Manila Standard - 2017 October 2 - Monday

Cooking gas price rises P4.90/kilo

By Alena Mae S. Flores

VOL. XXXI • NO. 230 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

THE oil companies raised the price of cooking gas by as much P4.90 per kilogram on Saturday to reflect the higher contract price of liquefied petroleum gas in the world market.

The adjustment represents an increase of P53.90 per 11-kilogram tank.

“Petron will increase the prices of LPG

by P4.90 per kilo effective 12:01 a.m. on October 1,” Petron said in a statement.

Isla Petroleum, which sells the Solane brand of LPG, also raised its price by P4.38 per kilo effective 6 a.m. on Oct. 1.

Petron said it is also increasing its auto LPG prices by P2.75 per liter at the same time.

“This is to reflect movements in the Next page

DU30 DARES MORALES, SERENO

Let’s all resign now Anti-graft probers in for tough times

By Bill Casas and Rio N. Araja PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has said he would not cooperate with a special anti-corruption prosecutor’s investigation into allegations he acquired ill-gotten wealth, and told Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang that he had better start praying, because if the country went to the dogs, he would go after him first.

The Office of the Om-

Carpio-Morales

budsman said last week it was investigating claims Duterte’s bank accounts had hundreds of millions of pesos that he failed to disclose as required by law.

Duterte responded by lashing out at the Ombudsman, calling the agency “lousy” and saying allegations against him were “lies based on baseless” information.

“I will not submit to the jurisdiction [of the Ombudsman],” Duterte said in a curse-laden speech to lawyers Saturday night.

“Waving fabricated evidence, lying to his teeth in front of the nation and then you want me to submit to the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman,” Duterte said, referring to Carandang.

Duterte’s remarks contradicted his spokesman’s statement last week that the President respected the Ombudsman and trusted its impartiality.

Duterte, 72, won last year’s presidential elections on a brutal law-and-order Next page

THE CHALLENGE. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, in a speech at the oathtaking ceremony of the newly installed officers and members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Davao City Chapter at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang, Davao City on September 30, 2017, reiterates that he is willing to step down if proven that he has gained anything out of corruption. AFP

Sereno

House: Impeach-Sereno Rody blows top over ‘onion-skinned’ remark F. Pearl A. hearing starts Thursday ByGajunera

By Rio N. Araja ORIENTAL Mindoro Rep. Reynaldo Umali on Sunday urged Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to appear in the impeachment proceedings or deprive herself of the chance to cross-examine the witnesses against her.

Umali, chairman of the House committee on justice, told dzBB radio that the proceedings could start on Thurs-

day or Monday next week.

He said only Sereno could cross-examine the witnesses and not her lawyers, and that Congress would respect her right to do so.

“If she will come, the panel may allow her to confront the witnesses subject to the approval of the members. One thing is for sure―her rights will be respected,” Umali said.

“Should we vote for the sufficiency of grounds, then Next page

Group wants PH delisted from UN rights council A GROUP of human rights defenders and ecumenical leaders is calling for the removal of the Philippines as a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council as a result of the Duterte administration’s continuing denial of extrajudicial killings in the country.

“Throughout the three cycles of the Universal Periodic Review, and most especially during the Duterte regime’s participation in the process, the Philippines has exhibited a total mockery of international human rights mechanisms,” the Philippine Next page

DAVAO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte reacted angrily Saturday to the statement of the president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, who said public officials should not be onionskinned because “a govern-

ment official holds his life open to public scrutiny.”

“Who the f--- are you to tell me [not to be onionskinned] in the face of fabricated evidence?” Duterte said, addressing IBP national president Abdiel Dan Elijah Fajardo.

During his speech at the installation of new officers

and induction of new members of the IBP Davao Chapter, Duterte tore into Fajardo, who was sitting a few chairs away from him.

“There’s a lawyer who says do not be too onionskinned, even in face of fabricated evidence illegally obtained,” Duterte said.

Duterte reiterated that he

would immediately resign if it is proven that he has P200 million in his bank account, as alleged by his political nemesis, Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. He added that the documents presented by Trillanes and Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang were all fabricated.

D

AVAO CITY— President Rodrigo Duterte challenged Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and Ombudsman Conchita CarpioMorales to resign together with him before the Congress, saying both officials have been tainted with corrupt practices.

At the installation of new Integrated Bar of the Philippines officers in Davao City, Duterte said there was already a case filed against Sereno.

Morales, on the other hand, should have acted on cases filed long ago, instead of focusing on the case against him, which was not true.

“You are in on a selective justice, p--------,” he said, “I challenge the two, we will go to Congress, in a simple ceremony, we sign the letter of resignation.

Sige nga [Come on]. Then let us open all the books, even yours,” he added.

Duterte issued the challenge after Deputy Ombudsman Melchor Arthur Carandang announced that his office was investigating transactions in the joint bank accounts of Duterte and his children that allegedly totaled in the billions.

Duterte has denied the allegations and said the documents upon which they were based were fabricated.

He also said it puzzled him that the Ombudsman obtained documents showing his alleged bank transactions when the Anti-Money Laundering Council already issued a statement that they did not release any records of Duterte’s bank accounts.

Next page

Guard holds key to frat hazing death

Kian slay case airtight, PAO claims THE Public Attorney’s Office said Sunday it had gathered enough evidence to pin down those responsible for the the killing of alleged drug courier Kian delos Santos.

PAO chief Persida Acosta told ANC’s Dateline Sunday the government was doing its best to find the truth behind the killing of not only Delos Santos but also of Carl Angelo Arnaiz and Reynaldo “Kulot” de Guzman.

Next page

By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

By Bill Casas

PETS GALORE. A crowd of pet owners join the customary declaration of their commitment to their pets during the yearly pet blessing held at Eastwood City in Quezon City in honor of St. Francis, patron saint of animals. Manny Palmero

THE testimony of a security guard will strengthen the charges against members of the Aegis Juris fraternity in the death of University of Sto. Tomas law student Horacio Castillo III, the Manila Police District said Sunday.

A security guard voluntarily went to authorities and identified one of the fraternity members he saw Next page

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

HK moms sing songs for distant kids

H

ONG KONG―Each Sunday, a choir of Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong gathers to sing songs that remind them of the children they left back home.

Known as the “Unsung Heroes,” these initially shy performers now regularly take the stage around Hong Kong and feature in a new documentary about the lives of the city’s maids, known locally as “helpers.”

The theme of maternal sacrifice runs through the film―many domestic helpers are mothers working their way out of poverty, looking after other people’s children to improve life for their own.

In an empty kindergarten classroom on a Sunday afternoon, the choir races through a series of crowdpleasers, from Katy Perry’s

“Roar” to Bob Marley’s “One Love.”

But the songs they know best were written especially for them and relate to their situation.

Their signature ballad “Kiss You Goodnight” tells of a wish to be with a child to put them to bed.

Choir member Analyn Tapil, 49, wipes away tears as she recalls how she left her two sons, one aged four months, the other a year and seven months, over 20 years ago to earn a better living in Hong Kong.

“It is a very big sacrifice to leave your children but I didn’t have a choice,” said

Tapil, who sent most of her salary home to fund her sons’ education.

Now grown up, they have graduated and are working, which she says makes it all worthwhile.

“My children are a success,” she smiled.

Fellow choir member Vergie Anos, 51, has been in Hong Kong for 22 years after leaving her one-year-old son in the Philippines to create a better life for him.

She also sheds tears as she remembers that decision.

“Even until now it makes me feel very emotional,” she explains.

Both women say the choir has helped them overcome their daily struggles and show they are more than just household employees.

“We are here to make our children, our family proud of us,” says Anos.

In a city of 7.3 million there are more than 300,000

domestic workers, most of them from the Philippines and Indonesia.

While Anos and Tapil say they are well-treated by their employers, a string of abuse cases has highlighted the suffering some maids endure.

They are legally obliged to live with their employers and have only two weeks to find another job if they are sacked or quit. It is common for helpers to sleep on floors or in tiny cubicles, with no proper bedroom provided.

They are paid a minimum monthly wage of HK$4,310 ($550) and can never achieve permanent resident status however long they are employed in the city, unlike other workers who can apply after seven years.

But the salary they receive is much higher than at home and convinces many to put up with the tough conditions.

On Sundays, their only

statutory day off, thousands gather in public squares, parks, on pavements and walkways to chat and eat with friends.

The choir is an extension of that community.

Jane Engelmann, head of performing arts at a Hong Kong primary school, launched the group three years ago for anyone in the migrant community to join.

But the word spread most among Filipinas, who make up its membership of around 40 singers.

It was she who wrote “Kiss You Goodnight.”

“I can’t imagine not being able to do that with my own children,” says Engelmann, who is a single parent and relied upon domestic helpers so she could go out to work.

Through dedicated practice, the choir is now a polished outfit, even performing alongside international stars at Hong Kong’s largest mu-

sic festival.

Engelmann calls the choir “one of the most wonderful things” in her life.

“It’s not a paid job, but I’ve been paid in so many ways,” she says.

The choir’s success story features in new documentary “The Helper” from Hong Kong-based writer and director Joanna Bowers.

The film will be screened at one of the city’s main central cinemas this month and in Singapore. A soundtrack including songs by the choir, released with Sony Music, will be available on iTunes and Spotify.

As well as portraying the women’s strength, including one domestic helper who climbs mountains in her spare time, the film also conveys the intense emotional toll of leaving children behind.

It includes the horror of one mother who discovers

No need to rush draft Moro law, MILF’s Jaafar declares CAMP DARAPANAN— The Moro Islamic Liberation Front said it was not in a hurry for the passage of the Bangsamoro Basic Law which will establish a Moro self-rule in the provinces covered by the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and few adjacent local government units.

MILF First Vice Chairman Ghazzali Jaafar said that while many Moro groups were keen on the passage of the BBL by Congress “in order to achieve just and dignified peace, we, in the MILF, are not in a hurry for the BBL.” Invited Friday to a proBBL rally of civil society organizations in Cotabato City, Jaafar told reporters that it was the people that were actually getting “impatient of the peace process that has been going on for almost 30 years.”

On Friday, about 500 people marched their way to the ARMM Government Center in Cotabato City to demand for the timely enactment by Congress of the new BBL draft.

Musa Mascud, spokesperson for the Sustainable Initiatives of Grassroots and Networks for BBL or SIGNBBL, said: “On the part of the civil society organizations, this is to push for the passage of the BBL in both Houses of Congress in order to help propel the peace process to its logical conclusion.”

The ARMM government also joined the call on Congress to pass the BBL, as an instrument of peace designed to address one of the longest armed conflict in history.

At the same gathering, lawyer Laisa Alamia, ARMM executive secretary, said ending armed conflict has been a common agenda and an aspiration shared by many peoples in many parts of the world.

On Wednesday, House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez filed the Malacañang-endorsed version of the BBL. Lanao del Norte Rep. Muhammad Khalil Dimaporo and Tawi-Tawi Rep. Ruby Sahali, also separately filed their versions of the Bill.

The BBL was drafted by the Expanded Bangsamoro Transition Commission,

Let’s...

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Sereno is facing an impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, a pro-Duterte group, has said it will file an impeachment complaint against Morales.

chaired by Jaafar, and was composed of representatives from the MILF, the Philippine government, the Moro National Liberation Front under Yusof Jikiri and Muslimen Sema, as well as from the Indigenous People’s Tribes and Christian Settlers. They were appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte in March.

In 2015, supporters for the passage of the BBL hued to what they perceived were efforts in Congress to “dilute” the proposed law from its original substance.

The first BBL was written

by BTC commissioners appointed by then President Benigno Aquino III. But the 16th Congress then failed to pass the proposed law.

According to former Supreme Court Chief Justice Raynato Puno, constitutional challenge previously raised by lawmakers could hamper the passage of the new BBL draft.

Speaking as a Malacanang resource person on the new BBL, Puno said the best way for the government and the Moro people to gain hard push for that legislative agenda is to accommodate the law via the process of Constitutional amendment.

“This is to enable the country to deal with the demands of our Muslim brothers to have their own homeland which they can govern based on their culture, religion, language and history,” Puno told a news conference in Malacanang on Thursday.

Puno said: “It will be very difficult for this bill [BBL] to overcome a constitutional challenge before the Supreme Court, because we have a unitary government that is not empowered to grant the identity-based demands of our Muslim brothers and sisters.”

Mr. Duterte has since the time of his Presidential campaign made open his preference for a Constitutional amendment to change the form of government “from a highly unitary, centralized government to federal system.”

“The aspiration of our Muslim brothers cannot be substantially granted unless we change our unitary government,” Puno said.

In August, detained Senator Leila de Lima said Duterte’s attacks on Sereno and Morales showed he wanted them removed from office.

In the wake of the new investigation on his bank accounts, Duterte threatened to create a commission to investigate the Office of the Ombudsman for partiality and corruption.

her young daughter has been sexually abused while she is absent.

“These women are considered second-class citizens and often treated in a very unimportant disposable way,” says Bowers.

“We wanted to see if we could elevate their status.”

For now, the dreams of the “Unsung Heroes” vary— some are happy to remain as domestic helpers in Hong Kong. Others hope to move on.

Choir member Joy Carbonell, 39, has won local singing competitions thanks to her powerful voice and dreams of being a professional performer and music teacher.

The choir serves as an outlet for her passion.

“Music is the language of my heart and soul,” she says.

“When I sing, I represent the 300,000 domestic helpers in Hong Kong.” AFP

Guard...

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UNSUNG HEROES. In this picture taken on September 3, 2017, Filipina domestic workers who are members of the “Unsung Heroes” choir take part in a practice session inside a kindergarten school’s classroom in Hong Kong. Each Sunday, a choir of Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong gathers to sing songs that remind them of the children they left back home. Known as the “Unsung Heroes”, what began as a group of shy performers now regularly take the stage around Hong Kong and feature in a new documentary about the lives of the city’s maids, known locally as “helpers”. AFP

Anti-graft...

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and anti-corruption platform.

During the election campaign Duterte had said he came from a poor family and lived a modest lifestyle, which boosted his image as an anti-establishment politician representing the common folk, analysts said.

The Ombudsman probe stemmed from a plunder complaint filed before the elections by opposition Senator Antonio Trillanes IV who alleged Duterte embezzled government funds during his more than two-decade stint as mayor of Davao.

On Saturday, Duterte said his family had properties and businesses including an ice plant and lumberyard, adding his late father was a provincial governor.

“All in all it would not go beyond P40 million, my lifetime savings. A part of that

Cooking...

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international contract prices for the month of October,” Petron said.

On Sept. 1, the oil companies also raised LPG prices

by P2.74 per kilo or P30 per 11-kilogram tank.

The oil firms adjust LPG prices every first day of the

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we will proceed with the hearing. Then that’s the time to invite the complainants and respondent to present their case.”

The committee’s next hearing will be set either Thursday or on Oct. 9 since they are still waiting for Sereno’s reply to the rejoinder of lawyer Lorenzo Gadon, the complainant, and have yet to observe a

was my hereditary—you people from Davao know this—property,” Duterte said.

“I hate to say it [but] what do you think of us, poor?

That we are that poor?”

Duterte has launched tirades against the Supreme Court chief justice, the Commission on Human Rights, the Catholic Church and critical media outlets. He and his allies have then started campaigns to curb their powers or discredit them.

Duterte last week said he would create a commission to investigate corruption in the Ombudsman, a move an opposition congressman called an act of vindictiveness.

Carandang said that he was authorized by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales to act on Trillanes’s complaint and that he already requested the Anti-Money Laundering Council for a final validation of the bank transaction remonth and adjust the prices of gasoline, diesel and kerosene every week.

The oil firms are also expected to adjust pump prices today to reflect the movement of world oil prices.

On Sept. 26, the oil firms raised the prices of diesel and kerosene by P0.45 and P0.65 per liter, respectively, but did not adjust gasoline prices. three-day notice before the hearing is set to determine sufficiency of grounds and probable cause for the complaint.

Sereno is an appointee of President Benigno Aquino III. Gadon accuses Sereno of violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, corruption and other high crimes for her alleged litany of lapses―including the alleged untruthful declaration of her Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth.

cords of the first family.

He said initial bank records from the AMLC showed the flow of money through deposits and withdrawals from Duterte’s sons, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte and Sebastian Duterte, and his joint accounts with his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

He added that the accounts of Duterte’s common-law wife, Honeylet Avanceña, and their daughter, Veronica, were also included in the records.

The AMLC had confirmed receiving the request from Carandang, but denied providing him with the documents.

“We have categorically stated before that the AntiMoney Laundering Council is not the source of the documents and information attached by Senator Antonio F. Trillanes IV in his complaint regarding the alleged bank accounts of President Rodrigo Duterte,” the AMLC said

Kian...

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“We have more than sufficient evidence on the case of Kian, Carl Angelo and Kulot,” Acosta said. He said all the cops of the Caloocan police stations tagged in the killings should also be respondents to the cases.

Police Officers Arnel Oares, Jeremias Pereda and Jerwin Cruz, who were tagged in the killing of Delos Santos, said in their joint counter-affidavit that the slain teenager was a drug courier and insisted that their actions were “above board.”

But Acosta said the accused policemen must back their claims with evidence and not just with hearsay and social media posts.

Acosta is set to present eye witnesses on the killing of Delos Santos before the Senate Committee on Public

in a statement.

“It has neither provided the Office of the Ombudsman with any report as a consequence of any investigation of subject accounts for any purpose,” it added.

The AMLC also said that the bank accounts in question had “wrong and misleading” amounts.

Duterte Duterte on Saturday likened his situation to that of Renato Corona, who was ousted in 2011 for failing to fully disclose his wealth.

“What happened to Corona is happening to me,” Duterte said during the installation of new officers and induction of new members of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Davao City Chapter.

Duterte has denied the allegations that he and his family have unexplained multi-billion pesos in banks and said these were based on lies.

Order and Dangerous Drugs Monday.

Meanwhile, Malacañang said Sunday the overhaul of the entire Caloocan police force amid the questions on the killings of several teenagers showed the Philippine National Police’s commitment to cleanse its ranks of “scalawags.”

In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the PNP was continuing its efforts to instill discipline among its personnel amid the controversies facing it.

“The official relief of the Caloocan City Police Station personnel over the weekend and their retraining, which will start tomorrow, demonstrate the firm commitment of the Philippine National Police to continuously cleanse its ranks of misfits and scalawags and maintain the integrity of the organization,” Abella said. Bill Casas

obtained documents showing his alleged bank transactions when the Anti-Money Laundering Council already issued a statement that they did not release any records of Duterte’s bank accounts.

Sereno is facing an impeachment complaint at the House of Representatives.

The Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, a pro-Duterte group, has said it will file an impeachment complaint against Morales.

In August, detained Senator Leila de Lima said Duterte’s attacks on Sereno and Morales showed he wanted them removed from office.

In the wake of the new investigation on his bank accounts, Duterte threatened to create a commission to investigate the Office of the Ombudsman for partiality and corruption.

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Universal Periodic Review Watch said in a statement on Saturday.

The group slammed “the government’s blatant distortion of facts on extrajudicial killings and human rights violations in the country, its record of using the UN as a platform to justify its crimes against the Filipino people, and its doubletalk on compliance with human rights instruments.

“We call on the UN to revoke the membership of Philippines at the UNHRC, especially as it continues its hard-headed position against any UN investigation on the killings.”

The Philippine UPR Watch also slammed the pronouncements of Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano for having “painted a rosy picture of the human rights situation in the Philippines” amid the violent war against illegal drugs, the martial law in Mindanao and the continuing counter-insurgency programs.

Cayetano had said that the Philippines had nothing to hide in its human rights record, adding that human rights would always be a priority of President Rodrigo Duterte.

His remarks came after the 47-member UNHRC adopted the Philippines’ human rights report during the 72nd Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The UPR is a review of each member state’s human rights records.

Out of the 257 recommendations received by the Philippines to improve its human rights situation, however, it only fully accepted 103, effectively dismissing 154 others.

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SC voids defective land titles

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Supreme Court has ruled that land titles obtained through defective lot surveys are void.

The SC rendered this landmark decision when it stripped Ayala Land Inc. of ownership in a contested property in Las Piñas City.

In a 30-page decision released recently, the SC’s Second Division declared as nullified the registered Transfer of Certificate of

Title of ALI covering a 135,000-square meter of land property situated in between residential developments Ayala Sonera and Ayala Primera.

The disputed property was converted into a golf course and materials depot of Ayala Corp’s Makati De-

velopment Corp.

The SC ruled in favor of spouses Yu Hwa Ping and Mary Gaw and heirs of spouses Andres and Josefa Mia Diaz, who held original titles of the land.

The high court resolved to reverse and set aside the June 2006 ruling of the Court of Appeals that favored ALI, which traced its TCT from purchase of the property from CPJ Corp. in 1992.

The SC cited numerous serious errors in land surveys that affected the va-

lidity of the original titles upon which Ayala’s TCTs were derived.

According to the tribunal, the defects were so blatant that the titles with CPJ should be voided even if these were duly registered.

“To allow these certificates of title in the registration books, even though these were sourced from invalid surveys, would tarnish and damage the Torrens system of registration, rather than uphold its integrity,” stated the decision penned by now retired As-

sociate Justice Jose Catral Mendoza.

“Good faith must concur with registration because, otherwise, registration would be an exercise in futility,” it said.

The SC stressed that when a land registration decree is marred by severe irregularities that discredit the integrity of the Torrens system, it would not think twice in striking down such illegal title in order to protect the public against unscrupulous and illicit land ownership.

In favoring the petitioners, the SC disagreed with findings of the CA that the Diaz couple committed fraud when they registered their lots despite overlapping claims by CPJ. Petitioners “had no obligation to inform CPJ of their application for registration and they could not be held guilty of fraud,” the SC ruled.

In January 1994, spouses Yu acquired ownership over Lot 1-B originating from OCT No. 8510 of spouses Diaz with an area

of 135,000 square meters.

Pursuant to the transfers of land to spouses Yu, TCT Nos. 39408 and 64549 were issued in their names.

CPJ, on the other hand, transferred their interest in the subject properties to third persons in May 1980.

In 1988, Ayala Corp. obtained the subject properties from Goldenrod Inc. and PESALA. In 1992, following the merger of respondent ALI and Las Piñas Ventures Inc., ALI acquired all the subject properties.

Court denies appeal of Enzo Pastor’s wife

By Rey E. Requejo

TAKEN BACK. The commanders of the Joint Task Force Marawi and the Joint Special Operations Task Force Trident crossed the Bayabao and Masui bridges for the first time since the start of the Marawi seige four months ago. Authorities estimate that the number of Maute fighters left in Marawi City has dwindled to less than 50. Mark Navales

THE Court of Appeals has denied the appeal of Dalia Guerrero-Pastor to stop the enforcement of a arrest warrant against her issued by a Quezon City Regional Trial Court in March 2015.

