Manila Standard - 2017 October 15 - Sunday

SARA SLAMS 'YELLOW' PROPAGANDA

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VOL. XXXI • NO. 243 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@manilastandard.net

RODY'S 'REVO' GOVT DRAWS HEAVY FLAK P

By John Paolo Bencito

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s veiled threat to declare a revolutionary government to stop efforts to destabilize his administration is another attempt to install a dictatorship in the country, the militant group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan warned Saturday.

“Duterte’s threat of forming a ‘revolutionary government’ ala Cory Aquino seems to be another attempt at imposing a dictatorship by eliminating co-equal branches of government,” Bayan SecretaryGeneral Renato Reyes said in a statement.

“Duterte is reminded that the people will never allow a return to dictatorship, no matter how ‘revo-

lutionary’ Duterte claims this to be. The people will not allow it,” he added.

In related developments: • Opposition group Tindig Pilipinas slammed Duterte as a “paranoid and insecure little man” after he warned he would declare a revolutionary government should a destabilization plot seek to replace him with a new leader.

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DAVAO City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio on Saturday took to social media yet again to respond to another “black propaganda” from political adversaries.

This time, the mayor and daughter of the President slammed a photo posted by Facebook user Injustigram that showed her and then mayor Rodrigo Duterte in a campaign float of former President Benigno Aquino III and former vice presidential candidate Mar Roxas.

In a Facebook post that has been shared more than 13,000 times hours after it was posted, DuterteCarpio said she was wearing a blue shirt in the photo in support of Roxas, who she said sought her help to get votes in Davao City for the 2010 elections.

In the photo, Mayor Rodrigo was wearing a striped blue shirt— Injustigram captioned the said photo “#ThrowbackThursday: The original dilawans: Rody Duterte and Inday Sara Duterte.”

Injustigram’s posts are markedly critical of government officials.

Sara noted she “never received a single peso for my help to them, check nyo resibo ni Aquino at Roxas [check the receipts of Aquino and Roxas].”

“Juicekow parang nasa election pa rin tayo ano? Black propaganda ang peg,” she wrote.

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NOKOR READIES MISSILES AHEAD OF WAR GAMES SEOUL, South Korea—North Korea is believed to be preparing to launch a ballistic missile ahead of an upcoming joint naval drill by the US and South Korea, a news report said Saturday, citing a government source.

The US navy said Friday a US aircraft carrier would lead the drill in the coming week, a fresh show of force against North Korea as tensions soar over the hermit state’s weapons program.

The move will likely rile Pyongyang which has previously responded angrily to joint exercises.

The Donga Ilbo daily, quoting a government source, said satellite pictures show ballistic missiles mounted on launchers being transported out of hangars near Pyongyang and in the North Phyongan Province.

US and South Korean military officials suspect the North might be preparing to launch missiles capable of reaching US territory, the newspaper said.

This could be the Hwasong-14 inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM), whose range could extend to Alaska, or Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missiles which Pyongyang Turn to A2

HALLOWEEN COSTUME. Aling Gina (partly hidden) is in a hectic zone fixing her wares of skull masks in preparation for Halloween on the eve of All Saints and All Souls Day, in her belief the perfect outfit to wear during the day and any murder mystery party practiced in some areas of this largely Catholic archipelago of 106 million people. Norman Cruz

DFA CLARIFIES: NO NEW AID OFFER FROM UK

By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan

RIGHTS GROUP OUT TO DEMONIZE 'DRUG WAR'—PALACE

By John Paolo Bencito and Maricel Cruz

DANCING DOVE. During a recent street dance competition in Mandaluyong

City in Metro Manila, a dove flew down, bobbed its head to stabilize its visual surroundings—obviously not in courtship since it was not a noisy flight, followed by a graceful, circular glide with outstretched wings and head down. Not clear if the dove got an honor. Manny Palmero

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MALACAÑANG on Saturday decried attempts to “demonize” the bloody war on drugs by international rights group Amnesty International, after President Rodrigo Duterte decided to make the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency as the sole agency in charge of his drug campaign.

“The Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency, which has been recently assigned by PRRD [President Rodrigo Roa Duterte] as the sole agency in charge of the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign, is now being demonized by Amnesty International,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

James Gomez, Amnesty International’s director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, warned that Duterte’s decision “may be nothing but a short-term PR move” meant to appease the growing opposition to it.

In the House of Representatives, an

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opposition leader welcomed Duterte’s decision to tap the PDEA to lead the administration’s anti-drug campaign.

BUuhay Party-list Rep. Lito Atienza, senior deputy minority leader, expressed belief the government’s effort to fight illegal drugs would have a better chance of succeeding with PDEA as the lead implementing agency.

“We commend the President, who definitely was well-advised and acted correctly and with great sensitivity by removing the anti-drug war from the hands of the PNP and giving it to the proper agency—PDEA,” Atienza said.

“I am sure that, generally, the people will support the President’s decision. But now that the President has given the PDEA the task of waging the government’s anti-drug war, he should make sure that they have the budget required for this,” he added.

Like in the appropriations approved for next year, Atienza lamented PDEA only got a very small amount—P2.59 billion.

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THE Department of Foreign Affairs refuted this week the claim of President Rodrigo Duterte, stressing that there was “no new offer” of money from the United Kingdom, contrary to the chief executive’s claim on Thursday.

In a statement, the DFA stressed the British Government remained one of the country’s most active bilateral partners, including cooperation in political, security, economic, cultural, and people-topeople spheres.

“The Philippines acknowledges the UK’s support in the development efforts of the Philippine government, particularly in Mindanao,” the DFA said in a statement.

“At the moment, there is no new offer of direct monetary assistance to the Philippines,” the foreign agency noted.

In his fresh tirade on Thursday, Duterte claimed he had“refused”$18 million to $20 million from the UK. “The latest word from Sonny [Dominguez III], the one from Turn to A2

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RODY'S...

UNFAZED BY RATINGS DROP, DUTERTE VOWS TO DELIVER

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“President Duterte is losing his grip.

Only a paranoid and insecure little man afraid of losing power will rationalize the need to impose a revolutionary government upon the people,” anti-Duterte coalition Tindig Pilipinas said in a statement Saturday.

“The paranoia is evident. It is manifested in the slide in the surveys, from the increasing numbers of the various forms of protests, from the massive pushback on social media and from the President’s increasingly irrational, indefensible and incoherent stances,” the group added.

Tindig Pilipinas issued this statement after Duterte on Friday threatened to create a revolutionary governent.

He told critics he would do this if he thought they’re “about to take over the nation,” and if they “have destabilized government” to the point that they would name a new leader.

But Tindig Pilipinas said the “threat to annihilate” democracy was Duterte’s “ultimate power game” in order to suppress “growing discontent” among the people.

• The office of Magdalo Party-List Rep. Gary Alejano also issued a statement, saying the Armed Forces and the National Defense Department had dismissed any destabilization plot.

“Thus, I do not understand where the President is getting his information on this imagined destabilization,” Alejano said.

“We have a working democratic government at present. As president, Duterte has access to all legal options that he may exhaust to quell any attempt of destabilization. A revolutionary government is irrelevant.”

By using the Left and all other Duterte critics as scapegoats to suppress legitimate dissent resulting from the policies of the regime will not solve the problem, Reyes added.

“Color-coding the protesters does not diminish the validity of the issues being raised. Draconian measures will only fuel protest, not resolve it (sic),” he warned.

While Duterte is confident the military will stick with him amid destabilization efforts by the Reds and the Yellows, he claimed the military establishment was aware the Communist Party was active in the destabilization scheme.

The President likewise sees a revolutionary government as a more practical step since this eliminates the need for him to report to Congress.

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Another possibility is that the North might be preparing to test a new Hwasong-13 ICBM, it added, that has a longer maximum range than the other two missiles and could potentially reach the US West Coast.

A defense ministry spokesman declined to comment on the report, saying: “We don’t comment on any matters of military intelligence.”

“We are keeping a close watch over the North,” he added.

The joint drills led by the USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier come after hectic US military hardware movements around the Korean peninsula in recent days.

These follow a flurry of missiles from Pyongyang, which conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test last month in defiance of international sanctions.

On Friday, the nuclear-powered USS Michigan submarine arrived at the southern South Korean port of Busan, just days after another nuclear-powered submarine‚—the USS Tuscon— left after a five day visit.

Earlier this week the US flew two supersonic heavy bombers over the Korean peninsula, staging the first night-time joint aviation exercises with Japan and South Korea.

That mission came 17 days after four US F-35B stealth fighter jets and two B1Bs flew over the peninsula.

Professor Yang Moo-Jin of the University of North Korean Studies said it was “highly likely” that the North could launch missiles in response to next week’s joint navy drill.

US President Donald Trump’s continued threats of military action against Pyongyang if it does not tame its weapons ambitions have fuelled fears of conflict on the Korean peninsula.

But military intervention against North Korea would have “devastating consequenc,” Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg warned Friday, after Trump said diplomatic efforts had failed. AFP

By John Paolo Bencito

T

HE drop in his satisfaction and trust ratings in the latest opinion polls does not really matter to him, President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday as he vowed to continue working to fulfill his campaign promises.

“It does not really matter to me kasi lahat ng ginagawa ko, those were exactly the words that I used during the campaign,” the President said in an interview over state-run PTV-4.

What matters, Duterte said, is the number that won him the May 2016 presidential race.

“I am not hungry for statistics.

Tapos na po iyan. Yung 16 million ko [voters], yun na po yung statistics ko,” he added.

In the latest third quarter Social Weather survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations from Sept.

23 to 27 with 1,500 respondents that was released Sunday, Duterte’s

net satisfaction ratings slipped to “good” +48 from June’s “very good” +66—with 67 percent of adult Filipinos satisfied with Duterte’s performance, while 14 percent were undecided, and 19 percent were dissatisfied.

Meanwhile, the latest September Ulat ng Bayan survey conducted by Pulse Asia from Sept. 24 to 30 with 1,200 respondents and came out Friday, showed Duterte retaining his big majority approval and trust ratings—with 80 percent of respondents saying that they approve of the President and 7 percent expressing their disapproval. Another 14 percent said that they were undecided.

Some 80 percent of those sur-

veyed likewise said they have big trust on Duterte, while 6 percent expressed no trust. The undecided meanwhile, is at 14 percent.

During the interview, Duterte said that he must fulfill all the good things and commit to all the promises he pledged to the Filipino people.

“I have to honor what I promised because that is my covenant with the people,” Duterte said.

“Eh sinabi ko na ho. Pati lahat ng mga mura ko, kasali na doon. Wala na kong tinago,” he added.

The Palace had earlier welcomed Duterte retaining his “big majority” approval and trust ratings in the Pulse Asia survey, despite criticism of his fierce war on drugs and allegations of hidden wealth.

PH HOSTS ASEAN GAB FOR START-UP FIRMS INVESTMENT opportunities are ahead for the startup community as several investors from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries and its partners are set to arrive in the Philippines for the Slingshot Asean Summit 2017.

The summit brings together entrepreneurs and innovators of startup firms into one international conference set on Oct. 19-20 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Manila.

Organized by the Department of Trade and Industry, Slingshot Asean 2017 aims to highlight the milestones of the startup community in the Philippines and across Asean. With the theme, “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World,” this summit will present a platform for different businesses

DFA...

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Great Britain, ah, $18 million, 20? I told Sonny, don’t accept,” Duterte said in his speech during the launching of the newly renovated press office in Malacañang.

“We will survive. Anyway, I control the foreign affairs of this government,” the Chief Executive said.

DFA, on the other hand, said the Philippine government was committed to continued engagement with the UK in furthering both countries’ longstanding and mutually beneficial partnership.

“The Philippines and the UK have enjoyed 71 years of friendly, productive and dynamic relations,” the DFA said.

“During this time, the UK has remained one of the most active bilateral partners of the Philippines in the political, security, economic, cultural and peopleto-people spheres,” it added.

Also on Thursday, Duterte threatened the European diplomats to leave the country in 24 hours.

that are still in their preliminary phase.

“We are encouraging the growth of startups in the country as part of the government’s efforts in boosting the economy and creating jobs for Filipinos in the country,” says DTI Undersecretary for Trade and Investments Promotion Nora K. Terrado.

“Startups are able to utilize and promote new technologies that drive future economic growth, and contribute to a continuous changing social environment and global economy,” she added.

The program includes a conference with a powerhouse set of speakers from all over the ASEAN region; learning hubs through seminar breakout sessions with industry experts; public and pri-

“You think we are a bunch of morons here. You are the one.

Now the ambassadors of those countries listening now, tell me, because we can have the diplomatic channel cut tomorrow. You leave my country in 24 hours, all of you,” Duterte said.

Duterte, whose political career was a mayor of Davao for more than 20 years, was reacting from a wrong information allegedly fed to him by his camp, that the EU wanted the Philippines expelled from the United Nations.

The President made the response in apparent reference to recent warnings by international rights group Human Rights Watch and the Philippine UPR Watch, calling for the expulsion of the Philippines from the UN Human Rights Council if unabated killings under the bloody drug war continues.

Duterte, however, erroneously attributed a call of a seven-member delegation of international parliamentarians for an end to the bloody war on drugs to the 28-member European Union.

A former senior diplomat, on the other hand, had also advised Duterte to refrain from making

RIGHTS...

From A1 “Maybe the ‘tokhang’ budget of the Philippine National Police of P900 million should be given to the PDEA and the President should see to it that they be given enough,” Atienza said.

Initially, the PDEA should be given between P10 and P 15 billion so they can hire more agents and more personnel to be more effective in the antidrug war, Atienza said.

At the same time, Interior and Local Government Officer-in-Charge Catalino Cuy said the DILG was “open to suggestions” regarding the drop boxes for the Mamamayang Ayaw sa Anomalya, Mamamayang Ayaw sa Iligal na Droga and that there is no need to scrap the budget allocated for the purpose alto-

vate sector dialogues; pitching competitions; and an exhibit of business innovations that can help startup businesses across Asean.

This is the third year that the Philippines is organizing a Slingshot Summit, with a larger audience representing 10 Asean member states as part of the Philippines’ hosting and ASEAN’s 50th year.

In 2015 and 2016, Slingshot Philippines took initiative to form dialogues between public-private public-private policies with its output as the creation of the Startup Ecosystem Development Program.

These programs have been rolled out as building blocks for linkages between government and private sector initiatives.

According to Artie Lopez, cofounder and startup coach of

impulsive remarks, given the fact that the Philippines was exporting billions amount of goods to the European Union with zerotariff or on duty-free basis.

“PRRD should restrain himself from making such impulsive remarks,” DFA retired ambassador Jose Cuisia said in a text message.

He warned that his remarks could have an adverse impact on the Philippines’ relations with EU. “Again, the President has made unfortunate remarks which will have an adverse impact on our country’s relations with EU,” Cuisia said.

He noted the Philippines was exporting “substantial amounts of goods to the EU on duty-free basis”.

“This trade can be imperiled and who will be the loser? The Philippines, of course,” he added.

The EU was the 8th largest contributor of Official Development Assistance to the Philippines in 2015, according to latest data from the National Economic and Development Authority.

The EU provided $227.31 million in grants, interest-free, and accounted for about 2 percent of the total ODA funding in 2015.

gether.

Cuy made the pronouncement after the MASA MASID, along with the “drop box mechanism”, was grilled in the Senate plenary debate for DILG’s budget and was deemed as “prone to malice and abuse which can possibly lead to unnecessary deaths”.

“We can do away with the MASA MASID drop box but not the whole budget earmarked for the mechanism,” he said.

MASA MASID is a barangay-based anti-criminality, anti-corruption, and anti-illegal drugs program which encourages multi-sectoral partnership to intensify the spirit of volunteerism at the community level.

Cuy acknowledged the adverse reactions from various sectors on the drop box scheme but maintained it was meant as a feedback mechanism that would encourage the people to take an active role in ensuring peace and order

Brainsparks, a startup incubator and one of the private sector partners of Slingshot Asean, “One of the problems for startups is getting potential investors to know about them. Slingshot helps with that by bringing in both foreign and local investors in one place at one time to learn more and get involved with the local startup ecosystem.”

“There’s a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, and the same goes for startups. While they can be successful alone, it would accelerate their growth to have a strong support system,” he added.

The event is open for startup owners and entrepreneurs with business innovations by registering at the aseancbip2017.com or follow link posted at the Slingshot Asean social media accounts.

SARA...

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Moreover, Sara said the parade where she and then Mayor Duterte were seen was a “dud” compared to her father’s campaign parades.

“You want to bring this country down with PRD [President Rodrigo Duterte] kasi gusto niyo kayo lang.

