Manila Standard - 2017 September 30 - Saturday by Manila Standard

VOL. XXXI • NO. 228 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

UN headquarters in New York City

PH slams 39 UN members Refuses to accept foreign dictation

By Sara Susanne Fabunan and JP Bencito

HE Duterte administration underlined Friday its nonacceptance of foreign intervention in its internal affairs, after 39 member-states of the United Nations expressed serious concern over alleged extrajudicial killings in the 14-month-old administration’s war on drugs.

DRUG DRIVE. As police in Manila shift to higher gear the government’s continuing drug war, an alleged drug dealer is captured Thursday by law enforcement agents (top) after what they called a drug buy-bust operation in the capital’s slum district. AFP

SWS poll backs tale on EJKs By John Paolo Bencito, Francisco Tuyay and Jun David THE majority of Filipinos believe there are drug suspects who are still getting killed despite surrendering to the police, the latest Social Weather Stations survey revealed Friday. But Malacañang kept mum on the results of the survey despite the efforts of reporters to ask for comments. Some 63 percent of those polled believe there are suspects in the illegal drug trade who are being killed despite surrendering, with 31 percent saying that they strongly agree and 32 percent who somewhat agree. Those undecided stood at 17 percent. But 11 percent of those polled “somewhat disagreed” and nine percent Next page

‘Barangays must meet on Oct. 8’ AMID deliberations over the postponement of the barangay elections and the possible holdover of incumbent barangay officials, the Department of the Interior and Local Government on Friday reminded the village chiefs to conduct their barangay assembly on Oct. 8 or face sanctions. “Barangay officials who fail to conduct a barangay assembly may face corresponding administrative complaints, which can be filed by any resident of the barangay, concerned citizen, governmental or non-governmental entity before the Sangguniang Panlungsod or Sangguniang Bayan concerned,” DILG Officer-inCharge Catalino S. Cuy said Next page

No to state-backed killings, Palace insists By John Paolo Bencito and Macon RamosAraneta THERE are no state-sponsored killings in the Philippines, the Palace told the Senate Friday after seven pro-administration senators released their own

resolution condemning the spate of deaths of minors in the government’s war on illegal drugs. Reacting to the resolution, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said that several Senate committees themselves had concluded there were no

state-sponsored killings. “The Executive shares the expressed concern of the Senate on the recent spate of drugrelated deaths and similarly condemns extrajudicial killings,” he added. Abella said the Palace welcomes the Senate’s in-

vestigations and inquiries on erring police personnel, “as a manifestation of a freely functioning and democratic state mechanism.” Seven administration senators—Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Next page

The Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum-Asia) on Thursday said the member-states urged the Philippines, a founding member of the UN body, to probe the killings and protect human rights defenders through a joint statement issued by Iceland. The member-states urged the Philippines to “cooperate with the international community to pursue appropriate investigations into these incidents, in keeping with the universal principles of democratic accountability and the rule of law.” But Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, responding to the call, insisted there was no culture of impunity in the Philippines amid the government’s crackdown on the illegal drug trade. He said accusations of extrajudicial killings must

be proven in court or they would remain “hearsay.” “Unfortunately, it still appears that some parties refuse to understand certain aspects of our human rights efforts. So let us be clear. There is no culture of impunity in the Philippines,” Abella said in a statement. “The State is investigating all credible allegations of human rights violations by all its agents and will continue to do so, consistent with our constitution and laws, and in compliance with the spirit of our national traditions of liberty and democracy.” Abella also gave assurances the justice system did not tolerate state-sponsored extrajudicial killings, while slamming foreign governments for telling the Philippines how to manage its own affairs. Next page

Sayyaf ties with drug ‘gangsters’ bared CHINESE gangsters are to blame for the proliferation of illegal drugs in the Philippines, and they have even licensed the terrorist Abu Sayyaf to manufacture and distribute the drugs here, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed Thursday. “They cook the substance inside a ship and then they just throw it to the sea,” Duterte said in his speech during his visit to Balangiga town in Eastern Samar. “They are able to manufacture and distribute because they are armed. They

are intentionally doing that.” Duterte made his statement even as Aaron Aquino, director general of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, said three drug syndicates were behind the proliferation of drugs in the Philippines. He said the syndicates were from Taiwan, mainland China and Hong Kong, and that they could ship three tons of shabu to the Philippines. Aquino said the open sea was the drop-off point for the illegal drugs, and that divers retrieve them and transport them from smaller boats.

Detailing the operations of two international drug syndicates who had turned the Philippines into their “client state,” Duterte said the members of these drug groups would put the drugs in tin cans and then throw them into the sea. The cans would have Chinese markings and a global positioning system to locate them. While Duterte absolved China of being the new source of illegal drugs in the Philippines, he said there were also Filipino members of the drug triad. Next page

UST not liable for hazing death—dean By Rey Requejo and Bill Casas THE University of Santo Tomas is not liable for the death of freshman law student Horacio Castillo III due to hazing, its law dean Nilo Divina said Friday. “I don’t think UST is liable because the test is ‘Did you measure up to the stan-

dards of a good father of a good family?’” Divina said in a television interview. Divina maintained UST had a “very strict” anti-hazing policy, adding “We have a very strict policy against hazing – so that policy is part of our manual, and then annual orientations are conducted to all students..”Divina said. In related developments:

* Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said the family of Castillo could be placed under the coverage of the government’s Witness Protection Program. Aguirre made the statement after learning from a relative of the Castillo family that they were worried about their personal safety Next page

SORRY, BUT... The Office of the Ombudsman says Friday it will continue to investigate the wealth of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family, despite the chief executive’s threat to form a Commission to investigate the Constitutional office for what he called its partiality and corruption.

Trillanes’ stash can topple me—Rody By John Paolo Bencito

SENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV’s stash of money from his offshore accounts may be used to destabilize the government, President Rodrigo Duterte claimed Friday as he exposed the former’s supposed bank transactions from a Singapore bank account he claimed as non-existent. “Based on analysis, the funds being laundered by

Trillanes and his group may not be for their personal use, but rather...for their cause and possibly to destabilize government by paying for witnesses and funding for destabilization operations,” the President told state-run television station PTV-4. Duterte said the senator’s associates, whom he claimed were extorting money from some senators and large corporations, were the ones backrolling efforts to throw

him out of ofﬁce. While claiming previously that he “invented” Trillanes’ supposed Singapore bank account numbers in DBS Bank in Alexandra Road, the President insisted his top critic had closed the Singapore bank accounts even days before he brought members of the media in an effort to debunk his claims. “He terminated it [sic] online on Sept. 8, 2017 past 10 p.m. Next page

Ombudsman: We shall not be intimidated

SYMBOLIC TRIBUTE. Some 19,000 students from the Catholic University of Santo Tomas

in Sampaloc, Manila form a sentence ‘My Teacher Is My Hero’ as a symbolic tribute to teachers round the world and to attempt a new Guinness World Records for a Largest Human Sentence at the campus sprawling athletic field. Norman Cruz

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“SORRY, Mr. President but this ofﬁce shall not be intimidated.” With these words, the Ofﬁce of the Ombudsman said Friday it would continue to investigate the wealth of President Rodrigo Duterte and his family despite his threat to launch his own probe of the independent agency.

Duterte had threatened to form a commission to investigate the Ofﬁce of the Ombudsman for its alleged partiality and corruption, after it announced that it was looking into his bank transactions in joint accounts with his children that came to billions of pesos. “You have to be investigated also. One of these days,

I’m coming after you because of your partiality,” Duterte said, addressing the Ofﬁce of the Ombudsman in Filipino on state-run PTV-4 “If you don’t investigate yourselves, I will set up a commission to investigate you.” Duterte had earlier accused the Ombudsman of partiality after learning that Next page

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Zubiri hits Trillanes’ threat By Macon R. Araneta SENATOR Juan Miguel Zubiri on Friday took the cudgels for Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and Senator Richard Gordon amid threats to remove them from their Senate posts. Zubiri, a colleague of Pimentel and Gordon in the majority bloc, said he believes that the two will survive the attack on their integrity and capability to carry out the mandates of their offices by Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. “Their mettle as lawmakers has been tested and as mature politicians they both display what it takes to face the challenges head on. I have full trust and confidence in them to continue in their current positions,” Zubiri said. He said both Pimentel and Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, are doing their jobs well. “And I see no need to replace them,” Zubiri said. On Thursday, Trillanes had threatened to work toward Pimentel’s ouster as Senate president if he did not remove Gordon as chairman of the Blue Ribbon committee, saying Gordon was acting like a defense lawyer for President Rodrigo Duterte. At least 13 votes from the 23-member Senate are needed to remove Pimentel and install a new Senate president, which Lacson said would be “extremely improbable” since the majority bloc remained supportive of Pimentel.

Sayyaf... From A1 “China’s government has nothing to do with it. The Chinese people has nothing to do with it. It’s the gangsters of the Philippines and China,” Duterte said. “It’s the gangsters of the Philippines and China combined. They combined to make the life of the Filipinos miserable,” he added. In his speech on Tuesday, Duterte said two international drug syndicates were engaged in large-scale drug trafficking activities in Southeast Asia and the Americas: The Hong Kong-based 14K and the Taiwan-based United Bamboo Gang, also known as UBG. He said the Philippines was being used as a transshipment point of these groups. He said he had sought help from the United States to help control drug smuggling. Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua earlier denied that he was aware of a Chinese Bamboo Triad, a drug ring operating in the Philippines, and assured local officials that China will not protect criminals. Taiwan has also denied the President’s claims that it is a source of the drugs in the Philippines, with its representative in Manila, Gary Song-Huann Lin, saying he would like to get information on the President’s allegations. John Paolo Bencito and Rio N. Araja

Rody resets deadline on Marawi By John Paolo Bencito

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte gave another self-imposed deadline to completely liberate the besieged city of Marawi before the end of the month. “Today, we are still fighting but I hope that by the end of the month, we’d be able to resolve the issue,” the President said in his speech in Balangiga, Eastern Samar, in an official transcript released Friday. “As I have said, we are all Filipinos and if by the grace of God, we’re able to finish

everything, the business of stopping the rebellion, not necessarily killing, we will be happy.” Meanwhile, Duterte, a fierce critic of the United States, is now singing Washington’s praises for helping him fight pro-Islamic State group militants.

PH... From A1

The senators said the criticism was unjustified, since none of them had been asked to sign the earlier resolution. Liberal Party president Senator Francis Pangilinan said Friday there was no attempt to exclude the pro-administration senators. Pangilinan noted that before the resolution was filed on Monday and read on the Senate floor on Tuesday, his office made the document publicly accessible by posting it on the Senate website and also e-mailed it to the official addresses of Sotto, Gordon, Honasan, Villar, and Zubiri on Sept. 21. He said Gordon even acknowledged the receipt of e-mail on the same day. “This was done to inform them about the resolution and to show the number of signatures, and to ask them if they wanted to sponsor it,” Pangilinan said. “Clearly there was no attempt to keep or withhold the resolution from the seven senators. The Senate rules were followed,” he added. Except for Honasan, the six other senators complained they were criticized unfairly for being “Malacañang dogs in the Senate.” They took their dismay to the Senafe floor and accused their colleagues of putting them in a “bad light” and destroying their names and reputation after they also became the subject of attacks on social media.

On Friday, Malacañang told the Senate there were no statesponsored killings in the Philippines, after seven pro-administration senators released their own resolution condemning the spate of deaths of minors in the government’s war on illegal drugs. Reacting to the resolution, Abella said that several Senate committees themselves had concluded there were no statesponsored killings. “The Executive shares the expressed concern of the Senate on the recent spate of drug-related deaths and similarly condemns extrajudicial killings,” he added. Abella said the Palace welcomes the Senate’s investigations and inquiries on erring police personnel, “as a manifestation of a freely functioning and democratic state mechanism.” Seven administration senators—Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, Manny Pacquiao, Richard Gordon, Vicente Sotto III, Cynthia Villar, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Gregorio Honasan— filed Senate Resolution 518 “condemning in the strongest sense the extrajudicial killings,” after they were bashed on social media for not signing an earlier, similar resolution.

Druggies... From A1 “strongly disagreed” that there are drug suspects who are still being killed despite surrendering. In other developments: • National Capital Region Police Office Chief Oscar Albayalde said Friday the drug suspects surrendering but still being killed were those who had returned to their illegal activities. “Some of them surrender thinking they would be removed from the list, but it doesn’t work that way,” Albayalde said in reaction to the SWS survey. • Albayalde on Friday relieved all the members of the Caloocan police force and replaced them with 1,000 policemen from the NCRPO-RPSB. They will undergo three months of retraining at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan. Albayalde told the 1,000 newly assigned policemen to strictly adhere to discipline so as not to commit mistakes while doing their duty.

’Barangays... From A1

Ombudsman... From A1

in a memorandum circular to barangay chairmen nationwide. Cuy said residents should not be afraid to report the absence of barangay assemblies to higher authorities because “it is a legal action pursuant to Section 61 of Republic Act No. 7160 or Local Government Code, and to Administrative Order No. 07 or the Rules of Procedure of the Office of the Ombudsman.” City and municipal mayors are likewise on the hook, as Cuy ordered them to ensure compliance and maximum participation of all barangay officials in their respective jurisdictions. The Local Government Code mandates that the barangay assembly “shall meet at least twice a year to hear and discuss the semestral report of the barangay concerning its activities and finances as well as problems affecting the barangay.” According to the DILG National Barangay Operations Office, the theme of the barangay assembly day for the second semester of the year is “Nagkakaisang Barangay: Lakas ng Kampanya Kontra sa Iligal na Droga, Krimen at Katiwalian. Makiisa! Makilahok! Makialam! (A united barangay, showing strength in the campaign against illegal drugs, crime and corruption; Unite, participate, get involved!)” John Paolo Bencito

no Liberal Party members were being investigated for their misuse of funds through the Disbursement Acceleration Program, which was struck down as illegal by the Supreme Court. He also sugested that Office of the Ombudsman personnel were taking bribes to make their cases go away. But the Ombudsman said Duterte seemed to be hitting back because he was being investigated. “The President’s announcement that he intends to form a commission to investigate the Ombudsman appears to be a retaliation to our ongoing inves-

UST... From A1 although he declined to elaborate. “Anybody who wants to be placed under the WPP will be evaluated and, if they qualify, we will grant it,” Aguirre said in an interview. “One of their relatives informed us that the victim’s family are [sic] concerned about their safety, but I won’t go into the details,” he said. • The Manila Police District is planning to

“There are so many factors involved. But I’d rather be friendly to them now,” Duterte told residents of Balangiga during a visit, according to an official transcript. Islamic militants waving the black IS flag occupied Marawi on May 23, and have fought off a US-backed military assault for more than four months. Despite the President’s optimism the siege would end in few days, he reiterated that there would be no need to celebrate. “And my orders to the miliVillar said she got the information that two senators—Paolo Benigo Aquino IV of the Liberal Party and Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan were out to destroy them, but she initially refused to believe this. Villar said she would not have declined to sign the resolution if it were presented to her. Sotto, too, insisted he never saw the resolution. Also on Friday, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said one way to fight crime and keep communities safe is through “extrajudicial funding,” which will modernize courts and equip public attorneys and prosecutors with the resources that will reduce case backlogs and move the wheels of justice quickly. Recto said “manpower and material” lack in the judiciary and in the Department of Justice should be addressed “if we want to bolster the rule of law, which is now being threatened by people and institutions tempted to embrace illegal means in seeking justice.” He said the fast disposition of cases will also prevent congested jails from turning “into corporate headquarters of crime syndicates and as masteral schools for their members.” “And because it now costs taxpayers about P82,000 to house, feed, and guard one inmate a year, a higher case resolution rate will result in huge savings which can be spent for social services,” he said.

The proportion of those who agreed that some drug suspects who had already surrendered to the police were still ending up dead was highest in Metro Manila at 75 percent, followed by Mindanao at 63 percent, Balance Luzon at 63 percent and the Visayas at 53 percent. In the same survey, some 17 percent of respondents said they knew someone who was falsely summoned for “Oplan Tokhang,” the government’s flagship antidrug campaign, but was not really a drug pusher, while 83 percent said they did not know anyone. The highest proportion of those who knew someone who had been summoned for Oplan Tokhang despite not being a drug pusher was in Metro Manila at 22 percent, followed by the Visayas at 18 percent and Balance Luzon and Mindanao at 16 percent. Oplan Tokhang, which means “knock and plead,” is a police operation whereby authorities knock on the doors of suspected drug users or pushers and ask them to surrender. President Rodrigo Duterte in late January ordered the PNP to stop its anti-illegal

tigation,” it said. “We will, nonetheless proceed with the probe, as mandated by the Constitution. If the President has nothing to hide, he has nothing to fear,” the Office of the Ombudsman said. The Palace defended Duterte’s threat to investigate the Ombudsman. “The President, as the head of the Executive Department can create commissions to investigate whatever anomaly that will be discovered,” Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo told state radio dzRB in an interview. Panelo said the filing of charges against employees of a state body is consistent with the need for public accountability, even if the body in question is a

file obstruction of justice charges against members of the Aegis Juris Fraternity should police find distorting evidence in the crime scene. “If we get enough evidence that there was a distortion of piece of evidence inside [the frat library], we are contemplating to file an obstruction of justice charges against those who did this,” spokesperson Supt. Erwin Margarejo said in a mix of English and Filipino during a television interview. Margarejo’s statement

He cited the backbreaking caseloads of Justice department prosecutors and public attorneys “as the best arguments on why their offices should be given a budgetary raise.” “One prosecutor handles about 403 criminal cases. He or she attends to three court hearings a day, in addition to preliminary investigations, retrials, witness deposition, mediation, among others,” he said. A public attorney, on the other hand, assists some 5,237 clients a year, and, at any given time, has 504 cases in court. “All of them lack computers, paralegals, law books and comfortable offices. Most use their own computers and often use their own money to reproduce the briefs they have prepared,” Recto said. While there are 1,657 vacant prosecutorial posts, and the present number of 1,668 Public Attorney’s Office lawyers is below the authorized ceiling. “There are no takers because of the low pay for the hard labor, and the only bonus one gets are ‘unli’ death threats,” Recto said. Courts are not faring well either in their running battle against the lack of resources, Recto said. “Courts literally grapple with mountains of paperwork. Far from being magisterial, many courthouses now have the look and smell of an old bodega de papel,” he said.

drug operations after the policemen allegedly involved in an extortion racket kidnapped South Korean businessman Jee Ickjoo, killed him right inside Camp Crame, and had his body cremated in a funeral parlor and his ashes flushed down the toilet. While the opinion surveys showed the Duterte administration’s drug war had widespread public support, it had also come under fire from local and international human rights groups, prompted by the killings of more than 7,000 mainly poor users and pushers―including those that police simply dismissed as “deaths under investigation”―or people found dead in the streets, some appearing to have been killed vigilante-style. The Palace had earlier questioned the way certain questions were framed in the 2nd Quarter 2017 SWS Survey, saying those were “leading and pointed” and “may have unduly influenced the answers of respondents.” The non-commissioned June 2017 Social Weather Survey was conducted from June 23 to 26 using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults and had sampling margin of error at ±3 percent for the national percentages.

constitutional office. “It doesn’t mean that just because you’re a constitutional office, you cannot be investigated. First and foremost, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales is the only one immune from prosecution—she could be removed only with an impeachment complaint. But for the ordinary employees, they could be slapped with charges,” he said, referring to Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang. Panelo said the subsequent denial by the Anti-Money Laundering Council that it provided a report on the President’s bank transactions only showed that Senator Antonio Trillanes IV allegations were false, and that the report by Deputy Om-

was made after police searched the Aegis Juris fraternity library in Sampaloc, Manila and found drops of blood, three wooden paddles, and candles, but failed to turn up hard drives containing recordings of the CCTV camera installed outside the library. The hazing of Castillo is believed to have taken place at the frat library. Aguirre met the Castillo family members on Thursday when the latter requested they be given an audience with President Duterte. Their

tary is that if we win, we do not celebrate any victory in Mindanao. Simply because we are waging a war actually against our own people and it would not look good, especially people who have adopted other religions,” he said. “So I said...you just pack up your things and go silently out of the place,” he added. The President admitted the siege staged by the Islamic State-inspired Maute terrorists was well-planned and the government underestimated their armed capability. He likewise assured the

budsman Arthur Carandang was also false. Panelo had earlier criticized Carandang for making a “premature” disclosure of the documents the Ombudsman is said to be holding, claiming what he did was against the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards of Pubic Officials and Employees. A former lawmaker, meanwhile, said he hoped Duterte’s latest tirade against the Office of the Ombudsman would help jump-start the impeachment complaint he filed against Morales some time ago but which was shelved. Morales, an appointee of former President Benigno Aquino III, is serving a sevenyear term that expires in 2018.

request was granted and the President will meet them on Oct. 4. During their meeting, the Justice secretary admitted that the Castillo family had expressed concerns that those involved in the death of Castillo belonged to wealthy and influential families. “They probably wanted to ask the President to help get justice and not the miscarriage of justice because those behind the crime belong to rich and influential families,” Aguirre said. On Wednesday, the

Department of Justice issued a resolution ordering the release of Aegis Juris Fraternity member John Paul Solano and set the conduct of a preliminary investigation against him and other respondents allegedly involved in Castillo’s fatal hazing. The first preliminary investigation hearing is set on Oct. 4. Margarejo said the recordings would be “material evidence” that could be a basis for filing criminal charges against members of the Aegis Juris fraternity.

Maranaos that he would rebuild Marawi once the fighting was over. The US deployed a P-3 Orion spy plane and provided other intelligence inputs to Philippine forces trying to retake the city in fighting which has left more than 900 people dead. “I would not say that they were our savior, but they are our allies and they helped us. And even today, they have provided the crucial equipment to our soldiers in Marawi to fight the terrorists,” Duterte said Thursday.