This was in connection with the parricide case filed against her over the death of her husband, international race car driver Ferdinand “Enzo” Pastor.

In a 10-page resolution, the CA’s Seventh Division through Associate Justice Maria Elisa Sempio Diy found no basis to grant Dalia’s application for the issuance of a temporary restraining order enjoining her arrest.

“Dalia failed to satisfy all the requisites necessary for the issuance of injunctive relief. Dalia failed to establish that she has a clear and unmistakable legal right which ought to be protected. She also failed to persuade us that there is extreme urgency for the

relief,” read the resolution.

The appellate court CA rejected Dalia’s assertion that the issuance of the arrest order against her was not supported by facts.

In her petition, Dalia argued that QC RTC Presiding Judge Luisito Cortez gravely abused his discretion in holding that probable cause exits despite the absence of evidence against her.

Aside from the two statements of the alleged gunman, former policeman Edgar Angel, Dalia said there is no other evidence that would show that she conspired with the latter and her alleged lover, Domingo “Sandy” de Guzman, in killing Pastor.

De Guzman has also been charged with murder in connection with Pastor’s death.

Dalia’s camp noted that Angel had already retracted his two statements after admitting that he was tortured and coerced into signing them.

Maute Group now less than 50, resistance has become ‘weaker’ —AFP Atienza THE number of ISIS-inspired Maute Group members fighting in Marawi City has dwindled to less than 50, a military official said on Sunday.

Joint Task Force Ranao deputy commander Col. Romero Brawner said the terrorist group’s re-

sistance has also become weaker even as the government failed to meet its Sept. 30 target announced by Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana for ending the Marawi siege.

“Not yet. Not today,” Brawner said.

A mass was held on Sunday at the Saint Mary’s Cathedral for the first time since the Maute group attacked the city four months ago.

“Today [Sunday] is also the feast of St. Therese, one of the patron saints of the military. So we are

also seeking divine blessing so we can end this conflict as soon as possible,” Brawner said.

A total of 749 members of the Maute group have been killed by government troops since the start of the conflict, while 155 security forces were slain

in action.

Last week, Lorenzana assured Maute members planning to surrender that they will not be killed if they decide to yield themselves.

“We will not kill people who are surrendering. Our soldiers are not murder-

ers,” Lorenzana said.

He said Lanao del Sur Rep. Mauyag Papandayan, chairman of the House Committee on Muslim Affairs, told him during the Marawi briefing that there were Maute members who have sent surrender feelers.

Senate eyes pension fund for poor seniors

By Macon Araneta NOT only did the Senate retain the value-added tax exemption of senior citizens, it also seeks to allocate funding for a universal social pension that will benefit all indigent elderly in the country, Senator Juan Egardo Angara said on Sunday.

Under Senate Bill 1592 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN) bill, part of the incremental revenues will go to the provision of social pension for all senior citizens except those with contributory pension.

“There are still many senior citizens who have not yet received their pension. By providing greater funding, it is our goal that all senior citizens will be reached by our social pension programs to help lift them out of poverty,” said Angara, chairman of the ways and means committee.

Based on the data from the Coalition of Services of the Elderly, the senator said only 29 percent of the elderly population are covered by the Social Security System, the Government

Social Insurance System and other pension systems.

He said 34 percent of seniors are the target beneficiaries of the Social Pension Program for Indigent Senior Citizens of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

This leaves 37 percent or 3.1 million of the total 8.3-million senior population with no pension at all.

The Cose and the Confederation of Older Persons Association of the Philippines have expressed their support for SB 1592.

Angara said there is a strong evidence that only a small minority of poorer older people receive a contributory pension, thus the proposal is more likely to cover the majority of poor and near-poor older persons.

“Such proposal will not only support a dignified life for millions of senior citizens, but also a fulfillment to President Duterte’s socioeconomic agenda on improving the social protection program of the country,” said Cose executive director Emily Beridico in its position paper,” said Angara.

THANKFUL PEOPLE. Undersecretary Nabil Tan of the Office of Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process hits a gong that is a symbolic gift from the people of Marawi to the people of Iligan City for welcoming evacuees affected by the armed conflict between military and pro Islamic State militants. The event held at the city Plaza of Iligan, forms part of the culmination of Peace Month Caravan attended by Asec. Dickson Hermoso, Marawi City Mayor Majul Usman Gandamra and evacuees. Mark Navales

Binay wants P50 telco ‘paper’ fee probed

By Macon Ramos-Araneta stead of punishing those into the additional P50 being liable internet connection, SENATOR Nancy Binay on Sunday called for an investigation on the P50 fee being charged to subscribers by some telecommunication companies for declining to go paperless.

“Why not provide incentives to subscribers who agree to go paperless in-

who refuse? Did these telcos think of the senior citizens and people living in areas where there is no reliable internet connection when they decided to push this new billing system?” she asked.

The senator has filed Senate Resolution No. 521 which called for an investigation

charged by Globe Telecommunications Inc. and PLDT Inc. to subscribers who refused to go paperless.

“It would be better if they entice their subscribers to agree to paperless billing system through giving incentives and promos.

But for those who are not techies and do not have re-

this additional fee is not fair,” she said.

Globe Telecom transitioned from its traditional paper billing to paperless or digital billing in September 2016 while PLDT Inc. started charging an additional P50 to its new subscribers who refused to go paperless as of July 8.

bucks DHUD

THE creation of a new Department of Housing and Urban Development will be a disaster bound to set back in a big way the performance of badly needed shelter programs, Buhay Rep. Lito Atienza warned on Sunday.

“The proposed DHUD is absolutely redundant.

It will not serve any real purpose. On the contrary, it will only install another bureaucratic wall that is guaranteed to further hold up housing projects,” said Atienza, a one-time general manager of the National Housing Authority.

“We will have several new DHUD undersecretaries and assistant secretaries meddling in every program or project, and creating bottlenecks,” he added.

The national government should instead be decentralizing housing programs with the help of provincial, city and municipal governments, he said.

Atienza mentioned the “terrible example” of the highly centralized, delayed and substandard construction of 205,128 homes in Eastern Visayas for the families displaced by Super Typhoon “Yolanda.”

“There’s no question the outcome would have been positive had the government simply given the families lots in the new settlements, complete with all the building materials they needed to construct their new homes on their own, plus some social welfare cash assistance,” Atienza said.

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Opinion

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017

EDITORIAL

T

Adelle Chua, Editor

Real competition needed

HE government’s plan to encourage the entry of four to six foreign internet service providers to break the country’s telecommunications duopoly is as welcome as it is overdue.

For far too long, Filipino consumers have had the short end of the stick compared to their Asian counterparts, paying more for slower internet access—a clear result of the faux competition that exists between the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT)-Smart and Globe Telecom.

This sad state of affairs is borne out, not just by empirical evidence, but also by the latest “State of the Internet” report by the cloud services

provider Akamai Technologies.

The fourth quarter 2016 edition of the report that was released in March shows that the Philippines had the lowest average internet connection speed among all Asia-Pacific countries surveyed, at 4.5 (Mbps) megabits per second.

This dismal average connection speed put us below India (5.6 Mbps), China (6.3 Mbps), Indonesia (6.7 Mbps), Sri Lanka (7.3 Mbps), Malaysia (8.2 Mbps), and Vietnam (8.3 Mbps).

In contrast, South Korea had the fastest average internet speed both in the region and in the world, with an enviable 26.1 Mbps, while Hong Kong had 21.9 Mbps.

Among the 15 Asian countries surveyed, eight already had connection speeds that exceed 10 Mbps. To

gain entry into this group, we need to break the stranglehold that PLDTSmart and Globe have, not only on the market, but on regulatory authorities.

Just last year, the two telecommunications giants both took the courts to stop San Miguel and its joint venture partner Telstra of Australia from entering the market and providing some real competition. Then, when Telstra and San Miguel backed out, the two giants divvied up the key 700-megahertz spectrum that had been assigned to San Miguel. The spectrum is significant because the 700-megahertz band is best at penetrating buildings and traveling long distances—a key to faster connection speeds. But more than a year after they did this— with the promise of service improvements—neither PLDT nor Globe have delivered the goods.

It is no wonder that the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) has stepped in to review the allocation of the 700-MHz spectrum, and the anticompetitive environment that PLDT and Globe foster.

President Rodrigo Duterte understands this.

“The only way to improve your service is to give them competitors,” he said last week, noting that if there are only two players, they can easily come to an arrangement with each other to the detriment of the consuming public.

“I need about 4, 5, o 6. They’ll enter, we’ll just choose,” he added.

These words bode well for longsuffering internet users—but only if the government lives up to them and fights off all efforts to sabotage real competition.

Atis

law professors, the Benedictine monks and their associates ever to know what groups the students join when they are outside the campus after class hours, or even within class hours, if students absent themselves?

We should be looking rather at the student culture that makes membership in fraternities attractive to neophytes. First, there is the myth that law school is so grueling and tough that one’s chances of survival are best with the support system of a fraternity. That is myth on two counts: other courses are as difficult—medicine with the ponderous tomes that medical students must pour through, graduate studies in the hard sciences, such as

THE past week was quite hectic for us. There were a lot of ongoing activities focused on Philippine— Taiwan relations.

At the Manila Hotel’s ballroom, the Taiwan aquaculture technology industry presented its capabilities at aquaculture productivity enhancement to Filipinos in the saltwater and freshwater fishing business. More than a hundred Filipino companies from all over the country, as far as Zamboanga and Saranggani in the south participated.

At the SMX Convention Center and the Mall of Asia, a Taiwan Excellence exhibit was presented, from small cameras made of paper to the latest bicycles (Taiwan is the world’s biggest manufacturer of bicycles) and motorbikes, to medical instruments using the latest technology.

Meanwhile, in another part of town, scientists from our DoST sat down with Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology to further their cooperation on scientific and applied research from cooperation on volcanology, ocean, typhoon and earthquakes (VOTE) which is crucial to disaster reduction, since both countries are prone to natural calamities such as these, to strengthening graduate program exchanges in these oft-neglected but very important aspect of our lives.

A Philippine-Taiwan Education and Culture Center was opened in Makati, with full-time staff which would promote educational exchanges among both undergraduate and graduate students. Taking a masteral course in science, applied physics, engineering, for instance, costs about a fifth in Taiwan as compared to the US, and yet the quality is comparable, and in some courses, probably better.

The bonus—you’re just two hours or less away from home. Another bonus: If you are diligent enough, you learn Mandarin, destined to be the second most universally

Turn to A5

Turn to A5

Who is to blame?

ONCE more, a young man tragically loses his life at the hands of fraternity “brothers.” Once more, there is a national outcry against what is now characterized as the “diabolic” streak to all fraternities.

And of course, as if pointing fingers could assuage our collective grief, many fingers are pointed at many.

Who is to blame?

Issues have to be distinguished. A ban on fraternities (or sororities)? The Constitution stands in the way of such a sweeping proscription, because fraternities and similar groups are associations the right to which Constitutional provi-

sions stand as guarantee.

And there is no fraternity that will acknowledge that its purpose is the extirpation of the “weak”—as indeed happens at hazing rites. Since every fraternity proclaims the lofty ideals of brotherhood (sisterhood) and camaraderie, mutual aid and comfort, there is no way that that they can be universally interdicted.

Not even hazing procedures are necessarily criminal. The law defines hazing to include the requirement that the initiate perform some ridiculous, self-demeaning or hilarious stunt—and provided that there is no physical harm (nor permanent psychological damage) inflicted, there will be no legal objection to this type of hazing.

But there are conditions

that the law sion and sets forth, retention a m o n g of memthese, that bers of the the instiacademic We should t u t io n’s commube looking adminisn it y— a nd rather at tration be one such infor med disciplithe student ahead of nary reculture time of the quirement that makes conduct of could be initiation that stumembership ceremonies. dents seek in fraternities What the accreditacollege or tion of the attractive to u n ive r sit y organizaneophytes. can lawtions of fully do is which they require the are mema c c r e d it a bers and to tion of all whose rites organizations that recruit they become subject. its students. It is well withI was asked in a televiin the academic freedom of sion phone-patch interview an institution to lay down recently whether the adconditions for the admis- ministration may be blamed

for the murder of an initiate. It really all depends.

If the school’s administration took every measure to protect its students from the pernicious accoutrements of membership in fraternities and organizations—such as putting the necessary rules in place, issuing helpful admonition and exercising necessary diligence (that may include preventing the clandestine recruitment of its students—where it can!), then there is no way that blame can be pinned on the dean, or on the whole administration of the school. This was the case with San Beda College not too long ago.

The hapless victims were recruited outside San Beda, and were beaten to death outside San Beda. How were the the dean and the

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

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Opinion

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017

A5

Air pressure FIRST it was the Lopez conglomerate. Now, President Rodrigo Duterte in his usual confrontational manner is zeroing on Philippine Airlines. While it is the government’s mandate to collect debts and the right taxes, there has to be better way of doing so instead of the shock-and-awe style.

Why Duterte brought up the PAL arrears at a public forum was, to say the least, in bad taste. The airline’s management was already trying to reach a deal with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines on a compromise payment. But this is the way Duterte does things. How then can he expect foreign investors to come in or local investors to stay if the President is projecting a government that is anti-business?

Familiar names in business like Antonio Cojuangco and Ramon Ang once owned PAL but gave up because of the multifold challenges that make operating an airline profitable. Even government tried its hand at

managing PAL with Roman “Jun” Cruz at the helm but could not turn it around.

The collection notice could have been served in a less abrasive manner.

CAAP officials could have delivered the President’s message instead of Duterte doing it all in an intimidating fashion. With our openskies policy, the airline industry is a highly competitive field. There are not too many who would have the money to buy PAL even if PAL chairman and CEO Lucio Tan puts it on the auction block. Tan should really be commended for staying the course against government subsidized foreign flag carriers. PAL does not get any such subsidy and the government should at least understand the difficulty of staying afloat against such competition.

Why not let PAL pay in three or four tranches instead of adopting a hard line policy of collection?

Other companies allow installment payments of delinquent debts. Why not the government? This option is better than not getting paid at all is behind this business concept.

Digong has given the national flag carrier 10 days to pay its P6.63 billion ar-

rears with CAAP, threatening to close down Terminal 2 which is presently exclusively used by PAL. The sanction could include preventing PAL from using the runway for takeoff and landing. PAL built Terminal 2 in 1995 because Terminal 1 was then under repair and the government was still constructing the nowcrowded Terminal 3.

“I don’t care if it adversely affects passenger traffic and tourists arrival, the law is the law. Kung walang airport, so what?” snorted Duterte during a speaking engagement at the Philippine Constitution Association Tuesday night.

If Duterte does not care about tourist arrivals but he needs funds for government expenditures, he should then just abolish the Department of Tourism with its high-salaried officials and staff. The DoT has spent a fortune in hiring ad agencies to come up with tourism slogans that don’t work anyway. In a recent report, 39 countries said they are staying away from the Philippines because of the high crime rate and impunity in the unabated killings of drug suspects.

The DoT certainly cannot

change this global perception of the Philippine with slogans alone.

Bangkok, Thailand with its tourist spots and low crime rate has been adjudged the No.1 preferred tourist destination in the world. The Philippines, on the other hand, is still playing catch-up with its Asian neighbors. Vietnam and Cambodia are getting a better share of tourist arrivals than we are.

Arrears in PAL’s payment are for air navigational fees and use of airport runways.

In a statement issued by PAL management, the airline said it is continuing to talk with CAAP and MIAA officials to reach a compromise agreement on how to settle the arrears.

This is PAL’s statement in full: In August 2016 , the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines sent letters to PAL demanding payment of unpaid navigational charges in the amount of P6.63 billion.

This issue on alleged unpaid navigational fees involves complex legal issues which PAL has been trying to thresh out with the Authority for years. In fact, the same legal issues were the subject of a court case be-

tween PAL and the MIAA years back where the court ruled in favor of PAL. Despite the favorable ruling, PAL then opted to settle amicably with the MIAA as a manifestation of its full support to the government.

In similar vein, PAL has earlier manifested its willingness to amicably settle with the CAAP as a manifestation of its support to the Authority. Communications have been open between the parties as regard this matter. In fact, PAL stressed that CAAP created an inter-agency panel of negotiators for the proposed settlement via CAAP order 149-17.

PAL formally submitted its offer to CAAP which is more than the amount covered by the CAAP supporting invoices received by PAL. To date, however, PAL has not received any official response from CAAP on its offer.

“We look forward to meeting the negotiating panel and we are ready to submit a Compromise Agreement to settle this issue once and for all,” said PAL VP for Legal Affairs Clara de Castro.

Yun na naman pala. So why push PAL against the wall ?

Redefining public utilities and public service DROWNED out in the endless political noise is an important piece of legislation that could change the country’s investment and competition landscape.

The Lower House on August 29 approved on second reading House Bill 5828, which seeks to amend the 81-year-old Public Services Act. By updating the definition of public utilities, the planned amendments seek to open up the sector to more foreign participation, which is seen to result in muchneeded transfer of technology and investments.

For instance, constitutional restrictions on foreign participation in telecommunications, water and transportation have historically stymied healthy competition, resulting in an idiosyncrasy that many Filipinos only know too well: That internet connectivity and sad state of mass transportation

Who...

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physics and chemistry and in mathematics are as tough if not tougher, but rarely do students from these disciplines find the need to seek succor with fraternities.

And while group study is certainly one way to do it, fraternities are not neces-

Atis...

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applicable language in this century.

And at the Manila Peninsula, a two-day Industrial Development Collaboration Summit was held among industry leaders led by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry through its president, George Barcelon and Taiwan’s National Federation of Industries through it’s chairman, Sheng Hsiung Hsu, otherwise known as Rock Hsu. The affair was a joint effort of our Department of Trade and Industry, their Ministry of Economic Affairs, the private sector, and in the Philippine side,

in the country is simultaneously one of the publics daily peeves.

While seemingly pedantic, that “public service” has been used interchangeably with “public utility” has in fact inhibited growth in the sector, especially in comparison with other countries in the region. While the 1987 Constitution provides that the operation of a public utility be reserved to Philippine citizens or a Filipino majority-owned corporation, this has led to the erroneous perception that a public utility is public service and thus subject to such ownership limits.

From the country’s experience with many of such utilities, it’s been obvious that insufficient competition in the market had been a factor that leads to subpar service quality and high prices. Ultimately, the very lack of choices for consumers not only results in dissatisfaction but encourages monopolies, which is always a risk for consumers.

The bill will thus attempt to solve this by opening up

certain industries to competition and providing a mechanism for rate-fixing that would allow a reasonable rate of return to investors in order to encourage more players. In particular, it will establish a clear statutory definition of what constitutes a public utility in three key areas: distribution of electricity, transmission of electricity, and water pipeline distribution system or sewerage pipeline.

In a senate version or the proposed amendments filed by Senator Grace Poe, “public utility” is “not synonymous to public service as the former is a subset of the latter. Public utility regularly supplies and directly transmits and distributes to the public, through a network, a commodity or service of public consequence.”

This will thus exclude from the definition of public utility the following: electric power generation, electric power supply, crude oil and petroleum products, transportation, broadcasting, and telecommunication. The potential influx of

foreign investment in these essential industries does not discount the competence of Philippine-owned corporations but merely recognizes the potential significant economic contribution of foreign investments either through the infusion of capital or the transfer of knowledge.

Broadly speaking, the amendment to the Public Services Act signals an open policy regime, and one which cultivates a globally competitive investment climate in the Philippines. It also announces that, yes, the PSA does not account for globalization and technological innovation. Finally, the proposed statutory definition is less tedious than removing the foreign equity restriction on public utilities via constitutional change.

Utilities represent an important aspect of every Filipino’s everyday experience, and it’s in the state’s interest to make sure that the economic space they inhabit is hospitable to players. In addition to the definition of public service and

a rates-fixing mechanism, also proposed is the imposition of applicable penalties for violations and fees for public services. Combined, all these are envisioned to result in increased competition, lower prices, and improved quality of basic services.

Foreign equity restrictions have long had a negative impact on the foreign direct investments that the country receives, which over the last decade or so has woefully lagged behind many countries in the region. Obviously, this has consequences on job creation and, therefore, inclusive growth. Moreover, concerns over runaway players are unfounded as the key industries will continue to be regulated, with more administrative remedies and safeguards will be put in place.

Utilities shape the way we live and the quality of how we live. As the bearer of public interest, government must do whatever it can to give this sector all the life and freedom that it needs.

sary for that.

Then there is the fact that many law students come from the provinces after their baccalaureate studies to enroll in what they hope are the more prestigious law schools in the great metropolis.

Intimidated, confused and needing support, they are vulnerable to recruitment—especially when they are promised

the security of the constant support of their “brothers.”

“Brod” is shorthand for “I am covered”.

Finally, if high ranking officials of the land—highly placed personages in the judiciary and in the justice department of the Executive Branch and members of the Legislature—proudly brandish their membership cards in some Greek letter society,

why do we not blame that fact for incentivizing membership in fraternities that already account for a number of murders?

Law studies in the Philippines have created a subculture, not all aspects of which are admirable. I have written once about the expense, the hoopla and the extravagance and needless institutional rivalry

created by so-called “Bar ops,” including the charges of “leaks” in the examinations that these “ops” will not necessarily exclude from their agenda. But the most atrocious of these are the mangled bodies of fraternity victims!

I must praise the efforts of the Taiwan Association in the Philippines led by Seimo Huang and Alan Lin, Taiwanese old-timers in the country who have adopted the Philippines as home.

This writer was among the many who delivered opening remarks in all forums, but let me just excerpt what I said before the Industry Collaboration Summit, which typifies my impression about the Philippines vis-à-vis it’s closest neighbor to its north.

Not wanting to either repeat or pre-empt a battery of speakers, I thought of inviting the attendees to two pictures flashed on a screen: The Philippine “atis” and Taiwan’s “shirjia,” sometimes called “sikya.”

The Philippine atis is a small one, about the size of a child’s fist, not so pleasant to look at, and though its flesh is sweet and creamy, it has plenty of seeds, which makes eating our atis a notso-pleasant experience.

That is, if we could buy one.

I have three favorite fruits, the mango (Philippine of course), the pomelo (Davao of course), and atis, which usually comes from Batangas or Laguna, but has become so rare that one could hardly find it in our markets.

The Taiwan counterpart, the “shir-jia” is about the size of a baby’s head, and its sweet and creamy flesh is unencumbered by so many seeds, so that it is easy to eat. It’s external cover is unblemished, un-

like our atis, and inverted it looks like a Buddha “crown,” which is why the Chinese often refer to it as “Buddha’s head”.

There are hardly any commercial atis farms in the country, excepting the little town of Ibaan in Batangas, if my knowledge of agriculture is still right.

