IAS, the two units were “distinct.” The PED monitors organizational performance, while IAS deals with erring personnel and how to effectively contain and minimize corruption among the ranks, he said. “It is, therefore, not pragmatic to subsume PED under the IAS,” Diokno said. “We recognize the need to facilitate the resolution of cases against ofﬁcials and employees of the BIR and to strengthen its anti-corruption program,” he said. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier tagged the BIR, the Bureau of Customs and the Land Transportation Ofﬁce as the most corrupt agencies in the government.

Financial markets, banks open today FINANCIAL markets and banks will be on normal business operations today, despite the suspension of work in government ofﬁces. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the clearing and settlement, cash servicing and treasury operations would remain operational on the day marking the 45th year of the declaration of martial law by the late president Ferdinand Marcos. President Rodrigo Duterte did not declare Sept. 21 as a holiday, but ordered the work suspension in the executive branch of the government. The Philippine Stock Exchange and the Securities Clearing Corporation of the Philippines said with the Philippine Payment and Settlements System on nor-

IN BRIEF

Phoenix Petroleum upbeat

PHOENIX Petroleum Philippines is confident of surpassing its net income and revenues last year due to the addition of the liquefied petroleum gas business and growth from fuel and non-fuel segments. “Our objective is to grow top line and bottom, not just bottom. It will be better than last year, I am not talking about percentages. I am talking about absolute numbers. We want to grow the business this year, top line and bottom line against last year,” Phoenix chief operating officer Henry Albert Fadullon told reporters Wednesday. Phoenix posted record earnings of P1.09 billion in 2016, up 21 percent from a profit of P905 million in 2015. Core earnings from the fuel business more than doubled to P937 million in 2016 from P416 million in 2015 due to better margins and sales mix. Sales volume reached 1.5 billion last year, up 25 percent, driven by solid growth in retail and commercial volume. Revenues were slightly higher by two percent due to lower oil prices year-on-year but was offset by higher sales volume. “Our objective is to make sure that this year will be better than last year. Retail is growing... That’s why retail is a priority. The other one is LPG,” Fadullon said. Alena Mae S. Flores

Meralco ruling criticized

SEVERAL groups expressed dismay over the decision of the Energy Regulatory Commission to reject the petition for intervention ﬁled by the Power for People (P4P) Coalition against Manila Electric Co.’s power supply agreements with seven generators. “The rejection of the petition is not only a rejection of the consumer’s right to transparency and accountability from distribution utilities like

mal business operations, there would also be regular trading, clearing and settlement operations today. The Bankers Association of the Philippines also said that all member banks would remain fully operational. “Normal check clearing operations, trading and other ﬁnancial transactions will be observed to fully serve the banking public,” BAP said. “Clearing and settlement, cash servicing, and treasury operations… will observe normal operations. It will be a regular reserve day in so far as computing for the reserve position of Sept. 21, 2017,”Espenilla said. Espenilla said the scheduled meeting of the policymaking Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral would also push through Thursday. Julito G. Rada

Meralco and the ERC, it also rejects their right to choose cheaper and cleaner energy alternatives than those offered by Meralco and its partners,” said Center for Energy, Ecology and Development executive director Gerry Arances in a statement. CEED, along with Sanlakas, Philippine Movement for Climate Justice, Freedom from Debt Coalition, Koalisyong Pabahay ng Pilipinas and other member organizations of the Power for People ﬁled petitions questioning Meralco’s PSAs. The groups alleged that Meralco engaged in “sweetheart deals” by entering into PSAs with some of its sister companies or afﬂiates. “These sweetheart deals between Meralco and Meralco-owned coal companies are clear attempts to box out competition, particularly those from the renewable energy sector offering to sell power generated at a much lower cost,” said Arances. Alena Mae S. Flores

Financial technology pushed

A SUBSIDIARY of Globe Telecom Inc. is pushing for financial technology to address the needs of unbanked Filipinos. “There is really a dire need for financial inclusion in the country since many Filipinos still do not have bank accounts as well as access to formal lending and credit. But due to fintech innovations, even those in remote areas can already take advantage of a wide range of financial services available in the market today,” Albert Tinio, president of GCash, the micropayment service company of Mynt, said. He said about 70 percent of Filipinos do not have bank accounts or any formal means to save money, while 90 percent of Filipinos do not have a credit score, making it difficult for them to secure a loan. It also forces some individuals to turn to informal lenders which charge interest rates of as high as 20 percent. Moreover, 40 percent of cities and municipalities do not have physical banks, thus, residents have to spend a lot of time, effort, and money to get to the nearest bank. Darwin G. Amojelar

BoP deficit hit $1.39b in 8 months

HIGH-IMPACT ENTREPRENEUR. Richard Eldridge (left), chief executive and cofounder of Lenddo, a software-as-a-service company that provides ﬁnancial institutions with identity veriﬁcation and credit scoring technology, joins the roster of high-impact entrepreneurs under the Endeavor network. With him are (from left) Endeavor Philippines managing director Manny Ayala and Endeavor Philippines manager for entrepreneur selection and growth Johanna Wiese.

Solar PH beats price offer of Citicore By Alena Mae S. Flores AN EXECUTIVE of Solar Philippines expressed conﬁdence the company will bag a power supply contract with Manila Electric Co. covering 85 megawatts of solar capacity, after it offered a lower price of P2.99 per kilowatt-hour than the proposal of original bidder Citicore Power Inc. “Our offer to Meralco is P2.99 per kWh. The price that we had offered [is] to show in good faith that this can be the standard price for 5,000 megawatts of solar that can replace the current pipeline of new fossil fuel power plants,” Solar Philippines president Leandro Leviste said at the sidelines of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines forum. Leviste said Citicore, which initially made an

offer of P3.50 per kWh to Meralco, did not match the P2.99 per KWh price challenge of Solar Philippines. Leviste said the company would source its capacity from its planned Tarlac solar power project. Meralco head of utility economics Lawrence Fernandez said the parties still needed to submit documentary requirements before any supply agreement could be signed. “I think we are at the point that we have completed the evaluation of the price challenge. We are now at the documentary requirements…We will announce ofﬁcially when the contract has been signed,” Fernandez said. Meralco earlier published an invitation to other companies to participate in a competitive selection pro-

cess to supply 85 MW and challenge the price offer of Citicore on June 28. Citicore offered to supply 75 MW to 85 MW of capacity from its three solar plants including Next Generation Power Technology Corp. in Mariveles, Bataan; First Toledo Solar Energy Corp. in Toledo, Cebu and Silay Solar Power Inc. in Silay, Negros Occidental. Meralco is required to publish an invitation for a price challenge under the competitive selection process rules of the Energy Department and the Energy Regulatory Commission. Solar Philippines was the lone challenger on the bid submission deadline of Aug. 14. Solar Philippines earlier bared plans to replace coal plants with 5,000 MW of solar-battery farms.

THE country’s balance of payments incurred a deficit of $7 million in August, bringing the total shortfall in the first eight months to $1.39 billion. Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed that the August deficit narrowed from the $678-million registered in July. The Bangko Sentral said outflows in August were largely offset by the national government’s net foreign currency deposits and Bangko Sentral’s income from its investments abroad. “The reduced deficit also reflected the thin trading of portfolio investments during the ‘ghost’ month [August],” it said. The $7-million August deficit, however, was still a reversal of the $682-million surplus recorded in the same month last year. The overall BoP position posted a $1.391-billion deficit in the first eight months, a turnaround from the $1.531-billion surplus a year ago. “The cumulative deficit was largely accounted for by portfolio investments which, for the period January to August this year, reversed to net outflows of $319 million from $2.1-billion net inflows during the same period last year on the back of domestic and global developments including the US Federal Reserve interest rate hike, global terrorism concerns, and closure orders for some mining companies in the country,” the Bangko Sentral said. Former Environment secretary Gina Lopez in February this year ordered the suspension and closure of a number of mining companies. Julito G. Rada

Business

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Max’s signs deal to open first restaurant in Canada By Jenniffer B. Austria RESTAURANT chain operator Max’s Group Inc. said Wednesday it signed a partnership agreement with Alibin Group Inc. to establish the ﬁrst Max’s Restaurant in Winnipeg, Canada by 2018. Max’s Group said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the partnership was expected to boost the company’s presence in North America. “We welcome the opportunity to once again serve distinct ﬂavors of home to our countrymen based in Canada. We will strive to become part of their growing list of preferred dining destinations through our classic bestsellers,” said Max’s Group president and chief executive Robert Trota. “Our tie-up with Alibin Group will anchor the success of this en-

deavor. They are equipped with the necessary knowledge and business acumen to foster our shared vision,” Trota said. The partnership with Alibin is the company’s ﬁfth development agreement since the start of the year. Alibin Group is a privately held Canadian company, comprised of family shareholders and operators. Winnipeg, Manitoba has been the Alibin family’s home since the early 1990s. “We are honored to be in partnership with Max’s Group Inc. and ecstatic to spread the standards, tradition and experience set by its founders in Winnipeg. Our extensive research determined that the people of Manitoba have been clamoring for a Max’s Restaurant,” Alibin Group managing director and chief executive Hipolito Alibin Jr. said.

Stocks return to 8,200; MacroAsia, IMI edge up

TOCKS rebounded Wednesday, following another record close on Wall Street ahead of a Federal Reserve policy decision.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, gained 56 points, or 0.7 percent, to close at 8,219.32, as four of the six major sectors advanced. The heavier index, representing all shares, also climbed 25 points, or 0.5 percent, to settle at 4,854.04, on a value turnover of P7.1 billion. Gainers outnumbered losers, 107 to 106, while 42 issues were unchanged. Seventeen of the 20 most ac-

tive stocks ended in the green, led by aviation company MacroAsia Corp. which climbed 7.3 percent to P14.08 and semiconductor producer Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. which rose 5.1 percent to P19.02. Gaming company Bloomberry Resorts Corp. went up 4.7 percent to P10.66, while conglomerate Alliance Global Group Inc. added 4.4 percent to close at P15.70. Meanwhile, Asian markets moved tentatively Wednesday,

as geopolitical issues returned after Donald Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if it did not rein in its nuclear ambitions. A third successive record on Wall Street, fanned by speculation about Trump’s economic agenda, was not enough to entice buying in the region as equity dealers cash in recent gains. Foreign exchanges were also seeing little movement before the US central bank’s meeting concludes, with the dollar essentially ﬂat, although the Mexican peso was down 0.3 percent after a deadly earthquake killed scores in Mexico. Stephen Innes, head of Asia-Pacific trading at Oanda, said: “Markets have reached a crossroad and dealers

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2017

NAME

OPEN

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.7 80,000 59.8 9,710 102 1,812,840 4.08 8,000 129.9 3,553,360 1.9 1,733,000 35.95 50,800 16.1 7,000 31.9 670,900 8.95 17,400 1.72 8,000 910 24,480 0.7 1,896,000 87.6 1,035,160 0.91 31,000 13.1 21,000 25 2,800 60.5 40,360 238 5,170 119 350 90 60 49.9 49,790 249.2 774,830 1,820 70 86.6 22,250 1.32 116,000

381,690 579,947 184,979,045 32,680 461,677,666 3,292,510 1,826,045 112,700 21,433,935 154,524 13,880 22,276,800 1,327,240 91,299,273.50 28,490 273,672 70,000 2,438,209.50 1,228,436 41,700 5,400 2,482,566 192,889,682 127,400 1,929,271.50 153,190

443,033.50 -75,731,854 -7,098,489 5,550 -196,400 -1,770,600 28,113,380 3,936.00 -2,195,459 -1,202,256 -460,376 62,729,316 -36,400 -1,260,421 -

41.05 9.3 0.8 1.42 21.7 0.233 120.1 5.8 17.26 37 20.6 64 80.05 1.91 6.08 11.38 10.08 15.28 14.34 7.18 7.3 1.78 18.92 68 13.92 12.9 18.1 1.9 241.4 59.4 4.24 3.1 20.8 30.8 19.64 17.1 270.4 0.23 11.8 3 6.76 10.5 7.03 9.96 1.79 12.8 68.45 6.6 307 4.31 4.38 2.68 12.92 4.5 0.142 1.19 150 3.75 2.24 26.5 0.99