“So without their help also, we would be having a hard time,” he said. “So we thank you [the Americans].” Duterte marked the start of his six-year term last year with foul-mouthed rants against the US as he steered his country away from the decades-old alliance while chasing trade and investment from Washington’s rival Beijing. During a visit to China last October Duterte announced his “separation from the United States,” stating he was realigning with China and Russia instead. With AFP

Speaker, 75 solons refile new Moro bill By Maricel V Cruz SPEAKER Pantaleon Alvarez on Friday filed House Bill on the new proposal for a Bangsamoro Basic Law with 75 lawmakers as co-authors of the measure. Alvarez, in filing the bill earlier endorsed by the Palace and for submission to the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, said he would consult first his colleagues on the viability of creating a special ad hoc committee at the House of Representatives to tackle the BBL. Alvarez’s bill proposed putting up institutional arrangements between the central and autonomous government, specifically on the issue of wealth and revenue sharing as well as that intended to ensure the transition of government. Alvarez earlier assured stakeholders the Lower House would do its “part to help find peace in Mindanao.” “Now, more than ever, it is

No... From A1 Manny Pacquiao, Richard Gordon, Vicente Sotto III, Cynthia Villar, Juan Miguel Zubiri and Gregorio Honasan—filed Senate Resolution 518 “condemning in the strongest sense the extrajudicial killings,” after they were bashed on social media for not signing an earlier, similar resolution. The senators said the criticism was unjustified, since none of them had been asked to sign the earlier resolution. Liberal Party president Senator Francis Pangilinan said Friday there was no attempt to exclude the pro-administration senators. Pangilinan noted that before the resolution was filed on Monday and read on the Senate floor on Tuesday, his office made the document publicly accessible by posting it on the Senate website and also emailed it to the official addresses of Sotto, Gordon, Honasan, Villar, and Zubiri on Sept. 21. He said Gordon even acknowledged the receipt of email on the same day. “This was done to inform them about the resolution and to show the number of signatures, and to ask them if they wanted to sponsor it,” Pangilinan said. “Clearly there was no attempt to keep or withhold the resolution from the seven senators. The Senate rules were followed,” he added. Except for Honasan, the six other senators complained they were criticized unfairly for being “Malacañang dogs in the Senate.”

Trillanes’ ... From A1 then left for Singapore,” Duterte said, as he showed documents amounting to SGD 200,000 or more than P7.4 million―showing the transfer of money from Trillanes’ bank accounts. Waving a matrix showing Trillanes’ supposed bank transactions, Duterte showed at least 30 international transfers from various sources to Trillanes’ bank accounts. The details of the bank transactions were aired during the flagship newscast of PTV-4’s evening newscast, but were edited out later when the full interview was aired Friday night. “Yung itong bank account na blue, yun yung nagbigay ng pera. Tapos siguro yun ang nagbigay kasi ano siya, codepositor. Itong mga pera na ito. Arturo Ang Chua, [another

imperative that Filipino Muslims and Christians [are] united amid a new threat coming from Islamist militants, espousing an extremist and violent ideology radically different from Islam’s tenets of peace and bortherhood,” Alvarez earlier said. House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas said on Friday Alvarez’s measure was referred to the House committees on local governments, Muslim affairs and special committee on Peace, Reconciliation and unity for deliberations. Alvarez’ HB 6475 was in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for “just and lasting peace for a unified nation,” former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the first to file the BBL bill, said in filing the bill in the previous Congress. Arroyo, now representing a district in Pampanga, filed the first BBL bill in the 17th Congress, through House Bill 6121 or the “Basic Act for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region.” They took their dismay to the Senafe floor and accused their colleagues of putting them in a “bad light” and destroying their names and reputation after they also became the subject of attacks on social media. Villar said she igot the information that two senators-Paolo Benigo Aquino IV of the Liberal Party and Risa Hontiveros of Akbayan were out to destroy them, but she initially refused to believe this. Villar said she would not have declined to sign the resolution if it were presented to her. Sotto, too, insisted he never saw the resolution. Also on Friday, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said one way to fight crime and keep communities safe is through “extra-judicial funding,” which will modernize courts and equip public attorneys and prosecutors with the resources that will reduce case backlogs and move the wheels of justice quickly. Recto said “manpower and material” lack in the judiciary and in the Department of Justice should be addressed “if we want to bolster the rule of law, which is now being threatened by people and institutions tempted to embrace illegal means in seeking justice.” He said the fast disposition of cases will also prevent congested jails from turning “into corporate headquarters of crime syndicates and as masteral schools for their members.” “And because it now costs taxpayers about P82,000 to house, feed, and guard one inmate a year, a higher case resolution rate will result in huge savings which can be spent for social services,” he said. name], Michelle Sy, Patrick Go. International transfer, kita niyo amount. John Gomez,” Duterte said in Filipino. Showing snippets, some of the international transfers of an undisclosed currency, came from the following bank transactions: March 17, 2016 worth 8,552.45 from CITIBANK N A - DUBAI MN BR, with account number 77529 11048 003 from a certain JOHN D GOMEZ March 29, 2016 worth 20,572.58 from BANK OF CHINA - SHANGHAI BR, with account number 55289 03781 25 6 from a certain ZHAO WU JIAN May 2, 2016 worth 12,361.90 from AUB - SHANGHAI BR, with account number 38105 26647 1 58 from a certain OLIVER RHODES May 17, 2016 worth 15,992.15 from MAY BANK ―JOHOR BR, with account number 44019 71048 0 26 from a certain SHIEN NIY BEE

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Balangiga descendants deserve medals — Du30

BI officer who returned cash lauded AN HONEST immigration officer demonstrated a “noble example” when he returned US$1,900 in cash or equivalent to P95,000 left by a passenger at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Reimond Abegail Lagman, Immigration Officer I, who earns less than P20,000 a month, did not think twice in returning the money despite the need for him to pay his debt and other personal bills, according to Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente. He said that those who perform good deeds are more likely to have better physical endurance and also leads to a more satisfying life in various other ways. BI Port operations chief Marc Red Mariñas said that Lagman found the money while he was manning the officer- ofthe-day counter at the Naia 3 immigration arrival area. “He noticed a white envelope containing 19 pieces of 100 US dollar bills that a passenger, whose identity is not yet known, left in front of her,” Mariñas said. Vito Barcelo

Enhance OFWs’ welfare, Villar says SENATOR Cynthia Villar yesterday urged the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment to enhance welfare protection for overseas Filipino workers especially domestic workers, citing the case of Joramie Garcia Torres who was scalded with boiling oil and beaten up by her Malaysian employer. Villar asked the DFA to extend legal and humanitarian assistance to Torres as she attends court hearings and pursues a criminal case against her employer in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. “We all should be proud and supportive of Joramie because she is intent on seeking justice under Malaysian law. While she cooperates with the Malaysian government, I hope that the DFA and DoLE can also assist her indigent family,”Villar said. The senator noted that Torres was a grade school teacher prior to applying to work abroad as a domestic worker in Malaysia. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Angara files bill on school safety SENATOR Sonny Angara is pushing for the passage of a bill that seeks to put in place tighter security measures in all colleges and universities in the country. Senate Bill 946 mandates all higher education institutions and technical vocational institutions to establish a Crime Prevention Committee to formulate policies and strategies that would help protect the academic community from both internal and external threat to their safety and security, such as theft, robbery, rape and other forms of violence. He said schools should be conducive to learning and intellectual discourse, not venues for violence and crime. Macon Ramos-Araneta

By John Paolo Bencito

MLQU’S PRIDE. The Manuel L. Quezon University family confers on former Philippine Export Zone Authority director general Lilia de Lima the prestigious

Lifetime Achievement Award for her outstanding feat in winning the 2017 Magsaysay Laureate in simple ceremonies at the Victoria Sports Tower in Quezon City. Photo shows (from left): Thelma Avenido, wife of Dr. Rogelio M. Avenido; Amador P. Alvendia, Dean Emeritus MLQU School of Law Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno, ret.; De Lima, MLQU Alumni Association president lawyer Pete S. Principe, lawyer Nestor P. Ifurung, and MLQU president Dr. Isagani G. Germar. The MLQUAA will hold on Nov. 11 its grand reunion at the Wack Wack Golf Club in Mandaluyong City.

‘One-way-all-the-way’ traffic scheme proposed By Maricel V. Cruz, Joel E. Zurbano and Rio N. Araja

N THE absence of the needed infrastructure and efﬁcient public transportation system such as elevated highways and subways, an administration lawmaker on Friday proposed that trafﬁc managers should now consider adopting the “one-wayall-the-way” scheme similar to what is being used in New York City.

Samar Rep. Edgar Mary Sarmiento said that the roads in Metro Manila are being used beyond capacity. And with the different construction activities lined up for President Duterte’s Build, Build, Build Program, Metro Manila trafﬁc will not only worsen but might become truly standstill. Sarmiento, member of the House of Representatives’ committee on transportation, said government trafﬁc managers such as the Metro Manila Development Authority, the Department of Transportation and the PNP-Highway Patrol Group could ease Metro Manila’s

trafﬁc woes by turning its three major road arteries into full one-way highways. “Our trafﬁc situation is a multi-dimensional problem that has evolved and accrued through the years. While other countries in the region opted for tenement buildings and railway systems, we followed the American model of bungalows and highways. So we cannot just blame one cause alone, like lack of discipline among drivers or the presence of colorum PUVs plying our roads,” Sarmiento, an engineer, said. “Edsa was built in the 1940s when the population

Vitriolo’s dismissal stands; Palace disregards CA order MALACAÑANG said on Friday that it would still enforce the dismissal of former Commission on Higher Education executive director Julito Vitriolo despite his insistence to resume his functions following a Court of Appeals decision reinstating him. In a news briefing Thursday, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that “the decision or order of the Ombudsman remains executory, notwithstanding any other decision of the Court of Appeals, which has not yet attained finality,” citing guidance from the Office of the Executive Secretary and the Senior Deputy Executive Secretary. Abella’s pronouncement comes after a Sept. 19 official communication from acting executive secretary Menardo I. Gueverra to CHED, ordering CHED to affirm Vitriolo’s dismissal. Malacañang explained that “[a]s a rule, a judgment, final order, or resolution rendered by the CA may only be executed upon its finality. In the exceptional circumstances

where the CA itself orders its decision to be immediately executory, they remain subject to the provisions on discretionary execution.” CHED chairperson Patricia Licuanan maintained that Karol Mark Yee, who was appointed by the Palace last July, will remain as Executive Director. Licuanan had earlier released a directive recognizing Yee as the Executive Director of the Commission, stating that all memoranda issued and circulated, documents transmitted, and communication signed by Vitriolo “shall have no legal effect whatsoever and is considered null and void ab initio.” Vitriolo was dismissed last January 2017 by the Office of the Ombudsman after being found guilty of grave misconduct, gross neglect of duty, incompetence and inefficiency. The Court of Appeals modified the decision of the Ombudsman in August, finding the penalty of dismissal to be harsh and reducing the same to a one month suspension. John Paolo Bencito

in Metro Manila was only 1.7 million. Seventy-seven years later, the most needed infrastructure to support a rapidly growing metropolis and population—now totaling around 13 million in the National Capital Region—were never proportionately built for one reason or another,” Sarmiento said. Since Edsa can no longer be widened, Sarmiento said that it should be turned into a purely northbound superhighway from

Caloocan to Pasay City with bi-directional service roads on its opposite sides that will be for the exclusive use of the Bus Rapid Transit System. To accommodate northbound vehicles coming from Pasay City, Parañaque and Cavite, portions of Roxas Boulevard passing through C3 and C4 would also be turned into a one-way highway. Vehicles coming from Muntinlupa and Laguna going northbound to Quezon

City, Bulacan and Pampanga, on the other hand, can use the C-5 road, which will be also turned purely as a northbound expressway. Sarmiento said his proposal might look too drastic but at the rate things are going, Metro Manila’s trafﬁc problem could get really out of hand once the government starts constructing other big ticket projects in Metro Manila such as the proposed Metro subway system and the additional elevated train systems.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is willing to confer the Order of Lapu-Lapu on families who are descendants of the Balangiga tribesmen who fought colonial powers during the Philippine-American War of 1901. “Kung malaman ko lang kung sino ‘yan sila lahat, bigyan ko ng ano [medals]. Totoo. It’s still possible to trace the families, descendants? May I kindly request you to do some research?” Duterte told local chief executives of Balangiga in his visit to the Eastern Samar town Thursday. “They deserve the medals. Without necessarily, you know… America will understand that,” Duterte said. “In honor of these poor souls na [who]–they did not want maybe to be under a foreign power. Tama ‘yan. Tama ang ginawa ninyo. Kung nandito rin ako [That was right. They did the right thing. I would have done the same],” he added. The Balangiga encounter transpired on Sept. 28, 1901 when the locals of the municipality attacked the American soldiers, particularly Company C of the 9th United States Infantry Regiment. The attack, led by Capt. Valeriano Abanador and signaled by the tolling of bells, caused fatalities to the American soldiers. Taken by the American troops as war booties, the Balangiga bells are now at the Camp Red Cloud, US Base in South Korea, and at the former base of the 11th Infantry Regiment at F.E. Warren Air Force Base at Cheyenne, Wyoming in USA.

Opinion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

Adelle Chua, Editor

Within sight of land

ORE than a dozen people, mostly children, drowned in the latest incident of a capsized boat off Bangladesh Thursday. Many are missing.

These are Rohingya, fleeing to Bangladesh from Rakhine state in Myanmar where they face violent persecution. The United Nations says the number of people trying to escape violence has breached 500,000. According to witnesses, the boat containing about 100 people was near the shore when it capsized. They could see it approaching—but the waters were rough and rain and winds

lashed at the frigate. After a while, bodies began washing ashore. International organizations deplore the fact that women and children—the most vulnerable segments of the population—comprise the bulk of those fleeing the violence at home. The military in Myanmar has been cracking down on the Rohingya whom they do not count as belonging to their people. Murders and burn-

ing of villages have been reported. Bangladesh, facing woes of its own, struggles with the influx of refugees. It tries to provide basic necessities to the refugees through its government and international organizations, but it has its own constraints. The conflict has been there since 2012 but this August humanitarian organizations were forced to pull out because of heightened military operation in the Northern Myanmar state. Meanwhile, we can only look on. There has not been any

adequate pressure on the military to stop the violence. Myanmar is home to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, but now, as a major figure in government, her hands appear tied. She spoke about the crisis for the first time last week but her statements were full of half-truths and falsehoods, according to media organizations that conducted a fact check on her words. Perhaps she genuinely believes what she is saying, or she knows the stakes are just too high. After all much change has taken place in her country over the past

few years. Myanmar’s Asean neighbors, including the Philippines, are also not inclined to bring up the awkward topic. Meanwhile, people are dying staying, or dying fleeing. It is perhaps symbolic that this latest capsizing incident happened while the people on the boat were actually so near land. We wonder how much longer the people have to suffer, or how much longer the world can train its attention on them before thinking nothing of what is happening simply because we’ve gotten used to it. HAIL TO THE CHAIR VICTOR AVECILLA

Hontiveros, Lim and Uson

Funding the RH law POWER POINT ELIZABETH ANGSIOCO FILIPINOS raised a big howl when the House of Representatives gave the Commission on Human Rights a budget of P1,000.00. Because of the backlash, the HOR restored the CHR budget but cut it by P100 million. This time, people seemed to have accepted the cut. However, because of the very important responsibilities that the CHR must perform, (especially at a time when the State is accused of human rights violations) the Senate should see to it that the cut budget is restored. We hope that senators who promised to fight for the CHR’s budget will be true to their word. After all, the CHR is a

Constitutional body and as such, should be provided with the needed funds to fulfill its mandate. It is no secret that the CHR is supposed to investigate human rights violations allegedly perpetrated by government. In terms of human rights, the State is the duty bearer, meaning, it is the first party in ensuring that human rights and freedoms of its citizens, who are the rightsholders, are respected and upheld. The CHR has been under fire from Duterte and its allies for doing its role. It is accused of being unduly biased against the administration which, by the way, wants it (the CHR) to also investigate crimes that are supposed to be handled by the police and the National Bureau of Investigations. On the other hand, the Philippine National Police, the same uniformed force

some scrupulous elements of which has killed thousands of suspected drug users and pushers, has asked for an additional P900 million for its controversial “Tokhang” operation. This is in the pur-

Do not let the women down again.

suit of President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs.” The HOR readily approved this without batting an eyelash. It is as if it is but natural for people get killed during “tokhang” without the benefit of due process. It is ironic that the people’s money can very well

be used against them. Moreover, the very controversial Presidential Communications Operations Office also asked for an additional budget of P245 million supposedly for a media literacy program to fight fake news. It will be recalled that one major reason for the controversies surrounding PCOO is that some people associated with the same office have been found to propagate fake news themselves. Besides, it is incumbent upon the PCOO to hire people who are already qualified for the job they apply for instead of spending almost P250 million to train those who cannot do what they are supposed to do. It would seem that getting the budget one wants is easy for allies no matter if they are remiss in their responsibilities, but very difficult for those who are per-

ceived as critical of Duterte and his pet project which is the bloody war on drugs. This brings me to the issue of funding the reproductive health law. This should not be a problem since it is common knowledge that Duterte is pro-RH. He even issued Executive Order 12 on Zero Unmet Need for Family Planning, and went on to criticize Chief Justice Sereno during his last State of the Nation Address for the Temporary Restraining Order issued against contraceptives, specifically subdermal implants Implanon and Implanon NXT. Thus, the RH law should easily have the budget it needs. While the TRO is yet to be lifted, RH advocates are confident that the RH law can at last be fully implemented soon. The Department of Health and the

Food and Drugs Administration are almost through with the process of complying with the Supreme Court orders. The SC said that once compliance is complete and the FDA has issued certification (which means that contraceptives are not abortifacient), then the TRO is deemed lifted. The FDA has already conducted hearings as required by the SC. It is, therefore, reasonable to expect the FDA to promulgate its decision on specific contraceptives including subdermal implants soon. The Health Department for its part should be ready with this eventuality. After all, implementation of the RH law’s provisions on family planning has been quite weak because of the numerous legal hurdles the law faced. The DoH should have the budget it needs to go

SENATOR Risa Hontiveros ought to improve her knowledge of the law on privacy. After a Senate hearing held two weeks ago, Hontiveros was livid to learn that Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II was exchanging mobile telephone text messages purportedly with a former member of the House of Representatives from Negros Oriental. The correspondence suggested that the witness testifying before the investigation committee was coached by the Hontiveros camp, and that Hontiveros ought to be charged in court for doing so. Hontiveros alleged that the correspondence was discovered after a video clip of the display screen of Aguirre’s mobile phone was accidentally taken by a news cameraman covering the hearing, and that after the clip was enlarged, the text message correspondence became evident. After the senator obtained a copy of the correspondence, she decried Aguirre’s plan to pursue cases against her. For that, Hontiveros demanded the resignation of Aguirre as Justice secretary. Aguirre, in turn, threatened to take legal action against Hontiveros for her role in the dissemination of his mobile phone correspondence, on the ground that the unauthorized publicity constituted an invasion of his constitutional right to privacy of his correspondence. Hontiveros faces an uphill legal battle on the issue of privacy. Assuming that Hontiveros’ tale is true, that a news cameraman “accidentally” took a video clip of the display screen of Aguirre’s mobile phone, Hontiveros must explain why the video clip was enlarged to the point that the correspondence became legible. Taking a video clip of the people present at a senate hearing who happen to be using their mobile phones is one thing;

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Opinion Hontiveros,... From A4

enlarging the video clip to learn about the contents of the mobile phone text correspondence is something else. The first one is excusable; the second one is an act of eavesdropping which constitutes a breach of the privacy of correspondence which Aguirre is entitled to under the Constitution. As a senator who has taken an oath to support and defend the Constitution, Hontiveros should have known that. Hontiveros will likely claim that she learned of Aguirre’s text message correspondence in good faith because it was handed over to her without her asking for it. Even so, Hontiveros should have known that the video clip was visually enlarged in violation of the constitutional right of Aguirre. Despite her knowledge that the video clip was illegally acquired, Hontiveros used it against Aguirre. That’s bad faith plain and simple. In addition, Hontiveros’ insistence that Aguirre resign because of the latter’s threat to sue her, is baseless. In her intoxication with power, Hontiveros failed to realize that any person who is aware of any wrongdoing done by a public official has the right, and the legal obligation even, to file a complaint against that public official. Since Hontiveros is a public official, there is nothing illegal about Aguirre’s purported plan to file cases against her for whatever wrongdoing Aguirre believes she has committed. Perhaps, Hontiveros should spare some time to read and understand the Constitution. That way, she can avoid public criticism for her baseless and unfounded accusations. *** Danny Lim, the new chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, has miserably failed to solve the daily traffic bottleneck at the northbound lane of Edsa, near the approach to the Edsa-Crame flyover. Northbound traffic in that area from 6 in the morning until midnight on working days always reaches a standstill because vehicles turning left to Serrano Avenue (Santolan Road) use the center lane of Edsa under the flyover, thus blocking the way of vehicles further headed north. To eliminate the bottleneck, vehicles headed left to Santolan should be made to take the rightmost lane of Edsa across the corner gate

Funding... From A4

full blast in its family planning program as soon as the TRO is lifted.