But in Taitung and Pingtung in southern Taiwan which I have personally visited, there are so many small, family-run shir-jia farms which collectively export their rather expensive but worth it in terms of value-for-money fruit to Japan and Hong Kong, as well as in Taiwan markets.

So similar, and yet so dissimilar, and the secret is technology. Plus hard work and perseverance.

Technology, plus “sipag at tiyaga,” to borrow Senator Manny Villar’s motto.

The Philippine economy, I maintained, has been showing impressive success of late, and I hope it becomes a continued boom rather than the previous boom-and-bust cycles that have prevented us from really taking off.

In a globalized economic order, the Philippines could do with a “little help from friends,” paraphrasing the famous Beatles song.

And Taiwan is one such friend. It reaches out to its southern neighbors through a “New Southbound Policy”, where the Philippines, geographically its nearest, could be the gateway.

Beyond agriculture and aquaculture technology,

rannie_aquino@csu.edu.ph rannie_aquino@sanbeda.edu.ph rannie_aquino@outlook.com

Teaching FIVE out of the six members of my family teach. Four of us—my husband, my two lawyer-daughters and I all teach law while another daughter now teaches pre-school children although she used to teach financial management to BA students. Oh, and I have to add that my sonin-law teaches animation in college, too, making six of us in the teaching profession. Sometimes when we talk about this over dinner, we share various reasons why— despite the tough challenges of teaching and the not-solucrative pay—we can’t seem to stop teaching. My husband who teaches labor law says he enjoys it and this is the best way to beat Alzheimer’s disease; one’s mind is kept active in teaching. My two lawyer-daughters say they enjoy it and it gives them reason to keep learning too. My daughter who shifted from teaching college students to pre-schoolers says it is such fun to be with small children who are all eager to learn new things in activities that seem like play.

As for me, sharing knowledge and skills brings so much joy especially when I see my students appreciating the law and learning. Once, Sharing when I did a lecture to lawyers in a Manda- knowledge and tory Continuing Legal Education seminar, two skills brings so lawyers approached much joy. me. One was a young lady lawyer who was a former student of mine.

She exuded excitement at seeing me and intimated that I have been her peg, her role model, which is why she now teaches too. The young male lawyer said he will never forget the techniques of learning and remembering that I taught them and these, he said, made him breeze through the bar exams. I continue to meet many other former students who are now colleagues in the profession either in court rooms, in seminars or social functions and it never ceases to give me immense satisfaction knowing I have been a part of the molding of their minds and the lifting of their lives.

This brings me to look back to the teachers who have shaped me to be what I am now. It was in my high school at the La Consolacion College, formerly St. Joseph’s College, where I met my own peg—Ms. Irene Justiniano.

She was the kind of person I then hoped I would become.

She was my English Literature teacher who, from what I remember, took up AB Philosophy. She inspired me so much with the way she taught us how to analyze classical literature and the life’s values they impart. I started writing poems then and read books voraciously. She was slim, always well-groomed and refused to drink soft drinks saying they do no good to the body. I have been hearing my father say the same thing about sodas but when it was my teacher who said that, I stopped drinking even a drop of any kind of soft drink altogether. Before we parted ways as I was then about to graduate, she gave a card which said, “If all students were like you, chapels would be churches and poor men’s cottages, princes’ palaces,” adopting a quote from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. I have kept that card as a priceless possession to this day.

When I was in college at UP, my English teacher, Tessa Jazminez, became my next role model. She was a good writer and an activist who, in many ways, taught us why we should value democracy and freedom. She encouraged me to send to magazines my essays and poems for possible publication. Several of my works, in fact, landed on the pages of Graphic magazine and the Free Press.

Many people, especially parents, take their children’s teachers for granted especially in this age when being wealthy and successful is what commands respect.

Teaching is unfairly perceived as a career for people who are laid back and who cannot slug it out in the competitive corporate world or challenging public service. The truth is, teaching may be the most challenging profession of all because it involves handling human beings, molding their minds, and inspiring them to be the best of what they can be. As Henry Adams, a historian, said, “A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.”

Calvin Coolidge, the 30th president of the USA and a lawyer, once said in a speech, “Teaching is one of the noblest of professions. It requires an adequate preparation, training, patience, and a deep sense of responsibility. Those who mold the human mind have wrought not for time but for eternity.”

To all those who have taken up teaching as their career, may the world be kinder and more grateful to you.

Mabuhay kayo!

Email: ritalindaj@gmail.com Visit: www.jimenolaw.com.ph and into green energy, the creation of “smart” cities, into manufacturing centers in our economic zones that aside from providing jobs to our countrymen, links us to the global supply chain, to so many other economic endeavors.

Beyond improving our atis, or our “macopa,” our “guyabano,” even our “ampalaya,” into the realm of high-tech. *** Exhausted by the nonstop conferences and speeches of the last week, I nursed a fever over the

week-end, and then yesterday woke up to the sad news that a dear friend, Joe Taruc, has departed from our mortal universe.

Mang Joe, as I always called him, had always supported my career in government, starting from the post office under Cory and Doy, to the last campaign for Rodrigo Duterte. I was a favorite interviewee over his morning program over dzRH. My sincere condolences to his grieving family, as well as his staff at dzRH. He will be sorely missed.

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News

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017

CoA hits illegal DAR fund use

Cops rescue Malaysian exec

By Francisco Tuyay

P

By Rio N. Araja

THE Commission on Audit has called the attention of Department of Agrarian Reform-Region 3 over the illegal use of P61.5 million in agrarian reform fund to pay cash incentives and other benefits to its officials from 2007 to 2009.

CoA chairman Michael Aguinaldo and Commissioners Jose Fabia and Isabel Agito unanimously ruled that the agrarian reform fund was a special fund for exclusive use as “payment of compensation to landowners and expenses involved in the implementation of support services” for the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program.

CoA upheld its Dec. 17, 2014 decision disallowing the use of such fund to pay the collective negotiation agreement incentives and other cash benefits for the employees and officials of DAR Region 3.

The commission said those responsible in the decision to use the fund must give the P61.5 million back to the special fund.

There was no question to the grant of incentives and benefits since DAR personnel were entitled to such privileges, but to charge the payment from agrarian reform fund was not legal, it added.

President Corazon Aquino’s Proclamation No. 131 in 1987 created the agrarian reform fund with an initial budget of P50 billion.

The amount was augmented by the proceeds from the Asset Privatization Trust through the sale of forfeited illegal assets of the Marcos family and associates, and cash and other properties recovered by the Presidential Commission on Good Government.

CoA said only those who authorized to use the fund can be held culpable, and not those who just received the incentives and benefits.

“The Supreme Court has ruled that by way of exception, passive recipients or payees of disallowed salaries, emoluments, benefits, and other allowances need not refund such disallowed amounts if they received the same in good faith,” the CoA said.

OLICE on Saturday rescued a Malaysian business executive from his three abductors, all Chinese nationals, who were arrested at an industrial district in Calamba, Laguna.

TECH GALORE. The 47th SM Cyberzone is now open at SM City Taytay with 34 stores and kiosks of cameras, mobile phones and tech finds. Norman Cruz

More than 100 kilos of botcha seized in Tarlac City TARLAC CITY—At least 111.5 kilos of hot meat (botcha) were confiscated in an inspection conducted Saturday at the Victory Uptown Market by the City Veterinary Office and Tarlac City Police Station.

The City Veterinary Office, headed by Dr. Julieta Parairo,

along with PO2 Ryan Torales, confiscated the hot meat at the John-Len Store.

Parairo said she will recommend the revocation of the business permit of the stall owner.

The stall owner will also be charged for violating Republic Act No. 10536 or the

Meat Inspection Code of the Philippines.

The seized hot meat will be burned and disposed of properly, she said.

Parairo said the routine operation is part of the intensified crackdown against the proliferation of hot meat.

On Sept. 20, some 103.8

kilos of hot meat were also confiscated at the City Uptown Market.

“The move is part of the city government’s efforts to keep the residents safe from products that were not properly inspected and lack proper clearance from the city’s abattoir,” she said. PNA

Gastro outbreak hits Mimaropa; medicine rushed

By Macon Ramos Araneta

HEALTH department’s Mimaropa Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo has ordered the immediate delivery of medicine and medical supplies to Quezon, Palawan to avert the increasing diarrhea cases in some barangays.

“Although the cases are now declining, we are still continuing disease surveil-

lance and directly in coordination with the local and provincial health offices in case diarrhea cases in the affected barangays will again rise,” said Janairo.

“The best thing to do right now is for the residents to seek medical checkup once they experience abdominal pain, dehydration and having watery stool so that they can be given the immediate medical response needed,” he added.

As of Sept. 18, 2017, the

Quezon Rural Health Unit reported a total of 644 acute cases of gastro-enteritis or diarrhea.

He said there are 358 cases admitted at Quezon Medicare Hospital, 233 cases at the Quezon Municipal Health Office and 53 cases at Luke Society Clinic.

Based on the merged data from Quezon RHU and Palawan Provincial Epidemiological Surveillance Unit from July 4 - Sept. 18,

2017, most affected barangays are Alfonso XII and Pinaglabanan. The diarrhea cases are 79% higher compared to the historical average recorded for the last four years which is on an average of 359 cases from 2013 to 2016.

The DoH official said half of diarrhea cases reported were from 18 years old and below, affecting mostly 1-10 years old. Majority of the cases were female.

The kidnap victim was identified as Jackie Ong, 36 of Malaysian descent, Finance Department Head of DF Call Communications Inc. with office along Paseo de Roxas, Brgy.

Bel-Air, Makati City.

Supt. Sancho Obligado Celedio, Calamba City Chief of Police identified the suspects as Su Sheng Fu, 27; Yu Guang Dong, 33; and Chen Wen, 22, all residents of Makati City.

Celedio said the arrest of the three Chinese suspects took place in front of the Yazaki Torres Manufacturing Corp.in Brgy.

Makiling, Calamba at 9:50 a.m.

Celedio said the arrest of the three suspects surfaced after Brgy. Chairman Allan Pedraja of Brgy. Puting Lupa noticed a brown Toyota Innova roaming around the perimeter of Yazaki Torres prompting the former to alert the police.

A police team responded and chanced upon the suspects’ vehicle.

The police officer then flagged down the vehicle, prompting the driver, Yu Guang Dong, to alight from the Innova Toyota.

As Dong approached the police officers, authorities saw the victim raising his arms with handcuff, At that juncture, the police officers immediately arrested the suspects.

The Chinese business executive was abducted last Sept. 29 in fornt of Forber Tower Condominium Corp. along Valero St. Brgy. Bel-Air, Makati City.

Celedio said the arresting operatives recovered a sling bag containing a caliber .45 Remington pistol with two magazines and seven live bullets, license plate ZKX 699, cellphones, pocket Wi-Fi, cash amounting to P2,320,00, undetermined Yuan bills, passport and an International License owned by Guandong Yu. The arrested suspects are currenty detained at the Calamba police station.

Bus falls off Alabang flyover, 27 passengers injured AT LEAST 27 passengers were injured after a bus fell from the Alabang flyover Sunday evening.

According to Manila Toll Expressway Systems Inc., the Cher Bus with plate number TYW-504 lost control of its brakes while moving up the flyover toward the Alabang Exit.

The bus landed by the Alabang Exit toll plaza.

MATES, operator of the South Luzon Expressway, said the injured passengers were brought to the Ospital ng Muntinlupa.

NBI steps into prosecutor’s slay in Quezon THE National Bureau of Investigation has been ordered to look into the killing of a prosecutor in Quezon province.

In a Department Order 646, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II required the NBI to investigate and file appropriate charges against those responsible for the killing of Quezon Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Reymund Luna, who was shot dead in Infanta, Quezon.

The order did not specify when the killing of Luna happened.

Luna is the sixth prosecutor killed in the last 11 months.

On Oct. 26, 2016, Mati City Prosecutor Rolando Acido was shot dead by two unidentified men on board a motorcycle while on his way to the Mati Hall of Justice.

On Jan. 11, Quezon City Prosecutor Johanne Noel Mingoa, who used to work for Aguirre when he was still in private practice, was killed in front of a restaurant in Barangay Old Balara, Quezon City.

Caloocan Assistant City Prosecutor Diosdado Azarcon was killed by masked assailants on May 22 outside his residence in Barangay 63, Caloocan.

Rizal Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Maria Ronatay was gunned down during heavy traffic along Ortigas Avenue Extension in Taytay town on July 18, while former Mandaluyong City prosecutor Pablito Gahol was killed outside of a school in Mandaluyong on Sept. 3. Rey Requejo

HEADDRESS FASHION.

One of the contestant from different towns of Rizal province wearing head dress representing their products and livelihood from their respective town gather at SM Masinag, Antipolo City during the Festival Head Dress competition with the ‘Theme: Yes Rizal Sa Ugnayan Sisikat Ang Lalawigan’ in celebration of Month of Tourism. Manny Palmero

Health urges pet owners to protect selves from rabies SAYING that rabies can be prevented, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial called on pet owners to have their dogs vaccinated in order to protect themselves.

“Dog vaxccination together with responsible pet ownership can help us to achieve our collective goal of a rabiesfree Philippines by 2020,” said Ubial as she enjoined everyone to be a responsible oet owner.

Speaking during the 2017 National

Rabies Summit in observance of World Rabies Prevention Day, with this year’s theme of “Rabies: Zero 2020,, Ubial said the DoH has lined up several advocacy campaigns to disseminate information aboutrabies, how animal bites are managed to prevent getting infected by it.

She said they are also encouraging responsible pet ownership by having their pets vaccinated.

“The public is warned against stray ani-

mals and to immediately go to the nearest Animal Bite Treatment center [ABTC] in case of any animal bites,” Ubial said.

The Health department spearheaded this year’s event in collaboration with the Departments of Agriculture, Education, the Interior and Local Government and the other stakeholders.

Highlights of the 2017 Philippine Rabies Summit is the announcement of eight municipalities being declared as Rabies-

free Areas this year.

These are the Municipalities of Batuan, San Jacinto, San Francisco and Monreal of Ticlao Island, Masbate; the Municipalities of Corcuera, Banton and Concepcion of Romblon Province; and the Municipality of Carlos P. Garcia of Bohol, added to the declared 41 rabies-free areas in the country that have registered zero animal and human rabies for at least three consecutive years.

Sports

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Ilocos Sur will host 2018 Palaro

By Peter Atencio

T

HE province of Ilocos Sur will host the 2018 Palarong Pambansa.

Officials of the Department of Education said this following a meeting last week.

The decision was reached af- bidders,according to Departter a close match among five ment of Education (DepEd) Seclocal government unit (LGU) retary Leonor Magtolis Briones

in a statement.

The other contenders who placed their bid to host the Palaro next year were Marikina City; Baguio City and the province of Benguet; the province of Bulacan; and Ilagan City, Isabela.

Secretary Briones said the bidders were all assessed based on their readiness and the completeness of their sports facilities.

She added compliance of these facilities to meet international standards was also a factor.

The DepEd also considered the distance of the venues from the billeting quarters, the peace and order in the area, and the support of other LGUs and stakeholders in the locality.

“We had a group of techni-

cal inspectors that visited these LGUs and they scored almost the same. But the province of Ilocos Sur won the bidding because of its offering on how to make the conduct of the Palaro different for next year,” Secretary Briones said.

On the other hand, Assistant Secretary for Legislative Liaison Office, External Partnerships

Service, and School Sports Division Tonisito M.C. Umali, Esq. explained that Ilocos Sur was able to articulate how the conduct of Palaro in their province will have an impact not only to their people but to all studentathletes as well.

Ilocos Sur will have its 100th year celebration as a province, according to Umali.

Chooks Pilipinas settles for 5th

NCAA Press Corps honors LPU’s Perez

CJ PEREZ of the LPU Pirates once again showcased his athleticism, tenacity, and leadership that earned him his second NCAA Press Corps Chooks-to-Go Player of the Week award.

The Pirates went 2-0 this past week with Perez averaging 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.5 steals. Their recent win over the San Sebastian Stags last Friday was a testament of their resiliency and fortitude.

Perez notched a career-high 28 points while also adding 10 rebounds in a thrilling 78-73 victory over the Stags to keep their record perfect at 15-0.

“Kailangan talagang pag-trabahuhan mga ganitong bagay. Siguro lucky lang talaga ako today, maganda gising ko kaya ganun,” Perez said.

Perez poured in nine points in the pivotal fourth period to hold off the gritty Stags. The versatile forward was also instrumental on the defensive end, racking up four steals and one rejection, while guarding the Stags’ formidable front line.

“I appreciate how we fought,” LPU coach Topex Robinson said. “We just stood our ground.”

The Pirates have only three games left on their schedule as they hope to sweep the elimination round. The task may seem overwhelming, but Perez and the Pirates are up to the challenge.

“Happy thoughts – ganun lang palagi. Yung mga pinag-uusapan namin sa loob,” Perez said about their attitude on the floor. “Focus lang sa sarili namin, saka enjoy lang talaga namin every game kahit down na, enjoy pa rin.”

Perez bested teammate MJ Ayaay, Bong Quinto of the Letran Knights and Laurenz Victoria of the Mapua Cardinals for the weekly individual plum.

The Pirates’ astonishing 15-0 record is the second-best start in NCAA history, right behind the San Beda Red Lions’ 18-0 run back in Season 86.

HALFTIME ATTRACTION. Members of the UNLV Rebels dance team perform during the halftime break of their team’s game against the San Jose State Spartans at Sam Boyd Stadium on September 30, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. UNLV won 41-13. AFP

Boston Red Sox clinch MLB East Division title

BOSTON—The first-place Boston Red Sox doubled the Houston Astros 6-3 on Saturday to clinch their second straight East Division title in a battle between two American League heavyweights.

The Red Sox and American League West Division champion Astros will meet in game one of the first round of the playoffs on Thursday in Texas.

This marks the first time since division play began in 1969 that the Red Sox have won back-to-back American League East crowns.

“It’s a good feeling, but at the same time we’ve been in this position before last year,” Boston’s Hanley Ramirez said.

“So we’re looking forward to the last one.

That’s the biggest one.”

Boston improved to 93-68 on the season as they needed a win at home at Fenway Park or a New York Yankees’ loss on Saturday to clinch.

The second-place Yankees won 2-1 in their Saturday game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Houston, who dropped to 110-61, will finish with the second-best record in Major League Baseball behind the Cleveland Indians.

Boston has now won the AL East in three of manager John Farrell’s five seasons at the helm. He becomes the first

manager in club history to guide the team to three division championships.

Mitch Moreland had a pair of RBIs, Mookie Betts hit a solo home run, and Ramirez, Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi each drove in one run for the Red Sox. Benintendi hit his 20th homer of the season Friday, less than 24 hours after he stole third base in a 3-2 loss to the Astros to become only the third Red Sox rookie with a 20 home run, 20 steal season.

He is the youngest left fielder in American baseball to have at least 20 homers and 20 steals in a season since disgraced home run hitter Barry Bonds did it in 1987. AFP

UE cagebelles win 4th straight while FEU halts spiral

Maroons reach semifinals

UNIVERSITY of the Philippines men’s team nipped Ateneo, 3-2, to clinch a Final Four slot yesterday in the UAAP Season 80 badminton tournament.

The pairs of CK Clemente and JM Bernardo, and Betong Pineda and Paul Gonzales completed a sweep of doubles, while Bernardo provided the lone singles victory for the Fighting Maroons to improve at 4-1 at the Rizal Memorial Badminton Hall.

UP joined defending champion National University, a 4-1 winner over De La Salle, in the Final Four.

The Bulldogs stretched their perfect run to five and moved within a win of securing an outright championship berth.

NU shoots for the slot in the best-of-three Finals against also-ran University of the East in the final day of eliminations at 8 a.m. on Thursday at the same Malate venue.

The Blue Eagles and the Green Archers dropped to 3-2 card in joint third.

University of Santo Tomas, meanwhile, keep its semifinals hopes alive with a 5-0 shutout win over Adamson University for a 2-3 card, stalling Ateneo and La Salle’s march to the semis.

CHOOKS-TO-GO Pilipinas settled for fifth place in the FIBA Asia Champions Cup on Saturday at Chenzhou Sports Complex in China The Philippine squad, led by former NBA prospect Isaiah Austin and Kiefer Ravena, finished their campaign with an 89-79 triumph over Mono Vampire of Thailand.

Austin, the team’s 7’1” naturalized center, finished with 37 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks.

Amateur standout Kiefer Ravena finished with 18 points.

Teammate Jet Manuel added 13 points for the national team.

The local hoopsters held their ground after the Vampires rallied in the fourth period. The Thais closed in to cut the gap to just two points, 74-72.

But Chooks-to-Go wrapped it up with a 15-5 run as the national team posted the win pulling away.

Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas was a late invitee to the tournament, receiving a wild card entry with a little over two weeks before the competition. The hastilyformed squad exceeded expectations to tally key victories in the regional competition. Peter Atencio

ORDER OF MERIT WINNERS. ICTSI Players Championship winner Clyde Mondilla (third from left) holds his Order of Merit plaque and trophy as he joins other awardees and organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. executive director Narlene Soriano (left) at the close of the Philippine Golf Tour 2017 season at Summit Point Golf Club last week. They are Player of the Year Rene Menor (second from left) and Jeric Hechanova of Luisita Golf and Country Club, which bagged the best course honors for the second straight year.

Cojuangco wants training center for athletes HAVING a training center that’s dedicated to the needs of the national athletes is the key for excellence in international competitions.

“Kung wala nito, mahihirapan tayo,” said Cojuangco last Friday during the thanksgiving mass and dinner party for athletes who saw action in the Asian Indoor and Martial

Arts Games delegation Friday night at V Corporate building in Makati City.

With a training center around, Cojuangco said he believes the country will be able to end its gold medal drought in the Olympics in the 2020 Tokyo Games.

He said that homegrown athletes could win around five

gold medals in the Olympics if they are given the proper support in nutrition and in training.

They could also get results from Fil-foreign athletes in swimming and in athletics.

However, Cojuangco did not name the athletes and the national sports associations who will most likely earn

medals in the Games.

Cojuangco said there’s a master plan already in the works for the construction of a new sports facility in Clark Green City.

On the other hand, he said that the local government unit of Iba, Zambales, also has plans to put up a training center. Peter Atencio

UNIVERSITY of the East stretched its winning run to four after a season-opening loss to titleholder National University with a 62-44 conquest of Adamson University yesterday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 80 women’s basketball tournament at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Love Sto. Domingo came through with an all-around effort of 21 points, 14 rebounds, seven steals and six assists, while Christine Cortezano added 13 points, and 13 rebounds.

Bienca Ramos chipped in 10 points and gathered 10 rebounds.

Their prolific double-double efforts were enough to produce a double-digit victory for the Lady Warriors who solidified their hold on third spot.