INDUSTRIAL 41.1 717,600 9.64 4,947,100 0.8 1,088,000 1.43 518,000 22 27,100 0.234 1,400,000 120.1 20 5.8 1,381,600 17.28 9,321,400 38.75 758,500 20.6 30,100 64.2 7,610 80.05 2,090 1.92 191,000 6.1 109,400 11.54 67,300 10.1 7,791,600 15.32 1,210,500 14.9 2,795,000 7.3 266,600 7.3 6,077,700 1.78 1,000 18.94 2,440,100 68 192,950 14.3 2,200 13 168,300 19.02 5,833,000 1.9 580,000 242 1,375,890 59.4 450 4.77 3,619,000 3.34 60,000 23.1 1,200 30.95 2,714,200 19.9 1,510,700 17.24 664,600 270.6 326,970 0.23 1,350,000 12 147,100 3 67,000 6.76 121,100 10.6 3,535,300 7.19 14,500 9.96 11,300 1.8 812,000 13.04 2,248,500 68.55 327,620 6.7 68,900 310 27,230 4.31 7,000 4.38 50,000 2.73 1,674,000 13.3 1,868,700 4.5 104,000 0.146 130,000 1.2 230,000 150.1 715,460 3.75 10,000 2.27 10,729,000 26.5 2,500 1.01 4,099,000

29,536,430 46,685,282 870,400 743,430 596,650 327,110 2,471 8,049,113 161,353,018 28,620,360 628,595 487,042 167,641.50 366,070 667,215 772,916 78,985,662 18,538,988 41,452,424 1,932,307 48,072,243 1,780 46,355,910 13,139,001.50 30,694 2,180,870 109,694,432 1,115,430 333,053,598 26,760 16,688,110 191,810 25,420 83,953,695 30,164,696 11,506,772 88,660,242(1, 310,680 1,772,460 201,240 823,461 37,391,636 102,533 112,776 1,465,880 29,245,844 22,446,997.50 456,345 8,440,210 30,170 219,000 4,543,790 24,667,640 468,080 18,580 276,140 107,403,835 37,500 24,594,840 68,130 4,059,790

2,347,930 -9,657,638 27,170 -3,062,687 1,411,214 2,790,855 483,840 -26,077,458 6,526,028 -1,270,556 147,669 16,633,181 23,380,304 -6,020,605 -1,766,250 32,336,788 -134,400 -88,681,062 -1,228,200 -6,680 7,088,250 566,594 3,771,010 514,213.9999) -39,240 10,380,998 421,700 891,144 6,984,064.50 126,040 -1,583,240 -30,170.00 1,988,240 -4,904,774 18,080 36,440 -47,559,803 3,585,980 -

0.35 73.35 15.04 1.08 6.9 0.33 0.335 934 8.2 15.8 7.83 5.18 0.202 1,155 7.86 74.1 5 0.89 6.7 17.2 0.41 6.88 0.049 0.94 2.04 2.66 97.2 2.65 851.5 1.47 294 0.197 0.22

HOLDING FIRMS 0.355 100,000 73.5 948,780 15.7 16,874,300 1.09 125,000 6.99 12,600 0.34 2,260,000 0.335 1,060,000 944 257,690 8.22 2,928,400 15.9 5,527,500 7.83 2,800 5.75 10,800 0.202 10,000 1,166 77,060 7.86 22,900 75.95 780,090 5 500 0.89 1,201,000 6.75 1,455,800 17.26 1,244,600 0.41 900,000 6.95 19,379,700 0.05 10,480,000 0.94 4,000 2.1 1,163,000 2.66 6,000 97.2 139,400 2.65 77,000 855 147,980 1.51 1,135,000 294 14,100 0.2 1,120,000 0.22 170,000

35,200 69,739,417 262,892,794 136,060 87,622 764,150 358,500 243,015,645 24,081,659 88,074,006 21,924 61,301 2,020 89,818,335 180,343 58,912,527.50 2,500 1,069,370 9,886,862 21,486,250 369,000 134,291,011 522,300 3,760 2,425,560 15,960 13,646,509 204,050 126,578,395 1,695,300 4,172,494 228,380 37,580

18,109,922 -31,215,404 -2,220 -134,000 12,248,415 2,937,948 -17,447,054 2,020 -3,966,910 28,459,140.50 -511,188 1,942,908 28,700 83,821,217 -1,863,004.50 17,743,210 229,350 -106,652 4,070 0

4.99 1.2 8 2.43 1.03 45.2 3.78 5.04 5.32 0.51 1.33 1.53 0.234 0.485 41.8 0.69 0.15 2.13 1.56 0.92 5.21

PROPERTY 4.99 1,527,600 1.22 5,882,000 8 400 2.48 111,000 1.05 5,530,000 45.5 8,414,900 3.83 701,000 5.09 717,800 5.5 1,130,800 0.53 11,519,000 1.33 79,000 1.55 112,000 0.237 48,590,000 0.485 130,000 42.95 447,100 0.69 207,000 0.15 1,380,000 2.16 23,840,000 1.56 5,955,000 0.93 1,026,000 5.31 38,206,600

7,692,701 7,182,490 3,200 273,120 5,797,770 382,780,395 2,671,490 3,632,229 6,154,150 5,993,400 105,840 173,290 11,560,940 63,100 19,036,000 142,830 207,710 51,877,620 9,318,160 948,920 202,786,684

-6,412,794 -376,310 493,500 77,563,070 766,300 1,378,363 16,530 71,340 142,400 11,033,365 0.0002 12,480 -2,359,980 1,708,400 -1,984,418

HIGH

LOW

AG FINANCE 4.79 ASIA UNITED 59.8 BANK PH ISLANDS 102.9 BDO LEASING 4.1 BDO UNIBANK 130 BRIGHT KINDLE 1.87 CHINABANK 35.95 COL FINANCIAL 16.1 EAST WEST BANK 31.95 FILIPINO FUND 9.3 IREMIT 1.74 MANULIFE 910 MEDCO HLDG 0.7 METROBANK 87.95 NTL REINSURANCE 0.91 PB BANK 13.16 PBCOM 25 PHIL NATL BANK 60.4 PHIL STOCK EXCH 237.6 PHILTRUST 119 PSBANK 90 RCBC 50.2 SECURITY BANK 248.8 SUN LIFE 1,820 UNION BANK 86.6 VANTAGE 1.32

4.8 59.8 102.9 4.1 130.3 1.95 36 16.1 32.4 9.3 1.74 910 0.71 88.7 0.94 13.16 25 60.5 238 120 90 50.2 249.4 1,820 86.8 1.39

4.64 59.05 101.6 4.08 129.7 1.82 35.85 16.1 31.7 8.37 1.72 910 0.7 87.6 0.91 13.02 25 60.3 237.6 119 90 49.5 248 1,820 86.6 1.32

ABOITIZ POWER 41.3 AGRINURTURE 9.3 ALLIANCE SELECT 0.8 ALSONS CONS 1.46 ASIABEST GROUP 23.35 BASIC ENERGY 0.233 BOGO MEDELLIN 127 CEMEX HLDG 5.9 CENTURY FOOD 17.26 CIRTEK HLDG 37.3 CNTRL AZUCARERA21.6 CONCEPCION 64 CONCRETE A 80.05 CROWN ASIA 1.92 DAVINCI CAPITAL 6.18 DEL MONTE 11.6 DNL INDUS 10.26 EAGLE CEMENT 15.44 EEI CORP 14.68 EMPERADOR 7.19 ENERGY DEVT 7.3 EUROMED 1.78 FIRST GEN 18.96 FIRST PHIL HLDG 68.15 GINEBRA 13.92 HOLCIM 13 INTEGRATED MICR 18.12 IONICS 1.9 JOLLIBEE 244 LIBERTY FLOUR 59.5 LMG CHEMICALS 4.38 MABUHAY VINYL 3.3 MACAY HLDG 20.8 MANILA WATER 31 MAXS GROUP 20.5 MEGAWIDE 17.26 MERALCO 272 MG HLDG 0.231 PANASONIC 12.06 PEPSI COLA 3.02 PETROENERGY 6.89 PETRON 10.5 PHIL H2O 7.2 PHINMA 10.1 PHINMA ENERGY 1.82 PHX PETROLEUM 12.8 PILIPINAS SHELL 68.55 PRYCE CORP 6.62 PUREFOODS 307 RFM CORP 4.31 ROXAS HLDG 4.38 SFA SEMICON 2.74 SHAKEYS PIZZA 12.92 SPC POWER 4.5 SWIFT FOODS 0.142 TKC METALS 1.2 UNIV ROBINA 150 VICTORIAS 3.75 VITARICH 2.29 VIVANT 28.05 VULCAN INDL 0.99

41.3 9.64 0.8 1.46 23.35 0.239 127 5.9 17.4 39 21.6 64.2 80.6 1.93 6.18 11.6 10.36 15.44 15.3 7.31 8.9 1.78 19.18 68.3 14.3 13 19.3 1.95 244.8 59.5 4.79 3.34 23.1 31.3 20.6 17.44 274 0.231 12.24 3.02 6.9 10.6 7.2 10.1 1.82 13.08 68.7 6.7 310 4.31 4.38 2.75 13.32 4.52 0.146 1.21 151.3 3.75 2.31 28.05 1.01

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FJ PRINCE A FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL HOUSE OF INV JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP MABUHAY HLDG METRO PAC INV PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.355 74 15.72 1.11 7 0.345 0.345 950 8.31 16.04 7.83 5.8 0.202 1,186 8 75.95 5 0.91 6.98 17.3 0.41 6.95 0.051 0.94 2.12 2.66 98.45 2.65 860 1.51 299 0.208 0.229

0.355 73.8 15.04 1.08 6.9 0.34 0.335 940 8.24 15.82 7.83 5.18 0.202 1,156 8 74.1 5 0.91 6.94 17.2 0.41 6.88 0.05 0.94 2.06 2.66 98.1 2.65 855 1.48 299 0.203 0.229

8990 HLDG 5.15 A BROWN 1.22 ANCHOR LAND 8 ARANETA PROP 2.43 ARTHALAND CORP 1.07 AYALA LAND 45.5 BELLE CORP 3.82 CEB LANDMASTERS 5.1 CEBU HLDG 5.36 CENTURY PROP 0.52 CITY AND LAND 1.35 CITYLAND DEVT 1.53 CROWN EQUITIES 0.235 CYBER BAY 0.49 DOUBLEDRAGON 42.4 EMPIRE EAST 0.69 EVER GOTESCO 0.156 FILINVEST LAND 2.15 GLOBAL ESTATE 1.56 IRC PROP 0.93 MEGAWORLD 5.21

5.2 1.23 8 2.48 1.07 45.7 3.85 5.1 5.55 0.53 1.35 1.56 0.242 0.49 43 0.69 0.156 2.2 1.58 0.96 5.34

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

MRC ALLIED 0.37 PHIL ESTATES 0.52 PHIL REALTY 0.5 PRIMEX CORP 5.95 PTFC REDEV CORP 30 ROBINSONS LAND 26.1 ROCKWELL 1.8 SHANG PROP 3.2 SM PRIME HLDG 34.9 STA LUCIA LAND 1.05 STARMALLS 6.76 SUNTRUST HOME 0.89 VISTA LAND 6.29

0.38 0.52 0.5 6.14 30 26.65 1.8 3.2 34.95 1.06 7.35 0.89 6.5

0.36 0.5 0.49 5.92 30 26.05 1.79 3.15 34.5 1.04 6.76 0.86 6.28

0.375 0.5 0.49 6.05 30 26.65 1.79 3.15 34.85 1.05 7.35 0.86 6.4

90,260,000 6,966,000 2,819,000 3,372,000 2,700 4,457,600 3,275,000 120,000 4,418,600 1,395,000 900 13,000 9,787,300