The law mandates that all legal family planning methods should be provided to those who want or need to use them, especially the poor. All options must be made available. It will be remembered that subdermal implants became an instant favorite of women when it was introduced and before the TRO was issued. This is because it is easy to administer and is effective for three years. Once you have it, you can forget about it until three years after when you need to decide whether to stop using it or have a new one for another three years. The problem with subdermal implants is it is expensive. If a woman goes to a private doctor for it, it can cost her from eight to fifteen thousand including the doctor’s fees. Defiitely, poor women will not be able to afford this. Government can and should provide the service to poor women. Thus, the DoH budget is crucial. The beautiful thing about funding the RH law is the fact that it has a very thoroughly studied budget requirement. Former Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral who now heads the National Implementation Team of the RH law has initiated the study of budgets needed for the RH law’s implementation. This is called the Costed Implementation Plan. This outlines the needed money to achieve the objectives of the RH law and EO 12. Thus, nobody can say that budget

of Camp Aguinaldo. The road cones installed by the MMDA on many segments of Edsa are not reflectorized. At night, especially on rainy ones, these road cones are traffic hazards and can cause accidents. Does Lim have to wait for a road accident to occur before he attends to this problem? Maybe Lim will act only after an injured motorist sues him in court for malfeasance. Pedicabs still eat up road space along Quezon Avenue near Edsa because there are no MMDA traffic enforcers in the area. They are busy elsewhere looking for vehicles violating the number coding regulation, especially those driven by motorists who have plenty of money to spare. Perhaps, Lim is too busy monitoring the developments in the quarrel of his fellow ex-mutineers, namely, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and ex-Customs chief Nicanor Faeldon. It is also possible that Lim is preparing for the annual Metropolitan Manila film festival set for this December. No wonder the traffic mess in the metropolis remains a problem. *** The strong-willed Esther Margaux “Mocha” Uson, a staunch supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, and who is now a member of Duterte’s Cabinet, has been criticized for having performed in a show at one of the casinos in Pasay City. Her critics invoked a law which prohibits government officials from going to gambling casinos. Uson’s critics are hypocritical and selective. Many government officials are often seen in gambling casinos. There was a time when a sitting vice president was caught on video at the gambling table, and he was not even reprimanded for it. Apparently, the purpose of the law is to discourage government officials from gambling. The law also assumes that government officials who frequent gambling casinos may be tempted to commit corrupt practices just to maintain their gambling habit. If that is the rationale for the law, there seems to be no reason why Uson, who went to the casino not to gamble but to perform in a show outside of office hours, should be chastised. Since the presence of casinos in the country encourages gambling among Filipinos, government officials or otherwise, the government should prohibit all casino operations, period. requests are invented or without basis. The big problem is, the HOR-approved 2018 DOH budget has ZERO budgets for condoms and subdermal implants! Upon scrutiny, it was found out that for reasons unknown to RH advocates, the DOH actually did not request any budget for these FP supplies. This can create problems in 2018 and early 2019. Perhaps the DOH thought that its present supplies will be enough but it is quite possible that supplies will run out. There are approximately 500,000 units of implants in storage because of the TRO. Part of this will expire in June 2018. Conservative estimates say that there are at least six million women with unmet need for family planning. Once the TRO is lifted (and this will be soon), groups will go full blast in implementation. The 500,000 might not last long. And DOH did not allocate budgets for implants. Per the CIP, for 2018, P258.2 million is needed for implants and P148.7 million is needed for condoms. Again, the RH law’s implementation may suffer for lack of budget. The Senate has yet to approve its version of the GAA. RH advocates are calling on the senators to put the needed allocations in the DoH budget. Millions of women need family planning and the RH law mandates that adequate budgets should be provided. Please do not let the women down again. be tha ngsioco @g mail . com @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

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Abuse of power in impeachment THIS is the first of a series of columns on the Sereno impeachment proceedings now being conducted in the House of Representatives. I am not a member of the legal team of the Chief Justice nor do I speak for her; my interest in the case is as an independent and non-partisan observer. Although Meilou Sereno was my college classmate in Ateneo de Manila and my professor and faculty colleague in the University of the Philippines College of Law (UP Law), my interest in this impeachment is mainly as a constitutional law professor, teaching this important subject in seven law schools—UP Law, Ateneo Law School, the De La Salle University College of Law, Xavier University College of Law, Polytechnic University of the Philippines College of Law, and in the graduate schools of law of San Beda and Pamantasan Lungsod ng Maynila. As a constitutional law professor, I want this impeachment done right. We didn’t do it right with Corona and Estrada; we cannot afford to do it wrong again. In the prefatory statement of her Answer to the verified Complaint for impeachment filed by Atty. Lorenzo T. Gadon before the House of Representatives, Committee on Justice, Chief Justice Sereno, as respondent, contends that the House of Representatives abuses the power of impeachment by exercising it without legal and factual basis. Further

she states that by doing so, it would place a co-equal branch at its mercy and imperil the very existence of our democratic form of government- a government which rests on the principle of independence and equality of the three branches of government. Sereno asserts that the charges must be dismissed not only because they are totally false but also because they do not constitute the grounds for impeachment under the Constitution. According to her, the six grounds for impeachment under the Constitution are severe grounds of such gravity that they undermine the life and operations of the government. They do not include trivial causes nor do they include acts done in good faith. If the grounds for impeachment could be trivialized to include any ground which Congress may consider fit, the fate of the judiciary would be subjected to the whims of Congress, she adds. Her Answer enumerates 8 broad categories of charges contained in the Complaint, and these are: 1) charges of falsification and usurpation of the Supreme Court’s administrative power, which are no more than administrative disputes over the correct interpretation of the SC’s circulars, including the SC Human Resource Manual, or observance of internal processes; 2) supposed inaction on petitions for retirement benefits; 3) issues regarding the proper interpretation and implementation of the internal rules of the Judicial and Bar Council particularly the unanimity rule and the practice of clustering; 4) a supposedly questionable procurement that was

actually allowed under the rules of the Department of Budget and Management and approved by the SC en banc; 5) allegedly extravagant lifestyle, including foreign travels of staff which again arise from the disagreement on the proper interpretation of certain provision of SC circulars including the Human Resource Manual; 6) supposed improper interference with lower courts; 7) supposed disagreeable letters and speeches; and, 8) an utterly baseless charge of failure to disclose in the Sworn Statement of Assets and Liabilities, and Net Worth and the Income Tax Return. Sereno insists that all of these charges are bereft of basis in law and in fact. According to Sereno, these charges are outrageous against the backdrop of big achievements of the judiciary under her leadership. She enumerates some of the ground-breaking reforms which the SC has spearheaded under her leadership since she assumed office in 2012. These include: First, the institutionalization of various transparency and integrity measures to restore the public’s belief in the judiciary exemplified by the SC website which is now compliant with the Transparency Seal; financial documents are now available for viewing by the general public; publication of the Ulat Hudikatura, the developments of the Judiciary’s reform agenda, among others. Second, the undertaking of initiatives to ensure rational, predictable, speedy and appropriate judicial actions, including initiatives to increase legal aid

to the poor; small claims cases; nationwide conduct of continuous trial in criminal cases; additional 240 drug courts to address an increase in drug cases; implementation of measures to address jail decongestion; provided budget for 48 new Family Courts and many more. Third, the updating of the Enterprise Information Systems Plan, and the implementation of the E-Courts and automated hearing projects. The EISP systematizes and automates the raffling, processing and management of cases, and other administrative processes. Hard infrastructure projects have also been prioritized such as the professional warehousing of case records. It is also during the administration of CJ Sereno that the SC acquired a titled land and future building in Fort Bonifacio, Global City. She has been conducting various management meetings with key members and officials of the judiciary; streamlining court processes; establishing accounts reconciliation mechanisms to ensure uniform and modern financial processes and accounting procedures for the entire Judiciary; and the like. Finally, she introduced measures to professionalize the selection, promotion and evaluation of Judiciary employees by implementing a performance-based evaluation, rewards, discipline and promotions system, including the approval of the Revised Guidelines for the Implementation of a Strategic Performance Management System, the availment of more local and foreign training for court officials and personnel.

It is also during her watch that the JBC has improved all of its assessment tools, reaching out for inputs by stakeholders, such as the practicing bar; opened to the public interviews for high level positions and streamlined and computerized all its processes. She initiated the establishment of improved consultation and goals-targeting mechanisms to rationalize the requirements for admission and maintenance of good standing in the bar, such as the bar examinations, Mandatory Continuing Legal Education, IBP membership and the like. In the next four columns, I will lay out the Sereno defense in the specific charges levelled against her. I will illustrate the lack of basis of the impeachment and why the Committee on Justice and plenary of the House of Representatives must dismiss the charges at the earliest opportunity. In my view, there is no chance that impeachment will prosper in the Senate. All the Senators will act independently and with wisdom here and because of that, I am confident Sereno will not only get the minimum votes so the two third’s majority for conviction is not reached but she will get a majority of Senators to vote for her acquittal. To bring the impeachment to the Senate for trial, where there is no basis for the charges, is going to be an abuse of power. Hopefully, the Chair and members of the Committee on Justice and the House of Representatives as a body will see that and end this process quickly. Facebook: deantonylavs Twitter: tonylavs

Digong’s democratic revolution BACKBENCHER ROD P. KAPUNAN THE yellow opposition which is an amalgam of dregs led by corrupt politicians, carpetbagging and monopolistic oligarchy, zealot and bigoted clergy, rightists and putschists, bogus leftists, strugglers of the discredited ideology, imperialist trolls disguising as human rights crusaders and outright traitors all center their attacks on the issue of human rights and extrajudicial killings. They would not talk to educate our people to attain a better quality of life. They would not talk about the economy to liberate our people from poverty. They do not even want to talk about ideology because all they do is extol on political rhetoric. But reality would us tell that economics is the substance of politics, and when people are hyperactive in minding their political affairs, it is because they are being disenfranchised from enjoying it. Notably, when capitalists prevent the State from doing business, it is an oligarchic system. When the State prevents the oligarchy from doing business, it is called socialism. When the State is allowed to compete with private business, it is “free enterprise” in its truest sense of the word. Hence, when Marcos conceived the idea of a Revolution from the Center, he initiated a democratic revolution by putting economic matter into

the political soul instead of just craving for the soul without the matter. There is nothing wrong with it except that the oligarchy and the communists wanted it their own way. Setting aside the economic sabotage waged by the oligarchy, the US imperialists and their mascots represented by the clerics and of Sison’s brand of Maoism, the Marcos program resulted in a balanced economy because he allowed the sharing of progress to all the social classes in society. It was not an orthodox method of imposing absolute equality but one of giving greater opportunity to the less fortunate members of society. Marcos knew, as President Duterte now realizes, that progress will never be appreciated if it is not democratized. To make it possible, progress has to be made tangible and accessible to the people. Free education for the students, medicines for the indigent patients and irrigation for our farmers, increased social security benefits for our workers, increased salary for the defenders of the Motherland are just the start in what President Duterte has in store for them, which reason why the disenfranchised masa have been reinvigorated into participating in the political process. As Marcos observed during his administration, democracy is more about the economy than about politics. Between equality and inequality, the role of the State is crucial in order to translate democracy to

one of economics. It is not about the votes of the people that will give them the opportunity but the State to come out with a mechanism to improve their lives for the better. Modern economists realize that equality will not bring about democracy as seen by the failure of Marxist socialism because it deprived people of their initiative to advance. To Marcos, opportunity to economically advance is the median between the extremes of inequality and inequality. It is democratic because the choice is still in the individual with

Reality would tell us that economics is the substance of politics.

the State providing the scaffold to enhance his opportunity. This is what that famous Korean economist, Ha joon Chang, wrote in his book, “The 25 Things They Don’t Tell Us about Capitalism.” Opportunity has to be redefined in such a way to increase the chances of the people to advance and participate, and that what makes politics meaningful and substantive. In contrast, socialism tends to simplify things by equalizing the economic structure which is undemocratic because of the element of pres-

sure. Marcos, on the other hand, tried to reach a compromise not by applying the reverse formula of depriving the oligarchy of their wealth but in allowing the State to play a pivotal role in increasing the people’s economic opportunities. For instance, instead of taking the orthodox route of nationalizing the oil industry, despite the fact that oil is strategic to our national interest, he advanced the formula of allowing the government participate in business to redefine to the fullest the meaning of free enterprise. Marcos saw no contradiction in the formula inasmuch that free enterprise is in essence “free competition”. Government entry deterred foreign oil companies from arbitrarily increasing their prices, which effectively served as a natural cartel breaker. Foreign oil companies could not increase their prices because a party that refuses to join the cartel could capture their customers. In that, government competition compelled oil companies to maintain to a minimum level the price of their products. That forced private oil companies to do away all their extra expenses that added to the cost of production. In politics, democracy is healthy to a given governmental system because issues are decided by the majority. In like manner, the democratization of the economy is good because it helps increase their opportunity to enjoy the fruits of progress. The government, as a competi-

tor, helps keep the cost of production to a very low level. This, in turn, allowed manufacturers to lower their prices. Maybe profit is at a marginal level but it should be seen as part of the economic democratization process. John Maynard Keynes is a believer himself that the market should be regulated to overcome the unwanted cycle in capitalist economies. It was during this period when the US economy prospered. A company that enjoys lower production cost is likely to increase its market share because of lower prices. That effectively allows the company to hire more workers to cope up with increased production. In that situation, the company enjoys what David Ricardo termed as “comparative advantage.” Increased sales is only incidental. Economic democratization is more concerned in increasing the chances of employment. Wage is a fair and square way of spreading wealth. This is democratic revolution envisioned by Marcos. Goods need not even be socialized but only need to be regulated to make them affordable to our people. He was able to witness this when he instituted regulatory controls on the prices of oil, tuition fee, water, electricity, toll fees and the on prices of staple food like rice, improved Medicare, institutionalized the Pag-IBIG housing loan and 13th month pay, to name a few. (r p k a p u n a n @ g m a i l . com)

World

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

Ex-banker sentenced to death over fraud HANOI―An ex-banker was sentenced to death on Friday for his role in a massive fraud case involving millions of dollars of illegal loans, in a scandal that reaches deep inside Vietnam’s corruption-riddled ﬁnancial system. A co-conspirator also received life in prison in a dramatic capping of a month-long trial involving 51 bankers and businessmen―part of an anti-corruption drive that critics say is also sweeping up the political enemies of Vietnam’s communist leaders. Former Ocean Bank general director Nguyen Xuan Son, who later became chairman of the powerful state oil ﬁrm PetroVietnam, was sentenced to death for embezzlement, abuse of power and economic mismanagement. The bank’s ex-chairman Ha Van Tham, once one of Vietnam’s richest men, was jailed for life on the same charges, as well as violating lending rules. He was convicted of illegally approving a $23 million loan in 2012. Also mentioned in the verdict was PetroVietnam’s acquisition of a $35-million stake in the bank. It was later written off when the central bank bought Ocean Bank for $0 in 2015. Both men left the courthouse stone-faced after the verdict. “Tham and Son’s behavior is very serious, infringing on the management of state [assets] and causing public grievances, which requires strict punishment,” said judge Truong Viet Toan. AFP

US envoy’s comment criticized JERUSALEM―The US ambassador in Tel Aviv has angered Palestinians with a comment downplaying Israel’s 50-year occupation of the West Bank, the second such spat in a month. In a video interview with Israeli news site Walla, broadcast in full on Friday, ambassador David Friedman said the Jewish state is “only occupying two percent of the West Bank”. It brought an angry response from Palestine Liberation Organization secretary general Saeb Erekat after an excerpt from the interview was aired on Thursday evening. “Israel is internationally recognized as the occupying power over 100 percent of Palestine, including in and around occupied east Jerusalem,” Erekat said. He said Friedman’s latest comment was “not only false and misleading but contradicts international law, United Nations resolutions and also the historical US position”. “It is not the ﬁrst time that Mr David Friedman has exploited his position as US ambassador to advocate and validate the Israeli government’s policies of occupation and annexation,” Erekat added. Early in September, Friedman caused a stir when in an interview with the Jerusalem Post he referred to the “alleged occupation”. A US ofﬁcial told AFP then that the ambassador’s comment “does not represent a shift in US policy”. This time too, the State Department appeared to distance itself from its envoy. AFP

Trial to shed light on Kim Jong-Nam’s airport assassination KUALA LUMPUR―Two women accused of the Cold War-style assassination of the half-brother of North Korea’s leader go on trial next week, possibly lifting the lid on the mysterious murder in Malaysia that sparked a diplomatic crisis. The defendants have barely been seen in public since their arrest just days after the murder of Kim Jong-Nam on February 13 as

he waited to board a plane to Macau at Kuala Lumpur airport. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong are accused of rubbing toxic VX nerve agent in his face in a hit that stunned the world and sparked a ﬁerce row between North Korea and Malaysia, which had been one of Pyongyang’s few allies amid the global alarm over the country’s atomic weapons program.

Kim died an agonizing death about 20 minutes after the attack, which was caught on airport CCTV as the VX―a chemical so deadly it is listed as a weapon of mass destruction―rapidly overcame his central nervous system. The women―who may face the death penalty if convicted―say they were duped, and believed they were taking part in a prank for a reality TV show.

Defense lawyers have claimed the real culprits have now left Malaysia and that the trial of the two women is motivated by the prosecution’s desire to secure any sort of conviction in the case. Their only appearances since February have been at heavily guarded court dates, with the diminutive pair dwarfed by heavily armed police as they have been ushered into hearings wearing

ﬂack jackets and handcuffs in front of the world’s media. The closely-watched trial will start Monday at Sham Alam High Court, just outside Kuala Lumpur, with Aisyah, 25, and Huong, 29, expected to plead not guilty before the prosecution begins presenting their case. There are still many unanswered questions surrounding the murder.

O. J. Simpson to be freed L

OS ANGELES―Disgraced American football star O.J. Simpson, whose racially charged 1995 murder trial riveted the nation, is expected to be released from prison as early as Monday after nine years behind bars for armed robbery.

FESTIVAL. This picture taken on September 28, 2017 shows Indian folk dancers performing while observing ‘Atham’ during the Navratri festival at the Gandhinagar Cultural Forum venue in Gandhinagar, some 30 km from Ahmedabad. AFP

Myanmar urged to end ‘nightmare’ as 19 refugees drown COX’S BAZAR―UN chief Antonio Guterres exhorted Myanmar’s leaders to end the “nightmare” faced by the Rohingya refugees ﬂeeing an army campaign, after at least 19 people drowned with scores more feared dead when a boat carrying Rohingya families capsized off Bangladesh. More than half a million

Rohingya Muslims have poured into Bangladesh in the last month, ﬂeeing a vicious Myanmar military crackdown on Rohingya rebels that has gutted villages across northern Rakhine state. Scores have drowned while trying to cross waters separating the two countries, while those who survive face new dangers as

they cram into squalid refugee settlements where food and clean water are in short supply. The billowing humanitarian crisis prompted the UN Security Council to hold its ﬁrst meeting on Myanmar in eight years, though the member countries failed to arrive at a joint resolution. The US slammed the army for trying “to cleanse

the country of an ethnic minority”, while Beijing and Moscow offered support to Myanmar authorities who have vehemently rebuffed allegations that ethnic cleansing is underway. Speaking to the 15-member council, Guterres urged Myanmar to halt military operations and open humanitarian access to the conﬂictwracked western region. AFP

Simpson, 70, plans to relocate to Florida following his release from the Lovelock Correctional Center, the medium-security prison in Nevada where he has been serving his sentence, said his lawyer, Malcolm LaVergne. “He is getting very, very excited,” LaVergne told KTNV-TV in Las Vegas. “He’s feeling very upbeat.” Simpson was granted parole at a hearing in July and his earliest release date was set for October 1. Since that falls on a Sunday, Simpson is expected to be freed no earlier than Monday, according to his lawyer and media reports. Simpson was found not guilty in 1995 of the grisly murders of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and a male companion, Ron Goldman, in a case that transﬁxed the country and became known as the “Trial of the Century.” But the former National Football League running back and actor was sent to prison in 2008 for his role in an armed robbery the previous year of two sports memorabilia dealers at a Las Vegas resort. Simpson claimed at his trial that he was just seeking to recover personal items from the dealers and

Evacuees still fleeing volcano

Russian opposition leader held as he leaves Moscow MOSCOW―Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said he was detained by police on Friday as he left his home in Moscow, hours before he was to hold a banned rally. “They have detained me in my building’s entrance hall. They are taking me somewhere ‘to give explanations,’” Navalny said on Twitter. Navalny has declared his intention to stand for president in next March’s polls, but the electoral authorities have said he is not eligible because he is serving a suspended sentence for fraud. The 41-year-old anticorruption campaigner and fearless Kremlin critic was leaving to get a train to the provincial city of Nizhny Novgorod to hold a rally at 6 pm (1500 GMT) on Friday. The Nizhny Novgorod authorities said they had refused him permission to hold the event but his sup-

porters had vowed to go ahead anyway. A Moscow police spokesman told Interfax news agency that “Navalny was detained over multiple calls to participate in an unauthorized public event.” Navalny later wrote on Twitter that he had been taken to a police station but had not been told the reason for his detention. “I am sitting in a police station. They don’t say why I was detained or what they have against me,” Navalny wrote. He linked his detention to the planned rally, saying “The Kremlin sees my meetings with the electorate as a huge threat and even an insult― after no one goes to their rallies without being paid.” “They’ve said for a long time that the opposition has no support in the regions and now it hurts them to see our rallies.” AFP

RAINY DAY IN LONDON. Commuters shelter from the rain beneath umbrellas as they walk near London Bridge in London. AFP

58 Syria government troops and militia fighters killed in IS attacks BEIRUT-The Islamic State group killed at least 58 Syrian government troops and militia as the jihadists put up ﬁerce resistance to a Russian-backed offensive against some of its last bastions, a monitor said Friday. Most of Thursday’s dead came south of the desert town of Sukna, east of the ancient city of Palmyra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

he repeated that explanation at his parole board hearing in July, where the four-member panel voted unanimously for his release. At that hearing Simpson initially did not express any remorse for his actions but eventually offered that he was “sorry that things turned out the way they did.” “I had no intent to commit a crime,” he said. “If I would have made a better judgment back then, none of this would have never happened.” LaVergne, Simpson’s attorney, told KTNV-TV that the former NFL star planned to relocate to Florida, play golf and be around his friends and family. LaVergne said he did not anticipate that Simpson would pose any problems. “He’s had perfect performance as a prisoner,” LaVergne said. “I anticipate he’s going to have perfect performance as a parolee.” At the hearing, Simpson said he was “at a point in my life where all I want to do is spend time, as much time as I can, with my children and my friends.” “Believe it or not I do have some real friends,” he said. AFP

IS put out a statement claiming to have killed scores of regime ﬁghters in the area and also released what it said was an audio recording of its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi urging resistance, his ﬁrst in months. Syrian troops pushed through the vast desert that separates the main cities of the west from the Euphrates Valley this summer and broke a three-year IS siege of government

enclaves in the eastern city of Deir Ezzor earlier this month. Thursday’s attacks targeted government forces around Deir Ezzor and on their supply lines through the Sukna area from the west, the Observatory said. “The ﬁrst attacks were carried out against checkpoints manned by loyalist troops in Al-Shula,” a village near Deir Ezzor, the Britainbased monitoring group said.