Far Eastern University overwhelmed University of the Philippines, 73-49, to halt a twogame slide and even its record to 3-3 in fourth spot.

Valerie Mamaril paced the Lady Tamaraws with 21 points while Precious Arellado chipped in 17 points, seven rebounds and four assists.

The Lady Falcons dropped at 1-4 while the Lady Maroons remained winless in five contests.

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

P0 M+ P0 M

Sports

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

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017

Gin Kings battle TNT Ka Tropa

By Jeric Lopez ANOTHER rivalry is set to be renewed.

It did not take long for TNT KaTropa and Barangay Ginebra to renew their rivalry as they are set to once again meet in the semifinals, this time in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup. The two juggernauts start their bestof-five semifinal tussle tonight at 7 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with both of them eyeing to draw first blood.

Continued supremacy is what’s on the mind of TNT while exacting revenge and defending its throne are the priority of defending champion Ginebra.

For most part of the season, the Tropang Texters had the number of the Gin Kings and they obviously want to keep it that way They dispatched the Gin Kings just last Commissioner’s Cup in the semifinals, 3-1, to march to the finals and eventually finish as runner-ups.

Furthermore, TNT also won their elimination round meeting more than a week ago. The Texters dominated the Gin Kings, 121-92, to claim the No. 2 seed and send a resounding statement.

Since then, No. 3 Ginebra gathered itself back up, bouncing back strong in the quarterfinals. The Gin Kings eliminated Grand Slam-seeking powerhouse San Miguel easily, 104-84, last Wednesday to advance to the next stage of the playoffs.

TNT took the longer road. It lost the first game before coming through in the waning seconds to escape pesky Rain or Shine, 118-114, in the second game just last Friday to move forward and arrange another duel with Ginebra.

There were anxious moments for the Tropang Texters during that knockout game against the Painters but thankfully for them, Glen Rice Jr. came through in the clutch to save their season.

Rice’s go-ahead basket in the final minute allowed TNT to continue its campaign and sent Rain or Shine packing.

For the Gin Kings, they are also being led as expected by their do-it-all import Justin Brownlee, who scored 37 points against the Beermen to pro-

Barangay Ginebra import Justin Brownlee (32) tries to fake off two TNT KaTropa defenders in Kelly Williams (21) and RR Pogoy. Ginebra and TNT start their semifinal duel today.

FEU Tamaraws rout UP Fighting Maroons, 78-59

By Peter Atencio

Games Wednesday

F

ORWARD Ron Dennison proved to be a nightmare for the prolific Paul Desiderio.

The 6’0” Dennison hounded his former teammate at the University of Visayas all afternoon and held Desiderio to one of his lowest outputs yesterday at the Araneta Coliseum.

The Far Eastern University Tamaraws’ efforts to limit Desiderio and the output of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons allowed them to post a 78-59 demolition when action ended in the 93rd University Ath-

letic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) men’s basketball tournament.

This sent FEU to their third consecutive victory, and they went on to move up to third in the standings with their 4-2 win-loss record.

(at the Araneta Coliseum) 2 p.m. Adamson vs UE 4 p.m. UP vs La Salle

“Depensa namin. Nagawa naming iyung ni-ready namin sa UP, lalung lalo na iyung kay Desiderio na na-limit ko talaga,” said Dennison.

Dennison went on to finish with a game-high 16 points while teammate Richard Escoto provided 12.

The Fighting Maroons, who usually average 81.8 points, were held to their lowest output this season. FEU prepared hard for the game against UP after taking

note of the 98-87 upset posted by the Maroons over the defending champion La Salle Green Archers in their previous game.

Desiderio made a seasonhigh 30 points against La Salle.

Against FEU, he was limited to only nine points.

“It’s a defensive game for us.

This is the first time we held a team to below 60,” said FEU coach Olsen Racela.

The Tams took control in the second period, and imposed their will under the boards through Prince Orizu, who took charge of the rebounding chores.

With the UP making only 10

Next four games to decide fate of San Sebastian Staglets THE San Sebastian Staglets still have a fighting chance to make it to the Final Four semifinals of the 93rd National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) junior basketball tournament.

And their last games will decide their chances in coming up with their best finish in four years.

Staglets coach Melo Banua said this after the Staglets stopped the Lyceum Junior Pirates, 101-91, in double overtime last Friday at the Arena in San Juan.

“May chance pa kami. May four games pa,” said Banua.

Their next four games will be against the Jose Rizal University Light Bombers, the Arel-

lano University Braves, the defending champion Malayan Red Robins and the Perpetual Help Junior Altas.

The Staglets last reached the Final Four in Season 89.

In their game last Friday, two guards, Daniel Rodriguez and Lewis Pasamante, scored a pair of triples in the last 1:16. Their baskets helped send the Staglets to their eighth win in 14 games.

The Staglets, with Damie Cuntapay among three players scoring in double digits with his 26 points and 19 rebounds, improved their chances of reaching the Final Four with their 8-6 win-loss record.

This put the Staglets in fifth place behind the Letran Squires (9-6), who also won in overtime over the Emilio Aguinaldo College Brigadiers, 86-85.

The Staglets latest victory endangered the chances of the San Beda Red Cubs, who are still up with their 9-5 card in third.

Alex Desoyo, who made 19, first moved the Staglets ahead with Cuntapay with their drive and three-point play, 92-86.

In the next two plays, Rodriguez and Pasamante’s treys connected, sending the Staglets to a 98-86 lead in the last 1:16.

John Barba, who had 27 points for the Junior Pirates, pushed the match into the second overtime with his triple, 82-all. Peter Atencio

Wiratchai headlines ONE title eliminator ONE Championship superstar and top lightweight contender Shannon “One Shin” Wiratchai battles Rasul Yakhyaev of Russia in the main event at ONE: Warriors of the World on December 9 at the Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand.

The bout is a lightweight title eliminator, with the winner going on to challenge the ONE Lightweight World Champion.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship said he is confident that fight fans will get their money’s worth when they watch the promotion headlined by Wiratchai.

“This main event we have lined up is sure to produce fireworks as Thailand’s biggest martial arts star, Shannon Wiratchai, showcases his skills inside the ONE Championship cage against Russia’s Rasul Yakhyaev,” said Sityodtong Wiratchai expressed his confidence ahead of the fight

promising an entertaining evening for his Thai fans.

“If you’re a fan of non-stop action and excitement, come and see us at the Impact Arena on December 9. It’s going to be an amazing show. I am preparing very hard so that I can make Thailand proud. I know my opponent is incredibly well-rounded and highly-skilled, so I will surely not be taking him lightly.

It’s going to be an absolute battle from beginning to end,” said Wiratchai.

Yakhyaev was equally confident and expressed his gratitude for the chance to fight in another ONE Championship promotion.

“I have improved so much as a martial artist. Now, I am confident in all of my skills. I am coming to Thailand to take on its toughest warrior. Thank you to ONE for the opportunity of a lifetime, I will definitely bring my best inside the cage,” said Yakhyaev.

Wiratchai is a mainstay of Bangkok Fight Lab. He trains in various martial arts disciplines at home in Bangkok, including Muay Thai, boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian jiujitsu. An offensive innovator, Wiratchai likes to be creative with his striking, employing a myriad of unpredictable offangle elbows and kicks.

Yakhyaev is a lightweight martial arts star who has racked up a solid following over his seven year professional career. He is adept in both striking and mat techniques, and is considered a solid contender with tremendous combat skills. Four of Yakhyaev’s victories have come by submission while three have come by knockout. He made his ONE Championship debut in December of 2015, falling to Lowen Tynanes by submission. Yakhyaev now seeks redemption as he takes on Wiratchai.

Shannon Wiratchai (left) faces off against Russian Rasul Yakhyaev during the media launch for their ONE Championship title eliminator in Bangkok, Thailand. ONE Championship

Sharapova avenges loss to Sebastova at China Open

Maria Sharapova of Russia reacts after hitting a return to Anastasija Sevastova of Latvia during their first round match at the China Open. AFP

BEIJING, China – Maria Sharapova got her revenge over Latvian 16th seed Anastasija Sevastova with a gutsy 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 7-6 (9/7) victory in the China Open first round.

It was the five-time Grand Slam winner’s first appearance since she was beaten by Sevastova at the US Open in early September and gets her stop-start return from a doping ban back on track.

Sharapova, once number

one but now ranked a lowly 104 in the world, is a wildcard in Beijing as she works her way back slowly from a 15-month ban for taking the banned substance meldonium.

She was far from her best, making a series of unforced errors, but Sharapova dug in and saved match point during an attritional encounter lasting more than three hours in the Chinese capital.

Sharapova, who has also

been wrestling with injury, will take on American qualifier Jennifer Brady or fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova in the next round.

“I didn’t give in, which I think is a really good sign considering it’s been a few weeks since I played and she was someone that I lost to in my previous match,” said a relieved Sharapova.

The 30-year-old said that “physically and emotional-

ly” she did not have it in her when she faced Sevastova in New York in the fourth round, but feels she is getting stronger in both respects.

“When I saw the draw (Sevastova again), I was like, ‘Of course,’” added Sharapova with a grin.

Sharapova, who controversially returned to tennis in April, said she was feeling “fresh” and is eager to finish the season on a high. AFP

points in that quarter, the Tams had little trouble moving away by 16, 40-24, at halftime.

The Tams, who led by as much as 27 point, took a 24-point edge, in the last six minutes of the third.

They did it after Dennison hit a triple, and Ken Tuffin followed up with a clutch, 50-26.

They got a brief scare after UP moved close off Juan Gomez de Liano’s drive, 48-58.

But, when FEU forced six turnovers in the last six minutes of the third, FEU’s outside shooting went into high gear, and Jasper Parker’s trey gave them a 74-48 edge.

Highlands Ladies support charity

THE Tagaytay Highlands Ladies Chapter has reaffirmed its commitment to support its favorite charity with part of the proceeds of the upcoming Highlands Ladies Cup going to the Sisters of Mary and the Boys and Girls Town in Silang, Cavite.

The charity institutions have produced more than 70,000 graduates since the establishment of the school in the mid-1980s with the mission of education for employment.

The THLC has guaranteed another grand staging of the 12th edition of the annual event on Oct. 14 (Saturday) at Tagaytay Midlands Golf and Country Club with the W Group of Companies, the Auto Nation Group, Inc. and Pacific on Line leading the chief backers as Diamond sponsors.

The Powerball Gaming and Entertainment Corp., Security Bank and Leisure and Resorts World Corp. make up the Platinum sponsors’ list while the early Silver backers are New Golden City Builders and Regent Travel.

Asia Brewery, Parola Maritime Agency Corp., H&E Manufacturing. Corp., Concrete Masters, SL Agritech Corp., Peerless Products Manufacturing Corp., Universal Robina and Kawsek & Co. are some of the Bronze sponsors.

Listup is ongoing with fee pegged at P3,500 for members and P4,000 for nonmembers, inclusive of green fee, cart and lunch. For details, call Gay Gonzales at 0917-8744702 or 263-8065 or fax 521-8848 and email marketing@regenttravelmanila.com.

Srixon is also offering a brand new set of men’s clubs for hole-in-one feat while Unilab, Universal Robina Corp. head the donors roster.

Meralco keen to join PNOC’s gas terminal B2

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017

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MPIC offers P20b to run MRT 3 IN BRIEF

By Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE group of Metro Pacific Investments Corp. and Ayala Corp. offered to invest up to P20 billion to rehabilitate, operate and maintain Metro Rail Transit Line 3.

SSS to hike contribution rate in 2018

STATE-RUN pension fund Social Security System said it will proceed with the planned increase in the monthly contribution rate of its members starting January next year coinciding with the expected implementation of the first package of the government’s comprehensive tax reform program.

SSS president and chief executive Emmanuel Dooc told reporters over the weekend the pension fund would increase the monthly contribution rate by at least 1.5 percentage points next year from the present rate of 11 percent. This would bring the total contribution rate to 12.5 percent.

“Had we implemented the 1.5-percent [increase] this year plus the maximum salary credit increasing it from P16,000 to P20,000, that would have fetched us P23 billion [in] additional contribution this year,” Dooc said.

SSS was supposed to start raising the contribution rate by 1.5 percentage points to 12.5 percent in May, but the fund deferred the decision because of widespread opposition.

“Yes, we will increase [in time with the tax reform implementation],” Dooc said.

Dooc earlier said the agency would wait for the passage into law of the first package of the comprehensive tax reform program so that SSS members would have extra income for higher contribution. Julito G. Rada

PLDT deploys bus WiFi

PLDT Inc. said it teamed up with the Provincial Bus Operators Association of the Philippines to equip its members with WiFi connectivity.

PLDT said corporate business unit PLDT Enterprise would equip PBOAP members with WiFi connectivity, CCTV monitoring and vehicle tracking through the ‘SmartBus’ suite of services from the Smart Biz LTE bundle.

“Giving the commuting public easy and fast access to the internet through our Smart Biz LTE can help take their mind away from this daily grind, and enable them to be more productive by doing more tasks while in transit,” PLDT senior vice president and head of enterprise Jovy Hernandez said.

“Apart from the WiFi service that is well appreciated by their customers, we’ve received positive feedback from our partner bus operators that the Smart Bus suite of services gives them peace of mind regarding the security of their bus units, their personnel and their riding patrons,” he said.

The ‘SmartBus’ suite aids bus operators to comply with the government’s plans to modernize the country’s public bus transport system which includes requiring bus operators to install a GPS monitoring device in their buses for commuter safety. Darwin G. Amojelar

Housing prices decline

AVERAGE prices of residential real estate units declined in the second quarter from the first quarter, pulled down by lower prices of single detached houses, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said over the weekend.

Data from the Bangko Sentral showed that while prices of condominium units and townhouses rose 5.1 percent and 2.9 percent, respectively from the previous quarter, prices of single detached housing units fell 9.9 percent during the period.

“This drove the decline in the residential real estate price index [RREPI] for the second quarter of 2017 by 4.6 percent to 116.6 from 122.2 for the same quarter a year ago. Quarter-on-quarter, RREPI remained broadly steady,” the Bangko Sentral said.

RREPI measures the average change in prices of various types of housing units comprising of single detached/attached house, duplex, townhouse, and condominium unit based on data from housing loans granted by universal, commercial and thrift banks.

The average residential property prices in the National Capital Region increased 2.5 percent while those of areas outside NCR declined 8.2 percent in the second quarter.

Julito G. Rada

SOUTHWOODS MALL OPENING. Megaworld Corp. opens its 14th lifestyle mall—Southwoods Mall--a three level mall development at the heart of the 561-hectare Southwoods City township at the boundaries of Biñan, Laguna and Carmona, Cavite. At the ceremonial ribbon cutting are (from left) Primer Group of Companies vice president for business development Paul Sy, Rustan Coffee Company store development head Quito Lopez, Lucerne Group president and chief executive Ivan Yao, Suyen Corp. vice president Bryan Lim, Megaworld senior vice president and Megaworld Lifestyle Malls head Kevin Tan, Global Estate Resorts president Monica Salomon, Biñan Rep. Marlyn Alonte Naguiat, Biñan Mayor Walfredo Dimaguila City and Breadtalk chairman and chief executive Wilson Chu Sr. Manny Palmero

Charter change to begin next year—Dominguez

By Julito G. Rada FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III told Japanese businessmen that the Philippine government will ease foreign ownership restrictions in certain industries by amending the Constitution starting next year.

Dominguez said this was in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s commitment to open up the economy to more long-term and job-generating foreign direct investments.

Dominguez also in-

formed Japanese investors during a forum on the Philippine economy in Tokyo that the government currently reviewing its Foreign Investment Negative List with the goal of lifting foreign ownership limits in the areas of construction and other sectors.

“President Duterte has committed to open up our economy. There are two ways we open up our economy to more foreign investments,” Dominguez said.

He said the first step, which was the review of the FINL,

began in May this year.

“A window opened for us to review that list. We are currently reviewing it with the idea of removing areas such as construction and other areas to foreign investments,” he said.

Dominguez said the second step, which would require the cooperation of the Congress, “is through the amendment of the Constitution, and the president has called for a revision of our Constitution, which we believe will start probably next year or in about 12 months.”

“We are moving towards opening up the economy to more foreign investments,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez said in earlier forums that he was in favor of lifting the foreign ownership limits for certain sectors to generate more foreign investments, except for land.

Data from the 2016 Asean Investment Report showed that the Philippines continued to lag behind other members of the Association of Southeast Nations in terms of foreign direct investment inflows.

MPIC president and chief executive Jose Maria Lim said the required amount of investment for MRT 3 could reach P20 billion, including the equity component MPIC earlier submitted an unsolicited proposal to take over the rehabilitation and operations and maintenance of MRT 3 for P12.5 billion.

Lim said the consortium already secured an original proponent status from the Transportation Department in September for the rehabilitation of MRT 3.

“We are [now] waiting for Neda [National Economic and Development Authority] to inform us when they want to have the fist meeting to review the terms [of our proposal],” he said.

“If [the terms are] acceptable, then it will be subject to a Swiss Challenge,” Lim said. This means that other groups would be given an opportunity to match or exceed the offer of the MPICAyala consortium.

The consortium is also looking at buying out the stake of the government and private investors in MRT 3.

The government through Land Bank of the Philippines and the Development Bank of the Philippines own a combined 80-percent economic interest in MRT 3, while the balance is held by creditors of Metro Rail Transit Corp.

MPIC in 2011 offered to buy out the shares of LBP and DBP in MRT 3 for $1.1 billion.

The MPIC-Ayala group earlier said it expected to take over the O&M of MRT 3 in six months, from the submission of its application as the original proponent to the government in July.

MPIC submitted a proposal to the Department of Transportation in 2011 to invest $524 million to rehabilitate and upgrade MRT 3.

The Aquino administration, however, rejected Metro Pacific’s offer that would involve raising commuter fares.

MRT 3, which runs along Edsa from North Avenue in Quezon City to Taft Avenue in Pasay City, serves over 500,000 passengers a day, beyond its rated capacity of 350,000.

The line has a fleet of 73 Czech-made air-conditioned rail cars.

It is currently being operated by the Transportation Department, while the maintenance contract is held by Busan Universal Rail Inc. Under its proposal, the MPIC-Ayala group wants to take over the whole operations of the line. Light Rail Manila Corp., which is also controlled by the two conglomerates, already operates Light Rail Transit Line 1 and will build the line’s extension to Cavite province.

TransCo wants to diversify into telecom

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE head of state-run National Transmission Corp. wants to pursue diversification and convert the company into a telecommunications and power generation firm.

TransCo president Melvin Matibag said in an interview the move would help achieve the company’s goal of nationwide broadband rollout, while securing the country’s ancillary reserve requirement.

“We want to diversify TansCo, amend the charter of TransCo by converting, not only as transmission company but also telecom company,” Matibag said.

He said TransCo could utilize its transmission assets, specifically the fi-

ber optic network for the broadband rollout.

“We will engage in telecom. It makes sense because we have the facilities…We are the owner of the facility, even in related business…There is no government agency involved in the telecom,” Matibag said.

He said the National Telecommunications Commission is a regulatory body while the Department of Information and Communications Technology is a policy-making agency.

“I realize it makes a lot of sense. There is no GOCC [government-owned controlled corporation] which has the power to do telecom business,” he said.

TransCo owns the country’s transmission assets

and oversees National Grid Corp. of the Philippines, the private company that operates and manages the said assets.

TransCo also manages the feed-in tariff fund which is used to pay renewable energy developers.

“We want to engage in all kinds of telecom. Globe and Smart are using towers for co-location. We want to provide telco services…

We [are] doing the policy already, doing informal talks already. This is for the benefit of the public,” Matibag said.

The government’s fiber optic cables cover 6,154 kilometers or 160,779 fiber kilometers which the government hopes to tap to deploy Internet to remote areas.

Interpol issues alert vs former executives of Skyway operator THE International Police Organization issued a red notice for the arrest of two Indonesians and their Filipino cohorts who allegedly siphoned more than P50 million from Citra Metro Manila Tollways Corp. in November 2012.

Interpol issued Red Notice A-8285/92017 on Sept. 8 alerting its member countries to locate, arrest and extradite Shadik Wahono, Nadiya Windiyani Stamboel, Alvin Bugtas and Fema Christina PiramideSayson who were charged before the Marikina regional trial court for qualified theft, a crime punishable by a maximum jail term of 20 years.

“Assurances are given that extradition will be sought upon arrest of the person, in conformity with national laws and/or applicable bilateral and multilateral treaties… The request is to be treated as a formal request for provisional arrest, in conformity with national laws and/or the applicable bilateral or multilateral trea-

ties,” the Interpol said.

The National Bureau of Investigation earlier asked Interpol to issue a red notice for the arrest of the suspects.

San Miguel Holdings Corp. accused the four suspects of funneling P50,250,000 from CMMTC, operator of Skyway, into another account which Wahono allegedly created called Citra Central Expressway Corp.

SMHC alleged that Wahono did not inform the CMMTC board about the transfer of the money, which was listed as a loan.

It was only when SMHC took control of CMMTC that the holding firm found it was made to pay for a company it already owned.

Neither Wahono nor Stamboel could be found when agents of the National Bureau of Investigation tried to serve arrest warrants at Wahono’s unit at Rockwell Residential Tower Condominium in Makati and Stamboel’s unit at the Renaissance 3000 condominium in Pasig City. Darwin G. Amojelar

PAL FLIES TO BATANES. Philippine Airlines launches four times weekly flights from Clark International Airport in Pampanga province to Basco, Batanes, or every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 11:45 a.m. Shown during the cake cutting ceremony for the launching of the Clark-Basco flights are (from left) PAL branch manager Raphael Loui Romualdo, Clark International Airport Corp. vice president for airport operations Arnulfo Pan, CIAC acting president and chief executive Alexander Cauguiran, PAL senior vice president for airline operations Ismael Augusto Gozon, CIAC vice president for administration and finance Lauro Ortile, PAL senior assistant vice president for sales Genaro Velasquez, area manager Michael Villaflor Jr. and PAL Clark station manager Marlon Calasin.

SMDC eyeing 30,000 units a year

By Jenniffer B. Austria SM Development Corp., the residential arm of property developer SM Prime Holdings Inc., plans to accelerate project launches to 30,000 units annually over the next couple of years as it ventures into affordable housing outside Metro Manila.

SMDC executive vice president Jose Mari Banzon said yearly project launches would accelerate over the next few years from the current 15,000 to 18,000 units a year to 25,000 to 30,000 units annually, as the company expanded to provincial areas and secondary cities.

He said while the launches would accelerate, the sales value would be lower as residential units in pro-

vincial areas were expected to be cheaper than the units being sold in Metro Manila.

Banzon said the company had finalized the planned project launches over the next five years covering the period 2017 to 2022 based on current landbank.