When I look at the videos and pictures of your yellow senators, natatawa ako sa ambisyon niyo,” she added in Filipino.

The daughter of the President’s latest post was, aside from being a rebuttal to Injustigram’s post, filled with other remarks and stories about different political personalities, including Manila Mayor and former President Joseph Estrada.

Her comments about former President Benigno Aquino III, “Of course we all know, there is something off with PNoy. Roxas is intel-

in communities.

“The drop box is not meant for ‘tokhang’ as claimed by different groups. We just want the people to be on board in the government’s efforts for peaceful and progressive communities,” he said.

Abella also accused the Amnesty International of “disparaging” the frontline role of the PNP” in the anti-illegal drug campaign.

“PDEA is the new object of A.I.’s, and similar groups’ ire and vilification,” he said.

The international watchdog’s comments however would have no effect on Duterte’s decision.

“We are hopeful that operations of this agency will not be jeopardized by the interference of outside agencies that fail to appreciate our desire, not for a drug-tolerant, but drug-free nation,” Abella said.

ligent, PNoy among other things, is not.”

The incumbent Davao City mayor claimed she had at least two anecdotes about “what is off ” with Aquino, but that she would reserve them for when another photo against her comes out.

She added she had “anecdotes” about Roxas, broadcaster Korina Sanchez and TV personality Kris Aquino as well.

She ended her rant with an offer to be a consultant for the Duterte family’s critics.

This latest Facebook post is Sara’s third social media tirade in three days. It started on Thursday, when she called out opposition senators for being “opportunists” and continued on Friday, when she challenged Senator Antonio Trillanes IV to prove his claims about the first family’s wealth.

The subjects of her remarks, all of them opposition figures, had responded in separate statements.

On Friday, Duterte said he was taking a hands-off approach and leaving the job of prosecuting the war on drugs to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to satisfy his critics, who have denounced the rising death toll.

At the same time, however, he said he was not washing his hands of the responsibility for the death of thousands of drug suspects at the hands of the police, who have now been taken off the assignment that has been transferred to the PDEA. The President also admitted he stood to lose all the gains made in the drug war by pulling out all government agencies involved in the campaign.

“Me frankly? I say we’ll lose it,” he said.

While he is confident about the competence of PDEA chief Aaron Aquino, Duterte remained wary whether the agency could cope, now that it was the sole agency leading the drug war.

News

DU30 FIRES TWO OFFICIALS FOR DELAYING INFRA PROJECT

By John Paolo Bencito

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte fired two officials for reportedly delaying the construction of a major infrastructure project in Metro Manila meant to ease traffic congestion.

In an interview over state-run PTV-4, Duterte said that the two officials from the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission were reportedly sitting on needed documents for the Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3 Project for an entire year.

“Itong dalawa, may pinagawa akong dismissal. Hindi ko nagustuhan. Kasi ang Cabinet members are only allowed one month to act on the papers. Ang mga directors, ulitin ko, 15 days lang kayo. May

dalawa dito na isang taon na halos ‘yung papel,” the President said.

“At ‘yun pa namang papel na ‘yung construction firm, na siya ang gagawa ng bridge across San Juan. Ang sabi ko sa kanila, kasi madaliin nga. Ito, almost one day—one year rather—walang ginawa kung hindi magupo doon sa papeles,” he added.

While he did not disclose the names of the officials, Duterte had earlier met with PRRC officials, led by Jose Antonio “Pepeton” Goitia to discuss the delay of the turnover of papers. Duterte said they sent him a formal letter of apology following the meeting.

Duterte said, however, that what the two officials did was “unacceptable.”

He also said that the two officials violated the country’s anti-graft and corrupt practices law as a result of the delay.

“Masama talaga ang ginawa nitong dalawa.

It delayed the project. So, for almost so many

months, nagmamadali nga tayo so that we can have the mobility of the people of Metro Manila moving faster. Itong dalawa, inupuan ‘yan almost one year,” he said.

“Kaya sabi ko, while they sent me a letter apologizing for the delay, I’m telling them now—dito ngayon sa TV—I have fired you actually,” he added.

Due to the heavy traffic in Metro Manila, the government proposed the construction of Skyway Stage 3, passing through some cities in the metropolis, with a length of 14.8 km. Once completed, this will connect the North and South Luzon Expressways.

He assured the public anew that corruption and political oppression would no longer thrive in the country and disrupt the growth of the economy.

“I have fired so many government employees… Talagang ‘yung sabi kong ayaw ko ng corruption, ayaw ko ng corruption,” President Duterte said.

DE LIMA DESERVES TO BE JAILED —DUTERTE PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday once again shot back against embattled Senator Leila de Lima, saying that she deserved to be in jail for her involvement in illegal drugs activities.

In an interview over state-run PTV-4, Duterte said that De Lima deserves to remain in jail at the custodial center in Camp Crame, since the illegal drugs charges against the senator are valid.

“Itong kaso ni De Lima, totoo talaga ‘to... and the Americans know that already,” Duterte said.

He likewise shot back against the lady senator, for portraying herself as a “prisoner of conscience.”

“You start with the tapes of the… in x-rated, between De Lima and the driver. Because diyan nag-umpisa ang corruption niya… sa driver niya.”

“Maniwala ba kayo na inimbento lahat yon? Pati yung lahat nasa loob, pati yung driver niya na mahal niya.”

“Then she’s claiming she’s a prisoner of conscience. Would you believe it’s invented?... Do not blame anybody.

Frankly speaking, on this planet, it’s your life. You are responsible for all what’s happening in your life,” he added.

Voting 9-6, the Supreme Court en banc last Tuesday junked De Lima’s petition, saying it is the Muntinlupa Regional Trial Court, rather than the anti-graft court Sandiganbayan, that has jurisdiction over the drug trade cases filed against her.

John Paolo Bencito

PH EXTENDS SYMPATHY TO WILDFIRE VICTIMS THE Philippines on Saturday expressed its sympathy to the families of victims affected by the raging wildfires in Northern California, which destroyed an estimated 5,700 structures destroyed and killed at least 34 people.

“We express our sympathies to the families of victims whose lives and properties were lost during the raging Northern California wildfires,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement read over state radio dzRB. Abella assured that none of the almost 18,000 Filipinos residing in the Wine Country and surrounding counties “have been reported as among the casualties” of the wildfire.

“Nonetheless, we continue to reach out to the Filipino communities in the affected areas, particularly in the Napa and Sonoma counties, to ascertain the condition of our ‘kababayans’,” he added.

The wildfires, which began on Oct. 8, have swept through California’s Wine Country, leaving more than 30 deaths and thousands of people homeless.

Over 73,000 acres of land and 1,500 structures were destroyed, and an estimated 20,000 residents were evacuated, according to the country’s Consulate General in San Francisco, which is closely monitoring the situation. John Paolo Bencito

POE PUSHES FOR P2-B HIKE FOR FEEDING PROGRAM WEATHER SPECIALIST. Nikos Penaranda monitors tropical storm ’Odette’ which is now over the coast of Ilocos Sur and is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility between tomorrow early morning based on satellite feeds. Accompanying photo shows fishermen fastening their bancas near the Manila Bay coastline to ensure the safety of their only means of livelihood. Manny Palmero and Norman Cruz

MWSS CHIEF LAUDS MAYNILAD FOR ENHANCED SERVICES STRESSING that providing sustainable water and efficient services to Metro Manila residents is a shared responsibility among stakeholders, Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Administrator Reynaldo V. Velasco lauded Maynilad Water Services Inc. for its remarkable turnaround after 10 years of reprivatization in 2007.

Citing a report from Maynilad president Ramoncito S. Fernandez at the recent 1st Korea Water International Water Week where Velasco shared equal billing with two concessionaires along with Manila Water president Ferdinand M. dela Cruz, the MWSS chief said the overall efforts of service and efficiency levels of Maynilad have dramatically improved.

“Our customer base grew by 94 percent from about 678,000 in

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2006 to over 1.3 million in 2016, covering 94 percent of our service area,” Fernandez said.

From 32 percent, our customers with 24-hour water supply increased to 98 percent. Those who receive their supply at an average pressure of 7 psi also increased from 45 percent to 100 percent. We have also brought down our average NRW level from 68 percent in 2006 to 29.9 percent by the end of last year,” Fernandez said in a well applauded speech at the Korea conference.

Fernandez said managing the West concession in Metro Manila has been a challenge, notably from 1997 to 2006 when Maynilad was in bad shape that its previous private owners could not sustain operations when it suffered huge losses following the 1998 Asian financial crisis.

When the concession was reprivatized in 2007, the new Maynilad owners faced the task of reviving a financially crippled company.

“That was 10 years ago. Since then, Maynilad was able to swiftly get out of rehabilitation and implement a massive Capex Program of P65.2 billion or approximately $1.5 billion at historical exchange rates,” noted Fernandez.

The Maynilad chief said that what helped the miraculous turnaround was the water firm’s continued faith in the MWSS Public-Private Partnership, despite the failure of its initial privatization, Fernandez said. He said the men and women of Maynilad who persisted through its turbulent corporate history proved their strong dedication to public service.

Fernandez said that Maynilad its setting its sights on expanding to other areas of the Philippines as there are currently about 15 million Filipinos who are still without access to water.

“We want to replicate our success in other areas so that more people can enjoy improved water supply and sanitation,” he added.

Fernandez stressed that the partnership with the MWSS has benefitted millions of Filipinos.

“Our services have spurred economic activity, while our investments have generated thousands of jobs. More than a business, we see Maynilad as a vehicle for nation-building. Because by partnering with government, we can use our resources to uplift the lives of our countrymen,” he said.

SENATOR Grace Poe is pushing for an additional outlay of P2 billion for next year’s implementation of the school-based feeding program in order to restore health for malnourished school children.

Poe, who had earlier committed to push for the increase of the feeding program’s budget, said the initiative is important to ensure that 2.5 million wasted and severely wasted students or those with chronic malnutrition will be properly supported next year. She said there is a huge backlog in food preparation and storage equipment in public schools “which in turn hamper the latter’s mission to provide education and nutrition.”

“Kailangan natin ng sapat at wastong pasilidad para makapaghanda ng masustansyang pagkain para sa milyong mga bata sa ilalim ng programa. Mamuhunan tayo sa kinabukasan ng ating kabataan sa pagsuporta sa kanilang nutrisyon,” said Poe, who has advocated for the feeding program since being elected as lawmaker.

Poe, who co-sponsored a measure seeking to institutionalize the feeding program, said the additional funding will be used for procurement of equipment necessary for the establishment of new and upgrading of existing school kitchens with adequate storage facilities.

The DepEd allocated P5.3 billion in the proposed 2018 General Appropriations Act for the feeding program.

In this year’s national budget, the DepEd had allotted P3.9 billion to feed 1.8 million students.

The feeding program targets wasted and severely wasted Kinder to Grade 6 pupils nationwide for a total of 120 feeding days.

Poe said various research done by local and international organizations monitored that suggested hunger, malnutrition and stunting—or children who are short of their age— are still prevalent in the Philippines.

“Ang programang ito ay pantawidgutom para sa mga mag-aaral na hindi nakakakain nang sapat sa kanilang tahanan. Sa pamamagitan ng feeding program, lalagyan natin ng laman hindi lang ang kanilang isipan, kundi pati ang sikmurang kumakalam pagpasok sa paaralan,” Poe said.

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Adelle Chua, Editor

EDITORIAL

HEADY WITH POWER

I

THE SCIENCE OF RESILIENCE

By Pecier Decierdo AS I am writing this, wildfires rage in the wine country of California. A month ago and several states away, two storms battered the southeastern part of the United States in quick succession. Not long after, a third ravaged islands in the Caribbean. Here in the Philippines, we are getting used to comparable weather extremes. Here’s the punch line—scientists say we should get used to it. This, they say, is “the new normal.”

The fight to reduce our carbon emissions is still a battle worth fighting.

There are, after all, countless reasons to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. For one, our species’ survival depends on it. But while we are trying to prevent the worst from happening, we should simultaneously begin adapting to the new normal. This is where resilience comes in.

Resilience is the capacity of a system to resist and recover from damage.

In the case of a human person, resilience can be thought of as toughness, the ability to recuperate from physical or psychological harm.

When she gets fired from her job, a resilient person soon finds another one that is just as good or even better than her pervious job. When he loses a loved one, a resilient person grieves for a while, but then picks himself up and proceeds with life, carrying the pain of loss without being consumed by it.

All religious and philosophical traditions, from Stoicism to Buddhism, tackle the concept of individual resilience. The advent of modern medicine and psychology added a scientific lens to this challenge. Backed by science, generations of practitioners have been able to effectively help people restore themselves after adversity.

Social resilience also has a long tradition in the history of thought, traceable all the way back to Confucius, Plato, and others. It is only in recent years, however, that a scientific approach to social resilience has begun to emerge. Why is this? There are several reasons.

First, a science of social resilience has to build on the scholarship on individual resilience. Societies, after all, are composed of individual people. Understanding what makes communities resilient requires us to understand what makes individuals resilient.

For another, social structures are a level of complexity higher. To see this, let us look at one example of a problem that the scholars of social resilience are puzzling over.

A super typhoon ravages a small, remote village. Their farms are damaged, they have lost contact with neighboring villages, and their already tenuous access to basic needs such as electricity and clean water was cut off.

In what way can this community and its neighbors be organized so that the impact of the next storm is minimized, and so that they can more quickly recover from that impact? What government policies should be in place so that the survivors of the calamity receive the needed support in a timely manner? What practices in governance

T’S show business, but it is also politics, and it is also life.

American producer Harvey Weinstein has been reaping the benefits of his power for many years now. He has been getting away with the lowest, crudest, most abhorrent behavior toward women—and nobody dared speak up until now.

Because he was the man behind one of the biggest and most successful film companies in the US, Weinstein’s behavior never quite caught up with him until too late.

Before this, countless women—actresses whether still aspiring or already known—have suffered in silence, weighing the costs of coming forward with their allegations.

Weinstein, as we know now, flaunted his power in the industry. He knew he could make or break women’s careers, as he had made and broken them. He was aware he could get away with the lewdest, most arrogant of crimes. He saw women not as human beings but as commodities to be enjoyed.

And this is not to say he preyed on the weak.

Many of the women who have come forward with their own horror stories are not cowering victims. On the contrary they are strong, successful and outspoken. But even they hesitated and weighed the consequences of their action. They may have refused his advances, or failed to fight it, or seen him in action with others. They have their own reasons for coming out just now, or not coming out at all.

Weinstein is now a pariah in the circles which used to defer to him all the time. With any luck he would face charges and live the rest of his life paying for his acts.

Meanwhile, those of his ilk continue to roam, not just Hollywood but corporations, government offices, in the US and perhaps even more so in the more misogynistic countries of the world.

For all our gains in advancing equality and closing various forms of gender gaps and discrimination, there are realities that are not easily erased. Weinstein said he grew up in a different era, one where societal norms and perceptions of women are different, but does that make all men of his agenerations predators like him? No. It could be easier and more convenient to keep silent. It is tempting to just forget and move on since speaking up could appear more turbulent and disruptive, especially if you are up against powerful men. But this is exactly how men like Weinstein flourish.

He may have been stopped now, but what about the countless others like him who get away with saying the most objectionable of things just because they are in positions of power?

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FILIPINOS FACE CHALLENGES LIVING IN THE US MANY Filipinos think their kababayans living in the United States have a life of Spam and Hershey’s chocolates, but what they don’t realize is that newcomers starting over in a new land face many challenges—financial, social, cultural.

About a million immigrants have entered the US each year for the past 15 years, mostly from Asia and Latin America, the biggest wave since the European influx of the 1800s.

Immigration was a huge issue during last year’s US presidential elections.

Donald Trump wants to build a border wall, deport illegal immigrants, ban Muslims, and tighten legal immigration.

Hillary Clinton aimed to provide a pathway to legal presence for illegals, boost legal immigration for family-based and job-based applicants, and implement other immigration reforms. The issue is still a contentious one being hotly debated in political venues and the media.

What are legal immigrants? They are officially called “lawful permanent resi-

dents” (LPRs), more familiarly as “green card holders.” Two-thirds of LPRs came in on family reunification visas, the rest on employment visas or as refugees.

The “family reunification” visas often arrive late, or too late, to reunify families. Someone always gets left behind.

Someone is always heartbroken and bereft. Someone always cries. I received mine after 20 years and found that the decades had created a gap between me and my relative who petitioned for me.

This outcome, I was told by other immigrants, is often the case—heartbreaking

but sometimes inevitable.