33,577,500 3,524,750 1,390,165 20,416,104 81,000 117,578,570 5,873,850 378,080 153,944,185 1,466,010 6,556 11,290 62,812,338

259,500 762,290 75,078,875 67,487,365 5,250 -735 -20,567,004

2GO GROUP 22.4 ABS CBN 40.7 ACESITE HOTEL 1.66 APC GROUP 0.58 APOLLO GLOBAL 0.039 BERJAYA 5.12 BLOOMBERRY 10.2 BOULEVARD HLDG 0.074 CEBU AIR 111.9 CENTRO ESCOLAR 9.3 CHELSEA 10.64 DFNN INC 7.32 EASYCALL 3.63 GLOBE TELECOM 2,030 GMA NETWORK 6.12 GOLDEN HAVEN 18.1 GRAND PLAZA 13.32 HARBOR STAR 2.29 IMPERIAL 3 INTL CONTAINER 104.8 IPEOPLE 12.02 IPM HLDG 8.42 ISLAND INFO 0.167 ISM COMM 1.34 JACKSTONES 3.05 LBC EXPRESS 15.5 LEISURE AND RES 4.55 LORENZO SHIPPNG 1.41 MACROASIA 13.16 MANILA BULLETIN 0.57 MANILA JOCKEY 2.45 MELCO RESORTS 8.19 METRO RETAIL 4.32 MLA BRDCASTING 18.24 NOW CORP 2.54 PAL HLDG 5.18 PHIL SEVEN CORP 170 PHILWEB 9.51 PLDT 1,668 PREMIUM LEISURE 1.61 PRMIERE HORIZON 0.4 PUREGOLD 51 ROBINSONS RTL 95 SBS PHIL CORP 5.99 SSI GROUP 4.68 STI HLDG 1.53 TRAVELLERS 3.64 WATERFRONT 1.31 WILCON DEPOT 8.98

22.85 40.95 1.66 0.59 0.04 5.12 10.66 0.075 112.8 9.4 10.64 7.56 3.63 2,070 6.13 18.3 13.32 2.38 3 107.9 12.02 8.42 0.167 1.34 3.23 15.52 4.65 1.47 14.12 0.58 2.45 8.48 4.4 19.1 2.54 5.19 170 9.82 1,676 1.63 0.4 52.45 95.35 5.99 4.68 1.57 3.76 1.33 9.19

21.45 40.65 1.58 0.57 0.039 5.11 10.2 0.073 111.9 9.14 10.38 7.32 3.25 2,018 6.08 17.86 13.32 2.29 2.98 104.8 12 8.4 0.163 1.32 2.93 15.46 4.49 1.41 13.16 0.56 2.38 8.14 4.32 18.24 2.51 5.18 166 9.5 1,660 1.61 0.4 51 93.3 5.99 4.5 1.53 3.64 1.25 8.92

SERVICES 21.95 363,100 40.65 165,600 1.6 43,000 0.57 3,302,000 0.04 41,600,000 5.11 3,000 10.66 18,958,300 0.074 10,090,000 112 364,990 9.14 5,900 10.4 2,579,500 7.48 71,200 3.25 41,000 2,070 28,900 6.08 380,000 17.96 53,100 13.32 28,900 2.36 3,890,000 2.98 148,000 105.5 1,426,950 12 900 8.4 281,100 0.164 3,530,000 1.32 61,000 3.2 185,000 15.5 41,600 4.6 1,135,000 1.42 1,205,000 14.08 7,942,000 0.56 210,000 2.38 16,000 8.25 7,916,100 4.38 1,592,000 19.1 1,000 2.51 858,000 5.18 92,200 170 3,280 9.6 1,175,800 1,660 52,780 1.61 2,121,000 0.4 180,000 52 1,505,080 93.9 462,270 5.99 1,500 4.64 2,095,000 1.56 13,342,000 3.74 3,168,000 1.26 21,617,000 8.95 4,794,400

8,024,500 6,736,385 70,140 1,908,860 1,641,600 15,348 199,476,962 742,500 40,948,638 54,251 27,051,590 531,391 141,200 59,173,750 2,320,299 952,634 384,948 9,098,270(1, 443,130 150,543,985 10,814 2,366,150 582,490 80,740 573,400 644,632 5,167,050 1,735,940 109,333,806 117,920 38,890 65,503,421 6,951,450 18,508 2,167,100 477,817 557,150 11,363,855 88,067,225 3,420,660 72,000 78,257,308 43,466,281 8,985 9,599,360 20,775,860 11,774,140 27,759,630 43,158,622

-272,720 -168,000 2,361,924 14,547,774 2,510,580 -350,580 40,665,830 016,059.9998) 2,980 -5,011,508 -16,000 31,000 910,000 43,500 30,804,940 999,322 -304,490 -528,700 735,183 -20,782,935 403,720 28,685,788 -26,446,687 1,261,510 -6,519,900 -1,565,830 121,150 532,034

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

0.0026 1.66 4.94 12.8 1.86 1.39 0.395 8.75 2.65 0.265 0.182 0.01 2.09 7.77 1.81 0.54 1.05 0.012 0.013 0.013 2.43 8.5 5.3 47.85 0.0079

0.0027 1.67 4.98 13.2 1.86 1.44 0.4 9 2.66 0.275 0.183 0.011 2.1 7.85 1.81 0.54 1.06 0.013 0.013 0.013 2.43 8.5 5.67 47.85 0.0079

0.0026 1.63 4.91 12.8 1.86 1.38 0.395 8.7 2.61 0.26 0.182 0.01 2.04 7.58 1.7 0.52 1.05 0.012 0.013 0.012 2.43 8.41 5.3 46.15 0.0079

MINING & OIL 0.0026 1,320,000,000 1.64 3,740,000 4.92 839,000 13.2 3,400 1.86 612,000 1.41 5,454,000 0.4 690,000 8.72 9,800 2.61 4,335,000 0.27 510,000 0.182 2,490,000 0.011 11,800,000 2.04 209,000 7.8 2,158,700 1.79 440,000 0.52 726,000 1.06 617,000 0.013 14,900,000 0.013 7,400,000 0.012 142,900,000 2.43 1,000 8.45 593,200 5.57 11,206,700 46.15 1,327,000 0.0079 5,000,000

3,435,100 6,167,700 4,138,920 43,866 1,138,320 7,659,850 272,800 86,562 11,392,700 134,600 453,190 123,900 437,070 16,701,101 758,040 386,820 650,930 180,000 96,200 1,715,700 2,430 5,027,895 62,260,982 61,905,780 39,500

31,400 -79,680 -9,810 43,160.00 469,370 -189,000 736,380 -540 5,200 -2,086,229 12,781,044 11,264,980 -

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 AC PREF B2 ALCO PREF B DD PREF GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PCOR PREF 2B PF PREF 2 PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

40.7 525 520.5 106 105.4 516 5.8 1,011 1,029 108 1,060 1,119 1,016 103.4 109.1 76 80.25 78.1 81.1 78.5 79 79.1

40.75 525 520.5 107 105.4 525 5.8 1,025 1,029 108 1,060 1,119 1,016 103.6 109.1 76.4 80.5 78.1 81.1 78.5 79 79.1

40.5 525 520.5 106 105.2 516 5.78 1,010 1,029 108 1,060 1,119 1,016 103.4 109 76 80 78.1 81 78.5 79 79.1

PREFERRED 40.75 330,100 525 1,010 520.5 340 106.5 15,280 105.2 500 516 8,680 5.78 88,300 1,025 8,210 1,029 600 108 20 1,060 10 1,119 50 1,016 30 103.5 2,250 109 120 76.4 1,120 80.5 109,750 78.1 800 81 106,790 78.5 33,670 79 10,000 79.1 500

13,447,165 530,250 176,970 1,620,580 52,602 4,546,600 511,574 8,295,800 617,400 2,160 10,600 55,950 30,480 232,891 13,088 85,328 8,805,273 62,480 8,650,381 2,643,095 790,000 39,550

12,571,750 -511,574 -8,732,473 480,330 -

LR WARRANT

2.62

2.63

2.54

WARRANTS 2.58 218,000

564,660

-217,940

450,470 429,970 7,363,766

-13,500 -4,998,128

906,315

NAME

MS SME ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

4.51 4.9 5.8

FIRST METRO ETF 123.6

TRADING SUMMARY

4.55 4.99 5.94

4.48 4.77 5.8

4.5 4.9 5.88

124.4

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 123.6 124.4 7,310

VALUE

FINANCIAL

13,881,727

1,220,155,175.41

INDUSTRIAL

87,412,575

1,696,854,753.67

HOLDING FIRMS

72,344,929

1,445,845,087.10

PROPERTY

287,214,403

1,284,054,476.83

SERVICES

161,410,166

1,248,124,274.16

MINING & OIL

1,538,274,157

185,270,109.942

GRAND TOTAL

2,161,984,315

7,089,461,676.61

100,000 89,000 1,248,800

FINANCIAL 1,982.86 (down0 1.34 INDUSTRIAL 11,341.16 (up) 4.29 HOLDING FIRMS 8,142.82 (up) 81.70 PROPERTY 3,967.03 (up) 43.53 SERVICES 1,720.20 (up) 12.54 MINING & OIL 13,926.28 (down) 30.34 PSEI 8,219.32 (up) 56.62 All Shares Index 4,854.04 (up) 25.83 Gainers: 107; Losers: 106; Unchanged: 42; Total: 255

are sitting tight ahead of [the Federal Open Market Committee meeting]. It seems like a typical pre FOMC week with low currency volatility.” While policymakers are not expected to raise interest rates, the post-meeting statement and comments from Chair Janet Yellen are the main focus as traders hope for a timetable on winding down its crisis-era bondbuying stimulus. “The market doesn’t expect anything earth-shattering from the meeting but there are risks on both sides,” Greg McKenna, chief market strategist at AxiTrader, said in a commentary. In equity trade, Tokyo ended 0.1 percent higher after surging two percent on Tuesday. Sydney and Singapore each shed 0.1 percent and Seoul was 0.2 percent down. However, Hong Kong edged up 0.2 percent in the afternoon and Shanghai closed 0.3 percent higher. The US-North Korea stand-off was thrown back into focus by Trump on Tuesday when he warned Pyongyang over its nuclear program in his maiden UN General Assembly speech. The president said he would wipe out the North if it threatened the US or its allies and warned Kim JongUn was “on a suicide mission for himself and for his regime”. “The United States is ready, willing and able, but hopefully this will not be necessary,” he said. McKenna said “we all need to keep a weather eye on North Korea”, although he added that the tycoon was “much more conciliatory” to the United Nations than he had been in the past. With AFP, Bloomberg

MRC Allied buys stake in solar firm MRC Allied Inc. said it expects to close two more acquisitions this year, after buying a 15-percent stake in Leyte-based solar power producer Sulu Electric Power and Light Philippines for P255 million. MRC Allied president Gladys Nalda said in an interview following the a special stockholders’ meeting the group was evaluating six more potential deals, including two which could be closed before the end of 2017. Nalda said for the Sepalco deal, the acquisition would solidify the company’s entry into renewable energy and enable it to meet the targeted capacity of 200 megawatts of clean and renewable power project by end-2017. Sepalco, which lies on a 70-hectare property in Palo, Leyete, has a total of 188 solar panels and is connected to the existing 69-kilovolt transmission line of the National Grid Corp of the Philippines. It has been operating since 2016. Nalda said MRC Allied would have the option to further increase its stake in Sepalco to at least 51 percent. “The Sepalco solar power will solidify our entry into the solar power industry, not only because it has allowed us to exceed our 200-MW target for this year, but more importantly we will have an opportunity to take an active part in the managements and operation of an operating power plant,” Nalda said. MRC Allied is currently developing a 100-MW solar project in Pampanga and a 60-MW solar project in Cebu. Jenniffer B. Austria