SMDC had a total land bank of 500.38 hectares as of end June 2017, including 433.2 hectares outside Metro Manila.

The company, however, continues to acquire properties in various parts of the country that would further accelerate launches.

SMDC is a leading condominium builder in Metro Manila, known to deliver residential projects in prime locations with fivestar amenities.

The property firm announced in December last year it would diversify into provincial areas and begin offering affordable houseand-lot units to address the huge housing backlog.

The company initially acquired properties in Metro Manila’s surrounding provinces such as Bulacan and Cavite. It also plans to launch projects in Davao, Cebu, Iloilo and other cities in the Visayas and Mindanao where SM malls are present.

“Up until this, we are mostly in Metro Manila except for one project in Tagaytay. But we have launched in Bulacan late last year and in Pampanga early this year. So we are already coming out of Metro Manila,” Banzon said.

B2

Business

MONDAY,OCTOBER 2, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stock market likely to trade sideways, eyes local economy

By Jenniffer B. Austria SHARE prices this week are expected to move sideways, as investors wait for fresh leads on the economy.

Online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com said investors were looking for updates on the government’s tax reform package and the progress with the infrastructure program.

Investors who have cashed in on gains after the index’s recent run-up would also prefer to wait for further correction before reentering the stock market market.

Investors are weighing the market’s capability to go up further.

“The tug-of-war between optimists and pessimists has begun, with varying calls on whether the equities market still has room for upside. ‘Bears’ argue on heady valuation, and that geopolitical ten-

sions could readily tilt the case in their favor,” 2TradeAsia.com said.

Meanwhile, optimists see more room to partake on the last three months of the year, believing the borrowing costs are still benign and could readily provide the boost in share prices based on earnings plus-side.

“Either way, this sentiment variation spells volatility in equities, which could provide capital gains opportunities for those who do their homework diligently,” it added.

The PSEi last week dropped 1.33 percent to 8,171.43 while the broader All Shares Index lost 0.76 percent to 4,841.35 on profittaking.

All sub-indices were in red, led by property which declined 2.57 percent, industrial which fell 2.22 percent, and mining and oil which dipped 1.28 percent.

Meralco keen to join PNOC’s gas terminal

By Alena Mae S. Flores

M

ANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, is in talks with state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. to join the country’s planned liquefied natural gas industry, its top executive said over the weekend.

“We indicated to PNOC our interest in any developments PNOC is doing,” Meralco president Oscar Reyes told reporters.

The Energy Department has asked PNOC to develop the Philippines’ first integrated LNG terminal and turn it into a regional hub. The terminal may include a

power plant with a capacity of 200 to 800 megawatts.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi wants the LNG facility to break ground next year and completed by 2020 or 2021.

Meralco expressed interest to put up an LNG facility with potential partners several years ago.

Reyes said the company had been looking at investing in LNG or gas-fired power facilities.

“It was never shelved, we always looked at it, based on prevailing competitiveness, then it’s back in the agenda,” Reyes said.

It’s clearly an option. In the end, I think what’s important (is) what will deliver long term, competitive and affordable prices to consumers,” he said.

Reyes said aside from LNG, the company was looking at piped gas or additional gas (supply) from the Malampaya field in northwest Palawan or from other sources.

“We are looking at moves, we

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS WEEKLY STOCKS REVIEW STOCKS

SEPTEMBER 25-29, 2017 Close Volume

Value

SEPTEMBER 18-22, 2017 Close Volume Value

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

MEDCO Holdings Metrobank Natl. Reinsurance Corp.

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

4.58 59.3 130.00 99.45 130.70 2.90 35.35 10 15.92 32.45 8.04 0.69 1.72 945.00 0.700 86.5 0.89 13.02 25.00 59.15 87.9 140 240 49.6 243.2 1888.00 86.65 1.28

551,000 48,730 10,360,960 12,494,100 1,785,380 66,517,000 503,200 600 56,100 4,561,200 53,100 70,000 161,000 1,720 9,798,000 8,426,850 2,780,000 242,100 7,300 305,790 10,590 7,130 26,390 377,900 3,954,500 685 1,055,890 520,000

FINANCIAL 2,662,790.00 2,894,815.00 1,344,131,894.00 1,247,252,807.50 231,601,902.00 190,844,730.00 17,878,140.00 5,902.00 901,830.00 145,203,185.00 457,699.00 46,370.00 269,990.00 1,604,780.00 6,797,310.00 734,168,127.50 2,346,780.00 3,157,882.00 181,530.00 18,310,472.00 931,467.00 902,706.00 6,298,280.00 18,404,711.00 984,711,538.00 1,252,730.00 91,382,131.50 664,280.00

4.8 59.9 129.30 101.60 3.88 2.70 35.8

1,371,000 123,460 10,266,290 5,560,310 196,000 46,656,000 249,300

6,600,630.00 7,370,965.50 1,332,379,770.00 567,375,220.00 795,360.00 106,345,200.00 8,951,560.00

16.1 31.6 8.98 0.66 1.66 949.00 0.710 89 0.86 13 25.00 60.20 90 120 241 48.55 254.6 1820.00 86.55 1.3

41,000 6,156,400 62,700 6,000 57,000 44,230 15,682,000 10,468,390 3,333,000 101,000 7,900 305,440 1,610 2,990 27,780 1,055,080 3,114,760 1,275 565,860 1,041,000

659,138.00 197,789,770.00 557,008.00 3,980.00 97,170.00 40,050,590.00 10,976,140.00 926,187,419.00 2,996,570.00 1,322,604.00 198,000.00 18,464,115.50 144,362.50 352,434.00 6,624,892.00 52,560,499.50 774,761,478.00 2,320,350.00 48,975,307.50 1,362,670.00

Aboitiz Power Corp.

Agrinurture Inc. Alliance Tuna Intl Inc. Alsons Cons.

Asiabest Group Basic Energy Corp.

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

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

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

Pepsi-Cola Products Phil.

Petroenergy Res. Corp.

Petron Corporation Phil H2O Phinma Corporation Phinma Energy Phoenix Petroleum Phils.

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

Swift Foods, Inc. TKC Steel Corp.

Universal Robina Victorias Milling Vitarich Corp.

Vulcan Ind’l.

42.85 9.9 0.77 1.41 19.72 0.225 120 20.05 5.03 16.9 168 40.8 75 68.85 1.93 6.44 12 10.100 15.12 13.92 7.24 5.62 1.65 18.92 67.95 14.00 12.42 18.6 1.850 243.80 57.05 4.5 3.34 23.35 30.85 20.15 16.1 0.227 283.00 13.54 2.98 6.80 10.48 6.1 9.90 1.76 12.30 68 6.6 4.50 2 4.4 309.6 2.62 13.06 4.5 0.143 1.26 152.8 3.56 2.08 0.99 62

8,691,000 11,556,900 6,476,000 4,556,000 394,200 9,740,000 2,650 185,200 31,881,000 6,637,300 330 2,857,400 7,890 6,985,810 1,156,000 2,416,900 332,400 21,513,400 4,965,100 4,941,100 2,621,300 786,336,200 484,000 12,656,700 818,940 134,100 303,000 14,891,300 4,037,000 3,152,550 9,530 7,622,200 96,000 12,200 5,788,400 1,919,500 18,727,300 8,710,000 2,049,530 1,354,000 631,000 473,600 11,982,700 579,300 343,900 5,702,000 3,642,400 978,070 448,000 396,000 7,000 432,000 23,590 5,074,000 4,348,200 1,097,000 14,510,000 1,822,000 5,885,740 42,000 34,096,000 908,000

INDUSTRIAL 367,392,455.00 109,416,599.00 5,072,740.00 6,333,710.00 7,672,697.00 2,197,490.00 307,838.00 3,917,613.00 168,486,780.00 112,399,350.00 54,615.00 109,876,435.00 599,255.50 454,049,608.00 2,225,600.00 15,463,440.00 3,880,742.00 218,050,250.00 74,686,548.00 69,374,214.00 18,804,647.00 4,108,729,296.00 803,390.00 234,419,332.00 54,741,486.50 1,877,676.00 3,803,948.00 273,355,904.00 7,290,260.00 770,529,020.00 570,795.00 37,853,268.00 315,210.00 277,430.00 178,181,740.00 37,108,944.00 297,785,650.00 1,972,490.00 570,597,286.00 18,718,778.00 1,872,700.00 3,207,683.00 123,486,694.00 3,684,536.00 3,426,368.00 10,097,850.00 45,023,512.00 66,590,845.00 2,979,467.00 1,733,800.00 13,840.00 1,899,660.00 7,308,196.00 13,744,170.00 57,320,874.00 4,939,060.00 2,061,790.00 2,337,650.00 888,463,685.00 154,870.00 72,482,720.00 888,400.00

41.55 9.3 0.8 1.42 21.5 0.238 120.2 19.60 5.72 17 165.3 38.1 77.5 63.9 1.95 6.15 11.54 10.200 15.16 14.44 7.18 7.07 1.79 18.8 67.55 14.14 12.90 19.6 1.880 244.80 60.00 4.87 3.2 23.30 31.05 19.52 17 0.232 279.80 13.00 2.93 6.75 10.30 7.14 9.96 1.79 12.44 68.5 6.7 4.30 2 4.38 310 2.78 13.48 4.5 0.144 1.20 154.3 3.75 2.19 0.99

6,158,100 12,027,400 4,797,000 3,706,000 156,700 10,580,000 2,890 119,800 13,146,400 23,039,700 90,760 3,505,200 13,300 75,950 2,177,000 1,641,900 112,900 22,067,800 8,316,600 5,953,200 1,363,600 19,091,000 39,000 9,609,100 856,530 33,800 661,000 28,035,100 5,023,000 4,077,850 2,550 12,214,500 156,000 1,700 9,686,500 4,438,400 4,914,000 5,850,000 1,866,770 1,189,600 15,436,000 937,600 18,605,000 169,200 58,700 2,234,000 10,586,600 2,568,190 2,666,000 129,000 5,000 296,000 132,020 7,984,000 8,952,500 359,000 1,610,000 430,000 7,152,690 12,000 32,546,000 5,855,000

49,257,250.00 113,249,716.00 3,824,530.00 5,298,400.00 3,448,245.00 2,476,670.00 365,093.00 2,480,580.00 55,768,252.00 397,710,018.00 15,002,628.00 133,316,785.00 1,073,306.00 4,861,160.00 4,225,820.00 10,150,248.00 1,297,368.00 225,396,940.00 127,509,656.00 87,522,198.00 9,898,179.00 142,606,841.00 67,910.00 181,797,914.00 58,310,696.00 474,332.00 7,377,280.00 507,065,240.00 9,594,360.00 995,894,476.00 151,935.00 58,597,802.00 504,930.00 37,080.00 299,837,365.00 89,412,751.00 84,418,856.00 1,343,820.00 513,484,060.00 14,970,352.00 46,429,850.00 6,376,598.00 195,628,032.00 1,203,747.00 2,197,859.00 4,021,240.00 135,283,718.00 175,893,899.50 17,579,027.00 557,110.00 10,000.00 1,299,020.00 40,928,464.00 22,046,570.00 119,582,244.00 1,616,060.00 230,280.00 516,490.00 1,086,359,026.00 45,090.00 73,709,660.00 5,830,330.00

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

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

Lopez Holdings Corp.

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

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

0.355 73.30 16.04 1.05 6.97 0.360 0.380 970 8.48 15.60 5.45 5.04 7.83 0.200 1161 7.64 75.00 4.89 5.04 5.42 0.88 6.04 17.58 0.400 6.7 3.5 0.0490 1.540 2.150 2.70 98.30 2.61 883.00 1.44 0.92 292.600 0.2800 0.1930 0.214

4,430,000 8,503,170 61,674,500 2,637,000 205,000 54,770,000 13,510,000 1,493,050 6,922,600 51,490,800 757,400 300 220,800 2,140,000 669,600 110,200 8,716,570 80,200 6,800 100 3,088,000 6,296,900 11,124,500 480,000 124,051,100 99,000 62,200,000 9,413,000 1,404,000 48,000 1,667,220 235,000 3,079,640 4,518,000 253,000 78,420 1,770,000 3,850,000 2,940,000

HOLDING FIRMS 1,542,100.00 627,617,958.00 1,003,845,130.00 2,783,770.00 1,422,795.00 19,567,800.00 4,974,550.00 1,445,520,720.00 58,468,396.00 808,861,800.00 4,374,862.00 1,512.00 1,702,314.00 429,280.00 785,495,830.00 846,033.00 674,901,859.50 396,120.00 34,352.00 542.00 2,692,380.00 39,551,410.00 192,169,014.00 192,550.00 834,731,586.00 344,700.00 2,996,000.00 14,032,340.00 2,906,260.00 126,790.00 162,678,753.50 616,330.00 2,699,991,085.00 6,463,350.00 232,760.00 22,892,204.00 485,950.00 754,640.00 634,590.00

0.350 73.90 16.84 1.08 6.96 0.335 0.340 963 8.48 15.90 5.5 5.01 7.90 0.208 1201 7.96 77.00 5.19 5.04 5.43 0.9 6.71 17.3 0.410 6.94

2,090,000 3,759,390 84,608,100 432,000 146,300 32,450,000 6,460,000 1,640,540 26,803,700 32,902,600 165,100 300 571,200 470,000 493,595 189,700 5,382,950 23,700 6,100 5,700 3,704,000 4,053,300 14,873,600 1,020,000 123,912,600

733,300.00 277,110,937.00 1,350,554,048.00 470,200.00 1,020,482.00 11,139,200.00 2,215,300.00 1,570,092,725.00 224,388,929.00 524,838,168.00 881,038.00 1,503.00 4,503,468.00 97,700.00 581,854,210.00 1,507,744.00 413,250,717.00 122,458.00 30,734.00 30,951.00 3,297,790.00 27,676,549.00 257,646,482.00 418,250.00 860,705,224.00

0.0490 1.310 2.050 2.69 97.75 2.63 864.00 1.45 0.92 293.000 0.2800 0.1980 0.219

73,800,000 1,688,000 3,765,000 59,000 661,090 249,000 2,250,790 5,927,000 230,000 33,140 440,000 3,710,000 1,170,000

3,668,650.00 2,062,930.00 7,802,400.00 157,690.00 64,729,242.00 659,040.00 1,930,967,935.00 8,767,490.00 200,840.00 9,834,582.00 122,000.00 743,060.00 260,450.00

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

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

Double Dragon Empire East Land Ever Gotesco Filinvest Land,Inc. Global-Estate Interport `A’ Megaworld MRC Allied Ind. Phil. Estates Corp.

Phil. Realty `A’

5.000 1.11 9.60 2.450 1.040 43.500 3.76 5.07 5.3 0.520 1.35 1.480 0.234 0.480 40 0.690 0.147 2.03 1.51 0.91 5.23 0.340 0.4750 0.470

3,374,300 79,452,000 179,900 2,141,000 12,848,000 74,565,800 4,592,000 18,956,500 189,100 70,083,000 3,232,000 1,465,000 945,530,000 8,830,000 2,046,300 4,227,000 4,210,000 164,229,000 30,015,000 6,171,000 202,221,500 365,460,000 32,678,000 13,466,300

PROPERTY 16,864,851.00 91,900,710.00 1,741,577.00 5,252,380.00 13,314,910.00 3,256,290,285.00 17,358,160.00 100,666,343.00 1,013,560.00 35,831,800.00 4,331,350.00 2,170,840.00 242,134,210.00 4,215,600.00 83,249,940.00 2,875,040.00 618,210.00 333,645,450.00 45,306,410.00 5,566,540.00 1,049,765,330.00 120,110,000.00 16,150,955.00 11,360,453.00

5.200 1.19 9.79 2.480 1.070 45.150 3.82 5.23 5.4 0.520 1.36 1.540 0.249 0.495 43 0.700 0.148 2.15 1.54 0.92 5.3 0.345 0.5200 0.490

3,960,100 45,820,000 213,300 1,695,000 16,658,000 53,135,300 4,205,000 28,077,800 2,136,500 99,161,000 4,055,000 828,000 443,700,000 2,510,000 3,215,400 6,156,000 4,210,000 176,907,000 54,733,000 5,971,000 268,668,700 568,000,000 67,044,000 14,591,000

19,977,255.00 55,652,190.00 1,766,460.00 4,111,780.00 17,733,850.00 2,418,118,565.00 16,175,330.00 146,185,828.00 11,557,467.00 51,326,220.00 5,381,130.00 1,274,480.00 111,087,680.00 1,225,800.00 138,763,785.00 4,244,020.00 630,860.00 381,846,630.00 85,602,330.00 5,567,420.00 1,429,395,091.00 211,459,100.00 34,394,505.00 7,202,005.00

STOCKS

SEPTEMBER 25-29, 2017 Close Volume

SEPTEMBER 18-22, 2017 Close Volume Value

Value

Primex Corp.

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

6.2 25.30 1.8 3.2 34.45 1.04 7.52 0.870 6.360

8,752,900 10,840,600 7,779,000 1,912,000 52,254,400 7,216,000 600 412,000 15,452,900

52,892,753.00 279,759,945.00 13,924,740.00 6,022,790.00 1,816,297,335.00 7,486,170.00 4,189.00 354,210.00 96,632,967.00

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

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

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

Pacific Online Sys. Corp.

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

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

SSI Group STI Holdings Transpacific Broadcast Travellers Waterfront Phils.

Wilcon Depot

19.86 40.6 1.67 0.550 0.042 10.84 5.4 10.70 0.0710 109.7 9.07 10.2 8.20 2.15 3.27 1000 2050 6.02 16.60 13.32 2.42 104 2.92 11.96 8.40 0.157 1.3300 3.02 15.86 4.25 1.34 15.18 18.00 0.550 3.02 7.58 4.26 2.340 11.14 5.05 2.86 9.15 170.00 9.64 1668.00 0.395 1.610 52.15 99.00 5.99 4.26 1.520 2.09 3.85 1.220 8.900

535,900 112,500 23,954,000 17,824,000 239,000,000 24,500 45,800 78,945,600 80,160,000 878,280 93,700 14,202,000 8,257,800 21,000 10,000 5 173,500 2,877,700 335,300 300 11,545,000 6,621,420 354,000 10,400 1,702,500 41,999,000 2,092,000 886,000 95,800 8,608,000 8,971,000 26,219,950 12,500 390,000 16,530,000 40,830,400 4,578,000 8,242,000 10,800 182,800 43,000 36,900 47,800 7,020,900 726,870 5,140,000 47,327,000 10,257,950 25,224,980 208,200 18,439,000 34,896,000 46,000 8,237,000 111,445,000 21,549,200

SERVICES 10,813,525.00 4,564,590.00 46,233,590.00 10,109,510.00 9,624,800.00 277,940.00 239,388.00 826,909,659.00 5,727,370.00 94,845,393.00 843,938.00 142,195,565.00 55,453,592.00 45,990.00 32,700.00 5,000.00 355,157,530.00 17,387,812.00 5,475,264.00 3,996.00 28,732,810.00 686,935,444.00 1,021,640.00 124,564.00 14,256,189.00 6,843,630.00 2,747,160.00 2,727,210.00 1,533,154.00 37,470,370.00 11,759,190.00 496,075,240.00 228,338.00 214,500.00 48,309,810.00 313,175,808.00 19,436,900.00 19,569,650.00 120,206.00 922,846.00 131,310.00 308,070.00 8,057,604.00 67,240,749.00 1,180,685,395.00 2,034,000.00 75,410,030.00 523,870,602.00 2,511,011,156.00 1,225,997.00 80,076,340.00 52,279,390.00 93,560.00 31,929,870.00 139,285,860.00 189,093,504.00

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

United Paragon

0.0025 1.83 4.70 16.00 2.0000 2.0400 1.55 0.390 8.63 2.790 0.265 0.181 0.189 0.010 0.0110 1.92 6.6 1.67 0.5100 1.0500 0.0120 0.0120 8.33 7.50 0.0120 2.6500 46.70 0.0077

971,000,000 454,874,000 4,959,000 307,100 454,000 176,000 52,320,000 1,950,000 200,600 72,764,000 3,150,000 27,200,000 2,780,000 215,200,000 19,300,000 1,801,000 30,111,600 379,000 663,000 4,197,000 466,000,000 22,000,000 4,065,900 173,687,300 403,300,000 441,000 8,127,300 299,000,000

MINING & OIL 2,465,300.00 928,980,300.00 23,145,660.00 5,418,308.00 899,600.00 356,670.00 79,926,670.00 758,750.00 1,758,431.00 201,288,240.00 821,900.00 4,898,260.00 531,080.00 2,187,500.00 213,300.00 3,540,450.00 205,415,253.00 649,360.00 1,158,750.00 4,305,580.00 5,642,500.00 296,600.00 34,276,375.00 1,474,476,164.00 4,862,600.00 1,129,860.00 372,460,835.00 2,332,500.00

ABS-CBN Holdings Corp.