According to the Department of Homeland Security website, LPRs “may live and work permanently anywhere in the United States, own property, and attend public schools, colleges, and universities. They may also join the Armed Forces and apply to become US citizens if they meet certain eligibility requirements.”

About the latter, the US Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) requires new male immigrants aged 18 to 25 to register with the Selective Service

System, “to furnish manpower to the Defense Department during a national emergency…”

Upon arriving, new legal immigrants have to hurdle more challenges. They have to wait weeks or months for social security numbers and green cards to arrive before they can get identification cards and driver licenses and apply for work or enroll in school.

Applying for work is a catch-22 situation: immigrants often cannot get jobs in their field of expertise because Turn to A5

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By Amir Handjani PRESIDENT Donald Trump has finally made good on his threat to decertify Iranian compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal. Despite warnings from his most senior national security officials—Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster—Trump is determined to eviscerate the legacy of his predecessor, Barack Obama, global security be damned.

Trump’s decision flies in the face of eight reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency confirming that Iran is adhering to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which went into effect in January 2016.

It also puts the US at odds with its European, Russian and Chinese negotiating partners, all of whom have reiterated the importance of the agreement for global security and nonproliferation.

Trump’s action doesn’t in and of itself shred the nuclear pact: Congress now has 60 days to vote on that step, and the White House is asking it instead to set up a number of “trigger points” that would result in reimposition of sanctions.

But don’t be fooled: By decertifying in the face of all evidence that Iran is complying, Trump is in effect going rogue, and the consequences will be felt across the globe.

The US and Europe brought Iran to the negotiating table after 10 years of coordinated and painstaking sanctions that targeted all aspects o f I r a n’s e c o n o my, i n c l u d i n g banking, energy and trade. Over two administrations (those of George W. Bush and Obama), Washington, in close cooperation with the EU

THE SCIENCE...

must be in place so that those policies are enacted effectively?

The example above is not hypothetical. It is, of course, the challenge that scholars of resilient development have been trying to solve in the wake of Typhoon Yolanda.

In the case of natural systems, we have seen that some are more resilient than others. For example, certain coral reefs are better at resisting coral bleaching. Some reefs are also better at rebuilding themselves after damage from, say, bad fishing practices. Marine biologists have identified diversity, the amount of variety of different organisms, as one important factor in determining which reefs are more resilient.

It is high time for scientists to have something similar for social systems, be they communities, cities, markets, or governments.

To achieve this, it is essential to bring together the process of science, p o l i c y m a k i n g, a n d co m m u n i t y development into one process. In other words, policymaking must be backed by the latest science. It should also be in the service of everyone, especially the most vulnerable.

Furthermore, the scientific process must include inputs from the whole of society. Scientists have now realized that when science does not include the voice of the vulnerable, policies backed by the products of that science will fail to build resilience.

Like in natural systems, scientists are now realizing that social systems are only as resilient as their most vulnerable members. This has been seen in the failures of previous government policies and development plans to address the needs of the poorest members of society.

In the end, it seems the new normal, horrible as it will be, has one fringe benefit. It will force all of us to approach the future with this frame of mind: we’re all in this together.

Pecier Decierdo is the resident physicist and astronomer of The Mind Museum.

effectively cut Tehran off from the global economy.

This was a remarkable act by the Europeans. Tehran, despite the 1979 Islamic Revolution, had robust commercial relationships with Europe. Iranians could travel with relative ease to Europe and, despite being isolated from the US, were getting essential goods and services such as medicine and technology from the EU. With Brussels and Washington u n i t e d, a g o o d c o p - b a d c o p routine was successful in extracting meaningful concessions from Iran which led to the nuclear deal.

In the two years since the deal was signed, Europe has slowly regained its access to the Iranian market. Iran’s economy is rebounding. EU foreign policy chief Frederica Mogherini has called the nuclear deal vital to international peace and security.

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Theresa May have gone on record saying the deal is doing what it was intended to do, prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. While neither are opposed to starting discussions on other troubling aspects of Iran’s behavior, so long as IAEA maintains that Iran is living up to its obligations, the EU does not want the nuclear pact abrogated.

Trump’s actions, and any new sanctions from Congress, will drive a wedge between Washington and Europe on Iran. It would be virtually impossible to reconstitute that sanctions regime that was in place before the nuclear deal came into effect. Trump’s decision will be viewed as callous disregard for multilateral negotiations and norms. It will reinforce the image that Iran often

portrays the US as being a bully on the world stage that does what it wants with reckless abandon—alliances and commitments notwithstanding.

It’s an image that Trump embraces in both style and substance.

The implications for Europe go well beyond the Iran deal. With Trump’s precedent of shunning the global security architecture that the US has led for 75 years now in question, Europeans will be left wondering if the US would really live up to its security c o m m i t m e n t s i f, s a y, R u s s i a became more aggressive in the Baltic states or Eastern Europe.

On top of that, as if one nuclear crisis wasn’t enough, the message Trump is sending to North Korea couldn’t be worse. If there is any hope of putting limits on that nation’s nuclear weapons program it would be to show its leadership that entering into multilateral negotiations and honoring their commitments would bring them back in from the diplomatic cold.

With the example of Iran complying and Trump refusing to certify that compliance, what incentive would Kim Jong Un have to abandon his nuclear arsenal? After all, Tehran never had the leverage that Kim has now, it never produced a nuclear weapon. It would harden the view of many in North Korea that they should never give up their nuclear capabilities or negotiate with Washington.

But perhaps the worst outcome of Trump’s actions will be felt in Iran itself. Regime hardliners who never liked the nuclear deal will give relative moderates like President Hassan Rouhani and Foreign Minister Javad Zarif a collective “I told you so.” It will

only re-enforce the perception that the US can’t be trusted and close the door on any future negotiations.

Hawks around Trump seem to think that this move will bring Iran to the table to discuss other legitimate issues of concern, such as Tehran’s human-rights abuses, sponsorship of terrorism and efforts to destabilize the Middle East. Or perhaps to agree to “add-on” clauses to the 2015 deal putting new restrictions on Iran’s nuclear research.

These hopes fly in the face of reason. If the US fails to live up to its own promises, it will just embolden Tehran to consolidate its gains and heighten tensions with its neighbors, particularly the Gulf Arab states, and accelerate its ballistic missile program. No future Iranian leader will be able to credibly make the case to his people that negotiating with the US and compromising is better way forward than confrontation and defiance. Iran may yet stay in the deal, but it will be leery of any follow-on agreement on other aspects of its behavior.

It now falls on Congress to save the deal and restore US credibility on the world stage. It should not reimpose sanctions absent an Iranian breach that is verified by the IAEA. It should strictly enforce the terms of the agreement and disentangle it from other aspects of Iran’s behavior that are troubling.

Still, no matter what decision Congress takes, the fact that an American president would not live up to the word of the US is something the international community is not used to. It will further fragment partners, allies and embolden adversaries. It will make the world a more dangerous place. Bloomberg

FACEBOOK IS UBIQUITOUS, BUT WILL IT BE TRUSTED?

Dr. Ortuoste is a California-based writer. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

TRUMP AIMS AT IRAN DEAL BUT DAMAGES THE US

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their credentials are not recognized, or because people with US experience are preferred—but how can one obtain US experience when no one will hire them?

I’ve heard of physicians working as postal office workers, engineers as community college instructors, upper managers as truck or Uber drivers. But as a professor friend told me, when you go to America, you will start from scratch.

“Bababa ka,” he said. “You will likely have to settle for a job that you’re overqualified for. But you have to start somewhere.” If anything, starting over this way is humbling. It builds character.

As non-citizens, LPRs cannot carry US passports, nor can they vote or perform jury duty. But like citizens, they pay taxes and other government fees. If their services are required, they will have to go to war or serve the US Armed Forces in an appropriate capacity.

Through their work, permanent residents contribute to the growth of the economy and the communities that they belong to. They have just as much invested in the US as citizens do, and they have had to make sacrifices to come over, but are without a voice in electing national and state leadership or deciding on issues affecting the states where they reside.

However, after establishing five years of residency, the LPR may opt for US citizenship, after passing background checks and a civics test (it’s very easy).

Whether it’s living permanently in the US or working on contract in another country, the challenges remain and often life and work is a struggle, particularly those who are apart from their families. The balikbayan boxes sent over for their families to enjoy are full of items purchased after grueling hours of work as a cleaner, admin assistant, museum guard.

It’s not all chocolates and Disneyland in the diaspora. But Filipino pride still reigns in the hearts of many immigrants, and we bloom where we are planted, as we work for ourselves and those we love.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017

By Conor Sen THIS has been the year of Facebook.

Its stock price has increased by around 50 percent as it continues to assert its dominance in user activity and digital ad revenue. It undercut one of the companies trying to catch up with it, Snap, by adding a similar feature, Stories, to its increasingly dominant Instagram service. And scrutiny surrounding its role in the 2016 presidential election continues to grow, as politicians seek more information about Russia’s involvement on Facebook in the weeks and months leading up to last November.

How should Facebook respond to its moment? To think about where the company might go from here, consider the history of television and how its identity evolved with the culture.

As a news medium, television came of age in the 1960s. If the 2016 was the first “Facebook election,” 1960 might

have been the first television election, with the aesthetic contrast between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon helping to put Kennedy in the White House. Asked about the influence of television on politics in the early 1960s, someone might have said that it made our leaders look better and strengthened our institutions. The period from Kennedy’s inauguration to his assassination might have been the high point for American institutions.

But those were early days for television as a news medium, and as institutional trust began to wane, television adapted. Video footage of the Vietnam War and protests back at home shocked Americans and helped create some of the cultural divisions in the country that persist to this day. The investigative journalism show “60 Minutes” debuted in 1968, and its formative years were during the tumultuous Nixon administration.

In his book, “How We Got Here:

The 70’s: The Decade That Brought You Modern Life,” David Frum noted that television was the only American institution to show a rise in confidence during this period, garnering credibility by attacking the credibility of everyone else. The cultural roots of Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show,” which mocked American leaders during the 2000s, or the “ takedown journalism” of the present day’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,” were formed decades ago.

Facebook is coming of age in a much different environment.

Institutional trust is at a nadir.

That’s presumably one reason that Facebook calls itself a technology company or a “platform,” rather than a news company. The problem with that “platform” claim comes when groups beyond the pale, like white supremacists, use the medium for hate, or when nefarious foreign governments use it in an attempt to sway American elections. A recent

study of college undergraduates showed that only 29 percent believe Facebook has a positive impact on political discourse, compared to 57 percent who believe it has a negative impact.

Ultimately, if Facebook wants to be more influential and more valuable, it has to be a platform that garners the trust of its users and advertisers. It can’t be seen as being a den for hate groups and scam artists. It’s slowly making moves in this direction, trying to help users see where content comes from in order to build trust on the platform.

Strengthening institutions is impossible without a concerted effort from the public, voters, politicians and news mediums. Television’s ratings are in decline, and Facebook’s influence continues to grow. Its legacy does not have to be fake news and Russian influence. But those will be dominant themes unless Facebook takes control of its platform and earns the trust of the public. Bloomberg

ASIA WILL HOLD GLOBAL GROWTH CROWN FOR NEXT DECADE

By Enda Curran and Ye Xie ASIA will remain the world economy’s powerhouse for the next decade even as other regions pick up speed, according to Changyong Rhee, the Asia-Pacific director at the International Monetary Fund.

A deepening recovery in the US and Europe has helped fuel the world economy’s best performance in years, with 75 percent of the globe enjoying an upswing. The Asia-Pacific region is leading the way and is set to account for 63.3 percent of global growth in 2017, Rhee said in an interview in Washington.

China is forecast to contribute 34.1 percent and India 13.8 percent on a purchasing power parity basis.

The Washington-based fund is forecasting the Asia-Pacific region

will expand by 5.6 percent in 2017 as exports accelerate and domestic demand holds up. It sees growth of 3.6 percent for the world economy as a whole. Still, governments in Asia will need to push through reforms to ensure they hit their growth potential, Rhee said. Aging populations, lagging productivity and growing inequality are among the most pressing challenges.

Here are excerpts of the conversation with Rhee.

Q: Can Asia continue to be the world economy’s biggest source of growth even as other regions accelerate?

A: The trend will continue for at least a decade. When you think of rising middle classes in India, China and that Asean is coming up, the level of growth is really different compared to other

regions.

Q: Other region’s are also seeing faster growth, what will that mean for Asia’s share of the global growth pie?

A: Asia will remain the engine of growth. Even if on relative terms it goes down, this is good news because the recovery in advanced economies will mutually help each other. So this is good for the global economy and good for Asia too.

Q: How broad based is that positive outlook? Is it all about China?

A: India is emerging as a new engine of growth, many Asean economies remain quite resilient, as do frontier economies like Vietnam and Cambodia.

Per capita income is much lower in Asia, so there is room to grow.

Q: Even with the optimistic outlook,

what are some of the risks in Asia that you look at?

A: Two years ago, everyone was coming to my office asking “when will China collapse?” Now, the situation has changed and not many people think that. But still, it’s the biggest risk.

China maintains its high growth rate on the back of high credit expansion.

If history is a good textbook, after this rapid credit expansion, there are several countries that experience a very abrupt adjustment. Given the size of China, it would have a large impact on the global economy. But China’s authorities understand this risk and they have started to rein in their credit growth.

They fully understand this risk. We believe they have the buffers to manage it for a while. Bloomberg

ACTION VS ZAMBALES ‘PERYAHAN’ PRAISED THE Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office has lauded the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation Detection Group in Zambales for finally moving against the “Peryahan ng Bayan” in Olongapo City.

PCSO general manager Alexander Balutan said CIDG-Zambales recently raided a draw court of the illegal peryahan or fairground on Gordon Avenue in Barangay Pagasa and arrested five employees of Globaltech Mobile Online Corp., the operator of the facility.

Balutan said PCSO relentlessly implements President Rodrigo Duterte's Executive Order No. 13 against illegal numbers games and all forms of illegal gambling visa-vis the promotion and protection of the government-sponsored Small Town Lottery, the only legal numbers game in the country.

“We cannot thank CIDG-Zambales enough for moving promptly on the complaint of our Zambales branch manager Pierre Ferrer. Their efficiency is a big help in increasing the charity funds of the government,” Balutan said.

Balutan noted that PCSO revenues have been adversely affected by the continued operation of illegal gambling which unfairly competes with PCSO’s legal gaming products, particularly the STL. The PCSO declared the peryahan of Globaltech Mobile Online Corp. illegal for multiple violations of its contract.

Globaltech was granted a one-year authorization to operate the Peryahan ng Bayan in 2014, but PCSO under Duterte’s administration terminated the deed of authorization because of Globaltech’s continued and repeated refusal to remit the share of the government.

“Unfortunately, ‘Peryahan ng Bayan’ continues to operate in different parts of the country although the PCSO had already terminated its deed of authorization last year,” PCSO chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz said earlier.

In fact, Ferrer related, the five Globaltech employees could not present any document to show they had government authority to operate the game.

“The employees were asked for documents authorizing their operations from PCSO or any government agency, but they failed to show any so the CIDG confiscated their paraphernalia, including two draw machines and a draw result board,” Ferrer narrated.

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 Standard mst.daydesk@gmail.com TODAY Manila

THIEVES ABOUND AT FOUR AIRPORTS, MIAA WARNS

By Joel E. Zurbano

T

HE Manila International Airport Authority on Saturday urged people to be aware of unscrupulous individuals at airport terminals, specially this coming Yuletide season when the number of passengers is expected to increase.

"We also want to inform the public that even the airport employees were the victims," said MIAA media affairs division chief Jesus Martinez. "In fact, there's a case involving a foreign national who did the wrongdoing."

Martinez was referring to the case of Dorota Lidia Rasinka Samocko, a Polish national, who was placed under investigation for the stolen bag

of airport janitress Elsie Amplayo at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport-Terminal 1 in September.

Samocko, who arrived from Guam on Sept. 29, admitted the wrongdoing and returned Amplayo's shoulder bag containing her 15-day salary amounting to P4,000.

MIAA assistant general manager for security Allen Capuyan said the incident happened at a restroom in

the arrival extension of Naia Terminal 1 around 6:45 a.m. of Sept. 30.

"The janitress didn't pursue her case against the foreigner for humanitarian reason," said Capuyan.

"She's [Amplayo] very kind."

Meanwhile, maximum deployment of security personnel will be observed at the four terminals with the “no leave” policy to be implemented by the Airport Police Department relating to the "Oplan Undas 2017."

Last year, Makoto Hasegawa, a Japanese national, was a victim of the “Salisi Gang” at the airport.

Hasegawa, who arrived from Osaka, told airport police authorities that his hand-carry bag was stolen

from his trolley at bay 13 of the terminal's north wing arrival area.