“IS then carried out a series of attacks against checkpoints along the length of the motorway from AlShula to south of Sukna.” The attacks by the jihadists came as they face multiple offensives against the last bastions of their self-proclaimed caliphate -- by US-backed ﬁghters and Russianbacked government forces in Syria and by troops and paramilitaries in Iraq. AFP

KARANGASEM, Indonesia―A rumbling volcano on the holiday island of Bali is spewing steam and sulphurous fumes with more intensity, heightening fears of an eruption as ofﬁcials said the number of evacuees had topped 144,000. Mount Agung, 75 kilometers from the resort hub of Kuta, has been shaking since August and threatening to erupt for the ﬁrst time since 1963―a potential blow to the island’s lucrative tourism industry. The Indonesian Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation said Friday that remote satellite sensing had picked up new steam emissions and thermal areas within the crater. White steam clouds― which contain sulphurous fumes―have been observed rising 50 to 200 meters above the summit, the center said. “At this moment, the probability of an eruption is higher than the probability of no eruption; however, the probability may change,” said Kasbani, the centre’s head volcanologist who like many Indonesians goes by one name. Another of the volcanologists at the center, Gede Suandika, said the more frequent emission of sulphurous fumes in the past three days indicated the volcano was changing. AFP

Sports Santy, Huelgas, Irish lead Ronda PH cast FORMER champions Santy Barnachea and Irish Valenzuela seek to gain a crack at reclaiming old glory while Southeast Asian Games triathlon gold medalist Nikko Huelgas eyes a chance to compete in the LBC Ronda Pilipinas 2018 as they compete in the oneday qualifying race that starts in front of the Tarlac Provincial Capitol and end at the Monasterio de Tarlac located on top of a mountain. Barnachea, the 41-yearold inaugural Ronda champion in 2012 who repeated in 2015, is looking to qualify to the seventh edition of this annual race tentative slated March 1. Valenzuela, the 2013 winner who is back after being sidelined by a road accident two years ago, is looking to win the race for the second time and pocket the top purse of P1 million, courtesy of LBC. Huelgas, the triathlon gold medal winner in the SEAG in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last month, for his part, will try to sharpen his riding skills in preparation for the World Cup late this year, the 2018 Palembang Asian Games and the 2019 SEAG in Manila. Also aspiring to book spots is Junrey Navarra, the former many-time Ronda King of the Mountain winner, who skipped last year’s race due to other commitments. Navy’s Jan Paul Morales, the reigning Ronda champ, has already automatically qualified along with 19 others after finishing in the top 20 last year but will join this one-day race as part of his preparation for a title-defense. The 332 participants will battle for 38 slots and the top purse worth P30,000. The second and third placers will pocket P20,000 and P10,000, respectively.

Brazilian is Siargao surf champ COMEBACKING Brazilian surfing star Raoni Monteiro scored a major surprise to top the recent Siargao International Surfing Cup held at Cloud 9 in Siargao Island, Surigao, del Norte. Sidelined by knee injuries in 2014, the former Championship Tour competitor returned to competitive surfing this year on his way back to the elite level. Monteiro shone among a field of 112 wave riders from 21 countries, and romped away with the $12,000 cash prize and 3,000 ranking points. The Brazilian edged Costa Rica’s Tomas King, while Nic Von Rupp of Portugal and Lucca Masinas Novaro of Peru shared third spot and a US$4,000 prize each. Declared by the World Surf League as a Qualifying Series QS 3000 event, this year’s tourney had the biggest number of participants and prize money totaling to US75,000. Rounding up the winner’s circle in fifth place and getting a $2,000 prize each are Mitchell Parkinson of Australia, Kiron Jabuor of Hawaiian, Cristobal de Col of Peru and Siargao’s very own Piso Alcala, who have won top awards in previous editions of the cup. Local favorite John Mark Tokong was the only other Filipino who managed to break into the winning column at 13th place tied with Australia’s Blake Thornton.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Ilocos Sur is 2018 Palaro host By Peter Atencio

HE province of Ilocos Sur earned the right to host the 2018 Palarong Pambansa.

This was announced by Assistant Secretary Tonisito of the Department of Education. Governor Ryan Singson spearheaded the Ilocos Sur team during the final bid-

ding meet with the representatives of the shortlisted hopeful provinces and cities in Luzon in attendance at Seameo Innotech in Quezon City. Dep-ed Region 1 Direc-

tor Alma Ruby C. Torio, Ilocos Sur Schools Division Superintendent Gemma Tacuycuy, Provincial Administrator Cara Michelle Peredo, and Provincial Sports Coordinator Marius Cabudol backstopped Gov. Singson, who has crafted a robust provincial sports development program. “We have evaluated Ilocos Sur’s facilities and equipment and they are def-

initely up to Palarong Pambansa standards, if not better. For starters, the Palaro hub—Quirino Stadium—is state of the art,” ASec Umali declared. For his part, Gov. Singson said: “This is very meaningful for us, as for the first time, Ilocos Sur will host this most prestigious event for elementary and secondary students. We will show to the whole nation what the

Ilocosurians are capable of as hosts”, Singson said. Gov. Singson looks forward to the immense impact of Palarong Pambansa 2018 to the province’s economy, tourism and sports development even as he directed to pull all stops for the Palaro to be an event to look forward to. Ilocos Sur will have a dry run next month as it will host the Batang Pinoy Luzon Leg, part and par-

cel of the Philippine Sports Commission’s grassroots sports thrust. This event aims to bring out, particularly, the Ilocos Youth’s talent and skills in various sports, and display values inherent in the practice of sports such as discipline, teamwork, cooperation and sportsmanship. This year’s Palaro was staged in Antique after Davao del Sur’s turn in 2016.

Eagles must fix kinks

Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton powers his car during the first practice session of the Formula One Malaysia Grand Prix in Sepang. AFP

Malaysian Grand Prix says goodbye to Formula 1 SEPANG—The Malaysian Grand Prix is “200 percent” cancelled after this weekend’s final race, the circuit’s head told AFP, adding that the loss-making event had been hit hard by competition from neighbouring Singapore. The high-speed Sepang International Circuit, with its tough, tropical recipe of steamy heat and unpredictable rain will disappear from the Formula One calendar after 19 races dating back to 1999. And Asia’s second-oldest race after Japan is not likely to return any time

in the near future, the circuit’s CEO Razlan Razali said in an interview. “This is the final grand prix. We are taking a break,” Razali said. “I can tell you also right now, it will be a minimum of five years before we even contemplate bringing it back. “This is definitely... 200 percent our last grand prix.” Malaysia’s government, who have bankrolled the event since its inception, in April announced they were no longer prepared to shell out $67 million a year to stage the race. “The returns are no longer posi-

tive for Malaysia. That includes declining spectators year-in, year-out,” Razali said. “We thank the government for 19 years of having F1 in Malaysia. We could easily tell them otherwise and ask them to continue. But being the operator of the circuit, sustainability is important. We need to stop and give F1 a break.” Bright lights, big city The main problem is that Formula One has never really taken off in Malaysia. The success of Singapore’s glitzy

city-center night race and its associated entertainment has left venues such as remote Sepang, more than an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, struggling to compete. Now the Malaysian Grand Prix will follow F1’s similar moneylosing excursions, including South Korea and India, into the wilderness, leaving Asia with just three races— China, Singapore and Japan—on a record, 21-race calendar next season. “The decline of spectators started without doubt when Singapore came in 2008,” said Razali.

THE defending champion Ateneo Blue Eagles are finding kinks in their armor that they need to fix. And coach Sandy Arespacochaga said they will work on this when the Blue Eagles fight the National University Bulldogs at 4 p.m. today at the Araneta Coliseum. “That’s something we need to improve on,” said Arespacochaga as the Blue Eagles go for their sixth straight victory in the 80th University Athletic Association of the Philippines men’s basketball tournament. When the Blue Eagles won over the University of Santo Tomas Growling Tigers, 9484, last Wednesday, Arespochaga noted that they were able to move the ball around a lot with their 22 assists. “This is good, but they can’t have 20 turnovers that they have against UST, and they can’t let this happen when they face the Bulldogs,” he said. The Bulldogs are known as a pressing team and Arespacochaga believes they will be forced into many turnovers. They have a 2-3 record and are at the end of a punishing three-game schedule over the last seven days. NU coach Jamike Jarin said the players were tired in their two previous games and are seeking to bounce back. Earlier, the La Salle Green Archers will try to bounce back from an 87-98 loss to the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons when they meet the Growling Tigers at 2 p.m. Peter Atencio

Walker: Death threats followed anthem action

Jeremy Lane (20) of the Seattle Seahawks and Delanie Walker (left) of the Tennessee Titans chase a pass during the second half at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. AFP

LOS ANGELES—Tennessee Titans player Delanie Walker said he has received death threats since defending the Titans’ recent decision to skip the national anthem, according to an Instagram post on Thursday. Walker described the Titans fans as “the best in the NFL,” but he also defended the statement he made Wednesday about fans threatening to boycott the Titans due to players demonstrating during the national anthem. He said the death threats extend to his family as well. “And the fans that don’t

want to come to the game? I mean. OK. Bye,” he told The Tennessean newspaper on Wednesday. “If you feel that’s something—we’re disrespecting you, don’t come to the game.” His Instagram post Thursday went on to say, “In being asked about our team’s decision on Sunday to stay in the locker room for the National Anthem, I used strong words to defend our right to make our own choices. Both my choice to spark dialogue for positive change and the fans’ choice to attend our games. It’s that freedom of choice

that makes our democracy the envy of many around the world. “The death threats that my family and I have received since my comments are heartbreaking. The racist and violent words directed at me and my son only serve as another reminder that our country remains divided and full of hateful rhetoric. “These words of hate will only fuel me in my efforts to continue my work reaching out to different community groups, listening to opposing voices, and honoring the men and women in the Armed Forc-

es who risk their lives every day so that we may have this dialogue. “I am proud to represent the many faces of Titans fans and believe that only through a more respectful discourse can we achieves the goals of unity, peace and racial equality that I know we all strive for.” The Titans were among three NFL teams to skip the anthem Sunday, after President Donald Trump’s inflammatory remarks during a speech Friday in Alabama in which he said players should be fired if they don’t stand for The StarSpangled Banner. AFP

San Juan grabs North Division lead in Metro Basketball Tournament SAN Juan used a balanced firepower to bring down erstwhile unbeaten Manila, 102-93, while Mandaluyong defeated MMDA and Parañaque in backto-back games as both teams climbed to the top of their respective divisions after Week 3 of 2017 Metro Basketball Tournament seniors’ competition at the San Andres Sports Complex in Malate. Joshua Emmanuel Montero led

four other players in double figures for San Juan, which broke the game wide open with a fiery third-quarter performance to grab its third win in four matches and the North Division lead in the tournament organized by the Metro Manila Sports Fest under the auspices of the Metro Manila Development Authority. Montero scored eight of his game-

Games Sunday

(Hagonoy Gym, Taguig) 10 a.m. Las Piñas vs. Pateros 11:30 a.m. MMDA vs. Parañaque 1 p.m. Taguig vs. Mandaluyong

high 21 points in the third quarter, allowing San Juan to pull away in the 14-team tournament which has “Mobile App ng Bayan” Barangay 143 as co-presentor, Synergy 88 as main

sponsor and Spalding as official ball. John Kenneth Zamora finished with18 points, King Astrero added 13 points, Romeo Descarga had 11 points and Joshua Munsayac had 10 points to underscore Whatta Whatta’ s balanced offensive. Aljeric Ramirez had 20 points and Alladin Sultan had 19 for Manila, which dropped into a three-

Team PH falls to Blatche’s squad in FIBA Champions Cup DEFENDING champion China Kashgar took down Chooks-toGo Pilipinas, 86-70, to move to the semifinals of the FIBA Asia Champions Cup Thursday evening at the City Arena in Chenczhou, China. The Chinese played a consistent game that allowed Kashgar punish Chooks-to-

Go until Team Pilipinas finally struggled in the fourth period. Kashgar went on to arrange a Final Four clash with Kazakhstan’s BC Astana. Darius Adams led the way for China, scoring 23 points on top of nine rebounds and four assists.

Gilas Pilipinas player AndrayBlatche, who plays for Kashgar when not playing for Team Pilipinas, did not suit up for the team out of respect to the Filipinos. Team Pilipinas scored only 31 points in the final 20 minutes, 13 in the fourth. Import Isaiah Austin led the

way for Team Pilipinas with 16 points and 11 rebounds, along with Kiefer Ravena, who also made 16. Chooks-to-Go has been relegated to the classification round. They will fight Shabab Al Ahli-Dubai in their next game. Peter Atencio

way tie with Marikina and Quezon City with 2-1 records in the North Division of the tourney also sponsored by San Miguel Corp., World Balance and Higer Bus. In the only other game Thursday, Caloocan outsteadied Valenzuela, 90-87, to barge into the win column after two losses. Valenzuela dropped to 0-3.

LOTTO RESULTS 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 P0.0 M+ 4 DIGITS 00-00-00-00 3 DIGITS 00-00-00 2 EZ2 00-00

Sports

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

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

Clyde Mondilla reacts after missing an eagle putt on No. 16.

Knights stay in contention By Peter Atencio

OUR of the Letran Knights’ key players dedicated their game to a fallen coach, who died of cancer last Wednesday.

Their inspired game in the name of former high school mentor Bobby Lotuaco carried the Knights to an 84-78 thwarting of the Emilio Aguinaldo College Generals yesterday at The Arena in San Juan. “We dedicate our game to him. Since the start, kasama namin siya, nandoon siya kahit ‘di na namin siya coach, dumadalaw siya at sumusuporta,” said skip-

per Rey Nambatac after the Knights stayed in contention for a Final Four seat in the 93rd National Collegiate Athletic Association men’s basketball tournament. Before the start of the Lyceum-San Sebastian College, a moment of silence was also offered for Lotuaco, who was part of the SSC-Recoletos program before he died. Bong Quinto, who played

under Lotuaco in high school with Nambatac, Jerrick Balanza and Gedaria, led with 27 points for the Knights, who earned their eighth triumph in 14 games. They gained a share of second spot with Jose Rizal University, which smashed the Perpetual Help Altas, 85-52. The Knights were in control from the start and started moving away off Quinto’s triple in the last 5:06 of the first for a 12-4 count. From there, they took a 2315 spread with Quinto finishing the period with 10 points. A 10-4 run which Balanza capped with a driving shot in

the last 7:55 of the third gave the Knights a 33-19 edge. “It’ 8-7. Wala pa. ‘Di pa kami pasok. Main goal namin ito bago ang lahat,” said Knights’ coach Jeff Napa. On the other hand, JRU held Perpetual Help to just 15 points in the first half as they went on to grab a 39-15 advantage. Mark dela Virgen topscored for JRU with 18 points, while Abdel Poutouchi added 16 points. In the junior division, the Letran Squires needed an overtime to turn back the Emilio Aguinaldo College Brigadiers, 86-85,

Neil Tolentino topscored with 15 points for the Squires, who needed Keith Peralta’s layup in the final minute to give them a fourpoint cushion, 86-82. The Squires improved to 9-6 to remain in contention for the no. 3 seeding in the Final Four. Cjay Boado knocked in a triple in the closing seconds to keep the Brigadiers threatening by point. He was able to regain control of the ball for the Brigadiers, but Boado got injured after he fell badly on the floor as the final buzzer rang. Tristan Tolentino made 17

points for the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers after they swamped the Perpetual Help Junior Altas, 86-51. The scores: First Game Jose Rizal 85—dela Virgen 18, Poutouochi 16, Mendoza 12, Grospe 8, David 8, Teodoro 8, Lasquety 6, Adul Razak 5, Bordon 2, Mariano 2, Mate 0, Pontejos 0, Sibangan 0, Sawat 0 Perpetual Help 52—Eze 23, Pido 8, Sadiwa 8, Tamayo 3, Mangalino 3, Hao 3, Coronel 2, Ylagan 2, Dagangon 0, Casas 0, Clemente 0, Singontiko 0, Yuhico 0, Lucente 0 Quarterscores: 17-5; 3915; 64-39; 85-52

Meralco, Star begin semifinal showdown on Sunday By Jeric Lopez

THE semifinals of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup kicks off on Sunday pitting two hungry teams. Top seed Meralco and No. 4 Star meet in Game 1 of their best-of-five semis affair to jumpstart their war at 6:30 p.m. at the Alonte Sports Arena in Binan, Laguna.

Both sides look ahead to an intense back-and-forth battle in the semis. “We were forced to the limit in the quarterfinals but I hope we can play better against Star. That’s the only way we can win,” said Meralco coach Norman Black. “We’re back in the semis again. We’re excited and expecting it to be hard. We’ve been here the last two conferences as well

and we hope to finally make it to the finals this time,” said Hotshots coach Chito Victolero. The two protagonists took opposite paths in the quarterfinals to get to where they are now. The top-ranked Bolts were unexpectedly pushed to the limit by No. 8 Blackwater and almost got upset before coming through right on time.

which likewise enjoyed a twiceto-beat incentive, took care of business right away, eliminating NLEX, 89-77, last Tuesday on the first try. Over at the other side of the fence, No. 3 Barangay Ginebra still awaits who it will duel in the other semis series. The Gin Kings will face either No. 2 TNT KaTropa or No. 7 Rain or Shine.

LIPA City, Batangas— Power-hitting Clyde Mondilla crowned himself the new ICTSI Philippine Golf Tour Order of Merit champion in style, sweeping the last two legs of the circuit, including the P3 million The Players Championship at the Summit Point Golf Club here yesterday. But in one stretch, Jerson Balasabas looked all set to spoil Mondilla’s coronation as he charged back from six strokes down in a flight ahead with a scorching eagle-spiked start to draw level after six holes. But the Del Monte ace regained his nerve and countered with a late flourish, coming through with his own eagle-aided finish capped by four birdies in the last five holes to beat Balasabas by three. Mondilla closed out the way he opened his title drive in this final PGT leg—with a five-under 67 for a winning 17-under 271. Two weeks after pocketing $17,500 for topping the ICTSI Riviera Classic of the PGT Asia Tour, he banked another P550,000 which he received from the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. executive director Narlene Soriano during awards rites. “I’m so happy, this is a sweet victory and I couldn’t ask for more,” said Mondilla, who also won back-to-back at Manila Southwoods and Villamor last May to complete a four-leg romp in the ninth season of the country’s premier circuit sponsored by ICTSI. Balasabas complemented his hot 31 start with a solid finish, a bogey-free backside 33 for a tournament-best eight-under 64 but could only settle for second at 274 worth P370,000 as Mondilla recovered his touch—off the mound, on the fairway and on the greens—to hold off his rival, clinch the crown and formalize his claim on his first OOM title. “I was so focused in all four days. When Jerson [Balasabas] made a charge, I didn’t panic since I knew I can handle the situation,” added Mondilla, who birdied the three par-5s and eagled the last on No. 9.

NBA’s lottery reforms target tanking teams

Ateneo, NU near Final 4 DEFENDING champion National University and Ateneo moved closer to the men’s Final Four after easily beating their respective foes yesterday in the UAAP Season 80 badminton tournament. The Bulldogs tallied a 5-0 romp of Adamson University, while the Blue Eagles hacked out a 4-1 decision over University of the East. NU and Ateneo improved to 3-0 as the two teams dispute the first semifinals berth at 8 a.m. today at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall. University of the Philippines nipped University of Santo Tomas, 3-2, in the other tie to join De La Salle in third place at 2-1. The Bulldogs’ Alvin Morada defeated Kevin Fabros, 21-9, 21-18, Keeyan Gabuelo bested Johnrick Macabenta, 23-25, 21-9, and Mike Minuluan turned back Mark Concha to sweep the singles matches. Completing the shutout win are NU’s doubles’ pairs of Minuluan and Christian Cuyno, a 21-14, 21-11 winner over Concha and Joshua Antonio, and Morada and Alem Palmares, who toppled Fabros and Macabenta, 21-16, 21-19.

Meralco, which enjoyed a twiceto-beat advantage, was forced to play a knockout game after getting stunned by the Elite in their first meeting. In their rubber match Thursday night, the Bolts trailed for most part before waking up in the clutch to grind out a 104-96 win and avoid Blackwater’s upset bullet. On the other hand, Star,

Mondilla crowned ‘Players, Merit’ champ

NEW YORK—The National Basketball Association took measures Thursday to address the problem of teams losing games on purpose late in the season to try and get a higher draft pick. The board of governors approved the draft lottery reform to reduce the chances of teams tanking to land one of

the top three selections. The approved reform, which easily surpassed the required three-quarters majority that was needed, will have the teams with the three worst records each having a 14 percent chance at landing the number one overall pick. Under the current format, the team with the worst re-

cord has a 25 percent chance, followed by 19 percent for the second-worst record and 15 percent for the third. A fourth team will be part of the lottery draw and it will have a 12 percent chance at landing the top pick. The team with the worst record can pick no lower than fifth. NBA commissioner Adam

Silver was also given the power to slap teams with a hefty fine for sitting healthy players. The player rest proposal prohibits healthy players from being rested for any high-profile nationally televised game. A violation of the policy will be viewed as conduct detrimental to the NBA and result in a fine of at least $100,000.

Ostapenko sinks Muguruza, faces Barty in semis NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during the Board of Governors Press Conference in New York City. AFP

WUHAN—Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko sunk Spaniard Garbine Muguruza at a shock-prone Wuhan Open on Thursday, powering through a tight match to bag a 1-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory against the world number one. Ostapenko, the only seed left in the competition, will now

square up to Ashleigh Barty in the semi-finals after the Aussie pulled off a major upset against former world number one Karolina Pliskova. Maria Sakkari of Greece will go head-to-head with France’s Caroline Garcia in the second semi, meaning all four

players are aged 23 or under. Ostapenko, this year’s Roland Garros winner, won the last six games of a compelling match against Muguruza, scoring her first win over a reigning world number one and extending her winning streak to eight in a row.

“It’s my first time beating number one in the world and hopefully not the last time,” said Ostapenko, seeded eight. “Today I had no pressure because I knew I’m playing a great player, so I just went out there and tried to show my best and played very well.” AFP

Lady Bulldogs, Lady Eagles dispute Premier volley semis berth NATIONA University and Ateneo dispute the first Final Four berth in Group A today while University of the Philippines and Arellano University clash for the second semis seat in Group B in the Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan. The pair of explosive matches marks the secondto-last playdate of the single round elims of the season-

ending conference organized by Sports Vision with the Lady Bulldogs eyeing a sweep of their group side against a surging Lady Eagles (3-1) at 6:30 p.m. Focus will also be on the 1 p.m. face-off between the Lady Maroons and the Lady Chiefs with the winner joining the unbeaten Adamson Lady Falcons (4-0) in the crossover semis of the event backed by Mikasa and Asics. Ousted St. Benilde and

Technological Institute of the Philippines, both winless in four games, cap the rare triple-bill at 4 p.m. All matches can be viewed live via streaming on www.sports.abs-cbn.com/ livestream/pvl. National U hopes to cash in on its solid roster led by national player Jaja Santiago, ace playmaker Jasmine Nabor, vastly-improved Risa Sato and the steady Aiko Urdas and Jorelle Singh with

Games today 8 a.m. – St. Benilde vs UST (men’s) 10 a.m. – Ateneo vs National U (men’s) 1 p.m. – Arellano vs UP (women’s) 4 p.m. – St. Benilde vs TIP (women’s) 6:30 p.m. – National U vs Ateneo (women’s)

Audrey Paran, Roma Doromal and liberos Gayle Valdez and Joni Chavez ready to provide support. But the Lady Eagles are going all-out to stop the Bulldogs and boost their bid for the top semis slot behind Kat

Tolentino, Jhoana Maraguinot, Juliane Samonte, Bea de Leon and Pauline Gaston and playmaker Deanna Wong. A victory by Ateneo coupled with a win by FEU (3-1) over also-ran Lyceum on Monday will force a three-way tie for first. The team with the highest tiebreak points will move to the semis with the other two disputing the other Final Four berth in a playoff on Oct. 4. In men’s action, Ateneo goes for a sweep against con-

tender National U at 10 a.m. while UST tries to seal the fourth semis berth against ousted St. Benilde at 8 a.m. With a 3-3 card, the Tigers need to prevail over the Blazers to avoid falling to a playoff with La Salle (3-4) for the last Final Four seat. Ateneo (6-0) and Far Eastern U (5-1) took the first two semis slots with NU a cinch to clinch the third spot with winless St. Benilde as its final elims assignment on Monday.