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

40.5 106.5 526.5 530 105.6 109.1 112.7 514 539 5.75 1039 1030 1.06 110 1065 1016 103.5 109 75.2 80.6 76 78.1 81 78.5 77.8 80 1.96

501,700 1,420 6,160 32,340 25,640 7,950 9,200 2,340 8,110 1,511,800 1,600 29,885 401,000 203,480 17,865 6,160 650 44,280 174,700 830,140 25,410 68,180 144,040 14,350 344,580 109,320 4,000

LR Warrant

2.540

WARRANTS & BONDS 2,405,000 6,277,950.00

PREFERRED 20,350,305.00 151,230.00 3,241,240.00 16,979,200.00 2,713,788.00 847,262.00 1,054,900.00 1,202,760.00 4,291,790.00 8,703,683.00 1,652,420.00 30,780,450.00 421,880.00 22,336,740.00 9,441,225.00 6,253,760.00 67,566.00 4,998,424.00 13,077,435.00 66,753,060.00 1,930,030.00 5,322,664.00 11,666,081.00 1,127,725.00 27,159,880.00 8,667,312.50 7,830.00

SME 14,540.00 7,409,500.00 1,793,170.00 47,354,545.00

6 26.35 1.79 3.18 34.85 1.05 7.35 0.870 6.400

16,016,600 26,546,600 10,784,000 482,000 45,528,700 13,717,000 900 447,000 39,699,800

97,481,348.00 686,293,335.00 19,304,790.00 1,523,250.00 1,584,703,080.00 14,341,480.00 6,556.00 388,690.00 253,169,867.00

21.15 40.7 1.65 0.600 0.039 11 5.12 10.50 0.0720 111.7 9.15 10.22 7.49

1,530,200 407,300 966,000 13,554,000 124,600,000 4,500 4,400 147,275,900 93,490,000 1,501,540 36,900 16,443,000 563,300

33,442,965.00 16,550,760.00 1,591,930.00 7,909,500.00 4,881,200.00 49,876.00 22,521.00 1,564,349,204.00 6,757,260.00 640,823,978.00 339,599.00 171,784,218.00 4,211,344.00

3.25

42,000

144,450.00

2074 6.07 16.04 13.32 2.64 105.6 3.05 12 8.43 0.163 1.3300 3.2 16.16 4.67 1.41 15.44 18.80 0.560 2.4 8.2 4.35 2.500 10.98 5.15 3.05 8 165.00 9.48 1680.00 0.400 1.610 52.50 91.00 5.87 4.64 1.540 2.09 3.9 1.310 8.900

120,990 1,462,900 1,002,600 30,200 26,408,000 6,571,670 255,000 1,000 2,290,700 34,570,000 1,274,000 310,000 197,100 14,569,000 9,125,000 37,339,300 24,700 308,000 1,102,000 26,571,600 30,629,000 10,629,000 136,900 129,500 15,000 180,100 1,206,390 5,043,800 371,075 3,160,000 20,192,000 7,109,620 2,073,060 954,170 15,384,000 58,836,000 195,000 14,097,000 225,990,000 26,145,800

246,146,950.00 8,912,674.00 17,222,142.00 402,260.00 63,876,600.00 697,192,958.00 763,050.00 12,016.00 19,277,708.00 5,662,020.00 1,674,370.00 962,230.00 3,135,966.00 68,725,410.00 12,921,540.00 534,775,994.00 458,542.00 174,020.00 2,642,270.00 222,138,385.00 130,866,190.00 27,202,460.00 1,510,052.00 670,948.00 43,860.00 1,449,160.00 202,919,857.00 48,261,482.00 622,982,450.00 1,275,000.00 32,740,840.00 371,281,725.00 195,571,089.50 42,602,113.00 70,714,420.00 90,852,490.00 399,690.00 53,504,050.00 299,885,340.00 236,196,097.00

0.0027 1.71 4.84 14.18 2.0000 1.9000 1.54 0.390 8.99 2.630 0.270 0.182

3,602,000,000 25,549,000 3,556,100 20,700 668,000 7,000 55,319,000 2,940,000 223,900 26,594,000 2,250,000 12,780,000

9,443,200.00 42,406,340.00 17,605,029.00 277,380.00 1,247,330.00 12,880.00 79,295,910.00 1,155,950.00 2,003,075.00 70,065,480.00 601,300.00 2,314,760.00

0.010 0.0110 2.02 7.19 1.76 0.5300 1.0400 0.0130 0.0130 8.78 7.75 0.0120 2.4700 46.50 0.0080

300,200,000 4,600,000 4,128,000 30,088,200 1,053,000 947,000 4,256,000 274,700,000 55,200,000 3,978,700 76,437,100 541,900,000 326,000 8,395,500 253,000,000

3,056,100.00 55,000.00 8,411,240.00 224,990,929.00 1,833,950.00 500,180.00 4,471,730.00 3,319,400.00 728,900.00 34,097,669.00 485,788,693.00 6,646,800.00 813,720.00 396,057,870.00 2,000,100.00

40.6 107 526 529 105.7 106 117.8

1,280,200 50,170 4,800 16,280 17,920 101,650 22,990

52,096,525.00 5,346,220.00 2,510,740.00 8,618,430.00 1,888,233.00 11,096,880.00 2,702,912.00

525 5.8 1025 1040 1.06 110 1090 1025 106.8 109.1 76.4 81 77 78.1 81 78.5 77.3 80 1.95

24,300 888,000 12,240 12,205 2,050,000 244,360 6,025 5,810 2,700 240 4,820 641,020 133,050 16,400 181,540 40,090 267,560 18,280 9,000

12,703,140.00 5,139,442.00 12,425,250.00 12,543,800.00 2,152,960.00 26,848,930.00 6,412,250.00 5,931,200.00 280,210.00 26,180.00 365,762.00 51,798,929.50 10,118,726.50 1,280,840.00 14,706,635.00 3,149,633.00 20,836,152.00 1,491,259.00 18,470.00

2.810

5,107,000

14,170,680.00

4.45 4.94 5.72

2,625,000 580,000 5,637,800

11,779,430.00 2,808,190.00 32,712,574.00

Makati Fin. Corp.

Italpinas Philab Holdings Xurpas

2.89 4.45 4.67 5.94

5,000 1,729,000 385,000 8,450,300

First Metro ETF

124.8

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 40,460 5,023,965.00

125.4

45,520

5,665,370.00

6,400

10.9

38,850

419,790.00

DOLLAR DENONIMATED SEC. USD DMPL A1 11

70,300.00

WEEKLY MOST TRADED STOCKS Abra Mining Crown Equities Inc. Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) Oriental Pet. `A’ Apex `A’ Philodrill Corp. `A’ MRC Allied Ind. United Paragon Apollo Global Manila Mining `A’

VOLUME 971,000,000 945,530,000 786,336,200 466,000,000 454,874,000 403,300,000 365,460,000 299,000,000 239,000,000 215,200,000

STOCKS Energy Devt. Corp. (EDC) Ayala Land `B’ SM Investments Inc. Robinsons RTL SM Prime Holdings PhilexPetroleum Ayala Corp `A’ Banco de Oro Unibank Inc. Bank of PI PLDT Common

VALUE 4,108,729,296.00 3,256,290,285.00 2,699,991,085.00 2,511,011,156.00 1,816,297,335.00 1,474,476,164.00 1,445,520,720.00 1,344,131,894.00 1,247,252,807.50 1,180,685,395.00

have expressed our willingness and readiness to be part of the LNG. Either if there is more piped gas (from) Malampaya or other resources. Then probably the country should consider that potential because you may only have limited market for piped gas. LNG will shut out more piped gas, which is a natural resource,” Reyes said.

He said Meralco was prepared to provide the market for LNG or new gas sources, but “in terms of off-take, we will have to look at what’s the impact on overall generation mix and cost.”

Reyes, meanwhile, welcomed the appointment of former Public Works and Highways secretary Rogelio Singson as senior vice president of Meralco and and president and chief executive officer of Meralco PowerGen Corp., the power generation ujit of Meralco.

“Clearly, I’ve been double handling. He brings to the team really a wealth of experience, knowledge and relationships and knowledge of government,” he said.

He said Singson’s appointment would add value to Meralco and Meralco Powergen, especially now that the company was expanding its power generation facilities such as coal and solar.

Trade upbeat on EU GSP+ review

By Othel V. Campos THE Trade Department is confident it will pass the annual review of the European Union General System of Preferences+ (EU GSP+) that will allow to country to retain if not expand the current benefits the Philippines enjoys under trade arrangement.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the EU asked the Philippines to provide new data and information that would strengthen Manila’s position as a beneficiary.

“That will be part of the review that will happen on October to December. They will assess how well the beneficiary countries are using the scheme and the impact it has on the economy,” he said.

“We will also present to them how the scheme is beneficial to EU consumers and to investors in the Philippines that export back to Europe, the US and Asia,” he added.

The EU parliament will decide if the Philippines had been consciously adhering to international agreements on labor, human rights and the anti-drugs campaign.

The EU GSP+ is a preferential trade scheme that is in force until 2023. But the arrangement subjects all nine beneficiary countries, including the Philippines, to an annual review.

The Philippines GSP+ utilization rate increased from 71 percent in 2016 to over 91 percent in the first half of 201O. €1.7 billion out of €6.6 billion worth of Philippine exports to the EU are classified as GSP+ shipments.

The Trade Department plans to forge a free trade agreement with the EU before the GSP+ expires in 2023.

“We’re hoping that the preferential scheme will be a suitable platform for the Philippines to graduate to FTA with the EU,” Lopez said.

Business/World

B3

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Fears rising over abuse of Facebook, Twitter With DOF Sec. Sonny Dominguez (5th from right) , DOF Usec.

Karl Chua (7th from right) and MOPC board of governors and officers from left: Elpi Cuna (partly hidden), Hector Villanueva, Nelia Gonzalez, Amb. Babe Romualdez, Ray Espinosa, Art Lopez, Emil Jurado and Antonio Lopez

THE MOPC FORUM WITH SECRETARY DOMINGUEZ THE Manila Overseas Press Club or MOPC, the oldest press association in the Philippines, recently held a Finance Forum at the Manila Golf and Country Club with no less than the Secretary of Finance, Carlos “Sonny” Dominguez III, as its guest of honor and speaker.

The MOPC President, of course, is our new Ambassador to the United States of America, His Excellency Jose Manuel “Babe” Romualdez, who is now on his final round of despedidas and farewells before leaving for his country of posting.

Moderator of the forum was the dynamic Tony Lopez.

According to the invitation, the forum was held to “provide a great opportunity for the public to get apprised of the proposed tax reform bill, as well as other plans and programs of the Department of Finance under the Duterte administration.

The invitation for the Finance Secretary to speak was timely, considering the various concerns regarding the country’s finances and the economy. Secretary Sonny’s speech was very clear and very precise, which is his usual style; he does not mince words, “cuentas claras”, as the old-world Spanish description goes.

Suma total (another Spanish colloquial phrase), Secretary Sonny’s speech covered the three pillars of the Duterte administration, which was to: (1) reduce poverty; (2) build infrastructure; and (3) fight criminality and the drug menace.

The Open Forum that followed was very engaging and, of course, the good Secretary was one to roll with the punches.

Secretary Sonny said that realistically only half of the 75 flagship projects of the Duterte administration under its “Build, Build, Build” program could be finished by 2022 or the end of the President’s term. Not all, like the planned Metro Manila Subway, can be finished by then. He identified the Clark International Airport, the Clark-to-Manila Railway, and the Mindanao Railway as some of those that would be completed.

On the matter of tax collection, of course we all know that this government intends to boost collection through its tax reform packages. Secretary Sonny mentioned that there was an 8.8-percent growth in tax collection in the first semester of this year from both the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Bureau of Customs (BOC). This figure was promising and shows the commitment of the Finance Department to maintain the momentum of revenue reform.

From his speech and the way he parried those questions in the Q&A, it showed that Secretary Sonny had a clear sense of vision and focus, in spite of all of the political noise around him. These were probably part of the skills he honed as a big-game hunter, which also fostered dedication, discipline, passion and, more importantly, patience.

Secretary Sonny is not one to flinch from a good fight, but remains calm and composed in the face of emotional adversity or outbursts.

It is no wonder that, having previously served as Minister of Natural Resources and Secretary of Agriculture under the late President Corazon Aquino, he was once again called to public service as Secretary of Finance by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. If I recall it right, Secretary Sonny was one of the first, if not the first, to be asked by President Duterte to join his Cabinet.

There is one story that goes that Secretary Sonny was to be given an award as Finance Secretary of the Year, or something to the effect, by an international organization, but he declined because he believed that his guys in the Finance Department workforce were the ones who deserved the award more than him. “These are the guys doing the heavy lifting,” he was heard to have remarked in response to the award.

So effective, yet so unassuming; humble, yet hardworking.

With Secretary Sonny at the helm of Finance, trust that government revenues will not just remain secure, but also increase. May his tribe also increase in government.

MOPC President and Ambassador Babe Romualdez

DOF Undersecretary Karl Chua and DOF Secretary Sonny Dominguez

With Finance Sec. Sonny Dominguez

W

ASHINGTON― Just a few years ago, Facebook and Twitter were hailed as tools for democracy activists, enabling movements like the Arab Spring to flourish.

Today, the tables have turned as fears grow over how social media may have been manipulated to disrupt the US election, and over how authoritarian governments are using the networks to clamp down on dissent.

The latest revelations from Facebook and Twitter, which acknowledged that Russian-backed entities used their network to spread disinformation and sow political discord, have heightened concerns about the impact of social networks

on democracy.

“Both services are ripe for abuse and manipulation by all sorts of problematic people, including hostile intelligence services,” says Andrew Weisburd, a non-resident fellow with the Alliance for Securing Democracy.

The Alliance, a project created this year to counter what it claims are efforts by Russia to undermine democracy and democratic institutions, includes US and European researchers worried about Moscow’s efforts.

“What we have seen from the Kremlin in recent years is a direct by-product of what they have done to the Russian people in order to keep [President Vladimir] Putin and his cronies in power,” Weisburd said.

Researcher Tim Chambers

writes in a paper for the left-leaning New Policy Institute that the proliferation of political “bots” or automated accounts to make topics go “viral” such as those employed in 2016 are dangerous for elections and democracy “They fake petition signatures.

They skew poll results and recommendation engines,” Chambers said.

“Deceptive bots create the impression that there is grassroots, positive, sustained, human support for a certain candidate, cause, policy or idea. In doing so, they pose a real danger to the political and social fabric of our country.”

Oxford University researchers said in a June report that social networks like Facebook and Twitter, which were intended to be a platform for free expression, “have also become tools for social control” in

many countries.

Governments employ large numbers of people “to generate content, direct opinion and engage with both foreign and domestic audiences,” said the report by the university’s Project on Computational Propaganda.

The researchers, who studied social media in 28 countries, concluded that “every authoritarian regime has social media campaigns targeting their own populations.”

In Turkey, for example, that has led to targeting of opposition leaders’ social media accounts so that others can launch a smear campaign.

In other countries, governments create “bots” which amplify some voices to create an artificial sense of popularity, the researchers said.

Some regimes employ “cyber troops” or private contractors for this purpose. AFP

Norway agrees to host Israeli whistle blower

NOT ALLOWED. Spanish police seize ballot boxes in a polling station in Barcelona on October 1, 2017, on the day of a referendum on independence for Catalonia banned by Madrid. AFP

OSLO―Norway has agreed to host former Israeli nuclear technician and whistle blower Mordechai Vanunu, his Norwegian wife has told local television.

“We made a request for family reunification as that’s exactly the case here, for spouses and a family to be able to live together,” Kristin Joachimsen told TV2 late Saturday.

“So even if I know the affair is controversial in some circles, it’s the family values that won over,” she said.

But she said she did not know when her 62-year-old husband could join her in Norway.

Karl Erik Sjoholt, an official with Norway’s immigration agency, confirmed the request had been approved.

“The ministry sent us the request last week and we reviewed it in the usual manner. We approved the request for family reunification,” he told TV2.

Israel jailed Vanunu in 1986 for disclosing the inner workings of its Dimona nuclear plant to Britain’s Sunday Times newspaper.

He spent more than 10 years of his sentence in solitary confinement.

Upon his release in 2004, Vanunu was slapped with a series of restraining orders, forbidding him from travel, contact with foreigners or speaking to the media.

He has twice been jailed for breaking those orders.

The couple’s Norwegian lawyer, Arild Humlen, said the immigration agency’s decision had increased the likelihood of Vanunu leaving Israel to settle in Norway.

“I hope it will resolve a blocked situation and that Israel will seize this opportunity,” he told TV2. AFP

Police move in as Catalans rally to vote in a banned referendum BARCELONA―Spanish police in riot gear seized ballot boxes and surrounded activist-held polling stations in Catalonia Sunday as thousands flooded the streets to vote in an independence referendum banned by Madrid.

As the vote officially

opened, scenes of chaos erupted as police began moving in to prevent people from casting their ballots, forcing their way into one sports center in the town of Girona where the region’s separatist leader was due to vote.

The drama unfolded af-

SAMANTHA ISABEL CORONADO

GREEN LIGHT

THERE are many things admirable about St. John Baptist De La Salle. Unfortunately, I find it hard to compare my life with his.

I was not born to a rich family in the 17th century, and in the First World country of France. Instead, I was born in a Third World country that is the Philippines during the early 90s. My family not being wealthy, I have neither riches nor property to give away to the poor.

Most importantly, I do not have a rank in the Catholic Church, nor do I consider myself even remotely religious. Instead, I work in a corporate environment armed with advanced technology and wellestablished bureaucratic processes.

In short, I have no delusions that my life is even the slightest bit comparable to that of the Saint’s. But the closest thing that St. La Salle and I have in common would be the love for the development sector.

I believe it is important for the development sector to have someone like St. La Salle. To me, his main weapon was not that he was rich, although it did help in financing the schools he and the Christian Brothers had started. Rather, it was his willingness to use what he had that set him apart from the privileged and learned people of his generation.

Life in 17th-century France was way different from life in 21st-century Philippines. But the fact re-

ter a night of tension in which thousands of people, both nervous and excited, had gathered outside polling stations before dawn to vote, with police under orders to prevent the ballot from happening.

“Votarem, votarem!”― Catalan for “We will

vote!”―chanted the crowds, many with their hands in the air.

As the rain poured down in Barcelona, students and activists who had spent the night in schools designated as polling stations gathered outside with locals to “defend” the vote

from police as cars drove by honking their horns in support.

Catalan television broadcast footage of crowds in towns and villages all over region, whose separatist government said early Sunday the referendum would go ahead as planned. AFP

The Modern Lasallian mains that looking after your own (or your family’s own) welfare is still considered more important than ensuring other people’s needs are met. Often, the brightest and most educated minds are nowhere near the poor and the underserved.

Instead, they work for people richer and more privileged than they are in hopes that they, too, will attain higher social status.

Therefore, what can people like me—the working middle class— do to model the life of St. La Salle?

I doubt that quitting my job, going to the convent and giving away the meager amount of riches that I have will cut it. And even if I were to do all these, they will not make a long-term impact on society.

The most common path to contributing to the development sector is to become a licensed social worker. Many have taken this path, but my approach will be different.

My quixotic dream is to revolutionize the development sector as St. La Salle did for education. I believe I can do so by taking up MBA studies. In my years of experience working and volunteering services for NGOs, I have discovered that even the noblest advocacies cannot survive without ample funding.

The life of St. La Salle may be different from ours. But the modern Lasallian in the workplace can still find inspiration in him. Here are some of his examples.

He remained relevant St. La Salle pioneered the use of the native language in teaching instead of the highfalutin Latin language. He recognized that to be effective in his mission, he must use a bottom-up approach rather than an ethnocentric perspective coming from his privileged background. This way, he did not alienate his teachers and students, but instead kept them engaged as he carried out the mission.

He equipped his teachers St. La Salle is known for creating manuals for teachers and administrators. He standardized teaching methods so that they could easily be duplicated. This led to the faster assimilation and knowledge-sharing among teachers and administrators. Thus, his schools and teaching ways have outlived him by centuries. Talk about sustainability.

He created a community Instead of carrying out the mission alone, St. La Salle created a congregation of brothers. He enlisted help even from laymen and the poor. He unified and empowered each member of his team to work regardless of their backgrounds as long as they had a heart for educating the poor.

He focused on the people who needed help the most. During his time, quality education was not available to the poor. Even the

Church had yet to take upon itself the mission of educating the poor.

He anticipated the needs of his beneficiaries St. La Salle could have produced priests from his school. Yet he chose to emphasize secular studies alongside religious ones to equip his students for life. Recognizing that people have different callings, he brought in new subjects to the curriculum and introduced classbased learning.

We may not follow the life path of St. La Salle point by point. We do not need to be born into privileged families, wear religious habits or become missionaries to make a difference. But we can use the tools we have been given, follow his example in principle, and then forge a path of our own. The modern Lasallian, after all, is made, not born.

Samantha Isabel Coronado is an MBA student at the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University. She wrote this essay for her class on Lasallian Business Leadership, Ethics, and Corporate Social Responsibility during her second term in the MBA program. She can be reached at samantha_coronado@dlsu.edu.ph.

The views expressed here are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

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

B4

monday, october 2, 2017

LGUs

Herbert: QC doing its best to fix traffic

LocaL government units

By Rio N. Araja

GROUNDBREAKING. Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade, and other government officials and private sector partners watch as Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista lowers the time capsule during the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Grand Central Station at the North Triangle Transport Terminal in Quezon City. The project, which is expected to be completed by 2019, will seamlessly and conveniently connect LRT-1, MRT-3, MRT-7 and the recently approved Metro Manila Subway. Manny Palmero

SAYING 500,000 commuters stand to benefit the project completion of the Metro Rail Transit line 7 in 2019, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista said he is doing his best to refine the traffic management amid the project construction.

He called on the riding public and the motorists to bear the inconvenience brought about the road excavations and other road developments to give way to the MRT line 7 to seamlessly and conveniently connect other train system and the Mega Manila subway as well.

He said the city government will provide the proponents of the unified or common grand central station project all the support necessary to ensure the orderly project construction, and the security measures to the riding public.

“With the project expected to serve nearly 500,000 rail passengers on a daily basis once completed, it is imperative that appropriate security measures shall be adopted by Quezon City to ensure the safety of the riding public,” he said in a recent groundbreaking ceremony of the project on Epifanio delos Santos Avenue.

Bautista said he has tasked retired police general Elmo San Diego, Department of Public Order and Safety head, to closely coordinate with the project proponents to ensure an orderly traffic movement.

“This will be very significant for us since this will known as the Quezon City grand central station,” he said.

According to the Department of Transportation,, the grand central or common station to be built between SM North Edsa and Trinoma is expected to serve approximately 478,000 rail passengers daily by 2020.

Cotabato controls boat travel

By Nash B. Maulana

C

OTABATO CITY— Authorities here have heightened security alerts on waterways, even closing the city’s wharves for boats coming in from nearby provinces.

City Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi has issued Local Executive Order No. 222, designating specific docking areas for boats entering the city from the sea

and by the rivers.

Aniceto Rasalan, secretary to the city mayor, said the directive applies to inboard motorboats within the load capacity limit of

In BrIef Bataan board oKs cash aid for graduates BALANGA CITY, Bataan—Vice Governor Cris Garcia led the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in unanimously passing a resolution giving financial assistance to “poor and deserving” graduates who are residents of the province for review of board and bar examination.

The availing graduates who are “Iskolar ng Bataan” will get P5,000 financial assistance, and those who are not will get P3,000.

During its regular session, the SP approved the resolution after satisfying questions for clarification from Board Member Aries Gaza.

“As long they are ‘poor and deserving’ graduates from Bataan, they are qualified for the financial assistance,” the vice governor, who was coordinator of the provincial government’s Iskolar ng Bataan program for many years, said to her colleagues.

“We cannot be sure that a graduate from expensive school like Ateneo is wealthy, for all we know he could have studied there merely by way of scholarship,” Garcia pointed out.

“Actually, the provincial government through Gov. Abet [Garcia] is already giving financial assistance to the graduates who are requesting, but with the SP resolution it’s becoming a program and for CoA requirement,” she added.

Board Member Rey Ibe, SP chairman of the committee on education, who motioned for the approval of the resolution, said: “We know that board reviews are done in different months of the year, this resolution is effective this year 2017.”

Garcia has vowed to back all the programs of the governor providing benefits to the residents of the province. Butch Gunio

four tons which, under maritime law, are regulated by local government units.

In the City Peace and Order Council Meeting on September 20, officials raised concerns that some areas like the city’s Mega Market could be a vulnerable siege target for terrorists, since it is situated on a riverside and has a large presence of people trading daily for food commodities.