His bag contained US dollars and Japanese Yen equivalent to P170,000; three different credit cards, a Canon camera, and his return plane ticket to Japan.

An arriving overseas Filipino worker likewise lost her bag while taking lunch at the Naia Terminal 3.

Johaima Alug, who arrived on board a Cebu Pacific flight 5J111 from Hong Kong, was having lunch with her family at a fastfood restaurant at the arrival area when her Longchamp bag disappeared.

Alug said the bag contained cash, her passport, cards and other valuables.

GENERAL NOTICE OF GRANCONOMA, INC. DISSOLUTION Please be advised that the GRANCONOMA, INC, doing business at Unit 203, The Manila Residences, 2320 Taft Avenue, Malate 1004 will be dissolved by shareholder and director resolution as of September 30, 2017.

All debts owed to the corporation, and all claims against the corporation will be received by Manuel M. Ramirez, at the business address set forth above.

CALOOCAN AID. Former senator Bongbong Marcos lead a medical mission at the Bagong Silang Covered Court Package ll, Phase ll, in Caloocan City on Saturday in coordination with city officials headed by Mayor Oscar Malapitan. Andrew Rabulan

(MS-OCT. 15,22 & 29, 2017)

UPLB NAMES ABBY BINAY TOP GOVERNANCE ALUMNA THE University of the Philippines in Los Baños has named Makati City Mayor Abigail “Abby” Binay as Outstanding Alumna for Local Governance and Public Service during its 99th Loyalty Day and Alumni Homecoming last Monday.

The state university campus in Laguna recognized Binay for her service to the country as representative of the second district of Makati in the House of Representatives from 2007 to 2016.

"She championed several bills that promoted the empowerment of local government units, the rights of women and children, consumer protection, workers' welfare, and modernization of the public education system," said UPLB in its citation.

Binay entered politics during the 2007 elections, where she handily won as congressman of the second district of Makati. She served two more terms after winning in the 2010 and 2013 polls. While serving in Congress, she remained at the forefront of livelihood, job generation and

medical assistance programs.

As a legislator, she co-authored the act increasing the ceiling for the total exclusion from gross income of the 13th month pay and other benefits. She also actively supported the passage of the law excluding overtime pay from the computation of taxable income.

Binay also supported the law providing incentives for the manufacture, assembly, conversion and importation of electric, hybrid and other alternative fuel-run vehicles, among others.

The mayor thanked her alma mater for the distinction, and acknowledged its "major role in shaping my ideals and principles which have guided my path as a public servant."

Binay graduated from UPLB in 1997 with a degree in Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology, Major in Human Settlements and Planning.

After graduation, she attended the Ateneo Law School from 1997 to 2001 and obtained her juris doctor-

ate degree. She passed the bar examination in 2002.

Upon her election as mayor of Makati in 2016, Binay promised to restore efficiency, responsiveness and compassion in the delivery of services in the city. One of her priorities has been to integrate modern technology into the systems and operations of the city government to boost efficiency, promote transparency and accountability, and enhance the city’s overall competitiveness.

Under her administration, Makati City has entered into public-private partnership agreements with industry leaders for landmark ICT-related projects to fulfill its vision of becoming the country’s first digital city.

The Makatizen Card is the first digital PPP undertaking of the city.

Through a tie-up with Globe Telecom, its subsidiary G-XChange Inc., and iBayad Online Ventures Inc., around 500,000 cards will be issued to intended recipients at no cost to the city. Joel E. Zurbano

PINOY KILLS ‘KABAYAN’ LANDLADY IN FLORIDA A FILIPINO has been charged for the murder of his landlady—a 71-year-old Filipina—in Jacksonville, Florida last September.

Hector Crisostomo Batoon, 45, was a tenant at the home of Liwanag Navarro at Majuro Drive in Jacksonville, and was charged for her death on Sept. 7, just as authorities were bracing for the landfall of Hurricane

“Irma,” police said.

Batoon is being held without bond at a detention facility in Jacksonville. He is expected to appear in court on Nov. 8.

Other Filipinos in the neighborhood were shocked at the apparent murder of Navarro, who was a longtime resident of Majuro Drive but was found beaten to death at her home.

Authorities said the night before the crime, Batoon wanted to pick a fight with some neighbors. On the afternoon of the day of Navarro’s murder, Batoon was found naked, smeared in blood, walking around their neighborhood and going back inside the house he lived in.

Police contacted Navarro’s family members and as they entered the house, they were

horrified by the scene.

“The detectives we talked to said it was one of the most gruesome scenes that they had seen in years. She had been beaten, stabbed, and then cut with a long sword.

It’s very gruesome, and you never think something like this is gonna happen next door to you,” another neighbor, who requested anonymity, said in local reports.

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Sports

By Randy Caluag

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 randyproject@yahoo.com

WOMEN POWER!

OMEN in sports are becoming a force to reckon with—on and off the battlefield.

The brains behind some of the prolific National Sports Associations are wonder women like Jonie Go of dragonboat, Princes Kiram of pencak silat, Pearl Managuelod of muay thai and Karen Tanchanko sepak takraw.

The Philippine Sports Commission is ably run by chairman Butch Ramirez alongside the solid lady workforce like commissioner Celia Kiram and executive director, lawyer Sannah Frivaldo.

In the sporting arena, male dominance has become a thing of the past.

Biggest proofs are Meggie Ochoa, Annie Ramirez and Hidilyn Diaz, who have been dishing out superb performances in the global scene to provide glory and honor for the country in male-dominated disciplines.

Much has been said about their exploits in the battlefield already.

Ochoa and Ramirez’s golden performances in jiu-jitsu provided the much-need luster for the Philippine campaign in the recent Asian Indoor Martial Arts

article three years ago, about children and women victimized by sexual violence.

“Since then, it has become a personal burden for me.

Hindi ko na makayanan ang hirap na dinadaanan ng mga kababaihan.”

This personal mission has become a motivation for Ochoa to keep on winning tournaments, to help finance her organization.“Hindi ko naman po gustong yumaman, hindi naman lahat ng makakapagpasaya sa tao are material things.”

PROTECTION OF WOMEN

Behind her petite body and soft personality, Ramirez possesses a solid commitment to empowering other women, who were victims of violence.

“Nais ko pong tumulong by way of my personal advocacy to start a program for victims of sexual exploitation and violence. Dinala ako siguro ni God sa jiu-jitsu to use it as may platform to help other women.

I will use jiu-jitsu not just for therapy but also use it to teach them (women) how to protect themselves.”

Ochoa’s consciousness was awakened when she read an

JR.NBA/WNBA ALL-STARS CHERISH SHANGHAI EXPERIENCE

JIU JITSU FOR KIDS

For Ramirez, jiu-jitsu is a perfect fit for her following a quick transition from judo. Judo may be her first, but jiu-jitsu is her true love.

The Bicolana superwoman has no immediate plans yet except to continue training.

But she has been longing to do something for kids.

Best way to start, according to her, is to do a charity mission for children every year until such time that it becomes a regular

The newly opened Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Gym in Zamboanga City (Ajarn Pinky Galvez Facebook photo)

Games in Turkmenistan.

Diaz’s weightlifting silver medal finish against world class opponents in the same competition was enough reason for her to look forward to another medal finish in the Asian Games and in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.

And behind those solid performances is a common burning desire to serve others.

The Philippine Jr. WNBA ballers going against their Southeast Asian all-star counterparts in the Jr. WNBA game

event on a monthly basis.

“Start muna siguro ako once a year lang. Maturuan ang mga bata ng tamang disiplina and jiu jitsu bilang self-defense.”

It’s still on the drawing board though, for now, “I want to grow more and help muna ang teammates ko to achieve more also,” added Ramirez who credited her team and mentor, judo icon John Baylon, for his current achievements.

“Hindi naman ako gagaling kung wala ang mga buong team, my sparmates, my coach at lahat-lahat.”

Outside sports, Ramirez plans to put up a food business.

“I love food kaya yan ang iniisip kong business venture. Mas marami tayong matutulungan kung mayron din tayong funds na sarili siyempre.”

Lady weightlifting icon Hidilyn Diaz said that getting back to form was her problem after a long rest since her silver medal feat in Rio in 2016. In this photo, she lifts the bar during a local tournament named after her—Hidilyn Diaz Weightlifting Open Championship—at the Meralco Gym. Ava Nero-Agosto

newly built weightlifting center her hometown in Zamboanga City.

After winning a silver medal Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016, Diaz relished a much-needed rest from competition, savoring the victory and a new life as a sports celebrity.

The hardest part, according to her, was to go back to her old, solid form.

“Mahirap nung bumalik ako after Rio. That was the biggest challenge. Sakripisyo uli sa oras, sa pagkain. Akala ko tapos na at kumpleto na after Rio, hindi pa pala.”

She came back with aplomb and just recently, she took the silver in AIMAG in Turkmenistan. “May hunger pa pala. Kaya tuloy-tuloy na uli ito hanggang makaraming uli sa Olympics (2020 in Japan),” added the Zamboanga lass, who admitted that most of her million-peso incentives from the PSC went to the putting up of her weightlifting center.

“Para sa mga bata, kapitbahay, kamag anak na gustong matuto. Welcome sila lahat to train there,” she said.

The center accepts dona-

Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez, the goldladen ladies of Philippine jiu-jitsu.

Randy Caluag

tions from other fitness enthusiasts who want to train under in-house coaches. “We also accept donations and fees to sustain the operation and help ung mga bata na gusto matuto pero walang pambayad.”

Diaz is juggling her time between her training and being a student at the College of St. Benilde. “Doble hirap dahil from full-time athlete, ngayon nag aaral pa ako.” But

no complaint, says Diaz.

Her keys to success are no secrets after all. Just don’t fail to plan.

“Yung iba nag set ng goal pero kulang sa preparasyon.

Ung iba wala talagang preparasyon. Dapat talaga mindset mo is prepared ka nang manalo. Kelangan embrace mo yung ginagawa mo at gusto kong manalo.” With reports from Clarisse Ramirez

STILL HUNGRY

Already an accomplished athlete in weightlifting, Diaz is hungry for more. It’s no longer for her own personal accolade though. She wants to equip her

The three powerful lady athletes gamely pose with sportswriters during the weekly PSC-POC Media Sports Chat at the Cabanas inside the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. The first ever edition of the Sports Chat was sponsored by the Philippine Sports Commission and Under Armour.

MONDILLA-SEO TANDEM BANNERS PGT NAT’L PRO-AM CAST Clyde Mondilla tries to bring his winning act in individual play to team competition as he partners with Dongbin Seo in the ICTSI National Pro-Am Open unfolding Tuesday (Oct. 17) at the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club in Lipa City, Batangas.

Mondilla swept the Riviera Classic of the PGT Asia Tour and the Philippine Golf Tour season-ending ICTSI Players Championship to clinch his first PGT Order of Merit title.

But the young Del Monte ace, and Seo, will be facing a crack field of challengers in the inaugural staging of the P2 million event that also features the country’s leading and rising amateurs along with top club campaigners.

Among the early favorites in the battle for the top

P360,000 purse in the threeday event are the Jobim Carlos-Lester Lagman, Keanu Jahns-Zach Castro, Jhonnel Ababa-Dave Hernandez, Richnell Albano-Eddie Bagtas, Tonton Asistio-Jude Eustaquio, Jelbert Gamolo-Jolo Magcalayo and Jesselito Zaragosa-Rupert Zaragosa pairs.

Play will be foursomes (alternate shot format) with the top 40 teams after 36 holes advancing to the finals, according to the organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. The winning pro will pocket P360,000 while the top amateur will receive trophy and gift prizes.

The tournament will cap the PGT season and now serves as one of the side events on the PGT calendar, along with the Ryder Cup-style The Duel held every other year.

The event is also staged in recognition of the amateurs’ role in boosting Philippine golf and at the same time provide them the exposure they need as they hone up for the pro ranks.

Also in the 117-team fold are Jay Bayron-Arnold Duay, Jerson Balasabas-Ernesto Lim, Ferdie Aunzo-George Ponasen, Mhark Fernando-Nico Sevilla, Zanieboy Gialon-Jojo Enrile, Rey Pagunsan-Oliver Gan, Korean Park Jun Sung-Carlo Canicosa, Mars Pucay-Jose Roy III, Elmer Salvador-Martin Guiang, and Orlan SumcadArnie Fuentebella.

The National Pro-Am staging comes on the heels of the PGTI’s successful launching of the PGT Asia Tour, an eight-leg regional circuit put up by ICTSI to further the growth of Philippine golf and help produce

world-class players.

After three legs, the PGTA will resume on Nov. 15-18 for the ICTSI Wack Wack Championship with Luisita Golf and Country Club in Tarlac hosting the fifth stop on Nov. 29-Dec. 2 and the sprawling Pradera Verde Golf and Country Club in Lubao, Pampanga staging the year-end tournament in midDecember. All events offer a total pot of $100,000.

In 2018, the PGTI said a total of US$1.7 million will be staked and in 2019 US$2 million with plans to further increase the purse in the future.

An additional 10 events for each of the next two years are also being finalized and talks to hold future legs in other parts of Asia, particularly Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia, are also ongoing.

Clyde Mondilla will partner with Dongbin Seo in his bid to extend his winning ways

THE 2017 Philippine Jr. NBA/WNBA All-Stars, sponsored by Alaska, flew to Shanghai, China recently for a unique, enriching NBA basketball experience.

The young ballers, aged 12-14, watched live the NBA China Game between 2017 NBA Champions Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Mercedes Benz Arena.

The Jr. NBA All-Stars cherished the opportunity to witness Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Kevin Durant combine for 90 points to lead the Warriors in a 142-110 win against the Timberwolves.

Jr. NBA All-Stars also had the chance to meet NBA Legend and defense specialist Jerome “Junkyard Dog” Williams.

“Making it to the NBA starts with training and conditioning. If you love to do those things, then you will be a great basketball player. It’s the stuff that you do prior to the game that makes you great,” Williams shared the All-Stars in a brief training session with them.

Displaying their hardcourt prowess on the trip, the young Filipino athletes bested their fellow Jr. NBA All-Stars from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam to win the Jr. NBA 3-on-3 tournament.

The all-girls team representing Jr. NBA Philippines went head-to-head against various opponents before bowing out to Thailand in the semifinals.

In addition to friendly peer competitions, the Jr. NBA 2017 All-Stars experienced intense basketball training from Jr. NBA Coaches Chris Sumner and Natalia Andre, implementing rigorous skills exercises in shooting, passing, footwork, post-up, and under-the-basket drills.

The Jr. NBA All-Stars also tried the local cuisine and toured famous landmarks in Shanghai.

The Jr. NBA is the league’s global youth basketball participation program that promotes basketball participation and an active lifestyle among children. Participants are trained in the fundamentals of basketball and learn about the importance of proper nutrition, as well as the Jr. NBA’s core values of sportsmanship, teamwork, a positive attitude and respect (S.T.A.R).

Fans can follow Jr. NBA at the official website www.jrnba.asia and Facebook at www. facebook.com/JrNBAAsia to learn more about the program as well as how to join and become a Jr. NBA All-Star in 2018. To learn more about Alaska Milk Corporation, visit www.alaskamilk.com and www.playph.com.

EAGLES SWEEP TAMS, NAIL PVL CROWN ATENEO annexed another men’s volley crown in emphatic fashion, sweeping Far Eastern U, 25-21, 25-22, 25-16, to rule the inaugural Premier Volleyball League Collegiate Conference at the Filoil Flying V Center in San Juan on Saturday.

Like in their 25-22, 25-20, 25-19 romp in the opener of their best-of-three playoff, the Eagles needed to rally midway through the first two sets before imposing their will and power in the third to fashion out the 74-minute victory for their third collegiate title after scoring back-to-back championships in the defunct V-League in 2015-16.

Marck Espejo unloaded a 20-hit game, including 14 attack points, while Gian Glorioso added nine kills and finished with 10 markers for the Eagles, who, however, missed completing a sweep of the season-ending conference of the league organized by Sports Vision after losing Game Two of their Final Four duel with UST without Espejo.

But the power-hitting ace, a four-time UAAP MVP who had to anchor Ateneo’s campaign in the UAAP beach volley, came back in the semis decider to power the Eagles to the finals then led the fancied squad past the Tams in two.

Espejo went on to bag the MVP honors and lead the other top performers in the tournament backed by Mikasa and Asics.

They included Ateneo’s Manuel Sumanguid (best libero), Ish Polvorosa, also of Ateneo, (best setter), National U’s Fauzi Ismail (2nd Best Outside Spiker), FEU’s Paul Bugaoan (1st Best Middle Blocker), Kim Malabunga, also of NU, (2nd Best Middle Blocker), and UST’s Joshua Umandal (Best Opposite Spiker).