San Miguel on track to trim water use by 50%

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

DOTr starts rail station works By Darwin G. Amojelar

HE Department of Transportation said it expects to start by next month the construction of the P2.8billion common station for LRT Line 1, MRT3, MRT 7 and Metro Manila Subway Project.

“We will ﬁnish it in 2.5 years to 3 years for the convenience and reliability of transportation,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Common Station Project. The Common Station will connect the four main lines in Metro Manila: MRT-3, LRT-1, MRT-7, and the soon to be constructed Metro Manila Subway.

At 13,700 square meters, the Common Station will have a spacious concourse area that will facilitate seamless transfer of passengers from one line to another. It will be built between SM North EDSA and Trinoma. The design also ensures a deﬁned level of service by all parties, convenient walk in the platform, bigger space and connection between two major malls. The Common Station is expected to serve approximately 478,000 passengers daily by 2020. The private shareholders—SM Prime Holdings Inc., Ayala Land Inc., San Miguel Corp., and Light Rail Manila Corp.—were all represented in the groundbreaking ceremony. Each made a commitment to follow timelines and deliver the Common Station on schedule.

Rogelio Singson, president and chief executive of LRMC, said the project was a “game changer” for mass transport in Metro Manila and that the location was ideal for the passengers of LRT Line 1. “The Common Station will provide safety and convenience to hundreds of thousands of passengers. We are glad to be a step closer to completion and we promise to go full blast with construction,” Bobby Dy, president and chief executive of ALI said. “We have been waiting for this for so long. We will make sure we will follow timelines,” San Miguel representative Manuel Bonoan said. The common station project started in 2009 and was put on hold due to legal issues. The Light Rail Transit Authority signed a deal with SMPrime to build the station near SM North EDSA.

Five years later, the Transportation Department decided to build the station near Ayala’s Trinoma citing reasons to cut costs. The court intervened and issued a temporary restraining order in favor of SM Prime to stop the construction of the project. But in January this year, the government and private shareholders signed an agreement to build the common station for LRT, MRT3 and MRT7. The project will also deliver dual tracks for LRT1, MRT-3 and MRT-7 for increased operational efﬁciency. The ground level of the Common Station will serve road-based PUVs for intermodal interoperability. This will allow not only seamless railway-to-railway transfers, but also seamless railway-to-bus-to-jeep-to-AUV transfers.

PH, China thresh out $200-m bPanda bonds By Julito G. Rada

RURAL ELECTRIFICATION. Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi (left), chair of the 35th Asean Ministers Energy Meeting and Associated Meetings, thanks International Renewable Energy Agency director general Adnan Amin during the official turnover of the Irena study entitled “Accelerating the Deployment of Renewable Energy Mini-Grids for Off-Grid Electrification-A Study on the Philippines.” The turnover of the RE study was held during the concluding press conference of the AMEM35 at the Conrad Manila.

BSP: September inflation rate likely rose to as high as 3.6% BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas on Friday said inﬂation in September likely accelerated to as high as 3.6 percent from 3.1 percent in August on higher price of fuel, weaker peso and increased power rates during the month. In a statement issued by the Department of Economic Research, Bangko Sentral predicted inﬂation settled within the 2.8 percent to 3.6 percent range. “Higher prices of domestic petroleum and rice along

with the increase in electricity rates in Meralco-serviced areas and a more depreciated peso were seen to contribute to upward price pressures for the month,” it said. “Nonetheless, the staff’s assessment indicates that average inflation for 2017 will remain within the government’s inflation target of 2 to 4 percent,” it said. Inflation in the first eight months averaged 3.1 percent, slightly higher than the midpoint of the target range of 2 percent to 4 per-

cent for the year. A manageable inﬂation environment and robust domestic economic growth prompted the Monetary Board of Bangko Sentral to maintain the current policy settings steady in its meeting on Sept. 21, 2017. The interest rates of 3.5 percent for overnight lending, 3 percent for overnight borrowing, and 2.5 percent for deposit facilities were maintained. The reserve requirement ratios were also maintained.

Bangko Sentral Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the board’s decision was based on its assessment that the inflation environment remained manageable. “Latest forecasts show that the future inflation path will continue to be within the target range for 20172019. Meanwhile, inflation expectations remain firmly anchored close to the midpoint of the government’s 2 to 4 percent over the policy horizon,” Espenilla said. Espenilla also said while

the proposed tax reform program might exert potential transitory pressures on prices, various social safety nets and the resulting improvement in output and productivity were also expected to temper the impact on inﬂation over the medium term. The board maintained the inﬂation average forecast this year and next at 3.2 percent. But the forecast for 2019 was adjusted upward to 3.2 percent from the earlier estimate of 3.1 percent.

IN BRIEF ERC weighs Meralco deals

THE Energy Regulatory Commission on Friday said it is carefully reviewing the power supply agreements of Manila Electric Co. that have been pending for over a year to ensure “just and reasonable costs” are passed on to consumers. The ERC said in a statement it had not approved Meralco’s PSA petitions despite a commitment to Congress to come out with a decision three months from early July. “The agency assures the electricity consumers that the Meralco PSA applications that are still pending review are being evaluated to ensure that only just and reasonable costs shall be included in the electric bill,” the ERC said. The regulator is mandated to review bilateral power supply contracts signed by distribution utilities under the Electric Power Industry Reform Act of 2001. “We are carefully scrutinizing each of the cost components in the Meralco PSA applications that is why the ﬁnal approval of these applications have been taking some time”, ERC ofﬁcer-in-charge Alfredo Non said. Alena Mae S. Flores

MRT team readies takeover THE management of Metro Rail Transit (MRT) Line 3 on Friday said it is prepared to take over the maintenance of the mass rail system if the Department of Transportation decides to terminate the contract of Busan Universal Rail Inc. (BURI). “Actually, we are preparing just in case Secretary [Arthur] Tugade will cancel [BURI’s maintenance contract]. We are prepared to take over and have a continuity in the maintenance of the line,” MRT3 general manager Rodolfo Garcia said on the sidelines of the groundbreaking ceremony of the Common Station for LRT1, MRT3, MRT7 and Metro Manila Subway. Garcia said the management of MRT3 was preparing a transition team to take over the maintenance of the system. Darwin G. Amojelar

Pilmico bullish on Vietnam PILMICO International Pte. Ltd., a wholly-owned unit of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., recently acquired 70 percent of the outstanding shares of Vietnam-based animal feeds company Europe Nutrition Joint Stock Company (Eurofeed) as part of its global expansion plans. “We are celebrating another milestone for the Aboitiz Group, particularly for Pilmico, as it embarks on another international venture. Despite foreseen market challenges, Vietnam remains to be a strategic country for Pilmico, given its strong economy, a promising livestock industry and access to potential export markets,” said company president and CEO Sabin Aboitiz. The acquisition cost reached $3.2 million. Following the turnover ceremony, Aboitiz ofﬁcially announced the change in name of the Vietnamese company from Eurofeed Joint Stock Company to Pilmico Animal Nutrition Joint Stock Company. Othel V. Campos

PLDT PARTNERS. PLDT Inc. has teamed up with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and the University of the Philippines Open University on the launching of the 2017 PLDT Infoteach Outreach Program. Now on its 13th year, the program creates better platforms for the acquisition of digital literacy which helps every individual to adapt within the 21st century learning and teaching arena in the barangay level. Signing the partnnerhip agreement are (from left) PLDT public affairs head Ramon Isberto, DICT Secretary Rodolfo Salalima and UPOU Chancellor Melinda P. Bandalaria.

THE government is working with the Chinese regulators to get the much-needed approval for the planned Panda bond issuance of the Philippines worth $200 million in China, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said Friday. Dominguez said in a statement the government was in talks with the Chinese central bank (People’s Bank of China) and the Bank of China. “The Panda bond market is regulated by China’s central bank, PBOC. As such, any potential issuer ﬁrst applies through the PBOC prior to any other Chinese regulator,” Dominguez said. “As of the moment, we are working with the Bank of China on the internal and external approval by the PBOC. The terms have to be discussed further,” he said. Early this year, Dominguez announced the plan of issuing Panda bonds in China as part of the gov-

Ortigas & Co. ventures into serviced residences By Jenniffer B. Austria ORTIGAS & Co., one the country’s leading property developers, has ventured into the hospitality business with the 55-room serviced residences in its its mixed-use township development in Quezon City. Ortigas & Co. senior vice president and chief operating officer Thomas Mirasal said the serviced residence project called The Cirque was developed by converting 55 units in Circulo Verde’s Seville and Ibiza residential towers to fit serviced residence operations. “We want to diversify our product range based on the market demands. We see that many buyers are looking for safe, alternative investments and that there is a growing demand for hotel-like products,” Mirasol said. The property company has teamed up with Hospitality Innovators Inc., one of the largest operators of serviced residences in the country, for the venture. Ortigas & Co. is currently selling its one-bedroom and two-bedroom units with floor sizes ranging from 46 to 51 square meters. The two-bedroom suite occupies 67 square meters. Unit prices range from P4.9 to P8.5 million. Buyers can place their units under Serviced Residences Program, where unit owners can enjoy hassle-free ownership of a rental property. SRP allows unit owners to gain a steady flow of rental income while HII takes care of finding a tenant, maintaining the unit and paying all expenses. HII chief executive Luis Monserrat said The Cirque is targeted toward both the corporate and leisure market “Aside from the stylish units, business travelers will

Alsons clears P1-b investment in Sarangani hydro By Alena Mae S. Flores ALSONS Consolidated Resources Inc. approved an investment of up to P1 billion into the 15.1-megawatt Siguil hydro power project through unit Alsons Renewable Energy Corp., the direct owner of the project company called Siguil Hydro Power Corp. “Construction of the Siguil Hydro plant will commence shortly within this year upon completion

of all necessary permitting and formalities,” Alsons said in a statement. The P3.7 billion run-ofriver hydroelectric power project is located at the Siguil River basin in Maasim, Sarangani province. It is expected to begin commercial operations within the ﬁrst half of 2020 and provide electricity to Sarangani, General Santos City and key municipalities of South Cotabato. Alsons also approved a

performance undertaking to be issued to its longtime partner Toyota Tsusho Corp. in support of the sale to the Japanese government of half of the Siguil Hydro Project’s carbon credits. The company said this was done under the auspices of the Japanese government’s Joint Credit Mechanism for the reduction of world-wide carbon emissions. A JCM project is typically implemented by Ja-

ernment’s efforts to raise additional funds to help ﬁnance the government’s ambitious “Build, Build, Build” infrastructure program. Under the program, the government aims to build railways, airports, seaports, highways and irrigation projects to further stimulate domestic economic activities in the countryside. The government also plans to put up a 24-kilometer subway in Metro Manila to decongest the metropolis of heavy trafﬁc that has been causing an approximately P2.4-billion economic loss everyday. Dominguez also said the government was considering issuing Samurai bonds in the future for the same purpose. He said the government’s plan of borrowing 80 percent from the domestic market and 20 percent in foreign currencies remained unchanged. “We will therefore remain active in the foreign markets,” he said.

pan and a host country through bilateral agreements. Projects using advanced low-carbon technology such as the Siguil Hydro project are implemented and the resulting greenhouse gas emission reductions may be credited to the project proponents of both participating countries, thus allowing Siguil Hydro to receive additional revenues through the sale of carbon credits.

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Friday, September 29, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

51.0730

Japan

Yen

0.008902

0.4547

Pound

1.344500

68.6676

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128013

6.5380

Switzerland

Franc

1.031034

52.6580

Canada

Dollar

0.804894

41.1084

Singapore

Dollar

0.736594

37.6201

Australia

Dollar

0.785600

40.1229

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651043

135.3967

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

13.6195

Brunei

Dollar

0.733891

37.4820

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000074

0.0038

Thailand

Baht

0.029940

1.5291

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.9057

Euro

1.178800

60.2049

Korea

Won

0.000873

0.0446

China

Yuan

0.150218

7.6721

India

Rupee

0.015277

0.7802

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.236407

12.0740

New Zealand

Dollar

0.723400

Taiwan

Dollar

0.032902

36.9462 1.6804 Source: PDS Bridge

Business

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks rise; PLDT advances

HE stock market rose slightly Friday as US President Donald Trump’s longawaited tax cut plans buoyed most Asia-Paciﬁc exchanges, extending global gains, but a rise in the yen held back Japan’s benchmark index.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index gained 15.39 points, 0.2 percent, to 8,171.43 on a value turnover of P73.7 billion. Gainers overwhelmed losers, 131 to 77, with 48 issues unchanged. A block sale of Energy Development Corp. shares valued at P64 billion boosted the turnover. PLDT Inc., the biggest telecommunications company, surged 3.8 percent to 1,668, while conglomerate Metro Paciﬁc Investments Corp. advanced 2.3 percent to P6.70. Manila Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, climbed 2.2 percent to

P6.70, while Megaworld Corp., the largest lessor of ofﬁce spaces, added 1.2 percent to P5.23. The broad rise from Shanghai to Sydney, meanwhile, came on the back of Trump unveiling proposals that included cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 20 percent. His market-friendly promise to reduce taxes, ramp up infrastructure spending and slash red tape helped drive a global rally in the months after his November election win. But those gains ﬁzzled as Trump’s legislative agenda suffered a series of blows and the White House has become embroiled in a host of crises. Analysts took comfort from the fact that Trump has worked more closely with Republican congressional leaders on the tax issue than on the failed health care reform they attempted. Still, the tax bill is expected to face a

tough passage through Congress, with both sides of the aisle likely to question its affordability. Mainland Chinese markets rose with Shanghai ending the day 0.3 percent higher, while South Korea’s benchmark index gained 0.9 percent, Hong Kong added 0.5 percent, and Taiwan tacked on 0.3 percent. Singapore fell 0.6 percent. In Japan, where the benchmark Nikkei 225 edged 0.03 percent lower by the close, investors were largely unmoved by broadly upbeat data, including betterthan-expected factory output, as a stronger yen dented sentiment. While the dollar was higher at 112.45 yen from 112.29 yen in New York, it was still down from 112.99 yen in Tokyo on Thursday. A pick-up in Japan’s currency hits the proﬁt outlook for major exporters, including automakers such as Toyota and Nissan, which hurts demand for their shares.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe got a boost from the latest data, including better-than-expected industrial production. But he is facing an unexpected and formidable challenge in snap elections called for later this month from popular Tokyo governor Yuriko Koike, who stole Abe’s limelight with her newly launched “Party of Hope.” “The weakness in the yen that supported Japanese stocks has slowed,” Hideyuki Ishiguro, a senior strategist at Daiwa Securities in Tokyo, told Bloomberg News. “The reorganization of opposition parties is threatening the optimism that the ruling coalition will gain an absolute stable majority in the election. “There’s a possibility that the monetary easing under Abenomics will be shaken, which could deter investors from buying,” he added, referring to Abe’s ﬂagship growth plan. With AFP

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.58 86,000 59.3 16,100 99.45 2,957,310 4.05 5,000 130.7 1,770,380 2.9 7,174,000 35.35 93,200 10 500 15.92 4,400 32.45 2,286,100 0.69 20,000 1.72 44,000 945 110 0.7 353,000 86.5 1,765,670 0.89 388,000 13.02 50,500 25 1,000 59.15 16,150 240 12,340 140 3,230 87.9 530 49.6 17,500 243.2 790,060 1,888 10 86.65 99,820 1.28 52,000

396,980 957,884 294,143,143.50 20,370 231,541,652 20,983,580 3,294,720 4,999 70,540 73,957,495 13,800 74,940 103,700 245,120 153,106,591 343,480 657,518 25,000 957,836.50 2,924,806 445,760 46,587 859,775 193,895,034 18,890 8,647,466.50 65,640

798,204 -57,946,261.50 24,932,800 253,970 -127,100.00 23,926,325 -47,000 -33,141,194.50 118,020 -266,717.50 244,095 -26,422,054 -173,200 -3,840

42.25 9.48 0.77 1.39 18.14 0.221 120 5.01 16.78 165.2 39.4 19.7 64 75 1.93 6.3 11.2 10.06 15 13.92 7.16 5.61 1.65 18.6 66.35 14 12.4 18.54 1.8 242 57.05 4.38 22 30.25 19.5 15.4 277 0.222 13.5 2.98 6.63 10.36 5.9 9.77 1.75 12.3 67.3 6.6 309 4.37 4.4 2.62 12.94 4.5 0.142 1.22 150 3.56 2.07 0.98

INDUSTRIAL 42.85 1,404,600 9.9 4,516,400 0.77 821,000 1.41 488,000 19.72 22,900 0.225 1,280,000 120 160 5.03 7,315,500 16.9 2,217,200 168 40 40.8 743,200 20.05 15,800 68.85 6,630 75 2,640 1.93 62,000 6.44 137,600 12 214,100 10.1 6,701,900 15.12 178,000 13.92 555,400 7.24 556,600 5.62 61,342,700 1.65 28,000 18.92 3,812,900 67.95 158,650 14 2,000 12.42 59,000 18.6 451,000 1.85 150,000 243.8 732,140 57.05 300 4.5 522,000 23.35 5,200 30.85 3,325,300 20.15 207,900 16.1 7,660,300 283 606,210 0.227 580,000 13.54 245,300 2.98 252,000 6.8 89,100 10.48 4,207,400 6.1 179,600 9.9 291,000 1.76 328,000 12.3 384,600 68 207,070 6.6 94,600 309.6 2,550 4.5 230,000 4.4 2,000 2.62 1,295,000 13.06 456,100 4.5 380,000 0.143 10,890,000 1.26 71,000 152.8 787,970 3.56 16,000 2.08 1,683,000 0.99 120,000

59,900,420 43,610,445 633,700 683,920 434,476 287,430 19,200 37,293,398 37,525,496 6,664 29,812,740 327,325 424,465.50 198,672 119,660 882,156 2,539,220 67,818,888 2,688,808 7,829,438 4,021,502 352,769,887 46,200 72,146,140 10,695,971.50 28,000 732,794 8,406,336 273,290 178,283,878 17,115 2,330,190 114,670 102,535,585 4,142,248 122,254,160 170,122,448 131,210 3,442,780 755,030 599,572 43,957,004 1,081,573 2,903,324 577,660 4,754,478 14,072,691.50 626,484 788,360 1,016,700 8,800 3,400,470 5,922,440 1,710,000 1,547,380 90,250 119,776,641 58,310 3,526,680 118,700

14,662,685 -10,976,900 -18,370,059.00 19,101,064 6,074,235 1,280 29,164 -27,134,468 591,924 -1,754,384 61,133 -107,755,116 -11,364 943,010.50 663,202 1,526,428 3,680 -5,240,354 44,750 -33,704,000 162,020 -30,853,858 72,511,448 104,870 17,635,910 -5,950 -173,162 6,436,563 155,670 132,580 359,700 56,090 -3,072,566 -19,910.00 -21,005,997 383,940 -

0.355 74.05 16.26 1.09 6.97 0.375 0.38 995 8.48 15.8 7.83 5.47 0.201 1,190 7.64 78.5 5.14 0.88 6.4 17.58 6.74 3.6 0.049 1.65 2.17 2.7 98.7 2.61 917 0.92 1.45 292.6 0.28 0.193 0.22

0.355 73.3 15.96 1.05 6.97 0.355 0.36 967 8.29 15.58 7.57 5.45 0.2 1,156 7.64 75 4.88 0.86 6.04 17.2 6.56 3.48 0.047 1.4 2.04 2.7 97 2.61 870 0.92 1.41 280 0.28 0.193 0.214

HOLDING FIRMS 0.355 540,000 73.3 2,285,270 16.04 10,888,100 1.05 205,000 6.97 30,400 0.36 24,940,000 0.38 8,720,000 970 345,930 8.48 1,945,700 15.6 8,171,500 7.83 1,300 5.45 25,000 0.2 640,000 1,161 197,980 7.64 100 75 1,722,750 4.89 48,100 0.88 514,000 6.04 2,665,300 17.58 1,115,300 6.7 30,862,900 3.5 50,000 0.049 16,700,000 1.54 2,598,000 2.15 537,000 2.7 13,000 98.3 355,720 2.61 38,000 883 1,273,200 0.92 2,000 1.44 152,000 292.6 42,680 0.28 50,000 0.193 120,000 0.214 100,000

191,700 167,858,401 175,231,702 223,330 211,888 9,095,200 3,275,500 338,348,145 16,419,556 127,707,518 10,032 136,550 128,020 231,251,185 764 132,101,364 236,059 442,160 16,328,481 19,320,596 205,912,139 176,600 796,000 4,063,930 1,135,610 35,100 34,890,157 99,180 1,129,175,415 1,840 217,800 12,485,622 14,000 23,160 21,460

-36,842,839 -110,409,762 -33,861,445 5,600,895.00 -4,707,734 -783 -26,020 -42,176,345 -27,025,340 -981,297 -1,023,632 17,411,180 -23,500 -3,520 1,398,354 63,264,060 -266,146 -23,160 -

5 1.15 10 2.45 1.06 43.8 3.84 5.2 5.33 0.52 1.36 1.49 0.248 0.49 42 0.69 0.147 2.05 1.53

4.96 1.11 9.5 2.28 1.03 43.35 3.76 5.07 5.3 0.51 1.31 1.46 0.233 0.48 39.75 0.68 0.147 1.94 1.51

4,055,950 11,572,230 217,340 264,110 2,994,340 722,441,985 1,768,090 8,697,458 76,410 2,017,940 787,110 1,083,010 29,807,210 235,900 27,927,145 101,540 286,650 67,771,370 7,394,430