They also noted that the conflict zone in nearby Marawi is in the city’s lowest area that is also closest to Lake Lanao, aside from being the center of commerce of that city.

Cotabato, like the rest of Mindanao, is under martial law, and the order prohibits waterway passage within the nightly curfew hours, from 11 p.m. until 3 a.m. the following day.

Guiani- Sayadi’s order also closes for motorboat docking the public market’s wharf along the Matampay River here.

Rasalan said the mayor has instead designated two fishing wharves in Barangays Bubong and Tamontaka II for boats coming in from coastal parts of Lanao del Sur, Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat and Zamboanga del Sur. A third wharf

strict ledger-based reporting on the date and time of their entry and exit.

The City Public Order and Safety Office, backed by combined police and military units, is empowered by the mayor’s order to check on the proper identification of motorboat crews and passengers, as well as on the propriety of their operational documents, such as registration.

Tough choices at Banaue’s famed rice terraces

By Sara Susanne S. Fabunan (First of three parts) HAPAO, Ifugao—Her wrinkles showed her age. She was barefoot and her ginger-looking feet dipped into a muddy soft rice field. Her veins were protruding, snaking up her hands, and her rough palms showed the hard work she does every day. Her body was quivering as one by one she harvested the rice grains with her own bare hands, and put it inside a white sack tucked into the black cloth belt around her waist.

Innug, who grew up not knowing when her exact birthday was, is more than 90 years old, yet at her age she still prefers to farm her clan’s rice terraces in Hapao—part of Banaue’s famed Rice Terraces—the traditional way.

Old Innug has no choice but to plant and harvests the heirloom rice by herself, because she has no one to do that for her. She never married, has no kids to inherent her land, and has no siblings around. She farms her own land, and the produce is only meant for her sustenance.

But the question, as with the other rice-farming elders of Banaue, is who will continue farming when Innug finally passes on?

That was also on Gloria Belange’s mind when her four children chose to work in the city than help her and her husband, Noel, farm their 12 hectares of rice terraces in Poblacion, Banaue.

Unlike Innug’s land, which can only be reached by a road so narrow only two feet can fit in—flanked by other rice fields, irrigation canals or deadly cliffs—Belange’s plot is located on a

small hill her husband inherited from his forefathers, who were headhunters during the Japanese occupation.

“What can I do if my children no longer want to farm? They preferred working in the city or abroad,” Belange told Manila Standard.

One of Gloria’s three daughters is working in Saudi Arabia, while the rest already have their own families—and do not see farming as their main livelihood.

“My children are business-minded people. Before when we they were still young, I asked them to help me farm, but when they became adults and already have children, they refuse to help me farm, they said they do not want to stay longer under the sun, they said their skin will turn black,” she said.

(To be continued tomorrow)

THANKSGIVING. For

their significant contributions to past medical and dental missions in 2017 at Brgy. Boot, the Tanauan City government awarded Boot National High School, represented by principal Josephine J. Magpantay (second from left) and Faculty president Joel dela Costa (left), certificates of recognition, with Tanauan Mayor Antonio C. Halili (right) and City Health Office Department head Dr. Adel S. Bautista, represented by Dr. Imelda Bautista (second from right), during the city’s flag raising ceremonies on Sept.

18. This program is part of the Nutrition Month, with the theme ‘Healthy Diet: Make it a Habit for Life.”’Roy Tomandao

6 Baguio schools get ‘Pailaw sa Paaralan’ BAGUIO CITY—Six public elementary schools in the city are to benefit from the Pailaw sa Paaralan program, a corporate social responsibility intervention of the Benguet Electric Cooperative, to guarantee a conducive learning for environment for the hundreds of pupils enrolled in the said institutions.

In his letter to Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan, Beneco general manager Gerardo P. Verzosa revealed that the schools that will initially benefit from the program include the Dontogan Elementary School, Quezon Hill Elementary School, Pacday Quinio Elementary School, San Carlos Elementary School, Adiwang Elementary School and Bonifacio Elementary School.

The schools that will be included under the program in the future include the Joaquin Smith Elementary School, Camp 7 Elementary School. Lindawan Elementary School, Doña Aurora Elementary School and Rizal Elementary School Extension, Verzosa added.

Under Beneco’s Pailaw sa Paaralan program, the electrical facilities of the schools are put in place by technical personnel to guarantee that the said institutions comply with the pertinent provisions of the Philippine Electrical code among other existing laws, rules and regulations for the safety and protection of the students and teachers. Dexter A. See

in Barangay Kalanganan II here has been designated for incoming boats from Maguindanao and North Cotabato towns via the Mindanao River and its tributaries.

Guiani-Sayadi’s order also requires motorboat operators to register with the city’s Public Order and Safety Office, which would now regulate their passage through the city’s territorial waters with a

Duterte hails Tacloban’s anti-drug achievements TACLOBAN CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte personally congratulated Mayor Cristina Gonzales-Romualdez for the city government’s achievements in a short visit on Thursday.

Duterte particularly praised the collective effort of different sectors to stop illegal drugs in the city. He cited Tacloban police officers wearing body

cameras to record arrests of drug suspects as commendable and worth replicating in other cities.

The president was on his way to Eastern Samar for the commemoration of the Balangiga town bells, also attended by Romualdez with more than 22 fellow mayors, Tourism Board Chief Operating Officer Cesar Montano, Rep. Yedda Romual-

dez, former congressman Martin Romualdez, and Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos.

In front of 5,000 residents of Balangiga, Duterte said he will ask the help of United States President Donald Trump to bring back the Balangiga bells to the Philippines.

The bells were used to signal Filipinos to attack American troops in the town in 1901,

which left at least 48 members of the 9th US Infantry Regiment dead. The American troops retaliated by setting the town on fire and killing around 2,500 Filipinos, while taking the bells as loot.

“The bells are ours. They belong to the Philippines.

They are part of our national heritage,” said Duterte.

Robbie Pangilinan

Innug is over 90 years old, is a spinster and lives to till her small rice terrace plot in Hapao, Ifugao.

Quirino’s forest work gets P175M

By Ben Moses Ebreo CABARROGUIS, Quirino —The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will put out P175 million for two forest protection programs in this province.

Thelma Bicarme, Philippine Information Agency center manager, said the funding was approved during the recent visit of Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu here.

The two forest protection programs are the Quirino Protection of Watersheds, Ecosystems and Rivers or QPOWER with P155 million and the Enhanced National Greening Program with P20 million.

The QPOWER is a watershed rehabilitation program covering 16 barangays, while the Enhanced NGP is a reforestation program covering three barangays with 260 hectares.

Life

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

food

monday, octoBeR 2, 2017

C1

CLinking Cups

at Napa Valley add glory to the wine

By Honor Blanco Cabie

V

ALLeJO, California—Near this city in the northern part of California, where many Filipinos hack out a living, lies Napa Valley, which takes pride in besting several famous French labels 41 years ago.

The reputation, earned from the blind Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, which featured a Napa Valley Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, has been a source of pride for Californians, known for hectares of vineyards from up north down to the southern part near Los Angeles and San Diego facing the Pacific Ocean.

Officials familiar with the blind tasting format say Napa Valley’s entries bested several famous French labels – distinction which younger generations of Californians take pride in.

A member of the younger generation is 44-yearold Orville Maen, a retired non-commissioned officer from the uS Marine Corps and a veteran of the first Gulf War in the 1990s.

Maen, who now works as a financial specialist and who washes down his steak and other food with Napa Valley wines, told Manila Standard, “Napa Valley, which has 33 soil series with more than 100 soil variations is home to thousands of hectares of grape vineyards and is a good source of blended wines. The land itself makes Napa unique and the (cool) weather is perfect.

region – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Meriot – and sometimes Petit Verdot and/or Malbec.

Since ages back, the Napa Valley has sat on Mount Saint Helena, now a dormant volcano whose outer ridge forms the rings of mountains surrounding the Valley, whose volcanic rocks have given the area what Maen described as “soil quality perfect for growing grape varieties.”

Napa’s first commercial winery was established in 1861 by Charles Krug whose success and leadership excited a wave of new growth that by 1889 there were more than 140 wineries in operation.

Within the Valley, north of San Pablo City and near this waterfront port city in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay area, lie more than 18,200 hectares of vineyards planted.

Cabernet Sauvignon is king in Napa Valley with 3,318 hectares while Chardonnay is the most widely planted white wine variety with 2,950 hectares.

Today, there are almost 850 wineries in California although only 4 percent of California’s wine is produced in Napa Valley.

The figure is interesting, according to old hands here, since the Napa Valley is only 48 kilometers in length and 8 kilometers across at its widest point.

The Valley’s vineyards can be found from sea Napa Valley in California is home to thousands of hectares of grape vineyards and good blended wines level up to about 2,400 feet above sea level.

The Napa Valley wine industry creates almost “The grapes are all natural, no harmful chemi- and place these in wine caves underground.”

46,000 jobs in Napa County with some 303,000 cals used, and the authorities keep the vineyards as Napa Valley is known for its distinct reds: Opus reported, according to latest and available figures, natural as possible.”

One, Rubicon and Dominus. These are blends pri- nationwide and represents more than $50 billion in According to Maen, who sounded familiar with marily made from Cabernet Sauvignon. the domestic economy in contemporary times. wine processing in the Valley, the producers mix Many say most Napa Valley’s blended wines use Turn to C2 their wines with different berries from Canada the grape varieties famous in the French Bordeaux

Number 1 Barbecues is serving up top-notch grilled specialties at affordable prices

Poke Poke’s newest Sexy Bowls are best paired with a bottle of Sexy Beast cold-pressed juice

New dishes for Spam lovers Poke Poke is the leading Hawaiian/ Asian Fusion fast food restaurant in Metro Manila. Since its launch late last year, the restaurant has generated a loyal following, thanks to its fresh and flexible offerings. And as a treat to its customers, Poke Poke unveiled two brand new lines to its menu: the Sexy Bowls and the Spam Musubis.

The Spam Musubi takes inspiration from the Musubi, a Hawaiian classic inspired by sushi. A nice, thick cut of spam is placed above a block of soft rice and then wrapped with a strip of nori.

The Musubi is also available with Spam Teriyaki and is the perfect snack for diners on the go.

Also new to Poke Poke’s menu are the additions of the Sexy Bowls. This new line features three brand new bowls perfect for diners looking for a guiltfree and hearty charge before or after a workout. All three bowls are paired with a bottle of Sexy Beast cold-pressed juice. Offerings include: Fat Flush Sexy Bowl: Pan-seared salmon served on a bed of fresh, mixed

greens and topped with ripe mango, fresh cucumber, pickled ginger, and seaweed.

Endurance Sexy Bowl: Fresh tuna served with pickled ginger, bell peppers, fried garlic, and cucumber, on a bed of mixed greens and topped with a selection of sesame oil, seaweed, salt and pepper, and special dressing.

Metabolic Charger Sexy Bowl: Tuna and fresh cuts of pomelo on a bed of mixed greens topped with fresh bell peppers, sesame seeds, salt and pepper and special dressing.

Poke Poke offers diners a unique take on poke, a traditional Hawaiian dish made from marinated cuts of fresh seafood. The restaurant is highly regarded for signature poke bowls such as the Basic, Samurai, and For the Rich Only, which offers diners a new and inventive spin on a much-beloved classic.

Poke Poke opened its third branch on 8 Missouri Street, Northeast Greenhills, San Juan City recently. In addition, the restaurant opened the fourth branch in SM Megamall.

BARBeCue is undoubtedly one of the food staples in the Philippines. Whether you’re at a birthday party or just having Sunday lunch with the family, it’s likely that you’ll spot a platter of the grilled goodness we’re all familiar with.

But Number 1 Barbecues, the newest barbecue joint in town, is serving up a unique dining experience hot off the grill and at prices that won’t burn a hole through your pockets. Located on the ground floor of SM City east Ortigas, it’s bringing barbecue to the next level through a variety of grilled specialties from around the world.

Going beyond the usual barbecued fare, the menu offers a wide range of grilled dishes, from tender steaks to flavorful yakitori. Savor the flavors of their best-selling 12-hour smoked uS beef, or dig into tasty lechon belly, BBQ pecho (breast and wing) and paa (leg and thigh), and BBQ fried chicken.

For those wanting to try something new, try BBQ beef koobideh and BBQ chicken souvlaki.

More barbecue favorites are chicken and cheese rolls, kani bacon, chicken teriyaki, enjoy all of them with a side of coleslaw, mashed potatoes, baked beans or fries. There’s always room for dessert, so end the meal on a sweet note with the classic halo-halo, chocolate cake a la mode, crème brulee and more.

Now’s the perfect time to drop by the restaurant because you get free unlimited rice for all American, Filipino, Japanese, and Mediterranean rice meals up to the end of the month.

For updates and promos, like facebook. com/Number1Barbecues. For inquiries call Number 1 Barbecues SM East Ortigas at 632-1459.

BBQ Chicken Souvlaki is one of Number 1 Barbecues’s bestsellers

BBQ pork and BBQ pecho and paa

Life

C2

monday, october 2, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Well-curated the joyce of eating Joyce BaBe Pañares

A

SIDE from cozy rooms for a good slumber, Filipinos would always look for good food, or at the very least a modest breakfast buffet as well as a la carte choices, when staying in hotels. Whether one is staying in a five-star hotel with more than 20 buffet stations or in a business hotel with a well-curated spread, attention to dining options has become a must amid an increasingly more discerning market.

This is the reason why F1 hotel Manila, the first hotel to open at the bustling Bonifacio Global City area five years ago, has decided to revamp its buffet and a la carte menu. It has tapped award-winning chef Angelo Chubby Timban as its new executive chef to execute changes in the menu for F All-Day Dining (the hotel’s main restaurant), Canary lounge (outdoor bar), and all banquet and social events.

Now, Timban may exude a modest demeanor—tough looking but self-effacing and soft-spoken, to the point that you’d have to egg him to talk about his credentials—but he is a genius in the kitchen. And what he lacks in formal culinary education, he more than makes up for it with 26 years of solid, backbreaking kitchen work. he honed his chops in some of the industry’s largest names, such as Resorts World Manila, Discovery Suites, Shangri-la Boracay, Traders hotel, and Manila Pavilion. In various capacities, Timban has participated in the World Food Expo from 2003 up to 2010. he also bagged the golden award for the 2014 Philippine Culinary Cup and was a Silver Awardee during the National Food Showdown regional chef wars in the same year.

“The kitchen is a harsh environment.

It is not the place for toying with food

clinking...

From C1

With its badge of honor among wine experts, the Napa’s wine country has become a major tourist attraction.

Some in the industry have said that with a climate similar to a Mediterranean weather region – mild winters and dry hot summer temperatures – “the grapes are happy here.”

According to chroniclers of the Napa Valley wine, California was first introduced to “vitis vinifera” wines, a species of wine grapes native to the Mediterranean region, in the 19th century by the Spanish, who planted vineyards with each 21 missions they established.

The wine was used for religious sacraments as well as for daily life.

The vine cuttings used to start the vineyards came from Mexico and were the descendant of the “common black grape” brought to the New World by Hernán Cortés in 1520.

The grape’s association with the church caused it to become known as the Mission grape, which was to become the dominant grape variety in California until the 20th century.

The California Gold Rush in the mid19th century brought waves of new settlers to the region, increasing the population and local demand for wine and the newly growing wine industry took hold in Northern California around the counties of Sonoma and Napa.

The first commercial winery in California, Buena Vista Winery, was founded in 1857 by Agoston Haraszthy and is located in Sonoma, California, with John Patchett opening the first commercial winery in the area that is now Napa County in 1859.

It was in the 19th century when some of California’s oldest wineries were founded including Buena Vista Winery, Gundlach Bundschu, Inglenook Winery, Markham Vineyards and Schramsberg Vineyards.

Chroniclers have also said Chinese immigrants played a prominent role in developing the Californian wine industry during this period: building wineries, planting vineyards, digging the underground cellars and harvesting grapes.

Some also assisted as winemakers prior to the passing of the Chinese Exclusion Act which severely affected the Chinese community in favor of encouraging “white labor.”

By 1890, most of the Chinese workers were out of the wine industry.

menu

F1 Hotel Manila’s new executive chef, Angelo Chubby Timban, underscores the importance of mastering the basics before doing fusion or deconstructing dishes.

Ika sumi maki and seafood paella are new staples at F, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant.

preparations. You must conceptualize your menu effectively, otherwise you’d end up with wasted ingredients, or worse, a hodgepodge menu that makes no sense at all,” he said in an interview a month after he joined F1 hotel full time in August.

“Before you do fusion, you should master the basics first. Before you innovate, make sure you have a solid foundation to begin with,” added Tim-

ban, who points to a delicate balance of serving dishes that would impress hotel clients (yung hindi madali lutuin sa bahay) while achieving a comfort food taste.

For F1’s buffet restaurant, Timban’s challenge was to work out a menu that is well curated while maintaining a business hotel price point. Quantity is surely appreciated, but so is a commitment to quality and consistency in taste.

“Even if our buffet spread is not as extensive as those in luxury hotels, for as long as all the dishes taste good, then you get value for your money,” he said. And it makes sense from a business point of view as F1 is not out to compete with five-star hotels, with most of its clients coming from the corporate sector.

Among the dishes that he introduced are the crispy ox tail with sisig

marinade, prawns with charred leek mousse, shiitake mushroom gratin, and ika sumi maki, a playful take of the Japanese roll that boldly uses squid ink for the rice base.

Even before Timban joined our table for the interview, we were already commenting how the taste of the buffet spread has improved. (I previously ate at F with my mom several months ago and it was a hit-and-miss experience, with dishes that felt like they were not well thought of and were just included in the buffet for the sake of meeting a certain number of stations.)

The dishes now were flavorful and exciting to the palate.

Not a bad achievement at all for Timban, whose comfort food remains to be home-cooked pakbet with bagnet.

“We are finalizing other changes in the menu. We are thinking of including Tex-Mex and bento boxes, as well as Spanish and Korean-themed buffet on certain days,” he said. one can only look forward with happy anticipation to more delightful dining experiences at F1 hotel Manila.

For feedback, send comments to joyce.panares@gmail.com

Wine Days at Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila SoFITEl Philippine Plaza Manila celebrates Wine Days 2017 in a series of events that are a truly sensory experience.

The Sky-high Soirée: Domaines Barons de Rothschild lafite Cocktails launched the celebration on Sept. 19 at the Sofitel helipad, featuring the finest wines from one of the most renowned Bordeaux châteaux, Château Domaines Barons de Rothschild lafite starting the annual celebration of the French harvest in a series of special events and animations centered on wine and gastronomy. one of the fine First Growth classified châteaux from the Bordeaux Wine official Classification of 1855, Château Domaines Barons de Rothschild lafite is a top producer of some of the world’s most expensive red wines.

The journey of wine continues as one steps in the lobby transformed into la Grande Epicerie de Paris, a renowned high-end Parisian store, featuring a wide selection of wines and cheese bar for the discerning gourmand.

Every Sunday Brunch until oct. 29, Spiral features vintage from renowned wine regions including Argentina, loire Valley, Burgundy, California and Australia. Guests may delight their taste buds with a variety of artisanal wine and champagne jam by artisan Pierre Marmonier.

The most discerning connoisseurs may taste the world’s most expensive champagnes on the oct. 17 as Spiral presents The Bubbly: Exclusive Champagne Tasting featuring top-tiered vintages Moët & Chandon, Krug and Dom Pérignon exclusive for only 10 guests.

Sofitel celebrates Wine Days 2017 with a series of events

Sofitel’s wine sommeliers take guests on a journey through the rich wine regions of France with The Art of Wine, a wine appreciation class. An afternoon of surprising discoveries and excellent wine pairings awaits guests on oct. 19 at Spiral. on oct. 22, Spiral presents Vendange Brunch featuring wine tasting of 40 different wines produced in

regions that harvest in the month of october. Guests may also get a special glimpse of old-style grape stomping, a traditional winemaking method wherein grapes are crushed to release its juices and begin fermentation.

Gastronomes may learn the intricate art of wine and cheese pairing in a Private Wine and Cheese Class held every Sunday in Spiral’s l’Epicerie. Various combinations of artisanal cheese and the finest vintage from renowned wine regions are highlighted in an enriching and exclusive engagement ideal for a maximum of 10 gourmands and connoisseurs. le Bar presents Voyage du Vin (Voyage of Wine) featuring a selection of New World and old World wines every Friday and Saturday until oct. 28. A selection of wine-based cocktails is also offered including Kir Cassis, Rosé Pamplemousse and Soupe de Champagne. Music takes center stage as le Bar’s resident wine experts curate a premium wine list paired with a soothing playlist.

Snaps Sports Bar tickles the palate with delightfully flavorful and colorful sangrias. Featuring red, white, sparkling and rosé wines, this fruity punch with a twist is available by the glass or may shared with friends by the pitcher.

Sofitel Wine Dinners are held regularly featuring world-renowned wine regions and vineyards in celebration of gastronomy and wine, traditionally French and truly Sofitel.

For inquiries and reservations, please call F&B Reservations at (02) 832-6988 or email H6308FB12@sofitel.com

Festive Temptations

RElISh in premium delights all day with the finest new dishes of Cucina, treating its guests to a richer culinary indulgence of meaty and sea-rich flavors.

Cucina’s new set of featured dishes brings in a tempting feast to all gourmet enthusiasts. Indulge in an exquisite dining experience with the savory classic breaded medallions of pork tenderloin, seasoned with notes of earthly quail eggs. Savor the tasty flavors of the sea as fresh-caught mussels and prawns with asparagus and mushrooms, complemented with the satisfyingly rich and creamy verdant taste of tomato and tarragon cream. Infuse your gastronomic desires to an all-time Filipino treat with the tender and succulent slow braised oxtail.

Enjoy these fine new dishes at Cucina, which offers a versatile dining experience together, with a well-curated

spread of international cuisine that are heavy on flavors and is made from superior ingredients. From the seafood station, Asian noodles and pasta, carving, cheeses, cold cuts, desserts, and more, Cucina promises to be a onestop-shop for all the finest flavors that diners’ palates are looking for.

From the usual symphony of taste, Cucina is consistently seen in bringing something new to the table with these new buffet signature dishes, bringing incredible flavour and tenderness, prepared to perfection.

Cucina is on the 24th level of Marco Polo Ortigas Manila. For more information, contact (02) 720-7777 or book online via www.marcopolohotels.com or email: manila@marcopolohotels. com.

The new buffet signature dishes at Cucina in Marco Polo Ortigas

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017

Manila

Standard

TODAY

G

MA Network, Inc. Chairman and CEO Atty.

Felipe Gozon and his top executives recently held a successful meeting with leaders of the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. (FFCCCII) led by President Domingo Yap at its corporate headquarters in Quezon City.