A8

Sports

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor / Reuel Vidal, Issue Editor / Randy Caluag, Issue Editor

sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

ONE Championship titlist Eduard Folayang stands confidently with the Makati skyline behind him.

ONE Championship

Participants sprint out of the starting arch during the 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championships Presented by Summit Natural Drinking Water at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. Jamil F. Buergo

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BRUINS PREVAILS IN RUN, BIKE, RUN LARK FREEPORT ZONE, Pampanga— Run, bike, run.

Thomas Bruins of the Netherlands and local girl Miscelle Gilbuena ruled the male and female categories of the 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championships Presented by Summit Natural Drinking Water at the Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga last weekend.

Instead of swim, bike, run Powerman consists of a simplified race of just two disciplines to allow greater participation.

Bruins finished ahead of Australia’s Matt Smith and Filipino bet Emmanuel Commendador.

National Duathlon team member Gilbuena from Cebu upset Australia’s Alexandra McDougall to take the female elite crown. Gilbuena finished a minute and 10 seconds ahead of McDougall while Rowena Valdez took third.

“The challenge for many foreign participants is the hot racing conditions. Our guys are used to the weather,” said Raymund Magdaluyo, President and CEO of F&F International Events Group, Inc., organizers of the biggest duathlon event of the year.

Bruins enjoyed the cloudy, overcast conditions which tempered the hot weather to take the lead in the bike part of the race and then go on to win comfortably.

Jarwyn Banatao of Baguio City won the Powerman Philippines Asian Championships Short Distance category. Malaysia’s Jason Loh and compatriot Cipriane John Topia finished second and third.

Beauty queen Alexandria Faith Garcia runs through the course of the 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championships.

Jamil F. Buergo

Japanese Aira Sawada repeated as the Short Distance female category winner.

Age group winners include: Meg Francisco, Female 25-29; Carly Relf, Female 40-44; Charlie Sy, Female 3034; Erica Dueger, Female 50-54; Denise Hernandez, Female 25-29; Rena Marte, Female 35-39; and Eileen Bravante, Female 35-39.

Eventual winner Thomas Bruins negotiates the bike leg of the 2017 Powerman Philippines Asian Championships. Jamil F. Buergo

Bruins struggled early and trailed in the first 10-kilometer run leg because of the heat and humidity. He finally acclimated to take the lead in the bike leg and then went on to build a comfortable edge to win decisively.

He actually lost his drink bottle in the bike leg and didn’t get as much carbs as he wanted. He needn’t have worried because he not only took the lead, he actually pulled away in that leg.

SEA Games Triathlon gold and silver medalists Nikko Huelgas and John Chicano participated to gain experience. Huelgas said he needed to improve in the bike part of a race.

The event attracted 1,100 participants including local celebrities Jake Cuenca, Kim Chiu, Sitti Navarro, couples Troy Montero and Aubrey Miles and beauty queen Alexandria Faith Garcia.

Clark Freeport Zone and NLEXSCTEx were the official road partners. Cobra Energy Drink was official energy drink. Other backers were Dan’s Endurance, Cycles & Brew by Hubble, Starbucks Coffee, Pace Prehab and Recovery, WattUp Cycling, official sports nutrition partner Unilab ActiveHealth, official timing partner Garmin, official footwear partner Skechers Performance, Seafood Island Restaurant, Hammer Nutrition, 2XU, Hotel Stotsenberg, Lohas Hotel and Fontana Leisure Park.

The country’s best duathletes got a chance to compete against the best duathletes in Asia as well as Powerman world champions because the race served as the Asian Championship.

The event consisted of the classic distance (10k Run-60k Bike-10k Run) and the short distance (5k Run-30k Bike-5k Run). For those not ready to take on the whole distance there was also the relay category.

GIN KINGS TARGET 2-0 ADVANTAGE OVER MERALCO BOLTS

Meralco Bolts import Allen Durham (5) finds the lane to the paint closed by three Barangay Ginebra defenders from left: LA Tenorio, Justin Brownlee and Joe Devance.

RECHARGED by a rousing Game 1 victory Barangay Ginebra Gin Kings target a 2-0 advantage in the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup when they meet the Meralco Bolts 6:30 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.

The Gin Kings swarmed all over Meralco import Allen Durham, relied on their size to prevent all inside incursions then watched the Bolts miss their outside shots to post a lopsided 102-87 victory at the start of the best-of-seven title playoff

at the Quezon Convention Center last Friday.

On offense Greg Slaughter and Japeth Aguilar dominated inside the paint, Kevin Ferrer and LA Tenorio sniped from outside while Justin Brownlee scored from every spot on the court.

At the defensive end Joe Devance relied on his length and bulk to smother Durham while Sol Mercado and Scottie Thompson harried Meralco’s perimeter shooters into missing outside shots as the Gin Kings coasted to the surprise lopsided victory.

The two teams resume their playoff at the Smart Araneta Coliseum with Ginebra enjoying not only a 1-0 advantage but a huge psychological edge after beating up on the Bolts up and down the court in Game 1.

Ginebra coach Tim Cone had the better strategy as he relied on size to beat the Bolts from the inside out. The Bolts, playing on unfamiliar grounds, missed from beyond three-point distance badly.

Of course it helped that Ginebra—with 6’11” Slaughter, 6’9” Aguilar

and 6’7” Devance—had the much bigger team to start with.

Brownlee even upstaged Durham. The Ginebra import collected 32 points, 19 rebounds and six assists. Durham, who found Devance draped around him every time he tried to score inside—finished with 27 markers, 14 boards and eight assists.

Their confidence buoyed by their inside dominance the Gin Kings then starting hitting their outside shots to take control early and post a big lead.

FOLAYANG EAGER TO BEAT NGUYEN SURE Eduard “Landslide” Folayang will have a decided advantage in experience and size but he’s not about to take any chances and will do everything to ensure his victory against Martin “The SituAsian” Nguyen.

“Martin [Nguyen] is a great martial artist and an amazing competitor. He has earned the highest degree of my respect.

There is absolutely no chance that I am coming into this bout underestimating him,” said Folayang.

“I am prepared for the best Martin Nguyen possible, one that has no weaknesses. This bout will be talked about long after it is finished, as two champions faceoff inside the cage. I live for these challenges, and I am motivated for victory, for the pride and honor of the Philippines.”

ONE Championship World Lightweight champion Folayang stakes his crown against ONE Championship World Featherweight champion Nguyen at the ONE: Legends of the World on Nov. 10 at the Mall of Asia Arena.

Nguyen will be the decided underdog against Folayang just like he was an underdog against then champion Marat Gafurov.

“Martin [Nguyen] shocked the world in his last bout. Gafurov is not an easy opponent, but Martin showed incredible toughness and tenacity,” Folayang acknowledges. “It brought back a lot of memories of my victory against Shinya [Aoki]. This is going to be a battle between two martial artists who are capable of anything,” said Folayang.

“I am preparing for the best Martin Nguyen possible. That is the only way I can prepare to be at my best. I believe this match is going to be a battle between two high-level martial artists and world champions, and fans have definitely never seen anything like this. It is going to be a battle from start to finish.”

Folayang admitted he was fond of Nguyen but quickly added that it won’t stop him from doing his best to beat his rival.

“Martin and I had gotten to know each other during our tour in the United States last year, and I consider him a friend. But I am definitely up for the challenge, and that is why I accepted this bout,” said Folayang.

Nguyen admitted that while he also liked Folayang he was not about to let a chance of a lifetime slip by.

“I like Eduard [Folayang]. I said to myself I did not want to compete against someone I like and take away their glory, but opportunities like this do not come around too often. And, if I refused to do this, someone else was going to compete against him and take his glory. So it is strictly business,” said Nguyen.

B1

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor / Roderick dela Cruz, Issue Editor business@manilastandard.net

FILIPINO RUNS VIETNAM’S LUXURY CRUISE COMPANY Rommel Juan, the founding president of Binalot

BINALOT FOUNDER A FINALIST IN EY AWARDS

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Paradise Vietnam general manager Edgar Cayanan

T

ENS of thousands of foreign tourists visit Vietnam’s deltas, rivers and bays, French colonial landmarks, pagodas and temples, historical sites, quaint restaurants and cafes and bustling markets each day, as the socialist republic in the eastern side of the Indochina Peninsula has emerged with robust manufacturing and tourism industries from decades of war.

Supporting Vietnam’s thriving tourism industry are modern infrastructure and talented people from all over the world. One of them is a 42-year-old Filipino who now runs the most luxurious cruise and hotel company in the stunning Halong Bay, Vietnam’s most recognizable and visited tourist destination.

“Here in Vietnam, they recognize Filipino talents. We have Filipino professionals, teachers and engineers working in Hanoi and other parts of Vietnam,” says Edgar Cayanan, the general manager of Paradise Vietnam, which offers five-star accommodation, dining and cruises around Halong Bay. Paradise Vietnam operates 11 vessels under the Paradise Cruises brand with an average of 31 rooms per vessel, and Paradise Suites Hotel, a boutique luxury hotel.

Paradise Cruises brings five -star accommodation between towering limestone islands surrounded by emerald waters in the middle of the 1,553-square-kilometer Halong Bay, a Unesco world heritage and natural wonder in Quang Ninh province.

Vietnam received a record 10 million foreign guests in 2016, exceeding the six million visitors in the Philippines in the same year. An influx of visitors from China and Asean countries including the Philippines boosted Vietnam tourism, as budget carriers like Cebu Pacific mounted flights to Hanoi in the north and Ho Chi Minh City in the south.

Cebu Pacific is increasing flights between Manila and Hanoi to daily services from Dec. 1, 2017 to Jan. 9, 2018 to accommodate the growing tourism traffic. Cayanan says Filipinos also visit and take the cruises at Halong Bay, which has more than 3,000 limestone karsts

Paradise Vietnam general manager Edgar Cayanan (right) and Paradise Elegance II cruise manager Jade Karam

and isles topped by rainforests, outnumbering those than can be found in El Nido and Coron in Palawan.

Cayanan, who grew up in Pampanga and graduated from Angeles University Foundation in 1996, recruited other Filipinos to work for Paradise Cruises. Among them is Jade Karam, the cruise manager of Paradise Elegance II, the latest and most premium vessel of Paradise Cruises. Cayanan and Karam oversaw the development of Paradise Elegance II into a meticulously-designed boat, complete with premium facilities, air-conditioned cabins, private bathrooms, spacious dining and entertainment area and equipped with Internet and cable TV access that are usually found in five-star hotels.

Cayanan and Karam represent the increasing number of Filipinos who work in the hotel and cruise industry around the world. Cayanan worked as a food and beverage supervisor at Dusit Hotel Dubai from December 2000 to August 2002 and as an assistant F&B manager at Palau Royal Resort Nikko Hotel International between April 2005 and March 2010.

In Palau, a manager encouraged him to try

working in Vietnam, which he did in April 2010 when he was recruited as operations manager and later as acting general manager of Bhaya Cruise. In 2012, he transferred to Paradise Cruises as a cruise manager. Seven months later, he became the operations manager who oversaw the expansion of the fleet from just two to seven.

His exceptional skills as a manager caught the attention of the shareholders of Paradise Vietnam, who offered him the top position as general manager. He initially hesitated to accept the job, knowing the big responsibility that came with the position.

In a party in December 2013, the shareholders formally announced Cayanan’s designation as a general manager and Cayanan had no choice but to rise to the occasion. He began serving as general manager in early 2014, making him the longest-serving head of a cruise company in Halong Bay today. He was also given an opportunity to become a shareholder.

Cayanan expects more Filipinos to work in Vietnam, as a group of students from Manila’s Centro Escolar University are now on Turn to B2

IT ALL started a little over twenty years ago. Tired of the usual fastfood offerings consisting of the usual burgers, fries, siopao and siomai, a group of yuppies decided to introduce a Filipino fastfood with a twist.

Instead of using styropor packs and disposables, they offered their native delicacies in biodegradable, eco-friendly and very natural banana leaves. The innovation worked as customers loved the idea of Pinoy rice meals packed in banana leaves. Thus Binalot was born.

Binalot started as a pure food delivery concept and was branded the darling of the delivery industry

by Delivery Magazine in 1998. It then moved into foodcourt kiosks in 2000 and later, due to customer demand, opened its first dine-in restaurant in 2002. Two years later, the first franchise was granted and Binalot never looked back since then.

However, the year 2006 saw the devastation of the catastrophic typhoon Milenyo and Binalot found it difficult to source its banana leaves.

Without losing its spirit, the innovative young brand turned the crisis into an opportunity by setting up its own CSR program called Dahon or Dangal at Hanapbuhay Para sa Nayon.

Binalot adopted a community of banana farmers in Laguna and secured a steady and reliable source of banana leaves and in the process giving them and their family a source of livelihood.

Dahon was recognized because of its novel idea of a sustainable CSR despite being an SME at that.

Recognitions include the once-ina-lifetime UPS Centennial Award, the Intel AIM Corporate Social Responsibility Award and the BID Network CSR Award.

All throughout, Binalot has introduced innovation after innovation, such as the introduction of electric bikes for delivery and the launching of its food van for mobile activities. In 2015, Binalot ventured overseas with the opening of a Binalot outlet in Dubai, UAE to cater to the growing Filipino population there.

This year, entrepreneur Rommel Juan, the founding president of Binalot, is a finalist in this year’s Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2017.

“We are very proud that our simple efforts as a small enterprise are beginning to be recognized. Yet it is also ironic since we are only doing what we love, paying forward to those who have helped us and will continue to help us,” says Juan.

“We consider the nomination a validation of our passion and dedication towards our customers and all our stakeholders. This will only make us strive even harder in the future.”

INVENTORS HOLDING WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION IN ISABELA INVENTORS are going to Isabela province next month to celebrate the National Inventors Week, an annual event organized by the Department of Science and Technology.

Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative chairman Francisco Pagayon said the NIW 2017 celebration will be held in Cauayan City on Nov. 20 to 24.

It marks the first time that DOST will team up with FISPC for the joint celebration of NIW which aims to recognize, showcase and honor the efforts of Filipino inventor-entrepreneurs or ‘inventrepreneurs’.

“This is basically the fruit of our very

successful partnership in vigorously building FISPC-DOST Onestore Hubs.

Although we just started in January, we already have three hubs in Quezon City, Cauayan City and Urdaneta, Pangasinan” Pagayon said.

Other partners in the NIW 2017 celebration are the Cauayan City government led by Mayor Bernard Dy, Isabela State University headed by president Dr. Ricmar Aquino and the DOST Region 2 led by regional director Engineer Sancho Mabborang, who also heads the DOST onestore.ph program.

Aside from the OneStore Hubs, FISPC had also tapped the onestore.ph e-commerce portal set up by the DOST

The Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative, the Department of Science and Technology and Isabela State University sign a memorandum of agreement for the celebration of National Inventors Week 2017 in Cauayan City, Isabela. Shown during the signing ceremony are (seated, from left) Isabela State University president Dr. Ricmar Aquino, DOST Region 2 regional director and onestore.ph project head Engineer Sancho Mabborang and FISPC chairman Francisco ‘Ka Popoy’ Pagayon. Witnessing the even are FISPC officers and members, officials of DOST Region 2 and executives of Air21.

which allowed the FISPC members to sell their products to a global audience via the Internet.

Pagayon thanked Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Pena for encouraging FISPC to tap the onestore.ph e-commerce website and jointly open and operate so-called traditional“brick-and-mortar”OneStore Hub stores to provide inventrepreneurs more avenues in selling their products.

Mabborang said logistics giant Air21 agreed to provide FISPC memberinventrepreneurs and other inventorentrepreneurs all over the country the logistics support they need to bring their products to Cauayan City.

Business

B2

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 business@manilastandard.net

ILONGGOS MOVE TO PROTECT REPUTATION RESIDENTS of Iloilo are launching a campaign to rectify the false image created by the Duterte administration’s war on drugs that branded Iloilo City and the province as the “most shabulized” city and the “bedrock of drugs” in the Visayas.

The recent tirades have tarnished the image of Iloilo, they said.

Despite the generalized description of the province, Ilonggos are moving to change the negative perceptions about the province and the city.

The Iloilo Economic and Development Foundation Inc. launched the “Proud to be Ilonggo” campaign in response to the fear and anxiety created by the statements by President Rodrigo Duterte about Iloilo.

ILED chairperson Narzalina Lim said the “Proud to be Ilonggo” campaign aimed to rectify the misconception that Iloilo city is the “most shabulized” city in the country.