-3,386,560 -253,117,600 -539,020 51,500 -160,600 -2,896,310 48,000 8,323,160 198,450 29,882,920 -

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK CITYSTATE BANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FIRST ABACUS IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

4.78 59.6 99.45 4.08 130.3 2.89 35.35 9.99 16.1 31.6 0.69 1.67 940 0.69 87.3 0.83 13.02 25 59.35 239 112 87.9 48.8 244 1,890 86.65 1.27

4.79 59.85 99.85 4.08 131.4 3.05 35.45 10 16.1 32.55 0.69 1.73 945 0.7 88.4 0.9 13.1 25 60 240 140 87.9 49.6 249 1,890 86.65 1.28

4.52 59.2 99.35 4.05 130 2.83 35.2 9.99 15.92 31.6 0.69 1.67 940 0.69 86 0.83 13.02 25 59.15 236.6 112 87.9 48.75 243.2 1,888 86.6 1.26

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY BOGO MEDELLIN CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MACAY HLDG MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO MG HLDG PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETROENERGY PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VICTORIAS VITARICH VULCAN INDL

42.25 9.48 0.79 1.41 19.4 0.221 120 5.02 16.78 165.2 40 19.7 68.85 75 1.93 6.3 11.26 10.14 15.04 14.4 7.17 5.63 1.65 18.7 67.15 14 12.4 18.66 1.84 243 57.05 4.6 22 30.7 19.78 15.4 277 0.222 14.7 2.99 6.67 10.48 6 9.78 1.76 12.5 67.5 6.72 310 4.37 4.4 2.7 13.4 4.5 0.144 1.28 150.4 3.65 2.08 0.98

42.85 9.9 0.79 1.43 19.96 0.226 120 5.16 17.06 168 40.95 21.7 68.85 77 1.93 6.45 12 10.22 15.14 14.48 7.3 5.9 1.65 19.12 68 14 12.6 19 1.85 245 57.05 4.6 23.35 31 20.15 16.1 283 0.228 14.78 3 6.8 10.5 6.1 10 1.77 12.5 68 6.72 310 4.5 4.4 2.7 13.4 4.5 0.145 1.28 152.8 3.65 2.11 0.99

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 METRO PAC INV MJC INVESTMENTS PACIFICA PRIME MEDIA PRIME ORION REPUBLIC GLASS SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.355 73.4 16 1.09 6.97 0.37 0.37 967 8.37 15.68 7.57 5.47 0.201 1,175 7.64 76.8 5 0.86 6.3 17.24 6.56 3.48 0.048 1.4 2.04 2.7 97 2.61 870.5 0.92 1.42 280.2 0.28 0.193 0.22

8990 HLDG A BROWN ANCHOR LAND ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE

4.99 1.15 9.5 2.28 1.04 43.6 3.8 5.2 5.33 0.51 1.33 1.49 0.245 0.48 40 0.69 0.147 1.94 1.52

VOLUME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

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

0.9 5.16 0.345 0.485 0.475 6.15 25.75 1.78 3.14 34.8 1.03 6.77 0.87 6.17

0.93 5.35 0.35 0.49 0.475 6.29 26.15 1.8 3.2 35 1.04 7.52 0.87 6.36

0.9 5.13 0.335 0.475 0.47 6.15 25 1.78 3.14 34.45 1.01 6.77 0.87 6.13

0.91 5.23 0.34 0.475 0.47 6.2 25.3 1.8 3.2 34.45 1.04 7.52 0.87 6.36

3,690,000 58,883,400 29,610,000 3,900,000 2,990,000 1,364,700 4,534,500 5,177,000 112,000 14,422,300 479,000 300 32,000 4,821,800

3,324,450 310,174,716 10,176,450 1,867,500 1,411,450 8,478,221 115,802,820 9,235,180 351,800 501,806,905 492,390 2,106 27,840 30,295,132

-28,239,418 -257,950.00 -9,600 597,428 -21,329,295 -345,400 -85,391,690.00 7,075,823

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CEBU AIR CENTRO ESCOLAR CHELSEA DFNN INC DISCOVERY WORLD GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LBC EXPRESS LEISURE AND RES LORENZO SHIPPNG MACROASIA MANILA BULLETIN MANILA JOCKEY MELCO RESORTS METRO RETAIL MLA BRDCASTING NOW CORP PAL HLDG PHIL RACING PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

19.86 40.6 1.68 0.55 0.039 11 5.29 10.78 0.071 107.5 9.05 9.9 6.72 2.15 2,046 6.04 16.54 2.46 2.86 104 12 8.43 0.162 1.32 3.17 16 4.2 1.26 15 0.55 2.86 7.45 4.25 18 2.33 5.01 8.25 170 9.49 1,610 1.59 0.39 52.5 99 5.88 4.36 1.49 1.93 3.85 1.23 8.95

20 40.6 1.77 0.57 0.044 11 5.4 10.86 0.072 109.7 9.09 10.2 8.25 2.15 2,064 6.04 17 2.54 2.93 105 12 8.43 0.162 1.33 3.2 16 4.4 1.34 15.4 0.55 3.25 7.7 4.32 18 2.37 5.1 9.15 170 9.69 1,668 1.61 0.395 52.55 100 5.99 4.41 1.52 2.09 3.89 1.25 8.95

19.86 40.5 1.67 0.55 0.039 10.84 5.29 10.5 0.07 106.5 9.05 9.9 6.52 2.15 2,026 6.02 16.52 2.35 2.85 102 11.96 8.4 0.157 1.32 3.01 15.82 4.18 1.25 15 0.55 2.86 7.42 4.22 18 2.3 5 8.25 166 9.49 1,607 1.59 0.39 52 97.7 5.84 4.26 1.48 1.93 3.81 1.21 8.88

SERVICES 19.86 40.6 1.67 0.55 0.042 10.84 5.4 10.7 0.071 109.7 9.07 10.2 8.2 2.15 2,050 6.02 16.6 2.42 2.92 104 11.96 8.4 0.157 1.33 3.02 15.86 4.25 1.34 15.18 0.55 3.02 7.58 4.26 18 2.34 5.05 9.15 170 9.64 1,668 1.61 0.395 52.15 99 5.99 4.26 1.52 2.09 3.85 1.22 8.9

65,400 11,300 897,000 2,485,000 135,300,000 700 20,200 7,467,400 11,290,000 207,170 12,600 1,846,000 7,627,100 14,000 41,680 504,600 98,900 1,101,000 65,000 2,003,220 7,000 376,000 2,520,000 110,000 105,000 10,900 1,093,000 1,773,000 2,273,400 27,000 7,273,000 8,761,600 793,000 4,200 573,000 109,200 18,000 12,460 2,097,900 143,735 4,038,000 570,000 1,231,790 2,426,700 66,700 5,109,000 2,688,000 4,000 1,299,000 5,788,000 963,300

1,301,878 458,635 1,509,920 1,378,290 5,539,500 7,652 109,058 80,095,602 800,660 22,495,698 114,254 18,570,050 51,052,109 30,100 85,520,180 3,041,018 1,647,190 2,680,160 185,980 208,023,064 83,764 3,165,280 398,590 146,000 323,800 172,792 4,668,590 2,345,550 34,584,398 14,850 22,516,400 66,025,602 3,406,590 75,600 1,340,610 546,783 157,500 2,118,112 20,191,005 235,935,990 6,481,320 224,700 64,450,740.50 239,913,572.50 394,506 21,862,480 4,059,490 8,040 4,986,850 7,076,270 8,580,533

15,958 15,879,638.00 -22,770.00 14,239,631 4,917,389 -38,538,403 -24,945,790 -59,500 -49,676,720 2,141,100 -186,500 -974,206 -292,110 27,149,817 -12,810 -70,475 -562,700 -7,447,252.00 -55,307,605 4,727,760 -173,800 32,200,204.50 22,960,205 34,810 -741,970 -516,320 -48,800 2,723,566

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

0.0025 1.87 4.55 15.5 1.9 2.03 1.56 0.39 8.8 2.73 0.27 0.179 0.189 0.01 1.92 6.56 1.68 0.54 1.03 0.012 0.012 0.013 2.58 8.28 8 47.4

0.0026 1.9 4.75 16 2 2.08 1.58 0.39 8.9 2.84 0.27 0.181 0.194 0.01 1.97 6.76 1.68 0.54 1.05 0.012 0.012 0.013 2.67 8.45 8 47.4

0.0025 1.8 4.55 15 1.9 2 1.49 0.39 8.6 2.7 0.255 0.178 0.188 0.01 1.91 6.54 1.62 0.51 1.01 0.012 0.012 0.012 2.58 8.25 7.32 46.65

MINING & OIL 0.0025 83,000,000 1.83 18,737,000 4.7 167,000 16 6,300 2 350,000 2.04 173,000 1.55 2,626,000 0.39 230,000 8.63 93,500 2.79 7,962,000 0.265 390,000 0.181 1,870,000 0.189 130,000 0.01 1,000,000 1.92 40,000 6.6 7,185,300 1.67 15,000 0.51 64,000 1.05 1,265,000 0.012 20,200,000 0.012 700,000 0.012 20,200,000 2.65 70,000 8.33 1,158,400 7.5 17,778,700 46.7 539,900

207,600 34,472,150 785,230 95,170 699,600 351,120 4,024,610 89,700 810,886 22,126,940 101,250 333,340 24,580 10,000 77,430 47,573,651 24,500 33,020 1,291,800 242,400 8,400 259,100 184,170 9,611,185 134,174,862 25,305,595

5,000 397,300 -9,450 216,770.00 30,230 -119,560 -20,450 7,520 8,729,705 -21,600 -2,491,674.00 -899,503 2,323,470

ABS HLDG PDR AC PREF B1 FGEN PREF F GLO PREF P GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF B LR PREF MWIDE PREF PCOR PREF 2A PNX PREF 3A PNX PREF 3B SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G

40.5 526.5 109.1 539 5.75 1,030 1.06 110 1,065 103.5 109 75.2 80.6 76 78.1 81 78.5

40.5 526.5 109.1 539 5.75 1,030 1.06 110 1,065 103.5 109 75.2 81 76 78.1 81 78.5

40.4 526.5 109.1 539 5.75 1,030 1.06 110 1,065 103.5 109 75.2 80.5 76 78.1 81 78.4

PREFERRED 40.5 161,900 526.5 2,160 109.1 3,030 539 2,030 5.75 370,000 1,030 3,565 1.06 35,000 110 260 1,065 5,000 103.5 20 109 200 75.2 12,720 80.6 390,940 76 10 78.1 27,600 81 19,910 78.5 5,780

6,556,900 1,137,240 330,573 1,094,170 2,127,500 3,671,950 37,100 28,600 5,325,000 2,070 21,800 956,544 31,574,670 760 2,155,560 1,612,710 453,652

429,350 -2,127,500 -903,152 -729,000 -

LR WARRANT

2.49

2.63

2.47

WARRANTS 2.54 205,000

516,780

ITALPINAS MAKATI FINANCE PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

4.33 2.89 4.89 5.45

4.5 2.89 4.89 5.94

4.33 2.89 4.66 5.45

4.45 2.89 4.67 5.94

1,397,140 5,780 128,410 4,921,583

2,912,585

FIRST METRO ETF

123.9

125.2

123.9

489,649

5,500

NAME

PROPERTY 5 1.11 9.6 2.45 1.04 43.5 3.76 5.07 5.3 0.52 1.35 1.48 0.234 0.48 40 0.69 0.147 2.03 1.51

815,000 10,299,000 22,600 111,000 2,862,000 16,578,800 466,000 1,702,100 14,400 3,952,000 596,000 739,000 124,750,000 490,000 696,900 149,000 1,950,000 33,688,000 4,876,000

USD DMPL A1

T RADING S UMMARY FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL HOLDING FIRMS

SME

315,000 2,000 27,000 858,100

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 124.8 3,920 11

DDS

VALUE

19,826,391

1,244,922,942.89

9,029,447,376

66,141,146,330.916

118,559,598

2,839,963,004.55

PROPERTY

336,261,352

1,944,813,183.54

SERVICES

224,605,533

1,272,314,844.26

MINING & OIL

186,304,351

282,952,999.869

GRAND TOTAL

9,916,212,455

73,733,063,380.97

500

FINANCIAL 1,961.24 (down) 4.84 INDUSTRIAL 11,146.88 (up) 110.37 HOLDING FIRMS 8,221.67 (down0 8.56 PROPERTY 3,850.91 (up) 2.04 SERVICES 1,716.16 (up) 25.43 MINING & OIL 13,954.31 (down) 86.72 PSEI 8,171.43 (up) 15.39 All Shares Index 4,841.35 (up) 23.10 Gainers: 131; Losers: 77; Unchanged: 48; Total: 256

San Miguel on track to trim water use by 50% SAN Miguel Corp. said it has made significant headway on its goal to cut water use across all its operations and started investing and putting in place programs as part of its ambitious push to integrate sustainability into the conglomerate’s business strategy. The company, which celebrated its 127th anniversary Friday, said its businesses had mapped out a plan to reach an interim goal of 20 percent reduction by 2020. Investments in technologies have also been committed early this year to ensure it meets its 50 percent reduction goal by target year 2025. The ambitious goal, enshrined in its “Water for All” initiative, was first announced in March this year. It involves reducing domestic and utility use of water across SMC’s beverage, food, packaging, power, infrastructure and fuels businesses. Since then, San Miguel’s businesses have already determined baseline water consumption against which the 2020 target of 20 percent reduction and 50 percent by 2025 will be measured. Early this month, San Miguel announced it was exiting the plastic bottled water business to lessen its environmental footprint. It is the first time a business was discontinued to support the company’s sustainability goals. San Miguel president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang said the two major initiatives were part of a larger push toward sustainability. Ang, however, clarified the discontinuation of the bottled water business would not count as part of the water use reduction efforts. He said the establishment of baseline water consumption figures would boost water reduction measures and encourage a culture of conservation throughout the San Miguel Group.

Uniwide delisting ordered By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange ordered the delisting of Uniwide Holdings Inc., a company owned by businessman Jimmy Gow, due to continued violation of the disclosure rules of the exchange. The PSE in an order said Uniwide would be delisted from the office registry of the exchange on October 26. The PSE initiated involuntary delisting procedure against Uniwide Holding in February, citing the company’s violation of the disclosure rules of the exchange. The PSE said Uniwide Holdings failed to submit reportorial requirements, including filing of annual reports for the years ended 2013 to 2015, quarterly reports for the years ended 2014 to 2016 as all as other reportorial requirements. It also failed to timely submit other reports pertaining to foreign ownership, top 100 stockholders, public ownership and as well as unstructured reportorial requirements for the revised disclosure rules in relation to the legal proceedings involving the company and changes in its principal officers. The PSE said the Securities and Exchange Commission affirmed the dissolution and liquidation of assets of all of the companies in the Uniwide Group, including Uniwide Holdings way back in 2013.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

LGus

Standard

TODAY

saturday, september 30, 2017

Vizcaya extends cave tourist ban B By Ben Moses Ebreo

ayOMBOnG, nueva vizcayaGov. Carlos padilla has extended the ban for tourists planning to visit the world-class Capissaan Cave system in barangay Capissaan in Kasibu town here. padilla announced this after philippine army officials confirmed the presence of new people’s army rebels in the upland barangays of

Kasibu including Capissaan. “We are extending the ban to ensure the safety and prevent local and foreign tourists from being abducted or

kidnapped during their visit in the threatened barangay of Capissaan,” padilla said. Military officials announced the insurgency assessment during the joint meeting of the provincial peace and Order Council and provincial anti-Drug abuse Council at the pasalubong Center in this town. padilla also encouraged the council members to responsibly disseminate the ban to warn tourists on the present peace and order situation in the province.

Col. Fer Janan Razalan, commander of the army’s 84th infantry Batallion based in san Jose City and covering the southern towns of nueva vizcaya, said most of their soldiers have been deployed in the upland villages of Kasibu, Dupax del norte, Dupax del sur and alfonso Castaneda towns. Communist rebels have been carrying out recruitment, dialogues, foraging, food transport and acquisition, harboring, ambuscades, rearming and other movement in these

areas, Razalan said. this month alone, three encounters between the communist rebels and the army occurred in n Kasibu, Dupax del norte and alfonso Castaneda. the first skirmish had zero casualties, but the second led to the death of four soldiers and injury to another, and the third claimed the lives of nine npa rebels. the ongoing military operations have affected close to 2,000 residents, who sought refuge in nearby

barangay halls, churches and schools, prompting the local government and national government agencies to provide assistance. “some of these internally displaced persons have been assisted and returned safely to their homes. Others are still staying in evacuation centers due to the on-going military operations,” said Kasibu Mayor alberto Bumulo Jr.. Bumolo thanked the ppOC and the provincial Disaster Risk Reduction Management

Council members for assisting their constituents. the mayor asked the military to consider the establishment of a Citizens armed Forces Geographical Units in strategic areas of Kasibu town to prevent the entry of communist rebels in the upland barangays. Gabriel Marcelo, acting alfonso Castaneda mayor, also asked the ppOC to provide relief goods for villagers displaced during the recent encounters in their municipality.

Operator of private landfill in Bulacan cries harassment Kids in remote Banaue schools get supplies

a pRivateLy owned sanitary landfill in norzagaray, Bulacan, one of the few alternative dumpsites for Metro Manila’s trash, is being harassed and prevented from taking in more garbage, which may lead to a greater environmental crisis for the metropolis. arthur Legaspi, president of Waste Custodian Management, the firm that runs the 18-hectare san Mateo landfill, said Friday a private security team has prohibited their garbage trucks and their clients’ haulers from traversing a barangay road leading to their site in sitio tiyakad, Barangay san Mateo. this “harassment” started on sept. 15, Legaspi said. a government agency, which Legaspi didn’t identify, is also claiming a three-hectare portion of the landfill, which surprised Wacuman management as it has all the necessary permits since opening the facility in 2007. “We are very alarmed by this situation. Our papers, land titles, permit, and other requirements are all legal and complete. We have been operating our business smoothly and efficiently,” Legaspi said. “We were caught by surprise why all of a sudden, we were deemed illegal owners of the land where we have operated our landfill business for years,” he added. Wacuman has already filed the necessary complaints with the proper authorities, Legaspi said, but added he is alarmed by the fact that soon, the garbage crisis will be felt especially by residents of Bulacan. provincial and local government officials could not be reached for comment at presstime.

RepResentatives of MoneyGram international traveled to the remote barrios of Banaue, ifugao to help school children achieve their dreams through the school-in-a-Box program. a collaboration between MoneyGram and the Black pencil project, the school-ina-Box aims to provide sufficient education materials and school packs to underserved schools in far-flung areas of the philippines. as part of its commitment, MoneyGram extended p1 million worth of educational supplies to the project. On this final leg of the program, MoneyGram and Black pencil visited the Cambulo, Matao and pula elementary schools in Banaue. a total of 500 pupils from day care up to Grade 6 levels received school packs from the activity. “We at MoneyGram believe in the transformative power of education in the lives of people. We believe that it is both a duty and a privilege for corporations such as ours to involve ourselves and do our part in helping uplift communities by promoting learning and literacy,” said alex Chan Lim, MoneyGram country manager. “this latest leg of our school-in-a-Box program in Banaue, ifugao is proof of our commitment to help

The San Mateo Landfill in Norzagaray, Bulacan, as shown in this supplied photo, has been operating since 2007. But recently, a private security firm has set up a checkpoint on a barangay road leading to the sanitary dumpsite (inset) that has prevented garbage trucks from offloading their cargo at the privately owned facility, its owners said Friday.

the Department of environment and natural Resources has closed down the nearby payatas dumpsite in Quezon City, which has been Metro Manila’s main trash bin for decades. the agency is also dealing with reports of solid waste being thrown directly into Manila Bay when garbage can no longer be accommodated at the vitas Marine Loading station at pier 18 in tondo, Manila for transport elsewhere. “this is not only a localized problem, as part of a functioning community is a reliable and efficient gar-

bage collection system,” Legaspi said. “We are calling our proper authorities to act on this matter immediately. We have all the necessary documents and we have been continuously victimized by this form of harassment.” in 2008, former president Gloria Macapagal arroyo signed presidential proclamation no. 1655, which declared the san Mateo landfill as an alternative waste disposal facility for the municipalities and cities of Bulacan, Metro Manila, and nearby areas. Wacuman, as the land-

owner and landfill operator, was granted an environmental Compliance Certificate with a Category 4 by the environmental Management Bureau of the DenR, the year before that. the DenR and the national solid Waste Management Commission have monitored the san Mateo landfill to ensure safe and proper waste handling and management, the firm noted. “When we started our business, we have made safety our utmost priority. through the years, our facility was able to augment the lack of suitable

and proper landfills in the country,” Legaspi said. “We have delivered our services efficiently and for almost a decade, we have not encountered any problems.” the firm has reached out to the provincial government of Bulacan to help resolve the issue, he said. But if no action will be done by the proper authorities, Legaspi said the company fears their “land-grab problem” may turn into a garbage crisis “that will affect not only the residents of Bulacan but also other cities in Metro Manila.”

A young girl and her day-care school classmates in a remote Benguet school flash the gift packs they received from Moneygram and the Black Pencil Project.