FFCCCII is partnering with GMA Kapuso Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the publicly listed GMA Network, Inc., to donate five public school buildings for war-torn Marawi City when the conflict ends.

In his speech, Atty. Gozon said he admires the hard work, business acumen and tradition of philanthropy of the ethnic Chinese minority in the Philippines, similar to other dynamic ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs all over the Asia Pacific region from San Francisco City to other parts of Asia. He cited the Federation of Filipino Chinese Chambers of Commerce & Industry, Inc. for its many charities and for partnering with GMA Kapuso

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURT OF METRO MANILA BRANCH 43 – QUEZON CITY PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINES Plaintiff, -versusCRIM CASE NO. 160842 FOR: Violation of B.P. 22 JACINTA C. MAALIHAN, Accused. x--------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF SHERIFF’S SALE ON REAL PROPERTY GREETINGS: WHEREAS, by virtue of the WRIT OF EXECUTION dated December 16, 2015 issued by HON. DON ACE MARIANO V. ALAGAR, Presiding Judge of Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 43, Quezon City, for recovery of the principal amount of P 360,000.00 plus cost, interest, attorney’s fees and expenses in the above entitled case, levy was made by the Sheriff of this Court on October 25, 2016 thru the Register of Deeds for Batangas, Batangas the rights, interest, and participation of said accused JACINTA C. MAALIHAN, in the REAL PROPERTY including its improvements described as follows:

WELL-MEANING PARTNERSHIP. FFCCCII President Domingo Yap with GMA Network, Inc. CEO Atty.

Felipe Gozon seal their partnership in donating school buildings to Marawi as part of the rehabilitation efforts in the province.

FFCCCII donates schools for Marawi thru GMA Kapuso Foundation Foundation in helping Marawi City.

In his speech, Yap congratulated the success and integrity of GMA Network.

He said apart from FFCCCII’s donating five public school buildings for Marawi City

through the GMA Kapuso Foundation, FFCCCII, on July 25 gave P100,000 for each of the 101 government soldiers and police killed in the Marawi conflict “as expression of our support, respect and solidarity.”

In December 2016, FFCCCII

donated 15 school buildings for Sulu province in response to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s call to assist that region. FFCCCII is also donating drug rehabilitation centers all over Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Historic partnership with Ravelo Komiks Superheroes

TITLE NO. AREA OCT No. P-29032 1,578 sq.m.

OCT No. P-29031 1,497 sq.m.

REG. OWNER: JACINTA C. MAALIHAN married to REYNALDO MAALIHAN LOCATION: Labac, Cuenca, Batangas NOW THEREFORE, by virtue of the said WRIT and in accordance with

superheroes are a great complement to what the brand stands for. According to Agnieszka Isa, Avon Philippines’ executive director for Commercial Marketing, “Avon’s purpose is to inspire and create a world with more empowered women through the products we sell, the meaningful earning opportunities we offer, and the crusades that we champion. This partnership is another stride forward in our support for women and helping provide

ways to empower them.”

With this historic partnership, Avon hopes to inspire and create a world where women are empowered through their products, earning opportunities, and through the crusades that they champion.

Patrons can look forward to Mars Ravelo Komiks Superheroes and Darna merchandise in Avon’s lines of beauty, fashion, and home products. Watch out for more details of this exciting collaboration.

For fast ad results, please call

(Sgd.) HERMINIO D. HAPATINGA SHERIFF III

Advertising Department 832-5547

WARNING: It is absolutely prohibited to remove Deface, or destroy this Notice of Sale on or before the date of the sale, Under penalty of the law.

Copy furnished: Jacinta C. Maalihan c/o Cuevas Bakery No. 16 McArthur Highway Brgy. Malanday, Valenzuela City Jose Emmanuel L. Carlos No. 80 M.H. Del Pilar St., Palasan, Valenzuela City

(MS-Sep. 25 & Oct. 2 & 9, 2017)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

1.

INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS GOODS The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act CY 2017 intends to apply the sum of Forty Eight Million Two Hundred Nineteen Thousand Five Hundred Eighty Philippine Pesos (PhP48,219,580.00) for the projects listed below. Bids received in excess of each ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening: IB No.

IB No. 2017-315 IB No. 2017-316

2.

3.

4.

5.

AVON Philippines is thrilled to announce its partnership with ABS-CBN Corporation for promotional and merchandising rights for Mars Ravelo Komiks Superheroes. This was made official when Avon signed a contract with ABS-CBN through CCO Charo Santos-Concio on Sept. 14 at the ABS-CBN corporate headquarters.

Avon is known to have beautiful, inspiring, and empowering figures as brand ambassadors, and Mars Ravelo’s

Rule 39, Sec. 19 of the Rules of Court, the undersigned Sheriff hereby gives notice to all interested parties and to the public in general.

That on November 10, 2017 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning at Rm. 328, 3rd Floor, Hall of Justice Bldg., Quezon City will sold at PUBLIC AUCTION to the highest bidder for cash the described properties to satisfy the said execution and sale.

Interested parties are hereby enjoined to investigate for themselves the title to the said property/ies and the encumbrances thereon, if any there be. All bidders must submit their sealed bids on or before the abovementioned date and time and will be publicly opened immediately after 10:00 o’clock.

In the event that public auction should not take place on said date due to fortuitous event of if the same be declared a non-working holiday, it shall be held on November 17, 2017 at the same time and place without further notice.

Quezon City, Philippines, Metro Manila, September 25, 2017.

6.

Name of Contract

ABC (PHP)

Cost of Bidding Documents (Php)

Procurement of Blood Bags

18,261,100.00

25,000.00

Procurement of Transfusion Transmissible Infection (TTIs) Reagents and Malaria Test Kit 29,958,480.00 (Antigen Assay) with Tie-Up Machine TOTAL 48,219,580,000.00

25,000.00

Single Largest Completed Contract At least Twenty Five Percent (25%) of the ABC within the specified period in the Section III. Bid Data Sheet

The DOH now invites Bids from eligible Bidders for the procurement of the above-caption projects. Delivery of the Goods as specified in Section VI. Schedule of Requirements. Bidders should have completed, within the specified years from the date of submission and receipt of bids a contracts similar to each of the above-cited procurement projects stated in the Bidding Documents. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

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

Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183 and subject to Commonwealth Act 138.

Interested bidders may obtain further information from the COBAC Secretariat, G/F, Bldg.

6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila and inspect the Bidding Documents at 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Friday.

A complete set of Bidding Documents for each procurement package listed above may be acquired by interested bidders on 02 – 24 October 2017 from the address above and upon payment of a nonrefundable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB Resolution No. 04-2012, dated 24 February 2012, in the amount specified above.

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders who are interested to participate shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

Bidding Documents Fee may be refunded in accordance with the aforementioned Guidelines based on the grounds provided for under Section 41 of 2016 Revised IRR of RA 9184.

The DOH will hold a Pre-Bid Conference and the Submission and Opening of Bids at the COBAC Conference Room, G/F, Building 6, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Rizal Avenue, Sta. Cruz, Manila, which shall be opened to all interested parties on the schedule given below: Bids must Bids must be delivered to the address stated below. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated below: Amount of Bid Security (Not less than the required percentage of the ABC)

Form of Bid Security Cash, Cashier’s/manager’s check issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank.

Bank draft/guarantee or irrevocable letter of credit issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank: Provided, however, that it shall be confirmed or authenticated by a Universal or Commercial Bank, if issued by a foreign bank.

Surety bond callable upon demand issued by a surety or insurance company duly certified by the Insurance Commission as authorized to issue such security.

Bid Securing Declaration

Two percent (2%)

Five percent (5%) No percentage required

Bids will be opened in the presence of the Bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8.

The DOH reserves the right to accept or reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

9.

For further information, please refer to: COBAC-C Secretariat Department of Health San Lazaro Compound Sta. Cruz, Manila Tel. Nos. 651-7800 local 1625 to 1627; 1650 to 52 Facsimile No.: 741-9775; 740-6830

(MS-OCT. 2, 2017)

From left: Julie Ann Gutierrez, Head of Licensing Cluster 1 – ABS-CBN, Karen Coloma, Head of Licensing – ABS-CBN, Pia De Leon, Marketing Officer – ABS-CBN, Lina Quiogue, Head of Retail, Licensing and Storefronts – ABS-CBN, Charo Santos-Concio, Chief Content Officer – ABS-CBN, Agnieszka Isa, Executive Director for Commercial Marketing – Avon Philippines, Anna Fernandez-Llamas, Head of Beauty Boutique & Home – Avon Philippines, Patricia de Leon-Rodriguez, Head of Beauty – Avon Philippines, Faith Fernandez-Mondejar, Director for Communications – Avon Asia Pacific and Philippines.

Seasoned performers in Filipino musical DULCE, Ima Castro, and Jim Pebanco play antagonistic parts in the highly-anticipated musical stage play Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag, which they all find challenging to portray.

“I play the role of Mrs. Cruz, the pimp who sold the central female character Ligaya Paraiso to a Chinese in Ongpin. She is such a dark character who views everything as just part of the job without considering the plight of the poor girls she sells. Ima is my alternate,” says Dulce.

“That’s right,” seconds Ima. “For me, it’s one of the hardest parts I’ve done in theatre. Actually, I can say it’s more difficult than my Miss Saigon stint before. There are the intricate dance routines as choreographed by Douglas Nierras. Then, having Joel Lamangan as director, wow!

Despite the hardships though is the sense of fulfillment knowing that this is a musical stage play of international caliber.”

Interestingly, this is a comeback of sorts for Jim to the stage play scene.

“I’ve done various theatre productions before but it’s been years. I’m really happy to be cast in Maynila because it’s one grand presentation. It’s a big-budgeted project that has a lot to tell about

the continuing ills of the society primarily, exploitation.

My character, Mr. Balajadia exhibits this to the hilt. He’s the foreman in the construction site who takes advantage of the weakness of his workers.

“It’s hard to portray a character which is far from your real self.

I’m just thankful to the producers and the whole production team for believing in my talent. I’m happy to know that the role is tailor-made for me. In fact, they only had me in mind when they were doing the casting. It’s really my pride and privilege to bag this role,” he avers.

Dulce, Ima, and Jim have to make some sacrifices just to be part of this musical stage play.

“That’s right! With our rigid rehearsals, we really have to allot time and concentrate on the actual presentations. That means we had to turn down some offers while this play is ongoing. But we have no regrets. It’s very fulfilling as artists!”

Their participation in Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag The Musical definitely brings their level of artistry a notch higher.

“Theatre is a solid foundation for performers like us to hone our craft better. For one, the

discipline is different.

You really have to do your homework if you want to deliver specially that the reaction you’ll get from the audience is instant,” ends Dulce. ******** So, it’s official: Atom Araullo is now back as a Kapuso! The former ABSCBN news reporter and TV host recently inked a contract with GMA and was warmly welcomed by the station as the latest member of its News and Public Affairs section.

It can be remembered that he really started with GMA more than 10 years ago as part of its prime time news program 24 Oras with his segment called “ATOMic Sports.” Asked as to the reason why he decided to come back, the good-looking broadcast journalist explains, “Honestly, there’s still a lot that I want to learn in the field of Journalism. I believe that GMA is one of the best places where I can fulfill this goal. For one, I love making documentaries and everybody knows that the Kapuso is very good when it comes to this department.

I’m simply excited with the thought!”

For his maiden assignment,

he will be part of the awardwinning docu program I-Witness along with Jay Taruc, Sandra Aguinaldo, Kara David and Howie Severino.

“I’m looking forward to work with the team. I’m inspired with the wealth of experience my fellow hosts have,” Atom states. ******** Luis Manzano sheds light on the rumor that he has already bought current beau Jessy Mendiola a house.

“Not true,” he says.

“Actually, I’m surprised to hear that I bought her a house.

Some say it’s in Batanes, while according to some, it’s in Batangas. Well, none of the above! Ha-ha-ha!”

Speaking of Batangas, some quarters reveal he is often seen there lately.

“Well, I wouldn’t negate that.

It’s because I dive there on weekdays. I stay in the resort, not in a house which many speculate I bought.”

Interestingly, why weekdays?

“It’s quiet during those times. On weekends, many divers come. I also dabble on my photography hobby on the side so I prefer weekdays because there’s only a few people around. Besides, I have my hosting stint in ASAP so there’s no way I can go there on weekends,” Luis states.

(SGD) NESTOR F. SANTIAGO, JR, MD, MPHC, MHSA, CESO III Assistant Secretary of Health COBAC-C Chairperson

Republic of the Philippines Department of Transportation LAND TRANSPORTATION OFFICE Region I InvItatIon to BId for the PROCUREMENT OF SECURITY SERVICES COVERING THE PERIODOF JANUARY 01, 2018 TO DECEMBER 31, 2018 LTOR1-2017B-002 1.

The Land Transportation Office -Region I, through the National Expenditure Program (NEP) CY 2018 intends to apply the sum of Ten Million One Hundred Three Thousand One Hundred Fifty-Nine and 44/100 Pesos (P10,103,159.44)being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC) to payment under the contract for the Procurement of Security Services covering the period January 01, 2018 to December 31, 2018. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening.

2.

The Land Transportation Office -Region I now invites bids for the Procurement of Security Services covering the period of January 01, 2018 to December 31, 2018.Bidders should have completed, within two (2) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II. Instructions to Bidders.

3.

Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a nondiscretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Reform Act”.

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

Interested bidders may obtain further information from Land Transportation Office Region I and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on September 28, 2017 until October 18, 2017from the address below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos only (P25,000.00).

It may also be downloaded free of charge from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and the website of the Procuring Entity, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids.

The Land Transportation Office -Region I will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on October 6, 2017, 10:00 AM at Regional Office Conference Room, which shall be open to prospective bidders.

Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before 9:00 AM of October 18, 2017. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Bid opening shall be on 10:00 AM of October 18, 2017at Regional Office Conference Room. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted.

8. In consonance with the opinion of the Government Procurement Policy Board in NPM No. 120-2016, the minimum administrative fee of 20% of the total contract cost for Service Agreement for security services, as imposed by DOLE DO No. 150-16, shall not be observed for purposes of this procurement. Bids where the administrative cost is lower than what the DOLE order requires shall be considered.

9. The Land Transportation Office - Region I reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders.

10. For further information, please refer to: Kathleen Deanna G. Salayog LTO-R1 Bid and Awards Committee Chairperson Land Transportation Office - Region I Aguila Road, Brgy. Sevilla, City of San Fernando, La Union 2500 (072) 607-1826 / (072) 607-3249 ltoregion1@yahoo.com

KATHLEEN DEANNA G. SALAYOG (SGD) OIC-ARD/BAC CHAIRPERSON (MS-OCT. 2, 2017)

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2017 ISAH V. RED

COCO

MASS APPEAL.

Actor Coco Martin as Cardo in the top-rating weeknight action drama, "FPJ's Ang Probinsyano."

MARTIN

still rules primetime

TV

Kapuso star Heart Evangelista encourages the public to be responsible pet owners.

Marina Bay Sands hosts 10th anniversary screening of

D

ON’T get mad. Be glad.

Your favorite TV hero is still primetime best bet.

FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano continues to be the most watched program in the country, its heartpounding scenes bringing action and attracting more viewers nationwide than its new rival program.

Based on data from Kantar Media, the Kapamilya series recorded high national TV rating on Sept. 18 as it hit 43.2 percent, beating GMA Network’s pilot of Super Ma’am that only (18.7 percent). More viewers also tuned in to the Kapamilya series on the following night (43 percent) versus its rival show (17.9 percent).

The show, which approaches its second anniversary on air, also continues to garner praises from netizens every night.

More Filipinos were hooked on the gripping scenes as Cardo (Coco Martin) saved his fellow Special Action Force members Geraldo (Ejay Falcon) and Katarina (Louise de los Reyes) from being held hostage by Alakdan (Jhong Hilario). However, their lives are still in danger as Pulang Araw goes full force in hunting them down. *** #AdoptDontShop. This is Heart Evangelista’s call to those who want to have pets, specifically dogs or cats.

In our recent conversation when we bumped into each other in Naga City during the feast of Peñafrancia, she said that she has been adopting stray dogs and cats and house them until she finds responsible individuals who want to have pets at home.

When she posts a photo of a puppy or a kitten she is putting for adoption, her followers on the social media race to be the first to have the kitten or puppy.

“Just look at her feeling all snuggly in this bed weather!

Looking for good parents to #adopt this little#Aspin.

She needs to stay indoors, have her own bed and get cuddle time. She’s really special and turning out to be the sweetest. Please let me know if you’re her angel parents...,” Heart says in her post.

The My Korean Jagiya is now known to be a dog lover. “And I hope more Filipinos will be responsible pet owners,” she said.

Also, she’s glad that My Korean Jagiya is doing very well on its timeslot as evidenced by the big numbers it’s raking in

‘GONE SHOPPING’

in the ratings.

Meanwhile, Heart is in TingTing Cojuangco’s List of The Elegant Filipinas.

“Blessed and grateful to be part of this year’s TingTing’s List: The Elegant Filipinas for the benefit of the Center for Possibilities Foundation for special children. Tonight’s highlight is the sale of art pieces rendered by children with autism - something very close to my heart.

Let’s all encourage the artistic potential of kids, especially of these special children. #theelegantfilipinas2017,” pasasalamat”, Heart posted on her IG account. *** Kapamilya star John Lloyd Cruz has been in the news lately. Quite sadly though, it is for the wrong reasons that he is being talked about.

Yes, one could claim that John Lloyd is simply letting off some steam and is just taking a break from all the showbiz brouhaha. This would have been all right, except that most of his activities while going through this phase are posted online and are made available to the public. Add to these his social media posts, most of which are unappealing—if not outright disgusting.

For those trying to defend John Lloyd, allow me to gently remind you that John Lloyd Cruz is neither your average artista nor someone who is still trying to find his niche in the industry. He is way, way above that. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if he commands a seven-digit figure or even more for each of his projects and endorsements. That’s how big a star – and a brand – JLC is.

But the John Lloyd Cruz we are seeing now is a very different man from the makalaglagpanty, almost perfect prince charming to whom the public fell in love with. And here lies the problem.

Will John Lloyd eventually wake up one day and revert to his old charming self? Or are we really seeing the real John Lloyd Cruz that has long been hidden from the public?

Because if it’s the latter, it would be interesting to know how would all these issues ultimately affect his image and brand. Will ABS-CBN continue to tolerate such changes in his behavior? As for his many endorsements, will the advertisers stick with such an endorser? We will know soon.

TALK OF THE TOWN. Netizens couldn't stop talking about John Lloyd Cruz and it's all for the wrong reasons.

will capture the SINGAPORE— relationship beMarina Bay tween two peoSands is expandple from seeming its on-going ingly different collaboration worlds and aims with the Singato challenge stepore Internationreotypes against al Film Festival the Deaf Com(SGIFF), taking munity and its engagement illustrate the with the nonstrength and viprofit organibrancy of Deaf zation beyond Culture.

SGIFF’s landGeorge Tamark annual film nasijevich, event – the leadpresident and ing platform in CEO of Marina Southeast Asia that champions A scene from "Gone Shopping," a satirical drama about how a nation's ob- Bay Sands said, “After four sucthe discovery of session with shopping changes the course of one woman's life. cessful years of independent cinworking with ema. discipline. the Singapore The integrated Marina Bay Sands has been a International Film Festival, we’re resort has officially named SGIFF as one of its designated charities Presenting Sponsor of the Singa- privileged to extend our support and is planning to host a series of pore International Film Festival to the next level. As a designated year-round activities that aim to since 2014 and continues to look charity, SGIFF will work collabgrow the film and art audience in for new ways to inspire aspiring oratively with Marina Bay Sands filmmakers and grow the art au- on a range of creative projects Asia and beyond.

For a start, Marina Bay Sands’ dience in Singapore. As a strong throughout the year. It marks a ArtScience Museum will be host- champion of youth and arts edu- new chapter, and one that is aimed ing the 10th anniversary screen- cation, the integrated resort has at providing more opportunities ing of Wee Li Lin’s whimsical also launched the MBS x SGIFF: for established and aspiring filmmakers to present their works on tale about the malls of Singapore, Youth Film Project.

Open to current tertiary stu- an international platform.”

Gone Shopping, from Until Oct. “As part of our commitment to 8. Released to critical acclaim in dents, this new initiative will give 2007, Gone Shopping is the first- young filmmakers a chance to ex- growing film literacy, we are hapfull length directorial debut of fe- perience and participate in a film- py to have the opportunity to give making project that is taking place independent films the exposure male director Wee Li Lin. The screening of the movie across the integrated resort during beyond our festival period. Havis part of ArtScience on Screen, its annual Sands for Singapore ing a like-minded partner in Marina Bay Sands helps us to continue which showcases the work of Festival.

The youth mentorship pro- our mission in championing and groundbreaking filmmakers and artists. ArtScience on Screen gramme aims to encourage innova- nurturing the voices and diverforms the backbone of the mu- tive and personal ways of storytell- sity in Asian cinema to new audiseum’s dedicated film program- ing that broadens the scope of cor- ences. This includes the hosting ming, with the aim to inspire porate-driven film projects, and to of the 10th anniversary screenaudiences to discover art and sci- offer budding filmmakers a chance ing of Gone Shopping, the debut ence through film and moving im- to be exposed and mentored by feature film of one of Singapore’s age. From Oct. 1 to 8, the film is industry practitioners as they gain pioneering female filmmakers in screened twice daily to the public, hands- on work experience within a the 2000s, and a past winner of corporate environment.

SGIFF’s Singapore Short Film at 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. for free.

Under the guidance of Marina Competition. We look forward to Beyond the screening, the integrated resort will also be hosting Bay Sands’ in-house visual me- deepening our engagement with an In Conversations With dia- dia team and SGIFF, participants both cinematic talents and audilogue session with the filmmaker will co-produce and co-direct a ences, and journeying with them and cast Sonya Nair of Gone five to 10 minute documentary to explore the vast possibilities Shopping and Professor Chua film shot at the integrated resort. in our region’s independent cinBeng Huat from the National The completed film will then be ema,” said Yuni Hadi, executive University of Singapore on Oct. 7 showcased on Marina Bay Sands’ director of SGIFF. For more information on the at ArtScience Museum. This dia- website and across its social me10th anniversary screening of Gone logue session is part of an on-go- dia platforms.

Co-shortlisted by the teams at Shopping and the MBS x SGIFF: ing series of talks with celebrities and prominent individuals from SGIFF and Marina Bay Sands, Youth Film Project, please refer to creative fields, who give insights the two participants this year are the annexes below. To register for into the world of film, television Nanyang Technological Uni- the In Conversations With dialogue and art to young students interest- versity students Lee Yi Jia and session, log on to http://mbsxsgiffed in pursuing a career in a related Martin Loh. Their documentary goneshopping.peatix.com/ .