Business

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com Manila

Standard

TODAY

Electricity reserve not enough By Alena Mae Flores

ANILA Electric Co., the country’s biggest electricity retailer, has expressed concern over the series of yellow alerts since end August that has been plaguing the Luzon grid, a company executive said Wednesday. Meralco vice president and head of utility economics Lawrence Fernandez said at the sidelines of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines forum that yellow alerts were even raised during Saturdays. “We’re a bit concerned about that. Ever since Aug 30, there was once a week yellow alert. Of the past two Saturdays, there were yellow alerts,” Fernandez said. System operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines placed the Luzon grid on yellow alert in three instances (Aug 30, Sept 9, Sept 16). Fernandez said a yellow alert indicated that reserve was not enough to cover the largest running generating unit at the time. “In the three instances, the yellow alerts were

triggered by forced outages of several large generation facilities. In turn, these (at times) triggered the automatic load dropping scheme of Meralco,” Fernandez said. “This meant that certain areas in Meralco experienced momentary interruptions to help the grid recover from the generation outages,” he said. Fernandez attributed the yellow alert occurrence to high demand even during regular weekends and the forced outage of coal-ﬁred power plants. “Our concern, while so far it did not lead to red alert, when power plants trip, there is automatic load dropping, which means some of the customers lose electric service because of the tripping of some power plants,” he said. Fernandez added that while over 1,000 MW of power output was added last year, “the rise in demand is soaking up new capacity.” “Which means we need more and more capacity to be built in the coming months. Reports, for example, that new unit in Quezon will be commissioned, that will help,” he said. He said while power generation capacity increased last year, demand also soared. “We were not expecting the growth in demand that

N OTICE

Notice is hereby given that NUEVO SOLAR ENERGY CORP. is applying for registration with the Board of Investments (BOI) as Renewable Energy Developer of Solar Energy Resources (40.32MW Lumban Solar Power Project) in Lumban, Laguna to avail of the incentives under the Renewable Energy Act of 2008 (RA 9513).

we experience this year coming off from 2016 where was El Niño and election year,” he said. “In the Meralco area alone, electricity consumption Any person with valid objection/s on the abovehad grown almost four percent to-date. This despite mentioned project may file his/her objection in having registered a robust growth of 8.1 percent in writing, under oath, with the BOI within three (3) 2016 due to the effects of El Niño and elections- days from the date of this publication. related spending,” Fernandez said. (SGD.) NESTOR P. ARCANSALIN Director He said Meralco’s interruptible load program Resource-based Industries Service participants were also advised to prepare for possible de-loading, in case the situation deteriorates. Manila “In the end, the ILP did not Republic of the Philippines need to be activated in the Standard ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION TODAY San Miguel Avenue, Pasig City three instances,” Fernandez said, but warned that yellow IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR THE CONFIRMATION AND APPROVAL alerts and the triggering of the OF CALCULATIONS OF OVER/ UNDER RECOVERIES FOR THE YEARS 2014 TO ALD mechanism signalled 2016, PURSUANT TO ERC RESOLUTION the need for additional NO. 16, SERIES OF 2009, AS AMENDED BY ERC RESOLUTION NO. 21, SERIES OF 2010, ERC CASE NO. 2017-048 RC capacity in the Luzon Grid. SUBIC ENERZONE CORPORATION (SEZ), “As demand for power Applicants. continues to increase, x---------------- --- --- --------x additional generation supply NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING will be needed, both to meet TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: new demand and to improve Notice is hereby given that on 31 March 2017, Subic Enerzone Corporation (SEZ) the reliability of the electric filed an Application dated 22 March 2017 seeking the Commission’s approval of its system,” the ofﬁcial said. proposed over or under recoveries covering the period of 2014 to 2016. (MS-SEPT. 21, 2017)

SEZ alleged the following in its Application:

Utilities lure job seekers —survey UTILITIES for the first time have broken into the top 10 most preferred companies sought by job seekers, according to the results of a survey conducted by JobStreet.com, the no. 1 job site in the Philippines. Manila Electric Co. emerged as the overall top preferred company of jobseekers, while PLDT Inc. ranked number nine in JobStreet.com’s Top Companies 2017 survey. Food and beverage conglomerate San Miguel Corp. was at second place while tech giant Google Philippines leapfrogs to third place from last year’s eighth. Wellness multinational Nestlé Philippines took the fourth place while the foremost business process outsourcing in the country, Accenture, was in fifth. BDO Unibank Unibank Inc., the lone financial institution in the top ten, was in sixth place. Consumer goods giant Procter and Gamble rose to this year’s seventh and ABS-CBN Corp., one of the Philippines’ leading media and entertainment companies, was eighth. Rounding up the top companies most of the Filipino workforce prefer to work is consumer goods multinational Unilever, which was last seen in the 2015 list, at tenth place this year.

INCLUSIVE BUSINESS.

Applicant SUBIC ENERZONE CORPORATION (“SEZ”), by counsel, respectfully states:

Finalists of the first Asean Inclusive Business Awards discuss their business models in a panel discussion at the Inclusive Business Summit in Marriott Hotel. The Asean Inclusive Business Awards recognized companies that deliver wide-scale social impact in Asean communities through livelihood opportunities or relevant and accessible products. Shown (from left) are Asean Business Advisory Council chairman Joey Concepcion; Generika Drugstore (Philippines) president and CEO Teodoro Ferrer; Coffee for Peace (Philippines) CEO and founder Felicitas Pantoja; KP Co. Ltd. (Laos) executive vice president Chittharath Philaphandeth; Siam Organic (Thailand) business development manager Clint Coo; and panel discussion moderator Anthony Pangilinan of CNN Philippines.

SEZ is a corporation existing under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with business address at Canal Road corner Labitan Street, Central Business District, Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Olongapo City. It is the duly authorized operator of the power distribution system of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone located in the provinces of Zambales and Bataan by virtue of the Distribution Management Service Agereement (DMSA) entered into with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) on May 15, 2003.

On July 13, 2009, the Honorable Commission promulgated Resolution No. 16, series of 2009, entitled “A Resolution Adopting The Rules Governing The Automatic Cost Adjustment And True Up Mechanisms And Corresponding Confirmation Process For Distribution Utilities” (the “True-Up Guidelines”). 2.1. The True-Up Guidelines provided the formulas for the determination of the Generation, Transmission, System Loss, Lifeline Subsidy, and Franchise and Business Taxes Rates.1 2.2. It likewise provided for the calculation of over- and under-recoveries on the said rates due to the variance in the allowable cost and the revenues billed using the applicable formula.2

On October 18, 2010, the Honorable Commission promulgated ERC Resolution No. 21, Series of 2010,3 wherein the Honorable Commission amended the formula for the calculation of over- and under-recovery for System Loss and updated the timelines set in Article 5 of the True-Up Guidelines.

The instant Application is being filed pursuant to the above Resolutions. Based on the formulas on the various automatic cost adjustments and trueup mechanisms, SEZ incurred over- and under-recoveries for the period from January 2014 until December 2016, summarized as follows: 2014 Generation

WASHINGTON—The US central bank is expected to keep interest rates steady and announce the end of a post-financial crisis economic stimulus program following a two-day policy meeting on Wednesday. But markets will be watching carefully to see how the Federal Reserve describes recent trends in inflation, which has been moribund for much of 2017 despite a spike in August amid rising energy prices. Any comments on inflation could provide a signal about the likelihood third increase in the Fed’s benchmark interest rate this year. The Federal Open Market Committee, which sets monetary policy, also will release the latest

quarterly forecasts by voting and non-voting committee members on the economy and the path of interest rates over the near- and longer-term. Policymakers have been divided in recent months on the near-term threat of inflation, with some arguing the central bank should be patient before raising rates again. But others are more concerned about financial market risks that could build up if rates remain low too long. Back-to-back hurricanes that slammed into Texas and Florida—with Hurricane Jose still looming off the eastern US seaboard and Hurricane Maria bearing down on Puerto Rico—also could influence Fed thinking about the timing of the next rate

I HAVE been an admirer of Vietnam since 1954. My admiration originated from that country’s military prowess. Then I came to admire Vietnam for its success in the arena of economic development. More recently, my positive attitude toward Vietnam was enhanced by its achievements in the field of foreign relations. 1954 was the year in which, as stated, my admiration for Vietnam was born. The largest of the three territories that comprised the colonial era’s French Indochina—Cambodia and Laos were the other two—Vietnam had long sought a release from France’s colonial stranglehold and a return to its proud history as a free nation. When Paris would not budge on the independence issue, Ho Chi Minh and his band of nationalists began a long and bloody war; that war lasted from 1945, when the Japanese invaders were defeated, and ended thirty years later. The war for independence from France ended in the middle of 1954 with the French Army’s ignominious defeat. The Vietnamese fighters, led by the brilliant General Vo Dinh Giap, trapped their adversary in the Dien Buen Phu valley and forced the mighty French forces—these included French Foreign Legion Troops—under Gen. Christian de Castries to surrender. In military annals Gen. Giap is now regarded as an iconic figure and Dien Bien Phu has become a symbol of military ineptitude. The withdrawal of France from Indochina and the creation under the subsequent Geneva accords of the communist state

reconstruction and economic-development job to do, and they quickly embarked on a program designed to create a strong modern Vietnamese state. Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnamese communist party moved to minimize corruption, improve the bureaucracy, rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, open the door to investments, encourage entrepreneurship and provide support to agriculture. Today Vietnam is arguably the rising star of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). With a population of 94 million and a per capita income of $6,925, it has one of ASEAN’s highest growth rates and is one of the largest ASEAN recipients of FDI (foreign direct investment). Not at all bad for a country that was almost bombed to hell four decades earlier. A further Vietnamese achievement that is worthy of admiration came into being only recently. Towards the close of the 50th ASEAN anniversary meeting, Vietnam, against the opposition of all the other ASEAN members—except, possibly, Singapore —insisted on the inclusion in the ﬁnal communiqué of references to China’s “militarization of the South China Sea” and China’s land reclamation activity in that highly controversial body of water. One of the foremost oppositors was the Philippines, ironically, the anniversary host, which under the Duterte administration, has been highly fearful of offending China. Vietnam was adamant on the inclusion of its suggested wording, and it got its way. For all these reasons, I say, Bravo, Vietnam.

15,354,514.01

Transmission

(250,060.05)

1,549,587.58

624,953.83

1,924,481.36

System Loss

(3,805,762.90)

41,169.97

(3,719,638.06)

(7,484,230.99)

(999.85)

37,885.60

7,076.03

43,961.78

(4,055,475.46)

1,628,883.90

12,265,317.72

9,838,726.16

Based on the foregoing, SEZ has incurred a net underrecovery in the amount of PhP 9,838,726.16 for the billing periods from January 2014 to December 2016.