OceanaGold’s Didipio bats for Asean mining trophy By Abe Almirol KasiBU, nueva vizcayaOcenaGold’s Didipio mine here has been shortlisted among the three finalists in the “Best in Mineral processing” at the First asean Mineral awards. the mining company was chosen as the philippine representative in the category by the award body’s technical Working Committee last March. environment Undersecretary Mario Luis Jacinto informed OceanaGold of its nomination to

represent the philippines. “after strict evaluation of all entries from the participating southeast asian nations by the aMa Board of Judges, the philippines makes it to the top three finalists,” Jacinto said. OceanaGold executives will be presenting to the Board in november. the winners will be announced during the asean Ministerial Meeting on Minerals in nay pyi taw, Myanmar in December. “it is with great pride that we will be representing the philippines in such a prestigious award, the first

of its kind in the southeast asian to honor asean mining companies region. through living our values that have made outstanding conof respect, integrity, teamwork, in- tributions toward the promotion of novation, action and accountabil- environmentally and socially susity, we are able to work positively tainable minerals development in and safely with our communities the asean region. while protecting the environment the awards recognize contribufrom our impacts,” OceanaGold philipREPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES sufficient in form and substance, notice is hereby given that said REGIONAL TRIAL COURT pines vice president NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL petition is hereby set for hearing on October 30, 2017 at 8:30 in for external affairs REGION BRANCH 217 – QUEZON CITY the morning before this Court and Communications located at Room 238, Second Floor, Hall of Justice, Diliman, MARNE GELACIO, Chito Gozar said. Quezon City at which place and Petitioner, on which date and time, any the asean Miner-versusperson who has objections to CIVIL CASE NO. al awards is a biennithe petition may appear and file R-QZN-17-07570-CV his opposition thereto. For: Recognition of al award established Let a copy of this Order

10 outstanding househelp honored ten outstanding domestic helpers have been selected from 390 candidates in the second year of the JCi senate philippines’ “Kasambahay, Kasambuhay awards” search sponsored by financial services firm palawan. Last year, only five awardees were given honors. this year’s winners are siblings teresita and Maria tardecilla, aged 82 and 76, respectively from Manila; Mila Gamboa, 40, tarlac province; Joseph Bayona Jr., 49, valenzuela City; Lily primavera, 59, Makati

City; Zosima Jumuad, 68, paranaque City; Wilma semira, 57, Batangas City; esteban amar, 52, Quezon City; ernestina Rosales, 73, Cebu City; and teresita alatan, 58, Zamboanga City. they will formally receive their awards september 30 in a fun-filled event for household helpers at the BF Resort covered tennis court at Carnival park in Las Piňas City. Each winner takes home a trophy, p50,000 cash, and a threeday all-expenses-paid vacation for two at a plush

vacation spot in palawan province. From 3 to 7 p.m., tv personalities “Mommy Dionisia” pacquiao, Benjie paras and son andre paras will lead a bevy of talented performers, including palawan’s own Manila pps dancers, in the vaudeville-themed “Kasambahay, Kasambuhay” awards ceremonies with hundreds of domestic helpers expected as audience. the palawan firm will fete both the winners and attendees with prizes, organizers said.

Foreign Divorce

and the entire publication be SEONGMAN HAN AND/OR CIVIL published at the expense of REGISTRAR GENERAL AND/OR the petitioner, once a week for THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR three (3) consecutive weeks in OF QUEZON CITY, The Standard, a newspaper of Respondents. general circulation throughout x---------------------------------------x the Philippines. Likewise, let ORDER a copy of the petition with its This is a verified petition filed annexes and this Order be by Marne Gelacio praying for furnished to the Office of the the judicial recognition of foreign Solicitor General, and be posted judgment of divorce obtained in in the Bulletin Board of the Office Republic of Korea and direct the of the Clerk of Court, Regional Civil Registrar General and the Trial Court, Quezon City. Local Civil Registry of Quezon City to record the divorce in the SO ORDERED Quezon City, Philippines, marriage certificate. Petitioner alleges that she got August 22, 2017. married to Seongman Han on June 24, 2008 at the Iglesia ni Cristo Central Temple, New Era, Quezon City; that petitioner and private respondent have no children; that in 2016, the parties filed for divorce at Incheon in the Republic of Korea; that on December 1, 2016, a divorce decree was issued by the Family Court at the Incheon in the Republic of Korea dissolving the marriage between Seongman Han and Marne Gelacio; that petitioner is now seeking that the foreign divorce decree obtained by Seongman Han in the Republic of Korea be judicially recognized. Finding the petition to be

(Sgd.) SANTIAGO M. ARENAS Judge Cc: BRITANICO & BRITANICO LAW OFFICES Atty. Francesco C. Britanico Counsel for the Petitioner G/F 4 Matiwasay Street, U.P. Village, Diliman, Quezon City Office of the Solicitor General Makati City

empower young minds no matter the distance, no matter the challenge, no matter the cost,” Lim added. this is the second year MoneyGram has partnered with Black pencil for its educational outreach. the firm has also independently supported other education-related endeavors, such as its book donation to the University of the philippines integrated school and classroom donations in Central visayas. “it is very encouraging for us at Black pencil to have partnered with a company that is as passionate about education as we are. We commend MoneyGram for its consistency and dedication in making a difference in the lives of disadvantaged youth. We look forward to working with them again in our future outreaches,” said Mon Corpuz, founder of the Black pencil project. Banaue is in the northernmost tip of the province of ifugao, and is approximately a 15-hour trip from Metro Manila. Known for its beautiful scenery—particularly the Banaue Rice terraces— the rough and mountainous terrain of barangays Cambulo, Matao and pula make it difficult for pupils to access learning tools that are normally available to students in the lowlands.

SECURITY PLANT COMPLEX (SPC) DISPOSAL COMMITTEE NOTICE OF PUBLIC AUCTION The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), through its Disposal Committee, invites bidders to participate in the public auction for the sale, on an “as is, where is” basis, of the following· Item No 1 2 3

Qty

Item Description

Location

1 1 1

BSP·QC BSP·QC

PhP17,955,000.00 PhP596,000.00

BSP·QC

PhP447,000.00

5 6 7 8 9

1 1 1 1 1

Auto Printing Machine (Unomatic) Goldstamping Machine (Heidelberg) Barcode Number Printing Machine (Atlantic Zeiser) Special Double Semi-Automatic Book Pressing Machine (Zechine) Pressing Machine (La Fornigrafica) Double Book Pressing Machine (Zechine) Automatic Folding Machine (ShoEi 2) Perforating Laser Machine (Atlantic Zeiser) Sheet-Fed/Double Deck Offset Printing Press Machine (Komori)

Floor Price

BSP-QC

PhP790,000.00

BSP-QC BSP-QC BSP-QC BSP-QC

PhP288,000.00 PhP418,000.00 PhP1,206,000.00 PhP10,520,000.00

BSP-QC

PhP112,244,000.00

The schedule of activities is as follows· 1. Issuance of Bid Documents Starting date: 4 October 2017 Room 405, 4th Floor, Building A, BsPSPC, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 2. Inspection of Items for Auction Date/Time: 4-6 October 2017 at 9:00 am and 1:00 p.m. 3. Opening of Bids 3/F Staff Dining Date/Time: 9 October 2017 at 10:00 Room a.m. The BSP reserves the right to accept or reject any bid, to declare the bidding a failure, to annul the bidding process and to reject all bids at any given time prior to award of contract, without thereby incurring any liability to the bidders. Furthermore, the BSP reserves the right to waive any minor defect or formality and to accept the proposal most advantageous to the Bank.

Office of the City Prosecutor Quezon City Office of the Civil Registrar General Quezon City Office of the Local Civil Registrar Quezon City (MS-Sep. 16, 23 & 30, 2017)

ARIEL C. CHUIDIAN Chairperson 22 September 2017 (MS-SEPT. 29, & 30, 2017)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

LGUs

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

saturday, september 30, 2017

Eisma formally takes over at SBMA

LocaL government units

‘Lechon bocha’ probed By Bill Casas

OLLOWING the recent confiscation of “double dead” lechon (roasted pig) being sold outside the Paco public market, Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada on Friday alerted the city’s meat inspectors against the entry of “botcha” or tainted meat in the city.

With the start of “ber” months leading to Christmas, Estrada said unscrupulous vendors would again resort to selling botcha—livestock or poultry that have died due to disease, slaughtered, and

then sold as fresh meat to consumers—owing to increased demand for meat and processed meat products during the season. “This is our concern every Christmas season, so I have ordered our inspec-

tors to intensify their inspection of public and privately owned markets, even those big supermarkets and groceries, to intercept those hot meat,” the mayor said. Estrada said he wants the city’s Veterinary Inspection Board to go hard on individuals selling “botcha.” “These people would never learn until they have taught a lesson,” he said. Following a tip from legitimate meat vendors in the market, City Veterinarian and VIB chief Dr. Virgil Benedict de Jesus said they have seized some 16 kilos of chopped botcha lechon from a vendor dur-

ing an operation on Sept. 23 just outside the Paco public market. To deceive meat inspectors, he said vendors or sellers would often turn double dead meat into lechon to hide traces of the bad meat. Aside from the obvious characteristics of “hot meat”—it has a dark hide and the hairs of the skin remain stuck to the fat even after being dipped in boiling water—the seized lechon, De Jesus said, was being sold at a cheap price of P80 to P130 per kilo, in contrast to the regular price of P800 per kilo. The suspect is facing

charges of violating Republic Act 10536, the Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines, and City Ordinance No. 4739, which prohibits the sale of meat from clandestine operations. Based on RA 10536, sellers or distributors of tainted meat could be fined from P150,000 to P300,000 and a prison term, according to De Jesus. As ordered by Estrada, De Jesus said the Board’s 11 meat inspectors are going around the city’s 18 public markets every day to conduct surprise and thorough inspections of fresh and cooked meat.

Additionally, a special three-man inspection team was also created to inspect private shopping malls such as SM, Robinson’s, supermarkets like Puregold, restaurants, and hotels within Manila, De Jesus added. He advised the public to be wary of buying meat from suspicious sources and those that are being sold at impossibly cheaper prices. “Double-dead meat is easy to recognize: The meat is pale, sometimes taking on a bluish or greenish tinge, and smells bad, and the hair and skin have not been properly cleaned,” De Jesus described.

Youth to challenge QC curfew ordinance By Rio N. Araja A YOUTH group on Friday challenged a Supreme Court decision upholding the legality of Quezon City’s threeyear-old curfew ordinance. Amid the high court’s favorable ruling on Ordinance No. SP 2301 of 2014 or “Discipline Hours for Minors,” the Samahan ng Progresibong Kabataan (Spark) represented by its spokesperson Joanne Lim, assailed Quezon City’s curfew hours. As far as the city government is concerned, Public Affairs and Information Services Office director Ares Gutierrez said the Supreme Court “has already spoken on the constitutionality of the ordinance.” “We defer to the ruling,” Gutierrez told the Manila Standard. Lim, however, said the Supreme Court en banc

could have overlooked and “accidentally created an exemption that was not in the original text of the ordinance.” On Aug. 8, the Supreme Court affirmed the legality of the Quezon City’s measure imposing curfew hours on minors from 10 a.m. to 4 a.m. Spark seeks the reversal of the court’s ruling “for failing to pass a strict scrutiny test,” and that several of their arguments may have been “overlooked and misappreciated.” “The Supreme Court might have overlooked that they created an exemption—implied parental permission—that could not be found in the ordinance. That is judicial legislation. The local legislative council should amend the ordinance themselves,” Spark legal officer Jesus Falcis III said.

NATIVE GARB. Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan hands a

certificate and cash prize to city employee after she was chosen among those who stood out in their Kasuotang Pilipino outfit (inset photo) during the celebration of National Tourism Week. Jun David

Las Piñas boasts 700 new vocational-technical graduates LAS Piñas Mayor Imelda T. Aguilar on Friday expressed confidence that 700 new graduates from various vocational and technical courses at the Las Piñas City Manpower Training Center will soon find gainful employment locally and abroad. The new graduates, members of Batch 139, attended daily sessions from

July to September 2017. Of the graduates, 110 completed housekeeping course, 78 food and beverages services, 62 English proficiency and 60 shielded metal or welding. The Manpower Training Center offers courses on automotive servicing, commercial cooking, consumer electronics, food and beverages services, hairdressing,

massage therapy, personal computer operations, refrigeration and aircondition servicing, shielded metal arc welding, industrial electricity, cellphone repair, housekeeping, and travel services. Aguilar said the graduates, who were given free training in various courses, may also start their own home-based or backyard

business to augment their families’ income. She added the city is coordinating with local industries and companies to accommodate the new graduates with special technical vocational skills. Noting bigger demand for skilled workers overseas, Aguilar said graduates of the center will also have the opportunity to ap-

ply for work abroad. Aguilar encouraged out-of-school youths and unemployed adults in the city to avail the free training courses provided at the training center, which was recently awarded by the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority as one of the Most Outstanding Skills Training Centers in the country.

Thomasian ‘Group of 6’ art show set at Heart Center THE Thomasian “Group of Six” will mount an Art Show at the Philippine Heart Center’s The Art Gallery, with opening ceremonies on Oct. 2 starting at 4 p.m. Featuring a collection of paintings from the University of Santo Tomas’ Fine Arts Alumni, this exhibit showcases the ingenuity of the country’s local talents who have also made a mark internationally. Featured are painters Domingo A. Alconaba, former lecturer at the UST College of Fine Arts; Pablo I. Javier, Japanese Ministry of Education Scholar with postgraduate studies in painting at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Academy; Editha L. Mata-Guerrero, former college faculty member of Manuel L. Quezon University and Centro Escolar University; Leon Pacunayen, former faculty member of UST College of Fine Arts and Colegio de San Juan de Letran; the late Renato A. Quiroz, former faculty member of Philippine Women’s University Institute of Fine Arts and Design; and Mario Santiago, former faculty member and chairman of UST College of Fine Arts-Painting Department. The exhibit will be at the Ground Floor Lobby of the Philippine Heart Center from Six outstanding alumni of the University of Santo Tomas College of Fine Arts are shown on the flyer for their art Oct. 2 to 21. show at the Philippine Heart Center on Oct. 2.

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has formally appointed Wilma T. Eisma as chairperson and administrator of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority for a term expiring on June 30, 2022. Eisma’s new appointment was made under Executive Order No. 42, which the President signed on Monday. The new EO expressly repealed EO No. 340, signed in 2004 by thenPresident Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, which essentially split the powers and duties of the highest position in the Subic Agency. Section 3 of EO 42 provides for the appointment by the President of “the Administrator of the SBMA, who shall be the ex-officio chairman of the SBMA Board.” Eisma, a lawyer and former SBMA volunteer, was appointed SBMA administrator in December 2016, two months after Malacañang named former Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption official Martin Diño as chairman of the Subic agency. However, Diño and Eisma had been at odds since May this year following Diño’s issuance of an administrative order that interfered and encroached upon the duties of the administrator, as well as on the oversight functions of the SBMA Board of Directors. Diño had similarly quarreled with another SBMA official, whom Malacañang designated as OIC-Administrator before Eisma took over. This conflict sparked an investigation by the House of Representatives on EO 340, with the lawmakers pointing out that the SBMA Administrator was originally the sole appointee under Republic Act 7227, the Bases Conversion and Development Act. Butch Gunio

In BrIef nBi seizes P50m worth of timber THE National Bureau of Investigation on Thursday said operatives of the Bureau’s Environmental Crime Division (NBI-EnCD) arrested two persons for illegally keeping an estimated P50 million worth of timber or lumber in Barangay Bagbag, Novaliches, Quezon City. NBI Director Dante Gierran identified the suspects as Erwin Villegas and Rolly Martin. The joint operation of NBI-EnCD and Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which led to the arrest of the suspects and the seizure of various lumber of narra, yakal, molave, bolong, and other species, arose from a search warrant issued by Regional Trial Court Branch 94 in Quezon City. A woodworking planer and chainsaw were also seized during the operation, conducted to comply with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to enforce a total logging moratorium. Duterte has mandated the DENR’s Environmental Crime Task Force to formulate an operational plan to be implemented in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police, Philippine Coast Guard, Department of Justice, the Ombudsman, and the NBI-EnCD. Bill Casas

Qc fetes 12 mentors for teachers’ month IN CELEBRATION of the National Teachers’ Month, Quezon City is awarding 12 outstanding elementary school teachers in District 6, a city councilor said Friday. “This is why we are giving recognition to the dedication of our teachers to help make a brighter future for our students,” Councilor Marivic Co-Pilar said. Recognized were Jondie Bonilla of Culiat Elementary School, Ricky Lim of New Era ES, Michelle Francisco of Pasong Tamo ES, Rosemarie Herrera of Tandang Sora ES, Menerba Acuña of Sauyo ES, Eleonor Amoyo of A. Bonifacio Memorial ES, Lean Ramirez of Apolonio Samson ES; Rachel Castro of Balumbato ES, Jocelyn Rebadeo of GSIS Village ES, Charina dela Cruz of L.B. Santos ES, Rodfil Rabayos of L.R. Pascual ES and Adela Lacaba of Placido del Mundo ES. National Teachers’ Month is celebrated from Sept. 5 to Oct. 5. Rio N. Araja

By Ambet Nabus

“D

reSSeD for success.”

Life

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer

That’s the title of a famous late ‘80s isahred@gmail.com Roxette song. Such phrase can actually be associated with someone still unborn satuRday, septemBeR 30, 2017 when it hit the parade, which means he might be someone among the empowered millennials, now. Well, William Russell Mendoza Scheirman, son of a German-American father, William Scheirman, and Filipino mother, Mary Glen Mendoza, is surely one empowered young man dressed up to look the part. By all considerations, he is qualified as a millennial corporate hotshot. At age 26, he is already the top honcho of a corporation handling various businesses to a tee. He has excelled in construction and real estate, healthcare business, restaurant service, and even the dealership of state-of-the-art motorcycles. He is no doubt a certified industry boss, a high roller who usually presides over closed-door meetings attended by established corporate men often twice his age. “Dress to impress. Don’t dress your age,” quipped William, somewhat implying that it is his way of masking the amusing fact that he is quite too young to be heading corporate business entities. Obviously, it is a kind of worry he’d rather have. What can he do if he has bloomed that tHiS GUY meanS BUSineSS. Twenty six-year-old William Scheirman, who heads several business entities, is a proof that millennials can be successful entrepreneurs even at a young age. early. With his mestizo looks and dashing debonair get-up, one can see the confidence come off him. It is a type of demeanor that says he knows what he is saying, with a voice naturally modulated as if to send the message he means business and his feet are always planted on the ground.

HealtH and environment

Hard-worker, tech-savvy

This civil engineer graduated at Mapua Technical Institute in 2013, who greets people with a winsome smile complementing his boyish aura, simply embraces the ways of his generation with a competitive, reasonable mind. He shared, “We millennials are blessed with a world powered by wonderful technology and I make use of that to my advantage, especially in enhancing my knowledge in learning about the business I want to put myself in. That being said I do read books the conventional way and attends seminars to even know more. I’m not the honor student-type, but I studied very well during college.” While several young people find it an easier choice to party while they’re still young, William has a different, call it more responsible, thinking. He works now to play later, even wanting to semiretire when he reaches his 30s. Can’t blame him. Born from a family with middle-class background and mindset urging financial independence, he was raised to be a man who can stand on his own and can’t withstand being looked down to. early on his parents taught him the value of money and saving. He wasn’t given spare money; he knew he had to work hard to earn them. As a grader, the signs were already there for this self-made millionaire. In school, he would sell his uncle’s paintings, among other things, and take a cut from the sale. At one point he would lend friends some cash and then remind them each day of their payables. Funny as it sounded, he has inevitably been given the “bumbay” tag. Yet, that early run gave him the bare truth that while sav-

millennial shares

secret of success

ing is good, it is better, by his account, closet; he has good, savvy business ideas “to let grow whatever I have.” and the compassion to do what’s on his head. As it has always been the case, peoEarly bloomer ple tend to see him as a rare breed of a Knowing it is a family rule that by 18, doer and fun to do business with. he would have to make it on his own, After the initial baby steps of his brave William kicked off his professional venture into the corporate wilderness, it sprint to success even ahead of that age. didn’t take long for his business model “I started working as an employee at 17,” to take off. If you go into his head office he proudly recalled, “Three years later I in Marikina, a newly developed building began doing business with me running the community where a resto-bar he runs show. I had this belief that you should work called Forage is attractively situated on on your own if you want something.” the ground floor, while an inviting food At first, relatives asked him to develop park is a few steps away, with a long line building projects for them which was of motorcycle units parked on the other one fine way of getting started. Then he side of the road, you know this guy has went, in aggressive, no-nonsense manner, done some good stuff to make all of such to residential realty and leasing, before exist comfortably together. eventually adding pharmacy into his fold. His corporate governance is one of unSoon, he dipped into fusion restaurants traditional, yet effectively vibrant way. and distribution of mass-serving, three- No office politics. He is a boss-friend wheeled public transport vehicles. who gives people direction, with the asHe continued, “Upon understanding surance that an employee can always get the full specifics of a certain business, I back to him to clarify things. The sense will present a business proposal to proof ownership is encouraged for every soul spective investors. The key to finding an working for his companies, from the VP investor and implementing your busi- to the janitor, from the fresh grads to the ness concept lies in the perfect blend of vets. He hands employees the authority to science, gut-feel, and projection.” run the daily grind of the business and, on a deeper note, the break they deserve.

has convinced one private equity investor to another, each embracing his idea with trust and generosity. These investors could not have thanked themselves enough for believing in the right person. William, in his humble tone, stated, “I talk directly and speak confidently to business partners and to whomever I’m talking to. Before I say something, I make sure that is true.” Proof that he already established himself in the biz that quick is the fact he puts the virtue of reaching out to help alleviate the lives of the less privileged. For one, he pushed a housing project that offers a relatively affordable price for a place, or in his own words, “For 450 thousand may bahay ka na.”

Overseer, dreamer

One may ask how someone of his stature juggles his time. For this neatly-looking tall guy, the way to timemanagement is macro-management, or overseeing his businesses on a daily basis, with his trusted people working on the details. Besides, it’s his good leadership that makes the members of his team do the job like a well-oiled machine. Friday bowlings with his employFair and square ees is one way of de-stressing and teamTruthfulness and honesty are fixed on True gentleman building for the whole bunch. Business the table for William. He is one fair and Needless to say, this fine, young gen- and pleasure, as oft said, should come square dude, with nothing to hide in his tleman who practically started at zero, into good play.

William is a boss-friend who gives his employees direction with the assurance that they can always get back to him to clarify things

Asked about the person he looks up to as a model, he name-dropped young billionaire Injap Sia, best known for popularizing the Mang Inasal brand and selling it to the owner of Jollibee for a hefty sum. He already met the latter in a casual stance. Whether they do business together someday remains to be seen. But one thing’s for sure, William became a big time by having himself influenced by the greats. “I want to inspire other people my age, to be known as a good example for the young generation,” the master millennial who is Christian by faith expressed. “There are two Fs that I value the most: family and future. I always get back to the truth that I belong to a certain bloodline that meant so much to my life, all the while I’m preparing myself for the future.” A surefire eligible bachelor who can pass up for a leading man in a movie about millennials, William Scheirman is actually one who did experience getting heartbroken. And turned it into a reason to fix the day. He happily shared that in the past he had a girlfriend who left him because he couldn’t afford to provide her material wants. At that point, he felt he needed to make money of his own. Yeah boy, he did just that and wasted no time, doing it in a way more than impactful enough to create a millennial success story.