The group said the statements about Iloilo were baseless accusations, if not hearsays or propaganda that were not supported by any evidence nor data.

ILED warned that years of economic growth and development in Iloilo were now in danger and the progress they had built and sustained over the years were in jeopardy.

ILED president Jocelyn JalandoniPerez said there was a need for all Ilonggos to work together and protect the progress they had made. There is a need to make sure that their hard work and its fruits do not go to waste, the group said.

One of the ways the group plans to do is to show to the world that more than the food, places and culture, Iloilo is a prime destination for entrepreneurs, investors and businessmen. It aims to show that Iloilo is a beautiful destination beaming with different opportunities, the group said.

Over the past decade, Iloilo has enjoyed drastic growth because of the billions of investments that came from multi-national corporations which were supported by projects for infrastructure of the government.

FILIPINO...

From B1

a six-month on-the-job training in the country’s biggest luxury cruise company.

The Vietnamese shareholders of Paradise Cruises hold Filipinos in high regard, because of the Filipinos’ skills, perseverance and ability to communicate in English, which is the common language of foreign tourists. Cayanan also recruited talented singers and musicians from Davao City.

“Our Vietnamese owners always think that Filipinos are very good in English and are hardworking, so they asked me to hire others who can help me in the operation of the company,” says Cayanan who now oversees 11 vessels and two hotels.

Paradise Cruises now have more than 750 employees including 21 Filipinos mostly in management and operation. Its vessels accommodate as many as 90,000 passengers a year, mostly from Europe and Asia.

Filipinos also work in other tourism establishments in Hanoi, including the modern Noi Bai International Airport which reflects the Vietnam government’s resolve to strengthen the tourism industry.

In 2015, Paradise Cruises opened an internship program for foreign students. “If they work hard enough, we offer them full-time jobs,” says Cayanan. “We plan to hire more Filipinos, with starting net monthly salary of $800, which could rise to $1,000 after two months. After a year, they can get free airplane tickets.

They can also bring their family to stay at our hotel for free.”

“Vietnam is just three hours by plane from the Philippines. This is a beautiful, affordable and safe country.

Banks here have no armed security guards. Prices of goods are also cheap,” says Cayanan.

Cayanan says he even encourages his son who is studying Hotel and Restaurant Management in the Philippines to join him and work for Paradise Vietnam soon.

Roderick T. dela Cruz

CEO TRANSFORMS GREENWICH INTO ‘INSTAGRAMMABLE’ PIZZERIA

By Othel V. Campos

G

REENWICH, the homegrown pizza brand owned by Jollibee Foods Corp., is donning a new look and a new name.

From Greenwich Pizza & Pasta, the brand is now known as Greenwich Pizzeria, says Albert Cuadrante, the president of Greenwich Business of Jollibee.

The local pizza brand, established in 1971 by entrepreneur Cresida Tueres and taken over by Jollibee in 1994, is leveling up to compete with foreign pizza parlors.

Cuadrante says the new name and the new look are in response to the ongoing rave in the food scene led by millennials and Generation X who have grown together with the brand.

“Pizzeria is what we call it. This particular store format is one of the major changes we’ve been making for the evolution of the brand. First major change was the improvement of our pizzas. For those who are not millennials, the older group set, they’re so surprised when they eat at Greenwich.

Eating at Greenwich is a different experience already. We improved the crust, the toppings. The store has to match the product. This is what we envision for the Pizzeria, a fitting store for you to experience the product,” says Cuadrante.

Greenwich abandoned the cramp, restricted space layout where diners usually ate and ran despite the urge for longer chat and bonding time with friends.

In their place are cozy stuffed seats and movable chairs with the familiar accent of wood on furniture, brick on the walls with stylish graffiti, graphic photos and wall scribbles and colorful décors that are youthful and fresh.

“If you look around, there are many areas that are Instagramable. We recognize that social media is a great way of promoting our store, so we designed it that way—picture-perfect and social media savvy.

We also have deliberate areas where clusters of varying numbers can easily fit in, which is good for our ‘barkadahan’ [peer] concept,” Cuadrante says.

From the traditional QSR (quick-service restaurant), Greenwich has evolved into a fast casual diner.

The brand, Cuadrante says, is also big on the ‘barkadahan’ concept where peer groups of three or more can actually enjoy the experience at Greenwich Pizzeria.

“We’re having a lot more group meal combinations that befits the ‘barkadahan’ experience that we want for the store,” he says.

What propelled Greenwich to upgrade, he says, is the need to stay relevant.

When the brand started in 1971, the old patrons

Greenwich Pizzeria president Albert Cuadrante

would have been in their senior years and those who have grown with the brand are now mostly mid-aged.

Pizza and pizzeria fares are food choices favored by young people. The median age of Greenwich regulars is about 25 to 30 years, but teens as young as 17 to young people of up to 35 years comprise the bigger chunk of Greenwich demographics. Patronage of the brand is not limited to millennials or the younger set, as oldtimers also stay loyal to Greenwich Pizzeria.

Patrons are assured of hygienic preparation of the food they enjoy at the Pizzeria window. They can witness how the crew carefully prepare the food while using the freshest ingredients from pizza to pasta to chicken fares.

By 2021, Greenwich aims to complete the transformation of all its stores to the stylish pizzerias nationwide.

The new format transformed Greenwich into a hip and trendy brand that translates into double-digit growth annually. In the last few years, Greenwich’s compounded annual growth rate is between 15 percent and 20 percent. For 2017, Cuadrante is looking at a sales growth of 20 percent to hit P9.6 billion this year.

Greenwich maintains its market leadership with over 300 stores nationwide, adding 30 new stores yearly.

The company president says the brand will sustain its expansion program. With 30-percent market share of the pizza-serving restaurants, the brand is upgrading 50 percent of existing stores

into the new Pizzeria format.

“In terms of store network, we’re the highest.

We cover most of Metro Manila and we have stores in the provinces. Our expansion continues to be aggressive. More and more, we are realizing that on top of the cities, many are really wanting the pizza experience in the provinces,” says Cuadrante.

“While we have future plans of bringing the brand to foreign shores, we still feel the need to saturate the potential here. Since we are the only major local pizza brand, we have high hopes for our business,” he says.

Cuadrante says in case the brand goes international, the initial destinations will be the United Arab Emirate, Singapore, Vietnam, Brunei and other countries in the Middle East.

G re e nw i c h Pi z ze r i a i s a l s o o p e n fo r franchising. About 40 percent of the stores are owned by franchisers, while 60 percent are company stores.

For a franchise fee of P1 million and capital infusion of P12 to P13 million, on the average, the return-on-investment is usually three to five years.

Greenwich is also increasing its presence in the online delivery format. “We’re happy since the growth of our online format parallels that of that of the brick-and-mortar stores. But for the online, we are more aggressive. We want sales to grow not only by 20 percent but by 30 percent. We figure there is no limit to delivery. Our enemy would only be traffic and erratic weather, especially if it rains,” says Cuadrante.

AMERICANS STILL LOVE PH COCONUT PRODUCTS AMERICANS still love the tropicallygrown coconut and its products from the Philippines, despite the recent misinformation about the health benefits of coconut oil.

A trade exposition attended by the United Coconut Associations of the Philippines in Maryland late in September instantly generated $6 million in sales.

UCAP delegates assured farmers and makers of virgin coconut oil and other processed coconut that the US market continued to rave over coconut and its health benefits.

“America still loves our coconuts,” said Ucap chairman Dean Lao Jr. during the Maryland East Expo Roadshow.

The trade mission, supported by the Department of Trade and Industry, P h i l i p p i n e C o c o n u t Au t h o r i t y, Philippine Embassy and attaches in the US, also went throughout Washington D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver to affirm scientifically-evident health benefits of coconut.

While there has been misinformation on coconut oil apparently arising from competitor products (soybean oil), Ucap said the sentiment of the US consumer market is to defend coconut products.

Scientific studies have linked medium chain fatty acid content in coconut oil to less incidence of cardiovascular disease in studied populations. MCFA is also widely recognized now as the major ingredient in energy-boosting ketogenic diet.

Ucap executive director Yvonne T. Agustin said January to June 2017 exports reached $1.132 billion, or nearly double the $636 million export a year ago.

The private-public sector trade group will carry out more programs to attest to authorities’ scientific proof of coconut oil’s nutritional benefits.

Dr. Fabian Dayrit, Asia Pacific

Delegates from the United Coconut Associations of the Philippines join the US exposition.

Coconut Community scientific advisory committee on health chairman, said APCC communicated with the Food and Agriculture Organization its position against a presidential advisory issued by the American Heart Association that branded coconut oil as a saturated fat and classified it as the same as any animal fat – which it is not.

“FAO agreed to a technical meeting in a scientific conference among experts in 2018,” said Dayrit.

FAO is also a United Nations o r g a n i z a t i o n . T h e A P C C ’s communication with FAO will be important as APCC also deals with the World Health Organization, also a UN agency.

As the Philippines thrives in exporting virgin coconut oil and semi-processed coconut products in bulk, Lao said it is pertinent for Philippines to intensively invest in product research. Thailand has led Southeast Asian countries in coconut product innovation.

“Thais invest heavily in consumer products,” he said.

In the future, the Philippines’ coconut

trade mission should consist of blue chip companies –large companies in the likes of Franklin Baker, Celebes Coconut Corp., Century Pacific Agricultural Ventures, that shall have invested in knowing what the consumer market wants and in developing such products.

“We are good in shipping in bulk.

[But] consumer products bring higher value,” he said.

Pack aging, marketing and distribution strategies are important such that some coconut products get more sales through branding, private labelling, and online (internet marketing) distribution.

Some products displayed in the market include privately labelled “Simple Truth” of Kroger, Pure Brazilian Coconut Water, Nutiva high value skin food and coconut buttery oil, and a tortilla chips from coconut flour.

Other coconut product innovations are on personal care, petroleumfree consumer products, low-sugar beverage, probiotic-low carbohydrate products, refrigerated coconut in its entire nut with trimmed husk,

marshmallow with coconut, coconut granola, virgin coconut oil in its buttery form for cooking or baking, cooking spray coconut oil and coconut milk creamer.

“Trends point to everything coconut.

There’s strong preference for natural and organic, free from GMO, gluten, sugar, palm, and with focus on CSR [corporate social responsibility], fair trade, and sustainability,” he said.

Some smaller companies just come up with brands for their coconut products and market them online such as through Amazon.

“You can put your product online for as long as you have FDA [Food and Drug Administration certification]. Some people are not stopped by not having the capex [capital] but just have a brand and market the brand,” Lao said.

The public-private trade group also met with Filipino scientists from Philippine American Academy of Science & Engineering that may explore scientific studies on coconut in the future.

UCAP also oriented the Coconut Coalition, a group of major distributors of coconut products in the US, on its position on false accusation of the American Heart Association against all saturated fats as being linked to cardiovascular diseases as top cause of death in the US. “The coalition wants us to be alert on our senses, and we are. We feel the sentiment that consumers go to the defense of coconut. But it’s not something we should take for granted,” he said.

UCAP are coconut products are immediately recovering from a temporary 25-percent drop in coconut products sales as a result of the misinformation.

The group also met with naturopathic doctor Bruce Fife who has authored books on health benefits of coconut.

World

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor / Jimbo Gulle, Issue Editor

IMF FRETS OVER VENEZUELA; ‘NO END TO CRISIS’ WASHINGTON—The International Monetary Fund expressed grave concerns Friday over Venezuela’s unending political crisis, seeing no end to the economic downturn and suffering of the population.

Venezuela “remains in a full-blown economic, humanitarian, and political crisis with no end in sight,” the Fund said in a report on Latin American economies.

The country’s economy will have contracted by 35 percent by the end of this year from 2014, and the Fund says the country is headed toward hyperinflation, when prices soar uncontrollably every day for a long period.

But it said the shortages and political strife is taking a huge toll on the Venezuelan people.

“The main risk to the region relates to the humanitarian crisis and ensuing migration of Venezuelans to neighboring countries,” it said.

“The number of Venezuelans arriving in Brazilian and Colombian border towns has been rising sharply as the crisis in Venezuela intensifies.”

“The refugees coming from Venezuela is an unfortunate side effect of the crisis, which is extremely severe,” said Robert Rennhack, deputy director of the IMF’s Western Hemisphere Department. AFP

ISOLATION TO END FOR ST. HELENA AS AIR LINK OPENS JOHANNESBURG, South Africa—Life for the people of St. Helena will change forever Saturday when the first regular commercial flight from the outside world touches down on the remote island’s windswept new runway.

The British island of just over 4,000 people, where the locals are called “Saints”, is known best as the rocky outcrop where French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte saw out his final days.

Now, after five years of construction, controversy and embarrassing delays due to high winds, an airport built at a cost of £285 million (318 million euros) will welcome its first routine flight from Johannesburg.

The volcanic tropical island itself measures just 122 square kilometres (47 square miles) and is located almost exactly halfway between Africa and South America.

Its isolated location meant it was chosen as a place of exile for those who suffered defeat at the hands of the British, with Napoleon held there from 1815 until his death in 1821.

Several thousand Boer prisoners of war were also detained there at the start of the 20th century.

Until Saturday, St. Helena was one of the world’s most inaccessible locations. It has been only reachable by sea, a five-day voyage from Cape Town aboard a Royal Mail vessel that chugs along at a speed of just 15 knots (28 kilometres an hour). AFP

LOVESICK PENGUIN ‘GRAPE’DIES AT 21; JAPAN ZOO MOURNS TOKYO—An elderly penguin who shot to fame in Japan after falling in love with a cardboard cut-out of a cartoon character has died, at the ripe old age of 21.

Officials at Tobu zoo in Saitama, north of Tokyo, said “Grape” passed away after a brief illness with the object of his desire right by his side. He would have been around 80 in human years.

Earlier this year, the Humboldt penguin became smitten with a cut-out of Hululu -- a character from the Japanese anime “Kemono Friends” -- after being dumped by his former mate, a female called Midori.

A love-sick Grape found solace in Hululu and would stare at her for hours on end.

The plight of the romantic penguin went viral, earning Grape millions of fans worldwide.

A steady stream of mourners has visited Tobu zoo’s penguin enclosure, many with flowers, since the tragic news broke on Friday, while officials erected a makeshift shrine to their fallen celebrity on Saturday.

“Little Grape had a wife called Midori but she left him and found herself a new husband,” Tobu zoo’s penguin caretaker Eri Nemoto told local media.

“We put the cardboard panel next to him to comfort him to the very end.”

Tributes flooded in on social media too under the trending hashtag “Grape-kun” (little grape), with several users posting elaborate hand-drawn pictures of Grape gazing longingly at Hululu. AFP

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

US FIRST, BUT MORE AND MORE ALONE

ASHINGTON—Donald Trump has gambled with United States diplomatic credibility by attacking an Iran nuclear deal that his European allies cherish as a benchmark for international cooperation.

And in doing so the US president has underlined the risk that his “America First” foreign policy will translate to one of “America Alone” as he confronts future crises.

Between nationalist speeches, protectionist gestures and highoctane Twitter outbursts, observers have struggled to identify a coherent strategy behind Trump’s decisions.

But one thread does stand out as he pulls out of trade deals, provokes allies and tears up international accords -- he seems determined that no international ties will bind him.

The US emerged as the indispensable superpower in the wake

of World War II in part through its leadership in a global rules-based system of treaties and alliances.

But, as Trump made clear last month in a speech to the UN General Assembly, his vision is of a world where America is just the most powerful in a network of sovereign nations.

“Trump foreign policy has found its theme: ‘The Withdrawal Doctrine’,” quipped Richard Haass, influential president of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Trump has not yet withdrawn from the Iran deal, although he made it clear that he is ready to do so if Congress and skeptical US al-

lies do not agree to new sanctions.

He did quit the UN cultural organization, this week. He has collapsed the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal and appears to be poised to destroy the bigger NAFTA treaty.

Time and again his bluster has put in question America’s commitment to its NATO allies, and time and again he has ordered reviews into the utility of remaining in UN agencies.

He has even declared that America will drop out of the biggest -- and arguably most important -- accord in world history, the 196-member Paris climate deal.

As might be expected, former members of president Barack Obama’s administration are furious and bewildered at what they see as an abdication of US leadership.

“Once again, Trump is throwing into question the ability of the US to keep its commitment to international agreements,” former top aide Ben Rhodes said.

“Other nations will not want to enter into agreements with the United States,” he warned.

Former secretary of state John Kerry, who negotiated the Iran deal, called Trump’s decision a “reckless abandonment of facts in favor of ego and ideology.”