In support of the foregoing are the following documents covering the period January 2014 to December 2016, attached as Annexes of the instant Application, to wit: Annex A:

Summary of the Over/Under Recoveries Computation (per charges and yearly basis);

Annex B:

Proposed Scheme of Refund/Collect using the latest kWh sales;

Annex C:

Fully Accomplished Supplier and Transmission Data Sheet;

Annex D:

Power Bills from Suppliers, Proof of Payment and Debit/Credit Memo;

Annex E:

Fully Accomplished Statistical Data Sheet;

Annex F:

Report on Other Implemented Adjustments;

Annex G:

Fully Accomplished Actual Implemented Rates Sheet;

Annex H:

Fully Accomplished Lifeline Discount Sheet;

Annex I:

Consumers Bills per Customer Class (Non-Lifeliner);

Annex J:

Consumer Bills per Lifeline Bracket;

Annex K:

Fully Accomplished Uniform Reportorial Requirement (URR) Template; and

Annex L:

Rate Computations (Generation, Transmission, System Loss and Lifeline Rate)

Other reliefs just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed for. The Commission has set the Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pre-trial Conference, and presentation of evidence on 04 October 2017 at ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 A.M.), at 15th Floor, ERC Hearing Room, Pacific Center Building, San Miguel Ave., Pasig City. All persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission a verified Petition to Intervene, at least five (5) days prior to the initial hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following: 1) The petitioner’s name and address; 2) The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and 3) A statement of the relief desired. All other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file their Opposition or Comment thereon at any stage of the proceeding before Applicant rests its case, subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1) The name and address of such person; 2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and 3) The grounds relied upon. All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that they be furnished with the same, prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours. WITNESS, the Honorable Officer in Charge of ERC, ALFREDO J. NON, and the Honorable Commissioners, GLORIA VICTORIA C. YAP-TARUC and GERONIMO D. STA. ANA, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 17th day of July 2017 in Pasig City. FOR AND BY AUTHORITY OF THE COMMISSION:

JOSEFINA PATRICIA A. MAGPALE-ASIRIT Oversight Commissioner for Legal

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

15,352,925.91

PRAYER WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that the Honorable Commission, after due notice, hearing and examination, confirm and approve Applicant’s over- and under-recoveries for the January 2014 to December 2016 billing periods and authorize SEZ to recover from its customers the amount of PhP 9,838,726.16 as net under-recovery.

Bravo, Vietnam of North Vietnam left a military void in the Indochinese Peninsula that the US considered dangerous. The US Congress then authorized a massive increase in the American presence in democratic South Korea. Thus began the conﬂict that history has come to know as the Korean War. American marines dramatically waded ashore along South Vietnam’s coast in 1965; exactly ten years later the US withdrew all its personnel from South Vietnam’s capital, Saigon in manifestation of Washington’s realization that America’s might could not beat the black-pajamas-clad Vietcong. After defeating France, North Vietnam had now defeated another major power. But the US and France were not the only powers that the Vietnamese had successfully challenged. Historically the Chinese Empire had coveted Vietnam’s northernmost provinces, and China and Vietnam had fought each other from time to time over those areas. The last skirmish between the two countries, which took place in 1979, ended in a standoff. The Vietnamese-Chinese antagonism has shifted from land to sea, and Vietnam is one of the oppositors of China’s nine-dash-line claim, which in 2016 was declared void by the UN-supported Permanent Court of Administration. A clash between the Chinese and Vietnamese navies took place several years ago on the issue of Vietnam’s claim. Vietnam’s achievements in the ﬁeld of economics are no less deserving of admiration. After the cessation of US support for the erstwhile government of South Vietnam, the victorious forces of Ho Chi Minh realized that they had an enormous

(Over)/Under Recoveries

240.75

Total (Over)/ Under Recovery

hike, though it is unclear in what direction. Economists expect the storms will put a dent in third-quarter economic activity before provoking a short rebound during reconstruction efforts. But it remains to be seen whether central bankers are more concerned about the temporary slowdown, or will brush it off. Market odds for at least one rate increase by December were approaching 60 percent by Tuesday afternoon. Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told AFP the Fed should raise rates, because inﬂation is inevitable given steady growth and falling unemployment. AFP

2016

1,347.35

Lifeline

US Fed to end stimulus program, keep rates

2015

2 3

Article 2 of ERe Resolution No 16, Series of 2009. Article 4, Ibid. Entitled “A. Resolution Amending Section 4 of Article 4 and Section 1 of Article 5 of tile Rules (MS-SEPT. 21, 2017)

Microchip project for dogs in Makati

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

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

By Joel Zurbano

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

PARTNERSHIP. The DV Boer Farm Corp. and the National Reintegration Center for OFWs of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (NRCO-OWWA) have signed an agreement to help returning

OFWs learn how to raise goats and other animals for livelihood. Making the ceremonial toast at the celebration of the partnership at the Shangri-La Hotel in Mandaluyong City are (from left) Niño Villamor, owner of Santino’s Farm; Gilbert Bugia, president of DV Boer Farm and microfinancier/owner of Northwinds Farm; Dexter Villamin, president and CEO of DV Boer Farm Corp.; Benjo Duque, cofounder of Farm Cradle; and Joson Sayat, owner of JM’s Banyard. Manny Palmero

9 NPAs die in NV clash

By Ben Moses Ebreo and Francisco Tuyay

AYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya— Nine communist rebels died while a government trooper was wounded early Wednesday after a firefight between Philippine Army soldiers and members of the New People’s Army in villages bordering the towns of Alfonso Castañeda and Dupax del Sur in this province. Police Supt. Marvin Follante, chief of the Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Public Safety Company, said the battle hap-

pened in the mountains of barangays Talbec and Abaca in Dupax del Sur and barangay Lipuga and Pelaway in Al-

fonso Castañeda. “Fighting is still going on as of this time [2 p.m.] between government troopers and the communist rebels,” he said. Follante said the firefight erupted after a platoon of Charlie Company’s 84th Infantry Battalion of the Army chanced upon an undetermined number of NPA rebels led by Ka Joel Manangan within the boundary of the two towns. The firefight, which is still going on at presstime,

left an initial number of dead rebels identified only as Ka Gian, Ka Rasul, Ka Bunso, Ka Asok and five unidentified combatants, the police official said. He said the bodies of the rebels have been recovered and are now in a hospital in Carranglan, Nueva Ecija. Follante said Ka Joel, the local NPA command’s leader, was reportedly killed during the firefight. A certain Corporal Buenavista of the Army was also shot in

his left leg, he added. Robert Corpuz of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office said the provincial government has prepared relief goods for more than 2,000 villagers who fled their homes for fear of being caught in the crossfire. Military operations in Alfonso Castañeda and Dupax del Sur have been strengthened while checkpoints in strategic areas have been set up to block the communist re-

Anti-cutting trip task force formed by Erap

Ombudsman sacks Bohol mayor for misconduct THE Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday ordered the suspension of Mayor Necitas Cubrado of Pilar, Bohol for one month and one day after she was found guilty of simple misconduct. Cubrado approved the contract of services of Marvina Renegado and Rosabel Quimsom from Jan. 4, 2016 until June 30, 2016. The job order contracts were made by respondent without the required prior approval and authority of the Sangguniang Bayan, in violation of the Local Government Code. “The exercise of such power, when entering into contracts of services, is qualified by Section 22 (c) of the Local Government Code. Section 444 (b)(1)(vi) moreover, provides that the authority of the mayor to represent the municipality through contracts must be with the prior authority of the Sanggunian. Thus, respondent, needed prior authority from the SB to enter into the subject contracts of services with Quimson and Renegado,” the decision read. Rio N. Araja

By Bill Casas

TYPHOON RELIEF. Cavite Gov. Jesus Crispin ‘Boying’ Remulla (center) and Noveleta Mayor Dino Reyes Chua (third from right) leads the distribution of over 20,000 packs of relief goods to residents of the town affected by the recent Typhoon ‘Maring’.

Comelec junks San Juan election recall petition By John Paolo Bencito THE Commission on Elections Wednesday junked a recall petition seeking to contest the election victory of San Juan City Mayor Guia Gomez for lack of merit. In a resolution, six of seven commissioners of the poll body—Chairman

Andres Bautista, Christian Robert Lim, Al Parreno, Luie Tito Guia, Sheriff Abas and Rowena Guanzon—voted to dismiss the petition of losing San Juan mayoral candidate Francis Zamora contesting the results of the city’s election. Guanzon noted the possible recall “cannot take the risk of thwarting the will of

the electorate” who voted Gomez into office. Commissioner Arthur Lim abstained from voting owing to his relations with the Zamoras. Last May, the Zamora camp filed a petition before the local Comelec office seeking a recall for the mayoral post, citing “loss of confidence” to incum-

bent Mayor Gomez. Gomez called the petition a “desperate attempt” by the Zamoras to gain power and insisted the petition would be deemed “defective” by the Comelec. She also accused Zamora of buying signatures in the guise of financial assistance to gain signatories for his recall petition.

QC small biz to receive financial aid via SIGA program By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City government is allotting funds to small scale business ventures through the Small Income Generating Assistance (SIGA) program

bels, military officials said. Earlier, an encounter between government troopers and NPA rebels in the upland areas of barangays Pao and Dine in Kasibu town left three soldiers dead and another injured. This firefight forced more than a thousand evacuees to seek temporary shelters and refuge in nearby barangay halls and schools, and led to the suspension of classes among elementary and high schools in the area.

THE city government of Makati is set to launch a citywide microchipping program for an estimated 32,000 dogs. The project, according to Mayor Abigail Binay, is part of the city’s animal identification program, making Makati the first local government unit in the country to implement the use of PET iCHIP technology in a largescale setting. “Through the microchipping program, we are protecting both pet dogs and their owners. The technology will enable us to keep tabs on dogs, ensure that they are in the best of health, and return them to their rightful owners in case they get lost. This is important for people like us who consider dogs as part of our families,” she said. A dog lover herself, Binay instructed the city’s Veterinary Services Office officer-in-charge Dr. Jing Mangahas to implement the program in all 27 barangays and six villages. The microchips are free of charge and will be implanted by licensed veterinarians from the VSO. The bio-thermal microchips, no larger than a grain of rice, will contain information about the dog and its owner, as well as data on when the dog was vaccinated against rabies. These details will be uploaded to Makati City’s database, which will allow the VSO to closely monitor and check the number of dogs which have been given anti-rabies shots.

of the Vocational Development Division of the Social Services Development Department. The program aims to help small business owners get financial support in amounts of P2,000.

According to Vocational Development Division officer-in-charge Elma Ocrisma, the program aims to sustain existing smallscale businesses, enabling these businesses to grow and diversify.

To qualify, applicants must undergo training on basic business management skills and strategies. Financial literacy training will also be given the applicants before monetary support is awarded to them.

“People come to us for assistance in their small businesses. We asses them to see if they qualify and, if they do, then we tell them the requirements for the SIGA assistance application,” Ocrisma said.

THE city government of Manila’s crackdown on trip-cutting public utility vehicles has apprehended 140 violators in the last two weeks, which Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada warned is only the start of the strengthened drive against erring PUV drivers. Estrada commended the special anti-trip cutting unit of the Manila Traffic and Parking Bureau for its relentless operations from August 24 to September 13, apprehending drivers of both passenger jeepneys and buses. “This is just the taste of it,” Estrada warned the drivers. “You will surely have more bad days in the coming weeks if you won’t stop that illegal practice.” Trip-cutting is the practice of PUV drivers to cut short their route due to petty reasons, such as traffic congestion, and to save on fuel costs. The mayor emphasized that trip cutting is a clear violation of a PUV’s franchise. “We will never relent until this illegal practice of trip cutting is stopped,” he said. MTPB team leader Elvis Patao said the violators will be fined P1,000

each based on the city’s traffic code. Most were apprehended in Divisoria and P. Burgos fronting Manila City Hall with the help of members of the Manila Police District. The others were apprehended in Adriatico district, particularly along Padre Faura Street, and in Sta. Cruz. At Binondo, Patao said they have put up a permanent outpost to catch trip cutters. “As instructed by Mayor Erap, we don’t give second chances to violators we have apprehended. We must be strict in this campaign to serve as a lesson to these erring drivers,” he pointed out. Patao encouraged the public to text or call their hotline 0917-154-4514 in case they are victimized by cutting trip, or report it to Estrada’s official Facebook page (https://www. facebook.com/mayorjosephestrada/ ). “If you can, take a picture of the vehicle’s license plate, and send it to us. We will do the rest,” he said. Starting next week, Estrada announced they will start conducting nighttime operations because based on the complaints they have received, trip cutting is more rampant after 5 p.m.