The civil engineer graduated at Mapua Technical Institute in 2013

Move into your dream home instantly

THe concept of “instant gratification” enters the realm of homeownership, with Amaia Land’s introduction of “InstaMove,” its newest homeownership program. Began in June, aspiring homeowners have been moving into their dream houses 60 (working) days after they make their reservations, proving that hardworking Filipino families can actually acquire goodquality affordable homes without the interminable waiting that generally happens in “rent to own” schemes of other developers. First-time homebuyers usually find it difficult to bear the cost of mortgage payments while continuing to pay rent for a dwelling until such time when they can take possession of their new units. But with Amaia’s recent launch of this exclusive offering, this burden is eliminated. To date, Amaia has made an initial offering of more than 300 units—across eight different projects in the country—for its “InstaMove” option: Amaia Skies Avenida, Amaia Skies Sta. Mesa, and Amaia Skies Cubao for high-rise condos; Amaia Steps Pasig, Amaia Steps Mandaue, and Amaia Steps Novaliches for midrise buildings; and Amaia Scapes Cabanatuan and Amaia Scapes Capas for both house-and-lot developments. Amaia Land brings the dream of owning a home closer to ordinary Filipinos by offering pocket-friendly payment options: cash, deferred cash, and bank financing. As with all Amaia properties, the Makati Development Corporation and Ayala Property Management Corporation are responsible for the quality and maintenance of Amaia homes. For other inquiries, please visit www.amaialand.com, like www. Quality and affordable homes at Amaia Scapes Capas come easier and faster facebook.com/AmaiaLand on Facebook, or call 02-531-2234. for hardworking Filipino families through Amaia Land’s ‘InstaMove’ option.

Invest in quality and affordable homes at Amaia Steps Novaliches and move in instantly 60 days after reservation.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor • Nickie Wang, Writer

‘Eat, Bulaga!’

MILLENNIAL BEAUTIES. Some of the

38 contestants vying for the first Miss Millennial Philippines crown

crowns

Miss Millennial Philippines

TODAY A

FTER weeks of promoting the beauty and charm of her province, one young Filipina gets to wear the Miss Millennial Philippines crown.

Happening today at the Mall of Asia Arena, the grand ﬁnale of Eat, Bulaga! ‘s anniversary segment is the culmination of the tourism campaign spearheaded by 38 millennials from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The winner will not only get a condominium unit from Bria Homes, a Mitsubishi Montero Sport and cash prize, but also a special crown ﬁt for a queen. Eat, Bulaga! commissioned accessory designers Micki Olaguer and Arnel Papa to create a crown that would best represent a strong, independent and nurturing young Filipina. A patriotic ode to Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, the crown design represents the hope, pride and ambition of the millennials who dream big and

strive to become their best version of themselves. It will also feature “38” swirl patterns inspired by the initials and anniversary year of Eat, Bulaga!. Young jewelry designer Olaguer said it was an honor for her design to be part of the anniversary celebration of the longest running noontime variety program in the country. She said it was challenging at ﬁrst to come up with a crown that best represents the beauty and ambition of the young modern Pinays, but learning the objective and aspiration behind the segment made the project even more special.

The musical adaptation of “Maynila... Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag” features young talent Lara Maigue in the plum role of Ligaya Paraiso

‘Maynila... The Musical’ group purchase treats THEATER fans are in for a pre-holiday treat as Grand Leisure Corporation, producers of the upcoming Maynila...Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag The Musical, offers discounted rates for “barkada buys” for their kick-off shows today and tomorrow, matinee (3 p.m.) and gala shows (8 p.m.) at Kia Theatre, Araneta Center. Those who are planning to watch with their family or friends can enjoy 20 percent discount on purchases of five tickets or more. Ticket buyers don’t need to present promo codes; they can simply go to the Ticketnet Box Office at the Araneta Coliseum Circle or several SM malls, or buy their tickets online—any purchase of five tickets or more will be automatically discounted. The talents behind Manyila... Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liawanag are really excited to share this original musical to local audiences. A musical adaptation of the movie directed by National Artist for Film, Lino Brocka, based on the timeless novel by Edgardo Reyes, it tells the story of Julio Madriaga, a simple guy from a coastal town, and his search for his long-lost beloved, Liagaya

Paraiso, who left for Manila. Julio is played by the talented Arman Ferrer, while amazing singers Shiela Martinez and Lara Maigue alternate as Ligaya. Other members of the cast are the indomitable Dulce and the equally incredible singer Ima Castro, who alternate as Mrs. Cruz; Rita Daniela and Aicelle Santos who alternate as Perla; and many others. The cast of over 40 astounding performers has been painstakingly rehearsing for weeks under the direction of the multi-awarded Joel Lamangan, DGPI. Original music was written for by awarded composer Von De Guzman; with choreography by another multi-awarded artist, Douglas Nierras. With a story as timely and timeless as this, Maynila...Sa Mga Kuko Ng Liwanag is perfect not just for theater aficionados but for students as well. Support Filipino theater and original work by rallying behind a true collaborative effort of the best talents in the industry. For more information on the show, visit www. facebook.com/Maynila. themusical/. For tickets, visit Ticketnet outlets, order online at www.ticketnet.com.ph , or call 911-5555.

“I’m very happy that they are celebrating our generation and giving them opportunities to help their hometowns. It makes me proud, because it’s not just all frills, it’s not shallow. It’s a concrete way of really helping the province through tourism. I’m honored to play a small role in the design.” Olaguer added that aside from coming up with the crown design, she’s grateful for the collaboration with Papa, a wellknown international Filipino jewelry designer. “It’s a ﬁrst for me to design a pageant crown and I’m honored that I somehow got to collaborate with Arnel Papa because I look up to him very much. I’m honored

THE World of Gandang Ricky Reyes (TWGRR) tells amazing stories viewers can get inspiration from in today’s episode of the show. Dogs are not just cute companions but can also save lives given the proper training. Milo and Friends offers different training services for dogs and dog owners alike, focusing on dog behavior management and basic obedience. Watch how they train these amazing dogs. Want a stress free party? Let Janus Partyworks do it for you. Janus Partyworks makes amazing three-dimensional set and props design perfect for a more realistic ambience. Following the latest trends in Party mash-ups and styling, Janus Partyworks will make sure that your event will deﬁnitely be big, bright and the best. And what’s a party without the Filipino’s favorite lechon? Find out why Leonardo’s Lechon is a notch above the rest as they tweak old-time favorites and add modern taste to it like the gallena-a lechon stuffed with herbs and a whole chicken. Another amazing creation is the carnivore, which has an aromatic bouquet of herbs and spices with three kinds of yummy sausages with garlic, marble potatoes and bacon. TWGRR host Ricky Reyes talks to TESDA Chief Guiling

that he agreed to produce my design.” Papa, whose local clients are the who’s who of the entertainment and fashion world, made sure to source local products in the execution of Olaguer’s design. He used Philippine gems and mother of pearl for the Miss Millennial crown. “I’m very happy and privileged that I was tapped to manufacture the crown. The Miss Millennial winner is one very lucky lady because this is no ordinary headpiece. There’s a lot of thinking behind its design and it took us weeks and a couple of hands to create it.” Both Papa and Olaguer said they are looking forward to the coronation and seeing the ﬁrst Miss Millennial

Philippines winner accomplish big things. They hope the crown would not only serve as a symbol of beauty, but also a reminder of one’s love for the motherland. Aside from the Miss Millennial Philippines 2017 grand ﬁnale, loyal dabarkads will also be treated to fun surprises this weekend. Host Ryan Agoncillo and the phenomenal love team Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza travelled from Batanes to Jolo to showcase the beauty and charm of the Philippines. Eat, Bulaga! airs at 11:30 a.m. Saturdays on GMA-7.

All things amazing in ‘TWGRR’

TWGRR host Ricky Reyes (left) with TESDA Chief Guiling Mamondiong

Mamondiong on the importance and advantages of technical vocational education and training (TVET) and how it can contribute to national development.

Open your own salon after graduating from the Ricky Reyes Learning Institute (RRLI) with branches in Anonas, Cubao, Quiapo, Fairview and San Jose

Mr. Shades under the bright lights of Resorts World Manila RANDY Santiago belongs on the stage and nothing can ever keep him from performing. That’s why Resorts World Manila (RWM) entertainment venue Bar 360 proudly presents Mr. Shades for three shows in its Concert Series today, Oct. 21, and Nov. 18. The pop star who gave listeners such hits as “Babaero”, “Paikotikot”, “Hindi Magbabago”, and “Damdamin Para Sa’yo” comes back onstage to perform his signature hits after a brief respite from the limelight to be with family. The accomplished singer/ composer/actor/host/director has released 14 albums throughout his illustrious career and is also a celebrity inductee in the Eastwood City Walk of Fame. Randy shows

no signs of slowing down as he continues to entertain audiences through television projects and live shows. Hailing from a prominent showbiz family, Randy made a name for himself in the recording scene back in 1986, after being a part of vocal group Kundirana and Cicada Band. Other of Randy’s pop songs from the ‘80s include “Pobreng Manliligaw”, “Tabi Tayo”, “True Love”, and “Basta’t Ika’y Maging Akin”. Catch Randy Santiago live at RWM’s Bar 360 for a P600 consumable door charge per person. Visit www.rwmanila.com or call the Tourist/Visitor Hotline at (632) 9088833 for more upcoming live acts at RWM.

RELIVING THE ‘80S. OPM icon Randy Santiago returns onstage to perform his signature hits

Del Monte Bulacan. Tune in to The World of Gandang Ricky Reyes (TWGRR) every Saturday, 9-10 a.m. on GMA News TV.

Home / Design

‘TEA TUESDAYS’

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017 Joel D. Lacsamana,, Editor jdlacsamana@gmail.com

Building solutions

HOLCIM Philippines CEO Sapna Sood recently shared the company’s plans to introduce building solutions that help address the affordable housing challenge in the country at the 6th Asia Paciﬁc Housing Forum. Sood said Holcim Philippines will leverage on the experience of the LafargeHolcim group’s affordable housing team for the types of products and services that can beneﬁt this segment. As an example, Sood illustrated Durabric, used in Malawi, Africa as a more eco-friendly and affordable alternative to traditional clay bricks. In partnership with a British NGO, a new plant for Durabric was recently opened to reach more customers.“We know there’s a need for solutions and we want to be part of that,” explained Sood. “We’re talking to local partners, communities and NGOs to make sure solutions are appropriate to what is required in the Philippines.” Sood added that while Holcim Philippines is developing its affordable housing solutions offerings, the company has participated in projects to build quality shelters and sustainable livelihood for its communities in Davao and survivors of Typhoon Pablo in Compostela Valley.

THAN Allen recently collaborated with actress Heart Evangelista-Escudero (Inset) to showcase its design principles at the company’s showroom at Bonifacio Global City (BGC).

Dubbed “Tea Tuesdays at Ethan Allen,” Evangelista-Escudero, who is a painter herself, showed Ethan Allen’s different design and lifestyle options, combining casual elements with the ornate, luxurious details with liveable comfort, and classic designs with modern pieces to

achieve a contemporary vibe. The style icon revealed that she is partial to white, and everything timeless and clean, but also wants a burst or a splash of color or some accent in a piece of furniture. Ethan Allen concurred with Evangelista-Escudero’s take on expressing

one’s self through decorating their home. The company offers a custom order program with design options that allow homemakers to personalize their orders, mix and match fabrics, colors and accent pieces to help customers discover and show their style and personality.

ALI upbeat on Cavite

AYALA Land, Inc. (ALI) is banking on the continued growth of Cavite province as it goes full-swing with the development of two of its largest mixed-use developments in the area. Vermosa, which spans the cities of Imus and Dasmarinas, and Evo City, located in Kawit, are in a combined area close to 1,000 hectares, and can be accessed through several major infrastructure projects.. These include the Manila–Cavite Expressway (Cavitex), MuntinlupaCavite Expressway (MCX), NAIA Expressway, the Cavite-C5 Southlink, the Southwest Integrated Transport System, Light Rail Transit 6 (LRT-6) and the Cavite-Laguna Expressway (CALAX), which is set for completion in 2020. “Being one of the most progressive provinces in the Southern Tagalog region, Cavite will continue to be a signiﬁcant development driver of the country,” said Jay Teodoro, Estate Head of Vermosa.

Urban sanctuary

OPTIONS GALORE. Vermosa’s estate in Dasmarinas and Imus, Cavite will feature a range of residential options, as well as active sports facilities, and a business district.

Cavite is now home to over sixty economic zones and industrial estates covering a total land area of over 3,700 hectares. Vermosa and Evo City promise to create business and employment opportunities to enhance the local economy further. The 700-hectare Vermosa, ALI’s fourth largest mixeduse estate, will be home to

6,000 households as it offers living options by three of ALI’s residential brands – Ayala Land Premier, Alveo, and Avida. About P70 billion will be invested in the estate over its 12-year development period. Central to the estate is a 124-hectare business district projected to generate half a million jobs in Cavite. In June this year, the De

La Salle Santiago Zobel School (DLSZ) opened a new campus in Vermosa for its junior and senior high school (SHS) classes. The Vermosa Sports Hub will have an Olympic-size pool, 400-meter IAAF-certiﬁed track oval, and a complete one-stop multi-sports training facility equipped with a sports science laboratory.

Evo City, which spans over 200 hectares, will have sixty-two percent of the estate’s initial phase earmarked for high-density to mid-density mixed-use components, while the remaining 38 percent will be allocated for low-density residential uses, such as its ﬁrst subdivision The Residences at Evo City by Alveo Land.

Go-to event for architects, interior designers These are considered go-to events for architects, fellow interior designers and design enthusiasts who want to learn more about world-class Filipino design, and see innovative interiors come to life. At the partnership signing for the project were PSID advanced class of 2017 batch president Joseph Goyenechea; sponsorship committee head

THE Philippine School of Interior Design (PSID) will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an exhibit showcasing 24 well-appointed interiors that not only celebrate luxurious living, but also design trends of the past decades. Selected members of PSID’s faculty and selected PSID alumni will display their ideas in the exhibit. PSID has been known to produce groundbreaking exhibits that become the benchmark of interior design exhibits in the academe.

Dhancy Magtulis; Boysen market area manager Jun Bonifacio; Boysen technical service and project manager Aldrin Marc Reyes’ and Boysen marketing executive Robbie Ruelos. Boysen Paints is the sponsor for “GOLD: Glamorous, Opulent, and Luxurious Designs.” The exhibit is slated on October 1-31, at the Uptown Bonifacio Mall in Bonifacio Global City.

Virtuoso project unveiled EURO Towers Vivaldi Residences Cubao recently opened it model units for potential buyers. At the launch were (from left to right): HLURB Commissioner Atty. Melzar Galicia; Euro Towers COO Maricar Encarnacion; Quezon City vice mayor Joy Belmonte; Euro Towers director Ignacio Gimenez; and Euro Towers engineer Roy Estanislao.

DMCI Homes is set to complete its 1.9-hectare Zinnia Towers development in North EDSA, Quezon City with the scheduled turnover of its South Tower this December. The completion of the South Tower concludes the construction of the two-tower residential condominium development. The 40-level North Tower was built in May 2016. The 45-level South Tower, meanwhile, is set to be turned over to unit owners this December. Located along EDSA, Brgy. Katipunan, Quezon City, Zinnia Towers is accessible to commercial establishments as well as medical and educational institutions, making it an ideal residence for young couples and start-up families from the nearby provinces. The contemporary, tropical themed-condominium bears the hallmarks of DMCI Homes’ design and engineering, including Lumiventt design technology, which is an architectural innovation that involves the strategic placement of open-air landscaped sky patios to maximize natural light and allow air circulation. “We aim to go beyond the expectations of our clients to ensure the best living experience in all our developments,” said DMCI Homes president Alfredo R. Austria.

DAF is an industry veteran and one of the most popular brands in the World. Dino Ray Directo III, Editor

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2017

Trucking

Trucks 101 &Buses by Pioneer Trucks Text and photos by Dino Ray V. Directo III

N a combined sales information released by the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines, Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association, the third quarter showed an impressive 14.1 percent increase compared to the same month last year with 32,993 units sold. Collectively, the commercial vehicles segment also accomplished 23,954 units with 13.8 percent increase over the same period last year with 21,042 units sold. Truck sales are on the upswing which help boost overall industry sales. “The overall sales last June is relatively higher compared to that of May’s due to the well-maintained inventory levels helping the prompt delivery of vehicles amongst the major players. All these factors led to our improved sales in June 2017. In additional to a good stock level, manufacturers maximized “dealer push” that brought higher sales speciﬁcally to their key models,” CAMPI President Rommel Gutierrez said.

It is on this note that Pioneer Truck Parts and Equipment Corporation recently held a media tour of their sprawling facility in Cabuyao, Laguna. With representatives of different media outﬁts in tow, Aaron Go, Managing Director of Pioneer Trucks led the activities which was an eye opener for the motoring media who usually covers automotive facilities. “Pioneer is a family owned and operated import based company that wholesales and retails U.S. and European made truck and trailer parts that caters to the domestic logistics and transport of commercial goods,” he explains. After a welcome briefing about the day’s event, Go started the tour by taking us around Pioneer’s 8,000 square meter covered truck repair and maintenance yard. “From windshield replacement, brake repair and engine overhaul or replacement, all major and minor jobs are done in

this facility with our well trained personnel and our extensive inventory of truck parts and accessories,” adds Go. As the exclusive distributors of the Speed Limiter device, Pioneer also does installation of the device in-house or send mechanics to install the speed limiter device on-site depending on the client’s requirements.”We have already installed Speed Limiters to truck fleets of major logistics companies and truck manufacturers such as Isuzu Philippines Corporation,” reveals Go. After touring the facility, the media were led to a portion of the facility were the future showroom of DAF Trucks will rise. They also prepared DAF trucks for the media. Aside from truck and trailer parts, Pioneer is also the importer of globally known truck brands such as DAF, Kenworth, International and Peterbuilt. “DAF Trucks NV is a Dutch truck manufacturing company and a division of Paccar. Its headquarters and main plant are in Eindhoven. Cabs and axle assemblies are produced at its Westerlo plant in Belgium. Some of the truck models sold with the DAF brand are designed and built by Leyland Trucks at their Farington plant in Leyland near Preston, England,” says Go. Pioneer also carries other brands for trucks and trailer parts such as PNW systems, JOST, Kenworth, and PACCAR parts and accessories. Their satellite showroom is located at their corporate headquarters in 341 G. Araneta Avenue, Baragay Santol, Quezon City. They have every part and accessory on display at their G. Araneta showroom. Speed Limiter trial After the truck facility tour, the media were allowed to experience the safety benefits of having a Speed Limiter installed in your truck or AUV, most specially public transport vans which is popular around Metro Manila. They prepared a truck and a Ford SUV equipped with a Speed Limiter. Their product is a device that electronically controls the top speed of vehicles, either to comply with government legislation or the vehicle owner’s requirements without affecting any other aspect of the vehicle’s operation. “Aside from reducing road accidents due to controlling of the vehicle’s speed, Speed Limiter also helps improve fuel consumption and emissions,” explains Go. The device works by way of controlling the fuel ﬂow system (for vehicles without engine managements) or by a drive by wire system. “The ECU is connected to a speed signal (electronic speedometer, ABS or mechanical sensor) and receives frequency signals while the vehicle is moving. At a pre set frequency, say 80kph, the ECU transmits a signal to the engine management system which then holds the vehicle’s speed. The operator/owner can pre set the maximum speed of the truck or van as he wishes,” explains Go. Aside from preserving the vehicle’s engine because of rev and speed control, the speed limiter will stop erring drivers from over revving and immediately equate to cutting down on fuel costs. This rev control system ensures to correct driver behavior and driving style which is crucial in an urban environment. “Our objective is for all ﬂeet owners to extend vehicle life, improve economy, reduce maintenance costs and promote public commuter safety,” adds Go. Pioneer has been in the trucking business for almost a decade and has seen the industry’s gradual growth down the years. “We are at the crossroads of our career here and the upward trend in the logistics industry is very encouraging. We will be here to provide the needs for the industry,” says Go.

Centro

bullish on domestic wing van market CENTRO Manufacturing Corporation, the country’s largest truck body builder, continues to be optimistic about the wing van market in the country. Centro Sales Manager Vic Belisario says that in the past, the large three-ton and above trucks with wing vans were dominated by Japanese second-hand imports. “You will see numerous secondhand wing vans often still sporting their old Japanese logos and company names plying the expressways going in and out of Metro Manila. They transport important commodities such as fast moving consumer goods, finished goods and raw materials”. “We have gotten used to cheaper second-hand imports up until now when the logistics game took a turn for the better. With the improved economy churning out record numbers, an efﬁcient, reliable and low-cost transport logistics system has spelled the difference in delivering customer satisfaction. Now, many of the large Filipino companies are investing in logistics to make their business more efﬁcient and become more competitive in the market”.

Centro COO Jerryme Garcia explains that since logistics is now the name of the game, logistics companies cannot afford to be stalled by breakdowns and repairs. “This is precisely the reason why Centro Manufacturing partnered with Nippon Fruehauf almost a year ago to service the growing demand for brand new wing vans. We did not just choose any partner when we decided to get into wing vans, we chose the very best and number one in the industry, which is Nippon Fruehauf”. Shunichi Tokunaga, Senior Managing Director for Japan and Overseas Operations of Nippon Fruehauf, said that when they first looked at the Philippine market, they saw that it was already very ripe. “When we chose a partner for the Philippines, we identified that Centro Manufacturing was the best partner because of its track record and experience. They built a 1,700 sqm assembly plant dedicated to assembling Nippon Fruehauf wing vans alone”. He explains that the aluminum wing van is a logistical tool that maximizes the efficiency and safety of high-volume transport. “Loading and unloading times are drastically reduced. Idle time for loading and unloading means ‘zero speed logistics’. We have to move the products faster to save time and avoid unnecessary expenses. Smarter and faster operations also bring safety to the operators and furthermore, to the products. The wing van keeps the products free from rain and dust, reduces damage to the products and eliminates pilferage while in transit. Its lighter body results in fuel economy and increases the efficiency of the vehicle”. Centro together with Isuzu Philippines has introduced the Isuzu GCargo wing van mounted on an Isuzu FVM chassis cab which features a Seiko Rack mechanism that eases the lifting and closing of the gate. It also has side bars for added protection and accessibility and an air deflector for better aerodynamics and fuel efficiency. “We are very happy with the results of the product introduction in the Philippine market and how it has accepted the wing van”, says Hiroto Nakaguro, Sales Department head of Isuzu Philippines. “The market response is good. Many Isuzu fleet customers have jumped into our bandwagon by replacing their old, second-hand wing vans with brand new Isuzu G-Cargo wing vans. And we believe the market uptake will continue to the next year and beyond!”