Trump, he said, “weakens our hand, alienates us from our allies, empowers Iranian hardliners, makes it harder to resolve North Korea and risks moving us closer to military conflict.”

But Democrats are not the only ones criticizing the Republican billionaire’s stance.

Nicholas Burns, a professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and, like Haass, a veteran of George W. Bush’s administration is scathing.

“We’re withdrawing as global leader under Trump,” he said, dubbing the decision to dump the TPP and Paris and undermine the Iran deal “historic mistakes.” AFP

FIT FOR A KING. The cremation site for Thailand’s late king Bhumibol Adulayadej’s is reflected on a lotus pool on Thursday. The king’s cremation is scheduled to take place later this month. The kingdom has been preparing for the event since Bhumibol died at the age of 88 on October 13, 2016, triggering an outpouring of grief in a nation where the charismatic leader commanded a cult-like following. AFP

FILM ACADEMY CONSIDERS EXPELLING WEINSTEIN LOS ANGELES—The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was due to hold an emergency session Saturday to discuss kicking out Harvey Weinstein amid mounting sexual harassment, assault and rape accusations.

An avalanche of claims have surfaced since the publication last week of an explosive New York Times report alleging a history of abusive behavior dating back decades.

On Thursday, American actress Rose McGowan became the fourth woman to accuse the 65-year-old of raping her.

The Academy issued a statement describing the nature of the allegations as “repugnant, abhorrent, and antithetical” to its standards ahead of the meeting of its 54-member board of governors.

The Academy is not expected to hold a news conference after the meeting, scheduled for 10 a.m. (1700 GMT), but said it would release a statement on the proceedings.

The Producers Guild of America will also meet Saturday to “consider disciplinary proceedings and the status of his membership,” a source close to the union told AFP. Since the outbreak of the scandal, several actresses including Mira Sorvino, Rosanna Arquette, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Lea Seydoux have said they were sexually harassed by the producer.

Weinstein was seen in public for the first time in days when paparazzi descended upon him as he left his daughter’s home in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

“Guys, I’m not doing OK but I’m trying,” he said in a video obtained

by ABC. “I got to get help. You know what, we all make mistakes.”

As he climbed into an oversized sports utility vehicle, he said he hoped people would give him “a second chance.”

Celebrity gossip portal TMZ reported that Weinstein later flew to rehab in Arizona, possibly at The Meadows, a facility near Phoenix where golfer Tiger Woods and supermodel Kate Moss have been treated.

Weinstein appears to have garnered little sympathy from the public, however, according to a survey conducted by celebrity branding expert and bestselling author Jeetendr Sehdev.

Some 82 percent of 2,000 people questioned as part of an ongoing study into American attitudes to celebrity and entertainment said he should be kicked out of the Academy.

Six in 10 said they would be less likely to watch the annual Oscars ceremony if Weinstein is allowed to remain and 40 percent said he should be stripped of the Oscar he won for producing “Shakespeare in Love” (1998). AFP

PUTIN PUPPY. Russian President Vladimir Putin kisses a Turkmen shepherd dog, locally known as Alabai, he received from Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov during a meeting in Sochi on Wednesday. AFP

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 Riera U. Mallari, Editor rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

Gadgets & Games

MOTO G5S, MOTO G5S PLUS BRING UNIQUE EXPERIENCE

M

OTOROLA continues to bring unique and intuitive user experiences that Filipinos love and the two new additions to its moto g family: moto g5s and moto g5s plus, come with the latest innovations in camera technology, battery and design.

These special edition devices offer consumers affordable options that fit their lifestyle with the premium features that matter most to Filipinos. moto g5s plus: Select Your Focus.

Unleash Your Creativity. For those who want the best moto g has to offer, the special edition moto g5s plus is perfect, with even more top features such as dual cameras that let users do more. Dual 13MP rear cameras, combined with special photo enhancement software, make it easy to do more with photos. Selective focus mode makes it easy to take professional-looking OOTDs on moto g5s plus, adding a beautiful blurred background effect. moto g5s plus users can have fun trying selective black and white coloring or replace background mode to give their photos a whole new look. If users are tired of the same old selfies, the 8MP wide-angle front camera has an LED flash and a new panoramic mode to capture even more. moto g5s plus comes with the size and precision-crafted look expected of a premium device.. It features an impressive all-metal unibody design and a 5.5-inch full-HD display perfect for watching movies on the go. moto g5s plus also boasts a blazing-fast Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 2.0GHz octa-core processor, powerful graphics capabilities and support for 4G

WUNDER CARPOOL BARES BIG INNOVATIONS Models introduce the new special editions to the moto g family: moto g5s and moto g5s plus, featuring the latest innovations in camera technology, full HD displays, and all-day batteries.

LTE so users can run favorite apps without slowing down.

Filipinos can use moto g5s plus from morning till night with its 3000mAh all-day battery that packs more than enough power to last throughout the day. Moto g5s plus users can also fuel up their battery quickly with the TurboPower charger, which provides up to 6 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes.

The fingerprint reader on moto g5s plus does it all, from unlocking the phone to making mobile payments. moto g5s plus is easier to use with Night Display and Quick Reply, two new Moto Experiences that are all part of Moto Actions’ unique collection of meaningful software experiences. moto g5s: More Metal. More Battery.

Made for More. moto g5s is a smart, fast

phone that’s built on the concept of more. Starting from the outside, it offers an all-metal unibody design crafted from a single piece of high-grade aluminum, making it not only beautiful but also stronger than ever. With moto g5s, techsavvy Filipinos can have the freedom to stay unplugged, thanks to a 3000mAh all-day battery that holds enough power to last throughout the day. No need to slow down thanks to TurboPower™ charging, which provides up to 5 hours of battery life in just 15 minutes.

The special edition moto g5s also features a high-resolution 16MP camera with phase detection autofocus (PDAF). This rapid focus technology means users don’t have to worry about missing the perfect picture. They can also easily take group selfies, thanks to

a 5MP wide-angle front camera with an LED flash, which makes captured moments look good day or night.

Filipino users don’t have to spend a ton to get a world-class display. moto g5s brings stunning 1080p entertainment to life on a vibrant 5.2-inch fullHD display.

Backed by a 1.4GHz octa-core processor and 4G speed, moto g5s lets users run their favorite apps smoothly, watch videos with stutter-free playback and browse the web at high speed. Users can do more with the fingerprint feature too, whether it’s unlocking the phone, navigating the screen effortlessly with a swipe or tap using one button nav or making mobile payments. moto g5s also features the latest Moto Experiences such as Night Display and Quick Reply.

3 BEST UNIQUE AGRI IDEAS RULE INNOVATION OLYMPICS

By Jospher de Leon FROM an online platform that hopes to transform farmers into “agri-preneurs,” to a solar-powered multi-crop dryer for food processing, all the way to sensors and data that inform the farmer about the details of his vegetable farm through SMS or text messaging.

These were the top three innovative ideas that emerged as the big winners in the East-West Seed Innovation Olympics, dubbed as the “hackathon” of agriculture that challenges the next generation of leaders to develop technologies that increase productivity of farmers.

Asian Institute of Management’s Team Agriviz wants to create an e-commerce platform that aims to incorporate data analytics and disseminate information to improve the productivity of Filipino vegetable farmers, turning mindset into being market-driven rather than production-driven.

On the other hand, UP Los Banos’ Team i-Agri Ventures, defended their idea of a “multi-crop dryer” that hopes to significantly increase farmers’ revenue by boosting the market value of thee crop and reducing post-harvest losses.

Team Oppa, also of UP Los Banos, came out with an idea that could increase the yield of farmers by as high as 87.5% using text messaging. Their contraption makes use of the weather, predicting rain pattern and

effectively informs the farmers farm information in 30 seconds which normally takes 2-3 hours.

The three teams bested out seven other student groups who vied for the top 3 positions and the honor of implementing their ideas with an initial seed money of P150,000. For 120 days, they will implement their project in their selected farming community.

In January 2018, the team with the project that exemplified entrepreneurial innovation and made the most significant impact in their adopted farming community will be declared as the EWS Innovation Olympics Grand Champion and receive a P250,000 cash prize.

Growing Opportunities for Farmers and the Youth East-West Seed, established in 1982 as the first integrated vegetable company here in the Philippines, celebrates its anniversary this year with the theme, “Growing Opportunities.” “When my father, Dutch seedsman Simon Groot put up East-West Seed with Filipino seed trader, Benito Domingo, in 1982, in a humble 5-hectare lot in Lipa City, they had a common vision--to help smallholder farmers increase their income by providing high-quality seeds and training them on more productive and sustainable vegetable farming techniques,”said Maaike Groot, Public Affairs Manager of East-West Seed.

To date, East-West Seed has trained and enabled 46,782 smallholder farmers on proper vegetable farming techniques.

Members of UP Los Banos’ Team i-Agri Ventures receive their prize from East-West and Innovation Olympics officials.

“Farmers represent the 2nd poorest sector in our country and it is so sad that because of this, our young people shy away from pursuing a career in agriculture. What people do not know is that vegetable farming is a lucrative profession and could be a key for our people to get out of poverty. But we need to address several challenges which we, at East-West Seed, continue to help,” adds Dr. Mary Ann Sayoc, Public Affairs Lead of East-West Seed.

THE world’s leading urban carpooling platform Wunder Carpool has recently rolled out a big update on its app, optimizing the carpooling flow and made creating and finding rides a lot easier.

These changes on the app interface are based on suggestions and feedback it got from its growing community members since it launched in Metro Manila and Cebu last year.

Wunder also launched operations this year in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Wunder’s mobile app connects people commuting in same direction for work and/or home. Car owners share the empty seats in their cars and save money on fuel cost. Passengers get the comfort and convenience of commuting through a private car at a price that is way lower than taxi and often cheaper than public transportation. At the same time, it allows you to choose people you would like to carpool with and it becomes an opportunity to make new friends, network with people in your industry while you commute to work.

Here are the top 7 improvements that every carpooler has been waiting for: For first time carpoolers, an in-app preview is now available to check out the app’s main features. Newbies can get a virtual walk-through on how the app works before even logging in.

To make carpooling more secure, you are now required to key in their phone number as part of the 2-step user verification process.

Carpoolers can now easily create rides, pick a preferred route and switch role on each ride.

Car-owners are now free to set the fare for each ride shared and can even set it to zero, if they want Organizing a carpool is now easier with its improved browsing interface & better matching on the map.

The app now has a “My Rides” screen to give a clear overview of all upcoming rides and highlights required actions to manage each organized carpools.

For recurring carpools, a new feature allows to easily create routines and save them the trouble of setting ride requests/ride offers every day.

Founded in 2014 in Germany, Wunder is launching carpooling communities in the world’s most gridlocked cities. It now has more than 700,000 users from India and the Philippines, sharing over 2 million rides.

MAPUA U LAUNCHES 1ST FULLY ONLINE PROGRAM MAPUA University will launch its online education platform, Mapúa Digital Academics and offer its first fully online program, the Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering in October this year.

School of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management Dean Rex Aurelius C. Robielos said that the online program is part of the internationalization and digitalization initiatives of the University. MEP-IE is the first fully online graduate program in engineering in the country.

“The online program caters to current professionals who do not have the time to attend regular class sessions,” Dean Robielos said. “Online programs give students, especially professionals, the convenience and flexibility since they can opt to study at their free time.”

MDA seeks to overcome geographic and time-zone limitations, expanding the university’s reach globally. Because of the chosen platform, MEP-IE is open to any qualified and interested student anywhere in the world.

The MEP-IE is designed for graduates

of engineering, technology, or business. It aims to train individuals to become managerial and technical leaders. Aside from recorded lectures and examinations, students will be required to undergo practicum in industry or relevant training

MEP-IE is open to any qualified and interested student anywhere in the world.

in an equivalent agency to be acquainted with current practices in the field or in research.

The program will follow Mapúa’s quarter system enabling the student to complete the MEP-IE program in

less than two years (seven quarters).

Students should earn 36 course units to complete program and earn the degree.

According to Mapúa University president and chief executive officer Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, the program was chosen because it would not require physical laboratories and it has a wide range of applications.

“Our recent experiences in offering specific courses not only in blended instruction but also in the massive, simultaneous real-time delivery of instruction have given us the confidence to offer an entire program study in a fully online mode,” said Dr. Vea. By next year, more fully online programs for all major master’s degree offerings in engineering and information technology are set to be offered.

To know more about and to apply for Mapúa University’s fully online Master of Engineering in Industrial Engineering program, visit https://www.mapua.edu.ph/ DigitalAcademics/.

DIGITAL BIZ. Altus Digital Capital, a private equity firm that invests in financial and human capital, reveals its vision for a digital future in business in the Philippines at a media roundtable on Thursday. Led by cofounder and managing director Randy McGraw (left) and senior PR manager Arvi Lopez (right), ADC is focused on helping digital businesses in the country’s emerging digital market through a continuously growing digitalization using the company’s expertise and knowledgeable staff. Diana B. Noche

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 Isah V. Red, Editor

/

Young Life

Bernadette Lunas, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com.ph

‘IT’ BAGS FOR MILLENNIALS Careline Multi Sticks

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YOUTHFUL. Guess Bags Fall 2017 collection features handbags in classic silhouettes updated with new colors, prints, and charms.

By Bernadette Lunas

J

UST when you thought you already own too many bags, Guess introduces new edgy totes, stylish satchels, and quirky backpacks that you know, you need to have.

BETTER THAN BASIC GONE are the days when female is seen as the passive and meek gender. Today’s young women are outspoken, confident, and knowledgeable. She strives to make a statement in everything she does—from social media updates she posts to the cosmetics she uses.

The American lifestyle brand rolls out the first batch of its Fall 2017 bag collection in the Philippines, just in time for the holiday season.

Guess Bags’s latest pieces exude a youthful vibe as they feature a mixture of designs, a spectrum of bright colors, and a variety of fabrics.

Guess Philippines merchandising ladies manager Clarish Barundia says the handbags’s trendy styles and designs aim to attract the growing millennial market.

“Basically, most of our customers are the Gen X: working individu-

Careline's Matte Liquid Lipstick

Classic satchels with colorful embroidered floral prints

Guess offers millennial-approved backpacks adorned with studs, charms, and fur

als and mothers; those who have purchasing power. This time, however, we really want to target millennials that’s why we have a selection of backpacks, which is one of the key looks for this collection,” relates Barundia.

Young professionals and students who prefer to carry their stuff in a bag on their back, can choose from a backpack with studs or a backpack with fur that Guess offers. But aside from this now ubiquitous style, Guess Bags’s Fall 2017 collection also caters to the nonbackpack carrying crowd with its satchels and totes.

The latest collection is divided into three categories, namely Party in the Front, Flower Power, and Modern Vintage.

Party in the Front is the for the edgy fashionista who wants to showcase her punk rock persona with travel-friendly handbags adorned with big embellishments, such as studs, chains, and charms.

Flower Power, meanwhile, keeps the floral trend alive with satchels and handbags upgraded with colorful embroidered floral prints stitched on the front of the silhouettes.

Finally, Modern Vintage, according to Barundia, is composed of handbags from the brand’s previous collections that are updated “with a twist.”

Prices of Guess Bags’s Fall 2017 collection range from P3,000 to P7,000.

For more information, visit www.GUESS.com or Guess Philippines on Facebook.

With this in mind, local cosmetics brand Careline has shifted to a bolder and trendier brand image.

“The youth is the main inspiration for Careline’s new brand direction. They are confident in who they are, what they want, Turn to C2

Andrea Brillantes leads the Girl Gang

HAPPY FEET

RAINY DAYS ARE NO PROBLEM WITH THESE SHOES NOTHING puts a damper on a day quite like getting your feet wet when the rain pours. But inclement weather should not slow anyone down. Here’s a few footwear choices that let you step out into the elements with confidence.

t Splash Keds Scou st green) re o (f boots

From left: Keds Topkick Wool (gray), Scout Splash WX (black), Tournament Nylon/Suede WX (gray)

Sperry 7 Seas Carbon

Young Life

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

Careline's short film shows how teens can have fun with makeup

BETTER...

From C1

and how they want to express themselves,” said Careline brand manager Creole David.

Combining quirky and “everyday wearable,” the new image aims to appeal to everyone. It is both simple and striking with its new boldface logo and colorful packaging.

With the launch of a young brand image, Careline introduces new products which David says are “better than basic,” and are “a little different from the usual drugstore makeup brands.”

For girls who prefer to make a statement with their eyes, Careline introduces Go! Mascara, which comes in two variants: Go! Long Mascara to make lashes look long and wispy, and Go! Big Mascara, whose special brush packs on product to make lashes extra voluminous; Careline Best Brow Pencil, a retractable brow pencil and spoolie that brushes and tames the brows; and Careline Graph Ink Liner, which has a long flexible felt tip to make lining the eyes quicker.