ERRATUM In the Sept. 18, 2017 (Monday) edition of the Standard, on Page B4, Romeo Dizon’s story entitled “STL helps PCSO give more aid to indigent patients” mentioned the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office’s ASAP Desk. However, the acronym ASAP stands for “At Source Ang Processing” and not “As Soon As Possible” as we erroneously reported. We regret the error. —Editor

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

SHOPPING

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

How to

LOOK EVEN BETTER

Alice Dixson swears by Kilo Off in maintaining her figure

as you age

AVE you ever met your favorite celebrity for the first time and thought, “Bakit parang hindi siya tumatanda?” (Why doesn’t she age?) While there are those who rely on the help of modern science (and surgery), some celebrities just seem to have been given the gift of eternal beauty and just keep getting better with age. Alice Dixson, for example, was one of the most beautiful actresses of the ‘90s, yet even after two decades, Alice still looks as fresh as the first time we saw her in that famous “I Can Feel It” commercial. For many, she is the epitome of the modern woman—someone who can juggle her responsibilities as an actress, without compromising her personal health and fitness. So what is her secret? To look young, Alice says we need to go beyond having a beauty regimen. “You use beauty products to enhance your beauty, but you also need to do other things that will be good to your body,” Alice told members of the press at the Watson’s Time To Renew event. “What we need is a more holistic approach.” To prevent wrinkles, the 48-year-old star, says it is important to have regular facials and laserlight treatments, but “preventive maintenance” is also important. The former beauty queen added, “If there’s too much stress in your life, that can have an effect on your skin so it’s important to know how to avoid them.” “I’m very stressed sa traffic so I don’t like to drive so much and I always pick the time there is less traffic. “I’m the kind of person who does preventive maintenance, so if I know magiging stress ko iyan, hindi ko iyan papasukin.” To relieve her stress Alice says she goes for regular massages and exercise. “Make sure to exercise everyday, the best time is before you shower and get ready for work, because when you get home from work in the evening, you’re gonna be too tired, 20 minutes can actually go a long way,” she elaborates.

Ruffa Gutierrez recommends Cosmoskin

Iza Calzado combats pollution with the help of Pond’s Age Miracle

Watsons Group Marketing Manager Karen Fabres and Watsons Marketing Director Vicky Encarnacion

Besides exercise, Alice also credited Kilo Off as the key to maintaining her figure. Kilo Off is a weight loss system from France with all-natural active ingredients. “Kilo Off helps me with certain cravings like if I need to lose weight for a photo shoot or I have a target of a certain weight for a fitness goal, I would take it daily and then my cravings will go away,” Alice notes.

‘Skintellectual’ solutions

Another celebrity who is regarded as one of the icons of beauty is Ruffa Gutierrez. The former Miss World princess was also among the resource speakers of the Watson’s Time To Renew campaign being Cosmoskin’s endorser. “Like most women, I also had to deal with several issues like the occasional blemish that women are prone to have due to stress, hormonal changes and even pollution. But now, I can say that I don’t have those problems anymore since taking Cosmo Skin L- Glutathione daily and by imbibing Cosmo Skin Collagen Drink. They are ideal for achieving a fair and what we call “immaculate complexion” because of its special formulation, and for keeping my skin firm, elastic and youthful,” she shared.

Cosmo Skin provides consumer solution that are so effective and so convenient that you can’t help but rely on it when trying to find ways that would solve dull, sagging and dark skin.

Beauty by the numbers

Poor sleeping habits and failure to protect our skin from the sun and pollution also contribute to aging our skin faster. Pond’s Beauty Council member, Iza Calzado, stated, “Just 10 minutes under the sun can trigger the toughest skin problems now. Daily commuting or exposure to huge amounts of pollution can also affect our skin and cause acne. Even our lifestyle choices right now as modern men and women which requires us living a 24/7 non-stop, on-the-go lifestyle, takes a toll on our skin. Not to mention are the stresses we encounter both at work and at home,” the ABS-CBN star said. A 24/7 non-stop life can be stressful and tiring at times which can speed up the signs of aging and have an effect on our skin. To protect the skin, Iza suggested The New Pond’s Age Miracle with Retinol C Complex. Retinol C Complex works 24 hours non-stop to help reduce wrinkles for a youthful glow. It also has SPF 18 PA++ that provides protection Turn to C2

Gap for good Gap develops products that look good and are good for the environment

GAP recognizes that as one of the world’s largest apparel retailers, there’s a great opportunity to make a difference and a great responsibility to our shared planet. That’s why Gap is committed to integrating sustainability more deeply into every aspect of its business, from the materials sourced to the suppliers that the brand works with; and ultimately, the clothes that we all wear. As part of the Gap for Good initiative launched in 2016, Gap is stitching together programs and partnerships to reduce the environmental impact of denim manufacturing. It starts with two important components: water and cotton.

Washwell: Innovation in denim wash

Building on Gap’s dedication to water conservation, designers at Gap are taking this work one step further by finding ways to save water and reduce pollution through the design choices they make—while staying true to the look and feel of denim that customers love. For example, selected Gap denim washes now incorporate plant-based fabric softeners that are certified by

the USDA as BioPreferred, a positive step forward in the effort to eliminate hazardous chemicals and protect the health of workers and waterways. Smart denim wash techniques have already saved millions of liters of water, and product design teams are working to further increase these savings, while cutting down on energy use. Since 2014, Gap Inc.’s suppliers have saved more than 750 million liters of water—that’s enough to provide every person in the US with one days’ worth of drinking water.

Supporting sustainable cotton

Cotton is essential to the Gap business. It gives the iconic 1969 denim the strength and comfort it’s known for. Cotton also supports the livelihoods of millions of people around the world. That’s why Gap has joined the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) to partner on sustainable cotton farming initiatives worldwide. From farmworker training, to water conservation and chain of custody traceability, using Better Cotton reinforces Gap’s commitment to sustainable production of the world’s most important natural fiber. Gap

sources sustainable cotton in making the clothes. With the help of Better Cotton Initiative, Gap is committed to getting 100 percent of its cotton from more sustainable sources by 2021.

Great products are designed with sustainability in mind

Gap continues to make improvements in the design and development of great products that look good, and leaves the world a better place. Lessen your ecological footprint and choose Gap for Good products like the Women’s Vintage V-Neck Tee made with 100-percent cotton that feels like your favorite worn-in shirt. These tees are garmentdyed and washed with a special technique for incredible softness and true color. Pair it with the Sculpt True Skinny made with premium stretch 1969 denim and smart denim wash techniques. For men who value comfort and style, feel the quality of sustainable cotton as you slip into the Slim Vintage Wash Stretch Khaki pants that come in five colors: from the classic Palomino Brown to the more edgy Pinot Noir.

The Slim Vintage Wash Khaki pants are for men who value comfort and style

Life

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Experience a World of Convenience with RCBC MasterCard’s My Debit W

HEN it comes to making the most of what the world has to offer, you need to have the perfect companion that brings everything you need within your reach so you can easily unlock new possibilities and experiences.

This is why RCBC has launched its RCBC MyDebitCard powered by Mastercard, your cash in a convenient carry-anywhere and use-anytime card. Linked to your deposit or payroll account, the card comes with all the benefits of Mastercard, allowing you to enjoy convenient and secure cashless transactions at over 38 million shops worldwide. With RCBC MyDebit Mastercard, you don’t have to worry because you simply spend from your available funds in your linked bank account. As such, you are empowered with full control of your expenses while enjoying the unparalleled convenience and flexibility of going cashless for your in-store purchases and online transactions. Using RCBC MyDebit Mastercard, you can easily withdraw cash from your linked RCBC savings or checking account, check your balance, or pay your bills at over two million

RCBC MyDebit Card lets you enjoy cashless transactions when you shop or dine at any establishment that accepts Mastercard

ATMs across the world with 24/7 banking convenience. But more than that, you can use your RCBC MyDebit Card to enjoy cashless transactions when you shop or dine wherever Mastercard is accepted here and abroad – simply dip your card into the point-of-sale terminal and you’re good to go! You use your RCBC MyDebit Mastercard to securely pay for your online transactions – flights and accommodations, online shopping, collector’s finds, e-books, app subscriptions, inapp purchases and more. “RCBC MyDebit Mastercard is

the one card that truly keeps up with your lifestyle of choice, empowering you to enjoy the best things in life at your own terms,” said Margarita B. Lopez, RCBC Digital Banking and Operations Head. “You can use it to withdraw cash if you want to, or better yet, securely enjoy convenient cashless transactions and pay for your online purchases practically anytime and anywhere. More importantly, since it is linked to your savings or checking account, you have full visibility of your purchases. It therefore offers convenience, security, and control all in one card,” she added.

How to... From C1 against UV rays and vitamin B3 and E3 to help strengthen the skin’s protective barrier and keep your skin looking fair and radiant.

Time to renew

Watsons knows you’ve got so much on your plate that you forget to give yourselves some TLC. You’ve been juggling between work and play, trying to cover as much ground as possible that you tend to spread yourself too thin. And because of this, it is no surprise that you forget to take care of yourself that it eventually takes a toll on your overall well-being. “I’m sure that we are all aware of the effects our daily tasks and tight schedules have on our bodies. But knowing is far different from deciding to do something about it,” said Karen Fabres, Watsons Group Marketing manager. Watsons Time to Renew campaign continues the brand’s holistic approach to beauty and wellness. “Getting back to the healthy, proactive lifestyle doesn’t have one fixed formula to be followed, so we held this fun event to help shoppers on how they can get back on the healthy track. Just remember these three things: Restore your Beauty, Recharge your Health and Revitalize your Hair!” The campaign focused on three categories that most of people tend to set aside to accommodate their tight schedules— Restore your Beauty for proper skin care, Revitalize your hair to bring life back to dull tresses, and Recharge your Health for a more energized and healthier body. At Watsons, restoring your skin’s beauty is now made easy with products like Pond’s, Olay, L’Oreal, Belo, Celeteque, Neutrogena, Snow, St. Ive’s, Suave, Bellic, Glutamax, Shulammite soap, Cosmo Skin and Nivea Men crème. But more than our skin, it’s most often that we forget about protecting our hair. Our hair also needs intensive protection from the sun and heat styling products, especially those who love playing with their locks. Make it a point to revitalize your hair with hair loving products like Tresemme, L’Oreal, Dove and Moringa. Finally, it’s also very important to recharge your health to achieve the 100 percent you. With Watsons’ healthy solutions such as Cosmo Cee, Poten-Cee, Met Tathione, IVI Collagen, Myra E, Stresstabs, Belo Glutathione, Snow Caps and Kilo-off, you can have a healthier life and get in tiptop shape in no time. Enjoy big discounts and great deals for your health and beauty products exclusive at all Watsons stores and SM Store Beauty Section. Plus, get a chance to win revitalizing packages with your SM Advantage Card, BDO Rewards or PriMo Card. Every P500 single-receipt purchase of any participating product entitles a member to one raffle entry. There will be 35 winners of Spa Pampering Packages at The Spa; 10 winners of FullYear Gym memberships at Fitness First; and 10 winners of Overnight Weekend Wellness Packages at The Farm at San Benito resort.

As an exciting way to celebrate the launch of RCBC MyDebit Mastercard, RCBC is giving you the chance to enjoy the ultimate South Korea travel experience with the Ready, Set, Seoul promo! Under the promo, two lucky RCBC MyDebitCard Mastercard holders will win the grand prize of a four-day, three-night trip for two to Seoul, South Korea, inclusive of roundtrip airfare, luxury accommodations at the five-star Lotte Hotel World, plus passes to top sites including the Lotte World Aquarium, SkyTower Observatory, and Lotte World Theme Park, the world’s largest indoor theme park.

The grand winners will also receive pocket money so they can live out their K-drama and K-Pop fantasies through engaging tours, check out must-see city landmarks, and savor authentic and mouthwatering Korean dishes around town. Moreover, they will also get Shilla Duty Free shopping vouchers, which they can use to stock up on world-renowned Korean beauty products and shop for trendy fashion pieces, among others. “There is no better way to celebrate the launch of RCBC MyDebitCard Mastercard than by showing you just how easy it is to unlock endless possibilities and enjoyable experiences with your debit card! Indeed, with RCBC MyDebitCard Mastercard, you are closer than you think to your dream Seoul getaway - or any goal or adventure for that matter,” said Lopez. To join, simply use your RCBC MyDebit Mastercard for any instore or online transaction with any domestic or overseas merchant until Nov. 15. Every P1,000 spent in a single transaction gives you one e-raff le entry. Aside from the two grand winners of the ultimate South Korea experience, five lucky cardholders will win an overnight stay at Nobu Hotel with free breakfast buffet, while eight lucky cardholders will take home SJCAM SJ5000X Elite Action Cameras for recording their adventures. The grand draw is on Nov. 16.

ON THE SHELVES

Delicious taste, nutritious benefits make Vitasoy an ideal drink THE well-loved soy milk from Hong Kong is finally here. Celebrate real goodness with the delicious and nutritious Vitasoy. Vitasoy is made from real, highquality, non-GMO soybeans to make sure you get only the best nutrition. It also has soy protein which is a rich source of all the essential amino acids needed for optimum nourishment. Cholesterol-free, lactose-free, and low in saturated fat, Vitasoy makes for an ideal drink for wellness seekers and fitness enthusiasts, complementing a healthy diet. Snack and beverage manufactur-

ing giant Universal Robina Corporation (URC) has partnered with Hong Kong-based Vitasoy Group to locally distribute Vitasoy soy milk which is specially-formulated for the Filipino taste. Vitasoy comes in Original, Chocolate and Coffee f lavors which are available in convenient and easyto-carry 330 ml bottles at P26 SRP in supermarkets and at P30 SRP in convenience stores. High in Calcium and low fat Vitasoy Plus in 1-liter packs (P80 SRP) are available at SM Supermarkets, Robinsons, Waltermart, Puregold and South Supermarket branches nationwide.

A refreshing way to start a healthy habit IN TODAY’S fast-paced world where Filipinos have grown accustomed to eating heartily at the expense of health, it is not uncommon for one to know a friend or neighbor who suffers from a chronic disease. Research has shown that Filipinos are significantly behind the suggested daily intake of important food groups like fruits and vegetables. While 70 percent of locals fail to meet their Estimated Average Requirement for nutrients such as vitamin C and vitamin A, Filipinos only eat 39 percent of the daily 400 grams of fruits and vegetables suggested by the World Health Organization. Without important naturally occurring nutrients from fruits— such as polyphenols from Concord grapes—individuals are exposed to risks of lifestyle diseases such as cardiovascular disorders. “Problems of the heart are often caused by unhealthy eating habits. A healthy diet—which consists of a variety across food groups, from fruits and vegetables to meats, fish, dairy to cereals and rootcrops— provides the body with the right amount of nutrients to function well. Equally important, the individual also needs to control intake of substances such as fats, oils, sugar and salt,” explains, Ma. Paz L. Sales, Board of Director of the Nutritionist-Dietitians’ Association of the Philippines (NDAP), a leading professional organization and advocate of promoting healthy diet among Filipinos. Recenty, the Department of Health held the Nutrition Month under the theme, “Healthy Diet, Gawing Habit—for Life,” nutritionist-dieticians encourage Filipino families to start adopting better eating habits by making the shift a gradual process—for instance, one glass of healthy Concord grape juice at a time. Juice from Concord grapes is an excellent source of nutrients. Grapes carry a naturally occurring nutrient in their skin called polyphenols, the same

substance that make red wine helpful for the heart. Different from ordinary grapes, the heart-healthy Concord grapes grow much thicker skins that provide greater amounts to the body. In an experiment, the Concord grapes’ naturally occurring sugar was also found to lead a lower glycemic response than sugar sweetened beverage, contributing to a satisfactory long-term health. With Welch’s 100 percent grape juice products widely available in retail outlets in the Philippines, families now have an internationally proven choice that tastes great and benefits the heart and health in the long-term. An advocate of better nutritional choice for families, Welch’s provides a wide range of healthy juice products that are refreshing to the palate and the body. “In over 140 years, the Welch’s grape juice products have been providing a better source of important natural nutrients to customers as we deliver a happy balance of goodness and deliciousness. We are excited to become an instrument towards a healthier Filipino community,” says Erika Rodriguez, VP Marketing of Welch’s Philippines.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

SKY offers all around entertainment this month

CIGNAL’S JIMENEZ-BASAS

2017 Asia Media Woman Of The Year

ONTENT Asia named Cignal TV President and Chief Executive Officer Jane Jimenez-Basas as 2017 Asia Media Woman of the Year. The awarding was one of the highlights of ContentAsia Summit 2017 in Singapore on Sept. 7 to 8. The people and companies behind ContentAsia represent Asia’s most significant content innovation and production development. ContentAsia is a premier information resource that covers the entertainment media industry across the Asia-Pacific region.

Janine Stein, editorial director of ContentAsia says Jimenez-Basas talks about steering Cignal TV in the Philippines “in a space inspired on all levels by regional giants, global streamers and is conﬁdent that Cignal could be part of the push towards 35 percent of subscriptionvideo penetration in the Philippines.” In her keynote speech, Jimenez-Basas says, “The consumer palate for content is becoming more discerning, not only for the breadth of choice, but also for the relevance of

content.” Jimenez-Basas is convinced that there will be a “content explosion” especially in Filipino content with the growing access of content creators to various digital platforms. “Quality will improve with content creators, of which Cignal is now one with Cignal Entertainment. We will ﬁght to win customers whose tastes are becoming more sophisticated and discriminating, given their access to global content,” she says. She is extremely grateful

CELEBRITIES have the most effective platform to inspire other people, and taking it from GMA Artist Center stars Derrick Monasterio, Max Collins, Kate Valdez, Thea Tolentino, Addy Raj, Jeric Gonzales, Sanya Lopez, and Gil Cuerva, they make sure that there’s always a time for paying it forward. Derrick Monasterio spent his birthday at San Jose Del Monte Heights Elementary School in Bulacan during the school’s feeding program launch. He was a judge in the school’s “Mulawin Look-alike” contest. Most of the students made impressions of Almiro and he was glad to be looked up to by the students. “Nakakatuwa na ikaw yung ginagawa nilang role model, because it means they see something good in you. Sana kayanin ko yung ganoong responsibility, dahil ayaw ko silang i-fail,” said the Kapuso star. Kapuso beauties Max Collins, Kate Valdez and Thea Tolentino chose to pamper their fans as a way to celebrate their birthdays. Max invited Mass Communication students from Colegio de San Lorenzo in Quezon City to participate in a mini makeup workshop in partnership with Ever Bilena and gave them tips on skincare. She advised them to follow through and gave them gift packs of beauty essentials and skin care products. As she got recently engaged, Max wished for nothing but smooth wedding plans

and humbled being named as Asia Media Woman of the Year and views the award as a challenge to Cignal’s stature as an industry innovator. She cites the mentorship and guidance of superiors Manuel V. Pangilinan and Ray C. Espinosa as key in pushing her and her management team to seeking premium Filipino content. “The award is signiﬁcant for me because it validates the good work done by people and organizations. Beyond being recognized for achieving business objectives, it is special

Cignal TV president and chief executive officer Jane JimenezBasas delivering a speech in Singapore early this month

in a huge way because it enriches ones spirit and inspires one to achieve even better things especially for the Filipino audience. In the process, it can also inspire others to do the same,” says Jimenez-Basas. She says that in the next ﬁve to 10 years, broadband HH penetration will be very pervasive, with Fiber and 5G technologies supporting very seamless delivery of video content. “The big screen will still be the dominant platform with a one TV per household reality. But for many individuals, smaller

GMA Artist Center stars committed to inspire

PAY IT FORWARD. Kapuso stars Jeric Gonzales (left) and Max

Collins (right) were among the GMA Network celebrities who spent their birthdays differently

Kate Valdez held a “sparty” (spa party) in Nail Cocktales in Bonifacio Global City where fans were able to share a cozy afternoon with their idol, bonding over nail paints and foot massages. It was a unique experience for the fans as they got to spend time with their idol just like any normal barkada would. Haplos villainess Thea Tolentino stepped out of character and inspired her fans to be as passionate as her business mentor, the Lord of Scents Joel Cruz, in starting a business venture and making it successful. She also shared with them how to help in the charity arm of his company. As she turned another year, she

hopes to save more money to fund her dream house. Initiating heart-warming causes were Jeric Gonzales, Sanya Lopez, and Addy Raj. Jeric personally chose Kanlungan Ni Maria as his beneﬁciary. The elderly men and women of the home care were thrilled with Jeric’s charming personality as he got into deep and meaningful conversations with them. Sanya Lopez went to the Philippine Orthopedic Center in Quezon City to meet young patients and play with them. She spent the entire afternoon taking photos and sharing stories. Her only birthday wish was for these children to stay strong and never lose hope.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Thursday, September 21, 2017

ACROSS 1 Canine cries 6 Encourage 10 Sauna site 13 Kayak user 14 Jalopy 15 IOU 16 Saddle extra 17 Attacker 19 New Hampshire sch. 21 Type in again 22 Thousand gees 23 Collapsed 24 Gymnast’s horse 28 Nearby 30 Oil-well capper Red — 31 Lady’s honorific 32 Costa — 36 Punsters 37 Educator — Montessori 38 Sufficient, in verse 39 “Hud” Oscarwinner 40 Old-time oath 41 First name in cosmetics 42 Look forward to 44 Wyoming range 45 Rot (2 wds.) 47 Golfer’s 48 Seeded

49 Having flaws 55 Invalidates 57 Delight 58 Works by Keats 59 Mixed bag 60 Epsom — 61 Baseball club 62 TKO officials 63 Pinch DOWN 1 Textile measure 2 Director — Kazan 3 King in a play 4 Golfer’s tap 5 Hem and haw 6 Self-mover’s rental (hyph.) 7 Take it easy 8 Deep cut 9 It banned DDT 10 Jiggle 11 Yearned deeply 12 Courtroom fig. 15 Smartest 18 Retirees’ kitties 20 Olive yield 23 Comet cloud 24 Dupe 25 Comics dog 26 First name in spying 27 Identifies incorrectly 28 Gem measure

29 Put in place 31 Astrologers of old 33 Wild about 34 Film director Joel — 35 Impresses deeply 37 Anthropologist Margaret — 41 Strangest 43 Dry riverbed 44 Jaunty lid 45 Dutch export 46 Young raptor

47 Senor’s wherewithal 48 Stuck-up person 49 Digestive fluid 50 Vinland explorer 51 Popular side dish 52 Robust 53 Wonder Woman’s friend 54 Office need 56 Gift-tag word

screens will be the main device for personal content consumption needs … when that pivot happens, we will be ready for it, we will maximize our growth,” she stresses. Cignal TV, Inc. is the fastest growing subscription television company in the Philippines with close to two million subscribers. Cignal TV is the subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, the media arm of the PLDT Group. JimenezBasas has held leadership roles at Media5, Smart Telecommunications, Talk N’ Text among others.

“Masaya ako sa opportunity to reach out to kids and ang wish ko lang ay sana magpakatatag lang sila,” shares Sanya. Although born in a foreign land, Addy Raj has a Pinoy heart. He invited kids from Child Hope Philippines to join him and his fans in playing archery at Attack Arena. He introduced the sport to the young street children and impressed his fans of his archery skills. With the warm support of his fans, he was ﬁlled with gratitude as he feels truly welcome in the country. Meanwhile, the newest Kapuso heartthrob Gil Cuerva has sparked a youthful vibe in his birthday celebration. He gathered his fans from different fan clubs and bonded over at the Bengal Brew cafe in Quezon City. Gil being an animal lover was thrilled to share this experience with his fans and connect with them as they also got to see a fun side of him. The Kapuso star admits that having the support of his fans keeps him motivated to do well in his career. He left a word saying that he will keep making them proud and they will be his reason for his hard work. Though words for him are not enough, Gil says, “I really feel blessed and grateful to have fans who are as supportive as you. Even if you belong to different fan clubs, you were able to come together and show me your support. I’m lucky to have fans like you.”