The brand also caters to women looking for versatile products with its Careline Multi Sticks, a multipurpose makeup that comes in six variants: Contour Stick, a universal contour that also doubles as an eye shadow color; Brighten Stick, a yellow-toned brightening concealer that can be used as an eye shadow primer; Strobe Stick, a metallic highlighter for the décolletage and shoulders that also looks great as a metallic eye shadow; Blur Stick, a pore-filling primer that works well alone or under foundation; and Rose and Peach Sticks, multiuse tints that do wonders for eyes, cheeks, and lips.

Careline’s new lipstick line is for the bold woman. Matte Liquid Lipstick comes in rich hues like Upper Hand in deep burgundy, Craving in true brown, and Dark Matter in a deep, almost black shade. For the adventurous, Careline offers the Melted Metallic Lipstick with a matte metallic finish. It comes in champagne gold Luster, metallic red Live Wire, and metallic purple Prince.

To spread it “Better than basic” message, Careline also launched the Girl Gang which embodies the fun but empowering message the cosmetics label wants to share to its young market.

Teen star Andrea Brillantes, Alyana Chapman, Azusa Masu, Megu Demetrio and Regine Lacanienta star in a short digital film that shows how teens can make a statement with Careline. The video can be viewed on Careline’s Instagram and YouTube pages.

STARTING THEM YOUNG. Manila Water Foundation president Geodino Carpio and celebrity advocate Bettina Carlos teach children from the Erda Foundation-Muntinlupa how to properly wash their hands. Manny Palmero

CELEBRATING

THE IMPORTANCE OF

HANDWASHING

By Daniel Reyes

M

ANILA Water Foundation is leading a month-long and nationwide celebration of the Global Handwashing Day 2017 in a bid to raise awareness on the importance of proper handwashing in preventing the spread of communicable diseases.

At the kick-off event of GHD 2017 at the Mind Museum in Bonifacio Global City on Oct. 5, MWF bared plans to hold several events in schools, communities, and malls in line with this year’s global theme, “Our Hands, Our Future.”

Since 2013, MWF has been among the biggest supporters of the campaign by rolling out local activities and events, such as demonstrations and actual handwashing, which complement the organization’s vision on water education.

This year’s celebration focuses on teaching children how to properly wash their hands.

“If you teach children how to do it, they will keep on doing it.

When they grow up as adults, then they will be forming the habit and passing [it] on to [next] generations,” MWF president Geodino Carpio said during the launch.

UNICEF chief of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene Section Luis Maule, meanwhile, emphasized the importance of teaching individuals while they’re still young.

Maule said UNICEF strongly believes that children can be agents of change, as in its experience in educating students about proper hygiene and sanitation, positive change was seen at homes, in schools, and within their communities.

While it is important to teach children to properly wash their hands, the task is not an easy one. Celebrity mom and this year’s celebrity advocate Bettina Carlos shared her struggle in reminding her daughter to wash her hands after every activity.

“I’ll tell her, ‘anak, it’s the things that you do not see that hurt you the most’,” related Carlos. She adds, “Because it’s the germs and bacteria that you do not visibly see that can actually cause you to get sick.”

According to Maule, research shows that handwashing might be the single most cost effective way of preventing diseases for

Proper handwashing helps prevent the spread of communicable diseases

“it doesn’t need anything special—just soap, water, and our own hands to take care of ourselves.”

Thus Carlos avered that her job as a parent is to teach her daughter to watch after her own welfare, so that her daughter would know how to take care of herself when her mother is not around.

Because in the long run, Maule stressed, “our children’s future is in our hands, and together we can ensure that can be a healthy and happy one.”

Following the launch at the Mind Musem, MWF will bring the celebration to key locations in Luzon and Visayas. The organization has also launched an educational audio-visual presentation which is currently being played on MMDA’s electronic billboards at key locations along Edsa until Oct. 31.

BULLETIN BOARD

FEU FORUM ADDRESSES THE ROLE OF MEDIA IN THE DIGITAL AGE

The internet has vastly affected the media landscape

FAR Eastern University, through its Public Policy Center, recently conducted a forum entitled “The Moment of Truth: The Challenge of Social Media” to tackle the vast changes in the media landscape caused by the Internet.

The forum wanted to help the public evaluate media and information in the age of fake news, plagiarism, and social media, among others.

“Throughout the years, Philippine media and journalism have been influential in shaping government policies and public opinion,” said FEU Public Policy Center Foundation president Dr. Edilberto de Jesus, who moderates the forum.

He continued, “Through the Internet, it has never been easier for news to reach wider audiences and exert its power. But the same holds true for misinformation and malicious news, which dilutes the influence of credible media outlets. Critical thinking has never been more important, and FEU is proud to host an event that will cultivate this.”

Melinda de Jesus, executive director for the Center of Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR), served as the keynote speaker. Her talk focused on

“Media in Philippine Society: Implications for Public Policy,” which traces the development of journalism in the country compared to the evolution of practices abroad. Her proposed framework touched on mutual understanding in society as well as steps toward policy making and good governance.

An esteemed panel of media experts provided insights on De Jesus’ findings, as seen through the lens of their respective specializations.

Atty. Melencio Sta. Maria, current Dean of the FEU Institute of Law, discussed the legal context of media.

Vergel Santos, chairman of the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, talked about the Philippine Press and its core values.

Completing the panel is Jose Roberto Alampay, the Editor-in-Chief of InterAksyon and BusinessWorld, and a senior manager at TV5. Alampay tackled the influence of social media on the production and circulation of news.

“There is a need for better understanding of the Philippine Media. As an educational institution, it is our responsibility to mold responsible consumers of information,” said FEU president Dr. Michael Alba.

Showbiz

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017

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Isah V. Red, Editor / Nickie Wang, Issue Editor isahred@gmail.com

HOW

ALISAH

BONAOBRA

SECURED A SPOT IN ‘X FACTOR UK’

REUNITED. After their stint in the top-rating TV

series "Meant To Be," Ken Chan and Barbie Forteza are back together, this time in a big screen project.

BARBIE AND KEN

SWEETER IN A NEW FILM

By Nickie Wang

H

E BETRAYS her, more than once. Then, they meet again and he wants to rekindle their relationship. Will she open her heart again to the man who had hurt her twice?

I’m excited for this film, I also feel anxious because this romcom film has a lot of dramatic scenes, too. We hope the audience will like it,” the teen actress shared.

The romantic flick is produced by Regal Entertainment and also stars Akihiro Sato, Niel Sese, Kim Rodriguez, Hiro Peralta, Yayo Aguila, Jai Agpangan, Jon Limbo, Rey PJ Abellana, and Ara Mina. It is set to open in cinemas nationwide on Nov. 8.

Barbie and Ken in a scene from the upcoming Regal Entertainment movie, "This Time I'll Be Sweeter"

Failure of relationships, for whatever reason, is always heart-breaking, and more so when someone feels like she has already lived a majority of her life with that person. But as the saying goes, there’s always a second or a third or even a fourth chance at love. But falling in love for the same person, who apparently caused you so much heartache, is an entirely different story. Will the leading lady choose this uncertain route?

That’s the question asked by the viral movie trailer featuring Kapuso stars Ken Chan and Barbie Forteza that is currently trending on Facebook. As of this writing, the clip uploaded by popular Facebook page SineHub has already amassed 4.5 million views.

The latest trailer for the romantic drama shows Barbie as a student who is obsessed with Ken, whose character, on the other hand, is a member of their school’s swimming team. For the first, their being together seems to have happened because it’s destiny, but apparently, the latter is not the type of person who would settle in just one romantic relationship.

Barbie’s character later discovers that she’s not the only person being treated special by their school’s star swimmer.

Following the trailer, years past and the former lovers’ paths cross again. This time Barbie’s character is reluctant to give her former flame a chance as it’s the third time that she’s being treated the same way.

Entitled This Time I’ll Be Sweeter, the film is the first big screen team-up of the KenBie after their successful stint in Meant To Be, the top-rating romantic comedy on GMA 7 that also starred Jak Roberto, Addy Raj, and Ivan Dorschner.

Fans started to notice the onscreen couple’s impeccable chemistry in the teen show Tween Hearts in 2010. Since then their fanbase grew fast in number through the years.

In a previous interview Barbie said that the upcoming movie is sort of a contitnuation of their hit TV series that aired its final episode in June.

“I feel it’s a continuation of Meant To Be since I am with Ken once again.

The story is as light as the romcom we starred in early this year. Although

Kapamilya star and Viva artist James Reid is vying for the Best Southeast Asian Act in this year's edition of MTV Europe Music Awards

JAMES REID

THE X Factor UK journey continues for Alisah Bonaobra as she secured a spot in the Six Chair Challenge in the Girls Category to be mentored by judge Sharon Osbourne.

During the last episode, Alisah walked on stage in her red evening gown and performed a classic Celine Dion hit “All By Myself,” which drove the crowd, other contestants, and judges Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh on their feet.

“Your style is very dated, it’s very cabaret for me, but you have this amazing gift, this voice, it’s huge.” Sharon told Alisah after her performance.

All the seats were taken when she performed but judge Sharon made sure she got one by making Taliah Dorto give up hers.

But getting a seat after performing was not a guarantee until all the acts finished their performances.

The 22-year-old singer knew this when Sharon made her give up the seat for Grace Davies. This decision shocked not just the audience but the rest of the judges as well.

Simon Cowell could not believe what happened and walked out.

Judge Louis Walsh also expressed his disbelief with the decision. “Oh no, no you can’t do that!”

The audience chanted loudly asking Sharon to bring her back, to which Sharon responded.

“Please guys, would you please give me time to receive the last two girls and then I can think about it?”

All the seats were taken during this time, but the crowd was clearly not satisfied with the decision. For the second time, they chanted loudly asking Sharon to bring Alisah back.

“Okay you guys! Oh, you are so hard to please!” Sharon expressed. “Alright, I’m gonna bring Alisah back but I wanna hear a sing off with her and Scarlett, and Rai Elle.”

The crowd got very excited and cheered really loud as soon as Alisah walked back on stage.

“Girls, I am so sorry to make you all do this, but what do I do when there’s so much talent here and the audience, I have to listen to the audience. But no matter what, I have two chairs and three girls.” Sharon told the girls before they start their second performance.

Alisah showed how badly she wanted that seat and surprised everyone with her powerful version of “Bang Bang” by Jessie JJ, Ariana Grande, and Nicki Minaj. Making sure she hit all Minaj the high notes and aced the rap part of the song.

“Well Alisah, you showed me didn’t you?” Sharon exclaimed after saying that Alisah will be moving to the next round of the competition which is the Judges House.

The X Factor UK airs first and exclusive on RTL CBS Entertainment same day as the UK every Sunday and Monday at 10:30 a.m..

GETS MTV EMA NOD THE nominees for the 2017 MTV European Music Awards have been announced, and James Reid is the lone local artist On the official list of nominees.

The Kapamilya star and Viva artists is vying for the Best Southeast Asian Act award in the MTV EMA to be held at The SSE Arena in Wembley on Nov. 12 and will hosted by British singer-actress Rita Ora. The 24-year-old actor-singer is competing against Indonesia’s Isyana Sarasvati, Malaysia’s Faizal Tahir, Singapore’s The Sam Willows, Thailand’s Slot Machine, and Vietnam’s Dam Vinh Hung.

James, who recently established his own music label Careless Music Manila and currently filming for the action fantasy movie Pedro Penduko, is nominated for his latest record Palm Dreams. His third studio album released in July produced the hit “Cool Down,” which already has

almost 2 million views on YouTube.

Palm Dreams is a follow up to James’s Platinum-selling record Reid Alert released in February 2015. In the same year, he was also nominated in the same category at the MTV EMA but lost to Son Tùng M-TP, a pop singer and actor from Vietnam.

Meanwhile, indie band The Ramson Collective failed to win the Southeast Asia Social Wildcard after the online poll that ran from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2. Thus, joining James and the other contenders from the region is Thai singer Palitchoke Ayanaputra after beating out the Singapore’s Sezairi and the country’s own The Ransom Collective.

Since Southeast Asian Act became one of the categories at the MTV EMA in 2013, only Sarah Geronimo was able to bring home the coveted award in 2014.

Pinay singer Alisah Bonaobra performing on "The X Factor UK" stage during the nerve-wracking Six Chair Challenge

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2017

Desiree Carlos, Editor

Pets

daycarlos28@yahoo.com

MY FURRY BESTIE THIS corner will feature pets of animal lovers every week. We hope new owners and those thinking of getting a pet will be encouraged to be responsible “furparents” through these features. We also hope more people will be moved to be kind to animals when they read about the great relationship that can be created between humans and animals.

For contributions, please email to daycarlos28@yahoo.com and put My Furry Bestie as subject.

F

FREE THE PUPPIES, FEED THE PUPPIES

OUR beautiful ladies had one brilliant idea.

PET TALES They talked about it, tossed it in their

BY DESIREE CARLOS minds for a few days, sat down and talked about it some more, and voila, Free the Puppies was born!

Free the Puppies was a night of music and comedy hosted by Portia Carlos, Katt Torres, Sid Buan and Pam Santiago last Sept. 23 at the Handlebar Bar and Grill to raise funds for rescued dogs and cats of two animal welfare groups.

The two groups are Save Animals of Love and Light (Save ALL) and Dogs Mountain.

The four lovely ladies said they created Free the Puppies, Feed the Puppies to support two causes they are very passionate about: women's rights and animal welfare.

They added, "These two passions were combined by making an event called 'Free the Puppies.' It is a braless event to make people more aware of the ridiculousness of stare downs and cat-calling that women have to go through for going braless. Be it for supposed health reasons, fashion, or just plain comfiness—women are forced to cage their puppies. We wanted to create a night and environment

to empower women to feel comfortable and confident and possibly educate some people who do cat-call or stare at girls and take that security away from women. " "We then added our love for animals to the picture by turning this event into a charity for animals.

‘Free the Puppies’ to ‘Feed the Puppies’!" they said.

Thanks to comedians Angus Little from Stomp and Mike Unson, a special performance from Burlesque PH, bands like Wilderness, REKLAMO, Mad Love Misery, Quibs, Sleep Kitchen, and artworks by tattoo artist Dennese Delaney, the ladies were able to raise sufficient funds to bring food for rescued animals to the Dogs Mountain sanctuary in Naguillan, La Union and the Save ALL care home in Quezon City last Saturday.

"We took a trip to Save ALL and got to bond with the rescues. It is hard to imagine that these happy dogs and cats were once sickly, scruffy-

looking, and even catatonic because of so much abuse and neglect. They used to be very wary of humans. The two puppies we were carrying were kissing bandits!" said Sid who went to the care home with Portia.

Sid added, "To say we admire the commitment to give these rescues a happy home is an understatement. Thank you so much for all that you do, Save ALL admin. " Kat, who went to Dogs Mountain with Pam, said, "We made it up to Dogs Mountain and it was a really inspiring and heart warming little adventure. The people of Dogs Mountain are really doing an amazing thing. We saw how much work and passion they put in to take care of all these animals. The dogs come first is how they put it."

"We were able to bring 7 sacks of dog food this trip. But being there just made us realize how much help they really need. We are excited to do more for the puppies in the future!" she said.

I, too, am amazed at you, ladies.. You are not just beautiful and intelligent. You each shine brighter because of your compassion and kind heart for animals! Take a bow, ladies. May there be more like you!

Namaste!

COCO, nine months, is so cute when asking for playtime as he is doing in the photo. “He does that when he wants to play.

And his favorite toy? Pantali ng buhok!” says owner Pearl Erasmo-Martinez.

Pearl’s aunt gave Coco to them and now she is the baby of the family. “Spoiled to death sa kids ko, “ Pearl adds.

TOOTSIE follows owner Romela Carbonel when she wants food and that can be often because she just loves to eat. “She is so cute with those pink nose and pink paws! “ says Carbonel.

Sid Buan (left) and Portia Carlos with Save ALL rescues Cassie and Cole brought vegetables, dog food and cat food for 67 rescues.

Tattoo artist Dennese Delaney and artworks for sale for the love of the puppies. (Photo by Chico Zapotilla)

Katt Torres (left) and Pam Santiago (right) with Shirly Hughes, co-founder of Dogs Mountain

Wilderness (Photo by Chico Zapotilla)

KIM is a four month old male dog who survived parvo virus.

Owner Jhade Eres had him treated by a vet and provided all the care he needed to survive the deadly disease.

His “hobbies,” says Jhade, include eating and “mangulit” or "pester" everyone for play and all.