RELAX and unwind with SKY, the country’s leading cable provider, as it offers free access to select general entertainment channels including AMC, Warner TV, Lifetime, and E!, this month. Fans of The Walking Dead don’t have to wait until the next season of the smash show to get their dose of zombie excitement because AMC’s prequel show, Fear the Walking Dead is on. The show revolves around a family trying to survive and make it through the zombie apocalypse at its onset. They travel from Los Angeles in the United States to Mexico to try and outrun the zombies. Follow their quest for survival on Mondays at 9 a.m. with an encore at 10 p.m. Meanwhile, Warner TV welcomes a new show to its line-up with Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory to Young Sheldon. He has referenced his childhood years in many episodes of the show.

Now, viewers will be able to see it themselves when Young Sheldon premieres on Warner TV on Sept. 26, at 8:35 p.m. An adult Sheldon can be seen when the 11th season of The Big Bang Theory premieres back-to-back with its spin-off prequel. On E!’s Life of Kylie, Kylie Jenner’s social media followers will be able to see more of her. Watch the young lifestyle and beauty magnate hang out with her famous family, party with her friends, make business deals, and everything in between every Monday at 10 p.m. These shows and so much more are available for viewing through #FREESKYCHANNELS until Sept. 30. There’s no need to register for anything. Just switch on the TV and start tuning in. Call 418-0000 or your local SKY ofﬁce for more information, or visit www. mysky.com.ph/freechannels.

General entertainment shows available on SKY

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

MATTEO

GUIDICELLI

CAR RACER-TURNED-ACTOR-TURNED-SINGER IN CONCERT

ANY years ago, a young Cebuano born of Italian father (Gianluca ISAH V. RED Guidicelli) and Filipino mother (Glenn Fernan, daughter of Senator and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Mareclo Ferman) hogged the limelight after becoming a young champion in Karting. Then several years later, the same young man would pop up on TV screen as a young matinee idol. Matteo Guidicelli (born Gianmatteo Guidicelli) had returned after a couple of years as a student of performing arts (majoring in musical theater) at Columbia College in Chicago. And, when he was back, he put Karting behind to pursue his dream of being a performer. It became a reality when Star Magic signed him and was cast in the teen sitcom Go Kada Go. Several years later, the young Cebuano has grown up to be a dashing young TV star and starring in several shows (all on ABS-CBN). Yet, the young Guidicelli wanted more. He embarked on a singing career that led to a concert in November last year in his native Cebu entitled #MatteoMadeinCebu. This sold out concert held at the Waterfront Hotel showcased Matteo’s talent in singing, more so his love for music. This year, he is again in the mood for a concert, this time in Manila. It is called Hey Matteo and will be staged at the Kia Theater, 7 p.m. on Nov. 30. Hey Matteo gives the actor-singer fans a glimpse of his innermost self, opening up more his identity and artistry. Drawing from his personal experiences, this concert will be a revelation of Guidicelli as a singer. “I have always wanted to sing, but I wasn’t able to focus on it”, he says. “Now, I’m in a stage of my life when I really want to do music. I’m very excited with this concert because it’s going to feature songs from my upcoming album.” “Matteo is the kind of artist who does things with passion,” says Rowell Santiago, the director of his concert. “I have worked with him since he was 13 and I saw how passionate he is with the arts, and the good thing about him is that he really puts his heart in what he does and he really works hard and get better at it.” Very few people know only of Matteo Guidicelli as the Kapamilya hunk but not his talent in music, especially his foray into musical theater. Back in school, he played the lead role in Pippin the musical where his mettle as a singer was tested. He decided to take this passion further in college by taking by majoring in musical theatre at Columbia College. “Music has always been one of the things that I love. I used to sing, but I never sang for mainstream until two years ago when I had my album and concert at the Music Museum ”, he says. Hey Matteo combines Guidicelli’s talents with the creativity of Rowell Santiago and musical director Louie Ocampo. This concert will be an entirely different show from his previous hometown concert in Cebu last year. Hey Matteo is deﬁnitely one concert to look forward to. Some 70 to 80 percent of the creative input came from Guidicelli

himself according to Ocampo. Both directors have worked with the versatile actor on several projects in the past and have witnessed his growth as an artist. Their collaboration for this concert is once more a coming together of artists committed to mount a great show for the love of music. “The concert will have a youthful vibe with the 90’s beat. It will show Matteo’s versatility as a singer through songs that tell his story”, says Ocampo, “Matteo is really hands-on with the preparations and this concert will deﬁnitely show much about the kind of singer that he is.” Matteo will be performing a combination of covers inspired by the music that he grew up with and original songs from an album that he will soon be releasing. Hey Matteo is produced by Big Bang productions, the same production company behind the successful #MatteoMadeinCebu concert last year. The company has always been impressed with Matteo’s willingness to learn and to explore more of his craft, and this inspires them to continue to work on providing artists like him with an avenue to showcase their talents for a much bigger audience in this highly competitive world of entertainment. “As an artist, Matteo is very eager, always willing to learn and explore new audiences with his craft, whether it be singing or acting. He does not hesitate to push his limits and get out of his comfort zone”, says Shy Sison - Vesagas of Big Bang Productions. Hey Matteo will also be co-produced by Hills and Dreams Events Concepts Co. Hey Matteo promises to be an entertaining and endearing show as Matteo Guidicelli takes a leap as an artist and shares his life and love with his fans through his own music. *** It’s a partnership that was destined to happen. Long before their respective careers came to full bloom, Ruffa Gutierrez and talent manager Arnold Vegafria had already established a solid friendship, and that relationship—kept alive by sporadic meet-ups, occasional get-togethers with common friends, family reunions and long phone calls—has remained intact for several decades now. It comes as no surprise that the actress, beauty queen, entrepreneur and devoted mom would soon entrust her showbiz and business dealings to him. Ruffa exclaims, “I’m really inspired and excited to be joining ALV’s management team. Arnold and I have been friends forever and we get along really well. We have the same vision in terms of where else I can go in terms of my career. I’m also thankful that he and my mom [Annabelle Rama] get along very well. It was actually them that told me about their agreement. If both of them join forces and I behave, then only good things will come. I feel positive about this partnership.”

And what expectations does she have from this partnership? “As a manager, I know that Arnold will keep my best interest at heart. He wants me to develop, grow and succeed in all aspects. If we have mutual respect, love support for each other, then I know this partnership will transcend past business. I already have a big, strong, supportive family, but I know Arnold will be my family too. And what’s most important is that mom trusts him too,” she adds. For his part, Arnold is optimistic about harnessing the unlimited potentials of their synergized creative and business ventures. He says, “Through all the years that I’ve known her, it’s gotten to a point where we read each other well, and be intuitive about each other’s personal and business dealings. I’m excited about turning her unfulfilled dreams to reality.” These days, Ruffa finds her hands full producing and shooting Season 5 of their award-winning reality show It Takes Gutz To Be A Gutierrez (which bagged the 28th PMPC Star Awards Best Reality Show Award). She also co-hosts as Ruffaree on Eat Bulaga’s Jackpot En Poy segment every Tuesdays and Thursdays. The first-time author also takes great pride in her bestselling book, The Truth and Lies My Mother Told Me, published by ABS-CBN Publishing. Asked for the latest developments in their reality show, Ruffa shares, “We are pleased to announce that we are number one on E! Asia. Super grateful! Showing every Monday on E! 8:30 p.m. in more than 28 countries in Asia. Sarah and Chard are engaged, I just bought a Gee house, and there’s a new addition to the family [Baby Ezra]. We’re planning Season 6 already. We are up significantly in ratings in the Philippines and Singapore.” Despite her accomplishments, Ruffa confesses that she still has a lot of unfulfilled dreams as an actress. She confesses, “There’s so much more I want to do as far as acting and hosting is concerned. I would like to host either a game show, reality show and bring back the glory days of the talk shows! As far as movies, I want to do love stories, comedy and horror. Be in a film that will be shown in a film festival abroad.” To date, Ruffa’s last three teleserye projects include Misterless Misis (with

Lorna Tolentino and Gelli de Belen); Enchanted Garden (directed by Joel Lamangan), and Mga Nagbabagang Bulaklak (starring Richard Gomez and Arci Muñoz), all on TV5. Her recent movies also include Maybe This Time (with Coco Martin and Sarah Geronimo); Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy (with Vice Ganda); and The Mommy Returns (with Pokwang). Apart from her creative and artistic endeavors, the stunning beauty also takes great pride in her entrepreneurial ventures. She proudly beams, “I launched the Love Collection in 2012 and 2015 with Rajo Laurel. It’s a capsule kiddie chic collection with my daughters Lorin and Venice. Rajo is one of my dearest friends, so the subject of making another line in 2018 came up, and it’s bound to happen soon. Another exciting line (beautyrelated) is already in the works, so watch out for this in early 2018.” And of course, everyone knows how much of a devoted and hands-on mom she is to her two daughters, who are now teenagers. Ruffa muses, “Life as a single working mom has its challenges, but the rewards overshadow them. My girls are now teenagers. I can’t believe how fast time flies! They are already being spotted by producers and advertisers. As long as they concentrate on their studies, they can accept otters from time to time. They are currently in It Takes Gutz as well.” Like most celebrity influencers, Ruffa prides herself in being social media savvy. But just how much does she divulge online? “I’m active on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Social media can break you, harm you or help you. Think before you click. I make sure not to overshare, but also try to remain authentic and real,” she advises. As a former beauty queen, the former Miss World 1993 2nd Princess has nothing but rave reviews for the turnout of this year’s pageant, which incidentally was also produced by her new manager. She remarks, “I’m honored to have been a judge in this year’s Miss World Philippines pageant. Gone are the days that only one or two girls would stand out. In a sea of beautiful overachievers, we chose the best ones to represent the country. It was a difficult process with deliberations, but I’m happy with the results.”

PARTNERSHIP. Actress and former beauty queen Ruffa Gutierrez has established a strong friendship and working relationship with talent manager Arnold Vegafria (right)

Radio GMA President Mike Enriquez

Opportunities await job seekers, entrepreneurs at DZBB Trabaho Negosyo Fair SUPER Radyo DZBB 594 is back with its seventh wave of providing employment opportunities and business startups to thousands of job seekers and aspiring entrepreneurs through the DZBB Trabaho Negosyo Fair scheduled on Sept. 21 and 22 at Star Mall EDSA Shaw. Various positions in over 50 companies, including local and overseas employment agencies, are waiting to be filled by Kapuso job hunters during the fair. On the other hand, those interested in learning the basics of doing a business may join the two-day free business seminar to be conducted by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Sept. 21 followed by the UP Institute for Small Scale Industries (UP ISSI) on Sept. 22. These partner agencies will share tips and advice on how to start up a business or improve one’s managerial skills. Each Negosyo Seminar schedule will host three slots that will accommodate 60 participants each with the first slot beginning at 10:30 a.m. and the last ending at 5:30 p.m.. Local government agencies such as the Social Security System, Pag-IBIG Fund, PhilHealth, Department of Foreign Affairs, National Bureau of Investigation, Philippine Statistics Authority, Public Employment Service Office, Department of Labor and Employment, and Philippine Overseas Employment Administration will offer services for pre-employment requirements while the Bureau of Internal Revenue and Mandaluyong Business Permits and Licensing Office will have help desks for business inquiries. “Bahagi ito ng Serbisyong Totoo ng DZBB,” said DZBB anchor and Radio GMAPresident Mike Enriquez. “Maliban sa paghahatid ng balita at impormasyon na totoo, hinahangad din nating matulungang iangat ang kabuhayan ng mga Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng trabaho at pagne-negosyo,” he added. Everyone is encouraged to join the DZBB Trabaho Negosyo Fair, which will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Star Mall EDSA-Shaw Function Hall. Job applicants must bring their resumes and valid IDs while Negosyo Seminar attendees should also bring a valid ID. For more details, tune in to Super Radyo DZBB 594 or call (02)333-7164.